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 wanna be
When you get a crazy notion of jumping all over me.
Well, you give me the blues, I guess you're satisfied,
And 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 taking all my money and give it to another man.
Well, you're the kinda woman makes a man lose his brains,
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.
Rambling outta the Wild West,
Leaving the towns I love the best,
Thought I'd seen some ups and downs
Till I come into New York town:
People going down to the ground,
Buildings going up to the sky.
Wintertime in New York town,
The wind blowing the 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 coffeehouses on the block.
I'd get on the stage and 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 how he loved my sound -
Dollar a day's worth.
Now, 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 a union, 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,
Headed out for the western skies.
So long, New York!
Howdy, East Orange!
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-
Jesus gonna make up my dying bed.
I am 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, darling:
I'll see you on God's golden shore.
Through this open world I'm bound to ramble,
Through ice and snow, sleet and rain.
I'm bound to ride that morning railroad.
Perhaps I'll die on that train.
I'm going back to Colorado,
The place that I started from.
If I'd knowed how bad you'd treat me,
Honey, I never would have come.
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, 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.
Well, there's black smoke rising, Lord,
It's rising up above my head,
And tell Jesus make up my dying bed.
Well, 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.
I've been around this whole country,
But I never yet found Fennario.
Well, as we marched down, as we marched down,
Well, as we marched down to Fennario,
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-i-O?
Come running down your stairs, come running down your stairs,
Come running down your stairs, Pretty Peggy-O!
Come running down your stairs, combing back your yellow hair,
You're the prettiest darned girl I ever seen-i-O!
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 riding down in Texas with the rodeo.
Well, the 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.
He's buried somewheres in Louisiana-O.
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 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 'fore my time should come,
And if I should die 'fore my time should come,
Won't you bury my body out on 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 gal I'm loving, won't go down Highway 51 no more.
Mary wore three links of chain.
Every link was Jesus's name.
Keep-a your hand on that plow, hold on!
Oh, Lord, oh, Lord,
Keep-a your hand on that plow, hold on!
Mary, Mark, and Luke, and John,
All them prophets good and gone,
Keep-a your hand on that plow, hold on!
Oh, Lord, oh, Lord,
Keep-a your hand on that plow, hold on!
Well, I never been to heaven, but I've been told
Streets up there're lined with gold.
Keep-a your hand on that plow, hold on!
Oh, Lord, oh, Lord,
Keep-a your hand on that plow, hold on!
Oh, Lord, oh, Lord,
Keep-a your hand on that plow, hold on!
Oh, Lord, oh, Lord,
Keep-a your hand on that plow, hold on!
I first heard this from Rick von Schmidt. He lives in Cambridge. Rick's a blues guitar player. I met him one day in the green pastures of Harvard University.
Baby, let me follow you down,
Baby, let me follow you down,
Well, I'll do anything in this God-Almighty 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 God-Almighty 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 God-Almighty world
If you just let me follow you down.
Yes, I'll do anything in this God-Almighty world
If you just let me follow you down.
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 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 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, it's 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
And it's been the ruin of many a poor girl - and me - oh, God! - I'm a one.
I was born in Dixie in a boomer's shack,
Just a little shanty by the railroad track.
Freight train was the one taught me how to cry,
Humming all the drivers with my lullaby.
I've got the freight train blues!
Oh, lawdy, mama, got 'em in the bottom of my rambling shoes!
And when the whistle blows, I got to go - baby, don't you know?
It looks like I'm never gonna lose the freight train blues.
Well, my daddy was a fireman and my mama, hey,
She was the only daughter of the engineer.
My sweetheart was a brakeman and it ain't no joke,
It's a shame the way she keeps a good man broke.
I got the freight train blues!
Oh, lawdy, I got 'em in the bottom of my rambling shoes!
And when the whistle blows, I got to go - oh, 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!
Oh, lawdy, mama, got 'em in the bottom of my rambling shoes!
I'm out here a thousand miles from my home,
Walking a road other men have gone down.
I'm seeing your world of people and things,
Your paupers and peasants and princes and kings.
Hey, hey, Woody Guthrie, I wrote you a song
'Bout 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 many times more.
I'm singing you the song, but I can't sing enough
'Cause there's not many men that done the things that you've done.
Here's to Cisco, and Sonny, and Leadbelly too,
And to all the good people that traveled 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 some day,
The very last thing that I'd want to do
Is to say I've been hitting some hard traveling too.
Well, there's one kind of favor I'll ask of you,
Well, there's one kind of favor I'll ask of you,
There's just one kind of favor I'll ask of 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 underground.
Did you ever hear them church bells toll?
Have you ever heard them church bells toll?
Did you ever hear them church bells toll?
Means another poor boy is dead and gone.
Well, my heart stopped beating, my hands turned cold,
And my heart stopped beating and my hands turned cold,
Well, my heart stopped beating and my hands turned cold.
Now I believe what the Bible told.
There's just one last favor I'll ask of you,
And there's one last favor I'll ask of you,
There's just one last favor I'll ask of you:
See that my grave is kept clean.
How many roads must 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, and how many times must the cannon balls 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.
If you're traveling in the north country fair,
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline,
Remember me to the one who lives there
For she once was a true love of mine.
If you go when the snowflakes storm,
When the rivers freeze and summer ends,
Please see she has a coat so warm,
To keep her from the howling winds.
Please see if her hair hangs long,
If it rolls and flows all down her breast.
Please see for me if her hair's hanging long
For that's the way I remember her best.
I'm wondering if she remembers me at all.
Many times I've often prayed
In the darkness of my night,
In the brightness of my day.
So, if you're traveling in the north country fair,
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline,
Remember me to the one who lives there
For she once was a true love of mine.
Come, you masters of war, you that build the big 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 nothing 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
And you hide in your mansion while the 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 will come soon,
I'll follow your casket on the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered down to your deathbed
And I'll stand over your grave till I'm sure that you're dead.
Well, I'm walking down the highway
With my suitcase in my hand.
Yes, I'm walking down the highway
With my suitcase in my hand.
Lord, I really miss my baby!
She's in some foreign land.
Well, your streets are getting empty,
Lord, your highway's getting filled.
And your streets are getting empty,
And your highway's getting filled.
Well, the way I love that woman,
I swear it's bound to get me killed.
Well, I been gambling so long,
Lord, I ain't got much more to lose.
Yes, I been gambling so long,
Lord, I ain't got much more to lose.
Right now I'm having trouble.
Please don't take away my highway shoes.
Well, I'm bound to get lucky, baby,
Or I'm bound to die trying.
Yes, I'm bound to get lucky, baby,
Lord, Lord, I'm bound to die trying.
Well, meet me in the middle of the ocean
And we'll leave this old 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 walking down your highway
Just as far as my poor eyes can see.
Yes, I'm walking down your highway
Just as far as my eyes can see,
From the Golden Gate Bridge
All the way to the Statue of Liberty.
Unlike most of the songs nowadays are being written uptown in Tin Pan Alley - that's where most of the folk songs come from nowadays, this-this is a song-this wasn't written up there, this was written somewhere down in the United States.
Well, the Lone Ranger and Tonto were riding down the line,
Fixing everybody's troubles - everybody's 'cept mine.
Someone musta told 'em that I was doing fine.
Oh, you five- and ten-cent women with nothing in your heads,
I got a real gal I'm loving, Lord, I'll love her till I'm dead.
Go away from my door and my window too, right now.
Lord, I ain't going down to no racetrack 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 blowing 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 wanna be like me?
Pull out your six-shooter and rob every bank you can see.
Tell the judge I said it was alright, yeah!
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, it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's 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 dripping,
I saw a room full of men with their hammers bleeding,
I saw a white ladder all covered with water,
I saw ten thousand talkers 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 gonna fall.
What did you hear, my blue-eyed son?
And what did you hear, my darling young one?
I heard the sound of a thunder that roared out a warning,
I heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world,
I heard one hundred drummers whose hands were blazing,
I heard ten thousand whispering and nobody listening,
I heard one person starve, I heard many people laughing,
I heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter,
I 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,
It's a hard rain's gonna fall.
Oh, what did you meet, my blue-eyed son?
And 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 in hatred,
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's gonna fall.
And what'll you do now, my blue-eyed son?
And what'll you do now, my darling young one?
I'm going back out 'fore the rain starts falling,
I'll walk to the depths of the deepest, dark forest,
Where the people are 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
And the executioner's face is always well-hidden,
Where hunger is ugly, where the souls are forgotten,
Where black is the color, where none is the number,
And I'll tell it and speak it and think it and breathe it,
And reflect from the mountain so all souls can see it,
And I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinking,
But I'll know my song well before I start singing,
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's gonna fall.
Well, it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe,
If'n you don't know by now.
And it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe -
It'll never do, somehow.
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn,
Look out your window and I'll be gone.
You're the reason I'm traveling on,
But don't think twice, it's alright.
And it ain't no use in turning on your light, babe,
The light I never knowed.
And it ain't no use in turning on your light, babe -
I'm on the dark side of the road.
But I wish there was something you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay.
But we never did too much talking, anyway.
But don't think twice, it's alright.
So, it ain't no use in calling out my name, gal,
Like you never done before.
And it ain't no use in calling out my name, gal -
I can't hear you anymore.
I'm thinking and wondering, walking down the road.
I once loved a woman - a child, I am told.
I give her my heart, but she wanted my soul.
But don't think twice, it's alright.
So long, honey babe.
Where I'm bound I can't tell.
Goodbye's too good a word, babe,
So I'll just say "Fare thee well".
I ain't saying you treated me unkind.
You coulda done better, but I don't mind.
You just kinda wasted my precious time,
But don't think twice, it's alright.
While riding on a train going west,
I fell asleep for to take my rest.
I dreamed a dream that made 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,
Laughing and singing till the early hours of the morn,
By the old wooden stove where our hats was hung,
Our words was told, our songs was sung,
Where we longed for nothing and were satisfied,
Joking and talking about the world outside.
With hungry hearts through the heat and cold,
We never much thought we could 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 was few so the thought never hit
That the one road we traveled would ever shatter or 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,
I'd give it all gladly if our lives could be like that.
Oxford Town, Oxford Town,
Everybody's got their heads bowed down,
Sun don't shine above the ground.
Ain't going 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,
Come to the door, he couldn't get in
All because of the color of his skin.
What do you think about that, my friend?
Me and my gal, my gal's son,
We got met with a tear gas bomb.
I don't even know why we come.
Going back where we come from.
Oxford Town in the afternoon,
Everybody singing a sorrowful tune.
Two men died 'neath the Mississippi moon.
Somebody better investigate soon.
Corrina, Corrina,
Gal, where you been so long?
Corrina, Corrina,
Gal, where you been so long?
I been worrying about 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't 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 sitting down thinking of you.
I just can't keep from crying.
One time ago a crazy dream came to me,
I dreamt I was walking in World War III.
Went to the doctor the very next day
To see what kinda words he could say.
Said it was a bad dream.
"I wouldn't worry 'bout it none, though. Them old dreams are only in your head."
I said, "Hold it, doc, a World War passed through my brain!"
He said, "Nurse, get your pad, the 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 three o'clock fast,
It was all over by a 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 us.
"Well, I got up and I walked around,
Up and down the lonesome town.
I stood 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 I leaned my head and I give a yell:
'Give me a string bean! I'm a hungry man!'
Shotgun fired and away I ran.
I don't blame him too much, though. He didn't know me.
"Down the corner by the hot dog stand,
I seen a man.
I said, 'Howdy, friend, I guess it's just us two.'
He screamed a bit and away he flew.
Thought I was a communist.
"Well, I spied me a girl and, before she could leave,
I said, 'Let's go and play Adam and Eve.'
Took her by the hand and my heart was thumping,
She said, 'Hey, man, you crazy or something?
You seen what happened last time they started.'
"Well, I seen your Cadillac window up-town.
There was nobody around.
I got into the driver's seat
And I drove down Forty-second Street,
In my Cadillac.
Good car to drive, after a war.
"Well, I remember seeing some ad
So I turned on my Conelrad.
But I didn't pay the Con Ed bill
So the radio didn't work so well.
Turned on my record player.
It was Rock-A-Day Johnny singing,
'Tell your ma, tell your pa,
Our loves are gonna grow, ooh-wah, ooh-wah.'
"I was feeling 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,
Saying, "Hey, I've been having the same old dreams.
But mine was a little different, you see.
I dreamt 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 hisself
Walking around with no one else.
"Half the people can be part right all of the time and some of the people can be all right part of the time, but all the people can't be all right all of the time."
I think Abraham Lincoln said that.
"I'll let you be in my dream if I can be in yours."
I said that.
Honey, just allow me one more chance to get along with you.
Honey, just allow me one more chance, I'll do anything for you.
Well, I'm walking down the road with my head in my hand.
I'm looking for a woman needs a worried man.
Just a one kind favor I ask of you: allow me just 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 looking all over for a girl like you.
I can't find nobody so you'll have to do.
Just a one kind favor I ask of you: allow me just one more chance.
Honey, just allow me one more chance to get along with you.
Honey, just allow me one more chance, I'll do anything for you.
Well, looking for a woman that ain't got no man
Is just looking for a needle that's lost in the sand.
Just a one kind favor I ask of you: allow me just one more chance.
Well, I took me a woman late last night.
I was three-fourths drunk, she looked alright -
Till she started peeling off her onion gook.
She took off her wig, said, "How do I look?"
I's high-flying, 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, it don't hurt my pride
'Cause I got my little lady right by my side.
She's trying to hide, pretending she don't know me!
I's out there painting on the old woodshed
When a can of black paint did 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 calling 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 screams and snorts.
She tickles my nose, pats me on the head,
Rolls me over, and kicks me out of bed.
She's a man-eater, meat-grinder, bad loser.
Oh, there ain't no use in me working all the time:
I got a woman who works herself blind.
Works up to her britches, up to her neck,
Writes me letters, and sends me checks.
She's a humdinger, folksinger.
Late one day in the middle of the week,
My eyes were closed, I was half asleep.
I chased me a woman up the hill
Right in the middle of an air-raid drill.
I jumped a fallout shelter! I jumped a string bean! I jumped a TV dinner! I jumped a shotgun!
Now, the man on the stand, he wants my vote,
He's running for office on the ballot note.
He's out there preaching in front of the steeple,
Telling me he loves all kinds of people.
He's eating bagels. He's eating pizza. He's eating 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 mustache on my face.
She's insane!
Well, ask me why I'm drunk all the time -
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! Make love to Elizabeth Taylor! Catch hell from Richard Burton!
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 better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 telling who that it's naming
For the loser now will be later to win
For the times, they are a-changing.
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.
The battle outside raging
Will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 aging.
Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 fading
And the first one now will later be last
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 broken down.
You looked for work and money and you walked a ragged mile.
You looked for work and money and you walked a ragged mile.
Your children are so hungry that they don't know how to smile.
Your baby's eyes look crazy, they're tugging at your sleeve,
Your baby's eyes look crazy, they're tugging 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 pockets tell you that you ain't got no friend.
Your babies're crying louder now, it's pounding on your brain,
Your babies're crying louder, now, it's pounding on your brain.
Your wife's screams're stabbing you like the dirty, driving 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.
You spent your last, lone dollar on seven shotgun shells.
Way out in the wilderness a cold coyote calls,
Way out in the wilderness a cold coyote calls.
Your eyes fix on the shotgun that's hanging on the wall.
Your brain is bleeding and your legs can't seem to stand,
Your brain is bleeding and your legs can't seem to stand.
Your eyes fix on the shotgun that you're holding in your hand.
There's seven breezes blowing all around the cabin door,
There's seven breezes blowing 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.
Somewheres in the distance there's seven new people born.
Oh, my name, it ain't nothing, 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 that 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 in 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.
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 the 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 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.
Through many a dark hour I've been thinking 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 leaving, I'm weary as hell,
The confusion I'm feeling ain't no tongue can tell,
The words fill my head and fall to the floor,
That, if God's on our side, He'll stop the next war.
Down the street the dogs are barking and the day is getting dark,
As the night comes in falling, the dogs'll lose their bark,
And the silent night will shatter from the sounds inside my mind.
Yes, I'm one too many mornings and a thousand miles behind.
From the crossroads of my doorstep my eyes start to fade
And I turn my head back to the room where my love and I have laid
And I gaze back to the street, the sidewalk, and the sign
And I'm one too many mornings and a thousand miles behind.
It's a restless, hungry feeling that don't mean no one no good
When everything I'm saying you can say it just as good.
You're right from your side, I'm right from mine,
We're both just one too many mornings and a thousand miles behind.
Come gather 'round, friends, and I'll tell you a tale
Of when the red iron ore pits run aplenty.
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're grown.
But I was raised on the other.
In the wee hours of youth, my mother took sick
And I was brought up by my brother.
The iron ore poured as the years passed the door,
The drag lines and the shovels, they was humming
Till one day my brother failed to come home,
The same as my father before him.
Well, the 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 giving 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
Till a man come to speak and he said in one week
That number eleven was closing.
They complained in the East - they are paying 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 smelled heavy from drinking
When 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.
Till 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 folding.
My children will go as soon as they grow.
Well, there ain't nothing here now to hold them.
A bullet from the back of a bush took Medgar Evers's 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 the 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 poverty 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 a hood,
To kill with no pain.
Like a dog on a chain,
He ain't-a 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:
"Only a Pawn in Their Game."
"Oh, I'm sailing away, my own true love,
I'm sailing 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 nothing you can send me, my own true love,
There's nothing I'm wishing to be owning.
Just carry yourself back to me unspoiled
From across that lonesome ocean."
"Ah, 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."
"Well, if I had the stars of 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 wishing to be owning."
"That I might be gone a long, old time
And it's only that I'm asking,
Is there something I can send you to remember me by
To make your time more easy-passing?"
"Oh, how can-how can you ask me again?
It only brings me sorrow.
The same thing I would want today
I would want again tomorrow."
Oh, I got a letter on a lonesome day,
It was from her ship sailing,
Saying, "I don't know when I'll be coming back again,
It depends on how I'm feeling."
"If you, my love, must think that way,
I'm sure your mind is roaming,
I'm sure your thoughts are not with me,
But with the country to where you're going.
"So, take heed, take heed of the western winds,
Take heed of the stormy weather.
And, yes, there's something you can send back to me:
Spanish boots of Spanish leather."
Oh, the time will come up when the winds will stop
And the breeze will cease to be breathing,
Like the stillness in the wind before the hurricane begins,
The hour that the ship comes in.
And the sea will split and the ships will hit
And the sands on the shoreline will be shaking
And the tide will sound and the waves will pound
And the morning will be breaking.
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 be buried on the bottom of the ocean.
A song will lift as the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts onto the shoreline
And the sun will respect every face on the deck,
The hour that the ship comes in.
And the sands will roll out a carpet of gold
For your weary toes to be touching
And the ship's wise men will remind you once again
That the whole, wide world is watching.
Oh, the foes will rise with the sleep still in their eyes
And they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreaming,
But they'll pinch themselves and squeal wnd they'll know that it's for real,
The hour when the ship comes in.
And they'll raise their hands, saying, "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
And like Goliath they'll be conquered.
William Zantzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll
With a cane that he twirled 'round his diamond ring finger
At a Baltimore hotel society gathering
And the cops was called in and his weapon took from him
As they rode him in custody down to the station
And booked William Zantzinger 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 Zantzinger, 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
And, in a matter of minutes, on bail was out walking.
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize 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 Zantzinger.
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 the ladder of law has no top and no bottom,
Stared at the person who killed for no reason,
Who just happened to be feeling that way without warning,
And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished,
And handed out strongly for penalty and repentance
William Zantzinger with a six-month sentence.
Ah, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears,
Bury the rag deep in your face for now's the time for your tears.
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, every girl that ever I've touched,
I did not do it harmfully
And every girl that ever I've hurt,
I did not do it knowingly.
But, to remain as friends,
You need the time to make amends 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, every foe that ever I faced,
The cause was there before we came
And every 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, every 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 unknowing 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
And bid farewell and not give a damn.
I ain't looking to compete with you,
Beat or cheat or mistreat you,
Simplify you, classify you,
Deny, defy, or crucify you.
All I really wanna do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
No, and I ain't looking to fight with you,
Frighten you or up-tighten you,
Drag you down or drain you down,
Chain you down or bring you down.
All I really wanna do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I ain't looking to block you up,
Shock or knock or lock you up,
Analyze you, categorize you,
Finalize you or advertise you.
All I really wanna do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I don't wanna 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 wanna do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I don't wanna 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 wanna do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I don't wanna fake you out,
Take or shake or forsake you out,
I ain't looking for you to feel like me,
See like me or be like me.
All I really wanna do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I woke in the morning, wandering, weary and worn out,
I woke in the morning, wandering, weary and worn out,
Wishing my long-lost lover would walk to me, talk to me, tell me what it's all about.
I was standing at the side road, listening to the billboard knock,
Standing at the side road, listening to the billboard knock.
Well, my wrist was empty, but my nerves were kicking, ticking 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, nighttime, daytime, any time you want.
Sometimes I'm thinking I'm too high to fall,
Sometimes I'm thinking I'm much too high to fall.
Other times I'm thinking 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 it's funny, honey: I'm outta touch, don't feel much like a scarecrow today.
Gypsy gal, the hands of Harlem
Cannot hold you to its heat.
Your temperature is too hot for taming.
Your flaming feet are burning up the street.
I am homeless, come and take me
To reach of your rattling drums.
Let me know, babe, all about my fortune
Down along my restless palms.
Gypsy gal, you got me swallowed.
I have fallen far beneath
Your pearly eyes, so fast and slashing,
And your flashing diamond teeth.
The night is pitch black, come and make my
Pale face fit into place, oh, please!
Let me know, babe - I'm nearly drowning -
If it's you my lifelines trace.
I been wondering 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 have slayed me, you have made me.
I got to laugh halfways off my heels.
I got to know, babe: will you surround me
So I can know if I'm really real?
Far between sundown's finish and midnight's broken toll,
We ducked inside the doorway as 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 blowing rain,
Dissolved into the bells of the lightning,
Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake,
Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned and forsaked,
Tolling for the outcast, burning 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, mate-less mother, the mis-titled 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 flared
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'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!
Ain't no use to talk to me.
It's just the same as talking to you.
I was shadow-boxing early 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.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 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 spleen!"
Well, I don't know, but I've been told
The streets of 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 everybody to be free.
But, if you think I'll let Barry Goldwater
Move in next door, marry 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 was falling in my face,
But they wouldn't let me on the tennis court.
I got a 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 got a 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 sisters' home.
I got knocked down and my head was swimming -
I wound up with the Dean of Women!
Yippee!
I'm a poet, 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.
Now, you're probably wondering by now
Just what this song is all about.
What's probably got you baffled more
Is what this thing here is for.
It's nothing - it's something I learned over in England.
Ramona, come closer, shut softly your watery eyes.
The pangs of your sadness will pass as your senses will rise
For the flowers of the city, though breath-like, get death-like sometimes
And there's no use in trying to deal with the dying, though I cannot explain that in lines.
Your cracked country lips I still wish to kiss as to be by the strength of your skin.
Your magnetic movement still captures the minutes I'm in.
But it grieves my heart, love, to see you trying to be a part of a world that just don't exist.
It's all just a dream, babe, a vacuum, a scheme, babe, that sucks you into feeling 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 staying and returning back to the South.
You've been fooled into thinking that the finishing 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 than no one and no one is better than 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 and 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's no help I can bring.
Everything passes, everything changes. Just do what you think you should do.
And someday maybe - who knows, baby? - I'll come and be crying to you.
I pounded on a farmhouse looking 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 standing on the steps feeling most alone
When out comes a farmer - he musta 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,
"Are you that traveling salesman that I have heard about?"
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 The 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 it kinda 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 can go to sleep right now:
That you don't touch my daughter and in the morning milk the cows."
I was sleeping like a rat when I heard something jerking.
There stood Rita, looking 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 did not 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, "I like Fidel Castro and his beard!"
Rita looked offended, but she got out of the way
As he came charging down the stairs, saying, "What's that I heard you say?"
I said, "I like Fidel Castro. 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, it hit the icebox, he said he's gonna kill
Me if I don't get out the door in two seconds flat,
"You 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 crashed through the window at a hundred miles an hour
And landed fully blast in his garden flowers.
Rita said "Come back!" and he started to load.
The sun was coming up and I was running 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 at a motel.
He still waits for me, constant on the sly.
He wants to turn me in to the F.B.I.
Me, I romp and stomp, thankful as I romp.
Without freedom of speech, I might be in the swamp.
Crimson flames tied through my ears,
Rolling, 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-wracked 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, though, 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 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,
I'm younger than that now.
I can't understand,
She let go of my hand
And 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 morning is clear,
It's like I ain't here,
She acts like we never 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 are deserted --
Am I still dreaming yet?
I wish she'd unlock
Her voice once and talk
'Steada acting like we never met.
If she ain't feeling well,
Then why don't she tell
'Steada turning her back to my face?
Without any doubt
She seems too far out
For me to return to or chase.
And her skirt, it swayed as the 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 mighta tried.
If I was with her too long
Or have done something wrong,
I'd 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,
Evidently she won't.
She just acts like we never have met.
I'm leaving 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 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.
In a young summer's youth, 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 sisters, 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 hope 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 the sin of love's false security.
From silhouetted anger to manufactured peace,
Answers of emptiness, voice vacancies
Till the tombstones of damage read no questions but, "Please,
What's wrong? 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! Goddamn 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,
"Are birds free from the chains of the sky-way?"
Go away 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 looking for someone
Who's never weak but always strong,
To protect you and 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, babe,
It ain't me you're looking 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 you down.
You say you're looking 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 and more,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're looking for, babe.
Go melt back in the night,
Everything inside is made of stone.
There's nothing in here moving
And, 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,
And to come each time you call,
A lover for your life and nothing more,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe
It ain't me you're looking for, babe.
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 something you did
God knows when,
But you're doing it again,
You better duck down the alleyway,
Looking for a new friend.
The man in the coon-skin cap
In the pigpen
Wants eleven dollar bills,
You only got ten.
Maggie comes fleet-foot,
Face full of black soot,
Talking 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,
Don't walk on your tip-toes,
Don't try No Doz,
Better stay away from those
That carry 'round a fire-hose,
Keep a clean nose,
Watch the plain-clothes,
You don't need a weatherman
To know which way the wind blows.
Ah, get sick, get well,
Hang around the ink-well,
Ring bell, hard to tell
If anything is gonna 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
By losers, cheaters,
Six-time users
Hanging 'round the theaters,
Girl by the whirlpool's
Looking for a new fool,
Don't follow leaders,
Watch the parking 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 schooling 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
And try to avoid the scandals.
Don't wanna be a bum,
You better chew gum,
The pump don't work 'cause the vandals took the handles.
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 the 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, it sparkles before she speaks,
She wears an Egyptian ring, it 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 and for Christmas give her a drum.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more,
No, I ain't 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 driving 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 ain't 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 having a good time;
Then he fines you every time you slam the door.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more,
No, I ain't 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.
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, she talks to all the servants about man and God and law,
Everybody says she's the brains behind pa.
She's 68, but she says she's 54.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more,
I ain't 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.
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 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
And the night blows rainy,
My love, she's like some raven
At my window with a broken wing.
Ain't it hard to stumble and land in some funny lagoon?
Ain't it hard to stumble and land in some muddy lagoon?
'Specially when it's nine below zero and three o'clock in the afternoon.
Ain't gonna hang no picture, ain't gonna hang no picture-frame.
Ain't gonna hang no picture or hang no picture-frame.
Well, I might look like Robert Ford, but I feel just like 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 kinda change.
I got my dark sunglasses, I got for good luck my black tooth.
I got my dark sunglasses, I'm carrying for good luck my black tooth.
Don't ask me nothing about nothing - I just might tell you the truth.
I got a woman in Jackson - oh, 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-I love her just the same.
Well, I wake up in the morning, there's frogs inside my socks,
Your mama, she's hiding inside the icebox,
Your daddy walks in wearing a Napoleon Bonaparte mask.
And you ask why I don't live here! Honey, do you have to ask?
Well, I go to pet your monkey, I get a face full of claws.
I said, "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 why I don't live here! Honey, I can't believe that you're for real!
Well, there's fistfights in the kitchen, they're enough to make me cry.
Then the mailman comes in - even he's gotta take a side.
Even the butler, he's got something to prove.
And you ask why I don't live here! Honey, how come you don't move?
I was riding on the Mayflower when I thought I spied some land--
Start over!
I was riding on the Mayflower when I thought I spied some land.
I yelled for Captain Arab, I'll have you 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're far away at sea.
"I think I'll call it America," I said as we hit land.
I took a deep breath. I fell down, I could not stand.
Captain Arab, 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 throws us all in jail for carrying harpoons.
Oh, 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, saying, "I hope that I'm not late,"
When I realized I hadn't eaten for five days straight.
I went into a restaurant looking for the cook.
I told 'em 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 boiling fat.
Food was flying everywhere - I left without my hat.
Now, I didn't mean to be nosy, but I went into a bank
To get some bail for Arab 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 U.S. 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 limb from limb!"
I said, "You know, they refused Jesus too." He said, "You're not Him!
Get out of here before I break your bone! I ain't your pop!"
I decided to have him arrested and I went looking for a cop.
I ran right outside, 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 were 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 fed up at trying to make a stab
At bringing 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 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 sail, so I made it back to the ship.
Well, I got back, took the parking ticket off the mast.
I was ripping it to shreds when this coast-guard 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 Arab, he was stuck on a whale
That was married to the deputy sheriff of the jail.
But the funniest thing was, when I was leaving the bay,
I saw three ships sailing, they 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. I just said "Good luck".
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 following you.
Though I know that evening'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 following you.
Take me on a trip upon your magic, swirling 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 wandering.
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 following you.
Though you might hear laughing, spinning, swinging madly across the sun,
It's not aimed at anyone,
It's just escaping on the run, and but for the sky there are no fences facing.
And if you hear vague traces of skipping 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 seeing 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 following you.
And take me disappearing 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,
In the jingle-jangle morning I'll come following you.
Of war and peace the truth just twists.
Its curfew-gull, it 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 lamp-post stands with folded arms,
Its iron claws attached
To curbs 'neath holes where babies wail,
Though its shadow's 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 soldier sticks his head in sand
And then complains
Unto the shoe-less hunter who's gone deaf,
But still remains
Upon the beach, where hound dogs bay
At ships with tattooed sails,
Heading for the gates of Eden.
With a time-rusted compass blade,
Aladdin and his lamp
Sits with Utopian hermit-monks
Sidesaddle 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 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 breadcrumb sins.
And there are no sins inside the gates of Eden.
The kingdoms of experience,
In the precious winds 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 lover 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.
And there are no truths outside the gates of Eden.
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's no sense in trying.
Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn,
Suicide remarks are torn
From the fool's gold mouthpiece, the hollow horn
Plays wasted words, proves 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 your 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 mark,
Make everything from toy guns that spark
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.
And, 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 lose yourself, you reappear,
You suddenly find you got nothing to fear,
Alone you stand with 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, ensure 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.
But, though 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 despise their jobs, their destinies,
Speak jealously of them that are free,
Do what they do just to be nothing more than something they invest in.
While some, on principles baptized
To strict party-platform ties,
Social clubs in drag disguise,
Outsiders they can freely criticize,
Tell nothing except who to idolize, and 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 their 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 goals, I scuff
At pettiness, which plays so rough,
Walk upside-down inside handcuffs,
Kick my legs to crash it off,
Say, "OK, I've had enough, what else can you show me?"
And, if my thought-dreams could be seen,
They'd probably put my head in a guillotine.
But it's alright, ma, it's life and life only.
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 coming 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,
The sky too is folding under you,
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
All your seasick sailors, they're all rowing home,
Your own empty-handed army is all going home,
Your lover, who just walked out your 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, there's something that 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 anew,
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
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 kidding you.
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hanging out.
Now you don't talk so loud.
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging your next meal.
How does it feel?
How does it feel
To be without a home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Oh, you gone to the finest school, alright, Ms. Lonely,
But you know you only used to get juiced in it.
Nobody's ever taught you how to live out 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?
Oh, you never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns when they all 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 have--be on your own,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Oh, princess on the steeple and all the pretty people,
They're all drinking, thinking 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 ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose.
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.
How does it feel?
Oh, how does it feel
To be on your own,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
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 Starr, 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 a factory, she ain't got no shoes,
Daddy's in the alley, he's looking for food,
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues.
The hysterical bride in the penny arcade,
Screaming, she moans, "I have just been made!"
Then sends out for the doctor, who pulls down the shade
And 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 the bride,
"Stop all this weeping, swallow your pride,
You will not die, it's not poison!"
Mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes,
Daddy's in the alley, he's looking for food,
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 barbell, he points to the sky
Saying, "The sun's not yellow, it's chicken!"
Mama's in the factory. she ain't got no shoes,
Daddy's in the alley, he's looking for food,
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues.
The king of the Philistines, his soldiers to save,
Puts jawbones on their tombstones and flatters their graves,
Puts the pied-pipers in prison and fattens the slaves,
Then sends 'em out to the jungle.
Gypsy Davy with a blowtorch, he burns 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 a factory, she ain't got no shoes,
Daddy's in the alley, he's looking for food,
I'm in trouble with the tombstone blues.
The geometry of innocent flesh on the bone
Causes Galileo's math book to get thrown
At Delilah, who's sitting worthlessly alone,
But the tears on her cheeks are from laughter.
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 factory, she ain't got no shoes,
Daddy's in the alley, he's looking for food,
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues.
Where Ma Rainey and Beethoven once unwrapped their bedroll,
Tuba players now rehearse around the flagpole
And the National Bank at a profit sells road-maps for the soul
To the old folks' home and the college.
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 factory, she ain't got no shoes,
Daddy's in the alley, he's looking for food,
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues.
Well, I ride on a mail-train, baby, can't buy a thrill,
Well, I've been up all night leaning on the windowsill.
Well, 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, shining through the trees?
Don't the brakeman look good, mama, flagging down the Double E?
Don't the sun look good going down over the sea?
But, don't my gal look fine when she's coming after me?
Now, the wintertime is coming, the windows are filled with frost,
I went to tell everybody, but I could not get across.
Well, I wanna be your lover, baby, I don't wanna be your boss.
Don't say I never warned you when your train gets lost.
I got this graveyard woman, you know, she keeps my kids,
But my soulful mama, you know, she keeps me hid.
She's a junkyard angel and she always gives me bread.
Well, if I fall down dying, 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 all cracked up on the highway and in the water's edge,
Again she comes down the thruway ready to sew me up with the thread.
Well, if I fall down dying, 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 .410 all loaded with lead.
Well, if I fall down dying, you know, she bound to put a blanket on my bed.
You walk into the room with your pencil in your hand,
You see somebody naked and you, you say, "Who is that man?"
You try so hard, but you don't understand
Just what you will say when you get home
Because something is happening here, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. 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 say, "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 and you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. 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, Mr. 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.
Oh, you been with the professors and they've all liked your looks,
With great lawyers you have discussed lepers and crooks,
You 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, Mr. 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, Mr. 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!"
And you know something's happening, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. 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 oughtta be a law against you coming around,
You should be made to wear earphones
'Cause something is happening and you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
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?
Oh, 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?
Oh, won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Oh, God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son."
Abe said, "Man, you must be putting me on."
God said, "No." Abe said, "What?"
God said, "You can do what you want, Abe, but
The next time you see me coming you better run."
Well, Abe said, "Where you want this killing done?"
God said, "Oh, down 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! I got to run."
Oh, Howard just pointed with his gun
And said, "That way down Highway 61."
Well, Mack the Finger said to Louis the King,
"I got forty red, white, and blue shoestrings
And a thousand telephones that don't ring.
Do you know where I can get rid of these things?"
And Louis the King said, "Let me think for a minute, son."
Then 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 roving gambler, he was very bored
Trying 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
And have it on Highway 61."
When you're lost in the rain in Juarez and it's Easter-time 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 outta 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
As 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 one or the other though neither of them are to be what they claim.
If you're looking 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 do believe I've had enough.
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 pocket 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'd 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 fortune-telling 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.
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.
Now, 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 are 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 the penny whistle, 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 spoon-feeding 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 outta 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.
Praise 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, don't send me no more letters, no!
Not unless you mail them from Desolation Row.
Well, 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,
Then they'll stone you when you're there all alone.
But I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.
Well, 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 you're walking on the floor,
They'll stone you when you're 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."
Yeah, but 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.
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, "You are brave,"
They'll stone you when you're set down in your grave.
But I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.
Well, early in the morning till late at night
I got a poison headache, but I feel alright.
I'm pledging my time to you,
Hoping you'll come through too.
Well, the hobo got to hide, but he came to me naturally.
He stole my baby and he wanted to steal me.
But I'm pledging my time to you,
Hoping you'll come through too.
Won't you come with me, baby? I'll take you where you wanna go.
And, if it don't work out, you'll be the first to know.
I'm pledging my time to you,
Hoping you'll come through too.
Well, the room is so stuffy, I can hardly breathe.
Everybody's gone but me and you and I can't be the last to leave.
I'm pledging my time to you,
Hoping you'll come through too.
Well, they sent for the ambulance and one was sent.
Somebody got lucky, but it was an accident.
I'm pledging my time to you,
Hoping you'll come through too.
Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when you're trying to be so quiet?
We all sit here stranded though we're all doing our best to deny it
And Louise holds a handful 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 off,
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 watchman click his flashlight, ask himself if it's him or them that's insane.
Louise, she's alright, 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 'lectricity 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 dangerousl,.
And, when bringing her name up, he speaks of a farewell kiss to me.
He's sure got a lot of 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, "Jeez,
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, "You can't look at much, can you, 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 "Everything'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 in the rain
And these visions of Johanna are now all that remain.
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 coming back in a little while.
I didn't know that you were saying goodbye for good.
But sooner or later one of us must know
That 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, it 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 leaving 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
That you're 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 snowing.
Your voice was all that I heard.
I couldn't see where we were going,
But you said you knew and I took your word.
And then you told me later as I apologized
That you were just kidding 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
That 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.
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 drinking from my broken cup
And ask me to 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 she's 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 it because he lied, because he took you for a ride,
And because time was on his side and because I
Want you,
I want you,
Yes, I want you so bad,
Honey, I want you.
Oh, the rag-man 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 they 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's 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 I--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 everyone his gun,
Handing out free tickets to the wedding of his son.
And me, I nearly got busted - and wouldn't it be my luck
To get caught without a ticket and be discovered beneath a truck?
Oh, mama, is this really the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again?
Now, the teen-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 to him. Then I whispered and said, "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 rain-man 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 'em 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 here inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again?
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 something 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 the 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 sunrise, 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 sitting there
In your 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 cheating 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, no, I never seen him before.
Well, I saw you making love with him, 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,
It's your brand-new leopard-skin pill-box hat.
Nobody feels any pain tonight as I stand inside the rain.
Everybody knows that baby's got new clothes,
But lately I see her ribbons and her bows have fallen from her curls.
She takes just like a woman - yes, she does!
She makes love just like a woman - yes, she does!
And she aches just like a woman, but she breaks just like a little girl.
Queen Mary, she's my friend. Yes, I believe I'll go see her again.
Nobody has to guess that baby can't be blessed
Till she finally sees that she's like all the rest with her fog, her amphetamine, and her pearls.
She takes just like a woman - yes!
She makes love just like a woman - yes, she does!
And she aches just like a woman, but she breaks just like a little girl.
It was raining from the first and I was dying of thirst so I came in here.
And your long-time curse hurts, but what's worse is this pain in here.
I can't stay in here - ain't it clear
That I just can't fit? Yes, I believe it's time for us to quit.
And, when we meet again, introduced as friends,
Please don't let on that you knew me when I was hungry and it was your world.
Ah, you fake just like a woman - yes, you do!
You make love just like a woman - yes, you do!
Then you ache just like a woman, but you break just like a little girl.
You say you love me and you're thinking 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 anymore.
I'm gonna let you 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 shaking and you're always aching, but you know how hard you try.
Sometimes it gets so hard to care.
It can't be this way everywhere.
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.
Well, the-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 telling stories that you know I believe are true.
You say you got some other kinda lover and, yes, I believe 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
When you go your way and I go mine.
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 loving. 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 loving. 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 lean 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 loving, 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 loving, honey, but you're so hard.
Well, your railroad gate, you know I just can't jump it.
Sometimes it gets so hard to 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
You-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 now 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 riverboat 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 been in jail where all the mail showed
That a man can't give his address out to bad company
And now I stand here looking 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
As she worked on my face till 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 hummed, I tapped on her drum, I 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 everyone walked.
And, after finding that 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 better spit out your plum."
She screamed till her face got so red, then she fell on the floor,
And I covered her up and then thought I'll 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 never wasted time.
And I-I never took much, I never asked for your crutch, now don't ask for mine.
Early in the morning, early in the morning
I'm calling you to-I'm calling you to please come home.
Yes, 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 you down, I won't let you down, no, I won't.
You know that I know, honey, but, honey, please don't.
I got my black dog barking, black dog barking.
Yes, he is, now-yes, he is outside my yard.
Yes, I'd tell you what it means if I just didn't have to try so hard.
Your mama's working, your mama's moaning.
She's crying, you know, she's trying, you know, you better go now.
Well, I'd tell you what she wants if I--but I just don't know how.
Fifteen jugglers, fifteen jugglers,
Five believers, five believers all dressed like men.
Tell your mama not to worry because, yes, they're just my friends.
Early in the morning, early in the morning
I'm calling you to-I'm calling you to please come home.
Yes, I could make it without you, honey, if I just did not feel so all alone.
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 your face like glass,
Who could they get to 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
Or, 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 could 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 prophets say that no man comes?
My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums,
Should I put them by your gate
Or, 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 prophets say that no man comes?
My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums,
Should I leave them by your gate
Or, sad-eyed lady, should I wait?
Oh, the farmers and the businessmen, they all did decide
To show you where the dead angels are 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 the hoodlum wrapped up in your arms,
How could they ever have persuaded you,
Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands,
Where the sad-eyed prophets say that no man's come?
My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums,
Should I leave them by your gate
Or, 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 in your fingertips now that fold
And your saintlike face and your ghostlike soul,
Who among them could ever think he could destroy you,
Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands,
Where the sad-eyed prophets say that no man comes?
My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums,
Should I leave them by your gate
Or, sad-eyed lady, should I wait?
Well, 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,
Then they'll stone you when you're there all alone.
But I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.
Well, 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 you're walking on the floor,
They'll stone you when you're 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."
Yeah, but 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.
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, "You are brave,"
They'll stone you when you're set down in your grave.
But I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.
How many roads must 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, and how many times must the cannon balls 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.
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 better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 telling who that it's naming
For the loser now will be later to win
For the times, they are a-changing.
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.
The battle outside raging
Will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 aging.
Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 fading
And the first one now will later be last
For the times, they are a-changing.
Go away 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 looking for someone
Who's never weak but always strong,
To protect you and 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, babe,
It ain't me you're looking 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 you down.
You say you're looking 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 and more,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're looking for, babe.
Go melt back in the night,
Everything inside is made of stone.
There's nothing in here moving
And, 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,
And to come each time you call,
A lover for your life and nothing more,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe
It ain't me you're looking for, babe.
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 kidding you.
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hanging out.
Now you don't talk so loud.
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging your next meal.
How does it feel?
How does it feel
To be without a home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Oh, you gone to the finest school, alright, Ms. Lonely,
But you know you only used to get juiced in it.
Nobody's ever taught you how to live out 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?
Oh, you never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns when they all 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 have--be on your own,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Oh, princess on the steeple and all the pretty people,
They're all drinking, thinking 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 ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose.
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.
How does it feel?
Oh, how does it feel
To be on your own,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
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 following you.
Though I know that evening'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 following you.
Take me on a trip upon your magic, swirling 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 wandering.
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 following you.
Though you might hear laughing, spinning, swinging madly across the sun,
It's not aimed at anyone,
It's just escaping on the run, and but for the sky there are no fences facing.
And if you hear vague traces of skipping 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 seeing 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 following you.
And take me disappearing 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,
In the jingle-jangle morning I'll come following you.
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 something you did
God knows when,
But you're doing it again,
You better duck down the alleyway,
Looking for a new friend.
The man in the coon-skin cap
In the pigpen
Wants eleven dollar bills,
You only got ten.
Maggie comes fleet-foot,
Face full of black soot,
Talking 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,
Don't walk on your tip-toes,
Don't try No Doz,
Better stay away from those
That carry 'round a fire-hose,
Keep a clean nose,
Watch the plain-clothes,
You don't need a weatherman
To know which way the wind blows.
Ah, get sick, get well,
Hang around the ink-well,
Ring bell, hard to tell
If anything is gonna 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
By losers, cheaters,
Six-time users
Hanging 'round the theaters,
Girl by the whirlpool's
Looking for a new fool,
Don't follow leaders,
Watch the parking 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 schooling 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
And try to avoid the scandals.
Don't wanna be a bum,
You better chew gum,
The pump don't work 'cause the vandals took the handles.
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 drinking from my broken cup
And ask me to 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 she's 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 it because he lied, because he took you for a ride,
And because time was on his side and because I
Want you,
I want you,
Yes, I want you so bad,
Honey, I want you.
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 got a 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 had 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'd know what a drag it is to see you.
Nobody feels any pain tonight as I stand inside the rain.
Everybody knows that baby's got new clothes,
But lately I see her ribbons and her bows have fallen from her curls.
She takes just like a woman - yes, she does!
She makes love just like a woman - yes, she does!
And she aches just like a woman, but she breaks just like a little girl.
Queen Mary, she's my friend. Yes, I believe I'll go see her again.
Nobody has to guess that baby can't be blessed
Till she finally sees that she's like all the rest with her fog, her amphetamine, and her pearls.
She takes just like a woman - yes!
She makes love just like a woman - yes, she does!
And she aches just like a woman, but she breaks just like a little girl.
It was raining from the first and I was dying of thirst so I came in here.
And your long-time curse hurts, but what's worse is this pain in here.
I can't stay in here - ain't it clear
That I just can't fit? Yes, I believe it's time for us to quit.
And, when we meet again, introduced as friends,
Please don't let on that you knew me when I was hungry and it was your world.
Ah, you fake just like a woman - yes, you do!
You make love just like a woman - yes, you do!
Then you ache just like a woman, but you break just like a little girl.
John Wesley Harding was a friend to the poor.
He traveled a-with a gun in every hand.
All along this countryside he opened many a door,
But he was never known to hurt an honest man.
'Twas 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 to make a foolish move.
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 offered 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. "I'm sorry for what she's done."
I dreamed I saw Saint 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.
But, go on your way accordingly, but know you're not alone."
I dreamed I saw Saint 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 and bowed my head and cried.
"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, the wind began to howl.
Well, Frankie Lee and Judas Priest, they were the best of friends.
So, when Frankie Lee needed money one day, Judas quickly pulled out a roll of tens
And placed them on a footstool just above the plotted plain,
Saying, "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.
"Could you 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, "Alright, 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 picking 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, "Eternity, though you might call it paradise."
"I don't call it anything," said Frankie Lee with a smile.
"Alright," said Judas Priest, "I'll see you after a while."
Well, Frankie Lee, he sat back down, feeling 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 calling 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 quiet as a mouse.
"Well, my message is he's down the road, stranded in a house."
Well, Frankie Lee, he panicked. He dropped everything and ran
Until he came up to the spot where Judas Priest did stand.
"What kind of house is this," he said, "where I have come to roam?"
"It's not a house," says Judas Priest. "It's not a house, it's a home."
Well, Frankie Lee, he trembled. He soon lost all control
Over everything which he had made while the mission-bells did toll.
He just stood there staring at that big house as bright as any sun
With four-and-twenty windows and a woman's face in every 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 with his guilt so well-concealed
And muttered underneath his breath, "Nothing is revealed."
Well, the moral of the story, the moral of this song
Is simply that one should never be where one does not belong.
