1. |
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Down, down, down, down
It all comes crashing down
Got out of Decatur with my skin intact
And a fat stack of Benjies in a gunny sack
If I had any interest in looking back
I’d see it all come crashing down
On to Kingdom City then no time to spare
I’d been corresponding with a rich widow there
Was time to shift gears into debonair
Until it all came crashing down
Down, down, down, down
Until it all came crashing down
Every mark I ever took, they never had a clue
You could say I loved them all, just their money too
I loved them right up until I flew the coup
And it all came crashing down
Down, down, down, down
Until it all came crashing down
Well I don’t know just what piece I’m missing
My mama loved me and she told me so
Why I do what I do, I’m tired of guessing
But I do it real well so I’ve let it go
Well me and Widow Brown we really hit it off
It came as some surprise that she was smoking hot
Guess I’d have me a time until the getting’s got
And it all came crashing down
Down, down, down, down
It all came crashing down
I wooed her like you’d woo an Egyptian queen
I dropped ten grand on some diamond bling
I’d get it back and more before her banker’d ring
And it all came crashing down
She gave a whoop and a holler and she kissed my face
Today she skipped without a trace
I found that diamond bling in a pawn shop case
And it all came crashing down
Down, down, down, down
It all comes crashing down
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2. |
El Norte
03:44
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Father, I’ll leave Arriaga tonight
On the train to Ixtepec
I’ll cling to a box car beneath the moon’s light
With Saint Thomas around my neck
And if I should fall from the beast in my sleep
To beneath its steel rims
I pray to the Lord God for my whole life to take
And not but only my limbs
I’ll be in el Norte
Should it be within God’s plan
That my future lies beyond the Rio Grande
Maria, the photograph you gave to me
I carry it over my heart
I kiss it once at the end of each day
And again when a new day starts
Maria, if you get a ransom demand
I’ve been taken by gun or by knife
Count up our money and send what you can
And they’ll spare your Javi’s life
I’ll be in el Norte
Should it be within God’s plan
That our future lies beyond the Rio Grande
Ramon, I saw the first step that you took
And I heard the first word that you spoke
But I won’t be there when you read your first book
Or when you swim your first stroke
Ramon, if my dream ever withers and dies
I offer this pledge to you
I’ll think of the boy with the light in his eyes
And see my journey through
I’ll be in el Norte
Should it be within God’s plan
That your future lies beyond the Rio Grande
That your future lies beyond the Rio Grande
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3. |
Junie Says
03:56
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Junie bumped OK one for the money
Junie winked OK two for the show
Junie told me,”You know true love, honey”
“You’ve known true love from the go”
When the emcee shouted in the mic, “Give it up for June”
A wave of anticipation swept the place
For the next ten minutes she gave it to the room
And for that ten minutes my eyes never left her face
She had the kind of eyes you’d wanna look into when you made love
A smile you’d be glad to let strike you blind
Junie had the stuff that dreams are made of
I knew it ‘cause she’d been in every good one of mine
She pulled out a chair, sat down, said, “Welcome, stranger”
But her manner said she knew me all along
When I looked in her eyes I felt no sense of danger
So when she asked me my line I said, “Living off the con”
I sat there waiting for the air to go chilly
She looked right at me as I held my breath
“You remind me of my brothers Frank and Billy”
“They’re a little bit bent but I love ‘em to death”
Junie said, “Yes, I know I’m pretty”
“But this is not a stop on the road to fame”
“I’ll live and die in Kingdom City”
“Cause anyone I’ve ever loved is doing the same”
Big bouncer at the bar’s been shooting daggers my way
Junie laughs says, “I love that lug”, but then she pouts
“He wants to marry me but he says we can’t live on his and my pay”
I figure I’ve ten seconds to decide how to play this out
Junie said, “Time to get back to the salt mine”
She throws me a grin while she prances away
Then my chair’s shaking like it’s on the edge of a fault line
