If you were to kill me now right here
I would still look you in the eye
And I would burn myself into your memory
as long as you were still alive
I would live inside of you
I'd make you wear me like a scar
And I would burn myself
into your memory
and run through everything you are
I would not run, I would not turn, I would not hide
In the eye
If you were to kill me now right here
I would still look you in the eye
And I would burn myself
into your memory
as long as you were still alive
I would not run, I would not turn, I would not hide
In the eye
Today I am
A small blue thing
Like a marble
Or an eye
With my knees against my mouth
I am perfectly round
I am watching you
I am cold against your skin
You are perfectly reflected
I am lost inside your pocket
I am lost against
Your fingers
I am falling down the stairs
I am skipping on the sidewalk
I am thrown against the sky
I am raining down in pieces
I am scattering like light
Scattering like light
Scattering like light
Today I am
A small blue thing
Made of china
Made of glass
I am cool and smooth and curious
I never blink
I am turning in your hand
Turning in your hand
By day give thanks
By night beware
Half the world in sweetness
The other in fear
When the darkness takes you
With her hand across your face
Don't give in too quickly
Find the thing she's erased
Find the line, find the shape
Through the grain
Find the outline, things will
Tell you their name
The table. the guitar
The empty glass
All will blend together when
Daylight has passed
Find the line, find the shape
Through the grain
Find the outline, things will
Tell you their name
Now I watch you falling into sleep
Watch your fist curl against the sheet
Watch your lips fall open and your eyes dim
In blind faith
I would shelter you
Keep you in light
But I can only teach you
Even if I am in love with you
All this to say, what's it to you?
Observe the blood, the rose tattoo
Of the fingerprints on me from you
Other evidence has shown
That you and I are still alone
We skirt around the danger zone
And don't talk about it later
Marlene watches from the wall
Her mocking smile says it all
As the records the rise and fall
Of every soldier passing
But the only soldier now is me
I'm fighting things I cannot see
I think it's called my destiny
That I am changing
Marlene on the wall
I walk to your house in the afternoon
By the butcher shop with the sawdust strewn
"Don't give away the goods too soon"
Is waht she might have told me
Marlene watches from the wall
Her mocking smile says it all
As the records the rise and fall
Of every man who's been here
But the only one here now is me
I'm fighting things I cannot see
I think it's called my destiny
That I am changing
My name is Luka
I live on the second floor
I live upstairs from you
Yes I think you've seen me before
If you hear something late at night
Some kind of trouble. some kind of fight
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was
I think it's because I'm clumsy
I try not to talk too loud
Maybe it's because I'm crazy
I try not to act too proud
They only hit until you cry
And after that you don't ask why
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore
Yes I think I'm okay
I walked into the door again
Well, if you ask that's what I'll say
And it's not your business anyway
I guess I'd like to be alone
With nothing broken, nothing thrown
Lolita
Almost grown
Lolita
Go on home
Hey girl
Don't be a dog all your life
Don't beg for
Some little crumb of affection
Don't try
To be somebody's wife
So young
You need a word of protection
Lolita
Almost grown
Lolita
Go on home
Hey girl
I've been where you are standing
Leaning in the doorway
In your mother's black dress
So hungry
For the one understanding
Looking for a token of
Blood or tenderness
Lolita
Almost grown
Lolita
Go on home
In the ironbound section near Avenue L
where the Portuguese women come to see what you sell
the clouds so low the morning so slow
as the wires cut through the sky
The beams and bridges cut the light on the ground
into little triangles and the rails run round
through the rust and the heat
the light and sweet coffee color of her skin
Bound up in wire and fate
watching her walk him up to the gate
in front of the ironbound school yard.
Kids will grow like weeds on a fence
She says they look for the light they try to make sense.
They come up through the cracks
Like grass on the tracks
She touches him goodbye.
Steps off the curb and into the street
the blood and feathers near her feet
into the ironbound market
In the ironbound section near Avenue L
where the Portuguese women come to see what you sell
the clouds so low the morning so slow
as the wires cut through the sky
She stops at the stall
fingers the ring
opens her purse
feels a longing
away from the ironbound border
"Fancy poulty parts sold here.
Breasts and thighs and hearts.
Backs are cheap and wings are nearly free.
Nearly free"
50-50 chance
The doctor said
In the cardiac room
As she's lying in bed
There's a pan on the floor
Filled with something black
I need to know
I'm afraid to ask
I hug you
I hum to you
I've come to you
I touch you
I tell you
I love you
I sing to you
Bring to you
Anything
Her little heart
It beats so fast
Her body trembles
With the effort to last
I hug you
I hum to you
I've come to you
I touch you
I tell you
I love you
I sing to you
Bring to you
Anything
She's going home
Tomorrow at ten
The question is
It won't do
to dream of caramel,
to think of cinnamon
and long for you.
It won't do
to stir a deep desire,
to fan a hidden fire
that can never burn true.
I know your name,
I know your skin,
I know the way
these things begin;
But I don't know
how I would live with myself,
what I'd forgive of myself
if you don't go.
So goodbye,
sweet appetite,
no single bite
could satisfy...
I know your name,
I know your skin,
I know the way
these things begin;
But I don't know
what I would give of myself,
how I would live with myself
if you don't go.
It won't do
to dream of caramel,
to think of cinnamon
and long
In my book of dreams
I took your urgent whisper
Stole the arc of a white wing
Rode like foam on the river of pity
Turned its tide to strength
Healed the hole that ripped in living
In my book of dreams
The spine is bound to last a life
Tough enough to take the pounding
Pages made of days of open hand
In my book of dreams
Number every page in silver
Underline in magic marker
Take the name of every prisoner
Yours is there my word of honor
I took your urgent whisper
Stole the arc of a white wing
Rode like foam on the river of pity
Healed the hole that ripped in living
I'd like to help you doctor
Yes I really really would
But the din in my head
It's too much and it's no good
I'm standing in a windy tunnel
Shouting through the roar
And I'd like to give the information
You're asking for
But blood makes noise
It's a ringing in my ear
Blood makes noise
And I can't really hear you
In the thickening of fear
I think that you might want to know
The details and the facts
But there's something in my blood
Denies the memory of the acts
So just forget it Doc.
I think it's really
Cool that you're concerned
But we'll have to try again
After the silence has returned
Cause blood makes noise
It's a ringing in my ear
Blood makes noise
And I can't really hear you
In the thickening of fear
You make a really good girl
As girls go
Still kind of look like a guy
I never thought to wonder why
If I could pull this off
Would I know for certain
The real situation
Behind the curtain
So beautiful
damsel in distress
Not exactly natural
Stunning none the less
What happened to you?
To make you more girl than girls are
Would you ever show or tell
Cause you're so good so far
You make a really good girl
As girls go
Let's chronicle
The dark side of the life
Did you ever keep the date
With the steel side of the knife
Doesn't matter to me
Which side of the line
You happen to be
At any given time
You make a really good girl
As a child
You have a doll
You see this doll
Sitting in her chair
You watch her face
Her knees apart
Her eyes of glass
In a secretive stare
She seems to
Have a life
Pick up a stick
Dig up a crack
Dirt in the street
Becomes a town
All of the people
Depend on you
Not to hurt them
Or bang the stick comes down
And they seem to
They seem to
Have a life
As a child
You see yourself
And wonder why
You can't seem to move
Hand on the doorknob
Feel like a thing
One foot on the sidewalk
Too much to prove
And you learn to
You learn to
If I were a weapon
you said I'd be a gun
lethal at close range i guess
with silencer and stun
but I feel more like a needle
always pulling on the thread
always making the same point again
and wondering if you heard what I just said
if you were a weapon
a hammer's what you'd be
blunt and heavy at the end
and coming down on me
but i've concealed a weapon
in a pocket knife attack
all folded up inside until you see the shine
and then you'll want it back
oooh
if I were a weapon
you said i'd be a gun
lethal at close range I guess
w silencer and stun
well, if I am that weapon
I am pointing now at you
so just put down the hostage and we'll
Zephyr & I stand out on
West End Avenue
Talking about the things that
All of us used to do
And the wind kicks up with the smell of rain
The kids are gone but the souls remain
Zephyr and I sort out our
Long time memories
Do you remember, he says,
The 1970's
This was a youth mall
Of America on this street
All of us hanging here
Like underage cops on a beat
And the wind kicks up in the smell of rain
Now the kids are gone but their souls remain
The graffiti goes but the walls retain
The flowers go but the earth must still remain
In spring the tide in Riverside
Will wash away the cold and frozen
River rain will clean the stain and
Wash away wash away downstream
Out on the corner by the
Fireman's Monument
This was the place where all the
Fatherless teenagers went
Well the wind kicks up in the smell of rain
The kids are gone but the souls remain
The graffiti's gone and the walls complain
Too hot. No air.
Loud fan and a big tin can.
Wait here. Steer clear.
They've gone to get your man.
10 AM.
Through gate 3 with picture ID.
This old billfold
Experiences security.
I hear the click. These men are hard.
I'll see your face through bar and guard.
You're new to me. I'm new to you.
I see your fate. I'll see you
You through.
Ice within.
And it's all cement in the government.
Approved? Then move
To the plywood booth where the prisoner's sent.
You read in red
The letters on the door and you know what they're for.
You feel unreal.
And the rattling chain's coming over the floor.
I hear the clock. These walls are green.
I see your face through tin and screen.
You're new to me. I'm new to you.
I see your fate. I'll see you
You through.
Too hot. No air.
Loud fan and a big tin can.
Wait here. Steer clear.
When heroes go down
They go down fast
So don't expect any time to
Equivocate the past
When heroes go down
They land in flame
So don't expect any slow and careful
Settling of blame
I heard you say
You look out for the feet of clay
That someone will be falling next
Without the chance
For last respects
You feel the disappointment
When heroes go down
Man or woman revealed
You can't expect any kind of mercy
On the battlefield
I heard you say
You look out for the feet of clay
That someone will be falling next
Without the chance for last respects
You feel the disappointment
When heroes go down
Man or woman revealed
Do you show any kind of mercy
On the battlefield?
He is not my friend, but he is with me
Like a shadow is with a foot that falls
His hand is on my back when I step from the sidewalk
Or when I'm walking down these darkened halls
He's the Thin Man
With a date for me
To arrive at some point
I don't know when it will be
I can feel his eyes when I don't expect him
In the back seat of a taxi down Vestry Street
His arm is around my waist and he pulls me down to him
He whispers things into my ear that sound so sweet
He's the Thin Man
With a date for me
To arrive at some point
I don't know when it will be
He is not my friend, but he is with me
And he promises a peace I never knew
I cannot give in, no, I must refuse him
But could I really be the one to resist that kiss so true
He's the Thin Man
With a date for me
To arrive at some point
I don't care for tights, she says
and does not tell me why
She hikes her skirt above her knee
revealing one brown thigh
I see, I say, and wonder at
her slender little fingers
How cleverly they pull upon
the threads of recent slumbers
Do you know where friendship ends
and passion does begin?
