ONE MINUTE YOU'RE HERE
Big black train coming down the track
Blow your whistle long and long
One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone
I lay my penny down on the rails
As the summer wind sings its last song
One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone
Baby baby baby I'm so alone
Baby baby baby I'm coming home
Autumn carnival on the edge of town
We walk down the midway arm-in-arm
One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone
I thought I knew just who I was
And what I'd do but I was wrong
One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone
Red river running along the edge of town
On the muddy banks I lay my body down, this body down
Footsteps crackling on a gravel road
Stars vanish in a sky as black as stone
One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone
LETTER TO YOU
Neath a crowd of mongrel trees I pulled that bothersome thread
Got down on my knees, grabbed my pen and bowed my head
Tried to summon all that my heart finds true
And send it in my letter to you
Whoa!
Things I found out through hard times and good
I wrote ’em all out in ink and blood
Dug deep in my soul and signed my name true
And sent it in my letter to you
In my letter to you
I took all my fears and doubts
In my letter to you
All the hard things I found out
In my letter to you
All that I found true
And I sent it in my letter to you
I took all the sunshine and rain
All my happiness and all my pain
The dark evеning stars and the morning sky of blue
And I sent it in my lеtter to you
And I sent it in my letter to you
In my letter to you
I took all my fears and doubts
In my letter to you
All the hard things I found out
In my letter to you
All that I found true
And I sent it in my letter to you
I sent it in my letter to you
BURNIN' TRAIN
Zero's my number, time is my hunter
I wanted you to heal me but instead you set me on fire
We were out over the border, I washed you in holy water
We whispered our black prayers and rose up in flames
Take me on your burning train
Take me on your burning train
White sun burning, black wings beating
I ran my fingers 'cross the hollow of your stomach as you lay breathing
With our shared faith, rising dark and decayed
Take me and shake me from this mortal cage
Take me on your burning train
Take me on your burning train
Something shining in the light 'neath your breast
The thick smell of you on my chest
On your bed of thorns, I brought you shining gifts
Wiped the sweat from your brow and I touched your lips
Sheets stained with sweat, outside the endless rain
Darling I'm blessed in your blood and marked by Cain
Take me on your burning train
JANEY NEEDS A SHOOTER
Well Janey's got a doctor who tears apart her insides
He investigates her and silently baits her sighs
He probes with his fingers but knows her heart only through his stethoscope
His hands are cold and his body's so old
Janey turns him down like dope
Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter like me on her side
Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
Well Janey's got a priest from his marble pulpit he smiles
He provides consolation and he hears her confession at any time
In the pages of his bible he holds from what Janey hides
And with her doors open wide she begs, "Come inside"
But he's been frozen so long on the outside
Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter like me on her side
Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
Well Janey's got a cop who lives 'round the block and checks on her every night
And her skin would turn pale as the siren he'd wail outside when he knew I was inside
Janey's small and sometimes he scared her
So I held her real close, she was more saint than a ghost
And told her I so long had been prepared for her
Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter like me on her side
Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter man who knows her style
Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter like me on her side
Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
A man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
A man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
A man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
A man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
A man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
A man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
LAST MAN STANDING
Faded pictures in an old scrapbook
Faded pictures that somebody took
When you were hard and young and proud
Back against the wall running raw and loud
Snakeskin vest and a sharkskin suit
Cuban heels on your boots
Kick in the band and side by side
You take the crowd on their mystery ride
Knights of Columbus and the Fireman's Ball
Friday night at the Union Hall
Black leather clubs all along Route 9
You count the names of the missing as you count off time
Flock of angels lift me somehow
Somewhere high and hard and loud
Somewhere deep into the heart of the crowd
I'm the last man standing now
I'm the last man standing now
Out of school and out of work
Thrift store jeans and flannel shirt
The lights go down and we face the crowd
The last man standing now
Lights come up at the Legion Hall
Pool cues go back up on the wall
You pack your guitar and have one last beer
With just the ringing in your ears
Flock of angels lift me somehow
Somewhere high and hard and loud
Somewhere deep into the heart of the crowd
I'm the last man standing now
I'm the last man standing now
I'm the last man standing now
Onw, Two, Three, Four, Go!
