Fire cast his animated shadow on the wall Of the cave where astonished faces watched him so enthralled He tells a tale was told to him and him and him before The story, child, is everything The philosopher, he gathered all his pupils on the hill And he told a puzzling fable that befuddled them, and still Slowly, as the new ideas made new homes in their minds The story, child, is everything The story, child, is everything All narratives in life, whether told on land or sea Spill from the universal soul of all humanity Stories live in blood and bones and genetic memory And they rise up And we make exchange like precious currency The bard strummed a mournful tune reclined before the king Of love, betrayal, honor, glory, passion he did sing The queen bestowed him favor later on behind the stable The story, child, is everything The flicker of the silver screen shone down upon his face As the silent moving picture brought him to another place Glamour and adventure and the Movietone News The story, child, is everything The story, child, is everything And now we hear the tangled tale of our postmodern mind Television, internet and cell phone all combined But nothing’s new beneath the sun, no matter what you’ve heard And everybody everywhere still hangs on every word And as we sit together in the warm romantic glow And I tell you all the things you need to think you need to know Can you feel the tug of history as I whisper in your ear The story, child, is everything The story, child, is everything The story, child …

There’s a lot of people walking ‘round with nothing on their mind Seems some time ago they up and left the world behind They don’t know what they’re doing, they don’t know how to try But that’s a hard way to live your life and a harder way to die There’s a lot of people walking ‘round with scars left on their hearts They don’t talk to anyone for fear of pulling the seams apart Some folks call ‘em crazy, some just call ‘em shy But that’s a hard way to live your life and a harder way to die Some people are just so sad that they can’t even cry Some people even think the whole idea of truth is a lie Some people are just so sad that they can’t even cry Some people even think the whole idea of truth is a lie There’s a lot of people talking round that no one wants to hear The public tunes the public out ‘til the voices disappear Everyone wants to change the world and no one cares about why Such a lonely world out there it makes you want to cry And that’s a harder way to live your life and a harder way to die

A couple of vagabonds walking on a werewolf night Taking a casual howl in the moonlight Vinnie says to Judas, “I’d like to sharpen up my claws Find someone tough to test my jaws” A couple of predators walking on a werewolf night Taking the measure of all the prey in sight When Danny comes ‘round the corner, they know he fills the bill And they’ll tear him to pieces, they surely will Singin’, you better watch out and you better be wise ‘Cuz there’s a couple of werewolves lookin’ to take you down to size And you better watch out and you better be smart ‘Cuz there’s a couple of werewolves lookin’ to eat your foolish heart Oh yeah yeah yeah Oh yeah yeah yeah A couple of fugitives running on a werewolf night Been running ever since they took that last bite Judas says to Vinnie, “This what’s it’s all about Living the good life and letting it all hang out” A couple of carnivores running on a werewolf night Looking for a place to start a bit of a dogfight Before the sun rises, there’s so much they have to do So many things to kill, so many bones to chew Singin’, you better watch out and you better be wise ‘Cuz there’s a couple of werewolves lookin’ to take you down to size And you better watch out and you better be smart ‘Cuz there’s a couple of werewolves lookin’ to tear your ass apart Oh yeah yeah yeah Oh yeah yeah yeah On a werewolf night, on a werewolf night On a werewolf night, on a werewolf night Ah-ooooo, Werewolves of Gulfport Ah-ooooo

I walk and the jingle of the pennies in my pocket Are reminding me of home In this hour of my existence I am lost and left To roam the empty streets of Skid Row I am down As low as the ragged people just off St. Charles Avenue They say a town can get you down My God, I know it’s true New Orleans, the city of dreams that don’t come true I sit on the levee and I watch the city lights That are reflecting on the water Knowing if I had half the courage that I thought I had I’d take my life Deprivation is a word that I know very well the meaning of Hiding from the markets I’ve been stealing from In New Orleans, the city of dreams that don’t come true I came from a town northeast of St. Louis away I came to leave the life I had and find a better way Oh, in New Orleans, the city of dreams that don’t come true So here I am, laying low and hungry in an alleyway Without a name, no place to go Except back to the streets that I have roamed so many times Every step and crack by heart I know I am down As low as the ragged people just off St. Charles Avenue They say a town can get you down My God, I know it’s true New Orleans, the city of dreams that don’t come true

Late summer skies swirl in watercolor shades of blue Waves all crashing to the beat of autumn’s coming tune Seagulls silhouetted in an early evening moon Mark the summer’s end Cast your nets, old fishermen, so weathered by the sea Your wrinkled eyes of age seem to care not what will be The tattered sails on driftwood boats like banners waving free Speak of summer’s end Summer marks the changes in our lives that fade away Like tides that mark a memory on a pier at Cape Cod Bay Autumn winds in maritime blow nearer every day And we are cold Summer marks the changes in our lives that fade away Like tides that mark a memory on a pier at Cape Cod Bay Autumn winds in maritime blow nearer every day And we are cold A town in Maine beside a weathered beach of brownish gray Is my home the ocean where I will forever stay? If I changed, I wonder, would you still be here today At the summer’s end? Goodbye, old friend

