Bob Dylan ( /ˈdɪlən/), born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist. He has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly reluctant figurehead of social unrest. A number of Dylan's early songs, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'", became anthems for the US civil rights and anti-war movements. Leaving his initial base in the culture of folk music behind, Dylan's six-minute single "Like a Rolling Stone" has been described as radically altering the parameters of popular music in 1965. However, his recordings employing electric instruments attracted denunciation and criticism from others in the folk movement.
Dylan's lyrics incorporated a variety of political, social, philosophical, and literary influences. They defied existing pop music conventions and appealed hugely to the then burgeoning counterculture. Initially inspired by the songs of Woody Guthrie,Robert Johnson, and Hank Williams, as well as the music and performance styles of Buddy Holly and Little Richard, Dylan has both amplified and personalized musical genres. His recording career, spanning fifty years, has explored numerous distinct traditions in American song—from folk, blues and country to gospel, rock and roll, and rockabilly to English, Scottish, and Irish folk music, embracing even jazz and swing.
Plot
Lives and Deaths of the Poets spoofs and parodies incidents taken from the lives of famous writers, artists, and musicians (collectively "Poets") throughout history. Comprising a series of approximately 50 comic vignettes, the movie is the fictional story of what really did not happen to these famed Poets, who have so enriched all of our lives.
Keywords: emperor-nero, independent-film, musician, nudity, parody, poet, sketch-comedy, spoof, writer
Plot
Han Dae-huei, a public official in charge of residential pollution of Mapo district. No one can disturb his composure: a man who never loses his temper: a man of tranquility; the apotheosis of snobbery. He is a typically unenthusiastic public official up to his bone. Never expect him to try a new thing or change anything.
Plot
Not The Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) is a comic oratorio based on Monty Python's Life of Brian, which retells the tragic tale of Mandy, impregnated by a Roman soldier, giving birth to Brian, a reluctant revolutionary of the People's Front of Judea who falls in love with Judith, gets mistaken for a Messiah and is arrested by the Romans and sentenced to be crucified. It ranges in reference from Handel, through a naughty Mozart duet, to the Festival of Nine Carols, Bob Dylan, and the classic finale "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life".
Keywords: claim-in-title, monty-python, punctuation-in-title
Like Handel only funnier.
Vin Diesel: That's why I do all my own stunts. You know on 'The Chronicles of Riddick' I fought fire monsters.::David Spade: Yes, I know, eh, Vin, we all read that in 'Who Cares' magazine.
David Spade: [getting a tattoo done by Sean Penn] You're hurting me.::Sean Penn: Yeah, that's what I came here for.
Plot
With a set of drums and an 8mm color home movie camera, Mickey Jones toured the world in 1966 with Bob Dylan and The Band. He captured on film what became known as "The tour that changed Rock and Roll forever." The booing crowds, the scathing reviews, the stomping feet, the infamous catcall of "Judas!" ... all of this in response to Dylan trading in his acoustic folk guitar for an electric sound. Now, for the first time, drummer-turned-actor Mickey Jones (Sling Blade, Home Improvement), with the help of Director Joel Gilbert, chronicles the legendary 1966 Bob Dylan World Tour through his recently discovered home movies. The updated release includes new, exclusive full-length interviews with Charlie Daniels, Johnny Rivers, 1966 World Tour and Gaslight tapes sound man Richard Alderson, and new insights and revelations by Mickey Jones.
Keywords: bob-dylan
Plot
Charles Manson, claiming to be the Second Coming, leads his young followers down the path of sex and murder in this bizarre homage by renowned artist Raymond Pettibon.
Keywords: bad-taste, based-on-true-story, character-name-in-title, charles-manson, cult, hippie, independent-film, serial-killer
Plot
This epic is a mass amalgamation of three separate film-types that is, contrary to popular opinion, coherent and a unified whole. Bob Dylan is shown in concert, often masked, during the Rolling Thunder Revue. The film also features documentary footage, including Ruben "Hurricane" Carter's struggle against the forces that have imprisoned him. The third element is fictional "role-playing" footage with Bob Dylan in the guise of guitar-strumming Renaldo and his wife Sara as his companion Clara. Ronnie Hawkins takes on the role of Bob Dylan in these sequences. The film includes footage of a visit to the grave of Jack Kerouac, an Allen Ginsberg poetry reading and various friends and acquaintances, namely David Blue (playing pinball by a swimming pool), discussing experiences on the road.
Keywords: bob-dylan, character-name-in-title, concert-tour, folk-singer, independent-film, musician, singer-songwriter, written-and-directed-by-cast-member
The Truck Driver: Why are you so much in a hurry? Is the law after you?::Renaldo: I am the law!
Plot
A committee investigating TV's first uncensored network examines a typical day's programming, which includes shows, commercials, news programs, you name it. What they discover will surely crack you up! This outrageous and irreverent spoof of television launched the careers of some of the greatest comedians of all time.
Keywords: absurd-humor, female-nudity, fictional-game-show, independent-film, irreverence, parody, satire, set-in-future, sitcom, sketch-comedy
The funniest film of 1985.
Laugh or get off the pot.
More laughs per ounce! New and improved!
The most outrageous comedy known to man!
Announcer: Tunnelvision... the no-bullshit network!
Tom: Well, don't worry about your breath or your armpits, Al. It's your personality that stinks.
Chevy Chase: [listing symptoms of schizophrenia] Going into a bar full of Hell's Angels and yelling "All you pussy bikers suck!"
Well, if I had to do it all over again,
Babe, I'd do it all over you.
And if I had to wait for ten thousand years,
Babe, I'd even do that too.
Well, a dog's got his bone in the alley,
A cat, she's got nine lives,
A millionaire's got a million dollars,
King Saud's got four hundred wives.
Well, ev'rybody's got somethin'
That they're lookin' forward to.
I'm lookin' forward to when I can do it all again
And babe, I'll do it all over you.
Well, if I had my way tomorrow or today,
Babe, I'd run circles all around.
I'd jump up in the wind, do a somersault and spin,
I'd even dance a jig on the ground.
Well, everybody gets their hour,
Everybody gets their time,
Little David when he picked up his pebbles,
Even Sampson after he went blind.
Well, everybody gets the chance
To do what they want to do.
When my time arrives you better run for your life
'Cause babe, I'll do it all over you.
Well, I don't need no money, I just need a day that's sunny,
Baby, and my days are gonna come.
And I grab me a pint, you know that I'm a giant
When you hear me yellin', "Fee-fi-fo-fum."
Well, you cut me like a jigsaw puzzle,
You made me to a walkin' wreck,
Then you pushed my heart through my backbone,
Then you knocked off my head from my neck.
Well, if I'm ever standin' steady
A-doin' what I want to do,
Well, I tell you little lover that you better run for cover
'Cause babe, I'll do it all over you.
I'm just restin' at your gate so that I won't be late
And, momma, I'm a-just sittin' on the shelf.
Look out your window fair and you'll see me squattin' there
Just a-fumblin' and a-mumblin' to myself.
Well, after my cigarette's been smoked up,
After all my liquor's been drunk,
After my dreams are dreamed out,
After all my thoughts have been thunk,
Well, after I do some of these things,
I'm gonna do what I have to do.
And I tell you on the side, that you better run and hide
Well, it's always been my nature to take chances
My right hand drawing back while my left hand advances
Where the current is strong and the monkey dances
To the tune of a concertina
Blood dryin' in my yellow hair as I go from shore to shore
I know what it is that has drawn me to your door
But whatever it could be, makes you think you've seen me before
Angelina
Oh, Angelina. Oh, Angelina
His eyes were two slits that would make a snake proud
With a face that any painter would paint as he walked through the crowd
Worshipping a god with the body of a woman well endowed
And the head of a hyena
Do I need your permission to turn the other cheek?
If you can read my mind, why must I speak?
No, I have heard nothing about the man that you seek
Angelina
Oh, Angelina. Oh, Angelina
In the valley of the giants where the stars and stripes explode
The peaches they were sweet and the milk and honey flowed
I was only following instructions when the judge sent me down the road
With your subpoena
When you cease to exist, then who will you blame?
I've tried my best to love you, but I cannot play this game
Your best friend and my worst enemy is one and the same
Angelina
Oh, Angelina. Oh, Angelina
There's a black Mercedes rollin' through the combat zone
When a man he serves the Lord, it makes his life worthwhile.
It don't matter 'bout his position, it don't matter 'bout his lifestyle.
Talk about perfection, I ain't never seen none
And there ain't no man righteous, no not one.
Sometimes the devil likes to drive you from the neighborhood.
He'll even work his ways through those whose intentions are good.
Some like to worship on the moon, others are worshipping the sun
And there ain't no man righteous, no not one.
Look around, ya see so many social hypocrites
Like to make rules for others while they do just the opposite.
You can't get to glory by the raising and the lowering of no flag.
Put your goodness next to God's and it comes out like a filthy rag.
In a city of darkness there's no need of the sun
And there ain't no man righteous, no not one.
Done so many evil things in the name of love, it's a crying shame
I never did see no fire that could put out a flame.
Pull your hat down, baby, pull the wool down over your eyes,
Keep a-talking, baby, 'til you run right out of alibis.
Someday you'll account for all the deeds that you done.
Well, there ain't no man righteous, no not one.
God got the power, man has got his vanity,
Man gotta choose before God can set him free.
Don't you know there's nothing new that's under the sun?
Well, there ain't no man righteous, no not one.
When I'm gone don't wonder where I be.
Just say that I trusted in God and that Christ was in me.
Say He defeated the devil, He was God's chosen Son
And that there ain't no man righteous, no not one.
Ain't no more cane on the Brazos
Oh, oh, oh, oh...
Its all been ground down to molasses
Oh, oh- oh, oh- oh...
You shoulda been on the river in 1910
They were driving the women just like they drove the men.
Go down Old Hannah, don'cha rise no more
Don't you rise up til Judgment Day's for sure
Ain't no more cane on the Brazos
Its all been ground down to molasses
Captain, don't you do me like you done poor old Shine
Well ya drove that bully til he went stone blind
Wake up on a lifetime, hold up your own head
Well you may get a pardon and then you might drop dead
Ain't no more cane on the Brazos
My name is Donald White, you see,
I stand before you all.
I was judged by you a murderer
And the hangman's knot must fall.
I will die upon the gallows pole
When the moon is shining clear,
And these are my final words
That you will ever hear.
I left my home in Kansas
When I was very young,
I landed in the old Northwest,
Seattle, Washington
Although I'd a-traveled many miles,
I never made a friend,
For I could never get along in life
With people that I met.
If I had some education
To give me a decent start,
I might have been a doctor or
A master in the arts.
But I used my hands for stealing
When I was very young,
And they locked me down in jailhouse cells,
That's how my life begun.
Oh, the inmates and the prisoners,
I found they were my kind,
And it was there inside the bars
I found my peace of mind.
But the jails they were too crowded,
Institutions overflowed,
So they turned me loose to walk upon
Life's hurried tangled road.
And there's danger on the ocean
Where the salt sea waves split high,
And there's danger on the battlefield
Where the shells of bullets fly,
And there's danger in this open world
Where men strive to be free,
And for me the greatest danger
Was in society.
So I asked them to send me back
To the institution home.
But they said they were too crowded,
For me they had no room.
I got down on my knees and begged,
"Oh, please put me away,"
But they would not listen to my plea
Or nothing I would say.
And so it was on Christmas eve
In the year of '59,
It was on that night I killed a man,
I did not try to hide,
The jury found me guilty
And I won't disagree,
For I knew that it would happen
If I wasn't put away.
And I'm glad I've had no parents
To care for me or cry,
For now they will never know
The horrible death I die.
And I'm also glad I've had no friends
To see me in disgrace,
For they'll never see that hangman's hood
Wrap around my face.
Farewell unto the old north woods
Of which I used to roam,
Farewell unto the crowded bars
Of which've been my home,
Farewell to all you people
Who think the worst of me,
I guess you'll feel much better when
I'm on that hanging tree.
But there's just one question
Before they kill me dead,
I'm wondering just how much
To you I really said
Concerning all the boys that come
Down a road like me,
Are they enemies or victims
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Down these streets the fools rule
There's no freedom or self respect,
A knife's point or a trip to the joint
Is about all you can expect.
They kill people here who stand up for their rights,
The system's just too damned corrupt
It's always the same, the name of the game
Is who do you know higher up.
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
The blacks and the whites,
The idiotic, the exotic,
Wealth is a filthy rag
So erotic so unpatriotic
So wrapped up in the American flag.
Witchcraft scum exploiting the dumb,
Turning children into punks and slaves
Whose heroes and healers are rich drug dealers
Who should be put in their graves.
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Listen to me Mr. Pussyman
This might be your last night in a bed so soft
We're not pimps on the make, politicians on the take,
You can't pay us off.
We're gonna blow up your home of Voodoo
And watch it burn without any regret
We got the power we're the new government,
You just don't know it yet.
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
For all of my brothers from Vietnam
And my uncles from World War II,
I'd like to say that it's countdown time now
And we're gonna do what the law should do.
And for you pretty baby,
I know you've seen it all.
I know your story is too painful to share.
One day though you'll be talking in your sleep
And when you do, I wanna be there.
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Band of the hand
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna leave my lonesome home
And sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna hear my milk cow moan
And sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna hit the highway road
But then again, but then again, I said oh, I said oh, I said
Oh babe, I'm in the mood for you.
Sometimes I'm in the mood, Lord, I had my overflowin' fill
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I'm gonna make out my final will
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I'm gonna head for the walkin' hill
But then again, but then again, I said oh, I said oh, I said
Oh babe, I'm in the mood for you.
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna lay right down and die
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna climb up to the sky
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I'm gonna laugh until I cry
But then again, I said again, I said again, I said
Oh babe, I'm in the mood for you.
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I'm gonna sleep in my pony's stall
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I ain't gonna do nothin' at all
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna fly like a cannon ball
But then again, but then again, I said oh, I said oh, I said
Oh babe, I'm in the mood for you.
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna back up against the wall
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna run till I have to crawl
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I ain't gonna do nothin' at all
But then again, but then again, I said oh, I said oh, I said
Oh babe, I'm in the mood for you.
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna change my house around
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I'm gonna make a change in this here town
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I'm gonna change the world around
But then again, but then again, I said oh, I said oh, I said
Sad I'm sittin' on the railroad track,
Watchin' that old smokestack.
Train is a-leavin' bit it won't be back.
Years ago we hung around,
Watchin' trains roll through the town.
Now that train is a-graveyard bound.
Where we go up in that North Country,
Lakes and streams and mines so free,
I had no better friend than he.
Something happened to him that day,
I thought I heard a stranger say,
I hung my head and stole away.
A diesel truck was rollin' slow,
Pullin' down a heavy load.
It left him on a Utah road.
They carried him back to his home town,
His mother cried, his sister moaned,
I got mixed up confusion
Man, it's a-killin' me
Well, there's too many people
And they're all too hard to please
Well, my hat's in my hand
Babe, I'm walkin' down the line
An' I'm lookin' for a woman
Whose head's mixed up like mine
Well, my head's full of questions
My temp'rature's risin' fast
Well, I'm lookin' for some answers
But I don't know who to ask
But I'm walkin' and wonderin'
And my poor feet don't ever stop
Seein' my reflection
Once upon a time, you dressed so fine,
Threw the bums a dime, in your prime, didn't you?
People call, say "Beware, doll, you're bound to fall."
You thought they were all kiddin' you.
You used to laugh about Everybody that was hangin' out,
But now you don't talk so loud, Now you don't seem so proud,
About havin' to be scroungin' your next meal.
How does it feel? How does it feel.
To be on your own. With no direction home.A complete unknown. Like a rollin' stone.
You've gone to the finest schools, alright, Miss Lovely,
But you know you only used to get juiced in it.
You never had to live out on the street,
But now you're gonna have to get used to it.
You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulders a Siamese cat.
Ain't it hard when you discover that
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal.
You never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns when they all did tricks for you.
Never understood that it ain't no good.
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you.
You said you'd never compromise
With the Mystery Tramp but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And he says, "Do you want to make a deal?"
Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They're all drinkin', thinkin' that they've got it made.
Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts,
You'd better lift your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe.
You used to be so amused
At Napolean in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now he calls you you can't refuse
When you got nothin' you got nothin' to lose
Your invisible now you've got no secrets to conceal.
I've been a moonshiner,
For seventeen long years,
I've spent all my money,
On whiskey and beer,
I go to some hollow,
And sit at my still
And if whiskey dont kill me,
Then I dont know what will,
I go to some bar room,
And drink with my friends,
Where the women cant follow,
And see what I spend,
God bless them pretty women,
I wish they was mine,
Their breath is as sweet as,
The dew on the vine,
Let me eat when I am hungry,
Let me drink when I am dry,
A dollar when I am hard up,
Religion when I die,
The whole world's a bottle,
And life's but a dram,
When the bottle gets empty,
Sittin' here thinkin'
Where does the money go
Sittin' here thinkin'
Where does the money go
Well, I give it to my woman
She ain't got it no more
Went out last night
Bought two eggs and a slice of ham
Went out last night
Bought two eggs and a slice of ham
Bill came to three dollars and ten cents
And I didn't even get no jam
Man came around
Askin' for the rent
Man came around
Askin' for the rent
Well, I looked into the drawer
But the money's all been spent
Well, well
Ain't got no bank account
Went down to start one
But I didn't have the right amount
Everything's inflated
Like a tire on a car
Everything's inflated
Like a tire on a car
Well, the man came and took my Chevy back
I'm glad I hid my old guitar
Come to me, mama
Ease my money crisis now
Come to me, mama
Ease my money crisis now
I need something to support me.
I forgot more than you'll ever know about her.
You think you know the smile on her lips
The thrill and the touch of her fingertips
But I forgot more than you'll ever know about her.
You think you'll find heaven of bliss
In each caress, in each tender kiss
But I forgot more than you'll ever know about her.
You stole her love from me one day
You didn't care, oh, it hurt me
But you can never steal away memories of what used to be.
You think she's yours, to have and to hold
Someday you'll learn, when her love grows cold
But I forgot more than you'll ever know about her.
My love she speaks like silence
Without ideals or violence
She doesn't have to say she's faithful
Yet she's true like ice like fire
People carry roses
And make promises by the hours
My love she laughs like the flowers
Valentines can't buy her
In the dime stores and bus stations
People talk of situations
Read books repeat quotations
Draw conclusions on the wall
Some speak of the future
My love she speaks softly
She knows there's no success like failure
And that failure's no success at all
The cloak and dagger dangles
Madams light the candles
In ceremonies of the horsemen
Even the pawn must hold a grudge
Statues made of matchsticks
Crumble into one another
My love winks she does not bother
She nows too much to argue or to judge
The bridge at midnight trembles
The country doctor rambles
Banker's nieces seek perfection
Expecting all the gifts that wisemen bring
The wind howls like a hammer
The night blows COLD AND rainY
My love she's like some raven
At my window with a broken wing
I'll sing you a song, ain't very long,
'Bout an old man who never done wrong.
How he died nobody can say,
They found him dead in the street one day.
Well, the crowd, they gathered one fine morn,
At the man whose clothes 'n' shoes were torn.
There on the sidewalk he did lay,
They stopped 'n' stared 'n' walked their way.
Well, the p'liceman come and he looked around,
"Get up, old man, or I'm a-takin' you down."
He jabbed him once with his billy club
And the old man then rolled off the curb.
Well, he jabbed him again and loudly said,
"Call the wagon; this man is dead."
The wagon come, they loaded him in,
I never saw the man again.
I've sung you my song, it ain't very long,
'Bout an old man who never done wrong.
How he died no one can say,
Perhaps it's the color of the sun cut flat
An' cov'rin' the crossroads I'm standing at,
Or maybe it's the weather or something like that,
But mama, you been on my mind.
I don't mean trouble, please don't put me down or get upset,
I am not pleadin' or sayin', "I can't forget."
I do not walk the floor bowed down an' bent, but yet,
Mama, you been on my mind.
Even though my mind is hazy an' my thoughts they might be narrow,
Where you been don't bother me nor bring me down in sorrow.
It don't even matter to me where you're wakin' up tomorrow,
But mama, you're just on my mind.
I am not askin' you to say words like "yes" or "no,"
Please understand me, I got no place for you t' go.
I'm just breathin' to myself, pretendin' not that I don't know,
Mama, you been on my mind.
When you wake up in the mornin', baby, look inside your mirror.
You know I won't be next to you, you know I won't be near.
I'd just be curious to know if you can see yourself as clear
I'm growing tired of these big city lights
Tired of the glamor and tired of the sights
In all my dreams I am roaming once more
Back to my home on the old river shore
I am sad and weary far away from home
Miss the Mississippi and you dear
Nights are dark and dreary everywhere I roam
Miss the Mississippi and you
Roaming this wide world over
Always alone and blue, blue
Nothing seems to cheer me under heaven's dome
Miss the Mississippi and you
Memories are bringing happy days of yore
Missing Mississippi and you
Mocking birds are singing around the cabin door
Missing Mississippi and you
Roaming this wide world over
Always alone and blue, so blue
Longing for my homeland, muddy water shore
Get you a copper kettle, get you a copper coil
Fill it with new made corn mash
And never more you'll toil
You'll just lay there by the juniper
While the moon is bright
Watch them jugs a filling in the pale moonlight
Build you a fire with hickory, hickory, ash and oak
Don't use no green or rotten wood
They'll get you by the smoke
We'll just lay there by the juniper
While the moon is bright
Watch them jugs a filling in the pale moonlight
My daddy, he made whiskey
My granddaddy, he did too
We ain't paid no whiskey tax since 1792
We'll just lay there by the juniper
While the moon is bright
Watch them jugs a filling in the pale moonlight
In the pale moonlight
Look out your window, baby, there's a scene you'd like to catch
The band is playing "Dixie," a man got his hand outstretched
Could be the fuhrer, could be the local priest
You know, sometimes Satan, you know, he come as a man of peace
He got sweet gift of gab, he got harmonious tongue
He know every song of love that ever has been sung
Good intentions can be evil, both hands can be full of grease
You know that sometimes Satan come as a man of peace
Well, first he's in the background, then he's in the front
Both eyes are lookin' like they're on a rabbit hunt
Nobody can see through him, no, not even the chief of police
You know that sometimes Satan come as a man of peace
Well, he catch you when you're hopin' for a glimpse of the sun
Catch you when your trouble feel like they weigh a ton
He could be standin' next to you, the person that you'd notice least
I hear that sometimes Satan come as a man of peace
Well, he can be fascinating, he can be dull
He can ride down Niagara Falls in the barrels of your skull
I can smell somethin' cookin', I can tell there's goin' to be a feast
You know that sometimes Satan come as a man of peace
He's a great humanitarian, he's a great philanthropist
He knows just where to touch you, honey and how you like to be kissed
He'll put both his arms around you
You can feel that tender touch of the beast
You know, sometimes Satan come as a man of peace
Well, the howlin' wolf will howl tonight, the king snake will crawl
Trees that've stood for a thousand years, suddenly will fall
Wanna get married? Do it now, tomorrow all activity will cease
You know, sometimes Satan come as a man of peace
Somewhere mama's weepin' for her blue-eyed boy
She's holdin' them a little white shoes and that little broken toy
And he's followin' a star
The same one them three men followed from the east
I hear, sometimes Satan come as a man of peace, oh yeah
Gather round you people and a story I will tell
About a brave young Indian you should remember well
From the tribe of Pima Indians, a proud and a peaceful band
They farmed the Phoenix Valley in Arizona land
Down their ditches for a thousand years the sparkling water rushed
Till their white man stole their water rights and the running water hushed
Now Ira's folks were hungry and their farms wene crops of weeds
But when war came he volunteers and forgot, the white man's greed
Call him, Drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey-drinking Indian or the marine who went to war
Yes, call him, Drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey-drinking Indian or the marine who went to war.
They started up Iwo Jima Hill, 250 men
But only 27 lived to walk back down that hill again
And when the fight was over and the old glory raised
One of the men who held it high was the Indian Ira Hayes
Call him, Drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey-drinking Indian or the marine who went to war
Call him, Drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey-drinking Indian or the marine who went to war.
Now Ira returned a hero, celebrated throughout the land
He was wined and speeched and honored, everybody shook his hand
But he was just a Pima Indian, no money crops, no chance
And at home nobody cared what Ira had done and the wind did the Indian's dance
Call him, Drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey-drinking Indian or the marine who went to war
Call him, Drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey-drinking Indian or the marine who went to war.
And Ira started drinking hard, jail was often his home
They let him raise the flag there and lower it like you'd throw a dog a bone
He died drunk early one morning, alone in the land he had fought to save
Two inches of water in a lonely ditch was the grave for Ira Hayes
Call him, Drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey-drinking Indian or the marine who went to war
Yes, call him, Drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey-drinking Indian or the marine who went to war.
Yes, call him, Drunken Ira Hayes, but his land is still as dry
And his ghost is lying thirsty in the ditch where Ira died
Call him, Drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey-drinking Indian or the marine who went to war
Yes, call him, Drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore
Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured
I'll always do my best for her, on that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved
Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
I was burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail
Poisoned in the bushes an' blown out on the trail
Hunted like a crocodile, ravaged in the corn
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
Suddenly I turned around and she was standin' there
With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair
She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
Now there's a wall between us, somethin' there's been lost
I took too much for granted, got my signals crossed
Just to think that it all began on a long-forgotten morn
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
Well, the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount
But nothing really matters much, it's doom alone that counts
And the one-eyed undertaker, he blows a futile horn
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
I've heard newborn babies wailin' like a mournin' dove
And old men with broken teeth stranded without love
Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn?
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes
I bargained for salvation an' they gave me a lethal dose
I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
Well, I'm livin' in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor's edge, someday I'll make it mine
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
Your breath is sweet
Your eyes are like two jewels in the sky
Your back is straight, your hair is smooth
On the pillow where you lie
But I don't sense affection
No gratitude or love
Your loyalty is not to me
But to the stars above
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below
Your daddy, he's an outlaw
And a wanderer by trade
He'll teach you how to pick and choose
And how to throw the blade
He oversees his kingdom
So no stranger does intrude
His voice, it trembles as he calls out
For another plate of food
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below
Your sister sees the future
Like your mama and yourself
You've never learned to read or write
There's no books upon your shelf
And your pleasure knows no limits
Your voice is like a meadowlark
But your heart is like an ocean
Mysterious and dark
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below
I didn't know that you'd be leaving
Or who you thought you were talking to
I figure maybe we're even
Or maybe I'm one up on you
I send you all my money
Just like I did before
I tried to reach you honey
But you're driftin' too far from shore
Driftin' too far from shore
Driftin' too far from shore.
I ain't gotta get lost in this current
I don't like playing cat and mouse
No gentleman likes making love to a servant
Especially when he's in his fathers house
I never could guess your weight baby
Never needed to call you my whore
I always thought you were straight baby
But you're driftin' too far from shore
Driftin' too far from shore
Driftin' too far from shore.
Well, these times and these tunnels are haunted
The bottom of the barrel is too
I waited years sometimes for what I wanted
Everybody can't be as lucky as you
Never no more do I wonder
Why you don't never play with me any more
At any moment you could go under
Cause you're driftin' too far from shore
Driftin' too far from shore
Driftin' too far from shore.
You and me we had completeness
I give you all of what I could provide
We weren't on the wrong side sweetness
We were the wrong side
I've already ripped out the phones honey
You can't walk the streets in a war
I can't finish this alone honey
You're driftin' too far from shore
You're driftin' too far from shore.
As I walked out tonight in the mystic garden
The wounded flowers were dangling from the vine
I was passing by yon cool crystal fountain
Someone hit me from behind
Ain't talking, just walking
Through this weary world of woe
Heart burning, still yearning
No one on earth would ever know
They say prayer has the power to heal
So pray for me, mother
In the human heart an evil spirit can dwell
I am trying to love my neighbor and do good unto others
But oh, mother, things ain't going well
Ain't talking, just walking
I'll burn that bridge before you can cross
Heart burning, still yearning
There'll be no mercy for you once you've lost
Now I'm all worn down by weeping
My eyes are filled with tears, my lips are dry
If I catch my opponents ever sleeping
I'll just slaughter them where they lie
Ain't talking, just walking
Through the world mysterious and vague
Heart burning, still yearning
Walking through the cities of the plague.
Well, the whole world is filled with speculation
The whole wide world which people say is round
They will tear your mind away from contemplation
They will jump on your misfortune when you're down
Ain't talking, just walking
Eating hog eyed grease in a hog eyed town.
Heart burning, still yearning
Some day you'll be glad to have me around.
They will crush you with wealth and power
Every waking moment you could crack
I'll make the most of one last extra hour
I'll revenge my father's death then I'll step back
Ain't talking, just walking
Hand me down my walking cane.
Heart burning, still yearning
Got to get you out of my miserable brain.
All my loyal and my much-loved companions
They approve of me and share my code
I practice a faith that's been long abandoned
Ain't no altars on this long and lonesome road
Ain't talking, just walking
My mule is sick, my horse is blind.
Heart burning, still yearning
Thinking about that girl I left behind.
Well, it's bright in the heavens and the wheels are flying
Fame and honor never seem to fade
The fire gone out but the light is never dying
Who says I can't get heavenly aid?
Ain't talking, just walking
Carrying a dead man's shield
Heart burning, still yearning
Walking with an ache in my heel
The suffering is unending
Every nook and cranny has its tears
I'm not playing, I'm not pretending
I'm not nursing any superfluous fears
Ain't talking, just walking
Walking ever since the other night.
Heart burning, still yearning
Walking until I'm clean out of sight.
As I walked out in the mystic garden
On a hot summer day, a hot summer lawn
Excuse me, ma'am, I beg your pardon
There's no one here, the gardener is gone
Ain't talking, just walking
Up the road, around the bend.
Heart burning, still yearning
In the last outback at the world's end.
I once held her in my arms
She said she would always stay
But I was cruel
I treated her like a fool
I threw it all away.
Once I had mountains in the palm of my hand
And rivers that ran through ev'ry day
I must have been mad
I never knew what I had
Until I threw it all away.
Love is all there is, it makes the world go around
Love and only love it can't be denied
No matter what you think about it
You just won't be able to do without it
Take a tip from one who's tried.
So if you find someone that gives you all of her love
Take it to your heart, don't let it stray
For one thing that's certain
You will surely be a-hurtin'
If you throw it all away.
Corrina, Corrina
Gal, where you been so long?
Corrina, Corrina
Gal, where you been so long?
I been worr'in' 'bout you, baby
Baby, please come home
I got a bird that whistles
I got a bird that sings
I got a bird that whistles
I got a bird that sings
But I ain' a-got Corrina
Life don't mean a thing
Corrina, Corrina
Gal, you're on my mind
Corrina, Corrina
Gal, you're on my mind
I was in down thinkin' of you
I just can't keep from crying
© SPECIAL RIDER MUSIC;
Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when you're tryin' to be so quiet ?
We sit here stranded, though we're all doin our best to deny it
And Louise holds a handfull of rain, tempting you to defy it
Lights flicker from the opposite loft
In this room the heat pipes just cough
The country music station plays soft
But there's nothing really nothing to turn of
Just Louise and her lover so entwined
And these visions of Johanna that conquer my mind.
In the empty lot where the ladies play blindman's bluff with the key chain
And the all-night girls they whisper of escapades out on the D-train
We can hear the night watcman click his flashlight
Ask himself if it's him or them that's really insane
Louise she's all right she's just near
She's delicate and seems like the mirror
But she just makes it all too concise and too clear
That Johanna's not here
The ghost of electricity howls in the bones of her face
Where these visions of Johanna have now taken my place.
Now, little boy lost, he takes himself so seriously
He brags of his misery, he likes to live dangerously
And when bringing her name up
He speaks of a farewell kiss to me
He's sure got a lotta gall to be so useless and all
Muttering small talk at the wall while I'm in the hall
Oh, how can I explain ?
It's so hard to get on
And these visions of Johanna they kept me up past the dawn.
Inside the museums, Infinity goes up on trial
Voices echo this is what salvation must be like after a while
But Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues
You can tell by the way she smiles
See the primitive wallflower freeze
When the jelly-faced women all sneeze
Hear the one with the mustache say, "Jeeze
I can't find my knees"
Oh, jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule
But these visions of Johanna, they make it all seem so cruel.
The peddler now speaks to the countess who's pretending to care for him
Saying, "Name me someone that's not a parasite and I'll go out and say a prayer for him"
But like Louise always says
"Ya can't look at much, can ya man "
As she, herself prepares for him
And Madonna, she still has not showed
We see this empty cage now corrode
Where her cape of the stage once had flowed
The fiddler, he now steps to the road
He writes ev'rything's been returned which was owed
On the back of the fish truck that loads
While my conscience explodes
The harmonicas play the skeleton keys and the rain
And these visions of Johanna are now all that remain.
I ain't lookin' to compete with you
Beat or cheat or mistreat you
Simplify you, classify you
Deny, defy or crucify you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
No, and I ain't lookin' to fight with you
Frighten you or tighten you
Drag you down or drain you down
Chain you down or bring you down
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I ain't lookin' to block you up
Shock or knock or lock you up
Analyze you, categorize you
Finalize you or advertise you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I don't want to straight-face you
Race or chase you, track or trace you
Or disgrace you or displace you
Or define you or confine you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I don't want to meet your kin
Make you spin or do you in
Or select you or dissect you
Or inspect you or reject you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I don't want to fake you out
Take or shake or forsake you out
I ain't lookin' for you to feel like me
See like me or be like me
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
O come all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye
O come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord
O sing, choirs of angels
Sing in exultation
Sing all that hear
In heaven God's holy word
Give to our Father
Glory in the Highest
O come let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord
All Hail
Lord, we greet Thee
Born this happy morning
O Jesus! for evermore
Be Thy name adored
Word of the Father
Now in flesh appearing
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie.
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.
For Christ is born of Mary,
And, gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth.
And praises sing to God the King.
And peace to men on earth.
How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming;
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him,
Still The dear Christ enters in.
Where children, pure and happy,
Pray to the Blessed Child;
Where misery cries out to thee,
Son of the Mother mild;
Where charity stands watching,
And faith holds wide the door,
The dark night wakes, the glory breaks,
And Christmas comes once more.
O Holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in;
Be born in us today!
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Oh, fare thee well, my own true love, fare thee well but for a while
The ship is waiting and the wind blows high
And I am bound away for the sea, Mary Ann.
Ten thousand miles away from home, ten thousand miles or more
The sea may freeze and the earth may burn
If I never nomore return to you, Mary Ann.
Oh, don't you see that crow fly high, she'll surely turn to white
If never I prove false to you
Let the day turn to night, my dear, Mary Ann.
If I had a flask of gin and sugar here for two
And a great big bowl for two to mix it in
I'd pour a drink for you my dear, Mary Ann
Well, they'll stone ya when you're trying to be so good
They'll stone ya just a-like they said they would
They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to go home
Then they'll stone ya when you're there all alone
But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned.
Well, they'll stone ya when you're walkin' 'long the street
They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to keep your seat
They'll stone ya when you're walkin' on the floor
They'll stone ya when you're walkin' to the door
But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned.
They'll stone ya when you're at the breakfast table
They'll stone ya when you are young and able
They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to make a buck
They'll stone ya and then they'll say "good luck"
Tell ya what, I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned.
Well, They'll stone you and say that it's the end
Then they'll stone you and then they'll come back again
They'll stone you when you're riding in your car
They'll stone you when you're playing your guitar
Yes, but I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned.
Well, they'll stone you when you walk all alone
They'll stone you when you are walking home
They'll stone you and then say you are brave
They'll stone you when you are set down in your grave
But I would not feel so all alone
I'm searching for phrases,
To sing your praises,
I need to tell someone,
It's soon after midnight,
And my day has just begun
A gal named Holly,
Took my money,
She was passing by,
It's soon after midnight,
And the moon is in my eye
My heart is cheerful,
It's never fearful,
I've been down on the killing floors,
I'm in no great hurry,
I'm not afraid of your fury,
I've faced stronger wars than yours
Charlotte the Harlot,
Dresses in scarlet,
Mary dresses in mink,
It's soon after midnight,
And I've got a date with a fairy queen
They chirp and they chatter,
What does it matter,
The laugh and dine and never love,
2 timing slim
Who's ever heard of him,
I'll drag his corpse through the mud
It's now or never,
More than ever,
When I meet ya I did'nt think you'd do,
It's soon after midnight,
Roll, roll, roll on John,
Don't you roll so slow.
How can I roll when the wheels won't roll?
I asked that girl, won't you be my wife?
She fell on her knees, she began to cry.
The more she cried, the worse I felt,
'Til I thought my heart would melt.
I looked at the sun, was a-sinking low.
I looked at my baby, she was a-walkin' down the road.
I looked at the sun, was a-turning red.
I looked at my baby, but she bowed her head.
Don't the sun look lonesome, oh lord lord lord, on the graveyard fence?
Don't my baby look lonesome, when her head is bent?
Roll on John, don't you roll so slow.
How can I roll when the wheels won't roll?
Roll on John, don't you roll so slow.
It was late last night when the Lord came in...
It was late last night when the boss come home
Asking 'bout his lady,
The only answer that he got,
"She's gone with the Gypsy Davey,
She's gone with the Gypsy Dave."
"Go saddle for me my buckskin horse
And hundred dollar saddle,
Point out to me their wagon tracks,
And after them I'll travel,
And after them I'll ride."
Well, he had not rode till the midnight moon
He saw the campfire gleamin'.
He heard the sound of the big guitar,
An' the voice of the gypsy singin'
That song of the Gypsy Dave.
An' there by the light of the campin' fire,
[SUNG AS: "An' there by the night of the camplin'
fire..."]
He saw her fair face beamin',
Her heart in tune to the big guitar
And the sound of the gypsy singin'
That song of the Gypsy Dave.
"Have you forsaken your house and home,
Have you forsaken your baby?
Have you forsaken your husband dear
To go with the Gypsy Davey,
To go with the Gypsy Dave? "
"Yes, I've forsaken my husband dear
To go with the Gypsy Davey.
And I've forsaken my mansion high,
But not my blue-eyed baby,
But not my blue-eyed babe."
She turned to go away from him
And go with the Gypsy Davey,
But the tears come tricklin' down her cheeks
To think of her blue-eyed baby,
To go with the blue-eyed babe.
"Take off, take off your buckskin gloves
Made of Spanish leather,
And give to me your lily white hand
To go ride home together,
And we'll ride home again. "
"I'm not take off my buckskin gloves
Made of Spanish leather,
I'll go on my way from day to day
To be with the Gypsy Davey,
To go with the Gypsy Dave,
Sing with the Gypsy Davey,
Every step of the way, we walk the line
Your days are numbered, so are mine
Time is piling up, we struggle and we stray
We're all boxed in, nowhere to escape
City's just a jungle, more games to play
Trapped in the heart of it, tryin' to get away
I was raised in the country, I been working in the town
I been in trouble ever since I set my suitcase down
Got nothing for you, I had nothing before
Don't even have anything for myself anymore
Sky full of fire, came pouring down
Nothing you can sell me, I'll see you around
All my powers of expression and thoughts so sublime
Could never do you justice in reason or rhyme
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long
Well, the devil's in the alley, mule's in the stall
Say anything you wanna, I have heard it all
I was thinking about the things that Rosie said
I was dreaming I was sleeping in Rosie's bed
Walking through the leaves, falling from the trees
Feeling like a stranger nobody sees
So many things that we never will undo
I know you're sorry, I'm sorry too
Some people will offer you their hand and some won't
Last night I knew you, tonight I don't
I need something strong to distract my mind
I'm gonna look at you 'til my eyes go blind
Well I got here following the southern star
I crossed that river just to be where you are
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long
Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast
I'm drowning in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free
I've got nothing but affection for all those who sailed with me
Everybody's moving, if they ain't already there
Everybody's got to move somewhere
Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow
Things should start to get interesting right about now
My clothes are wet, tight on my skin
Not as tight as the corner that I painted myself in
I know that fortune is waiting to be kind
So give me your hand and say you'll be mine
Well, the emptiness is endless, cold as the clay
You can always come back, but you can't come back all the way
Only one thing I did wrong
Seasons they are turning and my sad heart is yearning
I hear again the songbird weep below his tone
Won't you meet me out in the moonlight alone
The dusky light the day is losing
Orchards, poppies, black eyed Susan
The earth and sky that melts with flesh and bone
Won't you meet me out in the moonlight alone
The air is thick and heavy all along the levee
Where the geese into the countryside have flown
Won't you meet me out in the moonlight alone
Well, I'm preaching peace and harmony
The blessings of tranquility
Yet I know when the time is right to strike
I take you 'cross the river, dear
You no need to linger here
I know the kinds of things you like
The clouds are turning crimson, the leaves fall from the limbs and
The branches cast their shadows over stone
Won't you meet me out in the moonlight alone
The boulevards of cypress trees, the masquerade of birds and bees
The petals blinking white, the wind has blown
Won't you meet me out in the moonlight alone
The trailing moss in mystico, the purple blossom soft as snow
My tears keep flowing to the sea
Doctor, lawyer, indian chief, it takes a thief to catch a thief
For whom does the bell toll for, love?
It tolls for you and me
Old pulses running through my palm, the sharp hills are rising from
Yellow fields with twisted oaks that grow
Well, I'm stranded in the city that never sleeps
Some of these women they just give me the creeps
I'm avoidin' the south side the best I can
These memories I got they can strangle a man
Well, I came ashore in the dead of the night
Lot of things can get in the way when you're tryin' to do what's right
You don't understand it, my feelin' for you
You'd be honest with me if you only knew
I'm not sorry for nothing I've done
I'm glad I fought, I only wish we won
The Siamese twins are comin' to town
People can't wait, they've gathered around
When I left my home the sky split open wide
I never wanted to go back there, I'd rather have died
You don't understand it, my feelin' for you
You'd be honest with me if only you knew
My woman got a face like a teddy bear
She's tossin' a baseball bat in the air
The meat is so tough you can't cut it with a sword
I'm crashin' my car trunk first into the board
They say that my eyes are pretty and my smile is nice
Well, I'd sell it to ya at a reduced price
You don't understand it, my feeling for you
You'd be honest with me if only you knew
Some things are too terrible to be true,
I won't come here no more if it bothers you.
There's a Southern Pacific leaving at 9:45
I'm havin' a hard time, believing some people we're ever alive
I'm stark naked but I don't care
I'm goin' off into the woods I'm hunt'n' bear
You don't understand it, my feeling for you
Well, you'd be honest with me if only you knew
I'm here to create the new imperial empire
I'm gonna do whatever circumstances require
I care so much for you, didn't think I could
I can't tell my heart that you're no good
Well, my parents, they warned me not to risk my years
And I still got their advice oozing out of my ears
You don't understand it, my feeling for you
Well, today has been a sad and lonesome day
Yeah, today has been a sad and lonesome day
I'm just sitting here thinking with my mind a million miles away
Well, they're doing the double shuffle, throwing sand on the floor
They're doing the double shuffle, they're throwing sand on the floor
When I left my longtime darling, she was standing in the door
Well, my pa he died and left me, my brother got killed in the war
Well, my pa he died and left me, my brother got killed in the war
My sister she ran off and got married, never was heard of anymore
Samantha Brown lived in my house for 'bout four or five months
Samantha Brown lived in my house for 'bout four or five months
Don't know how it looked to other people, I never slept with her even once
Well the road washed out, weather not fit for man or beast
Well the road washed out, weather not fit for man or beast
Funny, the things you have the hardest time parting with, are the things you need the least
Well, I'm forty miles from the mill, I'm dropping it into overdrive
I'm forty miles from the mill, I'm dropping it into overdrive
Set my dial on the radio, I wish my mother was still alive
I seen your lover-man coming, coming across the barren fields
I see your lover-man coming, coming across the barren fields
He not a gentleman at all, he's rotten to the core, he's a coward and he's
steel
Well my captain he's decorated, he's well-schooled and he's skilled
My captain he's decorated, he's well-schooled and he's skilled
He's not sentimental, don't bother him at all; how many of his pals have been killed.
Last night the wind was whispering, I was trying to make out what it was
Last night the wind was whispering something, I was trying to make out what it was
Yeh I tell myself something's coming, but it never does
I'm going to spare the defeated, I'm going to speak to the crowd
I'm going to spare the defeated, 'cause I'm going to speak to the crowd
I'm going to teach peace to the conquered, I'm going to tame the proud
Well, the leaves are rustling in the wood, things are falling off of the shelf
Leaves are rustling in the wood, things are falling off the shelf
Down over the window
From the dazzling sunlit place
Through the back alleys, through the blinds
Another one of the Memphis days
Honey bees are buzzing
Leaves begin to stir
I'm in love with my second cousin
I tell myself I could be happy forever with her
I keep listening for footsteps
But I ain't never hearing any
From the boat, I fish for bullheads
I catch a lot sometimes too many
A summer breeze is blowin'
A squall is setting in
Sometimes it's just plain stupid
To get into any kind of wind
Well the old men 'round here sometimes they get on
Bad terms with the younger men
Old, young, age don't carry weight
It doesn't matter in the end
One of the boss' hangers-on sometimes comes to call
At times you least expect
Tryin' to bully you, strong arm you inspire you with fear
It has the opposite effect
There's a new grove of trees on the outskirts of town
The other one is long gone
10 foot, 2 foot, 6 across
Burns with the bark still on
They say times are hard
If you don't believe it you can follow your nose
It don't bother me, times are hard everywhere
We'll just have to see how it goes
My old man, he's like some feudal Lord
He's got more lives than a cat
I've never seen him quarrel with my mother even once
Things come alive or they fall flat
You can smell the pine wood burnin'
You can hear the school bell ring
Got to get up near the teacher, if you can
If you wanna learn anything
Romeo, he said to Juliet, "You got a poor complexion
That don't give your appearance a very youthful touch"
Juliet said back to Romeo
"Why don't you just shove off, if it bothers you so much"
They got all got outta here any way they could
Cold rain can give you the shivers
They went down the Ohio, the Cumberland, the Tennessee
All rest of them rebel rivers
If you ever try to interfere with me or cross my path again
You do so at the peril of your life
I'm not quite as cool, or forgiving as I sound
I've seen enough heartache and strife
My grandfather was a duck trapper
He could do it with just dragnets and ropes
My grandmother could sew new dresses out of old cloth
I don't know if they had any dreams or hopes
I had 'em once, though I suppose
To go along with all the ring dancing
Christmas carols and all the Christmas eves
I left all my dreams and hopes buried under tobacco leaves
Not always easy kicking someone out
Got to wait awhile, it can be an unpleasant task
Sometimes somebody wants you to give something up
Highwater risin', rising night and day
All the gold and silver are being stolen away
Big Joe Turner looking east and west from the dark room of his mind
He made it to Kansas City, Twelfth Street and Vine
Nothin' standing there
Highwater everywhere
Highwater rising the shacks are sliding down
Folks lose their possessions, the folks are leaving town
Reformation shook it, broke it, then she hung it on the wall
Say you dance with whom they tell you to or you don't dance at all
It's tough out there
Highwater everywhere
I got a cravin' love for blazin' speed
I got a hopped up Mustang Ford
Jump into the wagon, love
Throw your panties overboard
I can write you poems, make a strong man lose his mind
I'm no pig without a wig, I hope you treat me kind
Things are breakin' up out there
Highwater everywhere
Highwater rising, six inches above my head
Coffin's dropping in the street like balloons made out of clay
Water poured into Vicksburg, don't know what I'm gonna do
Don't reach out for me, she said, can't you see I'm drowning too
It's rough out there
Highwater everywhere
Well, George Lewis told the Englishman, the Italian and the Jew
You can't open up your mind, boys, to every conceivable point of view
They got Charles Darwin trapped out there on Highway 5
Judge says to the high sheriff, I want him dead or alive
Either one, I don't care
Highwater everywhere
Well, the cuckoo is a pretty bird, she warbles as she flies
I'm preachin' the word of God, I'm puttin' out your eyes
I asked Fat Nancy for someth'n' to eat, she said take it off the shelf
As great as you are man, you'll never be greater than yourself
I told her I didn't really care
Highwater everywhere
I get up in the mornin', I believe I'll dust my broom
Keepin' away from the women, I'm givin' them lots of room
Thunder rollin' over Clarksdale, everythin' a lookin' blue
I just can't be happy, love, unless you're happy too
It's bad out there
By and by, I'm breathin' a lover's sigh
While I'm sittin' on my watch so I can be on time
I'm singin' love's praises with sugar coated rhyme
By and by, on you I'm castin' my eye
I'm paintin' the town, swingin' my partner around
Well I know who I can depend on, I know who to trust
I'm watchin' the boats, I'm studyin' the dust
I'm paintin' the town, makin' my last go-round
While I'm scufflin' and I'm shufflin' and I'm walkin' on briars
I'm not even aquainted with my old desires
I'm rollin' slow, I'm doin' all I know
I'm tellin' myself I've found true happiness
That I still got a dream that hasn't been repossessed
I'm rollin' slow goin' where the wild roses grow
Well, the future is already a thing of the past
You were my first love and you will be my last
Papa gone mad, Mama she's feelin' sad
Well, I'm gonna baptize you in fire so you can sin no more
I wanna establish my rule through civil war
Well, I had to go down to see a guy named Mr. Goldsmith
Nasty, dirty, double-crossin', back-stabbin' phony I didn't want to have to deal with
But I did it for you and all you gave me was a smile
Well, I cried for you, now it's your turn to cry awhile
I don't carry dead weight, I'm no flash in the pan
All right, I'll set you straight, can't you see I'm a union man
I'm lettin' the cat out of the cage, I'm keepin' a low profile
Well, I cried for you, now it's your turn, you can cry awhile
Feel like a fightin' rooster, feel better than I ever felt
But the Pennsylvania line's in an awful mess and the Denver road is a-goin' to melt
I went to the Church house, everyday I go an extra mile
Well, I cry for you, now your turn, you can cry awhile
Last night, 'cross the alley, there was a poundin' on the wall
It must have been Don Pasquale makin' a 2 a.m. booty call
To break a trusted heart like mine was just your style
Well, I cried for you, now it's your turn to cry awhile
I'm on the fringes of the night fightin' back tears that I can't control
Some people they ain't human, they ain't got no heart or soul
But I'm a-cryin' to the Lord, tryin' to be meek and mild
Yes, I cried for you, now it's your turn, you can cry awhile
Well the preacher's in the pulpit and the babiis in their cribs
I'm longin' for that sweet fat that sticks to your ribs
I'm goin' t' buy me a barrel of whisky, I'll die before I turn senile
Yes, I cried for you, now it's your turn, you can cry awhile
Well, you bet on the horses, they ran the wrong way
I always said you'd be sorry and today could be the day
I might need a good lawyer, could be a funeral mad trial
I'm a-walkin' through the summer nights
The jukebox playing low
Yesterday everything was goin' too fast
Today it's moving too slow.
I got no place left to turn
I got nothing left to burn
Don't know if I saw you
If I would kiss you or kill you
It probably wouldn't matter to you anyhow
You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'
I got nothing to go back to now.
The light in this place is so bad
Makin' me sick in the head
All the laughter is just makin' me sad
The stars have turned cherry red.
I'm strummin' on my gay guitar
Smokin' a cheap cigar
The ghost of our old love has not gone away
Don't look it like it will any time soon
You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'
Under the midnight moon.
Maybe they'll get me, and maybe they won't
But not tonight and it won't be here
There are things I could say but I don't
I know the mercy of God must be near.
I've been ridin' the midnight train
Got ice water in my vein.
I would be crazy if I took you back
It would go up against every rule
You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'
Sufferin' like a fool.
When the last rays of daylight go down
Buddy you're older or more
I can hear the church bells ringin' in the yard
I wonder who they're ringin' for?
I know I can't win
But my heart just won't give in.
Last night I danced with a stranger
But she just reminded me you were the one.
You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'
In the dark land of the sun.
I'll eat when I'm hungry
Drink when I'm dry
And live my life on the square
And even if the flesh falls off of my face
I know someone will be there to care.
It always meaned so much, even the softest touch.
I see nothin' to be gained by any explanation
There's no words that need to be said
You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'
The air is getting hotter, there's a rumblin' in the skies
I've been wading through the high muddy water
With the heat risin' in my eyes
Every day your memory grows dimmer
It dosn't haunt me like it did before
I've been walking through the mirror to nowhere
Tryin' to get to heaven before they close the door.
When I was in Missouri they would not let me be
I had to leave there in a hurry
I only saw what they let me see
You broke a heart that loved you
Now you can seal up the book and not write anymore
I've been walkin' that lonesome valley
Tryin' to get to heaven before they close the door.
People on the platforms, waitin' for the trains
I can hear their hearts a-beatin'
Like pendulums swinging on chains
When you think that you've lost everything
You find out you can always lose a little more
I'm just goin' down the road feeling bad
Tryin' to get to heaven before they close the door.
I'm goin' down the river, down to New Orleans
They tell me everything is gonna be all right
But I don't know what all right even means
I was ridin' in a buggy with Miss Mary Jane
Miss Mary Jane got a house in Baltimore
I've been all around the world, boys
And I'm tryin' to get to heaven before they close the door.
Gonna sleep down in the parlor and relive my dreams
I close my eyes and I wonder
If everything is as hollow as it seems
Some trains don't pull no gamblers
No midnight ramblers, like they did before
I've been to sugar town, I shook the sugar down
Take a trip with me in nineteen thirteen
To Calumet, Michigan in the copper country
I'll take you to a place called Italian Hall
And the miners are having their big Christmas ball
I'll take you in a door and up a high stairs
Singing and dancing is heard ev'rywhere
I'll let you shake hands with the people you see
And watch the kids dance 'round the big Christmas tree.
There's talking and laughing and songs in the air
And the spirit of Christmas is there ev'rywhere
Before you know it you're friends with us all
And you're dancing around and around in the hall
You ask about work and you ask about pay
They'll tell you they make less than a dollar a day
Working their copper claims, risking their lives
So it's fun to spend Christmas with children and wives.
A little girl sits down by the Christmas tree lights
To play the piano so you gotta keep quiet
To hear all this fun; you would not realize
That the copper boss thug men are milling outside
The copper boss thugs stuck their heads in the door
One of them yelled and he screamed, "There's a fire"
A lady she hollered, "There's no such a thing;
Keep on with your party, there's no such a thing."
A few people rushed and there's only a few
"It's just the thugs and the scabs fooling you."
A man grabbed his daughter and he carried her down
But the thugs held the door and he could not get out.
And then others followed, about a hundred or more
But most everybody remained on the floor
The gun thugs, they laughed at their murderous joke
And the children were smothered on the stairs by the
door.
Such a terrible sight I never did see
We carried our children back up to their tree
The scabs outside still laughed at their spree
And the children that died there was seventy-three
The piano played a slow funeral tune,
And the town was lit up by a cold Christmas moon
The parents, they cried and the men, they moaned,
My love she speaks like silence
Without ideals or violence
She doesn't have to say she's faithful
Yet she's true, like ice, like fire
People carry roses
And make promises by the hours
My love she laughs like the flowers
Valentines can't buy her.
In the dime stores and bus stations
People talk of situations
Read books, repeat quotations
Draw conclusions on the wall
Some speak of the future
My love she speaks softly
She knows there's no success like failure
And that failure's no succes at all.
The cloak and dagger dangles
Madams light the candles
In ceremonies of the horsemen
Even the pawn must hold a grudge
Statues made of match sticks
Crumble into one another
My love winks, she does not bother
She knows too much to argue or to judge.
The bridge at midnight trembles
The country doctor rambles
Bankers' nieces seek perfection
Expecting all the gifts that wise men bring
The wind howls like a hammer
The night blows rainy
My love she's like some raven
Darkness at the break of noon
Shadows even the silver spoon
The handmade blade, the child's balloon
Eclipses both the sun and moon
To understand you know too soon
There is no sense in trying.
Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn
Suicide remarks are torn
From the fools gold mouthpiece
The hollow horn plays wasted words
Proved to warn
That he not busy being born
Is busy dying.
Temptation's page flies out the door
You follow, find yourself at war
Watch waterfalls of pity roar
You feel to moan but unlike before
You discover
That you'd just be
One more person crying.
So don't fear if you hear
A foreign sound to you ear
It's alright, Ma, I'm only sighing.
As some warn victory, some downfall
Private reasons great or small
Can be seen in the eyes of those that call
To make all that should be killed to crawl
While others say don't hate nothing at all
Except hatred.
Disillusioned words like bullets bark
As human gods aim for their marks
Made everything from toy guns that sparks
To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark
It's easy to see without looking too far
That not much
Is really sacred.
While preachers preach of evil fates
Teachers teach that knowledge waits
Can lead to hundred-dollar plates
Goodness hides behind its gates
But even the President of the United States
Sometimes must have
To stand naked.
An' though the rules of the road have been lodged
It's only people's games that you got to dodge
And it's alright, Ma, I can make it.
Advertising signs that con you
Into thinking you're the one
That can do what's never been done
That can win what's never been won
Meantime life outside goes on
All around you.
You loose yourself, you reappear
You suddenly find you got nothing to fear
Alone you stand without nobody near
When a trembling distant voice, unclear
Startles your sleeping ears to hear
That somebody thinks
They really found you.
A question in your nerves is lit
Yet you know there is no answer fit to satisfy
Insure you not to quit
To keep it in your mind and not forget
That it is not he or she or them or it
That you belong to.
Although the masters make the rules
For the wise men and the fools
I got nothing, Ma, to live up to.
For them that must obey authority
That they do not respect in any degree
Who despite their jobs, their destinies
Speak jealously of them that are free
Cultivate their flowers to be
Nothing more than something
They invest in.
While some on principles baptized
To strict party platforms ties
Social clubs in drag disguise
Outsiders they can freely criticize
Tell nothing except who to idolize
And then say God Bless him.
While one who sings with his tongue on fire
Gargles in the rat race choir
Bent out of shape from society's pliers
Cares not to come up any higher
But rather get you down in the hole
That he's in.
But I mean no harm nor put fault
On anyone that lives in a vault
But it's alright, Ma, if I can't please him.
Old lady judges, watch people in pairs
Limited in sex, they dare
To push fake morals, insult and stare
While money doesn't talk, it swears
Obscenity, who really cares
Propaganda, all is phony.
While them that defend what they cannot see
With a killer's pride, security
It blows the minds most bitterly
For them that think death's honesty
Won't fall upon them naturally
Life sometimes
Must get lonely.
My eyes collide head-on with stuffed graveyards
False gods, I scuff
At pettiness which plays so rough
Walk upside-down inside handcuffs
Kick my legs to crash it off
Say okay, I have had enough
What else can you show me ?
And if my thought-dreams could been seen
They'd probably put my head in a guillotine
Hey ! Mr Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Hey ! Mr Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.
Though I know that evenin's empire has returned into sand
Vanished from my hand
Left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping
My weariness amazes me, I'm branded on my feet
I have no one to meet
And the ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming.
Hey ! Mr Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Hey ! Mr Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.
Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin' ship
My senses have been stripped, my hands can't feel to grip
My toes too numb to step, wait only for my boot heels
To be wanderin'
I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade
Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it.
Hey ! Mr Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Hey ! Mr Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.
Though you might hear laughin', spinnin' swingin' madly across the sun
It's not aimed at anyone, it's just escapin' on the run
And but for the sky there are no fences facin'
And if you hear vague traces of skippin' reels of rhyme
To your tambourine in time, it's just a ragged clown behind
I wouldn't pay it any mind, it's just a shadow you're
Seein' that he's chasing.
Hey ! Mr Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Hey ! Mr Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.
Then take me disappearin' through the smoke rings of my mind
Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves
The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves
Let me forget about today until tomorrow.
Hey ! Mr Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Hey ! Mr Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
No, I aint gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Well, I wake up in the morning
Fold my hands and pray for rain
I got a head full of ideas
That are drivin' me insane
It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
No, I aint gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
Well, he hands you a nickel
He hands you a dime
He asks you with a grin
If you're havin' a good time
Then he fines you every time you slam the door
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
No, I aint gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
Well, he puts his cigar
Out in your face just for kicks
His bedroom window
It is made out of bricks
The National Guard stands around his door
Ah, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
Well, when she talks to all the servants
About man and God and law
Everybody says
She's the brains behind pa
She's sixty-eight, but she says she's twenty-four
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
I aint gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Well, I try my best
To be just like I am
But everybody wants you
To be just like them
They say sing while you slave and I just get bored
I was riding on the Mayflower
When I thought I spied some land
I yelled for Captain Ahab
I have yuh understand
Who came running to the deck
Said, "Boys, forget the whale
Look on over yonder
Cut the engines
Change the sail
Haul on the bowline"
We sang that melody
Like all tough sailors do
When they are far away at sea.
"I think I'll call it America"
I said as we hit the land
I took a deep breath
I fell down, I could not stand
Captain Ahab he started
Writing up some deeds
He said, "Let's set up a fort
And start buying the place with beads"
Just then this cop comes down the street
Crazy as a loon
He throw us all in jail
For carryin' harpoons.
Ah me I busted out
Don't even ask me how
I went to get some help
I walked by a Guernsey cow
Who directed me down
To the Bowery slums
Where people carried signs around
Saying, "Ban the bums"
I jumped right into line
Sayin' "I hope that I'm not late"
When I realized I hadn't eaten
For five days straight.
I went into a restaurant
Lookin' for the cook
I told him I was the editor
Of a famous etiquette book
The waitress he was handsome
He wore a powder blue cape
I ordered some suzette, I said
"Could you please make that crepe"
Just then the whole kitchen exploded
From boillin' fat
Food was flying anywhere
And I left without my hat.
Now, I didn't mean to be nosy
But I went into a bank
To get some bail for Ahab
And all the boys back in the tank
They asked me for some collateral
And I pulled down my pants
They threw me in the alley
When up comes this girl from France
Who invited me to her house
I went, but she had a friend
Who knocked me out
And robbed my boots
And I was on the street again.
Well, I rapped upon a house
With the US flag upon display
I said, "Could you help me out
I got some friends down the way
" The man says, "Get out of here
I'll tear you limp from limb"
I said, "You know they refused Jesus, too"
He said, "You're not Him
Get out of here before I break your bones
I ain't your pop"
I decided to have him arrested
And I went lookin for a cop.
I ran right outside
And I hopped inside a cab
I went out the other door
This Englishman said, "Fab"
As he saw me leap a hot dog stand
And a chariot that stood
Parked across from a building
Advertising brotherhood
I ran right through the front door
Like a hobo sailor does
But it was just a funeral parlor
And the man asked me who I was.
I repeated that my friends
Where all in jail, with a sigh
He gave me his card
He said, "Call me if they die"
I shook his hand and said goodbye
Ran out to the street
When a bowling ball came down the road
And knocked me off my feet
A pay phone was ringing
It just about blew my mind
When I picked it up and said hello
This foot came through the line.
Well, by this time I was feed up
At tryin'g to make a stab
At bringin' back any help
For my friends and captain Arab
I decided to flip a coin
Like either heads or tails
Would let me know if I should go
Back to the ship or back to jail
So I hocked my sailor suit
And I got a coin to flip
It came up tails
It rhymed with sails
So I made it back to the ship.
Well, I got back and took
The parkin' ticket off the mast
I was ripping it to shreds
When this coastguard boat went past
They asked me my name
And I said, "Captain Kidd"
They believed me but
They wanted to know
What exactly that I did
I said for the Pope of Eruke
I was employed
They let me go right away
They were very paranoid.
Well, the last I heard of Ahab
He was stuck on a whale
That was married to the deputy
Sheriff of the jail
But the funniest thing was
When I was leavin' the bay
I saw three ships a-sailin'
There were all heading my way
I asked the captain what his name was
And how come he didn't drive a truck
He said his name was Columbus
Oh my name it is nothin'
My age it means less
The country I come from
Is called the Midwest
I's taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And the land that I live in
Has God on its side.
Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.
The Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War too
Was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
I's made to memorize
With guns on their hands
And God on their side.
The First World War, boys
It came and it went
The reason for fighting
I never did get
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead
When God's on your side.
When the Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And then we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now too
Have God on their side.
I've learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war comes
It's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.
But now we got weapons
Of the chemical dust
If fire them we're forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God's on your side.
In a many dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.
So now as I'm leavin'
I'm weary as Hell
The confusion I'm feelin'
Ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And fall to the floor
If God's on our side
You must leave now, take what you need, you think will last
But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast
Yonder stands your orphan with his gun
Crying like a fire in the sun
Look out the saints are comin' through
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense
Take what you have gathered from coincidence
The empty handed painter from your streets
Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets
This sky, too, is folding under you
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
All your seasick sailors, they are rowing home
Your empty handed armies, are all going home
Your lover who just walked out the door
Has taken all his blankets from the floor
The carpet, too, is moving under you
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you
Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you
The vagabond who's rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore
Strike another match, go start a new
Of war and peace the truth just twists
Its curfew gull just glides
Upon four-legged forest clouds
The cowboy angel rides
With his candle lit into the sun
Though its glow is waxed in black
All except when 'neath the trees of Eden.
The lamppost stands with folded arms
Its iron claws attached
To curbs 'neath holes where babies wail
Though it shadows metal badge
All and all can only fall
With a crashing but meaningless blow
No sound ever comes from the Gates of Eden.
The savage soldiers sticks his head in sand
And then complains
Unto the shoeless hunter who's gone deaf
But still remains
Upon the beach where hound dogs bay
At ships with tatooed sails
Heading for the Gates of Eden.
With a time-rusted compass blade
Alladin and his lamp
Sits with Utopian hermit monks
Side saddle on the Golden Calf
And on their promises of paradise
You will not hear a laugh
All except inside the Gates of Eden.
Relationships of ownership
They whisper in the wings
To those condemned to act accordingly
And wait for succeeding kings
And I will try to harmonize with songs
The lonesome sparrow sings
There are no kings inside the Gates of Eden.
The motorcycle black madonna
Two-wheeled gypsy queen
And her silver-studded phantom cause
The gray flannel dwarf to scream
As he weeps to wicked birds of prey
Who pick up on his bread crumb sins
And there are no sins inside the Gates of Eden.
The kingdoms of Experience
In the precious wind they rot
While paupers change possessions
Each one wishing for what the other has got
And the princess and the prince
Discuss what's real and what is not
It doesn't matter inside the Gates of Eden.
The foreign sun, it squints upon
A bed that is never mine
As friends and other strangers
From their fates try to resign
Leaving men wholly totally free
To do anything they wish to do but die
And there are no trials inside the Gates of Eden.
At dawn my lower comes to me
And tells me of her dreams
With no attempts to shovel the glimpse
Into the ditch of what each one means
At times I think there are no words
But these to tell what's true
Oh the time will come up
When the winds will stop
And the breeze will cease to be breathin'
Like the stillness in the wind
'Fore the hurricane begins
The hours when the ship comes ind.
And the seas will split
And the ship will hit
And the sands on the shoreline will be shaking
Then the tide will sound
And the wind will pound
And the morning will be breaking.
Oh the fishes will laugh
As they swim out of the path
And the seagulls they'll be smiling
And the rocks on the sand
Will proudly stand
The hour that the ship comes in.
And the words that are used
For to get the ship confused
Will not be understood as they're spoken
For the chains of the sea
Will have busted in the night
And will be buried at the bottom of the ocean.
A song will lift
As the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts on to the shoreline
And the sun will respect
Every face on the deck
The hour that the ship comes in.
Then the sands will roll
Out a carpet of gold
For your weary toes to be a-touchin'
And the ship's wise men
Will remind you once again
That the whole wide world is watchin'.
Oh the foes will rise
With the sleep in their eyes
And they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreamin'
But they'll pinch themselves and squeal
And know that it's for real
The hour that the ship comes in.
Then they'll raise their hands
Sayin' we'll meet all your demands
But we'll shout from the bow your days are numbered
And like Pharaoh's tribe
They'll be drownded in the tide
Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'
And the first one now
Will later be last
She was the rose of Sharon from paradise lost
From the city of seven hills near the place of the cross.
I was playing a show in Miami in the theater of divine comedy.
Told about Jesus, told about the rain,
She told me about the jungle where her brothers were slain
By a man who danced on the roof of the embassy.
Was she a child or a woman, I can't say which
From one to another she could to easily switch
We went into the wall to where the long arm of the law could not reach.
Could I been used and played as a pawn?
It certainly was possible as the gay night wore on
Where men bathed in perfume and celebrated free speech.
And them Caribbean winds still blow from Nassau to Mexico
Fanning the flames in the furnace of desire
And them distant ships of liberty on them iron waves so bold and free,
Bringing everything that's near to me nearer to the fire.
She looked into my soul through the clothes that I wore
She said, "We got a mutual friend over by the door,
And you know he's got our best interest in mind."
He was well connected but her heart was a snare
And she had left him to die in there,
There were payments due and he was a little behind.
The cry of the peacock, flies buzz my head,
Ceiling fan broken, there's a heat in my bed,
Street band playing "Nearer My God to Thee."
We met at the steeple where the mission bells ring,
She said, "I know what you're thinking, but there ain't a thing
You can do about it, so let us just agree to agree."
And them Caribbean winds still blow from Nassau to Mexico
Fanning the flames in the furnace of desire
And them distant ships of liberty on them iron waves so bold and free,
Bringing everything that's near to me nearer to the fire.
Atlantic City by the cold grey sea
I hear a voice crying, "Daddy," I always think it's for me,
But it's only the silence in the buttermilk hills that call.
Every new messenger brings evil report
'Bout armies on the march and time that is short
And famines and earthquakes and hatred written upon walls.
Would I have married her? I don't know, I suppose.
She had bells in her braids and they hung to her toes
But I kept hearing my name and I had to be movin' on.
I saw screws break loose, saw the devil pound tin,
I saw a house in the country being torn from within.
I heard my ancestors calling from the land far beyond.
And them Caribbean winds still blow from Nassau to Mexico
Fanning the flames in the furnace of desire
And them distant ships of liberty on them iron waves so bold and free,
I like to spend some time in Mozambique
The sunny sky is aqua blue
And all the couples dancing cheek to cheek
It's very nice to stay a week or two
And fall in love just me and you.
There's a lot of pretty girls in Mozambique
And plenty time for good romance
And everybody likes to stop and speak
To give the special one you seek a chance
Or maybe say hello with just a glance.
Lying next to her by the ocean
Reaching out and touching her hand
Whispering your secret emotion
Magic in a magical land.
And when it's time for leaving Mozambique
To say goodbye to sand and sea
You turn around to take a final peek
And you see why it's so unique to be
Among the lovely people living free
Oh sister when I come to lie in your arms
You should not treat me like a stranger
Our Father would not like the way that you act
And you must realize the danger.
Oh sister am I not a brother to you
And one deserving of affection ?
And is our purpose not the same on this earth
To love and follow His direction ?
We grew up together
From the cradle to the grave
We died and were reborn
And then mysteriously saved.
Oh sister when I come to knock on your door
Don't turn away you'll create sorrow
Time is an ocean but it ends at the shore
I laid on a dune I looked at the sky
When the children were babies and played on the beach
You came up behind me, I saw you go by
You were always so close and still within reach.
Sara, Sara
Whatever made you want to change your mind
Sara, Sara
So easy to look at, so hard to define.
I can still see them playing with their pails in the sand
They run to the water their buckets to fill
I can still see the shells falling out of their hands
As they follow each other back up the hill.
Sara, Sara
Sweet virgin angel, sweet love of my life
Sara, Sara
Radiant jewel, mystical wife.
Sleeping in the woods by a fire in the night
Drinking white rum in a Portugal bar
Them playing leapfrog and hearing about Snow White
You in the marketplace in Savanna-la-Mar.
Sara, Sara
It's all so clear, I could never forget
Sara, Sara
Loving you is the one thing I'll never regret.
I can still hear the sounds of those Methodist bells
I'd taken the cure and had just gotten through
Staying up for day in the Chelsea Hotel
Writing "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" for you.
Sara, Sara
Wherever we travel we're never apart
Sara, Sara
Beautiful lady, so dear to my heart.
How did I meet you ? I don't know
A messenger sent me in a tropical storm
You were there in the winter, moonlight on the snow
And on Lily Pond Lane when the weather was warm.
Sara, Sara
Scorpio Sphinx in a calico dress
Sara, Sara
You must forgive me my unworthiness.
Now the beach is deserted except for some kelp
And a piece of an old ship that lies on the shore
You always responded when I needed your help
You gimme a map and a key to your door.
Sara, Sara
Glamorous nymph with an arrow and bow
Sara, Sara
You been down to the bottom with a bad man, babe
But you're back were you belong
Go get me my pistol, babe
Honey, I can't tell right from wrong.
Baby, please stop crying, stop crying, stop crying
Baby, please stop crying, stop crying, stop crying
Baby, please stop crying
You know, I know the sun will always shine
So baby, please stop crying 'cause it's tearing up my mind.
Go down to the river, babe
Honey, I will meet you there
Go down to the river, babe
Honey, I will pay your fare.
Baby, please stop crying, stop crying, stop crying
Baby, please stop crying, stop crying, stop crying
Baby, please stop crying
You know, I know the sun will always shine
So baby, please stop crying 'cause it's tearing up my mind.
If you're looking for assistance, babe
Or if you just want some company
Or if you just want a friend you can talk to
Honey, come and see about me.
Baby, please stop crying, stop crying, stop crying
Baby, please stop crying, stop crying, stop crying
Baby, please stop crying
You know, I know the sun will always shine
So baby, please stop crying 'cause it's tearing up my mind.
You been hurt so many times
And I know what you're thinking of
Well, I don't have to be no doctor, babe
To see that you're madly in love.
Baby, please stop crying, stop crying, stop crying
Baby, please stop crying, stop crying, stop crying
Baby, please stop crying
You know, I know the sun will always shine
Your breath is sweet
Your eyes are like two jewels in the sky
Your back is straight, your hair is smooth
On the pillow where you lie
But I don't sense affection
No gratitude or love
Your loyalty is not to me
But to the stars above
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below
Your daddy, he's an outlaw
And a wanderer by trade
He'll teach you how to pick and choose
And how to throw the blade
He oversees his kingdom
So no stranger does intrude
His voice, it trembles as he calls out
For another plate of food
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below
Your sister sees the future
Like your mama and yourself
You've never learned to read or write
There's no books upon your shelf
And your pleasure knows no limits
Your voice is like a meadowlark
But your heart is like an ocean
Mysterious and dark
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
Hot chilli peppers in the blistering sun
Dust on my face and my cape
Me and Magdalena on the run
I think this time we shall escape.
Sold my guitar to the baker's son
For a few crumbs and a place to hide
But I can get another one
And I'll play for Magdalena as we ride.
No llores mi querida
Dios nos vigila
Soon the horse will take us to Durango
Agarrame mi vida
Soon the desert will be gone
Soon you will be dancing the fandango.
Past the Aztec ruins and the ghosts of our people
Hoofbeats like castanets on stone
At night I dream of bells in the village steeple
Then I see the bloody face of Ramona.
Was it me that shot him down in the cantina
Was it my hand that held the gun ?
Come let us fly my Magdalena
The dogs are barking and what's done is done.
No llores mi querida
Dios nos vigila
Soon the horse will take us to Durango
Agarrame mi vida
Soon the desert will be gone
Soon you will be dancing the fandango.
At the corrida we'll sit in the shade
And watch the young torero stand alone
We'll drink tequila where our grandfathers stayed
When they rode with Villa into Torre6n.
Then the padre will recite the prayers of old
In the little church this side of town
I will wear new boots and an earring of gold
You'll shine with diamonds in your wedding gown.
The way is long but the end is near
Already the fiesta has begun
The face of God will appear
With His serpent eyes of obsidian.
No llores mi querida
Dios nos vigila
Soon the horse will take us to Durango
Agarrame mi vida
Soon the desert will be gone
Soon you will be dancing the fandango.
Was that the thunder that I heard
My head is vibrating, I feel a sharp pain
Come sit by me don't say a word
Oh can it be that I am slain ?
Quick, Magdalena, take my gun
Look up in the hills that flash of light
Aim well my little one
We may not make it through the night.
No llores mi querida
Dios nos vigila
Soon the horse will take us to Durango
Agarrame mi vida
Soon the desert will be gone
I had a pony, her name was Lucifer
I had a pony, her name was Lucifer
She broke a leg and needed shooting
I swear it hurt me more than it could ever have hurted her.
Sometimes I wonder what's going on with me back
Sometimes I wonder what's going on with me back
You know she got such a sweet disposition
I never know what the poor girl's gonna do to me next.
I got a new pony, she knows how to fox-trot, lope and pace
Well, I got a new pony, she knows how to fox-trot lope and pace
She got great big hind legs
And long black shaggy hair hanging in her face.
Everybody say you're using voodoo, your feet walk by themselves
Well, everybody say you're using voodoo, I seen your feet walk by themselves
Oh baby, that god you been praying to
Is gonna give ya back what you're wishing on someone else.
Come over here pony, I wanna climb up one time on you
Well, come over here pony, I wanna climb up one time on you
Well, you're so nasty and you're so bad
In death you face life with a child and a wife
Who sleep-walks through your dreams into walls
You're soldier of mercy, you're cold and you curse
He who cannot be trusted must fall.
Loneliness, tenderness, high society, notoriety
You fight for the throne and you travel alone
Unknown as you slowly sink
And there's no time to think.
In the Federal City you been blown and shown pity
For secret, for pieces of change
The empress attracts you but oppression distracts you
And it makes you feel violent and strange.
Memory, ecstasy, tyranny, hypocrisy
Betrayed by a kiss on a cool night of bliss
In the valley of the missing link
And you have no time to think.
Judges will haunt you, the country priestess will want you
Her worst is better than best
I've seen all these decoys through a set of deep turquoise eyes
And I feel so depressed.
China doll, alcohol, duality, mortality
Mercury rules you and destiny fools you
Like the plague, with a dangerous wink
And there's no time to think.
Your conscience betrayed you when some tyrant waylaid you
Where the lion lies down with the lamb
I'd have paid off the traitor and killed him much later
But that's just the way that I am.
Paradise, sacrifice, mortality, reality
But the magician is quicker and his game
Is much thicker than blood and blacker than ink
And there's no time to think.
Anger and jealousy's all that he sells us
He's content when you're under his thumb
Madmen oppose him, but your kindness throws him
To survive it you play deaf and dumb.
Equality, liberty, humility, simplicity
You glance through the mirror and there's eyes starring clear
At the back of you head as you drink
And there's no time to think.
Warlords of sorrow and queens of tomorrow
Will offer their heads for a prayer
You can't find no salvation, you have no expectations
Anytime, anyplace, anywhere.
Mercury, gravity, nobility, humility
You know you can't keep her and the water gets deeper
That is leading your onto the brink
But there's no time to think.
You've murdered your vanity, buried your sanity
For pleasure you must now resist
Lovers obey you but they cannot sway you
They're not even sure you exist.
Socialism, hypnotism, patriotism, materialism
Fools making laws for the breaking of jaws
And the sound of the keys as they clink
But there's no time to think.
The bridge that you travel on goes to the Babylon
With the rose in her hair
Starlight in the East you're finally released
You're stranded but with nothing to share.
Loyality, unity, epitome, rigidity
You turn around for one real last glimpse of Camille
'Neath the moon shining bloody and pink
And there's no time to think.
Bullets can harm you and death can disarm you
But no, you will not be deceived
Stripped of all virtue as you crawl through the dirt
You can give but you cannot receive.
No time to choose when the truth must die
No time to lose or say goodbye
No time to prepare for the victim that's there
No time to suffer or blink
Sixteen years
Sixteen banners united over the field
Where the good shepherd grieves
Desperate men, desperate women divided
Spreading their wings 'neath falling leaves.
Fortune calls
I stepped forth from the shadows to the marketplace
Merchants and thieves, hungry for power, my last deal gone down
She's smelling sweet like the meadows where she was born
On midsummer's eve near the tower.
The cold-blooded moon
The captain waits above the celebration
Sending his thoughts to a beloved maid
Whose ebony face is beyond communication
The captain is down but still believing that his love will be repaid.
They shaved her head
She was torn between Jupiter and Apollo
A messenger arrived with a black nightingale
I seen her on the stairs and I couldn't help but follow
Follow her down past the fountain where they lifted her veil.
I stumbled to my feet
I rode past destruction in the ditches
With the stitches still mending beneath a heart-shaped tattoo
Renegade priests and treacherous young witches
Were handing out the flowers that I'd given to you.
The palace of mirrors
Where dog soldiers are reflected
The endless road and the wailing of chimes
The empty rooms where her memory is protected
Where the angel's voices whisper to the souls of previous times.
She wakes him up
Forty-eight hours later the sun is breaking
Near broken chains, mountain laurel and rolling rocks
She's begging to know what measures he now will be taking
He's pulling her down and she's clutching on to his long golden locks.
Gentlemen, he said I don't need your organization, I've shined your shoes
I've moved your mountains and marked your cards
But Eden is burning either brace yourself for elimination
Or else your hearts must have the courage for the changing of the guards.
Peace will come
With tranquillity and splendor on the wheels of fire
But will bring us no reward when her false idols fall
And cruel death surrenders with its pale ghost retreating
Do your love me, or are you just extending goodwill ?
Do you need me half as bad as you say, or are you just feeling guilt ?
I've been burned before and I know the score
So you won't hear me complain
Will I be able to count on you
Or is you love in vain ?
Are you so fast that you cannot see that I must have solitude ?
When I am in the darkness, why do you intrude ?
Do you know my world, do you know my kind
Or must I explain ?
Will you let me be myself
Or is you love in vain ?
Well I've been to the mountain and I've been in the wind
I've been in and out of happiness
I have dined with kings, I've been offered wings
And I've never been too impressed.
All right, I'll take a chance, I will fall in love with you
If I'm a fool you can have the night, you can have the morning too
Can you cook and sew, make flowers grow
Do you understand my pain ?
Are you willing to risk it all
Or is you love in vain ?
Can you cook and sew, make flowers grow
Do you understand my pain ?
Are you willing to risk it all
How many roads most a man walk down
Before you call him a man ?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand ?
Yes, how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned ?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Yes, how many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea ?
Yes, how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free ?
Yes, how many times can a man turn his head
Pretending he just doesn't see ?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Yes, how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky ?
Yes, how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry ?
Yes, how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died ?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son ?
And where have you been my darling young one ?
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways
I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests
I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans
I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Oh, what did you see, my blue eyed son ?
And what did you see, my darling young one ?
I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it
I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it
I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin'
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin'
I saw a white ladder all covered with water
I saw ten thousand takers whose tongues were all broken
I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son ?
And what did you hear, my darling young one ?
I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin'
I heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world
I heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin'
I heard ten thousand whisperin' and nobody listenin'
I heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin'
Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter
Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Oh, who did you meet my blue-eyed son ?
Who did you meet, my darling young one ?
I met a young child beside a dead pony
I met a white man who walked a black dog
I met a young woman whose body was burning
I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow
I met one man who was wounded in love
I met another man who was wounded and hatred
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
And what'll you do now, my blue-eyed son ?
And what'll you do now my darling young one ?
I'm a-goin' back out 'fore the rain starts a-fallin'
I'll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest
Where the people are a many and their hands are all empty
Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters
Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison
Where the executioner's face is always well hidden
Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten
Where black is the color, where none is the number
And I'll tell and think it and speak it and breathe it
And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it
Then I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin'
But I'll know my songs well before I start singin'
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard
While riding on a train goin' west
I feel asleep for take my a rest
I dreamed a dream that make me sad
Concerning myself and the first few friends I had.
With half-damp eyes I stared to the room
Where my friends and I spent many an afternoon
Where we together weathered many a storm
Laughin' and singing 'till the early hours of the morn'.
By the old wooden stove where our hats was hung
Our words were told, our songs were sung
Where we longed for nothin' and were satisfied
Joking and talking about the world outside.
With haunted hearts through the heat and cold
We never thought we could ever get very old
We thought we could sit forever in fun
Our chances really was a million to one.
As easy it was to tell black from white
It was all that easy to tell wrong from right
And our choices they were few and the thought never hit
That the one road we traveled would ever shatter and split.
How many a year has passed and gone
Many a gamble has been lost and won
And many a road taken by many a first friend
And each one I've never seen again.
I wish, I wish, I wish in vain
That we could sit simply in that room again
Ten thousand dollars at the drop of a hat
Well, the Lone Ranger and Tonto
They are ridin' down the line
Fixin' ev'rybody's troubles
Ev'rybody's 'cept mine
Somebody musta tol' 'em
That I was doin' fine.
Oh you five and ten cent women
With nothin' in your heads
I got a real gal I'm lovin'
And Lord I'll be love her till I'm dead
Go away from my door and window too
Right now.
Lord, I ain't goin' down to no race track
See no sports car run
I don't have no sports car
And I don't even care to have one
I can walk anytime around the block.
Well, the wind keeps a-blowin' me
Up and down the street
With my hat in my hand
And my boots on my feet
Watch out so you don't step on me.
Well, look it here buddy
You want to be like me
Pull out your six-shooter
And rob every bank you can see
Tell the judge I said it was all right
Well, I'm walkin' down the highway
With my suitcase in my hand
Yes, I'm walkin' down the highway
With my suitcase in my hand
Lord, I really miss my baby
She's in some far-of land.
Well, your streets are gettin' empty
Lord your highway's gettin' filled
And your streets are gettin' empty
And your highway's gettin' filled
Well, the way I love that woman
I swear it's bound to get me killed.
Well, I been gamblin' so long
Lord, I ain't got much more to lose
Yes, I been gamblin' so long
Lord, I ain't got much more to lose
Right now I'm havin' trouble
Please don't take away my highway shoes.
Well, I'm bound to get lucky, baby
Or I'm bound to die tryin'
Yes, I'm a-bound to get lucky, baby
Lord, Lord I'm a-bound to die tryin'
Well, meet me in the middle of the ocean
And we'll leave this ol' highway behind.
Well, the ocean took my baby
My baby stole my heart from me
Yes, the ocean took my baby
My baby took my heart from me
She packed it all up in a suitcase
Lord, she took it away to Italy, Italy.
So, I'm walkin' down your highway
Just as far my poor eyes can see
Yes, I'm a-walkin' down your highway
Just as far my eyes can see
From the Golden Gate Bridge
It ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
If?in you don?t know by now
An' it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
It don't matter anyhow
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn
Look out your window and I'll be gone
You're the reason I'm travelin' along
Don't think twice, it's all right
Well, it ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
That light I never knowed
An' it ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
I'm on the dark side of the road
Still I wish there was somethin' you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay
But we never did too much talkin' anyway
So don't think twice, it's all right
It ain't no use in callin' out my name, babe
Like you never did before
It ain't no use in callin' out my name, babe
I can't hear you any more
I'm a-thinkin' and a-wonderin' walkin? down the road
I once loved a woman, a child I'm told
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
But don't think twice, it's all right
So I'm walkin' down that long lonesome road, babe
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
But goodbye's too good a word, babe
So I'll just say fare thee well
I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
Honey, just allow me one more chance
To get along with you
Honey, just allow me one more chance
Ah'll do anything with you
Well, I'm a-walkin' down the road
With my head in my hand
I'm lookin' for a woman
Needs a worried man
Just-a one kind favor I ask you
Allow me just-a one more chance.
Honey, just allow me one more chance
To ride your aeroplane
Honey, just allow me one more chance
To ride your passenger train
Well, I've been lookin' all over
For a gal like you
I can't find nobody
So you'll have to do
Just-a kind a favor I ask you
Allow me just-a one more chance.
Honey, just allow me one more chance
To get along with you
Honey, just allow me one more chance
Ah'll do anything with you
Well, lookin' for a woman
That ain't got no man
Is just lookin' for a needle
That is lost in the sand
Just-a one kind favor I ask you
If you're traveling in the north country fair
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was the true love of mine.
If you go when the snowflakes storm
When the rivers freeze and summer ends
Please see if she's a coat so warm
To keep her from the howlin' winds.
Please see if her hair hangs long
If it rolls and flows all down her breast
Please see from me if her hair hangs long
That's the way I remember her best.
I'm a-wonderin' if she remember 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
Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build all the bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks.
You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly.
Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain.
You fasten all the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion'
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud.
You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins.
How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
That even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do.
Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul.
And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand over your grave
Well, I took me a woman late last night
I's three-fourths drunk she looked all right
'Til she started peelin' off her onion gook
She took off her wig, said, "How do I look" ?
I's high flyin', bare naked ...Out the window.
Well, sometimes I might get drunk
Walk like a duck and smell like a skunk
Don't hurt me none, don't hurt my pride
'Cause I got my little lady right by my side
(She's a tryin' a hide pretendin'
She don't know me).
I's out there paintin' on the old wood shed
When a can a black paint it fell on my head
I went down to scrub and rub
But I had to sit in back of the tub
(Cost a quarter
Half price).
Well, my telephone rang it would not stop
It's President Kennedy callin' me up
He said, "My friend, Bob, what do we need to make the country grow" ?
I said, "My friend, John, "Brigitte Bardot,
Anita Ekberg
Sophia Loren"
Country'll grow.
Well, I got a woman five feet short
She yells and hollers and squeals and snorts
She tickles my nose pats me on the head
Blows me over and kicks me out of bed
(She's a man eater
Meat grinder
Bad looser).
Oh, there ain't no use in me workin' alla time
I got a woman who works herself blind
Works up to her britches, up to her neck
Write me letters and sends me checks
(She's a humdinger
Folk singer).
Late one day in the middle of the week
Eyes were closed I was half asleep
I chased me a woman up the hill
Right in the middle of an air drill
(I jumped a fallout shelter
I jumped the string bean
I jumped the TV dinner
I jumped the shot gun).
Now, the man on the stand he wants my vote
He's a-runnin' for office on the ballot note
He's out there preachin' in front of the steeple
Tellin' me he loves all kinds-a people
(He's eatin' bagels
He's eatin' pizza
He's eatin' chitlins).
Oh, set me down on a television floor
I'll flip the channel to number four
Out of the shower comes a football man
With a bottle of oil in his hand
(Greasy kid stuff
What I want to know, Mr. Football Man, is
What do you do about Willy Mays
Martin Luther King
Olatunji).
Well, the funniest woman I ever seen
Was the great-granddaughter of Mr. Clean
She takes about fifteen baths a day
Wants me to grow a moustache on my face
(She's insane).
Well, ask me why I'm drunk alla time
It levels my head and eases my mind
I just walk along and stroll and sing
I see better days and I do better things
(I catch dinosaurs
I make love to Elizabeth Taylor ...
