Maraqopa
At Richard Swift's National Freedom studios, the live-to-tape ethos allowed the songs on Damien Jurado's Maraqopa to expand and retract like a great beast's breath. Every in-the-moment bell and whistle here is hung with a natural, casual care. And from this, each song offers up its own unique gift: the enchanting children's choir that echoes each line of Jurado's lament for innocence lost on "Life Away from the Garden"; the breezy bossa nova that begins "This Time Next Year" and rises as effortless as a smoke cloud into high-noon showdown pop; "Reel to Reel"'s wobbly, Spector-symphony and its meta themes; the wonderful falsetto vocal work Jurado pulls from himself on "Museum of Flight." The Seattle Times recently called Jurado "Seattle's folk-boom godfather," a praising recognition to be sure. But also a title Jurado might not yet be ready to accept. That's a title for someone who has settled. With each visit to National Freedom, Jurado is exploring, taking risks. He's not only freeing his songs. The gate is opened wide to allow us all into his once-isolated musical universe. One gets the sense he's just now hitting his stride.
Nothing is the News
Turn it around you found that they were all wrong
All you had heard, were ghosts of the words in a song
Nothing to have when all that you want is gone
Now you'll never know, you'll never know
You can't go back now every the door has been closed
Standing outside your just passing time till you die
There's nowhere to live for all that's been living is gone
Now you'll never know, you'll never know
Turn it around you found that they were all wrong
All you had heard were ghosts of the words in a song
Nothing to have when all that you want is gone
Now you'll never know, you'll never know
Life Away from the Garden
There was a time
When we were golden
Like the Son
We were lights in the world
Then we strayed
Away from the Garden
There was a time
When I believed you
When in doubt
I put my hand in your side
Broken bells
I don't hear you ringing
All of us light, all of us free
Maraqopa
It's your oldest fear, that the love you can hear will go
It's a deafening sound, we become light on the ground, then soil
To be one with the sky, where the souls all collide, and turn to gold
We all reign
We are storms to be seen, in the meadows we are dreams to be free
It's where we bow our heads to pray, we are echoes God creates in the shade
It's where the light can come in, your breath becomes the wind in the trees
We are free, we are free
All are welcome in
This Time Next Year
I heard you call my name
You were outside my door
How did I not hear you before?
A chance to be reborn
To never be alone
I should have done this long ago
To finally wear a golden crown
To be in light, transcending sound
To be lifted from the ground
You're coming through now loud and clear
I dialed you in for many years
It's good to have you here
I heard you call my name
You were outside my door
How did I not hear you before?
I heard that there would come a day
When you'd show up just like they said
Do you always show up so unannounced?
The stars aligned, then moved aside
From where I stood, you shined so bright
Take me back with you this time.
To finally wear a golden crown
To be in light, transcending sound
To be lifted from the ground
The stars aligned, they moved aside
From where I stood, you shined so bright
Take me back with you this time
Reel to Reel
You're a smooth talker
With eyes like lightning
And the radio women
They all sing like our mothers
Put away the hairbrush you may be onto something we don't know
I read it in the tabloids at a truck stop in a thunderstorm
You're an escape artist
In the bathroom mirror
And the autograph seekers
You've imagined outside the door
Yes we love a statement, is it true you're now escaping your room
From the light out in the basement we knew that there'd be trouble coming soon
Intuition
Mathematics
Invisible audience
Ten hit records
Listen through your tin can as the rope cuts circulation to your tune
I fashion myself after you from my suicide that left them puzzled
The greatest songs I'll never hear from a band you started in your mind
Leave us hanging on your legend as you exit through the tape recorder
Reel to reel
Working Titles
You could mess up my life in a poem
Have me divorced by the time of the chorus
There's no need to change any sentence
When you always decide where I go next
Many nights you would hide from the audience
When they were not in tune with your progress
In the end you're a fool like the journalist
Who turns what you sing into business
You could use to be more like your heros
A darker shade of damage distortion
Wearing death like a cape or a costume
Cut your ties and leave town when you want to
Killing time 'til I pass through the chamber
Or the room you keep my replacement
so fed up, still you're starving on paper
You're no him, but he's you, only better
Leave me an exit to damage
I could use a ledge to jump off of
I wasn't lying when I said this was over
I have questions that lead to more questions
Run a tie that will cut off my fingers
You wrote about me on every new record
And I'll show up in a title of your song
I only hope somebody requests it
What's it like for you in Washington
I've only seen photos of Washington
I'll never know
Leave me Manhattan, I want the evergreens
Write me a song I can sing in my sleep
As sure as the rain that will fall where you stand
I want you and the skyline, these are my demands
What's it like for you in Washington?
I've only seen photos of Washington
I'll never know. No.
Everyone a Star
Burned out, I found you like a light on
Time to forget all that I've done
I'm too in tune to change the dial
Connected colors for the mood
I'm on rewind all the time
A welcome sign outside my mind
Ready when you are to lose
Asleep for days inside the blue
Everyone a star, everyone a star
Everyone a star, everyone a star
In time I found you like a light on
I won't forget all that you've done
Ready when you are to lose
Asleep for weeks inside the blue
Free is all we are, free is all we are
Free is all we are, free is all we are
Everyone a star, everyone a star
Everyone a star, everyone a star
So on, Nevada
I dont recall ever a time
when you felt fine
Leaving the room saying you would come back
and I believed you
Don't hide your smile
Don't be set in your ways
I'll bide my time with you by my side
in Colorado
The birds will fly south so you take their advice
and leave also
Don't call my bluff
Don't guess what I do
Well, its not that I mind you
Just hanging around
I know that you mean well
Buts its dragging me down
Oh, its dragging me down
I'll cut my ties
And i'll finally decide on a new home
I'll phone you from somewhere, sometime, so on, Nevada
Don't call my friends, they don't answer the phone
Well, its not that I mind you
just hanging around
I know that you mean well
but its dragging me down
Museum of Flight
Falling to the ground
I was anxious to be found
You can always go home
To the safety of your cloud
Don't let go
I need you to hang around
I am so broke
And foolishly in love
I turned around to love revealing
What did I learn, it's not that easy
When you get burned, then go on burning loud
Falling into sound
Is that love still feeding back
One day we will go home
To the safety of our cloud
Don't let go
I need you to hang around
I'm so broke
And foolishly in love
I turned around, my life was changing
What did I learn, it's not that easy
When you get burned, then go on burning loud
Don't let go
I need you to hang around
I'm so broke
And foolishly in love
I turned around, my life was changing
What did I learn, it's not that easy
When you get burned, then go on burning loud
Mountains Still Asleep
I stood above the clouds
To see you on the ground
Waving me down
Feel free to lose yourself
I do this all the time
Love is a blinding sun
We are songs to be sung
Treasures of worry here
Your voice was so sincere
I’ve known you my whole life
You told me once before
I should have known it then
Joy is letting it go
We are all mountains still asleep
I heard an echo say
"We are all given away
Never to come back"
And when we cross the line
We become defined
Broken sound, feeding back