Way out here, working on the docks Everyone sees the long day through Well what would I do without the nights and the phone And the chance just to talk to you What would I do now... Just to talk to you A thousand miles away What I wouldn't give for only one night A little relief in sight Or someday when times weren't so tight
CHORUS When the day goes down on the water town When the sun sinks low all around That's when I know I need you now You're what I miss Every little kiss
Everybody here's a number, not a name But I guess that's all right with me As I sit alone after a long day In the abscence of company Oh I let my mind wander... A thousand miles away What I wouldn't give for only one night A little relief in sight Or someday when times weren't so tight
I've been riding around with the top down Like I always do My love at my side, but only this time My friends say something's changed you They said you're running with the wrong set The girl is someone you should never have met Let her go on her own, son Everyone else has just come undone
The old town fathers are up in arms The city council is very alarmed Cousins and uncles are having fits Predictors of doom think this is it Everybody else is just hanging around And me and me baby we're the talk of the town
The statue there in the town square Seems to stare at me Walking around with my head down They say can't we make you see Said, son, you know w're really color blind But everybody else seems to really mind Lose her now, I think you'll find Everything else will just fall in line
The Chamber of Commerce is up in arms The city council is very alarmed Cousins and uncles are having fits Predictors of doom think this is it Everyone else is just thinking out loud And me and my baby are the talk of the town
We're probably not the first Surely not the last Shouldn't throw stones out from your house of glass Round here lots of crackers and cheese Stay away from theose my daddy said to me You'll get in trouble if you mess with these
The old town fathers are up in arms The city council is very alarmed Cousins and uncles are having fits Predictors of doom think this is it Everybody else is just hanging around And me and me baby we're the talk of the town
Is he sane or insane That's all they want to know Is he crazy or strange then If so, I want to go I've seen him leave at night Followed him so far Drove out about thirteen miles Then he pulled in to a shothouse bar For a Long Tall Cool One Don't know just what's going down Long Tall Cool One Looks like a new friend I've found
Walking in the shadows Now I want back in the light As I make the drop I've got some Second thoughts tonight You see I walked in, sat right down Offered him a light Big talk for about thirteen hours He said can you help me with a job tonight For a Long Tall Cool One Don't know just what's going down Long Tall Cool One He said something's in it for me right now
I've reached out into the darkness Jumped up from my bed Woke up in the middle of the night Got myself in way over my head For the Long Tall Cool One Don't know just what's going down Long Tall Cool One Looks like a new friend I've found
You lie over there in a bed with iron rails Like a frightened child in the cold light, so frail Things were going do well, just rolling along Now, just when you think you've got it made You think it's all gone
China Doll, I've got something for you A few good words, a hand to help you get through May not be much, but now it's all that I can do Lay down your weary head Do whatever you gotta do
Put on your strong face when they're in the room Can't show signs of weakness; an unspoken rule Put on your strong face, act like nothing's wrong We can be so helpless, helpless and so strong
China Doll, I've got something for you A few good words, a hand to help you get through May not be much, but now it's all that I can do To ease your worried mind Do something to get through
We bend and break, so fragile, it's true I say everything'll be alright but I don't have a clue They say faith is a crutch, well, whatever works for you In a world where you never know I'll be there for you
China Doll, I've got something for you A few good words, a hand to help you get through May not be much, but now it's all that I can do To ease your worried mind Do something to get through
When the night lies so still Before I go to sleep I come by, I come by Just to look at you In the dim light I say That in my own small way I will try, I will try To help you through There'll be blue skies falling There'll be sad scenes and bad dreams In a world so uncertain Through the clouds it's hard to see I will grab you and lift you As you hold on tight and sway We'll go walking Across the fields of gray There's a place I can go When the world gets me down When nothing, when nothing Goes quite right it seems As I look there I know Fortune smiles on me so But who knows, no one knows About tomorrow There'll be blue skies falling There'll be sad scenes and bad dreams In a world so uncertain Through the clouds it's hard to see I will grab you and lift you As you hold on tight and sway We'll go walking Across the fields of gray When I was younger I saw things in black and white Now all I see is a sad, hazy gray Sometimes I see a narrow flash of light Sometimes I look and you show me the way - 간 주 중 - No matter what else happens What the future will be In a world so uncertain Through the clouds it's hard to see I will grab you and carry you Calm your fears if you're afraid We'll go walking Across the fields of gray
Train rolls by about 3 a.m. Wakes me up from a fitful sleep Got the urge to jump on board I believe I'm in a little too deep Walk the train station Walking through the park Looking out for something Still in the dark One day you'll see something Oh, with a familiar ring It'll be just me moving through On the way to something
It's your life, it's your world It's your world, and I'm just passing through It's your life, it's your world Your life and I'm just passing through
Tired and confused, yes I am Don't see much in the future for me I'm a vagabond and a drifter Not so hard to be Walking down the highway Walking through the park Looking out for something Still in the dark Don't know what to say when I see you smile So I guess I'll just turn my head and go On the way to another mile
It's your life, it's your world It's your world, and I'm just passing through It's your life, it's your world Your life and I'm just passing through
Walking down the highway Walking through the park Looking out for something Still in the dark Want faith in something So hard to believe Maybe on night soon Maybe you could make me see
It's your life, it's your world It's your world, and I'm just passing through It's your life, it's your world Your life and I'm just passing through
Sometimes I get lucky Most times I come up short Got to pull up the lines Got to move around the bend They say it's a dying breed They say it's going to disappear Nothing I can do, oh, but pull up the load again
The tide will rise And the tide will fall We'll be out on the water Before the break of dawn The tide will rise And the tide will fall Oh, we'll be working on the water When the long, long day is gone
