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
Kansas City
Damien Jurado Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know that I should have been thrilled
I can't smile knowing all the while
Everything you did, you did for you
Kansas City, he asked me how I've been
I lie and then said that I've been fine
Words that trailed off and that's as far as we got
Kansas City, I am not his son
I belong to my mother who's now gone
All was left to me and that's why he has returned
I know I should have been thrilled
Kansas City, thanks for your concern
I will learn to get by on my own
Orphaned by my state, call him by his name
I know some day I will return
I know some day I will return
I know some day I will return
I know some day I will return
I know some day I will return
I know some day I will return
The song Kansas City by Damien Jurado is a heart-wrenching ballad about the conflicting emotions of the singer as he meets his long-lost father in the city of Kansas. The song opens up with the singer fighting back tears, as he knows that he should be thrilled to meet his father after all these years, but he cannot help but feel the pain of the past. He cannot smile, and he knows that his father did everything for himself, and not for him.
As the song progresses, the singer meets his father, and when asked how he's been, he lies and says that he's fine. The conversation trails off, and he knows that he should have been happy, but the emotions of the past are too hard to shake off. The singer then reveals that he is not his father's son, as he belongs to his mother who is now gone. All that was left to him was the memories of his mother, and that's why his father has returned. He should have been thrilled to meet his father, but he cannot shake off the feeling of being an orphan, abandoned by the state.
The last verse is a powerful one, as the singer thanks Kansas City for their concern, and vows to learn to get by on his own. He calls his father by his name, and knows that someday, he'll return. The song ends with the repeated line of "I know someday I will return", suggesting that the singer may come back to Kansas City to face his past, but for now, he needs to learn to live with his emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Kansas City, I fought back the tears
I struggled to control my emotions while I was in Kansas City
I know that I should have been thrilled
I was supposed to be happy about being in Kansas City but I wasn't
I can't smile knowing all the while
I couldn't pretend to be happy when I knew the truth
Everything you did, you did for you
You only did things that benefited yourself
Kansas City, he asked me how I've been
Someone in Kansas City asked me how I was doing
I lie and then said that I've been fine
I didn't tell the truth about how I was really feeling
Words that trailed off and that's as far as we got
Our conversation didn't go any further than that
I am not his son
I am not related to him as a father and son
I belong to my mother who's now gone
My mother was the only one I belonged to but she's not alive anymore
All was left to me and that's why he has returned
I inherited everything from my mother and that's why he came back
Kansas City, thanks for your concern
I appreciate your concern, Kansas City
I will learn to get by on my own
I will figure out how to live without relying on anyone else
Orphaned by my state, call him by his name
I didn't have parents to take care of me so I have to refer to him by his name
I know some day I will return
Someday I will come back to Kansas City
I know some day I will return
I am certain that I will return to Kansas City one day
I know some day I will return
I cannot wait until the day I get to come back to Kansas City
I know some day I will return
Kansas City holds a special place in my heart and I will definitely come back someday
I know some day I will return
No matter how long it takes, I will make it back to Kansas City
Contributed by Gianna S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Omar Coming
Damien Jurado is so under the radar that it's almost a crime...his music is so devastatingly beautiful...
Joeee
For years this song has been able to take me to a different place, hauntingly beautiful, Damien’s melodies are always in the back of my head. I named my son after him.
Laura Krouse
I sob every damn time I hear this song. So beautiful.
Eric Guerrero
Beautiful , straight from the soul of a gift from up above God.
John Atkinson
This song is devastatingly beautiful
rob068
One of the best songs on an outstanding album.
cldplywshtthmnlghts3
where has this guy been all my life??
cloudxsmasher2.0
i cried....so good..
BeenInsane612
Amazing
brovold72
This is everything I like about Nick Drake and the Black Keys. Wow.