Grateful Dead

Thirty two teeth in a jawbone
Alabama cryin for none
Before I have to hit him
I hope he's got the sense to run

Reason those poor girls love him
Promise them anything
Reason they believe him
He wears a big diamond ring

Alabama getaway
Alabama getaway
Only way to please me
Turn around and leave
and walk away

Majordomo Billy Bojangles
Sit down and have a drink with me
What's this about Alabame
Keeps comin back to me?

Heard your plea in the courthouse
Jurybox began to rock and rise
Forty-nine sister states all had
Alabama in their eyes

Alabama getaway
Alabama getaway
Only way to please me
Turn around and leave
and walk away

Why don't we just give Alabama
rope enough to hang himself?
Ain't no call to worry the jury
His kind takes care of itself

Twenty-third Psalm Majordomo
reserve me a table for three
in the Valley of the Shadow
just you, Alabama and me

Alabama getaway
Alabama getaway
Only way to please me
turn around and leave
and walk away

I told Althea I was feeling lost, lacking in some direction.
Althea told me upon scrutiny that my back might need protection.
I told Althea that treachery was tearing me limb from limb.
Althea told me better cool down boy, settle back, easy Jim.

You may be Saturday's child, all alone, moving with a tinge of grace.
You may be a clown in the burying ground, or just another pretty face.
You may meet the fate on Ophelia, sleeping and penchence to dream.
Honest to the point of recklessness, self-centered in the extreme.

Ain't nobody messing with you, but you, your friends are getting most concerned.
Loose with the truth, baby, it's your fire, but baby don't get burned.
When the smoke has cleared, she said, that's what she said to me.
Gonna want a bed to lay your head and a little sympathy.

There are things you can replace, and others you cannot.
The time has come to weigh those things.
This space is getting hot, you know this space is getting hot.

I told Althea I'm a roving son, and I was born to be a bachelor.
Althea told me, okay, that's fine, so now I'm trying to catch her.
Can't talk to you without talking to me, we're guilty of the same old thing.
Been talking alot about less and less and forgetting the love we bring.

In the attics of my life, full of cloudy dreams unreal.
Full of tastes no tongue can know, and lights no eyes can see.
When there was no ear to hear, you sang to me.

I have spent my life seeking all that's still unsung.
Bent my ear to hear the tune, and closed my eyes to see.
When there was no strings to play, you played to me.

In the book of love's own dream, where all the print is blood.
Where all the pages are my days, and all the lights grow old.
When I had no wings to fly, you flew to me, you flew to me.

In the secret space of dreams, where I dreaming lay amazed.
When the secrets all are told, and the petals all unfold.
When there was no dream of mine, you dreamed of me.

One or two moments, a piece of your time
Is all that I'm asking, and I'll give you mine
One or two moments out of all you have got
To show how I love you, believe it or not

Remember the day I rolled in to town
With my heart in my shoes, with my head hanging down
Now my only trouble, the rest I forgot
Is to show how I love you, believe it or not

Done time in the lockup, done time in the street
Done time on the upswing and time in defeat
I know what I'm asking, and I know it's a lot
When I say that I love you, believe it or not

I know I'm no angel, my prospects are high
As the flood line in summer when the river's gone dry
But I'll roll up my shirt-sleeves and make my best shot
To show how I love you, believe it or not

Right now while the sun shines on the crest of the hill
With a breeze in the pines and a grey whippoorwill
Making music together that guitars never caught
Let me show how I love you, believe it or not

I had a hard run, runnin' from your window.
I was all night running, running, Lord I wonder if you care,
I had a run in, run around, and run down.
Run around the corner, corner, Lord run smack in to a tree.

I had to move, really had to move,
That's why if you please, I am on my bendin' knees,
Bertha don't you come around here anymore.

Dressed myself in green, I went down unto the sea.
Try to see what's goin' down, try to read between the lines
. I had a feelin' I was fallin', fallin', fallin',
I turned around to see,
Heard a voice al callin', Lord you was commin' after me.

I had to move, really had to move,
That's why if you please, I am on my bendin knees,
Bertha don't you come around here anymore.

Ran into a rainstorm, I ducked back into Novato.
It's all night pourin', pourin', pourin',
Lord but not a drop on me.
Test me, test me,
Test me, test me, test me,
Why don't you arrest me?
Throw me in to the jailhouse,
Lord until the sun goes down, 'till it goes down.

I had to move, really had to move,
That's why if you please, I am on my bendin' knees,
Bertha don't you come around here anymore.

I had to move, really had to move,
That's why if you please, I am on my bendin' knees,
Bertha don't you come around here anymore.

All I know is something like a bird within her sang (note 1)
All I know she sang a little while and then flew on
Tell me all that you know
I'll show you
Snow and rain

If you hear that same sweet song again, will you know why?
Anyone who sings a tune so sweet is passing by
Laugh in the sunshine
Sing, cry in the dark
Fly through the night

Don't cry now
Don't you cry
Don't you cry any more
La da da da

Sleep in the stars
Don't you cry
Dry your eyes on the wind
La da da da da da

All I know is something like a bird within her sang
All I know she sang a little while and then flew on
Tell me all that you know
I'll show you
Snow and rain

When the last rose of summer pricks my fingers
And the hot sun chills me to the bone
When I can't hear the song for the singer
And I can't tell my pillow from a stone

I will walk alone by the black muddy river
And sing me a song of my own
I will walk alone by the black muddy river
Sing me a song of my own

When the last bolt of sunshine hits the mountain
And the stars seem to splatter in the sky
When the moon splits the south west horizon
And scream of an eagle on the fly

I will walk alone by the black muddy river
And listen to the ripples as they moan
I will walk alone by the black muddy river
Sing me a song of my own

Black muddy river
Roll on forever
I don't care how deep and wide
If you got another side
Roll muddy river
Roll muddy river
Black muddy river, roll

When it seems like the night will last forever
And there's nothing left to do but count the years
When the strings of my heart start to sever
And stones fall from my eyes instead of tears

I will walk alone by the black muddy river
And dream me a dream of my own
I will walk alone by the black muddy river
Sing me a song of my own
And sing me a song of my own

All of my friends come to see me last night
I was laying in my bed and dying
Annie Beauneu from Saint Angel (note 1)
Say "the weather down here so fine"

Just then the wind came squalling through the door (note 2)
But who can the weather command
Just want to have a little peace to die
And a friend or two I love at hand

Fever roll up to a hundred and five
Roll on up, gonna roll back down
One more day I find myself alive
Tomorrow maybe go beneath the ground

See here how everything
Lead up to this day
And it's just like any other day
That's ever been
Sun going up and then
The sun going down
Shine through my window
And my friends they come around
Come around, come around

The people might know, but the people don't care
That a man can be as poor as me (note 3)
Take a look at poor Peter, he's lying in pain
Now let's come run and see
Run and see
Run and see
Run, run and see, and see

Arabian wind, the needle's eye is thin
The ships of state sail on mirage and drown in sand
Out in no man's land, where Allah does command
What good is spilling blood? It will not grow a thing
"Taste eternity", the swords sing
Blues for Allah, Insh'Allah
They lie where they fall, there's nothing more to say
The desert stars are bright tonight, let's meet as friends

The flower of Islam, the fruit of Abraham
The thousand stories have come round to one again
Arabian night, our gods pursue their flight
What fatal flowers of darkness bloom from seeds of light
Bird of Paradise fly in the white sky

Blues for Allah, Insh'Allah
Let's see with our heart these things our eyes have seen
And know the truth must still lie somewhere in between

Under eternity
Under eternity
Under eternity blue
Under eternity
Under eternity
Under eternity blue

Bird of Paradise fly in white sky
Blues for Allah, Insh'Allah

Fare you well, my honey
Fare you well, my only true one
All the birds that were singing
Are flown, except you alone

Gonna leave this brokedown palace
On my hands and my knees, I will roll, roll, roll
Make myself a bed by the waterside
In my time, in my time, I will roll, roll, roll

In a bed, in a bed
By the waterside I will lay my head
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

River gonna take me, sing me sweet and sleepy
Sing me sweet and sleepy all the way back home
It's a far gone lullaby sung many years ago
Mama, Mama, many worlds I've come since I first left home

Going home, going home
By the waterside I will rest my bones
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Going to plant a weeping willow
On the bank's green edge it will grow, grow, grow
Singing a lullaby beside the water
Lovers come and go, the river will roll, roll, roll

Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Gone are the days when the ox fall down (note a) Take up the yoke and plough the fields around Gone are the days when the ladies said "please Gentle Jack Jones won't you come to me" (note b)

Brown-eyed women and red grenadine The bottle was dusty but the liquor was clean Sound of the thunder with the rain pouring down And it looks like the old man's getting on

Nineteen twenty when he stepped to the bar Drank to the dregs of the whiskey jar Nineteen thirty when the wall caved in He made his way selling red-eyed gin (note c)

Delilah Jones was the mother of twins Two times over and the rest were sins Raised eight boys, only I turned bad (note d) Didn't get the lickings that the other ones had

Tumble-down shack in Big Foot County Snowed so hard that the roof caved in Delilah Jones went to meet her God And the old man never was the same again

Daddy made whiskey and he made it well Cost two dollars and it burned like hell (note e) I cut hickory just to fire the still Drink down a bottle and you're ready to kill (note f)

And it looks like the old man's getting on

There are times when you can beckon,
There are times when you must call.
You can take a lot of reckoning,
But you can't take it all.

