Thanks to giftofisolation and Benson for help with this one.
heaven just got your postcard
my dear Verona girl
we are blessed and powerless
where ever we turn we win
still this Campanile
longs for some time beside thee
Could you storm my tower
bring your bells
I am mad man bastille
Twelve residents who see your fires
we cheer inside
we cheer for you fire bringer
No, I don't know you well
but I know enough to tell you that
If you storm this tower
we'll just lay down
I do build you up
precipitously
to up whipped peaks
you never claim to be
cause humans will fill
any void with their hopes and distortions
its not so bad
just to sing from a tower
I hope we don't change too much,
without checking in
but if you should
there's that to look forward to
my verona girl
(harmonica)
and I found your black power earrings
exactly where you hid them
this too is a postcard
from a bloodless revolution
now i don't know you well
I know you just enough to tell you that
when you get back
we can be how you want
I can say with 90% certainty that the lyrics below are pretty damn accurate. After listening to several different live versions of the song, you tube video as well as a couple separate explanations from Blake of the meaning of the song on a couple of those recordings. For instance on the most known "Gilman St" recording Blake talks about being excited to have been able to use "Campanini" in song. Hence the references to the Italian town of Verona. My biggest complaint is that this song was not carried over into the new band. I love most of those songs as well as other TOL songs but I would honestly put this song up against any song Blake has ever written as one of my favorites. There is one unreleased Jets to Brazil song out there called "Tender Criminal" on a live bootleg from Irving Plaza in NYC. I would say this is another amazing tune that will likely never surface. Anyways, The updated lyrics are below. Good luck with the other ones. Cheers.
ReplyDelete"...From a Tower"
Heaven just got your postcard
My dear Verona girl
We are blessed and powerless
Wherever we turn we win
Still this Campanini
Longs for some time beside thee
Could you storm my tower,
Bring your bells
I am Mad man Bastille
Twelve residents who see your fires
We cheer inside
Cheer for you fire bringer
No, I don't know you well
but I enough to tell you that
If you storm this tower
we'll just lay down
I do build you up
precipitously
Two up whipped peaks
You never claim to be
Cause humans will fill
any void with their hopes and distortions
But it's not so bad
Just to sing from a tower.
And I hope we don't change too much
without checking in
But if you should
There's that to look forward to
My Verona girl
And I found your black power earrings
exactly where you hid them
This too is a postcard
from a bloodless revolution
Now, I don't know you well
I know just enough to tell you that
when you get back
we can be how we want.
RE: comment 1
ReplyDeleteI think you're on the mark, with only these edits:
1. The word "campanini" should be changed to "Campanile" (AKA Sather Tower) on the UC Berkeley campus. It's definitely a tower and, per the Gilman reference to UC Berkeley, it's definitely the right tower.
2. I hear "two up whipped peaks" as "to up-whipped peaks"; it seems a continuation of the previous phrase, suggesting just how precipitously the Verona girl has been built-up.