Inside Sleeve Front

WHERE DO I BEGIN...ON THE HEELS OF RIMBAUD MOVING LIKE A DANCING BULLET THRU THE SECRET STREETS OF A HOT NEW JERSEY NIGHT FILLED WITH VENOM AND WONDER. MEETING THE QUEEN ANGEL IN THE REEDS OF BABYLON AND THEN TO THE FOUNTAIN OF SORROW TO DRIFT AWAY IN THE HOT MASS OF THE DELUGE...TO SING PRAISE TO THE KING OF THOSE DEAD STREETS, TO GRASP AND LET GO IN A HEAVENLY WAY- STREAMING INTO THE LOST BELLY OF CIVILIZATION AT A STANDSTILL. ROMANCE IS TAKING OVER. TOLSTOY WAS RIGHT. THESE NOTES ARE BEING WRITTEN IN A BATHTUB IN MAINE UNDER IDEAL CONDITIONS, IN EVERY CURIO LOUNGE FROM BROOKLYN TO GUAM, FROM LOWELL TO DURANGO OH SISTER, WHEN I FALL INTO YOUR SPACY ARMS, CAN NOT YA FEEL THE WEIGHT OF OBLIVION AND THE SONGS OF REDEMPTION ON YOUR BACKSIDE WE SURFACE ALONGSIDE MILES STANDISH AND TAKE THE ROCK. WE HAVE RELATIONS IN MOZAMBIQUE. I HAVE A BROTHER OR TWO AND A WHOLE LOT OF KARMA TO BURN...ISIS AND THE MOON SHINE ON ME. WHEN RUBIN GETS OUT OF JAIL, WE CELEBRATE IN THE HISTORICAL PARKING LOT IN SUNBURNED CALIFORNIA...

