Snippets from the mind of an American hero. Random observations about life, love, fishing, dementia, music, sports, and yodeling. General strangeness. Intellectual badassery.
Well, I found a bunch of letters
that were written for the fellow who broke your mama’s heart
And the envelope folds smelled of her ancient perfume
I’ll bet she didn’t know
how to respond before the blankets of snow
caught him out wandering alone
With no place to go
There were stars in the sky
There were houses on the hill
and there bottles of pills that were easy to buy
to keep her warm from the oncoming storm
Well, I found them in the northwest corner of the attic in a box
labeled tinsel and lights
Didn’t know what I was I looking for
maybe just a blanket or artifacts
Eisenhower sent him to war
He kept her picture in his pocket that was closest to his heart
And when he hit shore
must have been a target for the gunman
There were stars in the sky
There were bunkers on the hill and there were caskets to fill
There were stars in the sky
There were bunkers on the hill and there were caskets to fill
where he will lie
Shrouded in the red white and blue with the stripes
There were stars in the sky
There were houses on the hill
and there were bottles of pills that were easy to buy
to keep her warm from the oncoming storm
As some of you will know, Whiskeytown is the band that launched the career of genre-bending artist Ryan Adams. In this track, Adams is exploring his folk-country underpinnings while telling the tale of heartbreak during World War II.
Even if you aren’t a fan of alt-country/Americana, give this one a spin. This is one of those perfect pieces of melody and storytelling that transcends music genre boundaries. Houses on the Hill is one of the songs that turned me into an ardent fan of this crossover genre.
