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Whitey Bulger will live on in infamy, long after he leaves this mortal coil. Countless books and op-ed columns detail his supposed exploits as the murderous head of South Boston's Irish mob, known as the Winter Hill gang. Bulger wielded a heavy hand during his reign of terror in the 70's and 80's, long before Southie morphed into the 21st Century yuppie-haven it is now.

Long at the top of the FBI's Most-Wanted list, Bulger was captured June of 2011 in Santa Monica, California after 16 years on the run. He's accused of participating in 19 murders, and awaits trial just up the road from us in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Most say he'll never go to trial, and if the recent recusing of the judge who was set to preside over his trial is any indication, 83 year-old Bulger will smugly live out his days in the pre-trial limbo of his Plymouth jail cell.

This is a song about him, or a character like him. Carla and I have been playing this in our live set for some time, and with Bulger's trial looming (or not) it seemed a perfect time to put it out there.

For those of you interested in a very overblown account of the Bulger years, please buy THIS audiobook. Full disclosure: I narrated the above book for Audible. Written by Eddie MacKenzie who claimed to be an enforcer for Whitey in the 80's, it's for sure a rip-roaring and violent romp through the underbelly of mob culture. Who knows what fraction of it’s sordid contents is true, but the author's unflinching and chunky style makes for a compelling journey.

lyrics

The knife is anxious.
Time swallows time,
My hand soothes the blade.

There’s no safe place for you.
Waiting is my weakness.
Your lying tongue shall soon lay quiet

In flaming fields of eel-grass this human heart is jumping.
My muddy boots dig deeper down,
the road to sleep is thick and slow in this town...
My town.

It cuts like cold fire.
Breath gives way to dirt.
Your spirit burns the air.

When your blood sings so sweet
This night becomes a fable
where devils meet and dreams will shatter.

Kings die and beggars die.
Rich men and poor men die.

credits

from Rabbit Rabbit Radio, Vol. 2 - Swallow Me Whole, released July 8, 2014
Matthias Bossi - piano, organ, drums, voice
Carla Kihlstedt - voice
Jon Evans - upright bass, acoustic guitar, e-bow guitar

Music By Matthias Bossi
Words by Matthias Bossi and Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

Recorded, Mixed and Produced by Jon Evans at Brick Hill, Orleans, MA
Published by Skinnah Music, BMI

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Rabbit Rabbit Radio Falmouth, Massachusetts

Rabbit Rabbit Radio is the song-spinning duo of Carla Kihlstedt and Matthias Bossi. Collectively, they are founding members of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Tin Hat, 2 Foot Yard, Causing a Tiger, The Book of Knots, and Fred Frith’s Cosa Brava.

Drawing on their love of both art & folk song, industrial & improvised music and heart-wrenching balladry, their songs are raw, beautiful, sparse and rich. ... more

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