It's between the binding of
her stockings and her skin.
(oh yeah)
She stayed up so late I thought
she'd ask me to go dance
But something in the way she laughed
told me I had no chance
The fiction in her family
was that she was never nice
I'd say she was very
I just did not see the price
Do you know where friendship ends
and passion does begin?
When the gin and tonic
makes the room begin to spin.
(oh yeah)
There may be attraction here
but it will never flower
So I'm assigned to read her mind, now
in this witching hour
Here's no game for those who claim
to be easily bruised
But how can I complain
when she's so easily amused?
Do you know where friendship ends
and passion does begin?
(When she does not show you
the way out on the way in) --
It's between the binding
of her stockings and her skin.
If sand waves were sound waves
What song would be in the air now
What stinging tune
Could split this endless noon
And make the sky swell with rain
If war were a game that a man or a child
Could think of winning
What kind of rule
Can overthrow a fool
Solitude stands by the window
She turns her head as I walk in the room
I can see by her eyes she's been waiting
Standing in the slant of the late afternoon
And she turns to me with her hand extended
Her palm is split with a flower with a flame
Solitude stands in the doorway
And I'm struck once again by her black silhouette
By her long cool stare and her silence
I suddenly remember each time we've met
And she turns to me with her hand extended
Her palm is split with a flower with a flame
And she says "I've come to set a twisted thing straight"
And she says "I've come to lighten this dark heart"
And she takes my wrist, I feel her imprint of fear
And I say "I've never thought of finding you here"
I turn to the crowd as they're watching
They're sitting all together in the dark in the warm
I wanted to be in there among them
I see how their eyes are gathered into one
And then she turns to me with her hand extended
Her palm is split with a flower with a flame
And she says "I've come to set a twisted thing straight"
And she says"l've come to lighten this dark heart"
And she takes my wrist, I feel her imprint of fear
And I say "I've never thought of finding you here"
Solitude stands in the doorway
And I'm struck once again by her black silhouette
By her long cool stare and her silence
I suddenly remember each time we've met
And she turns to me with her hand extended
She's a pornographer's dream, he said.
I knew what he meant.
But it made me imagine: what kind of a dream
He would have, that hadn't been spent?
Would he still dream of the thigh? of the flesh upon high?
What he saw so much of?
Wouldn't he dream of the thing that he never
Could quite get the touch of?
It's out of his hands, over his head
Out of his reach, under this real life
Hidden in veils, covered in silk
He's dreaming of what might be
Out of his hands, over his head
Out of his reach, under this real life
Hidden in veils,
He's dreaming of mystery.
Bettie Page is still the rage
With her legs and leather;
She turns to tease the camera, and please us at home,
And we let her.
Who's to know what she'll show of herself,
In what measure?
If what she reveals, or what she conceals,
Is the key to our pleasure?
It's out of our hands, over our heads
Out of our reach, under this real life
Hidden in veils, covered in silk
We're dreaming of what might be
It's out of our hands, over our heads
Out of our reach, under this real life
Hidden in veils
We're dreaming of mystery.
She's a pornographer's dream, he said.
I knew what he meant.
But it made me imagine: what kind of a dream
Men in a war
If they've lost a limb
Still feel that limb
As they did before
He lay on a cot
He was drenched in a sweat
He was mute and staring
But feeling the thing
He had not
I know how it is
When something is gone
A piece of your eyesight
Or maybe your vision
A corner of sense
Goes blank on the screen
A piece of the scan
Gets filled in by hand
You know that it was
And now it is not
So you just make do with
Whatever you've got
Men in a war
If they've lost a limb
Still feel that limb
As they did before
If your nerve is cut
If you're kept on the stretch
You don't feel your will
You can't find your gut
And she lay on her back
She made sure she was hid
She was mute and staring
Not feeling the thing
That she did
I know how it is
When something is gone
A piece of your eyesight
On the way to the bidet
Is when the trouble used to start
It didn't mean she wasn't queen
Of the tinderbox that was his heart
Her fire his desire meant that
Everything must come undone
And so now we know it's not enough to be in love
He's so true. she is too. she says
I love you Frank and then they drank
All night. what a fight.
He says it isn't me you're thinking of
She's cool. it makes him cruel
And they needle till the jewels
Go raining down upon the ground
She says its not enough to be in love
Not enough to be in love
Not enough to be in love
They woke up, and they broke up.
They were volatile, and all the while
Life passed, it went so fast,
And yet they never could forget,
Their chemistry, like you and me
Proved to keep them both apart for life
And so, now we know
That it's not enough to be in love
Not enough to be in love
To be in love
To be in love
My name is Calypso and I have lived alone
I live on an island and I waken to the dawn
A long time ago I watched him struggle with the sea
I knew that he was drowning and I brought him into me
Now today come morning light, he sails away
After one last night I let him go
My name is Calypso, my garden overflows
Thick and wild and hidden is the sweetness there that grows
My hair blows long as I sing into the wind
I tell of nights where I could taste the salt on his skin
Salt of the waves and of tears and while he pulled away
I kept him here for years now I let him go
My name is Calypso, I have let him go
In the dawn he sails away to be gone forever more
And the waves will take him in again but he'll know their ways now
I will stand upon the shore with a clean heart
And my song in the wind, the sand may sting my feet and the sky will burn
It's a lonely time ahead, I do not ask him to return
Angel comes home
His clothes in a cloud
Of the dust and the dirt and destruction
She waits inside
She knows he's arrived
She feels this with no introduction
At angel's door,
You have to leave it on the floor,
Don't bring it in.
He can't show
What she doesn't want to know
Those things he's seen.
She knows the smell
Of that life he can't tell
Of the fires and the flesh and confusion
Inside his brain
It's never the same
Though he tries to maintain the illusion
At angel's door,
You have to leave it on the floor,
Don't bring it in.
He can't show
What she doesn't want to know
Those things he's seen.
Angel comes home
His clothes in a cloud
I came out of the darkness
Holding one thing
A small white wooden horse
I'd been holding inside
And when I'm dead
If you could tell them this
That what was wood became alive
What was wood became alive
In the night the walls disappeared
In the day they returned
"I want to be a rider like my father"
Were the only words I could say
And when I'm dead
If you could tell them this
That what was wood became alive
What was wood became alive
Alive
And I fell under
A moving piece of sun
Freedom
I came out of the darkness
Holding one thing
I know I have a power
I am afraid I may be killed
But when I'm dead
If you could tell them this
That what was wood became alive
What was wood became alive
Alive
The soldier came knocking upon the queen's door
He said, "I am not fighting for you any more"
The queen knew she'd seen his face someplace before
And slowly she let him inside.
He said, "I've watched your palace up here on the hill
And I've wondered who's the woman for whom we all kill
But I am leaving tomorrow and you can do what you will
Only first I am asking you why."
Down in the long narrow hall he was led
Into her rooms with her tapestries red
And she never once took the crown from her head
She asked him there to sit down.
He said, "I see you now, and you are so very young
But I've seen more battles lost than I have battles won
And I've got this intuition, says it's all for your fun
And now will you tell me why"
The young queen, she fixed him with an arrogant eye
She said, "You won't understand, and you may as well not try"
But her face was a child's, and he thought she would cry
But she closed herself up like a fan.
And she said, "I've swallowed a secret burning thread
It cuts me inside, and often I've bled"
He laid his hand then on top of her head
And he bowed her down to the ground.
"Tell me how hungry are you How weak you must feel
As you are living here alone, and you are never revealed
But I won't march again on your battlefield"
And he took her to the window to see.
And the sun, it was gold, though the sky, it was gray
And she wanted more than she ever could say
But she knew how it frightened her, and she turned away
And would not look at his face again.
And he said, "I want to live as an honest man
To get all I deserve and to give all I can
And to love a young woman who I don't understand
Your highness, your ways are very strange."
But the crown, it had fallen, and she thought she would break
And she stood there, ashamed of the way her heart ached
She took him to the doorstep and she asked him to wait
She would only be a moment inside.
Out in the distance her order was heard
And the soldier was killed, still waiting for her word
And while the queen went on strangeling in the solitude she preferred
The battle continued on
She'd come to my house
and dance in the hall
with the music up loud
against the light on the wall
I danced beside her
feeling no shame
we were in costume
and this was a game
She'd put on her skirt
of layers of chiffon
the top of the umbrella had come off
so I put that on
We'd dance together then
an awkward ballet
she was 20 years older than I was
but still we did play
She was 20 years older than me
and many times my size
but it's her little feet I remember
and the look in her eyes
Once when I saw her
she made me a doll
of ribbon and paper and ink
and lace, I recall
I danced beside her
feeling no shame
we were in costume
and this was a game
I think of her now I'm older
I still love to dance
something will shine through the body
Let's tell the future
Let's see how it's been done.
By numbers. By mirrors. By water.
By dots made at random on paper.
By salt. By dice.
By meal. By mice.
By dough of cakes.
By sacrificial fire.
By fountains. By fishes.
Writing in ashes.
Birds. Herbs.
Smoke from the altar.
A suspended ring or the mode of laughing
Pebbles drawn from a heap
One of these things
Will tell you something.
Let's tell the future
Let's see how it's been done.
By dreams. By the features. By letters.
By dropping hot was into water.
By nails reflecting the rays of the sun.
By waling in a circle.
By red hot iron.
By passages in books.
A balanced hatchet.
A suspended ring or the mode of laughing
Pebbles drawn from a heap
One of these things
Will tell you something.
Let's tell the future
Let's see how it's been done.
Institution green
The walls are cracked and dim
And we are standing in a line
Waiting for our faces to be seen
Institution green
Watch the floor and cound the hours
None will meet my eyes
Private people in this public place
I wonder if they'll take a look
Find my name inside that book
Lose me on the printed page
Where to point the aimless rage
I cast my vote upon this earth
Take my place for what it's worth
Hunger for a pair of eyes
To notice and to regognize
Institution green
A woman stands behind a table
She will call my name
After that I'll be admitted in
I wonder if she'll take a look
Find my name inside that book
Lose me on the printed page
Where to point the aimless rage
I cast my vote upon this earth
Take my place for what it's worth
Hunger for a pair of eyes
To notice and to regognize
Institution green
Teach me how to pull the lever
Push the curtain closed
Take what's needed then just
We're all in one white field
We thought there was no end
Walking as the field went dry
What did we do then?
