****    The_stranger_song_67
It's true that all the men you knew were dealers
Who said they were through with dealing
Every time you gave them shelter
I know that kind of man, it's hard to hold the hand of anyone
Who is reaching for the sky just to surrender
Who is reaching for the sky just to surrender
And then sweeping up the jokers that he left behind
You find he did not leave you very much, not even laughter
Like any dealer he was watching for the card that is so high and wild
He'll never need to deal another
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger
And then leaning on your window sill, he'll say one day you caused his will
To weaken with your love and warmth and shelter
And then taking from his wallet an old schedule of trains, he'll say
"I told you when I came I was a stranger
I told you when I came I was a stranger"
But now another stranger seems to want you to ignore his dreams
As though they were the burden of some other
O you've seen that man before, his golden arm dispatching cards
But now it's rusted from the elbow to the finger
And he wants to trade the game he plays for shelter
Yes, he wants to trade the game he knows for shelter
Ah you hate to watch another tired man lay down his hand
Like he was giving up the holy game of poker
And while he talks his dreams to sleep, you notice there's a highway
That is curling up like smoke above his shoulder
It's curling just like smoke above his shoulder
You tell him to come in, sit down, but something makes you turn around
The door is open, you can't close your shelter
You try the handle of the road, it opens do not be afraid
It's you my love, you who are the stranger
It is you my love, you who are the stranger
"Well, I've been waiting, I was sure we'd meet between the trains we're waitin' for
I think it's time to board another
Please understand, I never had a secret chart
To get me to the heart of this or any other matter"
When he talks like this you don't know what he's after
When he speaks like this you don't know what he's after
"Let's meet tomorrow, if you choose, upon the shore, beneath the bridge
That they are building on some endless river"
Then he leaves the platform for the sleeping car that's warm
You realize, he's only advertising one more shelter
And it comes to you, he never was a stranger
And you say, "Ok, the bridge or someplace later"
And then sweeping up the jokers that he left behind
You find he did not leave you very much, not even laughter
Like any dealer he was watching for the card that is so high and wild
He'll never need to deal another
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger
And leaning on your window sill, he'll say one day you caused his will
To weaken with your love and warmth and shelter
And then taking from his wallet an old schedule of trains, he'll say
"I told you when I came I was a stranger
I told you when I came I was a stranger
I told you when I came I was a stranger
I told you when I came I was a stranger"
****    Master_Song_67
I believe that you heard your master sing
When I was sick in bed
I suppose that he told you everything
That I keep locked away in my head
Your master took you travelling
Well at least that's what you said
And now do you come back to bring
Your prisoner wine and bread?
You met him at some temple
Where they take your clothes at the door
He was just a numberless man in a chair
Who'd just come back from the war
And you wrap up his tired face in your hair
And he hands you the apple core
Then he touches your lips now so suddenly bare
Of all the kisses we put on some time before
And he gave you a German Shepherd to walk
With a collar of leather and nails
And he never once made you explain or talk
About all of the little details
Such as who had a word and who had a rock
And who had you through the mails
Now your love is a secret all over the block
And it never stops, not even when your master fails
And he took you up in his aeroplane
Which he flew without any hands
And you cruised above the ribbons of rain
That drove the crowd from the stands
Then he killed the lights in a lonely lane
And an ape with angel glands
Erased the final wisps of pain
With the music of rubber bands
And now I hear your master sing
You kneel for him to come
His body is a golden string
That your body is hanging from
His body is a golden string
My body has grown numb
O now you hear your master sing
Your shirt is all undone
And will you kneel beside this bed
That we polished so long ago
Before your master chose instead
To make my bed of snow?
Your eyes are wild and your knuckles are red
And you're speaking far too low
No, I can't make out what your master said
Before he made you go
And I think you're playing far too rough
For a lady who's been to the moon
I've lain by this window long enough
To get used to an empty room
And your love is some dust in an old man's cuff
Who is tapping his foot to a tune
And your thighs are a ruin, you want too much
Let's say you came back sometime too soon
I loved your master perfectly
And I taught him all that he knew
He was starving in some deep mystery
Like a man who is sure what is true
And I sent you to him with my guarantee
I could teach him something new
And I taught him how you would long for me
No matter what he said, no matter what you'd do
I believe that you heard your master sing
While I was sick in bed
I'm sure that he told you everything
I must keep locked away in my head
Your master took you travelling
Well at least that's what you said
And now do you come back to bring
Your prisoner wine and bread?
****    Sister_of_mercy_67
Oh the sisters of mercy, they are not departed or gone
They were waitin' for me when I thought that I just can't go on
And they brought me their comfort and later they brought me this song
Oh I hope you run into them, you who've been travelling so long
Yes you who must leave everything that you cannot control
It begins with your family, but soon it comes round to your soul
Well I've been where you're hanging, I think I can see how you're pinned:
When you're not feeling holy, your loneliness says that you've sinned
Well they lay down beside me, I made my confession to them
They touched both my eyes and I touched the dew on their hem
If your life is a leaf that the seasons tear off and condemn
They will bind you with love that is graceful and green as a stem
When I left they were sleeping, I hope you run into them soon
Don't turn on the lights, you can read their address by the moon
And you won't make me jealous if I hear that they sweetened your night
We weren't lovers like that and besides it would still be all right
We weren't lovers like that and besides it would still be all right
****    Stories_of_the_street_67
The stories of the street are mine, the Spanish voices laugh
The Cadillacs go creeping now through the night and the poison gas
And I lean from my window sill in this old hotel I chose
Yes one hand on my suicide, one hand on the rose
I know you've heard it's over now and war must surely come
The cities they are broke in half and the middle men are gone
But let me ask you one more time, oh children of the dusk
All these hunters who are shrieking now oh do they speak for us?
And where do all these highways go, now that we are free?
Why are the armies marching still that were coming home to me?
Oh lady with your legs so fine, oh stranger at your wheel
You are locked into your suffering and your pleasures are the seal
The age of lust is giving birth, and both the parents ask
The nurse to tell them fairy tales on both sides of the glass
And now the infant with his cord is hauled in like a kite
And one eye filled with blueprints, one eye filled with night
Oh come with me my little one, we will find that farm
And grow us grass and apples there and keep all the animals warm
And if by chance I wake at night and I ask you who I am
Oh take me to the slaughterhouse, I will wait there with the lamb
With one hand on the hexagram and one hand on the girl
I balance on a wishing well that all men call the world
We are so small between the stars, so large against the sky
And lost among the subway crowds I try to catch your eye
****    Hey_that_s_no_way_to_say_Good_Bye_67
I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm
Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm
Yes, many loved before us, I know that we are not new
In city and in forest they smiled like me and you
But now it's come to distances and both of us must try
Your eyes are soft with sorrow, hey, that's no way to say goodbye
I'm not looking for another as I wander in my time
Walk me to the corner, our steps will always rhyme
You know my love goes with you as your love stays with me
It's just the way it changes, like the shoreline and the sea
But let's not talk of love or chains and things we can't untie
Your eyes are soft with sorrow, hey, that's no way to say goodbye
I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm
Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm
Yes many loved before us, I know that we are not new
In city and in forest they smiled like me and you
But let's not talk of love or chains and things we can't untie
Your eyes are soft with sorrow, hey, that's no way to say goodbye
****    Teachers_67
I met a woman long ago
Her hair the black that black can go
Are you a teacher of the heart?
Soft, she answered no
I met a girl across the sea
Her hair the gold that gold can be
Are you a teacher of the heart?
Yes, but not for thee
I met a man who lost his mind
In some lost place I had to find
"Follow me," the wise man said
But he walked behind
I walked into a hospital
Where none was sick and none was well
When at night the nurses left
I could not walk at all
Morning came and then came noon
Dinner time a scalpel blade
Lay beside my silver spoon
Some girls wander by mistake
Into the mess that scalpels make
Are you the teachers of my heart?
We teach old hearts to break
One morning I woke up alone
The hospital and the nurses gone
Have I carved enough my Lord?
Child, you are a bone
I ate and ate and ate
No, I did not miss a plate, well
How much do these suppers cost?
We'll take it out in hate
I spent my hatred everyplace
On every work, on every face
Someone gave me wishes
And I wished for an embrace
Several girls embraced me, then
I was embraced by men
Is my passion perfect?
No, do it once again
I was handsome, I was strong
I knew the words of every song
Did my singing please you?
No, the words you sang were wrong
Who is it whom I address?
Who takes down what I confess?
Are you the teachers of my heart?
We teach old hearts to rest
Oh teachers, are my lessons done?
I cannot do another one
They laughed and laughed and said, Well child
Are your lessons done?
Are your lessons done?
Are your lessons done?
****    One_of_us_cannot_be_wrong_67
I lit a thin green candle
To make you jealous of me
But the room just filled up with mosquitos
They heard that my body was free
Then I took the dust of a long sleepless night
And I put it in your little shoe
And then I confess that I tortured the dress
That you wore for the world to look through
I showed my heart to the doctor
He said I just have to quit
Then he wrote himself a prescription
And your name was mentioned in it
Then he locked himself in a library shelf
With the details of our honeymoon
And I hear from the nurse that he's gotten much worse
And his practice is all in a ruin
I heard of a saint who had loved you
So I studied all night in his school
He taught that the duty of lovers
Is to tarnish the golden rule
And just when I was sure that his teachings were pure
He drowned himself in the pool
His body is gone but back here on the lawn
His spirit continues to drool
An Eskimo showed me a movie
He'd recently taken of you
The poor man could hardly stop shivering
His lips and his fingers were blue
I suppose that he froze when the wind took your clothes
And I guess he just never got warm
But you stand there so nice, in your blizzard of ice
Oh please let me come into the storm
****    Winter_Lady_67
Traveling lady, stay awhile
Until the night is over
I'm just a station on your way
I know I am not your lover
Well I lived with a child of snow
When I was a soldier
And I fought every man for her
Until the nights grew colder
She used to wear her hair like you
Except when she was sleeping
And then she'd weave it on a loom
Of smoke and gold and breathing
And why are you so quiet now
Standing there in the doorway?
