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
credits
from Southerner,
released April 9, 2021
Piano, electric bass, drumset and hand percussion, fender rhodes and vocals by vigilance deadname.
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....more
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