Twin Human Highway Flares
Lyrics
You turned to me and asked me if I'd always be your boy
As we drove across the river into western Illinois
And on the railroad bridge, half a mile of solid steel
Wheels were spitting out sparks, scraping at the rails
Wind in your hair all right
Sunset spilling through the rear window
Your white t-shirt hugging your shoulders, beaded with sweat
On the day that I become so forgetful
That all of this melts away
I will burn all the calendars that counted the years down to
Such a worthless day
As we walked across the parking lot toward the motel office
We were walking with a benediction on us
Light was everywhere, the building stood against the sky
Like a monument to desperation two floors high
A mile and a half from the river
We went back to the car to get our overnight bags
Sunset spilling through your earrings all over your body
When we shut the motel room door behind us, we knew we'd hit the motherlode
On the day that I forget you, I hope my heart explodes
Banter
- This was the first love song I ever wrote for my wife, before she was my wife. (2005-07-02)
- and Galesburg to me was a spot that I saw for seven minutes, looking out of a train window uh, well you know, somebody had some clothes on a line, and a couple dogs were barking in a yard, and I thought I could get off the train here and disappear forever in this town. It was one of those moments, it was one of those moments you get where like vast infinities and possibilites open up for you for just a second right. It’s not your Maslovian plateau moment, it’s something else, it’s this moment when you realize that there are a lot of selves inside of you and one of them is about to be left behind as the train heads on towards Iowa. (2014-05-02)
Live Performances
1997-11-14 - University of Wisconsin, Madison (recording)