You chose your journey long before
You came upon this highway
Traveling lady, stay awhile
Until the night is over
I'm just a station on your way
I know I'm not your lover
****    So Long, Marianne_67
Come over to the window, my little darling
I'd like to try to read your palm
I used to think I was some kind of Gypsy boy
Before I let you take me home
Now so long, Marianne
It's time that we began to laugh
And cry and cry and laugh about it all again
Well, you know that I love to live with you
But you make me forget so very much
I forget to pray for the angels
And then the angels forget to pray for us
Now so long, Marianne
It's time that we began to laugh
And cry and cry and laugh about it all again
We met when we were almost young
Deep in the green lilac park
You held on to me like I was a crucifix
As we went kneeling through the dark
Oh, so long, Marianne
It's time that we began to laugh
And cry and cry and laugh about it all again
Your letters, they all say that you're beside me now
Then why do I feel alone?
I'm standing on a ledge and your fine spider web
Is fastening my ankle to a stone
Now so long, Marianne
It's time that we began to laugh
And cry and cry and laugh about it all again
For now I need your hidden love
I'm cold as a new razorblade
You left when I told you I was curious
I never said that I was brave
Oh, so long, Marianne
It's time that we began to laugh
And cry and cry and laugh about it all again
Oh, you are really such a pretty one
I see you've gone and changed your name again
And just when I climbed this whole mountainside
To wash my eyelids in the rain
Oh, so long, Marianne
It's time that we began to laugh
And cry and cry and laugh about it all again
****    Suzanne_67
Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by, you can spend the night beside her
And you know that she's half-crazy but that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her that you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer that you've always been her lover
And you want to travel with her, and you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind
And Jesus was a sailor when he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching from his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain only drowning men could see him
He said all men will be sailors then until the sea shall free them
But he himself was broken, long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human, he sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him, and you want to travel blind
And then you think maybe you'll trust him
For he's touched your perfect body with his mind
Now, Suzanne takes your hand and she leads you to the river
She's wearing rags and feathers from Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey on our lady of the harbor
And she shows you where to look among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed, there are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love and they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror
And you want to travel with her, and you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind
****    Bird_On_a_Wire_69
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
Like a worm on a hook,
like a knight from some old fashioned book
I have saved all my ribbons for thee.
If I, if I have been unkind,
I hope that you can just let it go by.
If I, if I have been untrue
I hope you know it was never to you.
Like a baby, stillborn,
like a beast with his horn
I have torn everyone who reached out for me.
But I swear by this song
and by all that I have done wrong
I will make it all up to thee.
I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch,
he said to me, "You must not ask for so much."
And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door,
she cried to me, "Hey, why not ask for more?"
Oh like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
****    Story_Of_Isaac_69
The door it opened slowly
My father he came in
I was nine years old
And he stood so tall above me
His blue eyes they were shining
And his voice was very cold
He said, "I've had a vision
And you know I'm strong and holy
I must do what I've been told"
So he started up the mountain
I was running, he was walking
And his axe was made of gold
Well, the trees they got much smaller
The lake, a lady's mirror
We stopped to drink some wine
Then he threw the bottle over
Broke a minute later
And he put his hand on mine
Thought I saw an eagle
But it might have been a vulture
I never could decide
Then my father built an altar
He looked once behind his shoulder
He knew I would not hide
You who build these altars now
To sacrifice these children
You must not do it anymore
A scheme is not a vision
And you never have been tempted
By a demon or a God
You who stand above them now
Your hatchets blunt and bloody
You were not there before
When I lay upon a mountain
And my father's hand was trembling
With the beauty of the word
And if you call me brother now
Forgive me if I inquire
"Just according to whose plan?"
When it all comes down to dust
I will kill you if I must
I will help you if I can
When it all comes down to dust
I will help you if I must
I will kill you if I can
And mercy on our uniform
Man of peace or man of war
The peacock spreads his fan
****    The_Partisan_69
When they poured across the border
I was cautioned to surrender
This I could not do
I took my gun and vanished
I have changed my name so often
I've lost my wife and children
But I have many friends
And some of them are with me
An old woman gave us shelter
Kept us hidden in the garret
Then the soldiers came
She died without a whisper
There were three of us this morning
I'm the only one this evening
But I must go on
The frontiers are my prison
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing
Through the graves the wind is blowing
Freedom soon will come
Then we'll come from the shadows

Les Allemands étaient chez moi
Ils me dirent, "Resigne-toi,"
Mais je n'ai pas pu
J'ai repris mon arme
J'ai changé cent fois de nom
J'ai perdu femme et enfants
Mais j'ai tant d'amis
J'ai la France entière
Un vieil homme dans un grenier
Pour la nuit nous a caché
Les Allemands l'ont pris
Il est mort sans surprise

Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing
Through the graves the wind is blowing
Freedom soon will come
Then we'll come from the shadows
****    A_bunch_of_lonesome_heroes_69
A bunch of lonesome and very quarrelsome heroes
Were smoking out along the open road
The night was very dark and thick between them
Each man beneath his ordinary load
"I'd like to tell my story"
Said one of them so young and bold
"I'd like to tell my story
Before I turn into gold"
But no one really could hear him
The night so dark and thick and green;
Well I guess that these heroes must always live there
Where you and I have only been
Put out your cigarette, my love
You've been alone too long
And some of us are so very hungry now
To hear what it is you've done that was so wrong
I sing this for the crickets
I sing this for the army
I sing this for your children
And for all who do not need me
"I'd like to tell my story"
Said one of them so bold
"Oh yes, I'd like to tell my story
'Cause you know I feel I'm turning into gold"
****    The_old_revolution_69
I finally broke into the prison
I found my place in the chain
Even damnation is poisoned with rainbows
All the brave young men, they're waiting now to see a signal
Which some killer will be lighting for pay
Into this furnace I ask you now to venture
You whom I cannot betray
I fought in the old revolution
On the side of the ghost and the king
Of course I was very young and I thought that we were winning
I can't pretend I still feel very much like singing
As they carry the bodies away
Into this furnace I ask you now to venture
You whom I cannot betray
Lately you've started to stutter
As though you had nothing to say
To all of my architects let me be traitor
Now let me say I myself gave the order
To sleep and to search and to destroy
Into this furnace I ask you now to venture
You whom I cannot betray
Yes, you who are broken by power
You who are absent all day
You who are kings for the sake of your children's story
The hand of your beggar is burdened down with money
The hand of your lover is clay
Into this furnace I ask you now to venture
You whom I cannot betray
****    The_Butcher_69
I came upon a butcher, he was slaughtering a lamb
I accused him there with his tortured lamb
He said, "Listen to me, child, I am what I am
And you, you are my only son"
Well, I found a silver needle, I put it into my arm
It did some good, did some harm
But the nights were cold and it almost kept me warm
How come the night is long?
I saw some flowers growing up where that lamb fell down
Was I supposed to praise my Lord? Make some kind of joyful sound?
He said, "Listen, listen to me now, I go round and round
And you, you are my only child"
Do not leave me now, do not leave me now
I'm broken down from a recent fall
Blood upon my body and ice upon my soul
Lead on, my son, is your world
****    Joan_of_Arc_71
Now the flames they followed Joan of Arc
As she came riding through the dark
No moon to keep her armor bright
No man to get her through this very smoky night
She said, "I'm tired of the war
I want the kind of work I had before
A wedding dress or something white
To wear upon my swollen appetite"
La la la, la la la, la la da da la la
Well, I'm glad to hear you talk this way
You know I've watched you riding every day
And something in me yearns to win
Such a cold and lonesome heroine
"And who are you?" she sternly spoke
To the one beneath the smoke
"Why, I'm fire", he replied
"And I love your solitude, I love your pride"
La la la, la da da, la la da da da da
"Then fire, make your body cold
I'm gonna give you mine to hold"
Saying this she climbed inside
To be his one, to be his only bride
And deep into his fiery heart
He took the dust of Joan of Arc
And high above the wedding guests
He hung the ashes of her wedding dress
La la la, la da da, la la la la la da
It was deep into his fiery heart
He took the dust of Joan of Arc
And then she clearly understood
If he was fire, oh then she must be wood
I saw her wince, I saw her cry
I saw the glory in her eye
Myself, I long for love and light
But must it come so cruel, and oh so bright?
La la la, la da la, la la la la la da
****    Famous_Blue_Raincoat_71
It's four in the morning, the end of December
I'm writing you now just to see if you're better
New York is cold, but I like where I'm living
There's music on Clinton Street all through the evening
I hear that you're building your little house deep in the desert
You're living for nothing now, I hope you're keeping some kind of record
Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear
Did you ever go clear?
Ah, the last time we saw you you looked so much older
Your famous blue raincoat was torn at the shoulder
You'd been to the station to meet every train, and
You came home without Lili Marlene
And you treated my woman to a flake of your life
And when she came back she was nobody's wife
Well I see you there with the rose in your teeth
One more thin gypsy thief
Well, I see Jane's awake
She sends her regards
And what can I tell you my brother, my killer
What can I possibly say?
I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you
I'm glad you stood in my way
If you ever come by here, for Jane or for me
Well, your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free
Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there for good so I never tried
And Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear
Sincerely, L Cohen
****    Nancy_73
The morning had not come,
Nancy was alone,
Looking at the Late Late show
Through a semi?precious stone
In the House of Honesty
Her father was on trial,
In the House of Mystery
There was no one at all,
There was no one there at all
It seems so long ago,
None of us were very strong;
Ah, but Nancy wore green stockings
And she, she slept with everyone
She never said she'd wait for us
Even though she was alone,
I think she fell in love for us
In nineteen sixty one,
In nineteen sixty one
Ah the morning would not come,
Nancy was alone,
A forty five beside her head,
An open telephone
Yes, we told her she was beautiful,
We all told her she was free
But none of us could meet her in
The House of Mystery,
The House of Mystery
And now why don't you look around you,
See her everywhere,
Many of you who used her body,
Many combed her hair
And in the hollow of the night
When you are cold and numb
You hear her talking freely then,
She's happy that you've come,
She's happy that you've come
****    Leaving_Green_Sleeves_74
Alas, my love, you did me wrong
To cast me out discourteously
For I have loved you so long
Delighting in your very company
Now if you intend to show me disdain
Don't you know it all the more enraptures me
For even so I still remain your lover in captivity
Green sleeves, you're all alone
The leaves have fallen, the men have gone
Green sleeves, there's no one home
Not even the Lady Green Sleeves
I sang my songs, I told my lies
To lie between your matchless thighs
And ain't it fine, ain't it wild
To finally end our exercise
Then I saw you naked in the early dawn
Oh, I hoped you would be someone new
I reached for you but you were gone
So Lady I'm going too
Green sleeves, you're all alone
The leaves have fallen, the men are gone
Green sleeves, you're all alone
The leaves have fallen, the men have all gone home
Green sleeves, it's so easily done
Leaving the Lady Green Sleeves
****    A_singer_must_die_74
Now the courtroom is quiet, but who will confess
Is it true you betrayed us? The answer is Yes
Then read me the list of the crimes that are mine
I will ask for the mercy that you love to decline
And all the ladies go moist, and the judge has no choice
A singer must die for the lie in his voice
And I thank you, I thank you for doing your duty
You keepers of truth, you guardians of beauty
Your vision is right, my vision is wrong
I'm sorry for smudging the air with my song
La, la, la...
