John Gorka (born 1958) is a contemporary American folk musician. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine called him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement."
Gorka received his first guitar as a Christmas gift, though Gorka alleges that his older brother stole it from him shortly thereafter. He eventually learned, instead, to play the banjo, and began performing in a folk music group at his church.
Gorka attended Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and joined the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band which would also include guitarist Richard Shindell. He later began performing solo at the Godfrey Daniels coffee house as the opening act for various musicians who toured there. These included Nanci Griffith, Bill Morrissey, Claudia Schmidt and Jack Hardy.
In 1984, Gorka took first place at the Kerrville Folk Festival. Since then he has toured with artists such as Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, Michael Manring, Christine Lavin, Dave Van Ronk, Cliff Eberhardt, David Massengill, Frank Christian and Lucy Kaplansky.
(Chorus)
B.B. King was wrong the thrill it isn't gone
The thrill it is here it is now it is strong
The thrill it isn't gone
That means B.B.King was wrong
Now I'm not gonna be the one to tell him
No I'm not gonna be around
I'm living happily just my baby and me
Since my baby put the B.B. down
And it's not the way you hear him tell it
Cause she never did nobody wrong
I have no blues today cause he drove her my way
Just so he could put it in a song
(Chorus)
Oh the man can really play like no one else sir
And man he's got a lot of soul
But if he loved his women liked he loves Lucille
They would never leave the man alone
And the good earth shook the day that Jesus was reborn
In Anchorage, March 27th, 1964
When He came back this time though it was as a baby
girl
Her parents said Her mission was the same, to save the
world
God looked down and said, oh the times they were
a'changing
I will send my only daughter as soon as I complete the
staging
All the land shook and rolled and split, there was no
warning
Except Gabriel told the mom She'd arrive Good Friday
morning
And so it came to pass that Her parents called Her Zuly
A bright and happy child, also willful and unruly
The birds would come and visit Her, they wished they
could take Her with them
Then they left their roosts for winter, She would
always miss them
Zuly won a scholarship though classes mostly bored her
She loved the other students though and the teachers
all adored her
"We learned more from Her" they said, "than we could
ever teach Her
But there were times when we just could not reach Her"
She said we are here to love each other, that is all
And organized religion that's comparatively small
Not that I don't love all those so-called holy ones
But why are there so few daughters among the leaders of
My sons?
Now She runs a charter boat in Resurrection Bay
She takes tourists to see the wild creatures every
summers day
In fall She teaches bush kids at the boarding school in
Sitka
On those long December nights She is the light of
If not us, not them
If not now, then when?
If not here, nor there
If not this world
Then where?
If not us, not them
If not now, then when?
If not here, nor there
If not this world
Then where?
If not us, not them
If not now, then when?
If not here, nor there
If not this world
I walk where the bottles break
And the blacktop still comes back for more
I walk where the bottles break
And the blacktop still comes back
I live where the neighbors yell
And their music comes up through the floor
I live where the neighbors yell
And their music wakes me up
Life beyond the playground fence
Is serious as basketball
Life beyond the playground fence
Is serious
Four blocks from the steel mill blasts
I paint my claim up on the wall
Four blocks from the steel mill blasts
I paint my claim
From my end of the southside drag
It's a common thought to call the cops
Further west it's been gentrified
They turned biker bars into flower shops
I kind of miss those Harley guys
Who rarely did a body harm
They mostly liked to drink and shout
And flash the pictures on their arms
It happens when the money come
The wild and poor get pushed aside
It happens when the money come
The poor get pushed
The buyers come from somewhere else
And raise the rent so you can't hide
The buyers come from out of state
And they raise the rent
Buy low sell high
You get rich and you still die
Money talks and people jump
Ask how high low-life Donald what's-his-name
And who cares
I don't wanna know what his girlfriend doesn't wear
It's a shame that the people at work
Wanna hear about this kind of jerk
These people aren't saints
No people just are
They wanna feel like they count
They wanna ride in their own car
People aren't saints
No people just are
They wanna feel like they count
They wanna ride in their own car
I just wanna make enough
To buy this town and keep it rough
I just wanna make enough
To buy this town
Buy low sell high
You get rich and you still die
Money talks and people jump
Ask how high low-life Donald what's-his-name
I walk where the bottles break
And the blacktop still comes back for more
I walk where the bottles break
And the blacktop still comes back
I live where the neighbors yell
And their music comes up through the floor
I live where the neighbors yell
And their music wakes me up
Life beyond the playground fence
Is serious as basketball
Life beyond the playground fence
If she loved me for my money
I would have no love at all
If she loved me for the car I drive
Our love would surely stall
Chorus:
But that's not the way it is
That's not the way it is
That's not the way it is
When she kisses me
She don't need sophistication
Or no European airs
She don't want a man who's half a man
To tell her that he cares
Chorus
Bridge:
When she kisses me I don't want nothin'
When she kisses me I just don't care
What cares are there
She don't love me 'cause I'm happy
No it's the other way around
And I don't know if it's so
He looks like an angel when he's sleeping
There's a little piece of heaven where he lies
He looks like an angel when he's sleeping
But he looks like Charles Bronson when he cries
He looks like Charles Bronson when he's crying
He doesn't have a mustache but he's trying
When he's content he's like a present sent from paradise
But he looks like Charles Bronson when he cries
He looks like Charles Bronson
He once went to Wisconsin
But he looks like Charles Bronson when he cries
There's a party down at Kale's
Vinnie Charles is out of jail again
His ex's will be there
And his daughter Nida has bought him an easy chair
He kicked the cocaine in the can
An eightball a day is not cheap for any man
His street clothes have all shrunk in size
But most of the weight that is gained was in his eyes
Most of the weight that is gained was in his eyes
He did nine of a possible twelve
He still says he didn't know what the package held
He still says he didn't know
Just a favor for a friend
But big Buddy Cara left him to swing in the wind
Big Buddy Cara left him to swing in the wind
He made it through Mexico
The car threw a rod below San Diego
A copper pulled over to help
But poor Vinnie's poker face could not control itself
He was always a likeable guy
The women passed under him as if he could fly
The women passed under him as if he could fly
Three more years on parole
Time will tell how much the time inside took it's toll
Time will tell how much the time inside took it's toll
"There's two things I know well" he says
"The ways that I hurt and all of the ways to hell"
"The ways that I hurt and all of the ways to hell"
Vinnie Charles is free
Vinnie Charles is out of the pen
Vinnie Charles is free for now
Mightier than the sword (and then)
Vinnie Charles is free
They dropped a dime on the girl in the parking lot
Who was looking for a man of steel
Who would fill up her nights with forget-me-nots
And a dream no one else could reveal
Her new man said to meet him at eight
She came in dressed to the nines
But by ten it was clear he was more than late
And she just wouldn't take it this time
The bartender said she had had enough
That he'd call a cab to take her somewhere
But she wasn't a stranger to loneliness
She had grown up and spent her life there
Chorus:
Up until then, up until then
It happened over and over again
Up until then, up until then, up until then
Well practice had increased her tolerance
She had hardly eaten all day
She was all hyped up on her new romance
But she drank in the usual way
She stepped out to breathe and to dry her eyes
To check her machine just in case
He had called to excuse or apologize
When she saw his unpenitent face
He approached with a girl she had seen before
A bimbo up from Raspberry Street
Whe he saw her he laughed and so did the whore
They dropped a ten dollar bill at her feet
Chorus
She was small he was tall but she blocked his path
She explained in unprintable words
The reason she seized him so full of wrath
That more than half of the neighborhood heard
She sprayed him with mace from her pocketbook
And then kicked in his personal zones
Her high heels would ruin his perfect looks
She left a couple of unbroken bones
Well the bimbo she ran in to get the cops
But the owner had called from the bar
