Fishwives - The Man in the Background (With Algae in His Hair) Lyrics

There's a man in the background
You can't pin him down, but he follows you around
And there's a crackling sound
And a curdling cloud above the river where the baptism drowned

It was early May
They gathered at the water's edge in anticipation
The minister prayed
For the ten men here, eternal salvation

He took them to the pool by the old blue gum
Through the murky water, golden rays shone
Ten men under
But only nine stood saved in the autumn sun

You come undone, singing

"I was kicking stones on the dirt road
I swear that he was there
Shadows long from the sun down low
There was algae in his hair"

They found his robes in the reeds when the water receded
Seven years since he disappeared
But not a bone was found
In the baked ground, he still follows you around

He's always there in the corner of your eye
In the empty halls, supermarket aisles
Not a day goes by
Without a rain cloud but the ground remains dry

And you cry

"I was kicking stones on the dirt road
I swear that he was there
Shadows long from the sun down low
There was algae hanging from his hair"

Now I see you growing old on your front stoep stair
Singing a rain-song, a yearning prayer
"O Water fill the air!
River to the sea, it's got a soul to bear "