Oh, the night it is thick, my defences are hid
In the clothes of a woman I would like to forgive
In the rings of her silk, in the hinge of her thighs
Where I have to go begging in beauty's disguise
Oh, goodnight, goodnight, my night after night
My night after night, after night, after night, after night
I am so afraid that I listen to you
Your sun glassed protectors they do that to you
It's their ways to detain, their ways to disgrace
Their knee in your balls and their fist in your face
Yes, and long live the state by whoever it's made
Sir, I didn't see nothing, I was just getting home late
La, la, la...
****    There_is_a_War_74
There is a war between the rich and poor
A war between the man and the woman
There is a war between the ones who say there is a war
And the ones who say there isn't
Why don't you come on back to the war, that's right, get in it
Why don't you come on back to the war, it's just beginning
Well I live here with a woman and a child
The situation makes me kind of nervous
Yes, I rise up from her arms, she says "I guess you call this love"
I call it service
Why don't you come on back to the war, don't be a tourist
Why don't you come on back to the war, before it hurts us
Why don't you come on back to the war, let's all get nervous
You cannot stand what I've become
You much prefer the gentleman I was before
I was so easy to defeat, I was so easy to control
I didn't even know there was a war
Why don't you come on back to the war, don't be embarrassed
Why don't you come on back to the war, you can still get married
There is a war between the rich and poor
A war between the man and the woman
There is a war between the left and right
A war between the black and white
A war between the odd and the even
Why don't you come on back to the war, pick up your tiny burden
Why don't you come on back to the war, let's all get even
Why don't you come on back to the war, can't you hear me speaking?
****    Lover_Lover_Lover_74
I asked my father
I said, "father, change my name
The one I'm using now it's covered up
With fear and filth, and cowardice and shame"
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
He said, "I locked you in this body
I meant it as a kind of trial
You can use it for a weapon
Or to make some woman smile"
Yeah, Lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
"Then let me start again", I cried
"Please let me start again
I want a face that's fair this time
I want a spirit that is calm"
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
"I never, never turned aside", he said
"I never walked away
It was you, who built the temple
It was you, who covered up my face"
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
"And may the spirit of this song
May it rise up, pure and free
May it be a shield for you
A shield against the enemy"
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
Yes and lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, come back to me
****    Chelsea_Hotel_2_74
I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel
You were talking so brave and so sweet
Givin' me head on the unmade bed
While the limousines wait in the street
Those were the reasons, that was New York
We were runnin' for the money and the flesh
And that was called love for the workers in song
Probably still is for those of them left
Yeah, but you got away, didn't you babe?
You just turned your back on the crowd
When you got away, I never once heard you say
I need you
I don't need you
I need you
I don't need you
And all of that jivin' around
I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel
You were famous, your heart was a legend
You told me again, you preferred handsome men
But for me you would make an exception
And clenching your fist for the ones like us
Who are oppressed by the figures of beauty
You fixed yourself, you said "Well nevermind
We are ugly but we have the music"
And then you got away didn't you babe?
You just turned your back on the crowd
When you got away I never once heard you say
I need you
I don't need you
I need you
I don't need you
And all of that jivin' around
I don't mean to suggest
That I loved you the best
I can't keep track of each fallen robin
I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel
That's all, I don't think of you that often
****    Who_By_Fire_74
And who by fire, who by water
Who in the sunshine, who in the night time
Who by high ordeal, who by common trial
Who in your merry merry month of may
Who by very slow decay
And who shall I say is calling?
And who in her lonely slip, who by barbiturate
Who in these realms of love, who by something blunt
Who by avalanche, who by powder
Who for his greed, who for his hunger
And who shall I say is calling?
And who by brave assent, who by accident
Who in solitude, who in this mirror
Who by his lady's command, who by his own hand
Who in mortal chains, who in power
And who shall I say is calling?
And who by brave assent, who by accident
Who in solitude, who in this mirror
Who by his lady's command, who by his own hand
Who in mortal chains, who in power
And who shall I say is calling?
****    True_Love_Leaves_No_Traces_77
As the mist leaves no scar
On the dark green hill
So my body leaves no scar
On you and never will
Through windows in the dark
The children come, the children go
Like arrows with no targets
Like shackles made of snow
True love leaves no traces
If you and I are one
It's lost in our embraces
Like stars against the sun
As a falling leaf may rest
A moment on the air
So your head upon my breast
So my hand upon your hair
And many nights endure
Without a moon or star
So we will endure
When one is gone and far
True love leaves no traces
If you and I are one
It's lost in our embraces
Like stars against the sun
****    Death_of_a_Ladies_man_77
Ah the man she wanted all her life was hanging by a thread
"I never even knew how much I wanted you, " she said.
His muscles they were numbered and his style was obsolete.
"O baby, I have come too late." She knelt beside his feet.
"I'll never see a face like yours in years of men to come
I'll never see such arms again in wrestling or in love."
And all his virtues burning in the smoky Holocaust
She took unto herself most everything her lover lost
Now the master of this landscape he was standing at the view
With a sparrow of St. Francis that he was preaching to
She beckoned to the sentry of his high religious mood
She said, "I'll make a place between my legs,
I'll show you solitude."
He offered her an orgy in a many mirrored room
He promised her protection for the issue of her womb
She moved her body hard against a sharpened metal spoon
She stopped the bloody rituals of passage to the moon
She took his much admired oriental frame of mind
And the heart-of-darkness alibi his money hides behind
She took his blonde Madonna and his monastery wine
"This mental space is occupied and everything is mine."
He tried to make a final stand beside the railway track
She said, "The art of longing's over and it's never coming back."
She took his tavern parliament, his cap, his cocky dance,
She mocked his female fashions and his working-class mustache.
The last time that I saw him he was trying hard to get
A woman's education but he's not a woman yet
And the last time that I saw her she was living with some boy
Who gives her soul an empty room and gives her body joy.
So the great affair is over but whoever would have guessed
It would leave us all so vacant and so deeply unimpressed
It's like our visit to the moon or to that other star
I guess you go for nothing if you really want to go that far.
It's like our visit to the moon or to that other star
I guess you go for nothing if you really want to go that far.
It's like our visit to the moon or to that other star
I guess you go for nothing if you really want to go that far.
****    Iodine_77
I needed you, I knew I was in danger
Of losing what I used to think was mine
You let me love you till I was a failure
You let me love you till I was a failure
Your beauty on my bruise like iodine
I asked you if a man could be forgiven
And though I failed at love, was this a crime?
You said, "Don't worry, don't worry, darling,"
You said, "Don't worry, don't you worry, darling
There are many ways a man can serve his time"
You covered up that place I could not master
It wasn't dark enough to shut my eyes
So I was with you, oh sweet compassion
Yes I was with you, oh sweet compassion
Compassion with the sting of iodine
Your saintly kisses reeked of iodine
Your fragrance with a fume of iodine
And pity in the room like iodine
Your sister fingers burned like iodine
And all my wanton lust was iodine
My masquerade of trust was iodine
And everywhere the flare of iodine
****    Paper_thin_hotel_77
The walls of this hotel are paper-thin
Last night I heard you making love to him
The struggle mouth to mouth and limb to limb
The grunt of unity when he came in
I stood there with my ear against the wall
I was not seized by jealousy at all
In fact a burden lifted from my soul
I learned that love was out of my control
A heavy burden lifted from my soul
I learned that love was out of my control
I listened to your kisses at the door
I never heard the world so clear before
You ran your bath and you began to sing
I felt so good I couldn't feel a thing
I stood there with my ear against the wall
I was not seized by jealousy at all
In fact a burden lifted from my soul
I heard that love was out of my control
A heavy burden lifted from my soul
I learned that love was out of my control
And I can't wait to tell you to your face
And I can't wait for you to take my place
You are The Naked Angel In My Heart
You are The Woman With Her Legs Apart
It's written on the walls of this hotel
You go to heaven once you've been to hell
A heavy burden lifted from my soul
I heard that love was out of my control
****    Memories_77
Frankie Laine, he was singing Jezebel
I pinned an Iron Cross to my lapel
I walked up to the tallest and the blondest girl
I said, "Look, you don't know me now but very soon you will
So won't you let me see"
I said "won't you let me see"
I said "won't you let me see
Your naked body?"
"Just dance me to the dark side of the gym
Chances are I will let you do most anything
I know you're hungry, I can hear it in your voice
And there are many parts of me to touch, you have your choice
Ah but no you cannot see
She said "No you cannot see"
She said "No you cannot see
My naked body"
So we're dancing close, the band is playing Stardust
The balloons and paper streamers they're floating down on us
She says, "You've got a minute left to fall in love"
In solemn moments such as this I have put my trust
And all my faith to see
I said all my faith to see
I said all my faith to see
Her naked body
Naked body
All my faith...
(...you cheated you lied)
****    I_left_a_woman_waiting_77
I left a woman waiting
I met her sometime later
She said, "I see your eyes are dead
What happened to you, lover?
What happened to you, my lover?
What happened to you, lover?
What happened to you?"
And since she spoke the truth to me
I tried to answer truthfully
"Whatever happened to my eyes
Happened to your beauty
Happened to your beauty
What happened to your beauty
Happened to me"
We took ourselves to someone's bed
And there we fell together
Quick as dogs and truly dead were we
And free as running water
Free as running water
Free as running water
Free as you and me
"The way it's got to be
The way it's got to be, lover"
****    Fingerprints_77
I touched you once too often
Now I don't know who I am
My fingerprints were missing
When I wiped away the jam
Yes, I called my fingerprints all night
But they don't seem to care
The last time that I saw them
They were leafing through your hair
Fingerprints, fingerprints
Where are you now my fingerprints?
Yeah, I thought I'd leave this morning
So I emptied out your drawer
A hundred thousand fingerprints
They floated to the floor
You know you hardly stopped to pick them up
No, you don't care what you lose
Ah, you don't even seem to know
Whose fingerprints are whose
Fingerprints, fingerprints
Where are you now my fingerprints?
