Mother superior jumped the gun

But all in all it was a little fun

That ripped the buttons clean off of your coat

She warned you not to let me in

And that to do so was embodied sin

I tell you, she warned you not to gloat
When I come there’s gonna be no water

You should have locked the doors, and told your daughters

But well- they all know by now

That the Good Book told of my coming
You should hit the ground and start running

Before I face the curtain with a bow

Babe alight the hen house

We’re gonna burn the bastard down

And sit and wait and watch ‘till the ashes hit the ground

We’ll howl like Havilah 

For there will be no words
The sound of the burning mansion will form a waltzing dirge 

 

We sat together at the dining table 

And I told you every single fable
And tried to prove that the world is utterly flat

But honey baby the table is round

And your mother thinks you’re Dixie bound

And I’ve got a room here- can you imagine that?

Listen heavenly Havilah

You know I’ve got somethin’ for ya

I’d hand it over but you’ve gotta close your eyes

The records in the jukebox turn 

And the pretty little lines they burn

Long after the melody is gone

 

Babe alight the hen house

We’re gonna burn the bastard down

And sit and wait and watch ‘till the ashes hit the ground

We’ll howl like Havilah 

For there will be no words
The sound of the burning mansion will form a waltzing dirge 

 

Well I promise not to meddle 

But please light up a kettle 

And I’ll have a cup before I leave this place

Insanity is never learning 

The seasons change and the wheels keep turning

You can see it in the lines of your face

If there’s anything you love

It’ll be the first thing I shove

Deep into the flames and rising ash

But Hank is gone and The King is dead

And the radio is hanging on by a thread 

So if you feel something burning, don’t you be rash

 

Babe alight the hen house

We’ll burn the bastard down

The melody will rise and fall but never make a sound

Rebuild, trouble, toil
You’ll never find an end

Because as soon as you rise on up I’ll come right back again 

My baby likes to gamble, and my baby likes to dance

My baby likes to gamble, and my baby likes to dance

But she’d drown me in the bathtub if she ever got the chance

 

Feel like a fighting rooster, I feel better than I ever felt

Feel like a fighting rooster, I feel better than I ever felt

But when I hear that siren, baby doll, my mind it starts to melt

 

Yonder come my baby, she’s got a face just like a man

Yonder come my baby, she’s got a face just like a man

She’d hold me under until the bubbles stop, just to prove that she can

 

Richard Cory went down town and the people on the pavement they all looked at him

Richard Cory went down town and the people on the pavement they all looked at him

He was a gentleman from sole to crown, imperially slim

 

I’ve gone without meat mama, I’ve gone for months living on bread

I’ve gone without meat mama, I’ve gone for months living on bread

On one calm summer night, Mister Cory put a bullet through his head

 

My baby likes to gamble, and my baby likes to drink

My baby likes to gamble, and my baby likes to drink

I know she’s bound to kill me, I sing “love me tender” while I sink

The party after you left was long and boring

The conversations they were dull and weak

Politics and sports left me snoring

And dreaming of the little ways you speak

 

And I would kill for one more dance with you

And I would kill for one last dance with you

 

The party after you left dragged on forever

I confess there were times I thought it would never end

The host, they always think they are so clever 

Shuffling you into talking with their friends

 

And I would have sat outside with you

And I would have sat outside with you

 

The party after you left wasn’t a party

A room is just four walls and a place to be

There were people, there was music, the meals were hearty

But I might as well have been stranded out at sea

 

And why did you leave the party without me?

And why did you leave the party without me?

