And on the bus today, I met the queen of l.a. -
At least she said she was and who am I to say?
She was sixty-five and full of life,
She had purple-painted cheeks
And glitter on her eyes
And the troll on the corner, I flipped him a quarter
And he looked at me and smiled.
He wasn’t abused, he wasn’t confused,
He had nothing to gain and less to lose in hollywood
Oh wow! thought I’d be out of here by now.
Still in hollywood!
My, my I’m running like a rat and I don’t know why
It’s hard to play a gig with a straight face,
Seems like everybody’s got a plan:
It’s kind of like Nashville, with a tan.
Sign says Nashville, Tennessee,
But I have found
It’s a crazy town, full of neon dreams
Everybody plays, everybody sings.
Hollywood with a touch of twang
Nashville Cats, play clean as country water
Nashville Cats, play wild as mountain dew
That was pouring like an avalanche,
coming down the mountain.
I don’t mind the sun sometimes,
the images it shows.
I can taste you on my lips,
and smell you in my clothes.
Cinnamon and sugary,
and softly spoken lies.
You never know just how you look
through other people’s eyes.
Whatever makes her happy
I won’t stand in the way
But the bitter taste still lingers on
From the night I tried to make her stay
Dishwater cafe in a
Torn paper street
A rundown future let me down
Now everything’s complete
Uncurling human tragedy
Apparently a parody
Send my love upstairs to me
She used to be a symphony
I let her go into the night
Night of light, satellite
Quite a sight to see
I’m hangin’ round the same old scene
My girlfriend left me, she’s just 14 (14?!)
There’s nothin left for me to do
I’m livin’ on dog food
My dog’s faster than your dog,
My dog’s bigger than yours.
My dog’s better 'cause he gets Ken-L Ration,
My dog’s better than yours.
Seen a man standing’ over a dead dog, lying by the highway in a ditch.
He’s looking down, kind of puzzled, poking that dog with a stick.
Got his car door flung open, he’s standing out on Highway 31,
Like if he stood there long enough that dog would get up and run.
Crossin’ the highway late last night
He shoulda looked left and he shoulda looked right
He didn’t see the station wagon car
The skunk got squashed and there you are!
You got yer
Dead skunk in the middle of the road
Dead skunk in the middle of the road
You got yer dead skunk in the middle of the road
Stinkin’ to high Heaven!
In the middle of the road,
Is trying to find me.
I’m standing in the middle of life with my pains behind me.
But, I got a smile
For everyone I meet.
Long as you don’t try dragging my bay,
Or dropping a bomb on the street.
You’re never fully dressed without a smile.
You can’t hide your lyin’ eyes.
And your smile is a thin disguise.
I thought by now you’d realize
There ain’t no way to hide your lyin’ eyes.
She walks like an angel,
She talks like an angel,
She smiles like an angel,
But I got wise:
She’s the devil in disguise.
I picked up my bag. I went looking for a place to hide,
When I saw Carmen and the Devil walking side by side.
I said, “Hey, Carmen, come on, let’s go downtown.”
She said, “I got to go, but my friend can stick around.”
Please allow me to introduce myself
I’m a man of wealth and taste
I’ve been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man’s soul to waste
And I was 'round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game
I ran down to the levee, but the Devil caught me there
He took my 20 dollar bill and vanished in the air.
I set out running, but I take my time.
A friend of the Devil is a friend of mine.
If I get home before daylight, I just might get some sleep tonight.
I was told by this man it would be worth my while
He’d return me to my woman, return me to my smile
It’s all I ask for in this life
Whatever’s wrong, son, he told me he’d make right
Just sign right here, child, every thing’s going to be alright
Alright, the sea and sunlight
Alright, the love and stage fright
Alright 'til the day I die