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
I Had No Intentions
Damien Jurado Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
His arms waving madly "Come over to me"
I saw the panic as he approached
We both ran quickly to the house
Where the windows were shot out
He lay there bleeding on the floor
My mother beside him screaming "Dear Lord
I held his hand till the ambulance came
Then onto a stretcher they took him away
I followed close from the car behind
The lights and the sirens both dull in my mind
November 9
Killed by a bullet from a jealous gun
It rattled his eyelids and pierced through his lungs
The damage now done
He was seen by her lover the night before
Swearing to kill him outside her door
To her defense my brother walked out
Raising his fists and screaming "Get out
It's me she's with now!"
Hotel hospital the tears burned my eyes
I slipped into nighttime and deep into dying
Without even trying.
The lyrics of Damien Jurado's song, "I Had No Intentions," tell a melancholic and tragic tale of a violent incident that leads to the death of the singer's brother. The story begins with the singer seeing his brother motioning to him from across the street, urgently beckoning him over to where he is standing. As they both run to the house, with the windows shot out, the panic mounts.
The song then takes a darker turn as the singer realizes that his brother has been shot and is bleeding out on the floor of their house. Their mother is beside him, screaming out in agony. The singer holds his brother's hand till the ambulance arrives, but it's clear that the wound is fatal. The tragedy of it all is compounded by the knowledge that the gunshot was fired by the lover of a woman who had been seeing the singer's brother. This knowledge is what led the singer's brother to confront the assailant outside the woman's door.
The final verse of the song paints a vivid picture of the scene at the hotel hospital as the singer watches his brother slip away. His recollection that he "slipped into nighttime and deep into dying without even trying," is a poignant reminder of how sudden and senseless this kind of violence can be. Overall, the song is a powerful comment on the destructive nature of jealousy and the tragic consequences it can have.
Line by Line Meaning
He motioned too me from across the street
From afar, he signaled for me to come from the opposite side.
His arms waving madly 'Come over to me'
With frenzied movements, he was beckoning me to approach him.
I saw the panic as he approached
As he came closer, I noticed the sense of urgency and agitation he had.
We both ran quickly to the house
Together, we sprinted towards the building.
Where the windows were shot out
We arrived at a place where the glass openings were broken by a projectile.
He lay there bleeding on the floor
He was lying on the ground and bleeding.
My mother beside him screaming 'Dear Lord'
My mom was next to him, shouting to God.
Someone shot my boy'
She announced that someone had shot her son.
I held his hand till the ambulance came
I grasped his hand until the medics arrived.
Then onto a stretcher they took him away
Afterward, he was transported on a gurney.
I followed close from the car behind
I tailed closely behind in the vehicle.
The lights and the sirens both dull in my mind
Despite the flashing and sirens, I wasn't paying attention.
November 9
The date was November 9th.
Killed by a bullet from a jealous gun
He died due to a gunshot caused by someone envious.
It rattled his eyelids and pierced through his lungs
The bullet shook in his eyelids and punched into his lungs.
The damage now done
The harm was complete.
He was seen by her lover the night before
The previous evening, the person who adored her spotted him.
Swearing to kill him outside her door
He swore to murder him by her entrance.
To her defense my brother walked out
To defend her, my sibling went outside.
Raising his fists and screaming 'Get out It's me she's with now!'
He lifted his arms and yelled, 'Leave! She's with me now.'
Hotel hospital the tears burned my eyes
At the hospital, my eyes stung with tears like in a hotel room.
I slipped into nighttime and deep into dying Without even trying.
I became unconscious and almost died without even putting up a fight.
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Damien Jurado
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind