5 Mar 2012

The Swear: ‘Ghost Signs’

My web crawlers sometimes throw up completely unexpected references to ghostsigns, this one being a song by gothic rockers, The Swear.  I contacted singer/songwriter Elizabeth Elkins to ask if there was any connection to Ghostsigns of the painted form and sure enough there was…

“Ghost Signs takes the idea of physical ghost signs and turns it in to the idea that you can see a ‘ghost sign’ of former love/passion a girlfriend or boyfriend. As the love dies, the ghost signs still hang around. So the song is mostly about that.

She also kindly sent me the lyrics:

Verse 1
Beside the black tire tracks
all the gothic wrecks
you’ve hidden well so far
lies he says
lies you say
this time I’m walking with you
Chorus

Left by the side of the old mill road

choke another down if you want to go
listen for the steps until they slow
feels like flying
out here the stars are broken glass
they shine in your eyes and I lose the rest
listen for your breath until the last

feels like dying

Verse 2
In the garden by the stair
Ledford Street in smoky air
you’ve tricked me well so far
leave me now
leaves fly down
this night won’t end well for you
Bridge 
We call the time
you say these ghost signs
are in your head and screaming loud
you can’t pretend it’s over

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