So, when you see your neighbor carrying something, help him with his load
And don't go mistaking paradise for that home across the road.
"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'd fail 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 everybody knelt to pray, the drifter did escape.
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, I won't underestimate you.
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 everything '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 judgment for yourself lest you wind up on this road.
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 whom lies with every 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 Ironside's, 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 when his gladness comes to pass.
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 falling 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:
"If ye cannot bring good news, then don't bring any."
Down along the cove I spied my true love coming my way.
Down along the cove I spied my true love coming my way.
I said, "Lord, have mercy! Mama, it sure is good to see you coming 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 walk together hand in hand.
Down along the cove we walk together hand in hand.
Everybody watching us a-go by knows we're in love, yes, they understand.
Close your eyes, close the 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.
I'll be your baby tonight.
If you're traveling to the north country fair,
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline,
Remember me to one who lives there
For she once was a true love of mine.
See for me that her hair's hanging down,
It curls and falls all down her breast.
See for me that her hair's hanging down.
That's the way I remember her best.
If you go when the snowflakes fall,
When the rivers freeze and summer ends,
Please see for me if she's wearing her coat so warm,
To keep her from the howling winds.
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 once was a true love of mine.
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 a true love of mine,
A true love of mine,
True love of mine,
A true love of mine.
Is it rolling, Bob?
To be alone with you,
Just you and me.
Now, won't you tell me true,
Ain't that the way it oughtta be?
To hold each other tight
The whole night through.
Everything 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 evening 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 the 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 thinking of.
I wish tonight were here,
Bringing 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,
To be alone with you.
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 every day.
I musta been mad, I never knew what I had
Until I threw it all away.
Love is all there is, it makes the world go 'round.
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 who gives you all of her love,
Take it to your heart, don't let it stray
For one thing for certain, you will surely be a-hurting
If you throw it all away.
Peggy Day stole my poor heart away.
By golly, what more can I say?
Love to spend the night with Peggy Day.
Peggy Night makes my future look so bright.
Man, that girl is out of sight.
Love to spend the day with Peggy Night.
Well, you know--even before I learned her name,
You know, I loved her just the same.
And I tell 'em 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,
Love to spend the night with Peggy Day.
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--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.
Stay, lady, stay, stay while the night is still ahead.
One more night the stars are in sight,
But tonight I'm as lonesome as can be.
Oh, the moon is shining bright, lighting everything in sight,
But tonight no moonlight 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 moonlight 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 moonlight will shine on me.
One more night the moon is shining bright
And the wind blows high above the tree.
Oh, I miss that woman so, I didn't mean to see her go,
But tonight no moonlight will shine on me.
I have heard rumors all over town.
They say that you're planning to put me down.
All I'd 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-counting on you.
Tell me that it isn't true.
To know that some other man is holding you tight,
It hurts me all over, it doesn't seem right.
All of these awful things that I have heard,
I don't wanna believe them, all I want is your word.
So, darling, you better come through.
Tell me that it isn't true.
All of these awful things that I have heard,
I don't want to believe them, all I want is your word.
So, darling, I'm counting on you.
Tell me that it isn't true.
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 playing till the break of day -
Oh me, oh my, love that country pie!
Raspberry, 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 my big, white goose, tie me on her and turn her loose -
Oh me, oh my, love that country pie!
I don't need much, that ain't no lie - ain't running 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 got nothing on me -
Oh me, oh my, love that country pie!
Throw my ticket out the window.
Throw my suitcase out there too.
Throw my troubles out the door, I don't need them anymore
'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 blowing.
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 anymore
'Cause tonight I'll be staying here with you.
All the tired horses in the sun,
How'm I supposed to get any riding done?
Hmm.
All the tired horses in the sun,
How'm I supposed to get any riding done?
Hmm.
All the tired horses in the sun,
How'm I supposed to get any riding done?
Hmm.
All the tired horses in the sun,
How'm I supposed to get any riding done?
Hmm.
All the tired horses in the sun,
How'm I supposed to get any riding done?
Hmm.
All the tired horses in the sun,
How'm I supposed to get any riding done?
Hmm.
All the tired horses in the sun,
How'm I supposed to get any riding done?
Hmm.
All the tired horses in the sun,
How'm I supposed to get any riding done?
Hmm.
All the tired horses in the sun,
How'm I supposed to get any riding done?
Hmm.
All the tired horses in the sun,
How'm I supposed to get any riding done?
Hmm.
All the tired horses in the sun,
How'm I supposed to get any riding done?
Hmm.
All the tired horses in the sun,
How'm I supposed to get any riding done?
Hmm.
All the tired horses in the sun,
How'm I supposed to get any riding done?
Hmm.
All the tired horses in the sun,
How'm I supposed to get any riding done?
Hmm.
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 'cause 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.
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 a 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 that 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.
I'm old Tom Moore from the bummers' shore in the good old, golden days,
They call me a bummer and a gin sot, 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 oftentimes 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 ofttimes 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's boy, he was always getting tight
And, every time that he'd get full, he was spoiling for a fight.
Then 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 oftentimes 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 would you go a hatful blind;
In a game with death Bill lost his breath in the days of '49 -
(Oh, my goodness!)
In the days of old, in the days of gold, in the day-times I repine,
In the days of old and the days of gold, those were 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 ofttimes I repine
For the days of old when we dug up the gold, in the days of '49.
Oh, 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 old, poor, wandering ghost
And I pass by from town to town, they call me the Rambling Sign --
"There goes Tom Moore, a bummer, sure" -- in the days of '49 -
In the days of old, in the days of gold, how oftentimes I repine
For the days of old when we dug up the gold, in the days of '49,
In the days of old when we dug up the gold, how ofttimes I repine,
In the days of old, in the days of gold, in the days of '49.
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.
Out 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 a-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
'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 morning rain.
Went out last night just to take a little round,
I met my little Sadie and I brought her down,
I run right home and I went to bed
With a .44 smokeless under my head.
I began 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 run too slow:
They overtook me down in Jericho.
Standing on a corner a-just ringing my bell,
Up stepped the sheriff from Thomasville,
He says, "Young man, is your 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 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 county jail -
Oh, yes, they did.
Now, 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 little Sadie and I blowed her down,
I run right home and I went to bed,
A .44 smokeless under my head.
I bless the day I found you,
I want my arms around you,
So I beg you: let it be me.
A-don't take a-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 a-say you'll always let it be me.
So, never leave me lonely,
Tell me that you love me only,
And say you'll always let it be me.
I went out last night to take a little round,
I met little Sadie and I blowed her down,
I run right home and I went to bed
With a .44 smokeless under my head.
I went out last night to take a little round,
I met little Sadie and I blowed her down,
I run right home and I went to bed
With a .44 smokeless under my head.
I begun to think what a deed I'd done,
I grabbed my hat and away I'd run,
I made a good run, but I run too slow:
They overtook me down in Jericho.
Standing on a corner a-ringing my bell,
Up stepped the sheriff from Thomasville,
He says, "Young man, is your name Brown?
Remember the night you lay--blowed little Sadie down?"
"Oh, yes, sir, my name is Lee,
I murdered little Sadie in first degree,
First degree and second degree -
Got any papers, will you serve 'em to me?"
Took me downtown and they dressed me in black,
They put me on a train and they brought me back,
Had no one to go my bail,
Crammed me back into the county jail.
Judge and jury took their stand,
Judge had the papers in his hand -
Forty-one days, forty-one nights,
Forty-one years to wear the ball and the stripes.
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 of beauty, the blooming, 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, 'tis true I come here in disguise,
I came here to fulfill our last promise and hoped to give you a surprise.
I own you're a maid I love dearly and you've been in my heart all the while,
For me there is no other damsel than my blooming, bright star of Belle Isle."
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 a-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?
I've been living the blues every night without you,
I've been living the blues every night without you,
I've been living the blues every night without you.
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 kidding you.
You used--be so proud
About everybody that was hanging out;
Now you don't talk so loud,
Now you don't act so--so proud
About having to be a-scrounging around, scrounging around for your next meal -
How does it feel,
How does it feel,
To be without a home,
To be--direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
You gone to the finest school, alright, Ms. Lonely,
But you know you only used to get juiced in it,
Nobody's ever taught you how to live out on the street
And now you're better--you're gonna have to get used to it.
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now--but--his eye--
Into the vacuum of his eyes--
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say, "Do--would you like to--come on now, would you like to come up and make a deal?"
How does it feel,
How does it feel,
To be without a home,
Like a complete unknown,
With no direction home,
Like a rolling stone?
Princess up on the steeple and all them pretty people,
Thinking and drinking that they got it made,
Exchanging all the precious gifts and things,
But you'd better take your diamond ring down, now, 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 ain't got nothing, girl, 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 without a home,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Just like a rolling stone,
Like a rolling stone,
Just like a rolling stone,
Like a rolling stone?
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.
Done laid around, done stayed around this old town too long,
Summer's almost gone, winter's 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 a-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,
Summer's almost gone, winter's 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,
That chilly wind will soon begin and I'll be on my way
And I feel like I just a-wanna travel on.
So, I done laid around, done stayed around this old town too long,
Summer's almost gone, winter's coming on,
Oh, yes, I've done laid around, done stayed around this old town too long
And it seems like I want to travel on.
There's a lonesome freight at six o' eight a-coming through the town:
I'll be homeward bound, I'll be homeward bound.
A lonesome freight at six o' eight coming on through the town
And I feel like I just a-want to travel on.
Well, I done laid around, done stayed around this old town too long,
Summer's almost gone, winter's coming on, yes, it is,
Done laid around, done stayed around this old town too long
And it seems like I want to travel on.
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 prayer 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,
Without a love of my own.
am just a poor boy, though my story's seldom told,
I have squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles, 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 railroad 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 7th 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 a reminder of every blow that's laid him low and cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his shame,
"I am leaving, I am leaving!"
But the fighter still remains.
Well, everybody's building their boats,
Some 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!
Whoa! and--well, I can do just like the rest, you know, I like my sugar sweet,
But jumping Qs and making haste, you know, it ain't my cup of meat.
Everybody's out there feeding the pigeons out on the limb,
But, when Quinn the Eskimo gets here, the pigeons gonna run to him.
Well, come all without, come all within,
Yeah, you'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn!
Come all without, come all within,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn!
Play that guitar now!
Cat's moo and calf's meow, you know, I--I can recite them all,
Tell me where it a-hurts you, honey, and I'll tell you who to call.
Nobody can get any sleep - you know, there's someone on everybody's toes;
Quinn the Eskimo gets here, everybody's gonna wanna doze.
Oh, come all without, yeah, come all within,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn!
Whoa, come all without, come all within,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn!
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 mold, love,
In the image of someone you used to know,
But 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 mold, love,
In the image of someone you used to know,
But I won't be a stand-in for an old love,
Take me as I am or let me go.
Take a message to Mary, but don't tell her 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's at 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 careless gun -
You can tell her that I had to change my plans and cancel out the wedding-day,
But please don't mention my 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 knows I miss her so -
Just tell her that I went to Timbuktu, tell her that I'm searching for gold,
You can say she'd better find someone new to cherish and to hold -
Oh, Lord, this cell is cold!
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.
When things go wrong, so wrong with you,
It hurts me, too,
Yes, when things go wrong, so wrong with you,
It hurts me, too.
So, run here, baby, put your little hand in mine,
I've got something to tell you, baby, I know that will change your mind.
When things go wrong, so wrong with you,
Don't you know it--don't you know it hurts me, too?
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, Lucky's driving a long, long time -
There he still sits on top of the hill.
Well, aching, tumbled, with all laid down,
With all of them ladies, you know, he's the--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, he deep in number and heavy in toil,
Mighty Mockingbird, he still has such a heavy load,
Beneath his boundaries - what more if I can tell
With all of his traveling, 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,
Who's gonna let it down easy to save his soul?
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?
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'll take the dark out of the nighttime and turn 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 got no place to fall,
She never stumbles, she got no place to fall,
She's nobody's child, the law can't touch her at all.
She wears an Egyptian ring and it sparkles just before she speaks,
She wears an Egyptian ring, it 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 and for Christmas buy her a drum,
For Halloween give her a trumpet and for Christmas buy her a drum,
For Halloween buy her a trumpet and for Christmas buy her a drum.
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 so sad 'cause 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.
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,
Babe, I'd lay awake all night,
Wait for the morning light
To shine in through,
But it would 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 robin sing,
I just wouldn't have a clue,
Anyway, it wouldn't ring true,
If not for you,
If not for you,
If not for you,
If not for you,
If not for you.
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 walking,
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 that high, whining trill,
Yeah, the locusts sang and they were singing for me.
Outside of the gates the trucks were unloading,
The weather was hot, a-nearly ninety degrees,
The man standing next to me, his head was exploding -
Well, I was praying the pieces wouldn't fall on me!
Yeah, and 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, I picked up my diploma,
Took a 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, well, it give me a chill,
Yeah, the locusts sang such a sweet melody,
And the locusts sang with that high, whining trill,
Yeah, the locusts sang and they were singing for me,
Singing for me, well, singing for me.
Time passes slowly up here in the mountains,
We set beside bridges and walk beside fountains,
Catch the wild fishes that float through the stream -
Time passes slowly when you're lost in a dream.
Once I had a sweetheart, she was fine and good-looking,
We sat in her kitchen while her mama was cooking,
Staring out the window to the stars high above -
Time passes slow 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,
Stares straight ahead and tries so hard to stay right,
Like the red rose of summer that blooms in the day
Time passes slowly and fades away.
I 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 from the little Minnesota town,
From the little Minnesota town.
Winterlude, Winterlude, oh, darling,
Winterlude by the road tonight,
Tonight there will be no quarreling,
Everything is gonna be alright.
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 crossroads sign,
The snow is so cold, but our love can be bold, Winterlude, this dude thinks you're fine.
Winterlude, Winterlude, my little daisy,
Winterlude by the telephone wire,
Winterlude, it's making me lazy,
Come on, sit by the logs in the fire.
The moonlight reflects from the window, where the snowflakes, they cover the sand,
Come out tonight, everything'll be tight, Winterlude, this dude thinks you're grand.
If dogs run free, 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 if dogs run free.
Can't you hear that rooster crowing?
Rabbit running down across the road,
Underneath the bridge where the water flowed 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-shining?
Groundhog running by the country stream,
This must be the day that 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.
New morning,
New morning,
New morning,
New morning,
New morning,
New morning,
New morning,
New morning.
Sign on a window says "Lonely",
Sign on a door said "No Company Allowed",
Sign on a 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?
Brighton girls are like the moon,
Brighton 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.
Build me a cabin in Utah,
Marry me a wife, catch rainbow trout,
Have a bunch of kids who call me "Pa" -
That must be what it's all about,
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, and we can have some fun -
One more weekend, one more weekend with you,
One more weekend, one more weekend'll do.
Come on down to my ship, honey, ride on deck,
We'll fly it over the ocean just like you suspect -
One more weekend, one more weekend with you,
One more weekend, one more weekend'll do.
We'll fly the night away,
Hang out the whole next day -
Things will be OK, you wait and see.
We'll go someplace 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'll do, yes, you will!
Like a needle in a haystack, I'm gonna find you yet,
You're the sweetest, gone mama that this boy's ever gonna get -
One more weekend, one more weekend with you,
One more weekend, one more weekend'll do.
The man in me will do nearly any task
And as for compensation there's a-little he would 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 a-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 wanna turn into some machine -
Take a woman like you to get through to the man in me.
Three angels up above the street,
Each one playing a horn,
Dressed in green robes with wings that stick out,
They've 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 fellas 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 the 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 progression, seems to pass by,
But does anyone hear the music they play?
Does anyone even try?
Father of night, father of day,
Father who taketh the darkness away,
Father who teacheth the bird 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 build the mountain so high,
Who shapeth the cloud up in the sky,
Father of time and father of dreams,
Father who turneth the rivers and streams.
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,
Father of whom we most solemnly praise.
What's the matter with me? I don't have much to say,
Daylight sneaking through the window and I'm still in this all-night cafe.
Walking to and fro beneath the moon out to where the trucks are rolling 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 just about everything, yeah, makes you stop and wonder why,
Why only yesterday I saw somebody on the street who just couldn't help but cry;
Oh, but this old river keeps on rolling, 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 a-really shook;
Well, but this old river keeps on rolling, 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,
Watching the river flow,
Watching the river flow,
But I'll just sit down on this bank of sand and watch the river flow.
Well, it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe,
If'n you don't know by now.
And it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe -
It'll never do, somehow.
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn,
Look out your window and I'll be gone.
You're the reason I'm traveling on,
But don't think twice, it's alright.
And it ain't no use in turning on your light, babe,
The light I never knowed.
And it ain't no use in turning on your light, babe -
I'm on the dark side of the road.
But I wish there was something you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay.
But we never did too much talking, anyway.
But don't think twice, it's alright.
So, it ain't no use in calling out my name, gal,
Like you never done before.
And it ain't no use in calling out my name, gal -
I can't hear you anymore.
I'm thinking and wondering, walking down the road.
I once loved a woman - a child, I am told.
I give her my heart, but she wanted my soul.
But don't think twice, it's alright.
So long, honey babe.
Where I'm bound I can't tell.
Goodbye's too good a word, babe,
So I'll just say "Fare thee well".
I ain't saying you treated me unkind.
You coulda done better, but I don't mind.
You just kinda wasted my precious time,
But don't think twice, it's alright.
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--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.
Stay, lady, stay, stay while the night is still ahead.
Oh, the rag-man 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 they 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's 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 I--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 everyone his gun,
Handing out free tickets to the wedding of his son.
And me, I nearly got busted - and wouldn't it be my luck
To get caught without a ticket and be discovered beneath a truck?
Oh, mama, is this really the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again?
Now, the teen-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 to him. Then I whispered and said, "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 rain-man 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 'em 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 here inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again?
Close your eyes, close the 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.
I'll be your baby tonight.
I ain't looking to compete with you,
Beat or cheat or mistreat you,
Simplify you, classify you,
Deny, defy, or crucify you.
All I really wanna do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
No, and I ain't looking to fight with you,
Frighten you or up-tighten you,
Drag you down or drain you down,
Chain you down or bring you down.
All I really wanna do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I ain't looking to block you up,
Shock or knock or lock you up,
Analyze you, categorize you,
Finalize you or advertise you.
All I really wanna do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I don't wanna 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 wanna do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I don't wanna 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 wanna do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I don't wanna fake you out,
Take or shake or forsake you out,
I ain't looking for you to feel like me,
See like me or be like me.
All I really wanna do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
Crimson flames tied through my ears,
Rolling, 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-wracked 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, though, 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 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,
I'm younger than that now.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more,
No, I ain't 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 driving 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 ain't 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 having a good time;
Then he fines you every time you slam the door.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more,
No, I ain't 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.
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, she talks to all the servants about man and God and law,
Everybody says she's the brains behind pa.
She's 68, but she says she's 54.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more,
I ain't 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.
Throw my ticket out the window.
Throw my suitcase out there too.
Throw my troubles out the door, I don't need them anymore
'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 blowing.
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 anymore
'Cause tonight I'll be staying here with you.
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 the 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, it sparkles before she speaks,
She wears an Egyptian ring, it 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 and for Christmas give her a drum.
"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, the wind began to howl.
Well, everybody's building their boats,
Some 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!
Whoa! and--well, I can do just like the rest, you know, I like my sugar sweet,
But jumping Qs and making haste, you know, it ain't my cup of meat.
Everybody's out there feeding the pigeons out on the limb,
But, when Quinn the Eskimo gets here, the pigeons gonna run to him.
Well, come all without, come all within,
Yeah, you'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn!
Come all without, come all within,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn!
Play that guitar now!
Cat's moo and calf's meow, you know, I--I can recite them all,
Tell me where it a-hurts you, honey, and I'll tell you who to call.
Nobody can get any sleep - you know, there's someone on everybody's toes;
Quinn the Eskimo gets here, everybody's gonna wanna doze.
Oh, come all without, yeah, come all within,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn!
Whoa, come all without, come all within,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn!
When you're lost in the rain in Juarez and it's Easter-time 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 outta 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
As 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 one or the other though neither of them are to be what they claim.
If you're looking 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 do believe I've had enough.
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, it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's 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 dripping,
I saw a room full of men with their hammers bleeding,
I saw a white ladder all covered with water,
I saw ten thousand talkers 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 gonna fall.
What did you hear, my blue-eyed son?
And what did you hear, my darling young one?
I heard the sound of a thunder that roared out a warning,
I heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world,
I heard one hundred drummers whose hands were blazing,
I heard ten thousand whispering and nobody listening,
I heard one person starve, I heard many people laughing,
I heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter,
I 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,
It's a hard rain's gonna fall.
Oh, what did you meet, my blue-eyed son?
And 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 in hatred,
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's gonna fall.
And what'll you do now, my blue-eyed son?
And what'll you do now, my darling young one?
I'm going back out 'fore the rain starts falling,
I'll walk to the depths of the deepest, dark forest,
Where the people are 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
And the executioner's face is always well-hidden,
Where hunger is ugly, where the souls are forgotten,
Where black is the color, where none is the number,
And I'll tell it and speak it and think it and breathe it,
And reflect from the mountain so all souls can see it,
And I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinking,
But I'll know my song well before I start singing,
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's gonna fall.
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,
Babe, I'd lay awake all night,
Wait for the morning light
To shine in through,
But it would 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 robin sing,
I just wouldn't have a clue,
Anyway, it wouldn't ring true,
If not for you,
If not for you,
If not for you,
If not for you,
If not for you.
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 coming 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,
The sky too is folding under you,
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
All your seasick sailors, they're all rowing home,
Your own empty-handed army is all going home,
Your lover, who just walked out your 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, there's something that 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 anew,
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
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 waiting,
If I could hear her heart a-softly pounding,
Yes, and only if she was lying by me,
I'd lie in my bed once again.
I can't see my reflection in the water,
I can't speak the sounds to show no pain,
I can't hear the echo of my footsteps
Or remember the sounds of my own name.
Yes, and only if my own true love was waiting
And if I could only hear her heart a-softly pounding,
Yes, and only if she was lying by me,
Then I'd lie in my bed once again.
There's beauty in that silver, singing river,
There's beauty in that rainbow in the sky,
But none of these and nothing else can touch the beauty
That I remember in my true love's eyes.
Yes, and only if my own true love was waiting,
If I could only hear her heart a-softly pounding,
Yes, and only if she was lying by me -
And I'd lie in my bed once again.
Oh, the streets of Rome are filled with rubble,
Ancient footprints are everywhere,
You could almost think that you're seeing 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 -
Yep, she promised that she'd be right there with me
When I paint my masterpiece.
Oh, the hours that I've spent inside the Colosseum,
Dodging lions and wasting 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 running through the back of my memory
As the daylight hours do increase,
Someday everything is gonna be smooth like a rhapsody
When I paint my masterpiece.
I left Rome and landed in Brussels
With a picture of a tall oak tree by my side.
Clergymen in uniform and young girls pulling bustles,
Everyone was there and nobody tried to hide.
Newspapermen eating candy,
Had to be held down by big police;
Someday, everything is gonna be different
When I paint my masterpiece.
They say every man must need protection,
They say every man must fall,
Yet I swear I see my reflection
Some place so high above the wall.
I see my light come shining from the west out to the east,
Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.
Down here next to me in this lonely crowd
There's a man who swears he's not to blame.
All day long I hear him cry so loud,
Calling out that he's been framed.
Yeah, I see my light come shining from the west out to the east,
Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.
Clouds so swift, the rain falling in, gonna see a movie called "Gunga Din" -
Pack up your money, pull up your tent, McGuinn, you ain't a-going nowhere!
Ooh-ee, ride me high, tomorrow's the day that my bride's a-gonna come!
Ooh-ee, are we gonna fly down into the easy chair!
Genghis Khan and his brother, Don, couldn't keep on keeping on:
"We'll climb that bridge after it's dawn, after we're way past it."
Ooh-ee, ride me high, tomorrow's the day that my bride's a-gonna come!
Ooh-ee, are we gonna fly down into the easy chair!
Buy me some rings and a gun that sings, a flute that toots and a bee that stings,
Sky that cries and a bird that flies, a fish that walks and a dog that talks.
Ooh-ee, ride me high, tomorrow's the day that my bride's a-gonna come!
Ooh-ee, are we gonna fly down into the easy chair!
Ooh-ee, ride me high, tomorrow's the day that my bride's a-gonna come!
Ooh-ee, are we gonna fly down into the easy chair!
Crash on the levee, mama, water's gonna overflow,
Swamp's gonna rise and no boat's gonna row.
You can train on down to Williams Point,
You can bust your feet, you can rock this joint,
But, oh, mama, you gonna miss your best friend now,
You gonna have to find yourself another best friend somehow.
Now, don't you try and move me, mama, you just gonna lose,
There's been a crash on the levee and, mama, you been refused.
Well, it's king for king and it's queen for queen,
It's gonna be the meanest flood that anybody's ever seen,
Oh, mama, you gonna miss your best friend now,
You gonna have to find yourself another best friend somehow.
Well, the high tide's rising, mama, don't you let me down,
Pack up your suitcase, mama, don't you make a sound.
Well, it's sugar for sugar and it's salt for salt,
If you go down in the flood, it's gonna be your fault.
Oh, mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
You gonna have to find yourself another best friend somehow.
There's guns across the river aiming at you,
Lawman on your trail, he'd like to catch you,
Bounty hunters, too, they'd like to get you -
Billy, they don't like you to be so free.
Camping out all night on the veranda,
Dealing cards till dawn in the hacienda,
Up to Boot Hill they'd like to send you -
Billy, don't you turn your back on me.
Playing around with some sweet senorita,
Into her dark hall where she will lead you,
To the shadows of the Mesa she will greet you -
Billy, you're so far away from home.
Mama, take this badge off of me,
I can't use it anymore.
It's getting dark, too dark to see,
I feel I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
Mama, put my guns in the ground,
I can't shoot them anymore.
That long, black cloud is coming down,
I feel I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
There's guns across the river 'bout 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 the streets down by the hacienda,
Up to Boot Hill they'd like to send you -
Billy, don't you turn your back on me.
There's mirrors inside the minds of crazy faces,
Bullet holes and rifles in their cases,
There's always one more notch in four more aces,
Billy, and you're playing all alone.
Playing around with some sweet senorita,
Into her dark chamber she will greet you,
In the shadows of the Mesa 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 wonder
If 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 Mr. Garrett, he'll force you to slow down.
Billy, don't 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've got one -
Remember in El Paso once you shot one?
I'll be in Santa Fe about one -
Billy, you 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,
Billy, you're so far away from home,
Billy, you're so far away from home.
Spend the night with some sweet senorita,
Into her dark hall where she will lead you,
In some lonesome shadow she might greet you -
Billy, you're so doggone far away from home.
They say that Pat Garrett's got your number,
Sleep with one eye open when you slumber,
Every little sound just might be thunder,
Thunder from the barrel of his gun.
Maybe you will find yourself tomorrow
Drinking in some bar to hide your sorrow,
Spending the time that you borrowed,
Figuring a way to get back home.
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.
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, which so distressed my mind,
She robbed me of my liberty, deprived me of my rest.
Then, go, my lovely Flora, the Lily of the West.
Way down in yonder shady grove a man of high degree
Conversing with my Flora there - it seemed so strange to me -
And the answer that she gave to him, it so did me oppress.
I was betrayed by Flora, the Lily of the West.
I stepped up to my rival, dagger in my hand,
And seized him by the collar, boldly made him stand.
Driven 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,
Still I love my faithless Flora, the Lily of the West.
Wise men say only fools rush in,
But I can't help falling in love with you.
Shall I stay, would 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 a-my whole life, too,
For 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 a-my whole life, too,
For I can't help falling in love with you.
I got a wife and five little children,
I'm gonna take a trip on the big McMillan.
Sarah Jane, Sarah Jane,
Ain't nothing to do but to set down and sing and rock about my Sarah Jane.
The boiler busted and the whistler squalled,
The captain gone through the hole in the wall.
Oh, Sarah Jane, Sarah Jane,
Ain't nothing to do but to set down and sing and rock about my Sarah Jane.
The engine gave a crack and the whistle gave a squall.
The engineer gone through the hole in the wall.
Sarah Jane, Sarah Jane,
Ain't nothing to do but to set down and sing and rock about my Sarah Jane.
The Yankee built boats to shoot them rebels,
My gun's steady, gonna hold it level.
Sarah Jane, Sarah Jane,
Ain't nothing to do but to set down and sing and rock about my Sarah Jane.
I got a wife and five little children,
I'm gonna take a trip on the big McMillan.
Sarah Jane, Sarah Jane,
Ain't nothing to do but to set down and sing and rock about my Sarah Jane.
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 the white man stole their water rights and the running water hushed.
Now, Ira's folks were hungry and their farms were crops of weeds,
But, when war came, he volunteered 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 two hundred and fifty men,
But only twenty-seven lived to walk back down that hill again
And, when the fight was over and 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, no crops, no chance -
And at home nobody cared what Ira done and the wind did the Indians' 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'd 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,
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,
Call him "Drunken" Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore,
Not the whiskey-drinking Indian or the marine who went to war.
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, then he'd lightly 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 eyes of age as he spoke right out.
He talked of life, he talked of life, laughed and slapped his leg a step.
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 clicked up his heels.
He let go a laugh, he let go a laugh, shook back his clothes all around.
Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles, dance! Yeah, dance!
He danced for those at minstrel shows and county fairs throughout the South,
He spoke with tears of fifteen years of how his dog and him just traveled all about.
His dog up and died, he up and died, and after twenty 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 'cause I drinks a bit."
He shook his head and then he shook his head, I heard someone ask him, "Please,
Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles, dance!
Dance!
Mr. Bojangles, dance!"
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 no more return to you, Mary Ann.
Oh, don't you see that crow fly high?
She'll surely turn to white,
If ever I prove false to you,
Let the day turn to night, my dear Mary Ann.
Oh, if I had a flask of gin and sugar here for two
And a great, big bowl for 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.
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 'em in a tree museum,
They charge the people a dollar and a half just to see 'em.
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 DDT,
Give me spots on my apples, but leave me the birds and the bees please.
Don't it always a-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 bulldozer took away the house and land.
Don't it always a-go to show
You never know what you got till it's gone?
They paved paradise, they put up a parking lot,
They paved paradise, they put up a parking lot,
They paved paradise, they put up a parking lot
Paved paradise, they put up a parking lot.
Now and then there's a fool such as I.
Pardon me if I'm sentimental when we say goodbye,
Don't be angry--don't be angry with me should I cry.
When you're gone, I will dream a little dream as years go by,
Now and then there's 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 say that we are through.
I'm a fool, but I love you, dear, yes, I will until the day I die,
Now and then there's a fool such as I.
Pardon me--pardon me if I'm sentimental when we say goodbye,
Don't be angry--don't be angry with me should I cry.
When you're gone--when you're gone, I will dream a little, I will dream as years go by,
Now and then--now and then there's 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'm a fool, yes, but I love you, dear, I'll love you, dear, until the day--until the day I die,
Now and then--now and then there's a fool--a fool such as I,
Now and then there's a fool--a fool such as I,
Now and then there's a fool such as I.
Broke her heart, lost my own,
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 corazon.
Haven't seen her since that night -
I can't cross the line, you know,
They want me for a gambling fight.
Like as not, it's better so,
Still I've always kind of missed her
Since that last, sad night I kissed her,
Broke her heart, lost my own,
Adios, mi corazon,
Broke her heart, lost my own,
Adios, mi corazon,
Adios, mi corazon.
On a night like this I'm 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 I'm so glad you're here to stay,
Hold on to me, pretty miss, and say you'll never go away to stray.
Run your fingers down my spine and 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 of 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 on a night like this.
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'm going, I'm going, I'm gone.
I'm closing the book on the pages and the text
And I don't really care, ooh, what happens next,
I'm just going, I'm going, I'm gone.
I been hanging on the threads, I been playing it straight,
Now I've just got to cut loose before it gets late,
So I'm going, I'm going, I'm 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 one true love ever part."
I been walking the road, I've been living on the edge,
Now I've just got to go before I get to the ledge,
So I'm going, I'm just going, I'm gone.
Tough mama, meat shaking on your bone,
I'm gonna go down to the river and get some stone.
Sister's on the highway with that steel-driving 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 over and give me some 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 your 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 been.
Jack the Cowboy went up north, he's buried in the past,
Lone Wolf went out drinking - that was over pretty fast,
Sweet goddess, your perfect stranger's coming on in at last.
Silver angel, with the badge of the lonesome road written in your sleeve,
I'd be grateful if this golden ring you'd 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, must be time to carve another notch.
I'm crestfallen, a world of illusions at my door,
I ain't hauling any of my lambs to the marketplace anymore.
Prison walls are crumbling down, there is no end in sight,
I've gained some recognition, but I lost my appetite -
Sweet beauty, meet me at the border late tonight.
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 the 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'm up on a hill and still you're not there.
Hazel, you called and I came,
Now, don't make me play this waiting-game.
You got something I want plenty of,
Ooh, a little touch of your love.
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 nights, 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'm in some better place,
My hand's on the saber and you've picked up on the baton,
Something there is about you that I can't quite put my finger on.
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 rung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, 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 light 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,
May you stay forever young.
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 rung
And 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 light surrounding you.
May you always be courageous, stand upright and be strong,
And may you stay 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 and may your song always be sung
And may you stay forever young,
May you stay forever young.
I hate myself for loving you and the weakness that it showed,
You were just a painted face on a trip down 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 - who ever 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 till 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 crystal 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 knee.
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,
I hate myself for loving you, but I should get over that.
You angel, you, you're as f--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 walk and watch you talk with your memory on my mind.
And, though I can't sleep at night for trying,
Yes, I 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're as fine as can be,
The way you walk and the way you talk is the way it oughtta be.
And, though 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.
You angel, you, you got me under your wing,
The way you walk and the way you talk, I swear, it would make me sing.
Twilight on the frozen lake, a north wind about to break
On footprints in the snow and silence down below.
You're beautiful beyond words,
You're beautiful to me,
You could make me cry, never say goodbye,
Because my dreams are made of iron and steel
With a big bouquet of the 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 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 hanging down.
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,
Love you more than madness, more than dreams 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 say goodbye to haunted rooms and faces in the street,
To the courtyards 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 poverty, 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 burns me to the soul.
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 to 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 intentions 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'll 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,
'Cause I love you more than ever now that the past is gone.
You say you love me and you're thinking 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've done before,
I just can't beg you anymore,
I'm gonna let you pass,
Yes, and I'll go last,
Well, the time will tell who has fell and who's been left behind,
When you go your way and I go mine.
You say you're shaking and you're always a-breaking, but you know how hard you try,
You say you're assuming that you're kind of a-hurting, but you know sometimes you lie.
Sometimes it gets so hard to care -
It can't be this way everywhere -
I'm gonna let you pass,
Yes, and I'll go last,
Well, the time will tell who has fell and who's been left behind,
When you go your way and I go mine.
The judge, he's holding a grudge and he's about to 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 telling me stories you know I believe are true,
Say you got some other--other kind of lover and, yes, I believe you do.
You say my kisses aren't like his -
Yeah, and--well, I'm not gonna tell you why that is,
I'm gonna let you pass,
Yes, and I'll go last,
Well, the time will tell who has fell, who's been left behind,
When you go your way and I go mine.
Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed,
Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed.
Whatever colors you have a-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,
Right up until the break of day let me see you make him smile.
His clothes are dirty, but his a-hands are clean
And you are 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 out for you in the dead of the night -
Stay, lady, stay, stay while the night is still ahead.
They'll stone you when you try to take a bath,
Stone you when you're walking on the path,
They'll stone you when you're riding in your seat,
Stone you when you're walking on the street,
Yeah, but I wouldn't feel too all alone
Because everybody must get stoned.
They'll stone you when you're riding in your car,
Stone you when you're standing at the bar,
They'll stone you when you're walking 'cross the floor,
Stone you when you're reaching for the door,
But I wouldn't feel too all alone
Because everybody must get stoned.
They'll stone you when you're driving in your brain,
Stone you when you're waiting for a train,
They'll stone you when you're walking on the grass,
Stone you when you're trying to make a pass,
But I wouldn't feel too all alone
Because everybody must get stoned.
They'll stone you and they'll say that it's the end,
They'll stone you and they'll be back again,
They'll stone you when you try to be so brave,
Stone you when you're set down in your grave,
But I wouldn't feel too all alone
Because everybody must get stoned.
Mama, take this badge off of me,
I can't use it anymore.
It's getting dark, too dark to see,
Feel like I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
Mama, wipe the blood from my face,
I'm sick and tired of the war.
Got a long, black feeling and it's hard to trace,
Feel like I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
Mama, put my guns in the ground,
I can't shoot them anymore.
That long, black train is pulling on down,
Feel like I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
Mama, take this badge off of me.
Go away 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 looking for someone
Never weak but always strong,
To protect you and 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 sure ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're looking for, babe.
Move lightly from the ledge, babe,
A-move a-lightly on the ground.
I'm not the one you want, babe,
I'll only let you down.
You say you're looking 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 and maybe more -
It still ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, no, it sure ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're looking for, babe.
Go melt back into the night, babe,
Everything inside here is made of stone.
A-there's a-nothing in here that's a-moving
And, anyway, I'm not alone.
You say you're looking for someone
Pick you up every time you fall,
Someone to gather flowers constantly,
And come every time you call,
A lover for your life - a-but what more?
And it still ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it sure ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're looking for, babe.
You walk into the room with your pencil in your hand,
See somebody naked, you say, "Who's that man?"
You try so hard, but you don't understand
What you're gonna say when you get home
'Cause something is happening and you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
You raise up your head, say, "Is this where it is?"
Somebody points to you and says, "It's his."
You say, "What's mine?" Someone else says, "Where what is?"
You say, "Oh, my God, am I here all alone?"
But, something is happening and you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
You hand in your ticket to go see the geek,
Who walks up to you when he hears you speak,
Says, "How does it feel to be such a freak?"
You say, "Impossible!" as he hands you the bone.
And something is happening, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
You have many contacts all among the lumberjacks
To get you facts when someone attacks your imagination.
No one has any respect, anyway they expect
You to give your check to tax-deductible charity organizations.
You've been with professors, they've all liked your looks,
With great lawyers you've 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 still something's happening and you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
You crawl into the room like a camel and you frown,
Put your eyes in your pocket and your nose in the ground.
There ought to be a law against you coming around,
You should be made to be wearing a telephone
'Cause something is happening and you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
They say everything can be replaced,
They say every distance is not near,
So I remember every face
Of every man who put me here.
I see my light come shining from the west out to the east.
Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.
They say every man needs protection,
They say that every man must fall,
Yet I swear I see my reflection
Somewhere so high above this wall.
I see my light come shining from the west out to the east.
Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.
Now yonder stands a man in this lonely crowd,
A man who swears he's not to blame.
All day long I hear him shouting so loud,
Just crying out that he was framed.
I see my light come shining from the west out to the east.
Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.
Well, it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe,
If'n you don't know by now,
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 a-traveling on,
But don't think twice, it's alright.
Well, it ain't no use in a-turning on your light, babe,
The light I never knowed,
And it ain't no use in turning on your light, babe,
I'm on the dark side of the road.
Still, I wish there were something you would do or say
To try and make me change a-my mind and stay,
But we never did too much talking anyway,
So don't think twice, it's alright.
Well, it ain't no use in calling out my name, babe,
Like you never did before,
And it ain't no use in a-calling out my name, babe,
I can't hear you anymore.
I'm a-thinking and wondering, walking 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 alright.
So, I'm a-walking down that long, lonesome road, babe,
Where I'm bound I can't tell,
But goodbye's a-too good a word, babe,
So I'll just say, "Fare thee well."
I ain't saying you treated me unkind,
You coulda done better, but I don't mind,
You just kinda wasted my precious time,
But don't think twice, it's alright.
A-nobody feels any pain tonight as I stand inside the rain,
Everybody knows baby's got new clothes,
But lately I see her ribbons and her bows
Have a-fallen from her curls.
A-she takes just like a woman
And she aches just like a woman
And she wakes a-just like a woman,
Yeah, but she breaks a-just like a little girl.
Queen Mary, she's my friend, yes, I believe I'll go see her again,
A-nobody has to guess that baby can't be blessed
Till she sees finally that she's a-like all the rest
In her fog, with her amphetamine and her pearls.
A-she takes just like a woman
And she wakes just like a woman
And she aches just like a woman,
But she breaks a-just like a little girl.
It 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 a-pain in here,
I can't stay in here - ain't it clear
That I a-just don't fit? Yes, I believe it's time for us to quit.
Then, when we meet again, introduced as friends,
Please don't let on a-that you knew me when
I was a-hungry and it was your world.
You take just like a woman
And you ache a-just like a woman
And you make love just like a woman,
But you break just like a little girl.
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
As suicide remarks are torn -
From the fool's gold mouthpiece, the hollow horn
Plays wasted words, proves to warn
That he not busy being born is a-busy dying.
Temptation's page a-flies out the door,
You follow, find yourself at war,
Watch waterfalls of pity roar,
Feel to moan, but unlike before
You discover that you'd just be one more person crying.
So, don't fear if you hear
That foreign sound in your ear,
It's alright, ma, I'm only sighing.
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 a-bullets bark
As human gods aim for their mark,
Make everything from toy guns that spark
To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark -
Easy to see without looking too far 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.
And, though the rules of the road have been lodged,
It's people's games you got to dodge,
But it's alright, ma, I can make it.
Advertising signs that con
You into thinking you're the one
That can do what's a-never been done,
That can win what's a-never been won -
Meantime life outside goes on all around you.
You lose yourself, you reappear,
You suddenly find you got nothing to fear,
Alone you stand with nobody near
When a trembling, distant voice, unclear,
Startles your sleeping ears to hear someone thinks they really found you.
A question in your nerves is lit,
Yet you know there is a-no answer fit
To satisfy, ensure you not to quit,
Keep it in your mind and not forget
That it is not he or she or them or it that you belong to.
And, though the masters make the rules
For the wise men and the fools,
I got nothing, ma, to live up to.
Old-lady judges watch people in pairs,
Limited in sex they dare
To push fake morals, insult, and stare,
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 their minds most bitterly,
For them that think death's honesty
Won't fall upon 'em naturally, life sometimes must get lonely.
My eyes collide head-on with stuffed
Graveyards, false goals, I scuff
At pettiness, which plays so rough,
Walk upside-down inside handcuffs,
Kick my legs to crash it off,
Say, "Alright, I've had enough, what else can you show me?"
And, if my thought-dreams could be seen,
They'd probably put my head in a guillotine,
But it's alright, ma, it's life and life only.
"There must be some way outta here," said the joker to the thief,
"There's too much confusion, I can't get no release.
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's 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, the wind began to howl.
God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son."
Abe said, "Man, you must be putting me on."
God said, "No." Abe said, "What?"
God said, "You can do what you want, Abe, but
The next time you see me coming you better run."
Abe said, "Where you want this killing done?"
God said, "Out on Highway 61."
Georgia Sam, he had a bloody nose,
Welfare Department wouldn't give him no clothes.
He asked poor Howard, "Where can I go?"
And Howard said, "There's only one place I know."
And Sam said, "Well, tell me quick, man - I got to run!"
And Old Howard just pointed off with his gun:
"That way down Highway 61."
Well, the--Mack the Finger said to Louis the King,
"I got forty red, white, and blue shoestrings
And a thousand telephones that don't ring -
Do you know where I can possibly get rid of these things?"
And Louis the King said, "Let me think for a minute, son."
And then, "Yeah, I think it can be easily done:
Take it on down to Highway 61."
Well, the fifth daughter on the twelfth night
Told her first own father that things weren't right:
"My complexion," she said, " - much too white."
"Come on over here, girl, and step into this light - ahh, 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.
The roving gambler was a-very bored,
Tried to create a next world war.
Ohh, he found a promoter, nearly fell on the floor:
"No, I never did engage in this a-kinda thing before,
But, yes, I think it can be very easily done.
We'll just put some bleachers out in the sun,
Have it on Highway 61."
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 kidding you.
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hanging 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,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
You gone to the finest school, alright, Ms. Lonely,
But you know you only used to get juiced in it,
Nobody's ever taught you how to live out on the street
And you find out 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, "Would you like to make a deal?"
How does it feel,
How does it feel,
To be without a home,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Just like a rolling stone?
You never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns when they all came down to do 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 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's taken everything he could steal?
How does it feel,
How does it feel,
To be without a home,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Just like a rolling stone?
Princess on the steeple and all pretty people,
They're all drinking, thinking that they got it made,
Exchanging all precious gifts and things,
But you'd better take your diamond ring down and pawn it, babe.
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used -
A-go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse:
When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose -
You're invisible, you got no secrets to conceal.
How does it feel,
How does it feel,
To be without a home,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Just like a rolling stone?
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must the white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, and how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind,
The answer is blowing in the wind.
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 must a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind,
And the answer is blowing in the wind.
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.
Thank you!
Goodnight!
Early one morning the sun was shining, I was laying in bed,
Wondering 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 I was standing on the side of the road, rain falling on my shoes,
Heading out for the East Coast - Lord knows, I've paid some dues getting through,
Tangled up in blue.
She was married when we first met, soon to be divorced,
I helped her out of a jam, I guess, but I used a little too much force.
We drove that car as far as we could, abandoned it out west,
Split up on a dark, sad night, both agreeing it was best.
She turned around to look at me as I was a-walking away,
I heard her say over my shoulder, "We'll meet again someday on the avenue,
Tangled up in blue."
I had a job in the Great North Woods working as a cook for a spell,
But I never did like it all that much and one day the ax just fell,
So I drifted down to New Orleans where I lucky was to be employed,
Working for a while on a fishing boat right outside of Delacroix,
But all the while I was alone, the past was close behind,
I seen a lot of women but she never escaped my mind and I just grew
Tangled up in blue.
She was working in a topless place and I stopped in for a beer,
I just kept looking at the side of her face in the spotlight so clear,
And later on, when the crowd thinned out, I was just about to do the same,
She was standing there in back of my chair, said to me, "Don't I know your name?"
I muttered something underneath my breath, she studied the lines of my face,
I must admit, 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 fifteenth century,
And every one of them words rang true and glowed like burning coal,
Pouring off of every page like it was written in my soul, from me to you,
Tangled up in blue.
I lived with them on Montague Street, in a basement down the stairs,
There was music in the cafes at night and revolution in the air,
Then he started into dealing with slaves and something inside of him died,
She had to sell everything she owned and froze up inside,
And when it finally--the bottom fell out, I became withdrawn,
The only thing I knew how to do was to keep on keeping 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 carpenters' wives,
Don't know how it all got started, I don't know what they're doing with their lives,
But me, I'm still on the road, a-heading for another joint,
We always did feel the same, we just saw it from a different point of view,
Tangled up in blue.
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,
'Twas then he felt alone and wished that he'd gone straight
And watched out for a simple twist of fate.
They walked along 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 burst through a beat-up shade, where he was waking up,
She dropped a coin into the cup above 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 that 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 sailors 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 -
Blame it on a simple twist of fate.
Our conversation was short and sweet,
It nearly swept me off of my feet -
And I'm back in the rain,
Oh, and you are on dry land,
You made it there somehow,
You're a big girl now.
Bird on the horizon sitting on a fence,
He's singing his song for me at his own expense -
And I'm just like that bird,
Oh, singing just for you,
I hope that you can hear--
Hear me singing through these tears.
Time is a jet plane, it moves too fast,
Oh, but what a shame! that all we've shared can't last.
I can change, I swear,
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, in somebody's room,
It's a price I have 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, with a pain that stops and starts,
Like a corkscrew to my heart
Ever since we've been apart.
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 me any better than that,
Sweet lady.
Idiot wind blowing every time you 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 quiet 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 war
After losing every battle.
I woke up on the roadside daydreaming 'bout 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 a-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 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 tree while the springtime turned
Slowly into autumn.
