Bluebird Matchbox

[[ A transformation of an actual childhood visit to relatives in Dundee and Perth. The long wait for adults to finish visiting grows to an evolutionary scale. The Bluebird Matchbox (actually a Corgi, says the internet) was produced to keep me or my brother or both of us busy while adults talked for the last time. ]]

In childhood I am guided in

to meet the ancient Britons known

to other ancient Britons then

as Helen, Bunty, Joe. All gone.

They are all shades of vein and chalk

and pebbledash and cardigan

and close-cut grass and gravel walk

and kindly smiles all wired in.

I play while they discover fire 

and pour a drink to warm their skins,

and ages pass while they admire  

how fingers grow where once were fins.

intentional love song 15: they get along (two girls in love)

[[ Just a lesbian love song, or a lesbian appreciation song (written from a third-person point of view. Also, silly jokes on 'they are coming for your children' and 'at the YMCA'. ]]

they get along, 

two girls in love 

with their local library

they get along, 

two girls in love 

with a cat named Harry

they get along, 

two girls in love 

with living 

in this town 

don't let them down

they get along, 

two girls in love 

with music playing in their ears

they get along, 

two girls in love 

at the corner pub with beers

they get along, 

two girls in love 

with living 

in this town 

don't let them down

somebody said 

they're probably sisters,

they have to be sisters,

no one could rightly say

somebody wondered 

where were their misters

a girl needs a mister

I said, it's not like it was in your day

it's not like it was in your day

they are coming for your children

as you arranged the other day

they are taking them for homework help

at the YMCA

they get along, 

like two girls in a song

bullets are faster

watch a man die

on a corner some night

it starts with a look

it starts up a fight

it starts to look bad

when your man pulls a gun

it starts off a miniature

war against one

they tell him to get the fuck

down on the ground

they tell him but

bullets are faster

bullets are faster than sound

might as well step

in the way of a train

"get the fuck..." comes

with a shot to the brain

they tell him to get the fuck

down on the ground

they tell him but

bullets are faster

bullets are faster than sound

watch a man die

on a corner some night

it starts with a look

it starts up a fight

pink planet

[[ a song about women and men and mermaids and centaurs ]]

From a pink planet,

from the pink sand,

we all heard a sound

that left us unmanned.

"Come join us mermaids

here on the shore."

Sing us a love song 

we haven't heard before.

Never a one of us 

ever has heard 

a true love song.

On the pink planet,

we laid down our craft.

"Steamy," said a woman

preserved under glass

She was a remake of 

Venus Needs Ass.

.

"Steamy," said a woman 

pacing her cage.

She was a remake of 

Heaven in a Rage.

Then men on horses!

Or will they be centaurs?

One way or another

We'll be on all fours.

Cut to the mermaids

chewing on entrails, 

wiping their mouths

with the tips of their tails.

"Steamy," said a woman 

locked behind bars.  

She was a remake of 

Panther Girls from Mars.

"Steamy," said a woman 

stood under a light.  

She was a remake of 

night, night, night, night. 

From a pink planet,

from the pink sand,

we all heard a sound

that left us unmanned.

"Come join us mermaids

here on the shore."

Sing us a love song 

we haven't heard before.

Never a one of us 

ever has heard 

a true love song.

what do you see in the dark?

[[ Mine work, mine family.  ]]

daddy comes up 

from working the mine

black as sin

mama goes to him 

and strips him and 

scours his skin

come on up, daddy, 

and we can have breakfast

leave off that dirty old work

come and cheer mama up 

tell us a story

what do you see in the dark,

my daddy?

what do you see in the dark?

daddy works nights 

and comes out of the ground  

with the sun

mama feeds daddy

then says come to bed,

your day's done

come on up, daddy, 

and we can have breakfast

leave off that dirty old work

come and cheer mama up 

tell us a story

what do you see in the dark,

my daddy?

what do you see in the dark?

burned over

[[ have you heard of the "burned-over district" of NY State? This song started with that in general and the Millerites in more particular. ]].

Jesus is going to stroll

right up our block,

step up right there, next Tuesday.

Jesus is going to roll

up to the clock 

in our town square, next Tuesday.

Jesus is coming on Tuesday, 

next Tuesday.

to burn the place down to the dirt

Jesus is coming on Tuesday, 

next Tuesday.

and I sure hope it doesn't hurt.

Sell the house.

Sell the cow.

