LYRICS

The river whispers in my ear,

a hardly penny to my name.

The heavens never seemed so near.

All of my body glows with flame.

The tempest struggles in the air.

and to myself alone I sing.

It could sink me then and there,

I can hear the echoes ring.

I try to find one smilin’ face

to drive the shadows from my head.

I’m stranded in this nameless place,

lyin’ restless in a heavy bed

Tell me straight out if you will.

Why must you torture me within?

Why must you come down from your high hill,

throw my fate to the clouds and wind

Far away in a silent land

secret thoughts are hard to bear

Remember me you’ll understand

Emotions we can never share

You trampled on me as you passed,

Left the coldest kiss upon my brow.

All my doubts and fears have gone at last.

I’ve nothing more to tell you now.

I walked by tranquil lakes and streams

as each new season's dawn awaits

I lay awake at night with troubled dreams

the enemy is at the gate

Beneath the thunder blasted trees

the words are ringin off your tongue

the ground is hard at times like these

stars are cold, the night is young

The rocks are bleak, the trees are bare

iron clouds go floating by

snow flakes falling in my hair

beneath the gray and stony skies

Evening sun is sinkin' low

the woods are dark the town is too

they'll drag you down, they run the show

ain't no telling what they'll do

Tell Ol' Bill when he comes home

anything is worth a try

tell him that I'm not alone

that the hour has come to do or die

All the world I would defy

let me make it plain as day

I look at you now and I sigh

how could it be any other way

Farewell Angelina

The bells of the crown

Are being stolen by bandits

I must follow the sound

The triangle tingles

The trumpets play slow

But farewell Angelina

The night it is on fire

An' i must go.

There is no use in talkin'

An' there's no need for blame

There is nothin' to prove

Everything still is the same

A table stands empty

By the edge of the stream

But farewell Angelina

The sky's changin' colors

And i must leave.

The jacks an' the queens

Have forsaked the courtyard

Fifty-two gypsies

Now file past the guards

In the space where the deuce

An' the ace once ran wild

Farewell Angelina

The sky is foldin'

I'll see you after a while.

See the cross-eyed pirates sit

Perched in the sun

Shootin' tin cans

With a sawed-off shotgun

An' the corporals an' neighbors

Clap an' cheer with each blast

But farewell Angelina

The sky it is tremblin'

An' i must leave fast.

King Kong little elves

On the roof top they dance

Valentino type tangos

While the hero's clean hands

Shut the eyes of the dead

Not to embarrass anyone

Farewell Angelina

The sky 's floodin' over

An' i must be gone.

The camouflaged 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 floodin' over

An' i must go where it is dry.

Machine guns are roarin'

Puppets heave rocks

At misunderstood visions

An' at the faces of clocks

Call any name you like

I will never deny it

But farewell Angelina

The sky is eruptin'

An' i must go where it is quiet.

I'll buy you a broken twine, honey, just for you to climb

I'll do anything in this god almighty world

if you just once drive me out of my mind

I'll buy you a serpent skirt,

I'll buy you a velvet shirt

I'll do anything in this godalmighty world

if you just don't make me hurt.

DIGNITY

Fat man lookin' in a blade of steel

Thin man lookin' at his last meal

Hollow man lookin' in a cottonfield

For dignity

Wise man lookin' in a blade of grass

Young man lookin' in the shadows that pass

Poor man lookin' through painted glass

For dignity

Somebody got murdered on New Year's Eve

Somebody said dignity was the first to leave

I went into the city, went into the town

Went into the land of the midnight sun

Searchin' high, searchin' low

Searchin' everywhere I know

Askin' the cops wherever I go

Have you seen dignity?

Blind man breakin' out of a trance

Puts both his hands in the pockets of chance

Hopin' to find one circumstance

Of dignity

I went to the wedding of Mary-lou

She said ÒI don't want nobody see me talkin' to youÓ

Said she could get killed if she told me what she knew

About dignity

I went down where the vultures feed

I would've got deeper, but there wasn't any need

Heard the tongues of angels and the tongues of men

Wasn't any difference to me

Chilly wind sharp as a razor blade

House on fire, debts unpaid

Gonna stand at the window, gonna ask the maid

Have you seen dignity?

Drinkin' man listens to the voice he hears

In a crowded room full of covered up mirrors

Lookin' into the lost forgotten years

For dignity

Met Prince Phillip at the home of the blues

Said he'd give me information if his name wasn't used

He wanted money up front, said he was abused

By dignity

Footprints runnin' cross the silver sand

Steps goin' down into tattoo land

I met the sons of darkness and the sons of light

In the bordertowns of despair

Got no place to fade, got no coat

I'm on the rollin' river in a jerkin' boat

Tryin' to read a note somebody wrote

About dignity

Sick man lookin' for the doctor's cure

Lookin' at his hands for the lines that were

And into every masterpiece of literature

for dignity

Englishman stranded in the blackheart wind

Combin' his hair back, his future looks thin

Bites the bullet and he looks within

For dignity

Someone showed me a picture and I just laughed

Dignity never been photographed

I went into the red, went into the black

Into the valley of dry bone dreams

So many roads, so much at stake

So many dead ends, I'm at the edge of the lake

Sometimes I wonder what it's gonna take

To find dignity

Too Soon And Time Behind

Early one foggy morning

Upon the phantom sea I spied

Tim Finnigan’s ship a statue standing

In the shadows of the lonesome tide

Eyes wet with icebox laughter

Like blowing sleet charged past the open doorway

Slammed the side of my head and said you are hungry

Ain’t ya baby

But that day I couldn’t see past my own nose

And such starving times indeed we are all gobbling those

Big City Blues 1961

I been thinking about you darling

You been on my mind

But I can’t stay long in this here town

I ain’t the settling kind

Rain is crashing on the roof

My boots feel hot as coals

Got to keep movin on

You know I got to go

Going to New York City

Gonna find my way

Gonna play in the biggest nightclub

underneath the lights of old Broadway

Heard lots of things about that big town

Heard the streets are full of gold

Gonna dig me up a brick and take it to the bank

Gonna roll, jelly roll

Diamond Joe come and get me

My wife done quit me

Diamond Joe, you better come and get me,

Gonna buy me a jug of rum,

Gonna give my baby some

Gonna buy me a sack of flour

Cook hoe-cakes by the hour

Ev'rybody's building the big ships and the boats,

Some are building monuments,

Others, jotting down notes,

Ev'rybody's in despair,

Ev'ry girl and boy

But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here,

Ev'rybody's gonna jump for joy.

Come all without, come all within,

You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn.

I like to do just like the rest, I like my sugar sweet,

But guarding fumes and making haste,

It ain't my cup of meat.

Ev'rybody's 'neath the trees,

Feeding pigeons on a limb

But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here,

All the pigeons gonna run to him.

Come all without, come all within,

You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn.

A cat's meow and a cow's moo, I can recite 'em all,

Just tell me where it hurts yuh, honey,

And I'll tell you who to call.

Nobody can get no sleep,

There's someone on ev'ryone's toes

But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here,

Ev'rybody's gonna wanna doze.

Come all without, come all within,

You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn.

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.

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

Or maybe say hello with just a glance.

Lying next to her by the ocean

Reaching out and touching her hand,

Whispering your secret emotion

Magic in a magical land.

And when it's time for leaving Mozambique,

To say goodbye to sand and sea,

You turn around to take a final peek

And you see why it's so unique to be

Among the lovely people living free

Upon the beach of sunny Mozambique.

Some say it was radiation, some say there was acid on the microphone,
Some say a combination that turned their hearts to stone,
But whatever it was, it drove them to their knees.
Oh, Legionnaire's disease.

I wish I had a dollar for everyone that died within that year,
Got 'em hot by the collar, plenty an old maid shed a tear,
Now within my heart, it sure put on a squeeze.
Oh, that Legionnaire's disease.

Granddad fought in a revolutionary war, father in the War of 1812,
Uncle fought in Vietnam and then he fought a war all by himself,
But whatever it was, it came out of the trees.
Oh, that Legionnaire's disease.

Well, I walked all night long
Listenin' to them church bells tone
Yes, I walked all night long
Listenin' to them church bells tone
Either someone needing mercy
Or maybe something I've done wrong

Well, your friends come by for you
I don't know what to say
Well, your friends come by for you
I don't know what to say
I just can't face up to tell 'em
Honey, you just went away

Well, children cry for mother
I tell them, "Mother took a trip"
Well, children cry for mother
I tell them, "Mother took a trip"
Well, I walk on pins and needles
I hope my tongue don't slip

Well, I gaze at passing strangers
In case I might see you
Yes, I gaze at passing strangers
In case I might see you
But the sun goes around the heavens
And another day just drives on through

Way out in the distance
I know you're with some other man
Way out in the distance
I know you're with some other man
But that's alright, baby
You know I always understand

Call girls in the doorway
All giving me the eye
Call girls in the doorway
All giving me the eye
But my heart's just not in it
I might as well pass right on by

My ears are ringin'
Ringin' like empty shells
My ears are ringin'
Ringin' like empty shells
Well, it can't be no guitar player
It must be convent bells

Let's keep it between us.
These people meddlin' in our affairs, they're not our friends.
Let's keep it between us
Before doors close and our togetherness comes to an end.
They'll turn you against me and me against you 'til we don't know who to trust.
Oh, darlin', can we keep it between us?

Let's keep it between us.
We've been through too much tough times that they never shared.
They've had nothing to say to us before,
Now all of a sudden it's as if they've always cared.
All we need is honesty, a little humility and trust.
Oh, darlin', can we keep it between us?

I know we're not perfect
Then again, neither are they
They act like we got to live for them as if there just ain't no other way
And it's makin' me kind of tired.

Can we just lay back for a moment
Before we wake up and find ourselves in a daze that's got us out of our minds?
There must be something we're overlooking here,
We better drop down now and get back behind the lines.
There's some things not fit for human ears, some things don't need to be discussed.
Oh, darlin', can we keep it between us?

They'll tell you one thing and me another
'Til we don't know who to trust.
Oh, darlin', can we keep it between us?

Let's keep it between us
Before it all snaps and goes too far.
If we can't deal with this by ourselves,
Tell me we ain't worse off than they think we are.
Backseat drivers don't know the feel of the wheel, but they sure know how to make a fuss.
Oh, darlin', can we keep it between us?
Can we keep it between us?

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.

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.

Oh it's fare thee well my darlin' true,
I'm leavin' in the first hour of the morn.
I'm bound off for the bay of Mexico
Or maybe the coast of Californ.
So it's fare thee well my own true love,
We'll meet another day, another time.
It ain't the leavin'
That's a-grievin' me
But my true love who's bound to stay behind.

Oh the weather is against me and the wind blows hard
And the rain she's a-turnin' into hail.
I still might strike it lucky on a highway goin' west,
Though I'm travelin' on a path beaten trail.

I will write you a letter from time to time,
As I'm ramblin' you can travel with me too.
With my head, my heart and my hands, my love,
I will send what I learn back home to you.


I will tell you of the laughter and of troubles,
Be them somebody else's or my own.
With my hands in my pockets and my coat collar high,
I will travel unnoticed and unknown.

I've heard tell of a town where I might as well be bound,
It's down around the old Mexican plains.
They say that the people are all friendly there
And all they ask of you is your name.

They say ev'rything can be replaced,
Yet ev'ry distance is not near.
So I remember ev'ry face
Of ev'ry man who put me here.
I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released.

They say ev'ry man needs protection,
They say ev'ry man must fall.
Yet I swear I see my reflection
Some place so high above this wall.

Standing next to me in this lonely crowd,
Is a man who swears he's not to blame.
All day long I hear him shouting so loud,
Crying out that he was framed.

Prayed in the ghetto with my face in the cement,
Heard the last moan of a boxer, seen the massacre of the innocent
Felt around for the light switch, became nauseated.
She was walking down the hallway while the walls deteriorated.

East of the Jordan, hard as the Rock of Gibraltar,
I see the burning of the page, Curtain risin' on a new age,
See the groom still waitin' at the altar.

Try to be pure at heart, they arrest you for robbery,
Mistake your shyness for aloofness, your shyness for snobbery,
Got the message this morning, the one that was sent to me
About the madness of becomin' what one was never meant to be.

West of the Jordan, east of the Rock of Gibraltar,
I see the burning of the stage,
Curtain risin' on a new age,
See the groom still waitin' at the altar.

Don't know what I can say about Claudette that wouldn't come back to haunt me,
Finally had to give her up 'bout the time she began to want me.
But I know God has mercy on them who are slandered and humiliated.
I'd a-done anything for that woman if she didn't make me feel so obligated.

West of the Jordan, west of the Rock of Gibraltar,
I see the burning of the cage,
Curtain risin' on a new stage,
See the groom still waitin' at the altar.

Put your hand on my head, baby, do I have a temperature?
I see people who are supposed to know better standin' around like furniture.
There's a wall between you and what you want and you got to leap it,
Tonight you got the power to take it, tomorrow you won't have the power to
keep it.

West of the Jordan, east of the Rock of Gibraltar,
I see the burning of the stage, Curtain risin' on a new age,
See the groom still waitin' at the altar.

Cities on fire, phones out of order,
They're killing nuns and soldiers, there's fighting on the border.
What can I say about Claudette?
Ain't seen her since January,
She could be respectably married or running a whorehouse in Buenos Aires.

West of the Jordan, west of the Rock of Gibraltar,
I see the burning of the stage,
Curtain risin' on a new age,
See the groom still waitin' at the altar.

Tell me what you're gonna do
When the shadow comes under your door.
O Lord, O Lord,
What shall you do?

Tell me what you're gonna do
When the devil calls your cards.
O Lord, O Lord,
What shall you do?


Tell me what you're gonna do
When your water turns to wine.
O Lord, O Lord,
What should you do?


Tell me what you're gonna do
When you can't play God no more.
O Lord, O Lord,
What shall you do?

When the shadow comes creepin' in your room.
O Lord, O Lord,
What should you do?

What's the matter with me,
I don't have much to say,
Daylight sneakin' through the window
And I'm still in this all-night cafe.
Walkin' to and fro beneath the moon
Out to where the trucks are rollin' slow,
To sit down on this bank of sand
And watch the river flow.

Wish I was back in the city
Instead of this old bank of sand,
With the sun beating down over the chimney tops
And the one I love so close at hand.
If I had wings and I could fly,
I know where I would go.
But right now I'll just sit here so contentedly
And watch the river flow.

People disagreeing on all just about everything, yeah,
Makes you stop and all wonder why.
Why only yesterday I saw somebody on the street
Who just couldn't help but cry.
Oh, this ol' river keeps on rollin', though,
No matter what gets in the way and which way the wind does blow,
And as long as it does I'll just sit here
And watch the river flow.

People disagreeing everywhere you look,
Makes you wanna stop and read a book.
Why only yesterday I saw somebody on the street
That was really shook.

Watchin' the river flow,
But I'll sit down on this bank of sand
And watch the river flow.

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 starin' at your picture, I'm hearin' 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.

Walk out if it doesn't feel right,
I can tell you're only lying.
If you got something better tonight,
Don't mess up my mind with your crying.

Walk out in the rain,
Walk out with your dreams,
Walk out of my life
If it doesn't feel right
And catch the next train.
Oh, darling, walk out in the rain.

I have come from so far away
Just to put a ring on your finger.
You've said all that you've got to say,
So please don't feel the need to linger.


It's rainin' inside of the city,
My poor feet have walked 'til they're sore.
If you don't want my love, it's a pity,
I guess I can't see you no more.

Ol' black Bascom, don't break no mirrors
Cold black water dog, make no tears
You say you love me with what may be love
Don't you remember makin' baby love?
Got your steam drill built and you're lookin' for some kid
To get it to work for you like your nine-pound hammer did
But I know that you know that I know that you show
Something is tearing up your mind.

Tell me, momma, what is it?
What's wrong with you this time?

Hey, John, come and get me some candy goods
Shucks, it sure feels like it's in the woods
Spend some time on your January trips
You got tombstone moose up and your brave-yard whips
If you're anxious to find out when your friendship's gonna end
Come on, baby, I'm your friend!
And I know that you know that I know that you show
Something is tearing up your mind.

Ohh, we bone the editor, can't get read
But his painted sled, instead it's a bed
Yes, I see you on your window ledge
But I can't tell just how far away you are from the edge
And, anyway, you're just gonna make people jump and roar
Whatcha wanna go and do that for?
For I know that you know that I know that you know
Something is tearing up your mind.

Oh, Shenandoah, I long to hear you
Look away, you rollin' river
Oh, Shenandoah, I long to hear you
Look away. We're bound away
Across the wide Missouri

Now the Missouri is a mighty river
Look away, you rollin' river.
Indians camp along her border
Look away. We're bound away
Across the wide Missouri

Well a white man loved an Indian maiden
Look away, you rollin' river
With notions his canoe was laden
Look away, we're bound away
Across the wide Missouri

Oh Shenandoah, I love your daughter
Look away, you rollin' river
It was for her I'd cross the water.
Look away, we're bound away
Across the wide Missouri

For seven long years I courted Sally
Look away, you rollin' river
Seven more years I longed to have her
Look away, we're bound away
Across the wide Missouri

Well, it's fare-thee-well, my dear,
I'm bound to leave you
Look away you rollin' river
Shenandoah, I will not deceive you
Look away, we're bound away
Across the wide Missouri

Takes rocks and gravel, baby, make a solid road,
Make a solid road.

Takes a good woman mama,
To satisfy my weary soul.

Have you ever been down on that Mobil and K. C. line?

Well I just wanna ask you,
If you seen that gal of mine,

Don't the clouds look lonesome shining across the sea,
Don't my gal look good,
When she's comin' after me?

Ye playboys and playgirls
Ain't a-gonna run my world,
Not now or no other time.

You fallout shelter seller
Can't get in my door,
Not now or no other time.

Your Jim Crow ground
Can't turn me around,
Not now or no other time.

The laughter in the lynch mob
Ain't a-gonna do no more,
Not now or no other time.

You insane tongues of war talk
Ain't a-gonna guide my road,
Not now or no other time.

You red baiters and race haters,
Ain't a-gonna hang around here,
Not now or no other time.

Night after night you wander the streets of my mind.
Night after night don't know what you think you will find.
No place to go, nowhere to turn,
Everything around you seems to burn, burn, burn.
And there's never any mercy night after night.

Night after night
Night after night

Night after night some new plan to blow up the world.
Night after night another old man kissing some young girl.
You look for salvation, you find none.
Just another broken heart, another barrel of a gun,
Just another stick of dynamite night after night.

Night after night you drop dead in your bed,
Night after night another bottle finds a head.
Night after night I think about cutting you loose
But I just can't do it, what would be the use?
So I just keep a holding you tight night after night.

Seems like only yesterday
I left my mind behind
Down in the Gypsy Cafe
With a friend of a friend of mine
She sat with a baby heavy on her knee
Yet spoke of life most free from slavery
With eyes that showed no trace of misery
A phrase in connection first with she I heard
That love is just a four-letter word

Outside a rambling store-front window
Cats meowed to the break of day
Me, I kept my mouth shut, too
To you I had no words to say
My experience was limited and underfed
You were talking while I hid
To the one who was the father of your kid
You probably didn't think I did, but I heard
You say that love is just a four-letter word

I said goodbye unnoticed
Pushed towards things in my own games
Drifting in and out of lifetimes
Unmentionable by name
Searching for my double, looking for
Complete evaporation to the core
Though I tried and failed at finding any door
I must have thought that there was nothing more
Absurd than that love is just a four-letter word

Though I never knew just what you meant
When you were speaking to your man
I can only think in terms of me
And now I understand
After waking enough times to think I see
The Holy Kiss that's supposed to last eternity
Blow up in smoke, its destiny
Falls on strangers, travels free
Yes, I know now, traps are only set by me
And I do not really need to be
Assured that love is just a four-letter word

Lay down your weary tune, lay down,
Lay down the song you strum,
And rest yourself 'neath the strength of strings
No voice can hope to hum.

Struck by the sounds before the sun,
I knew the night had gone.
The morning breeze like a bugle blew
Against the drums of dawn.
Lay down your weary tune, lay down,
Lay down the song you strum,
And rest yourself 'neath the strength of strings
No voice can hope to hum.

The ocean wild like an organ played,
The seaweed's wove its strands.
The crashin' waves like cymbals clashed
Against the rocks and sands.
Lay down your weary tune, lay down,
Lay down the song you strum,
And rest yourself 'neath the strength of strings
No voice can hope to hum.

I stood unwound beneath the skies
And clouds unbound by laws.
The cryin' rain like a trumpet sang
And asked for no applause.


The last of leaves fell from the trees
And clung to a new love's breast.
The branches bare like a banjo played
To the winds that listened best.

I gazed down in the river's mirror
And watched its winding strum.
The water smooth ran like a hymn
And like a harp did hum.

Blue sky upon the horizon,
Private eye on my trail,
And if I don't be there by morning
She'll know that I must've spent the night in jail.

I been runnin' from Memphis to L.A.,
Had an appointment set sometime for today
And if I don't be there by morning
She'll know that I must have gone the other way.

Finding my way home to you, girl, lonely and blue, mistreated too,
Sometimes I think about you, girl, is it true that you think of me too?

I got a woman living in L.A.,
I got a woman waiting for my pay,
And if I don't be there by morning
Pack my clothes, get down on your knees and pray.

I left my woman with a twenty-dollar bill,
Left her waiting, hope she's waiting for me still.
But if I don't be there by morning
I guess that I never will.

Finding my way home to you, girl, lonely and blue, mistreated too,
Sometimes I think about you, girl, is it true that you think of me too?

Let me in here, I know I've been here,
Let me into your heart.
Let me know you, let me show you,
Let me roll it to you.
All I have is yours,
All you see is mine
And I'm glad to have you in my arms,
I'd have you any time.

Let me say it, let me play it,
Let me lay it on you.
Let me know you, let me show you,
Let me grow it on you.
All I have is yours,
All you see is mine
And I'm glad to have you in my arms,
I'd have you any time.

Let me in here, I know I've been here,
Let me into your heart.
Let me know you, let me show you,
Let me roll it to you.
All I have is yours,
All you see is mine
And I'm glad to have you in my arms,
I'd have you any time.

Well, your clock is gonna stop
At Saint Peter's gate.
Ya gonna ask him what time it is,
He's gonna say, "It's too late."
Hey, hey!
I'd sure hate to be you
On that dreadful day.

You're gonna start to sweat
And you ain't gonna stop.
You're gonna have a nightmare
And never wake up.
Hey, hey, hey!
I'd sure hate to be you
On that dreadful day.

You're gonna cry for pills
And your head's gonna be in a knot,
But the pills are gonna cost more
Than what you've got.
Hey, hey!
I'd sure hate to be you
On that dreadful day.

You're gonna have to walk naked,
Can't ride in no car.
You're gonna let ev'rybody see
Just what you are.
Hey, hey!
I'd sure hate to be you
On that dreadful day.

Well, the good wine's a-flowin'
For five cents a quart.
You're gonna look in your moneybags
And find you're one cent short.
Hey, hey, hey!
I'd sure hate to be you
On that dreadful day.

You're gonna yell and scream,
"Don't anybody care?"
You're gonna hear out a voice say,
"Shoulda listened when you heard the word down there."
Hey, hey!
I'd sure hate to be you
On that dreadful day.

HERO BLUES

Yes, the gal I got
I swear she's the screaming end
She wants me to be a hero
So she can tell all her friends

Well, she begged, she cried
She pleaded with me all last night
Well, she begged, she cried
She pleaded with me all last night
She wants me to go out
And find somebody to fight

She reads too many books
She got new movies inside her head
She reads too many books
She got movies inside her head
She wants me to walk out running
She wants me to crawl back dead

You need a different kinda man, babe
One that can grab and hold your heart
Need a different kind of man, babe
One that can hold and grab your heart
You need a different kind of man, babe
You need Napoleon Bonaparte

Well, when I'm dead
No more good times will I crave
When I'm dead
No more good times will I crave
You can stand and shout hero
All over my lonesome grave

There's a home place under fire tonight in the Heartland
And the bankers are takin' my home and my land from me
There's a big achin' hole in my chest now where my heart was
And a hole in the sky where God used to be

There's a home place under fire tonight in the Heartland
There's a well with water so bitter nobody can drink
Ain't no way to get high and my mouth is so dry that I can't speak
Don't they know that I'm dyin', Why nobody cryin' for me?

My American dream
Fell apart at the seams.
You tell me what it means,
You tell me what it means.

I got to see you baby, I don't care
It may be someplace, baby, you say where.

You got the crazy rhythm when you walk
You make me nervous when you start to talk

I had a dream about you, baby
Had a dream about you, baby
Late last night you come a-rollin' across my mind

Standin' on the highway, you flag me down
Said, take me daddy, to the nearest town

I had a dream about you, baby
Had a dream about you, baby
Late last night you come a-rollin' across my mind

The joint is jumpin'
It's really somethin'
The beat is pumpin'
My heart is thumpin'
Spent my money on you honey
My limbs are shakin'
My heart is breakin'

You kiss me, baby, in the coffee shop
You make me nervous, you gotta stop

I had a dream about you, baby
Had a dream about you, baby
Late last night you come a-rollin' across my mind
You got a rag wrapped around your head
Wearing a long dress fire engine red

I had a dream about you, baby
Had a dream about you, baby
Late last night you come a-rollin' across my mind

Well, I ain't got my childhood
Or friends I once did know.
No, I ain't got my childhood
Or friends I once did know.
But I still got my voice left,
I can take it anywhere I go.
Hey, hey, so I guess I'm doin' fine.

And I've never had much money
But I'm still around somehow.
No, I've never had much money
But I'm still around somehow.
Many times I've bended
But I ain't never yet bowed.
Hey, hey, so I guess I'm doin' fine.

Trouble, oh trouble,
I've trouble on my mind
Trouble, oh trouble,
Trouble on my mind.
But the trouble in the world, Lord,
Is much more bigger than mine.
Hey, hey, so I guess I'm doin' fine.

And I never had no armies
To jump at my command.
No, I ain't got no armies
To jump at my command.
But I don't need no armies,
I got me one good friend.
Hey, hey, so I guess I'm doin' fine.

I been kicked and whipped and trampled on,
I been shot at just like you.
I been kicked and whipped and trampled on,
I been shot at just like you.
But as long as the world keeps a-turnin',
I just keep a-turnin' too.
Hey, hey, so I guess I'm doin' fine.

Well, my road might be rocky,
The stones might cut my face.
My road it might be rocky,
The stones might cut my face.
But as some folks ain't got no road at all,
They gotta stand in the same old place.
Hey, hey, so I guess I'm doin' fine.

Denise, Denise,
Gal, what's on your mind?
Denise, Denise,
Gal, what's on your mind?
You got your eyes closed,
Heaven knows that you ain't blind.

Well, I can see you smiling,
But oh your mouth is inside out.
I can see you smiling,
But you're smiling inside out.
Well, I know you're laughin'
But what are you laughin' about.

Well, if you're tryin' to throw me,
Babe, I've already been tossed.
If you're tryin' to throw me,
Babe, I've already been tossed.
Babe, you're tryin' to lose me.
Babe, I'm already lost.

Well, what are you doing,
Are you flying or have you flipped?
Oh, what are you doing,
Are you flying or have you flipped?
Well, you call my name
And then say your tongue just slipped.

Denise, Denise,
You're concealed here on the shelf.
Denise, Denise,
You're concealed here on the shelf.
I'm looking deep in your eyes, babe,
And all I can see is myself.

She was the rose of Sharon from paradise lost
From the city of seven hills near the place of the cross.
I was playing a show in Miami in the theater of divine comedy.
Told about Jesus, told about the rain,
She told me about the jungle where her brothers were slain
By a man who danced on the roof of the embassy.

Was she a child or a woman, I can't say which
From one to another she could to easily switch
We went into the wall to where the long arm of the law could not reach.
Could I been used and played as a pawn?
It certainly was possible as the gay night wore on
Where men bathed in perfume and celebrated free speech.

And them Caribbean winds still blow from Nassau to Mexico
Fanning the flames in the furnace of desire
And them distant ships of liberty on them iron waves so bold and free,
Bringing everything that's near to me nearer to the fire.

She looked into my soul through the clothes that I wore
She said, "We got a mutual friend over by the door,
And you know he's got our best interest in mind."
He was well connected but her heart was a snare
And she had left him to die in there,
There were payments due and he was a little behind.

The cry of the peacock, flies buzz my head,
Ceiling fan broken, there's a heat in my bed,
Street band playing "Nearer My God to Thee."
We met at the steeple where the mission bells ring,
She said, "I know what you're thinking, but there ain't a thing
You can do about it, so let us just agree to agree."

Atlantic City by the cold gray sea
I hear a voice crying, "Daddy," I always think it's for me,
But it's only the silence in the buttermilk hills that call.
Every new messenger brings evil report
'Bout armies on the march and time that is short
And famines and earthquakes and hatred written upon walls.

Would I have married her? I don't know, I suppose.
She had bells in her braids and they hung to her toes
But I kept hearing my name and I had to be movin' on.
I saw screws break loose, saw the devil pound tin,
I saw a house in the country being torn from within.
I heard my ancestors calling from the land far beyond.

1. Woke up this morning, feeling blue,
Seen a good-lookin' girl, can I make love with you?
Hey, hey, babe, I got blood in my eyes for you.
I got blood in my eyes for you, babe,
I don't care what in the world you do.

2. I went back home, put on my tie,
Gonna get that girl that money that money will buy.
Hey, hey, babe, I got blood in my eyes for you.
I got blood in my eyes for you, babe,
I don't care what in the world you do.

3. 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.
Got blood in my eyes for you, babe,
I don't care what in the world you do.


4. No, no, ma'ma, 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.
I got blood in my eyes for you, babe,
I don't care what in the world you do.

5. 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, babe,
I don't care what in the world you do.

Seen the arrow on the doorpost
Saying, "This land is condemned
All the way from New Orleans
To Jerusalem."
I traveled through East Texas
Where many martyrs fell
And I know no one can sing the blues
Like Blind Willie McTell

Well, I heard the hoot owl singing
As they were taking down the tents
The stars above the barren trees
Were his only audience
Them charcoal gypsy maidens
Can strut their feathers well
But nobody can sing the blues
Like Blind Willie McTell

See them big plantations burning
Hear the cracking of the whips
Smell that sweet magnolia blooming
(And )see the ghosts of slavery ships
I can hear them tribes a-moaning
(I can )hear the undertaker's bell
(Yeah), nobody can sing the blues
Like Blind Willie McTell

There's a woman by the river
With some fine young handsome man
He's dressed up like a squire
Bootlegged whiskey in his hand
There's a chain gang on the highway
I can hear them rebels yell
And I know no one can sing the blues
Like Blind Willie McTell

Well, God is in heaven
And we all want what's his
But power and greed and corruptible seed
Seem to be all that there is
I'm gazing out the window
Of the St. James Hotel
And I know no one can sing the blues
Like Blind Willie McTell

My name is Donald White, you see,
I stand before you all.
I was judged by you a murderer
And the hangman's knot must fall.
I will die upon the gallows pole
When the moon is shining clear,
And these are my final words
That you will ever hear.

I left my home in Kansas
When I was very young,
I landed in the old Northwest,
Seattle, Washington
Although I'd a-traveled many miles,
I never made a friend,
For I could never get along in life
With people that I met.

If I had some education
To give me a decent start,
I might have been a doctor or
A master in the arts.
But I used my hands for stealing
When I was very young,
And they locked me down in jailhouse cells,
That's how my life begun.

Oh, the inmates and the prisoners,
I found they were my kind,
And it was there inside the bars
I found my peace of mind.
But the jails they were too crowded,
Institutions overflowed,
So they turned me loose to walk upon
Life's hurried tangled road.

And there's danger on the ocean
Where the salt sea waves split high,
And there's danger on the battlefield
Where the shells of bullets fly,
And there's danger in this open world
Where men strive to be free,
And for me the greatest danger
Was in society.

So I asked them to send me back
To the institution home.
But they said they were too crowded,
For me they had no room.
I got down on my knees and begged,
"Oh, please put me away,"
But they would not listen to my plea
Or nothing I would say.

And so it was on Christmas eve
In the year of '59,
It was on that night I killed a man,
I did not try to hide,
The jury found me guilty
And I won't disagree,
For I knew that it would happen
If I wasn't put away.

And I'm glad I've had no parents
To care for me or cry,
For now they will never know
The horrible death I die.
And I'm also glad I've had no friends
To see me in disgrace,
For they'll never see that hangman's hood
Wrap around my face.

Farewell unto the old north woods
Of which I used to roam,
Farewell unto the crowded bars
Of which've been my home,
Farewell to all you people
Who think the worst of me,
I guess you'll feel much better when
I'm on that hanging tree.

But there's just one question
Before they kill me dead,
I'm wondering just how much
To you I really said
Concerning all the boys that come
Down a road like me,
Are they enemies or victims
Of your society?

Well, if I had to do it all over again,
Babe, I'd do it all over you.
And if I had to wait for ten thousand years,
Babe, I'd even do that too.
Well, a dog's got his bone in the alley,
A cat, she's got nine lives,
A millionaire's got a million dollars,
King Saud's got four hundred wives.
Well, ev'rybody's got somethin'
That they're lookin' forward to.
I'm lookin' forward to when I can do it all again
And babe, I'll do it all over you.

Well, if I had my way tomorrow or today,
Babe, I'd run circles all around.
I'd jump up in the wind, do a somersault and spin,
I'd even dance a jig on the ground.
Well, everybody gets their hour,
Everybody gets their time,
Little David when he picked up his pebbles,
Even Sampson after he went blind.
Well, everybody gets the chance
To do what they want to do.
When my time arrives you better run for your life
'Cause babe, I'll do it all over you.

Well, I don't need no money, I just need a day that's sunny,
Baby, and my days are gonna come.
And I grab me a pint, you know that I'm a giant
When you hear me yellin', "Fee-fi-fo-fum."
Well, you cut me like a jigsaw puzzle,
You made me to a walkin' wreck,
Then you pushed my heart through my backbone,
Then you knocked off my head from my neck.
Well, if I'm ever standin' steady
A-doin' what I want to do,
Well, I tell you little lover that you better run for cover
'Cause babe, I'll do it all over you.

I'm just restin' at your gate so that I won't be late
And, momma, I'm a-just sittin' on the shelf.
Look out your window fair and you'll see me squattin' there
Just a-fumblin' and a-mumblin' to myself.
Well, after my cigarette's been smoked up,
After all my liquor's been drunk,
After my dreams are dreamed out,
After all my thoughts have been thunk,
Well, after I do some of these things,
I'm gonna do what I have to do.
And I tell you on the side, that you better run and hide
'Cause babe, I'll do it all over you.

When a man he serves the Lord, it makes his life worthwhile.
It don't matter 'bout his position, it don't matter 'bout his lifestyle.
Talk about perfection, I ain't never seen none
And there ain't no man righteous, no not one.

Sometimes the devil likes to drive you from the neighborhood.
He'll even work his ways through those whose intentions are good.
Some like to worship on the moon, others are worshipping the sun
And there ain't no man righteous, no not one.

Look around, ya see so many social hypocrites
Like to make rules for others while they do just the opposite.

You can't get to glory by the raising and the lowering of no flag.
Put your goodness next to God's and it comes out like a filthy rag.
In a city of darkness there's no need of the sun
And there ain't no man righteous, no not one.

Done so many evil things in the name of love, it's a crying shame
I never did see no fire that could put out a flame.

Pull your hat down, baby, pull the wool down over your eyes,
Keep a-talking, baby, 'til you run right out of alibis.
Someday you'll account for all the deeds that you done.
Well, there ain't no man righteous, no not one.

God got the power, man has got his vanity,
Man gotta choose before God can set him free.
Don't you know there's nothing new that's under the sun?
Well, there ain't no man righteous, no not one.

When I'm gone don't wonder where I be.
Just say that I trusted in God and that Christ was in me.
Say He defeated the devil, He was God's chosen Son
And that there ain't no man righteous, no not one.

Wanted man in California, wanted man in Buffalo,
Wanted man in Kansas City, wanted man in Ohio,
Wanted man in Mississippi, wanted man in old Cheyenne,
Wherever you might look tonight, you might see this wanted man.

I might be in Colorado or Georgia by the sea,
Working for some man who may not know at all who I might be.
If you ever see me comin' and if you know who I am,
Don't you breathe it to nobody 'cause you know I'm on the lam.

Wanted man by Lucy Watson, wanted man by Jeannie Brown,
Wanted man by Nellie Johnson, wanted man in this next town.
But I've had all that I've wanted of a lot of things I had
And a lot more than I needed of some things that turned out bad.

I got sidetracked in El Paso, stopped to get myself a map
Went the wrong way into Juarez with Juanita on my lap.
Then I went to sleep in Shreveport, woke up in Abilene
Wonderin' why the hell I'm wanted at some town halfway between.

Wanted man in Albuquerque, wanted man in Syracuse,
Wanted man in Tallahassee, wanted man in Baton Rouge,
There's somebody set to grab me anywhere that I might be
And wherever you might look tonight, you might get a glimpse of me.

Wanted man in California, wanted man in Buffalo,
Wanted man in Kansas City, wanted man in Ohio,
Wanted man in Mississippi, wanted man in old Cheyenne,
Wherever you might look tonight, you might see this wanted man.


I'm goin' down south,
'Neath the borderline.
Some fat momma
Kissed my mouth one time.

Well, I needed it this morning
Without a shadow of doubt.
My suitcase is packed,
My clothes are hangin' out.

San Francisco's fine,
You sure get lots of sun.
San Francisco is fine.
You sure get lots of sun.
But I'm used to four seasons,
California's got but one.

Well, I got my dark sunglasses,
I got for good luck my black tooth.
I got my dark sunglasses,
And for good luck I got my black tooth.
Don't ask me nothin' about nothin',
I just might tell you the truth.


You changed my life
Came along in a time of strife
In hunger and need
You made my heart bleed
You changed my life
You changed my life

Now the nature of man
Is to beg and to steal
I'd do it myself
It's not so unreal
The call of the wild's
Forever at my door
Want me to fly like an eagle
Being chained to the floor, but
You changed my life
Came along in a time of strife
In hunger and need
You made my heart bleed
You changed my life
You changed my life

Eating with the pigs
Off a fancy tray
I was bold, I was looking good
And to have a nice day
It all seemed so proper
And so elite
Eating absolute garbage
While being so discreet.

You were glowing in the light
Being peaceably calm
Well, how often does a man dance
To the beat of the balm?
Your eyes were on fire
Your feet were of brass
In a world that you made
You were an outcast

Truce makers and partakers
Of every selfish whim
Her running to meet me running to her
And you running back to him
Their destruction of my confidence
Was like a sharpness of the tongue
I said: Make my faith greater
But I was a little high strung

GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY

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,

It may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Might be a rock'n' roll addict prancing on the stage

Might have money and drugs at your commands, women in a cage

You may be a business man or some high degree thief

They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief.

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You're gonna have to serve somebody,

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a state trooper, you might be an young turk

You may be the head of some big TV network

You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame

You may be living in another country under another name.

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes

You're gonna have to serve somebody,

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a construction worker working on a home

You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome

You might own guns and you might even own tanks

You might be somebody's landlord you might even own banks.

You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride

You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side

You may be working in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair

You may be somebody's mistress, may be somebody's heir.

Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk

Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk

You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread

You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed.

You may call me Terry, you may call me Jimmy

You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy

You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray

You may call me anything but no matter what you say.

Precious Angel

Precious angel, under the sun

How was I to know you'd be the one

To show me I was blinded, to show me I was gone

How weak was the foundation I was standing upon?

Now there's spiritual warfare and flesh and blood breaking down

Ya either got faith or ya got unbelief and there ain't neutral ground

The enemy is subtle, how be it we are so deceived

When the truth's in our hearts and we still don't believe?

Shine you light, shine your light on me

Shine you light, shine your light on me

Shine you light, shine your light on me

Ya know I just couldn't make it by myself

I'm a little too blind to see.

My so called friends have fallen under a spell

They look me squarely in the eye and they say, "Well all is well'"

Can they imagine the darkness that will fall from on high

When men will beg God to kill them and they won't be able to die.

Sister, lemme tell you about a vision that I saw

You were drawing water for your husband, you were suffering under the law

You were telling him about Buddha, you were telling him about Mohammed in the same breath

You never mentioned one time the Man who came and died a criminal's death.

Precious angel, you believe me when I say

What God has given to us no man can take away

We are covered in blood girl, you know our forefathers were slaves

Let us hope they've found mercy in their bone-filled graves.

You're the queen of my flesh, girl, you're my woman, you're my delight

You're the lamb of my soul, girl, and you touch up the night

But there's violence in the eyes, girl, so let us not be enticed

On the way out of Egypt, through Ethiopia, to the judgment hall of Christ.

I Believe In You

They ask me how I feel

And if my love is real

And how I know I'll make it through

And they, they look at me and frown

They'd like to drive me from this town

They don't want me around

'Cause I believe in you.

They show me to the door

They say don't come back no more

'Cause I don't be like they'd like me to

And I, I walk out on my own

A thousand miles from home

But I don't feel alone

'Cause I believe in you.

I believe in you even through the tears and the laughter

I believe in you even though we be apart

I believe in you even on the morning after

Oh, when the dawn is nearing

Oh, when the night is disappearing

Oh, this feeling is still here in my heart.

Don't let me drift too far

Keep me where you are

Where I will always be renewed

And that which you've given me today

Is worth more than I could pay

And no matter what they say

I believe in you.

I believe in you when winter turn to summer

I believe in you when white turn to black

I believe in you even though I be outnumbered

Oh, though the earth may shake me

Oh, though my friends forsake me

Oh, even that couldn't make me go back.

Don't let me change my heart

Keep me set apart

From all the plans they do pursue

And I, I don't mind the pain

Don't mind the driving rain

I know I will sustain

'Cause I believe in you.

Slow Train

Sometimes I feel so low-down and disgusted

Can't help but wonder what's happening to my companions

Are they lost or are they found, have they counted the cost it'll take to bring down

All their earthly principles they're gonna have to abandon?

There's slow, slow train coming up around the bend.

I had a woman down in Alabama

She was a backwoods girl, but she sure was realistic

She said, Boy, without a doubt, have to quit your mess and straighten out

You could die down here, be just another accident statistic

There's slow, slow train coming up around the bend.

All that foreign oil controlling American soil

Look around you, it's just bound to make you embarrassed

Sheiks walking around like kings, wearing fancy jewels and nose rings

Deciding America's future from Amsterdam and to Paris

And there's slow, slow train coming up around the bend.

Man's ego is inflated, his laws are outdated, they don't apply no more

You can't rely no more to be standing around waiting

In the home of the brave, Jefferson turning over in his grave

Fools glorifying themselves, trying to manipulate Satan

And there's slow, slow train coming up around the bend.

Big-time negotiators, false healers and woman haters

Masters of the bluff and masters of the proposition

But the enemy I see wears a cloak of decency

All non-believers and men stealers talking in the name of religion

And there's slow, there's slow train coming up around the bend.

People starving and thirsting, grain elevators are bursting

Oh, you know it costs more to store the food than it do to give it

They say loose your inhibitions, follow your own ambitions

They talk about a life of brotherly love, show me someone who knows how to live it

There's slow, slow train coming up around the bend.

Well, my baby went to Illinois with some bad-talking boy she could destroy

A real suicide case, but there was nothing I could do to stop it

I don't care about economy, I don't care about astronomy

But it's sure do bother me to see my loved ones turning into puppets

There's slow, slow train coming up around the bend.

Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking

Gonna change my way of thinking

Make myself a different set of rules

Gonna change my way of thinking

Make myself a different set of rules

Gonna put my good foot forward

And stop being influenced by fools.

So much oppression

Can't keep track of it no more

So much oppression

Can't keep track of it no more

Sons becoming husbands to their mothers

And old men turning young daughters into whores.

Stripes on your shoulders

Stripes on your back and on your hands

Stripes on your shoulders

Stripes on your back and on your hands

Swords piercing your side

Blood and water flowing through the land.

Well don't know which one is worse

Doing your own thing or just being cool

Well don't know which one is worse

Doing your own thing or just being cool

You remember only about the brass ring

You forget all about the golden rule.

You can mislead a man

You can take ahold of his heart with your eyes

You can mislead a man

You can take ahold of his heart with your eyes

But there's only one authority

And that's the authority on high.

I got a God-fearing woman

One I can easily afford

I got a God-fearing woman

One I can easily afford

She can do the Georgia crawl

She can walk in the spirit of the Lord.

Jesus said, "Be ready

For you know not the hour in which I come"

Jesus said, "Be ready

For you know not the hour in which I come"

He said, "He who is not for Me is against Me"

Just so you know where He's coming from.

There's a kingdom called Heaven

A place where there is no pain of birth

There's a kingdom called Heaven

A place where there is no pain of birth

Well the Lord created it, mister

About the same time He made the earth.

Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)

Don't wanna judge nobody, don't wanna be judged

Don't wanna touch nobody, don't wanna be touched

Don't wanna hurt nobody , don't wanna be hurt

Don't wanna treat nobody like they was dirt.

But if you do right to me baby

I'll do right to you too

Ya got to do unto others

Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you.

Don't wanna shoot nobody, don't wanna be shot

Don't wanna buy nobody, don't wanna be bought

Don't wanna bury nobody, don't wanna be buried

Don't wanna marry nobody, if they're already married.

But if you do right to me baby

I'll do right to you too

Ya got to do unto others

Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you.

Don't wanna burn nobody, don't wanna be burned

Don't wanna learn from nobody, what I gotta unlearn

Don't wanna cheat nobody, don't wanna be cheated

Don't wanna defeat nobody if they already been defeated.

But if you do right to me baby

I'll do right to you too

Ya got to do unto others

Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you.

Don't wanna wink at nobody, don't wanna be winked at

Don't wanna be used by nobody for a doormat

Don't wanna confuse nobody, don't wanna be confused

Don't wanna amuse nobody, don't wanna be amused.

But if you do right to me baby

I'll do right to you too

Ya got to do unto others

Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you.

Don't wanna betray nobody, don't wanna be betrayed

Don't wanna play with nobody, don't wanna be waylaid

Don't wanna miss nobody, don't wanna be missed

Don't put my faith in nobody, not even a scientist.

When You Gonna Wake Up?

God don't make promises that He don't keep

You got some big dreams baby, but in order to dream you gotta still be asleep.

When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up

When you gonna wake up strengthen the things that remain?

Counterfeited philosophies have polluted all of your thoughts

Karl Marx has got ya by the throat, Henry Kissinger's got you tied up in knots.

You got innocent men in jail, your insane asylums are filled

You got unrighteous doctors dealing drugs that'll never cure your ills.

You got men who can't hold their peace and woman who can't control their tongues

The rich seduce the poor and the old are seduced by the young.

Adulterers in churches and pornography in the schools

You got gangsters in power and lawbreakers making rules.

When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up

When you gonna wake up strengthen the things that remain?

Spiritual advisors and gurus to guide your every move

Instant inner peace and every step you take has got to be approved.

Do you ever wonder just what God requires?

You think He's just an errand boy to satisfy your wandering desires.

You can't take it with you and you know that it's too worthless to be sold

They tell you, 'Time is money' as if your life was worth its weight in gold.

There's a man up on a cross and He's been crucified for you

Believe in His power that's about all you got to do.

Man Gave Names To All The Animals

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".

He saw an animal up on a hill

Chewing up so much grass until she was filled

He saw milk coming out but he didn't know how

"Ah, think I'll call it a cow".

He saw an animal that liked to snort

Horns on his head and they weren't too short

It looked like there wasn't nothing that he couldn't pull

"Ah, I'll think I'll call it a bull".

He saw an animal leaving a muddy trail

Real dirty face and a curly trail

He wasn't too small and he wasn't too big

"Ah, think I'll call it a pig".

Next animal that he did meet

Had wool on his back and hooves on his feet

Eating grass on a mountainside so steep

"Ah, think I'll call it a sheep".

He saw an animal as smooth as glass

Slithering his way through the grass

Saw him disappear by a tree near a lake .....

When He Returns

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 is passes through

He unreleased His power at an unknown hour that no one knew

How long can I listen to the lies of prejudice?

How long can I stay drunk on fear out in the wilderness?

Can I cast it aside, all this loyalty and this pride?

Will I ever learn that there'll be no peace, that the war won't cease

Until He returns?

Surrender your crown on this blood-stained ground, take off your mask

He sees your deeds, He knows your needs even before you ask

How long can you falsely 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 He returns.

Yea! Heavy And A Bottle Of Bread

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 !

It's a one-track town, just brown and a breeze too

Pack up the meat, sweet, we're headin' out

For Wichita in a pile of fruit

Get the loot, don't be slow, we're gonna catch a trout

Now, pull that drummer out from behind that bottle

Bring my pipe, we're gonna shake it

Slap that drummer with a pie that smells

Take me down to California, baby

Yes, 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 !

Crash On The Levee (Down In The Flood )

Crash on the levee, mama

Water's gonna overflow

Swamp's gonna rise

No boat's gonna row

Now, you can train on down

To Williams Point

You can bust your feet

You can rock this joint

But oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?

You're gonna have to find yourself

Another best friend, somehow.

Now, don't you try an' move me

You're just gonna lose

There's a crash on the levee

And mama, you've been refused

Well, it's sugar for sugar

And salt for salt

If you go down in the flood

It's gonna be your own fault

Oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?

You're gonna have to find yourself

Another best friend, somehow.

Well, that high tide's risin'

Mama, don't you let me down

Pack up your suitcase

Mama, don't you make a sound

Now, it's king for king

Queen for queen

It's gonna be the meanest flood

That anybody's seen

Oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?

You're gonna have to find yourself

Another best friend, somehow.

Tiny Montgomery

Well, you can tell everybody

Down in ol' Frisco

Tell 'em

Tiny Montgomery says hello.

Now, every boy and girl's

Gonna get their bang

'Cause Tiny Montgomery's

Gonna shake that thing

Tell everybody

Down in ol' Frisco

That Tiny Montgomery's comin'

Down to say hello.

Skinny Moo and Halftrack Frank

They're gonna both be gettin

Outta the tank

One bird book

And a buzzard and a crow,

Tell 'em all

That Tiny's gonna say hello.

Scratch your dad

Do that bird

Suck that pig

And bring it on home

Pick that drip

And nose that doe

And bake that doe

Tell 'em all

That Tiny says hello.

Now, he's king of the drunks

An' he squeezes, too

Watch out, Lester

Take it Lou

Join the monks

The C.I.O,

Tell 'em all

That Tiny Montgomery says hello.

Now grease that pig

And sing praise

Go on out

And gas that dog

Trick on in

Honk that stink

Take it down

And watch it grow

Play it low

And pick it up

Take it on in

In a plucking cup

Three-legged man

And a hot-lipped hoe

Tell 'em all

Montgomery says hello.

Well, you can tell ev'rybody

Down in ol' Frisco

Tell 'em all

Montgomery says hello.

You Ain't Goin' Nowhere

Clouds so swift

Rain won't lift

Gate won't close

Railings froze

Get your mind off wintertime

You ain't goin' nowhere

Whoo-ee ride me high

Tomorrow's the day

My bride's gonna come

Oh, oh, are we gonna fly

Down in the easy chair !

I don't care

How many letters they sent

Morning came and morning went

Pick up your money

And pack up your tent

You ain't goin' nowhere

Whoo-ee ride me high

Tomorrow's the day

My bride's gonna come

Oh, oh, are we gonna fly

Down in the easy chair !

Buy me a flute

And a gun that shoots

Tailgates some substitutes

Strap yourself

To the tree with roots

You ain't goin' nowhere

Whoo-ee ride me high

Tomorrow's the day

My bride's gonna come

Oh, oh, are we gonna fly

Down in the easy chair !

Genghis Khan

He could not keep

All his kings

Supplied with sleep

We'll climb that hill no matter how steep

When we come up to it

Whoo-ee ride me high

Tomorrow's the day

My bride's gonna come

Oh, oh, are we gonna fly

Down in the easy chair !

Don't Ya Tell Henry

Don't ya tell Henry

Apple's got your fly.

I went down to the river on a saturday morn

A-lookin' around just to see who's born

I found a little chicken down on his knees

I went up and yelled to him

"Please, please, please"

He said, "Don't ya tell Henry

Don't ya tell Henry

Don't ya tell Henry

Apple's got your fly".

I went down to the corner at a-half past ten

I's lookin' around, I wouldn't say when

I looked down low, I looked above

And who did I see but the one I love

She said, "Don't ya tell Henry

Don't ya tell Henry

Don't ya tell Henry

Apple's got your fly".

Now, I went down to the beanery at half past twelve

A-lookin' around just to see myself

I spotted a horse and a donkey too

I looked for a cow and I saw me a few

The said, "Don't ya tell Henry

Don't ya tell Henry

Don't ya tell Henry

Apple's got your fly".

Now, I went down to the pumphouse the other night

A-lookin around, it was outa sight

I looked high and low for that big ol' tree

I did go upstairs but I didn't see nobody but me

I said, "Don't ya tell Henry

Don't ya tell Henry

Don't ya tell Henry

Apple's got your fly".

Nothing Was Delivered

Nothing was delivered

And I tell this truth to you

Not out of spite or anger

But simply because it's true

Now, I hope you won't object to this

Giving back all what you owe

The fewer words you have to waste on this

The sooner you can go.

Nothing is better, nothing is best

Take heed of this and get plenty of rest.

Nothing was delivered

But I can't say I sympathize

With what your fate is going to be

Yes, for telling all those lies

Now you must provide some answers

For what you sold has not been received

And the sooner you come up with them

The sooner you can leave.

Nothing is better, nothing is best

Take heed of this and get plenty of rest.

Now you know

Nothing was delivered

And it's up to you to say

Just what you had in mind

When you made ev'rybody pay

No, nothing was delivered

Yes, 'n' someone must explain

That as long as it takes to do this

Then that's how long that you'll remain

Nothing is better, nothing is best

Take heed of this and get plenty of rest.

Open The Door, Homer

Now, there's a certain thing

That I learned from Jim

That he's always make sure I'd understand

And that is that there's a certain way

That a man must swim

If he expects to live off

Of the fat of the land

Open the door, Homer

I've heard it said before

Open the door, Homer

I've heard it said before

But I ain't gonna hear it said no more.

Now, there's a certain thing

That I learned from my friend, Mouse

A fella who never blushes in

And that is that ev'ryone

Must always flush out his house

If he don't expect to be

Goin' 'round housing flushes

"Take care of all your memories"

Said my friend, Mick

"For you can not relive them

And remember when you're out there

Tryin' to heal the sick

That you must always

First forgive them"

This Wheel's On Fire

If your memory serves you well

We were goin' to meet again and wait

So I'm goin' to unpack all my things

And sit before it gets too late

No man alive will come to you

With another tale to tell

And you know that we shall meet again

If your 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 goin' to confiscate your lace

And wrap it up in a sailor's knot

And hide it in your case

If I knew for sure that it was yours ...

But it was oh so hard to tell

And you knew that we would meet again

If your 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

You'll remember you're the one

That called on me to call on them

To get you your favors done

And after ev'ry plan had failed

And there was nothing more to tell

You knew that we would meet again

If your memory serves you well

This wheel's on fire

Rolling down the road

Best notify my next of kin

This wheel shall explode !

Silent weekend,
My baby she gave it to me
Silent weekend,
My baby she gave it to me.
She's actin' tough and hardy
She says it ain't my party
And she's leavin' me in misery.

Silent weekend,
My baby she took me by surprise.
Silent weekend,
My baby she took me by surprise.
She's rockin' and a-reelin'
Head up to ceiling
An' swinging with some other guys.

Silent weekend,
Oh Lord, I wish Monday would come.
Silent weekend,
Oh Lord, I sure wish Monday would come.
She's uppity, she's rollin',
She's in the groove, she's strolling
Over to the jukebox playin' deaf and dumb.

Well, I done a whole lotta thinkin' 'bout a whole lot of cheatin',
And I, maybe I did some just to please.
But I just walloped a lotta pizza after makin' our peace,
Puts ya down on bended knees.


Silent weekend,
Man alive, I'm burnin' up on my brain.
She knows when I'm just teasin'
But it's not likely in the season
To open up a passenger train.

I was thinking of a series of dreams
Where nothing comes up to the top
Everything stays down where it's wounded
And comes to a permanent stop
Wasn't thinking of anything specific
Like in a dream, when someone wakes up and screams
Nothing too very scientific
Just thinking of a series of dreams

Thinking of a series of dreams
Where the time and the tempo fly
And there's no exit in any direction
'Cept the one that you can't see with your eyes
Wasn't making any great connection
Wasn't falling for any intricate scheme
Nothing that would pass inspection
Just thinking of a series of dreams

Dreams where the umbrella is folded
Into the path you are hurled
And the cards are no good that you're holding
Unless they're from another world

In one, numbers were burning
In another, I witnessed a crime
In one, I was running, and in another
All I seemed to be doing was climb
Wasn't looking for any special assistance
Not going to any great extremes
I'd already gone the distance
Just thinking of a series of dreams

The pawnbroker roared
Also, so, so did the landlord
The scene was so crazy, wasn't it?
Both were so glad
To watch me destroy what I had
Pain sure brings out the best in people, doesn't it?
Why didn't you just leave me if you didn't want to stay?
Why'd you have to treat me so bad?
Did it have to be that way?
Now you stand here expectin' me to remember somethin' you forgot to say
Yes, and you, I see you're still with her, well
That's fine 'cause she's comin' on so strange, can't you tell?
Somebody had better explain
She's got her iron chain
I'd do it, but I, I just can't remember how
You talk to her
She's your lover now.

I already assumed
That we're in the felony room
But I ain't a judge, you don't have to be nice to me
But please tell that
To your friend in the cowboy hat
You know he keeps on sayin' ev'rythin' twice to me
You know I was straight with you
You know I've never tried to change you in any way
You know if you didn't want to be with me
That you could . . . didn't have to stay.
Now you stand here sayin' you forgive and forget. Honey, what can I say?
Yes, you, you just sit around and ask for ashtrays, can't you reach?
I see you kiss her on the cheek ev'rytime she gives a speech
With her picture books of the pyramid
And her postcards of Billy the Kid
(Why must everybody bow?)
You better talk to her 'bout it
You're her lover now.

Oh, ev'rybody that cares
Is goin' up the castle stairs
But I'm not up in your castle, honey
It's true, I just can't recall
San Francisco at all
I can't even remember El Paso, uh, honey
You never had to be faithful
I didn't want you to grieve
Oh, why was it so hard for you
If you didn't want to be with me, just to leave?
Now you stand here while your finger's goin' up my sleeve
An' you, just what do you do anyway? Ain't there nothin' you can say?
She'll be standin' on the bar soon
With a fish head an' a harpoon
An' a fake beard plastered on her brow
You'd better do somethin' quick
She's your lover now.

I paid fifteen million dollars, twelve hundred and seventy-two cents
I paid one thousand two hundred twenty-seven dollars and fifty-five cents
See my hound dog bite a rabbit
And my football's sittin' on a barbed-wire fence

Well, my temperature rises and my feet don't walk so fast
Yes, my temperature rises and my feet don't walk so fast
Well, this Arabian doctor came in, gave me a shot
But wouldn't tell me if what I had would last

Well, this woman I've got, she's filling me with her drive
Yes, this woman I've got, she's thrillin' me with her hive
She's calling me Stan
Or else she calls me Mister Clive

Of course, you're gonna think this song is a riff
I know you're gonna think this song is a cliff
Unless you've been inside a tunnel
And fell down 69, 70 feet over a barbed-wire fence

All night!

Listen to me, baby,
There's something you must see.
I want to be with you, gal,
If you want to be with me.

But if you got to go,
It's all right.
But if you got to go, go now,
Or else you gotta stay all night.

It ain't that I'm questionin' you.
To take part in any quiz.
It's just that I ain't got no watch
An' you keep askin' me what time it is.

But if you got to go,
It's all right.
But if you got to go, go now,
Or else you gotta stay all night.

I am just a poor boy, baby,
Lookin' to connect.
But I certainly don't want you thinkin'
That I ain't got any respect.

But if you got to go,
It's all right.
But if you got to go, go now,
Or else you gotta stay all night.

You know I'd have nightmares
And a guilty conscience, too,
If I kept you from anything
That you really wanted to do.

But if you got to go,
It's all right.
But if you got to go, go now,
Or else you gotta stay all night.

It ain't that I'm wantin'
Anything you never gave before.
It's just that I'll be sleepin' soon,
It'll be too dark for you to find the door.

But if you got to go,
It's all right.
But if you got to go, go now,
Or else you gotta stay all night

Well, I was feelin' sad and feelin' blue,
I didn't know what in the world I was gonna do,
Them Communists they wus comin' around,
They wus in the air,
They wus on the ground.
They wouldn't gimme no peace. . .

