secret grey city

everything in kartuli

fireball - guitars, harmonica, whistling
bd rogers - impromptu spoken word, recorded at the shakespeare kitchen

mixed by fireball in his lair

we staggered into the caravanserais in the middle of the night, down from the mountains up north, cold, not really sure where the borders were, needed to rest the animals

one of those backpacker backwaters for the commercially intrepid, everybody somehow ends up there, just because somebody ended up here sixty years ago

there wasn't much chance of catching that train, we sprinted down the valley trail for miles, we weren't even sure if the train still ran or what language they were yelling

when we set off to walk the great circle, we were not gonna bow to geography or topography like that goliath guy... we'd heard the stories, everybody had heard the stories... word got around, word got twisted, word got sung and sermonized... we had a few words to add, and we weren't kidding

things will brighten
when we turn west
head for zaqatala
on the A16 express
another marshrutka
another hot pot of caj
everything in kartuli
indecipherable wind blowing by

 

we'll chew the chitin
down to paste
flesh extracted from the shell
a world of different ways
streets of memory vendors
sheets indelibly stained
everything in kartuli
the smallest whispers silently retained

 

things will brighten
when we turn west
head for zaqatala
on the A16 express
another marshrutka
another hot pot of caj
everything in kartuli
indecipherable wind blowing by

nooses tighten
before they snap
gallows gilt to glitter
cover up the empty rap
hymns in heirograffiti
hum your favourite songs
everything in kartuli
time marching valiantly along

 

circles widen
as the ripples roll
ad infinitem
thermalized but whole
superposing the patterns
superstitions and souvenirs
everything in kartuli
strange gospels licking unsuspecting ears

back to secret grey city.