Story Behind The Song

The story of rehab is common to me and a number of my friends. I saw hawk shit one winter and found it odd. It was the start of this song, written on the dulcimer.

Song Description

This song lays out the story of two men who love each other and who are also dealing with addiction issues. The narrator sings about walking outside and seeing hawk shit in the winter which is not a common sight in the north because many birds fly south. He sees this as an alarming omen. He himself is in rehab for addiction to drinking which he admits in the song. the man he loves does heroin. The narrator is a man from rural America with a background of poverty.

Lyrics

There were forty-eight states when I was born
Three world wars and I never went berserk
I sewed up my own pulse driving town to town
I told everybody please shut up please
I trap squirrels and I fry them up to eat
With my oma's hammer I smack them down
Hawk shit out back all over the firewood
Hawk shit in December that can't be good
I'm learning how to walk, I'm learning how to crawl
I miss a lot of things but I miss you most of all

I reread your poem on page seventeen
About scoring dope from the Moscow boys
Moscow junkies man they should know
I ain't never been no numb nut junkie
Quitting liquor was tough enough
Only man I loved lived long ago
I seen you last night in a dream I had
Shiny and bright as a magazine ad
I'm learning how to walk, I'm learning how to crawl
I miss a lot of things but I miss you most of all