| Disc 1 | ||||||
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| 1. |
| 2:21 | 
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Johnny's in the basement
Mixing up the medicine I'm on the pavement Thinking about the government The man in the trench coat Badge out, laid off Says he's got a bad cough Wants to get it paid off Look out kid It's somethin' you did God knows when But you're doin' it again You better duck down the alley way Lookin' for a new friend The man in the coon-skin cap In the big pen Wants eleven dollar bills You only got ten Maggie comes fleet foot Face full of black soot Talkin' that the heat put Plants in the bed but The phone's tapped anyway Maggie says that many say They must bust in early May Orders from the D. A. Look out kid Don't matter what you did Walk on your tip toes Don't try "No Doz" Better stay away from those That carry around a fire hose Keep a clean nose Watch the plain clothes You don't need a weather man To know which way the wind blows Get sick, get well Hang around a ink well Ring bell, hard to tell If anything is goin' to sell Try hard, get barred Get back, write braille Get jailed, jump bail Join the army, if you fail Look out kid You're gonna get hit But users, cheaters Six-time losers Hang around the theaters Girl by the whirlpool Lookin' for a new fool Don't follow leaders Watch the parkin' meters Ah get born, keep warm Short pants, romance, learn to dance Get dressed, get blessed Try to be a success Please her, please him, buy gifts Don't steal, don't lift Twenty years of schoolin' And they put you on the day shift Look out kid They keep it all hid Better jump down a manhole Light yourself a candle Don't wear sandals Try to avoid the scandals Don't wanna be a bum You better chew gum The pump don't work 'Cause the vandals took the handles |
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2. |
| 2:47 |
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She's got everything she needs,
She's an artist, she don't look back. She's got everything she needs, She's an artist, she don't look back. She can take the dark out of the nighttime And paint the daytime black. You will start out standing Proud to steal her anything she sees. You will start out standing Proud to steal her anything she sees. But you will wind up peeking through her keyhole Down upon your knees. She never stumbles, She's got no place to fall. She never stumbles, She's got no place to fall. She's nobody's child, The Law can't touch her at all. She wears an Egyptian ring That sparkles before she speaks. She wears an Egyptian ring That sparkles before she speaks. She's a hypnotist collector, You are a walking antique. Bow down to her on Sunday, Salute her when her birthday comes. Bow down to her on Sunday, Salute her when her birthday comes. For Halloween give her a trumpet And for Christmas, buy her a drum. |
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| 3. |
| 3:55 |
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I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
No, I aint gonna work on Maggie's farm no more Well, I wake up in the morning Fold my hands and pray for rain I got a head full of ideas That are drivin' me insane It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more No, I aint gonna work for Maggie's brother no more Well, he hands you a nickel He hands you a dime He asks you with a grin If you're havin' a good time Then he fines you every time you slam the door I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother more. I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more No, I aint gonna work for Maggie's pa no more Well, he puts his cigar Out in your face just for kicks His bedroom window It is made out of bricks The National Guard stands around his door Ah, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more. I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more Well, when she talks to all the servants About man and God and law Everybody says She's the brains behind pa She's sixty-eight, but she says she's twenty-four I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more. I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more I aint gonna work on Maggie's farm no more Well, I try my best To be just like I am But everybody wants you To be just like them They say sing while you slave and I just get bored I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. |
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| 4. |
| 2:51 |
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My love she speaks like silence, Without ideals or violence, She doesn't have to say she's faithful, Yet she's true, like ice, like fire. People carry roses, Make promises by the hours, My love she laughs like the flowers, Valentines can't buy her. In the dime stores and bus stations, People talk of situations, Read books, repeat quotations, Draw conclusions on the wall. Some speak of the future, My love she speaks softly, She knows there's no success like failure And that failure's no success at all. The cloak and dagger dangles, Madams light the candles. In ceremonies of the horsemen, Even the pawn must hold a grudge. Statues made of match sticks, Crumble into one another, My love winks, she does not bother, She knows too much to argue or to judge. The bridge at midnight trembles, The country doctor rambles, Bankers' nieces seek perfection, Expecting all the gifts that wise men bring. The wind howls like a hammer, The night blows cold and rainy, My love she's like some raven At my window with a broken wing |
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| 5. |
| 3:04 |
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Ain't it hard to stumble
And land in some funny lagoon? Ain't it hard to stumble And land in some muddy lagoon? Especially when it's nine below zero And three o'clock in the afternoon. Ain't gonna hang no picture, Ain't gonna hang no picture frame. Ain't gonna hang no picture, Ain't gonna hang no picture frame. Well, I might look like Robert Ford But I feel just like a Jesse James. Well, I wish I was on some Australian mountain range. Oh, I wish I was on some Australian mountain range. I got no reason to be there, but I Imagine it would be some kind of change. I got my dark sunglasses, I got for good luck my black tooth. I got my dark sunglasses, I'm carryin' for good luck my black tooth. Don't ask me nothin' about nothin', I just might tell you the truth. I got a woman in Jackson, I ain't gonna say her name. I got a woman in Jackson, I ain't gonna say her name. She's a brown-skin woman, but I Love her just the same. |
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| 6. |
| 2:35 |
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Well, I woke up in the morning There's frogs inside my socks Your mama, she's a-hidin' Inside the icebox Your daddy walks in wearin' A Napoleon Bonaparte mask Then you ask why I don't live here Honey, do you have to ask? Well, I go to pet your monkey I get a face full of claws I ask who's in the fireplace And you tell me Santa Claus The milkman comes in He's wearing a derby hat Then you ask why I don't live here Honey, how come you have to ask me that? Well, I asked for something to eat I'm hungry as a hog So I get brown rice, seaweed And a dirty hot dog I've got a hole Where my stomach disappeared Then you ask why I don't live here Honey, I gotta think you're really weird. Your grandpa's cane It turns into a sword Your grandma prays to pictures That are pasted on a board Everything inside my pockets Your uncle steals Then you ask why I don't live here Honey, I can't believe that you're for real. Well, there's fist fights in the kitchen They're enough to make me cry The mailman comes in Even he's gotta take a side Even the butler He's got something to prove Then you ask why I don't live here Honey, how come you don't move? |