And now you wanna marry me
You wanna take me down the aisle
You wanna throw confetti fingerprints
Ha, you know that's not my style
For sure I'd like to marry you
But I can't face the dawn
With any girl who knew me
When my fingerprints were on
Fingerprints, fingerprints
Where are you now my fingerprints?
Fingerprints, oh, fingerprints
Where are you now my fingerprints?
****    The_Guests_79
One by one, the guests arrive
The guests are coming through
The open-hearted many
The broken-hearted few
And no one knows where the night is going
And no one knows why the wine is flowing
Oh love I need you
I need you
I need you
I need you
Oh I need you now
And those who dance, begin to dance
Those who weep begin
And "Welcome, welcome" cries a voice
"Let all my guests come in."
And no one knows where the night is going
And all go stumbling through that house
in lonely secrecy
Saying "Do reveal yourself"
or "Why has thou forsaken me?"
And no one knows where the night is going
All at once the torches flare
The inner door flies open
One by one they enter there
In every style of passion
And no one knows where the night is going
And here they take their sweet repast
While house and grounds dissolve
And one by one the guests are cast
Beyond the garden wall
And no one knows where the night is going
Those who dance, begin to dance
Those who weep begin
Those who earnestly are lost
Are lost and lost again
And no one knows where the night is going
One by the guests arrive
The guests are coming through
The broken-hearted many
The open-hearted few
And no one knows where the night is going
****    Humbled_with_love_79
Do you remember all of those pledges
That we pledged in the passionate night
Ah, they're soiled now, they're torn at the edges
Like moths on a still yellow light
No penance serves to renew them
No massive transfusions of trust
Why not even revenge can undo them
So twisted these vows and so crushed
And you say you've been humbled in love
Cut down in your love
Forced to kneel in the mud next to me
Ah but why so bitterly turn from the one
Who kneels there as deeply as thee
Children have taken these pledges
They have ferried them out of the past
Oh beyond all the graves and the hedges
Where love must go hiding at last
And here where there is no description
Oh here in the moment at hand
No sinner need rise up forgiven
No victim need limp to the stand
And you say you've been humbled in love
Cut down in your love
Forced to kneel in the mud next to me
Ah but why so bitterly turn from the one
Who kneels there as deeply as thee
And look dear heart, look at the virgin
Look how she welcomes him into her gown
Yes, and mark how the stranger's cold armour
Dissolves like a star falling down
Why trade this vision for desire
When you may have them both
You will never see a man this naked
I will never hold a woman this close
And you say you've been humbled in love
Cut down in your love
Forced to kneel in the mud next to me
Ah but why so bitterly turn from the one
Who kneels there as deeply as thee
****    Came_so_far_for_beauty_79
I came so far for beauty
I left so much behind
My patience and my family
My masterpiece unsigned
I thought I'd be rewarded
For such a lonely choice
And surely she would answer
To such a very hopeless voice
I practiced on my sainthood
I gave to one and all
But the rumours of my virtue
They moved her not at all
I changed my style to silver
I changed my clothes to black
And where I would surrender
Ah now I would attack
I stormed the old casino
For the money and the flesh
And I myself decided
What was rotten and what was fresh
And men to do my bidding
And broken bones to teach
The value of my pardon
The shadow of my reach
But no, I could not touch her
With such a heavy hand
Her star beyond my order
Her nakedness unmanned
I came so far for beauty
I left so much behind
My patience and my family
My masterpiece unsigned
****    The_traitor_79
Now the Swan it floated on the English river
Ah the Rose of High Romance it opened wide
A sun tanned woman yearned me through the summer
And the judges watched us from the other side
I told my mother "Mother I must leave you
Preserve my room but do not shed a tear
Should rumour of a shabby ending reach you
It was half my fault and half the atmosphere"
But the Rose I sickened with a scarlet fever
And the Swan I tempted with a sense of shame
She said at last I was her finest lover
And if she withered I would be to blame
The judges said you missed it by a fraction
Rise up and brace your troops for the attack
Ah the dreamers ride against the men of action
Oh see the men of action falling back
But I lingered on her thighs a fatal moment
I kissed her lips as though I thirsted still
My falsity had stung me like a hornet
The poison sank and it paralysed my will
I could not move to warn all the younger soldiers
That they had been deserted from above
So on battlefields from here to Barcelona
I'm listed with the enemies of love
And long ago she said "I must be leaving
Ah but keep my body here to lie upon
You can move it up and down and when I'm sleeping
Run some wire through that Rose and wind the Swan"
So daily I renew my idle duty
I touch her here and there -- I know my place
I kiss her open mouth and I praise her beauty
And people call me traitor to my face
****    The_gipsy_s_wife_79
And where, where, where is my gypsy wife tonight?
I've heard all the wild reports, they can't be right
But whose head is this she's dancing with on the threshing floor?
Whose darkness deepens in her arms a little more?
And where, where is my gypsy wife tonight?
Where, where is my gypsy wife tonight?
Ah, the silver knives are flashing in that tired old cafe
A ghost climbs on the table in a bridal negligee
She says, "My body is the light, my body is the way"
I raise my arm against it all and I catch the bride's bouquet
And where, where is my gypsy wife tonight?
Where, where is my gypsy wife tonight?
Too early for the rainbow, too early for the dove
These are the final days, this is the darkness, this is the flood
And there is no man or woman, can't be touched
But you who come between them will be judged
And where, where is my gypsy wife tonight?
Where, where is my gypsy wife tonight?
****    The_smokey_life_79
I've never seen your eyes so wide
I've never seen your appetite quite this occupied
Elsewhere is your feast of love
I know where long ago we agreed to keep it light
So lets be married one more night
It's light, light enough
To let it go
It's light enough to let it go
Remember when the scenery started fading
I held you til you learned to walk on air
So don't look down the ground is gone
There's no one waiting anyway
The Smokey Life is practiced everywhere
So set your restless heart at ease
Take a lesson from these autumn leaves
They waste no time waiting for the snow
Don't argue now you'll be late
There is nothing to investigate
It's light enough, light enough
To let it go
Light enough to let it go
Remember when the scenery started fading
I held you til you learned to walk on air
So don't look down the ground is gone
There's no one waiting anyway
The Smokey Life is practiced everywhere
Come on back if the moment lends
You can look up all my very closest friends
Light, light enough
To let it go
It's light, light enough to let it go
****    The_Window_79
Why do you stand by the window
Abandoned to beauty and pride
The thorn of the night in your bosom
The spear of the age in your side
Lost in the rages of fragrance
Lost in the rags of remorse
Lost in the waves of a sickness
That loosens the high silver nerves
Oh chosen love, Oh frozen love
Oh tangle of matter and ghost
Oh darling of angels, demons and saints
And the whole broken-hearted host
Gentle this soul
And come forth from the cloud of unknowing
And kiss the cheek of the moon
The New Jerusalem glowing
Why tarry all night in the ruin
And leave no word of discomfort
And leave no observer to mourn
But climb on your tears and be silent
Like a rose on its ladder of thorns
Oh chosen love, Oh frozen love
Then lay your rose on the fire
The fire give up to the sun
The sun give over to splendour
In the arms of the high holy one
For the holy one dreams of a letter
Dreams of a letter's death
Oh bless thee continuous stutter
Of the word being made into flesh
Oh chosen love, Oh frozen love
Gentle this soul
****    Dance_Me_to_the_End_of_Love_84
Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Oh, let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone
Let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon
Show me slowly what I only know the limits of
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the wedding now, dance me on and on
Dance me very tenderly and dance me very long
We're both of us beneath our love, we're both of us above
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the children who are asking to be born
Dance me through the curtains that our kisses have outworn
Raise a tent of shelter now, though every thread is torn
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in
Touch me with your naked hand or touch me with your glove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
****    Coming_back_to_you_84
Maybe I'm still hurting, I can't turn the other cheek
But you know I still love you, it's just that I can't speak
I looked for you in everyone and they called me on that too
I lived alone but I was only coming back to you
They're shutting down the factory now, just when all the bills are due
And the fields, they're under lock and key though the rain and the sun come through
And springtime starts but then it stops in the name of something new
And all the senses rise against this coming back to you
And they're handing down my sentence now
And I know what I must do
Another mile of silence while I'm coming back to you
There are many in your life and many still to be
Since you are a shining light, there's many that you'll see
But I have to deal with envy when you choose the precious few
Who've left their pride on the other side of coming back to you
Even in your arms, I know I'll never get it right
Even when you bend to give me comfort in the night
I've got to have your word on this or none of it is true
And all I've said was just instead of coming back to you
****    The_law_84
How many times did you call me and I knew it was late
I left everybody but I never went straight
I don't claim to be guilty, but I do understand
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand
Now my heart's like a blister from doin' what I do
If the moon has a sister, it's got to be you
I'm gonna miss you forever, though it's not what I planned
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand
Now the deal has been dirty since dirty began
I'm not asking for mercy, not from the man
You just don't ask for mercy while you're still on the stand
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand
I don't claim to be guilty
Guilty's too grand
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand
That's all I can say, baby, that's all I can say
It wasn't for nothing that they put me away
I fell with my angel down the chain of command
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand
There's a law, there's an arm, there's a hand
****    Hallelujah_84
I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, now the major lift
The baffled king composing hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Now maybe, maybe there's a god above
As for me, all I ever learned from love
Is how to shoot at someone who outdrew you
But it's not a cry that you hear tonight
No, it's not some pilgrim who claims to have seen the light
It's cold and it's a very broken hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Neil Larsen on the Hammond-22
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Baby, I've been here before
I know this room, and I've walked this floor
You see, I used to live alone before I knew you
And I've seen your flag on a marble arch
But listen love, love is not some kind of victory march
No, it's a cold like I said, very lonely hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
There was time you let me know
What's really going on below
Ah but now you never show it to me, do you?
