"The Kennedy Suite" (2014)

Prologue: Original Peace Corps Mischief Makers lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

We’ve got our hearts made of paper
The winds of change are gonna take us
Up above the ashes and the glitter
The torch has passed and we’re purging
From the Delta to the Moon
Freedom’s raging
Roast your wienies over the joint chief’s smarting asses
All you Origami Peace Corps Mischief Makers
Register your vote you freedom riders
Move to the front of the bus, bind with your brother
Though they beat us, hose us down and bomb our churches
Throw us in your swamps, hang us from your trees
We’ll be ornaments of your cowardice, lights for more to see
Send us off to war and try to kill us
We’re still Origami Peace Corps Mischief Makers
Ask not want your country can do, ask what its done [2x]
Come up to the dime-store counter, sit down and eat
March into the colleges, take any seat
If you want to put us in our place
Slash black batons across our faces
If you want to lock us out or in
You’ve gotta tie us to your cotton gin and make us!
Make us!
Make us!
Mischief Makers!

Bullet For You lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

I got a bullet for you
I’m on a black tar rooftop
Pigeons pickin’ bread from the palm of my hand
Pinch their beaks in my fingers
Like a trigger, baby
Lights out with a twist
Not so much as a coo
Unbreathing and still
Dead as a patriot
On a Cuban beach
There’ll be no air cover to save you...
I got a bullet for you
I swung a state for you, Jack
We shared a mistress
Now, every time I take a leak
I got you burning in me
And your brother’s like a bad rash
That keeps comin’ back
Some days I think, “Who do I whack first?”
Dear Mr. Kennedy
Up on Capitol Hill
We are a Fact Finding Committee and
My memory failed me
We only wish the truth
But it’s all coming back at
Eighteen-hundred feet per second
To you
Are you a communist infiltrator?
Dictator Tito’s dancing partner?
We demand full disclosure
and a plain-sight, unobstructed view of your car
I, J.F.K., this is Fidel Castro
Got a bullet for you
Operation
Mongoose is a no-no
‘Cause my wife just left me
Let’s go, mano y mano
For a look-a-like Kennedy
Working in a traveling show
I, I’m just a patsy, pay no mind to me
Got a bullet for you
Bringing curtain rods to work, redecorating
If you need me I’ll be
In the break room with a soda
In the Texas School Book Depository waiting for you...
You take the window and I’ll take the knoll
And I’ll be in the headlines before you...
The manhole, the overpass
The fire escape, the picket fence
The stairwell, the parked car
The plaza, the sixth floor....
We got a bullet for you...

Secret Spy Decoder Ring lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Peering underneath the hedge
At my walkie-talkie on the ledge
Of the open kitchen window frame
Of the trusting Mrs. Paine
She’s taken Russians in
A wife and two small kids
Marina, Rachel, June
Their smirking daddy when there’s room
And now I’m off to history
And I got a front row seat
My Secret Spy Decoder Ring
Says, “Junior, follow me.
Fate is filing up her plate,
The paper route can wait.”
I let the dailies stack un-thrown
This mystery’s bigger than what’s known
The petty events of this world
Yellow on the drive
Until Thursday night at five
When “O.H. Lee” arrives
I sneak out in camouflage
And that night in the garage
A naked bulb illuminates
Sifting through the broken crates
Butcher paper in his teeth
The mousy ex-marine
Lifts from a blanket roll
A rifle with a scope
I caught my breath
As he clumsily drew the bolt action back
He was staring down the barrel right at me
Right at me!
Chased across the road
I burst into the kitchen of the cop next door
But he hardly looked up from his whisky neat, I shouted, “Come and see!”
Break
The cop said, “What’s that thing?
Is that a Secret Spy Decoder Ring?
Are those x-ray glasses hanging from your ears? Don’t you fear.
Your imagination’s wild
I got a motorcade to ride in, in just a few hours
You remind me of my daughter, God bless her soul
Now, get on home…”
The cop got on his motorbike
Waved to the gunman at first light
Walking out of Mrs. Paine’s front door
Package underneath his arm
“What you bringin’ to work’ Lee?”
“Curtain rods,” he said and winked at me
The morning paper hit the drive
“TODAY THE PRESIDENT ARRIVES”
Now, I’m off to misery
A kid not to be believed
My secret spy decoder ring
Is wryly mocking me:
“You could save his life
If you were old enough to drive…
If you were old enough to drive…
If you were old enough to drive…”
If I was old enough to drive…

The Dallas Youth Auxiliary lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Me,
My sisters Ruth and Bethany
Are the Dallas Youth Auxiliary
Quote: “Founded when Catholics wouldn’t dream of your job…”
That’s the slogan our Daddy
Suggested for the welcome poster
He tore in two
Then he locked us in the garden shed
Said, “Come out when you’re not communists!”
Quote: “At least you’re not all lesbians like that Quaker next door.”
Ruth said: “How could we be?
When Nixon is the Dick for us three…”
He let us out!
We stole his keys
After Bethany
Took a shovel to his knees
Quote: “Take the wheel, I’ll hit the gas – off to the New Frontier…”
We left Daddy crawling
Across the front lawn - in our side-view mirror
Was the paperboy running mad, calling out, screaming out for a ride
And we’re taking off
While you’re touching down, down, down
Hearts and flags a flutter
Thighs ‘ll turn to butter
at Love Field
We jumped the curb of the parking lot
Ran to the tarmac, cut through the mob
Quote: “Peel that old bag from the fence, she’s not long for this world!”
And there was your smile,
like a gift behind the birthday wrapping
You took our hands
And our saddle shoes left the ground
Young debutantes over the crowd
Horn-rimmed glasses turned reflecting
On a thousand days of waiting
Teenage hearts in palpitation
Coming down from expectation
Cigarettes all ‘round
Then the blue rinse in the floral dress
Tore us off the chain link fence
Shook hands with the President, her fist full of our hair
On tip-toes and waving
Quote: “We hope your stay is breath-taking!”
It sure was for
Me
My sisters Ruth and Bethany
Of the Dallas Youth Auxiliary
Quote: “Founded when misery couldn’t hold down a job.”
Returned to the car to find
Behind a crutch pointed like a rifle,
Our daddy saying,
“Gotcha, girls…
I gotcha girls…
I gotcha girls…
I gotcha girls…
…Pow…
…Pow…
…Pow…