Instrumental
(First release—Booker T. Washington (Bukka) White)
Feeling funny in my mind, Lord,
I believe I'm fixing to die
Feeling funny in my mind, Lord
I believe I'm fixing to die
Well, I don't mind dying
But I hate to leave my children crying
Well, I look over yonder to that burying ground
Look over yonder to that burying ground
Sure seems lonesome, Lord, when the sun goes down
Feeling funny in my eyes, Lord,
I believe I'm fixing to die, fixing to die
Feeling funny in my eyes, Lord
I believe I'm fixing to die
Well, I don't mind dying but
I hate to leave my children crying
There's a black smoke rising, Lord
It's rising up above my head, up above my head
It's rising up above my head, up above my head
And tell Jesus make up my dying bed.
I'm walking kind of funny, Lord
I believe I'm fixing to die, fixing to die
Yes I'm walking kind of funny, Lord
I believe I'm fixing to die
Fixing to die, fixing to die
Well, I don't mind dying
But I hate to leave my children crying.
For his age, he's wise
He's got his mother's eyes
There's gladness in his heart
He's young and he's wild
My only prayer is, if I can't be there,
Lord, protect my child
As his youth now unfolds
He is centuries old
Just to see him at play makes me smile
No matter what happens to me
No matter what my destiny
Lord, protect my child
While the world is asleep
You can look at it and weep
Few things you find are worthwhile
And though I don't ask for much
No material things to touch
Lord, protect my child
He's young and on fire
Full of hope and desire
In a world that's been raped, raped and defiled
If I fall along the way
And can't see another day
Lord, protect my child
There'll be a time I hear tell
When all will be well
When God and man will be reconciled
But until men lose their chains
And righteousness reigns
She promised to meet him
At Adams's Spring;
Expecting some money,
Or some other fine thing.
No money, no money,
To flatter the case.
"We'll have to get married,
So there'll be no disgrace."
"She jump you up, Omie,
And away we will ride.
To yonder fair country
And I'll make you my bride."
She jumped up behind him,
And away they did go
To yonder far country
Where the deep waters flow.
"Now, jump you down, Omie,
And I'll tell you my mind.
My mind is to drown you
And to leave you behind."
"Oh, no, oh, no,
Please don't take my life,
Oh, I will deny you
And I'll not be your wife."
Well, he kicked and he cuffed her
To the worst understand
And he threw her in deep water
That flows through the land.
They found her poor body
The following day
Run up on the river
Down the banks full of clay.
And up spoke her mother
With a voice such a-sting,
"No one but John Lewis
Could have done such a thing."
They traced him up the river
To Dutch Charlie's Bend,
For they found him in jail
For killin' a man.
"Go hang him, go hang him,"
Was her mother's command,
"Throw him in deep water
That flows through the land."
"Go hang him, go hang him,"
Was the judge's command,
"Throw him in deep water
Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Refrain:
Savior, Savior,
Hear my humble cry,
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Let me at a font of mercy
Lay me down sweet relief;
As I kneel in deep contrition,
Help my unbelief.
Trusting only in Thy merit,
Would I seek Thy face;
Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
Save me by Thy grace.
Thou the spring of all my comfort,
More than life to me,
Whom have I on earth beside Thee,
Oh the trees they grow tall and the leaves they are
green.
And many a time my true love i've seen.
And many a night how I walked all alone
When my Johnny was a long time a-growin'.
I remember so well over my father's wall
I heard the boys a-singin', i could hear them dancin'
call.
And my own true love was the fairest of them all
He's young but he's daily a-growin'.
Oh father, dear father, you've done me great wrong,
You've married me off to a boy that's much too young.
Oh, I am twice twelve, and he's but fourteen.
He's young but he's daily growin'.
Oh daughter, dear daughter, I have done you no wrong.
I've married you to a rich man's son.
For he will be a lord for you to wait upon.
Yes, he's young but he's daily a-growin'.
At the age of fourteen he was a married man
At the age of fifteen the father of a son
At the age of sixteen, his grave it was green
And death put a stop to his growin'.
But he born me one son, so i can pass the time
Watchin' my boy rise to grow a year
An' I will watch him rise till he's become a man.
Smoky autumn night, stars up in the sky,
I see the sailin' boats across the bay go by.
Eucalyptus trees hang above the street
And then I turn my head, for you're approachin' me.
Moonlight on the water, fisherman's daughter, floatin' in to my room
With a golden loom.
First we wash our feet near the immortal shrine
And then our shadows meet and then we drink the wine.
I see the hungry clouds up above your face
And then the tears roll down, what a bitter taste.
And then you drift away on a summer's day where the wildflowers bloom
With your golden loom.
I walk across the bridge in the dismal light
Where all the cars are stripped between the gates of night.
I see the trembling lion with the lotus flower tail
And then I kiss your lips as I lift your veil.
But you're gone and then all I seem to recall is the smell of perfume
It's a mighty hard row that my poor hands have hoed
My poor feet have traveled a hot dusty road
Out of your Dust Bowl and Westward we rolled
And your deserts were hot and your mountains were cold
I worked in your orchards of peaches and prunes
I slept on the ground in the light of the moon
On the edge of the city you'll see us and then
We come with the dust and we go with the wind
California, Arizona, I harvest your crops
Well its North up to Oregon to gather your hops
Dig the beets from your ground, cut the grapes from your
vine
To set on your table your light sparkling wine
Green pastures of plenty from dry desert ground
From the Grand Coulee Dam where the waters run down
Every state in the Union us migrants have been
We'll work in this fight and we'll fight till we win
It's always we rambled, that river and I
All along your green valley, I will work till I die
My land I'll defend with my life if it be
People get ready
Theres a train a-coming
You dont need no baggage
You just get on board
All you need is faith
To hear the diesels humming
Dont need no ticket
You just thank the lord
People get ready
For the train to jordan
Picking up passengers
From coast to coast
Faith is the key
Open the doors and board them
Theres room for all
Among the loved the most
There aint no room
For the hopeless sinner
Who would hurt all mankind just
To save his own
Have pity on those
Whose chances are thinner
Cause theres no hiding place
From the kingdoms throne
So people get ready
For the train a-comin
You dont need no baggage
You just get on board !
All you need is faith
To hear the diesels humming
Dont need no ticket
You just thank, you just thank the lord
Yeah
Yeah
Im getting ready
Im getting ready
This time Im ready
Like the lion tears the flesh off of a man
So can a woman who passes herself off as a male
They sang, 'Danny Boy' at his funeral and the Lord's Prayer
The preacher talking 'bout Christ betrayed
It's like the earth just opened and swallowed him up
He reached too high, was thrown back to the ground
You know what they say about
Bein' nice to the right people on the way up
Sooner or later you gonna meet them comin' down
Well, there ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride come down
Ain't no goin' back
Hear ya got a brother named James, don't forget faces or names
Sunken cheeks and his blood is mixed
He looked straight into the sun and said revenge is mine
But he drinks, and drinks can be fixed
Sing me one more song, about ya love me to the moon and the stranger
And your fall by the sword love affair with Erroll Flynn
in these times of compassion when conformity's in fashion
Say one more stupid thing to me before the final nail is driven in
Well, there ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride come down
Ain't no goin' back
There's a retired businessman named Red
Cast down from heaven and he's out of his head
He feeds off of everyone that he can touch
He said he only deals in cash or sells tickets to a plane crash
He's not somebody that you play around with much
Miss Delilah is his, a Philistine is what she is
She'll do wondrous works with your fate
Feed you coconut bread, spice buns in your bed
If you don't mind sleepin' with your head face down in a grave
Well, there ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride come down
Ain't no goin' back
Well they'll choose a man for you to meet tonight
You'll play the fool and learn how to walk through doors
How to enter into the gates of paradise?
No, how to carry a burden too heavy to be yours?
Yeah, from the stage they'll be tryin' to get water outta rocks
A whore will pass the hat, collect a hundred grand and say thanks
They like to take all this money from sin
Build big universities to study in
Sing, 'Amazing Grace' all the way to the Swiss banks
Well, there ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride come down
Ain't no goin' back
They got some beautiful people out there, man
They can be a terror to your mind and show you how to hold your tongue
They got mystery written all over their forehead
They kill babies in the crib and say only the good die young
They don't believe in mercy
Judgment on them is something that you'll never see
They can exalt you up or bring you down main route
Turn you into anything that they want you to be
Well, there ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride come down
Ain't no goin' back
Yes, I guess I loved him too
I can still see him in my mind climbin' that hill
Did he make it to the top, well he probably did and dropped
Struck down by the strength of the will
Ain't nothin' left here partner
Just the dust of a plague that has left this whole town afraid
From now on, this'll be where you're from
Let the dead bury the dead, your time will come
Let hot iron blow as he raised the shade
Ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride come down
The sweetest songs are sung by lovers in the moonlight,
The sweetest days are the days that used to be.
The saddest words I ever heard were words of parting
When you said "Sweetheart, remember me."
CHORUS:
Remember me when the candle lights are gleamin',
Remember me at the close of a long, long day.
Just be so sweet when all alone you're dreamin'
Just to know you still remember me.
A brighter face may take my place when we're apart,
dear,
A brighter smile an' a love more bold and free.
But in the end, fair weather friends may break your
heart, dear.
An' if they do, sweetheart, remember me.
CHORUS:
Remember me when the candle lights are gleamin',
Remember me at the close of a long, long day.
Just to be so sweet when all alone you're dreamin'
Just to know you still remember me.
You told me once you were mine alone forever,
You were mine till the end of eternity.
But now it's over, dear, and we can never
Be the same except in memory.
CHORUS:
Remember me when the candle lights are gleamin',
Remember me at the close of a long, long day.
Just be so sweet when all alone you're dreamin'
Words and music by Bob Dylan
Down over the window
From the dazzling sunlit place
Through the back alleys, through the blinds
Another one of the Memphis days
Honey bees are buzzing
Leaves begin to stir
I'm in love with my second cousin
I tell myself I could be happy forever with her
I keep listening for footsteps
But I ain't never hearing any
From the boat, I fish for bullheads
I catch a lot, sometimes too many
A summer breeze is blowin'
A squall is setting in
Sometimes it's just plain stupid
To get into any kind of wind
Well the old men 'round here
Sometimes they get on bad terms
With the younger men,
Old, young, age don't carry weight
It doesn't matter in the end
One of the boss' hangers-on
Sometimes comes to call
At times you least expect
Tryin' to bully you, strongarm you,
Inspire you with fear
It has the opposite effect
There's a new grove of trees on the outskirts of town
The other one is long gone
10 foot, 2 foot, 6 across
Burns with the bark still on
They say times are hard
If you don't believe it you can follow your nose
It don't bother me, times are hard anywhere
We'll just have to see how it goes
My old man, he's like some feudal lord
He's got more lives than a cat
I've never seen him quarrel with my mother even once
Things come alive or they fall flat
You can smell the pine wood burnin'
You can hear the school bell ring
Got to get up near the teacher, if you can
If you wanna learn anything
Romeo, he said to Juliet, you got a poor complexion
That don't give your appearance a very youthful touch
Juliet said back to Romeo,
Why don't you just shove off,
If it bothers you so much
They all got outta here any way they could
Cold rain can give you the shivers
They went down the Ohio, the Cumberland, the Tennessee,
All the rest of them rebel rivers
If you ever try to interfere with me
Or cross my path again,
You do so at the peril of your life
I'm not quite as cool, or forgiving as I sound
I've seen enough heartache and strife
My grandfather was a duck trapper,
He could do it with just dragnets and ropes
My grandmother could sew new dresses out of old cloth,
I don't know if they had any dreams or hopes
I had 'em once, though I suppose
To go along with all the ring dancing,
Christmas carols and all the Christmas eves
I left all my dreams and hopes
Buried under tobacco leaves
Not always easy kicking someone out
Got to wait awhile, it can be an unpleasant task
Sometimes somebody wants you to give something up
And tears or not, it's too much to ask
Who you been lovin' since I been gone?
A long tall man with a red coat on
Good-for-nothing-baby you've been doin' me wrong
Who you been lovin' since I been gone?
Who you been lovin' since I been gone?
Who's been playin' around with you
A real cool cat with eyes of blue
Triflin' baby are you being true
Who's been foolin' around with you?
Who's been foolin' around with you?
Somebody saw you at the break of day
Dinin' and a-dancin' in the cabaret
He was long and tall, had plenty of cash
He had a red cadillac and a black moustache
He held your hand and he sang you a song
Who you been lovin' since I been gone?
Everybody's asking why he couldn't adjust
Adjust to what?
A dream that bust?
He was a clean-cut kid
And they made a killer out of him
That's what they did
They said what's up is down
They said what isn't is
They put ideas in his head
That he thought were his
He was a clean-cut kid
But they made a killer out of him
That's what they did
He was on the baseball team
He was in the marching band
When he was ten years old
He had a watermelon stand
He was a clean-cut kid
And they made a killer out of him
That's what they did
They said, "Listen boy, you're just a pup"
They sent him to a napalm health spa to shape up
They gave him dope to smoke, drinks and pills
A jeep to drive, blood to spill
They said "Congratulations
You got what it takes"
They sent him back
Into the rat race without any brakes
He was a clean-cut kid
But they made a killer out of him
That's what they did
He bought the American dream but it put him in debt
Only game he could play was Russian roulette
He drank Coca-Cola, he was eating Wonder Bread
He ate Burger Kings, he was well fed
He went to Hollywood
To see Peter O'Toole
He stole a Rolls Royce
And drove it in a swimming pool
They took a clean-cut kid
And they made a killer out of him
That's what they did
He could've sold insurance, owned a restaurant or bar
He could've been an accountant or a tennis star
He's wearing boxing gloves, took a dive one day
Off the Golden Gate Bridge into China Bay
His mama walks the floor
His daddy weeps and moans
They gotta sleep together
In a home they don't own
They took a clean-cut kid
And they made a killer out of him
That's what they did
Well, everybody's asking why he didn't adjust
All he ever wanted was somebody to trust
They took his head and turned it inside out
He never did know what it was all about
He had a steady job
He joined the choir
He never did plan to walk the high wire
They took a clean-cut kid
And they made a killer out of him
There's nothing 'round here I believe in
'Cept you, yeah you
And there's nothing to me that's sacred
'Cept you, yeah you
You're the one that reaches me
You're the one that I admire
Every time we meet together
My soul feels like it's on fire
Nothing matters to me
And there's nothing I desire
'Cept you, yeah you
Nothing 'round here I care to try for
'Cept you, yeah you
Got nothing left to live or die for
'Cept you, yeah you
There's a hymn I used to hear
In the churches all the time
Make me feel so good inside
So peaceful, so sublime
And there's nothing to remind me of that
Old familiar chime
'Cept you, uh huh you
Used to play in the cemetery
Dance and sing and run when I was a child
Never seemed strange
But now I just pass mournfully by
That place where the bones of life are piled
I know somethin' has changed
I'm a stranger here and no one sees me
'Cept you, yeah you
Nothing much matters or seems to please me
'Cept you, yeah you
Nothing hypnotizes me
Or holds me in a spell
Everything runs by me
Just like water from a well
Everybody wants my attention
Ev'rybody's got something to sell
I hate myself for loving you and the weakness that it showed
You were just a painted face on a trip down to suicide road
The stage was set, the lights went out all around the old hotel
I hate myself for loving you and I'm glad the curtain fell.
I hate that foolish game we played and the need that was expressed
And the mercy that you showed to me, whoever would have guessed
I went out on Lower Broadway and I felt that place within
That hollow place where martyrs weep and angels play with sin.
Heard your songs of freedom and man forever stripped
Acting out his folly while his back is being whipped
Like a slave in orbit he's beaten 'til he's tame
All for a moment's glory and it's a dirty, rotten shame.
There are those who worship loneliness, I'm not one of them
In this age of fiberglass I'm searching for a gem
The crystall ball upon the wall hasn't shown me nothing yet
I've paid the price of solitude but at least I'm out of debt.
I can't recall a useful thing you ever did for me
'Cept pat me on the back one time when I was on my knees
We stared into each other's eyes 'till one of us would break
No use to apologize, what difference would it make ?
So sing your praise of progress and of the Doom Machine
The naked truth is still taboo whenever it can be seen
Lady Luck who shines on me, will tell you where I'm at
Who's got a beard
That's long and white?
Santa's got a beard
That's long and white
Who comes around
On a special night?
Santa comes around
On a special night
Special night
Beard that's white
Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Santa Claus
Who wears boots
And a suit of red?
Santa wears boots
And a suit of red
Who wears a long cap
On his head?
Santa wears a long cap
On his head
Cap on head
Suit that's red
Special night
Beard that's white
Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Santa Claus
Who's got a big red
Cherry nose?
Santa's got a big red
Cherry nose
Who laughs this way
Ho, ho, ho?
Santa laughs this way
Ho, ho, ho
Ho, ho, ho
Cherry nose
Cap on head
Suit that's red
Special night
Beard that's white
Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Santa Claus
Who very soon
Will come our way?
Santa very soon
Will come our way
Eight little reindeer
Pull his sleigh
Santa's little reindeer
Pull his sleigh
Reindeer sleigh
Come our way
Ho, ho, ho
Cherry nose
Cap on head
Suit that's red
Special night
Beard that's white
Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Santa Claus
Dasher, Dancer
Prancer, Vixen
Comet, Cupid
Donner
And Blitzen
Reindeer sleigh
Come our way
Ho, ho, ho
Cherry nose
Cap on head
Suit that's red
Special night
Beard that's white
Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Broke my heart, lost my soul
Adios, mi corazon
Spanish is the loving tongue
Soft as music, light as spring
It was a girl I learned it from
Living down Sonora way
Well, I don't look much like a lover
Still I say her love words over
Mostly when I'm all alone
Mi amor, mi cora sole.
Haven't seen her since that night
I can't cross the line you know
They want me for a gamblin' fight
Like as not it's better so
Still I always kind of missed her
Since that last sad night I kissed her
Broke her heart, lost my own
Adios, mi cora sole
Broke her heart, lost my own
Adios, mi cora sole
Adios, mi cora sole
I got a wife and five little chillun
I'm gonna take a trip on the big McMillan
With Saro Jane
Saro Jane
Ain't nothin' to do
But to set down and sing
And rock about my Saro Jane
The boiler busted and the whistle squall
The Captain gone through the hole-in-the-wall
Oh Saro Jane
Saro Jane
Ain't nothin' to do
But to set down and sing
And rock about my Saro Jane
The engine give a crack and the whistle gave a squall
The engineer gone to the hole-in-the-wall
Saro Jane
Saro Jane
Ain't nothin' to do
But to set down and sing
And rock about my Saro Jane
Yankee built boats to shoot them Rebels
My gun's steady gonna hold it level
Saro Jane
Saro Jane
But to set down and sing
And rock about my Saro Jane
I got a wife and five little chillun
I'm gonna take a trip on the big McMillan
Saro Jane
Saro Jane
Ain't nothin' to do
But to set down and sing
I knew a man Bojangles and he'd dance for you in worn out shoes
Silver hair, ragged shirt and baggy pants, that old soft shoe
He'd jump so high, he'd jump so high, will he likely touch down ?
Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles, dance.
I met him in a cell in New Orleans, I was down and out
He looked to me to be the eye of age as he spoke right out
He talked of life, he talked of life, laughing slapped his leg stale
Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles, dance.
He said the name Bojangles and he danced a lick all across the cell
He grabbed his pants for a better stance, oh he jumped so high and he clicked
up his heels
He let go laugh, he let go laugh, shook back his clothes all around
Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles, dance, yeah, dance.
He danced for those at minstrel shows and county fairs throughtout the south
He spoke with tears of 15 years of how his dog and him but just travelled all about
Hid dog up and died, he up and died, and after 20 years he still grieves
Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles, dance.
He said I dance now at every chance at honky-tonks for drinks and tips
But most of the time I spend behind these county bars,Ocause I drink so bitO
He shook his head, yes he shook his head, I heard someone ask him, OpleaseO,
Well I'm grinding my life out, steady and sure
Nothing more wretched than what I must endure
I'm drenched in the light that shines from the sun
I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you done
Sooner or later you make a mistake,
I'll put you in a chain that you never will break
Legs and arms and body and bone
I pay in blood, but not my own
Night after night, Day after day
They strip your useless hopes away
The more I take the more I give
The more I die the more I live
I got something in my pocket make your eyeballs swim
I got dogs could tear you limb from limb
I'm circlin' around the Southern Zone
I pay in blood, but not my own.
Low cards are what I've got
But I'll play this hand whether I like it or not
I'm sworn to uphold the laws of God
You could put me out in front of a firing squad
I've been out and around with the rising men
Just like you my handsome friend
My head's so hard, must be made of stone
I pay in blood, but not my own
Another politician coming out the abyss
Another angry beggar blowing you a kiss
You got the same eyes that your mother does
If only you could prove who your father was
Someone must of slipped a drug in yer wine
You gulped it down and you cross the line
Man can't live by bread alone
I pay in blood, but not my own
How I made it back home, nobody knows
Or how I survived so many blows
I've been thru Hell, What good did it do?
You bastard! I'm suppose to respect you!
I'll give you justice, I'll fathom your purse
Show me your moral that you reversed
Hear me holler and hear me moan
I pay in blood but not my own
You get your lover in the bed
Come here I'll break your lousy head
Our nation must be saved and freed
You've been accused of murder, how do you plead?
This is how I spend my days
I came to bury, not to raise
I'll drink my fill and sleep alone
When first I came to Louisville, some pleasure there to find
A damsel there from Lexington was pleasing to my mind
Her rosy cheeks, her ruby lips, like arrows pierced my breast
And the name she bore was Flora, the lily of the west.
I courted lovely Flora some pleasure for to find
But she turned unto another man whose sore distressed my mind
She robbed me of my liberty, deprived me of my rest
Then go, my lovely Flora, the lily of the west.
Away down in yonder shady grove, a man of high degree
Conversin' with my Flora there, it seemed so strange to me
And the answer that she gave to him it sore did me oppress
I was betrayed by Flora, the lily of the west.
I stepped up my rival, dagger in my hand
I seized him by the collar, and bodly made him stand
Seing mad by desperation I pierced him to the breast
All this for lovely Flora, the lily of the west.
I had to stand my trial, I had to make my plea
They placed me in the witness box and then commenced on me
Although she swore my life away, deprived me of my rest
Wise men say, only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay, will it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you ?
Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes, some things were meant to be
Take my hand, take my whole life too
They paved paradise, they put up a parking lot
A pink hotel, a boutique and a swinging hot spot
Don't it always go to show
You never know what you got till it's gone ?
They paved paradise, they put up a parking lot.
They took all the trees, they put them in a tree museum
They charged the people a dollar and a half just to see them
Don't it always go to show
You never know what you got till it's gone ?
They paved paradise, they put up a parking lot.
Hey farmer, farmer, put away that D.D.T
Give me spots on my apples but leave me the birds and the bees, please,
Don't it always go to show
You never know what you got till it's gone ?
They paved paradise, they put up a parking lot.
Late last night I heard my screen door slam
A big yellow buldozer took away the house and land
Don't it always go to show
You never know what you got till it's gone ?
They paved paradise, they put up a parking lot.
Now and then there's a fool such as I
Pardon me if I'm sentimental, came to say goodbye
Don't be angry, don't be angry with me, should I cry
When you are gone, I will dream a little dream as years go by
Now and then there is a fool, a fool such as I.
Now and then there's a fool such as I am over you
You taught me how to love and now you happened to be untrue
I am a fool but I love you, dear, yes I will until the day I die.
Now and then there is a fool, a fool such as I.
Pardon me if I'm sentimental, came to say goodbye
Don't be angry, don't be angry with me, should I cry
When you are gone, when you are gone, I will dream a little
I will dream as years go by
Now and then, now and then there is a fool, a fool such as I.
Now and then there's a fool, a fool such as I am over you
You taught me how to love and now you say that we are through
I am a fool, yes, but I love you dear, I will love you dear
Till the day, till the day I die
Now and then, now and then there is a fool, a fool such as I.
Now and then there is a fool, a fool such as I.
Come they told me
Pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see,
Pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring
Pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King
Pa rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
So to honor Him
Pa rum pum pum pum,
When we come.
Little Baby
Pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too,
Pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring
Pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give our King
Pa rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
Shall I play for you!
Pa rum pum pum
On my drum.
Mary nodded
Pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time
Pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him
Pa rum pum pum
I played my best for Him
Pa rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
Then He smiled at me
Pa rum pum pum pum
it's been such a long long time
since we loved each other and our hearts were true
one time, for one brief day, i was the man for you
last night i heard you talkin in your sleep
saying things you shouldn't say, oh baby
you just may have to go to jail someday
is there a place we can go, is there anybody we can see?
maybe,
it's the same for you as it is for me
i ain't seen my family in twenty years
that ain't easy to understand, they may be dead by now
i lost track of em after they lost their land
shake it up baby, twist and shout
you know what it's all about
what are you doing out there in the sun anyway?
don't you know, the sun can burn your brains right out
my enemy crashed into the dust
stopped dead in his tracks and he lost his lust
he was run down hard and he broke apart
he died in shame, he had an iron heart
i wear dark glasses to cover my eyes
there are secrets in em that i can't disguise
come back baby
if i hurt your feelings, i apologize
two trains running side by side, forty miles wide
down the eastern line
you don't have to go, i just came to you because you're a friend of mine
i think that when my back was turned,
the whole world behind me burned
it's been a while,
since we walked down that long, long aisle
we cried on a cold and frosty morn,
we cried because our souls were torn
so much for tears
Come around you rovin' gamblers and a story I will tell
About the greatest gambler, you all should know him well.
His name was Will O' Conley and he gambled all his life,
He had twenty-seven children, yet he never had a wife.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.
He gambled in the White House and in the railroad yards,
Wherever there was people, there was Willie and his cards.
He had a reputation as the gamblin'est man around,
Wives would keep their husbands home when Willie came to town.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.
Sailin' down the Mississippi to a town called New Orleans,
They're still talkin' about their card game on that Jackson River Queen.
"I've come to win some money," Gamblin' Willie says,
When the game finally ended up, the whole damn boat was his.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.
Up in the Rocky Mountains in a town called Cripple Creek,
There was an all-night poker game, lasted about a week.
Nine hundred miners had laid their money down,
When Willie finally left the room, he owned the whole damn town.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.
But Willie had a heart of gold and this I know is true,
He supported all his children, and all their mothers too.
He wore no rings or fancy things, like other gamblers wore,
He spread his money far and wide, to help the sick and the poor.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.
When you played your cards with Willie, you never really knew
Whether he was bluffin' or whether he was true.
He won a fortune from a man who folded in his chair.
The man, he left a diamond flush, Willie didn't even have a pair.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.
It was late one evenin' during a poker game,
A man lost all his money, he said Willie was to blame.
He shot poor Willie through the head, which was a tragic fate,
When Willie's cards fell on the floor, they were aces backed with eights.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.
So all you rovin' gamblers, wherever you might be,
The moral of this story is very plain to see.
Make your money while you can, before you have to stop,
For when you pull that dead man's hand, your gamblin' days are up.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Love is a burning thing,
can change into a firy ring.
Bound for wild desire
I fell into a ring of fire.
I fell into a burning ring of fire.
I went down down down
and the flames went higher.
And it burns burns burns,
that ring of fire,
that ring of fire.
They say that love is sweet
when hearts like ours meet.
I fell for you like a child.
Oh but the fire went wild.
I fell into a burning ring of fire.
I went down down down
and the flames went higher.
And it burns burns burns,
that ring of fire,
that ring of fire.
I fell into a burning ring of fire.
I went down down down
and the flames went higher.
And it burns burns burns,
that ring of fire,
that ring of fire.
I fell into a burning ring of fire.
I went down down down
and the flames they went higher.
And it burns burns burns,
that ring of fire,
that ring of fire.
And it burns burns burns,
that ring of fire,
They'll stone you when you're trying to be so good
They'll stone you just like they said they would
They'll stone you when you're trying to go home
They'll stone you when you're there all alone
But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned
They'll stone you when you're walking on the street
They'll stone you when you're trying to keep your seat
They'll stone you when your walking on the floor
They'll stone you when your walking to the door
But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned
They'll stone you when you're at the breakfast table
They'll stone you when you are young and able
They'll stone you when you're trying to make a buck
They'll stone you and then they'll say good luck
But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned
Well They'll stone you and say that it's the end
They'll stone you and then they'll come back again
They'll stone you when you're riding in your car
They'll stone you when you're playing you guitar
Yes But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned
Alright
Well They'll stone you when you are all alone
They'll stone you when you are walking home
They'll stone you and then say they're all brave
They'll stone you when you're send down in your grave
But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned
Correct Title of Song- Rainy Day Woman #12 and #35 (?)
I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler
I'm a long way from home
And if you don't like me
You can leave me alone
For it's dark and it's rainin'
And the moon gives no light
And my pony can't travel
This dark road at night
Oh, i once had me a true love
Her age was sixteen
She was the flower of Belton
And the rose of Saline
But her parents didn't like me
Now she's just the same
If I'm writ on your books, gal
Just blot out my name
I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler
Takes rocks and gravel, baby, make a solid road,
Make a solid road.
Takes rocks and gravel, baby, make a solid road,
Make a solid road.
Takes a good woman mama,
To satisfy my weary soul.
Have you ever been down on that Mobil and K. C. line,
Have you ever been down on that Mobil and K. C. line?
Well I just wanna ask you,
If you seen that gal of mine,
Don't the clouds look lonesome shining across the sea,
Don't the clouds look lonesome shining across the sea,
Don't my gal look good,
Wrote a letter this mornin',
Put it in your hat,
'Cause no one to read it
And I know you knew that.
I bought a joke, a trick or two,
Just to bring and show you,
Caught ya with the trickster too.
Sometimes I wonder how ya knew
A hypnotist, fancytalker,
Ruben Remus ain't no doctor
I knew the man and tried to remember
Just where it was that I'd seen his face.
Long ago, in a movie show,
He was like that man singin' bass.
Knew him by his nurs'ry rhyme:
The Story Of The Rabbit Man.
Fell right in and said to him:
"I'd like to help you if I can."
I know the film would only shock ya,
Ruben Remus ain't no doctor!
He only needed what you had,
Asked for nothing more,
Said he'd like to take you on,
But it's been done before.
You couldn't see he's a travelin' man
And he cannot take your hand.
It's very hard to understand
Why his songs were never banned.
Guess the man would never knock ya,
Ruben Remus ain't no doctor!
No one seen ya since he's been gone,
It's been a day, maybe more.
I took a walk in your yard
And knocked on your back door.
Why don't you let me in?
I'm not the man who did ya in.
Is mr. Remus still your friend?
You say you don't remember him.
Turn me down, would ya?
Well, I've got news for you.
Turn me down would ya,
Can't ya tell
Rita May, Rita May
You got your body in the way
You're so damn nonchalant
But it's your mind that I want
You got me huffin' and a-puffin'
Next to you I feel like nothin' Rita May
Rita May, Rita May
How'd you ever get that way?
When do you ever see the light?
Don't you ever feel a fright?
You got me burnin' and I'm turnin'
But I know I must be learnin' Rita May
All my friends have told me
If I hang around with you that I'll go blind
But when you hold me
I know there must be somethin' on your mind
Rita May, Rita May
Won't you come out and play?
[Incomprehensible] where you been?
What's that crazy place you're in?
I'm gonna have to go to college
'Cause you are the book of knowledge Rita May
All my friends have told me
If I hang around with you that I'll go blind
But I know when you hold me
That there really must be somethin' on your mind
Rita May, Rita May
You got your body in the way
You're so damn nonchalant
It's your mind that I want
I'm gonna have to go to college
Instrumental
Ev'rybody's building the big ships and the boats,
Some are building monuments,
Others, jotting down notes,
Ev'rybody's in despair,
Ev'ry girl and boy
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here,
Ev'rybody's gonna jump for joy.
Come all without, come all within,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn.
I like to do just like the rest, I like my sugar sweet,
But guarding fumes and making haste,
It ain't my cup of meat.
Ev'rybody's 'neath the trees,
Feeding pigeons on a limb
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here,
All the pigeons gonna run to him.
Come all without, come all within,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn.
A cat's meow and a cow's moo, I can recite 'em all,
Just tell me where it hurts yuh, honey,
And I'll tell you who to call.
Nobody can get no sleep,
There's someone on ev'ryone's toes
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here,
Ev'rybody's gonna wanna doze.
Come all without, come all within,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn.
Oh, you can read out your Bible,
You can fall down on your knees, pretty mama,
And pray to the Lord
But it ain't gonna do no good.
You're gonna need
You're gonna need my help someday
Well, if you can't quit your sinnin'
Please quit your low down ways.
Well, you can run down to the White House,
You can gaze at the Capitol Dome, pretty mama,
You can pound on the President's gate
But you oughta know by now it's gonna be too late.
You're gonna need
You're gonna need my help someday
Well, if you can't quit your sinnin'
Please quit your low down ways.
Well, you can run down to the desert,
Throw yourself on the burning sand.
You can raise up your right hand, pretty mama,
But you better understand you done lost your one good man.
You're gonna need
You're gonna need my help someday
Well, if you can't quit your sinnin'
Please quit your low down ways.
And you can hitchhike on the highway,
You can stand all alone by the side of the road.
You can try to flag a ride back home, pretty mama,
But you can't ride in my car no more.
You're gonna need
You're gonna need my help someday
Well, if you can't quit your sinnin'
Please quit your low down ways.
Oh, you can read out your Bible,
You can fall down on your knees, pretty mama,
And pray to the Lord
But it ain't gonna do no good.
You're gonna need
You're gonna need my help someday
Well, if you can't quit your sinnin'
Well, I had to move fast
And I couldn't with you around my neck
I said I'd send for you and I did
What did you expect
My hands are sweating
And we haven't even started yet
I'll go along with the charade
Until I can think my way out
I know it was all a big joke
Whatever it was all about
Someday maybe
I'll remember to forget.
I'm gonna get my coat
I feel the breath of a storm
There's something I've got to do tonight
You go inside and stay warm.
Has anybody seen my love
Has anybody seen my love
Has anybody seen my love
I don't know
Has anybody seen my love
You want to talk to me
Go ahead and talk
Whatever you got to say to me
Won't come as any shock
I must be guilty of something
You just whisper it into my ear
Madame Butterfly
She lulled me to sleep
In a town without pity
Where the water runs deep
She said, "Be easy, baby
There aint nothing worth stealing in here".
You're the one I've been looking for
You're the one that's got the key
But I can't figure out whether I'm too good for you
Or, or you're too good for me. Has anybody seen my love
Has anybody seen my love
Has anybody seen my love
I don't know
Has anybody seen my love
Well, they're not showing any lights tonight
And there's no moon
There's just a hot-blooded singer
Singing 'Memphis in June'
And they're beating the devil out of a guy
Who's wearing a powder-blue wig
Later he'll be shot
For resisting arrest
I can still hear his voice crying
In the wilderness
What looks large from a distance
Close up ain't never that big.
I never could learn to drink that blood
And call it wine
I never could learn to hold you, love
And call you mine.
Has anybody seen my love
Has anybody seen my love
Has anybody seen my love
I don't know
Has anybody seen my love
I can hear the turning of the key
I've been deceived by the clown inside of me.
I thought that he was righteous but he's vain
Oh, something's a-telling me I wear the ball and chain.
My patron saint is a-fighting with a ghost
He's always off somewhere when I need him most.
The Spanish moon is rising on the hill
But my heart is a-tellin' me I love ya still.
I come back to the town from the flaming moon
I see you in the streets, I begin to swoon.
I love to see you dress before the mirror
Won't you let me in your room one time 'fore I finally disappear?
Everybody's wearing a disguise
To hide what they've got left behind their eyes.
But me, I can't cover what I am
Wherever the children go I'll follow them.
I march in the parade of liberty
But as long as I love you I'm not free.
How long must I suffer such abuse
Won't you let me see you smile one time before I turn you loose?
I've given up the game, I've got to leave,
The pot of gold is only make-believe.
The treasure can't be found by men who search
Whose gods are dead and whose queens are in the church.
We sat in an empty theater and we kissed,
I asked ya please to cross me off-a your list.
My head tells me it's time to make a change
But my heart is telling me I love ya but you're strange.
One more time at midnight, near the wall
Take off your heavy make-up and your shawl.
Won't you descend from the throne, from where you sit?
If your mem'ry serves you well
We were goin' to meet again and wait
So I'm goin' to unpack all my things
And sit before it gets too late
No man alive will come to you
With another tale to tell
And you know that we shall meet again
If your mem'ry serves you well
This wheel's on fire
Rolling down the road
Best notify my next of kin
This wheel shall explode !
If your mem'ry serves you well
I was goin' to confiscate your lace
And wrap it up in a sailor's knot
And hide it in your case
If I knew for sure that it was yours ...
But it was oh so hard to tell
And you knew that we would meet again
If your mem'ry serves you well
This wheel's on fire
Rolling down the road
Best notify my next of kin
This wheel shall explode !
If your mem'ry serves you well
You'll remember you're the one
That called on me to call on them
To get you your favors done
And after ev'ry plan had failed
And there was nothing more to tell
You knew that we would meet again
If your mem'ry serves you well
This wheel's on fire
Rolling down the road
Best notify my next of kin
I'll remember you
When I've forgotten all the rest
You to me were true
You to me were the best
When there is no more
You cut to the core
Quicker than anyone I knew
When I'm all alone
In the great unknown
I'll remember you.
I'll remember you
At the end of the trail
I had so much left to do
I had so little time to fail
There's some people that
You don't forget
Even though you've only seen'm
One time or two
When the roses fade
And I'm in the shade
I'll remember you.
Didn't I, didn't I try to love you ?
Didn't I, didn't I try to care ?
Didn't I sleep, didn't I weep beside you
With the rain blowing in your hair.
I'll remember you
When the wind blows through the piney wood
It was you who came right through
It was you who understood
Though I'd never say
That I done it the way
That you'd have liked me to
In the end
My dear sweet friend
When did you leave heaven ?
How could they let you go ?
How's every thing in heaven ?
I'd like to know.
Why did you trade heaven ?
For all these earthly things ?
Where on earth you hide halo ?
Where did you lose your wings ?
Have they missed you ?
Can you get back in ?
If I kiss you would it be a sin ?
I am only human but you are so divine.
Well, I ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
And ain't a-gonna grieve no more.
Come on brother, join the band,
Come on sisters, clap your hands,
Tell everybody that's in the land,
You ain't a-gonna grieve no more.
Well, I ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
And ain't a-gonna grieve no more.
Brown and blue and white and black,
All one color on the one-way track,
We got this far and ain't a-goin' back
And ain't a-gonna grieve no more.
Well, I ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
I ain't a-gonna grieve no more.
We're gonna notify your next of kin,
You're gonna raise the roof until the house falls in.
If you get knocked down get up again,
We ain't a-gonna grieve no more.
Well, I ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
I ain't a-gonna grieve no more.
We'll sing this song all night long,
Sing it to my baby from midnight on.
She'll sing it to you when I'm dead and gone,
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more.
Well, I ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
I ain't a-gonna grieve no more.
I can't understand
She let go of my hand
An' left me here facing the wall
I'd sure like to know
Why she did go
But I can't get close to her at all
Though we kissed through the wild blazing nighttime
She said she would never forget
But now mornin's clear
It's like ain't here
She acts like we never have met.
It's all new to me
Like some mystery
It could even be like a myth
But it's hard to think on
That she's the same one
That last night I was with
From darkness, dreams're deserted
Am I still dreamin' yet ?
I wish she'd unlock
Her voice once and talk
'Stead of acting like we never have met.
If she ain't feelin' well
Then why don't she tell
'Stead of turnin' her back to my face
Without any doubt
She seems too far out
For me to return to her chase
Though her skirt it swayed as a guitar played
Her mouth was watery and wet
But now something has changed
For she ain't the same
She just acts like we never have met.
If I didn't have to guess
I'd gladly confess
To anything I might've tried
If I was with her too long
Or have done something wrong
I wish she'd tell me what it is, I'll run and hide
Though the night ran swirling and whirling
I remember her whispering yet
But evidently she don't
And evidently she won't
She did act like we never have met.
I'll leavin' today
I'll be on my way
Of this I can't say very much
But if you want me to
I can be just like you
And pretend that we never have touched
And if anybody asks me, "Is it easy to forget ?"
I'll say, "It's easily done
You just pick anyone
I cross the green mountain
I sit by the stream
Heaven blazing in my head
I, I dreamt a monstrous dream
Something came up
Out of the sea
Swept through the land of
The rich and the free
I look into the eyes
Of my merciful friend
And then I ask myself
Is this the end?
Memories linger
Sad yet sweet
And I think of the souls
In heaven who will be
Alters are burning
The flames far and wide
The fool has crossed over
From the other side
They tip their caps
From the top of the hill
You can feel them come
All brave blood do spill
Along the dim
Atlantic line
The rapper's land
Lasts for miles behind
The lights coming forward
And the streets are broad
All must yield
To the avenging God
The world is old
The world is great
Lessons of life
Can't be learned in a day
I watch and I wait
And I listen while I stand
To the music that comes
From a far better land
Close the eyes of our captain
Peace may he know
His long night is done
The great leader is laid low
He was ready to fall
He was quick to defend
Killed outright he was
By his own men
It's the last day's last hour
Of the last happy year
I feel that the unknown
The world is so dear
Pride will vanish
And glory will rot
But virtue lives
And cannot be forgot
The bells
Of evening have rung
There's blasphemy
On the end of the tongue
Let them say that I walked
In fair nature's light
And that I was loyal
To truth and to right
Serve God and meet your full
Look upward beyond
Beyond the darkness that masks
The surprises of dawn
In the deep green grasses
And the blood stained woods
They never dreamed of surrendering
They fell where they stood
Stars fell over Alabama
I saw each star
You're walking in dreams
Whoever you are
Chilled are the skies
Keen is the frost
The ground's froze hard
And the morning is lost
A letter to mother
Came today
Gunshot wound to the breast
Is what it did say
But he'll be better soon
He's in a hospital bed
But he'll never be better
He's already dead
I'm ten miles outside the city
And I'm lifted away
In an ancient light
That is not of day
They were calm, they were gloomed
We knew them all too well
We loved each other more than
Denise, Denise,
Gal, what's on your mind?
Denise, Denise,
Gal, what's on your mind?
You got your eyes closed,
Heaven knows that you ain't blind.
Well, I can see you smiling,
But oh your mouth is inside out.
I can see you smiling,
But you're smiling inside out.
Well, I know you're laughin'
But what are you laughin' about.
Well, if you're tryin' to throw me,
Babe, I've already been tossed.
If you're tryin' to throw me,
Babe, I've already been tossed.
Babe, you're tryin' to lose me.
Babe, I'm already lost.
Well, what are you doing,
Are you flying or have you flipped?
Oh, what are you doing,
Are you flying or have you flipped?
Well, you call my name
And then say your tongue just slipped.
Denise, Denise,
You're concealed here on the shelf.
Denise, Denise,
You're concealed here on the shelf.
I'm looking deep in your eyes, babe,
Motherless children run a hard road when yer mother's
dead
Motherless children run a hard road when yer mother is
dead
Motherless children run a hard road
A hard road. a hard road
Motherless children run a hard road when your mother is
dead
Your Father will do the best he can when your mother is
dead
Your Father will do the best he can when your mother is
dead
Your Father will do the best he can
But he jus' does not understand
Motherless children run a hard road when yer mother is
dead
An' some people say, "Your sister might do when
your mother's dead."
An' some people say, "Your sister might do when
your mother is dead."
Some people say "Your sister will do"
Soon as she marries, turn yer back on you.
Motherless children run a hard road when yer mother is
dead
You can dig my grave with a bloody spade when I'm dead
You can dig my grave with a bloody spade when I'm dead
You can dig my grave with a bloody spade
See that my digger gets well paid
Motherless children run a hard road when yer mother is
dead
Jesus won't be no mother to you when your mother is
dead
Jesus won't be no mother to you when your mother is
dead
Jesus won't be no mother to you
His trials and tribulations won't see you through
Motherless children run a hard road when yer mother is
Fat man lookin' in a blade of steel
Thin man lookin' at his last meal
Hollow man lookin' in a cottonfield
For dignity
Wise man lookin' in a blade of grass
Young man lookin' in the shadows that pass
Poor man lookin' through painted glass
For dignity
Somebody got murdered on New Year's Eve
Somebody said dignity was the first to leave
I went into the city, went into the town
Went into the land of the midnight sun
Searchin' high, searchin' low
Searchin' everywhere I know
Askin' the cops wherever I go
Have you seen dignity?
Blind man breakin' out of a trance
Puts both his hands in the pockets of chance
Hopin' to find one circumstance
Of dignity
I went to the wedding of Mary-lou
She said ?I don't want nobody see me talkin' to you?
Said she could get killed if she told me what she knew
About dignity
I went down where the vultures feed
I would've got deeper, but there wasn't any need
Heard the tongues of angels and the tongues of men
Wasn't any difference to me
Chilly wind sharp as a razor blade
House on fire, debts unpaid
Gonna stand at the window, gonna ask the maid
Have you seen dignity?
Drinkin' man listens to the voice he hears
In a crowded room full of covered up mirrors
Lookin' into the lost forgotten years
For dignity
Met Prince Phillip at the home of the blues
Said he'd give me information if his name wasn't used
He wanted money up front, said he was abused
By dignity
Footprints runnin' cross the silver sand
Steps goin' down into tattoo land
I met the sons of darkness and the sons of light
In the bordertowns of despair
Got no place to fade, got no coat
I'm on the rollin' river in a jerkin' boat
Tryin' to read a note somebody wrote
About dignity
Sick man lookin' for the doctor's cure
Lookin' at his hands for the lines that were
And into every masterpiece of literature
for dignity
Englishman stranded in the blackheart wind
Combin' his hair back, his future looks thin
Bites the bullet and he looks within
For dignity
Someone showed me a picture and I just laughed
Dignity never been photographed
I went into the red, went into the black
Into the valley of dry bone dreams
So many roads, so much at stake
So many dead ends, I'm at the edge of the lake
Sometimes I wonder what it's gonna take
Pistols shots ring out in the barroom night
Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall
She sees the bartender in a pool of blood
Cries out "My God they killed them all"
Here comes the story of the Hurricane
The man the authorities came to blame
For something that he never done
Put him in a prison cell but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world.
Three bodies lying there does Patty see
And another man named Bello moving around mysteriously
"I didn't do it" he says and he throws up his hands
"I was only robbing the register I hope you understand
I saw them leaving" he says and he stops
"One of us had better call up the cops"
And so Patty calls the cops
And they arrive on the scene with their red lights flashing
In the hot New Jersey night.
Meanwhile far away in another part of town
Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are driving around
Number one contender for the middleweight crown
Had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down
When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road
Just like the time before and the time before that
In Patterson that's just the way things go
If you're black you might as well not shown up on the street
'Less you wanna draw the heat.
Alfred Bello had a partner and he had a rap for the corps
Him and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowling around
He said "I saw two men running out they looked like middleweights
They jumped into a white car with out-of-state plates"
And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her head
Cop said "Wait a minute boys this one's not dead"
So they took him to the infirmary
And though this man could hardly see
They told him that he could identify the guilty men.
Four in the morning and they haul Rubin in
Take him to the hospital and they bring him upstairs
The wounded man looks up through his one dying eye
Says "Wha'd you bring him in here for ? He ain't the guy !"
Yes here comes the story of the Hurricane
The man the authorities came to blame
For something that he never done
Put in a prison cell but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world.
Four months later the ghettos are in flame
Rubin's in South America fighting for his name
While Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in the robbery game
And the cops are putting the screws to him looking for somebody to blame
"Remember that murder that happened in a bar ?"
"Remember you said you saw the getaway car?"
"You think you'd like to play ball with the law ?"
"Think it might-a been that fighter you saw running that night ?"
"Don't forget that you are white".
Arthur Dexter Bradley said "I'm really not sure"
Cops said "A boy like you could use a break
We got you for the motel job and we're talking to your friend Bello
Now you don't wanta have to go back to jail be a nice fellow
You'll be doing society a favor
That sonofabitch is brave and getting braver
We want to put his ass in stir
We want to pin this triple murder on him
He ain't no Gentleman Jim".
Rubin could take a man out with just one punch
But he never did like to talk about it all that much
It's my work he'd say and I do it for pay
And when it's over I'd just as soon go on my way
Up to some paradise
Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice
And ride a horse along a trail
But then they took him to the jailhouse
Where they try to turn a man into a mouse.
All of Rubin's cards were marked in advance
The trial was a pig-circus he never had a chance
The judge made Rubin's witnesses drunkards from the slums
To the white folks who watched he was a revolutionary bum
And to the black folks he was just a crazy nigger
No one doubted that he pulled the trigger
And though they could not produce the gun
The DA said he was the one who did the deed
And the all-white jury agreed.
Rubin Carter was falsely tried
The crime was murder 'one' guess who testified
Bello and Bradley and they both baldly lied
And the newspapers they all went along for the ride
How can the life of such a man
Be in the palm of some fool's hand ?
To see him obviously framed
Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land
Where justice is a game.
Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties
Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise
While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell
An innocent man in a living hell
That's the story of the Hurricane
But it won't be over till they clear his name
And give him back the time he's done
Put him in a prison cell but one time he could-a been
Well I woke up this morning looked all around
See my milkcow but she can't be found
Halla pleease, pleease don't do me wrong don't do me
wrong
If you see my milkcow Lord Lord send her home
Well I woke up this morning looked around my bed
Couldn't even eat my breakfast blues in my bread
Halla pleease, pleease don't do me wrong don't do me
wrong
If you see my milkcow Lord Lord send her home
Well ma your calf is hungry I believe she needs a suck
But your milk is turning blue I believe she's out of luck
Halla pleease, pleease don't do me wrong don't do me
wrong
If you see my milkcow Lord God send her home
Well since my milkcow left me I've been treated wrong
I ain't had no milk and butter since my cow been gone
Halla pleease, pleease don't do me wrong don't do me
wrong
Well there's two trains running
And they're running this way
One leaves at midnight
the other at the break of day
At the break of day
At the break of day
Oh Lordy
I've been troubled, I've been a fool
I've been crazy my whole life
Well, I done fell in love
With another man's wife
With another man's wife
Oh, Lordy
I'm gonna find me a woman
Who shines like a morning star
I'm gonna find me a woman
Ride like a Cadillac car
Ride like a Cadillac car
Ride like a Cadillac car
Oh, lordy
Oh, lordy
Well I'm afraid of everybody
And I can't trust myself
Well, the woman I love has
Put me on top of the shelf
Put me on top of the shelf
Put me on top of the shelf
Oh, Lordy
Oh, Lordy
Well ther's two trains running
And they're running this way
One leaves at midnight
other at the break of day
At the break of day
At the break of day
Up on the white veranda
She wears a necktie and a Panama hat
Her passport shows a face from
Another time and place
She looks nothin' like that
And all the remnants of her recent past
Are scattered in the wild wind
She walks across the marble floor
Where a voice from the gambling room is callin' her to come on in
She smiles, walks the other way
As the last ship sails and the moon fades away
From Black Diamond Bay
As the mornin' light breaks open, the Greek comes down
And he asks for a rope and a pen that will write
"Pardon, monsieur," the desk clerk says
Carefully removes his fez
"Am I hearin' you right?"
And as the yellow fog is liftin'
The Greek is quickly headin' for the second floor
She passes him on the spiral staircase
Thinkin' he's the Soviet Ambassador
She starts to speak, but he walks away
As the storm clouds rise and the palm branches sway
On Black Diamond Bay
A soldier sits beneath the fan
Doin' business with a tiny man who sells him a ring
Lightning strikes, the lights blow out
The desk clerk wakes and begins to shout
"Can you see anything?"
Then the Greek appears on the second floor
In his bare feet with a rope around his neck
While a loser in the gambling room lights up a candle
Says, "Open up another deck"
But the dealer says, "Attendez-vous, s'il vous plait"
As the rain beats down and the cranes fly away
From Black Diamond Bay
The desk clerk heard the woman laugh
As he looked around the aftermath and the soldier got tough
He tried to grab the woman's hand
Said, "Here's a ring, it cost a grand"
She said, "That ain't enough"
Then she ran upstairs to pack her bags
While a horse-drawn taxi waited at the curb
She passed the door that the Greek had locked
Where a handwritten sign read, "Do not disturb"
She knocked upon it anyway
As the sun went down and the music did play
On Black Diamond Bay
I've got to talk to someone quick
But the Greek said, "Go away" and he kicked the chair to the floor
He hung there from the chandelier
She cried, "Help, there's danger near
Please open up the door!"
Then the volcano erupted
And the lava flowed down from the mountain high above
The soldier and the tiny man were crouched in the corner
Thinking of forbidden love
But the desk clerk said, "It happens every day"
As the stars fell down and the fields burned away
On Black Diamond Bay
As the island slowly sank
The loser finally broke the bank in the gambling room
The dealer said, "It's too late now
You can take your money, but I don't know how
You'll spend it in the tomb"
The tiny man bit the soldier's ear
As the floor caved in and the boiler in the basement blew
While she's out on the balcony, where a stranger tells her
"My darling, je vous aime beaucoup"
She sheds a tear and then begins to pray
As the fire burns on and the smoke drifts away
From Black Diamond Bay
I was sittin' home alone one night in L.A.
Watchin' old Cronkite on the seven o'clock news
It seems there was an earthquake that
Left nothin' but a Panama hat
And a pair of old Greek shoes
Didn't seem like much was happenin'
So I turned it off and went to grab another beer
Seems like every time you turn around
There's another hard-luck story that you're gonna hear
And there's really nothin' anyone can say
And I never did plan to go anyway
B E BF#B
The sweetest girl in the world is my blue eyed Jane
F#G#mC# F#
We fell in love like turtle doves while the moon was
shining down
B EB F#B
I asked her then, I asked her when the wedding bells
would ring
C#F#
She said, "Oh dear, it seems so queer, that this could
happen here."
You are my little pal, and I've never known a sweeter
F# B
My blue eyed Jane, I love you so
And when the sun goes down, and the shadows are
creeping all over town
F# B
Just meet me in the lane, my blue eyed Jane
Janie dear, listen here, I've come to say farewell
The world is drear without you dear, and now I cannot
linger here
I'm going away this very day, oh please come go with me
I'll be sad and blue wantin' you, longin' all day
through
My little blue eyed Jane, you'll always be the same
sweet thing
I know you'll never change, I love you so
And when the sun goes down, and the shadows are
creeping over town
Then I'll come back again, my blue eyed Jane.
And when the sun goes down, and a shadows are creeping
all over town
Every time my baby and me we go uptown,
Police come in and knock me down.
Cocaine all around my brain.
Hey baby, better come here quick,
This old cocaine is ‘bout to make me sick.
Cocaine all around my brain.
Yonder come my baby, she's dressed in red,
She's got a shot-gun,
Says she's gonna kill me dead.
Cocaine all around my brain.
Hey baby, better come here quick,
This old cocaine ‘bout to make me sick.
Cocaine all around my brain.
(Instrumental Bridge #1)
You take Sally, an’ I’ll take Sue,
Ain't nah difference between the two.
Cocaine all around my brain.
Hey baby, you better come here quick,
This old cocaine ‘bout to make me sick.
Cocaine all around my brain.
(Instrumental Bridge #2)
Cocaine's for horses and it's not for men,
Doctor said it kill you, but he didn’t say when.
Cocaine all around my brain.
Hey baby, you better come here quick,
This old cocaine ‘bout to make me sick.
Cocaine all around my brain.
Hey baby, you better come here quick,
This old cocaine ‘bout to make me sick.
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Hoist the mainsail - here I come
Ain't no room on board for the insincere
You're my witness
I'm your mutineer
I was born to rock the boat
Some may sink but we will float
Grab your coat - let's get out of here
You're my witness
I'm your mutineer
Long ago we laughed at shadows
Lightning flashed and thunder followed us
It could never find us here
You're my witness
I'm your mutineer
Long ago we laughed at shadows
Lightning flashed and thunder followed us
It could never find us here
You're my witness
I'm your mutineer
I was born to rock the boat
Some may sink but we will float
Grab your coat - let's get out of here
You're my witness
I'm your mutineer
You're my witness
I'm your mutineer
(First Release, Live version, December 16, 1997, El Ray Theatre, Los Angeles)
I'm beginnin' to hear voices and there's no one around
Well I'm all used up and the fields have turned brown
I went to church on Sunday, she passed by
Well my love for her has taken such a long time to die.
Well, I'm waist deep, waist deep in the mist
It's almost like, almost like I don't exist.
I'm twenty miles out of town, Cold Irons bound.
Well, the walls of pride, well they're high and they're wide
Can't see over to the other side
It's such a sad thing to see beauty decay
But it's sadder still to feel your heart turn away.
One look at you and I'm out of control
Like the universe has swallowed me whole.
I'm twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound.
There's too many people, too many to recall
I thought some of 'em were friends of mine, I was wrong about 'em all
Well, the road is rocky and the hillside mud
Up over my head, nothing but clouds of blood.
I found my world, found my world in you
But your love just hasn't proved true.
I'm twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound
Twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound.
Well the winds in Chicago ah, they torn me to shreds
Reality has always had too many heads
I tried to love and protect you because I care
I'm gonna remember forever the joy we've shared
I'm looking at you and I'm on my bended knee
You've no idea what you did to me
I'm twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound
Twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound.
Well, it's all up from Florida at the start of the spring,
The trucks and the trailers will be winding
Like a bullet we'll shoot for the carnival route.
We're following them dusty old fairgrounds a-calling.
From the Michigan mud past the Wisconsin sun
'Cross that Minnesota border, keep 'em scrambling
Through the clear county lakes and the lumberjack lands,
We're following them dusty old fairgrounds a-calling.
Hit Fargo on the jump and down to Aberdeen
'Cross them old Black Hills, keep 'em rolling
Through the cow country towns and the sands of old Montana.
We're following them fairgrounds a-calling.
As the white line on the highway sails under your wheels,
I've gazed from the trailer window laughing.
Oh, our clothes they was torn but the colors they was bright.
Following them dusty old fairgrounds a-calling.
It's a-many a friend that follows the bend,
The jugglers, the hustlers, the gamblers.
Well, I've spent my time with the fortune-telling kind
Following them fairgrounds a-calling.
Oh, it's pound down the rails and it's tie down the tents,
Get that canvas flag a-flying.
Well, let the caterpillars spin, let the ferris wheel wind
Following them fairgrounds a-calling.
Well, it's roll into town straight to the fairgrounds
Just behind the posters that are hanging
And it's fill up every space with a different kind of face
Following them fairgrounds a-calling.
Get the dancing girls in front, get the gambling show behind,
Hear that old music box a-banging.
Hear them kids, faces, smiles, up and down the midway aisles
We're following them fairgrounds a-calling.
It's a-drag it on down by the deadline in the town,
Hit the old highway by the morning
And it's ride yourself blind for the next town on time
Following them fairgrounds a-calling.
As the harmonicas whined in the lonesome nighttime
Drinking red wine as we're rolling,
Many a turnin' I turn, many a lesson I learn
From following them fairgrounds a-calling.
And it's roll back down to St. Petersburg
Tie down the trailers and camp 'em
And the money that we made will pay for the space
Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh, i believe in yesterday.
Suddenly, i'm not half the man i used to be,
There's a shadow hanging over me.
Oh, yesterday came suddenly.
Why she had to go i don't know she wouldn't say.
I said something wrong, now i long for yesterday.
Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play.
Now i need a place to hide away.
Oh, i believe in yesterday.
Crash on the levee, mama,
Water's gonna overflow,
Swamp's gonna rise,
No boat's gonna row.
Now, you can train on down
To Williams Point,
You can bust your feet,
You can rock this joint.
But oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
You're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow.
Now, don't you try an' move me,
You're just gonna lose.
There's a crash on the levee
And, mama, you've been refused.
Well, it's sugar for sugar
And salt for salt,
If you go down in the flood,
It's gonna be your own fault.
Oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
You're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow.
Well, that high tide's risin',
Mama, don't you let me down.
Pack up your suitcase,
Mama, don't you make a sound.
Now, it's king for king,
Queen for queen,
It's gonna be the meanest flood
That anybody's seen.
Oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
Yes, you're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow.
Listen to me, baby,
There's something you must see.
I want to be with you, gal,
If you want to be with me.
But if you got to go,
It's all right.
But if you got to go, go now,
Or else you gotta stay all night.
It ain't that I'm questionin' you.
To take part in any quiz.
It's just that I ain't got no watch
An' you keep askin' me what time it is.
But if you got to go,
It's all right.
But if you got to go, go now,
Or else you gotta stay all night.
I am just a poor boy, baby,
Lookin' to connect.
But I certainly don't want you thinkin'
That I ain't got any respect.
But if you got to go,
It's all right.
But if you got to go, go now,
Or else you gotta stay all night.
You know I'd have nightmares
And a guilty conscience, too,
If I kept you from anything
That you really wanted to do.
But if you got to go,
It's all right.
But if you got to go, go now,
Or else you gotta stay all night.
It ain't that I'm wantin'
Anything you never gave before.
It's just that I'll be sleepin' soon,
It'll be too dark for you to find the door.
But if you got to go,
It's all right.
But if you got to go, go now,
Take a silver dollar and put it in your pocket,
Never let it slip away.
Always be a man, not a boy gone astray.
When ya get half cra-zy from the August heat
Or on a frozen, rotted road
With no one to complain to about your achin' feet.
[Chorus:]
You're gonna walk that endless highway,
Walk that high-way till you die.
All you children goin' my way,
Better tell your home-life sweet goodbye.
When I see a detour up ahead,
Well, I leave it far behind,
Who knows what you're apt to find there.
With the cost of livin, and the price of dyin',
Well it look like t'me this time I wont be buyin'
[Chorus]
When they get a scapegoat by the throat,
it's hard labour and cold beans.
If ya get away real quick,
You'll be eatin from the poison peanut machine.
Well, I sing by night, wander by day.
I'm on the road and it looks like I'm here to stay.
Feeling funny in my mind, Lord,
I believe I'm fixing to die, fixing to die
Feeling funny in my mind, Lord
I believe I'm fixing to die
Well, I don't mind dying
But I hate to leave my children crying
Well, I look over yonder to that burying ground
Look over yonder to that burying ground
Sure seems lonesome, Lord, when the sun goes down
Feeling funny in my eyes, Lord,
I believe I'm fixing to die, fixing to die
Feeling funny in my eyes, Lord
I believe I'm fixing to die
Well, I don't mind dying but
I hate to leave my children crying
There's a black smoke rising, Lord
It's rising up above my head, up above my head
It's rising up above my head, up above my head
And tell Jesus make up my dying bed.
I'm walking kind of funny, Lord
I believe I'm fixing to die, fixing to die
Yes I'm walking kind of funny, Lord
I believe I'm fixing to die
Fixing to die, fixing to die
Well, I don't mind dying
Just let me love you tonight
Forget about tomorrow
My darlin' let me hold you tight
And never let me go.
Dry your eyes
No tears and no sorrow
Cling to me with all your might
And never let me go.
A million times or more dear
You said we'd never part
But lately I find
A stranger in my arms.
Give me the right
In summer or in spring-time
To tell the world that you are mine
- I first heard this from Ric von Schmidt. He lives in Cambridge.
Ric is a blues guitarplayer. I met him one day on
The green pastures of the Harvard University. -
Baby let me follow you down, baby let me follow you down
Well I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
If you just let me follow you down.
Can I come home with you, baby can I come home with you ?
Yes I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
If you just let me come home with you.
Baby let me follow you down, baby let me follow you down
Well I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
If you just let me follow you down.
Yes I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
You angel you
You got me under your wing
The way you walk and the way you talk
I feel I could almost sing.
You angel you
You're as fine as anything's fine
I just want to watch you talk
With your memory on my mind
You know, I can't sleep at night for trying.
Yes, I never did feel this way before
I never did get up and walk the floor
If this is love then give me more
And more and more and more and more.
You angel you
You're as fine as can be
The way you walk and the way you talk
Is the way it ought to be.
You know, I can't sleep at night for trying
Never did feel this way before
Never did get up and walk the floor
If this is love then give me more
And more and more and more and more.
You angel you
You got me under your wing
The way you walk and the way you talk
Buckets of rain, buckets of tears
Got all them buckets comin' out of my ears
Buckets of moonbeams in my hand
You got all the love, honey baby
I can stand
I been meek, and hard like an oak
I seen pretty people disappear like smoke
Friends will arrive, friends will disappear
If you want me, honey baby
I'll be here
Like your smile, and your fingertips
Like the way that you move your hips
I like the cool way you look at me
Everything about you is bringing me
Misery
Little red wagon, little red bike
I ain't no monkey but I know what I like
I like the way you love me strong and slow
I'm takin' you with me, honey baby
When I go
Life is sad, life is a bust
All ya can do is do what you must
You do what you must do and ya do it well
I'll do it for you, honey baby
Tough mama
Meat shaking on your bones
I'm gonna go down to the river and get some stones
Sister's on the highway with that steel drivin' crew
Papa's in the big house, his working days are through
Tough mama
Can I blow a little smoke on you.
Dark beauty
Won't you move it on over and make somme room ?
It's my duty to bring you down to the field where the flowers bloom
Ashes in the furnace, dust on the rise
You came through it all the way flying through the skies
Dark beauty
With that long night's journey in you eyes.
Sweet Goddess
Born of a blinding light and a changing wind
Now don't be modest, you know who you are and where you've been
Jack, the cowboy, went up north, he's buried in your past
The lone wolf went out drinking, that was over pretty fast
Sweet Goddess
Your perfect stranger's coming in at last.
Silver angel
With the badge of the lonesome road written on your sleeve
I'd be grateful if this golden ring you would receive
Today on the countryside it was a hotter than a crotch
I stood alone upon the ridge and all I did was watch
Sweet Goddess
It must be time to carve another notch.
I'm crestfallen
The world of illusion is at my door
I ain't a-haulin' any of my lambs to the marketplace anymore
The prison walls are crumbling, there is no end in sight
I've gained some recognition but I lost my appetite
Sweet beauty
I love you more than ever, more than time and more than love
I love you more than money and more than the stars above
I love you more than madness, more than waves upon the sea
I love you more than life itself, you mean that much to me.
Ever since you walked right in the circle's been complete
I've said goodbye to haunted rooms and faces in the street
In the courtyard of the jester which is hidden from the sun
I love you more than ever and I haven't yet begun.
You breathed on me and made my life a richer one to live
When I was deep in powerty you taught me how to give
Dried the tears up from my dreams and pulled me from the hole
I love you more than ever and it binds me to this all.
You gave me babies, one, two, three, what is more, you saved my life
Eye for eye and tooth for tooth, your love cuts like a knife
My thoughts of you don't ever rest, they'd kill me if I lie
But I'd sacrifice the world for you and watch my senses die.
The tune that is yours and mine to play upon this earth
We'll play it out the best we know, whatever it is worth
What's lost is lost, we can't regain what went down in the flood
But happiness to me is you and I love you more than blood.
It's never been my duty to remake the world at large
Nor is it my intention to sound a battle charge
'Cause I love you more than all of that with a love that doesn't bend
And if there is eternity I'd love you there again.
Oh, can't you see that you were born to stand by my side
And I was born to be with you, you were born to be my bride
You're the other half of what I am, you're the missing piece
And I love you more than ever with that love that doesn't cease.
You turn the tide on me each day and teach my eyes to see
Just being next to you is a natural thing for me
And I could never let you go, no matter what goes on
On a night like this
I am so glad you came around
Hold on to me so tight
And heat up some coffee grounds
We got much to talk about
And much to reminisce
It sure is right
On a night like this.
On a night like this
So glad you've come to stay
Hold on to me, pretty miss
Say you'll never go away to stray
Run your fingers down my spine
Bring me a touch of bliss
It sure feels right
On a night like this.
On a night like this
I can't get any sleep
The air is so cold outside
And the snow's so deep
Build a fire, throw on logs
And listen to it hiss
And let it burn, burn, burn, burn
On a night like this.
Put your body next to mine
And keep me company
There is plenty a room for all
So please don't elbow me.
Let the four winds blow
Around this old cabin door
If I'm not too far off
I think we did this once before
There's more frost on the window glass
With each new tender kiss
But it sure feels right
Something there is about you that strikes a match in me
Is it the way your body moves or is it the way your hair blows free
Or is it because you remind me of something that used to be
Something that's crossed over from another century ?
Thought I'd shaken the wonder and the phantoms of my youth
Rainy days on the Great Lakes, walking the hills of old Duluth
There was me and Danny Lopez, cold eyes, black night and then there was Ruth
Something there is about you that brings back a long forgotten truth.
Suddenly I found you and the spirit in me sings
Don't have to look no further, you're the soul of many things
I could say that I'd be faithful, I could say it in one sweet, easy breath
But to you that would be cruelty and to me it surely would be death.
Something there is about you that moves with style and grace
I was in a whirlwind, now I am in some better place
My hand's on the sabre and you've picked up on the baton
Hazel, dirty blonde hair
I wouldn't be ashamed to be seen with you anywhere
You got something I want plenty of
Ooh, a little touch of your love.
Hazel, stardust in your eye
You're going somewhere and so am I
I'd give you the sky high above
Ooh, for a touch of your love.
Oh no, I don't need any reminder
To know how much I really care
But it's just making me blinder and blinder
Because I am up on the hill and still you're not there.
Hazel, you called and I came
Now don't make me play this waiting game
You've got something I want plenty of
Twilight on the frozen lake
A north wind about to break
On the footprints in the snow
Silence down below.
You're beautiful beyond words
You're beautiful to me
You can make me cry
Never say goodbye.
Because my dreams are made
Of iron and steel
With a big boquet of roses hanging down
From the heavens to the ground.
The crashing waves roll over me
As I stand upon the sand
And wait for you to come
Grab hold of my hand.
Oh baby, baby, baby blue
You'll change your last name too
You turned your hair to brown
May god bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every run
May you stay, forever young
May you stay forever young
May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
And may you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young
May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
May your song always be sung
And may you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
I've just reached a place
Where the willow don't bend
There's not much more to be said
It's the top of the end
I am going
I am going
I am gone.
I am closing the book
On the pages and the text
And I don't really care
Of what happens next
I am just going
I am going
I am gone.
I been hanging on threads
I been playing it straight
Now I've just got to cut loose
Before it gets late
So I am going
I am going
I am gone.
Grandma said, "Boy, go and follow your heart
And you'll be fine at the end of the line
All that's gold doesn't shine
Don't you and your own true love ever part"
I been walking the road
I been living on the edge
Now I've just got to go
Before I get to the ledge
So I am going
I am just going
I didn't know that you'd be leaving
Or who you thought you were talking to
I figure maybe we're even
Or maybe I'm one up on you
I send you all my money
Just like I did before
I tried to reach you honey
But you're driftin' too far from shore
Driftin' too far from shore
Driftin' too far from shore.
I ain't gotta get lost in this current
I don't like playing cat and mouse
No gentleman likes making love to a servant
Especially when he's in his fathers house
I never could guess your weight baby
Never needed to call you my whore
I always thought you were straight baby
But you're driftin' too far from shore
Driftin' too far from shore
Driftin' too far from shore.
Well, these times and these tunnels are haunted
The bottom of the barrel is too
I waited years sometimes for what I wanted
Everybody can't be as lucky as you
Never no more do I wonder
Why you don't never play with me any more
At any moment you could go under
Cause you're driftin' too far from shore
Driftin' too far from shore
Driftin' too far from shore.
You and me we had completeness
I give you all of what I could provide
We weren't on the wrong side sweetness
We were the wrong side
I've already ripped out the phones honey
You can't walk the streets in a war
I can't finish this alone honey
You're driftin' too far from shore
Well, there was this movie I seen one time, about a man riding 'cross
The desert and it starred Gregory Peck, he was shot down
By a hungry kid trying to make a name for himself, the townspeople
Wanted to crush that kid down and string him up by the neck
Well, the marshal, now he beat that kid to a bloody pulp
As the dying gunfighter lay in the sun and gasped for his last breath
Turn him loose, let him go, let him say he outdrew me fair and square
I want him to feel what it's like to every moment face his death
Well, I keep seeing this stuff and it just comes a-rolling in
And you know, it blows right through me like a ball and chain
You know, I can't believe we've lived so long and are still so far apart
The memory of you keeps callin' after me like a rollin' train
I can still see the day that you came to me on the painted desert
In your busted down Ford and your platform heels
I could never figure out why you chose that particular place to meet
Ah, but you were right, it was perfect as I got in behind the wheel
Well, we drove that car all night into San Anton' and we slept
Near the Alamo, your skin was so tender and soft, way down in Mexico
You went out to find a doctor and you never came back, I would have
Gone on after you but I didn't feel like letting my head get blown off
Well, we're drivin' this car and the sun is comin' up over the Rockies
Now I know she ain't you but she's here and she's got that
Dark rhythm in her soul but I'm too over the edge and I ain't in the mood
Anymore to remember the times when I was your only man and she
Don't want to remind me, she knows this car would go out of control
Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls
Teeth like pearls, shining like the moon above
Brownsville girl, show me all around the world
Brownsville girl, you're my honey love
Well, we crossed the panhandle and then we headed towards Amarillo
We pulled up where Henry Porter used to live
He owned a wreckin' lot outside of town about a mile
Ruby was in the backyard hanging clothes, she had her red hair tied
Back, she saw us come rolling up, in a trail of dust, she said
"Henry ain't here but you can come on in, he'll be back in a little while"
Then she told us how times were tough and about how
She was thinkin' of bummin' a ride back to where she started
But you know, she changed the subject every time money came up
She said, "Welcome to the land of the living dead"
You could tell she was so broken hearted, she said
"Even the swap meets around here are getting pretty corrupt"
"How far are y'all going?", Ruby asked us with a sigh
"We're going all the way 'til the wheels fall off and burn
'Til the sun peels the paint and the seat covers fade
And the water moccasin dies", Ruby just smiled and said
"Ah, you know, some babies never learn"
Something about that movie though, well, I just can't get it
Out of my head but I can't remember why I was in it
Or what part I was supposed to play, all I remember about
It was Gregory Peck and the way people moved
And a lot of them seemed to be lookin' my way
Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls
Teeth like pearls, shining like the moon above
Brownsville girl, show me all around the world
Brownsville girl, you're my honey love
Well, they were looking for somebody with a pompadour
I was crossin' the street when shots rang out
I didn't know whether to duck or to run, so I ran
"We got him cornered in the churchyard", I heard somebody shout
Well, you saw my picture in the Corpus Christi Tribune
Underneath it, it said, "A man with no alibi"
You went out on a limb to testify for me, you said I was with you
Then when I saw you break down in front of the judge
And cry real tears, it was the best acting I saw anybody do
Now I've always been the kind of person that doesn't like to trespass
But sometimes you just find yourself over the line
Oh, if there's an original thought out there, I could use it right now
You know, I feel pretty good, but that ain't sayin' much, I could feel
A whole lot better If you were just here by my side to show me how
Well, I'm standin' in line in the rain to see a movie starring Gregory Peck
Yeah, but you know, it's not the one that I had in mind
He's got a new one out now, I don't even know what it's about
But I'll see him in anything, so I'll stand in line
Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls
Teeth like pearls, shining like the moon above
Brownsville girl, show me all around the world
Brownsville girl, you're my honey love
You know, it's funny how things never turn out
The way you had 'em planned
The only thing we knew for sure about Henry Porter is that
His name wasn't Henry Porter
And you know there was somethin' about you, baby
That I liked that was always too good for this world
Just like you always said there was something about me you liked
That I left behind in the French Quarter
Strange how people who suffer together have stronger
Connections than people who are most content
I don't have any regrets, they can talk about me plenty when I'm gone
You always said people don't do what they believe in
They just do what's most convenient then they repent
And I always said, "Hang on to me, baby
And let's hope that the roof stays on"
There was a movie I seen one time, I think I sat through it twice
I don't remember who I was or where I was bound
All I remember about it was it starred Gregory Peck
He wore a gun and he was shot in the back
Seems like a long time ago, long before the stars were torn down
Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls
Teeth like pearls, shining like the moon above
Brownsville girl, show me all around the world
'Twas in the year of '82,
In the springtime of the year,
I left my mother and a home so dear
All for that girl on the greenbriar shore.
My mother, she says, "Son, don't go.
Don't leave me here alone.
Don't leave your mother and a home so dear.
Never trust a girl on the greenbriar shore."
But I was young and reckless too,
And I craved a reckless life.
I left my mother and a home so dear
And I took that girl to be my wife.
Her hair was dark and curly too
And her lovin' eyes were blue;
Her cheeks were like the red red rose
That girl I loved from the greenbriar shore.
The years rolled on and the months rolled by;
She left me all alone.
Now I remember what my momma said,
I got to see you baby, I don't care
It may be some place, baby, you say you where
I had a dream about you, baby
A dream about you, baby
Late last night you come a-rollin' across my mind.
You got the crazy rhythm when you walk
You make me nervous when you start to talk
I had a dream about you, baby
A dream about you, baby
Late last night you come a-rollin' across my mind.
Standin' on the highway, you flag me down
Said, take me, daddy, to the nearest town
I had a dream about you, baby
Had a dream about you, baby
Late last night you come a-rollin' across my mind.
The join is jumpin' it's really somethin'
The beat is pumpin, my heart is thumpin'
Spent my money on you honey
My limbs are shakin, my heart is breakin'
You kiss me, baby, in the coffee stop
You made me so bad, you gotta stop
I had a dream about you, baby
Had a dream about you, baby
Late last night you come a-rollin' across my mind.
The join is jumpin' it's really somethin'
The beat is pumpin, my heart is thumpin'
Spent my money on you honey
My limbs are shakin, my heart is breakin'
You had a white rag wrapped around your head
Wearing a long dress fire engine red
I had a dream about you, baby
Had a dream about you, baby
When you're sad and when you're lonely
And you haven't got a friend
Just remember that death is not the end
And all that you held sacred
Falls down and dows not bend
Just remember that death is not the end.
Not the end, not the end
Just remember that death is not the end.
When you're standing on the cross-roads
That you cannot comprehend
Just remember that death is not the end
And all your dreams have vanished
And you don't know what's up the bend
Just remember that death is not the end.
Not the end, not the end
Just remember that death is not the end.
When the storm clouds gather round you
And heavy rains descend
Just remember that death is not the end
And there's nowhere there to comfort you
With helping hand to lend
Just remember that death is not the end.
Not the end, not the end
Just remember that death is not the end.
Oh the tree of life is growing
Where the spirit never dies
And the bright light of salvation
Shines in dark and empty skies
When the cities are on fire
When the burning flesh of men
Just remember that death is not the end
And you search in vain to find
Just one law abiding citizen
Just remember that death is not the end.
Not the end, not the end
Well I told my baby
I said "Baby, I know where you been
Well, I know who you are
And what league you played in"
You wanna ramble
To the break of dawn
You wanna ramble
To the break of dawn
You wanna ramble
To the break of dawn.
Well, the night is so empty
So quit and still
For only fifteen hundred dollars
You can have anybody killed
You wanna ramble
To the break of dawn
You wanna ramble
To the break of dawn
You wanna ramble
To the break of dawn.
Well, I told my baby
Further down the line
I said, "What happens tomorrow
Is on your head, not mine"
You wanna ramble
To the break of dawn
You wanna ramble
To the break of dawn
You wanna ramble
Something about you that I can't shake
Don't know how much more of this I can take
I'm under your spell.
I was knocked out and loaded in the naked night
When my last dream exploded I noticed your light
Baby, oh what a story I could tell.
It's been nice seeing you you red me like a book
If you ever want to reach me you know where to look
Baby, I'll be at the same hotel.
I'd like to help you but I'm in a bit of a jam
I'll call you tomorrow if there's phones where I am
Baby, caught between heaven and hell.
But I will be back I will survive
You'll never get rid of me as long you're alive
Baby, can't you tell.
Well it's four in the morning by the sounds of the birds
I'm staring at your picture I'm hearing your words
Baby, they ring in my head like a bell.
Turn back baby wipe your eye
Don't think I'm leaving here without a kiss goodbye
Baby, is there anything left to tell ?
I'll see you later when I'm not so out of my head
Maybe next time I'll let the dead bury the dead
Baby, what more can I tell ?
Well the desert is hot the mountain is cursed
Pray that I don't die of thirst
There was a man named Mahatma Gandhi
He would not bow down he would not fight
He knew the deal was down and dirty
And nothing wrong could make it right away
But he knew his duty and the prize he had to pay
Just another holy man who tried to be a friend
My God, they killed him!
Another man from Atlanta, Georgia
By name of Martin Luther King
He shook the land like the rolling thunder
And made the bells of freedom ring today
With a dream of beauty that they could not burn away
Just another holy man who dared to make a stand
My God, they killed him.
The only Son of God Almighty
The holy one called Jesus Christ
He healed the lame and fed the hungry
And for his love they took his life away
On the road to glory where the story never ends
Just the holy Son of Man we'll never understand
My God, they killed him.
There was a man named Mahatma Gandi
A man named Martin Luther King
The only Son of God Almighty
The only one called Jesus Christ
On the road to glory where the story never ends
Just the holy Son of Man we'll never understand
My God, they killed him.
There was a man named Mahatma Gandi
A man named Martin Luther King
The only Son of God Almighty
The only one called Jesus Christ
On the road to glory where the story never ends
Just the holy Son of Man we'll never understand
As I travel down life's pathway
Know not what the years may hold
As I ponder hopes grow fonder
Precious memories flood my soul
Precious memories how they linger
How they ever flood my soul
In the stillness of the midnight
Precious memories sacred scenes unfold.
Precious father loving mother
Glide across the lonely years
And old home scenes of my childhood
In fond memories appears
Precious memories how they linger
How they ever flood my soul
In the stillness of the midnight
Maybe someday you'll be satisfied
When you've lost everything you'll have nothing left to hide
When you're through running over things like you're walking across the tracks
Maybe someday you'll beg me like a dog to take you back
Maybe someday you'll find out everybody's some body's fool
Maybe someday you'll realize what it would have taken to keep me cool
Maybe someday when you are by yourself alone
You'll know the love that I had for you was never my own.
Maybe someday you'll have no where to turn
You'll look back and wonder about the bridges you have burned
You'll look back sometime when the light grow dim
And you'll see you look much better with me than you do with him
Through hostile cities and unfriendly towns
Thirty pieces of silver no money down
Maybe someday you'll understand
That something for nothing is everybody's plan.
Maybe someday you'll remember what you felt
When there was blood on the moon in the cotton belt
When both of us baby were going through some kind of test
Neither one of us could do what we do best
I should have known better baby I should have called your bluff
I guess I was too off the handle not sentimental enough
Maybe someday you'll believe me when I say
That I wanted you baby in every kind of way.
Maybe someday you'll hear a voice from on high
Saying for whose sake did you live for whose sake did you die
Forgive me baby for what I didn't do
For not breaking down no bedroom door to get at you
Always was a sucker for the right cross
Never wanted to go home till the last cent was lost
Maybe someday you will look back and see
That I made it so easy for you to follow me.
Maybe someday there'll be nothing to tell
I'm just as happy as you baby I just can't say it so well
Never slumbered or slept or waited for lightning to strike
There's no excuse for you to say that we don't think alike
You said you were going to "Frisco" stay a couple of months
I always liked San Francisco I was there for a party once
Maybe someday you'll see that it's true
Don't ever try to change me
I been in this thing too long
There's nothin' you can say or do
To make me think I'm wrong
Well, I'm goin' off to Libya
There's a guy I gotta see
He's been living there three years now
In an oil refinery
I've got my mind made up
Oh, got my mind made up
Call your Ma in Tallahassee
Tell her, her baby's on the line
Tell her, not to worry
Everything is gonna be fine
Well, I gave you all my money
All my connections, too
There ain't nothin' in this world
You can say I didn't give to you
I've got my mind made up
Yeah, got my mind made up
You will be alright, girl
Someone's watching over you
He won't do nothin' to you
Baby, that I wouldn't do
Well, if you don't want to see me
Look the other way
You don't have to feed me
I ain't your dog that's gone astray
I got my mind made up
I got my mind made up
Got my mind made up
I got my mind made up
If you're traveling in the north country fair
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline
Remember me to one who lives there
For she was once a true love of mine.
Well, if you go when the snowflakes storm
When the rivers freeze and summer ends
Please see for me if she's wearing a coat so warm
To keep her from the howlin' winds.
Please see from me if her hair hanging down
If it curls and flows all down her breast
Please see from me if her hair hanging down
That's the way I remember her best.
Well, if you're traveling in the north country fair
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline
Please say hello to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine.
If you're travelin' in the north country fair
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline
Remember me to one who lives there
I once held her in my arms
She said she would always stay
But I was cruel
I treated her like a fool
I threw it all away.
Once I had mountains in the palm of my hand
And rivers that ran through ev'ry day
I must have been mad
I never knew what I had
Until I threw it all away.
Love is all there is, it makes the world go around
Love and only love it can't be denied
No matter what you think about it
You just won't be able to do without it
Take a tip from one who's tried.
So if you find someone that gives you all of her love
Take it to your heart, don't let it stray
For one thing that's certain
You will surely be a-hurtin'
Peggy Day stole my poor heart away
By golly, what more can I say
Love to spend the night with Peggy Day.
Peggy might makes my future look so bright
Man, that girl is ought of sight
Love to spend the day with Peggy night.
Well, you know that even before I learned her name
You know I loved her just the same
And I tell them all, wherever I may go
Just so they'll know, that she's my little lady
And I love her so.
Peggy Day stole my poor heart away
Turned my skies to blue from gray
Love to spend the night with Peggy Day.
Peggy Day stole my poor heart away
By golly, what more can I say
Love to spend the night with Peggy Day
I have heard rumors all over town
They say that you're planning to put me down
All I would like you to do
Is tell me that it isn't true.
They say that you've been seen with some other man
That he's tall, dark, and handsome, and you're holding his hand
Darling, I'm a-countin' on you.
Tell me that is isn't true.
To know that some other man is holdin' you tight
It hurts me all over, it doesn't seem right.
All of those awful things that I have heard
I don't want to believe them, all I want is your word
So darlin' you better come through
Tell me that it isn't true.
All of those awful things that I have heard
I don't want to believe them, all I want is your word
So darlin' I'm countin' on you
Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed
Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed
Whatever colors you have in your mind
I'll show them to you and you'll see them shine.
Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed
Stay, lady, stay, stay with your man awhile
Until the break of day, let me see you make him smile
His clothes are dirty but his hands are clean
And you're the best thing that he's ever seen.
Stay, lady, stay, stay with your man awhile
Why wait any longer for the world to begin
You can have your cake and eat it too
Why wait any longer for the one you love
When he's standing in front of you.
Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed
Stay, lady, stay, stay while the night is still ahead
I long to see you in the morning light
I long to reach for you in the night
One more night, the stars are in sight
But tonight I'm as lonesome as can be
Oh, the moon is shinin' bright
Lighting ev'rything in sight
But tonight no light will shine on me.
Oh, it's shameful and it's sad
I lost the only pal I had
I just could not be what she wanted me to be
I will turn my head up high
To that dark and rolling sky
For tonight no light will shine on me.
I was so mistaken when I thought that she'd be true
I had no idea what a woman in love would do.
One more night, I will wait for the light
While the wind blows high above the tree
Oh, I miss my darling so
I didn't mean to see her go
But tonight no light will shine on me.
One more night, the moon is shinin' bright
And the wind blows high above the tree
Oh, I miss that woman so
I didn't mean to see her go
Oh the benches were stained with tears and perspiration
The birdies were flying from tree to tree
There was little to say, there was no conversation
As I stepped to the stage to pick up my degree
And the locusts sang off in the distance
Yeah the locusts sang such a sweet melody
Oh, the locusts sang off in the distance
Yeah, the locusts sang and they were singing for me.
I glanced into the chamber where the judges were talking
Darkness was everywhere, it smelled like a tomb
I was ready to leave, I was already walkin'
But the next time I looked there was light in the room
And the locusts sang, yeah, it give me a chill
Oh, the locusts sang such a sweet melody
Oh, the locusts sang their high whinning trill
Yeah, the locusts sang and they were singing for me.
Outside of the gates the trucks were unloadin'
The weather was hot, a-nearly 90 degrees
The man standin' next to me, his head was exploding
Well, I was prayin' the pieces wouldn't fall on me
Yeah,the locusts sang off in the distance
Yeah the locusts sang such a sweet melody
Oh, the locusts sang off in the distance
And the locusts sang and they were singing for me.
I put down my robe, picked up my diploma
Took hold of my sweetheart and away we did drive
Straight for the hills, the black hills of Dakota
Sure was glad to get out of there alive
And the locusts sang, yeah, it give me a chill
Yeah, the locusts sang such a sweet melody
And the locusts sang with a high whinning trill
Yeah, the locusts sang and they were singing for me
Father of night, Father of day
Father who takes the darkness away
Father who teacheth the birds to fly
Builder of rainbows up in the sky
Father of loneliness and pain
Father of love and Father of rain.
Father of day, Father of night
Father of black, Father of white
Father who built the mountains so high
Who shapeth the cloud there up in the sky
Father of time and Father of dreams
Father who turneth the river and stream.
Father of grain, Father of wheat
Father of cold and Father of heat
Father of air and Father of trees
Who dwells in our hearts and our memories
Father of minutes, Father of days
To be alone with you
Just you and me
Now won't you tell me the true
Ain't that the way it oughta be?
To hold each other tight
The whole night through
Ev'rything is always right
When I'm alone with you.
To be alone with you
At the close of the day
With only you in view
While evenings slips away
It only goes to show
That while life's pleasures be few
The only one I know
Is when I'm alone with you.
They say that nighttime is the right time
To be with the one you love
Too many thoughts get in the way in the day
But you're always what I'm thinkin' of
I wish the night were here
Bringin' me all of your charms
When only you are near
To hold me in your arms.
I'll always thank the Lord
When my working day's through
I get my sweet reward
Throw my ticket out the window
Throw my suitcase out there too
Throw my troubles out the door
I don't need them any more
'Cause tonight I'll be staying here with you.
I should have left this town this morning
But it was more than I could do
Oh, your love comes on so strong
And I've waited all day long
For tonight when I'll be staying here with you.
Is it really any wonder
The love that a stranger might receive
You cast your spell and I went under
I find it so difficult to leave.
I can hear that whistle blowin'
I see that stationmaster, too
If there's a poor boy on the street
Then let him have my seat
'Cause tonight I'll be staying here with you.
