The Band Album

[No lyrics]

Baby don't you do it, don't do it
Don't you break my heart
Pleeeeease don't do it, don't you break my heart

A sacrifice would make you happy if nothing for myself
Now you wanna leave me for the love of someone else
My pride is all gone whether I'm right or wrong
I need you baby to keep on keepin' on

You know I'm trying to my best
Oh i'm trying to do my best
Don't do it, don't you break my heart
Pleeeeease don't do it, don't you break my heart

My biggest mistake was loving you too much and letting you know
Now you got me where you want me and you won't let me go
If my heart was made of glass well then you'd surely see
How much heartache and misery, girl, you've been causing me

While I've been trying to do my best
Well I've tried to do my best
Don't do it, don't you break my heart


Pleeeeease don't do it, don't you break my heart

Go down to the river and there I be
I'm gonna jump in girl, but you don't care bout me
Open up your eyes
Can't ya see I love ya?
Open up you heart, girl
Can't ya see I need ya?

Oh baby don't do it, do it, do it
Don't you break my heart
Pleeeeease don't do it don't you break my heart

My biggest mistake was loving you too much and letting you know
Now you got me where you want me and you won't let me go
If my heart was made of glass well then you'd surely see
How much heartache and misery, girl, you've been causing me

While I've been trying to do my best
You know I've tried to do my best
Don't do it, don't you break my heart
Pleeeeease don't do it, don't you break my heart

Corn in the fields.
Listen to the rice when the wind blows 'cross the water,
King Harvest has surely come

I work for the union 'cause she's so good to me;
And I'm bound to come out on top,
That's where she said I should be
I will hear every word the boss may say,
For he's the one who hands me down my pay
Looks like this time I'm gonna get to stay,
I'm a union man, now, all the way

The smell of the leaves,
From the magnolia trees in the meadow,
King Harvest has surely come

A dry summer, and then come fall,
Which I depend on most of all
Hey, rainmaker, can't you hear the call?
Please let these crops grow tall!
Long enough I've been up on Skid Row
And it's plain to see, I've nothin' to show
I'm glad to pay those union dues,
Just don't judge me by my shoes

A scarecrow in a yellow moon,
Pretty soon, the carnival on the edge of town,
King Harvest has surely come

Last year, this time, wasn't no joke,
My whole barn went up in smoke
My horse Jethro, well, he went mad
And I can't ever remember things bein' that bad
Now here comes a man with a paper and pen
Tellin' us our hard times are about to end
And then, if they don't give us what we like
He said, "Men, that's when you gotta go on strike!"

Corn in the fields
Listen to the rice when the wind blows 'cross the water,
King Harvest has surely come

She reads the leaves and she leads the life
That she learned so well from the old wives
It's so strange to arrange it, you know I wouldn't change it
But hear me if you're near me, can I just rearrange it?
The watchman covers me
With his remedy
I can't see and it's hard to feel
I think his magic might be real
I can't get to you from your garden gate
You know it's always locked by the magistrate
Now he don't care why you cry, he thinks it's just a lie
To get out, I don't doubt that you'd make a try
If the good times get you through
I know the dogs won't bother you
We'll be gone in moonshine time
I've got a place they'll never find
You know I do believe in your hexagram
But can you tell me how they all knew the plan?
Did you trip or slip on their gifts, you know we're just a con?
You knew it, why'd you do it, I've been hiding in the dark
Now I must be on my way
I guess you really have to stay
Inside the mission wall
Down in Modock, Arkansas

(Chorus:)
Get Up, Jake, it's late in the mornin'
the rain is pourin' and we got work to do.
Get Up, Jake, there's no need a-lyin',
You tell me that you're dyin', but I know it's not true.

Now, me and Jake, we work down on the river,
on the ferry "Baltimore".
And when Jake don't rise up in the mornin',
People lined up all along the shore.

(Chorus)

Crap game will take you to the cleaners,
Rye whiskey to the grave.
River Woman don't you come no closer,
'Cause me and Jake got no time to save, Oh, oh,

(Chorus)

Dirty Dan he came up from Savannah,
Carried a mean streak in his eye.
Now, him and Jake both wanted Annabella,
I guess one man here has got to die.