THE POWER OF PRAYER
Meet me afternoon 'neath the summer sun
Right by the lake till the evening comes
I run my fingers through your sun streaked hair
Baby that's the power of prayer
Summer nights, summer's in the air
I stack the tables with the chairs
As close and tight when you're standing there
Baby that's the power of prayer
It's a fixed game without any rules
An empty table on a ship of fools
I'm holding hearts, I play the pair
Darling it's just the power of prayer
It's a fixed game without any rules
An empty table on a ship of fools
I'm holding hearts, I play the pair
I'm going all in 'cause I don't care
They say that love it comes and goes
But darling what, what do they know
I'm reaching for heaven, we'll make it there
Darling it's just the power of prayer
Baby it's just the power of prayer
Darling it's just the power of prayer
Last call, the bouncer shuts the door
"This Magic Moment" drifts across the floor
As Ben E. King's voice fills the air
Baby that's the power of prayer
HOUSE OF A THOUSAND GUITARS
The blood moon shines across the veil
Bells ring out through churches and jails
I tally my wounds and count the scars
In the house of a thousand guitars
The criminal clown has stolen the throne
He steals what he can never own
May the truth ring out from every small town bar
We'll light up the house of a thousand guitars
Well it's alright and it's alright
Meet me darling come Saturday night
All good souls from near and far
Will meet in the house of a thousand guitars
Here the bitter and the bored
Wake in search of the lost chord
That'll band us together for as long as there's stars
Yeah in the house of a thousand guitars
Well it's alright and it's alright
Meet me darling come Saturday night
Brother and sister wherever you are
We'll meet in the house of a thousand guitars
So we can shake off your troubles my friend
We'll go where the music never ends
From the stadiums to the small town bars
We'll light up the house of a thousand guitars
House of a thousand guitars, house of a thousand guitars
Brother and sister wherever you are
We'll rise together till we find the spark
That'll light up the house of a thousand guitars
Well it's alright and it's alright
Meet me darling come Saturday night
All good souls from near and far
We'll meet at the house of a thousand guitars
A thousand guitars, a thousand guitars
A thousand guitars, a thousand guitars
RAINMAKER
Parched crops dying 'neath a dead sun
We've been praying but no good comes
The dog's howling, home's stripped bare
We've been worried but now we're scared
People come for comfort or just to come
Taste the dark sticky potion or hear the drums
Hands raised to Yahweh to bring the rain down
He comes crawling 'cross the dry fields like a dark shroud
Rainmaker a little faith for hire
Rainmaker the house is on fire
Rainmaker take everything you have
Sometimes folks need to believe in something so bad, so bad, so bad
They'll hire a rainmaker
Rainmaker
Rainmaker says white's black and black's white
Says night's day and day's night
Says close your eyes and go to sleep now
I'm in a burning field unloading buckshot into low clouds
Rainmaker a little faith for hire
Rainmaker the house is on fire
Rainmaker take everything you have
Sometimes folks need to believe in something so bad, so bad, so bad
They'll hire a rainmaker
Rainmaker
Slow moving wagon drawing through a dry town
Painted rainbow, crescent moon and dark clouds
Brother patriot come forth and lay it down
Your blood brother for king and crown
For your rainmaker
They come for the smile, the firm handshake
They come for the raw chance of a fair shake
Some come to make damn sure, my friend
This mean season's got nothing to do with them
They come 'cause they can't stand the pain
Of another long hot day of no rain
'Cause they don't care or understand
What it really takes for the sky to open up the land
Rainmaker a little faith for hire
Rainmaker the house is on fire
Rainmaker take everything you have
Sometimes folks need to believe in something so bad, so bad, so bad
They'll hire a rainmaker
Rainmaker
IF I WAS THE PRIEST
There's a light on yonder mountain and it's calling me to shine
There's a girl over by the water fountain and she's asking to be mine
And Jesus is standing in the doorway in a buckskin jacket, boots and spurs so fine
He says, "We need you son tonight up in Dodge City
'Cause there's just too many outlaws trying to work the same line"
Now if Jesus was a sheriff and I were the priest
If my lady was an heiress and my Mama was a thief
If Papa rode shotgun on the Fargo line
There's still too many bad boys trying to work the same line
Well sweet Virgin Mary runs the Holy Grail saloon
Well for a nickel she'll give you whiskey and a personally blessed balloon
And the Holy Ghost is the host with the most, he runs the burlesque show
Where they'll let you in for free and they hit you when you go
Mary serving Mass on Sunday and she sells her body on Monday
To the bootlegger who paid the highest price
He don't know he got stuck with a loser, she's stone junkie what's more she's a user
She's only been made once or twice by some kind of magic
If Jesus was a sheriff and I were the priest
If my lady was an heiress and my Mama was a thief
And Papa rode shotgun on the Fargo line
There's still too many outlaws trying to work the same line
Well things ain't been the same in heaven since big bad Bobby came to town
He's been known to down eleven, then ask for another round
Me I've got scabs on my knees from kneeling way too long
It's about time I played the man, took a stand where I belong
And I forget about the old friends and the old times
