The Flat Baritone

Form a ring and wind and twine

Round the ol' grape vine

Heavy on the wire from the house

Salt the cow and kill the calf

Meet yer lonesome with a once and a half

Gent¹s on the east and ladies on the south



The solemn boy carries his silver damage

Sold but for, the number and the image



His eyes have saddened making wine from the stems

Empty ears longing for the wood and the skins

Paper yellowed from the salt and the failure



When he sings he slurs

& uses the meat of his thigh

T¹hold the book he wrote when he was lame

So wrapped up in his flat baritone

No castrato could woo him in from the rain



For he never raised his voice when his britches

Was spillin¹ over with that honey truck richness





His eyes have saddened making wine from the stems

Empty ears longing for the wood and the skins

Paper yellowed from the salt and the failure



Well the stylus hit the patches

As he spit on the splashes

& sought out the scratches in the vinyl

'neath a needle topped with nickels

To keep the tunes a-goin'

Cracklin', croonin' & crowin'



Multi-colored, hard-boiled & hidden

In the corners, with the dogs rusty remnants



His eyes have saddened making wine from the stems

Empty ears longing for the wood and the skins

Paper yellowed from the salt and the failure


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