Make a mark on the wall, draw a line sharp and small Just to show where it all first began I was young, I was strong, I could never do no wrong ‘Til the day she came along to this land There were many small embraces that got me through each day And I thought there’d be no more I could desire Lorelei then appeared in the autumn of the year And my heart like the leaves caught afire And every church bell was ringing and every baby did cry And even the schoolboys were singing Oh, Lorelee, Lorelei, with the devil in her eye There’s no man can deny Lorelei Lorelei, Lorelee, with your hair so wild and free Won’t you spend some time on me, Lorelee? For the wind blows strong and they say it won’t be long ‘Til the birds fly on to southern sky But while they’re on the wing, to each other we can sing Don’t you see, Lorelee, Lorelei? Oh she cast quite a spell with the stories she did tell And I swear that I fell all the way What was truth? What was lie? Well I didn’t even try So caught up in the games she did play Well we walked on the meadow and we ran out on the pier And we rolled for a time out of time ‘Til the time I did see she was just as cruel as me And I knew that she never would be mine And every church bell was ringing and every baby did cry And even the schoolboys were singing Oh, Lorelee, Lorelei, with the devil in her eye There’s no man can deny Lorelei Lorelei, Lorelee, with your hair so wild and free Won’t you spend some time on me, Lorelee? For the wind blows strong and they say it won’t be long ‘Til the birds fly on to southern sky But while they’re on the wing, to each other we can sing Don’t you see, Lorelee, Lorelei? Now it’s been twenty year and I stand upon the pier As the summer disappears into fall And her face comes again and her hair as red as flame And again brings me pain to recall How the only love I knew didn’t know how to be true And how long before spring she was gone She just had to be free, she was such a lot like me And I never had the strength to be strong When all the alarm bells are ringing and every mother does cry And even the soldiers are singing Oh, Lorelee, Lorelei, with the devil in her eye Did you have to say goodbye, Lorelei? Lorelei, Lorelee, with your hair so wild and free You’re the only girl for me, Lorelee And the sun won’t shine till you swear that you’ll be mine And the stars all will fall from the sky For I know that it’s true, I will die for love of you Don’t you see, Lorelee, Lorelei?

By the Euphrates There wept a girl for a thousand days A thousand tears for a thousand fears she’d held inside By the Nile There stood a boy with a certain smile For a certain girl in a certain world he’d left behind Trickling water, bring my love to me Away, away over hill and desert you flow to sea Trickling water, bring my love to me Away, away over hill and desert you flow to sea By the Tigris There grows a yellow iris Toward the sun, toward the one who put it there By the Jordan A war is fought for freedom And a weeping girl puts a yellow iris On a smiling boy’s grave Trickling water, bring my love to me Away, away over hill and desert you flow to sea Trickling water, bring my love to me Away, away over hill and desert you flow to sea

They meet there every Saturday Corner table at the old café Those calico women from around the block It’s the only chance they get to talk They talk about their calico lives And what it means to be calico wives And they shake their heads at the games and toys Of the gingham girls and the denim boys When the hellos have settled down And the coffee’s freshened all around They talk about Susie, Sal and Sam Who are so far away they don’t give a damn And they tell shocking stories once again Of nylon women and rayon men And they talk about the price they pay To be calico women these crazy days They meet there every Saturday Corner table at the old café Those calico women from around the block It’s the only chance they get to shock They talk about their calico lives And what it means to be calico wives And they shake their heads at the games and toys Of the gingham girls and the denim boys As ritual as Christmas time As comfortable as well aged wine When they gather for a bite to eat Those calico women don’t miss a beat And the leather and lace set pass them by Don’t understand ‘cuz they just don’t try But if everything was perfect every day What would the calico women find to say They meet there every Saturday Corner table at the old café Those calico women from around the block It’s the only chance they get to talk They talk about their calico lives And what it means to be calico wives And they shake their heads at the games and toys Of the gingham girls and the denim boys

As dappled rays of morning sun stream in through the window And set ablaze your amber colored hair I gently kiss your forehead and hope you won’t awaken You merely stir and go on sleeping there I have no bags to pack But I hear the lights of New York calling me They call my name and sing my songs again I feel that I must go and answer them I feel that I must go and answer them I attempt to write a note as the sunlight subtly goldens And illuminates the bed in which you lay I peer out through the curtain lace to the streets of New Orleans Awakening in the early light of day But I must board my plane For I hear the lights of New York calling me They call my name and sing my songs again I feel that I must go and answer them I feel that I must go and answer them I know that I must leave now, I must exit through the door With tearful eyes I turn and heave a silent sigh I gently turn the doorknob and step into the hall I turn in time to hear you say goodbye But the lights of New York call me The lights of New York call me The lights of New York call me and I feel that I must go and answer them

