1. |
The Dreadful Night
01:40
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When the blue light of dusk gives way to the black
And the forces of night prepare their attack
Will we hold fast together in the guttering light
Or disappear this dreadful night
When bitter old memories drop by for a drink
Then follow the good ones that swirl down the sink
Will we swim through this darkness and into the light
Or disappear this dreadful night
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2. |
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Listen my dear don't shed your tears like the rain o'er this new Netherlands
For tonight I'll dream of you here in my arms
On this island of godless men
Yeah tonight I'll dream of you here in my arms
On this island of godless men
I look to the sky for a trace of our Lord
To ask him "Oh where have you been?"
Which vice won't they try? Which lust won
t they dare
On this island of godless men
Yeah nothing is sacred and all is allowed
On this island of godless men
In the wild and dark when the fireflies arc
O'er this profane country of sin
Lights from taverns and bars
They blot out all the stars
All we hear are the jeers from within
One day seas will rise
One day fire will come
One day life will be at an end
And when that blessed day comes this land will be cleansed
This island of godless men
And when that great day comes I'll be standing alone
On this island of godless men
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3. |
An American Man
04:22
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Bring the shovels and the torches too
Bring a box to put him into
And bring the conscience of this Resurrection Man
I'm off to find an American Man
Twigs are snappin' and the foxes are a-howlin'
The moon is lost and the dark is all around in
This forest as we dig as quiet as we can
And uncover the bones of an American Man
Poor Tom Paine
Here he lies
Nobody cries
Where he's gone
How he fares
Nobody cares
At the Custom House in Liverpool, I'll explain
The mortal remains of the immortal Thomas Paine
And I'll recall the way it all began
The dream of a home for this American Man
In a superstitious country ruled by priests and kings
Where reason's driven out by flapping angel's wings
Did you think we'd see the end of your master plan
Breaking the chains of the American
Poor Tom Paine
Here he lies
Nobody cries
Where he's gone
How he fares
Nobody cares
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4. |
The Death of Silas Deane
04:39
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This ship is westbound
And I'm going home
I listen to the waves and I am alone
My name has been slandered
My garden deranged
My stomach's churning and I'm feeling strange
But is it that thunder above that makes my head spin
Or did someone I know slip a poison pill under my skin
In that hopeless revolution
I shook all the hands
I didn't speak the language of the land
I knocked on every marquis' door
I prowled every street
But damn me if I did not save the receipts
So let the jackals howl for blood
As the traitor stands accused
Their lies all whisper to me now
They tell me that I've been used
I'm going down where a darkness awaits
It drags me close with pulleys and weights
Into a bleak little town where all the lanterns have died
There's noise all around but it's quiet inside
So let the jackals howl for blood
As the traitor stands accused
Their lies all whisper to me now
They tell me that I've been used
So let the jackals howl for blood
As the traitor takes the stand
Let my reputation crawl through the mud
Of this unforgiving land
I'm going down where a darkness awaits
It drags me close with pulleys and weights
Into a bleak little town where all the lanterns have died
There's noise all around but it's quiet inside
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5. |
Oppie Struck a Match
03:36
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Way up in the valley where nothing ever grows
We made our camp and lit our lamps
That sway when the cold wind blows
Oppie rolled in with the gadget
And it shined so bright and true
He said, "My desire is to summon a fire
And a small one will not do."
When I came out from Princeton I was Albuquerque bound
I took that train through seas of grain to a tiny desert town
Oppie he raised up a pencil
Drew a circle on a spire
Will we open a cage to a heavenly age
Or set the night on fire
And we'll all fall to our knees when the thunder cracks far and wide
Like the calling of the master from the other side
Four o'clock in the morning and the rain came pouring down
The wind rolled in and it stung like sin
And our hearts began to pound
Oppie he raised up a finger
Said "It's time to strike the match."
