rushing strawberries one by one
Watching the juice drip down
Two and a half months ahead of schedule
The leaves on the trees are turning brown
We got ready for winter, as the sun rose up in the sky
There was something almost soothing in the hard-to-define
Note of terror in your eye

Watching the strawberries lose their shapes
As the wind blew through the elm tree
The wind was far too cold for the middle of April
And you reached out your hand to me
It was good to feel your hand in mine
It was good to know you felt the chill too
I scooped up a palm full of strawberry pulp
And smeared it all over you

The wild strawberries drove me on, as I lapped them up off of your skin
And I could feel your basal body temperature rise as the cold came in
Hey hey

We had our passports out and the kits to fix 'em up with
And the hurricane lamp threw our shadows on the ceiling
I watched them box with one another up there, Punch and Judy
It was lovely, it was awful, it was that kind of feeling

When you said it was real sure
That there was nothing standing in our way
And the lie ran off and hid itself in the alleys
All across Bombay

I saw you knock the lamp over while reaching for the scissors
And I wondered how we'd ever get by without it
And you fell into my arms then, sweet and gentle
Poison in the water, little doubt about it

And you said that one of us
Would be all alone someday
And the truth of it echoed inexhaustibly
Up and down the thoroughfares all across Bombay

I'm gonna drink more whiskey than Brendan Behan
And I'm gonna send my belongings all to Tripoli
And I'm gonna ride home to California
With a banjo on my knee

I'm never gonna turn off the television
I'm just gonna let it run all night
I'm gonna plant root vegetables out in the backyard
And come summer I am going to treat you right

So put on your Chairman Mao coat
And let me clear my throat
Let's turn this whole town upside-down
And shake it 'til the coins come falling out of its pocket
Yeah put on your Che Guevara pin
Call the troops on in
We're gonna sail through the night sky like a pair of bottle rockets

I got a great big secret written down somewhere
I got a rosary to protect us both from harm
I got a storage locker full of cow figurines
And a laundry list of grievances longer than my arm
And I am never going back to Cincinnati
All those bridges have burned down to the ground
I got the jet pack strapped to my back
And I'm waiting for you to come around

Yeah, put on your Chairman Mao coat
And let me clear my throat
Let's turn this whole place upside-down, yes
And shake it 'til the coins come falling out of its pockets
Yeah put on your Che Guevara pin
Call the troops on in
We're gonna sail through the night sky like a pair of bottle rockets

I will rise up early and dress myself up nice
And I will leave the house and check the deadlock twice
And I will find a crowd and blend in for a minute
And I will try to find a little comfort in it

And I will get lonely
And gasp for air
And send your name off from my lips
Like a signal flare

And I will go downtown, stand in the shadows of the buildings
And button up my coat, trying to stay strong - spirit willing
And I will come back home, maybe call some friends
Maybe paint some pictures, it all depends

And I will get lonely
And gasp for air
And look up at the high windows
And see your face up there

A bad dream shook me in my sleep
And I woke up sweating
Ran through the dark to the shower
Already forgetting

Try to think good thoughts
Trying to find my way clear
Let the room fill with steam
Traced pictures on the mirror

Ghosts and clouds
And nameless things
Squint your eyes and hope real hard
Maybe sprout wings

I clawed my way to the living room window
Stood there in the cold
The last bits of my dream like figures in the distance
Hard to hold

I thought of old friends
the ones who'd gone missing
Said all their names three times
Phantoms in the early dark
Canaries in the mines

Ghosts and clouds
And nameless things
Squint your eyes and hope real hard
Maybe sprout wings

I went down to the gas station
For no particular reason
Heard the screams from the high school
It's football season

Empty lot the station faces
Will probably be there forever
I climbed over the four foot fence
I was trying to sever the tether

Moon in the sky
Cold as a stone
Spend each night in your arms
Always wake up alone

I lay down in the weeds
It was a real cold night
I was happy 'til the overnight attendant
Switched on the floodlight

Walking home I was talking to you under my breath
Saying things I would never say directly
I heard a siren on the highway up ahead
Kinda wished they'd come and get me

Frost on the sidewalk
White as a bone
Tried to get close to you again
Always wake up alone

