Fresh Tattoo

Fresh Tattoo
	;
Album	Jenny from Thebes
Released	October 27, 2023
Length	4:43
Previous Track	"Only One Way"
Next Track	"Cleaning Crew"

Fresh Tattoo is the fourth song on Jenny from Thebes. It was released as a single, along with an official lyric video, on August 23, 2023. On the back cover of the vinyl edition, this song is subtitled "She commemorates her present station on her forearm."

Lyrics[]

Tattoo of the seventh shield
Still wet on my skin
You're all crumpled up at the curb there
I think I'm going to take you in
Always had to follow my instincts
Usually I'm out on my own
You there by the road, wet and helpless
What happens if I take you home?

Well, you may forget the whys and wheres
Of an old tattoo on your forearm there
But usually you recall the day you got one
And usually it fades in the sun

Headed for a season in exile
As the oracle predicted
According to reliable sources
In thirty days I'm getting evicted
Trying not to scratch where it itches
It takes a certain level of discipline
Not even half a second by the light switch
Let the future flood right in

Well, you may forget the whys and wheres
Of an old tattoo on your forearm there
But usually you recall the day you got one
And usually it fades in the sun

Usually the lines grow faint
Like old house paint
Just a way to mark the years gone by
You lay on the couch three weeks
Until the color came back into your cheeks
I'd seen ones like you before
Plenty came through before

Legend on the shield in Greek
"What's that say?" you said
I gave you an answer that I thought you'd buy
All of this will disappear in the twinkling of an eye

Well, you may forget the whys and wheres
Of an old tattoo on your forearm there
But usually you recall the day you got one
And usually it fades in the sun
But not this one

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song[]

“"Fresh Tattoo" is the flashpoint in the story of who Jenny is and how she came to leave Texas. In it, she gets a tattoo of a shield on her arm, and, on her way home, sees a guy who needs help. This will be her last lodger, and it's her first tattoo, and the day will prove to be decisive in her story.” - John Darnielle about Fresh Tattoo in The Mountain Goats’ newsletter, August 23, 2023.
"That character [the narrator of "Jenny"] is the one we meet in 'Fresh Tattoo.' He’s an addict who is crashing on her couch. The house that she rents is the place where people feel safe. It’s sort of the crash spot." -- Aquarium Drunkard interview, October 2023

Things Referenced in this Song[]

"Until the color came back into your cheeks" is a reference to the song Color in Your Cheeks.

Live Shows this Song Was Played at[]

Jenny from Thebes
Track list: "Clean Slate" • "Ground Level" • "Only One Way" • "Fresh Tattoo" • "Cleaning Crew" • "Murder at the 18th St. Garage" • "From the Nebraska Plant" • "Same as Cash" • "Water Tower" • "Jenny III" • "Going to Dallas" • "Great Pirates"

Fresh Tattoo

Contents

Lyrics[]

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song[]

Things Referenced in this Song[]

Live Shows this Song Was Played at[]

Fan Feed

Fresh Tattoo

Album	Jenny from Thebes
Released	October 27, 2023
Length	4:43
Previous Track	"Only One Way"
Next Track	"Cleaning Crew"