1. Duquesne Whistle
2. Soon After Midnight
3. Narrow Way
4. Long And Wasted Years
5. Pay In Blood
6. Scarlet Town
7. Early Roman Kings
8. Tin Angel
9. Tempest
10. Roll On John
DUQUESNE WHISTLE
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like it's gonna sweep my world away
I wanna stop in Carbondale and keep on going
That Duquesne train gon’ rock me night and day
You say I'm a gambler, you say I'm a pimp
But I ain't neither one
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Sounding like it’s on a final run
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like she's never blowed before
Blue light blinking, red light glowing
Blowing like she's at my chamber door
You smiling through the fence at me
Just like you always smiled before
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like she ain't gon’ blow no more
Can't you hear that Duquesne whistle blowing?
Blowing like the sky’s gonna blow apart
You're the only thing alive that keeps me going
You're like a time bomb in my heart
I can hear a sweet voice gently calling
Must be the mother of our Lord
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like my woman's on board
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like it's gon’ blow my blues away
You old rascal, I know exactly where you're going
I'll lead you there myself at the break of day
I wake up every morning with that woman in my bed
Everybody telling me she's gone to my head
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like it's gon’ kill me dead
Can't you hear that Duquesne whistle blowing?
Blowing through another no good town
The lights of my lady’s land are glowing
I wonder if they'll know me next time ‘round
I wondered if that old oak tree's still standing
That old oak tree, the one we used to climb
Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing
Blowing like she's blowing right on time
SOON AFTER MIDNIGHT
Something there is about you that strikes a match in
me
Is it the way your body moves or is it the way your
hair blows free?
Or is it because you remind me of something that used
to be
Somethin’ that crossed over from another century?
Thought I’d shaken the wonder and the phantoms of my
youth
Rainy days on the Great Lakes, walkin’ the hills of
old Duluth
There was me and Danny Lopez, cold eyes, black nights
and then there was Ruth
Something there is about you that brings back a
long-forgotten truth
Suddenly I found you and the spirit in me sings
Don’t have to look no further, you’re the soul of many
things
I could say that I’d be faithful, I could say it in
one sweet, easy breath
But to you that would be cruelty and to me it surely
would be death
Something there is about you that moves with style and
grace
I was in a whirlwind, now I’m in some better place
My hand’s on the sabre and you’ve picked up on the
baton
Somethin’ there is about you that I can’t quite put my finger on
NARROW WAY
I'm gonna walk across the desert 'til I'm in my right
mind
I won't even think about what I left behind
Nothing back there anyway, that I can call my own
Go back home, leave me alone
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I can’t work up to you, you'll surely have to work
down to me someday
Ever since the British burned the White House down
There's a bleeding wound in the heart of town
I saw you drinking from an empty cup
I saw you buried and I saw you dug up
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I can’t work up to you, you'll surely have to work
down to me someday
Look down angel from the skies
Help my weary soul to rise
I kissed her cheek, I dragged your plough
You broke my heart, I was your friend 'til now.
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I can’t work up to you, you'll surely have to work
down to me someday
In the courtyard of the golden sun
You stand and fight or you break and run
You went and lost your lovely head
For a drink of wine and a crust of bread
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I can’t work up to you, you'll surely have to work
down to me someday
We looted and we plundered on distant shores
Why is my share not equal to yours
Your father left you, your mother too
Even death has washed it's hands of you
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I can’t work up to you, you'll surely have to work
down to me someday
This is hard country to stay alive in
Blades are everywhere and they're breaking my skin
I'm armed to the hilt and I'm struggling hard
You won't get out of here unscarred.
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I can’t work up to you, you'll surely have to work
down to me someday
You got too many lovers waiting at the wall
About a thousand tons I couldn't count them all
Yesterday I could've thrown them all in the sea
Today, even one, may be too much for me
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I can’t work up to you, you'll surely have to work
down to me someday
Cake walkin’, baby, you can do no wrong
Put your arms around me, where they belong
I want to take you on a rollercoaster ride
Lay my hands all over ya, tie you to my side
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I can’t work up to you, you'll surely have to work
down to me someday
I've got a heavy stacked woman with a smile on her
face
And she has crowned my soul with grace
I’m still hurting from an arrow that pierced my chest
I'm gonna have to take my head and bury it between
your breasts
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I can’t work up to you, you'll surely have to work
down to me someday
Been dark all night but now it's dawn
The moving finger is moving on
You can guard me while I sleep
Piss away, the tears I weep
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I can’t work up to you, you'll surely have to work
down to me someday
I love women and she loves men
We've been to the west and we going back again
I heard a voice at the dusk of day
Saying, "Be gentle, brother, be gentle and
pray."