Get Up, Jake, it's late in the mornin'
the rain is pourin' and we got work to do.
Get Up, Jake, there's no need a-dyin',
Annabelle's cryin' and it's all for you.

When your arms are empty, got nowhere to go
Come on out and catch this show
There'll be saints and sinners, you'll see losers and winners
All kinds of people you might want to know
Once you get it, you can't forget it
W.S. Walcott Medicine Show

You know he always holds it in a tent
And if you're looking for the real thing
He can show you where it went

There's a young faith healer he's a woman stealer
He will cure by his command
When the music's hot and you might have to stand
To hear the Klondike Klu Klux steamboat band
Don't you sweat it
You can't forget it
W.S. Walcott Medicine Show

I'd rather die happy than not die at all
For a man is a fool who will not heed the call

Gonna see *Miss Brer Foxhole with bright diamonds in her teeth
She is pure gold down underneath
She's a rock and roll singer and a true dead ringer
Boy, somethin' like you ain't never seen
Once you get it
You can't forget it
W.S. Walcott Medicine Show
W.S. Walcott Medicine Show
W.S. Walcott Medicine Show
W.S. Walcott Medicine Show

Now deep in the heart of a lonely kid
Who suffered so much for what he did
They gave this ploughboy his fortune and fame
Since that day he ain't been the same

See the man with the stage fright
Just standin' up there to give it all his might
And he got caught in the spotlight
But when we get to the end
He wants to start all over again

I've got fire water right on my breath
And the doctor warned me I might catch a death
Said, "You can make it in your disguise
Just never show the fear that's in your eyes"

See the man with the stage fright
Just standin' up there to give it all his might
He got caught in the spotlight
But when we get to the end
He wants to start all over again

Now if he says that he's afraid
Take him at his word
And for the price that the poor boy has paid
He gets to sing just like a bird, oh, ooh ooh ooh

Your brow is sweatin' and your mouth gets dry
Fancy people go driftin' by
The moment of truth is right at hand
Just one more nightmare you can stand

See the man with the stage fright
Just standin' up there to give it all his might
And he got caught in the spotlight
But when we get to the end
He wants to start all over again, hmm hmm
You wanna try it once again, hmm hmm
Please don't make him stop, hmm hmm
Let him take it from the top, hmm hmm
Let him start all over again

Virgil Kane is the name
And I served on the Danville train
'Till Stoneman's cavalry came
And tore up the tracks again

In the winter of '65
We were hungry, just barely alive
By May the 10th, Richmond had fell
It's a time I remember, oh so well

The night they drove old Dixie down
And the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"

Back with my wife in Tennessee
When one day she called to me
"Virgil, quick, come see,
There goes Robert E. Lee!"

Now, I don't mind chopping wood
And I don't care if the money's no good
You take what you need
And you leave the rest
But they should never
Have taken the very best

The night they drove old Dixie down
And the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"

Like my father before me
I will work the land
And like my brother above me
Who took a rebel stand

He was just 18, proud and brave
But a Yankee laid him in his grave
I swear by the mud below my feet
You can't raise a Kane back up
When he's in defeat

The night they drove old Dixie down
And the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"

The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"

Standin' by your window in pain
A pistol in your hand
And I beg you, dear Molly, girl,
Try and understand your man the best you can

Across the Great Divide
Just grab your hat, and take that ride
Get yourself a bride
And bring your children down to the river side

I had a goal in my younger days
I nearly wrote my will
But I changed my mind for the better
I'm at the still, had my fill and I'm fit to kill

Across the Great Divide
Just grab your hat, and take that ride
Get yourself a bride
And bring your children down to the river side

Pinball machine and a queen
I nearly took the bus
Tried to keep my hands to myself
They say it's a must, but who can ya trust?
Harvest moon shinin' down from the sky
A weary sign for all
I'm gonna leave this one horse town
Had to stall 'til the fall, now I'm gonna crawl
Across the Great Divide

Now Molly dear, don't ya shed a tear
Your time will surely come
You'll feed your man chicken ev'ry Sunday
Now tell me, hon, what ya done with the gun?

