The flies have quit their buzzing Even Bear has stopped his barking They all sense something brewing up the James and headed this way
Bobby sips his morning coffee Says `Have you finished with the funnies? Looks like a storm's coming honey guess we'll have to stay in bed today'
I've heard that into every life a little of it must fall If there's any truth to the saying, Lord, let it be a southern rain
Marie was born in Macon, Georgia She met a west coast lawyer He plucked that sweet magnolia and carried her to the hills of West L.A.
She says `I never thought I'd tire of a dollar But this life has grown so hollow Every night there's lipstick on his collar and every morning I wash it away'
She heard that into every life a little of it must fall So she spends her evenings praying for a little of that southern rain
Cars alive on city streets of sparkling black water like waves beneath my window never break just roll away Tonight, this rain will be my lullaby these cars, my dreams to carry me home to stay
The wipers beat a rhythm Truck spray obscures my vision But I'm closing in on my destination Two more hours and I'll be at your door
And it will never cease to amaze me how a little rain can drive folks crazy When I'd trade all my blue skies gladly for your blue eyes, crooked smile and a steady downpour
I've heard that into every life a little of it must fall, but you'll never catch me complaining about too much of that southern rain
The hoods are up on Pine Street, rear ends lifted too The great-grandsons of General Robert E. Lee are making love with a little help from STP Their women on the porches comparing alibis
Greasy eggs and bacon, bumper stickers aimed to start a fight, full gun racks, Confederate caps, if you want some 'shine well, you can always find some more, but what I remember most is the colour of Suzy's door
And Suzy says she's up there cutting carrots still And Suzy says she's missing me so I'm missing Oregon Hill
A river to the south to wash away all sins A college to the east of us to learn where sin begins A graveyard to the west of it all which I may soon be lying in
'Cause to the north there is a prison which I've come to call my home, but some Monday morning no country song will sing me home again
And Suzy says she's up there cutting carrots still And Suzy says she's missing me so I'm missing Oregon Hill
Sunday morning, eight A.M., sirens fill the air Sounds like someone made the river Sounds like someone being born again Me, I'm just lying here in Suzy's bed
Baptists celebrating with praises to the Lord, rednecks doing it with gin Me and Suzy, we're celebrating the joy of sleeping in because tomorrow I'll be home again
But Suzy says she'll wait there cutting carrots by the window sill And Suzy says, 'Always think of me when you think of Oregon Hill'
This street holds its secrets like a cobra holds its kill This street minds its business like a jailer minds his jail That house there is haunted That door's a portal to hell This street holds its secrets very well
That man wears his skin like a dancer wears her veils That man stalks his victims like a cancer stalks a cell That man's soul has left him his heart's as deadly as a rusty nail That man sheds his skin like a veil
Lord, you play a hard game, you know we follow every rule Then you take the one thing we thought we'd never lose All I ask is if she's with you please keep her warm and safe and if it's in your power please purge the memory of this place
This life holds its secrets like a sea shell holds the sea, soft and distant calling like a fading memory This life has its victories but its defeats tear so viciously This life holds its secrets like the sea
The money would be pretty good if a quart of milk were still a dollar or even if a quart of milk were still a quart And the hours, well, I don't mind how they creep on by like an old love of mine it's the years that simply disappear that are doing me in
Guess I married too young, yeah, nineteen was just too young, but sometimes you meet someone and your guts just burn It's not that I don't love him anymore it's just that when I hear him coming through that front door my heart doesn't race like it did once before
But I've got a horse out in the country I get to see him every second Sunday He comes when I call him, yeah, he knows his name One day I'll saddle up and the two of us will ride away
This weather I could almost stand if the sun would shine a little brighter or even if the sun would shine at all But lately it just seems to me that this life has lost its mystery and these cold fall mornings seem to bite just a little bit harder
And all my friends have settled down become their mothers and their fathers without a sound Except for Cathy, she bought a one-way subway ticket and left us all behind
But I've got a horse out in the country I get to see him every second Sunday He comes when I call him, yeah, he knows his name One day I'll saddle up and the two of us will ride away
This town wouldn't be so bad if a girl could trust her instincts or even if a girl could trust a boy
If you were the woman and I was the man would I send you yellow roses would I dare to kiss your hand? In the morning would I caress you as the wind caresses the sand, if you were the woman and I was the man?
