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Twas a dark day in Dallas, November 63 A day that will live on in infamy President Kennedy was a-ridin high Good day to be livin and a good day to die Being led to the slaughter like a sacrificial lamb He said, Wait a minute, boys, you know who I am? Of course we do, we know who you are Then they blew off his head while he was still in the car Shot down like a dog in broad daylight Was a matter of timing and the timing was right You got unpaid debts, weve come to collect Were gonna kill you with hatred, without any respect Well mock you and shock you and well grin in your face Weve already got someone here to take your place The day they blew out the brains of the king Thousands were watching, no one saw a thing It happened so quickly, so quick, by surprise Right there in front of everyones eyes Greatest magic trick ever under the sun Perfectly executed, skillfully done Wolfman, oh Wolfman, oh Wolfman, howl Rub-a-dub-dub, its a murder most foul Hush, little children, youll understand The Beatles are comin, theyre gonna hold your hand Slide down the banister, go get your coat Ferry cross the Mersey and go for the throat Theres three bums comin all dressed in rags Pick up the pieces and lower the flags Im goin to Woodstock, its the Aquarian Age Then Ill go over to Altamont and sit near the stage Put your head out the window, let the good times roll Theres a party going on behind the Grassy Knoll Stack up the bricks, pour the cement Dont say Dallas dont love you, Mr. President Put your foot in the tank and then step on the gas Try to make it to the triple underpass Blackface singer, whiteface clown Better not show your faces after the sun goes down Up in the red light district, like a cop on the beat Living in a nightmare on Elm Street When youre down on Deep Ellum, put your money in your shoe Dont ask what your country can do for you Cash on the barrelhead, money to burn Dealey Plaza, make a left-hand turn Im going down to the crossroads, gonna flag a ride The place where faith, hope, and charity died Shoot him while he runs, boy, shoot him while you can See if you can shoot the invisible man Goodbye, Charlie, goodbye, Uncle Sam Frankly, Miss Scarlett, I dont give a damn What is the truth, and where did it go? Ask Oswald and Ruby, they oughta know Shut your mouth, said a wise old owl Business is business, and its a murder most foul Tommy, can you hear me? Im the Acid Queen Im riding in a long, black Lincoln limousine Ridin in the back seat next to my wife Headed straight on in to the afterlife Im leaning to the left, I got my head in her lap Oh Lord, Ive been led into some kind of a trap Where we ask no quarter, and no quarter do we give Were right down the street, from the street where you live They mutilated his body and they took out his brain What more could they do? They piled on the pain But his soul was not there where it was supposed to be at For the last fifty years theyve been searchin for that Freedom, oh freedom, freedom over me I hate to tell you, mister, but only dead men are free Send me some lovin, then tell me no lie Throw the gun in the gutter and walk on by Wake up, little Susie, lets go for a drive Cross the Trinity River, lets keep hope alive Turn the radio on, dont touch the dials Parkland Hospital, only six more miles You got me dizzy, Miss Lizzy, you filled me with lead That magic bullet of yours has gone to my head Im just a patsy like Patsy Cline Never shot anyone from in front or behind Ive blood in my eye, got blood in my ear Im never gonna make it to the new frontier Zapruders film, Ive seen that before Seen it thirty-three times, maybe more Its vile and deceitful, its cruel and its mean Ugliest thing that you ever have seen They killed him once and they killed him twice Killed him like a human sacrifice The day that they killed him, someone said to me, Son The age of the Antichrist has just only begun Air Force One comin in through the gate Johnson sworn in at 2:38 Let me know when you decide to throw in the towel It is what it is, and its murder most foul Whats new, pussycat? Whatd I say? I said the soul of a nation been torn away And its beginning to go into a slow decay And that its thirty-six hours past Judgment Day Wolfman Jack, hes speaking in tongues Hes going on and on at the top of his lungs Play me a song, Mr. Wolfman Jack Play it for me in my long Cadillac Play me that Only the Good Die Young Take me to the place Tom Dooley was hung Play St. James Infirmary in the Court of King James If you want to remember, you better write down the names Play Etta James, too, play Id Rather Go Blind Play it for the man with the telepathic mind Play John Lee Hooker, play Scratch My Back Play it for that strip club owner named Jack Guitar Slim going down slow Play it for me and for Marilyn Monroe Play Please Dont Let Me Be Misunderstood Play it for the First Lady, she aint feeling any good Play Don Henley, play Glenn Frey Take it to the limit and let it go by Play it for Carl Wilson, too Looking far, far away down Gower Avenue Play Tragedy, play Twilight Time Take me back to Tulsa to the scene of the crime Play another one and Another One Bites the Dust Play The Old Rugged Cross and In God We Trust Ride the pink horse down that long, lonesome road Stand there and wait for his head to explode Play Mystery Train for Mr. Mystery The man who fell down dead like a rootless tree Play it for the reverend, play it for the pastor Play it for the dog that got no master Play Oscar Peterson, play Stan Getz Play Blue Sky, play Dickey Betts Play Art Pepper, Thelonious Monk Charlie Parker and all that junk All that junk and All That Jazz Play something for the Birdman of Alcatraz Play Buster Keaton, play Harold Lloyd Play Bugsy Siegel, play Pretty Boy Floyd Play the numbers, play the odds Play Cry Me a River for the Lord of the gods Play Number nine, play Number six Play it for Lindsey and Stevie Nicks Play Nat King Cole, play Nature Boy Play Down in the Boondocks for Terry Malloy Play It Happened One Night and One Night of Sin Theres twelve million souls that are listening in Play Merchant of Venice, play Merchants of Death Play Stella by Starlight for Lady Macbeth Dont worry, Mr. President, helps on the way Your brothers are comin, therell be hell to pay Brothers? What brothers? Whats this about hell? Tell them, Were waiting, keep coming, well get them as well Love Field is where his plane touched down But it never did get back up off the ground Was a hard act to follow, second to none They killed him on the altar of the rising sun Play Misty for me and That Old Devil Moon Play Anything Goes and Memphis in June Play Lonely at the Top and Lonely Are the Brave Play it for Houdini spinning around in his grave Play Jelly Roll Morton, play Lucille Play Deep in a Dream, and play Driving Wheel Play Moonlight Sonata in F-sharp And A Key to the Highway for the king on the harp Play Marching Through Georgia and Dumbartons Drums Play Darkness and death will come when it comes Play Love Me or Leave Me by the great Bud Powell Play The Blood-Stained Banner, play Murder Most Foul
There comes a time when we heed a certain call When the world must come together as one There are people dying Oh when its time to lend a hand to life The greatest gift of all We cant go on pretending day by day That someone, somewhere will soon make a change We are all a part of Gods great big family And the truth, you know Love is all we need We are the world, we are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So lets start giving Theres a choice were making Were saving our own lives Its true well make a better day Just you and me Send them your heart so theyll know that someone cares And their lives will be stronger and free As God has shown us by turning stone to bread So we all must lend a helping hand We are the world, we are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So lets start giving Theres a choice were making Were saving our own lives Its true well make a better day Just you and me When youre down and out, there seems no hope at all But if you just believe, theres no way we can fall Well, well, well Let us realize, oh, that a change can only come When we stand together as one We are the world, we are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So lets start giving Theres a choice were making Were saving our own lives Its true well make a better day Just you and me We are the world, we are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So lets start giving Theres a choice were making Were saving our own lives Its true well make a better day Just you and me We are the world, we are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So lets start giving Theres a choice were making Were saving our own lives Its true well make a better day Just you and me Alright let me hear you We are the world, we are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So lets start giving Theres a choice were making Were saving our own lives Its true well make a brighter day Just you and me Come on yall let me hear you We are the world, we are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So lets start giving Theres a choice were making Were saving our own lives Its true well make a better day Just you and me, yeah, yeah We are the world, we are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So lets start giving Theres a choice were making Were saving our own lives Its true well make a better day Just you and me We are the world, we are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So lets start giving Theres a choice were making Were saving our own lives Its true well make a better day Just you and me We are the world, we are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So lets start giving Theres a choice were making Were saving our own lives Its true well make a better day Just you and me Thank you We are the world, we are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So lets start giving Theres a choice were making Were saving our own lives Its true well make a better day Just you and me
How many roads must a man walk down Before you call him a man? How many seas must the white dove sail Before she sleeps in the sand? Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly Before theyre forever banned? The answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind The answer is blowin in the wind Yes, and how many years can a mountain exist Fore it is washed to the sea? Yes, and how many years can some people exist Before theyre allowed to be free? Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head And pretend that he just doesnt see? The answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind The answer is blowin in the wind Yes, and how many times must a man look up Before he can see the sky? Yes, and how many ears must one man have Before he can hear people cry? Yes, and how many deaths will it take till he knows That too many people have died? The answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind The answer is blowin in the wind
When the rain is blowing in your face And the whole world is on your case I could offer you a warm embrace To make you feel my love When the evening shadows and the stars appear And there is no one there to dry your tears I could hold you for a million years To make you feel my love I know you havent made your mind up yet But I will never do you wrong Ive known it from the moment that we met No doubt in my mind where you belong Id go hungry, Id go black and blue Id go crawling down the avenue Know theres nothing that I wouldnt do To make you feel my love The storms are raging on the rollin sea And on the highway of regret The winds of change are blowing wild and free You aint seen nothing like me yet I could make you happy, make your dreams come true Nothing that I wouldnt do Go to the ends of the earth for you To make you feel my love To make you feel my love
Come gather round people, wherever you roam And admit that the waters around you have grown And accept it that soon youll be drenched to the bone If your time to you is worth saving Then you better start swimmin or youll 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 wont come again And dont speak too soon, for the wheels still in spin And theres no tellin who that its namin For the loser now will be later to win For the times, they are a-changin Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call Dont stand in the doorway, dont block up the hall For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled The battle outside ragin Will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls For the times, they are a-changin Come mothers and fathers throughout the land And dont criticize what you cant understand Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command Your old road is rapidly aging Please get out of the new one if you cant 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 fading And the first one now will later be last For the times, they are a-changin
There must be some way out of here Said the joker to the thief Theres too much confusion I cant 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, weve 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
Once upon a time you dressed so fine Threw the bums a dime in your prime, didnt you? People call, say Beware doll, youre bound to fall You thought they were all a-kiddin you You used to laugh about Everybody that was hangin out Now you dont talk so loud Now you dont seem so proud About having to be scrounging your next meal How does it feel? How does it feel? To be without a home? Like a complete unknown? Like a rolling stone? Aw, youve gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely But ya know ya only used to get juiced in it Nobodys ever taught ya how to live out on the street And now you’re gonna have to get used to it You say you never compromise With the mystery tramp, but now you realize Hes not selling any alibis As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes And say, “Do you want to make a deal? How does it feel? How does it feel? To be on your own With no direction home A complete unknown Like a rolling stone? Aw, you never turned around to see the frowns On the jugglers and the clowns when they all did tricks for you Never understood that it aint no good You shouldnt let other people get your kicks for you You used to ride on a chrome horse with your diplomat Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat Aint it hard when you discover that He really wasnt where its at After he took from you everything he could steal? How does it feel? How does it feel? To hang on your own With no direction home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone? Aw, princess on the steeple and all the pretty people Theyre all drinkin, thinkin that they got it made Exchangin all precious gifts But youd better take your diamond ring, ya 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 ya, ya cant refuse When ya aint got nothin, you got nothin to lose Youre invisible now, ya got no secrets to conceal How does it feel? Aw, how does it feel? To be on your own With no direction home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone?
Ooh, ooh Hey Mama, take this badge from me I cant use it anymore Its gettin dark, too dark to see Feels like Im knockin on heavens door Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door, hey, hey, hey hey yeah Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door, ooh Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door, ooh-oh yeah Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door, ayy hey yeah Ooh-oh yeah, oh yeah, aw Mama, put my guns in the ground I cant shoot them anymore That cold black cloud is comin down Feels like Im knockin on heavens door Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door, hey, hey, hey hey yeah Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door, ooh yeah Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door, ayy hey yeah Ooh You just better start sniffing your own rank subjugation, Jack Because its just you against your tattered libido The bank and the mortician, forever, man And it wouldnt be luck if you could get out of life alive Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door, hey, hey, hey hey yeah Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door, ooh yeah Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door, ooh, no, no, no, woah Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door, no, no, no, woah, no Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door, woah, woah, woah, yeah Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door, ooh yeah Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door Knock-knock-knockin on heavens door, woah, woah, woah Woah, woah, yeah, oh
There must be some kind of way out of here Said the joker to the thief Theres too much confusion I cant get no relief Businessmen they drink my wine Plowmen dig my earth None will level on the line Nobody offered his word Hey! 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, uh, but you and I, weve been through that And this is not our fate So let us stop talkin falsely now The hours getting late Hey! Hey! All along the watchtower Princes kept the view While all the women came and went Barefoot servants too Well, uh, outside in the cold distance A wildcat did growl Two riders were approaching And the wind began to howl Hey! All along the watchtower All along the watchtower
When the rain is blowing in your face And the whole world is on your case I could offer you a warm embrace To make you feel my love When the evening shadows and the stars appear And there is no one there to dry your tears I could hold you for a million years To make you feel my love I know you haven’t made your mind up yet But I would never do you wrong I’ve known it from the moment that we met No doubt in my mind where you belong I’d go hungry, I’d go black and blue I’d go crawling down the avenue There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do To make you feel my love The storms are raging on the rolling sea And on the highway of regret The winds of change are blowing wild and free You aint seen nothing like me yet I could make you happy, make your dreams come true Nothing that I wouldn’t do Go to the ends of the earth for you To make you feel my love
Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall She sees the bartender in a pool of blood Cries out, “My God, they killed them all!” Here comes the story of the Hurricane The man the authorities came to blame For something that he never done Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been The champion of the world Three bodies lyin there Does Patty see And another man named Bello Moving around mysteriously “I didn’t do it,” he says And he throws up his hands “I was only robbin the register I hope you understand I saw them 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 flashin In the hot New Jersey night Meanwhile, far away in another part of town Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are drivin around Number one contender for the middleweight crown Had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road Just like the time before and the time before that In Paterson that’s just the way things go If you’re black You might as well not show up on the street Unless you want to 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 They take him to the hospital and they brought him upstairs The wounded man looks up through his one dying eye Says, “Why did you bring him in here for? He aint the guy!” Here’s the story of the Hurricane The man the authorities came to blame For something that he never done Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-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 Lookin for somebody to blame “Remember that murder that happened in a bar?” “Remember you said you saw the getaway car?” “You think you’d like to play ball with the law?” “Think it might-a been that fighter that you saw Running that night?” “Don’t forget that you are white” Arthur Dexter Bradley said, “I’m really not sure” The cops said, “A poor boy like you could use a break We got you for the motel job And we’re talking to your friend Bello Now you don’t want to have to go back to jail Be a nice fellow You’ll be doing society a favor That son of a bitch is brave and gettin braver We want to put his ass in stir We want to pin this triple murder On him He ain’t no Gentleman Jim” Rubin could take a man out with just one punch But he never did like to talk about it all that much It’s my work, he’d say, and I do it for pay And when it’s over I’d just as soon go on my way Up to some paradise Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice And ride a horse along a trail But then they took him to the jailhouse Where they try to turn a man Into a mouse All of Rubin’s cards were marked in advance The trial was a pig-circus He never had a chance The judge made Rubin’s witnesses Drunkards from the slums To the white folks who watched He was a revolutionary bum And to the black folks he was just a crazy nigga No one doubted that he pulled the trigger And though they could not produce the gun The D.A. said he was the one Who did the deed And the all-white jury agreed Rubin Carter was falsely tried The crime was murder “one,” Guess who testified? Bello and Bradley and they both baldly lied And the newspapers, they all went along for the ride How can the life of such a man Be in the palm of some fool’s hand? To see him obviously framed Couldn’t help but make me feel ashamed To live in a land Where justice is a game Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties Are free to drink Martinis And watch the sun rise While Rubin sits like Buddha In a ten-foot cell An innocent man in a living hell Yes that’s the story of the Hurricane But it won’t be over till they clear his name And give him back the time he’s done Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been The champion of the world