Across the Great Divide
Just grab your hat, and take that ride
Get yourself a bride
And bring your children down to the river side

If your memory serves you well
We're going to meet again and wait
So I'm going to unpack all my things
And sit before it gets too late
No man alive will come to you
With another tale to tell
And you know that we shall meet again
If your memory serves you well

This wheel's on fire, rolling down the road
Best notify my next of kin
This wheel shall explode!

If your memory serves you well, I was going to confiscate your lace
And wrap it up in a sailor's knot and hide it in your case
If I knew for sure that it was yours, and it was oh so hard to tell
And you know that we shall meet again if your memory serves you well

If your memory serves you well, you'll remember that you're the one
Who called on them to call on me to get you your favours done
And after every plan had failed and there was nothing more to tell
And you know that we shall meet again if your memory serves you well

Rag Mama rag, I can't believe its true
Rag Mama rag, what did you do?
I crawled up to the railroad track
Let the 4:19 scratch my back

Sag Mama sag, what's come over you
Rag Mama rag, I'm pullin' out your gag
Gonna turn you loose like an old caboose
Got a tail I need to drag
I ask about your turtle
And you ask about the weather
I can't jump a hurdle and
We can't get together
We could be relaxin'
In my sleepin' bag
But all you want to do for me, Mama, is

Rag Mama rag, there's no where to go
Rag mama rag, come on, rosin up the bow

Rag Mama rag, where do you roam
Rag Mama rag, bring your skinny little body back home
It's dog eat dog and cat eat mouse
You can rag Mama rag all over my house

Hailstones beatin' on the roof
The bourbon is a hundred proof
And you and me and the telephone
Our destiny is quite well known
We don't need to sit and brag
All we gotta do is rag, Mama, rag, Mama, rag

Rag Mama rag, where do you roam
Rag Mama rag, bring your skinny little body back home

I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin' about half past dead
I just need some place where I can lay my head
"Hey, mister, can you tell me where a man might find a bed?"
He just grinned and shook my hand, "no" was all he said

Take a load off, Annie
Take a load for free
Take a load off, Annie
And (and) (and) you put the load right on me
(You put the load right on me)

I picked up my bag, I went lookin' for a place to hide
When I saw Carmen and the Devil walkin' side by side
I said, "Hey, Carmen, come on let's go downtown"
She said, "I gotta go but my friend can stick around"

Take a load off, Annie
Take a load for free
Take a load off, Annie
And (and) (and) you put the load right on me
(You put the load right on me)

Go down, Miss Moses, there's nothin' you can say
It's just ol' Luke and Luke's waitin' on the Judgment Day
"Well, Luke, my friend, what about young Anna Lee?"
He said, "Do me a favor, son, won'tcha stay and keep Anna Lee company?"

Take a load off, Annie
Take a load for free
Take a load off, Annie
And (and) (and) you put the load right on me
(You put the load right on me)

Crazy Chester followed me and he caught me in the fog
He said, "I will fix your rack if you'll take Jack, my dog"
I said, "Wait a minute, Chester, you know I'm a peaceful man"
He said, "That's okay, boy, won't you feed him when you can"

Yeah, take a load off, Annie
Take a load for free
Take a load off, Annie
And (and) (and) you put the load right on me
(You put the load right on me)

Catch a cannon ball now to take me down the line
My bag is sinkin' low and I do believe it's time
To get back to Miss Fanny, you know she's the only one
Who sent me here with her regards for everyone

Take a load off, Annie
Take a load for free
Take a load off, Annie
And (and) (and) you put the load right on me
(You put the load right on me)

Go out yonder, peace in the valley
Come downtown, have to rumble in the alley
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in

Has anybody seen my lady?
This living alone will drive me crazy
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in

I'm gonna go down by the water
But I ain't gonna jump in, no, no
I'll just be looking for my neighbor
And I hear that's where she's been? Oh!