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| 7. |
| 6:30 |
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I was riding on the Mayflower
When I thought I spied some land I yelled for Captain Arab I have yuh understand Who came running to the deck Said, "Boys, forget the whale Look on over yonder Cut the engines Change the sail Haul on the bowline" We sang that melody Like all tough sailors do When they are far away at sea. "I think I'll call it America" I said as we hit the land I took a deep breath I fell down, I could not stand Captain Arab he started Writing up some deeds He said, "Let's set up a fort And start buying the place with beads" Just then this cop comes down the street Crazy as a loon He throw us all in jail For carryin' harpoons. Ah me I busted out Don't even ask me how I went to get some help I walked by a Guernsey cow Who directed me down To the Bowery slums Where people carried signs around Saying, "Ban the bums" I jumped right into line Sayin' "I hope that I'm not late" When I realized I hadn't eaten For five days straight. I went into a restaurant Lookin' for the cook I told him I was the editor Of a famous etiquette book The waitress he was handsome He wore a powder blue cape I ordered some suzette, I said "Could you please make that crepe" Just then the whole kitchen exploded From boillin' fat Food was flying anywhere And I left without my had. Now, I didn't mean to be nosy But I went into a bank To get some bail for Arab And all the boys back in the tank They asked me for some collateral And I pulled down my pants They threw me in the alley When up comes this girl from France Who invited me to her house I went, but she had a friend Who knocked me out And robbed my boots And I was on the street again. Well, I rapped upon a house With the US flag upon display I said, "Could you help me out I got some friends down the way " The man says, "Get out of here I'll tear you limp from limb" I said, "You know they refused Jesus, too" He said, "You're not Him Get out of here before I break your bones I ain't your pop" I decided to have him arrested And I went lookin for a cop. I ran right outside And I hopped inside a cab I went out the other door This Englishman said, "Fab" As he saw me leap a hot dog stand And a chariot that stood Parked across from a building Advertising brotherhood I ran right through the front door Like a hobo sailor does But it was just a funeral parlor And the man asked me who I was. I repeated that my friends Where all in jail, with a sigh He gave me his card He said, "Call me if they die" I shook his hand and said goodbye Ran out to the street When a bowling ball came down the road And knocked me off my feet A pay phone was ringing It just about blew my mind When I picked it up and said hello This foot came through the line. Well, by this time I was feed up At tryin'g to make a stab At bringin' back any help For my friends and captain Arab I decided to flip a coin Like either heads or tails Would let me know if I should go Back to the ship or back to jail So I hooked my sailor suit And I got a coin to flip It came up tails It rhymed with sails So I made it back to the ship. Well, I got back and took The parkin' ticket off the mast I was ripping it to shreds When this coastguard boat went past They asked me my name And I said, "Captain Kidd" They believed me but They wanted to know What exactly that I did I said for the Pope of Eruke I was employed They let me go right away They were very paranoid. Well, the last I heard of Arab He was stuck on a whale That was married to the deputy Sheriff of the jail But the funniest thing was When I was leavin' the bay I saw three ships a-sailin' There were all heading my way I asked the captain what his name was And how come he didn't drive a truck He said his name was Columbus I just said, "Good luck". |
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| 8. |
| 5:30 |
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Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to. Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me, In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you. Though I know that evenin's empire has returned into sand, Vanished from my hand, Left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping. My weariness amazes me, I'm branded on my feet, I have no one to meet And the ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming. Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me, I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to. Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me, In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you. Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin' ship, My senses have been stripped, my hands can't feel to grip, My toes too numb to step, wait only for my boot heels To be wanderin'. I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way, I promise to go under it. Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me, I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to. Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me, In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you. Though you might hear laughin', spinnin', swingin' madly across the sun, It's not aimed at anyone, it's just escapin' on the run And but for the sky there are no fences facin'. And if you hear vague traces of skippin' reels of rhyme To your tambourine in time, it's just a ragged clown behind, I wouldn't pay it any mind, it's just a shadow you're Seein' that he's chasing. Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me, I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to. Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me, In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you. Then take me disappearin' through the smoke rings of my mind, Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves, The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach, Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow. Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free, Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands, With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves, Let me forget about today until tomorrow. Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me, I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to. Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me, In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you. |
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| 9. |
| 5:40 |
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Of war and peace the truth just twists
