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Black Crows

The glow of fires above the hills
Stillness above the fields
Storm clouds rising in the west
Ashes blow through the streets
Two riders are approaching
Mud on their boots and their coats
And in the trees at the edge of town
Black crows

Wolves howl in the wasted woods
Burned-out car wrecks in the ditch
Signals flash across the wires
Lost shoes stuck in the pitch
Flashlights split the moonless night
A newspaper clings to a post
And on the sidewalk picking dirt
Black crows

The ruins of a family
The remains of a family home
Rags hanging in the porch
The sound of a telephone
Solicitors’ letters in the box
When it comes to hate anything goes
And we all slowly turn into
Black crows

Christ on the Bar

It has been raining for more than a month now
Is this the flood the prophecy foretold?
Six feet of water in the streets of Jackson
Wonder if the dam will hold?

I am sitting here stranded in this very strange café
With this giant statue of Christ on the bar
What did I do to make me deserve this?
Maybe I was just born under an unlucky star

The Christ on the bar now gives me his blessings
He has raised his hands with great routine
So many passed before him on their way to the toilet
Who were rather warm and dirty than cold and clean

There is a mighty roar of rain and thunder
It feels like the walls are closing in
Is this hell falling finally upon us
Or are we being cleared of original sin?

Big John delivers his personal sermon
About how the Lord gives and how the Lord takes away
He sways his empty bottle of whiskey
And shouts: get on your knees and pray

The Christ on the bar now seems to smile
And he mimics words of comfort and hope
Don’t think he can save my very black soul
But I hope when the dam breaks at least he will float

Crown

I’ve done right and I’ve done wrong
I’ve been false and I’ve been true
You can confront me if you feel that need
But would you please be so kind to wake me
When you’re through

I have to get back on the road
Tote that barge, lift that bale
I’m always open to advice
But could you please write it down in threefold
And send it in by mail

I don’t doubt your good intentions
But I question your right to interfere
So many voices whispering what I should
That my own voice is the one I can’t hear

Everybody loves a jester
Everybody loves a clown
But now that I’ve reached this crossroads
It’s me and me alone that will wear the crown

Damned Fool

Damn you, fool
With that cynical mind
Would you call this smart
Or just deaf, dumb and blind?
You just run around in circles
And always one step behind

Damn you, fool
What have you learned?
While you analyzed and reasoned
The tides have turned
Now you’re stuck on low-risk island
With all bridges burned

Oh, how you try to change for the better
And see the wonders that life brings
If it’s not here, not now, it’s never
Left with great knowledge but of little things

Damn you, fool
That can only believe
What is obvious and for sure
And completely guaranteed
In this control-freak room
You can hardly breathe

Oh, how you search for light and spirit
And the magic on which our poor hearts feed
But isn’t it time to acknowledge
It’s strong in tongue but weak in deeds

Damn me, fool
With my cynical mind
Would I call this smart
Or just deaf, dumb and blind?
Could I call this intelligence
But then of the stupidest kind
I just run around in circles
Always one step behind

Out of the Shade

And then you came
Like a hint of summer in December
You must have been hiding
Somewhere in the shade
Or were you always
Right in front of me
And was I just
A little too blind to see
But I see you now
And I love the sight
Of friends nearby

And then you came, you took away part of my pain
And gave me something I don’t dare to define
Or were you always whispering in my ear
And was I just a little too deaf to hear
But I hear you now and I love the sound
Of friends nearby

I had shut myself behind a glass wall
Almost said goodbye to it all
Could not find a way out of there
That insanity and despair
I was down and out, black and blue
A little cracked up by the strain

And then you came
Like a hint of summer in December
You must have been hiding
Somewhere in the shade
You must have been hiding
Somewhere in the shade
In my head

Down the Highway

Down the highway
Through the cleft
You must go
Welcome your fate
On this hard, hard road
You took so long ago
With a twisted mind
And fire on your back
And the storm at your heels
Traveling through
This sad, sad land
Meeting your last ordeal

