Broken Parakeet Blues - Lyrics - Ike Reilly

Ike Reilly is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and writer as well as frontman and founder of the indie-rock band the Ike Reilly Assassination. Reilly was born in the United States Naval Hospital, Great Lakes, Illinois and raised in nearby Libertyville, Illinois where he spent his childhood. Reilly graduated from Libertyville High School where he excelled in cross country. Reilly graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he majored in Theology. His first creative writing and musical expressions began in middle school when he started writing songs and became adept at playing the harmonica. He began playing the guitar in his teens and formed his first band, "Captain Budget and the Loan Sharks," while a student at Marquette University. Following college, he trekked around Chicago and Milwaukee fronting the band, The Eisenhowers. Reilly formed the band, the Ike Reilly Assassination in 2000 and has been a regular on the alternative rock scene throughout the United States ever since. Reilly was signed to a recording contract with Universal Republic Records now known as Universal Music Group in 2000 where he released the critically acclaimed CD Salesmen and Racists. Reilly left Universal in 2003 and since then has been releasing music on the Rock Ridge Music distributed through Warner Bros. Records. Since 2001, Reilly has released six CDs and is in the midst of completing a seventh with a target release date of Fall 2013.

East of the village and west of the trees Up on the high ground where the soldiers would stand Cooling themselves in the sulfurous breeze Seemed like something to lose The houses were filled with flattering hosts In tight shirts and compliments for soldiers and ghosts Up on the high ground blowing their loads For the cowgirls left back home How can you say there's nothing to lose Singing your broken parakeet blues On the side of the highway lighting the fuse Black like the crows from the cattlecar fumes Yeah, up on the highway near 29 Palms I saw busloads of soldiers rolling along And people like crows on the side of the road Waving goodbye to lovers and sons The soldiers were boys, there were brown ones and fat ones White ones and cool ones and camouflaged black ones Sweet ones and cruel ones but I didn't see Anybody I thought had money like me Some were sleeping, some dreaming, some quietly weeping Out of 29 Palms the buses kept creeping Right through the desert and out to the shore 29 Palms won't see 'em no more How can you say there's nothing to lose Singing your broken parakeet blues On the side of the highway lighting the fuse Black like the crows from the cattlecar fumes How can you just wave farewell to them Knowing what you know and where you have been On the side of the highway lighting the fuse Singing your broken parakeet blues How can you say there's nothing to lose East of the village and west of the trees Up on the high ground where the soldiers would stand Cooling themselves in the sulfurous breeze We all crowed those parakeet blues