Sell the horses.

Do it now.

Jesus is coming on Tuesday, 

next Tuesday.

to burn the place down to the dirt

gasoline and perfume

the peace of the past

is gasoline and perfume

burning off surfaces

me pulling the zipper up 

the back of her dress

and watching her fix sticky lips

this is the soil

I am rooted in

this is the air

I inhale

me peeling his boots 

from his feet after work 

and watching the earth fall away

this is the soil

I am rooted in

this is the air

I inhale

gasoline and perfume

burn away in the sun


[[ smells and sights of childhood ]]

little demon

[[ this could be a lullaby or a washing song or an exorcism ]]

little demon

in my child

get you gone and 

leave him mild

you must go and

he must stay

let him let go 

of today

little demon

stomp the floor

little demon

slam the door

little demon

fill his lungs

little demon

speak in tongues

little demon

foul the bed

little demon

wake the dead

little demon

in my child

get you gone and 

leave him mild

you must go and

he must stay

let him let go 

of today

Devil in the Detail

[[ A blues song about the actualities of figuratively selling your soul. The devil is an empty belly. ]]

There was a man selling whisky.

There was a man selling cigarettes.

There was a man selling fast cars.

There was a man handing out regrets, handing out regrets.

And what did I have?

I had these fingers.

I had this voice.

I had this guitar.

I had no choice.

There was a girl from across the roadway.

There was a woman in a dark saloon.

There was a woman consumed my heart

Under the moon, under the moon, under the moon.

And what did I have?

I had these fingers.

I had this voice.

I had this guitar.

I had no choice.

The devil is an empty belly.

The devil is sleeping on the floor.

The devil is working enough to get by.

The devil is being poor.

And what did I have?

I had these fingers.

I had this voice.

I had this guitar.

I had no choice.

There's a devil at the crossroads,
at every intersection,

when you leave home forever behind.

And if you find a Jesus,
if you ever find a Jesus,

you will find him in your bread and wine.

unwholesome man

[[ A hard-drinking wife-beating 'unwholesome' man is executed by the community but comes back as a zombie to have one last drink at the local saloon with his wife, then walks back to the cemetery. Yeah. Call and response. Maybe two singers alternating on most lines, maybe overlapping like an echo. ]]

unwholesome man

(unwholesome man)

he was a man would

(he was a man would)

take a fist to his woman

take a bottle to his bed

take a fist to his woman

take a bottle to his bed

take a fistful of dream

stick it all in his head

they said that man's an animal

they said put a man down

they said that man's an animal

they said put a man down

next day it fell on a Thursday  

next day sheriff put him in the ground

unwholesome man...

take a fist to his woman...

sheriff put him in the ground

that man he dug himself out again

that man stood under the moon

that man he dug himself out again

that man stood under the moon

that man could smell it was Friday

man walked to the local saloon

unwholesome man...

take a fist to his woman...

sheriff put him in the ground

dead man walked back to town

that man had a penny on his left eye 

that man had a penny on his right

that man had a penny on his left eye 

that man had a penny on his right

that man slid a penny to the barman  

bar man said you drink all night

unwholesome man...

take a fist to his woman...

sheriff put him in the ground

man walked back to town

man bought another round

that man stood next to his woman

woman said I've nothing to say 

that man stood next to his woman

woman said I've nothing to say 

that man knocked back his last whisky

said I'll see you on Judgment Day

unwholesome man...

take a fist to his woman...

sheriff put him in the ground

man walked back to town

man bought another round

never made another sound

walked back out of town

Orion & the Seven Sisters

[[ I think that's it. I thought about adding more. But that's enough. It's a longing song. You could sing the chorus again at the end. ]]

1.

She has lived all the seven sins 

on the seven seas

but shipwrecked herself
in the Far Ambiguities

Stranded herself between 

the one and the other,

she's married a stranger,

run off with his brother,

then walked out on him 

in the middle of a ham and cheese.

2. 

She has places to be, and men 

tend to hold a girl down

So she stands in the door after dark 

in her slippers and gown. 

She already knows 

she'll be gone before Christmas 

She just needs a night 

when there won't be a witness

Except for the stars that are rising up

over the town.

