Suzanne

Suzanne takes you down
to her place near the river

you can hear the boats go by

you can spend the night beside her

And you know that she’s half crazy

but that’s why you want to be there

and she feeds you tea and oranges

that come all the way from China

And just when you mean to tell her

that you have no love to give her

then she gets you on her wavelength

and she lets the river answer

that you’ve always been her lover

And you want to travel with her

and you want to travel blind

and you know that she will trust you

for you’ve touched her perfect body

with your mind

And Jesus was a sailor

when he walked upon the water

and he spent a long time watching

from his lonely wooden tower

and when he knew for certain

only drowning men could see him

he said “All men will be sailors then

until the sea shall free them”

but he himself was broken

long before the sky would open

forsaken, almost human

he sank beneath your wisdom like a stone

And you want to travel with him

and you want to travel blind

and you think maybe you’ll trust him

for he’s touched your perfect body

with his mind

Now Suzanne takes your hand

and she leads you to the river

she is wearing rags and feathers

from Salvation Army counters

And the sun pours down like honey

on our lady of the harbour

And she shows you where to look

among the garbage and the flowers

There are heroes in the seaweed

there are children in the morning

they are leaning out for love

they will lean that way forever

while Suzanne holds the mirror

And you want to travel with her

and you want to travel blind

and you know that you can trust her

for she’s touched your perfect body

with her mind

The Stranger Song

It’s true that all the men you knew were dealers who said they were through with dealing every time you gave them shelter. I know that kind of man. It’s hard to hold the hand of anyone who’s reaching for the sky just to surrender, who’s reaching for the sky just to surrender.

And then sweeping up the jokers that he left behind you’ll find he did not leave you very much not even laughter. Like any dealer he was watching for the card that is so high and wild he’ll never need to deal another. He was just some Joseph looking for a manger. He was just some Joseph looking for a manger.

And then leaning on your window-sill he’ll say one day you caused his will to weaken with your love and warmth and shelter. And then taking from his wallet an old schedule of trains, he’ll say, I told you when I came I was a stranger. I told you when I came I was a stranger.

But now another stranger seems to want you to ignore his dreams, as though they were the burden of some other. Oh, you’ve seen that man before, his golden arm dispatching cards, but now it’s rusted from the elbows to the finger. And he wants to trade the game he plays for shelter. Yes, he wants to trade the game he knows for shelter.

Oh, you hate to see another tired man lay down his hand, like he was giving up the Holy Game of Poker. And while he talks his dreams to sleep, you notice there’s a highway that is curling up like smoke above his shoulder. It’s curling just like smoke above his shoulder.

You tell him to come in, sit down, but something makes you turn around. The door is open. You can’t close your shelter. You try the handle of the road. It opens. Do not be afraid. It’s you, my love, you, who are the stranger. And it’s you my love, you who are the stranger.

Well, I’ve been waiting. I was sure we’d meet between the trains we’re waiting for, I think it’s time to board another. Please understand I never had a secret chart to get me to the heart of this, or any other matter. Well, he talks like this, you don’t know what he’s after. When he speaks like this, you don’t know what he’s after.

Let’s meet tomorrow if you choose, upon the shore, beneath the bridge, that they are building on some endless river. Then he leaves the platform for the sleeping car that’s warm, you realize, he’s only advertising one more shelter. And it comes to you, he never was a stranger. And you say, “OK, the bridge, or someplace later.”

And then sweeping up the jokers that he left behind, you find he did not leave you very much, not even laughter. Like any dealer he was watching for the card that is so high and wild he’ll never need to deal another. He was just some Joseph looking for a manger. He was just some Joseph looking for a manger.

And leaning on your window-sill, he’ll say one day you caused his will to weaken with your love and warmth and shelter. And then taking from his wallet an old schedule of trains, he’ll say, I told you when I came I was a stranger. I told you when I came I was a stranger.I told you when I came I was a stranger.

