guilt, revenge, and the sleep of the just

elvis costello once said, earlier in his career, that all of his songs were about guilt and revenge. and really, isn't that why we all love him? guilt is the hole in our sinking ship and revenge is the bucket we uselessly try to save ourselves with. or something like that.

then there's "sleep of the just" off of king of america. one of the saddest songs ever. a song that has elements of guilt and revenge, but is, ultimately, about forgiveness and a bitter acceptance.

king of america always felt like and old timey record to me. it has a soft, country feel to it. songs about lost people fill the album. immigration seems to be a minor theme of the album. but more like emotional immigration (if i may invent a psycho-babble term). people thrust into a situation they're not prepared for. surrounded by strangers and longing for home. it's a complex album and when i got it when i was 13 i had no idea what it was about. now i know a little better.

"sleep of the just" is a gorgeous song. it is, to my ears, costello's most affecting vocal. the lyrics seem so strange. soldiers and poets and homesickness....

well it was a powerful day, and there were black crows in the road...

ever have one of those days? where things seem too much, like every inch of you is a raw nerve? the black crows in the road line always bothered me. why are they in the road? why aren't they flying away?

and i kept my strong opinions to chest...and that never ends well

i suppose i should have told them that i was on fire for you/as the bus burst into flames outside some place, "the poets rest"....when what you have inside affects everything. the whole scene is strange. who are "them"? a rock band? missionaries? what is "the poets rest"? a bar? an oasis? it'ss all so dream like.

and now you say, that you've got to go

well if you must you must

i suppose that you

need the sleep of the just

is he talking to someone on their deathbed? a lover leaving? the way he sings it says it all. and you really have to hear it to know. i can't describe it.

and then "just" trails off and we're left with a gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar. and then the "whap" of brushes on a snare drum. and some beautifully doctored piano.

and then it feels like we've all been forgiven.