Chorus

When the cold days come

and Orion is hung 

in the sky

When the birds have flown

and no one is home

in the night

She will go with the hunter 

a sword on his belt

They will chase the seven sisters 

until time runs out

They will chase across the sky 

until time runs out

fearsome blues

[[ still working on this ]]

[[ parenthetical bits are backup singers in gospel choir style ]] 

[[ this stanza is the core of the song ]]

Up in a cumulonimbus

Snug in the thunderstorm

God tosses bolts of lightning

Keeping his throwing arm warm

God is the updraft (lifting, lifting)

And we are (we are, we are...)

we are the downpour

[[ the rest is the rest ]]

God is the sunlight through honey

God is the moon on the bay

God is a firefly under a leaf

God is the Milky Way

God is the seven continents

God is the seven seas

God is the multiple mouths of the Nile

God is the Pleiades

[[ now we are small scale ]]

God is your hidden diary

And your anonymous call

God is your deathbed confession

God is a voodoo doll

[[ and growing bigger  ]]

God is a grilled cheese sandwich

God is your average weird

God is an excellent climbing tree

God is a trendy beard

God is the jism of -ism

God is the grist for the -ist

God is an anthropomorphism
God cannot really exist

[[ shift gears musically and raise the pressure ]]

God is your evolution

God is your ma and pa

He is a she if you want her to be

God wears a push-up bra

[[ and now we are in the human realm, big style ]]

God is the locomotive

God is the Golden Spike

God is the Suez and Panama

God is the turnpike

God is the spinning jenny

God is a spacewalk, live

One god is one too many
God is the Saturn V

[[ step into a swamp and sing like it  ]]

God is an alligator

God is a crocodile

God knows the difference between them

God knows it's in the smile

Lunar Blues

[slow, relaxed, romantic]
All we have in common
is that moon pasted yellow on the sky
All we have in common
is that moon pasted yellow on the sky
Better get to what we came for
'Fore we tell that yellow moon goodbye.

Close the window to the night air
The birds will all be singing soon
Close the window to the night air
The birds will all be singing soon
And don't forget to pull the curtains
on that sneaky old man in the moon.

[a bit faster...]
Baby, watch the clock
Time runs faster than you fear
Baby, watch the clock
Time runs faster than you fear
Better check your almanac
The shortest evening of the year

[vinegar strokes instrumental]

[resolution]
I will slip out your window
and head down the road with the moon
I will slip out your window
and head down the road with the moon
but I won't forget you, honey,
or this moon in June soon...

[[ then back to the top and fade ]]

A parade of freak

[[ the people who wander home up the middle of the empty street after closing time or home after the party's over -- I see them when I'm up late at my desk facing on to the street or when they're doing the walk of shame in the morning ]]

Just when the calm

comes down,

Just when the sky

is clear,

Just when a dome

of stars rolls over

all our home...

A parade of freak [sic]

Walk down our street

Hand in hand

Foot by feet [sic]

Muscle and bone

Bone and meat 

Talking meat

Screaming meat

Walking home

When the world is done

Closing down

One by one

A parade of freak [sic]

Just when the moon

moves into view,

Just when today

leaves for the evening,

Just when the all alone

becomes all

and alone...

A parade of freak [sic]

Walk down our street

Hand in hand

Foot by feet [sic]

Muscle and bone

Bone and meat 

Talking meat

Screaming meat

Walking home

When the world is done

Closing down

One by one

A parade of freak [sic]

Here comes our darling

Walking the all alone

Finally finding home

In the plain of day

Missing the whole parade

In a gaze of "Hey,

Look what the cat dragged

Look what the cat dragged

Look what the cat dragged

Look what the cat dragged..."

A parade of freak...

she dreams

she dreams of science, dreams of progress,

dreams of wolves running over

(wolves coming for her)

wolves running over the field

(wolves coming into the fold)

she dreams of marriage, dreams of babies,

dreams of wolves running over

(wolves coming for her)

wolves running over the field

(wolves coming into the fold)

she dreams of holy orders,

withdrawal from this world,

she dreams of

god the feather,

god the sun and moon,

god the goat, she

dreams of wolves running over

(wolves coming for her)

wolves running over the field

(wolves coming into the fold)

she believes there must be meaning

in these dreams

she would pluck them each apart

at their seams

and feed them to you

and feed them to you

she would watch the birds fly

and wonder what it meant

what message they had sent

mindful of you

v1:
I have watched you while you're sleeping

I have listened to you snore

I have watched you while you're sleeping

I have listened to you snore

I have crept into the kitchen

And I have closed the kitchen door

Chorus:

But I am mindful of you always

Sitting still in a chair

I am mindful of you always

Sitting still in a chair

There is tea in the tea cup.

