Jurado's solo career began during the mid-1990s, releasing lo-fi folk based recordings on his own cassette-only label, Casa Recordings, beginning in 1995.
Jurado often makes use of found-sound and field-recording techniques, and has experimented with different forms of tape recordings. In 2000 he released Postcards and Audio Letters, a collection of found audio letters and fragments that he had found from sources such as thrift store tape players and answering machines. Also released in 2000 was Ghost of David,, Jurado's bleakest and most personal sounding record to date. I Break Chairs, (2002) was produced by long time friend, David Bazan. It was his last album for Sub Pop, and was a much rockier, electric affair. After signing for the Indiana-based label Secretly Canadian, Damien Jurado reverted to his trademark folk ballad-based style, releasing six more albums: Where Shall You Take Me? (2003), On My Way To Absence (2005), And Now That I'm In Your Shadow (2006), Caught in the Trees (2008), Saint Bartlett (2010) and Maraqopa (2012).
Official blog: iamcaughtinthetrees.blogspot.com
Butcher
Damien Jurado Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And not one word to her mother said
Her mother she went upstairs too
Saying, "Daughter, oh daughter, what troubles you?"
"Oh mother, oh mother, I cannot tell
That butcher's boy I love so well
He courted me my life away
"There is a place in London town
Where that butcher's boy goes and sits down
He takes that strange girl on his knee
He tells her things he don't tell me"
Her father he comes home from work
Saying, "Where is my daughter, she looks so hurt"
He went upstairs to give her hope
Found her hanging from a rope
He took his knife and he cut her down
In her bosom these words were found
"Go dig my grave both wide and deep
Place a marble slab at my head and my feet
And on my stone, place a snow white dove
To warn this world I died for love"
Oh mother, oh mother
Mother me
Oh Lord, oh Lord
Lord in me
The song "Butcher's Boy" by Damien Jurado is an adaptation of an old folk ballad from the early 20th century. The song tells the story of a young woman who falls in love with a butcher's boy and becomes so consumed by their love affair that she eventually takes her own life. The first verse sets the scene as the woman goes upstairs to her bedroom, leaving her mother downstairs. It is clear that the mother is concerned as she follows her daughter upstairs and asks her what is wrong. The daughter confesses that she is in love with the butcher's boy who has courted her all her life, but who will not stay at her home.
The second verse reveals that the butcher's boy has another woman in London who he goes to see. The daughter is heartbroken that the butcher's boy tells this "strange girl" things that he doesn't tell her, and she is left feeling rejected and alone. The final verse is the most tragic as it reveals the daughter has taken her own life. Her father comes home from work and finds her hanging from a rope. He cuts her down, and on her body, there is a note requesting that her grave is dug wide and deep, and a snow-white dove is placed on her headstone to warn the world that she died for love.
The song is a haunting tale of unrequited love and the devastating effects it can have. Jurado's version is stripped back and simple, with just his voice and a stark guitar accompaniment. However, he manages to convey the emotional weight of the story through his delivery, which is both plaintive and mournful.
Line by Line Meaning
She went upstairs to make her bed
She went to her room to comfort herself and maybe even pray.
And not one word to her mother said
She didn't talk to her mother about her pain and problem.
Her mother she went upstairs too
Her mother followed her secretly and hoped to find out the reason of her grief.
Saying, "Daughter, oh daughter, what troubles you?"
Her mother asked her what was bothering her.
"Oh mother, oh mother, I cannot tell
She couldn't confess to her mother about her love that led to her misfortune.
That butcher's boy I love so well
She was in love with a butcher's boy.
He courted me my life away
He wooed her and won her heart.
And now at home he will not stay"
He stopped coming home to her.
"There is a place in London town
He had secret acquaintances in London.
Where that butcher's boy goes and sits down
He hung out at a specific spot in London.
He takes that strange girl on his knee
He showed affection to another girl.
He tells her things he don't tell me"
He was more intimate with this other girl than her.
Her father he comes home from work
Her father arrived home from work.
Saying, "Where is my daughter, she looks so hurt"
He noticed that his daughter was in distress.
He went upstairs to give her hope
He ascended to her room in order to support her.
Found her hanging from a rope
He found that she hanged herself.
He took his knife and he cut her down
He used a knife to remove his daughter's body from the rope.
In her bosom these words were found
A note carved into her skin was found.
"Go dig my grave both wide and deep
She told people how she wanted her funeral ceremony to be.
Place a marble slab at my head and my feet
Her grave should be marked with headstone and feet stonework.
And on my stone, place a snow white dove
She hoped to have a specific design on the headstone, a white flying bird to represent martyred love.
To warn this world I died for love"
She hoped her death would warn others of the horrors of love.
Oh mother, oh mother
She was trying to communicate with her mother even in the afterlife.
Mother me
She wants her mother to comfort her in her mind's eye.
Oh Lord, oh Lord
She calls out for God's help.
Lord in me
She pleads for God to reside within her soul.
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