Under the red hot moon we drove mums commodore to the shore,
a vodka bottle on the floor
We aimed our telescope at the cold Burleigh sky,
seeking closeness in the stars,
between the tattoos on your arms
I always felt so awkward next to your dark grace,
but the challenge on your face helped me to carve my place
On separate wavelengths, with different moods,
a gap in age and childhood,
It took a little time to understand you
We’re stuck inside that CD store,
you’re frozen on the phone
I can’t remember much before,
we got the bus home
We know our egos,
can soon overshadow
So lets heal our wound
heal our sister wound
I’ll heal our sister wound
After the ride home you gave the driver lip
and we trudged up the hill toward the graveyard shift
I didn’t understand and nothing could heal her,
you straightened your hair in the bathroom mirror
I could have sworn we were made of different chemicals,
our reactions blowing up always so volatile
On separate wavelengths, with different moons
the gap in age and childhoods
It took a little time to understand you
We’re stuck inside that CD store
you’re frozen on the phone
I can’t remember much before
we got the bus home
we know our egos
can soon overshadow,
oh, we know our egos
can soon overshadow
oh, we know our egos
can soon overshadow
So lets heal our wound
heal our sister wound
Lets heal our wound
Trapped inside a traumatic memory, the sisters in the song are unable to reconcile their past to host a healthy relationship in the present. The tempo changes represent the elastic nature of time within a relationship, how fragmented memories, feelings and experiences all inform how we relate to one another. The narrative of the song is disjointed, floating between core memories of childhood. The chorus always brings us back to that key moment of trauma, stuck inside the CD store on the phone, learning the news that would alter everything. My elder sister used to play the song “Red Hot Moon” by Rancid, so I entwined the lyrics into our story. Under the red hot moon, take bus downtown the graveyard shift tonight