Seattlesongs Volume One

* This song is inspired by the 1945 poem by Randall Jarrell "The Death Of A Ball Turret Gunner" and beautiful women having to do less than beautiful things

A CHURCHING AND A FIEND

There's so much time in these trenches I've claimed as mine
Precious, I've been paused by nightmare fighters, loveless dogs, and fog
So sing me a melody
A hymn to ward my head from harm
Please see to it that it reaches my ears on shores that are soaking up vitals and love
Such hopeless sex, all these choir girls
As their roses wept in trade of pearls
With bones and rags and crosses and whispers please show mercy to all of my sisters
They've done nothing wrong
Lord, let them not see my (w)hole
Because there's nothing we can do
There's so much time in these trenches I've claimed as mine
Precious, I've been paused by nightmare fighters, loveless dogs, and fog


* I saw a haggard woman on the downtown bus and for a quick moment she reminded me of someone I used to know better than I do now and I hoped it wasn't her

THE FIVE SIXTEEN FOUR

Oh Betty, goddamn you Betty
You're a temple and a cat's crow at the door
Bone white Juliette
Bombshell caveat

Oh Betty, goddamn you Betty
You're no good for me and my piano bench surely agrees
But there I am scratching at your door and sleeping on your kitchen floor

You've come for me

Oh Mercy, where were you mercy?
When I dreamed of you were you napping too?
I'll bring the hammer down on mercy's gentle gown

You've come for me

Behind your mudded face is another face and I used to kiss that face
But now it's just your gilded face and I'm growing older and now I'm steamed to the nines

Your howling at the moon is driving me mad
It's like ticks in my blood and all that jazz
Here's some cash for a drink or two and bus fare back to Saskatoon
And don't let me catch your face around here no more

Oh Betty, goddamn you Betty
You're no good for me