My Uncle’s Navy Songtext
von Neko Case

There′s memories I'd pay to remove
I′d cut them out myself
If that were possible
The kind you cry yourself blind about
The kind that choke you out
Choke you out

I had an uncle who was not by blood
He loved to scare all the little girls away
And if you're tender-hearted
You should stop the tape
Stop the tape

He pulled the heads off of garter snakes
I cried so helpless for those
Silent creatures
Twisting away from
The horror


In the tarpit sea
Memories wear thick coats
The kind that pull you down
But in refusing to drown
You're choked into the shape of
A sailor
A sailor

Deputized by the cruel god of children
No running water in his soul.
Just a hole
That echoed when he′d call your name
From down the hall

His name was a command
That cuts the ears off fighting dogs
And wipes the knife
On his militia pants

Mercurochrome and merthiolate stains, oh
Mercurochrome and merthiolate stans, oh

And he′s braggin' all the while
"If i say that black is blue, it′s blue.
Black is blue, if i say it is."


I never wondered what made him that way
Bullies are not born
They are pressed into a form
And I hated those who gave him access
To our days
The ones who did nothin'
I still can′t love them

Mercurochrome and merthiolate stains, oh
Mercurochrome and merthiolate stans, oh

In the tarpit sea
Memories wear thick coats
The kind that pull you down
But in refusing to drown
You're choked into the shape of
A sailor
A sailor
A sailor

Mercurochrome and merthiolate stains, oh
Mercurochrome and merthiolate stans, oh
Mercurochrome and merthiolate stains, oh
Mercurochrome and merthiolate stans, oh
Mercurochrome and merthiolate stains, oh
Mercurochrome and merthiolate stans, oh
Mercurochrome and merthiolate stains, oh
Mercurochrome