Take Heart (Elbow Room) lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

This late in November
Every thing seems out of kilter
To me
Autumn doesn’t give hope
Elbow room
In your pink Chanel you’re radiant
And your husband is the President
But your black car floats through Dallas like a tomb
But take heart, take heart
I have a confession
My wife died in November
Lost both the breasts that fed my little girl
Sold everything to treat her
But cancer proved the bigger spender
Left us broke and broken
But she’d say
Take Heart, take heart
Take heart
For there are ways to shine without gold
There’s more I didn’t mention
My daughter died in November
Of disappointment that she wasn’t you
Nights I’d wake to find her weeping
Her Jackie hair-do slipping
Yearning for love from everyone but me
And I’d say
Take heart, take heart
Take heart
For there are ways to shine without gold
And riding here beside you
Helps me fight off that nagging notion
That without my family, my usefulness is through
I couldn’t save my wife
And I couldn’t save my daughter
But I may save myself if I can help save you
Two…
Take heart, Take heart, take heart
Come on and give hope a little elbow room
Elbow room, elbow room
Right on Houston
Left on Elm…

Parkland lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Sun through the window like a boogey man
Unfinished curtains on the nightstand
Alarm clock bounces off my head
Phone is ringing beside my bed
My son is dressed and waiting on the step
It’s the head nurse calling from Parkland
I got a kid. His name’s John-John
Born the same day as the President’s son
Today is the day of the big parade
But they’re short at work and it’s double pay
That means a new scooter on your birthday
But the President will have to wait…
Take Public Transit 109
Bounce out at the Parkland sign
Bring him to work and show him ‘round
Grab that bucket, mop, and gown
Towels, bed sheets, blankets and diapers
Wheel him ‘round in the laundry hamper
John was the Prez, a mop was Jackie K.
We were a two-man motorcade
A girl stopped skipping to watch us shoot past
He blew her a kiss and then through the glass
Of the emergency doors we turned to see
Blood and roses, guns and grief
Bring him in and lay him down
John, bring the surgeons gloves and gowns!
Through the black suits darting to and fro
I could see her shaking and alone
“John-John put that bullet back
And offer Mrs. Kennedy your hand
Hold it tight ‘till her cryin’s done
And don’t look back, I won’t be long…”
I brought fresh linen for the President
I watched the doctors pronounce him dead
Then a light voice said, “Is this your son?
He held my hand and my cryin’s done.”
Then John-John said, “You better get along,
You’ve got a birthday to plan when you get home…”
She bent down and kissed my John-John’s face
Smoothed her bloody dress into place
And with her son’s love as her staff
She lifted a nation upon her back
She turned and nodded, we nodded back
As they carried her husband from Parkland… John-John put that bullet back!

Disintegrating lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Disintegrating
In glazed eyes and red stains
I’m thinking this has to be
The biggest case of “I told you so”
I know I’m being petty
But when Nellie turned and said,
“Can’t say Dallas doesn’t love you…”
I almost laughed before you put your hand on my knee
To stop me,
Please stop me
Like I couldn’t stop you
From disintegrating
The young woman you waved to
For that moment I hated you
I imagined you dead and that I was finally free
And that’s when it happened
‘Did I will it to happen?’
Was all I was thinking as I
Held your head in my hands
This is a tight sleeve,
The fucking engines of this plane are shrill
My lips are bloodless
Please, stop me
Please, stop me
Like I couldn’t stop you
From disintegrating
The face of that young aid
Glancing back over LBJ’s shoulder
I heard him say, “I’ve got a sure-fire way to win a second term
Put a hit out on his wife
The sympathy vote would be a landslide”?
You weren’t really thinking that, were you?
Did you?
Were they killing you?
Or were they just missing me?
And if you were in my place
Would you be…Disintegrating?

When Will I Be Mine? (Ruby, Ruby) lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

I don’t feel like myself tonight
I feel like cryin’ all night for real
Like sirens outside my old foster home
Scratch that, it’s just the Dexedrine talkin’
And the President getting his head shot off, here in Dallas for Christ’s sake
I’m a little more like a cold rock
Spinning in the outerspace
Of the black hole that his kids must be sleepin’ in
Tonight
I feel like being myself tonight
And cutting all these goddamn strings off
I’m like the goat-herding marionette from that Broadway Nazi musical
Getting jerked around all day by children wearing curtains for clothes
Christ, what a way to go…
Although I wouldn’t trade my dogs’ black assholes for those singin’ kids
I’d sell my soul for a handful of their nanny’s ass
But there’s no soul left to sell
I’m mortgaged to the teeth
I’m the biggest whore working in the Carousel
Ruby, Ruby - Ruby, Ruby
Whose dog will you be tonight?
Ruby, Ruby – Ruby, Ruby
When will I be mine?
I once ran numbers for Capone
I’ve got every cop’s home telephone
They know me. I’m colourful! I’m a character!
So, don’t you tell me that I’m a zero
‘Cause they’re in for free drinks all the time
And that includes the fuckin’ FBI
Now give me one last shot
As I untangle this fuckin’ mess
‘Cause nothin’s free and I’m the fuckin’ proof
Here’s to you Lee
Your smirk will soon be
Kissing my fat Jew ass goodbye
And the conspiracy
In setting us both free
Is that I will be mine…
Can’t you read - we’re closed
‘CAUSE THE PRESIDENT’S FUCKING DEAD!
Christ…
When will I be mine?