Sisters Of Mercy

All the Sisters of Mercy

they are not departed or gone

They were waiting for me

when I thought that I just can’t go on

And they brought me their comfort

and later they brought me this song

Oh I hope you run into them

you who’ve been travelling so long

Yes, you who must leave everything

that you cannot control

It begins with your family

but soon it comes around to your soul

Well, I’ve been where you’re hanging

I think I can see where you’re pinned

When you’re not feeling holy

your loneliness says that you’ve sinned

Well, they lay down beside me

I made my confession to them

They touched both my eyes

and I touched the dew on their hem

If your life is a leaf that

the seasons tear off and condemn

they will bind you with love

that is graceful and green as a stem

When I left they were sleeping

I hope you run into them soon

Don’t turn on the lights

you can read their address by the moon

And you won’t make me jealous

if I hear that they sweetened your night

We weren’t lovers like that

and besides it would still be all right

We weren’t lovers like that

and besides it would still be all right

Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye

I loved you in the morning

Our kisses deep and warm

Your hair upon the pillow

like a sleepy golden storm

Yes many loved before us

I know that we are not new

In city and in forest

they smiled like me and you

But now it’s come to distances

And both of us must try

Your eyes are soft with sorrow

Hey, that’s no way to say goodbye

I’m not looking for another

As I wander in my time

Walk me to the corner

Our steps will always rhyme

You know my love goes with you

As your love stays with me

It’s just the way it changes

Like the shoreline and the sea

But let’s not talk of love or chains

And things we can’t untie

Your eyes are soft with sorrow

Hey, that’s no way to say goodbye

I loved you in the morning

Our kisses deep and warm

Your hair upon the pillow

Like a sleepy golden storm

Yes many loved before us

I know that we are not new

In city and in forest

They smiled like me and you

But let’s not talk of love or chains

And things we can’t untie

Your eyes are soft with sorrow

Hey, that’s no way to say goodbye

So Long, Marianne

Come over to the window, my little darling

I’d like to try to read your palm

I used to think I was some kind of gypsy boy

before I let you take me home

(Now) So long, Marianne

it’s time that we began

to laugh and cry and cry and laugh

about it all again

Well, you know that I love to live with you

but you make me forget so very much

I forget to pray for the angels

and then the angels forget to pray for us

(Oh) So long, Marianne

it’s time that we began

to laugh and cry and cry and laugh

about it all again

We met when we were almost young

deep in the green lilac park

You held on to me like I was a crucifix

as we went kneeling through the dark

(Oh) So long, Marianne

it’s time that we began

to laugh and cry and cry and laugh

about it all again

Your letters they all say that you’re beside me now

Then why do I feel alone?

I’m standing on this ledge and your fine spider web

is fastening my ankle to a stone

(Now) So long, Marianne

it’s time that we began

to laugh and cry and cry and laugh

about it all again

For now I need your hidden love

I’m cold as a new razor blade

You left when I told you I was curious

I never said that I was brave

(Oh) So long, Marianne

it’s time that we began

to laugh and cry and cry and laugh

about it all again

O you are really such a pretty one

I see you’ve gone and changed your name again

And just when I climbed this whole mountainside

to wash my eyelids in the rain!

(Oh) So long, Marianne

it’s time that we began

to laugh and cry and cry and laugh

about it all again

Bird On The Wire

Like a bird on the wire

Like a drunk in a midnight choir

I have tried in my way to be free

Like a worm on a hook

Like a knight from some old-fashioned book

I have saved all my ribbons for thee

If I have been unkind

I hope that you can just let it go by

If I have been untrue

I hope you know it was never to you

Like a baby stillborn

Like a beast with his horn

I have torn everyone who reached out for me

But I swear by this song

And by all that I have done wrong

I will make it all up to thee

I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch

He said to me “You must not ask for so much”

And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door

She cried to me “Hey, why not ask for more?”

Oh like a bird on the wire

Like a drunk in a midnight choir

I have tried in my way to be free

The Partisan

When they poured across the border

I was cautioned to surrender,

this I could not do;

I took my gun and vanished.

I have changed my name so often,

I’ve lost my wife and children

but I have many friends,

and some of them are with me.

An old woman gave us shelter,

kept us hidden in the garret,

then the soldiers came;

she died without a whisper.

There were three of us this morning

I’m the only one this evening

but I must go on;

the frontiers are my prison.

Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,

through the graves the wind is blowing,

freedom soon will come;

then we’ll come from the shadows.

Les Allemands e’taient chez moi, [The Germans were at my home]

ils me dirent, “Signe toi,” [They said, “Sign yourself,”]

mais je n’ai pas peur; [But I am not afraid]

j’ai repris mon arme. [I have retaken my weapon.]

J’ai change’ cent fois de nom, [I have changed names a hundred times]

j’ai perdu femme et enfants [I have lost wife and children]

mais j’ai tant d’amis; [But I have so many friends]

j’ai la France entière. [I have all of France]

Un vieil homme dans un grenier [An old man, in an attic]

pour la nuit nous a cache’, [Hid us for the night]

les Allemands l’ont pris; [The Germans captured him]

il est mort sans surprise. [He died without surprise.]

Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,

through the graves the wind is blowing,

freedom soon will come;

then we’ll come from the shadows.

Famous Blue Raincoat

It’s four in the morning, the end of December. I’m writing you now just to see if you’re better. New York is cold but I like where I’m living. There’s music on Clinton Street all through the evening. I hear that you’re building your little house deep in the desert. You’re living for nothing now. I hope you’re keeping some kind of record. Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair. She said that you gave it to her that night that you planned to go clear. Did you ever go clear?
 

(Ah) The last time we saw you you looked so much older. Your famous blue raincoat was torn at the shoulder. You’d been to the station to meet every train but (then) you came home without Lili Marlene. And you treated my woman to a flake of your life. And when she came back she was nobody’s wife. (Well) I see you there with the rose in your teeth, one more thin gypsy thief. Well, I see Jane’s awake. She sends her regards.

And what can I tell you my brother my killer? What can I possibly say? I guess that I miss you. I guess I forgive you. I’m glad (that) you stood in my way. If you ever come by here for Jane or for me, well, your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free. Yes, and thanks for the trouble you took from her eyes. I thought it was there for good, so I never tried.

And Jane came by with a lock of your hair. She said that you gave it to her that night that you planned to go clear.

Sincerely, L. Cohen.

Chelsea Hotel #2

I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel,

you were talking so brave and so sweet;

giving me head on the unmade bed,

while the limousines wait in the street.

Those were the reasons, and that was New York,

we were running for the money and the flesh;

and that was called love for the workers in song,

probably still is for those of them left.

Ah but you got away, didn’t you, baby,

you just turned your back on the crowd.

You got away, I never once heard you say:

“I need you, I don’t need you,

I need you, I don’t need you,” –

and all of that jiving around.

I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel,
you were famous, your heart was a legend.
You told me again you preferred handsome men,
but for me you would make an exception.
And clenching your fist for the ones like us
who are oppressed by the figures of beauty,
you fixed yourself, you said: “Well, never mind,
we are ugly, but we have the music.” 

Ah but you got away, didn’t you, baby,

you just turned your back on the crowd.

You got away, I never once heard you say:

“I need you, I don’t need you,

I need you, I don’t need you,” –

and all of that jiving around.

I don’t mean to suggest that I loved you the best;

I can’t keep track of each fallen robin.

I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel –

that’s all, I don’t even think of you that often.

Take This Longing

Many men have loved the bells

you fastened to the rein;

and everyone who wanted you,

they found what they

will always want again –

your beauty lost to you yourself,

just as it was lost to them –

Oh take this longing from my tongue,

whatever useless things

these hands have done;

let me see your beauty broken down,

like you would do

for one you love.

Your body like a searchlight.

My poverty revealed.

I would like to try your charity,

until you cry:

“Now you must try my greed.”

And everything depends upon

how near you sleep to me –

Just take this longing from my tongue,

whatever useless things

these hands have done;

let me see your beauty broken down,

like you would do

for one you love.

Hungry as an archway

through which the troops have passed,

I stand in ruins behind you,

with your winter clothes,

your broken sandal strap.

I love to see you naked over there

especially from the back.

Oh take this longing from my tongue,

all the useless things

my hands have done;

untie for me your hired blue gown,

like you would do

for one that you love.

You’re faithful to the better man.

I’m afraid that he left.

So let me judge your love affair

in this very room where I have

sentenced mine to death.

I’ll even wear these old laurel leaves

that he’s shaken from his head –

Oh take this longing from my tongue,

whatever useless things

these hands have done;

let me see your beauty broken down,

like you would do

for one you love.

Like you would do

for one you love.

Who By Fire

And who by fire? Who by water? Who in the sunshine? Who in the night time? Who by high ordeal? Who by common trial? Who in your merry, merry month of may? Who by very slow decay? And who shall I say is calling?

And who in her lonely slip? Who by barbiturate? Who in these realms of love? Who by something blunt? And who by avalanche? Who by powder? Who for his greed? Who for his hunger? And who shall I say is calling?

And who by brave ascent? Who by accident? Who in solitude? Who in this mirror? Who by his lady’s command? Who by his own hand? Who in mortal chains? Who in power? And who shall I say is calling?