Its curfew gull just glides Upon four-legged forest clouds The cowboy angel rides With his candle lit into the sun Though its glow is waxed in black All except when 'neath the trees of Eden The lamppost stands with folded arms Its iron claws attached To curbs 'neath holes where babies wail Though it shadows metal badge All and all can only fall With a crashing but meaningless blow No sound ever comes from the Gates of Eden The savage soldier sticks his head in sand And then complains Unto the shoeless hunter who's gone deaf But still remains Upon the beach where hound dogs bay At ships with tattooed sails Heading for the Gates of Eden With a time-rusted compass blade Aladdin and his lamp Sits with Utopian hermit monks Side saddle on the Golden Calf And on their promises of paradise You will not hear a laugh All except inside the Gates of Eden Relationships of ownership They whisper in the wings To those condemned to act accordingly And wait for succeeding kings And I try to harmonize with songs The lonesome sparrow sings There are no kings inside the Gates of Eden The motorcycle black madonna Two-wheeled gypsy queen And her silver-studded phantom cause The gray flannel dwarf to scream As he weeps to wicked birds of prey Who pick up on his bread crumb sins And there are no sins inside the Gates of Eden The kingdoms of Experience In the precious wind they rot While paupers change possessions Each one wishing for what the other has got And the princess and the prince Discuss what's real and what is not It doesn't matter inside the Gates of Eden The foreign sun, it squints upon A bed that is never mine As friends and other strangers From their fates try to resign Leaving men wholly, totally free To do anything they wish to do but die And there are no trials inside the Gates of Eden At dawn my lover comes to me And tells me of her dreams With no attempts to shovel the glimpse Into the ditch of what each one means At times I think there are no words But these to tell what's true And there are no truths outside the Gates of Eden |
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| 10. |
| 7:29 |
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Darkness at the break of noon
Shadows even the silver spoon The handmade blade, the child's balloon Eclipses both the sun and moon To understand you know too soon There is no sense in trying. Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn Suicide remarks are torn From the fools gold mouthpiece The hollow horn plays wasted words Proved to warn That he not busy being born Is busy dying. Temptation's page flies out the door You follow, find yourself at war Watch waterfalls of pity roar You feel to moan but unlike before You discover That you'd just be One more person crying. So don't fear if you hear A foreign sound to you ear It's alright, Ma, I'm only sighing. As some warn victory, some downfall Private reasons great or small Can be seen in the eyes of those that call To make all that should be killed to crawl While others say don't hate nothing at all Except hatred. Disillusioned words like bullets bark As human gods aim for their marks Made everything from toy guns that sparks To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark It's easy to see without looking too far That not much Is really sacred. While preachers preach of evil fates Teachers teach that knowledge waits Can lead to hundred-dollar plates Goodness hides behind its gates But even the President of the United States Sometimes must have To stand naked. An' though the rules of the road have been lodged It's only people's games that you got to dodge And it's alright, Ma, I can make it. Advertising signs that con you Into thinking you're the one That can do what's never been done That can win what's never been won Meantime life outside goes on All around you. You loose yourself, you reappear You suddenly find you got nothing to fear Alone you stand without nobody near When a trembling distant voice, unclear Startles your sleeping ears to hear That somebody thinks They really found you. A question in your nerves is lit Yet you know there is no answer fit to satisfy Insure you not to quit To keep it in your mind and not forget That it is not he or she or them or it That you belong to. Although the masters make the rules For the wise men and the fools I got nothing, Ma, to live up to. For them that must obey authority That they do not respect in any degree Who despite their jobs, their destinies Speak jealously of them that are free Cultivate their flowers to be Nothing more than something They invest in. While some on principles baptized To strict party platforms ties Social clubs in drag disguise Outsiders they can freely criticize Tell nothing except who to idolize And then say God Bless him. While one who sings with his tongue on fire Gargles in the rat race choir Bent out of shape from society's pliers Cares not to come up any higher But rather get you down in the hole That he's in. But I mean no harm nor put fault On anyone that lives in a vault But it's alright, Ma, if I can't please him. Old lady judges, watch people in pairs Limited in sex, they dare To push fake morals, insult and stare While money doesn't talk, it swears Obscenity, who really cares Propaganda, all is phony. While them that defend what they cannot see With a killer's pride, security It blows the minds most bitterly For them that think death's honesty Won't fall upon them naturally Life sometimes Must get lonely. My eyes collide head-on with stuffed graveyards False gods, I scuff At pettiness which plays so rough Walk upside-down inside handcuffs Kick my legs to crash it off Say okay, I have had enough What else can you show me ? And if my thought-dreams could been seen They'd probably put my head in a guillotine But it's alright, Ma, it's life, and life only. |
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| 11. |
| 4:12 |
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You must leave now, take what you need, you think will last
But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast Yonder stands your orphan with his gun Crying like a fire in the sun Look out the saints are comin' through And it's all over now, Baby Blue. The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense Take what you have gathered from coincidence The empty handed painter from your streets Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets This sky, too, is folding under you And it's all over now, Baby Blue. All your seasick sailors, they are rowing home Your empty handed armies, are all going home Your lover who just walked out the door Has taken all his blankets from the floor The carpet, too, is moving under you And it's all over now, Baby Blue. Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you The vagabond who's rapping at your door Is standing in the clothes that you once wore Strike another match, go start a new And it's all over now, Baby Blue. |
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| Disc 2 | ||||||
| 1. |
| 6:10 |
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Once upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you? People'd call, say, "Beware doll, you're bound to fall" You thought they were all kiddin' you You used to laugh about Everybody that was hangin' out Now you don't talk so loud Now you don't seem so proud About having to be scrounging for your next meal. How does it feel How does it feel To be without a home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone? You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely But you know you only used to get juiced in it And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it You said you'd never compromise With the mystery tramp, but now you realize He's not selling any alibis As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes And ask him do you want to make a deal? How does it feel How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone? You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns When they all come down and did tricks for you You never understood that it ain't no good You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat Ain't it hard when you discover that He really wasn't where it's at After he took from you everything he could steal. How does it feel How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone? Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people They're drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts and things But you'd better lift your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe You used to be so amused At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal. How does it feel How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone? |