It took two cars with dogs just to make her stop
I'm told that's how some women are
Chorus
They dropped a dime on the girl in the parking lot
But she would suffer in no permanent way
She spent 30 nights on a County cot
And she's regarded with fear 'till this day
Up until then, but never again
It happened over and over again
Up until then, up until then, up until then
Now she's tending bar where the Pagans used to meet
I went off in the cruel word like a gun in a crowded
room
I went off in the cruel word like a gun in a crowded
room
It was through all these crude soldiers I learned to
howl at the moon
I spread my seed like a farm boy, I shined my light
like a lamp
I spread my seed like a farm boy, I shined my light
like a lamp
I didn't know where I was going, no one was calling me
champ
They didn't get what I was meaning, till I stopped
meaning too much
They didn't get what I was meaning, till I stopped
meaning too much
They didn't know that I was dreaming, till I was cold
to the touch
You know I slept through the whole night, when I slept
next to her
I said I slept through the whole night, when I slept
next to her
I would have stayed there forever, 'cause no one knew
who we were
I folded into her shoulder, I dreamed of missing a
train
I folded into her shoulder, I dreamed of missing a
train
Then all my thoughtless behavior brought me this way
again
Soon all my thoughtless behavior brought me this way
Youve long been on the open road
Youve been sleepin in the rain
From dirty words and muddy cells
Youre clothes are soiled and stained
But the dirty words, the mud of cells
Will soon be judged insane
So only stop and rest yourself
And youll be off again
Oh take off your thirsty boots
And stay for awhile
Your feet are hard and weary
From a dusty mile
And maybe I can make you laugh
And maybe I can try
Lookin for the evening
And the morning in your eyes
Then tell me of the ones you saw
As far as you could see
Across the plains from field to town
Marchin to be free
And of the rusted prison gates
That tumbled by degree
Like laughing children one by one
They look like you and me
So take off your thirsty boots
And stay for awhile
Your feet are hard and weary
From a dusty mile
And maybe I can make you laugh
And maybe I can try
Just lookin for the evening
And the morning in your eyes
I know you are no stranger now
A crooked rainbow trail
From dancing cliffheads shattered sills
To slander shackled jails
Where the voices drift up from below
Its walls are being scaled
Yes, all of this, and more my friend
The water is wide, I cannot get oer
Neither have I wings to fly
Give me a boat that can carry two
And both shall row, my love and I
A ship there is and she sails the sea
She's loaded deep as deep can be
But not so deep as the love I'm in
I know not if I sink or swim
I leaned my back against an oak
Thinking it was a trusty tree
But first it bent and then it broke
So did my love prove false to me
I reached my finger into some soft bush
Thinking the fairest flower to find
I pricked my finger to the bone
And left the fairest flower behind
Oh love be handsome and love be kind
Gay as a jewel when first it is new
But love grows old and waxes cold
And fades away like the morning dew
Must I go bound while you go free
Must I love a man who doesn't love me
Must I be born with so little art
As to love a man who'll break my heart
When cockle shells turn silver bells
Then will my love come back to me
When roses bloom in winter's gloom
There is nothing in my head today
Nothing awful there to ponder or confuse me
Go ahead in what you have to say
And I will listen as I listen to the news
I know the whole truth there is horrible
It's better if you take a little at a time
Too much and you are not portable
Not enough and you'll be making happy rhymes
Chorus
You might like the gypsy life
You judge your progress by the phases of the moon
Get your compass and your sharpest knife
People love you when they know you're leaving
Soon
If you choose to settle in one place
You may be harder over on the ones you love
Like a tree without the growing space
You will be taking from below and from above
Chorus:
There is nothing in my head today
I'll cross the river people as I cross my heart
The pigeon bridges are a place to stay
Jamie ran aground out in Ohio
Wife left for the great unknown
He says he's gonna take to the high road
She will find a place alone
He says he just could not make her happy
That he never tried so hard before
He'd wake up first and make the coffee
Now the mornings were like war
There's a barroom for every way the wind blows
And a harness for every mother's son
You pull your own weight or else it pulls you
It gets harder the longer that you run
Jamie's from the last great breed of roadmen
Woody, Jack, and Kerouac and such
But here was a woman he would die for
Beauty no road could ever touch
The town was nearly famous for the glassworks
The factory where they made hoods for the klan
There's a football hall of famer in the phonebook
There's only trouble for an empty man
There's a barroom for every way the wind blows
And temptation in every substance known
You pull your own weight or else it pulls you
It gets harder the older that you've grown
At home in the harley-ridden poolhalls
I guess it's best they never had those kids
Closer to the outlaws then the in-laws
They said Jamie's heart don't break but I know it did
They said Jamie's heart don't break but I know it did
He will find some refuge in his music
And a long shot that they will reconcile
The meantime is a mean time and he knows it
Til the day he's back upon the pile
Now there's headlights heading from Ohio
And there's teardrops saltier than rain
There's taillights to tell a tale still tender
And a cold wind blowing through the night
He was born a man, he died a myth
The man part left and the rest stayed with
One part vision one part dream
Partly mirror and partly screen
That's why, why they say he never died
The fat man's gone the thin one stayed
Still flashy in that gold lame
Lick his back and press him down
Mail him to another town
That's why, why they say he never died
Things got hot in the styles he mixed
Did you see him move in '56
Gun smoke over the Sullivan show
Shot waist up from Tupelo
The Colonel's army took the soul
That went by the name of King Creole
And he's gone gone gone
He's left this life, he's left this stage
He's left the building but not the age
We asked too much we took his best
Couldn't let him live, can't let him rest
That's why, why they say he never died
It's America's own strange disease
How we merchandise our tragedies
If I invoke his name in vain
Then too I share in all the blame
I worked at a place
Where the bands came through
Some of them rang false
And some rang true
I'd stick around
After they played
To see how legends are made
There's just a few
That stand out in my mind
Some of them still roll
And some are lost to the grind
Now you ask me
Of the special ones
And where all the legends have gone
There was a man
Who came from north of here
He could raise his voice
And he could raise a beer
And when he left
The music stayed
And that's how legends are made
It suprised us to see
Just how high he stood
It was hard to believe
Someone could sing that good
We shared more gold
Then any band was paid
And that's how legends are made
So long, it was nice meeting you
But how do you get back
To Route 22
From Here
The band was a bass man
And a brother on lead
There was no more
'Cause there was no need
So fine to see
What they could give
'Cause legends call us to live
They came in high
And they came in low
Worn by the miles
And fresh from home
Hard work, magic
Then some tragic end
And so a legend begins
You know I work all day for money
And I fight all night for love
I'm somewhere between what I've got
And baby what I'm dreaming of
You know that bees they go for honey
And the grapes they go for wine
I did too until I tasted you
And then I nearly lost my mind
Talk about love
Talk about love
Talk about love
Talk about love
You know I live down by the highway
And the cars roll by all night
While I ask the stars where the hell you are
And baby if you're still alright
Talk about love
Talk about love
Talk about love
Talk about love
Talk about love
Talk about love
Talk about love
Talk about love
I used to run downtown to meet you
I used to love to watch you walk
You used to picture me beside you
But now I'm down outlined in chalk
Talk about love
Talk about love
Talk about love
I've seen the light, oh the light I've seen
I've seen the light of St. Caffeine
Of other drugs, I am clean
I pray to you, St. Caffeine
Yes, I am a legal fiend
It's my high in the mean routine
Cola nut or coffee bean
I pray to you, St. Caffeine
I stayed away as a teen
When hormones filled up my jeans
Ever since my sleep got lean
I took to you, St. Caffeine
You help me through the morn-ing
Help me into the afternoon
Being calm is bor-ing
I'd be snoring without you
I wear your ring around my cup
I pour you down, I drink you up
When I am running out of steam
Maybe I won't make much of a difference
And all I do won't make a hill of beans
I can't bestow riches on my children
Unless I can show what love and kindness mean
If you believe what's right is right
Then you will always have to fight
I guess I am a soldier after all
I guess I am a soldier after all