Text on the back of the Records leave

Rubin Carter sprung pray God if there's One in America — familiar harmonica pierces ears that just heard about "criminals in their coats & their ties..."
Old Bards & Minstrels rhymed their years news on pilgrimage road — Visitations town to town singing Kings shepherds cowboys & lawyers' secrets — Good Citizen Minstrel truth's instantaneously heard. Big Sound in conscious generations. Local newsboy-prophet songechoes old youthful idealistic William ZanZmger poem, amplified alive. 1975. Dead protest? Woody Guthrie lineage road bards 'll still make us weep where there's suffering to be sung.
Dylan's Redemption Songs! If he-can do it we can do it. America can do it. "It s all right Ma I can make it. Yes! with tough gold metal compassion, he s giving away Gold again — but remember, good Anarchists, "To live outside the Law you must be honest. Drunken aggressive beer bottles'll never redeem anybody — But clear conscious songcan, every syllable pronounced, every con¬sonant sneered out with lips risen over teeth to pronounce them exactly to a T in microphone, snarled out NOT for bummer ego put-down but instead for egoless enunciation of exact phrasings so everyone can hear intelligence — which is only your own heart Dear.
Isis here recorded, the singer later developed onstage sung for weeks whiteface, big grey hat stuck with November leaves & flowers — no instrument in hand, thin Chaplmesque body dancing to syllables sustained by Rolling Thunder band rhythm following Dylan's spontaneous ritards & talk-like mouthings for clarity, "It's only natchural. So vou can hear it! With two-part dialogue! Bigdiscovery. these songs are the cul¬mination of Poetry-music as dreamt of in the ' 50s & early 60s — poets reciting-chanting with instruments and bongos — Steady rhythm behind the elastic language, poet alone at microphone reciting-singing surreal-history love text ending in giant "YEAH! When minstrel gives his heart away & says he wants to stay. Dylan will stay here with us! "You may not see me tomorrow. So he now lets loose his long-vowel yowls & yawps over smalltowns antennaed rooftops. To Isis Moon Lady Language Creator Birth Goddess, Mother of Ra, Saraswati & Kali-Ma too. Hecate. Ea. Astarte. Sophia & Aphrodite, Divine Mother.
Oh Sister, who's he talking about? Eternal sister? Good citizen sisters, he s still tender friend — lost alone loved like a thin terrified guru by every seeker in America who s heard that long-vowelled voice in heroic ecstasy triumphant, "How does it feel? And now come down from that Mountain of Sound, singing like a Biblical mortal "Oh sister am I not a brother to you
And one deserving of affection?
And is our purpose not the same on this Earth
To love and follow his direction?
We grew up together from the cradle to the grave
Time is an ocean but it ends at the shore.
You may not see me tomorrow.
Follows the first Citv Narrative, solid facts beating foreward with drums & violins — like a jagged short story, ballad sung by hero making hero of unlikely sensitive gangster Gallo, hard iron metal Villonesque stoicism & sympathy, with long lamenting refrain over name anonymous in 25 years Joey, with dialogue movie panoramic cold suns over Brooklyn — and your inside news the papers didn't interpret (or the murdered outlaw.
Black Diamond Bay salso a short novel in verse, oldfashioned Dylan surrealist mind-jump inventions line by line, except D. says he's reading Joseph Conrad storyteller, so hear continuous succession of Panama Hat Necktie details, explod¬ing boilers & characters disappearing in tornados — Suddenly a big dissolve& you're sitting with minstrel Dylan in L.A. household watching the same poem Cronkited on TV news: bard sings the awful movie where everybody loses & what can you say? My father age 80 also bowed his head & said. "What can you do? under his breath. Interesting, this long real-life spy hallucination tale opening the mind — suddenly put back into the Samsara tube with a cynic lament, its hopeless¬ness — the condition of World on its own bummer not ours or Dylan's — we re only 25% responsible the Crazy Wisdom Lama says.
By the time Dylan d.made the great disillusioned national rhyme Idiot Wind "... Blow ing like a circle round your skull From the Grand Coulee Dam to the Capitol..." he must've been ready for another great surge of unafraid prophetic feeling — odd weeks seeking community he'd gone back to Other End Bleeker Street music house & jammed & drunk with ancient friend song improvisor Bob Neuwirth & also anonymous genius street studio guitarists drummers violin prodigies Rob Stoner, Howie Wyeth & Botticelli-faced little David Mansfield from New Jersey — stopped his red car in East Village for ravenhaired Scarlet Rivera walking with her violin case — giant adolescent T-Bone Burnett mate¬rialized from Texas, Steven Soles from Blues New York — Half-month was spent solitary on Long Island with theatrist Jacques Levy working on song facts phrases & rhymes, sharing information seriousness — Lots of high rhythmic art. like the fast Mexican ll syllables beginning Duranao "Hot Chili Peppers in the blistering sun masterpieces emerged — Song become conscious poetry, the best you can say in total rhythm, allowing (or your speech to fall like your mother's radiotalk. allowing (or the singer to open his whole body (or Inspiration to breathe out a long mad vowel to nail down the word into everyone s heart — That s where you get the funny syncopation — waiting to
pronounce the line just right
as the music marches by. free, hopeless, jumping in and out the fatal chords. "We may not make it through the night."
"But he's still like an electric bullet, the Buddhist boy said, where s the great slowdown tenderness where everyone knows where Dylan s at under his minstrel Hat? Two songs his own heart-life sings alone. total.
the Road — voice lifts in Hebraic cantillation never heard before in U.S. song, ancient blood singing — a new age. a new Dylan again redeemed. at east — A little bit like America now. not paranoid any more, it's the real Seventies — ( every genera¬tion-decade flowers in the middle. Poetry Renaissance 195 5, Peace Vietnam Berkeley 1965)
— for now the congregation of poets sings across
the land with new old soul-joy, shit burned out. Ego
recognized & allow'd its place, pleasure-lust put aside with suicidal pain, heart stilled & singing clear, cantillating like synagogue cantor. 'fore I go down to the Valley below.'
How far has he gone? All the way from scared solitude inner prophetics — building on that mind-honesty strangeness — to openhearted personal historical confession. As Coffee for Roads Semitic mode. Sara, is profound ancient tune revealing family paradigm — telling Wife & World the last secrets of solitary weeping art: "Staying up for days in the Chelsea Hotel
Writing Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowland for you Who woulda thought he'd say it, so everybody finally know him. same soul crying vulnerable caught in a body we all are?
— enough Person revealed to make Whitman's whole nation weep. And behind it all the vast lone space of No God. or God. mindful conscious compassion, lifetime awareness we're here in America at last, redeemed. 0 Generation. keep on working!

