Gillian Welch - April The 14th (Part 1)

From the CD Time (The Revelator)

When the iceberg hit
Oh, they must have known
God moves on the water
Like Casey Jones
So I walked downtown
On my telephone
And took a lazy turn
Through the redeye zone
It was a five-band bill
A two-dollar show
I saw the van out in front
From Idaho
And the girl passed out
In the backseat trash
There was no way they'd make
Even a half a tank of gas
They looked sick and stoned
And strangely dressed
No one showed
From the local press
But I watched 'em walk
Through the bottom land
And I wished I played
In a rock 'n' roll band
Hey, hey
It was the fourteenth day of April
Well they closed it down
With the sails in rags
And the swept up the fags
And the local rags
Threw the plastic cups
In the plastic bags
And the cooks cleaned the kitchen
With the staggers and the jags
Ruination day
And the sky was red
I went back to work
And back to bed
And the iceberg broke
And the Okies fled
And the Great Emancipator
Took a bullet in the back of the head...

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Gillian Welch
• April The 14th (Part 1)
• Time (The Revelator)
• poverty
• 1965
• Great Emancipator
• bullet in the back of head

[chemotion]

where is this footage from?

[terr0rkitten]

Just some footage I borrowed from a film archive - I think it is about the depression - not sure to be honest.

[OB0MBER]

My favorite video ever. Best video to music since Magnolia. This leads my playlist with Caleb Meyer up next. That range between the 2 songs is just jaw-dropping.

[Ososchoice]

I return to this song with the images regularly entranced.

[Samefication]

ok, anyone know what else these lyrics refer to? I can see the Titanic, the Dust Bowl, Lincoln getting shot, Oklahama bombing ... anyone know the rest?

[fannyfu]

Actually think it's Black Sunday, April 14, 1935...dust bowl...and the okies fled...Time The Revelator is perfection as is Gillian and Dave...

[chimneyahoy10]

Great video.  Well done.

[Nonimportante]

I think that may be on of my favorite phrases ever. "The great emancipator took a bullet..."

[chempanillo]

Hi terrorkitten, it's me again, from spain. April the 14th is for us the Republic Day (1931), that old and dreamer Republic strangled by the army, the church and the oligarchs during our Civil War (1936 - 1939). The great emancipator took a bullet...