THE DEVIL'S LAMENT
Now the Devil went down to the crossroads, 'cause they were having a witchcraft fair
He had to rent a space from a man with no face so he could park his Cadillac there
Then he spent all night in the pale moonlight trying to peddle his junk from the back of his trunk
But the witches all laughed at his lack of craft and they didn't have a nickel to spare
And he was singing: "Nobody wants to sell me their soul anymore
Everybody's got their own agenda, they want to shop at the discount store
They're wearing homemade hoods out of handmade goods,
They go to regular meetings in their neighborhoods
And everybody has a hex sign on her door,
Yes, nobody needs the Devil anymore.
Now the Devil went down to Key West, and he laughed because he fit right in
He caught it at the best of Fantasy Fest: now there's some original sin!
So he hung right there in Mallory Square painting 6-6-6 on chesty chicks
But when the sun went down he was leaving town on the same road he came in.
And he was singing: "Nobody wants to sell me their soul anymore.
For my tasty wares nobody cares, and my parties are just a bore
They've got all the gimcracks they can use: they've got Gucci bags they got Pucci shoes
They drive Hummers when they take their kids to the all-night candy store,
And nobody needs the Devil anymore.
Now the Devil went down to Washington, and he put on a pinstriped suit
He lined his hat with tinfoil, and his pockets with lobbyist loot
And then he set out see the senators, but they rejected him to a man
He was badly outbid by a Sultan’s kid with a killer of a kickback plan
And he was singing “Nobody wants to sell me their soul anymore
Their calendars are booked sold, and their offices close at four
They’ve got tankers full of oil to tend, They’ve got laws to break, they’ve got rules to bend
They’ve got friends with favors waiting at the door
And nobody needs the Devil anymore.
So the Devil went back to his underground shack and he took a little time to think
He sat on the porch and watched the landscape scorch, and he sipped on a sulfurous drink
He says “You know, this place is no disgrace but you can take it for what it’s worth
There’s just no way I’ll waste another damned day in that half-baked hell on earth!”
And he was singing: “Nobody wants to sell me their soul anymore
I guess my dickering days are done, and I’ll never get to better my score.
I just can’t compete with the sins on the street, and I make no impression on the people I meet
And they’ll all end up here anyway, that’s for sure,
So, nobody needs the Devil anymore!”
THE HUMMER SONG
I spent the whole damned day trying to eat my desk,
And now I’m looking for adventure with a minimum risk
I got the wheels I need, I got the place to play
I’m gonna drive my Hummer ‘til the blues go away
Look out mama, Daddy’s coming home to put the Hummer on
Well it’s high and it’s wide and it’s Boot Hill black
And it rides like it’s rolling down a railroad track
Got the gun in the glovebox, sticker on the back
Says “Deputy Auxiliary, Don’t Talk Back”
Look out mama, Daddy’s coming home to put the Hummer on
You can drive it fast, or you can drive it slow
It’ll take you anywhere you got the gas to go
But you better top the tank, because it won’t last long
You know her M.P.G. is just not that strong
Look out Mama, Daddy’s coming home to put the Hummer on
When you see me on the road you better let me pass
Cause my high ground clearance gonna kick your fast
And the rumble of my motor gonna shake your bones
I’ve got a right-of-way that just can’t be wrong
You better look out Mama, Daddy’s coming home to put the Hummer on
I’ll take you riding in the park where the cars can’t go
Or we can bring home the bacon in the middle of the snow
Fetch the kids from camp when the strong winds blow
Or climb a dune in the desert if we ever really go
Well, look out Mama, Daddy’s coming home to put the Hummer on!