Idiot wind blowing like a circle around my skull,
From the Grand Coulee Dam to the Capitol,
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 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've been 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 your 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've suffered, nor the pain I'd rise 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 coat,
Blowing through the letters that we wrote,
Idiot wind blowing through the dust upon our shelves,
We're idiots, babe, it's a wonder we can even feed ourselves.
I've seen love go by my door, it's never been this close before,
Never been so easy or so slow.
I been shooting in the dark too long, when something's not right, it's wrong,
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go.
Dragon clouds so high above, I've only known careless love,
It always has hit me from below,
But this time 'round it's more correct, right on target, so direct,
You're 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,
You're 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, relationships have all been bad -
Mine've been like Verlaine's and Rimbaud's,
But there's no way I can compare all them scenes to this affair,
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go.
You're gonna make me wonder what I'm doing,
Staying far behind without you,
You're gonna make me wonder what I'm saying,
You're gonna make me give myself a good talking-to.
I'll look for you in old Honolulu, San Francisco, or Ashtabula,
You're 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,
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go.
Meet me in the morning, 56th and Wabasha,
Meet me in the morning, 56th and Wabasha,
Honey, we could be in Kansas by the 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 a-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, you 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've even outrun the hound dog, 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, when you kiss my lips?
The festival was over and the boys were all planning for a fall,
The cabaret was quiet except for the drilling in the wall,
The curfew had been lifted and the gambling wheel shut down,
Anyone with any sense had already left town;
He was standing in the doorway, looking 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 doing before he turned their heads,
And 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 playing five-card stud by the stairs,
Lily had two queens, she was hoping for a third to match her pair.
Outside the streets were filling up, the window was open wide,
A gentle breeze was blowing - 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, looking 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, looking like a queen without a crown.
She fluttered her false eyelashes and whispered in his ear,
"Sorry, darling, that I'm late," but he didn't seem to hear:
He was staring into space over at the jack of hearts.
I know I've seen that face somewhere, Big Jim was thinking to himself,
Maybe down in Mexico or a picture upon somebody's shelf.
But then the crowd began to stamp their feet and the house lights a-did dim
And in the darkness of the room there was only Jim and him,
Staring 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 hanging judge came in unnoticed and was being wined and dined,
The drilling 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, nothing ever would, except maybe the jack of hearts.
Rosemary started drinking hard and seeing her reflection in the knife,
She was tired of the attention, tired of playing the role of Big Jim's wife.
She had done a lot of bad things, even once tried suicide,
Was looking to do just one good deed before she died -
She was gazing 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 musta 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 looking like a saint."
Down the hallway footsteps were coming 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 hanging judge, but the hanging judge a-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 standing there - you couldn't say - surprised,
Rosemary right beside him, steady in her eyes -
She was with Big Jim, but she was leaning 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,
For they couldn't go no further without the jack of hearts.
The next day was hanging 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 hanging judge a-was sober, he hadn't had a drink,
The only person on the scene missing 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 thinking 'bout her father, who she very rarely saw,
Thinking 'bout Rosemary and thinking about the law,
But most of all she was thinking 'bout the jack of hearts.
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 alright, 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
For 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 if she's got the time.
'Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood,
When blackness was a virtue, 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 and 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 standing 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, something there's been lost,
I took too much for granted, I got my signals crossed -
Just to think that it all began on a noneventful 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 wailing like a mourning 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 and she give me a lethal dose,
I offered up my innocence, I got repaid with scorn:
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Well, I'm living 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."
Buckets of rain, buckets of tears,
Got all them buckets coming outta my ears,
Buckets of moonbeams in my hand,
You got all the love, a-honey baby, I can stand.
I been meek and hard like an oak,
I've seen pretty people disappear like smoke,
Friends will arrive, friends will disappear -
If you want me, a-honey baby, I'll be here.
I like the smile in your fingertips,
I 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 taking you with me, a-honey baby, where I go.
Life is sad, life is a bust,
All you can do is do what you must,
You do what you must do and you do it well -
I do it for you, a-honey baby, can't you tell?
I'll stand in awe and I'll shake my face -
You break your promise all over the place.
You promised to love me, but what do I see?
Just you coming and spilling 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've said.
You promised to love me, but what do I know?
You're always spilling 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 saying and you know what I mean.
From now on you'd best get on someone else -
While you're doing it, keep that juice to yourself.
Odds and ends, odds and ends,
Lost time is not found again.
Well, that big dumb blonde with her wheel gorged,
Turtle, that friend of hers 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 to over 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 him a yarn,
And 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 hitting it too hard, my stones won't take,
I get up in the morning, 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,
I punched myself in the face with my fist,
I took my potatoes down to be mashed,
And I made it on over to that million dollar bash.
Ooh, baby, ooh-ee,
Ooh, baby, ooh-ee,
It's that million dollar bash.
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?
Oh, everybody's got to eat
And I'm just the same as anyone else
When it comes to scratching for my meat.
Going to Acapulco, going on the run,
Going down to see soft gut, going to have some fun,
Yeah! going to have some fun.
Now, whenever I get up and
Can't find what I need,
I just make it down to Rose Marie's
And get something quick to eat.
It's not a bad way to make a living
And I ain't complaining none
For I can blow my plum and break my rum
And then go on home and have my fun.
Going to Acapulco, going on the run,
Going to Ac--to see soft gut, going to have some fun,
Yeah! going 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.
Now, every time, you know, when the well breaks down,
I just go pump on it some.
Rose Marie, she likes to go to big places
And just set there waiting for me to come.
Going to Acapulco, going on the run,
Going down to see soft gut, going down some fun,
Yeah! going to have some fun.
I pulled out for San Anton', I never felt so good,
My woman said she'd meet me there and of course I knew she would.
The coachman, he hit me for my hook and--and he asked me my name,
I'll give it to him right away, then I hung my head in shame.
Lo and behold! Lo and behold!
Looking for my lo and behold!
Get me outta here, my dear man!
I come into Pittsburgh at six-thirty flat,
I found myself a vacant seat and I put down my hat.
"What's the matter, Molly dear? What's the matter with your mound?"
"What's it to you, Moby Dick? This is chicken-town!"
Lo and behold! Lo and behold!
Looking for my lo and behold!
Get me outta here, my dear man!
I bought myself a herd of moose, one day she could call it her own,
Well, she came out the very next day to see where they had flown.
I'm going down to Tennessee, get me a truck or something,
Wanna save my money and rip it up.
Lo and behold! Lo and behold!
Looking for my lo and behold!
Get me outta here, my dear man!
Now, I come in on a Ferris wheel and, boys, I sure was slick,
I come in like a ton of bricks, laid a few tricks on 'em.
Going back to Pittsburgh, count up to thirty,
Round that horn and ride that herd, gonna thread up.
Lo and behold! Lo and behold!
Looking for my lo and behold!
Get me outta here, my dear man!
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 and papa asked her what it was,
Someone else asked, "What do you care?" Papa said, "Well, just because."
Then they started to take back the clothes, hang 'em on the line,
It was January the thirtieth and everybody was feeling fine.
The next day everybody got up, seeing if the clothes were dry,
The dogs were barking, the neighbor passed, mama, of course 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, gee, that's too bad."
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it," said the neighbor, "Just something we're gonna have to forget."
"Yes, I guess so," said ma, then she asked me if the clothes were still wet.
I reached up, touched my shirt, and the neighbor said, "Are those clothes yours?"
I said, "Some of 'em, not all of 'em." He said, "You 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!"
Woo-hoo!
Well, I just do what I'm told, so I did it of course,
I went back in the house and mama met me and then I shut all the doors.
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!
Pull man down on a county hook, my man,
Pull man down like a county hook, my man,
Pull man down in pulley hook, let 'em take me or take a look,
Pull him down in a county hook, my man.
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,
Underneath that apple suckling tree, oh, yeah!
Now, I wish to my soul that I had seven years, uh-huh,
I wish to my soul I had seven years, uh-huh,
St. Bartholomew's burying ground won't catch your name, but he has the hound,
[incoherent] on the avenue, oh, yeah!
Underneath that apple suckling tree, oh, yeah!
Under that apple suckling tree, oh, yeah!
Well, underneath that tree there's just gonna be you and me,
Underneath that apple suckling tree, oh, yeah!
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,
Underneath that apple suckling tree, oh, yeah!
Well, I've already had two beers, I'm ready for the broom,
Please, Mrs. Henry, won't you take me to my room?
I'm a good old boy, but I've been sniffing too many eggs,
Talking too many people, drinking too many kegs.
Please, Mrs. Henry, Mrs. Henry, please!
Please, Mrs. Henry, Mrs. Henry, please!
I'm down on my knees and I ain't got a dime.
Well, I'm groaning in the hallway, pretty soon I'll be mad,
Please, Mrs. 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, Mrs. Henry, Mrs. Henry, please!
Please, Mrs. Henry, Mrs. 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, I'm a generous bomb,
I'm T-boned and punctured, I've been known to be calm.
Please, Mrs. Henry, Mrs. Henry, please!
Please, Mrs. Henry, Mrs. Henry, please!
I'm down on my knees and I ain't got a dime.
Now, I'm starting to drain, my stool's gonna squeak,
If I walk too much farther, my crane's gonna leak.
Look, Mrs. Henry, there's only so much I can do,
Why don't you look my way and pump me a few?
Please, Mrs. Henry, Mrs. Henry, please!
Please, Mrs. Henry, Mrs. Henry, please!
I'm down on my knees and I ain't got a dime.
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 would--'neath the sun--would treat her father so?
To wait upon him hand and foot, yet always answer "no"?
Tears of rage, tears of grief, why I'm always the one who must feel a thief?
Come to me now, you know, we're so alone and life is brief.
It was all 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--discover that there was no one true,
That I myself really thought it was just a childish thing to do.
Tears of rage, tears of grief, why am I always the one who must feel the thief?
Come to me now, you know, we're so alone and life is brief.
It was all very, very painless when you ran 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 always the one who must feel the thief?
Come to me now, you know, we're so alone and life is brief.
Too much of nothing can make a man ill at ease:
One man's temper rises, well, another man's temper might freeze.
Now, it's that day of confession and 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 her all my salary on the waters of oblivion.
Well, there's too much of nothing--can cause a man to weep,
He can walk the streets like most and boast of what he'd like to keep,
But it's all been done before, it's all been written in the book
And, when there's too much of nothing, nobody should look.
Say hello to Valerie, say hello to Vivian,
Give her all my salary on the waters of oblivion.
Now, too much of nothing can make a man a liar,
It can cause some men to sleep on nails, it can cause others to eat fire.
Everybody's doing something - I've heard it in a dream,
But, when there's too much of nothing, it just makes a fellow mean.
Say hello to Valerie, say hello to Vivian,
Give her all my salary on the waters of oblivion.
Well, the comic book and me, just us, we caught the bus,
The poor little 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 heading 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 me 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!
Take me down to California, baby!
Yes, the comic book and me, just us, we caught the bus,
Poor little 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!
Yea heavy, and a bottle of bread!
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 gonna have to find yourself another best friend somehow.
Now, don't you try and move me, you're just gonna lose,
There's a crash on the levee and, mama, you been refused.
Well, it's sugar for sugar, it's salt for salt,
If you go down in the flood, it's gonna be your fault.
Oh, mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
Yes, you gonna have to find yourself another best friend somehow.
Well, the high tide's rising, 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 gonna have to find yourself another best friend somehow.
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 'em--everybody down in old Frisco
That Tiny Montgomery's coming down to say hello.
Skinny Moo and T-Bone Frank,
They're all gonna take on down by the bounded bank.
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.
Pink that dream and nose that dough,
Tell 'em all that Tiny says hello.
Now, he's a king of the drunk and he squeezes, too,
Watch out, Lester, take it, Blue,
Join the monk, C.I.O.,
Tell 'em all that Tiny Montgomery says hello.
Now, grease that gig and play it blank,
Hang on and go on out and gas that dog,
Trick on in, flower that smoll,
Take it on down to give me grow.
Now, play that low and pick it up,
Take it on in in a bowl-cup.
Three-legged man and a hot-lipped hoe,
Tell 'em all Montgomery says hello.
Well, you can tell everybody down in old Frisco,
Tell 'em all that Montgomery says hello.
Clouds so swift, rain won't lift, gate won't close, railings froze -
Get your mind off wintertime, you ain't going nowhere.
Ooh-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 going nowhere.
Ooh-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 and substitutes,
Strap yourself to the tree with roots, you ain't going nowhere.
Ooh-ee, ride me high, tomorrow's the day my bride's gonna come!
Oh, oh, are we gonna fly down to the easy chair!
Genghis Khan, he could not keep all his kings supplied with sleep,
"But we'll climb that hill no matter how steep when we come up to it!"
Ooh-ee, ride me high, tomorrow's the day my bride's gonna come!
Oh, oh, we gonna fly down to the easy chair!
Yes, I went down to the river on a Saturday morn,
I's looking around just to see who was born.
I spied a little chicken a-down on his knees,
I went up and yelled to him, "Please, please, please!"
She said, "Don't you tell Henry,
Don't you tell Henry,
Don't you tell Henry, apple's got your fly."
Yes, I went down to the beanery at half past twelve,
I's looking around just to see myself.
I looked high and low and I looked up above,
But who did I see but the one I love?
She said, "Now, don't you tell Henry,
Don't you tell Henry,
Don't you tell Henry, apple's got your fly."
Yeah, I went down to the whorehouse the other night,
I was looking around, I was outta sight.
I looked at a ho and I saw a mule,
I looked for a cow and I saw me a few.
They said, "Don't you tell Henry,
Don't you tell Henry
Don't you tell Henry, apple's got your fly."
Yeah, I went down to the river on a Saturday morn,
I's looking around just to see who was born.
I saw a little chicken a-down on his knees,
I went up and yelled to him, "Please, please, please!"
She said, "Don't you tell Henry,
Don't you tell Henry,
Don't you tell Henry, apple's got your fly."
Nothing was delivered
And I tell this truth to you
Not out of spite, nor anger,
But simply because it's true.
Now, I hope you won't object to giving--
Giving back all of what you owe,
The fewer words you have to waste on this,
The sooner you can go.
Nothing is better, nothing is best,
Take care of yourself, get plenty 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 that's not been received
And the sooner you come up with them,
The sooner you can leave.
Nothing is better, nothing is best,
Take care of yourself, get plenty rest.
Now, you know, nothing was delivered
And it's up to you to say
Just what you had in mind
When you made everybody pay.
No, nothing was delivered,
Yes, and someone must explain
That, as long as it takes to do this,
Then that's how--as long as you'll remain.
Nothing is better, nothing is best,
Take care of yourself, get plenty rest.
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 we all must swim
If we expect to live off of the fat of the land.
Open the door, Richard, I heard it said before,
Open the door, Richard, 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,
That fellow who never blushes,
And that is that one must always flush out his house
If he don't expect to be housing flushes.
Open the door, Richard, I've heard it said before,
Open the door, Richard, I've heard it said before,
But I ain't gonna hear it said no more.
"Take care of all of your memories," said Mick,
"For you cannot relive them
And remember when you're out there trying to heal the sick
That you must always first forgive them."
Open the door, Richard, I've heard it said before,
Open the door, Richard, I've heard it said before,
But I ain't gonna hear it said no more.
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 get 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,
Everybody wants to make a long distance call, but, you know, they're just gonna have to wait.
Everybody wants to be my friend, but nobody wants to get higher,
Everybody wants to be my friend, but nobody wants to get higher,
Long distance operator, I believe I'm strangling in this telephone wire.
If your memory serves you well, we were going to meet again and wait,
So I'm going 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 memory serves you well.
This wheel's on fire, rolling down the road,
Best notify my next of kin this wheel shall explode!
If your memory serves you well, I was going 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 know that we shall meet again if your memory serves you well.
This wheel's on fire, 's rolling down the road,
Best notify my next of kin this wheel shall explode!
If your memory 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 every plan had failed and there was nothing more to tell,
You knew that we should meet again if your memory served you well.
This wheel's on fire, it's rolling down the road,
Best notify my next of kin that this wheel shall explode!
Pistol-shots ring out in the barroom night,
Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall,
She sees a bartender in a pool of blood,
Cries out, "My God, they've killed 'em all!"
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've 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,
The number one contender for the middleweight crown
Had no idea what kind of 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 prowling around.
He said, "I saw two men running out, they looked like middleweights,
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 he could identify the guilty men.
Four in the morning and they haul Rubin in,
They took him to the hospital and they brought him upstairs.
The wounded man looks up through his one, dying eye,
Said, "Why'd you bring him in here for! He ain't the guy!"
Here's 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've been the champion of the world.
Four months later, the ghettoes 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 you--happened in a bar?
Remember you said you saw the getaway car?
Think you'd like to play ball with the law?
Think it mighta been that fighter that you saw running that night? Don't forget that you are white."
Arthur Dexter Bradley said, "I'm really not sure."
The cops said, "A poor boy like you could use a break -
We got you for the motel job and you talking to your friend, Bello,
If you don't wanna have to go back to jail, be a nice fellow.
You'll be doing society a favor,
That son-of-a-bitch is brave and getting braver.
We wanna put his ass in the stir,
We wanna 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, just as soon go on my way"--
Up into some paradise
Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice
And ride a horse along the 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,
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.
Yes, 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've been the champion of the world.
I married Isis on the fifth day of May,
But I could not hold on to her very long,
So I cut off a-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 the 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 looking for something easy to catch?"
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 going?" He said we'd be back by the fourth.
I said, "That's the best news that I've ever heard."
I was thinking about turquoise, I was thinking about gold,
I was thinking about diamonds and the world's biggest necklace,
As we rode through the canyons, through the devilish cold,
I was thinking 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 a-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 trying to find.
If I carry it out, it'll bring a good price."
'Twas a-then that I knew what he had on his mind.
The wind, it was howling and the snow was outrageous,
We chopped through the night and we chopped through the dawn.
When he died, I was hoping 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 nothing! I felt I've been had
When I saw that my partner was just being friendly,
When I took up his offer, I must've 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 you been?" I said, "No place special."
She said, "You look a-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're a mystical child,
What drives a-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 drizzling a-rain.
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 maybe fall in love, just me and you.
There's lots 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
And 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
Upon the beach of sunny Mozambique.
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.
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:
You may not see me tomorrow.
Born in Red Hook, Brooklyn, in the year of a-who knows when,
Opened up his eyes to the tune of an accordion,
Always on the outside of 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 a-hit the roof,
He went out that night to seek revenge, thinking he was bulletproof.
When a 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 'em "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 hands, 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. Judge says, "That's exactly what you get."
He did ten years in Attica, reading Nietzsche 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.
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 a way back into the life he left behind,
To the boss said, "I have 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 the 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 door 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",
And 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 a-Brooklyn mourned,
They said a mass in the old church near the house where he was born.
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,
What made them want to come and blow you away?
Hot chili peppers in the blistering sun,
Dust on my face and my cape,
Me and Magdalena on the run,
I think this time we should 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 Ramon.
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 Torreon.
Then the padre will recite the prayers of old
In the little church a-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, it 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,
Soon you will be dancing the fandango.
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 a-nothing like that,
And all of 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 calling 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 morning light breaks open, the Greek comes down and he asks for rope and a pen that will write.
"Pardon, monsieur," the desk clerk says, carefully removes his fez, "am I hearing you right?"
And, as the yellow fog is lifting, the Greek is quickly heading for the second floor,
She passes him on the spiral staircase, thinking 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, doing business a-with a tiny man, who sells him a ring,
Lightning strikes, the lights blow out, the desk clerk wakes, he 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 in 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 where the Greek had locked where a handwritten sign read a-"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 a-open up a-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,
The desk clerk said, "It happens every day",
As the stars fell down and the moons fade 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 sun burns on and the smoke drifts away from Black Diamond Bay.
I was sitting home alone one night in L.A., watching old Cronkite on the seven o'clock news,
It seems there was an earthquake that left nothing but a Panama hat and a pair of old Greek shoes.
It didn't seem like much was happening, so I turned it off and went to grab another beer,
Seem like every time you turn around there's another hard-luck story that you're gonna hear
And there's really nothing anyone can say -
And I never did plan to go anyway to Black Diamond Bay.
I laid on the 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 wanna 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, a 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 a marketplace in Savanna-la-Mar.
Sara, Sara, it's all so clear, I could never forget,
Sara, oh, Sara, loving you is 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 days in the Chelsea Hotel,
Writing "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" for you.
Sara, oh, Sara, wherever we travel we're never apart,
Sara, oh, 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, oh, Sara, Scorpio Sphinx in a calico dress,
Sara, oh, 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 gave me a map and a key to your door.
Sara, oh, Sara, glamorous nymph with an arrow and bow,
Sara, oh, Sara, don't ever leave me, don't ever go.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more,
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
Well, I wake up in the morning, fold my hands and pray for rain,
Got a head full of ideas driving me insane,
It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor, ohh!
No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more,
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.
He hands you a nickel, then he hands you a dime,
Asks you with a grin, "Are you having a good time?"
Then he fines you every time you slam the door, ohh!
Said I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.
Ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more,
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.
He hands--out in your face for kicks,
His bedroom window, it's a-made outta bricks.
The National Guard stands around his door, ohh!
Said I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more,
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
She talks to all the servants about man and God and law,
Everybody tells me she's the brains behind pa.
68, but says she's 24, ohh!
Said I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more,
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
I try my best to be like I am,
Everybody wants you to be like them,
They say "Sing!" while you slave -- I get bored, whoa-ohh!
Said I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
Down the street the dogs are barking and the day is getting dark,
As the night comes in a-falling, the dogs will lose their bark,
The silent night will shatter from the sounds inside my mind
As I am one too many mornings and a thousand miles behind.
From the crossroads of my doorstep my eyes begin to fade
And I turn my head back to the room where my love and I have laid
Till I gaze back to the streets, the sidewalks, and the sign
And know I'm one too many mornings and a thousand miles behind.
It's a restless, hungry feeling and it don't mean no one no good
When everything that I'm saying you could say it just as good.
You are right from your side and I'm right from mine,
We're both one too many mornings and a thousand miles behind.
I've no right to be here if you've no right to stay
Until we're both one too many mornings and a thousand miles away.
Well, 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,
Lord, 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?
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
Stay away from the train line,
She said that all the railroad men
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."
Ooh, mama, can this really be the end -
To be stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again?
Grandpa died last week,
Now he's buried in the rocks,
Everyone still talks about
How badly they were shocked -
But me, I expected it to happen
When I seen him lose control,
He built a fire on Main Street
And shot it fulla holes.
Oh, mama, can this really be the end -
To be stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again?
Well, my Ruthie said come see her
In her honky-tonk lagoon,
Where I could watch her waltz for free
'Neath her Panamanian moon.
I said, "Oh, come on, now,
You must know about my debutante."
She said, "Your debutante 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, they fall on Grand Street,
Where the neon madmen climb,
They'd all fall there so perfectly,
It all seemed so well-timed,
And here I sit so patiently,
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get outta
Going through all these things twice.
Oh, mama, can this really be the end -
To be stuck here inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again?
Oh, sister, when I come to knock on your door,
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:
You may not see me tomorrow.
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:
You may not see me tomorrow.
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,
Forget this dance, let's go upstairs.
Let's take a chance - who really cares?
Why don't you know you got nothing to prove?
It's all in your eyes and the way that you move.
Forget this dance, let's go upstairs.
Why wait any longer for no need to complain?
You can have love, but you might lose it.
Why run any longer when you're running in vain?
You can have the truth, but you got to choose it.
Stay, lady, stay, stay with your man awhile,
Till the break of day let me see you make him smile.
I long to see you in the morning light,
I long to hold you in the night -
Stay, lady, stay, stay with your man awhile.
Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed.
'Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood,
Blackness was a virtue, 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."
Not a word was spoke between us, there was no 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, 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 standing there
With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair,
She walked up to me so gracefully, took my crown of thorns,
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Now, the deputy walks on hard nails, preacher rides a mount,
Nothing a-really matters much, 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."
In a little hilltop village they gambled for my clothes,
I bargained for salvation, they gave me a lethal dose,
I offered up my innocence, got repaid with scorn:
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Now there's a wall between us, something there's been lost,
I took too much for granted, got my signals crossed -
Just to think that it all began in a noneventful morn:
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm."
I'm living 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."
Our conversation was short and sweet,
It nearly knocked me off of my feet -
And I'm back in the rain,
Eh, and you are on dry land,
You made it there somehow,
You're a big girl now.
Bird on the horizon sitting on a fence,
He's singing his song for me at his own expense -
And I'm just like that bird,
Eh, singing just for you,
I a-hope you can hear--
Hear me singing through these tears.
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,
Eh, in somebody's room,
It's a price I'll have to pay,
You're a big girl all the way.
Time is a jet plane, it moves too fast,
Oh, but what a shame! if all we've shared can't last.
Well, I may just swear,
Eh, see what you can do,
I can make it through,
You can make it too.
A change in the weather is always extreme,
But what's the sense of changing horses in midstream?
I'm going out of my mind,
Hey, with a pain that stops and starts,
Like a corkscrew to my heart
Ever since we've been apart.
I once held her in my arms,
She said she would always stay,
But I musta been mad, never knew what I had,
I threw it all away,
I threw it all away.
Once I had mountains in the palm of my hand
And rivers that ran through every day,
But, what'd I do? I let it slip through,
I threw it all away,
I threw it all away.
Love is all there is, it makes the world go 'round,
Love and only love - it can't be denied.
No matter what you think about it, you won't be able to do without it -
Take a tip from a-one who's tried.
So, if you find someone who gives you all of her love,
Take it to your heart, don't let it stray.
One thing for sure: there ain't no cure
If you throw it all away,
If you throw it all away.
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, I guess they just can't remember how to act,
Their minds are filled with false ideas, images, and distorted facts.
And even you, yesterday, you had to ask me where it was at,
I couldn't believe after all these years you didn't know me any better than that,
Sweet lady.
Idiot wind blowing every time you move your mouth,
Blowing on 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, she said beware 'cause of lightning might strike,
I haven't known about peace and quiet now for so long I don't even remember what it's like.
There's a lone soldier on the cross, smoke pouring out of a boxcar door,
He didn't know it, he never thought it could be done, but in the final shot he'd won the war
After losing every battle.
I woke up on the roadside daydreaming 'bout the way things a-really are,
Visions of your smoking tone shoot through my head and are making me see stars.
You hurt the ones that I love best, then cover up the truth with lies,
One day you'll be in the grave, 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 mouth--teeth,
You're an idiot, babe, it's a wonder that you still can even breathe.
It was gravity which pulled us down and destiny which broke us apart,
You tamed the lion in my cage, but it 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 are on the bottom.
I noticed at the ceremony that your corrupt ways had finally made you blind,
I can't recall your face anymore, your mouth has changed and your eyes don't look into mine.
The priest wore black on the seventh day, sat stone-faced while the building burned,
I waited for you on the running boards near the cypress tree while the springtime turned
Slowly into autumn.
Idiot wind blowing like a circle around my skull,
From the Grand Coulee Dam to the Capitol,
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 can't feel you anymore, I can't even touch the clothes you wear,
Every time I come into your door, you leave me standing in the middle of the air.
Down the highway, down the tracks, down the road to ecstasy,
I followed you beneath the stars, hounded by your memory
And all your raging glory.
I've been double-crossed now for the very last time and I think I finally see,
I kissed goodbye the howling beast on the borderline which separated you from me.
You'll never know the hurt I suffered, nor the pain I'd rise 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 coat,
Blowing through the letters that we wrote,
Idiot wind blowing through the dust upon our shelves,
We're idiots, babe, it's a wonder we can even feed ourselves.
Sixteen years, sixteen banners united
Over the fields where the good shepherd grieves,
Desperate men, desperate women divided,
Spreading their wings 'neath the falling leaves,
Fortune calls, I step 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 struggled to my feet, I rode past destruction in the ditches
With the stitches still mending 'neath 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 angels' 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 onto 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 get ready for elimination
Or else your hearts must have the courage for the changing of the guards.
"Peace will come with tranquility and the splendor
On the wheels of fire, but will offer no reward
Where the false idols fall and cruel death surrenders
With its pale ghost retreating between the king and the queen of swords."
I had a pony, her name was Lucifer,
I had a pony, her name was Lucifer,
She broke her leg and needed shooting,
I swear it hurt me more than it coulda hurted her.
Sometimes I wonder what's going on with Miss X,
Sometimes I wonder what's going on with Miss X,
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 foxtrot, lope, and pace,
Well, I got a new pony, she knows how to foxtrot, lope, and pace,
She got great big hind legs,
Long, black, shaggy hair hanging in her face.
Everybody says you're using voodoo, I've seen your feet walk by themselves,
Oh, well, everybody says you're using voodoo, I've seen your feet walk by themselves,
Oh, baby, but that god that you been praying to
Gonna give you back what you 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,
You know--so nasty and you're so bad,
But I swear I love you, yes, I do.
In death you face life with a child and a wife who sleepwalks through your dreams into walls,
You're a soldier of mercy and 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 in secret for pieces of change,
The empress attracts you, but oppression distracts you, 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 a missing link
And there's 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'a paid 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.
Vomit and jealousy's all that he sells us, he's contented when you're under his thumb,
Madmen oppose him, 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 staring clear at the back of your 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, have no expectations any time, any place, anywhere.
Mercury, gravity,
Nobility, humility.
You know you can't keep her and the water gets deeper that is leading you onto the brink
And there's no time to think.
You've murdered your vanity, burned 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
And there's no time to think.
The bridge that you travel on goes to the Babylon girl with the rose in her hair,
Starlight in the east, you're finally released, you're stranded with nothing to share.
Loyalty, unity,
Epitome, rigidity.
You turn around for one real last glimpse of Camille 'neath the moonshine, 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,
And no time to think.
You been down to the bottom with a bad man, babe,
But you're back where 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,
But, 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,
But, 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,
But, 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.
But, 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,
But, baby, please stop crying--it's tearing up my mind.
Do you 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 your 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 your love in vain?
Well, I've been to the mountain and I've been in the wind,
I've been in and out of a-happiness,
I have dined with kings, I've been offered wings,
And I've a-never been too impressed.
Alright, 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 your love in vain?
Can you cook and sew, make flowers grow, do you understand my pain?
Are you willing to risk it all or is your love in vain?
Senor, Senor, can you tell me where we're heading,
Lincoln County Road or Armageddon?
Seem like I been down this way before,
Is there any truth in that, Senor?
Senor, Senor, do you know where she's hiding?
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 marching band still playing 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,
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,
She said, "Son, this ain't a dream no more, it's the real thing."
Senor, Senor, you know, their hearts're as hard as leather,
Well, give me a minute, let me get it together,
Just gotta pick myself up off the floor.
I'm ready when you are, Senor.
Senor, Senor, let's overturn these tables,
Disconnect these cables--
This place don't make sense to me no more!
Can you tell me what we're waiting for, Senor?
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 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 and I'll tell you when.
You're a tearjerker, baby, but I'm under your spell,
You're a hard worker, baby, but I know you well
And 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 a 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,
True love, true love, true love tends to forget.
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 needlessly suffer?
Let's call it a day, go our own different ways before we decay.
You don't have to be afraid of looking a-into my face,
We've done nothing to each other time will not erase.
I feel displaced, I got a low-down feeling:
You 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,
Somewheres in this universe 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 a-one hand clapping:
The vows that we kept are now broken and swept 'neath the bed where we slept.
Don't think of me and fantasize on what we've never had,
Be grateful for what we've shared together and be glad.
Why should we go on watching each other through a telescope?
Eventually we'll hang ourselves on all this tangled rope.
Oh, baby, time for a new transition,
I wish I a-was a magician,
I would wave a wand and tie back the bond that we've both gone beyond.
There's a long distance train rolling through the rain,
Tears on the letter that I write,
There's a woman I long to touch and I'm missing her so much,
But she's drifting like a satellite,
There's a neon light ablaze in a 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 streetwise,
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'd part.
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 nobody can write--
Oh, where are you tonight?
The truth was obscure, too profound and too pure,
To live it you had 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--well, 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,
Till 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 could never get clean.
It felt out of place, my foot in his face,
But he shoulda stayed where his money was green.
I bit into the root of forbidden fruit
With the juice running down my leg,
I've 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 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 doesn't seem right--
Oh, where are you tonight?
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 following you.
Though I know that evening'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 following you.
Take me disappearing 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,
In the jingle-jangle morning I'll come following you.
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 following you.
'Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood,
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."
If I pass this way again, you can rest assured,
I'll always a-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 born,
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm."
I was burned out from exhaustion, I was buried in the hail,
Poisoned in the bushes, 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, she was standing there
With silver bracelets on her wrists, flowers in her hair,
She walked up to me so gracefully and she took my crown of thorns,
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Well, I've heard newborn babies wailing like a mourning 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."
The deputy walks on a-hard nails and the preacher rides a mount,
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."
In a little hilltop village they gambled for my clothes,
I offered for salvation and they give me a lethal dose,
I offered up my innocence, got repaid with scorn:
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm."
I'm living in a foreign country, but I'm bound to cross the line,
Beauty walks on 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."
My love, she speaks like silence,
Without ideals or violence,
Doesn't have to say she's faithful,
Yet she's true like ice, like fire.
People carry roses,
Make promises by the hour,
My love, she laughs like the flowers,
Valentines can't buy her.
In the dimestores and bus-stations
People talk over situations,
Read books and repeat quotations,
Draw conclusions on the wall.
Some speak of the future,
My love, she speaks softly,
Knows there's no success like failure
And that failure's no success at all.
Cloak and dagger dangles,
Madams light the candles,
In ceremonies of the horsemen
Even a pawn must hold a grudge.
Statues made of matchsticks
Crumble into one another,
My love winks, she doesn't 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 cold and rainy,
My love, she's like some raven
At my window with a broken wing.
You walk into the room with your pencil in your hand,
You see someone naked and you say, "Who is that man?"
You try so hard, but you don't understand
Just what you're gonna say when you get home.
But something is happening, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
You sneak into the window and you say, "Is this where it is?"
Somebody points his finger at you and says, "It's his."
And you say, "What's mine?" Someone else says, "Where what is?"
You say, "Oh, my God, am I here all alone?"
Something is happening, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
You hand in your ticket to go see the geek,
Who 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.
Something is happening and you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
You have many contacts out there among the lumberjacks
To get you facts if someone attacks your imagination.
And no one has any respect, anyway they just expect
You to hand over your check to tax-deductible charity organizations.
The sword swallower walks up to you and he kneels,
He crosses himself and then he clicks his high heels,
And without further notice asks you how it feels
And says, "Here's your throat back. Thanks for the loan."
Something is happening and you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
You crawl into the room like a camel and you frown,
You put your eyes in your pocket and you put your nose into the ground.
There oughtta be a law against you coming around,
You got to be made to be wearing a telephone.
But something is happening and you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
Well, it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe,
If'n you don't know by now,
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, I'll be gone,
You're the reason I'm a-traveling on,
Don't think twice, it's alright, babe,
Don't think twice, it's alright.
It ain't no use in turning on your light, babe,
The light I never knowed,
And it ain't no use in turning on your light, babe,
I'm on the dark side of the road.
Still, I wish there was something that you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay,
But we never did too much talking anyway,
Don't think twice, it's alright, babe,
Don't think twice, it's alright.
It ain't no use in calling out my name, babe,
Like you never did before,
And it ain't no use in calling out my name, babe,
I can't a-hear you anymore.
I'm a-thinking and a-wondering, walking all the way down the road,
I once loved a woman that's a child, I'm told,
I give her my heart, but she wanted my soul,
Don't think twice, it's alright, babe,
Don't think twice, it's alright.
So, I'm a-walking 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 saying you treated me unkind,
You coulda done better, but I don't mind,
You just kinda wasted my precious time,
Don't think twice, it's alright,
It's alright,
It's alright,
It's alright,
It's alright,
It's alright,
It's alright,
It's alright,
It's alright,
It's alright,
Well, so don't think twice, it's alright.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more,
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
Well, I wake up in the morning, fold my hands and pray for rain,
Got a head full of ideas that are driving me insane,
It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more,
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.
He hands you a nickel and he hands you a dime,
Asks you with a grin, "Are you having a good time?"
Then he fines you every time you slam the door.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more,
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.
Talks to servants about man and God and law,
Everybody says he's the brains behind ma.
68, but says he's 24.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more,
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
Well, she puts her cigar out in my face just for kicks,
Her bedroom window, it is made outta bricks.
The National Guard stands around the door.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more,
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
I try my best to be just like I am,
Everybody wants you to be just like them,
They say "Sing!" while you slave -- I get bored.
Thank you, that was called "Maggie's Farm".
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,
I don't sense affection - no, no gratitude or love,
Your loyalty is a-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, where 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,
She never learned to read or write, there's no books upon her shelf,
And her pleasure knows no limits, her voice is like a meadowlark,
But her heart is like an ocean, so mysterious and dark.
One more cup of coffee for the road,
One more cup of coffee before I go to the valley below.
Thank you.
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 kidding you.
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hanging out;
Now you don't talk so loud,
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging around for your next meal -
How does it feel,
How does it feel,
To be without a home,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
You gone to the finest school, alright, Ms. Lonely,
But you know you only used to get juiced in it,
Nobody's ever taught you how to live out on the street
And you find out 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,
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 without a home,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Oh, you never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns when they all came down to do 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 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's taken everything that he can steal?
How does it feel,
How does it feel,
To be without a home,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Princess on the steeple and all pretty people,
They're all drinking, thinking they got it made,
Exchanging all precious gifts and things,
But you'd better take your diamond ring down and 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 ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose -
You're invisible, you've got no secrets to conceal.
How does it feel,
How does it feel,
To be without a home,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Thank you.
They say everything can be replaced,
Yet every distance is not near,
So I remember every face
Of every man who put me here.
I see my light come shining from the west out to the east,
Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.
Yonder down here in this lonely crowd
There's a man who swears he's not to blame.
All day long I hear him crying out so loud,
Crying out that he been framed.
I see my light come shining from the west out to the east,
Any day now, oh, any day now, I shall be released.
They say every man need protection,
They tell me every man must fall,
But I swear I see my reflection
Somewhere so high above this wall.
I see my light come shining from the west out to the east,
Any day now, oh, any day now, I shall be released,
I shall be released,
I shall be released,
I shall be released,
I shall be released.
Thank you.
Here's an unrecorded song. See if you can guess which one it is.
Do you 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 your love in vain?
Are you so fast that you cannot see that I must have solitude?
When I am in the darkness, why must you intrude?
Do you know my world, do you know my kind, or must I explain?
Will you let me be myself or is your 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.
Alright, 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 your love in vain?
Can you cook and sew, make flowers grow, do you understand my pain?
Are you willing to risk it all or is your love in vain?
Thank you.
Well, I just reached a place where I can't stay awake,
I got to leave you, baby, before my heart will break,
I'm going, I'm going, I'm gone.
Come over here, baby, 'cause I'm telling you this,
You got to believe it, you gotta give me one more kiss,
I'm going, I'm going, I'm gone.
Fix me one more drink, baby, and hold me one more time,
But don't get too close to make me change my mind,
I'm going, I'm going, I'm gone.
Now, my mama always said, "Someday, true--you gotta follow your heart,
You'll be grand at the end of the line:
All that's gold wasn't meant to shine,
Just don't put your horse in front of your cart," ohh!
Now, from Boston to Birmingham is a two-day ride,
But I got to be going now 'cause I'm so dissatisfied,
I'm going, I'm going, I'm gone.
Going,
Going, going, gone,
Going, going,
Going, going, gone.
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
How many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind,
The answer is blowing in the wind.
How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
How many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
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.
How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
How many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
How many deaths will it take till he knows
Too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind,
The answer is blowing in the wind,
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind,
The answer is blowing in the wind.
Nobody feels any pain tonight as I stand inside the rain,
Everybody knows baby's got new clothes,
But lately I see her ribbons and her bows
Have fallen from her curls.
She takes just like a woman
And she aches just like a woman
And she makes love just like a woman,
But she breaks just like a little girl.
Queen Mary, she's my friend, yes, I believe I'll go see her again,
Nobody has to guess that baby can't be blessed
Till she sees finally that she's just like all the rest
In her fog with her amphetamine and her pearls.
She takes just like a woman
And she aches just like a woman
And she makes love just like a woman,
But she breaks just like a little girl.
It 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 a-hungry and it was your world.
Well, you fake just like a woman
And you take just like a woman,
You even make love just like a woman,
But you break just like a little girl.
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:
You may not see me tomorrow.
Here's a simple love story, happened to me.
They sat together in the park as the evening sky got dark,
She looked at him, he felt a spark tingle to her bones,
'Twas then she felt alone and wished that she'd gone straight
And watched out for a simple twist of fate.
They walked along by the old canal, little confused - I remember well,
Stopped into a renovated hotel with a neon burning bright,
She felt the heat of the night hit her like a freight
Train, moving with a simple twist of fate.
A saxophone someplace played, she was walking on by the arcade,
She heard the melody rise and fade, the sun was coming 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 and she was gone, he didn't see nothing but the dawn,
Got out of bed and put his clothes back on, pushed back the blind,
Found a note she'd left behind, but he could not concentrate
On anything 'cept a simple twist of fate.
He hears the ticking of the clocks, walks alone through the city blocks,
Hunts her down by the waterfront docks where the sailors all come in,
Maybe he'll see her once again - how long must he wait
One more time for a simple twist of fate?
People tell me it's a crime to remember her for too long a time,
She should've caught me in my prime, she would've stayed with me
'Stead of going back off to sea and leaving me to meditate,
They call, that simple twist of fate.
Alright, that's straight from Chicago.
This is from the Mojave Desert.
"There must be some way outta 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's 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's 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, the wind began to howl.
Thanks.
The gypsy undertaker cries, the lonesome organ-grinder sighs,
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 drinking from this broken cup
And ask me to open up the gate for you.
I want you,
I want you,
I want you so bad,
Honey, I want you.
Well, all my fathers, they've gone down,
True love, they've been without it,
And all their daughters put me down
'Cause I don't think about it.
I return to the Queen of Spades, talk with her chambermaid,
She knows that I'm not afraid to look at her.
She is good to me, there's a-nothing she doesn't see,
She knows where I'd like to be, but it doesn't matter.
I want you,
I want you,
I want you so bad,
Honey, I want you.
I ain't looking to make you cry,
See you fly or watch you die,
I don't care if you feel like me,
See like me or be like me.
All I really wanna do,
All I really wanna do,
All I really wanna do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I don't want to meet your kin,
Make you spin or do you in,
And I don't want to drag you down,
Chain you down or be your clown.
All I really wanna do,
All I really wanna do,
All I really wanna do
Is, baby, be friends with you.
I don't care if you analyze me,
Categorize me or hypnotize me,
And I don't care if you feel like me,
See like me or be like me.
All I really wanna do,
All I really wanna do,
All I really wanna do
Is, baby, be friends with you,
Friends with you,
Friends with you.
Alright, thank you.
Mama, take this badge off of me,
I can't use it anymore.
It's getting dark, too dark to see,
I feel I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
Mama, put my guns in the ground,
I can't fire them anymore.
That long, black train is pulling down,
I feel I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
Ma, wipe the blood from my face,
I can't see through it anymore.
It's a feeling that I just can't trace,
Feel I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
Alright, thank you very much.
This is called "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)".
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 that there is no sense in trying.
Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn,
Suicide remarks are torn
From the fool's gold mouthpiece, the hollow horn
Plays wasted words, it proves to warn
He not a-busy being born is a-busy dying.
Temptation's page flies out the door,
You follow, find yourself at war,
Watch a-waterfalls of pity roar,
Feel to moan, but unlike before
You discover that you'd just a-be one more person crying.
So, don't fear if you hear
A foreign sound to your ear,
It's alright, ma, I'm only sighing.
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,
Others say, "Don't hate nothing at all except a-hatred."
Disillusioned words a-like a-bullets bark,
Human gods aim for their mark,
Make everything from toy guns that spark
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 you to hundred-dollar plates,
Goodness hides behind its gates,
Even the president of the United States sometimes a-must have to stand naked.
But, though the rules of the road have been lodged,
It's people's games that you got to dodge,
It's alright, ma, I can make it.
Advertising signs, they con,
Con you into thinking that you're the one
That can do what's a-never been done,
That can win what's a-never been won -
Meantime life outside goes on all around you.
You lose yourself, but then you reappear,
You suddenly find you've got nothing to fear,
Alone you stand with nobody near
When a trembling, distant voice, unclear,
Startles your ears to hear somebody thinks that they really have found you.
A question in your nerves is lit,
Yet you know that there is no answer fit
To satisfy, ensure you not to quit,
Keep it in your mind and don't forget
That it is not he or she or them or it that you belong to.
But, though the masters make the rules
For the wise men and the fools,
I got nothing, ma, to live up to.
Old-lady judges watch people in pairs,
Limited in sex they dare
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 their minds a-most a-bitterly,
For them that think death--death's honesty
Won't fall upon 'em naturally, life sometimes must get lonely.
My eyes collide head-on with stuffed
Graveyards and false goals, I scuff
At pettiness, which plays so rough,
Walk upside-down inside handcuffs,
Kick my legs to crash it off,
Say, "Alright, I've had enough, what else can you show me?"
And, if my thought-dreams could be seen,
They'd probably put my head in a guillotine,
But it's alright, ma, it's life and life only.
Thank--
Alright, once again, it's that time of the hour we have to run.
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, climb on every rung,
And may you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.
May you grow up to be righteous, may you grow up a-to be true,
And may you always a-know the truth and see the light surrounding you.
May you always a-be courageous, stand upright and be strong,
And may you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
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 a-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,
May you stay forever young.
Thank you, you're so very kind, you really are. We will play you this song - I wrote this also about fifteen years ago, it still means a lot to me, I know it means a lot to you, too.
Come gather round, people, wherever you roam,
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 better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone
For the times, they are a-changing.
Come, a-writers and critics who prophesize with your pen,
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 a-who that it's naming
For the loser now might be later to win
For the times, they are a-changing.
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's raging,
It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 aging.
Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand
For the times, they are a-changing.
The line, it is drawn and the curse, it is cast,
The slow one now will later be fast
As the present now will later be past.
The order is a-rapidly fading
And the first one now will later be last
For the times, they are a-changing.
Thank you. I'll be here for four more nights, then we'll see you again.
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.
May be a rock-and-roll addict prancing on the stage,
Might have drugs at your command, women in a cage,
You may be a businessman 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 are, 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,
May be the head of some big TV network,
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame,
May be living in another country under another name,
But you're gonna have to serve somebody,
Yes, you are, 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.
May be a construction worker working on a home,
Might be living in a mansion, you might live in a dome,
You may own guns and you may even own tanks,
You may be somebody's landlord, you may 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 a-may be the Lord,
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
You may be a preacher preaching spiritual pride,
May be a city councilman taking bribes on the side,
May be working 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,
Might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread,
May be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-size 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.
Now, you may call me Terry or you may call me Timmy,
You may call me Bobby or you may call me Zimmy,
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray,
You may call me anything, don't 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 and it may be the Lord,
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
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, flesh and blood breaking down,
You either got faith or you got unbelief and there ain't no neutral ground.
The enemy is subtle: how be it we're deceived
When the truth's in our hearts and we still don't believe?
Shine your light, shine your light on me,
Shine your light, shine your light on me,
Shine your light, shine your light on me,
You 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, let me 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 'bout Muhammad in one breath,
You never mentioned one time the man who came and died a criminal's death.
Shine your light, shine your light on me,
Shine your light, shine your light on me,
Shine your light, shine your light on me,
You 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, both 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 lamp of my soul, girl, and you torch up the night,
But there's violence in the eyes, girl, so let us not be enticed
On the way out of Egypt through Ethiopia to the judgment-hall of the Christ.
Shine your light, shine your light on me,
Shine your light, shine your light on me,
Shine your light, shine your light on me,
You know, I just couldn't make it by myself, I'm a little too blind to see.
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--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's 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 turns--turns 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 'cause I believe in you.
Sometimes 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?
And there's a 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."