So I run down most hurriedly
And joined up with the John Birch Society,
I got me a secret membership card
And started off a-walkin' down the road.
Yee-hoo, I'm a real John Bircher now!
Look out you Commies!

Now we all agree with Hitler’s' views,
Although he killed six million Jews.
It don't matter too much that he was a Fascist,
At least you can't say he was a Communist!
That's to say like if you got a cold you take a shot of malaria.

Well, I wus lookin' everywhere for them gol-darned Reds.
I got up in the mornin' 'n' looked under my bed,
Looked in the sink, behind the door,
Looked in the glove compartment of my car.
Couldn't find 'em . . .

I wus lookin' high an' low for them Reds everywhere,
I wus lookin' in the sink an' underneath the chair.
I looked way up my chimney hole,
I even looked deep inside my toilet bowl.
They got away . . .

Well, I wus sittin' home alone an' started to sweat,
Figured they wus in my T.V. set.
Peeked behind the picture frame,
Got a shock from my feet, hittin' right up in the brain.
Them Reds caused it!
I know they did . . . them hard-core ones.

Well, I quit my job so I could work alone,
Then I changed my name to Sherlock Holmes.
Followed some clues from my detective bag
And discovered they wus red stripes on the American flag!
That ol' Betty Ross . . .

Well, I investigated all the books in the library,
Ninety percent of 'em gotta be burned away.
I investigated all the people that I knowed,
Ninety-eight percent of them gotta go.
The other two percent are fellow Birchers . . . just like me.

Now Eisenhower, he's a Russian spy,
Lincoln, Jefferson and that Roosevelt guy.
To my knowledge there's just one man
That's really a true American: George Lincoln Rockwell.
I know for a fact he hates Commies cus he picketed the movie Exodus.

Well, I fin'ly started thinkin' straight
When I run outa things to investigate.
Couldn't imagine doin' anything else,
So now I'm sittin' home investigatin' myself!
Hope I don't find out anything . . . hmm, great God!

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 next to last.
They called Joe "Crazy," the baby they called "Kid Blast."
Some say they lived off gambling and runnin' 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.
What made them want to come and blow you away?

There was talk they killed their rivals, but the truth was far from that
No one ever knew for sure where they were really at.
When they tried to strangle Larry, Joey almost hit the roof.
He went out that night to seek revenge, thinkin' he was bulletproof.

The war broke out at the break of dawn, it emptied out the streets
Joey and his brothers suffered terrible defeats
Till they ventured out behind the lines and took five prisoners.
They stashed them away in a basement, called them amateurs.

The hostages were tremblin' when they heard a man exclaim,
"Let's blow this place to kingdom come, let Con Edison take the blame."
But Joey stepped up, he raised his hand, said, "We're not those kind of men.
It's peace and quiet that we need to go back to work again."

Joey, Joey,
King of the streets, child of clay.
Joey, Joey,
What made them want to come and blow you away?

The police department hounded him, they called him Mr. Smith
They got him on conspiracy, they were never sure who with.
"What time is it?" said the judge to Joey when they met
"Five to ten," said Joey. The judge says, "That's exactly what you get."

He did ten years in Attica, reading Nietzsche and Wilhelm Reich
They threw him in the hole one time for tryin' to stop a strike.
His closest friends were black men 'cause they seemed to understand
What it's like to be in society with a shackle on your hand.

When they let him out in '71 he'd lost a little weight
But he dressed like Jimmy Cagney and I swear he did look great.
He tried to find the way back into the life he left behind
To the boss he said, "I 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 and blow you away?

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 comin' 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.

John Brown went off to war to fight on a foreign shore.
His mama sure was proud of him!
He stood straight and tall in his uniform and all.
His mama's face broke out all in a grin.

"Oh son, you look so fine, I'm glad you're a son of mine,
You make me proud to know you hold a gun.
Do what the captain says, lots of medals you will get,
And we'll put them on the wall when you come home."

As that old train pulled out, John's ma began to shout,
Tellin' ev'ryone in the neighborhood:
"That's my son that's about to go, he's a soldier now, you know."
She made well sure her neighbors understood.

She got a letter once in a while and her face broke into a smile
As she showed them to the people from next door.
And she bragged about her son with his uniform and gun,
And these things you called a good old-fashioned war.

Oh! Good old-fashioned war!

Then the letters ceased to come, for a long time they did not come.
They ceased to come for about ten months or more.
Then a letter finally came saying, "Go down and meet the train.
Your son's a-coming home from the war."

She smiled and went right down, she looked everywhere around
But she could not see her soldier son in sight.
But as all the people passed, she saw her son at last,
When she did she could hardly believe her eyes.

Oh his face was all shot up and his hand was all blown off
And he wore a metal brace around his waist.
He whispered kind of slow, in a voice she did not know,
While she couldn't even recognize his face!

Oh! Lord! Not even recognize his face.

"Oh tell me, my darling son, pray tell me what they done.
How is it you come to be this way?"
He tried his best to talk but his mouth could hardly move
And the mother had to turn her face away.

"Don't you remember, Ma, when I went off to war
You thought it was the best thing I could do?
I was on the battleground, you were home . . . acting proud.
You wasn't there standing in my shoes."

"Oh, and I thought when I was there, God, what am I doing here?
I'm a-tryin' to kill somebody or die tryin'.
But the thing that scared me most was when my enemy came close
And I saw that his face looked just like mine."

Oh! Lord! Just like mine!

"And I couldn't help but think, through the thunder rolling and stink,
That I was just a puppet in a play.
And through the roar and smoke, this string is finally broke,
And a cannon ball blew my eyes away."

As he turned away to walk, his Ma was still in shock
At seein' the metal brace that helped him stand.
But as he turned to go, he called his mother close
And he dropped his medals down into her hand.

Sister Jacqueline and Carmela and mother Mary all did weep.
I heard his best friend Frankie say, "He ain't dead, he's just asleep."
Then I saw the old man's limousine head back towards the grave
I guess he had to say one last goodbye to the son that he could not save.

The sun turned cold over President Street and the town of Brooklyn mourned
They said a mass in the old church near the house where he was born.
And someday if God's in heaven overlookin' His preserve
I know the men that shot him down will get what they deserve.


King of the streets, child of clay.
Joey, Joey,
What made them want to come and blow you away?

UP TO ME

Everything went from bad to worse, money never changed a thing,
Death kept followin', trackin' us down, at least I heard your bluebird sing.
Now somebody's got to show their hand, time is an enemy,
I know you're long gone,
I guess it must be up to me.

If I'd thought about it I never would've done it, I guess I would've let it slide,
If I'd lived my life by what others were thinkin', the heart inside me would've died.
I was just too stubborn to ever be governed by enforced insanity,
Someone had to reach for the risin' star,
I guess it was up to me.

But I wished for man’s nor with his cheap mortality

Oh, the Union Central is pullin' out and the orchids are in bloom,
I've only got me one good shirt left and it smells of stale perfume.
In fourteen months I've only smiled once and I didn't do it consciously,
Somebody's got to find your trail,
I guess it must be up to me.

It was like a revelation when you betrayed me with your touch,
I'd just about convinced myself that nothin' had changed that much.
The old Rounder in the iron mask slipped me the master key,
Somebody had to unlock your heart,
He said it was up to me.

Well, I watched you slowly disappear down into the officers' club,
I would've followed you in the door but I didn't have a ticket stub.
So I waited all night 'til the break of day, hopin' one of us could get free,
When the dawn came over the river bridge,
I knew it was up to me.

Oh, the only decent thing I did when I worked as a postal clerk
Was to haul your picture down off the wall near the cage where I used to work.
Was I a fool or not to try to protect your identity?
You looked a little burned out, my friend,
I thought it might be up to me.

Well, I met somebody face to face and I had to remove my hat,
She's everything I need and love but I can't be swayed by that.
It frightens me, the awful truth of how sweet life can be,
But she ain't a-gonna make me move,
I guess it must be up to me.

We heard the Sermon on the Mount and I knew it was too complex,
It didn't amount to anything more than what the broken glass reflects.
When you bite off more than you can chew you pay the penalty,
Somebody's got to tell the tale,
I guess it must be up to me.

Well, Dupree came in pimpin' tonight to the Thunderbird Cafe,
Crystal wanted to talk to him, I had to look the other way.
Well, I just can't rest without you, love, I need your company,
But you ain't a-gonna cross the line,
I guess it must be up to me.

There's a note left in the bottle, you can give it to Estelle,
She's the one you been wond'rin' about, but there's really nothin' much to tell.
We both heard voices for a while, now the rest is history,
Somebody's got to cry some tears,
I guess it must be up to me.

So go on, boys, and play your hands, life is a pantomime,
The ringleaders from the county seat say you don't have all that much time.
And the girl with me behind the shades, she ain't my property,
One of us has got to hit the road,
I guess it must be up to me.

And if we never meet again, baby, remember me,
How my lone guitar played sweet for you that old-time melody.
And the harmonica around my neck, I blew it for you, free,
No one else could play that tune,
You know it was up to me.

Oh Sister

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.

Black Diamond Bay

Up on the white veranda

She wears a necktie and a Panama hat

Her passport shows another face

From another time and place

She looks nothing like that

And all the remnants of her recent past

Are scattered in the wild wind

She walks across the marble floor

Where a voice from the gambling room is 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 a 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 with a tiny man who sells him a ring

Lightning strikes, the light blow out

The desk clerk wakes and begins to shout

"Can you see anything?"

Then the Greek appears on the second floor

In his bare feet with a rope around his neck

While a loser in the gambling room lights up a candle

Says "Open up another deck"

But the dealer say "Attendez-vous, s'il vous plait"

As the rain beats down and the cranes fly away

From Black Diamond Bay.

The desk clerk heard the woman laugh

As he looked around the aftermath and the soldier got tough

He tried to grab the woman's hand

Said, "Here's a ring it cost a grand"

She said, "That ain't enough"

Then she ran upstairs to pack her bags

While a horse-drawn taxi waited at the curb

She passed the door that the Greek had locked

Where a handwritten sign reads, "Do not disturb"

She knocked on it anyway

As the sun went down and the music did play

On Black Diamond Bay.

"I've got to talk to someone quick !"

But the Greek said, "Go away" and he kicked the chair to the floor

He hung there from the chandelier

She cried, "Help there's danger near

Please open op the door"

Then the volcano erupted

And the lava flowed down from the mountain high above

The soldier and the tiny man were crouched in the corner

Thinking of forbidden love

But the desk clerk said "It happens every day"

As the stars fell down and the fields burned away

On Black Diamond Bay.

As the island slowly sank

The loser finally broke the bank in the gambling room

The dealer said "It's too late now

You can take your money, but I don't know how

You'll spend it in the tomb"

The tiny man bit the soldier's ear

As the floor caved in and the boiler in the basement blew

While she's out on the balcony where a stranger tell her

"My darling je vous aime beacoup"

She sheds a tear and then begins to pray

As the fire burns on and the smoke drifts away

From Black Diamond Bay.

I was sitting home alone one night in LA

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

Didn't seem like much was happening

So I turned it off and went to grab another beer

Seems like every time you turn around

There's another hard-luck story that you're gonna hear

And there's really nothing anyone can say

And I never did plan to go anyway

To Black Diamond Bay.

Sara

I laid on a dune I looked at the sky

When the children were babies and played on the beach

You came up behind me, I saw you go by

You were always so close and still within reach.

Sara, Sara

Whatever made you want to change your mind

Sara, Sara

So easy to look at, so hard to define.

I can still see them playing with their pails in the sand

They run to the water their buckets to fill

I can still see the shells falling out of their hands

As they follow each other back up the hill.

Sara, Sara

Sweet virgin angel, sweet love of my life

Sara, Sara

Radiant jewel, mystical wife.

Sleeping in the woods by a fire in the night

Drinking white rum in a Portugal bar

Them playing leapfrog and hearing about Snow White

You in the marketplace in Savanna-la-Mar.

Sara, Sara

It's all so clear, I could never forget

Sara, Sara

Loving you is the one thing I'll never regret.

I can still hear the sounds of those Methodist bells

I'd taken the cure and had just gotten through

Staying up for day in the Chelsea Hotel

Writing "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" for you.

Sara, Sara

Wherever we travel we're never apart

Sara, Sara

Beautiful lady, so dear to my heart.

How did I meet you? I don't know

A messenger sent me in a tropical storm

You were there in the winter, moonlight on the snow

And on Lily Pond Lane when the weather was warm.

Sara, Sara

Scorpio Sphinx in a calico dress

Sara, Sara

You must forgive me my unworthiness.

Now the beach is deserted except for some kelp

And a piece of an old ship that lies on the shore

You always responded when I needed your help

You gimme a map and a key to your door.

Sara, Sara

Glamorous nymph with an arrow and bow

Sara, Sara

Don't ever leave me, don't ever go.

Romance In Durango

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 shall escape.

Sold my guitar to the baker's son

For a few crumbs and a place to hide

But I can get another one

And I'll play for Magdalena as we ride.

No llores mi querida

Dios nos vigila

Soon the horse will take us to Durango

Agarrame mi vida

Soon the desert will be gone

Soon you will be dancing the fandango.

Past the Aztec ruins and the ghosts of our people

Hoof beats like castanets on stone

At night I dream of bells in the village steeple

Then I see the bloody face of Ramona.

Was it me that shot him down in the cantina

Was it my hand that held the gun?

Come let us fly my Magdalena

The dogs are barking and what's done is done.

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 Torre¢n.

Then the padre will recite the prayers of old

In the little church this side of town

I will wear new boots and an earring of gold

You'll shine with diamonds in your wedding gown.

The way is long but the end is near

Already the fiesta has begun

The face of God will appear

With His serpent eyes of obsidian.

No llores mi querida

Dios nos vigila

Soon the horse will take us to Durango

Agarrame mi vida

Soon the desert will be gone

Soon you will be dancing the fandango.

Was that the thunder that I heard

My head is vibrating, I feel a sharp pain

Come sit by me don't say a word

Oh can it be that I am slain?

Quick, Magdalena, take my gun

Look up in the hills that flash of light

Aim well my little one

We may not make it through the night.

Mm, tell mama,
Where'd ya sleep last night?
Can’t ya hear me cryin'?
Hm, hm, hm.

Hey, tell me baby,
What's the matter here?
Can’t ya hear me cryin'?
Hm, hm, hm.

Hey, stop you ol' train,
Let a poor boy ride.
Can’t ya hear me cryin'?
Hm, hm, hm.

Hey, Mister Bartender,
I swear I'm not too young.
Can’t ya hear me cryin'?
Hm, hm, hm.

Blow your whistle, policeman,
My poor feet are trained to run.
Can’t ya hear me cryin'?
Hm, hm, hm.

Long-distance operator,
I hear this poor call is on the house.
Can’t ya hear me cryin'?
Hm, hm, hm.

Ashes and diamonds,
The difference I can’t see.
Can’t ya hear me cryin'?
Hm, hm, hm.

Mister Judge and Jury,
Can’t you see the shape I'm in?
Don't ya hear me cryin'?
Hm, hm, hm.

Mississippi River,
You a-runnin' too fast for me.
Can’t ya hear me cryin'?
Hm, hm, hm.

I got to know, Lord, when to pull back on the reins,
Death can be the result of the most underrated pain.
Satan whispers to ya, "Well, I don't want to bore ya,
But when ya get tired of the Miss So-and-so I got another woman for ya."

Trouble in mind, Lord, trouble in mind,
Lord, take away this trouble in mind.

When the deeds that you do don't add up to zero,
It's what's inside that counts, ask any war hero.
You think you can hide but you're never alone,
Ask Lot what he thought when his wife turned to stone.

Trouble in mind, Lord, trouble in mind,
Lord, take away this trouble in mind.

Here comes Satan, prince of the power of the air,
He's gonna make you a law unto yourself, gonna build a bird's nest in your hair.
He's gonna deaden your conscience 'til you worship the work of your own hands,
You'll be serving strangers in a strange, forsaken land.

Trouble in mind, Lord, trouble in mind,
Lord, take away this trouble in mind.

Well, your true love has caught you where you don't belong,
You say, "Baby, everybody's doing it so I guess it can't be wrong."
The truth is far from you, so you know you got to lie,
Then you're all the time defending what you can never justify.


So many of my brothers, they still want to be the boss,
They can't relate to the Lord's kingdom, they can't relate to the cross.
They self-inflict punishment on their own broken lives,
Put their faith in their possessions, in their jobs or their wives.


When my life is over, it'll be like a puff of smoke,
How long must I suffer, Lord, how long must I be provoked?
Satan will give you a little taste, then he'll move in with rapid speed,
Lord keep my blind side covered and see that I don't bleed.

If today was not an endless highway,
If tonight was not a crooked trail,
If tomorrow wasn't such a long time,
Then lonesome would mean nothing to me at all.
Yes, and only if my own true love was waitin',
Yes, and if I could hear her heart a-softly poundin',
Only if she was lyin' by me,
Then I'd lie in my bed once again.

I can't see my reflection in the waters,
I can't speak the sounds that show no pain,
I can't hear the echo of my footsteps,
Or can't remember the sound of my own name.
Yes, and only if my own true love was waitin',
Yes, and if I could hear her heart a-softly poundin',
Only if she was lyin' by me,
Then I'd lie in my bed once again.

There's beauty in the silver, singin' river,
There's beauty in the sunrise 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 waitin',
Yes, and if I could hear her heart a-softly poundin',
Only if she was lyin' by me,
Then I'd lie in my bed once again.

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 been drivin' a long, long time
And now he's stuck on top of the hill.
With twelve forward gears, it's been a long hard climb,
And with all of them ladies, though, he's lonely still.

Well, he deep in number and heavy in toil,
Mighty Mockingbird, he still has such a heavy load.
Beneath his boundaries, what more can I tell,
With all of his traveling', but I'm still on that road.

She's like sweet water that runs down my face,
I keep her posted in diamonds and lace.
I give her freedom and what else I can find,
But I know she's restless in her mind
And the wandering kind.

Way down in Texas many years ago,
She traveled with me to ease my heavy load.
Some big shot saw her 'cause she looked so fine,
How was he to know she was restless in her mind
And the wandering kind.

A strange bedfellow wandered in her room
She was more unfaithful than I ever could assume
She took his money and slayed him from behind
'Cause she knew she was restless in her mind
She's the wander kind.

Down at the border with new plans of my own
Don't need no woman I'll go it alone
I miss my baby and I can't keep from cryin'
'Cause I know she's restless in her mind
And the wandering kind.

I should have known better than to get mixed up with her
I guess I'll never know for sure
For better or worse the situation now is reversed
And I'm broke 'cause she is no longer first in my heart.

I wrote this letter before leaving the hotel
To where she's staying in that dark adobe cell
I tried to help her but she knows I'm not blind
And because I'm not restless in my mind
I'm the wandering kind.

My parents raised me tenderly,
I was their only son.
My mind got mixed with ramblin'
When I was all so young,
And I left my home the first time
When I was twelve and one.
I'm a long time a-comin', Maw,
An' I'll be a long time gone.

On the western side of Texas,
On the Texas plains,
I tried to find a job o'work
But they said I's young of age.
My eyes they burned when I heard,
"Go home where you belong!"
I'm a long time a-comin',
An' I'll be a long time gone.

I remember when I's ramblin'
Around with the carnival trains,
Different towns, different people,
Somehow they're all the same.
I remember children's faces best,
I remember travelin' on.
I'm a long time a-comin',
I'll be a long time gone.

I once loved a fair young maid
An' I ain't too big to tell,
If she broke my heart a single time,
She broke it ten or twelve.
I walked and talked all by myself,
I did not tell no one.
I'm a long time a-comin', babe,
An' I'll be a long time gone.

Many times by the highway side,
I tried to flag a ride.
With bloodshot eyes and gritting teeth,
I'd watch the cars roll by.
The empty air hung in my head
I's thinkin' all day long.
I'm a long time a-comin',
An' I'll be a long time gone.

You might see me on your crossroads
When I'm a-passin' through.
Remember me how you wished to
As I'm a-driftin' from your view.
I ain't got the time to think about it,
I got too much to get done.
Well, I'm a long time comin'
An' I'll be a long time gone.

If I can't help somebody
With a word or song,
If I can't show somebody
They are travelin' wrong.
But I know I ain't no prophet
An' I ain't no prophet's son.
I'm just a long time a-comin'
An' I'll be a long time gone.

So you can have your beauty,
It's skin deep and it only lies.
And you can have your youth,
It'll rot before your eyes.
Just give to me my gravestone
With it clearly carved upon:
"I's a long time a-comin',
An' I'll be a long time gone."

We have got to come together
How long can we stay apart?
You may get it maybe never
But it's coming from the heart.

Your life is full of indecision
You can't make up your mind.
We must get it in position
And move it on down the line.

'Cause the road is long, it's a long hard climb
I been on that road too long of a time
Yes the road is long, and it descend

When I think of the love that I left behind.

Make me up a bed of roses
And hang them down from the vine
Of all my loves you've been the closest
That's ever been on my mind.

Please don't talk about tomorrow
I'm really not one to care
This world is filled with too much sorrow
That nobody's heart should bear.

'Cause the road is long, it's a long hard climb
I been on that road too long of a time
Yes the road is long, and it winds and winds
When I think of the love that I left behind.

Please, please give me indication
Stop and talk to me
Like a river that is flowing
My love will never cease to be.

You will always be my honey
No one could take your part
Our love can't be bought with money
'Cause it's coming from the heart.

'Cause the road is long, it's a long hard climb
I been on that road too long of a time
Yes the road is long, and it winds and winds
When I think of the love that I left behind.

Sad I'm sittin' on the railroad track,
Watchin' that old smokestack.
Train is a-leavin' but it won't be back.

Years ago we hung around,
Watchin' trains roll through the town.
Now that train is a-graveyard bound.

Where we go up in that North Country,
Lakes and streams and mines so free,
I had no better friend than he.

Something happened to him that day,
I thought I heard a stranger say,
I hung my head and stole away.

A diesel truck was rollin' slow,
Pullin' down a heavy load.
It left him on a Utah road.

They carried him back to his home town,
His mother cried, his sister moaned,
Listen' to them church bells tone

Now, I try, oh for so awfully long
And I just try to be.
And now, oh it's a gold mine
But it's so fine.
Yes, but I know in my head
That we're all so misled,
And it's that ol' sign on the cross
That worries me.

Now, when I was just a bawling' child,
I saw what I wanted to be,
And it's all for the sake
Of that picture I should see.
But I was lost on the moon
As I heard that front door slam,
And that old sign on the cross
Still worries me.

Well, it's that old sign on the cross,
Well, it's that old key to the kingdom,
Well, it's that old sign on the cross
Like you used to be.

But, when I hold my head so high
As I see my ol' friends go by,
And it's still that sign on the cross
That worries me.

Well, it seems to be the sign on the cross. Ev'ry day,
ev'ry night, see the sign on the cross just layin' up
on top of the hill. Yes, we thought it might have
disappeared long ago, but I'm here to tell you, friends,
that I'm afraid it's lyin' there still. Yes, just a
little time is all you need, you might say, but I don't
know 'bout that any more, because the bird is here and
you might want to enter it, but, of course, the door might
be closed. But I just would like to tell you one time,
if I don't see you again, that the thing is, that the sign
on the cross is the thing you might need the most.

Yes, the sign on the cross
Is just a sign on the cross.
Well, there is some on every chisel
And there is some in the championship, too.
Oh, when your, when your days are numbered
And your nights are long,
You might think you're weak
But I mean to say you're strong.
Yes you are, if that sign on the cross,
If it begins to worry you.
Well, that's all right because sing a song
And all your troubles will pass right on through.

"Twas down in Mississippi no so long ago,
When a young boy from Chicago town stepped through a Southern door.
This boy's dreadful tragedy I can still remember well,
The color of his skin was black and his name was Emmett Till.

Some men they dragged him to a barn and there they beat him up.
They said they had a reason, but I can't remember what.
They tortured him and did some evil things too evil to repeat.
There was screaming sounds inside the barn, there was laughing sounds out on the street.

Then they rolled his body down a gulf amidst a bloody red rain
And they threw him in the waters wide to cease his screaming pain.
The reason that they killed him there, and I'm sure it ain't no lie,
Was just for the fun of killin' him and to watch him slowly die.

And then to stop the United States of yelling for a trial,
Two brothers they confessed that they had killed poor Emmett Till.
But on the jury there were men who helped the brothers commit this awful crime,
And so this trial was a mockery, but nobody seemed to mind.

I saw the morning papers but I could not bear to see
The smiling brothers walkin' down the courthouse stairs.
For the jury found them innocent and the brothers they went free,
While Emmett's body floats the foam of a Jim Crow southern sea.

If you can't speak out against this kind of thing, a crime that's so unjust,
Your eyes are filled with dead men's dirt, your mind is filled with dust.
Your arms and legs they must be in shackles and chains, and your blood it must refuse to flow,
For you let this human race fall down so God-awful low!

This song is just a reminder to remind your fellow man
That this kind of thing still lives today in that ghost-robed Ku Klux Klan.
But if all of us folks that thinks alike, if we gave all we could give,
We could make this great land of ours a greater place to live.

To preach of peace and brotherhood,
Oh, what might be the cost!
A man he did it long ago
And they hung him on a cross.
Long ago, far away;
These things don't happen
No more, nowadays.

The chains of slaves
They dragged the ground
With heads and hearts hung low.
But it was during Lincoln's time
And it was long ago.
Long ago, far away;
Things like that don't happen
No more, nowadays.

The war guns they went off wild,
The whole world bled its blood.
Men's bodies floated on the edge
Of oceans made of mud.
Long ago, far away;
Those kind of things don't happen
No more, nowadays.

One man had much money,
One man had not enough to eat,
One man lived just like a king,
The other man begged on the street.
Long ago, far away;
These things don't happen
No more, nowadays.

One man died of a knife so sharp,
One man died from the bullet of a gun,
One man died of a broken heart
To see the lynchin' of his son.
Long ago, far away;
Things like that don't happen
No more, nowadays.

Gladiators killed themselves,
It was during the Roman times.
People cheered with bloodshot grins
As eyes and minds went blind.
Long ago, far away;
Things like that don't happen
No more, nowadays.

And to talk of peace and brotherhood,
Oh, what might be the cost!
A man he did it long ago
And they hung him on a cross.
Long ago, far away;
Things like that don't happen
No more, nowadays, do they?

Santa-Fe,
Dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa-Fe,
My woman needs it ev'ryday,
She promised this a-lad she'd stay,
She's rollin' up a lotta bread
To toss away.
She's in Santa-Fe,
Dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa-Fe
Now she's opened up an old maid's home,
She's proud, but she needs to roam,
She's gonna write herself a roadside poem,
About Santa-Fe.

Santa-Fe,
Dear, dear, dear, dear Santa-Fe.
Since I'm never gonna cease to roam,
I'm never, ever far from home,
But I'll build a geodesic dome
And sail away.
Don't feel bad.
No, no, no, no, don't feel bad
It's the best food I've ever had.
Makes me feel so glad
That she's cooking in a home-made pad
She never caught a cold so bad
When I'm away.

Santa-Fe,
Dear, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa-Fe.
My shrimp boat's in the bay
I won't have my nature this way,
And I'm leanin' on the wheel each day
To drift away
From Santa-Fe,
Dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa-Fe.
My sister looks good at home,
She's lickin' on an ice cream cone,
She's packin' her big white comb,
What does it weigh?

For his age, he's wise
He's got his mother's eyes
There's gladness in his heart
He's young and he's wild
My only prayer is, if I can't be there,
Lord, protect my child

As his youth now unfolds
He is centuries old
Just to see him at play makes me smile
No matter what happens to me
No matter what my destiny
Lord, protect my child

While the world is asleep
You can look at it and weep
Few things you find are worthwhile
And though I don't ask for much
No material things to touch
Lord, protect my child

He's young and on fire
Full of hope and desire
In a world that's been raped, raped and defiled
If I fall along the way
And can't see another day
Lord, protect my child

There'll be a time I hear tell
When all will be well
When God and man will be reconciled
But until men lose their chains
And righteousness reigns
Lord, protect my child

Tell me, I've got to know.
Tell me, tell me before I go.
Does that flame still burn? Does that fire still glow?
Or has it died out and melted like the snow.
Tell me.
Tell me.

Tell me, what are you focused upon?
Tell me what I'll know better when you're gone.
Tell me quick with a glance on the side.
Shall I hold you close?
Or Shall I let you go by?
Tell me.
Tell me.

Are you looking at me and thinking of somebody else?
Can you feel the heat and the beat of my pulse?
Do you have any secrets that will come out in time?
Do you lie in bed and stare at the stars?
Is your main friend an acquaintance of ours?
Tell me.
Tell me.

Tell me, do those neon lights blind your eyes?
Tell me, behind what door your treasure lies.
Ever gone broke in a big way?
Ever gone the opposite of what the experts say?
Tell me.
Tell me.

Is it some kind of game that you're playin' with me.
Am I imagining something that never can be?
Do you have any morals?
Do you have any point of view?
Do you long to ride on that old ship of Zion?
What means more to you, a lap dog or a dead lion?
Tell me.


Tell me, is my name in your book?
Tell me, should I come back and take another look?
Tell me the truth, tell me no lies.
Are you someone, anyone?
Tell me.
Tell me.

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 about.
Someday maybe
I'll remember to forget.

I'm gonna get my coat,
I feel the breath of a storm.
There's something I've got to do tonight,
You go inside and stay warm.

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 nothin' worth stealin' 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 you're too good for me.

Has anybody seen my love,
Has anybody seen my love,
Has anybody seen my love.
I don't know,
Has anybody seen my love?

Well, they're not showing any lights tonight
And there's no moon.
There's just a hot-blooded singer
Singing "Memphis in June,"
While they're beatin' 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.

Never could learn to drink that blood
And call it wine,
Never could learn to hold you, love,
And call you mine

They say "Drink and be merry,
Take the bull by the horns."
I keep seeing visions of you, a lily among thorns
Everything looks a little far away to me

Gettin' harder and harder to recognize the trap
Too much information about nothin'
Too much educated rap
It's just like you told me, just like you said it would be

The moon rising like wildfire
I feel the breath of a storm
Something I got to do tonight
You go inside and stay warm

Someone's got a hold of my heart
You-
Yeah, you got a hold of my heart

Just got back from a city of powder blue skies
Everybody thinks with their stomach
There's plenty of spies
Every street is crooked, they just wind around till they disappear

Madame Butterfly, she lulls me to sleep
Like an ancient river
So wide and deep
She said, "Be easy, baby, ain't nothin' worth stealin' here"

You're the one I've been waitin' for
You're the one I desire
But you must first realize
I'm not another man for hire

Someone's got a hold of my heart
You, you, you, you
Yeah, you got a hold of my heart

I hear the hot-blooded singer
On the bandstand croon
September Song, Memphis in June
While they're beating the devil out of a guy who's wearing a flaming red wig

I been to Babylon
I gotta confess
I can still hear that voice crying in the wilderness
What looks large from a distance, close up is never that big
Never could learn to drink that blood and call it wine
Never could learn to look at your face and call it mine.

Yeah, you got a hold of my heart

Well, it's always been my nature to take chances
My right hand drawing back while my left hand advances
Where the current is strong and the monkey dances
To the tune of a concertina

Blood dryin' in my yellow hair as I go from shore to shore
I know what it is that has drawn me to your door
But whatever it could be, makes you think you've seen me before
Angelina

Oh, Angelina. Oh, Angelina

His eyes were two slits that would make a snake proud
With a face that any painter would paint as he walked through the crowd
Worshipping a god with the body of a woman well endowed
And the head of a hyena

Do I need your permission to turn the other cheek?
If you can read my mind, why must I speak?
No, I have heard nothing about the man that you seek
Angelina

Oh, Angelina. Oh, Angelina

In the valley of the giants where the stars and stripes explode
The peaches they were sweet and the milk and honey flowed
I was only following instructions when the judge sent me down the road
With your subpoena

When you cease to exist, then who will you blame?
I've tried my best to love you, but I cannot play this game
Your best friend and my worst enemy is one and the same
Angelina



There's a black Mercedes rollin' 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
Maybe down 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 wearin' a blindfold
And so are you, 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 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
Pass the tree of smoke, pass the angel with four faces
Begging God for mercy and weepin' in unholy places
Angelina

It's been raining in the trenches all day long, dripping down to my clothes,
My patience is wearing thin, got a fire inside my nose.
Searching for the truth the way God designed it,
The truth is I might drown before I find it.

Well I need a woman, yes I do
Need a woman, yes I do.
Someone who can see me as I am,
Somebody who just don't give a damn.
And I want you to be that woman every night,
Be that woman.

I've had my eyes on you baby for about five long years,
You probably don't know me at all, but I have seen your laughter and tears.
Now you don't frighten me, my heart is jumping
And you look like it wouldn't hurt you none to have a man who could give ya something.

Well, if you believe in something long enough you just naturally come to think it's true.
There ain't no wall you can't cross over, ain't no fire you can't walk through.
Well, believing is all right, just don't let the wrong people know what it's all about.
They might put the evil eye on you, use their hidden powers to try to turn you out.

Well I need a woman, just to be my queen.
Need a woman, know what I mean

You harbor resentment
You know there ain't too much of a thrill
You wish for contentment
But you got an emptiness that can't be filled
You've had enough hatred
Your bones are breaking (and you )can't find nothing sacred, (but)

Ye shall be changed, ye shall be changed
In a twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet blows
The dead will arise and burst out of your cloths
And ye shall be changed

Everything you've gotten
You've gotten by sweat, blood and muscle
From early in the morning 'til way past dark
All you ever do is hustle
All your loved ones have walked out the door
You're not even sure 'bout your wife and kids no more, but

Ye shall be changed, ye shall be changed
In a twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet blows
The dead will arise and burst out of your cloths
And ye shall be changed

(Now )the past don't control you
But the future's like a roulette wheel spinning
(And )deep down inside
You know you need a whole new beginning
Don't have to go to Russia or Iran
Just surrender to God and He'll move you right here where you stand, and

Ye shall be changed, ye shall be changed
In a twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet blows
The dead will arise and burst out of your cloths
And ye shall be changed

You drink bitter water
And you been eating the bread of sorrow
You can't live for today
When all you're ever thinking of is tomorrow
The path you've endured has been rough
And when you've decided that you've had enough, then

Ye shall be changed, ye shall be changed
In a twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet blows
The dead will arise and burst out of your cloths
And ye shall be changed

Lazy stadium night
Catfish on the mound.
"Strike three," the umpire said,
Batter have to go back and sit down.

Catfish, million-dollar-man,
Nobody can throw the ball like Catfish can.

Used to work on Mr. Finley's farm
But the old man wouldn't pay
So he packed his glove and took his arm
An' one day he just ran away.

Come up where the Yankees are,
Dress up in a pinstripe suit,
Smoke a custom-made cigar,
Wear an alligator boot.

Carolina born and bred,
Love to hunt the little quail.
Got a hundred-acre spread,
Got some huntin' dogs for sale.

Reggie Jackson at the plate
Seein' nothin' but the curve,
Swing too early or too late
Got to eat what Catfish serve.


Even Billy Martin grins
When the Fish is in the game.
Every season twenty wins
Gonna make the Hall of Fame.

Smoky autumn night, stars up in the sky,
I see the sailin' boats across the bay go by.
Eucalyptus trees hang above the street
And then I turn my head, for you're approaching' me.
Moonlight on the water, fisherman's daughter, floating' in to my room
With a golden loom.

First we wash our feet near the immortal shrine
And then our shadows meet and then we drink the wine.
I see the hungry clouds up above your face
And then the tears roll down, what a bitter taste.
And then you drift away on a summer's day where the wildflowers bloom
With your golden loom.

I walk across the bridge in the dismal light
Where all the cars are stripped between the gates of night.
I see the trembling lion with the lotus flower tail
And then I kiss your lips as I lift your veil.
But you're gone and then all I seem to recall is the smell of perfume
And your golden loom.

Wallflower, wallflower
Won't you dance with me?
I'm sad and lonely too.
Wallflower, wallflower
Won't you dance with me?
I'm fallin' in love with you.

Just like you I'm wondrin' what I'm doin' here.
Just like you I'm wondrin' what's goin' on.
The night will soon be gone.

I have seen you standing in the smoky haze
And I know that you're gonna be mine one of these days,
Mine alone.

Wallflower, wallflower
Take a chance on me.
Please let me ride you home.

Seven days, seven more days she'll be comin'
I'll be waiting at the station for her to arrive
Seven more days, all I gotta do is survive.

She been gone ever since I been a child
Ever since I seen her smile, I ain't forgotten her eyes.
She had a face that could outshine the sun in the skies.

I been good, I been good while I been waitin'
Maybe guilty of hesitating', I just been holding' on
Seven more days, all that'll be gone.

There's kissing in the valley,
Thieving in the alley,
Fighting every inch of the way.
Trying to be tender
With somebody I remember
In a night that's always brighter'n the day.

Seven days, seven more days that are connected
Just like I expected, she'll be comin' on forth,
My beautiful comrade from the north.

There's kissing in the valley,
Thieving in the alley,
Fighting every inch of the way.
Trying to be tender
With somebody I remember
In a night that's always brighter'n the day.

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
Preacher talking 'bout Christ betrayed
It's like the earth just opened and swallowed him up
He reached too high, was thrown back to the ground
You know what they say about bein' nice to the right people on the way up
Sooner or later you gonna meet them comin' down

Well, there ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride come down
Ain't no goin' back

Hear ya got a brother named James, don't forget faces or names
Sunken cheeks and his blood is mixed
He looked straight into the sun and said revenge is mine
But he drinks, and drinks can be fixed
Sing me one more song, about ya love me to the moon and the stranger
And your fall by the sword love affair with 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 goin' back when your foot of pride come down
Ain't no goin' back

There's a retired businessman named Red, cast down from heaven and he's out of his head
He feeds off of everyone that he can touch
He said he only deals in cash or sells tickets to a plane crash
He's not somebody that you play around with much
Miss Delilah is his, a Philistine is what she is
She'll do wondrous works with your fate
Feed you coconut bread, spice buns in your bed
If you don't mind sleepin' with your head face down in a grave.

Well, there ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride come down
Ain't no goin' back

Well they'll choose a man for you to meet tonight
You'll play the fool and learn how to walk through doors
How to enter into the gates of paradise
No, how to carry a burden too heavy to be yours
Yeah, from the stage they'll be tryin' to get water outta rocks
A whore will pass the hat, collect a hundred grand and say thanks
They like to take all this money from sin, build big universities to study in
Sing "Amazing Grace" all the way to the Swiss banks

Well, there ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride come down
Ain't no goin' back

They got some beautiful people out there, man
They can be a terror to your mind and show you how to hold your tongue
They got mystery written all over their forehead
They kill babies in the crib and say only the good die young
They don't believe in mercy
Judgment on them is something that you'll never see
They can exalt you up or bring you down main route
Turn you into anything that they want you to be

Well, there ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride come down
Ain't no goin' back

Yes, I guess I loved him too
I can still see him in my mind 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 nothin' left here partner, just the dust of a plague that has left this whole town afraid
From now on, this'll be where you're from
Let the dead bury the dead. Your time will come
Let hot iron blow as he raised the shade

Well, there ain't no goin' back when your foot of pride come down
Ain't no goin' back

Well, the rainman comes with his magic wand
And the judge says, "Mona can't have no bond."
And the walls collide, Mona cries,
And the rainman leaves in the wolfman's disguise.

I wanna be your lover, baby, I wanna be your man.
I wanna be your lover, baby,
I don't wanna be hers, I wanna be yours.

Well, the undertaker in his midnight suit
Says to the masked man, "Ain't you cute!"
Well, the mask man he gets up on the shelf
And he says, "You ain't so bad yourself."

I wanna be your lover, baby, I wanna be your man.
I wanna be your lover, baby,
I don't wanna be hers, I wanna be yours.

Well, jumpin' Judy can't go no higher.
She had bullets in her eyes, and they fire.
Rasputin he's so dignified,
He touched the back of her head an' he died.

I wanna be your lover, baby, I wanna be your man.
I wanna be your lover, baby,
I don't wanna be hers, I wanna be yours.

Well, Phaedra with her looking glass,
Stretchin' out upon the grass.
She gets all messed up and she faints
That's 'cause she's so obvious and you ain't.

I wanna be your lover, baby, I wanna be your man.
I wanna be your lover, baby,
I don't wanna be hers, I wanna be yours.

Well, she's got Jet Pilot eyes from her hips on down.
All the bombardiers are trying to force her out of town.
She's five feet nine and she carries a monkey wrench.
She weighs more by the foot than she does by the inch.
She got all the downtown boys, all at her command
But you've got to watch her closely 'cause she ain't no woman
She's a man.

Sometimes I'm in the, I wanna leave my lonesome home
And sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna hear my milk cow moan
And sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna hit the highway road
But then again, but then again, I said oh, I said oh, I said
Oh babe, I'm in the mood for you.

Sometimes I'm in the mood, Lord, I had my overflowin' fill
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I'm gonna make out my final will
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I'm gonna head for the walkin' hill
But then again, but then again, I said oh, I said oh, I said
Oh babe, I'm in the mood for you.

Sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna lay right down and die
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna climb up to the sky
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I'm gonna laugh until I cry
But then again, I said again, I said again, I said
Oh babe, I'm in the mood for you.

Sometimes I'm in the mood, I'm gonna sleep in my pony's stall
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I ain't gonna do nothin' at all
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna fly like a cannon ball
But then again, but then again, I said oh, I said oh, I said
Oh babe, I'm in the mood for you.

Sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna back up against the wall
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna run till I have to crawl
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I ain't gonna do nothin' at all
But then again, but then again, I said oh, I said oh, I said
Oh babe, I'm in the mood for you.

Sometimes I'm in the mood, I wanna change my house around
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I'm gonna make a change in this here town
Sometimes I'm in the mood, I'm gonna change the world around
But then again, but then again, I said oh, I said oh, I said
Oh babe, I'm in the mood for 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

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 and times are strange
I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range
I used to care, but things have changed

This place ain't doing me any good
I'm in the wrong town, I should be in Hollywood
Just for a second there I thought I saw something move
Gonna take dancing lessons do the jitterbug rag
Ain't no shortcuts, gonna dress in drag
Only a fool in here would think he's got anything to prove


Lot of water under the bridge, Lot of other stuff too
Don't get up gentlemen, I'm only passing through



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



I hurt easy, I just don't show it
You can hurt someone and not even know it
The next sixty seconds could be like an eternity
Gonna get low-down, gonna fly high
All the truth in the world adds up to one big lie
I'm in love with a woman who don't even appeal to me
Mr. Jinx and Miss Lucy, they jumped in the lake
I'm not that eager to make a mistake

He sits in your room, his tomb, with a fist full of tacks
Preoccupied with his vengeance
Cursing the dead that can't answer him back
I'm sure that he has no intentions
Of looking your way, unless it's to say
That he needs you to test his inventions.

Can you please crawl out your window?
Use your arms and legs it won't ruin you
How can you say he will haunt you?
You can go back to him any time you want to.

He looks so truthful, is this how he feels
Trying to peel the moon and expose it
With his businesslike anger and his bloodhounds that kneel
If he needs a third eye he just grows it
He just needs you to talk or to hand him his chalk
Or pick it up after he throws it.

Why does he look so righteous while your face is so changed
Are you frightened of the box you keep him in
While his genocide fools and his friends rearrange
Their religion of the little ten women
That backs up their views but your face is so bruised
Come on out the dark is beginning.

I can hear the turning of the key
I've been deceived by the clown inside of me.
I thought that he was righteous but he's vain
Oh, something's a-telling me I wear the ball and chain.

My patron saint is a-fighting with a ghost
He's always off somewhere when I need him most.
The Spanish moon is rising on the hill
But my heart is a-tellin' me I love ya still.

I come back to the town from the flaming moon
I see you in the streets, I begin to swoon.
I love to see you dress before the mirror
Won't you let me in your room one time 'fore I finally disappear?

Everybody's wearing a disguise
To hide what they've got left behind their eyes.
But me, I can't cover what I am
Wherever the children go I'll follow them.

I march in the parade of liberty
But as long as I love you I'm not free.
How long must I suffer such abuse
Won't you let me see you smile one time before I turn you loose?

I've given up the game, I've got to leave,
The pot of gold is only make-believe.
The treasure can't be found by men who search
Whose gods are dead and whose queens are in the church.

We sat in an empty theater and we kissed,
I asked ya please to cross me off-a your list.
My head tells me it's time to make a change
But my heart is telling me I love ya but you're strange.

One more time at midnight, near the wall
Take off your heavy make-up and your shawl.
Won't you descend from the throne, from where you sit?
Let me feel your love one more time before I abandon it.

I got mixed up confusion
Man, it's a-killin' me

Well, there's too many people
And they're all too hard to please

Well, my hat's in my hand
Babe, I'm walkin' down the line
An' I'm lookin' for a woman
Whose head's mixed up like mine

Well, my head's full of questions
My temperature's risin' fast
Well, I'm lookin' for some answers
But I don't know who to ask

But I'm walkin' and wonderin'
And my poor feet don't ever stop

Seein' my reflection
I'm hung over, hung down, hung up!

Old Reilly stole a stallion
But they caught him and they brought him back
And they laid him down on the jailhouse ground
With an iron chain around his neck.

Old Reilly's daughter got a message
That her father was goin' to hang.
She rode by night and came by morning
With gold and silver in her hand.

When the judge he saw Reilly's daughter
His old eyes deepened in his head,
Sayin', "Gold will never free your father,
The price, my dear, is you instead."

"Oh I'm as good as dead," cried Reilly,
"It's only you that he does crave
And my skin will surely crawl if he touches you at all.
Get on your horse and ride away."

"Oh father you will surely die
If I don't take the chance to try
And pay the price and not take your advice.
For that reason I will have to stay."

The gallows shadows shook the evening,
In the night a hound dog bayed,
In the night the grounds were groanin',
In the night the price was paid.

The next mornin' she had awoken
To know that the judge had never spoken.
She saw that hangin' branch a-bendin',
She saw her father's body broken.

These be seven curses on a judge so cruel:
That one doctor will not save him,
That two healers will not heal him,
That three eyes will not see him.

That four ears will not hear him,
That five walls will not hide him,
That six diggers will not bury him
And that seven deaths shall never kill him.

Well, I'm standin' on the highway
Tryin' to bum a ride, tryin' to bum a ride,
Tryin' to bum a ride.
Nobody seem to know me,
Everybody pass me by.

Well, I'm standin' on the highway
Tryin to hold up and be brave.
Well, I'm standin' on the highway
One roads goin' to the bright lights,
The others goin' down to my grave.

Well, I'm lookin' down at two card,
They seem to be handmade.
Well, I'm lookin' down at two card,
They seem to be handmade.
One looks like it's the ace of diamonds,
The other looks like it is the ace of spades.

Well, I'm standin' on the highway
Watchin' my life roll by.
Tryin' to bum a ride.

Wonderin' where everybody went,

Please mister, pick me up,
I swear I ain't gonna kill nobody's kids.

I wonder if my good gal,
I wonder if she knows I'm here,
Nobody else seems to know I'm here.
I wonder if my good gal,
I wonder if she knows I'm here,
Nobody else seems to know I'm here.
If she knows I'm here, Lawd,
I wonder if she said a prayer.

Come you ladies and you gentlemen, a-listen to my song.
Sing it to you right, but you might think it's wrong.
Just a little glimpse of a story I'll tell
"Bout an East Coast city that you all know well.
It's hard times in the city,
Livin' down in New York town.

Old New York City is a friendly old town,
From Washington Heights to Harlem on down.
There's a-mighty many people all millin' all around,
They'll kick you when you're up and knock you when you're down.
It's hard times in the city,
Livin' down in New York town.

It's a mighty long ways from the Golden Gate
To Rockefeller Plaza n' the Empire State.
Mister Rockefeller sets up as high as a bird,
Old Mister Empire never says a word.
It's hard times from the country,
Livin' down in New York town.

Well, it's up in the mornin' tryin' to fins a job of work.
Stand in one place till your feet begin to hurt.
If you go a lot o' money you can make yourself merry,
If you only got a nickel, it's the Staten Island Ferry.
And it's hard times in the city,
Livin' down in New York town.

Mister Hudson come a-sailin' down the stream
And old Mister Minuet paid for his dream.
Bought your city on a one-way track,
'F I had my way I'd sell it right back.
And it's hard times in the city,
Livin' down in New York town.

I'll take all the smog in Cal-i-for-ne-ay,
'N' every bit of dust in the Oklahoma plains,
'N' the dirt in the caves of the Rocky Mountain mines.
It's all much cleaner than the New York kind.
And it's hard times in the city,
Livin' down in New York town.

So all you newsy people, spread the news around,
You c'n listen to m' story, listen to m' song.
You c'n step on my name, you c'n try 'n' get me beat,
When I leave New York, I'll be standin' on my feet.
And it's hard times in the city,
Livin' down in New York town.

I will not go down under the ground
"Cause somebody tells me that death's comin' 'round
An' I will not carry myself down to die
When I go to my grave my head will be high,
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.

There's been rumors of war and wars that have been
The meaning of the life has been lost in the wind
And some people thinkin' that the end is close by
"Stead of learnin' to live they are learning to die.
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.

I don't know if I'm smart but I think I can see
When someone is pullin' the wool over me
And if this war comes and death's all around
Let me die on this land 'fore I die underground.

There's always been people that have to cause fear
They've been talking of the war now for many long years
I have read all their statements and I've not said a word
But now Lawd God, let my poor voice be heard.

If I had rubies and riches and crowns
I'd buy the whole world and change things around
I'd throw all the guns and the tanks in the sea
For they are mistakes of a past history.

Let me drink from the waters where the mountain streams flood
Let me smell of wildflowers flow free through my blood
Let me sleep in your meadows with the green grassy leaves
Let me walk down the highway with my brother in peace.

Go out in your country where the land meets the sun
See the craters and the canyons where the waterfalls run
Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho
Let every state in this union seep in your souls.
And you'll die in your footsteps
Before you go down under the ground.

Come around you rovin' gamblers and a story I will tell
About the greatest gambler, you all should know him well.
His name was Will O' Conley and he gambled all his life,
He had twenty-seven children, yet he never had a wife.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.

He gambled in the White House and in the railroad yards,
Wherever there was people, there was Willie and his cards.
He had a reputation as the gamblin'est man around,
Wives would keep their husbands home when Willie came to town.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.

Sailin' down the Mississippi to a town called New Orleans,
They're still talkin' about their card game on that Jackson River Queen.
"I've come to win some money," Gamblin' Willie says,
When the game finally ended up, the whole damn boat was his.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.

Up in the Rocky Mountains in a town called Cripple Creek,
There was an all-night poker game, lasted about a week.
Nine hundred miners had laid their money down,
When Willie finally left the room, he owned the whole damn town.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.

But Willie had a heart of gold and this I know is true,
He supported all his children, and all their mothers too.
He wore no rings or fancy things, like other gamblers wore,
He spread his money far and wide, to help the sick and the poor.
And it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll, Willie, roll,
Wherever you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.


I'll sing you a song, ain't very long,
'Bout an old man who never done wrong.
How he died nobody can say,
They found him dead in the street one day.

Well, the crowd, they gathered one fine morn,
At the man whose clothes 'n' shoes were torn.
There on the sidewalk he did lay,
They stopped 'n' stared 'n' walked their way.

Well, the policeman come and he looked around,
"Get up, old man, or I'm a-takin' you down."
He jabbed him once with his billy club
And the old man then rolled off the curb.

Well, he jabbed him again and loudly said,
"Call the wagon; this man is dead."
The wagon come, they loaded him in,
I never saw the man again.

I've sung you my song, it ain't very long,
'Bout an old man who never done wrong.
How he died no one can say,
They found him dead in the street one day.

Who killed Davey Moore,
Why an' what's the reason for?

"Not I," says the referee,
"Don't point your finger at me.
I could've stopped it in the eighth
An' maybe kept him from his fate,
But the crowd would've booed, I'm sure,
At not gettin' their money's worth.
It's too bad he had to go,
But there was a pressure on me too, you know.
It wasn't me that made him fall.
No, you can't blame me at all."

"Not us," says the angry crowd,
Whose screams filled the arena loud.
"It's too bad he died that night
But we just like to see a fight.
We didn't mean for him t' meet his death,
We just meant to see some sweat,
There ain't nothing wrong in that.
It wasn't us that made him fall.
No, you can't blame us at all."

Who killed Davey Moore,
Why an' what's the reason for?

"Not me," says his manager,
Puffing on a big cigar.
"It's hard to say, it's hard to tell,
I always thought that he was well.
It's too bad for his wife an' kids he's dead,
But if he was sick, he should've said.
It wasn't me that made him fall.
No, you can't blame me at all."

"Not me," says the gambling man,
With his ticket stub still in his hand.
"It wasn't me that knocked him down,
My hands never touched him none.
I didn't commit no ugly sin,
Anyway, I put money on him to win.
It wasn't me that made him fall.
No, you can't blame me at all."

"Not me," says the boxing writer,
Pounding print on his old typewriter,
Sayin', "Boxing ain't to blame,
There's just as much danger in a football game."
Sayin', "Fist fighting is here to stay,
It's just the old American way.
It wasn't me that made him fall.
No, you can't blame me at all."

"Not me," says the man whose fists
Laid him low in a cloud of mist,
Who came here from Cuba's door
Where boxing ain't allowed no more.
"I hit him, yes, it's true,
But that's what I am paid to do.
Don't say 'murder,' don't say 'kill.'
It was destiny, it was God's will."

As I was out walking on a corner one day,
I spied an old hobo, in a doorway he lay.
His face was all grounded in the cold sidewalk floor
And I guess he'd been there for the whole night or more.

Only a hobo, but one more is gone
Leavin' nobody to sing his sad song
Leavin' nobody to carry him home
Only a hobo, but one more is gone

A blanket of newspaper covered his head,
As the curb was his pillow, the street was his bed.
One look at his face showed the hard road he'd come
And a fistful of coins showed the money he bummed.

Does it take much of a man to see his whole life go down,
To look up on the world from a hole in the ground,
To wait for your future like a horse that's gone lame,
To lie in the gutter and die with no name?

Perhaps it's the color of the sun cut flat
An' cov'rin' the crossroads I'm standing at,
Or maybe it's the weather or something like that,
But mama, you been on my mind.

I don't mean trouble, please don't put me down or get upset,
I am not pleadin' or sayin', "I can't forget."
I do not walk the floor bowed down an' bent, but yet,
Mama, you been on my mind.

Even though my mind is hazy an' my thoughts they might be narrow,
Where you been don't bother me nor bring me down in sorrow.
It don't even matter to me where you're wakin' up tomorrow,
But mama, you're just on my mind.

I am not askin' you to say words like "yes" or "no,"
Please understand me, I got no place for you t' go.
I'm just breathin' to myself, pretendin' not that I don't know,
Mama, you been on my mind.

When you wake up in the mornin', baby, look inside your mirror.
You know I won't be next to you, you know I won't be near.
I'd just be curious to know if you can see yourself as clear
As someone who has had you on his mind.

There's nothing 'round here I believe in
'Cept you, yeah you
And there's nothing to me that's sacred
'Cept you, yeah you

You're the one that reaches me
You're the one that I admire
Every time we meet together
My soul feels like it's on fire
Nothing matters to me
And there's nothing I desire
'Cept you, yeah you

Nothing 'round here I care to try for
'Cept you, yeah you
Got nothing left to live or die for
'Cept you, yeah you

There's a hymn I used to hear
In the churches all the time
Make me feel so good inside
So peaceful, so sublime
And there's nothing to remind me of that
Old familiar chime
'Cept you, uh huh you

Used to play in the cemetery
Dance and sing and run when I was a child
Never seemed strange
But now I just pass mournfully by
That place where the bones of life are piled
I know somethin' has changed
I'm a stranger here and no one sees me
'Cept you, yeah you

Nothing much matters or seems to please me
'Cept you, yeah you
Nothing hypnotizes me
Or holds me in a spell
Everything runs by me
Just like water from a well
Everybody wants my attention
Ev'rybody's got something to sell
'Cept you, yeah you

Oh, you can read out your Bible,

You can fall down on your knees, pretty mama,

And pray to the Lord

But it ain't gonna do no good.

You're gonna need

You're gonna need my help someday

Well, if you can't quit your sinnin'

Please quit your low-down ways.

Well, you can run down to the White House,

You can gaze at the Capitol Dome, pretty mama,

You can pound on the President's gate

But you oughta know by now it's gonna be too late.

Well, you can run down to the desert,

Throw yourself on the burning sand.

You can raise up your right hand, pretty mama,

But you better understand you done lost your one good man.

And you can hitchhike on the highway,

You can stand all alone by the side of the road.

You can try to flag a ride back home, pretty mama,

But you can't ride in my car no more.

Oh, you can read out your Bible,

You can fall down on your knees, pretty mama,

And pray to the Lord

But it ain't gonna do no good.

Well, I'm walkin' down the line,

I'm walkin' down the line

An' I'm walkin' down the line.

My feet'll be a-flyin'

To tell about my troubled mind.

I got a heavy-headed gal

I got a heavy-headed gal

I got a heavy-headed gal

She ain't feelin' well

When she's better only time will tell

My money comes and goes

My money comes and goes

My money comes and goes

And rolls and flows and rolls and flows

Through the holes in the pockets in my clothes

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

I got my walkin' shoes

I got my walkin' shoes

I got my walkin' shoes

An' I ain't a-gonna lose

I believe I got the walkin' blues

Trails of troubles,
Roads of battles,
Paths of victory,
I shall walk.

The trail is dusty
And my road it might be rough,
But the better roads are waiting
And boys it ain't far off.

Trails of troubles,
Roads of battles,
Paths of victory,
We shall walk.

I walked down by the river,
I turned my head up high.
I saw that silver linin'
That was hangin' in the sky.

Trails of troubles,
Roads of battles,
Paths of victory,
We shall walk.

The evenin' dusk was rollin',
I was walking down the track.
There was a one-way wind a-blowin'
And it was blowin' at my back.

The gravel road is bumpy,
It's a hard road to ride,
But there's a clearer road a-waitin'
With the cinders on the side.

That evening train was rollin',
The hummin' of its wheels,
My eyes they saw a better day
As I looked across the fields.


The trail is dusty,
The road it might be rough,
But the good road is a-waitin'
And boys it ain't far off.

There's an iron train a-travelin' that's been a-rollin' through the years,
With a firebox of hatred and a furnace full of fears.
If you ever heard its sound or seen its blood-red broken frame,
Then you heard my voice a-singin' and you know my name.

Did you ever stop to wonder 'bout the hatred that it holds?
Did you ever see its passengers, its crazy mixed-up souls?
Did you ever start a-thinkin' that you gotta stop that train?
Then you heard my voice a-singin' and you know my name.

Do you ever get tired of the preachin' sounds of fear
When they're hammered at your head and pounded in your ear?
Have you ever asked about it and not been answered plain?
Then you heard my voice a-singin' and you know my name.

I'm a-wonderin' if the leaders of the nations understand
This murder-minded world that they're leavin' in my hands.
Have you ever laid awake at night and wondered 'bout the same?

Have you ever had it on your lips or said it in your head
That the person standin' next to you just might be misled?
Does the raving of the maniacs make your insides go insane?

Do the kill-crazy bandits and the haters get you down?
Does the preachin' and the politics spin your head around?
Does the burning of the buses give your heart a pain?

She's No Good (Jesse Fuller )

Well, I don’t know why I love you like I do
Nobody in the world can get along with you
You got the ways of a devil sleeping in a lion's den
I come home last night you wouldn't even let me in.

Oh sometimes you're as sweet as nobody want to be
Oh when you get the crazy notion of jumping all over me
Well, you give me the blues, I guess you're satisfied
When you give me the blues I wanna lay down and die.

After when you had no shoes on your feet, pretty mama
After when you had no food to eat
Now you're that kind of woman that just don't understand
You're taking all my money and give it to another man.
give me the blues, I wanna lay down and die.

Talkin' New York

Rambling out of the wild west
Leaving the towns I love best
Thought I'd seen some ups and down
'Till I come into New York town
People going down to the ground
Building going up to the sky.

Wintertime in New York town
The wind blowing snow around
Walk around with nowhere to go
Somebody could freeze right to the bone
I froze right to the bone
New York Times said it was the coldest winter in seventeen years
I didn't feel so cold then.

I swung on to my old guitar
Grabbed hold of a subway car
And after a rocking, reeling, rolling ride
I landed up on the downtown side:
Greenwich Village.

I walked down there and ended up
In one of them coffee-houses on the block
Got on the stage to sing and play
Man there said, Come back some other day
You sound like a hillbilly
We want folksingers here.

