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
What Were the
Damien Jurado Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of long winters in motels, what went through your mind?
How is it that you made it? How is it that you noticed?
It wasn't me who was looking at you
Through foggy glass or windows... it was them
I was out in Coolidge with my head on a counter
Drinking down my chances to ever return to anyone
And all that was holy just slowly disappeared
Or just appeared in parking lots of truck stops
The lights all blinking and now all I'm thinking is
"How the hell did I get here?"
Does your husband know I call you sweetheart?
Does he know that I call you at all?
It's not like you're cheating we're only meeting
In hotels and not your home
It's not like we're cheating
(We're only meeting in hotels and not your home)
Would you change your last name to mine?
(Would you change your last name to mine?)
I think your kids will mind
I was in the desert waving planes and burning phone books
To a tune that was famous the year I was born
Do not leave me dancing alone
(Do not leave me dancing alone, pick up the phone and call me lover)
Pick up the phone
And call me lover
Say, "Come and get me, I am home"
Please pick up the phone
Please pick up the phone
"What Were The Chances" by Damien Jurado is a melancholic and introspective song that presents a series of disconnected thoughts and meditations. The lyrics are divided into three parts, each one describing the singer's experience of isolation and estrangement.
In the first verse, the singer reflects on the distance he created from someone he cared about, letting that person fight their battles alone. He wonders how they survived without him and what thoughts went through their mind during that time. He also acknowledges that he was not present in their life, that he was just an observer looking at them through foggy glass or windows. This verse is characterized by a sense of regret and longing, a feeling that the singer has lost something valuable.
In the second verse, the singer is drinking away his chances to ever return to anyone while in Coolidge. He expresses his pain and hurt and the slow fading away of what was once holy, a metaphor that implies a loss of faith. Despite this, he recognizes the beauty in the mundane, the blinking lights of truck stops that capture his attention. He questions how he arrived at this place, a reflection that embodies a sense of disorientation and existential questioning.
The third verse portrays a confessional dialogue between the singer and someone else, presumably a lover. The singer acknowledges the reality of their situation, that they are not cheating since they only meet in hotels and not at home. He asks the person whether they would change their name to his and imagines that their kids would mind. The final lines of the song are a plea for the person to pick up the phone and call him, theoretically expressing his desire for a deeper relationship with the person.
Overall, the song seems to be a meditation on loss, regret, and the isolation inherent in modern life. The singer is searching for meaning and connection in a world that feels disconnected and at odds with his needs and desires.
Line by Line Meaning
When I left you alone to fight your battles
When I left you on your own to face the challenges
Of long winters in motels, what went through your mind?
What thoughts crossed your mind during those prolonged motel stays?
How is it that you made it? How is it that you noticed?
How did you manage to survive those tough situations? How did you become aware of the things around you?
It wasn't me who was looking at you
I wasn't the one observing you
Through foggy glass or windows... it was them
The outsiders were the ones who saw you through the foggy windows or glass
I was out in Coolidge with my head on a counter
I was in Coolidge, feeling defeated and resting my head on a counter
Drinking down my chances to ever return to anyone
I was consuming drinks that made me feel like I would never be able to go back to anyone
No I wasn't faking it the hurt I felt was real
I wasn't pretending; the pain I was experiencing was genuine
And all that was holy just slowly disappeared
Everything that held a sacred place in my life vanished gradually
Or just appeared in parking lots of truck stops
Or just emerged in the parking lots of truck stops
The lights all blinking and now all I'm thinking is
While blinking lights surround me, all I'm thinking about is
"How the hell did I get here?"
How did I come to end up in this place?
Does your husband know I call you sweetheart?
Are you aware if your spouse knows that I address you as 'sweetheart'?
Does he know that I call you at all?
Does he have any idea that I reach out to you?
It's not like you're cheating we're only meeting
It's not as if we're having an affair- we're just meeting
In hotels and not your home
We're meeting at hotels, not at your residence
(We're only meeting in hotels and not your home)
(We're just getting together at hotels, not at your home)
Would you change your last name to mine?
Are you willing to alter your last name to mine?
(Would you change your last name to mine?)
(Are you willing to change your last name to mine?)
I think your kids will mind
I assume your children might not be fond of the change
I was in the desert waving planes and burning phone books
I was in the desert waving down planes and destroying telephone directories
To a tune that was famous the year I was born
Listening to a song that was popular during my birth year
Do not leave me dancing alone
Don't abandon me while I'm dancing alone
(Do not leave me dancing alone, pick up the phone and call me lover)
(Don't leave me alone dancing. Please call me, lover.)
Pick up the phone
Answer the phone
And call me lover
Contact me and refer to me as lover
Say, "Come and get me, I am home"
Say to me, 'Come and fetch me, I am finally home'
Please pick up the phone
Kindly answer the phone
Please pick up the phone
Please respond to the call
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB., BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Damien Jurado
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Violeta Amat Collado
Es hipnótico y salvajemente bello. He tenido el placer d verle en directo en la Rambleta! Su compañero musical q le acompañaba a la guitarra extraordinario.
Y no olvido el acentuado punteo de sus dedos a la guitarra acompañados de su pie.. las letras duelen como un moratón. ❤️
dartanghan éluard
bravo, mademoiselle "a", de amour ! ; )
zippygotsillyagain
This is simply beautiful. Loved your stuff ever since hearing ‘Ohio’. Who is the evocative female backing singer that appears toward the end of the song? She really brings out the ethereal feel of the song nicely.
you can't be this empty
Played this all week. Truly wonderful. It surfaces with so many deep feelings for me and I get completely lost in it.
Theokant
Adoro la tua musica !!
Carromacumba
Terrific 🔥💎🔥