A Ghostly Story

from Artistic Vice (1991) by Daniel Johnston

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lyrics

While walking the streets late one night I saw a ghost approaching me He told me about the life he lived and how he died a sorry death

I recognized him as a most famous man I had seen so much on television
A man who stood for what is true and right
He built the world's momentum

He said...He told me... of that fateful day when his
Life was taken from him
How everything was in slow motion and he could see the bullet coming and he knew
He was going to die

But before he did he quickly prayed and asked if he could stay
And now he's trapped in another dimension seeking vengeance on those that killed him
And the number was 60 million

He convinced me that they should die for what they had done to him
And that he could not rest ... unless ... and until ... I would appease him

Was a righteous man

He told me of the villain who planned his execution
How he had exploited him and ruined his reputation

I knew that I must and that it was just
I had to destroy a nation

He lead me to a secret place where was a giant plane
And upon it a giant bomb the size of of football field

He read to me for hours a list of all the people I would kill

He instructed me and briefed me on the mechanics

The first thing I knew it was Christmas day
I flew over the country, that was my prey
We laughed and joked about how soon it would all be blown away
I pressed a button and all of a sudden I was a ghost too

We were surrounded by angels and we looked down the portals to see what we had wrought

"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!"

"Vengeance is mine!", saith the LORD

credits

from Artistic Vice (1991), released July 1, 1991

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about

Daniel Johnston Waller, Texas

An American singer, songwriter, musician, and artist, Daniel Johnston spent 30 or so years exposing his heartrending tales of unrequited love, cosmic mishaps, and existential torment to an ever-growing international cult audience.

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