Well, I got a harmonica job begun to play
Blowing my lungs out for a dollar a day
I blowed inside out and upside down
The man there said he loved my sound
He was raving about he loved my sound
Dollar a day's worth.

After weeks and weeks of hanging around
I finally got a job in New York town
In a bigger place, bigger money too
Even joined the Union and paid my dues.

Now, a very great man once said
That some people rob you with a fountain pen
It don't take too long to find out
Just what he was talking about
A lot of people don't have much food on their table
But they got a lot of forks and knives
And they gotta cut something.

So one morning when the sun was warm
I rambled out of New York town
Pulled my cap down over my eyes
And headed out for the western skies
So long New York
Howdy, East Orange.

In My Time Of Dyin'

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 to me,
Lord, won't you meet me with another girl?
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.

Man Of Constant Sorrow (Arranged by Bob Dylan )

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 about to trouble
Through ice and snows, sleet and rain
I'm about 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 had known how bad you'd treat me honey
I never would have come.

Fixin' To Die Blues (Bukka White )

Feeling funny in my mind, Lord
I believe I'm fixing to die
Well, I don't mind dying
But I hate to leave my children crying
Well, I look over yonder to that burying ground
Look over yonder to that burying ground
Sure seems lonesome, Lord, when the sun goes down


Feeling funny in my eyes, Lord
I believe I'm fixing to die
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
And tell Jesus make up my dying bed.

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.

Pretty Peggy-O

I've been around this whole country
But I never yet found Fenneario.

Well, as we marched down to Fennerio'
Well, our captain fell in love with a lady like a dove
Her name that she had was Pretty Peggy-O

Well, what will your mother say, what will your mother say
What will your mother say, Pretty Peggy-O
What will your mother say to know you're going away
You're never, never, never coming back-io?

Come a-running down your stairs, Pretty Peggy-O
Come a-running down your stairs
Combing back your yellow hair
You're the prettiest darned girl I ever seen-io.

The lieutenant he has gone, Pretty Peggy-O
The lieutenant he has gone, long gone
He's a-riding down in Texas with the rodeo.

Well, our captain he is dead, died for a maid
He's buried somewhere in Louisiana-O.

Well, I know that highway like I know my hand
Yes, I know that highway like I know the back of my hand
Running from up Wisconsin way down to no man's land.

Well, if I should die before my time should come
And if I should die before my time should come
Won't you bury my body out on the Highway 51.

Highway 51 runs right by my baby's door
I said, Highway 51 runs right by my baby's door
If I don't get the girl I'm loving
Won't go down to Highway 51 no more.

Gospel Plow (Arranged by Bob Dylan )

Mary wore three links of chain
Every link was Jesus name
Keep your hand on that plow, hold on
Oh Lord, Oh Lord, keep your hand on that plow, hold on.

Mary, Mark, Luke and John
All these prophets so good and gone
Keep your hand on that plow, hold on
Oh Lord, Oh Lord, keep your hand on that plow, hold on
Well, I never been to heaven
But I've been told streets up there
Are lined with gold
Keep your hand on that plow, hold on
Oh Lord, Oh Lord, keep your hand on that plow, hold on.
Oh Lord, Oh Lord, keep your hand on that plow, hold on.
Oh Lord, Oh Lord, keep your hand on that plow, hold on.

Baby, Let Me Follow You Down (Rik Von Schmidt )

- I first heard this from Ric von Schmidt. He lives in Cambridge.
Ric is a blues guitar player. I met him one day on
The green pastures of the Harvard University. -

Baby let me follow you down, baby let me follow you down
Well I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
If you just let me follow you down.

Can I come home with you, baby can I come home with you?
Yes I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
If you just let me come home with you.

Baby let me follow you down, baby let me follow you down
Well I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
If you just let me follow you down.

Yes I'll do anything in this godalmighty world
If you just let me follow you down.

House Of The Risin' Sun (Traditional )

There is a house down in New Orleans they call the rising sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor girl and me, oh God, I'm one.

My mother was a tailor, she sowed these new blue jeans
My sweetheart was a gambler, Lord, down in New Orleans.

Now the only thing a gambler needs is a suitcase and a trunk
And the only time when he's satisfied is when he's on a drunk.

He fills his glasses up to the brim and he'll pass the cards around
And the only pleasure he gets out of life is rambling from town to town
.
Oh tell my baby sister not to do what I have done
But shun that house in New Orleans they call the rising sun.

Well with one foot on the platform and the other foot on the train
I'm going back to New Orleans to wear that ball and chain.

I'm going back to New Orleans, my race is almost run
I'm going back to end my life down in the rising sun.

Freight Train Blues

I was born in Dixie in a boomer shed
Just a little shanty by the railroad track
Freight train was it taught me how to cry
The holler of the driver was my lullaby
I got the freight train blues
Oh Lord mama, I got them in the bottom of my rambling shoes
And when the whistle blows I gotta go baby, don't you know
Well, it looks like I'm never gonna lose the freight train blues.

Well, my daddy was a fireman and my mama-ha
She was the only daughter of an engineer
My sweetheart was a brakeman and it ain't no joke
Seems a waste to get a good man broke
I got the freight train blues
Oh Lord mama, I got them in the bottom of my rambling shoes
And when the whistle blows I gotta go mama, don't you know
Well, it looks like I'm never gonna lose the freight train blues.

Well, the only thing that makes me laugh again
Is a southbound whistle on a southbound train
Every place I wanna go I never can go
Because you know I got the freight train blues
Oh Lord mama, I got them in the bottom of my rambling shoes.

Song To Woody

I'm out here a thousand miles from my home
Walking a road other men have gone down
I'm seeing a new world of people and things
Your paupers and peasants and princes and kings.

Hey hey Woody Guthrie I wrote you a song
About a funny old world that's coming along
Seems sick and it's hungry, it's tired and it's torn
It looks like it's dying and it's hardly been born.

Hey Woody Guthrie but I know that you know
All the things that I'm saying and a many times more
I'm singing you the song but I can't you sing enough
'Cause there's not many men that've done the things that you've done.

Here's to Cisco and Sonny and Leadbelly too
And to all the good people that 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 someday
The very last thing that I'd want to do
Is to say I've been hitting some hard traveling too.

See That My Grave Kept Clean (Lemon Jefferson )

Well there's one kind of flavor I'll ask for you
Well there's one kind of flavor I'll ask for you
There's just one kind of flavor I'll ask for you
You can see that my grave is kept clean.

And there's two white horses following me
And there's two white horses following me
I got two white horses following me
Waiting on my burying ground.

Did you ever hear that coffin sound
Means another poor boy is under the ground.

Did you ever hear them church bells toll
Means another poor boy is dead and gone.


And my heart stopped beating and my hands turned cold
And I believe what the father told.

And there's one last flavor I'll ask for you
And there's one last flavor I'll ask for you
And just one last flavor I'll ask for you
You can see that my grave is kept clean.

How many roads most a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Yes, how many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, how many times can a man turn his head
Pretending he just doesn't see?

And act like his eyes just don’t see
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Yes, how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Girl Of The North Country

If you're traveling in the north country fair
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was the true love of mine.

If you go when the snowflakes storm
When the rivers freeze and summer ends
Please see if she's a coat so warm
To keep her from the howling' winds.

Please see if her hair hangs long
If it rolls and flows all down her breast
Please see from me if her hair hangs long
That's the way I remember her best.

I'm a-wonderin' if she remember me at all
Many times I've often prayed
In the darkness of my night
In the brightness of my day.


Masters Of War

Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build all the bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks.

You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly.

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain.

You fasten all the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion'
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud.

You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins.

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
That even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do.

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul.

And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand over your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead.


Down The Highway
I'm walkin' down your highway
With my suitcase in my hand
Lord, I really miss my baby
She's in some far-of land.

Well, your streets are gettin' empty
Lord your highway's gettin' filled
And your streets are gettin' empty
And your highway's gettin' filled
Well, the way I love that woman
I swear it's bound to get me killed.

Yes, I been gamblin' so long
Lord, I ain't got much more to lose
Right now I'm havin' trouble
Please don't take away my highway shoes.

Well, I'm bound to get lucky, baby
Or I'm bound to die tryin'
Yes, I'm a-bound to get lucky, baby
Lord, Lord I'm a-bound to die tryin'
Well, meet me in the middle of the ocean
And we'll leave this ol' highway behind.

Well, the ocean took my baby
My baby stole my heart from me
Yes, the ocean took my baby
My baby took my heart from me
She packed it all up in a suitcase
Lord, she took it away to Italy, Italy.

So, I'm walkin' down your highway
Just as far my poor eyes can see
Yes, I'm a-walkin' down your highway
Just as far my eyes can see
From the Golden Gate Bridge
All the way to the Statue of Liberty.


Bob Dylan's Blues

Well, the Lone Ranger and Tonto
They are ridin' down the line
Fixin' ev'rybody's troubles
Ev'rybody's 'cept mine
Somebody musta tol' 'em
That I was doin' fine.

Oh you five and ten cent women
With nothin' in your heads
I got a real gal I'm lovin'
And Lord I'll be love her till I'm dead
Go away from my door and window too
Right now.

Lord, I ain't goin' down to no race track
See no sports car run
I don't have no sports car
And I don't even care to have one
I can walk anytime around the block.

Well, the wind keeps a-blowin' me
Up and down the street
With my hat in my hand
And my boots on my feet
Watch out so you don't step on me.

Well, look it here buddy
You want to be like me
Pull out your six-shooter
And rob every bank you can see
Tell the judge I said it was all right
Yes.


A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son?
And where have you been my darling young one?
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways
I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests
I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans
I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

Oh, what did you see, my blue eyed son?
And what did you see, my darling young one?
I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it
I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it
I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin'
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin'
I saw a white ladder all covered with water
I saw ten thousand takers whose tongues were all broken
I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son?
And what did you hear, my darling young one?
I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin'
I heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world
I heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin'
I heard ten thousand whisperin' and nobody listenin'
I heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin'
Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter
Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

Oh, who did you meet my blue-eyed son?
Who did you meet, my darling young one?
I met a young child beside a dead pony
I met a white man who walked a black dog
I met a young woman whose body was burning
I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow
I met one man who was wounded in love
I met another man who was wounded and hatred
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

And what'll you do now, my blue-eyed son?
And what'll you do now my darling young one?
I'm a-goin' back out 'fore the rain starts a-fallin'
I'll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest
Where the people are a many and their hands are all empty
Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters
Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison
Where the executioner's face is always well hidden
Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten
Where black is the color, where none is the number
And I'll tell and think it and speak it and breathe it
And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it
Then I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin'
But I'll know my songs well before I start singin'
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

Don't Think Twice It's All Right

It ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
It don't matter, anyhow
And it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
If you don't know by now
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
Don't think twice, it's all right.

It ain't no use in turning on your light, babe
That 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 somethin' you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay
We never did too much talking anyway
So don't think twice, it's all right.

It ain't no use in calling out my name, gal
Like you never done before
It ain't no use in calling out my name, gal
I can't hear you any more
I'm a-thinking and a-wond'rin' walking down the road
I once loved a woman, a child I'm told
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
Don't think twice, it's all right.

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 could have done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right.


Bob Dylan's Dream

While riding on a train goin' west
I feel asleep for take my a rest
I dreamed a dream that make me sad
Concerning myself and the first few friends I had.

With half-damp eyes I stared to the room
Where my friends and I spent many an afternoon
Where we together weathered many a storm
Laughin' and singing 'till the early hours of the morn'.

By the old wooden stove where our hats was hung
Our words were told, our songs were songs
Where we longed for nothin' and were satisfied
Joking and talking about the world outside.

With haunted hearts through the heat and cold
We never thought we could ever get very old
We thought we could sit forever in fun
Our chances really was a million to one.

As easy it was to tell black from white
It was all that easy to tell wrong from right
And our choices they were few and the thought never hit
That the one road we traveled would ever shatter and split.

How many a year has passed and gone
Many a gamble has been lost and won
And many a road taken by many a first friend
And each one I've never seen again.

I wish, I wish, I wish in vain
That we could sit simply in that room again
Ten thousand dollars at the drop of a hat
I'd give it all gladly if our lives could be like that.


Oxford Town

Oxford Town, Oxford Town
Ev'rybody's got their heads bowed down
The sun don't shine above the ground
Ain't a-goin' down to Oxford Town.

He went down to Oxford Town
Guns and clubs followed him down
All because his face was brown
Better get away from Oxford Town.

Oxford Town around the bend
He comes to the door, he 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
Goin' back where we come from.

Oxford Town in the afternoon
Ev'rybody singin' a sorrowful tune
Two men died 'neath the Mississippi moon
Somebody better investigate soon.


Talkin' World War lll Blues

Some time ago a crazy dream came to me
I dreamt I was walkin' into World War Three
I went to the doctor the very next day
To see what kinda words he could say
He said it was a bad dream
I wouldn't worry 'bout it none, though
They're dreams and they're only in your head.

I said, "Hold it, Doc, a World War passed through my brain".
He said, "Nurse, get your pad, this boy's insane".
He grabbed my arm, I said "Ouch".
As I landed on the psychiatric couch
He said, "Tell me about it".

Well, the whole thing started at 3 o'clock fast
It was all over by quarter past
I was down in the sewer with some little lover
When I peeked out from a manhole cover
Wondering who turned the lights on.

Well, I got up and walked around
And up and down the lonesome town
I stood a-wondering which way to go
I lit a cigarette on a parking meter
And walked on down the road
It was a normal day.

Well, I rung the fallout shelter bell
And leaned my head and I gave a yell
"Give me a string bean I'm a hungry man"
A shotgun fired and away I ran
I don't blame them too much though
They didn't know me.

Down at the corner by a hot-dog stand
I seen a man I said "Howdy friend,
I guess there's just us two"
He screamed a bit and away he flew
Thought it was a Communist.

Well, I spied me a girl and before she could leave
"Let's go and play Adam and Eve"
I took her by the hand and my heart it was thumpin'
When she said, "Hey man, you crazy or sumpin'
You see what happened last time they started".
Well, I seen a Cadillac window uptown
And there was nobody aroun'
I got into the driver's seat
And I drove down to 42nd Street
In my Cadillac
Good car to drive after a war.

Well, I remember seein' some ad
So I turned on my Conelrad
But I didn't pay my Con Ed bill
So the radio didn't work so well
Turned on my record player
It was Rock-A-Day Johnny singin'
"Tell Your Ma, Tell Your Pa
Our Loves Are Gonna Grow Ooh-wah, Ooh-wah"
.
I was feelin' kinda lonesome and blue
I needed somebody to talk to
So I called up the operator of time
Just to hear a voice of some kind
"When you hear the beep
It will be three o'clock"
She said that for over an hour
And I hung up.

Well the doctor interrupted me just about then
Sayin' "Hey I've been havin' the same old dreams
But mine was a little different you see
I dreamt that the only person left after the war was me
I didn't see you around".

Well, now time passed and now it seems
Everybody's having them dreams
Everybody sees themselves walkin' around with no one else
Half of the people can be part right all of the time
Some of the people can be all right part of the time
But all of the people can't be all right all of the time
I think Abraham Lincoln said that
"I'll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours"
I said that.

Corrina, Corrina

Corrina, Corrina
Gal, where you been so long?
Corrina, Corrina
Gal where you been so long?
I been worr'in' 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 a-got Corrina
Life don't mean a thing.

Corrina, Corrina
Gal, you're on my mind
Corrina, Corrina
Gal, you're on my mind
I'm a-thinkin' about you, baby
I just can't keep from crying.


Honey Just Allow Me One More Chance

Honey, just allow me one more chance
To get along with you
Honey, just allow me one more chance
Ah'll do anything with you
Well, I'm a-walkin' down the road
With my head in my hand
I'm lookin' for a woman
Needs a worried man
Just-a one kind favor I ask you
Allow me just-a one more chance.

Honey, just allow me one more chance
To ride your aeroplane
Honey, just allow me one more chance
To ride your passenger train
Well, I've been lookin' all over
For a gal like you
I can't find nobody
So you'll have to do
Just-a kind a favor I ask you
Allow me just-a one more chance.

Honey, just allow me one more chance
To get along with you
Honey, just allow me one more chance
Ah'll do anything with you
Well, lookin' for a woman
That ain't got no man
Is just lookin' for a needle
That is lost in the sand
Just-a one kind favor I ask you
Allow me just-a one more chance.


I Shall Be Free

Well, I took me a woman late last night
I's three-fourths drunk she looked all right
'Til she started peelin' off her onion gook
She took off her wig, said, "How do I look"?
I's high flyin', bare naked ...Out the window.

Well, sometimes I might get drunk
Walk like a duck and smell like a skunk
Don't hurt me none, don't hurt my pride
'Cause I got my little lady right by my side
(She's a tryin' a hide pretendin'
She don't know me).

I's out there paintin' on the old wood shed
When a can a black paint it fell on my head
I went down to scrub and rub
But I had to sit in back of the tub
(Cost a quarter
Half price).

Well, my telephone rang it would not stop
It's President Kennedy callin' me up
He said, "My friend, Bob, what do we need to make the country grow"?
I said, "My friend, John, "Brigitte Bardot,
Anita Ekberg
Sophia Loren"
Country'll grow.

Well, I got a woman five feet short
She yells and hollers and squeals and snorts
She tickles my nose pats me on the head
Blows me over and kicks me out of bed
(She's a man eater
Meat grinder
Bad loser).

Oh, there ain't no use in me workin' alla time
I got a woman who works herself blind
Works up to her britches, up to her neck
Write me letters and sends me checks
(She's a humdinger
Folk singer).

Late one day in the middle of the week
Eyes were closed I was half asleep
I chased me a woman up the hill
Right in the middle of an air drill
(I jumped a fallout shelter
I jumped the string bean
I jumped the TV dinner
I jumped the shot gun).

Now, the man on the stand he wants my vote
He's a-runnin' for office on the ballot note
He's out there preachin' in front of the steeple
Tellin' me he loves all kinds-a people
(He's eatin' bagels
He's eatin' pizza
He's eatin' chitlins).

Oh, set me down on a television floor
I'll flip the channel to number four
Out of the shower comes a football man
With a bottle of oil in his hand
(Greasy kid stuff
What I want to know, Mr. Football Man, is
What do you do about Willy Mays
Martin Luther King
Olatunji).

Well, the funniest woman I ever seen
Was the great-granddaughter of Mr. Clean
She takes about fifteen baths a day
Wants me to grow a moustache on my face
(She's insane).

Well, ask me why I'm drunk alla time
It levels my head and eases my mind
I just walk along and stroll and sing
I see better days and I do better things
(I catch dinosaurs
I make love to Elizabeth Taylor ...
Catch hell from Richard Burton !).

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

Ballad Of Hollis Brown

Hollis Brown
He lived on the outside of town
With his wife and five children
And his cabin brokin' down.

You looked for work and money
And you walked a ragged mile
Your children are so hungry
That they don't know how to smile.

Your baby's eyes look crazy
They're a-tuggin' at your sleeve
You walk the floor and wonder why
With every breath you breathe.

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
Your empty pocket tell you
That you ain't a-got no friend.

Your babies are crying louder now
It's pounding on your brain
Your wife's screams are stabbin' you
Like the dirty drivin' rain.

Your grass is turning black
There's no water in your well
Your spent your last lone dollar
On seven shotgun shells.

Way out in the wilderness
A cold coyote calls
Your eyes fix on the shotgun
That's hangin' on the wall.


Your brain is a-bleedin'
And your legs can't seem to stand
Your eyes fix on the shotgun
That you're holdin' in your hand.

There's seven breezes a-blowin'
All around the cabin door
Seven shots ring out
Like the ocean's pounding roar.

There's seven people dead
On a south Dakota farm
Somewhere in the distance
There's seven new people born.

With God On Our Side

Oh my name it is nothin'
My age it means less
The country I come from
Is called the Midwest
I's taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And the land that I live in
Has God on its side.

Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.

The Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War too
Was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
I's made to memorize
With guns on their hands
And God on their side.

The First World War, boys
It came and it went
The reason for fighting
I never did get
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead
When God's on your side.

When the Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And then we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now too
Have God on their side.

I've learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war comes
It's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.

But now we got weapons
Of the chemical dust
If fire them we're forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God's on your side.

In a many dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.

So now as I'm leavin'
I'm weary as Hell
The confusion I'm feelin'
Ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And fall to the floor
If God's on our side
He'll stop the next war.

One Too Many Mornings

Down the street the dogs are barkin'
And the day is a-gettin' dark
As the night comes in a-fallin'
The dogs'll lose their bark
An' the silent night will shatter
From the sounds inside my minds
For I'm one too many mornings
And a thousand miles behind.

From the crossroads of my doorstep
My eyes start to fade
As I turn my head back to the room
Where my love and I have laid
An' I gaze back to the street
The sidewalk and the sign
And I'm one too many mornings
An' a thousand miles behind.

It's a restless hungry feeling
That don't mean no one no good
When ev'rything I'm a-sayin'
You can say it just as good
You're right from your side
I'm right from mine
We're both just too many mornings
An' a thousand miles behind.

North Country Blues

Come gather 'round friends
And I'll tell you a tale
Of when the red iron pits ran plenty
But the cardboard filled windows
And old men on the benches
Tell you now that the whole town is empty.

In the north end of town
My own children are grown
But I was raised on the other
In the wee hours of youth
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 an' the shovels they was a-humming
'Til one day my brother
Failed to come home
The same as my father before him.

Well a long winter's wait
From the window I watched
My friends they couldn't have been kinder
And my schooling was cut
As I quit in the spring
To marry John Thomas, a miner.

Oh the years passed again
And the givin' was good
With the lunch bucket filled every season
What with three babies born
The work was cut down
To a half a day's shift with no reason.
Then the shaft was soon shut
And more work was cut
And the fire in the air, it felt frozen
'Til a man come to speak
And he said in one week
That number eleven was closin'.

They complained in the East
They are playing too high
They say that your ore ain't worth digging
That it's much cheaper down
In the South American towns
Where the miners work almost for nothing.

So the mining gates locked
And the red iron rotted
And the room smelted heavy from drinking
Where the sad silent song
Made the hour twice as long
As I waited for the sun to go sinking.

I lived by the window
As he talked to himself
This silence of tongues it was building
Then one morning's wake
The bed it was bare
And I's left alone with three children.

The summer is gone
The ground's turning cold
The stores one by one they're a-foldin'
My children will go
As soon they grow
Well there ain't nothing here now to hold them.

Only A Pawn In Their Game

A bullet from the back of a bush took Medgar Evers' blood
A finger fired the trigger to his name
A handle hid out in the dark
A hand set the spark
Two eyes took the aim
Behind a man's brain
But he can't be blamed
He's only a pawn in their game.

A South politician preaches to the poor white man
"You got more than blacks, don't complain
You're better than them, you been born with white skin" they explain
And the Negro's name
Is used it is plain
For the politician's gain
As he rises to fame
And the poor white remains
On the caboose of the train
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.

The deputy sheriffs, the soldiers, the governors get paid
And the marshals and cops get the same
But the poor white man's used in the hands of them all like a tool
He's taught in his school
From the start by the rule
That the laws are with him
To protect his white skin
To keep up his hate
So he never thinks straight
'Bout the shape that he's in
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.

From the 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 the hood
To kill with no pain
Like a dog on a chain
He ain't got no name
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.

Today, Medgar Evers was buried from the bullet he caught
They lowered him down as a king
But when the shadowy sun sets on the one
That fired the gun
He'll see by his grave
On the stone that remains
Carved next to his name
His epitaph plain:
Only a pawn in their game.

Boots Of Spanish Leather

Oh I'm sailin' away my own true love
I'm sailin' away in the morning
Is there something I can send you from across the sea
From the place that I'll be landing?

No, there's nothin' you can send me, my own true love
There's nothin' I wish to be ownin'
Just carry yourself back to me unspoiled
From across that lonesome ocean.

Oh, but I just thought you might want something fine
Made of silver or of golden
Either from the mountains of Madrid
Or from the coast of Barcelona?

Oh, but if I had the stars from the darkest night
And the diamonds from the deepest ocean
I'd forsake them all for your sweet kiss
For that's all I'm wishin' to be ownin'.

That I might be gone a long time
And it's only that I'm askin'
Is there something I can send you to remember me by
To make your time more easy passin'?

Oh, how can, how can you ask me again
It only brings me sorrow
The same thing I want from you today
I would want again tomorrow.

I got a letter on a lonesome day
It was from her ship a-sailin'
Saying I don't know when I'll be comin' back again
It depends on how I'm a-feelin'.

Well, if you, my love, must think that-a-way
I'm sure your mind is roamin'
I'm sure your thoughts are not with me
But with the country to where you're goin'.

So take heed, take heed of the western wind
Take heed of the stormy weather
And yes, there's something you can send back to me
Spanish boots of Spanish leather.

When The Ship Comes In

Oh the time will come up
When the winds will stop
And the breeze will cease to be breathin'
Like the stillness in the wind
'Fore the hurricane begins
The hours when the ship comes in.

And the seas will split
And the ship will hit
And the sands on the shoreline will be shaking
Then the tide will sound
And the wind will pound
And the morning will be breaking.

Oh the fishes will laugh
As they swim out of the path
And the seagulls they'll be smiling
And the rocks on the sand
Will proudly stand
The hour that the ship comes in.

And the words that are used
For to get the ship confused
Will not be understood as they're spoken
For the chains of the sea
Will have busted in the night
And will be buried at the bottom of the ocean.

A song will lift
As the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts on to the shoreline
And the sun will respect
Every face on the deck
The hour that the ship comes in.

Then the sands will roll
Out a carpet of gold
For your weary toes to be a-touchin'
And the ship's wise men
Will remind you once again
That the whole wide world is watchin'.

Oh the foes will rise
With the sleep in their eyes
And they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreamin'
But they'll pinch themselves and squeal
And know that it's for real
The hour that the ship comes in.

Then they'll raise their hands
Sayin' we'll meet all your demands
But we'll shout from the bow your days are numbered
And like Pharaoh's tribe
They'll be drownded in the tide
And like Goliath, they'll be conquered.

The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll

William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll
With a cane that he twirled around his diamond ring finger
At a Baltimore hotel society gath'rin'
And the cops were called in and his weapon took from him
As they rode him in custody down to the station
And booked William Zanzinger for first-degree murder
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Take the rag away from your face
Now ain't the time for your tears.

William Zanzinger who at twenty-four years
Owns a tobacco farm of six hundred acres
With rich wealthy parents who provide and protect him
And high office relations in the politics of Maryland
Reacted to his deed with a shrug of his shoulders
And swear words and sneering and his tongue it was snarling
In a matter of minutes on bail was out walking
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Take the rag away from your face
Now ain't the time for your tears.

Hattie Carroll was a maid in the kitchen
She was fifty-one years old and gave birth to ten children
Who carried the dishes and took out the garbage
And never sat once at the head of the table
And didn't even talk to the people at the table
Who just cleaned up all the food from the table
And emptied the ashtrays on a whole other level
Got killed by a blow, lay slain by a cane
That sailed through the air and came down through the room
Doomed and determined to destroy all the gentle
And she never done nothing to William Zanzinger
And you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Take the rag away from your face
Now ain't the time for your tears.

In the courtroom of honor, the judge pounded his gavel
To show that all's equal and that the courts are on the level
And that the strings in the books ain't pulled and persuaded
And that even the nobles get properly handled
Once that the cops have chased after and caught 'em
And that ladder of law has no top and no bottom
Stared at the person who killed for no reason
Who just happened to be feelin' that way without warnin'
And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished
And handed out strongly, for penalty and repentance
William Zanzinger with a six-month sentence
Oh, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears

Bury the rag deep in your face
For now's the time for your tears.

Restless Farewell

Oh all the money that in my whole life I did spend
Be it mine right or wrongfully
I let it slip gladly to my friends
To tie up the time most forcefully
But the bottles are done
We've killed each one
And the table's full and overflowed
And the corner sign
Says it's closing time
So I'll bid farewell and be down the road.

Oh ev'ry girl that ever I've touched
I did not do it harmfully
And ev'ry girl that even I've hurt
I did not do it knowin'ly
But to remain as friends we need the time
And make demands and stay behind
And since my feet are now fast
And point away from the past
I'll bid farewell and be down the line.

Oh ev'ry foe that ever I faced
The cause was there before we came
And ev'ry cause that ever I fought
I fought it full without regret or shame
But the dark does die
As the curtain is drawn and somebody's eyes
Must meet the dawn
And if I see the day
I'd only have to stay
So I'll bid farewell in the night and be gone.

Oh ev'ry thought that's strung a knot in my mind
I might go insane if it couldn't be sprung
But it's not to stand naked under unknowin' eyes
It's for myself and my friends my stories are sung
But the time ain't tall
Yet on time you depend and no word is possessed
By no special friend
And though the line is cut
It ain't quite the end
I'll just bid farewell till we meet again.

Oh a false clock tries to tick out my time
To disgrace, distract, and bother me
And the dirt of gossip blows into my face
And the dust of rumors covers me
But if the arrow is straight
And the point is slick
It can pierce through dust no matter how thick
So I'll make my stand
And remain as I am
And bid farewell and not give a damn.

All I Really Want To Do

I ain't lookin' to compete with you
Beat or cheat or mistreat you
Simplify you, classify you
Deny, defy or crucify you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

No, and I ain't lookin' to fight with you
Frighten you or uptighten you
Drag you down or drain you down
Chain you down or bring you down
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I ain't lookin' to block you up
Shock or knock or lock you up
Analyze you, categorize you
Finalize you or advertise you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I don't want to straight-face you
Race or chase you, track or trace you
Or disgrace you or displace you
Or define you or confine you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I don't want to meet your kin
Make you spin or do you in
Or select you or dissect you
Or inspect you or reject you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I don't want to fake you out
Take or shake or forsake you out
I ain't lookin' for you to feel like me
See like me or be like me
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

Black Crow Blues

I woke in the mornin' wand'rin'
Worried and worn out
I woke in the mornin' wand'rin'
Worried and worn out
Wishin' my long-lost lover
Will walk to me, talk to me
Tell me what it's all about.

I was standin' at the side road
Listenin' to the billboard knock
Standin' at the side road
Listenin' to the billboard knock
Well, my wrist was empty
But my nerves were kickin'
Thickin' like a clock.

If I got anything you need, babe
Let me tell you in front
If I got anything you need, babe
Let me tell you in front
You can come to me sometime
Night time, day time
Any time you want.

Sometimes I'm thinkin I'm
To high to fall
Other times I'm thinkin' I'm
So low I don't know
If I can come up at all.

Black crows in the meadow
Sleeping across a broad highway
Black crows in the meadow
Across a broad highway
Though its funny, honey
I just don't feel much like a
Scarecrow today.

Spanish Harlem Incident

Gypsy gal, the hands of Harlem
Cannot hold you to its heat
Your temperature's too hot for taming
Your flaming feet burn up the street
I am homeless, come and take me
To the reach of your rattling drums
Let me know, babe, all about my fortune
Down along my restless palms.

Gypsy gal, you got me swallowed
I have fallen far beneath
Your pearly eyes, so fast an' slashing
An' your flashing diamond teeth
The night is pitch black, come an' make my
Pale face fit into place, ah, please!
Let me know, babe, I am nearly drowning
If it's you my lifelines trace.

I been wond'rin' all about me
Ever since I seen you there
On the cliffs of your wildcat charms I'm riding
I know I'm 'round you but I don't know where
You've slayed me, you have made me
I got to laugh halfways off my heels
I got to know, babe, will you surround me
So I can know if I'm really real.

Chimes Of Freedom

Far between sundown's finish an' midnight's broken toll
We ducked inside the doorway, thunder 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
An' for each an' ev'ry underdog soldier in the night
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.

In the city's melted furnace, unexpectedly we watched
With faces hidden as the walls were tightening
As the echo of the wedding bells before the blowin' rain
Dissolved into the bells of the lightning
Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake
Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned an' forsaked
Tolling for the outcast, burnin' constantly at stake
An' 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
An' the poet an the painter far behind his rightful time

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 an' blind, tolling for the mute
For the mistreated, mateless mother, the mistitled prostitute
For the misdemeanor outlaw, chased an' cheated by pursuit.

Even though a clouds's white curtain in a far-off corner flashed
An' 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
An' for each unharmfull, gentle soul misplaced inside a jail


Starry-eyed an' laughing as I recall when we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended
As we listened one last time an' we watched with one last look
Spellbound an' swallowed 'til the tolling ended
Tolling for the aching whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones an' worse
An' for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe


I Shall Be Free No. 10

I'm just average, common too
I'm just like him, the same as you
I'm everybody's brother and son
I ain't different than anyone
It ain't no use a-talking to me
It's just the same as talking to you.

I was shadow-boxing earlier in the day
I figured I was ready for Cassius Clay
I said "Fee, fie, fo, fum, Cassius Clay here I come
26, 27, 28, 29, I'm gonna make your face look just like mine
Five, four, three, two, one, Cassius Clay you'd better run
99, 100 101, 102, your ma won't even recognize you
14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, gonna knock him clean right out of his spleen.

Well, I don't know, but I've been told
The streets in heaven are lined with gold
I ask you how things could get much worse
If the Russians happen to get up there first
Wowee! pretty scary !

Now, I'm liberal, but to a degree
I want ev'rybody to be free
But if you think that I'll let Barry Goldwater
Move in next door and 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 falling in my face
But they wouldn't let me on the tennis court.

I gotta woman, she's so mean
She sticks my boots in the washing machine
Sticks me with buckshot when I'm nude
Puts bubblegum in my food
She's funny, wants my money, calls me honey.

Now I gotta friend who spends his life
Stabbing my picture with a bowie-knife
Dreams of strangling me with a scarf
When my name comes up he pretends to barf
I've got a million friends !

Now they asked me to read a poem
At the sorority sister's home
I got knocked down and my head was swimmin'
I wound up with the Dean of Women
Yippee ! I'm a poet, and I know it
Hope I don't blow it.

I'm gonna grow my hair down to my feet so strange
So I look like a walking mountain range
And I'm gonna ride into Omaha on a horse
Out to the country club and the golf course
Carry the New York Times, shoot a few holes, blow their minds.

You're probably wondering by now
Just what this song is all about
What's probably got you baffled more
What this thing here is for
It's nothing
It's something I learned over in England

To Ramona

Ramona, come closer
Shut softly your watery eyes
The pangs of your sadness
Will pass as your senses will rise
The flowers of the city
Though breath like, get deathlike at times
And there's no use in tryin'
To deal with the dyin'
Though I cannot explain that in lines.

Your cracked country lips
I still wish to kiss
As to be by the strength of your skin
Your magnetic movements
Still capture the minutes I'm in
But it grieves my heart, love
To see you tryin' to be a part of
A world that just don't exist

It's all just a dream, babe
A vacuum, a scheme, babe
That sucks you into feelin' like this.

I can see that your head
Has been twisted and fed
With worthless foam from the mouth
I can tell you are torn
Between stayin' and 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 'n no one
And no one is better 'n you
If you really believe that
You know you have
Nothing to win and nothing to lose
From fixtures and forces and friends
Your sorrow does stem
That hype you and type you
Making you feel
That you gotta be just like them.

I'd forever talk to you
But soon my words
They would turn into a meaningless ring
For deep in my heart
I know there is no help I can bring
Everything passes
Everything changes
Just do what you think you should do
And someday, maybe
Who knows, baby
I'll come and be cryin' to you.

Motorpsycho Nightmare

I pounded on a farmhouse
Lookin' for a place to stay
I was mighty, mighty tired
I had come a long, long way
I said, "Hey, hey, in there
Is there anybody home?
I was standin' on the steps
Feelin' must alone
Well, out comes a farmer
He must have thought that I was nuts
He immediately looked at me
And stuck a gun into my guts

I fell down
To my bended knees
Saying, "I dig farmers
Don't shoot me please"
He cocked his rifle
And began to shout
"You're that travelin' salesman
That I have heard about I said, "No ! No ! No !
I'm a doctor and it's true
I'm a clean-cut kid
And I been to college too".

Then in comes his daughter
Whose name was Rita
She looked like she stepped out of
La Dolce Vita
I immediately tried to cool it
With her dad
And told him what a
Nice, pretty farm he had
He said, "What do doctors
Know about farms, pray tell?"
I said, "I was born
At the bottom of a wishing well".

Well, by the dirt 'neath my nails
I guess he knew I wouldn't lie
He said "I guess, you're tired"
He said, kinds sly
I said, "Yes, ten thousand miles
Today I drove"
He said, "I got a bed for you
Underneath the stove
Just one condition
You got to sleep right now
That you don't touch my daughter
And in the morning, milk the cow".

I was sleepin' like a rat
When I heard something jerkin'
There stood Rita
Lookin' just like Tony Perkins
She said, "Would you like to take a shower?
I'll show you up to the door"
I said, "Oh, no, no
I've been through this movie before
I knew I had to split
But I didn't know how
When she said,
"Would you like to take that shower now?"

Well, I couldn't leave
Unless the old man chased me out
'Cause I'd already promised
That I'd milk his cows
I had to say something
To strike him very weird
So I yelled out
"I like Fidel Castro and his beard"
Rita looked offended
But she got out of the way
As he came charging down the stairs
Sayin', "What's that I heard you say?"

I said, "I like Fidel 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 hit the icebox
He said he's going to kill me
If I don't get out of the door
In two seconds flat
"Your unpatriotic
Rotten doctor Commie rat".

Well, he threw a Reader's Digest
At my head and I did run
I did a somersault
As I seen him get his gun
And crashed through the window
At a hundred miles an hour
And landed fully blast
In his garden flowers
Rita said, "Come back"
As he started to load
The sun was comin' up
And I was runnin' down the road.

Well, I don't figure I'll be back
There for a spell
Even though Rita moved away
And got a job in a motel
He still waits for me
Constant on the sky
He wants to turn me in
To the FBI
Me, I romp and stomping
Thankful as a romp
Without freedom of speech
I might be in the swamp.

My Back Pages

Crimson flames tied through my ears
Rollin' high and mighty traps
Pounced with fire on flaming roads
Using ideas as my maps
"We'll meet on edges, soon," said I
Proud 'neath heated brow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now.

Half-racked prejudice leaped forth
"Rip down all hate," I screamed
Lies that life is black and white
Spoke from my skull, I dreamed
Romantic facts of musketeers
Foundationed deep, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now.

Girls' faces formed the forward path
From phony jealousy
To memorizing politics
Of ancient history
Flung down by corpse evangelists
Unthought of, thought, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now.

A self-ordained professor's tongue
Too serious to fool
Spouted out that liberty
Is just equality in school
"Equality," I spoke the word
As if a wedding vow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now.

In a soldier's stance, I aimed my hand
At the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not that I'd become my enemy
In the instant that I preach
My existence led by confusion boats
Mutiny from stern to bow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now.

Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats
Too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking
I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms
Quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now.

I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met )

I can't understand
She let go of my hand
An' left me here facing the wall
I'd sure like to know
Why she did go
But I can't get close to her at all
Though we kissed through the wild blazing nighttime
She said she would never forget
But now mornin's clear
It's like ain't here
She acts like we never have met.

It's all new to me
Like some mystery
It could even be like a myth
But it's hard to think on
That she's the same one
That last night I was with
From darkness, dreams're deserted
Am I still dreamin' yet?
I wish she'd unlock
Her voice once and talk
'Stead of acting like we never have met.

If she ain't feelin' well
Then why don't she tell
'Stead of turnin' her back to my face
Without any doubt
She seems too far out
For me to return to her chase
Though her skirt it swayed as a guitar played
Her mouth was watery and wet
But now something has changed
For she ain't the same
She just acts like we never have met.

If I didn't have to guess
I'd gladly confess
To anything I might've tried
If I was with her too long
Or have done something wrong
I wish she'd tell me what it is, I'll run and hide
Though the night ran swirling and whirling
I remember her whispering yet
But evidently she don't
And evidently she won't
She did act like we never have met.

I'll leavin' today
I'll be on my way
Of this I can't say very much
But if you want me to
I can be just like you
And pretend that we never have touched
And if anybody asks me, "Is it easy to forget?"
I'll say, "It's easily done
You just pick anyone
And pretend that you never have met".

Ballad In Plain D

I once loved a girl, her skin it was bronze
With the innocence of a lamb, she was gentle like a fawn
I courted her proudly, but now she is gone
Gone as the season she's taken.

Through young summer's breeze, I stole her away
From her mother and sister, though close did they stay
Each one of them suffering from the failures of their day
With strings of guilt they tried hard to guide us.

Of the two sister, I loved the young
With sensitive instincts, she was the creative one
The constant scapegoat, she was easily undone
By the jealousy of others around her.

For her parasite sister, I had no respect
Bound by her boredom, her pride to protect
Countless visions of the other she'd reflect
As a crutch for her scenes and her society.

Myself, for what I did, I cannot be excused
The changes I was going through can't even be used
For the lies that I told her in hopes not to lose
The could-be dream-lover of my lifetime.

With unseen consciousness, I possessed in my grip
A magnificent mantelpiece, though its heart being chipped
Noticing not that I'd already slipped
To a sin of love's false security.

From silhouetted anger to manufactured peace
Answers of emptiness, voice vacancies
Till the tombstones of damage read me no question but, "Please
What's wrong and what's exactly the matter?"

And so it did happen, like it could have been foreseen
The timeless explosion of fantasy's dream
At the peak of the night, the king and the queen
Tumbled all down into pieces.

"The tragic figure" her sister did shout
"Leave her alone, God damn you, get out"
And I in my armor, turning about
And nailing her in the ruins of her pettiness.

Beneath a bare light bulb the plaster did pound
Her sister and I in a screaming battleground
And she in between, the victim of sound
Soon shattered as a child to the shadows.

All is gone, all is gone, admit it, take flight
I gagged in contradiction, tears blinding my sight
My mind it was mangled, I ran into the night
Leaving all of love's ashes behind me.

The wind knocks my window, the room it is wet
The words to say I'm sorry, I haven't found yet
I think of her often and hope whoever she's met
Will be fully aware of how precious she is.

Ah, my friends from the prison, they ask unto me
"How good, how good does it feel to be free "?
And I answer them most mysteriously
"Are birds free from the chains of the skyway"?

It Ain't Me Babe

Go 'way from my window
Leave at your own chosen speed
I'm not the one you want, babe
I'm not the one you need
You say you're lookin' for someone
Who's never weak but always strong
To protect you an' defend you
Whether you are right or wrong
Someone to open each and every door
But it ain't me, babe
No, no, no, it ain't me babe It ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.

Go lightly from the ledge, babe
Go lightly on the ground
I'm not the one you want, babe
I will only let your down
You say you're lookin' for someone
Who will promise never to part
Someone to close his eyes for you
Someone to close his heart
Someone who will die for you an' more
But it ain't me, babe
No, no, no, it ain't me babe
It ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.

Go melt back into the night
Everything inside is made of stone
There's nothing in here moving
An' anyway I'm not alone
You say you're looking for someone
Who'll pick you up each time you fall
To gather flowers constantly
An' to come each time you call
A lover for you life an' nothing more
But it ain't me, babe
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe
It ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.

You say that you are looking for a heart to be so true

One you can count on not to leave

And love nothing else but you

Your eyes they run your fortune

You words from whispering tell your wishes like water they’re flowing

I’m afraid I got to be going

Subterranean Homesick Blues

Johnny’s in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in the trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he's got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off
Look out kid
It's somethin' you did
God knows when
But you're doin' it again
You better duck down the alley way
Lookin' for a new friend
The man in the coon-skin cap
In the big pen
Wants eleven dollar bills
You only got ten.

Maggie comes fleet foot
Face full of black soot
Talkin' that the heat put
Plants in the bed but
The phone's tapped anyway
Maggie says that many say
They must bust in early May
Orders from the DA
Look out kid
Don't matter what you did
Walk on your tip toes
Don't try, 'No Doz'
Better stay away from those
That carry around a fire hose
Keep a clean nose
Watch the plain clothes
You don't need a weather man
To know which way the wind blows.

Get sick, get well
Hang around an ink well
Ring bell, hard to tell
If anything is goin' to sell
Try hard, get barred
Get back, write Braille
Get nailed, jump bail

Join the army, if you fail
Look out kid
You're gonna get hit
But users, cheaters
Six-time losers
Hang around the theaters
Girl by the whirlpool
Lookin' for a new fool
Don't follow leaders
Watch the parking meters.

Ah get born, keep warm
Short pants, romance, learn to dance
Get dressed, get blessed
Try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Don't steal, don't lift
Twenty years of schoolin'
And they put you on the day shift
Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Don't wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Don't wanna be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump don't work
'Cause the vandals took the handles.

She Belongs To Me

She's got everything she needs
She's an artist, she don't look back
She's got everything she needs
She's an artist, she don't look back
She can take the dark out of nighttime
And paint the daytime black.

You will start out standing
Proud to steal her anything she sees
You will start out standing
Proud to steal her anything she sees
But you will wind up peeking through her keyhole
Down upon your knees.

She never stumbles
She's got no place to fall
She never stumbles
She's got no place to fall
She's nobody's child
The Law can't touch her at all.

She wears an Egyptian ring
That sparkles before she speaks
She wears an Egyptian ring
That sparkles before she speaks
She's a hypnotist collector
You are a walking antique.

Bow down to her on Sunday
Salute her when her birthday comes
Bow down to her on Sunday
Salute her when her birthday comes
For Halloween buy her a trumpet
And for Christmas, give her a drum.

Maggie's Farm

I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
No, I aint gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Well, I wake up in the morning
Fold my hands and pray for rain
I got a head full of ideas
That are drivin' me insane
It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.

I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
No, I aint gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
Well, he hands you a nickel
He hands you a dime
He asks you with a grin
If you're havin' a good time
Then he fines you every time you slam the door
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother more.

I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
No, I aint gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
Well, he puts his cigar
Out in your face just for kicks
His bedroom window
It is made out of bricks
The National Guard stands around his door
Ah, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.

I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
Well, when she talks to all the servants
About man and God and law
Everybody says
She's the brains behind pa
She's sixty-eight, but she says she's twenty-four
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.

I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
I aint gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Well, I try my best
To be just like I am
But everybody wants you
To be just like them
They say sing while you slave and I just get bored
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.

Love Minus Zero / No Limit

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 match sticks
Crumble into one another
My love winks, she does not bother
The She knows too much to argue or to judge.

The bridge at midnight trembles
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.

Outlaw Blues

Ain't it hard to stumble
And land in some funny lagoon?
Ain't it hard to stumble
And land in some muddy lagoon?
Especially when it's nine below zero
And three o'clock in the afternoon.

Ain't gonna hang no picture
Ain't gonna hang no picture frame
Ain't gonna hang no picture
Ain't gonna hang no picture frame
Well, I might look like Robert Ford
But I feel just like a Jesse James.

Well, I wish I was on some
Australian mountain range
Oh, I wish I was on some
Australian mountain range
I got no reason to be there, but I
Imagine it would be some kind of change.

I got my dark sunglasses
I got for good luck my black tooth
I got my dark sunglasses
I'm carryin' for good luck my black tooth
Don't ask me nothin' about nothin'
I just might tell you the truth.

I got a woman in Jackson
I ain't gonna say her name
I got a woman in Jackson
I ain't gonna say her name
She's a brown-skin woman, but I
Love her just the same.

On The Road Again

Well, I wake up in the morning
There's frogs inside my socks
Your mama, she's a-hidin'
Inside the icebox
Your daddy walks in wearin'
A Napoleon Bonarparte mask
Then you ask why I don't live here
Honey, do you have to ask?

Well, I got to pet your monkey
I get a face full of claws
I ask who's in the fireplace
And you tell me Santa Claus
The milkman comes in
He's wearing a derby hat
And you ask why I don't live here
Honey, how come you have to ask me that?

Well, I asked for something to eat
I'm hungry as a hog
So I get brown rice, seaweed
And a dirty hot dog
I've got a hole
Where my stomach disappeared
Then you ask why I don't live here
Honey, I gotta think you're really weird.

Your grandpa's cane
It turns into a sword
Your grandma prays to pictures
That are pasted on a board
Everything inside my pockets
Your uncle steals
And you ask me why I don't live here
Honey, I can't believe that you're for real.

Well, there's fist fight in the kitchen
They're enough to make me cry
The mailman comes in
Even he's gotta take a side
Even the butler
He's got something to prove
Then you ask me why I don't live here
Honey, how come you don't move?

Bob Dylan's 115th Dream

I was riding on the Mayflower
When I thought I spied some land
I yelled for Captain Arab
I have yuh understand
Who came running to the deck
Said, "Boys, forget the whale
Look on over yonder
Cut the engines
Change the sail
Haul on the bowline"
We sang that melody
Like all tough sailors do
When they are far away at sea.

"I think I'll call it America"
I said as we hit the land
I took a deep breath
I fell down, I could not stand
Captain 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 throw us all in jail
For carryin' harpoons.

Ah me I busted out
Don't even ask me how
I went to get some help
I walked by a Guernsey cow
Who directed me down
To the Bowery slums
Where people carried signs around
Saying, "Ban the bums"
I jumped right into line
Sayin' "I hope that I'm not late"
When I realized I hadn't eaten
For five days straight.

I went into a restaurant
Lookin' for the cook
I told him I was the editor
Of a famous etiquette book
The waitress he was handsome
He wore a powder blue cape
I ordered some suzette, I said
"Could you please make that crepe"
Just then the whole kitchen exploded
From boiling' fat
Food was flying anywhere
And I left without my hat.

Now, I didn't mean to be nosy
But I went into a bank
To get some bail for 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 US flag upon display
I said, "Could you help me out
I got some friends down the way
" The man says, "Get out of here
I'll tear you 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 bones
I ain't your pop"
I decided to have him arrested
And I went lookin for a cop.

I ran right outside
And I hopped inside a cab
I went out the other door
This Englishman said, "Fab"
As he saw me leap a hot dog stand
And a chariot that stood
Parked across from a building
Advertising brotherhood
I ran right through the front door
Like a hobo sailor does
But it was just a funeral parlor
And the man asked me who I was.

I repeated that my friends
Where all in jail, with a sigh
He gave me his card
He said, "Call me if they die"
I shook his hand and said goodbye
Ran out to the street
When a bowling ball came down the road
And knocked me off my feet
A pay phone was ringing
It just about blew my mind
When I picked it up and said hello
This foot came through the line.

Well, by this time I was fed up
At tryin'g to make a stab
At bringin' back any help
For my friends and captain Arab
I decided to flip a coin
Like either heads or tails
Would let me know if I should go
Back to the ship or back to jail
So I hooked my sailor suit
And I got a coin to flip
It came up tails
It rhymed with sails
So I made it back to the ship.

Well, I got back and took
The parkin' ticket off the mast
I was ripping it to shreds
When this coastguard boat went past
They asked me my name
And I said, "Captain Kidd"
They believed me but
They wanted to know
What exactly that I did
I said for the Pope of Eruke
I was employed
They let me go right away
They were very paranoid.

Well, the last I heard of 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 leavin' the bay
I saw three ships a-sailin'
There were all heading my way
I asked the captain what his name was
And how come he didn't drive a truck
He said his name was Columbus
I just said, "Good luck".

Mr. Tambourine Man

Hey ! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Hey ! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you.
Though I know that evenin's empire has returned into sand
Vanished from my hand
Left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping
My weariness amazes me, I'm branded on my feet
I have no one to meet
And the ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming.

Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin' ship
My senses have been stripped, my hands can't feel to grip
My toes too numb to step, wait only for my boot heels
To be wanderin'
I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade
Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it.

Though you might hear laughin', spinnin' swingin' madly across the sun
It's not aimed at anyone, it's just escapin' on the run
And but for the sky there are no fences facin'
And if you hear vague traces of skippin' reels of rhyme
To your tambourine in time, it's just a ragged clown behind
I wouldn't pay it any mind, it's just a shadow you're
Seein' that he's chasing.

Then take me disappearin' through the smoke rings of my mind
Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves
The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves
Let me forget about today until tomorrow.

Gates Of Eden

Of war and peace the truth just twists
Its curfew gull just glides
Upon four-legged forest clouds

Upon the fungus
The cowboy angel rides
With his candle lit into the sun

And tho he lights his candle in the sun
Though its glow is waxed in black
All except when 'neath the trees of Eden.

The lamppost stands with folded arms
Its iron claws attached
To curbs 'neath holes where babies wail
Though it shadows metal badge
All and all can only fall
With a crashing but meaningless blow
No sound ever comes from the Gates of Eden.
from the depths

The savage soldiers sticks his head in sand
And then complains
Unto the shoeless hunter who's gone deaf
But still remains
Upon the beach where hound dogs bay
At ships with tattooed sails
Heading for the Gates of Eden.

With a time-rusted compass blade
Aladdin and his lamp
Sits with Utopian hermit monks
Side saddle on the Golden Calf
And on their promises of paradise
You will not hear a laugh
All except inside the Gates of Eden.

Relationships of ownership
They whisper in the wings

They wait outside the wings
To those condemned to act accordingly
And wait for succeeding kings
And I will try to harmonize with songs
The lonesome sparrow sings
There are no kings inside the Gates of Eden.

The motorcycle black madonna
Two-wheeled gypsy queen
And her silver-studded phantom cause
The gray flannel dwarf to scream
As he weeps to wicked birds of prey
Who pick up on his bread crumb sins
And there are no sins inside the Gates of Eden.
And there are no sins once in the Gates of Eden

The kingdoms of Experience
In the precious wind they rot
While paupers change possessions
Each one wishing for what the other has got
And the princess and the prince
Discuss what's real and what is not
It doesn't matter inside the Gates of Eden.

The foreign sun, it squints upon

The foreign sun it rises on a house that is never mine
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.

There is nowhere to hide 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.

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
There is no sense in trying.

Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn
Suicide remarks are torn
From the fools gold mouthpiece
The hollow horn plays wasted words
Proved to warn
That he not busy being born
Is busy dying.

Temptation's page flies out the door
You follow, find yourself at war
Watch waterfalls of pity roar
You feel to moan but unlike before
You discover
That you'd just be
One more person crying.

So don't fear if you hear
A foreign sound to you ear
It's alright, Ma, I'm only sighing.

As some warn victory, some downfall
Private reasons great or small
Can be seen in the eyes of those that call
To make all that should be killed to crawl
While others say don't hate nothing at all
Except hatred.

Disillusioned words like bullets bark
As human gods aim for their marks
Made everything from toy guns that sparks
To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark
It's easy to see without looking too far
That not much
Is really sacred.

While preachers preach of evil fates
Teachers teach that knowledge waits
Can lead to hundred-dollar plates
Goodness hides behind its gates
But even the President of the United States
Sometimes must have
To stand naked.

An' though the rules of the road have been lodged
It's only people's games that you got to dodge
And it's alright, Ma, I can make it.

Advertising signs that con you
Into thinking you're the one
That can do what's never been done
That can win what's never been won
Meantime life outside goes on
All around you.

You loose yourself, you reappear
You suddenly find you got nothing to fear
Alone you stand without nobody near
When a trembling distant voice, unclear
Startles your sleeping ears to hear
That somebody thinks
They really found you.

A question in your nerves is lit
Yet you know there is no answer fit to satisfy
Insure you not to quit
To keep it in your mind and not forget
That it is not he or she or them or it
That you belong to.

Although the masters make the rules
For the wise men and the fools
I got nothing, Ma, to live up to.

For them that must obey authority
That they do not respect in any degree
Who despite their jobs, their destinies
Speak jealously of them that are free
Cultivate their flowers to be
Nothing more than something
They invest in.

While some on principles baptized
To strict party platforms ties
Social clubs in drag disguise
Outsiders they can freely criticize
Tell nothing except who to idolize
And then say God Bless him.

While one who sings with his tongue on fire
Gargles in the rat race choir
Bent out of shape from society's pliers
Cares not to come up any higher
But rather get you down in the hole
That he's in.

But I mean no harm nor put fault
On anyone that lives in a vault
But it's alright, Ma, if I can't please him.

Old lady judges, watch people in pairs
Limited in sex, they dare
To push fake morals, insult and stare
While money doesn't talk, it swears
Obscenity, who really cares
Propaganda, all is phony.

While them that defend what they cannot see
With a killer's pride, security
It blows the minds most bitterly
For them that think death's honesty
Won't fall upon them naturally
Life sometimes
Must get lonely.

My eyes collide head-on with stuffed graveyards
False gods, I scuff
At pettiness which plays so rough
Walk upside-down inside handcuffs
Kick my legs to crash it off
Say okay, I have had enough
What else can you show me?

And if my thought-dreams could been seen
They'd probably put my head in a guillotine
But it's alright, Ma, it's life, and life only.


It's All Over Now, Baby 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 comin' through
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.

The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense
Take what you have gathered from coincidence
The empty handed painter from your streets
Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets
This sky, too, is folding under you
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.

All your seasick sailors, they are rowing home
Your empty handed armies, are all going home
Your lover who just walked out the door
Has taken all his blankets from the floor
The carpet, too, is moving under you
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.

Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you
Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you
The vagabond who's rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore
Strike another match, go start a new
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.

Like A Rolling Stone

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 were all kiddin' you

You used to laugh about

Everybody that was hangin' out

Now you don't talk so loud

Now you don't seem so proud

About having to be scrounging for your next meal.

How does it feel

How does it feel

To be without a home

Like a complete unknown

Like a rolling stone?

You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely

But you know you only used to get juiced in it

And nobody has ever taught you how to live 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 know 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?

You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns

When they all come down and did tricks for you

You never understood that it ain't no good

You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you

You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat

Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat

Ain't it hard when you discover that

He really wasn't where it's at

After he took from you everything he could steal.

Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people

They're drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made

Exchanging all precious gifts

But you'd better take your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe

You used to be so amused

At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used

Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse

When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose

You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.

How does it feel

How does it feel

To be on your own

With no direction home

Like a complete unknown

Like a rolling stone?

Tombstone Blues

The sweet pretty things are in bed now of course

The city fathers they're trying to endorse

The reincarnation of Paul Revere's horse

But the town has no need to be nervous.

The ghost of Belle Star she hands down her wits

To Jezebel the nun she violently knits

A bald wig for Jack the Ripper who sits

At the head of the chamber of commerce.

Mama's in the factory

She ain't got no shoes

Daddy's in the alley

He's lookin' for fuse

I'm in the kitchen

With the tombstone blues.

The hysterical bride in the penny arcade

Screaming she moans, "I've just been made"

Then sends out for the doctor who pulls down the shade

Says, "My advice is to not let the boys in".

Now the medicine man comes and he shuffles inside

He walks with a swagger and he says to be bride

"Stop all this weeping, swallow your pride

You will not die, it's not poison".

Mama's in the factory

She ain't got no shoes

Daddy's in the alley

He's lookin' the fuse

I'm in the kitchen

With the tombstone blues.

Well, John the Baptist after torturing a thief

Looks up at his hero the Commander-in-Chief

Saying, "Tell me great hero, but please make it brief

Is there a hole for me to get sick in?"

The Commander-in-Chief answers him while chasing a fly

Saying, "Death to all those who would whimper and cry"

And dropping a 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 lookin' for fuse

I'm in the kitchen

With the tombstone blues.

The king of the Philistines his soldiers to save

Put jawbones on their tombstones and flatters their graves

Puts the pied pipers in prison and fattens the slaves

Then sends them out to the jungle.

Gypsy Davey with a blowtorch he 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 the factory

She ain't got no shoes

Daddy's in the alley

He's lookin' for fuse

I'm in trouble

With the tombstone blues.

The geometry of innocence flesh on the bone

Causes Galileo's math book to get thrown

At Delilah who sits worthlessly alone

But the tears on her cheeks are from laughter.

Now I wish I could give Brother Bill his great thrill

I would set him in chains at the top of the hill

Then send out for some pillars and Cecil B. DeMille

He could die happily ever after.

Mama's in the factory

She ain't got no shoes

Daddy's in the alley

He's lookin' for fuse

I'm in the kitchen

With the tombstone blues.

Where Ma Raney and Beethoven once unwrapped their bed roll

Tuba players now rehearsal around the flagpole

And the National Bank at a profit sells road maps or the soul

To the old folks home in the college.

Now I wish I could write you a melody so plain

That could hold you dear lady from going insane

That could ease you and cool you and cease the pain

Of your useless and pointless knowledge

Mama's in the factory

She ain't got no shoes

Daddy's in the alley

He's lookin' for fuse

I'm in the kitchen

With the tombstone blues.

It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry

Well, I ride on a mail train, babe

Can't buy a thrill

Well, I've been up all night

Leanin' on the window sill

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

Shinin' through the trees?

Don't the brakeman look good, mama

Ragging down the "Double E"?

Don't the sun look good

Goin' down over the sea?

Don't my gal look fine

When she's comin' 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.

From A Buick 6

I got this graveyard woman, you know she keeps my kid

But my soulful mama, you know she keeps me hid

She's a junkyard angel and she always gives me bread

Well, if I go down dyin' you know she bound to put a blanket on my bed.

