THE FABLED CITY 

Me and Javi shouted slogans in Spanish

like it was our world to win

Then they moved the plant down to Ojeda

Time to bite your tongue again

 

I’ve seen the fabled city

Its streets are paved with gold

But an iron fence runs ’round it

and its iron gate is closed

 

“What ain’t right, ain’t right,” he told me

But something else passed behind his eyes

Now he’s downtown on his knees

washing floors for somebody and quietly biding his time

 

I’ve seen the fabled city

Its streets are paved with gold

But an iron fence runs ’round it

and its iron gate is closed

 

At the gas station on Sunset and Crescent

I met an angel sad and old

She lived in the alley behind the market

In the shadows, maybe hidden from the Lord

And for a dollar she sang a song

that sounded more like a prayer

A wish that her dead mother and father

couldn’t look down and see her there

 

I’ve seen the fabled city

Its streets are paved with gold

But an iron fence runs ‘round it

and its iron gate is closed

 

On the wire outside my window

there sit 100 swallows

And I suspect that if one flew

then 99 would follow

 

WHATEVER IT TAKES

 

Storm clouds won’t bother to gather

She cashed in, cut the tether

She’s gone, it’s no mistake

The angels have come too late

They’ve come too late

 

In my hands I hold the proof

 

That something’s sure to hit you

Pure flesh and bone to rip through

Don’t let ‘em tie you to the stake

Whatever it takes

Flood waters raise the ramparts

I’ll meet you now, wherever you are

I’m here until the frontline breaks

Whatever it takes

 

Then she turned off the headlights

Cranked the radio, ran the red lights

Never found the missing bride

Windows dark but they’re all inside

They’re all inside

 

In my hands I hold the proof

 

That something’s sure to hit you

Pure flesh and bone to rip through

Don’t let ‘em tie you to the stake

Whatever it takes

Flood waters raise the ramparts

I’ll meet you now, wherever you are

I’m here until the frontline breaks

Whatever it takes

 

A general without an army

I stopped lookin’, then they found me

On the hill a horn is blowin’

It’s over, man

You just don’t know it

 

That something’s sure to hit you

Pure flesh and bone to rip through

Don’t let ‘em tie you to the stake

Whatever it takes

Flood waters raise the ramparts

I’ll meet you now, wherever you are

I’m here until the frontline breaks

Whatever it takes

 

Climb backwards through the red room

A jungle of thieves to get through

Time’s up, how long you gonna wait?

Whatever it takes

So, Jack, grab paper and pen

I’ll say it once, won’t say it again

Loosen the core until it shakes

Whatever it takes

 

THE KING OF HELL

 

Released from reason

Alive with pain

The actors change

The play’s the same

As he and his ministers conversed

I peeked out from behind the well

And, oh, how I was surprised to learn

The devil’s not the king of hell

 

The devil is not the king of hell

The devil is not the king of hell

A violent dance on slippery stones

The line’s gone dead

We’re all alone

The devil is not the king of hell

 

Smelling victory, the engine hums

Off in the distance they beat the drums

Amidst the blood and rubble

I looked for souvenirs to sell

And, oh, how I was surprised to learn

The devil’s not the king of hell

 

The devil is not the king of hell

The devil is not the king of hell

A violent dance on slippery stones

The line’s gone dead

We’re all alone

The devil is not the king of hell

 

Black was the mark

Black was the mark

Black was the mark laid on Cain

Black was the list

Black was the list

Black was the list with our names

 

Black was the mark

Black was the mark

Black was the mark laid on Cain

Black was the list

Black was the list

Black was the list with our names

 

The devil is not the king of hell

The devil is not the king of hell

A violent dance on slippery stones

The line’s gone dead

We’re all alone

The devil is not the king of hell

 

Tonight I’m gonna do some things

that I’ve never done before

I’m gonna find out what the screaming’s about

on the other side of that door

So, don’t you bother calling

There ain’t nobody home

Sometimes we’ve got to stand together

Sometimes alone

 

The devil is not the king of hell

The devil is not the king of hell

A violent dance on slippery stones

The line’s gone dead

We’re all alone

The devil is not the king of hell

The devil is not the king of hell

A violent dance on slippery stones

The line’s gone dead

The line’s gone dead

The line’s gone dead

The line’s gone dead

The line’s gone dead

The devil is not the king of hell

 

NIGHT FALLS

 

She warned him not to go

He said, “I’ve got to go”

She whispered, “I love you so”