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| 2. |
| 5:57 |
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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 fact'ry She ain't got no shoes Daddy's in the alley He's lookin' for the fuse I'm in the streets With the tombstone blues The hysterical bride in the penny arcade Screaming she moans, "I've just been made" Then sends out for the doctor who pulls down the shade Says, "My advice is to not let the boys in" Now the medicine man comes and he shuffles inside He walks with a swagger and he says to the bride "Stop all this weeping, swallow your pride You will not die, it's not poison" Mama's in the fact'ry She ain't got no shoes Daddy's in the alley He's lookin' for the fuse I'm in the streets With the tombstone blues Well, John the Baptist after torturing a thief Looks up at his hero the Commander-in-Chief Saying, "Tell me great hero, but please make it brief Is there a hole for me to get sick in?" The Commander-in-Chief answers him while chasing a fly Saying, "Death to all those who would whimper and cry" And dropping a bar bell he points to the sky Saving, "The sun's not yellow it's chicken" Mama's in the fact'ry She ain't got no shoes Daddy's in the alley He's lookin' for the fuse I'm in the streets With the tombstone blues The king of the Philistines his soldiers to save Put jawbones on their tombstones and flatters their graves Puts the pied pipers in prison and fattens the slaves Then sends them out to the jungle Gypsy Davey with a blowtorch he burns out their camps With his faithful slave Pedro behind him he tramps With a fantastic collection of stamps To win friends and influence his uncle Mama's in the fact'ry She ain't got no shoes Daddy's in the alley He's lookin' for the fuse I'm in the streets With the tombstone blues The geometry of innocence flesh on the bone Causes Galileo's math book to get thrown At Delilah who sits worthlessly alone But the tears on her cheeks are from laughter Now I wish I could give Brother Bill his great thrill I would set him in chains at the top of the hill Then send out for some pillars and Cecil B. DeMille He could die happily ever after Mama's in the fact'ry She ain't got no shoes Daddy's in the alley He's lookin' for the fuse I'm in the streets With the tombstone blues Where Ma Raney and Beethoven once unwrapped their bed roll 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 fact'ry She ain't got no shoes Daddy's in the alley He's lookin' for the fuse I'm in the streets With the tombstone blues |
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| 3. |
| 4:06 |
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Well, I ride on a mailtrain, baby,
Can't buy a thrill. Well, I've been up all night, baby, Leanin' on the window sill. Well, if I die On top of the hill And if I don't make it, You know my baby will. Don't the moon look good, mama, Shinin' through the trees? Don't the brakeman look good, mama, Flagging down the "Double E"? Don't the sun look good Goin' down over the sea? Don't my gal look fine When she's comin' after me? Now the wintertime is coming, The windows are filled with frost. I went to tell everybody, But I could not get across. Well, I wanna be your lover, baby, I don't wanna be your boss. Don't say I never warned you When your train gets lost. |
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| 4. |
| 3:16 |
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I got this graveyard woman, you know she keeps my kid
But my soulful mama, you know she keeps me hid She's a junkyard angel and she always gives me bread Well, if I go down dyin', you know she bound to put a blanket on my bed. Well, when the pipeline gets broken and I'm lost on the river bridge I'm cracked up on the highway and on the water's edge She comes down the thruway ready to sew me up with thread Well, if I go down dyin', you know she bound to put a blanket on my bed. Well, she don't make me nervous, she don't talk too much She walks like Bo Diddley and she don't need no crutch She keeps this four-ten all loaded with lead Well, if I go down dyin', you know she bound to put a blanket on my bed. Well, you know I need a steam shovel mama to keep away the dead I need a dump truck mama to unload my head She brings me everything and more, and just like I said Well, if I go down dyin', you know she bound to put a blanket on my bed. |
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| 5. |
| 5:57 |
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You walk into the room
With your pencil in your hand You see somebody naked And you say, "Who is that man ?" You try so hard But you don't understand Just what you'll say When you get home. Because something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones ? You raise up your head And you ask, "Is this where it is ?" And somebody points to you and says "It's his" And you says, "What's mine ?" And somebody else says, "Where what is ?" And you say, "Oh my God Am I here all alone ?" But something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones ? You hand in your ticket And you go watch the geek Who immediately walks up to you When he hears you speak And says, "How does it feel To be such a freak ?" And you say, "Impossible" As he hands you a bone. And something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones ? You have many contacts Among the lumberjacks To get you facts When someone attacks your imagination But nobody has any respect Anyway they already expect you To all give a check To tax-deductible charity organizations. You've been with the professors And they've all liked your looks With great lawyers you have Discussed lepers and crooks You've been through all of F. Scott Fitzgerald's books You're very well read It's well known. But something is happening here And you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones ? Well, the sword swallower, he comes up to you And then he kneels He crosses himself And then he clicks his high heels And without further notice He asks you how it feels And he says, "Here is your throat back Thanks for the loan". And you know something is happening But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones ? Now you see this one-eyed midget Shouting the word "NOW" And you say, "For what reason ?" And he says, "How ?" And you say, "What does this mean ?" And he screams back, "You're a cow Give me some milk Or else go home". Because something is happening But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones ? Well, you walk into the room Like a camel and then you frown You put your eyes in your pocket And your nose on the ground There ought to be a law Against you comin' around You should be made To wear earphones. Does something is happening And you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones ? |
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| 6. |
| 5:28 |
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When your mother sends back all your invitations
