Burnin' Lilly Jones is probably my fovorite song in the cycle. It certainly is the one I spent the most time on, and the biggest production. Bop sent me a draft lyric of the first two verses in February of 1999. I loved the idea, and it seemed a natural for a straight-ahead 3-chord rock and roller. Later Mo sent our email group an email with the lines "with Maddoc's wild abandon and smell of burning flesh..." and I suggested he expand it out into a contrasting bridge section. I think he really did this well, and for me this lyric does a great job of expressing the two sides of the Bovinia experience, the drunken party with fireworks, and the more mystical, spiritual side as well.

As I recorded I left room for two guitar solos, and I struggled to come up with something to play there. Three-chord rock and roll is just not my best thing. So when I found out Slash was planning to visit I was thrilled, sent him a demo and told him to bring his guitar. I think he sounds great on this, much better than I would have. He also brought his electric 12-string, which I am playing on the bridge.

The production started to outgrow my studio. Near the end I ran out of tracks on the ADAT, and had to "fly in" some of the background vocals by recording them on another tape, mixing them down, and importing them into my sampler.

maddoc's in the swamp
and bongo's in the beer
now BudDy"s standin' dreamin'
'bout what burned last year

the sun is peekin' east
but it is still last night
and rownshend don't cook breakfast
without some firelight

so rownshend hollers "scramblit!"
he's cracking eggs and beer
and ellen's up at Bramlett
while we're all over here....

just burnin' ---lilly---jones
stirrin skulls with bones
burnin' ---lilly---jones
but we're not going home
'cause there's still lilly jones

the van is nearin' pigtown
the clock is nearin' two
I-95 ? He's still alive !!!
that gyro must've flew

now doc has got the combo
and doc has got the key
and just like his grandaddy he's settin' the pigs free

mo he's "screw the mud!"
and mo he's,"fuggit damn!"
'cause it's clear round second gear
old mo's a drivin' man.....

---lilly---jones
stirrin skulls with bones
drivin' ---lilly---jones
but we're not drivin' home
'cause there's still lilly jones

with maddoc's wild abandon and smell of burning flesh
wafting on the pigwind and drifting to the west
where pinky's peaceful cedar is stoked and burning swiss
while all around's the silent sound of fused and matchless bliss

Then steady as a field mouse and down a third or fifth
gyro's dodging moonbeams as carefully he slips

where Moses lay on Mary and then they both laid down
into that bottom earth that Sandy runs around...

Spring fed and trickled down
into the winter's swamp so still
that dampened steps will crisp the leaves
last Autumn thought to kill

miester's toe to toe
and inchin' maddoc's ground
the biclit faces circle now
to have their big showdown

so bongo lights a cluster
and slasher lights a roach
as miester's roman candles
are lighting his approach

then maddoc's hellish visions
rain fire on these three
As vita smiles and looks and says,
" Ahhhhh........see......"

we're near our nod and nearly gone
as our fires turn to dawn
we toast with cans and cups and bones
we toast our lilly jones
our lovely lilly jones

...our burnin' lilly jones
she's stirring skulls and bones
but lilly's not alone
burnin' lilly jones
we're still burnin' lilly jones.