Senior Prom lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Son, you got a lot of ‘splainin’ to do
Reporters round your neck like a beard of bees
That hit man at the back, he’s got his eye on you
But I’m the one who can take you where I please
So give me your elbow
A flash photo for the folks at home
This is just like my senior prom
The inside of your arm is soft as I lead you, Lee
Like a new-born Marxist colt at the county fair
You’d never know from that thin-lipped little smirk of yours
That the icy hand of fate was between your knees
Speaking of clammy hands
It’s like I’m back in Lubbock with Mary Francis
Working to retrieve that corsage pin that fell into her blouse
And she tried to shoot me too
In a theatre just like you
And it was when I wrestled that gun away
(Just like today) that I looked into her captivating,
Mesmerizing, hypnotizing,
Texas blue-sky, Russian-defecting eyes….
My nose at the back of your neck as the elevator slows
Doors cut in two by the axe of the TV lights
I want to tell the world what we both know is true
When that hit man from the first verse shatters you
Mouth to mouth
Your last breath in mine
Death cutting in
Like an All-State Lineman
Minus the blood
I could swear I was back at my senior prom
If this ambulance were a Fairlane
And your black eye was my school ring
I would swear it was my senior prom…

The Truth About Us (The Ballad Of Lee And Marina) lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

When we rode into town - we didn’t have horses
We had fate by the balls, destiny’s face turning blue
Settled for less
On love’s dusty trail
We wanted something more than just an “o.k.” corral,
Take the skeletons from the closet - put ‘em under the floor
Let’s settle up on boot hill, to the view we adore
The truth about us
You can’t exhume by assumption
You have to work hard - have to get on a talk show
Let the host root around
See where it goes
And if that’s too far we’ll bust a chair right over his nose
Take a bite of the Big Apple while the room is for free
Spit the pulp into the Hudson like it was British Tea
Oh, Marina, Marina, it’s cold and it’s lonely
When you’re pointing a gun at the President
I’m no flunky with a rifle, I’m an N.R.A. golden boy
I’m a genius forging a legend
“Where’s the truth about us?”
You came in demanding
Your scarlet face wrung that old southern bell
My Rett Hoover reply left me hard to peg:
“The truth about us I’ve buried deep in Connally’s leg.”
Pry open all the coffins, there’s only one thing inside,
A pink dress and a pill box hat with Camelot tags
Oh, Marina, Marina, it’s cold and it’s lonely
When reporters are carrying your coffin
Oh, please baby please, let coincidence leave me
A martyr to patriotic negligence
“Should old acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to trial...”
Every girl and boy can grow up to be the President
Or grow up to be the President’s killer...
It’s equal opportunity
It’s the land of hope and glory
It’s a cheap Italian mail-order thriller...
The truth about us
Sailed for Manhattan
What was it hoping to find?
Cheers from Ellis Island?
Ha.
We turned them back from the shore
Sent them back out to see
How Promise can grow smaller if two sides agree
We sent them packing off to Auschwitz -
When we heard the reports
We wrote, “How dare you!” with their ashes
As if we couldn't have known
You see Marina, Marina,
I’ve learned lessons from my country
About national interest and the “Big Picture”
I’m gonna manifest my destiny
Gonna spread the legs of misery
I’ve got my piece in my hand and I’m loaded
The truth about us
Ain’t hard to figure
It’s adding up to one hell of a toll on us
We had been up all night
When the tympani rolled
Faxed-in paper pledges turned to solid gold
Kids pick up your guns from the thug in classroom “D”
There’s people out there whose jobs depend on our misery
That’s the truth about us

Arlington lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Please,
Come with me
To Arlington…Arlington
Snakes are curling
Around the fragile
Young ankles
Of my country
Look up
Over your shoulder
It was never me
They were after
Put your head down and keep moving
Trust me
I’ve seen this once before
Don’t weep,
Please, just keep moving
To Arlington…Arlington
And lower me
Frozen
Into the bosom
Of my country

Slipstream lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

It was easy
To be bold
In his slipstream
Transformed
From hand me down
Tag along
To brother
Cuban missiles
90 miles
13 days
Apocalypse with style
In his slipstream
Annihilation
Was a firefly
Clipped in the headlights
Of a joy ride
Buy an election
Get the girl
While the girls are gone
Have more than one
In his slipstream
Cap a mobster
Have a bombshell
Moan Happy Birthday
And the earth of his grave
Has the scent of hubris
That weighs
On your conscience
Out of his slipstream
There is no shelter
Fixed, dilated as
A starlet’s eyes
Out of the slipstream
Her dream provides
The future murdered
With cameras rolling
A moment caught in time
That was not caught in time
Trapped in the fallout
Of the storm
That Irish eyes
Couldn’t charm
Head in the mouth
Of the Cold War tiger
You had by the tail
In the kitchen
Of a hotel
In California
You as well
Like your brother
In your wife’s arms
Bullet behind your eyes
And it is easy
To be bold
Into starlight
Transformed…
“In my slipstream
Tag along
Brother…”

