I know, I know. The real fans will tell me that this is not a new song & it’s not an unknown song. But here’s the deal: it’s new to me.
& it has taken over my brain cogs, my wordsmith circuitry, my ear for sounds that are dark & melancholy & beautiful.
I mean, look at these lyrics:
Please, remember me
My misery
And how it lost me all I wanted
Those dogs that love the rain
And chasing trains
The colored birds above there running
In circles round the well
And where it spells
On the wall behind St. Peter’s
So bright with cinder gray
And spray paint
‘Who the hell can see forever?’
This is a song that has no chorus–it’s just eight verses one after another–and still manages to insert itself into your subconscious with a steady repeating of: Please, remember me. Sam Beam (the man that is Iron & Wine) has a knack for poetry that is haunting, somber, timeless.
Give it a listen, tell me what you think.