And as I was crossing our doorstep
I hesitated just a moment there
Remembered the day we moved in to our small house
'Til the vision got too vivid to bear

You were almost asleep
Halfway undressed
I lay right down next to you
held your head against my chest

And a guy with any kind of courage
would maybe stop to think the matter through
Maybe hold you still and raise the question
Instead of blindly holding onto you

But we crank up the heat
And you giggle and moan
Spend all night in the company of ghosts
Always wake up alone

Autumn came around like a drifter to an on-ramp
There were wet leaves floating in gutters full of rain
Took to walking barefoot around town
Melodies from grade-school kicking in my brain

Saw you on the crosstown bus today
You were reading a magazine
I turned my face away
And I shut my eyes tight
Dreamed about the flowers that hide from the light
On dark hillsides in the hidden places

The brakes howled and the bus pulled up near my house
And I got off at the corner
Pulled my sleeves down over my hands, over my hands
And I wished I was someone else
And I wished it was warmer

And when I got home I thought about you
Like a desperate policeman searching for clues
And I almost passed out just then
And I shut my eyes again
Headed for the dark hillsides
In the hidden places

The sun above me and a concrete floor below
Scratch at the chain links maybe bare my teeth for show
Fed twice a day I don't go hungry anymore
Feel in my bones just what the future has in store
I pace in circles so the camera will see
Look hard at my stripes, there'll be no more after me

Laze by the shoreline while the sailors disembark
Scratch out a place to sit and rest down in the dark
Smell something burning downwind just a little ways
They set up camp and sing and sweat and work for days
I have no fear of anyone I'm dumb and wild and free
I am a flightless bird and there'll be no more after me

In Costa Rica in a burrow underground
Climb to the surface, blink my eyes and look around
I'm all alone here as I try my tiny song
Claim my place beneath the sky but I won't be here for long
I sang all night the moon shone on me through the trees
No brothers left and there'll be no more after me

A garter snake passed lazily through the tall yellow-headed sour grass
there was cold, clear water in a tall, clean glass
the sunlight hit the sides and it came through the water tilted
I saw the condensation on your hand
I could feel the glaciers melting

And a warm, soft wind
Covered up everything
On the day your love came screaming through me

You had oranges and lemons in a canvas bag beside you
And seven different kinds of light welling up inside of you
You smeared citrus pulp all over me - it felt okay
Good old East Rutherford three thousand miles away

I felt the warm surge blast my mind
Coming in from behind
On the day your love came screaming through me

In the fresh light of day
I felt something falling away
On the day your love came screaming through me

The building shook with the sound of wild kittens
And I grabbed my scarf and I pulled on my mittens
Took my coat and I went down
To the useless lot on the outskirts of town
The dogs were howling
The wind was blowing
The birds were singing
And I saw you

Your eyes as bright as burning coals
But ask not for whom the bell tolls
'Cause it tolls for those who ask that question
And it tolls for those who answer that question
Dogs were howling
The birds were singing
The wind was blowing
And I saw you

And meanwhile downstairs, I'm setting up shop
A little too proud to let the matter drop
And I can hear you up there, isn't it romantic?
You're huffing and puffing, rearranging
Deck chairs on the Titanic
And I reach for a glass of cool water drawn
From the rivers of Babylon

And meanwhile outside, the stars have come out
And the humid summer air pulls at the ring in my snout
And you stand at your window looking down
And I spread wide my arms
Jump if you wanna jump, jump if you want to
The water's warm
I know
I know 'cause I've been swimming
Blindly along
Through the rivers of Babylon

Dead quiet three hours into the best part of the day
And I, I want to tell you that you look so pretty
But the words come out wrong and the rage gets in the way
Dead silence, you looked at me like you were looking into space
And in space, no one could hear you say good-bye
Down here I shouldn't have to read it on your face

That's not normal
That's not right
That's not very nice
No it isn't

The moon shining down on your body and you look so nice
And I, I want to tell you, but you don't want to hear it
And I know and you don't have to tell me twice
But once would be civil
The moon shining got into my brain, and I had so much to say
But there was dead quiet, and you were silent
Three hours into the best part of the day

And that's not normal
That's not right
That's not very nice
No it isn't

And that's not normal
That's not right
That's not very nice
No it isn't

Come down in the flatland
Show me your shoulder
Wait now where the black hand touches us
We'll both grow older

And the sky above us
And the ground beneath us
And the air around us
And the ocean to the right

Measure your arm length
I can't live without it
I treasure those thirty inches
I want to talk about it.

