Halcyon Days
When jealousy raps on the door
“Well what have you come here for”
“To whisper your dreams away

They say you’ve loved too hard
Enough to enrage the gods
And now there’s hell to pay”

And with your name upon my lips
I sunk down
And relived your farewell kiss
As I drowned

So I went off in search of advice
Though you warned me to think twice
“I see death on the sea my love”

I said “I’ll return before long
And we’ll live in the light of the dawn”
We heard faint laughter above

And with your name upon my lips
No one’s ever loved like this
I sunk down
And relived your farewell kiss
As I drowned

Run and see run to the shore
And at your feet on waves I’ll roll
Still asleep drenched to the core
And we will love like gods once more

 

Song of Songs
Yonder stands my darling she’s all dressed in white
A crown of flames around her head
And if I’m falling over you know she gets me right
And if I’m sick she carries me to bed

When i reach the other side
I’m gonna tell them how she treated me kind
Oh the worlds i have seen
And she’s alright with me

With the song of solomon upon her lips
The light of morning in her eyes
Jordan river in her graveyard hips
You know I’m bound to be baptized

When i see the rising sun
I’m gonna tell them all the good she’s done
Oh the worlds i have seen
And she’s alright with me

And all the wasted days I’ve spent
Giving thieves all of my time
I’m changing ways and
I’m leaving them behind

 

My Love Won’t Wait
You can try, but ain’t no use
I’ll lose it if you cut me loose
You can try, but ain’t no use

I’ll lose it if you cut me loose

Darling please don’t hesitate
Can I get you now, or must I wait?
I can feel my patience running thin
I stare the wall, walk the floor
But somehow end up at your door
And you refuse to let me in

But something ain’t quite right to me
I can’t seem to let you leave
My love won’t wait

Come back when you’re most alone
My coat pocket’s full of stones
Hurl at your window while you sleep
You don’t let me hang around
But Imma tear your plate ass down
Run to the river bridge and leap

Cause something ain’t quite right to me
I can’t seem to let you leave
My love won’t wait

Don’t you threat, don’t you fear
While I whisper in your ear
There’s no escape

Cause something ain’t quite right to me
I can’t seem to let you leave
My love won’t wait

So don’t you threat, don’t you fear
While I whis?er in your ear
There’s no escape

You can try, but ain’t no use
I’ll lose it if you cut me loose
You can try, but ain’t no use
I’ll lose it if you cut me loose
You can try, but ain’t no use
You can try, but ain’t no use
You can try, but ain’t no use
You can try, but ain’t no use
You can try, but ain’t no use
You can try, but ain’t no use
You can try, but ain’t no use
You can try, but ain’t no use

 

Broken Eyes
Hey there girl with the broken eyes, ain’t my love been true
Ain’t no need to act surprised when it comes back to you
When it comes back to you

The wind blows high and the wind blows low, as long as I have known
Everything that blows away, soon is gonna come back home
Soon is gonna come back home

Standing there in your raven hair, acting like you don’t know
Lips that launched a thousand ships, that’s where my money goes
Where my money goes

I know they say I’ll rue the day, I gave you a peice of my heart
It’s do re mi, and dust to dust, things all fall apart
Things all fall apart

Hey there girl with the broken eyes, ain’t my love been true
Ain’t no need to act surprised when it comes back to you
When it comes back to you

The wind blows high and the wind blows low, as long as I have known
Everything that blows away, soon is gonna come back home
Soon is gonna come back home
Soon is gonna come back home
Soon is gonna come back home

 

Ride Away
As I went up the hill
To see the sisters three
The only words that they could say
Were “Soon they’ll come for thee”

As I went to the square
To see my brother hang
The only words that he could say
Were “Til we meet again”

Ride away, ride away
Baby we will ride
Rest upon my shoulder
Until the morning light

As I went to the church
To let my soul be stilled
The only words that I could hear
Came echoing from the hill

Ride away, ride away
Baby we will ride
Sleep upon my should
While the bullets ’round us fly
Far away, far away
Way out past the world

Ride away, ride away
Baby we will ride
Sleep upon my shoulder
With a bullet in your side
Far away, far away
Way out past the world.