We're all in one white place
Burning every leaf and bough
Watching as the field goes dry
And what do we do now?
And what do we do now?
Fall and all attendant memories
Crowd the day with unrelated histories
Each year leaves its unresolving fantasies
To hang around each corner
Hang around each street.
Thick with ghosts, the wind whips round in circuitries
Carrying words as strangers exchange pleasantries
Do they intrude upon your private reveries
As they meet you on each corner
Meet you on each street.
Watch for daily braveries
Notice newfound courtesies
Finger sudden legacies
As they clean up every corner
Wash down every street.
Mark the month and all its anniversaries
Put away the draft of all your eulogies
Clear the way for all your private memories
As they meet you on each corner
Meet you on every street.
Make the time for all your possibilities.
I said, I am a little girl
He said, you never were
I said, I am not ready
He said, then tell me when you are
I said, I am too young for this
He said, you are not really
I said, I think I am afraid
He said, you're being silly
Not me
Not me
I said, I do not understand
He said, you are pretending
That would seem to contradict
The message you are sending
I said, you must be lonely
He said, I would not worry
I said, I think I'm dreaming
Or I'm growing in a hurry
This is not me
Not me
He took somebody by the hair
And dragged her down the hall
He took her to the bathroom
Where they could not hear the call
He took her to a little room
She could not find the key
But I don't know who it was because
I know it was
Not me
Not me
And when will you stop running
From a human situation?
He said, do you think your silences
Are helping this relation?
Do you think your solitude
Will teach you to be free?
I said, I don't know who you're talking to
I know it is not me
Not me
Not me
When I was a little girl
Younger than nine or ten
I once spoke to the Silver Lady
But I never saw her again.
To me she flew out of the sky
She was born riding on the water
Her hair blew all around her
She was the crazy man's only daughter.
I used to see her every day
Riding her golden pony
Only once did I hear her laugh
And it echoed far and lonely.
Once I watched the river run
And I wandered too far from home
There I met the Silver Lady
She was crying, all alone.
I said, "Lady, why are you crying?
If I had wings like you
I would be flying over this river
And singing like only birds do."
Well she threw back her head and she smiled at me
Her tears, how they shone in the sun
She said, "I have no wings to fly with
If I did I would surely be gone.
"My brothers have all gone far away
To follow their hearts and be free
But I am the youngest and my father is ageing
And all he's got left is me.
"I love my father dearly
Madman though he may be
It would break his heart if I should leave him
But this life is killing me.
"I feel the ocean pulling me
The breezes come and tell me things
I want to go with them wherever they go
And see what the new morning brings."
So she sadly turned away from me
So I stumbled my way back home
The next day I heard she had taken her horse
And gone off to parts unknown.
Her father stayed inside his lonely house
And he never more came into town
He could be seen roaming the riverside
And they say that he jumped in and drowned.
Long though I waited, she never returned
But when I felt a silver breeze
I knew she had sent it from wherever she was
To tell us that now she was free.
I am sitting by my window;
I am thinking of my rent.
I am looking through my pockets,
And I'm wondering where it went.
I am feeling like the Devil,
Maybe like the Devil's wife.
I am singing for my supper.
I am singing for my life.
Things go up and things go down,
And we have all these highs and lows,
But are we even in the end,
I don't think anybody knows,
But when I look from my window
I pretend that I'm in France.
You know I never have been there
But I might jump at the chance.
Tell me what do you do
With a troubled mind?
Do you sing? Do you cry?
Do you wait for a better time?
Do you think about tomorrow
When you're living in today?
And can you stop this tide against you,
Make it go the other way?
And when I look from my window
I can hear the little bird sing;
And I like to hear those little birds
Because then I know it's Spring.
And Spring comes after Winter,
surely all of this we know.
And Spring is really coming,
It's just so god damn slow.
I am sitting by my window;
I am thinking of my rent.
I am looking through my pockets
And I am wondering where it went.
I am feeling like the Devil,
Maybe like the Devil's wife.
I am singing for my supper.
I am singing for my life.
I have dreamed that many men
Have marched across this field
I have wished that I could take each man
And hold him against the flame in my heart
I had a dream that my face was old
And all the children came to see
First they laughed and then they ran
And I slammed the door behind them
And as the tears began to rise
You climbed the stairs
You came into my room
Where I was waiting there
Now I have dreamed of all men's arms
But this time it was you
I drew the curtains and it was dim
And it was strange and it was new
I have wished that I could hear
Each secret told
By lovers in the battle
With each shade of red and gold
I have wished that I could take each man
And hold him to the flame
And read the secret writing there
And know each one by name
I have dreamed that many men
Have marched across this field
I have wished that I could pour
My life into each one
Listening
Listening
Listening
I like you
and you like him
and he likes me
and we all love each other.
We like to sit in the cafe
and eat and drink and talk all day
and watch the sun.
We like to read the newspaper
and talk about him and her
and who is getting along with who these days,
and when the sun goes down
we walk along the cobblestone ground.
He loves the city
with the bricks and broken bottles
and the pretty little flowers
as they grow against the wall.
He is dark,
he is tall,
he is the tallest one of all of us.
You are bright and quick and fair
and seems that you have lost some hair
but this is all right.
This is OK. We do not mind.
We write and fight and sing
and this is fine.
We drink the wine
if we get it free
and if he buys you a coffee
he can surely buy some for me
and one day we will work real hard
and get a job
and not just sit here
writing letters
on this silly boulevard.
And everyone will know our name
and we'll be rich
or we'll at least
have some kind of fame.
We'll be brave,
we'll be bold,
we'll come riding through
like knights of old.
The sun is like
a lover's hand
as it comes down
and touches you
touches me
touches him
touches you.
And we have all got dirty feet
from wearing sandals in the street,
and we should all go home.
But still you will
insist insist
until each last one has been kissed
and each one is happy.
And when the sun goes down
we walk along the cobblestone ground.
This is OK. We do not mind.
We write and fight and sing
and this is fine.
Tide came in
And then went out
And left behind
In hollow places
Cradled once
And cooling twice
You feel the sting of
Salt water
Wave goes back
And leaves the sand
It's high and barren
Dry and wasting
Cradled once
And cooling twice
You feel the sting of
Salt water
Taste this
It's really raw
It comes with the skin
And the sand still on it
And it comes with the shell
And the flesh within it
You can tell that it came
From a seedy and watery place
Taste this
It's really good
It will make your mouth
Feel like something's in it
And it's gotten and given
From a cold black piece of the sea
From a piece of the sea
Salt water
Smile no smile
On this face today
Jerk like a thing on a string
And go join the parade
Code will keep your privacy in
It won't help to win friends
Influence strangers
Or otherwise be in the swim
Mask will keep your features in check
Cause face is the place
Where the private goes public
And steps through the gate
Take your last kick now
At any regime
Smile no smile
See if they see what you mean
Da da da...
It's 2 o'clock this morning
every sane person is asleep
I wonder where you are tonight
and down whose hallways do you creep
I know you, you're out somewhere
you know you shouldn't be
Anyhow, wherever you are, I know you're not thinking of me.
So it's goodnight
Maybe I'll see you in the morning
Soldier of the night
You try to combat the new day dawning
Do you fear the light?
Or do you fear the emptiness in your yawning?
So you search for life by night
Hidden from sight
Safe within the night
Lost in your crazy flight
And looking for the fight
That may prove you are someone
But you can't stop the rising sun.
When the sun comes up, the world can see your face
You slink along the sidewalk, outnumbered and out of place
All your boldness is gone, you stand there tongue-tied and shy
And then it's goodnight
You put on your criminal disguise
Make sure your mask is tight
Safe now from all accusing eyes
You let loose in delight
Attacking night walkers by surprise
Protected by the night
You feel you have the right
To destroy all in your way
With the anger built by day
Now you have learned to kill
And you do it just for spite
The twisted rules of night
Have caught you in its game
Nobody knows your name
But the day will come
And you'll have no place to run
Because you can't stop the rising sun.
Men will be men and they'll call me the governor
I'll walk through the bar and I'll buy the next round
Because this is my ship and I say it's my destiny
And we'll all go up and go down, we go down, go down
Through the town and back up through the avenues
And into the places where people don't stay
Go visit the king and then leave through the window
Go hang with the gang and get lost in the fray
Andy's a saint or a savage, I forget
Depends on the day and if he's eaten yet
He's something to see when he's first out of bed
Not that I'd know, I've just heard it said
Said that men will be men and they'll call me the governor
I'll walk through the bar and I'll buy the next round
Because this is my ship and I say it's my destiny
And we'll all go up and go down, we go down, go down
Through the town and back up through the avenues
And into the places where people don't stay
Go visit the king and then leave through the window
Go hang with the gang and get lost in the fray
Spider's the guy to handle the gun
He'd show me how, but I don't want one
He's oh-so polite for a second-story man
And he's changed his spots as much as anyone can
We know men will be men and they'll call me the governor
I'll walk through the bar and I'll buy the next round
Because this my ship and I say it's my destiny
And we'll all go up and go down, we go down, go down
Through the town and back up through the avenues
And into the places where people don't stay
Go visit the king and then leave through the window
Go hang with the gang and get lost in the fray
Come and sit with the whores and admire the view
Drink down these beers, I think you've had a few
Yes and don't look at me, I'm not selling today
Over the crowd hear the bartender say
Say that men will be men and they'll call me the governor
I'll walk through the bar and I'll buy the next round
Because this is my ship and I say it's my destiny
And we'll all go up and go down, we go down, go down
Through the town and back up through the avenues
And into the places where people don't stay
Go visit the king and then leave through the window
Go hang with the gang and get lost in the fray
Men will be men and they'll call me the governor
I'll walk through the bar and I'll buy the next round
Because this is my ship and I say it's my destiny
And we'll all go up and go down, we go down, go down...