And there's a 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 into Paris -
And there's a slow, slow train coming up around the bend.
Man's ego's 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 glorify themselves trying to manipulate Satan -
And there's a 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 a slow--there's a slow train coming up around the bend.
People starving and thirsting, grain elevators are bursting -
Well, you know, it costs more to store the food than it do to give it!
They say, "Lose your inhibition, follow your own ambition",
They talk about a life of brotherly love - show me someone who knows how to live it!
There's a 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 sure does bother me to see my loved ones turning into puppets -
And there's a slow, slow train coming up around the bend.
Change my way of thinking, bring myself a different set of rules,
Gonna change my way of thinking, bring myself a different set of rules,
Gonna put my good foot forward, stop being influenced by fools.
So much oppression, can't keep track of it no more,
Said there's so much oppression, can't keep track of it no more,
Sons becoming husbands to their mothers, old men turning young daughters into whores.
Stripes on your shoulder, stripes on your back and on your hand,
Stripes on your shoulder, stripes on your back and on your hand,
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,
Don't know which is worse - doing your own thing or being cool,
You remember only 'bout the brass ring, you're forgetting all about the golden rule.
You can mislead a man, you can take a hold of his heart with your eyes,
You can mislead a man, take hold of his heart with your eyes,
But there's only one authority - 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 which I come",
Jesus said, "Be ready for you know not the hour which I come",
He said, "Who's 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 place--they call it Heaven, a place where there is no pain of birth,
Well, the Lord created it, mister, about the same time that He made the earth.
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,
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,
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, I don't wanna be cheated,
Don't wanna defeat nobody if already been defeated,
But, if you do right to me, baby, I'll do right to you too,
Got to do unto others like you'd have them--like you'd have them do unto you.
Don't wanna wink at nobody, I 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, I don't wanna be amused,
But, if you do right to me, baby, I'll do right to you too,
Got to do unto others like you'd have them--said 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,
You got to do unto others like you'd have them--like you'd have them do unto you.
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?
Counterfeit philosophies have polluted all of your thoughts,
Karl Marx has got you by the throat and Henry Kissinger's got you tied up into 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 kill 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, women who can't control their tongue,
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 and strengthen the things that remain?
Spiritual advisors and gurus to guide your every move,
Instant inner peace and every step you take's got to be approved.
When you gonna wake up, said 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 it's too worthless to be sold,
They tell you "Time is money" as if your life was worth its weight in gold.
There's a Man on a cross and He be 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,
When you gonna wake up, strengthen the things that remain?
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 he 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, a 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, 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 tail,
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 - "Oh, 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,
He saw him disappear by a tree near a lake -
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:
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 bloodstained ground, take up 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 when a-He returns.
How many times have you heard someone say,
"If I had his money, I'd do things my way"?
Hmm, but little they know, hmm, it's so hard to find
One rich man in ten with a satisfied mind.
Once I was wading in fortune and fame,
Everything that I dreamed of to get a start in life's game.
Hmm, suddenly, it happened, hmm, I lost every dime,
But I'm richer by far with a satisfied mind.
When my life is over and 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 come my time,
I'll leave this old world with a satisfied mind.
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've been delivered, by His spirit I've 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,
Well, I'm so glad,
So glad,
I wanna thank You, Lord,
Wanna thank You, Lord,
Wanna 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
For 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 - well, alright,
Saved by the blood of the lamb,
Saved,
And I'm so glad - I'm glad,
So glad,
Thank You, Lord,
I just wanna thank You, Lord - well.
Nobody to rescue me, nobody would dare,
I'm going down for the last time, but by His mercy I've been spared,
Not by works, by faith in Him who called,
For so long I've been hindered, for so long I've been stalled.
But I'm saved,
Yes, I've been saved by the blood of the lamb - well,
I'm so glad,
So glad,
Alright, I'm so glad,
I wanna thank You, Lord,
I just wanna thank You, Lord,
Yes, I do wanna thank You, Lord,
Thank You, Lord,
I thank the Lord,
I just wanna thank You, 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 the way you are.
Yes, and I just gotta tell you that I do intend
To stay closer than any friend,
Yes, and I just got 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 that He will do it 'cause He's faithful and He's true,
He must have loved me oh! so much to send me someone as fine as you.
Yes, and I just gotta tell you I do intend
To stay closer--closer than any friend,
Yes, and I just got 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 passing through,
I'll always be right by your side, I've got a covenant, too.
Yes, and I just got to tell you that I do intend
To stay closer than any friend,
Yes, and I just got to thank you once again
For making your prayers known unto heaven for me
And to you always so grateful I will forever be.
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 bondage and You made me renewed inside,
Filled up the hunger that had always been denied,
Opened up a door no man can shut and You opened it up so wide,
And You 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 as 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 would 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 to 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,
What can I do for You?
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--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,
Twenty-four hours a day you can feel it and you can hear it,
Using every angle under the sun,
And it never give up till the battle's lost or won.
Well, I'm hanging on
To a solid rock,
Made before the foundation of--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.
Well, I'm pressing on,
Yes, I'm pressing on,
Well, I'm pressing on to the higher calling of my Lord.
Said I'm pressing on,
Well, I'm pressing on to the higher calling of my Lord.
Pressing on,
Pressing on,
You know, 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's 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?
I just keep pressing on,
Pressing on,
Well, I'm pressing on to the higher calling of my Lord.
Pressing on,
Pressing on - well, I can't turn 'round,
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
'Cause he sinned, I got no choice, it run in my vein,
But I'm pressing on,
Pressing on - oh, yes, I am!
Pressing on to the higher calling of my Lord.
Well, I'm pressing on,
Oh, yes, I'm pressing on,
Ooh, pressing on to the higher calling of my Lord.
Pressing on,
Pressing on - yeah, leading the way!
I'm pressing on to the higher calling of my Lord.
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 they heard him speak 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-a, "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 up from the dead, did they believe?
When He rose from the dead, did they believe?
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 that 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 will 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
By the saving grace that's over me.
Are you ready?
Are you ready?
Are you ready?
Are you ready?
Are you ready to meet Jesus? Are you where you oughtta 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 surrendered to the will of God or am I still acting like the boss?
Am I ready?
I hope I'm ready.
When destruction cometh swiftly and there's no time to say a fare-thee-well,
Have you decided whether you wanna 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 judgment? Are you ready for that terrible, swift sword?
Are you ready for Armageddon? Are you ready for the day of the Lord?
Are you ready?
I hope you're ready.
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 making 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 I feed.
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's 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 acting 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, I need a shot of love.
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 been,
It only trouble for you if you let her in.
Don't let her hear,
Don't let her hear 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,
You can't do the time, don't do the crime,
Heart of mine.
Go 'head 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 walking through.
He's the property of Jesus,
Resent him to the bone,
You got something better,
You 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 got a heart of stone.
When the whip that's a-keeping you in line doesn't make him jump,
Say he's hard of hearing, say that he's a chump,
Say he outta step with reality as you try to test his nerve
Because he doesn't pay tribute to the king that you serve.
He's the property of Jesus,
Resent him to the bone,
You got something better,
You 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, say he's got no style,
'Cause he doesn't tell you jokes and fairy-tales, say he's failed to make you smile.
But he's the property of Jesus,
Resent him to the bone,
You got something better,
You got a heart of stone.
Well, 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 got a heart of stone.
He's the property of Jesus,
Resent him to the bone,
You got something better,
You got a heart of stone.
Lenny Bruce is dead, but his ghost lives 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 babies' 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 yet the ones that killed him are 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.
Lenny Bruce was bad, he was the brother that you never had.
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 false claims,
Intercedes for you 'stead of casting you blame,
Will not deceive you or lead you into 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 get in your way,
Won't pervert you, corrupt you with foolish wishes,
Will no--not make you envious, won'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 no accident,
It knows that it knows, is always content,
An eternal flame quietly burning,
Never needs to be proud, loud, or restlessly yearning.
You don't want a love that's pure,
You wanna drown love,
You want a watered-down love.
Watered-down love,
You want watered-down love,
Watered-down love,
You want watered-down love,
Yes, you do, you know you do.
Watered-down love,
Oh, you want watered-down love,
Yes, you do, you know you do.
Watered-down love,
Ooh, watered-down love,
Yes, you do, you know you do.
Watered-down love,
Ooh, you want watered-down love,
Yes, you do, you know you do.
Watered-down love,
Oh, watered-down love,
You want watered-down love,
Yes, you do, you know you do...
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, felt around for her face,
Been treated like a farm animal on a wild-goose chase.
West of the Jordan, east of the Rock of Gibraltar,
I see the turning 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 silence for snobbery.
Got the message this morning, the one that was sent to me
'Bout the madness of becoming what one was never meant to be.
West of the Jordan, east of the Rock of Gibraltar,
I see the turning of the page, curtain rising on a new age,
See the groom still waiting at the altar.
Don't know what I could say about Claudette wouldn't come back to haunt me,
Finally had to give her up 'bout the time she begin to want me,
But I know God has mercy on them who're slandered and humiliated,
I'd a-done anything for that woman if she'd only made me feel obligated.
West of the Jordan, east of the Rock of Gibraltar,
I see the turning of the page, 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're supposed to know better standing around like furniture,
There's a wall between you--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 turning of the page, curtain rising on a new age,
See the groom still waiting at the altar.
Cities on fire, phones outta 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 turning of the page, curtain rising on a new age,
See the groom still waiting at the altar.
Uttering idle words from a reprobate mind,
Clinging to strange promises, dying on the vine,
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 sad.
Dead man, dead man, when will you arise,
Cobwebs in your mind, dust upon your eyes?
Satan got you by the heel, there's a 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 your 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, a doctrine or a gun?
My back's 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, taking me down to hell.
Dead man, dead man, when will you arise,
Cobwebs in your mind, dust upon your eyes?
Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it,
Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it,
Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it,
Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it,
Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it...
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, oh, 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 of kin
When they didn't wanna know or see.
In the summertime, oh, 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, oh, in the summertime,
In the summertime when you were with me.
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 [incoherent] no solution for trouble,
Trouble,
Trouble, trouble, trouble, nothing but trouble.
Drought and starvation, packaging of the soul,
Persecution, execution, governments outta control,
You can see the writing on the wall inviting the 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, nothing but trouble.
Trouble,
Trouble,
Trouble, trouble, trouble, nothing but trouble.
Trouble...
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
And 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 times it's only me.
I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.
Standing on the water, casting your bread
While the eyes of the idol with the iron head are glowing.
Distant ships sailing in through 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 the 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 from 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 mountains, 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 to 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,
Michelangelo indeed could've carved out your features.
Resting in the fields, far from the turbulent space,
Half asleep 'neath 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.
Night-sticks and water-cannons, tear gas, padlocks,
Molotov cocktails and rocks behind every curtain.
False-hearted judges dying in the webs that they spin,
Only a matter of time till 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.
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 of somebody nice
Who don't 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 could 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 you came in the door.
They say, in your father's house there's many mansions,
Each one of 'em 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.
What's a sweetheart like you doing in a dump like this?
Well, the neighborhood bully, he's just one man,
His enemies say he's on their land.
They got him outnumbered 'bout a million to one,
He got no place to 'scape to, no place to run.
He's the neighborhood bully.
Neighborhood bully, he just lives to survive,
He's criticized and condemned for being alive,
Not supposed to fight back and have thick skin,
Supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in.
He's the neighborhood bully.
Neighborhood bully, been driven out of every land,
He's wandered the earth an exiled man,
Seen his family scattered, people hounded and torn,
He's always on trial for just being born.
He's the neighborhood bully.
When he knocked out a lynch mob, he was criticized,
Old women condemned him, said he should apologize.
Then he destroyed a bomb factory, he--nobody was glad.
The bombs were meant for him, he was supposed to feel bad.
He's the neighborhood bully.
Well, the chance is against it and the odds are slim
That he'll live by the rules that the world makes for him.
There's a noose at his neck and a gun at his back
And a license to kill him 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 will cease,
And 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 he signed was worth what was it 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 like to cause war."
It's pride, and prejudice, and superstition, indeed,
They wait for this bully like a dog waits to feed.
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 a hill,
Running out the clock, time standing still.
Neighborhood bully.
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.
Now, all he believes 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?"
May be noisemaker, spirit-maker,
Heartbreaker, backbreaker,
Leave no stone unturned.
May be an actor in a plot,
That might be all that you got
Till 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 block, she just sit there as the night grows still,
She say, "Who gonna take away his license to kill?"
Look out your window, baby, there's a scene you'd like to catch.
Band is playing "Dixie", man got his hand outstretched --
Could be the Fuhrer, could be the local priest.
Know that sometimes Satan, you know, he come as a man of peace.
He got sweet gift of gab, he got harmonious tongue,
Know every song of love that-a ever has been sung.
Good intentions can be evil, both hands can be full of grease.
Know that sometimes Satan come as a man of peace.
Well, first he's in the background and then he's in the front,
Both eyes are looking like they 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 hoping for a glimpse of the sun,
Catch you when your troubles feel like they weigh a ton.
He could be standing next to you, the person that you 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 something cooking, I can tell there's going to be a feast.
You know-a sometimes Satan'll 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 the tender touch of the beast.
You know sometimes Satan'll come as a man of peace.
Well, howling wolf will howl tonight, a 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-a sometimes Satan come as a man of peace.
Somewhere Mama's weeping for her blue-eyed boy,
She's holding them little, white shoes and that little, broken toy,
And he's following a star, the same one them three men followed from the East.
I hear sometimes Satan come as a man of peace, oh, yeah!
Well, my shoes, they come from Singapore,
My flashlight's from Taiwan,
My tablecloth's from Malaysia,
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 till 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 flowerpot's from Pakistan.
All the furniture, it say "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 lotta money to her.
Well, it's sundown on the union and what's made in the USA.
Sure was a good idea till 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 sell."
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 till greed got in the way.
Well, the job that you used to have,
They gave it to somebody down in El Salvador.
Well, the unions are big business, friend,
And they're going out like a dinosaur.
Well, they used to grow food in Kansas,
Now they wanna 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 till 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 till greed got in the way.
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 a-nature neither honors, nor forgives.
I and I, one said 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 a-nature neither honors, nor forgives.
I and I, one said to the other, "No man see 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 said 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 alright.
She should 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 said 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, one said to the other, "No man see my face and lives."
Just a minute 'fore you leave, girl,
Just a minute 'fore 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's not 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's 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'a saved some life that been lost,
Maybe I'd'a done some good in the world
'Steada 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 is just a memory,
Tomorrow's never what it's supposed to be,
And I need you, ah, 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 you to the mountain-top, girl,
And build you a house made outta stainless steel.
But it's like I'm stuck inside a painting
That's a-hanging in the Louvre -
My throat starts 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 live on,
Tomorrow's just one step beyond,
And I need you, ah.
Who are these people that are walking towards you?
Do you know them or will there be a fight?
With their humorless smile so easy to see through,
Can they tell you what's wrong from what's right?
Or 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's never what it's supposed to be,
And I need you, yeah, you, ah, I need you.
God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son."
Abe said, "Man, you must be putting me on."
God said, "No." Abe said, "What?"
God said, "You can do what you want, Abe, but
Next time you see me coming you better run."
Abe said, "Where you want this killing done?"
God said, "On Highway 61."
Georgia Sam, he had a bloody nose,
Welfare Department 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! I got to run."
Howard just pointed off a-with his gun:
"That way down Highway 61."
Mack the Finger said to Louis the King,
"I got forty red, white, and blue shoestrings
And a thousand telephones that don't ring.
Do you know where I can get rid of these things?"
Louis the King said, "Let me think for a minute, son."
Then said, "Yeah, I think it can be easily done.
Take it on down to Highway 61."
Fifth daughter on the twelfth night
Told the first father that things weren't right.
"My complexion," she said, "is much too white."
He said, "Come over here, girl, step into the light."
He -- "Yeah, you're right. Let me tell your mother this has been done."
But the second mom was with the seventh son
And they were both out on Highway 61.
Roving gambler, he was very bored
Trying to create a next world war.
He found a promoter nearly fell on the floor.
"No, I never did engage in this kinda thing before,
But, yeah, I think it can be very easily done.
We'll just put some bleachers out in the sun,
Have it on Highway 61."
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more,
Said I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
Well, I wake up in the morning, fold my hands and pray for rain,
Got a head full of ideas driving me insane.
It's a shame the way she make me scrub the floor.
Ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more,
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.
He fine you a nickel, he fine you a dime,
Ask you with a grin, "You having a good time?"
Then he fine you every time you slam the door.
Ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more,
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.
Well, he puts his cigar out your face just for kicks,
His bedroom window is made outta bricks.
Well, the National Guard stands around his door.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more,
Said I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
Well, she talks to all the servants about man and God and law,
Everybody tells me she's the brains behind pa.
68, but says she's 24.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more,
No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
Well, I try my best to be just like I am,
Everybody wants you to be just like them,
They say "Sing!" while you slave -- I get bored.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
Been so long since a strange woman has slept in my bed.
Look how sweet she sleep, how free must be her dream.
In another lifetime, she must have owned the world or been faithfully wed
To some righteous king who wrote psalms beside moonlight stream.
I and I, in creation where one's nature neither honor, nor forgive.
I and I, one said to the other, "No man see my face and live."
I think I'll go out and go for a walk --
Not much happening here, nothing ever does.
If she wake up now, you know, she'll just a-want me to talk.
I got nothing to say, 'specially about whatever was.
I and I, in creation where one's a-nature neither honor, nor forgive.
I and I, one said to the other, "No man see my face and live."
Outside of two men on the train tracks, there nobody in sight,
And they're waiting for spring to come, smoking down the track.
The world could come to an end tonight, but that's alright.
She should still be there sleeping when I get back.
I and I, in creation where one's nature neither honor, nor forgive.
I and I, one said to the other, "No man see my face and live."
Noontime and I'm still on the road, on the darkest part,
Into the narrow lanes where 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, creation where one's nature neither honor, nor forgive.
I and I, one said to the other, "No man see my face and live."
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.
Well, there's a woman on my block, she'll just sit there facing the hill,
She say, "Who take away his license to kill?"
Well, 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 in stars, sell his body like they do used cars.
Well, there's a woman on my block, she'll just sit there facing the hill,
She say, "Who take away his license to kill?"
Well, he's hell-bent for destruction, he's afraid and confused
And his brain has been mismanaged with great skill.
All he believes are his eyes and his eyes, they just tell him lies.
Well, there's a woman on my block, she just sit there facing the hill,
She'll say, "Who take away his license to kill?"
May be noisemaker, spirit-maker,
Heartbreaker, backbreaker,
Leave no stone unturned.
May be an actor in a plot,
That might be all that you got
Till your error you clearly learn.
Well, he worships at an altar of a stagnant pool
And, when he sees his reflection, he's fulfilled.
Man is opposed to fair play:
He wants it all and he wants it his way.
Well, there's a woman on my block, she'll just sit there facing the hill,
She say, "Who take away his license to kill?"
Thank you.
Go away 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 looking for someone
Never weak but always strong,
To protect you and defend you
Whether you are right or wrong,
Someone to open each and every door,
But it ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're looking for, babe.
Step lightly from the ledge, babe,
Step lightly on the ground.
I'm not the one you want, babe,
I would only let you down.
You say you're looking 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 and more,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're looking for, babe.
Go melt back into the night, babe,
Everything inside is made of stone.
There's nothing in here moving
And, anyway, I'm not alone.
You say you're looking for someone
Pick you up every time you fall,
Someone to get you flowers constantly
And to come every time you call,
A lover for your life, but nothing more,
And it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're looking for, babe.
Early one morning the sun was shining, I was a-laying in bed,
Wondering if she'd changed at all, if her hair was still red.
Her folks, they said that their 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 standing on the side of the road, rain falling on his shoes,
Heading out for the old East Coast, radio blasting the news straight on through,
Tangled up in blue.
She was married when they first met to a man four times her age,
He left her penniless in a state of regret - it was time to bust outta the cage.
And they drove that car as far as they could, abandoned it out west,
Splitting up on a dark, sad night, both agreeing that it was best.
She turned around to look at him as he was a-walking away,
Saying, "I wish I could tell you all the things that I never learned how to say."
He said, "That's alright, babe, I love you too,
But we were tangled up in blue."
He had a steady job and a pretty face and everything seemed to fit.
One day he could just feel the waste, he put it all down and split
And he drifted down to New Orleans where they treated him like a boy,
He nearly went mad in Baton Rouge, he nearly drowned in Delacroix.
And all the while he was alone, the past was close behind,
He had a-one too many lovers and none of 'em were too refined - all except for you,
But you were tangled up in blue.
She was working in the blinding light and I stopped in for a drink,
I just kept looking at her face so white, I didn't know what to think.
Later on, when the crowd thinned out, I was getting ready to leave,
She was standing there right beside my chair, said, "What's that you got up your sleeve?"
I said, "Nothing, baby, and that's for sure." She leaned down into my face,
I could feel the heat and the pulse of her as she bent down to tie the laces of my shoe,
Tangled up in blue.
I lived with them on Montague Street in a basement down the stairs,
There was snow all winter and no heat, revolution was in the air,
Till one day all of his slaves ran free, something inside of him died.
The only thing I could do was be me and get on that train and ride.
And when it all came crashing down, I was already south,
I didn't know whether the world was flat or round, I had the worst taste in my mouth that I ever knew,
Tangled up in blue.
So now I'm going on back again, maybe tomorrow or maybe next year,
I gotta find someone among the women and men whose destiny is unclear.
Some're masters of illusion, some're ministers of the trade,
All under strong delusion, all of their beds're unmade.
Me, I'm still heading towards the sun, trying to stay outta the joint,
We always did love the very same one, we just saw her from a different point of view,
Tangled up in blue.
Come, you masters of war, you that build the big guns,
You that build the death planes, you that build the big bombs-a,
You that hide behind walls, you that hide behind desks,
I just want you to know I can a-see through your mask.
You that never done nothing but build to destroy,
You play with my world like it's your little toy,
Put a gun in my hand and you hide from my eyes,
And you turn and run farther when the fast bullets a-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 the trigger for the others to fire,
Then you set back and watch while the death count gets higher,
You hide in your mansion while the young people's blood
Flows outta their bodies and is buried in the mud.
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 of your [incomprehensible] and let's talk about your soul.
And I hope that you die and your death will come soon,
I will follow your casket on the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered down to your deathbed
And I'll stand over your grave till I'm sure that you're dead.
You walk into the room with your pencil in your hand,
See somebody naked, you say, "Who is that man?"
You try so hard, but you don't understand
What you'll say when you get home.
Something is happening, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
You hand in a back door to go--"Is this--this where it is?"
Somebody points his finger at you and says, "It's his."
You say, "What's mine?" Someone else says, "Where what is?"
You say, "Oh, no, am I here all alone?"
Something is happening, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
You hand in your ticket to go see the geek,
Who walks up to you when he hears you speak
And says, "How does it feel to be such a freak?"
You say, "Impossible!" as he hand you a--a bone.
Something is happening, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
You have many contacts out there among the lumberjacks,
Get you facts when someone attacks your imagination.
No one has any respect, anyway they just expect
You to sign your check to tax-deductible charity organizations, oh!
You walk into the room like a camel and you frown,
You put your eyes in your pocket, you put your nose in the ground.
There oughtta be a law against you coming around,
Remember before you come, at least please first telephone.
Something is happening, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
Something is happening, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
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 a true love of mine.
If you go when the snowflakes storm,
When the rivers freeze and summer ends,
See for me if she's wearing her coat so warm
To keep her from the howling winds.
See for me if her hair is hanging long,
If it rolls and flows all down her breast.
See for me if her hair is hanging long -
That's the way I remember her best.
I'm a-wondering if she remembers me at all,
Many times I've often prayed
In the darkness of my night,
In the brightness of my day.
So, if you're traveling in the north country fair,
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline,
Remember me to one who lives there -
She once was a true love of mine.
Well, the sweet, pretty things are in bed now of course,
The city fathers, they're trying to endorse
Reincarnation of Paul Revere's horse,
But the town has no need to be nervous.
Well, the ghost of Belle Starr, she hand 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 factory, she ain't got no shoes,
Dad's in the hallway looking hard for the fuze,
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues - oh, well!
The hysterical bride in the penny arcade,
Screaming, she moans, "I've just been made!"
Send for the doctor, who pull down the shade,
Saying, "Don't let the boys in."
Well, the medicine man come and then he shuffles inside,
Walk with a swagger and he say to the bride:
"Stop all this weeping, swallow your pride,
You won't die, it's not poison!"
Mama's in a factory, she ain't got no shoes,
Dad's in a alley looking hard for the fuze,
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues - oh, ah! Yeah!
John the Baptist, after torturing a thief,
Looks at his hero, the Commander-in-Chief.
"Tell me, great hero, but please make it brief,
Is there a hole for me to get sick in?"
Well, the Commander-in-Chief answers him while chasing a fly.
"Death to all those that--who would whimper and cry!"
Dropping a barbell, he point to the sky.
"The sun not yellow, it's chicken!"
Oh, mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes,
Dad's in the hallway looking hard for the fuze,
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues - oh, well!
Where Ma Rainey and Beethoven once unwrapped their bedroll,
Tuba players now rehearse around the flagpole,
National Bank is selling road-maps to the soul
To the old folks' home and the college.
Well, I wish that I could write you a melody so plain
That'd ease you, dear lady, from going insane,
Ease you and cool you and cease the pain
Of your useless and pointless knowledge.
Mama in a factory ,she ain't got no shoes,
Dad's in a hallway looking hard for the fuze,
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues - oh, yeah!
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 gotta 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 ain't 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 are you too good for me.
Has anybody seen my love?
Ah, 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?
Baby, baby.
Honey, baby.
Baby, baby.
Honey, baby.
Baby, baby.
Honey, baby.
Baby, baby.
Honey, baby.
Baby, baby.
Honey, baby.
Baby, baby.
Honey, baby.
Baby, 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, I'm seeing the real you at last.
Well, I risked my neck for you. Didn't I take chances?
Didn't I rise above all the 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 - oh!
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,
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 Starr.
Well, I don't mind a reasonable amount of trouble - trouble always comes to pass,
All I care, though, 'bout now is if 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 - oh, yes, I am!
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 only seen 'em 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, oh?
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.
Everybody's asking why he couldn't adjust -
Adjust to what? A dream that bust?
They took a clean-cut kid
And they made a killer outta him is 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.
They took a clean-cut kid,
But they made a killer outta him is 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 outta him is 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,
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.
They took a clean-cut kid
And they made a killer outta him is 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,
But they made a killer outta him is 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, he 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 outta him is what they did.
Now, 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 outta him is what they did.
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 you.
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, and 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, darling.
You're too hot, darling.
Come on, baby.
Come on, honey.
You're my baby.
You're my honey.
You got it, baby.
Come on, baby...
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 men or be a slave to what somebody else believes.
Oh, 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.
Oh, you got to trust yourself.
Oh, you got to trust yourself.
Oh, you got to trust yourself.
Oh, you got to trust yourself, yeah!
Oh, you got to trust yourself.
Oh, you got to trust yourself.
Trust yourself.
Trust yourself.
Trust yourself.
Oh, you got to trust yourself...
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 doors,
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 as if I've never had a thought,
I know this dream, it might be crazy, but it's the only one I've got.
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,
But I will always be emotionally yours.
Look out across the fields, see me returning,
Smoke is in your eyes, 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 won't 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 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 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 wanna be a fool starving for affection,
I don't wanna 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,
But 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,
When the night comes falling from the sky.
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 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 some place, 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,
I believe in the impossible, you know that I do.
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 lovers' 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 price
To the falling gods of speed and steel.
Oh, time is short and the days are sweet
And passion rules the arrow that flies.
A million faces at my feet,
But all I see are dark eyes.
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--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.
Stay, lady, stay, stay while the night is still ahead.
I first heard this from Rick von Schmidt. He lives in Cambridge. Rick's a blues guitar player. I met him one day in the green pastures of Harvard University.
Baby, let me follow you down,
Baby, let me follow you down,
Well, I'll do anything in this God-Almighty 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 God-Almighty 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 God-Almighty world
If you just let me follow you down.
Yes, I'll do anything in this God-Almighty world
If you just let me follow you down.
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,
Babe, I'd lay awake all night,
Wait for the morning light
To shine in through,
But it would 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 robin sing,
I just wouldn't have a clue,
Anyway, it wouldn't ring true,
If not for you,
If not for you,
If not for you,
If not for you,
If not for you.
Close your eyes, close the 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.
I'll be your baby tonight.
You will search, babe, at any cost,
But how long, babe, can you search for what is not lost?
Everybody will help you, some people are very kind,
But, if I can save you any time,
Come on, give it to me, I'll keep it with mine.
I can't help it if you might think I am odd
If I say I'm loving you not for what you are but 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, I'll keep it with mine.
The train leaves at half past ten,
But it will be back in the same old spot again,
The conductor, he's still stuck on the line.
And, if I can save you any time,
Come on, give it to me, I'll keep it with mine.
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 better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 telling who that it's naming
For the loser now will be later to win
For the times, they are a-changing.
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.
The battle outside raging
Will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 aging.
Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 fading
And the first one now will later be last
For the times, they are a-changing.
How many roads must 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, and how many times must the cannon balls 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.
Come, you masters of war, you that build the big 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 nothing 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
And you hide in your mansion while the 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 will come soon,
I'll follow your casket on the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered down to your deathbed
And I'll stand over your grave till I'm sure that you're dead.
William Zantzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll
With a cane that he twirled 'round his diamond ring finger
At a Baltimore hotel society gathering
And the cops was called in and his weapon took from him
As they rode him in custody down to the station
And booked William Zantzinger 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 Zantzinger, 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
And, in a matter of minutes, on bail was out walking.
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize 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 Zantzinger.
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 the ladder of law has no top and no bottom,
Stared at the person who killed for no reason,
Who just happened to be feeling that way without warning,
And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished,
And handed out strongly for penalty and repentance
William Zantzinger with a six-month sentence.
Ah, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears,
Bury the rag deep in your face for now's the time for your tears.
Bad news, bad news came to me where I sleep -
Turn, turn, turn again -
Saying one of your friends is in trouble deep -
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind.
Tell me the trouble, tell me once to my ear -
Turn, turn, turn again -
Joliet prison and ninety-nine years -
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind.
Oh, what is the charge of how this came to be? -
Turn, turn, turn again -
Manslaughter in the highest of degrees -
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 you 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 know him as good as I'm knowing 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 -
Saying, "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 -
The 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.
At that the judge jerked forward and his face, it did freeze -
Turn, turn, turn again -
Saying, "Could you kindly leave my office now, please?" -
Turn, turn to the rain and the wind.
The room was funny and I stood up so slow -
Turn, turn, turn again -
With no other choice except but 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.
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 and the wind..."
I got mixed up confusion, man, it's a-killing 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 walking down the line,
I'm looking for a woman with a head mixed up like mine.
Well, I'm too old to lose, babe, I'm too young to win,
Now I feel like a stranger in a world I'm living in.
But I'm walking and wandering - my poor feet don't ever stop! -
Seeing my reflection, I'm hung over, hung down, hung up!
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 Starr, 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 a factory, she ain't got no shoes,
Daddy's in the alley, he's looking for food,
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues.
The hysterical bride in the penny arcade,
Screaming, she moans, "I have just been made!"
Then sends out for the doctor, who pulls down the shade
And 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 the bride,
"Stop all this weeping, swallow your pride,
You will not die, it's not poison!"
Mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes,
Daddy's in the alley, he's looking for food,
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 barbell, he points to the sky
Saying, "The sun's not yellow, it's chicken!"
Mama's in the factory. she ain't got no shoes,
Daddy's in the alley, he's looking for food,
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues.
The king of the Philistines, his soldiers to save,
Puts jawbones on their tombstones and flatters their graves,
Puts the pied-pipers in prison and fattens the slaves,
Then sends 'em out to the jungle.
Gypsy Davy with a blowtorch, he burns 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 a factory, she ain't got no shoes,
Daddy's in the alley, he's looking for food,
I'm in trouble with the tombstone blues.
The geometry of innocent flesh on the bone
Causes Galileo's math book to get thrown
At Delilah, who's sitting worthlessly alone,
But the tears on her cheeks are from laughter.
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 factory, she ain't got no shoes,
Daddy's in the alley, he's looking for food,
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues.
Where Ma Rainey and Beethoven once unwrapped their bedroll,
Tuba players now rehearse around the flagpole
And the National Bank at a profit sells road-maps for the soul
To the old folks' home and the college.
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 factory, she ain't got no shoes,
Daddy's in the alley, he's looking for food,
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues.
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, felt around for her face,
Been treated like a farm animal on a wild-goose chase.
West of the Jordan, east of the Rock of Gibraltar,
I see the turning 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 silence for snobbery.
Got the message this morning, the one that was sent to me
'Bout the madness of becoming what one was never meant to be.
West of the Jordan, east of the Rock of Gibraltar,
I see the turning of the page, curtain rising on a new age,
See the groom still waiting at the altar.
Don't know what I could say about Claudette wouldn't come back to haunt me,
Finally had to give her up 'bout the time she begin to want me,
But I know God has mercy on them who're slandered and humiliated,
I'd a-done anything for that woman if she'd only made me feel obligated.
West of the Jordan, east of the Rock of Gibraltar,
I see the turning of the page, 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're supposed to know better standing around like furniture,
There's a wall between you--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 turning of the page, curtain rising on a new age,
See the groom still waiting at the altar.
Cities on fire, phones outta 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 turning of the page, curtain rising on a new age,
See the groom still waiting at the altar.
You say you love me and you're thinking 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've done before,
I just can't beg you anymore,
I'm gonna let you pass,
Yes, and I'll go last,
Well, the time will tell who has fell and who's been left behind,
When you go your way and I go mine.
You say you're shaking and you're always a-breaking, but you know how hard you try,
You say you're assuming that you're kind of a-hurting, but you know sometimes you lie.
Sometimes it gets so hard to care -
It can't be this way everywhere -
I'm gonna let you pass,
Yes, and I'll go last,
Well, the time will tell who has fell and who's been left behind,
When you go your way and I go mine.
The judge, he's holding a grudge and he's about to 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 telling me stories you know I believe are true,
Say you got some other--other kind of lover and, yes, I believe you do.
You say my kisses aren't like his -
Yeah, and--well, I'm not gonna tell you why that is,
I'm gonna let you pass,
Yes, and I'll go last,
Well, the time will tell who has fell, who's been left behind,
When you go your way and I go mine.
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 kidding you.
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hanging out.
Now you don't talk so loud.
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging your next meal.
How does it feel?
How does it feel
To be without a home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Oh, you gone to the finest school, alright, Ms. Lonely,
But you know you only used to get juiced in it.
Nobody's ever taught you how to live out 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?
Oh, you never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns when they all 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 have--be on your own,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Oh, princess on the steeple and all the pretty people,
They're all drinking, thinking 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 ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose.
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.
How does it feel?
Oh, how does it feel
To be on your own,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Well, she's got jet-pilot eyes from her hips on down,
All the bombardiers're trying to force her outta 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 got to watch her closely 'cause she ain't no woman, she's a man.
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 seaweeds wove its strands,
The crashing 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 crying 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 moaned to the winds that listened the 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 no voice can hope to hum.
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 something you did
God knows when,
But you're doing it again,
You better duck down the alleyway,
Looking for a new friend.
The man in the coon-skin cap
In the pigpen
Wants eleven dollar bills,
You only got ten.
Maggie comes fleet-foot,
Face full of black soot,
Talking 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,
Don't walk on your tip-toes,
Don't try No Doz,
Better stay away from those
That carry 'round a fire-hose,
Keep a clean nose,
Watch the plain-clothes,
You don't need a weatherman
To know which way the wind blows.
Ah, get sick, get well,
Hang around the ink-well,
Ring bell, hard to tell
If anything is gonna 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
By losers, cheaters,
Six-time users
Hanging 'round the theaters,
Girl by the whirlpool's
Looking for a new fool,
Don't follow leaders,
Watch the parking 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 schooling 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
And try to avoid the scandals.
Don't wanna be a bum,
You better chew gum,
The pump don't work 'cause the vandals took the handles.
I can't understand,
She let go of my hand
And left me here facing the wall.
Well, 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 morning is clear
And it's like I ain't here,
She pretends 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.
Yes, I know, from darkness dreams are deserted -
Am I still dreaming yet?
I wish she'd unlock
Her voice once and talk
'Stead of acting like we never have met.
If I--I didn't have to guess,
I'd gladly confess
To anything I might have 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.
Oh, her skirt, it swayed as the guitar played,
Her mouth was watery and wet,
But something has changed,
For she ain't the same,
She just acts like we never have met.
I'm leaving today,
I'll be on my way,
Of this I can't say very much,
Yes, 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,
Just pick anyone
And pretend that you never have met."
Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when you're trying to be so quiet?
We sit here stranded though we all do our best to deny it
And Louise holds a handful 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 off,
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 watchman click his flashlight, ask himself just who that--if it's them or him that's really insane.
But Louise, she's alright, she's just near,
She's delicate, she seems like the mirror,
But she just makes it all too concise and too clear
That Johanna's not here.
The ghost of 'lectricity howls in the bones of her face
Where these visions of Johanna have now taken my place.
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 lot of 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 even 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, "Jeez,
I can't find my knees."
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, "You can't look at much, can you, 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 "Everything'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 in the rain
And these visions of Johanna are now all that remain.
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
And 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 times it's only me.
I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.
Everybody's building the big ships and 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 like my sugar sweet,
But darting fumes and making haste, it ain't my cup of meat.
Everybody's just standing 'round 'neath the trees feeding pigeons on a limb,
But, when Quinn the Eskimo gets here, them pigeons'll go to him.
Come all without, come all within,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn!
Now, lamp-gates and [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'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn!
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 following you.
Though I know that evening'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 following you.
Take me on a trip upon your magic, swirling 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 wandering.
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 following you.
Though you might hear laughing, spinning, swinging madly across the sun,
It's not aimed at anyone,
It's just escaping on the run, and but for the sky there are no fences facing.
And if you hear vague traces of skipping 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 seeing 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 following you.
And take me disappearing 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,
In the jingle-jangle morning I'll come following you.
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, I won't underestimate you.
Go away 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 looking for someone
Who's never weak but always strong,
To protect you and 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, babe,
It ain't me you're looking 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 you down.
You say you're looking 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 and more,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're looking for, babe.
Go melt back in the night,
Everything inside is made of stone.
There's nothing in here moving
And, 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,
And to come each time you call,
A lover for your life and nothing more,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe
It ain't me you're looking for, babe.
You angel, you, you're as f--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 walk and watch you talk with your memory on my mind.
And, though I can't sleep at night for trying,
Yes, I 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're as fine as can be,
The way you walk and the way you talk is the way it oughtta be.
And, though 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.
You angel, you, you got me under your wing,
The way you walk and the way you talk, I swear, it would make me sing.
Well, that big dumb blonde with her wheel gorged,
Turtle, that friend of hers 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 to over 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 him a yarn,
And 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 hitting it too hard, my stones won't take,
I get up in the morning, 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,
I punched myself in the face with my fist,
I took my potatoes down to be mashed,
And I made it on over to that million dollar bash.
Ooh, baby, ooh-ee,
Ooh, baby, ooh-ee,
It's that million dollar bash.
Ramona, come closer, shut softly your watery eyes.
The pangs of your sadness will pass as your senses will rise
For the flowers of the city, though breath-like, get death-like sometimes
And there's no use in trying to deal with the dying, though I cannot explain that in lines.
Your cracked country lips I still wish to kiss as to be by the strength of your skin.
Your magnetic movement still captures the minutes I'm in.
But it grieves my heart, love, to see you trying to be a part of a world that just don't exist.
It's all just a dream, babe, a vacuum, a scheme, babe, that sucks you into feeling 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 staying and returning back to the South.
You've been fooled into thinking that the finishing 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 than no one and no one is better than 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 and 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's no help I can bring.
Everything passes, everything changes. Just do what you think you should do.
And someday maybe - who knows, baby? - I'll come and be crying to you.
Our conversation was short and sweet,
It nearly swept me off of my feet -
Hmm, and I'm back in the rain,
Hmm, and you are on dry land,
You made it there somehow,
You're a big girl now.
Bird on the horizon sitting on a fence,
He's singing his song for me at his own expense -
And I'm just like that bird,
Oh, singing just for you,
Hmm, I hope that you can hear,
Hear me singing through these tears.
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, in somebody's room,
Hmm, it's a price I have to pay,
You're a big girl all the way.
Time is a jet plane, it moves too fast,
Oh, but what a shame! that all we've shared can't last.
I can change, I swear,
Hmm, see what you can do,
Hmm, I can make it through,
You can make it too.
A change in the weather can be extreme,
But it ain't like changing horses in midstream.
I'm going out of my mind,
Hmm, with a pain that stops and starts,
Ooh-ah, like a corkscrew to my heart
Ever since we've been apart.
My heart is telling me I love you still.
I can see 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 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 telling me I love you still.
I come back to the town from the flaming moon
And I see you in the street, I begin to swoon,
I love to see you dress before the mirror -
Won't you let me in your room one time before 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 your smile 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 you, please, to cross me off your list,
My head tells me it's time to make a change,
But my heart is telling me I love you, but you're strange.
Oh, 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?
Let me feel your love one more time before I abandon it.
Early one morning the sun was shining, I was laying in bed,
Wondering 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 I was standing on the side of the road, rain falling on my shoes,
Heading out for the East Coast - Lord knows, I've paid some dues getting through,
Tangled up in blue.
She was married when we first met, soon to be divorced,
I helped her out of a jam, I guess, but I used a little too much force.
We drove that car as far as we could, abandoned it out west,
Split up on a dark, sad night, both agreeing it was best.
She turned around to look at me as I was a-walking away,
I heard her say over my shoulder, "We'll meet again someday on the avenue,
Tangled up in blue."
I had a job in the Great North Woods working as a cook for a spell,
But I never did like it all that much and one day the ax just fell,
So I drifted down to New Orleans where I lucky was to be employed,
Working for a while on a fishing boat right outside of Delacroix,
But all the while I was alone, the past was close behind,
I seen a lot of women but she never escaped my mind and I just grew
Tangled up in blue.
She was working in a topless place and I stopped in for a beer,
I just kept looking at the side of her face in the spotlight so clear,
And later on, when the crowd thinned out, I was just about to do the same,
She was standing there in back of my chair, said to me, "Don't I know your name?"
I muttered something underneath my breath, she studied the lines of my face,
I must admit, 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 fifteenth century,
And every one of them words rang true and glowed like burning coal,
Pouring off of every page like it was written in my soul, from me to you,
Tangled up in blue.
I lived with them on Montague Street, in a basement down the stairs,
There was music in the cafes at night and revolution in the air,
Then he started into dealing with slaves and something inside of him died,
She had to sell everything she owned and froze up inside,
And when it finally--the bottom fell out, I became withdrawn,
The only thing I knew how to do was to keep on keeping 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 carpenters' wives,
Don't know how it all got started, I don't know what they're doing with their lives,
But me, I'm still on the road, a-heading for another joint,
We always did feel the same, we just saw it from a different point of view,
Tangled up in blue.
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 coming 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,
The sky too is folding under you,
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
All your seasick sailors, they're all rowing home,
Your own empty-handed army is all going home,
Your lover, who just walked out your 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, there's something that 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 anew,
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
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.
You know that he has no intentions
Of looking your way, unless it's to say
That he needs you to test his inventions.
Babe, come crawl out your window,
Use your hands 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.
Babe, please crawl out your window,
Oh, use your hands 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 look so righteous while your face is so changed
As you sit on 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 just beginning.
Babe, please come crawl out your window,
Oh, use your hands and legs, it won't ruin you.
How can you say he will haunt you?
Well, you can go back to him any time that you want to.
You got a lotta nerve to say you are my friend
If you won't come out your window.
Yes, come out your window!
Oh, my-
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 got a 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 had 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'd know what a drag it is to see you.
Here's a song about marriage. This is called "Isis". This is for a man if he's still here.
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,
The 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 looking for something easy to catch?"
I said, "I got no money, man." 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 we going?" He said we'd be back by the fourth.
I said, "That's the best news that I've ever heard."
I was thinking 'bout turquoise, I was thinking 'bout gold,
Thinking about diamonds and the world's biggest necklace,
As we rode through the canyons, through the devilish cold,
I was thinking 'bout Isis, how she thought I was so reckless.
She told me, though, that one day we would meet up again,
Things would be different the next time we wed
If 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 a-trying to find.
If I carry it out, it'll bring a good price."
'Twas then that I knew what he had on his mind.
Well, the wind, it was howling and the snow was outrageous,
We chopped through the night and we chopped through the dawn.
When he died, I was hoping that it wasn't contagious,
But I made up my mind that I had to get on.
I broke into the tomb, but the casket was empty,
There was no jewels, no nothing! I felt I'd been had
When I saw that my partner, he was just being friendly,
When I picked up his offer, Lord, musta been mad.
I picked up his body and I dragged him inside,
Threw him down in the hole, I put back the cover.
I said a quick prayer just to feel satisfied,
Then I went 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 you 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're a 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 drizzling rain.
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 the man who invented iron and disappeared so mysteriously.
Was she a child or an angel? Did we go too far?
Were we slandered, babe? Did we follow a star
Through a hole in the wall to where the long arm of the law cannot 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 practiced the hopes of 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.
Sea breeze blowing, there's a hell-hound loose,
Redeemed men who have escaped from the noose
Preaching faith and salvation, waiting on the night to arrive.
He was well connected, but her heart was a snare
And she had left him to die in there.
He was going down slow, just barely staying alive.
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 station 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 on the furnace of desire,
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,
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 bringing evil report
'Bout armies on the march and time that is short
And famines and earthquakes and train-wrecks and tearing down of the wall.
Did you ever have a dream that you couldn't explain?
Ever meet your accusers face-to-face in the rain?
She had chrome-brown eyes that I won't forget as long as she's gone.
I see the screws break loose, see the devil pounding on tin,
I see a house in the country being a-torn apart from within,
I can hear 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,
Bringing everything that's near to me nearer to the fire.
Everything went from bad to worse, money never changed a thing,
Death kept following, tracking 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'a thought about it, I never woulda done it, I guess I woulda let it slide,
If I'd'a paid attention to what others were thinking, the heart inside me woulda died,
But I was just too stubborn to ever be governed by enforced insanity.
Someone had to reach for the rising star, I guess it was up to me.
Now, the Union Central is pulling out, 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's gonna be up to me.
It was like a revelation when you betrayed me with your touch,
I'd just about convinced myself nothing had changed that much.
The old Rounder in the iron mask, he slipped me the master key.
Somebody had to unlock your heart, he said it was up to me.
Now, I watched you slowly disappear down into the officers' club,
I woulda followed you in the door, but I didn't have a ticket stub,
So I waited all night till the break of day, hoping one of us could get free.
Oh, when the dawn came over the river bridge, I knew it was up to me.
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 protect your real identity?
You looked a little burned out, my friend, I thought it might be up to me.
I met somebody face-to-face, 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 gonna make a move, I guess it must be up to me.
Now, 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 got to pay the penalty.
Somebody's got to tell the tale, I guess it must be up to me.
Dupree came in pimping tonight to the Thunderbird Cafe,
Crystal wanted to talk to him, I had to look the other way.
Now I just can't rest without you, love, I need your company.
You ain't 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 wondering about, but there's a-really nothing much to tell.
We both heard voices for a while, now the rest is a-history.
Somebody's got to cry some tears, I guess it must be up to me.
So, go on, boys, 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.
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, you knew it was up to me.
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna milk my milk-cow low,
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna leave my lonesome home,
Yes, sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna hit that highway road,
But then again-and then again, I said, oh-whoa-whoa-oh, babe, I'm in the mood for you.
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna turn my back to the wall,
And sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna live in my pony-stall,
And sometimes I'm in the mood, I ain't gonna do nothing at all,
But then again, I said, oh-I said, oh-I said, oh-oh, babe, I'm in the mood for you.