It's a long road, it's a long and narrow way
If I can’t work up to you, you'll surely have to work down to me someday
LONG AND WASTED YEARS
It's been such a long long time
Since we loved each other and our hearts were true
One time, for one brief day, I was the man for you
Last night I heard you talkin’ in your sleep
Saying things you shouldn't say, oh baby
You just may have to go to jail someday
Is there a place we can go, is there anybody we can
see?
Maybe,
It's the same for you as it is for me
I ain't seen my family in twenty years
That ain't easy to understand, they may be dead by now
I lost track of em after they lost their land
Shake it up baby, twist and shout
You know what it's all about
What are you doing out there in the sun anyway?
Don't you know, the sun can burn your brains right out
My enemy crashed into the dust
Stopped dead in his tracks and he lost his lust
He was run down hard and he broke apart
He died in shame, he had an iron heart
I wear dark glasses to cover my eyes
There are secrets in em that I can't disguise
Come back baby
If I hurt your feelings, I apologize
Two trains running side by side, forty miles wide
Down the eastern line
You don't have to go, I just came to you because
you're a friend of mine
I think that when my back was turned,
The whole world behind me burned
It's been a while,
Since we walked down that long, long aisle
We cried on a cold and frosty morn,
We cried because our souls were torn
So much for tears
So much for these long and wasted years
PAY IN BLOOD
Well I'm grinding my life out, steady and sure
Nothing more wretched than what I must endure
I'm drenched in the light that shines from the sun
I could stone you to death for the wrongs that you done
Sooner or later you make a mistake
I'll put you in a chain that you never will break
Legs and arms and body and bone
I pay in blood, but not my own
Night after night, day after day
They strip your useless hopes away
The more I take the more I give
The more I die the more I live
I got something in my pocket make your eyeballs swim
I got dogs could tear you limb from limb
I'm circling around the Southern Zone
I pay in blood, but not my own
Low cards are what I've got
But I'll play this hand whether I like it or not
I'm sworn to uphold the laws of God
You could put me out in front of a firing squad
I've been out and around with the rowdy men
Just like you, my handsome friend
My head's so hard, must be made of stone
I pay in blood, but not my own
Another politician pumping out the piss
Another angry beggar blowing you a kiss
You got the same eyes that your mother does
If only you could prove who your father was
Someone must have slipped a drug in your wine
You gulped it down and you cross the line
Man can't live by bread alone
I pay in blood, but not my own
How I made it back home, nobody knows
Or how I survived so many blows
I've been through hell, what good did it do?
You bastard! I'm suppose to respect you?
I'll give you justice, I'll fatten your purse
Show me your moral virtues first
Hear me holler and hear me moan
I pay in blood but not my own
You pet your lover in the bed
Come here, I'll break your lousy head
Our nation must be saved and freed
You've been accused of murder, how do you plead?
This is how I spend my days
I came to bury, not to praise
I'll drink my fill and sleep alone
I pay in blood, but not my own
SCARLET TOWN
In Scarlet Town, where I was born
There’s ivy leaf and silver thorn
The streets have names that you can’t pronounce
Gold is down to a quarter of an ounce
The music starts and the people sway
Everybody says, “Are you going my way?"