Do you see
The willow weep?
Is it weeping for you?
Do you hear
The wind that cries?
Is it moaning sad and true?
So who do you
Think you are
That you can stop time
You, twist of fate
You, fool of late
More arrogant than sublime

Sing your tune, man
Raise your voice
Chase the dark away
Scare them off
These shadow ghosts
With a song of a sunny day
What’s there to lose
When you owe no more
All that you held so dear
Salute your life
Smile at your death
Don’t waste another tear

Grand Solution

She’s got this thing in her head
This grand solution for all that is not right
Sometimes you see so clear
That’s why they call it in the dead of the night
When you can’t get to sleep
And your mind is digging deep

My friend, where is last year’s snow?
This grand solution, did it work out well?
What were you thinking when you locked the door?
I wish you were here and could tell me
And we would hug as friends
And you’d hate to leave again

Mysterious Ways

I know you move in mysterious ways
Showing you love mankind
But I can’t see the humour in it right now
If you don’t mind
You play with my loneliness
Play with my fear
And when I finally turn to you
You pretend you’re not there
And I have lost far more
Than I have gained these last years

How can I say grace
When you take away the ones I love
With my eyes filled with tears
How can I see what’s up above
Show me you’re close
Show me you are near
Show me you’re on my side
And make this pain disappear
Cause I have lost far more
Than I have gained these last years

Mysterious ways
You move in mysterious ways
Mysterious ways to show us you care
And I have lost far more
Than I have gained these last years
And I have lost far more
Than I have gained these last years
And I have lost far more
Than I have gained these last years

Perfectionism

There’s a scratch on every car
A sticky, stinking drunk in every bar
Always a heap of dog shit in a field of fresh snow
There is a false note in every song
You always say something wrong
There is a hint of trouble even where the peaceful waters flow

Close your windows
Shut the blinds
Lose yourself in booze and pills
Don’t move a finger
Shut yourself up
Paralyze your will
Perfectionism kills

There is a flaw in every plan
A dark side in every man
A tiny bit of self-interest in every act of grace
Someday we can expect some rain
Today’s pleasure is tomorrow’s pain
Something will go wrong, sometime, someplace

Close your windows
Shut the blinds
Lose yourself in booze and pills
Don’t move a finger
Shut yourself up
Paralyze your will
Don’t even breathe
Starve yourself
Always be deathly still
Perfectionism kills

It Ain’t

It ain’t black, it ain’t white
It ain’t wrong, it ain’t right
It ain’t good, it ain’t bad
It ain’t joyful, it ain’t sad
I ain’t that sure, I ain’t that kind of guy
But I ain’t saying it ain’t you that makes me cry

It ain’t by cold, it ain’t by heat
It ain’t by bitter, it ain’t by sweet
It ain’t by truth, it ain’t by lie
It ain’t by flirting with another guy
I don’t know the causes or the reasons why
But I ain’t saying it ain’t you that makes me cry

When we were sitting in the car just the other day
I could have reached you with a whisper but you felt a million miles away
The situations are familiar but then again disturbingly strange
As if an accident I forgot about took away part of my brains

Maybe it’s years, maybe it’s time
Maybe there are only victims and not a crime
Maybe it will last and maybe it will go across
Maybe it’s just a scratch, maybe a total loss
I don’t know what to expect, I don’t know what to defy
But I’m quite certain it is us that makes me cry

Go

Far around the bend you’re waiting
Is this a shot worth taking?
I’m coming
I’m coming

I can smell the Easter fires burning
And these wheels just keep on turning
I’m coming
I’m coming

Here I stand with lowered hands
I’m searching for the man with the plan

I’m raising the lantern high
Sing my song to sanctify the night
I’m coming

I’m open to anything that comes around
I’m not lost but still hope to be found

Passed the church with its great tall spire
To the light from a distant fire
I’m coming
I’m coming

As you sow, so shall you reap
I pray to God my soul to keep