Lacey Guthrie

Language & Violence

Oh language and violence
What violence has my voice caused?

I set into motion
Emotion
I cannot stop

Holy glossolalia
Glossy like magnolia, say:
“I”

I set into motion what violence emotions cause
“And unto us appear cloven tongues as like a fire”

Speak in ouroboros tongues
Blooming like a dahlia, say:
“I”

Holy glossolalia
Glossy like magnolia, say:
“I”

Here She Comes

I wanna be pure
I wanna feel love
To dig my hands
Into the dirt
To bury my dowry
To drown the workhorse
I wanna be pure

Cry no more, the rider’s gonna come for us
On a black horse, a flower in her teeth for luck
Carrying a sword dripping with the devil’s blood
Cry no more, the rider’s gonna come for us

Here she comes
Here she comes

She’s singing to you
River, my blood
With your radical mouth
You bring the flood
You bury my dowry
You drown the workhorse
Here
She
Comes

Cry no more, the rider’s gonna come for us
On a black horse, a flower in her teeth for luck
Carrying a sword dripping with the devil’s blood
Cry no more, the rider’s gonna come for us

Here she comes
Here she comes

Cry no more
Cry no more, no more
Cry no more
Cry no more, no more

Here she comes

Yours

No more thunder in this house
You can get out

I hold myself like a baby now
Salvation in my mouth

Leave a light on under your skin
When I’m gone

True love takes imagination
Empathy, intention

Oh, what do you say, Grace?
Are you of the world?
Do not deny us
All that breathes is yours

Do not grieve me when I leave my body
Sealed to the Earth for redemption
Ad Undas
In Heaven

Oh, what do you say, Grace?
Are you of the world?
Do not deny us
All that breathes is yours

Ode To The Color Green

What the light eats
What the body owes
I threw out all my rope trying to touch you

Caught a corn snake
At your burial
A sheep in wolves’ clothes, it looked just like you

Ooh, I loved you
I know I loved you
I feel my blood run
Cold without you

Screaming sun child
Eucalyptus leaves
Skin is gold leaf, I remember you

What the light eats
What the body owes
I threw out all my rope trying to reach you

Ooh, I loved you
I know I loved you
I feel my blood run
Cold without you

American Love Song

Mounted lifecycle callback:
Sing to me, baby
It’s like the sun is coming out

You are the sun in a clever disguise
Three gods in a trench coat
Alright

Sink your teeth in
Into my heart

Cowboy Americana
Prison mess hall
American love song

Fight with all your heart until you die
Then keep going
Alright

Sink your teeth in
Into my heart
I will love you
It will tear me apart
But I will love you

War Wounds

When you were a child
Nested in your throat
A tiny atom bomb
When you were a child

When you were still young
Dormant in your lungs
A booming caterwaul
When you were still young

War wounds grow

When you were in love
A vessel for the flood
A secret garden
When you were in love

War wounds watering a seed

Stick out your tongue
Give us a song
A gilded crown
Stick out your tongue

War wounds watering a seed in you
Cradling your grief

You Fear The Devil

In a second line for you
Filled with clouds
Watching your ghost
In the sunshine

Covered in roses
Dressed in sequins
Voices from the horizon
They say:

You fear the devil
Fear the devil
Fear the devil
Don’t you?
La da da

I carry a child
She is a satellite
She fell out of my mouth
And watered my eyes

In a memory of you
In your kitchen
Voices from inside us
They say:

You fear the devil
Fear the devil
Fear the devil
Don’t you?

You fear the devil
Fear the devil
Fear the devil
Don’t you?
La da da

Gloria

I come from water
You come from water, too
I wanna touch you
I want to climb inside you
Gloria

I feel like I have
Become a lightning rod
When I am near you
I can feel the sky open up, oh
Gloria
Gloria
Hallelujah

We come from water
I am a lightning rod
In the water
I want to crawl into the water, oh
Gloria
Gloria
Hallelujah

For The Birds

Bury your head in the sand, bird
Water will rise, forests will burn
We can’t do shit for you now, bird
It’s out of our hands
Now we worship
Now we worship our eye sore

We nail you to walls in museums, bird
Handcuffed you to our comfort, it’s art
The art of commerce

Lay his body on the altar for
For the wild boars
For the Earth
Cut out his heart so we may be made clean in her eyes
This is healing work
Make it hurt
It’s for the birds

All is forgiven in death, dove
As below, so above
Heaven is filled with our dead, dove
Powerful men made a place for us and only us
Your kingdom
Ain’t enough
Your kingdom
Ain’t enough

Lay his body on the altar for
For the wild boars
For the Earth
Cut out his heart so we may be made clean in her eyes
This is healing work
Make it hurt
It’s for the birds
(Your kingdom ain’t enough)
It’s for the birds
(Your kingdom ain’t enough)
It’s for the birds
(Your kingdom ain’t enough)

To The Mole That Killed The King

The distance between my skin and Alice The space between my lips and her lips

My body’s desire to be the lake that it’s laying beside My body was designed to drink the water from your eyes

The distance between my skin and Alice

We watched a golden corkscrew pop the top off And send a snake curling out of my head I learned to love peeling onions To wring the water from my eyes