Well, it aint no use to sit and wonder why, babe Ifn you dont know by now And it aint no use to sit and wonder why, babe Itll never do somehow When your rooster crows at the break of dawn Look out your window and Ill be gone Youre the reason Im a-traveling on But dont think twice, its all right And it aint no use in a-turning on your light, babe The light I never knowed And it aint no use in turning on your light, babe Im on the dark side of the road But I wish there was something you would do or say To try and make me change my mind and stay But we never did too much talking anyway But dont think twice, its all right So it aint no use in calling out my name, gal Like you never done before And it aint no use in calling out my name, gal I cant hear you anymore Im a-thinking and a-wondering, walking down the road I once loved a woman, a child, Im told I give her my heart but she wanted my soul But dont think twice, its all right So long, honey babe Where Im bound, I cant tell Goodbyes too good a word, babe So Ill just say, Fare thee well I aint a-saying you treated me unkind You couldve done better, but I dont mind You just kinda wasted my precious time But dont think twice, its all right
Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me Im not sleepy and there is no place Im going to Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me In the jingle jangle mornin Ill come followin you Though I know that evenings empire has returned into sand Vanished from my hand Left me blindly here to stand, but still not sleeping My weariness amazes me, I am branded on my feet I have no one to meet And my ancient empty streets too dead for dreaming Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me Im not sleepy and there is no place Im going to Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me In the jingle jangle mornin Ill come followin you Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin ship My senses have been stripped, my hands cant feel to grip My toes too numb to step, wait only for my boot heels To be wandering Im ready to go anywhere, Im ready for to fade Into my own parade, cast your dancin spell my way I promise to go under it Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me Im not sleepy and there is no place Im going to Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me In the jingle jangle mornin Ill come followin you Though you might hear laughing, spinning, swinging madly across the sun Its not aimed at anyone, its just escaping on the run And but for the sky there are no fences facing And if you hear vague traces of skipping reels of rhyme To your tambourine in time, its just a ragged clown behind I wouldnt pay it any mind Its just a shadow youre seeing that hes chasing Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me Im not sleepy and there is no place Im going to Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me In the jingle jangle mornin Ill come followin you And take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves Let me forget about today until tomorrow Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me Im not sleepy and there is no place Im going to Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me In the jingle jangle mornin Ill come followin you
Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son? And where have you been, my darling young one? I’ve stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains I’ve walked and I’ve crawled on six crooked highways I’ve stepped in the middle of seven sad forests I’ve been out in front of a dozen dead oceans I’ve been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard It’s a hard rain’s a-going to fall Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son? And what did you see, my darling young one? I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it I saw a black branch with blood that kept dripping I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleeding I saw a white ladder all covered with water I saw ten-thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, and it’s a hard It’s a hard rain’s a-going to 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 that roared out a warning I heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world I heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazing I heard ten-thousand whispering and nobody listening I heard one person starve, I heard many people laughing I heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter I heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard It’s a hard rain’s a-going to fall Oh, what did you meet, my blue-eyed son? And who did you meet, my darling young one? I met a young child beside a dead pony I met a white man who walked a black dog I met a young woman, her body was burning I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow I met one man who was wounded in love I met another man who was wounded in hatred And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard It’s a hard rain’s a-going to fall And what will you do now, my blue-eyed son? And what will you do now, my darling young one? I’m a-going back out ’fore the rain starts a-falling I’ll walk to the depths of the deepest dark forest Where the people are many and their hands are all empty Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison And the executioner’s face is always well hidden Where hunger is ugly, where the souls are forgotten Where black is the color, where none is the number And I’ll tell it, and speak it, and think it, and breathe it And reflect from the mountain so all souls can see it Then I’ll stand on the ocean until I start sinking But I’ll know my song well before I start singing And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, and it’s a hard It’s a hard rain’s a-going to fall
Heading down south to the land of the pines Im thumbing my way into North Caroline Staring up the road and pray to God I see headlights I made it down the coast in seventeen hours Picking me a bouquet of dogwood flowers And Im a-hoping for Raleigh, I can see my baby tonight So rock me mama like a wagon wheel Rock me mama any way you feel Hey mama rock me Rock me mama like the wind and the rain Rock me mama like a south bound train Hey mama rock me Running from the cold up in New England I was born to be a fiddler in an old time string band My baby plays a guitar, I pick a banjo now Oh, north country winters keep a-getting me down Lost my money playing poker so I had to leave town But I aint turning back to living that old life no more So rock me mama like a wagon wheel Rock me mama any way you feel Hey mama rock me Rock me mama like the wind and the rain Rock me mama like a south bound train Hey mama rock me Walking to the south out of Roanoke I caught a trucker out of Philly had a nice long toke But hes a heading west from the Cumberland gap To Johnson City, Tennessee And I got to get a move on before the sun I hear my baby calling my name and I know that shes the only one And if I die in Raleigh at least I will die free So rock me mama like a wagon wheel Rock me mama any way you feel Hey mama rock me Oh rock me mama like the wind and the rain Rock me mama like a south bound train Hey hey mama rock me So rock me mama like a wagon wheel Rock me mama any way you feel Hey hey mama rock me Mama rock me Mama rock me Rock me mama like the wind and the rain Rock me mama like a south bound train Hey hey mama rock me You can rock me Rock me
Johnnys in the basement, mixin up the medicine Im on the pavement, thinkin about the government The man in a trench coat, badge out, laid off Says hes got a bad cough, wants to get it paid off Look out kid, its somethin you did God knows when, but youre doin it again You better duck down the alleyway, looking for a new friend The man in the coon-skin cap in a pig pen Wants 11 dollar bills – you only got 10 Maggie comes fleet foot, face full of black soot Talkin that the heat put plants in the bed, but Phones tapped anyway Maggie says the many say They must bust in early May Orders from the D.A Look out kid, dont matter what you did Walk on your tip toes, don’t tie no bows Better stay away from those that carry around a fire hose Keep a clean nose, watch the plainclothes You dont need a weather man to know which way the wind blows Oh, get sick, get well, hang around a ink well Hang bail, hard to tell if anything is gonna sell Try hard, get barred, get back, ride rail Get jailed, jump bail, join the Army if you fail Look out kid, youre gonna get hit By losers, cheaters, six-time users Hanging round the theaters Girl by the whirlpools looking for a new fool Dont follow leaders, a-watch the parking meters Oh, get born, keep warm Short pants, romance Learn to dance, get dressed Get blessed, try to be a success Please her, please him, buy gifts Dont steal, dont lift 20 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 Dont wear sandals, try to avoid the scandals Dont want to be a bum, you better chew gum The pump dont work cause the vandals took the handles
Theyre selling postcards of the hanging Theyre painting the passports brown The beauty parlor is filled with sailors The circus is in town Here comes the blind commissioner Theyve got him in a trance One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker The other is in his pants And the riot squad, theyre 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, hes moaning You Belong to Me, I Believe And someone says, Youre in the wrong place, my friend Youd better leave And the only sound thats 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, hes dressing Hes getting ready for the show Hes going to the carnival tonight On Desolation Row Ophelia, shes 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 professions her religion Her sin is her lifelessness And though her eyes are fixed upon Noahs great rainbow She spends her time peeking Into Desolation Row Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood With his memories in a trunk Passed this way an hour ago With his friend, a jealous monk Now he looked so immaculately frightful As he bummed a cigarette Then he went off sniffing drainpipes And reciting the alphabet You would not think to look at him But he was famous long ago For playing the electric violin On Desolation Row Dr. Filth, he keeps his world Inside of a leather cup But all his sexless patients Theyre trying to blow it up Now his nurse, some local loser Shes in charge of the cyanide hole And she also keeps the cards that read Have mercy on his soul They all play on the pennywhistle You can hear them blow If you lean your head out far enough From Desolation Row Across the street theyve nailed the curtains Theyre getting ready for the feast The Phantom of the Opera In a perfect image of a priest They are spoon feeding Casanova To get him to feel more assured Then theyll kill him with self-confidence After poisoning him with words And the Phantoms shouting to skinny girls Get outta here if you dont know Casanova is just being punished for going To Desolation Row At midnight all the agents And the superhuman crew Come out and round up everyone That knows more than they do Then they bring them to the factory Where the heart attack machine Is strapped across their shoulders And then the kerosene Is brought down from the castles By insurance men who go Check to see that nobody is escaping To Desolation Row Praise be to Neros Neptune The Titanic sails at dawn Everybodys shouting Which side are you on? And Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot Fighting in the captains 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 doorknob broke When you asked me how I was doing Was that some kinda joke? All these people that you mention Yes, I know them, theyre quite lame I had to rearrange their faces And give them all another name Right now, I cant read too good Dont send me no more letters, no Not unless you mail them From Desolation Row
Early one morning the sun was shining I was laying in bed Wondering if shed changed at all If her hair was still red Her folks they said our lives together Sure was going to be rough They never did like Mamas homemade dress Papas bankbook wasnt 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 Ive paid some dues Getting through Tangled up in blue She was married when we first met Soon to be divorced I helped her out of a jam, I guess But I used a little too much force We drove that car as far as we could Abandoned it out West Split up on a dark sad night Both agreeing it was best She turned around to look at me As I was walking away I heard her say over my shoulder Well meet again someday On the avenue Tangled up in blue I had a job in the great north woods Working as a cook for a spell But I never did like it all that much And one day the ax just fell So I drifted down to New Orleans Where I lucky was to be employed Working for a while on a fishing boat Right outside of Delacroix But all the while I was alone The past was close behind I seen a lot of women But she never escaped my mind And I just grew Tangled up in blue She was working in a topless place And I stopped in for a beer I just kept looking at the side of her face In the spotlight, so clear And later on, when the crowd thinned out I was just about to do the same She was standing there, in back of my chair Said to me Tell me, dont 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 youd 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 it finally, the bottom fell out I became withdrawn The only thing I knew how to do Was to keep on keeping on Like a bird that flew Tangled up in blue So now Im going back again I got to get to her somehow All the people we used to know Theyre an illusion to me now Some are mathematicians Some are carpenters wives Dont know how it all got started I dont know what theyre doing with their lives But me, Im still on the road A-heading for another joint We always did feel the same We just saw it from a different point Of view Tangled up in blue
Ooh, ooh Ooh, ooh Mama, take this badge off of me I can’t use it anymore It’s getting dark, too dark to see I feel I’m knockin upon heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin on heavens door Mama, put my guns in the ground I can’t shoot them anymore That long black cloud is coming down I feel I’m knockin on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin on heaven’s door Knock, knock, knockin on heavens door Ooh, ooh Ooh, ooh
Come, you masters of war You that build the big guns You that build the death planes You that build all the bombs You that hide behind walls You that hide behind desks I just want you to know I can see through your masks You that never done nothing But build to destroy You play with my world Like its 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 While the death count gets higher You hide in your mansion While the young peoples blood Flows out of their bodies And is buried in the mud Youve thrown the worst fear That can ever be hurled Fear to bring children Into the world For threatening my baby Unborn and unnamed You aint worth the blood That runs in your veins How much do I know To talk out of turn? You might say that Im young You might say Im unlearned But theres one thing I know Though Im younger than you That even Jesus would never Forgive what you do Let me ask you one question Is your money that good? Will it buy you forgiveness? Do you think that it could? I think you will find When your death takes its toll All the money you made Will never buy back your soul And I hope that you die And your death will come soon I will follow your casket By the pale afternoon And Ill watch while youre lowered Down to your deathbed And Ill stand over your grave Til Im sure that youre dead
Well its all right, riding around in the breeze Well its all right, if you live the life you please Well its all right, doing the best you can Well its all right, as long as you lend a hand You can sit around and wait for the phone to ring Waiting for someone to tell you everything Sit around and wonder what tomorrow will bring Maybe a diamond ring Well its all right, even if they say youre wrong Well its all right, sometimes you gotta be strong Well its all right, as long as you got somewhere to lay Well its all right, everyday is Judgement Day Maybe somewhere down the road away Youll think of me, and wonder where I am these days Maybe somewhere down the road when somebody plays Purple haze Well its all right, even when push comes to shove Well its all right, if you got someone to love Well its all right, everythingll work out fine Well its all right, were going to the end of the line Dont have to be ashamed of the car I drive Im just glad to be here, happy to be alive It dont matter if youre by my side Im satisfied Well its all right, even if youre old and grey Well its all right, you still got something to say Well its all right, remember to live and let live Well its all right, the best you can do is forgive Well its all right, riding around in the breeze Well its all right, if you live the life you please Well its all right, even if the sun dont shine Well its all right, were going to the end of the line
Darkness at the break of noon Shadows even the silver spoon The handmade blade, the childs 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, proves to warn That he not busy being born Is busy dying Temptations 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 youd just be one more Person crying So dont fear if you hear A foreign sound to your ear Its alright, Ma, Im 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 dont hate nothing at all Except hatred Disillusioned words like bullets bark As human gods aim for their mark Make everything from toy guns that spark To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark Its easy to see without lookin too far That not much is really sacred While preachers preach of evil fates Teachers teach that knowledge waits Can lead to hundred-dollar plates Goodness hides behind its gates But even the President of the United States Sometimes must have to stand naked And though the rules of the road have been lodged Its only peoples games that you got to dodge And its alright, Ma, I can make it Advertising signs that con You into thinking youre the one That can do whats never been done That can win whats never been won Meantime, life outside goes on All around you You lose yourself, you reappear You suddenly find you got nothing to fear Alone you stand with nobody near When a trembling distant voice, unclear Startles your sleeping ears to hear That somebody thinks they really found you A question in your nerves is lit Yet you know there is no answer fit To satisfy, ensure you not to quit To keep it in your mind and not forget That it is not he, or she, or them, or it That you belong to But though the masters make the rules For the wise men and the fools I got nothing, Ma, to live up to For them that must obey authority That they do not respect in any degree Who despise their jobs, their destiny Speak jealously of them that are free Do what they do just to be Nothing more than something they invest in While some on principles baptized To strict party platform ties Social clubs in drag disguise Outsiders they can freely criticize Tell nothing except who to idolize And say God bless him While one who sings with his tongue on fire Gargles in the rat race choir Bent out of shape from societys pliers Cares not to come up any higher But rather get you down in the hole That hes in But I mean no harm, nor put fault On anyone that lives in a vault But its alright, Ma, if I cant please him Old lady judges watch people in pairs Limited in sex, they dare To push fake morals, insult and stare While money doesnt talk, it swears Obscenity, who really cares Propaganda, all is phony While them that defend what they cannot see With a killers pride, security It blows the minds most bitterly For them that think deaths honesty Wont fall upon em naturally Life sometimes must get lonely My eyes collide head-on with stuffed Graveyards, false goals, I scuff At pettiness which plays so rough Walk upside down inside handcuffs Kick my legs to crash it off Say, okay, Ive had enough What else can you show me? And if my thought-dreams could be seen Theyd probably put my head in a guillotine But its alright, Ma, its life, and life only
If you’re travelin in the north country fair Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline Remember me to one who lives there For she once was a true love of mine If you go when the snowflakes storm When the rivers freeze and summer ends Please see if she has a coat so warm To keep her from the howling winds Please see if her hair hangs long If it rolls and flows all down her breast Please see for me if her hairs hangin long For that’s the way I remember her best I’m a-wondering if she remembers me at all Many times I’ve often prayed In the darkness of my night In the brightness of my day So if you’re travelin the north country fair Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline Remember me to one who lives there For she once was a true love of mine
You must leave now Take what you need, you think will last But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast Yonder stands your orphan with his gun Crying like a fire in the sun Look out, the saints are coming through And its all over now, Baby Blue The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense Take what you have gathered from coincidence The empty handed painter from your streets Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets The sky, too, is folding under you And its 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 its all over now, Baby Blue Leave your stepping stones behind Theres something that calls for you Forget the dead youve left They will not follow you The vagabond whos rapping at your door Is standing in the clothes that you once wore Strike another match, go start anew And its all over now, Baby Blue
