In the Kingdom #19

[Verse 1: Lee Ranaldo]
Ah. He did what he had to do. He asked no questions. He had few conversations. The tar glistens in the noon heat. He tread across the grass up onto and down off of the concrete abutments. Mirage on the highway. Ghosts in the tunnel. The dark cave. Out into the blinding light of the day at breakneck speed. Every bolt rumbling. Glistening highway mirage groans. The slick surface. Careening into first the small mammal, and then screeching along the guard rail, scraping paint and throwing sparks like sheets of pure terror for 400 yards. Over and over
With one final back and forth rocking motion coming to rest
Wait!

The beautiful paint job hopelessly marred
Smoke and flames
Alright

[Verse 2]
The beautiful paint job hopelessly marred. Smoke and flames. Alright. So nice. He moved to the small creature. Screeching whistles of steam blowing off, on its back, wheels spinning like a cinema classic. The door sags open and a man covered in blood drops the three feet or so to the pavement. The car still rattling and shaking as if with a mind all its own, unwilling to die. The man, 40-ish, also after a time, an agonizingly painful period of time, is also unwilling to die

[Verse 3]
Suddenly all is quite quiet and there in the sunlight, on the highway. But what? What can I do. I can not move. Everything is about broken. Blood everywhere, mixing with oil and gas. What's moving. Must turn my head. Pain. White light. Blinded. Some guy there kneeling in the blinding mirage of white light. All my strength to "HEEEEYYY". Screaming now, help me please. He tried to tamp out a bit of the burning ember that had leapt from the wreck onto his grimy coat sleeve. Coughing blood. What's happening? He's... he's... inching towards truth. He strode off into the woods with the animal. It still lived. He didn't glance back at all

[Verse 4]
Still out ghosting the road
Death on the highway
Words crumble around me and fall with the weight of heaven
I can not move
I am beneath the great weight
I can not see
My eyes are blinded
I am in the darkness
That's it

[Outro: Mike Watt and Thurston Moore]
I forget it, in despair I need it
I shouldn't laugh...
Really... In panic I forget it, in despair I need it, in my mind I save it, and in death I have it
Never gave a damn about the meter man til I was the man who got to read the meters, man