So I go to work every morning
Knowing I will never have it made
Some months I go paycheck to pawnshop
I wish I could say at least then the bills are paid
It takes care to keep what you hold precious
There isn't much of which you can be sure
And if you want some changes for the better
Then you will have to fight even more
'Cause it'S a world
Where you're still judged by your cover
The money you don't make, your skin, your lover
Your lover
So maybe I won't make much of a difference
But that doesn't mean that I'm not gonna try
Cause every day you love someone is better
And I'm not gonna let that chance pass me by
No I'm not gonna let that chance pass me by
If you believe what's right
Then you will always have to fight
I guess I am a soldier after all
I don't want to leave the lights of the town
So I drive to the edge and I turn it around
The sheriff's car eyes me like I'm some sort of fiend
But the only thing I'm guilty of is burning gasoline
I drive to the south gate and I drive to the east
The new owners only kept the young employees
My wife doesn't mind that I drive late at night
'cause I don't come home drunk and I never want to fight
I went down to Metro and pawned both my guns
So I wouldn't be tempted by either of them
I've got the tire tread to measure the loss
But I wonder how I'd feel if just once I punched my boss
Just punched his face in once
But that little punk would have put me in stir
And we'd never get back to the fine thing we were
In Silvertown, right here in Silvertown
I pass by the lights of casinos and bars
I can always find work if I want to deal cards
If I worked for myself then I'd write my own check
There'd be nobody there to breathe down my back
Like in Silvertown
The old owners lied as to what was in store
Silvertown runs on a promise like this and no more
The tourists gamble while the real people work to save
I met her in the summertime
When her arms
Were the color of silence
So blue her eyes
A new horizon
And I walked that way
And I talked that way too
And I found my way through
To her silence
Whoa
To her silence
My heart was full of bitterness
So dark and so close to violence
The ace of spades
Turned upside down
Nothing beat in my hopeless chest
I could not detect a sound
But she would not let me rest
Bound to my silence
Whoa
Bound to my silence
Love came unexpectedly
Late to the bill
An added attraction
The way it goes
The way it stays
And when she is far away
Still I feel her here
Every since she made the day
And the lonely man disappear
Into that silence
Whoa
So I wonder how she's doing
I hate it when the rumors fly
They give off such a strange sense of mission
Wing your helplessness on high
But she would never run from strangers
She sang alone like a bell will toll
Way above the clang and the clatter
Out of fear of her demon soul
Maybe none of this is my business
And none of what I hear is true
I am far from the mint condition
Circulation's hard on you
Chorus:
Hold tight, hang tough
Love's not enough
To keep you off that stuff
To save you...(2X)...to save you now
He could always find the holes in the bottles
Even with a blindfold on
Never kept his seat on the wagon
Rolling off like a rolling stone
Blue chalk between his fingers
Hustling a poolroom song
He always kept a line for the singer
Pointing his cue right from wrong
Chorus
I just want to get a little bit out of my head
I just want to get a little bit out of my head
What I want is what I said, get a little bit outside of my head
I just want to get a little bit out of my head
I want to get a couple hundred miles from here
I want to get a couple hundred miles from here
I've hung my hat in disgrace, now I just want to get out of this place
I want to get a couple hundred miles from here
I want to have a party tonight
Get a little wild at a party tonight
Get my head to the level of a flying kite
Or be digging in the garden of delight
I want to have a party tonight
Want to make a new story in the glory of the morning light
Want to make a new story in the glory of the morning light
Beat back sorrow for a little while
Do it again with a little more style
Make a new story in the glory of the morning light
Want to ride on the river till the river takes my cares away
Want to ride on the river till the river takes my cares away
Want to ride on the river till the river runs dry
Or I grow wings and learn to fly
Want to ride on the river till the river takes my cares away
Want to make a new story in the glory of the morning light
Want to make a new story in the glory of the morning light
Beat back sorrow for a little while
Do it again with a little more style
Make a new story in the glory of the morning light
Want to ride on the river till the river takes my cares away
Want to ride on the river till the river takes my cares away
Want to ride on the river till the river runs dry
Or I grow wings and learn to fly
Want to ride on the river till the river takes my cares away
They talk of getting out of the valley
out of the valley here below
maybe ride the river and run off
'cause there's no place left to go
They talk of taking the sunshine
taking their bright eyes away
maybe make a move for the big time
watch it get harder every day
They're told by the same empty faces
talk like dreams don't get you far
maybe make it over the mountains
but you'll never make it in that car
They talk of getting out of the valley
you're set to make yourself a name
quit, come back soon and you'll marry
part of your fortune to your shame
Ambition lights their cigarettes
if they get out they don't look back
it's ten deserve and one who gets
so drink too much and dress in black
You listen in the bars and the alleys
you hear the fear under their voice
no one out there owes you a living
no one here here gives you any choice
They talk of getting out of the valley
and for some it's not too late
you need a meanness to carry on
cast the master of your fate
Until long after it matters
you don't know if you're good enough
you can bet your dreams will be battered
so just go after what you love
They talk of getting out of town
this little city made of steel
take a giant step and don't look down
because i do know how you feel
They talk of getting out of the valley
out of the valley here below
maybe ride the river and run off
Hey bud is that your sister or is it that she can't see
so good?
I've been all around this world and I've never
understood
What makes a woman love, what makes somebody care
There ought to be some logic but I don't see any there
Do you have a lot of money or some hidden attribute?
Can't she face the obvious her problem is acute
'Cause you don't know how to dress, you've got that
goofy little walk
Your girlfriend needs a raincoat 'cause you sputter
when you talk
I've boned up on my history
And it's still a mystery
Mister, it's a mystery to me
Maybe she's a saint who took some pity on your soul
She had too much compassion then just went out of
control
Now you're walking hand in hand, I would have said no
I do believe in miracles, 'cause I've seen one today
Chorus
Does she have a judgement problem
Or maybe lose some kind of bet
Contract some strange affliction
Doctors haven't conquered yet
What makes somebody love, what makes a body care
There ought to be some logic but I don't see any there
I didn't know where to look for you last night
I didn't know where to find you
I didn't know how I could touch that light
That's always gathering behind you
I didn't know that I would find a way
To find you in the morning
But love can pull you out of yesterday
As it takes you without warning
I want to be a long time friend to you
I want to be a long time known
Not one of your memory's used-to-bes
A summer's fading song
Chorus: It's from me, it's to you
For your eyes
It's a weight, a wonder that is wise
I am here, you are there
Love is our cross to bear
I know I'll think of us upon that hill
With the golden moon arising
And the stars will fall around us still
While the love is realizing
And so it is until we meet again
And I throw my arms around you
You can count the gray hairs in my head
I'll still be thankful that I found you
I never cared about the car I'd drive
Or the room I'd sleep or the bus I'd drive
Just as long as I could get somewhere
And not get hurt I could breathe out there
I knew I could be free out there...could be me
I never cared about the word prestige
About no inside track or no noblesse oblige
Just as long as I could pay my way
And pull my weight and say my say
As long as I could pay my way...I could say
Bridge:
I never had no plans just dreams and vague directions
Of how I would make my stand in the house of
corrections
Now I'm a man at last I see that everything is changing
And if you wanna hold on fast the future needs
arranging
Chorus:
Now I'm looking forward to you
Now I'm looking forward to you
My former view was backward
My backward view was blue
Now I'm looking forward to you
Love had a weight designed to bring me down
My hands would sweat and my heart would pound
Now I've learned it and I've turned around
And I hanker for that anchor sound
I hanker for that anchor sound
Once designed to bring me down
I know you've had it hard
I know, I know
By now we all have scars
That we could show
Have you been waiting so long
That you made up your mind
To look the other way
Afraid of what you'll find?