The pale moon rose in its glory Out oer the Western town She told a sad, sad story Of the great ship that went down Twas the fourteenth day of April Over the waves she rode Sailing into tomorrow To a gilded age foretold The night was black with starlight The seas were sharp and clear Moving through the shadows The promised hour was near Lights were holding steady Gliding over the foam All the lords and ladies Heading for their eternal home The chandeliers were swaying From the balustrades above The orchestra was playing Songs of faded love The watchman, he lay dreaming As the ballroom dancers twirled He dreamed the Titanic was sinking Into the underworld Leo took his sketchbook He was often so inclined He closed his eyes and painted The scenery in his mind Cupid struck his bosom And broke it with a snap The closest woman to him He fell into her lap He heard a loud commotion Something sounded wrong His inner spirit was saying That he couldnt stand here long He staggered to the quarterdeck No time now to sleep Water on the quarterdeck Already three foot deep Smokestack was leaning sideways Heavy feet began to pound He walked into the whirlwind Sky splitting all around The ship was going under The universe had opened wide The roll was called up yonder The angels turned aside Lights down in the hallway Flickering dim and dull Dead bodies already floating In the double bottom hull The engines then exploded Propellers they failed to start The boilers overloaded The ships bow split apart Passengers were flying Backward, forward, far and fast They mumbled, fumbled, and tumbled Each one more weary than the last The veil was torn asunder Tween the hours of twelve and one No change, no sudden wonder Could undo what had been done The watchman lay there dreaming At forty-five degrees He dreamed that the Titanic was sinking Dropping to her knees Wellington he was sleeping His bed began to slide His valiant heart was beating He pushed the tables aside Glass of shattered crystal Lay scattered roundabout He strapped on both his pistols How long could he hold out? His men and his companions Were nowhere to be seen In silence there he waited for Time and space to intervene The passageway was narrow There was blackness in the air He saw every kind of sorrow Heard voices everywhere Alarm-bells were ringing To hold back the swelling tide Friends and lovers clinging To each other side by side Mothers and their daughters Descending down the stairs Jumped into the icy waters Love and pity sent their prayers The rich man, Mister Astor Kissed his darling wife He had no way of knowing Be the last trip of his life Calvin, Blake, and Wilson Gambled in the dark Not one of them would ever live to Tell the tale or disembark Brother rose up gainst brother In every circumstance They fought and slaughtered each other In a deadly dance They lowered down the lifeboats From the sinking wreck There were traitors, there were turncoats Broken backs and broken necks The bishop left his cabin To help all those in need Turned his eyes up to the heavens Said, The poor are yours to feed Davey the brothel-keeper Came out dismissed his girls Saw the water getting deeper Saw the changing of his world Jim Backus smiled He never learned to swim Saw the little crippled child And he gave his seat to him He saw the starlight shining Streaming from the East Death was on the rampage But his heart was now at peace They battened down the hatches But the hatches wouldnt hold They drowned upon the staircase Of brass and polished gold Leo said to Cleo I think Im going mad But hed lost his mind already Whatever mind he had He tried to block the doorway To save all those from harm Blood from an open wound Pouring down his arm Petals fell from flowers Tell all of them were gone In the long and dreadful hours The wizards curse played on The host was pouring brandy He was going down slow He stayed right to the end and he Was the last to go There were many, many others Nameless here forever more They never sailed the ocean Or left their homes before The watchman, he lay dreaming The damage had been done He dreamed the Titanic was sinking And he tried to tell someone The captain, barely breathing Kneeling at the wheel Above him and beneath him Fifty thousand tons of steel He looked over at his compass And he gazed into its face Needle pointing downward He knew he lost the race In the dark illumination He remembered bygone years He read the Book of Revelation And he filled his cup with tears When the Reapers task had ended Sixteen hundred had gone to rest The good, the bad, the rich, the poor The loveliest and the best They waited at the landing And they tried to understand But there is no understanding For the judgment of Gods hand The news came over the wires And struck with deadly force The love had lost its fires All things had run their course The watchman he lay dreaming Of all the things that can be He dreamed the Titanic was sinking Into the deep blue sea
Aint it just like the night to play Tricks when youre trying to be so quiet? We sit here stranded Though were all doing our best to deny it And Louise holds a handful of rain, tempting you to defy it Lights flicker from the opposite loft In this room the heat pipes just cough The country music station plays soft But theres nothing, really nothing to turn off Just Louise and her lover so entwined And these visions of Johanna that conquer my mind In the empty lot where the ladies play Blindmans 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 its him or them thats insane Louise, shes all right, shes just near Shes delicate and seems like the mirror But she just makes it all too concise and too clear That Johannas not here The ghost of lectricity howls in the bones of her face Where these visions of Johanna have now taken my place Now, little boy lost, he takes himself so seriously He brags of his misery, he likes to live dangerously And when bringing her name up He speaks of a farewell kiss to me Hes sure got a lotta gall To be so useless and all Muttering small talk at the wall while Im in the hall Oh, how can I explain? Its so hard to get on And these visions of Johanna, they kept me up past the dawn Inside the museums, Infinity goes up on trial Voices echo, This is what salvation must be like after a while But Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues You can tell by the way she smiles See the primitive wallflower freeze When the jelly-faced women all sneeze Hear the one with the mustache say, Jeez, I cant 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 whos pretending to care for him Sayin, Name me someone thats not a parasite And Ill go out and say a prayer for him But like Louise always says You cant look at much, can you, man? As she, herself, prepares for him And Madonna, she still has not showed We see this empty cage now corrode Where her cape of the stage once had flowed The fiddler, he now steps to the road He writes everythings 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
You walk into the room With your pencil in your hand You see somebody naked And you, you say, Who is that man? You try so hard But you dont understand Just what you will say When you get home Because something is happening here But ya dont 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 Its his And you say, Whats mine? And somebody else says, Well, what is? And you say, Oh my God, am I here all alone? But something is happening here But ya dont 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 ya dont 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 organization Aw, youve been with the professors And theyve all liked your looks With great lawyers you have Discussed lepers and crooks Youve been through all of F. Scott Fitzgeralds books You are very well read Its well known But something is happening here But ya dont 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 something is happening here But ya dont 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 Youre a cow Give me some milk or else go home And you know something is happening here But ya dont 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 oughtta be a law Against you comin around You should be made To wear earphones Cause something is happening here But ya dont know what it is Do you, Mister Jones?
Today, and tomorrow, and yesterday, too The flowers are dyin like all things do Follow me close, I’m going to Bally-na-Lee Ill lose my mind if you dont come with me I fuss with my hair, and I fight blood feuds I contain multitudes Got a tell-tale heart like Mr. Poe Got skeletons in the walls of people you know I’ll drink to the truth and the things we said Ill drink to the man that shares your bed I paint landscapes, and I paint nudes I contain multitudes A red Cadillac and a black mustache Rings on my fingers that sparkle and flash Tell me, whats next? What shall we do? Half my soul, baby, belongs to you I rollick and I frolic with all the young dudes I contain multitudes Im just like Anne Frank, like Indiana Jones And them British bad boys, the Rolling Stones I go right to the edge, I go right to the end I go right where all things lost are made good again I sing the songs of experience like William Blake I have no apologies to make Everythings flowing all at the same time I live on a boulevard of crime I drive fast cars, and I eat fast foods I contain multitudes Pink pedal-pushers, red blue jeans All the pretty maids, and all the old queens All the old queens from all my past lives I carry four pistols and two large knives Im a man of contradictions, Im a man of many moods I contain multitudes You greedy old wolf, Ill show you my heart But not all of it, only the hateful parts I’ll sell you down the river, I’ll put a price on your head What more can I tell you? I sleep with life and death in the same bed Get lost, madame, get up off my knee Keep your mouth away from me Ill keep the path open, the path in my mind I’ll see to it that theres no love left behind Ill play Beethovens sonatas, Chopin’s preludes I contain multitudes
Twas in another lifetime One of toil and blood When blackness was a virtue The road was full of mud I came in from the wilderness A creature void of form Come in, she said, Ill give ya Shelter from the storm And if I pass this way again You can rest assured Ill 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, Ill give ya 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 its always safe and warm Come in, she said, Ill give ya 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, Ill give ya 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, Ill give ya Shelter from the storm Now theres a wall between us Something theres been lost I took too much for granted I got my signals crossed Just to think that it all began On an uneventful morn Come in, she said, Ill give ya Shelter from the storm Well the deputy walks on hard nails And the preacher rides a mount But nothing really matters much Its doom alone that counts And the one-eyed undertaker He blows a futile horn Come in, she said, Ill give ya Shelter from the storm Ive heard newborn babies wailing Like a mourning dove And old men with broken teeth Stranded without love Do I understand your question, then Is it hopeless and forlorn Come in, she said, Ill give ya Shelter from the storm In a little hilltop village They gambled for my clothes I bargained for salvation And she gave me a lethal dose I offered up my innocence And I got repaid with scorn Come in, she said, Ill give ya Shelter from the storm Well, Im living in a foreign country But Im bound to cross the line Beauty walks a razors edge Someday Ill make it mine If I could only turn back the clock To when God and her were born Come in, she said, Ill give ya Shelter from the storm
A tear goes down my day is real But your drying eye upon the shame Each needs a road for me from you What paradise? what can I do? That die for my and the day is dark I can’t believe for your touch What I could find oh time is right If I fell in love to fall in love To fall in love with you The day is dark, our time is right Day in the night deep in the night I can’t yet be back I heard my- surprise I see it in your lips I knew it in your eyes Well I feel your love and I feel no shame I can’t unleash your horde I call your name What you’re to me what can I do? To fall in love to fall in love To fall in love with you It just rolls upon the sand Ever this for now I’m made a man Can make you see what I can find I know it in my days ah in my daily mind Oh will ages roll will ages fly? I hear your name where angels lie What do I know? for to come it’s true To fall in love To fall in love To fall in love with you How can the doors trust on a nail? How can I be surprised of most every day? In the distant road I can’t be the same I feel no love I feel no shame I can’t watch the bay out on my own We’ve a destined man I can attest it all I didn’t I could find where I could go To fall in love to fall in love To fall in love with you
Headed down south to the land of the pines Im thumbin my way to North Caroline Starin up the road And pray to God I see headlights I made it down the coast in seventeen hours Pickin me a bouquet of dogwood flowers And Im a-hopin for Raleigh I can see my baby tonight So, rock me mama like a wagon wheel Rock me mama any way you feel Hey, mama rock me Rock me mama like the wind and the rain Rock me mama like a south-bound train Hey, mama rock me Runnin from the cold up in New England I was born to be a fiddler in an old-time string band My baby plays the guitar I pick a banjo now Ah, the north country winters keep a-gettin me And I lost my money playin poker so I had to up and leave But I aint a-turnin back To livin that old life no more So, rock me mama like a wagon wheel Rock me mama any way you feel Hey, mama rock me Rock me mama like the wind and the rain Rock me mama like a south-bound train Hey, mama rock me Walkin due south out of Roanoke I caught a trucker out of Philly Had a nice long toke But hes a-headed west from the Cumberland Gap To Johnson City, Tennessee And I gotta get a move on before the sun I hear my baby callin my name And I know that shes the only one And if I die in Raleigh At least I will die free So, rock me mama like a wagon wheel Rock me mama any way you feel Hey, mama rock me Rock me mama like the wind and the rain Rock me mama like a south-bound train Hey, mama rock me
Oh, I’m sailin away my own true love I’m a-sailin away in the morning Is there somethin 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 Im a-wishing to be ownin Just a-carry yourself back to me unspoiled From across that lonesome ocean Ah, but I just thought you might want somethin fine Made of silver or of golden Either from the mountains of Madrid Or from the coast of Barcelona Well, if I had the stars 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 a-wishin to be ownin Well I might be gone a long old time And it’s only that I’m asking Is there somethin I can send you to remember me by To make your time more easy passing Oh, how can, how can you ask me again It only brings me sorrow The same thing I would want today I want again tomorrow I got a letter on a lonesome day It was from her ship a-sailin Sayin I don’t know when I’ll be comin back again It depends on how I’m a-feelin If a-you, my love, must think that-a-way I’m sure your mind is a-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 winds Take heed of the stormy weather And yes, there’s somethin you can send back to me Spanish boots of Spanish leather
Crimson flames tied through my ears Rolling high and mighty traps Pounced with fire on flaming roads Using ideas as my maps “We’ll meet on edges, soon,” said I Proud neath heated brow Ah, but I was so much older then I’m younger than that now Half-wracked prejudice leaped forth “Rip down all hate,” I screamed Lies that life is black and white Spoke from my skull, I dreamed Romantic facts of musketeers Foundationed deep, somehow Ah, but I was so much older then I’m younger than that now Girls’ faces formed the forward path From phony jealousy To memorizing politics Of ancient history Flung down by corpse evangelists Un-thought of, though, somehow Ah, but I was so much older then I’m younger than that now A self-ordained professor’s tongue Too serious to fool Spouted out that liberty Is just equality in school “Equality,” I spoke the word As if a wedding vow Ah, but I was so much older then I’m younger than that now In a soldier’s stance, I aimed my hand At the mongrel dogs who teach Fearing not 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
Lay, lady, lay Lay across my big brass bed Lay, lady, lay Lay across my big brass bed Whatever colors you have in your mind I’ll show them to you and you’ll see them shine Lay, lady, lay Lay across my big brass bed Stay, lady, stay Stay with your man awhile Until the break of day, let me see ya make him smile His clothes are dirty but his, his hands are clean And you’re the best thing that he’s ever seen Stay, lady, stay Stay with your man awhile Why wait any longer for the world to begin You can have your cake and eat it too Why wait any longer for the one you love When he’s standing in front of you Lay, lady, lay Lay across my big brass bed Stay, lady, stay Stay while the night is still ahead I long to see you in the morning light I long to reach for you in the night Stay, lady, stay Stay while the night is still ahead
Someone’s got it in for me They’re planting stories in the press Whoever it is I wish they’d cut it out quick But when they will I can only guess They say I shot a man named Gray And took his wife to Italy She inherited a million bucks And when she died it came to me I can’t help it if I’m lucky People see me all the time And they just can’t remember how to act Their minds are filled with big ideas Images and distorted facts Even you, yesterday You had to ask me where it was at I couldn’t believe after all these years You didn’t know me any better than that Sweet lady Idiot wind Blowing every time you move your mouth Blowing down the backroads heading south Idiot wind Blowing every time you move your teeth You’re an idiot, babe It’s a wonder that you still know how to breathe I ran into the fortune-teller Who said beware of lightning that might strike I haven’t known peace and quiet For so long, I can’t remember what it’s like There’s a lone soldier on the cross Smoke pouring out of a boxcar door You didn’t know it, you didn’t think it could be done In the final end he won the war After losing every battle I woke up on the roadside Daydreaming 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 the Capitol Idiot wind Blowing every time you move your teeth You’re an idiot, babe It’s a wonder that you still know how to breathe I can’t feel you anymore I can’t even touch the books you’ve read Every time I crawl past your door I been wishing Ive been somebody else instead Down the highway, down the tracks Down the road to ecstasy I followed you beneath the stars Hounded by your memory And all your raging glory I been double-crossed now For the very last time and now I’m finally free I kissed goodbye the howling beast On the borderline which separated you from me You’ll never know the hurt I suffered Nor the pain I rise above And I’ll never know the same about you Your holiness or your kind of love And it makes me feel so sorry Idiot wind Blowing through the buttons of our 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
Nobody feels any pain Tonight as I stand inside the rain Everybody knows that babys got new clothes But lately I see her ribbons and her bows Have fallen from her curls She takes just like a woman, yeah she does She makes love just like a woman, yeah she does And she aches just like a woman But she breaks just like a little girl Queen Mary, shes my friend Yes, I believe Ill go see her again Nobody has to guess that baby cant be blessed Til she finally sees that shes like all the rest With her fog, her amphetamine and her pearls She takes just like a woman, yes She makes love just like a woman, yeah she does And she aches just like a woman But she breaks just like a little girl Yeah, it was raining from the first And I was dying there of thirst So I came in here And your long-time curse hurts But whats worse Is this pain in here I cant stay in here Aint it clear that I just cant fit Yes, I believe its time for us to quit But when we meet again, introduced as friends Please dont 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 ya break just like a little girl
They sat together in the park As the evening sky grew dark She looked at him and he felt a spark Tingle to his bones Twas then he felt alone And wished that hed 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 wakin 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 didnt see her anywhere He told himself he didnt 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 shell pick him out again How long must he wait? One more time, for a simple twist of fate People tell me its a sin To know and feel too much within I still believe she was my twin But I lost the ring She was born in spring But I was born too late Blame it on a simple twist of fate
When I set my eyes on you Gonna keep you out of town at night When I set my eyes on you Not gonna be outta my sight And now you know Everywhere on earth you go Youre gonna have me as your man When I get my hands on you Gonna make you carry me When I get my hands on you Gonna make you marry me And now you know Everywhere on earth you go Youre gonna have me as your man When I come home to you Gonna take you down to the riverside When I come home to you Hold you in my arms all night And now you know Everywhere on earth you go Youre gonna have me as your man And now you know Everywhere on earth you go Youre gonna have me as your man