Well, when the pipeline gets broken and I'm lost on the river bridge

I'm cracked up on the highway and on the water's edge

She comes down the thruway ready to sew me up with thread

Well, if I go down dyin' you know she bound to put a blanket on my bed.

Well, she don't make me nervous, she don't talk too much

She walks like Bo Diddley and she don't need no crutch

She keeps this four-ten all loaded with lead

Well, if I go down dyin' you know she bound to put a blanket on my bed.

Well, you know I need a steam shovel mama to keep away the dead

I need a dump truck baby to unload my head

She brings me everything and more, and just like I said

Well, if I go down dyin' you know she bound to put a blanket on my bed.

Ballad Of A Thin Man

You walk into the room

With your pencil in your hand

You see somebody naked

And you say, "Who is that man?"

You try so hard

But you don't understand

Just what you'll say

When you get home.

Because something is happening here

But you don't know what it is

Do you, Mister Jones?

You raise up your head

And you ask, "Is this where it is?"

And somebody points to you and says

"It's his"

And you says, "What's mine?"

And somebody else says, "Where what is?"

And you say, "Oh my God

Am I here all alone?"

But something is happening here

But you don't know what it is

Do you, Mister Jones?

You hand in your ticket

And you go watch the geek

Who immediately walks up to you

When he hears you speak

And says, "How does it feel

To be such a freak?"

And you say, "Impossible"

As he hands you a bone.

And something is happening here

But you don't know what it is

Do you, Mister Jones?

You have many contacts

Among the lumberjacks

To get you facts

When someone attacks your imagination

But nobody has any respect

Anyway they already expect you

To all give a check

To tax-deductible charity organizations.

You've been with the professors

And they've all liked your looks

With great lawyers you have

Discussed lepers and crooks

You've been through all of

F. Scott Fitzgerald's books

You're very well read

It's well known.

But something is happening here

And you don't know what it is

Do you, Mister Jones?

Well, the sword swallower, he comes up to you

And then he kneels

He crosses himself

And then he clicks his high heels

And without further notice

He asks you how it feels

And he says, "Here is your throat back

Thanks for the loan".

And you know something is happening

But you don't know what it is

Do you, Mister Jones?

Now you see this one-eyed midget

Shouting the word "NOW"

And you say, "For what reason?"

And he says, "How?"

And you say, "What does this mean?"

And he screams back, "You're a cow

Give me some milk

Or else go home".

Because something is happening

But you don't know what it is

Do you, Mister Jones?

Well, you walk into the room

Like a camel and then you frown

You put your eyes in your pocket

And your nose on the ground

There ought to be a law

Against you comin' around

You should be made

To wear earphones.

Does something is happening

And you don't know what it is

Do you, Mister Jones?

Queen Jane Approximately

When your mother sends back all your invitations

And your father to your sister he explains

That you're tired of yourself and all of your creations

Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?

Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?

Now when all of the flower ladies want back what they have lent you

And the smell of their roses does not remain

And all of your children start to resent you

Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?

Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?

Now when all the clowns that you have commissioned

Have died in battle or in vain

And you're sick of all this repetition

Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?

Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?

When all of your advisers heave their plastic

At your feet to convince you of your pain

Trying to prove that your conclusions should be more drastic

Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?

Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?

Now when all of the bandits that you turned your other cheek to

All lay down their bandanas and complain

And you want somebody you don't have to speak to

Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?

Won't you come see me, Queen Jane?

Highway 61 Revisited

Oh God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"

Abe says, "Man, you must be puttin' me on"

God say, "No." Abe say, "What?"

God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but

The next time you see me comin' you better run"

Well Abe says, "Where do you want this killin' done?"

God says. "Out on Highway 61".

Well Georgia Sam he had a bloody nose

Welfare Department they wouldn't give him no clothes

He asked poor Howard where can I go

Howard said there's only one place I know

Sam said tell me quick man I got to run

Ol' Howard just pointed with his gun

And said that way down on Highway 61.

Well Mack the finger said to Louie the King

I got forty red white and blue shoe strings

And a thousand telephones that don't ring

Do you know where I can get rid of these things

And Louie the King said let me think for a minute son

And he said yes I think it can be easily done

Just take everything down to Highway 61.

Now the fifth daughter on the twelfth night

Told the first father that things weren't right

My complexion she said is much too white

He said come here and step into the light he says hmmm you're right

Let me tell second mother this has been done

But the second mother was with the seventh son

And they were both out on Highway 61.

Now the rovin' gambler he was very bored

He was tryin' to create a next world war

He found a promoter who nearly fell off the floor

He said I never engaged in this kind of thing before

But yes I think it can be very easily done

We'll just put some bleachers out in the sun

And have it on Highway 61.

Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues

When you're lost in the rain in Juarez

And it's Eastertime too

And your gravity fails

And negativity don't pull you through

Don't put on any airs

When you're down on Rue Morgue Avenue

They got some hungry women there

And they really make a mess outa you.

Now if you see Saint Annie

Please tell her thanks a lot

I cannot move

My fingers are all in a knot

I don't have the strength

To get up and take another shot

And my best friend, my doctor

Won't even say what it is I've got.

Sweet Melinda

The peasants call her the goddess of gloom

She speaks good English

And she invites you up into her room

And you're so kind

And careful not to go to her too soon

And she takes your voice

And leaves you howling at the moon.

Up on Housing Project Hill

It's either fortune or fame

You must pick up one or the other

Though neither of them are to be what they claim

If you're lookin' to get silly

You better go back to from where you came

Because the cops don't need you

And man they expect the same.

Now all the authorities

They just stand around and boast

How they blackmailed the sergeant-at-arms

Into leaving his post

And picking up Angel who

Just arrived here from the coast

Who looked so fine at first

But left looking just like a ghost.

I started out on burgundy

But soon hit the harder stuff

Everybody said they'd stand behind me

When the game got rough

But the joke was on me

There was nobody even there to bluff

I'm going back to New York City

I do believe I've had enough.

Desolation Row

They're selling postcards of the hanging

They're painting the passports brown

The beauty parlor is filled with sailors

The circus is in town

Here comes the blind commissioner

They've got him in a trance

One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker

The other is in his pants

And the riot squad they're restless

They need somewhere to go

As Lady and I look out tonight

From Desolation Row.

Cinderella, she seems so easy

"It takes one to know one," she smiles

And puts her hands in her back pockets

Bette Davis style

And in comes Romeo, he's moaning

"You belong to Me I Believe"

And someone says, "You're in the wrong place, my friend

You better leave"

And the only sound that's left

After the ambulances go

Is Cinderella sweeping up

On Desolation Row.

Now the moon is almost hidden

The stars are beginning to hide

The 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.

Now Ophelia, she's 'neath the window

For her I feel so afraid

On her twenty-second birthday

She already is an old maid

To her, death is quite romantic

She wears an iron vest

Her profession's her religion

Her sin is her lifelessness

And though her eyes are fixed upon

Noah's great rainbow

She spends her time peeking

Into Desolation Row.

Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood

With his memories in a trunk

Passed this way an hour ago

With his friend, a jealous monk

He looked so immaculately frightful

As he bummed a cigarette

Then he went off sniffing drainpipes

And reciting the alphabet

You would not think to look at him

But he was famous long ago

For playing the electric violin

On Desolation Row.

Dr. Filth, he keeps his world

Inside of a leather cup

But all his sexless patients

They're trying to blow it up

Now his nurse, some local loser

She's in charge of the cyanide hole

And she also keeps the cards that read

"Have Mercy on His Soul"

They all play on penny whistles

You can hear them blow

If you lean your head out far enough

From Desolation Row.

Across the street they've nailed the curtains

They're getting ready for the feast

The Phantom of the Opera

In a perfect image of a priest

They're 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 outa here if you don't know"

Casanova is just being punished for going

To Desolation Row.

At midnight all the agents

And the superhuman crew

Come out and round up everyone

That knows more than they do

Then they bring them to the factory

Where the heart-attack machine

Is strapped across their shoulders

And then the kerosene

Is brought down from the castles

By insurance men who go

Check to see that nobody is escaping

To Desolation Row.

They be to Nero's Neptune

The Titanic sails at dawn

Everybody's shouting

"Which side are you on?"

And Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot

Fighting in the captain's tower

While calypso singers laugh at them

And fishermen hold flowers

Between the windows of the sea

Where lovely mermaids flow

And nobody has to think too much

About Desolation Row.

Yes, I received your letter yesterday

About the time the door knob broke

When you asked me how I was doing

Was that some kind of joke?

All these people that you mention

Yes, I know them, they're quite lame

I had to rearrange their faces

And give them all another name

Right now I can't read too good

Don’t send me no more letters no

Not unless you mail them

From Desolation Row.

Rainy Day Woman # 12 & 35

Well, they'll stone ya when you're trying to be so good

They'll stone ya just a-like they said they would

They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to go home

Then they'll stone ya when you're there all alone

But I would not feel so all alone

Everybody must get stoned.

Well, they'll stone ya when you're walkin' 'long the street

They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to keep your seat

They'll stone ya when you're walkin' on the floor

They'll stone ya when you're walkin' to the door

But I would not feel so all alone

Everybody must get stoned.

They'll stone ya when you're at the breakfast table

They'll stone ya when you are young and able

They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to make a buck

They'll stone ya and then they'll say "good luck"

Tell ya what, I would not feel so all alone

Everybody must get stoned.

Well, They'll stone you and say that it's the end

Then they'll stone you and then they'll come back again

They'll stone you when you're riding in your car

They'll stone you when you're playing your guitar

Yes, but I would not feel so all alone

Everybody must get stoned.

Well, they'll stone you when you walk all alone

They'll stone you when you are walking home

They'll stone you and then say you are brave

They'll stone you when you are set down in your grave

But I would not feel so all alone

Everybody must get stoned.

Pledging My Time

Well, early in the morning

'Til late at night

I got a poison headache

But I feel all right

I'm pledging my time to you

Hopin' you'll come through too.

Well, the hobo got you high

He came to me natur'ly

After he stole my baby

Then he wanted to steal me

But I'm pledging my time to you

Hopin' you'll come through too.

Won't you come with me baby?

I'll take you where you wanna go

And if I don't work out

You'll be the first to know

I'm pledging my time to you

Hopin' you'll come through too.

Well, the room is so stuffy

I can hardly breathe

Ev'rybody's gone but me and you

And I can't be the last to leave

I'm pledging my time to you

Hopin' you'll come through too.

Well, they sent for the ambulance

And one was sent

Somebody got lucky

But it was an accident

Now, I'm pledging my time to you

Hopin' you'll come through too.

Visions Of Johanna

Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when you're tryin' to be so quiet?

We sit here stranded, though we're all doin our best to deny it

And Louise holds a 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 of

Just Louise and her lover so entwined

And these visions of Johanna that conquer my mind.

In the empty lot where the ladies play blind man’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 really insane

Louise she's all right she's just near

She's delicate and seems like the mirror

But she just makes it all too concise and too clear

That Johanna's not here

The ghost of electricity howls in the bones of her face

Where these visions of Johanna have now taken my place.

Now, little boy lost, he takes himself so seriously

He brags of his misery, he likes to live dangerously

And when bringing her name up

He speaks of a farewell kiss to me

He's sure got a lotta gall to be so useless and all

Muttering small talk at the wall while I'm in the hall

Oh, how can I explain?

It's so hard to get on

And these visions of Johanna they kept me up past the dawn.

Inside the museums, Infinity goes up on trial

Voices echo this is what salvation must be like after a while

But Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues

You can tell by the way she smiles

See the primitive wallflower freeze

When the jelly-faced women all sneeze

Hear the one with the mustache say, "Jeeze

I can't find my knees"

Oh, jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule

But these visions of Johanna, they make it all seem so cruel.

The peddler now speaks to the countess who's pretending to care for him

Saying, "Name me someone that's not a parasite and I'll go out and say a prayer for him"

But like Louise always says

"Ya can't look at much, can ya man "

As she, herself prepares for him

And Madonna, she still has not showed

We see this empty cage now corrode

Where her cape of the stage once had flowed

The fiddler, he now steps to the road

He writes ev'rything's been returned which was owed

On the back of the fish truck that loads

While my conscience explodes

The harmonicas play the skeleton keys and the rain

And these visions of Johanna are now all that remain.

One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later)

I didn't mean to treat you so bad

You shouldn't take it so personal

I didn't mean to make you so sad

You just happened to be there, that's all

When I saw you say goodbye to your friends and smile

I thought that it was well understood

That you'd be comin' back in a little while

I didn't know that you were sayin' goodbye for good.

But sooner or later one of us must know

But you just did what you're supposed to do

Sooner or later one of us must know

That I really did try to get close to you.

I couldn't see what you could show me

Your scarf had kept your mouth well hid

I couldn't see how you could know me

But you said you knew me and I believed you did

When you whispered in my ear

And asked me if I was leavin' with you or her

I didn't realize just what I did hear

I didn't realize how young you were.

I couldn't see when it started snowin'

Your voice was all that I heard

I couldn't see where we were goin'

But you said you knew and I took your word

And then you told me later as I apologized

That you were just kiddin' me, you weren't really from the farm

And I told you, as you clawed out my eyes

That I never really meant to do you any harm.

I Want You

The deputies they ask my name

They hide you they thank everyone

But how could they even explain

what I want from you

The deputies they all the same

hide you then they ask my name

Your father’s ghost he looks so gaunt

I know they say its me he wants to haunt

Think that he just wants what do you want

As when I am calling you

Now all my fathers they’ve gone down hugging one another

& all their daughters put me down cause I say I ain’t their brother

I stand here hoping that these frozen ships

That are dancing madly up and down my lips won’t fall on you

makes his raids talking with him chamber maid

The guilty undertaker sighs

The lonesome organ grinder cries

The silver saxophones say I should refuse you

The cracked bells and washed-out horns

Blow into my face with scorn

But it's not that way

I wasn't born to lose you

I want you, I want you

I want you so bad

Honey, I want you.

The drunken politician leaps

Upon the street where mothers weep

And the saviors who are fast asleep

They wait for you

And I wait for them to interrupt

Me drinkin' from my broken cup

And ask for me

Open up the gate for you

I want you, I want you

Yes, I want you so bad

Honey, I want you.

Now all my fathers they've gone down

True love they've been without it

But all their daughters put me down

'Cause I don't think about it.

Well, I return to the Queen of Spades

And talk with my chambermaid

She knows that I'm not afraid

To look at her

She is good to me

And there's nothing she doesn't see

She knows where I'd like to be

But it doesn't matter

I want you, I want you

Yes, I want you so bad

Honey, I want you.

Now your dancing child with his Chinese suit

He spoke to me, I took his flute

No, I wasn't very cute to him - Was I?

But I did though because he lied

Because he took you for a ride

And because time was on his side

And because I ..

I want you, I want you

Yes, I want you so bad

Honey, I want you.

Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again

Oh, the ragman draws circles

Up and down the block

I'd ask him what the matter was

But I know that he don't talk

And the ladies treat me kindly

And furnish me with tape

But deep inside my heart

I know I can't escape

Oh, Mama, can this really be the end

To be stuck inside of Mobile

With the Memphis blues again.

Well Shakespeare he's in the alley

With his pointed shoes and his bells

Speaking to some French girl

Who says she knows me well

And I would send a message

To find out if she's talked

But the post office has been stolen

And the mailbox is locked

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"

Grandpa died last week

And now he's buried in the rocks

But everybody still talks about

How badly they were shocked

But me, I expected it to happen

I knew he'd lost control

When he built a fire on Main Street

And shot it full of holes

Now the senator came down here

Showing ev'ryone his gun

Handing out free tickets

To the wedding of his son

And me, I nearly get busted

And wouldn't it be my luck

To get caught without a ticket

And be discovered beneath a truck

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 it to him

Then I whispered, "Not even you can hide

You see, you're just like me

I hope you're satisfied"

Now the rainman gave me two cures

Then he said, "Jump right in"

The one was Texas medicine

The other was just railroad gin

And like a fool I mixed them

And it strangled up my mind

And now, people just get uglier

And I have no sense of time

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"

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

Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat

Yes, I see you got your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat

Well, you must tell me, baby

How your head feels under somethin' like that

Under your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat.

Well, you look so pretty in it

Honey, can I jump on it sometime?

Yes, I just wanna see

If it's really that expensive kind

You know it balances on your head

Just like a mattress balances

On a bottle of wine

Your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat.

Well, if you wanna see the sun rise

Honey, I know where

We'll go out and see it sometime

We'll both just sit there and stare

Me with my belt

Wrapped around my head

And you just sittin' there

In you brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat.

Well, I asked the doctor if I could see you

It's bad for your health, he said

Yes, I disobeyed his orders

I came to see you

But I found him there instead

You know, I don't mind him cheatin' on me

But I sure wish he'd take that off his head

Your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat.

Well, I see you got a new boyfriend

You know, I never seen him before

Well, I saw him

Makin' love to you

You forgot to close the garage door

You might think he loves you for your money

But I know what he really loves you for

It's your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat.

Just Like A Woman

Nobody feels any pain

Tonight as I stand inside the rain

Ev'rybody knows

That Baby's got new clothes

But lately I see her ribbons and her bows

Have fallen from her curls

She takes just like a woman, yes she does

She makes love just like a woman, yes she does

And she aches just like a woman

But she breaks just like a little girl.

Queen Mary, she's my friend

Yes, I believe I'll go see her again

Nobody has to guess

That Baby can't be blessed

Till she finally sees that she's like all the rest

With her fog, her amphetamine and her pearls

She takes just like a woman, yes she does

She makes love just like a woman, yes she does

And she aches just like a woman

But she breaks just like a little girl.

It's was raining from the first

And I was dying there of thirst

So I came in here

And your long-time curse hurts

But what's worse

Is this pain in here

I can't stay in here

Ain't it clear that.

I just can't fit

Yes, I believe it's time for us to quit

When we meet again

Introduced as friends

Please don't let on that you knew me when

I was hungry and it was your world

Ah, you fake just like a woman, yes you do

You make love just like a woman, yes you do

Then you ache just like a woman

But you break just like a little girl.

Most Likely You Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine

You say you love me

And you're thinkin' of me

But you know you could be wrong

You say you told me

That you wanna hold me

But you know you're not that strong

I just can't do what I done before

I just can't beg you any more

I'm gonna let your pass

And I'll go last

Then time will tell just who has fell

And who's been left behind

When you go your way and I go mine.

You say you disturb me

And you don't deserve me

But you know sometimes you lie

You say you're shakin'

And you're always achin'

But you know how hard you try

Sometimes it gets so hard to care

It can't be this way ev'rywhere

And I'm gonna let you pass

Yes, and I'll go last

Then time will tell who has fell

And who's been left behind

When you go your way and I go mine.

The judge, he holds a grudge

He's gonna call on you

But he's badly built

And he walks on stilts

Watch out he don't fall on you.

You say you're sorry

For tellin' stories

That you know I believe are true

You say ya got some

Other kinda lover

And yes, I 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.

Temporary Like Achilles

Standing on your window honey

Yes, I've been here before

Feeling so harmless

I'm looking at your second door

How come you don't send me no regards?

You know I want your lovin'

Honey, why are you so hard?

Kneeling 'neath your ceiling

Yes, I guess I'll be here for a while

I'm trying' to read your portrait, but

I'm helpless, like a rich man's child

How come you send someone out to have me barred?

You know I want your lovin'

Honey, why are you so hard?

Like a poor fool in his prime

Yes, I know you can hear me walk

But is your heart made out of stone, or is it lime

Or is it just solid rock?

Well, I rush into your hallway

Lean against your velvet door

I watch upon your scorpion

Who crawls across your circus floor

Just what do you think you have to guard?

You know I want your lovin'

Honey, but you're so hard.

Achilles is in your alleyway

He don't want me here

He does brag

He's pointing to the sky

And he's hungry, like a man in drag

How come you get someone like him to be your guard?

You know I want your lovin'

Honey, but you're so hard.

Absolutely Sweet Marie

Well, your railroad gate, you know I just can't jump it

Sometimes it gets so hard, you see

I'm just sitting here beating on my trumpet

With all these promises you left for me

But where are you tonight, sweet Marie?

Well, I waited for you when I was half sick

Yes, I waited for you when you hated me

Well, I waited for you inside of the frozen traffic

When you knew I had some other place to be

Now where are you tonight, sweet Marie?

Well, anybody can be just like me, obviously

But then, now again, not too many can be like you, fortunately.

Well, six white horses that you did promise

Were fin'ly delivered down to the penitentiary

But to live outside the law, you must be honest

I know you always say that you agree

But where are you tonight, sweet Marie?

Well I don't know how it happened

But the riverboat captain he knows my fate

But ev'rybody 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?

Now, I been in jail when all my mail showed

That a man can't give his address out to bad company

And now I stand here lookin' at your yellow railroad

In the ruins of your balcony

Wond'ring where you are tonight, sweet Marie?

4th Time Around

When she said

"Don't waste your words, they're just lies"

I cried she was deaf

And she worked on my face until breaking my eyes

Then said, "What else you got left"

It was then that I got up to leave

But she said, "Don't forget

Everybody must give something back

For something they get".

I stood there and hummed

I tapped on her drum and asked her how come

And she buttoned her boot

And straightened her suit

Then she said, "Don't get cute"

So I forced my hands in my pockets

And felt with my thumbs

And gallantly handed her

My very last piece of gum.

She threw me outside

I stood in the dirt where ev'ryone walked

And after finding I'd

Forgotten my shirt

I went back and knocked

I waited in the hallway, she went to get it

And I tried to make sense

Out of that picture of you in your wheelchair

That leaned up against ...

Her Jamaican rum

And when she did come, I asked her for some

She said, "No dear"

I said, "Your words aren't clear

You'd better spit out your gum"

She screamed till her face got so red

Then she fell on the floor

And I covered her up and then

Thought I'd go look through her drawer.

And when I was through

I filled up my shoe

And brought it to you

And you, you took me in

You loved me then

You didn't waste time

And I, I never took much

I never asked for your crutch

Now don’t ask for mine.

OBVIOUSLY FIVE BELIEVERS

I got fourteen fevers I got five believers dressed up like men / tell your mama not to worry

Tell your mama and your papa I am trying to keep from dying to

Tell your mama and your papa there is nothing wrong with your juglar vein

Tell your mama I love her and tell your sister Alice the same Lordy Miss

When your sleeping on windows and when you stay up all night swallowing rocks making love to

I should have sent her to Hong Kong stead of leaving

Early in the mornin'

I'm callin' you to

Please come home

Yes, I guess, I could make it without you

If I just didn't feel so all alone.

Don't let me down

I won't let you down

No I won't

You know I can if you can, honey

But honey, please don't.

I got my black dog barkin'

Black dog barkin'

Yes, it is now

Yes, it is now

Outside my yard

Yes, I could tell you what he means

If I just didn't have to try so hard.

Your mama's workin'

Your mama's moanin'

She's cryin' you know

She's cryin' you know

You better go now

Well, I'd tell you what she wants

But I just don't know how.

Fifteen jugglers

Fifteen jugglers

Five believers

Five believers

All dressed like men

Tell yo' mama not to worry because

They're just my friends.

Early in the mornin'

Early in the mornin'

I'm callin' you to

I'm callin' you to

Please come home

Yes, I guess, I could make it without you

If I just didn't feel so all alone.

Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands

With your mercury mouth in the missionary times

And your eyes like smoke and your prayers like rhymes

And your silver cross, and your voice like chimes

Oh, who do they think could bury you?

With your pockets well protected at last

And your streetcar visions which you place on the grass

And your flesh like silk, And you face like glass

Who among them do they think could carry you?

Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands

Where the sad-eyed prophet says that no man comes

My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums

Should I put them by your gate

Oh, sad-eyed lady, should I wait?

With your sheets like metal and your belt like lace

And your deck of cards missing the jack and the ace

And your basement clothes and your hollow face

Who among them can think he could outguess you?

With your silhouette when the sunlight dims

Into your eyes where the moonlight swims

And your match-book songs and your gypsy hymns

Who among them would try to impress you?

The kings of Tyrus with their convict list

Are waiting in line for their geranium kiss

And you wouldn't know it would happen like this

But who among them really wants just to kiss you?

With your childhood flames on your midnight rug

And your Spanish manners, and your mother's drugs

And your cowboy mouth and your curfew plugs

Who among them do you think could resist you?

Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands

Where the sad-eyed prophet says that no man comes

My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums

Should I leave them by your gate

Oh, sad-eyed lady, should I wait?

Oh, the farmers and the businessmen they all did decide

To show you the dead angels that they used to hide

But why did they pick you to sympathize with their side?

How could they ever mistake you?

They wished you'd accepted the blame for the farm

But with the sea at your feet and the phony false alarm

And with the child of a hoodlum wrapped up in your arms

How could they ever, ever persuade you?

With your sheet-metal memory of Cannery Row

And your magazine-husband who one day just had to go

And your gentleness now, which you just can't help but show

Who among them do you think would employ you?

Now you stand with your thief, you're on his parole

With your holy medallion which your fingertips fold

And your saint like face and your ghostlike soul

Who among them do you think could destroy you?

John Wesley Harding

John Wesley Harding

Was a friend to the poor

He traveled with a gun in every hand

All along this countryside

He opened a many a door

But he was never known

To hurt a honest man.

It was down in Chaynee County

A time they talk about

With his lady by his side

He took a stand

And soon the situation there

Was all but straightened out

For he was always known

To lend a helping hand.

All across the telegraph

His name it did resound

But no charge held against him

Could they prove

And there was no man around

Who could track or chain him down

He was never known

To make a foolish move.

As I Went Out One Morning

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'd done".

I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine

I dreamed I saw St. Augustine

Alive as you or me

Tearing through these quarters

In the utmost misery

With a blanket underneath his arm

And a coat of solid gold

Searching for the very souls

Whom already have been sold.

"Arise, arise", he cried so loud

With a voice without restraint

"Come out ye gifted kings and queens

And hear my sad complaint

No martyr is among ye now

Whom you can call your own

So go on your way accordingly

But know you're not alone".

I dreamed I saw St. Augustine

Alive with fiery breath

And I dreamed I was amongst the ones

That put him out to death

Oh, I awoke in anger

So alone and terrified

I put my fingers against the glass

And bowed my head and cried.

All Along The Watchtower

"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.

The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest

Well, Frankie Lee and Judas Priest

They were the best of friends

So when Frankie Lee needed more money one day

Judas quickly pulled out a roll of tens

And placed them on a footstool

Just above the plotted plain

Sayin', "Take your pick, Frankie Boy

My loss will be your gain".

Well, Frankie Lee, he sat right down

And put his fingers to his chin

But with the cold eyes of Judas on him

His head began to spin

"Would ya please not stare at me like that", he said

"It's just my foolish pride

But sometimes a man must be alone

And this is no place to hide".

Well, Judas he just winked and said

"All right, I'll leave you here

But you'd better hurry up and choose

Which of those bills you want

Before they all disappear"

"I'm gonna start my 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 Priest, "Eternity

Though you might call it Paradise"

"I don't call it anything"

Said Frankie Lee with a smile

"All right", said Judas Priest

"I'll see you after a while".

Well, Frankie Lee, he sat back down

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 callin' you down the road

And they say his name is Priest".

"Oh yes, he is my friend"

Said Frankie Lee in fright

"I do recall him very well

In fact, he just left my sight"

Yes, that's the one", said the stranger

As 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 a house is this", he said

"Where I have come to roam?"

"It's not a house", said Judas Priest

"It's not a house, it's a home".

Well, Frankie Lee he trembled

He soon lost all control

Over everything which he had made

While the mission bells did toll

He just stood there starring

At that big house as bright as any sun

With four and twenty windows

And a woman's face in 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 the song

Is simply that one should never be

Where ones does not belong

So when you see your neighbor carrying' somethin'

Help him with his load

And don't go mistaking Paradise

For that home across the road.

DRIFTER'S ESCAPE

Oh, help me in my weakness

I heard the drifter say

As they carried him from the courtroom

And were taking him away

"My trip hasn't been a pleasant one

And my time it isn't long

And I still do not know

What it was that I've done wrong.

Well, the judge he cast his robe aside

A tear came to his eye

"You failed to understand", he said

"Why must you even try?"

Outside the crowd was stirring

You could hear it from the door

Inside the judge was stepping down

While the jury cried for more.

"Oh, stop that cursed jury"

Cried the attendant and the nurse

"The trial was bad enough

But this is ten times worse"

Just then a bolt of lightning

Struck the courthouse out of shape

And while ev'rybody knelt to pray

The drifter did escape.

Dear Landlord

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

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 his road.

I Pity The Poor Immigrant

I pity the poor immigrant

Who wishes he would've stayed home

Who uses all his power to do evil

But in the end is always left so alone

That man whom with his fingers cheats

And who lies with 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 Ironsides

Whose tears are like rain

Who eats but is not satisfied

Who hears but does not see

Who falls in love with wealth itself

And turns his back on me.

I pity the poor immigrant

Who tramples through the mud

Who fills his mouth with laughing

And who builds his town with blood

Whose visions in the final end

Must shatter like the glass

I pity the poor immigrant

When his gladness comes to pass.

The Wicked Messenger

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

Down along the cove

I spied my true love comin' my way

Down along the cove

I spied my true love comin' my way

I say, "Lord, have mercy, mama

It sure is good to see you comin' today".

Down along the cove

I spied my little bundle of joy

Down along the cove

I spied my little bundle of joy

She said, "Lord, have mercy, honey

I'm so glad you're my boy".

Down along the cove

We walked together hand in hand

Down along the cove

We walked together hand in hand

Ev'rybody watching' us go by

Knows we're in love, yes, and they understand.

I'll Be Your Baby Tonight

Close your eyes, close your door

You don't have to worry any more

I'll be your baby tonight.

Shut the light, shut the shade

You don't have to be afraid

I'll be your baby tonight.

Well, that mockingbird's gonna sail away

We're gonna forget it

That big, fat moon is gonna shine like a spoon

But we're gonna let it

You won't regret it.

Kick your shoes off, do not fear

Bring that bottle over here

I'll be your baby tonight.

To Be Alone With You

To be alone with you

Just you and me

Now won't you tell me the true

Ain't that the way it ought to 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 evenings slips away

It only goes to show

That while life's pleasures be few

The only one I know

Is when I'm alone with you.

They say that nighttime is the right time

To be with the one you love

Too many thoughts get in the way in the day

But you're always what I'm thinkin' of

I wish the night were here

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 Threw It All Away

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 must have been mad

I never knew what I had

Until I threw it all away.

Love is all there is, it makes the world go around

Love and only love it can't be denied

No matter what you think about it

You just won't be able to do without it

Take a tip from one who's tried.

So if you find someone that gives you all of her love

Take it to your heart, don't let it stray

For one thing that's certain

You will surely be a-hurting'

If you throw it all away.

Peggy Day

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 that even before I learned her name

You know I loved her just the same

And I tell them all, wherever I may go

Just so they'll know, that she's my little lady

And I love her so.

Peggy Day stole my poor heart away

Turned my skies to blue from gray

Love to spend the night with Peggy Day.

Peggy Day stole my poor heart away

By golly, what more can I say

Love to spend the night with Peggy Day

Lay Lady Lay

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.

Stay, lady, stay, stay with your man awhile

Until the break of day, let me see you make him smile

His clothes are dirty but his hands are clean

And you're the best thing that he's ever seen.

Stay, lady, stay, stay with your man awhile

Why wait any longer for the world to begin

You can have your cake and eat it too

Why wait any longer for the one you love

When he's standing in front of you.

Stay, lady, stay, and 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, and stay while the night is still ahead.

One More Night

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 light will shine on me.

Oh, it's shameful and it's sad

I lost the only pal I had

I just could not be what she wanted me to be

I will turn my head up high

To that dark and rolling sky

For tonight no light will shine on me.

I was so mistaken when I thought that she'd be true

I had no idea what a woman in love would do.

One more night, I will wait for the light

While the wind blows high above the tree

Oh, I miss my darling so

I didn't mean to see her go

But tonight no light will shine on me.

One more night, the moon is 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 light will shine on me.

Tell Me That It Isn't True

I have heard rumors all over town

They say that you're planning to put me down

All I would like you to do

Is tell me that it isn't true.

They say that you've been seen with some other man

That he's tall, dark, and handsome, and you're holding his hand

Darling, I'm a-counting' on you.

Tell me that is 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 those awful things that I have heard

I don't want to believe them, all I want is your word

So darling' you better come through

Tell me that it isn't true.

All of those awful things that I have heard

I don't want to believe them, all I want is your word

So darling' I'm counting' on you

Tell me that it isn't true.

Country Pie

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' 'til 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 on my big white goose

Tie me on 'er turn her loose

Oh me, oh my

Love that country pie.

I don't need much and that ain't no lie

Ain't 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's got nothing' on me

Oh me, oh my

Love that country pie.

Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You

Throw my ticket out the window

Throw my suitcase out there too

Throw my troubles out the door

I don't need them any more

'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 any more

'Cause tonight I'll be staying here with you.

Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You

Threw my ticket in the wind

Threw my mattress out there too

Threw my letters in the sand

Cause you've got to understand

That tonight I'll be staying here with you

I would have left this town by noon

By tonight have been in some place new

But I was feeling a little bit scattered

And your love was all that mattered

So tonight I'll be staying here with you

Get ready

Cause tonight I'll be staying here with you

Is it really any wonder?

The changes that we run upon each others heads

You come on to me like rolling thunder

I left my dreams on the river bed

I can hear that whistle blowing

Hear that sunrise rolling too

If there's a driver on the road

Let him have my load

Cause tonight I'll be staying here with you

I can hear that lonesome whistle blowing

Hear that sunrise rolling too

If there's a driver on the road

Let him have my load

Cause tonight I'll be staying here with you

Yes tonight I'll be staying here with you

All The Tired Horses

All the tired horses in the sun

How am I supposed to get any riding done?

Alberta #1

Alberta, let your hair hang low, Alberta, let your hair hang low

I'll give you more gold than your apron can hold

If you'll only let your hair hang low.

Alberta, what's on your mind, Alberta, what's on your mind?

You keep me worried and bothered all of the time

Alberta, what's on your mind?

Alberta, don't you treat me unkind, Alberta, don't you treat me unkind?

Oh my heart is sad because I want you so bad

Alberta, don't you treat me unkind?

I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know

I forgot more than you'll ever know about her.

You think you know the smile on her lips

The thrill and the touch of her fingertips

But I forgot more than you'll ever know about her.

You think you'll find heaven of bliss

In each caress, in each tender kiss

But I forgot more than you'll ever know about her.

You stole her love from me one day

You didn't care, oh, it hurt me

But you can never steal away memories of what used to be.

You think she's yours, to have and to hold

Someday you'll learn, when her love grows cold

But I forgot more than you'll ever know about her.

Days Of 49

I'm old Tom Moore from the bummer's shore in that 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 oft'times I repine for the days of old

When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49.

My comrades they all loved me well, a jolly saucy crew

A few hard cases I will recall though they all were brave and true

Whatever the pitch they never would flinch, they never would fret or whine

Like good old bricks they stood the kicks in the days of '49

In the days of old, in the days of gold

How oft'times I repine for the days of old

When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49.

There was New York Jake, the butcher boy, he was always getting tight

And every time that he'd get full he was spoiling for a fight

But Jake rampaged against a knife in the hands of old Bob Stein

And over Jake they held a wake in the days of '49

In the days of old, in the days of gold

How oft'times I repine for the days of old

When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49.

There was Poker Bill, one of the boys who was always in a game

Whether he lost or whether he won, to him it was always the same

He would ante up and draw his cards and he would you go a hatful blind

In the game with death Bill lost his breath, in the days of '49

In the days of old, in the days of gold

How oft'times I repine for the days of old

When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49.

There was Rag shag Bill from Buffalo, I never will forget

He would roar all day and he'd roar all night and I guess he's roaring yet

One day he fell in a prospect hole, in a roaring bad design

And in that hole he roared out his soul, in the days of '49

In the days of old, in the days of gold

How oft'times I repine for the days of old

When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49.

Of the comrades all that I've had, there's none that's left to boast

And I'm left alone in my misery like some poor wandering ghost

And I pass by from town to town, they call me a rambling sign

"There goes Tom Moore, a bummer shore in the days of '49 "

In the days of old, in the days of gold

How oft'times I repine for the days of old

When we dug up the gold, in the days of '49.

Early Morning Rain

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 rolling down at last.

Hear the mighty engines roar, see the silver bird on high

She's away and westward bound, far above the clouds she'll fly

Where the morning rain don't fall and the sun always shines

She'll be flying over my home in about three hours time.

This old airport's got me down, it's no earthly good to me

Because I'm stuck here on the ground, cold and drunks as I might be

You can't hop a jet plane like you can a freight train

So I'd best be on my way in the early morning rain.

In Search Of Little Sadie

Went out last night just to take a little round

I get my little Sadie and I brought her down

I run right home and I went to bed

With a forty-four smokeless under my head.

I begin to think of what a deed I'd done

I grabbed my hat and I began to run

I made a good run but I ran too slow

They overtake me down in Jericho.

Standing on a corner ringing my bell

Up stepped the sheriff of Thomasville

He said, "Young man, is you name Brown?

Remember you blowed little Sadie down?".

"Oh yes sir, my name is Lee

I murdered little Sadie in first degree"

"First degree and second degree

If you've got any papers, will you serve 'em to me?".

Well they took me downtown and they dressed me in black

They put me on a train and they sent me back

I had no one for to go my bail

They crammed me back into the crowded jail

Oh yes they did.

The judge and the jury they took their stand

The judge had the papers in his right hand

Forty-one days, forty-one nights, forty-one years

To wear the ball and the stripes

Oh no.

I went out last night to take a little round

I met my little Sadie and I blowed her down

I run right home and I went to bed

With a forty-four smokeless under my head.

Let It Be Me

I bless the day I found you

I want my arms around you

And so I beg you: Let it be me.

Don't take this heaven from one

If you must cling someone

Now and forever, let it be me.

Each time we meet, love

I find complete love

Without your sweet love, what would life be?

So never leave me lonely

Tell me that you love me only

And say you'll always let it be me.

Little Sadie

Went out last night just to take a little round

I get my little Sadie and I brought her down

I run right home and I went to bed

With a forty-four smokeless under my head.

Went out last night just to take a little round

I get my little Sadie and I brought her down

I begin to think of what a deed I'd done

I grabbed my hat and I began to run

I made a good run but I ran too slow

They overtake me down in Jericho.

Standing on a corner as he's ringing my bell

Up stepped the sheriff of Thomasville

He said, "Young man, is you name Brown?

Remember you blowed little Sadie down?".

"Oh yes sir, my name is Lee

I murdered little Sadie in first degree"

"First degree and second degree

If you've got any papers, will you serve 'em to me?".

Well they took me downtown and they dressed me in black

They put me on a train and they sent me back

I had no one for to go my bail

They crammed me back into the crowded jail

Well, the judge and the jury they took their stand

The judge had the papers in his right hand

Forty-one days, forty-one nights, forty-one years

To wear the ball and the stripes

Belle Isle

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 labor

Which caused me to stay for a while

And I thought of a goddess to beauty

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

It's true I come here in disguise

I came here to fulfill our last promise

And hope to give you a surprise.

I've known you're a maid I love dearly

And you've been in my heart all the while

For me there is no other damsel

Than my blooming' bright star of Belle Isle".

COPPER KETTLE

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 just 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

You'll just lay there by the juniper while the moon is bright

Watch them just 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

You'll just lay there by the juniper while the moon is bright

Watch them just a-filling in the pale moonlight

GOTTA TRAVEL ON

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 got to travel on

Papa writes to Johnny: Johnny, can't you come home?

Johnny, can't you come home?

Papa writes to Johnny: Johnny, can't you come home?

Johnny's been out on the road too long

Done laid around, done stayed around

This old town too long

And it seems like I've got to travel on

And it seems like I've got to travel on

That silly wind will soon begin and I'll be on my way

Going home to stay, going home to stay

That silly wind will soon begin and I'll be on my way

And I feel like I just want to travel on

There's a lonesome freight at 6.08 coming through the town

I'll be homeward bound, I'll be homeward bound

There's a lonesome freight at 6.08 coming through the town

And I feel like I just want to travel on

I'm 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 railway station

Running scared, laying low

Seeking out the poorer quarters

Where the ragged people go

Looking for the places only they would know

Asking only workman's wages

I come looking for a job

But I get no offers

Just a come-on from the whores

On Seventh Avenue, I do declare

There were times when I was so lonesome

I took some comfort there

Then I'm laying out my winter clothes

And wishing I was gone, going home

Where the New York City winters

Aren't bleeding me, leading me

Going home

In the clearing stands a boxer

And a fighter by his trade

And he carries the reminders

Of every glove that laid him down

And cut him till he cried out

In his anger and his shame:

I am leaving, I am leaving

But the fighter still remains

BLUE MOON

Blue moon,

You saw me standing alone

Without a dream in my heart

Without a love on my own.

Blue moon,

You knew just what I was there for

You heard me saying a prayer for

Somebody I realy could care for.

And then there suddenly appeared before me,

The only one my arms will ever hold

I heard somebody whisper, please adore me.

And when I looked,

The moon had turned to gold.

Blue moon,

Now I’m lo longer alone

Without a dream in my heart

Without a love of my own.

TAKE ME AS I AM

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'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

These are the words of a frontier lad

Who lost his love when he turned bad

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 jail

You can tell her that I had to see the world

Tell her that my ship set sail

You can say she'd better not wait for me

But don't tell her I'm in jail, oh don't tell her I'm in jail

Take a message to Mary

But don't tell her what I've done

Please, don't mention the stage coach

And the shot from a carried gun

You better tell her that I had to change my plans

And cancel out the wedding-day

But please, don't mention the lonely cell

Where I'm gonna pine away, until my dying-day

Take a message to Mary

But don't tell her all you know

My heart is aching for Mary

Lord knows I miss her so

Just tell her that I went to Timbuktoo

Tell her I was searching for gold

You can say she better find someone new

To cherish and to hold, oh Lord, this cell is so cold

IT HURTS ME TOO

So run here baby, put your little hands in mine

I've got something to tell you

I know you're gonna change your mind

When things go wrong, so wrong with you

It hurts me too

I want you, baby, just to understand

I don't wanna be your boss, baby

I just wanna be your man

When things go wrong, so wrong with you

It hurts me too

Now when you go home, you don't have to get along

Come back to me, baby

Where I live that's where you belong

When things go wrong, so wrong with you

It hurts me too

I love you baby, and you know that it's true

I wouldn't mistreat you, baby

Nothing in this world is like you

Yes, when things go wrong, so wrong with you

It hurts me too

When things go wrong, so wrong with you

It hurts me too

So run here baby, put your little hands in mine

I've got something to tell you, baby

I know you're gonna change your mind

When things go wrong, so wrong with you

Don't you know, really, don't you know it hurts me too

Living The Blues

Since you've been gone

I've been walking around

With my head bowed down to my shoes

I've been living the blues every night without you.

I don't have to go far

To know where you are

Strangers all give me the news

I've been living the blues every night without you.

I think that it's best

I soon get some rest

And forget my pride, but I can't deny

This feeling that I carry for you deep down inside.

If you'd see me this way

You'd come back and you'd stay

Oh, how could you refuse?

I've been living the blues every night without you.

I think that it's best

I soon get some rest

And forget my pride, but I can't deny

This feeling that I carry for you deep down inside.

If you'd see me this way

You'd come back and you'd stay

Oh, how could you refuse?

I've been living the blues every night without you.

If Not For You

If not for you, babe, I couldn't find the door

Couldn't even see the floor

I'd be sad and blue if not for you.

If not for you, baby, I'd lay awake all night

Wait for the morning light

To shine in through

But it will not be new if not for you.

If not for you, my sky would fall, rain would gather too

Without your love I'd be nowhere at all

I'd be lost if not for you

And you know it's true.

If not for you, my sky would fall, rain would gather too

Without your love I'd be nowhere at all

Oh what would I do if not for you?

If not for you, winter would have no spring

I couldn't hear the robins sing

I just wouldn't have a clue

Anyway it wouldn't ring true if not for you

If not for you, if not for you.

Day Of The Locusts

Oh the benches were stained with tears and perspiration

The birdies were flying from tree to tree

There was little to say, there was no conversation

As I stepped to the stage to pick up my degree

And the locusts sang off in the distance

Yeah the locusts sang such a sweet melody

Oh, the locusts sang off in the distance

Yeah, the locusts sang and they were singing for me.

I glanced into the chamber where the judges were talking

Darkness was everywhere, it smelled like a tomb

I was ready to leave, I was already walkin'

But the next time I looked there was light in the room

And the locusts sang, yeah, it give me a chill

Outside of the gates the trucks were unloading'

The weather was hot, a-nearly 90 degrees

The man standing next to me, his head was exploding

Well, I was praying' the pieces wouldn't fall on me

I put down my robe, picked up my diploma

Took hold of my sweetheart and away we did drive

Straight for the hills, the black hills of Dakota

Sure was glad to get out of there alive

And the locusts sang, yeah, it give me a chill

Yeah, the locusts sang such a sweet melody

And the locusts sang with a high whining trill

Yeah, the locusts sang and they were singing for me

Singing for me, well, singing for me.

Time Passes Slowly

Time passes slowly up here in the mountain

We sit beside the bridges and walk beside the fountains

Catch the wild fishes that float though the stream

Time passes slowly when you're lost in a dream.

Once I had a sweetheart, she was fine and good-looking

She sat in the kitchen while her mama was cooking

Stared on out the window to the stars high above

Time passes slowly when you're searching for love.

Ain't no reason to go in a wagon to town

Ain't no reason to go to the fair

Ain't no reason to go up, ain't no reason to go down

Ain't no reason to go anywhere.

Time passes slowly up here in the daylight

We stare straight ahead and try so hard to stay right

Like the red rose of summer that blooms in the day

Time passes slowly and fades away.

Went To Se The Gypsy

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 that little Minnesota town.

Winterlude

Winterlude, Winterlude, oh darling

Winterlude by the road tonight

Tonight there will be no quarreling

Everything is gonna be all right

Oh I see by the angel beside me

That love has a reason to shine

You're the one I adore come over here and give me more

Winterlude, this dude thinks you're fine.

Winterlude, Winterlude, my little apple

Winterlude by the corn in the field

Winterlude, let's go down to the chapel

Then come back and cook up a meal

Well, come out when the skating rink glistens

By the sun near the old crossroad sign

The snow is so cold but our love can be bold

Winterlude, don't be rude please be mine.

Winterlude, Winterlude, my little daisy

Winterlude by the telephone wire

Winterlude, it's making me lazy

Come one, sit by the logs in the fire

The moonlight reflects from the window

Where the snowflakes they cover the sand

Come out tonight everything will be tight

Winterlude, this dude thinks you're grand.

If Dogs Run Free

If dogs run free, then why not we

Across the swooping plain?

My ears hear a symphony

Of two mules, trains and rain

The best is always yet to come

That's what they explain to me

Just do your thing, you'll be king

If dogs run free.

If dogs run free, why not me

Across the swamp of time?

My mind weaves a symphony

And tapestry of rhyme

Oh, winds which rush my tale to thee

So it may flow and be

To each his own, it's all unknown

If dogs run free.

If dogs run free, then what must be

Must be and that is all

True love can make a blade of grass

Stand up straight and tall

In harmony with the cosmic sea

True love needs no company

It can cure the soul, it can make it whole

If dogs run free.

New Morning

Can't you hear that rooster crowing?

Rabbit running down across the road

Underneath the bridge where the water flows through

So happy just to see you smile

Underneath the sky of blue

On this new morning, new morning

On this new morning with you.

Can't you hear that motor turning

Automobile coming into style

Coming down the road for a country mile or two?

So happy just to see you smile

Underneath the sky of blue

On this new morning, new morning

On this new morning with you.

The night passed away so quickly

It always does when you're with me.

Can't you feel that sun a-shinning?

Ground hog running by the country stream

This must be the day when all of my dreams come true

So happy just to be alive

Underneath the sky of blue

On this new morning, new morning

On this new morning with you.

So happy just to be alive

Underneath the sky of blue

On this new morning, new morning

On this new morning with you

New morning ...

Sign On The Window

Sign on the window says, Lonely"

Sign on the door said, No company allowed"

Sign on the street says, You don't own me"

Sign on a porch says, Three's a crowd"

Sign on a porch says that three's a crowd.

Her and her boyfriend went to California

Her and her boyfriend done changed their tune

My best friend said, Now didn't I warn you?

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.

Built me a cabin in Utah

Marry me a wife, catch a rainbow trout

Have a bunch of kids who call me pa

That must be what it's all about

That must be what it's all about.

One More Weekend

Slipping and sliding like a weasel on the run

I'm looking good to see you, yeah, we could have some fun

One more weekend, one more weekend with you

One more weekend, one more weekend will do.

Come on down to my ship, honey, ride on deck

We'll fly over the ocean, just like you suspect

One more weekend, one more weekend with you

One more weekend, one more weekend will do.

We'll fly the night away

Hang up the whole next day

Things will be okay

You wait and see

We'll go to some place unknown

Leave all the children home

Honey, why not go alone

Just you and me.

Coming and going like a rabbit in the wood

I'm happy just to see you, yeah, looking so good

One more weekend, one more weekend with you

One more weekend, one more weekend will do, yes you will.

Like a needle in a haystack I'm gonna find you yet

You're the sweetest girl mama that this boy is ever gonna get

One more weekend, one more weekend with you

One more weekend, one more weekend will do.

The Man In Me

The man in me will do nearly any task

As for compensation, there's a little he will ask

Take a woman like you

To get through to the man in me.

Storm clouds are raging all around my door

I think to myself I might not take it anymore

Take a woman like your kind

To find the man in me.

But, oh what a wonderful feeling

Just to know that you are near

It sets my heart a-reeling

From my toes up to my ears.

The man in me will hide sometimes to keep from being seen

But that's just because he doesn't want to turn into some machine

Take a woman like you

To get through to the man in me.

Three Angels

Three angels up above the street

Each one playing a horn

Dressed in green robes with wings that stick out

They're been there since Christmas morn'

The wildest cat from Montana passes by in a flash

Then a lady in a bright orange dress

One U-Haul trailer, a truck with no wheels

The Tenth Avenue bus going west

The dogs and pigeons fly up and they flutter around

A man with a badge skips by

Three fellows crawling on their way back to work

Nobody stops to ask why

The bakery truck stops outside of that fence

Where the angels stand high on their poles

The driver peeks out, trying to find one face

In this concrete world full of souls

The angels play on their horns all day

The whole earth in progressions seems to pass by

But does anyone hear the music they play?

Does anyone even try?

Father Of Night

Father of night, Father of day

Father who takes the darkness away

Father who teacheth the birds to fly

Builder of rainbows up in the sky

Father of loneliness and pain

Father of love and Father of rain.

Father of day, Father of night

Father of black, Father of white

Father who built the mountains so high

Who shapeth the cloud there up in the sky

Father of time and Father of dreams

Father who turneth the river and stream.

Father of grain, Father of wheat

Father of cold and Father of heat

Father of air and Father of trees

Who dwells in our hearts and our memories

Father of minutes, Father of days

Father of whom we most solemnly praise.

Billy 1

There's guns across the river aiming at you

Lawman on your trail he like to catch you

Bounty hunters too, they like to get you

Billy, they don't like you to be so free.

Camping out all night on the veranda

Dealing cards 'til 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 signorita

Into her dark hallway she will lead you

Through the shadows of the mazes she will greet you

Bill, you're so far away from home.

Knockin' On Heaven's Door

Mama, take this badge off of me

I can't use it anymore

It's getting dark, too dark to see

I feel like I'm knocking on heavens door.

Knock, knock, knocking on heavens door

Mama, put my guns in the ground

I can't shoot them anymore

That long black cloud is comin' down

I feel like I'm knocking on heavens door

Billy 4

There's guns across the river about to pound you

There's a lawman on your trail like to surround you

Bounty hunters are dancing all around you

Billy, they don't like you to be so free.

Camping out all night on the veranda

Walking in the streets down by the hacienda

Up to Boot Hill the like to send you

Billy, don't you turn your back on me.

There's mills inside the minds of crazy faces

Bullet holes and rifles in their cases

There is always one more notch in four more aces

Billy, and you're playing all alone.

Playing around with some sweet signorita

Into her dark chamber she will greet you

In the shadows of the mesas she will lead you

Billy, and you're going all alone.

They say that Pat Garrett's got your number

So sleep with one eye open, when you wander

Every little sound just might be thunder

Thunder from the barrel of his gun.

There's always another stranger sneaking glances

Some trigger-happy fool willing to take chances

Some old whore from San Pedro'll make advances

Advances on your spirit and your soul.

The businessmen from Taos want you to go down

So they've hired mister Garrett, he'll force you to slow down

Billy, don't let it make you feel so low-down

To be hunted by the man who was your friend.

So hang on to your woman, if you got one

Remember in El Paso once you shot one

I'll be in Santa Fe about one

Billy, you've been running for so long.

Gypsy queens will play your grand finale

Way down in some Tularosa alley

Maybe in La Rio Pecos valley

Billy, you're so far away from home

Billy, you're so far away from home

Billy 7

Spend the night with some sweet signorita

Into her dark hallway 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 wander

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 your borrow

Figuring a way to get back home.

Lily Of The West

When first I came to Louisville, some pleasure there to find

A damsel there from Lexington was pleasing to my mind

Her rosy cheeks, her ruby lips, like arrows pierced my breast

And the name she bore was Flora, the lily of the west.

I courted lovely Flora some pleasure for to find

But she turned unto another man whose sore distressed my mind

She robbed me of my liberty, deprived me of my rest

Then go, my lovely Flora, the lily of the west.

Away down in yonder shady grove, a man of high degree

Conversing' with my Flora there, it seemed so strange to me

And the answer that she gave to him it sore did me oppress

I was betrayed by Flora, the lily of the west.

I stepped up my rival, dagger in my hand

I seized him by the collar, and boldly made him stand

Seeing 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.

Can't Help Falling In Love

Wise men say, only fools rush in

But I can't help falling in love with you

Shall I stay, will it be a sin

If I can't help falling in love with you?

Like a river flows surely to the sea

Darling, so it goes, some things were meant to be

Take my hand, take my whole life too

For I can't help falling in love with you.

Sarah Jane

Arranged by Bob Dylan

I got a wife and five little chillun

I'm gonna take a trip on the big McMillan

With Saro Jane

Saro Jane

Ain't nothin' to do

But to set down and sing

And rock about my Saro Jane

The boiler busted and the whistle squall

The Captain gone through the hole-in-the-wall

Oh Saro Jane

Saro Jane

Ain't nothin' to do

But to set down and sing

And rock about my Saro Jane

The engine give a crack and the whistle gave a squall

The engineer gone to the hole-in-the-wall

Saro Jane

Saro Jane

Ain't nothin' to do

But to set down and sing

And rock about my Saro Jane

Yankee built boats to shoot them Rebels

My gun's steady gonna hold it level

Saro Jane

Saro Jane

But to set down and sing

And rock about my Saro Jane

I got a wife and five little chillun

I'm gonna take a trip on the big McMillan

Saro Jane

Saro Jane

Ain't nothin' to do

But to set down and sing

And rock about my Saro Jane

The Ballad Of Ira Hayes

Gather round you people and a story I will tell

About a brave young Indian you should remember well

From the tribe of Pima Indians, a proud and a peaceful band

They farmed the Phoenix Valley in Arizona land

Down their ditches for a thousand years the sparkling water rushed

Till their white man stole their water rights and the running water hushed

Now Ira's folks were hungry and their farms were crops of weeds

But when war came he volunteers and forgot, the white man's greed

Call him, Drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore

Not the whiskey-drinking Indian or the marine who went to war

Yes, call him, Drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore

Not the whiskey-drinking Indian or the marine who went to war.

They started up Iwo Jima Hill, 250 men

But only 27 lived to walk back down that hill again

And when the fight was over and the old glory raised

One of the men who held it high was the Indian Ira Hayes

Now Ira returned a hero, celebrated throughout the land

He was wined and speeched and honored, everybody shook his hand

But he was just a Pima Indian, no money crops, no chance

And at home nobody cared what Ira had done and the wind did the Indian's dance

And Ira started drinking hard, jail was often his home

They let him raise the flag there and lower it like you'd throw a dog a bone

He died drunk early one morning, alone in the land he had fought to save

Two inches of water in a lonely ditch was the grave for Ira Hayes

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

Mr. Bojangles

I knew a man Bojangles and he'd dance for you in worn out shoes

Silver hair, ragged shirt and baggy pants, that old soft shoe

He'd jump so high, he'd jump so high, will he likely touch down?

Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles, dance.

I met him in a cell in New Orleans, I was down and out

He looked to me to be the eye of age as he spoke right out

He talked of life, he talked of life, laughing slapped his leg stale

Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles, dance.

He said the name Bojangles and he danced a lick all across the cell

He grabbed his pants for a better stance, oh he jumped so high and he clicked

up his heels

He let go laugh, he let go laugh, shook back his clothes all around

Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles, dance, yeah, dance.

He danced for those at minstrel shows and county fairs throughout the south

He spoke with tears of 15 years of how his dog and him but just traveled all about

His dog up and died, he up and died, and after 20 years he still grieves

Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles, dance.

He said I dance now at every chance at honky-tonks for drinks and tips

But most of the time I spend behind these county bars, cause I drink so bit

He shook his head, yes he shook his head, I heard someone ask him, please

Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles, dance, dance, Mr. Bojangles, dance.

Mary Ann

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 never I prove false to you

Let the day turn to night, my dear, Mary Ann.

If I had a flask of gin and sugar here for two

And a great big bowl for two to mix it in

I'd pour a drink for you my dear, Mary Ann

Yes, I'd pour a drink for you my dear, Mary Ann.

Big Yellow Taxi

They paved paradise, they put up a parking lot

A pink hotel, a boutique and a swinging hot spot

Don't it always go to show

You never know what you got till it's gone?

They paved paradise, they put up a parking lot.

They took all the trees, they put them in a tree museum

They charged the people a dollar and a half just to see them

Don't it always go to show

You never know what you got till it's gone?

They paved paradise, they put up a parking lot.

Hey farmer, farmer, put away that D.D.T

Give me spots on my apples but leave me the birds and the bees, please,

Don't it always go to show

You never know what you got till it's gone?

They paved paradise, they put up a parking lot.

Late last night I heard my screen door slam

A big yellow bulldozer took away the house and land

Don't it always go to show

You never know what you got till it's gone?

They paved paradise, they put up a parking lot.

A Fool Such As I

Now and then there's a fool such as I

Pardon me if I'm sentimental, came to say goodbye

Don't be angry, don't be angry with me, should I cry

When you are gone, I will dream a little dream as years go by

Now and then there is a fool, a fool such as I.

Now and then there's a fool such as I am over you

You taught me how to love and now you happened to be untrue

I am a fool but I love you, dear, yes I will until the day I die.

Now and then there is a fool, a fool such as I.

Pardon me if I'm sentimental, came to say goodbye

Don't be angry, don't be angry with me, should I cry

When you are gone, when you are gone, I will dream a little

I will dream as years go by

Now and then, now and then there is a fool, a fool such as I.

Now and then there's a fool, a fool such as I am over you

You taught me how to love and now you say that we are through

I am a fool, yes, but I love you dear, I will love you dear

Till the day, till the day I die

Now and then, now and then there is a fool, a fool such as I.

Spanish Is The Loving Tongue

Broke my heart, lost my soul

Adios,mi cora sole

Spanish is the loving tongue

Soft as music, light as spring

It was a girl I learned it from

Living down Sonora way

Well, I don't look much like a lover

Still I say her love words over

Mostly when I'm all alone

Mi amor, mi cora sole.

Haven't seen her since that night

I can't cross the line you know

They want me for a gambling' fight

Like as not it's better so

Still I always kind of missed her

Since that last sad night I kissed her

Broke her heart, lost my own

Adios, mi cora sole

Broke her heart, lost my own

Adios, mi cora sole

Adios, mi cora sole

Adios, mi cora sole.

On A Night Like This

On a night like this

I am so glad you came around

Hold on to me so tight

And heat up some coffee grounds

We got much to talk about

And much to reminisce

It sure is right

On a night like this.

On a night like this

So glad you've come to stay

Hold on to me, pretty miss

Say you'll never go away to stray

Run your fingers down my spine

Bring me a touch of bliss

It sure feels right

On a night like this.

On a night like this

I can't get any sleep

The air is so cold outside

And the snow's so deep

Build a fire, throw on logs

And listen to it hiss

And let it burn, burn, burn, burn

On a night like this.

Put your body next to mine

And keep me company

There is plenty a room for all

So please don't elbow me.

Let the four winds blow

Around this old cabin door

If I'm not too far off

I think we did this once before

There's more frost on the window glass

With each new tender kiss

But it sure feels right

On a night like this.

