The snow built up around the smokehouse
And 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 perspective
Coming toward the door
You want some more
I've got some more for you
I've got just what you're looking for

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