Throw my ticket out the window
Throw my suitcase out there too
Throw my troubles out the door
I don't need them any more
There's an evenin' haze settlin' over town
Starlight by the edge of the creek
The buyin' power of the proletariat's gone down
Money's gettin' shallow and weak
Well, the place I love best is a sweet memory
It's a new path that we trod
They say low wages are a reality
If we want to compete abroad
My cruel weapons have been put on the shelf
Come sit down on my knee
You are dearer to me than myself
As you yourself can see
While I'm listening to the steel rails hum
Got both eyes tight shut
Just sitting here trying to keep the hunger from
Creeping it's way into my gut
[Chorus:]
Meet me at the bottom, don't lag behind
Bring me my boots and shoes
You can hang back or fight your best on the frontline
Sing a little bit of these workingman's blues
Well, I'm sailin' on back, ready for the long haul
Tossed by the winds and the seas
I'll drag 'em all down to hell and I'll stand 'em at the wall
I'll sell 'em to their enemies
I'm tryin' to feed my soul with thought
Gonna sleep off the rest of the day
Sometimes no one wants what we got
Sometimes you can't give it away
Now the place is ringed with countless foes
Some of them may be deaf and dumb
No man, no woman knows
The hour that sorrow will come
In the dark I hear the night birds call
I can feel a lover's breath
I sleep in the kitchen with my feet in the hall
Sleep is like a temporary death
[Chorus]
Well, they burned my barn, and they stole my horse
I can't save a dime
I got to be careful, I don't want to be forced
Into a life of continual crime
I can see for myself that the sun is sinking
How I wish you were here to see
Tell me now, am I wrong in thinking
That you have forgotten me?
Now they worry and they hurry and they fuss and they fret
They waste your nights and days
Them I will forget
But you I'll remember always
Old memories of you to me have clung
You've wounded me with your words
Gonna have to straighten out your tongue
It's all true, everything you've heard
[Chorus]
In you, my friend, I find no blame
Wanna look in my eyes, please do
No one can ever claim
That I took up arms against you
All across the peaceful sacred fields
They will lay you low
They'll break your horns and slash you with steel
I say it so it must be so
Now I'm down on my luck and I'm black and blue
Gonna give you another chance
I'm all alone and I'm expecting you
To lead me off in a cheerful dance
I got a brand new suit and a brand new wife
I can live on rice and beans
Some people never worked a day in their life
Don't know what work even means
[Chorus]
In the still of the night, in the world's ancient light
Where wisdom grows up in strife
My bewildering brain, toils in vain
Through the darkness on the pathways of life
Each invisible prayer is like a cloud in the air
Tomorrow keeps turning around
We live and we die, we know not why
But I'll be with you when the deal goes down
We eat and we drink, we feel and we think
Far down the street we stray
I laugh and I cry and I'm haunted by
Things I never meant nor wished to say
The midnight rain follows the train
We all wear the same thorny crown
Soul to soul, our shadows roll
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down
Well, the moon gives light and it shines by night
When I scarcely feel the glow
We learn to live and then we forgive
Over the road we're bound to go
More frailer than the flowers, these precious hours
That keep us so tightly bound
You come to my eyes like a vision from the skies
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down
Well, I picked up a rose and it poked through my clothes
I followed the winding stream
I heard the deafening noise, I felt transient joys
I know they're not what they seem
In this earthly domain, full of disappointment and pain
You'll never see me frown
I owe my heart to you, and that's saying it's true
Thunder on the mountain, and there's fires on the moon
A ruckus in the alley and the sun will be here soon
Today's the day, where I'm gonna grab my trombone and blow
Well, there's hot stuff here and it's everywhere I go
I was thinking about Alicia Keys, couldn't keep from crying
When she was born in Hell's Kitchen, I was living down the line
I'm wondering where in the world Alicia Keys could be
I been looking for her even clear through Tennessee
Feel like my soul is beginning to expand
Look into my heart and you will sort of understand
You brought me here, now you're trying to turn me away
The writing on the wall, come read it, come see what it does say
Thunder on the mountain, rolling like a drum
Going to sleep over there, that's where the music is coming from
I don't need any guide, I already know the way
Remember this, I'm your servant both night and day
The pistols are popping and the power is down
I'd like to try something but I'm so far from town
The sun keeps shining and the North Wind keeps picking up speed
Gonna forget about myself for a while, gonna go out and see what others need
I've been sitting down studying the art of love
I think it will fit me like a glove
I want some real good woman to do just what I say
Everybody got to wonder what's the matter with this cruel world today
Thunder on the mountain rolling to the ground
Gonna get up in the morning walk the hard road down
Some sweet day I'll stand beside my King
I wouldn't betray your love or any other thing
Gonna raise me an army, some tough sons of bitches
I'll recruit my army from the orphanages
I been to St. Herman's church, said my religious vows
As I've sucked the milk out of a thousand cows
I've got the pork chops, she's got the pie
She ain't no angel and neither am I
Shame on your greed, shame on your wicked schemes
I'll say this, I don't give a damn about your dreams
Thunder on the mountain heavy as can be
Mean old twister bearing down on me
All the ladies in Washington scrambling to get out of town
Looks like something bad is going to happen, better roll your airplane down
Everybody going and I want to go too
Don't wanna take a chance with somebody new
I did all I could, I did it right there and then
I've already confessed, no need to confess again
Gonna make a lot of money, gonna go up North
I'll plant and I'll harvest what the earth brings forth
The hammer's on the table, the pitchfork's on the shelf
If it keep on raining, the levee's gonna break
If it keep on raining, the levee's gonna break
Everybody saying this is a day only the Lord could make
Well, I worked on the levee, mama, both night and day
I worked on the levee, mama, both night and day
I got to the river and I threw my clothes away
I paid my time and now I'm good as new,
I paid my time and now I'm as good as new.
They can't take me back unless I want them to
If it keep on raining, the levee's gonna break
If it keep on raining, the levee's gonna break
Some of these people gonna strip you of all they can take
I can't stop here I ain't ready to unload
I can't stop here I ain't ready to unload
Riches and salvation can be waiting behind the next bend in the road
I picked you up from the gutter and this is the thanks I get
I picked you up from the gutter and this is the thanks I get
You say you want me to quit you, I told you, 'No, not just yet.'
Well, I look in your eyes, I see nobody other than me
I look in your eyes, I see nobody other than me
I see all that I am and all I hope to be
If it keep on raining, the levee's gonna break
If it keep on raining, the levee's gonna break
Some of these people don't know which road to take
When I'm with you, I forget I was ever blue
When I'm with you, I forget I was ever blue
Without you there's no meaning in anything I do
Some people on the road carrying everything that they own
Some people on the road carrying everything they own
Some people got barely enough skin to cover their bones
Put on your cat clothes, mama, put on your evening dress
Put on your cat clothes, mama, put on your evening dress
Few more years of hard work, then there'll be a 1,000 years of happiness
If it keep on raining, the levee gonna break
If it keep on raining, the levee's gonna break
I tried to get you to love me, but I won't repeat that mistake
If it keep on raining, the levee's gonna break
If it keep on raining, the levee's gonna break
Plenty of cheap stuff out there and still around that you take
I woke up this morning, butter and eggs in my bed
I woke up this morning, butter and eggs in my bed
I ain't got enough room to even raise my head.
Come back, baby, say we never more will part
Come back, baby, say we never more will part
Don't be a stranger with no brain or heart
I ain't got no home, I'm just a-ramblin' round
I'm just a wandrin' worker, I roam from town to town.
The police make it hard wherever I may go
And I ain't got no home in this world anymore.
My brothers and my sisters are stranded on this road
A hot and dusty road that a million feet done trod;
Rich man took my home and drove me from my door
And I ain't got no home in this world anymore.
Was a-farmin' on the share, and always I was poor
My crops I laid into the banker's store;
My wife took down and died upon the cabin floor
And I ain't got no home in this world anymore.
Now as I look round, it's mighty plain to see
The world is such a great and a funny place to be;
The gamblin' man is rich and the workin' man is poor
Hiram Hubbard wasn't guilty, I heard great many say
Hiram Hubbard wasn't guilty, lord I heard a great many
He was not in this county, he was forty miles away
VERSES
Oh they took him, cross the mountains and they wooped
him on the hill
Oh they took him, across the mountains and they wooped
him on the hill
It was there that he pleaded oh please let me make my
will
CHORUS:
They took him down to Danville and they throwed him in
jail
Oh they took him down to Danville and they throwed him
in jail
And it was then nobody saw him, nobody could go his way
CHORUS:
They took him out at midnight and they strapped him to
a tree
Oh they took him out at midnight and they strapped him
to a tree
It was there that they killed him, with a rifle's
bullits three
I'm just average, common too
I'm just like him, the same as you
I'm everybody's brother and son
I ain't different than anyone
It ain't no use a-talking to me
It's just the same as talking to you
I was shadow-boxing earlier in the day
I figured I was ready for Cassius Clay
I said "Fee, fie, fo, fum, Cassius Clay here I come
26, 27, 28, 29, I'm gonna make your face look just like mine
Five, four, three, two, one, Cassius Clay you'd better run
99, 100 101, 102, Your ma won't even recognize you
14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, Gonna knock him clean right out of his spleenf
Well, I don't know, but I've been told
The streets in heaven are lined with gold
I ask you how things could get much worse
If the Russians happen to get up there first
Wowee! pretty scary
Now, I'm liberal, but to a degree
I want ev'rybody to be free
But if you think that I'll let Barry Goldwater
Move in next door and mary my daughter
You must think I'm crazy
I wouldn't let him do it for all the farms in Cuba
Well, I set my monkey on the log
And ordered him to do the Dog
He wagged his tail and shook his head
And he went and did the Cat instead
He's a weird monkey, very funky
I sat with my high-heeled sneakers on
Waiting to play tennis in the noonday sun
I had my white shorts rolled up past my waist
And my wig-hat falling in my face
But they wouldn't let me on the tennis court
I gotta woman, she's so mean
She sticks my boots in the washing machine
Sticks me with buckshot when I'm nude
Puts bubblegum in my food
She's funny, wants my money, calls me honey
Now I gotta friend who spends his life
Stabbing my picture with a bowie-knife
Dreams of strangling me with a scarf
When my name comes up he pretends to barf
I've got a million friends
Now they asked me to read a poem
At the sorority sister's home
I got knocked down and my head was swimmin'
I wound up with the Dean of Women
Yippee! I'm a poet, and I know it
Hope I don't blow it
I'm gonna grow my hair down to my feet so strange
So I look like a walking mountain range
And I'm gonna ride into Omaha on a horse
Out to the country club and the golf course
Carry the New York Times, shoot a few holes, blow their minds
You're probably wondering by now
Just what this song is all about
What's probably got you baffled more
What this thing here is for
It's nothing
I can't understand
She let go of my hand
An' left me here facing the wall
I'd sure like to know
Why she did go
But I can't get close to her at all
Though we kissed through the wild blazing nighttime
She said she would never forget
But now mornin's clear
It's like ain't here
She acts like we never have met.
It's all new to me
Like some mystery
It could even be like a myth
But it's hard to think on
That she's the same one
That last night I was with
From darkness, dreams're deserted
Am I still dreamin' yet
I wish she'd unlock
Her voice once and talk
'Stead of acting like we never have met.
If she ain't feelin' well
Then why don't she tell
'Stead of turnin' her back to my face
Without any doubt
She seems too far out
For me to return to her chase
Though her skirt it swayed as a guitar played
Her mouth was watery and wet
But now something has changed
For she ain't the same
She just acts like we never have met.
If I didn't have to guess
I'd gladly confess
To anything I might've tried
If I was with her too long
Or have done something wrong
I wish she'd tell me what it is, I'll run and hide
Though the night ran swirling and whirling
I remember her whispering yet
But evidently she don't
And evidently she won't
She did act like we never have met.
I'll leavin' today
I'll be on my way
Of this I can't say very much
But if you want me to
I can be just like you
And pretend that we never have touched
And if anybody asks me, "Is it easy to forget "
I'll say, "It's easily done
You just pick anyone
And pretend that you never have met".
I'll be home for Christmas
You can count on me
Please have snow and mistletoe
And presents on the tree
Christmas Eve will find me
Where the love light gleams
I'll be home for Christmas
I keep a close watch on this heart of mine
I keep my eyes wide open all the time.
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds
Because you're mine,
I walk the line
I find it very, very easy to be true
I find myself alone when each day is through
Yes, I'll admit that I'm a fool for you
Because you're mine,
I walk the line
As sure as night is dark and day is light
I keep you on my mind both day and night
And happiness I've found proves that it's right
Because you're mine,
I walk the line
You've got a way to keep me on your side
You give me cause for love that I can't hide
For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide
Because you're mine,
I forgot to remember to forget her,
I can't seem to get her off my mind.
I thought I'd never miss her,
But I found out somehow
I think about her almost all the time.
The day she went away
I made myself a promise
That I'd soon forget we ever met.
But something sure is wrong,
'Cause I'm so blue and lonely.
I forgot to remember to forget.
The day she went away
I made myself a promise
That I'd soon forget we ever met,
Well, but something sure is wrong,
'Cause I'm so blue and lonely.
I ain't lookin' to compete with you
Beat or cheat or mistreat you
Simplify you, classify you
Deny, defy or crucify you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
No, and I ain't lookin' to fight with you
Frighten you or tighten you
Drag you down or drain you down
Chain you down or bring you down
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I ain't lookin' to block you up
Shock or knock or lock you up
Analyze you, categorize you
Finalize you or advertise you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I don't want to straight-face you
Race or chase you, track or trace you
Or disgrace you or displace you
Or define you or confine you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I don't want to meet your kin
Make you spin or do you in
Or select you or dissect you
Or inspect you or reject you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I don't want to fake you out
Take or shake or forsake you out
I ain't lookin' for you to feel like me
See like me or be like me
All I really want to do
To preach of peace and brotherhood,
Oh, what might be the cost!
A man he did it long ago
And they hung him on a cross.
Long ago, far away;
These things don't happen
No more, nowadays.
The chains of slaves
They dragged the ground
With heads and hearts hung low.
But it was during Lincoln's time
And it was long ago.
Long ago, far away;
Things like that don't happen
No more, nowadays.
The war guns they went off wild,
The whole world bled its blood.
Men's bodies floated on the edge
Of oceans made of mud.
Long ago, far away;
Those kind of things don't happen
No more, nowadays.
One man had much money,
One man had not enough to eat,
One man lived just like a king,
The other man begged on the street.
Long ago, far away;
These things don't happen
No more, nowadays.
One man died of a knife so sharp,
One man died from the bullet of a gun,
One man died of a broken heart
To see the lynchin' of his son.
Long ago, far away;
Things like that don't happen
No more, nowadays.
Gladiators killed themselves,
It was during the Roman times.
People cheered with bloodshot grins
As eye and minds went blind.
Long ago, far away;
Things like that don't happen
No more, nowadays.
And to talk of peace and brotherhood,
Oh, what might be the cost!
A man he did it long ago
And they hung him on a cross.
Long ago, far away;
Things like that don't happen
Oxford Town, Oxford Town
Ev'rybody's got their hats bowed down
The sun don't shine above the ground
Ain't a-goin' down to Oxford Town.
He went down to Oxford Town
Guns and clubs followed him down
All because his face was brown
Better get away from Oxford Town.
Oxford Town around the bend
He comes to the door, he couln't get in
All because of the color of his skin
What do you think about that, my frien' ?
Me and my gal, my gal's son
We got met with a tear gas bomb
I don't even know why we come
Goin' back where we come from.
Oxford Town in the afternoon
Ev'rybody singin' a sorrowful tune
Two men died 'neath the Mississippi moon
Some say it was radiation, some say there was acid on the microphone,
Some say a combination that turned their hearts to stone,
But whatever it was, it drove them to their knees.
Oh, Legionnaire's disease.
I wish I had a dollar for everyone that died within that year,
Got 'em hot by the collar, plenty an old maid shed a tear,
Now within my heart, it sure put on a squeeze.
Oh, that Legionnaire's disease.
Granddad fought in a revolutionary war, father in the War of 1812,
Uncle fought in Vietnam and then he fought a war all by himself,
But whatever it was, it came out of the trees.
Oh, that Legionnaire's disease.
I will not go down under the ground
"Cause somebody tells me that death's comin' 'round
An' I will not carry myself down to die
When I go to my grave my head will be high,
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
There's been rumors of war and wars that have been
The meaning of the life has been lost in the wind
And some people thinkin' that the end is close by
"Stead of learnin' to live they are learning to die.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
I don't know if I'm smart but I think I can see
When someone is pullin' the wool over me
And if this war comes and death's all around
Let me die on this land 'fore I die underground.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
There's always been people that have to cause fear
They've been talking of the war now for many long years
I have read all their statements and I've not said a
word
But now Lawd God, let my poor voice be heard.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
If I had rubies and riches and crowns
I'd buy the whole world and change things around
I'd throw all the guns and the tanks in the sea
For they are mistakes of a past history.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
Let me drink from the waters where the mountain streams
flood
Let me smell of wildflowers flow free through my blood
Let me sleep in your meadows with the green grassy
leaves
Let me walk down the highway with my brother in peace.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
Go out in your country where the land meets the sun
See the craters and the canyons where the waterfalls
Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho
Let every state in this union seep in your souls.
And you'll die in your footsteps
When yer head gets twisted and yer mind grows numb
When you think you're too old, too young, too smart or too dumb
When yer laggin' behind an' losin' yer pace
In a slow-motion crawl of life's busy race
No matter what yer doing if you start givin' up
If the wine don't come to the top of yer cup
If the wind's got you sideways with with one hand holdin' on
And the other starts slipping and the feeling is gone
And yer train engine fire needs a new spark to catch it
And the wood's easy findin' but yer lazy to fetch it
And yer sidewalk starts curlin' and the street gets too long
And you start walkin' backwards though you know its wrong
And lonesome comes up as down goes the day
And tomorrow's mornin' seems so far away
And you feel the reins from yer pony are slippin'
And yer rope is a-slidin' 'cause yer hands are a-drippin'
And yer sun-decked desert and evergreen valleys
Turn to broken down slums and trash-can alleys
And yer sky cries water and yer drain pipe's a-pourin'
And the lightnin's a-flashing and the thunder's a-crashin'
And the windows are rattlin' and breakin' and the roof tops a-shakin'
And yer whole world's a-slammin' and bangin'
And yer minutes of sun turn to hours of storm
And to yourself you sometimes say
"I never knew it was gonna be this way
Why didn't they tell me the day I was born"
And you start gettin' chills and yer jumping from sweat
And you're lookin' for somethin' you ain't quite found yet
And yer knee-deep in the dark water with yer hands in the air
And the whole world's a-watchin' with a window peek stare
And yer good gal leaves and she's long gone a-flying
And yer heart feels sick like fish when they're fryin'
And yer jackhammer falls from yer hand to yer feet
And you need it badly but it lays on the street
And yer bell's bangin' loudly but you can't hear its beat
And you think yer ears might a been hurt
Or yer eyes've turned filthy from the sight-blindin' dirt
And you figured you failed in yesterdays rush
When you were faked out an' fooled white facing a four flush
And all the time you were holdin' three queens
And it's makin you mad, it's makin' you mean
Like in the middle of Life magazine
Bouncin' around a pinball machine
And there's something on yer mind you wanna be saying
That somebody someplace oughta be hearin'
But it's trapped on yer tongue and sealed in yer head
And it bothers you badly when your layin' in bed
And no matter how you try you just can't say it
And yer scared to yer soul you just might forget it
And yer eyes get swimmy from the tears in yer head
And yer pillows of feathers turn to blankets of lead
And the lion's mouth opens and yer staring at his teeth
And his jaws start closin with you underneath
And yer flat on your belly with yer hands tied behind
And you wish you'd never taken that last detour sign
And you say to yourself just what am I doin'
On this road I'm walkin', on this trail I'm turnin'
On this curve I'm hanging
On this pathway I'm strolling, in the space I'm taking
In this air I'm inhaling
Am I mixed up too much, am I mixed up too hard
Why am I walking, where am I running
What am I saying, what am I knowing
On this guitar I'm playing, on this banjo I'm frailin'
On this mandolin I'm strummin', in the song I'm singin'
In the tune I'm hummin', in the words I'm writin'
In the words that I'm thinkin'
In this ocean of hours I'm all the time drinkin'
Who am I helping, what am I breaking
What am I giving, what am I taking
But you try with your whole soul best
Never to think these thoughts and never to let
Them kind of thoughts gain ground
Or make yer heart pound
But then again you know why they're around
Just waiting for a chance to slip and drop down
"Cause sometimes you hear'em when the night times comes creeping
And you fear that they might catch you a-sleeping
And you jump from yer bed, from yer last chapter of dreamin'
And you can't remember for the best of yer thinking
If that was you in the dream that was screaming
And you know that it's something special you're needin'
And you know that there's no drug that'll do for the healin'
And no liquor in the land to stop yer brain from bleeding
And you need something special
Yeah, you need something special all right
You need a fast flyin' train on a tornado track
To shoot you someplace and shoot you back
You need a cyclone wind on a stream engine howler
That's been banging and booming and blowing forever
That knows yer troubles a hundred times over
You need a Greyhound bus that don't bar no race
That won't laugh at yer looks
Your voice or your face
And by any number of bets in the book
Will be rollin' long after the bubblegum craze
You need something to open up a new door
To show you something you seen before
But overlooked a hundred times or more
You need something to open your eyes
You need something to make it known
That it's you and no one else that owns
That spot that yer standing, that space that you're sitting
That the world ain't got you beat
That it ain't got you licked
It can't get you crazy no matter how many
Times you might get kicked
You need something special all right
You need something special to give you hope
But hope's just a word
That maybe you said or maybe you heard
On some windy corner 'round a wide-angled curve
But that's what you need man, and you need it bad
And yer trouble is you know it too good
"Cause you look an' you start getting the chills
"Cause you can't find it on a dollar bill
And it ain't on Macy's window sill
And it ain't on no rich kid's road map
And it ain't in no fat kid's fraternity house
And it ain't made in no Hollywood wheat germ
And it ain't on that dimlit stage
With that half-wit comedian on it
Ranting and raving and taking yer money
And you thinks it's funny
No you can't find it in no night club or no yacht club
And it ain't in the seats of a supper club
And sure as hell you're bound to tell
That no matter how hard you rub
You just ain't a-gonna find it on yer ticket stub
No, and it ain't in the rumors people're tellin' you
And it ain't in the pimple-lotion people are sellin' you
And it ain't in no cardboard-box house
Or down any movie star's blouse
And you can't find it on the golf course
And Uncle Remus can't tell you and neither can Santa Claus
And it ain't in the cream puff hair-do or cotton candy clothes
And it ain't in the dime store dummies or bubblegum goons
And it ain't in the marshmallow noises of the chocolate cake voices
That come knockin' and tappin' in Christmas wrappin'
Sayin' ain't I pretty and ain't I cute and look at my skin
Look at my skin shine, look at my skin glow
Look at my skin laugh, look at my skin cry
When you can't even sense if they got any insides
These people so pretty in their ribbons and bows
No you'll not now or no other day
Find it on the doorsteps made out-a paper mache?
And inside it the people made of molasses
That every other day buy a new pair of sunglasses
And it ain't in the fifty-star generals and flipped-out phonies
Who'd turn yuh in for a tenth of a penny
Who breathe and burp and bend and crack
And before you can count from one to ten
Do it all over again but this time behind yer back
My friend
The ones that wheel and deal and whirl and twirl
And play games with each other in their sand-box world
And you can't find it either in the no-talent fools
That run around gallant
And make all rules for the ones that got talent
And it ain't in the ones that ain't got any talent but think they do
And think they're foolin' you
The ones who jump on the wagon
Just for a while 'cause they know it's in style
To get their kicks, get out of it quick
And make all kinds of money and chicks
And you yell to yourself and you throw down yer hat
Sayin', "Christ do I gotta be like that
Ain't there no one here that knows where I'm at
Ain't there no one here that knows how I feel
Good God Almighty
THAT STUFF AIN'T REAL"
No but that ain't yer game, it ain't even yer race
You can't hear yer name, you can't see yer face
You gotta look some other place
And where do you look for this hope that yer seekin'
Where do you look for this lamp that's a-burnin'
Where do you look for this oil well gushin'
Where do you look for this candle that's glowin'
Where do you look for this hope that you know is there
And out there somewhere
And your feet can only walk down two kinds of roads
Your eyes can only look through two kinds of windows
Your nose can only smell two kinds of hallways
You can touch and twist
And turn two kinds of doorknobs
You can either go to the church of your choice
Or you can go to Brooklyn State Hospital
You'll find God in the church of your choice
You'll find Woody Guthrie in Brooklyn State Hospital
And though it's only my opinion
I may be right or wrong
You'll find them both
In the Grand Canyon
Goodbye Holly, Holly goodbye
Your wife's a gonna miss you
Your baby's gonna cry
Goodbye Holly, Holly so long
All your good times have passed now and gone.
Pat Garrett, he shot you with a Colt 44
He dropped you across a table
Now you're gone forever more.
Goodbye Holly, Holly goodbye
Your wife's a gonna miss you
Your baby's gonna cry
Goodbye Holly, Holly so long
All your good times have passed now and gone.
Katie's been gone since the spring time;
She wrote one time'n sent her love.
Katie's been gone for such a long time now.
I wonder what kind of love she's thinkin' of.
Dear Katie,
If you can hear me,
I can't wait to have ya near me.
Oh, Katie, since ya caught that bus,
Well, I just don't know how things are with us.
I'm still here and you're out there.
Katie laughed when I said I was lonely.
She said, There's no need t'feel that way.
Katie said that I was her only one,
But then I wonder why she didn't wanna stay.
Dear Katie, if I'm the only one,
How much longer will you be gone?
Oh, Katie, won't ya tell me straight:
How much longer do I have to wait?
I'll believe you,
But please come through.
I know it's wrong to be apart this long;
You should be here, near me.
Katie's been gone and now her face is slowly fading from my mind.
She's gone to find some newer places,
Left the old life far behind.
Dear Katie, dont ya miss your home?
I dont see why you had to roam.
Dear Katie, since you've been away
I lose a little something every day
I need you here, but you're still out there.
Dear Katie, please drop me a line,
just write, Love, to tell me you're fine.
Oh, Katie, if you can hear me,
I just cant wait to have you near me.
I can only think
Where are you,
The winter wind is a blowing strong
My hands have got no gloves
I wish to my soul that I could see
The girl I'm a-thinking of
Don't you remember me babe
I remember you quite well
You caused me to leave old Kingsport Town
With a high sheriff on my trail
High sheriff on my trail, boys
High sheriff on my trail
All because I'm falling for
A curly-headed dark-eyed girl
Who's a-gonna stroke your cold black hair
And sandy colored skin
Who's a-gonna kiss your Menphis lips
When I'm out in the wind
When I'm out in the wind, babe
When I'm out in the wind
Who's a-gonna kiss your Memphis mouth
When I'm out in the wind
Who's a-gonna walk you side by side
And tell you everything's alright
Who's a-gonna sing to you all day long
And not just in the night
Who's a-gonna walk you side by side
Who's a-gonna be your man
Who's a-gonna look you straight in the eye
And hold your bad luck hand
Hold your bad luck hand, babe
Hold your bad luck hand
Who's a-gonna hold your hard luck hand
And who's a-gonna be your man
The winter wind is a blowing strong
My hands have got no gloves
I wish to my soul I could see
Here comes Santa Claus!
Here comes Santa Claus!
Right down Santa Claus Lane!
Vixen and Blitzen and all his reindeer
Are pulling on the reins.
Bells are ringing, children singing;
All is merry and bright.
Hang your stockings and say your prayers,
'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight.
Here comes Santa Claus!
Here comes Santa Claus!
Right down Santa Claus Lane!
He's got a bag that is filled with toys
For the boys and girls again.
Hear those sleigh bells jingle jangle,
What a beautiful sight.
Jump in bed, cover up your head,
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
Our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
Our troubles will be miles away.
Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more.
Through the years we all will be together
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
Well, I wandered alone through a desert of stone
And I dreamt of my future wife
My sword's in my hand and I'm next in command
In this version of death called life
My plate and my cup are right straight up
I took a rose from the hand of a child
When I kiss your lips, the honey drips
I'm gonna have to put you down for a while
Everyday we meet on any old street
And you're in your girlish prime
The short and the tall are coming to the ball
I go there all the time
Behind every tree, there's something to see
The river is wider than a mile
I tried you twice, you can't be nice
I'm gonna have to put you down for a while
Here come the nurse with money in her purse
Here come the ladies and men
You push it all in and you've no chance to win
You play 'em on down to the end
I'm laying in the sand, getting a sunshine tan
Moving along, riding in style
From my toes to my head you knock me dead
I'm gonna have to put you down for a while
I count the years and I shed no tears
I'm blinded to what might have been
Nature's voice makes my heart rejoice
Play me the wild song of the wind
I found hopeless love in the room above
When the sun and the weather were mild
You're as fine as wine, I ain't handing you no line
I'm gonna have to put you down for a while
All the merry little elves can go hang themselves
My faith is as cold as can be
I'm stacked high to the roof and I'm not without proof
If you don't believe me, come see
You think I'm blue, I think so too
In my words you'll find no guile
The game's gotten old, the deck's gone cold
And I'm gonna have to put you down for a while
The game's gotten old, the deck's gone cold
Yes, the gal I got
I swear she's the screaming end
She wants me to be a hero
So she can tell all her friends
Well, she begged, she cried
She pleaded with me all last night
Well, she begged, she cried
She pleaded with me all last night
She wants me to go out
And find somebody to fight
She reads too many books
She got new movies inside her head
She reads too many books
She got movies inside her head
She wants me to walk out running
She wants me to crawl back dead
You need a different kinda man, babe
One that can grab and hold your heart
Need a different kind of man, babe
One that can hold and grab your heart
You need a different kind of man, babe
You need Napoleon Boneeparte
Well, when I'm dead
No more good times will I crave
When I'm dead
No more good times will I crave
You can stand and shout hero
Well, I'm looking the world over
Looking far off into the east
And I see my baby coming
She's walking with the village priest
I feel a change comin' on
Though the last part of the day's already gone
We got so much in common
We strive for the same old ends
And I just can't wait
Wait for us to become friends
I feel a change comin' on
And the fourth part of the day's already gone
Well, life is for love
And they say that love is blind
If you wanna live easy
Baby, pack your clothes with mine
I feel a change comin' on
And the fourth part of the day's already gone
Well, now what's the use in dreamin'?
You got better things to do
Dreams never did work for me anyway
Even when they did come true
You are as whorish as ever
Baby, you can start a fire
I must be losin' my mind
You're the object of my desire
I feel a change comin' on
And the fourth part of the day's already gone
I'm a listening to Billy Joe Shaver
And I'm reading James Joyce
Some people, they tell me
I've got the blood of the land in my voice
Everybody got all the money
Everybody got all the beautiful clothes
Everybody got all the flowers
I don't have one single rose
I feel a change comin' on
Been so long since a strange woman has slept in my bed.Look how sweet she sleeps, how free must be her dreams.In another lifetime she must have owned the world, or been faithfully wedTo some righteous king who wrote psalms beside moonlit streams.I and iIn creation where one’s nature neither honors nor forgives.I and iOne says to the other, no man sees my face and lives.Think I’ll go out and go for a walk,Not much happenin’ here, nothin’ ever does.Besides, if she wakes up now, she’ll just want me to talkI got nothin’ to say, ’specially about whatever was.I and iIn creation where one’s nature neither honors nor forgives.I and iOne says to the other, no man sees my face and lives.Took an untrodden path once, where the swift don’t win the race,It goes to the worthy, who can divide the word of truth.Took a stranger to teach me, to look into justice’s beautiful faceAnd to see an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.I and iIn creation where one’s nature neither honors nor forgives.I and iOne says to the other, no man sees my face and lives.Outside of two men on a train platform there’s nobody in sight,They’re waiting for spring to come, smoking down the track.The world could come to an end tonight, but that’s all right.She should still be there sleepin’ when I get back.I and iIn creation where one’s nature neither honors nor forgives.I and iOne says to the other, no man sees my face and lives.Noontime, and I’m still pushin’ myself along the road, the darkest part,Into the narrow lanes, I can’t stumble or stay put.Someone else is speakin’ with my mouth, but I’m listening only to my heart.I’ve made shoes for everyone, even you, while I still go barefoot.I and iIn creation where one’s nature neither honors nor forgives.I and iOne says to the other, no man sees my face and lives.
Ev'ry thing's all right
And then she's all the time in my neighborhood
She cries both day and night
I know because it was there
It's a milestone but she's down on her luck
And the day makes her lonely
And it's so hard to buck, I was there
I believe that she'd stop him if she would start to care
I believe that she'd look upon this side
And t' care and I'd go by the something
When she's on my way, but I don't belong there
No I don't belong to her
I don't belong to anybody
She's my prize forsaken angel
But she don't care she cries
She's a lone-hearted mystic and she can carry on
When I'm there, she's all right
But she's not when I'm gone
Heaven knows that the answer she's don't call in no one
She's a wave, a thing, beautiful she's mine for the one
And I'm also hesitating by temptation lest it runs
Which it don't follow me
But I'm not there, I'm gone
Now I'll cry tonight, like I cried the night before
And I'll feast on her eyes
But I'll dream about the door
So long, Jesus, savior, blind faith worth to tell
It don't have consolation she's my
I was born to love her
But she knows that the kingdom waits so high above her
And I run but I race
But it's not too fast a pace
Of cource I'll not deceive her
I'm not there, I'm gone
Let me in here, I know I've been here,
Let me into your heart.
Let me know you, let me show you,
Let me roll it to you.
All I have is yours,
All you see is mine
And I'm glad to have you in my arms,
I'd have you any time.
Let me say it, let me play it,
Let me lay it on you.
Let me know you, let me show you,
Let me grow it on you.
All I have is yours,
All you see is mine
And I'm glad to have you in my arms,
I'd have you any time.
Let me in here, I know I've been here,
Let me into your heart.
Let me know you, let me show you,
Let me roll it to you.
All I have is yours,
All you see is mine
And I'm glad to have you in my arms,
The evening winds are still
I've lost the way and will
Can't tell you where they went
I just know what they meant
I'm always on my guard
Admitting life is hard
Without you near me
The friend you used to be
So near and dear to me
You slipped so far away
Where did we go astray?
I passed the old schoolyard
Admitting life is hard
Without you near me
Ever since the day
The day you went away
I felt that emptiness so wide
I don't know what's wrong or right
I just know I need strength to fight
Strength to fight that world outside
Since we've been out of touch
I haven't felt that much
From day to barren day
My heart stays locked away
I walk the boulevard
Admitting life is hard
Without you near me
The sun is sinking low
I guess it's time to go
I feel a chilly breeze
In place of memories
My dreams are locked and barred
Admitting life is hard
Without you near me
Let's keep it between us.
These people meddlin' in our affairs, they're not our friends.
Let's keep it between us
Before doors close and our togetherness comes to an end.
They'll turn you against me and me against you 'til we don't know who to trust.
Oh, darlin', can we keep it between us?
Let's keep it between us.
We've been through too much tough times that they never shared.
They've had nothing to say to us before,
Now all of a sudden it's as if they've always cared.
All we need is honesty, a little humility and trust.
Oh, darlin', can we keep it between us?
I know we're not perfect
Then again, neither are they
They act like we got to live for them as if there just ain't no other way
And it's makin' me kind of tired.
Can we just lay back for a moment
Before we wake up and find ourselves in a daze that's got us out of our minds?
There must be something we're overlooking here,
We better drop down now and get back behind the lines.
There's some things not fit for human ears, some things don't need to be discussed.
Oh, darlin', can we keep it between us?
They'll tell you one thing and me another
'Til we don't know who to trust.
Oh, darlin', can we keep it between us?
Let's keep it between us
Before it all snaps and goes too far.
If we can't deal with this by ourselves,
Tell me we ain't worse off than they think we are.
Backseat drivers don't know the feel of the wheel, but they sure know how to make a fuss.
Oh, darlin', can we keep it between us?
The very thought of you
And I forget to do
The little ordinary things
That everyone ought to do
I'm living in a kind of daydream
I'm happy as a king
And foolish though it may seem to me
That's everything
The mere idea of you
The longing year for you
You'll never know how slow the moments go
Till I'm near to you
I see your face in every flower
Your eye in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you
My love
The mere idea of you
The longing year for you
You'll never know how slow the moments go
Till I'm near to you
I see your face in every flower
Your eye in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you
Now there's a man you'll hear about
Most anywhere you go
And his holdings are in Texas
And his name is Diamond Joe.
And he carries all his money
In a diamond-studded jar
He never took much trouble
With the process of the law.
I hired out to Diamond Joe, boys
Did offer him my hand
He gave a string of horses
So old they could not stand.
And I nearly starved to death, boys
He did mistreat me so
And I never saved a dollar
In the pay of Diamond Joe.
Now his bread it was corn dodger
And his meat you couldn't chaw
Nearly drove me crazy
With the waggin'of his jaw.
And the tellin' of his story
Mean to let you know
That there never was a rounder
That could lie like Diamond Joe.
Now, I tried three times to quit him
But he did argue so
I'm still punchin' cattle
In the pay of Diamond Joe.
And when I'm called up yonder
And it's my time to go
Give my blankets to my buddies
Well, it's all of a fair and a handsome girl
She's all in her tender years
She fell in love with a sailor boy
It's true she loved him well
For to go off to sea with him
Like she did not now how
She longed to see that seaport town
Of Canadee-i-o.
So he bargained with the sailor boy
All for a piece of gold
Straightaway then he led her
Down into the hold
Sayin', "I'll dress you up in sailor's clothes
Your jacket shall be blue
You'll see that seaport town
Of Canadee-i-o".
Now, when the other sailors heard the news
Well, they fell into a rage
And with all the ship's company
They were willing to engage
Sayin', "We'll tie her hands and feet, my boys
Overboard we'll throw her
She'll never see that seaport town
Called Canadee-i-o".
Now, when the captain he heard the news
Well, he too fell in rage
And with the whole ships' company
He was willing to engage
Sayin', "She'll stay all in sailor's clothes
Her color shall be blue
She'll see that seaport town
Called Canadee-i-o".
Now, when they come down to Canada
Scarcely 'bout half a year
She's married this bold captain
Who called her his dear
She's dressed in silks and satins now
She cuts a gallant show
Finest of the ladies
Down Canadee-i-o.
Come all you fair and tender girls
Wheresoever you may bee
I'd have you to follow your own true love
Whene'er he goes to sea
For the sailors prove false to you
Well, the captain he might prove true
You'll see the honor I have gained
Come and listen for a moment, lads
And hear me tell my tale
How across the sea from England
I was condemned to sail
Now the jury found me guilty
Then says the judge, says he
"Oh, for life, Jim Jones, I'm sending you
Across the stormy sea
But take a tip before you ship
To join the iron gang
Don't get too gay in Botany Bay
Or else you'll surely hang
Or else you'll surely hang", says he
"And after that Jim Jones
It's high above on the gallows tree
The crows will pick your bones".
And our ship was high upon the sea
When pirates came along
But the soldiers on our convict ship
Were full five hundred strong
For they opened fire and somehow drove
That pirate ship away
But I'd rather have joined that pirate ship
Than gone to Botany Bay
With the storms ragin' round us
And the winds a-blowin' gale
I'd rather have drowned in misery
Than gone to New South Wales
There's no time for mischief there they say
Remember that, says they
Or they'll flog the poaching out of you
Down there in Botany Bay.
Now it's day and night and the irons clang
And like poor galley slaves
We toil and toil, and when we die
Must fill dishonored graves
And it's by and by I'll slip my chains
Well, into the bush I'll go
And I'll join the bravest rankers there
Jack Donohue and co
And some dark night, when everything
Is silent in the town
I'll shoot those tyrants one and all
I'll gun the floggers down
Oh, I'll give the land a little shock
Remember what I say
They'll yet regret they've sent Jim Jones
Let us pause in life's pleasures and count its many tears
While we all sup sorrow with the poor
There's a song that will linger forever in our ears
Oh, hard times, come again no more.
'Tis the song, the sign of the weary
Hard times, hard times, come again no more
Many days you have lingered all around my cabin door
Oh hard times, come again no more.
While we seek mirth and beauty and music light and gay
There are frail forms fainting at the door
Though their voices are silent, their pleading looks will say
Oh, hard times, come again no more.
'Tis the song, the sign of the weary
Hard times, hard times, come again no more
Many days you have lingered all around my cabin door
Oh hard times, come again no more.
There's a pale drooping maiden who toils her life away
With a worn heart, whose better days are o'er
Though her voice it would be merry, 'tis sighing all the day
Oh, hard times, come again no more.
'Tis the song, the sign of the weary
Hard times, hard times, come again no more
Many days you have lingered all around my cabin door
Oh hard times, come again no more.
'Tis the song, the sign of the weary
Hard times, hard times, come again no more
Many days you have lingered all around my cabin door
Frog went a-courtin' and he did ride
Frog went a-courtin' and he did ride
Frog went a-courtin' and he did ride
With a sword and a pistol by his side
Well he rode right up to Miss Mousey's door
Well he rode right up to Miss Mousey's door
Well he rode right up to Miss Mousey's door
Gave three loud raps and a very big roar
Said, "Miss Mouse, are you within?"
Said he, "Miss Mouse, are you within?"
Said, "Miss Mouse, are you within?"
"Yes, kind sir, I sit and spin"
He took Miss Mousey on his knee
Took Miss Mousey on his knee
Took Miss Mousey on his knee
Said, "Miss Mousey, will you marry me?"
Without my uncle Rat's consent
Without my uncle Rat's consent
Without my uncle Rat's consent
I wouldn't marry the President
Uncle Rat laughed and he shook his fat sides
Uncle Rat laughed and he shook his fat sides
Uncle Rat laughed and he shook his fat sides
To think his niece would be a bride
Uncle Rat went runnin' downtown
Uncle Rat went runnin' downtown
Uncle Rat went runnin' downtown
To buy his niece a wedding gown
Where shall the wedding supper be?
Where shall the wedding supper be?
Where shall the wedding supper be?
Way down yonder in a hollow tree
What should the wedding supper be?
What should the wedding supper be?
What should the wedding supper be?
Fried mosquito in a black-eye pea
Well, first to come in was a flyin' moth
First to come in was a flyin' moth
First to come in was a flyin' moth
She laid out the table cloth
Next to come in was a juney bug
Next to come in was a juney bug
Next to come in was a juney bug
She brought the water jug
Next to come in was a bumbley bee
Next to come in was a bumbley bee
Next to come in was a bumbley bee
Sat mosquito on his knee
Next to come in was a broken black flea
Next to come in was a broken black flea
Next to come in was a broken black flea
Danced a jig with the bumbley bee
Next to come in was Mrs. Cow
Next to come in was Mrs. Cow
Next to come in was Mrs. Cow
She tried to dance but she didn't know how
Next to come in was a little black tick
Next to come in was a little black tick
Next to come in was a little black tick
She ate so much she made us sick
Next to come in was a big black snake
Next to come in was a big black snake
Next to come in was a big black snake
Ate up all of the wedding cake
Next to come in was the old gray cat
Next to come in was the old gray cat
Next to come in was the old gray cat
Swallowed the mouse and ate up the rat
Mr. Frog went a-hoppin' up over the brook
Mr. Frog went a-hoppin' up over the brook
Mr. Frog went a-hoppin' up over the brook
A lily-white duck come and swallowed him up
A little piece of cornbread layin' on a shelf
A little piece of cornbread layin' on a shelf
A little piece of cornbread layin' on a shelf
Frankie was a good girl
Everybody knows
Paid one hundred dollars
For Albert's new suit of clothes
He was her man but he done her wrong.
Albert said "I'm leaving you"
Won't be gone for long
Don't wait up for me
A-worry about me when I'm gone
He was her man but he done her wrong.
Frankie went down to the corner saloon
Get a bucket of beer
Said to the bartender
"Has my lovin' man been her ?"
He was her man but he done her wrong.
"Well, I ain't gonna tell you no stories
I ain't gonna tell you no lies
I saw Albert an hour ago
With a gal named Alice Bly"
He was her man but he done her wrong.
Frankie went down to 12th street
Lookin' up through the window high
She saw her Albert there
Lovin' up Alice Bly
He was her man but he done her wrong.
Frankie pulled out a pistol
Pulled out a forty-four
Gun went off a-rootie-toot-toot
And Albert fell on the floor
He was her man but he done her wrong.
Frankie got down upon her knees
Took Albert into her lap
Started to hug and kiss him
But there was no bringin' him back
He was her man but he done her wrong.
"Gimme a thousand policemen
Throw me into a cell
I shot my Albert dead
And now I'm goin' to hell"
He was my man but he done me wrong.
Judge said to the jury
"Plain as a thing can be
A woman shot her lover down
Murder in the second degree"
He was her man but he done her wrong.
Frankie went to the scaffold
Calm as a girl could be
Turned her eyes up toward the heavens
Said "Nearer, my God, to Thee"
Tomorrow night, will you remember what you said to night ?
Tomorrow night, will all the thrill be gone ?
Tomorrow night, will it be just another memory
Or just another song, that's in my heart to linger on ?
Your lips are so tender, your heart is beating fast
And you willingly surrender to me, my darling will it last ?
Tomorrow night, will you be with me when the moon is bright ?
Tomorrow night, will you say those lovely things you said tonight ?
Your lips are so tender, your heart is beating fast
And you willingly surrender to me, my darling will it last ?
Tomorrow night, will you be with me when the moon is bright ?
Got a little girl, little and low
She used to love me but she don't no more
She gotta step it up and go - Yeah go
Can't stand pat, swear you gotta step it up and go.
Got a little girl, she stays upstairs
Make a livin' by puttin' on airs
Gotta step it up and go - Yeah man
Can't stand pat, swear you gotta step it up and go.
Front door shut, back door too
Blinds pulled down, what'cha gonna do ?
Gotta step it up and go - Yeah go
Can't stand pat, swear you gotta step it up and go.
Got a little girl, her name is Ball
Give a little bit, she took it all
I said step it up an' go - Yeah man
Can't stand pat, swear you gotta step it up and go.
Me an' my baby walkin' down the street
Tellin' everybody 'bout the chief of police
Gotta step it up and go - Yeah go
Can't stand pat, swear you gotta step it up and go.
Tell my woman I'll see her at home
Ain't no lovin' since she been gone
Gotta step it up and go - Yeah go
Can't stand pat, swear you gotta step it up and go.
Well, I'll sing this verse, aint gonna sing no more
Hear my gal call me and I got to go
Step it up an' go - Yeah, man
Was in the summer
One early fall
Just tryin' to find my
Little all and all
Now she's gone
An' I don't worry
Lord, I'm sittin' on top of the world.
Was in the spring
One summer's day
Just when she left me
She gone to stay
Now she's gone
An' I don't worry
Lord, I'm sittin' on top of the world.
Now don't come runnin'
Holdin' up your hand
Can get me a woman
Quick as you can get a man
Now she's gone
An' I don't worry
Lord, I'm sittin' on top of the world.
Happen for days
Didn't know your name
Oh, why should I worry
Or crave you in vain ?
Now she's gone
An' I don't worry
Lord, I'm sittin' on top of the world.
Went to the station
Down in the yard
Gonna get me a freight train
Work's done got hard
Now she's gone
An' I don't worry
Lord, I'm sittin' on top of the world.
The lonesome days
They have gone by
Why should I beg you ?
You said goodbye
Now she's gone
An' I don't worry
Oh, where is little Maggie ?
Over yonder she stands
Rifle on her shoulder
Six-shooter in her hand.
How can I ever stand it
Just to see them two blue eyes
Shinin' like some diamonds
Like some diamonds in the sky.
Rather be in some lonely hollow
Where the sun don't ever shine
Than to see you be another man's darling
And to know that you'll never be mine.
Well, it's march me away to the station
With my suitcase in my hand
Yes, march me away to the station
I'm off to some far-distant land.
Sometimes I have a nickel
And sometimes I have a dime
Sometimes I have ten dollars
Just to pay for little Maggie's wine.
Pretty flowers are made for blooming
Pretty stars are made to shine
Pretty girls are made for boy's love
Little Maggie was made for mine.
Well, yonder stands little Maggie
With a dram glass in her hand
She's a-drinkin' down her troubles
And I ride on a mail train, baby, can't buy no thrill
Yes, I've been up all night, baby, leanin' on the window sill
Yeah, but if I die on top of the hill
And if I don't make it, you know my baby will
Don't the moon look good, mama, shinin' down through the trees?
Don't the coast chap look good, baby, sittin' on his madman's knees?
Don't the sun look good goin' down over the sea?
Don't my gal look fine when she's comin' after me?
Alright!
Well, I've just been to the baggage car where the engine is bein' doffed
I snap out forty compasses, sure dunno what they cost
Well, I wanna be your lover, baby, I don't wanna be your boss
And I can't help it now if this train gets lost
When you're lost in the rain in Juarez
And it's Eastertime too
And your gravity fails
And negativity don't pull you through
Don't put on any airs
When you're down on Rue Morgue Avenue
They got some hungry women there
And they really make a mess outa you.
Now if you see Saint Annie
Please tell her thanks a lot
I cannot move
My fingers are all in a knot
I don't have the strength
To get up and take another shot
And my best friend, my doctor
Won't even say what it is I've got.
Sweet Melinda
The peasants call her the goddess of gloom
She speaks good English
And she invites you up into her room
And you're so kind
And careful not to go to her too soon
And she takes your voice
And leaves you howling at the moon.
Up on Housing Project Hill
It's either fortune or fame
You must pick up one or the other
Though neither of them are to be what they claim
If you're lookin' to get silly
You better go back to from where you came
Because the cops don't need you
And man they expect the same.
Now all the authorities
They just stand around and boast
How they blackmailed the sergeant-at-arms
Into leaving his post
And picking up Angel who
Just arrived here from the coast
Who looked so fine at first
But left looking just like a ghost.
I started out on burgundy
But soon hit the harder stuff
Everybody said they'd stand behind me
When the game got rough
But the joke was on me
There was nobody even there to bluff
I'm going back to New York City
I got this graveyard woman, you know she keeps my kid
But my soulful mama, you know she keeps me hid
She's a junkyard angel and she always gives me bred
Well, if I go down dyin' you know she bound to put a blanket on my bed.
Well, when the pipeline gets broken and I'm lost on the river bridge
I'm cracked up on the highway and on the water's edge
She comes down the thruway ready to sew me up with thread
Well, if I go down dyin' you know she bound to put a blanket on my bed.
Well, she don't make me nervous, she don't talk too much
She walks like Bo Diddley and she don't need no crutch
She keeps this four-ten all loaded with lead
Well, if I go down dyin' you know she bound to put a blanket on my bed.
Well, you know I need a steam shovel mama to keep away the dead
I need a dump truck baby to unload my head
She brings me everything and more, and just like I said
Oh, God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
Abe says, "Man you must be puttin' me on"
God says, "No", Abe say "What?"
God say "You can do what you want Abe but
The next time you see me comin' you better run"
Well Abe said, "Where do you want this killin' done?"
God say, "Out on Highway 61"
Well Georgia Sam he had a bloody nose
Welfare department they wouldn't give him no clothes
He asked poor Howard, "Where can I go?"
Howard said, "There's only one place I know"
Sam said, "Tell me quick man and I got to run"
0ld howard just pointed with his gun
And said, "That way down Highway 61"
Well Mack the finger said to Louie the King
"I got forty red white and blue shoe strings
And a thousand telephones that don't ring
Do you know where I can get rid of these things?"
And Louie the King said, "Let me think for a minute son"
And he said, "Yes I think it can be easily done
Just take everything down to Highway 61"
Now the fifth daughter on the twelfth night
Told the first father that things weren't right
My complexion she says is much too white
He said, "Come here and step into the light"
He says, "Hmm you're right
Let me tell the second mother this has been done"
But the second mother was with the seventh son
And they were both out on Highway 61
Now the Rovin' gambler he was very bored
He was tryin' to create a next world war
He found a promoter who nearly fell off the floor
He said, "I never engaged in this kind of thing before
But yes I think it can be very easily done"
We'll just put some bleachers out in the sun
You walk into the room
With your pencil in your hand
You see somebody naked
And you say, "Who is that man ?"
You try so hard
But you don't understand
Just what you'll say
When you get home.
Because something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones ?
You raise up your head
And you ask, "Is this where it is ?"
And somebody points to you and says
"It's his"
And you says, "What's mine ?"
And somebody else says, "Where what is ?"
And you say, "Oh my God
Am I here all alone ?"
But something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones ?
You hand in your ticket
And you go watch the geek
Who immediately walks up to you
When he hears you speak
And says, "How does it feel
To be such a freak ?"
And you say, "Impossible"
As he hands you a bone.
And something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones ?
You have many contacts
Among the lumberjacks
To get you facts
When someone attacks your imagination
But nobody has any respect
Anyway they already expect you
To all give a check
To tax-deductible charity organizations.
You've been with the professors
And they've all liked your looks
With great lawyers you have
Discussed lepers and crooks
You've been through all of
F. Scott Fitzgerald's books
You're very well read
It's well known.
But something is happening here
And you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones ?
Well, the sword swallower, he comes up to you
And then he kneels
He crosses himself
And then he clicks his high heels
And without further notice
He asks you how it feels
And he says, "Here is your throat back
Thanks for the loan".
And you know something is happening
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones ?
Now you see this one-eyed midget
Shouting the word "NOW"
And you say, "For what reason ?"
And he says, "How ?"
And you say, "What does this mean ?"
And he screams back, "You're a cow
Give me some milk
Or else go home".
Because something is happening
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones ?
Well, you walk into the room
Like a camel and then you frown
You put your eyes in your pocket
And your nose on the ground
There ought to be a law
Against you comin' around
You should be made
To wear earphones.
Does something is happening
And you don't know what it is
They're selling postcards of the hanging
They're painting the passports brown
The beauty parlor is filled with sailors
The circus is in town
Here comes the blind commissioner
They've got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker
The other is in his pants
And the riot squad they're restless
They need somewhere to go
As Lady and I look out tonight
From Desolation Row.
Cinderella, she seems so easy
"It takes one to know one," she smiles
And puts her hands in her back pockets
Bette Davis style
And in comes Romeo, he's moaning
"You belong to Me I Believe"
And someone says, "You're in the wrong place, my friend
You better leave"
And the only sound that's left
After the ambulances go
Is Cinderella sweeping up
On Desolation Row.
Now the moon is almost hidden
The stars are beginning to hide
The fortunetelling lady
Has even taken all her things inside
All except for Cain and Abel
And the hunchback of Notre Dame
Everybody is making love
Or else expecting rain
And the Good Samaritan, he's dressing
He's getting ready for the show
He's going to the carnival tonight
On Desolation Row.
Now Ophelia, she's 'neath the window
For her I feel so afraid
On her twenty-second birthday
She already is an old maid
To her, death is quite romantic
She wears an iron vest
Her profession's her religion
Her sin is her lifelessness
And though her eyes are fixed upon
Noah's great rainbow
She spends her time peeking
Into Desolation Row.
Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood
With his memories in a trunk
Passed this way an hour ago
With his friend, a jealous monk
He looked so immaculately frightful
As he bummed a cigarette
Then he went off sniffing drainpipes
And reciting the alphabet
You would not think to look at him
But he was famous long ago
For playing the electric violin
On Desolation Row.
Dr. Filth, he keeps his world
Inside of a leather cup
But all his sexless patients
They're trying to blow it up
Now his nurse, some local loser
She's in charge of the cyanide hole
And she also keeps the cards that read
"Have Mercy on His Soul"
They all play on penny whistles
You can hear them blow
If you lean your head out far enough
From Desolation Row.
Across the street they've nailed the curtains
They're getting ready for the feast
The Phantom of the Opera
In a perfect image of a priest
They're spoonfeeding Casanova
To get him to feel more assured
Then they'll kill him with self-confidence
After poisoning him with words
And the Phantom's shouting to skinny girls
"Get outa here if you don't know"
Casanova is just being punished for going
To Desolation Row.
At midnight all the agents
And the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone
That knows more than they do
Then they bring them to the factory
Where the heart-attack machine
Is strapped across their shoulders
And then the kerosene
Is brought down from the castles
By insurance men who go
Check to see that nobody is escaping
To Desolation Row.
They be to Nero's Neptune
The Titanic sails at dawn
Everybody's shouting
"Which side are you on ?"
And Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot
Fighting in the captain's tower
While calypso singers laugh at them
And fishermen hold flowers
Between the windows of the sea
Where lovely mermaids flow
And nobody has to think too much
About Desolation Row.
Yes, I received your letter yesterday
About the time the door knob broke
When you asked me how I was doing
Was that some kind of joke ?
All these people that you mention
Yes, I know them, they're quite lame
I had to rearrange their faces
And give them all another name
Right now I can't read too good
Dont send me no more letters no
Not unless you mail them
She's got everything she needs
She's an artist, she don't look back
She's got everything she needs
She's an artist, she don't look back
She can take the dark out of nighttime
And paint the daytime black.
You will start out standing
Proud to steal her anything she sees
You will start out standing
Proud to steal her anything she sees
But you will wind up peeking through her keyhole
Down upon your knees.
She never stumbles
She's got no place to fall
She never stumbles
She's got no place to fall
She's nobody's child
The Law can't touch her at all.
She wears an Egyptian ring
That sparkles before she speaks
She wears an Egyptian ring
That sparkles before she speaks
She's a hypnotist collector
You are a walking antique.
Bow down to her on Sunday
Salute her when her birthday comes
Bow down to her on Sunday
Salute her when her birthday comes
For Halloween buy her a trumpet
Johnny's in the basement, mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement, thinking about the government
The man in the trench coat, badge out, laid off
Says "He's got a bad cough, wants to get it paid off"
Look out kid, it's somethin' you did
God knows when but you're doin' it again
You better duck down the alley way, lookin' for a new friend
The man in the coon-skin cap, in the big pen
Wants eleven dollar bills, you only got ten
Maggie comes fleet foot face full of black soot
Talkin' that the heat put, plants in the bed but
The phone's tapped anyway, Maggie says that many say
"They must bust in early May, orders from the D.A"
Look out kid, don't matter what you did
But walk on your tip toes don't tie no bows
Better stay away from those that carry around a fire hose
Keep a clean nose, watch the plain clothes
You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows
Oh get sick, get well, hang around a ink well
Ring bell, hard to tell, if anything is goin' to sell
Try hard, get barred, get back, write Braille
Get jailed, jump bail, join the army if you fail
Look out kid, you're gonna get hit
But losers, cheaters, six-time users
Hangin' around the theaters
Girl by the whirlpool, lookin' for a new fool
Don't follow leaders, watch your parkin' meters
Oh get born, keep warm, short pants, romance
Learn to dance, get dressed, get blessed, try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts, don't steal, don't lift
Twenty years of schoolin' and they put you on the day shift
Look out kid, they keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole, light yourself a candle
Don't wear sandals, try to avoid the scandals
Don't wanna be a bum you better chew gum
Well, I wake up in the morning
There's frogs inside my socks
Your mama, she's a-hidin'
Inside the icebox
Your daddy walks in wearin'
A Napoleon Bonarparte mask
Then you ask why I don't live here
Honey, do you have to ask ?
Well, I got to pet your monkey
I get a face full of claws
I ask who's in the fireplace
And you tell me Santa Claus
The milkman comes in
He's wearing a derby hat
And you ask why I don't live here
Honey, how come you have to ask me that ?
Well, I asked for something to eat
I'm hungry as a hog
So I get brown rice, seaweed
And a dirty hot dog
I've got a hole
Where my stomach disappeared
Then you ask why I don't live here
Honey, I gotta think you're really weird.
Your grandpa's cane
It turns into a sword
Your grandma prays to pictures
That are pasted on a board
Everything inside my pockets
Your uncle steals
And you ask me why I don't live here
Honey, I can't believe that you're for real.
Well, there's fist fight in the kitchen
They're enough to make me cry
The mailman comes in
Even he's gotta take a side
Even the butler
He's got something to prove
Then you ask me why I don't live here
Ain't it hard to stumble
And land in some funny lagoon ?
Ain't it hard to stumble
And land in some muddy lagoon ?
Especially when it's nine below zero
And three o'clock in the afternoon.
Ain't gonna hang no picturev
Ain't gonna hang no picture frame
Ain't gonna hang no picture
Ain't gonna hang no picture frame
Well, I might look like Robert Ford
But I feel just like a Jesse James.
Well, I wish I was on some
Australian mountain range
Oh, I wish I was on some
Australian mountain range
I got no reason to be there, but I
Imagine it would be some kind of change.
I got my dark sunglasses
I got for good luck my black tooth
I got my dark sunglasses
I'm carryin' for good luck my black tooth
Don't ask me nothin' about nothin'
I just might tell you the truth.
I got a woman in Jackson
I ain't gonna say her name
I got a woman in Jackson
I ain't gonna say her name
She's a brown-skin woman, but I
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you can call him a man
Yes 'n how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand
Yes and how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they're forever banned
The answer my friend is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind
Yes and how many years can a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea
Yes and how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free
Yes and how many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see
The answer my friend is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind
Yes and how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky
Yes and how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry
Yes and how many deaths will it take 'till he knows
That too many people have died
The answer my friend is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind
Christmas makes you feel emotional
It may bring parties or thoughts devotional
Whatever happens or what may be,
Here is what Christmas time means to me.
City sidewalk, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style.
In the air there's
A feeling of Christmas.
Children laughing, people passing,
Meeting smile after smile,
And on every street corner you'll hear:
Silver bells, silver bells,
It's Christmas time in the city.
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring,
Soon it will be Christmas day.
City street lights,
Even stop lights,
Blink a bright red and green,
As the shoppers rush home
With their treasures.
Hear the snow crunch,
See the kids bunch,
This is Santa's big scene,
And above all this bustle you'll hear:
Silver bells, silver bells,
It's Christmas time in the city.
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring,
Wiggle wiggle wiggle like a gypsy queen
Wiggle wiggle wiggle all dressed in green
Wiggle wiggle wiggle till the moon is blue
Wiggle till the moon sees you.
Wiggle wiggle wiggle in your boots and shoes
Wiggle wiggle wiggle you got nothing to loose
Wiggle wiggle wiggle like a swarm of bees
Wiggle on your hands and knees.
Wiggle to the front wiggle to the rear
Wiggle till you wiggle right out of here
Wiggle till it opens wiggle till it shuts
Wiggle till it bites wiggle till it cuts.
Wiggle wiggle wiggle like a bowl of soap
Wiggle wiggle wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle wiggle wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle you can raise the dead.
Wiggle till you're high wiggle till you're higher
Wiggle till you vomit fire
Wiggle till it whispers wiggle till it hums
Wiggle till it answers wiggle till it comes.
Wiggle wiggle wiggle like satin and silk
Wiggle wiggle wiggle like a pail of milk
Wiggle wiggle wiggle all rattle and shake
Senor, senor, do you know where we’re headin’?
Lincoln county road or armageddon?
Seems like I been down this way before.
Is there any truth in that, senor?
Senor, senor, do you know where she is hidin’?
How long are we gonna be ridin’?
How long must I keep my eyes glued to the door?
Will there be any comfort there, senor?
There’s a wicked wind still blowin’ on that upper deck,
There’s an iron cross still hanging down from around her neck.
There’s a marchin’ band still playin’ in that vacant lot
Where she held me in her arms one time and said, "forget me not."
Senor, senor, I can see that painted wagon,
I can smell the tail of the dragon.
Can’t stand the suspense anymore.
Can you tell me who to contact here, senor?
Well, the last thing I remember before I stripped and kneeled
Was that trainload of fools bogged down in a magnetic field.
A gypsy with a broken flag and a flashing ring said,
"son, this ain’t a dream no more, it’s the real thing."
Senor, senor, you know their hearts is as hard as leather.
Well, give me a minute, let me get it together.
I just gotta pick myself up off the floor.
I’m ready when you are, senor.
Senor, senor, let’s disconnect these cables,
Overturn these tables.
This place don’t make sense to me no more.
Can you tell me what we’re waiting for, senor?
You have given everything to me
What can I do for you ?
You have given me eyes to see
What can I do for You ?
Pulled me out of a bondage and You made me renewed inside
Filled up a hunger that had always been denied
Opened up a door no man can shut and You opened it up so wide
And You've chosen me to be among the few
What can I do for You ?
You have laid down Your life for me
What can I do for You ?
You have explained every mystery
What can I do for You ?
Soon a man is born, you know the sparks begin to fly
He gets wise in his own eyes and he's made to believe a lie
Who could deliver him from the death he's bound to die ?
Well, You've done it all and there's no more anyone can pretend to do
What can I do for You ?
You have given all there is to give
What can I give for You ?
You have given me life to live
How can I live for You ?
I know all about poison, I know all about fiery darts
I don't care how rough the road is, show me where it starts
Whatever pleases You, tell it to my heart
Well, I don't deserve it but I sure did make it through
Well, I'm hanging on to a solid rock
Made before the foundation of the world
And I won't let go and I can't let go
Won't let go and I can't let go
Won't let go and I can't let go no more
For me, He was chastised, for me, He was hated
For me, He was rejected by a world that He created
Nations are angry, cursed are some
People are expecting a false peace to come
Well, I'm hanging on to a solid rock
Made before the foundation of the world
And I won't let go and I can't let go
Won't let go and I can't let go
Won't let go and I can't let go no more
It's the ways of the flesh to war against the spirit
24 hours a day, you can feel it and you can hear it
Using every angle under the sun
And He never give up 'til the battle's lost or won
Well, I'm hanging on to a solid rock
Made before the foundation of the world
I won't let go and I can't let go
I won't let go and I can't let go
Won't let go and I can't let go no more
Won't let go and I can't let go
I won't let go and I can't let go
I won't let go and I can't let go
I won't let go and I can't let go
Won't let go and I can't let go
Won't let go and I can't let go
Won't let go and I can't let go
Won't let go and I can't let go
Won't let go and I can't let go
Won't let go and I can't let go
Won't let go and I can't let go
Won't let go and I can't let go
Won't let go and I can't let go
Won't let go and I can't let go
Prayed in the ghetto with my face in the cement
Heard the last moan of a boxer, seen the massacre of the innocent
Felt around for the light switch, became nauseated
She was walking down the hallway while the walls deteriorated.
West of the Jordan, east of the Rock of Gibraltar
I see the burning of the page
Curtain rising on a new age
See the groom still waiting at the altar.
Try to be pure at heart, they arrest you for robbery
Mistake your shyness for aloofness, your shyness for snobbery
Got the message this morning, the one that was sent to me
About the madness of becoming what one was never meant to be.
West of the Jordan, east of the Rock of Gibraltar
I see the burning of the stage
Curtain rising on a new age
See the groom still waiting at the altar.
Don't know what I can say about Claudette that wouldn't come back to haunt me
Finally had to give her up about the time she began to want me
But I know God has mercy on them who are slandered and humiliated
I'd a-done anything for that woman if she didn't make me feel so obligated.
West of the Jordan, east of the Rock of Gibraltar
I see the burning of the cage
Curtain rising on a new age
See the groom still waiting at the altar.
Put your hand on my head, baby, do I have a temperature ?
I see people who are supposed to know better standing around like furniture
There's a wall between you and what you want and you got to leap it
Tonight you got the power to take it, tomorrow you won't have the power to keep it.
West of the Jordan, east of the Rock of Gibraltar
I see the burning of the stage
Curtain rising on a new age
See the groom still waiting at the altar.
Cities on fire, phones out of order
They're killing nuns and soldiers, there's fighting on the border
What can I say about Claudette ? Ain't seen her since January
She could be respectably married or running a whorehouse in Buenos Aires.
West of the Jordan, east of the Rock of Gibraltar
I see the burning of the cage
Curtain rising on a new age
I need a shot of love
I need a shot of love
Don't need a shot of heroin to kill my disease
Don't need a shot of turpentine, only bring me to my knees
Don't need a shot of codeine to help me to repent
Don't need a shot of whiskey, help me be president
I need a shot of love
I need a shot of love
Doctor, can you hear me? I need some Medicaid
I seen the kingdoms of the world and it's makin' me feel afraid
What I got ain't painful, it's just bound to kill me dead
Like the men that followed Jesus when they put a price upon His head
I need a shot of love
I need a shot of love
I don't need no alibi when I'm spending time with you
I've heard all of them rumors and you have heard 'em too
Don't show me no picture show or give me no book to read
It don't satisfy the hurt inside nor the habit that it feeds
I need a shot of love
I need a shot of love
Why would I want to take your life?
You've only murdered my father, raped his wife
Tattooed my babies with a poison pen
Mocked my God, humiliated my friends
I need a shot of love
I need a shot of love
Don't wanna be with nobody tonight
Veronica not here, Mavis just ain't right
There's a man that hates me and he's swift, smooth and near
Am I supposed to set back and wait until he's here?
I need a shot of love
I need a shot of love
What makes the wind wanna blow tonight?
Don't even feel like crossing the street and my car ain't actin' right
Called home, everybody seemed to have moved away
My conscience is beginning to bother me today
I need a shot of love
I need a shot of love
I need a shot of love
I need a shot of love
I need a shot of love
I need a shot of love
If you're a doctor
Go ahead and talk about him because he makes you doubt
Because he has denied himself the things that you can't live without
Laugh at him behind his back just like the others do
Remind him of what he used to be when he comes walkin' through
He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone
Stop your conversation when he passes on the street
Hope he falls upon himself, oh, won't that be sweet
Because he can't be exploited by superstition anymore
Because he can't be bribed or bought by the things that you adore
He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone
When the whip that's keeping you in line doesn't make him jump
Say he's hard of hearin', say that he's a chump
Say he's out of step with reality as you try to test his nerve
Because he doesn't pay no tribute to the king that you serve
He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone
Say that he's a loser 'cause he got no common sense
Because he don't increase his worth at someone else's expense
Because he's not afraid of trying, 'cause he don't look at you and smile
Because he doesn't tell you jokes or fairy tales, say he's got no style
He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone
You can laugh at salvation, you can play Olympic games
You think that when you rest at last you'll go back from where you came
But you've picked up quite a story and you've changed since the womb
What happened to the real you, you've been captured but by whom?
He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone
He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
Lenny Bruce is dead but his ghost lived on and on
Never did get any Golden Globe award, never made it to Synanon
He was an outlaw, that's for sure
More of an outlaw than you ever were
Lenny Bruce is gone but his spirit's living on and on.
Maybe he had some problems, maybe some things that he couldn't work out
But he sure was funny and he sure told the truth and he knew what he was talking about
Never robbed any churches nor cut off any babie's heads
He just took the folks in high places and he shined a light in their beds
He's on some other shore, he didn't wanna live anymore.
Lenny bruce is dead but he didn't commit any crime
He just had the insight to rip off the lid before its time
I rode with him in a taxi once, only for a mile and a half
Seemed like it took a couple of months
Lenny Bruce moved on and like the ones that killed him, gone.
They said that he was sick 'cause he didn't play by the rules
He just showed the wise men of his day to be nothing more than fools
They stamped him and they labeled him like they do with pants and shirts
He fought a war on a battlefield where every victory hurts
I was in your presence for an hour or so
Or was it a day ? I truly don't know
Where the sun never set, where the trees hung low
By that soft and shining sea
Did you respect me for what I did
Or for what I didn't do, or for keeping it hid ?
Did I lose my mind when I tried to get rid
Of everything you see ?
In the summertime, ah in the summertime
In the summertime, when you were with me.
I got the heart and you got the blood
We cut through iron and we cut through mud
Then came the warning that was before the flood
That set everybody free
Fools they made a mock of sin
Our loyalty they tried to win
But you were closer to me than my next af kin
When they didn't want to know or see.
In the summertime, ah in the summertime
In the summertime, when you were with me.
Strangers, they meddled in our affairs
Poverty and shame was theirs
But all that suffering was not to be compared
With the glory that is to be
And I'm still carrying the gift you gave
It's a part of me now, it's been cherished and saved
It'll be with me unto the grave
And then unto eternity.
In the summertime, ah in the summertime
Heart of mine be still
You can play with fire but you'll get the bill
Don't let her know
Don't let her know that you love her
Don't be a fool, don't be blind
Heart of mine.
Heart of mine go back home
You got no reason to wander, no reason to roam
Don't let her see
Don't let her see that you need her
Don't put yourself over the line
Heart of mine.
Heart of mine go back where you have been
It'll only be trouble for you if you let her in
Don't let her hear
Don't let her hear you want her
Don't let her hear know she's so fine
Heart of mine.
Heart of mine you know that she'll never be true
She'll only give to others the love that she's gotten from you
Don't let her know
Don't let her know where you're going
Don't untie the ties that bind
Heart of mine.
Heart of mine so malicious and so full of guile
Give you an inch and you'll take a mile
Don't let yourself fall
Don't let yourself stumble
If you can't do the time, don't do the crime
In the time of my confession, in the hour of my deepest need
When the pool of tears beneath my feet flood every newborn seed
There's a dying voice within me reaching out somewhere
Toiling in the danger and in the morals of despair.
Don't have the inclination to look back on any mistake
Like Cain, I now behold this chain of events that I must break
In the fury of the moment I can see the master's hand
In every leaf that trembles, in every grain of sand.
Oh, the flowers of indulgence and the weeds of yesteryear
Like criminals, they have choked the breath of conscience and good cheer
The sun beat down upon the steps of time to light the way
To ease the pain of idleness and the memory of decay.
I gaze into the doorway of temptation's angry flame
And every time I pass that way I always hear my name
Then onward in my journey I come to understand
That every hair is numbered like every grain of sand.
I have gone from rags to riches in the sorrow of the night
In the violence of a summer's dream, in the chill of a wintry light
In the bitter dance of loneliness fading into space
In the broken mirror of innocence on each forgotten face.
I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea
Sometimes I turn, there's someone there, other time it's only me
I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man
Uttering idle words from a reprobate mind
Clinging to strange promises, dying on the line
Never being able to separate the good from the bad
Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it
It's making me feel so bad.
Dead man, dead man
When will you arise ?
Cobwebs in your mind
Dust upon your eyes.
Satan got you by the heel, there's bird's nest in your hair
Do you have any faith at all ? Do you have any love to share ?
The way that you hold you head, cursing God with every move
Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it
What are you trying to prove ?
Dead man, dead man
When will you arise ?
Cobwebs in your mind
Dust upon your eyes.
The glamour and the bright lights, and the politics of sin
The ghetto that you build for me is the one you're living in
The race of the engine that overrules your heart
Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it
Pretending that you're so smart.
Dead man, dead man
When will you arise ?
Cobwebs in your mind
Dust upon your eyes.
What are you trying to overpower me with, the doctrine or the gun ?
My back is already to the wall, where can I run ?
The tuxedo that you're wearing, the flower in your lapel
Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it
You wanna take me down to hell.
Dead man, dead man
When will you arise ?
Cobwebs in your mind
(First Release, Live version, February 1, 1998, New Jersey Center, New Jersey)
One, two, a-one two three…
In the lonely night
In the shadows of a pale moonlight
I think of you in black and white
When we were made of dreams.
I walk alone through the shakin' street,
I'm a-listenin' to my heart beat
In the record breaking heat
Where we were born in time.
Not one more night, not one more kiss,
Not this time, I'll have no more of this.
It's much too cruel, it's much too cool, way too revealing.
You came, you saw, just like the law
You married young, just like your ma,
Oh babe, how you left me reelin' with this feelin'.
Up on the rising curve
Where the ways of nature will test every nerve,
I held you close and got what I deserve
Where we were born in time.
You pressed me once, pressed me twice,
You hang the flame, but you'll pay the price.
Oh babe, and that fire is still smokin'.
You were snow, you were rain
You were striped, lord and you were plain,
Oh babe, truer words have never been spoken or broken.
In the hills of mystery,
In the foggy web of destiny,
You can have what's left of me,
Where we were born in time.
I was sittin' on a stump
Down in New Orleans,
I was feelin' kinda low down,
Dirty and mean.
Along came a fella
And he didn't even ask.
He says, "I know of a woman
That can fix you up fast."
I didn't think twice,
I said like I should,
"Let's go find this lady
That can do me some good."
We walked across the river
On a sailin' spree
And we came to a door
Called one-oh-three.
I was just about ready
To give it a little knock
When out comes a fella
Who couldn't even walk.
He's linkin' and a-slinkin',
Couldn't stand on his feet,
And he moaned and he groaned
And he shuffled down the street.
Well, out of the door
There comes another man.
He wiggled and he wobbled,
He couldn't hardly stand.
He had this frightened
Look in his eyes,
Like he just fought a bear,
He was ready to die.
Well, I peeked through the key crack,
Comin' down the hall
Was a long-legged man
Who couldn't hardly crawl.
He muttered and he uttered
In broken French,
And he looked like he'd been through
A monkey wrench.
Well, by this time
I was a-scared to knock,
I was a-scared to move,
I's in a state of shock.
I hummed a little tune
And I shuffled my feet
And I started walkin' backwards
Down that broad street.
Well, I got to the corner,
I tried my best to smile.
I turned around the corner
And I ran a bloody mile.
Man, I wasn't runnin'
'Cause I was sick,
I was just a-runnin'
To get out of there quick.
Well, I tripped right along
And I'm a-wheezin' in my chest.
I musta run a mile
In a minute or less.
I walked on a log
And I tripped on a stump,
I caught a fast freight
With a one-arm jump.
So, if you're travelin' down
Louisiana way,
And you feel kinda lonesome
And you need a place to stay,
Man, you're better off
In your misery
Than to tackle that lady
Seen the arrow on the doorpost
Saying, "This land is condemned
All the way from New Orleans
To Jerusalem."
I traveled through East Texas
Where many martyrs fell
And I know no one can sing the blues
Like Blind Willie McTell
Well, I heard the hoot owl singing
As they were taking down the tents
The stars above the barren trees
Were his only audience
Them charcoal gypsy maidens
Can strut their feathers well
But nobody can sing the blues
Like Blind Willie McTell
See them big plantations burning
Hear the cracking of the whips
Smell that sweet magnolia blooming
(And) see the ghosts of slavery ships
I can hear them tribes a-moaning
(I can) hear the undertaker's bell
(Yeah), nobody can sing the blues
Like Blind Willie McTell
There's a woman by the river
With some fine young handsome man
He's dressed up like a squire
Bootlegged whiskey in his hand
There's a chain gang on the highway
I can hear them rebels yell
And I know no one can sing the blues
Like Blind Willie McTell
Well, God is in heaven
And we all want what's his
But power and greed and corruptible seed
Seem to be all that there is
I'm gazing out the window
Of the St. James Hotel
And I know no one can sing the blues
There's guns across the river aimin' at ya
Lawman on your trail, he'd like to catch ya
Bounty hunters, too, they'd like to get ya
Billy, they don't like you to be so free.
Campin' out all night on the berenda
Dealin' cards 'til dawn in the hacienda
Up to Boot Hill they'd like to send ya
Billy, don't you turn your back on me.
Playin' around with some sweet senorita
Into her dark hallway she will lead ya
In some lonesome shadows she will greet ya
Billy, you're so far away from home.
There's eyes behind the mirrors in empty places
Bullet holes and scars between the spaces
There's always one more notch and ten more paces
Billy, and you're walkin' all alone.
They say that Pat Garrett's got your number
So sleep with one eye open when you slumber
Every little sound just might be thunder
Thunder from the barrel of his gun.
Guitars will play your grand finale
Down in some Tularosa alley,
Maybe in the Rio Pecos valley
Billy, you're so far away from home.
There's always some new stranger sneakin' glances
Some trigger-happy fool willin' to take chances
And some old whore from San Pedro to make advances
Advances on your spirit and your soul.
The businessmen from Taos want you to go down
They've hired Pat Garrett to force a showdown.
Billy, don't it make ya feel so low-down
To be shot down by the man who was your friend?
Hang on to your woman if you got one
Remember in El Paso, once, you shot one.
She may have been a whore, but she was a hot one
Billy, you been runnin' for so long.
Guitars will play your grand finale
Down in some Tularosa alley
Maybe in the Rio Pecos valley
He sits in your room, his tomb, with a fist full of tacks
Preoccupied with his vengeance
Cursing the dead that can't answer him back
I'm sure that he has no intentions
Of looking your way, unless it's to say
That he needs you to test his inventions.
Can you please crawl out your window?
Use your arms and legs it won't ruin you
How can you say he will haunt you?
You can go back to him any time you want to.
He looks so truthful, is this how he feels
Trying to peel the moon and expose it
With his businesslike anger and his bloodhounds that kneel
If he needs a third eye he just grows it
He just needs you to talk or to hand him his chalk
Or pick it up after he throws it.
Can you please crawl out your window?
Use your arms and legs it won't ruin you
How can you say he will haunt you?
You can go back to him any time you want to.
Why does he look so righteous while your face is so changed
Are you frightened of the box you keep him in
While his genocide fools and his friends rearrange
Their religion of the little ten women
That backs up their views but your face is so bruised
Come on out the dark is beginning.
Can you please crawl out your window?
Use your arms and legs it won't ruin you
How can you say he will haunt you?
Well, I walked all night long
Listenin' to them church bells tone
Yes, I walked all night long
Listenin' to them church bells tone
Either someone needing mercy
Or maybe something I've done wrong
Well, your friends come by for you
I don't know what to say
Well, your friends come by for you
I don't know what to say
I just can't face up to tell 'em
Honey, you just went away
Well, children cry for mother
I tell them, "Mother took a trip"
Well, children cry for mother
I tell them, "Mother took a trip"
Well, I walk on pins and needles
I hope my tongue don't slip
Well, I gaze at passing strangers
In case I might see you
Yes, I gaze at passing strangers
In case I might see you
But the sun goes around the heavens
And another day just drives on through
Way out in the distance
I know you're with some other man
Way out in the distance
I know you're with some other man
But that's alright, baby
You know I always understand
Call girls in the doorway
All giving me the eye
Call girls in the doorway
All giving me the eye
But my heart's just not in it
I might as well pass right on by
My ears are ringin'
Ringin' like empty shells
My ears are ringin'
Ringin' like empty shells
Well, it can't be no guitar player
I'm goin' down south,
'Neath the borderline.
I'm goin' down south,
'Neath the borderline.
Some fat momma
Kissed my mouth one time.
Well, I needed it this morning
Without a shadow of doubt.
My suitcase is packed,
My clothes are hangin' out.
San Francisco's fine,
You sure get lots of sun.
San Francisco is fine.
You sure get lots of sun.
But I'm used to four seasons,
California's got but one.
Well, I got my dark sunglasses,
I got for good luck my black tooth.
I got my dark sunglasses,
And for good luck I got my black tooth.
Don't ask me nothin' about nothin',
Instrumental
I'm a man of constant sorrow
I've seen trouble all my days
I'll say, goodbye to Colorado
Where I was born and partly raised
Your mother says, I'm a stranger
My face you'll never see, no more
But there's one promise, darlin'
I'll see you on Gods golden shore
Through this open world I'm bound to ramble
Through ice and snows, sleet and rain
I'm bound to ride that mornin' railroad
Perhaps I'll die on that train
I'm goin' back to Colorado
The place that I've started from
If I'd knowed how bad you'd treat me
I've been around this whole country
But I never yet found Fenneario.
Well, as we marched down, as we marched down
Well, as we marched down to Fennerio'
Well, our captain fell in love with a lady like a dove
Her name that she had was Pretty Peggy-O
Well, what will your mother say, what will your mother say
What will your mother say, Pretty Peggy-O
What will your mother say to know you're going away
You're never, never, never coming back-io ?
Come a-running down your stairs
Come a-running down your stairs
Come a-running down your stairs, Pretty Peggy-O
Come a-running down your stairs
Combing back your yellow hair
You're the prettiest darned girl I ever seen-io.
The lieutenant he has gone
The lieutenant he has gone
The lieutenant he has gone, Pretty Peggy-O
The lieutenant he has gone, long gone
He's a-riding down in Texas with the rodeo.
Well, our captain he is dead, our captain he is dead
Our captain he is dead, Pretty Peggy-O
Well, our captain he is dead, died for a maid
There is a house down in New Orleans they call the rising sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor girl and me, oh God, I'm one.
My mother was a tailor, she sowed these new blue jeans
My sweetheart was a gambler, Lord, down in New Orleans.
Now the only thing a gambler needs is a suitcase and a trunk
And the only time when he's satisfied is when he's on a drunk.
He fills his glasses up to the brim and he'll pass the cards around
And the only pleasure he gets out of life is rambling from town to town
Oh tell my baby sister not to do what I have done
But shun that house in New Orleans they call the rising sun.
Well with one foot on the platform and the other foot on the train
I'm going back to New Orleans to wear that ball and chain.
I'm going back to New Orleans, my race is almost run
I'm going back to end my life down in the rising sun.
There is a house in New Orleans they call the rising sun
Well, in my time of dying don't want nobody to mourn
All I want for you to do is take my body home
Well, well, well, so I can die easy
Well, well, well
Well, well, well, so I can die easy
Jesus gonna make up, Jesus gonna make up
Jesus gonna make up my dying bed.
Well, meet me Jesus, meet me, meet me in the middle of the air
If these wings should fail me
Lord, won't you meet me with another pair
Well, well, well, so I can die easy
Well, well, well
Well, well, well, so I can die easy
Jesus gonna make up, Jesus gonna make up
Jesus gonna make up my dying bed.
Lord, in my time of dying don't want nobody to cry
All I want you to do is take me when I die
Well, well, well, so I can die easy
Well, well, well
Well, well, well, so I can die easy
Jesus gonna make up, Jesus gonna make up
Instrumental
Rambling out of the wild west
Leaving the towns I love best
Thought I'd seen some ups and down
'Till I come into New York town
People going down to the ground
Building going up to the sky.
Wintertime in New York town
The wind blowing snow around
Walk around with nowhere to go
Somebody could freeze right to the bone
I froze right to the bone
New York Times said it was the coldest winter in seventeen years
I didn't feel so cold then.
I swung on to my old guitar
Grabbed hold of a subway car
And after a rocking, reeling, rolling ride
I landed up on the downtown side:
Greenwich Village.
I walked down there and ended up
In one of them coffee-houses on the block
Got on the stage to sing and play
Man there said, Come back some other day
You sound like a hillbilly
We want folksingers here.
Well, I got a harmonica job begun to play
Blowing my lungs out for a dollar a day
I blowed inside out and upside down
The man there said he loved my sound
He was raving about he loved my sound
Dollar a day's worth.
After weeks and weeks of hanging around
I finally got a job in New York town
In a bigger place, bigger money too
Even joined the Union and paid my dues.
Now, a very great man once said
That some people rob you with a fountain pen
It don't take too long to find out
Just what he was talking about
A lot of people don't have much food on their table
But they got a lot of forks and knives
And they gotta cut something.
So one morning when the sun was warm
I rambled out of New York town
Pulled my cap down over my eyes
And heated out for the western skies
So long New York
Well there's one kind of favor I'll ask for you
Well there's one kind of favor I'll ask for you
There's just one kind of favor I'll ask for you
You can see that my grave is kept clean.
And there's two white horses following me
And there's two white horses following me
I got two white horses following me
Waiting on my burying ground.
Did you ever hear that coffin sound
Did you ever hear that coffin sound
Did you ever hear that coffin sound
Means another poor boy is under the ground.
Did you ever hear them church bells toll
Did you ever hear them church bells toll
Did you ever hear them church bells toll
Means another poor boy is dead and gone.
And my heart stopped beating and my hands turned cold
And my heart stopped beating and my hands turned cold
And my heart stopped beating and my hands turned cold
And I believe what the father told.
And there's one last favor I'll ask for you
And there's one last favor I'll ask for you
And just one last favor I'll ask for you
Well, I dont know why I love you like I do
Nobody in the world can get along with you
You got the ways of a devil sleeping in a lion's den
I come home last night you wouldn't even let me in.
Oh sometimes you're as sweet as nobody want to be
Oh when you get the crazy notion of jumping all over me
Well, you give me the blues, I guess you're satisfied
When you give me the blues I wanna lay down and die.
After when you had no shoes on your feet, pretty mama
After when you had no food to eat
Now you're that kind of woman that just don't understand
You're taking all my money and give it to another man.
Well, you're that kind of woman makes a man lose his brains
You're that kind of woman drives me insane
Well, you give me the blues, I guess you're satisfied
I get the blues for you baby when I look up at the sun
I get the blues for you baby when I look up at the sun
Come back here, we can have some real fun
Well it's early in the evening and everything is still
Well it's early in the evening and everything is still
One more time, I'm walking up around the hill
Shake shake Mama like a ship going out to sea
Shake shake Mama like a ship going out to sea
You took all my money and you gave it to Richard Lee
Down by the river judge Simpson's walking around
Down by the river judge Simpson's walking around
Nothing shocks me more than that old clown
Some of you women, you really know your stuff
Some of you women, you really know your stuff
But your clothes are all torn and your language is a
little too rough
Shake shake Mama, shake until the break of day
Shake shake Mama, shake until the break of day
I'm right here baby, I'm not that far away
I'm motherless, fatherless, almost friendless too
I'm motherless, fatherless, almost friendless too
It's Friday morning going to Franklin Avenue
Shake shake mama, raise your voice and bay
Shake shake mama, raise your voice and bay
Return to me,
Oh, my dear I'm so lonely
Hurry back, hurry back, oh my love,
Hurry back, I am yours.
Return to me,
For my heart wants you only.
Hurry home, hurry home, won't you please,
Hurry home, to my heart.
My darling,
If I hurt you, I'm sorry,
Forgive me
And please say you are mine.
Return to me,
Please come back bella mia,
Hurry back, hurry back, hurry home,
To my arms and my heart.
Ritorna me,
Cara mia ti amo
Solo tu, solo tu, solo tu, solo tu
Oh, the ragman draws circles up and down the block
I'd ask him what the matter was but I know that he don't talk
And the ladies treat me kindly
And furnish me with tape but deep inside my heart
I know I can't escape
Oh, mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of mobile with the Memphis blues again
Well, Shakespeare, he's in the alley with his pointed shoes and his bells
Speaking to some French girl who says she knows me well
And I would send a message
To find out if she's talked but the post office has been stolen
And the mailbox is locked
Oh, mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of mobile, with the Memphis blues again
Mona tried to tell me, to stay away from the train line
She said that all the railroad men, just drink up your blood like wine
An' I said, "Oh, I didn't know that"
But then again, there's only one I've met, an' he just smoked my eyelids
An' punched my cigarette,
Oh, mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of mobile, with the Memphis blues again
Grandpa died last week and now he's buried in the rocks
But everybody still talks about how badly they were shocked
But me, I expected it to happen
I knew he'd lost control, when he built a fire on Main Street
And shot it full of holes
Oh, mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of mobile with the Memphis blues again
Now the senator came down here showing ev'ryone his gun
Handing out free tickets to the wedding of his son
An' me, I nearly got busted an' wouldn't it be my luck
To get caught without a ticket and be discovered beneath a truck
Oh, mama, can this really be the end to be stuck inside of mobile
With the Memphis blues again
Now the preacher looked so baffled when I asked him why he dressed
With twenty pounds of headlines stapled to his chest
But he cursed me when I proved it to him
Then I whispered, "Not even you can hide you see
You're just like me I hope you're satisfied"
Oh, mama, can this really be the end, to be stuck inside of mobile
With the Memphis blues again
Now the rainman gave me two cures then he said, "Jump right in"
The one was Texas medicine the other was just railroad gin
An' like a fool I mixed them
An' it strangled up my mind an' now people just get uglier
An' I have no sense of time
Oh, mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of mobile with the Memphis blues again
When Ruthie says come see her, in her honky-tonk lagoon
Where I can watch her waltz for free 'neath her Panamanian moon
An' I say, "Aw come on now you must know about my debutante"
An' she says, "Your debutante just knows what you need
But I know what you want"
Oh, mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of mobile with the Memphis blues again
Now the bricks lay on Grand Street where the neon madmen climb
They all fall there so perfectly it all seems so well timed
An' here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price, you have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice
Oh, mama, can this really be the end
There was a wealthy old farmer
That lived in a county nearby.