The Guests

One by one the guests arrive

The guests are coming through

The open-hearted many

The broken-hearted few

And no one knows where the night is going

And no one knows why the wine is flowing

O love, I need you, I need you, I need you, I need you

O... I need you now

And those who dance begin to dance

Those who weep begin

And Welcome, welcome, cries a voice

Let all my guests come in

And no one knows where the night is going

And no one knows why the wine is flowing

O love, I need you, I need you, I need you, I need you

O... I need you now

And all go stumbling through that house

In lonely secrecy

Saying, Do reveal yourself

Or, Why has thou forsaken me

And no one knows where the night is going

And no one knows why the wine is flowing

O love, I need you, I need you, I need you, I need you

O... I need you now

All at once the torches flare

The inner door flies open

One by one they enter there

In every style of passion

And no one knows where the night is going

And no one knows why the wine is flowing

O love, I need you, I need you, I need you, I need you

O... I need you now

And here they take their sweet repast

While house and grounds dissolve

And one by one the guests are cast

Beyond the garden wall

And no one knows where the night is going

And no one knows why the wine is flowing

O love, I need you, I need you, I need you, I need you

O... I need you now

Those who dance begin to dance

Those who weep begin

Those who earnestly are lost

Are lost and lost again

And no one knows where the night is going

And no one knows why the wine is flowing

O love, I need you, I need you, I need you, I need you

O... I need you now

One by the guests arrive

The guests are coming through

The broken-hearted many

The open-hearted few

And no one knows where the night is going

And no one knows why the wine is flowing

O love, I need you, I need you, I need you, I need you

O... I need you now

Hallelujah

Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord

that David played, and it pleased the Lord,

but you don’t really care for music, do you?

It goes like this: the fourth, the fifth

the minor fall, the major lift;

the baffled king composing Hallelujah!

Hallelujah Hallelujah

Hallelujah Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof.

You saw her bathing on the roof;

her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you.

She tied you to a kitchen chair

she broke your throne, and she cut your hair,

and from your lips she drew the Hallelujah!

Hallelujah Hallelujah

Hallelujah Hallelujah

You say I took the Name in vain;

I don’t even know the name.

But if I did, well, really, what’s it to you?

There’s a blaze of light in every word;

it doesn’t matter which you heard,

the holy, or the broken Hallelujah!

Hallelujah Hallelujah

Hallelujah Hallelujah

I did my best; it wasn’t much.

I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch.

I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come to fool you.

And even though it all went wrong,

I’ll stand before the Lord of Song

with nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah!

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah

If It Be Your Will

If it be your will

that I speak no more,

and my voice be still

as it was before;

I will speak no more,

I shall abide until

I am spoken for

if it be your will.

If it be your will

that a voice be true,

from this broken hill

I will sing to you.

From this broken hill

all your praises they shall ring

if it be your will

to let me sing.

all your praises they shall ring

if it be your will

to let me sing.

If it be your will,

if there is a choice,

let the rivers fill,

let the hills rejoice.

Let your mercy spill

on all these burning hearts in hell,

if it be your will

to make us well.

And draw us near

and bind us tight,

all your children here

in their rags of light;

in our rags of light,

all dressed to kill;

and end this night,

if it be your will.

If it be your will.

Night Comes On

I went down to the place where I knew she lay waiting

under the marble and the snow.

I said, “Mother I’m frightened; the thunder and the lightning;

I’ll never come through this alone.”

She said, “I’ll be with you, my shawl wrapped around you,

my hand on your head when you go.”

And the night came on; it was very calm;

I wanted the night to go on and on,

but she said, “Go back to the world.”

We were fighting in Egypt, when they signed this agreement

that nobody else had to die.

There was this terrible sound and my father went down

with a terrible wound in his side.

He said, “Try to go on, take my books, take my gun,

remember, my son, how they lied.”

And the night comes on, it’s very calm;

I’d like to pretend that my father was wrong,

but you don’t want to lie, not to the young.

We were locked in this kitchen; I took to religion,

and I wondered how long she would stay.

I needed so much to have nothing to touch:

I’ve always been greedy that way.

But my son and my daughter climbed out of the water,

crying, “Papa, you promised to play.”

And they lead me away to the great surprise;

it’s “Papa, don’t peek, Papa, cover your eyes.”

And they hide, they hide in the world.

Now I look for her always; I’m lost in this calling;

I’m tied to the threads of some prayer.

Saying, “When will she summon me, when will she come to me,

what must I do to prepare?” –

Then she bends to my longing, like a willow, like a fountain,

she stands in the luminous air.