Woo!
Sometimes I'm in the mood I wanna change my house around,
And sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna change things in the town,
And sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna change the whole world around,
But then again-I think again-and then the-whoa-I said, oh-I said, oh, babe, I'm in the mood for you.
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I'm gonna give away all my sins,
And sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna walk the road again,
And sometimes I'm in the mood that I'm bound to lose again,
But then again, I said-again, I said, whoa-whoa, babe, sometimes I'm in the mood for you.
Woo!
I said, whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa, I said, oh, babe, I'm in the mood for you,
I said, oh, babe, I'm in the mood for you.
Well, the rain-man comes with his magic wand,
But the judge says, "Mona can't have no bond."
The walls collide, Mona cries.
Rain-man leaves in the wolf-man's disguise. Oh!
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!
Now the undertaker in his midnight suit
Says to the madman, "Ain't you cute!"
The madman, he jumps up on the shelf,
He says, "You ain't so bad yourself!" Oh, yeah!
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, Jumping Judy can't go no higher,
She had bullets in her eyes and they fire.
Rasputin, he's so dignified,
Touched the back of her head and he died. Oh!
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!
Alright!
Well, Phaedra with her looking glass,
When she lays upon the grass,
She gets all messed up, she faints,
That's 'cause she's so obvious and you ain't. Oh, oh, well!
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!
I wanna be yours!
Alright, now!
I'll hold it down for you.
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 drinking from my broken cup
And ask me to 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 she's 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 it because he lied, because he took you for a ride,
And because time was on his side and because I
Want you,
I want you,
Yes, I want you so bad,
Honey, I want you.
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 where you're going,
Don't put yourself over the line,
Heart of mine.
Heart of mine, go back where you been,
Be only trouble for you if-a you let her in.
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, so malicious and so full of guile,
Give you an inch and you'll take the mile.
Don't let yourself fall,
Don't let yourself stumble,
If you can't do the time, don't do the crime,
Heart of mine,
If you can't do the time, don't do the crime,
Heart of mine,
If you can't do the time, don't do the crime,
Heart of mine.
On a night like this I'm 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 I'm so glad you're here to stay,
Hold on to me, pretty miss, and say you'll never go away to stray.
Run your fingers down my spine and 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 of 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 on a night like this.
Nobody feels any pain tonight as I stand inside the rain.
Everybody knows that baby's got new clothes,
But lately I see her ribbons and her bows have fallen from her curls.
She takes just like a woman - yes, she does!
She makes love just like a woman - yes, she does!
And she aches just like a woman, but she breaks just like a little girl.
Queen Mary, she's my friend. Yes, I believe I'll go see her again.
Nobody has to guess that baby can't be blessed
Till she finally sees that she's like all the rest with her fog, her amphetamine, and her pearls.
She takes just like a woman - yes!
She makes love just like a woman - yes, she does!
And she aches just like a woman, but she breaks just like a little girl.
It was raining from the first and I was dying of thirst so I came in here.
And your long-time curse hurts, but what's worse is this pain in here.
I can't stay in here - ain't it clear
That I just can't fit? Yes, I believe it's time for us to quit.
And, when we meet again, introduced as friends,
Please don't let on that you knew me when I was hungry and it was your world.
Ah, you fake just like a woman - yes, you do!
You make love just like a woman - yes, you do!
Then you ache just like a woman, but you break just like a little girl.
Hot chili peppers in the blistering sun,
Dust on my face and my cape,
Me and Magdalena on the run,
I think this time we should 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 Ramon.
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,
Drink tequila where our grandfathers stayed
When they rode with Villa into Torreon.
The way, it is long, but the end is near,
Already the fiesta has begun,
Well, the streets--the face of God will soon appear
With the 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.
Senor, Senor, can you tell me where we're heading,
Lincoln County Road or Armageddon?
Seem like I been down this way before,
Is there any truth in that, Senor?
Senor, Senor, do you know where she's hiding?
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 marching band still playing 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,
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,
She said, "Son, this ain't a dream no more, it's the real thing."
Senor, Senor, you know, their hearts're as hard as leather,
Well, give me a minute, let me get it together,
Just gotta pick myself up off the floor.
I'm ready when you are, Senor.
Senor, Senor, let's overturn these tables,
Disconnect these cables--
This place don't make sense to me no more!
Can you tell me what we're waiting for, Senor?
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.
May be a rock-and-roll addict prancing on the stage,
Might have drugs at your command, women in a cage,
You may be a businessman 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 are, 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,
May be the head of some big TV network,
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame,
May be living in another country under another name,
But you're gonna have to serve somebody,
Yes, you are, 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.
May be a construction worker working on a home,
Might be living in a mansion, you might live in a dome,
You may own guns and you may even own tanks,
You may be somebody's landlord, you may 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 a-may be the Lord,
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
You may be a preacher preaching spiritual pride,
May be a city councilman taking bribes on the side,
May be working 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,
Might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread,
May be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-size 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.
Now, you may call me Terry or you may call me Timmy,
You may call me Bobby or you may call me Zimmy,
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray,
You may call me anything, don't 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 and it may be the Lord,
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
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--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's 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 turns--turns 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 'cause I believe in you.
Time passes slowly up here in the mountains,
We set beside bridges and walk beside fountains,
Catch the wild fishes that float through the stream -
Time passes slowly when you're lost in a dream.
Once I had a sweetheart, she was fine and good-looking,
We sat in her kitchen while her mama was cooking,
Staring out the window to the stars high above -
Time passes slow 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,
Stares straight ahead and tries so hard to stay right,
Like the red rose of summer that blooms in the day
Time passes slowly and fades away.
They say every man must need protection,
They say every man must fall,
Yet I swear I see my reflection
Some place so high above the wall.
I see my light come shining from the west out to the east,
Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.
Down here next to me in this lonely crowd
There's a man who swears he's not to blame.
All day long I hear him cry so loud,
Calling out that he's been framed.
Yeah, I see my light come shining from the west out to the east,
Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.
Mama, take this badge off of me,
I can't use it anymore.
It's getting dark, too dark to see,
I feel I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
Mama, put my guns in the ground,
I can't shoot them anymore.
That long, black cloud is coming down,
I feel I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
"There must be some way outta here," said the joker to the thief,
"There's too much confusion, I can't get no release.
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's 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, the wind began to howl.
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--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,
Twenty-four hours a day you can feel it and you can hear it,
Using every angle under the sun,
And it never give up till the battle's lost or won.
Well, I'm hanging on
To a solid rock,
Made before the foundation of--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.
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 rung
And 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 light surrounding you.
May you always be courageous, stand upright and be strong,
And may you stay 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,
May you stay forever young.
Well, I told my baby, I said, "Baby, I know where you been,
I know who you are and what league you play 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 quiet and still,
For only fifteen hundred dollars you can have anybody killed.
You wanna ramble to the break of dawn,
You wanna ramble, yeah, 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, yeah, to the break of dawn,
You wanna ramble, uh, to the break of dawn,
You wanna ramble to the break of dawn.
There was a man named Mahatma Gandhi,
Wouldn't bow down, he would not fight.
He knew the deal was a-down and dirty,
Nothing wrong could make it right away,
But he knew his duty and the price he had to pay,
Just another holy man who dared to be a friend.
My God, they killed Him!
Another man from Atlanta, Georgia,
Name of Martin Luther King,
He shook the land like a rolling thunder,
He made the bells of freedom ring today
With a dream of beauty that they cannot take 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 sick and He 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 I'll never understand.
My God, they killed Him!
There was a man named Mahatma Gandhi,
A man named Martin Luther King,
The only son of God Almighty,
The holy one called Jesus Christ,
On the road to glory where the story never ends,
Just the holy son of man I'll never understand.
My God, they killed Him!
There was a man named Mahatma Gandhi,
A man named Martin Luther King,
The only son of God Almighty,
The holy one called Jesus Christ,
On the road to glory where the story never ends,
Just the holy son of man I'll never understand.
My God, they killed Him!
There was a man named Mahatma Gandhi,
A man named Martin Luther King,
The only son of God Almighty,
The holy one called Jesus Christ.
There was a man named Mahatma Gandhi,
A man named Martin Luther King...
I didn't know that you'd be leaving -
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 drifting too far from shore,
Drifting too far from shore, yeah,
Drifting too far from shore.
I ain't a-gonna get lost in this current,
I don't like playing cat-and-mouse.
No gentleman likes making love to a servant,
'Specially when he's in his father's 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 drifting too far from shore, yeah,
Drifting too far from shore,
Drifting too far from shore,
Drifting too far from shore.
Well, these times and these tunnels are haunted,
The bottom of the barrel is too.
I've waited years sometimes for what I've wanted,
Everybody can't be as lucky as you.
Never no more do I wonder
Why you don't never play with me anymore:
At any moment you could go under
'Cause you're drifting too far from shore, yeah,
Drifting too far from shore,
Drifting too far from shore,
Drifting too far from shore.
You and me, we had completeness,
I gave 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 finish this alone, honey,
You're drifting too far from shore.
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, sacred scenes unfold.
Precious father, loving mother,
Glide across the lonely years
And old homes, scenes of my childhood
In fond memory appear.
Precious memories, how they linger,
How they ever flood my soul!
In the stillness of the midnight
Precious, sacred scenes unfold.
Precious memories, how they linger,
How they ever flood my soul!
In the stillness of the midnight
Precious, sacred scenes unfold.
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 'cross the tracks,
Maybe you'll beg me like a dog to take you back.
Maybe someday you'll find out everybody's somebody's fool,
Maybe, then, you'll realize what it would've taken to keep me cool.
Maybe someday, when you're by yourself, alone,
You'll know the love that I had for you was never my own.
Maybe someday you'll have nowhere to turn,
You'll look back and wonder 'bout the bridges you have burned,
You'll look back sometime when the lights 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 will 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 though some kind of a test,
Either 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,
But 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,
There was no greater love than what I had for you.
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 on 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 calling after me like a rolling train.
I can still see the day 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 until we got 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 driving this car and the sun is coming 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 wanna 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 wrecking 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 says, "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 thinking of bumming a ride back to from where she started,
But she changed the subject every time money came up.
She said, "Welcome to the land of the living dead",
But you could tell she was so broken-hearted,
She said, "Even the swap meets around here are getting pretty corrupt."
"How far are you all going?" Ruby asked us with a sigh.
"We going all the way till the wheels fall off and burn,
Till 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 - but I just can't get it outta 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-is Gregory Peck and the way that people moved
And a lot of 'em, they seemed to be looking my way.
Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls,
Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above,
Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls,
Brownsville girl, you're my honey, love.
Well, they were looking for somebody with a pompadour,
I was crossing 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 saying much.
I could feel a whole lot better
If you were just here by my side to show me how.
Well, I'm standing 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 something 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 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,
Brownsville girl, you're my honey, love.
Don't ever try to change me,
I been in this thing too long.
There's nothing you can say or do
To make me think I'm wrong.
Well, I'm going off to Libya,
There's a guy I gotta see.
He been living there three years now
In an oil refinery.
I got my mind made up,
Oh, got my mind made up.
Oh!
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 nothing in this world
You can say I didn't give to you.
I 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 nothing to you,
Baby, that I wouldn't do.
Well, if you don't want to see me,
Look a-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,
Got my mind made up.
Something about you that I can't shake,
Don't know how much more of this I can take.
Baby, 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 read 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 as you're alive,
Baby, can't you tell?
Well, it's four in the morning by the sound of the birds,
I'm staring at your picture, I'm hearing your words,
Baby, they ring in my head like a bell.
Everywhere you go, it's enough to break hearts,
Someone always gets hurt, a fire always starts.
You were too hot to handle, you were breaking every vow,
I trusted you, baby, you can trust me now.
Turn back, baby, wipe your eye,
Don't think I'm leaving you 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,
Baby, two feet from the well.
Well, the marriage vow, you know, it's very sacred,
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, you never miss your water till your well runs dry,
Come on, 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, you never miss your water till your well runs dry,
Come on, baby, give our love a try, let's stick together,
Come on, come on, let's 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,
You know, we made a vow not to leave one another, never.
When did you leave heaven?
How could they let you go?
How's everything in heaven?
I'd like to know.
Why did you trade heaven
For all these earthly things?
Where did you hide your 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.
When did you leave heaven, angel mine?
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 brokenhearted lover.
See her in that very tight skirt,
Got what it takes just to make you hurt.
Don't be deceived by those big, bright eyes,
They're full of cheating, misery, low-down lies.
Makes no difference where she's been,
I know Sal been doing them things again,
Breaking a-hearts up and down the line
Like a-she a-broke a-this heart of mine.
I'll go see them come down my way,
Like a fool, you're not gonna hear me say,
"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 know Sal been doing them things again,
Breaking hearts up and down the line
Like a-she a-broke a-this a-heart of mine.
There she come, now, down my way,
Like a fool, you're not gonna hear me say,
"Lay at your bed, Sally Sue Brown,
Please a-let me love you, baby, don't put me down."
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've held sacred falls down and does not mend,
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 crossroads 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 no one there to comfort you with a 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 with 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,
Just remember that death is not the end,
Not the end, not the end,
Just remember that death is not the end.
I got to see you, baby, I don't care,
It may be some place, baby, you say where.
I had a dream about you, baby,
Dream about you, baby,
Late last night you come rolling 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 rolling across my mind.
I stand on highway, baby 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 rolling across my mind.
The joint is jumping,
It's really something,
The beat is pumping,
Well, I'm just thumping.
Spent my money on you, honey,
My limbs are shaking,
My mind is breaking.
You kiss me, baby, in the coffee shop,
You make me so mad I tell you to stop.
I had a dream about you, baby,
Dream about you, baby,
Late last night you come rolling across my mind.
The joint is jumping,
It's really something,
The beat is pumping,
Well, I'm just thumping.
Spent my money on you, honey,
My limbs are shaking,
My mind is breaking.
You wear a blue scarf upon your head,
Wear a long dress fire-engine red.
I had a dream about you, baby,
Dream about you, baby,
Late last night you come rolling across my mind.
Well, the woman that I love, she got a hook in her nose,
Her eyebrows meet, she wears second-hand clothes,
She speaks a-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 insane,
I go half-crazy when she calls my name,
She say, "Baby, baby, baby, baby, I lo-lo-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 with the ugliest girl in the world.
Woman that I love, she got two flat feet,
Her knees knock 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,
I love her, yeah, I love her,
I'm in love with the ugliest girl in the world.
I don't mean to say that she got nothing going,
She got a weird sense of humor that's all her own.
When I get 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, hey!
Woman that I love, she got a hook in her nose,
Her eyebrows meet, she wears second-hand clothes,
She speaks with a stutter and she walk with a hop,
I don't know why I love her, but I just can't stop,
I know I love her, yeah, I love her,
I'm in love with the ugliest girl in the world.
Stake my future on a hell of a past,
Looks like tomorrow is a-coming on fast,
Ain't complaining 'bout what I got,
I 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 a-knocking, don't throw me no bone.
I'm an old boll weevil looking for a home
And, if you don't like me, 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,
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.
Give what I got until I got no more,
I take what I gets and 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.
Gonna sing it loud, 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.
I took you home from a party and we kissed in fun,
A few stolen kisses and no harm was done.
'Steada 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 being 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, now I have no choice,
It's too late to listen to that warning voice,
All I hear is thunder of two hearts' beat
Doing ninety miles an hour down a dead-end street,
Yeah, 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 sweet, sweet wine,
But we're heading for a wall of stone.
Warning signs are eve-flashing everywhere, but we pay no heed,
'Stead of slowing down the place, we keep a-picking up speed,
Disaster's getting closer at every 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.
Oh, Shenandoah, I long to hear you -
Look away, you rolling 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 rolling 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 rolling 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 rolling 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 rolling 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 rolling river,
Shenandoah, I will not deceive you -
Look away, we're bound away across the wide Missouri.
I wandered again to my home in the mountain
Where in youth's early dawn 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.
Everybody 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've all moved a way," said the voice of a stranger,
"To that beautiful shore by the bright, crystal sea."
Some beautiful day I'll meet 'em in heaven
Where no one will be a stranger to me.
Everybody 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.
Sometimes feel so low-down and disgusted,
Can't help but wonder what's a-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?
For there's a slow - there's a slow, slow train coming.
I had a woman down in Alabama,
She was a backwoods girl, but she sure was realistic,
She said, "Boy, without a doubt, gotta quit your mess and straighten out,
You could die down here, be another accident statistic."
For there's a slow--said there's a slow, slow train coming.
Man's ego's inflated, you know, his laws are outdated,
You can't rely no more to be standing around waiting.
In the home of the brave, Jefferson in his grave,
Fools glorify themselves trying to manipulate Satan -
For there's a slow--said there's a slow, slow train coming.
All that foreign oil - American soil -
That don't apply no more - all from parts of Paris.
[incomprehensible] in the grave - in American future -
Look around you, it's just bound to make you embarrassed!
Oh, God, 'cause when - Amsterdam and Paris -
But there's a slow - yeah, there's a slow - there's a slow train coming.
Well, my baby went to Illinois with some boy she could destroy,
He was [incomprehensible], there was nothing I could do to stop it.
Oh, lose your inhibition [incomprehensible] -
But it sure - my loved ones turning into puppets -
There's a slow - there's a slow, slow train coming,
There's a slow - there's a slow, slow train coming,
For there's a slow - there's a slow, slow train coming.
Gypsy 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.
Drunken politician leaps upon the street where mothers weep,
Saviors are fast asleep, wait for you.
Wait for them to interrupt me drinking from this broken cup
And ask me to open up the gate for you.
I want you,
I want you,
I want you so bad,
Honey, I want you.
All my fathers, they've gone down,
True love, they've been without it,
All their daughters put me down
'Cause I don't think about it.
I return to the Queen of Spades, talk a-with the chambermaid,
She knows I'm not afraid to look at her.
She is good to me, there's a-nothing she doesn't see,
She knows where I'd like to be, but it doesn't matter.
I want you,
I want you,
I want you so bad,
Honey, I want you.
Oh, all my fathers, they've gone down,
True love, they've been without it,
All their daughters put me down
'Cause I don't think about it.
I return to the Chinese flute - touching me, it wasn't cute -
No, I wasn't very cute to him, was I?
I did it for - because he lied, 'cause he took you for a ride,
'Cause time was on his side and because I
Want you,
I want you,
Want you so bad,
I want you,
I want you,
I want you.
You might a janitor out on the [incomprehensible],
Might be a conductor flagging down a train,
May be rich or poor, may be blind or lame,
May be living in another country under another name,
But you're gonna serve somebody,
Serve somebody:
It might be the devil, it might be the Lord,
But you're gonna serve somebody.
Might be the heavyweight champion of the world,
May be sitting in a [incomprehensible] smoking pearl,
May be hung on the dais, hanging out to dry,
You may be standing there with a tear in your eye,
But you're gonna serve somebody,
Serve somebody:
It might be the devil, it might be the Lord,
But you're gonna serve somebody.
Come down the [incomprehensible], don't leave me behind,
Keep all your trouble or give it to the blind,
You might be rich or poor, may be a parasite too,
Living on your country or jobs offered you,
But you're gonna serve somebody,
One of these days you're gonna serve somebody:
It might be the devil, it might be the Lord,
But you're gonna serve somebody.
You might be hungry, you might be [incomprehensible],
Might be reading "Art of Truth", might be outta luck,
May be working in the wind down to the town,
Down on the surface with a [incomprehensible],
But you're gonna serve somebody,
Yeah, serve somebody:
It might be the devil, it might be the Lord,
Gonna serve somebody.
You might be [incomprehensible] on the start,
Sleeping in the saddle, sleeping in a king-size bed,
Sleeping in the alley, sleeping in the dust,
Sleeping in the [incomprehensible] on the back of the dust,
But you're gonna serve somebody,
Serve somebody:
It might be the devil, it might be the Lord,
Gonna serve somebody,
Serve somebody,
Serve somebody,
Serve somebody,
Serve somebody,
You've got to serve somebody,
You've got to serve somebody,
You got to serve somebody,
You got to serve somebody,
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Gonna have to serve somebody,
Gonna have to serve somebody,
You gonna have to serve somebody.
When your mother sends back all your invitations
And your father, to your sister he explains
That you're tired of yourself and all your creations,
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
When all the clowns that you have commissioned
Have died - have died in battle or in vain
And you're tired trying to get out of - of situations,
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
When your [incomprehensible] all advisers heave their plastic
At your feet - at your feet to convince you of your pain,
And you - and you wish your situation be more drastic,
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
When all - all of the bandits you have commissioned
Have beat out your destruction or your pain
And you want someone to put out your ambition,
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Well, when all your - all the bandits that you turn your other cheek to
Try to steal back your numbness, all your pain
And you want someone that you don't have to speak to,
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?
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 of 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 a-next to last,
They called Joe "Crazy", the baby they called "Kid Blast",
Some say they lived off gambling and running numbers too,
Seemed like always they'd be 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 really knew for sure wherever they were at.
They tried to strangle Larry, Joey almost a-hit the roof,
He went out that night to seek revenge, thinking he was bulletproof.
When a horror broke out at the break of dawn and emptied out the streets,
Joey and his brothers suffered terrible defeats.
Well, they ventured out behind the line and took five prisoners,
Stashed 'em away in a basement, called 'em "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 hands, 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 and called him "Mr. Smith",
They got him on conspiracy, but they never said who with.
"What time is it?" said the judge to Joey when they met.
"Five to ten," said Joey. Judge says, "That's just what you get."
He did ten years in Attica, [incomprehensible] 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.
They let him out in '71, I swear he did look great,
He dressed like Jimmy Cagney, but he did - lost a little weight.
He tried to find a way back into where he left behind,
To the boss he said, "I have returned and now I want what's mine."
Joey, Joey,
King of the streets, child of clay,
Joey, Joey,
Why did they have to come blow you away?
It's true that in his later years he would not carry a gun:
"I'm around too many children," he said, "they should never know of one."
Yet he walked right into the clubhouse of his lifelong, deadly foe
And emptied out the 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 door 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, sister 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 Brooklyn mourned,
They said a mass in the old church near the house where he was born.
Someday, if God's in heaven overlooking His preserve,
I know that the men that shot him down will get what they deserve.
Joey, Joey,
King of the streets, child of clay,
Joey, Joey,
What made them want to come and blow you away?
"There must be some way outta 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, you know, the hour is getting late."
"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, you know, the hour's getting late."
All along the watchtower princes kept the view,
All the women came and went, barefoot servants too.
Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl,
Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl.
Mama, take this badge off of me,
I can't use it anymore.
It's getting dark, too dark to see,
Feel like I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Just like so many times before.
Mama, wipe the blood outta my eyes,
I can't see through it anymore.
Suddenly I'm like crawled up in my side
And I feel like I'm knocking on a-heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
Mama, put my guns in the ground,
I can't fight them anymore.
That long, black train is pulling down
And I feel like I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
We live in a political world,
Love don't have any place,
We living in times when men commit crimes
And crime don't have a face.
We live in a political world,
Icicles hanging down,
Wedding bells ring and angels sing
And clouds cover up the ground.
We live in a political world,
Wisdom is thrown into jail,
It rots in a cell misguided as hell,
Leaving no one to pick up the 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,
Courage is a thing of the past,
Houses are haunted, children are unwanted,
The next day could be your last.
We live in a political world,
The one we can see and can 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,
The cities of a 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 a-thrashing 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 wander some more
Or put up against the wall.
We live in a political world,
Everything's a-hers or his,
Climb into the frame and shout God's name,
But you're not even sure what it is.
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,
Stripping 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 can hold up a toast if we meet
To the cutting of fences
To sharpen the senses
That linger in the fireball heat.
Roses are red, violets are blue,
And time is beginning to crawl.
I just might have to come see you
Where teardrops fall.
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 a-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 choking,
Everything is broken.
Every time you leave and go off some place,
Things fall to pieces in my face.
Broken hands on broken plows,
Broken treaties, broken vows,
Broken pipes, broken tools,
People bending broken rules.
Hound dog howling, bull frog croaking,
Everything is broken.
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's on its side
And time is running backwards and so is the bride.
Ring them bells, St. Peter, where the four winds blow,
Ring them bells with an iron hand so the people will know.
Oh, it's rush hour now on the wheel and the plow
And the sun is a-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-a 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 the innocence dies.
Ring them bells, St. 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
And they're breaking down the distance between a-right and wrong.
Crickets are chirping, the water is high,
There's a soft cotton dress on the line hanging dry,
Her window's wide open, African trees
Bent over backwards from a hurricane breeze.
Not a word of goodbye, not even a note,
She gone with the man in the long, black coat.
Somebody seen him hanging 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-talking, there's a sermon he gave,
He said every man's 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 sometime, you could 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 a-been there since June,
Tree trunks uprooted 'neath the high crescent moon.
Feel the pulse and vibration and the rumbling force,
Somebody is out there beating on a dead horse.
She never said nothing, there was nothing she wrote,
She gone with the man in the long, black coat.
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 signs,
Stay right with it when the road unwinds,
I can handle whatever I stumble upon,
I don't even notice she 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 till 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't even be sure
If she was ever with me or if I was ever with her.
Most of the time I'm halfways content,
Most of the time I know exactly where it all 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
Most of the time.
What good am I if I'm 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 thundering 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've 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,
What good am I?
There's a whole lotta people suffering tonight from the disease of conceit,
Whole lotta people struggling tonight from the disease of conceit,
Come 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 lotta hearts breaking tonight from the disease of conceit,
Whole lotta 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 'bout the disease of conceit.
There's a whole lotta people dying tonight from the disease of conceit,
Whole lotta people crying tonight from the disease of conceit,
Comes right outta 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 a 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 lotta people in trouble tonight from the disease of conceit,
Whole lotta people seeing double tonight from the disease of conceit,
Give you delusions of grandeur and an evil eye,
Give you idea that you're too good to die,
Then they bury you from your head to your feet from the disease of conceit.
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, now go 'head, 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've 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 waiting? Was there a slip of the lip?
What was it you wanted? I ain't keeping 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 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? Are you talking to me?
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 kinda 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, 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,
Last time you might hear the sermon on the mount,
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.
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 lose,
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 outta here,
Wiggle till it opens, wiggle till it shuts,
Wiggle till it bites, wiggle till it cuts.
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup,
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, rattle and shake,
Wiggle like a big, fat snake.
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.
Someday, little girl, everything for you is gonna be new,
Someday, little girl, you'll have a-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 and the wind blow high,
One day the little boy and little girl were 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,
Man in the moon went home and the river went dry.
It's unbelievable, it's strange but true,
It's inconceivable it could happen to you.
You go north and you go south
Just like bait in the 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 undeniable what they'd have you to think,
It's indescribable, it can drive you to drink.
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 can get this rich this quick.
Every head is so dignified,
Every moon is so sanctified,
Every urge is so satisfied as long as you're with me.
All the silver, all the gold,
All the sweethearts 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 learn the tune.
Kill that beast and feed that swine,
Scale that wall and smoke that vine,
Beat that horse and saddle up the 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 began to bleed.
Every brain is civilized,
Every nerve is analyzed,
Everything is criticized when you are in need.
It's unbelievable, it's fancy-free,
So interchangeable, so delightful to see.
Turn your back, wash your hands,
There's always someone who understands,
It don't matter no more what you got to say,
It's unbelievable it go down this way.
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 blowing down the 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, baby, no more of this.
Takes too much skill, takes too much will, it's too revealing.
You came, you saw, just like the law,
You married young just like your 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 hang the flame, you 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.
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.
One time in London I'd gone out for a walk
Past a place called Hyde Park where people talk
'Bout all kinds of different gods, they have their point of view,
To anyone passing by, that's who they're talking to.
There was someone on a 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 a blessing in disguise."
I moved in closer, got up on my toes,
Two men in front of me were coming to blows.
Man was saying something 'bout children when they're young
Being sacrificed to it while lullabies are being sung.
"The news of the day is on all the time,
All the latest gossip, all the latest rhyme.
Your mind is your temple, keep it beautiful and free,
Don't let an egg get laid in it by something you can't see."
"Pray for peace!" he said, you could feel it in the crowd.
My thoughts began to wander, but his voice was ringing loud.
"It will destroy your family, your happy home is gone.
No one can protect you from it once you turn it on."
"It will lead you into some strange pursuits,
Lead you to the land of forbidden fruits.
It'll scramble up your head, drag your brain about.
Sometimes you gotta do like Elvis did and shoot the damn thing out."
"It's all been designed," he said, "to make you lose your mind
And, when you go back to find it, there's nothing there to find.
Every time you look at it, your situation's worse.
If you feel it grabbing out for you, send for the nurse."
The crowd begun to riot and they grabbed hold of the man,
There was pushing, there was shoving, and everybody ran,
TV crew was there to film it, they jumped right over me.
Later on that evening I watched it on TV.
[incomprehensible]
Ten thousand men on a hill,
Ten thousand men on a hill,
Some of 'em going down, some of 'em gonna get killed.
Ten thousand men dressed in oxford blue,
Ten thousand men dressed in oxford blue,
Drumming in the morning, in the evening they'll be coming for you.
Ten thousand men on the move,
Ten thousand men on the move,
None of them doing nothing that your mama wouldn't disapprove.
Ten thousand men digging for silver and gold,
Ten thousand men digging for silver and gold,
All clean-shaven, all coming in from the cold.
Hey! Who could your lover be?
Hey! Who could your lover be?
Let me eat off his head and you can really see.
Ten thousand women all dressed in white,
Ten thousand women all dressed in white,
Standing at my window, wishing me goodnight.
Ten thousand men looking so lean and frail,
Ten thousand men looking so lean and frail,
Each one of 'em got seven wives, each one of 'em just out of jail.
Ten thousand women all sweeping my room,
Ten thousand women all sweeping my room,
Spilling my buttermilk, sweeping it up with a broom.
Ooh, baby, thank you for my tea,
Baby, thank you for my tea,
It's so sweet of you to be so nice to me.
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.
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 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 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,
Two by two, to another rendezvous,
Three by three, it don't set on me,
Four by four, no illusion for,
Five by five, as I stay on the line,
Six by six...
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's gonna be no more water but fire next time.
God don't call it treason,
God don't call it wrong,
It was supposed to last a season, but it's been 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 been so bold and so cold.
God knows that, 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 it 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 rise above the darkest hour of any circumstance.
God knows there's a heaven,
God knows it's outta sight,
God knows we can get all the way from here to there if we've gotta walk a million miles by candlelight.
God knows...
Handy-dandy, controversy surrounds him,
He 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 was 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.
You'll say, "What are you made of?"
He'll say, "Can you repeat what you said?"
You'll say, "What are you afraid of?"
He'll say, "Nothing neither 'live nor dead."
Handy-dandy, he 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 in a garden feeling kind of lazy.
He say, "Oh, you want a gun? I'll give you one."
She said, "Boy, you 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 said, "Ok, boys, I'll see you tomorrow."
Handy-dandy, handy-dandy, just like sugar and candy,
Handy-dandy, just like sugar and candy,
Handy-dandy, handy-dandy.
Cat's in the well, the wolf is looking down,
The cat's in the well, the wolf is looking down,
He got his big, bushy tail dragging all over the ground.
Cat's in the well, the gentle lady is asleep,
Cat's in the well, gentle lady is asleep,
She ain't hearing a thing, silence is a-sticking her deep.
Cat's in the well and grief is showing its face,
The world's being slaughtered, it's such a bloody disgrace.
Cat's in the well, horse is going bumpety-bump,
Cat's in the well and the horse is going bumpety-bump,
Back-alley Sally's doing the American jump.
Cat's in the well and papa is reading the news,
His hair is 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 the bull,
The night is so long and the table is oh so full.
Cat's in the well and the servant is at the door,
The drinks are ready and the dogs are going to war.
The cat's in the well, the leaves are starting to fall,
Cat's in the well, leaves are starting to fall,
Goodnight, my love, may the lord have mercy on us all.
Come, you ladies and you gentlemen, 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, from the country, living 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 in the middle and all around,
They'll kick you when you're up and knock you when you're down.
It's hard times, from the country, living down in New York town.
When the weak and the strong and the rich and the poor
Gather there together, ain't room for no more.
Crowded up above and crowded down below,
When someone disappears, you never even know.
And it's hard times, from the country, living down in New York town.
It's a mighty long ways from the Golden Gate
To Rockefeller Plaza and the Empire State.
Mr. Empire sits up as high as a bird
And old Mr. Rockefeller never says a word.
And it's hard times, from the country, living down in New York town.
Well, it's up in the morning trying to find a job of work,
Stand in one place till your feet begin to hurt.
If you got a lotta money, you can make yourself merry,
If you only got a nickel, it's the Staten Island Ferry.
And it's hard times, from the country, living down in New York town.
Mr. Hudson come a-sailing down the stream
And old Minu--Mister--et paid for his dream.
He bought your city on a one-way track.
If I had my way, I'd sell it right back.
It's hard times, from the country, living down in New York town.
I'll take all the smog in Ca-li-for-ni-a
And every bit of dust in the Oklahoma plains
And the dirt in the caves of the Rocky Mountain mines,
It's all much cleaner than the New York kind.
It's hard times, in the country, living down in New York town.
So, all you newsy people, spread the news around,
You can listen to my story, you can listen to my song,
You can step on my name, you can try and get me beat,
When I leave New York, I'll be standing on my feet.
It's hard times, from the country, living down in New York town.
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 crying
'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 crying
'Cause he was a friend of mine.
Well, I'll sing you a song - it ain't very long -
About an old man, he never done wrong.
How he died nobody can say,
They found him dead in the street one day.
Well, the crowd gathered one fine morn
At the man whose clothes and shoes were torn.
There on the sidewalk he did lay,
They stopped and stared and they went their way.
Well, the policeman come and he looked around.
"Get up, old man, or I'm taking you down."
He jabbed him once with his bully club,
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.
Well, I've sung you my song - it ain't very long -
About an old man that never done wrong.
How he died nobody could say,
They found him dead in the street one day.
No more auction block for me, no more, no more,
No more auction block for me, many thousand gone.
No more driver's lash for me, no more, no more,
No more driver's lash for me, many thousand gone.
No more whip-lash for me, no more, no more,
No more pint of salt for me, many thousand gone.
No more auction block for me, no more, no more,
No more auction block for me, many thousand gone.
Here's a story 'bout a ghost come back from out in the sea, come to take his bride away from the house carpenter.
"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 a-sure he's a fine, young man."
"Forsake, forsake your house carpenter
And come away with me.
I'll take you to where the green grass grows
On the shores of sunny Italy."
So up she picked her babies three
And give them kisses, one, two, three,
Saying, "Take good care of your daddy while I'm gone
And keep him good company."
Well, they were sailing about two weeks -
I'm sure it was not three -
When the younger of the girls, she came on deck,
Saying wants company.
"Well, are you weeping for your house and home
Or are you weeping for your babe?"
"Well, I'm not weeping for my house carpenter,
I'm weeping for my babies three."
"Oh, what are those hills yonder, my love?
They look as white as snow."
"Those are the hills of heaven, my love,
You and I'll never know."
"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
And it drifted to the bottom of the sea.
Well, I saw it advertised one day
That the Bear Mountain picnic was coming my way.
"Come along and take a trip,
We'll bring you up there on a ship.
Bring the wife and family,
Bring the whole kids." Yippee!
Well, I run right down and bought a ticket
To this thing called the Bear Mountain Picnic.
Little did I realize
I was in for a pleasant, funny surprise.
Had nothing to do with picnic,
Didn't come close to a mountain,
I hate bears.
Took the wife and kids down to the pier,
There were six thousand people there.
Everybody had a ticket for the trip.
"Oh, well," I said, "it's a pretty big ship.
Besides, anyhow, the more the merrier."
Well, we all got on, what do you think?
That big, old boat started to sink.
More people kept a-piling on,
That old ship was a-going down.
Funny way to start a picnic.
Well, I soon lost track of my kids and wife,
So many people I never saw in my life.
That old ship was sinking down in the water,
There were six thousand people trying to kill each other,
Dogs a-barking, cats a-screaming, women a-yelling,
Men a-flying, fists a-flying, paper flying,
Cops a-coming, me a-running.
Maybe we just better call off the picnic.
I got shoved down, got pushed around,
All I remember was a moaning sound,
Don't remember one thing more.
All I remember is waking up on the shore,
My arms and legs were broken,
My feet were splintered, and my head was cracked,
I couldn't walk, couldn't talk, smell, feel,
Couldn't see, I didn't know where I was, I was bald.
Quite lucky to be alive, though!
Well, feeling like I just climbed outta my casket,
I grabbed back hold of my picnic basket,
Took the wife and kids and started home,
Wishing I'd never got up that morning.
Now, I don't care just a-what you do,
If you wanna have a picnic, that's up to you,
But don't tell me about it, I don't wanna hear it,
You see, I just lost all my picnic spirit.
Stay in my kitchen, have a [unintelligible], have a picnic in my bathroom.
Now, it don't seem to me quite so funny
What some people are gonna do for money.
There's a brand-new gimmick every day
Just to take somebody's money away.
I think we oughtta take some of these people,
Put 'em on a boat, send 'em up to Bear Mountain for a picnic.
I will not go down under the ground
'Cause somebody tells me that death's coming 'round
And 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 thinking that the end is close by,
'Stead of learning 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 pulling 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 about a war now for a-many long years.
I have read all their statements and I've not said a word,
But, now, lord God, let my poor voice be heard.
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 the 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,
And go out in your country where the land meets the sun,
See the craters and the canyons and where the waterfalls run,
Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho,
Let every state in this union seep deep down in your soul
And you'll die in your footsteps before you go down under the ground.
Come 'round, you roving gamblers, and a story I will tell
About the greatest gambler, you all should know him well.
His name was Willie O'Conley and he gambled all his life,
He's had twenty-seven children, yet he's never had a wife.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you're a-gambling now nobody knows.
Well, he gambled in the White House and in the railroad yards,
Wherever there was people, there was Willie and his cards.
He had the reputation as the gamblingest man around,
Wives would keep their husbands home when Willie came to town.
And it's ride, a-Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you're a-gambling now nobody knows.
Sailing down the Mississippi to a town called New Orleans,
They're still talking about that card game on that Jackson Queen.
"I've come to win some money," Gambling Willie says.
When the game finally ended up, the whole darn boat was his.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you're a-gambling now nobody 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 darn town.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you're a-gambling now nobody 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 poor.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you're a-gambling now nobody knows.
When you played your cards with Willie, you never really knew
Whether he was bluffing 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're a-gambling now nobody knows.
It was late one evening during a poker game,
A man lost all his money, said Willie was to blame.
He shot poor Willie through the head, which was a tragic fate,
Willie's cards fell on the floor, they were aces backed with eights.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you're a-gambling now nobody knows.
So, all you rambling gamblers, wherever you might be,
The moral of the 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 gambling days are up.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you're a-gambling now nobody knows.
Here's a foreign song I learned in Utah.
Ha-va-
Hava-na-
Havana-gee-
Havanagee-luh-
Havanageeluh.
Odeleyee-hoo-hoo-hoo.
Well, you can read out your Bible,
You can fall down on your knees
And pray to the Lord, pretty mama,
But it ain't gonna do no good,
You're gonna need my help someday.
Well, if you can't quit your sinning,
Please quit your low-down ways.
You can run down to the desert,
You can stick your head in the sand,
You can raise up your right hand,
But your good man ain't a-coming home, you better understand,
You're gonna need - you're gonna need my help someday,
Someday gonna need my help, someday.
Well, if you can't quit your sinning,
Please quit your low-down ways.
Now, you can run down to the White House,
You can gaze on the Capitol Dome,
You can knock on the President's gate, pretty mama,
But, you know, it's gonna be too late,
You're gonna need - you're gonna need my help someday, my help someday.
Well, if you can't quit your sinning,
Please quit your low-down ways.
And you can hitchhike on the highway,
You can stand all alone by the side of the road,
Try to flag a ride back home, pretty mama,
But you ain't a-gonna ride in my car no more,
You're gonna need - you're gonna need my help someday, oh, yes, you.
Well, if you can't quit your sinning,
Please quit your low-down ways.
So you can read out your hymn-book,
You can fall down on your knees
And pray to the Lord, pretty mama,
But it ain't gonna do no good,
You're gonna need - you're gonna need my help someday, oh, wait and see.
If you can't quit your sinning,
Please quit your low-down ways.
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 a-going where the chilly winds don't blow,
I'm a-going where the chilly winds don't blow,
I'm a-going where the chilly winds don't blow,
I'm a-going where the climate suits my clothes.
Honey baby, don't leave me now,
Honey baby, don't leave me now,
Oh, honey baby, don't leave me now,
Honey baby, 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 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,
I'm a-going where I never been before.
The winter wind is a-blowing strong, my hands a-got no gloves,
I wish to my soul that I could see the gal 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 gal.
Who's a-gonna stroke your cold, black hair and sandy-colored skin?
Who's a-gonna kiss your Memphis 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 a-got no gloves,
I wish to my soul I could see the gal I'm a-thinking of.
A-lord, I'm walking down the line, walking down the line,
And I'm walking down the line - my feet'll be flying - 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 a-feeling well,
When she's better only time'll tell.
Lord, I'm walking down the line, walking down the line,
And I'm walking down the line - my feet'll be flying - to tell about my troubled mind.
My money comes and goes, my money comes and goes,
My money comes and goes and rolls and throws and rolls and flows
Through the holes in the pockets in my clothes.
Lord, I'm walking down the line, walking down the line,
Lord, I'm walking down the line - my feet'll be flying - 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.
Lord, I'm walking down the line, walking down the line,
Lord, I'm walking down the line - my feet'll be flying - to tell about my troubled mind.
I got my walking shoes, I got my walking shoes,
I got my walking shoes and I ain't a-gonna lose,
What else can a poor boy do?
Lord, I'm walking down the line, lord, I'm walking down the line,
Lord, I'm walking down the line - my feet'll be a-flying - to tell about my troubled mind.
Oh, the age of the inmates I remember quite freely,
No younger than twelve, no older than seventeen,
Thrown in like bandits and cast off like criminals,
All inside the walls on the grounds of Red Wing.
From the dirty, old mess hall you march to the brick wall,
Too weary to talk and too tired to sing,
And it's all afternoon you remember your hometown,
All 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,
All inside the grounds of 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,
Farewell to the minutes they threaten you with it,
All inside the grounds of the walls of Red Wing.
It's many a guard that stands around smiling,
Holding his club like he was a king,
Hoping to get you behind a wood piling,
All inside the grounds of 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-sleeping,
All inside the grounds of the walls of Red Wing.
As the rain rattled heavy on the bunk-house shingles
And the sounds of the night, they made my ears ring
Till the keys of the guards clicked the tune of the morning,
All inside the grounds of the walls of Red Wing.
Oh, some of us will wind up in St. Cloud Prison,
And some of us'll end up to be lawyers and things,
And some of us'll stand to meet you on your crossroads
From inside the grounds of the walls of Red Wing.
The trail is dark and dusty, the road, it's kind of rough,
But the good road is a-waiting and, boys, it ain't far off.
Trails of troubles, roads of battles,
Paths of victory we shall walk.
I walked out to the valley, I turned my head up high,
I seen that silver lining that was hanging in the sky.
Trails of troubles, toads of battles,
Paths of victory we shall walk.
The evening dust was rolling, I's a-walking down the track,
There was a one-way wind a-blowing, it was blowing at my back.
Trails of troubles, roads of battles,
Paths of victory we shall walk.
The gravel road is bumpy, it's a hard, old road to ride,
But the clear road's of yonder with the cinders on the side.
Trails of troubles, roads of battles,
Paths of victory we shall walk.
The morning train was moving, the humming of its wheels
Told me of a new day coming across the field.
Trails of troubles, roads of battles,
Paths of victory we shall walk.
This is called "Talking John Birch Blues" and there ain't nothing wrong with this song!
Well, I was feeling sad and kinda blue,
I didn't know what I was a-gonna do.
The Communists was a-coming around,
They was in the air, they was on the ground,
They was all over!
So I run down most hurriedly
And joined the John Birch Society,
Got me a secret membership card,
Went back home to the yard,
Starting look on the sidewalk,
Under the hedges.
Well, I got up in the morning, looked under my bed,
I was looking every place for them god-darned Reds,
Looked behind the sink and under the floor,
Looked in the glove compartment of my car.
I couldn't find any.
Looked behind the clothes, behind the chair,
Looking for them Reds everywhere.
Looked up my chimney-hole,
Even deep down inside my toilet bowl.
They got away!
I heard some footsteps by the front porch door,
So I grabbed my shotgun from the floor,
Snuck around the house with a huff and a hiss,
Saying, "Hands up, you Communists!"
It was the mailman!
He punched me out!
Well, I's sitting home alone and I started to sweat,
I figured they was in my TV set!
I peeked behind the picture frame,
Got a shock from my feet that hit my brain.
Them Reds did it!
Hootenanny television!
Well, I quit my job so I could work alone,
Got a magnifying glass like Sherlock Holmes,
Followed some clues from my detective bag,
I discovered red stripes in the American flag!
Betty Ross!
Now, Eisenhower, he's a Russian spy,
Lincoln and Jefferson and that Roosevelt guy.
To my knowledge there's just one man
That's really and truly an American.
That's George Lincoln Rockwell.
I know for a fact he hates Commies 'cause he picketed the movie Exodus.
Well, I finally started thinking straight
When I run outta things to investigate.
Couldn't imagine nothing else,
So now I'm home investigating myself!
Hope I don't find out too much!
Good God!
Who killed Davey Moore?
Why and what's the reason for?
"Not I," said the referee,
"Don't point your finger at me.
I coulda stopped it in the eighth
And maybe kept him from his fate,
But the crowd woulda booed, I'm sure,
At not getting 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,
You can't blame me at all."
Who killed Davey Moore?
Why and what's the reason for?
"Not us," said the angry crowd,
Whose screams filled the arena loud,
"It's too bad he had to die that night,
We just like to see a good, old-fashioned fight.
We didn't mean for him to meet his death,
We just wanted to see some sweat -
There ain't nothing wrong in that.
It wasn't us that made him fall,
You can't blame us at all."
Who killed Davey Moore?
Why and what's the reason for?
"Not me," said 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 and kids he's dead,
But, if he was sick, he shoulda said.
It wasn't me that made him fall,
You can't blame me at all."
Who killed Davey Moore?
Why and what's the reason for?
"Not me," said the gambling man
With his ticket stub still in his hand,
"It wasn't me that knocked him down,
My hands didn't touch 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,
You can't blame me at all."
Who killed Davey Moore?
Why and what's the reason for?
"Not me," said the boxing writer,
Who pounds the print in his old typewriter,
Saying, "Boxing is here to stay,
There's just as much foot in--danger in a football game,"
Saying, "Fist-fighting is here to stay,
It's just the old American way.
It wasn't me that made him fall,
You can't blame me at all."
Who killed Davey Moore?
Why and what's the reason for?
"Not me," said 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, 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?
Why and what's the reason for?
As I was out walking on the corner one day,
I spied an old hobo, in the 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,
Leaving nobody to sing his sad song,
Leaving nobody to carry him home,
He was only a hobo, but one more is gone.
A blanket of newspaper covered his head,
As the step 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.
He was only a hobo, but one more is gone,
Leaving nobody to sing his sad song,
Leaving nobody to carry him home,
He was 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 in 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?
He was only a hobo, but one more is gone,
Leaving nobody to sing his sad song,
Leaving nobody to carry him home,
He was only a hobo, but one more is gone.
I been a moonshiner for seventeen long years,
I've spent all my money on whiskey and beer.
I'll go to some hollow and sit at my still
And, if whiskey don't kill me, then, I don't know what will.
I'll go to some bar-room and drink with my friends,
Where the women can't 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'm hungry, let me drink when I'm dry,
A dollar when I'm hard up, religion when I die.
The whole world's a bottle and life's but a dram:
When the bottle gets empty, it sure ain't worth a damn.
