SONIC YOUTH LYRICS - In The Kingdom #19

"In The Kingdom #19"



[Lee]

They were



Aaaah

He did what he had to do

He asked no questions

He had few conversations

The tar glistens in the noon heat

He tread across the grass, up onto, and down off of, the concrete abutments



Mirage on the highway

Ghosts in the tunnel

The dark cave



Out into the blinding light of day at breakneck speed

Every bolt rumbling



Glistening highway mirage groans

The slick surface

Careening into first the small mammal, and then screeching along the guard

Rail, scraping paint and throwing sparks like sheets of pure terror for

400 yards

Over and over



With one final back and forth rocking motion coming to rest

Wheeehah



The beautiful paintjob hopelessly marred



Smoke and flames



Allright

So nice

He moved to the small creature

Screeching whistles of steam blowing off

On it's back, wheels spinning like a cinema classic

The door sags open and a man covered in blood drops the three feet or so to

The pavement

The car still rattling and shaking as if with a mind of it's own, unwilling

To die

The man, 40ish, also after a time, an agonisingly painful period of time



Is also unwilling to die



Suddenly all is quite quiet there in the sunlight on the highway

But what? what can I do?

I cannot move, everything is about broken

Blood everywhere, mixing with oil and gas

What's moving, must turn my head

Pain, white light, blinded

Some guy there kneeling in the blinded mirage of white light

All my strength to 'heeeeeelp'

Screaming now help me please

He tried to tamp out the bit of burning ember which had lept from the wreck

Onto his grimy coatsleeve

Coughing blood

What's happen?

He's he's inching towards truth

He strode of into the woods with the animal

It still lived

He didn't glance back at all



Still out ghosting the road

Death on the highway

Words crumble around me and fall with the weight of heaven

I cannot move

I'm beneath the great weight

I cannot see

My eyes are blinded

I am in the darkness



That's it



{very low in the mix}

In panic I forget it

In despair I need it

In my mind I save it

In death I have it

{then a bit louder}

In panic I forget it

In despair I need it



I shouldn't laugh

Hah hah hah

Yeah really

Oh



In panic I forget it

In despair I need it

In my mind I save it

In death I have it

[Thurston?]

Never gave a damn about the meterman

I was the man who had to read the meters, man