Poetry in Lyrics

She was 15 years old
And never seen the ocean
She climbed into a van
With a vagabond
And the last thing she said
Was, "I love you mom."

And a little rain
Never hurt no one
And a little rain
Never hurt no one

Tom Waits

Judy Collins made this song famous...

Suzanne
Written by - Leonard Cohen

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 harbor
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
And 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

We were standing
Standing by peaceful waters
Standing by peaceful waters
Whoa wah oh wha oh
Many years ago along the Illinois
Wisconsin border
There was this Indian tribe
They found two babies in the woods
White babies
One of them was named Elizabeth
She was the fairer of the two
While the smaller and more fragile one was
Named Marie
Having never seen white girls before
And living on the two lakes known as
The Twin Lakes
They named the larger and more
Beautiful lake Lake Elizabeth
And thus the smaller lake that was hidden
From the Highway
Became known forever as Lake Marie

We were standing
Standing by peaceful waters
Standing by peaceful waters
Whoa wah oh wha oh


Many years later I found myself talking
To this girl
Who was standing there with her back
Turned to Lake Marie
The wind was blowing especially through
Her hair
There was four Italian sausages cooking
On the outdoor grill
And they were sizzlin'
Many years later we found ourselves in Canada
Trying to save our marriage
And perhaps catch a few fish
Whatever came first
That night she fell asleep in my arms
Humming the tune to Louie Louie
Aah baby, we gotta go now


We were standing
Standing by peaceful waters
Standing by peaceful waters
Whoa wah oh wha oh


The dogs were barking as the cars were
Parking
The loan sharks were sharking
The narcs were narcing
Practically everyone was there
In the parking lot by the forest preserve
The police had found two bodies
Nay, naked bodies
Their faces had been horribly disfigured
By some sharp object
Saw it on the news
The TV news
In a black and white video
Do you know what blood looks like
In a black and white video?
Shadows, shadows
That's what it looks like
All the love we shared between her
And me was slammed
Slammed up against the banks of old Lake Marie
Marie


We were standing
Standing by peaceful waters
Standing by peaceful waters
Whoa wah oh wha oh
Whoa wah oh wha oh
Whoa wah oh wha oh
Peaceful waters
Standing by peaceful waters
Aah baby, we gotta go now

Oh, yes Tom Waits,
I most especially love this one
he performed on a late night tv show,
called On The Nickel.
it goes something like this:

Sticks and stones will break my bones
but i always will be true
and when your mama is dead and gone
i'll sing this lullabye just for you

and what becomes of all the little boys
who never comb their hair
well they're lined up all around the block
on the nickel over there

so you better bring a bucket
there is a hole in the pail
and if you don't get my letter
then you'll know that i'm in jail

and what becomes of all the little boys
who never say their prayers
well they're sleepin' like a baby
on the nickel over there

and if you chew tobacco
and wish upon a star
well, you'll find out where the scarecrows sit
just like punchlines between the cars

and i know a place where a royal flush
can never beat a pair
and even thomas jefferson
is on the nickel over there

so ring around the rosie
you're sleepin' in the rain
and you're always late for supper
and man you let me down again

i thought i heard a mockingbird
roosevelt knows where
you can skip the light,with grady tuck
on the nickel over there

so what becomes of all the little boys
who run away from home
well the world keeps gettin' bigger
once you get out on your own

so here's to all the little boys
the sandman takes you where
you'll be sleepin' with a pillow man
on the nickel over there

so let's climb up through that buttonhole
and we'll fall right up the stairs
and i'll show you where the short dogs grow
on the nickel over there

Babs, dyslexia, Cav, Piffka,

Thanks for your contributions. I enjoyed reading them so much.
I have a hymn I love to sing when I feel down- because the words are so meaningful to me, encouraging actually.

if I can remember the words:

The sands have been washed in the footprints
Of the Stranger on Gallilee's Shore.
Too, the Voice that subdued the rough billows,
Will be heard in Judea no more.

But the path of that lone Gallilean...
With joy, I will follow to- day.
For the toils of the road will seem nothing
When I get to the end of the way.

I always liked Emerson, Lake and Palmer's rendition of William Blake's 'Jerusalem':

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon Englands mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On Englands pleasant pastures seen!

And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold:
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!

I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem
In Englands green and pleasant Land.

Would to God that all the Lords people were Prophets. Numbers XI. ch 29 v. [Blake's annotation]

Beautiful words, cavfancier

I like this too.

