Children

Some minor corrections again as I hear it.

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Burning the blood oil Salt sugar water pales Build me black jesus cause jesus can't save me Shackles pulling at your hair Shine me from roots out Wash me from the neck down Cut me in the fat stores Take me to the tree line

I'm a heading down down down down to the river cause I don't believe in medicine I'll crawl out shaking pale Always got the answer I got ears all around me

Burn up in black smoke Thick and pourin down your throat Make me of bread walks Listen up with ears we're diving

Birth me of blood oil Salt sugar water pales Build me black jesus Shackles pulling at your hair I'm a written page in a giant man Never sick in bed, so I'll never need their medicine

I'm a headin down down down down to the river cause I don't believe in medicine I'll crawl out shakin pale always got the answer I got ears all around me

Tell your children we got another year comin Oil stands the legs this body speaks in tongues and croaks "I'm heading down"

I'll walk down to the river where we met our pails Filled and spillin like our southern friends Met that pail atop the rocks and moss Grass grips licks about our heels and bends

I'm a heading down down down down to the river cause I don't believe in medicine When I crawl out I'll be shakin dirt Never need the answer I got hands all around me

Tell your children we got another year comin Oil stands the legs this body speaks in tongues and croaks "I'm heading down" Tell your children we spent a year in this fire Copper bands and hells getting lighter Line up in lines we can only get higher Tell your children we got another year coming

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I changed the first part because I hear him say "Burning the blood oil" more than "Birth me of blood oil" (although it's clear he says that later on." Also I changed "pales" to "pails", because in the second line of that verse, it talks about filling and spilling. Oh, and there was a line missing in there, "the I'm a written page" part.

As for interpretation, I'm thinking it has to do with oil in Alaska. Or just the people that work oil drills.

*Salt sugar water pails

That makes a lot of sense, since PtM is from Alaska. Also, thanks for all the help getting the lyrics right.

I think it's about them having to get from baltimore to arizona to start a tour and their van broke down in the middle of nowhere it was way too hot for them to be walking and the town was really far away and out of nowhere it just started pouring rain and thunder and lightning

I get more of a sense of religion and it's strange hold in the 1800's when the people were migrating around. The idea of a "body speaking tongues" and the references to medicine as well as "talking to Pales" or, the native Americans.

Kind of seems like a song about early settlers. The whole ending seems like a preacher saying "we'll spend another year in this fire!" Kind of like scaring them and such and condemning people for sins. It would fit with the title and theme of the album "Church Mouth"

Also:

"Shine me from the roots out" is really: "shine me if the moons out" and the beginning is "burn me in blood, oil, salt, sugar, water pails". It's one of those burn them at the stake type of things.

I don't know about the whole song, I just get a feeling like Inquisition, Witch Trials, Possession and preachers.

coolest song i've heard in a long time

As for the meaning of the song it seems fairly clear to me that there's a message dealing with religion given that it talks about speaking in tongues, and specifically he includes in the chorus "i'm a-heading down, down, down down to the river 'cause i don't believe in medicine" which is referring to faith healers/religious anti-vaccine people.

That makes a lot of sense, since PtM is from Alaska. Also, thanks for all the help getting the lyrics right.