He said, ” I’ve got to go”

 

Night falls on the river valley

Night falls on the mines and fields

Night falls on the just and unjust

Night falls

 

In the next town, there’s trouble needs

straightenin’ out

There’s dynamite under the porch

Me and my four kids are hungry

A man’s yellin’ through the screen door

 

Night falls on the river valley

Night falls on the mines and fields

Night falls on the just and unjust

Night falls

 

On they came in the morning

Shoulder to shoulder, end to end

You don’t have to speak

You just have to stand

Steve Sutton died there on the bridge

Local 393 was born

A black and white picture of the coming of the Lord

The dam is broken, the river come

 

Night falls on the river valley

Night falls on the mines and fields

Night falls on the just and unjust

Night falls

 

She warned him not to go

He said, “I’ve got to go”

She whispered, “I love you so”

Night falls

 

THE LIGHTS ARE ON IN SPIDERTOWN 

 

Stand back, stormtroopers attack

On a bright May day, man, I must be gettin’ soft

I don’t know, what do you think mister?

Looks like 10 fat pigs at a 9 pig trough

 

And the lights are on in Spidertown

 

Sittin’ back of the class

Iron chains, lead weights, taught rope

Holdin’ down my will

I don’t know, what do you think mister?

I say we do anything just to take that hill

 

And the lights are on in Spidertown

 

The sky is falling, falling down

The sky is falling down

The world’s stopped turning, turning ‘round

And the lights are on in Spidertown

 

Silent night and the wind crashes right

Put a wig on the heiress, rob the bank and pray

I don’t know, what do you think Mr.?

Please don’t do as I do, just do as I say

 

‘Cause the lights are on in Spidertown

 

MIDNIGHT IN THE CITY OF DESTRUCTION

 

There’s an old green shed at the end of

an overgrown driveway

And years ago that shed collapsed and fell

Years before that there was a withered dog

chained up there

I saved him, maybe he saved me as well

Now he’s gone and I think I’ve come undone

It’s midnight in the city of destruction

 

There’s music in the air and sweet abandon

They’re singin’ ‘cross the farm in the evening breeze

But there’s someone in the rows who’s unwanted

And now they’ve cut the faithful from the trees

And the bulldozers move in one by one

And it’s midnight in the city of destruction

 

I lost my guitar, my home, my hope and my good fortune

I lost my grandfather, two neighbors and my friend

I pray that God himself will come and drown the president

if the levees break again

Now we’re standin’ at the crossroads, waitin’ for instruction

And it’s midnight in the city of destruction

 

There’s a secret prison somewhere south of 60

And in that secret prison there’s a secret cell

And the prisoner’s bound and burned, blinded and beaten

Still, that secret prisoner keeps his secret well

Turn out the lights ‘cause, for one night, that’s enough, son

It’s midnight in the city of destruction

 

SAINT ISABELLE

 

Innocence and suffering

Loneliness and grace

Pain and love and beauty

Laughter, death and faith

Where the rising fortune

meets the setting sun

I’m afraid, my friend, when one is left

it’s just the same as none

 

I will always stand beside you

Defend you and mend you, sanctify you

I’ll hold you and keep you and fight beside you

And follow you down, love

I’m right behind you

God, make her road straight

God, make her road true

Saint Isabelle is coming through

 

The textbook’s on the table

The radio’s on the shelf

And thank you for the offer

but I’ll sing this one myself

In reverential silence

the crowd sat in the pews

I climbed and climbed for hours

But, oh my, what a view

 

I will always stand beside you

Defend you and mend you, sanctify you

I’ll hold you and keep you and fight beside you

And follow you down, love

I’m right behind you

God, make her road straight

God, make her road true

Saint Isabelle is coming through

 

I’m surprised you didn’t come forward

when the cops dragged me away

There’s a museum in the Netherlands

I hope to see again someday

There’s a painting of a woman

gathering wood, it’s almost dark

In a world bereft of meaning

there’s a flicker in the hearth

 

I will always stand beside you

Defend you and mend you, sanctify you

I’ll hold you and keep you and fight beside you

And follow you down, love

I’m right behind you

And follow you down, love

I’m right behind you

And follow you down, love

I’m right behind you

 

God, make her road straight

God, make her road true

Saint Isabelle is coming through

 

LAZARUS ON DOWN

 

I been tearin’ and I’ve been torn

The temple steps are smooth and worn

What Judas been doin’, there ain’t no knowin’

On the olive vines, somethin’ different’s growin’

 

Lazarus on down

Lazarus on down

C’mon, let’s push on through

Nah, let’s go around

Lazarus on down

 

One-eyed crow tappin’ on the window pane

Little boy raised a cup in Caiaphas’ name

In the Potter’s Field, blood beneath the tree

That money’s gone, son

What’s left, you owe me

 

Lazarus on down

Lazarus on down

C’mon, let’s push on through

Nah, let’s turn around

Lazarus on down

 

Sound of thunder, smell of burnin’ oil

What’s that movin’ beneath the soil?