Reliquary lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Out of the brilliant sky in Dealy Plaza
Like a spinning taco chip of fate
Into the salsa bowl of cosmic wonder
Dropped a fragment of the head of state
Caught it bare-handed in full extension
Like Willie Mays at the Polo Grounds
Except I didn’t hit the cut off man
I kept it for myself
Now it’s…
In the center of my reliquary
In the basement of my bungalow
Behind the picket fence that leans like crooked teeth
In my scale model of the grassy knoll
Tourists coming through may find me creepy
But fees just love me, this I know
I see bags & bags of money floating in
The formaldehyde of my eyes
I kept the bottom jaw of Ruby’s dog
As a clip for my bolo tie
The paws I had sold at auction
Built the extension on my garage
Where in the rafters curled in 12-gauge plastic
With a red pen behind her ear
Lee Harvey Oswald’s fourth grade teacher
Every fall I give her legs a stretch
In the center of my reliquary
We do a loosy-goosy Skip-To-My-Lou
In my tux with the magic bullet cufflinks
And a blood shot boutineer
Dosey-doe, pop your partner in a limousine
Let their back brace keep them in your sights
Look, there’s bags & bags of money floating in
The cross-hares of your eyes
Sometimes I think, let him rest in peace
Like a collector’s commemorative plate
When I think that I’m really thinkin’
Rest in peace, ya pieces of eight!
Rest in peace, ya pieces of eight!
Rest in peace? Ya, pieces of eight!
‘Cause I have bits of Jack and Jackie floating in
The formaldehyde of my eyes
I see Caroline and John-John floating in
The formaldehyde of my eyes
I see placemats, coffee mugs floating in
The formaldehyde of my eyes
I see t-shirts, hit records floating in
The formaldehyde of my eyes…
In the middle of my reliquary
Got the American Dream in a jar

Epilogue: White Man In Decline lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

White man in decline
With his thorny crown of empties
Wrapped ‘round his troubled mind
Sucking on his radio
Pacified by brainless rhetoric in patriotic code
With his mircrowavable last supper
And twelve of his friends
He lifts his wife up over his head before the Super Bowl begins
“Her body broken for you,
She’ll beat black, she’ll beat blue,
Let’s hope our Cowboys come through…”
World won’t change if he don’t look
He’s got his hand over his heart
And his head stuck up his hole
What does it profit a man
To gain the whole trailer park and lose his very soul?
Humming, “You Ain’t Whistling Dixie,” a distant look in his eye
The little pointed hood in the closet can’t hide the cowardice inside
Now it’s eating him alive
No last rights for naughty boys
Gather round the easy chair
See the white man in decline
Throwing tantrums on the floor
Of the Senate and the House
Holding his breath until he’s blue
“Children of our mighty country, the poor have stolen your futures
Were gonna steal them back for you.
Come gather ‘round the banquet table, see how God is on our side…”
But when they carved up the turkey they found
Only stuffing inside
Pledge allegiance to his flag
Wrap it in a body bag…
See the white man in decline
Shhh…

"The Wilderness" (2012)

Unanswered Letter lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Her heart torn open
And left like an unanswered letter.

Words were not spoken
Just left in a spidery scrawl.

Twisted and gutted,
The last of the smoke in the air.

She gets up to leave
And idly fixes her hair.

Words from home, words from home.
What we miss are words from home.

I lost my heart
I left it alongside the river.

That blackbird clucking
Songs he knows nothing about.

That bird returning
To a home that makes him sing out.

Words from home, words from home.
What we need are words from home.

Idle Tales lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Whether it starts with an earthquake
Or the tears of a few grieving women
I don't know

On the road to gathering
Looking for someone to roll away the stone
He stands alone in her room
As the commotion slowly decays
I don't know
She's on her way to somewhere new
Looking for someone to roll away the stone

It's these idle tales that we need to keep us moving
These tales keep us going
It's these idle tales that we need to tell our children
These tales are for our children

She stands upon an empty stage with a song she was born to sing
She's on the road again

It's these idle tales that we need to keep us moving
These tales to keep us going
It's these idle tales that we need to tell our children
These tales are for our children
Whether it starts with an earthquake
Or the tears of a few grieving women
I don't know

We Are The Selfish Ones lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

He sits alone in his perfect shack
The lake beside him freezing
The sun no longer shining
Much past four o’clock.

We are the selfish ones
We are the lucky ones
We are the needed ones

She falls asleep, the book on her lap,
"all things change to something new,
Something strange."

We are the selfish ones
We are the lucky ones
We are the needed ones

We walk along with my hand on your back,
The days behind receding
Forward to a day when all we love will pass.

We are the selfish ones
We are the lucky ones
We are the needed ones

He sits alone in his perfect shack
The lake beside him freezing
The sun no longer shining
Much past four o’clock.

Angels In The Wilderness lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Are there angels in the wilderness? I don't know.
I've got my doubts, but if you say so .
But I've got a feeling we're doing ok.
We're doing our part, to make the brambles seem less sharp.

When you ask for bread, will I give you stone?
Will I make you confess it, or leave it alone?
If it consoles you will I take it away?
Hold my hand. Help me to understand.

You break my heart again and again.
I'll never get use to that sensation.
All those locusts just trying to get out.
Devouring with tiny bites, all that lies in site.