Going, Going, Gone

I've just reached a place

Where the willow don't bend

There's not much more to be said

It's the top of the end

I am going

I am gone.

I am closing the book

On the pages and the text

And I don't really care

Of what happens next

I am just going

I am going

I am gone.

I been hanging on threads

I been playing it straight

Now I've just got to cut loose

Before it gets late

So I am going

I am going

I am gone.

Grandma said, Boy, go and follow your heart

And you'll be fine at the end of the line

All that's gold doesn't shine

Don't you and your own true love ever part

I been walking the road

I been living on the edge

Now I've just got to go

Before I get to the ledge

So I am going

I am just going

I am gone.

I've just reached a place

where I'm feeling kind of low

I don't mind leaving

And you know I'm not afraid to go

Fix me one more drink baby

and hold me one more time

But don't get too close

and try and make me change my mind

Come over here baby

'cause I'm telling you this

You gotta believe it

you gotta give me one more kiss

Now from Boston to Birmingham

is a two day ride

But I got to be going now

'cause I'm so dissatisfied

I've been hanging round your house so long

You been treating me like a clown

You don't know how to do nothing,

'cept tear a good man's reputation down

Come over here one more time, mama,

and shake my hand

I'm gonna go back to my woman

You can go back to your man

Come over here quickly one time baby

and shake my hand

I could find me another woman

you could find you another man

Tough Mama

Tough mama

Meat shaking on your bones

I'm gonna go down to the river and get some stones

Sister's on the highway with that steel driven' crew

Papa's in the big house, his working days are through

Tough mama

Can I blow a little smoke on you.

Dark beauty

Won't you move it on over and make 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 you eyes.

Sweet Goddess

Born of a blinding light and a changing wind

Now don't be modest, you know who you are and where you've been

Jack, the cowboy, went up north, he's buried in your past

The lone wolf went out drinking, that was over pretty fast

Sweet Goddess

Your perfect stranger's coming in at last.

Silver angel

With the badge of the lonesome road written on your sleeve

I'd be grateful if this golden ring you would receive

Today on the countryside it was a hotter than a crotch

I stood alone upon the ridge and all I did was watch

Sweet Goddess

It must be time to carve another notch.

I'm crestfallen

The world of illusion is at my door

I ain't a-hauling' any of my lambs to the marketplace anymore

The prison walls are crumbling, there is no end in sight

I've gained some recognition but I lost my appetite

Sweet beauty

Meet me at the border late tonight.

Hazel

Hazel, dirty blonde hair

I wouldn't be ashamed to be seen with you anywhere

You got something I want plenty of

Ooh, a little touch of your love.

Hazel, stardust in your eye

You're going somewhere and so am I

I'd give you the sky high above

Ooh, for a touch of your love.

Oh no, I don't need any reminder

To know how much I really care

But it's just making me blinder and blinder

Because I am up on the hill and still you're not there.

Hazel, you called and I came

Now don't make me play this waiting game

You've got something I want plenty of

Ooh, a little touch of your love.

Something There Is About You

Something there is about you that strikes a match in me

Is it the way your body moves or is it the way your hair blows free

Or is it because you remind me of something that used to be

Something that's crossed over from another century?

Thought I'd shaken the wonder and the phantoms of my youth

Rainy days on the Great Lakes, walking the hills of old Duluth

There was me and Danny Lopez, cold eyes, black night and then there was Ruth

Something there is about you that brings back a long forgotten truth.

Suddenly I found you and the spirit in me sings

Don't have to look no further, you're the soul of many things

I could say that I'd be faithful, I could say it in one sweet, easy breath

But to you that would be cruelty and to me it surely would be death.

Something there is about you that moves with style and grace

I was in a whirlwind, now I am in some better place

My hand's on the saber and you've picked up on the baton

Something there is about you that I can't quite put my finger on.

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

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 lights surrounding you

May you always be courageous

Stand upright and be strong

May you stay forever young

Forever young, 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

May you stay forever young

Forever young, forever young

Dirge

I hate myself for loving you and the weakness that it showed

You were just a painted face on a trip down to suicide road

The stage was set, the lights went out all around the old hotel

I hate myself for loving you and I'm glad the curtain fell.

I hate that foolish game we played and the need that was expressed

And the mercy that you showed to me, whoever would have guessed

I went out on Lower Broadway and I felt that place within

That hollow place where martyrs weep and angels play with sin.

Heard your songs of freedom and man forever stripped

Acting out his folly while his back is being whipped

Like a slave in orbit he's beaten 'til he's tame

All for a moment's glory and it's a dirty, rotten shame.

There are those who worship loneliness, I'm not one of them

In this age of fiberglass I'm searching for a gem

The 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 knees

We stared into each other's eyes 'till one of us would break

No use to apologize, what difference would it make?

So sing your praise of progress and of the Doom Machine

The naked truth is still taboo whenever it can be seen

Lady Luck who shines on me, will tell you where I'm at

I hate myself for loving you but I should get over that.

You Angel You

You angel you

You got me under your wing

The way you walk and the way you talk

I feel I could almost sing.

You angel you

You're as fine as anything's fine

I just want to watch you talk

With your memory on my mind

You know, I can't sleep at night for trying.

Yes, I never did feel this way before

I never did get up and walk the floor

If this is love then give me more

And more and more and more and more.

You angel you

You're as fine as can be

The way you walk and the way you talk

Is the way it ought to be.

You know, I can't sleep at night for trying

Never did feel this way before

Never did get up and walk the floor

If this is love then give me more

And more and more and more and more.

Never Say Good Bye

Twilight on the frozen lake

A north wind about to break

On the footprints in the snow

Silence down below.

You're beautiful beyond words

You're beautiful to me

You can make me cry

Never say goodbye.

Because my dreams are made

Of iron and steel

With a big bouquet of roses hanging down

From the heavens to the ground.

The crashing waves roll over me

As I stand upon the sand

And wait for you to come

Grab hold of my hand.

Oh baby, baby, baby blue

You'll change your last name too

You turned your hair to brown

Love to see it hanging down.

Wedding Song

I love you more than ever, more than time and more than love

I love you more than money and more than the stars above

I love you more than madness, more than waves upon the sea

I love you more than life itself, you mean that much to me.

Ever since you walked right in the circle's been complete

I've said goodbye to haunted rooms and faces in the street

In the courtyard of the jester which is hidden from the sun

I love you more than ever and I haven't yet begun.

You breathed on me and made my life a richer one to live

When I was deep in 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 binds me to this all.

You gave me babies, one, two, three, what is more, you saved my life

Eye for eye and tooth for tooth, your love cuts like a knife

My thoughts of you don't ever rest, they'd kill me if I lie

But I'd sacrifice the world for you and watch my senses die.

The tune that is yours and mine to play upon this earth

We'll play it out the best we know, whatever it is worth

What's lost is lost, we can't regain what went down in the flood

But happiness to me is you and I love you more than blood.

It's never been my duty to remake the world at large

Nor is it my intention to sound a battle charge

'Cause I love you more than all of that with a love that doesn't bend

And if there is eternity I'd love you there again.

Oh, can't you see that you were born to stand by my side

And I was born to be with you, you were born to be my bride

You're the other half of what I am, you're the missing piece

And I love you more than ever with that love that doesn't cease.

You turn the tide on me each day and teach my eyes to see

Just being next to you is a natural thing for me

And I could never let you go, no matter what goes on

'Cause I love you more than ever now that the past is gone.

Tangled Up In Blue

Early one morning the sun was shining

I was laying in bed

Wond'ring if she'd changed it 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 meet

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 it up on a dark sad night

Both agreeing it was best

She turned around to look at me

As I was 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 happened 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 her side of her face

In the spotlight so clear

And later on as the crowd thinned out

I's 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 on my face

I must admit I felt a little uneasy

When she bent down to tie the laces of my shoe

Tangled up in blue.

She lit a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe

"I thought you'd never say hello" she said

"You look like the silent type"

Then she opened up a book of poems

And handed it to me

Written by an Italian poet

From the thirteenth century

And every one of them words rang true

And glowed like 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 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 her somehow

All the people we used to know

They're an illusion to me now

Some are mathematicians

Some are carpenter's wives

Don't know how it all got started

I don't 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.

Simple Twist Of Fate

They sat together in the park

As the evening sky grew dark

She looked at him and he felt a spark tingle to his bones

It was then he felt alone and wished that he'd gone straight

And watched out for a simple twist of fate.

They walked alone by the old canal

A little confused I remember well

And stopped into a strange hotel with a neon burning bright

He felt the heat of the night hit him like a freight train

Moving with a simple twist of fate.

A saxophone someplace far off played

As she was walking on by the arcade

As the light bust through a-beat-up shade where he was waking up

She dropped a coin into the cup of a blind man at the gate

And forgot about a simple twist of fate.

He woke up the room was bare

He didn't see her anywhere

He told himself he didn't care pushed the window open wide

Felt an emptiness inside to which he just could not relate

Brought on by a simple twist of fate.

He hears the ticking of the clocks

And walks along with a parrot that talks

Hunts her down by the waterfront docks where the 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 – see - too much within

I still believe she was my twin but I lost the ring

I can still feel the sting

It was all and everything

She was born in spring but I was born too late

Blame it on a simple twist of fate.

They sat together in the park

As the evening sky got 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 an old hotel with the neon burning bright

He felt the heat of the night hit him like a freight train

Moving with a simple twist of fate.

A clarinet some place softly played

As she was walking on by the arcade

She heard the melody rise and fade, the sun was comin' 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 nothin' but the dawn

He got out of bed and put his clothes back on, pushed back the blinds

Found a note she'd left behind, to which he just could not relate

All about 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 she'll see him once again, how long must he wait

One more time for a simple twist of fate.

People tell me it's a crime

To feel too much at any one time

She should have caught me in my prime, she would have stayed with me

Instead of goin' off to sea and leavin' me to meditate

Upon a simple twist of fate.

You're A Big Girl Now

Our conversation was short and sweet

It nearly swept me off-a my feet

And I'm back in the rain oh oh

And you're on dry land

You made it there somehow

You're a big girl now.

Bird on the horizon sitting on the fence

He's singing his song for me at his own expense

And I'm just like that bird oh oh

Singing just for you

I hope that you can hear

Hear me singing through these tears.

Time is a jet plane it moves so fast

Oh but what a shame if all we've shared can't last

I can change I swear oh oh

See what you can do

I can make it through

You can make it too.

Love is so simple to quote a phrase

You've known it all the time I'm learning it these days

Oh I know where I can find you oh oh

In somebody's room

It's a price I had to pay

You're a big girl all the way.

A change in the weather is known to be extreme

But what's the sense of changing horses in midstream?

I'm going out of my mind

With a pain that stops and starts

Like a corkscrew to my heart

Ever since we've been apart.

Idiot Wind

Someone's got it in for me, they're planting stories in the press

Whoever it is I wish they'd cut it out quick but when they will I can only guess

They say I shot a man named Gray and took his wife to Italy

She inherited a million bucks and when she died it came to me

I can't help it if I'm lucky.

People see me all the time and they just can't remember how to act

Their minds are filled with big ideas, images and distorted facts

Even you yesterday you had to ask me where it was at

I couldn't believe after all these years you didn't know even me better than that

Sweet lady.

Idiot wind blowing every time your move your mouth

Blowing down the 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

I ran into the fortune-teller who said beware of lightning that might strike

I haven't known peace and quit for so long I can't remember what it's like

There's a lone soldier on the cross smoke pouring out of a boxcar door

You didn't know it you didn't think it could be done in the final end he won the wars

After losing every battle.

I woke up on the roadside daydreaming about the way things sometimes are

Visions of your chestnut mare shoot through my head and are making me see stars

You hurt the ones that I love best and cover up the truth with lies

One day you'll be in the ditch, flies buzzing around your eyes

Blood on your saddle.

Idiot wind blowing through the flowers on your tomb

Blowing through the curtains in your room

Idiot wind blowing every time you move your teeth

You're an idiot babe

It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe.

It was gravity which pulled us down and destiny which broke us apart

You tamed the lion in my cage but it just wasn't enough to change my heart

Now everything's a little upside down, as a matter of fact the wheels have stopped

What's good is bad what's bad is good you'll find out when you reach the top

You're on the bottom. I noticed at the ceremony, your corrupt ways had finally made you blind

I can't remember your face anymore, your mouth has changed your eyes don't look into mine

The priest wore black on the seventh day and sat stone faced while the

building burned

I waited for you on the running boards, near the cypress trees while the

springtime turned Slowly into autumn.

Idiot wind blowing like a circle around my skull

From the Grand Coulee Dam to Capitol

Idiot wind blowing every time you move you teeth

You're an idiot babe.

It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe.

I can't feel you anymore, I can't even touch the books you've read

Every time I crawl past your door, I been wishing I was somebody else instead

Down the highway down the tracks down the road to ecstasy

I followed you beneath the stars hounded by your memory

And all you raging glory.

I been double-crossed now for the very last time and now I'm finally free

I kissed goodbye the howling beast on the borderline which separated you from me

You'll never know the hurt I suffered nor the pain I raise above

And I'll never know the same about you your holiness or your kind of love

And it makes me feel so sorry.

Idiot wind blowing through the buttons of our coats

Blowing through the letters that we wrote

Idiot wind blowing through the dust upon our shelves

We're idiots babe

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've been shooting in the dark too long

When something not right it's wrong

Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go.

Dragon clouds so high above

I've only known careless love

It's always hit me from below

This time around it's more correct

Right on target so direct

Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go.

Purple clover Queen Anne lace

Crimson hair across your face

You could make me cry if you don't know

Can't remember what I was thinking of

You might be spoiling me too much love

Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go.

Flowers on the hillside blooming crazy

Crickets talking back and forth in rhyme

Blue river running slow and lazy

I could stay with you forever

And never realize the time.

Situations have ended sad

Relationship have all been bad

Mine've been like Verlaine's and Rimbaud

But there's no way I can compare

All those scenes to this affair

Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go.

Yer gonna make me wonder what I'm doing

Staying far behind without you

Yer gonna make me wonder what I'm saying

Yer gonna make me give myself a good talking to.

I'll look for you in old Honolulu

San Francisco, Ashtabula

Yer gonna have to leave me now I know

But I'll see you in the sky above

In the tall grass in the ones I love

Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go.

Meet Me In The Morning

Meet me in the morning 56th and Wabasha

Meet me in the morning 56th and Wabasha

Honey we could be in Kansas

By time the snow begins to thaw.

They say the darkest hour is right before the dawn

They say the darkest hour is right before the dawn

But you wouldn't know it by me

Every day's been darkness since you been gone.

Little rooster crowing there must be something on his mind

Little rooster crowing there must be something on his mind

Well I feel just like that rooster

Honey ya treat me so unkind.

Well I struggled through barbed wire felt the hail fall from above

Well I struggled through barbed wire felt the hail fall from above

Well you know I even outran the hound dogs

Honey you know I've earned your love.

Look at the sun sinking like a ship

Look at the sun sinking like a ship

Ain't that just like my heart babe

When you kissed my lips?

Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts

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 doin' before he turned their heads

Then he walked up to a stranger and he asked him with a grin

"Could you kindly tell me friend what time the show begins?"

Then he moved into the corner face down like the Jack of Hearts.

Backstage the girls were 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 starring 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 up on somebody’s shelf"

But then the crowd began to stamp their feet and the house lights did dim

And in the darkness of the room there was only Jim and him

Starring at the butterfly who just drew the Jack of Hearts.

Lily was a princess she was fair-skinned and precious as a child

She did whatever she had to do she had that certain flash every time she smiled

She'd come away from a broken home had lots of strange affairs

With men in every walk of life which took her everywhere

But she's 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 and buried it away

"Has your luck turn out" she laughed at him'. "Well I guess you must have known

it would someday

Be careful not to touch the wall there's a brand new coat of paint

I'm glad to see you're still alive you're 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 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.

Lily's arms were locked around the man that she dearly loved to touch,

She forgot all about the man she couldn't stand who hounded her so much.

"I've missed you so," she said to him, and he felt she was sincere,

But just beyond the door he felt jealousy and fear.

Just another night in the life of the Jack of Hearts

No one knew the circumstance, but they say it happened pretty quick

The door to the dressing room burst open a cold revolver clicked

And big Jim was standing there ya 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 that they got off with quite a haul

In the darkness by the riverbed they waited on the ground

For one more member who had business back in town

But they couldn't go no further without the Jack of Hearts.

The next day was 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 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 about her father who she was rarely saw

Thinking about Rosemary and thinking about the law

But most of all she was thinking about the Jack of Hearts.

If You See Her Say Hello

If you see her say hello she might be in Tangier

She left here last early spring is living there I hear

Say for me that I'm all right though things get kind of slow

She might think that I've forgotten her don't tell her it isn't so.

We had a falling-out like lovers often will

And to think of how she left that night it still brings me a chill

And though our separation it pierced me to the heart

She still lives inside of me we've never been apart.

If you get close to her kiss her once for me

I always have respected her for doing what she did and getting free

Oh whatever makes her happy I won't stay in the way

Though 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.

If You See Her, Say Hello

If you see her say hello, she might be in North Saigon

She left here in a hurry, I don't know what she was on.

You might say that I'm in disarray and for me time's standing still

Boy, you've never gotten over her, I don't think I ever will.

The evil ______________________________ then suddenly you stole

It's one of them wreckless situations which nobody control

__________________________________ eyes

___________ do the best we can which should come as no surprise

If you're makin' love to her watch it from the rear

You'll never know when I'll be back or liable to appear

Oh, it's natural to dream of peace as it id for rules to break

And right now I got not much to lose, so you better stay awake.

Sundown, silver moon, hittin' on the days

My head can't understand no more, what my heart don't tolerate

And I know she'll be back some day of that there is no doubt

And when that moment comes, Lord, give me the strength to keep her out.

Shelter From The Storm

I was in another lifetime one of toil and blood

When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud

I came in from the wilderness a creature void of form

"Come in" she said

"I'll give you shelter from the storm".

And if I pass this way again you can rest assured

I'll always do my best for her on that I give my word

In a world of steel-eyed death and men who are fighting to be warm

"Come in" she said

"I'll give you shelter from the storm".

Not a word was spoke between us there was little risk involved

Everything up to that point had been left unresolved

Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm

"Come in" she said

"I'll give you shelter from the storm".

I was burned out from exhaustion buried in the hail

Poisoned in the bushes 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 got my signals crossed

Just to think that it all began on a long-forgotten morn

"Come in" she said

"I'll give you shelter from the storm".

Well the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount

But nothing really matters much it's doom alone that counts

And the one-eyed undertaker he blows a futile horn

"Come in" she said

"I'll give you shelter from the storm".

I've heard newborn babies 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 they gave me a lethal dose

I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn

"Come in" she said

"I'll give you shelter from the storm".

Well I'm 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 rain

Buckets of tears

Got all them buckets coming out of my ears

Buckets of moonbeams in my hand

You got all the love honey baby

I can stand.

I been meek

And hard like and oak

I seen pretty people disappear like smoke

Friends will arrive friends will disappear

If you want me honey baby

I'll be there.

I like your smile

And your fingertips

I like the way that you move your lips

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 honey baby

When I go.

Life is sad

Life is a bust

All ya can do is do what you must

You do what you must do and ya do it well

I'll do it for you honey baby

Can't you tell?

Odds And Ends

I plan it all and I take my place

You break your promise all over the place

You promised to love me but what do I see?

Just you comin' in and 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 said

You promised to love me, but what do I know?

You're 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 sayin' and you know what I mean

From now on you'd best get on some-one else

While you're doin' it, keep that juice to yourself

Odds and ends, odds and ends

Lost time is not found again.

Million Dollar Bash

Well, that big dumb blonde

With her wheel in the gorge

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

Everybody from right now

Go ever there and back

The louder they come

The bigger they crack

Come now, sweet cream

Don't forget to flash

We're all gonna meet

At that million dollar bash

Well, I took my counselor

Out to the barn

Silly Nelly was there

She told me a yarn

Then along came Jones

Emptied the trash

Everybody went down

To that million dollar bash

Well, I'm hitting' it too hard

My stones won't take

I'm get up in the mornin'

But it's too early to wake

First it's hello, goodbye

Then push and then crash

But we're all gonna make it

At that million dollar bash

Well, I looked at my watch

I looked at my wrist

Punched myself in the face

With my fist

I took my potatoes

Down to be mashed

Then I made it over to

That million dollar bash

Goin' To Acapulco

I'm going down to Rose Marie's

She never does me wrong

She puts it to me plain as day

And gives it to me for a song.

It's a wicked life but what the hell

The stars ain't falling' down.

I'm standing outside the Taj Mahal

I don't see no one around.

Goin' to Acapulco

Goin' on the run

Goin' down to see fat gut

Goin' to have some fun.

Yeah

Goin' to have some fun.

Now, whenever I get up

And I ain't got what I see

I just make it down to Rose Marie's

Bout a quarter after three.

There are worse ways of getting there

And I ain't complaining' none

If the clouds don't drop and the train

don't stop

I'm bound to meet the sun.

Goin' to Acapulco

Goin' on the run

Goin' down to see some girl

Goin' to have some fun.

Yeah

Goin' to have some fun.

Now, if someone offers me a joke,

I just say no thanks

I try to tell it like it is

And keep away from pranks.

Well, sometime you know when the well

breaks down

I just go on pump it some.

Rose Marie, she likes to go to big places

And just sit there waiting' for me to come.

Goin' to Acapulco

Goin' on the run

Goin' down to see some girl

Goin' to have some fun.

Lo And Behold

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 he asked me my name

I give it to him right away

Then I hung my head in shame

Lo and behold ! Lo and behold !

Lookin' for my lo and behold.

Get me out here, my dear man.

I come into Pittsburgh

At six-thirty flat

I found myself a vacant seat

An' I put down my hat

What's the matter Molly dear

What's the matter with your mound?

What's it to ya, Moby Dick?

This is chicken town

Lo and behold ! Lo and behold !

Lookin' for my lo and behold.

Get me out here, my dear man.

I bought myself

A herd of moose

One day she could call her own

Well, she came out the very next day

To see where they had flown

I'm goin' down to Tennessee

Get me a truck or somethin'

Gonna save my money and rip it up.

Lo and behold ! Lo and behold !

Lookin' for my lo and behold.

Get me out here, my dear man.

Now, I come in on a ferris wheel

An' boys, I sure was slink

I come in like a ton of bricks

Laid a few tricks on 'em

Goin' back to Pittsburgh

Count up to thirty

Round that horn and ride that herd

Gonna thread up

Lo and behold ! Lo and behold !

Lookin' for my lo and behold.

Get me out here, my dear man.

Clothes Line Saga

After a while we took in the clothes

Nobody said very much

Just some old wild shirts and a couple pairs of pants

Which nobody really wanted to touch

Mama come in and picked up a book

An' Papa asked her what it was

Someone else asked, What do you care?

Papa said, Well, just because

Then they started to take back their clothes

Hang'em on the line

It was January the thirtieth

And everybody was feeling' fine.

The next day, everybody got up

Seeing' if the clothes were dry

The dogs were barking, a 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, say, that's too bad"

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it," said the neighbor

"It's just something we're gonna have to forget"

"Yes, I guess so" said Ma

Then she asked me if the clothes was still wet.

I reached up, touched my shirt

And the neighbor said, "Are those clothes yours?"

I said, "Some of them, not all of them"

He said, "Ya always help out around here with the chores?"

I said, "Sometime, not all the time"

Then my neighbor he blew his nose

Just as papa yelled outside

"Mama wants you to come back in the house and bring them clothes"

Well, I just do what I'm told so I did it, of course

I went back in the house and Mama met me

And then I shut all the doors.

Apple Suckling Tree

Under that apple suckling tree, oh yeah, under that apple suckling tree

Oh yeah ! Underneath that tree, there's just gonna be you and me

Under that apple suckling tree, oh yeah !

Old man sailing' in a dinghy boat

Down there

Old man sailing' in a dinghy boat

On there

Gonna pull man down on a suckling hook

Gonna pull man into the suckling brook

Oh yeah !

Now, he's underneath that apple suckling tree

Oh yeah !

Under that apple suckling tree

Oh yeah !

That's underneath that tree

There's gonna be just you and me

Underneath that apple suckling tree.

I push him back and I stand in line

Oh yeah

Then I hush my Sadie and stand in line

Oh yeah

Then I hush my Sadie and stand in line

I get on board in two-eyed time

Oh yeah !

Now, who's on the table, who's tell me?

Oh yeah

Who's on the table, who's tell me?

Oh yeah

Who should I tell, oh, who should I tell?

The forty-nine of you like bats out of hell

Oh, underneath that old apple suckling tree.

Please Mrs. Henry

Well, I've already had two beers

I'm ready for the broom

Please, Missus Henry, won't you

Take me to my room?

I'm a good old boy

But I've been sniffing' too many eggs

Talking' to too many people

Drinkin' too many kegs

Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry,

Please

Please, Missus Henry, please

I'm down on my knees

And I ain't got a dime.

Well, I'm groaning' in a hallway

Pretty soon I'll be mad

Please, Missus Henry, won't you

Take me to your dad?

I can drink like a fish

I can crawl like a snake

I can bite like a turkey

I can slam like a drake

Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry,

Please

Please, Missus Henry, please

I'm down on my knees

And I ain't got a dime.

Now, don't crowd me, lady

Or I'll fill up your shoe

I'm a sweet bourbon daddy

And tonight I am blue

I'm a thousand years old

And I'm a generous bomb

I'm T-boned and punctured

But I'm known to be calm

Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry,

Please

Please, Missus Henry, please

I'm down on my knees

And I ain't got a dime.

Now, I'm starting' to drain

My stool's gonna squeak

If I walk too much farther

My crane's gonna leak

Look, Missus Henry

There's only so much I can do

Why don't you look my way

And pump me a few?

Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry,

Please

Please, Missus Henry, please

I'm down on my knees

And I ain't got a dime.

Tears Of Rage

We carried you in our arms

On Independence Day

And now you'd throw us all aside

And put us on our way

Oh, what dear daughter 'neath the sun

Would treat a father so

To wait upon him hand and foot

And always tell him "No?"

Tears of rage, tears of grief

Why am I the one who must be the thief?

Come to me now, you know

We're so alone

And life is brief.

We pointed out the way to go

And scratched your name in sand

Though you just thought that it was nothing more

Than a place for you to stand

Now I want you to know that while you watched

You discover there was no one true

Must everybody really thought

It was a childish thing to do

Tears of rage, tears of grief

Why am I the one who must be the thief?

Come to me now, you know

We're so alone

And life is brief.

It was all very painless

When you went out to receive

All that false instruction

Which we never could believe

And now the heart is filled with gold

As if it was a purse

But oh, what kind of love is this

Which goes from bad to worse?

Too Much Of Nothing

Too much of nothing

Can make a man ill at ease

One man's temper might rise

While another man's temper might freeze

In the day of confession

We cannot mock a soul

Oh, when there's too much of nothing

No one has control.

Say hello to Valerie

Say hello to Vivian

Give them all my salary

On the waters of oblivion.

When there's too much of nothing

It can cause a man to weep

He can walk the streets and boast like

Of what he'd like to keep

But it's all been done before

It's all been written in the book

And where there's too much of nothing

Nobody should look.

Say hello to Valerie

Say hello to Vivian

Give them all my salary

On the waters of oblivion.

And too much of nothing can make a man a liar

It can cause one man to sleep on nails

It can cause others to eat fire

Everybody's doin' somethin'

I heard it in a dream

But when there's too much of nothing

It just makes a fella mean.

Say hello to Valerie

Say hello to Vivian

Give them all my salary

On the waters of oblivion.

Hurricane

Pistols shots ring out in the barroom night

Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall

She sees the bartender in a pool of blood

Cries out My God they killed them all

Here comes the story of the Hurricane

The man the authorities came to blame

For something that he never done

Put him in a prison cell but one time he could-a been

The champion of the world.

Three bodies lying there does Patty see

And another man named Bello moving around mysteriously

I didn't do it he says and he throws up his hands

I was only robbing the register I hope you understand

I saw them leaving he says and he stops

One of us had better call up the cops"

And so Patty calls the cops

And they arrive on the scene with their red lights flashing

In the hot New Jersey night.

Meanwhile far away in another part of town

Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are driving around

Number one contender for the middleweight crown

Had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down

When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road

Just like the time before and the time before that

In Patterson that's just the way things go

If you're black you might as well not shown up on the street

'Less you wanna draw the heat.

Alfred Bello had a partner and he had a rap for the cops

Him and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowling around

He said "I saw two men running out they looked like middleweights

They jumped into a white car with out-of-state plates"

And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her head

Cop said "Wait a minute boys this one's not dead"

So they took him to the infirmary

And though this man could hardly see

They told him that he could identify the guilty men.

Four in the morning and they haul Rubin in

Take him to the hospital and they bring him upstairs

The wounded man looks up through his one dying eye

Says "What’d you bring him in here for? He ain't the guy !"

Yes here comes the story of the Hurricane

The man the authorities came to blame

For something that he never done

Put in a prison cell but one time he could-a been

The champion of the world.

Four months later the ghettos are in flame

Rubin's in South America fighting for his name

While Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in the robbery game

And the cops are putting the screws to him looking for somebody to blame

"Remember that murder that happened in a bar?"

"Remember you said you saw the getaway car?"

"You think you'd like to play ball with the law?"

"Think it might-a been that fighter you saw running that night?"

"Don't forget that you are white".

Arthur Dexter Bradley said "I'm really not sure"

Cops said "A boy like you could use a break

We got you for the motel job and we're talking to your friend Bello

Now you don't wanta have to go back to jail be a nice fellow

You'll be doing society a favor

That sonofabitch is brave and getting braver

We want to put his ass in stir

We want to pin this triple murder on him

He ain't no Gentleman Jim".

Rubin could take a man out with just one punch

But he never did like to talk about it all that much

It's my work he'd say and I do it for pay

And when it's over I'd just as soon go on my way

Up to some paradise

Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice

And ride a horse along a trail

But then they took him to the jailhouse

Where they try to turn a man into a mouse.

All of Rubin's cards were marked in advance

The trial was a pig-circus he never had a chance

The judge made Rubin's witnesses drunkards from the slums

To the white folks who watched he was a revolutionary bum

And to the black folks he was just a crazy nigger

No one doubted that he pulled the trigger

And though they could not produce the gun

The DA said he was the one who did the deed

And the all-white jury agreed.

Rubin Carter was falsely tried

The crime was murder 'one' guess who testified

Bello and Bradley and they both baldly lied

And the newspapers they all went along for the ride

How can the life of such a man

Be in the palm of some fool's hand?

To see him obviously framed

Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land

Where justice is a game.

Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties

Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise

While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell

An innocent man in a living hell

That's the story of the Hurricane

But it won't be over till they clear his name

And give him back the time he's done

Put him in a prison cell but one time he could-a been

The champion of the world.

Isis

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 in to 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". He said "That ain't necessary".

We set out that night for the cold in the North

I gave him my blanket 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 new 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 meet up again

And things would be different the next time we wed

If I only could hang on and just be her friend

I still can't remember all the best things she said.

We came to the pyramids all embedded in ice

He said "There's a body I'm trying to find

If I carry it out it'll bring a good price"

It was 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 nothin', I felt I'd been had.

When I saw that my partner was just being' friendly,

When I took up his offer I must-a been mad.

I picked up his body and I dragged him inside,

Threw him down in the hole and I put back the cover.

I said a quick prayer and I felt satisfied.

Then I rode back to find Isis just to tell her I love her.

She was there in the meadow where the creek used to rise.

Blinded by sleep and in need of a bed,

I came in from the East with the sun in my eyes.

I cursed her one time then I rode on ahead.

She said, "Where ya been?" I said, "No place special."

She said, "You look different." I said, "Well, not quite."

She said, "You been gone." I said, "That's only natural."

She said, "You gonna stay?" I said, "Yeah, I jes might."

Isis, oh, Isis, you mystical child.

What drives me to you is what drives me insane.

I still can remember the way that you smiled

On the fifth day of May in the drizzling' rain.

Changing Of The Guards

Sixteen years

Sixteen banners united over the field

Where the good shepherd grieves

Desperate men, desperate women divided

Spreading their wings 'neath falling leaves.

Fortune calls

I stepped forth from the shadows to the marketplace

Merchants and thieves, hungry for power, my last deal gone down

She's smelling sweet like the meadows where she was born

On midsummer's eve near the tower.

The cold-blooded moon

The captain waits above the celebration

Sending his thoughts to a beloved maid

Whose ebony face is beyond communication

The captain is down but still believing that his love will be repaid.

They shaved her head

She was torn between Jupiter and Apollo

A messenger arrived with a black nightingale

I seen her on the stairs and I couldn't help but follow

Follow her down past the fountain where they lifted her veil.

I stared into the eyes ages roll up on Jupiter and Appollo

Midwives stroll between Jupiter and apollo

Struggling babes, between the sheets of destiny’s faces

A messenger arrives with a black nightengale

I saw her on the square and could not help but follow

Follow her down to the fountain where she’s lifting her veil

Here I am baby be still she said, can y spare me a moment’s passion

Can I shine your shoes, print your money or mark your cards

What frozen, false truths do your brave souls imagine

Does your hearts have the courage for the changing of the guards

I stumbled to my feet

I rode past destruction in the ditches

With the stitches still mending beneath a heart-shaped tattoo

Renegade (whining) priests and treacherous young witches

Were handing out (nailing up) the flowers that I'd given to you.

The empty mirror were all her numbers were hidden

Empty eyes disguised by false pride and and false alarms

and all of mankind rising from her empty arms

with a burning hangover you fell into her empty arms

The palace of mirrors

Where dog soldiers are reflected

The endless road and the wailing of chimes

The empty rooms where her memory is protected

Where the angel's voices whisper to the souls of previous times.

She wakes him up

In some peaceful surroundings Chained to a tree

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

When will the horns be sounding

He's pulling her down and she's clutching on to his long golden locks.

clinging on his legs

Gentlemen, he said

I don't need your organization, I've shined your shoes

I've moved your mountains and marked your cards

But Eden is burning either brace yourself for elimination

Or else your hearts must have the courage for the changing of the guards.

Peace will come

With tranquility and splendor on the wheels of fire

In a shining cloak

But will bring us no reward when her false idols fall

And cruel death surrenders with its pale ghost retreating

Between the King and the Queen of Swords. (shadow and sword)

New Pony

I had a pony, her name was Lucifer

I had a pony, her name was Lucifer

She broke a leg and needed shooting

I swear it hurt me more than it could ever have hurted her.

Sometimes I wonder what's going on with me back

Sometimes I wonder what's going on with me back

You know she got such a sweet disposition

I never know what the poor girl's gonna do to me next.

I got a new pony, she knows how to fox-trot, lope and pace

Well, I got a new pony, she knows how to fox-trot lope and pace

She got great big hind legs

And long black shaggy hair hanging in her face.

Everybody say you're using voodoo, your feet walk by themselves

Well, everybody say you're using voodoo, I seen your feet walk by themselves

Oh baby, that god you been praying to

Is gonna give ya back what you're wishing on someone else.

Come over here pony, I wanna climb up one time on you

Well, come over here pony, I wanna climb up one time on you

Well, you're so nasty and you're so bad

But I swear I love you, yes I do.

No Time To Think

In death you face life with a child and a wife

Who sleep-walks through your dreams into walls

You're soldier of mercy, you're cold and you curse

He who cannot be trusted must fall.

Loneliness, tenderness, high society, notoriety

You fight for the throne and you travel alone

Unknown as you slowly sink

And there's no time to think.

In the Federal City you been blown and shown pity

For secret, for pieces of change

The empress attracts you but oppression distracts you

And it makes you feel violent and strange.

Memory, ecstasy, tyranny, hypocrisy

Betrayed by a kiss on a cool night of bliss

In the valley of the missing link

And you have no time to think.

Judges will haunt you, the country priestess will want you

Her worst is better than best

I've seen all these decoys through a set of deep turquoise eyes

And I feel so depressed.

China doll, alcohol, duality, mortality

Mercury rules you and destiny fools you

Like the plague, with a dangerous wink

And there's no time to think.

Your conscience betrayed you when some tyrant waylaid you

Where the lion lies down with the lamb

I'd have paid off the traitor and killed him much later

But that's just the way that I am.

Paradise, sacrifice, mortality, reality

But the magician is quicker and his game

Is much thicker than blood and blacker than ink

And there's no time to think.

Anger and jealousy's all that he sells us

He's content when you're under his thumb

Madmen oppose him, but your kindness throws him

To survive it you play deaf and dumb.

Equality, liberty, humility, simplicity

You glance through the mirror and there's eyes starring clear

At the back of you head as you drink

And there's no time to think.

Warlords of sorrow and queens of tomorrow

Will offer their heads for a prayer

You can't find no salvation, you have no expectations

Anytime, anyplace, anywhere.

Mercury, gravity, nobility, humility

You know you can't keep her and the water gets deeper

That is leading your onto the brink

But there's no time to think.

You've murdered your vanity, buried your sanity

For pleasure you must now resist

Lovers obey you but they cannot sway you

They're not even sure you exist.

Socialism, hypnotism, patriotism, materialism

Fools making laws for the breaking of jaws

And the sound of the keys as they clink

But there's no time to think.

The bridge that you travel on goes to the Babylon

With the rose in her hair

Starlight in the East you're finally released

You're stranded but with nothing to share.

Loyalty, unity, epitome, rigidity

You turn around for one real last glimpse of Camille

'Neath the moon shining bloody and pink

And there's no time to think.

Bullets can harm you and death can disarm you

But no, you will not be deceived

Stripped of all virtue as you crawl through the dirt

You can give but you cannot receive.

No time to choose when the truth must die

No time to lose or say goodbye

No time to prepare for the victim that's there

No time to suffer or blink

And no time to think.

Baby, Stop Crying

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

You know, I know the sun will always shine

So baby, please stop crying 'cause it's tearing up my mind.

Go down to the river, babe

Honey, I will meet you there

Go down to the river, babe

Honey, I will pay your fare.

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.

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.

Is Your Love In Vain?

Do your love me, or are you just extending goodwill?

Do you need me half as bad as you say, or are you just feeling guilt?

I've been burned before and I know the score

So you won't hear me complain

Will I be able to count on you

Or is you love in vain?

Are you so fast that you cannot see that I must have solitude?

When I am in the darkness, why do you intrude?

Do you know my world, do you know my kind

Or must I explain?

Will you let me be myself

Or is you love in vain?

Well I've been to the mountain and I've been in the wind

I've been in and out of happiness

I have dined with kings, I've been offered wings

And I've never been too impressed.

All right, I'll take a chance, I will fall in love with you

If I'm a fool you can have the night, you can have the morning too

Can you cook and sew, make flowers grow

Do you understand my pain?

Are you willing to risk it all

Or is you love in vain?

Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power)

Senor, senor, can you tell me where we're heading?

Lincoln County Road or Armageddon?

Seems like I been down this way before

Is there any truth in that, senor?

Senor, senor, do you know where she is 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's she held me in her arms one time and said, Forget me not.

Senor, senor, I can see that painted wagon

Smell the tail of the dragon

Can't stand the suspense anymore

Can you tell me who to contact here, senor?

Well, the last thing I remember before I stripped and kneeled

Was that trainload of fools bogged down in a magnetic field

A gypsy with a broken flag and a flashing ring

He said, Son, this ain't a dream no more it's the real thing.

Senor, senor, you know their hearts is as hard as leather

Well, give me a minute, let me get it together

I just gotta pick myself up off the floor

I'm ready when you are, senor.

Senor, senor, let's overturn these tables

Disconnect these cables

This place don't make sense to me no more

Can you tell me what we're waiting for, senor?

True Love Tends To Forget

I'm getting weary looking in my baby's eyes

When she's near me she's so hard to recognize

But I finally realize there's no room for regret

True love, true love, true love tends to forget.

Hold me, baby be near

You told me that you'd be sincere

But every day of the year's like playing Russian roulette

True love, true love, true love tends to forget.

I was lying down in the reeds without any oxygen

I saw you in the wilderness among the men

I saw you drift into infinity and come back again

All you got to do is wait 'till I'll tell you when.

You're a tearjerker, baby, but I'm under your spell

You're a hard worker, baby, and I know you well

At this weekend in hell is making me sweat

True love, true love, true love tends to forget.

You belong to me baby, without any doubt

Don't forsake me baby, don't sell me out

Don't keep me knocking about from Mexico to Tibet

True love, true love, true love tends to forget.

We Better Talk This Over

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 way

Before we decay.

You don't have to be afraid of looking into my face

We've done nothing to each other time will not erase.

I feel displaced, I got a low-down feeling

You have been two-faced, you been double-dealing

I took a chance, got caught in the trance

Of a downhill dance.

Oh child, why you wanna hurt me?

I'm exiled you can't convert me

I'm lost in the haze of your delicate ways

With both eyes glazed.

You don't have to yearn for love, you don't have to be alone

Somewhere in the 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 one hand clapping

The vows that we kept are now broken and swept

Beneath the bed where we slept.

Don't think of me and fantasize of what we never had

Be grateful for what we've shared together and be glad

Why should we got on watching each other through a telescope?

Eventually we'll hang ourselves on all this tangled rope.

Oh babe, time for a new transition

I wish I was a magician

I would wave a wand and tie back the bond

That we've both gone beyond.

Where Are You Tonight (Journey Through Dark Heat)

There's a long distance train rolling through the rain, tears on the letter I write

There's a woman I long to touch and I miss her so much but she's drifting

like a satellite

There's a neon light ablaze in the green smoky haze, and laughter down on

Elizabeth Street

And a lonesome bell tone in that valley of stone where she bathed

in a stream of pure heat

Her father would emphasize you got to be more than street-wise but he practiced what he preached from the heart

A full-blooded Cherokee, he predicted it to me the time and the place it

would start.

There's a babe in the arms of a woman in a rage

And a longtime golden-haired stripper onstage

And she winds back the clock and she turns back the page

Of a book that nobody write

Oh, where are you tonight?

The truth was obscure, too profound and too pure, to live it you have to explode

In the last hour of need, we entirely agreed, sacrifice was the code of the road

I left town at dawn, with Marcel and St. John, strong men belittled by doubt

I couldn't tell her what my private thoughts were but she had some way of finding them out

He took dead-center aim but he missed just the same, she was waiting putting flowers on the shelf

She could feel my despair as I climbed up her hair and discovered her invisible self.

There's a lion in the road, there's a demon escaped

There's a million dreams gone, there's a landscape being raped

As her beauty fades and I watch her undrape

I won't but then again, maybe I might

Oh, if I could just find you tonight.

I fought with my twin, that enemy within, 'til both of us fell by the way

Horseplay and disease is killing me by degrees while the law looks the other way

Your partners in crime hit me up for nickels and dimes, the man you were loving couldn't never get clean

It felt outa place, my foot in his face, but he should-a stayed where his money was green

I bit into the root of forbidden fruit with the juice running down my leg

Then I dealt with your boss, who'd never known about loss and who always was too proud to beg

There's a white diamond gloom on the dark side of this room and a pathway that

leads up to the stars

If you don't believe there's a price for this sweet paradise, 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 just doesn't seem right

Oh, where are you tonight?

A Satisfied Mind

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.

Hmm, once I was wadding in fortune and fame

Everything that I dreamed of to get a start in life’s game

But suddenly it happened

Hmm, I lost every dime

But I'm richer by far with a satisfied mind.

Hmm, when my life is over and my time has run out

My friends and my love ones

I'll leave there ain't no doubt

But one thing for certain

When it comes my time

I'll leave this old world with a satisfied mind.

Saved

I was blinded by the devil

Born already ruined

Stone-cold dead

As I stepped out of the womb

By His grace I have been touched

By His word I have been healed

By His hand I have been delivered

By His spirit I Have been sealed.

I've been saved

By the blood of the lamb

Saved

By the blood of the lamb

Saved

Saved

And I'm so glad

Yes, I'm so glad

I'm so glad

So glad

I want to thank you, Lord

I just want to thank You Lord

Thank You Lord.

By his truth I can be upright

By his strength I do endure

By His power I've been lifted

In His love I am secure

He bought me with a price

Freed me from the pit

Full of emptiness and wrath

And the fire that burns in it.

I've been saved

By the blood of the lamb

Saved

By the blood of the lamb

Saved

Saved

And I'm so glad

Yes, I'm so glad

I'm so glad

So glad

I want to thank you, Lord

I just want to thank You Lord

Thank You, Lord.

Nobody to rescue me

Nobody would dare

I was going down for the last time

But by His Mercy I've been spared

Not by works

But by faith in Him who called

For so long I've been hindered

For so long I've been stalled.

I've been saved

Covenant Woman

Covenant Woman got a contract with the Lord

Way up yonder, great will be her reward

Covenant woman, shining like a morning star

I know I can trust you to stay anywhere you are.

Yes and I just got to tell you

I do intend

To stay closer than any friend

Yes and I just to thank you

Once again

For making your prayers known

Unto heaven for me

And to you, always, so grateful

I will forever be.

I've been broken, shattered like an empty cup

I'm just waiting on the Lord to rebuild and fill me up

And I know He will do it 'cause He's faithful and He's true

He must have loved me so much to send me someone as fine as you.

Covenant woman, intimate little girl

Who knows those most secret things of me that are hidden from the world

You know that we are strangers in a land we're passing through

I'll always be right by your side, I've got a covenant too.

What Can I Do For You?

You have given everything to me

What can I do for you?

You have given me eyes to see

What can I do for You?

Pulled me out of a bondage and You made me renewed inside

Filled up a hunger that had always been denied

Opened up a door no man can shut and You opened it up so wide

And You've chosen me to be among the few

What can I do for You?

You have laid down Your life for me

What can I do for You?

You have explained every mystery

What can I do for You?

Soon a man is born, you know the sparks begin to fly

He gets wise in his own eyes and he's made to believe a lie

Who could deliver him from the death he's bound to die?

Well, You've done it all and there's no more anyone can pretend to do

What can I do for You?

You have given all there is to give

What can I give for You?

You have given me life to live

How can I live for You?

I know all about poison, I know all about fiery darts

I don't care how rough the road is, show me where it starts

Whatever pleases You, tell it to my heart

Well, I don't deserve it but I sure did make it through

What can I do for You?

Solid Rock

Well, I'm hanging on to a solid rock

Made before the foundation of the world

And 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, coursed are some

People are expecting a false peace to come.

Well, I'm hanging on to a solid rock

Made before the foundation of the world

And 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 all the devices under the sun

And He never give up 'til the battle's lost or won.

Well, I'm hanging on to a solid rock

Made before the foundation of the world

And 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.

Pressing On

Well I'm pressing on

Yes, I'm pressing on

Well I'm pressing on

To the higher calling of my lord.

Many try to stop me, shake me up in my mind

Say, Prove to me that He is Lord, show me a sign

What kind of sign they need when it all come from within

When what's lost has been found, what's to come has already been?

Well I'm pressing on

Yes, I'm pressing on

Well I'm pressing on

To the higher calling of my lord.

Shake the dust off of your feet, don't look back

Nothing can hold you down, nothing that you lack

Temptation's not an easy thing, Adam given the devil reign

Because he sinned I got no choice, it run in my vein.

Well I'm pressing on

Yes, I'm pressing on

Well I'm pressing on

To the higher calling of my lord.

In The Garden

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 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 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

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?

When He rose from the dead, did they believe?

He said, All power is given to Me in heaven and on earth

Did they know right then and there what that power was worth?

Saving Grace

If you find it in Your heart, can I be forgiven?

Guess I owe You some kind of apology

I've escaped death so many times, I know I'm only living

By the saving grace that's over me.

By this time I'd-a thought I would be sleeping

In a pine box for all eternity

My faith keeps me alive, but I still be weeping

For the saving grace that's over me.

Well, the death of life, then come the resurrection

Wherever I am welcome is where I'll be

I put all my confidence in Him, my sole protection

Is the saving grace that's over me.

Well, the devil's shining light, it can be most blinding

But to search for love, that ain't no more than vanity

As I look around this world all that I'm finding

Is the saving grace that's over me.

The wicked know no peace and you just can't fake it

There's only one road and it leads to Calvary

It gets discouraging at times, but I know I'll make it

By the saving grace that's over me.

Are You Ready

Are you ready, are you ready?

Are you ready to meet Jesus?

Are you where you ought to be?

Will He know you when He sees you

Or will He say, Depart from Me?

Are you ready, hope you're ready

Am I ready, am I ready?

Am I ready 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 like the boss?

Am I ready, hope I'm ready.

When the destruction cometh swiftly

And there's no time to say a fare-thee-well

Have you decided whether you want to be

In heaven or in hell?

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?

Shot Of Love

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 you have heard them too

Don't show me no picture show or give me no book to read

It don't satisfy the hurt inside nor the habit that it feeds.

I need a shot of love, I need a shot of love.

Why would I want to take your life

You've only murdered my father, raped his wife

Tattooed my babies with a poison pen

Mocked my God, humiliated my friends.

I need a shot of love, I need a shot of love.

Don't wanna be with nobody tonight

Veronica is 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.

If you're a doctor, I need a shot of love.

Heart Of Mine

Heart of mine be still

You can play with fire but you'll get the bill

Don't let her know

Don't let her know that you love her

Don't be a fool, don't be blind

Heart of mine.

Heart of mine go back home

You got no reason to wander, no reason to roam

Don't let her see

Don't let her see that you need her

Don't put yourself over the line

Heart of mine.

Heart of mine go back where you have been

It'll only be trouble for you if you let her in

Don't let her hear

Don't let her hear you want her

Don't let her hear know she's so fine

Heart of mine.

Heart of mine you know that she'll never be true

She'll only give to others the love that she's gotten from you

Don't let her know

Don't let her know where you're going

Don't untie the ties that bind

Heart of mine.

Heart of mine so malicious and so full of guile

Give you an inch and you'll take a mile

Don't let yourself fall

Don't let yourself stumble

If you can't do the time, don't do the crime

Heart of mine.

Property Of Jesus

Go ahead and talk about him because he makes you doubt

Because he has denied himself the things that you can't live without

Laugh at him behind his back just like the others do

Remind him of what he used to be when he comes walking through.

He's the property of Jesus

Resent him to the bone

You got something better

You've got a heart of stone.

Stop your conversation when he passes on the street

Hope he falls upon himself, oh, won't that be sweet

Because he can't be exploited by superstition anymore

Because he can't be bribed or bought by the things that you adore.

When the whip that's keeping you in line doesn't make him jump

Say he's hard-of-hearing, say that he's a chump

Say he's out of step with reality as you try to test his nerve

Because he doesn't pay tribute to the king that you serve.

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 or fairy tales, say things that make you smile.

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're 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?

Lenny Bruce

Lenny Bruce is dead but his ghost lived on and on

Never did get any Golden Globe award, never made it to Synanon

He was an outlaw, that's for sure

More of an outlaw than you ever were

Lenny Bruce is gone but his spirit's living on and on.

Maybe he had some problems, maybe some things that he couldn't work out

But he sure was funny and he sure told the truth and he knew what he was talking about

Never robbed any churches nor cut off any baby’s heads

He just took the folks in high places and he shined a light in their beds

He's on some other shore, he didn't wanna live anymore.

Lenny Bruce is dead but he didn't commit any crime

He just had the insight to rip off the lid before its time

I rode with him in a taxi once, only for a mile and a half

Seemed like it took a couple of months

Lenny Bruce moved on and like the ones that killed him, gone.

They said that he was sick 'cause he didn't play by the rules

He just showed the wise men of his day to be nothing more than fools

They stamped him and they labeled him like they do with pants and shirts

He fought a war on a battlefield where every victory hurts

Lenny Bruce was bad, he was the brother that you never had.

Watered-Down Love

Love that's pure hopes all things

Believes all things, won't pull no strings

Won't sneak up into your room, tall, dark and handsome

Capture your soul and hold it for ransom.

You don't want a love that's pure

You wanna drown love

You want a watered-down love.

Love that's pure, it don't make no claims

Intercedes for you 'stead of casting you blame

Will not deceive you or lead you to transgression

Won't write it up and make you sign a false confession.

Love that's pure won't lead you astray

Won't hold you back, won't mess up your day

Won't pervert you, corrupt you with stupid wishes

It don't make you envious, it don't make you suspicious.

Love that's pure ain't no accident

Always on time, is always content

An eternal flame, quietly burning

Never needs to be proud, nor restlessly yearning.

Dead Man, Dead Man

Uttering idle words from a reprobate mind

Clinging to strange promises, dying on the line

Never being able to separate the good from the bad

Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it

It's making me feel so bad.

Dead man, dead man

When will you arise?

Cobwebs in your mind

Dust upon your eyes.

Satan got you by the heel, there's bird's nest in your hair

Do you have any faith at all? Do you have any love to share?

The way that you hold you head, cursing God with every move

Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it

What are you trying to prove?

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.

What are you trying to overpower me with, the doctrine or the gun?

My back is already to the wall, where can I run?

The tuxedo that you're wearing, the flower in your lapel

Ooh, I can't stand it, I can't stand it

You wanna take me down to hell.

In The Summertime

I was in your presence for an hour or so

Or was it a day? I truly don't know

Where the sun never set, where the trees hung low

By that soft and shining sea

Did you respect me for what I did

Or for what I didn't do, or for keeping it hid?

Did I lose my mind when I tried to get rid

Of everything you see?

In the summertime, ah in the summertime

In the summertime, when you were with me.

I got the heart and you got the blood

We cut through iron and we cut through mud

Then came the warning that was before the flood

That set everybody free

Fools they made a mock of sin

Our loyalty they tried to win

But you were closer to me than my next of kin

When they didn't want to know or see.

In the summertime, ah in the summertime

In the summertime, when you were with me.

Strangers, they meddled in our affairs

Poverty and shame was theirs

But all that suffering was not to be compared

With the glory that is to be

And I'm still carrying the gift you gave

It's a part of me now, it's been cherished and saved

It'll be with me unto the grave

And then unto eternity.

In the summertime, ah in the summertime

In the summertime, when you were with me.

Trouble

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

Nothing but trouble.

Trouble in the water, trouble in the air

Go all the way to the other side of the world, you'll find trouble there

Revolution even ain't no solution for trouble.

Drought and starvation, packaging of the soul

Persecution, execution, governments out of control

You can see the writing on the wall inviting 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.

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.

Every Grain Of Sand

In the time of my confession, in the hour of my deepest need

When the pool of tears beneath my feet flood every newborn seed

There's a dying voice within me reaching out somewhere

Toiling in the danger and in the morals of despair.

Don't have the inclination to look back on any mistake

Like Cain, I now behold this chain of events that I must break

In the fury of the moment I can see the master's hand

In every leaf that trembles, in every grain of sand.

Oh, the flowers of indulgence and the weeds of yesteryear

Like criminals, they have choked the breath of conscience and good cheer

The sun beat down upon the steps of time to light the way

To ease the pain of idleness and the memory of decay.

I gaze into the doorway of temptation's angry flame

And every time I pass that way I always hear my name

Then onward in my journey I come to understand

That every hair is numbered like every grain of sand.

I have gone from rags to riches in the sorrow of the night

In the violence of a summer's dream, in the chill of a wintry light

In the bitter dance of loneliness fading into space

In the broken mirror of innocence on each forgotten face.

I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea

Sometimes I turn, there's someone there, other time it's only me

I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man

Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.

Jokerman

Standing on the water, casting your bread

While the eyes of the idol with the iron head are glowing

Distant ships sailing into the mist

You were born with a snake in both of your fists while a hurricane was blowing

Freedom just around the corner for you

But with truth so far off, what good will it do.

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune

Bird fly high by the light of the moon

Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.

So swiftly the sun sets in the sky

You rise up and say goodbye to no one

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread

Both of their futures, so full of dread, you don't show one

Shedding off one more layer of skin

Keeping one step ahead of the persecutor within.

You're a man of the mountain, you can walk on the clouds

Manipulator of crowds, you're a dream twister

You're going to Sodom and Gomorrah

But what do you care? Ain't nobody there would want marry your sister

Friend to the martyr, a friend to the woman of shame

You look into the fiery furnace, see the rich man without any name.

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 near the stars with a small dog licking your face.

Well, the rifleman's stalking the sick and the lame

Preacher man seeks the same, who'll get there first is uncertain

Nightsticks 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 'til the night comes stepping in.

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.

Sweetheart Like You

Well the pressure's down, the boss ain't here

He gone North, for a while

They say that vanity got the best of him

But he sure left here in style

By the way, that's a cute hat

And that smile's so hard to resist

But what's a sweetheart like you doing in a dump like this?

You know, I once knew a woman who looked like you

She wanted a whole man, not just a half

She used to call me sweet daddy when I was only a child

You kind of remind me of her when you laugh

In order to deal in this game, got to make the queen disappear

It's done with a flick of the wrist

What's a sweetheart like you doing in a dump like this?

You know, a woman like you should be at home

That's where you belong

Taking care for somebody nice

Who don't know how to do you wrong

Just how much abuse will you be able to take?

Well, there's no way to tell by that first kiss

What's a sweetheart like you doing in a dump like this?

You know you can make a name for yourself

You can hear them tires squeal

You can be known as the most beautiful woman

Who ever crawled across cut glass to make a deal.

You know, news of you has come down the line

Even before ya came in the door

They say in your father's house, there's many mansions

Each one of them got a fireproof floor

Snap out of it baby, people are jealous of you

They smile to your face, but behind your back they hiss

What's a sweetheart like you doing in a dump like this?

They say that oppression is a cruel tutor

And injustice is a nurse

You can put your hand in the hand of a man with a nose that can’t smell

But you put your confidence in him and that’s worse

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?

Neighborhood Bully

Well, the neighborhood bully, he's just one man

His enemies say he's on their land

They got him outnumbered about a million to one

He got no place to escape to, no place to run

He's the neighborhood bully.

The neighborhood bully he just lives to survive

He's criticized and condemned for being alive

He's not supposed to fight back, he's supposed to have thick skin

He's supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in

The neighborhood bully been driven out of every land

He's wandered the earth an exiled man

Seen his family scattered, his people hounded and torn

He's always on trial for just being born

Well, he knocked out a lynch mob, he was criticized

Old women condemned him, said he could apologize

Then he destroyed a bomb factory, nobody was glad

The bombs were meant for him. He was supposed to feel bad

Well, the chances are against it, and the odds are slim

That he'll live by the rules that the world makes for him

'Cause there's a noose at his neck and a gun at his back

And a license to kill him is given out to every maniac

Well, he got no allies to really speak of

What he gets he must pay for, he don't get it out of love

He buys obsolete weapons and he won't be denied

But no one sends flesh and blood to fight by his side

He's the neighborhood bully.

Well, he's surrounded by pacifists who all want peace

They pray for it nightly that the bloodshed must cease

Now, they wouldn't hurt a fly. To hurt one they would weep

They lay and they wait for this bully to fall asleep

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

Now his holiest books have been trampled upon

No contract that he signed was worth that what it was written on

He took the crumbs of the world and he turned it into wealth

Took sickness and disease and he turned it into health

What's anybody indebted to him for?

Nothing, they say. He just likes to cause war

Pride and prejudice and superstition indeed

They wait for this bully like a dog waits to feed

What has he done to wear so many scars?

Does he change the course of rivers?

Does he pollute the moon and stars?

Neighborhood bully, standing on the hill

Running out the clock, time standing still

Neighborhood bully.

License To Kill

Man thinks 'cause he rules the earth he can do with it as he please

And if things don't change soon, he will

Oh, man has invented his doom

First step was touching the moon.

Now there's a woman on my block

She just sit there as the night grows still

She say who gonna take away his license to kill?

Now, they take him and they teach him and they groom him for life

And they set him on a path where he's bound to get ill

Then they bury him with stars

Sell his body like they do used cars.

Now, there's a woman on my block

She just sit there facing the hill

She say who gonna take away his license to kill?

Now, he's hell-bent for destruction, he's afraid and confused

And his brain has been mismanaged with great skill

All he believe are his eyes

And his eyes, they just tell him lies.

But there's a woman on my block

Sitting there in a cold chill

She say who gonna take away his license to kill?

Ya may be a noisemaker, spirit maker

Heartbreaker, backbreaker

Leave no stone unturned

May be an actor in a plot

That might be all that you got

'Til your error you clearly learn.

Now he worships at an altar of a stagnant pool

And when he sees his reflection, he's fulfilled

Oh, man is opposed to fair play

He wants it all and he wants it his way.

Now, there's a woman on my blocks

She just sit there as the night grows still

She say who gonna take away his license to kill?

Man Of Peace

Look out your window, baby, there's a scene you'd like to catch

The band is playing Dixie, a man got his hand outstretched

Could be the Fuehrer

Could be the local priest

You know sometimes Satan, you know he comes as a man of peace.

