Cabaret.dominican.republic.2008
Can i have a favorite song? if so... this is it... my childhood friend freddy monroe had older sisters, who in the 70s were super involved in latino revolutionary stuff [or at least dated guys who were... or at least had pictures of guys that were]...viva la raza... brown panthers... malo and santana and war were the soundtrack... it made a big impression on me... one sister had a huge poster of cochise... and i loved it
Years later... i was writing songs in the dr... and scouting out a place for my upcoming wedding... there's a lot in this song... when me and my brother were little, on nautilus st in la jolla, i was flinging rocks and roofing tar off a roof at my brother and the neighbor kids in some hyper-violent version of 'king of the hill'...i hit michael in the mouth and we both thought i cut out his tongue... he still has the scar
It took a while to realize it... but i think the 'throw off these shackles' line is the best thing I've written about kicking heroin... and on top of it all... it's a love song... with native americans and my wife's deceased mother and my tongueless brother... i can't write much better than this
Here is a picture your grandmother sent
Of your mother in indigo gold
And though it is beaten and sun bleached and bent
It's a girl who will never grow old
Here is a locket I wear on my chest
With a tooth and a lock of your hair
And though it's not much, I am doing my best
It's the only thing I want to wear
Here is a scar I put on your lips
When I threw rocks and tar from the sky
Lean in a bit closer, I'll give you a tip
When you battle, don't cover your eyes
The time flows faster than water
We all go like lambs to the slaughter
So take ahold of your sons and your daughters and fly
One day, baby, I'll be like Cochise
I'll fight off the cavalry and bring home the peace
Geronimo, Crazy Horse looking at me
And we'll dance until the end of the world
Here is a porcelain divinity bust
That I speak to when I am alone
It's so hard to find people you love and you trust
When you find yourself out on your own
Here is a dagger, a samurai sword
That saw glory and blood in the dirt
No matter how much we might pray to the Lord
There's somebody who always gets hurt
The time flows faster than water
We all go like lambs to the slaughter
So take ahold of your sons and your daughters and fly
One day, baby, I'll be like Cochise
I'll throw off these shackles, I shall be released
I know there's a warrior inside of me
And we'll fight
Maybe one day, I'll be the chief and
I'll rescue the princess from the jaws of the beast
But when it all hits the fan, I'm still calling Cochise
And we'll dance
Maybe one day I'll follow my heart
Custer, conquistadors, tear them apart
This is our moment to make a new start
So in love
On that day, I will jump in the sea and
I'll finally be all you want me to be
Then down on my knees asking, marry me
And we'll fly to the ends of the world
We'll fly to the ends of the world