Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by, you can spend the night forever
And you know that sheās half-crazy but thatās 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 he gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer that youāve 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 youāve 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 you think you maybe youāll trust him
For heās touched your perfect body with her mind
Now, Suzanne takes your hand and she leads you to the river
Sheās 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 wil lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds her mirror
And you want to travel with her, and you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For sheās touched your perfect body with her mind
Itās four in the morning, the end of December
Iām writing you now just to see if youāre better
New York is cold, but I like where Iām living
Thereās music on Clinton Street all through the evening
I hear that youāre building your little house deep in the desert
Youāre living for nothing now, I hope youāre 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
Youād 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 whenā¦
Iāve seen you change the water into wine Iāve seen you change it back to water too I sit at your table every night I try but I just donāt get high with you
I wish there was a treaty we could sign
I wish there was a treaty we could sign
I do not care who takes this bloody hill
Iām angry and Iām tired all the time
I wish there was a treaty
I wish there was a treaty
Between your love and mine
Theyāre dancing in the street, itās Jubilee
We sold ourselves for love but now weāre free
Iām sorry for the ghost I made you be
Only one of us was real and that was me
I havenāt said a word since youāve been gone
That any liar couldnāt say as well
I just canāt believe the static coming on
You were my ground, my safe and sound
You were my aerial
The fields are crying out, itās Jubilee
We sold ourselves for love but now weāre free
Iām sorry for the 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 Iām angry and Iām tired all the time I wish there was a treaty I wish there was a treaty Between your love and mine
I woke up this morninā still wearinā that tie
The one with the hammer and sickle design
Threw up all the pills my doctor prescribed
And went out to fetch me some air
The streets were so crowded with billboards and signs
Food trucks double parked in their parallel lines I thought about breakfast but settled on wine Always choose hunger over despair And whatās possible over whatās there
But it isnāt as though we get what we want
No matter how hard or long we have fought
Oh my happiness is a mere afterthought
When Iām with her I keep it in mind
Then she leaves and Iāve run out of time
I sat down today in a high barberās chair
To hear the town gossip and clean up my hair
He said she was seen on the bus station stairs
With her suitcase threateninā to walk
Not sure how true it was but Iāll hazard a guess
Itās probably not more and itās probably not less
If that college kid bookie was accepting bets
The brackets would mostly be chalk
Yeah itās safe to assume that sheās lost
But it isnāt as though we get what we want
No matter how hard or long we have fought
Oh my happiness is a mere afterthought
When Iām with her I keep it in mind
Then sheās gone and Iāve run out of time
I canāt be concerned with the state that Iām in
At the height of the scandal with vertigo spins
Take every audition til Iām Errol Flynn
And bring it to life off the page
And Iāll get up tomorrow still wearinā that tie
The one with the skull and the crossbone designs
If Iām asked if i miss her itās easy to lie
In this world thatās called more of the same
Yeah I wouldnāt feel proud or ashamed
Cuz it isnāt as though we get what we want
No matter how hard or long we have fought
Oh my happiness is a mere afterthought
When Iām with her I keep it in mind
Then she leaves and Iāve run out of time
A heart on the run keeps a hand on the gun you canāt trust anyone
I was so sure what I needed was more tried to shoot out the sun
Days when we raged, we flew off the page such damage was done
But I made it through, cause somebody knew I was meant for someone
So girl, leave your boots by the bed we aināt leaving this room
Till someone needs medical help or the magnolias bloom
Itās cold in this house and I aināt going out to chop wood
So cover me up and know youāre enough to use me for good
Put your faith to the test when I tore off your dress in Richmond on high
But I sobered up and I swore off that stuff forever, this time
And the old lovers sing āI thought itād be me who helped him get homeā
But home was a dream, one Iād never seen till you came along
So girl, hang your dress up to dry we aināt leaving this room
Till Percy Priest breaks open wide and the river runs through
And carries this house on the stones like a piece of driftwood
Cover me up and know youāre enough to use me for good
So girl, leave your boots by the bed we aināt leaving this room
Till someone needs medical help or the magnolias bloom
Itās cold in this house and I aināt going out to chop wood
So cover me up and know youāre enough to use me for good
Cover me up and know youāre enough to use me for good
Step by step, soft softly We are going to get caught little by little When you kiss me so skillfully I think that youāre malicious delicately Step by step, soft softly Weāre going to get caught, little by little And itās just that this beauty is a puzzle But to put it together here I have the pieces
Iāve been loving you a long time
Down all the years, down all the days
And Iāve cried for all your troubles
Smiled at your funny little ways
We watched our friends grow up together
And we saw them as they fell
Some of them fell into Heaven
Some of them fell into Hell
I took shelter from a shower
And I stepped into your arms
On a rainy night in Soho
The wind was whistling all its charms
I sang you all my sorrows
You told me all your joys
Whatever happened to that old song
To all those little girls and boys?
Now, the song is nearly over
We may never find out what it means
But thereās a light I hold before me
And youāre the measure of my dreams, the measure of my dreams
Sometimes Iād wake up in the morning
The ginger lady by my bed
Covered inā¦
Some folks like a pussy, a budgy or a tit,
Some take up with a spaniel pup that fills up the house with [woof, woof]
Now I keep chickens and Iāve a favourite one,
Heās my little cockerel and I donāt know where heās gone.
Has anybody seen my cock, my big Rhode Island red,
Heās mostly pink with a little bit of blue and purple on his head,
He stands straight up in the morning and he gives my wife a shock,
Has anybody seen, anybody seen, anybody, anybody seen my cock.
Heās a stiff necked little up start and Iāve had him all my life,
He gives me pride and pleasure and a torment to my wife,
Sometimes heās magnificent and sometimes small and thin,
He puffs up like a chicken when you tickle him under his chin.
His two enormous wattles hanging down, heās the best youāll ever find,
Madam you may stroke him if you like, if you feel that way inclined,
Be careful he doesnāt spit in you eye though.
Oh and all I taught her was everything
Oh I know she gave me all that she wore
And now my bitter hands
Chafe beneath the clouds
Of what was everything
Oh the pictures have
All been washed in black
Tattooed everything
and also
I know someday youāll have a beautiful life
I know youāll be a star
In somebody elseās sky
But why
Why
Why canāt it be
Why canāt it be mine
