Over de geboorte van Elvis Presley tijdens een zware storm in 1935. Volgens Nick is de geboorte van de King vergelijkbaar met de geboorte van Jezus (The King will walk on Tupelo/And carry the burden of Tupelo). – of misschien is Elvis wel de anti-christ, want de beelden zijn nogal apocalyptisch. Historisch is de song niet helemaal accuraat (Elvis werd geboren in ’35 en Tupelo werd in ’36 getroffen door een verwoestende storm annex tornado), maar een kunstenaar heeft natuurlijk het recht wat te spelen met de geschiedenis. De tekst is losjes gebaseerd op de gelijknamige song van John Lee Hooker. Al even briljant maar een stuk ingetogener. De regel And a child is born on his brother’s heels verwijst naar Elvis’ doodgeboren tweelingbroer.
[Verse 1]
Looka yonder! Looka yonder!
Looka yonder! A big black cloud come!
A big black cloud come!
Yeah comes to Tupelo. Comes to Tupelo
Yonder on the horizon
Yonder on the horizon
Stopped at the mighty river
Stopped at the mighty river and
Sucked the damn thing dry
Sucked the damn thing dry
(Tupelo!) Oh Tupelo
In a valley hides a town called Tupelo
[Verse 2]
Well distant thunder rumble. Distant thunder rumble
Rumble hungry like the Beast
The Beast it cometh, cometh down
The Beast it cometh, cometh down
The Beast it cometh, cometh down
Wo wo wo-o-o
Tupelo bound (Tupelo!)
Yeah, oh, Tupelo
The Beast it cometh, Tupelo bound
Why the hen will lay no egg
Can’t get that cock to crow
The nag is spooked and crazy
Oh God help Tupelo
Oh God help Tupelo
Oh God help Tupelo
Oh God help Tupelo
[Verse 3]
Ya can say these streets are rivers
Ya can call these rivers streets
Ya can tell ya self ya dreaming, buddy
But no sleep runs this deep
No, no sleep runs this deep
No sleep runs this deep-ah
Women at their windows
Rain crashing on the pane
Writing in the frost
Tupelo’s shame, tupelo’s shame
Tupelo’s shame, tupelo’s shame
Oh God help Tupelo
Oh God help Tupelo
Oh God help Tupelo
Oh God help Tupelo
[Verse 4]
Oh go to sleep little children
The Sandman’s on his way
Oh go to sleep a-little children
The Sandman’s on his way
But the little children know
But the little children know
They listen to the beating of their blood
Listen to the beating of their blood
Listen to the beating of their blood
Listen to the beating of their blood
The sandman’s mud-uh
The sandman’s mud-uh
The sandman’s mud-uh
The sandman’s mud-uh
And the black rain come down
The black rain come down
The black rain come down
Oh water water everywhere
Water water everywhere
Where no bird can fly, no fish can swim
Where no bird can fly, no fish can swim
No fish can swim
Until The King is born
Until The King is born
(Tupelo!) Yep, Tupelo
Until the King is born in Tupelo
[Verse 5]
In a clap-board shack with a roof of tin
Where the rain crashed down and leaked within
A young mother frozen on a concrete floor
In a bottle and a box and a cradle of straw
(Tupelo!) Oh Tupelo
In a bottle and a box and a cradle of straw
Saturday gives what Sunday steals
And a child is born on his brother’s heels
Sunday mournin’ the first-born dead
In a shoebox tied with a ribbon of red
(Tupelo!) Oh Tupelo
In a shoebox buried with a ribbon of red
Oh mama rock you little one slow
Mama rock your baby
Mama rock your little one slow
God help Tupelo
God help Tupelo
Mama rock your little one slow
Mama rock your little one slow
The little one will walk on Tupelo
The little one will walk on Tupelo
Black rain come down, black rain come down
The King will walk on Tupelo
The King will walk on Tupelo
(Tupelo!)
And carry the burden of Tupelo
And carry the burden of Tupelo
And carry the burden of Tupelo
And carry the burden of Tupelo
(Tupelo!) Oh Tupelo
Yeah, the King will walk on Tupelo
Tupelo, Tupelo
The King will walk on Tupelo!
(Tupelo!) Oh Tupelo
Oh Tupelo
Yeah, the King will walk on Tupelo
(Tupelo!) Yeah, oh Tupelo
He carried the burden of Tupelo
(Tupelo!) Yeah, yeah Tupelo
He carried the burden of Tupelo
(Tupelo!) Hey, hey, hey Tupelo
He carried the burden of Tupelo
(Tupelo!) Yeah, yeah, yeah Tupelo
You will reap just what you sow
Yeah, oh Tupelo
Uitgelichte afbeelding: geboortehuis van Elvis in Tupelo – By Markuskun at English Wikipedia – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5445560
