Down in the holler there's a thriving town A treasure trove that makes the world go 'round, When the city barons bring their legal papers and guns, Oh darlin', don't be afraid to run
When we came to settle here we came to stay, Maybe raise a family, earn a decent wage, Now every public servant reeks of suspicion, So darlin' don't be afraid to run
Darlin' don't be afraid to run, And don't turn your back on the noonday sun, Someday redemption will wash everyone, But there's no telling when that day will come So darlin' don't be afraid to run
Maybe we'll rendezvous out in nowheresville, Or maybe we'll find each other runnin' still Until we reach that auspicious liaison Darlin' don't be afraid to run
Darlin' don't be afraid to run, And don't turn your back on the noonday sun, The people will greet you with derision, You'll never be their model citizen So darlin' don't be afraid to run
Come listen to my story, I'll tell you no lies, how John Lewis did murder a little Omie Wise, He asked her to meet him at Adams's spring, said he'd bring her money and other fine things, So fool-like she met him at Adams's spring, no money he brought her nor other fine things
John Lewis, John Lewis, won't you tell me your mind, do you intend to marry me or leave me behind? Little Omie, Little Omie, I will tell you my mind, my plan is to drown you and leave you behind, Have mercy on my baby and spare me my life, I'll go home as a beggar and never be your wife
He hugged her and he kissed her and turned her around and threw her in deep water where he knew that she would drown, It was on one Thursday morning the rain came pouring down and they searched for Omie's body but it nowhere could be found, Two boys went a fishin' one fine summer day and they saw little Omie's body go floating away
They called for John Lewis to come to that place so he could see her body and they could see his face, Though he made no confession they threw him in jail, no friend nor relation would go on his bail
Went out last night to take a little round, I met a little Sadie and I blowed her down, Bummed a ride home, got in to bed, 44 smokeless under my head
I began to think what the deed I'd done, grabbed my hat and away'd I run, Made a good run just a little too slow, (they) overtook me in Jericho
Standin' on the corner, ringin' the bell, up walks the sheriff from Thomasville Says "young man is your name Brown? 'Member that night you shot Sadie down?"
Oh yes sheriff my name is Lee, I murdered little Sadie in the first degree, First degree, second degree, if you got any papers you can read 'em to me
Took me downtown, dressed me in black, put me on a train and they sent me back, Had no one for to go my bail, (they) crammed me back in the county jail
Judge and the jury took their stand, the judge held the paper in his right hand, 41 days, 41 nights, 41 years to wear the ball and the stripes
Tired old man you're a wastin' slowly battling grey and blue, Built your empire as a shell so nobody prays on you, Remember when you were fresh and bitter like a blossom in its bud? Struggle to keep the memories free from the sweat and blood, Just to generalize, you sleep and you rise, you fail to recognize, Like the Red Queen, you're running out of steam every mile, The highway of denial
What a funny way to spend the day like a farmer deep in debt, Tending to the coming harvest, ever trying to forget, Don't you feel like you wanna run away from the mess that you've begun? Now that they won't let you make it up as you go along, Just to generalize, you sleep and you rise, you fail to recognize, Like the Red Queen, you're runnin' out of steam every mile, The highway of denial
Oh the lilies were laid on the marble in the field where the ancestors lay, And the forest was dark and primeval but the boughs seemed to cradle as they swayed, And the church choir sang hallelujah, and the vernal breeze whispered a sigh, Watch the brethren all stand, praise their God, raise your hand, Tow the bell for the Rebel's goodbye
When the boots hit the dirt in formation the mood was determined and bright, And a young, hopeful boy at the station watched the train carry troops to the fight, But the generals died by assassins, the battalions dispersed on the fly, And they paid for their sins with the blood of their kin, Tow the bell for the Rebel's goodbye
In the dark heathen barracks of failure where the tormenters wait for the night, And the sheltering sky hears their lost, tattered cries, Tow the bell for the Rebel's goodbye
My driftin' memory goes back to the spring of '42 when I was just a child in Momma's arms, My Daddy plowed the fields and prayed and did all he could do to save that broke-down Oklahoma farm,
Then one night I heard my Daddy sayin' to my Momma, that he finally saved enough for us to go, California was his dream, a paradise that he had seen, the pictures and the magazines had told him so
California cotton fields, where labor camps were filled with worried men and broken dreams, California cotton fields, was as close to wealth as Daddy ever came
Almost everything we owned was sold or left behind, from Daddy's tools to the fruit that Momma canned, Some folks came to say farewell and see what all we had to sell, some just came to shake my Daddy's hand
The model T was loaded down and California bound and the dream of hope was just four days away, But the only change that I remember seein' in my Daddy was when his brown hair turned to silver grey