I remember when I moved in you
And the, the holy dove was moving too, yes
And every single breath that we drew was hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I learned to touch
I've told the truth, I did not come
All the way to Glastonbury to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I'll stand right here, before the lord of song
With nothing, nothing on my tongue but hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
****    If_It_Be_Your_Will_84
If it be your will
That I speak no more
And my voice be still
As it was before
I will speak no more
I shall abide until
I am spoken for
If it be your will
If it be your will
That a voice be true
From this broken hill
I will sing to you
From this broken hill
All your praises they shall ring
If it be your will
To let me sing
From this broken hill
All your praises they shall ring
If it be your will
To let me sing
If it be your will
If there is a choice
Let the rivers fill
Let the hills rejoice
Let your mercy spill
On all these burning hearts in hell
If it be your will
To make us well
And draw us near
And bind us tight
All your children here
In their rags of light
In our rags of light
All dressed to kill
And end this night
If it be your will
If it be your will
****    Night_comes_on_84
I went down to the place where I knew she lay waiting
Under the marble and the snow
I said, "Mother I'm frightened, the thunder and the lightning
I'll never come through this alone"
She said, "I'll be with you, my shawl wrapped around you
My hand on your head when you go"
And the night came on, it was very calm
I wanted the night to go on and on
But she said, "Go back, go back to the world"
We were fighting in Egypt when they signed this agreement
That nobody else had to die
There was this terrible sound, my father went down
With a terrible wound in his side
He said, "Try to go on, take my books, take my gun
Remember, my son, how they lied"
And the night comes on, it's very calm
I'd like to pretend that my father was wrong
But you don't want to lie, not to the young
We were locked in this kitchen, I took to religion
And I wondered how long she would stay
I needed so much to have nothing to touch
I've always been greedy that way
But my son and my daughter climbed out of the water
Crying, "Papa, you promised to play"
And they lead me away to the great surprise
It's "Papa, don't peek, Papa, cover your eyes"
And they hide, they hide in the world
Now I look for her always, I'm lost in this calling
I'm tied to the threads of some prayer
Saying, "When will she summon me, when will she come to me
What must I do to prepare?"
When she bends to my longing like a willow, like a fountain
She stands in the luminous air
And the night comes on, it's very calm
I lie in her arms, she says, "When I'm gone
I'll be yours, yours for a song"
Now the crickets are singing, the vesper bells ringing
The cat's curled asleep in his chair
I'll go down to Bill's Bar, I can make it that far
And I'll see if my friends are still there
Yes, and here's to the few who forgive what you do
And the fewer who don't even care
And the night comes on, it's very calm
I want to cross over, I want to go home
But she says, "Go back, go back to the world"

****    The_Captain_84
Now the Captain called me to his bed, he fumbled for my hand
"Take these silver bars," he said, "I'm giving you command."
"Command of what? There's no one here, there's only you and me
All the rest are dead or in retreat or with the enemy."
"Complain, complain, that's all you've done ever since we lost
If it's not the Crucifixion, then it's the Holocaust."
"May Christ have mercy on your soul for making such a joke
Amid these hearts that burn like coal and the flesh that rose like smoke."
"I know that you have suffered, lad, but suffer this awhile
Whatever makes a soldier sad will make a killer smile."
"I'm leaving, Captain, I've got to go, there's blood upon your hand
But tell me, Captain, if you know of a decent place to stand."
"There is no decent place to stand in a massacre
But if a woman take your hand, then go and stand with her."
"I left a wife in Tennessee and my baby in Saigon --
I risked my life, but not to hear some country-western song."
"Ah, but if you cannot raise your love to a very high degree
Then you're just the man I've been thinking of, so come and stand with me."
"Your standing days are done," I cried, "you'll rally me no more
I don't even know what side we fought on, or what for."
"I'm on the side that's always lost against the side of Heaven
I'm on the side of snake-eyes tossed against the side of seven
And I've read the Bill of Human Rights and some of it was true
But there wasn't any burden left, so I'm laying it on you."
Now the Captain he was dying, but the Captain wasn't hurt
The silver bars were in my hand, I pinned them to my shirt
****    Hunters_Lullaby_84
Your father's gone a-hunting
He's deep in the forest so wild
And he cannot take his wife with him
He cannot take his child
Your father's gone a-hunting
In the quicksand and the clay
And a woman cannot follow him
Although she knows the way
Your father's gone a-hunting
Through the silver and the glass
Where only greed can enter
But spirit, spirit cannot pass
Your father's gone a-hunting
For the beast he'll never bind
And he leaves a baby sleeping
And his blessings all behind
Your father's gone a-hunting
And he's lost his lucky charm
And he's lost the guardian heart
That keeps the hunter from the harm
Your father's gone a-hunting
He asked me to say goodbye
And he warned me not to stop him
I wouldn't, I wouldn't even try
****    Heart_with_no_companion_84
Now I greet you from the other side
Of sorrow and despair
With a love so vast and shattered
It will reach you everywhere
And I sing this for the captain whose ship has not been built
For the mother in confusion, her cradle still unfilled
For the heart with no companion, for the soul without a king
For the prima ballerina who cannot dance to anything
Through the days of shame that are coming
Through the nights of wild distress
Though your promise count for nothing
You must keep it nonetheless
You must keep it for the captain whose ship has not been built
For the mother in confusion, her cradle still unfilled
For the heart with no companion, for the soul without a king
For the prima ballerina who cannot dance to anything
And I greet you from the other side
Of sorrow and despair
With a love so vast and shattered
It will reach you everywhere
****    Tower_of_Song_88
Well my friends are gone and my hair is grey
I ache in the places where I used to play
And I'm crazy for love but I'm not coming on
I'm just paying my rent every day
Oh in the Tower of Song
I said to Hank Williams: how lonely does it get?
Hank Williams hasn't answered yet
But I hear him coughing all night long
A hundred floors above me
In the Tower of Song
I was born like this, I had no choice
I was born with the gift of a golden voice
And twenty-seven angels from the Great Beyond
They tied me to this table right here
In the Tower of Song
So you can stick your little pins in that voodoo doll
I'm very sorry, baby, doesn't look like me at all
I'm standing by the window where the light is strong
Ah they don't let a woman kill you
Not in the Tower of Song
Now you can say that I've grown bitter but of this you may be sure
The rich have got their channels in the bedrooms of the poor
And there's a mighty judgment coming, but I may be wrong
You see, you hear these funny voices
In the Tower of Song
I see you standing on the other side
I don't know how the river got so wide
I loved you baby, way back when
And all the bridges are burning that we might have crossed
But I feel so close to everything that we lost
We'll never have to lose it again
Now I bid you farewell, I don't know when I'll be back
There moving us tomorrow to that tower down the track
But you'll be hearing from me baby, long after I'm gone
I'll be speaking to you sweetly
From a window in the Tower of Song
Yeah my friends are gone and my hair is gray
I ache in the places where I used to play
And I'm crazy for love but I'm not coming on
I'm just paying my rent every day
Oh in the Tower of Song
Thanks so much friends
****    Everybody_Knows_88
Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died
Everybody talking to their pockets
Everybody wants a box of chocolates
And a long-stem rose
Everybody knows
Everybody knows that you love me baby
Everybody knows that you really do
Everybody knows that you've been faithful
Ah, give or take a night or two
Everybody knows you've been discreet
But there were so many people you just had to meet
Without your clothes
And everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
And everybody knows that it's now or never
Everybody knows that it's me or you
And everybody knows that you live forever
Ah, when you've done a line or two
Everybody knows the deal is rotten
Old Black Joe's still pickin' cotton
For your ribbons and bows
And everybody knows
And everybody knows that the Plague is coming
Everybody knows that it's moving fast
Everybody knows that the naked man and woman
Are just a shining artifact of the past
Everybody knows the scene is dead
But there's gonna be a meter on your bed
That will disclose
What everybody knows
And everybody knows that you're in trouble
Everybody knows what you've been through
From the bloody cross on top of Calvary
To the beach of Malibu
Everybody knows it's coming apart
Take one last look at this Sacred Heart
Before it blows
And everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows
****    First_we_take_Manhattan_88
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
I'm guided by a signal in the heavens
I'm guided by this birthmark on my skin
I'm guided by the beauty of our weapons
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
I'd really like to live beside you, baby
I love your body and your spirit and your clothes
But you see that line there moving through the station?
I told you, I told you, told you, I was one of those
Ah you loved me as a loser, but now you're worried that I just might win
You know the way to stop me, but you don't have the discipline
How many nights I prayed for this, to let my work begin
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
I don't like your fashion business, mister
And I don't like these drugs that keep you thin
I don't like what happened to my sister
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
I'd really like to live beside you, baby
I love your body and your spirit and your clothes
But you see that line there moving through the station?
I told you, I told you, told you, I was one of those
And I thank you for those items that you sent me
The monkey and the plywood violin
I practiced every night, now I'm ready
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
(I am guided)
Ah remember me, I used to live for music (baby)
Remember me, I brought your groceries in (ooh baby yeah)
Well it's Father's Day and everybody's wounded (baby)
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
****    I_m_your_man_88
If you want a lover
I'll do anything you ask me to
And if you want another kind of love
I'll wear a mask for you
If you want a partner
Take my hand
Or if you want to strike me down in anger
Here I stand
I'm your man
If you want a boxer
I will step into the ring for you
And if you want a doctor
I'll examine every inch of you
If you want a driver
Climb inside
Or if you want to take me for a ride
You know you can
I'm your man
Ah, the moon's too bright
The chain's too tight
The beast won't go to sleep
I've been running through these promises to you
That I made and I could not keep
Ah, but a man never got a woman back
Not by begging on his knees
Or I'd crawl to you baby
And I'd fall at your feet
And I'd howl at your beauty
Like a dog in heat
And I'd claw at your heart
And I'd tear at your sheet
I'd say please (Please)
I'm your man
And if you've got to sleep
A moment on the road
I will steer for you
And if you want to work the street alone
I'll disappear for you
If you want a father for your child
Or only want to walk with me a while
Across the sand
I'm your man
If you want a lover
I'll do anything that you ask me to
And if you want another kind of love
I'll wear a mask for you
****    Aint_no_cure_for_love_88
I loved you for a long, long time
I know this love is real
It don't matter how it all went wrong
That don't change the way I feel
And I can't believe that time is
Gonna heal this wound I'm speaking of
There ain't no cure
There ain't no cure
There ain't no cure for love
I'm aching for you baby
I can't pretend I'm not
I need to see you naked
In your body and your thought
I got you like a habit
And I'll never get enough
There ain't no cure
There ain't no cure
There ain't no cure for love
There ain't no cure for love
There ain't no cure for love
All the rocket ships are climbin' through the sky
The holy books are open wide
The doctors working day and night
But they'll never ever find that cure for love
Ain't no drink no drug
(Ah tell them, angels)
There's nothing pure enough to be a cure for love
I see you in the subway and I see you on the bus
I see you lyin' down with me, I see you wakin' up
I see your hand, I see your hair
Your bracelets and your brush
And I call to you, I call to you
But I don't call soft enough
There ain't no cure
There ain't no cure
There ain't no cure for love
I walked into this empty church, I had no place else to go
When the sweetest voice I ever heard whispered to my soul
I don't need to be forgiven for loving you so much
It's written in the scriptures
It's written there in blood
I even heard the angels declare it from above
There ain't no cure
There ain't no cure, there ain't no cure for love
There ain't no cure for love
There ain't no cure for love
All the rocket ships are climbin' through the sky
The holy books are open wide
The doctors working day and night
But they'll never-ever find that (cure for love)
That cure for love
(That cure for love)
(No cure for love)
(There ain't no cure for love)
(No cure for love, there ain't no cure for love)
****    The_Future_92
Give me back my broken night
My mirrored room, my secret life
It's lonely here
There's no one left to torture
Give me absolute control
Over every living soul
And lie beside me, baby
That's an order!
