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Southerner

by vigilance deadname

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1.
This ain’t no old country song, Them old cowboys never knew when they was wrong, But I do, I do, I do, I do I write all the answers to the question Hank’s songs askin’, Yeah but what did you do? And if you’ve got a minute I’d be happy to mansplain it, To you, to you, to you I’m the man what every woman left him, A cyclone of feelin’ and song, I’m knockin’ on your cellar howlin’, “help me!” This here storms a blowin’ too strong And this ain’t no bluegrass hymn about the heaven to come, I tried to fly away but I just fell plum into you, With a shrug, asked you if you’d come along And you do, you do, you do If god only brought me to this city To sing songs with you and be true, Mama that sounds like somethin’ I sure would like to do And this ain’t no folk song ‘bout the place where I come from, Let’s not talk about it I’d just make you glum, We’ll pretend we’re chasin’ and not runnin’ from Oh let’s do, let's do, let's do I love to see your river rage and rise, Wash my feet in the harmony of your tide, A stronger man would jump in and just close his eyes, But a stone like me just sinks and never swims
2.
Ryan, Ryan, where’d you go? What’s Florida got that I can’t show? Someone blonder, are his legs longer? With skin like bronze and eyes like summer? Why’d you go and make me Flori-die? Ryan, tell me why’d you go? And trade the smell of pines for orange groves? Something finer than Carolina, sunshinier, boy I’m a whiner, But you went and made me Flori-die Darlin’, Darlin', how’s the snow? I didn’t know cold until I let you go, If you’d been braver, if I’d felt safer, if you’d said stay boy I’d still be there, The sun could shine until the end of time, it couldn’t dry my cryin’ wishin’ you were mine, Why’d you go and let me Flori-die?
3.
Coyote 03:42
Heard a little story ramblin’ through the south, It came straight from the jaws of a coyote’s mouth, And the way he barked it out was kinda roundabout, I’m not sure I caught the meaning but the word was out He said his grandfather had tracked the man-prey, And when the man come, you better run away, Stories of fire and weapons like thunder, There was no discretion where there was plunder (There’s nothin’ left to sunder) And the smoke from my fire drew a picture of fear, I saw man versus man, what the wild things fear, The meal on his breath could not match the smell, Of the bodies that rotted in that vision of hell Turned my back to the sun when morning came, Chasin’ evenin’ for weeks, I forgot my name, I stole from my fathers, I stole from their slaves ‘Til they exiled me to a Mojave grave (There’s only sand to save) And the smoke from my fire draws a picture of fear, I see man versus man, what the wild things fear, The beer on my breath cannot match the smell, Of the hell I’m forgetting or a coyote’s yell Took 25 years but I’ve come of age And I’m old enough now to know the cold blue rage, Of cactus nights and scorpion peels And that old coyote still runnin’ at my heels (And what he got he steals) Couldn’t keep me in sand, so I’ll ride again, Find an oasis that don’t vanish when I kneel at its pond in the judgment dawn, Then I’ll quit this sinnin’ I swear it on my gun (My story’s just begun) And the smoke from my fire draws a picture of fear, I see man versus man, what the wild things fear, The star in the west will lead me to hell, Where I’ll rot with them bodies where the coyotes yell
4.
The fireflies turned dim when August came to die, The harvest was forgotten, Dirty beauty cast aside, Oh lady, won’t you know me, though you’re far from my side? I keep a sprig of rose moss in my pocket-- Only green thing that hasn’t died So meet me in July when the rain stops, Freeze with me when December comes, Oh, thaw with me again in April, Meet me in the river next July, The sun caught fire in May, But he never matched our heat, Oh lady, when I’m lonesome You’re the only soul I wanna meet So meet me in July before the leaves fall, I’ll melt your eyes when winter comes, I smell you on the breeze in April, Don’t forget about July, Meet me in the river next July

about

Southerner was written, produced and performed by vigilance deadname as part of hir senior capstone album at Warren Wilson College. The project explores the queer country music scene in Asheville, NC and how the country music genre illuminates what it means to be a queer southerner.

vigilance played acoustic piano, acoustic and electric guitar, electric bass, drumset, hand percussion, fender rhodes and organ. Ze also performed all vocals.

The EP was engineered by Mike Johnson at the Cat's Claw in Asheville, NC.

credits

released April 9, 2021

Written, produced and performed by vigilance deadname
Engineered by Mike Johnson at the Cat's Claw
Album art by Anisa Zafer
This album is dedicated to my queer southern family. I love you all.

Many thanks to...
Jason DeCristofaro and Kevin Kehrberg for preparing me for this album...
My best friend Sunset Appleton (sunn sett apple) who first challenged me to create country music via our project Bless Your Heart...
My loving partner Beck for their infinite support both in the making of this album and our lives in general...

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about

vigilance deadname Asheville, North Carolina

vigilance deadname is a non-binary Asheville songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who creates and performs original music in both a solo capacity and as a member of hir band, Bless Your Heart.

Visibility as a transgender person is central to vigilance's creative expression; ze feels that being on the stage reminds hir audience that "queer" and "southerner" are not mutually exclusive.
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