 

Decay
You know how to fall
Take this heart throw it out

How you swoon and fall

You hold too much in stall
Take these hands, take this heart from the wall

Scorpions at my feet
Bloated arms, decaying teeth

You know that I want to live
Dark night upon the innocent lips
Forage the decay from the inside of your hips
Scream prostrate light from your throat

 

Winter’s Youth
In the Winter of your youth
With a string tied ’round your tooth
Your mother slammed the door
Don’t want to hear no more

From the corner of your mouth
As the truth came wandering out
You longed for something else
Than your life upon the shelf

Out upon the open road you learned to say goodbye
Such a lovely day to die
And all these things I have seen within your two blue eyes

In the silence of this town
As the truth came wandering out
Your neighbor slams his door
Don’t want to hear no more.

 

Willie
Willie sweet willie where did you go
Riding around the town on a drunken spree
If I did you wrong won’t you let me know
And if I did you good then have a drink on me

I’ve known you baby since you was a child
Hair all curly and eyes of green
You know your kisses still drive me wild
Why do you gotta treat me oh so mean

Why you gotta go and be oh so coy
Burning down the town in that limousine
I know you’ve been flirting with the other boys
But if you come back home I’ll treat you like a king
Willie sweet Willie where did you go
Riding ’round the town on a drunken spree
If I did you wrong won’t you let me know
If I did you good then bring it back to me

 

Cradle Pyre
On a tidal wave I stand
Perhaps of me you’ve heard
With a storm cloud in my hand
I’ve come dispensing word

Of your company I’ve tired
Your welcome here is worn
It is you who lit this cradle pyre
It is you who woke this storm

So I do this with regret
But you’ve left me little choice
When your mouth is full of threats
When you speak you use my voice

Oh child where will you run
When the world’s on fire?
Old man see what you’ve done
As the flames grow higher.

 

Sunday Souvenirs
I have seen the summer sun come rest upon your cheek
And I have seen young Hercules grow feeble and grow weak
Memories of what I gave away
Lost love all the love that’s lost along the way
Slow down let me hold you once before you fade

When all of my leaving is done then I will take my rest
Count all my possessions when there’s no possessions left
Memories are all i have today
Lost love all the love that’s lost and gone away
Slow down let me hold you once before you fade

And all my friends and family and lovers I have known
You know you mean much more to me than I have ever shown
Memories of what I gave away
Lost love all the love that’s lost and gone away
Slow down let me hold you once before you fade

 

Dyin’ Crapshooter’s Blues
Well now Jesse was a gambler
Night and day
He used crooked cards and dice
Son of a guy, good-hearted
He but had no soul
His heart was hard and cold like ice
Jesse was a wild reckless gambler
The one game he could not win
Sweet Lorena ‘outta north atlanta
She done stole his heart from him
And she was married to a rich man
With a house on a hill
But Jesse had to see her still
So come the shadows of night
He came around
And he cut the old man down
Broke his heart
Left him cold out alone
Sweet Lorena packed up and gone
And the police walked up
And shot my friend down
Said “Boys, I gotta die today”
He had eight crapshooters
Around his bedside
To hear the words he had to say
“guess I ‘otta know exactly hows I wanna to go”
How you wanna go ‘ole Jesse?
Eight crapshooter to be my pallbearers
Let ’em all be bailed down in black
I want nine men
Going to the graveyard, buddy
But just eight men are coming back
I want gamblers
Gathered around my coffin side,
A crooked card upon my hearse
Don’t say the crapshooters
Are allowed to grieve over me
That there doggone curse
Water my grave with some moonshine
Now dig it with the ace of spades
I want 12 polices in my funeral march
High sheriff ’bout to led the parade
I want that judge who jailed me
14 times to put a,
A pair of dice in my shoes
Let a deck of cards be my tombstone buddy,
I got the dyin’ crapshooters blues

16 real good crapshooters
16 bootlegger there to sing songs
16 hobos off the casey line
To kick up dust while I’m rollin’ along
(All the hoes
That I used to know
From way before
Kiss me from my head to my toes
Give me paper and pen
So I can write about my life of sin couple bottles of gin
In case I don’t get in)
Or
(I want 22 women at the hampton hotel
And 26 off-a South Bell
But just 1 woman ‘outta north atlanta
To give me pleasure ‘fore I gets to hell)
Well his head was achin’
His heart was thumpin
Jesse went down bouncin’ and jumpin’ said,
“folks don’t be standin around moanin’ and cryin”
He wants everybody to do the charleston whilst he dies
One foot up and a toenail draggin’
Throw my buddy Jesse
In the hoodoo wagon
Come here mama
With your can of booze
Dyin’ crapshooter’s blues (help me)
The dyin’ crapshooter’s blues
Goin down with the dyin’ crapshooter’s blues