More childhood guilt

Another piece I have used in my teaching for similar purposes to (separately or in conjunction with) the Ivor Cutler anecdote I posted last Friday is this song by Michelle Shocked, from her superb debut album Short Sharp Shocked. It's a recollection of her childhood in a small East Texas town, playing with matches, earning the censure of her local Volunteer Fire Department (VFD). Quite brilliant.

VFD

Me and my friend and this boy named Eddie,
We was bored one afternoon.
We was sitting in the hay,
'Twas a hot Texas day,
And we was playing with matches, like some kids do.

We would throw our matches in the high, dry grass;
Close our eyes and count to 10;
And then race the burnin' field,
We'd do the toe, we'd do the heel;
We'd die laughin';
We'd do it all over again.

I’m singing, "Where's there's smoke, there's sure to be a fire.
Ready, steady, go! It was down to the wire.
We was racing Inevitability.
We was makin' trouble for the V.F.D."
[That's the Volunteer Fire Department, now]

Oh, I'm sure that you know how this story goes.
Our little fire ran out of control.
Somebody called for the V.F.D.
It was not me.
It weren't me, Jack!

Ah, they drive from 15 miles away,
So when they arrive, I'm sorry to say
That the field was black
And the sky was grey...
...And you know those barns they store hay in?
The volunteers all shook their heads,
And then I recall one of them said,
"This fire was no accident.
No, this fire started with a match."

I slowly backed into the crowd.
Me and Eddie, we looked at each other:
We never mention it to this day;
But my friend, she went and told her mother!
Ah, Jesus, can you believe that?

She said, "Where there's smoke, there's sure to be a fire.
Ready, steady, go! It was down to the wire.
We was racing Inevitability, Ma.
We was making trouble for the V.F.D., Ma.
We was raising insurance premiums, Ma.
We was spreading fear of arson,
We was spreading fear of arson - all around Kelsey."