I loved this song from 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch':

THE ORIGIN OF LOVE

When the earth was still flat
And clouds made of fire
And mountains stretched up to the sky
Sometimes higher
Folks roamed the earth like big rolling kegs
They had two sets of arms
They had two sets of legs
They had two faces peering
Out of one giant head
So they could watch all around them
As they talked; while they read
And they never knew nothing of love
It was before the origin of love
The origin of love

And there were three sexes then,
One that looked like two men
Glued up back to back
Called the children of the sun
And similiar in shape and girth
Was the children of the earth
They looked like two girls rolled up in one
And the children of the moon
Were like a fork stuck on a spoon
They were part sun, part earth, part daughter, part son
The origin of love

Now the gods grew quite scared
Of our strength and defiance
And Thor said "I'm gonna kill them all with my hammer
Like I killed the giants"
And Zeus said "No
You better let me use my lightning like scissors
Like I cut the legs off the whales
Dinosaurs into lizards"
Then he grabbed up some bolts
And he let out a laugh
Said "I'll split them right down the middle
Gonna cut them right up in half"
And the storm clouds gathered above
Into great balls of fire.

And then fire shot down from the sky in bolts
Like shining blades of a knife
And it ripped right through the flesh
Of the children of the sun and the moon
And the earth
And some Indian god sewed the wound up
Into a hole
Pulled it 'round to our bellies
To remind us the price we pay
And Osiris and the gods of the nile
Gathered up a big storm
To blow a hurricane
To scatter us away
in a flood of wind and rain
And a sea of tidal waves
To wash us all away
And if we don't behave
They'll cut us down again
We'll be hopping around on one foot
And looking through one eye

Last time I saw you
We just split in two
You was looking at me
I was looking at you
You had a way so familiar
But I could not recognize
'cause you had blood in your face
And I had blood in my eyes
But I could swear by your expression
That the pain down in your soul
Was the same as the one down in mine
That's the pain
That cuts a straight line down through the heart
We call it love
We wrapped our arms around each other
Trying to shove ourselves back together
We were making love
Making love
It was a cold dark evening such a long time ago
When by the mighty hand of Jove
It was a sad story how we became
Lonely two-legged creatures
It's the story
The origin of love
That's the origin of love.

cool choice... one of my favorites
Hi Cavfancier,

Bruce Dickinson's CD The Chemical Wedding is mostly based on the poetry of William Blake...
I love the mandolin in "Jerusalem"...
the CD moved me to do a little research on Blake... it seems he too was greatly inspired by... Milton.
I was impressed by the song The Gates of Urizen, and astounded to learn that Blake had created his own mythology.

Very cool dilvish (I am a big Blake fan).... For reference, 'The Chemical Wedding', used anywhere as a title or phrase, refers to an old Rosicrucian text, 'The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz', a book Blake would have been familiar with. Milton was also brilliant...imagine living at that time in Europe and making the devil the hero of your epic?

As it happens, the text for the Chemical Wedding is online (poor me, paid for the book, lol):

http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/chemical/chemical.htm

The Rosicrucians were true Christian mystics, not too far off from the Sufis, really, and were considered heretics. Bah on that I say...the book is incredibly symbolic, and a classic text. Don't bother with the Golden Dawn link on the site...it doesn't work. However, I have a copy of their 'bible' as well...a group that included some great poets, including Yeats.

That the pain down in your soul
Was the same as the one down in mine
That's the pain
That cuts a straight line down through the heart
We call it love



Incredibly touching, Cav- thanks for posting this.

Wow!

I still get a bit weepy when I listen to the soundtrack...I never saw 'Hedwig' on broadway, but the movie was very intriguing. The songs really blew me away.

Isle of Capri

`twas on the Isle of Capri that I found her
`neath the shade of an old walnut tree,
Oh, I can still see the flow'rs bloomin' round her
Where we met on the Isle of Capri.

She was as sweet as a rose at the dawning
But somehow fate had not meant her for me
And though I sailed with the tide in the morning
Still my heart's on the Isle of Capri

Summertime was nearly over
Blue Italian skies above
I said "Lady, I'm a rover,
Can you offer one sweet word of love?"