There is steam in the air.

v2:
I have sat next to you mornings

While the bumblebee purred

I have sat next to you mornings

While the bumblebee purred

I have closed my eyes to listen

How you don't say a word

tremblers

[[ it's all about zombies or alien lesbians or feminists from beneath the earth or something or everything ]] 

poor little girl been  

wearing a disguise

pull back her hood 

and look in her eyes

with her laser look

she lays her down

in the softest grass of England 

on a hill we all know

we hear the mysterious hum grow

they come -- from deep underground

they come -- from just around the corner

they come -- between the night and morning

they come -- wearing no warning

they come -- for what they shouldn't ougrht-terr 

they come -- for your daughr-ter [[ dor-terr ]] [[ you could repeat this line as many times as you like ]] 

[[ and it could morph into "they comfort your daughter" for an alternate ambiguity ]]

hidden in your jeans  [[ genes? ]]

is your i-dent-i-fi-ca-tion

they come -- adorning the morning 

they come -- from just between the trees 

they come -- scorning your warning
they come -- with lust on the breeze

the one true faith

[[ love and sex ]]


She says she is,
and so she is.

This is the one
true faith:

a shaft
shot through

the opened chambers
of the heart

and lungs:
a gasp,

and then
transfixion,

butterflied
upon a sheet.

crawling blues

[[ this could be the myth of Robert Johnson's death -- see the notes at the bottom ]]

[Verse 1]
Take another man's wife
But leave his liquor on the shelf
Take another man's wife
But leave his liquor on the shelf
If he offers you a whisky
You best open that bottle yourself

[Verse 2]
Tip your hat to the stranger
Tip your hat to the foe
Tip your hat to the stranger
Tip your hat to the foe
Check the shape of his skull
See where those horns might grow

[Chorus]
Seen a grown man crawl
Craw-ling / on his / hands and / knees
Seen a grown man crawl
Craw-ling / on his / hands and / knees
He barked like a dog
And he died, he died like a disease/

[Verse 3]
Pour a sweet one for your baby
Pour a strong one for your host
Pour a sweet one for your baby
Pour a strong one for your host
Pour yourself a long, cool water
Or you may travel home a ghost

[all sorts of silly guitar things go here]

[Chorus]

[Verse 1]

[Coda]
Corn whisky make a man forget his own name
Corn whisky make a man forget his own shame
Corn whisky make a man forget the lies you tell
Corn whisky make a man forget he's in hell
etc.

[[ horned = devil + cuckold ]]

[[ Bring your own bottle, pour one out for your girl and your host -- trust neither ]]

[[

The song finishes with a stomping song about drinking whisky. Because why not?

There's a story (and I mean story) about how Robert Johnson died from drinking poisoned corn whisky given him by the husband of a woman he'd been flirting with:

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Robert_Johnson

Recollection survives that Johnson died after drinking whiskey poisoned with strychnine, allegedly given to him by the jealous husband of a lover. Fellow blues singer Sonny Boy Williamson II claimed to have been present the night of Johnson's poisoning. Williamson said that Johnson crawled on his hands and knees "howling and barking like a dog," later dying in Williamson's arms. Another, perhaps more credible, report was given by Johnson's temporary musical partner, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, who had teamed up with Johnson for a regular "gig" at the Three Forks juke joint near Greenwood, Mississipi. According to Edwards, the man who ran the juke joint became convinced that his wife had become involved with Johnson and determined to get rid of him. Johnson temporarily recovered from the initial poisoning, but soon died, on August 16, 1938, in Greenwood.

Could be true, could be totally made up. Everything is a story.

]] 

the other side

[[ I sometimes write about boundaries, membranes, layers
I also sneak alternate readings into it. In this case, someone is walking on water and talking about life on the other side, crossing to the other side, and looking down through the ice to life on the other side.
 ]]

I remember the snow

I remember the cold

We would watch our words 

each turn to cloud 

In the middle of the winter

we would walk to the river

hold hands [[ there would be a musical pause here, a shift... and then they step off ]] 

and step off this earth

and walk across this river

step off solid earth 

and walk to the other side

we would brush clear the ice

to watch the world float under

we would clear the smooth ice

to watch a reflection of sky 

and watch the fish swim

there was life on the other side