If I was the heart and you were the head would you think me very foolish if one day I decided to shed these walls that surround me just to see where these feelings led, if I was the heart and you were the head?
If I was the woman and you were the man would I laugh if you came to me with your heart in your hand and said, 'I offer you this freely and will give you all that I can because you are the woman and I am the man?'
Murder tonight in the trailer park Mrs. Annabelle Evans found with her throat cut after dark Her pockets turned inside out her dresser drawers turned upside down Anna's neighbour, Peg, identifies the body lets out a hollow kind of sound
Homicide is tying yellow ribbons around her silver Airstream Red cherries slashing up the night cutting through that cordoned crime scene There's been a murder in the trailer park tonight
Murder tonight in the trailer park Pack your things Ann Marie, we're heading west we're going to make a fresh start I've been saving pennies, been looking forward to this day No time for questions are you coming or are you going to stay?
Crosstown at the Waterton George Evans is sitting tall and tight, buying drinks for all the regulars bragging about how them bones danced for him tonight There's been a murder in the trailer park tonight
Murder tonight in the trailer park Faceless man counting crumpled bills, hotel neon fights the dark TV set in the corner, they're talking murder on the late-night news He turns down the sound, waits for the sports, he only wants to know, 'Did I win or did I lose'
There's been a murder in the trailer park tonight Murder tonight in the trailer park
Black eyed man he took the blame for the poisoning of the well They found this shoes by the pulley They found his fingerprints all over the pail
Black eyed man I'm warning you the people around here will not be fooled by a simple line or two
Yes your honour I do solemnly swear that I saw him late last night, dancing barefoot, bathed in light and reaching for every star in sight Yes I did go to him, but completely against my will and yes he did things to me things of which I dream of still
Black eyed man I'm warning you what I say is what you'll do to hell with love and truth
I always meant to say I'm sorry for all the things I said and did 'Sorry,' I feel better now, do you? But you promised me the sky and fell short a star or two What else did you expect me to do?
Black eyed man he took the blame for the poisoning of the well They found his shoes by the pulley They found his fingerprints all over the pail With a noose around his neck, cicadas trilling everywhere, he says to the people gathered round him, 'it ain't the water that's not right around here'
Black eyed man I'm thirsty dear be a love and bring some water here drawn fresh from the well
She says, 'it's cold where you brought me' He says, 'Darling, don't worry you can stay in my arms until the springtime comes We'll let the snow drift around us and wait for the robin and the crocus to tell us that our love has again found the sun'
Lone oak stands tall, bare arms scratch the sky, dry leaves cracking beneath our feet Hand in hand we've watched the autumn fires burn - Summer's dreams collapsing, chestnuts in need of gathering, the whole world lies rotting in the street
Soon we will walk with collars high like ramparts raised for the siege We'll bow to her beauty, cower from her fury sent as a judgement for a slight long past forgotten Winter's love once again unrequited Winter's love once again unrequited
She says, 'Babe are you sleeping?' He says, 'No, wide awake and thinking of a dream I just had about the two of us He takes his hand to her cheek now, his lips to her brow, their whispers pile softly by the foot of the bed
Mornings feel so damn sad these days without the call of the 8:15 That old familiar echo has finally died away leaving nothing but a chill where there once was a mighty scream
And I've watched the flat cars take away our timber I've watched the coal cars steal our rock And now that we've got nothing left to take we're told that the wheels will stop turning, the whistles will stop blowing, these foolish dreams must stop
Last year they closed down the post office, took the only flag we had in town That old brick building still stands like a cenotaph to a vision lost and buried in a very distant past
And I've watched the flat cars take away our timber I've watched the coal cars steal our rock And now that we've got nothing left to take we're told that the wheels will stop turning, the whistles will stop blowing, these foolish dreams must stop
The longest train I've ever seen was the train that you were on I walked you to the station, we kissed and you were gone I dream at night about you coming home The train in the station, your uniform on fire as you step onto the platform the band plays a little louder, and as we embrace your cap falls off Oh, I guess these foolish dreams must stop
Mornings feel so damn sad these days without the call of the 8:15 Looks like this town is finally going to die away leaving nothing but broken promises where there once was small town dreams
And I've watched the flat cars take away our timber I've watched the coal cars steal our rock And now that we've got nothing left to take we're told that the TV station will be closing, Main Street windows will need boarding, that these foolish dreams must stop