She whispered softly "It's best not to linger"
And when I kissed her hand I could see
She wore a plain golden ring on her finger
'twas goodbye on the Isle of Capri

(This was a crooning tune for Frank Sinatra, but it did not originate with him- written by Jimmy Kennedy, and made famous by Guy Lombardo)

I am a huge fan of Nick Cave, and his well-crafted lyrics, although often dark, some of which I have recently posted on another thread, but some should go here as well....nice to see this thread revived:

Straight To You

All the towers of ivory are crumbling
And the swallows have sharpened their beaks
This is the time of our great undoing
This is the time that I'll come running
Straight to you
For I am captured
Straight to you
For I am captured
One more time

The light in our window is fading
The candle gutters on the ledge
Well now sorrow, it comes a-stealing
And I'll cry, girl, but I'll come a-running
Straight to you
For I am captured
Straight to you
For I am captured
Once again

Gone are the days of rainbows
Gone are the nights of swinging from the stars
For the sea will swallow up the mountains
And the sky will throw thunder-bolts and sparks
Straight at you
But I'll come a-running
Straight to you
But I'll come a-running
One more time

Heaven has denied us its kingdom
The saints are drunk howling at the moon
The chariots of angels are colliding
Well, I'll run, babe, but I'll come running
Straight to you
For I am captured
Straight to you
For I am captured
One more time

You are certainly on target- describing them as 'well-crafted' lyrics.

What a depth of perception he has!
Not listening to music frequently, I am not sure I have heard this- but I SURE DO like these lyrics, Cav. Thanks for posting it.

(it is possible I have heard the music and not HEARD the words- that happens to me sometimes, caught with a beat or melody.
I do not give lyrics a rightful place. Is it possible that some SONGS are more volatile
as poetry?)

Nick Cave is also a novelist and poet, but he is still best known for his music. I suppose that is why his lyrics are so good. This one is an oddball tune, but I think it is a great example of how well he captures an 'American Gothic' tone (and he is an Aussie, actually):

The Carny

And no-one saw the carny go
And the weeks flew by
Until they moved on the show
Leaving his caravan behind
It was parked out on the south east ridge
And as the company crossed the bridge
With the first rain filling the bone-dry river bed
It shone, just so, upon the edge
Dog-boy, Atlas, Half-man, the geeks, the hired hands
There was not one among them that did not cast an eye behind
In the hope that the carny would return to his own kind
And the carny had a horse, all skin and bone
A bow-backed nag, that he named "Sorrow"
Now it is buried in a shallow grave
In the then parched meadow
And the dwarves were given the task of digging the ditch
And laying the nag's carcass in the ground
And boss Bellini, waving his smoking pistol around
saying "The nag is dead meat"
"We caint afford to carry dead weight"
The whole company standing about
Not making a sound
And turning to the dwarves perched on the enclosure gate
The boss says "Bury this lump of crow bait"
And thean the rain came
Everybody running for their wagons
Tying all the canvas flaps down
The mangy cats crowling in ther cages
The bird-girl flapping and squawking around
The whole valley reeking of wet beast
Wet beast and rotten hay
Freak and brute creation
Packed up and on their way
The three dwarves peering from their wagon's hind
Moses says to Noah "We shoulda dugga deepa one"
Their grizzled faces like dying moons
Still dirty from the digging done
And as the company passed from the valley
Into a higher ground
The rain beat on the ridge and on the meadow
And on the mound
Until nothing was left, nothing at all
Except the body of Sorrow
That rose in time
To float upon the surface of the eaten soil
And a murder of crows did circle round
First one, then the others flapping blackly down
And the carny's van still sat upon the edge
Tilting slowly as the firm ground turned to sludge
And the rain it hammered down
And no-one saw the carny go
I say it's funny how things go

These are wonderful, Cav.
Post all you know by this Nick Cave. He is marvelously simple while profound. I am sincerely moved by his straightforward, simple wisdom.

Thanks Jackie, I can get tons more...I am working on just one album right now, lol, but it is one of my faves, so all the songs posted so far are from it. This one, some people thought was about pedophilia (kneejerk reactionists), but in reality, it is about a father watching his daughter transform from girl to woman, and the fears he has about raising said daughter in a cruel and sick world (he uses a lot of biblical imagery, mixed with the base in a lot of songs):

Sad Waters

Down the road I look and there runs Mary
Hair of gold and lips like cherries
We go down to the river where the willows weep
Take a naked root for a lovers seat
That rose out of the bitten soil
But sound to the ground by creeping ivy coils
O Mary you have seduced my soul
And I don't know right from wrong
Forever a hostage of your child's world

And then I ran my tin-cup heart along
The prison of her ribs
And with a toss of her curls
That little girl goes wading in
Rollin her dress up past her knee
Turning these waters into wine
Then she platted all the willow vines

Mary in the shallows laughing
Over where the carp dart
Spooked by the new shadows that she cast
Across these sad waters and across my heart