Surrounded

Lyrics

Pale[1] white moon shine
Down on Colorado
Hide my dirty secrets
Down here[2] in the shadows
Where the quaking aspens
Tremble in the snow
Haul me up the hillside
Hold me high and let me go[3]

Let me fall right through[4] my own roof like a meteorite
Let the world and all its wonders leave me to my toys tonight
And my ninety-six inch
Television screen
Let me die, let me die
Surrounded by machines

High winds knocked the power out last night
But I've got[5] my own supply here
All my windows blaze with light
And the light spills through the windows
To the empty plain below
Finds[6] nothing but some trees
And six fresh feet of snow

And I find a broadcast station that's signed off for the night
And the static floods the speakers in glorious black and white
On my ninety-six inch television screen
Let me die, let me die
Surrounded by machines

Banter

• This is a song about the organ harvesting colonies on the moon that men and women work on six months out of the year and the other six months they live in total secrecy in locations they’re not allowed to disclose; without family, without friends, without other occupations than giant televisions granted them by the government. I alone seem to be bearing witness to this phenomenon. (2015-09-12)
• JD: [to JV, on the balcony] Can you come down and sing, or are you too injured to sing? [cheering] My man John Vanderslice broke his ankle, I think it's his ankle, so I'm gonna make him take his crutches down the stairs and stand here, owing to my megalomania. Nah, man, somebody yelled for a song from the record JV and me wrote about the organ harvesting colonies on the Moon. This is a conspiracy that is so far beyond the kenning of amateurs like Alex Jones, they can't understand, they're busy wrapped up in these very mundane, Earth-bound conspiracies. But me and JV know the real deal, there's people growing kidneys up there on the Moon. [laughing] They're up to no good, we had to spread the word! So we spread the word. On a limited to a thousand copies edition of a vinyl EP. Recorded with Chris Stamie [sp?] of the DB's in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. John Vanderslice, without whom I probably wouldn't be standing here. This guy's been a champion of my music for years and years and years.
  JV: Testing...I love you, JD.
  JD: Love you too, babe. (2017-06-01 The Fillmore)

Live Performances

• 2017-06-01 - The Fillmore, San Francisco (JD and John Vanderslice duo - recording)

Footnotes

• There is a (leaked?) demo available here.