He had a lovin' daughter,
On her my [sic] cast my eye.
She was pretty fair an' handsome
And did so very fine.
There wasn't a girl in the county
With her that could compare.
I asked her if she'd be willing
To let me cross over the plains.
She said it would be alright with her
Just so I'd return again.
She said that she'd be true to me
Till death would be unkind.
We kissed, shook hands, and parted.
I left my girl behind.
Out in a western city, boys,
A town you all know well,
Where everyone was friendly,
They'd show me all around.
The work an' money was plentyful,
And the girls to me were kind.
But the only girl I thought about
Was the girl I'd left behind.
One day when I was ramblin' 'round
Down by the public square,
The mail coach it came in,
And I met the mail bearer [PRONOUNCED 'bar'] there.
He handed me a letter, gave me to understand
That the girl I left in old Texas
She married another man.
I turned myself all around and around
Not knowing what else to do.
I rid down a little pace further,
Just to see if these words were true.
It's drinkin' I throw over,
Card playin' I'll resign,
For the only girl I ever did love
Was the girl I left behind.
Come around, you ramblin' gamblin' men,
And listen while I tell.
If it does to you no good, kind friends,
I'm a-sure it will do you no harm.
If you ever find you a fair young maid,
Just marry her while you can.
For if you ever cross over the plain,
The jingle bells are jingling
The streets are white with snow
The happy crowds are mingling
But there's no one that I know
I'm sure that you'll forgive me
If I don't enthuse
I guess I've got the Christmas blues
I've done my window shopping
There's not a store I've missed
But what's the use of stopping
When there's no one on your list
You'll know the way I'm feeling
When you love and you lose
I guess I've got the Christmas blues
When somebody wants you
Somebody needs you
Christmas is a joy of joy
But friends, when you're lonely
You'll find that it's only
A thing for little girls and little boys
May all your days be merry
Your seasons full of cheer
But till it's January
I'll just go and disappear
Old Santa may have brought you
Some stars for your shoes
But Santa only brought me the blues
Those brightly packaged
Tinsel covered Christmas blues
Old Santa may have brought you
Some stars for your shoes
But Santa only brought me the blues
Those brightly packaged
In bed with my woman, just singin' the blues,
Heard the radio tellin' the news:
That the big Red Army took a hundred towns,
And Allies droppin' them two-ton bombs.
Started hollerin', yellin', dancin' up and down like a
bullfrog!
Doorbell rung and in come a man,
I signed my name, I got a telegram.
Said, "If you wanna take a vacation trip,
Got a dish-washin' job on a Liberty ship."
Woman a-cryin', me a-flyin', out the door and down the
line!
'Bout two minutes I run ten blocks,
I come to my ship, down at the dock;
Walked up the plank, and I signed my name,
Blowed that whistle, was gone again!
Right on out and down the stream, ships as fur as my
eye could see, woman a-waitin'.
Ship loaded down with TNT
All out across the rollin' sea;
Stood on the deck, watched the fishes swim,
I'se a-prayin' them fish wasn't made out of tin.
Sharks, porpoises, jellybeans, rainbow trouts, mudcats,
jugars, all over that water.
This convoy's the biggest I ever did see,
Stretches all the way out across the sea;
And the ships blow the whistles and a-rang her bells,
Gonna blow them fascists all to hell!
Win some freedom, liberty, stuff like that.
Walked to the tail, stood on the stern,
Lookin' at the big brass screw blade turn;
Listened to the sound of the engine pound,
Gained sixteen feet every time it went around.
Gettin' closer and closer, look out, you fascists.
I'm just one of the merchant crew,
I belong to the union called the N. M. U.
I'm a union man from head to toe,
I'm U. S. A. and C. I. O.
Fightin' out here on the waters to win some freedom on
well, the readin' and the writtin' and arithmatic
never did get through to me
it ain't because i'm square or thick
'cause i learned my ABC's
but when i graduated from the grammer school
and i moved one grade above
i began to be a snook at book
but i made straight A's in love
now the teacher would say
to learn your algebra
but i'd bring home C's and D's
how could i make an A
when there's a swingin' maid
on the left and on the right
and in the back and the front of me
oh, my grades are low
on my card i know
but they oughta give me one above
if they'd give me a mark
for learnin' in the dark
i'd have straight A's in love
now in my senior year
with graduation near
i did my homework everynight
and when my momma said
i oughta go to bed
i turn out all the lights
but my sweetie pie
was waitin' right outside
she'd be a cooin' like a dove
though i did my best
i failed semester test
but made straight A's in love
now the teacher would say
to learn your algebra
but i'd bring home C's and D's
how could i make an A
when there's a swingin' maid
on the left and on the right
and in the back and the front of me
oh, my grades are low
on my card i know
but they oughta give me one above
if they'd give me a mark
for learnin' in the dark
I got a woman fine as she can be
She's gonna get mad when she sees you here with me
You better, you have better
Stop now, stop now, stop now, stop now,
Stop now, stop now, stop now, stop now,
Before it's too late.
Now she is fire to the wind and snow
But if she chums you, better go
You have better
Stop now, stop now, stop now, stop now,
Stop now, stop now, stop now, stop now,
Before it's too late.
You felt on your leavin' and you're so desired
I mean you're yearning and your heat in mind
But I'll tell what I need your why
Your heart beats so you're making me cry
You got big licks, big lips,
Big belly, big hips
But you have better
Stop now, stop now, stop now, stop now,
Stop now, stop now, stop now, stop now,
Put your arms around me
Like a circle `round the sun
You know I'll love you baby
When my easy ridin's done
CHORUS:
You don't believe I love you
Look at the fool I've been
You don't believe I'm sinkin'
Look at he hole I'm In
Stealin' stealin'
Prefty mama don't you tell on me
I'm stealin' back to my
Same old used to be
Well I got me a woman
`Bout my size and height
She's a married woman
So you know she treats me right
CHORUS
Put your arms around me
Like a circle `round the sun
You know I'll love you baby
When my easy ridin's done
CHORUS
Well I got me a woman
`Bout my size and height
She's a married woman
So you know she treats me right
I don't believe I love you
Look at the fool I've been
I don't believe I'm sinkin"
Look at the hole I'm in
Stealin' stealin'
Pretty mama don't you tell on me
I'm stealin' back to my
Same old used to be
Stealin" back to my
same old used to be
Stealin" back to my
Something in the way she moves
Attracts me like no other lover
Something in the way she woos me
I don't want to leave her now
You know I believe and how
Somewhere in her smile she knows
That I don't need no other lover
Something in her style that shows me
I don't want to leave her now
You know I believe and how
You're asking me will my love grow
I don't know, I don't know
You stick around and it may show
I don't know, I don't know
Something in the way she knows
And all I have to do is think of her
Something in the things she shows me
I don't want to leave her now
Ah, oh, smokestack lightning
Shinin', just like gold
Why don't ya hear me cryin'?
Ah, whoo hoo, ooh...
Whoo...
Whoa, oh, tell me, baby
What's the, matter with you?
Why don't ya hear me cryin'?
Whoo hoo, whoo hoo
Whoo...
Whoa, oh, tell me, baby
Where did ya, stay last night?
A-why don't ya hear me cryin'?
Whoo hoo, whoo hoo
Whoo...
Whoa, oh, stop your train
Let her, go for a ride
Why don't ya hear me cryin'?
Whoo hoo, whoo hoo
Whoo...
Whoa, oh, fare ya well
Never see, ah, you no more
Ah, why don't ya hear me cryin'?
Ooh, whoo hoo, whoo hoo
Whoo...
Whoa, oh, who been here baby since
I, I been gone, a little, bitty boy?
Girl, be on
Instrumental
Instrumental
Who killed Davey Moore,
Why an' what's the reason for?
"Not I," says the referee,
"Don't point your finger at me.
I could've stopped it in the eighth
An' maybe kept him from his fate,
But the crowd would've booed, I'm sure,
At not gettin' their money's worth.
It's too bad he had to go,
But there was a pressure on me too, you know.
It wasn't me that made him fall.
No, you can't blame me at all."
Who killed Davey Moore,
Why an' what's the reason for?
"Not us," says the angry crowd,
Whose screams filled the arena loud.
"It's too bad he died that night
But we just like to see a fight.
We didn't mean for him t' meet his death,
We just meant to see some sweat,
There ain't nothing wrong in that.
It wasn't us that made him fall.
No, you can't blame us at all."
Who killed Davey Moore,
Why an' what's the reason for?
"Not me," says his manager,
Puffing on a big cigar.
"It's hard to say, it's hard to tell,
I always thought that he was well.
It's too bad for his wife an' kids he's dead,
But if he was sick, he should've said.
It wasn't me that made him fall.
No, you can't blame me at all."
Who killed Davey Moore,
Why an' what's the reason for?
"Not me," says the gambling man,
With his ticket stub still in his hand.
"It wasn't me that knocked him down,
My hands never touched him none.
I didn't commit no ugly sin,
Anyway, I put money on him to win.
It wasn't me that made him fall.
No, you can't blame me at all."
Who killed Davey Moore,
Why an' what's the reason for?
"Not me," says the boxing writer,
Pounding print on his old typewriter,
Sayin', "Boxing ain't to blame,
There's just as much danger in a football game."
Sayin', "Fist fighting is here to stay,
It's just the old American way.
It wasn't me that made him fall.
No, you can't blame me at all."
Who killed Davey Moore,
Why an' what's the reason for?
"Not me," says the man whose fists
Laid him low in a cloud of mist,
Who came here from Cuba's door
Where boxing ain't allowed no more.
"I hit him, yes, it's true,
But that's what I am paid to do.
Don't say 'murder,' don't say 'kill.'
It was destiny, it was God's will."
Who killed Davey Moore,
There's a long-distance train rolling through the rain, tears on the letter I write.
There's a woman I long to touch and I miss her so much but she's drifting like a
satellite. There's a neon light ablaze in this green smoky haze, laughter down on
Elizabeth Street
And a lonesome bell tone in that valley of stone where she bathed in a stream of pure
heat. Her father would emphasize you got to be more than street-wise but he practiced
what he preached from the heart.
A full-blooded Cherokee, he predicted to me the time and the place that
the trouble would start.
There's a babe in the arms of a woman in a rage
And a longtime golden-haired stripper onstage
And she winds back the clock and she turns back the page
Of a book that no one can write.
Oh, where are you tonight?
The truth was obscure, too profound and too pure, to live it you have to explode.
In that last hour of need, we entirely agreed, sacrifice was the code of the road.
I left town at dawn, with Marcel and St. John, strong men belittled by doubt.
I couldn't tell her what my private thoughts were but she had some way of finding
them out. He took dead-center aim but he missed just the same, she was waiting,
putting
flowers on the shelf.
She could feel my despair as I climbed up her hair and discovered her invisible self.
There's a lion in the road, there's a demon escaped,
There's a million dreams gone, there's a landscape being raped,
As her beauty fades and I watch her undrape,
I won't, but then again, maybe I might.
Oh, if I could just find you tonight.
I fought with my twin, that enemy within, 'til both of us fell by the way.
Horseplay and disease is killing me by degrees while the law looks the other way.
Your partners in crime hit me up for nickels and dimes, the guy you were lovin'
couldn't stay clean.
It felt outa place, my foot in his face, but he should-a stayed where his money was
green.
I bit into the root of forbidden fruit with the juice running down my leg.
Then I dealt with your boss, who'd never known about loss and who always was
too proud to beg.
There's a white diamond gloom on the dark side of this room and a pathway that leads
up to the stars.
If you don't believe there's a price for this sweet paradise, remind me to show you the
scars.
There's a new day at dawn and I've finally arrived.
If I'm there in the morning, baby, you'll know I've survived.
I can't believe it, I can't believe I'm alive,
But without you it just doesn't seem right.
Oh, where are you tonight?
Ollie told me I'm a fool. So I
walked on down the road a mile, Went to the house that brings a smile
Sat upon my grandpa's knee, And what do you think he said to me?
(Chorus:)
When You Awake you will remember ev'rything, You will be
hangin' on a string from your... When you believe, You will relieve the only
soul
That you were born with to grow old and never know
Ollie showed me the fork in the road.
You can take to the left or go straight to the right,
Use your days and save your nights,
Be careful where you step, and watch wha-cha eat,
Sleep with the light on and you got it beat.
(Repeat Chorus)
Ollie warned me it's a mean old world,
The street don't greet ya, yes, it's true;
But what am I supposed to do:
Read the writing on the wall,
I heard itwhen I was very small.
(Repeat Chorus)
Wash my hand in lye water, I got a date with the
captains daughter. You can go and tell your brother. We sure gonna
love one another, Oh! You
may be right and ya might be wrong, I ain't gonna worry all day long.
Snow's gonna come and the frost gonna bite, My old car froze
up last night. Ain't no reason to hang your head I could wake up in the
mornin' dead. Oh! And
Oh, the streets of Rome are filled with rubble,
Ancient footprints are everywhere.
You can almost think that you're seein' double
On a cold, dark night on the Spanish Stairs.
Got to hurry on back to my hotel room,
Where I've got me a date with Botticelli's niece.
She promised that she'd be right there with me
When I paint my masterpiece.
Oh, the hours I've spent inside the Coliseum,
Dodging lions and wastin' time.
Oh, those mighty kings of the jungle, I could hardly stand to see 'em,
Yes, it sure has been a long, hard climb.
Train wheels runnin' through the back of my memory,
When I ran on the hilltop following a pack of wild geese.
Someday, everything is gonna be smooth like a rhapsody
When I paint my masterpiece.
Sailin' 'round the world in a dirty gondola.
Oh, to be back in the land of Coca-Cola!
I left Rome and landed in Brussels,
On a plane ride so bumpy that I almost cried.
Clergymen in uniform and young girls pullin' muscles,
Everyone was there to greet me when I stepped inside.
Newspapermen eating candy
Had to be held down by big police.
Someday, everything is gonna be diff'rent
Went to see the gypsy,
Stayin' in a big hotel.
He smiled when he saw me coming,
And he said, "Well, well, well."
His room was dark and crowded,
Lights were low and dim.
How are you?" he said to me,
I said it back to him.
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out.
A pretty dancing girl was there,
And she began to shout,
"Go on back to see the gypsy.
He can move you from the rear,
Drive you from your fear,
Bring you through the mirror.
He did it in Las Vegas,
And he can do it here."
Outside the lights were shining
On the river of tears,
I watched them from the distance
With music in my ears.
I went back to see the gypsy,
It was nearly early dawn.
The gypsy's door was open wide
But the gypsy was gone,
And that pretty dancing girl,
She could not be found.
So I watched that sun come rising
From that little Minnesota town.
What's the matter with me,
I don't have much to say,
Daylight sneakin' through the window
And I'm still in this all-night cafe.
Walkin' to and fro beneath the moon
Out to where the trucks are rollin' slow,
To sit down on this bank of sand
And watch the river flow.
Wish I was back in the city
Instead of this old bank of sand,
With the sun beating down over the chimney tops
And the one I love so close at hand.
If I had wings and I could fly,
I know where I would go.
But right now I'll just sit here so contentedly
And watch the river flow.
People disagreeing on all just about everything, yeah,
Makes you stop and all wonder why.
Why only yesterday I saw somebody on the street
Who just couldn't help but cry.
Oh, this ol' river keeps on rollin', though,
No matter what gets in the way and which way the wind does blow,
And as long as it does I'll just sit here
And watch the river flow.
People disagreeing everywhere you look,
Makes you wanna stop and read a book.
Why only yesterday I saw somebody on the street
That was really shook.
But this ol' river keeps on rollin', though,
No matter what gets in the way and which way the wind does blow,
And as long as it does I'll just sit here
And watch the river flow.
Watch the river flow,
Watchin' the river flow,
Watchin' the river flow,
But I'll sit down on this bank of sand
Wanted man in California, wanted man in Buffalo,
Wanted man in Kansas City, wanted man in Ohio,
Wanted man in Mississippi, wanted man in old Cheyenne,
Wherever you might look tonight, you might see this wanted man.
I might be in Colorado or Georgia by the sea,
Working for some man who may not know at all who I might be.
If you ever see me comin' and if you know who I am,
Don't you breathe it to nobody 'cause you know I'm on the lam.
Wanted man by Lucy Watson, wanted man by Jeannie Brown,
Wanted man by Nellie Johnson, wanted man in this next town.
But I've had all that I've wanted of a lot of things I had
And a lot more than I needed of some things that turned out bad.
I got sidetracked in El Paso, stopped to get myself a map
Went the wrong way into Juarez with Juanita on my lap.
Then I went to sleep in Shreveport, woke up in Abilene
Wonderin' why the hell I'm wanted at some town halfway between.
Wanted man in Albuquerque, wanted man in Syracuse,
Wanted man in Tallahassee, wanted man in Baton Rouge,
There's somebody set to grab me anywhere that I might be
And wherever you might look tonight, you might get a glimpse of me.
Wanted man in California, wanted man in Buffalo,
Wanted man in Kansas City, wanted man in Ohio,
Wanted man in Mississippi, wanted man in old Cheyenne,
Wherever you might look tonight, you might see this wanted man.
Oh, the age of the inmates
I remember quite freely:
No younger than twelve,
No older 'n seventeen.
Thrown in like bandits
And cast off like criminals,
Inside the walls,
The walls of Red Wing.
From the dirty old mess hall
You march to the brick wall,
Too weary to talk
And too tired to sing.
Oh, it's all afternoon
You remember your home town,
Inside the walls,
The walls of Red Wing.
Oh, the gates are cast iron
And the walls are barbed wire.
Stay far from the fence
With the 'lectricity sting.
And it's keep down your head
And stay in your number,
Inside the walls,
The walls of Red Wing.
Oh, it's fare thee well
To the deep hollow dungeon,
Farewell to the boardwalk
That takes you to the screen.
And farewell to the minutes
They threaten you with it,
Inside the walls,
The walls of Red Wing.
It's many a guard
That stands around smilin',
Holdin' his club
Like he was a king.
Hopin' to get you
Behind a wood pilin',
Inside the walls,
The walls of Red Wing.
The night aimed shadows
Through the crossbar windows,
And the wind punched hard
To make the wall-siding sing.
It's many a night I pretended to be a-sleepin',
Inside the walls,
The walls of Red Wing.
As the rain rattled heavy
On the bunk-house shingles,
And the sounds in the night,
They made my ears ring.
'Til the keys of the guards
Clicked the tune of the morning,
Inside the walls,
The walls of Red Wing.
Oh, some of us'll end up
In St. Cloud Prison,
And some of us'll wind up
To be lawyers and things,
And some of us'll stand up
To meet you on your crossroads,
From inside the walls,
Went out last night just to take a little round
I get my little Sadie and I brought her down
I run right home and I went to bed
With a forty-four smokeless under my head.
I begin to think of what a deed I'd done
I grabbed my hat and I began to run
I made a good run but I ran too slow
They overtake me down in Jericho.
Standing on a corner as he's ringing my bell
Up stepped the sherrif of Thomasville
He said, "Young man, is you name Brown ?
Remember you blowed little Sadie down ?".
"Oh yes sir, my name is Lee
I murdered little Sadie in first degree"
"First degree and second degree
If you've got any papers, will you serve 'em to me ?".
Well they took me downtown and they dressed me in black
They put me on a train and they sent me back
I had no one for to go my bail
They crammed me back into the crowded jail
Oh yes they did.
The judge and the jury they took their stand
The judge had the papers in his right hand
Forty-one days, forty-one nights, forty-one years
To wear the ball and the stripes
Oh no.
I went out last night to take a little round
I met my little Sadie and I blowed her down
I run right home and I went to bed
So run here baby, put your little hands in mine
I've got something to tell you
I know you're gonna change your mind
When things go wrong, so wrong with you
It hurts me too.
I want you, baby, just to understand
I don't wanna be your boss, baby
I just wanna be your man
When things go wrong, so wrong with you
It hurts me too.
Now when you go home, you don't have to get along
Come back to me, baby
Where I live that's where you belong
When things go wrong, so wrong with you
It hurts me too.
I love you baby, and you know that it's true
I wouldn't mistreat you, baby
Nothing in this world is like you
Yes, when things go wrong, so wrong with you
It hurts me too
When things go wrong, so wrong with you
It hurts me too.
So run here baby, put your little hands in mine
I've got something to tell you, baby
I know you're gonna change your mind
When things go wrong, so wrong with you
I bless the day I found you
I want my arms around you
And so I beg you, let it be me
Don't take this Heaven from one
If you must cling to someone
Now and forever, let it be me
Each time we meet, love
I find complete love
Without your sweet love, what would life be?
So, never leave me lonely
Tell me that you love me only
And say you'll always, let it be me
So, never leave me lonely
Tell me that you love me only
Went out last night just to take a little round
I get my little Sadie and I brought her down
I run right home and I went to bed
With a forty-four smokeless under my head.
Went out last night just to take a little round
I get my little Sadie and I brought her down
I run right home and I went to bed
With a forty-four smokeless under my head.
I begin to think of what a deed I'd done
I grabbed my hat and I began to run
I made a good run but I ran too slow
They overtake me down in Jericho.
Standing on a corner as he's ringing my bell
Up stepped the sherrif of Thomasville
He said, "Young man, is you name Brown ?
Remember you blowed little Sadie down ?".
"Oh yes sir, my name is Lee
I murdered little Sadie in first degree"
"First degree and second degree
If you've got any papers, will you serve 'em to me ?".
Well they took me downtown and they dressed me in black
They put me on a train and they sent me back
I had no one for to go my bail
They crammed me back into the crowded jail
Well, the judge and the jury they took their stand
The judge had the papers in his right hand
Forty-one days, forty-one nights, forty-one years
Since you've been gone
I've been walking around
With my head bowed down to my shoes
I've been living the blues every night without you.
I don't have to go far
To know where you are
Strangers all give me the news
I've been living the blues every night without you.
I think that it's best
I soon get some rest
And forget my pride, but I can't deny
This feeling that I carry for you deep down inside.
If you'd see me this way
You'd come back and you'd stay
Oh, how could you refuse ?
I've been living the blues every night without you.
I think that it's best
I soon get some rest
And forget my pride, but I can't deny
This feeling that I carry for you deep down inside.
If you'd see me this way
You'd come back and you'd stay
Oh, how could you refuse ?
Who's gonna throw that minstrel boy a coin ?
Who's gonna let it roll ?
Who's gonna throw that minstrel boy a coin ?
Who's gonna let it down easy to save his soul ?
Oh look, he's driving a long, long time
There he still sits on top of the hill
Well aching and jumping with all laid down
With all of them ladies you know he's lonely still
Who's gonna throw that minstrel boy a coin ?
Who's gonna let it roll ?
Who's gonna throw that minstrel boy a coin ?
Who's gonna let it down easy to save his soul ?
Well knee deep in number, heavy in toil
Mighty mockingbird he still has such a heavy load
Beneath his boundaries but more if I can tell
With all of these travelling but I'm still on that road
Who's gonna throw that minstrel boy a coin ?
Who's gonna let it roll ?
Who's gonna throw that minstrel boy a coin ?
These are the words of a frontier man
Who lost his love when he turned bad.
Take a message to Mary
But don't tell here where I am
Take a message to Mary
But don't say I'm in a jam
You can tell her that I had to see the world
Tell her that my ship set sail
You can say she'd better not wait for me
But don't tell her I'm in jail, oh don't tell her I'm in jail.
Take a message to Mary
But don't tell her what I've done
Please, don't mention the stage coach
And the shot from a carried gun
You better tell her that I had to change my plans
And cancel out the wedding-day
But please, don't mention the lonely cell
Where I'm gonna pine away, until my dying-day.
Take a message to Mary
But don't tell her all you know
My heart is aching for Mary
Lord know I miss her so
Just tell her that I went to Timbukto
Tell her I'm searching for gold
You can say she better find someone new
Why must you always try to make me over ?
Take me as I am or let me go
White lilies never grow on stalks of clover
Take me as I am or let me go.
You're trying to reshape me in a moment
In the image of someone you used to know
I won't be a stand-in for an old love
Take me as I am or let me go.
You've tried to change me ever since you've met me
Take me as I am or let me go.
If you cannot overlook my faults, forget me
Take me as I am or let me go.
You're trying to reshape me in a mould love
In the image of someone you used to know
But I won't be a stand-in for an old love
By Paul Simon
I'm just a poor boy
Though my story's seldom told
I have squadered my resistance
For a pocketful of numbles
Such are promises, all lies and jest
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest.
When I left my home and family
I was no more than a boy
In the company of strangers
In the quiet of the railway station
Running scared, laying low
Seeking out the poorer quarters
Where the ragged people go
Looking for the places only they would know.
Asking only workman's wages
I come looking for a job
But I get no offers
Just a come-on from the whores on Seventh Avenue
I do declare
There were times when I was so lonesome
I took some comfort there.
Then I'm laying out my winter clothes
And wishing I was gone, going home
Where the New York City winters aren't bleeding me
Leading me
Going home.
In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of every glove that laid him down
And cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his shame
"I am leaving, I am leaving"
Everybody's building the big ships and boats
Som are building monuments, others jotting down notes
Everybody's in despair, every girl and boy
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here everybody's gonna jump for joy
Oh come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
Come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn.
Oh you know I like to do just like the rest
You know I like my sugar sweet but guarding fumes and making haste
You know it ain't my cup of meat
Everybody's out the trees, feeding pigeons all under the limb
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here the pigeons gonna run to him
Oh come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
Come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn.
A cat's meow and a cow's moo to you know I, I could recite them all
Just tell me where it hurts you, honey, and I'll tell you who to call
Nobody can get asleep, there's someone on everybody's toes
When Quinn the Eskimo gets here everybody's gonna want to doze
Oh come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
Come all without, come all within
Come gather round people wherever you roam
And admit that the waters around you have grown
And accept it that soon you’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth saving
Then you’d better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times, they are a-changin’
Come writers and critics who prophesize with your pens
And keep your eyes wide, the chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon, for the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no telling who that it’s naming
For the loser now will be later to win
For the times, they are a-changin’
Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway, don’t block up the halls
For he that gets hurt will be he that has stalled
There’s a battle outside and it’s raging
It’ll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times, they are a-changin’
Come mothers and fathers all over the land
And don’t criticize what you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly aging
Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend a hand
For the times they are a-changin’
The line, it is drawn, the curse, it is cast
The slow one will later be fast
And the present now will soon be the past
The order is rapidly fading
The first one now will later be last
For the times, they are a-changin’
(Woody Guthrie)
[Chorus:]
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California, to the New York Island
From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me
As I was walking a ribbon of highway
I saw above me an endless skyway
I saw below me a golden valley
This land was made for you and me
[Chorus]
I've roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me
[Chorus]
The sun comes shining as I was strolling
The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The fog was lifting a voice come chanting
This land was made for you and me
[Chorus]
As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there
And that sign said - no tress passin'
But on the other side... it didn't say nothin!
Now that side was made for you and me!
[Chorus]
In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office - I see my people
And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin'
If this land's still made for you and me.
A worried man with a worried mind
No one in front of me and nothing behind
There's a woman on my lap and she's drinking champagne
Got white skin, got assassin's eyes
I'm looking up into the sapphire tinted skies
I'm well dressed, waiting on the last train
Bridge #1:
Standing on the gallows with my head in a noose
Any minute now I'm expecting all hell to break loose
Chorus
People are crazy and times are strange
I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range
I used to care, but things have changed
This place ain't doing me any good
I'm in the wrong town, I should be in Hollywood
Just for a second there I thought I saw something move
Gonna take dancing lessons do the jitterbug rag
Ain't no shortcuts, gonna dress in drag
Only a fool in here would think he's got anything to prove
Bridge #2
Lot of water under the bridge, Lot of other stuff too
Don't get up gentlemen, I'm only passing through
(chorus)
I've been walking forty miles of bad road
If the bible is right, the world will explode
I've been trying to get as far away from myself as I can
Some things are too hot to touch
The human mind can only stand so much
You can't win with a losing hand
Bridge #3
Feel like falling in love with the first woman I meet
Putting her in a wheel barrow and wheeling her down the street
(chorus)
I hurt easy, I just don't show it
You can hurt someone and not even know it
The next sixty seconds could be like an eternity
Gonna get low down, gonna fly high
All the truth in the world adds up to one big lie
I'm in love with a woman who don't even appeal to me
Bridge #4
Mr. Jinx and Miss Lucy, they jumped in the lake
I'm not that eager to make a mistake
I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin' about half past dead;
I just need some place where I can lay my head.
"Hey, mister, can you tell me where a man might find a bed?"
He just grinned and shook my hand, and "No!", was all he said.
(Chorus:)
Take a load off Annie, take a load for free;
Take a load off Annie, And (and) (and) you can put the load right on me.
I picked up my bag, I went lookin' for a place to hide;
When I saw Carmen and the Devil walkin' side by side.
I said, "Hey, Carmen, come on, let's go downtown."
She said, "I gotta go, but m'friend can stick around."
(Chorus)
Go down, Miss Moses, there's nothin' you can say
It's just ol' Luke, and Luke's waitin' on the Judgement Day.
"Well, Luke, my friend, what about young Anna Lee?"
He said, "Do me a favor, son, woncha stay an' keep Anna Lee company?"
(Chorus)
Crazy Chester followed me, and he caught me in the fog.
He said, "I will fix your rack, if you'll take Jack, my dog."
I said, "Wait a minute, Chester, you know I'm a peaceful man."
He said, "That's okay, boy, won't you feed him when you can."
(Chorus)
Catch a cannon ball now, t'take me down the line
My bag is sinkin' low and I do believe it's time.
To get back to Miss Annie, you know she's the only one.
Who sent me here with her regards for everyone.
She's like sweet water that runs down my face,
I keep her posted in diamonds and lace.
I give her freedom and what else I can find,
But I know she's restless in her mind
And the wandering kind.
Way down in Texas many years ago,
She traveled with me to ease my heavy load.
Some big shot saw her 'cause she looked so fine,
How was he to know she was restless in her mind
And the wandering kind.
A strange bedfellow wandered in her room
She was more unfaithful than I ever could assume
She took his money and slayed him from behind
'Cause she knew she was restless in her mind
She's the wander kind.
Down at the border with new plans of my own
Don't need no woman I'll go it alone
I miss my baby and I can't keep from cryin'
'Cause I know she's restless in her mind
And the wandering kind.
I should have known better than to get mixed up with her
I guess I'll never know for sure
For better or worse the situation now is reversed
And I'm broke 'cause she is no longer first in my heart.
I wrote this letter before leaving the hotel
To where she's staying in that dark adobe cell
I tried to help her but she knows I'm not blind
And because I'm not restless in my mind
I'm the wandering kind.
Go out yonder, peace in the valley
Come downtown, have to rumble in the alley
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
Has anybody seen my lady
This living alone will drive me crazy
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
I'm gonna go down by the wa - ter
But I ain't gonna jump in, no, no
I'll just be looking for my mak - er
And I hear that that's where she's been? Oh!
Out of nine lives, I spent seven
Now, how in the world do you get to Heaven
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
I just spent 60 days in the jailhouse
For the crime of having no dough
Now here I am back out on the street
For the crime of having nowhere to go
Save your neck or save your brother
Looks like it's one or the other
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
Now two young kids might start a ruckus
You know they feel you trying to shuck us
Virgil Caine is the name
And I served on the Danville train
'Til Stoneman's cavalry came
And they tore up the tracks again
In the winter of '65
We were hungry, just barely alive
By May the tenth, Richmond had fell
It's a time I remember, oh so well
The night they drove Old Dixie down
And all her bells were ringing
The night they drove Old Dixie down
And all the people were singin', they went, na na na
Back with my wife in Tennessee
When one day she called to me
Said, "Virgil, quick, come see
There goes Robert. E. Lee"
Now, I don't mind choppin' wood
And I don't care if my money's no good
You take what you need and you leave the rest
But they should never have taken the very best
The night they drove Old Dixie down
And all her bells were ringing
The night they drove Old Dixie down
And all the people were singin', they went, na na na
Like my father before me
I will work the land
And like my brother up above me
Who took a rebels stand
He was just eighteen, proud and brave
But a Yankee laid him in his grave
And I swear by the mud below my feet
You can't raise a Caine back up when he's in defeat
The night they drove Old Dixie down
When all her bells were ringing
The night they drove Old Dixie down
And all the people were singin', they went, na na na
The night they drove Old Dixie down
When all her bells were ringing
The night they drove Old Dixie down
0L' black bascom, don't break no mirrors
Cold black water dog, make no tears
You say you love me with what may be love
Don't you remember makin' baby love?
Got your steam drill built and you're lookin' for some kid
To get it to work for you like your nine-pound hammer did
But I know that you know that I know that you show
Something is tearing up your mind
Tell me, momma
Tell me, momma
Tell me, momma, what is it?
What's wrong with you this time?
Hey, john, come and get me some candy goods
Shucks, it sure feels like it's in the woods
Spend some time on your january trips
You got tombstone moose up and your brave-yard whips
If you're anxious to find out when your friendship's gonna end
Come on, baby, I'm your friend
And I know that you know that I know that you show
Something is tearing up your mind
Tell me, momma
Tell me, momma
Tell me, momma, what is it?
What's wrong with you this time?
Ohh, we bone the editor, can't get read
But his painted sled, instead it's a bed
Yes, I see you on your window ledge
But I can't tell just how far away you are from the edge
And, anyway, you're just gonna make people jump and roar
Whatcha wanna go and do that for?
For I know that you know that I know that you know
Something is tearing up your mind
Tell me, momma
Tell me, momma
Tell me, momma, what is it?
Tell me, I've got to know.
Tell me, tell me before I go.
Does that flame still burn? Does that fire still glow?
Or has it died out and melted like the snow.
Tell me.
Tell me.
Tell me, what are you focused upon?
Tell me what I'll know better when you're gone.
Tell me quick with a glance on the side.
Shall I hold you close?
Or Shall I let you go by?
Tell me.
Tell me.
Are you looking at me and thinking of somebody else?
Can you feel the heat and the beat of my pulse?
Do you have any secrets that will come out in time?
Do you lie in bed and stare at the stars?
Is your main friend an acquaintance of ours?
Tell me.
Tell me.
Tell me, do those neon lights blind your eyes?
Tell me, behind what door your treasure lies.
Ever gone broke in a big way?
Ever gone the opposite of what the experts say?
Tell me.
Tell me.
Is it some kind of game that you're playin' with me.
Am I imagining something that never can be?
Do you have any morals?
Do you have any point of view?
Do you long to ride on that old ship of Zion?
What means more to you, a lap dog or a dead lion?
Tell me.
Tell me.
Tell me, is my name in your book?
Tell me, should I come back and take another look?
Tell me the truth, tell me no lies.
Are you someone, anyone?
Tell me.
I saw it advertised one day,
Bear mountain picnic was comin' my way.
"come along 'n' take a trip,
We'll bring you up there on a ship.
Bring the wife and kids
Bring the whole family."
Yippee!
Well, I run right down 'n' bought a ticket
To this bear mountain picnic.
But little did I realize
I was in for a picnic surprise.
Had nothin' to do with mountains.
I didn't even come close to a bear.
Took the wife 'n' kids down to the pier,
Six thousand people there,
Everybody had ticket for the trip.
"oh well." I said, "it's a pretty big ship.
Besides, anyway, the more the merrier."
Well, we all got on 'n' what d'ya think,
That big old boat started t' sink
More people kept a-pilin' on,
That old ship was a-slowly goin' down.
Funny way t' start a picnic.
Well, I soon lost track of m' kids 'n' wife,
So many people there I never saw in m' life
That old ship sinkin' down in the water,
Six thousand people tryin' t' kill each other,
Dogs a-barkin', cats a-meowin',
Women screamin', fists a-flyin', babies cryin',
Cops a-comin', me a-runnin'.
Maybe we just better call off the picnic.
I got shoved down 'n' pushed around,
All I could hear there was a screamin' sound,
Don't remember one thing more,
Just remember walkin' up on a little shore,
Head busted, stomach cracked,
Feet splintered, I was bald, naked. . .
Quite lucky to be alive though.
Feelin' like I climbed outa m' casket,
I grabbed back hold of m' picnic basket.
Took the wife 'n' kids 'n' started home,
Wishin' I'd never got up that morn.
Now, I don't care just what you do,
If you wanta have a picnic, that's up t' you.
But don't tell me about it, I don't wanta hear it,
'cause, see, I just lost all m' picnic spirit.
Stay in m' kitchen, have m' own picnic. . .
In the bathroom.
Now, it don't seem to me quite so funny
What some people are gonna do f'r money.
There's a bran' new gimmick every day
Just t' take somebody's money away.
I think we oughta take some o' these people
And put 'em on a boat, send 'em up to bear mountain . . .
One by one, they followed the sun,
One by one, until there were none.
Two by two, to their lovers they flew,
Two by two, into the foggy dew.
Three by three, they danced on the sea,
Four by four, they danced on the shore,
Five by five, they tried to survive,
Six by six, they were playing with tricks.
Bridge #1:
How many paths did they try and fail?
How many of their brothers and sisters lingered in
jail?
How much poison did they inhale?
How many black cats crossed their trail?
Seven by seven, they headed for heaven,
Eight by eight, they got to the gate,
Nine by nine, they drank the wine,
Ten by ten, they drank again.
Bridge #2:
How many tomorrow's have are they given away?
How many compared to yesterday?
How many more without any reward?
How many more can they afford?
Two by two, they stepped into the ark,
Two by two, they step in the dark.
Three by three, they're turning the key,
Four by four, they turn it some more,
One by one, they follow the sun,
If today was not a crooked highway
If tonight was not a crooked trail
If tomorrow wasn't such a long time
Then lonesome would mean nothing to you at all
Yes, and only if my own true love was waitin'
If I could hear her heart a softly poundin'
Only if she was lyin' by me
Then I'd lie in my bed once again
I can't see my reflection in the water
I can't speak the sounds that show no pain
I can't hear the echo of my footsteps
Or can't remember the sounds of my own name
Yes, and only if my own true love was waitin'
And if I could hear her heart a softly poundin'
Yes if only if she was lyin' by me
Then I'd lie in my bed once again
There's beauty in the silver, singin' river
There's beauty in the sunrise in the sky
But none of these and nothin' else can touch the beauty
That I remember in my true loves eyes
Yes, and only if my own true love was waitin'
I could hear her heart a softly poundin'
Yes if only if she was lyin' by me
(by Richard Manuel.)
I had a hard time waking this morning
I got a lotta things on my mind
Like those friends of yours
They keep bringing me down
Just hangin' round all the time
I've had a hard time waking most mornings
And it's been that way for a month or more
You've had things your way
But now I've got to say
I'm on my way out the door
Chorus:
Why don't you get right, try to get right, baby
You haven't been right with me, why don't you get right?
Try and get right, baby, don't you remember how it used to be?
You had a hard time waking this morning
And I can see it in your empty eyes
But there's no need for talking
Or walking round the block
Just to figure out the reason why
I have a hard time handing out warnings
I'll just slide on out the door
Cuz I'm tired of everything
Being beautiful, beautiful
And I ain't coming back no more
Trouble in the city, trouble in the farm
You got your rabbit's foot, you got your good-luck charm
But they can't help you none when there's trouble.
Trouble
Trouble, trouble, trouble
Nothing but trouble.
Trouble in the water, trouble in the air
Go all the way to the other side of the world, you'll find trouble there
Revolution even ain't no solution for trouble.
Trouble
Trouble, trouble, trouble
Nothing but trouble.
Drought and starvation, packaging of the soul
Persecution, execution, governments out of control
You can see the writing on the wall inviting trouble.
Trouble
Trouble, trouble, trouble
Nothing but trouble.
Put your ear to the train tracks, put your ear to the ground
You ever feel like you're never alone even when there's nobody else around ?
Since the beginning of the universe man's been cursed by trouble.
Trouble
Trouble, trouble, trouble
Nothing but trouble.
Nightclubs of the broken-hearted, stadiums of the damned
Legislature, perverted nature, doors that are rudely slammed
Look into infinity, all you see is trouble.
Trouble
Trouble, trouble, trouble
Well I told my baby
I said Baby, I know where you been
Well, I know who you are
And what league you played in?
You wanna ramble
To the break of dawn
You wanna ramble
To the break of dawn
You wanna ramble
To the break of dawn.
Well, the night is so empty
So quit and still
For only fifteen hundred dollars
You can have anybody killed
You wanna ramble
To the break of dawn
You wanna ramble
To the break of dawn
You wanna ramble
To the break of dawn.
Well, I told my baby
Further down the line
I said, ?What happens tomorrow
Is on your head, not mine?
You wanna ramble
To the break of dawn
You wanna ramble
To the break of dawn
You wanna ramble
To the break of dawn.
Bobby's in the basement making his movie,
He paints a little picture but not to be cheesy.
He wants this little girl to believe in him easy,
Bristles to the canvas imagining he feels high.
Inspriation of my heart search for light out of the dark.
All the pictures in my heart lie awake there in my fog.
This oasis in my arms I approach it with disarm.
Though it might do me some harm stop to catch me if I fall.
Bobby's in the basement making his music,
He never won't stop though not to abuse it.
If there's some other way that they only would use it,
He lives another day but they always refuse it.
Lacerations of my heart.
Dropped down in peices in the dark.
Mixed the words up on this page.
Makes the purple turn to beige.
Inspriation of my heart search for light out of the dark.
All the pictures in my heart lie awake there in my fog.
This oasis in my arms I approach it with disarm.
Though it might do me some harm stop to catch me if I fall.
It's just like Bob Dylan says...
Stop depression of my own walk the only road I know.
If I am only dreamin' then I am not that far from it.
Sow the strength that grows from seeds worship creativity.
If I am only dreamin' then me an' Bob are not that far today.
So long as I'm young.
Bobby's in the basement making his music.
I search the beaches walk the sand.
I cut my feet on broken glass.
Strap the sandals on my feet.
I'm run down but I still hit the street.
Inspriation of my heart search for light out of the dark.
All the pictures in my heart lie awake there in my fog.
This oasis in my arms I approach it with disarm.
Though it might do me some harm stop to catch me if I fall.
It's just like Bob Dylan says...
Stop depression of my own walk the only road I know.
If I am only dreamin' then I am not that far from it.
Sow the strength that grows from seeds worship creativity.
If I am only dreamin' then me an' Bob are not that far today.
So long as I'm young.
Bobby's in the basement making his movie,
He paints a little picture but not to be cheesy.
He wants this little girl to believe in him easy,
Bristles to the canvas imagining he feels high.
High.
Inspiration of my heart.
Mm, tell mama,
Where'd ya sleep last night?
Cain't ya hear me cryin'?
Hm, hm, hm.
Hey, tell me baby,
What's the matter here?
Cain't ya hear me cryin'?
Hm, hm, hm.
Hey, stop you ol' train,
Let a poor boy ride.
Cain't ya hear me cryin'?
Hm, hm, hm.
Hey, Mister Bartender,
I swear I'm not too young.
Cain't ya hear me cryin'?
Hm, hm, hm.
Blow your whistle, policeman,
My poor feet are trained to run.
Cain't ya hear me cryin'?
Hm, hm, hm.
Long-distance operator,
I hear this poor call is on the house.
Cain't ya hear me cryin'?
Hm, hm, hm.
Ashes and diamonds,
The diff'rence I cain't see.
Cain't ya hear me cryin'?
Hm, hm, hm.
Mister Judge and Jury,
Cain't you see the shape I'm in?
Don't ya hear me cryin'?
Hm, hm, hm.
Mississippi River,
You a-runnin' too fast for me.
Cain't ya hear me cryin'?
Oh, ye playboys and playgirls
Ain't a-gonna run my world,
Ain't a-gonna run my world,
Ain't a-gonna run my world.
Ye playboys and playgirls
Ain't a-gonna run my world,
Not now or no other time.
You fallout shelter sellers
Can't get in my door,
Can't get in my door,
Can't get in my door.
You fallout shelter seller
Can't get in my door,
Not now or no other time.
Your Jim Crow ground
Can't turn me around,
Can't turn me around,
Can't turn me around.
Your Jim Crow ground
Can't turn me around,
Not now or no other time.
The laughter in the lynch mob
Ain't a-gonna do no more,
Ain't a-gonna do no more,
Ain't a-gonna do no more.
The laughter in the lynch mob
Ain't a-gonna do no more,
Not now or no other time.
You insane tongues of war talk
Ain't a-gonna guide my road,
Ain't a-gonna guide my road,
Ain't a-gonna guide my road.
You insane tongues of war talk
Ain't a-gonna guide my road,
Not now or no other time.
You red baiters and race haters
Ain't a-gonna hang around here,
Ain't a-gonna hang around here,
Ain't a-gonna hang around here.
You red baiters and race haters,
Ain't a-gonna hang around here,
Not now or no other time.
Ye playboys and playgirls
Ain't a-gonna own my world,
Ain't a-gonna own my world,
Ain't a-gonna own my world.
Ye playboys and playgirls,
Ain't a-gonna own my world,
Not now or no other time.
An old cowboy went riding out one dark and windy day
Upon a ridge he rested as he went along his way
When all at once a mighty herd of red eyed cows he saw
A-plowing through the ragged sky and up the cloudy draw
Their brands were still on fire and their hooves were
made of steel
Their horns were black and shiny and their hot breath
he could feel
A bolt of fear went through him as they thundered
through the sky
For he saw the Riders coming hard and he heard their
mournful cry
Yippie yi Ohhhhh
Yippie yi yaaaaay
Ghost Riders in the sky
Their faces gaunt, their eyes were blurred, their
shirts all soaked with sweat
He's riding hard to catch that herd, but he ain't
caught 'em yet
'Cause they've got to ride forever on that range up in
the sky
On horses snorting fire
As they ride on hear their cry
As the riders loped on by him he heard one call his
name
If you want to save your soul from Hell a-riding on our
range
Then cowboy change your ways today or with us you will
ride
Trying to catch the Devil's herd, across these endless
skies
Yippie yi Ohhhhh
Yippie yi Yaaaaay
Ghost Riders in the sky
Ghost Riders in the sky
Well, the neighborhood bully, he's just one man
His enemies say he's on their land
They got him outnumbered about a million to one
He got no place to escape to, no place to run
He's the neighborhood bully.
The neighborhood bully he just lives to survive
He's criticized and condemned for being alive
He's not supposed to fight back, he's supposed to have thick skin
He's supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in
He's the neighborhood bully.
The neighborhood bully been driven out of every land
He's wandered the earth an exiled man
Seen his family scattered, his people hounded and torn
He's always on trial for just being born
He's the neighborhood bully.
Well, he knocked out a lynch mob, he was criticized
Old women condemned him, said he could apologize
Then he destroyed a bomb factory, nobody was glad
The bombs were meant for him. He was supposed to feel bad
He's the neighborhood bully.
Well, the chances are against it, and the odds are slim
That he'll live by the rules that the world makes for him
'Cause there's a noose at his neck and a gun at his back
And a licence to kill him is given out to every maniac
He's the neighborhood bully.
Well, he got no allies to really speak of
What he gets he must pay for, he don't get it out of love
He buys obsolete weapons and he won't be denied
But no one sends flesh and blood to fight by his side
He's the neighborhood bully.
Well, he's surrounded by pacifists who all want peace
They pray for it nightly that the bloodshed must cease
Now, they wouldn't hurt a fly. To hurt one they would weep
They lay and they wait for this bully to fall asleep
He's the neighborhood bully.
Every empire that's enslaved him is gone
Egypt and Rome, even the great Babylon
He's made a garden of paradise in the desert sand
In bed with nobody, under no one's command
He's the neighborhood bully.
Now his holiest books have been trampled upon
No contract that he signed was worth that what it was written on
He took the crumbs of the world and he turned it into wealth
Took sickness and disease and he turned it into health
He's the neighborhood bully.
What's anybody indebted to him for ?
Nothing, they say. He just likes to cause war
Pride and prejudice and superstition indeed
They wait for this bully like a dog waits to feed
He's the neighborhood bully.
What has he done to wear so many scars ?
Does he change the course of rivers ? Does he pollute the moon and stars ?
Neighborhood bully, standing on the hill
Running out the clock, time standing still
Don't ever take yourself away
Don't ever take yourself to
A place where i can't find you.
Don't ever take yourself away
I will never leave you
Will never deceive you
I'll be right there walkin' behind you.
Dearest, i think you're the one
I can't imagine
Anybody doin'
More to me than you do.
Dearest, if it's your heart that i won
There's no need for blame
And no reason to be ashamed
Of that place where we stand in the sun.
Don't ever take yourself away
Don't ever take yourself to
A place where i can't find you.
Don't ever take yourself away
I will never leave you
I will never deceive you
I'll be right there walkin' behind you.
Dearest, let us not drift apart
It wouldn't be wise
It wouldn't be civilized
It wouldn't be smart.
Time heals a broken heart
You've been hurt
You've been left in the dirt
But you still look brand new to me.
Don't ever take yourself away
Don't ever take yourself to
A place where i can't find you.
Don't ever take yourself away
I will never leave you
I will never deceive you
I'll be right there walkin' behind you.
Dearest, you're the answer to my prayers
Words can't express
If my heart would confess
What you mean to me.
Dearest, i can't help knowin' that you're the best
I don't have to feel
You to know that you're real
You're more than a dream to me.
Don't ever take yourself away
Don't ever take yourself to
A place where i can't find you.
Don't ever take yourself away
I will never leave you
I will never deceive you
I wish I was in the land of cotton
Old times there are not forgotten
Look away, look away, look away to Dixie Land
[Chorus]
In Dixie Land where i was born
Early on one frosty morn
Look away, look away, look away to Dixie Land
I wish I was in Dixie
Away, away
In Dixie Land I'll take my stand
To live and die in Dixie
Away, away, away down south in Dixie
Away, away, away down south in Dixie
[Chorus]
I wish I was in Dixie
Away, away
In Dixie Land I'll take my stand
To live and die in Dixie
Away, away, away down south in Dixie
"Twas down in Mississippi no so long ago,
When a young boy from Chicago town stepped through a
Southern door.
This boy's dreadful tragedy I can still remember well,
The color of his skin was black and his name was Emmett
Till.
Some men they dragged him to a barn and there they beat
him up.
They said they had a reason, but I can't remember what.
They tortured him and did some evil things too evil to
repeat.
There was screaming sounds inside the barn, there was
laughing sounds out on the street.
Then they rolled his body down a gulf amidst a bloody
red rain
And they threw him in the waters wide to cease his
screaming pain.
The reason that they killed him there, and I'm sure it
ain't no lie,
Was just for the fun of killin' him and to watch him
slowly die.
And then to stop the United States of yelling for a
trial,
Two brothers they confessed that they had killed poor
Emmett Till.
But on the jury there were men who helped the brothers
commit this awful crime,
And so this trial was a mockery, but nobody seemed to
mind.
I saw the morning papers but I could not bear to see
The smiling brothers walkin' down the courthouse
stairs.
For the jury found them innocent and the brothers they
went free,
While Emmett's body floats the foam of a Jim Crow
southern sea.
If you can't speak out against this kind of thing, a
crime that's so unjust,
Your eyes are filled with dead men's dirt, your mind is
filled with dust.
Your arms and legs they must be in shackles and chains,
and your blood it must refuse to flow,
For you let this human race fall down so God-awful low!
This song is just a reminder to remind your fellow man
That this kind of thing still lives today in that
ghost-robed Ku Klux Klan.
But if all of us folks that thinks alike, if we gave
all we could give,
We could make this great land of ours a greater place
death don't have no mercy in this land
it don't have no mercy in this land
when i come in your house someday
and i'll take your mother away
death don't have no mercy in this land
death don't have no judgement in this land x2
when i come in your house someday
and i'll take your father away
Oh, the cuckoo she's a pretty bird
She warbles as she flies
But I never give her water
Till the forth day of July.
It is often that I wonder
Why women love men
And I look back and I wonder
Why men are men.
Oh, the cuckoo she's a pretty bird
She warbles as she flies
But I never give her water
Till the forth day of July.
Gonna build me another castle
On a mountain so high
So then I can see my true love
As she passes by.
Oh, the cuckoo she's a pretty bird
She warbles as she flies
But I never give her water
Till the forth day of July.
--- Instrumental ---
Jack of Diamonds, Jack of Diamonds
I know you of old
You have robbed my poor pockets
Of silver and of gold.
Oh, the cuckoo she's a pretty bird
She warbles as she flies
But I never give her water
I can hear her heart beat for a thousand miles
And the heavens open up every time she smiles
And when I come home to her that's where I belong
Yet I'm running to her like a river's song
[chorus]
she gives me love love love love crazy love
she gives me love love love love crazy love...
She's got a fine sense of humor when I'm feeling low down
And when I come home to her when the sun goes down
She takes away my troubles, takes away my grief
Takes away my heartache in the night like a thief.
[repeat chorus]
She's got love love love love crazy love
Yes I need her in the daytime
Yes I need her in the night
I want to throw my arms around her
To kiss her, hug her, kiss her, hug her tight
And when I'm returning from so far away
She gives me such sweet lovin' brightens up my day
And makes me righteuos and makes me whole
Every time my baby and me we go uptown,
Police come in and knock me down.
Cocaine all around my brain.
Hey baby, better come here quick,
This old cocaine is 'bout to make me sick.
Cocaine all around my brain.
Yonder come my baby, she's dressed in red,
She's got a shot-gun,
Says she's gonna kill me dead.
Cocaine all around my brain.
Hey baby, better come here quick,
This old cocaine 'bout to make me sick.
Cocaine all around my brain.
(Instrumental Bridge #1)
You take Sally, an' I'll take Sue,
Ain't nah difference between the two.
Cocaine all around my brain.
Hey baby, you better come here quick,
This old cocaine 'bout to make me sick.
Cocaine all around my brain.
(Instrumental Bridge #2)
Cocaine's for horses and it's not for men,
Doctor said it kill you, but he didn't say when.
Cocaine all around my brain.
Hey baby, you better come here quick,
This old cocaine 'bout to make me sick.
Cocaine all around my brain.
Hey baby, you better come here quick,
This old cocaine 'bout to make me sick.
Brrr brrr brr-brr brr-brr brrr brrr
Brrr brrr brr-brr brr-brr brrr brrr
Brrr brrr brr-brr brr-brr brrr brrr
Brr-brr brr-brr-brr brrr
Take me riding in a car, car
Take you riding in a car, car
Take you for a ride or take you for a ride
Oh, going for a ride in a car
Brrr brrr etc.
Click clack, open up the door, boys
Click clack, open up the door, girls
Front door, back door, boys and girls
We're going for a ride in a car
Brrr brrr etc.
Ships in the sky go sailing by
Dogs and the kitty-cat can walk by
Ships in the sky from the bowling ball
Oh we're going for a ride in a car
Brrr brrr etc.
(Imson F?) goes brr-br-brr
(Imson F?) goes brr-br-brr
Brrr brrr brr-brr brr-brr brrr brrr
Brr-brr brr-brr-brr brrr
I'm a gonna sing you home again
I'm a gonna sing you home again
Brrr brrr brr-brr brr-brr brrr brrr
Brr-brr brr-brr-brr brrr
I'm a gonna let you blow the horn
I'm a gonna let you blow the horn
Wa-hooo, wa-hooo, wa-hooo
Wa-hooo, wa-hooo, ride in the car
Brrr brrr etc.
Take me riding in a car, car
Take you riding in a car, car
Take you for a ride or take you for a ride
Mama, take this badge off of me
I can't use it anymore.
It's gettin' dark, too dark to see
I feel I'm knockin' on heaven's door.
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Mama, put my guns in the ground
I can't shoot them anymore.
That long black cloud is comin' down
I feel I'm knockin' on heaven's door.
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Now, there's a certain thing
That I learned from Jim
That he'd always make sure I'd understand
And that is that there's a certain way
That a man must swim
If he expects to live off
Of the fat of the land.
Open the door, Homer,
I've heard it said before.
Open the door, Homer,
I've heard it said before
But I ain't gonna hear it said no more.
Now, there's a certain thing
That I learned from my friend, Mouse
A fella who always blushes
And that is that ev'ryone
Must always flush out his house
If he don't expect to be
Goin' 'round housing flushes.
Open the door, Homer,
I've heard it said before.
Open the door, Homer,
I've heard it said before
But I ain't gonna hear it said no more.
"Take care of all your memories"
Said my friend, Mick
"For you cannot relive them
And remember when you're out there
Tryin' to heal the sick
That you must always
First forgive them."
Open the door, Homer,
I've heard it said before.
Open the door, Homer,
I've heard it said before
As I was out walking on a corner one day,
I spied an old hobo, in a doorway he lay.
His face was all grounded in the cold sidewalk floor
And I guess he'd been there for the whole night or more.
Only a hobo, but one more is gone
Leavin' nobody to sing his sad song
Leavin' nobody to carry him home
Only a hobo, but one more is gone
A blanket of newspaper covered his head,
As the curb was his pillow, the street was his bed.
One look at his face showed the hard road he'd come
And a fistful of coins showed the money he bummed.
Only a hobo, but one more is gone
Leavin' nobody to sing his sad song
Leavin' nobody to carry him home
Only a hobo, but one more is gone
Does it take much of a man to see his whole life go down,
To look up on the world from a hole in the ground,
To wait for your future like a horse that's gone lame,
To lie in the gutter and die with no name?
Only a hobo, but one more is gone
Leavin' nobody to sing his sad song
Leavin' nobody to carry him home
I wandered again to my home in the mountain
Where in youth's early days I was happy and free
I looked for my friends but I never could find them
I found they were all rank strangers to me.
Ev'rybody I met seemed to be a rank stranger
No mother or dad not a friend could I see
They knew not my name and I knew not their faces
I found they were all rank strangers to me.
They all moved a way, said a voice of a stranger
"To that bautiful home by the bright crystal sea"
Some beautiful day I'll meet 'em in heaven
Where no one will be a stranger to me.
Ev'rybody I met seemed to be a rank stranger
No mother or dad not a friend could I see
They knew not my name and I knew not their faces
Look who's back in town
Ain't nobody but Sally Sue Brown
All you boys better run for cover
If you don't a-wanna be a hearted broken lover.
See her in that very tight skirt
Got what it takes
Just to make you hurt
Don't you see by those big bright eyes
Prefer to treat her nasty and low down lies.
Makes no difference where she's been
I'm go in south and doin' them things again
Bake in a hot tub, down the line
I'd rather see you ruin this a-heart of mine.
I'll go see them come down my way
Like a fool you're gonna hear me say:
"I'll lay at your bed Sally Sue Brown
Please let me love you, baby
Don't put me down".
Makes no difference where she's been
I'm go in south and doin' them things again
Bake in a hot tub, down the line
I'd rather see you ruin this a-heart of mine.
I'll go see them come down my way
Like a fool you're gonna hear me say:
"I'll lay at your bed Sally Sue Brown
Please let me love you, baby
Oh, Shenandoah, I long to hear you
Look away, you rollin' river
Oh, Shenandoah, I long to hear you
Look away, we're bound away
Across the wide Missouri
Now the Missouri is a mighty river
Look away, you rollin' river
Indians camp along her border
Look away, we're bound away
Across the wide Missouri
Well, a white man loved an Indian maiden
Look away, you rollin' river
With notions his canoe was laden
Look away, we're bound away
Across the wide Missouri
Oh Shenandoah, I love your daughter
Look away, you rollin' river
It was for her, I'd cross the water
Look away, we're bound away
Across the wide Missouri
For seven long years, I courted Sally
Look away, you rollin' river
Seven more years, I longed to have her
Look away, we're bound away
Across the wide Missouri
Well, it's fare-thee-well, my dear
I'm bound to leave you
Look away you rollin' river
Shenandoah, I will not deceive you
Look away, we're bound away
Across the wide Missouri
Look away, we're bound away
Look away, we're bound away
Look away, we're bound away
Stake my future on a hell of a past
Looks like tomorrow is coming on fast
Ain't complaining 'bout what I got
Seen better times, but who has not?
Silvio, silver and gold
Won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold
Silvio, I gotta go
Find out something only dead men know
Honest as the next jade rolling that stone
When I come knocking don't throw me no bone
I'm an old boll weevil looking for a home
If you don't like it you can leave me alone
I can snap my fingers and require the rain
From a clear blue sky and turn it off again
I can stroke your body and relieve your pain
And charm the whistle off an evening train
Silvio, silver and gold
Won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold
Silvio, I gotta go
Find out something only dead men know
I give what I got until I got no more
I take what I get until I even the score
You know I love you and furthermore
When it's time to go you got an open door
I can tell you fancy, I can tell you plain
You give something up for everything you gain
Since every pleasure's got an edge of pain
Pay for your ticket and don't complain
Silvio, silver and gold
Won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold
Silvio, I gotta go, go
Find out something only dead men know
One of these days and it won't be long
Going down in the valley and sing my song
I will sing it loud and sing it strong
Let the echo decide if I was right or wrong
Silvio, silver and gold
Won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold
Silvio, I gotta go
Find out something only dead men know
Silvio, silver and gold
Won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold
Silvio, I gotta go
Find out something only dead men know
Silvio, silver and gold
Won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold
Silvio, I gotta go
Find out something only dead men know
Come on
Well the woman that I love she got a hook in her nose
Her eye brows meet she wears second hand clothes
She speaks with a stutter and she walks with a hop
I don't know why I love her but I just can't stop.
You know I love her yeah I love her
I'm in love with the ugliest girl in the world.
If I ever lose her I will go in sane
I go half crazy when she calls my name
When she says ' ba-ba ba-ba baby I love you
There ain't nothing in the world that I wouldn't do.
You know I love her yeah I love her
I'm in love in the ugliest girl in the world.
The woman that I love she got two flat feet
Her knees knocks together walking down the street
She cracks her knuckles and she snores in bed
She ain't much to look at but like I said:
You know I love her Yeah I love her
I'm in love with the ugliest girl in the world
I don't mean to say she got nothing going
She got a weird sense of humor that is all her own
When I got low she sets me on my feet
Got a five inch smile but her breath is sweet.
You know I love her Yeah I love her
I'm in love with the ugliest girl in the world.
Well the woman that I love she got a hook in her nose
Her eye brows meet she wears second hand clothes
She speaks with a stutter and she walks with a hop
I don't know why I love her but I just can't stop.
You know I love her yeah I love her
We carried you in our arms
On Independence Day
And now you'd throw us all aside
And put us on our way
Oh, what dear daughter 'neath the sun
Would treat a father so
To wait upon him hand and foot
And always tell him "No?"
Tears of rage, tears of grief
Why am I the one who must be the thief ?
Come to me now, you know
We're so alone
And life is brief.
We pointed out the way to go
And scratched your name in sand
Though you just thought that it was nothing more
Than a place for you to stand
Now I want you to know that while you watched
You discover there was no one true
Must everybody really thought
It was a childish thing to do
Tears of rage, tears of grief
Why am I the one who must be the thief ?
Come to me now, you know
We're so alone
And life is brief.
It was all very painless
When you went out to receive
All that false instruction
Which we never could believe
And now the heart is filled with gold
As if it was a purse
But oh, what kind of love is this
Which goes from bad to worse ?
Tears of rage, tears of grief
Why am I the one who must be the thief ?
Come to me now, you know
We're so alone
There's a whole lot of people suffering tonight from the disease of conceit
Whole lot of people struggling tonight from the disease of conceit
Comes right down the highway straight down the line
Rips into your senses through your body and your mind
Nothing about it that's sweet
The disease of conceit.
There's a whole lot of hearts breaking tonight from the disease of conceit
Whole lot of hearts shaking tonight from the disease of conceit
Steps into your room eats into your soul
Over your senses you have no control
Ain't nothing too discreet about the disease of conceit.
There's a whole lot of people dying tonight from the disease of conceit
Whole lot of people crying tonight from the disease of conceit
Comes right out of nowhere and you're down for the count
From the outside world the pressure will mount
Turn you into a piece of meat
The disease of conceit.
Conceit is the disease that the doctors got no cure
They've done a lot of research on it but what it is they're still not sure
There's a whole lot of people in trouble tonight from the disease of conceit
Whole lot of people seeing double tonight from the disease of conceit
Give you delusions of grandeur and evil eye
Give you the idea that you're too good to die
Then they bury you from your head to your feet
Broken lines broken strings
Broken threads broken springs
Broken idols broken heads
People sleeping in broken beds
Ain't no use jiving
Ain't no use joking
Everything is broken.
Broken bottles broken plates
Broken switches broken gates
Broken dishes broken parts
Streets are filled with broken hearts
Broken words never meant to be spoken
Everything is broken.
Seem like every time you stop and turn around
Something else just hit the ground
Broken cutters broken saws
Broken buckles broken laws
Broken bodies broken bones
Broken voices on broken phones
Take a deep breath feel like you're chokin'
Everything is broken.
Everytime you leave and go off someplace
Things fall to pieces in my face
Broken hands on broken ploughs
Broken treaties broken vows
Broken pipes broken tools
People bending broken rules
Hound dog howling bullfrog croaking
Clouds so swift
Rain won't lift
Gate won't close
Railings froze
Get your mind of wintertime
You ain't goin' nowhere
Whoo-ee ride me high
Tomorrow's the day
My bride's gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair !
I don't care
How many letters they sent
Morning came and morning went
Pick up your money
And pack up your tent
You ain't goin' nowhere
Whoo-ee ride me high
Tomorrow's the day
My bride's gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair !
Buy me a flute
And a gun that shoots
Tailgates some substitutes
Strap yourself
To the tree with roots
You ain't goin' nowhere
Whoo-ee ride me high
Tomorrow's the day
My bride's gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair !
Genghis Khan
He could not keep
All his kings
Supplied with sleep
We'll climb that hill no matter how steep
When we come up to it
Whoo-ee ride me high
Tomorrow's the day
My bride's gonna come
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly
Well, the comic book and me, just us, we caught the bus
The poor litlle chauffeur, though, she was back in bed
On the very next day with a nose full of pus
Yea ! Heavy and a bottle of bread !
Yea ! Heavy and a bottle of bread !
Yea ! Heavy and a bottle of bread.
It's a one-track town, just brown and a breeze too
Pack up the meat, sweet, we're headin' out
For Wichita in a pile of fruit
Get the loot, don't be slow, we're gonna catch a trout
Get the loot, don't be slow, we're gonna catch a trout
Get the loot, don't be slow, we're gonna catch a trout.
Now, pull that drummer out from behind that bottle
Bring my pipe, we're gonna shake it
Slap that drummer with a pie that smells
Take me down to California, baby
Take me down to California, baby
Take me down to California, baby.
Yes, the comic book and me, just us, we caught the bus
The poor litlle chauffeur, though, she was back in bed
On the very next day with a nose full of pus.
Yea ! Heavy and a bottle of bread !
Yea ! Heavy and a bottle of bread !
Too much of nothing
Can make a man ill at ease
One man's temper might rise
While another man's temper might freeze
In the day of confession
We cannot mock a soul
Oh, when there's too much of nothing
No one has control.
Say hello to Valerie
Say hello to Vivian
Give them all my salary
On the waters of oblivion.
When there's too much of nothing
It can cause a man to weep
He can walk the streets and boast like
Of what he'd like to keep
But it's all been done before
It's all been written in the book
And where there's too much of nothing
Nobody should look.
Say hello to Valerie
Say hello to Vivian
Give them all my salary
On the waters of oblivion.
And too much of nothing can make a man a liar
It can cause one man to sleep on nails
It can cause others to eat fire
Everybody's doin' somethin'
I heard it in a dream
But when there's too much of nothing
It just makes a fella mean.
Say hello to Valerie
Say hello to Vivian
Give them all my salary
Well, you can tell everybody
Down in ol' Frisco
Tell 'em
Tiny Montgomery says hello.
Now, every boy and girl's
Gonna get their bang
'Cause Tiny Montgomery's
Gonna shake that thing
Tell everybody
Down in ol' Frisco
That Tiny Montgomery's comin'
Down to say hello.
Skinny Moo and Halftrack Frank
They're gonna both be gettin
Outta the tank
One bird book
And a buzzard and a crow,
Tell 'em all
That Tiny's gonna say hello.
Scratch your dad
Do that bird
Suck that pig
And bring it on home
Pick that drip
And nose that dope
Tell 'em all
That Tiny says hello.
Now, he's king of the drunks
An' he squeezes, too
Watch out, Lester
Take it Lou
Join the monks
The C.I.O,
Tell 'em all
That Tiny Montgomery says hello.
Now grease that pig
And sing praise
Go on out
And gas that dog
Trick on in
Honk that stink
Take it down
And watch it grow
Play it low
And pick it up
Take it on in
In a plucking cup
Three-legged man
And a hot-lipped hoe
Tell 'em all
Montgomery says hello.
Well, you can tell ev'rybody
Down in ol' Frisco
Tell 'em all
Born in Red Hook Brooklyn in the year of who knows when
Opened up his eyes to the tune of an accordion
Always on the outside whatever side there was
When they asked him why it had to be that way "Well" he answered "just because".
Larry was the oldest Joey was next to last
They called Joe "Crazy" the baby they called "Kid Blast"
Some say they lived off gambling and running numbers too
It always seemed they got caught between the mob and the men in blue.
Joey, Joey
King of the streets child of clay
Joey, Joey
What made them want to come and blow you away.
There was talk they killed their rivals but the truth was far from that
No one ever knew for sure where they were really at
When they tried to strangle Larry, Joey almost hit the roof
He went out that night to seek revenge thinking he was bulletproof.
The war broke out at the break of dawn it emptied out the streets
Joey and his brothers suffered terrible defeats
Till they ventured out behind the lines and took five prisoners
They stashed them away in a basement called them amateurs.
The hostages were trembling when they heard a man exclaim
"Let's blow this place to kingdom come let Con Edison take the blame"
But Joey stepped up, and he raised his hand and said, "We're not those kind of men
It's peace and quiet that we need to go back to work again".
Joey, Joey
King of the streets child of clay
Joey, Joey
What made them want to come and blow you away.
The police department hounded him, they called him Mr. Smith
They got him on conspiracy, they were never sure who with
"What time is it" said the judge to Joey when they met
"Five to ten" said Joey. The judge says, "That's exactly what you get".
He did ten years in Attica, reading Nietzche and Wilhelm Reich
They threw him in the hole one time for trying to stop a strike
His closest friends were black men 'cause they seemed to understand
What it's like to be in society with a shackle on your hand.
When they let him out in '71 he'd lost a little weight
But he dressed like Jimmy Cagney and I swear he did look great
He tried to find the way back into the life he left behind
To the boss he said, "I've returned and now I want what's mine".
Joey, Joey
King of the streets child of clay
Joey, Joey
What made them want to come and blow you away.
It was true that in his later years he would not carry a gun
"I'm around too many children", he'd say, "they should never know of one"
Yet he walked right into the clubhouse of his lifelong deadly foe
Emptied out his register, said, "Tell 'em it was Crazy Joe".
One day they blew him down in a clam bar in New York
He could see it coming through the doors as he lifted up his fork
He pushed the table over to protect his family
Then he staggered out into the streets of Little Italy.
Joey, Joey
King of the streets child of clay
Joey, Joey
What made them want to come and blow you away.
Sister Jacqueline and Carmela and mother Mary all did weep
I heard his best friend Frankie say, "He ain't dead he's just asleep"
Then I saw the old man's limousine head back towards the grave
I guess he had to say one last goodbye to the son that he could not save.
The sun turned cold over President Street and the town of the Brooklyn mourned
They said a mass in the old church near the house where he was born
And someday if God's in heaven overlooking his preserve
I know the men that shot him down will get what they deserve.
Joey, Joey
King of the streets child of clay
Joey, Joey
I married Isis on the fifth day of May
But I could not hold on to her very long
So I cut off my hair and I rode straight away
For the wild unknown country where I could not go wrong
I came to a high place of darkness and light
Dividing line ran through the center of town
I hitched up my pony to a post on the right
Went into a laundry to wash my clothes down
A man in the corner approached me for a match
I knew right away he was not ordinary
He said, "Are you lookin' for somethin' easy to catch?"
I said, "I got no money", he said, "That ain't necessary"
We set out that night for the cold in the North
I gave him my blanket and he gave me his word
I said, "Where are we goin'?", he said "We'd be back by the fourth"
I said, "That's the best news that I've ever heard"
I was thinkin' about turquoise, I was thinkin' about gold
I was thinkin' about diamonds and the world's biggest necklace
As we rode through the canyons, through the devilish cold
I was thinkin' about Isis, how she thought I was so reckless
How she told me that one day we would meet up again
And things would be different the next time we wed
If I only could hang on and just be her friend
I still can't remember all the best things she said
We came to the pyramids, all embedded in ice
He said, "There's a body I'm tryin' to find
If I carry it out it'll bring a good price"
'Twas then that I knew what he had on his mind
The wind it was howlin' and the snow was outrageous
We chopped through the night and we chopped through the dawn
When he died I was hopin' that it wasn't contagious
But I made up my mind that I had to go on
I broke into the tomb but the casket was empty
There was no jewels, no nothin', I felt I'd been had
When I saw that my partner was just bein' friendly
When I took up his offer I musta been mad
I picked up his body and I dragged him inside
Threw him down in the hole and I put back the cover
I said a quick prayer and I felt satisfied
Then I rode back to find Isis just to tell her I love her
She was there in the meadow where the creek used to rise
Blinded by sleep and in need of a bed
I came in from the East with the sun in my eyes
I cursed her one time then I rode on ahead
She said, "Where ya been?", I said, "No place special"
She said, "You look different", I said, "Well, I guess"
She said, "You been gone", I said,"That's only natural"
She said, "You gonna stay", I said, "If you want me to, yes"
Isis, oh, Isis, you mystical child
What drives me to you is what drives me insane
I still can remember the way that you smiled
On the fifth day of May in the drizzlin' rain
Well, a young marriage vow, you know, it's very sacred
The man put us together, now, you wanna make it
Stick together
Come on, come on, stick together.
You know, you made a vow, not to leave one another, never
Well, ya never miss you water till your well runs dry
Come one, baby, give our love a try, let's stick together
Come on, come on, stick together
We made a vow, not to leave one another, never.
Well, ya never miss your water till your well runs dry
Come one, baby, give our love a try, let's stick together
Come on, come on, stick together
You know, we made a vow, not to leave one another, never.
It might be tough for a while, but consider the child
Cannot be happy without his mom and his pappy
Let's stick together
Come on, come on, stick together
I took you home from a party and we kissed in fun
A few stolen kisses and no harm was done
Instead of stopping when we could we went right on
Till suddenly we found that the brakes were gone.
You belong to someone else, and I do too
It's just crazy bein' here with you
As a bad motorcycle with the devil in the seat
Going ninety miles an hour down a dead end street
Ninety miles an hour down a dead end street.
I didn't want to want you, but now I have no choice
It's too late to listen to that warning voice
All I hear is thunder of two hearts beat
Going ninety miles an hour down a dead end street
Ninety miles an hour down a dead end street.
You're not free to belong to me
And you know I could never be your own
Your lips on mine are like a sweet, sweet wine
But we're heading for a wall of stone.
Warning signs are flashing ev'ry where, but we pay no heed
'Stead of slowing down the place, we keep a pickin' up speed
Disaster's getting closer ev'ry time we meet
Going ninety miles an hour down a dead end street
Yeah, ninety miles an hour down a dead end street
Mary wore three links of chain
Every link was Jesus name
Keep your hand on that plow, hold on
Oh Lord, Oh Lord, keep your hand on that plow, hold on.
Mary, Mark, Luke and John
All these prophets so good and gone
Keep your hand on that plow, hold on
Oh Lord, Oh Lord, keep your hand on that plow, hold on.v
Well, I never been to heaven
But I've been told streets up there
Are lined with gold
Keep your hand on that plow, hold on
Oh Lord, Oh Lord, keep your hand on that plow, hold on.
Oh Lord, Oh Lord, keep your hand on that plow, hold on.
Oh I'm sailin' away my own true love
I'm sailin' away in the morning
Is there something I can send you from across the sea
From the place that I'll be landing ?
No, there's nothin' you can send me, my own true love
There's nothin' I wish to be ownin'
Just carry yourself back to me unspoiled
From across that lonesome ocean.
Oh, but I just thought you might want something fine
Made of silver or of golden
Either from the mountains of Madrid
Or from the coast of Barcelona ?
Oh, but if I had the stars from the darkest night
And the diamonds from the deepest ocean
I'd forsake them all for your sweet kiss
For that's all I'm wishin' to be ownin'.
That I might be gone a long time
And it's only that I'm askin'
Is there something I can send you to remember me by
To make your time more easy passin' ?
Oh, how can, how can you ask me again
It only brings me sorrow
The same thing I want from you today
I would want again tomorrow.
I got a letter on a lonesome day
It was from her ship a-sailin'
Saying I don't know when I'll be comin' back again
It depends on how I'm a-feelin'.
Well, if you, my love, must think that-a-way
I'm sure your mind is roarmin'
I'm sure your thoughts are not with me
But with the country to where you're goin'.
So take heed, take heed of the western wind
Take heed of the stormy weather
And yes, there's something you can send back to me
Highway 51 runs right by my baby's door
Highway 51 runs right by my baby's door
If I don't get the girl I'm loving
Won't go down to Highway 51 no more.
Well, I know that highway like I know my hand
Yes, I know that highway like I know the back of my hand
Running from up Wisconsin way down to no man's land.
Well, if I should die before my time should come
And if I should die before my time should come
Won't you bury my body out on the Highway 51.
Highway 51 runs right by my baby's door
I said, Highway 51 runs right by my baby's door
If I don't get the girl I'm loving
If not for you, babe, I couldn't find the door
Couldn't even see the floor
I'd be sad and blue if not for you.
If not for you, baby, I'd lay awake all night
Wait for the morning light
To shine in through
But it will not be new if not for you.
If not for you, my sky would fall, rain would gather too
Without your love I'd be nowhere at all
I'd be lost if not for you
And you know it's true.
If not for you, my sky would fall, rain would gather too
Without your love I'd be nowhere at all
Oh what would I do if not for you ?
If not for you, winter would have no spring
I couldn't hear the robins sing
I just wouldn't have a clue
Anyway it wouldn't ring true if not for you
If dogs run free, then why not we
Across the swooping plain ?
My ears hear a symphony
Of two mules, trains and rain
The best is always yet to come
That's what they explain to me
Just do your thing, you'll be king
If dogs run free.
If dogs run free, why not me
Across the swamp of time ?
My mind weaves a symphony
And tapestry of rhyme
Oh, winds which rush my tale to thee
So it may flow and be
To each his own, it's all unknown
If dogs run free.
If dogs run free, then what must be
Must be and that is all
True love can make a blade of grass
Stand up straight and tall
In harmony with the cosmic sea
True love needs no company
It can cure the soul, it can make it whole
Come gather 'round friends
And I'll tell you a tale
Of when the red iron pits ran empty
But the cardboard filled windows
And old men on the benches
Tell you now that the whole town is empty.
In the north end of town
My own children are grown
But I was raised on the other
In the wee hours of youth
May mother took sick
And I was brought up by my brother.
The iron ore poured
As the years passed the door
The drag lines an' the shovels they was a-humming
'Til one day my brother
Failed to come home
The same as my father before him.
Well a long winter's wait
From the window I watched
My friends they couldn't have been kinder
And my schooling was cut
As I quit in the spring
To marry John Thomas, a miner.
Oh the years passed again
And the givin' was good
With the lunch bucket filled every season
What with three babies born
The work was cut down
To a half a day's shift with no reason.
Then the shaft was soon shut
And more work was cut
And the fire in the air, it felt frozen
'Til a man come to speak
And he said in one week
That number eleven was closin'.
They complained in the East
They are playing too high
They say that your ore ain't worth digging
That it's much cheaper down
In the South American towns
Where the miners work almost for nothing.
So the mining gates locked
And the red iron rotted
And the room smelted heavy from drinking
Where the sad silent song
Made the hour twice as long
As I waited for the sun to go sinking.
I lived by the window
As he talked to himself
This silence of tongues it was building
Then one morning's wake
The bed it was bare
And I's left alone with three children.
The summer is gone
The ground's turning cold
The stores one by one they're a-foldin'
My children will go
As soon they grow
Winterlude, Winterlude, oh darling
Winterlude by the road tonight
Tonight there will be no quarreling
Everything is gonna be all right
Oh I see by the angel beside me
That love has a reason to shine
You're the one I adore come over here and give me more
Winterlude, this dude thinks you're fine.
Winterlude, Winterlude, my little apple
Winterlude by the corn in the field
Winterlude, let's go down to the chapel
Then come back and cook up a meal
Well, come out when the skating rink glistens
By the sun near the old crossroad sign
The snow is so cold but our love can be bold
Winterlude, don't be rude please be mine.
Winterlude, Winterlude, my little daisy
Winterlude by the telephone wire
Winterlude, it's making me lazy
Come one, sit by the logs in the fire
The moonlight reflects from the window
Where the snowflakes they cover the sand
Come out tonight everything will be tight
Went to see the gypsy
Staying in a big hotel
He smiled when he saw me coming
And he said, "Well, well, well"
His room was dark and crowded
Lights were low and dim
"How are you" he said to me
I said it back to him.
I went down to the lobby
To make a small call out
A pretty dancing girl was there
And she began to shout
"Go on back to see the gypsy
He can move you from the rear
Drive you from your fear
Bring you through the mirror
He did it in Las Vegas
And he can do it here".
Outside the lights were shining
On the river of tears
I watched them from the distance
With the music in my ears.
I went back to see the gypsy
It was nearly early dawn
The gypsy's door was open wide
But the gypsy was gone
And that pretty dancing girl
She could not be found
So I watched that sun come rising
Time passes slowly up here in the mountain
We sit beside the bridges and walk beside the fountains
Catch the wild fishes that float though the stream
Time passes slowly when you're lost in a dream.
Once I had a sweetheart, she was fine and good-looking
She sat in the kitchen while her mama was cooking
Stared on out the window to the stars high above
Time passes slowly when you're searching for love.
Ain't no reason to go in a wagon to town
Ain't no reason to go to the fair
Ain't no reason to go up, ain't no reason to go down
Ain't no reason to go anywhere.
Time passes slowly up here in the daylight
We stare straight ahead and try so hard to stay right
Like the red rose of summer that blooms in the day
Three angels up above the street
Each one playing a horn
Dressed in green robes with wings that stick out
They're been there since Christmas morn'
The wildest cat from Montana passes by in a flash
Then a lady in a bright orange dress
One U-Haul trailer, a truck with no wheels
The Tenth Avenue bus going west
The dogs and pigeons fly up and they flutter around
A man with a badge skips by
Three fellows crawling on their way back to work
Nobody stops to ask why
The bakery truck stops outside of that fence
Where the angels stand high on their poles
The driver peeks out, trying to find one face
In this concrete world full of souls
The angels play on their horns all day
The whole earth in progressions seems to pass by
But does anyone hear the music they play ?
The man in me will do nearly any task
As for compensation, there's a little he will ask
Take a woman like you
To get through to the man in me.
Storm clouds are raging all around my door
I think to myself I might not take it anymore
Take a woman like your kind
To find the man in me.
But, oh what a wonderful feeling
Just to know that you are near
It sets my heart a-reeling
From my toes up to my ears.
The man in me will hide sometimes to keep from being seen
But that's just because he doesn't want to turn into some machine
Take a woman like you
Sign on the window says, "Lonely"
Sign on the door said, "No company allowed"
Sign on the street says, "You don't own me"
Sign on a porch says, "Three's a crowd"
Sign on a porch says that three's a crowd.
Her and her boyfriend went to California
Her and her boyfriend done changed their tune
My best friend said, "Now didn't I warn you ?
Brightoon girls are like the moon
Brightoon girls are like the moon".
Looks like a-nothing but rain
Sure gonna be wet tonight on Main Street
Hope that it don't sleet.
Built me a cabin in Utah
Marry me a wife, catch a rainbow trout
Have a bunch of kids who call me pa
That must be what it's all about
Slipping and sliding like a weasel on the run
I'm looking good to see you, yeah, we could have some fun
One more weekend, one more weekend with you
One more weekend, one more weekend will do.
Come on down to my ship, honey, ride on deck
We'll fly over the ocean, just like you suspect
One more weekend, one more weekend with you
One more weekend, one more weekend will do.
We'll fly the night away
Hang up the whole next day
Things will be okay
You wait and see
We'll go to some place unknown
Leave all the children home
Honey, why not go alone
Just you and me.
Coming and going like a rabbit in the wood
I'm happy just to see you, yeah, looking so good
One more weekend, one more weekend with you
One more weekend, one more weekend will do, yes you will.
Like a needle in a haystack I'm gonna find you yet
You're the sweetest girl mama that this boy is ever gonna get
One more weekend, one more weekend with you
Can't you hear that rooster crowing ?
Rabbit running down across the road
Underneath the bridge where the water flows through
So happy just to see you smile
Underneath the sky of blue
On this new morning, new morning
On this new morning with you.
Can't you hear that motor turning
Automobile coming into style
Coming down the road for a country mile or two ?
So happy just to see you smile
Underneath the sky of blue
On this new morning, new morning
On this new morning with you.
The night passed away so quickly
It always does when you're with me.
Can't you feel that sun a-shinning ?
Ground hog running by the country stream
This must be the day when all of my dreams come true
So happy just to be alive
Underneath the sky of blue
On this new morning, new morning
On this new morning with you.
So happy just to be alive
Underneath the sky of blue
On this new morning, new morning
On this new morning with you
I don't care what you do, I don't care what you say
I don't care where you go or how long you stay
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry about me any more
Well you take my money and you turn it out
You fill me up with nothing but self doubt
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry about me any more
When I was young, driving was my crave
You drive me so hard, almost to the grave
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry about me any more
I'm so hard pressed, my mind tied up in knots
I keep recycling the same old thoughts
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry about me me any more
So many good things in life that I've overlooked
I don't know what to do now, you got me hooked
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry about me me any more
Well, I don't want to brag, but I'm gonna wring your neck
When all else fails I'll make it a matter of self respect
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry about me any more
You can take your clothes put them em in a sack
You're going down the road, baby and you can't come back
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry about me any more
I tried to be friendly, I tried to be kind
I'm gonna drive you from your home, just like I was driven from mine
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry about me any more
Living this way ain't a natural thing to do
Why was I born to love you?
Spirit on the water
Darkness on the face of the deep
I keep thinking about you baby
I can hardly sleep
I'm traveling by land
Traveling through the dawn of day
You're always on my mind
I can't stay away
I had forgotten about you
Then you turned up again
I always knew
We were meant to be more than friends
When you're near
It's just as plain as it can be
I'm wild about you, girl
You ought to be a fool about me
Can't explain
The sources of this hidden pain
You burned your way into my heart
You got the key to my brain
I've been trampling through mud
Praying to the powers above
I'm sweating blood
You got a face that begs for love
Life without you
Doesn't mean a thing to me
If I can't have you
I'll throw my love into the deep blue sea
Sometimes I wonder
Why you can't treat me right
You do good all day
And then you do wrong all night
When you're with me
I'm a thousand times happier than I could ever say
What does it matter
What price I pay?
They brag about your sugar
Brag about it all over town
Put some sugar in my bowl
I feel like laying down
I'm as pale as a ghost
Holding a blossom on a stem
You ever seen a ghost?
No, but you have heard of them
I see you there
I'm blinded by the colors I see
I'll take good care
Of what belongs to me
I hear your name
Ringing up and down the line
I'm saying it plain
These ties are strong enough to bind
Now your sweet voice
Calls out from some old familiar shrine
I've got no choice
Can't believe these things would ever fade from your mind
I could live forever
With you perfectly
You don't ever
Have to make a fuss over me
>From East to West
Ever since the world began
I only mean it for the best
I want to be with you in any way that I can
I've been in a brawl
Now I'm feeling the wall
I'm going away baby
I won't be back until fall
High on the hill
You can carry all my thoughts with you
You've numbed my will
This love could tear me in two
I want be with you in paradise
And it seems so unfair
I can't go to paradise no more
I killed a man back there
You think I'm over the hill
You think I'm past my prime
Let me see what you got
Lost John's sitting on a railroad track
Some thing's out of whack
Blues this morning falling down like hail
Gonna leave a greasy trail
Gonna travel the world is what I'm gonna do
Then come back and see you.
All I ever do is struggle and strive.
If I don't do anybody any harm, I might make it back home alive.
I'm the oldest son of a crazy man,
I'm in a cowboy band
Got a pile of sins to pay for and I ain't got time to hide
I'd walk through a blazing fire, baby, if I knew you was on the other side
Oh, I miss you, Nettie Moore
And my happiness is over
Winter's gone, the river's on the rise
I loved you then, and ever shall
But there's no one left here to tell
The world has gone black before my eyes
Well, the world of research has gone berserk
Too much paperwork
Albert's in the graveyard, Frankie's raising hell
I'm beginning to believe what the scriptures tell
I've gone where the Southern crosses The Yellow Dog
Get away from all these demagogues
And these bad luck women stick like glue
It's either one or the other or neither of the two
She says, "Look out, Daddy, don't want you to tear your pants.
You could get wrecked in this dance."
They say whisky will kill you, but I don't think it will
I'm riding with you to the top of the hill
Oh, I miss you, Nettie Moore
And my happiness is over
Winter's gone, the river's on the rise
I loved you then, and ever shall
But there's no one left here to tell
The world has gone black before my eyes
Don't know why my baby never looked so good before
Don't have to wonder no more
She's been cooking all day, it going to take me all night
I can't eat all that stuff in a single bite
The judge's coming in, everybody rise
Lift up your eyes
You can do what you please, you don't need my advice
Before you call me any dirty names, you better think twice
Getting light outside, the temperature dropped
I think the rain has stopped
I'm going make you come to grips with fate
When I'm through with you, you'll learn to keep your business straight
Oh, I miss you, Nettie Moore
And my happiness is over
Winter's gone, the river's on the rise
I loved you then, and ever shall
But there's no one left here to tell
The world has gone black before my eyes
The bright spark of the steady lights
Has dimmed my sights
When you're around me all my grief gives away
A life time with you is like some heavenly day
Everything I've ever known to be right has been proven wrong
I'll be drifting along
The woman I'm loving she rules my heart
No knife could ever cut our love apart.