And the sky above us
And the ground beneath us
And the air around us
And the ocean to the right

Love you in the cold air
Your long hair makes me shiver
Above you I see the sun
Light up every sliver

And the sky above us
And the ground beneath us
And the air around us
And the ocean to the right

And the sky above us
And the ground beneath us
And the air around us
And the ocean to the right

You will not call my memory into question
You will not question my memory
See there was you and me up on a hilltop by ourselves
And then the red clouds dispersing above me
I should have killed myself
When I found out how beautiful you are
But everyone makes mistakes sometimes

As the afternoon sky opened up its mouth
And the air cooled down one or two degrees
I felt the world within me screaming to come out
and then I looked up at you and your hair spilled down over me

I felt you breathing on me and I heard your voice
Your eyes were twin bonfires and your lips were moist
I should have killed myself
When I found out how beautiful you are
But everyone makes mistakes sometimes

I thought that I was in control
When I saw her coming, and I reached out my hand
You, you, you would think so too
But there is something here that you do not understand
She's got skin that you would not believe
I saw her skin and I went out of my mind
She's got skin more perfect than the sky
And I reached out my hand and left the world behind

Before I knew what I was talking about
I used to say that what I saw through my window
Was beauty itself, those strong white camellias
But now I see her coming, and I just don't think so
She's got skin that cannot be obtained
By letting yourself in for a thousand stitches
I reached out my hand and I walked out into the rain
There was light behind the clouds
You could just see it coming

In the front seat at about four in the morning
Something came down without much warning
It was bright and shiny and real nice
And it prepared us both for the sacrifice
I know what it is and I know what it means
But it's got wings
I know what it is and I know what it means
But it's got wings

In the front seat, you know what I mean
That thing came down on us bright and hot and pure and clean and ready
Ready for the ****, and I'll get ready
But hold me hand, would you please hold me steady
I know what it is and I know what it means
But it's got wings
I know what it is and I know what it means
But it's got wings

Your skirt was red and flowing
Your blouse was blue
On the night I locked eyes with you
It seemed to me like I hadn't seen your eyes
since last December

My shredding pupils
My popping joints
I saw the pupils of your eyes by firelight
Shrinking down to pinpoints
You were poking at the embers

There's a cold wind coming off the ocean (x2)

I wet my finger with my tongue and pressed it in the ashes
Rubbed it up against your perfect eyelashes
You said something really important
Something pretty seems to have slipped my mind

Walls were freezing
So was the floor
I didn't want to hurt you anymore
You had a sad, sad friend in front of you
That dying fire behind

There was a cold wind coming off the ocean (x2)

You're a strong one
You're a lion
You're brave
And death defying

You're in your car
Crossing town
And I can feel you
Coming down

You're so pretty
I could burst
And I wonder
Who's gonna talk first?

My muscles all shaking
Blood's turned to foam
It's Tuesday
And you're coming home

I went down to Lloyd center
Looking for you
But a mouth full of anger
Blocked my view
He took your hand
There in the skating rink
God will give him blood to drink

Saw the two of you leaving
I didn't want to follow behind
But I could see the rest of your evening
Burning in my mind
Sky's black
The moon's pink
God will give him blood to drink

I looked over the railing
The ice was white
On the north-east side
Where I saw you and your boyfriend
On a Friday night
I went mining for gold
I struck pure, fresh zinc
God, God will give him blood to drink

He came spitting fire
On a day like no other
Tried to hold you near to me
I heard him passing over

He made a banquet for the stray dogs of the air
He out our love in clear perspective

Blue, red, and green plumage
Trailing behind him now
Swaddling the sky in its aftermath
The last day coming
down

He made a banquet for the stray dogs of the air
He put our love in clear perspective
Rising, rising, rising, rising