Been beat up and battered around Been sent up, and Ive been shot down Youre the best thing that Ive ever found Handle me with care Reputations changeable Situations tolerable But, baby, youre adorable Handle me with care Im so tired of being lonely I still have some love to give Wont you show me that you really care? Everybodys got somebody to lean on Put your body next to mine, and dream on Ive been fobbed off, and Ive been fooled Ive been robbed and ridiculed In daycare centers and night schools Handle me with care Been stuck in airports, terrorized Sent to meetings, hypnotized Overexposed, commercialized Handle me with care Im so tired of being lonely I still have some love to give Wont you show me that you really care? Everybodys got somebody to lean on Put your body next to mine, and dream on Ive been uptight and it made a mess But Ill clean it up myself, I guess Oh, the sweet smell of success Handle me with care
Oh God said to Abraham, “Kill me a son” Abe said, “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 said, “Where you want this killin done?” God said, “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 Oh Howard just pointed with his gun And said, That way, down Highway 61 Well Mack the Finger said to Louie the King I got forty red, white and blue shoestrings And a thousand telephones that don’t ring Do you know where I can get rid of these things? And Louie the King said Let me think for a minute son And he said Yes, I think it can be easily done Just take everything down to Highway 61 Now the fifth daughter on the twelfth night Told the first father that things weren’t right My complexion she says is much too white He said Come here and step into the light He says Hmm you’re right Let me tell the second mother this has been done But the second mother was with the seventh son And they were both out on Highway 61 Now the rovin gambler he was very bored 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
Go away from my window Leave at your own chosen speed I’m not the one you want, babe I’m not the one you need You say youre looking for someone Whos never weak but always strong To protect you and defend you Whether you are right or wrong Someone to open each and every door But it aint me, babe No, no, no, it aint me, babe It aint me you’re looking for, babe Go lightly from the ledge, babe Go lightly on the ground I’m not the one you want, babe I will only let you down You say youre looking for someone Who will promise never to part Someone to close his eyes for you Someone to close his heart Someone who will die for you and more But it aint me, babe No, no, no, it aint me, babe It aint me you’re looking for, babe Go melt back in the night Everything inside is made of stone Theres nothing in here moving And anyway Im not alone You say youre lookin for someone Wholl pick you up each time you fall To gather flowers constantly And to come each time you call A lover for your life and nothing more But it aint me, babe No, no, no, it aint me, babe It aint me you’re looking for, babe
The sweet pretty things are in bed now of course The city fathers they’re trying to endorse The reincarnation of Paul Revere’s horse But the town has no need to be nervous The ghost of Belle Starr she hands down her wits To Jezebel the nun she violently knits A bald wig for Jack the Ripper who sits At the head of the chamber of commerce Mama’s in the factory She aint got no shoes Daddy’s in the alley He’s lookin for food I am 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 And says, “My advice is to not let the boys in” Now the medicine man comes and he shuffles inside He walks with a swagger and he says to the bride “Stop all this weeping, swallow your pride You will not die, it’s not poison” Mama’s in the factory She aint got no shoes Daddy’s in the alley He’s lookin for food I’m in the kitchen With the tombstone blues Well, John the Baptist, after torturing a thief Looks up at his hero, the commander-in-chief Saying, “Tell me, great hero, but please make it brief Is there a hole for me to get sick in?” The commander-in-chief answers him while chasing a fly Saying, Death to all those who would whimper and cry And dropping a barbell, he points to the sky Saying, The sun’s not yellow, it’s chicken Mama’s in the factory She aint got no shoes Daddy’s in the alley He’s lookin for food I am in the kitchen With the tombstone blues The king of the Philistines his soldiers to save Puts jawbones on their tombstones and flatters their graves Puts the pied pipers in prison and fattens the slaves Then sends 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 aint got no shoes Daddy’s in the alley He’s lookin for food I’m in trouble With the tombstone blues The geometry of innocent flesh on the bone Causes Galileo’s math book to get thrown At Delilah whos sitting 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 aint got no shoes Daddy’s in the alley He’s lookin for food I am in the kitchen With the tombstone blues Where Ma Rainey and Beethoven once unwrapped their bedroll Tuba players now rehearse around the flagpole And the National Bank at a profit sells road maps for the soul To the old folks home and the college 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 aint got no shoes Daddy’s in the alley He’s lookin for food I am in the kitchen With the tombstone blues
The guilty undertaker sighs The lonesome organ grinder cries The silver saxophones say I should refuse you The cracked bells and washed-out horns Blow into my face with scorn But it’s not that way I wasn’t born to lose you I want you, I want you I want you, so bad Honey, I want you The drunken politician leaps Upon the street where mothers weep And the saviors who are fast asleep, they wait for you And I wait for them to interrupt Me drinking from my broken cup And ask me to Open up the gate for you I want you, I want you Yes I want you, so bad Honey, I want you How 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, Ill 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 it, because he lied And because he took you for a ride Uhm, because time was on his side And because I Want you, I want you Yes I want you, so bad Honey, I want you
Well, theyll stone you when youre tryin to be so good Theyll stone you just like they said they would Theyll stone you when youre trying to go home Then theyll stone you when youre there all alone But I would not feel so all alone Everybody must get stoned Well, theyll stone you when youre walking on the street Theyll stone you when youre trying to keep your seat Theyll stone you when youre walking on the floor Theyll stone you when youre walking through the door But I would not feel so all alone Everybody must get stoned Theyll stone you when youre at the breakfast table Theyll stone you when you are young and able Theyll stone you when youre trying to make a buck Theyll stone you and then theyll say, Good luck Yeah, but I would not feel so all alone Everybody must get stoned Well, theyll stone you and say that thats the end Then theyll stone you and then theyll come back again Theyll stone you when youre riding in your car Theyll stone you when youre playing your guitar Yes, but I would not feel so all alone Everybody must get stoned, alright Well, theyll stone you when you are all alone Theyll stone you when you are walking home Theyll stone you and then say theyre all brave Theyll stone you when youre sent down in your grave But I would not feel so all alone Everybody must get stoned
McKinley hollered, McKinley squalled Doctor said, McKinley, death is on the wall ‪Say it to me, if you got something to confess ‪I heard all about it, he was going down slow ‬ ‪I heard it on the wireless radio ‬ ‪From down in the boondocks way down in Key West ‪I’m searching for love, for inspiration ‬ ‪On that pirate radio station ‪Coming out of Luxembourg and Budapest ‬ ‪Radio signal, clear as can be ‪Im so deep in love that I can hardly see ‬ ‪Down on the flatlands, way down in Key West ‪Key West is the place to be ‬ ‪If youre looking for immortality ‬ ‪Stay on the road, follow the highway sign ‬ ‪Key West is fine and fair ‪If you lost your mind, you will find it there ‪Key West is on the horizon line ‪I was born on the wrong side of the railroad track ‪Like Ginsberg, Corso and Kerouac ‪Like Louis and Jimmy and Buddy and all the rest ‬ ‪Well, it might not be the thing to do ‬ ‪But Im sticking with you through and through ‬ ‪Down in the flatlands, way down in Key West ‪I got both my feet planted square on the ground ‬ ‪Got my right hand high with the thumb down ‬ ‪Such is life, such is happiness ‪Hibiscus flowers, they grow everywhere here ‪If you wear one, put it behind your ear ‪Down in the bottom, way down in Key West ‬ ‪Key West is the place to go ‪Down by the Gulf of Mexico ‬ ‪Beyond the sea, beyond the shifting sand ‪Key West is the gateway key ‬ ‪To innocence and purity ‬ ‪Key West, Key West is the enchanted land ‪Ive never lived in the land of Oz ‬ ‪Or wasted my time with an unworthy cause ‬ ‪It’s hot down here, and you cant be overdressed ‪Tiny blossoms of a toxic plant ‬ ‪They can make you dizzy, Id like to help you but I cant ‪Down in the flatlands, way down in Key West ‬ ‪Well, the Fishtail Palms, and the orchid trees ‪They can give you that bleeding heart disease ‪People tell me I ought to try a little tenderness ‬ ‪On Amelia Street, Bayview Park ‬ ‪Walking in the shadows after dark ‬ ‪Down under, way down in Key West ‬ ‪I played Gumbo Limbo spirituals ‪I know all the Hindu rituals ‬ ‪People tell me that Im truly blessed ‬ Bougainvillea blooming in the summer, in the spring Winter here is an unknown thing Down in the flat lands, way down in Key West Key West is under the sun, under the radar, under the gun You stay to the left, and then you lean to the right Feel the sunlight on your skin, and the healing virtues of the wind Key West, Key West is the land of light Wherever I travel, wherever I roam Im not that far from the convent home I do what I think is right, what I think is best Mystery Street off of Mallory Square Truman had his White House there East bound, West bound, way down in Key West Twelve years old, they put me in a suit Forced me to marry a prostitute There were gold fringes on her wedding dress Thats my story, but not where it ends Shes still cute, and were still friends Down on the bottom, way down in Key West I play both sides against the middle Trying to pick up that pirate radio signal I heard the news, I heard your last request Fly around, my pretty little Miss I dont love nobody, give me a kiss Down on the bottom, way down in Key West Key West is the place to be If youre looking for immortality Key West is paradise divine Key West is fine and fair If you lost your mind, youll find it there Key West is on the horizon line
Oh, the ragman draws circles Up and down the block Id ask him what the matter was But I know that he dont talk And the ladies treat me kindly And they furnish me with tape But deep inside my heart I know I cant escape Oh, Mama Can this really be the end? To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again Well, Shakespeare, hes 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 shes talked But the post office has been stolen And the mailbox is locked Oh, Mama Can this really be the end? To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again Mona tried to tell me To stay away from the train line She said that all the railroad men Just drink up your blood like wine And I said, Oh, I didnt know that But then again, theres only one Ive met And he just smoked my eyelids And punched my cigarette Oh, Mama Can this really be the end? To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again Grandpa died last week And now hes buried in the rocks But everybody still talks about How badly they were shocked But me, I expected it to happen I knew hed lost control When I sp— hed built a fire on Main Street And shot it full of holes Oh, Mama Can this really be the end? To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again Now the senator came down here Showing everyone his gun Handing out free tickets To the wedding of his son And me, I nearly got busted And wouldnt it be my luck To get caught without a ticket And be discovered beneath a truck Oh, Mama Is this really the end? To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again Now the tea preacher looked so baffled When I asked him why he dressed With twenty pounds of headlines Stapled to his chest But he cursed me when I proved to him Then I whispered, said, Not even you can hide You see, youre just like me I hope youre satisfied Oh, Mama Can this really be the end? To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again Now the rainman gave me two cures Then he said, Jump right in The one was Texas medicine The other was just railroad gin And like a fool I mixed them And it strangled up my mind And now people just get uglier And I have no sense of time Oh, Mama Can this really be the end? To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again Now when Ruthie says come see her In her honky-tonk lagoon Where I can watch her waltz for free Neath her Panamanian moon And I say, Aw, come on now You know you know about my debutante And she says, Your debutante just knows what you need But I know what you want Oh, Mama Can this really be the end? To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again Now the bricks lay on Grand Street Where the neon madmen climb They all fall there so perfectly It all seems so well timed And here I sit so patiently Waiting to find out what price You have to pay to get out of Going through all these things twice Oh, Mama Is this really the end? To be stuck here inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing Blowing like its gonna sweep my world away I wanna stop at Carbondale and keep on going That Duquesne train gon ride me night and day You say Im a gambler, you say Im a pimp But I aint neither one Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing Sounding like its on a final run Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing Blowing like she never blowed before Blue light blinking, red light glowing Blowing like shes at my chamber door You smiling through the fence at me Just like you always smiled before Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing Blowing like she aint gon blow no more Cant you hear that Duquesne whistle blowing? Blowing like the skys gonna blow apart Youre the only thing alive that keeps me going Youre like a time bomb in my heart I can hear a sweet voice steadily calling Must be the mother of our Lord Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing Blowing like my womans on board Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing Blowing like its gon blow my blues away You old rascal, I know exactly where youre going Ill lead you there myself at the break of day I wake up every morning with that woman in my bed Everybody telling me shes gone to my head Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing Blowing like its gon kill me dead Cant you hear that Duquesne whistle blowing? Blowing through another no good town The lights on my native land are glowing I wonder if theyll know me next time round I wonder if that old oak trees still standing That old oak tree, the one we used to climb Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing Blowing like shes blowing right on time
All through the summers, into January Ive been visiting morgues and monasteries Looking for the necessary body parts Limbs and livers and brains and hearts Ill bring someone to life, is what I wanna do I wanna create my own version of you Well, it must be the winter of my discontent I wish youdve taken me with you wherever you went They talk all night and they talk all day Not for a minute do I believe anything they say Im gon bring someone to life, someone Ive never seen You know what I mean, you know exactly what I mean Ill take the Scarface Pacino and The Godfather Brando Mix it up in a tank and get a robot commando If I do it up right and put the head on straight Ill be saved by the creature that I create Ill get blood from a cactus, gunpowder from ice I dont gamble with cards and I dont shoot no dice Can you look at my face with your sightless eyes? Can you cross your heart and hope to die? Ill bring someone to life, someone for real Someone who feels the way that I feel I study Sanskrit and Arabic to improve my mind I wanna do things for the benefit of all mankind I say to the willow tree, Dont weep for me Im saying to hell to all things that I used to be Well, I get into trouble, then I hit the wall No place to turn, no place at all Ill pick a number between a-one and two And I ask myself, What would Julius Caesar do? I will bring someone to life in more ways than one Dont matter how long it takes, itll be done when its done Im gonna make you play the piano like Leon Russell Like Liberace, like St. John the Apostle Ill play every number that I can play Ill see you maybe on Judgment Day After midnight, if you still wanna meet Ill be at the Black Horse Tavern on Armageddon Street Two doors down, not that far to walk Ill hear your footsteps, you wont have to knock Ill bring someone to life, balance the scales Im not gonna get involved any insignificant details You can bring it to St. Peter You can bring it to Jerome You can bring it all the way over Bring it all the way home Bring it to the corner where the children play You can bring it to me on a silver tray Ill bring someone to life, spare no expense Do it with decency and common sense Can you tell me what it means, to be or not to be? You wont get away with fooling me Can you help me walk that moonlight mile? Can you give me the blessings of your smile? Ill bring someone to life, use all of my powers Do it in the dark, in the wee, small hours I can see the history of the whole human race Its all right there, its carved into your face Should I break it all down? Should I fall on my knees? Is there light at the end of the tunnel, can you tell me, please? Stand over there by the cypress tree Where the Trojan women and children were sold into slavery Long before the first Crusade Way back before England or America were made Step right into the burning hell Where some of the best-known enemies of mankind dwell Mr. Freud with his dreams, Mr. Marx with his ax See the raw hide lash rip the skin from their backs Got the right spirit, you can feel it, you can hear it Youve got what they call the immortal spirit You can feel it all night, you can feel it in the morn It creeps in your body the day you were born One strike of lightning is all that I need And a blast of electricity that runs at top speed Show me your ribs, Ill stick in the knife Gonna jumpstart my creation to life I wanna bring someone to life, turn back the years Do it with laughter and do it with tears
I aint gonna work on Maggies farm no more No, I aint gonna work on Maggies 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 Its a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor I aint gonna work on Maggies farm no more I aint gonna work for Maggies brother no more No, I aint gonna work for Maggies brother no more Well, he hands you a nickel He hands you a dime He asks you with a grin If youre having a good time Then he fines you every time you slam the door I aint gonna work for Maggies brother no more I aint gonna work for Maggies Pa no more No, I aint gonna work for Maggies 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 aint gonna work for Maggies Pa no more I aint gonna work for Maggies Ma no more No, I aint gonna work for Maggies Ma no more Well, she talks to all the servants About man and God and law Everybody says Shes the brains behind Pa Shes 68, but she says shes 54 I aint gonna work for Maggies Ma no more I aint gonna work on Maggies farm no more I aint gonna work on Maggies 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 Ah, I aint gonna work on Maggies farm no more
May the good Lord be with you Down every road you roam And may sunshine and happiness Surround you when youre far from home And may you grow to be proud Dignified and true And do unto others As youd have done to you Be courageous and be brave And in my heart, youll always stay Forever young, forever young Forever young, forever young May good fortune be with you May your guiding light be strong Build a stairway to Heaven With a prince or a vagabond And may you never love in vain And in my heart you will remain Forever young, forever young Forever young, forever young Forever young, forever young Yeah And when you finally fly away Ill be hoping that I served you well For all the wisdom of a lifetime No one can ever tell But whatever road you choose Im right behind you, win or lose Forever young, forever young Forever young, forever young Forever young, forever young For-Forever young, forever young
Another day that dont end Another ship goin out Another day of anger, bitterness, and doubt I know how it happened I saw it begin I opened my heart to the world and the world came in Hello, Mary Lou Hello, Miss Pearl My fleet-footed guides from the underworld No stars in the sky shine brighter than you You girls mean business and I do too Well, Im the enemy of treason An enemy of strife Im the enemy of the unlived meaningless life I aint no false prophet I just know what I know I go where only the lonely can go Im first among equals Second to none The last of the best You can bury the rest Bury em naked with their silver and gold Put em six feet under and I pray for their souls What are you lookin at? Theres nothing to see Just a cool breeze thats encircling me Lets go for a walk in the garden So far and so wide We can sit in the shade by the fountain-side I search the world over For the Holy Grail I sing songs of love I sing songs of betrayal Dont care what I drink I dont care what I eat I climb the mountains with swords on my bare feet You dont know me, darlin You never would guess Im nothing like my ghostly appearance would suggest I aint no false prophet I just said what I said Im just here to bring vengeance on somebodys head Put out your hand Theres nothing to hold Open your mouth Ill stuff it with gold Oh, you poor devil, look up if you will The city of God is there on the hill Hello, stranger Hello and goodbye You ruled the land But so do I You lusty old mule You got a poisoned brain Ill marry you to a ball and chain You know, darlin The kind of life that I live When your smile meets my smile Somethings got to give I aint no false prophet No, Im nobodys bride Cant remember when I was born And I forgot when I died
