1. |
Korea
04:32
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I heard her walk out the door – So I followed, calling her name.
My mother doesn’t sleep these days.
She’s been trying desperately to hold smoke that she still thinks is flame.
But it’s drifting away.
“You’ve got to be a man now,” was all he said to me that day.
“Care for your sister, and say your prayers before you sleep.”
Then he packed his bags, and went out overseas.
It wasn’t long at all ‘til I learned to drink.
(After all,) I’m my father’s son, not the man he was.
But she still hears his voice, each time I speak.
He sacrificed for friends and family… but that ain’t me.
All she remembers is the letter they sent.
It said he’d been missing almost three whole weeks.
She still swore he’d make it home okay.
She still thinks he will. It’s this goddamn disease.
Old man was out earning medals while my mother got sick at home.
It almost broke her heart, you know -- when he sent back pictures of those geisha girls.
“You’ve got to be a man now,” was all he said to me that day.
“Care for your sister, and say your prayers before you sleep.”
Then he packed his bags, and went out overseas.
I’m my father’s son, not the man he was. (I’m not the man he was.)
(He’s safe now. And quiet, underground.)
Take her down to his headstone. “Your husband came home years ago.
The war couldn’t take him, but the cancer did.” He ain’t never coming back.
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2. |
A Monster, A Tempest
02:26
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She slid off her ring and laid it gently on the table, then turned to whisper in my ear.
She said, “Kiss me quickly, dear. Lest conscious catch up to me.”
I took a breath, began to protest…
But how could I refuse, with her lips on my neck, her dress on the bedside?
She had a husband, a home, and a family, but I’m a selfish and uncaring man.
Oh, I’m just a man.
Then he came to me, carrying nothing but his passion and crawling on his knees.
But still I would not speak, ‘til he summoned all his strength and he rose to his feet.
He turned, locked eyes with me, and said:
“You’re more a monster than a man.
And I will do to you what you did to my household.”
I stood unmoved like the side of a mountain,
But what are mere rock and stone against such a storm? I spoke.
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3. |
Old Ghosts
03:57
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“This may be my last chance to confess
So I’ve got to explain why what’s happened has happened to us.
Please just come a bit closer; I’ll be brief and when I’m done
you’ll know everything.
This may be my last chance to speak but
I’m still holding my tongue, still keeping my mouth shut.
This may be my last chance to speak, dear.
But I’ve been left with such great fear.
That I can hardly go on… I can barely speak a word…”
“Murderer! You took my gentle wife away.
Adulterer! Your hands are red!
I’ve been wandering all over town trying to bury these old ghosts
In bars, empty buildings, or churches, but they won’t stay down.
They’re in my head now.”
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4. |
Smoke & Glass & Ash
01:10
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for friends who welcomed me home.
We’re finally back in town, where me and the boys are a crowd.
We ain’t old, and we ain’t young.
And after tonight we can all settle down.
Give ‘em hell you just can’t loose.
You said it yourself, “we’ve all got the blues.”
“If I can just provide for me and mine.
I’ll live content, an old man’s life.”
Now we’re lost in smoke and glass and ash.
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5. |
Sometimes
04:05
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We were driving home on these icy New England roads.
When I lost control, or let the booze take over, I don’t know.
But I woke up alone, under pale white light,
In the unmistakable bed of a hospital.
I need a drink now every night to help me fall asleep
Or stay awake or so my hands don’t shake.
And these pins in my leg, how they ache,
Remind me every day that I can’t help my son.
‘Cause I’m a God fearing man but now I swear I can feel the devil’s hands
At the bottom of this bottle and with every sip I take he crawls down my throat.
For every song I’ve sung in tired blown out lungs,
And every friend I’ve lost to broken bonds of trust:
I’m sorry.
I need a drink now every night to help me fall asleep
Or stay awake or so my hands don’t shake.
And these pins in my leg, how they ache,
Remind me every day of what to tell my son:
“Just live… have hope…”
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