Lightning struck a while ago
And it's blazing much too fast
But give it rain of waiting time
And it will surely pass
Blow over
And it's happening so quickly
As I feel the flaming time
And I grope about the embers
To relieve my stormy mind
Blow over
Shaken this has left me
And laughing and undone
With a blinding bolt of sleeplessness
That's just begun
And a windy crazy running
Through the nights and through the days
And a crackling
Of the time burned away
Burned away
Now I feel it in my blood
All hot and sharp and white
With a whipcrack and a thunder
And a flash of flooding light
But there'll be a thick and smoky
Silence in the air
When the fire finally dies
And I'm wondering who'll be left there
In the ashes of the time
Burned away
Burned away
We're friends, that's all we are
and that's all we will become
It's understood
we're only friends
And it's better that way
for everyone concerned
So if you brush against me
when we're walking side by side
I won't wonder what you're thinking
'cause we've got nothing to hide
And I know you didn't mean it that way
'cause we're just friends
We're friends, that's all we are
and that's all we'll ever be
Is friends
And we can split the cheque
But we'll never bring the conversation
around to you and me
If I see your hand upon me
it's no reason for alarm
I realize you must have seen
something walking down my arm
And I know you didn't mean it that way
'cause we're just friends
Oh I know, and you know
that this is really the way
that it ought to be
'Cause if it was another way
we'd have a lot of trouble
and we'd end up in confusion
and we'd lose a lot of sleep
We both know better than to slip and go
and get ourselves all tangled up again
If we want to keep our peace of mind
we've got to keep a little distance
and just be friends
Oh yeah, uh huh, oh
So I'll try to understand
when I feel your arm around my back
That you really meant to do something else
but somehow you've gotten off the track
'Cause I know you didn't mean it that way
'cause we're just friends
I know you didn't mean it that way
oh I know, you didn't mean it that way
yes I know, you didn't mean it that way
'cause we're just friends
If you had no name
If you had no history
If you had no books
If you had no family
If it were only you
Naked on the grass
Who would you be then?
This is what he asked
And I said I wasn't really sure
But I would probably be
Cold
And now I'm freezing
Freezing
Here I am at last, I've just jumped off the train
I'm about to start my life as a wanderer in the rain
I know so many people would give anything to be in my shoes
Well, that's all right for them to say, but my shoes are soaked right through.
I don't know what made me want to come all the way out here
I guess when I was dreaming, my skies were always clear
Now I'm here in a meadow with the rain streaming through my hair
I guess this is what you call traveling freely, living without care.
Here I am, all by myself, and I'll admit I'm scared
All I've got is my guitar and a couple of dollars to spare
And I know even that's not gonna last me long.
I suppose I could pick myself up and carry myself back home
But after what I put my folks through, I think I better stay alone.
Anyhow, five years of aching are packed behind this plan
Since I was ten, I've wanted to get out of the city and live out on the land.
My parents thought I was crazy and I think now maybe they're right
But I can still feel the freedom in following the eagle's flight.
I just had to come and see what all the songs were about
My hope is returning quickly and I don't think there's any doubt
That I'd better start moving if I want to get somewhere
I'll go on to the next town and see what I find there
And stay a while until I go traveling on.
you said, come with me
and so I did
I thought I could take
all your sorrow
I thought I could hold it all
I never imagined
your oceans
so bitter
the killing
the falling
the slaughter
of feather and bone.
I sat, still
in the five o'clock light
the sun came in through the crack
the floor to your room
was all splinters
and, still,
some are remaining
through skin
and through flesh
cutting in patterns
like diamonds
like needles
down to the bone.
I had to know
I had to see
I can take it all
but I will learn
to be free
I loved you
more that you'll ever know
even through broken windows
through the blood as it
ran down your fist
even
though it was my life
and my truth
and my hope
and my window gone.
and now
if you think I'm
coming back home
first I should tell you a secret.
I sleep with a sword near my hand
each night
sharpened with dreams
of your body
your murder
your blood
as it runs down
my street.
Daniella, she sits by the tree in the playground
sometimes we go there and the children all play
But no one can tell me just where is Daniella
when she looks in the distance that way
Daniella, your hair is growing wild like a jungle
like a garden of ivy that's been blown by the wind
In the morning we brush it and tie it with a ribbon
and in the evening it has flown loose again
In the afternoon when the day seems forever
and the night feels like never then she will sigh
But no one can tell me just where is Daniella
when her thoughts wander off to the sky
Ilana's her friend, she runs fast like a squirrel
she has big brown eyes and sometimes she cries
But she stops very soon and they both play together
making castles and strawberry pies
And sometimes Daniella believes she's a sparrow
she sits by the window and eats sunflower seeds
She watches the rain and the birds on the rooftops
often I wonder just what she sees
In the afternoon when the day seems forever
and the night feels like never then she will sigh
Oh no one can tell me just where is Daniella
when her thoughts wander off to the sky
Sonny boy, you need new sneakers
Better go into town and get then Friday night
Come to think of it, kid, you need just about everything
But I think things are gonna be all right,
Yes, I think things are gonna be all right.
So you went and got yourself back into trouble
Went and got yourself into another fight
Come on here, let me see your eye, now it's all black and swollen
But I think you're gonna be all right
Yes, I think that you're gonna be all right.
I don't know why you're such a troublemaker
You'd think that maybe by now you'd see the light
Getting yourself torn up, boy, and we don't have that much money
But I think maybe things will be all right,
Yes, I think maybe things will be all right.
Now maybe I shouldn't yell
'Cause I know you're just a kid
But I can't always tell
What's on your mind, half of the time, brother mine.
Now I know that you're just my little brother
And I don't expect you to get everything just right
But I think you ought to use a little more sense than what you're using
And maybe then things would be all right,
Yes, and maybe then thing would be all right.
I know that I sit and I worry too much
Especially when you come home such a sight
But I guess what you've got to do, boy, you go ahead and do it
And I sure hope thing will be all right,
Yes, I sure hope things will be all right.
Now you come back here, you scruffy little brother
Come on back here and let me kiss you goodnight
'Cause I know if you were gone I'd miss the sound of laughter
And that's gonna make everything all right,
Yes, that's gonna make everything all right.
I am at your halfway station darling and I've been waiting for your train.
I am at your halfway station darling and I've been waiting for your train.
But you've been too long darling and it looks like rain.
I have seen these strange little girls who come up to you
and they don't know when to stop.
I have watched your eye as it follows the line of the leg right up to the top.
Now Betty Sue and Mary Jane have come around to play again,
but I am standing at your door and I do believe I'll tell them to go home.
There's this black widow spider darling and she's been walking on my hand.
There's this black widow spider darling and she's been walking on my hand.
And we've had this little heart to heart and I think I understand.
It's a funny situation, I mean what am I to do?
With Lisa in the upstairs room and Joan and Martha too.
I can't come down to breakfast 'cause the plates have all been used.
And it's as crowded as a subway car and I think that you're confused.
Now I would wait at your station but I do believe it's time that I went home.
I am at Black Widow station darling and I've been waiting for your train.
I am at Black Widow station darling and I've been waiting for your train.
You've been to long darling and it looks like rain.
You've been to long darling and it looks like rain.
I knew a plant
Whose roots were bound
And returned
Into the ground
Every day
I watched it grow
Every day
It struggled so
Roots were bound roots were bound
Roots were bound into the ground
Watched it grow watched it grow
Watched it as it struggled so
I dug it up
I cut the twine
And so like this
I made it mine
I watched it drink
And watched it feed
And grow beyond
It's simple need
Cut the twine cut the twine
Cut the twine and made it mine
Watched it feed watched it feed
Watched it feed the simple need
Unbound roots unbound
Unbound into the ground
Unbound roots unbound
Unbound into the ground
I was once
Bound at the root
Confined with twine
Both mind and foot
I cut it loose
And now am free
As anything
Alive can be
At the root bound at the root
Confined both mind and foot
Am free now am free
As anything alive can be
Unbound roots unbound
Unbound into the ground
Unbound roots unbound
Love is the only thing that matters.
Love is the only thing that's real.
I know we hear this every day.
It's still the hardest thing to feel.
This time
When I go back to Ludlow Street,
I find each stoop and doorway's incomplete,
Without you there.
Another generation's parties.
And it is still the same old scene.
I can recall each morning after.
Painted in nicotene.
This time
When I go back to Ludlow Street,
I find each stoop and doorway's incomplete
Without you there.
All of the people I once knew.
All of the ones I was close to.
Love is the only thing that matters.
Love the only thing that's real,
And when I think about you now
Love is the only thing I feel.
This time
When I go back to Ludlow Street,
I find each stoop and doorway's incomplete
Without you there.
Tim, this time
When I go back to Ludlow Street
I find each stoop and doorway's incomplete
Edith wharton's lovely figurines
Still speak to me today
From their mantlepiece in time
Where they wrestle and they play
With passions and with prudences
Finances and fears
Her face and what its worth to her
In the passing of the years
See the portrait come to life
See the vanity behind
Cause in the struggle for survival
Love is never blind
Now, olivia lies under anasthesia
Her wit and wonder snuffed
In a routine operation
Her own beauty not enough,
Her passions and her prudences
Finances and fears
Her face, what it was worth to her
In the passing of the years
See the portrait come to life
See the vanity behind
Cause in the struggle for survival
Love is never blind
Edith whartons lovely figurines
Still speak to me today
From their mantlepiece in time
Where they wrestle and they play
We lie under anesthesia
Our wit and wonder snuffed
In our routine operations
The way of the world
Has taken its toll
Ravaged my body
And bitten my soul
I am ruined by rain
Weathered by wind
I've been invaded
Without and within
And I ask
I am asking you
Asking you if you
Might still want me.
Once you said
I'm made of fine stuff.
But I've been corrupted.
And taken enough.
Now you appear.
Making your claim.
Inside my heart
Is the sign of your name.
And I ask
I am asking you
Asking you if you
Might still want me?
All these words
Like darling and angel and dear
Crowd my mouth
In a path to your ear.
The way of the world
Has taken it's toll
Ravaged my body
Bitten my soul
And I ask
I am asking you
Asking you if you
Might still want me?
When I said:
I am bound to you forever
Here's what I meant:
I will take up all your tears
Salty tissues through the years
Spread them in the sun to dry
Diamonds from each time you cry
I will treasure all your teeth
Your laughter and the pearls beneath
Keep them in a cardboard box
Through the tickings and the tocks
I will gather all your hair
Floating in the sultry air
We will make a braid of gold
For you to keep when you are old
Now I kiss your milky skin
Sheet of silk and soul within
Put this kiss upon your brow
Am I an afternoon's pastime?
a thing on a string
to be thrown and retrieved
like a phone call received
on somebody's birthday
to tease and delight
and then say goodnight
and then just say goodbye?
Am I a toy on a tray ?
a soft piece of clay
queen or clown for the day
machine ballerina
soldier of tin
standing so loyal
while you sit so royal
then I'm put away?
For your approval,
perusal,
and your possible
refusal,
I'm amusing,
I'm a puppet for your play.
Am I your Mad Magazine?
skin trampoline
pin-up pinball machine
your fantasy girl
of puzzling parts
but none fits or starts
we match wits but not hearts
I'm heard but never seen?