There are times when I can help you out,
And times when you must fall.
There are times when you must live in doubt
And I can't help at all.

Three blue stars rise on the hill
Sing no more now just be still
All these trials soon be past
Look for something built to last

A wind held by the collar,
Yes, a cloud held by the breeze
You can walk on coals of fire
But sometimes you must freeze

There are times when you offend me
And I do the same to you
If we can't or won't forget it
I guess we could be through

One blue star sets on the hill
Call it back you never will
One more star sinks in the past
Show me something built to last

Built to last till time itself falls tumbling from the wall
Built to last till sunshine fails and darkness moves on all
Built to last while years roll past like cloudscapes in the sky
Show me something built to last or something built to try

There are times when you get hit upon
Try hard but you can't give
Other times you'd gladly part
With what you need to live

Don't waste your breath to save your face
When you have done your best
And even more is asked of you
Fate will decide the rest

All the stars are gone but one
Morning breaks here comes the sun
Cross the sky now sinking fast
Show me something built to last

I'm flying down deserted streets
Wrapped in mother's winding sheets
Asbestos boots on flaming feet
Dreaming of forbidden treats
When uniforms on nighttime beats
Ask me where I'm going and what I eat
I answer them with a voice so sweet

I can't come down, it's plain to see
I can't come down, I've been set free
Who you are and what you do don't make no difference to me

Well someone trying to tell me where it's at
And how I do this and why I do that
With secret smiles like a Cheshire cat
And leather wings like a vampire bat
I fly away to my cold water flat
And eat my way through a bowl of fat
And I say to the man with the funny hat

They say I've begun to lose my grip
My hold on reality is starting to slip
They tell me to get off this trip
They say that it's like a sinking ship
Life's sweet wine's too warm to sip
And if I drink I'll surely flip
I just say as I take a nip

So as I dream of forgotten seas
And granite halls and redwood trees
And of the eye that only sees
Endless mirrors and infinite me's
About the winter's coming freeze
This afterthought I say with ease
To all of you who made your pleas

Come all you pretty women with your hair a-hanging down
Open up your windows, 'cause the Candyman's in town
Come on boys and gamble
Roll those laughing bones
Seven come eleven, boys, I'll take your money home

Look out, look out, the Candyman
Here he comes and he's gone again
Pretty lady ain't got no friend
Till the Candyman comes around again

I come in from Memphis where I leant to talk the jive
When I get back to Memphis, be one less man alive
Good morning, Mister Benson
I see you're doing well
If I had me a shotgun, I'd blow you straight to hell

Come on boys and wager, if you have got the mind
If you've got a dollar, boys, lay it on the line
Hand me my old guitar
Pass the whiskey round
Won't you tell everybody you meet that the Candyman's in townv

Look out, look out, the Candyman
Here he come and he's gone again
[repeat and fade]

Driving that train, high on cocaine
Casey Jones you'd better watch your speed
Trouble ahead, trouble behind
And you know that notion just crossed my mind (note 1)

This old engine makes it on time
Leaves Central Station 'bout a quarter to nine
Hits River Junction at seventeen to
At a quarter to ten you know it's travelling again

Trouble ahead, the lady in red
Take my advice you'd be better off dead
Switchman's sleeping, train Hundred and Two
Is on the wrong track and headed for you

Trouble with you is the trouble with me
Got two good eyes but we still don't see
Come round the bend, you know it's the end
The fireman screams and the engine just gleams

Look for a while at the China Cat Sunflower
proud-walking jingle in the midnight sun
Copper-dome bodhi drip a silver kimono
like a crazy-quilt star gown
through a dream night wind

(note 1)
China cat
China cat
China cat
China cat

Krazy Kat peeking through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire
like a diamond-eyed jack
A leaf of all colors plays
a golden string fiddle
to a double-e waterfall over my back

Comic book colors on a violin river
crying Leonardo words
from out a silk trombone
I rang a silent bell
beneath a shower of pearls
in the eagle winged palace
of the queen Chinee

Comes a time when the blind man takes your hand (note 1)
Says "don't you see?"
Gotta make it somehow
On the dreams you still believe
Don't give it up
You got an empty cup
Only love can fill
Only love can fill

Been walking all morning
Went walking all night
I can't see much difference
Between the dark and light
And I feel the wind
And I taste the rain
Never in my mind
To cause so much pain

From day to day
Just letting it ride
You get so far away
From how it feels inside
You can't let go
'Cause you're afraid to fall
But the day may come
When you can't feel at all

Cosmic Charley, how do you do? (note 1)
Truckin' in style along the avenue
Dum dee dum dee doodley doo
Go on home, your mother's calling you

Kalico Kahlia, come tell me the news
Calamity's waiting for a way to get to her
Rosy red and electric blue
I bought you a paddle for your paper canoe

Say you'll come back when you can
Whenever your airplane happens to land
Maybe I'll be back here too
It all depends on what's with you

Hung up waiting for a windy day
Kite on ice since the first of February
Mama keeps saying that the wind might blow
But standing here, I say I just don't know

New ones coming as the old ones go
Everything's moving here, but much too slow now
A little bit quicker and we might have time
To say "How do you do?" before we're left behind

Calliope wail like a seaside zoo
The very last lately enquired about you
It's really very one or two
The first you wanted, the last I knew

I just wonder if you shouldn't feel
Less concern about the deep unreal
The very first word is "How do you do?"
The last "Go home, your mama's calling you"

Calling you
Calling you
Calling you
Calling you

Go on home your mama's calling you
Go on home your mama's calling you
Go on home your mama's calling you

Your rain falls like crazy fingers
Peals of fragile thunder
Keeping time
Recall the days that still are to come
Some sing blue

Hang your heart on laughing willow
Stray down to the water
Deep sea of love
Beneath the sweet calm face of the sea
Swift undertow

Life may be sweeter for this, I don't know
See how it feels in the end
May Lady Lullaby sing plainly for you
Soft, strong, sweet and true

Cloud hands reaching from a rainbow
Tapping at the window
Touch your hair
So swift and bright, strange figures of light (note 1)
Float in air

Who can stop what must arrive now?
Something new is waiting
To be born
Dark as the night you're still by my side
Shining side (note 2)

Gone are the days we stopped to decide
Where we should go, we just ride
Gone are the broken eyes we saw through in dreams
Gone, both dream and lie

Life may be sweeter for this, I don't know
Feels like it might be alright
While Lady Lullaby sings plainly for you (note 3)
Love still rings true

Midnight on a carousel ride Reaching for the gold ring Down inside Never could reach it, just slips away But I try (note 4)

No, no, she can't take your mind and leave
I know it's just another trick she's got up her sleeve
I can't believe that she really wants you to die
After all, it's more than enough to pay for your lie

Chorus (note 1)
Wait a minute, watch what you're doing with your time
All the endless ruins of the past must stay behind, yeah

Well, can't you see that you're killing each other's soul
You're both out in the streets and you got no place to go
Your constant battles are getting to be a bore
So go somewhere else and continue your cream puff war

The other day they waited
The sky was dark and faded (note 1)
Solemnly they stated
He has to die
You know he has to die

And all the children learning
From books that they were burning
Every leaf was turning
To watch him die
You know he has to die