Give me crack and anal sex
Take the only tree that's left
And stuff it up the hole
In your culture
Give me back the Berlin wall
Give me Stalin and St. Paul
I've seen the future, brother
It is murder
Things are going to slide (slide) in all directions
Won't be nothing (won't be)
Nothing you can measure anymore
The blizzard, the blizzard of the world
Has crossed the threshold
And it's overturned
The order of the soul
When they said (they said) repent (repent), repent (repent)
I wonder what they meant
When they said (they said) repent (repent), repent (repent)
I wonder what they meant
When they said (they said) repent (repent), repent (repent)
I wonder what they meant
You don't know me from the wind
You never will, you never did
I'm the little Jew
Who wrote the Bible
I've seen the nations rise and fall
I've heard their stories, heard them all
But love's the only engine
Of survival
Your servant here, he has been told
To say it clear, to say it cold
It's over, it ain't going any further
And now the wheels of heaven stop
You feel the devil's riding crop
Get ready for the future: It is murder
Things are going to slide (slide) in all directions
Won't be nothing (won't be)
Nothing you can measure anymore
The blizzard, the blizzard of the world
Has crossed the threshold
And it's overturned the order of the soul
When they said (they said) repent (repent), repent (repent)
I wonder what they meant
When they said (they said) repent (repent), repent (repent)
I wonder what they meant
When they said (they said) repent (repent), repent (repent)
I wonder what they meant
There'll be the breaking of the ancient Western code
Your private life will suddenly explode
There'll be phantoms, there'll be fires on the road
And the white man dancing
You'll see your woman hanging upside down
Her features covered by her fallen gown
And all the lousy little poets coming round
Trying to sound like Charlie Manson
Yeah the white man dancing
Give me back the Berlin wall
Give me Stalin and St. Paul
Give me Christ
Or give me Hiroshima
Destroy another fetus now
We don't like children anyhow
I've seen the future, baby: It is murder
Things are going to slide (slide) in all directions
Won't be nothing (won't be), nothing you can measure anymore
The blizzard, the blizzard of the world
Has crossed the threshold
And it's overturned
The order of the soul
When they said (they said) repent (repent)
Repent (repent)
I wonder what they meant
When they said (they said) repent (repent), repent (repent)
I wonder what they meant
When they said (they said) repent (repent)
Repent (repent)
I wonder what they meant
When they said (they said) repent (repent)
Repent (repent)
****    Democracy_92
It's coming through a hole in the air
From those nights in Tiananmen Square
It's coming from the feel
That it ain't exactly real
Or it's real, but it ain't exactly there
From the war against disorder
From the sirens night and day
From the fires of the homeless
From the ashes of the gay
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A
It's coming through a crack in the wall
On a visionary flood of alcohol
From the staggering account
Of the Sermon on the Mount
Which I don't pretend to understand at all
It's coming from the silence
On the dock of the bay
From the brave, the bold, the battered
Heart of Chevrolet
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A
It's coming from the sorrow in the street
The holy places where the races meet
From the homicidal bitchin'
That goes down in every kitchen
To determine who will serve and who will eat
From the wells of disappointment
Where the women kneel to pray
For the grace of God in the desert here
And the desert far away
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A
Sail on, sail on
O mighty ship of state!
To the shores of need
Past the reefs of greed
Through the squalls of hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on...
It's coming to America first
The cradle of the best and of the worst
It's here they got the range
And the machinery for change
And it's here they got the spiritual thirst
It's here the family's broken
And it's here the lonely say
That the heart has got to open
In a fundamental way
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A
It's coming from the women and the men
Oh baby, we'll be making love again
We'll be going down so deep
The river's going to weep
And the mountain's going to shout Amen!
It's coming like the tidal flood
Beneath the lunar sway
Imperial, mysterious
In amorous array
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A
Sail on, sail on
O mighty ship of state!
To the shores of need
Past the reefs of greed
Through the squalls of hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on...
I'm sentimental, if you know what I mean
I love the country but I can't stand the scene
And I'm neither left or right
I'm just staying home tonight
Getting lost in that hopeless little screen
But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags
That time cannot decay
I'm junk but I'm still holding up
This little wild bouquet
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A
****    Waiting_for_the_miracle_92
Baby, I've been waiting
I've been waiting night and day
I didn't see the time
Yeah I waited half my life away
There were lots of invitations
And I know you sent me some
But I was waiting
For the miracle, for the miracle to come
I know you really loved me
But, you see, my hands were tied
I know it must have hurt you
It must have hurt your pride
To have to stand beneath my window
With your bugle and your drum
And me I'm up there waiting
For the miracle, for the miracle to come
Yeah, I don't believe you'd like it
You wouldn't like it here
There ain't no entertainment
And the judgements are severe
The Maestro says it's Mozart
But it sounds like bubble gum
When you're waiting
For the miracle, for the miracle to come
Waiting for the miracle
There's nothing left to do
I haven't been this happy
Since the end of World War II
Nothing left to do
When you know that you've been taken
Nothing left to do
When you're begging for a crumb
Nothing left to do
When you've got to go on waiting
Waiting for the miracle to come
Yeah I dreamed about you, baby
It was just the other night
Most of you was naked
Ah but some of you was light
The sands of time were falling
From your fingers and your thumb
And you were waiting
For the miracle, for the miracle to come
Ah baby, let's get married
We've been alone too long
Let's be alone together
Let's see if we're that strong
Yeah let's do something crazy
Something absolutely wrong
While we're waiting
For the miracle, for the miracle to come
Nothing left to do
When you know you've been taken
Nothing left to do
When you're begging for a crumb
Nothing left to do
When you've got to go on waiting
Waiting for the miracle to come
When you've fallen on the highway
And you're lying in the rain
And they ask you how you're doing
Of course you'll say you can't complain --
If you're squeezed for information
That's when you've got to play it dumb:
You just say you're out there waiting
For the miracle, for the miracle to come
****    Closing_Time_92
Ah we're drinking and we're dancing
And the band is really happening
And the Johnny Walker wisdom running high
And my very sweet companion
She's the Angel of Compassion
She's rubbing half the world against her thigh
And every drinker every dancer
Lifts a happy face to thank her
The fiddler fiddles something so sublime
All the women tear their blouses off
And the men they dance on the polka-dots
And it's partner found, it's partner lost
And it's hell to pay when the fiddler stops:
It's closing time
Yeah the women tear their blouses off
And the men they dance on the polka-dots
And it's partner found, it's partner lost
And it's hell to pay when the fiddler stops:
It's closing time
Ah we're lonely, we're romantic
And the cider's laced with acid
And the Holy Spirit's crying, "Where's the beef?"
And the moon is swimming naked
And the summer night is fragrant
With a mighty expectation of relief
So we struggle and we stagger
Down the snakes and up the ladder
To the tower where the blessed hours chime
And I swear it happened just like this:
A sigh, a cry, a hungry kiss
The Gates of Love they budged an inch
I can't say much has happened since
But closing time
I swear it happened just like this:
A sigh, a cry, a hungry kiss
The Gates of Love they budged an inch
I can't say much has happened since
But Closing time, closing time
I loved you for your beauty
But that doesn't make a fool of me:
You were in it for your beauty too
And I loved you for your body
There's a voice that sounds like God to me
Declaring, declaring, declaring that your body's really you
And I loved you when our love was blessed
And I love you now there's nothing left
But sorrow and a sense of overtime
And I missed you since the place got wrecked
And I just don't care what happens next
Looks like freedom but it feels like death
It's something in between, I guess
It's closing time
Yeah I missed you since our place got wrecked
By the winds of change and the weeds of sex
Looks like freedom but it feels like death
It's something in between, I guess
It's closing time
Yeah we're drinking and we're dancing
But there's nothing really happening
And the place is dead as Heaven on a Saturday night
And my very close companion
Gets me fumbling gets me laughing
She's a hundred but she's wearing
Something tight
And I lift my glass to the awful truth
Which you can't reveal to the ears of youth
Except to say it isn't worth a dime
And the whole damn place goes crazy twice
And it's once for the devil and it's once for Christ
But the boss don't like these dizzy heights
We're busted in the blinding lights
Of closing time
The whole damn place goes crazy twice
And it's once for the devil and it's once for Christ
But the boss don't like these dizzy heights
We're busted in the blinding lights
Busted in the blinding lights
Of closing time
Oh the women tear their blouses off
And the men they dance on the polka-dots
It's closing time
And it's partner found, it's partner lost
And it's hell to pay when the fiddler stops
It's closing time
I swear it happened just like this:
A sigh, a cry, a hungry kiss
It's closing time
The Gates of Love they budged an inch
I can't say much has happened since
But closing time
I loved you when our love was blessed
I love you now there's nothing left
But closing time
I miss you since the place got wrecked
By the winds of change and the weeds of sex
It's closing time
****    Anthem_92
The birds they sang
At the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
Has passed away
Or what is yet to be
Yeah the wars they will
Be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
Bought and sold
And bought again
The dove is never free
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
We asked for signs
The signs were sent:
The birth betrayed
The marriage spent
Yeah the widowhood
Of every government
Signs for all to see
I can't run no more
With that lawless crowd
While the killers in high places
Say their prayers out loud
But they've summoned, they've summoned up
A thundercloud
And they're going to hear from me
Ring the bells that still ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
You can add up the parts
You won't have the sum
You can strike up the march
There is no drum
Every heart, every heart
To love will come
But like a refugee
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in
****    In_my_secret_life_01
In my secret life
In my secret life
In my secret life
In my secret life
I saw you this morning
You were moving so fast
Can’t seem to loosen my grip
Well on the past
And I miss you so much
There’s no one in sight
And we’re still making love
In my secret life
In my secret life
I smile when I’m angry
I cheat and I lie
I do what I have to do
To get by
But I know what is wrong
And I know what is right
And I’d die for the truth
In my secret life
In my secret life
Hold on, hold on, my brother
My sister, hold on tight
I finally got my orders
I’ll be marching through the morning
Marching through the night
Moving cross the borders
Of my secret life
Looked through the paper
Makes you want to cry
Nobody cares if the people
Live or die
And the dealer wants you thinking
That it’s either black or white
Thank God it’s not that simple