He got a sweet gift of gab, he got a harmonious tongue

He knows every song of love that ever has been sung

Good intentions can be evil

Both hands can be full of grease

You know that sometimes Satan comes 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're on a rabbit hunt

Nobody can see through him

No, not even the Chief of Police

You know that sometimes Satan comes 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'd notice least

I hear that sometimes Satan comes 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 that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.

He's a great humanitarian, he's 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 that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.

Well, the howling wolf will howl tonight, the king snake will crawl

Trees that've stood for a thousand years suddenly will fall

Wanna get married? Do it now

Tomorrow all activity will cease

You know that sometimes Satan comes 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 that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.

Union Sundown

Well, my shoes, they comes 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

'Til greed got in the way.

Well, this silk dress is from Hong Kong

And the pearls are from Japan

Well, the dog collar's from India

And the flower pot's from Pakistan

All the furniture it said made in Brazil

Where a woman, she slaved for sure

Bringing home thirty cents a day to a family of twelve

You know, that's a lot of money to her.

Well, it's sundown on the union

And what's made in the USA

Sure was a good idea

'Til greed got in the way.

Well, you know, lots of people complaining that there is no work

I say, Why you say that for

When nothing you got is US made?

They don't make nothing here no more

You know, capitalism is above the law

It say, it don't count 'less it sells

When it costs too much to build it at home

You just build it cheaper someplace else.

Well, it's sundown on the union

And what's made in the USA

Sure was a good idea

'Til greed got in the way.

Well, the job that you used to have

They gave it to somebody down in El Salvador

The unions are big business, friend

And they're going out like a dinosaur

They used to grow food in Kansas

Now they want to grow it on the moon and eat it raw

I can see the day coming when even your home garden

Is gonna be against the law.

Well, it's sundown on the union

And what's made in the USA

Sure was a good idea

'Til greed got in the way.

Democracy don't rule the world

You'd better get that in your head

This world is ruled by violence

But I guess that's better left unsaid

From Broadway to the Milky Way

That's a lot of territory indeed

And a man's gonna do what he has to do

When he's got a hungry mouth to feed.

Well, it's sundown on the union

And what's made in the USA

Sure was a good idea

'Til greed got in the way.

I And I

Been so long since a strange woman has slept in my bed

Look how sweet she sleeps, how free must be her dreams

In another lifetime she must have owned the world, or been faithfully wed

To some righteous king who wrote psalms beside moonlit streams.

I and I

In creation where one's nature neither honors nor forgives

I and I

One say to the other, no man sees my face and lives.

Think I'll go out and go for a walk

Not much happening here, nothing ever does

Besides, if she wakes up now, she'll just want me to talk

I got nothing to say, 'specially about whatever was.

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.

One say to the other, no man sees my face and lives.

Outside of two men on a train platform there's nobody in sight

They're waiting for spring to come, smoking down the track

The world could come to an end tonight, but that's all right

She could still be there sleeping when I get back.

One say to the other, no man sees my face and lives.

Noontime, and I'm still pushing myself along the road, the darkest part

Into the narrow lanes, I can't stumble or stay put

Someone else is speaking with my mouth, but I'm listening only to my heart

I've made shoes for everyone, even you, while I still go barefoot.

Don't Fall Apart On Me Tonight

Just a minute before you leave girl

Just a minute before you touch the door

What is it that you're trying to achieve, girl?

Do you think we can talk about it some more?

You know, the streets are filled with vipers

Who've lost all ray of hope

You know, it ain't even safe no more

In the palace of the Pope.

Don't fall apart on me tonight

I just don't think that I could handle it

Don't fall apart on me tonight

Yesterday's just a memory

Tomorrow is never what it's supposed to be

And I need you, yeah.

Come over here from over there, girl

Sit down here, you can have my chair

I can't see us going anywhere, girl

The only place open is a thousand miles away and I can't take you there

I wish I'd have been a doctor

Maybe I'd have saved some life that had been lost

Maybe I'd have done some good in the world

'Stead of burning every bridge I crossed.

Don't fall apart on me tonight

I just don't think that I could handle it

Don't fall apart on me tonight

Yesterday's just a memory

Tomorrow is never what it's supposed to be

And I need you, yeah.

I ain't too good at conversation, girl

So you might not know exactly how I feel

But if I could, I'd bring you to the mountaintop, girl

And build you a house made out of stainless steel

But it's like I'm stuck inside a painting

That's hanging in the Louvre

My throat start to tickle and my nose itches

But I know that I can't move.

Don't fall apart on me tonight

I just don't think that I could handle it

Don't fall apart on me tonight

Yesterday's gone but the past lives on

Tomorrow's just one step beyond

And I need you, yeah.

Who are these people who are walking towards you

Do you know them or will there be a fight?

With their humorless smiles so easy to see through

Can they tell you what's wrong from what's right?

Do you remember St. James Street

Where you blew Jackie P.'s mind?

You were so fine, Clark Gable would have fell at your feet

And laid his life on the line.

Let's try to get beneath the surface waste, girl

No more booby traps and bombs

No more decadence and charm

No more affection that's misplaced, girl

No more mud cake creatures lying in your arms

What about that millionaire with the drumsticks in his pants?

He looked so baffled and so bewildered

When he played and we didn't dance.

Don't fall apart on me tonight

I just don't think that I could handle it

Don't fall apart on me tonight

Yesterday's just a memory

Tomorrow is never what it's supposed to be

And I need you, yeah.

Seeing The Real You At Last

Well, I thought that the rain would cool things down

But it looks like it don't

I'd like to get you to change your mind

But it looks like you won't.

From now on I'll be busy

Ain't going nowhere fast

I'm just glad it's over

And I'm seeing the real you at last.

Well, didn't I risk my neck for you

Didn't I take chances?

Didn't I rise above all

Most unfortunate circumstances?

Well, I have had some rotten nights

Didn't think that they would pass

I'm just thankful and grateful

To be seeing the real you at last.

I'm hungry and I'm irritable

And I'm tired of this bag of tricks

At one time there was nothing wrong with me

That you could not fix.

Well, I sailed through the storm

Strapped to the mast

Oh, but our time has come

And I'm seeing the real you at last.

When I met you, baby

You didn't show no visible scars

You could ride like Annie Oakley

You could shoot like Belle Star.

Well, I don't mind a reasonable amount of trouble

Trouble always comes to pass

All I care for about now

Is that I'm seeing the real you at last.

Oh, yes I am.

Well, I'm gonna quit this baby talk now

I guess I should have known

I got troubles, I think maybe you got troubles

I think maybe we'd better leave each other alone.

Whatever you gonna do

Please do it fast

I'm still trying to get used to

Seeing the real you at last.

Oh, yes I am.

I'll Remember You

I'll remember you

When I've forgotten all the rest

You to me were true

You to me were the best

When there is no more

You cut to the core

Quicker than anyone I knew

When I'm all alone

In the great unknown

I'll remember you.

I'll remember you

At the end of the trail

I had so much left to do

I had so little time to fail

There's some people that

You don't forget

Even though you've only seen'm

One time or two

When the roses fade

And I'm in the shade

I'll remember you.

Didn't I, didn't I try to love you?

Didn't I, didn't I try to care?

Didn't I sleep, didn't I weep beside you

With the rain blowing in your hair.

I'll remember you

When the wind blows through the piney wood

It was you who came right through

It was you who understood

Though I'd never say

That I done it the way

That you'd have liked me to

In the end

My dear sweet friend

I'll remember you.

Clean-Cut Kid

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 out of him

That's what they did.

They said what's up is down, they said what isn't is

They put ideas in his head that he thought were his.

He was on the baseball team, he was in the marching band

When he was ten years old he had a watermelon stand.

He was a clean-cut kid

And they made a killer out of him

That's what they did.

They said, "Listen boy, you're just a pup"

They sent him to a napalm health spa to shape up.

They gave him dope to smoke, drinks and pills

A jeep to drive, blood to spill.

They said "Congratulation, you got what it takes"

They sent him back into the race without any brakes.

He bought the American dream but it put him in doubt

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 in a swimming pool.

He could've sold insurance, owned a restaurant or bar

He could've been an accountant or a tennis star.

He was wearing boxing gloves, took a dive one day

Off the Golden Gate Bridge into China Bay.

His mama walks the floor, his daddy weeps and moans

They gotta sleep together in a home they don't own.

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.

Never Gonna Be The Same Again

Now you're here beside me, baby

You're a living dream

And every time you get this close

It makes me want to scream

You touched me and you knew

That I was warm for you and then

I ain't never gonna be the same again.

Sorry if I hurt you, baby

Sorry if I did

Sorry if I touched the place

Where your secrets are hid

But you meant more than everything

And I could not pretend

I ain't never gonna be the same again.

You give me something to think about, baby

Every time I see ya

Don't worry, baby, I don't mind leaving

I'd just like it to be my idea.

You taught me how to love you, baby

You taught me, oh, so well

Now, I can't go back to what was, baby

I can't unring the bell

You took my reality

And cast it to the wind

And I ain't never gonna be the same again.

Come on, baby

Come on, 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,

Trust yourself to do the things that only you know best

Trust yourself

Trust yourself to do what's right and not be second-guessed

Don't trust me to show you beauty

When beauty may only turn to rust

If you need somebody you can trust, trust yourself.

Trust yourself

Trust yourself to know the way that will prove true in the end

Trust yourself

Trust yourself to find the path where there is no if and when

Don't trust me to show you the truth

When the truth may only be ashes and dust

If you want somebody you can trust, trust yourself.

Well, you're on your own, you always were

In a land of wolves and thieves

Don't put your hope in ungodly man

Or be a slave to what somebody else believes.

Trust yourself

And you won't be disappointed when vain people let you down

Trust yourself

And look not for answers where no answers can be found

Don't trust me to show you love

When my love may be only lust

If you want somebody you can trust, trust yourself.

You, you got to trust yourself ....

Emotionally Yours

Come baby, find me, come baby, remind me of where I once begun

Come baby, show me, show me you know me, tell me you're the one

I could be learning, you could be yearning to see behind closed door

But I will always be emotionally yours.

Come baby, rock me, come baby, lock me into the shadows of your heart

Come baby, teach me, come baby reach me, let the music start

I could be dreaming but I keep believing you're the one I'm living for

And I will always be emotionally yours.

It's like my whole life never happened

When I see you, it's if I never had a thought

I know this dream, it might be crazy

But it's the only one I've got. Okay.

Come baby, shake me, come baby, take me, I would be satisfied

Come baby, hold me, come baby, help me, my arms are open wide

I could be unraveling wherever I'm traveling, even to foreign shores

But I will always be emotionally yours.

WHEN THE NIGHT COMES FALLING FROM THE SKY

You can look out across the fields,

See me returning,

Smoke gets in your eyes, you draw a smile

From the fireplace where all 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 manage to escape

Well I can't provide for you no easy answer

Who are you that I should have to lie?

You'll know everything, my love

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 dissapointed now with those who did not deliver

But it was you who set yourself up for a fall

I seen 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 from the sky

In your teardrops I can see my own reflection

Luck was with me when I crossed the borderline

I don't want to be a fool that's starving for affection

I don't want to 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

But I gave to you my heart with that intention

And 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 enough love for me, oh no

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

When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky

You can look out across the fields,

See me returning,

Smoke gets in your eyes, you draw a smile

From the fireplace where all 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 manage to escape

Well I can't provide for you no easy answer

Who are you that I should have to lie?

You'll know everything, my love

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 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 from the sky

In your teardrops I can see my own reflection

Luck was with me when I crossed the borderline

I don't want to be a fool that's starving for affection

I don't want to 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

But I gave to you my heart with that intention

And 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 enough love for me, oh no

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

Look out across the fields, see me returning

Smoke is in your eye, you draw a smile

From the fireplace where my letters to you are burning

You've had time to think about it for a while.

Well, I've walked two hundred miles, look me over

It's the end of the chase and the moon is high

It wont matter who loves who

You'll love me or I'll love you

When the night comes falling

When the night comes falling

When the night comes falling from the sky.

I can see through your walls and I know you're hurting

Sorrow covers you up like a cape

Only yesterday I know that you've been flirting

With disaster you somehow managed to escape.

I can't provide for you no easy answers

Who are you that I should have to lie?

You'll know all about it, love

It'll fit you like a glove

When the night comes falling from the sky.

I can hear your trembling heart beat like a river

You must have been protecting someone last time I called

I never asked you for nothing that you couldn't deliver

I've never asked you to set yourself up for a fall.

I saw thousands who could have overcome the darkness

For the love of a lousy buck, I've watched them die

Stick around, baby, we're not through

Don't look for me, I'll see you

When the night comes falling from the sky.

In your teardrops, I can see my own reflection

It was on the northern border of Texas where I crossed the line

I don't want to be a fool starving for affection

I don't want to drown in someone else's wine.

For all eternity I think I will remember

That icy wind that's howling in your eye

You will seek me and you'll find me

In the wasteland of your mind

When the night comes falling from the sky.

Well, I sent you my feelings in a letter

When you were gambling for support

This time tomorrow I'll know you better

When my memory is not so short.

This time I'm asking for freedom

Freedom from a world which you deny

And you'll give it to me now

I'll take it anyhow

When the night comes falling from the sky.

Something's Burning, Baby

Something is burning, baby, are you aware?

Something is the matter, baby, there's smoke in your hair

Are you still my friend, baby, show me a sign

Is the love in your heart for me turning blind?

You've been avoiding the main streets for a long, long while

The truth that I'm seeking is in your missing file

What's your position, baby, what's going on?

Why is the light in your eyes nearly gone?

I know everything about this place, or so it seems

But am I no longer a part of your plans or your dreams?

Well, it is so obvious that something has changed

What's happening, baby, to make you act so strange?

Something is burning, baby, here's what I say

Even the bloodhounds of London couldn't find you today

I see the shadow of a man, baby, making you blue

Who is he, baby, and what's he to you?

We've reached the edge of the road, baby, where the pasture begins

Where the charity is supposed to cover up a multitude of sins

But where do you live, baby, and where is the light?

Why are your eyes just staring off in the night?

I can feel it, in the night, when I think of you

I can feel it in the light, in the light, in the light and it's got to be true

You can't live by bread alone, you won't be satisfied

You can't roll away the stone if your hands are tied.

Got to start someplace, baby, can you explain?

Please don't fade away on me, baby, like the midnight train

Answer me, baby, a casual look will do

Just what in the world has come over you?

I can feel it in the wind, in the wind, in the wind and it's upside down

I can feel it in the dust as I get off the bus on the outskirts of town

I've had the Mexico City blues since the last hairpin curve

I don't wanna see you bleed, I know what you need and it ain't what you deserve.

Something is burning, baby, something's in flames

There's a man going 'round calling names

Ring down when you're ready, baby, I'm waiting for you

I'm believe in the impossible, you know that I do.

Dark Eyes

Oh, the gentlemen are talking and the midnight moon is on the riverside

They're drinking up and walking and it is time for me to slide

I live in another world where life and death are memorized

Where the earth is strung with lover's pearls and all I see are dark eyes.

A cock is crowing far away and another soldier's deep in prayer

Some mother's child has gone astray, she can't find him anywhere

But I can hear another drum beating for the dead that rise

Whom nature's beast fears as they come and all I see are dark eyes.

They tell me to be discreet for all intended purposes

They tell me revenge is sweet and from where they stand, I'm sure it is

But I feel nothing for their game, where beauty goes unrecognized

All I feel is heat and flame, and all I see are dark eyes.

Oh, the French girl, she's in paradise and a drunken man is at the wheel

Hunger pays a heavy 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.

Your Wanna Ramble

Well I told my baby

I said Baby, I know where you been

Well, I know who you are

And what league you played in

You wanna ramble

To the break of dawn

Well, the night is so empty

So quiet and still

For only fifteen hundred dollars

You can have anybody killed

Well, I told my baby

Further down the line

I said, What happens tomorrow

Is on your head, not mine

They Killed Him

There was a man named Hatma Gandi

He would not bow down he would not fight

He knew the deal was down and dirty

And nothing wrong could make it right away

But he knew his duty and the price he had to pay

Just another holy man who tried to be a friend

My God, they killed him.

Another man from Atlanta, Georgia

By name of Martin Luther King

He the land like the rolling thunder

And made the bells of freedom ring today

With a dream of beauty that they could not burn away

Just another holy man who dared to make a stand

My God, they killed him.

The only Son of God Almighty

The holy one called Jesus Christ

He healed the lame and fed the hungry

And for his love they took his life away

On the road to glory where the story never ends

Just the holy Son of Man we'll never understand

My God, they killed him.

There was a man named Mahatma Gandi

A man named Martin Luther King

The only Son of God Almighty

The only one called Jesus Christ

On the road to glory where the story never ends

Just the holy Son of Man we'll never understand

My God, they killed him.

There was a man named Mahatma Gandi

A man named Martin Luther King

The only Son of God Almighty

The only one called Jesus Christ

On the road to glory where the story never ends

Just the holy Son of Man we'll never understand

My God, they killed him.

Drifting' Too Far From Shore

I didn't know that you'd be leaving

Or who you thought you were talking to

I figure maybe we're even

Or maybe I'm one up on you

I send you all my money

Just like I did before

I tried to reach you honey

But you're drifting' too far from shore

Drifting' too far from shore

Drifting' too far from shore.

I ain't gotta get lost in this current

I don't like playing cat and mouse

No gentleman likes making love to a servant

Especially when he's in his fathers house

I never could guess your weight baby

Never needed to call you my whore

I always thought you were straight baby

Well, these times and these tunnels are haunted

The bottom of the barrel is too

I waited years sometimes for what I wanted

Everybody can't be as lucky as you

Never no more do I wonder

Why you don't never play with me any more

At any moment you could go under

Cause you're drifting' too far from shore

You and me we had completeness

I give you all of what I could provide

We weren't on the wrong side sweetness

We were the wrong side

I've already ripped out the phones honey

You can't walk the streets in a war

I can't finish this alone honey

Precious Memories

As I travel down life's pathway

Know not what the years may hold

As I ponder hopes grow fonder

Precious memories flood my soul

Precious memories how they linger

How they ever flood my soul

In the stillness of the midnight

Precious memories sacred scenes unfold.

Precious father loving mother

Glide across the lonely years

And old home scenes of my childhood

In fond memories appears

Precious memories how they linger

How they ever flood my soul

In the stillness of the midnight

Precious memories sacred scenes unfold.

Maybe Someday

Maybe someday you'll be satisfied

When you've lost everything you'll have nothing left to hide

When you're through running over things like you're walking across the tracks

Maybe someday you'll beg me like a dog to take you back

Maybe someday you'll find out everybody's some body's fool

Maybe someday you'll realize what it would have taken to keep me cool

Maybe someday when you are by yourself alone

You'll know the love that I had for you was never my own.

Maybe someday you'll have no where to turn

You'll look back and wonder about the bridges you have burned

You'll look back sometime when the light grow dim

And you'll see you look much better with me than you do with him

Through hostile cities and unfriendly towns

Thirty pieces of silver no money down

Maybe someday you'll understand

That something for nothing is everybody's plan.

Maybe someday you'll remember what you felt

When there was blood on the moon in the cotton belt

When both of us baby were going through some kind of test

Neither one of us could do what we do best

I should have known better baby I should have called your bluff

I guess I was too off the handle not sentimental enough

Maybe someday you'll believe me when I say

That I wanted you baby in every kind of way.

Maybe someday you'll hear a voice from on high

Saying for whose sake did you live for whose sake did you die

Forgive me baby for what I didn't do

For not breaking down no bedroom door to get at you

Always was a sucker for the right cross

Never wanted to go home till the last cent was lost

Maybe someday you will look back and see

That I made it so easy for you to follow me.

Maybe someday there'll be nothing to tell

I'm just as happy as you baby I just can't say it so well

Never slumbered or slept or waited for lightning to strike

There's no excuse for you to say that we don't think alike

You said you were going to Frisco stay a couple of months

I always liked San Francisco I was there for a party once

Maybe someday you'll see that it's true

There was no greater love than what I had for you.

Brownsville Girl

Well there was this movie I seen one time

About a man riding across the desert and starred Gregory Peck

He was shot down by a hungry kid trying to make a name for himself

The town's people wanted to crush that kid down and string him up by the neck.

Well the Marshall now he beat that kid to a bloody pulp

As the dying gunfighter lay in the sun and gasped for his last breath

Turn him loose let him go let him say he outdrew me fair and square

I want him to feel what it's like to every moment face his death.

Well I keep seeing this stuff and it just comes a-rolling in

And you know it blows right through me like a ball and chain

You know I can't believe we've lived so long and are still so far apart

The memory of you keeps calling after me like a rolling train.

I can still see the day that you came to me on the pinked 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 'til 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 blow 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 want to remind me. She knows this car would go out of control.

Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls

Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above

Brownsville girl show me all around the world.

Brownsville girl you're my honey love.

Well we crossed the panhandle and then we headed towards Amarillo

We pulled up where Henry Porter used to live. He owned a 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 said Henry ain't here but you can come on in he'll be back in a little while.

Then she told us how times were tough and about how she was thinking of bumming a ride back to where she started

But she changed the subject every time money came up

She said Welcome to the land of the living dead. You could tell she was so broken-hearted

She said Even the swap meets around here are pretty corrupt.

How far are you all going? Ruby asked us with a sigh

We're going all the way until the wheels fall off and burn

Until the sun peels the paint and the seat covers fade and the water moccasin dies

Ruby just smiled and said. Ah you know some babies never learn.

Something about that movie though well I just can't get it out of my head

But I can't remember why I was in it or what part I was supposed to play

All I remember about it was Gregory Peck and the way people moved

And a lot of them seemed to be looking my way.

Brownsville girl with your Brownsville curls

Teeth like pearls shining like the moon above

Brownsville girl show me all around the world.

Brownsville girl you're my honey love.

Well they were looking for somebody with a pompadour

I was 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 now 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

Yeh but you know it's not the one I had in mind

He's got a new one out now I don't even know what it's about

But I'll se 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 them planned

The only things 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 behind in the French Quarter.

Strange how people who suffer together have stronger connections than people who are most content

I don't have any regrets they can talk about me plenty when I'm gone

You always said people don't do what they believe in they just do what's most convenient then they repent

And I always said. Hang on to me baby and let's hope that the roof stays on.

There was a movie I seen one time I think I sat through it twice

I don't remember who I was or where I was bound

All I remember about it was it starred Gregory Peck he wore a gun and he was shot in the back

Seems like a long time ago long before the stars were torn down.

Got My Mind Made Up

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 guy I gotta see

He's been living there three years now

In an oil refinery

I've got my mind made up

I've got my mind made up.

Call your Ma in Tallahassee

Tell her her baby's on the line

Tell her not to worry

Everything is gonna be fine

Well I gave you all my money

All my connections too

There ain't nothing in this world girl

You can say I didn't give to you

I've got my mind made up

I've 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 the other way

You don't have to feed me

I ain't your dog that's gone astray

I've got my mind made up

Let's Stick Together

Well, a young marriage vow, you know, it's very sacred

The man put us together, now, you wanna make it

Stick together

Come on, come on, stick together.

You know, you made a vow, not to leave one another, never

Well, ya never miss you water till your well runs dry

Come one, baby, give our love a try, let's stick together

Well, ya never miss your water till your well runs dry

Come one, baby, give our love a try, let's stick together

It might be tough for a while, but consider the child

Cannot be happy without his mom and his pappy

Let's stick together

When Did You Leave Heaven

When did you leave heaven?

How could they let you go?

How's every thing in heaven?

I'd like to know.

Why did you trade heaven?

For all these earthly things?

Where on earth you hide halo?

Where did you lose your wings?

Have they missed you?

Can you get back in?

If I kiss you would it be a sin?

I am only human but you are so divine.

When did you leave heaven angel mine?

Sally Sue Brown

Look who's back in town

Ain't nobody but Sally Sue Brown

All you boys better run for cover

If you don't a-wanna be a hearted broken lover.

See her in that very tight skirt

Got what it takes

Just to make you hurt

Don't you see by those big bright eyes

Prefer to treat her nasty and low-down lies.

Makes no difference where she's been

I'm go in south and doin' them things again

Bake in a hot tub, down the line

I'd rather see you ruin this a-heart of mine.

I'll go see them come down my way

Like a fool you're gonna hear me say:

I'll lay at your bed Sally Sue Brown

Please let me love you, baby

Don't put me down.

I'll go see them come down my way

Like a fool you're gonna hear me say:

Death Is Not The End

When you're sad and when you're lonely

And you haven't got a friend

Just remember that death is not the end

And all that you held sacred

Falls down and does not bend

Just remember that death is not the end.

Not the end, not the end

Just remember that death is not the end.

When you're standing on the cross-roads

That you cannot comprehend

Just remember that death is not the end

And all your dreams have vanished

And you don't know what's up the bend

Just remember that death is not the end.

Not the end, not the end

Just remember that death is not the end.

When the storm clouds gather round you

And heavy rains

Just remember that death is not the end

And there's nowhere there to comfort you

With helping hand to lend

Just remember that death is not the end.

Not the end, not the end

Just remember that death is not the end.

Oh the tree of life is growing

Where the spirit never dies

And the bright light of salvation

Shines in dark and empty skies

When the cities are on fire

When the burning flesh of men

Just remember that death is not the end

And you search in vain to find

Just one law abiding citizen

Just remember that death is not the end.

Not the end, not the end

Just remember that death is not the end.

Ugliest Girl In The World

The 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 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
When she says babababababy I l-l-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

The 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

You know I love her
Yeah I love her
I'm in love with the Ugliest Girl in the World

I don't mean to say that she got nothing goin'
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

The woman that I love she a got a prizefighter nose
Cauliflower ears and a run in her hose
She speaks with a stutter and she walks with a hop
I don't know why I love her but I just can't stop

Silvio

Stake my future on a hell of a past

Looks like tomorrow is a coming on fast

Ain't complaining about what I got

Seen better times but who has not.

Silvio silver and gold

Won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold

Silvio I gotta go

Find out something only dead men know.

Honest as the next jade rolling that stone

When I come and knockin' don't throw me no bone

I'm an old boll weevil looking for a home

If you don't like it you can leave me alone.

I can snap my fingers and require the rain

From a clear blue sky and turn it off again

I can stroke your body and relieve your pain

And charm the whistle off an evening train.

Give what I got until I got no more

I take what I get until I even the score

You know I love you and further more

When it is time to go you got an open door.

I can tell you fancy I can tell you plain

You give something up for ev'rything you gain

Since every pleasure's got an edge of pain

Pay for your ticket and don't complain.

One of these days and it won't be long

Going down the valley and sing my song

I will sing it loud and sing it strong

Let the echo decide if I was right or wrong.

Ninety Miles An Hour

I took you home from a party and we kissed in fun

A few stolen kisses and no harm was done

Instead of stopping when we could we went right on

Till suddenly we found that the brakes were gone.

You belong to someone else, and I do too

It's just crazy 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, but now I have no choice

It's too late to listen to that warning voice

All I hear is thunder of two hearts beat

Going ninety miles an hour down a dead end street

Ninety miles an hour down a dead end street.

You're not free to belong to me

And you know I could never be your own

Your lips on mine are like a sweet, sweet wine

But we're heading for a wall of stone.

Warning signs are flashing every where, but we pay no heed

'Stead of slowing down the pace, we keep a picking' up speed

Disaster's getting closer every time we meet

Going ninety miles an hour down a dead end street

Rank Strangers To Me

I wandered again to my home in the mountain

Where in youth's early days I was happy and free

I looked for my friends but I never could find them

I found they were all rank strangers to me.

Ev'rybody I met seemed to be a rank stranger

No mother or dad not a friend could I see

They knew not my name and I knew not their faces

I found they were all rank strangers to me.

They all moved a way, said a voice of a stranger

To that beautiful home by the bright crystal sea

Some beautiful day I'll meet 'em in heaven

Where no one will be a stranger to me.

Ev'rybody I met seemed to be a rank stranger

No mother or dad not a friend could I see

They knew not my name and I knew not their faces

I found they were all rank strangers to me.

Political World

We live in a political world

Love don't have any place

We're living in times

Where men commit crimes

And crime don't have any face.

We live in a political world

Icicles hanging down

Wedding bells ring

And angels sing

Clouds cover up the ground.

We live in a political world

Wisdom is thrown in jail

It rots in a cell

Is misguided as hell

Leaving no one to pick up a trail.

We live in a political world

Where mercy walks the plank

Life is in mirrors

Death disappears

Up the steps into the nearest bank.

We live in a political world

Where courage is a thing of the past

Houses are haunted

Children unwanted

The next day could be your last.

We live in a political world

The one we can see and feel

But there's no one to check

It's all a stacked deck

We all know for sure that it's real.

We live in a political world

In the cities of lonesome fear

Little by little

You turn in the middle

But you're never sure why you're here.

We live in a political world

Under the microscope

You can travel anywhere

And hang yourself there

You always got more than enough rope.

We live in a political world

Turning and trashing about

As soon as you're awake

You're trained to take

What looks like the easy way out.

We live in a political world

Where peace is not welcome at all

It's turned away from the door

To wander some more

Or put up against the wall.

We live in a political world

Everything is hers and his

Climb into the frame

And shout God's name

But you're never sure what it is.

"We live in a political world.

Flags flying into the breeze.

Comes out of the blue-moves towards you-

like a knife cutting through cheese."

Where Teardrops Fall

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 could 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 times is beginning to crawl

I just might have to come to see you

Where teardrops fall.

Everything Is Broken

Broken lines broken strings

Broken threads broken springs

Broken idols broken heads

People sleeping in broken beds

Ain't no use jiving

Ain't no use joking

Everything is broken.

Broken bottles broken plates

Broken switches broken gates

Broken dishes broken parts

Streets are filled with broken hearts

Broken words never meant to be spoken

Everything is broken.

Seem like every time you stop and turn around

Something else just hit the ground

Broken cutters broken saws

Broken buckles broken laws

Broken bodies broken bones

Broken voices on broken phones

Take a deep breath feel like you're choking'

Everything is broken.

Every time you leave and go off someplace

Things fall to pieces in my face

Broken hands on broken ploughs

Broken treaties broken vows

Broken pipes broken tools

People bending broken rules

Hound dog howling bullfrog croaking

Everything is broken.

Ring Them Bells

Ring them bells ye heathen from the city that dreams

Ring them bells from the sanctuaries cross the valleys and streams

For they're deep and they're wide

And the world on its side

And time is running backwards

And so is the bride.

Ring them bells Saint Peter where the four winds blow

Ring them bells with an iron hand

So the people will know

Oh it's rush hour now

On the wheel and the plow

And the sun is going down upon the sacred cow.

Ring them bells Sweet Martha for the poor man's son

Ring them bells so the world will know that God is one

Oh the shepherd is asleep

Where the willows weep

And the mountains are filled with lost sheep

Ring them bells for the blind and the deaf

Ring them bells for all of us who are left

Ring them bells for the chosen few

Who will judge the many when the game is through

Ring them bells for the time that flies

For the child that cries

When innocence dies.

Ring them bells Saint Catherine from the top of the room

Ring them from the fortress for the lilies that bloom

Oh the lines are long and the fighting is strong

And they're breaking down the distance between right and wrong.

Man In The Long Black Coat

Crickets are chirping' the water is high

There's a soft cotton dress on the line hanging' dry

Window 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

As 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 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

It is true sometimes you can see it that way

But people don't live or die people just float

She went with the man in the long black coat.

There's smoke on the water it's been there since June

Tree trunks uprooted beneath the high crescent moon

Feel the pulse and vibration and the 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

Most of the time

I'm clear focused all around

Most of the time

I can keep both feet on the ground

I can follow the path

I can read the sign

Stay right with it when the road unwinds

I can handle whatever

I stumble upon

I don't even notice she's gone

Most of the time.

Most of the time it's well understood

Most of the time I wouldn't change it if I could

I can make it all match up

I can hold my own

I can deal with the situation right down to the bone

I can survive and I can endure

And I don't even think about her

Most of the time.

Most of the time my head is on straight

Most of the time I'm strong enough not to hate

I don't build up illusion 'til it makes me sick

I ain't afraid of confusion no matter how thick

I can smile in the face of mankind

Don't even remember what her lips felt like on mine

Most of the time.

Most of the time she ain't even in my mind

I wouldn't know her if I saw her

She's that far behind

Most of the time I can even be sure

If she was ever with me

Or if I was ever with her

Most of the time I'm halfway content

Most of the time I know exactly where it went

I don't cheat on myself I don't run and hide

Hide from the feelings that are buried inside

I don't compromise and I don't pretend

I don't even care if I ever see her again

Most of the time.

What Good Am I?

What good am I some like all the rest

If I just turn away when I see how you're dressed

If I shut myself off so I can't hear you cry

What good am I?

What good am I if I know and don't do

If I see and don't say if I look right through you

If I turn a deaf ear to the 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 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?

Disease Of Conceit

There's a whole lot of people suffering tonight from the disease of conceit

Whole lot of people struggling tonight from the disease of conceit

Comes right down the highway straight down the line

Rips into your senses through your body and your mind

Nothing about it that's sweet

The disease of conceit.

There's a whole lot of hearts breaking tonight from the disease of conceit

Whole lot of hearts shaking tonight from the disease of conceit

Steps into your room eats into your soul

Over your senses you have no control

Ain't nothing too discreet about the disease of conceit.

There's a whole lot of people dying tonight from the disease of conceit

Whole lot of people crying tonight from the disease of conceit

Comes right out of nowhere and you're down for the count

From the outside world the pressure will mount

Turn you into a piece of meat

The disease of conceit.

Conceit is the disease that the doctors got no cure

They've done a lot of research on it but what it is they're still not sure

There's a whole lot of people in trouble tonight from the disease of conceit

Whole lot of people seeing double tonight from the disease of conceit

Give you delusions of grandeur and evil eye

Give you the idea that you're too good to die

Then they bury you from your head to your feet

From the disease of conceit.

What Was It You Wanted

What was it you wanted

Tell me again so I'll know

What's happening in there

What's going on in your show

What was it you wanted

Could you say it again

I'll be back in a minute

You can get it together by then.

What was it you wanted

You can tell me I'm back

We can start it all over

Get it back on the track

You got my attention

Go ahead speak

What was it you wanted.

When you were kissing my cheek.

Was there somebody looking

When you give me that kiss

Someone there in the shadows

Someone that I might have missed

Is there something you needed

Something I don't understand

What was it you wanted

Do I have it here in my hand.

Whatever you wanted

Slipped out of my mind

Would you remind me again

If you'd be so kind

Has the record been breaking

Did the needle just skip

Is there somebody waiting'

Was there a slip of the lip.

What was it you wanted

It 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 that comes natural

Is it easy to say

Why do you want it

Who are you anyway.

Is the scenery changing

Am I getting it wrong

Is the whole thing going backwards

Are they playing our song

Where were you when it started

Do you want it for free

What was it you wanted

Are you talking to me.

Shooting Star

Seen a shooting star tonight

And I thought of you

You were trying to break into another world

A world I never knew

I always kind of wondered if you ever made it through

Seen a shooting star tonight

And I thought of you.

Seen a shooting star tonight

And I thought of me

If I was still the same

If I ever became what you wanted me to be

Did I miss the mark or overstep the line that only you could see

Seen a shooting star tonight

And I thought of me.

Listen to the engine listen to the bell

As the last fire truck from hell goes rolling by

All good people are praying

It's the last temptation the last

The last time you might hear the sermon on the mount

The last radio is playing.

Seen a shooting star tonight slip away

Tomorrow will be another day

Guess it's too late to say the things to you that you needed to hear me say

Seen a shooting star tonight slip away.

Wiggle Wiggle

Wiggle like a gypsy queen

Wiggle all dressed in green

Wiggle till the moon is blue

Wiggle till the moon sees you.

Wiggle in your boots and shoes

Wiggle you got nothing to loose

Wiggle like a swarm of bees

Wiggle on your hands and knees.

Wiggle to the front wiggle to the rear

Wiggle till you wiggle right out of here

Wiggle till it opens wiggle till it shuts

Wiggle till it bites wiggle till it cuts.

Wiggle like a bowl of soap

Wiggle like a rolling hoop

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 like satin and silk

Wiggle like a pail of milk

Wiggle all rattle and shake

Wiggle like a big fat snake !

Under The Red Sky

There was a little boy

And there was a little girl

And they lived in an alley under the red sky.

There was an old man

And he lived in the moon

One summer's day he came passing by.

There was an old man

And he lived in the moon

And one day he came passing by.

Some day little girl

Everything for you is gonna be new

Some day little girl

You'll have a diamond as big as your shoe.

Let the wind blow low

Let the wind blow high

One day the little boy and the little girl were both baked in a pie.

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

The man in the moon went home and the river went dry.

Unbelievable

It's unbelievable it's strange but true

It's inconceivable it could happen to you

You're going north and you're going south

Just like bait in a fish's mouth

Must be living in the shadow of some kind of evil star

It's unbelievable it would get this far.

It's unbelievable what they'd have you to think

It's indescribable it can drive you to drink

They said it was the land of milk and honey

Now they say it's the land of money

Who ever thought they'd ever make that stick

It's unbelievable you could get this rich this quick.

Every head is so dignified

Every mood is so sanctified

Every urge is so satisfied

As long as you have paid

All the silver all the gold

All the sweethearts that you can hold

That don't come back with stories untold are hanging on a tree.

It's unbelievable like a lead balloon

So impossible to even line the tomb

Kill that beast and feed that swine

Scale that wall and smoke that vine

Beat that horse and saddle up that drum

It's unbelievable the day would finally come.

Once there was a man who had no eyes

Every lady in the land told him lies

He stood beneath the silver skies

And his heart beat could plead

Every brain is civilized

Every nerve is analyzed

Everything is criticized when you are in need.

It's unbelievable it's fancy-free

So interchangeable so delightful to see

Turn you back wash you hands

There's always someone who understands

It don't matter no more what you got to say

It's unbelievable it go down this way.

Born In Time

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 a shaky street you're hearing my heart beat

In the record breaking heat where we were born in time.

Not one more night not one more kiss

Not this time babe no more of this

Takes too much skill takes too much of will

It's too revealing.

You came you saw just like the law

You married young just like you ma

You tried and tried you made me slide

You left me reeling with this feeling

On the rising curve where the ways of nature will test every nerve

You don't get anything you don't deserve where we were born in time.

You pressed me once you pressed me twice

You hung the blade you'll pay the price

Oh babe that fire is still smoking.

You were snow you were rain

You were striped you were plain

Oh babe truer words have not been spoken

Or broken.

If there's a mystery in the foggy world of destiny

You can have what's left of me where we were born in time.

TV Talking Song

One time in London I gone out for a walk

Past the place called Hyde Park where people talk

About all kinds of different gods they have their point of view

To anyone passing by and it's who they're talking to.

There was someone on the platform talking to the folks

About the TV god and all the pain that it invokes

It's too bright a light he said for anybody's eyes

If you've never seen one it's blessing in disguise.

I moved in closer got up on my toes

Two men in front of me were coming to blows

A man was saying something about children when they're young

Being sacrificed that's why lullabies are being sung.

The news of the day is on all the time

All the latest gossip all the latest rhyme

You mind is you temple keep it beautiful and free

Don't let an egg get laid in there by something you can't see.

Pray for peace he said you could feel it in the crowd

My thoughts began to wander. His voice was ringing loud

It will destroy you family your happy home is gone

No one can protect you from it once you turn it on.

It will lead you in to some strange pursuits

Lead you to the land of forbidden fruits

Scramble up your head and drag your brain about

Sometimes you got to do like Elvis did and shoot the damn thing out.

It's all been designed he said to make you loose your mind

And when you go back to find it there's nothing there to find

Every time you look at it your situations worse

If you feel it grabbing out for you send for the nurse.

The crowd began to riot and they grabbed hold of the man

There was pushing there was shoving and everybody ran

The TV crew was there to film it they jumped right over me

Later on that evening I watched it on TV.

10.000 Men

10.000 men on a hill

Some of them going down some of them gonna get killed.

10.000 men dressed in Oxford blue

Drumming in the morning in the evening they'll be coming for you.

10.000 men on the move

None of them doing nothing that your mama wouldn't disapprove.

10.000 men digging' for silver and gold

All clean shaven all coming from the cold.

Hey who could you lover be?

Let me eat off his head and you can really see.

10.000 women all dressed in white

Standing at my window wishing me goodnight.

10.000 men looking so lean and frail

Each one of them got seven wives each of them just out of jail.

10.000 women all sleep in my room

Spilling my buttermilk sweeping it up with a broom.

Mmm baby thank you for my tea

Hey baby thank you for my tea

It's really so sweet of you to be so nice to me.

Two By Two

One by one they followed the sun

One by one until there where none

Two by two to their lovers they flew

Two by two into the foggy dew.

Three by three they danced on the sea

Four by four they danced on the shore

Five by five they tried to survive

Six by six they were playing with tricks.

How many paths did he try and fail

How many of their brothers and sisters linger in jail

How much poison did their inhale

How many black cats crossed their trail.

Seven by seven they head for heaven

Eight by eight their got to the gate

Nine by nine they drank the wine

Ten by ten they drank it again.

How many tomorrows have they given away

How many compared to yesterday

How many more without any reward

How many more can they afford.

Two by two they step into the ark

Two by two they step in the dark

Three by three they're turning the key

Four by four they turn it some more.

One by one they followed the sun

Two by two to another rendezvous

Three by three don't tread on me

Four by four they're loosing the war.

Five by five can't stay alive ......

God Knows

God knows you ain't pretty

God knows it's true

God knows there ain't anybody ever gonna take the place of you.

God knows it's a struggle

God knows it's a crime

God knows there gonna be no more water but fire next time.

God don't call it treason

God don't call it wrong

You're supposed to last a season

But its so strong for so long.

God knows it's fragile

God knows everything

God knows it could snap apart right now just like putting scissors to a string.

God knows it's terrifying

God sees it all unfold

There's a million reasons for you to be crying

You've been so bold and so cold.

God knows you when you see it

God knows you've got to weep

God knows the secrets of your heart

He'll tell them to you when you're asleep.

God knows there's a river

God knows how to make a flow

God knows you ain't gonna be taking nothing with you when you go.

God knows there's a purpose

God knows there's a chance

God knows you can raise above the darkest hour of every circumstance.

God knows there's a heaven

God knows it's out of sight

God knows we can get all the way from here today if we gonna walk a million miles

by candlelight.

Handy Dandy

Handy Dandy controversy surrounds him

He's been around the world and back again

Something in the moonlight still hounds him.

Handy Dandy just like sugar and candy

Handy Dandy if every bone in his body were a-broken he would never admit it

He got an all girl orchestra and when he says strike up the band they hit it.

Handy Dandy

Handy Dandy

He'll say what are you made off

He'll say can you repeat what you say

You'll say what are you afraid off

He'll say nothing neither alive nor dead.

Handy Dandy he's got a stick in his hand and a pocket full of money

He'll say oh darling tell me the truth how much time I got

She'll say you got all the time in the world honey.

Handy Dandy

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 in a garden with a girl named Nancy and got feeling kinda lazy

He said Hon' if you want a gun I'll give you one

She said boy you're talking crazy.

Handy Dandy just like sugar and candy

Handy Dandy pour him another brandy

Handy Dandy he got a basket of flowers and a bag full of sorrow

He finishes his drink he gets up from the table he says

OK boys I'll see you tomorrow.

When was the last time you looked

Handy dandy controversy always surrounds him

Wherever he goes too bad for him something back there always hounds him

Handy Dandy he’s in a room all pacing the floor that supports him

In better times anything he desired would have just kept walking on pusing towards him

Of power his respectability don’t bother

Handy dandy tower of strength and stability

He does it with mirrors but doesn’t really do actually

He don’t need to lie about , having nothing to lie about, because he is so full of humility

Accessable

Handy dandy compulsive and healthy, plausible obsessive automatic

Blowing his horns for the girls and bringing them up to the attic

Handy does he wear sunglasses

Does he know that he is so stupid, ignorant and blind

Well maybe yes sometimes

he how much do you weigh

He’s in a room full of people and suddenly there’s nobody cheering

Says come on baby lets both take the wheel to this car don’t matter who is steering

Cat's In The Well

The cat's in the well the wolf is looking down

The cat's in the well the wolf is looking down

He got a big bushy tail dragging all over the ground.

The cat's in the well the gentle lady is asleep

Cat's in the well gentle lady is asleep

She ain't hearing things silence is-a-sticking' her deep.

Cat's in the well and grief is showing it's face

The world's been slaughtered it's such a bloody disgrace.

The cat's in the well horses going bumpety bump

The cat's in the well horses going bumpety bump

But God is silent doing the American jump.

Cat's in the well and papa is reading the news

His hair's falling out and all of his daughters need shoes.

The cat's in the well and the barn is full of bull

The cat's in the well and the barn is full of bull

Tonight is so long and the table is oh so full.

The cat's in the well and the servant's at the door

The drinks are ready and the dogs are going to war.

The cat's in the well and leaves are starting to fall

The cat's in the well and leaves are starting to fall

Goodnight my love may lord have mercy on us all.

He Was A Friend Of Mine

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 quit 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.

No More Auction Block

No more auction block for me

No more, no more

No more auction block for me

Many thousands gone

No more driver's lash for me

No more, no more

No more driver's lash for me

Many thousands gone

No more whip lash for me

No more, no more

No more pine assault for me

Many thousands gone

No more auction block for me

No more, no more

No more auction block for me

Many thousands gone.

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

It's all for the love of thee.

I could have married the 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 the king's daughter there

I'm sure you're the one to blame

For I am married to a house carpenter

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 gave them kisses, one, two, three

Saying take good care of your daddy when I'm gone

And keep in 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 what's company?

Well, are you weeping for your house and home

Or are you weeping for your (bee?)

Well I'm not weeping for my house carpenter

I'm a-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

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.

Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues

Well, I saw it advertised one day

That the Bear Mountain picnic was comin' my way

"Come along 'n' take a trip

We'll bring you up there on a ship

Bring the wife and family

Bring the whole ... kids"

Yippee!

Well, I run right down 'n' bought a ticket

To this thing called the Bear Mountain Picnic

Little did I realize

I was in for a pleasant funny surprise

Had nothin' to do with picnic

Didn't come close to a mountain

I hate bears.

Took the wife 'n' 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 'n' what d'ya think

That big old boat started t' sink

More people kept a-pilin' on

That old ship was a-goin' down

Funny way t' start a picnic

Well, I soon lost track of m' kids 'n' wife

So many people I never saw in m' life

That old ship was sinking' down in the water

There were six thousand people tryin' t' kill each other

Dogs a-barkin', cats a-screaming'

Women a-yelling', men a-flying', fists a-flying', babies flying'

Cops a-comin', me a-running'

Maybe we just better call off the picnic.

I got shoved down, got pushed around

All I remember was a moanin' sound

Don't remember one thing more

All I remember was waken' up on the shore

My arms and legs were broken

My feet were splintered, 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 outa m' casket

I grabbed back hold of m' picnic basket

Took the wife 'n' kids 'n' started home

Wishing' I'd never got up that mornin'.

Now, I don't care just what you do

If you wanta have a picnic, that's up t' you

But don't tell me about it, I don't wanta hear it

Cause, see, I just lost all my picnic spirit

Stay in m' kitchen, have a picnic in m' bathroom.

Now, it don't seem to me quite so funny

What some people are gonna do for money

There's a bran' new gimmick every day

Just t' take somebody's money away

I think we ought to take some o' these people

And put 'em on a boat, send 'em up to Bear Mountain ...

For a picnic.

Worried Blues

I got those worried blues, Lord

I'm going where I never been before.

I'm going where the chilly winds don't blow

I'm going where the climate suit my clothes.

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

I'm going where I never been before.

So I got those worried blues, Lord

I'm going where I never been before.

Frankie & Albert (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan )

Frankie was a good girl

Everybody knows

Paid one hundred dollars

For Albert's new suit of clothes

He was her man but he done her wrong.

Albert said I'm leaving you"

Won't be gone for long

Don't wait up for me

A-worry about me when I'm gone

He was her man but he done her wrong.

Frankie went down to the corner saloon

Get a bucket of beer

Said to the bartender

"Has my lovin' man been her?"

He was her man but he done her wrong.

"Well, I ain't gonna tell you no stories

I ain't gonna tell you no lies

I saw Albert an hour ago

With a gal named Alice Bly"

He was her man but he done her wrong.

Frankie went down to 12th street

Lookin' up through the window high

She saw her Albert there

Lovin' up Alice Bly

He was her man but he done her wrong.

Frankie pulled out a pistol

Pulled out a forty-four

Gun went off a-rootie-toot-toot

And Albert fell on the floor

He was her man but he done her wrong.

Frankie got down upon her knees

Took Albert into her lap

Started to hug and kiss him

But there was no bringing' him back

He was her man but he done her wrong.

"Gimme a thousand policemen

Throw me into a cell

I shot my Albert dead

And now I'm goin' to hell"

He was my man but he done me wrong.

Judge said to the jury

"Plain as a thing can be

A woman shot her lover down

Murder in the second degree"

He was her man but he done her wrong.

Frankie went to the scaffold

Calm as a girl could be

Turned her eyes up toward the heavens

Said "Nearer, my God, to Thee"

He was her man but he done her wrong.

Jim Jones (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan )

Come and listen for a moment, lads

And hear me tell my tale

How across the sea from England

I was condemned to sail

Now the jury found me guilty

Then says the judge, says he

"Oh, for life, Jim Jones, I'm sending you

Across the stormy sea

But take a tip before you ship

To join the iron gang

Don't get too gay in Botany Bay

Or else you'll surely hang

Or else you'll surely hang", says he

"And after that Jim Jones

It's high above on the gallows tree

The crows will pick your bones".

And our ship was high upon the sea

When pirates came along

But the soldiers on our convict ship

Were full five hundred strong

For they opened fire and somehow drove

That pirate ship away

But I'd rather have joined that pirate ship

Than gone to Botany Bay

With the storms raging' round us

And the winds a-blowing' gale

I'd rather have drowned in misery

Than gone to New South Wales

There's no time for mischief there they say

Remember that, says they

Or they'll flog the poaching out of you

Down there in Botany Bay.

Now it's day and night and the irons clang

And like poor galley slaves

We toil and toil, and when we die

Must fill dishonored graves

And it's by and by I'll slip my chains

Well, into the bush I'll go

And I'll join the bravest rankers there

Jack Donohue and co

And some dark night, when everything

Is silent in the town

I'll shoot those tyrants one and all

I'll gun the floggers down

Oh, I'll give the land a little shock

Remember what I say

They'll yet regret they've sent Jim Jones

In chains to Botany Bay.

Blackjack Davey (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan )

Black Jack Davey come a-riding' on back

A whistling' loud and merry

Made the woods around him ring

And he charmed the heart of a lady

Charmed the heart of a lady.

"How old are you, my pretty little miss

How old are you, my honey?"

She answered to him with a lovin' smile

"I'll be sixteen come Sunday

Be sixteen come Sunday".

"Come and go with me, my pretty little miss

Come and go with me, my honey

Take you where the grass grows green

You never will want for money

You never will want for money.

"Pull off, pull off them high-heeled shoes

All made of Spanish leather

Get behind me on my horse

And we'll ride off together

We'll both go off together".

Well she pulled off them high-heeled shoes

Made of Spanish Leather

Got behind him on his horse

And they rode off together

They both rode off together.

At night the boss came home

Inquiring about his lady

The servant spoke before she thought

"She's been with Black Jack Davey

Rode off with Black Jack Davey".

"Well, saddle for me my coal-black stud

He's speedier than the gray

I rode all day and I'll ride all night

And I'll overtake my lady

I'll bring back my lady".

Well, he rode all night till the broad daylight

Till he came to a river raging'

And there he spied his darling' bride

In the arms of Black Jack Davey

Wrapped up with Black Jack Davey.

"Pull off, pull off them long blue gloves

All made of the finest leather

Give to me your lily-white hand

And we'll go home together

We'll both go home together".

Well, she pulled off them long blue gloves

All made of the finest leather

Gave to him her lily-white hand

And said goodbye forever

Bid farewell forever.

"Would you forsake your house and home

Would you forsake your baby?

Would you forsake your husband too

To go with Black Jack Davey

Ride off with Black Jack Davey?".

"Well, I'll forsake my house and home

And I'll forsake my baby

I'll forsake my husband too

For the love of Black Jack Davey

Love my Black Jack Davey.

Last night I slept in a feather bed

Between my husband and baby

Tonight I lay on the river banks

In the arms of Black Jack Davey

Love my Black Jack Davey".

Canadee-I-O (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan )

Well, it's all of a fair and a handsome girl

She's all in her tender years

She fell in love with a sailor boy

It's true she loved him well

For to go off to sea with him

Like she did not now how

She longed to see that seaport town

Of Canadee-i-o.

So he bargained with the sailor boy

All for a piece of gold

Straightaway then he led her

Down into the hold

Sayin', "I'll dress you up in sailor's clothes

Your jacket shall be blue

You'll see that seaport town

Of Canadee-i-o".

Now, when the other sailors heard the news

Well, they fell into a rage

And with all the ship's company

They were willing to engage

Sayin', "We'll tie her hands and feet, my boys

Overboard we'll throw her

She'll never see that seaport town

Called Canadee-i-o".

Now, when the captain he heard the news

Well, he too fell in rage

And with the whole ships' company

He was willing to engage

Sayin', "She'll stay all in sailor's clothes

Her color shall be blue

She'll see that seaport town

Called Canadee-i-o".

Now, when they come down to Canada

Scarcely 'bout half a year

She's married this bold captain

Who called her his dear

She's dressed in silks and satins now

She cuts a gallant show

Finest of the ladies

Down Canadee-i-o.

Come all you fair and tender girls

Wheresoever you may bee

I'd have you to follow your own true love

Whene'er he goes to sea

For the sailors prove false to you

Well, the captain he might prove true

You'll see the honor I have gained

By the wearing of the blue.

Sittin' On Top Of The World (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)

Was in the summer

One early fall

Just tryin' to find my

Little all and all

Now she's gone

An' I don't worry

Lord, I'm sittin' on top of the world.

Was in the spring

One summer's day

Just when she left me

She gone to stay

Now she's gone

Now don't come runnin'

Holdin' up your hand

Can get me a woman

Quick as you can get a man

Now she's gone

Happen for days

Didn't know your name

Oh, why should I worry

Or crave you in vain?

Now she's gone

An' I don't worry

Lord, I'm sittin' on top of the world.

Went to the station

Down in the yard

Gonna get me a freight train

Work's done got hard

Now she's gone

An' I don't worry

Lord, I'm sittin' on top of the world.

The lonesome days

They have gone by

Why should I beg you?

You said goodbye

Now she's gone

An' I don't worry

Lord, I'm sittin' on top of the world.

Little Maggie (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan )

Oh, where is little Maggie?

Over yonder she stands

Rifle on her shoulder

Six-shooter in her hand.

How can I ever stand it

Just to see them two blue eyes

Shinin' like some diamonds

Like some diamonds in the sky.

Rather be in some lonely hollow

Where the sun don't ever shine

Than to see you be another man's darling

And to know that you'll never be mine.

Well, it's march me away to the station

With my suitcase in my hand

Yes, march me away to the station

I'm off to some far-distant land.

Sometimes I have a nickel

And sometimes I have a dime

Sometimes I have ten dollars

Just to pay for little Maggie's wine.

Pretty flowers are made for blooming

Pretty stars are made to shine

Pretty girls are made for boy's love

Little Maggie was made for mine.

Well, yonder stands little Maggie

With a dram glass in her hand

She's a-drinkin' down her troubles

Over courting' some other man.

Hard Times (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan )

Let us pause in life's pleasures and count its many tears

While we all sup sorrow with the poor

There's a song that will linger forever in our ears

Oh, hard times, come again no more.

'Tis the song, the sign of the weary

Hard times, hard times, come again no more

Many days you have lingered all around my cabin door

Oh hard times, come again no more.

While we seek mirth and beauty and music light and gay

There are frail forms fainting at the door

Though their voices are silent, their pleading looks will say

Oh, hard times, come again no more.

There's a pale drooping maiden who toils her life away

With a worn heart, whose better days are o'er

Though her voice it would be merry, 'tis sighing all the day

Oh, hard times, come again no more.

'Tis the song, the sign of the weary

Hard times, hard times, come again no more

Many days you have lingered all around my cabin door

Oh hard times, come again no more.

Step It Up and Go (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan )

Got a little girl, little and low

She used to love me but she don't no more

She gotta step it up and go - Yeah go

Can't stand pat, swear you gotta step it up and go.

Got a little girl, she stays upstairs

Make a livin' by puttin' on airs

Gotta step it up and go - Yeah man

Can't stand pat, swear you gotta step it up and go.

Front door shut, back door too

Blinds pulled down, what'cha gonna do?

Gotta step it up and go - Yeah go

Can't stand pat, swear you gotta step it up and go.

Got a little girl, her name is Ball

Give a little bit, she took it all

Me an' my baby walkin' down the street

Tellin' everybody 'bout the chief of police

Tell my woman I'll see her at home

Ain't no lovin' since she been gone

Well, I'll sing this verse, aint gonna sing no more

Hear my gal call me and I got to go

Tomorrow Night (Sam Coslow and Will Grosz )

Tomorrow night, will you remember what you said to night?

Tomorrow night, will all the thrill be gone?

Tomorrow night, will it be just another memory

Or just another song, that's in my heart to linger on?

Your lips are so tender, your heart is beating fast

And you willingly surrender to me, my darling will it last?

Tomorrow night, will you be with me when the moon is bright?

Tomorrow night, will you say those lovely things you said tonight?

Tomorrow night, will you be with me when the moon is bright?

Tomorrow night, will you say those lovely things you said tonight?

Arthur McBride (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan )

Oh, me and my cousin, one Arthur McBride

As we went a-walkin' down by the seaside

Mark know what followed and what did betide

For it bein' on Christmas mornin'

Now, for recreation, we went on a tramp

And we met Sergeant Napper and Corporal Vamp

And a little wee drummer intending to camp

For the day bein' pleasant and charming.

"Good morning, good morning," the sergeant he cried

"And the same to you gentleman," we did reply

Intending no harm but means to pass by

For it bein' on Christmas morning

"But," says he, "My fine fellows, if you will enlist

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 strike

And he always lives pleasant and charmin'

And a soldier he always is decent and clean

In the finest of clothing he's constantly seen

While other poor fellows go dirty and mean

And sup on thin gruel in the morning".

"But," says Arthur, "I wouldn't be proud of your clothes

For you've only the lend of them, as I suppose

But you're 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 could get shot without warning"

"Oh no," says the Sergeant, "I'll have no such chat

And neither will I take it from snappy young brats

For if you insult me with one other word

I'll cut off your heads in the morning".

And Arthur and I, we soon drew our hogs

And we scarce gave them time to draw their own blades

When a trusty shillelagh came over their head

And bid them take that as fair warning

And their old rusty rapiers that hung by their sides

We flung them as far as we could in the tide

"Now take them up, devils !" cried Arthur McBride

"And temper their edge in the morning!".

And the little wee drummer, we flattered his bow

And we made a football of his rowdy-dow-dow

Threw it in the tide for to rock and to roll

And bade it a tedious returning

And we havin' no money, paid them off in cracks

We paid no respect to their two bloody backs

And we lathered them there like a pair of wet sacks

And left them for dead in the morning.

And so, to conclude and to finish disputes

We obligingly asked if they wanted recruits

For we were the lads who would give them hard clouts

And bid them look sharp in the morning.

Oh, me and my cousin, one Arthur McBride

As we went a-walkin' down by the seaside

Mark now what followed and what did betide

For it bein' on Christmas morning.

You're Gonna Quit Me (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan )

You're gonna quit me, baby

Good as I been to you, Lawd, Lawd

Good as I been to you, Lawd, Lawd

Good as I been to you.

Give you my money, honey

Buy you shoes and clothes, Lawd, Lawd.

You're gonna quit me, baby

Put me outta doors, Lawd, Lawd.

Six months on the chain gang

Believe me, it ain't no fun, Lawd, Lawd.

Jailhouse ain't no plaything

Believe me, ain't no lie, Lawd, Lawd.

Day you quit me, baby

That's the day you die, Lawd, Lawd.

Diamond Joe (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan )

Now there's a man you'll hear about

Most anywhere you go

And his holdings are in Texas

And his name is Diamond Joe.

And he carries all his money

In a diamond-studded jar

He never took much trouble

With the process of the law.

I hired out to Diamond Joe, boys

Did offer him my hand

He gave a string of horses

So old they could not stand.

And I nearly starved to death, boys

He did mistreat me so

And I never saved a dollar

In the pay of Diamond Joe.

Now his bread it was corn dodger

And his meat you couldn't chaw

Nearly drove me crazy

With the wagging' of his jaw.

And the tellin' of his story

Mean to let you know

That there never was a rounder

That could lie like Diamond Joe.