You got a lot of nerve To say you are my friend When I was down You just stood there grinning You got a lot of 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
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 you stay forever young May your hands always be busy May your feet always be swift May you have a strong foundation When the winds of changes shift May your heart always be joyful May your song always be sung May you stay forever young Forever young, forever young May you stay forever young
Im sittin on my terrace, lost in the stars Listening to the sounds of the sad guitars Been thinking it all over and Ive thought it all through Ive made up my mind to give myself to you I saw the first fall of snow I saw the flowers come and go I dont think that anyone ever else ever knew Ive made up my mind to give myself to you Im giving myself to you, I am From Salt Lake City to Birmingham From East L.A. to San Antone I dont think I can bear to live my life alone My eye is like a shooting star It looks at nothin here or there, looks at nothin near or far No one ever told me, its just something I knew Ive made up my mind to give myself to you If I had the wings of a snow white dove Id preach the gospel, the gospel of love A love so real, a love so true Ive made up my mind to give myself to you Take me out traveling, youre a traveling man Show me something I dont understand Im not what I was, things arent what they were Ill go far away from home with her I traveled a long road of despair I met no other traveler there Lot of people gone, lot of people I knew Ive made up my mind to give myself to you Well, my hearts like a river, a river that sings Just takes me a while to realize things Ive seen the sunrise, Ive seen the dawn Ill lay down beside you when everyones gone Ive traveled from the mountains to the sea I hope that the gods go easy with me I knew youd say yes, Im saying it too Ive made up my mind to give myself to you
When youre lost in the rain in Juarez When its Easter time too And your gravity fails And negativity dont pull you through Dont put on any airs When youre down on Rue Morgue Avenue They got some hungry women there And they really make a mess outta you Now if you see Saint Annie Please tell her Thanks a lot I cannot move My fingers are all in a knot I dont have the strength To get up and take another shot And my best friend, my doctor Wont even say what it is Ive got Sweet Melinda The peasants call her the Goddess of Gloom She speaks good English And she invites you up into her room And youre 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 Its either fortune or fame You must pick one or the other Though neither of them are to be what they claim If youre lookin to get silly You better go back to from where you came Because the cops dont 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 lookin just like a ghost I started out on Burgundy But soon hit the harder stuff Everybody said theyd stand behind me When the game got rough But the joke was on me There was nobody even there to bluff Im going back to New York City I do believe Ive had enough
See the pyramids along the Nile Watch the sun rise from a tropic isle Just remember, darling, all the while You belong to me See the market place in old Algiers Send me photographs and souvenirs Just remember when a dream appears You belong to me Ill be so alone without you Maybe youll be lonesome too... and blue Fly the ocean in a silver plane See the jungle when its wet with rain Just remember till youre home again You belong to me Ill be so alone without you Maybe youll be lonesome too... and blue Fly the ocean in a silver plane See the jungle when its wet with rain Just remember till youre home again You belong to me
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 ya place on the grass And your flesh like silk, and your face like glass Who could they get to carry you? Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands Where the sad-eyed prophet says that no man comes My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums Should I put them by your gate? Or, sad-eyed lady, should I wait? With your sheets like metal and your belt like lace And your deck of cards missing the jack and the ace And your basement clothes and your hollow face Who among them can think he could outguess you? With your silhouette when the sunlight dims Into your eyes where the moonlight swims And your matchbook songs and your gypsy hymns Who among them would try to impress you? Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands Where the sad-eyed prophets say that no man comes My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums Should I put them by your gate? Or, sad-eyed lady, should I wait? The kings of Tyrus with their convict list Are waiting in line for their geranium kiss And ya wouldnt know it woulda happened 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 mothers drugs And your cowboy mouth and your curfew plugs Who among them do ya think could resist you? Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands Where the sad-eyed prophets say that no man comes My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums Should I leave them by your gate? Or, sad-eyed lady, should I wait? Oh, the farmers and the businessmen, they all did decide To show you where the dead angels are that they used to hide But why did they pick you to sympathize with their side? How could they ever mistake you? They wished you’d accepted the blame for the farm But with the sea at your feet and the phony false alarm And with the child of the hoodlum wrapped up in your arms How could they ever have persuaded you? Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands Where the sad-eyed prophets say that no man comes My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums Should I leave them by your gate? Or, sad-eyed lady, should I wait? With your sheet-metal memory of Cannery Row And your magazine-husband who one day just had to go And your gentleness now, which you just cant help but show Who among them do you think would employ you? Now you stand with your thief, youre on his parole With your holy medallion and your fingertips now that fold And your saintlike face and your ghost-like soul Who among them could ever think it could destroy you? Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands Where the sad-eyed prophet say that no man comes My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums Should I leave them by your gate? Or, sad-eyed lady, should I wait?
My love she speaks like silence Without ideals or violence She doesnt have to say shes faithful Yet shes true, like ice, like fire People carry roses And make promises by the hours My love she laughs like the flowers Valentines cant 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 theres no success like failure And that failures no success at all The cloak and dagger dangles Madams light the candles In ceremonies of the horsemen Even a pawn must hold a grudge Statues made of match sticks Crumble into one another My love winks, she does not bother She knows too much to argue or to judge The bridge at midnight trembles The country doctor rambles Bankers nieces seek perfection Expecting all the gifts that wise men bring The wind howls like a hammer The night blows rainy My love shes like some raven At my window with a broken wing
One time ago a crazy dream came to me I dreamt I was walking to World War Three I went to the doctor the very next day To see what kind of words he could say He said it was a bad dream I wouldn’t worry about it none, though Them old dreams are only in your head I said “Hold it Doc, a World War passed through my brain” He said “Nurse, get your pad, the boy’s insane” He grabbed my arm, I said “Ouch!” As I landed on the psychiatric couch He said “Tell me about it” Well, the whole thing started at 3 o’clock fast It was all over by a quarter past I was down in the sewer with some little lover When I peeked out from a manhole cover Wondering who turned the lights on us Well, I got up and I walked around Up and down the lonesome town I stood 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 I leaned my head and I give a yell “Give me a string bean, I’m a hungry man” A shotgun fired, and away I ran I don’t blame him too much though, he didnt know me Down at the corner by the 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 I was a Communist Well, I spied me a girl and before she could leave I said “Let’s go and play Adam and Eve” I took her by the hand, and my heart was thumping When she said “Hey man, you crazy or something? You seen what happened last time they started” Well, I seen me a Cadillac window uptown There was nobody around I got into the driver’s seat And I drove down 42nd Street In my Cadillac Good car to drive after a war Well, I remember seeing some ad So I turned on my Conelrad But I didn’t pay the Con Ed bill So the radio didn’t work so well Turned on my record player — It was Rock-a-day Johnny, singing “Tell Your Ma, Tell Your Pa Our Love’s A-going to Grow, Ooh-wah, Ooh-wah” I was feeling kind of lonesome and blue I needed somebody to talk to So I called up the operator of time Just to hear a voice of some kind “When you hear the beep it will be three o’clock” She said that for over an hour And I hung up Well, the doctor interrupted me just about then Saying “Hey I’ve been having the same old dreams But mine was a little different, you see I dreamt the only person left after the war was me I didn’t see you around Well, now time passed and now it seems Everybody’s having them dreams Everybody sees their self Walking around with no one else Half of the people can be part right all of the time And some of the people can be all right part of the time But all 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 dream if I can be in yours” I said that
I’ve seen love go by my door It’s never been this close before Never been so easy or so slow Ive been shooting in the dark too long When something’s not right, it’s wrong Youre gonna make me lonesome when you go Dragon clouds so high above I’ve only known careless love It always just hit me from below But this time round it’s more correct Right on target, so direct Youre gonna make me lonesome when you go Purple clover, Queen Annes 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 spoilin’ me too much, love Youre gonna make me lonesome when you go Flowers on the hillside blooming crazy Crickets talking back and forth in rhyme Blue river running slow and lazy I could stay with you forever and never realize the time Situations have ended sad Relationships have all been bad Mine’ve been like Verlaine’s and Rimbaud But there’s no way I can compare All them scenes to this affair Youre gonna make me lonesome when you go Youre gonna make me wonder what I’m doin’ Staying far behind without you Youre gonna make me wonder what I’m sayin’ Youre gonna make me give myself a good talking-to I’ll look for you in old Honolulu San Francisco or Ashtabula Youre 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 Youre gonna make me lonesome when you go
If you see her, say hello, she might be in Tangier She left here last early Spring, is livin there, I hear Say for me that Im all right though things get kind of slow She might think that Ive forgotten her, dont tell her it isnt 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, weve never been apart If you get close to her, kiss her once for me Always have respected her for doing what she did and gettin free Oh, whatever makes her happy, I wont stand 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 Ive never gotten used to it, Ive just learned to turn it off Either Im too sensitive or else Im gettin soft Sundown, yellow moon, I replay the past I know every scene by heart, they all went by so fast If shes passin back this way, Im not that hard to find Tell her she can look me up if shes got the time
Oh my name it aint 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 that the land that I live in Has God on its side Oh the history books tell it They tell it so well The cavalries charged The Indians fell The cavalries charged The Indians died Ah the country was young With God on its side The Spanish-American War had its day And the Civil War too Was soon laid away And the names of the heroes I’s made to memorize With guns in their hands And God on their side The First World War boys It came and it went The reason for fightin I never did get But I learned to accept it Accept it with pride For you don’t count the dead When God’s on your side The Second World War Came to an end We forgave the Germans And then we were friends Though they murdered six million In the ovens they fried The Germans now too Have God on their side I’ve learned to hate the Russians All through my whole life If another war comes It’s them we must fight To hate them and fear them To run and to hide And accept it all bravely With God on my side But now we got weapons Of chemical dust If fire them we’re forced to Then fire them we must One push of the button And a shot the world wide And ya never ask questions When God’s on your side Through many dark hour I been thinking about this That Jesus Christ Was betrayed by a kiss But I can’t think for ya 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 Aint no tongue can tell The words fill my head And they fall to the floor If God’s on our side He’ll stop the next war
Black rider, black rider, youve been living too hard Been up all night, have to stay on your guard The path that youre walking, too narrow to walk Every step of the way, another stumbling block The road that youre on, same road that you know Just not the same as it was a minute ago Black rider, black rider, youve seen it all Youve seen the great world and youve seen the small You fell into the fire and youre eating the flame Better seal up your lips if you wanna stay in the game Be reasonable, mister, be honest, be fair Let all of your earthly thoughts be a prayer Black rider, black rider, all dressed in black Im walking away, you try to make me look back My heart is at rest, Id like to keep it that way I dont wanna fight, at least not today Go home to your wife, stop visiting mine One of these days Ill forget to be kind Black rider, black rider, tell me when, tell me how If there ever was a time, then let it be now Let me go through, open the door My soul is distressed, my mind is at war Dont hug me, dont flatter me, dont turn on the charm Ill take a sword and hack off your arm Black rider, black rider, hold it right there The size of your cock will get you nowhere Ill suffer in silence, Ill not make a sound Maybe Ill take the high moral ground Some enchanted evening Ill sing you a song Black rider, black rider, youve been on the job too long
Doctor, doctor tell me the time of day Another bottles empty, another penny spent He turned around and he slowly walked away They shot him in the back and down he went Shine your light Movin on You burned so bright Roll on, John From the Liverpool docks to the red-light Hamburg streets Down in the quarry with the quarrymen Playing to the big crowds, playing to the cheap seats Another day in the life on your way to your journeys end Shine your light Movin on You burned so bright Roll on, John Sailin through the trade winds bound for the South Rags on your back just like any other slave They tied your hands and they clamped your mouth Wasnt no way out of that deep dark cave Shine your light Movin on You burned so bright Roll on, John I heard the news today, oh boy They hauled your ship up on the shore Now the city gone dark, there is no more joy They tore the heart right out and cut him to the core Shine your light Movin on You burned so bright Roll on, John Put on your bags and get em packed Leave right now, you wont be far from wrong The sooner you go the quicker youll be back Youve been cooped up on an island far too long Shine your light Movin on You burned so bright Roll on, John Slow down youre moving way too fast Come together right now over me Your bones are weary, youre about to breathe your last Lord, you know how hard that it can be Shine your light Movin on You burned so bright Roll on, John Roll on, John, roll through the rain and snow Take the right-hand road and go where the buffalo roam Theyll trap you in an ambush before you know Too late now to sail back home Shine your light Movin on You burned so bright Roll on, John Tyger, tyger burning bright I pray the Lord my soul to keep In the forests of the night Cover em over and let him sleep Shine your light Movin on You burned so bright Roll on, John
Standing on the waters 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 the truth so far off, what good will it do? Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune Bird fly high by the light of the moon Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman So swiftly the sun sets in the sky You rise up and say goodbye to no one Fools rush in where angels fear to tread Both of their futures, so full of dread, you dont show one Shedding off one more layer of skin Keeping one step ahead of the persecutor within Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune Bird fly high by the light of the moon Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman Youre a man of the mountains, you can walk on the clouds Manipulator of crowds, youre a dream twister Youre going to Sodom and Gomorrah But what do you care? Aint nobody there would want to marry your sister Friend to the martyr, a friend to the woman of shame You look into the fiery furnace, see the rich man without any name Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune Bird fly high by the light of the moon Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman Well, the Book of Leviticus and Deuteronomy The law of the jungle and the sea are your only teachers In the smoke of the twilight on a milk-white steed Michelangelo indeed couldve carved out your features Resting in the fields, far from the turbulent space Half asleep near the stars with a small dog licking your face Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune Bird fly high by the light of the moon Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman Well, the riflemans stalking the sick and the lame Preacherman seeks the same, wholl 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 till night comes stepping in Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune Bird fly high by the light of the moon Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman Its a shadowy world, skies are slippery grey A woman just gave birth to a prince today and dressed him in scarlet Hell 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 dont show any response Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune Bird fly high by the light of the moon Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman
Shes got everything she needs Shes an artist, she dont look back Shes got everything she needs Shes an artist, she dont look back She can take the dark out of the nighttime And paint the daytime black You will start out standing Proud to steal her anything she sees You will start out standing Proud to steal her anything she sees But you will wind up peeking through her keyhole Down upon your knees She never stumbles Shes got no place to fall She never stumbles Shes got no place to fall Shes nobodys child The Law cant touch her at all She wears an Egyptian ring It sparkles before she speaks She wears an Egyptian ring It sparkles before she speaks Shes 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 get her a drum
Our conversation was short and sweet It nearly swept me off-a my feet And Im back in the rain, oh, oh And you are on dry land You made it there somehow Youre a big girl now Bird on the horizon, sitting on a fence Hes singing his song for me at his own expense And Im 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 too fast Oh, but what a shame that all weve shared cant 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 Youve known it all the time, Im learning it these days Oh, I know where I can find you, oh, oh In somebodys room Its a price I have to pay Youre a big girl all the way A change in the weather is known to be extreme But whats the sense of changing horses in midstream? Im going out of my mind, oh, oh With a pain that stops and starts Like a corkscrew to my heart Ever since weve been apart
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 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 May you stay forever young May your hands always be busy May your feet always be swift May you have a strong foundation When the winds of changes shift May your heart always be joyful May your song always be sung May you stay forever young May you stay forever young
I live on a street named after a Saint Women in the churches wear powder and paint Where the Jews, and Catholics, and the Muslims all pray I can tell theyre Proddie from a mile away Goodbye Jimmy Reed, Jimmy Reed indeed Give me that old time religion, its just what I need For thine is kingdom, the power, the glory Go tell it on the mountain, go tell the real story Tell it in that straightforward, puritanical tone In the mystic hours when a persons alone Goodbye Jimmy Reed, godspeed Thump on the Bible, proclaim a creed You wont amount to much, the people all said Cause I didnt play guitar behind my head Never pandered, never acted proud Never took off my shoes, throw em in the crowd Goodbye Jimmy Reed, goodbye, goodnight Put a jewel in your crown and I put out the lights They threw everything at me, everything in the book I had nothing to fight with but a butchers hook They had no pity, they never lend a hand I cant sing a song that I dont understand Goodbye Jimmy Reed, goodbye, good luck I cant play the record cause my needle got stuck Transparent woman in a transparent dress Suits you well, I must confess Ill break open your grapes, Ill suck out the juice I need you like my head needs a noose Goodbye Jimmy Reed, goodbye and so long I thought I could resist her but I was so wrong God be with you, brother dear If you dont mind me asking what brings you here? Oh, nothing much, Im just looking for the man Need to see where hes lying in this lost land Goodbye Jimmy Reed, and everything within ya Cant you hear me calling from down in Virginia?
