The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #102943   Message #2606819
Posted By: Rog Peek
07-Apr-09 - 04:41 PM
Thread Name: Songs for/about Phil Ochs
Subject: Lyr: I DREAMED I SAW PHIL OCHS LAST NIGHT (Gunnery
I DREAMED I SAW PHIL OCHS LAST NIGHT
(Mark Gunnery)

And some songs are harder than other ones to write
And some songs hang out in my head late at night
And they haunt me, they taunt me, tell me what to do
Yeah they haunt me, they taunt me, tell me what to do

And I can't sleep for shit while they're over my bed
And the words are all leather and the melody lead
And I make a noose out of metallic thread
And hang my guitar from its fucking head

And I dreamed I saw Phil Ochs last night
His feet dangling over the bathroom floor
And I turned my head and I turned off the light
And I marked off another casualty of the cold war.

And if my mind cracks like some folks always said
That it would that it would that it would that it would
And my my eyes turn to glass and my tail turns to wood

Then just sing to me and I will remember
That one time I wasn't blind.
Yeah just sing to me and I will remember
That one time I wasn't blind.


Notes: Mark Gunnery has been described as an anarchist folk singer, part of the collective riotfolk. The title would suggest another version of the Hayes/Robinson song. This is not the case however both lyrics and melody are original, and features on the CD 'Split with Dragonzord (2006).
Mark and Brenna Sahatjain included a collaboration of this song on 'Rise Like Lions' 2006, and Brenna's version (below) with some alteration to the lyric appears on 'To Each Idle Arrow (2006).

RP April09

And some songs are harder than other ones to write
and some songs hang out in my head late at night.
They haunt me they taunt me tell me what to do
and follow me out at night under the moon.

And I can't sleep for shit while their over my bed
the words are all leather and the melody lead
I make a noose out of metallic thread
and hang that guitar by its dissonant head

and I dreamed I saw Phil Ochs last night
his feet were dangling over the bathroom floor
I just turned my head, and turned off the light
and marked another casualty of the cold war.

And if my head cracks like some folks always said that it would
and my heart turns to stone and my tail turns into wood
just sing to me and I will remember that one time I was not blind
just sing to me and I will remember how the colors held up the light.