Forums » Gillian Welch and David Rawlings "Lyrics"
The Trip
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Whistles blow and people get on trains without knowing where they’re going
Someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone’s teacher going down the road
The body, a handkerchief, and a hatchet from an unspeakable crime
But there’s no-one waiting for them, there’s no judgment down the line
Banjos ring and chickens squall and little babies crow
And the winter leaves and spring unwinds and summer comes again, you know
Pink is the color of my true love’s dress and black is the color of her heart
But I could never leave old Virginny and so we never part
Ebony face, ebony nails, ebony coffin on the rails
Moving south, C.O.D., going home to mother
Some said for valor, for glory, for treasure, for pride
And sometimes brother hates brother
Chorus:
So take a trip wherever your conscience has to roam
It’s much too hard to try to live a lie at home
My boots are cracked with road dirt and asphalt, spit and broken dreams
Chewing gum and safety pins are what hold me in at the seams
My pegs are loose, my screws too tightly wound to get in tune
But I still try sometimes on those golden summer afternoons
Chorus
There’s a picture of an old black man in a beaver hat
He wears a hidden smile and a pair of white spats
Don’t pretend you didn’t notice his stare
You’re edgy and sweating and loaded for bear
The skeletons dance tonight; bring your bottle and your boots
And your mandolin that Bianca Alatorre tried to shoot
Ah and what’s a bullet hole or two between friends
And who can say when the well goes dry or where the story ends
Chorus
Hotel lives and hotel wives that come and go with the sheets
Ah but what’s a marriage if it can’t be held up to kitchen heat
Once I knew each valley of that beautiful shore
But I don’t go to the summer fair much any more
Chorus
Your harmonica’s blown baby – throw it away
Your denim shirt is ragged and your dirty collar’s frayed
I tried to play my horn for you but I couldn’t seem to find a note
So I picked up pen and paper and this is what I wrote
Chorus
This post was edited by gibsongirl at October 19, 2015 11:38 AM PDT -
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