Allen Ginsberg
Co-Director Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics.
Naropa Institute York Harbor. Maine
10 November 1975

 

1.1 - Hurricane

Pistol Shots Ring Out In The Barroom Night
Enter Patty Valentine From The Upper Hall.
She Sees The Bartender In A Pool Of Blood,
Cries Out, "My God, They Killed Them All!"
Here Comes The Story Of The Hurricane,
The Man The Authorities Came To Blame
For Something That He Never Done.
Put In A Prison Cell, But One Time He Could-A Been
The Champion Of The World.

Three Bodies Lyin' There Does Patty See
And Another Man Named Bello, Movin' Around Mysteriously.
"I Didn't Do It," He Says, And He Throws Up His Hands
"I Was Only Robbin' The Register, I Hope You Understand.
I Saw Them Leavin'," He Says, And He Stops
"One Of Us Had Better Call Up The Cops."
And So Patty Calls The Cops
And They Arrive On The Scene With Their Red Lights Flashin'
In The Hot New Jersey Night.

Meanwhile, Far Away In Another Part Of Town
Rubin Carter And A Couple Of Friends Are Drivin' Around.
Number One Contender For The Middleweight Crown
Had No Idea What Kinda Shit Was About To Go Down
When A Cop Pulled Him Over To The Side Of The Road
Just Like The Time Before And The Time Before That.
In Paterson That's Just The Way Things Go.
If You're Black You Might As Well Not Show Up On The Street
'Less You Wanna Draw The Heat.

Alfred Bello Had A Partner And He Had A Rap For The Cops.
Him And Arthur Dexter Bradley Were Just Out Prowlin' Around
He Said, "I Saw Two Men Runnin' Out, They Looked Like Middleweights
They Jumped Into A White Car With Out-Of-State Plates."
And Miss Patty Valentine Just Nodded Her Head.
Cop Said, "Wait A Minute, Boys, This One's Not Dead"
So They Took Him To The Infirmary
And Though This Man Could Hardly See
They Told Him That He Could Identify The Guilty Men.

Four In The Mornin' And They Haul Rubin In,
Take Him To The Hospital And They Bring Him Upstairs.
The Wounded Man Looks Up Through His One Dyin' Eye
Says, "Wha'd You Bring Him In Here For? He Ain't The Guy!"
Yes, Here's The Story Of The Hurricane,
The Man The Authorities Came To Blame
For Somethin' That He Never Done.
Put In A Prison Cell, But One Time He Could-A Been
The Champion Of The World.

Four Months Later, The Ghettos Are In Flame,
Rubin's In South America, Fightin' For His Name
While Arthur Dexter Bradley's Still In The Robbery Game
And The Cops Are Puttin' The Screws To Him, Lookin' For Somebody To Blame.
"Remember That Murder That Happened In A Bar?"
"Remember You Said You Saw The Getaway Car?"
"You Think You'd Like To Play Ball With The Law?"
"Think It Might-A Been That Fighter That You Saw Runnin' That Night?"
"Don't Forget That You Are White."

Arthur Dexter Bradley Said, "I'm Really Not Sure."
Cops Said, "A Poor Boy Like You Could Use A Break
We Got You For The Motel Job And We're Talkin' To Your Friend Bello
Now You Don't Wanta Have To Go Back To Jail, Be A Nice Fellow.
You'll Be Doin' Society A Favor.
That Sonofabitch Is Brave And Gettin' Braver.
We Want To Put His Ass In Stir
We Want To Pin This Triple Murder On Him
He Ain't No Gentleman Jim."