The festival was over, and the boys were all planning for a fall The cabaret was quiet except for the drilling in the wall The curfew had been lifted and the gambling wheel shut down Anyone with any sense had already left town He was standing in the doorway looking like the Jack of Hearts He moved across the mirrored room, “Set it up for everyone,” he said Then everyone commenced to do what they were doing before he turned their heads 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 towns 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 didnt seem to hear He was staring into space over at the Jack of Hearts “I know I’ve seen that face somewhere,” Big Jim was thinking to himself “Maybe down in Mexico or a picture 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 Staring at the butterfly who just drew the Jack of Hearts Lily was a princess, she was fair-skinned and precious as a child She did whatever she had to do, she had that certain flash every time she smiled She had come away from a broken home, had lots of strange affairs With men in every walk of life which took her everywhere But she’d never met anyone quite like the Jack of Hearts The hanging judge came in unnoticed and was being wined and dined The drilling in the wall kept up but no one seemed to pay it any mind It was known all around that Lily had Jim’s ring And nothing would ever come between Lily and the king No, nothing ever would except maybe the Jack of Hearts Rosemary started drinking hard and seeing her reflection in the knife She was tired of the attention, tired of playing the role of Big Jim’s wife She had done a lot of bad things, even once tried suicide Was looking to do just one good deed before she died She was gazing to the future, riding on the Jack of Hearts Lily took her dress off, buried it away “Has your luck run out?” she laughed at him, “Well, I guess you 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 No one knew the circumstance but they say that it happened pretty quick The door to the dressing room burst open and a Colt revolver clicked And Big Jim was standing there, ya couldnt 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 couldnt 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 didnt even blink The hanging judge was sober, he hadnt had a drink The only person on the scene missing was the Jack of Hearts The cabaret was empty now, a sign said, “Closed for repair” Lily had already taken all of the dye out of her hair She was thinking ’bout her father, who she very rarely saw Thinking ’bout Rosemary and thinking about the law But most of all she was thinking ’bout the Jack of Hearts
I was riding on the Mayflower When I thought I spied some land Start again Wait a minute now Okay, take two I was riding on the Mayflower When I thought I spied some land I yelled for Captain Arab I have you understand Who came running to the deck Said, Boys, forget the whale Look on over yonder Cut the engines Change the sail Haul on the bowline We sang that melody Like all tough sailors do When theyre far away at sea I think Ill call it America I said as we hit land I took a deep breath I fell down, I could not stand Captain Arab he started Writing up some deeds He said, Lets set up a fort And start buyin a place with beads Just then this cop comes down the street Crazy as a loon He throws us all in jail For carrying harpoons Ah, me I busted out Dont 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 Sayin, Ban the bums I jumped right into line Sayin I hope that Im not late When I realized I hadnt eaten For five days straight I went into a restaurant Looking 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 boilin fat Food was flyin everywhere I left without my hat Now, I didnt mean to be nosy But I went into a bank To get some bail for Arab And all the boys back in the tank They asked me for some collateral And I pulled down my pants They threw me in the alley When up comes this girl from France Who invited me to her house I went, but she had a friend Who knocked me out And robbed my boots And I was on the street again Well, I rapped upon a house With the U.S. flag upon display I said, Could you help me out I got some friends down the way The man says, Get out of here Ill tear you limb from limb I said, You know they refused Jesus, too He said, Youre not Him Get out of here before I break your bones I aint your pop I decided to have him arrested And I went lookin for a cop I ran right outside I hopped inside a cab I went out the other door This Englishman said, Fab As he saw me leap a hot dog stand And a chariot that stood Parked across from a building Advertising brotherhood I ran right through the front door Like a hobo sailor does But it was just a funeral parlor And the man asked me who I was I repeated that my friends Were all in jail, with a sigh He gave me his card He said, Call me if they die I shook his hand and said goodbye Ran out to the street When a bowling ball came down the road And knocked me off my feet A pay phone was ringing And it just about blew my mind When I picked it up and said hello This foot came through the line Well, by this time Is fed up At tryin to make a stab At bringing back any help For my friends and captain Arab I decided to flip a coin Like either heads or tails Would let me know if I should go Back to ship or back to jail So I hocked my sailor suit And I got a coin to flip It came up tails It rhymed with sails So I made it back to the ship Well, I got back and took The parking 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 sailin There were all heading my way I asked the captain what his name was And how come he didnt drive a truck He said his name was Columbus I just said, Good luck
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, oh Sara It’s all so clear, I could never forget Sara, oh 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 days in the Chelsea Hotel Writing “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” for you Sara, Sara Wherever we travel we’re never apart Sara, oh Sara Beautiful lady, so dear to my heart How did I meet you? I don’t know A messenger sent me in a tropical storm You were there in the winter, moonlight on the snow And on Lily Pond Lane when the weather was warm Sara, oh Sara Scorpio Sphinx in a calico dress Sara, oh Sara You must forgive me my unworthiness Now the beach is deserted except for some kelp And a piece of an old ship that lies on the shore You always responded when I needed your help You give me a map and a key to your door Sara, oh Sara Glamorous nymph with an arrow and bow Sara, oh Sara Don’t ever leave me, don’t ever go
Well, I ride on a mail train, baby Cant buy a thrill Well, I been up all night Leanin on the windowsill Well, if I die On top of the hill And if I don’t make it You know my baby will Dont the moon look good, mama Shining through the trees? Dont the brakeman look good, mama Flaggin down the “Double E?” Dont the sun look good Goin down over the sea? But don’t my gal look fine When shes 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 want to be your lover, baby I don’t want to be your boss Don’t say I never warned you When your train gets lost
When your mother sends back all your invitations And your father to your sister he explains That you’re tired of yourself and all of your creations Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane? Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane? Now when all of the flower ladies want back what they have lent you And the smell of their roses does not remain And all of your children start to resent you Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane? Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane? Now when all the clowns that you have commissioned Have died in battle or in vain And you’re sick of all this repetition Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane? Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane? Oh, when all of your advisers heave their plastic At your feet to convince you of your pain Trying to prove that your conclusions should be more drastic Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane? Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane? Now when all of the bandits that you turned your other cheek to All lay down their bandanas and complain And you want somebody ya don’t have to speak to Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane? Aw, won’t you come see me, Queen Jane?
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 And said, “What else you got left?” Yeah, it was then that I got up to leave But she said, “Don’t forget Everybody must give something back For something they get” I stood there and hummed I tapped on her drum I asked her How come? And she buttoned her boot And straightened her suit Then she said, “Don’t get cute” So I forced my hands in my pockets And felt with my thumbs And gallantly handed her My very last piece of gum She threw me outside I stood in the dirt where everyone walked And after finding out 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 til 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 never wasted time And I, I never took much I never asked for your crutch Now don’t ask for mine
I listen to you time and time again While you tell me just whats right And you tell me a thousand things a day Then sleep somewheres else at night Im going back to Kansas City And I love you dear, but just how long Can I keep singing the same old song? And I love you dear, but just how long Can I keep singing the same old song? Im going back to Kansas City And you call me to come, then I do And you say you made some mistake You invite me into your house Then you say you gotta pay for what you break Im going back to Kansas City And I love you dear, but just how long Can I keep singing the same old song? And I love you dear, but just how long Can I keep singing the same old song? Im going back to Kansas City Gypsy woman, you know every place I go Even a thousand miles away from home You don’t care if Im asleep or Im awake This fickle heart just turn to stone Going back to Kansas City And I love you dear, but just how long Can I keep singing the same old song? And I love you dear, but just how long Can I keep singing the same old song? Im going back to Kansas City And I love you dear, but just how long Can I keep singing the same old song And I love you dear, but just how long Can I keep singing the same old song I’m going back to Kansas City
If you’re travelin to the north country fair Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline Remember me to one who lives there For she once was a true love of mine See for me that her hairs hangin down It curls and falls all down her breast See for me that her hairs hangin down Thats the way I remember her best If you go when the snowflakes fall When the rivers freeze and summer ends Please see for me if shes wearing a coat so warm To keep her from the howling winds If you’re travelin in the north country fair Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline Please say hello to the one who lives there For she once was a true love of mine If you’re travelin in the north country fair Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline Remember me to the one who lives there For she once was a true love of mine A true love of mine A true love of mine A true love of mine A true love of mine A true love of mine A true love of mine She once was a true love of mine
Mother of Muses sing for me Sing of the mountains and the deep dark sea Sing of the lakes and the nymphs of the forest Sing your hearts out, all your women of the chorus Sing of honor and fate and glory be Mother of Muses sing for me Mother of Muses sing for my heart Sing of a love too soon to depart Sing of the heroes who stood alone Whose names are engraved on tablets of stone Who struggled with pain so the world could go free Mother of Muses sing for me Sing of Sherman, Montgomery, and Scott‬ And of Zhukov, and Patton, and the battles they fought Who cleared the path for Presley to sing Who carved the path for Martin Luther King Who did what they did and they went on their way Man, I could tell their stories all day Im falling in love with Calliope She dont belong to anyone, why not give her to me? Shes speaking to me, speaking with her eyes Ive grown so tired of chasing lies Mother of Muses, wherever you are Ive already outlived my life by far Mother of Muses, unleash your wrath Things I cant see, theyre blocking my path Show me your wisdom, tell me my fate Put me upright, make me walk straight Forge my identity from the inside out You know what Im talking about Take me to the river, release your charms Let me lay down a while in your sweet, loving arms Wake me, shake me, free me from sin Make me invisible, like the wind Got a mind that ramble, got a mind that roam Im travelin light and Im a-slow coming home
Whos got a beard thats long and white? Santas got a beard thats long and white Who comes around on a special night? Santa comes around on a special night Special Night, beard thats white Must be Santa Must be Santa Must be Santa, Santa Claus Who wears boots and a suit of red? Santa wears boots and a suit of red Who wears a long cap on his head? Santa wears a long cap on his head Cap on head, suit thats red Special night, beard thats white Must be Santa Must be Santa Must be Santa, Santa Claus Whos got a big red cherry nose? Santas got a big red cherry nose Who laughs this way: Ho, ho, ho? Santa laughs this way: Ho, ho, ho Ho, ho, ho, cherry nose Cap on head, suit thats red Special night, beard thats white Must be Santa Must be Santa Must be Santa, Santa Claus Who very soon will come our way? Santa very soon will come our way Eight little reindeer pull his sleigh? Santas little reindeer pull his sleigh Reindeer sleigh, come our way Ho, ho, ho, cherry nose Cap on head, suit thats red Special night, beard thats white Must be Santa Must be Santa Must be Santa, Santa Claus Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton Reindeer sleigh, come our way Ho, ho, ho, cherry nose Cap on head, suit thats red Special night, beard thats white Must be Santa Must be Santa Must be Santa, Santa Claus Must be Santa Must be Santa Must be Santa, Santa Claus
I married Isis on the fifth day of May But I could not hold on to her very long So I cut off my hair and I rode straight away For the wild unknown country where I could not go wrong I came to a high place of darkness and light Dividing line ran through the center of town I hitched up my pony to a post on the right Went 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?” Said “I got no money” He said “That aint necessary” We set out that night, for the cold in the North I gave him my blanket, and he gave me his word I said “Where are we going?” He said we’d be back by the fourth I said “That’s the best news that I’ve ever heard” I was thinking about turquoise, I was thinking about gold I was thinking about diamonds, and the world’s biggest necklace As we rode through the canyons, through the devilish cold I was thinking about Isis, how she thought I was so reckless How she told me that one day we would meet up again And things would be different the next time we wed If I only could hang on and just be her friend I still can’t remember all the best things she said We came to the pyramids, all embedded in ice He said “There’s a body I’m trying to find If I carry it out it’ll bring a good price” Twas then that I knew what he had on his mind The wind it was a-howlin, and the snow was outrageous We chopped through the night And we chopped through the dawn When he died I was hoping that it wasn’t contagious But I made up my mind that I had to go on I broke into the tomb, but the casket was empty There was no jewels, no nothing! I felt I’d been had When I saw that my partner was just being friendly When I took up his offer I mustve 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, then I felt satisfied Then I rode back to find Isis, just to tell her I love her She was there in the meadow, where the creek used to rise Blinded by sleep, and in need of a bed I came in from the East, with the sun in my eyes I cursed her one time, then I rode on ahead She said “Where you been?” I said “No place special” She said “You look different” I said “Well... I guess” She said “You been gone” I said “That’s only natural” She said “You going to stay?” I said “If you want me to, yes Isis, oh, Isis, you mystical child What drives me to you is what drives me insane I still can remember the way that you smiled On the fifth day of May in the drizzling rain
I crossed the Rubicon on the 14th day Of the most dangerous month of the year At the worst time, at the worst place Thats all I seem to hear I got up early So I can greet the goddess of the dawn Ive painted my wagon, abandoned all hope And I crossed the Rubicon Well, the Rubicon is a red river Goin gently as she flows Redder than your ruby lips And the blood that flows from the rose Three miles north of purgatory One step from the great beyond I prayed to the cross, I kissed the girls And I crossed the Rubicon What are these dark days I see? In this world so badly bent I cannot redeem the time The time so idly spent How much longer can it last? How long can it go on? I embrace my love, put down my hair And I crossed the Rubicon I can feel the bones beneath my skin And theyre tremblin with rage Ill make your wife a widow Youll never see old age Show me one good man in sight That the sun shines down upon I pawned my watch, I paid my debts And I crossed the Rubicon Put my hide up on a hill Where some happiness Ill find If I survive, then let me love Let the hour be mine Take the high road, take the low Take any one youre on I poured the cup, I passed it along And I crossed the Rubicon Well, you defiled the most lovely flowers In all her womanhood Others can be tolerant Others can be good Ill cut you up with a crooked knife Lord, and Ill miss you when youre gone I stood between Heaven and Earth And I crossed the Rubicon You wont find any happiness here No happiness or joy Go back to the gutter, try your luck Find you some nice pretty boy Tell me how many men I need And who can I count upon I strapped my belt, I buttoned my coat And I crossed the Rubicon I feel the holy spirit inside See the light that freedom gives I believe its in the reach of Every man who lives Keep as far away as possible Its darkest fore the dawn I turned the key, I broke it off And I crossed the Rubicon Mona, baby, are you still in my mind? I truly believe that you are Couldnt be anybody else but you Whos come with me this far The killing frost is on the ground And the autumn leaves are gone I lit the torch, I looked to the east And I crossed the Rubicon
Buckets of rain Buckets of tears Got all them buckets comin’ out of my ears Buckets of moonbeams in my hand You got all the love Honey baby, I can stand I been meek And hard like an oak Ive seen pretty people disappear like smoke Friends will arrive, friends will disappear If you want me Honey baby, I’ll be here I like your smile And your fingertips I like the way that you move your hips I like the cool way you look at me Everything about you is bringing me misery Little red wagon Little red bike I ain’t no monkey, but I know what I like I like the way you love me strong and slow I’m taking you with me Honey baby, when I go Life is sad Life is a bust All you can do is do what you must You do what you must do, and you do it well I do it for you Honey baby, can’t you tell?
The man in me will do nearly any task And as for compensation, there’s little he would ask Take a woman like you To get through to the man in me Storm clouds are raging all around my door I think to myself I might not take it anymore Take a woman like your kind To find the man in me But, oh, what a wonderful feeling Just to know that you are near Sets my heart a-reeling From my toes up to my ears The man in me will hide sometimes to keep from bein’ seen But that’s just because he doesn’t want to turn into some machine Took a woman like you To get through to the man in me
Well Im grinding my life out, steady and sure Nothing more wretched than what I must endure Im drenched in the light that shines from the sun I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you done Sooner or later you make a mistake Ill put you in a chain that you never will break Legs and arms and body and bone I pay in blood, but not my own Night after night, day after day They strip your useless hopes away The more I take the more I give The more I die the more I live I got something in my pocket make your eyeballs swim I got dogs could tear you limb from limb Im circling around the Southern Zone I pay in blood, but not my own Low cards are what Ive got But Ill play this hand whether I like it or not Im sworn to uphold the laws of God You could put me out in front of a firing squad Ive been out and around with the rowdy men Just like you, my handsome friend My heads so hard, must be made of stone I pay in blood, but not my own Another politician pumping out the piss Another ragged beggar blowin you a kiss You got the same eyes that your mother does If only you could prove who your father was Someone must have slipped a drug in your wine You gulped it down and you cross the line Man cant live by bread alone I pay in blood, but not my own How I made it back home, nobody knows Or how I survived so many blows Ive been through hell, what good did it do? You bastard! Im suppose to respect you? Ill give you justice, Ill fatten your purse Show me your moral virtues first Hear me holler and hear me moan I pay in blood but not my own You bit your lover in the bed Come here, Ill break your lousy head Our nation must be saved and freed Youve been accused of murder, how do you plead? This is how I spend my days I came to bury, not to praise Ill drink my fill and sleep alone I pay in blood, but not my own