For your approval,
perusal,
and your possible
refusal,
I'm amusing,
Last year's troubles are so old fashioned
the robber on the highway the pirate on the seas
maybe it's the clothing that's so entertaining
the earrings and swashbuckling blouses that please
here we have heroes of times that have passed now
but nobody these days has that kind of chin
over there the petticoats of ladies of virtue
you can hardly tell them from the petticoats of sin
last year's troubles
look at all the waifs of Dickensian England
why is it their suffering is more picturesque?
must be cause their rags are so very Victorian
the ones here at home just don't give it their best
last years troubles they shine up so pretty
they gleam with a luster they don't have today
here it's just dirty and violent and troubling
last year's troubles
but trouble is still trouble and evil still evil
sometimes we wonder; is there more now, or less?
if we had a tool or could tally the handfuls
The virgin mary on a chain
has hit me in the mouth again
as we explore the carnal score
of sacred and profane
Sulky boy won't drink his milk
mothers breast beneath the silk
remains untouched it's way too much
reject all of that ilk
I have to say it makes me wonder
if you are holding me
to the same blue flame that you are under
i feel you scolding me
Your virgin mary's in the way
hallucinate her face by day
obscure the view in front of you
it's me here made of clay
You're playing near that line so thin,
austerity? or just give in
to endless appetite,
embrace that white oblivion?
I have to say it makes me wonder
if you are holding me
to the same blue flame that you are under
i feel you scolding me
And why so high the expectation?
who could live up to this?
well, there's no time now for explanation
cold as an angel's kiss
I have to say it makes me wonder
if you were holding me
to that cold blue flame that you are under
I'll never be your Maggie May
the one you loved and left behind
the face you see in light of day
and then you cast away
that isn't me in that bed you'll find
I'd rather take myself away
be like those ladies in Japan
rather paint myself a face
conjure up some grace
or be the eyes behind a fan
And so you go
no girl could say no
to you
There's the way we may appear
but that will change from day to night
would you ever see within?
underneath the skin?
could I believe you had that sight?
And so you go
no girl could say no
to you
I'll never be your Maggie May
the one you loved and then forgot
I'll love you first and let you go
because it must be so
and you'll forgive or you will not
And so a woman leaves a man
and so a world turns on it's end
so I'll see your face in dreams
where nothing's what it seems
you still appear some kind of friend
And so you go
no girl could say no
the ceiling had a painting on it
in our room in France
so we were living underneath
some angels in a dance
my husband was not feeling well
and so we went to bed
he woke up complaining
of an aching in his head
he said a hundred people
had come through our room that night
that one by one the old and young
asked if he was all right
one by one the old and young
lined up to touch his hand
he spent the night explaining
they had come to the wrong man
the concierge was less than helpful
when we asked her the next day
with coffee and a magazine
we went to the desk to pay
"what happened in that room?" he asked
"a death or something strange?"
she smiled at him politely
and returned to him his change
well, what I'd like to know
and this will be a mystery,
is with all the people in that room
why none appeared to me?
when we sleep so close together that
our hair becomes entwined
I must have missed that moment
I only turned to see
What hand had set this inner field alight
Against the flame I see
The outline of a man against a night
Take back your sympathy
I do not need to drink that bitter stuff
I'd rather break the thread
That bound us close, and say we called a bluff
A casual match
In a very dry field
What could be
The season's yield?
My eyes have gone to coal
It's nothing I would be concerned about
Observe the moment
When the heat of love becomes the chill of doubt
A casual match
In a very dry field
Fire and ash
Is the season's yield
We look for a sign
But it is not revealed
Fire and ash is the
one thing I know
this pain will go
step through all that's left to feel
I wait to meet my love made real
don't move don't touch
don't talk so much
strip and find the place to kneel
I wait to meet my love made real
one thing I know
this day will go
don't touch don't talk crawl the wall
she's the ticket to the future don't listen down the hall
you can say your prayer to the head of this bed
when it begins at your knees and goes right to your head
birth-day
strap me down from wrist to heel
I wait to meet my love made real
one thing I know
this day will go
shake all over like an old sick dog
there's a needle here needle there tremble in the fog
it's a tight squeeze vice grip ice and fire
she's a hot little treasure and the wave goes higher
Mother the doctor knows something is wrong
Cause my body has strange information
He's looked in my eyes and knows I'm not a child
But he doesn't dare ask the right question
Mother my friends are no longer my friends
And the games we once played have no meaning
I've gone serious and shy and they can't figure why
So they've left me to my own daydreaming
What price to pay
For bad wisdom
What price to pay
For bad wisdom
Too young to know
Too much too soon
Bad wisdom
Mother you've taught me the laws are so fine
If I'm good that I will be protected
I've fallen through the crack and there's no getting back
And I'll never trust whoever gets elected
Mother your eyes have gone suddenly cold
And it wasn't what I was expecting
Once I did think that I'd find comfort there
And instead you've gone hard and suspecting
What price to pay
For bad wisdom
What price to pay
For bad wisdom
Too young to know
Too much too soon
Bad wisdom
Mother I'm cut at the root like a weed
Cause there's no one to hear my small story
Just like a woman who walks in the street
I will pay for my life with my body
What price to pay
For bad wisdom
What price to pay
For bad wisdom
Too young to know
Too much too soon
99.9 Fahrenheit degrees
Stable now, with rising possibilities
It could be normal but it isn't quite
Could make you want to stay awake at night
You seem to me
Like a man
0n the verge of burning
99.9 Fahrenheit degrees
Pale as a candle
And your face is hot
And if I touch you
I might get what you've got
You seem to me
Like a man
On the verge of running
99.9 Fahrenheit degrees
Something cool
Against the skin
Is what you could be
Something cool
Against the skin
Is what you
Could be needing
99.9 Fahrenheit degrees
You seem to me
Like a man
On the verge of burning
99.9 Fahrenheit degrees
Something cool
Against the skin
Is what you could be
Something cool
Against your skin
Is what you
Could be needing
If you were in my movie
I'd have you as the doctor
Small black bag
And a big black coat
I'd have you make a house call
To the woman
You could lay your
Diagnostic hand
Upon her belly and her throat
If you were in my movie
You could be the detective
You could sit behind the desk
With a question on your lip
Examine her for motive
Investigate the scene
In the ever present danger
Keep the holster at your hip
If you were in my movie
If you were in my movie
If you were in my movie
If you were in my movie
You could be the priest
Long black frock
White collar at the neck
You could come to the confession
You could give a girl a thrill
You could save her from her passion
Keep her body in check
If you were in my movie
If you were in my movie
If you were in my movie
If you were in my movie
You could be the gangster
Double-breasted pinstriped
Man with the cigarette
Go running down the alley
With a double-crossing blond
Explaining to the jury
That you hadn't done anything yet
In the ironbound section near Avenue L
where the Portuguese women come to see what you sell
the clouds so low the morning so slow
as the wires cut through the sky
The beams and bridges cut the light on the ground
into little triangles and the rails run round
through the rust and the heat
the light and sweet coffee color of her skin
Bound up in wire and fate
watching her walk him up to the gate
in front of the ironbound school yard.
Kids will grow like weeds on a fence
She says they look for the light they try to make sense.
They come up through the cracks
Like grass on the tracks
She touches him goodbye.
Steps off the curb and into the street
the blood and feathers near her feet
into the ironbound market
In the ironbound section near Avenue L
where the Portuguese women come to see what you sell
the clouds so low the morning so slow
as the wires cut through the sky
She stops at the stall
fingers the ring
opens her purse
feels a longing
away from the ironbound border
"Fancy poulty parts sold here.
Breasts and thighs and hearts.
Backs are cheap and wings are nearly free.
Nearly free"
We go to the playground
In the wintertime
The sun is fading fast
Upon the slides into the past
Upon the swings of indecision
In the wintertime
In the dimming diamonds
Scattering in the park
In the tickling
And the trembling
Of freeze tag
In the dark
We play that we're actors
On a movie screen
I will be Dietrich
And you can be Dean
You stand
With your hand
In your pocket
And lean against the wall
You will be Bogart
And I will be
Bacall
And we can only say yes now
To the sky, to the street, to the night
Slow fade now to black
Play me one more game
Of chivalry
You and me
Do you see
where I've been hiding
In this hide-and-seek?
We go to the playground
In the wintertime
The sun is fading fast
Upon the slides into the past
Upon the swings of indecision
In the wintertime
Wintertime
Wintertime
We can only say yes now
To the sky, to the street, to the night
We can only say yes now
What's that they told you
about a book a cover?
Don't judge so quickly,
Is it too much too remember?
'Cause pictures lie,
you know.
I'll show
it's so.
Just give it one thought.
What's that they taught you?
To revere a kind of beauty?
To paint on that pretty veneer
and try to hide whatever's dirty?
Well, faces lie.
You'll see
no sympathy.
Just give it one thought.
Come here and I will whisper true
about the things I know of you,
and you will recognize them,
always...
As near to you as breath and bone,
so dear to me, and yours alone,
and I will love you for them,
always...
What's that they tell you
about a book a cover?
Don't judge so quickly.
They'll tell you one thing and then another.
But see what lies
within,
under the skin.
Just give it one thought.
New York City spread herself before you
With her bangles and her spangles and her stars
You were impressed with the city so undressed
You had to go out cruising all the bars
Your business trip extended through the weekend
Suburban boy here for your first time
From the 27th floor above the midtown roar
You were dazzled by her beauty and her crime
And she's every girl you've seen in every movie
Every dame you've ever known on late night TV
In her steam and steel is the passion you feel
Endlessly
New York is a woman she'll make you cry
And to her you're just another guy
Look down and see her ruined places
Smoke and ash still rising to the sky
She's happy that you're here but when you disappear
She won't know that you're gone to say goodbye
And she's every girl you've seen in every movie
Every dame you've ever known on late night tv
In her steam and steel is the passion you feel
Desperately
New York is a woman she'll make you cry
When blood sees blood
Of its own
It sings to see itself again
It sings to hear the voice it's known
It sings to recognize the face
One body split and passed along the line
From the shoulder to the hip
I know these bones as being mine
And the curving of the lip
And my question to you is:
How did this come to pass?
How did this one life fall so far and fast?
Some are lean and some with grace, and some without;
All tell the story that repeats
Of a child who had been left alone at birth
Left to fend and taught to fight
See his eyes and how they start with light
Getting colder as the pictures go
Did he carry his bad luck upon his back?
That bad luck we've all come to know
And my question to you is:
How did this come to pass?
How did this one life fall so far and fast?
When blood sees blood
Of its own
He said you stand in your own shoes
I said I'd rather stand in someone else's
He said you look from your direction
I said I like to keep perspective
Close to the middle of the network
It seems we're looking for a center
What if it turns out to be hollow?