The summer sun looked down on him
His mother could but frown on him
And all the others sound on him
But it doesn't seem to matter

And when the day had ended
With rainbow colours blended
His mind remained unbended
He had to die
You know he had to die
You know he had to die

I can't stay here much longer, Melinda
The sun is getting high
I can't help you with your troubles
If you won't help with mine
I gotta get down
I gotta get down
Gotta get down to the mine

You keep me up just one more night
I can't stop here no more
Little Ben clock says quarter to eight
You kept me up till four
I gotta get down
I gotta get down
Or I can't work there no more

Lotta poor man make a five dollar bill
Will keep him happy all the time
Some other fellow's making nothing at all
And you can hear him cry

Can I go, buddy, can I go down
Take your shift at the mine
Gotta get down to the Cumberland mine
That's where I mainly spend my time

Make good money, five dollars a day
If I made any more I might move away

Lotta poor man got the Cumberland Blues
He can't win for losing
Lotta poor man got to walk the line
Just to pay his union dues

I don't know now, I just don't know
If I'm going back again
I don't know now, I just don't know
If I'm going back again

There were days, and there were days
And there were days between
Summer flies and August dies
The world grows dark and mean
Comes the shimmer of the moon
On black infested trees
The singing man is at his song
The holy on their knees
The reckless are out wrecking
The timid plead their pleas
No one knows much more of this
Than anyone can see
Anyone can see

There were days, and there were days
And there were days besides
When phantom ships with phantom sails
Set to sea on phantom tides
Comes the lightning of the sun
On bright unfocused eyes
The blue of yet another day
A springtime wet with sighs
A hopeful candle lingers
In the land of lullabies
Where headless horsemen vanish
With wild and lonely cries
Lonely cries

There were days, and there were days
And there were days I know
When all we ever wanted
Was to learn and love and grow
Once we grew into our shoes
We told them where to go
Walked halfway around the world
On promise of the glow
Stood upon a mountain top
Walked barefoot in the snow
Gave the best we had to give
How much we'll never know
We'll never know

There were days, and there were days
And there were days between
Polished like a golden bowl
The finest ever seen
Hearts of Summer held in trust
Still tender young and green
Left on shelves collecting dust
Not knowing what they mean
Valentines of flesh and blood
As soft as velveteen
Hoping love would not forsake
The days that lie between
Lie between

Since it cost a lot to win (note 1)
And even more to lose
You and me bound to spend some time
Wondering what to choose

Goes to show, you don't ever know
Watch each card you play and play it slow
Wait until that deal come round
Don't you let that deal go down, no, no

I've been gambling here abouts
For ten good solid years
If I told you all that went down
It would burn off both your ears

Since you poured the wine for me
And tightened up my shoes
I hate to leave you sitting there
Composing lonesome blues

Wait until that deal come round
Don't you let that deal go down
[repeat etc]

In the timbers of Fennario the wolves are running round (note 1)
The winter was so hard and cold, froze ten feet 'neath the ground

Don't murder me, I beg of you don't murder me
Please don't murder me

I sat down to supper, 'twas a bottle of red whiskey
I said my prayers and went to bed, that's the last they saw of me

When I awoke, the dire wolf, six hundred pounds of sin
Was grinning at my window, all I said was "Come on in"

The wolf came in, I got my cards, we sat down for a game
I cut my deck to the queen of spades but the cards were all the same (note 2)

In the back-wash of Fennario, the black and bloody mire
The dire wolf collects his due while the boys sing round the fire

Sitting in Mangrove Valley chasing light beams
Everything wanders from baby to Z
Baby baby pretty young on Tuesday
Old like a rum drinking demon at tea
Baby, baby, tell me what's the matter
Why, why tell me, what's your why now
Tell me why will you never come home
Tell me what's your reason if you got a good one
Everywhere I go the people all know
Everyone's doin' that rag
Everywhere I go the people all know
Everyone's doin' that rag

Take my line, go fishing for a Tuesday
Maybe take my supper, eat it down by the sea
Gave my baby twenty, forty good reasons
Couldn't find any better ones in the morning at three
Rain gonna come but the rain gonna go
Stepping off sharply from the rank and file
Awful cold and dark like a dungeon
Maybe get a little bit darker 'fore the day
Hipsters, tripsters, real cool chicks, sir
'Cause everyone's doin' that rag
Hipsters, tripsters, real cool chicks, sir
'Cause everyone's doin' that rag

You needn't gild the lily, offer jewels to the sunset
No one is watching or standing in your shoes
Wash your lonely feet in the river in the morning
Everything promised is delivered to you
Don't neglect to pick up what your share is
All the winter birds are winging home now
Hey, love, go and take a look around you
Nothing out there you haven't seen before now
But you can wade in the water and never get wet
If you keep on doin' that rag
Wade in the water and never get wet
If you keep on doin' that rag

One eyed jacks and the deuces are wild
And the aces are crawling up and down your sleeve
Come back here, baby Louise
And tell me the name of the game that you play
Is it all fall down; is it all go under
Is it all fall down; is it all go under
[etc]

Everywhere I go (note 1)
The people all know
Everybody's doin' that rag

When I was just a little young boy
Papa said "Son, you'll never get far
I'll tell you the reason, if you want to know
'Cause child of mine, there isn't really very far to go" (note 1)

Well baby, baby wants a gold diamond ring
Wants it more than almost any old thing
Well when I get those jelly roll blues
Why, I'd go and get anything in this world for you

Down to the jewelry store packing a gun
Says "wrap it up, I think I'll take this one"
"A thousand dollars, please" the jewelry man said
Dupree, he said "I'll pay this one to you off in lead"

Well you know son, you just can't figure
First thing you know, you're gonna pull that trigger
And it's no wonder your reason goes bad
Jelly roll will drive you stone mad

Judge said "Son, it's gonna cost you some time"
Dupree said "Judge, you know that crossed my mind"
Judge said "[In] fact it's gonna cost you your life"
Dupree, he said "Judge, you know that seems to me to be about right"

Well, baby, baby's gonna lose her sweet man
Dupree came out with a losing hand
Baby's gonna weep it up for a while
Then go out and find another sweet man gonna treat her with style

Judge said "Son, I know your baby well
But that's a secret that I can't never tell"
Dupree said "Judge, well, it's well understood
And you got to admit that sweet, sweet jelly's so good"

Well you know son, you just can't figure
First thing you know, you're gonna pull that trigger
And it's no wonder your reason goes bad
Jelly roll will drive you stone mad

Same old story, and I know it's been told
Some like jelly jelly, some like gold
Many a man's done a terrible thing
Just to get baby a shiny diamond ring

Right outside this lazy summer home (note 1)
You ain't got time to call your soul a critic, no
Right outside the lazy gate
Of winter's summer home
Wondering where the nuthatch winter's
Wings a mile long
Just carried the bird away

Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world
But the heart has its beaches, its homeland and thoughts of its own
Wake now discover that you are the song that the morning brings
But the heart has its seasons, its evenings and songs of its own

There comes a redeemer and he slowly, too, fades away
And there follows his wagon behind him that's loaded with clay
And the seeds that were silent all burst into bloom and decay
And night comes so quiet, its close on the heels of the day

Sometimes we live no particular way but our own
And sometimes we visit your country and live in your home
Sometimes we ride on your horses, sometimes we walk alone
Sometimes the songs that we hear are just songs of our own

Carve your name, carve your name in ice and wind
Search for where, search for where the rivers end
Or where the rivers start
Do everything that's in you, you feel to be your part
But never give your love my friend unto a foolish heart
Unto a foolish heart

Dare to leap, leap from ledges high and wide
Learn to speak, speak with wisdom like a child
Directly to the heart
Crown yourself the king of clowns or stand way back apart
But never give your love my friend unto a foolish heart
Unto a foolish heart

Shun a friend, shun a brother and a friend
Never look, never look around the bend
Or check the weather chart
Sign the Mona Lisa with a spray can, call it art
But never give your love my friend unto a foolish heart
Unto a foolish heart

A foolish heart will call on you to toss your dreams away
Then turn around and blame you for the way you went astray
A foolish heart will cost you sleep and often make you curse
A selfish heart is trouble, but a foolish heart is worse

Bite the hand, bite the hand that bakes your bread
Dare to leap, where the angels fear to tread
Till you are torn apart
Stoke the fires of paradise with coals from hell to start
But never give you love my friend unto a foolish heart
Unto a foolish heart

