Three Sheets to Kishkiyya · Track 72 · middle
Air One's Paunch
VOLUME III — being SICK, the small-hours reckoning at the porcelain. The idiom and the song's title hook: "Air One's Paunch". Its true history: US, Texas, 20th c. — plain-speak for emptying the belly; weary talking-blues. Render this beat of the night as the band's affectionate, funny, celebratory tribute — the idiom itself is the chorus hook.
Lyrics
[Intro] Well, the moon is hanging heavy over the bathtub rim And the hallway neon is getting pretty thin [Verse 1] Sisukiro's leaning on the bathroom tile Thinking about the glory of the last few miles She drank the ocean, now the tide rolls back Riding the midnight on a wobbly track It’s a lonesome feeling when the ceiling leans Just the oldest ritual in the washing machine [Chorus] Sometimes you gotta step out on the porch Or kneel in the dark without a torch Like a 20th-century Texas hand Giving back the whiskey to the dusty land When the belly gets full of a wild, wild launch You just gotta bow down and air one's paunch [Verse 2] Now the roughnecks down in Lubbock used to speak it flat When the Saturday rotgut knocked off their cap No fancy doctor words for losing your pride Just taking a heavy step out in the night Opening the valve to let the spirit breathe It’s a beautiful mechanism, making you heave [Chorus] Yeah, sometimes you gotta step out on the porch Or kneel in the dark without a torch Like a 20th-century Texas hand Giving back the whiskey to the dusty land When the belly gets full of a wild, wild launch You just gotta bow down and air one's paunch [Bridge] It ain't no tragedy, it ain't no sin Just the human body wrestling the wind A little sudden gravity, a little rough grace And a cold wet towel on a fevered shape [Outro] So let the night go out the way it came Ain't nobody here keeping score or taking aim Just airing it out until the morning light Guess the floorboards are a little too cold tonight anyway