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
Rosewood Casket
Damien Jurado Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That is resting on a stand
There's a package of old letters
Written by loved one's hand
Go and bring them to me, brother
Come and sit upon my bed
Lay your head upon my pillow
Read them gently to me, brother
Read them til I fall asleep
Fall asleep to wake in Heaven
Oh dear brother, do not weep
Last night I saw him walking
With a lady by his side
And I thought I heard him tell her
She could never be his bride
When at last I'm gone forever
And my friends are gathered 'round
When my narrow grave is ready
In some lonesome church yard ground
There's a little rosewood casket
That is resting on a stand
There's a package of old letters
Written by loved one's hand
The lyrics of Damien Jurado's Rosewood Casket tell a poignant story of a dying man who requests his brother to read him a bundle of old letters written by loved ones. The singer contemplates his mortality by asking his brother to read the letters; it gives him a sense of solace in his final moments. He wants to fall asleep to wake up in heaven while his brother reads the letters to him. The singer then reminisces about seeing his beloved walking with another lady, and he realizes that he cannot have her. The song then ends with the singer imagining his funeral, where he believes that his friends would gather around and find the little rosewood casket resting on a stand beside the bundle of old letters.
The song's lyrics are open to interpretation, but it's possible to glean a sense of nostalgia, regret, and acceptance of the inevitable end from them. The singer reflects on his life; he desires to be remembered and appreciated by the people who matter to him. However, he also realizes that he cannot change the past, and his time is up. Thus, the song could be viewed as an exploration of mortality and acceptance.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a little rosewood casket
Refers to the small box made of rosewood in which the old letters are kept safely.
That is resting on a stand
The little rosewood casket is resting on a stand, depicting it as something precious and valuable.
There's a package of old letters
Signifies that the box contains old letters which potentially hold great significance and emotions.
Written by loved one's hand
Each of the old letters was written with love and emotions by a loved one who has important connections with the recipient.
Go and bring them to me, brother
Asks the beloved brother to retrieve the package of old letters kept inside the little rosewood casket.
Come and sit upon my bed
Requests brother to come and sit beside the storyteller on his bed.
Lay your head upon my pillow
Instructs brother to lay his head upon his pillow while he reads through the cherished old letters.
While each cherished line is read
Highlights the value of each and every word of the letters and the importance of reading them carefully.
Read them gently to me, brother
Asks brother to read those letters in a soft and gentle tone to invoke emotions and feelings.
Read them til I fall asleep
Asks the brother to continue reading the letters until the storyteller falls asleep.
Fall asleep to wake in Heaven
Wishes to embrace the afterlife with the same or better level of love, compassion, and emotions as described in the old letters.
Oh dear brother, do not weep
Asks brother to not cry and be sad while reading the letters and thanking him for doing so.
Last night I saw him walking
The storyteller saw someone else walking with a lady last night, depicting the existence of a love triangle.
With a lady by his side
Illustrates that the person the storyteller saw had a female companion, which he might love.
And I thought I heard him tell her
An assumption by the storyteller that the person he saw told something to his female companion, which could be upsetting.
She could never be his bride
Assumption that the person the storyteller saw told his companion that he cannot marry her.
When at last I'm gone forever
Looking towards the future, the storyteller emphasizes that after he dies, his friends will attend his funeral.
And my friends are gathered 'round
Friends of the storyteller would gather around his body to perform his last rites and mourn his death.
When my narrow grave is ready
The grave in which the storyteller's body will be interred is narrow, indicating that it is a single plot.
In some lonesome church yard ground
The storyteller's final resting place is in some unforeseen and isolated church yard.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Damien Jurado
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind