Morlix moved to Texas in 1975 and initially performed with Blaze Foley, in both Austin and Houston. Moving to Los Angeles in 1981, he met up with Lucinda Williams, a fellow Texas-based musician who had also moved there. He became her accompanist for 11 years - from 1985 to 1996 - eventually leaving in frustration at the repeated delays in the release of Lucinda's album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road - the album being finally released in 1998. In 1990 he accompanied Warren Zevon on tour. He relocated back to Austin in 1991.
Since 2000 he has released the following solo albums:
Toad Of Titicaca (Catamount Records, 2000)
Fishin' in The Muddy (Catamount Records, 2002)
Cut 'N Shoot (Blue Corn Music, 2004)
Diamonds To Dust (Blue Corn Music, 2007)
Birth To Boneyard (Rootball, 2008) [an instrumental version of Diamonds To Dust]
Last Exit To Happyland (Rootball, 2009)
Blaze Foley's 113th Wet Dream (Rootball, 2011)
Deeper Down
Gurf Morlix Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Through a bleak sea of loneliness
I carved through the waves of grief
In a black vastness of self doubt
I have never felt so alone
So pitiful and wretched and low
I'm tried by a terrible wind
Fill my vast sails of ruin
Steer me towards the bleak end
A horizon of purples and reds
The still waters of my welcome end
The clouds of grey come overhead
A storm will hunt me down
And rip the guts out of my body
Then I would surely drown
The unforgiving wind searches
And lashes me like a whip
The self-pity overwhelms me
My heart sinks like a ship
Thrashing out at torment and pain
The maddened sea engulfs me
I let myself be swallowed up
The magnificent weight upon me
Deeper I go, deeper down
Didn't think it could get any blacker
The cold bites, the pressure builds
I think I no longer matter
Can't tell if my eyes are open or closed
The grieving waters swallow
The pain I'm in through my life of sin
The Devil will doubtless follow
When lovers die, friendships fade
When kin all lie forgotten
The gates of agony spew forth
Your memories, stinking and rotten
So deep now, I feel so numb
I'm ravaged by utter loss
The guilt, the grief, the astounding pain
My body, they all will wash
I hope I ne'er return to life
Oh, Christ, just let me go
Let death devour my simple soul
Lets my misery grow
The song Deeper Down by Gurf Morlix is a heart-wrenching ballad about the emotional pain and loneliness that comes from loss, death, and grief. The first verse sets the tone of the song by describing the journey through a bleak, lonely sea of grief filled with self-doubt and misery. The lyrics reveal the depth of the singer's pain and how it has left them feeling pitiful, wretched, and low.
The chorus heightens the sense of desperation and despair, painting a picture of a ship drowning in a stormy sea. The singer begs to be carried away by this storm, towards the end of their suffering, and they imagine a horizon of purples and reds, the still water of their welcome end. The second verse intensifies the imagery of a storm as the clouds of grey come overhead, searching and lashing the singer like a whip.
The song's final verse paints a picture of a person who has hit rock bottom, feeling numb and ravaged by utter loss. They hope that they never return to life and plead with Christ to let them go, allowing their misery to grow. The lyrics of this song touch on the darker side of human emotion, describing the pain and loneliness of grief that can be so overwhelming that death seems like a welcome release.
Line by Line Meaning
An unfortunate journey
This is a sad and regretful expedition that has begun
Through a bleak sea of loneliness
This journey takes place in an empty, desolate area
I carved through the waves of grief
I've been trying to navigate through emotional pain
In a black vastness of self-doubt
While I'm doing this, I feel consumed by uncertainty and negativity
I have never felt so alone
I am feeling absolutely isolated
So pitiful and wretched and low
I am in a state of despair and self-loathing
I'm tried by a terrible wind
I am being battered by a metaphorical storm
The misery and the pains blow
This storm is causing me immense emotional suffering
Fill my vast sails of ruin
I am accepting that my life is heading towards its destruction
Steer me towards the bleak end
I am asking for the journey to continue until the inevitable end
A horizon of purples and reds
I am seeing the end of my journey approaching
The still waters of my welcome end
I am at peace with the thought of death and the dissolution of my struggles
The clouds of grey come overhead
The inevitable end is now imminent
A storm will hunt me down
The storms of life will finally catch up to me
And rip the guts out of my body
The pains and torments of living will end me
Then I would surely drown
I will be consumed and defeated by my struggles
The unforgiving wind searches
The trails and tribulations of life won't let up easily
And lashes me like a whip
I am constantly being struck by the painful realities of existence
The self-pity overwhelms me
I feel consumed by self-pity and sadness
My heart sinks like a ship
My spirit is sinking with me
Thrashing out at torment and pain
I am trying to fight back against my unending sufferings
The maddened sea engulfs me
The torments of life are swallowing me whole
I let myself be swallowed up
I have given up on resisting the tides of life
The magnificent weight upon me
I am feeling the heavy burden of life's pains and losses
Deeper I go, deeper down
I am descending further into the depths of my hopelessness
Didn't think it could get any blacker
I thought I had already reached rock bottom, but it's even worse than I imagined
The cold bites, the pressure builds
I am being physically and psychologically tortured
I think I no longer matter
I have lost my sense of self-worth
Can't tell if my eyes are open or closed
I am so far gone that I can't even perceive reality anymore
The grieving waters swallow
My emotional pain has now become outright physical pain
The pain I'm in through my life of sin
I am experiencing agonizing pain because of the mistakes and misdeeds of my past
The Devil will doubtless follow
I feel like the consequences of my sins will haunt me even after my death
When lovers die, friendships fade
The various sources of joy in my life have all vanished
When kin all lie forgotten
Even the people who should always care for me have abandoned me
The gates of agony spew forth
I am awash with unending anguish
Your memories, stinking and rotten
My recollections of happier times are now themselves filled with pain and misery
So deep now, I feel so numb
I am so far gone that even my emotions have ceased to function
I'm ravaged by utter loss
I have been totally consumed by the torments of life
The guilt, the grief, the astounding pain
The various negative emotions in my life are all linked together
My body, they all will wash
I will finally escape these pains, but only by completely losing everything else
I hope I ne'er return to life
I hope the end of my sufferings is truly the end and I never have to live like this again
Oh, Christ, just let me go
I am asking for divine intervention to let me die and escape from life's pains
Let death devour my simple soul
I am so desperate for relief that I am accepting death without resistance
Lets my misery grow
The continuation of life will only lead to more anguish
Writer(s): Gurf Morlix
Contributed by John P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kim Dennis
on 50 Years
I went to school with and was a drummer in his first garage bands with Gurf. I recognized most of the people he mentioned and can attest to his overwhelming love of music and verse even in the very early days. I really know how he feels about the speed of time but he again puts it so eloquently in fifty years. In my mind i'm still sixteen playing behind a guy that I knew was a genius totally dedicated to his craft and a careful observer of the human experience. Maybe I' not a kid anymore but I thank him for the memories and his songs!