John Mellencamp Album

"Crumblin' Down"
by John Mellencamp

Some people ain't no damn good
You can't trust 'em you can't love 'em
No good deed goes unpunished
And I don't mind bein' their whippin' boy
I've had that pleasure for years and years
No no I never was a sinner--tell me what else can I do
Second best is what you get 'til you learn to bend the rules
And time respects no person--what you lift up must fall
They're waiting outside to claim my tumblin' walls

Saw my picture in the paper
Read the news around my face
And now some people don't want to treat me the same

CHORUS:
When the walls come tumblin' down
When the walls come crumblin' crumblin'
When the walls come tumblin' tumblin' down

Some people say I'm obnoxious and lazy
I'm uneducated--my opinion means nothin'
But I know I'm a real good dancer
Don't need to look over my shoulder to see what I'm after
Everybody's got their problems--ain't no new news here
I'm the same old trouble you've been havin' for years
Don't confuse the problem with the issue girl
It's perfectly clear
Just a human desire to have you come near

Wanna put my arms around you
Feel your breath in my ear
You can bend me you can break me
But you'd better stand clear

(CHORUS)

There's a black man, with a black cat, livin' in a black neighborhood
He's got an interstate runnin' through his front yard
You know he thinks he's got it so good
And there's a woman in the kitchen cleanin' up the evenin' slop
And he looks at her and says, "Hey darlin', I can remember when
you could stop a clock."

Ah but ain't that America for you and me
Ain't that America somethin' to see baby
Ain't that America home of the free, yeah
Little pink houses for you and me
oh yeah for you and me

Well there's a young man in a t-shirt
Listenin' to a rockin' rollin' station
He's got ah greasy hair, greasy smile
He says, "Lord this must be my destination."
'Cause they told me when I was younger
Said, "Boy you're gonna be president."
But just like everything else those old crazy dreams
Just kinda came and went

Ah but ain't that America for you and me
Ain't that America somethin' to see baby
Ain't that America home of the free, yeah
Little pink houses for you and me
Ah yeah baby for you and me

Well there's people and more people
What do they know know know
Go to work in some high rise
And vacation down at the Gulf of Mexico
Ooh yeah
And there's winners and there's losers
But they ain't no big deal
'Cause the simple man baby pays for the thrills, the bills,
the pills that kill

Ah but ain't that America for you and me
Ain't that America somethin' to see baby
Ain't that America home of the free, yeah
Little pink houses for you and me, Ooooh

Ooh yeah

Ain't that America for you and me
Ain't that America hey somethin' to see baby
Ain't that America oh home of the free
Ooh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Little pink houses babe for you and me

Ooh yeah, ooh yeah

They like to get you in a compromising position
They like to get you there and smile in your face
They think, they're so cute when they got you in that condition
Well I think, it's a total disgrace

CHORUS:
I fight authority, authority always wins
I fight authority, authority always wins
I been doing it, since I was a young kid
I've come out grinnin'
I fight authority, authority always wins

So I call up my preacher
I say: "Gimme strength for Round 5"
He said: "You don't need no strength, you need to grow up, son"
I said: "Growing up leads to growing old and then to dying,
and dying to me don't sound like all that much fun"

CHORUS

I say oh no (no no
I say oh no (no no
I say oh no (no no no

I fight authority and authority always wins
I fight authority and authority always wins (kick it in)
well i've doing it since i was a young kid
i've come out grinin'
well i fight authority and authority always wins

chorus x 3

Well I've been up to the mountain
Seen the ashes down below
I had breakfast with the wise man
He told me what he thought I should know
And I've been to bed with Jezebel
And I found the well was deep
And I'd trade in my ambitions
For a warmer place to sleep

Well I've seen the heart of darkness
Read the writing on the wall
And the voice out in the desert
Was the voice out in the hall
And once he called me Abel
And once he called me Cain
And for forty days and forty nights
I slept out in the rain

[Chorus:]
Girl can you share your warm bed tonight
I need to find a safe retreat
Someplace where they can't see my eyes
I need to find a warmer place to sleep