With blood on my collar I holler “you have won”

And your eyes are pealed like a smoking gun

But your lips are parted farther than I can run

But down the highway, what’s done is done

So if you see your baby sister, have her say a prayer for me

And tell her I’m sorry I couldn’t be what she wanted me to be

And sometimes when she’s temporarily lost at sea

Maybe she’ll set her sails and think of me

 

But girl, I won’t come when you call

Because girl I’m not sentimental at all

 

Dreams of the gutter they shutter both deaf and dumb

It’s like lying in the shadows cast by kingdom come

And bird of a feather are tethered tightly to your thumb

Feasting like flies on the sins you crumb

So if you see your baby sister, tell her thanks a lot

For my tongue’s tied twice in a lover’s knot

And even when the blood in my body clots

I’d still cry your name like my dying pistol shot

 

But girl, I won’t come when you call

Because girl I’m not sentimental at all

 

Through the waves in my head I see dead boys in the clay

And I took her up to my room on the second day

Where together we watched our tears slip into the hay

As the lights loomed low on the midnight cabaret 

So, if you see your baby sister, and you catch her sighing

I want you to tell her out plainly that I hope that she’s dying

No, no but don’t say that really now, you know I’m not that kind of guy

It’s just I get the blues for her when I look up at the sky

 

But girl, I won’t come when you call

Because girl I’m not sentimental at all

Everybody knows that the house is haunted

Everybody knows that the ghosts are real

You can tell that your heartbeat is unwanted

You can’t see ‘em, but you know by the feel

 

The hallways twist and turn, and they spiral everywhere

And somehow they remind me of the way you wore your hair

Voices are talking backwards, and I’m not really me

And every room I enter just isn’t where I want to be

 

A ghost can be so many things

Like a smile or the melody you would sing

But there’s one thing that I want, you see

It’s that you keep haunting me

 

Everybody knows that the ground is salted

Nothing pretty is ever gonna grow

And just when you think all your tears are halted 

There’s just a little more misery and woe 

Macfinlay is turning white, it’s as if he’s seen a ghost

The wind it wilts and whispers, asking who you love the most

The spirits of the dead on Choctaw Ridge look so surreal 

But the thing that scares me most is how you make me feel

 

A ghost can be so many things

Like a memory or the tan line of a ring

But there’s one thing that I want, you see

It’s that you keep haunting me

I can’t help but cry

When that evening train goes by

And all the driver’s heads start rolling off

And from your kitchen chair

You can stroke and cut my hair

And make my summer rain sound like a cough

I’ll keep the secrets of your soul

All wrapped up and roll

Rolling towards that endless dawn

 

But I can still here them

Crying all the way to Jerusalem 

Where has my baby gone?

Where has my baby gone?

 

Well I’ll hate you

And you can hate me too

If that’s what keeps your satisfied 

And you can tie me to the rails

Leave me hailing on the trails 

And my blood half subsidized 

You say religion is your business 

Then God I’ll be your witness 

To your life as the pawn 

 

But I can hear you shout

From your dream-dried drought

Where has my baby gone?

Where has my baby gone?

 

My love from above

You’re looking just like a dove

Heading straight towards that ceiling fan

So I won’t put up no fight

I just want to know where you slept last night

So tell me honey baby if you can

You’ve been acting kind of crazy

Your mind is sick and hazy

Like the dog you left out on the lawn

 

I see you standing there

So I think I think it’s only fair

You tell me: where has my baby gone?

Where has my baby gone?

Hey pretty baby there’s a spot by the lake

And we can make the whole house shake 

By dancing like never before

So, call up your friends and tell them drive, drive, drive

Through the eye of the storm and come out alive

Tell them there’s always room for more

I’m not wasted, I just love to dance

 

Well just about midnight they burn their beds

And they’re playing cards with horns on their heads

Plenty of points but no one’s keeping score

She says “can’t you tell my pain is so complex?

By the way that I move and the way that I dress?

Honey you’ve never met someone like me before”

 

But pretty babe someone got murdered in the study

His body is gone and the carpet is bloody

It’s clear he’s a victim of sweet romance

When I think about it babe you know it hits me so hard

There’s a row of dogs crowding in the yard

You know it don’t look like they want to dance

I’m not wasted, I just love to dance

 

Well hey pretty babe The Gardener is gone 

And half the party is blacked out there on the lawn

And they’re stealing everything up there on the shelf 

So pretty mama you know I’ll pour you a drink

And you can tell me your troubles, and I’ll say what I think

“You’ve never thought about nobody but yourself.”

Because you’re not wasted, you just love to dance