Rubin Could Take A Man Out With Just One Punch
But He Never Did Like To Talk About It All That Much.
It's My Work, He'd Say, And I Do It For Pay
And When It's Over I'd Just As Soon Go On My Way
Up To Some Paradise
Where The Trout Streams Flow And The Air Is Nice
And Ride A Horse Along A Trail.
But Then They Took Him To The Jailhouse
Where They Try To Turn A Man Into A Mouse.

All Of Rubin's Cards Were Marked In Advance
The Trial Was A Pig-Circus, He Never Had A Chance.
The Judge Made Rubin's Witnesses Drunkards From The Slums
To The White Folks Who Watched He Was A Revolutionary Bum
And To The Black Folks He Was Just A Crazy Nigger.
No One Doubted That He Pulled The Trigger.
And Though They Could Not Produce The Gun,
The D.A. Said He Was The One Who Did The Deed
And The All-White Jury Agreed.

Rubin Carter Was Falsely Tried.
The Crime Was Murder "One," Guess Who Testified?
Bello And Bradley And They Both Baldly Lied
And The Newspapers, They All Went Along For The Ride.
How Can The Life Of Such A Man
Be In The Palm Of Some Fool's Hand?
To See Him Obviously Framed
Couldn't Help But Make Me Feel Ashamed To Live In A Land
Where Justice Is A Game.

Now All The Criminals In Their Coats And Their Ties
Are Free To Drink Martinis And Watch The Sun Rise
While Rubin Sits Like Buddha In A Ten-Foot Cell
An Innocent Man In A Living Hell.
That's The Story Of The Hurricane,
But It Won't Be Over Till They Clear His Name
And Give Him Back The Time He's Done.
Put In A Prison Cell, But One Time He Could-A Been
The Champion Of The World.

1.2 - Isis

I Married Isis On The Fifth Day Of May,
But I Could Not Hold On To Her Very Long.
So I Cut Off My Hair And I Rode Straight Away
For The Wild Unknown Country Where I Could Not Go Wrong.

I Came To A High Place Of Darkness And Light.
The Dividing Line Ran Through The Center Of Town.
I Hitched Up My Pony To A Post On The Right,
Went In To A Laundry To Wash My Clothes Down.

A Man In The Corner Approached Me For A Match.
I Knew Right Away He Was Not Ordinary.
He Said, "Are You Lookin' For Somethin' Easy To Catch?"
I Said, "I Got No Money." He Said, "That Ain't Necessary."

We Set Out That Night For The Cold In The North.
I Gave Him My Blanket, He Gave Me His Word.
I Said, "Where Are We Goin'?" He Said We'd Be Back By The Fourth.
I Said, "That's The Best News That I've Ever Heard."

I Was Thinkin' About Turquoise, I Was Thinkin' About Gold,
I Was Thinkin' About Diamonds And The World's Biggest Necklace.
As We Rode Through The Canyons, Through The Devilish Cold,
I Was Thinkin' About Isis, How She Thought I Was So Reckless.

How She Told Me That One Day We Would Meet Up Again,
And Things Would Be Different The Next Time We Wed,
If I Only Could Hang On And Just Be Her Friend.
I Still Can't Remember All The Best Things She Said.

We Came To The Pyramids All Embedded In Ice.
He Said, "There's A Body I'm Tryin' To Find.
If I Carry It Out It'll Bring A Good Price."
't Was Then That I Knew What He Had On His Mind.

The Wind It Was Howlin' And The Snow Was Outrageous.
We Chopped Through The Night And We Chopped Through The Dawn.
When He Died I Was Hopin' That It Wasn't Contagious,
But I Made Up My Mind That I Had To Go On.

I Broke Into The Tomb, But The Casket Was Empty.
There Was No Jewels, No Nothin', I Felt I'd Been Had.
When I Saw That My Partner Was Just Bein' Friendly,
When I Took Up His Offer I Must-A Been Mad.

I Picked Up His Body And I Dragged Him Inside,
Threw Him Down In The Hole And I Put Back The Cover.
I Said A Quick Prayer And I Felt Satisfied.
Then I Rode Back To Find Isis Just To Tell Her I Love Her.