And your father to your sister he explains That you're tired of yourself and all of your creations Won't you come see me, Queen Jane? Won't you come see me, Queen Jane? Now when all of the flower ladies want back what they have lent you And the smell of their roses does not remain And all of your children start to resent you Won't you come see me, Queen Jane? Won't you come see me, Queen Jane? Now when all the clowns that you have commissioned Have died in battle or in vain And you're sick of all this repetition Won't you come see me, Queen Jane? Won't you come see me, Queen Jane? When all of your advisers heave their plastic At your feet to convince you of your pain Trying to prove that your conclusions should be more drastic Won't you come see me, Queen Jane? Won't you come see me, Queen Jane? Now when all the bandits that you turned your other cheek to All lay down their bandanas and complain And you want somebody you don't have to speak to Won't you come see me, Queen Jane? Won't you come see me, Queen Jane? |
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| 7. |
| 3:27 |
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Oh God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
Abe says, "Man, you must be puttin' me on" God say, "No." Abe say, "What?" God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but The next time you see me comin' you better run" Well Abe says, "Where do you want this killin' done?" God says, "Out on Highway 61." Well Georgia Sam he had a bloody nose Welfare Department they wouldn't give him no clothes He asked poor Howard where can I go Howard said there's only one place I know Sam said tell me quick man I got to run 0l' Howard just pointed with his gun And said that way down on Highway 61. Well Mack the Finger said to Louie the King I got forty red white and blue shoe strings And a thousand telephones that don't ring Do you know where I can get rid of these things And Louie the King said let me think for a minute son And he said yes I think it can be easily done Just take everything down to Highway 61. Now the fifth daughter on the twelfth night Told the first father that things weren't right My complexion she said is much too white He said come here and step into the light he says hmm you're right Let me tell the second mother this has been done But the second mother was with the seventh son And they were both out on Highway 61. Now the rovin' gambler he was very bored He was tryin' to create a next world war He found a promoter who nearly fell off the floor He said I never engaged in this kind of thing before But yes I think it can be very easily done We'll just put some bleachers out in the sun And have it on Highway 61. |
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| 8. |
| 5:28 |
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When you're lost in the rain in Juarez
And it's Eastertime too And your gravity fails And negativity don't pull you through Don't put on any airs When you're down on Rue Morgue Avenue They got some hungry women there And they really make a mess outa you. Now if you see Saint Annie Please tell her thanks a lot I cannot move My fingers are all in a knot I don't have the strength To get up and take another shot And my best friend, my doctor Won't even say what it is I've got. Sweet Melinda The peasants call her the goddess of gloom She speaks good English And she invites you up into her room And you're so kind And careful not to go to her too soon And she takes your voice And leaves you howling at the moon. Up on Housing Project Hill It's either fortune or fame You must pick up one or the other Though neither of them are to be what they claim If you're lookin' to get silly You better go back to from where you came Because the cops don't need you And man they expect the same. Now all the authorities They just stand around and boast How they blackmailed the sergeant-at-arms Into leaving his post And picking up Angel who Just arrived here from the coast Who looked so fine at first But left looking just like a ghost. I started out on burgundy But soon hit the harder stuff Everybody said they'd stand behind me When the game got rough But the joke was on me There was nobody even there to bluff I'm going back to New York City I do believe I've had enough. |
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| 9. |
| 11:23 |
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They're selling postcards of the hanging
They're painting the passports brown The beauty parlor is filled with sailors The circus is in town Here comes the blind commissioner They've got him in a trance One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker The other is in his pants And the riot squad they're restless They need somewhere to go As Lady and I look out tonight From Desolation Row Cinderella, she seems so easy "It takes one to know one," she smiles And puts her hands in her back pockets Bette Davis style And in comes Romeo, he's moaning "You Belong to Me I Believe" And someone says," You're in the wrong place, my friend You better leave" And the only sound that's left After the ambulances go Is Cinderella sweeping up On Desolation Row Now the moon is almost hidden The stars are beginning to hide The fortunetelling lady Has even taken all her things inside All except for Cain and Abel And the hunchback of Notre Dame Everybody is making love Or else expecting rain And the Good Samaritan, he's dressing He's getting ready for the show He's going to the carnival tonight On Desolation Row Now Ophelia, she's 'neath the window For her I feel so afraid On her twenty-second birthday She already is an old maid To her, death is quite romantic She wears an iron vest Her profession's her religion Her sin is her lifelessness And though her eyes are fixed upon Noah's great rainbow She spends her time peeking Into Desolation Row Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood With his memories in a trunk Passed this way an hour ago With his friend, a jealous monk He looked so immaculately frightful As he bummed a cigarette Then he went off sniffing drainpipes And reciting the alphabet Now you would not think to look at him But he was famous long ago For playing the electric violin On Desolation Row Dr. Filth, he keeps his world Inside of a leather cup But all his sexless patients They're trying to blow it up Now his nurse, some local loser She's in charge of the cyanide hole And she also keeps the cards that read "Have Mercy on His Soul" They all play on penny whistles You can hear them blow If you lean your head out far enough From Desolation Row Across the street they've nailed the curtains They're getting ready for the feast The Phantom of the Opera A perfect image of a priest They're spoonfeeding Casanova To get him to feel more assured Then they'll kill him with self-confidence After poisoning him with words And the Phantom's shouting to skinny girls "Get Outa Here If You Don't Know Casanova is just being punished for going To Desolation Row" Now at midnight all the agents And the superhuman crew Come out and round up everyone That knows more than they do Then they bring them to the factory Where the heart-attack machine Is strapped across their shoulders And then the kerosene Is brought down from the castles By insurance men who go Check to see that nobody is escaping To Desolation Row Praise be to Nero's Neptune The Titanic sails at dawn And everybody's shouting "Which Side Are You On?" And Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot Fighting in the captain's tower While calypso singers laugh at them And fishermen hold flowers Between the windows of the sea Where lovely mermaids flow And nobody has to think too much About Desolation Row Yes, I received your letter yesterday (About the time the door knob broke) When you asked how I was doing Was that some kind of joke? All these people that you mention Yes, I know them, they're quite lame I had to rearrange their faces And give them all another name Right now I can't read too good Don't send me no more letters no Not unless you mail them From Desolation Row |