HIGH AND DRY
(cho)High and dry Washed up on the beach of love
High and dry, Washed up on the beach of love
You gave me no warning, I wasn’t the one you were dreaming of
You told me you loved, but that was a fat one, a big fat lie
You told me you loved me, but that was a fat one, a big fat lie
You better draw your shades down Honey, when Truth comes knocking you’ll know the reason why
(cho)
Listen here Honey: You’d better change your sunny ways
Listen here Honey: You’d better change your sunny ways
You’re gonna wake up one fine morning alone in a world full of nighttime days
(cho)
I’m through with hurting, I may be a fool but I’m still alive
I’m all done with hurting, I may be a fool but I’m still alive
There’s one thing for certain, I’ll never believe anymore of your jive
(cho)
THE HASTINGS RAIL SPUR
The Hastings rail spur ran through town but today there’s really nothing left
Grass growing knee-high in between the cross-ties, The ballast has begun to drift
Sign says “Crossing-Watch Out For the Cars” but there’s a moonvine growing up those old crossbars
And I’ll sleep with my head on the rail tonight just to show you what I think of that
The last train ran about a year ago and I guess it’s never coming back
It hauled a lot of produce when the times were good and it left us this railroad track
They promised it would run again someday: We would be happy-ever-after in that same old way
But I’ll sleep with my head on the rail tonight just to show you what I think of that
There’s no one home on the farm tonight and the tractor has turned to rust
It’s hard to steal a chicken from an empty barn when the farmers have all gone bust
The banker says it’s just another piece of ground, and you can buy it for a profit when the times turn ‘round
But I”ll sleep with my head on the rail tonight just to show you what I think of that
JUKEBOX
I heard the music on my radio
I used to take it with me everywhere I’d go
Late-night Nashville Tennessee
The magic in the music meant so much to me
But then the war came and took me to a far-off land
It changed me in a way I couldn’t understand
I stumbled in the jungle and I lost my way
And I’ve been searching for some answers ever since that day
(cho) That’s what makes the jukebox sing
For long-gone lovers and friendship rings
And half-forgotten faces on the front porch swing
The world is made of memories when they play that thing
It’s a long way from here to where I jumped that train
I watched the world go blurry in a pouring rain
It’s easy not to know you can’t go back again
The hard part is waiting for the hurtin’ to end
(cho)
I’m not trying to tell you that the time’s been hard
I never stole a chicken from my neighbor’s yard
I’ve worked in both directions with a helping hand
And seen my friends assemble when I took my stand
(cho)
Time is not a river it’s a farmer’s field
And every seed you drop is gonna shape that yield
Everyone you know is gonna to hoe that row
And fall down in the flowers when it’s time to go
(cho)
NINTH WARD ROOFTOP BLUES
Oooooowee
These blues just about to get the best of me
And it seems like I’m sinking to the bottom of a deep blue sea
Caaaan’t you see
This town is just a muddy mess of misery
I put my faith in the levee and the levee dumped a load on me
Aaaaaall I really know
Is that you can’t buy a ticket when the big winds blow
And when the ocean takes a notion it’ll fill your cup of tea
Yoooonder comes a boat
Looks like it’s full of politicians out to get my vote
But it was handshaking promises that put me where I got to be
Oooooowee
These blues about to get the best of me
And it seems like I’m sinking to the bottom of a deep blue sea
Leaving here
I going to sit with Mayor Nagin in his penthouse lair
And we can contemplate the future with the Ninth Ward Rooftop Blues
Electro Set Reality
(Lyrics by Chris Clark)
Gotta friend calling on the other line
I’m gonna put you on hold
With my minutes rolling over, babe
I’ll never get to old
For my botox on the rocks
On the beach with birkenstocks
Coffee shop laptops
Spyware with pop-up blocks
We got to hurry, got to worry
Got to get to where we got to be
In this electro set reality
Electro set reality
Set right down here with me, baby
For another round of pong
Pac Man eat all the food in the kitchen
Maybe he’ll mow the lawn
With thou’s interest rates and balloon inflates
Super duper XP man-Mr. Gates
We gotta flip our lives and baby it ain’t free
In this electro set reality
Electro set reality
“Run! don’t walk” some people talk and talk
You can travel the world just setting on your block
Put it on my credit card to get me out of hock
You can trust in my word it’s solid as a rock
Stream of conscious on our TV screens
Reality is so real on MTV
Join our alliance for independency
And if you don’t like me
You can vote me off the very next week
In this electro set reality
Electro set reality
I’ve been very busy though I think about you
with my ear piece cell phone blackberry blues
Gotta log on, down load the very latest news
Gotta hyp up the bad because we’re bored with the truth
Bloated self ego is a factor of Daniel
While suggestion machine box tells us what’s in style
All this crap, I still can’t open up your file
I’d love to just sit down and talk to you for a while...