The distance between my skin and Alice

I had a conversation with a bag of your hair My rose of Sharon burning in the dry air

My body’s desire to be the lake that it’s laying beside My body was designed to drink the water from your eyes

There’s no propaganda in Heaven And no more grieving You dug a tunnel to your freedom From the water from my eyes, a river weeping

But I’ll drink to you To the mole that killed the king All god’s money can’t repay you To the mole that killed the king

Oh, I’ll drink to you To the mole that killed the king All god’s money can’t repay you To the mole that killed the king

Midnight Brass Orchestra

Gertrude Stein Machine
Capture the flag, I see
A gathering of midnight brass angels
Dim light on their brass wings, soaring

Oh, my love
Let it open you up
Thunder crashing
Horns singing

Smoke follows you

Cairo, with a horn to your mouth
Ooh, a crow in the sunshine
A gathering midnight brass orchestra
Dim light on their instruments, glowing

Oh, my love
Let it open you up
Thunder crashing
Horns singing

Smoke follows you

High Horse

You transmit outside the scripture
And I watch you rattling the cage
I reach for us
God and Adam hands

You would write an ode to nothing
Turn a bearded dragon’s belly white
Ooh, I’m trying
God and Adam hands

I heed your last words, long live your high horse

Silver tongue reflects the sunlight
Break the rope between your body and mine
I reach for us
God and Adam hands

I heed your last words, long live your high horse

Oh our mother tongue is leaving
I got here too late to tie her down
I reach for us
God and Adam hands

I heed your last words, long live your high horse

The King of Holding Onto Things

There is no bridge from the thief to me
My skin kept nothing
And I’m the king of holding onto things
What the light eats
Oh yes

A tidal bore where the river meets the sea
Oh, it’s you, ooh and me
You’re throwing rocks at an island
With the sun on your face
Oh yes

Do not look up, nothing is there
Our gods come from the ground
I feel like I am dreaming every day now
Look down

That broken glass is no match for kindness
What the body owes
Oh yes
Shadow grows and shows us everything
Oh it’s you, ooh and me

Lion Pose

Heat
Coming off the sand
I run through a fire

Scared
Of swallowing a seed
Or watermelon rind

Growing til the
Fruit starts ripping
Through my guts and
Kills me

I’m Studying my face
Eyes, mouth, brow, and
Tongue

Jaw
Wide as it can go
Stretch my tongue out
Long

I wanted to
Be an archer
I was built to
Fight

Growing til the
Fruit starts ripping
Through my guts and
Kills me

I wanted to
Be an archer
I want you to
See me

Girl
With a ribbon around her neck
Keeping her head on

Fear
Taught me how to sing
Fear gave me my song

I wanted to
Be an archer
I was built to
Fight

Rote Fabrik

(Do you see the fire?)

Rote Fabrik would be amazing
If you’d leave
Kept me trapped under a pint glass, now there is
Nothing to do but grieve

What’s it like to disappear, babe?
You are a cloud
We were a coursing river, with
Nowhere to go but down

Falling on a sword forged by a thief
Sacrement opened my eyes, now I can see

Do you see the fire?
Did you start the fire?

So eyes can open, so water
Can sing
We started screaming early, it was the
Brightest thing I’ve ever seen

Falling on a sword forged by a thief
Sacrement opened my eyes, now I can see

Do you see the fire?
Did you start the fire?

The Torch

I remember when blood was in my skin
Veins in my hands like worms

I will stay with you, snakes are gonna come
Cause your poor heart to burst

Granddaughter
(Hide you in me, I’ll hide you in me)

Told you a story about my brother
When he was off at war

He’d write every week then letters stopped coming
Caused my poor heart to burst

Children know
Granddaughter
(Hide you in me, I’ll hide you in me)

We make the rain fall, it is not our fault
Everyone makes mistakes

A snake fell from the roof, when he broke its neck
I felt my heart break

Children know
Granddaughter
(Hide you in me, I’ll hide you in me)

Peace Cheeks

Knocking in my teeth
Wondering what broke
Your sledgehammer

The question was enough
To take you from my bed
In sighing season

I’m not afraid of much
But gnashing in my face
In Zurich, shouting:

“Mother, please rest, sleep easy
Ooh, your children are dreaming
I have a lover whose power’s in his kindness
His sweet words, and his peace cheeks”

Take me to the sea
Lay me down in her
Swollen stomach

Salty as your skin
Soaking wet and warm
In sighing season

War arena, our
Red wine antidote
In Zurich, shouting:

“Mother, please rest, sleep easy
Ooh, your children are dreaming
I have a lover whose power’s in his kindness
His sweet words, and his peace cheeks”

“Mother, let me clear the table
He’s not a family man
You have a lover who misread your power
Your sweet words, and your peace cheeks”

Yugen

I feel like we’re asleep with the light on
Don’t you?

Concept shards etching my dreams with thoughts
Of you

I used to see God’s fingers in the trees
Did you?

I throw myself out of my eyes now
Do you?

I feel like we’re asleep with the light on
Don’t you?

I used to see God’s fingers in the trees
Did you?