Baby hit the back door breathin' real heavy said the boys in the alley wouldn't leave her alone Mama did her make-up in a terrible hurry she finally got ready but the boys were gone Mama don't you worry, night's approachin' there's a hole in heaven where some sin slips through just close your eyes and dream real steady maybe just a little will spill on you
Dark don't lie Dreams come true Could be a few will see you through
Old lady Rose, lookin' down her nose at lonely Miss Lily hiding in the hall Lily's just praying for the trial to be over lady Rose just waiting for the axe to fall Show me off on the way to town the sky's still shiny and the earth's still brown Tell the judge I'm ready for the vases gonna dance in their faces when the guitar sounds
Won't be long I won't be gone Been leaning toward the shadows all along
Those in the know say so it goes you plan on reapin', you better sow You plan on sleepin', you better keep movin' sleepin' ain't allowed around here, you know
Snake eyes cry Boxcars sigh Seven's stuck in the middle just wonderin' why
Dark don't lie Dreams come true All it takes is one or two Maybe just a few will see you through
You're clean as a widow woman's washboard, son, stick it in the wind Put the mountains to your back the great plains on your grille time to take a little spin Boulder looks like the type of town that I could spend some time, but in Houston they got our name in lights You're clean as a widow woman's washboard, son, the slab is yours tonight
Townes is in the back lounge with his hands in his pocket pulls out two dice and says, 'Let's get at it'
Salina in the headlights, snake eyes on the floor, Al drops another twenty, Pete heads for the door, Springer's feeling lucky, sits down for a spell, Oklahoma City and he's lost his last bill Jeff is in a bind waiting on sister hicks seven comes a-calling as we cross on into Texas
Townes is in the back lounge with a fist full of fives he says, 'It's a little bit long but I'm enjoying this ride'
Be careful with the dice when you're surrounded by others with boxcars in their eyes Never count your winnings at hour 23 of a 24-hour drive Remember that you're not the one calling the tune that's making those diamonds dance or you'll be clean as a widow woman's washboard, son, and those are the facts
Townes is in the back lounge cursing at them bones he says, 'Ain't this fool ever heard of Raton'
Won't say I love you babe Won't say I need you babe But I'm going to get you babe and I will not do you wrong Living's mostly wasting time and I waste my share of mine but it never feels too good so let's not take too long You're as soft as glass and I'm a gentle man we got the sky to talk about and the world to lie upon
Days up and down they come like rain on a conga drum forget most, remember some but don't turn none away Everything is not enough nothing is too much to bear where you been is good and gone all you keep's the getting there To live is to fly low and high so shake the dust off of your wings and the sleep out of your eyes
It's goodbye to all my friends It's time to go again Think of all the poetry and the pickin' down the line I'll miss the system here the bottom's low and the treble's clear but it don't pay to think too much on the things you leave behind I may be gone but I won't be long I'll be bringing back the melody and the rhythm that I find
We all got holes to fill and them holes are all that's real some fall on you like a storm sometimes you dig your own But choice is yours to make time is yours to take some dive into the sea some toil upon the stone To live is to fly low and high so shake the dust off of your wings the sleep out of your eyes
Sun comes up, it's Tuesday morning hits me straight in the eye guess you forgot to close the blind last night Oh, that's right, I forgot, it was me
I sure do miss the smell of black coffee in the morning, the sound of water splashing all over the bathroom, the kiss that you would give me even though I was sleeping, but I kind of like the feel of this extra few feet in my bed Telephone's ringing, but I don't answer it 'cause everybody knows that good news always sleeps till noon
Guess it's tea and toast for breakfast again maybe I'll add a little T.V. too No milk! God, how I hate that Guess I'll go to the corner, get breakfast from Jenny She's got a black eye this morning, `Jen how'd ya get it?' she says, `Last night, Bobby got a little bit out of hand'
Lunchtime. I start to dial your number then I remember so I reach for something to smoke and anyways I'd rather listen to Coltrane than go through all that shit again
There's something about an afternoon spent doing nothing Just listening to records and watching the sun falling Thinking of things that don't have to add up to something and this spell won't be broken by the sound of keys scraping in the lock
Maybe tonight it's a movie with plenty of room for elbows and knees a bag of popcorn all to myself, black and white with a strong female lead and if I don't like it, no debate, I'll leave
Here comes that feeling that I'd forgotten how strange these streets feel when you're alone on them Each pair of eyes just filled with suggestion So I lower my head, make a beeline for home Seething inside
