Riding a Wave

Down the road with a heavy load, an anchor on my heart.
Bad brains and tight chains, they tore my world apart.
I’ve been down and kicked around, and I’ve been up above,
I been seen with the Dark Queen, honey you’re the one I love.

Bad Brains is a punk band.

I like the way we trade heartbeats, honey,
like breathing into the fire, like riding a wave,
I like saying your name.

I came down with a cold heart the devil couldn’t tame.
I set course on a white horse—it didn’t come back that way.
I looked in to the dark wind, much darker than the night
When I got a hold of the untold, I shook it with all my might.

As a child I was really spooked by the legend that someone could be so frightened that a lock of hair would turn white. Here, the idea is in reverse.

I’m not crazy, but I ate those shotgun shells.
I chewed ‘em up, I spit ‘em out,
I broke the spell—it came crashing, and I was was perfect and new.

There was a Looney Tunes character whose teeth often shattered like glass from various violent but funny cartoon happenings. My memory is that it was Daffy Duck, but then again, why would a duck have teeth?

I like the way we trade heartbeats, honey,
like breathing into the fire, like riding a wave,
I like saying your name.

My coat pocket: a silver locket, a picture of you face.
My one possession, my one obsession—a dream of your embrace.
Chasing after the sound of laughter, I broke off from the pack.
I laid the bets, I got no regrets and I’m never going back.

No one’s gonna find us,
no one’s gonna know about where we’ve been.

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