Shadows are falling And I’ve been here all day It’s too hot to sleep And time is running away Feel like my soul has Turned into steel I’ve still got the scars That the sun didn’t heal There’s not even room enough To be anywhere It’s not dark yet But it’s getting there Well, my sense of humanity Has gone down the drain Behind every beautiful thing There’s been some kind of pain She wrote me a letter And she wrote it so kind She put down in writing What was in her mind I just don’t see why I should even care It’s not dark yet But it’s getting there Well, I’ve been to London And I’ve been to gay Paris I’ve followed the river And I got to the sea I’ve been down on the bottom Of a world full of lies I ain’t looking for nothing In anyone’s eyes Sometimes my burden Is more than I can bear It’s not dark yet But it’s getting there I was born here, and I’ll die here Against my will I know it looks like I’m moving But I’m standing still Every nerve in my body Is so vacant and numb I can’t even remember what it was I came here to get away from Don’t even hear a murmur of a prayer It’s not dark yet But it’s getting there
There must be some way out of here, Said the joker to the thief Theres too much confusion Mmm I cant get no relief This is Monday, drink more wine Come man dig my earth None will never lone the line No one out of this earth Yeah I see jokers on my left, thieves upon my right You’d find me in the middle if I picked a different life Before my name started tripling in size But I’m still showing signs all attributed to mine In the pitch black, it’s too cold I’m all alone take me back to the roads I had to roam to get here and I’ll hitch back Get a cab to my mother’s house See my old man and grab a six pack Tell my brother I love him And give him something that will see him through the hard times What’s a brother for? When I’m sick of this life I see It has to be my family who lift me off the floor Make sense of all the madness in a world full of money Full of tears, full of war I was a ploughman and worked from the earth up Save your wine for the entrepreneurs Well all along the watchtower Princes kept the view While all the women came and went Barefoot servants, too, yeah Outside in the cold distance A wildcat did growl Two riders were approaching And the wind begins to howl Pour more blood in your cup Take a sip full of sin and let your taste buds savour the buzz The flavour of an ill-mannered nature That lingers on as animals in all of us Trying to fight for the right to live a life But some will never win though That’s why they live a lie I don’t think I’ll ever win All of this is anything When I die I hope a brother’s at my side There’s no trap door, or get out clause The world can be your oyster or a set of jail doors You’ve seen mine, I think it’s time I see yours I bet you that we’ve been scarred by the same swords So we are not so unalike Apart from the fact I live my life in the light and now I’m trapped in it The way I feel within a few years time I might have a couple kids and just forget I ever wrote lyrics Well all along the watchtower Princes kept the view While all the women came and went Barefoot servants, too, yeah Outside in the cold distance A wildcat did growl Two riders were approaching And the wind begins to howl Take away the treasure of a man Convinced that he holds heaven in his hands Even though I ain’t religious I’m a little superstitious Maybe there is a promised land But will I make it or not is a different matter I’ve been a joker, I’ve been a thief, I’ve been a rapper I’ve been the only enemy that I can never beat Give me a piece of mind upon a platinum platter Well all along the watchtower Princes kept the view While all the women came and went Barefoot servants, too, yeah Outside in the cold distance A wildcat did growl Two riders were approaching And the wind began to howl
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 the blacks, don’t complain You’re better than them, you been born with white skin,” they explain And the Negro’s name Is used it is plain For the politician’s gain As he rises to fame And the poor white remains On the caboose of the train But it aint 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 aint 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 aint a-got no name But it aint 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
Well, I see you got your Brand new leopard-skin pillbox hat Yes, I see you got your Brand new leopard-skin pillbox hat Well, you must tell me, baby How your head feels under something like that Under your brand new leopard-skin pillbox hat Well, you look so pretty in it Honey, can I jump on it sometime? Yes, I just wanna see If its really the expensive kind You know it balances on your head Just like a mattress balances On a bottle of wine Your brand new leopard-skin pillbox hat Well, if you want to see the sun rise Honey, I know where Well go out and see it sometime Well both just sit there and stare Me with my belt wrapped around my head And you just sittin there In your brand new leopard-skin pillbox hat Well, I asked the doctor if I could see you Its 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 dont mind you cheatin on me But I sure wish hed take that off his head Your brand new leopard-skin pillbox hat Well, I see you got a new boyfriend You know, I never seen him before Well, I saw you makin love with him You forgot to close the garage door You might think he loves you for your money But I know what he really loves you for Its your brand new leopard-skin pillbox hat
Theyre selling postcards of the hanging Well, theyre painting the passports brown Yeah, the beauty parlors filled with sailors The circus is in town Oh, now look, here comes the blind commissioner Well, they got him in a trance One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker The others in his pants And the riot squad theyre restless They need somewhere to go As Lady and I look out tonight from Desolation Row Cinderella, she seems so easy Well, it takes one to know one, she smiles And she puts her hands in her back pockets Oh, Bette Davis style And now here comes Romeo, moaning You belong to me, I believe And if someone says, Youre in the wrong place, my friend You better leave And then the only sound thats left After the ambulances go Is Cinderella sweeping up on Desolation Row Yeah! Now at midnight, all the agents And superhuman crew Go out and round up everyone That knows more than they do Theyre going to bring them to the factory Where the heart-attack machine Is strapped across their shoulders And then the kerosene Is brought down from the castles By insurance men who go Check to see that no one is escaping to Desolation Row Cause right now, I cant read too good Dont send me no letters, no Not unless youre going to mail them from Desolation Row Ah!
They say everything can be replaced They say every distance is not near So I remember every face Of every man who put me here I see my light come shinin From the west down to the east Any day now, any day now I shall be released They say every man needs protection They say that every man must fall Yet I swear I see my reflection Somewhere so high above this wall I see my light come shinin From the west down to the east Any day now, any day now I shall be released Now, yonder stands a man in this lonely crowd A man who swears hes not to blame All day long, I hear him shouting so loud Just crying out that he was framed I see my light come shinin From the west down to the east Any day now, any day now I shall be released
William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll With a cane that he twirled around his diamond ring finger At a Baltimore hotel society gatherin And the cops was called in and his weapon took from him As they rode him in custody down to the station And booked William Zanzinger for first-degree murder But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears Take the rag away from your face Now aint 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 a-snarling And in a matter of minutes on bail was out walking But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize fears Take the rag away from your face Now aint 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 nothin to William Zanzinger And you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears Take the rag away from your face Now aint the time for your tears In the courtroom of honor, the judge pounded his gavel To show that all’s equal and that the courts are on the level And that the strings in the books ain’t pulled and persuaded And that even the nobles get properly handled Once that the cops have chased after and caught ’em And that the ladder of law has no top and no bottom Stared at the person who killed for no reason Who just happened to be 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 Ah, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears Bury the rag deep in your face For now’s the time for your tears
They say every man must need protection They say every man must fall Yet I swear I see my reflection Some place so high above the wall I see my light come shining From the west down to the east Any day now, any day now I shall be released Down here next to me in this lonely crowd Theres a man who swears hes not to blame All day long I hear him cry so loud Calling out that hes been framed Yeah I see my light come shining From the west down to the east Any day now, any day now I shall be released
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 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 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 wheelbarrow and wheeling her down the street 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 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 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
Well, I took me a woman late last night I’s three-fourths drunk, she looked alright Til she started peeling off her onion gook Took off her wig, said, “How do I look? Is high flying, bare-naked Out the window Well, sometimes I might get drunk Walk like a duck and smell like a skunk Don’t hurt me none, it don’t hurt my pride Because I got my little lady right by my side Shes a tryin to hide, pretendin she dont know me I’s out there painting on the old woodshed When a can of 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 calling me up He said, “My friend, Bob What do we need to make the country grow?” I said, “My friend, John, Brigitte Bardot Anita Ekberg Sophia Loren” Countryll grow Well, I got a woman, five feet short She yells and hollers and screams and snorts She tickles my nose, pats me on the head Rolls me over and kicks me out of bed She’s a man-eater, meat-grinder, bad loser Oh, there aint no use in me working all the time I got a woman who works herself blind Works up to her britches, up to her neck Writes me letters and sends me checks She’s a humdinger 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-raid drill I jumped a fallout shelter I jumped a string bean I jumped a TV dinner I jumped a shotgun Now, the man on the stand, he wants my vote He’s a-running for office on the ballot note He’s out there preaching in front of the steeple Telling me he loves all kinds of people He’s 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 mustache on my face She’s insane Well, they ask me why I’m drunk all the 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 Make love to Elizabeth Taylor Catch hell from Richard Burton
In Scarlet Town, where I was born There’s ivy leaf and silver thorn The streets have names that you can’t pronounce Gold is down to a quarter of an ounce The music starts and the people sway Everybody says, “Are you going my way? Uncle Tom still working for Uncle Bill Scarlet Town is under the hill Scarlet Town in the month of May Sweet William Holme on his deathbed lay Mistress Mary by the side of the bed Kissing his face and putting prayers on his head So brave and true, so gentle is he I’ll weep for him as he would weep for me Little Boy Blue come blow your horn In Scarlet Town, where I was born Scarlet Town, in the hot noon hours There’s palm-leaf shadows and scattered flowers Beggars crouching at the gate Help comes, but it comes too late By marble slabs and in fields of stone You make your humble wishes known I touched the garment, but the hem was torn In Scarlet Town, where I was born In Scarlet Town, the end is near The Seven Wonders of the World are here The evil and the good living side by side All human forms seem glorified Put your heart on a platter and see who will bite See who will hold you and kiss you good night There’s walnut groves and maplewood In Scarlet Town crying won’t do no good In Scarlet Town, you fight your father’s foes Up on the hill, a chilly wind blows You fight ‘em on high and you fight em down in You fight em with whiskey, morphine and gin You’ve got legs that can drive men mad A lot of things we didn’t do that I wish we had In Scarlet Town, the sky is clear You’ll wish to God that you stayed right here Set ‘em Joe, play “Walking the Floor Play it for my flat-chested junkie whore I’m staying up late, I’m making amends While we smile, all heaven descends If love is a sin, then beauty is a crime All things are beautiful in their time The black and the white, the yellow and the brown It’s all right there in front of you in Scarlet Town
Down the street the dogs are barkin And the day is a-gettin dark As the night comes in a-falling The dogs will lose their bark And the silent night will shatter From the sounds inside my mind Yes I’m one too many mornings And a thousand miles behind From the crossroads of my doorstep My eyes start to fade And I turn my head back to the room Where my love and I have laid And I gaze back to the street The sidewalk and the sign And I’m one too many mornings And a thousand miles behind It’s a restless hungry feeling That don’t mean no one no good When everything I’m a-sayin You can say it just as good You’re right from your side Im right from mine We’re both just one too many mornings And a thousand miles behind
Tweeter and the Monkey Man were hard up for cash They stayed up all night selling cocaine and hash To an undercover cop who had a sister named Jan For reasons unexplained, she loved the Monkey Man Tweeter was a boy scout fore she went to Vietnam And found out the hard way nobody gives a damn They knew that theyd find freedom just across the Jersey Line So they hopped into a stolen car, took Highway 99 And the walls came down, all the way to hell Never saw them when theyre standing Never saw them when they fell The undercover cop never liked the Monkey Man Even back in childhood, he wanted to see him in the can Jan got married at fourteen to a racketeer named Bill She made secret calls to the Monkey Man from a mansion on the hill It was out on Thunder Road, Tweeter at the wheel They crashed into paradise, they could hear them tires squeal The undercover cop pulled up and said Everyone of yous a liar If you dont surrender now, its gonna go down to the wire And the walls came down, all the way to hell Never saw them when theyre standing Never saw them when they fell An ambulance rolled up, a state trooper close behind Tweeter took his gun away and messed up his mind The undercover cop was left tied up to a tree Near the souvenir stand by the old abandoned factory Next day, the undercover cop was hot in pursuit He was taking the whole thing personal, he didnt care about the loot Jan had told him many times it was you to me who taught In Jersey, anythings legal as long as you dont get caught And the walls came down, all the way to hell Never saw them when theyre standing Never saw them when they fell Someplace by Rahway Prison, they ran out of gas The undercover cop had cornered em, said, Boy, you didnt think that this could last Jan jumped up out of bed, said, Theres someplace I gotta go She took a gun out of the drawer and said, Its best if you dont know The undercover cop was found face-down in a field The Monkey Man was on the river bridge using Tweeter as a shield Jan said to the Monkey Man, Im not fooled by Tweeters curl I knew him long before he ever became a Jersey girl And the walls came down, all the way to hell Never saw them when theyre standing Never saw them when they fell Now the town of Jersey City is quieting down again Im sitting in a gambling club called A Lions Den The TV set was blown up, every bit of it is gone Ever since the nightly news show that the Monkey Man was on I guess Ill go to Florida and get myself some sun There aint no more opportunity here, everything been done Sometimes I think of Tweeter, sometimes I think of Jan Sometimes I dont think about nothing but the Monkey Man And the walls came down, all the way to hell Never saw them when theyre standing Never saw them when they fell And the walls came down, all the way to hell Never saw them when theyre standing Never saw them when they fell
Perhaps its the color of the sun cut flat And covering the crossroads Im standing at Or maybe its the weather or something like that But mama you been on my mind I dont mean trouble please dont put me down or get upset I am not pleading, or saying I cant forget you I do not pace the floor bowed down and bent, but yet Mama you been on my mind Even though my eyes are hazy And my thoughts they might be narrow Where you been dont bother me Or bring me down with sorrow I dont even mind who youll be waking with tomorrow Mama youre just on my mind Im not asking you to say words like yes or no Please, understand me, I have no place Im calling you to go Im just whispering to myself so I cant pretend that I dont know Mama you are on my mind When you wake up in the morning, baby look inside your mirror You know I wont be next to you, you know I wont be near Id just be curious to know if you can see yourself as clear As someone who has had you on his mind
I didnt mean to treat you so bad You shouldnt take it so personal I didnt mean to make you so sad You just happened to be there, thats all When I saw you say goodbye to your friend and smile I thought that it was well understood That youd be comin back in a little while I didnt know that you were sayin goodbye for good But, sooner or later, one of us must know That you just did what youre supposed to do Sooner or later, one of us must know That I really did try to get close to you I couldnt see what you could show me Your scarf had kept your mouth well hid I couldnt 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 didnt realize just what I did hear I didnt realize how young you were But, sooner or later, one of us must know That you just did what youre supposed to do Sooner or later, one of us must know That I really did try to get close to you And I couldnt see when it started snowin Your voice was all that I heard I couldnt 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 werent really from the farm And I told you, as you clawed out my eyes That I never really meant to do you any harm But, sooner or later, one of us must know That you just did what youre supposed to do Sooner or later, one of us must know That I really did try to get close to you
Far between sundown’s finish and midnight’s broken toll We ducked inside the doorways, thunder went crashing As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds Seemin to be the chimes of freedom flashing Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight And for each and every underdog soldier in the night And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing Through the city’s melted furnace, unexpectedly we watched With faces hidden as the walls were tightening As the echo of the wedding bells before the blowin’ rain Dissolved into the bells of the lightning Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake Tolling for the luckless, they abandoned and forsaked Tolling for the outcast, burning constantly at stake And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing Through the mad mystic hammering of the wild ripping hail The sky cracked its poems in naked wonder That the clinging of the church bells blew far into the breeze Leavin only bells of lightning and its thunder Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind And the poet and the painter far behind his rightful time And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing And the wild cathedral evening the rain unraveled tales For disrobed faceless forms of no position Tolling for the tongues with no place to bring their thoughts All down in taken-for-granted situations Tolling for the deaf and blind, tolling for the mute For the mistreated, mateless mother, the mistitled prostitute For the misdemeanor outlaw, chained and cheated by pursuit And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing Even though a cloud’s white curtain in a far-off corner flared And the hypnotic splattered mist was slowly lifting Electric light still struck like arrows, fired but for the ones Condemned to drift or else be kept from driftin Tolling for the searching ones, on their speechless, seeking trail For the lonesome-hearted lovers with too personal a tale And for each unharmful, gentle soul misplaced inside a jail And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing Starry-eyed and laughing as I recall when we were caught Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended As we listened one last time and we watched with one last look Spellbound and swallowed ’til the tolling ended Tolling for the aching whose wounds cannot be nursed For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones and worse And for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashin

