Electric

lyrics

once we stood in summer under Arizona skies
halfway to the border/i kept a weather eye
she said once i saw a butterfly/glowing velvet rust
but when i took it in my hand/it crumbled into dust
while we walked i hadn’t noticed but we’d come upon the tracks
she came from down in Mexico and that freight train brought her back
tell me it’s not so
summer blooms don’t disappear beneath the winter snow
if we can feel electric once you know
it’ll be there when we touch again
that voltage never goes
then i was in Morocco on a cloudy Atlas night
the fire was spitting sparks/we traded tenderness for sight
she raised her head then i could hear that far-off whistle blow
she looked at me/already i could feel the undertow
said i don’t want to see you fading in another railroad car
someone told me once you can’t catch lightning in a jar
tell me it’s not so
summer blooms don’t disappear beneath the winter snow
if we can feel electric once you know
it’ll be there when we touch again
that voltage never goes
so i’m westbound on the coastal line
steaming towards the waves
will i be swept away again/will no one come to save me
i have been a whispered prayer/rolling down the years
and i have seen them turn away/laughter in my ears
why is my love wasted on so many rolling stones?
they have gathered nothing/and i am left alone
tell me it’s not so
summer blooms don’t disappear beneath the winter snow
if we can feel electric once you know
it’ll be there when we touch again
that voltage never goes
it’s been there all my life
it arcs through everything
i know

story

Electric is a song about waiting for someone to arrive, knowing that they’re already pulling away. The track features droning, drop-tuned acoustic guitar and keening, intertwined violin lines, creating a cinematic effect entirely in keeping with the singer’s evocations of iconic locations and deep, dark nights.