But nobody knows for certain
What nobody knows can't hurt them
So try to hold that smile
Believable denial
Look the other way
Everybody has something to lose
Your choices take a toll
You can't choose
Your true colors showing
You have crossed a line
Your silver tongue is tin
I can't listen to you spin
To help you ease your mind
But nobody knows for certain
What nobody knows can't hurt them
So try to hold that smile
Be over in awhile
Look the other way
We have so much in common
So much that should unite us
But everytime we look up
There's somebody new to divide us
Separate and conquer
All for the touch of Midas
And it's a lonely rancor
Pour on a few to incite us
Still the sun is gonna shine
Join the growing line
Look the other way
It's really nothing new
Just be glad it wasn't you
Smokey the bear said only you can...
Lightning said Smokey that's not true
Though sometimes I can't help myself
You know I strike at will, it's nothing personal
Chorus
I'm just trying to get close enough
To see the face of love
To be in the face of love
One combination still impresses
Women, wind and summer dresses
Meet me underneath that hollow tree
I hope you don't mind if thunder follows me
Chorus
There's Franklin's kite and Franklin's key
And Frankenstein they owe a debt to me
I've lit them up I've knocked them down
I've put them early underground
Chorus
There are bolts for them out of the blue
Volts for us we'll hit the heights for you
I come by cloud, I come by storm
When the pressure drops, when cool meets warm
Chorus
One combination still impresses
Women, wind and summer dresses
Meet me underneath that hollow tree
Hope you don't mind if thunder follows me
"Let Them In was made into song by John Gorka from a
poem found in a hospital in the Philippines during
World War II. The nurse that found the poem kept it all
these years until the recent war brought out all the
memorabilia. Luckily, her daughter sent a copy to John"
Let them in, Peter
They are very tired
Give them couches where the angels sleep
And light those fires
Let them wake whole again
To brand new dawns
Fired by the sun not wartime's
Bloody guns
May their peace be deep
Remember where the broken bodies lie
God knows how young they were
To have to die
God knows how young they were
To have to die
So give them things they like
Let them make some noise
Give dance hall bands not golden harps
To these our boys
And let them love, Peter
For they've had no time
They should have trees and bird songs
And hills to climb
The taste of summer in a ripened pear
And girls sweet as meadow wind
With flowing hair
And tell them how they are missed
But say not to fear
It's gonna be alright
With us down here
Let them in, Peter
Let them in, Peter
I will lay me down for her
I will lay me down
Leaning on the evening star
Turn it towards the dawn
Part holds on tide like a sail
Part flies on a lone
There is nowhere else to go
Now that summer's gone
I can't tell where I let off
And where she begins
So you won't know which one you see
Whenever I walk in
We have been for way too long
Separate and alone
Together we must place our time
I am coming home
Beat and broken
I arrive
Pieces all around
A careful eye assembles me
Before she takes me down
Down
I will lay me down for her
I will lay me down
Leaning on the evening star
Turn it towards the dawn
Together we'll begin the fall
Autumn and beyond
We'll steal and burn the chilly nights
Now that summer's gone
Now that summer's gone
Jack's crows are loud in the morning
They're critical of other birds
Farmers don't appreciate 'em
Though they don't say it in so many words
Jack's crows Jack's crows
Where everybody's from
And nobody goes
That's where you're gonna find Jack's crows
Jack's crows have a bad reputation
Some of them are known as thieves
They're involved in strange celebrations
And magic on All Hallow's Eve
Jack's crows Jack's crows
Where everybody's from
And nobody goes
That's where you're gonna find Jack's crows
Jack's crows are all very ancient
No relation to the crows of Jim
Jim was driven to the shadows
But now you're seeing more of him
With Jack's crows Jack's crows
Where everybody's from
And nobody goes
That's where you're gonna find Jack's crows
Jack's crows are in for a murder
A murder is a gathering
Some watch some go a little further
Some eat what the others bring
To Jack's crows Jack's crows
Where everybody's from
And nobody goes
I used to fall for Italian girls
They filled my dreams, they made my world
If I had moved less awkwardly
They might have had their way with me
The longer names, the darker hair
They made me weak, they made me stare
I couldn't say a word to them
Their figures so full of vitamins
I wasn't cool, I wasn't bad
I was the only one I ever had
And they posessed the world's delights
Espresso mornings, lasagna nights
(Chorus)
Oh, the Italian girls
The Italian girls
They made my world
They were strong and they were proud
Some were sweet and some were loud
They'd fill me up with what they'd cook
And put me down with just one look
I followed them through summertime
I made them laugh, I made them rhymes
But they left me there for other ones
Who had the dough when day was done
Just one thing keep me free
They were not in love with me
Now they've married and gained some weight
But that weight I appreciate
For it's the work of all those meals
And what you eat is what you feel
(Chorus)
For the Italian girls
The Italian girls
They made my world
I used to fall for Italian girls
They filled my dreams, they made my world
But passion dies and fades away
I'm from New Jersey
I don't expect too much
If the world ended today
I would adjust
I'm from New Jersey
No I don't talk that way
I watched too much TV
When I was young
I'm from New Jersey
My mom's Italian
I've read those mafia books
We don't belong
There are girls from New Jersey
Who have that great big hair
They're found in shopping malls
I will take you there
I'm from New Jersey
It's not like Texas
There is no mystery
I can't pretend
I'm from New Jersey
It's like Ohio
But even more so
Imagine that
I know which exit
And where I'm bound
The tolls on the parkway
They will slow you down
New Jersey people
They will suprise you
Cause they're not expected
To do too much
They will try harder
They may go further
Cause they never think
That they are good enough
I'm from New Jersey
I don't expect too much
If the world ended today
I would adjust
I would adjust
I would adjust
I saw a stranger with your hair
Tried to make her give it back
So I could send it off to you
Maybe Federal Express
'Cause I know you'd miss it
I saw another with your eyes
The flash just turned my head
I went to try them on for size
But they looked the other way
And they wouldn't listen
CHORUS:
But you're never hard to find in a crowd
The people around you smiling out loud
Their feet don't touch the ground
No, their feet don't touch the ground
No, their feet don't touch the ground
I heard a stranger with your voice
It took me by surprise
Again I found it wasn't you
Just an angel in disguise
In for a visit
By the way how is my heart
I haven't seen it since you left
I'm almost sure it followed you
Could you sometime send it back
I'll buy the ticket
CHORUS
I saw a stranger with your hair
I saw another with your eyes
I heard an angel with your voice
By the way how is my heart
They're growing houses in the fields between the towns
And the Starlight drive-in movie's closing down
The road is gone to the way it was before
And the spaces won't be spaces anymore
Two more farms were broken by the drought
First the Wagners now the Fullers pulling out
Developers paid better than the corn
But this was not the place where they were born
There's houses in the fields
No prayers for steady rain this year
Houses in the fields
There's houses in the fields
And the last few farms are growing out of here
At first he wouldn't sell and then he would
Now they'll be children playing where the silo stood
The word came from the marrow of his bones
It was the last sure way to pay off all the loans
The new streets will be named for kings and queens
And a ransom will be payed for every castle's dream
The model sign is crested with a lion
And the farmers they will have enough to die on
There's houses in the fields
No prayers for steady rain this year
Houses in the fields
There's houses in the fields
And the last few farms are growing out of here
I guess no one should be afraid of change