The bouncer’s in my face asking me my game
I pull a business card from a con I ran in Vegas
I said, “I’m gonna steal your girl but not the way you think”
“I’m a scout for the Doll House clubs, I’m gonna make her famous”
He thumbs the card, chews his lip, says, “Enjoy your drink”
Junie says “I know what true love is”
When I run into her at the end of that week
Junie says “You know what true love is”
She shows me a ring and she kisses my cheek
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4. |
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“Heaven help me Mama”, Billy says with some drama
”Gonna rob the Supermart tonight”
Frankie feels a panic, he’s a shade tree mechanic
And he knows when something doesn’t sound right
“Billy what you talkin’ ‘bout, you must be high”
Billy says, “No, I’m tired of just getting by
I wanna drink from the well before the well runs dry
I’m gonna rob the Supermart tonight”
Frankie has his druthers but he’s Billy’s older brother
He ain’t gonna let him go it alone
As they climb into their pick-up, Billy says, “It ain’t a stick-up
Cause we ain’t exactly Al Capone
We’ll duck into the bathroom at closing time
Hide in a stall with our feet up high
Then we’ll pick our loot and leave high and dry
We’re gonna rob the Supermart tonight”
The boys are feeling ballsy till they try to leave the stall
They find to their surprise the latch is jammed
Frankie’s skinny as an oar, he squeezes underneath the door
But Billy’s built like a holiday ham
Frankie says, “Billy now don’t be scared
They got an aisle full of tools just sitting there”
And he’s back in a moment loaded up for bear
They’re gonna rob the Supermart tonight
Frankie slips a socket on a bolt holding the latch
But when he cranks the socket splits in half
He swears and takes a screwdriver to the hinge
But the handle snaps when he ties to pop the pin
He slams a crow bar between the stall and door
But it bends into a U and Frankie roars
“My God, what crook would make this stuff?”
“If you paid me to take it, it wouldn’t be enough!”
So mad he can’t stand it, Frankie goes bare-handed
At the stall and rips it off of its stand
They run down a food aisle, like they’re doing the mile
Frankie puffing with a vise in each hand.
Billy says, “Why you wanna lug that crap?”
Frankie says, “They might have some use at that”
Then he lets them fly through the front door glass
That’s how they left the Supermart tonight
Manager says, “Sheriff, what kinda crook
Would pass by all this stuff without a second look?
A can of beanie-weenies was all they took
When they robbed the Supermart tonight”
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5. |
Are you an Angel?
03:51
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Another day the boss couldn’t use me
I felt my quest had come undone
I had only dollar bills and change
And I missed my wife and son
I was walking back to the apartment
That I shared with some guys like me
I heard a moan come from the alley
And saw two big men run into the street
I had to walk into that alley
Or my conscience would complain
I found a man there bruised and bloody
He was calm but in great pain
I stood to go for some assistance
He gripped my hand and pulled me back
“No hospital” was all he said
I didn’t speak much English but I understood that
I helped him inside and put him on my bed
And as best I could cleaned the blood from his face and hair
Just before he passed out he asked “Are you an angel?”
I said, “No, my name is Javier”
When he woke twenty hours later
I was sleeping on the floor
I helped him to the bathroom then
Back to bed to sleep some more
Later on I made soup on my hotplate
Then we shared a pot of tea
We couldn’t talk so that night we played chess
His style was a little risky for me
He gave me a note with a name and an address
She answered when I rang there the next noon
As she read, I whispered, “Es verdad usted es un angel”
She looked up and laughed, “No, I’m just June”
She said, “I knew my high school Spanish”
“Would be put to use one day”
Though her the man expressed his thanks
Then he asked many questions of me
To one I said that I had no papers
So there were few jobs I could have
Miss June winked at the man and said
“I think I know someone who can help you with that”
They left that night but then just one week later
They returned and gave an envelope to me
I looked inside then asked him, “Are you an angel?”