Now, I tried three times to quit him

But he did argue so

I'm still 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.

Froggie Went A Courtin' (Traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan )

Frog went a-courtin' and he did ride

With a sword and a pistol by his side, uh-huh.

He rode right up to Miss Mousey's door

Gave three loud raps and a very big roar, uh-huh.

Said, "Miss Mouse, are you within?"

"Yes, kind sir, I sit and spin," uh-huh.

Took Miss Mousey on his knee

Said, "Miss Mousey, will you marry me?" 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

To think his niece would be a bride, uh-huh.

Uncle rat went runnin' downtown

To buy his niece a wedding gown, uh-huh.

Where shall the wedding supper be?

Way down yonder in a hollow tree, uh-huh.

What should the wedding supper be?

Fried mosquito in a black-eyed pea, uh-huh.

Well, first to come in was a flyin' moth, uh-huh.

She laid out the table cloth, uh-huh.

Next to come in was a juney bug

She brought the water jug, uh-huh.

Next to come in was a bumbley bee

Sat mosquito on his knee, uh-huh.

Next to come in was a broken black flea

Danced a jig with the bumbley bee, 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

She ate so much she made us sick, 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

Swallowed the mouse and ate up the rat, uh-huh.

Mr. Frog went a-hoppin' up over the brook, uh-huh

Mr. Frog went a-hoppin' up over the brook, uh-huh

Mr. Frog went a-hoppin' up over the brook

A lily-white duck come and swallowed him up, uh-huh.

A little piece of cornbread layin' on a shelf

If you want any more, you can sing it yourself, uh-huh.

World Gone Wrong (Traditional arranged by Bob Dylan )

Strange things have happened like never before

My baby told me I would have to go

I can't be good no more, once like I did before

I can't be good, baby

Honey, because the world gone wrong.

Feel bad this morning, ain't got no home

No use in worrying cause the world gone wrong

I told you baby, right to your head

If I didn't leave you, I would have to kill you dead

I tried to be lovin', and treat you kind

But it seem like you never right, you got no loyal mind

If you had a woman and she don't treat you kind

Praise the Good Lord to get her out of your mind

Said, when you been good now, can't do no more

Just tell her kindly, There is the front door

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.

Love Henry (Traditional arranged by Bob Dylan )

"Get down, get down Love Henry," she cried

"And stay all night with me

I have gold chains, and the finest I have

I'll apply them all to thee."

"I can't get down and I shan't get down

Or stay all night with thee

Some pretty little girl in Cornersville

I love far better than thee."

He layed his head on a pillow of down

Kisses she gave him three

With a penny knife that she held in her hand

She murdered mortal he.

"Get well, get well Love Henry," she cried

"Get well, get well," said she

"Oh don't you see my own heart's blood

Come flowin' down so free?"

She took him by his long yellow hair

And also by his feet

She plunged him into well water, where

It runs both cold and deep.

"Lie there, lie there, Love Henry," she cried

"'Til the flesh rots off your bones

Some pretty little girl in Cornersville

Will mourn for your return."

"Hush up, hush up, my parrot," she cried

"Don't tell no news on me

Or these costly beads around my neck

I'll apply them all to thee."

"Fly down, fly down pretty bird," she cried

"And light on my right knee

The doors to your cage shall be decked with gold

And hung on a willow tree."

"I won't fly down, I can't fly down

And light on your right knee

A girl who would murder her own true love

Would kill a little bird like me."

Ragged & Dirty (Traditional arranged by Bob Dylan )

Lord I'm broke, I'm hungry, ragged and dirty too

Broke and hungry, ragged and dirty too

If I clean up sweet mama, can I stay all night with you.

Lord, I went to my window, babe, I couldn't see through my blinds

Went to my window, babe I couldn't see through my blinds

Heard my best friend coming around I thought I heard my baby cry.

Lord, if I can't come in here, baby then just let me sit down in your door

If I can't come in here baby then just let me sit down in your door

And I would leave so soon that your man won't never know.

How can I live here baby, Lord, and feel at ease?

Well, that woman I got, man, she do just what she feels.

Lord you shouldn't mistreat me, baby, because I'm young and wild

Shouldn't mistreat me, baby, because I'm young and wild

You must always remember, baby, you was once a child.

'Cause I'm leaving in the morning, if I have to ride the blind

Leaving in the morning, if I have to ride the blinds

Well, I've been mistreated and I swear, I don't mind dyin'.

Broke Down Engine (Traditional arranged by Bob Dylan )

Feel like a broke down engine ain't got no drivin' wheel

You all been down and lonesome, you know just how a poor man feels.

Been shooting craps and gambling, momma, and I done got broke

I done pawned my pistol baby, my best clothes been sold.

Went down to my praying ground, fell on my bended knees

I ain't cryin' for no religion, Lord, give me back my good gal please.

If you give me back my baby, I won't worry you no more

Don't have to put her in my house, Lordy, just lead her to my door.

Can't you hear me baby, rappin' on your door?

Now you hear me tappin', tappin' across your floor.

Feel like a broke down engine, ain't got no drive at all

What made me love my woman, she can really do the Georgia Crawl.

Feel like a broke down engine, ain't got no whistle or bell

If you're a real hot momma, come take away Daddy's weeping spell.

Delia (Traditional arranged by Bob Dylan )

Delia was a gambling girl, gambled all around

Delia was a gambling girl, she laid her money down.

All the friends I ever had are gone.

Delia's dear ol' mother took a trip out West

When she returned, little Delia'd gone to rest.

All the friends I ever had are gone.

Delia's Daddy weeped, Delia's momma moaned

Wouldn't have been so bad if the poor girl died at home.

All the friends I ever had are gone.

Curtis's looking high, Curtis's looking low

He shot poor Delia down with a cruel forty-four.

All the friends I ever had are gone.

High upon the housetops, high as I can see

Looking for them rounders, looking out for me.

Men in Atlanta, trying to pass for white

Delia's in the graveyard, boys, six feet out of sight.

All the friends I ever had are gone.

Judge says to Curtis, "What's this noise about?"

"All about them rounders, Judge, tryin' to cut me out."

All the friends I ever had are gone.

Curtis said to the judge "What might be my fine?"

Judge says, "Poor boy, you got ninety-nine."

All the friends I ever had are gone.

Curtis' in the jailhouse, drinking from an old tin cup

Delia's in the graveyard, she ain't gettin' up.

All the friends I ever had are gone.

Delia, oh Delia, how can it be?

You loved all them rounders, never did love me.

All the friends I ever had are gone.

Delia, oh Delia, how could it be?

You wanted all them rounders, never had time for me.

All the friends I ever had are gone.

Stack - A – Lee (Traditional arranged by Bob Dylan )

Hawlin Alley on a dark and drizzly night

Billy Lyons and Stack-A-Lee had one terrible fight

All about that John B. Stetson Hat.

Stack-A-Lee walked to the bar-room and he called for a glass of beer

Turned around to Billy Lyons, said "What you doin' here?"

"Waitin' for a train to bring my woman home."

"Stack-A-Lee, oh Stack-A-Lee please don't take my life

Got three little children and a weepin', loving wife

You're a bad man, bad man Stack-A-Lee."

"God bless your children and I'll take care of your wife

You stole my John B., now I'm bound to take your life"

All about that John B. Stetson Hat.

Stack-A-Lee turned to Billy Lyons and shot him right through the head

Only taking one shot to kill Billy Lyons dead

All about that John B. Stetson Hat.

Sent for the doctor, well the doctor he did come

Just pointed out Stack-A-Lee, said, "Now what have you done?"

You're a bad man, bad man Stack-A-Lee.

Six big horses and a rubber-tired hack

Taking him to the cemetery, but they failed to bring him back

All about that John B. Stetson Hat.

Hawlin Alley, thought I heard the bulldogs bark

It must have been old Stack-A-Lee stumbling in the dark

He's a bad man, gonna land him right back in jail.

High police walked on to Stack-A-Lee, he was lying fast asleep

High police catched Stack-A-Lee, and he jumped forty feet

He's a bad man, gonna land him right back in jail.

Well they got old Stack-A-Lee, and they led him right back in jail

Couldn't get a man around to go Stack-A-Lee's bail

All about that John B. Stetson Hat.

Stack-A-Lee turned to the jailer, he said "Jailer, I can't sleep

'Round my bedside Billy Lyons begin to creep"

All about that John B. Stetson Hat.

Two Soldiers (Traditional arranged by Bob Dylan )

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

Momma, you know, awaits the news

And she'll only know he's dead.

Jack-A-Roe (Traditional arranged by Bob Dylan )

Oh, there was a wealthy merchant, in London he did dwell

He had a lovely daughter, the truth to you I'll tell

Oh, the truth to you I'll tell.

She had sweethearts a-plenty and men of high degree

There was none but Jackie Frazier, her true love e'er to bee

Oh, her true lover e'er to be.

"Oh daughter, oh daughter your body I will confine

If none but Jack the sailor, would ever suit your mind

Oh, would ever suit your mind."

"This body you may imprison, my heart you can't confine

There's none but Jack the Sailor would have this heart of mine

Oh, would have this heart of mine."

Now Jackie's gone a-sailing with trouble on his mind

To leave his native country and his darling girl behind

Oh, his darling girl behind.

She went into the tailor shop and dressed in men's array

Then she went into a vessel to convey herself away

Oh, convey herself away.

"Before you step on board, sir, your name I'd like to know"

She smiled all in her countenance, said, "They call me Jack-A-Roe"

Oh, they call me Jack-A-Roe.

"Your waist is light and slender, your fingers neat and small

Your cheeks too red and rosy for to face the cannonball"

Oh, to face the cannonball.

"I know my waist is slender and my fingers they are small

But it would not make me tremble for to see ten thousand fall"

Oh, to see ten thousand fall.

The war soon being over, they hunted all around

Among the dead and dying her darling love she found

Oh, her darling love she found.

She picked him up all in her arms and carried him to town

And sent for her physician to quickly heal his wounds

Oh, to quickly heal his wounds.

This couple, they got married, so well they did agree

This couple they got married, so why not you and me

Oh, so why not you and me?

Lone Pilgrim (By B.F. White and Adgar M. Pace )

I came to the place where the lone pilgrim lay

And patiently stood by his tomb

Went in a low whisper I heard something say:

How sweetly I sleep here alone.

The tempest may howl and the loud thunder roar

And gathering storms may arise

But calm is my feeling, at rest is my soul

The tears are all wiped from my eyes.

The call of my master compelled me from home

No kindred or relative nigh

I met the contagion and sank to the tomb

My soul flew to mansion on high.

Go tell my companion and children most dear

To weep not for me now I'm gone

The same hand that led me through seas most severe

Has kindly assisting me home.

Love Sick

I'm walkin' through streets that are dead

Walkin', walkin' with you in my head

My feet are so tired

My brain is so wired

And the clouds are weepin'.

Did I hear someone tell a lie?

Did I hear someone's distant cry?

I spoke like a child

You destroyed me with a smile

While I was sleepin'.

I'm sick of love that I'm in the thick of it

This kind of love, I'm so sick of it.

I see, I see lovers in the meadow

I see, I see silhouettes in the window

I'll watch them 'til they're gone

And they leave me hangin' on

To a shadow.

I'm sick of love, I hear the clock tick

This kind of love, ah, I'm love sick.

Sometimes the silence can be like thunder

Sometimes I wanna take to the road and plunder

Could you ever be true

I think of you

And I wonder.

I'm sick of love, I wish I'd never met you

I'm sick of love, I'm tryin' to forget you.

Just don't know what to do

I'd give anything to

Be with you.

Dirt Road Blues

Gonna walk down that dirt road

'Til someone lets me ride

If I can't find my baby

I'm gonna run away and hide.

Well, I've been pacin' 'round the room

Hopin' maybe she'd come back

Pacin' 'round the room

Hopin' maybe she'd come back

Well, I've been praying for salvation

Layin' 'round in a one-room country shack.

Gonna walk down that dirt road

Until my eyes begin to bleed

Gonna walk down that dirt road

Until my eyes begin to bleed

'Til there's nothing left to see

'Til the chains have been shattered and I've been freed.

But I've been at my shadow

I been watchin' the colors up above

Lookin' at my shadow

Watchin' the colors up above

Rolling through the rain and hail

Lookin' for the sunny side of love.

Gonna walk on that dirt road

'Til everything becomes the same

Gonna walk down that dirt road

'Til everything becomes the same

I'll keep on walkin' 'til I hear her holler at my name.

Standing In The Doorway

I'm a-walkin' through the summer nights

The jukebox playing low

Yesterday everything was goin' too fast

Today it's moving too slow.

I got no place left to turn

I got nothing left to burn

Don't know if I saw you

If I would kiss you or kill you

It probably wouldn't matter to you anyhow

You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'

I got nothing to go back to now.

The light in this place is so bad

Makin' me sick in the head

All the laughter is just makin' me sad

The stars have turned cherry red.

I'm strummin' on my gay guitar

Smokin' a cheap cigar

The ghost of our old love has not gone away

Don't look it like it will any time soon

You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'

Under the midnight moon.

Maybe they'll get me, and maybe they won't

But not tonight and it won't be here

There are things I could say but I don't

I know the mercy of God must be near.

I've been ridin' the midnight train

Got ice water in my vein.

I would be crazy if I took you back

It would go up against every rule

You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'

Suffering' like a fool.

When the last rays of daylight go down

Buddy you're older or more

I can hear the church bells ringin' in the yard

I wonder who they're ringin' for?

I know I can't win

But my heart just won't give in.

Last night I danced with a stranger

But she just reminded me you were the one.

You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'

In the dark land of the sun.

I'll eat when I'm hungry

Drink when I'm dry

And live my life on the square

And even if the flesh falls off of my face

I know someone will be there to care.

It always meaned so much, even the softest touch.

I see nothin' to be gained by any explanation

There's no words that need to be said

You left me standin' in the doorway cryin'

Blues wrapped around my head.

MILLION MILES

You took a part of me that I really miss

I keep askin' myself how long it can go on like this

You told yourself a lie - that's alright, mama, I told myself one too

I've tried to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you.

You took the silver, you took the gold

You left me standin' out in the cold

People ask about you, I didn't tell them everything I knew

Well, I've tried to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you.

I'm driftin' in and out of dreamless sleep

Throwin' all my memories in a ditch so deep

Did so many things I never did intend to do

Well, I've tried to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you.

I need your love so bad, turn your lamp down low

I need every bit of it for the places that I go

Sometimes I wonder 'til it's just what it's all coming to

Well, I've tried to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you.

Well, I don't dare close my eyes and I don't dare wink

Maybe in the next life I'll be able to hear myself think

Feel like talkin' to somebody but I just don't know who

Well, I've tried to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you.

Yes, the last thing you said before ya hit the street

Gonna find me a janitor to sweep me off my feet

I said, "That's all right, mamma, you, you do what you gotta do"

Well, I've tried to get closer, I'm still a million miles from you.

Rock me, pretty baby, rock me all at once

Rock me for a little while, rock me for a couple of months

And I'll rock you too

I'm tryin' to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you.

Well, there's voices in the night tryin' to be heard

I'm sittin' here listening to every mind-pollutin' word

I know plenty of people put me up for a day or two

Yes, I'm tryin' to get closer but I'm still a million miles from you.

Trying To Get To Heaven

The air is getting hotter, there's a rumblin' in the skies

I've been wading through the high muddy water

With the heat risin' in my eyes

Every day your memory grows dimmer

It doesn’t haunt me like it did before

I've been walking through the mirror to nowhere

Tryin' to get to heaven before they close the door.

When I was in Missouri they would not let me be

I had to leave there in a hurry

I only saw what they let me see

You broke a heart that loved you

Now you can seal up the book and not write anymore

I've been walkin' that lonesome valley

Tryin' to get to heaven before they close the door.

People on the platforms, waitin' for the trains

I can hear their hearts a-beatin'

Like pendulums swinging on chains

When you think that you've lost everything

You find out you can always lose a little more

I'm just goin' down the road feeling bad

Tryin' to get to heaven before they close the door.

I'm goin' down the river, down to New Orleans

They tell me everything is gonna be all right

But I don't know what all right even means

I was ridin' in a buggy with Miss Mary Jane

Miss Mary Jane got a house in Baltimore

I've been all around the world, boys

And I'm tryin' to get to heaven before they close the door.

Gonna sleep down in the parlor and relive my dreams

I close my eyes and I wonder

If everything is as hollow as it seems

Some trains don't pull no gamblers

No midnight ramblers, like they did before

I've been to sugar town, I shook the sugar down

Now I'm tryin' to get to heaven before they close the door.

'Til I Fell In Love With You

Well my nerves are exploding and my body's tense

I feel like the whole world gonna end up against the fence

I've been hit too hard, seen too much

Nothing can heal me now but your touch

I just don't know what I'm gonna do

I was all right 'til I fell in love with you.

Well, my house is on fire, burnin' to the sky

Well, I thought it would rain but the clouds passed by

And I feel like I'm comin' to the end of my way

I know God is my shield and he won't lead me astray

Still, I don't know what I'm gonna do

I was all right 'til I fell in love with you.

Boys in the street beginning' to play

Girls like birds, flyin' away

When I'm gone you will remember my name

I'm gonna win my way to wealth and fame

Yet I just don't know what I'm gonna do

I was all right 'til I fell in love with you.

Well, junk's pilin' up, takin' up space

My eyes feel like they've fallen off my face

Sweat pourin' down, I'm starin' at the floor

I'm thinkin' about that girl who won't be back no more

I just don't know what to do

I was all right 'til I fell in love with you.

Well, I'm tired of talkin', I'm tired of tryin' to explain

My attempts to please ya, they were all in vain

Tomorrow night before the sun goes down

If I'm still among the livin' I'll be Dixie bound

Still, I just don't know what I'm gonna do

I was all right, 'til I fell in love with you.

Not Dark Yet

Shadows are fallin' and I've been here all day

It's too hot to sleep and time is runnin' away

Feel like my soul has turned into steel

I've still got the scars that the sun didn't heal

There's not even room enough to be anywhere

It's not dark yet but it's gettin' there.

Well, my sense of humanity has gone down the drain

Behind every beautiful thing there's been some kind of pain

She wrote me a letter and she wrote it so kind

She put down in writin' what was in her mind

I just don't see why I should even care

It's not dark yet but it's gettin' there.

Well, I've been to London and I been to gay Paris

I've followed the river and I got to the sea

I've been down on the bottom of the world full of lies

I ain't lookin' for nothin' in anyone's eyes

Sometimes my burden is more than I can bear

It's not dark yet but it's gettin' there.

I was born here and I'll die here against my will

I know it looks like I'm movin' but I'm standin' still

Every nerve in my body is so naked and numb

I can't even remember what it was I came here to get away from

Don't even hear the murmur of a prayer

It's not dark yet but it's gettin' there.

Cold Irons Bound

I'm beginnin' to hear voices and there's no one around

I'm all used up and the fields have turned brown

I went to church on Sunday as she passed by

And my love for her has taken such a long time to die

Well, I'm waist deep, waist deep in the mist

It's almost like, almost like, I don't exist

I'm twenty miles out of town, Cold Irons bound.

Well, the walls of pride are high and wide

Can't see over to the other side

It's such a sad thing to see beauty decay

It's sadder still to feel your heart turn away

One look at you and I'm out of control

Like the universe has swallowed me whole

I'm twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound.

There's too many people, too many to recall

I thought some of some were friends of mine, I was wrong about 'em all

Well, the road is rocky and the hillside mud

Up over my head, nothing but clouds of blood

I found my world, found my world in you

But your love just hasn't proved true

I'm twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound

Twenty miles out of town, Cold Irons bound.

Well the winds in Chicago have torn me to shreds

Reality has always had too many heads

Some things last longer than you think they will

Some kind of things you can never kill

Though it's you, and you only, I'm singin' about

But you can't see in and it's hard looking out

I'm twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound.

Well, the fat's in the fire and the water's in the tank

Well, the whiskey's in the jar and the money's in the bank

I tried to love and protect you because I care

I'm gonna remember forever the joy we've shared

Looking at you and I’m on my bended knee

You've no idea what you did to me

I'm twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound

Twenty miles out of town and Cold Irons bound.

Make You Feel My Love

When the rain is blowin' in your face

And the whole world is on your case

I could offer you a warm embrace

To make you feel my love.

When 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 crawlin' down the avenue

No, there's nothin' that I wouldn't do

To make you feel my love.

Though storms are raging on the rollin' sea

And on the highway of regrets

Though winds of change are blowing wild and free

You ain't seen nothin' 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.

Can't Wait

I can't wait, wait for you to change your mind

It's late, I'm tryin' to walk the line

Well, it's way past midnight

And there's some people all around

Some on their way up, some on their way down

The air burns and I'm tryin' to think straight

An' I don't know how much longer I can wait.

I'm your man, I'm tryin' to recover the sweet love that we knew

You understand that my heart can't go on beatin' without you

Well your loveliness has wounded me

I'm reelin' from the blow

I wish I knew what it was that keeps me lovin' you so

I'm breathin' hard, standin' at the gate

Ah, but I don't know how much longer I can wait.

Skies are gray

I'm lookin' for anything that will bring a happy glow

Night or day, it doesn't matter where I go anymore, I just go

If I ever saw you comin' I don't know what I might do

I'd like to think I could control myself but it isn't true

That's how it is when things disintegrate

And I don't know how much longer I can wait.

I'm doomed to love you

I've been rollin' through stormy weather

I'm thinkin' of you

And all the places we could roam together.

It's mighty funny

The end of time has just begun

Oh, honey, after all these years you're still the one

Well, I'm strollin' through the lonely graveyard of my mind

I left my life with you somewhere back there along the line

I thought somehow that I would be spared this fate

I don't know how much longer I can wait.

Highlands

Well, my heart's in the highlands, gentle and fair

Honey suckle bloomin' in the wildwood air

Bluebells blazin' where the Aberdeen waters flow

Well, my heart's in the highlands, I'm gonna go there when

I feel good enough to go.

Windows were shakin' all night in my dreams

Everything was exactly the way that it seems

Woke up this mornin' and I looked at the same old page

Same old rat race, life in the same old cage.

I don't want nothin' from anyone, ain't that much to take

Wouldn't know the difference between a real blonde and a fake

Feel like a prisoner in a world of mystery

I wish someone would come and push back the clock for me.

Well, my heart's in the highlands, wherever I roam

That's where I'll be when I get called home

The wind it whispers to the buck-eyed trees of rhyme

Well, my heart's in the highlands, I can only get there one step at a time.

I'm listening to Neil Young, I gotta turn up the sound

Someone's always yellin', "Turn him down"

Feel like I'm driftin', driftin' from scene to scene

I'm wondering what in the devil could it all possibly mean.

Insanity is smashin' up against my soul

You could say I was on anything but a roll

If I had a conscience, well I just might blow my top

What would I do with it anyway, maybe take it to the pawn shop.

My heart's in the highlands at the break of dawn

By the beautiful lake of the black swan

Big white clouds like chariots that swing down low

Well, my heart's in the highlands, only place left to go.

I'm in Boston town, in some restaurant

I got no idea what I want

Or maybe I do but, I'm just really not sure

Waitress comes over, nobody in the place but me and her.

Well, it must be a holiday, there's nobody around

She studies me closely as I sit down

She got a pretty face, with long white shiny legs

I said, "Tell me what I want," she say, "You probably want hard boiled eggs."

I say, "That's right, bring me some."

She says, "We ain't got any, you picked the wrong time to come."

Then she says, "I know you're an artist, draw a picture of me."

I said, "I would if I could but I don't do sketches from memory."

Well, she then, she says, "I'm right here in front of you, or

haven't you looked?"

I say, "All right, I know but I don't have my drawing book."

She gives me a napkin, she say, "You can do it on that."

I say, "Yes I could but I don't know where my pencil is at."

She pulls one out from behind her ear

She says, "All right now go ahead, draw me, I'm stayin' right here."

I make a few lines and I show it for her to see

Well, she takes her napkin and throws it back and says, "That

don't look a thing like me."

I said, "Oh, kind Miss, it most certainly does."

She say, "You must be joking'," I say, "I wish I was."

Then she says, "You don't read women authors do ya?" at least

that's what I think I hear her say

Well, I said, "How would you know and what would it matter anyway?"

Well she says, "You just don't seem like you do." I said,

"You're way wrong."

She says "Which ones have you read then?" I say, "I've read

Erica Jong."

She goes away for a minute and I slide out, out of my chair

I step outside back to the busy street but nobody is goin' anywhere.

Well, my heart's in the highlands with the horses and hounds

Way up in the border country far from the towns

With the twang of the arrow and the snap of the bow

My heart's in the highlands, I can't see any other way to go.

Every day is the same thing, out the door

Feel further away than ever before

Some things in life it just gets too late to learn

Well, I'm lost somewhere, I must have made a few bad turns.

I see people in the park forgetting' their troubles and woes

They're drinkin' and dancing', wearing' bright colored clothes

All the young men, with the young women lookin' so good

Well, I'd trade places with any of 'em in a minute, if I could.

I'm crossing the street to get away from a mangy dog

Talkin' to myself in a monologue

I think what I need might be a full length leather coat

Somebody just asked me if I've registered to vote.

The sun is beginnin' to shine on me

But it's not like the sun that used to be

The party's over and there's less and less to say

I got new eyes, everything looks far away.

Well, my heart's in the highlands at the break of day

Over the hills and far away

There's a way to get there and I'll figure it out somehow

Well, I'm already there in my mind, and that's good enough for now.

Tweedle Dee And Tweedle Dum

Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee
They're throwin' knives into the tree
Two big bags of dead man's bones
Got their noses to the grind stone
Livin' in the Land of Nod
Trustin' their fate to the hands of God
They pass by so silently
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee

Well, they're goin' to the country, they're goin' to retire
They're takin' a streetcar named Desire
Lookin' at a window with a pecan pie
Lot of things they'd like they would never buy
Neither of them .want. to turn and run
They're makin' a noise to the Sun
"His Master's Voice is calling me"
Said Tweedle Dum to Tweedle Dee

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum
I'll have more than thumb
They walk among the stately trees
They know the secrets of the breeze
Tweedle Dum said to Tweedle Dee,
"Your presence is obnoxious to me.
Feel like baby sittin' on a woman's knee."
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee

Well, the rain beat'n' down on a window pane
I got love for you, and it's all in vain
Brains in a pot, they're beginning to boil
They're drippin' with garlic and olive oil
Tweedle Dee is on his hands and his knees
Sayin', "Throw me something, Mister, please!"
"What's good for you is good for me,"
Said Tweedle Dum to Tweedle Dee.

Well, they're living in a happy harmony
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee
They're one day older and a dollar short
They got a prayer permit and a police escort
They're lyin' low and they're makin' hay
They seem determined to go all the way
They run a brick 'n' tile company
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee

Well, the timeless stream has a deaf last meal
And the noble truth is a sacred creed

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 wearin' a multi-thousand dollar gown
Tweedle Dee is a low-down sorry old man
Tweedle Dum he'll stab you where you stand
"I've had too much of your company,"
said Tweedle Dum to Tweedle Dee.


Mississippi

Every step of the way, we walk the line
Your days are numbered, so are mine
Time is piling up, we struggle and we stray
We're all boxed in, nowhere to escape

City's just a jungle, more games to play
Trapped in the heart of it, tryin' to get away
I was raised in the country, I been working in the town
I been in trouble ever since I set my suitcase down

Got nothing for you, I had nothing before
Don't even have anything for myself anymore
Sky full of fire, came pouring down
Nothing you can sell me, I'll see you around

All my powers of expression and thoughts so sublime
Could never do you justice in reason or rhyme
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long

Well, the devil's in the alley, mule's in the stall
Say anything you wanna, I have heard it all
I was thinking about the things that Rosie said
I was dreaming I was sleeping in Rosie's bed

Walking through the leaves, falling from the trees
Feeling like a stranger nobody sees
So many things that we never will undo
I know you're sorry, I'm sorry too

Some people will offer you their hand and some won't
Last night I knew you, tonight I don't
I need something strong to distract my mind
I'm gonna look at you 'til my eyes go blind

Well I got here following the southern star
I crossed that river just to be where you are
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long

Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast
I'm drowning in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free
I've got nothing but affection for all those who sailed with me

Everybody's moving, if they ain't already there
Everybody's got to move somewhere
Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow
Things should start to get interesting right about now

My clothes are wet, tight on my skin
Not as tight as the corner that I painted myself in
I know that fortune is waiting to be kind
So give me your hand and say you'll be mine

Well, the emptiness is endless, cold as the clay
You can always come back, but you can't come back all the way
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long.


Summer Days

Summer days and summer nights are gone
I know a place where there's still somethin' going on
I've got a house on the hill, I got hogs out in the mud
I've got a long haired woman, she got royal Indian blood
Everybody get ready, lift up your glasses and sing
Well I'm standin' on the table, I'm proposing' a toast to the king

I'm driving in the flats in a Cadillac car
The girls all say "You're a worn out star"
My pockets are loaded, and I'm spending every dime
How can you say you love someone else,
you know it's me all the time

Well the fog's so thick that you can't even spy the land
what good are you anyway if you can't stand up to some old businessman

Yes, the wedding' bells are ringing' and the choir's beginning to sing
What looks good in the day, at night is another thing

She's looking in to my eyes, and she's a-holding my hand
She looks in to my eyes, she's holding my hand
she say, "you can't repeat the past," I say "You can't? What do you mean you can't? Of course you can."

Where do you come from, where do you go?
Sorry, that is nothing you would need to know
Well, my back's been to the wall so long it seems like it's stuck
Why don't you break my heart one more time, just for good luck

I got eight carburetors and boys I'm usin' 'em all
I'm short on gas, my motor's startin' to stall
My dogs are barking, there must be someone around
I got my hammer ringin' pretty baby, but the nails ain't goin' down

If you got something to say, speak or hold your peace
Well, if you got something to say, speak now or hold your peace
If it's information you want, you can get it from the police

Politician's got on his joggin' shoes
he must be runnin' for office, got no time to lose
suckin' the blood out of the genius of generosity
you been rollin' your eyes, you been teasin' me

Standin' by God's river my soul's beginning to shake
I'm countin' on you, love, to gimme a break

I'm leaving in the morning, as soon as the dark clouds lift
I'm breakin' the roof, set fire to the place as a partin' gift
Summer days, summer nights are gone
I know a place where there's still something goin' on.


Bye And Bye

By and by, I'm breathin' a lover's sigh
While I'm sittin' on my watch so I can be on time
I'm singin' love's praises with sugar coated rhyme
By and by, on you I'm castin' my eye
I'm paintin' the town, swingin' my partner around
Well I know who I can depend on, I know who to trust
I'm watchin' the boats, I'm studyin' the dust

I'm paintin' the town, makin' my last go-round
While I'm scufflin' and I'm shufflin' and I'm walkin' on briars
I'm not even acquainted with my old desires
I'm rollin' slow, I'm doin' all I know
I'm tellin' myself I've found true happiness
That I still got a dream that hasn't been repossessed
I'm rollin' slow goin' where the wild roses grow

Well, the future is already a thing of the past
You were my first love and you will be my last
Papa gone mad, Mama she's feelin' sad
Well, I'm gonna baptize you in fire so you can sin no more
I wanna establish my rule through civil war
Gonna make you see just how loyal and true a man can be.


Lonesome Day Blues

Well, today has been a sad and lonesome day
Yeah, today has been a sad and lonesome day
I'm just sitting here thinking with my mind a million miles away

Well, they're doing the double shuffle, throwing sand on the floor
They're doing the double shuffle, they're throwing sand on the floor
When I left my 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 'bout four or five months
Samantha Brown lived in my house for 'bout four or five months
Don't know how it looked to other people, I never slept with her even once

Well the road washed out, weather not fit for man or beast
Well the road washed out, weather not fit for man or beast
Funny, the things you have the hardest time parting with, are the things you need the least

Well, I'm forty miles from the mill, I'm dropping it into overdrive
I'm forty miles from the mill, I'm dropping it into overdrive
Set my dial on the radio, I wish my mother was still alive

I seen your lover-man coming, coming across the barren fields
I see your lover-man coming, coming across the barren fields
He not a gentleman at all, he's rotten to the core, he's a coward and he's
steel

Well my captain he's decorated, he's well-schooled and he's skilled
My captain he's decorated, he's well-schooled and he's skilled
He's not sentimental, don't bother him at all; how many of his pals have been killed.

Last night the wind was whispering, I was trying to make out what it was
Last night the wind was whispering something, I was trying to make out what it was

Yeh I tell myself something's coming, but it never does

I'm going to spare the defeated, I'm going to speak to the crowd
I'm going to spare the defeated, 'cause I'm going to speak to the crowd
I'm going to teach peace to the conquered, I'm going to tame the proud

Well, the leaves are rustling in the wood, things are falling off of the shelf
Leaves are rustling in the wood, things are falling off the shelf
You're gonna need my help sweetheart, you can't make love all by yourself.


Floater

Down over the window
From the dazzling sunlit rays
through the back alleys, through the blinds
another one of them endless days

Honey bees are buzzing
leaves begin to stir
I'm in love with my second cousin
I tell myself I could be happy forever with her

I keep listening for footsteps
but I ain't never hearing any
from the boat, I fish for bullheads
I catch a lot, sometimes too many

A summer breeze is blowin'
a squall is setting in
sometimes it's just plain stupid
to get into any kind of wind

Well the old men 'round here
sometimes they get on bad terms
with the younger men,
old, young, age don't carry weight
it doesn't matter in the end

One of the boss' hangers-on
Sometimes comes to call
At times you least expect
Tryin' to bully you, strong-arm you,
inspire you with fear
It has the opposite effect

There's a new grove of trees on the outskirts of town
the old one is long gone
10 foot, 2 foot, 6 across
Burns with the bark still on

They say times are hard
if you don't believe it you can follow your nose
it don't bother me, times are hard anywhere
we'll just have to see how it goes

My old man, he's like some feudal lord
he's got more lives than a cat
I've never seen him quarrel with my mother even once
things come alive or they fall flat

You can smell the pine wood burnin'
you can hear the school bell ring
got to get up near the teacher, if you can
if you wanna learn anything

Romeo, he said to Juliet, you got a poor complexion
it don't give you an appearance or a youthful touch
Juliet said back to Romeo,
why don't you just shove off,
if it bothers you so much

They got outta here any way they could
Cold rain can give you the shivers
they went down the Ohio, the Cumberland, the Tennessee,
all the rest of them rebel rivers

If you ever try to interfere with me
or cross my path again,
you do so at the peril of your life
I'm not quite as cool, or forgiving as I sound
I've seen enough heartache and strife

My grandfather was a duck trapper,
he could do it with just dragnets and ropes (?)
my grandmother could sew new dresses out of old cloth,
I don't know if they had any dreams or hopes.

I had 'em once, though I suppose
To go along with all the ring dancing,
Christmas carols and all the Christmas eves
I left all my dreams and hopes
buried under tobacco leaves

Not always easy kicking someone up
got to wait awhile, it can be an unpleasant task
sometimes somebody wants you to give something up
And tears or not, it's too much to ask.


Highwater - For Charlie Patton

Highwater risin', rising night and day
All the gold and silver are being stolen away
Big Joe Turner looking east and west from the dark room of his mind
He made it to Kansas City, Twelfth Street and Vine
Nothin' standing there
Highwater everywhere

Highwater rising the shacks are sliding down
Folks lose their possessions, the folks are leaving town
Reformation shook it, broke it, then she hung it on the wall
Say you dance with whom they tell you to or you don't dance at all
It's tough out there
Highwater everywhere

I got a cravin' love for blazin' speed
I got a hopped up Mustang Ford
Jump into the wagon, love
Throw your panties overboard
I can write you poems, make a strong man lose his mind
I'm no pig without a wig, I hope you treat me kind
Things are breakin' up out there
Highwater everywhere

Highwater rising, six inches above my head
Coffin's dropping in the street like balloons made out of lead
Water poured into Vicksburg, don't know what I'm gonna do
Don't reach out for me, she said, can't you see I'm drowning too
It's rough out there
Highwater everywhere

Well, George Lewis told the Englishman, the Italian and the Jew
You can't open up your mind, boys, to every conceivable point of view
They got Charles Darwin trapped out there on Highway 5
Judge says to the high sheriff, I want him dead or alive
Either one, I don't care
Highwater everywhere

Well, the cuckoo is a pretty bird, she warbles as she flies
I'm preachin' the word of God, I'm puttin' out your eyes
I asked Fat Nancy for someth'n' to eat, she said take it off the shelf
As great as you are man, you'll never be greater than yourself
I told her I didn't really care
Highwater everywhere

I get up in the mornin', I believe I'll dust my broom
Keepin' away from the women, I'm givin' them lots of room
Thunder rollin' over Clarksdale, everythin' a lookin' blue
I just can't be happy, love, unless you're happy too
It's bad out there
Highwater everywhere


Moonlight

Seasons they are turning and my sad heart is yearning
I hear again the songbird weep below his tone
Won't you meet me out in the moonlight alone

The dusky light the day is losing
Orchards, poppies, black eyed Susan
The earth and sky that melts with flesh and bone
Won't you meet me out in the moonlight alone

The air is thick and heavy all along the levee
Where the geese into the countryside have flown
Won't you meet me out in the moonlight alone

Well, I'm preaching peace and harmony
The blessings of tranquility
Yet I know when the time is right to strike
I take you 'cross the river, dear
You no need to linger here
I know the kinds of things you like

The clouds are turning crimson, the leaves fall from the limbs and
The branches cast their shadows over stone
Won't you meet me out in the moonlight alone

The boulevards of cypress trees, the masquerade of birds and bees
The petals blinking white, the wind has blown
Won't you meet me out in the moonlight alone

The trailing moss in mystico, the purple blossom soft as snow
My tears keep flowing to the sea
Doctor, lawyer, indian chief, it takes a thief to catch a thief
For whom does the bell toll for, love?
It tolls for you and me

Old pulses running through my palm, the sharp hills are rising from
Yellow fields with twisted oaks that grow
Won't you meet me out in the moonlight alone


Honest With Me

Well, I'm stranded in the city that never sleeps
Some of these women they just give me the creeps
I'm avoidin' the south side the best I can
These memories I got they can strangle a man
Well, I came ashore in the dead of the night
Lot of things can get in the way when you're tryin' to do what's right

You don't understand it, my feelin' for you
You'd be honest with me if you only knew

I'm not sorry for nothing I've done
I'm glad I fought, I only wish we won
The Siamese twins are comin' to town
People can't wait, they've gathered around
When I left my home the sky split open wide
I never wanted to go back there, I'd rather have died

You don't understand it, my feelin' for you
You'd be honest with me if only you knew

My woman got a face like a teddy bear
She's tossin' a baseball bat in the air
The meat is so tough you can't cut it with a sword
I'm crashin' my car trunk first into the board
They say that my eyes are pretty and my smile is nice
Well, I'd sell it to ya at a reduced price

You don't understand it, my feeling for you
You'd be honest with me if only you knew

Some things are too terrible to be true,
I won't come here no more if it bothers you.
There's a Southern Pacific leaving at 9:45
I'm havin' a hard time, believing some people we're ever alive
I'm stark naked but I don't care
I'm goin' off into the woods I'm hunt'n' bear
You don't understand it, my feeling for you
Well, you'd be honest with me if only you knew

I'm here to create the new imperial empire
I'm gonna do whatever circumstances require
I care so much for you, didn't think I could
I can't tell my heart that you're no good
Well, my parents, they warned me not to risk my years
And I still got their advice oozing out of my ears

You don't understand it, my feeling for you
Well, you'd be honest with me if only you knew


Po' Boy

Man came to the door, I say 'for whom were you lookin'?'
Says 'your wife', I say 'she's busy in the kitchen cookin''
Po' boy, where you been?
Already told you, won't tell you again

I say 'how much you want for that, I'll go into the store'
Man says 'three dollars' 'all right', I say, 'will you take four?'
Po' boy, never say die
Things will be all right, by and by

Workin' like in a main line, workin' like the devil
The game is the same it's just up on another level
Po' boy, dressed in black
Police at your back

Po' boy in a red hot town
Out beyond the twinklin' stars
Ridin' first class train
Makin' the rounds
Try to keep from fallin' between the cars

Othello told Desdemona "I'm cold, cover me with a blanket"
"By the way, what happened to that poisoned wine?"
She said "I gave it to you, you drank it"
Po' boy, layin' 'em straight
Pickin' up the cherries fallin' off the plate

Time and love has branded me with its claws
Had to go to Florida, dodgin' them Georgia laws
Po' boy in the hotel called the Palace of Bloom
Called down to room service, said 'send up a room

My mother was the daughter of a wealthy farmer
My father was a traveling salesman, I never met him
When my mother died my uncle took me in to run a funeral parlor
He did a lot of nice things for me and I won't forget him

All I know is that I'm thrilled by your kiss
I don't know any more than this
Po' boy, pickin' up sticks
Build you a house out of mortar and bricks

Knockin' on the door, I say 'who is it, where you from?'
Man say 'Freddie', I say 'Freddie who?'
He say 'Freddie or not, here I come'
Po' boy 'neath the stars that shine
Washin' them dishes, feedin' them swine


Cry Awhile

Well, I had to go down to see a guy named Mr. Goldsmith
Nasty, dirty, double-crossin', back-stabbin' phony I didn't want to have to deal with
But I did it for you and all you gave me was a smile
Well, I cried for you, now it's your turn to cry awhile

I don't carry dead weight, I'm no flash in the pan
All right, I'll set you straight, can't you see I'm a union man
I'm lettin' the cat out of the cage, I'm keepin' a low profile
Well, I cried for you, now it's your turn, you can cry awhile

Feel like a fightin' rooster, feel better than I ever felt
But the Pennsylvania line's in an awful mess and the Denver road is a-goin' to melt
I went to the Church house, everyday I go an extra mile
Well, I cry for you, now your turn, you can cry awhile

Last night, 'cross the alley, there was a poundin' on the wall
It must have been Don Pasquale makin' a 2 a.m. booty call
To break a trusted heart like mine was just your style
Well, I cried for you, now it's your turn to cry awhile

I'm on the fringes of the night fightin' back tears that I can't control
Some people they ain't human, they ain't got no heart or soul
But I'm a-cryin' to the Lord, tryin' to be meek and mild
Yes, I cried for you, now it's your turn, you can cry awhile


Well the preacher's in the pulpit and the babies in their cribs
I'm longin' for that sweet fat that sticks to your ribs
I'm goin' t' buy me a barrel of whisky, I'll die before I turn senile
Yes, I cried for you, now it's your turn, you can cry awhile 

Well, you bet on the horses, they ran the wrong way
I always said you'd be sorry and today could be the day
I might need a good lawyer, could be a funeral mad trial
Well, I cried for you, now it's your turn, you can cry awhile



Sugar Baby

I've got my back to the sun 'cause the light is too intense
I can see what everybody in the world is up against
Can't turn back, you can't come back, sometimes we push too far
One day you'll open your eyes and you'll see where we are

Sugar baby get on down the road, you ain't got no brains no how
You went years without me, might as well keep goin' now

Some of these bootleggers, they make pretty good stuff.
Plenty of places to hide things here if you want to hide them bad enough.
I'm staying with Aunt Sally, but you know she not really my aunt.
Some of these memories, you can learn to live with and some of' em you can't

Sugar baby get on down the line, you ain't got no brains no how
You went years without me, might as well keep goin' now

The ladies down in Darktown, they're doin' the Darktown strut
Y'always got to be prepared, but you never know for what
There ain't no limit to the amount of trouble women bring
Love is pleasing, love is teasing, love not an evil thing

Every moment of existence seems like some dirty trick
Happiness can come suddenly and leave just as quick
Any minute of the day, the bubble can burst
Try to make things better for someone sometimes you just end up makin' it thousand times worse


Your charms have broken many a heart and mine is surely one
You got a way of tearin' the world apart, love, see what you've done
Just as sure as we're livin', just as sure as you're born
Look up, look up, seek your maker, for Gabriel blows his horn

Sugar baby, get on down the line, you ain't got no sense no how
You went years without me, might as well keep goin' now

In the night I hear you speak
Turn around, you're in my sleep
Feel your hands inside your soul
You're holding on and won't let go

I've tried running but there's no escape
Can't bend them, and (I know )I just can't break these...

Steel bars, wrapped all around me
I've been your prisoner since the day you found me
I'm bound forever, till the end of time
Steel bars wrapped around this heart of mine

Trying hard to recognize
See the face behind the eyes
Feel your haunting ways like chains
'Round my heart they still remain

I'm still running, but there's nowhere to hide
My love for you has got me locked up inside these...

Steel bars, wrapped all around me
I've been your prisoner since the day you found me
I'm bound forever, till the end of time
Steel bars wrapped around this heart of mine

And with every step I take
Every desperate move I make
It's clear to me
What can all my living mean
When time itself is so obscene
When time itself don't mean a thing
I'm still loving you

Steel bars, wrapped all around me
I've been your prisoner since the day you found me
I'm bound forever, till the end of time
Steel bars wrapped around this heart of mine

Well, it's all up from Florida at the start of the spring,
The trucks and the trailers will be winding
Like a bullet we'll shoot for the carnival route.
We're following them dusty old fairgrounds a-calling.

From the Michigan mud past the Wisconsin sun
'Cross that Minnesota border, keep 'em scrambling
Through the clear county lakes and the lumberjack lands,
We're following them dusty old fairgrounds a-calling.

Hit Fargo on the jump and down to Aberdeen
'Cross them old Black Hills, keep 'em rolling
Through the cow country towns and the sands of old Montana.
We're following them fairgrounds a-calling.

As the white line on the highway sails under your wheels,
I've gazed from the trailer window laughing.
Oh, our clothes they was torn but the colors they was bright.
Following them dusty old fairgrounds a-calling.

It's a-many a friend that follows the bend,
The jugglers, the hustlers, the gamblers.
Well, I've spent my time with the fortune-telling kind
Following them fairgrounds a-calling.

Oh, it's pound down the rails and it's tie down the tents,
Get that canvas flag a-flying.
Well, let the caterpillars spin, let the ferris wheel wind
Following them fairgrounds a-calling.

Well, it's roll into town straight to the fairgrounds
Just behind the posters that are hanging
And it's fill up every space with a different kind of face
Following them fairgrounds a-calling.

Get the dancing girls in front, get the gambling show behind,
Hear that old music box a-banging.
Hear them kids, faces, smiles, up and down the midway aisles
We're following them fairgrounds a-calling.

It's a-drag it on down by the deadline in the town,
Hit the old highway by the morning
And it's ride yourself blind for the next town on time
Following them fairgrounds a-calling.

As the harmonicas whined in the lonesome nighttime
Drinking red wine as we're rolling,
Many a turnin' I turn, many a lesson I learn
From following them fairgrounds a-calling.

And it's roll back down to St. Petersburg
Tie down the trailers and camp 'em
And the money that we made will pay for the space
From following them dusty old fairgrounds a-calling.
I woke up this mornin',
There were tears in my bed.
They killed a man I really loved
Shot him through the head.
Lord, Lord,
They cut George Jackson down.
Lord, Lord,
They laid him in the ground.

Sent him off to prison
For a seventy-dollar robbery.
Closed the door behind him
And they threw away the key.
Lord, Lord, They cut George Jackson down.
Lord, Lord,
They laid him in the ground.

He wouldn't take shit from no one
He wouldn't bow down or kneel.
Authorities, they hated him
Because he was just too real.

Prison guards, they cursed him
As they watched him from above
But they were frightened of his power
They were scared of his love.
Lord, Lord,
So they cut George Jackson down.
Lord, Lord,
They laid him in the ground.

Sometimes I think this whole world
Is one big prison yard.
Some of us are prisoners
The rest of us are guards.

You know, there's two ol' maids layin' in the bed,
One picked herself up an' the other one, she said:
"Get your rocks off!
Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off-a me! (Get 'em off!)"

Well, you know, there late one night up on Blueberry Hill,
One man turned to the other man and said, with a blood-curdlin' chill, he said:
"Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off-a me! (Get 'em off!)"

Well, you know, we was layin' down around Mink Muscle Creek,
One man said to the other man, he began to speak, he said:
"Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off-a me! (Get 'em off!)"

Well, you know, we was cruisin' down the highway in a Greyhound bus.
All kinds-a children in the side road, they was hollerin' at us, sayin':
"Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off! (Get 'em off!)
Get your rocks off-a me!"
Go 'way little boy
I'm not for you
Go back to her
Where you'll be more secure
She knows you better than I do
Go 'way little boy
I'm not for you

Go 'way little boy
You're making me sad
I don't wanna to see you bleed
She's the one that you need
You'll never miss what you ain't never had
Go 'way little boy
You're making me sad

Go 'way little boy
It's much too late
Walk back out the door
Don't wanna see you here no more
You're making it hard for me to concentrate
Go 'way little boy
It's much too late

Can't you hear your mama callin'
Don't you recognize her voice
I think you'd better heed her warning
While you still have the choice

Go 'way little boy
You're much too late
Your future's lookin' bright
Don't throw it away tonight
It's getting hard for me to look you in the eye
Go 'way little boy
Can't you see that you're makin' me cry

If you getcha one girl, better get two
Case you run into Gypsy Lou
She's a ramblin' woman with a ramblin' mind
Always leavin' somebody behind.
Hey, 'round the bend
Gypsy Lou's gone again
Gypsy Lou's gone again.

Well, I seen the whole country through
Just to find Gypsy Lou
Seen it up, seen it down
Followin' Gypsy Lou around.
Hey, 'round the bend
Gypsy Lou's gone again
Gypsy Lou's gone again.

Well, I gotta stop and take some rest
My poor feet are second best
My poor feet are wearin' thin
Gypsy Lou's gone again.
Hey, gone again
Gypsy Lou's 'round the bend


Well, seen her up in old Cheyenne
Turned my head and away she ran
From Denver Town to Wichita
Last I heard she's in Arkansas.
Hey, 'round the bend
Gypsy Lou's gone again


Well, I tell you what if you what if you want to do
Tell you what, you'll wear out your shoes
If you want to wear out your shoes
Try and follow Gypsy Lou.
Hey, gone again
Gypsy Lou's 'round the bend
Gypsy Lou's 'round the bend.

Well, Gypsy Lou, I been told
Livin' down on Gallus Road
Gallus Road, Arlington
Moved away to Washington.
Hey, 'round the bend
Gypsy Lou's gone again


Well, I went down to Washington
Then she went to Oregon
I skipped the ground and hopped a train
She's back in Gallus Road again.
Hey, I can't win
Gypsy Lou's gone again
Gypsy Lou's gone again

Well, the last I heard of Gypsy Lou
She's in a Memphis calaboose
She left one too many a boy behind
He committed suicide.
Hey, you can't win
Gypsy Lou's gone again

Oh, the streets of Rome are filled with rubble,
Ancient footprints are everywhere.
You can almost think that you're seein' double
On a cold, dark night on the Spanish Stairs.
Got to hurry on back to my hotel room,
Where I've got me a date with Botticelli's niece.
She promised that she'd be right there with me
When I paint my masterpiece.

Oh, the hours I've spent inside the Coliseum,
Dodging lions and wastin' time.
Oh, those mighty kings of the jungle, I could hardly stand to see 'em,
Yes, it sure has been a long, hard climb.
Train wheels runnin' through the back of my memory,
When I ran on the hilltop following a pack of wild geese.
Someday, everything is gonna be smooth like a rhapsody
When I paint my masterpiece.

Sailin' 'round the world in a dirty gondola.
Oh, to be back in the land of Coca-Cola!

I left Rome and landed in Brussels,
On a plane ride so bumpy that I almost cried.
Clergymen in uniform and young girls pullin' muscles,
Everyone was there to greet me when I stepped inside.
Newspapermen eating candy
Had to be held down by big police.
Someday, everything is gonna be diff'rent
When I paint my masterpiece.

BAND

Now all the crazy things I had to try

Well I tried them all and then some

But if you're lucky one day you find out

Where it is you're really comin' from

I'm just goin' down the road t' see Bessie

Oh, See her soon

Goin' down the road t' see Bessie Smith

When I get there I wonder what she'll do

Now in my day I've made some foolish moves

But back then, I didn't worry 'bout a thing

And now again I still wonder to myself

Was it her sweet love or the way that she could sing

I'm just goin' down the road t' see Bessie

Oh, See her soon

Goin' down the road t' see Bessie Smith

When I get there I wonder what she'll do

There's so much time has gone right on by

I didn't think one could be so wrong

And then one night I was drinkin' and a-thinkin'

In the bottom of the glass I could see Bessie's face so strong

I'm just goin' down the road t' see Bessie

Oh, See her soon

Goin' down the road t' see Bessie Smith

When I get there I wonder what she'll do

When she sees me will she know what I've been through?

Will old times start to feelin' like new?

When I get there will our love still feel so true?

Yet all I have, I'll be a-bringin' it to you

Oh Bessie, sing them old-time blues

OLD JAWBONE

Oh, Jawbone, when did you first go wrong?

Oh, Jawbone, where is it you belong?

Three time loser, you'l never learn,

Lay down your tools before you burn.

Ya keep on runnin' and hidin' your face,

spreadin' your heat all over the place.

(Chorus:)

I'm a thief and I dig it!

I'm up on a beef, I'm gonna rig it!

I'm a thief and I dig it!

Oh, Jawbone, why don't cha sit and moan?

Oh, Jawbone, you know that it's stone for stone.

Sneak through the night upon your toes,

To look in your eye, it never shows.

Your name upon the post office wall,

Put you on edge 'cause they wrote it too small!

(Chorus)

Oh, Jawbone, revenge stays on your mind.

Oh, Jawbone, you been doin' too much time.

Pull off a job with an inside man,

who needs the cash and likes your plan.

Then you will know just who to thank,

when you land right back in the tank.

(Chorus)

Oh, Jawbone, why dont'cha go home?

Oh, Jawbone, where is it you belong?

Boostin' and goin' out on the lam,

Ya know that you'll steal anything that you can.

Temptation stands just behind the door,

So what you wanna go and open it for?

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.

Ev'rybody wants to make a long-distance call

But you know they're just gonna have to wait.

If a call comes from Louisiana,

Please, let it ride.

If a call comes from Louisiana,

Please, let it ride.

This phone booth's on fire,

It's getting hot inside.

Ev'rybody wants to be my friend,

But nobody wants to get higher.

Ev'rybody wants to be my friend,

But nobody wants to get higher.

Long-distance operator,

I believe I'm stranglin' on this telephone wire.

Wrote a letter this mornin',

Put it in your hat,

'Cause no one to read it

And I know you knew that.

I bought a joke, a trick or two,

Just to bring and show you,

Caught ya with the trickster too.

Sometimes I wonder how ya knew

A hypnotist, fancy talker,

Ruben Remus ain't no doctor

I knew the man and tried to remember

Just where it was that I'd seen his face.

Long ago, in a movie show,

He was like that man singin' bass.

Knew him by his nursery rhyme:

The Story Of The Rabbit Man.

Fell right in and said to him:

"I'd like to help you if I can."

I know the film would only shock ya,

Ruben Remus ain't no doctor!

He only needed what you had,

Asked for nothing more,

Said he'd like to take you on,

But it's been done before.

You couldn't see he's a travelin' man

And he cannot take your hand.

It's very hard to understand

Why his songs were never banned.

Guess the man would never knock ya,

Ruben Remus ain't no doctor!

No one seen ya since he's been gone,

It's been a day, maybe more.

I took a walk in your yard

And knocked on your back door.

Why don't you let me in?

I'm not the man who did ya in.

Is Mr. Remus still your friend?

You say you don't remember him.

Turn me down, would ya?

Well, I've got news for you.

Turn me down would ya,

Can't ya tell

I'm gonna change your mind before I'm... trough...

Farewell Angelina

The bells of the crown

Are being stolen by bandits

I must follow the sound

The triangle tingles

And the trumpets play slow

Farewell Angelina

The sky is on fire

And I must go.

There's no need for anger

There's no need for blame

There's nothing to prove

Ev'rything's still the same

Just a table standing empty

By the edge of the sea

Farewell Angelina

The sky is trembling

And I must leave.

The jacks and queens

Have forsaked the courtyard

Fifty-two gypsies

Now file past the guards

In the space where the deuce

And the ace once ran wild

Farewell Angelina

The sky is folding

I'll see you in a while.

See the cross-eyed pirates sitting

Perched in the sun

Shooting tin cans

With a sawed-off shotgun

And the neighbors they clap

And they cheer with each blast

Farewell Angelina

The sky's changing color

And I must leave fast.

King Kong, little elves

On the rooftops they dance

Valentino-type tangos

While the make-up man's hands

Shut the eyes of the dead

Not to embarrass anyone

Farewell Angelina

The sky is embarrassed

And I must be gone.

The machine guns are roaring

The puppets heave rocks

The fiends nail time bombs

To the hands of the clocks

Call me any name you like

I will never deny it

Farewell Angelina

The sky is erupting

I must go where it's quiet.

I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin' about half past dead;

I just need some place where I can lay my head.

"Hey, mister, can you tell me where a man might find a bed?"

He just grinned and shook my hand, and "No!", was all he said.

Take a load off Fanny, take a load for free;

Take a load off Fanny, And (and)(and )you can put the load right on me.

I picked up my bag, I went lookin' for a place to hide;

When I saw Carmen and the Devil walkin' side by side.

I said, "Hey, Carmen, come on, let's go downtown."

She said, "I gotta go, but my friend can stick around."

Go down, Miss Moses, there's nothin' you can say

It's just ol' Luke, and Luke's waitin' on the Judgment Day.

"Well, Luke, my friend, what about young Anna Lee?"

He said, "Do me a favor, son, woncha stay an' keep Anna Lee company?"

Crazy Chester followed me, and he caught me in the fog.

He said, "I will fix your rack, if you'll take Jack, my dog."

I said, "Wait a minute, Chester, you know I'm a peaceful man."

He said, "That's okay, boy, won't you feed him when you can."

Catch a cannon ball now, t'take me down the line

My bag is sinkin' low and I do believe it's time.

To get back to Miss Fanny, you know she's the only one.

Who sent me here with her regards for everyone.

Stranded out in the night,

Eliza took me down

To see the widow give

Rain to the town.

It's against the law

To be a tonic man,

But the widow knows

She's got the upper hand.

So I went on in

Feelin' kinda wheezy.

You know she soothed my mind, boys,

She rocked me kinda slow and easy

All day and all night.

Pick a card before you go

It's a long trip to Mexico.

Eliza wait by the door,

I can't stay here anymore, no, no.

Then she took a pill

She washed her feet in the mud

She said "Look out son,

You know, I just ordered a flood

For forty days and forty nights".

Then I dropped my shoes,

Eliza called my name.

She said it looked to her

Like it's gonna rain.

Then the cotton king

Came in chokin'

And the widow laughed and said:

"I ain't jokin'.

Take once for all"

She said "Now don't ya tease me.

I just fell in love, boy,

So rock me kinda slow and kinda easy,

All day and all night."

Sweet William said

With a drunken head:

"If I had a boat,

I'd help y'all float".

Eliza stood there watching,

William in a trance,

As the widow did the St. Vitus dance. [?]

But just then an old man

With a boat named "Breezy"

Said: "You can ride with Clyde, boys,

If you rock it kinda slow and easy,

All day and all night".

There's guns across the river aimin' at ya

Lawman on your trail, he'd like to catch ya

Bounty hunters, too, they'd like to get ya

Billy, they don't like you to be so free.

Campin' out all night on the veranda

Dealin' cards 'til dawn in the hacienda

Up to Boot Hill they'd like to send ya

Billy, don't you turn your back on me.

Playin' around with some sweet senorita

Into her dark hallway she will lead ya

In some lonesome shadows she will greet ya

Billy, you're so far away from home.

There's eyes behind the mirrors in empty places

Bullet holes and scars between the spaces

There's always one more notch and ten more paces

Billy, and you're walkin' all alone.

They say that Pat Garrett's got your number

So sleep with one eye open when you slumber

Every little sound just might be thunder

Thunder from the barrel of his gun.

Guitars will play your grand finale

Down in some Tularosa alley,

Maybe in the Rio Pecos valley

Billy, you're so far away from home.

There's always some new stranger sneakin' glances

Some trigger-happy fool willin' to take chances

And some old whore from San Pedro to make advances

Advances on your spirit and your soul.

The businessmen from Taos want you to go down

They've hired Pat Garrett to force a showdown.

Billy, don't it make ya feel so low-down

To be shot down by the man who was your friend?

Hang on to your woman if you got one

Remember in El Paso, once, you shot one.

She may have been a whore, but she was a hot one

Billy, you been runnin' for so long.

