Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Mr. Ritter

I love music.  Most importantly, I love music that tells a story and lyrics that are complex and picturesque.  If the lyrics don't make sense or mean nothing, you can guarantee I'm not interested.  Some of my favorite artists are Damien Rice, Nickel Creek, Death Cab for Cutie, and most recently Josh Ritter.

Last week, as an early birthday present to Ryan, we got to see Josh Ritter play here in Nashville!  We had a blast!  Albeit I was a bit cranky by the time we left (early), due to the fact that the venue was super crowded, hot, and filled with pushy people.  I think Ryan really enjoyed himself a lot, and I felt bad for asking to leave early, but he was a good sport.

My favorite thing about the show was how excited Josh seemed to be playing for the audience.  He seemed genuinely happy to be on that stage and was smiling so hard that his eyes were almost closed.  I thought it was really refreshing considering most of the shows I have been to in Nashville, while wonderful, have seemed a bit like the artists were too big for their britches.

These are the lyrics to my favorite Josh Ritter tune.  I think this is one of my top 5 songs of all time.  I loved getting to see this performed live.  And I especially loved singing along while swaying with my husband in the back of the crowded, hot, pushy people filled venue...

The Curse
He opens his eyes
Falls in love at first sight
With the girl in the doorway
What beautiful lines
Heart full of life
After thousands of years, what a face to wake up to

He holds back a sigh
As she touches his arm
She dusts off the bed where til now he's been sleeping
Under mires of stone
The dry fig of his heart
Under scarab and bone
Starts back to its beating

She carries him home
In a beautiful boat
He watches the sea from a porthole in stowage
He can hear all she says
As she sits by his bed
And one day his lips answered her
In her own language
The days quickly pass
He loves making her laugh
The first time he moves it's her hair that he touches
She asks "Are you cursed?"
He says "I think that I'm cured."
Then he talks of the Nile and the girls in ?bull rushes?

In New York he is laid
In a glass covered case
He pretends he is dead
People crowd round to see him
But at night she comes round
And the two wander down the halls of the tomb
That she calls a museum
But he stops to rest
Then less and less
Then it's her that looks tired
Staying up asking questions
He learns how to read
From the papers that she is writing about him
Then he makes corrections
It's his face on her book
More come to look
Families from Iowa
Upper West-Siders
Then one day it's too much
He decides to get up
Then as chaos ensues he walks outside to find her
She is using a cane
And her face looks too pale
But she's happy to see him
As they walk he supports her
She asks "Are you cursed?"
But his answer is obscured
In a sandstorm of flashbulbs
Rowdy reporters

Such reanimation
The two tour the nation
He gets out of limos
Meets other women
He speaks of her fondly
Their nights in the museum
She's just one more rag now he's dragging behind him
She stops going out
She just lies there in bed
In hotels in whatever towns they are speaking
Then her face starts to set
And her hands start to fold
Then one day the dry fig of her heart stops its beating

Long ago on the ship
She asked why pyramids
He said "Think of them as an immense invitation."
She asks "Are you cursed?"
He says "I think that I'm cured."
Then he kissed her and hoped
That she'd forget that question 

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