Miss June answered, “Sí, pero él no lo sabe”
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6. |
Willie's Gone to Ground
03:02
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Willie ain’t at the barber
Willie ain’t at the flicks
Willie ain’t at the Supermart ogling the Chicks
Willie hit the lotto
Been a year since he’s been ‘round
He got everybody wondering
Where Willie’s gone to ground
Lenny claimed to own his ticket
Martha claimed to be his wife
Folks claimed to be his friend he never met once in his life
He gave half to his Mama
And half to Widow Deidre Brown
Deidre said, “I know you’re sufferin’”
“I can help Willie go to ground”
Deidre said, “We’ll buy a house”
“Open a bank account”
“We’ll put ‘em in my name that way you never will be found”
“Write some letters to your mama”
“Say you’re Jamaica bound”
“We’ll lead ‘em on a goose chase”
“And Willie can go to ground”
Willie liked to keep it simple
Video games and Mountain Dew
He’d never leave the house he’d have some time to think it through
He wrote a bunch of letters
To be sent from out of town
Then he gave ‘em up to Deidre
And Willie went to ground
Willie’s mama got suspicious
It was Willie’s chicken scrawl
But Willie weren’t the type to write, he’d grab a phone and call
She hired some detectives
To track her Willie down
But the letters kept on coming
Willie had gone to ground
They couldn’t find him in Jamaica
Couldn’t find him nowhere else
Till the day he turned up underneath a slab at Deidre’s house
Well he’d been there seven months
With a bullet in his crown
Now Deidre’s in the wind
And Willie’s gone to ground
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7. |
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I’m sitting in my booth in Paddy’s Pub
Digging through my wallet for a ticket stub
Had some notes on it for my next grift
I knew my luck was about to shift
I find a picture of my Mama, faded brown
I swear her smile turned into a frown
Well I’m sure it’s just a trick of light
Someone’s walking on my grave tonight
I remember Mama kept us just afloat
‘til the day a carpetbagger bought up her note
Our car went first and then our home
We moved in with my Auntie Reaume
I remember watching Mama grow more tired each day
One night I swore I’d make the bastard pay
She crossed herself and I heard her sigh
“Someone’s walking on my grave tonight”
Well before I start seeing Santa’s elves
I head to the back to refresh myself
Hold my head ‘neath the faucet ‘til my mind is clear
Start to comb my hair in the mirror
And just like that in my face I see
Every mark I ever took looking back at me
I can’t blame this on a trick of light
Someone’s walking on my grave tonight
Well I never had a worry ‘til I landed in Missouri
And Junie with the gift read me straight away
She said “A dark cloud’s a-coming and the fat lady’s humming”
“But it’s light enough to see the way”
Well a grifter with a conscience is about as good
As a submarine made of balsa wood
Since that night a year ago
I’ve been on the straighter road
Not ruler straight – it’s had a bend or two
My dealings tend to have a grayish hue
But now Mama smiles in any light
And no one’s walking on my grave tonight
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8. |
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Frankie says, “Wake up Billy”,
“I got a piece of the Holy Grail”
“There’s an abandoned home that the city owns”
“And they’re putting it up for sale”
“It needs a new bathroom floor”
“They’ll give us two hundred bucks for what I’m sure”
“Is but a couple hours of work”
“Then we can buy them new fishing reels”
“Something tells me we’re gonna come out ahead on this deal”
Frankie says “You get started”
“I’ll come over when I’ve had me a nap”
But when he wakes an hour later, there’s Billy in his waders
Practicing his side arm cast
He says, “Billy, why are you still here?”
Billy says, “I got Junie’s friend Javier”
“To do it for a hundred bucks”
“We’ll make a hundred just for kicking our heels”
“You can thank me now we’re gonna come out ahead on this deal”
Now Javier’s a helluva a worker
But his English skills are kinda poor
He didn’t quite understand when Billy waved his hand
And said, “You gotta pull up this floor”
So when he has all the tiles pried loose
He grabs a sledge and puffing like a charging moose
He takes it to the concrete slab
In a cloud of whirling steel
Starting to doubt he’s gonna come out ahead on this deal
Not long after Javi punches through to earth
He stops to cross himself
While Frank and Billy, just arrived,
Stand there open mouthed
Looking in the hole at a head, a foot
And some other body parts
Frankie sighs, “There’s so much here wrong”
“I don’t even know where to start”
The sheriff says, “Which of you Bubbas”
“Found that body buried there?”