Today I'll stand in faith and raise
The voice of praise
The sun is strong, I'm standing in the light
I wish to God that it were night
I rolled and I tumbled, I cried the whole night long
I rolled and I tumbled, I cried the whole night long
Woke up this morning, I must have bet my money wrong
I got troubles so hard, I can't stand the strain
I got troubles so hard, I can't stand the strain
Some young lazy slut has charmed away my brains
The landscape is glowing, gleaming in the golden light of day
The landscape is glowing, gleaming in the golden light of day
I ain't holding nothing back now, I ain't standing in any body's way
Well, I did all I know just to keep you off my mind
Well, I did all I know just to keep you off my mind
Well, I paid and I paid and my suffering heart is always on the line
Well, I get up in the dawn and I go down and lay in the shade
I get up in the dawn and I go down and lay in the shade
I ain't no body's house boy, I ain't no body's well trained maid
I'm flat out spent, this woman been driving me to tears
I'm flat out spent, this woman she been driving me to tears
This woman so crazy, I swear I ain't going to touch another one for years
Well, the warm weather's coming and the buds are on the vine
The warm weather's coming, the buds are on the vine
Ain't nothing so depressing as trying to satisfy this woman of mine
I got up this morning, saw the rising sun return
Well, I got up this morning, see the rising sun return
Sooner or later, you too shall burn
The night's filled with shadows The years are filled with early doom
The night is filled with shadows The years are filled with early doom
I've been conjuring up all these long dead souls from their crumbling tombs
Let's forgive each other darling,
Let's go down to the greenwood glen
Let's forgive each other darling Let's go down to the greenwood glen
Let's put our heads together now Let's put all old matters to an end
Well, I rolled and I tumbled and I cried the whole night long
Aah, I rolled and I tumbled and I cried the whole night long
As I walked out tonight in the mystic garden
The wounded flowers were dangling from the vine
I was passing by yon cool crystal fountain
Someone hit me from behind
Ain't talking, just walking
Through this weary world of woe
Heart burning, still yearning
No one on earth would ever know
They say prayer has the power to heal
So pray for me, mother
In the human heart an evil spirit can dwell
I am trying to love my neighbor and do good unto others
But oh, mother, things ain't going well
Ain't talking, just walking
I'll burn that bridge before you can cross
Heart burning, still yearning
There'll be no mercy for you once you've lost
Now I'm all worn down by weeping
My eyes are filled with tears, my lips are dry
If I catch my opponents ever sleeping
I'll just slaughter them where they lie
Ain't talking, just walking
Through the world mysterious and vague
Heart burning, still yearning
Walking through the cities of the plague.
Well, the whole world is filled with speculation
The whole wide world which people say is round
They will tear your mind away from contemplation
They will jump on your misfortune when you're down
Ain't talking, just walking
Eating hog eyed grease in a hog eyed town.
Heart burning, still yearning
Some day you'll be glad to have me around.
They will crush you with wealth and power
Every waking moment you could crack
I'll make the most of one last extra hour
I'll revenge my father's death then I'll step back
Ain't talking, just walking
Hand me down my walking cane.
Heart burning, still yearning
Got to get you out of my miserable brain.
All my loyal and my much-loved companions
They approve of me and share my code
I practice a faith that's been long abandoned
Ain't no altars on this long and lonesome road
Ain't talking, just walking
My mule is sick, my horse is blind.
Heart burning, still yearning
Thinking about that girl I left behind.
Well, it's bright in the heavens and the wheels are flying
Fame and honor never seem to fade
The fire gone out but the light is never dying
Who says I can't get heavenly aid?
Ain't talking, just walking
Carrying a dead man's shield
Heart burning, still yearning
Walking with an ache in my heel
The suffering is unending
Every nook and cranny has its tears
I'm not playing, I'm not pretending
I'm not nursing any superfluous fears
Ain't talking, just walking
Walking ever since the other night.
Heart burning, still yearning
Walking until I'm clean out of sight.
As I walked out in the mystic garden
On a hot summer day, a hot summer lawn
Excuse me, ma'am, I beg your pardon
There's no one here, the gardener is gone
Ain't talking, just walking
Up the road, around the bend.
Heart burning, still yearning
Beyond the horizon, behind the sun
At the end of the rainbow life has only begun
In the long hours of twilight underneath the stardust above
Beyond the horizon it is easy to love
I'm touched with desire
What I do
Through flame and through fire
I'll build my world around you
Beyond the horizon, in the Springtime or fall
Love waits forever, for one and for all
Beyond the horizon, across the divide
Around about midnight, we'll be on the same side
Down in the valley the water runs cold
Beyond the horizon someone prayed for your soul
My wretched heart is pounding
I felt an angel's kiss
My memories are drowning
In mortal bliss
Beyond the horizon, at the end of the game
Every step that you take, I'm walking the same
Beyond the horizon, the night winds blow
The theme of a melody from many moons ago
The bells of St. Mary, how sweetly they chime
Beyond the horizon I found you just in time
It's dark and it's dreary
I've been pleading in vain
I'm wounded, I'm weary
My repentance is plain
Beyond the horizon over the treacherous sea
I still can't believe that you have set aside your love for me
Beyond the horizon, underneath crimson skies
In the soft light of morning I'll follow you with my eyes
Through countries and kingdoms and temples of stone
Beyond the horizon right down to the bone
It's the right time of the season
Somebody there always cared
There's always a reason
Why some one's life has been spared
Beyond the horizon, the sky is so blue
Summer days, summer nights are gone
Summer days and summer nights are gone
I know a place where there's still somethin' going on
I've got a house on the hill, I got hogs out in the mud
I've got a house on the hill, I got hogs all out in the mud
I've got a long haired woman, she got royal Indian blood
Everybody get ready, lift up your glasses and sing
Everybody get ready, lift up your glasses and sing
Well I'm standin' on the table, I'm proposin' a toast to the king
I'm driving in the flats in a Cadillac car
The girls all say "You're a worn out star"
My pockets are loaded, and I'm spending every dime
How can you say you love someone else,
you know it's me all the time
Well the fog's so thick you can't spy the land
Well the fog's so thick that you can't even spy the land
what good are you anyway if you can't stand up to some old businessman
Weddin' bells are ringin' and the choir is beginning to sing
Yes, the weddin' bells are ringin' and the choir's beginning to sing
What looks good in the day, at night is another thing
She's looking in to my eyes, and she's a-holding my hand
She looks in to my eyes, she's holding my hand
she say, "you can't repeat the past,"
I say "You can't? What do you mean you can't?
Of course you can."
Where do you come from, where do you go?
Sorry, that is nothing you would need to know
Well, my back's been to the wall so long it seems like it's stuck
Why don't you break my heart one more time, just for good luck
I got eight carburators and boys I'm usin' 'em all
well, I got eight carburators and boys I'm usin' 'em all
I'm short on gas, my motor's startin' to stall
My dogs are barking, there must be someone around
My dogs are barking, there must be someone around
I got my hammer ringin' pretty baby, but the nails ain't goin' down
If you got something to say, speak or hold your peace
Well, if you got something to say, speak now or hold your peace
If it's information you want, you can get it from the police
Politician's got on his joggin' shoes
he must be runnin' for office, got no time to lose
suckin' the blood out of the genius of generosity
you been rollin' your eyes, you been teasin' me
Standin' by God's river my soul's beginning to shake
Standin' by God's river my soul's beginning to shake
I'm countin' on you, love, to gimme a break
I'm leaving in the morning, as soon as the dark clouds lift
I'm leaving in the morning, as soon as the dark clouds lift
I'm breakin' the roof, set fire to the place as a partin' gift
Summer days, summer nights are gone
Summer days, summer nights are gone
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee
They're throwin' knives into the tree
Two big bags of dead man's bones
Got their noses to the grind stone
Livin' in the Land of Nod
Trustin' their fate to the hands of God
They pass by so silently
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee
Well, they're goin' to the country, they're goin' to retire
They're takin' a streetcar named Desire
Lookin' at a window with a pecan pie
Lot of things they'd like they would never buy
Neither of them .want. to turn and run
They're makin' a noise to the Sun
"His Master's Voice is calling me"
Said Tweedle Dum to Tweedle Dee
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum
I'll have more than thumb
They walk among the stately trees
They know the secrets of the breeze
Tweedle Dum said to Tweedle Dee,
"Your presence is obnoxious to me.
Feel like baby sittin' on a woman's knee."
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee
Well, the rain beat'n' down on a window pane
I got love for you, and it's all in vain
Brains in a pot, they're beginning to boil
They're drippin' with garlic and olive oil
Tweedle Dee is on his hands and his knees
Sayin', "Throw me something, Mister, please!"
"What's good for you is good for me,"
Said Tweedle Dum to Tweedle Dee.
Well, they're living in a happy harmony
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee
They're one day older and a dollar short
They got a prayer permit and a police escort
They're lyin' low and they're makin' hay
They seem determined to go all the way
They run a brick 'n' tile company
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee
Well, the timeless stream has a deaf last meal
And the noble truth is a sacred creed
My pretty baby, she's looking around
She's wearin' a multi-thousand dollar gown
Tweedle Dee is a low down sorry old man
Tweedle Dum he'll stab you where you stand
"I've had too much of your company,"
Man came to the door, I say 'for whom were you lookin'?'
Says 'your wife', I say 'she's busy in the kitchen cookin''
Po' boy, where you been?
Already told you, won't tell you again
I say 'how much you want for that, I'll go into the store'
Man says 'three dollars' 'all right', I say, 'will you take four?'
Po' boy, never say die
Things will be all right, by and by
Workin' like in a main line, workin' like the devil
The game is the same it's just up on another level
Po' boy, dressed in black
Police at your back
Po' boy in a red hot town
Out beyond the twinklin' stars
Ridin' first class train
Makin' the rounds
Try to keep from fallin' between the cars
Othello told Desdemona "I'm cold, cover me with a blanket"
"By the way, what happened to that poisoned wine?"
She said "I gave it to you, you drank it"
Po' boy, layin' 'em straight
Pickin' up the cherries fallin' off the plate
Time and love has branded me with its claws
Had to go to Florida, dodgin' them Georgia laws
Po' boy in the hotel called the Palace of Bloom
Called down to room service, said 'send up a room
My mother was the daughter of a wealthy farmer
My father was a traveling salesman, I never met him
When my mother died my uncle took me in to run a funeral parlor
He did a lot of nice things for me and I won't forget him
All I know is that I'm thrilled by your kiss
I don't know any more than this
Po' boy, pickin' up sticks
Build you a house out of mortar and bricks
Knockin' on the door, I say 'who is it, where you from?'
Man say 'Freddie', I say 'Freddie who?'
He say 'Freddie or not, here I come'
Po' boy 'neath the stars that shine
I've got my back to the sun 'cause the light is too intense
I can see what everybody in the world is up against
Can't turn back, you can't come back, sometimes we push too far
One day you'll open your eyes and you'll see where we are
Sugar baby get on down the road, you ain't got no brains nohow
You went years without me, might as well keep goin' now
Some of these bootleggers, they make pretty good stuff.
Plenty of places to hide things here if you want to hide them bad enough.
I'm staying with Aunt Sally, but you know she not really my aunt.
Some of these memories, you can learn to live with and some of'em you can't
Sugar baby get on down the line, you ain't got no brains nohow
You went years without me, might as well keep goin' now
The ladies down in Darktown, they're doin' the Darktown strut
Y'always got to be prepared, but you never know for what
There ain't no limit to the amount of trouble women bring
Love is pleasing, love is teasing, love not an evil thing
Sugar baby get on down the road, you ain't got no brains nohow
You went years without me, might as well keep goin' now
Every moment of existence seems like some dirty trick
Happiness can come suddenly and leave just as quick
Any minute of the day, the bubble can burst
Try to make things better for someone sometimes you just end up makin' it thousand times worse
Sugar baby get on down the road, you ain't got no brains nohow
You went years without me, might as well keep goin' now
Your charms have broken many a heart and mine is surely one
You got a way of tearin' the world apart, love, see what you've done
Just as sure as we're livin', just as sure as you're born
Look up, look up, seek your maker, for Gabriel blows his horn
Sugar baby, get on down the line, you ain't got no sense nohow
(R. Danko and J.R. Robertson)
Bessie was more than just a friend of mine
We shared the good times with the bad
Now many a year has passed me by
I still recall the best thing I ever had
I'm just goin' down the road t' see Bessie
Oh, See her soon
Goin' down the road t' see Bessie Smith
When I get there I wonder what she'll do
Now all the crazy things I had to try
Well I tried them all and then some
But if you're lucky one day you find out
Where it is you're really comin' from
I'm just goin' down the road t' see Bessie
Oh, See her soon
Goin' down the road t' see Bessie Smith
When I get there I wonder what she'll do
Now in my day I've made some foolish moves
But back then, I didn't worry 'bout a thing
And now again I still wonder to myself
Was it her sweet love or the way that she could sing
I'm just goin' down the road t' see Bessie
Oh, See her soon
Goin' down the road t' see Bessie Smith
When I get there I wonder what she'll do
There's so much time has gone right on by
I didn't think one could be so wrong
And then one night I was drinkin' and a-thinkin'
In the bottom of the glass I could see Bessie's face so strong
I'm just goin' down the road t' see Bessie
Oh, See her soon
Goin' down the road t' see Bessie Smith
When I get there I wonder what she'll do
When she sees me will she know what I've been through?
Will old times start to feelin' like new?
When I get there will our love still feel so true?
Yet all I have, I'll be a-bringin' it to you
Oh Bessie, sing them old-time blues
Bad news, bad news,
Come to me where I sleep,
Turn, turn, turn again.
Sayin' one of your friends
Is in trouble deep,
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind.
Tell me the trouble,
Tell once to my ear,
Turn, turn, turn again.
Joliet prison
And ninety-nine years,
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind.
Oh what's the charge
Of how this came to be,
Turn, turn, turn again.
Manslaughter
In the highest of degree,
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind.
I sat down and wrote
The best words I could write,
Turn, turn, turn again.
Explaining to the judge
I'd be there on Wednesday night,
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind.
Without a reply,
I left by the moon,
Turn, turn, turn again.
And was in his chambers
By the next afternoon,
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind.
Could ya tell me the facts?
I said without fear,
Turn, turn, turn again.
That a friend of mine
Would get ninety-nine years,
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind.
A crash on the highway
Flew the car to a field,
Turn, turn, turn again.
There was four persons killed
And he was at the wheel,
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind.
But I knew him as good
As I'm knowin' myself,
Turn, turn, turn again.
And he wouldn't harm a life
That belonged to someone else,
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind.
The judge spoke
Out of the side of his mouth,
Turn, turn, turn again.
Sayin', "The witness who saw,
He left little doubt,"
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind.
That may be true,
He's got a sentence to serve,
Turn, turn, turn again.
But ninety-nine years,
He just don't deserve,
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind.
Too late, too late,
For his case it is sealed,
Turn, turn, turn again.
His sentence is passed
And it cannot be repealed,
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind.
But he ain't no criminal
And his crime it is none,
Turn, turn, turn again.
What happened to him
Could happen to anyone,
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind.
And at that the judge jerked forward
And his face it did freeze,
Turn, turn, turn again.
Sayin', "Could you kindly leave
My office now, please,"
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind.
Well his eyes looked funny
And I stood up so slow,
Turn, turn, turn again.
With no other choice
Except for to go,
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind.
I walked down the hallway
And I heard his door slam,
Turn, turn, turn again.
I walked down the courthouse stairs
And I did not understand,
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind.
And I played my guitar
Through the night to the day,
Turn, turn, turn again.
And the only tune
My guitar could play
Was, "Oh the Cruel Rain
Trails of troubles,
Roads of battles,
Paths of victory,
I shall walk.
The trail is dusty
And my road it might be rough,
But the better roads are waiting
And boys it ain't far off.
Trails of troubles,
Roads of battles,
Paths of victory,
We shall walk.
I walked down by the river,
I turned my head up high.
I saw that silver linin'
That was hangin' in the sky.
Trails of troubles,
Roads of battles,
Paths of victory,
We shall walk.
The evenin' dusk was rollin',
I was walking down the track.
There was a one-way wind a-blowin'
And it was blowin' at my back.
Trails of troubles,
Roads of battles,
Paths of victory,
We shall walk.
The gravel road is bumpy,
It's a hard road to ride,
But there's a clearer road a-waitin'
With the cinders on the side.
Trails of troubles,
Roads of battles,
Paths of victory,
We shall walk.
That evening train was rollin',
The hummin' of its wheels,
My eyes they saw a better day
As I looked across the fields.
Trails of troubles,
Roads of battles,
Paths of victory,
We shall walk.
The trail is dusty,
The road it might be rough,
But the good road is a-waitin'
And boys it ain't far off.
Trails of troubles,
Roads of battles,
Paths of victory,
Love that's pure hopes all things
Believes all things, won't pull no strings
Won't sneak up into your room, tall, dark and handsome
Capture your soul and hold it for ransom.
You don't want a love that's pure
You wanna drown love
You want a watered-down love.
Love that's pure, it don't make no claims
Intercedes for you 'stead of casting you blame
Will not deceive you or lead you to transgression
Won't write it up and make you sign a false confession.
You don't want a love that's pure
You wanna drown love
You want a watered-down love.
Love that's pure won't lead you astray
Won't hold you back, won't mess up your day
Won't pervert you, corrupt you with stupid wishes
It don't make you envious, it don't make you suspicious.
You don't want a love that's pure
You wanna drown love
You want a watered-down love.
Love that's pure ain't no accident
Always on time, is always content
An eternal flame, quietly burning
Never needs to be proud, nor restlessly yearning.
You don't want a love that's pure
You wanna drown love
I had a hard time waking this morning
I got a lotta things on my mind
Like those friends of yours
They keep bringing me down
Just hangin' round all the time
I've had a hard time waking most mornings
And it's been that way for a month or more
You've had things your way
But now i've got to say
I'm on my way out the door
Chorus:
Why don't you get right, try to get right, baby
You haven't been right with me, why don't you get right?
Try and get right, baby, don't you remember how it used to be?
You had a hard time waking this morning
And i can see it in your empty eyes
But there's no need for talking
Or walking round the block
Just to figure out the reason why
I have a hard time handing out warnings
I'll just slide on out the door
Cuz i'm tired of everything
Being beautiful, beautiful
Everybody's buildin' the big ships and the boats
Some are building monuments, others are jotting down notes
Everybody's in despair, every girl and boy
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here, everybody'll jump for joy
Come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
Now I likes to do just like the rest, I likes my sugar sweet
But guarding fumes and making haste, it ain't my cup of meat
Everybody's just standin' 'round 'neath the trees, feeding pigeons on a limb
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here, then pigeons'll go to him
Come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
Now, [Incomprehensible] I can recite 'em all
Just tell me where it hurts and I'll tell you who to call
Nobody can get any sleep, there's someone on everybody's toes
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here, everybody's gonna doze
Come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn
Come all without, come all within
You got a lotta nerve to say you are my friend
When I was down, you just stood there grinning
You got a lotta nerve to say you gotta helping hand to lend
You just want to be on the side that's winning
You say I let you down, you know it's not like that
If you're so hurt why then don't you show it?
You say you lost your faith but that's not where it's at
You have no faith to lose and you know it
I know the reason that you talk behind my back
I used to be among the crowd you're in with
Do you take me for such a fool to think I'd make contact
With the one who tries to hide what he don't know to begin with?
You see me on the street, you always act surprised
You say, "How are you? Good luck," but you don't mean it
When you know as well as me you'd rather see me paralyzed
Why don't you just come out once and scream it?
No, I do not feel that good when I see the heartbreaks you embrace
If I was a master thief perhaps I'd rob them
And now I know you're dissatisfied with your position and your place
Don't you understand, it's not my problem
I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes
And just for that one moment, I could be you
Yes, I wish that for just one time, you could stand inside my shoes
You harbor resentment
You know there ain't too much of a thrill
You wish for contentment
But you got an emptiness that can't be filled
You've had enough hatred
Your bones are breaking (and you) can't find nothing sacred, (but)
Ye shall be changed, ye shall be changed
In a twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet blows
The dead will arise and burst out of your cloths
And ye shall be changed
Everything you've gotten
You've gotten by sweat, blood and muscle
From early in the morning 'til way past dark
All you ever do is hustle
All your loved ones have walked out the door
You're not even sure 'bout your wife and kids no more, but
Ye shall be changed, ye shall be changed
In a twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet blows
The dead will arise and burst out of your cloths
And ye shall be changed
(Now) the past don't control you
But the future's like a roulette wheel spinning
(And) deep down inside
You know you need a whole new beginning
Don't have to go to Russia or Iran
Just surrender to God and He'll move you right here where you stand, and
Ye shall be changed, ye shall be changed
In a twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet blows
The dead will arise and burst out of your cloths
And ye shall be changed
You drink bitter water
And you been eating the bread of sorrow
You can't live for today
When all you're ever thinking of is tomorrow
The path you've endured has been rough
And when you've decided that you've had enough, then
Ye shall be changed, ye shall be changed
In a twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet blows
The dead will arise and burst out of your cloths
You changed my life
Came along in a time of strife
In hunger and need
You made my heart bleed
You changed my life
You changed my life
Now the nature of man
Is to beg and to steal
I'd do it myself
It's not so unreal
The call of the wild's
Forever at my door
Want me to fly like an eagle
Being chained to the floor, but
You changed my life
Came along in a time of strife
In hunger and need
You made my heart bleed
You changed my life
You changed my life
Eating with the pigs
Off a fancy tray
I was bold, I was looking good
And to have a nice day
It all seemed so proper
And so elite
Eating absolute garbage
While being so discreet.
You changed my life
Came along in a time of strife
In hunger and need
You made my heart bleed
You changed my life
You changed my life
You were glowing in the light
Being peaceably calm
Well, how often does a man dance
To the beat of the balm?
Your eyes were on fire
Your feet were of brass
In a world that you made
You were an outcast
You changed my life
Came along in a time of strife
In hunger and need
You made my heart bleed
You changed my life
You changed my life
Truce makers and partakers
Of every selfish whim
Her running to meet me running to her
And you running back to him
Their destruction of my confidence
Was like a sharpness of the tongue
I said: Make my faith greater
But I was a little high strung
You changed my life
Came along in a time of strife
In hunger and need
You made my heart bleed
You changed my life
I got those worried blues,
And I got those worried blues,
I got those worried blues,
I got those worried blues,
Lord, I'm a-going where I never been before.
I'm going where the chilly winds don't blow,
I'm going where the chilly winds don't blow,
Worried blues
I'm going where the chilly winds don't blow,
I'm going where the chilly winds don't blow,
I'm going where the climate suits my clothes.
Honey babe don't leave me now,
Honey babe don't leave me now,
Oh honey babe don't leave me now,
Honey babe don't leave me now.
I got trouble in my mind.
Listen to that cold whistle blow,
Lord listen to that cold whistle blow,
Listen to that cold whistle blow,
Listen to that cold whistle blow,
I'm going where I'm never been before.
So I got those worries blues, lord,
I got the worried blues,
I got the worried blues ,
And I got the worried blues.
Stranded out in the night,
Eliza took me down
To see the widow give
Rain to the town.
It's against the law
To be a tonic man,
But the widow knows
She's got the upper hand.
So I went on in
Feelin' kinda wheezy.
You know she soothed my mind, boys,
She rocked me kinda slow and easy
All day and all night.
Pick a card before you go
It's a long trip to Mexico.
Eliza wait by the door,
I can't stay here anymore, no, no.
Then she took a pill
She washed her feet in the mud
She said "Look out son,
You know, I just ordered a flood
For forty days and forty nights".
Then I dropped my shoes,
Eliza called my name.
She said it looked to her
Like it's gonna rain.
Then the cotton king
Came in chokin'
And the widow laughed and said:
"I ain't jokin'.
Take once for all"
She said "Now don't ya tease me.
I just fell in love, boy,
So rock me kinda slow and kinda easy,
All day and all night."
Sweet William said
With a drunken head:
"If I had a boat,
I'd help y'all float".
Eliza stood there watching,
William in a trance,
As the widow did the St. Vitus dance.
But just then an old man
With a boat named "Breezy"
Said: "You can ride with Clyde, boys,
If you rock it kinda slow and easy,
Well, my shoes, they comes from Singapore
My flashlight's from Taiwan
My tablecloth's from Malayisia
My belt buckle's from the Amazon
You know, this shirt I wear comes from the Philippines
And the car I drive is a Chevrolet
It was put together down in Argentina
By a guy making thirty cents a day.
Well, it's sundown on the union
And what's made in the USA
Sure was a good idea
'Til greed got in the way.
Well, this silk dress is from Hong Kong
And the pearls are from Japan
Well, the dog collar's from India
And the flower pot's from Pakistan
All the furniture it said "Made in Brazil"
Where a woman, she slaved for sure
Bringing home thirty cents a day to a family of twelve
You know, that's a lot of money to her.
Well, it's sundown on the union
And what's made in the USA
Sure was a good idea
'Til greed got in the way.
Well, you know, lots of people complaining that there is no work
I say, "Why you say that for
When nothing you got is US made ?"
They don't make nothing here no more
You know, capitalism is above the law
It say, "it don't count 'less it sells"
When it costs too much to build it at home
You just build it cheaper someplace else.
Well, it's sundown on the union
And what's made in the USA
Sure was a good idea
'Til greed got in the way.
Well, the job that you used to have
They gave it to somebody down in El Salvador
The unions are big business, friend
And they're going out like a dinosaur
They used to grow food in Kansas
Now they want to grow it on the moon and eat it raw
I can see the day coming when even your home garden
Is gonna be against the law.
Well, it's sundown on the union
And what's made in the USA
Sure was a good idea
'Til greed got in the way.
Democracy don't rule the world
You'd better get that in your head
This world is ruled by violence
But I guess that's better left unsaid
From Broadway to the Milky Way
That's a lot of territory indeed
And a man's gonna do what he has to do
When he's got a hungry mouth to feed.
Well, it's sundown on the union
And what's made in the USA
Sure was a good idea
Well the pressure's down, the boss ain't here
He gone North, for a while
They say that vanity got the best of him
But he sure left here in style
By the way, that's a cute hat
And that smile's so hard to resist
But what's a sweetheart like you doing in a dump like this ?
You know, I once knew a woman who looked like you
She wanted a whole man, not just a half
She used to call me sweet daddy when I was only a child
You kind of remind me of her when you laugh
In order to deal in this game, got to make the queen disappear
It's done with a flick of the wrist
What's a sweetheart like you doing in a dump like this ?
You know, a woman like you should be at home
That's where you belong
Taking care for somebody nice
Who don't know how to do you wrong
Just how much abuse will you be able to take ?
Well, there's no way to tell by that first kiss
What's a sweetheart like you doing in a dump like this ?
You know you can make a name for yourself
You can hear them tires squeal
You can be known as the most beautiful woman
Who ever crawled across cut glass to make a deal.
You know, news of you has come down the line
Even before ya came in the door
They say in your father's house, there's many mansions
Each one of them got a fireproof floor
Snap out of it baby, people are jealous of you
They smile to your face, but behind your back they hiss
What's a sweetheart like you doing in a dump like this ?
Got to be an important person to be in here, honey
Got to have done some evil deed
Got to have your own harem when you come in the door
Got to play your harp until your lips bleed.
They say that patriotism is the last refuge
To which a scoundrel clings
Steal a little and they throw you in jail
Steal a lot and they make you king
There's only one step down from here, baby
It's called the land of permanent bliss
Been so long since a strange woman has slept in my bed
Look how sweet she sleeps, how free must be her dreams
In another lifetime she must have owned the world, or been faithfully wed
To some righteous king who wrote psalms beside moonlit streams.
I and I
In creation where one's nature neither honors nor forgives
I and I
One say to the other, no man sees my face and lives.
Think I'll go out and go for a walk
Not much happening here, nothing ever does
Besides, if she wakes up now, she'll just want me to talk
I got nothing to say, 'specially about whatever was.
I and I
In creation where one's nature neither honors nor forgives
I and I
One say to the other, no man sees my face and lives.
Took an untrodden path once, where the swift don't win the race
It goes to the worthy, who can divide the word of truth
Took a stranger to teach me, to look into justice's beautiful face
And to see an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
I and I
In creation where one's nature neither honors nor forgives
I and I
One say to the other, no man sees my face and lives.
Outside of two men on a train platform there's nobody in sight
They're waiting for spring to come, smoking down the track
The world could come to an end tonight, but that's all right
She could still be there sleeping when I get back.
I and I
In creation where one's nature neither honors nor forgives
I and I
One say to the other, no man sees my face and lives.
Noontime, and I'm still pushing myself along the road, the darkest part
Into the narrow lanes, I can't stumble or stay put
Someone else is speaking with my mouth, but I'm listening only to my heart
I've made shoes for everyone, even you, while I still go barefoot.
I and I
In creation where one's nature neither honors nor forgives
I and I
Just a minute before you leave girl
Just a minute before you touch the door
What is it that you're trying to achieve, girl ?
Do you think we can talk about it some more ?
You know, the streets are filled with vipers
Who've lost all ray of hope
You know, it ain't even safe no more
In the palace of the Pope.
Don't fall apart on me tonight
I just don't think that I could handle it
Don't fall apart on me tonight
Yesterday's just a memory
Tomorrow is never what it's supposed to be
And I need you, yeah.
Come over here from over there, girl
Sit down here, you can have my chair
I can't see us going anywhere, girl
The only place open is a thousand miles away and I can't take you there
I wish I'd have been a doctor
Maybe I'd have saved some life that had been lost
Maybe I'd have done some good in the world
'Stead of burning every bridge I crossed.
Don't fall apart on me tonight
I just don't think that I could handle it
Don't fall apart on me tonight
Yesterday's just a memory
Tomorrow is never what it's supposed to be
And I need you, yeah.
I ain't too good at conversation, girl
So you might not know exactly how I feel
But if I could, I'd bring bring you to the mountaintop, girl
And build you a house made out of stainless steel
But it's like I'm stuck inside a painting
That's hanging in the Louvre
My throat start to tickle and my nose itches
But I know that I can't move.
Don't fall apart on me tonight
I just don't think that I could handle it
Don't fall apart on me tonight
Yesterday's gone but the past lives on
Tomorrow's just one step beyond
And I need you, yeah.
Who are these people who are walking towards you
Do you know them or will there be a fight ?
With their humorless smiles so easy to see through
Can they tell you what's wrong from what's right ?
Do you remember St. James Street
Where you blew Jackie P.'s mind ?
You were so fine, Clark Gable would have fell at your feet
And laid his life on the line.
Let's try to get beneath the surface waste, girl
No more booby traps and bombs
No more decadence and charm
No more affection that's misplaced, girl
No more mudcake creatures lying in your arms
What about that millionaire with the drumsticks in his pants ?
He looked so baffled and so bewildered
When he played and we didn't dance.
Don't fall apart on me tonight
I just don't think that I could handle it
Don't fall apart on me tonight
Yesterday's just a memory
Tomorrow is never what it's supposed to be
Man thinks 'cause he rules the earth he can do with it as he please
And if things don't change soon, he will
Oh, man has invented his doom
First step was touching the moon.
Now there's a woman on my block
She just sit there as the night grows still
She say who gonna take away his license to kill ?
Now, they take him and they teach him and they groom him for life
And they set him on a path where he's bound to get ill
Then they bury him with stars
Sell his body like they do used cars.
Now, there's a woman on my block
She just sit there facing the hill
She say who gonna take away his license to kill ?
Now, he's hell-bent for destruction, he's afraid and confused
And his brain has been mismanaged with great skill
All he believe are his eyes
And his eyes, they just tell him lies.
But there's a woman on my block
Sitting there in a cold chill
She say who gonna take away his license to kill ?
Ya may be a noisemaker, spirit maker
Heartbreaker, backbreaker
Leave no stone unturned
May be an actor in a plot
That might be all that you got
'Til your error you clearly learn.
Now he worships at an altar of a stagnant pool
And when he sees his reflection, he's fulfilled
Oh, man is opposed to fair play
He wants it all and he wants it his way.
Now, there's a woman on my blocks
She just sit there as the night grows still
Standing on the water, casting your bread
While the eyes of the idol with the iron head are glowing
Distant ships sailing into the mist
You were born with a snake in both of your fists while a hurricane was blowing
Freedom just around the corner for you
But with truth so far off, what good will it do.
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.
So swiftly the sun sets in the sky
You rise up and say goodbye to no one
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
Both of their futures, so full of dread, you don't show one
Shedding off one more layer of skin
Keeping one step ahead of the persecutor within.
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.
You're a man of the mountain, you can walk on the clouds
Manipulator of crowds, you're a dream twister
You're going to Sodom and Gomorrah
But what do you care ? Ain't nobody there would want marry your sister
Friend to the martyr, a friend to the woman of shame
You look into the fiery furnace, see the rich man without any name.
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.
Well, the Book of Leviticus and Deuteronomy
The law of the jungle and the sea are your only teachers
In the smoke of the twilight on a milk-white steed
Michelangeo indeed could've carved out your features
Resting in the fields, far from the turbulent space
Half asleep near the stars with a small dog licking your face.
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.
Well, the rifleman's stalking the sick and the lame
Preacherman seeks the same, who'll get there first is uncertain
Nightsticks and water cannons, tear gas, padlocks
Molotow cocktails and rocks behind every curtain
False-hearted judges dying in the webs that they spin
Only a matter of time 'til the night comes stepping in.
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.
It's a shadowy world, skies are slippery gray
A woman just gave birth to a prince today and dressed him in scarlet
He'll put the priest in his pocket, put the blade to the heat
Take the motherless children off the street
And place them at the feet of a harlot
Oh, Jokerman, you know what he wants
Oh, Jokerman, you don't show any response.
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Cane's standin' in the field,
Gettin' old and red.
Lot of trouble in Georgetown,
Three men lyin' dead.
Well, Joshua's head of the government,
It's his strike for better pay.
Well the Cane Cutter's are strikin',
With Joshua gone away.
Well Joshua gone Barbados, he's stayin' in a big hotel,
Poor people on St. Vincent, got many sad tales to tell.
Sugar mill owner told the strikers,
Don't need you to cut my cane.
Bring in another bunch of fellas,
Your strike be all in vain.
A lot of misery in Georgetown,
You can hear the women bawl.
Joshua's gone Barbados,
And he don't care at all.
Yea, Joshua gone Barbados, just like he don't know,
Poor people on this island, ain't got nowhere to go.
And they got a lot of tough fellas,
Bring 'em from Zion Hill,
Bring 'em in a bus to Georgetown,
You know somebody'll get killed.
Sunny Child, the overseer,
I swear he's an ignorant man.
He's a-walkin' through the cane field,
A pistol in his hand.
And Joshua gone Barbados, and he's stayin' in a big
hotel,
People on St. Vincent, got many sad tales to tell.
And the police giving protection,
The new fellas cuttin' cane.
Well the strikers can't do nothin',
The strike be all in vain.
And Sunny Child cussed a striker,
He waved his pistol 'round
Well they beatin' Sunny with a cutlass, man.
They beat him to the ground.
And with Joshua gone Barbados, stayin' in a big hotel
People on St. Vincent, got many sad tales to tell.
Well the Cane's standin' in the field,
Gettin' old and red.
Sunny Child in a hospital,
A pistol on his bed.
And I wished I could go to England,
Trinidad or Curacao.
But the people on St. Vincent,
Ain't got nowhere to go.
And Joshua gone Barbados, just like he don't know,
I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.
Refrain:
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.
When my feeble life is o'er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o'er
It was on one fine March morning,
when I bid New Orleans adieu,
and I was on the road to Jackson town,
my fortunes to renew,
I cursed all foreign money,
no credit could I gain,
which filled my heart with longing for,
the lakes of Pontchartrain
I sat on board a railway car
beneath the morning sun
and I rode the rails till evening
when I lay me down again,
all strangers he hum hum
till dark woods me came,
and I fall in love with a creol girl
on the lakes of Pontchartrain
I said "my pretty creol girl,
My money here's no good,
If it weren't for the alligators,
I would sleep out in the wood,
your welcome here, kind stranger
our house is very plain,
but we never turn a stranger out
on the lakes of Pontchartrain"
she took me to her mamma's house,
and treated me right well,
her hair upon here shoulders,
in jet black ringlets fell,
to try to preen here beauty
I'm sure would be in vain
so hansome was my creol girl
on the lakes of Pontchartrain
I asked her would she marry me,
and she it never would be,
while she had got a lover,
and he was off at sea
she said that she would wait for him
and faithful she remained
waiting for her sailor
on the lakes of Pontchartrain
she value well my bonny old girl.
Ill never see you no more
I wont forget your kindness
in that cottage by the shore
and at every social gathering
a golden glass I'll drain,
and drink the health to the creol girl
I was [d] ridin' number nine
Headin' [g] south from caro-[d] line
I heard that lone-[a7] some whistle [d] blow
Got in trouble had to roam
Left my [g] gal and left my [d] home
I heard that lone-[a7] some whistle [d] blow.
1st refrain
Just a [g] kid actin' smart
I went and [d] broke my darlin's heart
I guess I was too young to [a7] know
They took me [d] off the georgia main
Locked me [g] to a ball and [d] chain
I heard that lone-[a7] some whistle [d] blow.
All alone I bear the shame
I'm a number not a name
I heard that lonesome whistle blow
All I do is sit and cry
When the ev'nin' train goes by
I heard that lonesome whistle blow.
2nd refrain
I'll be locked here in this cell
Til my body's just a shell
And my hair turns whiter than snow
I'll never see that gal of mine
Lord, I'm in georgia doin' time
Talk about me babe, if you must.
Throw out the dirt; pile on the dust.
I'd do the same thing if I could
You know what they say? They say it's all good.
All good.
It's all good.
Big politician telling lies;
Restaurant kitchen all full of flies.
Don't make a bit of difference; don't see why it
should.
But it's alright, cause its all good.
Its all good.
Its all good.
Wives are leavin' their husbands; they're beginning to
roam.
They leave the party and they never get home.
I wouldn't change it even if I could
You know what they say, man, it's all good.
It's all good.
All good.
Brick by brick, they tear you down.
A teacup of water is enough to drown.
You oughta know, if they could, they would
Whatever goin' down, it's all good.
All good.
Said it's all good.
People in the country, People on the land.
Some of them so sick they can hardly stand.
Everybody would move away if they could
Its hard to believe but its all good.
Yeah...
Well widows cry; the orphans plea.
Everywhere you look there's more misery.
Come along with me babe, I wish you would.
You know what I'm sayin', it's all good.
All good.
I said it's all good.
All good.
Cold blooded killer stomp into town
Cop car's blinkin', something bad goin' down.
Buildings are crumblin, in the neighborhood.
But there's nothing to worry about, cause it's all
good.
It's all good.
I say it's all good.
Gonna whistle and blow it in your face.
This time tomorrow I'll be rollin' in your place.
I wouldn't change a thing even if I could.
You know what they say?
They say it's all good.
It's all good.
Lord, I cried the day I went blind.
I said, "Lord, what's happened to me?"
Lost my friends when I lost my sight,
Nobody cares about me.
Nobody cares about me.
Lord, it's hard, an' it's hard to be blind.
An' it's hard, an' it's hard to be blind.
If I could see, how happy I would be.
Nobody cares about me.
Nobody cares about me.
There was a time when I went blind.
Lord, what's happened to me?
I lost my friends an' I lost my sight,
Nobody, nobody...
Nobody cares about me.
It's hard, an' hard it's to be blind.
Lord, it's hard, it's hard to be blind.
If I could see, how happy I would be.
Nobody cares about me.
Nobody cares about me.
Times ain't what they used to be,
Times ain't what they used to be.
Well, I'm a-tell' it, people, Lord, you can take it
from me.
Lord, I've seen better days, but I'm puttin' up with
these.
Lord, I've seen better days, I'm puttin' up with these.
Well, there's too many people, they're all too hard to
please.
'Cause I was born in the country she thinks I'm easy to
use,
'Cause I was born in the country she thinks I'm easy to
use.
'Cause I was born in the country you know I'm easy to
lose.
I gave you sugar for sugar, you want salt for salt.
I gave you sugar for sugar, but you want salt for salt,
And if you can't get along, honey, it's your own damn
fault.
Sometimes I'm thinkin' you're too good to die,
Sometimes I'm thinkin' you're too good to die,
Other times I'm thinkin' you ought to be buried alive.
These are the bluest blues that a man could ever has
[sic],
These are the bluest blues a man could ever have.
These are the darnest hard-luck blues a man could bag
Well you're coming down High Street walking in the sun
You make a dead man rise and holler she's the one
Jolene, Jolene
Baby I am the king and you're the queen
Well it's a long old highway that don't ever end
I got a Saturday Night Special, I'm back again
I'll sleep by your door, lay my life on the line
You probably don't know but I'm gonna make you mine
Jolene, Jolene
Baby I am the king and you is the queen
I keep my hands in my pocket, I'm movin' along
People think they know, but they're all wrong
You're something nice, I'm gonna bet my dice
I can't say I haven't paid the price
Jolene, Jolene
Baby I am the king and you is the queen
Well I found out the hard way, I've had my fill
You can't fight somebody with his back to a hill
Those big brown eyes, they set off a spark
If you hold me in your arms, things don't look so dark
Jolene, Jolene
Ramona, come closer
Shut softly your watery eyes
The pangs of your sadness
Will pass as your senses will rise
The flowers of the city
Though breathlike, get deathlike at times
And there's no use in tryin'
To deal with the dyin'
Though I cannot explain that in lines.
Your cracked country lips
I still wish to kiss
As to be by the strength of you skin
Your magnetic movements
Still capture the minutes I'm in
But it grieves my heart, love
To see you tryin' to be a part of
A world that just don't existv It's all just a dream, babe
A vacuum, a scheme, babe
That sucks you into feelin' like this.
I can see that your head
Has been twisted and fed
With worthless foam from the mouth
I can tell you are torn
Between stayin' and returnin'
Back to the South
You've been fooled into thinking
That the finishin' end is at hand
Yet there's no one to beat you
No one to defeat you
'Cept the thoughts of yourself feeling bad
I've heard you say many times
That you're better 'n no one
And no one is better 'n you
If you really believe that
You know you have
Nothing to win and nothing to lose
From fixtures and forces and friends
Your sorrow does stem
That hype you and type you
Making you feel
That you gotta be just like them.
I'd forever talk to you
But soon my words
They would turn into a meaningless ring
For deep in my heart
I know there is no help I can bring
Everything passes
Everything changes
Just do what you think you should do
And someday, maybe
Who knows, baby
Hollis Brown
He lived on the outside of town
Hollis Brown
He lived on the outside of town
With his wife and five children
And his cabin brokin' down.
You looked for work and money
And you walked a rugged mile
You looked for work and money
And you walked a rugged mile
Your children are so hungry
That they don't know how to smile.
Your baby's eyes look crazy
They're a-tuggin' at your sleeve
Your baby's eyes look crazy
They're a-tuggin' at your sleeve
You walk the floor and wonder why
With every breath you breathe.
The rats have got your flour
Bad blood it got your mare
The rats have got your flour
Bad blood it got your mare
If there's anyone that knows
Is there anyone that cares ?
You prayed to the Lord above
Oh please send you a friend
You prayed to the Lord above
Oh please send you a friend
Your empty pocket tell you
That you ain't a-got no friend.
Your babies are crying louder now
It's pounding on your brain
Your babies are crying louder now
It's pounding on your brain
Your wife's screams are stabbin' you
Like the dirty drivin' rain.
Your grass is turning black
There's no water in your well
Your grass is turning black
There's no water in your well
Your spent your last lone dollar
On seven shotgun shels.
Way out in the wilderness
A cold coyote calls
Way out in the wilderness
A cold coyote calls
Your eyes fix on the shortgun
That's hangin' on the wall.
Your brain is a-bleedin'
And your legs can't seem to stand
Your brain is a-bleedin'
And your legs can't seem to stand
Your eyes fix on the shortgun
That you're holdin' in your hand.
There's seven breezes a-blowin'
All around the cabin door
There's seven breezes a-blowin'
All around the cabin door
Seven shots ring out
Like the ocean's pounding roar.
There's seven people dead
On a south Dakota farm
There's seven people dead
On a south Dakota farm
Somewhere in the distance
If you ever go to Houston better walk right
Keep your hands in your pockets and your gun-belts tied
If you're asking for drama, if you're looking for a
fight
If you ever go to Houston, boy you better walk right
If you're ever down there on Bagby and Lamar
You better watch out for the man with the shining star
Better know where you're going or stay where you are
If you're ever down there on Bagby and Lamar
Well I know these streets I've been here before
I nearly got killed here during the Mexican War
Something always keeps me coming back for more
I know these streets I've been here before
If you ever go to Dallas, say hello to Mary-Ann
Say I'm still looking along the trigger, hanging on the
best I can
If you see her sister Lucy, say I'm sorry I'm not there
Tell her other sister Nancy to pray the sinner's prayer
I gotta rest this fever bury it in my brain
Better keep right forward, can't spoil the game
The same way I'll leave here will be the way that I
came
Gotta rest this fever bury it in my brain
Mr. policeman, can you help me find my gal
Last time I saw her was at the Magnolia Motel
If you help me find her, you can be my pal
Mr. policeman, can you help me find my gal
If you ever go to Austin, Fort Worth or San Anton'
Find the barrooms I got lost in and send my memories
home
Put my tears in a bottle screw the top on tight
If you ever go to Houston, buddy you'd better walk
Little girl, little Girl, don't lie to me
Tell me where did you sleep last night?
In the pines, In the pines,
Where the sun never shine
I shivered the whole night through.
Little girl, little girl, where will you go
I'm going where the cold wind blows
In the pines, In the pines,
Where the sun never shine
I will shiver the whole night through.
Little girl, Little Girl, don't lie to me
Tell me where did you sleep last night?
In the pines, In the pines,
Where the sun never shine
I shivered the whole night through.
My Husband was a Railroad man
Killed a mile and a half from here
His head, was found, In a drivers wheel
And his body hasn't never been found.
Little girl, little girl, where will you go
I'm going where the cold wind blows
You called me weak, and you called me the most
Down the street the dogs are barkin'
And the day is a-gettin' dark
As the night comes in a-fallin'
The dogs'll lose their bark
An' the silent night will shatter
From the sounds inside my minds
For I'm one too many mornings
And a thousand miles behind.
From the crossroads of my doorstep
My eyes start to fade
As I turn my head back to the room
Where my love and I have laid
An' I gaze back to the street
The sidewalk and the sign
And I'm one too many mornings
An' a thousand miles behind.
It's a restless hungry feeling
That don't mean no one no good
When ev'rything I'm a-sayin'
You can say it just as good
You're right from your side
I'm right from mine
We're both just too many mornings
A bullet from the back of a bush took Medgar Evers' blood
A finger fired the trigger to his name
A handle hid out in the dark
A hand set the spark
Two eyes took the aim
Behind a man's brain
But he can't be blamed
He's only a pawn in their game.
A South politician preaches to the poor white man
"You got more than blacks, don't complain
You're better than them, you been born with white skin" they explain
And the Negro's name
Is used it is plain
For the politician's gain
As he rises to fame
And the poor white remains
On the caboose of the train
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.
The deputy sheriffs, the soldiers, the governors get paid
And the marshals and cops get the same
But the poor white man's used in the hands of them all like a tool
He's taught in his school
From the start by the rule
That the laws are with him
To protect his white skin
To keep up his hate
So he never thinks straight
'Bout the shape that he's in
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.
From the powerty shacks, he looks from the cracks to the tracks
And the hoof beats pound in his brain
And he's taught how to walk in a pack
Shoot in the back
With his fist in a clinch
To hang and to lynch
To hide 'neath the hood
To kill with no pain
Like a dog on a chain
He ain't got no name
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.
Today, Medgar Evers was buried from the bullet he caught
They lowered him down as a king
But when the shadowy sun sets on the one
That fired the gun
He'll see by his grave
On the stone that remains
Carved next to his name
His epitaph plain:
Oh all the money that in my whole life I did spend
Be it mine right or wrongfully
I let it slip gladly to my friends
To tie up the time most forcefully
But the bottles are done
We've killed each one
And the table's full and overflowed
And the corner sign
Says it's closing time
So I'll bid farewell and be down the road.
Oh ev'ry girl that ever I've touched
I did not do it harmfully
And ev'ry girl that even I've hurt
I did not do it knowin'ly
But to remain as friends we need the time
And make demands and stay behind
And since my feet are now fast
And point away from the past
I'll bid farewell and be down the line.
Oh ev'ry foe that ever I faced
The cause was there before we came
And ev'ry cause that ever I fought
I fought it full without regret or shame
But the dark does die
As the curtain is drawn and somebody's eyes
Must meet the dawn
And if I see the day
I'd only have to stay
So I'll bid farewell in the night and be gone.
Oh ev'ry thought that's strung a knot in my mind
I might go insane if it couldn't be sprung
But it's not to stand naked under unknowin' eyes
It's for myself and my friends my stories are sung
But the time ain't tall
Yet on time you depend and no word is possessed
By no special friend
And though the line is cut
It ain't quite the end
I'll just bid farewell till we meet again.
Oh a false clock tries to tick out my time
To disgrace, distract, and bother me
And the dirt of gossip blows into my face
And the dust of rumors covers me
But if the arrow is straight
And the point is slick
It can pierce through dust no matter how thick
So I'll make my stand
And remain as I am
William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll
With a cane that he twirled around his diamond ring finger
At a Baltimore hotel society gath'rin'
And the cops were called in and his weapon took from him
As they rode him in custody down to the station
And booked William Zanzinger for first-degree murder
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Take the rag away from your face
Now ain't the time for your tears.
William Zanzinger who at twenty-four years
Owns a tobacco farm of six hundred acres
With rich wealthy parents who provide and protect him
And high office relations in the politics of Maryland
Reacted to his deed with a shrug of his shoulders
And swear words and sneering and his tongue it was snarling
In a matter of minutes on bail was out walking
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Take the rag away from your face
Now ain't the time for your tears.
Hattie Carroll was a maid in the kitchen
She was fifty-one years old and gave birth to ten children
Who carried the dishes and took out the garbage
And never sat once at the head of the table
And didn't even talk to the people at the table
Who just cleaned up all the food from the table
And emptied the ashtrays on a whole other level
Got killed by a blow, lay slain by a cane
That sailed through the air and came down through the room
Doomed and determined to destroy all the gentle
And she never done nothing to William Zanzinger
And you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Take the rag away from your face
Now ain't the time for your tears.
In the courtroom of honor, the judge pounded his gavel
To show that all's equal and that the courts are on the level
And that the strings in the books ain't pulled and persuaded
And that even the nobles get properly handled
Once that the cops have chased after and caught 'em
And that ladder of law has no top and no bottom
Stared at the person who killed for no reason
Who just happened to be feelin' that way witout warnin'
And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished
And handed out strongly, for penalty and repentance
William Zanzinger with a six-month sentence
Oh, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fearsv
Bury the rag deep in your face
I'm out here a thousand miles from my home
Walking a road other men have gone down
I'm seeing a new world of people and things
Hear paupers and peasants and princes and kings.
Hey hey Woody Guthrie I wrote you a song
About a funny old world that's coming along
Seems sick and it's hungry, it's tired and it's torn
It looks like it's dying and it's hardly been born.
Hey Woody Guthrie but I know that you know
All the things that I'm saying and a many times more
I'm singing you the song but I can't you sing enough
'Cause there's not many men that've done the things that you've done.
Here's to Cisco and Sonny and Leadbelly too
And to all the good people that travelled with you
Here's to the hearts and the hands of the men
That come with the dust and are gone with the wind.
I'm leaving tomorrow but I could leave today
Somewhere down the road someday
The very last thing that I'd want to do
In the chilly hours and minutes of uncertainty,
I want to be in the warm heart of your loving mind.
To feel you all around me,
And to take your hand along the sand,
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.
When sundown pales the sky,
I want to hide a while behind your smile,
And everywhere I look your eyes I find.
For me to love you now, would be the sweetest thing,
T'would make me sing,
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.
When rain has hung the leaves with tears,
I want you near, to kill my fears,
To help me to leave all my blues behind.
Standing in your heart is where I want to be
And long to be,
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.
How'd ya like to spend Christmas
On Christmas Island?
How'd ya like to spend the holiday
Away across the sea?
How'd ya like to spend Christmas
On Christmas Island?
How'd ya like to hang a stocking
On a great big coconut tree?
How'd ya like to stay up late
Like the islanders do?
Wait for Santa to sail
In with your presents in a canoe
If you ever spend Christmas
On Christmas Island
You will never stray for everyday
Your Christmas dreams come true
How'd ya like to stay up late
Like the islanders do?
Wait for Santa to sail
In with your presents
In a canoe
If you ever spend Christmas
On Christmas Island
You will never stray
For everyday
Your Christmas dreams
Come true
On Christmas Island
The light
In this place
Is really bad
Like being
In the bottom
Of a stream
Any minute now
I'm expecting
To wake up
From a dream
Miss so much
The softest touch
Like the grave
Of some child child
Who neither wept
Nor smiled
I'm hiding my faith
In the rain
I've been
Dreamin' of you
That's all I do
And it's
Driving me insane
Somewhere dawn
Is breaking
Light is streaking
Across the floor
Church bells
Are ringing
I wonder who
They're ringing for
Travel under any star
You'll see me
Wherever you are
The shadowy past
Is so vague and so vast
I'm sleeping
In the balance of pain
I've been dreamin' of you
That's all I do
But it's
Driving me insane
Maybe they'll get me
Maybe they won't
But whatever
It won't be tonight
I wish your hand
Was in mine right now
We could go
Where the moon is wide
For years
They had me
Locked in a cage
Then they threw me
Onto the stage
Somethings
Just last longer
Then you
Thought they would
And they never
Ever explain
I'm dreamin' of you
That's all I do
And it's
Driving me insane
Well
I eat when I'm hungry
Drink when I'm dry
Live my life
On the square
Even if the flesh
Falls off my face
It won't matter as long
As you're there
Feel like
A ghost in love
Underneath
The heavens above
Feel further away
Then I ever did before
Feel further
Than I can take
Dreamin' of you
That's all I do
But it's
Driving me insane
Everything in the way
Is so shy like the day
In queer and unusual form
Spirals of golden haze here
In there in a blaze
Like beams of light
In a star
Maybe you're here
Or maybe you weren't
Maybe you
Touched somebody
And got burned
The silent sun
Has got me on the run
Burning a hole
In my brain
I'm dreamin' of you
That's all I do
But it's
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like it's gonna sweep my world away
I wanna stop at Carmangale and keep on going
That Duquesne train gon' rock me night and day
You say I'm a gambler, you say I'm a pimp
But I ain't neither one
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Sounding like it's on a final run
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like she never blowed before
Little light blinking, red light glowing
Blowing like she's at my chamber door
You smiling through the fence at me
Just like you always smiled before
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like she ain't gon' blow no more
Can't you hear that Duquesne whistle blowing?
Blowing like the sky's gonna blow apart
You're the only thing alive that keeps me going
You're like a time bomb in my heart
I can hear a sweet voice steadily calling
Must be the mother of our lore
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like my woman's on board
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like it's gon' blow my blues away
You old rascal, I know exactly where you're going
I'll lead you there myself at the break of day
I wake up every morning with that woman in my bed
Everybody telling me she's gone to my head
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like it's gon' kill me dead
Can't you hear that Duquesne whistle blowing?
Blowing through another no good town
The lights on my lady's land are glowing
I wonder if they'll know me next time 'round
I wonder if that old oak tree's still standing
That old oak tree, the one we used to climb
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
We have got to come together
How long can we stay apart?
You may get it maybe never
But it's coming from the heart.
Your life is full of indecision
You can't make up your mind.
We must get it in position
And move it on down the line.
'Cause the road is long, it's a long hard climb
I been on that road too long of a time
Yes the road is long, and it winds and winds
When I think of the love that I left behind.
Make me up a bed of roses
And hang them down from the vine
Of all my loves you've been the closest
That's ever been on my mind.
Please don't talk about tomorrow
I'm really not one to care
This world is filled with too much sorrow
That nobody's heart should bear.
'Cause the road is long, it's a long hard climb
I been on that road too long of a time
Yes the road is long, and it winds and winds
When I think of the love that I left behind.
Please, please give me indication
Stop and talk to me
Like a river that is flowing
My love will never cease to be.
You will always be my honey
No one could take your part
Our love can't be bought with money
'Cause it's coming from the heart.
'Cause the road is long, it's a long hard climb
I been on that road too long of a time
Yes the road is long, and it winds and winds
Said the night wind to the little lamb
Do you see what I see?
Way up in the sky, little lamb
Do you see what I see?
A star, a star, dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy
Do you hear what I hear?
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy
Do you hear what I hear?
A song, a song high above the trees
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king
Do you know what I know?
In your palace warm, mighty king
Do you know what I know?
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold
Let us bring him silver and gold
Let us bring him silver and gold
Said the king to the people everywhere
Listen to what I say!
Pray for peace, people, everywhere
Listen to what I say!
The Child, the Child sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
Forgetful heart, lost your power of recall
Every little detail, you don't remember at all
The times we knew
Who would remember better than you?
Forgetful heart, we laughed and had a good time, you and I
It's been so long, now you're content to let the days go by
When you were there
You were the answer to my prayer
Forgetful heart, we loved with all the love that life can give
What can I say without you, it's so hard to live
Can't take much more
Why can't we love like we did before?
Forgetful heart, like a walking shadow in my brain
All night long I lay awake and listen to the sound of pain
The door has closed forever more
Hark! the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations rise;
Join the triumph of the skies;
With angelic host proclaim
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
Hark! the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Christ, by highest heaven adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of the favored one.
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see;
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King"
Hail! the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail! the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth
Hark! the herald angels sing,
All the early Roman kings
In their shark skin suits
Bow ties and buttons
High top boots
Drivin' the spikes in *
Blazin' the rails
Nailed in their coffins
Top hats and tails
Fly away over
Fly away flap your wings
Fly by night
Like the early Roman kings
They're peddlers and they're meddlers
They buy and they sell
They destroyed your city
They'll destroy you as well
They're lecherous and treacherous
A-Hell bent for leather *
Each of 'em bigger
Than all men put together
Sluggers and muggers
Wearin fancy gold rings
All the women going crazy
Well, they'll stone ya when you're trying to be so good
They'll stone ya just a-like they said they would
They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to go home
Then they'll stone ya when you're there all alone
But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned
Well, they'll stone ya when you're walkin' 'long the street
They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to keep your seat
They'll stone ya when you're walkin' on the floor
They'll stone ya when you're walkin' to the door
But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned
They'll stone ya when you're at the breakfast table
They'll stone ya when you are young and able
They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to make a buck
They'll stone ya and then they'll say, "Good luck"
Tell ya what, I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned
Well, they'll stone you and say that it's the end
Then they'll stone you and then they'll come back again
They'll stone you when you're riding in your car
They'll stone you when you're playing your guitar
Yes, but I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned
Well, they'll stone you when you walk all alone
They'll stone you when you are walking home
They'll stone you and then say you are brave
They'll stone you when you are set down in your grave
But I would not feel so all alone
Seen a shooting star tonight
And I thought of you
You were trying to break into another world
A world I never knew
I always kind of wondered if you ever made it through
Seen a shooting star tonight
And I thought of you.
Seen a shooting star tonight
And I thought of me
If I was still the same
If I ever became what you wanted me to be
Did I miss the mark or overstep the line that only you could see
Seen a shooting star tonight
And I thought of me.
Listen to the engine listen to the bell
As the last fire truck from hell goes rolling by
All good people are praying
It's the last temptation the last account
The last time you might hear the sermon on the mount
The last radio is playing.
Seen a shooting star tonight slip away
Tomorrow will be another day
Guess it's too late to say the things to you that you needed to hear me say
Seen a shooting star tonight slip away.
You're gonna quit me, baby
Good as I been to you, Lawd, Lawd
Good as I been to you, Lawd, Lawd
Good as I been to you.
Give you my money, honey
Buy you shoes and clothes, Lawd, Lawd.
You're gonna quit me, baby
Put me outta doors, Lawd, Lawd.
Six months on the chain gang
Believe me, it ain't no fun, Lawd, Lawd.
Jailhouse ain't no plaything
Believe me, ain't no lie, Lawd, Lawd.
Day you quit me, baby
Woke up this morning, feeling blue
Seen a good looking girl, can I make love with you
Hey, hey, babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
Hey, hey, babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
I got blood in my eyes for you, baby
I don't care what in the world you do.
I went back home, put on my tie
Gonna get that girl that money will buy
Hey, hey, babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
Hey, hey, babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
I got blood in my eyes for you, baby
I don't care what in the world you do.
She looked at me, begin to smile
Said, "Hey, hey, man, can't you wait a little while ?"
No, no babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
No, no babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
Got blood in my eyes for you, baby
I don't care what in the world you do.
No, no, ma'am, I can't wait
You got my money, now you're trying to break this date
Hey, hey, babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
Hey, hey, babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
Got blood in my eyes for you, baby
I don't care what in the world you do.
I'll tell you something, tell you the facts
You don't want to give my money back
Hey, hey, babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
Hey, hey, babe, I got blood in my eyes for you
I got blood in my eyes for you, baby
Alberta, let your hair hang low, Alberta, let your hair hang low,
I'll give you more gold than your apron can hold
If you'll only let your hair hang low.
Alberta, what's on your mind, Alberta, what's on your mind ?
You keep me worried and bothered all of the time
Alberta, what's on your mind ?
Alberta, don't you treat me unkind, Alberta, don't you treat me unkind ?
My heart is so sad because I want you so bad
Alberta, don't you treat me unkind ?
Alberta, let your hair hang low, Alberta, let your hair hang low,
I'll give you more gold than your apron can hold
"Get down, get down love Henry", she cried
"And stay all night with me
I have gold chains and the finest I have
I'll apply them all to thee"
I can't get down and I shan't get down
Or stay all night with thee
Some pretty little girl in Cornersville
I love far better than thee
He layed his head on a pillow of down
Kisses, she gave him three
With a penny knife that she held in her hand
She murdered mortal he
"Get well, get well love Henry", she cried
"Get well, get well", said she
"Oh don't you see my own heart's blood
Come flowin' down so free?"
She took him by his long yellow hair
And also by his feet
She plunged him into well water where
It runs both cold and deep
"Lie there, lie there, love Henry", she cried
"'Til the flesh rots off your bones
Some pretty little girl in Cornersville
Will mourn for your return"
"Hush up, hush up, my parrot", she cried
"Don't tell no news on me
Or these costly beads around my neck
I'll apply them all to thee"
"Fly down, fly down pretty bird", she cried
"And light on my right knee
The doors to your cage shall be decked with gold
And hung on a willow tree"
I won't fly down, I can't fly down
And light on your right knee
A girl who would murder her own true love
Lord I'm broke, I'm hungry, ragged and dirty too
Broke and hungry, ragged and dirty too
If I clean up sweet mama, can I stay all night with you.
Lord, I went to my window, babe, I couldn't see through my blinds
Went to my window, babe I couldn't see through my blinds
Heard my best friend coming around I thought I heard my baby cry.
Lord, if I can't come in here, baby then just let me sit down in your door
If I can't come in here baby then just let me sit down in your door
And I would leave so soon that your man won't never know.
How can I live here baby, Lord, and feel at ease ?
How can I live here baby, Lord, and feel at ease ?
Well, that woman I got, man, she do just what she feels.
Lord you shouldn't mistreat me, baby, because I'm young and wild
Shouldn't mistreat me, baby, because I'm young and wild
You must always remember, baby, you was once a child.
'Cause I'm leaving in the morning, if I have to ride the blind
Leaving in the morning, if I have to ride the blinds
Hawlin Alley on a dark and drizzly night
Billy Lyons and Stack-A-Lee had one terrible fight
All about that John B. Stetson Hat.
Stack-A-Lee walked to the bar-room and he called for a glass of beer
Turned around to Billy Lyons, said "What you doin' here ?"
"Waitin' for a train to bring my woman home."
"Stack-A-Lee, oh Stack-A-Lee please don't take my life
Got three little children and a weepin', loving wife
You're a bad man, bad man Stack-A-Lee."
"God bless your children and I'll take care of your wife
You stole my John B., now I'm bound to take your life"
All about that John B. Stetson Hat.
Stack-A-Lee turned to Billy Lyons and shot him right through the head
Only taking one shot to kill Billy Lyons dead
All about that John B. Stetson Hat.
Sent for the doctor, well the doctor he did come
Just pointed out Stack-A-Lee, said, "Now what have you done ?"
You're a bad man, bad man Stack-A-Lee.
Six big horses and a rubber-tired hack
Taking him to the cemetery, but they failed to bring him back
All about that John B. Stetson Hat.
Hawlin Alley, thought I heard the bulldogs bark
It must have been old Stack-A-Lee stumbling in the dark
He's a bad man, gonna land him right back in jail.
High police walked on to Stack-A-Lee, he was lying fast asleep
High police catched Stack-A-Lee, and he jumped forty feet
He's a bad man, gonna land him right back in jail.
Well they got old Stack-A-Lee, and they led him right back in jail
Couldn't get a man around to go Stack-A-Lee's bail
All about that John B. Stetson Hat.
Stack-A-Lee turned to the jailer, he said "Jailer, I can't sleep
'Round my bedside Billy Lyons begin to creep"
He was just a blue-eyed Boston boy
His voice was low with pain
"I'll do your bidding comrade mine
If I ride back again
But if you ride back and I am left
You'll do as much for me
Mother you know, must hear the news
So write to her tenderly."
"She's waiting at home like a patient saint
Her fond face pale with woe
Her heart will be broken when I am gone
I'll see her soon, I know"
Just then the order came to charge
For an instant hand touched hand
They said "Aye" and away they rode
That brave and devoted band.
Straight was the track to the top of the hill
The rebels they shot and shelled
Plowed furrows of death through the toilling ranks
And guarded them as they fell
There soon came a horrible dying yell
From heights that they could not gain
And those whom doom and death had spared
Rode slowly back again.
But among the dead that were left on the hill
Was the boy with the curly hair
The tall dark man who rode by his side
Lay dead beside him there
There's no one to write to the blue-eyed girl
The words that her lover had said
Momma, you know, awaits the news
Feel like a broke down engine ain't got no drivin' wheel
Feel like a broke down engine ain't got no drivin' wheel
You all been down and lonesome, you know just how a poor man feels.
Been shooting craps and gambling, momma, and I done got broke
Been shooting craps and gambling, momma, and I done got broke
I done pawned my pistol baby, my best clothes been sold.
Lordy, Lord, Lordy, Lordy, Lord, Lordy, Lordy, Lordy
Lordy Lord.
I went down in my praying ground, fell on my bended knees
Went down to my praying ground, fell on my bended knees
I ain't cryin' for no religion, Lord, give me back my good gal please.
If you give me back my baby, I won't worry you no more
Give me back my baby, I won't worry you no more
Don't have to put her in my house, Lordy, just lead her to my door.
Lordy, Lord, Lordy, Lordy, Lord, Lordy, Lordy, Lordy
Lordy Lord.
Can't you hear me baby, rappin' on your door ?
Can't you hear me baby, rappin' on your door ?
Now you hear me tappin', tappin' across your floor.
Feel like a broke down engine, ain't got no drive at all
Feel like a broke down engine, ain't got no drive at all
What made me love my woman, she can really do the Georgia Crawl.
Feel like a broke down engine, ain't got no whistle or bell
Feel like a broke down engine, ain't got no whistle or bell
Delia was a gambling girl, gambled all around
Delia was a gambling girl, she laid her money down.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Delia's dear ol' mother took a trip out West
When she returned, little Delia'd gone to rest.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Delia's Daddy weeped, Delia's momma moaned
Wouldn't have been so bad if the poor girl died at home.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Curtis's looking high, Curtis's looking low
He shot poor Delia down with a cruel forty-four.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
High upon the housetops, high as I can see
Looking for them rounders, looking out for me.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Men in Atlanta, trying to pass for white
Delia's in the graveyard, boys, six feet out of sight.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Judge says to Curtis, "What's this noise about ?"
"All about them rounders, Judge, tryin' to cut me out."
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Curtis said to the judge "What might be my fine ?"
Judge says, "Poor boy, you got ninety-nine."
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Curtis' in the jailhouse, drinking from an old tin cup
Delia's in the graveyard, she ain't gettin' up.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Delia, oh Delia, how can it be ?
You loved all them rounders, never did love me.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Delia, oh Delia, how could it be ?
You wanted all them rounders, never had time for me.
Oh, there was a wealthy merchant, in London he did dwell
He had a lovely daughter, the truth to you I'll tell
Oh, the truth to you I'll tell.
She had sweethearts a-plenty and men of high degree
There was none but Jackie Frazier, her true love e'er to bee
Oh, her true lover e'er to be.
"Oh daughter, oh daughter your body I will confine
If none but Jack the sailor, would ever suit your mind
Oh, would ever suit your mind."
"This body you may imprison, my heart you can't confine
There's none but Jack the Sailor would have this heart of mine
Oh, would have this heart of mine."
Now Jackie's gone a-sailing with trouble on his mind
To leave his native country and his darling girl behind
Oh, his darling girl behind.
She went into the tailor shop and dressed in men's array
Then she went into a vessel to convey herself away
Oh, convey herself away.
"Before you step on board, sir, your name I'd like to know"
She smiled all in her countenance, said, "They call me Jack-A-Roe"
Oh, they call me Jack-A-Roe.
"Your waist is light and slender, your fingers neat and small
Your cheeks too red and rosy for to face the cannonball"
Oh, to face the cannonball.
"I know my waist is slender and my fingers they are small
But it would not make me tremble for to see ten thousand fall"
Oh, to see ten thousand fall.
The war soon being over, they hunted all around
Among the dead and dying her darling love she found
Oh, her darling love she found.
She picked him up all in her arms and carried him to town
And sent for her physician to quickly heal his wounds
Oh, to quickly heal his wounds.
This couple, they got married, so well they did agree
This couple they got married, so why not you and me
I came to the place where the lone pilgrim lay
And patiently stood by his tomb
Went in a low whisper I heard something say:
How sweetly I sleep here alone.
The tempest may howl and the loud thunder roar
And gathering storms may arise
But calm is my feeling, at rest is my soul
The tears are all wiped from my eyes.
The call of my master compelled me from home
No kindred or relative nigh
I met the contagion and sank to the tomb
My soul flew to mansion on high.
Go tell my companion and children most dear
To weep not for me now I'm gone
The same hand that led me through seas most severe
When your mother sends back all your invitations
And your father to your sister he explains
That you're tired of yourself and all of your creations
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane ?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane ?
Now when all of the flower ladies want back what they have lent you
And the smell of their roses does not remain
And all of your children start to resent you
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane ?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane ?
Now when all the clowns that you have commissioned
Have died in battle or in vain
And you're sick of all this repetition
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane ?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane ?
When all of your advisers heave their plastic
At your feet to convince you of your pain
Trying to prove that your conclusions should be more drastic
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane ?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane ?
Now when all of the bandits that you turned your other cheek to
All lay down their bandanas and complain
And you want somebody you don't have to speak to
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane ?
Once upon a time you dressed so fine
Threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you ?
People'd call, say, "Beware doll, you're bound to fall"
You thought they were all kiddin' you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging for your next meal.
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
Nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
And now you're gonna have to get used to it
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say do you want to make a deal?
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
A complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
Ah! you never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns
When they all come down and did tricks for you
You never understood that it ain't no good
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you
You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain't it hard when you discover that
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal.
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They're all drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made
Exchanging all precious gifts
But you'd better take your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
The guilty undertaker sighs
The lonesome organ grinder cries
The silver saxophones say I should refuse you
The cracked bells and washed-out horns
Blow into my face with scorn
But it's not that way
I wasn't born to lose you
I want you, I want you
I want you so bad
Honey, I want you.
The drunken politician leaps
Upon the street where mothers weep
And the saviors who are fast asleep
They wait for you
And I wait for them to interrupt
Me drinkin' from my broken cup
And ask for me
Open up the gate for you
I want you, I want you
Yes, I want you so bad
Honey, I want you.
Now all my fathers they've gone down
True love they've been without it
But all their daughters put me down
'Cause I don't think about it.
Well, I return to the Queen of Spades
And talk with my chambermaid
She knows that I'm not afraid
To look at her
She is good to me
And there's nothing she doesn't see
She knows where I'd like to be
But it doesn't matter
I want you, I want you
Yes, I want you so bad
Honey, I want you.
Now your dancing child with his Chinese suit
He spoke to me, I took his flute
No, I wasn't very cute to him - Was I ?
But I did though because he lied
Because he took you for a ride
And because time was on his side
And because I ..
I want you, I want you
Yes, I want you so bad
Well, your railroad gate, you know I just can't jump it
Sometimes it gets so hard, you see
I'm just sitting here, beating on my trumpet
With all these promises you left for me
But where are you tonight, sweet Marie?
Well, I waited for you, when I was half sick
Yes, I waited for you when you hated me
Well, I waited for you inside of the frozen traffic
When you knew, I had some other place to be
Now, where are you tonight, sweet Marie?
Well, anybody can be just like me, obviously
But then not again, not too many can be like you, fortunately
Well, six white horses that you did promise
Were finally delivered down to the penitentiary
But to live outside the law, you must be honest
I know you always say that you agree
Alright, so where are you tonight, sweet Marie?
Well, I don't know how it happened
But the river boat captain, he knows my fate
But everybody else, even yourself
They're just gonna have to wait
Well, I got the fever down in my pockets
The Persian drunkard, he follows me
Yes, I can take him to your house, but I can't unlock it
You see, you forgot to leave me with the key
Oh, where are you tonight, sweet Marie?
Well, I've been in jail, when all the mail showed
That a man can't give his address out to bad company
And now I stand here lookin' at your yellow railroad
In the ruins of your balcony
Wondering where you are tonight, sweet Marie?
When she said
"Don't waste your words, they're just lies"
I cried she was deaf
And she worked on my face until breaking my eyes
Then said, "What else you got left"
It was then that I got up to leave
But she said, "Don't forget
Everybody must give something back
For something they get".
I stood there and hummel
I tapped on her drum and asked her how come
And she buttoned her boot
And straightened her suit
Then she said, "Don't get cute"
So I forced my hands in my pockets
And felt with my thumbs
And gallantly handed her
My very last piece of gum.
She threw me outside
I stood in the dirt where ev'ryone walked
And after finding I'd
Forgotten my shirt
I went back and knocked
I waited in the hallway, she went to get it
And I tried to make sense
Out of that picture of you in your wheelchair
That leaned up against ...
Her Jamaican rum
And when she did come, I asked her for some
She said, "No dear"
I said, "Your words aren't clear
You'd better spit out your gum"
She screamed till her face got so red
Then she fell on the floor
And I covered her up and then
Thought I'd go look through her drawer.
And when I was through
I filled up my shoe
And brought it to you
And you, you took me in
You loved me then
You didn't waste time
And I, I never took much
I never asked for your crutch
The sweet pretty things are in bed now of course
The city fathers they're trying to endorse
The reincarnation of Paul Revere's horse
But the town has no need to be nervous.
The ghost of Belle Star she hands down her wits
To Jezebel the nun she violently knits
A bald wig for Jack the Ripper who sits
At the head of the chamber of commerce.
Mama's in the fact'ry
She ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley
He's lookin' for fuse
I'm in the kitchen
With the tombstone blues.
The hysterical bride in the penny arcade
Screaming she moans, "I've just been made"
Then sends out for the doctor who pulls down the shade
Says, "My advice is to not let the boys in".
Now the medicine man comes and he shuffles inside
He walks with a swagger and he says to be bride
"Stop all this weeping, swallow your pride
You will not die, it's not poison".
Mama's in the fact'ry
She ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley
He's lookin' the fuse
I'm in the kitchen
With the tombstone blues.
Well, John the Baptist after torturing a thief
Looks up at his hero the Commander-in-Chief
Saying, "Tell me great hero, but please make it brief
Is there a hole for me to get sick in ?"
The Commander-in-Chief answers him while chasing a fly
Saying, "Death to all those who would whimper and cry"
And dropping a bar bell he points to the sky
Saying, "The sun's not yellow it's chicken.
Mama's in the fact'ry
She ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley
He's lookin' for fuse
I'm in the kitchen
With the tombstone blues.
The king of the Philistines his soldiers to save
Put jawbones on their tombstones and flatters their graves
Puts the pied pipers in prison and fattens the slaves
Then sends them out to the jungle.
Gypsy Davey with a blowtorch he bums out their camps
With his faithful slave Pedro behind him he tramps
With a fantastic collection of stamps
To win friends and influence his uncle.
Mama's in the fact'ry
She ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley
He's lookin' for fuse
I'm in trouble
With the tombstone blues.
The geometry of innocence flesh on the bone
Causes Galileo's math book to get thrown
At Delilah who sits worthlessly alone
But the tears on her cheeks are from laughter.
Now I wish I could give Brother Bill his great thrill
I would set him in chains at the top of the hill
Then send out for some pillars and Cecil B. DeMille
He could die happily ever after.
Mama's in the fact'ry
She ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley
He's lookin' for fuse
I'm in the kitchen
With the tombstone blues.
Where Ma Raney and Beethoven once unwrapped their bed roll
Tuba players now rehearsal around the flagpole
And the National Bank at a profit sells road maps or the soul
To the old folks home in the college.
Now I wish I could write you a melody so plain
That could hold you dear lady from going insane
That could ease you and cool you and cease the pain
Of your useless and pointless knowledge
Mama's in the fact'ry
She ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley
He's lookin' for fuse
I'm in the kitchen
Early in the mornin'
Early in the mornin'
I'm callin' you to
I'm callin' you to
Please come home
Yes, I guess, I could make it without you
If I just didn't feel so all alone.
Don't let me down
Don't let me down
I won't let your down
I won't let your down
No I won't
You know I can if you can, honey
But honey, please don't.
I got my black dog barkin'
Black dog barkin'
Yes, it is now
Yes, it is now
Outside my yard
Yes, I could tell you what he means
If I just didn't have to try so hard.
Your mama's workin'
Your mama's moanin'
She's cryin' you know
She's cryin' you know
You better go now
Well, I'd tell you what she wants
But I just don't know how.
Fifteen jugglers
Fifteen jugglers
Five believers
Five believers
All dressed like men
Tell yo' mama not to worry because
They're just my friends.
Early in the mornin'
Early in the mornin'
I'm callin' you to
I'm callin' you to
Please come home
Yes, I guess, I could make it without you
You say you love me
And you're thinkin' of me
But you know you could be wrong
You say you told me
That you wanna hold me
But you know you're not that strong
I just can't do what I done before
I just can't beg you any more
I'm gonna let your pass
And I'll go last
Then time will tell just who has fell
And who's been left behind
When you go your way and I go mine.
You say you disturb me
And you don't deserve me
But you know sometimes you lie
You say you're shakin'
And you're always achin'
But you know how hard you try
Sometimes it gets so hard to care
It can't be this way ev'rywhere
And I'm gonna let you pass
Yes, and I'll go last
Then time will tell who has fell
And who's been left behind
When you go your way and I go mine.
The judge, he holds a grudge
He's gonna call on you
But he's badly built
And he walks on stilts
Watch out he don't fall on you.
You say you're sorry
For tellin' stories
That you know I believe are true
You say ya got some
Other kinda lover
And yes, I belive you do
You say my kisses are not like his
But this time I'm not gonna tell you why that is
I'm just gonna let you pass
Yes, and I'll go last
Then time will tell who has fell
And who's been left behind
Well, I see you got your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat
Yes, I see you got your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat
Well, you must tell me, baby
How your head feels under somethin' like that
Under your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat.
Well, you look so pretty in it
Honey, can I jump on it sometime ?
Yes, I just wanna see
If it's really that expensive kind
You know it balances on your head
Just like a mattress balances
On a bottle of wine
Your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat.
Well, if you wanna see the sun rise
Honey, I know where
We'll go out and see it sometime
We'll both just sit there and stare
Me with my belt
Wrapped around my head
And you just sittin' there
In you brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat.
Well, I asked the doctor if I could see you
It's bad for your health, he said
Yes, I disobeyed his orders
I came to see you
But I found him there instead
You know, I don't mind him cheatin' on me
But I sure wish he'd take that off his head
Your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat.
Well, I see you got a new boyfriend
You know, I never seen him before
Well, I saw him
Makin' love to you
You forgot to close the garage door
You might think he loves you for your money
But I know what he really loves you for
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
And she takes just like a woman
And she aches just like a woman
And she wakes just like a woman
Yeah 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 sees finally that she's like all the rest
With her fog, her amphetamine and her pearls
She takes just like a woman
And she wakes just like a woman
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 don'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
You take just like a woman
And you ache just like a woman
And you make love just like a woman
The river whispers in my ear
I've hardly a penny to my name
The heavens have never seemed so near
All of my body glows with flame
The tempest struggles in the air
And to myself alone I sing
It could sink me then and there
I can hear the echoes ring
I tried to find one smiling face
To drive the shadow from my head
I'm stranded in this nameless place
Lying restless in a heavy bed
Tell me straight out if you will
Why must you torture me within?
Why must you come down off of your high hill?
Throw my fate to the clouds and wind
Far away in a silent land
Secret thoughts are hard to bear
Remember me, you'll understand
Emotions we can never share
You trampled on me as you passed
Left the coldest kiss upon my brow
All of my doubts and fears have gone at last
I've nothing more to tell you now
I walk by tranquil lakes and streams
As each new season's dawn awaits
I lay awake at night with troubled dreams
The enemy is at the gate
Beneath the thunder blasted trees
The words are ringin' off your tongue
The ground is hard in times like these
Stars are cold, the night is young
The rocks are bleak, the trees are bare
Iron clouds go floating by
Snowflakes fallin' in my hair
Beneath the gray and stormy sky
The evenin' sun is sinkin' low
The woods are dark, the town isn't new
They''ll drag you down, they'll run the show
Ain't no telling what they'll do
Tell ol' Bill when he comes home
Anything is worth a try
Tell him that I'm not alone
That the hour has come to do or die
All the world I would defy
Let me make it plain as day
I look at you now and I sigh
God don't make promises that He don't keep
You got some big dreams baby, but in order to dream you gotta still be asleep.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up strengthen the things that remain ?
Counterfeited philosophies have polluted all of your thoughts
Karl Marx has got ya by the throat, Henry Kissinger's got you tied up in knots.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up strengthen the things that remain ?
You got innocent men in jail, your insane asylums are filled
You got unrighteous doctors dealing drugs that'll never cure your ills.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up strengthen the things that remain ?
You got men who can't hold their peace and woman who can't control their tongues
The rich seduce the poor and the old are seduced by the young.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up strengthen the things that remain ?
Adulterers in churches and pornography in the schools
You got gangsters in power and lawbreakers making rules.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up strengthen the things that remain ?
Spiritual advisors and gurus to guide your every move
Instant inner peace and every step you take has got to be approved.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up strengthen the things that remain ?
Do you ever wonder just what God requires ?
You think He's just an errand boy to satisfy your wandering desires.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain ?
You can't take it with you and you know that it's too worthless to be sold
They tell you, 'Time is money' as if your life was worth its weight in gold.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain ?
There's a man up on a cross and He's been crucified for you
Believe in His power that's about all you got to do.
When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
How many times have you heard someone say
"If I had his money, I'd do things my way"
But little they know that it's so hard to find
One rich man in ten with a satisfied mind
Once I was winning in fortune and fame
Everything that I dreamed of to get a start in life's game
Suddenly it happened, I lost every dime
But I'm richer by far with a satisfied mind
When life is over, my time has run out
My friends and my loved ones, I'll leave, there's no doubt
But one thing for certain when it comes, my time
Are you ready, are you ready ?
Are you ready, are you ready ?
Are you ready to meet Jesus ?
Are you where you ought to be ?
Will He know you when He sees you
Or will He say, "Depart from Me" ?
Are you ready, hope you're ready
Am I ready, am I ready ?
Am I ready, am I ready ?
Am I ready to lay down my life for the brethren
And to take up my cross ?
Have I surrended to the will of God
Or am I still like the boss ?
Am I ready, hope I'm ready.
When the destruction cometh swiftly
And there's no time to say a fare-thee-well
Have you decided whether you want to be
In heaven or in hell ?
Are you ready, are you ready ?
Have you got some unfinished business ?
Is there something holding you back ?
Are you thinking for yourself
Or are you following the pack ?
Are you ready, hope you're ready
Are you ready ?
Are you ready for the judgement ?
Are you ready for that terrible swift sword ?
Are you ready for Armageddon ?
Are you ready for the day of the Lord ?
Covenant Woman got a contract with the Lord
Way up yonder, great will be her reward
Covenant woman, shining like a morning star
I know I can trust you to stay anywhere you are.
Yes and I just got to tell you
I do intend
To stay closer than any friend
Yes and I just to thank you
Once again
For making your prayers known
Unto heaven for me
And to you, always, so grateful
I will forever be.
I've been broken, shattered like an empty cup
I'm just waiting on the Lord to rebuild and fill me up
And I know He will do it 'cause He's faithful and He's true
He must have loved me so much to send me someone as fine as you.
Yes and I just got to tell you
I do intend
To stay closer than any friend
Yes and I just to thank you
Once again
For making your prayers known
Unto heaven for me
And to you, always, so grateful
I will forever be.
Covenant woman, intimate little girl
Who knows those most secret things of me that are hidden from the world
You know that we are strangers in a land we're passing through
I'll always be right by your side, I've got a covenant too.
Yea and I just got to tell you
I do intend
To stay closer than any friend
Yea and I just to thank you
Once again
For making your prayers known
Unto heaven for me
And to you, always, so grateful
When they came for Him in the garden, did they know ?
When they came for Him in the garden, did they know ?
Did they know He was the Son of God, did they know that He was Lord ?
Did they hear when He told Peter, "Peter, put up your sword" ?
When they came for Him in the garden, did they know ?
When they came for Him in the garden, did they know ?
When He spoke to them in the city, did they hear ?
When He spoke to them in the city, did they hear ?
Nicodemus came at night so he wouldn't be seen by men
Saying, ?Master, tell me why a man must be born again?
When He spoke to them in the city, did they hear ?
When He spoke to them in the city, did they hear ?
When He healed the blind and crippled, did they see ?
When He healed the blind and crippled, did they see ?
When He said, "Pick up your bed and walk, why must you criticize ?
Same thing My Father do, I can do likewise"
When He healed the blind and crippled, did they see ?
When He healed the blind and crippled, did they see ?
Did they speak out against Him, did they dare ?
Did they speak out against Him, did they dare ?
The multitude wanted to make Him king, put a crown upon His head
Why did He slip away to a quiet place instead ?
Did they speak out against Him, did they dare ?
Did they speak out against Him, did they dare ?
When He rose from the dead, did they believe ?
When He rose from the dead, did they believe ?
He said, "All power is given to Me in heaven and on earth"
Did they know right then and there what that power was worth ?
When He rose from the dead, did they believe ?
Well I'm pressing on
Yes, I'm pressing on
Well I'm pressing on
To the higher calling of my lord.
Many try to stop me, shake me up in my mind
Say, "Prove to me that He is Lord, show me a sign"
What kind of sign they need when it all come from within
When what's lost has been found, what's to come has already been ?
Well I'm pressing on
Yes, I'm pressing on
Well I'm pressing on
To the higher calling of my lord.
Shake the dust off of your feet, don't look back
Nothing can hold you down, nothing that you lack
Temptation's not an easy thing, Adam given the devil reign
Because he sinned I got no choice, it run in my vein.
Well I'm pressing on
Yes, I'm pressing on
Well I'm pressing on
I was blinded by the devil
Born already ruined
Stone-cold dead
As I stepped out of the womb
By His grace I have been touched
By His word I have been healed
By His hand I have been delivered
By His spirit I Have been sealed.
I've been saved
By the blood of the lamb
Saved
By the blood of the lamb
Saved
Saved
And I'm so glad
Yes, I'm so glad
I'm so glad
So glad
I want to thank you, Lord
I just want to thank You Lord
Thank You Lord.
By his truth I can be upright
By his strength I do endure
By His power I've been lifted
In His love I am secure
He bought me with a price
Freed me from the pit
Full of emptiness and wrath
And the fire that burns in it.
I've been saved
By the blood of the lamb
Saved
By the blood of the lamb
Saved
Saved
And I'm so glad
Yes, I'm so glad
I'm so glad
So glad
I want to thank you, Lord
I just want to thank You Lord
Thank You, Lord.
Nobody to rescue me
Nobody would dare
I was going down for the last time
But by His Mercy I've been spared
Not by works
But by faith in Him who called
For so long I've been hindered
For so long I've been stalled.
I've been saved
By the blood of the lamb
Saved
By the blood of the lamb
Saved
Saved
And I'm so glad
Yes, I'm so glad
I'm so glad
So glad
I want to thank you, Lord
I just want to thank You Lord
If you find it in Your heart, can I be forgiven ?
Guess I owe You some kind of apology
I've escaped death so many times, I know I'm only living
By the saving grace that's over me.
By this time I'd-a thought I would be sleeping
In a pine box for all eternity
My faith keeps me alive, but I still be weeping
For the saving grace that's over me.
Well, the death of life, then come the resurrection
Wherever I am welcome is where I'll be
I put all my confidence in Him, my sole protection
Is the saving grace that's over me.
Well, the devil's shining light, it can be most blinding
But to search for love, that ain't no more than vanity
As I look around this world all that I'm finding
Is the saving grace that's over me.
The wicked know no peace and you just can't fake it
There's only one road and it leads to Calvary
It gets discouraging at times, but I know I'll make it
Sometimes I feel so low-down and disgusted
Can't help but wonder what's happening to my companions
Are they lost or are they found, have they counted the cost it'll take to bring down
All their earthly principles they're gonna have to abandon ?
There's slow, slow train coming up around the bend.
I had a woman down in Alabama
She was a backwoods girl, but she sure was realistic
She said, Boy, without a doubt, have to quit your mess and straighten out
You could die down here, be just another accident statistic
There's slow, slow train coming up around the bend.
All that foreign oil controlling American soil
Look around you, it's just bound to make you embarrassed
Sheiks walking around like kings, wearing fancy jewels and nose rings
Deciding America's future from Amsterdam and to Paris
And there's slow, slow train coming up around the bend.
Man's ego is inflated, his laws are outdated, they don't apply no more
You can't rely no more to be standing around waiting
In the home of the brave, Jefferson turning over in his grave
Fools glorifying themselves, trying to manipulate Satan
And there's slow, slow train coming up around the bend.