We could be fixing what is broken
Between the pen and the paperwork
There must be passion in the language
Between the muscle and the brain work
There must be feeling in the pipeline
Beyond the duty and the discipline
I know there's anger in a cold place
All feelings fall into the big space
Swept up like garbage on the week-end
Between the pen and the paperwork
There must be passion in the language
Between the muscle and the brain work
There must be feeling in the pipeline
All feeling
Falls into the big space
All feeling
Swept into the
Avenues of angles
Between the pen and the paperwork
I'm sure there's passion in the language
Between the muscle and the brain work
I like a tombstone cause it
weathers well
and if it stands or if it crumbles
only time will tell
if you carve my name in marble
you must cut it deep
there'll be no dancing on the gravestone
you must let me sleep
and time is burning burning burning
it burns away
I don't need to see the gates of
famous men
but I do try to see the kingdom
every now and then
if you ask me where it is it's on a
humble map
and I know that to enter in the doorway
show your handicap
and time is burning burning burning
Now the time has come to speak
I was not able
And water through a rusted pipe
Could make the sense that I do
Gurgle, mutter
Hiss, stutter
Moan the words like water
Rush and foam and choke
Having waited
This long of a winter
I fear I only
Croak and sigh
Somewhere deep within
Hear the creak
That lets the tale begin
Now the time has come to move
I was not able
Water through a rusted pipe
Could make the moves that I do
Stagger, stumble
Trip, fumble
I fear I only
Slip and slide
Somewhere deep within
Hear the creak
That lets the tale begin
Somewhere deep within
Hear the creak
It's a one time thing
It just happens
A lot
Walk with me
And we will see
What we have got
Ah...
My footsteps are ticking
Like water dripping from a tree
Walking a harline
And stepping very carefully
Ah...
My heart is broken
It is worn out at the knees
Hearing muffled
Seeing blind
Soon it will hit the Deep Freeze
And something is cracking
I don't know where
Ice on the sidewalk
Brittle braches
In the air
The sun
Is blinding
Dizzy golden, dancing green
Through the park in the afternoon
Wondering where the hell
I have been
Oh Mom, the dreams are not so bad
It's just that there's so much to do
And I'm tired of sleeping
Oh Mom, the old man is telling me something
His eyes are wide and his mouth is thin
And I just can't hear what he's saying
Oh Mom, I wonder when I'll be waking
It's just that there's so much to do
And I'm tired of sleeping
Oh Mom, the kids are playing in pennies
They're up to their knees in money
And the dirt of the churchyard steps
Oh Mom, that man he ripped out his lining
He tore out a piece of his body
To show us his "clean quilted heart"
Oh Mom, I wonder when I'll be waking
It's just that there's so much to do
And I'm tired of sleeping
Oh Mom, the bird on the string is hanging
Her bones are twisting and dancing
She's fighting for her small life
Oh Mom, I wonder when I'll be waking
It's just that there's so much to do
And I'm tired of sleeping
Oh Mom, I wonder when I'll be waking
It's just that there's so much to do
Those whole girls
Hurl down words
Run in packs
With bloom to spare
They know health
Know it well
Skim the cream
And fill the brim
Drip with news
Spin intact
Blaze and stun
And feel no lack
Breathe with ease
Need no mercy
Move in light
Run in grace
I am sitting
In the morning
At the diner
On the corner
I am waiting
At the counter
For the man
To pour the coffee
And he fills it
Only halfway
And before
I even argue
He is looking
Out the window
At somebody
Coming in
"It is always
Nice to see you"
Says the man
Behind the counter
To the woman
Who has come in
She is shaking
Her umbrella
And I look
The other way
As they are kissing
Their hellos
I'm pretending
Not to see them
Instead
I pour the milk
I open
Up the paper
There's a story
Of an actor
Who had died
While he was drinking
It was no one
I had heard of
And I'm turning
To the horoscope
And looking
For the funnies
When I'm feeling
Someone watching me
And so
I raise my head
There's a woman
On the outside
Looking inside
Does she see me?
No she does not
Really see me
Cause she sees
Her own reflection
And I'm trying
Not to notice
That she's hitching
Up her skirt
And while she's
Straightening her stockings
Her hair
Is getting wet
Oh, this rain
It will continue
Through the morning
As I'm listening
To the bells
Of the cathedral
I am thinking
Of your voice...
And of the midnight picnic
Once upon a time
Before the rain began...
I finish up my coffee
Soap and water
take the day from my hand
scrub the salt from my stinging skin
slip me loose of this wedding band
Soap and water
hang my heart on the line
scour it down in a wind of sand
bleach it clean to a vinegar shine
Daddy's a dark riddle
Mama's a headful of bees
you are my little kite
carried away in the wayward breeze
Soap and water
wash the year from my life
straighten all that we trampled and tore
heal the cut we call husband and wife
Daddy's a dark riddle
Mama's a handful of thorns
you are my little kite
caught up again in the household storms
Daddy's a dark riddle
Mama's a headful of bees
you are my little kite
If your love were taken from me
Every color would be black and white
It would be as flat as the world before Columbus
That's the day that I lose half my sight
If your life were taken from me
All the trees would freeze in this cold ground
It would be as cruel as the world before Columbus
Sail to the edge and I'd be there looking down
Those men who lust for land
And for riches strange and new
Who love those trinkets of desire
Oh they never will have you
And they'll never know the gold
Or the copper in your hair
How could they weigh the worth
Of you so rare
If your love were taken from me
Every light that's bright would soon go dim
It would be as dark as the world before Columbus
Down the waterfall and I'd swim over the brim
Those men who lust for land
And for riches strange and new
Who love those trinkets of desire
Oh they will never have you
And they'll never know the gold
Or the copper in your hair
How could they weigh the worth
I came out of the darkness
Holding one thing
A small white wooden horse
I'd been holding inside
And when I'm dead
If you could tell them this
That what was wood became alive
What was wood became alive
In the night the walls disappeared
In the day they returned
"I want to be a rider like my father"
Were the only words I could say
And when I'm dead
If you could tell them this
That what was wood became alive
What was wood became alive
Alive
And I fell under
A moving piece of sun
Freedom
I came out of the darkness
Holding one thing
I know I have a power
I am afraid I may be killed
But when I'm dead
If you could tell them this
That what was wood became alive
What was wood became alive
Consider me a widow, boys
and I will tell you why.
It's not the man, but it's the marriage
that was drowned.
So I walk the walk
and wait with watchful eye out to the sky,
Looking for a kind of vessel
I have never found.
Though I saw it splinter
I keep looking out to sea,
Like a dog with little sense,
I keep returning,
To the very area where
I did see the thing go down
as if there's something at the site
I should be learning.
That line is the horizon.
We watch the wind and set the sail,
but save ourselves when all omens
point to fail.
If I tell the truth
then I will have to tell you this
Though I grieve (and I believe
i feel it truly)
But I knew that ship was empty
by the time it hit the rocks,
we could not hold on
when fate became unruly.
So consider me a widow, boys,
and I have told you why.
Does the weather say
a better day is nearing?
I'll set my house in order now
and wait upon the Will
It's clear that I need
better skill in steering...
That line is the horizon.
We watch the wind and set the sail,
But save ourselves when all omens
I believe right now if I could
I would swallow you whole
I would leave only bones and teeth
We could see what was underneath
And you would be free then
Once I thought only tears could make us free
Salt wearing down to the bone
Like sand against the stone
Against the shoreline
I am friend to the undertow
I take you in, I don't let go
And now I have you
I wanted to learn all the secrets
From the edge of a knife
From the point of a needle
From a diamond
From a bullet in flight
I would be free then
I am friend to the undertow
I take you in, I don't let go
And now I have you
I wanted to see how it would feel
To be that sleek
And instead I find this hunger's
Made me weak
I believe right now if I could
I would swallow you whole
I would leave only bones and teeth
We could see what was underneath
And you would be free then
I am friend to the undertow
I take you in, I don't let go
And now I have you
I am friend to the undertow
I take you in, I don't let go
The soldier came knocking upon the queen's door
He said, "I am not fighting for you any more"
The queen knew she'd seen his face someplace before
And slowly she let him inside.
He said, "I've watched your palace up here on the hill
And I've wondered who's the woman for whom we all kill
But I am leaving tomorrow and you can do what you will
Only first I am asking you why."
Down in the long narrow hall he was led
Into her rooms with her tapestries red
And she never once took the crown from her head
She asked him there to sit down.
He said, "I see you now, and you are so very young
But I've seen more battles lost than I have battles won
And I've got this intuition, says it's all for your fun
And now will you tell me why?"
The young queen, she fixed him with an arrogant eye
She said, "You won't understand, and you may as well not try"
But her face was a child's, and he thought she would cry
But she closed herself up like a fan.
And she said, "I've swallowed a secret burning thread
It cuts me inside, and often I've bled"
He laid his hand then on top of her head
And he bowed her down to the ground.
"Tell me how hungry are you? How weak you must feel
As you are living here alone, and you are never revealed
But I won't march again on your battlefield"
And he took her to the window to see.
And the sun, it was gold, though the sky, it was gray
And she wanted more than she ever could say
But she knew how it frightened her, and she turned away
And would not look at his face again.
And he said, "I want to live as an honest man
To get all I deserve and to give all I can
And to love a young woman who I don't understand
Your highness, your ways are very strange."
But the crown, it had fallen, and she thought she would break
And she stood there, ashamed of the way her heart ached
She took him to the doorstep and she asked him to wait
She would only be a moment inside.
Out in the distance her order was heard
And the soldier was killed, still waiting for her word
And while the queen went on strangeling in the solitude she preferred
There's a sound
Across the alley
Of cold metal
Touching skin
And you can see
If you look in her window
That she has gone and cut
Her hair again
In straight lines
Straight lines
Those soft golden lights in the morning
Are now on her wooden floor
The wind has swept them through the apartment
She don't need them
Any more
Any more
Any more...
She's cut down
On her lovers
Though she still dreams
Of them at night
She's growing straight lines
Where once were flowers
She is streamlined
She is taking the shade down
From the light
To see the straight lines
Straight lines
She wants to cut through the circles
That she has lived in before
She wants to finally kill the delusions
She won't need them
Any more
Any more
Any more...