But tell me why is there a fence for every open range
It's a sign I'm getting on in years
When nothing new is welcome to these eyes and ears
There's houses in the fields
No prayers for steady rain this year
Houses in the fields
There's houses in the fields
And the last few farms are growing out of here
They're growing houses in te fields between the towns
And the Starlight drive-in movie's closing down
The road is gone to the way it was before
And the spaces won't be spaces anymore
They say that when it comes to choosing heroes
It's best to pick the ones who aren't around
If you choose among the living
You tend to have misgivings
When your hero lets you down
He might have a bad night in your town
And so I will not name my heroes
And I'll keep my distance when I can
But if time should bend or break them
I hope I won't forsake them
If by chance they need a friend
Or need to walk on ordinary ground
God knows it must be tough to be a hero
To wake up in a hero's state of mind
They say it's hard to be heroic
Much easier to blow it
When somebody's watching all the time
And you're dancing on the thin edge of a dime
They say it's hard, so hard
They say it's hard, ain't it hard
If someday I'm mistaken for a hero
I only hope it's after I am gone
Some of us are heroes
Some of us are zeroes
Wannabes who never were the one
But who is who when all is said and done
Tell me the truth what are you living for
Tell me why, why are you near
'Cause if you cannot make yourself a good noise
Tell me what you're doing here
Now we all got the hand for the gimme
We all got the mouth for the much obliged
But when it comes down to giving back
We give the eye to the other guy
Oh it seems that so much trouble
Is simply caused by the angry word
Although silence can be a virtue
I say it's a good noise that's preferred
Chorus
Now you've got every right and reason
To be down in the dumps today
Aren't you just adding to the problem
If you've got nothing good to say
Sure there are wars, disease, injustice
Rich men walking on your hands
But tell me how can you ever take a breath of hope
Talking down your fellow man
When her sweet summer love had turned and gone
He put a bigtime Moses lonesome on
He got back the ring with the note she'd sent
When he tried to make it permanent
Love was one big storm moving down the line
She didn't dream anymore of their future time
No sound from the pillow by the window sill
Between her and the call of the whippoorwill
Traveling salesmen, merchant crews
The carnys and the truckers too
If you live your life with your baggage packed
It seems you leave more often than you come back
Maybe love for her shouldn't burn that bright
But shine with a lean, warm and steady light
Someone who listened and could talk with her
I've heard such perfect men occur
The work he loved took him far from home
Soon she tired of too much time alone
No sound from the pillow by the window sill
What good am I if I leave you lonely
What good am I if I'm lonely too
What good is a one and only
If that one and only's leaving you
Am I losing you
Am I losing you
I know you're lonely too
I walk through the land of sweet temptation
Where the women come up from underneath
What they offer's sweet as candy
But what they offer's no relief
It's really no relief, over or underneath
Yeah I want to keep my teeth
I live in rooms where I'm a stranger
Young women here now call me sir
My friends are other lone arrangers
But you won't find us where we were
Oh no not where we were, that's just a fading blur
Oh yeah they call me sir
True love is a welcome struggle
The only one that's worth it's salt
I want to say I caused that trouble
I want to say it was my fault
I want to say it was my fault
Whatever caused this bad direction
This attitude where darkness thrives
Is it loneliness retained in sections
Or from undetected sharpened knives
Oh the sharpened knives from other people's lives
Is that why the darkness thrives?
A friend of mine he taped the ocean
So I could listen to the sea
When locked inside this loud commotion
Locked in the land of the free
In the land of the free, it was a gift for me
The sound of the rolling sea
Hope comes from the smallest places
From little rooms inside the heart
The furniture there bears the traces
Of every unsuccessful start
Unsuccessful start, it's like a work of art
The flying red horse from the gasoline wars
Took off from her station in the sun
Turning her back on the pack at the pump
She jumped down from the sign to run
Full serve attendants were spilling their hoses
Self-serve was doing the same
The manager dialed the emergency numbers
Insurance man won't take the claim
The sight of a horse crossing highways is frightening
But not with the breed that can fly
She's risen up to the level of oak trees
Too low for the radar man's eye
I am not much of a joiner she says
That's not where I draw my strength
Some of them go for the depth of field
While most of them go for the length
Me I will go for the hard combination
'Cause I have some need to belong
But I'm leaving this unkind of sign life behind me
I'll take what is mine and be gone
If you see something red flash across the horizon
It's not that your eyes aren't right
She's taking her place with the red-tailed hawks
And the broadwinged birds in flight
The flying red horse from the Ruby Red North
Took off from her station to the south
And I swear to you that this story is true
I heard it right from her mouth
They think they can tame you, name you and frame you
Aim you where you don't belong
They know where you've been but not where you're going
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet, the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men
Peace on earth, good will to men
I thought how, as the day had come
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men
Peace on earth, good will to men
And in despair, I bowed my head
"There is no peace on earth," I said
For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men
Peace on earth, good will to men
Then pealed the bells, more loud and deep
God is not dead, nor doth he sleep
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men
Peace on earth, good will to men
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
Wild and sweet, the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men
Peace on earth, good will to men
She looks best moving
Or standing still
I can't make up my mind
I guess I always will
Last Saturday night
Went out of my head
Or I stayed right here at home
And went right to bed
I slept like a baby
Or I was up all night
Thought I was gonna die
No I felt alright
Chorus
I can't make up my mind (3X)
I can't make up my mind (3X)
This time
I have a lot of trouble
With my boss at work
Yeah I'm still self-employed
I'd better wipe that smirk
Life is a pair of ducks
Who are heading south
She cannot fit my name
Inside her mouth
Chorus
I can't make up my mind (3X)
I can't make up her mind (3X)
This time
She looks best moving
Or standing still
I cannot make her mine
I guess I always will
It's fear of commitment
Commitment to fear
Courage means nothing
If you stand right here
I sure hate to listen
Talking to myself
No I'm not sick this time
I'm just bored of health, no
Chorus
I can't make up my mind (3X)
I can't make up your mind (3X)
When I grow up I want to be a tree
Want to make my home with the birds and the bees
And the squirrels, they can count on me
When I grow up to be a tree
I'll let my joints get stiff, put my feet in the ground
Take the winters off and settle down
Keep my clothes till they turn brown
When I grow up, I'm gonna settle down
CHORUS:
I'm gonna reach, I'm gonna reach
I'm gonna reach, reach for the sky
I'm gonna reach, I'm gonna reach
I'm gonna reach, till I know why
When the spring comes by I'm gonna get real green
If the dogs come by I'm gonna get real mean
On windy days, I'll bend and lean
When I grow up I'm gonna get real green
(BRIDGE)
If I should fall in storm or slumber
Please don't turn me into lumber
I'd rather be a Louisville slugger
Swinging for the seats...
She never let her roots go brown
She kept moving them from town to town
Like she was running from a restless sound
That would use her name in vain
Back then she was the one to know
We didn't like it but we loved her so
It broke our hearts to let her go
As if we had a choice...
As if we had a choice...
Oh as if we had a choice...