She Was There In The Meadow Where The Creek Used To Rise.
Blinded By Sleep And In Need Of A Bed,
I Came In From The East With The Sun In My Eyes.
I Cursed Her One Time Then I Rode On Ahead.

She Said, "Where Ya Been?" I Said, "No Place Special."
She Said, "You Look Different." I Said, "Well, Not Quite."
She Said, "You Been Gone." I Said, "That's Only Natural."
She Said, "You Gonna Stay?" I Said, "Yeah, I You Want Me To, Yes."

Isis, Oh, Isis, You Mystical Child.
What Drives Me To You Is What Drives Me Insane.
I Still Can Remember The Way That You Smiled
On The Fifth Day Of May In The Drizzlin' Rain.

1.3 - Mozambique

I Like To Spend Some Time In Mozambique
The Sunny Sky Is Aqua Blue
And All The Couples Dancing Cheek To Cheek.
It's Very Nice To Stay A Week Or Two
And Maybe Fall In Love Me And You.

There's Lots Of Pretty Girls In Mozambique
And Plenty Time For Good Romance
And Everybody Likes To Stop And Speak
To Give The Special One You Seek A Chance
Or Maybe Say Hello With Just A Glance.

Lying Next To Her By The Ocean
Reaching Out And Touching Her Hand,
Whispering Your Secret Emotion
Magic In A Magical Land.

And When It's Time For Leaving Mozambique,
To Say Goodbye To Sand And Sea,
You Turn Around To Take A Final Peek
And You See Why It's So Unique To Be
Among The Lovely People Living Free
Upon The Beach Of Sunny Mozambique.

1.4 - One More Cup Of Coffee

Your Breath Is Sweet
Your Eyes Are Like Two Jewels In The Sky.
Your Back Is Straight, Your Hair Is Smooth
On The Pillow Where You Lie.
But I Don't Sense Affection
No Gratitude Or Love
Your Loyalty Is Not To Me
But To The Stars Above.

One More Cup Of Coffee For The Road,
One More Cup Of Coffee 'Fore I Go
To The Valley Below.

Your Daddy He's An Outlaw
And A Wanderer By Trade
He'll Teach You How To Pick And Choose
And How To Throw The Blade.
He Oversees His Kingdom
So No Stranger Does Intrude
His Voice It Trembles As He Calls Out
For Another Plate Of Food.

One More Cup Of Coffee For The Road,
One More Cup Of Coffee 'Fore I Go
To The Valley Below.

Your Sister Sees The Future
Like Your Mama And Yourself.
You've Never Learned To Read Or Write
There's No Books Upon Your Shelf.
And Your Pleasure Knows No Limits
Your Voice Is Like A Meadowlark
But Your Heart Is Like An Ocean
Mysterious And Dark.

One More Cup Of Coffee For The Road,
One More Cup Of Coffee 'Fore I Go
To The Valley Below.

1.5 - Oh, Sister

Oh, Sister, When I Come To Lie In Your Arms
You Should Not Treat Me Like A Stranger.
Our Father Would Not Like The Way That You Act
And You Must Realize The Danger.

Oh, Sister, Am I Not A Brother To You
And One Deserving Of Affection?
And Is Our Purpose Not The Same On This Earth,
To Love And Follow His Direction?

We Grew Up Together
From The Cradle To The Grave
We Died And Were Reborn
And Then Mysteriously Saved.

Oh, Sister, When I Come To Knock On Your Door,
Don't Turn Away, You'll Create Sorrow.
Time Is An Ocean But It Ends At The Shore
You May Not See Me Tomorrow.
 

2.1 - Joey

Born In Red Hook, Brooklyn, In The Year Of Who Knows When
Opened Up His Eyes To The Tune Of An Accordion
Always On The Outside Of Whatever Side There Was
When They Asked Him Why It Had To Be That Way, "Well," He Answered, "Just Because."

Larry Was The Oldest, Joey Was Next To Last.
They Called Joe "Crazy," The Baby They Called "Kid Blast."
Some Say They Lived Off Gambling And Runnin' Numbers Too.
It Always Seemed They Got Caught Between The Mob And The Men In Blue.

