This piece is an allegory of American history, each character representing a key force in the nation’s development. The child is the nation itself, the father Great Britain, and the mother the Founding Fathers and their vision of democracy. Ultimately though, the song is from my perspective, and expresses my disappointment in the fact that we have all but forgotten the ideals our nation was founded upon.
lyrics
Daddy kept me locked away in a padlocked iron cage
So I spilled his tea in the light of the Boston sun
But Momma let me out one day, the winsome world to storm and play
And I left her arms and landed in a run
Momma taught me how to read, how to live and love and lead
And she bore her face on the nickel, quarter, and dime
And on the day that Momma died, I cried and cried and cried
As her words were lost in the foggy haze of time
I have held a lot of guns, baby, I have held a lot of guns
And assaulted anyone and everyone
I went and took a lot of lives, just to enterprise my strife
Iʼve wallowed in the web of corruption, greed, and crime
But none chastised me so as that ghost of long ago
Who pleaded from the face of the nickel, quarter, and dime
I have held a lot of guns, baby, I have held a lot of guns
And assaulted anyone and everyone
credits
from Eye On The Platform,
released August 16, 2012
Composition: Jackson, Lead Vocals: Jackson, Harmony Vocals: Jackson
Rhythm Guitar: Jackson, Lead Guitar: Hagay, Harmonica: Jackson
Gorgeous fingerstyle guitar playing from this Portland, Oregon musician that captures the spirit of American Primitive in dazzling detail. Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 30, 2021