Well from years of habit as the first to rabbit
Billy blurts, “It was Javier”
The sheriff stares Javi down
Says, “Willie’s Mama’s glad that he’s finally found”
“You mighta heard there’s a big reward”
“Well I’m here to say it’s real”
“Looks like Javier’s coming out ahead on this deal”
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9. |
Junie Bug's Wedding Day
03:55
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The shadow of smoke stacks
Fell over the stained glass
The priest showed up with booze on his breath
His jokes boring us groomsmen to death
We looked like banditos
In sky blue tuxedoes
Sure the bridesmaids thought we were the cream
On Junie-Bug’s wedding day
They came down the aisle
Her father all smiles
Till this moment came he didn’t know
If her bun in the oven would show
They followed a snot nose
Kid holding a pillow
Pinned to it two gold plated rings
For Junie-Bug’s wedding day
When they lifted her veil came a sigh from the crowd
As they witnessed a rainbow appear through the clouds
And her smile shined upon us like sun on our skin
As the old folks felt summer return to their limbs
And the young folks felt she could forgive us our sins
The inside of the Elk’s hall
Smelled of pizzelles and sauerkraut
The bride’s uncle three sheets to the wind
Danced in his bare feet to the Sultans of Swing
And the perfumed old ladies
Critiquing the gravy
Were scandalized by the cut of the gowns
On Junie-Bug’s wedding day
Well the groom was a tough guy, a man among men
But even he trembled as he lifted her hem
And of the bachelors among us there wasn’t a man
Who wouldn’t risk broken limbs to recover that band
To present it to her with a kiss to her hand
I knelt down to kiss her
My brat baby sister
Who turned into the beautiful bride
On Junie-Bug’s wedding day
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10. |
Hildegard
03:10
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I can see through my window the bride and groom are beaming
I take off my collar, daydreaming
Hildegard
The best man peeks in, invites me to the reception
Seems I’ll have to maintain my deception
Hildegard
I let slip a smile at a couple shamelessly necking
Surely not the look they were expecting
Hildegard
I join in with families laughing, eating and drinking
All the time it’s of you I am thinking
Hildegard
When I see you out, your long hair falling
Loose and free, I’m even less sure
That I chose the higher calling
When we found one even as pure
I walk alone to my prison and sanctuary
Drink a shot, say a Hail Mary
Your habit held close to my heart
Its scent is a comfort that’s left me a little less hollow
Since the day I said I couldn’t follow
Hildegard
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11. |
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I wake up in the park to the meadow larks
And amble down to Paddy’s pub
Grab a dust pan and broom, start to sweep the room
While Paddy pours me a steaming cup
He winks and points to the bar where Miss Hildegard
Left me a note, “Can you prune my tree?”
Well for her apple pie and a place to sleep tonight
The better part of the deal’s to me
Well it’s half past eight and I got me a date
With Mrs. Marx about to lose her home
She serves me hot coffee cake and a peck on the cheek
For to teach her how to grift a loan
Then to the rectory where Father Phillipy
Winks and passes me a couple tens
For a pint of Jim Beam that’ll do him a week
Until I visit again
They call me the mayor of Kingdom City
It’s a moniker I humbly bear
I live on the corner of the edge of gritty
I seem to be most useful there
Walking back past the square I see Javier
On a break from laying walk
He waves and with a smile he splits a tamale
And I teach him some American talk
By then it’s just past noon I go to my friend June’s
She’s a stripper with a heart of gold
She trims my hair and then to make us square
I sit her babies while she does her show
Well the light at the end of the tunnel’s burning
But it doesn’t happen accidentally
Someone’s gotta be the grease that keeps the wheels turning
I reckon it might as well be me
Sun’s going red, I lock the tools in the shed
Comb my hair as I cross the yard
Brush the twigs from my vest so I look my best
For the lovely Miss Hildegard
If you come down, come down, come down,
Come down to Kingdom City make sure
You pay a visit to the mayor of Kingdom City
I’ll give you the nickel tour
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