Back in the old folky days
The air was magic when we played.
The riverboat was rockin`
in the rain
Midnight was the time
for the raid.
Oh, Isabela, proud Isabela,
They tore you down and
plowed you under.
You`re only real
with your make-up on
How could I see you
and stay too long?
All along the Navajo Trail,
Burn-outs stub their toes
on garbage pails.
Waitresses are cryin`
in the rain
Will their boyfriends
pass this way again?
Oh, Mother Goose,
she`s on the skids
Shoe ain`t happy,
neither are the kids.
She needs someone
that she can scream at
And I`m such a heel
for makin` her feel so bad.
I guess I`ll call it
sickness gone
It`s hard to say
the meaning of this song.
An ambulance can only
go so fast
It`s easy to get buried
in the past
When you try to make
a good thing last.
I saw today
in the entertainment section
There`s room at the top
for private detection.
To Mom and Dad
this just doesn`t matter,
But it`s either that
or pay off the kidnapper.
So all you critics sit alone
You`re no better than me
for what you`ve shown.
With your stomach pump and
your hook and ladder dreams
We could get together
for some scenes.
I never knew a man
could tell so many lies
He had a different story
for every set of eyes.
How can he remember
who he`s talkin` to?
`Cause I know it ain`t me,
and I hope it isn`t you.
Well, I`m up in T.O.
keepin` jive alive,
And out on the corner
it`s half past five.
But the subways are empty
And so are the cafes.
Except for the Farmer`s Market
And I still can hear him say:
You`re all just pissin`
in the wind
You don`t know it but you are.
And there ain`t nothin`
like a friend
Who can tell you
you`re just pissin`
in the wind.
I never knew a man
could tell so many lies
He had a different story
for every set of eyes
How can he remember
who he`s talking to?
Cause I know it ain`t me,
and hope it isn`t you.