Oh, the time will come up when the winds will stop
And the breeze will cease to be breathing,
Like the stillness in the wind before the hurricane begins,
The hour that the ship comes in.
And the sea will split and the ships will hit
And the shoreline sands will be shaking
And the tide will sound and the waves 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 a-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 be buried on the bottom of the ocean.
A song will lift as the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts onto the shoreline
And the sun will respect every face on the deck,
The hour that the ship comes in.
And the sands will roll out a carpet of gold
For your weary toes to be a-touching
And the ship's wise men will remind you once again
That the whole, wide world is watching.
Oh, the foes will rise with the sleep still in their eyes
And they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreaming,
But they'll pinch themselves and squeal and they'll know that it's for real,
The hour when the ship comes in.
And they'll raise their hands, saying, "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
And like Goliath they'll be conquered.
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,
And, if breath to you is worth saving,
Then you better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 telling who that it's naming
For the loser now will be later to win
'Cause the times, they are a-changing.
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
'Cause the battle outside raging
Will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times, they are a-changing.
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's rapidly aging.
Please get outta the new one if you can't lend your hand
'Cause the times, they are a-changing.
The line, it is drawn, the curse, it is cast,
The slowest now will later be fast
As the present now will later be past.
The order is rapidly fading
And the first one now will later be last
'Cause the times, they are a-changing.
There's this book coming out and they asked me to write, uh, something about Woody, uh, sort of like, "What does Woody Guthrie mean to you in 25 words?" And, uh, I couldn't do it, I wrote out five pages. And, uh, I have it here-it's, uh-have it here by accident, actually. Ha, but, but, uh, I'd-I'd like to say this out loud, so, uh, if you could sorta roll along with this thing here, this is called "Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie".
Um, when your head gets twisted and your mind grows numb,
When you think you're too old, too young, too smart, or too dumb,
When you're lagging behind and losing your pace
In the slow-motion crawl or life's busy race,
No matter what you're doing, if you start giving up,
If the wine don't come to the top of your cup,
If the wind got you sideways with one hand holding on
And the other starts slipping and the feeling is gone,
And your train-engine fire needs a new spark to catch it,
And the wood's easy finding but you're lazy to fetch it,
And your sidewalk starts curling and the street gets too long,
And you start walking backwards though you know that it's wrong,
And lonesome comes up as down goes the day,
And tomorrow's morning seems so far away,
And you feel the reins from your pony are slipping,
And your rope is a-sliding 'cause your hands are dripping,
And your sun-decked desert and evergreen valleys
Turn to broken-down slums and trash-can alleys,
And your sky cries water and your drain-pipe's a-pouring,
And the lightning's a-flashing and the thunder's a-crashing,
And the windows are rattling and breaking, your rooftops're shaking,
And your whole world's a-slamming and banging,
And your 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 getting chills and you're jumping from sweat,
And you're looking for something you ain't quite found yet,
And you're knee-deep in dark water with your hands in the air,
And the whole world's watching with the "window-peek" stare,
And your good gal leaves and she's long gone a-flying,
And your heart feels sick like fish when they're frying,
And your jackhammer falls from your hands to your feet -
But you need it badly and it lays on the street,
And your bell's banging loudly but you can't hear its beat,
And you think your ears mighta been hurt
Or your eyes've turned filthy from the sight-blinding dirt,
And you figured you failed in yesterday's rush
When you were faked out and fooled while facing a four flush
And all the time you're holding the three queens,
It's making you mad, it's making you mean,
Like in the middle of Life magazine,
Bouncing around a pinball machine,
And there's something on your mind that you wanna be saying,
That somebody someplace oughtta be hearing,
But it's trapped on your tongue and sealed in your head
And it bothers you badly when you're laying in bed,
And, no matter how you try, you just can't say it,
And you're scared to your soul you just might forget it,
And your eyes get swimmy from the tears in your head,
And your pillows of feathers turn to blankets of lead,
And the lion's mouth opens and you're staring at his teeth,
And his jaws start closing with you underneath,
And you're flat on your belly with your hands tied behind,
And you wish you'd never taken that last detour sign,
You say to yourself, "Just what am I doing
On this road I'm walking, on this trail I'm turning,
On this curve I'm hanging, on this pathway I'm strolling,
In this 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 flailing,
On this mandolin I'm strumming, in this song I'm singing,
In the tune I'm humming, in the words that I'm thinking,
In the words that I'm writing, in this ocean of hours I'm all the time drinking?
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 kinda thoughts gain ground,
Or make your heart pound, but, then again, you know when they're around,
Just waiting for a chance to slip and drop down
'Cause sometimes you hear 'em when the night times come creeping
And you fear they might catch you sleeping,
And you jump from your bed from the last chapter of dreaming,
And you can't-you remember for the best of your thinking
If that was you in the dream that was screaming,
And you know that it's something special you're needing,
You know there's no drug that'll do for the healing,
And no liquor in the land to stop your brain from bleeding,
Need something special-need something special, alright,
You need a fast-flying train on a tornado track,
To shoot you someplace and shoot you back,
You need a cyclone wind on a steam engine howler
That's been banging and booming and blowing forever,
That knows your troubles a hundred times over,
You need a Greyhound bus that don't bar no race,
That won't laugh at your looks, your voice, or your face,
And, by any number of bets in the book,
Will be rolling long after the bubble-gum 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 you're standing, that space that you're sitting,
That the world ain't got you beat, 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, alright, you need something special to give you hope,
But hope's just a word that maybe you said and 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 your trouble is you know it too good
'Cause you look and 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 a real rich kid's road-map,
And it ain't made in no fat kid's fraternity house,
And it ain't made in no Hollywood wheat germ,
And it ain't on that dim-lit stage
With that half-wit comedian on it,
Ranting and raving and taking your money and you thinks it's funny,
No, you can't find it neither in no night-club, 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 your ticket stub,
No, it ain't in the rumors people're telling you,
And ain't in the pimple lotion people are selling you,
It ain't in the 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 hairdo or cotton-candy clothes,
Ain't in the dime-store dummies and bubble-gum goons,
And ain't in the marshmallow noises or the chocolate-cake voices
That come knocking and tapping in Christmas wrapping,
Saying, "Ain't I pretty?" and, "Ain't I cute? 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 has it 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 of papier mache,
And inside it with 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 you 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 your 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, make all rules for the ones that got talent,
And ain't in the ones that ain't got any talent but think they do
And think they're fooling you,
The ones that 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 your hat,
Saying, "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 your game, it ain't your race,
Can't hear your name, you can't see your face,
You gotta look some other place,
And where do you look for this hope that you're seeking,
Where do you look for this lamp that's a-burning,
Where do you look for this oil-well gushing,
Where do you look for this candle that's glowing,
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 find God in the church of your choice,
You 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 Grand Canyon, sundown.
Old Reilly stole a stallion,
But they caught him and they brought him back
And they laid him down in the jail-house ground
With an iron chain around his neck.
When Reilly's daughter got a message
That her father was going to hang,
She rode by night and came by morning
With gold and silver in her hand.
When the judge saw Reilly's daughter,
His old eyes deepened in his head,
Saying, "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 was groaning,
In the night the price was paid.
The next morning she had awoken
To find that the judge had never spoken.
She saw that hanging branch a-bending,
She saw her father's body broken.
These be seven curses on a judge so cruel,
That one doctor cannot save him,
That two healers cannot heal him,
And that three eyes cannot see him,
That four ears cannot hear him,
That five walls cannot hide him,
That six diggers cannot bury him,
And that seven deaths shall never kill him.
I sung 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-playing,
But the song, it was long and I'd only begun.
Through a bullet of light her face was reflecting
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, pretending
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
And looked for the girl who'd stared for so long,
But her shadow was missing for all of my searching,
So I picked up my guitar and began the next song.
Perhaps it's the color of the sun cut flat
And covering 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 pleading or saying "I can't forget you",
I do not pace the floor bowed down and bent, but yet,
Mama, you been on my mind.
Even though my eyes are hazy and my thoughts, they might be narrow,
Where you been don't bother me or bring me down with sorrow,
I don't mind who you'll be waking with tomorrow,
Mama, you're just on my mind.
I'm not asking you to say words like "yes" or "no",
Please understand me, I have no place I'm calling you to go,
I'm just whispering to myself, so I can't pretend that I don't know,
Mama, you are on my mind.
When you wake up in the morning, 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
As someone who has had you on his mind.
Farewell, Angelina, the bells of the crown
Are being stolen by bandits, I must follow the sound.
The triangle tingles, 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.
The table stands empty by the edge of the stream,
But farewell, Angelina, the sky's changing colors and I must leave.
The jacks and the queens, they forsake 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 cross-eyed pirates sit perched in the sun,
Shooting tin cans with a sawed-off shotgun,
And the cockerels and the neighbors clap and cheer with each blast,
But farewell, Angelina, the sky, it is trembling and I must leave fast.
King Kong, little elves in the rooftops, they dance
Valentino-type tangos while the heroes clean hands.
Shut the eyes of the dead not to embarrass anyone,
Farewell, Angelina, the sky's flooding over and I must be gone.
The camouflage 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's flooding over and I must go where it is dry.
Machine guns are roaring, 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 erupting and I must go where it is quiet.
Johnny's in the basement
Mixing up the medicine,
I'm on the pavement
Looking 'bout the government,
The man in the trench-coat,
Badge out, laid off,
Says he's got a bad bill,
Wants to get it paid off.
Look out, kid,
It's something you did
God knows when,
But you're doing it again,
You better duck down the alleyway,
Looking for a new friend.
Man in the coon-skin cap
In the pigpen
Wants eleven dollar bills
And you only got ten.
Maggie comes fleet-foot,
Face full of black soot,
Talking 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,
It don't matter what you did,
Don't walk on your tip-toes,
Don't tie no bows,
Better stay away from those
That carry 'round a fire-hose,
Keep a clean nose,
Be careful of the clean clothes,
You don't need a weatherman
To know which way the wind blows.
Well, get sick, get well,
Hang around the ink-well,
Ring bar, hard to tell
If anything is gonna 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
By users, cheaters,
Six-time losers
Hanging 'round the theaters,
A girl by the whirlpool
Is looking for a new fool,
Don't follow leaders
And watch the parking meters.
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 schooling and they put you on the day shift.
Look out, kid,
They keep it all hid,
Better jump down the manhole,
Light yourself a candle,
Don't wear sandals,
Try to avoid the scandals.
If you don't wanna be a bum,
You better not chew gum
And the pump don't work 'cause the vandals took the handles.
Listen to me, baby, there's something you must see,
I wanna be with you, girl, if you wanna be with me,
But, if you gotta go, it's alright,
But, if you got to go, go now or else you got to stay all night.
It ain't that I'm questioning you to take part in any kinda quiz,
It's just that I haven't got no watch and you keep asking me what time it is,
So, if you gotta go, it's alright,
But, if you gotta go, go now or else you gotta stay all night.
I am just a poor boy, baby, trying to connect,
But I certainly don't want you thinking that I haven't got any respect,
So, if you got to go, it's alright,
But, if you gotta go, go now or else you got to stay all night.
It ain't that I'm wanting anything you never gave before,
It's just that I'll be sleeping soon and it'll be too dark for you to find the door,
So, if you got to go, it's alright,
But, if you got to go, go now or else you got to stay all night.
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 bulldog bite a rabbit and my hound dog is sitting on a barbed-wire fence,
Alright!
Well, my temperature rises and my feet can't walk so hot,
Yes, my temperature rises and my feet can't walk so hot.
Well, this Arabian doctor comes in, gives me a shot,
But wouldn't tell me what it was that I got.
Well, this woman I've got, she's killing me alive,
Yes, this woman I've got, she's killing me alive.
She's making me into an old man and, man, I'm not even twenty-five!
Of course, you're gonna think this song is a riff,
I know you're gonna think this song is just a riff
Unless you been inside a tunnel and fell down sixty-nine, seventy feet over a barbed-wire fence,
Alright!
Once upon a time you dressed so fine,
You 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're all kidding you.
You used to laugh-make fun about
Everybody that was hanging out.
Now you don't talk so loud,
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to scrounge your next meal.
And how does it feel?
A-how does it feel
To be out on your own,
So unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
My voice is gone, man. You wanna try it again?
Well, I ride on a mail-train, baby, can't buy no thrill,
Yes, I've been up all night, baby, leaning on the windowsill.
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, shining down through the trees?
Don't the ghost-child look good, baby, sitting on this madman's knees?
Don't the sun look good going down over the sea?
Don't my gal look fine when she's coming after me?
Alright!
Well, I just been to the baggage car where the engineer's been tossed,
I stamped out forty compasses, sure don't know what they cost.
Well, I wanna be your lover, baby, I don't wanna be your boss.
I can't help it much if this train gets lost.
Alright!
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, I'll keep it with mine.
Well, our train leaves at a-half past ten,
But it will be back here tomorrow the same old time again.
The conductor, he's weary, he's still stuck on the line,
But, if I can save you any time,
Come on, give it to me, I'll keep it with mine.
I can't help it if you might think that it's odd
If I say I'm loving you not for you're-what you are but what you're not.
Everybody will help you discover what you set out to find,
But, if I will save you the time,
Come on, give it to me, I'll keep it with mine.
Your pawnbroker roared and also so did the landlord.
The scene is 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 expecting me to remember something you forgot to say.
Yes, and you, I see you're still with her. Well,
That's fine, but she's coming on so strange, can't you tell?
Somebody 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.
Oh, I already assumed that we're in the felony room,
But I ain't the judge, you don't have to be nice to me.
Will you please tell that to your friend in the cowboy hat?
You know, he keeps on saying everything twice to me.
You know I was straight with you, you know I never tried to change you in any way,
You know, if you didn't wanna be with me, that you didn't have to stay.
Now you stand here saying you forgive and forget. Honey, what can I say?
Yes, and you, you just sit around and ask for ashtrays. Can't you reach?
I see you kiss her on the cheek every time she gives a speech.
With her picture books of the pyramid and her postcards of Billy the Kid,
Must everybody bow?
You better talk to her about it, you're her lover now.
Oh, everybody that cares is going up the castle-stairs,
But I'm not up in the castle, a-honey.
It's true, I just can't recall San Francisco at all,
I can't even remember El Paso, a-honey.
Never had to be faithful, I never wanted you to grieve.
Why was it so hard for you, if you didn't wanna be with me, just to leave?
Now you stand here, why are your fingers going up my sleeve?
And you, just what do you do anyway? Ain't there nothing you can say?
She'll be standing on the bar soon with a fish-head and a harpoon
And a fake beard plastered on her brow.
You'd better do something quick, she's your lover now.
Oh, why must I fall into the sadness? Do I look like Charles Atlas?
Do you think I still got what you still got, baby?
My voice is really warm, it's just that it ain't got no form,
But it's just like a dead man's last pistol shot, baby.
Oh, your mouth used to be so naked, your eyes used to be blue,
Your hurts used to be so nameless and your tears used to be so few.
Now your mouth cries wolf while your--
What?
They say everything can be replaced,
Yet every distance is not near,
So I remember every face
Of every 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 every man needs protection,
They say every 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.
Now yonder stand with me in this lonely crowd
A man who swears he's not to blame.
All day long I hear his voice shouting 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, I shall be released.
Santa Fe, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa Fe,
My woman needs it every day,
She promised this a-lad she'd stay,
She rolling up a lots of bread to toss away.
She's in Santa Fe, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa Fe,
Now she's opened up a lefty home,
She's proud, but she needs to roam,
She's opened up a happy home,
She [incomprehensible]
And the Santa Fe.
Santa Fe, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa Fe,
Since I'm'a never cease to roam,
I'm never, never far from home,
I'm'a ever, ever, ever long to sail away.
Please don't feel bad, no, no, no, no, don't, don't, don't feel bad,
She's the worst you could ever have,
Since the madman, a-he's so glad,
She's over 'bove the [incomprehensible] pad,
She's never, never feeled so bad I went away.
Santa Fe, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa Fe,
My own heart's in the [incomprehensible],
I won't have my nature way,
And I'm leaving every day to run away
From Santa Fe, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa Fe.
My woman's never sitting at home,
She's packing up a lease unknown,
She's crying like an evil stone,
She leave by the other and roam,
But she ain't gonna find the road
And that's gonna set her on her own every day.
Ready, George?
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,
The night would see me wide awake,
The day would surely have to break,
But it would 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.
If not for you,
The winter would hold no spring,
I couldn't hear the robin sing,
I just wouldn't have a clue,
If not for you.
Wallflower, wallflower, won't you dance with me?
I'm sad and lonely too.
Wallflower, wallflower, won't you dance with me?
I'm falling in love with you.
Just like you I'm wondering what I'm doing a-here,
Just like you I'm wondering what's going 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 gon' be mine one of these days,
Mine alone.
Wallflower, wallflower, take a chance on me,
Please let me ride you home.
Nothing 'round here to me that's sacred, 'cept you, yeah, you,
There's nothing 'round here to me that matters, 'cept you, yeah, you.
You're the one that reaches me, you're the one that I admire,
Every time we meet together, I feel like I'm 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 here to live or die for, except 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.
Now there's nothing that reminds me of that old, familiar chime, except you, yeah, you.
Used to run in the cemetery, dance and run and sing when I was a child
And it never seemed strange.
Now I just pass mournfully by that place where bones of life are piled,
I know something is changed.
I'm a stranger here and no one sees me, except you, yeah, you,
Nothing anymore seems to please me, except 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, everybody got something to sell, except you, yeah, you,
I'm in love with you!
Early one morning the sun was shining, he was lying in bed,
Wondering if she'd changed at all, if her hair was still red.
Her folks, they said their 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 standing on the side of the road, rain falling on his shoes,
Heading out for the old East Coast - Lord knows, he's paid some dues getting 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 agreeing it was best.
And she turned around to look at him as he was a-walking 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 working 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 LA where he'd reckoned to try his luck,
Working for a while in an airplane plant loading cargo onto a truck,
But all the while he was alone, the past was close behind,
He seen a lotta women, but she never escaped his mind and he just grew
Tangled up in blue.
She was working in a topless place, I stopped in for a beer,
I just kept looking at the side of her face in the spotlight so clear,
And later on, as the crowd thinned out, I's about to do the same,
She was standing there in back of my chair, said to me, "What's your name?"
I muttered something underneath my breath, she studied the lines of 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.
"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 burning coal,
Pouring 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 a-had to be postponed.
He thought they were successful, she thought they were blessed
With objects and material things, but I never was impressed,
And when it all came crashing down, I became withdrawn,
The only thing I knew how to do was a-keep on keeping 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 doctors' wives,
Don't know how it all got started, don't know what they're doing with their lives,
But me, I'm still on the road, heading for another joint,
We always did feel the same, we just saw it from a different point of view,
Tangled up in blue.
Well, I walked all night long hearing them church bells tone,
Yes, I walked all night long listening 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 ain't - can't face to tell 'em, honey, you just went away.
Well, children cry for mother, I tell 'em, "Mother took a trip",
Well, the children cry for mother, I tell 'em, "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 ringing, ringing like empty shells,
My ears are ringing, ringing like empty shells,
Well, it can't be no guitar player, it must be convent bells.
Someone's got it in for me, they're planting stories in the press,
Whoever it is, I wish they'd cut it out, 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 me any better than that,
Sweet lady.
Idiot wind blowing every time you move your mouth,
Going down the back roads, 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.
Eyed through the I Ching yesterday, it said there'd be some thunder at the whelm,
I haven't tasted peace and quiet for so long it seems like living hell.
There's a lone soldier on the hill, watching 'fore them raindrops pour,
You'd never know it to look at him, but in the final shot he won the war
After losing every battle.
I woke up on the roadside daydreaming about the way things sometimes are,
Hoof-beats pounding in my head at breakneck speed and 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 in and destiny which broke us apart,
You tamed the lion in my cage, but it just a-wasn't enough to change my heart.
Now everything's a little upside down - as a matter of fact, the wheels've stopped,
What's good is bad, what's bad is good, you find out when you reach the top
You're on the bottom.
I noticed at the ceremony that you left your bags behind,
The driver came in after you left, he gave 'em all to me and then he resigned.
The priest wore black on the seventh day and waltzed around while the building burned,
You didn't trust me for a minute, babe, I've never known the spring to turn
So quickly into autumn.
Idiot wind blowing every time you move your jaw,
From the Grand Coulee Dam to the Mardi Gras,
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.
We pushed each other a little too far and one day it just turned into a raging storm,
A hound dog bayed beyond your trees as I was packing up my uniform.
Oh, I figured I'd lost you anyway. Why go on? What's the use?
In order to get in a word with you, I'd a-have to come up with some excuse,
That just struck me kinda funny.
I been double-crossed too much, at times I think I've almost lost my mind,
Lady-killers load dice on me behind my back while imitators steal me blind.
You close your eyes and part your lips and slip your fingers from your glove,
You can have the best there is, but it's gonna cost you all your love,
You won't get it for money.
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, it's a wonder we can even feed ourselves.
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 alright, though new things come and go,
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,
But 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're making love to her, kiss for the kid
Who always has respected her for doing what she did.
Oh, I know it had to be that way, it was written in the cards,
But the bitter taste still lingers on, it all came down so hard.
I see a lot of people as I make the rounds
And I hear her name a-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 if she's got the time.
Smoky autumn night, stars up in the sky,
I see the sailing boats across the bay go by,
Eucalyptus trees hang above the street
And then I turn my head for you're approaching me.
Moonlight on the water, fisherman's daughter looking in to my room
With the 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!
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 lotus flower tail
And then I kiss your lips as I lift your veil.
Then you're gone and then all I seem to recall is the smell of perfume
And your golden loom.
Lazy stadium night, catfish on the mound,
"Strike three," the umpire said, batter has 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 and 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.
This is a somewhat new song called "Seven Days".
Seven days,
Seven more days she'll be coming,
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've never forgotten her eyes,
She had a face that outshined the sun in the skies.
I been good,
I been good while I been waiting,
But maybe guilty of a-hesitating.
But I've been hanging on,
Seven more days and all that will be gone.
Well, there's kissing in the valley,
Thieving in the alley,
Fighting every inch of the way.
Trying to get a lead on
Somebody new to beat on
Where the nights are always sadder than the day.
Seven days,
Seven days zipping and blowing,
But then a whistle will be blowing
And she'll be coming forth,
My beautiful comrade from the north.
Well, there's a-fighting in the valley,
Thieving in the alley,
Fighting every inch of the way.
Trying to get a lead on
Somebody new to beat on
Where the nights are always sadder than the day.
Seven days
And I'll know the wind blows snowing
And then a whistle will be blowing,
She'll be coming forth,
My beautiful comrade from the north.
Thank you.
You harbor resentment, you know that ain't too much of a thrill,
You wish for contentment, but you got an emptiness that can't be filled,
You had enough of hatred,
Your bones are breaking, can't find nothing sacred.
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 clothes
And ye shall be changed.
Everything you've gotten you've gotten by sweat, blood, and the muscle,
From early in the morning till way past dark, all you ever do is a-hustle,
All your loved ones have walked out of the door,
You're not even sure 'bout your wife and kids no more.
But ye shall be a-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 clothes
And ye shall be changed.
The past don't control you, but the future's like a roulette wheel spinning,
Deep down inside, you know, you know - 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 a-changed,
Ye shall be a-changed,
In a twinkling of an eye when the last trumpet blows,
The dead will arise and burst out of your clothes
And ye shall be a-changed.
You drink bitter water on your bed, eating your bread of sorrow,
Can't live for today when all you're thinking of-a is tomorrow.
The path you've endured has been rough,
When you've decided that you've had enough,
Ye shall be a-changed,
Ye shall be a-changed,
In a twinkling of an eye when the last trumpet blows,
The dead will arise and burst out of your clothes
And ye shall be changed.
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, 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 and 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 times it's only me.
I am hanging in the balance of a perfect, finished plan
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.
I was listening to the voices of death on parade
Singing about conspiracy, wanting me to be afraid,
Working for a system I couldn't understand or trust,
Suffering ridicule, they want me give it all up in disgust.
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.
Talk about salvation, people suddenly get tired,
They got a million things to do, they're all so inspired.
You do the work of the devil, you got a million friends,
They'll be there when you got something, they'll take it all in the end.
But you changed my life, came along in a time of strife,
I was under the dome where nothing is sung, you changed my life.
Well, 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 is forever at my door,
Want me to fly like an eagle while being chained to the floor.
But you changed my life, you came along in a time of strife,
From silver and gold, from what man cannot hold, you changed my life.
Well, I was eating with the pigs off a fancy tray,
I was told I was looking good and to have a nice day.
It all seemed so proper, it all seemed so elite,
Eating that obsolete garbage while being so discreet.
But you changed my life, came along in a time of strife,
From silver and gold, from what man cannot hold, you changed my life.
You were glowing in the sun while being peaceably calm.
Well, how often's a man dance to the beat of the palm?
Your eyes were on fire, your feet were of brass,
In the world you had made they had made you an outcast.
But you changed my life, came along in a time of strife,
From silver and gold, from what man cannot hold, you changed my life.
There was someone in my body that I could hardly see
Invading my privacy and making my decisions for me,
Holding me back, not letting me stand,
Making me feel like a stranger in a strange land.
But you, you changed my life, came along in a time of strife,
You came down the line, gave me a new mind, you changed my life.
My lord and my savior, my companion, my friend,
Heart-fixer, mind-regulator, true to the end.
My creator, my comforter, my cause for joy,
Well, the world is set against but will never destroy.
But you, you changed my life, came along in a time of strife,
You came in like a wind, like Errol Flynn, you changed my life.
Lately I've been having evil dreams, I wake up in a cold, blue lair,
I run the tape back in my mind wondering if I took the wrong road somewhere,
Searching for the truth the way God designed it,
Well, the real truth is that I may be afraid to find it.
Well, I need a woman, alright!
Need a woman every night to be with me and lonely as I am,
To show me the kinda love that don't have to be condemned,
And I want you to be that woman every time.
I've had my eyes on you, baby, for five long years,
Well, you probably don't know me at all, but I've seen your laughter and I've seen your tears.
Tell-tale heart will show itself to anybody near,
There's always some new stranger in the night to lend a sympathetic ear.
Well, I need a woman to take my own,
I need a woman that's mine alone.
Seen you in the door-way, I seen you in the park,
Seen you in the sunshine, I seen you in the dark,
And I want you to be that woman.
You keep listening to something long enough, you're just bound to believe that it's true,
You know, there's some things that you put out, it's gonna come back on you.
That which is not permanent don't last.
Whatever's waiting in the future could be what you're running from in the past.
Well, I need a woman [incomprehensible],
Need a woman [incomprehensible],
Someone who likes simple things, is not afraid to bend,
Someone who don't pick herself up to make every man her friend,
And I want you to be that woman.
Don't know what you got that I want, don't know what I got to give,
Don't know how much time I got, don't know how long I'll live.
Well, the [incomprehensible] in my soul, why was it created?
To blur the focus of my mind and keep my isolated?
But I need a woman, it ain't no crime,
Need a woman all the time,
To see the promised land with me as the time go by,
To rule my heart with sweetness and boldness from on high,
And I want you to be that woman, yes, I do,
Need that woman straight and true.
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 drying 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 could it be makes you think you've seen me before, Angelina?
Oh, Angelina,
Oh, Angelina.
His eyes were two slits - make any snake proud,
With a face that any painter would paint as he walked through the crowd
Worshiping 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 rolling through the combat zone,
Your servants are half-dead, you're down to the bone.
Tell me, tall man, where would you like to be overthrown, in Jerusalem or Argentina?
She was stolen from her mother when she was three days old,
Now her vengeance has been satisfied and her possessions have been sold.
He's surrounded by God's angels and she's wearing a blindfold, but so are you, Angelina,
Oh, Angelina,
Oh, Angelina.
I see pieces of men marching, trying to take heaven by force,
I can see the unknown rider, I can see the pale white horse.
In God's truth, babe, tell me what you want and you'll have it of course, just step into the arena.
Beat a path of retreat up them spiral staircases,
Past the tree of smoke, past the angel with four faces,
Begging God for mercy, weeping in unholy places, Angelina,
Oh, Angelina,
Oh, Angelina,
Oh, Angelina.
They say eat, 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.
Getting harder and harder to recognize the trap,
Too much information about nothing, too much educated rap,
Just like you told me, it's just like you said it would be.
Well, the moon going up like wildfire, I feel the breath of the storm,
There's something I got to do tonight, you go inside and stay warm.
Someone got a hold of my heart,
Someone got a hold of my heart,
Someone got a hold of my heart,
You, you, you, you, you got a hold of my heart.
Just got back from a city, city of red skies,
Everybody thinks with their stomach and there's plenty of spies,
Every street is crooked, they just wind around until they disappear.
Madame Butterfly, she lulled me to sleep
Like an ancient river so wide and so deep,
She said, "Be easy, baby, ain't nothing worth stealing here."
You're the one I been waiting for, you're the one that I desire,
But you must realize first I'm not another man you can hire.
Someone got a hold of my heart,
Someone got a hold of my heart,
Someone got a hold of my heart,
You, you, you, you, you got a hold of my heart.
I can hear that hot-blooded singer on the bandstand croon
"Poison Love", "Red Roses for Blue Lady", and "Memphis in June"
While they're beating the devil out of a guy who's wearing a powder-blue wig.
I've been to Babylon and I got to confess
I can still hear that voice crying in the wilderness,
What look 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 got a hold of my heart,
Someone got a hold of my heart,
Someone got a hold of my heart,
You, you, you, you, you got a hold of my heart, oh, yeah!
Tell me, tell me, I've got to know,
Tell me, tell me before I go,
Does that fire still burn? Does that flame still glow?
Or has it died out and melted like the snow?
Tell me,
Tell me.
Tell me, what are you focused upon?
Will it come to me after you're gone?
Tell me now with a glance or a sigh,
Should I hold you close or let you go by?
Tell me,
Tell me.
Is that the heat of the beat of your pulse that I feel?
If it's not that, then what is it you're trying to conceal?
Do you have any secrets that will only come out in time?
Do you lay in your bed? Do you stare at the stars?
Is your main friend someone who's an old, known acquaintance of ours?
Tell me,
Yes, tell me.
Tell me, are those rock-and-roll dreams in your eyes?
Tell me behind what door your treasure lies.
Ever gone broke in a big way?
Ever done the opposite of what the experts say?
Tell me,
Hmm, tell me.
Is it some kinda game that you're playing with my heart?
How deep must I go? Where do I start?
Do you have any morals? Do you have any point of view?
Is that a smile that I see on your face?
Will it lead me to glory or lead me to disgrace?
Tell me,
Hmm, tell me.
Tell me, is that my name in your book?
Tell me, will you go back and take another look?
Tell me the truth, don't tell me no lies,
Are you anybody someone prays for or cries?
Tell me,
Hmm, tell me.
For his age he is 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,
See him at play makes me smile.
No matter what happens to me, no matter what my destiny,
Lord, protect my child.
Well, the whole earth is asleep,
You could 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,
A-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,
Lord, protect my child.
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 talked 'bout Christ's betrayal,
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 being nice to the right people on the way up,
Sooner or later you're gonna meet them coming down.
Yeah, there ain't no going back,
When your foot of pride come down, ain't no going back.
He got a brother named James, don't forget faces or names,
Sunken cheeks and his blood is mixed.
He look straight into the sun and say, "Revenge is mine, huh?"
But he drinks and drinks can be fixed.
Sing me one more song about your love into the morning, stranger,
And your fall-by-the-sword love affair with Errol 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 going back,
When your foot of pride come down, ain't no going 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 a-he can touch.
He said that he only deals in cash, would sell tickets to a plane crash,
Not somebody that you play around with much.
Ms. Delilah is his, a Philistine is what she is,
She'll do wondrous a-works with your fate,
Feed you coconut bread, spice buns in bed,
If you don't mind sleeping with your head face-down in a plate.
Well, there ain't no going back,
When your foot of pride come down, ain't no going 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 trying 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 going back,
When your foot of pride come down, ain't no going 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 bankrupt,
Turn you into anything that they want you to be.
Well, there ain't no going back
When your foot of pride come down, ain't no going back.
Yes, I guess I loved him too, I can still see him in my mind climbing 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 nothing 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 you raise the shade.
Ain't no going back,
When your foot of pride come down, ain't no going back,
Oh, yeah!
Oh, yeah!
Seen the arrow on the door-post 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 was 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, see the ghost of slavery ships,
I can hear them tribes moaning, hear that undertaker's bell,
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 his 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 like Blind Willie McTell.
You can look out across the fields, see me returning,
Smoke gets in your eyes, you draw the smile
From the fireplace where now my letters to you are burning,
You've had time to think about it for a while.
I've walked two hundred miles, now look me over,
It's the end of the chase and the moon is high,
It don't matter who loves who - either you'll love me or I'll love you -
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 that you somehow managed to escape.
Oh, that I can't provide for you no easy answer.
Who are you that I should have to lie?
You'll know everything I know down below and up above
When the night comes falling from the sky.
I can hear your trembling heart beat like a river
And recently you've thought you've seen it all,
But you're disappointed now with those who did not deliver,
But it was you who set yourself up for a fall.
I seen thousands who could've overcome the darkness,
For the love of a lousy buck I watched them die.
Stick around, baby, we're not through, don't look for me, I'll see you
When the night comes falling from the sky.
In your teardrops I can see my own reflection,
Luck was with me when I crossed the borderline,
I don't wanna be a fool that's starving for affection,
I don't wanna drown in someone else's wine.
For all eternity I think I will remember
That whirlpool of life that's in your eye,
You will seek me and you'll find me in the wasteland of your mind
When the night comes falling from the sky.
Well, I gave to you my heart, my bed, and treasure
Whose suffering seemed to fit you like a glove,
I'm so tired of those who use you for their own pleasure,
Who think they've got the line up for me on love.
Well, this time I'm asking for freedom,
Freedom from a world which you deny,
And you'll give it to me now or I'll take it anyhow
When the night comes falling from the sky.
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 drag
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,
I's just thinking of a series of dreams,
Dreams where the umbrella is folded
And into the path you are hurled
And the cards are no good that you're holding
Unless they're from another world.
In one the surface was frozen,
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
And not going through any great extreme,
I'd already gone the distance,
I's just thinking of a series of dreams,
Dreams where the umbrella is folded
And into the path you are hurled
And the cards are no good that you're holding
Unless they're from another world.
I'd already gone the distance,
I's just thinking of a series of dreams,
Just thinking of a series of dreams,
Just thinking of a series of dreams.
Frankie was a good girl, everybody know,
Paid one hundred dollars for Albert's new suite 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 loving man been here?"
He was her man, but he done her wrong.
"Well, I ain't gonna tell you no story, I ain't gonna tell you no lie,
I saw Albert an hour ago with a gal named Alice Fry."
He was her man, he done her wrong.
Frankie went down to Twelfth Street, look up through the window high,
She saw her Albert there a-loving up Alice Fry.
He was her man, he done her wrong.
Frankie pulled out a pistol, pulled out a .44,
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 a-Albert into her lap,
Started to hug and kiss him, but there was no bringing him back.
He was her man, he done her wrong.
"Give me a thousand policemen, throw me into a cell,
I shot my Albert dead and now I'm going 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 towards the heavens, said, "Nearer, my God, to Thee."
He was her man, but he done her wrong.
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 trip 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 raging 'round us and the winds a-blowing gales,
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,
"Oh, they'll flog the poaching outta you down there in Botany Bay."
Now, it's day and night the irons clang and, like poor galley slaves,
Oh, we toil and toil and, when we die, must fill dishonored graves.
Well, it's by and by I'll slip my chains, 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,
And they'll yet regret they've sent Jim Jones in chains to Botany Bay.
Blackjack Davey come a-riding on by, whistling aloud 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 loving 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,
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.
That night, the boss came home inquiring about his lady.
The servant spoke before she thought, "She's been with Blackjack Davey,
Rode off with Blackjack 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 raging
And there he spied his darling bride in the arms of Blackjack Davey,
Wrapped up with Blackjack 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 say good-bye 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 Blackjack Davey,
Ride off with Blackjack Davey?"
"Well, I've forsaken my house and home and I'll forsake my baby,
I'll forsake my husband too for the love of Blackjack Davey,
Love my Blackjack 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 Blackjack Davey,
Love my Blackjack Davey."
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 know how.
She longed to see that seaport town of Canadee-i-o.
So she bargained with the sailor boy all for a piece of gold.
Straightaway then he led her down into the hold,
Saying, "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,
Saying, "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 a rage
And with the whole ship's company he was willing to engage,
Saying, "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 came down to Canada scarcely about 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 shawl,
Finest of the ladies down Canadee-i-o.
Come, all you fair and tender girls, wheresoever you may be,
I'd have you to follow your own, true love whenever he goes to sea
For, if the sailors prove false to you, well, the captain, he might prove true.
You'll see the honor I have gained by the wearing of the blue.
'Twas in the summer one early fall,
Just trying to find my little all and all.
Now she's gone and I don't worry,
Lord, I'm sitting on top of the world.
'Twas in the spring one summer's day,
Just when she left me, she gon' to stay.
Now she's gone, I don't worry,
Lord, I'm sitting on top of the world.
Now, don't come running holding up your hand,
Can get me a woman quick as you can get a man.
Now she's gone and I don't worry,
Lord, I'm sitting on top of the world.
Happen for days, didn't know your name.
Why should I worry or crave you in vain?
Now she's gone, I don't worry,
Lord, I'm sitting on top of the world.
Went to the station down in the yard,
Gon' get me a freight train, the work done got hard.
Now she's gone, I don't worry,
Lord, I'm sitting on top of the world.
The lonesome days, they have gone by.
Why should I beg you? You said good-bye.
Now she's gone, I don't worry,
Lord, I'm sitting on top of the world.
Oh, where is Little Maggie? Over yonder she stand,
Rifle on her shoulder, six-shooter in her hand.
How can I ever stand it, just to see them two blue eyes
Shining 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 Little Maggie's wine.
Pretty flowers are made for blooming, pretty stars are made to shine,
Pretty girls are made for boys' love, Little Maggie was made for mine.
Well, yonder stands Little Maggie with a dram-glass in her hand,
She's a-drinking down her troubles over courting some other man.
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 sigh 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 sigh 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 over.
Though her voice, it would be merry, 'tis sighing all the day,
"Oh, hard times, come again no more."
'Tis the song, the sigh 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 sigh 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.
Got a little girl, who's 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 back, swear you gotta step it up and go!
Got a little girl, she stays upstairs,
Make a living by a-putting on airs.
Gotta step it up and go, yeah, man!
Can't stand pat, I swear you gotta step it up and go!
Front door shut, back door too,
Blinds pulled down, what you 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!
Now step it up and go, yeah, man!
Can't stand pat, I swear you gotta step it up and go!
Me and my baby walking down the street,
Telling everybody 'bout the chief of police.
Gotta step it up and go, yeah, go!
Can't stand pat, I swear you gotta step it up and go!
Tell my woman I'll see her at home,
Ain't no loving since she been gone.
Gotta step it up and go, yeah, go!
Can't stand back, swear you gotta step it up and go!
Well, I'll sing this verse, ain't gonna sing no more.
Hear my gal call me, God, I got to go!
Step it up and go, yeah, man!
Can't stand back, swear you gotta step it up and go!
Well!
Oh!
Yeah, man!
Tomorrow night will you remember what you said tonight?
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,
How you willingly surrender to me, but, darling, will it last?
Tomorrow night will you be with me when the moon is bright?
Tomorrow night would you say those lovely things you said tonight?
Your lips are so tender, your heart is beating fast,
And you willingly surrender to me, but, darling will it last?
Tomorrow night will you be with me when the moon is bright?
Tomorrow night would you say those lovely things you said tonight?
A-Me and my cousin, one Arthur McBride,
As we went a-walking down by the seaside,
Now, mark what followed and what did betide for it being on Christmas morning.
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 a day being pleasant and charming.
"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 being on Christmas morning.
"But," says he, "My fine fellows, if you will enlist,
A-ten guineas in gold I'll stick in your fist
And a crown in the bargain for to kick up the dust and drink the king's 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 charming.
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
And you dare not change them one night for you know, if you do, you'll be flogged in the morning.
And, although that we're 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 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,
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 morning!"
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, having 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'd a-give them hard clouts and bid them look sharp in the morning.
Oh, me and my cousin, one Arthur McBride,
As we went a-walking down by the seaside,
Now, mark what followed and what did betide for it being on Christmas morning.
You're gon' quit me, baby,
Good as I been to you, Lord, Lord,
Good as I been to you, Lord, Lord,
Good as I been to you.
Give you my money, honey,
Buy you shoes and clothes, Lord, Lord,
Buy you shoes and clothes, Lord, Lord,
Buy you shoes and clothes.
You're gon' quit me, baby,
Put me outta doors, Lord, Lord,
Put me outta doors, Lord, Lord,
Put me outta doors.
Six months on the chain gang,
Believe me, it ain't no fun, Lord, Lord,
Believe me, it ain't no fun, Lord, Lord,
Believe me, it ain't no fun.
Day you quit me, baby,
That's the day you die, Lord, Lord,
That's the day you die, Lord, Lord,
That's the day you die.
Jailhouse ain't no plaything,
Believe me, ain't no lie, Lord, Lord,
Believe me, ain't no lie, Lord, Lord,
Believe me, ain't no lie.
The day you quit me, baby,
That's the day you die, Lord, Lord,
That's the day you die, Lord, Lord,
That's the day you die.
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,
Never took much trouble with the process of the law.
I hired out to Diamond Joe, boys, did offer him my hand,
He gave me 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 wagging of his jaw,
And the telling of his story, mean to let you know,
That there never was a rounder that could lie like Diamond Joe.
I tried three times to quit him, but he did argue so,
I'm still punching 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, give the fleas to Diamond Joe.
Frog went a-courting and a-he did ride, uh-huh,
Frog went a-courting and a-he did ride, uh-huh,
Frog went a-courting and a-he did ride
With a sword and a pistol by his side, uh-huh.
Well, he rode right up to Ms. Mousey's door, uh-huh,
He rode right up to Ms. Mousey's door, uh-huh,
He rode right up to Ms. Mousey's door,
Gave three loud raps and a very big roar, uh-huh,
Said, "Ms. Mouse, be you within?" Uh-huh.
Said he, "Ms. Mouse, are you within?" Uh-huh.
Said, "Ms. Mouse, are you within?"
"Yes, kind sir, I sit and spin." Uh-huh.
He took Ms. Mousey on his knee, uh-huh,
Took Ms. Mousey on his knee, uh-huh,
Took Ms. Mousey on his knee,
Said, "Ms. Mousey, will you marry me?" Uh-huh.
"Without my uncle Rat's consent," - uh-huh,
"Without my uncle Rat's consent," - uh-huh,
"Without my uncle Rat's consent,
I wouldn't marry the president." Uh-huh.
Uncle Rat laughed and he shook his fat sides, uh-huh,
Uncle Rat laughed and he shook his fat sides, uh-huh,
Uncle Rat laughed and he shook his fat sides
To think his niece would be a bride, uh-huh.
Uncle went riding, trip downtown, uh-huh,
Uncle Rat went running downtown, uh-huh,
Uncle Rat went running downtown
To buy his niece a wedding gown, uh-huh.
"Where shall the wedding supper be?" Uh-huh,
"Where shall the wedding supper be?" Uh-huh,
"Where shall the wedding supper be?"
"Way down yonder in the hollow tree." Uh-huh.
"What should the wedding supper be?" Uh-huh,
"What should the wedding supper be?" Uh-huh,
"What should the wedding supper be?"
"Fried mosquito in a black-eyed pea." Uh-huh.
Well, first to come in was the flying moth, uh-huh,
First to come in was the flying moth, uh-huh,
First to come in was the flying moth,
She laid out the tablecloth, uh-huh.
Next to come in was the Juney bug, uh-huh,
Next to come in was the Juney bug, uh-huh,
Next to come in was the Juney bug,
She brought the water jug, uh-huh.
Next to come in was the bumbly bee, uh-huh,
Next to come in was the bumbly bee, uh-huh,
Next to come in was the bumbly bee,
Set mosquito on his knee, uh-huh.
Next to come in was a broken-back flea, uh-huh,
Next to come in was a broken, black flea, uh-huh,
Next to come in was a broken, black flea,
Danced a jig with the bumbly bee, uh-huh.
Next to come in was Mrs. Cow, uh-huh,
Next to come in was Mrs. Cow, uh-huh,
Next to come in was Mrs. Cow,
She tried to dance, but she didn't know how, uh-huh.
Next to come in was a little, black tick, uh-huh,
Next to come in was a little, black tick, uh-huh,
Next to come in was a little, black tick,
She ate so much she made us sick, uh-huh.
Next to come in was a big, black snake, uh-huh,
Next to come in was a big, black snake, uh-huh,
Next to come in was a big, black snake,
Ate up all of the wedding cake, uh-huh.
Next to come in was the old, gray cat, uh-huh,
Next to come in was the old, gray cat, uh-huh,
Next to come in was the old, gray cat,
Swallowed the mouse and ate up the rat, uh-huh.
Mr. Frog went a-hopping up over the brook, uh-huh,
Mr. Frog went a-hopping up over the brook, uh-huh,
Mr. Frog went a-hopping up over the brook,
A lily-white duck come and swallowed him up, uh-huh.
A little piece of cornbread a-laying on a shelf, uh-huh,
A little piece of cornbread laying on the shelf, uh-huh,
A little piece of cornbread laying on the shelf.
If you want anymore, you can sing it yourself, uh-huh.
Strange things have happened than ever 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 done 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 loving and treat you kind,
But it seem like you're 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 have 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,
Honey, because the world gone wrong.
"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 laid 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 flowing 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,
"Till 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 trill no news on me.
Oh, these costly beads around my neck
I'll endow them onto thee."
"Fly down, fly down, pretty parrot," 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
Would kill a little bird like me."
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 a-coming and 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.
Ah, 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 that I got, man, she does 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 blinds,
Leaving in the morning if I have to ride the blinds,
Well, I been mistreated and I swear I don't mind dying.
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,
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 tell you something, tell you the facts:
You don't want me, 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,
I don't care what in the world you do.
Feel like a broke-down engine, ain't got no driving wheel,
Feel like a broke-down engine, ain't got no driving wheel,
You all been down and lonesome, you know just how a poor man feels.
Been shooting craps and gambling, mama, and I done got broke,
Been shooting craps and gambling, mama, and I done got broke,
I done pawned my pistol, baby, my best clothes been stoled.
Lordy, Lord!
Lordy, Lordy, Lord!
Lordy, Lordy, Lordy,
Lordy, Lord!
I went down in my praying ground, fell on my bended knee,
I went down in my praying ground, fell on my bended knee,
I ain't crying 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, Lord!
Lordy, Lordy, Lord!
Can't you hear me, baby, rapping on your door?
Can't you hear me, baby, rapping on your door?
Tapping [incomprehensible], tapping 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 make 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,
If you're a real hot mama, come and drive away Daddy's weeping spell.
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 mother took a trip out West.
When she returned, little Delia had gone to rest.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Delia's daddy weeped, Delia's mama moaned,
Wouldn't've been so bad if the poor girl died at home.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Curtis looking high, Curtis looking low,
He shot poor Delia down with a cruel .44.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
High up on 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 outta sight.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
Judge says to Curtis, "What's this noise about?"
"All about them rounders, judge, trying 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 might never, never get 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 can it be?
You wanted all them rounders, never had time for me.
All the friends I ever had are gone.
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 are you doing here?"
"Waiting for a train, please bring my woman home."
"Stack-A-Lee, oh, Stack-A-Lee, please don't take my life.
Got three little children and a weeping, 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 he 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, I thought I heard a bulldog bark,
Must've 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 get Stack-A-Lee and a-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 lied 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 has began to creep."
All about that John B. Stetson hat.
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 toiling 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.
Mama, you know, awaits the news
And she'll only know he's dead.
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 plenty and men of high degree,
There was none but Jackie Frazier, her true love e'er to be,
Oh, her true love 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, Jack, he'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 the 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 a physician to quickly heal his wounds,
Oh, 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?