Don’t say you didn’t see this coming Don’t try and tell me you’re surprised I know you’re really not that stupid And there’s nothing wrong with your beady eyes I came and told you my sad story And I remember everything I swore But you knew I was a scorpion Before we left the shore I couldn’t make it 'cross this water Without the guidance of a friend I know at first you were suspicious But I won you over in the end I said the issue was survival And I said I’d never try a thing But you knew I was a scorpion Before you felt my sting La-la-la Now do you feel you’ve been mistreated And do you feel I’ve let you down? Well the memory of all the ways I’ve cheated May that be a consolation while we drown I knew I really had you going When I stood up to testify But you knew I was a scorpion Did you think I couldn’t lie? Yeah, you knew I was a scorpion And now we’re gonna die La-la-la And now we’re gonna die

A church in the forest beneath ancient trees Before the priest he bend to his knees Repentance was offered, the sin was forgiven “Go and sin no more, for God is in heaven” He must believe in something for he cannot believe in himself He must believe in something, ooooo A mosque in the desert upon ancient sand Towards the sun he bowed with his hands A prayer was whispered, the sacred words spoken His heart was rejoicing, he felt Allah before him He must believe in something for he cannot believe in himself He must believe in something, ooooo A hut in the jungle between ancient seas A slow rhythm rises from the drum on his knees “Give praise to the Moon God, let goodness surround him Give praise to the Sun God and the world that’s around him He must believe in something for he cannot believe in himself He must believe in something, ooooo A flat in the city beneath ancient skies He draws a pentagram circle and closes his eyes Invocations were chanted, the lamb was slaughtered His heart filled with darkness as his soul he then offered He must believe in something for he cannot believe in himself He must believe in something, ooooo We must believe in something for we cannot believe in ourselves We must believe in something, ooooo

One hundred voices speak in unison today Confident and clear that they are right in what they say But in the silence afterward another sound holds sway One voice says no “These things you are so sure about and uniformly told Run contrary to all I am and everything I hold And though you are so confident, I must be so bold My voice must say no” Offended and confused, many people leave the room “You must be the enemy,” many more assume And maybe only one person listens in that room When one voice says no The one who thinks about it turns and tumbles through the night All the preconceived ideas beginning to take flight And when the morning comes the other voice was surely right The one that said no Ninety-nine voices speak in unison today Confident and clear that they are right in what they say But in the silence afterward another sound holds sway Two voices say no, two voices say no And that’s the only way it ever goes

Papa Napoleon took her then by the hand And wed the wild-eyed untamed child bride to the American Lady Louisianne Fortunate is the man who can Admire the ornamental ways Both renewal and decay Adorn your lovely hand Your sons, the cypress, dance the two-step With your oak tree daughters And all the while, like lace gray petticoats, The dark gulf waters Swirl about your ankles high And you heave a perfumed sigh of honeysuckle breeze Skin both tan and brown Creamy and red reknown Patinaed gilded wrought iron gleam Baton Rouge and New Orleans Jewels in your tarnished crown Lady Louisianne Verdant Acadienne An emerald cabochon at rest there upon your ample breast Beckoning beast and man Through your veins and arteries the Mississippi churns And deep within your heart the longing lust of history burns And fills your eyes with clouds and rain There upon the Ponchartrain The storm surge rumbles in Lady Lousianne, I am at your command A grand dame aging gracefully A trollop tawdry sometimes be Duplicitous promised land Lady Louisianne …

Better get the children inside, better close the windows tight They’re saying on the radio there’s gonna be a thunderstorm tonight It’s been too dry too long now, the grass has all turned brown See that cumulonimbus forming, gonna wash some life into this town You can almost hear the garden saying “Thank you” You can almost feel relief beneath the ground Hear the rock and roll men hummin’ that the thunderstorm is comin’ I been so dry I wish that I could drown, wish that I could drown Everybody’s made of water, everybody smells the rain Listen for the sound of thunder, make us feel like animals again Better than the sweetest music, better than a mandolin Better get the big umbrella, look at all the goosebumps on my skin You can almost see the flowers doing warm-ups You can almost see the trees stretch out their limbs Doesn’t matter what you’re doin’, you know the storm is brewin’ You can feel it in the whistle of the wind, whistle of the wind Say you want to go outside, say you want to take a ride Well, be advised the skies are looking gray And you don’t want to be exposed When this kind of weather shows But I might just go dancing on the lawn today Are you ready for the rain now? (Yeah, yeah!) Couldn’t be more ready if I played the harp like this Better get the children inside, better close the windows tight They’re saying on the radio they’re gonna was the gullies out tonight There’s gonna be a storm And you can almost hear the garden saying “Thank you” You can almost feel relief beneath the ground Doesn’t matter what you’re doin’, you know the storm is brewin’ And I been so dry I wish that I could drown, wish that I could drown Wish that I could drown now So bring it down now

A very very long time ago When the earth was new A daring young man rode his horse to the king A very very long time ago When the world was young A king put a daring young man in armor A very very long time ago When life was fresh This man in his armor rode into battle This man in his armor discovered war This man in his armor died in his armor And thus it all began A very very short time ago When the earth had aged Two daring nations waged war for the good of all on the earth A very very short time ago When the world was old Terror was wrought and vengeance was sought For all on the earth A very very short time ago When there was life All on the earth stood and watched the battle All on the earth saw the blinding red flash All on the earth died on the earth And thus it all ended