In another time's forgotten space
Your eyes looked from your mother's face (note a)
Wildflower seed on the sand and stone
May the four winds blow you safely home

Roll away the dew
Roll away the dew
Roll away the dew
Roll away the dew

I'll tell you where the four winds dwell (note b)
In Franklin's tower there hangs a bell
It can ring, turn night to day
It can ring like fire when you lose your way

God save the child who rings that bell (note c)
It may have one good ring, baby, you can't tell (note d)
One watch by night, one watch by day
If you get confused, listen to the music play

Some come to laugh their past away
Some come to make it just one more day
Whichever way your pleasure tends
If you plant ice, you're gonna harvest wind

In Franklin's tower the four winds sleep (note e)
Like four lean hounds the lighthouse keep
Wildflower seed in the sand and wind
May the four winds blow you home again

In another time's forgotten space
Your eyes looked through your mother's face
Wildflower seed on the sand and stone
May the four winds blow you safely home

Roll away, the dew
Roll away, roll away the dew
Roll away, roll away the dew
Roll away, roll away the dew

I'll tell you where the four winds dwell
In Franklin's tower there hangs a bell
It can ring, turn night to day
It can ring like fire when you lose your way

Roll away, the dew
Roll away, roll away the dew
Roll away, roll away the dew
Roll away, roll away the dew

God save the child who rings that bell
I may have one good ring baby, you can't tell
One watch by night, one watch by day
If you get confused just listen to the music play

Some come to laugh their past away
Some come…

I lit out from Reno, I was trailed by twenty hounds (note a)
Didn't get to sleep that night till the morning came around

Set out running but I take my time
A friend of the devil is a friend of mine
If I get home before daylight I just might get some sleep
Tonight

I ran into the devil babe, he loaned me twenty bills
I spent the night in Utah in a cave up in the hills

I ran down to the levee but the devil caught me there (note b)
He took my twenty dollar bill and vanished in the air

Got two reasons why I cry away each lonely night
The first one's named sweet Anne Marie and she's my heart's delight
Second one is prison baby, sheriff's on my trail (note c)
And if he catches up with me I'll spend my life in jail

Got a wife in Chino babe, and one in Cherokee
First one says she's got my child but it don't look like me

Rat in a drain ditch, caught on a limb
You know better, but I know him

Like I told you, like I said
Steal your face right off your head

And now he's gone
Now he's gone, Lord he's gone
He's gone
Like a steam locomotive rolling down the track
He's gone, gone, and nothing's gonna bring him back
He's gone

Nine mile skid on a ten mile ride
Hot as a pistol but cool inside

Cat on a tin roof, dogs in a pile
Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile

Going where the wind don't blow so strange
Maybe off on some high cold mountain range (note 1)
Lost one round but the price wasn't anything
A knife in the back and more of the same

Same old
Rat in a drain ditch, caught on a limb
You know better, but I know him

Like I told you, like I said
Steal your face right off your head

Ooh, nothing's gonna bring him back
Ooh, nothing's gonna bring him back
Ooh, nothing's gonna bring him back

Paradise waits On the crest of a wave her angels in flame
She has no pain
Like a child she is pure, she is not to blame
Poised for flight, wings spread bright
Spring from night into the sun
Don't stop to run
She can fly like a lie, she can't be outdone

Tell me the cost
I can pay, let me go, tell me love is not lost
Sell everything
Without love day to day, insanity's king
I will pay, day by day
Anyway, lock, bolt and key
Crippled but free
I was blind all the time I was learning to see

Help on the way
Well I know only this, I've got you today
Don't fly away
'Cause I love what I love and I want it that way
I will stay, one more day
Like I say, honey, it's you
Making it too
Without love in the dream it'll never come true

Wake of the flood, laughing water, forty nine
Get out the pans, don't just stand there dreaming, get out the way
Get out the way

Here comes sunshine
Here comes sunshine

Line up a long shot, maybe try it two times, maybe more
Good to know you got shoes to wear, when you find the floor
Why hold out for more

Asking you nice now, keep the mother rolling, one more time
Been down before, you just don't have to go no more
No more

You told me goodbye
How was I to know
You didn't mean goodbye
You meant please don't let me go
I was having a high time
Living the good life
Well I know

The wheels are muddy
Got a ton of hay
Now listen here baby
'Cause I mean what I say
I'm having a hard time
Living the good life
Well I know

I was losing time, I had nothing to do
No-one to fight, I came to you
Wheels broke down, the leader won't draw
The line is busted, the last one I saw

Tomorrow comes trouble (note 1)
Tomorrow comes pain
Now don't think too hard, baby
'Cause you know what I'm saying
I could show you a high time
Living the good life
Don't be that way

Nothing's for certain
It could always go wrong
Come in when it's raining
Go on out when it's gone
We could have us a high time
Living the good life
Well I know

If I had the world to give
I'd give it to you, long as you live
Would you let it fall
Or hold it in your arms?

If I had a song to sing I'd sing it to you, long as you live
Lullaby
Or maybe a plain serenade

Wouldn't you laugh, dance and cry or be afraid
At the change you made?
I may not have the world to give to you
But maybe I have a tune or two

Only if you let me be your world
Could I ever give this world to you
Could I ever give this world to you

But I will give what love I have to give
I will give what love I have to give
I will give what love I have to give
Long as I live

If I had a star to give
I'd give it to you, long as you live
Would you have the time
To watch it shine, watch it shine?

Or ask for the moon and heaven too?
I'd give it to you
Well maybe I've got no star to spare
Or anything fine or even rare

Only if you let me be your world
Could I ever give this world to you
Could I ever give this world to you

Maybe you collect or maybe you pay
Still got to work that eight hour day
Whether you like that job or not
Keep it on ice while you're lining up your long shot (note 1)
Which is to say, hey-ey

Keep your day job
Don't give it away
Keep your day job
Whatever they say

Ring that bell for whatever it's worth
When Monday comes, don't forget about work
By now you know that face on your dollar
Got a thumb to its nose and a hand on your collar
Which is to say, hey-ey

Punch that time card, check that clock
But when Monday comes gotta run, run, run - not walk

Steady boy, study that eight day hour
But don't underrate that pay-check power
If you ask me, which I know you don't
I'd tell you to do what I know you won't
Which is to say, hey-ey

Daddy may drive a V-8 'vet
Mama may bathe in champagne yet
God bless the child with his own stash
Nine to five and a place to crash

Keep your day job, until your night job pays

Way down upon Sycamore Slough
A white man sings the blues
selling roses of paper maché (note 1)
with flecks of starlight dew
I swiped a bunch and threw it your way
where hazy moonlight glowed
Way down, down along Lazy River Road

Way down upon Shadowfall Ward
End of the avenue
Run, hide, seek in your own backyard
Mama's backyard won't do
All night long I sang Love's Sweet Song
down where the water flowed
Way down, down along Lazy River Road

Moonlight wails as hound dogs bay
but never quite catch the tune
Stars fall down in buckets like rain
till there ain't no standing room
Bright blue boxcars train by train
clatter where dreams unfold
Way down, down along Lazy River Road

Way down upon Seminole Square
belly of the river tide
call for me and I will be there
for the price of a taxi ride
Night double-clutches into today
like a truck downshifting its load
Way down, down along Lazy River Road

Thread the needle
right through the eye
The thread that runs so true
All the others I let pass by
I only wanted you
Never cared for careless love
but how your bright eyes glowed
Way down, down along Lazy River Road

Saw a bird with a tear in his eye
Walking to New Orleans my oh my
Hey, now, Bird, wouldn't you rather die
Than walk this world when you're born to fly?

