White Walls
written by C. Carson Parks II
Lyrics:
Verse 1
One little whisper of cobweb, where the ceiling reaches the wall.
Lingering echo of footsteps; gone is the rug from the hall.
All of my shirts look deserted, wrinkling there on the floor.
Gone is the dresser that held them, and your robe is not back of the door
Chorus
And the white walls are blinding me
And the white lights are blinding me
And the bare floors reminding me
That you're gone, gone, gone, gone
Verse 2
Only one toothbrush left hanging; no towel for wiping my tears
Pictures are gone from the mantle; they were taken in happier years
Here is the bottle of bourbon; jelly jar glass will do fine
Little tap water to cool me; oh, the mem'ries of happier times.
(Repeat chorus)
Verse 3
Somehow, the place looks so different, though it's empty as the day we moved in.
Just a few curtains and pillows; here's where our life would begin
But it wasn't the chair or the sofa, that go with you wherever you go
That made the world we lived in; it was the way that you filled the place so.
(Repeat chorus and sob a lot)
© - 1972 Greenwood Music Co. - BMI 1661557
Carson's Remarks:
When I lived in L.A., the thing that probably saved my life from the I.R.S. was that every time I had a few extra bucks in the bank, I’d make a down payment on some rental property, and picked up some depreciation and write-offs, to shelter my ordinary income. I always painted them a pristine white, so that the accent colors could be bright and cheerful and set off the furniture and pillows. So, I had white drop clothes, and would get busy with the roller and white paint. After a while, I’d start to get a headache and start to go a little nuts. So, I’d get out an ice tray and the gin and fix a relaxing martini. The apartments were clean, appliances cleaned, but it sometimes seemed like a gloomy place, with no visible evidence of signs of life. Then I could envision of a young couple living there, with their future planned out in front of them. One evening, the husband comes home, calls “Honey, I’m home!” and the place is totally deserted, even to the coat hangers that held his shirts in the closet. We don’t know how the rest of the story unfolds, but it's not important. What IS important is his reaction, and emotional devastation.