demons ; 10nov2016 (Patreon)

Demons is the first song I wrote for mandolin. It's kind of a creepy one. I was in Nome, and the mandolin was a bit of an impulse buy, as I didn't have the foresight to bring any instruments with me to my summer internship. I was 20, so that puts the genesis of this song around midsummer 2012. I still have that mandolin, and it still holds a tune if you're willing to squint your ears a little. Feat. Josh Vann on cello, Adam Hall on drums, and Luke Soren Nielsen on melodica and trumpet. Lyrics follow.

Demons

laura, take my number

and call me when you're older,

if you dare to let me carve

a message in your skin,

and take your cobweb veins

and spin them into rope

to save you

laura, tiptoe softly

quiet, but lively

for time can hear your creaking bones

and if he catches you

he'll trap you in his hands

and watch you fade away

if you want me to pull you in

just give me the word

tug on that rope of sins

it's all that you're worth

but don't let them hear you cry

or we'll find where you hide

even, especially, in the dark

laura,

press your tongue against my ear,

and slobber

secrets loud enough to hear

anxiety is only the beginning of the path,

but guilt fills every crack along the way

laura, take a picture

and keep it to remember

the bruises left upon your breast

beneath the faded tattoo heart

you gave yourself when you were just a girl

they'll save you

they'll save you

they'll save you