Fly forgotten like a prayer.
Fly forgotten like a dream.
Fly forbidden. Fly unseen
Fly, fly, fly away from me.

Are there angels in the wilderness? I don't know.
But I will give you my love and watch the bitterness grow.
And then will I take it and hide it away?
And wait on the day when the balance tips your way.

Fly forgotten like a prayer.
Fly forgotten like a dream.
Fly forbidden. Fly unseen
Fly, fly, fly away from me.

Are there angels in the wilderness?
I don't know.


Damaged From The Start lyrics -Cowboy Junkies

Here's a man of sorrows, children
As constant as the sea
Searching for a heart
That's lost it's stone.

She moves like a serpent, baby
Through time she drags her tail
Of all the broken hearted
Left behind.

Let's just sit here a little bit longer
With these bruised and battered hearts
Let's just say they were damaged
From the start.

There they go like shadows, darling
Between this world and that
Never knowing where the light
Will shine.

But I can tell you one thing, sweetheart
We share a place in time
Nothing more is needed
'cause you're mine.

Let's just sit here a little bit longer
With these bruised and battered hearts
Let's just say they were damaged
From the start.

Such a perfect pairing, dear one,
The Pacific and it's rock
A battle weighed on scales
We can not know.

Let's just sit here a little bit longer
Oh how we broke each others hearts
Let's just say they were damaged
From the start.

Let's just sit here a little bit longer
These scarred and healing hearts
Let's just say they were damaged
From the start.

Fairytale lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

There's a rock and a field and a dirty sky.
I'm still as corpse, I'm content as a bride,
Thoughts of you and those flyin' shoes
All around me.

One wrong step and it's a long way down
So I triple check the hand holds, stand on firmer ground,
But it's not so easy when the whole mountains
Coming down on you.

So we wait for the morning when we'll stumble on the truth.
Probably fail to recognize it, as we're digging at its roots,
The sorrow and the anger that we've sown
In the fields all around us.

Hey little princess, hey little pea,
Come down from your tower and dance with me.
Yah you're the fairest one in the land.
Try on this glass slipper and give me your hand.

There's a rock and a field and a collapsing sky.
I'm precious as a snowman, fragile as a lie,
Thoughts of you and those flyin' shoes
All around me.

I'm afraid of the anger of the hard twisted heart
That beats in the chests of those that are caught
In the ruins of the lives of those
All around them.

I'm sick of the blood and I'm sick of the bleeding,
The effort it takes just to keep on dreaming
Of better days, and better ways
Of living.

Hey little princess, hey little pea,
Come down from your tower and dance with me.
Yah, you're the fairest one in the land.
Try on this glass slipper and give me your hand.

Hey little princess, hey little pea,
Come down from your tower and dance with me
Yah, you're the fairest one in the land.
Try on this glass slipper and give me your hand.

Staring Man lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

I live only here,between your eyes and you
But I live in this world. What do I do?
Collect no interest - otherwise what I can.
Above all I'm not that staring man.

I move like a spirit, between this world and that
The weight of them both square on my back.
Collect no interest - and I shed what I can.
Above all I'm not that staring man.

You sit in your tower, straight and tall,
Your kingdom around you beginning to fall.
You close your eyes and you hold your tounge.
And every night you check
On the damage you've done.

I live only here between your eyes and you.
Caught in your world, what do I do?
Fear in the air - I made my stand.
Prove once again I'm not that staring man.

You hold your ground, and you take what comes.
And ever night you check on your desire to run.
You hold your ground and you take what comes.
And every night you check on your desire to run.

I live only here between your eyes and you.
But I live in this world. What do I do?

The Confession Of Georgie E lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

"The air in here smells like piss and beer
The sweet cycle of life", Georgie E would say.
Thirteen grandchildren gathered around
Looking down into the ground.

"A slow descent into darkness,
I deserve no less",
His last words carried like an offering
Upon his dying breath.

The sweet, sweet cycle of you and I.
The sweet, sweet memories of you and me
And the way we used to be.

I live, like in a dream, among the ruins,
Of what has been.
The slow descent into madness,
The churning swell of love and chaos
What was once at hand was now
Forbade to touch.

The sweet, sweet cycle of you and I.
The sweet, sweet memories of you and me
And the way we used to be.

Annie won't you sit and have another drink with me?
I'll keep them waiting while you sip your tea.
Annie won't you sit and list them one more time,
The reasons why I failed to to keep you mine?

Regret is for your those with choices,
Those will voices,
Those with reasons to stick around.
So cast me deep into those black depths
With the reassurance that Death gets
The sons-of-bitches too.
(and they won't be coming back for you)

The sweet, sweet cycle of you and I.
The sweet, sweet cycle of you and me.
The sweet, sweet cycle of you and I.
The sweet, sweet memories of you and me
And the way we used to be
When we were free,
How I long to be.

I Let Him In lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

He says, You will never know
There are no rhymes to do you justice."
And he will sit there, outside,
Until you no longer doubt his purpose.

So, I let him in.
I opened the door, and let him in.
Yah...I let him in. Opened my heart...

Some wounds will never heal
Loneliness becomes an expectation.
But you stretched there by my side
And you whisper those foolish incantations.

So, I let her in
A crooked smile and I let her in
Opened the door, she walked right in
I opened my heart...

It came to me wrapped like a gift in a dream,
But then the dream disappeared
And the gift went too
And ever since I've been searching
For me and you
Ever since I've been searching for you

He said, "You will never know
There are no rhymes to do you justice."
And he will sit there by your side
Until you no longer doubt his purpose.