But there's a sound
Across the alley
Of cold metal
Too close to the bone
And you can see
If you look in her window
The face of a woman
Finally alone
Behind straight lines
call on that saint
and the candle that burns
keeping her safe
until her return
plaster and paint
holding the fire
a poor woman's saint
holding all man's desire
bold little bird
fly away home
could I but ride herd
on the wind and the foam
all of the souls
that curl by the fire
they never know
all man's desire
watercress clings
to the banks of the stream
in the first grip of spring
when the snow melts to green
barefoot and cold
and holding a lyre
by the side of the road
holding all man's desire
call on the saint
when the white candle burns
keeping her safe
The reproach in your daughter's most beautiful face
made me wonder just how she could know
of that something that happened between you and me
so much more than a long time ago
Her mother, I can see, lives within her still
cause she looked at me with her eyes
though I had only just met her right then
I feel that she peeled back my guilty disguise
Did i break the thread, or did you break the thread?
well at this point we could ask who cares
as for the promises broken and frayed
it's 19 years late for repairs
The grey pewter vase held the deep red rose,
one piece of coral shone white,
by the brass candlestick near your red velvet coat,
is everything I can recall of one night
Will you please tell me why I remember these things
after all of this time, I don't know
i must have left all those feelings inside
cause that year I had no courage to show
Was i the name you could never pronounce?
or did i even figure at all?
all of this happened before she was born
did i shadow her young pencil marks on the wall
Still i am sure i was only but one
of a number who darkened that door
of your home and your hearth and your family and wife
who'd been darkened so often before
Oh, the red leaf looks to the hard gray stone
to each other, they know what they mean
somewhere, their future is still yet to come
If I had met you on some journey
Where would we be now
If we had met some eastbound train
Through some black sleeping town
Would you have worn your silken robes
All made of royal blue?
Would I have dressed in smoke and fire
For you to see through?
If we had met in a darkened room
Where people do not stay
But shadows touch and pass right through
And never see the day
Would you have taken me upstairs
And turned the lamplight low?
Would I have shown my secret self
And disappeared like the snow?
Oh, I could have played your little girl
Or I could have played your wife
I could have played your mistress
Running danger down through you life
I could have played your lady fair
All dressed in lace like the foam from the sea
I could have been your woman of the road
As long as you did not come back home to me
But as it is, we live in the city
And everything stays in place
Instead we meet on the open sidewalk
And it's well I know your face
We talk and talk, we tell the truth
There are no shadows here
But when I look into your eyes
I wonder what might have been here
Because if I had met you on some journey
Black on the red and the red on the black.
It's a tic of a tired mind.
Come and sit down, won't you try your luck.
See if you unwind.
Never use your threes and twos.
Follow superstition.
Otherwise you are going to lose.
Compulsion makes you listen.
Take what's wrong, and make it go right.
Weave it like a prayer.
Wonder if you you'll spend the night?
Playing solitaire?
Do it again, when you find you're all done.
Like an idiot savant.
Shuffle up your luck. You see, you almost won.
Now wrestle down what you want.
Jack on the Queen, and the ten on the Jack.
It's a happy repetition.
You and your fate in a kind of check-mate.
And you are your only competition.
Take what's wrong, and make it go right.
Weave it like a prayer.
Wonder if you you'll spend the night?
Do you remember when you walked with me
Down the street into the square?
How the women selling rosemary
Pressed the branches to your chest
Promised luck and all the rest
Put their fingers in your hair?
I had met you just the day before
Like an accident of fate
In the window there behind your door
How I wanted to break in
To that room beneath your skin
But all that would have to wait
In the Carmen of the Martyrs
With the statues in the courtyard
Whose heads and hands were taken
In the burden of the sun
I had come to meet you
With a question in my footsteps
I was going up the hillside
And the journey just begun
My sister says she never dreams at night
There are days when I know why
Those possibilities within her sight
With no way of coming true
'Cause some things just don't get through
Into this world, although they try
In the Carmen of the Martyrs
With the statues in the courtyard
Whose heads and hands were taken
In the burden of the sun
I had come to meet you
With a question in my footsteps.
I was going up the hillside
And the journey just begun.
And all I know of you
Is in my memory
And all I ask is you
Somewhere in a room
With a poster on a wall
Of a man with his hand
In a fist
Is a woman who's drinking
And her dress is so tight
You can see every breath
That she takes
Every sigh, every sway
You can hear everything that they say
Something's begun like a war
Or a family or a friendship
Or a fast love affair
The man on the wall
Is his symbol of freedom
It means he has brothers
Who believe as he does
She is moved by
The thing that she sees in his face
Whe he talks of
The cause
Every sigh, every sway
You can hear everything that they say
Something's begun like a war
Or a family or a friendship
Or a fast love affair
She leans against him
Her dress is so red
They talk of the salt
And the truth and the bread
The night goes along
The fan goes around
In the room off the street
At the end of the town
Every sigh, every sway
You can hear everything that they say
Something's begun like a war
Or a family or a friendship
Excuse me
If I may
Turn your attention
My way
One moment
I won't plead
It isn't much
It's what I need
And what's so small to you
Is so large to me
If it's the last thing I do
I'll make you see
If you turn from me
You darken my sun
You snap that thin thread
I call my horizon
And I'd like to remind you
Of something small
That the rock in this pocket
Could cause your fall
And what's so small to you
Is so large to me
If it's the last thing I do
I'll make you see
So small to you
And so large to me
If its the last thing I do
I'll make you see
I might be out like a light
Extinguished in the throw
But I'll hit my mark
And you'll know
Because I'm really well acquainted
With the span of your brow
And if you didn't know me then
You'll know me now
You'll know me now
And what's so small to you
Is so large to me
If its the last thing I do
I'll make you see
So small to you
And so large to me
If it's the last thing I do
I'll make you see
Make you see
This line is burning
Turning to ash as it hits the air
Every step is a day in the week
It's a Sunday or Monday
A march over months of the year
This life is burning
Turning to ash as it hits the air
Every death is an end in the race
It's a stopping and starting
A march over millions of years
Travel. Arrival
Years of an inch and a step
Toward a source
I'm coming to you
I'll be there in time
This land is burning
Turning to ash as it hits the air
Every line is a place on a map
It's a city or valley
A mark on these miles of fields
Travel. Arrival
Years of an inch and a step
Toward a source
I'm coming to you
I'll be there in time
This line is burning
Turning to ash as it hits the air
Every step is a day in the week
It's a Wednesday or Thursday
A march over months of the year
Travel. Arrival
Years of an inch and a step
Toward a source
I'm coming to you
I'll be there in time
I'm coming to you
I'll be there in time
Take this
Mute mouth
Broken tongue.
Now this
Dark life
Once I stood alone so proud
held myself above the crowd
now i am low on the ground.
From here i look around to see
what avenues belong to me
I can't tell what ive found.
Now what would You have me do
i ask you please?
I wait to hear.
The mother, and the matador,
the mystic, all were here before,
like me, to stare You down.
You appear without a face,
disappear, but leave your trace,
i feel your unseen frown.
Now what would you have me do
I ask you please?
i wait to hear
your voice,
the word,
you say.
i wait to see your sign
would i
obey?
I look for you in heathered moor,
the desert, and the ocean floor
how low does one heart go.
looking for your fingerprints
i find them in coincidence,
and make my faith to grow.
Forgive me all my blindnesses
my weakness and unkindnesses
as yet unbending still.
struggling so hard to see
my fist against eternity
and will you break my will?
Now what would you have me do
i ask you please?
i wait to hear
your voice,
the word
you say
i wait
to see your sign
could i
Ante up. And don't be shy.
Who is that man who is catching my eye?
What's underneath all of the deadpan face?
Sitting so pretty with a criminal grace?
Lamebrain Pete wants to Spit in the Sea.
He's got a cool hand but it isn't for me.
Butcher Boy thinks he'll be splitting the pot.
But I've seen what he's got and it isn't a lot.
(When deuces are wild you can follow the queen.
I'd go too except I know where she's been.)
I'll see you, I'll call you, I'll raise you
But it's no cheap thrill
It will cost you, cost you, cost you
Anything you have to pay.
I limit the straddles, and you shuffle and deal.
When will the dealer reveal how he feels?
Is the lucky beginner just a five-card stud?
Is this winning streak going to be nipped in the bud?
I'll see you, I'll call you, I'll raise you
But it's no cheap thrill
It will cost you, cost you, cost you
Anything you have to pay.
I'll match you, I'll bet you, I'll play you,
But it's no cheap thrill
It will cost you, cost you, cost you
"We had our
Neighborhood girl, she
Used to hang out, in front of
McKinsey's Bar, and we were
Interested in her, and her
Clientele...
We just wonder where she's gone..."
"Oh she's gone?"
"Yes, she's gone, gone, gone."
"I think you know your
Neighborhood girl, she
Lives on my street, now, with
Eyes of ice
I've seen her in the morning, when she is
Walking in the sun
And I always thought that she
Looked kind of nice
She spoke to me once
At a party, I think
And I thought at the time
That she had had too much to drink, because she
Said to me, `There's a backbone gone
And I've got to get it back
Before going on...'
And your neighborhood girl
Seems to have resigned
She was looking out at people
From the back of her mind
And before she went off
She spoke to me again
She came up and said
`You have the eyes of a friend
And there's a razor's edge
That I have lost somewhere
And I would like it back
So if you've seen it anywhere...
I've been out for a while
But I'll be back in a bit
I am just walking through the smoke
Finding out if this is it
Because I've got this feeling
That things are going grey
And I'd like to hear a straight line
To help me find my way...'
I looked at her
And I did not know waht to say.
She had long black hair."
"Must be a different
Neighborhood girl, cause
Ours had blonde hair, in front of
McKinsey's Bar
And we were interested in her
And her
Clientele...
We just wonder where she's gone..."
"Oh she's gone?"
My favorite plum
hangs so far from me
See how it sleeps
and hear how it calls to me
See how the flesh
presses the skin,
It must be bursting
with secrets within,
I've seen the rest, yes
and that is the one for me
See how it shines
it will be so sweet
I've been so dry
it would make my heart complete
See how it lays
languid and slow
Never noticing
me here below
I've seen the best, yes
and that is the one for me
Maybe a girl will take it
Maybe a boy will steal it
Maybe a shake of the bough
will wake it and make it fall
My favorite plum
lies in wait for me
I'll be right here
longing endlessly
You'll say that I'm
foolish to trust
But it will be mine
and I know that it must
cause I've had the rest, yes
and that is the one for me
I've seen the best, yes
If you want me you can find me
Left of center off of the strip
In the outskirts and in the fringes
In the corner out of the grip
If you want me you can find me
Left of center off of the strip
In the outskirts and in the fringes
In the corner out of the grip
When they ask me, "What are you looking at?"
I always answer, "Nothing much, not much"
I think they know that, I'm looking at them
I think they think I must be out of touch
But I'm only in the outskirts and in the fringes
On the edge and off the avenue
And if you want me you can find me
Left of center wondering about you
I think that somehow, somewhere inside of us
We must be similar if not the same
So I continue to be wanting you
Left of center against the grain
And if you want me you can find me
Left of center off of the strip
In the outskirts and in the fringes
In the corner out of the grip
And when they ask me, "What are you looking at?"