If I was the sun, I'd look for shade
If I was a bed, I would stay unmade
If I was a river I'd run uphill
If you call me you know I will
If you call me you know I will

Ooo, freedom
Ooo, liberty
Ooo, leave me alone
To find my own way home
To find my own way home

Say what I mean and I don't give a damn
I do believe and I am who I am
Hey now Mama come and take my hand
Whole lotta shakin' all over this land

If I was an eagle I'd dress like a duck
Crawl like a lizard and honk like a truck
If I get a notion I'll climb this tree
or chop it down and you can't stop me
Chop it down and you can't stop me

Ooo, freedom
Ooo, liberty
Ooo, leave me alone
To find my own way home
To find my own way home

Went to the well but the water was dry
Dipped my bucket in the clear blue sky
Looked in the bottom and what did I see?
The whole damned world looking back at me

If I was a bottle I'd spill for love
Sake of mercy I'd kill for love
If I was a liar I'd lie for love
Sake of my baby I'd die for love
Sake of my baby I'd die for love

Ooo, freedom
Ooo, liberty
Ooo, leave me alone
To find my own way home
To find my own way home
I'm gonna find my own way home

Loose Lucy is my delight
She comes running and we ball all night
Round and round and round and round
Don't take much to get me on the ground
She's my yo-yo, I'm her string
Listen to the birds on the hot wire sing

Singing yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Singing thank you, for a real good time

I got jumped coming home last night
Shadow in the alley turned out all my lights
Round and round and round and round
Don't take much to get me on the ground
Loose Lucy, she was sore
Says I know you can't want my love no more,

Bebop baby, how can this be
I know you've been out a cheating on me
Round and round and round and round
Don't take much to get the word around
Cross my heart and hope to die
I was just hanging out with the other guys

Went back home with two black eyes
You know I'll love her till the day I die
Round and round and round and round
Don't take much to get the word around
I like your smile but I ain't your type
Don't shake the tree when the fruit ain't ripe

If I had a gun for every ace that I had drawn
I could arm a town the size of Abilene
Don't you push me baby, 'cause I'm moaning low
And you know I'm only in it for the gold

All that I am asking for is ten gold dollars (note 1)
And I could pay you back with one good hand
You can look around at the wide world over
But you'll never find another honest man

Last fair deal in the country, sweet Susie (note 2)
Last fair deal in the town
Put your gold money where your love is baby
Before you let my deal go down

Don't you push me baby, 'cause I'm moaning low
Well I know a little something you won't ever know
Don't you touch hard liquor, just a cup of cold coffee
Gonna get up in the morning and go

Everybody's bragging and drinking that wine
I can tell the Queen of Diamonds by the way she shines
Come to daddy on an inside straight
Well I got no chance of losing this time
Well I got no chance of losing this time

Mason died on Monday
We bricked him in the wall
All his children grew and grew
They never grew so tall before
May they never grow so tall again

We dug him up on Tuesday
He'd hardly aged a day
Taught us all he ever knew
We never knew so much before
We may never know so much again

Mason was a mighty man
A mighty man was he
All he said, when dead and gone
Don't you weep for me

The wall collapsed on Wednesday
We chalked it up to fate
All his children ran and hid
We never hid so well before
Swore we'd never show our face again

Thursday came, then Friday
With fires tall and bright
Mason's children cooked the stew
And cleaned up when the feast was through
Swore we'd never had such times before

Take me to the Reaper Man
To pay back what was loaned
If he's in some other land
Write it off as stoned

Great North Special, were you on board?
You can't find a ride like that no more
Night the chariot swung down low
Ninety nine children had a chance to go

One long party from front to end
Tune to the whistle going round the bend
No big hurry, what do you say
Might as well travel the elegant way

Might as well, might as well
(Might as well, might as well)
Might as well, might as well
(Might as well, might as well)
Might as well, might as well
(Might as well, might as well)
Might as well, might as well
(Might as well, might as well)

Ragtime solid for twenty five miles
Then slip over to the Cajun style
Bar car loaded with rhythm and blues
Rock and roll wailing in the old caboose

Long train running from coast to coast
Bringing 'long the party where they need it the most
Whup on the box car, beat on the bell
Nothing else shaking so you might just as well

Never had such a good time
In my life before
I'd like to have it one time more
One good ride from start to end
I'd like to take that ride again

Run out of track and I caught the plane
Back in the county with the blues again
Great North Special been on my mind
Might like to ride it just one more time

If only I could be less blind
If only I knew what to find
Everywhere and all of the time
It's bending my mind

Confusion's Prince is at my door
The crown I wear is the one he wore
He's here to bring me down some more
And bend my mind

The friendly stranger call my name
He only wants me for his game
But it don't matter just the same
I'll bend his mind

I'll wave my flags into the sun
I've fought my wars and now they're won
And I didn't need nobody's gun
I bent their minds

I turn and walk away
Then I come round again
Looks as though tomorrow
I'll do pretty much the same

I must turn down your offer
But I'd like to ask a break
You know I'm ready to give anything
For anything I take

Someone called my name you know I turned around to see
It was midnight in the mission and the bells were not for me
Come again
Walking along in the mission in the rain
Come again
Walking along in the mission in the rain

Ten years ago I walked this street, my dreams were riding tall
Tonight I would be thankful Lord, for any dreams at all
Some folks would be happy just to have one dream come true
But everything you gather is just more that you can lose

All the things I planned to do, I only did half way
Tomorrow will be Sunday, born of rainy Saturday
There's some satisfaction in the San Francisco rain
No matter what comes down, the mission always looks the same

On the day that I was born Daddy sat down and cried
I had the mark just as plain as day, I could not be denied
They say that Cain caught Abel rolling loaded dice
Ace of spades behind his ear and him not thinking twice

Half step, Mississippi uptown toodleloo
Hello baby I'm gone goodbye
Half a cup of rock and rye
Farewell to you old southern skies
I'm on my way, on my way

If all you got to live for is what you left behind
Get yourself a powder charge and seal that silver mine
Lost my boots in transit babe, pile of smoking leather
Nailed a retread to my feet and prayed for better weather

They say that when your ship comes in, first man takes the sails
Second takes the after deck, third the planks and rails
What's the point of calling shots, this cue ain't straight in line
Cue balls made of styrofoam and no-one's got the time

Across the Rio Grand-eo
Across the lazy river

Cold mountain water, the jade merchant's daughter
Mountains of the moon, Electra, bow and bend to me
Hi-ho, the carrion crow, folderol-de-riddle
Hi-ho, the carrion crow, bow and bend to me

Hey, Tom Banjo
Hey, a laurel
More than laurel you may sow
More than laurel you may sow
Hey, the laurel, hey, the city in the rain
Hey, hey, the wild wheat waving in the wind

Twenty degrees of solitude, twenty degrees in all (note 1)
All the dancing kings and wives assembled in the hall
Lost is the long and loneliest time, fairy Sybil flying (note2)
All along the, all along the mountains of the moon

Hey, Tom Banjo
It's time to matter
The earth will see you on through this time
The earth will see you on through this time
Down by the water, the marsh king's daughter, did you know
Clothed in tatters, always will be, Tom where did you go?

Mountains of the moon, Electra, mountains of the moon
All along the, all along the mountains of the moon
Heigh ho, the carrion crow, folderol-de-riddle
Heigh ho, the carrion crow, bow and bend to me
Bend to me

Please don't dominate the rap, Jack
If you got nothing new to say
If you please, don't back up the track
This train's got to run today

I spent a little time in the mountain
Spent a little time on the hill
I heard some say "better run away"
Others say "better stand still"

Now I don't know but I've been told
It's hard to run with the weight of gold
Other hand I heard it said
It's just as hard with the weight of lead

Who can deny? Who can deny?
It's not just a change in style
One step done and another begun
In I wonder how many miles?

I spent a little time on the mountain
Spent a little time on the hill
Things went down we don't understand
But I think in time we will

Now I don't know but I was told
In the heat of the sun a man died of cold
Do we keep on coming or stand and wait
With the sun so dark and the hour so late?

