Lyrics
There is
Introduction, indicating the existence of something.
There is a drought
Declaration of a drought.
In the middle of the vessel
The drought is metaphorically located within the speaker's self.
That I have learned to call my own
The vessel symbolizes the speaker's being or identity.
Three crows sit on my skull
Imagery of three crows on the speaker's skull, potentially representing burdens or dark thoughts.
They sing their hymns as we walk home slow
Crows singing hymns while walking home slowly, suggesting a somber journey.
There is a drought
Repetition of the drought metaphor and the imagery of three crows, reinforcing a sense of internal desolation.
In the middle of the vessel
-That I have learned to call my own
-Three crows sit on my skull
-They sing their hymns as we walk home slow
-There is a drought
-In the middle of the vessel
-That I have learned to call my own
-Three crows sit on my skull
-They sing their hymns as we walk home slow
-I go where they don't know me
Speaker going where they are unknown, possibly seeking a fresh start.
Smile wide, straight spine, white lies
Describing a confident appearance with a smile and straight posture, hiding inner struggles.
They'll never know what they can't touch, can't see
Others unaware of the speaker's intangible pain.
I go slow like oil on a hot road
Moving slowly, cautious and deliberate like oil on a hot road.
I'll blister on the pavement
Reference to potential hardship with the mention of blistering on the pavement.
Before I ever say yes sir, yes sir again
Refusal to comply with authority, rejecting the "yes sir" mentality.
I've gnawed the root of the yew tree
Metaphorically exploring resilience through gnawing the root of the yew tree.
I've swallowed down the river Yuba
Symbolic ingestion of the river Yuba, possibly representing life experiences.
But nothing can turn the dust that runs
Unyielding nature of the drought within, resistant to transformation.
In my guts back into mud cause
-There is a drought
Reiteration of the internal drought and the crows' presence, emphasizing the persistence of the speaker's struggle.
in the middle of the vessel
-that I have learned to call my own
-Three crows sit on my skull
-They sing their hymns as we walk home slow
-I have mangled and molded my body to fit
Speaker altering their physical self to conform, but it leads to a disheartening outcome.
What would make them strains their necks
-Praying each time that they would break
-I drink their swill and I sing their songs
-But by the time we reach the dawn
-My jaw hangs low and long
-On the bank of the nearest lake
-I suckled on the teat of a creek
Metaphorical nourishment from nature, but it proves insufficient.
I nursed myself on the morning dew
-But no tributary does the trick
-And this I knew, I knew, I knew for
Acknowledgment of the insufficiency of nature's offerings.
There is a drought
Continued expression of the internal drought and the crows' symbolic presence.
In the middle of the vessel
-That I have learned to call my own
-Three crows sit on my skull
-They sing their hymns as we walk home slow
-On the tongue attached to this body
Desire to consume everything that has caused harm until the speaker becomes fragments of pain and greed.
There's one plain need
-To swallow everything that broke me
-'Till I'm all shrapnel, pain and greed
-'Till then I'll smile like them and sip their wine
Acting in conformity, engaging in small talk while internal suffering persists.
With a parched throat and a bit tongue
-I'll ask them about their jobs, about their wives
-And I'll guzzle down their tedium cause
-There is a drought
Repetition of the internal drought and the crows, underscoring the enduring struggle.
In the middle of the vessel
-That I have learned to call my own
-Three crows sit on my skull
-They sing their hymns as we walk home slow
-There is a drought
Final repetition of the drought metaphor and the crows, concluding with the somber journey home.
In the middle of the vessel
-That I have learned to call my own
-Three crows sit on my skull
-They sing their hymns as we walk home slow
-
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