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| Disc 3 | ||||||
| 1. |
| 4:34 |
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Well, they'll stone ya when you're trying to be so good,
They'll stone ya just a-like they said they would. They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to go home. Then they'll stone ya when you're there all alone. But I would not feel so all alone, Everybody must get stoned. Well, they'll stone ya when you're walkin' 'long the street. They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to keep your seat. They'll stone ya when you're walkin' on the floor. They'll stone ya when you're walkin' to the door. But I would not feel so all alone, Everybody must get stoned. They'll stone ya when you're at the breakfast table. They'll stone ya when you are young and able. They'll stone ya when you're tryin' to make a buck. They'll stone ya and then they'll say, "good luck." Tell ya what, I would not feel so all alone, Everybody must get stoned. Well, they'll stone you and say that it's the end. Then they'll stone you and then they'll come back again. They'll stone you when you're riding in your car. They'll stone you when you're playing your guitar. Yes, but I would not feel so all alone, Everybody must get stoned. Well, they'll stone you when you walk all alone. They'll stone you when you are walking home. They'll stone you and then say you are brave. They'll stone you when you are set down in your grave. But I would not feel so all alone, Everybody must get stoned. |
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| 2. |
| 3:48 |
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Well, early in the mornin'
'Til late at night, I got a poison headache, But I feel all right. I'm pledging my time to you, Hopin' you'll come through, too. Well, the hobo jumped up, He came down natur'lly. After he stole my baby, Then he wanted to steal me. But I'm pledging my time to you, Hopin' you'll come through, too. Won't you come with me, baby? I'll take you where you wanna go. And if it don't work out, You'll be the first to know. I'm pledging my time to you, Hopin' you'll come through, too. Well, the room is so stuffy, I can hardly breathe. Ev'rybody's gone but me and you And I can't be the last to leave. I'm pledging my time to you, Hopin' you'll come through, too. Well, they sent for the ambulance And one was sent. Somebody got lucky But it was an accident. Now I'm pledging my time to you, Hopin' you'll come through, too. |
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| 3. |
| 7:31 |
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Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when you're tryin' to be so quiet?
We sit here stranded, though we're all doin' our best to deny it And Louise holds a handful of rain, temptin' you to defy it Lights flicker from the opposite loft In this room the heat pipes just cough The country music station plays soft But there's nothing, really nothing to turn off Just Louise and her lover so entwined And these visions of Johanna that conquer my mind In the empty lot where the ladies play blindman's bluff with the key chain And the all-night girls they whisper of escapades out on the "D" train We can hear the night watchman click his flashlight Ask himself if it's him or them that's really insane Louise, she's all right, she's just near She's delicate and seems like the mirror But she just makes it all too concise and too clear That Johanna's not here The ghost of '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 He's sure got a lotta gall to be so useless and all Muttering small talk at the wall while I'm in the hall How can I explain? Oh, it's so hard to get on And these visions of Johanna, they kept me up past the dawn Inside the museums, Infinity goes up on trial Voices echo this is what salvation must be like after a while But Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues You can tell by the way she smiles See the primitive wallflower freeze When the jelly-faced women all sneeze Hear the one with the mustache say, "Jeeze I can't find my knees" Oh, jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule But these visions of Johanna, they make it all seem so cruel The peddler now speaks to the countess who's pretending to care for him Sayin', "Name me someone that's not a parasite and I'll go out and say a prayer for him" But like Louise always says "Ya can't look at much, can ya man?" As she, herself, prepares for him And Madonna, she still has not showed We see this empty cage now corrode Where her cape of the stage once had flowed The fiddler, he now steps to the road He writes ev'rything's been returned which was owed On the back of the fish truck that loads While my conscience explodes The harmonicas play the skeleton keys and the rain And these visions of Johanna are now all that remain |
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| 4. |
| 4:52 |
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I didn't mean to treat you so bad
You shouldn't take it so personal I didn't mean to make you so sad You just happened to be there, that's all When I saw you say "goodbye" to your friends and smile I thought that it was well understood That you'd be comin' back in a little while I didn't know that you were sayin' "goodbye" for good But, sooner or later, one of us must know You just did what you're supposed to do Sooner or later, one of us must know That I really did try to get close to you I couldn't see what you could show me Your scarf had kept your mouth well hid I couldn't see how you could know me But you said you knew me and I believed you did When you whispered in my ear And asked me if I was leavin' with you or her I didn't realize just what I did hear I didn't realize how young you were But, sooner or later, one of us must know You just did what you're supposed to do Sooner or later, one of us must know That I really did try to get close to you I couldn't see when it started snowin' Your voice was all that I heard I couldn't see where we were goin' But you said you knew an' I took your word And then you told me later, as I apologized That you were just kiddin' me, you weren't really from the farm An' I told you, as you clawed out my eyes That I never really meant to do you any harm But, sooner or later, one of us must know You just did what you're supposed to do Sooner or later, one of us must know That I really did try to get close to you |
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| 5. |
| 3:05 |
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The guilty undertaker sighs,
The lonesome organ grinder cries, The silver saxophones say I should refuse you. The cracked bells and washed-out horns Blow into my face with scorn, But it's not that way, I wasn't born to lose you. I want you, I want you, I want you so bad, Honey, I want you. The drunken politician leaps Upon the street where mothers weep And the saviors who are fast asleep, They wait for you. And I wait for them to interrupt Me drinkin' from my broken cup And ask me to Open up the gate for you. I want you, I want you, I want you so bad, Honey, I want you. Now all my fathers, they've gone down True love they've been without it. But all their daughters put me down 'Cause I don't think about it. Well, I return to the Queen of Spades And talk with my chambermaid. She knows that I'm not afraid To look at her. She is good to me And there's nothing she doesn't see. She knows where I'd like to be But it doesn't matter. I want you, I want you, 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, though, because he lied Because he took you for a ride And because time was on his side And because I . . . I want you, I want you, I want you so bad, Honey, I want you. |
