She received much critical acclaim for her 2005 release, Paradise Hotel, which contains songs that strike a chord with listeners in light of recent events. "Requiem" honors Hurricane Katrina and tsunami victims with hopeful pleas to the Virgin Mary, while "Man of God" is a bitter, unapologetic denouncement of President George W. Bush and his administration.
"The actions of this regime do not follow the teachings of Christ, what I call real Christianity," Gilkyson said in August 2005. "I just don't appreciate the religious right acting like I don't love God and my country just because I'm not in their corner. I'm mad and I want other people to be mad about this too."
In 2008, her album Beautiful World came out, again on Red House Records. The songs vary from pop to folk and points in-between, with songs ranging from intimate ballads to rallying cries against the imperialist machine. She recently collaborated on a new album entitled Red Horse with two of her Red House Records label-mates John Gorka and Lucy Kaplansky.
In 2011, she came out with Roses at the End of Time. Recorded at her home with the help of her son and co-producer Cisco Ryder, Gilkyson took a longer time in the studio and came out with a more eclectic and personal album. She continues to tour about 150 dates per year in the United States and overseas.
www.elizagilkyson.com
Highway 9
Eliza Gilkyson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're gonna fulfill scripture in the holy land
Between the tigris and euphrates it's a lot like hell
Go on and liberate my people and their o-i-l
Get your big trucks rollin down hiway 9
Put on the armor it's party time
Gonna dance with the devil of our own design
So the little man gathered all his chickenhawks in
And the neo-cons and his daddy's kin
They had their own clear channel and a hell of a spin
And a white man hidden in a black man's skin
Big trucks rollin down hiway 9
Pulverize the puppet it's payback time
Whose tax dollar is it yours and mine
Keeps the big trucks rollin down hiway 9
Well we got caught sleeping at the sentry post
Now we're standing toe to toe with what we feared the most
That old father and his son and the unheavenly host
We gotta do what we can don't give up the ghost
Get the big trucks rollin down hiway 9
With food and water and an internet line
Run to the polls when it comes the time
'cause the big truck's rollin down hiway 9
Eliza Gilkyson's song "Highway 9" is a commentary on the Iraq War and the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Throughout the song, Gilkyson imagines a conversation between the "white god" (representing George W. Bush) and the "little man" (representing Saddam Hussein). The white god tells the little man that they will fulfill scripture in the holy land and liberate the people and their oil. The little man then gathers his supporters, including chickenhawks and neo-cons, and they head towards the Tigris and Euphrates to do battle.
The lyrics express Gilkyson's opposition to the war and criticize the way it was sold to the American people. In the song, the "big trucks" represent the American military and their mission to "pulverize the puppet" (Saddam Hussein) and control Iraq's oil resources. Gilkyson questions whose tax dollars are paying for this war and suggests that the money could be better used to provide food, water, and an internet line to those affected by the conflict.
Overall, "Highway 9" is a powerful anti-war song that highlights the human cost of war and the political rhetoric used to justify it.
Line by Line Meaning
Well the white god said to the little man
The leaders of a powerful country decided they would invade another country to fulfill a religious prophecy and to take control of its oil resources.
We're gonna fulfill scripture in the holy land
The leaders believed that they were fulfilling a prophecy from their religion by taking control of the land.
Between the tigris and euphrates it's a lot like hell
The country they wanted to invade was in a very difficult and dangerous region.
Go on and liberate my people and their o-i-l
The leaders believed that they were liberating the people of that country when in actual fact, they had their eyes fixed on the control of the country's oil resources.
Get your big trucks rollin down hiway 9
The leaders ordered their troops to move towards their destination, in preparation for the invasion.
Put on the armor it's party time
The leaders viewed the invasion as a fun activity and did not take into consideration the dire consequences it would have on those involved.
Gonna dance with the devil of our own design
The leaders made a grave mistake by invading the other country and were now facing the consequences of their actions.
So the little man gathered all his chickenhawks in
And the neo-cons and his daddy's kin
The leaders called upon their allies and family members to come and support them in their invasion.
They had their own clear channel and a hell of a spin
The leaders had a strong propaganda machine that helped spin the news in their favor.
And a white man hidden in a black man's skin
One of the leaders involved in the invasion may have looked like a person of color, but he was actually white, trying to remove himself from criticism for his decision.
Big trucks rollin down hiway 9
Troops and trucks were seen moving towards their destination.
Pulverize the puppet it's payback time
The leaders wanted to punish the leader of the other country by destroying everything he had built and taking him down.
Whose tax dollar is it yours and mine
The people of the invading country's taxpayer money would be used to fund the costly invasion, and they would bear the financial burden of the decision.
Keeps the big trucks rollin down hiway 9
The costly war would need constant funding from taxpayers of the invading country.
Well we got caught sleeping at the sentry post
The invading country was not prepared for the retaliation that they were about to face.
Now we're standing toe to toe with what we feared the most
The invading country was facing the consequences of their actions and the retaliation was their biggest fear.
That old father and his son and the unheavenly host
The people the invading country was facing in the fight were religious leaders and people from a different culture.
We gotta do what we can don't give up the ghost
In the face of the difficult circumstances, the invading country did not want to give up the fight.
With food and water and an internet line
The troops were provided with basic needs and access to communication systems.
Run to the polls when it comes the time
The people of the invading country were asked to participate in democratic elections in spite of the war.
'cause the big truck's rollin down hiway 9
The war was a priority for the leaders, and all resources would be directed towards it.
Contributed by Brooklyn B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.