Drive-By Truckers - Baggage lyrics

I was listening to the radio when
They said that you were gone
Already feeling more than just a little down
Mood swings run rampant on both
Sides of my family
Like an albatross I carry around
I never ever met you but it
Shook me all the same
Life was better for the happiness you brought
For the joyride that you took us on
And rocky roads we landed on
Whiplashed by the demons that you fought

Fighting with the baggage that is
Pulling down on me
Like an undertow pulls into the sea
It lights our daily struggle till
It’s hard to separate
You from all the darkness in me
Some asswipe on TV said that
You should be ashamed


For your cowardice in facing down your flaws
I’m not sure what makes me sadder
All that talent up in flames
Or the lack of understanding that it wrought

Tossing off the baggage that is
Pulling down on me
Toss it in the river and be free
Move so close together, only inches separate
You from all the darkness in me

I’m not seeking explanations for this
Thing that you did a thin line separates the
Laughter from despair
I’ve had my own depression since
I was just a kid
But been blessed with the means to repair
There’s this baggage that we carry
And some sweetness locked within
Just be careful where you
Implement the straps
All this weight can be salvation when
The air is much too thin
But it can pull you down too
Far to climb back out

Tossing off the baggage that is
Pulling down on me
Toss it in the river and be free
Move so close together, only inches separate
You from all the darkness in me
Tossing off the baggage
Too much weight too much drag-gage
All this freight can put you
Six feet in the ground
Nothing left to do but try
To keep it all together
Better off without the baggage that
I carry around, carry around, carry around