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| 6. |
| 7:03 |
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Oh, the ragman draws circles
Up and down the block. I'd ask him what the matter was But I know that he don't talk. And the ladies treat me kindly And furnish me with tape, But deep inside my heart I know I can't escape. Oh, Mama, can this really be the end, To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again. Well, Shakespeare, he's in the alley With his pointed shoes and his bells, Speaking to some French girl, Who says she knows me well. And I would send a message To find out if she's talked, But the post office has been stolen And the mailbox is locked. Oh, Mama, can this really be the end, To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again. Mona tried to tell me To stay away from the train line. She said that all the railroad men Just drink up your blood like wine. An' I said, "Oh, I didn't know that, But then again, there's only one I've met An' he just smoked my eyelids An' punched my cigarette." Oh, Mama, can this really be the end, To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again. Grandpa died last week And now he's buried in the rocks, But everybody still talks about How badly they were shocked. But me, I expected it to happen, I knew he'd lost control When he built a fire on Main Street And shot it full of holes. Oh, Mama, can this really be the end, To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again. Now the senator came down here Showing ev'ryone his gun, Handing out free tickets To the wedding of his son. An' me, I nearly got busted An' wouldn't it be my luck To get caught without a ticket And be discovered beneath a truck. Oh, Mama, can this really be the end, To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again. Now the preacher looked so baffled When I asked him why he dressed With twenty pounds of headlines Stapled to his chest. But he cursed me when I proved it to him, Then I whispered, "Not even you can hide. You see, you're just like me, I hope you're satisfied." Oh, Mama, can this really be the end, To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again. Now the rainman gave me two cures, Then he said, "Jump right in." The one was Texas medicine, The other was just railroad gin. An' like a fool I mixed them An' it strangled up my mind, An' now people just get uglier An' I have no sense of time. Oh, Mama, can this really be the end, To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again. When Ruthie says come see her In her honky-tonk lagoon, Where I can watch her waltz for free 'Neath her Panamanian moon. An' I say, "Aw come on now, You must know about my debutante." An' she says, "Your debutante just knows what you need But I know what you want." Oh, Mama, can this really be the end, To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again. Now the bricks lay on Grand Street Where the neon madmen climb. They all fall there so perfectly, It all seems so well timed. An' here I sit so patiently Waiting to find out what price You have to pay to get out of Going through all these things twice. Oh, Mama, can this really be the end, To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again. |
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| 7. |
| 3:56 |
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Well, I see you got your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat Yes, I see you got your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat Well, you must tell me, baby How your head feels under somethin' like that Under your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat Well, you look so pretty in it Honey, can I jump on it sometime? Yes, I just wanna see If it's really that expensive kind You know it balances on your head Just like a mattress balances On a bottle of wine Your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat Well, if you wanna see the sun rise Honey, I know where We'll go out and see it sometime We'll both just sit there and stare Me with my belt Wrapped around my head And you just sittin' there In your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat Well, I asked the doctor if I could see you It's bad for your health, he said Yes, I disobeyed his orders I came to see you But I found him there instead You know, I don't mind him cheatin' on me But I sure wish he'd take that off his head Your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat Well, I see you got a new boyfriend You know, I never seen him before Well, I saw him Makin' love to you You forgot to close the garage door You might think he loves you for your money But I know what he really loves you for It's your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat |
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| 8. |
| 4:50 |
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Nobody feels any pain
Tonight as I stand here in the rain. Everybody knows that baby's got new clothes, But lately I see her ribbons and her bows Have fallen from her curls. She takes just like a woman. She makes love just like a woman. And then she aches just like a woman. But she breaks just like a little girl. Queen Mary, she's my friend. Yes I believe I'll go see her again. Nobody has to guess that baby can't be blessed 'Till she finally sees that she's like all the rest With her fog (?), her amphetamines, and her pearls. She takes just like a woman. She makes love just like a woman. And then she aches just like a woman. But she breaks just like a little girl. (break:) It raining at first, and I was dying there of thirst, So I came in here. And your long-time curse hurts, but what's worse Is this pain in here. I can't stay in here. Ain't it clear... That I just can't fit. I believe it's time for us to quit. But when we met again and are introduced as friends, Please don't let on that you knew me when I was hungry, and it was your world. You take just like a woman. You make love just like a woman. And then you ache just like a woman. But you break just like a little girl. |
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| 9. |
| 3:27 |
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You say you love me
And you're thinkin' of me, But you know you could be wrong. You say you told me That you wanna hold me, But you know you're not that strong. I just can't do what I done before, I just can't beg you any more. I'm gonna let you pass And I'll go last. Then time will tell just who fell And who's been left behind, When you go your way and I go mine. You say you disturb me And you don't deserve me, But you know sometimes you lie. You say you're shakin' And you're always achin', But you know how hard you try. Sometimes it gets so hard to care, It can't be this way ev'rywhere. And I'm gonna let you pass, Yes, and I'll go last. Then time will tell just who fell And who's been left behind, When you go your way and I go mine. The judge, he holds a grudge, He's gonna call on you. But he's badly built And he walks on stilts, Watch out he don't fall on you. You say you're sorry For tellin' stories That you know I believe are true. You say ya got some Other kinda lover And yes, I believe you do. You say my kisses are not like his, But this time I'm not gonna tell you why that is. I'm just gonna let you pass, Yes, and I'll go last. Then time will tell who fell And who's been left behind, When you go your way and I go mine. |
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| 10. |