California cotton fields, where labor camps were filled with worried men and broken dreams, California cotton fields, was as close to wealth as Daddy ever came
Rich man, poor man, beggar or thief, no matter which one in this life you lead If you think you've reached the top of the world just look all around and you'll see There's one more hill, just one more hill, there's always a hill left to climb If you think you've reached the top of the world the hill of judgment is still left to climb There's a hill that you build every day that you live, the deeds that we do here below And tomorrow comes when we reach up above, you may climb that mountain and reach heaven's door There's one more hill, just one more hill, there's always a hill left to climb If you think you've reached the top of the world the hill of judgment is still left to climb The hill of judgment is still left to climb
A rhapsody! Contestants in disguise A nation of desire But who will win the prize? The people stand united, Reluctantly aligned Copying and lying Are the favorite past-time You've got a chance To confront the world today Desperate romance Is the curse of castaways What good is skill If you don't make it to the dance? Despite circumstance You've got a chance
Common life depicted on afternoon tv, Is spiked to give the miserable a vogue identity Hate your neighbors, Cheat your friends, They don't discriminate Popularity and fame don't care If you're a reprobate
You've got a chance To confront the world today Desperate romance Is the curse of castaways What good is skill If you don't make it to the dance? Despite circumstance You've got a chance
I'm tired of all this Shakespearean misinformation I want to win the game You've got the right intentions But who's got time to think? You've got a noon appointment, You've got to hit the links You're talking in the stratosphere, You're curled up on the floor With such a wealth of information, Why are you so poor? You've got a chance To be relevant today Desperate romance Is the curse of castaways What good is skill If you don't make it to the dance? (don't you believe what the wise men have to say) Despite circumstance You've got a chance
It's a long way to the promise land So you'd better well know your way There's a ship on the ocean And an albatross who is trying to lead you astray Leaders, politicians, and power whores Are in line to receive your choice And you bet your ass, if you give it to them, They will gladly take your voice And it's a long way to the promise land Wo-oh Oh oh oh oh It's a long way to the promise land, If we work we might find it here There's no substitute for enlightenment, There's no reason for bridled fear When you join the people who've joined the club You gotta clench and play your hand 'Cuz if you fall in line you're gonna fall in time And you'll never make a stand It's a long way to the promise land Wo-oh Oh oh oh oh What are you going to do? When they come for you? Bend and capitulate? Or keep your head on straight? easy answers bought without experience, Is gonna lead you to certain doom Because the truth is just what you make of it, It begins and ends with you! And it's a long way to the promise land Wo-oh oh oh oh oh
I don't want to live In a world without melody Sometimes the rhythmic din Of society is too much for me But purpose is prioritized These days the goal is win the prize There's a sleeping resonance we hold, Through which we're unified So let it out! don't just get lost in the crowd No one can deter you from your own path There's no trip too remote From which you can't come back And I've got this hunch about you and me None of us are ready For a world without melody Melody is the key, It's the surest way To unlock your individuality Melody is the key, It will set you free! Don't disrelish harmony, Community will make you whole Work and understanding are the chords Way deep within your soul They only need to be struck once, And the vibrations swell and spread But if we mute them they decay, Our sensibilities are dead So let it out! don't just be one of the crowd Hesitance and diffidence will do you in And your soul doesn't care For social medicine And I've got this hunch About you and me None of us are ready For a world without melody Melody is the key, It's the surest way To unlock your individuality Melody is the key, It will set you free! And I know together we could change the world Just you and me But I won't live without melody
Do you know the cost of future misery? Have you lost your sense of sustainability? We are just a step away From realizing what we strive to be But we've got to break out From this insulated, blind and lame senility Wake up the new america wo-oh! Transcend the mass hysteria wo-oh! Change is the thing you're wary of wo-oh! We need a new america wo-oh! Laurels, human triumph Bestowments from the past Victories don't mean a thing If they don't last We are just marching toward extinction With blinders on our eyes Jeopardizing everything We've learned and come to realize You call that wise? Open your eyes america wo-oh! See through the lies they tell to us wo-oh! Confront the fears that worry us wo-oh! We need a new america wo-oh! We don't have to be afraid to re-invent We've got to start to build Progress and implement For when we take our fill And never pay the price We only build ourselves A fleeting, false paradise You can live in staunch denial And mark me as your enemy But I'm just a voice among the throng Who want a brighter destiny They say with me We are the new america wo-oh! This is the new america? Wo-oh
