crushing 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 shape
as the wind blew threw 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 pull too
i scooped up a palmfull 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

the snow built up around the smokehouse.
the sun shone on the snow.
and the sun's rays were blistering against my eyes.
the long night was well on its way
so i made good use of what was left of the daylight
walking out toward the main street
and coming back home again.
sleeping, i sang a short song about you.
and i knew every word of that song was true.
well, almost every word.

ice froze the green stems of the daffodils
ice formed carrots on my window sill.
i was blistering, blazing away.
and it had always been my tendency to let things slide,
but i went to the window with my eyes open wide.
and you were taking on prospect ice,
coming to ward the door.
you want some more?
i've got some more for you.
i've got just what you're looking for.

i'd had you out of my mind for a year or better
when the mailman handed me your letter
and i recognize the handwriting even now
but i know i'm gonna open it anyhow
and noone's been buying my snake oil, and i
held your letter like a cross to my chest
i'm gonna wrap up my troubles
i'm gonna wrap up my troubles
i'm gonna wrap up my troubles
in you.

i walked out into the kitchen
where the light came through the 4-paneled window
clean and bright and it's taken me two years to realize
how much i like the way that you dot your I's
well, i was born in arizona twenty seven years ago
and i got a mean, mean hunger down below
i'm gonna wrap up my troubles
i'm gonna wrap up my troubles
i'm gonna wrap up all my troubles
in you.

when you come, if you come
make sure you bring some bubble gum.
and a great big bottle of cheap gin, yeah
don't bother knocking, you can just waltz right in.

when you come, if you do come by
make sure you wear your skirt real high.
there's cracked ice in the freezer
and glasses in the sink
you can lie down on the sofa, and I'll fix us both a drink.
and we will teach ourselves to pray in languages
that we don't really speak.
and we will lie about the way it used to be.

when you come, if you come
bring a couple of coconuts and i'll supply the ***.
and i will dim the lights, pull all the drapes
throw in those near forgotten video tapes.
yeah when you come, if you make it out this far
you better leave your pride out in the car.
and you wanna make sure that you bring along some means for forgetting where it was that we went wrong.
and we will teach ourselves to pray in languages
that we don't really speak.
and we will lie about the way it used to be.

the lights are on in your room so tell me, who's your friend?
and the lights are burning in the little house on east end
and I remembered who I was and what I came here for
the moon was caught high in the branches of the sycamore

and on my neck I felt the cold wind
and it licked around my ears and it asked me to ask you, yeah, who's your friend?
and the lights came down over phoenix, blazed again before your front door
the moon was caught high in the branches of the sycamore

a unique energy that could quantify as a telepathic discharge upon death

here come the times of changing tide
here come the days of light and grace
here come the hours of wordless wonderessness
White light will fill this humble place

when you come, the stars will shine brighter than spun gold
when you come, the world will seem shiny and new
my mom told me that someday someone like you would come to set things right
'til you come I'll keep this place ready for you.