This song is about a father who misses his daughter, whom he had lost along with his wife and apartment when he had divorced her.
[Verse 1]
In the desert, where the cities are made of gold
There's a girl playing hopscotch with pink ribbon pigtails
And her mom calls out from an apartment balcony
"Come on, baby! Your bath is ready!
It's almost time for sleep!"
[Chorus]
And I wonder, who's the father....
And I wonder what they call her - Sierra
[Verse 2]
Does her mother smoke, or does she jog every morning?
Does she drink when she thinks about me?
Or doesn't she need to drink?
Does she have a man who works a nine to five?
Does he come home to kiss our young Sierra
Tuck her in and say goodnight?
[Chorus]
And an extra kiss for mama
I want that kiss, that kid, that apartment
[Bridge]
I'm ready to settle down now
So get that man out of my bed
I want my daughter back now
I want to kiss her, tuck her in, and say
"Goodnight, my baby girl, Sierra"
[Chorus]
Sierra, Sierra, Sierra, Sierra
I'll never know, know who you are
And I don't deserve to
Sierra, Sierra, Sierra, Sierra
My little girl
We would've been so... oh, nevermind
[Outro]
But I'm ready to settle down now
Yeah, I'm ready to leave that wrecking ball behind
And I could be your carpenter
And you could be my twinkling north star o'er the desert sky
Sierra was written by Tim Kasher.
Sierra was produced by Mike Mogis & Tim Kasher.