So, she let me in
She opened the door, I walked right in
Yah...she let me in.

Yes, she let me in
She opened the door, I walked right in.
Yah...she let me in. Opened her heart...

Fuck, I Hate The Cold lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Too many years on the rinks of Montreal.
Too many years in the lofts of old TO.
Too many nights in the bowels of Avenue B.
Too many days in the arms of Lady T.
Or maybe I'm just getting old,
'cause, fuck, I hate the cold.

Too much time in the bed of a petty thief.
Too much time in the arms of a failed conceit.
He told me how he love the best about me
And then he told me what was best
And maybe I'm just getting old,
But, fuck, I hate the cold.

Too much fun on the roads of the USA.
Too much fun plugging in and starting to play.
Too much time on this winding trail
Of a tale yet to be told
Baby, I'm getting old
And, fuck, I hate the cold.
I fucking hate it.
I hate the cold.
I fucking hate the cold.

"Demons" (2011)

Wrong Piano lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Oberheim, Yamaha, Steinway and the lot
I must of played the wrong piano
'Cause it left me with I don't know what

So don't talk to me about mistakes
Yes, we all simply have got to take precautions
I musta played the wrong piano
'Cause now I just, I just feel nauseous

Some sexual turned in some biblical
And then became a game of just trivial pursuit
I used to gnaw on every word
But now I don't, what's the use?

Rupert Murdock and Larry Flint
Bob Guccione and the U.S. Mint
I took out the wrong subscription
And I don't know what I'm gonna end up spending

Oberheim, Yamaha, Steinway and the lot

Flirted With You All My Life lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

I am a man
I am self-aware
And everywhere I go
You are always right there with me
I flirted with you all my life
Even kissed you once or twice
And to this day I swear it was nice
But clearly I was not ready.
When you touched a friend of mine
I thought I would lose my mind
And I found out with time
That really I was not ready, no, no
Oh death, oh death, oh death, really, I'm not ready

Oh death,
You me
Decimate those dear to me
Teased me with your sweet release
You are full and you are constant.
When my Mom she was cancer sick,
She fought but then succumbed to it
But you made her beg for it
Sweet Jesus, please I'm ready.

Oh death, oh death, oh death
Really, I'm not ready, no no no.
I'm not ready
I'm not ready
No, no
Oh death, oh death,
Really, I'm not ready.

See You Around lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Well, I'm sorry for my lack of communication
But as I'm staring out this fifth floor window
It seems like the least amount of communication is better

Oh well, what am I supposed to say?
There's a bloody effigy on my wall
And the complimentary carnation is falling apart

And I ain't got time for the niceties
Or rather, I was never, never fond of the niceties

Well, I will see you around, around, around
I will see you around
I will see you around, yeah, yeah
I will see you around

Well, I must admit I'm flattered
By your consecration
It's mind-numbing, spine-chilling
But never-the-less heartwarming gesture

But as you make your advances so clumsily
I'll save us both the hassle and leave
Hang out all night
In the familiar fluorescent light of Dunkin' Donuts

'Cause I ain't got time for the niceties
Or rather I was never, never fond of the niceties

I will see you around, yeah, yeah
I will see you around
I will see you around
I'll see you around

Well, how are you with issues?
Lately you've been a half-assed activist
You've been seen sashaying around the picket line
Wearing scarcely any sign

Oh, but I was vocal in love and strife
And the politics of your all important life
Well, I'm sorry
But your routine is coming off a bit ragged

And I ain't got time for the niceties
Rather I was never, never fond of the niceties

I will see you around, yeah
I will see you around
I'll see you around
I will see you around

Yeah, I will see you around
Um, I'll see you around, yeah
I will see you around, round
I'll see you around
I will see you around

Betty Lonely lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Betty Lonely lives in a duplex of Stucco
On the north bank of a brackish river
Her ears omit noise from a nearby airstrip
Her mind floats beyond the snapper boats

Betty Lonely, her green eyes are roughly staring
At a point through a sliding glass door
Her heart lives over the drawbridge
Her brain is wet like a throw net

Betty Lonely, she will always think in Spanish
Though I know her Spanish black hair, it will start to fade
She sunk her past out in the surrounding salt flats
Her maidenhood was lost beneath the Spanish moss

Betty Lonely just talks to her grandbaby
Everybody else, she blots them out
But her words stick like a flounder gig
Her dry laugh is like a gaff

Betty Lonely lives in a duplex of Stucco
On the north bank of a brackish river
Her ears omit noise from a nearby airstrip

Square Room lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Sitting in a square room
My voice is freezing
And the beams that are bouncing off the moon
Are hanging from my window like icicles

Just a tired old alcoholic, waxing bucolic
Shivering and homesick
Staring at a wooden floor
Staring at a wooden floor

Last night I nearly killed myself
Chasing rum with rum
There were crows flying all around my head
And I sure caught and ate me some

Funny how I alienated
Those who I was trying just so, so hard to impress
Now half those fuckers hate me
And I'm just a fool to all the rest

Why do I insist on drinking myself to the grave?
Why do I dream about cozy coffin?
I had all these plans of great things to accomplish
But I end up purely pathetic more than often

Sitting in a square room
My voice is freezing

Ladle lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

You file me with the libertines
I fold in line
My monthly dole of magazines
Beaming bistro shines

In my ladle is your plum
And my daily staple of your cutesy crumbs
Of your cutesy falling crumbs

I saw you at the snazzy din, din
You made me sad that I watched
I must say you truly packed 'em in
Nearly dearly debauched