And the night comes on, and it’s very calm,

I lie in her arms, she says, “When I’m gone

I’ll be yours, yours for a song.”

Now the crickets are singing, the vesper bells ringing,

the cat’s curled asleep in his chair.

I’ll go down to Bill’s Bar, I can make it that far,

and I’ll see if my friends are still there.

Yes, and here’s to the few who forgive what you do,

and the fewer who don’t even care!

And the night comes on; it’s very calm;

I want to cross over, I want to go home,

but she says, “Go back, go back to the world.”

I’m Your Man

If you want a lover

I’ll do anything you ask me to

And if you want another kind of love

I’ll wear a mask for you

If you want a partner

take my hand, or

if you want to strike me

down in anger

here I stand

I’m your man

If you want a boxer

I will step into the ring for you

And if you want a doctor

I’ll examine every inch of you

If you want a driver

climb inside

or if you want to take me

for a ride

you know you can

I’m your man

Ah, the moon’s too bright

the chain’s too tight

the beast won’t go to sleep

I’ve been running through

these promises to you

that I made and I could not keep

Ah but a man never got a woman back

not by begging on his knees

or I’d crawl to you baby

and I’d fall at your feet

and I’d howl at your beauty

like a dog in heat

and I’d claw at your heart

and I’d tear at your sheet

I’d say please, please

I’m your man

And if you’ve got to sleep a moment on the road

I will steer for you

and if you want to work the street alone

I’ll disappear for you

If you want a father

for your child

or only want to walk

with me a while

across the sand

I’m your man

If you want a lover

I’ll do anything you ask me to

And if you want another kind of love

I’ll wear a mask for you

If you want a partner

take my hand, or

if you want to strike me

down in anger

here I stand

I’m your man

Everybody Knows

co-written by Sharon Robinson

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded. Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed. Everybody knows that the war is over. Everybody knows the good guys lost. Everybody knows the fight was fixed: the poor stay poor, the rich get rich. That’s how it goes. Everybody knows.

Everybody knows that the boat is leaking. Everybody knows that the captain lied. Everybody got this broken feeling like their father or their dog just died. Everybody talking to their pockets. Everybody wants a box of chocolates and a long-stem rose. Everybody knows.

Everybody knows that you love me, baby. Everybody knows that you really do. Everybody knows that you’ve been faithful, ah, give or take a night or two. Everybody knows you’ve been discreet but there were so many people you just had to meet without your clothes. And everybody knows.

Everybody knows, everybody knows, that’s how it goes, everybody knows. Everybody knows, everybody knows, that’s how it goes, everybody knows.

And everybody knows that it’s now or never. Everybody knows that it’s me or you. And everybody knows that you live forever, ah, when you’ve done a line or two. Everybody knows the deal is rotten: Old Black Joe’s still picking cotton for your ribbons and bows. And everybody knows.

And everybody knows that the Plague is coming. Everybody knows that it’s moving fast. Everybody knows that the naked man and woman are just a shining artifact of the past. Everybody knows the scene is dead, but there’s going to be a metre on your bed that will disclose what everybody knows.

And everybody knows that you’re in trouble. Everybody knows what you’ve been through, from the bloody cross on top of Calvary to the beach of Malibu. Everybody knows it’s coming apart: take one last look at this Sacred Heart before it blows. And everybody knows.

Everybody knows, everybody knows, that’s how it goes, everybody knows. Oh, everybody knows, everybody knows, that’s how it goes, everybody knows, everybody knows.

Tower Of Song

Well, my friends are gone and my hair is grey.

I ache in the places where I used to play.

And I’m crazy for love but I’m not coming on.

I’m just paying my rent every day, oh, in the tower of song.

I said to Hank Williams, “How lonely does it get?”

Hank Williams hasn’t answered yet,

but I hear him coughing all night long,

a hundred floors above me in the tower of song.

I was born like this, I had no choice.

I was born with the gift of a golden voice,

and twenty-seven angels from the great beyond,

they tied me to this table right here in the tower of song.

So you can stick your little pins in that voodoo doll

– I’m very sorry, baby, doesn’t look like me at all.

I’m standing by the window where the light is strong.

Ah, they don’t let a woman kill you, not in the tower of song.

Now you can say that I’ve grown bitter, but of this you may be sure:

the rich have got their channels in the bedrooms of the poor,

and there’s a mighty judgement coming, but I may be wrong.

