Burning An Oak Tree Lyrics - Singles - People's Blues Of Richmond

It didn't seem so profound when it hit me, 

I'd burned everything down and stood around like a chimney, 

and everything I found in the ashes around me 

turned brown from the mud on the ground and the whiskey 

I'd poured all through the house to make the flames burn more quickly 

Like the burn in my throat that made me this sickly. 

But it take more takes more than fire to take down a chimney so I laughed at the flames as they jumped up to get me. 

It puzzles me how 

not everyone gets me 

If it isn't clear now you can find out more quickly what I'm really about by burning an oak tree 

I'm the fuel and the fire both struggling for victory! 

And it's hard to stay around, when everything that was with me has burned to the ground and turned into history, 

I hope I never go down, I hope history skips me and I just stick around you'll have to leave here to miss me! 

Because I'm a metaphor, now, for a confused little city 

Richmond's downtown, well it might never fix me 

But I'll argue all night about who doesn't need pity. I'll say, "these flames aren't so hot, ya know, they're really quite pretty!"