With far too many brows to soothe
There was just so much to prove
On occasion with the ruthless move
And the smoking overpass
Take it from one who tries
There's nothing friendly in the open skies
Nothing up there ever satisfies
And the air is thin and cold...
Yeah the air is thin and cold...
Amber Lee
Back then we called her Amber Lee
We all landed in her way
We called her Amber Lee
Both a first and a second wife
Unhappy almost all her life
The pain is sharper with a dull-edged knife
And the rust will lock you in
The highway is her habitat
She wouldn't cut it as a diplomat
She's not sorry that it came to that
But what's a girl to do
They call her the names 'cause they think they can
You wouldn't hear them if she was a man
We're all flashes in a great big pan
And they're turning up the heat...
He's never been far from trouble
Trouble is as loyal as a dog
He drinks in the muddy water
And he sleeps in the hollow log
His troubles all have mirrors
And they double up the size
His problems all have patches
And they cover up his eyes
It's like that old expression
All roads lead to Rome
You see he comes from trouble
And he's always going home
He's always going home
So he can't see for looking
He's become a lightning rod
He walk with the clouds of thunder
Which don't strike him now as odd
Accidents will happen
Much more frequently with him
He's never been far from trouble
Trouble is a trusted friend
Chorus
Addiction in the bloodstream
Chasing fascination's choice
Born of a desperation
There's a mean edge to his voice
As a snake he would have curves
On both sides of the law
As a rule he'll catch his prey
And he's bound to eat it raw
He's never been far from trouble
He lives an inch from his demise
Pushes his luck right to the edge
Pulls the bull over your eyes
Money slips through his fingers
He owes everyone he knows
Still and all it's good to see him come
A little better when he goes
Take this as a warning
To stay away from me
Because the man that you used to know
Is not the man that you're going to see
Someday we may laugh at this
Someday we may be friends
But for now you can keep your distance
Stay away till the pieces mend
This sudden lonliness has made me dangerous
Please don't watch me while I fall apart
'Cause I'm sad and I'm angry
And armed with a broken heart
And what will get me through the night
Is what I'll use with all my might
And to some peace I have a right
But I pay so dearly
And at my age I should be wise
Now I'm untying all those ties
The evidence is in the eyes
That should see so clearly
I once saw so clearly
You know I will say anything
If it will keep you away
But I don't know what I would do
If you said you were gonna stay
Don't do me any favors
Don't try to ease the pain
Won't you please let me hate you now
So I won't fall for you again
I couldn't bribe a wino on what I used to make
My Fortune was as sure as the wind
But I was free to wonder and time was on my hands
It was mine to burn and to bend
Chorus:
Freedom for freedom
Call that an even scheme
Give me time to wonder and to dream
I'll take the money
They'll take the time
Down to the land of the bottom line
To the bottom line
Then there came a chance to make some steady dough
Bouncing up my alley to the door
You fill your clothes with keys and damned responsibilites
Trading the maybe for the sure
(Chorus)
All I ever wanted was to be a kid and play
Fighting every change along the way
I don't like work, but I don't like waste
And I don't like waiting for a taste
It's half price off on last year's models
There's a geeseful sky and roads of potholes
The town is lean and getting leaner
There is a rank and file demeanor
Countless souls in unkind places
Wearing fixed and angry faces
I tell myself I don't belong
But I am a ghost in this prayer gone wrong...
There's a new restaurant and a new coffee shop
It seems this street is looking up
The new sign says there's "No Smoking"
"No Shirt, No Service" and "Spanish Spoken"
This town was built by steel blue collars
It now competes for the tourist dollars
Love may make the world go round
But like gravity here we're still money bound...
There's talk show hosts and wartime markers
Ways of thinking that force the darkness
Bus stations have sad reputations
Coin laundry pawnshop conversations
Each time this year I hit this mood
It's cabin fever or the mortal groove
Before the spring before winter's done
I pay my bills to the time collectors
They're getting more from me each day
I pay them off a few words at a time
But the spur's gone from the moment
And the moment's slipped away
I used to feel like something here was mine
Now I pay them off a few words at a time
I reach into my pocket just so I can make some change
And I find more hands than I can ever shake
And I hope you will forgive me if I don't return your call
But there's someone watching every move I make
And I've got more hands than I could ever shake
Chorus
I'm running for my life here out on the campaign trail
And the crowds will not forgive me if I lose
And I'd like to think I'm special but I do know otherwise
Excuse me but I need to make the news
'Cause the crowds will not forgive me if I lose
I'm really not complaining won't you say your name again
I'm sorry but that isn't what I mean
There's a prison called tomorrow and there's one called yesterday
The only place your free is in between
Oh I'm sorry but that isn't what I mean
I know you've had it hard
I know, I know
By now we all have scars
That we could show
Have you been waiting so long
That you made up your mind
To look the other way
Afraid of what you'll find?
But nobody knows for certain
What nobody knows can't hurt them
So try to hold that smile
Believable denial
Look the other way
Everybody has something to lose
Your choices take a toll
You can't choose
Your true colors showing
You have crossed a line
Your silver tongue is tin
I can't listen to you spin
To help you ease your mind
But nobody knows for certain
What nobody knows can't hurt them
So try to hold that smile
Be over in awhile
Look the other way
We have so much in common
So much that should unite us
But everytime we look up
There's somebody new to divide us
Separate and conquer
All for the touch of Midas
And it's a lonely rancor
Pour on a few to incite us
Still the sun is gonna shine
Join the growing line
Look the other way
It's really nothing new
Just be glad it wasn't you
Nobody feels any pain
Tonight as I stand inside the rain
Ev'rybody knows
That Baby's got new clothes
But lately I see her ribbons and her bows
Have fallen from her curls
She takes just like a woman, yes she does
She makes love just like a woman, yes she does
And she aches just like a woman
But she breaks just like a little girl.
Queen Mary, she's my friend
Yes, I believe I'll go see her again
Nobody has to guess
That Baby can't be blessed
Till she finally sees that she's like all the rest
With her fog, her amphetamine and her pearls
She takes just like a woman, yes she does
She makes love just like a woman, yes she does
And she aches just like a woman
But she breaks just like a little girl.
It's was raining from the first
And I was dying there of thirst
So I came in here
And your long-time curse hurts
But what's worse
Is this pain in here
I can't stay in here
Ain't it clear that.
I just can't fit
Yes, I believe it's time for us to quit
When we meet again
Introduced as friends
Please don't let on that you knew me when
I was hungry and it was your world
Ah, you fake just like a woman, yes you do
You make love just like a woman, yes you do
Then you ache just like a woman
It's tough before the aftermath
Waiting for the sky to rain
I'm almost through this thorny patch
That I will not go through again...
That I will not go through again...
That I will not go through again
Standing on a broken path
Waiting for the sky to rain
I am bound for where you live
For I am bound to who you are
My navigation's primitive
To move at all I need the stars...
Standing on a broken path
Waiting for the sky to rain
The blood demands a thicker skin
A thicker skin turned to the fray
It's briar, bramble, needle, pin
When it's a struggle everyday...
Standing on a broken path
Waiting for the sky to rain
If I were rich no one would know
If I were poor no one would see
No need to cultivate mystique
When every soul's a mystery...
Standing on a broken path
Waiting for the sky to rain
City streets are wilderness
Where paranoia's common sense
As common as the common kiss
It's a form of latent violence...
It's a form of latent violence...
