Damien Jurado Ghost of David

Medication

It just so happens I have many conerns
My brother's down the road and my lover in town
They both need affection
And some kind of love

Well I'm the one who gives it at any given time
From two in the morning to six
Call me up and cry

My lover keeps it secret that we meet under covers
When asked by her man if we two are lovers
She says, "I hardly know him.
Besides, he's not my type."

Her man's a policeman with a keen sense of trouble
He's known just by danger
And all kinds of liars

Brother called this morning in a terrible panic
Spies in the closet, bugs in the attic
He screams bloody murder saying,
"We're all gonna die.

Death is upon me, I know 'cause he showed me
Pictures of graveyards and us underneath."

I'm losing my hearing from my brother screaming,
"They're coming to get me and
Someone call the police."

Two in the morning, the phone disconnected
Her man knows I'm calling, it's what I expected
A note on my backdoor saying, "Baby not tonight."

So I sit with my brother who is nursing a cut wrist
He's mumbling "Forgive me."
And "Don't let them take me away."

I can be a good boy and stay out of trouble
Jackie I love you and
Don't let them take your brother

Strapped to a table, go in electrodes
"Jackie come save me the doctors will kill me."
"No, they're here to help you
Straighten out your mind."

The TV is blaring with some preacher saying that
God is among us and he hears our cries

Lord, do me a favor
It's wrong but I ask you
Take my brother's life

'Cause he's sick of the suffering
The pills he's inhaling
The cross he is bearing
That is his trouble mind




Desert

Tell me when tomorrow comes
I'll be the first to ride
Start the car and honk the horn
I'll be right outside

Pour a drink and open wide
I have things to tell
I have seen the brighter side
Of the roads that lead to Hell

Yesterday is miles away
You'll miss it if you blink
I found my salvation in
The places where you drink

You can say you're on my side
I know that's a lie
'Cause given the chance you'd stab my back
And leave me here to die

Just give me the keys tonight
I'm happy when I drive
Revenge is a perfect word
For what I have in mind

Desert lives bring deserted lives
I know from first hand
We're moved around like circus clowns
When laughter's ending now




Johnny Go Riding

Johnny let's go out riding
To a place outside of town
I go there every Sunday
To watch the sun go down

There's plenty of girls who know you
They've been asking where you've been
Johnny don't disappoint them
They'd all like to see you again

Willy I don't think I'm ready
To leave this house of mine
You go out and tell them
I'm not the social kind

Some men, they are lovers
Others, the fighting type
And me, I'm in the middle of
Choosing which one I'd like to be

Judy, she's out catching
Rides in passing cars
Memories of me and her
Have burned out like the stars

Me, I'm not disappointed
In knowing that she's free
Somewhere down the line I knew she'd
One day up and leave

Willy, forget your troubles
And lay back on the grass
There's no need to get nostalgic
Thinking about the past

What's gone is gone
What's here is now
She's standing by a fence
She's wearing a beautiful party dress
And wanting you to dance




Great Today

Have the potential to be great today
Everyone I know will see the change
To be greater than I have before
Drawing lines that drag me to the floor

You could be so much better

Something tells me that you're on my side
Feeding me words that one day will kill my pride
You're too much for me that's what you said
You're too much for me that's what you said

I see potential
You'll be so much better

You could be so much better




Tonight I Will Retire

Oh tonight I will retire
To the arms of my lover
The sweetest kiss she will give
As I lay down beside her

What will she think
When she awakes
Just to find I have left here

Oh tonight I will retire
To these hands with revolver
And I don't fear death
I will commit
Like an old friend I've known forever

So come on in, take me on
No I won't stay here no longer

And if I should taste fire
Save me not, I deserve to die

And oh tonight I will retire
To loving arms of my savior
And we will walk through his gates
To the skies of Heaven

And no more tears will I cry
Are my sins, are they forgiven

And if I should taste fire
Save me not, I deserve to die




Ghost of David

I've seen you walk desert highways
Come on out, they're waiting for you
Mother lost her one and only
Fear the worst, for dead are many

Man, I had seen the ghost of David
In the house of his childhood
Forget him not, still he loves you
Life is short but love's eternal

Come on out, we're waiting for you




Parking Lot

In the window by a phone
She waits for him at home
She waits a long time

In the vacant parking lot
Watching couples with their kids
Where did we go wrong

Words were spoken, words were lost
Wings were given, vows forgot
Where did we go wrong

Monday comes you find the note
I've left town this time for good
What did I do wrong

Vacant bedrooms, pictures fade
Moments when the times were good
When did it all go bad




Rearview

She don't keep you moving
I know how to move you
Does it every time
You're gonna lose your mind

She don't keep you and [move you]
Presents you can't give her
She does it every time
She's gonna lose her mind
She's talking to herself at night




Paxil

[ ] come today
Because the medication kicked in
Beneath this big exterior
Is a heart that doesn't work

Leave me alone 'cause I'm
There's no telling what will go down

My head is on fire
I am on fire




Walk With Me

Walk with me down the street
Walk with me to Waters St.




December

Winter, put on your coat
They're expecting a cold one
Plenty of ice and snow
On the North Dakota plains

December, you killed a man
Trapped in his car for hours
He couldn't call for help
'Cause all of the lines were down

I found him in his car
Hands stuck to the steering wheel

Winter, I found it out
How you can be so cruel
Boy you just watch your back
'Cause one day I'll kill you too

They'll find you in your car
Hands stuck to the steering wheel




Rosewood Casket
(Traditional)

There's a little rosewood casket
That is resting on a stand
There's a package of old letters
Written by loved one's hand

Go and bring them to me, brother
Come and sit upon my bed
Lay your head upon my pillow
While each cherished line is read

Read them gently to me, brother
Read them til I fall asleep
Fall asleep to wake in Heaven
Oh dear brother, do not weep

Last night I saw him walking
With a lady by his side
And I thought I heard him tell her
She could never be his bride

When at last I'm gone forever
And my friends are gathered 'round
When my narrow grave is ready
In some lonesome church yard ground

There's a little rosewood casket
That is resting on a stand
There's a package of old letters
Written by loved one's hand




Ghost in the Snow

Instrumental