Joey, Joey,
King Of The Streets, Child Of Clay.
Joey, Joey,
What Made Them Want To Come And Blow You Away?

There Was Talk They Killed Their Rivals, But The Truth Was Far From That
No One Ever Knew For Sure Where They Were Really At.
When They Tried To Strangle Larry, Joey Almost Hit The Roof.
He Went Out That Night To Seek Revenge, Thinkin' He Was Bulletproof.

The War Broke Out At The Break Of Dawn, It Emptied Out The Streets
Joey And His Brothers Suffered Terrible Defeats
Till They Ventured Out Behind The Lines And Took Five Prisoners.
They Stashed Them Away In A Basement, Called Them Amateurs.

The Hostages Were Tremblin' When They Heard A Man Exclaim,
"Let's Blow This Place To Kingdom Come, Let Con Edison Take The Blame."
But Joey Stepped Up, He Raised His Hand, Said, "We're Not Those Kind Of Men.
It's Peace And Quiet That We Need To Go Back To Work Again."

Joey, Joey,
King Of The Streets, Child Of Clay.
Joey, Joey,
What Made Them Want To Come And Blow You Away?

The Police Department Hounded Him, They Called Him Mr. Smith
They Got Him On Conspiracy, They Were Never Sure Who With.
"What Time Is It?" Said The Judge To Joey When They Met
"Five To Ten," Said Joey. The Judge Says, "That's Exactly What You Get."

He Did Ten Years In Attica, Reading Nietzsche And Wilhelm Reich
They Threw Him In The Hole One Time For Tryin' To Stop A Strike.
His Closest Friends Were Black Men 'Cause They Seemed To Understand
What It's Like To Be In Society With A Shackle On Your Hand.

When They Let Him Out In '71 He'd Lost A Little Weight
But He Dressed Like Jimmy Cagney And I Swear He Did Look Great.
He Tried To Find The Way Back Into The Life He Left Behind
To The Boss He Said, "I Have Returned And Now I Want What's Mine."

Joey, Joey,
King Of The Streets, Child Of Clay.
Joey, Joey,
What Made Them Want To Come And Blow You Away?

It Was True That In His Later Years He Would Not Carry A Gun
"I'm Around Too Many Children," He'd Say, "They Should Never Know Of One."
Yet He Walked Right Into The Clubhouse Of His Lifelong Deadly Foe,
Emptied Out The Register, Said, "Tell 'Em It Was Crazy Joe."

One Day They Blew Him Down In A Clam Bar In New York
He Could See It Comin' Through The Door As He Lifted Up His Fork.
He Pushed The Table Over To Protect His Family
Then He Staggered Out Into The Streets Of Little Italy.

Joey, Joey,
King Of The Streets, Child Of Clay.
Joey, Joey,
What Made Them Want To Come And Blow You Away?

Sister Jacqueline And Carmela And Mother Mary All Did Weep.
I Heard His Best Friend Frankie Say, "He Ain't Dead, He's Just Asleep."
Then I Saw The Old Man's Limousine Head Back Towards The Grave
I Guess He Had To Say One Last Goodbye To The Son That He Could Not Save.

The Sun Turned Cold Over President Street And The Town Of Brooklyn Mourned
They Said A Mass In The Old Church Near The House Where He Was Born.
And Someday If God's In Heaven Overlookin' His Preserve
I Know The Men That Shot Him Down Will Get What They Deserve.

Joey, Joey,
King Of The Streets, Child Of Clay.
Joey, Joey,
What Made Them Want To Come And Blow You Away?

2.2 - Romance In Durango

Hot Chili Peppers In The Blistering Sun
Dust On My Face And My Cape,
Me And Magdalena On The Run
I Think This Time We Shall Escape.

Sold My Guitar To The Baker's Son
For A Few Crumbs And A Place To Hide,
But I Can Get Another One
And I'll Play For Magdalena As We Ride.

No Llores, Mi Querida
Dios Nos Vigila
Soon The Horse Will Take Us To Durango.
Agarrame, Mi Vida
Soon The Desert Will Be Gone
Soon You Will Be Dancing The Fandango.