Uncle Tom still workin' for Uncle Bill
Scarlet Town is under the hill
Scarlet Town in the month of May
Sweet William Holme on his deathbed lay
Mistress Mary by the side of the bed
Kissin' his face and puttin' prayers on his head
So brave and true, so gentle is he
I’ll weep for him as he would weep for me
Little Boy Blue come blow your horn
In Scarlet Town, where I was born
Scarlet Town, in the hot noon hours,
There’s palm-leaf shadows and scattered flowers
Beggars crouching at the gate
Help comes, but it comes too late
By marble slabs and in fields of stone
You make your humble wishes known
I touched the garment, but the hem was torn
In Scarlet Town, where I was born
In Scarlet Town, the end is near
The Seven Wonders of the World are here
The evil and the good livin' side by side
All human forms seem glorified
Put your heart on a platter and see who will bite
See who will hold you and kiss you good night
There’s walnut groves and maplewood
In Scarlet Town cryin' won’t do no good
In Scarlet Town, you fight your father’s foes
Up on the hill, a chilly wind blows
You fight ‘em on high and you fight 'em down in
You fight 'em with whiskey, morphine and gin
You’ve got legs that can drive men mad
A lot of things we didn’t do that I wish we had
In Scarlet Town, the sky is clear
You’ll wish to God that you stayed right here
Set ‘em Joe, play “Walkin’ the Floor"
Play it for my flat-chested junkie whore
I’m staying up late, I’m making amends
While we smile, all heaven descends
If love is a sin, then beauty is a crime
All things are beautiful in their time
The black and the white, the yellow and the brown
It’s all right there in front of you in Scarlet Town
EARLY ROMAN KINGS
All the early Roman kings
In their sharkskin suits
Bow ties and buttons
High top boots
Drivin' the spikes in
Blazin' the rails
Nailed in their coffins
In top hats and tails
Fly away, little bird
Fly away, flap your wings
Fly by night
Like the early Roman kings
All the early roman kings
In the early early morn
Coming down the mountain
Distributing the corn
Speeding through the forest
Racing down the track
You try to get away
They drag you back
Tomorrow is Friday
We'll see what it brings
Everybody's talking
‘Bout the early roman kings
They're peddlers and they're meddlers
They buy and they sell
They destroyed your city
They'll destroy you as well
They're lecherous and treacherous
Hell-bent for leather
Each of 'em bigger
Than all them put together
Sluggers and muggers
Wearing fancy gold rings
All the women goin' crazy
For the early Roman kings
I can dress up your wounds
With a blood-clotted rag
I ain't afraid to make love
To a bitch or a hag
If you see me comin'
And you're standing there
Wave your handkerchief
In the air
I ain't dead yet
My bell still rings
I keep my fingers crossed
Like them early roman kings
I can strip you of life
Strip you of breath
Ship you down
To the house of death
One day
You will ask for me
There'll be no one else
That you'll wanna see
Bring down my fiddle
Tune up my strings
I'm gonna break it wide open
Like the early roman kings
I was up on black mountain
The day Detroit fell
They killed 'em all off
And they sent 'em to hell
Ding dong daddy
You're coming up short
Gonna put you on trial
In a Sicilian court
I've had my fun
I've had my flings
Gonna shake ‘em all down
Like the early roman kings
TIN ANGEL
It was late last night when the boss came home
To a deserted mansion and a desolate throne
Servant said: “Boss, the lady’s gone
She left this morning just ‘fore dawn.”
“You got something to tell me, tell it to me, man
Come to the point as straight as you can”
“Old Henry Lee, chief of the clan
Came riding through the woods and took her by the
hand”
The boss he lay back flat on his bed
He cursed the heat and he clutched his head
He pondered the future of his fate
To wait another day would be far too late
“Go fetch me my coat and my tie
And the cheapest labour that money can buy
Saddle me up my buckskin mare
If you see me go by, put up a prayer”
Well, they rode all night, and they rode all day
Eastward, long down the broad highway
His spirit was tired and his vision was bent
His men deserted him and onward he went
He came to a place where the light was dull
His forehead pounding in his skull
Heavy heart was racked with pain
Insomnia raging in his brain
Well, he threw down his helmet and his cross-handled
sword
He renounced his faith, he denied his lord
Crawled on his belly, put his ear to the wall
One way or another put an end to it all
He leaned down, cut the electric wire
Stared into the flames and he snorted the fire
Peered through the darkness, caught a glimpse of the
two
It was hard to tell for certain who was who
He lowered himself down on a golden chain
His nerves were quaking in every vein
His knuckles were bloody, he sucked in the air
He ran his fingers through his greasy hair
They looked at each other and their glasses clinked
One single unit, inseparably linked
“Got a strange premonition there’s a man close by”
“Don’t worry about him, he wouldn’t harm a fly”
From behind the curtain, the boss he crossed the floor
He moved his feet and he bolted the door
Shadows hiding the lines in his face
With all the nobility of an ancient race
She turned, she was startled with a look of surprise
With a hatred that could hit the skies
“You’re a reckless fool, I could see it in your eyes
To come this way was by no means wise”
“Get up, stand up, you greedy-lipped wench
And cover your face or suffer the consequence
You are making my heart feel sick
Put your clothes back on, double-quick”
“Silly boy, you think me a saint
I’ll listen no more to your words of complaint
You’ve given me nothing but the sweetest lies
Now hold your tongue and feed your eyes”
“I’d have given
you the stars and the planets, too
But what good would these things do you?