In my secret life
I bite my lip
I buy what I’m told:
From the latest hit
To the wisdom of old
But I’m always alone
And my heart is like ice
And it’s crowded and cold
In my secret life
In my secret life
In my secret life
In my secret life
In my secret life
In my secret life
In my secret life
In my secret life
****    Alexandra_leaving_01
Suddenly the night has grown colder
The god of love preparing to depart
Alexandra hoisted on his shoulder
They slip between the sentries of the heart
Upheld by the simplicities of pleasure
They gain the light, they formlessly entwine;
And radiant beyond your widest measure
They fall among the voices and the wine
It’s not a trick, your senses all deceiving
A fitful dream, the morning will exhaust –
Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving
Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost
Even though she sleeps upon your satin;
Even though she wakes you with a kiss
Do not say the moment was imagined;
Do not stoop to strategies like this
As someone long prepared for this to happen
Go firmly to the window. Drink it in
Exquisite music. Alexandra laughing
Your first commitments tangible again
And you who had the honor of her evening
And by that honor had your own restored –
Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving;
Alexandra leaving with her lord
Even though she sleeps upon your satin;
Even though she wakes you with a kiss
Do not say the moment was imagined;
Do not stoop to strategies like this
As someone long prepared for the occasion;
In full command of every plan you wrecked –
Do not choose a coward’s explanation
That hides behind the cause and the effect
And you who were bewildered by a meaning;
Whose code was broken, crucifix uncrossed –
Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving
Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost
Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving
Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost
****    A_thousand_kisses_deep_01
The ponies run, the girls are young
The odds are there to beat
You win a while, and then it's done
Your little winning streak
And summoned now to deal
With your invincible defeat
You live your life as if it's real
A thousand kisses deep
I'm turning tricks, I'm getting fixed
I'm back on Boogie Street
You lose your grip, and then you slip
Into the masterpiece
And maybe I had miles to drive
And promises to keep
You ditch it all to stay alive
A thousand kisses deep
And sometimes when the night is slow
The wretched and the meek
We gather up our hearts and go
A thousand kisses deep
Confined to sex, we pressed against
The limits of the sea
I saw there were no oceans left
For scavengers like me
I made it to the forward deck
I blessed our remnant fleet
And then consented to be wrecked
A thousand kisses deep
I'm turning tricks, I'm getting fixed
I'm back on Boogie Street
I guess they won't exchange the gifts
That you were meant to keep
And quiet is the thought of you
The file on you complete
Except what we forgot to do
A thousand kisses deep
And sometimes when the night is slow
The wretched and the meek
We gather up our hearts and go
A thousand kisses deep
The ponies run, the girls are young
The odds are there to beat
You win a while, and then it’s done
Your little winning streak
And summoned now to deal
With your invincible defeat
You live your life as if it’s real
A thousand kisses deep
****    Love_itself_01
The light came through the window
Straight from the sun above
And so inside my little room
There plunged the rays of love
In streams of light I clearly saw
The dust you seldom see
Out of which the nameless makes
A name for one like me
I'll try to say a little more
Love went on and on
Until it reached an open door
Then love itself, love itself was gone
All busy in the sunlight
The flecks did float and dance
And I was tumbled up with them
In formless circumstance
I'll try to say a little more
Love went on and on
Until it reached an open door
Then love itself, love itself was gone
Then I came back from where I'd been
My room, it looked the same
But there was nothing left between
The nameless and the name
All busy in the sunlight
The flecks did float and dance
And I was tumbled up with them
In formless circumstance
I'll try to say a little more
Oh love went on and on
Until it reached an open door
Then love itself, love itself was gone
Love itself, love itself was gone
****    Take_this_longing_02
Many men have loved the bells
You fastened to the rein
And everyone who wanted you
They found what they will always want again
Your beauty lost to you yourself
Just as it was lost to them
Oh take this longing from my tongue
Whatever useless things these hands have done
Let me see your beauty broken down
Like you would do for one you love
Your body like a searchlight
My poverty revealed
I would like to try your charity
Until you cry, "Now you must try my greed."
And everything depends upon
How near you sleep to me
Just take this longing from my tongue
All the lonely things my hands have done
Let me see your beauty broken down
Like you would do for one you love
Hungry as an archway
Through which the troops have passed
I stand in ruins behind you
With your winter clothes, your broken sandal straps
I love to see you naked over there
Especially from the back
Oh take this longing from my tongue
All the useless things my hands have done
Untie for me your hired blue gown
Like you would do for one you love
You're faithful to the better man
I'm afraid that he left
So let me judge your love affair
In this very room where I have sentenced mine to death
I'll even wear these old laurel leaves
That he's shaken from his head
Just take this longing from my tongue
All the useless things my hands have done
Let me see your beauty broken down
Like you would do for one you love
Like you would do for one you love
****    It_seemed_the_better_way_03
Seemed the better way
When first I heard him speak
Now it's much too late
To turn the other cheek
Sounded like the truth
Seemed the better way
Sounded like the truth
But it's not the truth today
I wonder what it was
I wonder what it meant
First he touched on love
Then he touched on death
Sounded like the truth
Seemed the better way
Sounded like the truth
But it's not the truth today
I better hold my tongue
I better take my place
Lift this glass of blood
Try to say the grace
Seemed the better way
When first I heard him speak
But now it's much too late
To turn the other cheek
Sounded like the truth
Seemed the better way
Sounded like the truth
But it's not the truth today
I better hold my tongue
I better take my place
Lift this glass of blood
Try to say the grace
****    Dear_Heather_04
Dear Heather,
Please walk by me again
With a drink in your hand
And your legs all white from the winter
Your legs all white from the winter
And your legs all white from the winter.
Dear Heather,
Please walk by me again
With a drink in your hand
And your legs all white from the winter
Your legs all white from the winter
And your legs all WHITE from the winter.
Dear Heather,
Please walk by me again
With a drink in your hand
And your legs all white from the winter
Your legs all white from the WINTER AND YOUR legs
All WHITE from the winter.
Dear Heather,
Please walk by me again
With a drink in your hand
And your legs all white from the winter
Your legs all white from WINTER AND YOUR legs
All WHITE from the winter.
****    Going_home_12
I'd love to speak with Leonard
He's a sportsman and a shepherd
He's a lazy bastard
Living in a suit
But he does say what I tell him
Even though it isn't welcome
He just doesn't have the freedom
To refuse
He will speak these words of wisdom
Like a sage, a man of vision
Though he knows he's really nothing
But the brief elaboration of a tube
Going home without my sorrow
Going home sometime tomorrow
Going home to where it's better
Than before
Going home without my burden
Going home behind the curtain
Going home without this costume
That I wore
He wants to write a love song
An anthem of forgiving
A manual for living
With defeat
A cry above the suffering
A sacrifice recovering
But that isn't what I need him
To complete
I want him to be certain
That he doesn't have a burden
That he doesn't need a vision
That he only has permission
To do my instant bidding which is to
Say what I have told him to repeat
Going home without my sorrow
Going home sometime tomorrow
Going home to where it's better than before
Going home without my burden
Going home behind the curtain
Going home without the costume that I wore
I'm going home without my sorrow
Going home sometime tomorrow
Going home to where it's better than before
Going home without my burden
Going home behind the curtain
Going home without this costume that I wore
I love to speak with Leonard
He's a sportsman and a shepherd
He's a lazy bastard living in a suit
****    Amen_12
Tell me again
When I've been to the river
And I've taken the edge off my thirst
Tell me again
We're alone and I'm, I'm listening
I'm listening so hard that it hurts
Tell me again
When I'm clean and I'm sober
Tell me again
When I've seen through the horror
Tell me again
Tell me over and over
Tell me that you want me then
Amen
Tell me again
When the victims are singing
And the Laws of Remorse are restored
Tell me again
That you know what I'm thinking
But vengeance belongs to the lord
Tell me again
When I'm clean and I'm sober
Tell me again
When I've seen through the horror
Tell me again
Tell me over and over
Tell me that you love me then
Amen
Tell me again
When the day has been ransomed
And the night has no right to begin
Try me again
When the angels are panting
And scratching at the door to come in
Tell me again
When I'm clean and I'm sober
Tell me again
When I've seen through the horror
Tell me again
Tell me over and over
Tell me that you need me then
Amen
Tell me again
When the filth of the butcher
Is washed in the blood of the lamb
Tell me again
When the rest of the culture
Has passed thru' the Eye of the Camp
Tell me again
When I'm clean and I'm sober
Tell me again
When I've seen through the horror
Tell me again
Tell me over and over
Tell me that you love me then
Amen
****    Show_me_the_place_12
Show me the place where you want your slave to go
Show me the place I've forgotten I don't know
Show me the place where my head is bendin' low
Show me the place where you want your slave to go
Show me the place, help me roll away the stone
Show me the place, I can't move this thing alone
Show me the place where the word became a man
Show me the place where the suffering began
The troubles came I saved what I could save
A thread of light, a particle, a wave
But there were chains, so I hastened to behave
There were chains, so I loved you like a slave
Show me the place where you want your slave to go
Show me the place I've forgotten I don't know
Show me the place where my head is bendin' low
Show me the place where you want your slave to go
The troubles came I saved what I could save
A thread of light, a particle, a wave
But there were chains, so I hastened to behave
There were chains, so I loved you like a slave
Show me the place
Show me the place
Show me the place
Show me the place, help me roll away the stone
Show me the place, I can't move this thing alone
Show me the place where the word became a man
Show me the place where the suffering began
****    Darkness_12
I caught the darkness
It was drinking from your cup
I caught the darkness
I'm drinking from your cup
I said: Is this contagious?
You said: Just drink it up
I got no future
I know my days are few
The present's not that pleasant
Just a lot of things to do
I thought the past would last me
But the darkness got that too
I should have seen it coming
It was right behind your eyes
You were young and it was summer
I just had to take a dive
Winning you was easy
But darkness was the prize
I don't smoke no cigarette
I don't drink no alcohol
I ain't had much loving yet
But that's always been your call
Hey I don't miss it baby
I got no taste for anything at all
I used to love the rainbow
And I used to love the view
I loved the early morning
I'd pretend that it was new
But I caught the darkness baby
And I got it worse than you
I caught the darkness
It was drinking from your cup
I caught the darkness
I'm drinking from your cup
I said: Is this contagious?