You can't overlook the lack Jack
Of any other highway to ride
It's got no signs or dividing lines
And very few rules to guide

I spent a little time on the mountain
Spent a little time on the hill
I saw things getting out of hand
I guess they always will

Now, I don't know but I've been told
If the horse don't pull, you got to carry the load
I don't know whose back's that strong
Maybe find out before too long

One way or another
One way or another
One way or another
This darkness got to give
[etc]

Just like Jack the Ripper
Just like Mojo Hand
Just like Billy Sunday
In a shotgun rag-time band

Just like New York City
Just like Jericho
Pace the halls and climb the walls
And get out when they blow

Did you say your name was Rambling Rose?
Ramble on baby, settle down easy
Ramble on Rosev

Just like Jack and Jill
Mama told the sailor (note 1)
One heat up and one cool down
Leave nothing for the tailor

Just like Jack and Jill
Papa told the jailer
One go up and one come down
Do yourself a favour

[Bridge]
I'm gonna sing you
A hundred verses of ragtime
I know this song
It ain't never gonna end
I'm gonna march you up and down
Along the county line
Take you to the leader
Of the band

Cérise was brushing her long hair gently down
It was the afternoon of Carnival
As she brushes it gently down

Reuben was strumming his painted mandolin (note 1)
It was enlaid with a pretty face in jade
Played the Carnival Parade (note 2)

Cérise was dressing as Pirouette in white
When a fatal vision gripped her tight
Cérise, beware tonight

Reuben, Reuben, tell me truly true
I feel afraid and I don't know why I do
Is there another girl for you

If you could see in my heart
You would know it's true
There is none, Cérise, except for you
Except for you
I swear to it on my very soul (note 3)
If I lie may I fall down cold

When Reuben played on his painted mandolin (note 4)
The breeze would stop and listen in (note 5)
Before g

If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine
And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung
Would you hear my voice come through the music?
Would you hold it near, as it were your own?

It's a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken
Perhaps they're better left unsung
I don't know, don't really care
Let there be songs to fill the air (note 1)

Ripple in still water
When there is no pebble tossed
Nor wind to blow

Reach out your hand if your cup be empty
If your cup is full may it be again
Let it be known there is a fountain
That was not made by the hands of man

There is a road, no simple highway
Between the dawn and the dark of night
And if you go, no one may follow
That path is for your steps alone

Ripple in still water
When

Julie catch a rabbit by his hair
Come back step, like to walk on air (note 1)
Get back home where you belong
And don't you run off no more

Don't hang your head, let the two-time roll
Grass shack nailed to a pine wood floor
Ask the time baby I don't know
Come back later, gonna let it show

And I say row, Jimmy, row
Gonna get there, I don't know
Seems a common way to go
Get down and row, row, row, row, row

Here's a half a dollar if you dare (note 2)
Double twist when you hit the air
Look at Julie down below
The levee doing the dopaso

Broken heart don't feel so bad
You ain't got half of what you thought you had Rock your baby to and fro
Not too fast and not too slow

That's the way it's been in town
Ever since they tore the

Saint Stephen with a rose
In and out of the garden he goes
Country garland in the wind and the rain (note 1)
Wherever he goes the people all complain

Stephen prosper in his time
Well he may, and he may decline
Did it matter, does it now?
Stephen would answer if he only knew how

Wishing well with a golden bell
Bucket hanging clear to hell
Hell half way twixt now and then
Stephen fill it up and lower down, and lower down again

Lady finger, dipped in moonlight
Writing "What for?" across the morning sky
Sunlight splatters dawn with answers
Darkness shrugs and bids the day goodbye

Speeding arrow, sharp and narrow
What a lot of fleeting matters you have spurned
Several seasons with their treasons
Wrap the babe in scarlet colours, call it your own

Did he doubt or did he try?
Answers a-plenty in the by and by
Talk about your plenty, talk about your ills
One man gathers what another man spills (note 2)

Saint Stephen will remain
All he's lost he shall regain
Seashore washed by the suds and the foam
Been here so long he's got to calling it home

Fortune comes a-crawling, Calliope woman
Spinning that curious sense of your own
Can you answer? Yes I can
But what would be the answer to the answer man?

-----(William Tell Bridge)-----
High green chilly winds and windy vines in loops (note 3)
Around the twined shafts of lavender
They're crawling to the sun

Underfoot the ground is patched
With climbing arms of ivy wrapped
Around the manzanita stark and shiny in the breeze

Wonder who will water all the children of the garden
When they sigh about the barren lack
Of rain and droop so hungry 'neath the sky

William Tell has stretched his bow
Till it won't stretch no furthermore
And/or it will require a change that hasn't come before (Note 4)

As I was walking round Grosvenor Square
Not a chill to the winter but a nip to the air
From the other direction she was calling my eye (note 1)
It could be an illusion, but I might as well try
Might as well try

She had rings on her fingers and bells on her shoes
And I knew without asking she was into the blues
She wore scarlet begonias, tucked into her curls
I knew right away she was not like other girls
Other girls

In the thick of the evening when the dealing got rough (note 2)
She was too pat to open and too cool to bluff
As I picked up my matches and was closing the door
I had one of those flashes I had been there before
Been there before

Well I ain't often right but I've never been wrong
It seldom turns out the way it does in the song
Once in a while you get shown the light
In the strangest of places if you look at it right

Well there ain't nothing wrong with the way she moves
Scarlet begonias or a touch of the blues
And there's nothing wrong with the look that's in her eyes (note 3) (note 4)
I had to learn the hard way to let her pass by
Let her pass by

The wind in the willows playing Tea for Two (note 5)
The sky was yellow and the sun was blue
Strangers stopping strangers just to shake their hand
Everybody is playing in the heart of gold band
Heart of gold band

You tell me this town aint got no heart. well, well, well, you can never tell.
The sunny side of the street is dark. well, well, well, you can never tell.
Maybe thats cause its midnight, in the dark of the moon besides.

Maybe the dark is from your eyes, maybe the dark is from your eyes,
Maybe the dark is from your eyes, maybe the dark is from your eyes,
Maybe the dark is from your eyes, maybe the dark is from your eyes,
You know you got such dark eyes!

Nothin shakin on shakedown street. used to be the heart of town.
Dont tell me this town aint got no heart. you just gotta poke around.

You think youve seen this town clear through.
Well, well, well, you can never tell.
Nothin here that could intrest you. well, well, well, you can never tell.
Its not because you missed out on the thing that we had to start.

Maybe you had too much too fast. maybe you had too much too fast.
Maybe you had too much too fast. maybe you had too much too fast.
Maybe you had too much too fast. maybe you had too much too fast.
Or just over played your part.

Nothin shakin on shakedown street. used to be the heart of town.
Dont tell me this town aint got no heart. you just gotta poke around.

Since Im passing your way today. well, well, well, you can never tell.
I just stopped in cause I want to say, well, well, well, you can never tell.
I recall your darkness when it crackled like a thundercloud.

Dont tell me this town aint got no heart.
Dont tell me this town aint got no heart.
Dont tell me this town aint got no heart.
Dont tell me this town aint got no heart.
Dont tell me this town aint got no heart.
Dont tell me this town aint got no heart.
When I can hear it beat out loud!

Nothin shakin on shakedown street. used to be the heart of town. Dont tell me this town aint got no heart. you just gotta poke around.

Went to see the captain, strangest I could find
Laid my proposition down, laid it on the line
I won't slave for beggar's pay, likewise gold and jewels
But I would slave to learn the way to sink your ship of fools

Chorus Ship of fools on a cruel sea
Ship of fools sail away from me
It was later than I thought when I first believed you
But now I cannot share your laughter, ship of fools

 

Saw your first ship sink and drown from rocking of the boat
And all that could not sink of swim were just left there to float
I won't leave you drifting down but whoa it makes me wild
With thirty years upon my head to have you call me child (note 1)

The bottles stand as empty now, as they were filled before
Time there was and plenty, but from that cup no more
Though I could not caution all, I still might warn a few
Don't lend your hand to raise no flag atop no ship of fools

Thought I heard a blackird singing
Up on Bluebird Hill
Call me a whinin' boy if you will
Born where the sun don't shine
And I don't deny my name
Got no place to go, ain't that a shame?

Thought I heard that KC whistle
Moaning sweet and low
Thought I heard that KC when she blow
Down where the sun don't shine
Underneath the Kokomo
Whinin' boy got no place to go

So many roads I tell you
So many roads I know
So many roads, so many roads
Mountain high, river wide
So many roads to ride
So many roads, so many roads

Thought I heard a jug band playin'
"If you don't... who else will?"
From over on the far side of the hill
All I know the sun don't shine
And the rain refused to fall
And you don't seem to hear me when I call

Wind inside and the wind outside
Tangled in the window blind
Tell me why you treat me so unkind
Down where the sun don't shine
Lonely and I call your name
No place left to go, ain't that a shame?