You were the one, You were my everything Never apart, No one in-between Then one day, When you went your own way You felt justified, And I was mortified But today... You are just a picture And a thousand memories Is all I take with me 'Cuz your smile Is just too much to see You're just a thousand memories Fantasies, broken dreams Reveries, sordid histories Following my heart, Laden with reaction, Without calibration or design Committed to a trial, A life of understanding Can't somebody show a sign to you For me to see if you only knew That you were the one You were my everything Never apart, No one in-between Then one day, When you went your own way You felt justified, And I was mortified But today... You are just a picture And a thousand memories Is all I take with me 'Cuz a picture is worth one thousand memories
Well, it was punk-fifteen in the morning And it was time to stand my ground And as the gawks and stares bombarded me You know, I didn't even hear a sound No one gave a damn If I was there or away If I died and went to hell, They'd throw a party on my grave And they'd all say "this kid is just a fool, he'll never be cool They might as well just ship him off to some other school" Plain destitute Just a little too guilty, just a little too soon That day was just like any other day No work, and no pay I knew that paradise was some other place And I'd get there another day I will find it before I expire 'Cuz I've got the desire Well, it was punk-fifteen in the evening And it was time to set the town on fire I saw my boots and my hair As reflected in the mirror Reveal a streetkid named desire I didn't give a damn Because I was just dying to be And as the Hollywood street scene Left its mark on me I changed from a boy into a man I said "never again!" I stuck out my chin when I should have ran Shit in the fan I was driven so hard By the sound of my heart But that day was just like any other day No work, and no pay I knew that paradise was some other place And I'd get there another day I will find it before I expire 'Cuz I've got the desire When the walls surround In deeper shades of blue And there's no voice of reason inside you And you search for meaning On an empty shelf Then you're always dreaming Of somewhere else Today is just like any other day No fear, no restraint I know that paradise is some other place And I will get there another day You can come with me, No conditions or fares Somehow, somewhere, I will find it before I expire, 'Cuz I've got the desire
All those stories that my dad told me, they are just a whisper in time All those things that never came to be, they are just a whisper in time A whisper in time, a whisper in time Things that I can't shake from my mind A whisper in time, a whisper in time Moments that just flicker and die (memories that flicker and die) All those places I wanted to go, they are just a whisper in time All those friends who now I do not know, they are just a whisper in time A whisper in time, a whisper in time Things that I can't shake from my mind A whisper in time, a whisper in time Moments that just flicker and die Maps and roads that brought me here today, they are just a whisper in time Circumstances that were explained away, they are just a whisper in time A whisper in time, a whisper in time Things that I can't shake from my mind A whisper in time, a whisper in time Moments that just flicker and die 'Cuz we are messengers of memory Just whispers in time
It could happen to you, a defect from the wasted outskirts of los angeles with a crumpled-up pass for the RTD And no authority or trajectory on the brink of insanity You'd better believe it because it's written all over your face just a neighborhood reject, out of step and out of place You'd better believe it Would you ever have thought persistence could prevail against the almost unbearable weight of the system? With nothing better to do, and no one else who you can look up to You'd better believe it because it's written all over your face A political defect, out of step and out of place You'd better believe it And the future is bright when ideas run astray So turn out the light, A punk can't have a say Sometimes desire is all that's there Who said life was fair?
I love my computer You make me feel alright Every waking hour and every lonely night I love my computer for all you give to me: predictable errors and no identity And it's never been quite so easy I've never been quite so happy All I need to do is click on you and we'll be joined in the most soul-less way And we'll never ruin each other's day 'cuz when I'm through I just click and you just go away I love my computer you're always in the mood I get so turned on when I turn on you I love my computer you never ask for more You can be a princess or you can be my whore And it's never been quite so easy I've never been quite so happy The world outside is so big but it's safe in my domain Because to you I'm just a number and a clever screen name All I need to do is click on you and we'll be together for eternity And no one is ever gonna take my love from me because I've got security her password and a key