You said: Just drink it up
****    Anyhow_12
You know, it really is a pity
The way you treat me now
I know you can't forgive me
But forgive me anyhow
The ending got so ugly
I even heard you say
You never ever loved me
But could you love me anyway?
I dreamed about you baby
You were wearing half your dress
I know you have to hate me
But could you hate me less?
I've used up all my chances
And you'll never take me back
But there ain't no harm in asking
Could you cut me one more slack?
I'm naked and I'm filthy
And there's sweat upon my brow
And both of us are guilty
Anyhow
Have mercy on me, baby
After all I did confess
Even though you have to hate me
Could you hate me less?
It's a shame and it's a pity
I know you can't forgive me
The ending got so ugly
You never ever loved me
Dreamed about you, baby
I know you have to hate me
I'm naked and I'm filthy
And both of us are guilty (Anyhow)
Have mercy on me baby
****    Crazy_to_love_you_12
Had to go crazy to love you
Had to go down to the pit
Had to do time in the tower
Begging my crazy to quit
Had to go crazy to love you
You who were never the one
Whom I chased through the souvenir heartache
Her braids and her blouse all undone
Sometimes I'd head for the highway
I'm old and the mirrors don't lie
But crazy has places to hide in
That are deeper than any goodbye
Had to go crazy to love you
Had to let everything fall
Had to be people I hated
Had to be no one at all
I'm tired of choosing desire
I've been saved by a blessed fatigue
The gates of commitment unwired
And nobody trying to leave
Sometimes I'd head for the highway
I'm old and the mirrors don't lie
But crazy has places to hide in
That are deeper than any goodbye
Had to go crazy to love you
You who were never the one
Whom I chased through the souvenir heartache
Her braids and her blouse all undone
****    Come_healing_12
O gather up the brokenness and bring it to me now
The fragrance of those promises you never dared to vow
The splinters that you carry, the cross you left behind
Come healing of the body
Come healing of the mind
And let the heavens hear it, the penitential hymn
Come healing of the spirit
Come healing of the limb
Behold the gates of mercy in arbitrary space
And none of us deserving, the cruelty or the grace
O solitude of longing where love has been confined
Come healing of the body
Come healing of the mind
O see the darkness yielding, that tore the light apart
Come healing of the reason
Come healing of the heart
O troubled dust concealing, an undivided love
The Heart beneath is teaching to the broken Heart above
O let the heavens falter and let the earth proclaim:
Come healing of the Altar
Come healing of the Name
O longing of the branches to lift the little bud
O longing of the arteries to purify the blood
And let the heavens hear it, the penitential hymn
Come healing of the spirit
Come healing of the limb
O let the heavens hear it, the penitential hymn
Come healing of the spirit
Come healing of the limb
****    Never_Gave_Nobody_Trouble_15
Couldn't pay the mortgage
And I broke my baby’s heart
I couldn't pay the mortgage
It broke my baby's heart
I never gave nobody trouble
But it ain’t too late to start
Don't wanna break no window
Don't wanna burn no car
Don't wanna break no window
And I don't wanna burn your car
You got a right to all your riches
But you let it go too far
You sail the mighty ocean
On a yacht designed for you
You sail the mighty ocean
On a yacht designed for you
Yeah, but the ocean is thick with garbage
You ain't gonna make it through
I never gave nobody trouble
I'm a law and order man
I never gave nobody trouble
I'm a law and order man
I say I never gave nobody trouble
But you know goddamn well that I can
****    You_want_it_darker_16
If you are the dealer
I'm out of the game
If you are the healer
It means I'm broken and lame
If thine is the glory then
Mine must be the shame
You want it darker
We kill the flame
Magnified, sanctified
Be thy holy name
Vilified, crucified
In the human frame
A million candles burning
For the help that never came
You want it darker
Hineni, hineni
I'm ready, my Lord
There's a lover in the story
But the story's still the same
There's a lullaby for suffering
And a paradox to blame
But it's written in the scriptures
And it's not some idle claim
You want it darker
We kill the flame
They're lining up the prisoners
And the guards are taking aim
I struggled with some demons
They were middle-class and tame
I didn't know I had permission
To murder and to maim
You want it darker
Hineni, hineni
I'm ready, my Lord
Magnified, sanctified
Be thy holy name
Vilified, crucified
In the human frame
A million candles burning
For the love that never came
You want it darker
We kill the flame
If you are the dealer
Let me out of the game
If you are the healer
I'm broken and lame
If thine is the glory
Mine must be the shame
You want it darker
Hineni, hineni
Hineni, hineni
I'm ready, my Lord
****    Treaty_16
I've seen you change the water into wine
I've seen you change it back to water, too
I sit at your table every night
I try but I just don't get high with you
I wish there was a treaty we could sign
I do not care who takes this bloody hill
I'm angry and I'm tired all the time
I wish there was a treaty, I wish there was a treaty
Between your love and mine
Ah, they're dancing in the street—it's Jubilee
We sold ourselves for love but now we're free
I'm so sorry for that ghost I made you be
Only one of us was real and that was me
I haven't said a word since you been gone
That any liar couldn't say as well
I just can't believe the static coming on
You were my ground, my safe and sound
You were my aerial
Ah, the fields are crying out—it's Jubilee
We sold ourselves for love but now we're free
I'm so sorry for that ghost I made you be
Only one of us was real and that was me
I heard the snake was baffled by his sin
He shed his scales to find the snake within
But born again is born without a skin
The poison enters into everything
And I wish there was a treaty we could sign
I do not care who takes this bloody hill
I'm angry and I'm tired all the time
I wish there was a treaty, I wish there was a treaty
Between your love and mine
****    On_the_level_16
I knew that it was wrong
I didn't have a doubt
I was dying to get back home
And you were starting out
I said I best be moving on
You said we have all day
You smiled at me like I was young
It took my breath away
Your crazy fragrance all around
Your secrets all in view
My lost, my lost was saying found
My don't was saying do
Let's keep it on the level
When I walked away from you
I turned my back on the devil
Turned my back on the angel, too
They ought a give my heart a medal
For letting go of you (For letting go of you)
When I turned my back on the devil
Turned my back on the angel, too
Now I'm living in this temple
Where they tell you what to do
I'm old and I've had to settle
On a different point of view
I was fighting with temptation
But I didn't want to win
A man like me don't like to see
Temptation caving in
Your crazy fragrance all around
Your secrets in my view
My lost, my lost was saying found
My don't was saying do
Let's keep it on the level
When I walked away from you
I turned my back on the devil
Turned my back on the angel, too
They oughta give my heart a medal
For letting go of you
When I turned my back on the devil
Turned my back on the angel, too
They oughta give my heart a medal
For letting go of you
When I turned my back on the devil
Turned my back on the angel, too
****    Leaving_the_table_16
I'm leaving the table
I'm out of the game
I don't know the people
In your picture frame
If I ever loved you or no, no
It's a crying shame if I ever loved you
If I knew your name
You don't need a lawyer
I'm not making a claim
You don't need to surrender
I'm not taking aim
I don't need a lover, no, no, no
The wretched beast is tame
I don't need a lover
So blow out the flame
There's nobody missing
There is no reward
Little by little
We're cutting the cord
We're spending the treasure, oh, no, no
That love cannot afford
I know you can feel it
The sweetness restored
I don't need a reason
For what I became
I've got these excuses
They're tired and lame
I don't need a pardon, no, no, no, no, no
There's no one left to blame
I'm leaving the table
I'm out of the game
I'm leaving the table
I'm out of the game
****    If_I_didnt_have_your_love_16
If the sun would lose its light
And we lived an endless night
And there was nothing left that you could feel
That's how it would be
What my life would seem to me
If I didn't have your love to make it real
If the stars were all unpinned
And a cold and bitter wind
Swallowed up the world without a trace
Ah, well that's where I would be
What my life would seem to me
If I couldn't lift the veil and see your face
And if no leaves were on the tree
And no water in the sea
And the break of day had nothing to reveal
That's how broken I would be
What my life would seem to me
If I didn't have your love to make it real
If the sun would lose its light
And we lived in an endless night
And there was nothing left that you could feel
If the sea were sand alone
And the flowers made of stone
And no one that you hurt could ever heal
Well that's how broken I would be
What my life would seem to me
If I didn't have your love to make it real
****    Traveling_light_16
I'm traveling light, it's au revoir
My once so bright, my fallen star
I'm running late, they'll close the bar
I used to play one mean guitar
I guess I'm just somebody who
Has given up on the me and you
I'm not alone, I've met a few
Traveling light, like we used to do
La la la la la la la
Good night, good night, my fallen star
I guess you're right, you always are
I know you're right about the blues
You live some life you'd never choose
I'm just a fool, a dreamer who
Forgot to dream of the me and you
I'm not alone, I've met a few
Traveling light, like we used to do
La la la la la la la la la la
Traveling light, it's au revoir
My once so bright, my fallen star
I'm running late, they'll close the bar
I used to play one mean guitar
I guess I'm just somebody who
Has given up on the me and you
I'm not alone, I've met a few
Traveling light, like we used to do
But if the road leads back to you
Must I forget the things I knew
When I was friends with one or two
Traveling light, like we used to do
I'm traveling light
****    Steer_your_way_16
Steer your way past the ruins of the altar and the mall
Steer your way through the fables of creation and the fall
Steer your way past the palaces that rise above the rot
Year by year, month by month, day by day
Thought by thought
Steer your heart past the truth that you believed in yesterday
Such as fundamental goodness and the wisdom of the way
Steer your heart, precious heart, past the women whom you bought
Year by year, month by month, day by day
Thought by thought
Steer your way through the pain that is far more real than you
That smashed the cosmic model, that blinded every view
And please don't make me go there, though there be a God or not
Year by year, month by month, day by day
Thought by thought
They whisper still, the ancient stones
The blunted mountains weep
As he died to make men holy
Let us die to make things cheap
And say the mea culpa, which you probably forgot
Year by year, month by month, day by day
Thought by thought
Steer your way, o my heart, though I have no right to ask
To the one who was never, never equal to the task
Who knows he's been convicted, who knows he will be shot
Year by year, month by month, day by day
Thought by thought
They whisper still, the injured stones
The blunted mountains weep
As he died to make men holy
Let us die to make things cheap
And say your mea culpa, which you gradually forgot
Year by year, month by month, day by day
Thought by thought
====   