In my ladle is your plum
And my daily staple of your cutesy crumbs
Of your cutesy falling crumbs

In my ladle is your plum
And my daily staple of your cutesy crumbs
Of your cutesy falling crumbs

Supernatural lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Built a king on compliments
Charisma and advertisements
Still they see him shimmer ephemeral
It ain't supernatural, no

It ain't supernatural
Supernatural, baby

An out of body experience
I flew around the hospital room once
On intravenous Demerol
It was supernatural, no

It was supernatural
Supernatural maybe

Sudden smell, a certain view
Sparks a whoppin' case of the deja vu
Is it inexplicable? It ain't supernatural, no, no
It ain't

Supernatural
Supernatural, baby

West Of Rome lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

West of Rome
Just east of the border in a staticy Ramada Inn
Polishing his boots and pummelin' his liver
Steeped in his dark isolation

Just what business does, he have around here
Credentials are wearing out with each little bit of cheer
Yes, it's a bad scene we're convening

Brushin' his teeth and milkin' his ulcer
Preparing to waste another wily mornin'
Strokin' himself and phoning up his sister
He tells her their life would make one whale of a movie

Yes, a childhood full of dry goods and wet neglect
The father they now sponge off of
They have no absorbin' respect
Yes, he's a glad boy to have such a void

Yes, he's a martyr crawling across cobble stones
From his cozy cottages, just west of Rome
Yes, it's a sad state for great sufferin'

Strange Language lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Up on the bluff, where I wish I was
Twistin' up the pages of history
My cold feet danglin', my bony arms gesturin'
To summon up little chunk of that history

In the corridor the shadows are long
And it messes with my equilibrium
And there's strains of a strange language

Up on the bluff, where the hardwood's jut
Out toward the gusts of history
My crusty mind cracks, my restless heart tracks
The fractal lines of history

In the corridor the shadows are long
And it messes with my equilibrium
And there's strains of a strange language

In the corridor the shadows are long
And it messes with my equilibrium
And there's strains of a strange language

Up on the bluff, where I wish I was
Twistin' up the pages of history
My cold feet danglin', my bony arms gesturin'


We Hovered With Short Wings lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

We hovered with short wings
Over the hillock crest
A breath-like ??
Glowing, showing bones

Glowing, showing bones

With much bellowing and rowing
A change of directioning let you out
Deaf and loud
Let you out

A hungry, hungry awful hunter
A breath, his came asunder
(The old dog makes padded cake)
As the aged come for me
As the aged come for me

When The Bottom Fell Out lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

When the bottom fell out
There wasn't any doubt
I just suddenly found myself free falling
And from such a height
The wind it had a might
And it took all my might to fight the fright
And falling spread eagle
Must of formed an airfoil or some kind of wing
And I gained some equilibrium
And caught myself gliding

And the bottom fell out
I'm sure it's heard and shout
So long it's been good to know ya
And when I finally smashed
Into that burning grass
I will say it's been pretty great going

"Renmin Park" (2010)

Renmin Park lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Meet me on the banks of the Yangtze, Suzie
Beneath the glare of the New-West Yard
We’ll watch the barges cart away the waste of another day
We’ll watch the barges cart away the waste of another day

Meet me in the middle of Renmin Park
Where the stone bridge meets the pond
We’ll watch the ducklings gobbling bread
And the stealth of the approaching swan
We’ll watch the ducklings gobbling bread
And the stealth of the approaching swan

Listen for the song of the propane seller
Bouncing off the walls
His morning cry a promise to you from me
His morning song a blessing on you and me

Meet me on the banks of the Yangtze, Suzie
Beside the gate of the New-West Yard
We’ll watch the darkness leach away into the haze of another day
We’ll watch the darkness leach away into the haze of another day

Sir Francis Bacon At The Net lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Merciless nature, human and mother walk this land
Each through the arm of the other
Their tithe they count in millions
In a Land that loves its villains

So calculating it parses a man
Between the hand that held the dream
And the sword being held by the hand
Their golden frames hang gleaming
Tangled bones of their crimes bleaching
Their golden frames hang gleaming
Bleaching bones of their crimes tangling

There he stands a mere mist of a thing
Waiting his turn to challenge the King
He counts his time in centuries
He lives on the smallest of mercies
He counts his time in centuries

As the map is unrolled the dagger comes out
And that which was certain will now end in doubt
Thank you Sir Francis Bacon
Another piece of advice not taken
Thank you Sir Francis Bacon
Another piece of advice not taken

Stranger Here lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Stranger here
Face down in the river floating by
A backwards sky
Stranger here
Hung by the neck
Jeered by the crowd
Stranger here
Stranger here

And I could tell you about the time
I was looking for a rhyme
communing with the planets above
I am the righteous man
The one you’re looking for
I am a stranger here. I am a stranger here

Stranger here
The legend will be told about the boy
Never hungry, never cold
Stranger here
Smoke in my eyes
Strange taste on my tongue
I am a stranger here
I am a stranger here

And I could tell you about the evening
That I was out drinking
And fell asleep by the side of the well
I am the righteous man
The one you’re looking for
I am a stranger here
I am a stranger here

And I could tell you about the time
I was swinging from the twine
And saw you flirting with that Jack-in-the-crowd
I am the righteous man
The one you’re looking for
I am a stranger here
I am a stranger here

Stranger here
Head on the pillow floating by
Willows sigh

A Few Bags Of Grain lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

After twelve years of feeding
Days spent barely breathing
I’m worth only a few bags of grain
Oh the shame, the shame, the shame
So I’ll take me beating
Never once complaining
Oh the shame, oh the shame, the shame