A blooming flower at the top of the tower
A rattling of the latch
And the mountains came alive
Purple and green and white
And we saw that white whale in the morning light
What's that in the distance
A song like a long farewell
The humming white of the radiation light
The tolling of a bell
You can hear it when the crickets die away in the early morn
An angel in the east, a New Mexican beast on its way to be reborn
And we'll all fall to our knees when the thunder cracks far and wide
Like the calling of the master from the other side
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6. |
Hungry Angel
03:44
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Did you miss the taste of sugar on your tongue
All of the times that you refused it
No you were thinking of a starving soldier boy
With a life so small that he might lose it
And were you ever even kissed
Or would that fruit upon your lip bruise it
You said you knew the difference between a stomach and a soul
But you confused it
For a hungry angel
I know a story 'bout a girl who was tied to a stake
And then they burned it
You know that you were just like her
Except you lit that match yourself when you should have spurned it
And did you know that you deserved
All the love in the cruel world
Oh how you earned it
You couldn't stand the thought of someone else's pain
And so you took it and turned it
Into a hungry angel
If apathy is a crime
You'd have been arrested for the way you treated yourself
And as for that bloody boy up on the cross
What does he really care for us
He should of told you that you could have loved yourself
As much as those you cared about
As much as those who took the place of a hungry angel
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7. |
The Oldest Band in Town
02:27
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Keep all your money and bring me some wood for the fire
And please don't you tarry
I'm freezing inside though my skin holds the heat of desire
And I'll watch you go
I'll watch you go as you walk through the door
Coins in your hand
I'll watch you go
And I'll watch you walk down the Bowery and pray for your soul
The coins that you carry might lead you astray
To some dark as disreputable hole
And I'll watch you go
I'll watch you go as you drink down a fifth of absinthe and gin
I'll watch you go
And I'll watch you go as they carry you off towards the pier
Down near the ferry
Your pockets are empty
Your head and your feet are both bare
And I'll watch you go
I'll watch you go as you sink in the dark
Senseless and drunk
I'll watch you go
Now the oldest band in town is marching down the street
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8. |
Hiawatha
07:10
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9. |
Border Guard
04:01
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And when your luggage breaks
And everything you thought you owned comes crashing to the floor
Well you thought you locked it well
But don’t you know that these days things don’t stay locked anymore
Ooooo, I love it here
And when your passwords fail
And everything you need to know is laying just off screen
Well you thought you wrote it down
But don’t you know that these days things are never what they seem
Ooooo, I love it here
What candles did you burn to speed your way?
How many drops of rum?
What fierce demanding gods we have today
Just pick a door and see if you have won
And now the tide rolls out.
It’s 3am and you have had too much to drink
And you want to bring her home with you
But your keys are in the sand somewhere you think
Imagine a large field and in the middle stands a doorway
You will find me there
Well sure you could walk around...
Oooo, I love it here
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10. |
Cemetery Mink
05:17
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Down in a ribcage in the dry leaves of a heart
That’s where you’ll find me
Where it’s cool and where it’s dark
Underneath this country there’s a labyrinth of dirt
A hundred highways connecting all this murk
Found an ivory smile carved from hippopotamus
Held together with springs of gold and rust
This man was in pain. I could tell by his twisted hands
But I heard him sing as I took off through the soil and the sand
I’m a cemetery mink, my friend
I’m a cemetery mink and I’ll burrow on
And I lay down beneath Chicago with a fightin’ man
The imprints of a dozen jaws on the knuckles of his peaceful hands
I leaned in close and he gave his advice for free
“Eat cold eels and think those distant thoughts for me”
‘Cuz you're a cemetery mink, my friend
You're a cemetery mink and you'll burrow on
Through the cool and dark below my friends
Through the dark below you'll burrow on
Well there's a million names above me that I'll never read
Like the poisoned actress's warning that I'll never heed
And I can hear her sweet song fading through this city of debris
And all I want to ask her is to save a place for you and for me
'Cuz we are cemetery minks, my friends.
We are cemetery minks and we’ll burrow on
With lighted candles in our mouths my friends
With lighted candles in our mouths we'll burrow on
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