Big-time negotiators, false healers and woman haters
Masters of the bluff and masters of the proposition
But the enemy I see wears a cloak of decency
All non-believers and men stealers talking in the name of religion
And there's slow, there's slow train coming up around the bend.
People starving and thirsting, grain elevators are bursting
Oh, you know it costs more to store the food than it do to give it
They say loose your inhibitions, follow your own ambitions
They talk about a life of brotherly love, show me someone who knows how to live it
There's slow, slow train coming up around the bend.
Well, my baby went to Illinois with some bad-talking boy she could destroy
A real suicide case, but there was nothing I could do to stop it
I don't care about economy, I don't care about astronomy
But it's sure do bother me to see my loved ones turning into puppets
The iron hand, it ain't no match for the iron rod
The strongest wall will crumble and fall to a mighty God
For all those who have eyes and all those who have ears
It is only he who can reduce me to tears
Don't you cry and don't you die and don't you burn
For like a thief in the night
He'll replace wrong with right
When he returns
Truth is an arrow and the gate is narrow that it passes through
He unleashed his power at an unknown hour that no one knew
How long can I listen to the lies of prejudice?
How long can I stay drunk on fear out in the wilderness?
Can I cast it aside, all this loyalty and this pride?
Will I ever learn that there'll be no peace
That the war won't cease
Until he returns?
Surrender your crown on this blood-stained ground, take off your mask
He sees your deeds, he knows your needs even before you ask
How long can you falsify and deny what is real?
How long can you hate yourself for the weakness you conceal?
Of every earthly plan that be known to man
He is unconcerned
He's got plans of his own to set up his throne
Most of the time
I'm clear focused all around
Most of the time
I can keep both feet on the ground
I can follow the path
I can read the sign
Stay right with it when the road unwinds
I can handle whatever
I stumble upon
I don't even notice she's gone
Most of the time.
Most of the time it's well understood
Most of the time I wouldn't change it if I could
I can make it all match up
I can hold my own
I can deal with the situation right down to the bone
I can survive and I can endure
And I don't even think about her
Most of the time.
Most of the time my head is on straight
Most of the time I'm strong enough not to hate
I don't build up illusion 'til it makes me sick
I ain't afraid of confusion no matter how thick
I can smile in the face of mankind
Don't even remember what her lips felt like on mine
Most of the time.
Most of the time she ain't even in my mind
I wouldn't know her if I saw her
She's that far behind
Most of the time I can even be sure
If she was ever with me
Or if I was ever with her
Most of the time I'm halfway content
Most of the time I know exactly where it went
I don't cheat on myself I don't run and hide
Hide from the feelings that are buried inside
I don't compromise and I don't pretend
I don't even care if I ever see her again
Crickets are chirpin', the water is high
There's a soft cotton dress on the line hangin' dry
The windows wide open, African trees
Bent over backwards from a hurricane breeze
Not a word of goodbye, not even a note
She'd gone with the man in the long black coat
Somebody seen him hangin' around
At the old dance hall on the outskirts of town
He looked into her eyes when she stopped him to ask
If he wanted to dance, he had a face like a mask
Somebody said from the Bible he'd quote
There was dust on the man in the long black coat
Preacher was a-talkin', there's a sermon he gave
He said, "Every mans conscience is vile and depraved
You cannot depend on it to be your guide
When it's you who must keep it satisfied
It ain't easy to swallow, it sticks in the throat
She gave her heart to the man in the long black coat
There are no mistakes in life, some people say
And it's true sometimes, you can see it that way
But people don't live or die, people just float
She went with the man in the long black coat
There's smoke on the water, it's been there since June
Tree trunks uprooted beneath the high crescent moon
Feel the pulse and vibration and the rumblin' force
Somebody is out there beating on a dead horse
She never said nothin', there was nothin' she wrote
Ring them bells ye heathen from the city that dreams
Ring them bells from the sanctuaries cross the valleys and streams
For they're deep and they're wide
And the world on its side
And time is running backwards
And so is the bride.
Ring them bells Saint Peter where the four winds blow
Ring them bells with an ironhand
So the people will know
Oh it's rush hour now
On the wheel and the plow
And the sun is going down upon the sacred cow.
Ring them bells Sweet Martha for the poor man's son
Ring them bells so the world will know that God is one
Oh the shepherd is asleep
Where the willows weep
And the mountains are filled with lost sheep
Ring them bells for the blind and the deaf
Ring them bells for all of us who are left
Ring them bells for the chosen few
Who will judge the many when the game is through
Ring them bells for the time that flies
For the child that cries
When innocence dies.
Ring them bells Saint Catherine from the top of the room
Ring them from the fortress for the lilies that bloom
Oh the lines are long and the fighting is strong
We live in a political world
Love don't have any place
We're living in times
Where men commit crimes
And crime don't have any face.
We live in a political world
Icicles hanging down
Wedding bells ring
And angels sing
Clouds cover up the ground.
We live in a political world
Wisdom is thrown in jail
It rots in a cell
Is misguided as hell
Leaving no one to pick up a trail.
We live in a political world
Where mercy walks the plank
Life is in mirrors
Death disappears
Up the steps into the nearest bank.
We live in a political world
Where courage is a thing of the past
Houses are haunted
Children unwanted
The next day could be your last.
We live in a political world
The one we can see and feel
But there's no one to check
It's all a stacked deck
We all know for sure that it's real.
We live in a political world
In the cities of lonesome fear
Little by little
You turn in the middle
But you're never sure why you're here.
We live in a political world
Under the microscope
You can travel anywhere
And hang yourself there
You always got more than enough rope.
We live in a political world
Turning and trashing about
As soon as you're awake
You're trained to take
What looks like the easy way out.
We live in a political world
Where peace is not welcome at all
It's turned away from the door
To wonder some more
Or put up against the wall.
We live in a political world
Everything is hers and his
Climb into the frame
And shout God's name
What good am I some like all the rest
If I just turn away when I see how you're dressed
If I shut myself off so I can't hear you cry
What good am I ?
What good am I if I know and don't do
If I see and don't say if I look right through you
If I turn a deaf ear to the thunderin' sky
What good am I ?
What good am I while you softly weep
And I hear in my head what you say in your sleep
And I freeze in the moment like the rest who don't try
What good am I ?
What good am I then to others and me
If I had every chance and yet still fail to see
If my hands are tied must I not wonder within
Who tied them and why and where must I have been.
What good am I if I say foolish things
And I laugh in the face of what sorrow brings
And I just turn my back while you silently die
Seen a shooting star tonight
And I thought of you
You were trying to break into another world
A world I never knew
I always kind of wondered if you ever made it through
Seen a shooting star tonight
And I thought of you.
Seen a shooting star tonight
And I thought of me
If I was still the same
If I ever became what you wanted me to be
Did I miss the mark or overstep the line that only you could see
Seen a shooting star tonight
And I thought of me.
Listen to the engine listen to the bell
As the last fire truck from hell goes rolling by
All good people are praying
It's the last temptation the last account
The last time you might hear the sermon on the mount
The last radio is playing.
Seen a shooting star tonight slip away
Tomorrow will be another day
Guess it's too late to say the things to you that you needed to hear me say
Far away where the soft winds blow
Far away from it all
There is a place you go
Where teardrops fall.
Far away in the stormy night
Far away and over the wall
You are there in the flickering light
Where teardrops fall.
We banged the drum slowly
And played the fife lowly
You know the song in my heart
In the turning of twilight
In the shadows of moonlight
You can show me a new place to start.
I've torn my clothes and I've drained the cup
Strippin' away at it all
Thinking of you when the sun comes up
Where teardrops fall.
By rivers of blindness
In love and with kindness
We could hold up a toast if we meet
To the cuttin' of fences
To sharpen the senses
That linger in the fireball heat.
Roses are red violets are blue
And times is beginning to crawl
I just might have to come to see you
What was it you wanted
Tell me again so I'll know
What's happening in there
What's going on in your show
What was it you wanted
Could you say it again
I'll be back in a minute
You can get it together by then.
What was it you wanted
You can tell me I'm back
We can start it all over
Get it back on the track
You got my attention
Go ahead speak
What was it you wanted.
When you were kissing my cheek.
Was there somebody looking
When you give me that kiss
Someone there in the shadows
Someone that I might have missed
Is there something you needed
Something I don't understand
What was it you wanted
Do I have it here in my hand.
Whatever you wanted
Slipped out of my mind
Would you remind me again
If you'd be so kind
Has the record been breaking
Did the needle just skip
Is there somebody waitin'
Was there a slip of the lip.
What was it you wanted
It ain't keepin' score
Are you the same person
That was here before
Is it something important
Maybe not
What was it you wanted.
Tell me again I forgot.
Whatever you wanted
What can it be
Did somebody tell you
That you could get it from me
Is it something that comes natural
Is it easy to say
Why do you want it
Who are you anyway.
Is the scenery changing
Am I getting it wrong
Is the whole thing going backwards
Are they playing our song
Where were you when it started
Do you want it for free
What was it you wanted
In the lonely night in the blinking stardust of a pale blue light
You're coming through to me in black and white when we were made of
dreams
You're blowin' down a shaky street you're hearing my heart beat
In the record breaking heat where we were born in time.
Not one more night not one more kiss
Not this time babe no more of this
Takes too much skill takes too much of will
It's too reavealing.
You came you saw just like the law
You married young just like you ma
You tried and tried you made me slide
You left me reeling with this feeling
On the rising curve where the ways of nature will test every nerve
You don't get anything you don't deserve where we were born in time.
You pressed me once you pressed me twice
You hung the blade you'll pay the price
Oh babe that fire is still smoking.
You were snow you were rain
You were striped you were plain
Oh babe truer words have not been spoken
Or broken.
If there's a mystery in the foggy world of destiny
10.000 men on a hill
10.000 men on a hill
Some of them going down some of them gonna get killed.
10.000 men dressed in Oxford blue
10.000 men dressed in Oxford blue
Drummin in the morning in the evening they'll be coming for you.
10.000 men on the move
10.000 men on the move
None of them doing nothing that your mama wouldn't disapprove.
10.000 men diggin' for silver and gold
10.000 men diggin' for silver and gold
All clean shaven all coming from the cold.
Hey who could you lover be ?
Hey who could you lover be ?
Let me eat off his head and you can really see.
10.000 women all dressed in white
10.000 women all dressed in white
Standing at my window wishing me goodnight.
10.000 men looking so lean and frail
10.000 men looking so lean and frail
Each one of them got seven wives each of them just out of jail.
10.000 women all sleep in my room
10.000 women all sleep in my room
Spilling my buttermilk sweeping it up with a broom.
Mmm baby thank you for my tea
Hey baby thank you for my tea
How long can I stay
In this nowhere cafe 'fore night turns into day
I wonder why I'm so frightened of dawn
All I have and all I know
Is this dream of you which keeps me living on
There's a moment when
All old things become new again
But that moment might have come and gone
All I have and all I know
Is this dream of you which keeps me living on
I look away but I keep seeing it
I don't want to believe but I keep believing it
Shadows dance upon the wall
Shadows that seem to know it all
Am I too blind to see
Is my heart playing tricks on me
I'm lost in the crowd, all my tears are gone
All I have and all I know
Is this dream of you which keeps me living on
Everything I touch seems to disappear
Everywhere I turn, you are always here
I'll run this race until my earthly death
I'll defend this place with my dying breath
From a cheerless room
In a curtain gloom, I saw a star from Heaven fall
I turned and looked again but it was gone
All I have and all I know
This old man, he played one
He played knick-knack on my thumb [some versions use
"drum"]
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home
This old man, he played two
He played knick-knack on my shoe
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home
This old man, he played three
He played knick-knack on my knee
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home
This old man, he played four
He played knick-knack on my door
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home
This old man, he played five
He played knick-knack on my hive
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone This
old man came rolling home
This old man, he played six
He played knick-knack on my sticks
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home
This old man, he played seven
He played knick-knack up in heaven
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home
This old man, he played eight
He played knick-knack on my gate
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home
This old man, he played nine
He played knick-knack on my spine [some versions use
"line" here]
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home
This old man, he played ten
He played knick-knack once ag'n [some versions use "on
my hen" here]
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone
This train is bound for glory, this train
This train is bound for glory, this train
This train is leaving town, hitting the road & getting
on down
This train is bound for glory, this train (this train)
This train is bound for glory, this train (this train)
This train is leaving town, hitting the road & getting
on down
This train is bound for glory, this train
This train don't carry no gamblers, this train
This train don't carry no gamblers, this train
This train don't carry no gamblers, liars, thieves or
midnight ramblers
This train is bound for glory, this train
This train ain't gonna carry no rustlers, this train
This train ain't gonna carry no rustlers, this train
This train ain't gonna carry no rustlers, sidestreet
walkers or two bit hustlers
This train is bound for glory, this train
This train is bound for glory, this train (this train)
This train is bound for glory, this train (this train)
This train is leaving town, hitting the road & getting
on down
This train is bound for glory, this train (this train)
This train is bound for glory, this train yeah ( this
train)
This train is bound for glory, this train (this train)
This train is leaving town, hitting the road & getting
on down
Train of love's a-comin', big black wheels a-hummin'
People waitin' at the station, happy hearts are drummin'
Trainman tell me maybe, ain't you got my baby
Every so often everybody's baby gets the urge to roam
But everybody's baby but mine's comin' home.
Now stop your whistle blowin', 'cause I got ways of
knowin'
Your bringin' other people's lovers, but my own keeps
goin'
Train of love's deceivin', when she's not gone she's
leavin'
Every so often everybody's baby gets the urge to roam
But everybody's baby but mine's comin' home
Train of love's now hastin', sweethearts standin' waitin'
Here and there and everywhere, there's going to be
embracin'
Trainman tell me maybe, ain't you got my baby
Every so often everybody's baby gets the urge to roam
But everybody's baby but mine's comin' home
Train of love's a-leavin', leavin' my heart grievin'
But early or late, I sit and wait, because I'm still
believin'
We'll walk away together, though I may wait forever
Every so often everybody's baby gets the urge to roam
Lazy stadium night
Catfish on the mound.
"Strike three," the umpire said,
Batter have to go back and sit down.
Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.
Used to work on Mr. Finley's farm
But the old man wouldn't pay
So he packed his glove and took his arm
An' one day he just ran away.
Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.
Come up where the Yankees are,
Dress up in a pinstripe suit,
Smoke a custom-made cigar,
Wear an alligator boot.
Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.
Carolina born and bred,
Love to hunt the little quail.
Got a hundred-acre spread,
Got some huntin' dogs for sale.
Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.
Reggie Jackson at the plate
Seein' nothin' but the curve,
Swing too early or too late
Got to eat what Catfish serve.
Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.
Even Billy Martin grins
When the Fish is in the game.
Every season twenty wins
Gonna make the Hall of Fame.
Catfish, million-dollar-man,
I'm goin' down to West Texas
Behind the Louisiana line
I'm goin' down to West Texas
Behind the Louisiana line
Get me a fortune tellin' woman
One that's gonna read my mind
If you ever go to Dallas
Take the right hand road
If you ever go to Dallas
Take the right hand road
Those western Dallas streets, boys
They' bound ta kill ya fo' sho'
I'm goin' down to Jack Rabbit's
Past the west Texas line
I'm goin' down to Jack Rabbit's
Behind the Texas line
Eh they's stars up above
Lord it's my a-leavin' m' sign
Well you never miss your water
'till the well runs dry
An' you never miss your water
'Till the well runs dry
An' you never miss your man
'till he says "Good-bye"
You can write an' tell m' Mama
I won't be comin' home tonight
You can write an' tell my Mother
O the summer time has come (...is comin')
And the trees are sweetly blooming (turning)
And the wild mountain thyme
Grows around the purple heather.
Will you go, lassie, go?
Chorus -
And we'll all go together,
To pull wild mountain thyme,
All around the purple heather (blooming heather)
Will you go, lassie, go?
I will build my love a bower (tower)
By yon clear crystal fountain,
And around it I will place (on it I will pile)
All the flowers of the mountain.
Will you go, lassie, go?
Chorus
I will range through the wilds
And the deep land so dreary
And return with the spoils
To the bower o' my dearie.
Will ye go lassie go ?
Chorus
If my true love she'll not come, ("she won't have me"
"...she were gone" or "... e'er should leave me")
Then I'll surely find another,
To pull wild mountain thyme,
All around the purple heather
Will you go, lassie, go?
Chorus
Oh, the autumn-time is comin',
And the leaves are gently falling,
Where the wild mountain thyme
Grows around the blooming heather
We have got to come together
How long can we stay apart?
You may get it maybe never
But it's coming from the heart.
Your life is full of indecision
You can't make up your mind.
We must get it in position
And move it on down the line.
'Cause the road is long, it's a long hard climb
I been on that road too long of a time
Yes the road is long, and it winds and winds
When I think of the love that I left behind.
Make me up a bed of roses
And hang them down from the vine
Of all my loves you've been the closest
That's ever been on my mind.
Please don't talk about tomorrow
I'm really not one to care
This world is filled with too much sorrow
That nobody's heart should bear.
'Cause the road is long, it's a long hard climb
I been on that road too long of a time
Yes the road is long, and it winds and winds
When I think of the love that I left behind.
Please, please give me indication
Stop and talk to me
Like a river that is flowing
My love will never cease to be.
You will always be my honey
No one could take your part
Our love can't be bought with money
'Cause it's coming from the heart.
'Cause the road is long, it's a long hard climb
I been on that road too long of a time
Yes the road is long, and it winds and winds
When I think of the love that I left behind.
I was born in Dixie in a boomer shed
Just a little shanty by the railroad track
Freight train was it taught me how to cry
The holler of the driver was my lullaby
I got the freight train blues
Oh Lord mama, I got them in the bottom of my rambling shoes
And when the whistle blows I gotta go baby, don't you know
Well, it looks like I'm never gonna lose the freight train blues.
Well, my daddy was a fireman and my mama-ha
She was the only daugther of an enginer
My sweetheart was a brakeman and it ain't no joke
Seems a waste to get a good man broke
I got the freight train blues
Oh Lord mama, I got them in the bottom of my rambling shoes
And when the whistle blows I gotta go mama, don't you know
Well, it looks like I'm never gonna lose the freight train blues.
Well, the only thing that makes me laugh again
Is a southbound whistle on a southbound train
Every place I wanna go I never can go
Because you know I got the freight train blues
Blue sky upon the horizon,
Private eye on my trail,
And if I don't be there by morning
She'll know that I must've spent the night in jail.
I been runnin' from Memphis to L.A.,
Had an appointment set sometime for today
And if I don't be there by morning
She'll know that I must have gone the other way.
Finding my way home to you, girl, lonely and blue, mistreated too,
Sometimes I think about you, girl, is it true that you think of me too?
I got a woman living in L.A.,
I got a woman waiting for my pay,
And if I don't be there by morning
Pack my clothes, get down on your knees and pray.
I left my woman with a twenty-dollar bill,
Left her waiting, hope she's waiting for me still.
But if I don't be there by morning
I guess that I never will.
Finding my way home to you, girl, lonely and blue, mistreated too,
Sometimes I think about you, girl, is it true that you think of me too?
I left my woman with a twenty-dollar bill,
Left her waiting, hope she's waiting for me still.
Well, if I don't be there by morning
I guess that I never will.
Instrumental
Let me in here, I know I've been here,
Let me into your heart.
Let me know you, let me show you,
Let me roll it to you.
All I have is yours,
All you see is mine
And I'm glad to have you in my arms,
I'd have you any time.
Let me say it, let me play it,
Let me lay it on you.
Let me know you, let me show you,
Let me grow it on you.
All I have is yours,
All you see is mine
And I'm glad to have you in my arms,
I'd have you any time.
Let me in here, I know I've been here,
Let me into your heart.
Let me know you, let me show you,
Let me roll it to you.
All I have is yours,
All you see is mine
And I'm glad to have you in my arms,
I'd have you any time.
Well, your clock is gonna stop
At Saint Peter's gate.
Ya gonna ask him what time it is,
He's gonna say, "It's too late."
Hey, hey!
I'd sure hate to be you
On that dreadful day.
You're gonna start to sweat
And you ain't gonna stop.
You're gonna have a nightmare
And never wake up.
Hey, hey, hey!
I'd sure hate to be you
On that dreadful day.
You're gonna cry for pills
And your head's gonna be in a knot,
But the pills are gonna cost more
Than what you've got.
Hey, hey!
I'd sure hate to be you
On that dreadful day.
You're gonna have to walk naked,
Can't ride in no car.
You're gonna let ev'rybody see
Just what you are.
Hey, hey!
I'd sure hate to be you
On that dreadful day.
Well, the good wine's a-flowin'
For five cents a quart.
You're gonna look in your moneybags
And find you're one cent short.
Hey, hey, hey!
I'd sure hate to be you
On that dreadful day.
You're gonna yell and scream,
"Don't anybody care?"
You're gonna hear out a voice say,
"Shoulda listened when you heard the word down there."
Hey, hey!
I'd sure hate to be you
I was young when i left home
An' I been out a-ramblin' round
An' I never wrote a letter to my home
To my home, lord, to my home
An' I never wrote a letter to my home.
It was just the other day
I was bringin' home my pay
When i met an' old friend i used to know
Said, "Your mother is dead an' gone
An' your sisters all gone wrong
An' your daddy needs you home right away.''
Not a shirt on my back
Not a penny on my name
But I can't go home this a-way
This a-way, lord, this a-way
An' I can't go home this a-way.
If you miss the train I'm on
Count the days I'm gone
You will hear that whistle blow hundred miles
Hundred miles, honey baby, lord, lord, lord
An' you'll hear that whistle blow hundred miles.
An' I'm playin' on a track, ma'd come an' woop me back
On them trusses down by Ol' Jim McKay's
When I pay the debt i own to the commissary store
I will pawn my watch an' chain an' go home
Go home, lord, lord, lord
I will pawn my watch an' chain an' go home.
Used to tell my ma sometimes
When I see them ridin' blind
Gonna make me a home out in the wind
In the wind, lord in the wind
Make me a home out in the wind.
I don't like it in the wind
I go back home again
But i can't go home this a-way
This a-way, lord, lord, lord
An' i can go home this a-way.
I was young when i left home
An' I been out a-ramblin' round
An' I never wrote a letter to my home
To my home, lord, to my home
Well, the rainman comes with his magic wand
And the judge says, "Mona can't have no bond."
And the walls collide, Mona cries,
And the rainman leaves in the wolfman's disguise.
I wanna be your lover, baby, I wanna be your man.
I wanna be your lover, baby,
I don't wanna be hers, I wanna be yours.
Well, the undertaker in his midnight suit
Says to the masked man, "Ain't you cute!"
Well, the mask man he gets up on the shelf
And he says, "You ain't so bad yourself."
I wanna be your lover, baby, I wanna be your man.
I wanna be your lover, baby,
I don't wanna be hers, I wanna be yours.
Well, jumpin' Judy can't go no higher.
She had bullets in her eyes, and they fire.
Rasputin he's so dignified,
He touched the back of her head an' he died.
I wanna be your lover, baby, I wanna be your man.
I wanna be your lover, baby,
I don't wanna be hers, I wanna be yours.
Well, Phaedra with her looking glass,
Stretchin' out upon the grass.
She gets all messed up and she faints?
That's 'cause she's so obvious and you ain't.
I wanna be your lover, baby, I wanna be your man.
I wanna be your lover, baby,
They say ev'rything can be replaced,
Yet ev'ry distance is not near.
So I remember ev'ry face
Of ev'ry man who put me here.
I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released.
They say ev'ry man needs protection,
They say ev'ry man must fall.
Yet I swear I see my reflection
Some place so high above this wall.
I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released.
Standing next to me in this lonely crowd,
Is a man who swears he's not to blame.
All day long I hear him shout so loud,
Crying out that he was framed.
I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east.
Any day now, any day now,
Crimson flames tied through my ears
Rollin' high and mighty traps
Pounced with fire on flaming roads
Using ideas as my maps
"We'll meet on edges, soon," said I
Proud 'neath heated brow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now.
Half-cracked prejudice leaped forth
"Rip down all hate," I screamed
Lies that life is black and white
Spoke from my skull, I dreamed
Romantic facts of musketeers
Foundationed deep, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now.
Girls' faces formed the forward path
From phony jealousy
To memorizing politics
Of ancient history
Flung down by corpse evangelists
Unthought of, thought, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now.
A self-ordained professor's tongue
Too serious to fool
Spouted out that liberty
Is just equality in school
"Equality," I spoke the word
As if a wedding vow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now.
In a soldier's stance, I aimed my hand
At the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not that I'd become my enemy
In the instant that I preach
My existence led by confusion boats
Mutiny from stern to bow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now.
Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats
Too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking
I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms
Quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
Well, I had to move fast
And I couldn't with you around my neck
I said I'd send for you and I did
What did you expect ?
My hands are sweating
And we haven't even started yet
I'll go along with the charade
Until I can think my way out
I know it was all a big joke
Whatever it was all about
Someday maybe
I'll remember to forget.
I'm gonna get my coat
I feel the breath of a storm
There's something I've got to do tonight
You go inside and stay warm.
Has anybody seen my love
Has anybody seen my love
Has anybody seen my love
I don't know
Has anybody seen my love ?
You want to talk to me
Go ahead and talk
Whatever you got to say to me
Won't come as any shock
I must be guilty of something
You just whisper it into my ear
Madame Butterfly
She lulled me to sleep
In a town without pity
Where the water runs deep
She said, "Be easy, baby
There aint nothing worth stealing in here".
You're the one I've been looking for
You're the one that's got the key
But I can't figure out whether I'm too good for you
Or, or you're too good for me. Has anybody seen my love
Has anybody seen my love
Has anybody seen my love
I don't know
Has anybody seen my love ?
Well, they're not showing any lights tonight
And there's no moon
There's just a hot-blooded singer
Singing 'Memphis in June'
And they're beating the devil out of a guy
Who's wearing a powder-blue wig
Later he'll be shot
For resisting arrest
I can still hear his voice crying
In the wilderness
What looks large from a distance
Close up ain't never that big.
I never could learn to drink that blood
And call it wine
I never could learn to hold you, love
And call you mine.
Has anybody seen my love
Has anybody seen my love
Has anybody seen my love
I don't know
There's an iron train a-travelin' that's been a-rollin' through the years,
With a firebox of hatred and a furnace full of fears.
If you ever heard its sound or seen its blood-red broken frame,
Then you heard my voice a-singin' and you know my name.
Did you ever stop to wonder 'bout the hatred that it holds?
Did you ever see its passengers, its crazy mixed-up souls?
Did you ever start a-thinkin' that you gotta stop that train?
Then you heard my voice a-singin' and you know my name.
Do you ever get tired of the preachin' sounds of fear
When they're hammered at your head and pounded in your ear?
Have you ever asked about it and not been answered plain?
Then you heard my voice a-singin' and you know my name.
I'm a-wonderin' if the leaders of the nations understand
This murder-minded world that they're leavin' in my hands.
Have you ever laid awake at night and wondered 'bout the same?
Then you heard my voice a-singin' and you know my name.
Have you ever had it on your lips or said it in your head
That the person standin' next to you just might be misled?
Does the raving of the maniacs make your insides go insane?
Then you've heard my voice a-singin' and you know my name.
Do the kill-crazy bandits and the haters get you down?
Does the preachin' and the politics spin your head around?
Does the burning of the buses give your heart a pain?
Then you heard my voice a-singin' and you know my name.
I got to know, Lord, when to pull back on the reins,
Death can be the result of the most underrated pain.
Satan whispers to ya, "Well, I don't want to bore ya,
But when ya get tired of the Miss So-and-so I got
another woman for ya."
Trouble in mind, Lord, trouble in mind,
Lord, take away this trouble in mind.
When the deeds that you do don't add up to zero,
It's what's inside that counts, ask any war hero.
You think you can hide but you're never alone,
Ask Lot what he thought when his wife turned to stone.
Trouble in mind, Lord, trouble in mind,
Lord, take away this trouble in mind.
Here comes Satan, prince of the power of the air,
He's gonna make you a law unto yourself, gonna build a
bird's nest in your hair.
He's gonna deaden your conscience 'til you worship the
work of your own hands,
You'll be serving strangers in a strange, forsaken
land.
Trouble in mind, Lord, trouble in mind,
Lord, take away this trouble in mind.
Well, your true love has caught you where you don't
belong,
You say, "Baby, everybody's doing it so I guess it
can't be wrong."
The truth is far from you, so you know you got to lie,
Then you're all the time defending what you can never
justify.
Trouble in mind, Lord, trouble in mind,
Lord, take away this trouble in mind.
So many of my brothers, they still want to be the boss,
They can't relate to the Lord's kingdom, they can't
relate to the cross.
They self-inflict punishment on their own broken lives,
Put their faith in their possessions, in their jobs or
their wives.
Trouble in mind, Lord, trouble in mind,
Lord, take away this trouble in mind.
When my life is over, it'll be like a puff of smoke,
How long must I suffer, Lord, how long must I be
provoked?
Satan will give you a little taste, then he'll move in
with rapid speed,
Lord keep my blind side covered and see that I don't
Instrumental
When I get off of this mountain
You know where I want to go
Straight down the Mississippi river
To the Gulf of Mexico
To Lake Charles, Louisiana
Little Bessie, a girl that I once knew
And she told me just to come on by
If there's anything she could do
{Refrain}
Up on Cripple Creek she sends me
If I spring a leak she mends me
I don't have to speak she defends me
A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one
Good luck had just stung me
To the race track I did go
She bet on one horse to win
And I bet on another to show
Odds were in my favor
I had him five to one
When that nag to win came around the track
Sure enough he had won
{Refrain}
I took up all of my winnings
And I gave my little Bessie half
And she tore it up and blew it in my face
Just for a laugh
Now there's one thing in the whole wide world
I sure would like to see
That's when that little love of mine
Dips her doughnut in my tea
{Refrain}
Now me and my mate were back at the shack
We had Spike Jones on the box
She said, "I can't take the way he sings
But I love to hear him talk"
Now that just gave my heart a fall
To the bottom of my feet
And I swore as I took another pull
My Bessie can't be beat
{Refrain}
Now, it's hot in California
And up north it's freezing cold
And this living off the road
Is getting pretty old
So I guess I'll call up my big mama
Tell her I'll be rolling in
Bet you know, deep down, I'm kinda tempted
To go and see my Bessie again
Everything went from bad to worse, money never changed a thing,
Death kept followin', trackin' us down, at least I heard your bluebird sing.
Now somebody's got to show their hand, time is an enemy,
I know you're long gone,
I guess it must be up to me.
If I'd thought about it I never would've done it, I guess I would've let it slide,
If I'd lived my life by what others were thinkin', the heart inside me would've died.
I was just too stubborn to ever be governed by enforced insanity,
Someone had to reach for the risin' star,
I guess it was up to me.
Oh, the Union Central is pullin' out and the orchids are in bloom,
I've only got me one good shirt left and it smells of stale perfume.
In fourteen months I've only smiled once and I didn't do it consciously,
Somebody's got to find your trail,
I guess it must be up to me.
It was like a revelation when you betrayed me with your touch,
I'd just about convinced myself that nothin' had changed that much.
The old Rounder in the iron mask slipped me the master key,
Somebody had to unlock your heart,
He said it was up to me.
Well, I watched you slowly disappear down into the officers' club,
I would've followed you in the door but I didn't have a ticket stub.
So I waited all night 'til the break of day, hopin' one of us could get free,
When the dawn came over the river bridge,
I knew it was up to me.
Oh, the only decent thing I did when I worked as a postal clerk
Was to haul your picture down off the wall near the cage where I used to work.
Was I a fool or not to try to protect your identity?
You looked a little burned out, my friend,
I thought it might be up to me.
Well, I met somebody face to face and I had to remove my hat,
She's everything I need and love but I can't be swayed by that.
It frightens me, the awful truth of how sweet life can be,
But she ain't a-gonna make me move,
I guess it must be up to me.
We heard the Sermon on the Mount and I knew it was too complex,
It didn't amount to anything more than what the broken glass reflects.
When you bite off more than you can chew you pay the penalty,
Somebody's got to tell the tale,
I guess it must be up to me.
Well, Dupree came in pimpin' tonight to the Thunderbird Cafe,
Crystal wanted to talk to him, I had to look the other way.
Well, I just can't rest without you, love, I need your company,
But you ain't a-gonna cross the line,
I guess it must be up to me.
There's a note left in the bottle, you can give it to Estelle,
She's the one you been wond'rin' about, but there's really nothin' much to tell.
We both heard voices for a while, now the rest is history,
Somebody's got to cry some tears,
I guess it must be up to me.
So go on, boys, and play your hands, life is a pantomime,
The ringleaders from the county seat say you don't have all that much time.
And the girl with me behind the shades, she ain't my property,
One of us has got to hit the road,
I guess it must be up to me.
And if we never meet again, baby, remember me,
How my lone guitar played sweet for you that old-time melody.
And the harmonica around my neck, I blew it for you, free,
No one else could play that tune,
Wade in the water
Wade in the water, children
Wade in the water
God's a-gonna trouble the water
God's a-gonna trouble the water.
Well, who are these children all dressed in red?
God's gonna trouble the water
Must be the children that Moses led
God's gonna trouble the water.
Wade in the water
Wade in the water, children
Wade in the water
God's a-gonna trouble the water
God's a-gonna trouble the water.
Well out of the mountain come fire an' smoke
God's gonna trouble the water
Jehovah, nobody but he could've spoke
God's gonna trouble the water.
Wade in the water, children
Wade in the water, children
Wade in the water
God's a-gonna trouble the water
God's a-gonna trouble the water.
Well, I'm walkin' down the highway an' the water's gettin' low
God's a-gonna trouble the water.
Walkin' down the highway, nowhere to go
God's a-gonna trouble the water.
Why doncha wade in the water
Wade in the water, children
Wade in the water
God's a-gonna troublin' the water
God's a-gonna troublin' the water.
Walk out if it doesn't feel right,
I can tell you're only lying.
If you got something better tonight,
Don't mess up my mind with your crying.
Walk out in the rain,
Walk out with your dreams,
Walk out of my life
If it doesn't feel right
And catch the next train.
Oh, darling, walk out in the rain.
I have come from so far away
Just to put a ring on your finger.
You've said all that you've got to say,
So please don't feel the need to linger.
Walk out in the rain,
Walk out with your dreams,
Walk out of my life
If it doesn't feel right
And catch the next train.
Oh, darling, walk out in the rain.
It's rainin' inside of the city,
My poor feet have walked 'til they're sore.
If you don't want my love, it's a pity,
I guess I can't see you no more.
Walk out in the rain,
Walk out with your dreams,
Walk out of my life
If it doesn't feel right
And catch the next train.
Oh, darling, walk out in the rain.
Well, I'm walkin' down the line,
I'm walkin' down the line
An' I'm walkin' down the line.
My feet'll be a-flyin'
To tell about my troubled mind.
I got a heavy-headed gal
I got a heavy-headed gal
I got a heavy-headed gal
She ain't feelin' well
When she's better only time will tell
Well, I'm walkin' down the line,
I'm walkin' down the line
An' I'm walkin' down the line.
My feet'll be a-flyin'
To tell about my troubled mind.
My money comes and goes
My money comes and goes
My money comes and goes
And rolls and flows and rolls and flows
Through the holes in the pockets in my clothes
Well, I'm walkin' down the line,
I'm walkin' down the line
An' I'm walkin' down the line.
My feet'll be a-flyin'
To tell about my troubled mind.
I see the morning light
I see the morning light
Well it's not because
I'm an early riser
I didn't go to sleep last night
Well, I'm walkin' down the line,
I'm walkin' down the line
An' I'm walkin' down the line.
My feet'll be a-flyin'
To tell about my troubled mind.
I got my walkin' shoes
I got my walkin' shoes
I got my walkin' shoes
An' I ain't a-gonna lose
I believe I got the walkin' blues
Well, I'm walkin' down the line,
I'm walkin' down the line
An' I'm walkin' down the line.
My feet'll be a-flyin'
Wallflower, wallflower
Won't you dance with me?
I'm sad and lonely too.
Wallflower, wallflower
Won't you dance with me?
I'm fallin' in love with you.
Just like you I'm wondrin' what I'm doin' here.
Just like you I'm wondrin' what's goin' on.
Wallflower, wallflower
Won't you dance with me?
The night will soon be gone.
I have seen you standing in the smoky haze
And I know that you're gonna be mine one of these days,
Mine alone.
Wallflower, wallflower
Take a chance on me.
Gypsy gal, the hands of Harlem
Cannot hold you to its heat
Your temperature's too hot for taming
Your flaming feet burn up the street
I am homeless, come and take me
To the reach of your rattling drums
Let me know, babe, all about my fortune
Down alone my restless palms.
Gypsy gal, you got me swallowed
I have fallen far beneath
Your pearly eyes, so fast an' slashing
An' your flashing diamond teeth
The night is pitch black, come an' make my
Pale face fit into place, ah, please!
Let me know, babe, I am nearly drowning
If it's you my lifelines trace.
I been wond'rin' all about me
Ever since I seen you there
On the cliffs of your wildcat charms I'm riding
I know I'm 'round you but I don't know where
You've slayed me, you have made me
I got to laugh halfways off my heels
I got to know, babe, will you surround me
There's an evening haze settling over town
Starlight by the edge of the creek
The buying power of the proletariat's gone down
Money's getting shallow and weak
Well, the place I love best is a sweet memory
It's a new path that we trod
They say low wages are a reality
If we want to compete abroad
My cruel weapons have been put on the shelf
Come sit down on my knee
You are dearer to me than myself
As you yourself can see
While I'm listening to the steel rails hum
Got both eyes tight shut
Just sitting here trying to keep the hunger from
Creeping it's way into my gut
Meet me at the bottom, don't lag behind
Bring me my boots and shoes
You can hang back or fight your best on the frontline
Sing a little bit of these workingman's blues
Well, I'm sailing on back, ready for the long haul
Tossed by the winds and the seas
I'll drag them all down to hell and I'll stand them at the wall
I'll sell them to their enemies
I'm trying to feed my soul with thought
Going to sleep off the rest of the day
Sometimes no one wants what we got
Sometimes you can't give it away
Now the place is ringed with countless foes
Some of them may be deaf and dumb
No man, no woman knows
The hour that sorrow will come
In the dark I hear the night birds call
I can feel a lover's breath
I sleep in the kitchen with my feet in the hall
Sleep is like a temporary death
Well, they burned my barn, and they stole my horse
I can't save a dime
I got to be careful, I don't want to be forced
Into a life of continual crime
I can see for myself that the sun is sinking
How I wish you were here to see
Tell me now, am I wrong in thinking
That you have forgotten me?
Now they worry and they hurry and they fuss and they fret
They waste your nights and days
Them I will forget
But you I'll remember always
Old memories of you to me have clung
You've wounded me with your words
Gonna have to straighten out your tongue
It's all true, everything you've heard
In you, my friend, I find no blame
Wanna look in my eyes, please do
No one can ever claim
That I took up arms against you
All across the peaceful sacred fields
They will lay you low
They'll break your horns and slash you with steel
I say it so it must be so
Now I'm down on my luck and I'm black and blue
Gonna give you another chance
I'm all alone and I'm expecting you
To lead me off in a cheerful dance
I got a brand new suit and a brand new wife
I can live on rice and beans
Some people never worked a day in their life
Well I got troubles, troubles on my mind
Yes, when I got those troubles, troubles on my mind
Well, I'm gonna forget my troubles, leave my troubles behind,
behind
I'm gonna swing it up
Swing down,
Grab my baby, and wind, wind, wind,
well, swing your troubles, swing your troubles away
Sleigh bells ring
Are you listening?
In the lane
Snow is glistening
A beautiful sight
We're happy tonight
Walking
In a winter wonderland
Gone away
Is the bluebird
Here to stay
Is a new bird
He sings a love song
As we go along
Walking
In a winter wonderland
In the meadow
We can build a snowman
And pretend
That he is Parson Brown
He'll say are you married?
We'll say No man
But you can do the job
When you're in town
Later on, we'll conspire
As we dream, by the fire
To face unafraid
The plans that we've made
Walking
In a winter wonderland
In the meadow
We can build a snowman
And pretend
That he's a circus clown
We'll have lots of fun
With Mr. Snowman
Until the other kids
Come knock him down
When it's cold
Ain't it thrilling
When your nose
Gets to chilling
We'll frolic and play
The eskimo way
Walking
In a winter wonderland
Walking
I never dreamed it could be
A someone made just for me.
When I'm letting her have her way,
I'm here to see what she has to say.
Aw, the poor girl always wins the day.
I'm stayin' ahead of the game,
And she's a-doin' the same,
And the whiskey flyin' into my head.
The fiddler's arm has gone dead,
And talk is beginning to spread
When did our love go bad?
Whatever happened to the best friend that I had?
It's been so long since I held you tight
Been so long since we said goodnight.
The taste of tears is bittersweet.
When you're near me, my heart forgets to beat.
You're there every night
Among the good and the true,
And I'll be around, waitin' for you.
Well, the king of them all
Is starting to fall.
I lost my gal at the boatman's ball.
The night has a thousand hearts and eyes.
Hope may vanish, but it never dies.
I'll see you tomorrow when freedom rings.
I'm gonna stay on top of things.
It's the middle of summer,
And the moon is blue.
And I'll be around, waitin' for you.
Another deal gone down,
Another man done gone.
You put up with it all, and you carry on.
Something holding you back,
But you'll come through.
I'd bet the world and everything in it on you.
Happiness is but a state of mind.
Anytime you want, you can cross the state line.
You don't need to be rich
or well-to-do,
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the shadow comes under your door.
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the shadow comes under your door.
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the shadow comes under your door.
O Lord, O Lord,
What shall you do?
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the devil calls your cards.
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the devil calls your cards.
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the devil calls your cards.
O Lord, O Lord,
What shall you do?
Tell me what you're gonna do
When your water turns to wine.
Tell me what you're gonna do
When your water turns to wine.
Tell me what you're gonna do
When your water turns to wine.
O Lord, O Lord,
What should you do?
Tell me what you're gonna do
When you can't play God no more.
Tell me what you're gonna do
When you can't play God no more.
Tell me what you're gonna do
When you can't play God no more.
O Lord, O Lord,
What shall you do?
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the shadow comes creepin' in your room.
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the shadow comes creepin' in your room.
Tell me what you're gonna do
When the shadow comes creepin' in your room.
O Lord, O Lord,
'Twas down in Mississippi no so long ago,
When a young boy from Chicago town stepped through a Southern door.
This boy's dreadful tragedy I can still remember well,
The color of his skin was black and his name was Emmett Till.
Some men they dragged him to a barn and there they beat him up.
They said they had a reason, but I can't remember what.
They tortured him and did some evil things too evil to repeat.
There was screaming sounds inside the barn, there was laughing sounds out on the street.
Then they rolled his body down a gulf amidst a bloody red rain
And they threw him in the waters wide to cease his screaming pain.
The reason that they killed him there, and I'm sure it ain't no lie,
Was just for the fun of killin' him and to watch him slowly die.
And then to stop the United States of yelling for a trial,
Two brothers they confessed that they had killed poor Emmett Till.
But on the jury there were men who helped the brothers commit this awful crime,
And so this trial was a mockery, but nobody seemed to mind.
I saw the morning papers but I could not bear to see
The smiling brothers walkin' down the courthouse stairs.
For the jury found them innocent and the brothers they went free,
While Emmett's body floats the foam of a Jim Crow southern sea.
If you can't speak out against this kind of thing, a crime that's so unjust,
Your eyes are filled with dead men's dirt, your mind is filled with dust.
Your arms and legs they must be in shackles and chains, and your blood it must refuse to flow,
For you let this human race fall down so God-awful low!
This song is just a reminder to remind your fellow man
That this kind of thing still lives today in that ghost-robed Ku Klux Klan.
But if all of us folks that thinks alike, if we gave all we could give,
We could make this great land of ours a greater place to live.
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
I paid fifteen million dollars, twelve hundred and seventy-two cents
I paid one thousand two hundred twenty-seven dollars and fifty-five cents
See my hound dog bite a rabbit
And my football's sittin' on a barbed-wire fence
Well, my temperature rises and my feet don't walk so fast
Yes, my temperature rises and my feet don't walk so fast
Well, this Arabian doctor came in, gave me a shot
But wouldn't tell me if what I had would last
Well, this woman I've got, she's filling me with her drive
Yes, this woman I've got, she's thrillin' me with her hive
She's calling me Stan
Or else she calls me Mister Clive
Of course, you're gonna think this song is a riff
I know you're gonna think this song is a cliff
Unless you've been inside a tunnel
And fell down 69, 70 feet over a barbed-wire fence
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!
Would you please welcome Columbia recording artist Bob Dylan.
Glory, glory, glory, somebody touched me,
Glory, glory, glory, somebody touched me,
Glory, glory, glory, somebody touched me,
Must have been the hand of the lord.
While I was praying, somebody touched me,
While I was praying, somebody touched me,
While I was praying, somebody touched me,
Must have been the hand of the lord.
Glory, glory, glory, somebody touched me,
Glory, glory, glory, somebody touched me,
Glory, glory, glory, somebody touched me,
Must have been the hand of the lord.
Well, it was on a Sunday, somebody touched me,
It was on a Sunday, somebody touched me,
It was on a Sunday, somebody touched me,
Must have been the hand of the lord.
Glory, glory, glory, somebody touched me,
Glory, glory, glory, somebody touched me,
Glory, glory, glory, somebody touched me,
They say "Drink and be merry,
Take the bull by the horns."
I keep seeing visions of you, a lily among thorns
Everything looks a little far away to me
Gettin' harder and harder to recognize the trap
Too much information about nothin'
Too much educated rap
It's just like you told me, just like you said it would be
The moon rising like wildfire
I feel the breath of a storm
Something I got to do tonight
You go inside and stay warm
Someone's got a hold of my heart
Someone's got a hold of my heart
Someone's got a hold of my heart
You-
Yeah, you got a hold of my heart
Just got back from a city of powder blue skies
Everybody thinks with their stomach
There's plenty of spies
Every street is crooked, they just wind around till they disappear
Madame Butterfly, she lulls me to sleep
Like an ancient river
So wide and deep
She said, "Be easy, baby, ain't nothin' worth stealin' here"
You're the one I've been waitin' for
You're the one I desire
But you must first realize
I'm not another man for hire
Someone's got a hold of my heart
Someone's got a hold of my heart
Someone's got a hold of my heart
You, you, you, you
Yeah, you got a hold of my heart
I hear the hot-blooded singer
On the bandstand croon
September Song, Memphis in June
While they're beating the devil out of a guy who's wearing a flaming red wig
I been to Babylon
I gotta confess
I can still hear that voice crying in the wilderness
What looks large from a distance, close up is never that big
Never could learn to drink that blood and call it wine
Never could learn to look at your face and call it mine.
Someone's got a hold of my heart
Someone's got a hold of my heart
Someone's got a hold of my heart
You-
Now deep in the heart of a lonely kid
Who suffered so much for what he did,
They gave this ploughboy his fortune and fame,
Since that day he ain't been the same.
See the man with the stage fright
Just standin' up there to give it all his might.
And he got caught in the spotlight,
But when we get to the end
He wants to start all over again.
I've got fire water right on my breath
And the doctor warned me I might catch a death.
Said, "You can make it in your disguise,
Just never show the fear that's in your eyes."
See the man with the stage fright,
Just standin' up there to give it all his might.
He got caught in the spotlight,
But when we get to the end
He wants to start all over again.
Now if he says that he's afraid,
Take him at his word.
And for the price that the poor boy has paid,
He gets to sing just like a bird, oh, ooh ooh ooh.
Your brow is sweatin' and your mouth gets dry,
Fancy people go driftin' by.
The moment of truth is right at hand,
Just one more nightmare you can stand.
See the man with the stage fright
Just standin' up there to give it all his might.
And he got caught in the spotlight,
But when we get to the end
He wants to start all over again, hmm hmm,
You wanna try it once again, hmm hmm,
Please don't make him stop, hmm hmm,
Let him take it from the top, hmm hmm,
In the night I hear you speak
Turn around, you're in my sleep
Feel your hands inside your soul
You're holding on and won't let go
I've tried running but there's no escape
Can't bend them, and (I know) I just can't break these...
Steel bars, wrapped all around me
I've been your prisoner since the day you found me
I'm bound forever, till the end of time
Steel bars wrapped around this heart of mine
Trying hard to recognize
See the face behind the eyes
Feel your haunting ways like chains
'Round my heart they still remain
I'm still running, but there's nowhere to hide
My love for you has got me locked up inside these...
Steel bars, wrapped all around me
I've been your prisoner since the day you found me
I'm bound forever, till the end of time
Steel bars wrapped around this heart of mine
And with every step I take
Every desperate move I make
It's clear to me
What can all my living mean
When time itself is so obscene
When time itself don't mean a thing
I'm still loving you
Steel bars, wrapped all around me
I've been your prisoner since the day you found me
I'm bound forever, till the end of time
Steel bars wrapped around this heart of mine
Well I don’t know why I came here tonight.
I’ve got the feeling that something ain’t right.
I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair,
and I’m wondering how I’ll get down the stairs.
Clowns to the left of me!
Jokers to the right!
Here I am stuck in the middle with you.
Yes I’m stuck in the middle with you,
and I’m wondering what it is I should do.
It’s so hard to keep this smile from my face.
Losing control yeah I'm all over the place.
Clowns to the left of me!
Jokers to the right!
Here I am stuck in the middle with you.
Well you started off with nothing
and you’re proud that you're a self-made man
yeah
and your friends they all come crawling,
slap you on the back and say
Please . . .
Please . . .
Trying to make some sense of it all
but I can see that it makes no sense at all.
Is it cool to go to sleep on the floor?
I don’t think that I can take anymore.
Clowns to the left of me!
Jokers to the right!
Here I am stuck in the middle with you.
Stuck in the middle
Stuck in the middle
Clowns to the left of me!
Jokers to the right!
Clowns to the left of me!
Jokers to the right! (Stuck in the middle)
Clowns to the left of me!
Jokers to the right! (Stuck in the middle)
Clowns to the left of me!
Jokers to the right! (uh-uh)
Clowns to the left of me!
Jokers to the right!
Here I am stuck in the middle with you
Well you started off with nothing
and you’re proud that your a self-made man.
ah-ah yeah
Now your friends they all come crawling,
slap you on the back and say
Please . . .
Please . . .
Well I don’t know why I came here tonight.
I’ve got the feeling that something ain’t right.
I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair,
and I’m wondering how I’ll get down the stairs.
Clowns to the left of me!
Jokers to the right!
Here I am stuck in the middle with you.
Stuck in the middle with you (ah-yeah)
Stuck in the middle with you
Here I am!
Stuck in the middle with you
With you, with you, with you ....
Oh, the ragman draws circles
Up and down the block
I'd ask him what the matter was
But I know that he don't talk
And the ladies treat me kindly
And furnish me with tape
But deep inside my heart
I know I can't escape
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Well Shakespeare he's in the alley
With his pointed shoes and his bells
Speaking to some French girl
Who says she knows me well
And I would send a message
To find out if she's talked
But the post office has been stolen
And the mailbox is locked
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Mona tried to tell me
To stay away from the train line
She said that all the railroad men
Just drink up your blood like wine
And I said "Oh I didn't know that
But then again there's only one I've met
And he just smoked my eyelids
And punched my cigarette"
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Grandpa died last week
And now he's buried in the rocks
But everybody still talks about
How badly they were shocked
But me, I expected it to happen
I knew he'd lost control
When he built a fire on Main Street
And shot it full of holes
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the senator came down here
Showing ev'ryone his gun
Handing out free tickets
To the wedding of his son
And me, I nearly get bursted
And wouldn't it be my luck
To get caught without a ticket
And be discovered beneath a truck
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the preacher looked so baffled
When I asked him why he dressed
With twenty pounds of headlines
Stapled to his chest
But he cursed me when I proved it to him
Then I whispered, "Not even you can hide
You see, you're just like me
I hope you're satisfied"
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the rainman gave me two cures
Then he said, "Jump right in"
The one was Texas medicine
The other was just railroad gin
And like a fool I mixed them
And it strangled up my mind
And now, people just get uglier
And I have no sense of time
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
When Ruthie says come see her
In her honky-tonk lagoon
Where I can watch her waltz for free
'Neath her Panamanian moon
And I say, "Aw come on now
You know you know about my debutante"
And she says, "Your debutante just knows what you need
But I know what you want"
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the bricks lay on Grand Street
Where the neon madmen climb
They all fall there so perfectly
It all seems so well timed
And here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice
Oh, Mama, is this really the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
Instrumental
Here's a foreign song I learned in Utah?BR Ha-va-ne-gei-lah
O-de-ley-e-e-oo-
Well, I was feelin' sad and kind of blue
I didn't know what I was gonna do
The Communists were comin' around
They was in the air, they were on the ground
They were all over
So I ran down most hurriedly
And joined the John Birch Society
I got me a secret membership card
Went back to my backyard
And started looking on the sidewalk
'Neath the rose bush
Well, I was lookin' everywhere for them gold darned Reds
I got up in the mornin' and looked under my bed
Looked behind the kitchen, behind the door
Even tore loose the kitchen floor, couldn't find any
I looked beneath the sofa, beneath the chair
Looking for them Reds everywhere
I looked way up my chimney hole
Even looked deep inside my toilet bowl
They got away
I heard some footsteps by the front porch door
So I grabbed my shotgun from the floor
I snuck around the house with a huff and hiss and
"Hands up, you Communist" it was a mail man
He punched me out
Well, I quit my job so I could work alone
I got a magnifying glass like Sherlock Holmes
Followed some clues from my detective bag
And discovered they was red stripes on the American flag
Did you know about Betsy Ross
Well, I was sittin' home alone and I started to sweat
I figured they was in my television set
I peeked behind the picture frame
And got a shock from my feet that hit my brain
Them Reds did it, no one's on the hootin' nanny
Well, I finally started thinkin' straight
When I run outta things to investigate
I couldn't imagine doin' anything else
So now I'm at home investigatin' myself
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
No, I aint gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Well, I wake up in the morning
Fold my hands and pray for rain
I got a head full of ideas
That are drivin' me insane
It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
No, I aint gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
Well, he hands you a nickel
He hands you a dime
He asks you with a grin
If you're havin' a good time
Then he fines you every time you slam the door
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
No, I aint gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
Well, he puts his cigar
Out in your face just for kicks
His bedroom window
It is made out of bricks
The National Guard stands around his door
Ah, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
Well, when she talks to all the servants
About man and God and law
Everybody says
She's the brains behind pa
She's sixty-eight, but she says she's twenty-four
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
I aint gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Well, I try my best
To be just like I am
But everybody wants you
To be just like them
They say sing while you slave and I just get bored
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
Darkness at the break of noon
Shadows even the silver spoon
The handmade blade, the child's balloon
Eclipses both the sun and moon
To understand you know too soon
There is no sense in trying.
Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn
Suicide remarks are torn
From the fools gold mouthpiece
The hollow horn plays wasted words
Proved to warn
That he not busy being born
Is busy dying.
Temptation's page flies out the door
You follow, find yourself at war
Watch waterfalls of pity roar
You feel to moan but unlike before
You discover
That you'd just be
One more person crying.
So don't fear if you hear
A foreign sound to you ear
It's alright, Ma, I'm only sighing.
As some warn victory, some downfall
Private reasons great or small
Can be seen in the eyes of those that call
To make all that should be killed to crawl
While others say don't hate nothing at all
Except hatred.
Disillusioned words like bullets bark
As human gods aim for their marks
Made everything from toy guns that sparks
To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark
It's easy to see without looking too far
That not much
Is really sacred.
While preachers preach of evil fates
Teachers teach that knowledge waits
Can lead to hundred-dollar plates
Goodness hides behind its gates
But even the President of the United States
Sometimes must have
To stand naked.
An' though the rules of the road have been lodged
It's only people's games that you got to dodge
And it's alright, Ma, I can make it.
Advertising signs that con you
Into thinking you're the one
That can do what's never been done
That can win what's never been won
Meantime life outside goes on
All around you.
You loose yourself, you reappear
You suddenly find you got nothing to fear
Alone you stand without nobody near
When a trembling distant voice, unclear
Startles your sleeping ears to hear
That somebody thinks
They really found you.
A question in your nerves is lit
Yet you know there is no answer fit to satisfy
Insure you not to quit
To keep it in your mind and not forget
That it is not he or she or them or it
That you belong to.
Although the masters make the rules
For the wise men and the fools
I got nothing, Ma, to live up to.
For them that must obey authority
That they do not respect in any degree
Who despite their jobs, their destinies
Speak jealously of them that are free
Cultivate their flowers to be
Nothing more than something
They invest in.
While some on principles baptized
To strict party platforms ties
Social clubs in drag disguise
Outsiders they can freely criticize
Tell nothing except who to idolize
And then say God Bless him.
While one who sings with his tongue on fire
Gargles in the rat race choir
Bent out of shape from society's pliers
Cares not to come up any higher
But rather get you down in the hole
That he's in.
But I mean no harm nor put fault
On anyone that lives in a vault
But it's alright, Ma, if I can't please him.
Old lady judges, watch people in pairs
Limited in sex, they dare
To push fake morals, insult and stare
While money doesn't talk, it swears
Obscenity, who really cares
Propaganda, all is phony.
While them that defend what they cannot see
With a killer's pride, security
It blows the minds most bitterly
For them that think death's honesty
Won't fall upon them naturally
Life sometimes
Must get lonely.
My eyes collide head-on with stuffed graveyards
False gods, I scuff
At pettiness which plays so rough
Walk upside-down inside handcuffs
Kick my legs to crash it off
Say okay, I have had enough
What else can you show me ?
And if my thought-dreams could been seen
They'd probably put my head in a guillotine
But it's alright, Ma, it's life, and life only.
By and by, I'm breathin' a lover's sigh
While I'm sittin' on my watch so I can be on time
I'm singin' love's praises with sugar coated rhyme
By and by, on you I'm castin' my eye
I'm paintin' the town, swingin' my partner around
Well I know who I can depend on, I know who to trust
I'm watchin' the boats, I'm studyin' the dust
I'm paintin' the town, makin' my last go-round
While I'm scufflin' and I'm shufflin' and I'm walkin' on briars
I'm not even aquainted with my old desires
I'm rollin' slow, I'm doin' all I know
I'm tellin' myself I've found true happiness
That I still got a dream that hasn't been repossessed
I'm rollin' slow goin' where the wild roses grow
Well, the future is already a thing of the past
You were my first love and you will be my last
Papa gone mad, Mama she's feelin' sad
Well, I'm gonna baptize you in fire so you can sin no more
I wanna establish my rule through civil war
Gonna make you see just how loyal and true a man can be.
They say ev'rything can be replaced,
Yet ev'ry distance is not near.
So I remember ev'ry face
Of ev'ry man who put me here.
I see my light come shining
From the west down to the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released.
They say ev'ry man needs protection,
They say ev'ry man must fall.
Yet I swear I see my reflection
Some place so high above this wall.
I see my light come shining
From the west down to the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released.
Standing next to me in this lonely crowd,
Is a man who swears he's not to blame.
All day long I hear him shout so loud,
Crying out that he was framed.
I see my light come shining
From the west down to the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released.
Oh, fare thee well, my own true love, fare thee well but for a while
The ship is waiting and the wind blows high
And I am bound away for the sea, Mary Ann.
Ten thousand miles away from home, ten thousand miles or more
The sea may freeze and the earth may burn
If I never nomore return to you, Mary Ann.
Oh, don't you see that crow fly high, she'll surely turn to white
If never I prove false to you
Let the day turn to night, my dear, Mary Ann.
If I had a flask of gin and sugar here for two
And a great big bowl for two to mix it in
I'd pour a drink for you my dear, Mary Ann
Yes, I'd pour a drink for you my dear, Mary Ann.
I'll remember you
When I've forgotten all the rest
You to me were true
You to me were the best
When there is no more
You cut to the core
Quicker than anyone I knew
When I'm all alone
In the great unknown
I'll remember you.
I'll remember you
At the end of the trail
I had so much left to do
I had so little time to fail
There's some people that
You don't forget
Even though you've only seen'm
One time or two
When the roses fade
And I'm in the shade
I'll remember you.
Didn't I, didn't I try to love you ?
Didn't I, didn't I try to care ?
Didn't I sleep, didn't I weep beside you
With the rain blowing in your hair.
I'll remember you
When the wind blows through the piney wood
It was you who came right through
It was you who understood
Though I'd never say
That I done it the way
That you'd have liked me to
In the end
My dear sweet friend
I'll remember you.
Standing on the water, casting your bread
While the eyes of the idol with the iron head are glowing
Distant ships sailing into the mist
You were born with a snake in both of your fists while a hurricane was blowing
Freedom just around the corner for you
But with truth so far off, what good will it do.
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.
So swiftly the sun sets in the sky
You rise up and say goodbye to no one
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
Both of their futures, so full of dread, you don't show one
Shedding off one more layer of skin
Keeping one step ahead of the persecutor within.
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.
You're a man of the mountain, you can walk on the clouds
Manipulator of crowds, you're a dream twister
You're going to Sodom and Gomorrah
But what do you care ? Ain't nobody there would want marry your sister
Friend to the martyr, a friend to the woman of shame
You look into the fiery furnace, see the rich man without any name.
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.
Well, the Book of Leviticus and Deuteronomy
The law of the jungle and the sea are your only teachers
In the smoke of the twilight on a milk-white steed
Michelangeo indeed could've carved out your features
Resting in the fields, far from the turbulent space
Half asleep near the stars with a small dog licking your face.
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.
Well, the rifleman's stalking the sick and the lame
Preacherman seeks the same, who'll get there first is uncertain
Nightsticks and water cannons, tear gas, padlocks
Molotow cocktails and rocks behind every curtain
False-hearted judges dying in the webs that they spin
Only a matter of time 'til the night comes stepping in.
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.
It's a shadowy world, skies are slippery gray
A woman just gave birth to a prince today and dressed him in scarlet
He'll put the priest in his pocket, put the blade to the heat
Take the motherless children off the street
And place them at the feet of a harlot
Oh, Jokerman, you know what he wants
Oh, Jokerman, you don't show any response.
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.
I will not go down under the ground
"Cause somebody tells me that death's comin' 'round
An' I will not carry myself down to die
When I go to my grave my head will be high,
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
There's been rumors of war and wars that have been
The meaning of the life has been lost in the wind
And some people thinkin' that the end is close by
"Stead of learnin' to live they are learning to die.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
I don't know if I'm smart but I think I can see
When someone is pullin' the wool over me
And if this war comes and death's all around
Let me die on this land 'fore I die underground.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
There's always been people that have to cause fear
They've been talking of the war now for many long years
I have read all their statements and I've not said a
word
But now Lawd God, let my poor voice be heard.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
If I had rubies and riches and crowns
I'd buy the whole world and change things around
I'd throw all the guns and the tanks in the sea
For they are mistakes of a past history.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
Let me drink from the waters where the mountain streams
flood
Let me smell of wildflowers flow free through my blood
Let me sleep in your meadows with the green grassy
leaves
Let me walk down the highway with my brother in peace.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.
Go out in your country where the land meets the sun
See the craters and the canyons where the waterfalls
run
Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho
Let every state in this union seep in your souls.
And you'll die in your footsteps
Before you go down under the ground.
Well, I'm standin' on the highway
Tryin' to bum a ride, tryin' to bum a ride,
Tryin' to bum a ride.
Well, I'm standin' on the highway
Tryin' to bum a ride, tryin' to bum a ride,
Tryin' to bum a ride.
Nobody seem to know me,
Everybody pass me by.
Well, I'm standin' on the highway
Tryin' to hold up, tryin' to hold up,
Tryin to hold up and be brave.
Well, I'm standin' on the highway
Tryin' to hold up, tryin to hold up and be brave.
One roads goin' to the bright lights,
The others goin' down to my grave.
Well, I'm lookin' down at two card,
They seem to be handmade.
Well, I'm lookin' down at two card,
They seem to be handmade.
One looks like it's the ace of diamonds,
The other looks like it is the ace of spades.
Well, I'm standin' on the highway
Watchin' my life roll by.
Well, I'm standin' on the highway
Watchin' my life roll by.
Well, I'm standin' on the highway
Tryin' to bum a ride.
Well, I'm standin' on the highway
Wonderin' where everybody went, wonderin' where
everybody went,
Wonderin' where everybody went.
Well, I'm standin' on the highway
Wonderin' where everybody went, wonderin' where
everybody went,
Wonderin' where everybody went.
Please mister, pick me up,
I swear I ain't gonna kill nobody's kids.
I wonder if my good gal,
I wonder if she knows I'm here,
Nobody else seems to know I'm here.
I wonder if my good gal,
I wonder if she knows I'm here,
Nobody else seems to know I'm here.
If she knows I'm here, Lawd,
Come all you lads of high renown
that will hear of a fair young maiden
And she roved out on a summer's day
for to view the soldier's parading
They march so bold and they look so gay
The colours fine and the bands did play
And it caused young Mary for to say
"I'll wed you me gallant soldier"
She viewed the soldiers on parade and as they stood at
their leisure
And Mary to herself did say: "At last I find my
treasure
But oh how cruel my parents must be
To banish my true love away from me
Well I'll leave them all and I'll go with thee
Me bold and undaunted soldier"
"Oh Mary dear, your parents' love I pray don't be
unruly
For when you're in a foreign land, believe you rue it
surely
Perhaps in battle I might fall
From a shot from an angry cannonball
And you're so far from your daddy's hall
Be advised by a gallant soldier."
"Oh I have fifty guineas in right gold, likewise a
hearth that's burning
And I'd leave them all and I'd go with you me bold
undaunted soldier
So don't say no but let me go
And I will face the daring foe
And we'll march together to and fro
And I'll wed you, my gallant soldier"
And when he saw her loyalty and Mary so true-hearted
He said: "Me darling, married we'll be and nothing but
death will part us
And when we're in a foreign land
I'll guard you, darling, with my right hand
And hopes that God might stand a friend
Well, I ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
And ain't a-gonna grieve no more.
Come on brother, join the band,
Come on sisters, clap your hands,
Tell everybody that's in the land,
You ain't a-gonna grieve no more.
Well, I ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
And ain't a-gonna grieve no more.
Brown and blue and white and black,
All one color on the one-way track,
We got this far and ain't a-goin' back
And ain't a-gonna grieve no more.
Well, I ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
I ain't a-gonna grieve no more.
We're gonna notify your next of kin,
You're gonna raise the roof until the house falls in.
If you get knocked down get up again,
We ain't a-gonna grieve no more.
Well, I ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
I ain't a-gonna grieve no more.
We'll sing this song all night long,
Sing it to my baby from midnight on.
She'll sing it to you when I'm dead and gone,
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more.
Well, I ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
Ain't a-gonna grieve no more, no more
There's guns across the river about to pound you
There's a lawman on your trail like to surround you
Bounty hunters are dancing all around you
Billy, they don't like you to be so free.
Camping out all night on the veranda
Walking in the streets down by the hacienda
Up to Boot Hill the like to send you
Billy, don't you turn your back on me.
There's mills inside the minds of crazy faces
Bullet holes and rifles in their cases
There is always one more notch in four more aces
Billy, and you're playing all alone.
Playing around with some sweet signorita
Into her dark chamber she will greet you
In the shadows of the maizes she will lead you
Billy, and you're going all alone.
They say that Pat Garrett's got your number
So sleep with one eye open, when you wander
Every little sound just might be thunder
Thunder from the barrel of his gun.
There's always another stranger sneaking glances
Some trigger-happy fool willing to take chances
Some old whore from San Pedro'll make advances
Advances on your spirit and your soul.
The businessmen from Taos want you to go down
So they've hired mister Garrett, he'll force you to slow down
Billy, don't let it make you feel so low down
To be hunted by the man who was your friend.
So hang on to your woman, if you got one
Remember in El Paso once you shot one
I'll be in Santa Fe about one
Billy, you've been running for so long.
Gypsy queens will play your grand finale
Way down in some Tularosa alley
Maybe in La Rio Pecas valley
Billy, you're so far away from home
Oh well, I love you, pretty baby
You're the only love I've ever known
Just as long as you stay with me
The whole world is my throne
Beyond here lies nothin'
Nothin' we can call our own
Well, I'm movin' after midnight
Down boulevards of broken cars
Don't know what I'd do without it
Without this love that we call ours
Beyond here lies nothin'
Nothin' but the moon and stars
Down every street there's a window
And every window's made of glass
We'll keep on lovin', pretty baby
For as long as love will last
Beyond here lies nothin'
But the mountains of the past
Well, my ship is in the harbor
And the sails are spread
Listen to me, pretty baby
Lay your hand upon my head
Beyond here lies nothin',
There's a place, so I been told,
Every street is paved with gold,
And it's just across the borderline.
When it's time to take your turn,
There's a lesson you must learn:
You could lose more than you ever hope to find.
And when you reach that broken-promise land,
All your dreams flow through your hands.
You will know it's too late to change your mind.
You paid the price to come so far,
Just you wind up where you are,
And you're still just across that borderline.
Up and down the Rio Grande,
A thousand footprints in the sand
Reveal a secret no one can define.
That river rolls on like a breath
In between my life and death.
Tell me, who is next to cross that borderline.
And when you reach that broken-promise land,
And all your dreams flow through your hand.
You know it's too late to change your mind.
'Cause you paid the price to come so far,
Just you wind up where you are,
And you're still just across that borderline.
Yeah, you're still just just across that borderline,
Well, you're still just across that borderline,
I can manipulate people as well as anybody
Force 'em and burn 'em, twist 'em and turn 'em
I can make believe I'm in love with almost anybody
Hold 'em and control 'em, squeeze 'em and tease 'em
All that satisfies the fleshy needs
I've been down that road, i know what it needs.
But I ain't gonna go to hell for anybody
I ain't gonna go to hell for anybody
I ain't gonna go to hell for anybody
Not today, not tonight, not tomorrow, no never, no way!
I can persuade people as well as anybody
I got the vision but it caused division
I can twist the truth as well as anybody
I know how to do it, i've been all the way through it
But it don't suit my purpose and it ain't my goal
To gain the whole world, but give up my soul.
But I ain't gonna go to hell for anybody
I ain't gonna go to hell for anybody
I ain't gonna go to hell for anybody
Not for father, not for mother, not for sister, not for
father, no way!
I can twist the truth around as well as anybody
Wine 'em and dine 'em, fool 'em and rule 'em
I can rob and steal from people as well as anybody
I know how to do it
But it don't suit my purpose and it ain't my goal
To gain the whole world but give up my soul.
But I ain't gonna go to hell for anybody
I ain't gonna go to hell for anybody
I ain't gonna go to hell for anybody
Not for father, not for mother, not for sister, not for
father, no way!
Smoke arises for ever, on a one-way ticket to burn
A place reserved for the devil
And for all those that done evil
A place of darkness and shame, you can never return.
I can influence people as well as anybody
I can cause division, can cause division
I can mislead people as well as anybody
Burn 'em and roll 'em, rob 'em and hold 'em
Won't get my story in tricks or cards
I can see through man's delusions, i can see through
his facades.
But I ain't gonna go to hell for anybody
I ain't gonna go to hell for anybody
I ain't gonna go to hell for anybody
Not today, not tonight, not tomorrow, no never, no way!
I can write and steal from people as well as anybody
Know all the devices, paid a lot of prices
I can influence people as well as anybody
Go right up to 'em, i know how to do 'em
Don't need to depend on tricks or on cards
I can see through man's delusions, I can see through
his facades
But I ain't gonna go to hell for anybody
I ain't gonna go to hell for anybody
I ain't gonna go to hell for anybody
When I want you in my arms
When I want you and all your charms
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is dream
Dream, dream, dream
When I feel blue in the night
And I want you to hold me tight
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is dream
I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine
Anytime night or day
Only trouble is, gee whiz
I'm dreamin' my life away
I need you so that I could die
I love you so and that is why
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is dream
Dream, dream, dream, dream
Dream, dream
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is dream
I need you so that I could die
I love you so and that is why
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is dream
Dream, dream, dream, dream
Dream, dream
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is dream
Dream, dream, dream
You had not've fallen then I would not've found you
Angel flying too close to the ground
And I patched up your broken wing and hung around awhile
Trying to keep your spirits up and your fever down
I knew someday that you would fly away for love's the
greatest healer to be found
So leave me if you need to I will still remember angel
flying too close to the ground
[ guitar ]
Fly on fly on past the speed of sound I'd rather see you
up than see you down
So leave me if you need to I will still remember angel
flying too close to the ground
So leave me if you need to I will still remember angel
It rained five days
The sky has turned black as night
Oh, it rained five days
And the sky has turned black as night
And there's trouble takin' place
Way down in the lowlands tonight
I woke up this mornin'
And I couldn't get out of my front door
I woke up this mornin'
And I couldn't get out of my front door
It was so much trouble
Make a poor man wonder where he wanna go
They rowed a little boat
About five miles 'cross the pond
They rowed a little boat
About five miles 'cross the pond
I packed up all of my things and threw 'em in
Boys and the boat rowed along
I climbed up on the high lonely hill
Oh, I climbed up on the high oh, lonely hill
And I looked down at the house
Baby, where I used to live
Backwater blues caused me
To pack my things and go
The backwater blues caused me
To pack my things and go
'Cause my house fell down
And I can't live there no more
Yeah, when it's thunderin' and lightnin'
And the rain begin to pour
When it's thunderin' and lightnin'
And the wind begin to blow
There are so many poor people
Twas in the merry month of May
When green buds all were swelling,
Sweet William on his death bed lay
For love of Barbara Allen.
He sent his servant to the town
To the place where she was dwelling,
Saying you must come, to my master dear
If your name be Barbara Allen.
So slowly, slowly she got up
And slowly she drew nigh him,
And the only words to him did say
Young man I think you're dying.
He turned his face unto the wall
And death was in him welling,
Good-bye, good-bye, to my friends all
Be good to Barbara Allen.
When he was dead and laid in grave
She heard the death bells knelling
And every stroke to her did say
Hard hearted Barbara Allen.
Oh mother, oh mother go dig my grave
Make it both long and narrow,
Sweet William died of love for me
And I will die of sorrow.
And father, oh father, go dig my grave
Make it both long and narrow,
Sweet William died on yesterday
And I will die tomorrow.
Barbara Allen was buried in the old churchyard
Sweet William was buried beside her,
Out of sweet William's heart, there grew a rose
Out of Barbara Allen's a briar.
They grew and grew in the old churchyard
Till they could grow no higher
At the end they formed, a true lover's knot
Now I taught the weeping willow how to cry, cry, cry
I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky.
And the tears that I cried for that woman
And I'm gonna flood you Big River.
And I'm gonna sit right here until I die.
I met her accidentally in St. Paul (Minnesota).
And it tore me up every time I heard her drawl
Southern drawl.
Then I heard my dream was back Downstream cavortin' in
Davenport
And I followed you Big River when you called.
Then you took me to St. Louis later on down the river.
A freighter said she's been here but she's gone boy
she's gone.
I found her trail in Memphis but she just walked up the
bluff.
She raised a few eyebrows and went on down alone.
Now won't you bat it down by Baton Rouge River Queen
roll it on.
Take that woman on down to New Orleans New Orleans.
Go on I've had enough; dump my blues down in the gulf.
She loves you Big River more than me.
Now I taught the weeping willow how to cry, cry, cry
And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue
sky.
And the tears that I cried for that woman are gonna
flood you Big River.
There's guns across the river aimin' at ya
Lawman on your trail, he'd like to catch ya
Bounty hunters, too, they'd like to get ya
Billy, they don't like you to be so free.
Campin' out all night on the berenda
Dealin' cards 'til dawn in the hacienda
Up to Boot Hill they'd like to send ya
Billy, don't you turn your back on me.
Playin' around with some sweet senorita
Into her dark hallway she will lead ya
In some lonesome shadows she will greet ya
Billy, you're so far away from home.
There's eyes behind the mirrors in empty places
Bullet holes and scars between the spaces
There's always one more notch and ten more paces
Billy, and you're walkin' all alone.
They say that Pat Garrett's got your number
So sleep with one eye open when you slumber
Every little sound just might be thunder
Thunder from the barrel of his gun.
Guitars will play your grand finale
Down in some Tularosa alley,
Maybe in the Rio Pecos valley
Billy, you're so far away from home.
There's always some new stranger sneakin' glances
Some trigger-happy fool willin' to take chances
And some old whore from San Pedro to make advances
Advances on your spirit and your soul.
The businessmen from Taos want you to go down
They've hired Pat Garrett to force a showdown.
Billy, don't it make ya feel so low-down
To be shot down by the man who was your friend?
Hang on to your woman if you got one
Remember in El Paso, once, you shot one.
She may have been a whore, but she was a hot one
Billy, you been runnin' for so long.
Guitars will play your grand finale
Down in some Tularosa alley
Maybe in the Rio Pecos valley
Hezekiah Jones lived in a place... in Arkansas.
He never had too much, except he had some land,
An' he had a couple of hogs and things like that.
He never had much money
But he'd spend what he did make as fast as he made it,
So it never really mattered that he had much money.
But in a cupboard there, He kept in the cupboard... he
kept in the cupboard books,
He called the books his "rainy season."
The white folks around the county there talked about
Hezekiah...
They... said, "Well... old Hezekiah, he's harmless
enough,
but the way I see it he better put down them goddam
books,
Readin' ain't no good, for nigger is nigger."
One day the white man's preacher came around
Knockin' on doors, knockin' on all the doors in the
county,
He knocked on Hezekiah's door.
He says, "Hezekiah, you believe in the Lord?"
Hezekiah says, "Well, I don't know, I never really SEEN
the Lord,
I can't say, yes, I do..."
He says, "Hezekiah, you believe in the Church?"
Hezekiah says, "Well, the Church is divided, ain't
they,
And... they can't make up their minds.
I'm just like them, I can't make up mine either."
He says, "Hezekiah, you believe that if a man is good
Heaven is his last reward?"
Hezekiah says, "I'm good... good as my neighbor."
"You don't believe in nothin'," said the white man's
preacher,
You don't believe in nothin'!"
"Oh yes, I do," says Hezekiah,
"I believe that a man should be indebted to his
neighbors
Not for the reward of Heaven or fear of hellfire."
"But you don't understand," said the white man's
preacher,
"There's a lot of good ways for a man to be wicked..."
Then they hung Hezekiah high as a pigeon.
White folks around there said, "Well... he had it
comin'
Oh the evening train is rolling
All along the homeward way
All my hopes are over the horizon
All my dreams have gone away
The hillside darkly shaded
Stars fall from above
All the joys of earth have faded
The night's untouched by love
I'll be here 'til tomorrow
Beneath a shroud of grey
I pretend I'm free of sorrow
My heart is miles away
The dead bells are ringing
My train is overdue
To your memory I'm clinging
I can't escape from you
Well I hear the sound of thunder
Roaring loud and long
Sometimes you've got to wonder
God knows I've done no wrong
You've wasted all your power
You threw out the Christmas pie
Now you're withering like a flower
You'll play the fool and die
I'm neither sad nor sorry
I'm all dressed up in black
I fought for fame and glory
You tried to break my back
In the far off sweet forever
The sunshine peeking through
We should have walked together
I can't escape from you
I cannot grasp the shadows
That gather near the door
Rain falls round my window
I wish I'd seen you more
The path is ever-winding
The stars they never age
The morning light is blinding
All the world's a stage
Should be the time of gladness
Happy faces everywhere
The mystery of madness
Is propagating in the air
I don't like the city
Not like some folks do
Isn't it a pity
I can't escape from you
We ploughed the fields of heaven
Right down to the end
I hope I can be forgiven
If any words of mine offend
All our days were splendid
They were simple, they were plain
It never should have ended
I should have kissed you in the rain
I've been thinking things all over
All the moments full of grace
The primrose and the clover
Your ever-changing face
Can't help looking at you
You made love with god-knows-who
Never found a girl to match you
My parents raised me tenderly,
I was their only son.
My mind got mixed with ramblin'
When I was all so young,
And I left my home the first time
When I was twelve and one.
I'm a long time a-comin', Maw,
An' I'll be a long time gone.
On the western side of Texas,
On the Texas plains,
I tried to find a job o'work
But they said I's young of age.
My eyes they burned when I heard,
"Go home where you belong!"
I'm a long time a-comin',
An' I'll be a long time gone.
I remember when I's ramblin'
Around with the carnival trains,
Different towns, different people,
Somehow they're all the same.
I remember children's faces best,
I remember travelin' on.
I'm a long time a-comin',
I'll be a long time gone.
I once loved a fair young maid
An' I ain't too big to tell,
If she broke my heart a single time,
She broke it ten or twelve.
I walked and talked all by myself,
I did not tell no one.
I'm a long time a-comin', babe,
An' I'll be a long time gone.
Many times by the highwayside,
I tried to flag a ride.
With bloodshot eyes and gritting teeth,
I'd watch the cars roll by.
The empty air hung in my head
I's thinkin' all day long.
I'm a long time a-comin',
An' I'll be a long time gone.
You might see me on your crossroads
When I'm a-passin' through.
Remember me how you wished to
As I'm a-driftin' from your view.
I ain't got the time to think about it,
I got too much to get done.
Well, I'm a long time comin'
An' I'll be a long time gone.
If I can't help somebody
With a word or song,
If I can't show somebody
They are travelin' wrong.
But I know I ain't no prophet
An' I ain't no prophet's son.
I'm just a long time a-comin'
An' I'll be a long time gone.
So you can have your beauty,
It's skin deep and it only lies.
And you can have your youth,
It'll rot before your eyes.
Just give to me my gravestone
With it clearly carved upon:
"I's a long time a-comin',
Alberta, let your hair hang low, Alberta, let your hair hang low
I'll give you more gold than your apron can hold
If you'll only let your hair hang low.
Alberta, what's on your mind, Alberta, what's on your mind ?
You keep me worried and bothered all of the time
Alberta, what's on your mind ?
Alberta, don't you treat me unkind, Alberta, don't you treat me unkind ?
Oh my heart is sad because I want you so bad
Alberta, don't you treat me unkind ?
Alberta, let your hair hang low, Alberta, let your hair hang low
I'll give you more gold than your apron can hold
Well the world owns seven wonders as the travellers
always tell.
Some gardens and some towers, I guess you know them
well.
But now the greatest wonder is in Uncle Sam's fair
land.
That King Columbia river and the great Grand Coulee
Dam.
She come up the Canadian Rockies where the crystal
waters glide,
Comes a-roaring down the canyon to meet that salty tide
From the great Pacific Ocean to where the sun sets in
the west,
That big Grand Coulee country in that land I love the
best.
In the misty glitter of that wild and windward spray,
Men have fought the pounding waters and met a watery
grave.
Once she tore men's boats to splinters but she gave men
dreams to dream,
That day that Grand Coulee dam went across that wild
and restless stream.
Oh Uncle Sam took up the notion in the year of thirty
three,
For the factory and the farmer and for all of you and
He said: roll it on Columbia, you can roll out to the
But river, while you're rolling you can do some work
for me.
Now from Washington and Oregon you can hear them
factories a-hum,
Making corn and making manganese and light aluminum.
Always a flying fortress to blast for Uncle Sam,
That King Columbia river and the great Grand Coulee
dam.
Well the world owns seven wonders as the travellers
always tell.
Some gardens and some towers, I guess you know them
well.
But now the greatest wonder is in Uncle Sam's fair
land.
Look out your window, baby, there's a scene you'd like to catch
The band is playing "Dixie," a man got his hand outstretched
Could be the fuhrer, could be the local priest
You know, sometimes Satan, you know, he come as a man of peace
He got sweet gift of gab, he got harmonious tongue
He know every song of love that ever has been sung
Good intentions can be evil, both hands can be full of grease
You know that sometimes Satan come as a man of peace
Well, first he's in the background, then he's in the front
Both eyes are lookin' like they're on a rabbit hunt
Nobody can see through him, no, not even the chief of police
You know that sometimes Satan come as a man of peace
Well, he catch you when you're hopin' for a glimpse of the sun
Catch you when your trouble feel like they weigh a ton
He could be standin' next to you, the person that you'd notice least
I hear that sometimes Satan come as a man of peace
Well, he can be fascinating, he can be dull
He can ride down Niagara Falls in the barrels of your skull
I can smell somethin' cookin', I can tell there's goin' to be a feast
You know that sometimes Satan come as a man of peace
He's a great humanitarian, he's a great philanthropist
He knows just where to touch you, honey and how you like to be kissed
He'll put both his arms around you
You can feel that tender touch of the beast
You know, sometimes Satan come as a man of peace
Well, the howlin' wolf will howl tonight, the king snake will crawl
Trees that've stood for a thousand years, suddenly will fall
Wanna get married? Do it now, tomorrow all activity will cease
You know, sometimes Satan come as a man of peace
Somewhere mama's weepin' for her blue-eyed boy
She's holdin' them a little white shoes and that little broken toy
And he's followin' a star
The same one them three men followed from the east
When the rain is blowin' in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love
When evenin' shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love
I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong
I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawlin' down the avenue
Oh, there's nothin' that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love
The storms are ragin' on the rollin' sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowin' wild and free
You ain't seen nothin' like me yet
I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothin' that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
I'm walkin' through streets that are dead
Walkin', walkin' with you in my head
My feet are so tired
My brain is so wired
And the clouds are weepin'.
Did I hear someone tell a lie?
Did I hear someone's distant cry?
I spoke like a child
You destroyed me with a smile
While I was sleepin'.
I'm sick of love that I'm in the thick of it
This kind of love, I'm so sick of it.
I see, I see lovers in the meadow
I see, I see silhouettes in the window
I'll watch them 'til they're gone
And they leave me hangin' on
To a shadow.
I'm sick of love, I hear the clock tick
This kind of love, ah, I'm love sick.
Sometimes the silence can be like thunder
Sometimes I wanna take to the road and plunder
Could you ever be true
I think of you
And I wonder.
I'm sick of love, I wish I'd never met you
I'm sick of love, I'm tryin' to forget you.
Just don't know what to do
I'd give anything to
After a while we took in the clothes
Nobody said very much
Just some old wild shirts and a couple pairs of pants
Which nobody really wanted to touch
Mama come in and picked up a book
An' Papa asked her what it was
Someone else asked, "What do you care?"
Papa said, "Well, just because?"
Then they started to take back their clothes
Hang'em on the line
It was January the thirtieth
And everybody was feelin' fine.
The next day, everybody got up
Seein' if the clothes were dry
The dogs were barking, a neighbor passed
Mama, of cource, she said, "Hi"
"Have you heard the news?" he said with a grin
"The Vice President's gone mad"
"Where?" "Downtown." "When?" "Last night"
"Hmm, say, that's too bad"
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it," said the neighbor
"It's just something we're gonna have to forget"
"Yes, I guess so" said Ma
Then she asked me if the clothes was still wet.
I reached up, touched my shirt
And the neighbor said, "Are those clothes yours?"
I said, "Some of them, not all of them"
He said, "Ya always help out around here with the chores ?"
I said, "Sometime, not all the time"
Then my neighbor he blew his nose
Just as papa yelled outside
"Mama wants you to come back in the house and bring them clothes"
Well, I just do what I'm told so I did it, of course
I went back in the house and Mama met me
Crash on the levee, mama
Water's gonna overflow
Swamp's gonna rise
No boat's gonna row
Now, you can train on down
To Williams Point
You can bust your feet
You can rock this joint
But oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now ?
You're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow.
Now, don't you try an' move me
You're just gonna lose
There's a crash on the levee
And mama, you've been refused
Well, it's sugar for sugar
And salt for salt
If you go down in the flood
It's gonna be your own fault
Oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now ?
You're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow.
Well, that high tide's risin'
Mama, don't you let me down
Pack up your suitcase
Mama, don't you make a sound
Now, it's king for king
Queen for queen
It's gonna be the meanest flood
That anybody's seen
Oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now ?
You're gonna have to find yourself
I'm beginnin' to hear voices and there's no one around
I'm all used up and the fields have turned brown
I went to church on Sunday as she passed by
And my love for her has taken such a long time to die
Well, I'm waist deep, waist deep in the mist
It's almost like, almost like, I don't exist
I'm twenty miles out of town, Cold Irons bound.
Well, the walls of pride are high and wide
Can't see over to the other side
It's such a sad thing to see beauty decay
It's sadder still to feel your heart turn away
One look at you and I'm out of control
Like the universe has swallowed me whole
I'm twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound.
There's too many people, too many to recall
I thought some of 'em were friends of mine, I was wrong about 'em all
Well, the road is rocky and the hillside mud
Up over my head, nothing but clouds of blood
I found my world, found my world in you
But your love just hasn't proved true
I'm twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound
Twenty miles out of town, Cold Irons bound.
Well the winds in Chicago have torn me to shreds
Reality has always had too many heads
Some things last longer than you think they will
Some kind of things you can never kill
Though it's you, and you only, I'm singin' about
But you can't see in and it's hard looking out
I'm twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound.
Well, the fat's in the fire and the water's in the tank
Well, the whiskey's in the jar and the money's in the bank
I tried to love and protect you because I care
I'm gonna remember forever the joy we've shared
Looking at you and I'm on my bended knee
You've no idea what you did to me
I'm twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound
I can't wait, wait for you to change your mind
It's late, I'm tryin' to walk the line
Well, it's way past midnight
And there's some people all around
Some on their way up, some on their way down
The air burns and I'm tryin' to think straight
An' I don't know how much longer I can wait.
I'm your man, I'm tryin' to recover the sweet love that we knew
You understand that my heart can't go on beatin' without you
Well your loveliness has wounded me
I'm reelin' from the blow
I wish I knew what it was that keeps me lovin' you so
I'm breathin' hard, standin' at the gate
Ah, but I don't know how much longer I can wait.
Skies are gray
I'm lookin' for anything that will bring a happy glow
Night or day, it doesn't matter where I go anymore, I just go
If I ever saw you comin' I don't know what I might do
I'd like to think I could control myself but it isn't true
That's how it is when things disintegrate
And I don't know how much longer I can wait.
I'm doomed to love you
I've been rollin' through stormy weather
I'm thinkin' of you
And all the places we could roam together.
It's mighty funny
The end of time has just begun
Oh, honey, after all these years you're still the one
Well, I'm strollin' through the lonely graveyard of my mind
I left my life with you somewhere back there along the line
I thought somehow that I would be spared this fate
Well, my heart's in the highlands, gentle and fair
Honey suckle bloomin' in the wildwood air
Bluebells blazin' where the Aberdeen waters flow
Well, my heart's in the highlands, I'm gonna go there when
I feel good enough to go.
Windows were shakin' all night in my dreams
Everything was exactly the way that it seems
Woke up this mornin' and I looked at the same old page
Same old rat race, life in the same old cage.