Full moon it was always best Keep a little and you sell the rest Living on hope that the seed is sown again Red sky in the evening Better times are coming they say Well, why do I feel it's all coming to an end
The tide will rise And the tide will fall We'll be out on the water Before the break of dawn The tide will rise And the tide will fall Oh, we'll be working on the water When the long, long day is gone
When the seed is broken Nothing left to grow on When you lose the seed It's hard to bring it on back Never bowed to no one Always went my own way Broke down, run aground, but I won't run away And the tide will rise
The tide will rise And the tide will fall We'll be out on the water Before the break of dawn The tide will rise And the tide will fall Oh, we'll be working on the water When the long, long day is gone
It came on fast when I heard the blast And the main generator made a giant gasp It was round about midnight, about half past And the city went black as coal so fast
Oh, what a time Everybody was fazing, hazing Oh, what a time It was a time to be amazing Time to lose all reason or rhyme What a time
It was bad to worse, as the landlord cursed And the water tank in the backyard burst We were slipping and sliding and killing thirst And we couldn't see a soul doing it in the dirt
Oh, what a time Everybody was praising, raising Oh, what a time It was a time to be amazing Time to lose all reason or rhyme What a time
A thousand people singing in the dark Couldn't see a thing A thousand people singing in the dark
Oh, what a time Everybody was razing, grazing Oh, what a time It was a time to be amazing Time to lose all reason or rhyme What a time
Hey now, where are you going Where are you going to my friend Said I'm going out to find The pastures of plenty I believe that they're out there somewhere
Did you hear about the girl Alone in the world Thought she was losing her mind She found it in the discarded refuse pile Down near the railroad line A book of sonnets torn and tattered A few remained intact One held the key, she said to me To getting some feeling back
Sometimes my head turns round and round Sometimes you talk, but I can't hear a sound Sometimes I look down, find my feet off the ground I feel that I'm somewhere else bound
Hey now, where are you going Where are you going to my friend Said I'm going out to find The pastures of plenty I believe that they're out there somewhere
She looked down the railroad track Lined with trees on each side She prayed for the strength to run to the boxcar To pull herself up for a ride You invite me to your house - you're so sincere We sit so close for a while You reach out for me in the low light so clear But you look like you're frowning when you smile
Hanging around just to see what could happen Hanging on by oh, the thinnest thread Sometimes I feel the faintest glimpse Sometimes I feel I'd be better off in bed
Hey now, where are you going Where are you going to my friend Said I'm going out to find The pastures of plenty I believe that they're out there somewhere
About this time of evening, out by the bay They turn the roadlights on the bridge A diesel rolls in silhouette, eastbound Lovers glad the sun has set I'm staring into the twilight Wishing I could find someone tonight
CHORUS I know she's out there somewhere On the western skyline Lonely women say a prayer On the western skyline
The rooftops sag on second street Bachelor's quarters, too much fun, not enought dough The kite's still hanging on the wire Waiting on the wind Too many dreams, not enough hope Voices on my radio Telling me where I should go
CHORUS
They'll set up on the bandstand When the sailors hear the whistle blow Underneath the streetlight Violence in the afterglow
Give me a shiny Cadillac Close your eyes past that city limits sign He's got the admiral's daughter in the back Trying to cross her battle line As I'm staring into the twilight Wishing I could be with her tonight
Close your eyes and slip away To the dream of your fancy Close your eyes and float downstream To where the marsh grass dances Take youdown where the air is thick Try to make you shake and shiver Make you see there will be no tricks There will be no tricks tonight There will be some tricks tonight
We could go down to the harbor lights Lay out on the sand on the shore Let me take you down to the docks at night Whatever you'll do I'll do more
Take some hours and waste them away Let your mind flow freely Take some time and forget about the time You may find a little feeling I can see you shining with sweat Like to make you shake and shiver We could feel the air so wet We could feel it all tonight We could feel it all tonight
We could go down to the harbor lights Lay out on the sand on the shore Let me take you down to the docks at night Whatever you'll do I'll do more
Take you down where the air is thick Like to make you shake and shiver What I'll show you, you've probably seen Why not come on again Why not come see it again
We could go down to the harbor lights Lay out on the sand on the shore Let me take you down to the docks at night Whatever you'll do I'll do more
The song came and went Like the times that we spent Hiding out from the rain under the carnival tent I laughed and she'd smile It would last for awhile You don't know what you got till you lose it all again Listen to the mandolin rain Listen to the music on the lake Listen to my heart break every time she runs away Listen to the banjo wind A sad song drifting low Listen to the tears roll Down my face as she turns to go A cool evening dance Listening to the bluegrass band takes the chill )From the air till they play the last song I'll do my time Keeping you off my mind but there's moments That I find, I'm not feeling too strong Listen to the mandolin rain Listen to the music on the lake Listen to my heart break every time she runs away Listen to the banjo wind A sad song drifting low Listen to the tears roll Down my face as she turns to go Running down by the lakeshore She did love the sound of a summer storm It played on the lake like a mandolin Now it's washing her away again
Listen to the mandolin rain The boat's steaming in I watch the sidewheel spin and I Think about her when I hear that whistle blow I can't change my mind I knew all the time that she'd go But that's a choice I made long ago Listen to the mandolin rain Listen to the music on the lake Listen to my heart break every time she runs away Listen to the banjo wind A sad song drifting low Listen to the tears roll Down my face as she turns to go
Listen to the tears roll Down my face as she turns to go Listen to the tears roll Down my face as she turns to go
Listen to the music on the lake Listen to my heart break every time she runs away Listen to the banjo wind A sad song drifting low Listen to the tears roll Down my face as she turns to go
It's a hazy winter's day And I'm staring out on the southland In the twilight distance on the bay My mind sees you running through the marshland All these years I've been waiting for you Through high tides and low tides too But if I stop now how could I ever be with you?