Past The Aztec Ruins And The Ghosts Of Our People
Hoof beats Like Castanets On Stone.
At Night I Dream Of Bells In The Village Steeple
Then I See The Bloody Face Of Ramon.

Was It Me That Shot Him Down In The Cantina
Was It My Hand That Held The Gun?
Come, Let Us Fly, My Magdalena
The Dogs Are Barking And What's Done Is Done.

No Llores, Mi Querida
Dios Nos Vigila
Soon The Horse Will Take Us To Durango.
Agarrame, Mi Vida
Soon The Desert Will Be Gone
Soon You Will Be Dancing The Fandango.

At The Corrida We'll Sit In The Shade
And Watch The Young Torero Stand Alone.
We'll Drink Tequila Where Our Grandfathers Stayed
When They Rode With Villa Into Torreon.

Then The Padre Will Recite The Prayers Of Old
In The Little Church This Side Of Town.
I Will Wear New Boots And An Earring Of Gold
You'll Shine With Diamonds In Your Wedding Gown.

The Way Is Long But The End Is Near
Already The Fiesta Has Begun.
The Face Of God Will Appear
With His Serpent Eyes Of Obsidian.

No Llores, Mi Querida
Dios Nos Vigila
Soon The Horse Will Take Us To Durango.
Agarrame, Mi Vida
Soon The Desert Will Be Gone
Soon You Will Be Dancing The Fandango.

Was That The Thunder That I Heard?
My Head Is Vibrating, I Feel A Sharp Pain
Come Sit By Me, Don't Say A Word
Oh, Can It Be That I Am Slain?

Quick, Magdalena, Take My Gun
Look Up In The Hills, That Flash Of Light.
Aim Well My Little One
We May Not Make It Through The Night.

No Llores, Mi Querida
Dios Nos Vigila
Soon The Horse Will Take Us To Durango.
Agarrame, Mi Vida
Soon The Desert Will Be Gone
Soon You Will Be Dancing The Fandango.

2.3 - Black Diamond Bay

Up On The White Veranda
She Wears A Necktie And A Panama Hat.
Her Passport Shows A Face
From Another Time And Place
She Looks Nothin' Like That.
And All The Remnants Of Her Recent Past
Are Scattered In The Wild Wind.
She Walks Across The Marble Floor
Where A Voice From The Gambling Room Is Callin' Her To Come On In.
She Smiles, Walks The Other Way
As The Last Ship Sails And The Moon Fades Away
From Black Diamond Bay.

As The Mornin' Light Breaks Open, The Greek Comes Down
And He Asks For A Rope And A Pen That Will Write.
"Pardon, Monsieur," The Desk Clerk Says,
Carefully Removes His Fez,
"Am I Hearin' You Right?"
And As The Yellow Fog Is Liftin'
The Greek Is Quickly Headin' For The Second Floor.
She Passes Him On The Spiral Staircase
Thinkin' He's The Soviet Ambassador,
She Starts To Speak, But He Walks Away
As The Storm Clouds Rise And The Palm Branches Sway
On Black Diamond Bay.

A Soldier Sits Beneath The Fan
Doin' Business With A Tiny Man Who Sells Him A Ring.
Lightning Strikes, The Lights Blow Out.
The Desk Clerk Wakes And Begins To Shout,
"Can You See Anything?"
Then The Greek Appears On The Second Floor
In His Bare Feet With A Rope Around His Neck,
While A Loser In The Gambling Room Lights Up A Candle,
Says, "Open Up Another Deck."
But The Dealer Says, "Attendez-Vous, S'il Vous Plait,''
As The Rain Beats Down And The Cranes Fly Away
From Black Diamond Bay.

The Desk Clerk Heard The Woman Laugh
As He Looked Around The Aftermath And The Soldier Got Tough.
He Tried To Grab The Woman's Hand,
Said, "Here's A Ring, It Cost A Grand."
She Said, "That Ain't Enough."
Then She Ran Upstairs To Pack Her Bags
While A Horse-Drawn Taxi Waited At The Curb.
She Passed The Door That The Greek Had Locked,
Where A Handwritten Sign Read, "Do Not Disturb."
She Knocked Upon It Anyway
As The Sun Went Down And The Music Did Play
On Black Diamond Bay.

