Poison Oak, some boyhood bravery
When a telephone was a tin can on a string
And I fell asleep with you still ctalking to me
You said you weren't afraid to die

In Polaroids you were dressed in women's clothes
Were you made ashamed, why'd you lock them in the drawer?

Well I don't think that I ever loved you more
Than when you turned away
When you slammed the door
When you stole the car drove towards Mexico
And you wrote bad checks just to fill your arm

I was young enough, I still believed in war
Well let the poets cry themselves to sleep
And all their tearful words would turn back into steam

But me I'm a single cell on a serpents tongue
There's a muddy field where a garden was
And I'm glad you got away
But I'm still stuck out here
My clothes are soaking wet from your brothers tears

And I never thought this life was possible
You're the yellow bird that I've been waiting for

The end of paralysis, I was a statuette
Now I'm drunk as hell on a piano bench
And when I press the keys it all gets reversed
The sound of loneliness makes me happier


Lyrics submitted by rjbucs28, edited by kangaroo98, darkeyelewj

Poison Oak Lyrics as written by Conor Oberst

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Poison Oak song meanings
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    General Comment

    Yellow Bird: I re-read the first story in jesus' son by denis johnson, an author oberst admires, and towards the end the main character a drug addict is in hospital pretending there is nothing wrong as he sees a yellow birds fluttering in front of his face. I'll keep an eye out for more references in the book. It also always kind of reminds me of the last NMH song little birds but probably has nothing to do with it.

    Robindraon February 20, 2007   Link

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