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Dataset Card for "huggingartists/bob-dylan"

🤖 HuggingArtists Model 🤖

Bob Dylan

@bob-dylan

Dataset Summary

The Lyrics dataset parsed from Genius. This dataset is designed to generate lyrics with HuggingArtists. Model is available here.

Supported Tasks and Leaderboards

More Information Needed

Languages

How to use

How to load this dataset directly with the datasets library:

from datasets import load_dataset

dataset = load_dataset("huggingartists/bob-dylan")

Dataset Structure

An example of 'train' looks as follows.

This example was too long and was cropped:

{
    "text": "Look, I was gonna go easy on you\nNot to hurt your feelings\nBut I'm only going to get this one chance\nSomething's wrong, I can feel it..."
}

Data Fields

The data fields are the same among all splits.

text: a string feature.

Data Splits

train	validation	test
2241	-	-

'Train' can be easily divided into 'train' & 'validation' & 'test' with few lines of code:

from datasets import load_dataset, Dataset, DatasetDict
import numpy as np

datasets = load_dataset("huggingartists/bob-dylan")

train_percentage = 0.9
validation_percentage = 0.07
test_percentage = 0.03

train, validation, test = np.split(datasets['train']['text'], [int(len(datasets['train']['text'])*train_percentage), int(len(datasets['train']['text'])*(train_percentage + validation_percentage))])

datasets = DatasetDict(
    {
        'train': Dataset.from_dict({'text': list(train)}),
        'validation': Dataset.from_dict({'text': list(validation)}),
        'test': Dataset.from_dict({'text': list(test)})
    }
)

Dataset Creation

Curation Rationale

More Information Needed

Source Data

Initial Data Collection and Normalization

More Information Needed

Who are the source language producers?

More Information Needed

Annotations

Considerations for Using the Data

Social Impact of Dataset

More Information Needed

Discussion of Biases

More Information Needed

Other Known Limitations

More Information Needed

Additional Information

Dataset Curators

More Information Needed

Licensing Information

More Information Needed

Citation Information

@InProceedings{huggingartists,
    author={Aleksey Korshuk}
    year=2021
}

About

Built by Aleksey Korshuk

For more details, visit the project repository.

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Size of downloaded dataset files:

2.88 MB

Size of the auto-converted Parquet files:

1.48 MB

Number of rows:

2,241

Models trained or fine-tuned on huggingartists/bob-dylan

huggingartists/bob-dylan

Text Generation • Updated Aug 3, 2022 • 6 • 2

Dataset Card for "huggingartists/bob-dylan"

Dataset Summary

Supported Tasks and Leaderboards

Languages

How to use

Dataset Structure

Data Fields

Data Splits

Dataset Creation

Curation Rationale

Source Data

Initial Data Collection and Normalization

Who are the source language producers?

Annotations

Annotation process

Who are the annotators?

Personal and Sensitive Information

Considerations for Using the Data

Social Impact of Dataset

Discussion of Biases

Other Known Limitations

Additional Information

Dataset Curators

Licensing Information

Citation Information

About

Models trained or fine-tuned on huggingartists/bob-dylan