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
Little Jackson
Damien Jurado Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a split in the stone
Where I lose myself to time
Is there more
than flesh and bone?
baby in the cold, cold snow
Only you me and the trees shall know
lay me in the cold, cold snow
I'm a pebble warmed in the palm of your hand
glowing ambers of your firebrand
Way up Little Jackson
There's a split - split in the stone
Where I lose myself to time
I'll surrender flesh and bone
The song "Little Jackson" by Damien Jurado has a hauntingly beautiful quality to it. Beginning with the opening lines "Way up Little Jackson, there's a split in the stone, where I lose myself to time", Jurado's lyrics are immediately vivid and evocative. The imagery of a person losing themselves to time and contemplating the meaning of life and mortality is powerful and poignant. The line "Is there more than flesh and bone?" captures the essence of the song's themes: the search for meaning and purpose in life, and the uncertainty of what lies beyond death.
As the song progresses, the listener is transported to a cold winter landscape, with Jurado singing about a baby and the trees bearing witness to his thoughts and actions. The chorus, "Lay me in the cold, cold snow, forgive me Love, I couldn't wait to go", is a powerful statement of someone who is ready to face death, and yet feels regret for leaving their loved ones behind. The closing lines, "I'm a pebble warmed in the palm of your hand, glowing ambers of your firebrand", are a striking metaphor for life and its fleeting nature, and the warmth of human connection.
Overall, "Little Jackson" is a haunting and poetic meditation on life, death, and the human experience. Jurado's lyrics are beautifully crafted and deeply introspective, inviting the listener to contemplate the mysteries of existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Way up Little Jackson
At a high point named Little Jackson
There's a split in the stone
A crevice in the rock formation exists
Where I lose myself to time
A place where Damien can forget about time
Is there more than flesh and bone?
Contemplating the existence of the soul
Baby in the cold, cold snow
A child outside in the freezing snow
Only you, me, and the trees shall know
The experience is shared only with inanimate objects
Lay me in the cold, cold snow
Asking to be put in the snow after death
Forgive me Love, I couldn't wait to go
Asking for forgiveness for dying sooner than expected
I'm a pebble warmed in the palm of your hand
Explaining their small, warm presence
Glowing ambers of your firebrand
The warmth from the person they are referring to
I'll surrender flesh and bone
The acceptance of death
Contributed by Nicholas E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.