"I've Got To Talk To Someone Quick!"
But The Greek Said, "Go Away," And He Kicked The Chair To The Floor.
He Hung There From The Chandelier.
She Cried, "Help, There's Danger Near
Please Open Up The Door!"
Then The Volcano Erupted
And The Lava Flowed Down From The Mountain High Above.
The Soldier And The Tiny Man Were Crouched In The Corner
Thinking Of Forbidden Love.
But The Desk Clerk Said, "It Happens Every Day,"
As The Stars Fell Down And The Fields Burned Away
On Black Diamond Bay.

As The Island Slowly Sank
The Loser Finally Broke The Bank In The Gambling Room.
The Dealer Said, "It's Too Late Now.
You Can Take Your Money, But I Don't Know How
You'll Spend It In The Tomb."
The Tiny Man Bit The Soldier's Ear
As The Floor Caved In And The Boiler In The Basement Blew,
While She's Out On The Balcony, Where A Stranger Tells Her,
"My Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup."
She Sheds A Tear And Then Begins To Pray
As The Fire Burns On And The Smoke Drifts Away
From Black Diamond Bay.

I Was Sittin' Home Alone One Night In L.A.,
Watchin' Old Cronkite On The Seven O'clock News.
It Seems There Was An Earthquake That
Left Nothin' But A Panama Hat
And A Pair Of Old Greek Shoes.
Didn't Seem Like Much Was Happenin',
So I Turned It Off And Went To Grab Another Beer.
Seems Like Every Time You Turn Around
There's Another Hard-Luck Story That You're Gonna Hear
And There's Really Nothin' Anyone Can Say
And I Never Did Plan To Go Anyway
To Black Diamond Bay.

2.4 - Sara

I Laid On A Dune, I Looked At The Sky,
When The Children Were Babies And Played On The Beach.
You Came Up Behind Me, I Saw You Go By,
You Were Always So Close And Still Within Reach.

Sara, Sara,
Whatever Made You Want To Change Your Mind?
Sara, Sara,
So Easy To Look At, So Hard To Define.

I Can Still See Them Playin' With Their Pails In The Sand,
They Run To The Water Their Buckets To Fill.
I Can Still See The Shells Fallin' Out Of Their Hands
As They Follow Each Other Back Up The Hill.

Sara, Sara,
Sweet Virgin Angel, Sweet Love Of My Life,
Sara, Sara,
Radiant Jewel, Mystical Wife.

Sleepin' In The Woods By A Fire In The Night,
Drinkin' White Rum In A Portugal Bar,
Them Playin' Leapfrog And Hearin' About Snow White,
You In The Marketplace In Savanna-La-Mar.

Sara, Sara,
It's All So Clear, I Could Never Forget,
Sara, Sara,
Lovin' You Is The One Thing I'll Never Regret.

I Can Still Hear The Sounds Of Those Methodist Bells,
I'd Taken The Cure And Had Just Gotten Through,
Stayin' Up For Days In The Chelsea Hotel,
Writin' "Sad-Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands" For You.

Sara, Sara,
Wherever We Travel We're Never Apart.
Sara, Oh Sara,
Beautiful Lady, So Dear To My Heart.

How Did I Meet You? I Don't Know.
A Messenger Sent Me In A Tropical Storm.
You Were There In The Winter, Moonlight On The Snow
And On Lily Pond Lane When The Weather Was Warm.

Sara, Oh Sara,
Scorpio Sphinx In A Calico Dress,
Sara, Sara,
You Must Forgive Me My Unworthiness.

Now The Beach Is Deserted Except For Some Kelp
And A Piece Of An Old Ship That Lies On The Shore.
You Always Responded When I Needed Your Help,
You Gimme A Map And A Key To Your Door.

Sara, Oh Sara,
Glamorous Nymph With An Arrow And Bow,
Sara, Oh Sara,
Don't Ever Leave Me, Don't Ever Go.