This song is about one of Mark Kozelek’s biggest childhood influences, the country legend John Denver, who crashed and died on October 12, 1997 into Monterey Bay while flying an experimental aircraft.
Sister woke me up
As he fell out of the sky
There's a golden place
Where the angels crash and die
You can jab and poke
Oh but what'd you ever give?
I don't hear your voice
Hear it resonate like his
Hear it resonate like his
You were endless fuel
Burning fast and burning free
Not a wide-eyed fool
That fell into the sea
That vanished in the sea
You're alive and good St.John
As the AM waves live on
You as much belong to me
As a ship steered to the sea
As a ship steered to the sea
You're the cornerstone
Of my memories as a kid
Filled my room with sun
When that polished vinyl spun
I will see your face
Crashing down against the wind
And it's a sadder place
When that crackling vinyl spins
When the crackling vinyl spins
You're still living good St.John
High up in the yellow sun
We can find your vacant grin
In every dusty thrift-store bin
You're a dime-a-dozen man
You're a dime-a-dozen man
And you're far beyond the moon
That you dreamed to touch so soon
And your life was big and full
Like your words so beautiful
Dum de dum de dum dum dum
Always echo across the world
Golden was written by Mark Kozelek.
Golden was produced by Mark Kozelek.
Red House Painters released Golden on Tue Apr 10 2001.