It's a form of latent violence
I'm the latest apparition
Cutting slices in the night
I come through without permission
Moving in and out of human sight
I'm the tapping on your shoulder
I'm the raven in the storm
I'll take shelter in your rafters
I'm the shiver when you're warm
I'm the gold in California
I'm the well in Mexico
Like the vultures in the valley
I will wait for you to go
I'm the gypsy in your pocket
I'm the horseman in your dreams
I'm the reason dogs are barking
I'm the hand that stops the scream
I'm the baby's cry that isn't
I am the distant relative
I'm the scratching in the ceiling
I'm advice you shouldn't give
I'm the ghost of a traveling salesman
My foot will be there in your door
Though I can walk through walls and windows
I will knock just like before
I'm the darkness in your daughter
I'm the spot beneath the skin
I'm the scarlett on the pavement
I am the broken heart within
I won't take a train to nowhere
I will not touch just anyone
Ask a stranger why I'm waiting
Well, if you're travelin' in the north country fair,
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline,
Remember me to one who lives there.
She once was a true love of mine.
Well, if you go when the snowflakes storm,
When the rivers freeze and summer ends,
Please see if she's wearing a coat so warm,
To keep her from the howlin' winds.
Please see for me if her hair hangs long,
If it rolls and flows all down her breast.
Please see for me if her hair hangs long,
That's the way I remember her best.
I'm a-wonderin' if she remembers me at all.
Many times I've often prayed
In the darkness of my night,
In the brightness of my day.
So if you're travelin' in the north country fair,
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline,
Remember me to one who lives there.
If all my luck ran out tomorrow
I'd have to say that I have had my share
Enough to balance out the sorrow
Enough to say that I'm a little scared
'Cause this is not what I expected
I did not expect to feel this good
I always kept my heart protected
I crossed my fingers and I knocked on wood
Chorus:
All the rest is just like gravy on the table
And I'll pour and pass as long as I am able
And I know it takes some time to understand
The rules of behavior here in gravyland
Here in gravyland
If all my luck ran out tomorrow
And I fell back to where I began
With a spirit poor and a need to borrow
I'll know that who I was is who I am
Chorus
If all my luck ran out tomorrow
And all of love is just a memory
You only miss me like an arrow
Or I am ashes in the darkening sea
All the rest was just like gravy on the table
And I've poured and passed as long as I was able
And I know it took some time to understand
The rules of behavior here is gravyland
Here in gravyland
If all my luck ran out tomorrow
She had a reconstructed face
And he had no lips to speak of
There was no feature out of place
And no recipe for sweet love
From an Indiana Dodge
To an Airstream by the parkway
In the silver they would lodge
And as for love they hit it sharply
He was the type to look for work
Although not the kind to find it
She was an office temp and clerk
He didn't have to be reminded...
But he minded
He was a writer in his dreams
He sent his thoughts to magazines
He'd get them back without a check
What do bohemians expect?
He started hanging out with those
Collectively misunderstood
Their only thought was how to pose
And as their failure he was something good...
She roomed and boarded him for years
She was supported in her fears
She was a ruby in his shoe
His neck was red enough for two
She had dreams all of her own
She'd tell him that soon on the phone
She wasn't ever coming back
She was never bored she would give him that
He came home drunk out of his head
Except she wasn't there to steer
He needed her to find the bed
She left the Airstream running clear
She had a reconstructed life
With no regrets to speak of
Seems she was not the docile type
Without a recipe for sweet love
I heard he was scraping dixie
Looking for a job
Looking for some work to get him by
Steering clear of all the jails
He was skinny as a rail
And his face would hardly move from day to day
His face would hardly move from day to day
Chorus:
Don't you set your mouth on me
Don't you set your mouth on me
Don't you set your mouth and jump salty as the sea
Even though she was the one
Even so I'll overcome
Don't you set your mouth on me like I belonged
He learned to cook short order
Was a pour man in a bar
And a bubble dancer till his face got steamed
And I know that he was bugged
Dishing out those slops and slugs
He said that grease got all up in his dreams
Bridge:
A VFW from somewhere
With the 1000 yard stare
The VA kept him hanging on a line
His disability was pending
I'd get these scribes that he was sending
He'd be scraping by till the weather warmed this way
Scraping dixie till the weather warmed this way
He said he'd be scraping dixie
Maybe Carolina way
Looking for some cash to pass him through
Well what you gonna do
We all have to line the flue
But I'll fight untill they put that tree suit on
I'll be fighting till they put that tree suit on
These birds don't sing in the rain
They're waiting for the sun to shine
But I'm a man and a man-made thing
And I can sing out anytime
I can sing in the trees
I'll sing before the rivers rise
Maybe make you believe
That we were part of paradise
And could be part of paradise
'Cause we were part of paradise, once
I don't have any wings
But there are nights when I can fly
And I'll give you all my rings
Like I'm the oldest tree alive
But I can't stand like a tree
And you can cut me down to size
Even make me believe
That we were part of paradise
And could be part of paradise
'Cause we were part of paradise, once
Nothing ever gets lost
Just the pieces move around
I can't figure out the cost
I know that it will even out
Without feather or branch
Love brings you closer to the skies
It can give you back the chance
To be where it was paradise
To see a part of paradise
My invisible gun
You won't find my fingerprints
On my invisible gun
Though you may recall the incident
In which I held up the sun
With my invisible gun
It does those magic bullet tricks
My invisible gun
No flash or sound like a trigger click
No you just see the damage done
With my invisible gun
My invisible gun
You might say it's my new best friend
My invisible gun
A pocket full of unhappy ends
Watch them dance and run
From my invisible gun
My invisible gun
Fits like smoke in those funky joints
My invisible gun
You're all shot through with your hollow points
Now I never wait for fun
I once said I knew
But I don't know no more
What once was strong and true
Is now just stiff and sore
Maybe it's a phase I'm going through
Still I'd like to face this phase with you
Chorus
If there's love in your heart
At least you've got one way to feel alive
If there's love in your heart
Then I count two good reasons to survive
When true love isn't perfect
Still it's kind to you
It may not be the kind of love
That sees you through
It could seize you in the middle of a night
Squeeze you when you hold somebody tight
Chorus
Bridge:
She said the roughest is the middle place
You don't know where you stand
Only you've got no grace
You've got no grace(2X)
If you cannot undo it then the knot is tied
If love can't be your lover it can be your guide
But you need to pay attention to the signs
You do not need to stay between the lines
I wish that you could live forever
And that I could be there too
And that there'd be generations
To look after me and you
But I know that isn't likely
So I guess I'll say it now
That I'll love you past the boundaries
That time and breath allow
You were my first memory
We were playing in the grass
Like the colors of your apron
Love was colored in to last
Chorus
And I'm glad the light still hits your face
And I'm glad every time you answer the phone
For you life and home have never been an easy place
And I'm glad to be part of your own You were the foundation
That we built my life upon
First with Dad and Cass and Mary
Then one was sick and one was gone People only get one family
And a lot of them are rough
I'm glad the one I got was one
That wasn't hard to love I hope I have your toughness
Along with your will to be kind
And know as I am one of yours
That you are one of mine
I grew up beneath the trees
Not far from the refineries
Aimed at the sky like smoking guns
I learned to walk, I learned to run away
In tracing back our history
It's a wonder how we came to be
A love driven through a dozen states
With your technique for keeping me awake
The day we met is still a blur
Though I remember just how nice you were
And what you wore in Central Park
And how you left before the darkness fell
(Chorus)
(Now) I cry over these strings
This sentimental case of things
Though I'm better with each passing day
I guess you'll be the one that got away
'Cause everyone has one of those
You wear them like you wear your clothes
Except they don't come off at night They are the space you hold up to the light
And somewhere along the line
You'll turn into a friend of mine
Who knows of my unspoken cares
Amid the aftermath of love affairs
(Still...)
