I went on down to North Dakota
To see where my folks tilled the land
They came from frozen viking grounds
But what they build was grand
My sweet aunt fixed me toast and tea
And told me tales of the sea
Who was my clan of exodus
And how did I come to be?
They worked and trudged those tundra lands
And forever looked at the steeple
Till one day that lightning struck
And God yeah he shifted some people
I thought that I was leaving behind
All my needles and cups and dimes
But sitting on that old Greyhound
You won't believe what i'd find
The grass was high and the vermin ran
Through mountains of trash in the yard
Windows shattered that once mattered
Oh what has become of this farm?
I pinched my nose and grabbed a hose
And washed the silt from my eyes
And burst on through that kitchen door
'cause there was my big surprise
The sink was the colour of the Devil's hide
Yeah black as tar on a boot
Bottles of poison in a heap
Sure ain't much of a loot
Then it hit me like a prairie train
Delivering a cargo worth spilling
Crystal is the choice 'round here
But it sure ain't for the thrillin'
My proud folks they once dressed in white
They'd give you a ride or sing you a song
But now this scourge is cookin' here
Keeps the man workin' all night long
The days are darker and it's nearing time
To kiss the babe from Bethlehem
But I won't go down to that little farm
Smells to me like 'Methlehem'!
credits
from M.Lund,
released May 30, 2014
Written, recorded and mixed by M.Lund, Vancouver, BC CANADA
Jeff Johnson's long-running solo project was always a reliable source of off-kilter, introspective musical gems. Now with the addition of his wife Laura on drums and Lizza on bass! M.Lund