It's a long race If I try I will surely finish It's a long race If I try I will surely win it Some day some night with you
There's a village on the lowTern Shore Where the watermen's boats are all anchored And they work so hard all day long Showing me what you want to go after All these years I've been pushing so hard Through high times and low times too But if I stop now How could I know what I could do?
Standing in line marking time Waiting for the welfare dime Cause they can't buy a job The man in the silk suit hurries by As he catches the poor ladies' eyes Just for fun he says get a job That's just the way it is Some things will never change That's just the way it is Ha but don't you believe them
They say he little boy you can't go Where the others go Cause you don't look like they do Said hey old man how can you stand To think that way Did you really think about it Before you made the rules He said Son That's just the way it is Some things will never change That's just the way it is Ha but don't you believe them
Well they passed a law in '64 To give those who ain't got a little more But it only goes so far Because the law don't change another's mind When all it sees at the hiring time Is the line on the color bar That's just the way it is Some things will never change That's just the way it is That's just the way it is it is it is it is
There's a place A local roadside shack A poor man's Paris with parking in the back There's a girl there She knows how to unwind She don't talk much but she knows just how to act I said-Don't tell me she don't love me The money's just a mere formality
Every day, every night Something's going on, something's going on Down the road over yonder Any place, any time when I'm fading My love lies waiting Down the road tonight
When I was younger All the older boys Would drive me way past the county fair They'd laugh and point out This roadside trailer And say something wild's going on over there They said-What they're doing Don't mean nothing to you now But someday it'll mean everything
There were movies in the parlor They were dealing one-eyed jacks And when I said I loved her She said-Just keep coming back
Here I am I'm in a gaseous haze Ten lanes and tall boys Going both ways El dorado riding on the fringe Aztec princes take revenge This ain't my style, this ain't my home I'm going where it's safe to roam
CHORUS Take me all the way back To the wild frontier Well I'm counting the miles Seeing her smile in the wild frontier
Electric sun Electric hair Leather skin Leather underwear She said hey I'm getting in the biz Come on over I'll show you where some action is This ain't my style, this ain't my home I'm going where it's safe to roam
The rain held back again Haven't felt a drop since you went away Outside of town, the hills are brown I guess way out there you'd call 'em golden Lines outside the welfare store The clock is stopped at the bank next door They yelled like hell when the boys left home Now just like you they're all gone
CHORUS The river runs low tonight Eyes are closed on the waterline The river runs low tonight And you're always drifting through my mind The river runs low tonight And you're always drifting through my mind The river runs low tonight And nobody waits for the tide to rise But I'm gonna wait till you make The river run high
The old man's gettin' on Keeps the morning paper in his overcoat It keeps him warm in the cold storm And he told me today I look a little lonely Up in the air they're heading south The sky is light to the west of town With a little cash I could get around You know I'd come out there and find you
CHORUS
Up in the air they're heading south The sky is light to the west of town With a little cash I could get around You know I'd come out there and find you
Four walls I built one winter She came to share my name For years we lived as lovers on the open plains Far off the heat wave shimmers Pipelines and the gasoline One day it all came running like a bad dream Fire, smoke-filled lungs I hope I'll be standing when the day is done We're
CHORUS Staring out on the red plains And we're hiding out from the smoke and the rage A lifetime living on the red plains Watching out as it all goes up in flames
Get up Sunday morning Repent for Friday night Don't let 'em tell you it's gonna be a fair fight I gave her clothes and a diamond She loved the things that shine But one day the gold and the silver get left behind Fire, smoke-filled rooms I hope I'll be standing when the day is through