I always answer, "Nothing much, not much"
I think they know that, I'm looking at them
I think they think I must be out of touch
But I'm only in the outskirts and in the fringes
On the edge and off the avenue
And if you want me you can find me
Left of center wondering about you
If you want me you can find me
Left of center wondering about you
If you want me you can find me
Left of center wondering about you
Wondering about you, wondering about you
If you want me you can find me
Left of center wondering about you
If you want me you can find me
Left of center wondering about you
If language were liquid
It would be rushing in
Instead here we are
In a silence more eloquent
Than any word could ever be
These words are too solid
They don't move fast enough
To catch the blur in the brain
That flies by and is gone
Gone
Gone
Gone
I'd like to meet you
In a timeless, placeless place
Somewhere out of context
And beyond all consequences
Let's go back to the building
(Words are too solid)
On Little West Twelfth
It is not far away
(They don't move fast enough)
And the river is there
And the sun and the spaces
Are all laying low
(To catch the blur in the brain)
And we'll sit in the silence
(That flies by and is)
That comes rushing in and is
Gone (Gone)
I won't use words again
They don't mean what I meant
They don't say what I said
They're just the crust of the meaning
With realms underneath
Never touched
Never stirred
Never even moved through
If language were liquid
It would be rushing in
Instead here we are
In a silence more eloquent
Than any word could ever be
And is gone
Gone
Gone
Watch while the queen
In one false move
Turns herself into a pawn
Sleepy and shaken
And watching while the blury night
Turns into a very clear dawn
Do you love any, do you love none,
Do you love many, can you love one,
Do you love me?
Do you love any, do you love none,
Do you love many, can you love one,
Do you love me?
One false move
And a secret prophecy
Well, if you hold it against her,
First hold it up and see
That it's one side stone
One side fire
Standing alone among all men's desire
They want to know
Do you love any, do you love none,
Do you love many, can you love one,
Do you love me?
Do you love any, do you love none,
Do you love many, can you love one,
Do you love me?
And if you wonder
What I am doing
As I am heading
For the sink
I am spitting out all the bitterness
Along with half of my last drink
I am thinking
Of your woman
Who is crying in the hall
It's like drinking gasoline
To quench a thirst
Until there's nothing there left at all
Do you love any, do you love none,
Do you love many, can you love one,
Do you love me?
Do you love any, do you love none,
Do you love many, can you love one,
Do you love me?
"Walk on the blind side"?
Was the answer to the joke
It's said there isn't a political bone
In her body
She would rather be a riddle
But she keeps challenging the future
With a profound lack of history
Do you love any, do you love none,
Do you love many, can you love one,
Do you love me?
Do you love any, do you love none,
Do you love many, can you love one,
Do you love me?
And watch while the queen
In one false move
Turns herself into a pawn
Sleepy and shaken
And watching while the blury night
Turns into a very clear dawn
In the ironbound section near Avenue L
where the Portuguese women come to see what you sell
the clouds so low the morning so slow
as the wires cut through the sky
The beams and bridges cut the light on the ground
into little triangles and the rails run round
through the rust and the heat
the light and sweet coffee color of her skin
Bound up in wire and fate
watching her walk him up to the gate
in front of the ironbound school yard.
Kids will grow like weeds on a fence
She says they look for the light they try to make sense.
They come up through the cracks
Like grass on the tracks
She touches him goodbye.
Steps off the curb and into the street
the blood and feathers near her feet
into the ironbound market
In the ironbound section near Avenue L
where the Portuguese women come to see what you sell
the clouds so low the morning so slow
as the wires cut through the sky
She stops at the stall
fingers the ring
opens her purse
feels a longing
away from the ironbound border
"Fancy poulty parts sold here.
Breasts and thighs and hearts.
Backs are cheap and wings are nearly free.
In Liverpool
On Sunday
No traffic
On the avenue
The light is pale and thin
Like you
No sound, down
In this part of town
Except for the boy in the belfry
He's crazy, he's throwing himself
Down from the top of the tower
Like a hunchback in heaven
He's ringing the bells in the church
For the last half an hour
He sounds like he's missing something
Or someone that he knows he can't
Have now and if he isn't
I certainly am
Homesick for a clock
That told the same time
sometimes you made no sense to me
if you lie on the ground
in somebody's arms
you'll probably swallow some of their history
And the boy in the belfry
He's crazy, he's throwing himself
Down from the top of the tower
Like a hunchback in heaven
He's ringing the bells in the church
For the last half an hour
He sounds like he's missing something
Or someone that he knows he can't
Have now and if he isn't
I certainly am
I'll be the girl who sings for my supper
You'll be the monk whose forehead is high
He'll be the man who's already working
Spreading a memory all through the sky
In Liverpool
On Sunday
No reason to even remember you now
Except for the boy in the belfry
He's crazy, he's throwing himself
Down from the top of the tower
Like a hunchback in heaven
He's ringing the bells in the church
For the last half an hour
He sounds like he's missing something
Or someone that he knows he can't
Have now and if he isn't
I certainly am
The sign said "Headshots"
And that was all,
A picture of a boy
And a number you could call,
Two eyes in the shade
A mouth so sad and small,
It's strange the way a shadow
Can fall across the wall,
And make the difference
In what you see
Ah...
He's just a poster, but
He's everywhere,
A face under a street lamp
Ripped and hanging in the air,
Turn the corner
And he's still there,
Watching all the people
Who are passing unaware,
Is there a judgement
In what he sees?
Ah...
On a day
As cold
And gray
As today...
The sign says "Headshots"
It's all I see,
A boy becomes a picture
Of guilt and sympathy,
And so I think of you
In memory
Of the days we were together,
And I knew that you loved me
That was the difference
In what we see,
But that's history...
i dreamed you were a rich man
and that i had no place to go
i came to you to see if you would take me in
through golden curtains you told me you'd let me know.
well, you drink for ten and you smoke for twenty
and your fickle heart will never be true
but still i feel the wind in from the harbor
thats when i know the longing for you
when i know the old longing for you.
i saw you in my mind's eye
you were laid out on your final day
i stood in line to see that handsome face once more
it had been so dear to me, and i kissed you as you lay
you were so dear, i kissed you as you lay.
now, whenever i do travel
if to portugal, england, or spain
as i do walk by the shipyards and the harbors
i smell the salt, and the bay rum of your ghost again
You come from far away
With pictures in your eyes
Of coffeeshops and morning streets
In the blue and silent sunrise
But night is the cathedral
Where we recognized the sign
We strangers know each other now
As part of the whole design
Oh, hold me like a baby
That will not fall asleep
Curl me up inside you
And let me hear you through the heat
You are the jester of this courtyard
With a smile like a girl's
Distracted by the women
With the dimples and the curls
By the pretty and the mischievous
By the timid and the blessed
By the blowing skirts of ladies
Who promise to gather you to their breast
Oh, hold me like a baby...
You have hands of raining water
And that earring in your ear
The wisdom on your face
Denies the number of your years
With the fingers of the potter
And the laughing tale of the fool
The arranger of disorder
With your strange and simple rules
Yes now I've met me another spinner
Of strange and gauzy threads
With a long and slender body
And a bump upon the head
Oh, hold me like a baby...
With a long and slender body
And the sweetest softest hands
And we'll blow away forever soon
And go on to different lands
And please do not ever look for me
But with me you will stay
And you will hear yourself in song
Blowing by one day
I stand in a wide flat land
No shadow or shade of a doubt
Whore the megaphone man
Met the girl with her hand that's
Covering most of her mouth
Fall in love with a bright idea
And the way a world is revealed to you
Fat man and dancing girl
And most of the show is concealed from view
Monkey in the middle
Keeps singing that tune
I don't want to hear it
Get rid of it soon
MC on the stage tonight
Is a man named Billy Purl
He's The International Fun Boy
And he knows the worth of beautiful girl
Stand on the tightrope
Never dreamed I would fall
Monkey in the middle
Keeps doing that trick
It's making me nervous
Get rid of it quick
I stand in a wide flat land
No shadow or shade of a doubt
Where the megaphone man
Met the girl with her hand
That's covering most of her mouth
Does she tell the truth?
Does she hide the lie?
Does she say it so no one can know?
Fat man and the dancing girl
And it's all part of the show
Stand on the tightrope
Never dreamed I could fall
Monkey in the middle
Keeps singing that tune
I don't want to hear it
Get rid of it soon
Monkey in the middle
Keeps doing that trick
It's making me nervous
(Slug)
I was sitting at the stoplight
In my car rolled down the windows
When this driver pulled on side of me
And offered me some indo
I told her that I didnt smoke
But I thanked her for the offer
I thought I might just ask her name
Instead I made a left
(Murs)
On 3rd and La Cienega
Can't front I was into her
She offered me a blunt
Damn I wish I smoked Indica
Cause I'll remember her
From the center of Beverly, she was heavenly
Still on my mind from a while back
She had a smile that shook the clouds off the sun
A set of lovely lips made me fumble my tongue
Hair up in a bun, up under a cap
She was a down low beauty, see I like 'em like that
She kept it on the low, but high enough to see
She made me feel special, like she did it all for me
Not much up top, I would say about a B
Her pants hugged her frame, made me want to know her name
But I've never been the type to step up and spit game
In a mall full of women that were begging for attention
Fake eyes, fake tits, fake hair extensions
She walked through my dreams
Then she cut through the seams
(Slug)
My name is Sluggo
I live on the 7th floor
I live upstairs from you
I'm the one you try to ignore
If you hear music late at night
Some kind of party
Some kind of life
Just dont call the cops on me
Girl come up stairs and talk to me
She got the facial pierceing
Half done sleeve work
Change cashed in, reaction knee-jerk
Drama control functional alcholic
The barbie doll skirt
Professional flirt
She go chama, chama, chama
Chameleon hair color
Machete pesonality, carry a pair cutter
Talk a lot of shit
Walk like an egyptian
Loves to sleep with no favorite position
Bout 5'6, nice lips
Make her life hips
Tough soul, she fuck slow but fight quick
Eyeball daggers, walk with a swagger
I know you got troubles but it don't really matter
From what I gather
We should verse
Let's place bets to see who's gonna move first
Leisurely come speak to me
See life is like a song can you keep the beat
It goes
(Slug & Murs)
Duh duh duh da duh da
Duh duh duh da duh da
Duh duh duh da duh da
Duh duh duh da duh da
Duh duh duh da duh da
Duh duh duh da duh da
Duh duh duh da duh da
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