So many roads I tell you
New York to San Francisco
So many roads I know
All I want is one to take me home
From the high road to the low
So many roads I know
So many roads so many roads

From the land of the midnight sun
Where the ice blue roses grow
Along those roads of gold and silver snow
Howlin' wide or moaning low
So many roads I know
So many roads to ease my soul (note 1)

Nineteen forty, Xmas eve, with the full moon over town (note 1)
Stagger Lee shot Billy DeLyon and he blew that poor boy down
Do you know what he shot him for, what do you make of that
'Cause Billy DeLyon threw lucky dice, won Stagger Lee's stetson hat

Baio, Baio, tell me how can this be
You go arrest the girls for turning tricks but you're scared of Stagger Lee
Stagger Lee is a mad man, and he shot my Billy dead
Baio go get him, or give the job to me

Delia, Delia, dear sweet Delia D
How the hell can I arrest him, when he's twice as big as me
Well don't ask me to go downtown, I wouldn't come back alive
Not only is that mother big, he packs a forty five

Baio, Delia said, just give me a gun
He shot my Billy dead and now I'm gonna see him hung
She waded to DeLyon's club through Billy DeLyon's blood
Stepped up to Stagger Lee at the bar, said buy me a gin fizz love

As Stagger Lee lit a cigarette, she shot him in the balls (note 2)
Blew the smoke off her revolver, had him dragged to City Hall
Baio, Baio, see you hang him high
He shot my Billy dead and now he's got to die

Delia went a-walking down on Singapore Street
Three piece band on the corner played 'nearer my God to thee'
But Delia whistled a different tune, what tune could it be
The song that woman sang was look out Stagger Lee
The song that Delia sang was look out Stagger Lee

Standing on the moon, I got no cobweb on my shoe
Standing on the moon, I'm feeling so alone and blue
I see the Gulf of Mexico as tiny as a tear
The coast of California must be somewhere over here
Over here

Standing on the moon, I see the battle rage below
Standing on the moon, I see the soldiers come and go
There's a metal flag beside me someone planted long ago
Old glory standing stiffly, crimson, white and indigo
Old glory standing stiffly, crimson, white and indigo
Indigo

I see all of South East Asia; I can see El Salvador
I hear the cries of children and the other songs of war
It's like a mighty melody that rings down from the sky
Standing here upon the moon I watch it all roll by
All roll by
All roll by
All roll by

Standing on the moon, I see a shadow on the sun
Standing on the moon, the stars go fading one by one
I hear a cry of victory, another of defeat
A scrap of age-old lullaby down some forgotten street

Standing on the moon, where talk is cheap and vision true
Standing on the moon, but I would rather be with you
Somewhere in San Francisco on a back porch in July
Just looking up to heaven at this crescent in the sky
In the sky

Standing on the moon with nothing left to do
A lovely view of heaven but I'd rather be with you
A lovely view of heaven but I'd rather be with you
Be with you
I'd rather be with you
[etc]

All the years combine
They melt into a dream
A broken angel sings
From a guitar

In the end there's just a song
Comes crying up the night
Through all the broken dreams (note 1)
And vanished years

Stella Blue
Stella Blue

When all the cards are down
There's nothing left to see
There's just the pavement left
And broken dreams

In the end there's still that song (note 2)
Comes crying like the wind
Down every lonely street
That's ever been

Stella Blue
Stella Blue

I've stayed in every blue light cheap hotel
Can't win for trying
Dust off those rusty strings just one more time
Gonna make them shine (note 3)

It all rolls into one
And nothing comes for free
There's nothing you can hold
For very long

And when you hear that song
Come crying like the wind
It seems like all this life
Was just a dream

Stella Blue
Stella Blue

When they come to take you down
When they bring that wagon round
When they come to call on you
And drag your poor body down

Just one thing I ask of you
Just one thing for me
Please forget you knew my name
My darling, Sugaree

Shake it, shake it, Sugaree
Just don't tell them that you know me
Shake it, shake it, Sugaree
Just don't tell them that you know me

You thought you was the cool fool
And never would do no wrong
You had everything sewed up tight
How come you lay awake all night long

Well in spite of all you gained
You still have to stand out in the pouring rain
One last voice is calling you
And I guess it's time you go

Well shake it up now, Sugaree
I'll meet you at the jubilee
And if that jubilee don't come
Maybe I'll meet you on the run

Cold iron shackles, ball and chain
Listen to the whistle of the evening train
You know you bound to wind up dead
If you don't head back to Tennessee Jed

Rich man step on my poor head
When you get back you better butter my bread
Well you know it's like I said
You better head back to Tennessee Jed

Chorus Tennessee, Tennessee
There ain't no place I'd rather be
Baby won't you carry me
Back to Tennessee

 

Drank all day and rock all night
The law come to get you if you don't walk right
Got a letter this morning, baby, and all it read
You better head back to Tennessee Jed

I dropped four flights and cracked my spine
Buddy come quick with the iodine
Catch a few winks, baby, under the bed
Then you head back to Tennessee Jed

I ran into Charlie Phogg (note 1)
Blacked my eye and he kicked my dog
My doggie turned to me and he said
Let's head back to Tennessee Jed

I woke up feeling mean
I went down to play the slot machine
The wheels turned around and the letters read
You better head back to Tennessee Jed

Inspiration, move me brightly
Light the song with sense of colour
Hold away despair
More than this I will not ask
Faced with mysteries dark and vast
Statements just seem vain at last
Some rise, some fall, some climb (note 1)
To get to Terrapin

Counting stars by candlelight
Some are dim but one is bright
The spiral light on Venus
Rising first and shining best
Oh, from the north-west corner
Of a brand new crescent moon
Where crickets and cicadas sing
A rare and different tune
Terrapin Station
In the shadow of the moon
Terrapin Station
And I know we'll be there soon

(Terrapin)
I can't figure out
(Terrapin)
If it's the end or beginning (note 2)
(Terrapin)
But the train's put it brakes on
(Terrapin)
And the whistle is screaming
Terrapin

Oh I know there is no place you can go to
And I know you don't know anyone at all
So come walking in the sun with me my little one
And remember that the only time is now

Well strange is the story your eyes tell me
And quiet all the few words that you say
So come and hold my hand for you see I'd understand
And remember that the only time is now

Oh I come to you a ragged laughing stranger (note 1)
And you come to me an angel of the night
So I'll dance and we will sing, for it doesn't mean a thing
To remember that the only time is now

So forget about your yesterdays of sorrow
And forget about the darkness you have seen
For there's only you and me at the edge of an endless sea
And remember that the only time is now

Merry run around
Sailing up and down
Looking for a shove in some direction
Got it from the top
It's nothing you can stop
Lord, you know they made a fine connection

Chorus They love each other
Lord, you can see it's true
Lord, you can see it's true
Lord, you can see it's true

 

He could pass his time
Around some other line
But you know he chose this place beside her
Don't get in the way
There's nothing you can say
Nothing that you need to add or do

It's nothing, they explain
It's like a diesel train
Better not be there when it rolls over
And when that train rolls in
You won't know where it's been
You gotta try to see a little further

Though you'll make a noise
They just can't hear your voice
They're on a dizzy ride and you're cold sober

Hope you will believe what I say is true (note 1)
Everything I did, I heard it first from you

Heard your news report
You know you're falling short
Pretty soon won't trust you for the weather
When that ship comes in
You won't know where it's been
You got to try to see a little further

Till the morning comes
It'll do you fine
Till the morning comes
Like a highway sign
Showing you the way
Leaving no doubt
Of the way on in or the way back out

Tell you what I'll do
I'll watch out for you
You're my woman now
Make yourself easy
Make yourself easy
Make yourself easy

Till we all fall down
It'll do you fine
Don't think about
What you left behind
The way you came
Or the way you go
Let your tracks be lost in the dark and snow

When the shadows grow
It'll do you fine
When the cold winds blow
It'll ease your mind
The shape it takes
Could be yours to choose
What you may win, what you may lose

To lay me down once more, to lay me down
With my head in sparkling clover
Let the world go by, all lost in dreaming
To lay me down one last time, to lay me down

To be with you once more, to be with you
With our bodies close together
Let the world go by, like clouds a-streaming
To lay me down one last time, to lay me down

To lay me down, to lay me down
To lay me down one last time, to lay me down

To lie with you once more, to lie with you
With our dreams entwined together
To wake beside you, my love still sleeping
To tell sweet lies one last time and say goodnight

To lay me down, to lay me down
To lay me down one last time, to lay me down

It must be getting early
Clocks are running late
Paint by numbers morning sky
Looks so phony