(Chorus)
Now I stand beneath these trees
Not far from the refineries
Aimed at the sky like a smoking gun
I saw the champ running down by the river
With his trainer and his stretch limousine
I don't recall the year but it was late in his career
When he was featured in those glove magazines
They never leave the ring before it's too late
They never seem to quit in their prime
I guess you take it as a given that a champion is driven
So he can always win one more time
(Chorus)
So there's a new reservation on Dream Street
With a room with no view of before
It takes years for some to check in
But Dream Street will beckon
Till they're mumbling their names at the door
Some do it out of pride, some do it for the dough
Some do cause it's the only thing they're ever gonna know
"promoters take the money, the fighters take the pain"*
They find a new sucker, and they'll do it again
From the time before he won the title
Till the referee stopped his last fight
Oh I swear there was greatness there
Till those younger guys put out the light
So now he's in his ever after
With money to last all of his days
Oh but the price makes you shiver, fate's an Indian giver
She giveth and she taketh away
(Chorus)
Dream Street is calling, Larry
Dream Street is calling, Joe
Dream Street is calling, Muhammad
Dream Street is calling, Yo
Dream Street is calling...
Francis called me Joe
But that is not my name
I told him what it really was
But he lost it just the same
When they made the Francis plan
They took too much off the top
The sentinel of Seneca, the 800 block
He would scare the kids
And the would run away
Till they found he was one of them
Though he was big and gray
Already 55
He dressed as though he cared
He wore his time out on the block
Beneath his close cut hair
He always had a word
For anyone who stopped
The sentinel of Seneca, the 800 block
He'd say you can't part there
And strangers they would go
They would do just what he said
Because they didn't know
Francis lived alone
And that's the way he died
I wonder if they'll need a guard
On the other side
Some people roam the world
To make some kind of change
The parking up on Seneca, will never be the same
They say he got a job
On some other hill
And if you don't miss him
I know the neighbors will
No money coming in
It's all going out
I'm standing on the corner
In the shadow of doubt
The streetlight's broken
And my heart is gone
Fate is coming
With it's headlights on
Chorus:
I've got a mean streak
It's not a dotted line
It's a matter of fact
It's piece of my mind
It's a mean streak
It's improved and new
Hit me once
And I'll show it to you
Love and money
Almost the same
The less you make
The more your to blame
The more you have
The more you desire
You cheat someone
And your playing with fire
(Chorus)
I used to keep
My temper tied
Right under wraps
Riding by my side
Now I tend
To let it free
When the ways of the world
Are getting wise with me
(Chorus, repeat 1st verse)
Although I don't know how I'll manage
I won't let you take advantage of me
Although I don't know how I'll manage
They built a prison by the freeway
Just to rub it in
It's a gentle reminder
Of the wages of sin
The ones on the inside
Are being paid their share
There's a hundred stories
For every man in there
There's marks on the cell wall
There's marks on the mem
One counts off the time lost
The other counts till the end
Chorus:
Jailbirds in the bighouse
Jailbirds in the sky
Singing of their innocence
They'll sing by and by
Jailbirds in the bighouse
Jailbirds on a spree
Some of them coulda looked like you
Some of them used to look like me
Teddy was a bad kid
From a bad family tree
He was voted most likely
To commit a felony
And that was just in grade school
After that he disappeared
They say he moved or he dropped out
And he's faded with the years
A red hand in the cookie jar
A foot in potter's field
His face was waiting for a number
His fate was aching to be sealed
(Chorus)
Teddy had a girlfriend
Who gave him a place to stay
But he left with her TV set
And a baby on the way
And if you should run across him
He could shorten your life
With the butt of a pistol
Or the edge of a knife
He'll sing a song of the rockpile
Mourning all he had
All the luck in all the world
I lost my car to the Riverside Drive
Last seen heading up the upper west side
One thirty eighth street one thirty nine
What's yours is theirs, what's theirs was mine
Now it's gone for parts, it's gone for fun
It's gone for sure as any one
No, they're not polite, they don't say please
With the cover of night, they never use keys.
Now there's a stranger in my driver's seat
Broken glass around his feet
The radio will change it's tune
Removed beneath a New York moon
The precinct has an icy clerk
Her hand fills out the paper
But the cops don't look for stolen cars
You can wish upon a star
It happens every now and then
People see their cars again
Some are found on cinder blocks
With open trunks and busted locks
They say in this town nothing sleeps
That goes for thieves and chimney sweeps
The smart ones say to keep your ride
Park it on the Jersey side
Now there's a stranger in my driver's seat
Broken glass around his feet
The radio will change it's tune
Removed beneath a New York moon
I lost my car to the Riverside Drive
Last seen heading up the Upper West Side
One thirty eighth street one thirty nine
What's yours is theirs, what's theirs was mine
Manhattan nights are full of rats
Republican and democrats
Most of them have learned the rules
The rest of us just go to school
Now there's a stranger in my driver's seat
There's broken glass around his feet
The radio will change it's tune
There were flowers from the boy pigs
Who were drinking in their barn digs
In suits of powdered blue
With those ruffled shirts on, too
All ordered through the mail
It was promnight in pigtown
There was hambones in long gowns
With painted cloven hooves
There was no need for shoes
Or the curlers in their tails
Couples had their pictures taken
Beneath those clothes the heat was bakin'
They'd pretend to be cool
Cause they'd soon be out of school
And the night a memory
They ate with noise food by the plates-full
But on the dance floor they were so graceful
They'd glide without a care
Their snouts tucked in the air
It was a sight to see
After desserts they bobbed for apples
All knowing soon they could be scrapple
Another packaged processed food
They bore no attitude
Or grudge against the world
The promqueen was dancing real slow
With her silk purse and her proud beau
Oinking low and soft
They quietly slipped off
With her new string of pearls
They all left in even numbers
Some to find love, some to find slumber
And some stayed up all night
To meet the morning light
Some went to the shore
After that, the class would scatter
From Delaware, to deli platters
All would lose a friend
They were noble till the end
And never asked for more
One little piggie went to market
On little piggie went to Rome
One little piggle had roast beef
And one little piggie had none
One little piggie had none
Life is full of disappointment
Yes and I am full of life
Standing here without illusions
You know I almost had a wife
It could be the path I've chosen
Just leaves no room for someone else
Or the woman who could stand me
Is somewhere keeping to herself
I can't say that I blame her
I think that I could take that ride
When love is worse than being lonely
It leaves you twisted up inside
So on the outside you'll seem normal
But that only lasts a little while
Before you wear it in your bearing
It's in the way before you smile
You see couples who seem happy
And wonder how they got that way
Are they blind or kinda stupid
Or are they having a good day
Standing here without illusions
You know I almost had a wife
But life is full of disappointment
Yes and I am full of life
Life is full of disappointment
My name is Edgar
And I am a party man
I come from a party town
I come in my party van
I bet I could make you laugh
Hey would you like a beer
I got some in the chest outside
It's a little warm in here
Where are you going now
Oh I guess she heard that one
She should tell by my goodtime grin
That I can be a lot of fun
Now I'm almost 46
And I used to have a wife
But that was nearly 15 years ago
Now she's got another life
Oh she had a real strong way
I met her on a moving bus
We got off at different stops
And that was just the start of us
Now I never get too deep
That's the way it always seems
And I need a lot of sleep
Because I have a lot of dreams
Oh I still believe in love
'Specially when it's bright and new
Although I never stick around
Because I need some time for them
And some time for you
Yeah I've got a need to roam
Oh I've got a restless streak
I've got a whole world inside of me
No one ever gets a peek