Once when our mother called
She had a voice of last year's cough
We passed around the phone
Sharing a word about Oregon
When my turn came, I was ashamed
When my turn came, I was ashamed

Once when moved away
She came to Romulus for a day
Her Chevrolet broke down
We prayed it'd never be fixed or be found
We touched her hair, we touched her hair
We touched her hair, we touched her hair

When she had her last child
Once when she had some boyfriends, some wild
She moved away, quite far
Our grandpa bought us a new VCR
We watched it all night, we grew up in spite of it
We watched it all night, we grew up in spite of it

We saw her once last fall
Our grandpa died in a hospital gown
She didn't seem to care
She smoked in her room and colored her hair

I was ashamed, I was ashamed of her
I was ashamed, I was ashamed of her
I was ashamed, I was ashamed of her
I was ashamed, I was ashamed of her


Lyrics submitted by etcetera_whatever, edited by josh113245, CompressedAire

Romulus Lyrics as written by Sufjan Stevens

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Romulus song meanings
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71 Comments

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  • +6
    General Comment

    the line "she smoked in her room and colored her hair" has always stood out to me, because that seems to me like something one would do to ease heartache. i can imagine their mother: sitting barefoot in the window, her just-wrinsed hair still dripping dye down her back; her eyes bloodshot from crying at the realization that she hardly knows her children.

    lifewasperfecton May 02, 2009   Link

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