Friday's Grief Song, 4.7.23

Songs of Grief & Praise

Welcome to Friday’s Grief Song!

This is a new weekly special of Tears of Things.

Each week I’m going to feature a song I think is particularly grief laden and praise worthy. To me a grief song is anything that has cracked me open by its sheer tenderness, passion, or rage, whether by lyrics, vocalization, musical composition, i.e. the whole shebang of the song, or sometimes just a minute of a riff on a pedal steel guitar or other fantastic bit hat just pierces my heart - like in one particular live recording of one particular song by Kasey Musgraves (coming soon) that slays me every damn time I hear it.

I love music and I love to sing, and as Bob Marley sings “One good thing about music, when it hits you feel you no pain,” music and singing, especially are one of the most joyous and potent expressions we humans can make.

This week’s song is one I come back to time and time again for it’s absolute ability to lull me into a state of sweet melancholy tenderness. It came out 2001 the year after I graduated from high school, and was on heavy repeat in my junior and senior year of college. I made a mix tape with this song on repeat about 7 times and listened to it to fall asleep. I saw them perform this live just a couple years ago and it brought me to tears just like the first time I heard it.

It’s Wilco’s Jesus Etc. off their Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. That link is to a recording on YouTube, or listen here on Spotify.

Jesus, Etc.
Jay Bennett, Jeffrey Scot Tweedy
2001

Jesus, don't cry
You can rely on me, honey
You can combine anything you want
I'll be around
You were right about the stars
Each one is a setting sun

Tall building shake
Voices escape singing sad, sad songs
Tuned to chords, strung down your cheeks
Bitter melodies turning your orbit around

Don't cry
You can rely on me, honey
You can come by any time you want
I'll be around
You were right about the stars
Each one is a setting sun

Tall buildings shake
Voices escape singing sad, sad songs
Tuned to chords, strung down your cheeks
Bitter melodies turning your orbit around

Voices whine
Skyscrapers are scraping together
Your voice is smoking
Last cigarettes are all you can get
Turning your orbit around

Our love
Our love
Our love is all we have
Our love
Our love is all of God's money
Everyone is a burning sun

Tall buildings shake
Voices escape singing sad, sad songs
Tuned to chords, strung down your cheeks
Bitter melodies turning your orbit around

Voices whine
Skyscrapers are scraping together
Your voice is smoking
Last cigarettes are all you can get
Turning your orbit around

Last cigarettes are all you can get
Turning your orbit around
Last cigarettes are all you can get
Turning your orbit around

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