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My daddy was shy, he lived inside him
He turned as red as I've ever seen a man
And his skin was thick, and he was hard as a brick
And just couldn't talk to no one
And that must be where I get it from
My uncle worked in a plutonium mine
His job was to set up the dynamite
And he got too close to a charge underground
And all of his feelings went numb
And that must be where I get it from
Kiyay, yippee eiyo
My mama was ten feet tall
She wasn't afraid of nothing at all
And she said her prayers properly and all
She swore by her grave and her gun
And that must be where I get it from
Great-grandad went mad, he was totally tweaked
He wore the same suit every day of the week
And I asked how it feels to be such a freak
And he said, "You tell me, son"
And that must be where I get it from
Kiyay, yippee eiyo
Dad's little hands sad in his lap
Like a couple of crabs who got caught in a trap
And he shook my hand from so far away that
He looked like a spot on the sun
And I guess that's where I get it from
And I guess that's where I get it from
And I guess that's where I get it from
He turned as red as I've ever seen a man
And his skin was thick, and he was hard as a brick
And just couldn't talk to no one
And that must be where I get it from
My uncle worked in a plutonium mine
His job was to set up the dynamite
And he got too close to a charge underground
And all of his feelings went numb
And that must be where I get it from
Kiyay, yippee eiyo
My mama was ten feet tall
She wasn't afraid of nothing at all
And she said her prayers properly and all
She swore by her grave and her gun
And that must be where I get it from
Great-grandad went mad, he was totally tweaked
He wore the same suit every day of the week
And I asked how it feels to be such a freak
And he said, "You tell me, son"
And that must be where I get it from
Kiyay, yippee eiyo
Dad's little hands sad in his lap
Like a couple of crabs who got caught in a trap
And he shook my hand from so far away that
He looked like a spot on the sun
And I guess that's where I get it from
And I guess that's where I get it from
And I guess that's where I get it from
Lyrics submitted by kevifray
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and "She swore on a grave and a gun"
and "Dad's little hands sat in his lap"
Anyway, I see this a basic folky song with conjured family members to explain why the singer is the way he is. He's thick-skinned, can't talk to anyone (very well), generally numb, unafraid, mad, a freak, and distant, all due to his relatives. You can tell this is an older song of Elliott's, as the writing style is unlike anything he wrote in his professional career. Still a great song, fun to play, and any *new* Elliott Smith song is like a lost treasure.