For our first installment of The Poetry of Rock n' Roll, I want to share a very underrated artist. Singer-songwriter Kristin Hersh has always been very upfront about her bouts with mental illness and this incredibly visceral poem-song is clearly a record of struggling through a traumatic episode. "The Letter" is from her 1994 debut solo release "Hips and Makers." I don't embed videos of songs for this series because I want the focus to be on the words. But do yourself a favor with this one: go find the music for this and listen to how Hersh musically manifests this event...the remarkable tension and anxiety living within the rhythm and the cyclical guitar leave you breathless. It's extraordinary.
The Letter
by Kristin Hersh
September 29, 1984
Dear so and so
Gather me up because I'm lost
Or I'm back where I started from
I'm crawling on the floor rolling on the ground
I might cry
I won't go home
So here's the story
I am turning up in circles
And I'm spinning on my knuckles
Don't forget that there are circles left undone very close to me
Forgive me comfort me
I'm crawling on the floor rolling on the ground
There's a blanket wrapped around my head
I'm moving in a line that's shaped like this
I'm holding in my breath
I have a room
Can you tell if I am lying
Don't forget that I'm living inside the space where walls and floor meet
A box inside my chest
An animal stuffed with my frustration
Can you hear me?
Don't forget that I'm alone when you're away
You make me act like other people do forgive me
Comfort me
You comfort me
You make me die
I'm gonna cry
I'm gonna cry
I won't go home
Don't kill the god of sadness
Just don't let her get you down
See the man inside a book I read can't handle his own head
So what the hell am I supposed to do?
I'd like to know how he died
My hands are shaking don't you love me anymore
I only need a person keep my shoulders
Stand around lie down move your hand above the floor
Gather me up because I'm lost
Or I'm back where I started from
Crawling on the floor rolling on the ground
I'm gonna cry you look for me
Love Kristin
P.S. keep them coming
https://www.kristinhersh.com/
Don't kill the god of sadness
Just don't let her get you down
See the man inside a book I read can't handle his own head
So what the hell am I supposed to do?
I'd like to know how he died
My hands are shaking don't you love me anymore
I only need a person keep my shoulders
Stand around lie down move your hand above the floor
Gather me up because I'm lost
Or I'm back where I started from
Crawling on the floor rolling on the ground
I'm gonna cry you look for me
Love Kristin
P.S. keep them coming
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