Oh, so why not you and me?
I came to the place where the lone pilgrim lay
And pensively stood by his tomb
When 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 calls 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 mansions 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
Has kindly assisted me home."
Early one morning the sun was shining, I was laying in bed,
Wondering 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 I was standing on the side of the road, rain falling on my shoes,
Heading out for the East Coast - Lord knows, I've paid some dues getting through,
Tangled up in blue.
She was married when we first met, soon to be divorced,
I helped her out of a jam, I guess, but I used a little too much force.
We drove that car as far as we could, abandoned it out west,
Split up on a dark, sad night, both agreeing it was best.
She turned around to look at me as I was a-walking away,
I heard her say over my shoulder, "We'll meet again someday on the avenue,
Tangled up in blue."
I had a job in the Great North Woods working as a cook for a spell,
But I never did like it all that much and one day the ax just fell,
So I drifted down to New Orleans where I lucky was to be employed,
Working for a while on a fishing boat right outside of Delacroix,
But all the while I was alone, the past was close behind,
I seen a lot of women but she never escaped my mind and I just grew
Tangled up in blue.
She was working in a topless place and I stopped in for a beer,
I just kept looking at the side of her face in the spotlight so clear,
And later on, when the crowd thinned out, I was just about to do the same,
She was standing there in back of my chair, said to me, "Don't I know your name?"
I muttered something underneath my breath, she studied the lines of my face,
I must admit, 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 fifteenth century,
And every one of them words rang true and glowed like burning coal,
Pouring off of every page like it was written in my soul, from me to you,
Tangled up in blue.
I lived with them on Montague Street, in a basement down the stairs,
There was music in the cafes at night and revolution in the air,
Then he started into dealing with slaves and something inside of him died,
She had to sell everything she owned and froze up inside,
And when it finally--the bottom fell out, I became withdrawn,
The only thing I knew how to do was to keep on keeping 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 carpenters' wives,
Don't know how it all got started, I don't know what they're doing with their lives,
But me, I'm still on the road, a-heading for another joint,
We always did feel the same, we just saw it from a different point of view,
Tangled up in blue.
Sixteen years, sixteen banners united
Over the fields where the good shepherd grieves,
Desperate men, desperate women divided,
Spreading their wings 'neath the falling leaves,
Fortune calls, I step 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 struggled to my feet, I rode past destruction in the ditches
With the stitches still mending 'neath 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 angels' 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 onto 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 get ready for elimination
Or else your hearts must have the courage for the changing of the guards.
"Peace will come with tranquility and the splendor
On the wheels of fire, but will offer no reward
Where the false idols fall and cruel death surrenders
With its pale ghost retreating between the king and the queen of swords."
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, felt around for her face,
Been treated like a farm animal on a wild-goose chase.
West of the Jordan, east of the Rock of Gibraltar,
I see the turning 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 silence for snobbery.
Got the message this morning, the one that was sent to me
'Bout the madness of becoming what one was never meant to be.
West of the Jordan, east of the Rock of Gibraltar,
I see the turning of the page, curtain rising on a new age,
See the groom still waiting at the altar.
Don't know what I could say about Claudette wouldn't come back to haunt me,
Finally had to give her up 'bout the time she begin to want me,
But I know God has mercy on them who're slandered and humiliated,
I'd a-done anything for that woman if she'd only made me feel obligated.
West of the Jordan, east of the Rock of Gibraltar,
I see the turning of the page, 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're supposed to know better standing around like furniture,
There's a wall between you--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 turning of the page, curtain rising on a new age,
See the groom still waiting at the altar.
Cities on fire, phones outta 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 turning of the page, curtain rising on a new age,
See the groom still waiting at the altar.
Pistol-shots ring out in the barroom night,
Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall,
She sees a bartender in a pool of blood,
Cries out, "My God, they've killed 'em all!"
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've 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,
The number one contender for the middleweight crown
Had no idea what kind of 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 prowling around.
He said, "I saw two men running out, they looked like middleweights,
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 he could identify the guilty men.
Four in the morning and they haul Rubin in,
They took him to the hospital and they brought him upstairs.
The wounded man looks up through his one, dying eye,
Said, "Why'd you bring him in here for! He ain't the guy!"
Here's 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've been the champion of the world.
Four months later, the ghettoes 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 you--happened in a bar?
Remember you said you saw the getaway car?
Think you'd like to play ball with the law?
Think it mighta been that fighter that you saw running that night? Don't forget that you are white."
Arthur Dexter Bradley said, "I'm really not sure."
The cops said, "A poor boy like you could use a break -
We got you for the motel job and you talking to your friend, Bello,
If you don't wanna have to go back to jail, be a nice fellow.
You'll be doing society a favor,
That son-of-a-bitch is brave and getting braver.
We wanna put his ass in the stir,
We wanna 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, just as soon go on my way"--
Up into some paradise
Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice
And ride a horse along the 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,
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.
Yes, 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've been the champion of the world.
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 rung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, 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 light 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,
May you stay forever young.
Standing on the water, casting your bread
While the eyes of the idol with the iron head are glowing.
Distant ships sailing in through 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 the 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 from 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 mountains, 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 to 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,
Michelangelo indeed could've carved out your features.
Resting in the fields, far from the turbulent space,
Half asleep 'neath 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.
Night-sticks and water-cannons, tear gas, padlocks,
Molotov cocktails and rocks behind every curtain.
False-hearted judges dying in the webs that they spin,
Only a matter of time till 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.
Fat man looking in a blade of steel,
Thin man looking at his last meal,
Hollow man looking in a cotton-field for dignity.
Wise man looking in a blade of grass,
Young man looking in the shadows that pass,
Poor man looking 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.
Searching high, searching low,
Searching everywhere I know,
Asking the cops wherever I go,
"Have you seen dignity?"
Blind man breaking out of a trance,
Puts his both hands in the pockets of chance
Hoping to find one circumstance of dignity.
I went to the wedding of Mary-Lou,
She said, "I don't want nobody see me talking to you,"
Said she could get killed if she told me what she knew 'bout dignity.
I went down where the vultures feed,
I would've gone 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?"
Drinking man listen to the voice he hears
In a crowded room full of covered-up mirrors,
Looking 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 running 'cross a silver sand,
Steps going down into tattoo land,
I met the sons of darkness and the sons of light
In the border-towns of despair.
Got no place to fade, got no coat,
I'm on the rolling river in a jerking boat,
Trying to read a note somebody wrote 'bout dignity.
Sick man looking for the doctor's cure,
Looking at hands for the lines that were
And into every masterpiece of literature for dignity.
Englishman stranded in the black-heart wind,
Combing 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 to find dignity.
Stake my future on a hell of a past,
Looks like tomorrow is a-coming on fast,
Ain't complaining 'bout what I got,
I 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 a-knocking, don't throw me no bone.
I'm an old boll weevil looking for a home
And, if you don't like me, 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,
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.
Give what I got until I got no more,
I take what I gets and 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.
Gonna sing it loud, 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.
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's on its side
And time is running backwards and so is the bride.
Ring them bells, St. Peter, where the four winds blow,
Ring them bells with an iron hand so the people will know.
Oh, it's rush hour now on the wheel and the plow
And the sun is a-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-a 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 the innocence dies.
Ring them bells, St. 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
And they're breaking down the distance between a-right and wrong.
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.
May be a rock-and-roll addict prancing on the stage,
Might have drugs at your command, women in a cage,
You may be a businessman 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 are, 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,
May be the head of some big TV network,
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame,
May be living in another country under another name,
But you're gonna have to serve somebody,
Yes, you are, 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.
May be a construction worker working on a home,
Might be living in a mansion, you might live in a dome,
You may own guns and you may even own tanks,
You may be somebody's landlord, you may 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 a-may be the Lord,
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
You may be a preacher preaching spiritual pride,
May be a city councilman taking bribes on the side,
May be working 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,
Might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread,
May be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-size 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.
Now, you may call me Terry or you may call me Timmy,
You may call me Bobby or you may call me Zimmy,
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray,
You may call me anything, don't 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 and it may be the Lord,
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
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 drag
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,
I's just thinking of a series of dreams,
Dreams where the umbrella is folded
And into the path you are hurled
And the cards are no good that you're holding
Unless they're from another world.
In one the surface was frozen,
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
And not going through any great extreme,
I'd already gone the distance,
I's just thinking of a series of dreams,
Dreams where the umbrella is folded
And into the path you are hurled
And the cards are no good that you're holding
Unless they're from another world.
I'd already gone the distance,
I's just thinking of a series of dreams,
Just thinking of a series of dreams,
Just thinking of a series of dreams.
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 on 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 calling after me like a rolling train.
I can still see the day 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 until we got 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 driving this car and the sun is coming 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 wanna 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 wrecking 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 says, "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 thinking of bumming a ride back to from where she started,
But she changed the subject every time money came up.
She said, "Welcome to the land of the living dead",
But you could tell she was so broken-hearted,
She said, "Even the swap meets around here are getting pretty corrupt."
"How far are you all going?" Ruby asked us with a sigh.
"We going all the way till the wheels fall off and burn,
Till 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 - but I just can't get it outta 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-is Gregory Peck and the way that people moved
And a lot of 'em, they seemed to be looking my way.
Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls,
Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above,
Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls,
Brownsville girl, you're my honey, love.
Well, they were looking for somebody with a pompadour,
I was crossing 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 saying much.
I could feel a whole lot better
If you were just here by my side to show me how.
Well, I'm standing 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 something 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 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,
Brownsville girl, you're my honey, love.
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.
Someday, little girl, everything for you is gonna be new,
Someday, little girl, you'll have a-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 and the wind blow high,
One day the little boy and little girl were 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,
Man in the moon went home and the river went dry.
Mama, take this badge off of me,
I can't use it anymore.
It's getting dark, too dark to see,
I feel I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
Mama, put my guns in the ground,
I can't shoot them anymore.
That long, black cloud is coming down,
I feel I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
Well, sweet, pretty things, they're in bed now of course,
City fathers, they're trying to endorse
Reincarnation of Paul Revere's horse,
But the town has no need to be nervous.
Ghost of Belle Starr, she hands down her wits
To Jezebel, the nun, she violently knits
Bald wig for Jack the Ripper, who sits
At the head of the Chamber of Commerce.
Mama's in the factory, she ain't got no shoes,
Daddy's in the hallway looking for the fuze,
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues.
Hysterical bride in the penny arcade,
Screaming, she moans that I've just been made,
Sends for the doctor, pulls down the shade,
Says, "My advice is not to let the boys in."
Well, the medicine man comes, he shuffles inside,
He walks with a swagger and he says to the bride,
"Stop all this weeping and swallow your pride,
You will not die, it's not poison!"
Mama's in the factory, ain't got no shoe,
Daddy's in the alley looking for the fuze,
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues.
Where Ma Rainey and Beethoven unwrapped their bedroll,
Tuba players now rehearse around the flagpole
And the National Bank at a profit sells road-maps to the soul
To the old folks' home and the college.
I wish I could write you a melody so plain,
Praise you, dear lady, from going insane,
Stop this weeping, this useless pain
Of your useless and pointless knowledge.
Mama's in the factory, ain't got no shoes,
Daddy's in the hallway looking for the fuze,
I'm in the kitchen with the tombstone blues.
I seen a shooting star tonight and I thought of you,
You're trying to break into another world, a world I never knew.
Always kinda wondered if you ever made it through.
I seen a shooting star tonight and I thought of you.
I seen a shooting star tonight and I thought of me.
Was I still the same? Had I ever became what you wanted me to be?
Did I miss the mark, overstep the line that only you could see?
I 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,
Last time you would hear the sermon on the mount,
The last radio is playing.
I seen a shooting star tonight slip away,
Tomorrow's gonna be another day.
Guess it's too late to say the things to you that you needed to hear me say.
I seen a shooting star tonight slip away.
"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 and 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's many here among us who feel that life is but a joke.
You and I, we've been through that, this is not our fate.
Let us not talk falsely now, you know the hour's getting late."
All along the watchtower princes kept the view
All the women came and went, barefoot servants too.
Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl,
Two riders were approaching, and the wind began to howl, oh!
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 better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone
For the times, they are a-changing.
Come, writers and critics who prophesize with your pen,
Keep your eyes wide - the chance won't come again,
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-they are a-changing.
Come, senators, congressmen, please heed the call,
Don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall.
He that gets hurt will be he who 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-changing.
Come, mothers and fathers throughout the land,
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 outta the new one if you can't lend a hand
For your times, they are a-changing.
The line, it is drawn and 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 fading
And the first one now will later be last
For the times, they are a-changing.
John Brown went off to war to fight on a foreign shore,
His mama sure was proud of him.
He stood so straight and tall in his uniform and all,
His mama's face broke out into a grin.
"Oh, son, you look so fine, I'm glad you're a son of mine,
Make me proud to know you wear the gun.
Do what the captain says, lotta medals you will get,
We'll put 'em on the wall when you get home."
That old train pulled out, John's ma began to shout,
Telling everybody 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, her face broke into a smile,
She showed 'em to the people from next door.
They bragged about her son with his uniform and gun
In this thing she called a good, old-fashioned war.
Then the letters ceased to come, for a long time they did not come,
Ceased to come for about ten months or more.
Then, when a letter finally came, saying, go down and meet the train,
Your son is coming back from the war.
She smiled and she went right down, she looked up and all around,
She did not see her soldier son in sight.
When all the people passed, she saw her son at last.
When she did, she could not believe her eyes.
Oh, his face was all shot off and his hands were blown away
And he wore a metal brace around his waist.
He whispered kind of slow in a voice she didn't know
And she couldn't even recognize his face.
"Oh, tell me, my darling son, tell me what they've done.
How is it that you've come to be this way?"
He tried his best to talk, but his mouth could hardly move
And his 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."
"Well, I thought when I was there, Lord, what am I doing here
Trying to kill somebody or die trying?
But the thing that scared me most, when my enemy came close,
I could see that his face looked just like mine."
"And I could not help but think through the thunder-rolling stink
That I was just a puppet in a play
And through the roar and smoke the string, it finally broke
And a cannonball blew my eyes away."
As he turned away to go, his mother was acting slow
Seeing the metal brace that helped him stand,
But, as he turned to leave, he called his mother close
And he dropped his medals down into her hand.
They'll stone you when you're trying to be so good,
Stone you just like they said they would,
Stone you and they'll say that it's the end,
Stone you, they'll be back again.
I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.
They'll stone you when you're at the breakfast table,
Stone you when you are young and able,
Stone you and say good luck,
Stone you just like you got hit by a truck,
But I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.
They'll stone and they'll be back for more,
Stone you and then they'll close the door,
Stone you and say that it's the end,
Stone you and they'll be back again.
I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.
They're selling postcards of the hanging, they're painting the passports brown,
The beauty parlor's 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,
Puts her hands in her back pocket Bette Davis-style.
In comes Romeo, he's moaning, "You belong to me, I believe."
Someone turns and says, "You're in the wrong room, my friend, you'd better hurry up and 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 fortune-telling lady has even taken all her things inside.
All except for Cain and Abel and the Hunchback of Notre Dame,
Everyone is either 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 is 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.
Across the street they've nailed the curtains, they're getting ready for the feast,
The Phantom of the Opera in the perfect image of a priest.
They're spoon-feeding Casanova, get him to feel more assured,
Then they'll kill him with self-confidence after poisoning him with words.
And the Phantom is shouting to skinny girls, "Get outta here if you don't know
Casanova, he's just being punished for going to Desolation Row!"
Now, 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 no one is escaping Desolation Row.
Yes, I received your letter yesterday 'bout the time that the door knob broke.
When you asked me how I was doing, was that some kinda 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, don't send me no more letters, no!
Not unless you mail them from Desolation Row.
Fat man looking in a blade of steel,
Thin man looking at his last meal,
Hollow man looking in a cotton-field for dignity.
Wise man looking in a blade of grass,
Young man looking in the shadows that pass,
Poor man looking through painted glass for dignity.
Somebody got murdered on New Year's Eve,
Someone said that Dignity was the first to leave.
I went into the city, into the town,
Into the land of the midnight sun.
Searching high, searching low,
Searching everywhere I know,
Asking the cops wherever I go,
"Have you seen dignity?"
Blind man breaking out of a trance,
Puts both of his hands in the pockets of chance
Hoping to find one circumstance of dignity.
I went to the wedding of Mary-Lou,
She said, "I don't want nobody see me talking 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 gone deeper, but there wasn't any need.
I've heard the tongues of angels and the tongues of men
And there 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?"
Drinking man listens to the voice he hears
In a crowded room full of covered-up mirrors,
Looking into the lost, forgotten years for dignity.
I 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, he said he'd been abused by dignity.
Footprints running 'cross a silver sand,
Steps going down into tattoo land,
I met the sons of darkness and the sons of light
In the border-towns of despair.
Got no place to fade, got no coat,
I'm on a rolling river in a jerking boat,
Trying to read a letter to me somebody wrote about dignity.
Sick man looking for the doctor's cure,
Looking at his hands for the lines that were
And into every masterpiece of literature for dignity.
Englishman stranded in a black-heart wind,
Combing his hair back, his future looks thin,
He bites the bullet and he looks within for dignity.
Someone showed me a picture, I just had to laugh,
Dignity never been photographed!
I went into the red, went into the black,
Went into the valley of dry-bone dreams.
So many roads, so much at stake,
So many dead-ends, and I'm at the edge of the lake.
Sometimes I wonder what it's gonna take to find dignity.
Mama, take this badge off of me,
I can't use it anymore.
It's getting dark, too dark to see
And I feel like I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Just like so many times before.
Mama, wipe the blood outta my face,
I just can't see through it anymore.
Got a long, black feeling and it's hard to trace
And I feel like I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Just like so many times before.
Mama, lay my guns into the ground,
I just can't fight 'em anymore.
That long, black train is pulling on down
And I feel like I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Just like so many times before.
We're gonna start this again, the band was way ahead of me. [incomprehensible] We're gonna tune, we're gonna tune these instruments too.
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 kidding you.
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hanging out.
Now you don't talk so loud,
Now you don't seem so proud
'Bout having to be scrounging for your next meal.
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?
You gone to the finest school, alright, Ms. Lonely,
But you know you only used to get juiced in it.
Nobody's ever taught you how to live out on the street
And now you find out 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 wanna make a deal?"
How does it feel?
How does it feel
To be without a home,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
You never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns when they all came down to do tricks for you.
You never understood that it ain't no good,
You should never 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's taken anything he can steal?
How does it feel?
How does it feel
To be without a home,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Princess on the steeple and all pretty people
Drinking, thinking that they got it made,
Exchanging all precious gifts and things,
But take your diamond ring down and 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 and you can't refuse.
When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose.
You're invisible, you got no secrets to conceal.
How does it feel?
How does it feel
To be without a home,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Oh, my name, it ain't nothing, my age, it means less,
The country I come from is called the Midwest,
I was born and brought up there all the laws to abide
And that the land that I live in has God on its side.
Now, the history books tell it, they tell it so well:
The cavalries charged, then the Indians fell,
The cavalries charged, then the Indians died.
Oh, the country was young with God on its side.
Now, the Spanish-American War had its day,
Then the Civil War too was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes I was made to memorize
With guns in 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.
But now we've got weapons of a-chemical dust,
If fire them we're forced to, then fire them we must,
One push of the button, then a shot the world wide,
And you never ask questions when God's on your side.
Through many a dark hour I've been thinking 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 leaving, I'm weary as hell,
The confusion I'm feeling ain't no tongue can tell,
The words fill my head and they fall to the floor,
That, if God is on our side, He'll stop the next war.
I'm walking through streets that are dead,
Walking-walking with you in my head,
My feet are so tired, my brain is so wired, and the clouds are weeping.
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 sleeping.
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 watch them till they're gone and they leave me hanging on to the shadow.
I'm sick of love, I hear the clock tick,
This kind of love, I-I'm lovesick.
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 trying to forget you.
Just don't know what to do,
I'd give anything to be with you.
Gon' walk down that dirt road till someone lets me ride,
Gon' walk down that dirt road till someone lets me ride,
If I can't find my baby, I'm gonna run away and hide.
Well, I been pacing 'round the room hoping maybe she'd come back,
Pacing 'round the room hoping maybe she'd come back,
Well, I been praying for salvation, laying 'round in a one-room country-shack.
Gon' walk down that dirt road until my eyes begin to bleed,
Gon' walk down that dirt road until my eyes begin to bleed,
Till there's nothing left to see, till the chains have been shattered and I've been freed.
Well, I been looking at my shadow, I been watching the clouds up above,
Looking at my shadow, watching the clouds up above,
Rolling through the rain and hail, looking for the sunny side of love.
Gon' walk on that dirt road till everything becomes the same,
Gon' walk down that road till everything becomes the same,
Gonna keep on walking till I hear her holler out my name.
I'm a-walking through the summer nights, the jukebox playing low,
Yesterday everything was going 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 standing in the doorway crying,
I got nothing to go back to now.
The light in this place is so bad, making me sick in the head,
All the laughter is just making me sad, the stars have turned cherry-red.
I'm strumming on my gay guitar,
Smoking a cheap cigar.
The ghost of our old love has not gone away,
Don't look it--like it will anytime soon.
You left me standing in the doorway crying
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 been riding the midnight train,
Got ice water in my veins.
I would be crazy if I took you back,
It would go up against every rule.
You left me standing in the doorway crying,
Suffering like a fool.
When the last rays of daylight go down, buddy, you'll roll no more,
I can hear the church-bells ringing in the yard, I wonder who they're ringing 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 standing in the doorway crying
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 means so much,
Even the softest touch.
I see nothing to be gained by any explanation,
There's no words that need to be said.
You left me standing in the doorway crying,
Blues wrapped around my head.
You took a part of me that I really miss,
I keep asking myself how long it can go on like this.
You told yourself a lie, that's alright, mama, I told myself one too.
I'm trying to get closer, but I'm still a million miles from you.
You took the silver, you took the gold,
You left me standing out in the cold.
People'd ask about you, I didn't tell 'em everything I knew.
Well, I'm trying to get closer, but I'm still a million miles from you.
I'm drifting in and out of dreamless sleep,
Throwing all my memories in a ditch so deep.
Did so many things I never did intend to do.
Well, I'm trying 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 to just--what it's all coming to.
Well, I'm trying 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 talking to somebody, but I just don't know who.
Well, I'm trying to get closer, but I'm still a million miles from you.
Yes, the last thing you said before you hit the street,
"Gonna find me a janitor to sweep me off my feet."
I said, "That's alright, mama, you-you do what you gotta do."
Well, I'm trying 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 trying to get closer, but I'm still a million miles from you.
Well, there's voices in the night trying to be heard,
I'm sitting here listening to every mind-polluting word.
I know plenty of people put me up for a day or two.
Yes, I'm trying to get closer, but I'm still a million miles from you.
The air is getting hotter,
There's a rumbling in the skies,
I've been wading through the high, muddy water
With the heat rising in my eyes.
Every day your memory grows dimmer,
It doesn't haunt me like it did before.
I've been walking through the middle of nowhere,
Trying 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 walking that lonesome valley,
Trying to get to heaven before they close the door.
People on the platforms
Waiting for the trains,
I can hear their hearts a-beating
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 going down the road feeling bad,
Trying to get to heaven before they close the door.
I'm going down the river,
Down to New Orleans.
They tell me everything is gonna be alright,
But I don't know what "alright" even means.
I was riding in a buggy with Ms. Mary-Jane -
Ms. Mary-Jane got a house in Baltimore.
I've been all around the world, boys,
Now I'm trying 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,
Now I'm trying to get to heaven before they close the door.
Well, my nerves are exploding and my body's tense,
I feel like the whole world got me pinned up against the fence.
I've been hit too hard, I seen too much,
Nothing can heal me now but your touch.
I just don't know what I'm gonna do,
I was alright till I fell in love with you.
Well, my house is on fire, burning to the sky,.
Well, I thought it would rain, but the clouds passed by.
Now, I feel like I'm coming to the end of my way,
But 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 alright till I fell in love with you.
Boys in the street beginning to play,
Girls like birds fly away.
When I'm gone, you will remember my name,
I'm gonna win my way to wealth and to fame.
Yet I just don't know what I'm gonna do,
I was alright till I fell in love with you.
Well, junk's piling up, taking up space,
My eyes feel like they're falling off my face.
Sweat pouring down, I'm staring at the floor,
I'm thinking about that girl who won't be back no more.
I just don't know what to do,
I was alright till I fell in love with you.
Well, I'm tired of talking, I'm tired of trying to explain,
My attempts to please you, they were all in vain.
Tomorrow night, before the sun goes down,
If I'm still among the living, I'll be Dixie-bound.
Still I just don't know what I'm gonna do,
I was alright till I fell in love with you.
Shadows are falling and I've been here all day,
It's too hot to sleep and time is running away.
Feel like my soul has turned into steel,
I've still got the scars that the sun did not heal.
There's not even room enough to be anywhere,
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there.
Well, my sense of humanity has gone down the drain,
Behind every beautiful thing there's been some kinda pain.
She wrote me a letter and she wrote it so kind,
She put down in writing what was in her mind.
I just don't see why I should even care,
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there.
Well, I've been to London and I've been to gay Paris,
I've followed the river and I got to the sea.
I've been down on the bottom of a world full of lies,
I ain't looking for nothing in anyone's eyes.
Sometimes my burden is more than I can bear,
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there.
I was born here and I'll die here against my will,
I know it looks like I'm moving, but I'm standing still.
Every nerve in my body is so vacant and numb,
I can't even remember what it was I came here to get away from.
Don't even hear a murmur of a prayer,
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there.
I'm beginning to hear voices and there's no one around,
Now, I'm all used up and the fields've turned brown.
I went to church on Sunday and she passed by,
Well, my love for her has taken such a long time to die.
Now, I'm waist deep, waist deep in the mist,
It's almost like-almost like I don't exist.
I'm twenty miles outta 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 torn away.
One look at you and I'm out of control,
Like the universe has swallowed me whole.
I'm twenty miles outta 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's 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 outta town, Cold Irons bound,
Twenty miles outta town, Cold Irons bound.
Now, 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 kinda things you can never kill.
Well, it's you and you only I've been thinking about,
But you can't see in and I--it's hard looking out.
I'm twenty miles outta 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 cared,
I'm gon' remember forever the joy we've shared.
Looking at you and I'm on my bended knee,
You have no idea what you do to me.
I'm twenty miles outta town, Cold Irons bound,
Twenty miles outta town, Cold Irons bound.
When the rain is blowing 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 the evening 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 crawling down the avenue,
No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do to make you feel my love.
The storms are raging on the rolling sea
And on the highway of regret,
The winds of change are blowing wild and free,
You ain't seen nothing like me yet.
I could make you happy, make your dreams come true,
Nothing that I wouldn't do,
Go to the ends of the earth for you to make you feel my love.
I can't wait, wait for you to change your mind,
It's late, I'm trying to walk the line.
Well, it's way past midnight and there's a-people all around,
Some on their way up, some on their way down,
The air burns and I'm trying to think straight,
And I don't know how much longer I can wait.
I'm your man, I'm trying to recover the sweet love that we knew.
You understand that my heart can't go on beating without you.
Well, your loveliness has wounded me, I'm a-reeling from the blow,
I wish I knew what it was keeps me loving you so.
I'm breathing hard, standing at the gate,
Oh, but I don't know how much longer I can wait.
Skies are gray, I'm looking for anything that'll bring a happy glow,
Night or day, it doesn't matter where I go anymore, I just go.
If I ever saw you coming, 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 rolling through stormy weather.
I'm thinking 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 strolling 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.
I don't know how much longer I can wait.
Well, my heart's in the Highlands, gentle and fair,
Honeysuckle blooming in the wild-wood air,
Bluebells blazing 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 shaking all night in my dreams,
Everything was exactly the way that it seems.
Woke up this morning and I looked at the same old page,
Same old rat race, life in the same old cage.
I don't want nothing 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'd 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 buckeye trees in 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 yelling, "Turn it down!"
Feel like I'm drifting, drifting from scene to scene,
I'm wondering what in the devil could it all possibly mean.
Insanity is smashing up against my soul,
You can 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 and long, white, shiny legs.
I say, "Tell me what I want." She say, "You probably want hard-boiled eggs."
I say, "That's right, bring me some."
Shes 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's there, she says, "I'm right here in front of you - or haven't you looked?"
I say, "Alright, 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, "Alright, now, go ahead, draw me, I'm staying right here."
I make a few lines and I show it for her to see.
Well, she takes the 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 joking." I said, "I wish I was."
Then, she says, "You don't read women authors, do you?" At least that's what I think I hear her say.
Well, I say, "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 outta my chair,
I step outside back to the busy street, but nobody's going 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, 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've made a few bad turns.
I see people in the park forgetting their troubles and woes,
They're drinking and dancing, wearing bright-colored clothes,
All the young men with the young women looking 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,
Talking 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 beginning 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,
But I'm already there in my mind and that's good enough for now.
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 the 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 got no place to fall,
She never stumbles, she got no place to fall,
She's nobody's child, the law can't touch her at all.
She wears an Egyptian red ring, it sparkles before she speaks,
She wears an Egyptian red ring, it 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 give her a trumpet and for Christmas buy her a drum.
When she said, "Don't waste your words, they're just lies," I cried she was deaf
As she worked on my face till 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 hummed, I tapped on her drum, I 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 everyone walked,
And, after finding that 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 better spit out your plum."
She screamed till her face got so red, then she fell on the floor,
And I covered her up and then thought I'll 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 never wasted time.
And I--I never took much, I never asked for your crutch, now don't ask for mine.
Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when you're trying to be so quiet?
We sit here stranded though we all do our best to deny it
And Louise holds a handful 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 off,
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 watchman click his flashlight, ask himself if it's him or them who should be insane.
But Louise, she's alright, she's just near,
She's delicate, she seems like the mirror,
But she just makes it all too concise and too clear
That Johanna's not here.
The ghost of 'lectricity howls in the bones of her face
Where these visions of Johanna have now taken my place.
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 her farewell kiss to me.
He's sure got a lot of 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've kept me up past the dawn.
Inside the museums infinity's going 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, "Jeez,
I can't find my knees."
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 somebody that's not a parasite and I'll go out and say a prayer for him."
But, like Louise always says, "You can't look at much, can you, 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, "Everything'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 in the rain
And these visions of Johanna are now all that remain.
You must leave now, take what you need, you think will last,
But whatever you wish to keep, you'd better grab it fast,
Yonder stands your orphan with his gun,
Crying like a fire in the sun.
Look out, the saints are coming 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,
The sky too is folding over you,
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
All your seasick sailors, they're all rowing home,
All your reindeer armies, they're all going home,
The lover who has just walked out your 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 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 anew,
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
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 into her back pocket Bette Davis-style.
And in comes Romeo, he's moaning, "You belong to me, I believe."
And someone turns and says to him, "My friend, you'd 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, they're just pretending to hide,
The fortune-telling lady has even taken all her things inside.
All except for Cain and Abel and the Hunchback of Notre Dame,
Everyone is either 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.
Ophelia, she's 'neath the window, for her I feel so afraid,
On her twenty-second birthday she already is an old maid.
Now, to her death is quite romantic, she wears an iron vest,
Her profession is 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, some jealous monk.
Now, 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 locked inside of his 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,
She also keeps the cards that read "Have Mercy on His Soul".
They all play on the penny whistle, 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 the perfect image of a priest.
They are spoon-feeding Casanova to get him to feel more assured,
Then they'll kill him with self-confidence after poisoning him with words.
And the Phantom shouts to skinny girls, "Get outta here if you don't know
Casanova, he's 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 no one is escaping to Desolation Row.
Praise 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 cannot read too well, don't send me no more letters, no!
Not unless you mail them from Desolation Row.
Nobody feels any pain tonight as I stand inside the rain,
Everybody knows that baby's got new clothes,
But lately I see her ribbons and her bows have fallen from her curls.
She takes just like a woman - yes, she does!
She makes love like a woman - yes, she does!
And she aches just like a woman, but she breaks just like a little girl.
Queen Mary, she's my friend. Yes, I believe I'll go see her again,
Nobody has to guess that baby can't be blessed
Till she sees finally that she's like all the rest with her fog, her amphetamine, and her pearls.
She takes just like a woman - yes, she does!
She makes love like a woman - yes, she does!
And then she aches just like a woman, but she breaks just like a little girl.
It 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.
But, when we meet again and are introduced by friends,
Please don't let on that you knew me when I was hungry and it was your world.
You fake just like a woman - yes, you do!
You make love like a woman - yes, you do!
And then you ache just like a woman, but you break just like a little girl.
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 following you.
Though I know that evening'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 following you.
Take me on a trip upon your magic, swirling 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 wandering.
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 following you.
Though you might hear laughing, spinning, swinging madly across the sun,
It's not aimed at anyone,
It's just escaping on the run, and but for the sky there are no fences facing.
And if you hear vague traces of skipping reels of rhyme
To your tambourine in time,
It's just a ragged clown behind,
I wouldn't pay it any mind,
Besides it's just a shadow you're seeing 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 following you.
And take me disappearing 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,
In the jingle-jangle morning I'll come following you.
Cold, black glass don't make no mirror,
Cold, black water don't make no tears.
You say you love me with what be--may be love,
Don't you remember making baby love?
Yes, you got your steam drill, now you're looking 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, mama, tell me, mama, tell me, mama, what is it?
What's wrong with you this time?
Black sunglass can't make pony run,
Tombstone bay dog can't get it done,
Fool's gold in your teeth and cemetery hips,
Baby, outside of your graveyard lips.
Yes, everybody's wondering when your friendship's gonna end,
But 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, mama, tell me, mama, tell me, mama, what is it?
What's wrong with you this time?
Oh, [incomprehensible] but your ace is red -
The man, he can't get it, he's almost dead.
Everybody sees you on your window ledge.
How long's it gonna take for you to get off the edge?
You're just gonna make everybody jump and roar.
Now, what you wanna go and do that for?
I know that you know that I know that you show something
Is tearing up your mind.
Tell me, mama, tell me, mama, tell me, mama, what is it?
What's wrong with you this time?
This is called "I Don't Believe You (It Used to Go Like That and Now It Goes Like This)".
Well, I can't understand,
She let go of my hand
And left me here facing the wall.
Yes, 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 morning is clear
And it's like I ain't here,
She just acts like we never have met.
Well, 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.
Yes, I know from darkness dreams are deserted,
But am I still dreaming yet?
I wish she'd unlock
Her voice once and talk
'Stead of acting 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 her skirt, it swayed as the guitar played,
Her mouth was watery and wet,
But something has changed
For she ain't the same,
She just acts like we never have met.
I'm leaving 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,
Just pick anyone
And pretend that you never have met."
Baby, let me follow you down,
Baby, let me follow you down,
Well, I'll do anything in this God-Almighty world
If you just let me follow you down.
I'll buy you a diamond ring,
Yes, I'll buy you a wedding gown,
Well, I'll do anything in this God-Almighty world
If you just let me follow you down.
Can I come home with you?
Baby, can I come home with you?
Well, I'll do anything in this God-Almighty world
If you just let me come home with you.
I'll buy you rope and twine,
Honey, just for you to climb,
Yes, I'll do anything in this God-Almighty world
If you just once drive me outta my mind.
I'll buy you a [incomprehensible] skirt,
I'll buy you a velvet shirt,
Yes, I'll do anything in this God-Almighty world
If it just don't make me hurts.
Baby, let me follow you down,
Baby, let me follow you down,
Well, I'll do anything in this God-Almighty world
If you just let me follow you down.
Baby, let me follow you down,
Baby, let me follow you down,
Well, I'll do anything in this God-Almighty world
If you just let me follow you down.
When you're lost in the rain in Juarez and it's Easter-time too
And your gravity's down and negativity don't get you through,
Just 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 outta you.
Now, if you see Saint Annie, please tell her "Thanks a lot",
I cannot move, my fingers, they're all even in a knot.
I don't have the strength to get up and take another shot
And my best friend, the doctor, he won't even tell me what it is that I've gots.
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 steals your voice and leaves you screaming at the moon.
Up on Housing Project Hill it's either fortune or fame,
You must pick up one or the other, neither of them are to be what they claim.
If you're looking 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 getting up and leaving his post
And picking up Angel, who just arrived from the coast,
Who looked so fine at first, but left looking just like a ghost.
Alright!
I started out on burgundy, but soon hit the harder stuff,
Everybody said they'd stand behind me when the game got rough,
Yes, but the joke was on me, there was nobody even there to call my bluff.
I'm going back to New York City, I do believe I've had enough.
This is ca--this is called "Yes-" - this is, uh, this is called "Yes, I See You've Got Your Brand-New Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat."
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 something like that,
Under your brand-new leopard-skin pill-box hat.
Well, you wear it so pretty. Honey, can I jump on it sometime?
Yes, I just wanna see if it's really the 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 sunrise, honey, I know where,
Yes, 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 sitting there
In your 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 cheating on me, but I sure wish he'd get that off his head,
Your brand-new leopard-skin pill-box hat.
Well, I see you got a new boyfriend, no, I never seen him before.
Well, I saw you making love with him, 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,
It's your brand-new leopard-skin pill-box hat.
...if you only just wouldn't clap so hard.
Down the street the dogs are barking and the day is getting dark,
As the night comes in a-falling, the dogs will lose their bark,
And the silent night will shatter from the sounds inside my mind.
Yes, I'm one too many mornings and a thousand miles behind.
From the crossroads of my doorsteps my eyes, they begin to fade
And I turn my head back to the room where my love and I have laid
And I gaze back to the streets, the sidewalks, and the sign
And I'm one too many mornings and a thousand miles behind.
It's a restless, hungry feeling that don't mean no one no good
When everything I'm saying you can say it just as good.
Yes, you're right from your side and I'm right from mine,
We're both just one too many mornings and a thousand miles behind!
You walk into the room with your pencil in your hand,
You see somebody naked, you say, "Who is that man?"
You try so hard, but you don't understand
Just what you're gonna say when you get home,
Yes, because you know something is happening, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
You walk in so politely, you say, "Is this where it is?"
And somebody points to you and says, "It's his."
You say, "What's mine?" Somebody else says, "Where what is?"
And you say, "Oh, my God, am I here all alone?"
Yes, but, you know something's happening, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
You hand in your money to go watch the geek,
Who suddenly walks up to you when he hears you speak,
Saying, "How does it feel to be such a freak?"
You say, "Impossible!" as he hands you a bone.
Yes, but you know something's happening, it's just that you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
You have many contacts out there among the lumberjacks
To get you facts when someone attacks your imagination.
Yes, nobody has any respect, anyway they already expect
You just to give away your check to tax-deductible charity organizations.
Oh, you been with the professors, they've all liked your looks,
With great lawyers and scholars you've discussed lepers and crooks,
You been through all of F. Scott Fitzgerald's books,
You're very-well read, it's well-known.
Yes, but something's happening and you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
The sword swallower walks up to you and then he kneels,
He crosses himself and he clicks his high heels,
And without further notice he tells you how it feels
And says, "Here's your throat back. Thanks for the loan!"
Yes, and you think something's happening, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
You see this one-eyed midget shouting the word "now"
And you say, "For what reason?" And he says, "How?"
And you say, "Oh, my God, what does that mean?" And he screams back, "You're a cow!
Give me some milk or else go home!"
Yes, now you're positive something's happening and you wish you knew what it was, don't you, Mr. Jones?
You walk into the room like a camel and then you frown,
You put your eyes in your pockets and your nose into the ground.
There oughtta be a law against you coming around,
You should be made to be wearing at all times a telephone,
Yes, because something is happening and you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
I don't believe you.
You're a liar!
Play fucking loud!
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 kidding you.
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hanging 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 one your own,
No direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Well, you gone to the finest school, alright, Ms. Lonely,
But you know you only used to get juiced in it.
Nobody's ever taught you how to live out on the street,
You find out 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 wanna make a deal?"
How does it feel?
How does it feel
To be on your own,
No direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Well, you never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns when they all came down to do 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 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's taken everything he can 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 drinking and thinking that they got it made,
Exchanging all precious gifts and things,
But you'd better take your diamond ring down and 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 ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose.
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.
How does it feel?
Oh, how does it feel
To be on your own,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Thank you.
How many roads must 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, and how many times must the cannon balls 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.
Well, it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe,
If'n you don't know by now.
And it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe -
It'll never do, somehow.
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn,
Look out your window and I'll be gone.
You're the reason I'm traveling on,
But don't think twice, it's alright.
And it ain't no use in turning on your light, babe,
The light I never knowed.
And it ain't no use in turning on your light, babe -
I'm on the dark side of the road.
But I wish there was something you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay.
But we never did too much talking, anyway.
But don't think twice, it's alright.
So, it ain't no use in calling out my name, gal,
Like you never done before.
And it ain't no use in calling out my name, gal -
I can't hear you anymore.
I'm thinking and wondering, walking down the road.
I once loved a woman - a child, I am told.
I give her my heart, but she wanted my soul.
But don't think twice, it's alright.
So long, honey babe.
Where I'm bound I can't tell.
Goodbye's too good a word, babe,
So I'll just say "Fare thee well".
I ain't saying you treated me unkind.
You coulda done better, but I don't mind.
You just kinda wasted my precious time,
But don't think twice, it's alright.
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 better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 telling who that it's naming
For the loser now will be later to win
For the times, they are a-changing.
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.
The battle outside raging
Will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 aging.
Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 fading
And the first one now will later be last
For the times, they are a-changing.
Go away 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 looking for someone
Who's never weak but always strong,
To protect you and 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, babe,
It ain't me you're looking 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 you down.
You say you're looking 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 and more,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're looking for, babe.
Go melt back in the night,
Everything inside is made of stone.
There's nothing in here moving
And, 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,
And to come each time you call,
A lover for your life and nothing more,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe
It ain't me you're looking for, babe.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more,
No, I ain't 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 driving 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 ain't 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 having a good time;
Then he fines you every time you slam the door.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more,
No, I ain't 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.
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, she talks to all the servants about man and God and law,
Everybody says she's the brains behind pa.
She's 68, but she says she's 54.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more,
I ain't 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.
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 following you.
Though I know that evening'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 following you.
Take me on a trip upon your magic, swirling 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 wandering.
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 following you.
Though you might hear laughing, spinning, swinging madly across the sun,
It's not aimed at anyone,
It's just escaping on the run, and but for the sky there are no fences facing.
And if you hear vague traces of skipping 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 seeing 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 following you.
And take me disappearing 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,
In the jingle-jangle morning I'll come following you.
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 something you did
God knows when,
But you're doing it again,
You better duck down the alleyway,
Looking for a new friend.
The man in the coon-skin cap
In the pigpen
Wants eleven dollar bills,
You only got ten.
Maggie comes fleet-foot,
Face full of black soot,
Talking 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,
Don't walk on your tip-toes,
Don't try No Doz,
Better stay away from those
That carry 'round a fire-hose,
Keep a clean nose,
Watch the plain-clothes,
You don't need a weatherman
To know which way the wind blows.
Ah, get sick, get well,
Hang around the ink-well,
Ring bell, hard to tell
If anything is gonna 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
By losers, cheaters,
Six-time users
Hanging 'round the theaters,
Girl by the whirlpool's
Looking for a new fool,
Don't follow leaders,
Watch the parking 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 schooling 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
And try to avoid the scandals.
Don't wanna be a bum,
You better chew gum,
The pump don't work 'cause the vandals took the handles.
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 kidding you.
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hanging out.
Now you don't talk so loud.
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging your next meal.
How does it feel?
How does it feel
To be without a home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Oh, you gone to the finest school, alright, Ms. Lonely,
But you know you only used to get juiced in it.
Nobody's ever taught you how to live out 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?
Oh, you never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns when they all 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 have--be on your own,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Oh, princess on the steeple and all the pretty people,
They're all drinking, thinking 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 ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose.
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.
How does it feel?
Oh, how does it feel
To be on your own,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
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 got a 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 had 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'd know what a drag it is to see you.
Nobody feels any pain tonight as I stand inside the rain.
Everybody knows that baby's got new clothes,
But lately I see her ribbons and her bows have fallen from her curls.
She takes just like a woman - yes, she does!
She makes love just like a woman - yes, she does!
And she aches just like a woman, but she breaks just like a little girl.
Queen Mary, she's my friend. Yes, I believe I'll go see her again.
Nobody has to guess that baby can't be blessed
Till she finally sees that she's like all the rest with her fog, her amphetamine, and her pearls.
She takes just like a woman - yes!
She makes love just like a woman - yes, she does!
And she aches just like a woman, but she breaks just like a little girl.
It was raining from the first and I was dying of thirst so I came in here.
And your long-time curse hurts, but what's worse is this pain in here.
I can't stay in here - ain't it clear
That I just can't fit? Yes, I believe it's time for us to quit.
And, when we meet again, introduced as friends,
Please don't let on that you knew me when I was hungry and it was your world.
Ah, you fake just like a woman - yes, you do!
You make love just like a woman - yes, you do!
Then you ache just like a woman, but you break just like a little girl.
Well, 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,
Then they'll stone you when you're there all alone.
But I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.
Well, 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 you're walking on the floor,
They'll stone you when you're 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."
Yeah, but 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.
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, "You are brave,"
They'll stone you when you're set down in your grave.
But I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.
"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, the wind began to howl.
Everybody's building the big ships and 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 like my sugar sweet,
But darting fumes and making haste, it ain't my cup of meat.
Everybody's just standing 'round 'neath the trees feeding pigeons on a limb,
But, when Quinn the Eskimo gets here, them pigeons'll go to him.
Come all without, come all within,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn!
Now, lamp-gates and [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'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn!
Close your eyes, close the 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.
I'll be your baby tonight.
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--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.
Stay, lady, stay, stay while the night is still ahead.
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,
Babe, I'd lay awake all night,
Wait for the morning light
To shine in through,
But it would 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 robin sing,
I just wouldn't have a clue,
Anyway, it wouldn't ring true,
If not for you,
If not for you,
If not for you,
If not for you,
If not for you.
They say every man must need protection,
They say every man must fall,
Yet I swear I see my reflection
Some place so high above the wall.
I see my light come shining from the west out to the east,
Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.
Down here next to me in this lonely crowd
There's a man who swears he's not to blame.
All day long I hear him cry so loud,
Calling out that he's been framed.
Yeah, I see my light come shining from the west out to the east,
Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.
Clouds so swift, the rain falling in, gonna see a movie called "Gunga Din" -
Pack up your money, pull up your tent, McGuinn, you ain't a-going nowhere!
Ooh-ee, ride me high, tomorrow's the day that my bride's a-gonna come!
Ooh-ee, are we gonna fly down into the easy chair!
Genghis Khan and his brother, Don, couldn't keep on keeping on:
"We'll climb that bridge after it's dawn, after we're way past it."
Ooh-ee, ride me high, tomorrow's the day that my bride's a-gonna come!
Ooh-ee, are we gonna fly down into the easy chair!
Buy me some rings and a gun that sings, a flute that toots and a bee that stings,
Sky that cries and a bird that flies, a fish that walks and a dog that talks.
Ooh-ee, ride me high, tomorrow's the day that my bride's a-gonna come!
Ooh-ee, are we gonna fly down into the easy chair!
Ooh-ee, ride me high, tomorrow's the day that my bride's a-gonna come!
Ooh-ee, are we gonna fly down into the easy chair!
Mama, take this badge off of me,
I can't use it anymore.
It's getting dark, too dark to see,
I feel I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
Mama, put my guns in the ground,
I can't shoot them anymore.
That long, black cloud is coming down,
I feel I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
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 rung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, 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 light 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,
May you stay forever young.
Early one morning the sun was shining, I was laying in bed,
Wondering 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 I was standing on the side of the road, rain falling on my shoes,
Heading out for the East Coast - Lord knows, I've paid some dues getting through,
Tangled up in blue.
She was married when we first met, soon to be divorced,
I helped her out of a jam, I guess, but I used a little too much force.
