1. |
However They May Fall
04:40
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I found you down in Autumn pushing medicine in Jackson, Tennessee,
and fast on my heels came the storm of the century
and hiding in your bed from the storm we were afraid of
I ran my hand across your back, you kissed me like you were in love.
And, oh, when the morning came
and the rain rolled off the window panes
we woke up with our muscles sore and heads a little foggy from the wine,
you pushed your body into me, you had your heat and, babe, you wanted mine, oh.
The next time that I saw you you were standing on a roadside in the rain
duffel bag around your neck and books on revolution on your brain
and over at the hospital a man was crying desperately
You climbed into my pickup truck and said "What's happening, Pharisee?"
And I felt a little like a hobo who would rather miss his train.
But, oh, weren't we feeling fine
when we passed the last US exit sign
and we drove into the dark as you misquoted words you thought the Good Book said:
"Just walk upright, you'll find your peace the minute that they find you lying dead"
And I said, oh.
And like the birds who leave the pines to settle trees in Panama
We straddled that equator line and stayed in bed until we saw
The trees were all but empty,
and we'd drank our bottles dry.
You lost your faith in holy men
and I never asked you why, oh.
Now you ain't fooling no one standing there in that immaculate dress
Because underneath your shadow eyes I see that same young rhythm and it's restless
And I may be nothing more than a compelling, antiquated myth
but this is my real body and these are my real hands I'm playing with
so tell me, darling, is there anything that you'd like to confess?
And, oh, maybe it's the alcohol
that's got me feeling so god damned tall
but something tells me you don't mind the way I've got you up against a wall
If you bet before the hand you better play the cards however they may fall.
And that's all.
So, oh.
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2. |
Niagara
04:31
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He's a quiet man
and Western New York suits him just fine
and oh, Niagara, you've got a funny way of playing with a mind
She's a fine girl
the kind of grace you just don't find around here.
She asks him for a cigarette
says she likes the way it feels behind her ear.
And he just nods his head,
says, "Ontario's not bad this time of year."
All that water will make you go blind
It'll wash away your senses, make you lose all track of time
And you'll go crazy
You'll think it's true
That Niagara falls only for you.
Across the border
A quiet man starts singing like a bird
And oh, Niagara, it doesn't matter what he said
It only matters what she heard
And it's a long night
when you can't sleep for the chaos in your head
There was a bad fight
The kind that leaves you with a stranger in your bed
And he thinks, "Next time,
I'll just leave her with a cigarette instead."
All that water will make you go blind
It'll wash away your senses, make you lose all track of time
And you'll go crazy
You'll think it's true
That Niagara falls only for you
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3. |
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Forever's a very long time
and it gets longer near the end
and it's hard to tell if something's gonna break when all you've ever seen it do is bend
Maybe I grew tired of your kindness
And so I ran you out
But I found myself alone and didn't like it at all
So I asked if I could sleep on your couch
I drove an hour up Highway 1
Shielding my eyes against the rising sun
and wet were my cheeks like the morning dew
when you opened your door and I saw it was true.
Well I should've got back in the car
I should've turned over the engine
I might've come this far but I'm not gonna do it again
I'm not gonna do it again
La di da...
Forever's a very long time
and it was my own damn fault
Now I'm laying in the bathtub with the water to my mouth
and I'm full of beer and Tylenol.
So what's the lesson to be learned?
Well, as far as I can tell
when somebody's given you heaven
the least you can do is not put them through hell.
I drove an hour up Highway 1
Shielding my eyes against the rising sun
and wet were my cheeks like the morning dew
when you opened your door and I saw it was true.
Well I should've turned around and gone home
but I walked up and you let me in
I've learned about being alone
and I don't want to do it again
I don't want to do it again
I don't want to do it again
I don't want to do it again
La di da...
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4. |
Demons
03:23
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Well I found myself a-wandering
with a wide country to cross
and on an early morning highway
I saw an old hitcher looking road-worn and lost
and I said, "Old man, where you headed?
What's at the end of your road?
Cause it looks like you're going my direction
Won't you hop on in and let me lighten your load?"
And he said "Boy, I just got out of prison
where I been for most of my life
for killing a couple young lovers-
one was an old friend and one was my wife
and I'll be clear, I've prayed and repented
and I dearly regret what I've done
but now that the chains have come off
the sentence has finally begun."
And he said, "Boy, I got demons
that I live with every day.
They're the ones that won't let you sleep at night,
the ones that won't go away.
And I spent all my time on the inside
trying to get by on my own
but, boy, I got demons
and they don't leave me alone."
And we rode along for a while then
listening to the radio
and I pulled the bottle from under my seat
and offered him a drag, and he drank it real slow
and we talked about reincarnation
and we talked about heaven and hell
and he sang every word to Why Don't You Love Me?
and he sang them real well
and I let him of somewhere in Kansas
at some dusty old highway dive
and I gave him my coat and all the cash that I had on me
and he bummed a few smokes and he stumbled inside
and now I live every day like I'm dying
cause I'm dying a little each day
but I get along alright
when I get out of my own way
But, boy, I got demons
that I live with every day.
They're the ones that won't let you sleep at night,
the ones that won't go away.
And I still spend my time out wandering
trying to get by on my own
but, boy, I got demons
and they don't leave me alone.
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5. |
Cigarettes, A Love Song
03:07
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Cigarettes, my sweet cigarettes, maybe we'll be together again but til then I'm not holding my breath
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6. |
Abilene
03:30
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I remember late nights and boxed wine and petty fights
I remember never going to bed alone
I remember four tires and road trips and evening rides
I remember pulling up to home
I remember phone calls
Staring down the bare walls
of a hotel on the road
and I'm calling to let you know
Abilene is thirteen hours from Bowling Green
And this old rig's running north from New Orleans
And it might just have been the wind in the evergreens
But I believe I could hear you
I thought I heard you calling East from Abilene
I remember long runs from Detroit down to Houston
I remember Boston in the snow
I remember the hot sun of a breakdown on 81
I remember New Mexico
I remember that day
Your telephone message changed
To a voice I didn't know
I left the message, though
Abilene is thirteen hours from Bowling Green
And this old rig's running north from New Orleans
If you see her won't you pass along the message please
Cause I believe I could hear her
I thought I heard her calling East
and Abilene is thirteen hours from Bowling Green
And this old rig's running north from New Orleans
And it might just have been the wind in the evergreens
But I believe I could hear you
I thought I heard you calling East from Abilene
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7. |
Maggie
04:55
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Maggie, come on home
Come on home, I'll be waiting
docile with my eyes on the door.
Maggie, come on home
Come on home now it's late and besides
I'm not mad anymore.
But Maggie, just how many nights
can I leave on the front porch light
before I pull the chain across the door?
And, Maggie, how can I trust you anymore?
Maggie, come on home
Come on home now, it's cold out
I know how you like tempting fate.
Maggie, come on home
Bars are closed down in Old Town
So, Maggie, come on home now it's late.
Maggie, you should know by now
the things I do and don't allow.
Maggie, we've been down this road before.
Maggie please, for heaven's sake
don't you think I need a break
from staying up all night pacing the floor?
Maggie, just how many nights
can I leave on the front porch light
before I pull the chain across the door?
And, Maggie, how can I trust you anymore?
Maggie, how can I trust you anymore?
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