Bow the heart if not the knee
Or never again this world you’ll see”
“Oh, please let not your heart be cold
This man is dearer to me than gold”
“Oh, my dear, you must be blind
He’s a gutless ape with a worthless mind”
“You’ve had your way too long with me
Now it’s me who’ll determine how things shall be”
“Try to escape,” he cussed and cursed
"You’ll have to try to get past me first”
“Do not let your passion rule
You think my heart the heart of a fool
And you, sir, you can not deny
You made a monkey of me, what and for why?”
“I’ll have no more of this insulting chat
The devil can have you, I’ll see to that
Look sharp or step aside
Or in the cradle you’ll wish you’d died”
The gun went boom and the shot rang clear
First bullet grazed his ear
Second ball went right straight in
And he bent in the middle like a twisted pin
He crawled to the corner and he lowered his head
He gripped the chair and he grabbed the bed
It would take more than needle and thread
Bleeding from the mouth, he’s as good as dead
“You shot my husband down, you fiend”
“Husband? What husband? What the hell do you mean?
He was a man of strife, a man of sin
I cut him down and thrn threw him to the wind”
Well this she said with angry breath
“You too shall meet the lord of death
It was I who brought your soul to life”
Then she raised her robe and she drew out a knife
His face was hard and caked with sweat
His arms ached and his hands were wet
“You’re a murderous queen and a bloody wife
If you don’t mind, I’ll have the knife”
“We’re two of a kind and our blood runs hot
But we’re no way similar in body or thought
All husbands are good men, as all wives know”
Then she pierced him to the heart and his blood did
flow
His knees went limp and he reached for the door
His doom was sealed, he slid to the floor
He whispered in her ear: “This is all your fault
My fighting days have come to a halt”
She touched his lips and kissed his cheek
He tried to speak but his breath was weak
“You died for me, now I’ll die for you”
She put the blade to her heart and she ran it through
All three lovers together in a heap
Thrown into the grave, forever to sleep
Funeral torches blazed away
Through the towns and the villages all night and all day
TEMPEST
The pale moon rose in it's glory
Out on the Western town
She told a sad, sad story
Of the great ship that went down
T’was the fourteenth day of April
Over the waves she rode
Sailing into tomorrow
To a golden age foretold
The night was black with starlight
The seas were sharp and clear
Moving through the shadows
The promised hour was near
Lights were holding steady
Gliding over the foam
All the lords and ladies
Heading for their eternal home
The chandeliers were swaying
From the balustrades above
The orchestra was playing
Songs of faded love
The watchman, he lay dreaming
As the ballroom dancers twirled
He dreamed the Titanic was sinking
Into the underworld
Leo took his sketchbook
He was often so inclined
He closed his eyes and painted
The scenery in his mind
Cupid struck his bosom
And broke it with a snap
The closest woman to him
He fell into her lap
He heard a loud commotion
Something sounded wrong
His inner spirit was saying
That he couldn’t stand here long
He staggered to the quarterdeck
No time now to sleep
Water on the quarterdeck
Already three foot deep
Smokestack was leaning sideways
Heavy feet began to pound
He walked into the whirlwind
Sky splitting all around
The ship was going under
The universe had opened wide
The roll was called up yonder
The angels turned aside
Lights down in the hallway
Flickering dim and dull
Dead bodies already floating
In the double bottom hull
The engines then exploded
Propellers they failed to start
The boilers overloaded
The ship's bow split apart
Passengers were flying
Backward, forward, far and fast
They mumbled, fumbled, and tumbled
Each one more weary than the last
The veil was torn asunder
'Tween the hours of twelve and one
No change, no sudden wonder
Could undo what had been done
The watchman lay there dreaming
At fourtyfive degrees
He dreamed that the Titanic was sinking
Dropping to her knees
Wellington he was sleeping
His bed began to slide
His valiant heart was beating
He pushed the tables aside
Glass of shattered crystal
Lay scattered roundabout
He strapped on both his pistols
How long could he hold out?