Dawn is breaking everywhere
Light a candle, curse the glare
Draw the curtains, I don't care
'Cause it's alright

I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive

I see you got your list out
Say your piece and get out (note 1)
Yes I got the gist of it
But it's alright

Sorry that you feel that way
The only thing there is to say
Every silver lining's got a
Touch of grey

It's a lesson to me
The Ables and the Bakers and the C's
The A B C's
We all must face
And try to keep a little grace

I know the rent is in arrears
The dog has not been fed in years
It's even worse than it appears
But it's alright

Cows are giving kerosene
The kid can't read at seventeen
The words he knows are all obscene
But it's alright

I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive

It's a lesson to me
The Deltas and the East and the Freeze
The A B C's
We all think of
And try to keep a little love

The shoe is on the hand it fits
There's really nothing much to it
Whistle through your teeth and split
'Cause it's alright

Oh well a touch of grey
Kind of suits you anyway
That was all I had to say
And it's alright

I will get by
I will get by
I will get by
I will survive

We will get by
We will get by
We will get by
We will survive

Truckin' got my chips cashed in
Keep truckin' like the doodah man
Together, more or less in line
Just keep truckin' on

Arrows of neon and flashing marquees out on Main Street
Chicago, New York, Detroit and its all the same street
Your typical city involved in a typical daydream
Hang it up and see what tomorrow brings

Dallas got a soft machine
Houston too close to New Orleans
New York got the ways and means
But just won't let you be

Most of the cats that you meet on the street speak of true love
Most of the time they're sitting and crying at home
One of these days they know they gotta get going
Out of the door and into the street all alone

Truckin' like the doodah man
Once told me "Gotta play your hand
Sometimes the cards ain't worth a dime
If you don't lay them down"

Sometimes the lights all shining on me
Other times I can barely see
Lately it occurs to me
What a long strange trip it's been

What in the world ever became of sweet Jane? (note 1)
She lost her sparkle you know she isn't the same
Living on reds and vitamin C and cocaine
All her friends can say is ain't it a shame

Truckin' up to Buffalo
Been thinking you got to mellow slow
Takes time, you pick a place to go
Just keep truckin' on

Sitting and staring out of the hotel window
Got a tip they're gonna kick the door in again
Like to get some sleep before I travel
But if you got a warrant I guess you're gonna come in

Busted down on Bourbon Street
Set up like a bowling pin
Knocked down, it gets to wearing thin
They just won't let you be

You're sick of hanging around, you'd like to travel
Get tired of travelling you want to settle down
I guess they can't revoke your soul for trying
Get out of the door, light out and look all around

Sometimes the lights all shining on me
Other times I can barely see
Lately it occurs to me
What a long strange trip it's been

Truckin' I'm a going home
Whoa, whoa, baby, back where I belong
Back home, sit down and patch my bones
And get back truckin' on

Red and white, blue suede shoes
I'm Uncle Sam, how do you do
Gimme five, still alive
Ain't no luck, I learned to duck

Check my pulse, it don't change
Stay seventy two, come shine or rain
Wave the flag, pop the bag
Rock the boat, skin the goat

Wave that flag, wave it wide and high
Summertime done come and gone, my oh my

I'm Uncle Sam, that's who I am
Been hiding out, in a rock and roll band
Shake the hand that shook the hand
Of P. T. Barnum and Charlie Chan (note 1)

Shine your shoes, light your fuse
Can you use them old U.S. Blues
I'll drink your health, share your wealth
Run your life, steal your wife

Back to back, chicken shack
Son of a gun, better change your act
We're all confused, what's to lose
You can call this song the United States Blues (note 2)

Well the first days are the hardest days, don't you worry any more
'Cause when life looks like easy street, there is danger at your door
Think this through with me, let me know your mind
Wo-oh, what I want to know is, are you kind?

It's a buck dancer's choice my friend, better take my advice
You know all the rules by now, and the fire from the ice
Will you come with me, won't you come with me?
Wo-oh, what I want to know, will you come with me?

God damn, well I declare, have you seen the like?
Their walls are built of cannon balls
Their motto is "don't" tread on me"

Come hear Uncle John's Band, playing to the tide
Come with me or go alone
He's come to take his children home

It's the same story the crow told me, it's the only one he knows
Like the morning sun you come and like the wind you go
Ain't no time to hate, barely time to wait
Wo-oh, what I want to know, where does the time go?

I live in a silver mine and I call it beggar's tomb
I got me a violin and I beg you call the tune
Anybody's choice, I can hear your voice
Wo-oh, what I want to know, how does the song go?

Come hear Uncle John's Band, by the river side
Got some things to talk about
Here beside the rising tide

*Wave the flag, *pop the bag
*Rock the boat, skin the goat
Trap the rat, bell the cat
Ball the jack, chew the fat

Shoot the breeze, lose the keys
Feed the poor, stop the war
Make the signs, connect the lines
Pay your fines, save your dimes

Chorus *Wave that flag, wave it wide and high
*Summertime done come and gone, my oh my

Meet the best, read the rest
Hide in caves, walk on waves
Pull the tooth, stretch the truth
[?]

Catch the flicks, get your kicks
Play your rags, pick up sticks
[?], trim your wig
Try your tricks, impress the chicks

Watch the bands, dig and dance
Live in shame, die in vain
Catch the flu, burn the stew
*Shine your shoes, sing the blues

Looking for a chateau
Twenty one rooms but one will do
Looking for a chateau
Twenty one rooms but one will do
I don't want to buy it
I just want to rent it for an hour or two

Met an old mistake
Walking down the street today
Met an old mistake
Walking down the street today
I didn't want to be mean about it
But I, I didn't have one good word to say

Chorus West L.A. fadeaway
West L.A. fadeaway
Little red light on the highway
Big green light on the speedway, hey, hey, hey

 

I had a steady job
Hauling items for the mob
I had a steady job
Hauling items for the mob

You know the pay was pathetic
It's a shame those boys couldn't be more copacetic

I met a west L.A. girl
Already know what I need to know
I met a west L.A. girl
Already know what I need to know
Name, address and phone number, Lord
And just how far to go

Looking for a chateau Twenty one rooms but one will do
Looking for a chateau
Twenty one rooms but one will do
I don't want to rent it
I just what to use it for a minute or two

Little red light on the highway
Big green light on the speedway, hey, hey, hey
Little red light on the highway
Big green light on the speedway, hey, hey, hey

Old man down (note 1)
Way down, down by the docks of the city (note 2)
Blind and dirty
Asked me for a dime, a dime for a cup of coffee
I got no dime, but I got some time to hear his story

My name is August West
And I love my Pearly Baker best, more than my wine
More than my wine (note 3)
More than my maker, though he's no friend of mine

Everyone said
I'd come to no good
I knew I would
Pearly, believed them
Half of my life
Spent doing time for some other fucker's crime (note 4)
The other half found me
Stumbling around, drunk on burgundy wine

But I'll get back on my feet someday
The good lord willing, if he says I may
I know that the life I'm living's no good
I'll get a new start, live the life I should
I'll get up and fly away
I'll get up and fly away

Pearly's been true
True to me, true to my dying day, he said
I said to him
I said to him, I'm sure she's been
I said to him, I'm sure she's been true to you

I got up and wandered
Wandered downtown, nowhere to go but just to hang around
I've got a girl
Named Bonny Lee, I know that girl's been true to me (note 5)
I know she's been, I'm sure she's been true to me

Shaking in the forest, what have you to fear
Here there may be tigers to punch you in the ear
Gloves of stainless steel, bats carved out of brick
Will knock you down and push you up and give your ass a kick
When push comes to shove
You're afraid of love

Shaking in the desert, wherefore do you cry
Here there may be rattle snakes to punch you in the eye
Shotguns full of silver, bullets made of glass
String barbed wire at your feet and do not let you pass
When push comes to shove
You're afraid of love

When push comes to shove
When push comes to shove
You're afraid of love
When push comes to shove

Shaking in the bedroom, covers on your head
Cringing like a baby at the hand beneath the bed
Phantom in the closet, scratching at the door
The latest mystery killer that you saw on channel four
When push comes to shove
You're afraid of love

Shaking in the garden, the fear within you grows
Here there may be roses to punch you in the nose
Twist their arms around you, slap you till you cry
Wrap you in their sweet perfume and love you till I die
When push comes to shove
You're afraid of love