There is a city of gold

Far from the rat race that eats your soul

Far from the madness and bars that hold

There is a city of light

Raised up in the heavens and the streets are bright

Glory to god not by deeds or by might

There is a city of love

Surrounded by stars and the powers above

Far from this world and the stuff dreams are made of

There is a city of grace

You drink holy water in sanctified space

No one is afraid to show their face

There is a city of peace

Where all foul forms of destruction cease

Where the mighty have fallen and there are no police

There is a city of hope

Above the ravine on the green sunlit slope

All I need is an ax and a rope

I’m heading for the city of gold

Before its too late before it gets too cold

Before I’m too tired, before I’m too old

You were always thinking about her

But she slipped away and you lost her trail

And now that you can’t do without her

She’s back in town like a nightengale

And there ain’t gonna be any next time

By now you better understand

That there ain’t gonna be any next time

So hold her and kiss and love her while you can

Ain't Talkin'

As I walked out tonight in the mystic garden
The wounded flowers were dangling from the vine
I was passing by yon cool crystal fountain
Someone hit me from behind

Ain't talkin', just walkin'
Through this weary world of woe
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
No one on earth would ever know

They say prayer has the power to heal
So pray from the mother
In the human heart an evil spirit can dwell
I am a-tryin' to love my neighbor and do good unto others
But oh, mother, things ain't going well

Ain't talkin', just walkin'
I'll burn that bridge before you can cross
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
There'll be no mercy for you once you've lost

Now I'm all worn down by weeping
My eyes are filled with tears, my lips are dry
If I catch my opponents ever sleeping
I'll just slaughter 'em where they lie

Ain't talkin', just walkin'
Through the world mysterious and vague
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
Walkin' through the cities of the plague.

Well, the whole world is filled with speculation
The whole wide world which people say is round
They will tear your mind away from contemplation
They will jump on your misfortune when you're down

Ain't talkin', just walkin'
Eatin' hog eyed grease in a hog eyed town.
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
Some day you'll be glad to have me around.

They will crush you with wealth and power
Every waking moment you could crack
I'll make the most of one last extra hour
I'll revenge my father's death then I'll step back

Ain't talkin', just walkin'
Hand me down my walkin' cane.
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
Got to get you out of my miserable brain.

All my loyal and my much-loved companions
They approve of me and share my code
I practice a faith that's been long abandoned
Ain't no altars on this long and lonesome road

Ain't talkin', just walkin'
My mule is sick, my horse is blind.
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
Thinkin' 'bout that gal I left behind.

Well, it's bright in the heavens and the wheels are flyin'
Fame and honor never seem to fade
The fire gone out but the light is never dyin'
Who says I can't get heavenly aid?

Ain't talkin', just walkin'
Carryin' a dead man's shield
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
Walkin' with a toothache in my heel

The sufferin' is unending
Every nook and cranny has its tears
I'm not playing, I'm not pretending
I'm not nursin' any superfluous fears

Ain't talkin', just walkin'
Walkin' ever since the other night.
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
Walkin' 'til I'm clean out of sight.

As I walked out in the mystic garden
On a hot summer day, a hot summer lawn
Excuse me, ma'am, I beg your pardon
There's no one here, the gardener is gone

Ain't talkin', just walkin'
Up the road, around the bend.
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
In the last outback at the world's end.

Beyond The Horizon

Beyond the horizon, behind the sun
At the end of the rainbow life has only begun
In the long hours of twilight 'neath the stardust above
Beyond the horizon it is easy to love

I'm touched with desire
What don't I do?
Through flame and through fire
I'll build my world around you

Beyond the horizon, in the Springtime or Fall
Love waits forever, for one and for all

Beyond the horizon, across the divide
'Round about midnight, we'll be on the same side
Down in the valley the water runs cold
Beyond the horizon someone prayed for your soul

My wretched heart is pounding
I felt an angel's kiss
My memories are drowning
In mortal bliss

Beyond the horizon, at the end of the game
Every step that you take, I'm walking the same

Beyond the horizon, the night winds blow
The theme of a melody from many moons ago
The bells of St. Mary, how sweetly they chime
Beyond the horizon I found you just in time

It's dark and it's dreary
I've been pleading in vain
I'm wounded, I'm weary
My repentance is plain

Beyond the horizon o'r the treacherous sea
I still can't believe that you have set aside your love for me

Beyond the horizon, 'neath crimson skies
In the soft light of morning I'll follow you with my eyes
Through countries and kingdoms and temples of stone
Beyond the horizon right down to the bone

It's the right time of the season
Somebody there always cared
There's always a reason
Why someone's life has been spared

Beyond the horizon, the sky is so blue
I've got more than a lifetime to live lovin' you

Nettie Moore

Lost John's sittin' on a railroad track
Something's out of whack
Blues this mornin' fallin' down like hail
Gonna leave a greasy trail

Gonna travel the world is what I'm gonna do
Then come back and see you.
All I ever do is struggle and strive.
If I don't do anybody any harm, I might make it back home alive.

I'm the oldest son of a crazy man,
I'm in a cowboy band
Got a pile of sins to pay for and I ain't got time to hide
I'd walk through a blazing fire, baby, if I knew you was on the other side

Oh, I miss you, Nettie Moore
And my happiness is o'r
Winter's gone, the river's on the rise
I loved you then, and ever shall
But there's no one left here to tell
The world has gone black before my eyes

Well, the world of research has gone berserk
Too much paperwork
Albert's in the graveyard, Frankie's raising hell
I'm beginning to believe what the scriptures tell

I've gone where the Southern crosses The Yellow Dog
Get away from all these demagogues
And these bad luck women stick like glue
It's either one or the other or neither of the two

She says, "Look out, daddy, don't want you to tear your pants
You could get wrecked in this dance."
They say whisky'll kill you, but I don't think it will
I'm ridin' with you to the top of the hill

Oh, I miss you, Nettie Moore
And my happiness is o'r
Winter's gone, the river's on the rise
I loved you then, and ever shall
But there's no one left here to tell
The world has gone black before my eyes

Don't know why my baby never looked so good before
Don't have to wonder no more
She been cooking all day, it gonna take me all night
I can't eat all that stuff in a single bite

The judge's coming in, everybody rise
Lift up your eyes
You can do what you please, you don't need my advice
'Fore you call me any dirty names, you better think twice

Gettin' light outside, the temperature dropped
I think the rain has stopped
I'm gonna make you come to grips with fate
When I'm through with you, you'll learn to keep your business straight

Oh, I miss you, Nettie Moore
And my happiness is o'r
Winter's gone, the river's on the rise
I loved you then, and ever shall
But there's no one left here to tell
The world has gone black before my eyes

The bright spark of the steady lights
Has dimmed my sights
When you're around me all my grief gives 'way
A life time with you is like some heavenly day

Everything I've ever known to be right has been proven wrong
I'll be drifting along
The woman I'm loving she rules my heart
No knife could ever cut our love apart.

Today I'll stand in faith and raise
The voice of praise
The sun is strong, I'm standing in the light
I wish to God that it were night

Oh, I miss you, Nettie Moore
And my happiness is o'r
Winter's gone, the river's on the rise
I loved you then, and ever shall
But there's no one here left to tell
The world has gone black before my eyes

Rollin' and Tumblin'

I rolled and I tumbled, I cried the whole night long
Woke up this mornin', I must have bet my money wrong

I got troubles so hard, I can't stand the strain
Some young lazy slut has charmed away my brains

The landscape is glowin', gleamin' in the golden light of day
I ain't holdin' nothin' back now, I ain't standin' in anybody's way

Well, I did all I know just to keep you off my mind
Well, I paid and I paid and my sufferin' heart is always on the line

Well, I get up in the dawn and I go down and lay in the shade
I ain't nobody's house boy, I ain't nobody's well trained maid

I'm flat out spent, this woman been drivin' me to tears
I'm flat out spent, this woman she been drivin' me to tears
This woman so crazy, I swear I ain't gonna touch another one for years

Well, the warm weather's comin' and the buds are on the vine

Ain't nothing so depressing as trying to satisfy this woman of mine

Well, I got up this mornin', see the rising sun return
Sooner or later, you too shall burn

The night is filled with shadows, the years are filled with early doom
I've been conjuring up all these long dead souls from their crumblin' tombs

Let's forgive each other darlin', let's go down to the greenwood glen
Let's put our heads together now, let's put all old matters to an end

Ah, I rolled and I tumbled and I cried the whole night long
I woke up this morning, I think I must be traveling wrong

Someday Baby

I don't care what you do, I don't care what you say
I don't care where you go or how long you stay
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry po' me any more

Well you take my money and you turn it out
You fill me up with nothin' but self doubt
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry po' me any more

When I was young, driving was my crave
You drive me so hard, almost to the grave
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry po' me any more

I'm so hard pressed, my mind tied up in knots
I keep recycling the same old thoughts
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry po' me any more

So many good things in life that I overlooked
I don't know what to do now, you got me so hooked
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry po' me any more

Well, I don't want to brag, but I'm gonna ring your neck
When all else fails I'll make it a matter of self respect
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry po' me any more

You can take your clothes put 'em in a sack
You goin' down the road, baby and you can't come back
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry po' me any more

I tried to be friendly, I tried to be kind
I'm gonna drive you from your home, just like I was driven from mine
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry po' me any more

Living this way ain't a natural thing to do
Why was I born to love you?
Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry po' me any more

Spirit On The Water

Spirit on the water
Darkness on the face of the deep
I keep thinking about you baby
I can't hardly sleep

I'm traveling by land
Traveling through the dawn of day
You're always on my mind
I can't stay away

I'd forgotten about you
Then you turned up again
I always knew
We were meant to be more than friends

When you're near
It's just as plain as it can be
I'm wild about you, gal
You ought to be a fool about me

Can't explain
The sources of this hidden pain
You burned your way into my heart
You got the key to my brain

I've been trampling through mud
Praying to the powers above
I'm sweating blood
You got a face that begs for love

Life without you
Doesn't mean a thing to me
If I can't have you
I'll throw my love into the deep blue sea

Sometimes I wonder
Why you can't treat me right
You do good all day
And then you do wrong all night

When you're with me
I'm a thousand times happier than I could ever say
What does it matter
What price I pay

They brag about your sugar
Brag about it all over town
Put some sugar in my bowl
I feel like laying down

I'm as pale as a ghost
Holding a blossom on a stem
You ever seen a ghost? No
But you have heard of them

I see you there
I'm blinded by the colors I see
I take good care
Of what belongs to me

I hear your name
Ringing up and down the line
I'm saying it plain
These ties are strong enough to bind

Now your sweet voice
Calls out from some old familiar shrine
I got no choice
Can't believe these things would ever fade from your mind

I could live forever
With you perfectly
You don't ever
Have to make a fuss over me

From East to West
Ever since the world began
I only mean it for the best
I want to be with you any way I can

I been in a brawl
Now I'm feeling the wall
I'm going away baby
I won't be back 'til fall

High on the hill
You can carry all my thoughts with you
You've numbed my will
This love could tear me in two

I wanna be with you in paradise
And it seems so unfair
I can't go to paradise no more
I killed a man back there

You think I'm over the hill
You think I'm past my prime
Let me see what you got
We can have a whoppin' good time

The Levee's Gonna Break

If it keep on rainin', the levee gonna break
Everybody saying this is a day only the Lord could make

Well, I worked on the levee, Mama, both night and day
I worked on the levee, Mama, both night and day
I got to the river and I threw my clothes away

I paid my time and now I'm good as new,
I paid my time and now I'm as good as new.
They can't take me back unless I want 'em to


If it keep on rainin', the levee gonna break
Some of these people gonna strip you of all they can take

I can't stop here I ain't ready to unload
Riches and salvation can be waiting behind the next bend in the road

I picked you up from the gutter and this is the thanks I get
You say you want me to quit ya, I told ya, 'No, not just yet.'

Well, I look in your eyes, I see nobody other than me
I look in your eyes, I see nobody other than me
I see all that I am and all I hope to be

If it keep on rainin', the levee gonna break
Some of these people don't know which road to take

When I'm with you, I forget I was ever blue
Without you there's no meaning in anything I do

Some people on the road carryin' everything that they own
Some people on the road carryin' everything they own
Some people got barely enough skin to cover their bones

Put on your camp clothes, mama, put on your evening dress
Few more years of hard work, then there'll be a 1,000 years of happiness

If it keep on rainin', the levee gonna break
I tried to get you to love me, but I won't repeat that mistake

If it keep on rainin', the levee gonna break
Plenty of cheap stuff out there and still around that you take

I woke up this morning, butter and eggs in my bed
I ain't got enough room to even raise my head.

Come back, baby, say we never more will part
Don't be a stranger with no brain or heart

If it keep on rainin', the levee gonna break
Some people still sleepin', some people are wide awake

Thunder On The Mountain

Thunder on the mountain, and there's fires on the moon
A ruckus in the alley and the sun will be here soon
Today's the day, gonna grab my trombone and blow
Well, there's hot stuff here and it's everywhere I go

I was thinkin' 'bout Alicia Keys, couldn't keep from crying
When she was born in Hell's Kitchen, I was living down the line
I'm wondering where in the world Alicia Keys could be
I been looking for her even clear through Tennessee

Feel like my soul is beginning to expand
Look into my heart and you will sort of understand
You brought me here, now you're trying to run me away
The writing on the wall, come read it, come see what it say

Thunder on the mountain, rollin' like a drum
Gonna sleep over there, that's where the music coming from
I don't need any guide, I already know the way
Remember this, I'm your servant both night and day

The pistols are poppin' and the power is down
I'd like to try somethin' but I'm so far from town
The sun keeps shinin' and the North Wind keeps picking up speed
Gonna forget about myself for a while, gonna go out and see what others need

I've been sittin' down studyin' the art of love
I think it will fit me like a glove
I want some real good woman to do just what I say
Everybody got to wonder what's the matter with this cruel world today

Thunder on the mountain rolling to the ground
Gonna get up in the morning walk the hard road down
Some sweet day I'll stand beside my king
I wouldn't betray your love or any other thing

Gonna raise me an army, some tough sons of bitches
I'll recruit my army from the orphanages
I been to St. Herman's church, said my religious vows
I've sucked the milk out of a thousand cows

I got the porkchops, she got the pie
She ain't no angel and neither am I
Shame on your greed, shame on your wicked schemes
I'll say this, I don't give a damn about your dreams

Thunder on the mountain heavy as can be
Mean old twister bearing down on me
All the ladies in Washington scrambling to get out of town
Looks like something bad gonna happen, better roll your airplane down

Everybody going and I want to go too
Don't wanna take a chance with somebody new
I did all I could, I did it right there and then
I've already confessed - no need to confess again

Gonna make a lot of money, gonna go up north
I'll plant and I'll harvest what the earth brings forth
The hammer's on the table, the pitchfork's on the shelf
For the love of God, you ought to take pity on yourself

When The Deal Goes Down

In the still of the night, in the world's ancient light
Where wisdom grows up in strife
My bewildered brain, toils in vain
Through the darkness on the pathways of life
Each invisible prayer is like a cloud in the air
Tomorrow keeps turning around
We live and we die, we know not why
But I'll be with you when the deal goes down

We eat and we drink, we feel and we think
Far down the street we stray
I laugh and I cry and I'm haunted by
Things I never meant nor wished to say
The midnight rain follows the train
We all wear the same thorny crown
Soul to soul, our shadows roll
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down

Well, the moon gives light and it shines by night
When I scarcely feel the glow
We learn to live and then we forgive
O'r the road we're bound to go
More frailer than the flowers, these precious hours
That keep us so tightly bound
You come to my eyes like a vision from the skies
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down

Well, I picked up a rose and it poked through my clothes
I followed the winding stream
I heard the deafening noise, I felt transient joys
I know they're not what they seem
In this earthly domain, full of disappointment and pain
You'll never see me frown
I owe my heart to you, and that's sayin' it true
And I'll be with you when the deal goes down

Workingman's Blues #2

There's an evenin' haze settlin' over town
Starlight by the edge of the creek
The buyin' power of the proletariat's gone down
Money's gettin' shallow and weak
Well, the place I love best is a sweet memory
It's a new path that we trod
They say low wages are a reality
If we want to compete abroad

My cruel weapons have been put on the shelf
Come sit down on my knee
You are dearer to me than myself
As you yourself can see
While I'm listening to the steel rails hum
Got both eyes tight shut
Just sitting here trying to keep the hunger from
Creeping it's way into my gut

Chorus:
Meet me at the bottom, don't lag behind
Bring me my boots and shoes
You can hang back or fight your best on the frontline
Sing a little bit of these workingman's blues

Well, I'm sailin' on back, ready for the long haul
Tossed by the winds and the seas
I'll drag 'em all down to hell and I'll stand 'em at the wall
I'll sell 'em to their enemies
I'm tryin' to feed my soul with thought
Gonna sleep off the rest of the day
Sometimes no one wants what we got
Sometimes you can't give it away

Now the place is ringed with countless foes
Some of them may be deaf and dumb
No man, no woman knows
The hour that sorrow will come
In the dark I hear the night birds call
I can feel a lover's breath
I sleep in the kitchen with my feet in the hall
Sleep is like a temporary death

(chorus)

Well, they burned my barn, and they stole my horse
I can't save a dime
I got to be careful, I don't want to be forced
Into a life of continual crime
I can see for myself that the sun is sinking
How I wish you were here to see
Tell me now, am I wrong in thinking
That you have forgotten me?

Now they worry and they hurry and they fuss and they fret
They waste your nights and days
Them I will forget
But you I'll remember always
Old memories of you to me have clung
You've wounded me with your words
Gonna have to straighten out your tongue
It's all true, everything you've heard

(chorus)

In you, my friend, I find no blame
Wanna look in my eyes, please do
No one can ever claim
That I took up arms against you
All across the peaceful sacred fields
They will lay you low
They'll break your horns and slash you with steel
I say it so it must be so

Now I'm down on my luck and I'm black and blue
Gonna give you another chance
I'm all alone and I'm expecting you
To lead me off in a cheerful dance
I got a brand new suit and a brand new wife
I can live on rice and beans
Some people never worked a day in their life
Don't know what work even means

(chorus)

END

MOST OF THE TIME - #1

Most of the time

I'm cool underneath

Most of the time

I can keep it right between my teeth

I can solve any riddle, I can hold my own

I got enough faith and I got enough strength

I keep it all away, way beyond arm's length

SOMEDAY BABY

I don't care what you do, don't care what you say

Don't care where you go, or how long you stay

Someday baby, you ain't gonna

worry poor me any more

You take my money and you turn me out

You fill me up with self-doubt

Someday baby, you ain't gonna

worry poor me any more

You made me eat a ton of dust

You're potentially dangerous, and not worthy of trust

Someday baby, you ain't gonna

worry poor me any more

Little by little, bit by bit

Every day I'm becoming more of a hypocrite

Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry poor me any more

You've got my mind tied up in knots

I just keep recycling the same old thoughts

Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry poor me any more

When I heard you was cold, I bought you a coat and hat

I think you must have forgotten about that

Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry poor me any more

Gonna blow out your mind, and make you pure

I've taken about as much of this as I can endure

Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry poor me any more

You put me down [...] creek

That's all right, to you I turn the other cheek

Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry poor me any more

You say you need me, how would I know?

You say you love me, but it can't be so

Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry poor me any more

I don't want to brag, but I'll wring your neck

When all else fails, I'll make it a matter of self-respect

Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry poor me any more

Living this way ain't a natural thing to do

Why was I born to love you?

Someday baby, you ain't gonna worry poor me any more

RED RIVER SHORE - #1

Some of us turn off the lights and we live

In the moonlight shooting by

Some of us scare ourselves to death in the dark

To be where the angels fly

Pretty maids all in a row lined up

Outside my cabin door

I've never wanted any of 'em wanting me

Except the girl from the red river shore

Well I sat by her side and for a while I tried

To make that girl my wife

She gave me her best advice and she said

Go home and lead a quiet life

Well I been to the east and I been to the west

And I been out where the black winds roar

Somehow though I never did get that far

With the girl from the red river shore

Well I knew when I first laid eyes on her

I could never be free

One look at her and I knew right away

She should always be with me

Well the dream dried up a long time ago

Don't know where it is anymore

True to life, true to me

Was the girl from the red river shore

Well I'm wearing the cloak of misery

And I've tasted jilted love

And the frozen smile upon my face

Fits me like a glove

Well I can't escape from the memory

Of the one I'll always adore

All those nights when I lay in the arms

Of the girl from the red river shore

Well we're living in the shadows of a fading past

Trapped in the fires of time

I've tried not to ever hurt anybody

And to stay out of the life of crime

And when it's all been said and done

I never did know the score

One more day is another day away

From the girl from the red river shore

Well I'm a stranger here in a strange land

But I know this is where I belong

I'll ramble and gamble for the one I love

And the hills will give me a song

Though nothing looks familiar to me

I know I've stayed here before

Once a thousand nights ago

With the girl from the red river shore

Well I went back to see about her once

Went back to straighten it out

Everybody that I talked to had seen us there

Said they didn't know who I was talking about

Well the sun went down on me a long time ago

I've had to pull back from the door

I wish I could have spent every hour of my life

With the girl from the red river shore

Now I heard of a guy who lived a long time ago

A man full of sorrow and strife

That if someone around him died and was dead

He knew how to bring 'em on back to life

Well I don't know what kind of language he used

Or if they do that kind of thing anymore

Sometimes I think nobody ever saw me here at all

Except the girl from the red river shore

BORN IN TIME - #1

In the lonely night

In the stardust of a pale blue light

I think of you in black and white

When we were made of dreams

I walk alone through the shaking street

Listening to my heart beat

In the record-breaking heat

When we were born in time

Just when I thought

You were gone, you came back

Just when I was ready

To receive you

You were smooth, you were rough

You were more than enough

Oh babe, why did I ever leave you?

Or grieve you?

On the rising curve

Where the ways of nature will test every nerve

I took you close and got what I deserved

When we were born in time

Just when I knew

Who to thank, you went blank

Just when the firelight

Was gleaming

You were snow, you were rain

You were striped, you were plain

Oh babe, could it be that you were scheming?

Or was I dreaming?

In the hills of mystery

In the foggy web of destiny

You're still so deep inside of me

When we were born in time

CAN'T WAIT - #1

If we do it in, uh - how 'bout B-flat?

I can't wait

Wait for you to change your mind

I can't wait

Waiting just making me go blind

Do you ever lay awake at night

Your face turned to the wall

Drowning in your thoughtlessness

And cut off from it all

I don't know

Maybe for you it's not that late

But as for me

Don't know how much longer I can wait

It's got to end

Everything about it just feels wrong

I pretend

Being close to her is where I don't belong

Well my back is to the sun

Because the light is too intense

I can see what everybody

In the world is up against

I'll stay here

Where I can feel the hand of fate

And I don't know

How much longer I can wait

Skies are gray

Life is short and I think of her a lot

I can't say

If I want the pain to end or not

Well the blindness overtaking me

Is beating like a drum

I don't know where it starts

Or where it's coming from

That's how it is

Well try to concentrate

And I don't know

How much longer I can wait

I been drinking

Drinking forbidden juices

I been living

Living on lame excuses

My hands are cold

The end of time has just begun

I'm getting old

Anything can happen now to anyone

I walk across the floor

'Til I wear out my shoes

You think you've lost it all

There's always more to lose

[...] clear

She can keep my head on straight

And I don't know

How much longer I can wait

DREAMIN' OF YOU

The light in this place is really bad

Like being at the bottom of a stream

Any minute now

I'm expecting to wake up from a dream

Means so much

The softest touch

Like the grave of some child, who neither wept or smiled

[I pondered my fate] in the rain

I've been dreaming of you

That's all I do

And it's driving me insane

Somewhere dawn is breaking

Light is streaking across the floor

Church-bells are ringing

I wonder who they're ringing for

Travel under any star

You'll see me wherever you are

The shadowy past is so vague and so vast

I'm sleeping in [the palace] of pain

I've been dreaming of you

That's all I do

But it's driving me insane

Maybe they'll get me, maybe they won't

But whatever it won't be tonight

I wish your hand was in mine right now

We could go where the moon is white

For years they had me locked in a cage

Then they threw me onto the stage

Some things just last longer than you thought they would

And they never ever explain

I've been dreaming of you

That's all I do

And it's driving me insane

Well I eat when I'm hungry, drink when I'm dry

Live my life on the square

Even if the flesh falls off my face

It won't matter, long as you're there

Feel like a ghost in love

Underneath the heavens above

Feel further away than I ever did before

Feel further I can take

Dreaming of you

Is all I do

But it's driving me insane

Everything in the way is so shiny today

In queer and unusual form

Spirals of golden haze here and there in a blaze

Like beams of light in a storm

Maybe you were here and maybe you weren't

Maybe you touched somebody and got burnt

The silent sun has got me on the run

Burning a hole in my brain

I'm dreaming of you

That's all I do

But it's driving me insane

HUCK'S TUNE

Well I wandered alone through a desert of stone

And I dreamt of my future wife

My sword's in my hand and I'm next in command

In this version of death called life

My plate and my cup are right straight up

I took a rose from the hand of a child

When I kiss your lips, the honey drips

I'm gonna have to put you down for a while

Every day we meet on any old street

And you're in your girlish prime

The short and the tall are coming to the ball

I go there all the time

Behind every tree, there's something to see

The river is wider than a mile

I tried you twice, you can't be nice

I'm gonna have to put you down for a while

Here come the nurse with money in her purse

Here come the ladies and men

You push it all in and you've no chance to win

You play 'em on down to the end

I'm laying in the sand, getting a sunshine tan

Moving along, riding in style

From my toes to my head, you knock me dead

I'm gonna have to put you down for a while

I count the years and I shed no tears

I'm blinded to what might have been

Nature's voice makes my heart rejoice

Play me the wild song of the wind

I found hopeless love in the room above

When the sun and the weather were mild

You're as fine as wine,

I ain't handing you no line

I'm gonna have to put you down for a while

All the merry little elves

can go hang themselves

My faith is as cold as can be

I'm stacked high to the roof and

I'm not without proof

If you don't believe me, come see

You think I'm blue, I think so too

In my words, you'll find no guile

The game's gotten old, the deck's gone cold

And I'm gonna have to put you down for a while

The game's gotten old, the deck's gone cold

I'm gonna have to put you down for a while

MARCHIN' TO THE CITY - #1

Well I'm sitting in church

In an old wooden chair

I knew nobody

Would look for me there

Sorrow and pity

Rule the earth and the skies

Looking for nothing

Anyone's eyes

Once I had pretty girls

Did me wrong

Now I'm marching to the city

And the road ain't long

Snowflakes are falling

Around my head

Lord have mercy

It feel heavy like lead

I been hit too hard

Seen too much

Nothing can heal me now

But your touch

Once I had a pretty girl

She done me wrong

Now I'm marching to the city

And the road ain't long

Loneliness

Got a mind of its own

The more people around

The more you feel alone

I'm chained to the earth

Like a silent slave

Trying to break free

Out of death's dark cave

Once I had a pretty girl

Done me wrong

Now I'm marching to the city

And the road ain't long

Boys in the street

Beginning to play

Girls like birds

Flying away

I'm carrying the roses

That were given to me

And I'm thinking about paradise

Wondering what it might be

Once I had a pretty girl

She done me wrong

Now I'm marching to the city

And the road ain't long

Go over to London

Maybe gay Paree

Follow the river

You get to the sea

I was hoping we could drink from

Life's clear streams

I was hoping we could dream

Life's pleasant dreams

Once I had a pretty girl

But she done me wrong

Now I'm marching to the city

And the road ain't long

Well the weak get weaker

And the strong stay strong

The train keeps rolling

All night long

She looked at me

With an irresistable glance

With a smile

That could make all the planets dance

Once I had a pretty girl

She did me wrong

Now I'm marching to the city

And the road ain't long

Verse 7:

My house is on fire

Burning to the skies

I thought the rain clouds

But the clouds passed by

When I'm gone

You'll remember my name

I'm gonna win my way

To wealth and fame

Once I had a pretty girl

But she did me wrong

Now I'm marching to the city

And the road ain't long

I don't know

32-20 BLUES

When I send for my baby, man, and she don't come

Send for my baby, man, and she don't come

All the doctors in Hot Springs sure ain't gonna help her none

If she gets unruly, thinks she don't want you

If she gets unruly and thinks she don't want you

Take my 32-20 now and break her half in two

She got a .38 special, but I believe it's much too light

She got a .38 special, but I believe it's much too light

I got a 32-30, makes the camp all right

If I send for my baby, man, and she don't come

Send for my baby, man, and she don't come

All the doctors in Hot Springs sure ain't gonna help her none

Gonna shoot my pistol, shoot my Gatling gun

Gonna shoot my pistol, got to shoot my Gatling gun

You made me love you, now your man has come

Aw baby, where'd you stay last night?

Aw baby, where'd you stay last night?

You got your hair all tangled and you ain't talking right

Her .38 special, boys, it do very well

Her .38 special, boys, it do very well

I got a 32-20 now it's a burning hell

If I send for my baby, man, and she don't come

Send for my baby, man, and she don't come

All the doctors in [...] sure ain't gonna help her none

Hey hey baby, where'd you stay last night?

Hey hey baby, where'd you stay last night?

Didn't come home till the sun was shining bright

Oh boys, I just can't take my rest

Oh boys, I just can't take my rest

With this 32-20 laying up and down my breast

GOD KNOWS

God knows there's an answer

God knows it's all in place

God knows it might be working right now

Look into this right straight in the face

God knows I'm ready

God knows you're hard to find

God knows you're standing right there before my very eyes

Messing up my mind

CAN'T ESCAPE FROM YOU

Oh the evening train is rolling

All along the [homeward] way

All my hopes are over the horizon

All my dreams have gone [astray/away/in vain]

The hillside darkly [shaded/shading]

Stars fall from above

All the joys of earth [are/have] [faded/fading]

The night's untouched [by/my] love

I'll be here 'til tomorrow

Beneath a shroud of gray

I pretend I'm free of sorrow

My heart is miles away

The dead bells are ringing

My train is overdue

To your memory I'm clinging

I can't escape from you

Well I hear the sound of thunder

Roaring loud and long

Sometimes you've got to wonder

God knows I've done no wrong

You've wasted all your power

You threw out the Christmas pie

Now you're withering like a flower

You'll play the fool and die

I'm neither sad nor sorry

I'm all dressed up in black

I fought for fame and glory

You tried to break my back

In the far off sweet forever

The sunshine peeking through

We should have walked together

I can't escape from you

I cannot grasp the shadows

That gather near the door

Rain falls round my window

I wish I'd seen you more

The path is ever-winding

The stars they never age

The morning light is blinding

All the world's a stage

Should be the time of gladness

Happy faces everywhere

The mystery of madness

Is propagating in the air

I don't like the city

Not like some folks do

Isn't it a pity

I can't escape from you

We ploughed the fields of heaven

Right down to the end

I hope I can be forgiven

If any words of mine offend

All our days were splendid

They were simple, they were plain

It never should have ended

I should have kissed you in the rain

I've been thinking things all over

All the moments full of grace

The primrose and the clover

Your ever-changing face

Can't help looking at you

You made love with god-knows-who

Never found a girl to match you

I can't escape from you

DIGNITY - #2

Fat man looking in a [fast/ferris] wheel

Yellow man looking in his last meal

Hollow man looking in a cottonfield

For dignity

Wise man looking in a blade of grass

Young man looking in the days that pass

Poor man looking through painted glass

For dignity

Dignity is a woman that knows

Dignity moves like a tropical wind that blows

Into the cities, into the towns

Into the land of the midnight sun

I'm searching high, I'm searching low

Searching everywhere I know

Asking the cops wherever I go

Have you seen dignity?

Drunk man listens to a voice he hears

In a crowded room full of covered-up mirrors

Looking into the lost, forgotten years

For dignity

Don Juan was talking to Don Miguel

Standing outside of the gates of hell

There ain't nothing to say, it ain't nothing to tell

About dignity

Dignity is a woman unspoiled

By fame and greed and snakes that are coiled

In the damp woods, on the river's edge

Near the green, green grass of home

Pull into the platform, step off the train

Walk thirty steps, it begins to rain

I'm asking somebody with water on his brain

Have you seen dignity?

Cities in a mess of jackhammer beats

Buses roll by with burned-out seats

A child's eyes look through the creeping streets

For dignity

Prince Phillip was talking to Miss Mary Lou

She said don't let nobody see me talking to you

She's afraid to tell him what she knew

About dignity

Dignity is a woman that's light

She don't tease, she don't travel at night

Dignity is a woman that bleeds

Like the hot Egyptian sun

I'm looking east, looking west

See people cursed, see people blessed

Asking everybody like a man possessed

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

Englishman stranded in the blackheart wind

Combing his hair back, his future looks thin

Bites the bullet and he looks within

For dignity

Somebody showed me a picture and I just laughed

Dignity never been photographed

Dignity got no starting-point

No beginning, no middle, no end

Looking at a glass that's half-filled

Looking at a dream that's just been killed

Asking everybody that's strong-willed

Have you seen dignity?

AIN'T TALKIN'

The whole world is filled with speculation,

The whole world which people say is round.

I've got no time for idle conversation

I need to find a doctor in this town

Ain't talking, just walking

All rails leading to the west

Heart burning, still yearning

I'm gonna throw myself upon your loving breast

It's the first new day of a grand and a glorious Autumn

The queen of love is coming across the grass

None dare call her anything but madam

No one flirts with her or even makes a pass

Ain't talking, just walking

Standing outside the gates of wrath

Heart burning, still yearning

Take a little trip down the primrose path

I got the worst old feeling and it's getting stronger

I'm worn out with public service, I'm beginning to crack

I won't stay on any longer

I'll avenge my father's death then I'll step back

Ain't talking, just walking

Hand me down my walking cane

Heart burning, still yearning

Trying to get you out of my miserable brain

As I walked out tonight in the mystic garden

The wounded flowers were dangling from the vine

I was passing by yon cool crystal fountain

Someone hit me from behind

Ain't talking, just walking

You ride 'em high and down you go

Heart burning, still yearning

No one on earth will ever know

DUNCAN AND BRADY

Well them [rubber-tired carriage], standing around

Taking Brady to the burying-ground

[High-tired carriages], rubber-tired hack

Well they took him to the graveyard but they didn't bring him back

Well he been on the job too long

MISSISSIPPI - #3

I'm standing in the shadows with an aching heart

I'm looking at the world tear itself apart

Minutes turn to hours, hours turn to days

I'm still loving you in a million ways

Well the devil's in the alley, there's a

mule kicking in my stall

Say anything you want to,

I have heard it all

I was raised in the country,

I been working in town

I been in trouble ever since

I set my suitcase down

Well I ain't got nothing for you,

I had nothing before

Don't even have anything for myself anymore

The sky's full of fire, pain is pouring down

There's nothing you can sell me, I'll see you around

Well, I got here following the southern star

I crossed that river just to be where you are

There's only one thing I did wrong

Stayed in Mississippi a day too long

Well I been loving you too long,

I know you ain't no good

It don't make a bit of difference to me,

don't see why it should

I was thinking about the things that Rosie said

I was dreaming I was sleeping in Rosie's bed

Well I'm walking through the leaves

falling from the trees

I feel like a stranger nobody sees

So many things we never will undo

I know you're sorry, I'm sorry too

Some people will offer you their hand and some won't

Last night I knew you, tonight I don't

I need something strong to distract my mind

I'm gonna look at you 'til my eyes go blind

Well everybody's moving god-knows-where

But I'm still here and you're still there

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 those who have sailed with me

Winter goes into summer, summer goes into fall

I look into the mirror, don't see anything at all

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

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 that I did wrong

Stayed in Mississippi a day too long

MOST OF THE TIME

I ain't afraid of confusion, I don't fall for no trick

It don't matter where it went

BORN IN TIME - #2

In the lonely night

In the smoking stardust of a pale blue light

You're standing there in black and white

Where we were made of dreams

I walk alone through the shaky streets

Listening my heart beat

In the record-breaking heat

Where we were born in time

Just when I thought

You were gone, you came back

Just when I knew

It was for certain

You were high, you were low

You were so easy to know

Oh babe, now it's time to raise the curtain

I'm hurting

Up on the rising curve

Where the ways of nature

will test every nerve

Took me in and got what I deserved

Where we were born in time

Just when I knew

Who to thank, you went blank

Just when the home-fires

Start 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're still so deep inside of me

Where we were born in time

MARCHIN' TO THE CITY - #2

Loneliness

Got a mind of its own

More people around

More you feel alone

I've been chained to the earth

Like a silent slave

I'm trying to break free

Out of death's dark cave

Once I had a pretty girl

She did me wrong

Now I'm marching to the city, boys

And the road ain't long

I was hoping to my soul

That we'd never part

You took all the madness

Right out of my heart

I was hoping we could drink form

Life's clear streams

I was ghopning we could dream from

Life's [...] dreams

Once I had a pretty girl

She did me wrong

Now I'm marching to the city, boys

And the road ain't long

My house is burning

Up to the sky

I thought it would rain

But the clouds passed by

Sorrow and pity

Rule the earth and the skies

I'm not looking for nothing

In anyone's eyes

Once I had a pretty girl

She did me wrong

Now I'm marching to the city, boys

And the road ain't long

Wind is blowing

All troubles and dirt

It's time to get away

Or someone gets hurt

I just don't know

What I'm a-gonna do

I was all right

'Til I fell in love with you

Once I had a pretty girl

She did me wrong

Now I'm marching to the city, boys

And the road ain't long

CAN'T WAIT - #2

I can't wait

Wait for you to change your mind

I can't wait

For you to walk the line

You ever feel just like your brain

Been bolted to the wall

That you're drowning in your thoughtlessness

And cut off from it all

I don't know

Maybe for you it's not that late

But as for me

I don't know how much longer I can wait

It's got to end

Everything about it just feels wrong

I'll pretend

Being close to her is where I don't belong

Well my back is to the sun

Because the light is too intense

I can see what everybody

In the world is up against

That's how it is

When things disintegrate

And I don't know

How much longer I can wait

Skies are gray

Life is short and I think of her a lot

Every day

I can't say whether I want the pain to even end or not

Well I'm trying my best

To stand on my own two feet

Not have to lean on

Everybody that I meet

I'm breathing hard

I'm trying to concentrate

And I don't know

How much longer I can wait

I'm torn and I'm tattered

I been rolling through the stormy weather

My heart's been shattered

But I'm holding all the parts of it together

My hands are cold

The end of time has just begun

I'm getting old

Anything can happen now to anyone

Loneliness around me

Digging in me like a rake

What a piece of work she is

To cause my heart to break

I thought somehow

That I'd be spared this fate

And I don't know

How much longer I can wait

MARY AND THE SOLDIER

Come all you lads of high renown

That would hear of a fair young maiden

She roved out on a summer's day

For to view the soldiers parading

They marched so bold and they looked so gay

Their colours flying and the bands did play

It caused young Mary for to say

I'll wed you, my gallant soldier

She viewed the soldiers on parade

And as they stood their leisure

Mary to herself did say

At last I've found my treasure

But oh how cruel my parents must be

Banishing my darling so far from me

Well I'll leave them all and I'll go with thee

My bold and undaunted soldier

Oh Mary dear, your parents' love

I pray don't be unruly

When you're in a foreign land

Believe me you'll rue it surely

Perhaps in battle I might fall

From a shot from an angry cannonball

And you so far from your daddy's hall

Be advised by a gallant soldier

And I have fifty guineas in [...] gold

Likewise a heart that's blinder

And I'd leave them all and I'll go with you

My bold and undaunted soldier

So don't say no, but let me go

And I will face the daring foe

We'll march together to and fro

I'll wed you, my gallant soldier

And when he saw her loyalty

And Mary so true-hearted

He said: My darling, married we'll be

And nothing but death will part us

I'll guard you, darling, with my right hand

Hopes that God might stand a friend

To Mary and her gallant soldier

Tell Old Bill

The river whispers in my ear
I've hardly a penny to my name
The heavens have never seemed so near
All of my body glows with flame
The tempest struggles in the air
And to myself alone I sing
It could sink me then and there
I can hear the echoes ring

I tried to find one smiling face
To drive the shadow from my head
I'm stranded in this nameless place
Lying restless in a heavy bed

Tell me straight out if you will
Why must you torture me within?
Why must you come down off of your high hill?
Throw my fate to the clouds and wind

Far away in a silent land
Secret thoughts are hard to bear
Remember me, you'll understand
Emotions we can never share

You trampled on me as you passed
Left the coldest kiss upon my brow
All of my doubts and fears have gone at last
I've nothing more to tell you now

I walk by tranquil lakes and streams
As each new season's dawn awaits
I lay awake at night with troubled dreams
The enemy is at the gate

Beneath the thunder blasted trees
The words are ringin' off your tongue
The ground is hard in times like these
Stars are cold, the night is young

The rocks are bleak, the trees are bare
Iron clouds go floating by
Snowflakes fallin' in my hair
Beneath the gray and stormy sky

The evenin' sun is sinkin' low
The woods are dark, the town isn't new
Theyll drag you down, they'll run the show
Ain't no telling what they'll do

Tell ol' Bill when he comes home
Anything is worth a try
Tell him that I'm not alone
That the hour has come to do or die

All the world I would defy
Let me make it plain as day
I look at you now and I sigh
How could it be any other way?

RED RIVER SHORE

Some of us turn off the lights and we live
In the moonlight shooting by
Some of us scare ourselves to death in the dark
To be where the angels fly
Pretty maids all in a row lined up
Outside my cabin door
I've never wanted any of them wanting me
'Cept the girl from the Red River shore

Well, I sat by her side and for a while I tried
To make that girl my wife
She gave me her best advice and she said
"Go home and lead a quiet life."
Well, I've been to the east and I've been to the west
And I've been out where the black winds roar
Somehow, though, I never did get that far
With the girl from the Red River shore

Well, I knew when I first laid eyes on her
I could never be free
One look at her and I knew right away
She should always be with me
Well, the dream dried up a long time ago
Don't know where it is anymore
True to life, true to me
Was the girl from the Red River shore

Now I'm wearing the cloak of misery
And I've tasted jilted love
And the frozen smile upon my face
Fits me like a glove
But I can't escape from the memory
Of the one that I'll always adore
All those nights when I lay in the arms
Of the girl from the Red River shore

Well, we're living in the shadows of a fading past
Trapped in the fires of time
I've tried not to ever hurt anybody
And to stay out of a life of crime
And when it's all been said and done
I never did know the score
One more day is another day away
From the girl from the Red River shore

Well, I'm a stranger here in a strange land
But I know this is where I belong
I'll ramble and gamble for the one I love
And the hills will give me a song
Though nothing looks familiar to me
I know I've stayed here before
Once, a thousand nights ago
With the girl from the Red River shore

Well, I went back to see about it once
Went back to straighten it out
Everybody that I talked to had seen us there
Said they didn't know who I was talking about
Well, the sun went down on me a long time ago
I've had to fall back from the door
I wish I could have spent every hour of my life
With the girl from the Red River shore

Now, I've heard of a guy who lived a long time ago
A man full of sorrow and strife
Whenever someone around him died and was dead
He knew how to bring 'em on back to life
Well, I don't know what kind of language he used
Or if they do that kind of thing anymore
Sometimes I think nobody ever saw me here at all
'Cept the girl from the Red River shore

HUCK’S TUNE

Well I wandered alone,
through a desert of stone,
and I dreamt of my future wife.
My sword's in my hand,
and I'm next in command,
in this version of Death called Life.
My plate and my cup,
are right straight up,
I took a rose from the hand of a child.
When I kiss your lips,
the honey drips,
I'm gonna have to put you down for a while.

Every day we meet,
on any old street,
and you're in your girlish prime.
The short and the tall,
are coming to the ball,
I go there all the time.
Behind every tree,
there's something to see,
the river is wider than a mile.
I tried you twice,
you can't be nice,
I'm gonna have to put you down for a while.

Here come the nurse,
with money in her purse,
here come the ladies and men.
You push it all in,
and you've no chance to win,
you play 'em on down to the end.
I'm laying in the sand,
getting a sunshine tan,
Moving along, riding in style.
From my toes to my head,
you knock me dead,
I'm gonna have to put you down for a while.

I count the years,
and I shed no tears,
I'm blinded to what might have been.
Nature's voice,
makes my heart rejoice,
play me the wild song of the wind.
I found hopeless love,
in the room above,
when the sun and the weather were riled.
You're as fine as wine,
I ain't handing you no line,
I'm gonna have to put you down for a while.

All the merry little elves,
can go hang themselves,
my faith is as cold as can be.
I'm stacked high to the roof,
and I'm not without proof,
If you don't believe me, come see.
You think I'm blue,
I think so, too,
in my words you'll find no guile.
The game's gotten old,
the deck's gone cold,
and I'm gonna have to put you down for a while.

The game's gotten old,
the deck's gone cold,
and I'm gonna have to put you down for a while.

DREAMING OF YOU

The light In this place
Is really bad
Like being
In the bottom
Of a stream
Any minute now
I'm expecting
To wake up
From a dream
Miss so much
The softest touch
Like the grave
Of some child child
Who neither wept
Nor smiled
I'm hiding my faith
In the rain
I've been
Dreamin' of you
That's all I do
And it's
Driving me insane

Somewhere dawn
Is breaking
Light is streaking
Across the floor
Church bells
Are ringing
I wonder who
They're ringing for
Travel under any star
You'll see me
Wherever you are

The shadowy past
Is so vague and so vast
I'm sleeping
In the balance of pain
I've been dreamin' of you
That's all I do
But it's
Driving me insane

Maybe they'll get me
Maybe they won't
But whatever
It won't be tonight
I wish your hand
Was in mine right now
We could go
Where the moon is white

For years
They had me
Locked in a cage
Then they threw me

Onto the stage
Somethings
Just last longer
Then you
Thought they would
And they never
Ever explain
I'm dreamin' of you
That's all I do
And it's
Driving me insane

Well
I eat when I'm hungry
Drink when I'm dry
Live my life
On the square
Even if the flesh
Falls off my face
It won't matter as long
As you're there

Feel like
A ghost in love
Underneath
The heavens above
Feel further away
Then I ever did before
Feel further
Than I can take
Dreamin' of you
That's all I do
But it's
Driving me insane

Everything in the way
Is so shy like the day
In queer and unusual form
Spirals of golden haze here
In there in a blaze
Like beams of light
In a star

Maybe you're here
Or maybe you weren't
Maybe you
Touched somebody
And got burned
The silent sun
Has got me on the run
Burning a hole
In my brain
I'm dreamin' of you
That's all I do
But it's
Driving me insane

Marchin To The City

Well I'm sitting in church
In an old wooden chair
I knew nobody
Would look for me there
. . . Sorrow and pity
. . . Rule the earth and the skies
Looking for nothing
Anyone's eyes

Once I had pretty girls
Did me wrong
Now I'm marching to the city
And the road ain't long

Snowflakes are falling
Around my head
Lord have mercy
It feel heavy like lead
I been hit too hard
Seen too much
Nothing can heal me now
But your touch

Once I had a pretty girl
She done me wrong
Now I'm marching to the city
And the road ain't long

Loneliness
Got a mind of its own
The more people around
The more you feel alone
I'm chained to the earth
Like a silent slave
Trying to break free
Out of death's dark cave

Once I had a pretty girl
Done me wrong
Now I'm marching to the city
And the road ain't long

Boys in the street
Beginning to play
Girls like birds
Flying away
I'm carrying the roses
That were given to me
And I'm thinking about paradise
Wondering what it might be


Once I had a pretty girl
She done me wrong
Now I'm marching to the city
And the road ain't long

Go over to London
Maybe gay Paree
Follow the river
You get to the sea
. . . I was hoping we could drink from
. . . Life's clear streams
I was hoping we could dream
Life's pleasant dreams

Once I had a pretty girl
But she done me wrong
Now I'm marching to the city
And the road ain't long

Well the weak get weaker
And the strong stay strong
The train keeps rolling
All night long
. . . She looked at me
. . . With an irresistible glance
With a smile
That could make all the planets dance

Once I had a pretty girl
She did me wrong
Now I'm marching to the city
And the road ain't long

My house is on fire
Burning to the skies
I thought the rain clouds
But the clouds passed by
. . . When I'm gone
. . . You'll remember my name
I'm gonna win my way
To wealth and fame

Once I had a pretty girl
But she did me wrong
Now I'm marching to the city
And the road ain't long

I don't know

THE GIRL ON THE GREENBRIAR SHORE

'Twas in the year of '82,
In the springtime of the year,
I left my mother and a home so dear
All for that girl on the greenbriar shore.
My mother, she says, "Son, don't go.
Don't leave me here alone.
Don't leave your mother and a home so dear.
Never trust a girl on the greenbriar shore."

But I was young and reckless too,
And I craved a reckless life.
I left my mother and a home so dear
[ Bob Dylan Lyrics are found on www.songlyrics.com ]
And I took that girl to be my wife.

Her hair was dark and curly too
And her lovin' eyes were blue;
Her cheeks were like the red red rose
That girl I loved from the greenbriar shore.

The years rolled on and the months rolled by;
She left me all alone.
Now I remember what my momma said,
"Never trust the girl on the greenbriar shore."

DUNCAN AND BRADY

Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, little star
Up comes Brady in a 'lectric car
Got a mean look all 'round his eye
Gonna shoot somebody jus' to see them die
Duncan, Duncan was tending the bar
In walked Brady with a shining star
And Brady says, "Duncan you are under arrest"
And Duncan shot a hole in Brady's breast
Brady, Brady carried a .45,
Said it would shoot half a mile
Duncan had a .44
That what laid Mr. Brady so low
Brady fell down on the barroom floor,

"Please Mr. Duncan don' shoot me no more"
Women all cryin', ain't it a shame,
Shot King Brady, goin' shoot him again
"Brady, Brady, Brady, you know you done wrong
Walkin' in the room when the game was goin' on
Knockin' down windows, breakin' down the door
Now you lyin' dead on the grocery [barroom] floor
Women all heard that Brady was dead,
Goes back home and they dresses in red
Come a sniffin' and a sighin' down the street,
In their big mother hubbards and their stockin' feet
'Cause he been on the job too long

MARY AND THE SOLDIER

Come all ye lads of high reknown
That would hear of a fair young maiden
And she rode out of a summer's day
For to view the soldiers parading
They marches so bold and they looked so gay
The colors flying and the bands did play
And it caused young Mary for to say
I'll wed you my gallant soldier

She viewed the soldiers on parade
And as they stood at their leisure
And Mary to herself did say
At last I've found my treasure
But oh how cruel my parents must be
To banish my darling so far from me
But I'll leave them all and I'll go with thee
You wild undaunted soldier

Oh Mary dear your parents love
I pray don't be unruly
For when we're in a foreign land
Believe me you'll rue it surely
And if in battle I might fall
By a shot from an angry cannonball
And you so far from your daddy's hall
Be advised by your gallant soldier

I have fifty guineas in bright gold
Likewise a heart that's bolder
And I'll leave them all and I'll go with you
You wild undaunted soldier
So don't say no but let me go
And I will face the daring foe
And we'll march together to and fro
And I'll wed you my gallant soldier

And when he saw her loyalty
And Mary so true hearted
He said then darling married we'll be
And nothing but death will part us
And when we're in a foreign land
I'll guard you darling with my right hand
In the hopes that God might stand a friends
To Mary and her gallant soldier

Miss The Mississppi

I'm growing tired of the big city lights
Tired of the glamour and tired of the sights
In all my dreams I am roaming once more
Back to my home on the old river shore

I am sad and weary far away from home
Miss the Mississippi and you dear
Days are dark and dreary everywhere I roam
Miss the Mississippi and you

Roaming the wide world over
Always along and blue, so blue
Nothing seems to cheer me under heaven's dome
Miss the Mississippi and you

Memories are bringing happy days of yore
Miss the Mississippi and you
Mocking birds are singing 'round the cabin door
Miss the Mississippi and you

Roamin the wide world over
Always alone and blue
Longing form my homeland, muddy water shore
Miss the Mississippi and you

---

Beyond Here Lies Nothin

Oh well I love you pretty baby
You're the only love I've ever known
Just as long as you stay with me
The whole world is my throne
Beyond here lies nothin'
Nothin' we could call our own

Well I'm movin' after midnight
Down boulevards of broken cars
Don't know what I'd do without it
Without this love that we call ours
Beyond here lies nothin'
Nothin' but the moon and stars


Down every street there's a window
And every window made of glass
We'll keep on lovin' pretty baby
For as long as love will last
Beyond here lies nothin'
But the mountains of the past

Well my ship is in the harbour
And the sails are spread
A-Listen to me pretty baby
Lay your hand upon my head
Beyond here lies nothin'
Nothin' done and nothin' said

Life Is Hard

The evening winds are still
I’ve lost the way and will
can’t carry you where they will
I just know what they meant
I’m always on my gaurd
admitting life is hard
without you near me

The friend you used to be
so near and dear to me
you slipped so far away
where did we go astray
I passed the old school yard
admitting life is hard
without you near me

Ever since the day
the day you went away
I felt that emtyness
so quite? wide?
I don’t know what’s wrong or right
I just know I need strenght tonight
strength to fight that world outside
Since we’ve been out of touch
I haven’t felt that much
From day to barren day
My heart stays locked away
I walk the boulevard
admitting life is hard
without you near me

The sun is sinkin low
I’ guess it’s time to go
I feel a chilly breeze
In place of memories
My dreams are locked and barred
admitting life is hard
without you near me

 MY WIFE’S HOME TOWN

Well I didn’t come here to deal with a doggone thing
I just came here to hear the drop of cymbaline
There ain’t no way you can put me down
I just wanna say that hell’s my wife’s home town

Well there’s reasons for that, and reasons for this
I can’t think of any just now, but I know they exist
I’m sittin in the sun ‘till my skin turns brown
I just wanna say that hell’s my wife’s home towntown

She can make you steal, make you rob
Give you the hives, make you lose your job
Make things bad she can make things worse
She got stuff more potent than a gypsy curse

One of these days I’ll end up on the run
I'm pretty sure she'll make me kill someone
I’m going inside, roll the shutters down
I just wanna say that hell’s my wife’s home town

Well there’s plenty to remember, plenty to forget
I still can’t remember the day we met
I lost my reasons a long ago
My love for her is all I know

State gone broke, the county's dry
Don't be lookin' at me with that evil eye
Keep on walking, don’t be hanging around
I’m tellin you again that hell’s my wife’shome town


IF YOU EVER GO TO HOUSTON

If you ever go to Houston better walk right
Keep your hands in your pockets and your gun-belts tied
If you’re asking for drama, if you’re looking for a fight
If you ever go to Houston, boy you better walk right

If you're ever down there out back to your loving ma
You better watch out for the man with the shining star
Better know where you're going Or stay where you are
If you’re ever down there out back to your loving ma
Well I know these streets I’ve been here before
I nearly got killed here during the Mexican War
Something always keeps me coming back for more
I know these streets I’ve been here before

If you ever go to Dallas, say hello to Mary-Ann
Say I’m still looking along the trigger, hanging 
on the best I can
If you see her sister Lucy, say I’m sorry I’m not there
Tell her other sister Nancy to pray the sinner's prayer

I gotta rest this fever bury it in my brain
Better keep right forward, can’t spoil the game
The same way I’ll leave here will be the way that I came
Gotta rest this fever bury it in my brain

Mr policeman, can you help me find my gal
Last time I saw her was at the Magnolia Motel
If you help me find her, you can be my pal
Mr policeman, can you help me find my gal

If you ever go to Austin, Fort Worth or San Anton'
Find the barrooms I got lost in and
send my memories home
Put my tears in a bottle screw the top on tight
If you ever go to Houston, buddy you’d
better walk right


FORGETFUL HEART


Forgetful heart 
Lost your power of recall
Every little detail 
You don’t remember at all
The times we knew
Who would remember better than you

Forgetful heart
we laughed and had a good time, you and I
It’s been so long
now you’re content to let the days go by
When you were there
you were the answer to my prayer

Forgetful heart
we loved with all the love that life can give
What can I say
Without you it’s so hard to live
Can’t take much more
Why can’t we love like we did before

Forgetful heart 
like a walking shadow in my brain
All night long
I lay awake and listen to the sound of pain
The door has closed forevermore
If indeed there ever was a door


JOLENE

Why It's coming down high street walking into Third
If it ain't a dead man's rise I die she's the one to me
Baby I am the king and you're the queen

Well it’s a long old highway that don’t ever end
I got a Saturday Night Special, I’m back again
I’ll sleep by your door, lay my life on the line
You probably don’t know but I’m gonna make you mine
Jolene, Jolene
Baby I am the King and you are the Queen

I keep my hands in my pocket, I’m movin’ along
People think they know, but they’re all wrong
You're something nice, I’m gonna bet my dice
I can’t say I ever paid the price
Jolene, Jolene
Baby I am the King and you is the Queen

Well I found out the hard way, I’ve had my fill
came by somebody with his luck too afield
Those big brown eyes, they set out for spark
If you hold me in your arms, things don’t look 
so dark
Jolene, Jolene
Baby I am the King and you're the Queen


SHAKE SHAKE MAMA

I got the blues for you baby when 
I look up at the sun
Come back here, we can have some real fun

Well it’s early in the evening 
and everything is still
One more time I’m walking up around the hill


Shake shake Mama like a ship going out to sea
You took all my money and you gave it to rigidly

Down by the river judge Simpson’s walking around
Nothing shocks me more than that old clown

Some of you women you really know your stuff
But your clothes are all torn and your 
language is a little too rough

Shake shake Mama shake until the break of day
I’m right here baby I’m not that far away

I'm motherless fatherless almost friendless too
It's Friday morning on Franklin Avenue

Shake shake mama, raise your voice and bay
If you're goin' on home better go the shortest way


IT’S ALL GOOD

Talk about me babe, if you must
Throw on the dust, pile on the dust
I’d do the same thing if I could
You know what they say
They say it’s all good
All good, it’s all good

Big politicians telling lies
Restaurant kitchens, all full of flies
Don't make a bit of difference
Don‘t see why it should 
But it’s all right
cos’ it’s all good, it’s all good,

Wives are leaving their husbands, they’re 
beginning to roam
They leave the party, and they never get home
I wouldn’t change it, even if I could
You know what they say man 
It’s all good, it’s all good, all good

Brick by brick they tear you down
A teacup of water is enough to drown
You oughta know if they could they would
Whatever going down 
It’s all good
All good, it’s all good

People in the country, people on the land
Some of ‘em so sick, they can hardly stand
Everybody would move away, if they could
It’s hard to believe, but it’s all good
Yeaaaa!

The Widows cry, the orphans bleed
Everywhere you look there’s more misery
Come away with me babe, I wish you would
You know what I'm saying
It’s all good, all good, 
I said it’s all good, all good

There's a cold blooded killer stalking the town
Cop cars blinkin', something bad going down
Buildings are crumbling in the neighborhood
but it's nothing to worry about, 
cause it's all good
It’s all good, I say it's all good whoo!

I'm gonna pluck off your beard and 
throw it in your face
This time tomorrow 
I’ll be roaming in your place
I wouldn’t change a thing, even if I could
You know what they say
They say it’s all good, it’s all good
O yeah

I cross the Green Mountain
I sit by the stream
Heaven blazing in my head I
I dreamt a monstrous dream
Something came up
Out of the sea
Swept through the land of
The rich and the free

I look into the eyes
of my merciful friend
And then I ask myself
Is this the end?
Memories linger
Sad yet sweet
And I think of the souls in heaven who will meet

Altars are burning
With flames far and wide
the foe has crossed over
from the other side
They tip their caps
from the top of the hill
You can feel them come
More brave blood to spill

Along the dim
Atlantic line
The ravaged land
lies for miles behind
the light's coming forward
and the streets are broad
all must yield
To the avenging God

The world is old
The world is grey
Lessons of life
Can't be learned in a day
I watch and I wait
And I listen while I stand
To the music that comes
from a far better land

Close the eyes
of our Captain
Peace may he know
His long night is done
The great leader is laid low
He was ready to fall
He was quick to defend
Killed outright he was
by his own men

It's the last day's last hour
of the last happy year
I feel that the unknown
The world is so near
Pride will vanish
And glory will rot
But virtue lives
and cannot be forgot

The bells
of evening have rung
there's blasphemy
on the end of the tongue
Let them say that I walked
in fair nature's light
And that I was loyal
to truth and to right

Serve God and be truthful
Look upward beyond
Beyond the darkness that masks
the surprises of dawn
In the deep green grasses
of the blood stained woods
They never dreamed of surrendering
They fell where they stood

Stars fell over Alabama
And I saw each star
You're walking in dreams
Whoever you are
Chilled as the skies
Keen as the frost
The ground's froze hard
And the morning is lost

A letter to mother
came today
Gunshot wound to the breast
is what it did say
But he'll be better soon
He's in a hospital bed
But he'll never be better
He's already dead

I'm ten miles outside the city
And I'm lifted away
In an ancient light
That is not of day
They were calm they were blunt
We knew them all too well
We loved each other more than
we ever dared to tell