His men and his companions
Were nowhere to be seen
In silence there he waited for
Time and space to intervene
The passageway was narrow
There was blackness in the air
He saw every kind of sorrow
Heard voices everywhere
Alarm-bells were ringing
To hold back the swelling tide
Friends and lovers clinging
To each other side by side
Mothers and their daughters
Descending down the stairs
Jumped into the icy waters
Love and pity sent their prayers
The rich man, Mister Astor
Kissed his darling wife
He had no way of knowing
It'd be the last trip of his life
Calvin, Blake and Wilson
Gambled in the dark
Not one of them would ever live to
Tell the tale on the disembark
Brother rose up 'gainst brother
In every circumstance
They fought and slaughtered each other
In a deadly dance
They lowered down the lifeboats
From the sinking wreck
There were traitors, there were turncoats
Broken backs and broken necks
The bishop left his cabin
To help others in need
Turned his eyes up to the heavens
Said, "The poor are yours to feed"
Davey the brothel-keeper
Came out dismissed his girls
Saw the water getting deeper
Saw the changing of his world
Jim Dandy smiled
He never learned to swim
Saw the little crippled child
And he gave his seat to him
He saw the starlight shining
Streaming from the East
Death was on the rampage
But his heart was now at peace
The battened down the hatches
But the hatches wouldn’t hold
They drowned upon the staircase
Of brass and polished gold
Leo said to Cleo
I think I’m going mad
But he’d lost his mind already
Whatever mind he had
He tried to block the doorway
To save all those from harm
Blood from an open wound
Pouring down his arm
Petals fell from flowers
‘Til all of them were gone
In the long and dreadful hours
The wizard's curse played on
The host was pouring brandy
He was going down slow
He stayed right to the end and he
Was the last to go
There were many, many others
Nameless here forever more
They never sailed the ocean
Or left their homes before
The watchman, he lay dreaming
The damage had been done
He dreamed the Titanic was sinking
And he tried to tell someone
The captain, barely breathing
Kneeling at the wheel
Above him and beneath him
Fifty thousand tons of steel
He looked over at his compass
And he gazed into its face
Needle pointing downward
He knew he lost the race
In the dark illumination
He remembered bygone years
He read the Book of Revelation
And he filled his cup with tears
When the Reaper's task had ended
Sixteen hundred had gone to rest
The good, the bad, the rich, the poor
The loveliest and the best
They waited at the landing
And they tried to understand
But there is no understanding
On the judgement of God's hand
The news came over the wires
And struck with deadly force
Love had lost its fires
All things had run their course
The watchman he lay dreaming
Of all the things that can be
He dreamed the Titanic was sinking
Into the deep blue sea
ROLL ON JOHN
Doctor, doctor, tell me the time of day
Another bottle's empty, another penny spent
He turned around and he slowly walked away
They shot him in the back and down he went
Shine your light, move it on, you burn so bright, roll
on John
From the Liverpool docks to the red light Hamburg
streets
Down in the quarry with the quarrymen.
Playing to the big crowds, playing to the cheap seats
Another day in your life until your journey’s end
Shine your light, move it on, you burn so bright, roll
on John
Sailing through the tradewinds, bound for the sun
Rags on your back just like any other slave
They tied your hands and they clamped your mouth
Wasn’t no way out of that deep dark cave
Shine your light, move it on, you burn so bright, roll
on John
I heard the news today, oh boy,
They hauled your ship up on the shore
Now the city’s gone dark, there is no more joy
They tore the heart right out and cut it to the core
Shine your light, move it on, you burn so bright, roll
on John
Put on your bags and get ‘em packed
Leave right now you won’t be far from wrong
The sooner you go, the quicker you’ll be back
You’ve been cooped up on an island far too long
Shine your light, move it on, you burn so bright, roll
on John
Slow down you’re moving way too fast
Come together right now over me,
Your bones are weary, you’re about to breathe your
last
Lord, you know how hard that it can be
Shine your light, move it on, you burn so bright, roll
on John
Roll on John, roll through the rain and snow
Take the righthand road and go where the buffalo roam
They’ll trap you in an ambush before you know
Too late now to sail back home
Shine your light, move it on, you burn so bright, roll
on John
Tyger, Tyger burning bright
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
In the forest of the night
Cover ‘em over and let him sleep
Shine your light, move it on, you burn so bright, roll on John