| 5:00 |
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Standing on your window, honey,
Yes, I've been here before. Feeling so harmless, I'm looking at your second door. How come you don't send me no regards? You know I want your lovin', Honey, why are you so hard? Kneeling 'neath your ceiling, Yes, I guess I'll be here for a while. I'm tryin' to read your portrait, but, I'm helpless, like a rich man's child. How come you send someone out to have me barred? You know I want your lovin', Honey, why are you so hard? Like a poor fool in his prime, Yes, I know you can hear me walk, But is your heart made out of stone, or is it lime, Or is it just solid rock? Well, I rush into your hallway, Lean against your velvet door. I watch upon your scorpion Who crawls across your circus floor. Just what do you think you have to guard? You know I want your lovin', Honey, but you're so hard. Achilles is in your alleyway, He don't want me here, He does brag. He's pointing to the sky And he's hungry, like a man in drag. How come you get someone like him to be your guard? You know I want your lovin', Honey, but you're so hard. |
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| 11. |
| 4:54 |
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Well, your railroad gate, you know I just can't jump it
Sometimes it gets so hard, you see I'm just sitting here beating on my trumpet With all these promises you left for me But where are you tonight, sweet Marie? Well, I waited for you when I was half sick Yes, I waited for you when you hated me Well, I waited for you inside of the frozen traffic When you knew I had some other place to be Now, where are you tonight, sweet Marie? Well, anybody can be just like me, obviously But then, now again, not too many can be like you, fortunately. Well, six white horses that you did promise Were fin'lly delivered down to the penitentiary But to live outside the law, you must be honest I know you always say that you agree But where are you tonight, sweet Marie? Well, I don't know how it happened But the river-boat captain, he knows my fate But ev'rybody else, even yourself They're just gonna have to wait. Well, I got the fever down in my pockets The Persian drunkard, he follows me Yes, I can take him to your house but I can't unlock it You see, you forgot to leave me with the key Oh, where are you tonight, sweet Marie? Now, I been in jail when all my mail showed That a man can't give his address out to bad company And now I stand here lookin' at your yellow railroad In the ruins of your balcony Wond'ring where you are tonight, sweet Marie. |
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| 12. |
| 4:32 |
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When she said,
"Don't waste your words, they're just lies," I cried she was deaf. And she worked on my face until breaking my eyes, Then said, "What else you got left?" It was then that I got up to leave But she said, "Don't forget, Everybody must give something back For something they get." I stood there and hummed, I tapped on her drum and asked her how come. And she buttoned her boot, And straightened her suit, Then she said, "Don't get cute." So I forced my hands in my pockets And felt with my thumbs, And gallantly handed her My very last piece of gum. She threw me outside, I stood in the dirt where ev'ryone walked. And after finding I'd Forgotten my shirt, I went back and knocked. I waited in the hallway, she went to get it, And I tried to make sense Out of that picture of you in your wheelchair That leaned up against . . . Her Jamaican rum And when she did come, I asked her for some. She said, "No, dear." I said, "Your words aren't clear, You'd better spit out your gum." She screamed till her face got so red Then she fell on the floor, And I covered her up and then Thought I'd go look through her drawer. And, when I was through I filled up my shoe And brought it to you. And you, you took me in, You loved me then You didn't waste time. And I, I never took much, I never asked for your crutch. Now don't ask for mine. |
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| 13. |
| 3:33 |
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Early in the mornin'
Early in the mornin' I'm callin' you to I'm callin' you to Please come home Yes, I guess I could make it without you If I just didn't feel so all alone Don't let me down Don't let me down I won't let you down I won't let you down No I won't You know I can if you can, honey But, honey, please don't I got my black dog barkin' Black dog barkin' Yes it is now Yes it is now Outside my yard Yes, I could tell you what he means If I just didn't have to try so hard Your mama's workin' Your mama's moanin' She's cryin' you know She's tryin' you know You better go now Well, I'd tell you what she wants But I just don't know how Fifteen jugglers Fifteen jugglers Five believers Five believers All dressed like men Tell yo' mama not to worry because They're just my friends Early in the mornin' Early in the mornin' I'm callin' you to I'm callin' you to Please come home Yes, I could make it without you If I just didn't feel so all alone |
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| 14. |
| 11:19 |
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With your mercury mouth In the missionary times And your eyes like smoke And your prayers like rhymes And your silver cross And you voice like chimes Oh, who do they think could bury you? With your pockets well Protected at last And your street-car visions Which you place on the grass And your flesh like silk And your face like glass Who could forget 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 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? The kings of Tyrus With their convict list Are waiting in line For their geranium kiss And you wouldn't know It would happen like this But who among them really wants just to kiss you? With your childhood flames On your midnight rug And your Spanish manners And your mother's drugs And your cowboy mouth And your curfew plugs Who among them do you think could resist you? Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands Where the prophets say that no man comes My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums Should I leave them by your gate? Or, sad-eyed lady, shoud I wait? Oh, the farmers and the businessman They all did decide To show you where the dead angels are That they used to hide But why did they pick you To sympathize with their side? How could they ever mistake you? They wished you'd accepted The blame for the farm But with the sea at your feet And the phony false alarm And with the child of the hoodlum Wrapped up in your arms How could they ever have persuaded you? Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands Where the sad-eyed prophets say that no man's come My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums Should I leave them by your gate? Or, sad-eyed lady, should I wait? With your sheet metal memory Of Cannery Row And your magazine husband Who one day just had to go And your gentleness now Which you just can't help but show Who among them do you think would employ you? Now you stand with your thief You're on his parole With your holy medallion And your fingertips now that fold And your saintlike face And your ghostlike soul Who among them could ever think he could destroy you? Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands Where the sad-eyed prophets say that no man comes My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums Should I leave them by your gate? Or, sad-eyed lady, should I wait? |
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