[Section 1] All the ladies and the gentlemen The life force Who line up nose to nose just like The hungry rows of eskimoes And those of us with ravaged faces Rarely laughed and took our places Looked ourselves square in the mirror Cowards caught in frozen fear Of delicate and difficult The sugar mixing with the salt We know it’s neither truth or fact We know it’s not exactly that [Section 2] It’s over soon It will be over soon Just like the buffalo We killed the buffalo It’s only then, when near to death We learn to love our lives again Like when we were but little children Running wild among the fields of grass [Section 3] Did you ever wonder Why on earth we’re put here for? Always bent around whose finger? One among the sad and lonely With no dimension All that ever came between Once were always never asking Open half a mind to question And the wolves are circling ‘Round the huddled shivering And the holy human race That only knows what’s on our faces When we’re tired of pretending And at last our fences mending And a love that’s never ending Lay it down, a dead man’s burden And all in cold despair Skyscrapers scrape the air In the lonely homes we make [Section 4] The cold war is over Yeah, the cold war is done The cold war is over But the wounds, they linger on [Section 5] When I was just a kid I wandered off and hid In the quiet corners of my own A solitary thief Who borrowed words to make me believe And then the skies, they opened wide On the broken-hearted trying to survive But the world keeps spinning, it’s the wheel of life We’re out of sync, we’re out of time We’re out of touch, we’re out of time We’re out of sync, we’re out of time [Section 6] As we lay within each other In the backwoods And those with matching memories Are scribbling cryptic chronicles Overlapped with fine distractions Never stopping once to catch our Breaths, collective, never now Regret or yearning, broken down We are but bubbles on the surface Destined but to disappear Some taken from us all too soon We know that life is never fair [Section 7] We’ll all be gone Yes, we will all be gone Just like the buffalo We killed the buffalo While high above the dark blue vault Where freedom says it’s no one’s fault The time has come, I’m fairly certain Lay it down, a dead man’s burden [Section 8] Now I’ve started Down a path that is uncharted And it seems That I’ll never be the same Now I’ve started Down a path that is uncharted And it seems That I’ll never be the same [Guitar Solo]
Read the complete lyrics to "Dead Man’s Burden" by Gary Louris from the album "Jump for Joy" in 2021. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Rock, Americana.
"Dead Man’s Burden" is performed by Gary Louris. from the album "Jump for Joy" in 2021 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL.
Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data.
If you enjoy "Dead Man’s Burden", explore more songs by Gary Louris using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.
"Dead Man’s Burden" is credited to Gary Louris. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.
"Dead Man’s Burden" appears on "Jump for Joy" in 2021.
Visit the Gary Louris artist page at /artist/gary-louris for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.