There's just too many new boys trying to work the same line
Well if Jesus was a sheriff and I were the priest
If my lady was an heiress and my Mama was a thief
And Papa rode shotgun on the Fargo line
There's just too many outlaws trying to work the same line
Well there's a light on yonder mountain and it's calling me to shine
There's a girl over by the water fountain 'cause she's asking to be mine
Jesus is standing in the doorway, six gun drawn and ready to fan
Said, "We need you tonight son up in Dodge City"
Told him I was already overdue for Cheyenne
If Jesus was the sheriff and I were the priest
If my lady was an heiress and my Mama was a thief
And Papa rode shotgun on the Fargo line
There's still too many bad boys trying to work the same line
If Jesus was the sheriff and I were the priest
If my lady was an heiress and my Mama was a thief
And Papa rode shotgun on the Fargo line
There's still too many bad boys trying to work the same line
If Jesus was the sheriff and I was the priest
GHOSTS
I hear the sound of your guitar
Comin' from the mystic far
Stone and the gravel in your voice
Come in my dreams and I rejoice
It's your ghost moving through the night
Your spirit filled with light
I need, need you by my side
Your love and I'm alive
I can feel the blood shiver in my bones
I'm alive and I'm out here on my own
I'm alive and I'm comin' home
Old buckskin jacket you always wore
Hangs on the back of my bedroom door
Boots and the spurs you used to ride
Click down the hall but never arrive
It's just your ghost moving through the night
Your spirit filled with light
I need, need you by my side
Your love and I'm alive
I can feel the blood shiver in my bones
I'm alive and I'm out here on my own
I'm alive and I'm comin' home
Your old Fender Twin from Johnny's Music downtown
Still set on 10 to burn this house down
Count the band in then kick into overdrive
By the end of the set we leave no one alive
Ghosts runnin' through the night
Our spirits filled with light
I need, need you by my side
Your love and I'm alive
I shoulder your Les Paul and finger the fretboard
I make my vows to those who've come before
I turn up the volume, let the spirits be my guide
Meet you, brother and sister, on the other side
I'm alive, I can feel the blood shiver in my bones
I'm alive and I'm out here on my own
I'm alive and I'm comin' home
Yeah, I'm comin' home
SONG FOR ORPHANS
Well the multitude assembled and tried to make the noise
Them black blind poet generals and restless loud white boys
But time's grew thin and the axis grew somehow incomplete
Where instead of child lions we had aging junkie sheep
Well how many wasted have I seen signed "Hollywood or bust"
And left to ride the ever ghostly Arizona gusts
Cheerleader tramps and kids with big amps sounding in the void
High society vamps, ex-heavyweight champs mistaking soot for soil
So break me now big Mama as Old Faithful breaks the day
Believe me my good Linda, the aurora will shine the way
The confederacy's in my name now, the hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscles play
Well the doorstep blanket weaver, Madonna pushes bells
From house to house I see her giving last kisses and wishing well
To every gypsy mystic hero that the kids might find a place
Who get lost forever mothers and fathers on their weekends out in space
Well sons they search for fathers, but the fathers are all gone
The lost souls search for saviors, but saviors don't last long
Those nameless questless renegade brats who live their lives in song
They run the length of a candle with a goodnight whisper then they're gone
So break me now big Mama as Old Faithful breaks the day
Believe me my good Linda, the aurora will shine the way
The confederacy's in my name now, the hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscles play
Well the missions are filled with hermits, they're looking for a friend
The terraces are filled with cat-men just looking for a way in
Those orphans jumped on silver mountains lost in celestial alleyways
They wait for that old tramp Dog Man Moses, he takes in all the strays
Now don't you grow on empty legends or lonely cradle songs
Billy the Kid was just a bowery boy who made a living twirling his guns
The night she's long and lanky and she speaks in a mother tongue
She lullabies the refugees with amplifier's hum
So break me now big Mama as Old Faithful breaks the day
Believe me my good Linda, the aurora will shine the way
The confederacy's in my name now, the hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscles play
The confederacy's in my name now, the hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscles play
I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS
The road is long and seeming without end
The days go on, I remember you my friend
And though you're gone and my heart's been empty it seems
I'll see you in my dreams
I got your guitar here by the bed
All your favorite records and all the books that read
And though my soul feels like it's been split in the seams
I'll see you in my dreams
I'll see you in my dreams when all our summers have come to an end
I'll see you in my dreams, we'll meet and live and laugh again
I'll see you in my dreams, yeah around the river bend
For death is not the end
And I'll see you in my dreams
I'll see you in my dreams when all our summers have come to an end
I'll see you in my dreams, we'll meet and live and laugh again
I'll see you in my dreams, yeah around the river bend
For death is not the end
And I'll see you in my dreams
See you in my dreams
See you in my dreams
Go
And I'll see you in my dreams
|