I don't want nothin' from anyone, ain't that much to take
Wouldn't know the difference between a real blonde and a fake
Feel like a prisoner in a world of mystery
I wish someone would come and push back the clock for me.
Well, my heart's in the highlands, wherever I roam
That's where I'll be when I get called home
The wind it whispers to the buck-eyed trees of rhyme
Well, my heart's in the highlands, I can only get there one step at a time.
I'm listening to Neil Young, I gotta turn up the sound
Someone's always yellin', "Turn him down"
Feel like I'm driftin', driftin' from scene to scene
I'm wondering what in the devil could it all possibly mean.
Insanity is smashin' up against my soul
You could say I was on anything but a roll
If I had a conscience, well I just might blow my top
What would I do with it anyway, maybe take it to the pawn shop.
My heart's in the highlands at the break of dawn
By the beautiful lake of the black swan
Big white clouds like chariots that swing down low
Well, my heart's in the highlands, only place left to go.
I'm in Boston town, in some restaurant
I got no idea what I want
Or maybe I do but, I'm just really not sure
Waitress comes over, nobody in the place but me and her.
Well, it must be a holiday, there's nobody around
She studies me closely as I sit down
She got a pretty face, with long white shiny legs
I said, "Tell me what I want," she say, "You probably want hard boiled eggs."
I say, "That's right, bring me some."
She says, "We ain't got any, you picked the wrong time to come."
Then she says, "I know you're an artist, draw a picture of me."
I said, "I would if I could but I don't do sketches from memory."
Well, she then, she says, "I'm right here in front of you, or
haven't you looked?"
I say, "All right, I know but I don't have my drawing book."
She gives me a napkin, she say, "You can do it on that."
I say, "Yes I could but I don't know where my pencil is at."
She pulls one out from behind her ear
She says, "All right now go ahead, draw me, I'm stayin' right here."
I make a few lines and I show it for her to see
Well, she takes her napkin and throws it back and says, "That
don't look a thing like me."
I said, "Oh, kind Miss, it most certainly does."
She say, "You must be jokin'," I say, "I wish I was."
Then she says, "You don't read women authors do ya?" at least
that's what I think I hear her say
Well, I said, "How would you know and what would it matter anyway?"
Well she says, "You just don't seem like you do." I said,
"You're way wrong."
She says "Which ones have you read then?" I say, "I've read
Erica Jong."
She goes away for a minute and I slide out, out of my chair
I step outside back to the busy street but nobody is goin' anywhere.
Well, my heart's in the highlands with the horses and hounds
Way up in the border country far from the towns
With the twang of the arrow and the snap of the bow
My heart's in the highlands, I can't see any other way to go.
Every day is the same thing, out the door
Feel further away than ever before
Some things in life it just gets too late to learn
Well, I'm lost somewhere, I must have made a few bad turns.
I see people in the park forgettin' their troubles and woes
They're drinkin' and dancin', wearin' bright colored clothes
All the young men, with the young women lookin' so good
Well, I'd trade places with any of 'em in a minute, if I could.
I'm crossing the street to get away from a mangy dog
Talkin' to myself in a monologue
I think what I need might be a full length leather coat
Somebody just asked me if I've registered to vote.
The sun is beginnin' to shine on me
But it's not like the sun that used to be
The party's over and there's less and less to say
I got new eyes, everything looks far away.
Well, my heart's in the highlands at the break of day
Over the hills and far away
There's a way to get there and I'll figure it out somehow
Gonna walk down that dirt road
'Til someone lets me ride
Gonna walk down that dirt road
'Til someone lets me ride
If I can't find my baby
I'm gonna run away and hide.
Well, I've been pacin' 'round the room
Hopin' maybe she'd come back
Pacin' 'round the room
Hopin' maybe she'd come back
Well, I've been praying for salvation
Layin' 'round in a one-room country shack.
Gonna walk down that dirt road
Until my eyes begin to bleed
Gonna walk down that dirt road
Until my eyes begin to bleed
'Til there's nothing left to see
'Til the chains have been shattered and I've been freed.
But I've been at my shadow
I been watchin' the colors up above
Lookin' at my shadow
Watchin' the colors up above
Rolling through the rain and hail
Lookin' for the sunny side of love.
Gonna walk on that dirt road
'Til everything becomes the same
Gonna walk down that dirt road
'Til everything becomes the same
Well, that big dump blonde
With her wheel in the gorge
Turtle, that friend of theirs
With his checks all forged
And his cheeks in a chunk
With his cheese in the cash
They're all gonna be there
At that million dollar bash
Ooh, baby, ooh-ee
Ooh, baby, ooh-ee
It's that million dollar bash.
Everybody from right now
Go ever there and back
The louder they come
The bigger they crack
Come now, sweet cream
Don't forget to flash
We're all gonna meet
At that million dollar bash
Ooh, baby, ooh-ee
Ooh, baby, ooh-ee
It's that million dollar bash.
Well, I took my counselor
Out to the barn
Silly Nelly was there
She told me a yarn
Then along came Jones
Emptied the trash
Everybody went down
To that million dollar bash
Ooh, baby, ooh-ee
Ooh, baby, ooh-ee
It's that million dollar bash.
Well, I'm hittin' it too hard
My stones won't take
I'm get up in the mornin'
But it's too early to wake
First it's hello, goodbye
Then push and then crash
But we're all gonna make it
At that million dollar bash
Ooh, baby, ooh-ee
Ooh, baby, ooh-ee
It's that million dollar bash.
Well, I looked at my watch
I looked at my wrist
Punched myself in the face
With my fist
I took my potatoes
Down to be mashed
Then I made it over to
That million dollar bash
Ooh, baby, ooh-ee
Ooh, baby, ooh-ee
Nothing was delivered
And I tell this truth to you
Not out of spite or anger
But simply because it's true
Now, I hope you won't object to this
Giving back all what you owe
The fewer words you have to waste on this
The sooner you can go.
Nothing is better, nothing is best
Take heed of this and get plenty of rest.
Nothing was delivered
But I can't say I sympathize
With what your fate is going to be
Yes, for telling all those lies
Now you must provide some answers
For what you sold has not been received
And the sooner you come up with them
The sooner you can leave.
Nothing is better, nothing is best
Take heed of this and get plenty of rest.
Now you know
Nothing was delivered
And it's up to you to say
Just what you had in mind
When you made ev'rybody pay
No, nothing was delivered
Yes, 'n' someone must explain
That as long as it takes to do this
Then that's how long that you'll remain
Nothing is better, nothing is best
Take heed of this and get plenty of rest.
Open The Door, Homer
Now, there's a certain thing
That I learned from Jim
That he's always make sure I'd understand
And that is that there's a certain way
That a man must swim
If he expects to live off
Of the fat of the land
Open the door, Homer
I've heard it said before
Open the door, Homer
I've heard it said before
But I ain't gonna hear it said no more.
Now, there's a certain thing
That I learned from my friend, Mouse
A fella who never blushes in
And that is that ev'ryone
Must always flush out his house
If he don't expect to be
Goin' 'round housing flushes
Open the door, Homer
I've heard it said before
Open the door, Homer
I've heard it said before
But I ain't gonna hear it said no more.
"Take care of all your memories"
Said my friend, Mick
"For you can not relive them
And remember when you're out there
Tryin' to heal the sick
That you must always
First forgive them"
Open the door, Homer
I've heard it said before
Open the door, Homer
I've heard it said before
Well my nerves are exploding and my body's tense
I feel like the whole world gonna end up against the fence
I've been hit too hard, seen too much
Nothing can heal me now but your touch
I just don't know what I'm gonna do
I was all right 'til I fell in love with you.
Well, my house is on fire, burnin' to the sky
Well, I thought it would rain but the clouds passed by
And I feel like I'm comin' to the end of my way
I know God is my shield and he won't lead me astray
Still, I don't know what I'm gonna do
I was all right 'til I fell in love with you.
Boys in the street beginnin' to play
Girls like birds, flyin' away
When I'm gone you will remember my name
I'm gonna win my way to wealth and fame
Yet I just don't know what I'm gonna do
I was all right 'til I fell in love with you.
Well, junk's pilin' up, takin' up space
My eyes feel like they've fallen off my face
Sweat pourin' down, I'm starin' at the floor
I'm thinkin' about that girl who won't be back no more
I just don't know what to do
I was all right 'til I fell in love with you.
Well, I'm tired of talkin', I'm tired of tryin' to explain
My attemps to please ya, they were all in vain
Tomorrow night before the sun goes down
If I'm still among the livin' I'll be Dixie bound
Still, I just don't know what I'm gonna do
Strange things have happened like never before
My baby told me I would have to go
I can't be good no more, once like I did before
I can't be good, baby
Honey, because the world gone wrong.
Feel bad this morning, ain't got no home
No use in worrying cause the world gone wrong
I can't be good no more, once, like I did before
I can't be good baby
Honey, because the world gone wrong.
I told you baby, right to your head
If I didn't leave you, I would have to kill you dead
I can't be good no more, once, like I did before
I can't be good baby
Honey, cause the world gone wrong.
I tried to be lovin', and treat you kind
But it seem like you never right, you got no loyal mind
I can't be good no more, once, like I did before
I can't be good baby
Honey, cause the world's gone wrong.
If you had a woman and she don't treat you kind
Praise the Good Lord to get her out of your mind
I can't be good no more, once, like I did before
I can't be good baby
Honey, because the world gone wrong.
Said, when you been good now, can't do no more
Just tell her kindly, "There is the front door"
I can't be good no more, once, like I did before
I can't be good baby
Honey, because the world's gone wrong.
Pack up my suitcase, give me my hat
No use to ask me baby, cause I'll never be back
I can't be good no more, once, like I did before
I can't be good baby.
Don't ya tell Henry
Apple's got your fly.
I went down to the river on a saturday morn
A-lookin' around just to see who's born
I found a little chicken down on his knees
I went up and yelled to him
"Please, please, please"
He said, "Don't ya tell Henry
Don't ya tell Henry
Don't ya tell Henry
Apple's got your fly".
I went down to the corner at a-half past ten
I's lookin' around, I wouldn't say when
I looked down low, I looked above
And who did I see but the one I love
She said, "Don't ya tell Henry
Don't ya tell Henry
Don't ya tell Henry
Apple's got your fly".
Now, I went down to the beanery at half past twelve
A-lookin' around just to see myself
I spotted a horse and a donkey too
I looked for a cow and I saw me a few
The said, "Don't ya tell Henry
Don't ya tell Henry
Don't ya tell Henry
Apple's got your fly".
Now, I went down to the pumphouse the other night
A-lookin around, it was outa sight
I looked high and low for that big ol' tree
I did go upstairs but I didn't see nobody but me
I said, "Don't ya tell Henry
Don't ya tell Henry
Don't ya tell Henry
I'm going down to Rose Marie's
She never does me wrong
She puts it to me plain as day
And gives it to me for a song.
It's a wicked life but what the hell
The stars ain't fallin' down.
I'm standing outside the Taj Mahal
I don't see no one around.
Goin' to Acapulco
Goin' on the run
Goin' down to see fat gut
Goin' to have some fun.
Yeah
Goin' to have some fun.
Now, whenever I get up
And I ain't got what I see
I just make it down to Rose Marie's
Bout a quarter after three.
There are worse ways of getting there
And I ain't complainin' none
If the clouds don't drop and the train
don't stop
I'm bound to meet the sun.
Goin' to Acapulco
Goin' on the run
Goin' down to see some girl
Goin' to have some fun.
Yeah
Goin' to have some fun.
Now, if someone offers me a joke,
I just say no thanks
I try to tell it like it is
And keep away from pranks.
Well, sometime you know when the well
breaks down
I just go on pump it some.
Rose Marie, she likes to go to big places
And just sit there waitin' for me to come.
Goin' to Acapulco
Goin' on the run
Goin' down to see some girl
Goin' to have some fun.
Yeah
I pulled out for San Anton
I never felt so good
My woman said she'd meet me there
And of cource I knew she would
The coachman, he hit me for my hook
And he asked me my name
I give it to him right away
Then I hung my head in shame
Lo and behold ! Lo and behold !
Lookin' for my lo and behold.
Get me out here, my dear man.
I come into Pittsburg
At six-thirty flat
I found myself a vacant seat
An' I put down my hat
?What's the matter Molly dear
What's the matter with your mound??
?What's it to ya, Moby Dick ?
This is chicken town?
Lo and behold ! Lo and behold !
Lookin' for my lo and behold.
Get me out here, my dear man.
I bought myself
A herd of moose
One day she could call her own
Well, she came out the very next day
To see where they had flown
I'm goin' down to Tennessee
Get me a truck or somethin'
Gonna save my money and rip it up.
Lo and behold ! Lo and behold !
Lookin' for my lo and behold.
Get me out here, my dear man.
Now, I come in on a ferris wheel
An' boys, I sure was slink
I come in like a ton of bricks
Laid a few tricks on 'em
Goin' back to Pittsburg
Count up to thirty
Round that horn and ride that herd
Gonna thread up
Lo and behold ! Lo and behold !
Lookin' for my lo and behold.
Long-distance operator
Place this call, it's not for fun
Long-distance operator
Please, place this call, you know it's not for fun
I gotta give a message to my baby
You know, she's not just anyone.
There are thousands in the phone booth
Thousands at the gate
There are thousands in the phone booth
Thousands at the gate
Ev'rybody wants to make a long-distance call
But you know they're just gonna have to wait.
If a call comes from Louisiana
Please, let it rise
If a call comes from Louisiana
Please, let it rise
This phone booth's on fire
It's getting hot inside.
Ev'rybody wants to be my friend
But nobody wants to get higher
Ev'rybody wants to be my friend
But nobody wants to get higher
Long-distance operator
All the tired horses in the sun
How am I supposed to get any riding done ?
One evening for pleasure I rambled to view
The fair fields all alone
Down by the banks of Loch Eiron
Where beauty and pleasure were known.
I spied a fair maid at her labour
Which caused me to stay for a while
And I thought of a goddess to beauty
Bloomin' bright star of Bright Isle.
I humbled myself to her beauty
"Fair maiden, where do you belong ?
Are you from heaven descended
Abiding in Cupid's fair throne ?".
"Young man, I will tell you a secret
It's true I'm a maid that is poor
And to part from my vows and my promise
Is more than my heart can endure.
Therefore I remain at my service
And go through all my hardship and toil
And wait for the lad that has left me
All alone on the banks of Belle Isle".
"Young maiden I wish not to banter
It's true I come here in disguise
I came here to fulfill our last promise
And hope to give you a surprise.
I've known you're a maid I love dearly
And you've been in my heart all the while
For me there is no other damsel
Blue moon, you saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own.
Blue moon, you knew just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayet for someone I really could care for.
And suddenly there appeared before me the only one my arms could ever hold
I heard someone whisper, "Please, adore me"
And when I looked my moon had turned to gold.
Blue moon, now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own
Get you a copper kettle, get you a copper coil
Fill it with new made corn mash
And never more you'll toil
You'll just lay there by the juniper
While the moon is bright
Watch them jugs a filling in the pale moonlight
Build you a fire with hickory, hickory, ash and oak
Don't use no green or rotten wood
They'll get you by the smoke
We'll just lay there by the juniper
While the moon is bright
Watch them jugs a filling in the pale moonlight
My daddy, he made whiskey
My granddaddy, he did too
We ain't paid no whiskey tax since 1792
We'll just lay there by the juniper
While the moon is bright
Watch them jugs a filling in the pale moonlight
I'm old Tom Moore from the bummer's shore in that good old golden days
They call me a bummer and a ginsot too, but what cares I for praise ?
I wander around from town to town just like a roving sign
And all the people say, "There goes Tom Moore, in the days of '49"
In the days of old, in the days of gold
How oft'times I repine for the days of old
When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49.
My comrades they all loved me well, a jolly saucy crew
A few hard cases I will recall though they all were brave and true
Whatever the pitch they never would flinch, they never would fret or whine
Like good old bricks they stood the kicks in the days of '49
In the days of old, in the days of gold
How oft'times I repine for the days of old
When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49.
There was New York Jake, the butcher boy, he was always getting tight
And every time that he'd get full he was spoiling for a fight
But Jake rampaged against a knife in the hands of old Bob Stein
And over Jake they held a wake in the days of '49
In the days of old, in the days of gold
How oft'times I repine for the days of old
When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49.
There was Poker Bill, one of the boys who was always in a game
Whether he lost or whether he won, to him it was always the same
He would ante up and draw his cards and he would you go a hatful blind
In the game with death Bill lost his breath, in the days of '49
In the days of old, in the days of gold
How oft'times I repine for the days of old
When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49.
There was Ragshag Bill from Buffalo, I never will forget
He would roar all day and he'd roar all night and I guess he's roaring yet
One day he fell in a prospect hole, in a roaring bad design
And in that hole he roared out his soul, in the days of '49
In the days of old, in the days of gold
How oft'times I repine for the days of old
When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49.
Of the comrades all that I've had, there's none that's left to boast
And I'm left alone in my misery like some poor wandering ghost
And I pass by from town to town, they call me a rambling sign
"There goes Tom Moore, a bummer shore in the days of '49 "
In the days of old, in the days of gold
How oft'times I repine for the days of old
In the early morning rain with a dollar in my hand
And an aching in my heart and my pockets full of sand
I'm a long way from home and I miss my loved one so
In the early morning rain with nowhere to go.
Cut on runway number nine, big 707 set to go
I'm stuck here on the ground, where the cold winds blow
The liquor tasted good and the women all were fast
There she goes, my friend, she's rolling down at last.
Hear the mighty engines roar, see the silver bird on high
She's away and westward bound, far above the clouds she'll fly
Where the morning rain don't fall and the sun always shines
She'll be flying over my home in about three hours time.
This old airport's got me down, it's no earthly good to me
Because I'm stuck here on the ground, cold and drunks as I might be
You can't hop a jet plane like you can a freight train
Done laid around, done stayed around this old town too long
Summers almost gone, winters coming on
Done laid around, done stayed around this old town too long
And it seems like I've gotta travel on
And it seems like I've gotta travel on
Papa writes to Johnny, Johnny can't come home
Johnny can't come home, Johnny can't come home
Papa writes to Johnny, Johnny can't come home
Johnny's been out on the road too long
So I done laid around, done stayed around this old town too long
Summers almost gone, winters coming on
Done laid around, done stayed around this old town too long
And it seems like I've gotta travel on
That chilly wind will soon begin and I'll be on my way
Going home to stay, going home to stay
And that chilly wind will soon begin and I'll be on my way
And I feel like I just wanna travel on
So I done laid around, done stayed around this old town too long
Summers almost gone, winters coming on, oh, yes I
Done laid around, done stayed around this old town too long
And it seems like I've gotta travel on
There's a lonesome freight at 6:08 a coming through the town
I'll be homeward bound, I'll be homeward bound
A lonesome freight at 6:08 coming all through the town
And I feel like I just wanna travel on
Well, I done laid around, done stayed around this old town too long
Summers almost gone, winters coming on, yes it is
Done laid around, done stayed around this old town too long
I forgot more than you'll ever know about her.
You think you know the smile on her lips
The thrill and the touch of her fingertips
But I forgot more than you'll ever know about her.
You think you'll find heaven of bliss
In each caress, in each tender kiss
But I forgot more than you'll ever know about her.
You stole her love from me one day
You didn't care, oh, it hurt me
But you can never steal away memories of what used to be.
You think she's yours, to have and to hold
Someday you'll learn, when her love grows cold
Alberta, let your hair hang low, Alberta, let your hair hang low,
I'll give you more gold than your apron can hold
If you'll only let your hair hang low.
Alberta, what's on your mind, Alberta, what's on your mind ?
You keep me worried and bothered all of the time
Alberta, what's on your mind ?
Alberta, don't you treat me unkind, Alberta, don't you treat me unkind ?
My heart is so sad because I want you so bad
Alberta, don't you treat me unkind ?
Alberta, let your hair hang low, Alberta, let your hair hang low,
I'll give you more gold than your apron can hold
If you'll only let your hair hang low.
Alberta, let your hair hang low, Alberta, let your hair hang low,
I'll give you more gold than your apron can hold
If you'll only let your hair hang low.
Alberta, what's on your mind, Alberta, what's on your mind
You keep me worried and bothered all of the time
Alberta, what's on your mind
Alberta, don't you treat me unkind, Alberta, don't you treat me unkind
My heart is so sad because I want you so bad
Alberta, don't you treat me unkind
Alberta, let your hair hang low, Alberta, let your hair hang low,
I'll give you more gold than your apron can hold
If you'll only let your hair hang low.
Well, she's got Jet Pilot eyes from her hips on down.
All the bombardiers are trying to force her out of town.
She's five feet nine and she carries a monkey wrench.
She weighs more by the foot than she does by the inch.
She got all the downtown boys, all at her command
But you've got to watch her closely 'cause she ain't no woman
John Brown went off to war to fight on a foreign shore.
His mama sure was proud of him!
He stood straight and tall in his uniform and all.
His mama's face broke out all in a grin.
"Oh son, you look so fine, I'm glad you're a son of mine,
You make me proud to know you hold a gun.
Do what the captain says, lots of medals you will get,
And we'll put them on the wall when you come home."
As that old train pulled out, John's ma began to shout,
Tellin' ev'ryone in the neighborhood:
"That's my son that's about to go, he's a soldier now, you know."
She made well sure her neighbors understood.
She got a letter once in a while and her face broke into a smile
As she showed them to the people from next door.
And she bragged about her son with his uniform and gun,
And these things you called a good old-fashioned war.
Oh! Good old-fashioned war!
Then the letters ceased to come, for a long time they did not come.
They ceased to come for about ten months or more.
Then a letter finally came saying, "Go down and meet the train.
Your son's a-coming home from the war."
She smiled and went right down, she looked everywhere around
But she could not see her soldier son in sight.
But as all the people passed, she saw her son at last,
When she did she could hardly believe her eyes.
Oh his face was all shot up and his hand was all blown off
And he wore a metal brace around his waist.
He whispered kind of slow, in a voice she did not know,
While she couldn't even recognize his face!
Oh! Lord! Not even recognize his face.
"Oh tell me, my darling son, pray tell me what they done.
How is it you come to be this way?"
He tried his best to talk but his mouth could hardly move
And the mother had to turn her face away.
"Don't you remember, Ma, when I went off to war
You thought it was the best thing I could do?
I was on the battleground, you were home . . . acting proud.
You wasn't there standing in my shoes."
"Oh, and I thought when I was there, God, what am I doing here?
I'm a-tryin' to kill somebody or die tryin'.
But the thing that scared me most was when my enemy came close
And I saw that his face looked just like mine."
Oh! Lord! Just like mine!
"And I couldn't help but think, through the thunder rolling and stink,
That I was just a puppet in a play.
And through the roar and smoke, this string is finally broke,
And a cannon ball blew my eyes away."
As he turned away to walk, his Ma was still in shock
At seein' the metal brace that helped him stand.
But as he turned to go, he called his mother close
I've been havin' some hard travelin', I thought you
knowed
I've been havin' some hard travelin', way down the road
I've been havin' some hard travelin', hard ramblin',
hard gamblin'
I've been havin' some hard travelin', lord
I've been ridin' them fast rattlers, I thought you
knowed
I've been ridin' them flat wheelers, way down the road
I've been ridin' them blind passengers, dead-enders,
kickin' up cinders
I've been havin' some hard travelin', lord
I've been hittin' some hard-rock minin', I thought you
knowed
I've been leanin' on a pressure drill, way down the
road
Hammer flyin', air-hole suckin', six foot of mud and I
shore been a muckin'
And I've been hittin' some hard travelin', lord
I've been hittin' some hard harvestin', I thought you
knowed
North Dakota to Kansas City, way down the road
Cuttin' that wheat, stackin' that hay, and I'm tryin'
make about a dollar a day
And I've been havin' some hard travelin', lord
I've been working that Pittsburgh steel, I thought you
knowed
I've been a dumpin' that red-hot slag, way down the
road
I've been a blasting, I've been a firin', I've been a
pourin' red-hot iron
I've been hittin' some hard travelin', lord
I've been layin' in a hard-rock jail, I thought you
knowed
I've been a laying out 90 days, way down the road
Damned old judge, he said to me, "It's 90 days for
vagrancy."
And I've been hittin' some hard travelin', lord
I've been walking that Lincoln highway, I thought you
knowed,
I've been hittin' that 66, way down the road
Heavy load and a worried mind, lookin' for a woman
that's hard to find,
Now Ive heard there was a secret chord
That david played, and it pleased the lord
But you dont really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew her
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
You say I took the name in vain
I dont even know the name
But if I did, well really, whats it to you?
Theres a blaze of light
In every word
It doesnt matter which you heard
The holy or the broken hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
I did my best, it wasnt much
I couldnt feel, so I tried to touch
Ive told the truth, I didnt come to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
Ill stand before the lord of song
With nothing on my tongue but hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Far between sundown's finish an' midnight's broken toll
We ducked inside the doorways, thunder went crashing
As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds
Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing
Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight
Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight
And for each and every underdog soldier in the night
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
Through the city's melted furnace, unexpectedly we watched
With faces hidden as the walls were tightening
As the echo of the wedding bells before the blowin' rain
Dissolved into the bells of the lightning
Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake
Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned and forsaken
Tolling for the outcast burnin' constantly at stake
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
Through the mad mystic hammering of the wild ripping hail
The sky cracked its poems in naked wonder
That the clinging of the church bells blew far into the breeze
Leaving only bells of lightning and its thunder
Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind
Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind
And the poet and the painter far behind his rightful time
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
In the wild cathedral evening the rain unraveled tales
For the disrobed faceless forms of no position
Tolling for the tongues with no place to bring their thoughts
All down in taken for granted situations
Tolling for the deaf and blind, tolling for the mute
For the mistreated, mateless mother, the mistitled prostitute
For the misdemeanor outlaw chained and cheated by pursuit
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
Even though a cloud's white curtain in a far-off corner flashed
And the hypnotic splattered mist was slowly lifting
Electric light still struck like arrows, fired but for the ones
Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting
Tolling for the searching ones on their speechless seeking trail
For the lonesome hearted lovers with too personal a tale
And for each unharmful, gentle soul misplaced inside a jail
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
Starry-eyed and laughing, as I recall when we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hang suspended
As we listened one last time and we watched with one last look
Spellbound and swallowed till the tolling ended
Tolling for the aching whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones and worse
And for every hung up person in the whole wide universe
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
I woke in the mornin' wand'rin'
Worried and worn out
I woke in the mornin' wand'rin'
Worried and worn out
Wishin' my long-lost lover
Will walk to me, talk to me
Tell me what it's all about.
I was standin' at the side road
Listenin' to the billboard knock
Standin' at the side road
Listenin' to the billboard knock
Well, my wrist was empty
But my nerves were kickin'
Thickin' like a clock.
If I got anything you need, babe
Let me tell you in front
If I got anything you need, babe
Let me tell you in front
You can come to me sometime
Night time, day time
Any time you want.
Sometimes I'm thinkin I'm
To high to fall
Sometimes I'm thinkin I'm
To high to fall
Other times I'm thinkin' I'm
So low I don't know
If I can come up at all.
Black crows in the meadow
Sleeping across a broad highway
Black crows in the meadow
Across a broad highway
Though its funny, honey
I just don't feel much like a
I once loved a girl, her skin it was bronze
With the innocence of a lamb, she was gentle like a fawn
I courted her proudly, but now she is gone
Gone as the season she's taken.
Through young summer's breeze, I stole her away
From her mother and sister, though close did they stay
Each one of them suffering from the failures of their day
With strings of guilt they tried hard to guide us.
Of the two sister, I loved the young
With sensitive instincts, she was the creative one
The constant scapegoat, she was easily undone
By the jealousy of others around her.
For her parasite sister, I had no respect
Bound by her boredom, her pride to protect
Countless visions of the other she'd reflect
As a crutch for her scenes and her society.
Myself, for what I did, I cannot be excused
The changes I was going through can't even be used
For the lies that I told her in hopes not to lose
The could-be dream-lover of my lifetime.
With unseen consciousness, I possessed in my grip
A magnificent mantelpiece, though its heart being chipped
Noticing not that I'd already slipped
To a sin of love's false security.
From silhouetted anger to manufactured peace
Answers of emptiness, voice vacancies
Till the tombstones of damage read me no question but, "Please
What's wrong and what's exactly the matter ?"
And so it did happen, like it could have been foreseen
The timeless explosion of fantasy's dream
At the peak of the night, the king and the queen
Tumbled all down into pieces.
"The tragic figure" her sister did shout
"Leave her alone, God damn you, get out"
And I in my armor, turning about
And nailing her in the ruins of her pettiness.
Beneath a bare light bulb the plaster did pound
Her sister and I in a screaming battleground
And she in between, the victim of sound
Soon shattered as a child to the shadows.
All is gone, all is gone, admit it, take flight
I gagged in contradiction, tears blinding my sight
My mind it was mangled, I ran into the night
Leaving all of love's ashes behind me.
The wind knocks my window, the room it is wet
The words to say I'm sorry, I haven't found yet
I think of her often and hope whoever she's met
Will be fully aware of how precious she is.
Ah, my friends from the prison, they ask unto me
"How good, how good does it feel to be free "?
And I answer them most mysteriously
[n.c.] C
I don't hurt anymore
G C/g G
All my teardrops are dry.
No more walking the floor
G C/g G7
With that burning inside.
[n.c.] C
Just to think it could be
G C/g G
Time has opened the door
And at last I am free.
[n.c.] G C G
I don't hurt anymore.
No use to deny I wanted to die
G C/g G
The day that you said we were through.
But now that I'm fine, you're out of my mind,
D7 [n.c.]
I can't believe that it's true.
I forgot it somehow
That I cared so before
And it's wonderful now.
Some time ago a crazy dream came to me
I dreamt I was walkin' into World War Three
I went to the doctor the very next day
To see what kinda words he could say
He said it was a bad dream
I wouldn't worry 'bout it none, though
They're dreams and they're only in your head.
I said, "Hold it, Doc, a World War passed through my brain".
He said, "Nurse, get your pad, this boy's insane".
He grabbed my arm, I said "Ouch".
As I landed on the psychiatric couch
He said, "Tell me about it".
Well, the whole thing started at 3 o'clock fast
It was all over by quarter past
I was down in the sewer with some little lover
When I peeked out from a manhole cover
Wondering who turned the lights on.
Well, I got up and walked around
And up and down the lonesome town
I stood a-wondering which way to go
I lit a cigarette on a parking meter
And walked on down the road
It was a normal day.
Well, I rung the fallout shelter bell
And leaned my head and I gave a yell
"Give me a string bean I'm a hungry man"
A shortgun fired and away I ran
I don't blame them too much though
They didn't know me.
Down at the corner by a hot-dog stand
I seen a man I said "Howdy friend,
I guess there's just us two"
He screamed a bit and away he flew
Thought it was a Communist.
Well, I spied me a girl and before she could leave
"Let's go and play Adam and Eve"
I took her by the hand and my heart it was thumpin'
When she said, "Hey man, you crazy or sumpin'
You see what happened last time they started".
Well, I seen a Cadillac window uptown
And there was nobody aroun'
I got into the driver's seat
And I drove down to 42nd Street
In my Cadillac
Good car to drive after a war.
Well, I remember seein' some ad
So I turned on my Conelrad
But I didn't pay my Con Ed bill
So the radio didn't work so well
Turned on my record player
It was Rock-A-Day Johnny singin'
"Tell Your Ma, Tell Your Pa
Our Loves Are Gonna Grow Ooh-wah, Ooh-wah"
I was feelin' kinda lonesome and blue
I needed somebody to talk to
So I called up the operator of time
Just to hear a voice of some kind
"When you hear the beep
It will be three o'clock"
She said that for over an hour
And I hung up.
Well the doctor interrupted me just about then
Sayin' "Hey I've been havin' the same old dreams
But mine was a little different you see
I dreamt that the only person left after the war was me
I didn't see you around".
Well, now time passed and now it seems
Everybody's having them dreams
Everybody sees themselves walkin' around with no one else
Half of the people can be part right all of the time
Some of the people can be all right part of the time
But all of the people can't be all right all of the time
I think Abraham Lincoln said that
"I'll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours"
The festival was over, the boys were all plannin' for a fall,
The cabaret was quiet except for the drillin' in the wall.
The curfew had been lifted and the gamblin' wheel shut down,
Anyone who had any sense had already left town.
He was standin' in the doorway lookin' like the Jack of Hearts.
He moved across the mirrored room, "Set it up for everyone," he said,
Then everyone commenced to do what they were doin' before he turned their heads.
Then he walked up to a stranger and he asked him with a grin,
"Could you kindly tell me, friend, what time the show begins?"
Then he moved into the corner, face down like the Jack of Hearts.
Backstage the girls were playin' five-card stud by the stairs,
Lily had two queens, she was hopin' for a third to match her pair.
Outside the streets were fillin' up, the window was open wide,
A gentle breeze was blowin', you could feel it from inside.
Lily called another bet and drew up the Jack of Hearts.
Big Jim was no one's fool, he owned the town's only diamond mine,
He made his usual entrance lookin' so dandy and so fine.
With his bodyguards and silver cane and every hair in place,
He took whatever he wanted to and he laid it all to waste.
But his bodyguards and silver cane were no match for the Jack of Hearts.
Rosemary combed her hair and took a carriage into town,
She slipped in through the side door lookin' like a queen without a crown.
She fluttered her false eyelashes and whispered in his ear,
"Sorry, darlin', that I'm late," but he didn't seem to hear.
He was starin' into space over at the Jack of Hearts.
"I know I've seen that face somewhere," Big Jim was thinkin' to himself,
"Maybe down in Mexico or a picture up on somebody's shelf."
But then the crowd began to stamp their feet and the house lights did dim
And in the darkness of the room there was only Jim and him,
Starin' at the butterfly who just drew the Jack of Hearts.
Lily was a princess, she was fair-skinned and precious as a child,
She did whatever she had to do, she had that certain flash every time she smiled.
She had come away from a broken home, had lots of strange affairs
With men in every walk of life which took her everywhere.
But she'd never met anyone quite like the Jack of Hearts.
The hangin' judge came in unnoticed and was being wined and dined,
The drillin' in the wall kept up but no one seemed to pay it any mind.
It was known all around that Lily had Jim's ring
And nothing would ever come between Lily and the king.
No, nothin' ever would except maybe the Jack of Hearts.
Rosemary started drinkin' hard and seein' her reflection in the knife,
She was tired of the attention, tired of playin' the role of Big Jim's wife.
She had done a lot of bad things, even once tried suicide,
Was lookin' to do just one good deed before she died.
She was gazin' to the future, riding on the Jack of Hearts.
Lily took her dress off and buried it away.
"Has your luck run out?" she laughed at him, "Well, I guess you must
have known it would someday.
Be careful not to touch the wall, there's a brand-new coat of paint,
I'm glad to see you're still alive, you're lookin' like a saint."
Down the hallway footsteps were comin' for the Jack of Hearts.
The backstage manager was pacing all around by his chair.
"There's something funny going on," he said, "I can just feel it in the air."
He went to get the hangin' judge, but the hangin' judge was drunk,
As the leading actor hurried by in the costume of a monk.
There was no actor anywhere better than the Jack of Hearts.
No one knew the circumstance but they say that it happened pretty quick,
The door to the dressing room burst open and a Colt revolver clicked.
And Big Jim was standin' there, ya couldn't say surprised,
Rosemary right beside him, steady in her eyes.
She was with Big Jim but she was leanin' to the Jack of Hearts.
Two doors down the boys finally made it through the wall
And cleaned out the bank safe, it's said they got off with quite a haul.
In the darkness by the riverbed they waited on the ground
For one more member who had business back in town.
But they couldn't go no further without the Jack of Hearts.
The next day was hangin' day, the sky was overcast and black,
Big Jim lay covered up, killed by a penknife in the back.
And Rosemary on the gallows, she didn't even blink,
The hangin' judge was sober, he hadn't had a drink.
The only person on the scene missin' was the Jack of Hearts.
The cabaret was empty now, a sign said, "Closed for repair,"
Lily had already taken all of the dye out of her hair.
She was thinkin' 'bout her father, who she very rarely saw,
Thinkin' 'bout Rosemary and thinkin' about the law.
I'm getting weary looking in my baby's eyes
When she's near me she's so hard to recognize
But I finally realize there's no room for regret
True love, true love, true love tends to forget.
Hold me, baby be near
You told me that you'd be sincere
But every day of the year's like playing Russian roulette
True love, true love, true love tends to forget.
I was lying down in the reeds without any oxygen
I saw you in the wilderness among the men
I saw you drift into infinity and come back again
All you got to do is wait 'till I'll tell you when.
You're a tearjerker, baby, but I'm under your spell
You're a hard worker, baby, and I know you well
At this weekend in hell is making me sweat
True love, true love, true love tends to forget.
I was lying down in the reeds without any oxygen
I saw you in the wilderness among the men
Saw you drift into infinity and come back again
All you got to do is wait and I'll tell you when.
You belong to me baby, without any doubt
Don't forsake me baby, don't sell me out
Don't keep me knocking about from Mexico to Tibet
True love, true love, true love tends to forget.
True love, true love, true love tends to forget.
True love, true love, true love tends to forget
Senor, senor, can you tell me where we're headin ?
Lincoln County Road or Armageddon ?
Seems like I been down this way before
Is there any truth in that, senor ?
Senor, senor, do you know where she is hidin' ?
How long are we gonna be riding ?
How long must I keep my eyes glued to the door ?
Will there be any comfort there senor ?
There's a wicked wind still blowing on that upper deck
There's an iron cross still hanging down from around her neck
There's a marcing band still playing in that vacant lot
Where's she held me in her arms one time and said, Forget me not.
Senor, senor, I can see that painted wagon
Smell the tail of the dragon
Can't stand the suspense anymore
Can you tell me who to contact here, senor ?
Well, the last thing I remember before I stripped and kneeled
Was that trainload of fools bogged down in a magnetic field
A gypsy with a broken flag and a flashing ring
He said, Son, this ain't a dream no more it's the real thing.
Senor, senor, you know their hearts is as hard as leather
Well, give me a minute, let me get it together
I just gotta pick myself up off the floor
I'm ready when you are, senor.
Senor, senor, let's overturn these cables
Disconnect these tables
This place don't make sense to me no more
There's a long distance train rolling through the rain
Tears on the letter I write
There's a woman I long to touch and I missin' her so much
But she's drifting like a satellite
There's a neon light ablaze in the green smoky haze
And laughter down on Elizabeth Street
There's a lonesome bell tone in that valley of stone
Where she bathed in a stream of pure heat
Her father would emphasize you got to be more than street-wise
But he practiced what he preached from the heart
A full-blooded Cherokee, he predicted it to me
The time and the place that we part
There's a babe in the arms of a woman in a rage
And a longtime golden-haired stripper on stage
And she winds back the clock and she turns back the page
Of a book that nobody can write
Oh, where are you tonight?
The truth was obscure, too profound and too pure
To live it you had to explode
And at the last hour of need, we entirely agreed
Sacrifice was the code of the road
I left town at dawn, with Marcel and St. John
Strong men belittled by doubt
I couldn't tell her what my private thoughts were
But she had some way of finding them out
He took dead-center aim, but he missed just the same
She was waiting putting flowers on the shelf
She could feel my despair as I climbed up her hair
And discovered her invisible self
There's a lion in the road, there's a demon escaped
There's a million dreams gone, there's a landscape being raped
As her beauty fades and I watch her undrape
But I won't but then maybe again I might
Oh, if I could just find you tonight
I fought with my twin, that enemy within
'Til both of us fell by the way
Horseplay and disease is killing me by degrees
While the law looks the other way
Your partners in crime hit me up for nickels and dimes
The man you were loving couldn't never get clean
It felt out of place, my foot in his face
But he should've stayed where his money was green
I bit into the root of forbidden fruit
With the juice running down my leg
Then I dealt with your boss, who'd never known about loss
Who always was too proud to beg
There's a white diamond gloom, on the dark side of this room
And a pathway that leads up to the stars
If you don't believe there's a price for this sweet paradise
Just remind me to show you the stars
There's a new day at dawn, and I've finally arrived
If I'm there in the morning, baby, you'll know I've survived
I can't believe it, I can't believe I'm alive
But without you it doesn't seem right
I think we better talk this over
Maybe when we both get sober
You'll understand I'm only a man
Doing the best that I can.
This situation can only get rougher
Why should we needlesly suffer ?
Let's call it a day go our own different way
Before we decay.
You don't have to be afraid of looking into my face
We've done nothing to each other time will not erase.
I feel displaced, I got a low-down feeling
You have been two-faced, you been double-dealing
I took a chance, got caught in the trance
Of a downhill dance.
Oh child, why you wanna hurt me ?
I'm exiled you can't convert me
I'm lost in the haze of your delicate ways
With both eyes glazed.
You don't have to yearn for love, you don't have to be alone
Somewhere in the univers there's a place that you can call home.
I guess I'll be leaving tomorrow
If I have to beg, steal or borrow
It'd be great to cross paths in a day and a half
Look at each other and laugh.
But I don't think it's liable to happen
Like the sound of one hand clapping
The vows that we kept are now broken and swept
Beneath the bed where we slept.
Don't think of me and fantasize of what we never had
Be grateful for what we've shared together and be glad
Why should we got on watching each other through a telescope ?
Eventually we'll hang ourselves on all this tangled rope.
Oh babe, time for a new transition
I wish I was a magician
I would wave a wand and tie back the bond
Gonna change my way of thinking
Make myself a different set of rules
Gonna change my way of thinking
Make myself a different set of rules
Gonna put my good foot forward
And stop being influenced by fools.
So much oppression
Can't keep track of it no more
So much oppression
Can't keep track of it no more
Sons becoming husbands to their mothers
And old men turning young daughters into whores.
Stripes on your shoulders
Stripes on your back and on your hands
Stripes on your shoulders
Stripes on your back and on your hands
Swords piercing your side
Blood and water flowing through the land.
Well don't know which one is worse
Doing your own thing or just being cool
Well don't know which one is worse
Doing your own thing or just being cool
You remember only about the brass ring
You forget all about the golden rule.
You can mislead a man
You can take ahold of his heart with your eyes
You can mislead a man
You can take ahold of his heart with your eyes
But there's only one authority
And that's the authority on high.
I got a God-fearing woman
One I can easily afford
I got a God-fearing woman
One I can easily afford
She can do the Georgia crawl
She can walk in the spirit of the Lord.
Jesus said, "Be ready
For you know not the hour in which I come"
Jesus said, "Be ready
For you know not the hour in which I come"
He said, "He who is not for Me is against Me"
Just so you know where He's coming from.
There's a kingdom called Heaven
A place where there is no pain of birth
There's a kingdom called Heaven
A place where there is no pain of birth
Well the Lord created it, mister
Don't wanna judge nobody, don't wanna be judged
Don't wanna touch nobody, don't wanna be touched
Don't wanna hurt nobody , don't wanna be hurt
Don't wanna treat nobody like they was dirt.
But if you do right to me baby
I'll do right to you too
Ya got to do unto others
Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you.
Don't wanna shoot nobody, don't wanna be shot
Don't wanna buy nobody, don't wanna be bought
Don't wanna bury nobody, don't wanna be buried
Don't wanna marry nobody, if they're already married.
But if you do right to me baby
I'll do right to you too
Ya got to do unto others
Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you.
Don't wanna burn nobody, don't wanna be burned
Don't wanna learn from nobody, what I gotta unlearn
Don't wanna cheat nobody, don't wanna be cheated
Don't wanna defeat nobody if they already been defeated.
But if you do right to me baby
I'll do right to you too
Ya got to do unto others
Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you.
Don't wanna wink at nobody, don't wanna be winked at
Don't wanna be used by nobody for a doormat
Don't wanna confuse nobody, don't wanna be confused
Don't wanna amuse nobody, don't wanna be amused.
But if you do right to me baby
I'll do right to you too
Ya got to do unto others
Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you.
Don't wanna betray nobody, don't wanna be betrayed
Don't wanna play with nobody, don't wanna be waylaid
Don't wanna miss nobody, don't wanna be missed
They ask me how I feel
And if my love is real
And how I know I'll make it through
And they, they look at me and frown
They'd like to drive me from this town
They don't want me around
'Cause I believe in you.
They show me to the door
They say don't come back no more
'Cause I don't be like they'd like me to
And I, I walk out on my own
A thousand miles from home
But I don't feel alone
'Cause I believe in you.
I believe in you even through the tears and the laughter
I believe in you even though we be apart
I believe in you even on the morning after
Oh, when the dawn is nearing
Oh, when the night is disappearing
Oh, this feeling is still here in my heart.
Don't let me drift too far
Keep me where you are
Where I will always be renewed
And that which you've given me today
Is worth more than I could pay
And no matter what they say
I believe in you.
I believe in you when winter turn to summer
I believe in you when white turn to black
I believe in you even though I be outnumbered
Oh, though the earth may shake me
Oh, though my friends forsake me
Oh, even that couldn't make me go back.
Don't let me change my heart
Keep me set apart
From all the plans they do pursue
And I, I don't mind the pain
Don't mind the driving rain
I know I will sustain
You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
You might be a rock n' roll addict, prancin' on the stage
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage
You may be a business man or some high degree thief
They may call you doctor or they may call you chief
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes you're
You're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
You may be a state trooper, you might be a young turk
You may be the head of some big TV network
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame
You may be livin' in another country under another name
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes you're
You're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
You may be a construction worker workin' on a home
You might be livin' in a mansion, you might live in a dome
You might own guns and you might even own tanks
You might be somebody's landlord, you might even own banks
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
Yes you're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride
You may be a city councilman takin' bribes on the side
You may be workin' in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair
You may be somebody's mistress, may be somebody's heir
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
Yes you're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk
Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread
You may be sleepin' on the floor, sleepin' in a king-sized bed
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy
You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray
You may call me anything, no matter what you say
You're still gonna have to serve somebody
Yes you're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
Precious angel, under the sun
How was I to know you'd be the one
To show me I was blinded, to show me I was gone
How weak was the foundation I was standing upon ?
Now there's spiritual warfare and flesh and blood breaking down
Ya either got faith or ya got unbelief and there ain't neutral ground
The enemy is subtle, how be it we are so deceived
When the truth's in our hearts and we still don't believe ?
Shine you light, shine your light on me
Shine you light, shine your light on me
Shine you light, shine your light on me
Ya know I just couldn't make it by myself
I'm a little too blind to see.
My so called friends have fallen under a spell
They look me squarely in the eye and they say, "Well all is well'"
Can they imagine the darkness that will fall from on high
When men will beg God to kill them and they won't be able to die.
Sister, lemme tell you about a vision that I saw
You were drawing water for your husband, you were suffering under the law
You were telling him about Buddha, you were telling him about Mohammed in the same breath
You never mentioned one time the Man who came and died a criminal's death.
Shine you light, shine your light on me
Shine you light, shine your light on me
Shine you light, shine your light on me
Ya know I just couldn't make it by myself
I'm a little too blind to see.
Precious angel, you believe me when I say
What God has given to us no man can take away
We are covered in blood girl, you know our forefathers were slaves
Let us hope they've found mercy in their bone-filled graves.
You're the queen of my flesh, girl, you're my woman, you're my delight
You're the lamb of my soul, girl, and you touch up the night
But there's violence in the eyes, girl, so let us not be enticed
On the way out of Egypt, through Etopoia, to the judgement hall of Christ.
Shine you light, shine your light on me
Shine you light, shine your light on me
Shine you light, shine your light on me
Ya know I just couldn't make it by myself
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago
He saw an animal that liked to growl
Big furry paws and he liked to howl
Great big furry back and furry hair
"Ah, think I'll call it a bear"
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago
He saw an animal up on a hill
Chewing up so much grass until she was filled
He saw milk coming out but he didn't know how
"Ah, think I'll call it a cow"
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago
He saw an animal that liked to snort
Horns on his head and they weren't too short
It looked like there wasn't nothing that he couldn't pull
"Ah, I'll think I'll call it a bull"
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago
He saw an animal leaving a muddy trail
Real dirty face and a curly trail
He wasn't too small and he wasn't too big
"Ah, think I'll call it a pig"
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago
Next animal that he did meet
Had wool on his back and hooves on his feet
Eating grass on a mountainside so steep
"Ah, think I'll call it a sheep"
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago
He saw an animal as smooth as glass
Slithering his way through the grass
No more auction block for me
No more, no more
No more auction block for me
Many thousands gone
No more driver's lash for me
No more, no more
No more driver's lash for me
Many thousands gone
No more whip lash for me
No more, no more
No more pint of salt for me
Many thousands gone
No more auction block for me
No more, no more
No more auction block for me
Oh, the gentlemen are talking and the midnight moon is on the riverside
They're drinking up and walking and it is time for me to slide
I live in another world where life and death are memorized
Where the earth is strung with lover's pearls and all I see are dark eyes.
A cock is crowing far away and another soldier's deep in prayer
Some mother's child has gone astray, she can't find him anywhere
But I can hear another drum beating for the dead that rise
Whom nature's beast fears as they come and all I see are dark eyes.
They tell me to be discreet for all intended purposes
They tell me revenge is sweet and from where they stand, I'm sure it is
But I feel nothing for their game, where beauty goes unrecognized
All I feel is heat and flame, and all I see are dark eyes.
Oh, the French girl, she's in paradise and a drunken man is at the wheel
Hunger pays a heavy prize to the falling gods of speed and steel
Oh, time is short and the days are sweet and passion rules the arrow that flies
Your breath is sweet
Your eyes are like two jewels in the sky.
Your back is straight, your hair is smooth
On the pillow where you lie.
But I don't sense affection
No gratitude or love
Your loyalty is not to me
But to the stars above.
One more cup of coffee for the road,
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below.
Your daddy he's an outlaw
And a wanderer by trade
He'll teach you how to pick and choose
And how to throw the blade.
He oversees his kingdom
So no stranger does intrude
His voice it trembles as he calls out
For another plate of food.
One more cup of coffee for the road,
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below.
Your sister sees the future
Like your mama and yourself.
You've never learned to read or write
There's no books upon your shelf.
And your pleasure knows no limits
Your voice is like a meadowlark
But your heart is like an ocean
Mysterious and dark.
One more cup of coffee for the road,
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below.
I didn’t mean to treat you so bad
You shouldn’t take it so personal
I didn’t mean to make you so sad
You just happened to be there, that’s all
When I saw you say "goodbye" to your friend and smile
I thought that it was well understood
That you’d be comin’ back in a little while
I didn’t know that you were sayin’ "goodbye" for good
But, sooner or later, one of us must know
You just did what you’re supposed to do
Sooner or later, one of us must know
That I really did try to get close to you
I couldn’t see what you could show me
Your scarf had kept your mouth well hid
I couldn’t see how you could know me
But you said you knew me and I believed you did
When you whispered in my ear
And asked me if I was leavin’ with you or her
I didn’t realize just what I did hear
I didn’t realize how young you were
But, sooner or later, one of us must know
You just did what you’re supposed to do
Sooner or later, one of us must know
That I really did try to get close to you
I couldn’t see when it started snowin’
Your voice was all that I heard
I couldn’t see where we were goin’
But you said you knew an’ I took your word
And then you told me later, as I apologized
That you were just kiddin’ me, you weren’t really from the farm
An’ I told you, as you clawed out my eyes
That I never really meant to do you any harm
But, sooner or later, one of us must know
You just did what you’re supposed to do
Sooner or later, one of us must know
That I really did try to get close to you
Twilight on the frozen lake
North wind about to break
On footprints in the snow
Silence down below.
You're beautiful beyond words
You're beautiful to me
You can make me cry
Never say goodbye.
Time is all I have to give
You can have it if you choose
With me you can live
Never say goodbye.
My dreams are made of iron and steel
With a big bouquet
Of roses hanging down
From the heavens to the ground.
The crashing waves roll over me
As I stand upon the sand
Wait for you to come
And grab hold of my hand.
Oh, baby, baby, baby blue
You'll change your last name, too
You've turned your hair to brown
Love to see it hangin' down.
Night after night you wander the streets of my mind.
Night after night don't know what you think you will find.
No place to go, nowhere to turn,
Everything around you seems to burn, burn, burn.
And there's never any mercy night after night.
Night after night
Night after night
Night after night some new plan to blow up the world.
Night after night another old man kissing some young girl.
You look for salvation, you find none.
Just another broken heart, another barrel of a gun,
Just another stick of dynamite night after night.
Night after night
Night after night
Night after night you drop dead in your bed,
Night after night another bottle finds a head.
Night after night I think about cutting you loose
But I just can't do it, what would be the use?
So I just keep a holding you tight night after night.
Night after night
Night after night
Night after night
Ninety Miles An Hour
Words by H Blair & D. Robertson
Sung by Bob Dylan
I took you home from a party and we kissed in fun
A few stolen kisses and no harm was done
Instead of stopping when we could we went right on
Till suddenly we found that the brakes were gone.
You belong to someone else, and I do too
It's just crazy bein' here with you
As a bad motorcycle with the devil in the seat
Going ninety miles an hour down a dead end street
Ninety miles an hour down a dead end street.
I didn't want to want you, but now I have no choice
It's too late to listen to that warning voice
All I hear is thunder of two hearts beat
Going ninety miles an hour down a dead end street
Ninety miles an hour down a dead end street.
You're not free to belong to me
And you know I could never be your own
Your lips on mine are like a sweet, sweet wine
But we're heading for a wall of stone.
Warning signs are flashing ev'ry where, but we pay no heed
'Stead of slowing down the place, we keep a pickin' up speed
Disaster's getting closer ev'ry time we meet
Going ninety miles an hour down a dead end street
Yeah, ninety miles an hour down a dead end street
Well, ninety miles an hour down a dead end street.
My love she speaks like silence
Without ideals or violence
She doesn't have to say she's faithful
Yet she's true, like ice, like fire
People carry roses
And make promises by the hours
My love she laughs like the flowers
Valentines can't buy her.
In the dime stores and bus stations
People talk of situations
Read books, repeat quotations
Draw conclusions on the wall
Some speak of the future
My love she speaks softly
She knows there's no success like failure
And that failure's no succes at all.
The cloak and dagger dangles
Madams light the candles
In ceremonies of the horsemen
Even the pawn must hold a grudge
Statues made of match sticks
Crumble into one another
My love winks, she does not bother
She knows too much to argue or to judge.
The bridge at midnight trembles
The country doctor rambles
Bankers' nieces seek perfection
Expecting all the gifts that wise men bring
The wind howls like a hammer
The night blows rainy
My love she's like some raven
At my window with a broken wing.
Trust yourself,
Trust yourself to do the things that only you know best
Trust yourself
Trust yourself to do what's right and not be second-guessed
Don't trust me to show you beauty
When beauty may only turn to rust
If you need somebody you can trust, trust yourself.
Trust yourself
Trust yourself to know the way that will prove true in the end
Trust yourself
Trust yourself to find the path where there is no if and when
Don't trust me to show you the truth
When the truth may only be ashes and dust
If you want somebody you can trust, trust yourself.
Well, you're on your own, you always were
In a land of wolves and thieves
Don't put your hope in ungodly man
Or be a slave to what somebody else believes.
Trust yourself
And you won't be disappointed when vain people let you down
Trust yourself
And look not for answers where no answers can be found
Don't trust me to show you love
When my love may be only lust
If you want somebody you can trust, trust yourself.
Look out across the fields, see me returning
Smoke is in your eye, you draw a smile
From the fireplace where my letters to you are burning
You've had time to think about it for a while.
Well, I've walked two hundred miles, look me over
It's the end of the chase and the moon is high
It wont matter who loves who
You'll love me or I'll love you
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling from the sky.
I can see through your walls and I know you're hurting
Sorrow covers you up like a cape
Only yesterday I know that you've been flirting
With disaster you somehow managed to escape.
I can't provide for you no easy answers
Who are you that I should have to lie ?
You'll know all about it, love
It'll fit you like a glove
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling from the sky.
I can hear your trembling heart beat like a river
You must have been protecting someone last time I called
I never asked you for nothing that you couldn't deliver
I've never asked you to set yourself up for a fall.
I saw thousands who could have overcome the darkness
For the love of a lousy buck, I've watched them die
Stick around, baby, we're not through
Don't look for me, I'll see you
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling from the sky.
In your teardrops, I can see my own reflection
It was on the northern border of Texas where I crossed the line
I don't want to be a fool starving for affection
I don't want to drown in someone else's wine.
For all eternity I think I will remember
That icy wind that's howling in your eye
You will seek me and you'll find me
In the wasteland of your mind
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling from the sky.
Well, I sent you my feelings in a letter
When you were gambling for support
This time tomorrow I'll know you better
When my memory is not so short.
This time I'm asking for freedom
Freedom from a world which you deny
And you'll give it to me now
I'll take it anyhow
When the night comes falling
When the night comes falling
Something is burning, baby, are you aware ?
Something is the matter, baby, there's smoke in your hair
Are you still my friend, baby, show me a sign
Is the love in your heart for me turning blind ?
You've been avoiding the main streets for a long, long while
The truth that I'm seeking is in your missing file
What's your position, baby, what's going on ?
Why is the light in your eyes nearly gone ?
I know everything about this place, or so it seems
But am I no longer a part of your plans or your dreams ?
Well, it is so obvious that something has changed
What's happening, baby, to make you act so strange ?
Something is burning, baby, here's what I say
Even the bloodhounds of London couldn't find you today
I see the shadow of a man, baby, making you blue
Who is he, baby, and what's he to you ?
We've reached the edge of the road, baby, where the pasture begins
Where the charity is supposed to cover up a multitude of sins
But where do you live, baby, and where is the light ?
Why are your eyes just staring off in the night ?
I can feel it, in the night, in the night, in the night when I think of you
I can feel it in the light, in the light, in the light and it's got to be true
You can't live by bread alone, you won't be satisfied
You can't roll away the stone if your hands are tied.
Got to start someplace, baby, can you explain ?
Please don't fade away on me, baby, like the midnight train
Answer me, baby, a casual look will do
Just what in the world has come over you ?
I can feel it in the wind, in the wind, in the wind and it's upside down
I can feel it in the dust as I get off the bus on the outskirts of town
I've had the Mexico City blues since the last hairpin curve
I don't wanna see you bleed, I know what you need and it ain't what you deserve.
Something is burning, baby, something's in flames
There's a man going 'round calling names
Ring down when you're ready, baby, I'm waiting for you
It's been raining in the trenches all day long,
dripping down to my clothes,
My patience is wearing thin, got a fire inside my nose.
Searching for the truth the way God designed it,
The truth is I might drown before I find it.
Well I need a woman, yes I do
Need a woman, yes I do.
Someone who can see me as I am,
Somebody who just don't give a damn.
And I want you to be that woman every night,
Be that woman.
I've had my eyes on you baby for about five long years,
You probably don't know me at all, but I have seen your
laughter and tears.
Now you don't frighten me, my heart is jumping
And you look like it wouldn't hurt you none to have a
man who could give ya something.
Well I need a woman, oh don't I
Need a woman, bring it home safe at last.
Seen you turn the corner, seen your bootheels spark,
Seen you in the daylight, and watched you in the dark.
And I want you to be that woman, all right
Be that woman every night.
Well, if you believe in something long enough you just
naturally come to think it's true.
There ain't no wall you can't cross over, ain't no fire
you can't walk through.
Well, believing is all right, just don't let the wrong
people know what it's all about.
They might put the evil eye on you, use their hidden
powers to try to turn you out.
Well I need a woman, just to be my queen.
Now you're here beside me, baby
You're a living dream
And every time you get this close
It makes me want to scream
You touched me and you knew
That I was warm for you and then
I ain't never gonna be the same again.
Sorry if I hurt you, baby
Sorry if I did
Sorry if I touched the place
Where your secrets are hid
But you meant more than everything
And I could not pretend
I ain't never gonna be the same again.
You give me something to think about, baby
Every time I see ya
Don't worry, baby, I don't mind leaving
I'd just like it to be my idea.
You taught me how to love you, baby
You taught me, oh, so well
Now, I can't go back to what was, baby
I can't unring the bell
You took my reality
And cast it to the wind
And I ain't never gonna be the same again.
Come on, baby
Come on, darlin'
You're too hot, darlin'
Come on, baby
Come on, honey
You're my baby
You're my honey
You got it baby
Well, I thought that the rain would cool things down
But it looks like it don't
I'd like to get you to change your mind
But it looks like you won't.
From now on I'll be busy
Ain't going nowhere fast
I'm just glad it's over
And I'm seeing the real you at last.
Well, didn't I risk my neck for you
Didn't I take chances ?
Didn't I rise above all
Most unfortunate circumstances ?
Well, I have had some rotten nights
Didn't think that they would pass
I'm just thankful and grateful
To be seeing the real you at last.
I'm hungry and I'm irritable
And I'm tired of this bag of tricks
At one time there was nothing wrong with me
That you could not fix.
Well, I sailed through the storm
Strapped to the mast
Oh, but our time has come
And I'm seeing the real you at last.
When I met you, baby
You didn't show no visible scars
You could ride like Annie Oakley
You could shoot like Belle Star.
Well, I don't mind a reasonable amount of trouble
Trouble always comes to pass
All I care for about now
Is that I'm seeing the real you at last.
Oh, yes I am.
Well, I'm gonna quit this baby talk now
I guess I should have known
I got troubles, I think maybe you got troubles
I think maybe we'd better leave each other alone.
Whatever you gonna do
Please do it fast
I'm still trying to get used to
Seeing the real you at last.
Come baby, find me, come baby, remind me of where I once begun
Come baby, show me, show me you know me, tell me you're the one
I could be learning, you could be yearning to see behind closed door
But I will always be emotionally yours.
Come baby, rock me, come baby, lock me into the shadows of your heart
Come baby, teach me, come baby reach me, let the music start
I could be dreaming but I keep believing you're the one I'm living for
And I will always be emotionally yours.
It's like my whole life never happened
When I see you, it's if I never had a thought
I know this dream, it might be crazy
But it's the only one I've got. Okay.
Come baby, shake me, come baby, take me, I would be satisfied
Come baby, hold me, come baby, help me, my arms are open wide
I could be unraveling wherever I'm traveling, even to foreign shores
Lay down your weary tune, lay down,
Lay down the song you strum,
And rest yourself 'neath the strength of strings
No voice can hope to hum.
Struck by the sounds before the sun,
I knew the night had gone.
The morning breeze like a bugle blew
Against the drums of dawn.
Lay down your weary tune, lay down,
Lay down the song you strum,
And rest yourself 'neath the strength of strings
No voice can hope to hum.
The ocean wild like an organ played,
The seaweed's wove its strands.
The crashin' waves like cymbals clashed
Against the rocks and sands.
Lay down your weary tune, lay down,
Lay down the song you strum,
And rest yourself 'neath the strength of strings
No voice can hope to hum.
I stood unwound beneath the skies
And clouds unbound by laws.
The cryin' rain like a trumpet sang
And asked for no applause.
Lay down your weary tune, lay down,
Lay down the song you strum,
And rest yourself 'neath the strength of strings
No voice can hope to hum.
The last of leaves fell from the trees
And clung to a new love's breast.
The branches bare like a banjo played
To the winds that listened best.
I gazed down in the river's mirror
And watched its winding strum.
The water smooth ran like a hymn
And like a harp did hum.
Lay down your weary tune, lay down,
Lay down the song you strum,
And rest yourself 'neath the strength of strings
(First release—Jesse Fuller)
Well I don't know why I love you like I do
Nobody in the world can get along with you.
You got the ways of a devil sleeping in a lion's den
I come home last night you wouldn't even let me in.
Well sometimes you're as sweet as anybody want to be
When you get a crazy notion of jumpin' all over me
Well you give me the blues I guess you're satisfied
An' you give me the blues I wanna lay down and die.
I helped you when you had no shoes on your feet, pretty mama
I helped you when you had no food to eat.
You're the kind of woman I just don't understand
You're takin' all my money and give it to another man.
Well you're the kinda woman makes a man lose his brain
You're the kinda woman drives a man insane
You give me the blues, I guess you're satisfied
You give me the blues, I wanna lay down and die
Well you give me the blues, I wanna lay down and die
Don't wanna judge nobody, don't wanna be judged,
Don't wanna touch nobody, don't wanna be touched.
Don't wanna hurt nobody, don't wanna be hurt,
Don't wanna treat nobody like they was dirt.
But if you do right to me, baby,
I'll do right to you, too.
Ya got to do unto others
Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you.
Don't wanna shoot nobody, don't wanna be shot,
Don't wanna buy nobody, don't wanna be bought.
Don't wanna bury nobody, don't wanna be buried,
Don't wanna marry nobody if they're already married.
But if you do right to me, baby,
I'll do right to you, too.
Ya got to do unto others
Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you.
Don't wanna burn nobody, don't wanna be burned,
Don't wanna learn from nobody what I gotta unlearn.
Don't wanna cheat nobody, don't wanna be cheated,
Don't wanna defeat nobody if they already been defeated.
But if you do right to me, baby,
I'll do right to you, too.
Ya got to do unto others
Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you.
Don't wanna wink at nobody, don't wanna be winked at,
Don't wanna be used by nobody for a doormat.
Don't wanna confuse nobody, don't wanna be confused,
Don't wanna amuse nobody, don't wanna be amused.
But if you do right to me, baby,
I'll do right to you, too.
Ya got to do unto others
Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you.
Don't wanna betray nobody, don't wanna be betrayed,
Don't wanna play with nobody, don't wanna be waylaid.
Don't wanna miss nobody, don't wanna be missed,
Don't put my faith in nobody, not even a scientist.
But if you do right to me, baby,
I'll do right to you, too.
Ya got to do unto others
Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you.
If I had wings like Noah's dove
I'd fly the river to the one I love
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well.
I had a man, who was long and tall,
Moved his body like a cannon ball.
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well.
'Member one evening, it was drizzling rain
And in my heart I felt an aching pain.
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well.
Once I wore my apron low,
Been a-keep' you away from my door.
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well.
Now my apron is up to my chin,
You pass my door but you never come in.
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well.
Muddy river runs muddy 'n' wild,
You can't care the bloody for my unborn child.
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well.
Number nine train ain' done no harm,
Number nine train take my poor baby home.
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well.
Fastest man I ever saw
Skid Missouri on the way to Arkansas.
Well I'm sitting in church
In an old wooden chair
I knew nobody
Would look for me there
... Sorrow and pity
... Rule the earth and the skies
Looking for nothing
Anyone's eyes
Once I had pretty girls
Did me wrong
Now I'm marching to the city
And the road ain't long
Snowflakes are falling
Around my head
Lord have mercy
It feel heavy like lead
... I been hit too hard
... Seen too much
Nothing can heal me now
But your touch
Once I had a pretty girl
She done me wrong
Now I'm marching to the city
And the road ain't long
Loneliness
Got a mind of its own
The more people around
The more you feel alone
... I'm chained to the earth
... Like a silent slave
Trying to break free
Out of death's dark cave
Once I had a pretty girl
Done me wrong
Now I'm marching to the city
And the road ain't long
Boys in the street
Beginning to play
Girls like birds
Flying away
... I'm carrying the roses
... That were given to me
And I'm thinking about paradise
Wondering what it might be
Once I had a pretty girl
She done me wrong
Now I'm marching to the city
And the road ain't long
Go over to London
Maybe gay Paree
Follow the river
You get to the sea
... I was hoping we could drink from
... Life's clear streams
I was hoping we could dream
Life's pleasant dreams
Once I had a pretty girl
But she done me wrong
Now I'm marching to the city
And the road ain't long
Well the weak get weaker
And the strong stay strong
The train keeps rolling
All night long
... She looked at me
... With an irresistable glance
With a smile
That could make all the planets dance
Once I had a pretty girl
She did me wrong
Now I'm marching to the city
And the road ain't long
My house is on fire
Burning to the skies
I thought the rain clouds
But the clouds passed by
... When I'm gone
... You'll remember my name
I'm gonna win my way
To wealth and fame
Once I had a pretty girl
But she did me wrong
Now I'm marching to the city
And the road ain't long
Ten years ago, on a cold, dark night
There was someone killed 'neath the Town hall light
There were few at the scene, but they all agreed
That the man who ran looked a lot like me
She walks these hills in a long black veil
She visits my grave while the night winds wail
Nobody knows, nobody sees
Nobody knows but me
The judge said Son, what's your alibi
If you were somewhere else, then you won't have to die
I spoke not a word thought it meant my life
For I'd been in the arms of my best friend's wife
(Refrain)
The scaffold was high and eternity near
She stood in the crowd and shed not a tear
But sometime at night when the cold winds moan
The eastern world it is explodin'
Violence flarin', bullets loadin'
You're old enough to kill but not for votin'
You don't believe in war, what's that gun you're totin'
And even the Jordan river has bodies floatin'
But you tell me over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction
Don't you understand, what I'm trying to say?
Can't you feel the fears that I'm feeling today?
If the button is pushed, there's no running away
There'll be no one to save with the world in a grave
Take a look around you, boy, it's bound to scare you, boy
And you tell me over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction
Yeah, my blood's so mad, feels like coagulatin'
I'm sittin' here, just contemplatin'
I can't twist the truth, it knows no regulation
Handful of Senators don't pass legislation
And marches alone can't bring integration
When human respect is disintegratin'
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin'
And you tell me over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction
Think of all the hate there is in Red China
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama
Ah, you may leave here, for four days in space
But when your return, it's the same old place
The poundin' of the drums, the pride and disgrace
You can bury your dead, but don't leave a trace
Hate your next-door-neighbor, but don't forget to say grace
And you tell me over and over and over and over again my friend
You don't believe we're on the eve of destruction
I sang the song slowly
As she stood in the shadows
She stepped to the light
As my silver strings spun
She called with her eyes
To the tune I's a-playin'
But the song it was long
And I'd only begun
Through a bullet of light
Her face was reflectin'
The fast fading words
That rolled from my tongue
With a long-distance look
Her eyes was on fire
But the song it was long
And there was more to be sung.
My eyes danced a circle
Across her clear outline
With her head tilted sideways
She called me again
As the tune drifted out
She breathed hard through the echo
But the song it was long
And it was far to the end
I glanced at my guitar
And played it pretendin'
That of all the eyes out there
I could see none
As her thoughts pounded hard
Like the pierce of an arrow
But the song it was long
And it had to get done
As the tune finally folded
I laid down the guitar
Then looked for the girl
Who'd stayed for so long
But her shadow was missin'
For all of my searchin'
So I picked up my guitar
Farewell Angelina
the bells on the crown
Are being stolen by bandits
I must follow the sound
The triangle tingles
And the music plays slow
But farewell Angelina
The night is on fire
And I must go
There is no use in talking
And there's no need for blame
There is nothing to prove
Everything still is the same
A table stands empty
By the edge of the stream
But farewell Angelina
The sky is changing colors
And I must leave
The jacks and the queens
They foresake the courtyard
Fifty-two gypsies
Now file past the guard
In the space where the deuce
And the ace once ran wild
Farewell Angelina
The sky is folding
I'll see you after a while
See the crosseyed pirates
Sit perched in the sun
Shooting tin cans
With a sawed off shot gun
And the corporals and the neighbors
Clap and cheer with each blast
But farewell Angelina
The sky is trembling
And I must leave fast
King Kong, little elves
And the roof-tops they dance
Valentino-type tangos
While the heroes clean hands
Shut the eyes of the dead
Not to embarass anyone
Farewell Angelina
The sky is flooding over and I must be gone
[Harmonica break]
The camoflaged parrot
He flutters from fear
When something he doesn't know about
Suddenly appears
What cannot be imitated
Perfect must die
Farewell Angelina
The sky is flooding over
And I must go where it is dry
Machine guns are roaring
The puppets heave rocks
At misunderstood visions
And at the faces of clocks
Call me any name you like
I will never deny it
But farewell Angelina
The sky is errupting
Oh it's fare thee well my darlin' true,
I'm leavin' in the first hour of the morn.
I'm bound off for the bay of Mexico
Or maybe the coast of Californ.
So it's fare thee well my own true love,
We'll meet another day, another time.
It ain't the leavin'
That's a-grievin' me
But my true love who's bound to stay behind.
Oh the weather is against me and the wind blows hard
And the rain she's a-turnin' into hail.
I still might strike it lucky on a highway goin' west,
Though I'm travelin' on a path beaten trail.
So it's fare thee well my own true love,
We'll meet another day, another time.
It ain't the leavin'
That's a-grievin' me
But my true love who's bound to stay behind.
I will write you a letter from time to time,
As I'm ramblin' you can travel with me too.
With my head, my heart and my hands, my love,
I will send what I learn back home to you.
So it's fare thee well my own true love,
We'll meet another day, another time.
It ain't the leavin'
That's a-grievin' me
But my true love who's bound to stay behind.
I will tell you of the laughter and of troubles,
Be them somebody else's or my own.
With my hands in my pockets and my coat collar high,
I will travel unnoticed and unknown.
So it's fare thee well my own true love,
We'll meet another day, another time.
It ain't the leavin'
That's a-grievin' me
But my true love who's bound to stay behind.
I've heard tell of a town where I might as well be
bound,
It's down around the old Mexican plains.
They say that the people are all friendly there
And all they ask of you is your name.
So it's fare thee well my own true love,
We'll meet another day, another time.
It ain't the leavin'
That's a-grievin' me
well she met him as she promised
up at Adam's this spring
expecting some money
or some other fine thing
no money, no money
to flatter the case
"We'll have to get married
so there'll be no disgrace."
"So jump you up Omie
and away we will ride
to yonder fair country
where the cool waters glide."
she jumped up behind him
and away they did ride
to yonder fair country
where the deep waters glide
"Now jump you down Omie
and i'll tell you my mind
my mind is to drown you
and to leave you behind."
she begged and she pleaded
"Oh, don't take my life
and i will deny you
and i'll never be your wife."
there she kicked and he cuffed her
to the worst understand
and he threw her in deep water
that flows through the land
they found her poor body
the following day
the preacher and the reverend
Lord, they all begun to pray
and up spoke her mother
with a voice so a-sting
"Nobody but John Lewis
could've done such a thing."
they traced him up the waters
to Dutch Charlie's Bend
where they found him in jail
for killin' a man
"Go hang him, go hang him."
was that mother's command
"And throw him in deep waters
Well I didn't come here to deal with a doggone thing
I just came here to hear the drop of cymbaline
There ain't no way you can put me down
I just wanna say that hell's my wife's home town
Well there's reasons for that, and reasons for this
I can't think of any just now, but I know they exist
I'm sittin in the sun 'till my skin turns brown
I just wanna say that hell's my wife's home town
Home town, home town
She can make you steal, make you rob
Give you the hives, make you lose your job
Make things bad, she can make things worse
She got stuff more potent than a gypsy curse
One of these days I'll end up on the run
I'm pretty sure she'll make me kill someone
I'm going inside, roll the shutters down
I just wanna say that hell's my wife's home town
Well there's plenty to remember, plenty to forget
I still can remember the day we met
I lost my reasons a long ago
My love for her is all I know
State gone broke, the county's dry
Don't be lookin' at me with that evil eye
Keep on walking, don't be hanging around
I'm tellin you again that hell's my wife's home town
Well, there was this movie I seen one time,
About a man riding 'cross the desert and it starred
Gregory Peck.
He was shot down by a hungry kid trying to make a name
for himself.
The townspeople wanted to crush that kid down and
string him up by the neck.
Well, the marshal, now he beat that kid to a bloody
pulp
as the dying gunfighter lay in the sun and gasped for
his last breath.
Turn him loose, let him go, let him say he outdrew me
fair and square,
I want him to feel what it's like to every moment face
his death.
Well, I keep seeing this stuff and it just comes a-
rolling in
And you know it blows right through me like a ball and
chain.
You know I can't believe we've lived so long and are
still so far apart.
The memory of you keeps callin' after me like a rollin'
train.
I can still see the day that you came to me on the
painted desert
In your busted down Ford and your platform heels
I could never figure out why you chose that particular
place to meet
Ah, but you were right. It was perfect as I got in
behind the wheel.
Well, we drove that car all night into San Anton'
And we slept near the Alamo, your skin was so tender
and soft.
Way down in Mexico you went out to find a doctor and
you never came back.
I would have gone on after you but I didn't feel like
letting my head get blown off.
Well, we're drivin' this car and the sun is comin' up
over the Rockies,
Now I know she ain't you but she's here and she's got
that dark rhythm in her soul.
But I'm too over the edge and I ain't in the mood
anymore to remember the times when I was your only man
And she don't want to remind me. She knows this car
would go out of control.
Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls, teeth
like pearls shining like the moon above
Brownsville girl, show me all around the world,
Brownsville girl, you're my honey love.
Well, we crossed the panhandle and then we headed
towards Amarillo
We pulled up where Henry Porter used to live. He owned
a wreckin' lot outside of town about a mile.
Ruby was in the backyard hanging clothes, she had her
red hair tied back. She saw us come rolling up in a
trail of dust.
She said, "Henry ain't here but you can come on in,
he'll be back in a little while."
Then she told us how times were tough and about how she
was thinkin' of bummin' a ride back to where she
started.
But ya know, she changed the subject every time money
came up.
She said, "Welcome to the land of the living dead." You
could tell she was so broken-hearted.
She said, "Even the swap meets around here are getting
pretty corrupt."
"How far are y'all going?" Ruby asked us with a sigh.
"We're going all the way 'til the wheels fall off and
burn,
'Til the sun peels the paint and the seat covers fade
and the water moccasin dies."
Ruby just smiled and said, "Ah, you know some babies
never learn."
Something about that movie though, well I just can't
get it out of my head
But I can't remember why I was in it or what part I was
supposed to play.
All I remember about it was Gregory Peck and the way
people moved
And a lot of them seemed to be lookin' my way.
Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls, teeth
like pearls shining like the moon above
Brownsville girl, show me all around the world,
Brownsville girl, you're my honey love.
Well, they were looking for somebody with a pompadour.
I was crossin' the street when shots rang out.
I didn't know whether to duck or to run, so I ran.
"We got him cornered in the churchyard," I heard
somebody shout.
Well, you saw my picture in the Corpus Christi Tribune.
Underneath it, it said, "A man with no alibi."
You went out on a limb to testify for me, you said I
was with you.
Then when I saw you break down in front of the judge
and cry real tears,
It was the best acting I saw anybody do.
Now I've always been the kind of person that doesn't
like to trespass but sometimes you just find yourself
over the line.
Oh if there's an original thought out there, I could
use it right now.
You know, I feel pretty good, but that ain't sayin'
much. I could feel a whole lot better,
If you were just here by my side to show me how.
Well, I'm standin' in line in the rain to see a movie
starring Gregory Peck,
Yeah, but you know it's not the one that I had in mind.
He's got a new one out now, I don't even know what it's
about
But I'll see him in anything so I'll stand in line.
Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls, teeth
like pearls shining like the moon above
Brownsville girl, show me all around the world,
Brownsville girl, you're my honey love.
You know, it's funny how things never turn out the way
you had 'em planned.
The only thing we knew for sure about Henry Porter is
that his name wasn't Henry Porter.
And you know there was somethin' about you baby that I
liked that was always too good for this world
Just like you always said there was something about me
you liked that I left behind in the French Quarter.
Strange how people who suffer together have stronger
connections than people who are most content.
I don't have any regrets, they can talk about me plenty
when I'm gone.
You always said people don't do what they believe in,
they just do what's most convenient, then they repent.
And I always said, "Hang on to me, baby, and let's hope
that the roof stays on."
There was a movie I seen one time, I think I sat
through it twice.
I don't remember who I was or where I was bound.
All I remember about it was it starred Gregory Peck, he
wore a gun and he was shot in the back.
Seems like a long time ago, long before the stars were
torn down.
Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls, teeth
like pearls shining like the moon above
Brownsville girl, show me all around the world,
In the early mornin' rain
with a dollar in my hand
with an achin' in my heart
and my pockets full of sand
I'm a long way from home
and I missed my loved on so
in the early mornin' rain
and no place to go
Out on runway number nine
Big seven-o-seven set to go
well, I'm stuck here on the ground
where the cold winds blow
the liquor tasted good
and the women all were fast
there she goes, my friend
she's a rollin' down at last
Here the mighty engines roar
see the silver bird on high
she's away in westward bound
far above the clouds she'll fly
where the mornin' rain don't fall
and the sun always shines
she'll be flyin' over my home
in about three hours time
This old airports got me down
it's no earthly good to me
'cause I'm stuck here on the ground
cold and drunk as I might be
you can't hop a jet plane
like you can a freight train
so I best be on my way
in the early mornin' rain
from "Bob Dylan - Self Portrait" , copyright by Big Sky Music, Published by Bob Dylan Words & Music Company, Inc. 1970
Shadows are fallin'
And I've been here all day
It's too hot to sleep
And time is runnin' away
Feel like my soul has
Turned into steel
I've still got the scars
That the sun didn't heal
There's not even room
Enough to be anywhere
It's not dark yet
But it's gettin' there
Well my sense of humanity
Is goin' down the drain
Behind every beautiful thing
There's been some kind of pain
She wrote me a letter
And she wrote it so kind
She put down in writin'
What was in her mind
I just don't see
Why I should even care
It's not dark yet
But it's gettin' there
And I've been to London
And I've been to gay Paris
I've followed the river
And I've got to the sea
I've been down on the bottom
Of a whirlpool of lies
I ain't lookin' for nothin'
In anyone's eyes
Sometimes my burden
Is more than I can bear
It's not dark yet
But it's gettin' there
I was born here and I'll die here
Against my will
I know it looks like I'm movin'
But I'm standin' still
Every nerve in my body
Is so naked and numb
I can't even remember what it was
I came here to get away from
Don't even hear
The murmur of a prayer
It's not dark yet
You took a part of me that I really miss
I keep askin' myself how long it can go on like this
You told yourself a lie - that's alright, mama, I told myself one too
I've tried to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you.
You took the silver, you took the gold
You left me standin' out in the cold
People ask about you, I didn't tell them everything I knew
Well, I've tried to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you.
I'm driftin' in and out of dreamless sleep
Throwin' all my memories in a ditch so deep
Did so many things I never did intend to do
Well, I've tried to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you.
I need your love so bad, turn your lamp down low
I need every bit of it for the places that I go
Sometimes I wonder 'til it's just what it's all coming to
Well, I've tried to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you.
Well, I don't dare close my eyes and I don't dare wink
Maybe in the next life I'll be able to hear myself think
Feel like talkin' to somebody but I just don't know who
Well, I've tried to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you.
Yes, the last thing you said before ya hit the street
Gonna find me a janitor to sweep me off my feet
I said, "That's all right, mamma, you, you do what you gotta do"
Well, I've tried to get closer, I'm still a million miles from you.
Rock me, pretty baby, rock me all at once
Rock me for a little while, rock me for a couple of months
And I'll rock you too
I'm tryin' to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you.
Well, there's voices in the night tryin' to be heard
I'm sittin' here listening to every mind-pollutin' word
I know plenty of people put me up for a day or two
I was thinking of a series of dreams
Where nothing comes up to the top
Everything stays down where it's wounded
And comes to a permanent stop
Wasn't thinking of anything specific
Like in a dream, when someone wakes up and screams
Nothing too very scientific
Just thinking of a series of dreams
Thinking of a series of dreams
Where the time and the tempo fly
And there's no exit in any direction
'Cept the one that you can't see with your eyes
Wasn't making any great connection
Wasn't falling for any intricate scheme
Nothing that would pass inspection
Just thinking of a series of dreams
Dreams where the umbrella is folded
Into the path you are hurled
And the cards are no good that you're holding
Unless they're from another world
In one, numbers were burning
In another, I witnessed a crime
In one, I was running, and in another
All I seemed to be doing was climb
Wasn't looking for any special assistance
Not going to any great extremes
I'd already gone the distance
I've been down, I've been down
Mean and empty, broke an' bust
End of my tether, down on luck
Last chance, last chance
Scarlet Town, on my way
Seven days, seven more days she'll be comin'
I'll be waiting at the station for her to arrive
Seven more days, all I gotta do is survive.
She been gone ever since I been a child
Ever since I seen her smile, I ain't forgotten her eyes.
She had a face that could outshine the sun in the skies.
I been good, I been good while I been waitin'
Maybe guilty of hesitatin', I just been holdin' on
Seven more days, all that'll be gone.
There's kissing in the valley,
Thieving in the alley,
Fighting every inch of the way.
Trying to be tender
With somebody I remember
In a night that's always brighter'n the day.
Seven days, seven more days that are connected
Just like I expected, she'll be comin' on forth,
My beautiful comrade from the north.
There's kissing in the valley,
Thieving in the alley,
Fighting every inch of the way.
Trying to be tender
With somebody I remember
Old Reilly stole a stallion
But they caught him and they brought him back
And they laid him down on the jailhouse ground
With an iron chain around his neck.
Old Reilly's daughter got a message
That her father was goin' to hang.
She rode by night and came by morning
With gold and silver in her hand.
When the judge he saw Reilly's daughter
His old eyes deepened in his head,
Sayin', "Gold will never free your father,
The price, my dear, is you instead."
"Oh I'm as good as dead," cried Reilly,
"It's only you that he does crave
And my skin will surely crawl if he touches you at all.
Get on your horse and ride away."
"Oh father you will surely die
If I don't take the chance to try
And pay the price and not take your advice.
For that reason I will have to stay."
The gallows shadows shook the evening,
In the night a hound dog bayed,
In the night the grounds were groanin',
In the night the price was paid.
The next mornin' she had awoken
To know that the judge had never spoken.
She saw that hangin' branch a-bendin',
She saw her father's body broken.
These be seven curses on a judge so cruel:
That one doctor will not save him,
That two healers will not heal him,
That three eyes will not see him.
That four ears will not hear him,
That five walls will not hide him,
That six diggers will not bury him
You speak to me
In sign language
As I'm eating a sandwich
In a small cafe
At a quarter to three
But I can't respond
To your sign language.
You're taking advantage,
Bringing me down.
Can't you make any sound?
'Twas there by the bakery
Surrounded by fakery
Tell her my story
Still I'm still there.
Does she know I still care?
Link Wray was playin'
On a jukebox I was payin'
For the words I was sayin'
So misunderstood
He didn't do me no good.
You speak to me
In sign language
As I'm eating a sandwich
In a small cafe
At a quarter to three
But I can't respond
To your sign language.
You're taking advantage,
Bringing me down.
Can't you make any sound?
The pawnbroker roared
Also, so, so did the landlord
The scene was so crazy, wasn't it?
Both were so glad
To watch me destroy what I had
Pain sure brings out the best in people, doesn't it?
Why didn't you just leave me if you didn't want to stay?
Why'd you have to treat me so bad?
Did it have to be that way?
Now you stand here expectin' me to remember somethin' you forgot to say
Yes, and you, I see you're still with her, well
That's fine 'cause she's comin' on so strange, can't you tell?
Somebody had better explain
She's got her iron chain
I'd do it, but I, I just can't remember how
You talk to her
She's your lover now.
I already assumed
That we're in the felony room
But I ain't a judge, you don't have to be nice to me
But please tell that
To your friend in the cowboy hat
You know he keeps on sayin' ev'rythin' twice to me
You know I was straight with you
You know I've never tried to change you in any way
You know if you didn't want to be with me
That you could . . . didn't have to stay.
Now you stand here sayin' you forgive and forget. Honey, what can I say?
Yes, you, you just sit around and ask for ashtrays, can't you reach?
I see you kiss her on the cheek ev'rytime she gives a speech
With her picture books of the pyramid
And her postcards of Billy the Kid
(Why must everybody bow?)
You better talk to her 'bout it
You're her lover now.
Oh, ev'rybody that cares
Is goin' up the castle stairs
But I'm not up in your castle, honey
It's true, I just can't recall
San Francisco at all
I can't even remember El Paso, uh, honey
You never had to be faithful
I didn't want you to grieve
Oh, why was it so hard for you
If you didn't want to be with me, just to leave?
Now you stand here while your finger's goin' up my sleeve
An' you, just what do you do anyway? Ain't there nothin' you can say?
She'll be standin' on the bar soon
With a fish head an' a harpoon
An' a fake beard plastered on her brow
You'd better do somethin' quick
Silent weekend,
My baby she gave it to me
Silent weekend,
My baby she gave it to me.
She's actin' tough and hardy
She says it ain't my party
And she's leavin' me in misery.
Silent weekend,
My baby she took me by surprise.
Silent weekend,
My baby she took me by surprise.
She's rockin' and a-reelin'
Head up to ceiling
An' swinging with some other guys.
Silent weekend,
Oh Lord, I wish Monday would come.
Silent weekend,
Oh Lord, I sure wish Monday would come.
She's uppity, she's rollin',
She's in the groove, she's strolling
Over to the jukebox playin' deaf and dumb.
Well, I done a whole lotta thinkin' 'bout a whole lot of cheatin',
And I, maybe I did some just to please.
But I just walloped a lotta pizza after makin' our peace,
Puts ya down on bended knees.
Silent weekend,
Man alive, I'm burnin' up on my brain.
Silent weekend,
Man alive, I'm burnin' up on my brain.
She knows when I'm just teasin'
But it's not likely in the season
Now, I try, oh for so awf'ly long
And I just try to be.
And now, oh it's a gold mine
But it's so fine.
Yes, but I know in my head
That we're all so misled,
And it's that ol' sign on the cross
That worries me.
Now, when I was just a bawlin' child,
I saw what I wanted to be,
And it's all for the sake
Of that picture I should see.
But I was lost on the moon
As I heard that front door slam,
And that old sign on the cross
Still worries me.
Well, it's that old sign on the cross,
Well, it's that old key to the kingdom,
Well, it's that old sign on the cross
Like you used to be.
But, when I hold my head so high
As I see my ol' friends go by,
And it's still that sign on the cross
That worries me.
Well, it seems to be the sign on the cross. Ev'ry day,
ev'ry night, see the sign on the cross just layin' up
on top of the hill. Yes, we thought it might have
disappeared long ago, but I'm here to tell you, friends,
that I'm afraid it's lyin' there still. Yes, just a
little time is all you need, you might say, but I don't
know 'bout that any more, because the bird is here and
you might want to enter it, but, of course, the door might
be closed. But I just would like to tell you one time,
if I don't see you again, that the thing is, that the sign
on the cross is the thing you might need the most.
Yes, the sign on the cross
Is just a sign on the cross.
Well, there is some on every chisel
And there is some in the championship, too.
Oh, when your, when your days are numbered
And your nights are long,
You might think you're weak
But I mean to say you're strong.
Yes you are, if that sign on the cross,
If it begins to worry you.