The street light’s out, dark shape on the ground

Lazarus on down

 

Is that hope in the shepherds’ eyes

or just another little, dark surprise?

I’m just like you, Dad, thin & cold

If you didn’t know it, well, now you know

 

GONE LIKE RAIN 

With downcast eyes, the multitude sat

as the cattle cars pulled along the rusty tracks

One raised his hand in the fading light

Said, “Excuse me sir, this doesn’t seem right”

Now he’s…

 

Gone like whispers

Gone like rain

Gone like the faithful while the faithless remain

Gone like the stone the builder refused

Gone and overdue

 

There’s a river in Texas with a strong undertow

No one crosses it to freedom, no one pans for gold

Its waters are clear but its waters are cold

Its current is swift and no one knows where it goes

It’s just…

 

Gone like whispers

Gone like rain

Gone like the faithful while the faithless remain

Gone like the stone

The builder refused

Gone and overdue

 

In a cold desert corner, don’t appear on no map

Coyote’s scream, rips the night in half

He hears the devil coming, footsteps on the path

So he chews off his own leg to get out of the trap

And he’s…

 

Gone like whispers

Gone like rain

Gone like the faithful while the faithless remain

Gone like the stone

The builder refused

Gone and overdue

 

THE IRON WHEEL 

Sometimes they’ll tell you to just sit still

when you know that it’s time to run

Sometimes they’ll tell you it’s all over

when you’re sure that it’s just begun

 

The iron wheel slowly spins around

It takes you from the cradle

‘til you’re six feet underground

You can push and pull against it

but you’ll ride it ‘til it’s through

And those who spin the wheel

Well, those fuckers ride it too

 

Sometimes they’ll tell you to move along

when you’re sure you should stand and fight

Sometimes they’ll tell you that you’re a lucky man

But the numbers, they don’t add up right

 

The iron wheel slowly spins around

It takes you from the cradle

‘til you’re six feet underground

You can push and pull against it

but you’ll ride it ‘til it’s through

And those who spin the wheel

Well, those fuckers ride it too

 

The good wife rides the wheel

as the years just slip away

TV preacher rides the wheel

as he leads the flock astray

Lady Justice rides the wheel

but her balance is unsure

‘Cause the truth, it lies in pieces

scattered on the newsroom floor

 

Sometimes they’ll tell you to just let go

when you’re sure you should hold on tight

Sometimes they’ll tell you your time will never come

when you’re sure that your time’s come tonight

 

The iron wheel slowly spins around

It takes you from the cradle

‘til you’re six feet underground

You can push and pull against it

but you’ll ride it ‘til it’s through

And those who spin the wheel

Well, those fuckers ride it too

 

RISE TO POWER

 

I counted to one hundred, I kept losin’ track

I wrote a hundred letters, no one wrote back

I told a hundred stories but all of them got twisted

I sang a hundred songs but nobody listened

 

You’ve got to rise to power

Rise to power

Baby, you’ve got to rise to power

You’ve got to rise to power

Rise to power

Ain’t a shade of difference

‘tween the heroes and the cowards

Baby, you’ve got to rise to power

 

Forced confessions and coming attractions

Delusions of grandeur split into factions

A silent dark Camelot, a kingdom grey and bland

A dull empty heaven, a strong leader’s hand

 

You’ve got to rise to power

Rise to power

Baby, you’ve got to rise to power

You’ve got to rise to power

Rise to power

You’re down on your knees

Pullin’ up the flowers

Baby, you’ve got to rise to power

 

No holy water can wash me clean

No angel of mercy to hear my screams

Into your embrace I’m ever driven

And in your arms, unforgiven

 

You’ve got to rise to power

Rise to power

Baby, you’ve got to rise to power

You’ve got to rise to power

Rise to power

The whole world’s watchin’

There’s a gunman in the tower

Baby, you’ve got to rise to power