Appalachian Book of the Dead
Appalachian Chronicles: Tales of Loss and Redemption
Lyrics
There's a sinkhole fallen from the cold grey sky
Describes a sinkhole appearing suddenly from the sky.
Where they scraped that trooper off the highway side
Refers to a scene where a trooper was removed from the side of the highway.
Two runaway convicts, kids on dope they said
Mentions two escaped convicts who were reportedly under the influence of drugs.
Cops flooded out the holler dragged the river still
Police searched extensively in the valley and river but couldn't locate the missing boys.
They never found them boys and I doubt they will
Expresses skepticism about finding the missing boys.
Just another lonesome chapter
Describes this incident as another sad event in the ongoing tragedies of the region.
In the Appalachian Book of the Dead
Compares the incidents to chapters in a book, emphasizing their frequent occurrence.
Where you gonna go when you can't go home
Rhetorical question about the lack of a place to go back to.
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Reiterates the uncertainty of a safe destination or refuge.
Blood calls to blood bone cleaves to bone
Refers to the strong connection within family or kinship ties.
Where you gonna go when you can't go home?
Repeats the uncertainty about finding a home.
Winter came early the cold wind blew
Describes the early arrival of winter and its harshness.
And my grandma painted her porch haint blue
Grandma painted her porch a specific color to ward off evil spirits or ghosts.
That night in Ammit County when the corn moon turned blood red
Recalls a night of ominous events with a red moon.
But something cold is stirring at the bottom of the creek
Suggests a foreboding feeling about something lurking in the creek.
Where that little boy drowned back in '63
Refers to a historical tragedy of a boy's drowning in the creek.
And the ink is running over
Symbolizes chaos or disorder in the ongoing tragedies.
In the Appalachian Book of the Dead
Compares ongoing tragedies to an ever-growing book of sorrow.
Where you gonna go when you can't go home
Repeats the earlier rhetorical question about finding a home.
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Reiterates the uncertainty of a safe destination or refuge.
Blood calls to blood bone cleaves to bone
Reiterates the strong connection within family or kinship ties.
Where you gonna go when you can't go home?
Repeats the uncertainty about finding a home.
Buckshot rattling in a garbage pail
Describes the sound of buckshot in a pail, hinting at a tense or dangerous environment.
A sliver of truth dug into every tale
Indicates that every story contains some truth.
A weeping angel painted on rusted shed
Depicts a painting of a grieving or mourning angel on a dilapidated shed.
The dead hate the living but what do they know?
Suggests a disconnect between the deceased and the living.
Just little white crosses on a county road
References to small markers on the roadside for deceased individuals.
But they're writing out the ledger
Highlights the recording of ongoing tragedies.
In the Appalachian Book of the Dead
Compares tragedies to a ledger, symbolizing a record of sorrow.
Where you gonna go when you can't go home
Repeats the rhetorical question about finding a home.
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Reiterates the uncertainty of a safe destination or refuge.
Blood calls to blood bone cleaves to bone
Reiterates the strong connection within family or kinship ties.
Where you gonna go when you can't go home?
Repeats the uncertainty about finding a home.
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