Well I rested in the devil's arms
I've chased the hounds of hell
I played truth or dare with the angels
And as far as I can tell
That a heart of gold ain't no better
Than a heart torn from the street
And I'd trade in my heart of stone
For a warmer place to sleep

[Chorus]

So you went to a party at Jacqueline Onassis
If you're so smart why don't you wear glasses
So you can see what you're doin' to me
So you can see what you're doin' to me
So you can see what tomorrow might bring

Underneath your breath you know I heard you cussin'
You were talkin' to my second cousin
Were you talkin' about me
Were you talkin' about me
You better put on your glasses so you can see
So you can see what tomorrow might bring

Can your daddy get us backstage passes
You know that we love to dance
Can your daddy give us backstage passes
With all his political power
With all his political power
It seems to me like you could dance better than you do

So you went to a party at Jacqueline Onassis
If you're so smart why don't you wear glasses
So you can see what the future might bring
So you can see what tomorrow might be

You may drive around in your town
Ina brand new shiny car
Your face in the wind your haircut's in
And your friends think you're bizarre
You may find a cushy job and I hope that you go far
But if you really want to taste some cool success
You better learn to play guitar

[Chorus:]
Play guitar-play guitar [3x]

You got your eye on the cheerleader queen
You're walkin' her home from school
You know that she's only seventeen
She's gonna make you a fool
You know you can't touch this stuff
Without money or a brand new car
Let me give you some good advice young man
You better learn to play guitar

[Chorus]

All women around the world want a phony rock star
Who plays guitar
You can pump your iron and shine your shoes
And wear your hair just right
You go down out on cruisin' street
'Cause you want to score tonight
Ra da ra da ra da
And you really want to show your scars
Forget all about that macho shit
And learn how to play guitar

[Chorus]

You ain't goin' nowhere
Gonna sit by this pool until you fall in
Didn't know what you were getting into
When you walked in to this room now did you kid
We got some girls over here
We got some boys over there
And they're here just for your fun
So have some dinner, baby, play some records
But just remember one thing son

[Chorus:]
This is serious business
Sex and violence and rock and roll
This is serious business
Sex and violence and rock and roll

You know my head is sweating
I can't dance and I can't relax
Outside is too threatening now
I've come this far and I can't go back
Call up some old friends
Call up some strangers
Get me used to that French telephone
Donna Donna educate me
But tell those girls that I'm not alone

[Chorus]

Take my life
Take my soul
Put me on the cross for all to see
Put my name around my neck
Let those people throw stones at me
This is serious business
Sex and violence and rock and roll

Riding in the park with your golden tan
You got your new tattoo half devil half man
Straddlin' a stallion made of chrome and steel
Spittin' out fire this cat's for real

He'll be a lovin' mother for ya, don't you know
He'll be a lovin' mother for ya, don't you know

Everybody's got their attitudes
Some are nice and some are rude
They come up and slap your back
They say, "Hey buddy, you can't do that."
Everybody's got their opinions to protect
But after midnight they'll be sucking your neck

They'll be a sucking mother for ya, don't you know
They'll be a sucking mother for ya, don't you know

Squeeze me girl don't let me fall
I wanna walk don't wanna crawl
Let me put my kickin' mule into your stall
'Cause I'm a kickin' mother for ya, don't you know
'Cause I'm a kickin' mother for ya, don't you know

Ain't no golden gates gonna swing open
Ain't no streets paved in natural pearl
Ain't no angel with a harp come singin'
Leastways not that I know of in this world
In these days of uncertain futures
Who knows what the masters might do
They got their big deals goin' on, goin' on
Got nothing to do with me and you
If I could I'd get us a big suite
Overlooking the Park
Only promise I know to be true
Are the promises made from the heart
I don't need to see the whole thing go down
I don't need to see another lonely man
I don't need to see a woman crying for the savior
Holding on to some moneyman's hand
Who can I call to make my reservations
Forever thrown in the dark
The only promises I know to be true
Are the promises made from the heart
I don't believe in the authorities
They ain't gonna take care of me and you
I don't have all the strength that I need
To love the way that I want to
The only promises I know to be true
Are the promises made from the heart