Well, that's all right because sing a song
It was late last night when the boss came home
To a deserted mansion and a desolate throne
Servant said: "Boss, the lady's gone
She left this morning just 'fore dawn." (Servant)
"You got something to tell me, tell it to me, man
Come to the point as straight as you can" (The Boss)
"Old Henry Lee, chief of the clan
Came riding through the woods and took her by the hand" (Servant)
The boss he lay back flat on his bed
He cursed the heat and he clutched his head
He pondered the future of his fate
To wait another day would be far too late
"Go fetch me my coat and my tie
And the cheapest labour that money can buy
Saddle me up my buckskin mare
If you see me go by, put up a prayer" (The Boss)
Well, they rode all night, and they rode all day
Eastward, long down the broad highway
His spirit was tired and his vision was bent
His men deserted him and onward he went
He came to a place where the light was dull
His forehead pounding in his skull
Heavy heart was racked with pain
Insomnia raging in his brain
Well, he threw down his helmet and his cross-handled sword
He renounced his faith, he denied his lord
Crawled on his belly, put his ear to the wall
One way or another put an end to it all
He leaned down, cut the electric wire
Stared into the flames and he snorted the fire
Peered through the darkness, caught a glimpse of the two
It was hard to tell for certain who was who
He lowered himself down on a golden chain
His nerves were quaking in every vein
His knuckles were bloody, he sucked in the air
He ran his fingers through his greasy hair
They looked at each other and their glasses clinked
One single unit, inseparably linked
"Got a strange premonition there's a man close by" (Henry Lee)
"Don't worry about him, he wouldn't harm a fly" (The Wife)
From behind the curtain, the boss he crossed the floor
He moved his feet and he bolted the door
Shadows hiding the lines in his face
With all the nobility of an ancient race
She turned, she was startled with a look of surprise
With a hatred that could hit the skies
"You're a reckless fool, I could see it in your eyes
To come this way was by no means wise" (The Wife)
"Get up, stand up, you greedy-lipped wench
And cover your face or suffer the consequence
You are making my heart feel sick
Put your clothes back on, double-quick" (The Boss)
"Silly boy, you think me a saint
I'll listen no more to your words of complaint
You've given me nothing but the sweetest lies
Now hold your tongue and feed your eyes" (The Wife)
"I'd have given you the stars and the planets, too
But what good would these things do you?
Bow the heart if not the knee
Or never again this world you'll see" (The Boss)
"Oh, please let not your heart be cold
This man is dearer to me than gold" (The Wife)
"Oh, my dear, you must be blind
He's a gutless ape with a worthless mind" (The Boss)
"You've had your way too long with me
Now it's me who'll determine how things shall be" (The Wife)
"Try to escape," he cussed and cursed
'You'll have to try to get past me first" (The Boss)
"Do not let your passion rule
You think my heart the heart of a fool
And you, sir, you can not deny
You made a monkey of me, what and for why?" (The Boss)
"I'll have no more of this insulting chat
The devil can have you, I'll see to that
Look sharp or step aside
Or in the cradle you'll wish you'd died" (Henry Lee)
The gun went boom and the shot rang clear
First bullet grazed his ear
Second ball went right straight in
And he bent in the middle like a twisted pin
He crawled to the corner and he lowered his head
He gripped the chair and he grabbed the bed
It would take more than needle and thread
Bleeding from the mouth, he's as good as dead
"You shot my husband down, you fiend" (The Wife)
"Husband? What husband? What the hell do you mean?
He was a man of strife, a man of sin
I cut him down and threw him to the wind" (Henry Lee)
This she said with angry breath
"You too shall meet the lord of death
It was I who brought your soul to life" (The Wife)
Then she raised her robe and she drew out a knife
His face was hard and caked with sweat
His arms ached and his hands were wet
"You're a murderous queen and a bloody wife
If you don't mind, I'll have the knife" (Henry Lee)
"We're two of a kind and our blood runs hot
But we're no way similar in body or thought
All husbands are good men, as all wives know" (The Wife)
Then she pierced him to the heart and his blood did flow
His knees went limp and he reached for the door
His tomb was sealed, he slid to the floor
He whispered in her ear: "This is all your fault
My fighting days have come to a halt" (Henry Lee)
She touched his lips and kissed his cheek
He tried to speak but his breath was weak
"You died for me, now I'll die for you" (The Wife)
She put the blade to her heart and she ran it through
All three lovers together in a heap
Thrown into the grave, forever to sleep
Funeral torches blazed away
The water is wide and I can't cross over
Neither have I wings that I could fly
Build me a boat that can carry two
And both shall row my love and I.
There is a ship and it sails on the sea
Loaded deep as deep can be
But not as deep as the love I'm in
I know not if I sink or swim.
I leaned my back up against an oak
Thinkin' it was a trusty tree
But first it bent and then it broke
Just like my own false love to me.
Oh love is gentle, love is kind
Gay as a jewel when first it's new
But love grows old and waxes cold
And fades away like some morning dew.
The water is wide and I can't cross over
Neither have I wings to fly
Build me a boat that can carry two
The first Noel the angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds
In fields as they lay,
In fields where they lay
Keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night
That was so deep.
Noel Noel Noel Noel!
Born is the King of Israel!
They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the East beyond them far,
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night.
Noel Noel Noel Noel!
Born is the King of Israel!
And by the light of that same star
Three wise men came from country far,
To seek for a King was their intent
And to follow the star
Wherever it went.
Noel Noel Noel Noel!
Born is the King of Israel!
This star drew nigh to the northwest
Over Bethlehem it took its rest,
And there it did both stop and stay
Right over the place where Jesus lay.
Noel Noel Noel Noel!
Born is the King of Israel!
Then did they know assuredly
Within that house the King did lie:
One entered in then for to see,
And found the Babe in poverty:
Noel Noel Noel Noel!
Born is the King of Israel!
Then entered in those wise men three
Full reverently upon their knee,
And offered there in His presence
Their gold, and myrrh and frankincense.
Noel Noel Noel Noel!
Born is the King of Israel!
Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord,
That hath made heaven
And earth of naught
And with His blood
Mankind hath bought.
Noel Noel Noel Noel!
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yule-tide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.
Everybody knows a turkey
And some mistletoe
Help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.
They know that Santa's on his way
He's loaded lots of toys
And goodies on his sleigh
And every mother's child is gonna spy
To see if reindeer
Really know how to fly.
And so I'm offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it's been said
Many times, many ways
'When I was applying a housing athourity
Showed up and left some brown tan concrete with a few holes in it
I got to shakin cause it looked like a credit card and I could only have
?2000.00 my account and that's a debit any way a street dookey bisgay
Gave me some brichitas
And I got to bacon st fried and ready to section off
That block party when the athourties showed me up and I lost the spelling
Bee oh well cant' be reminded of that!
Not even a spell check shows up
It's like howard dynamics rand dome selection I got augury art pratice
Instead of music practice
I plan it all and I take my place
You break your promise all over the place
You promised to love me but what do I see ?
Just you comin' in and spillin' juice over me
Odds and ends, odds and ends
Lost time is not found again.
Now you take your file and you bend my head
I never can remember anything that you said
You promised to love me, but what do I know ?
You're spillin' juice on me like you got some place to go
Odds and ends, odds and ends
Lost time is not found again.
Now I've had enough, my box is clean
You know what I'm sayin' and you know what I mean
From now on you'd best get on some-one else
While you're doin' it, keep that juice to yourself
Odds and ends, odds and ends
Santa-Fe,
Dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa-Fe,
My woman needs it ev'ryday,
She promised this a-lad she'd stay,
She's rollin' up a lotta bread
To toss away.
She's in Santa-Fe,
Dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa-Fe
Now she's opened up an old maid's home,
She's proud, but she needs to roam,
She's gonna write herself a roadside poem,
About Santa-Fe.
Santa-Fe,
Dear, dear, dear, dear Santa-Fe.
Since I'm never gonna cease to roam,
I'm never, ever far from home,
But I'll build a geodesic dome
And sail away.
Don't feel bad.
No, no, no, no, don't feel bad
It's the best food I've ever had.
Makes me feel so glad
That she's cooking in a home-made pad
She never caught a cold so bad
When I'm away.
Santa-Fe,
Dear, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa-Fe.
My shrimp boat's in the bay
I won't have my nature this way,
And I'm leanin' on the wheel each day
To drift away
From Santa-Fe,
Dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa-Fe.
My sister looks good at home,
She's lickin' on an ice cream cone,
She's packin' her big white comb,
Well, I'm gonna get you a Sally gal,
I'm gonna get you a Sally Gal,
I'm gonna get you a Sally gal,
I'm gonna get you a Sally gal.
Well, I'm just one of them ramblin' men,
Ramblin' since I don't know know when.
Here I come and I'm a-gone again.
Sally says I got no end.
I'm gonna get you a Sally gal,
I'm gonna get you a Sally gal,
I'm gonna get you a Sally gal,
I'm gonna get you a Sally gal.
Well, that long ol' train 'round the road [?],
Sally says I'm bound to go.
If Sally says I'm bound to go,
Sally, she ought to know.
I'm gonna get you a Sally gal,
I'm gonna get you a Sally gal,
I'm gonna get you a Sally gal.
Well, I've already had two beers
I'm ready for the broom
Please, Missus Henry, won't you
Take me to my room ?
I'm a good old boy
But I've been sniffin' too many eggs
Talkin' to too many people
Drinkin' too many kegs
Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry,
Please
Please, Missus Henry, please
I'm down on my knees
And I ain't got a dime.
Well, I'm groanin' in a hallway
Pretty soon I'll be mad
Please, Missus Henry, won't you
Take me to your dad ?
I can drink like a fish
I can crawl like a snake
I can bite like a turkey
I can slam like a drake
Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry,
Please
Please, Missus Henry, please
I'm down on my knees
And I ain't got a dime.
Now, don't crowd me, lady
Or I'll fill up your shoe
I'm a sweet bourbon daddy
And tonight I am blue
I'm a thousand years old
And I'm a generous bomb
I'm T-boned and punctured
But I'm known to be calm
Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry,
Please
Please, Missus Henry, please
I'm down on my knees
And I ain't got a dime.
Now, I'm startin' to drain
My stool's gonna squeak
If I walk too much farther
My crane's gonna leak
Look, Missus Henry
There's only so much I can do
Why don't you look my way
And pump me a few ?
Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry,
Please
Please, Missus Henry, please
I'm down on my knees
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Original Lyrics written by Bob Dylan and
Jacques Levy. Were submitted to CBS but
parts were considered to controversial.)
Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night
Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall.
She sees the bartender in a pool of blood,
Cries out, "My God, they killed them all!"
Here comes the story of the Hurricane,
The man the authorities came to blame
For somethin' that he never done.
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world.
Three bodies lyin' there does Patty see
And another man named Bello, movin' around mysteriously.
"I didn't do it," he says, and he throws up his hands
"I was only robbin' the register, I hope you understand.
I saw them leavin'," he says, and he stops
"One of us had better call up the cops."
And so Patty calls the cops
And they arrive on the scene with their red lights flashin'
In the hot New Jersey night.
Meanwhile, far away in another part of town
Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are drivin' around.
Number one contender for the middleweight crown
Had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down
When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road
Just like the time before and the time before that.
In Paterson that's just the way things go.
If you're black you might as well not show up on the street
'Less you wanna draw the heat.
Alfred Bello had a partner and he had a rap for the cops.
Him and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowlin' around
He said, "I saw two men runnin' out, they looked like middleweights
They jumped into a white car with out-of-state plates."
And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her head.
Cop said, "Wait a minute, boys, this one's not dead"
So they took him to the infirmary
And though this man could hardly see
They told him that he could identify the guilty men.
Four in the mornin' and they haul Rubin in,
Take him to the hospital and they bring him upstairs.
The wounded man looks up through his one dyin' eye
Says, "Wha'd you bring him in here for? He ain't the guy!"
Yes, here's the story of the Hurricane,
The man the authorities came to blame
For somethin' that he never done.
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world.
Four months later, the ghettos are in flame,
Rubin's in South America, fightin' for his name
While Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in the robbery game
And the cops are puttin' the screws to him, lookin' for somebody to blame.
"Remember that murder that happened in a bar?"
"Remember you said you saw the getaway car?"
"You think you'd like to play ball with the law?"
"Think it might-a been that fighter that you saw runnin' that night?"
"Don't forget that you are white."
Arthur Dexter Bradley said, "I'm really not sure."
Cops said, "A poor boy like you could use a break
We got you for the motel job and we're talkin' to your friend Bello
Now you don't wanta have to go back to jail, be a nice fellow.
You'll be doin' society a favor.
That sonofabitch is brave and gettin' braver.
We want to put his ass in stir
We want to pin this triple murder on him
He ain't no Gentleman Jim."
Rubin could take a man out with just one punch
But he never did like to talk about it all that much.
It's my work, he'd say, and I do it for pay
And when it's over I'd just as soon go on my way
Up to some paradise
Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice
And ride a horse along a trail.
But then they took him to the jailhouse
Where they try to turn a man into a mouse.
All of Rubin's cards were marked in advance
The trial was a pig-circus, he never had a chance.
The judge made Rubin's witnesses drunkards from the slums
To the white folks who watched he was a revolutionary bum
And to the black folks he was just a crazy nigger.
No one doubted that he pulled the trigger.
And though they could not produce the gun,
The D.A. said he was the one who did the deed
And the all-white jury agreed.
Rubin Carter was falsely tried.
The crime was murder "one," guess who testified?
Bello and Bradley and they both baldly lied
And the newspapers, they all went along for the ride.
How can the life of such a man
Be in the palm of some fool's hand?
To see him obviously framed
Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land
Where justice is a game.
Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties
Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise
While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell
An innocent man in a living hell.
That's the story of the Hurricane,
But it won't be over till they clear his name
And give him back the time he's done.
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world.
Copyright © 1975 Ram's Horn Music
If you'll gather 'round me children
A story I will tell
Of Pretty Boy Floyd an outlaw
Oklahoma knew him well.
It was in the town of Shawnee
It was Saturday afternoon
His wife beside him in his wagon
As into town they rode.
There a deputy sheriff approached him
In a manner rather rude
Using vulgar words of language
And his wife she overheard.
Pretty Boy grabbed a log chain
And the deputy grabbed a gun
And in the fight that followed
He laid that deputy down.
He took to the trees and timbers
And he lived a life of shame
Every crime in Oklahoma was added to his name
Yes, he took to the trees and timbers
On that Canadian River's shore
And Pretty Boy found a welcome
At a many a farmer's door.
There's a many a starving farmer
The same old story told
How this outlaw paid their mortgage
And saved their little home.
Others tell you 'bout a stranger
That come to beg a meal
And underneath his napkin
Left a thousand dollar bill.
It was in Oklahoma City
It was on a Christmas Day
There come a whole car load of groceries
With a letter that did say:
You say that I'm an outlaw
You say that I'm a thief
Here's a Christmas dinner
For the families on relief.
Now as through this world I ramble
I see lots of funny men
Some will rob you with a Six gun
And some with a fountain pen.
But as through your life you travel
As through your life you roam
You won't never see an outlaw
I woke up this morning
There were tears in my bed
They killed a man I really loved
Shot him through the head
Lord, Lord, they cut George Jackson down
Lord, Lord, they laid him in the ground
Sent him off to prison
For a seventy dollar robbery
Closed the door behind him
And they threw away the key
Lord, Lord, they cut George Jackson down
Lord, Lord, they laid him in the ground
He wouldn't take shit from no one
He wouldn't bow down or kneel
Authorities, they hated him
Because he was just too real
Lord, Lord, they cut George Jackson down
Lord, Lord, they laid him in the ground
Prison guards, they cursed him
As they watched him from above
But they were frightened of his power
They were scared of his love
Lord, Lord, so they cut George Jackson down
Lord, Lord, they laid him in the ground
Sometimes I think this whole world
Is one big prison yard
Some of us are prisoners
The rest of us are guards
Lord, Lord, they cut George Jackson down
Go 'way little boy
I'm not for you
Go back to her
Where you'll be more secure
She knows you better than I do
Go 'way little boy
I'm not for you
Go 'way little boy
You're making me sad
I don't wanna to see you bleed
She's the one that you need
You'll never miss what you ain't never had
Go 'way little boy
You're making me sad
Go 'way little boy
It's much too late
Walk back out the door
Don't wanna see you here no more
You're making it hard for me to concentrate
Go 'way little boy
It's much too late
Can't you hear your mama callin'
Don't you recognize her voice
I think you'd better heed her warning
While you still have the choice
Go 'way little boy
You're much too late
Your future's lookin' bright
Don't throw it away tonight
It's getting hard for me to look you in the eye
Go 'way little boy
Mama, take this badge off of me
I can't use it anymore.
It's gettin' dark, too dark to see
I feel I'm knockin' on heaven's door.
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Mama, put my guns in the ground
I can't shoot them anymore.
That long black cloud is comin' down
I feel I'm knockin' on heaven's door.
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
You will search, babe,
At any cost.
But how long, babe,
Can you search for what's not lost?
Evrybody will help you,
Some people are very kind.
But if I can save you any time,
Come on, give it to me,
Ill keep it with mine.
I can't help it
If you might think Im odd,
If I say Im not loving you for what you are
But for what you're not.
Everybody will help you
Discover what you set out to find.
But if I can save you any time,
Come on, give it to me,
Ill keep it with mine.
The train leaves
At half past ten,
But it'll be back tomorrow,
Same time again.
The conductor he's weary,
Hes still stuck on the line.
But if I can save you any time,
Come on, give it to me,
Some of us turn off the lights and we live
In the moonlight shooting by
Some of us scare ourselves to death in the dark
To be where the angels fly
Pretty maids all in a row lined up
Outside my cabin door
I've never wanted any of them wanting me
'cept the girl from the red river shore
Well I sat by her side and for awhile I tried
To make that girl my wife
She gave me her best advice and she said
"Go home and lead a quiet life"
Well I've been to the east and I've been to the west
And I've been out where the black winds roar
Somehow though I never did get that far
With the girl from the red river shore
Well I knew when I first laid eyes on her
I could never be free
One look at her and I knew right away
She should always be with me
Well the dream dried up a long time ago
Don't know where it is anymore
True to life, true to me
Was the girl from the red river shore
Well I'm wearing the cloak of misery
And I've tasted jilted love
And the frozen smile upon my face
Fits me like a glove
Well I can't escape from the memory
Of the one that I'll always adore
All those nights when I lay in the arms
Of the girl from the red river shore
Well we're living in the shadows of a fading past
Trapped in the fires of time
I've tried not to ever hurt anybody
And to stay out of the life of crime
And when it's all been said and done
I never did know the score
One more day is another day away
From the girl from the red river shore
Well I'm a stranger here in a strange land
But I know this is where I belong
I ramble and gamble for the one I love
And the hills will give me a song
Though nothing looks familiar to me
I know I've stayed here before
Once a thousand nights ago
With the girl from the red river shore
Well I went back to see about her once
Went back to straighten it out
Everybody that I talked to had seen us there
Said they didn't know who I was talking about
Well the sun went down on me a long time ago
I've had to pull back from the door
I wish I could've spent every hour of my life
With the girl from the red river shore
Now I've heard about a guy who lived a long time ago
A man full of sorrow and strife
That if someone around him died and was dead
He knew how to bring him on back to life
Well I don't know what kind of language he used
Or if they do that kind of thing anymore
Sometimes I think nobody ever saw me here at all
may god bless and keep you allways
may your wishes all come true
may you allways do for others
and let others do for you
may you build a latter to the stars
and climb on every rung
may you stayyyyy forever young
forever young forever young
may you stay forever young
may you grow up to be richous
may you grow up to be true
may you allways know the truth and see the lights surrounding you
may you allways be couragous
stand upright and be strong
may you stay forever young
forever young forever young
may you stay forever young
may your hands allways be busy
may your feet allways be swift
may you have a strong foundation when the winds of change shift
may your heart allways be joyfull
may your song allways be sung
may you stay forever young
forever young forever young
may you stay forever young
If I send for my baby, man, and she don't come,
Send for my baby, man, and she don't come,
All the doctors in Hot Springs sure can't help her
none.
If she gets unruly, thinks she don't wanna do,
She gets unruly, thinks she don't wanna do,
Take my 32-20, boy, cut her half in two.
She got a .38 special but I believe it's most too
light.
.38 special but I believe it's most too light.
I got a 32-20 to make the camps all right.
If I send for my baby, man, and she don't come,
Send for my baby, man, and she don't come,
Them doctors in Hot Springs sure can't help her none.
Gonna shoot my pistol, gonna shoot my gatling gun.
Gonna shoot my pistol, gotta shoot my gatling gun.
You made me love you, now your man have come.
Ow, baby, where you stay last night?
Ow, baby, where'd you stay last night?
You got your hair all tangled and you ain't talking
right.
Got a .38 special, boy, it do very well.
Got a .38 special and it do very well.
Got a 32-20 now, it's a burning hell.
If I send for my baby, man, and she don't come,
I send for my baby, man, and she don't come,
All the doctors in West Point sure can't help her none.
Ow, baby, where'd you stay last night?
Ow, baby, where'd you stay last night?
You didn't come home till the sun was shining bright.
Ow, boy, I just can't take my rest,
Ow, boy, I just can't take my rest,
She went upstairs to make her bed
And not one word to her mother said.
Her mother she went upstairs too
Saying, "Daughter, oh daughter, what's troublin' you?":
"Oh mother, oh mother, I cannot tell
That railroad boy that I love so well.
He courted me my life away
And now at home will no longer stay."
"There is a place in yonder town
Where my love goes and he sits him down.
And he takes that strange girl on his knee
And he tells to her what he won't tell me."
Her father he came home from work
Sayin', "Where is my daughter, she seems so hurt"
He went upstairs to give her hope
An' he found her hangin' by a rope.
He took his knife and he cut her down
And on her bosom these words he found:
"Go dig my grave both wide and deep,
Put a marble stone at my head and feet,
And on my breast, put a snow white dove
doo wha. doo wha
doo doo doo wha x7 wahhhh!
s'posed to do wha? mhmm
doo doo wha x11
doo wha!?
you said you'd ask me
you said you'd ask me
you said you'd ask me
to the senior prom! (say somethin')
found out i had acne
now you won't ask me
'cuz i have acne
to the senior prom
woooooohh!!
doo doo doo wha x5
doo doo doo whaaaaaa?
mhmm
doo wha? x3
get me a shotgun
.22 rifle (doo wha!)
dooo whhaa!!
i got it for my birthday
i'll kill my parents
cuz they don't understand
they don't dig a teenager at all
wooh!
Oh the trees they do grow tall an' the leaves are green
And there's many a day that you an' I have seen
But once I had a true love, but now I walk alone
He's a bonnie lad, he's daily growing.
Oh, father, dearest father, you've done me great wrong
You've married me to a boy who is much too young
Oh, I'm twice twelve, an' he's but fourteen.
He's a bonnie lad, he's young but he's growin'.
Oh, father, dearest father, oh ain't it pleased as you
I'll send my male to a school for a year or two
And don't talk of his college cap, he'll wear a ribbon
ball
So that the other girls might know that he's married.
One day when I was walking all alone down by the school
wall
I saw the boys were playin' at the bouncin' of the ball
An' my own true love was the fairest of them all
He's a bonnie lad, he's daily growing.
At the age of fourteen he was a married man
At the age of fifteen the father of a son
At the age of sixteen his grave, the grass grew green
Cruel death had put an end to his growin'.
I'll buy my love a shroud of ornamental ground
And place it on his grave, oh the tears come trippling
down.
For once I had a true love but now I have not.
I pounded on a farmhouse
Lookin' for a place to stay
I was mighty, mighty tired
I had come a long, long way
I said, "Hey, hey, in there
Is there anybody home ?
I was standin' on the steps
Feelin' must alone
Well, out comes a farmer
He must have thought that I was nuts
He immediately looked at me
And stuck a gun into my guts
I fell down
To my bended knees
Saying, "I dig farmers
Don't shoot me please"
He cocked his rifle
And began to shout
"You're that travelin' salesman
That I have heard about"v I said, "No ! No ! No !
I'm a doctor and it's true
I'm a clean-cut kid
And I been to college too".
Then in comes his daughter
Whose name was Rita
She looked like she stepped out of
La Dolce Vita
I immediately tried to cool it
With her dad
And told him what a
Nice, pretty farm he had
He said, "What do doctors
Know about farms, pray tell ?"
I said, "I was born
At the bottom of a wishing well".
Well, by the dirt 'neath my nails
I guess he knew I wouldn't lie
He said "I guess, you're tired"
He said, kinds sly
I said, "Yes, ten thousand miles
Today I drove"
He said, "I got a bed for you
Underneath the stove
Just one condition
You got to sleep right now
That you don't touch my daughter
And in the morning, milk the cow".
I was sleepin' like a rat
When I heard something jerkin'
There stood Rita
Lookin' just like Tony Perkins
She said, "Would you like to take a shower ?
I'll show you up to the door"
I said, "Oh, no, no
I've been through this movie before
I knew I had to split
But I didn't know how
When she said,
"Would you like to take that shower now ?"
Well, I couldn't leave
Unless the old man chased me out
'Cause I'd already promised
That I'd milk his cows
I had to say something
To strike him very weird
So I yelled out
"I like Fidel Castro and his beard"
Rita looked offended
But she got out of the way
As he came charging down the stairs
Sayin', "What's that I heard you say ?"
I said, "I like Fidel Castrov I think you heard me right"
And I ducked as he swung
At me with all his might
Rita mumbled something
'Bout her mother on the hill
As his fist hit the icebox
He said he's going to kill me
If I don't get out of the door
In two seconds flat
"Your unpatriotic
Rotten doctor Commie rat".
Well, he threw a Reader's Digest
At my head and I did run
I did a somersault
As I seen him get his gun
And chrashed through the window
At a hundred miles an hour
And landed fully blast
In his garden flowers
Rita said, "Come back"
As he started to load
The sun was comin' up
And I was runnin' down the road.
Well, I don't figure I'll be back
There for a spell
Even though Rita moved away
And got a job in a motel
He still waits for me
Constant on the sky
He wants to turn me in
To the FBI
Me, I romp and stomping
Thankful as a romp
Without freedom of speech
I hear that train a-rolling, it's a-rolling round the bend
I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when
I'm stucked in Folsom Prison and time keeps dragging on
And I hear that whistle blowing all down to San Antone
When I was just a baby my mamma told me: son
Always be a good boy, don't ever play with guns
But I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die
When I hear that train a-pulling I hang my head and cry
I bet there's rich folks eating in their fancy dining cars
They're probably drinking coffee and smoking big cigars
But I know I had it coming, I know I can't be free
But the people keep a-moving, and that's what tortures me
If they'd free me from this prison, if that railroad train was mine
You bet I moved it on a little further down the line
Far from Folsom Prison that's where I long to stay
I pity the poor immigrant
Who wishes he would've stayed home
Who uses all his power to do evil
But in the end is always left so alone
That man whom with his fingers cheats
And who lies with ev'ry breath
Who passionately hates his life
And likewise fears his death.
I pity the poor immigrant
Whose strength is spent in vain
Whose heaven is like Ironsides
Whose tears are like rain
Who eats but is not satisfied
Who hears but does not see
Who falls in love with wealth itself
And turns his back on me.
I pity the poor immigrant
Who tramples through the mud
Who fills his mouth with laughing
And who builds his town with blood
Whose visions in the final end
Must shatter like the glass
I pity the poor immigrant
I didn't mean to treat you so bad
You shouldn't take it so personal
I didn't mean to make you so sad
You just happened to be there, that's all
When I saw you say goodbye to your friends and smile
I thought that it was well understood
That you'd be comin' back in a little while
I didn't know that you were sayin' goodbye for good.
But sooner or later one of us must know
But you just did what you're supposed to do
Sooner or later one of us must know
That I really did try to get close to you.
I couldn't see what you could show me
Your scarf had kept your mouth well hid
I couldn't see how you could know me
But you said you knew me and I believed you did
When you whispered in my ear
And asked me if I was leavin' with you or her
I didn't realize just what I did hear
I didn't realize how young you were.
But sooner or later one of us must know
But you just doing what you're supposed to do
Sooner or later one of us must know
That I really did try to get close to you.
I couldn't see when it started snowin'
Your voice was all that I heard
I couldn't see where we were goin'
But you said you knew and I took your word
And then you told me later as I apologized
That you were just kiddin' me, you weren't really from the farm
And I told you, as you clawed out my eyes
That I never really meant to do you any harm.
But sooner or later one of us must know
But you just did what you're supposed to do
Sooner or later one of us must know
Well, early in the morning
'Til late at night
I got a poison headache
But I feel all right
I'm pledging my time to you
Hopin' you'll come through too.
Well, the hobo got you high
He came to me natur'ly
After he stole my baby
Then he wanted to steal me
But I'm pledging my time to you
Hopin' you'll come through too.
Won't you come with me baby ?
I'll take you where you wanna go
And if I don't work out
You'll be the first to know
I'm pledging my time to you
Hopin' you'll come through too.
Well, the room is so stuffy
I can hardly breathe
Ev'rybody's gone but me and you
And I can't be the last to leave
I'm pledging my time to you
Hopin' you'll come through too.
Well, they sent for the ambulance
And one was sent
Somebody got lucky
But it was an accident
Now, I'm pledging my time to you
Go 'way from my window
Leave at your own chosen speed
I'm not the one you want, babe
I'm not the one you need
You say you're lookin' for someone
Who's never weak but always strong
To protect you an' defend you
Whether you are right or wrong
Someone to open each and every door
But it ain't me, babe
No, no, no, it ain't me babev It ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.
Go lightly from the ledge, babe
Go lightly on the ground
I'm not the one you want, babe
I will only let your down
You say you're lookin' for someone
Who will promise never to part
Someone to close his eyes for you
Someone to close his heart
Someone who will die for you an' more
But it ain't me, babe
No, no, no, it ain't me babe
It ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.
Go melt back into the night
Everything inside is made of stone
There's nothing in here moving
An' anyway I'm not alone
You say you're looking for someone
Who'll pick you up each time you fall
To gather flowers constantly
An' to come each time you call
A lover for you life an' nothing more
But it ain't me, babe
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe
Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when you're tryin' to be so quiet ?
We sit here stranded, though we're all doin our best to deny it
And Louise holds a handfull of rain, tempting you to defy it
Lights flicker from the opposite loft
In this room the heat pipes just cough
The country music station plays soft
But there's nothing really nothing to turn of
Just Louise and her lover so entwined
And these visions of Johanna that conquer my mind.
In the empty lot where the ladies play blindman's bluff with the key chain
And the all-night girls they whisper of escapades out on the D-train
We can hear the night watcman click his flashlight
Ask himself if it's him or them that's really insane
Louise she's all right she's just near
She's delicate and seems like the mirror
But she just makes it all too concise and too clear
That Johanna's not here
The ghost of electricity howls in the bones of her face
Where these visions of Johanna have now taken my place.
Now, little boy lost, he takes himself so seriously
He brags of his misery, he likes to live dangerously
And when bringing her name up
He speaks of a farewell kiss to me
He's sure got a lotta gall to be so useless and all
Muttering small talk at the wall while I'm in the hall
Oh, how can I explain ?
It's so hard to get on
And these visions of Johanna they kept me up past the dawn.
Inside the museums, Infinity goes up on trial
Voices echo this is what salvation must be like after a while
But Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues
You can tell by the way she smiles
See the primitive wallflower freeze
When the jelly-faced women all sneeze
Hear the one with the mustache say, "Jeeze
I can't find my knees"
Oh, jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule
But these visions of Johanna, they make it all seem so cruel.
The peddler now speaks to the countess who's pretending to care for him
Saying, "Name me someone that's not a parasite and I'll go out and say a prayer for him"
But like Louise always says
"Ya can't look at much, can ya man "
As she, herself prepares for him
And Madonna, she still has not showed
We see this empty cage now corrode
Where her cape of the stage once had flowed
The fiddler, he now steps to the road
He writes ev'rything's been returned which was owed
On the back of the fish truck that loads
While my conscience explodes
The harmonicas play the skeleton keys and the rain
There must be some way out of here
Said the joker to the thief
There's too much confusion
I can't get no relief
Businessmen, they drink my wine
Plowmen dig my earth
None of them along the line
Know what any of it is worth
No reason to get excited
The thief, he kindly spoke
There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke
But you and I, we've been through that
And this is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now
The hour is getting late
All along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
While all the women came and went
Barefoot servants, too
Outside in the distance
A wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching
As I went out one morning
To breathe the air around Tom Paine's
I spied the fairest damsel
That ever did walk in chains
I offer'd her my hand
She took me by the arm
I knew that very instant
She meant to do me harm.
"Depart from me this moment"
I told her with my voice
Said she, "But I don't wish to"
Said I, "But you have no choice"
"I beg you, sir", she pleaded
From the corners of her mouth
"I will secretly accept you
And together we'll fly south".
Just then Tom Paine, himself
Came running from across the field
Shouting at this lovely girl
And commanding her to yield
And as she was letting go her grip
Up Tom Paine did run
"I'm sorry, sir", he said to me
Dear landlord
Please don't put a price on my soul
My burden is heavy
My dreams are beyond control
When that steamboat whistle blows
I'm gonna give you all I got to give
And I do hope you receive it well
Depending on the way you feel that you live.
Dear landlord
Please heed these words that I speak
I know you've suffered much
But in this you are not so unique
All of us, at times we might work too hard
To have it too fast and too much
And anyone can fill his life up
With things he can see but he just cannot touch.
Dear landlord
Please don't dismiss my case
I'm not about to argue
I'm not about to move to no other place
Now, each of us has his own special gift
And you know this was meant to be true
And if you don't underestimate me
Well, they'll stone ya when you're trying to be so good
They'll stone ya just a-like they said they would
They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to go home
Then they'll stone ya when you're there all alone
But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned.
Well, they'll stone ya when you're walkin' 'long the street
They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to keep your seat
They'll stone ya when you're walkin' on the floor
They'll stone ya when you're walkin' to the door
But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned.
They'll stone ya when you're at the breakfast table
They'll stone ya when you are young and able
They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to make a buck
They'll stone ya and then they'll say "good luck"
Tell ya what, I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned.
Well, They'll stone you and say that it's the end
Then they'll stone you and then they'll come back again
They'll stone you when you're riding in your car
They'll stone you when you're playing your guitar
Yes, but I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned.
Well, they'll stone you when you walk all alone
They'll stone you when you are walking home
They'll stone you and then say you are brave
They'll stone you when you are set down in your grave
But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned.
With your mercury mouth in the missionary times
And your eyes like smoke and your prayers like rhymes
And your silver cross, and your voice like chimes
Oh, who do they think could bury you ?
With your pockets well protected at last
And your streetcar visions which you place on the grass
And your flesh like silk, And you face like glass
Who among them do they think could carry you ?
Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands
Where the sad-eyed prophet says that no man comes
My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums
Should I put them by your gate
Oh, sad-eyed lady, should I wait ?
With your sheets like metal and your belt like lace
And your deck of cards missing the jack and the ace
And your basement clothes and your hollow face
Who among them can think he could outguess you ?
With your silhouette when the sunlight dims
Into your eyes where the moonlight swims
And your match-book songs and your gypsy hymns
Who among them would try to impress you ?
Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands
Where the sad-eyed prophet says that no man comes
My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums
Should I put them by your gate
Oh, sad-eyed lady, should I wait ?
The kings of Tyrus with their convict list
Are waiting in line for their geranium kiss
And you wouldn't know it would happen like this
But who among them really wants just to kiss you ?
With your childhood flames on your midnight rug
And your Spanish manners, and your mother's drugs
And your cowboy mouth and your curfew plugs
Who among them do you think could resist you ?
Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands
Where the sad-eyed prophet says that no man comes
My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums
Should I leave them by your gate
Oh, sad-eyed lady, should I wait ?
Oh, the farmers and the businessmen they all did decide
To show you the dead angels that they used to hide
But why did they pick you to sympathize with their side ?
How could they ever mistake you ?
They wished you'd accepted the blame for the farm
But with the sea at your feet and the phony false alarm
And with the child of a hoodlum wrapped up in your arms
How could they ever, ever persuade you ?
Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands
Where the sad-eyed prophet says that no man comes
My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums
Should I leave them by your gate
Oh, sad-eyed lady, should I wait ?
With your sheet-metal memory of Cannery Row
And your magazine-husband who one day just had to go
And your gentleness now, which you just can't help but show
Who among them do you think would employ you ?
Now you stand with your thief, you're on his parole
With your holy medallion which your fingertips fold
And your saintlike face and your ghostlike soul
Who among them do you think could destroy you ?
Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands
Where the sad-eyed prophet says that no man comes
My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums
Should I leave them by your gate
Oh, the ragman draws circles
Up and down the block
I'd ask him what the matter was
But I know that he don't talk
And the ladies treat me kindly
And furnish me with tape
But deep inside my heart
I know I can't escape
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Well Shakespeare he's in the alley
With his pointed shoes and his bells
Speaking to some French girl
Who says she knows me well
And I would send a message
To find out if she's talked
But the post office has been stolen
And the mailbox is locked
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Mona tried to tell me
To stay away from the train line
She said that all the railroad men
Just drink up your blood like wine
And I said "Oh I didn't know that
But then again there's only one I've met
And he just smoked my eyelids
And punched my cigarette"
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Grandpa died last week
And now he's buried in the rocks
But everybody still talks about
How badly they were shocked
But me, I expected it to happen
I knew he'd lost control
When he built a fire on Main Street
And shot it full of holes
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the senator came down here
Showing ev'ryone his gun
Handing out free tickets
To the wedding of his son
And me, I nearly get bursted
And wouldn't it be my luck
To get caught without a ticket
And be discovered beneath a truck
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the preacher looked so baffled
When I asked him why he dressed
With twenty pounds of headlines
Stapled to his chest
But he cursed me when I proved it to him
Then I whispered, "Not even you can hide
You see, you're just like me
I hope you're satisfied"
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the rainman gave me two cures
Then he said, "Jump right in"
The one was Texas medicine
The other was just railroad gin
And like a fool I mixed them
And it strangled up my mind
And now, people just get uglier
And I have no sense of time
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
When Ruthie says come see her
In her honky-tonk lagoon
Where I can watch her waltz for free
'Neath her Panamanian moon
And I say, "Aw come on now
You know you know about my debutante"
And she says, "Your debutante just knows what you need
But I know what you want"
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the bricks lay on Grand Street
Where the neon madmen climb
They all fall there so perfectly
It all seems so well timed
And here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice
Oh, Mama, is this really the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Standing on your window honey
Yes, I've been here before
Feeling so harmless
I'm looking at your second door
How come you don't send me no regards ?
You know I want your lovin'
Honey, why are you so hard ?
Kneeling 'neath your ceiling
Yes, I guess I'll be here for a while
I'm trying' to read your portrait, but
I'm helpless, like a rich man's child
How come you send someone out to have me barred ?
You know I want your lovin'
Honey, why are you so hard ?
Like a poor fool in his prime
Yes, I know you can hear me walk
But is your heart made out of stone, or is it lime
Or is it just solid rock ?
Well, I rush into your hallway
Lean against your velvet door
I watch upon your scorpion
Who crawls across your circus floor
Just what do you think you have to guard ?
You know I want your lovin'
Honey, but you're so hard.
Achilles is in your alleyway
He don't want me here
He does brag
He's pointing to the sky
And he's hungry, like a man in drag
How come you get someone like him to be your guard ?
You know I want your lovin'
Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, little star
Up comes Brady in a 'lectric car
Got a mean look all 'round his eye
Gonna shoot somebody jus' to see them die
Duncan, Duncan was tending the bar
In walked Brady with a shining star
And Brady says, "Duncan you are under arrest
And Duncan shot a hole in Brady's breast.
Brady, Brady carried a '45,
Said it would shoot half a mile,
Duncan had a '44
That what laid Mr. Brady so low.
Brady fell down on the barroom floor,
"Please Mr. Duncan don' shoot me no more
Women all cryin, ain't it a shame,
Shot King Brady, goin' shoot him again.
"Brady, Brady, Brady, you know you done wrong
Walkin' in the room when the game was goin' on
Knockin down windows, breakin' down the door
Now you lyin' dead on the grocery [barroom] floor.
Women all heard that Brady was dead,
Goes back home and they dresses in red.
Come a snifflin' and a sighin' down the street,
Instrumental
Corrina, Corrina
Gal, where you been so long?
Corrina, Corrina
Gal, where you been so long?
I been worr'in' 'bout you, baby
Baby, please come home
I got a bird that whistles
I got a bird that sings
I got a bird that whistles
I got a bird that sings
But I ain' a-got Corrina
Life don't mean a thing
Corrina, Corrina
Gal, you're on my mind
Corrina, Corrina
Gal, you're on my mind
I was in down thinkin' of you
I just can't keep from crying
You know, there's two ol' maids layin' in the bed,
One picked herself up an' the other one, she said:
"Get your rocks off!
Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off-a me! (Get 'em off!)"
Well, you know, there late one night up on Blueberry Hill,
One man turned to the other man and said, with a blood-curdlin' chill, he said:
"Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off-a me! (Get 'em off!)"
Well, you know, we was layin' down around Mink Muscle Creek,
One man said to the other man, he began to speak, he said:
"Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off-a me! (Get 'em off!)"
Well, you know, we was cruisin' down the highway in a Greyhound bus.
All kinds-a children in the side road, they was hollerin' at us, sayin':
"Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Our conversation was short and sweet
It nearly swept me off-a my feet
And I'm back in the rain oh oh
And you're on dry land
You made it there somehow
You're a big girl now.
Bird on the horizon sitting on the fence
He's singing his song for me at his own expense
And I'm just like that bird oh oh
Singing just for you
I hope that you can hear
Hear me singing through these tears.
Time is a jet plane it moves so fast
Oh but what a shame if all we've shared can't last
I can change I swear oh oh
See what you can do
I can make it through
You can make it too.
Love is so simple to quote a phrase
You've known it all the time I'm learning it these days
Oh I know where I can find you oh oh
In somebody's room
It's a price I had to pay
You're a big girl all the way.
A change in the weather is known to be extreme
But what's the sense of changing horses in midstream ?
I'm going out of my mind oh oh
With a pain that stops and starts
Like a corkscrew to my heart
Early one mornin', the sun was shinin'
He was lyin' in bed
Wonderin' if she'd changed at all
If her hair was still red
Her folks, they said, our lives together
Sure was gonna be rough
They never did like Mama's homemade dress
Papa's bankbook wasn't big enough
And he was standin' on the side of the road
Rain fallin' on his shoes
Heading out for the old East Coast
Lord knows, he's paid some dues gettin' through
Tangled up in blue
She was married when they first met
Soon to be divorced
He helped her out of a jam, I guess
But he used a little too much force
And they drove that car as far as they could
Abandoned it out west
And split up on a dark sad night
Both agreein' it was best
And she turned around to look at him
'Cause he was walkin' away
She said, "This can't be the end
We'll meet on another day, on the avenue"
Tangled up in blue
He had a job in the old North Woods
Workin' as a cook for a spell
But he never did like it all that much
And one day the ax just fell
When he drifted down to L.A.
Where he reckoned to try his luck
Workin' for a while on an airplane plant
Loading cargo on to a truck
But all the while he was alone
The past was close behind
He'd seen a lot of women
But she never escaped his mind, and he just grew
Tangled up in blue
She was workin' in a topless place
I stopped in for beer
I just kept lookin' at the side of her face
In the spotlight so clear
And later on, as the crowd thinned out
I was about to do the same
She was standing there in back of my chair
Said to me, "What's your name?"
I muttered somethin' underneath my breath
She studied the lines on my face
I must admit I felt a little uneasy
When she bent down to tie the laces of my shoe
Tangled up in blue
She lit a burner on the stove
And offered me a pipe
"I thought you'd never say hello", she said
"You look like the silent type"
Then she opened up a book of poems
And handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet
From the thirteenth century
And every one of them words rang true
And glowed like burnin' coal
Pourin' off of every page
Like it was written in my soul, from me to you
Tangled up in blue
He was always in a hurry
Too busy or too stoned
And everything that she ever planned
Just had to be postponed
We thought they were successful
She thought they were blessed
With objects and material things
But I never was impressed
And when it all came crashin' down
I became withdrawn
The only thing I knew how to do
Was keep on keepin' on like a bird that flew
Tangled up in blue
So now I'm going back again
I got to get to her somehow
All the people we used to know
They're an illusion to me now
Some are mathematicians
Some are doctor's wives
Don't know how it all got started
Don't know what they're doin' with their lives
But me, I'm still on the road
Headin' for another joint
We always did feel the same
We just saw it from a different point of view
Under that apple suckling tree, oh yeah, under that apple suckling tree
Oh yeah ! Underneath that tree, there's just gonna be you and me
Under that apple suckling tree, oh yeah !
Old man sailin' in a dinghy boat
Down there
Old man sailin' in a dinghy boat
On there
Gonna pull man down on a suckling hook
Gonna pull man into the suckling brook
Oh yeah !
Now, he's underneath that apple suckling tree
Oh yeah !
Under that apple suckling tree
Oh yeah !
That's underneath that tree
There's gonna be just you and me
Underneath that apple suckling tree.
I push him back and I stand in line
Oh yeah
Then I hush my Sadie and stand in line
Oh yeah
Then I hush my Sadie and stand in line
I get on board in two-eyed time
Oh yeah !
Now, who's on the table, who's tell me ?
Oh yeah
Who's on the table, who's tell me ?
Oh yeah
Who should I tell, oh, who should I tell ?
The forty-nine of you like bats out of hell
I've seen love go by my door
It's never been this close before
Never been so easy or so slow
I've been shooting in the dark too long
When something not right it's wrong
Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go.
Dragon clouds so high above
I've only known careless love
It's always hit me from below
This time around it's more correct
Right on target so direct
Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go.
Purple clover Queen Anne lace
Crimson hair across your face
You could make me cry if you don't know
Can't remember what I was thinking of
You might be spoiling me too much love
Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go.
Flowers on the hillside blooming crazy
Crickets talking back and forth in rhyme
Blue river running slow and lazy
I could stay with you forever
And never realize the time.
Situations have ended sad
Relationship have all been bad
Mine've been like Verlaine's and Rimbaud
But there's no way I can compare
All those scenes to this affair
Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go.
Yer gonna make me wonder what I'm doing
Staying far behind without you
Yer gonna make me wonder what I'm saying
Yer gonna make me give myself a good talking to.
I'll look for you in old Honolulu
San Francisco, Ashtabula
Yer gonna have to leave me now I know
But I'll see you in the sky above
In the tall grass in the ones I love
Meet me in the morning 56th and Wabasha
Meet me in the morning 56th and Wabasha
Honey we could be in Kansas
By time the snow begins to thaw.
They say the darkest hour is right before the dawn
They say the darkest hour is right before the dawn
But you wouldn't know it by me
Every day's been darkness since you been gone.
Little rooster crowing there must be something on his mind
Little rooster crowing there must be something on his mind
Well I feel just like that rooster
Honey ya treat me so unkind.
Well I struggled through barbed wire felt the hail fall from above
Well I struggled through barbed wire felt the hail fall from above
Well you know I even outran the hound dogs
Honey you know I've earned your love.
Look at the sun sinking like a ship
Look at the sun sinking like a ship
Ain't that just like my heart babe
The festival was over and the boys were all plannin' for a fall
The cabaret was quiet except for the drillin' in the wall
The curfew had been lifted and the gamblin' wheel shut down
Anyone with any sense had already left town
He was standin' in the doorway lookin' like the Jack of Hearts
He moved across the mirrored room, "Set it up for everyone" he said
Then everyone commenced to do what they were doin'
Before he turned their heads
Then he walked up to a stranger and he asked him with a grin
"Could you kindly tell me, friend, what time the show begins?"
Then he moved into the corner, face down like the Jack of Hearts
Backstage the girls were playin' five-card stud by the stairs
Lily had two queens, she was hopin' for a third to match her pair
Outside the streets were fillin' up, the window was open wide
A gentle breeze was blowin', you could feel it from inside
Lily called another bet and drew up the Jack of Hearts
Big Jim was no one's fool, he owned the town's only diamond mine
He made his usual entrance lookin' so dandy and so fine
With his bodyguards and silver cane and every hair in place
He took whatever he wanted to and he laid it all to waste
But his bodyguards and silver cane were no match for the Jack of Hearts
Rosemary combed her hair and took a carriage into town
She slipped in through the side door lookin' like a queen without a crown
She fluttered her false eyelashes and whispered in his ear
"Sorry, darlin', that I'm late" but he didn't seem to hear
He was starin' into space over at the Jack of Hearts
"I know I've seen that face before," Big Jim was thinkin' to himself
"Maybe down in Mexico or a picture up on somebody's shelf
But then the crowd began to stamp their feet and the house lights did dim
And in the darkness of the room there was only Jim and him
Starin' at the butterfly who just drew the Jack of Hearts
Lily was a princess, she was fair-skinned and precious as a child
She did whatever she had to do
She had that certain flash every time she smiled
She'd come away from a broken home, had lots of strange affairs
With men in every walk of life which took her everywhere
But she'd never met anyone quite like the Jack of Hearts
The hangin' judge came in unnoticed and was being wined and dined
The drillin' in the wall kept up but no one seemed to pay it any mind
It was known all around that Lily had Jim's ring
And nothing would ever come between Lily and the king
No, nothin' ever would except maybe the Jack of Hearts
Rosemary started drinkin' hard and seein' her reflection in the knife
She was tired of the attention, tired of playin' the role of Big Jim's wife
She had done a lot of bad things, even once tried suicide
Was lookin' to do just one good deed before she died
She was gazin' to the future, riding on the Jack of Hearts
Lily took her dress off, buried it away
"Has your luck run out?" she laughed at him
"Well, I guess you must have known it would someday"
"Be careful not to touch the wall, there's a brand-new coat of paint
I'm glad to see you're still alive, you're lookin' like a saint"
Down the hallway footsteps were comin' for the Jack of Hearts
The backstage manager was pacing all around by his chair
"There's something funny going on" he said
"I can just feel it in the air"
He went to get the hangin' judge, but the hangin' judge was drunk
As the leading actor hurried by in the costume of a monk
There was no actor anywhere better than the Jack of Hearts
No one knew the circumstance
But they say that it happened pretty quick
The door to the dressing room burst open and a cold revolver clicked
And Big Jim was standin' there, ya couldn't say surprised
Rosemary right beside him, steady in her eyes
She was with Big Jim but she was leanin' to the Jack of Hearts
Two doors down, the boys finally made it through the wall
And cleaned out the bank safe
It's said that they got off with quite a haul
In the darkness by the riverbed they waited on the ground
For one more member who had business back in town
But they couldn't go no further without the Jack of Hearts
The next day was hangin' day, the sky was overcast and black
Big Jim lay covered up, killed by a penknife in the back
And Rosemary on the gallows, she didn't even blink
The hangin' judge was sober, he hadn't had a drink
The only person on the scene missin' was the Jack of Hearts
The cabaret was empty now, a sign said, "Closed for repair"
Lily had already taken all of the dye out of her hair
She was thinkin' 'bout her father, who she very rarely saw
Thinkin' 'bout Rosemary and thinkin' about the law
They sat together in the park
As the evening sky grew dark
She looked at him and he felt a spark tingle to his bones
It was then he felt alone and wished that he'd gone straight
And watched out for a simple twist of fate.
They walked alone by the old canal
A little confused I remember well
And stopped into a strange hotel with a neon burning bright
He felt the heat of the night hit him like a freight train
Moving with a simple twist of fate.
A saxophone someplace far off played
As she was walking on by the arcade
As the light bust through a-beat-up shade where he was waking up
She dropped a coin into the cup of a blind man at the gate
And forgot about a simple twist of fate.
He woke up the room was bare
He didn't see her anywhere
He told himself he didn't care pushed the window open wide
Felt an emptiness inside to which he just could not relate
Brought on by a simple twist of fate.
He hears the ticking of the clocks
And walks along with a parrot that talks
Hunts her down by the waterfront docks where the sailers all come in
Maybe she'll pick him out again how long must he wait
One more time for a simple twist of fate.
People tell me it's a sin
To know and feel too much within
I still believe she was my twin but I lost the ring
She was born in spring but I was born too late
Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured
I'll always do my best for her, on that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved
Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
I was burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail
Poisoned in the bushes an' blown out on the trail
Hunted like a crocodile, ravaged in the corn
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
Suddenly I turned around and she was standin' there
With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair
She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
Now there's a wall between us, somethin' there's been lost
I took too much for granted, got my signals crossed
Just to think that it all began on a long-forgotten morn
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
Well, the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount
But nothing really matters much, it's doom alone that counts
And the one-eyed undertaker, he blows a futile horn
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
I've heard newborn babies wailin' like a mournin' dove
And old men with broken teeth stranded without love
Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn?
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes
I bargained for salvation an' they gave me a lethal dose
I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
Well, I'm livin' in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor's edge, someday I'll make it mine
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born
If you see her, say hello
She might be in Tangier
She left here last early spring
Is living there I hear
Say for me that I'm all right
Though things get kind of slow
She might think that I've forgotten her
Don't tell her it isn't so
We had a falling-out
Like lovers often will
And to think of how she left that night
It still brings me a chill
And though our separation
It pierced me to the heart
She still lives inside of me
We've never been apart
If you get close to her
Kiss her once for me
I always have respected her
For doing what she did and getting free
Oh, whatever makes her happy
I won't stand in the way
Oh, the bitter taste still lingers on
From the night I tried to make her stay
I see a lot of people
As I make the rounds
And I hear her name here and there
As I go from town to town
And I've never gotten used to it
I've just learned to turn it off
Either I'm too sensitive
Or else I'm getting soft
Sundown yellow moon
I replay the past
I know every scene by heart
They all went by so fast
If she's passing back this way
I'm not that hard to find
Tell her she can look me up
Someone's got it in for me, they're planting stories in the press
Whoever it is I wish they'd cut it out quick but when they will I can only guess
They say I shot a man named Gray and took his wife to Italy
She inherited a million bucks and when she died it came to me
I can't help it if I'm lucky.
People see me all the time and they just can't remember how to act
Their minds are filled with big ideas, images and distorted facts
Even you yesterday you had to ask me where it was at
I couldn't believe after all these years you didn't know even me better than that
Sweet lady.
Idiot wind blowing every time your move your mouth
Blowing down the backroads heading south
Idiot wind blowing every time you move your teeth
You're an idiot babe
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe
I ran into the fortune-teller who said beware of lightning that might strike
I haven't known peace and quit for so long I can't remember what it's like
There's a lone soldier on the cross smoke pouring out of a boxcar door
You didn't know it you didn't think it could be done in the final end he won the wars
After losing every battle.
I woke up on the roadside daydreaming about the way things sometimes are
Visions of your chestnut mare shoot through my head and are making me see stars
You hurt the ones that I love best and cover up the truth with lies
One day you'll be in the ditch, flies buzzing around your eyes
Blood on your saddle.
Idiot wind blowing through the flowers on your tomb
Blowing through the curtains in your room
Idiot wind blowing every time you move your teeth
You're an idiot babe
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe.
It was gravity which pulled us down and destiny which broke us apart
You tamed the lion in my cage but it just wasn't enough to change my heart
Now everything's a little upside down, as a matter of fact the wheels have stopped
What's good is bad what's bad is good you'll find out when you reach the top
You're on the bottom.I noticed at the ceremony, your corrupt ways had finally made you blind
I can't remember your face anymore, your mouth has changed your eyes don't look
into mine
The priest wore black on the seventh day and sat stone faced while the
building burned
I waited for you on the running boards, near the cypress trees while the
springtime turned
Slowly into autumn.
Idiot wind blowing like a circle around my skull
From the Grand Coulee Dam to Capitol
Idiot wind blowing every time you move you teeth
You're an idiot babe.
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe.
I can't feel you anymore, I can't even touch the books you've read
Every time I crawl past your door, I been wishing I was somebody else instead
Down the highway down the tracks down the road to ecstasy
I followed you beneath the stars hounded by your memory
And all you raging glory.
I been double-crossed now for the very last time and now I'm finally free
I kissed goodbye the howling beast on the borderline which separated you from me
You'll never know the hurt I suffered not the pain I raise above
And I'll never know the same about you your holiness or your kind of love
And it makes me feel so sorry.
Idiot wind blowing through the buttons of our coats
Blowing through the letters that we wrote
Idiot wind blowing through the dust upon our shelves
We're idiots babe
I'm gonna walk across the desert, 'til I'm in my right mind.
I won't even thing about, what I left behind
Nothing back there anyway, that I can call my own
Go back home, leave me alone
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I cant work up to you, you'll surely have to work down to me someday
Ever since the British, burned the White House down
There's a bleeding wound, in the heart of town
I saw you drinking, from an empty cup
I saw you buried, and I saw you dug up
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I cant work up to you, you'll surely have to work down to me someday
Look down angel, from the skies
Help my, weary soul to rise
I kissed her cheek, I dragged your frown(?)
You broke my heart, I was your friend 'til now.
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I cant work up to you, you'll surely have to work down to me someday
In the courtyard, of the golden sun
You stand and fight, or you break and run
You went and lost, your lovely head
For a drink of wine, and a crust of bread
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I cant work up to you, you'll surely have to work down to me someday
We looted and we plundered, on distant shores
Why is my share, not equal to yours
Your father left you, your mother too
Even death has, washed it's hands of you
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I cant work up to you, you'll surely have to work down to me someday
This is hard country, to stay alive in
Blades are everywhere, and they're breaking my skin
I'm armed to the hilt, and I'm struggling hard
You won't get out, of here unscarred.
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I cant work up to you, you'll surely have to work down to me someday
You got too many lovers, waiting at the wall
About a thousand tons, I couldn't count them all
Yesterday, I could've thrown them all in the sea
Today, even one, may be too much for me
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I cant work up to you, you'll surely have to work down to me someday
Can't walk them baby, you could do no wrong
Put your arms around me, where they belong
I won't take you under, for the ghost to ride(?)
Lay my hands all over ya, tie you to my side
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I cant work up to you, you'll surely have to work down to me someday
I've got a heavy stacked woman, with a smile on her face
And she has crowned, my soul with grace
Im still hurting from an arrow, that pierced my chest
I'm gonna have to take my head, and bury it between your breasts
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I cant work up to you, you'll surely have to work down to me someday
Been dark all night, but now it's dawn
The moving finger, is moving on
You can guard me, while I sleep
Piss away, the tears I weep
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I cant work up to you, you'll surely have to work down to me someday
I love women, and she loves men
We've been to the west, and we going back again
I heard a voice, at the dusk of day
Saying, "Be gentle brother, be gentle and pray."
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If you getcha one girl, better get two
Case you run into Gypsy Lou
She's a ramblin' woman with a ramblin' mind
Always leavin' somebody behind.
Hey, 'round the bend
Gypsy Lou's gone again
Gypsy Lou's gone again.
Well, I seen the whole country through
Just to find Gypsy Lou
Seen it up, seen it down
Followin' Gypsy Lou around.
Hey, 'round the bend
Gypsy Lou's gone again
Gypsy Lou's gone again.
Well, I gotta stop and take some rest
My poor feet are second best
My poor feet are wearin' thin
Gypsy Lou's gone again.
Hey, gone again
Gypsy Lou's 'round the bend
Gypsy Lou's 'round the bend.
Well, seen her up in old Cheyenne
Turned my head and away she ran
From Denver Town to Wichita
Last I heard she's in Arkansas.
Hey, 'round the bend
Gypsy Lou's gone again
Gypsy Lou's gone again
Well, I tell you what if you what if you want to do
Tell you what, you'll wear out your shoes
If you want to wear out your shoes
Try and follow Gypsy Lou.
Hey, gone again
Gypsy Lou's 'round the bend
Gypsy Lou's 'round the bend.
Well, Gypsy Lou, I been told
Livin' down on Gallus Road
Gallus Road, Arlington
Moved away to Washington.
Hey, 'round the bend
Gypsy Lou's gone again
Gypsy Lou's gone again
Well, I went down to Washington
Then she went to Oregon
I skipped the ground and hopped a train
She's back in Gallus Road again.
Hey, I can't win
Gypsy Lou's gone again
Gypsy Lou's gone again
Well, the last I heard of Gypsy Lou
She's in a Memphis calaboose
She left one too many a boy behind
He committed suicide.
Hey, you can't win
Gypsy Lou's gone again
Well, I wish I was in London,
Or some other seaport town
I'd put my foot on a steamboat
I'd sail the ocean 'round.
While sailing 'round the ocean,
While sailing 'round the sea
I'd think of handsome Molly
Wherever she might be.
Don't you remember, Molly
You gave me your right hand?
You said whenever you'd marry
I would be the man.
But you broke your promise
Go with whom you please
My poor heart is aching
You are at your ease.
I went to church last Sunday
Molly came ridin' by
I could tell her mind was changin'
By the rovin' of her eye.
I go down to the river
Though everyone's asleep
I think of handsome Molly
An' I begin to weep.
So I wish I was in London,
Or some other seaport town
I'd put my foot on a steamboat
Come you ladies and you gentlemen, a-listen to my song.
Sing it to you right, but you might think it's wrong.
Just a little glimpse of a story I'll tell
"Bout an East Coast city that you all know well.
It's hard times in the city,
Livin' down in New York town.
Old New York City is a friendly old town,
From Washington Heights to Harlem on down.
There's a-mighty many people all millin' all around,
They'll kick you when you're up and knock you when you're down.
It's hard times in the city,
Livin' down in New York town.
It's a mighty long ways from the Golden Gate
To Rockefeller Plaza n' the Empire State.
Mister Rockefeller sets up as high as a bird,
Old Mister Empire never says a word.
It's hard times from the country,
Livin' down in New York town.
Well, it's up in the mornin' tryin' to fins a job of work.
Stand in one place till your feet begin to hurt.
If you go a lot o' money you can make yourself merry,
If you only got a nickel, it's the Staten Island Ferry.
And it's hard times in the city,
Livin' down in New York town.
Mister Hudson come a-sailin' down the stream
And old Mister Minuet paid for his dream.
Bought your city on a one-way track,
'F I had my way I'd sell it right back.
And it's hard times in the city,
Livin' down in New York town.
I'll take all the smog in Cal-i-for-ne-ay,
'N' every bit of dust in the Oklahoma plains,
'N' the dirt in the caves of the Rocky Mountain mines.
It's all much cleaner than the New York kind.
And it's hard times in the city,
Livin' down in New York town.
So all you newsy people, spread the news around,
You c'n listen to m' story, listen to m' song.
You c'n step on my name, you c'n try 'n' get me beat,
When I leave New York, I'll be standin' on my feet.
And it's hard times in the city,
He was a friend of mine
He was a friend of mine
Every time I think about him now
Lord I just can't keep from cryin'
'Cause he was a friend of mine
He died on the road
He died on the road
He never had enough money
To pay his room or board
And he was a friend of mine
I stole away and cried
I stole away and cried
'Cause I never had too much money
And I never been quite satisfied
And he was a friend of mine
He never done no wrong
He never done no wrong
A thousand miles from home
And he never harmed no one
And he was a friend of mine
He was a friend of mine
He was a friend of mine
Every time I hear his name
Lord I just can't keep from cryin'
Words and music by bob dylan
Highwater risin’, rising night and day
All the gold and silver are being stolen away
Big joe turner looking east and west from the dark room of his mind
He made it to kansas city, twelfth street and vine
Nothin’ standing there
Highwater everywhere
Highwater rising the shacks are sliding down
Folks lose their possessions, the folks are leaving town
Reformation shook it, broke it, then she hung it on the wall
Say you dancin’ with whom they tell you to or you don’t dance at all
It’s tough out there
Highwater everywhere
I got a craven love for blazin’ speed
I got a hopped up mustang ford
Jump into the wagon, love
Throw your panties overboard
I can write you poems, make a strong man lose his mind
I’m no pig without a wig, I hope you treat me kind
Things are breakin’ up out there
Highwater everywhere
Highwater rising, six inches above my head
Coffins droppin’ in the street like balloons made out of lead
Water poured into vicksburg, don’t know what I’m gonna do
Don’t reach out for me, she said, can’t you see I’m drowning too
It’s rough out there
Highwater everywhere
Well, george lewes told the englishman, the italian and the jew
You can’t open up your mind, boys, to every conceivable point of view
They got charles darwin trapped out there on highway 5
Judge says to the high sheriff, I want them dead or alive
Either one, I don’t care
Highwater everywhere
Well, the cuckoo is a pretty bird, she warbles as she flies
I’m preachin’ the word of god, I’m puttin’ out your eyes
I asked fat nancy for someth’n’ to eat, she said take it off the shelf
As great as you are man, you’ll never be greater than yourself
I told her I didn’t really care
Highwater everywhere
I get up in the mornin’, I believe I’ll dust my broom
Keepin’ away from the women, I’m givin’ them lots of room
Thunder rollin’ over clarksdale, everythin’ a-lookin’ blue
I just can’t be happy, love, unless you’re happy too
It’s bad out there
Highwater everywhere
Well met, well met, my own true love
Well met, well met, cried she
I've just returned from the salt, salt sea
And it's all for the love of thee
I could have married a King's daughter there
She would have married me
But I have forsaken my King's daughter there
It's all for the love of thee
Well, if you could have married a King's daughter there
I'm sure you're the one to blame
For I am married to a house carpenter
And I'm sure he's a fine young man
Forsake, forsake your house carpenter
And come away with me
I'll take you where the green grass grows
On the shores of sunny Italy
So up she picked her babies three
And gave them kisses, one, two, three
Saying "take good care of your daddy while I'm gone
And keep him good company."
Well, they were sailin' about two weeks
I'm sure it was not three
When the younger of the girls, she came on deck
Sayin' she wants company
"Well, are you weepin' for your house and home?
Or are you weepin' for your babies three?"
"Well, I'm not weepin' for my house carpenter
I'm weepin' for my babies three."
Oh what are those hills yonder, my love
They look as white as snow
Those are the hill of heaven, my love
You and I'll never know
Oh what are those hills yonder, my love
They look as dark as night
Those are the hills of hell-fire my love
Where you and I will unite
Oh twice around went the gallant ship
I'm sure it was not three
When the ship all of a sudden, it sprung a leak
(First release—Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
There is a house down in New Orleans
They call the Risin' Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor girl
And me, oh God, I'm a-one
My mother was a tailor
She sewed these new blue jeans
My sweetheart was a gambler, Lord
Down in New Orleans
Now the only thing a gambler needs
Is a suitcase and a trunk
And the only time he's satisfied
Is when he's on a drunk
He fills his glasses up to the brim
And he'll pass the cards around
And the only pleasure he gets out of life
Is ramblin' from town to town
Oh tell my baby sister
Not to do what I have done
But shun that house in New Orleans
They call the Risin' Sun
Well, it's one foot on the platform
And the other foot on the train
I'm goin' back to New Orleans
To wear that ball and chain
I'm a-goin' back to New Orleans
My race is almost run
I'm goin' back to end my life
Down in the Risin' Sun
There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Risin' Sun
It's been the ruin of many poor girl
And me, oh God, I'm a-one
Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night
Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall.
She sees the bartender in a pool of blood,
Cries out, "My God, they killed them all!"
Here comes the story of the Hurricane,
The man the authorities came to blame
For somethin' that he never done.
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world.
Three bodies lyin' there does Patty see
And another man named Bello, movin' around
mysteriously.
"I didn't do it," he says, and he throws up his hands
"I was only robbin' the register, I hope you
understand.
I saw them leavin'," he says, and he stops
"One of us had better call up the cops."
And so Patty calls the cops
And they arrive on the scene with their red lights
flashin'
In the hot New Jersey night.
Meanwhile, far away in another part of town
Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are drivin'
around.
Number one contender for the middleweight crown
Had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down
When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road
Just like the time before and the time before that.
In Paterson that's just the way things go.
If you're black you might as well not show up on the
street
'Less you wanna draw the heat.
Alfred Bello had a partner and he had a rap for the
cops.
Him and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowlin'
around
He said, "I saw two men runnin' out, they looked like
middleweights
They jumped into a white car with out-of-state plates."
And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her head.
Cop said, "Wait a minute, boys, this one's not dead"
So they took him to the infirmaryAnd though this man
could hardly see
They told him that he could identify the guilty men.
Four in the mornin' and they haul Rubin in,
Take him to the hospital and they bring him upstairs.
The wounded man looks up through his one dyin' eye
Says, "Wha'd you bring him in here for? He ain't the
guy!"
Yes, here's the story of the Hurricane,
The man the authorities came to blame
For somethin' that he never done.
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world.
Four months later, the ghettos are in flame,
Rubin's in South America, fightin' for his name
While Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in the robbery game
And the cops are puttin' the screws to him, lookin' for
somebody to blame.
"Remember that murder that happened in a bar?"
"Remember you said you saw the getaway car?"
"You think you'd like to play ball with the law?"
"Think it might-a been that fighter that you saw
runnin' that night?"
"Don't forget that you are white."
Arthur Dexter Bradley said, "I'm really not sure."
Cops said, "A poor boy like you could use a break
We got you for the motel job and we're talkin' to your
friend Bello
Now you don't wanta have to go back to jail, be a nice
fellow.
You'll be doin' society a favor.
That sonofabitch is brave and gettin' braver.
We want to put his ass in stir
We want to pin this triple murder on him
He ain't no Gentleman Jim.
"Rubin could take a man out with just one punch
But he never did like to talk about it all that much.
It's my work, he'd say, and I do it for pay
And when it's over I'd just as soon go on my way
Up to some paradise
Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice
And ride a horse along a trail.
But then they took him to the jail house
Where they try to turn a man into a mouse.
All of Rubin's cards were marked in advance
The trial was a pig-circus, he never had a chance.
The judge made Rubin's witnesses drunkards from the
slums
To the white folks who watched he was a revolutionary
And to the black folks he was just a crazy nigger.
No one doubted that he pulled the trigger.
And though they could not produce the gun,
The D.A. said he was the one who did the deed
And the all-white jury agreed.
Rubin Carter was falsely tried.The crime was murder
"one," guess who testified?
Bello and Bradley and they both baldly lied
And the newspapers, they all went along for the ride.
How can the life of such a man
Be in the palm of some fool's hand?
To see him obviously framed
Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a
land
Where justice is a game.
Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties
Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise
While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell
An innocent man in a living hell.
That's the story of the Hurricane,
But it won't be over till they clear his name
And give him back the time he's done.
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
One by one they followed the sun
One by one until there where none
Two by two to their lovers they flew
Two by two into the foggy dew.
Three by three they danced on the sea
Four by four they danced on the shore
Five by five they tried to survive
Six by six they were playing with tricks.
How many paths did he try and fail
How many of their brothers and sisters linger in jail
How much poison did their inhale
How many black cats crossed their trail.
Seven by seven they head for heaven
Eight by eight their got to the gate
Nine by nine they drank the wine
Ten by ten they drank it again.
How many tomorrows have they given away
How many compared to yesterday
How many more without any reward
How many more can they afford.
Two by two they step into the ark
Two by two they step in the dark
Three by three they're turning the key
Four by four they turn it some more.
One by one they followed the sun
Two by two to another rendezvous
Three by three don't tread on me
Four by four they're loosing the war.
It's unbelievable it's strange but true
It's inconceivable it could happen to you
You're going north and you're going south
Just like bait in a fish's mouth
Must be living in the shadow of some kind of evil star
It's unbelievable it would get this far.
It's unbelievable what they'd have you to think
It's indescribable it can drive you to drink
They said it was the land of milk and honey
Now they say it's the land of money
Who ever thought they'd ever make that stick
It's unbelievable you could get this rich this quick.
Every head is so dignified
Every mood is so sanctified
Every urge is so satisfied
As long as you have paid
All the silver all the gold
All the sweethearts that you can hold
That don't come back with stories untold are hanging on a tree.
It's unbelievable like a lead balloon
So impossible to even line the tomb
Kill that beast and feet that swine
Scale that wall and smoke that wine
Beat that horse and saddle up that drum
It's unbelievable the day would finally come.
Once there was a man who had no eyes
Every lady in the land told him lies
He stood beneath the silver skies
And his heart beat could plead
Every brain is civilized
Every nerve is analyzed
Everything is critized when you are in need.
It's unbelievable it's fancy-free
So interchangeable so delightful to see
Turn you back wash you hands
There's always someone who understands
It don't matter no more what you got to say
Handy Dandy controversy surrounds him
He's been around the world and back again
Something in the moonlight still hounds him.
Handy Dandy just like sugar and candy
Handy Dandy if every bone in his body were a-broken he would never admit it
He got an all girl orchestra and when he says strike up the band they hit it.
Handy Dandy
Handy Dandy
He'll say what are you made off
He'll say can you repeat what you say
You'll say what are you afraid off
He'll say nothing neither alive nor dead.
Handy Dandy he's got a stick in his hand and a pocket full of money
He'll say oh darling tell me the truth how much time I got
She'll say you got all the time in the world honey.
Handy Dandy
Handy Dandy
He got that clear crystal fountain
He got that soft silky skin
He got that fortress on the mountain
With no doors or windows so no thieves can break in.
Handy Dandy sitting with a girl named Nancy and I got feeling kinda lazy
He said Hon' if you want a gun I'll give you one
She said boy you're talking crazy.
Handy Dandy just like sugar and candy
Handy Dandy pour him another brandy
Handy Dandy he got a basket of flowers and a bag full of sorrow
He finishes his drink he gets up from the table he says
OK boys I'll see you tomorrow.
Handy Dandy
Handy Dandy just like sugar and candy
One time in London I gone out for a walk
Past the place called Hyde Park where people talk
About all kinds of different gods they have their point of view
To anyone passing by and it's who they're talking to.
There was someone on the platform talking to the folks
About the TV god and all the pain that it invokes
It's too bright a light he said for anybody's eyes
If you've never seen one it's bleesing in disguise.
I moved in closer got up on my toes
Two men in front of me were coming to blows
A man was saying something about children when they're young
Being sacrificed that's why lullabies are being sung.
The news of the day is on all the time
All the latest gossip all the latest rhyme
You mind is you temple keep it beautiful and free
Don't let an egg get laid in there by something you can't see.
Pray for people he said you could feel it in the crowd
My thoughts began to wander but his voice was ringing loud
It will destroy you family your happy home is gone
No one can protect you from it once you turn it on.
It will lead you in to some strange pursuits
Lead you to the land of forbidden fruits
Scramble up your head and drag your brain about
Sometimes you got to do like Elvis did and shoot the damn thing out.
It's all been designed he said to make you loose your mind
And when you go back to find it there's nothing there to find
Every time you look at it your situations worse
If you feel it grabbing out for you send for the nurse.
The crowd began to riot and they grabbed hold of the man
There was pushing there was showing and everybody ran
The TV crew was there to film it they jumped right over me
Oh, me and my cousin, one Arthur McBride
As we went a walkin' down by the seaside
Now Mark, what followed and what did betide
For it bein' on Christmas mornin'
Now, for recreation, we went on a tramp
And we met Sergeant Napper and Corporal Vamp
And a little Wee drummer intending to camp
For day bein' pleasant and charmin'
"Good morning, good morning," the Sergeant, he cried
"And the same to you, gentlemen," we did reply
Intending no harm but meant to pass by
For it bein' on Christmas mornin'
"But," says he, "My fine fellows, if you will enlist
Ten Guineas in gold, I'll stick to your fist
And a crown in the bargain for to kick up the dust
And drink the kings health in the morning
"For a soldier, he leads a very fine life
And he always is blessed with a charming young wife
And he pays all his debts without sorrow or strife
And he always lives, pleasant and charmin'
And a soldier, he always is decent and clean
In the finest of clothing, he's constantly seen
While other poor fellows go dirty and mean
And sup on thin gruel in the morning"
"But," says Arthur, "I wouldn't be proud of your clothes
For you've only the lend of them, as I suppose
But you dare not change them one night, for you know
If you do, you'll be flogged in the morning
And although that were single and free
We take great delight in our own company
We have no desire, strange places to see
Although that your offers are charming
"And we have no desire to take your advance
All hazards and dangers, we barter on chance
For you'd have no scruples for to send us to france
Where we would get shot without warning"
"Oh no," says the Sergeant. "I'll have no such chat
And neither will I take it from snappy young brats
For if you insult me with one other word
I'll cut off your heads in the morning"
And Arthur and I, we soon drew our hogs
And we scarce gave them time to draw their own blades
When a trusty Shillelagh came over their head
And bid them take that as fair warning
And their old rusty rapiers that hung by their sides
We flung them as far as we could in the tide
"Now take them up, devils" cried Arthur McBride
"And temper their edge in the mornin'"
And the little Wee drummer, we flattened his bow
And we made a football of his rowdy dow dow
Threw it in the tide for to rock and to roll
And bade it a tedious returning
And we havin' no money, paid them off in cracks
We paid no respect to their two bloody backs
And we lathered them there like a pair of wet sacks
And left them for dead in the morning
And so, to conclude and to finish disputes
We obligingly asked if they wanted recruits
For we were the lads who would give them hard clouts
And bid them look sharp in the mornin'
Oh, me and my cousin, one Arthur McBride
As we went a walkin' down by the seaside
Now Mark, what followed and what did betide
Black Jack Davey come a-ridin' on back
A whistlin' loud and merry
Made the woods around him ring
And he charmed the heart of a lady
Charmed the heart of a lady.
"How old are you, my pretty little miss
How old are you, my honey ?"
She answered to him with a lovin' smile
"I'll be sixteen come Sunday
Be sixteen come Sunday".
"Come and go with me, my pretty little miss
Come and go with me, my honey
Take you where the grass grows green
You never will want for money
You never will want for money.
"Pull off, pull off them high-heeled shoes
All made of Spanish leather
Get behind me on my horse
And we'll ride off together
We'll both go off together".
Well she pulled off them high-heeled shoes
Made of Spanish Leather
Got behind him on his horse
And they rode off together
They both rode off together.
At night the boss came home
Inquirring about his lady
The servant spoke before she thought
"She's been with Black Jack Davey
Rode off with Black Jack Davey".
"Well, saddle for me my coal-black stud
He's speedier than the gray
I rode all day and I'll ride all night
And I'll overtake my lady
I'll bring back my lady".
Well, he rode all night till the broad daylight
Till he came to a river ragin'
And there he spied his darlin' bride
In the arms of Black Jack Davey
Wrapped up with Black Jack Davey.
"Pull off, pull off them long blue gloves
All made of the finest leather
Give to me your lily-white hand
And we'll go home together
We'll both go home together".
Well, she pulled off them long blue gloves
All made of the finest leather
Gave to him her lily-white hand
And said goodbye forever
Bid farewell forever.
"Would you forsake your house and home
Would you forsake your baby ?
Would you forsake your husband too
To go with Black Jack Davey
Ride off with Black Jack Davey ?".
"Well, I'll forsake my house and home
And I'll forsake my baby
I'll forsake my husband too
For the love of Black Jack Davey
Love my Black Jack Davey.
Last night I slept in a feather bed
Between my husband and baby
Tonight I lay on the river banks
In the arms of Black Jack Davey
There was a little boy
And there was a little girl
And they lived in an alley under the red sky.
There was a little boy
And there was a little girl
And they lived in an alley under the red sky.
There was an old man
And he lived in the moon
One summer's day he came passing by.
There was an old man
And he lived in the moon
And one day he came passing by.
Some day little girl
Everything for you is gonna be new
Some day little girl
You'll have a diamond as big as your shoe.
Let the wind blow low
Let the wind blow high
One day the little boy and the little girl were both baked in a pie.
Let the wind blow low
Let the wind blow high
One day the little boy and the little girl were both baked in a pie.
This is the key to the kingdom
And this is the town
This is the blind horse
That leads you around.
Let the bird sing
Let the bird fly
One day the man in the moon went home and the river went dry.
Let the bird sing
Let the bird fly
Well, I ain't got my childhood
Or friends I once did know.
No, I ain't got my childhood
Or friends I once did know.
But I still got my voice left,
I can take it anywhere I go.
Hey, hey, so I guess I'm doin' fine.
And I've never had much money
But I'm still around somehow.
No, I've never had much money
But I'm still around somehow.
Many times I've bended
But I ain't never yet bowed.
Hey, hey, so I guess I'm doin' fine.
Trouble, oh trouble,
I've trouble on my mind
Trouble, oh trouble,
Trouble on my mind.
But the trouble in the world, Lord,
Is much more bigger than mine.
Hey, hey, so I guess I'm doin' fine.
And I never had no armies
To jump at my command.
No, I ain't got no armies
To jump at my command.
But I don't need no armies,
I got me one good friend.
Hey, hey, so I guess I'm doin' fine.
I been kicked and whipped and trampled on,
I been shot at just like you.
I been kicked and whipped and trampled on,
I been shot at just like you.
But as long as the world keeps a-turnin',
I just keep a-turnin' too.
Hey, hey, so I guess I'm doin' fine.
Well, my road might be rocky,
The stones might cut my face.
My road it might be rocky,
The stones might cut my face.
But as some folks ain't got no road at all,
They gotta stand in the same old place.
Seems like only yesterday
I left my mind behind
Down in the Gypsy Cafe
With a friend of a friend of mine
She sat with a baby heavy on her knee
Yet spoke of life most free from slavery
With eyes that showed no trace of misery
A phrase in connection first with she I heard
That love is just a four-letter word
Outside a rambling store-front window
Cats meowed to the break of day
Me, I kept my mouth shut, too
To you I had no words to say
My experience was limited and underfed
You were talking while I hid
To the one who was the father of your kid
You probably didn't think I did, but I heard
You say that love is just a four-letter word
I said goodbye unnoticed
Pushed towards things in my own games
Drifting in and out of lifetimes
Unmentionable by name
Searching for my double, looking for
Complete evaporation to the core
Though I tried and failed at finding any door
I must have thought that there was nothing more
Absurd than that love is just a four-letter word
Though I never knew just what you meant
When you were speaking to your man
I can only think in terms of me
And now I understand
After waking enough times to think I see
The Holy Kiss that's supposed to last eternity
Blow up in smoke, its destiny
Falls on strangers, travels free
Yes, I know now, traps are only set by me
And I do not really need to be
Assured that love is just a four-letter word
Oh, help me in my weakness
I heard the drifter say
As they carried him from the courtroom
And were taking him away
"My trip hasn't been a pleasant one
And my time it isn't long
And I still do not know
What it was that I've done wrong.
Well, the judge he cast his robe aside
A tear came to his eye
"You failed to understand", he said
"Why must you even try ?"
Outside the crowd was stirring
You could hear it from the door
Inside the judge was stepping down
While the jury cried for more.
"Oh, stop that cursed jury"
Cried the attendant and the nurse
"The trial was bad enough
But this is ten times worse"
Just then a bolt of lightning
Struck the courthouse out of shape
And while ev'rybody knelt to pray
Down along the cove
I spied my true love comin' my way
Down along the cove
I spied my true love comin' my way
I say, "Lord, have mercy, mama
It sure is good to see you comin' today".
Down along the cove
I spied my little bundle of joy
Down along the cove
I spied my little bundle of joy
She said, "Lord, have mercy, honey
I'm so glad you're my boy".
Down along the cove
We walked together hand in hand
Down along the cove
We walked together hand in hand
Ev'rybody watchin' us go by
I dreamed I saw St. Augustine
Alive as you or me
Tearing through these quarters
In the utmost misery
With a blanket underneath his arm
And a coat of solid gold
Searching for the very souls
Whom already have been sold.
"Arise, arise", he cried so loud
With a voice without restraint
"Come out ye gifted kings and queens
And hear my sad complaint
No martyr is among ye now
Whom you can call your own
So go on your way accordingly
But know you're not alone".
I dreamed I saw St. Augustine
Alive with fiery breath
And I dreamed I was amongst the ones
That put him out to death
Oh, I awoke in anger
So alone and terrified
I put my fingers against the glass
I am a lonesome hobo
Without family or friends
Where another man's life might begin
That's exactly where mine ends
I have tried my hand at bribery
Blackmail and deceit
And I've served time for ev'rything
'Cept begging on the street.
Well, once I was rather prosperous
There was nothing I did lack
I had fourteen-karat gold in my mouth
And silk upon my back
But I did not trust my brother
I carried him to blame
Which led me to my fatal doom
To wander off in shame.
Kind ladies and kind gentlemen
Soon I will be gone
But let me just warn you all
Before I do pass on:
Stay free from petty jealousies
Live by no man's code
And hold your judgement for yourself
Close your eyes, close your door
You don't have to worry any more
I'll be your baby tonight.
Shut the light, shut the shade
You don't have to be afraid
I'll be your baby tonight.
Well, that mockingbird's gonna sail away
We're gonna forget it
That big, fat moon is gonna shine like a spoon
But we're gonna let it
You won't regret it.
Kick your shoes off, do not fear
Bring that bottle over here
See the pyramids
Along the Nile
Watch the sun rise
On a tropic isle
Just remember darling all the while
You belong to me...
See the market place in old Algiers
Send me photographs
And souvenirs
Just remember 'til your dream appears
You belong to me....
I'll be so alone
Without you
Maybe you'll be lonesome, too
And blue
Fly the ocean
In a silver plane
See the jungle
When it's wet and rains
Just remember
'Til you're home again
Or until I come home to you
Well, Frankie Lee and Judas Priest
They were the best of friends
So when Frankie Lee needed more money one day
Judas quickly pulled out a roll of tens
And placed them on a footstool
Just above the plotted plain
Sayin', "Take your pick, Frankie Boy
My loss will be your gain".
Well, Frankie Lee, he sat right down
And put his fingers to his chin
But with the cold eyes of Judas on him
His head began to spin
"Would ya please not stare at me like that", he said
"It's just my foolish pride
But sometimes a man must be alone
And this is no place to hide".
Well, Judas he just winked and said
"All right, I'll leave you here
But you'd better hurry up and choose
Which of those bills you want
Before they all disappear"
"I'm gonna start my pickin' right now
Just tell me where you''ll be".
Judas pointed down the road
And said, "Eternity"
"Eternity ?" said Frankie Lee
With a voice as cold as ice
"That's right", said Judas Priest, "Eternity
Though you might call it Paradise"
"I don't call it anything"
Said Frankie Lee with a smile
"All right", said Judas Priest
"I'll see you after a while".
Well, Frankie Lee, he sat back down
Feelin' low and mean
When just then a passing stranger
Burst upon the scene
Saying, "Are you Frankie Lee, the gambler
Whose father is deceased ?
Well, if you are
There's a fellow callin' you down the road
And they say his name is Priest".
"Oh yes, he is my friend"
Said Frankie Lee in fright
"I do recall him very well
In fact, he just left my sight"
Yes, that's the one", said the stranger
As quit as a mouse.
"Well, my message is, he's down the road
Stranded in a house".
Well, Frankie Lee he panicked
He dropped ev'rythimg and ran
Until he came up to the spot
Where Judas Priest did stand
"What kind of a house is this", he said
"Where I have come to roam ?"
"It's not a house", said Judas Priest
"It's not a house, it's a home".
Well, Frankie Lee he trembled
He soon lost all control
Over ev'rything which he had made
While the mission bells did toll
He just stood there starring
At that big house as bright as any sun
With four and twenty windows
And a woman's face in ev'ry one.
Well, up the stairs ran Frankie Lee
With a soulful bounding leap
And foaming at the mouth
He began to make his midnight creep
For sixteen nights and days he raved
But on the seventeenth he burst
Into the arms of Judas Priest
Which is where he died of thirst.
No one tried to say a thing
When they carried him out in jest
Except of course, the little neighbor boy
Who carried him to rest
And he just walked along alone
Whit his guilt so well concealed
And muttered underneath his breath
"Nothing is revealed".
Well, the moral of the story
The moral of the song
Is simply that one should never be
Where ones does not belong
So when you see your neighbor carryin' somethin'
Help him with his load
And don't go mistaking Paradise
John Wesley Harding
Was a friend to the poor
He trav'led with a gun in ev'ry hand
All along this countryside
He opened a many a door
But he was never known
To hurt a honest man.
It was down in Chaynee County
A time they talk about
With his lady by his side
He took a stand
And soon the situation there
Was all but straightened out
For he was always known
To lend a helping hand.
All across the telegraph
His name it did resound
But no charge held against him
Could they prove
And there was no man around
Who could track or chain him down
He was never known
Just like old Saxophone Joe
When he's got the hogshead up on his toe
Oh me, oh my
Love that country pie.
Listen to the fiddler play
When he's playin' 'til the break of day
Oh me, oh my
Love that country pie.
Rasberry, strawberry, lemon and lime
What do I care ?
Blueberry, apple, cherry, pumpkin and plum
Call me for dinner, honey, I'll be there.
Saddle me up on my big white goose
Tie me on 'er turn her loose
Oh me, oh my
Love that country pie.
I don't need much and that ain't no lie
Ain't runnin' any race
Give to me my country pie
I won't throw it up in anybody's face.
Shake me up that old peach tree
Little Jack Horner's got nothin' on me
Oh me, oh my
There was a wicked messenger
From Eli he did come
With a mind that multiplied
The smallest matter
When questioned who had sent for him
He answered with his thumb
For his tongue it could not speak, but only flatter.
He stayed behind the assembly hall
It was there he made his bed
Oftentimes he could be seen returning
Until one day he just appeared
With a note in his hand which read
"The soles of my feet, I swear they're burning"
Oh, the leaves began to fallin'
And the seas began to part
And the people that confronted him were many
And he was told but these few words
Which opened up his heart
The cat's in the well the wolf is looking down
The cat's in the well the wolf is looking down
He got a big bushy tail dragging all over the ground.
The cat's in the well the gentle lady is asleep
Cat's in the well gentle lady is asleep
She ain't hearing things silence is-a-stickin' her deep.
Cat's in the well and grief is showing it's face
The world's been slaughtered it's such a bloody disgrace.
The cat's in the well horses going bumpety bump
The cat's in the well horses going bumpety bump
But God is silent doing the American jump.
Cat's in the well and papa is reading the news
His hair's falling out and all of his daughters need shoes.
The cat's in the well and the barn is full of bull
The cat's in the well and the barn is full of bull
Tonight is so long and the table is oh so full.
The cat's in the well and the servant's at the door
The drinks are ready and the dogs are going to war.
The cat's in the well and leaves are starting to fall
The cat's in the well and leaves are starting to fall
God knows you ain't pretty
God knows it's true
God knows there ain't anybody ever gonna take the place of you.
God knows it's a struggle
God knows it's a crime
God knows there gonna be no more water but fire next time.
God don't call it treason
God don't call it wrong
You're supposed to last a season
But its so strong for so long.
God knows it's fragile
God knows everything
God knows it could snap apart right now just like putting scissors to a string.
God knows it's terrifying
God sees it all unfold
There's a million reasons for you to be crying
You've been so bold and so cold.
God knows you when you see it
God knows you've got to weep
God knows the secrets of your heart
He'll tell them to you when you're asleep.
God knows there's a river
God knows how to make a flow
God knows you ain't gonna be taking nothing with you when you go.
God knows there's a purpose
God knows there's a chance
God knows you can raise above the darkest hour of every circumstance.
God knows there's a heaven
God knows it's out of sight
God knows we can get all the way from here today