Funny, I'd never noticed the sound the streetcars make as they pass my window Which reminds me that I forgot to close the blind again Yeah, sure I'll admit there are times when I miss you Especially like now when I need someone to hold me but there are some things that can never be forgiven and I just gotta tell you that I kinda like this extra few feet in my bed
It's the kind of night that's so cold, when you spit It freezes before it hits the ground And when a bum asks you for a quarter, you give a dollar If he's out tonight he must be truly down And I'm searching all the windows for a last minute present To prove to you that what I said was real, For something small and frail and plastic, baby, 'cause cheap is how I feel
Half moon in the sky tonight, bright enough To come up with an answer To the question why is it that every time I see you My love grows a little stronger
But your memory leaves my stomach churning, Feeling like a lie about to be revealed, But I'll horde all this to myself 'cause cheap is how I feel
It's not the smell in here that gets to me it's the lights I hate the shadows that they cast, And the sound of clinking bottles is the one sure thing I'll always drag with me from my past I think I'll find a pair of eyes tonight, to fall into And maybe strike a deal Your body for my soul, fair swap 'cause cheap is how I feel
Caught in the vice of heaven and earth he turned his life into a cell imprisoned by the doubts which hound us all and those desires which we all know so well His days he lost to promises, his nights he purged of dreams and he would wake in the hours before sunrise and dread the coming of the day
Never thought a man could become so desperate never thought a life could lose so much hope to be tearing at the roots around you as if in manacles, or irons, or ropes They say he told his children that all he taught was lost that love and pride and honesty were to be gained at too high a cost
It's been thirty summers that I've spent with him and I expect thirty more to pass he has blessed my life in so many ways that I could never turn my back But I need just one more reminder of the man that he used to be if he would just look deep into my eyes and say it's in you my love that I will find the key
The last of man's great unchained beasts lies lapping at my door The last of man's great unchained beasts lies lapping at my door I would give it what it wants, but I do know, it would just ask for more
I search for you with every crest I ride in every trough I travel through I search for you in every trough I travel through
I didn't mean to leave you, I unfurled my sail and the wind did blow I didn't mean to leave you, darling, I unfurled my sail and the wind did blow Why why why why why, oh why I did not drop my anchor, Oh Lord, I will never know
I search for you with every crest I ride in every trough I travel through I search for you in every trough I travel through
On the lee of the island I hear your voice deep inside the calm On the lee of the island I hear your voice deep inside the calm Whispering baby, I'll be your delight, if you promise to be my red sky tonight
I search for you with every crest I ride in every trough I travel through I search for you in every trough I travel through
In the storm you are my destination, in the port you are my storm In the storm you are my destination, in the port you are my storm But I would weather you my love, if you would be my guide, if you would be my stars in the sky tonight
I search for you with every crest I ride in every trough I travel through I search for you in every trough I travel through
Look out, Mama, there's a white boat coming up the river, with a big red beacon and a flag and a man on the rail I think you'd better call John 'cause it don't look like they're here to deliver the mail And it's less than a mile away I hope they didn't come to stay It's got numbers on the side and a gun, and it's making big waves
Daddy's gone, my brother's out hunting in the mountains Big John's been drinking since the river took Emmy Lou So the powers that be left me here to do all the thinking And I just turned twenty-two I was wondering what to do And the closer they got, The more those feelings grew
Daddy's rifle in my hand felt reassuring He told me, 'Red means run, Son, numbers add up to nothing' But when that first shot hit the dock, I saw it coming Raised the rifle to my eye Never stopped to wonder why Then I saw black and my face flash in the sky
Shelter me from the powder and the finger Cover me with the thought that pulled the trigger Just think of me as one you never figured, to fade away so young with so much left undone Remember me to my love I know I'll miss her
She captured both Rock and Bird tied one to the leg of the other kept them as prisoners until they knew who was master then she threw them to the sky
Bird with unbarred wings disappeared Rock with weighted heart returned and Rock became her anchor and Bird became her dream
Now she stands on the forest floor among the pines and towering firs Rock still firm beneath her feet Bird perched high above her singing songs of love's betrayal
'I offered you my endless skies you countered with hoods and chains this song I sing will be the last to be inspired by your memory'