...but that’s highly unlikely you see
In this electro set reality
Electro set reality
Juanita’s Lullaby
It’s a half-mile to the border but they’re not accepting immigrants today
You can take your car and suitcase but you cannot stop and no you cannot stay
And so your dreams of deliverance out of Mexico must find another way
There’s a town that’s dry and dusty and the barrios remind you of your home
And the faces there regard you with a hunger that could turn your heart to stone
And they tell you if you’re traveling out of Mexico, you’re traveling alone
There’s a cool wind in the orchards and Juanita says she’ll meet you at the bus
There’s be lots of time to make up in the company of people you can trust
There’s a footworn path that leads you out of Mexico, and you’ll take it if you must
Oh the moon shone down, and its face was full of wonder
It lit up the arroyo, and the fences you went under
And it shone along the highway, and on the passing trucks
And it lit up the ground for miles around, when you ran out of luck
Goodnight Juanita, the man you want is sleeping in the hills
He has no food or water, and his jacket just can’t keep him from the chills
But the love that he means to bring you out of Mexico illuminates him still
And if ever a man could reach you out of Mexico, he will.
DOJO
Gotta find a new dojo
Gonna live in a bamboo shack
Gonna paint my windows black
Gonna cook my chickens out the back
Gonna buy me a mojo
Gonna eat those curly fries
Gonna tell some great big lies
Gonna change the color of my eyes
I’ll drink my coffee black the way I used to do
Gonna show the world that I can get over you
Gotta find a new dojo
Gotta find a new parking spot
Gonna wax my car a lot
Gonna get me a chick that’s hot
Your rocket is a no-go
This letter is “postage due”
This train’s not waiting for you
Your act is way past through
I’m taking a brush gonna paint your picture blue
Gonna show the world I can get over you
Gotta find a new dojo
These kids keep kicking my butt
I got an aching gut
I just can’t crack that nut
Hopping off of your pogo
My cargo’s come untied
Gonna let the rough end ride
Gonna let the slick end slide
Gonna eat that highway up just like the truckers do
Gonna show the world: I can get over you
SURRENDER
It ain’t right,
To treat a man the way that you do
It just ain’t right,
They ought to call the Law on you
I’ve got your number,
I’ve got your mugshot too
I’ve got the Judge sittin’ ready to throw the book at you
You better lay down your weapon and surrender your love to me
Last night
You tried to put a hit on me
Late last night
I tagged you with an APB
I’ve got a plain brown wrapper and he’s hot on your tail
You’re gonna wind up eating breakfast in the back of my jail
You better assume the position and surrender your love to me
Your lawyer, she’s been talking you trash
I bet that it’s a question of retainer cash
And your bagman, he’s on a plane getting smashed
And he’s sitting on a briefcase full of your top-grade stash
That’s right
You knew your time was coming around
That’s all right
Relax and enjoy the ride going down
I’m gonna seal all your records with a big wet kiss
I’m gonna show you what the authorities think of behavior like this
You better slip on the shackles and surrender your love to me
You better call off your backup and surrender your love to me
You better cop to your confession and surrender your love to me
KEEP DREAMING ON
They put a sign in the window says the train’s not coming today
You can check with us tomorrow but there’s really nothing more we can say
Keep an eye on your luggage and your ticket in hand
Try to bear with us, be patient, try to understand
But if you really meant to go you would have been here yesterday
Might as well keep dreaming on
Tomorrow’s train has done come and gone
They found the face of a man on Mars that you can see from the moon
They say it might be Jesus or it might just be a big sand dune
But he’s ten clicks long and a half a mile high
And he’s staring into space with his one big eye
And I bet that he’s wishing we would just leave him alone
Might as well keep dreaming on
Tomorrow’s train has done come and gone
I want to tour your town in the presidential Cadillac
You can come along with me but I won’t be bringing you back
I want to see how it happens when the sun goes down
And the dark comes creeping through your precious little town
I want to see you meet the people living out beyond the railroad track
Might as well keep dreaming on
Tomorrow’s train done come and gone
YOU CAN GO
You can say you’ve met the Devil
You can take his name in vain
You can say you’ve teased the tiger
You can let your scars explain
You can take whatever road your rainbow lingers in
You can go... But you can’t come back again
I heard all about your road to glory
Heard all about your freedom train
Heard all about that same old story
Different faces with the same old name
I’m gonna change the way this drama plays out in in the end
You can go... But you can’t come back again.
Stand in the road when the moon is rising
Listen to the whistle of the whippoorwill
You won’t need a compass when you hit the highway
You have no direction and you never will
You could be across that county line by midnight maybe ten
You can go... But you can’t come back again