Elliott from Coney Island by Fred Gillen Jr

The heartbreak flickered from his fingertips
floated in the air above his head
it wasn’t such a surprise when I heard that he was dead
his halo the glow of a neon sign

sometimes a light shines so bright it burns out
and sometimes there’s a warm afterglow
sometimes you wonder how you got so low
after flying so high
goodbye Elliott goodbye

your whole life was a cry for help
a gentle voice in the wilderness
lost, alone, and unanswered
a futile challenge to a silence so deep
your beautiful voice never gave you any echo

sometimes a light shines so bright it burns out
and sometimes there’s a warm afterglow
sometimes you wonder how you got so low
after flying so high
goodbye Elliott goodbye

nothing shines like a tiny needle
when it’s finally found in that great, unending hay
but for every little sparkle seen by searching eyes
there are a thousand that shine on eyes that are blind
goodbye Elliott goodbye

his fingers flickered across the strings of that guitar
just as fluid as the cooking works
but he couldn’t see what those works could mean
in between the feelings and the fire

sometimes a light shines so bright it burns out
and sometimes there’s a warm afterglow
sometimes you wonder how you got so low
after flying so high
goodbye Elliott goodbye

• Elliott Smith
• Rock
• americana
• folk
• social commentary
• Athens