It's a sad looking cover, but the song is more sad/hopeful than sad/sad. The cover (as well as the album cover and other various artwork) is done by a good friend and great artist Nazareth Craig. Look him up on the googlebox and prepared to be wowed by raw talent and strange sights worth seeing twice.
It's based off a personal experience about having to drive to Virginia to pick up my guitar over an ex's house, and what I thought would happen from a cinematic point of view on my three hour drive up there. Of course, what really happened was less interesting than you would think, and will be explained in another song "Retribution Blues".
It's the longest song on the album and so far it's taken me the longest to record and master, but I think I got it right this time.
Share and enjoy.
lyrics
All the blocks of the stores shook
When the record store burnt down
They built a pizza parlor
Where the funeral home once stood
I don't go into town anymore
They won't let me sell my wares
And the friendly folks of Swanville
Stare with expressions made of wood
And they tell me that I'm up to nothing but no good
And the denizens of this town don't smile like they should
They say "it's ok, we never loved you anyway"
And it's just another day in Swanville
Frank is selling his last couch
To the old ladies down the street
As he waves with a hand behind his back
Whiskey flask gripped in the other
They say he burnt his house down
Drove until he reached Virginia
My mother said he was a god back home
(But you can't always trust your mother)
And if I ever meet him, I'll treat him like my brother
And if a hand touches my shoulder, I'll shiver and I'll shudder
And he'd say "it's ok, I never loved them anyway"
And it's just another day in Swanville
I should have never left my better half
Over his house the last time
I knew I'd have to go back one day
To see him again
Oh but I'm not resentful
I'm not bitter or frustrated
I don't feel used or cheated
Even though I should be mad at him
And when I go back to see his face again
I won't waste anymore time and money than I need to spend
And I'll say "it's ok, I'm glad you feel this way"
And it's just another day in Swanville
I've moved on before
I can move on again
I can see the stores opening
The employees calling out my name
They say "be not afraid
Of the Sad Songs and Fear
It's gonna shape you into something
It'll set you apart from the Same"
I took it all in stride, thought of it as a little game
My back is straight and firm though my psyche may be lame
And they all say "it's ok, we know you have to go away"
No more "just another day"s in Swanville
I never spent another day in Swanville.
credits
from Swanville Revisited,
released April 26, 2011
AL Riggs- guitars, vocals, bass, drum loops, percussion
Robert Brightleaf- keyboards, percussion
Phil makes sometimes quiet, sometimes ear shattering, always pretty and dense records and this one is no different. As big as all outdoors and as small as a small wooden shack, as to be expected. al Riggs
Dance to this all night and then the morning and then the afternoon until your legs turn to noodles or the landlord starts a-knocking on your floor/their ceiling with a broom. Whichever happens first. al Riggs
Landlady live is a force of nature, on record they are just as gorgeous and anxious as they are in the Flesh World. More Nervous Energy for those who like tremendous drumming and proper earworms. al Riggs
Durham, NC singer-songwriter Skylar Gudasz makes intimate Americana delivered with dry wit and stunningly precise vocal acumen. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 14, 2020