seems like home to me

baby let your light shine on me when
i’m lost on the road you could set me free you could ease my load but
days get so dark that i can’t hardly see and i been gone so long it seems
like home to me when i was young of age i took you for my world the oceans
were your eyes the pastures were your curls but now i’m all alone stranded
in the west and were you sleep tonight i can only guess baby let your light
shine on me when i’m lost on the road you could set me free you could
ease my load but there’s something over the hills you know i gotta see
i been gone so long it seems like home to me i gave you all i got told you
all i know but you want something i’m not so its time for me to go but
when a sparrow needs its rest it takes the nearest tree and if i pass back
this way can i still light on thee baby let your light shine on me when i’m
lost on the road you could set me free you could ease my load see there’s
something that i lack that just won’t let me be and i been gone so long
it seems like home to me

lady

once when i was daily growin’
dressed in red from head to toe and you were all the thoughts i’s knowin’ and
the sun gave shine no care the season while i learned my one two threes and
you came in to teach me treason now i spend my each day busy jumpin’ on
the minstrel show searchin’ for a face i know and i just walk for hours
down the red brick march of market street spend my each day in repeat lady
she’s alright with me done borrowed all my empathy now you know she got
the best of me cause she’s not lyin’ next to me all things fine
sweet day beginning i got up and fell right in and climbed up to where you
were livin’ and you stood in the back door yawnin’
in that cruel way that leads me on and you’re the reason i wake each
mornin’ now sunshine plays the puddles through the mornings evenings
afternoons i count my thoughts with coffee spoons and something reeks of heaven ‘neath
the highway where the hobos sleep and laugh about the pains i keep lady she’s
a friend of mine cause i know how to take me (my?) time but i can’t say
that without lyin’ so i’ll try not to try next time i ain’t got no one to bear my
burden though i could pay with sips of wine old men like me just tuck their
shirts in too busy runnin’ out though we do our best to do with out still
too busy runnin’ out of time lady i can’t take no rest with all
this wait across my chest yesterday i love the best done borrowed too much
happiness

up the country

it’s all down hill from here bottle
up your fear my head’s a bit unsteady and i think you’d better
steer see i’m north country bound gone but still renowned may not see
my face no more so keep my picture round well once there was a youth i lead
a fallacy i chased got so used to them somehow but now there’s criminals
in my head who lead me to disgrace i’m so lost i best not get found though
i’m much too weak to ride i’ll watch these hills but glide mama
said i’m best off dead lord knows how hard i’ve tried incased my
skull with clouds made my failure loud heard a teardrop hit the ground somewhere
among the crowd but still i’m restless for the bed my tongue no longer
tastes old aunt dinah lay me down but if there’s someone in my stead
let him keep his place i’m not sure how long i’ll stick around
well there’s a girl who knows my name how i wish i could explain just
tell her that she’s at my side though at hers i can’t remain see
i’ve seen salvations yard but every highwayman’s been barred some
cheap box wine to ease my mind 101’s mighty hard so baby come hold my
head there is no time to waste you know i think i’m sinkin’ down
but i doubt you heard a word i said or looked into my face guess i’ll
see you next time around

all your faithless loyalties

let this be our last goodbye
no need to wonder why you never had the time to try no, don’t blame me
and don’t let me down so slow damage done now you can go but a few things
that you should know before you leave you can take this road of yours as something
of a quest never from your pedestal descend i’m sure that you’ve
seen better but for you i did my best you’ll go i’ll stay always
ends the same way somewhere round the bend see i’ve known lonesome things
you can’t come back from pray I never take you back again when the revolving
door of alabam’
looks your way with vicious plans and swears she always cleans her hands no
don’t give in cause when the miles are far between something in your
conscience screams of lipstick on a guillotine when the dawn caved in and don’t
you never think of me as one among the rest i got little else left to defend
i’m sure that you’ve seen better but for you i did my best but
sometimes nighttime brings you back again and i curse that western wind cause
i’ve known lonesome things you cant come back from hope i never see your
face again and in the streets of old juarez the daughters of hernan cortez
break their bodies for their bread the strangest pain and dress themselves
by candle light in lips of red in robes of white step out to pulverize the
night can you complain and all the faithless loyalties that decorate your chest
will they bring you comfort in the end i’m sure that you’ve seen
better but for you i did my best but you’ll go i’ll stay always
ends the same way justice you had planned but i’ve known lonesome and
things you can’t come back from i knew we’d be strangers in the
end

linger on

step out to clutch the evening air
‘straction from your disrepair and all of those who say they know walk
the balustrade till dawn you won’t blink and you won’t yawn never
let your weakness show though i keep your picture on the wall unplug the phone
in case you call and dust collects upon the sill still you misplace all your
faith in words as though you’ll ever feel assured if you don’t
know you never will but no i never meant you any harm suffocating shelter of
your arms if i let you down it wasn’t me but you who kept me round linger
on linger on while you wilt beneath the cold rings of silver chains of gold
cling like peasants to your skin and long to languish in your room spent your
sympathies too soon on all the songs of seraphim so sip your cigarettes and
tea be sure you never think of me when your vanities unload and in case your
beauty makes you weep for what you touched but couldn’t keep for what
you had but couldn’t hold but no i never meant you any harm suffocating
shelter of your arms if you should feel betrayed it wasn’t me but you
who made me stay linger on linger on well i’ll take your convalescent
dreams patch the wounds and sew the seams get you ready for the fall but should
you miss me when i’m gone girl your memory serves you wrong you never
needed me at all but you can miss the hollow of my hand and all the lives that
we had planned all the jealousies you sold and i’ll take back the youth
you can’t repay all the hours i gave away and all the lies i never told
but no i never meant you any harm suffocating shelter of your arms and if i
did you wrong it wasn’t me but you who wrote this song linger on linger
on