You see, you hear these funny voices in the tower of song.

I see you standing on the other side.

I don’t know how the river got so wide.

I loved you, baby, way back when –

And all the bridges are burning that we might have crossed,

but I feel so close to everything that we lost –

We’ll never have to lose it again.

Now I bid you farewell, I don’t know when I’ll be back.

They’re moving us tomorrow to that tower down the track.

But you’ll be hearing from me, baby, long after I’m gone.

I’ll be speaking to you sweetly from a window in the tower of song.

Yeah, my friends are gone and my hair is grey.

I ache in the places where I used to play.

And I’m crazy for love but I’m not coming on.

I’m just paying my rent every day, oh, in the tower of song.

Ain’t No Cure For Love

I loved you for a long long time. I know this love is real. It don’t matter how it all went wrong. That don’t change the way I feel. And I can’t believe that time’s gonna heal this wound I’m speaking of – There ain’t no cure, there ain’t no cure, there ain’t no cure for love.

I’m aching for you, baby. I can’t pretend I’m not. I need to see you naked In your body and your

thought. I’ve got you like a habit And I’ll never get enough – There ain’t no cure, there ain’t no cure, there ain’t no cure for love.

There ain’t no cure for love, there ain’t no cure for love. All the rocket ships are climbing through the sky, the holy books are open wide, the doctors working day and night, but they’ll never ever find that cure for love – there ain’t no drink, no drug – (Ah tell them, angels) there’s nothing pure enough to be a cure for love.

I see you in the subway and I see you on the bus. I see you lying down with me, I see you waking up. I see your hand, I see your hair, your bracelets and your brush. And I call to you, I call to you, but I don’t call soft enough – There ain’t no cure, there ain’t no cure, there ain’t no cure for love.

I walked into this empty church – I had no place else to go – when the sweetest voice I ever heard whispered to my soul. I don’t need to be forgiven for loving you so much. It’s written in the scriptures, it’s written there in blood. I even heard the angels declare it from above – There ain’t no cure, there ain’t no cure, there ain’t no cure for love.

There ain’t no cure for love, there ain’t no cure for love. All the rocket ships are climbing through the sky, the holy books are open wide, the doctors working day and night, but they’ll never ever find that cure for love – there ain’t no drink, no drug – (Ah tell them, angels) there’s nothing pure enough to be a cure for love.

Take This Waltz

after Lorca

Now in Vienna there’s ten pretty women.

There’s a shoulder where death comes to cry.

There’s a lobby with nine hundred windows.

There’s a tree where the doves go to die.

There’s a piece that was torn from the morning,

and it hangs in the Gallery of Frost –

Ay, ay ay ay

Take this waltz, take this waltz,

take this waltz with the clamp on its jaws.

Oh, I want you, I want you, I want you

on a chair with a dead magazine.

In the cave at the tip of the lily,

in some hallways where love’s never been.

On a bed where the moon has been sweating,

in a cry filled with footsteps and sand –

Ay, ay ay ay

Take this waltz, take this waltz,

take its broken waist in your hand.

This waltz, this waltz, this waltz, this waltz

with its very own breath

of brandy and deat,

dragging its tail in the sea.

There’s a concert hall in Vienna

where your mouth had a thousand reviews.

There’s a bar where the boys have stopped talking,

they’ve been sentenced to death by the blues.

Ah, but who is it climbs to your picture

with a garland of freshly cut tears?

Ay, ay ay ay

Take this waltz, take this waltz,

take this waltz, it’s been dying for years.

There’s an attic where children are playing,

where I’ve got to lie down with you soon,

in a dream of Hungarian lanterns,

in the mist of some sweet afternoon.

And I’ll see what you’ve chained to your sorrow,

all your sheep and your lilies of snow –

Ay, ay ay ay

Take this waltz, take this waltz

with its “I’ll never forget you, you know!”

This waltz, this waltz, this waltz, this waltz

with its very own breath

of brandy and deat,

dragging its tail in the sea.

And I’ll dance with you in Vienna,

I’ll be wearing a river’s disguise.

The hyacinth wild on my shoulder

my mouth on the dew of your thighs.

And I’ll bury my soul in a scrapbook,

with the photographs there and the moss.

And I’ll yield to the flood of your beauty,

my cheap violin and my cross.

And you’ll carry me down on your dancing

to the pools that you lift on your wrist –

Oh my love, oh my love

Take this waltz, take this waltz,

it’s yours now. It’s all that there is.