The Flat Baritone Lyrics - Gourds

Form a ring and wind and twine 

Round the ol' grape vine 

Heavy on the wire from the house 

Salt the cow and kill the calf 

Meet yer lonesome with a once and a half 

Gent¹s on the east and ladies on the south 

The solemn boy carries his silver damage 

Sold but for, the number and the image 

His eyes have saddened making wine from the stems 

Empty ears longing for the wood and the skins 

Paper yellowed from the salt and the failure 

When he sings he slurs 

& uses the meat of his thigh 

T¹hold the book he wrote when he was lame 

So wrapped up in his flat baritone 

No castrato could woo him in from the rain 

For he never raised his voice when his britches 

Was spillin¹ over with that honey truck richness 

His eyes have saddened making wine from the stems 

Empty ears longing for the wood and the skins 

Paper yellowed from the salt and the failure 

Well the stylus hit the patches 

As he spit on the splashes 

& sought out the scratches in the vinyl 

'neath a needle topped with nickels 

To keep the tunes a-goin' 

Cracklin', croonin' & crowin' 

Multi-colored, hard-boiled & hidden 

In the corners, with the dogs rusty remnants 

His eyes have saddened making wine from the stems 

Empty ears longing for the wood and the skins 

Paper yellowed from the salt and the failure