After sixteen years hard labour
He bumped into a neighbour
Who told him about a world gone insane
He said, “I cannot stress any stronger
But you cannot rest on your honour”
The shame, the shame, the shame

She leaves her there sleeping
Hoping that she’s dreaming
About a life worth more than a few bags of grain
Oh the shame, oh the shame, the shame

But my spirit will live on
My daughter you will not claim
My spirit will live on
My spirit you can not claim
My daughter you will not claim
Can not claim
You can not claim

I Cannot Sit Sadly By Your Side lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

You throw away the gun
Did I tell you what’s to be done
I need it to kill just one
And you said, “I cannot sit sadly by your side”
And you said, “I cannot sit sadly by your side”

I try to push open the door
just to see what came before
but there is a body on the floor
And you said, “I cannot sit sadly by your side”
And you said, “I cannot sit sadly by your side”

You brought back that guitar
I told you I wanted it no more
it only plays the songs that no one is asking for
I cannot sit sadly by your side
I cannot sit sadly by your side

I bust in to the room not knowing really what to do
So I reach down and tear out page two hundred and fifty two
It reads, “ I can not sit sadly by your side”
It reads. “I can not sit sadly by your side”

(You've Got To Get) A Good Heart lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Tell me what brings you closer my dear
is it the beauty or the fear
Tell me what keeps your interest here
is it the chill or is it the fever

Is it the terror or the grief
Is it the trigger or the breach

You’ve got to get a good heart
You need a good heart

Take me back to another time
When the birds brought forth the sun
Take me back to that golden year
When the pain brought forth the gun

You’ve got to get a good heart
You’ve got to get a good heart

Is it the beauty or the fear
Is it the chill or is it the fever

Take me back to another time
When the birds brought forth the sun
Leave it there it’s sad and tired
It’s time that we moved on

You need a good heart

Cicadas lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Hear them buzzing in the trees
A lot like us a dying breed
One voice now is all we need
Hear them buzzing in the trees

Nothing left but empty shells
No memory now of where we fell
No one left to truly tell
The tale of how we truly fell

Once again the simple truth
Is crushed beneath the leather boot
A lot like us a dying breed

Hear them buzzing in the trees
A lot like us a dying breed
One voice now is all we need
Hear them buzzing in the trees

Nothing left but empty shells
No memory now of where we fell
No one one left to truly tell
the tale of how we truly fell

No trees here to hide behind
Those big red wheels they slowly grind

Hear them buzzing in the trees

My Fall lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Notice the fall of the city
Please watch it closely
The sun outside shining
The moon also hanging
The years start to gather
your dreams start to tatter
Your tears busy fuelling this song I’m singing tonight
Through those hopeless nights
I wander alone
Through those hopeless nights
You hold me hand
Happiness a distance we’ll never see
This cool fall night only confuses me

At night when we should be sleeping
I lie awake and hear you weeping
About all the things you ever wanted
About all the things that now haunt you
The years start to gather your dreams start to tatter
Your tears busy fuelling this song I’m singing tonight
Through those hopeless nights I wander alone
Through those hopeless nights you hold my hand
Happiness a distance we’ll never see
This cool fall night hanging over me

Little Dark Heart lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

It’s a funny start
But I have no home
I have no name
I have no one
Except this little dark heart
Fate playing her part
I have no one

And I’m not one to say
But she has a way
Of winding that thread
She has a way
Now there’s this little dark heart
Fate playing her part she has her ways

One is left in a ditch by the highway
The other ‘neath the Tax Bureau Gate
Wherever you come from that’s where you go
They lie gazing at the stars and they wait
They lie gazing at the stars and they wait

I’ve read all the books and they go away
They turn their backs
They go away
The long journey start
For that little dark heart
She has no one
I make a fresh start you fall apart
And they go away

A Walk In The Park lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

A walk in the park, there will be no bother
Since we are not decision-maker
Government is the chief dealer
Oh, if they don't exist
How can I burst into laughter

A walk in the park, go look around from west to east
It is so tough being a giraffe
Can I get along well with him
He recognizes me since I were a toddler

A walk in the park, there will be no bother
Since we are not decision-maker
Government is the chief dealer
Oh, if they don't exist
How can I burst into laughter

A walk in the park, go look around from west to east
It is so tough being a giraffe
Can I get along well with him
He recognizes me since I were a toddler

A walk in the park, go look around from west to east
A walk in the park, go look around from west to east

Renmin Park (Revisited) lyrics - Cowboy Junkies

Meet me on the banks of the Yangtze, Suzie
Beneath the glare of the New-West Yard
We’ll watch the barges cart away
The waste of another day
We’ll watch the barges cart away
The waste of another day

Meet me in the middle of Renmin Park
Where the stone bridge meets the pond
We’ll watch the ducklings gobbling bread
And the stealth of the approaching swan
We’ll watch the ducklings gobbling bread
And the stealth of the approaching swan

Listen for the song of the propane seller bouncing off the walls
A kiss before the morning knows I’m gone
A kiss before the new day finds me gone

Listen for the song of the propane seller drifting through our dreams
You at the end of your sky and me in the corner of my sea
His morning cry a promise to you from me
His morning song a blessing on you and me

Meet me on the steps of Gu Xian Temple
Where the old ways greet the dawn
We’ll watch the darkness leach away into the haze of another day
We’ll watch the darkness leach away into the haze of another day

Followers