Nine Black Poppies
Lyrics
When I got home I meant to give you some sweet chrysanthemum
The wind chimes were ringing all wrong
And you were standing in the doorway singing along
And I tried to remember how nice it had been
A long long time ago
But I couldn't remember
I honestly could not remember
And a package came for you today from the Hunan province
The postmark burning jet black in the summer sun
Someone was changing, someone was changing from the inside out
And I turned around to face you
Sweet peas in the garden, all in full bloom
And I thought[4] I heard the traces of an old song murmuring in the room
Like a half-remembered conversation, but I let it fall away
And then I could not remember
I honestly could not remember
And a package came for you today, from the Hunan province
The postmark burning[1] jet black in the summer sun
Someone was changing, someone was changing from the inside out[2]
And I turned around[3] to face you
Banter
- You know, there was a book when I was a kid, uh, by Erma Bombeck, and it was called, uh, something about life being a bowl of cherries, I think she had a punchline. But really, if this - this song had another title, it would quite obviously be 'Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries'. (2003-09-27)
- It's a story about people who don't trust each other. If you were their therapist, you'd be telling them, 'You need to learn to trust.' And they would say to you, 'What are you fucking talking about? Have you even been listening to who we are? If we trust one another, what's going to happen? The whole house will burn. Burning burn. People will be able to see it from several cities over if we trust each other. Are we paying you for this? (2007-10-01)
- [tuning, JD singing grateful dead tunes off mic, I think] In order to keep things fresh and to keep it as much like the old tours - the duo tours we stopped doing - as possible, the setlist has very little changeover from night to night - well, it has lots of changeover, very little trade-over - from night to night. And many of them are songs we haven't played together y'know...[laughs] since before we can remember. I'm taking off the red tape. I know it will distract me here. Ah, man, that was brutal, I'll put it here so I can remember. I'm excited for this. I'm not using a pick. (2013-06-05)
- So this song is as old as dirt. [woo!] I like this one. I suspect that I played it in Columbus in the summer of 1994. I dunno, because I don't go back and listen to the old tapes. [ed note: I gotchu, JD. It was December 2, 1999.] Honestly, I can't imagine waking up and going, of all the world's great music, what am I gonna listen to today? Me when I was 20 years old. I am also holding a pick. The me of 20 years ago judges me harshly for my mistakes. So it won't sound as good, won't get that right hand action that I was known for among the 20 people who followed back then. This is a song - a lot of songs from back then are about this - the moment just before the storm hits. (2015-04-22)
Live Performances
Footnotes
1. "blazing" (1996-08-30, 1997-11-14)
2. "someone was losing, someone was losing something that was very dear to him" (1996-08-30, 1997-11-14)
3. "and I turned myself around" (1996-08-30, 1997-11-14)
4. "swore" (1997-11-14)