We drove that car as far as we could, abandoned it out west,
Split up on a dark, sad night, both agreeing it was best.
She turned around to look at me as I was a-walking away,
I heard her say over my shoulder, "We'll meet again someday on the avenue,
Tangled up in blue."
I had a job in the Great North Woods working as a cook for a spell,
But I never did like it all that much and one day the ax just fell,
So I drifted down to New Orleans where I lucky was to be employed,
Working for a while on a fishing boat right outside of Delacroix,
But all the while I was alone, the past was close behind,
I seen a lot of women but she never escaped my mind and I just grew
Tangled up in blue.
She was working in a topless place and I stopped in for a beer,
I just kept looking at the side of her face in the spotlight so clear,
And later on, when the crowd thinned out, I was just about to do the same,
She was standing there in back of my chair, said to me, "Don't I know your name?"
I muttered something underneath my breath, she studied the lines of my face,
I must admit, 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 fifteenth century,
And every one of them words rang true and glowed like burning coal,
Pouring off of every page like it was written in my soul, from me to you,
Tangled up in blue.
I lived with them on Montague Street, in a basement down the stairs,
There was music in the cafes at night and revolution in the air,
Then he started into dealing with slaves and something inside of him died,
She had to sell everything she owned and froze up inside,
And when it finally--the bottom fell out, I became withdrawn,
The only thing I knew how to do was to keep on keeping 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 carpenters' wives,
Don't know how it all got started, I don't know what they're doing with their lives,
But me, I'm still on the road, a-heading for another joint,
We always did feel the same, we just saw it from a different point of view,
Tangled up in blue.
Pistol-shots ring out in the barroom night,
Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall,
She sees a bartender in a pool of blood,
Cries out, "My God, they've killed 'em all!"
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've 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,
The number one contender for the middleweight crown
Had no idea what kind of 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 prowling around.
He said, "I saw two men running out, they looked like middleweights,
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 he could identify the guilty men.
Four in the morning and they haul Rubin in,
They took him to the hospital and they brought him upstairs.
The wounded man looks up through his one, dying eye,
Said, "Why'd you bring him in here for! He ain't the guy!"
Here's 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've been the champion of the world.
Four months later, the ghettoes 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 you--happened in a bar?
Remember you said you saw the getaway car?
Think you'd like to play ball with the law?
Think it mighta been that fighter that you saw running that night? Don't forget that you are white."
Arthur Dexter Bradley said, "I'm really not sure."
The cops said, "A poor boy like you could use a break -
We got you for the motel job and you talking to your friend, Bello,
If you don't wanna have to go back to jail, be a nice fellow.
You'll be doing society a favor,
That son-of-a-bitch is brave and getting braver.
We wanna put his ass in the stir,
We wanna 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, just as soon go on my way"--
Up into some paradise
Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice
And ride a horse along the 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,
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.
Yes, 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've been the champion of the world.
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's on its side
And time is running backwards and so is the bride.
Ring them bells, St. Peter, where the four winds blow,
Ring them bells with an iron hand so the people will know.
Oh, it's rush hour now on the wheel and the plow
And the sun is a-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-a 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 the innocence dies.
Ring them bells, St. 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
And they're breaking down the distance between a-right and wrong.
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.
May be a rock-and-roll addict prancing on the stage,
Might have drugs at your command, women in a cage,
You may be a businessman 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 are, 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,
May be the head of some big TV network,
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame,
May be living in another country under another name,
But you're gonna have to serve somebody,
Yes, you are, 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.
May be a construction worker working on a home,
Might be living in a mansion, you might live in a dome,
You may own guns and you may even own tanks,
You may be somebody's landlord, you may 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 a-may be the Lord,
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
You may be a preacher preaching spiritual pride,
May be a city councilman taking bribes on the side,
May be working 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,
Might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread,
May be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-size 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.
Now, you may call me Terry or you may call me Timmy,
You may call me Bobby or you may call me Zimmy,
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray,
You may call me anything, don't 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 and it may be the Lord,
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
Standing on the water, casting your bread
While the eyes of the idol with the iron head are glowing.
Distant ships sailing in through 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 the 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 from 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 mountains, 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 to 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,
Michelangelo indeed could've carved out your features.
Resting in the fields, far from the turbulent space,
Half asleep 'neath 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.
Night-sticks and water-cannons, tear gas, padlocks,
Molotov cocktails and rocks behind every curtain.
False-hearted judges dying in the webs that they spin,
Only a matter of time till 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.
Shadows are falling and I've been here all day,
It's too hot to sleep and time is running away.
Feel like my soul has turned into steel,
I've still got the scars that the sun did not heal.
There's not even room enough to be anywhere,
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there.
Well, my sense of humanity has gone down the drain,
Behind every beautiful thing there's been some kinda pain.
She wrote me a letter and she wrote it so kind,
She put down in writing what was in her mind.
I just don't see why I should even care,
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there.
Well, I've been to London and I've been to gay Paris,
I've followed the river and I got to the sea.
I've been down on the bottom of a world full of lies,
I ain't looking for nothing in anyone's eyes.
Sometimes my burden is more than I can bear,
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there.
I was born here and I'll die here against my will,
I know it looks like I'm moving, but I'm standing still.
Every nerve in my body is so vacant and numb,
I can't even remember what it was I came here to get away from.
Don't even hear a murmur of a prayer,
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there.
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.
Standing on the gallows with my head in a noose,
Any minute now I'm expecting all hell to break loose.
People are crazy, times are strange,
I'm locked in tight, I'm outta 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 here would think he's got anything to prove.
Lotta water under the bridge, lotta other stuff too,
Don't get up, gentlemen, I'm only passing through.
People are crazy, times are strange,
I'm locked in tight, I'm outta range,
I used to care, but things have changed.
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.
Feel like falling in love with the first woman I meet,
Putting her in a wheel-barrow and wheeling her down the street.
People are crazy, times are strange,
I'm locked in tight, I'm outta range,
I used to care, but things have changed.
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 that don't even appeal to me.
Mr. Jinx and Ms. Lucy, they jumped in the lake,
I'm not that eager to make a mistake.
People are crazy, times are strange,
I'm locked in tight, I'm outta range.
I used to care, but things have changed.
When the rain is blowing 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 the evening 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 crawling down the avenue,
No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do to make you feel my love.
The storms are raging on the rolling sea
And on the highway of regret,
The winds of change are blowing wild and free,
You ain't seen nothing like me yet.
I could make you happy, make your dreams come true,
Nothing that I wouldn't do,
Go to the ends of the earth for you to make you feel my love.
Every step of the way we walk the line,
Your days are numbered, so are mine.
Time is piling up, we struggle and we scrape,
We're all boxed in, nowhere to escape.
City's just a jungle, more games to play,
Trapped in the heart of it, trying 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, pain 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 'bout 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 till 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 got nothing but affection for all those who've sailed with me.
Everybody moving - if they ain't already there,
Everybody 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,
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long.
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 nothing,
Nothing we can call our own
I'm moving after midnight
Down boulevards of broken cars,
Don't know what to do without it,
Without this love that we call ours.
Beyond here lies nothing,
Nothing but the moon and stars.
Down every street there's a window
And every window made of glass.
We'll keep on loving, pretty baby,
For as long as love will last.
Beyond here lies nothing
But the mountains of the past.
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 nothing,
Nothing done and nothing said.
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing,
Blowing like it's gonna sweep my world away.
I'm gonna 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,
Sound 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've 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 Lord.
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're a 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 native 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,
Blowing like she's blowing right on time.
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.
The moon gives light and shines by night,
I scarcely feel the glow.
We learn to live and then we forgive,
O'er 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.
I picked up a rose and it poked through my clothes,
I followed the winding stream.
I heard a 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 true
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down.
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee,
They're throwing knives into the tree,
Two big bags of dead man's bones,
Got their noses to the grindstones.
Living in the land of Nod,
Trusting their fate to the hands of God,
They pass by so silently,
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee.
Well, they're going to the country, they're gonna retire,
They're taking a streetcar named "Desire",
Looking at the window at the pecan pie,
Lotta things they'd like they would never buy.
Neither one gonna turn and run,
They're making a voyage to the sun.
"His Master's voice is calling me,"
Said Tweedle Dum to Tweedle Dee.
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum,
All that and more and then some,
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."
They're like babies sitting on a woman's knee,
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee.
Well, the rain beating down on my windowpane,
I got love for you and it's all in vain.
Brains in the pot, they're beginning to boil,
They're dripping with garlic and olive oil.
Tweedle Dee's on his hands and his knees,
Saying, "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 parade permit and a police escort.
They're lying low and they're making hay,
They seem determined to go all the way.
They run a brick and tile company,
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee.
Well, a childish dream is a deathless need
And a noble truth is a sacred creed.
My pretty baby, she's looking around,
She's wearing a multi-thousand dollar gown.
Tweedle Dee, he's a low-down, sorry, old man,
Tweedle Dum, he'll stab you where you stand.
"I've had too much of your company,"
Said Tweedle Dum to Tweedle Dee.
Every step of the way we walk the line,
Your days are numbered, so are mine.
Time is piling up, we struggle and we scrape,
We're all boxed in, nowhere to escape.
City's just a jungle, more games to play,
Trapped in the heart of it, trying 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, pain 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 'bout 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 till 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 got nothing but affection for all those who've sailed with me.
Everybody moving - if they ain't already there,
Everybody 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,
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long.
Summer days, summer nights are gone,
Summer days and the summer nights are gone,
I know a place where there's still something going on.
I got a house on a hill, I got hogs out in the mud,
I got a house on the hill, I got hogs all out in the mud,
I got a long-haired woman, she got royal Indian blood.
Everybody, get ready, lift up your glasses and sing,
Everybody, get ready to lift up your glasses and sing,
Well, I'm standing on the table, I'm proposing a toast to the king.
Well, 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,
The fog is 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?
Wedding bells're ringing, the choir is beginning to sing,
Yes, the wedding bells're ringing and the choir's beginning to sing,
What look good in the day at night is another thing.
She's looking into my eyes, she's a-holding my hand,
She looking into 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's a-nothing you would need to know.
Well, my back's been to the wall so long it seem like it's stuck.
Why don't you break my heart one more time just for good luck?
I got eight carburetors, boys, I'm using 'em all.
Well, I got eight carburetors and, boys, I'm using 'em all,
I'm short on gas, my motor's starting to stall.
My dogs are barking, there must be someone around,
My dogs are barking, there's must be someone around,
I got my hammer ringing, pretty baby, but the nails ain't going down.
You got something to say, speak or hold your peace,
Well, 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 jogging shoes,
He must be running for office, got no time to lose.
He's sucking the blood out of the genius of generosity,
You been rolling your eyes, you been teasing me.
Standing by God's river, my soul beginning to shake,
Standing by God's river, my soul's beginning to shake,
I'm counting on you, love, to give me a break.
Well, I'm leaving in the morning as soon as the dark clouds lift,
Yes, I'm leaving in the morning just as soon as the dark clouds lift,
Gonna break in the roof, set fire to the place as a parting gift.
Summer days, summer nights are gone,
Summer days, summer nights are gone,
I know a place where there's still something going on.
By and by I'm breathing a lover's sigh,
Well, I'm sitting on my watch so I can be on time,
I'm singing love's praises with sugarcoated rhyme,
By and by on you I'm casting my eye.
I'm painting the town, swinging my partner around,
Well, I know who I can depend on, I know who to trust,
I'm watching the roads, I'm studying the dust,
I'm painting the town, making my last go-round.
Well, I'm scuffling and I'm shuffling and I'm walking on briars,
I'm not even acquainted with my own desires.
I'm rolling slow, I'm doing all I know,
I'm telling myself I found true happiness,
That I've still got a dream that hasn't been repossessed,
I'm rolling slow, going where the wild roses grow.
Well, the future for me is already a thing of the past,
You were my first love and you will be my last.
Papa gone mad, mama, she's feeling sad.
Well, I'm gonna baptize you in fire so you can sin no more,
I'm gonna establish my rule through civil war,
Gon' make you see just how loyal and true a man can be.
Well, today's been a sad, old, lonesome day,
Yeah, today's been a sad, old, 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 long-time 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 about 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's washed out, weather not fit for man or beast,
Yeah, the road's washed out, weather not fit for man or beast,
Funny how 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,
Setting my dial on the radio, I wish my mother was still alive.
I seen your lover man coming, coming 'cross the barren field,
I see your lover man coming, coming 'cross the barren field,
He not a gentleman at all, he rotten to the core, he's a coward, and he steals.
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's trying to make out what it was,
Yeah, I tell myself something's coming, but it never does.
I'm gonna spare the defeated, I'm gonna speak to the crowd,
I'm gonna spare the defeated, boys, I'm going to speak to the crowd,
I'm gon' to teach peace to the conquered, I'm gonna 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,
You're gonna need my help, sweetheart, you can't make love all by yourself.
Down over the window come the dazzling, sunlit rays
Through the back alleys, through the blinds, another one of them endless days.
Honeybees 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 ever hearing any,
From the boat I fish for bullheads, I catch a lot, sometimes too many.
A summer breeze is blowing, 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's hangers-on sometimes comes to call at times you least expect,
Try 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 old one is long gone,
Timber, two foot six across, burns with the bark still on.
They say times are hard, if you don't believe it, you can just 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, got more lives than a cat.
I never seen him quarrel with my mother even once, things come alive or they fall flat.
You can smell the pine-wood burning, you can hear the school-bell ring,
Gotta get up near the teacher if you can if you wanna learn anything.
Romeo, he said to Juliet, "You got a poor complexion. It doesn'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 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 'nough 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 on all the Christmas Eves,
I left all my dreams and hopes buried under tobacco leaves.
Not always easy kicking someone out, gotta 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.
High water rising, rising night and day,
All the gold and silver 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.
Nothing standing there, high water everywhere.
High water rising, the shacks are sliding down,
Folks lose their possessions, the folks are leaving town.
Bertha Mason shook it, broke it, then she hung it on a wall,
Say "You're dancing with whom they tell you to or you don't dance at all!"
It's tough out there, high water everywhere.
I got a craving love for blazing speed, 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 breaking up out there, high water everywhere.
High water rising, six inches 'bove my head,
Coffins dropping in the street like balloons made out of lead,
Water pouring 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, high water 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 Five,
Judge says to the High Sheriff, "I want him dead or alive.
Either one, I don't care." High water everywhere.
Well, the Cuckoo is a pretty bird, she warbles as she flies,
I'm preaching the word of God, I'm putting out your eyes.
I asked Fat Nancy for something to eat, she said, "Take it off the shelf.
As great as you are a man, you'll never be greater than yourself."
I told her I didn't really care, high water everywhere.
I'm getting up in the morning, I believe I'll dust my broom,
Keeping away from the women, I'm giving 'em a-lots of room.
Thunder rolling over Clarksdale, everything looking blue,
I just can't be happy, love, unless you're happy too.
It's bad out there, high water everywhere.
The seasons, they are turning and my sad heart is yearning
To hear again the songbird's sweet, melodious tone.
Won't you meet me out in the moonlight alone?
The dusky light the day is losing, orchids, 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'll take you 'cross the river, dear, you've 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 pink and white the wind has blown.
Won't you meet me out in the moonlight alone?
The trailing moss and mystic glow, the purple blossoms 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.
My pulse is running through my palm, the sharp hills are rising from
Yellow fields with twisted oaks that groan.
Won't you meet me out in the moonlight alone?
Well, I'm stranded in the city that never sleeps,
Some of these women, they just give me the creeps.
I'm avoiding 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 trying to do what's right.
You don't understand it, my feeling 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'd won.
The Siamese twins are coming to town,
People can't wait, they're 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 feeling for you.
You'd be honest with me if only you knew.
My woman got a face like a teddy bear,
She's tossing a baseball bat in the air,
The meat is so tough you can't cut it with a sword,
I'm crashing my car trunk-first into the board.
You say my eyes are pretty and my smile is nice?
Well, I'll sell it to you 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.
Well, the Southern Pacific leaving at 9:45,
I'm having a hard time believing some people were ever alive.
I'm stark naked, but I don't care,
I'm going off into the woods, I'm hunting bare.
You don't understand it, my feeling for you.
You'd be honest with me if only you knew.
I'm here to create the new imperial empire,
I'm gon' 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 waste my years
And I still got their advice oozing out of my ears.
You don't understand it, my feeling for you.
Well, you'd be honest with me if only you knew.
Man came to the door, I said, "For whom are you looking?"
Says, "Your wife." I said, "She's busy in the kitchen cooking."
Poor boy, where you been?
I already told you, won't tell you again.
I say, "How much you want for that?" I go into the store.
Man says, "Three dollars." "Alright," I say, "will you take four?"
Poor boy never say die,
Things will be alright by and by.
Working like in the mainline, working like the devil,
The game is the same, it's just up on another level.
Poor boy dressed in black,
Police at your back.
Poor boy in a red-hot town
Out beyond the twinkling stars,
Riding first-class train, making the round,
Trying to keep from falling between the cars.
Othello told Desdemona, "I'm cold, cover me with a blanket.
By the way, what happened to that poison wine?"
She said, "I gave it to you, drink it."
Poor boy laying 'em straight,
Picking up the cherries falling off the plate.
Time and love has branded me with its claws,
Had to go to Florida, dodging them Georgia laws.
Poor boy in the hotel called the "Palace of Gloom",
Call down to room service, says, "Send up a room."
My mother was a daughter of a wealthy farmer,
My father was a traveling salesman, I never met him.
When my mother died, my uncle took me in, he 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.
Poor boy picking up sticks,
Build you a house out of mortar and bricks.
Knocking on the door, I say, "Who is it? Where you from?"
Man said, "Freddy." I said, "Freddy who?" He said, "Freddy or not, here I come."
Poor boy 'neath the stars that shine,
Washing them dishes, feeding them swine.
Well, I had to go down and see a guy named Mr. Goldsmith,
Nasty, dirty, double-crossing, back-stabbing phony I didn't have to wanna 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 a while.
I don't carry dead weight, I'm no flash in the pan,
Alright, I'll set you straight, can't you see I'm a union man?
I'm letting the cat out of the cage, I'm keeping a low profile.
Well, I cried for you, now it's your turn, you can cry a while.
Feel like a fighting rooster, feel better than I ever felt,
But the Pennsylvania line's in an awful mess and the Denver road is about to melt.
I went to the church house, every day I go an extra mile.
Well, I cried for you, now it's your turn, you can cry a while.
Last night 'cross the alley there was a pounding on the wall,
It must have been Don Pasquale making a 2 AM booty call.
To break a trusting heart like mine was just your style.
Well, I cried for you, now it's your turn to cry a while.
I'm on the fringes of the night, fighting back tears that I can't control,
Some people, they ain't human, they got no heart or soul.
Well, I'm crying to the lord, trying to be meek and mild.
Yes, I cried for you, now it's your turn, you can cry a while.
Well, there are preachers in the pulpit and the babies in the cribs,
I'm longing for that sweet fat that sticks to your ribs.
I'm gon' buy me a barrel of whiskey, I'll die before I turn senile.
Yes, I cried for you, now it's your turn, you can cry a while.
Well, you bet on a horse and it, it 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 your funeral, my trial.
Well, I cried for you, now it's your turn, you can cry a while.
I 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 up your eyes and you'll see where we are.
Sugar baby, get on down the road, you ain't got no brains no how,
You went years without me, might as well keep going now.
Some of these bootleggers, they make pretty good stuff,
Plenty of places to hide things here if you wanna hide 'em bad enough.
I'm staying with Aunt Sally, but, you know, she's 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 no how,
You went years without me, you might as well keep going now.
The ladies down in Darktown, they're doing the Darktown strut,
You 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 no how,
You went years without me, might as well keep going 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 could burst,
Try to make things better for someone, sometimes you just end up making it a thousand times worse.
Sugar baby, get on down the road, you ain't got no brains no how,
You went years without me, might as well keep going now.
Your charms have broken many a heart and mine is surely one,
You got a way of tearing a world apart. Love, see what you've done?
Just as sure as we're living, just as sure as you're born,
Look up, look up, seek your maker 'fore Gabriel blows his horn.
Sugar baby, get on down the line, you ain't got no sense no how,
You went years without me, you might as well keep going now.
Throw my ticket in the wind.
Throw my mattress out there too.
Throw my letters in the sand 'cause you got to understand
That today I'll be staying here with you.
I could have left this town by noon,
By the night and been to some place new,
But I was feeling a little bit scattered and your love was all that mattered,
So today I'll be staying here with you.
Get ready 'cause today I'll be staying here with you.
Is it really any wonder,
The changes we put on each other's heads?
You came down on me like white thunder,
I left my dreams on the riverbed.
I can hear that lonesome whistle blowing.
I hear them semis rolling too.
If there's a traveller on the road, then let him have my load
'Cause today I'll be staying here with you.
I can hear that lonesome whistle blowing.
I hear them semis rolling too.
If there's a traveller on this road, then let him have my load
'Cause today I'll be staying here with you,
'Cause today I'll be staying here with you.
Go away 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 looking for someone
Who's never weak but always strong,
To protect you and 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, babe,
It ain't me you're looking 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 you down.
You say you're looking for someone
Who will promise never to part,
Someone to close his eyes for you,
Someone to close his hear,
Someone who will die for you and more,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're looking for, babe.
Go melt back in the night,
Everything inside is made of stone.
There's nothing in here moving
And, 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,
And to come each time you call,
A lover for your life and nothing more,
But it ain't me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe,
It ain't me you're looking for, babe.
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, and it's a hard, it's a hard, 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 dripping,
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleeding,
I saw a white ladder all covered with water,
I saw ten thousand talkers 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.
What did you hear, my blue-eyed son?
And what did you hear, my darling young one?
I heard the sound of a thunder that roared out a warning,
I heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world,
I heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazing,
I heard ten thousand whispering and nobody listening,
I heard one person starve, I heard many people laughing,
I heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter,
I 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,
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Oh, what did you meet, my blue-eyed son?
And 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 in hatred,
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
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 going back out 'fore the rain starts a-falling,
I'll walk to the depths of the deepest, dark forest,
Where the people are 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
And the executioner's face is always well-hidden,
Where hunger is ugly, where the souls are forgotten,
Where black is the color, where none is the number,
And I'll tell it and speak it and think it and breathe it,
And reflect from the mountain so all souls can see it,
And I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinking,
But I'll know my song well before I start singing,
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.
William Zantzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll
With a cane that he twirled 'round his diamond ring finger
At a Baltimore hotel society gathering
And the cops was called in and his weapon took from him
As they rode him in custody down to the station
And booked William Zantzinger 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 Zantzinger, 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 a-snarling
And, in a matter of minutes, on bail was out walking.
But, you who philosophize disgrace and criticize 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 Zantzinger.
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 the ladder of law has no top and no bottom,
Stared at the person who killed for no reason,
Who just happened to be feeling that way without warning,
And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished,
And handed out strongly for penalty and repentance
William Zantzinger with a six-month sentence.
Ah, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears,
Bury the rag deep in your face for now's the time for your tears.
Hot chili peppers in the blistering sun,
Dust on my face and my cape,
Me and Magdalena on the run,
I think this time we should 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 Ramon.
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 Torreon.
Then the padre will recite the prayers of old
In the little church a-this side of tow,
I will wear new boots and an earring of gold,
You'll shine with diamonds in your wedding gown.
The way, it is long, but the end is near,
Already the fiesta has begun,
The face of God will appear
With the 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,
Soon you will be dancing the fandango.
I married Isis on the fifth day of May,
But I could not hold on to her very long,
So I cut off a-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 the 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 looking for something easy to catch?"
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 going?" He said we'd be back by the fourth.
I said, "That's the best news that I've ever heard."
I was thinking about turquoise, I was thinking about gold,
I was thinking about diamonds and the world's biggest necklace,
As we rode through the canyons, through the devilish cold,
I was thinking 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 a-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 trying to find.
If I carry it out, it'll bring a good price."
'Twas a-then that I knew what he had on his mind.
The wind, it was howling and the snow was outrageous,
We chopped through the night and we chopped through the dawn.
When he died, I was hoping 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 nothing! I felt I've been had
When I saw that my partner was just being friendly,
When I took up his offer, I must've 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 you been?" I said, "No place special."
She said, "You look a-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're a mystical child,
What drives a-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 drizzling a-rain.
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 following you.
Though I know that evening'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 following you.
Take me on a trip upon your magic, swirling 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 wandering.
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 following you.
Though you might hear laughing, spinning, swinging madly across the sun,
It's not aimed at anyone,
It's just escaping on the run, and but for the sky there are no fences facing.
And if you hear vague traces of skipping 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 seeing 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 following you.
And take me disappearing 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,
In the jingle-jangle morning I'll come following you.
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,
'Twas then he felt alone and wished that he'd gone straight
And watched out for a simple twist of fate.
They walked along 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 burst through a beat-up shade, where he was waking up,
She dropped a coin into the cup above 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 that 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 sailors 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 -
Blame it on a simple twist of fate.
How many roads must 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, and how many times must the cannon balls 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.
Perhaps it's the color of the sun cut flat
And covering 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 pleading or saying "I can't forget you",
I do not pace the floor bowed down and bent, but yet,
Mama, you been on my mind.
Even though my eyes are hazy and my thoughts, they might be narrow,
Where you been don't bother me or bring me down with sorrow,
I don't mind who you'll be waking with tomorrow,
Mama, you're just on my mind.
I'm not asking you to say words like "yes" or "no",
Please understand me, I have no place I'm calling you to go,
I'm just whispering to myself, so I can't pretend that I don't know,
Mama, you are on my mind.
When you wake up in the morning, 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
As someone who has had you on his mind.
They say everything can be replaced,
Yet every distance is not near,
So I remember every face
Of every man who put me here.
I see my light come shining from the west out to the east,
Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.
They say every man needs protection,
They say every man must fall,
Yet I swear I see my reflection
Somewhere so high above this wall.
I see my light come shining from the west out to the east,
Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.
Yonder down here in this lonely crowd,
There's man who swears he's not to blame.
All day long I hear him shouting loud,
Crying out that he been framed.
I see my light come shining from the west out to the east,
Any day now, any day now, I shall be released,
Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.
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 coming 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,
The sky too is folding over you,
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
All your seasick sailors, they're all rowing home,
All your reindeer armies, they're all going home,
That lover, who just walked out your 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 anew,
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
My love, she speaks like silence,
Without ideals or violence,
Doesn't have to say she's faithful,
Yet she's true like ice, like fire.
People carry roses,
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 over situations,
Read books and repeat quotations,
Draw conclusions on the wall.
Some speak of the future,
My love, she speaks softly,
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 doesn't 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.
Thank you.
Early one morning the sun was shining, she was lying in bed,
Wondering if she'd changed at all, if her hair was still red.
Their folks, they said their lives together sure was a-gonna be rough,
They never did like mama's homemade dress, papa's bankbook wasn't big enough.
And he was standing on the side of the road, rain falling on his shoes,
Heading out for the East Coast - Lord knows, he's paid some dues getting 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.
Then they drove that car as far as they could, abandoned it out west,
Splitting up on a dark, sad night, both agreeing it was best.
She turned around to look at him as he was a-walking away,
Saying over her shoulder, "We'll meet again someday on the avenue,
Tangled up in blue."
He had a job in Santa Fe working in an old hotel,
But he never did like it all that much and one day it just a-went to hell,
So he drifted down to New Orleans, lucky not to be destroyed,
Where he got him a job on a fishing boat docked outside Delacroix,
But all the while he was alone, the past was close behind,
He seen a lot of women but she never escaped his mind and he just grew
Tangled up in blue.
She was working in a topless place and I stopped in for a beer,
I just kept looking at the side of her face in the spotlight so clear,
And later on, when the crowd thinned out, I was just about to do the same,
She was standing there right beside my chair, said, "Don't tell me, let me guess your name,"
I muttered something underneath my breath, she studied the lines of my face,
I must admit, felt a little uneasy when she bent down to tie the laces of my shoe,
Tangled up in blue.
I lived with them on Montague Street, in a basement down the stairs,
There was music in the cafes at night and revolution in the air,
Till he started into dealing with slaves and something inside of him died,
She had to sell everything she owned and froze up inside,
And when it all came crashing down, I became withdrawn,
The only thing I knew how to do was keep on keeping on like a bird that flew,
Tangled up in blue.
So now I'm going back on again, I got to get to them somehow,
All the faces we used to know, they're an illusion to me now.
Some are mathematicians, some are truck drivers' wives,
Don't know how it all got started, I don't know what they're doing with their lives,
But me, I'm still on the road, heading for another joint,
We always did feel the same, we just saw it from a different point of view,
Tangled up in blue.
Thank y'all.
The water is wide and I can’t cross over.
Give me the wings and I could fly,
Build me a boat that can carry two
And both shall row, my love and I.
There's 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,
Thinking it was a trusty tree,
But the first it bent and then it broke
Just like my own false love to me.
Now, 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
And neither have I wings to fly.
Build me a boat that can carry two
And both shall row, my love and I.
Well, I ride on a mail-train, baby, can't buy a thrill,
I've been up all night, baby, leaning on the windowsill.
Well, 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, honey, shining through the trees?
Don't the brakeman look good, baby, flagging down the Double E?
Don't the sun look good going down over the sea?
But, don't my gal look fine when she's chasing after me?
Wintertime is coming, the windows are filled with frost,
I went to tell everybody, but I could not get across.
Well, I wanna be your lover, baby, I don't wanna be your boss.
Don't say I never warned you if your train gets lost.
Yeah, here's one for ya.
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:
You may not see me tomorrow.
This song is called "Hurricane". If you got any political pull at all, maybe you can help us get this man outta jail, back onto the streets.
Pistol-shots ring out on a barroom night,
Enter Patty Valentine from the outer hall,
She sees a bartender in a pool of blood,
Cries out, "My God, they've killed 'em all!"
Here come 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've been the champion of the world.
Three bodies lying there does Patty see
And another man named Bello, moving 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 kind of 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 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 laid this rap on the cops,
He and Arthur Dexter Bradley went a-prowling around.
Saw two men running out, they looked like middleweights,
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 he could identify the guilty men.
Four in the morning and they haul Rubin in,
Took him to the hospital and they brought him upstairs.
The wounded man looks up through his one, dying eye,
Said, "Why'd you bring him in here for! He ain't the guy!"
Let's hear 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've been the champion of the world.
Four months later, the ghettoes 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?
Think you'd like to play ball with the law?
Think it mighta been that fighter that you saw running that night? Don't forget, now, you are white."
Arthur Dexter Bradley said, "I'm really not sure."
The cops said, "A poor boy like you could use a break -
We got you for that motel job. We were talking to your friend, Bello,
You don't wanna have to go back to jail, be a nice fellow.
You'll be doing society a favor,
That son-of-a-bitch is brave and getting braver.
We wanna put his ass in stir,
We wanna 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 the pay.
When it's over, I'd just as soon go on my way"--
Up into some paradise
Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice
And ride a horse along the 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,
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 a-falsely tried,
Crime was murder one and guess who testified?
--Arthur Dexter Bradley and Bello and they both 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've been the champion of the world.
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's calling 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 laid on the dune and 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 wanna 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,
Where you fought for my soul and made up against the odds.
I was too young to know you were doing it right
And you did it with strength that belonged to the gods.
Sara, Sara, wherever we travel, we're never apart,
Sara, Sara, beautiful lady so dear to my heart.
I can still hear the sounds of those Methodist bells -
I'd taken the cure and had just gotten through,
Staying up for days in the Chelsea Hotel,
Writing "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" for you.
Sara, Sara, it's all so clear, I could never forget,
Sara, Sara, loving you is one thing I'll never regret.
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 gave me a map and a key to your door.
Sara, Sara, glamorous nymph with an arrow and bow,
Sara, Sara, don't ever leave me, don't ever go.
Just Like a Woman? Alright, we'll -- we'll try it.
Nobody feels any pain tonight as I stand inside the rain.
Everybody knows baby's got new clothes,
But lately I see her ribbons and her bow have fallen from her curls.
But she takes just like a woman,
She aches just like a woman,
And she makes love just like a woman, but she breaks just like a little girl.
Queen Mary, she's my friend. Yes, I believe I'll go see her again.
Nobody has to guess that a-baby can't be blessed
Till she sees finally she's like all the rest with her fog, her amphetamine, and her pearls.
She takes just like a woman,
And she aches just like a woman,
And she makes love just like a woman, and she breaks just like a little girl.
It was raining from the first and I was a-dying out 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 a-time for us to quit.
When we meet again, introduced as friends,
Please don't let on that you knew me when I was a-hungry and it was your world.
Well, you take just like a woman,
And you fake just like a woman,
And you even make love just like a woman, but you break just like a little girl.
Mama, wipe the blood off of my face,
I can't see through it anymore.
I need someone to talk to and a new hiding place,
I feel like I'm looking at a-heaven's door.
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
Mama, I can hear that thunder roar,
Going down from God's distant shore.
I can hear Him calling for my soul,
Feel I'm knocking on heaven's door.
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
Thanks for coming. We'll be in the area for a few days. Maybe we'll see you tomorrow at 9.
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 better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 telling who that it's naming
For the loser now will be later to win
For the times, they are a-changing.
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,
The battle outside is raging,
It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 fading.
Please get outta the new one if you can't lend your hand
For your times, they are a-changing.
The line, it is drawn and the curse, it is cast,
The slowest one now will later be fast
As the present now will later be past,
The order is rapidly fading
And the first one now will later be last
For the times, they are a-changing.
Gypsy gal, the hands of Harlem
Cannot hold you to its heat.
Your temperature is too hot for taming.
Your flaming feet are burning up the street.
I am homeless, come and take me
Into reach of your rattling drums.
Let me know, babe, all about my fortune
Down along my restless palms.
Gypsy gal, you got me swallowed.
I have fallen far beneath
Your pearly eyes, so fast and slashing,
And your flashing diamond teeth.
The night is pitch black, come and make my
Pale face fit into place, oh, please!
Let me know, babe, that--will you surround me? -
If it's you my lifelines trace.
I've been wondering 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 have slayed me, you have made me.
I got to laugh halfways off my heels.
I got to know, babe, if it's you I'm wanting,
So I can know if I'm really real.
This is called "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues". This is a fictitious story.
Well, I was feeling sad and kind of blue,
I didn't know what I was gonna do.
The Communists were coming around,
They were 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,
Starting look on the sidewalk,
'Neath the rose bush.
Well, I was looking everywhere for them god-darned Reds,
I got up in the morning, looked under my bed,
Looked behind the kitchen, behind the door,
Even tore loose the kitchen floor.
I 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 deep down 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 a hiss,
Saying, "Hands up, you Communists!"
It was the mailman!
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,
I discovered there was red stripes in the American flag!
Did you know about Betty Ross?
Well, I was sitting 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,
The ones on Hootenanny!
Well, I finally started thinking straight
When I run outta things to investigate.
I couldn't imagine doing anything else,
So now I'm home investigating myself!
Hope I don't find out too much!
Good God!
Who cares?
Ramona, come closer, shut softly your watery eyes.
The pangs of your sadness will pass as your senses will rise
For the flowers of the city, though breath-like, get death-like at times
And there's no use in trying to deal with the dying, though I cannot explain that in lines.
Your cracked country lips I still wish to kiss as to be by the strength of your skin.
Your magnetic movement still captures the minutes I'm in.
But it grieves my heart, love, to see you trying to be a part of a world that just don't exist.
It's all just a scheme, babe, a vacuum, a dream, babe, that sucks you into feeling 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 staying and returning on back to the South.
You've been fooled into thinking that the finishing 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 than no one and no one is better than you.
If you really believe that, you know you got 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 must be exactly 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's no help I can bring.
Everything passes, everything changes. Just do what you think you should do.
And someday maybe - who knows, baby? - I'll come and be crying to you.
This is, uh-- This is a song about a boxer--boxer. This is gonna be to do with boxing. This is a song about a boxer. And, uh, it's, uh, it's not even having to with a boxer really. It's got nothing to do with nothing. Well, I shit all these words together. That's all. This is, uh, taken out of the newspapers. Nothing has been changed 'cept the words.
Who killed Davey Moore?
Why and what's the reason for?
"Not I," said the referee,
"Don't point your finger at me.
I coulda stopped it in the eighth
And maybe kept him from his fate,
But the crowd woulda booed, I'm sure,
At not getting their money's worth.
It's too bad that 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 and what's the reason for?
"Not us," said 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 to 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 and what's the reason for?
"Not me," said 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 and kids he's dead,
But, if he was sick, he shoulda said.
It wasn't me that made him fall,
No, you can't blame me at all."
Who killed Davey Moore?
Why and what's the reason for?
"Not me," says the gambling man
With his ticket stub still in his hand,
"My--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 and what's the reason for?
"Not me," says the boxing writer,
Pounding print in his old typewriter,
Saying, "Boxing ain't to blame,
There's just as much danger in a football game,"
Saying, "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 and 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, 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?
Why and what's the reason for?
This is called "A Sacrilegious Lullaby in--in D Minor". (Strums some strings.) That's the D minor. No, in all seriousness-- (Audience member interjects: "Why'd you pick it?") Well, I don't know why. This is, this a love song. It's called the "Gates of Eden".
Of war and peace the truth just twists.
Its curfew-gull, it 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 lamp-post stands with folded arms,
Its iron claws attached
To curbs 'neath holes where babies wail,
Though its shadow's 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 soldier sticks his head in sand
And then complains
Unto the shoe-less hunter who's gone deaf,
But still remains
Upon the beach, where hound dogs bay
At ships with tattooed sails,
Heading for the gates of Eden.
With a time-rusted compass blade,
Aladdin and his lamp
Sits with Utopian hermit-monks
Sidesaddle 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 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 breadcrumb sins.
And there are no sins inside the gates of Eden.
The kingdoms of experience,
In the precious winds 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 lover 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.
And there are no truths outside the gates of Eden.
How many roads must 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, and how many times must the cannon balls 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.
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 better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 telling who that it's naming
For the loser now will be later to win
For the times, they are a-changing.
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.
The battle outside raging
Will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 aging.
Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 fading
And the first one now will later be last
For the times, they are a-changing.
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 following you.
Though I know that evening'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 following you.
Take me on a trip upon your magic, swirling 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 wandering.
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 following you.
Though you might hear laughing, spinning, swinging madly across the sun,
It's not aimed at anyone,
It's just escaping on the run, and but for the sky there are no fences facing.
And if you hear vague traces of skipping 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 seeing 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 following you.
And take me disappearing 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,
In the jingle-jangle morning I'll come following you.
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 kidding you.
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hanging out.
Now you don't talk so loud.
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging your next meal.
How does it feel?
How does it feel
To be without a home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Oh, you gone to the finest school, alright, Ms. Lonely,
But you know you only used to get juiced in it.
Nobody's ever taught you how to live out 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?
Oh, you never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns when they all 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 have--be on your own,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Oh, princess on the steeple and all the pretty people,
They're all drinking, thinking 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 ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose.
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.
How does it feel?
Oh, how does it feel
To be on your own,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?
Well, 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,
Then they'll stone you when you're there all alone.
But I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.
Well, 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 you're walking on the floor,
They'll stone you when you're 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."
Yeah, but 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.
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, "You are brave,"
They'll stone you when you're set down in your grave.
But I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.
"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, the wind began to howl.
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--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.
Stay, lady, stay, stay while the night is still ahead.
Mama, take this badge off of me,
I can't use it anymore.
It's getting dark, too dark to see,
I feel I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
Mama, put my guns in the ground,
I can't shoot them anymore.
That long, black cloud is coming down,
I feel I'm knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door,
Knock--knock--knocking on heaven's door.
Early one morning the sun was shining, I was laying in bed,
Wondering 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 I was standing on the side of the road, rain falling on my shoes,
Heading out for the East Coast - Lord knows, I've paid some dues getting through,
Tangled up in blue.
She was married when we first met, soon to be divorced,
I helped her out of a jam, I guess, but I used a little too much force.
We drove that car as far as we could, abandoned it out west,
Split up on a dark, sad night, both agreeing it was best.
She turned around to look at me as I was a-walking away,
I heard her say over my shoulder, "We'll meet again someday on the avenue,
Tangled up in blue."
I had a job in the Great North Woods working as a cook for a spell,
But I never did like it all that much and one day the ax just fell,
So I drifted down to New Orleans where I lucky was to be employed,
Working for a while on a fishing boat right outside of Delacroix,
But all the while I was alone, the past was close behind,
I seen a lot of women but she never escaped my mind and I just grew
Tangled up in blue.
She was working in a topless place and I stopped in for a beer,
I just kept looking at the side of her face in the spotlight so clear,
And later on, when the crowd thinned out, I was just about to do the same,
She was standing there in back of my chair, said to me, "Don't I know your name?"
I muttered something underneath my breath, she studied the lines of my face,
I must admit, 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 fifteenth century,
And every one of them words rang true and glowed like burning coal,
Pouring off of every page like it was written in my soul, from me to you,
Tangled up in blue.
I lived with them on Montague Street, in a basement down the stairs,
There was music in the cafes at night and revolution in the air,
Then he started into dealing with slaves and something inside of him died,
She had to sell everything she owned and froze up inside,
And when it finally--the bottom fell out, I became withdrawn,
The only thing I knew how to do was to keep on keeping 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 carpenters' wives,
Don't know how it all got started, I don't know what they're doing with their lives,
But me, I'm still on the road, a-heading for another joint,
We always did feel the same, we just saw it from a different point of view,
Tangled up in blue.
Pistol-shots ring out in the barroom night,
Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall,
She sees a bartender in a pool of blood,
Cries out, "My God, they've killed 'em all!"
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've 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,
The number one contender for the middleweight crown
Had no idea what kind of 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 prowling around.
He said, "I saw two men running out, they looked like middleweights,
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 he could identify the guilty men.
Four in the morning and they haul Rubin in,
They took him to the hospital and they brought him upstairs.
The wounded man looks up through his one, dying eye,
Said, "Why'd you bring him in here for! He ain't the guy!"
Here's 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've been the champion of the world.
Four months later, the ghettoes 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 you--happened in a bar?
Remember you said you saw the getaway car?
Think you'd like to play ball with the law?
Think it mighta been that fighter that you saw running that night? Don't forget that you are white."
Arthur Dexter Bradley said, "I'm really not sure."
The cops said, "A poor boy like you could use a break -
We got you for the motel job and you talking to your friend, Bello,
If you don't wanna have to go back to jail, be a nice fellow.
You'll be doing society a favor,
That son-of-a-bitch is brave and getting braver.
We wanna put his ass in the stir,
We wanna 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, just as soon go on my way"--
Up into some paradise
Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice
And ride a horse along the 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,
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.
Yes, 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've been the champion of the world.
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 rung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, 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 light 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,
May you stay forever young.
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.
May be a rock-and-roll addict prancing on the stage,
Might have drugs at your command, women in a cage,
You may be a businessman 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 are, 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,
May be the head of some big TV network,
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame,
May be living in another country under another name,
But you're gonna have to serve somebody,
Yes, you are, 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.
May be a construction worker working on a home,
Might be living in a mansion, you might live in a dome,
You may own guns and you may even own tanks,
You may be somebody's landlord, you may 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 a-may be the Lord,
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
You may be a preacher preaching spiritual pride,
May be a city councilman taking bribes on the side,
May be working 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,
Might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread,
May be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-size 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.
Now, you may call me Terry or you may call me Timmy,
You may call me Bobby or you may call me Zimmy,
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray,
You may call me anything, don't 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 and it may be the Lord,
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
Standing on the water, casting your bread
While the eyes of the idol with the iron head are glowing.
Distant ships sailing in through 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 the 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 from 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 mountains, 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 to 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,
Michelangelo indeed could've carved out your features.
Resting in the fields, far from the turbulent space,
Half asleep 'neath 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.
Night-sticks and water-cannons, tear gas, padlocks,
Molotov cocktails and rocks behind every curtain.
False-hearted judges dying in the webs that they spin,
Only a matter of time till 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.
Shadows are falling and I've been here all day,
It's too hot to sleep and time is running away.
Feel like my soul has turned into steel,
I've still got the scars that the sun did not heal.
There's not even room enough to be anywhere,
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there.
Well, my sense of humanity has gone down the drain,
Behind every beautiful thing there's been some kinda pain.
She wrote me a letter and she wrote it so kind,
She put down in writing what was in her mind.
I just don't see why I should even care,
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there.
Well, I've been to London and I've been to gay Paris,
I've followed the river and I got to the sea.
I've been down on the bottom of a world full of lies,
I ain't looking for nothing in anyone's eyes.
Sometimes my burden is more than I can bear,
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there.
I was born here and I'll die here against my will,
I know it looks like I'm moving, but I'm standing still.
Every nerve in my body is so vacant and numb,
I can't even remember what it was I came here to get away from.
Don't even hear a murmur of a prayer,
It's not dark yet, but it's getting there.
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.
Standing on the gallows with my head in a noose,
Any minute now I'm expecting all hell to break loose.
People are crazy, times are strange,
I'm locked in tight, I'm outta 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 here would think he's got anything to prove.
Lotta water under the bridge, lotta other stuff too,
Don't get up, gentlemen, I'm only passing through.
People are crazy, times are strange,
I'm locked in tight, I'm outta range,
I used to care, but things have changed.
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.
Feel like falling in love with the first woman I meet,
Putting her in a wheel-barrow and wheeling her down the street.
People are crazy, times are strange,
I'm locked in tight, I'm outta range,
I used to care, but things have changed.
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 that don't even appeal to me.
Mr. Jinx and Ms. Lucy, they jumped in the lake,
I'm not that eager to make a mistake.
People are crazy, times are strange,
I'm locked in tight, I'm outta range.
I used to care, but things have changed.
Summer days, summer nights are gone,
Summer days and the summer nights are gone,
I know a place where there's still something going on.
I got a house on a hill, I got hogs out in the mud,
I got a house on the hill, I got hogs all out in the mud,
I got a long-haired woman, she got royal Indian blood.
Everybody, get ready, lift up your glasses and sing,
Everybody, get ready to lift up your glasses and sing,
Well, I'm standing on the table, I'm proposing a toast to the king.
Well, 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,
The fog is 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?
Wedding bells're ringing, the choir is beginning to sing,
Yes, the wedding bells're ringing and the choir's beginning to sing,
What look good in the day at night is another thing.
She's looking into my eyes, she's a-holding my hand,
She looking into 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's a-nothing you would need to know.
Well, my back's been to the wall so long it seem like it's stuck.
Why don't you break my heart one more time just for good luck?
I got eight carburetors, boys, I'm using 'em all.
Well, I got eight carburetors and, boys, I'm using 'em all,
I'm short on gas, my motor's starting to stall.
My dogs are barking, there must be someone around,
My dogs are barking, there's must be someone around,
I got my hammer ringing, pretty baby, but the nails ain't going down.
You got something to say, speak or hold your peace,
Well, 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 jogging shoes,
He must be running for office, got no time to lose.
He's sucking the blood out of the genius of generosity,
You been rolling your eyes, you been teasing me.
Standing by God's river, my soul beginning to shake,
Standing by God's river, my soul's beginning to shake,
I'm counting on you, love, to give me a break.
Well, I'm leaving in the morning as soon as the dark clouds lift,
Yes, I'm leaving in the morning just as soon as the dark clouds lift,
Gonna break in the roof, set fire to the place as a parting gift.
Summer days, summer nights are gone,
Summer days, summer nights are gone,
I know a place where there's still something going on.
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 nothing,
Nothing we can call our own
I'm moving after midnight
Down boulevards of broken cars,
Don't know what to do without it,
Without this love that we call ours.
Beyond here lies nothing,
Nothing but the moon and stars.
Down every street there's a window
And every window made of glass.
We'll keep on loving, pretty baby,
For as long as love will last.
Beyond here lies nothing
But the mountains of the past.
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 nothing,
Nothing done and nothing said.
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing,
Blowing like it's gonna sweep my world away.
I'm gonna 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,
Sound 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've 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 Lord.
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're a 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 native 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,
Blowing like she's blowing right on time.