Port Royal


When I was 12 I had a mind to give up fishin’
then I tried it one more time
Ever since that day
I always get somethin’ on my line
Sometimes it’s a black drum
Sometimes it’s a trout
Sometimes I clean ‘em up and grill ‘em
Sometimes I throw ‘em back out

Now the days ain’t always plenty
One day, just a few bites
Next day, all-day reelin’
so it turn out alright
I row out on my rickety boat
With my rod and my oar
I steer clear of the jet skis and the speed boats
They kinda trouble the water

Port Royal, I’m comin’ thru
Got my momma tackle box
and some Piedmont blues
Every year I reserves a room

Momma was a quiet woman
Daddy was a quiet man
Momma say the world weren’t built for quiet people
but get along the best you can
One day, Daddy picked up his guitar case
Kinda left us alone
I hear tell a police put him in silence
before the day of camera phones

Last night, I had a dream
We was all together one more time
They picked me up and hugged me close
Lord, I felt so fine
We packed and went for Port Royal
Just like we did back then
When we pulled up there was nothin’ there
and I woke up away from them

Port Royal, I’m comin’ through
I can just hear the water lappin’
I can smell the dew
Oh, have you ever
seen a sky so blue?

I work in meat delivery
They cuts and stacks ‘em in my truck
I drives all over the cities and all over the counties
To where your meat gets cooked
Well, it’s me and three other drivers
Hank and Remy, that’s a poison pair
Ronnie, he can be alright
when the other two ain’t there

They laugh at my soft voice
They laugh at my music and my weight
If I just sit and don’t do nothin’
they’d still laugh anyway
I know they got somthin’ be achin’ at ‘em
Somethin’ deep down inside
One time they got to laughin’ so bad
I sits down in my truck and cry

Port Royal, I’m comin’ through
For some golden sunsets
and solitude
and the wind
whisper a peaceful tune

Well, dark was the night and pretty cold for summer
I was gettin close, but gettin tired
I pulled into Nazareth Motel
They give me keys on a twisted wire
The sky start to open up
I’m splashin’ over to room one-ten
Near the door’s a lady talking ‘bout a good time
I say “You’d better come on in”

[Song form and tempo changes. Similar enough to Little Liza Jane]

[A] She weren’t no Madonna, but a little bit whore (And her name was Peaches)
Had a little jones and she need a little more (And her name was Peaches)
Lightning stuck and the thunder behind (And her name was Peaches)
Said, “Mister, how you wanna spend the time?”

[B]And her name was
and her name was
and her name was Peaches
And her name was
and her name was
and her name was Peaches

[A] She put her shirt back on and I picked up mine (And her name was Peaches)
She found a half-cigarette by the window blinds (And her name was Peaches)
TV talkin’ up a tropical storm (And her name was Peaches)
She stuck the money in her bra and head for the door

I said, “Stay with me. I’m paradise bound.
“You’ll feel much better when you look around.
“We could take long walks all along the shore.”
She said, “Funny how you think my story’s yours”

[B]And her name was
and her name was
and her name was Peaches
And her name was
and her name was
and her name was Peaches

[C] “Well just stick with me ’til the storm is gone
“Maybe share a warm bed til the night moves on.”
She said “Mister, I never been the warmin kind
“And I ain’t afraid of no storm when it’s stormin’ time
“I can climb back in and lay just fine.
“Then you’ll fall asleep and I’ll rob you blind.”

[B]And her name was
and her name was
and her name was Peaches
And her name was
and her name was
and her name was Peaches

She said “I might be a wolf, but I’ve been the sheep. (And her name was Peaches)
“Look at how they play us cheap. (And her name was Peaches)
“Don’t like the life, you don’t gotta live it. (And her name was Peaches)
“Plenty people out there take what they’re given” (And her name was Peaches)

I said “I hear you talking, but I see them marks. (And her name was Peaches)
“My daddy had the same kinda look to his arms. (And her name was Peaches)
“Let me help. Let me show I care.” (And her name was Peaches)
She laughed like Remy as the smoke filled the air. (And her name was Peaches)

[B]And her name was
and her name was
and her name was Peaches
And her name was
and her name was
and her name was Peaches

[Tempo slows again. Main song form returns.]

I look and it’s 4am
Nobody layin’ on her side
Out the window the rain is gone
but the ground sure ain’t dry
I can’t find my watch
I guess I knew the deal
All my cash is gone
‘cept a twenty-dollar bill

Port Royal, I’m comin through
Might as well head out
and rest in you
as the sky
turns a purple-blue

Now the road is getting windy
Shoulda grabbed a coffee at the place
My eyes is a little heavy
All the sudden I mash on my brakes
There’s a pool in the middle of the road
Three deer lappin a drink
Two of ‘em dance away
I hear a thump and a plink

My heart is poundin’ hard
He can’t stand up straight,
hollerin’ low and strange
and lookin me dead in my face
Soon the flashing lights pull up
He say, “Sir, you alright?”
Then he walk up to the thing
Put one right between the eyes

An’ I’m cryin’
An’ I’m cryin’
An’ I’m cryin’
An’ I’m cryin'

I pull out another Small Mouth
Mama casts her line
Breeze is just enough to cool ya
The day is much too fine
Mama was just a-hummin
and grinnin from ear to ear
“Mama, I don’t know how you made it down,
but I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Well, my heart’s so heavy
me and the world bout weight the same.”
She said, “Baby, just wake up in the morning
and stretch it out to the end of the day.”
Then she said, “See that old island.
“I wonder can you get us ashore.”
I look over and seen a pony
of which I’ve spoken before.

The closer we got
The louder she hummed with glee
She say the place is so beautiful
she might not ever leave.
She spring out the boat
and jump on the pony’s back
and race down a ways
Shoutin’ “Now you just keep up with that.”

PRIVATE ISLAND. NO TRESPASSING
it say on a big ole sign.
but the other side is blank
so we stay on that other side
She rides to some wild white flowers
and hands one over to me
And she lookin so free
like I always prayed she’d be

Port Royal, hear the trees
Magnolias and pines
Singing whispers to me
The ocean’s calm
and the sky is pleased

Fit the last one in the cooler
A little too much to freeze
Maybe Ronnie’ll take some
Maybe the neighbors down the street
I gets in the truck
kinda hope it don’t start
I close my eyes and feel the island
callin me back to its heart

The engine growls and I’m ridin
The dock is shrinkin’ in my mirror
The wind blows from blue to grey
Trees start whippin in a terror
Ducks is flappin in a hurry
Now rain, then the hail
I pull over and run to a store
with a sign says CANVAS SALE

I stare out the window with the cashier
Nevermind her name
Her lip ring drops as her eyes get wide and says
“Man, that’s a shitload of rain.”
It’s flowin past us like a river
and running down into the sea
We watch the dock disappear
til the land can’t even be seen.

Our shoes start to splashin
Brushes and things start floatin by
Can’t stay where we at
So we give the ole boat a try
Save a bunch of folk all day
Some bought houses on the shore
People now thankin and cryin and huggin on her
who hadn’t said not word 1 before

Here we are in the paper
Here we are on the news
Here we are in the candlelight
listenin to Piedmont blues
Yeah, the dolphins get jumpin early,
mostly gray with the underbelly white
The sun rises through the island
I tries to get it just right

She paints golden landscapes
She give me lessons for free
Now do the world need all these paintings? I don’t know,
but somethin needs me

Port Royal, rest my head
in a little apartment
on a happy bed
We’ll be here
when it storms again.