Captain Saint Lucifer Lyrics

Lyric discussion by silverybear 

Cover art for Captain Saint Lucifer lyrics by Laura Nyro

Loved Laura since college in the late 60s. L.N. either makes your skin kinda crawl at first, she's so RAW or you dive right in. I introduced my sister to her with New York Tendaberry album. I warned her - you have to just let it loose and go with it when she blows like a whale. I gave her Billy Childs' brilliant collaboration with Joni's ex husband Larry Klein called "Re-imagining Laura Nyro" with Yoyo Ma, Ricky Lee Jones, Alison Krauss, which is a MUST for Nyro lovers. Find this album and swoon!

New York Tendaberry is to me a concept album... she just sat down at the piano and banged out some tunes, making up words as she went along, not worrying about meaning so much, as in a dream. Colors and textures and depth and mystical-ness. My fav. Nyro song if I had to choose one is Gibsom Street. It's so DARK yet has a golden edged horizon to it. 'The devil is hungry the devil is sweet, they hang the alley cats on Gibsom Street.' I mean, who does that? Who writes lyrics like that? The melody is so haunting the way it lurches around in the dark. Susan Tedeschi does a goosebump version on Billy Childs' album... imagine Laura done a-la Court and Spark production and backgrounds. The tension that is built up in this song is palatable... all my sorrows all my loving... goosebumps!!!

Captain St. Lucifer is a stream-of-consciousness jumble of words that takes you for an uncomfortable ride. Gutters in stacks could just as easily be gutters in sacks or flutters in packs for all we know - or care. For some unknown reason we need mama's blessing to unlock the door to receive Buckles off shingles, Off a cockleshell on norway basin. We're in Norway and Russia and... a jangle from a congo love chase, early bloomers made of earth and love lace.

I don't know what she was smoking or who made the moonshine she was sip-sipping but back in those days the mojo was thick with magic goo and forget-me-nots!

My Opinion