Out of nine lives, I spent seven
Now, how in the world do you get to Heaven?
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in

I just spent 60 days in the jailhouse
For the crime of having no dough
Now here I am back out on the street
For the crime of having nowhere to go

Save your neck or save your brother
Looks like it's one or the other
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in

Now two young kids might start a ruckus
You know they feel you trying to shuck us
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in

Unfaithful servant, I hear you're leavin' soon in the mornin'
What did you do to the lady, that she's gonna have to send you away?
Unfaithful servant, you don't have to say you're sorry,
If you done it just for the spite, or did you do it just for the glory?
Like a stranger you turned your back,
Left your keep and gone to pack
But bear in mind who's to blame for all the shame
She really cared
The time she spared
And the home you shared

Unfaithful servant, I can hear the whistle blowin',
Yes, that train is a-comin' and soon you'll be a-goin'
Need us not bow our heads, for we won't be complainin'
Life has been good to us all, even when that sky is rainin'
To take it like a grain of salt,
Is all I can do and it's no one's fault
It makes no diff'rence if we fade away
It's just as it was
And it's much to cold for me to stay

Goodbye to that country home, so long, lady I have known,
Farewell to my other side, I'd best just take it in stride
Unfaithful servant, you'll learn to find your place
I can see it in your smile, and, yes, I can see it in your face
The mem'ries will linger on,
But the good old days, they're all gone
Oh, lonesome servant, can't you see,
We're still one and the same
Just you and me

You can walk on the water, drown in the sand
You can fly off a mountaintop if anybody can
Run away, run away--it's the restless age
Look away, look away--you can turn the page

Hey, buddy, would you like to buy a watch real cheap
Here on the street
I got six on each arm and two more round my feet
Life is a carnival--believe it or not
Life is a carnival--two bits a shot

Saw a man with the jinx in the third degree
From trying to deal with people--people you can't see
Take away, take away, this house of mirrors
Give away, give away, all the souvenirs
We're all in the same boat ready to float off the edge of the world
The flat old world
The street is a sideshow from the peddler to the corner girl
Life is a carnival--it's in the book
Life is a carnival--take another look

Hey, buddy, would you like to buy a watch real cheap
Here on the street
I got six on each arm and two more round my feet
Life is a carnival--believe it or not
Life is a carnival--two bits a shot

[No lyrics]

I know she's a tracker, any scarlet would back her
They say she's a chooser, but I just can't refuse her
She was just there, but then she can't be here no more
And as my mind unweaves, I feel the freeze down in my knees
But just before she leaves, she receives

She's been down in the dunes and she's dealt with the goons
Now she drinks from the bitter cup, I'm trying to get her to give it up
She was just here, I fear she can't be here no more
And as my mind unweaves, I feel the freeze down in my knees
But just before she leaves, she receives

It's long, long when she's gone, I get weary holding on
Now I'm coldly fading fast, I don't think I'm gonna last
Very much longer

"She's stoned" said the Swede, and the moon calf agreed
I'm like a viper in shock with my eyes in the clock
She was just there somewhere and here I am again
And as my mind unweaves, I feel the freeze down in my knees
But just before she leaves, she receives

Mama, she done told me
She didn't like this rock and roll
But mama, mama, please
Mama, you just don't know
I don't want to hang up my rock and roll shoes
I don't want to hang up my rock and roll shoes
I get an old time feeling
Every time I hear the blues

They told me, "Get a job
And set yourself a goal"
But can't they understand
I just want to rock and roll
I don't want to hang up my rock and roll shoes
I don't want to hang up my rock and roll shoes
Something happens to me
Every time I hear the blues

I will do my homework
I'll clean the yard every day
I will even do the dishes
I'll do anything you say

That say that rock and roll
It'll soon fade away
But I just want to tell you
Rock and roll is here to stay
I don't want to hang up my rock and roll shoes
I don't want to hang up my rock and roll shoes
I get a good time feeling
Every time I hear the blues

Some might even say
It put the devil in my soul
But that's a bunch of shit
I just want to rock and roll
I don't want to hang up my rock and roll shoes
I don't want to hang up my rock and roll shoes
My feets got to move now
Every time I hear the blues

[No lyrics]

They say everything can be replaced
They say every distance is not near
So I remember every face
Of every man who put me here

I see my light come shinin'
From the west down to the east
Any day now, any day now
I shall be released

They say every man needs protection
They say that every man must fall
Yet I swear I see my reflection
Somewhere so high above this wall

I see my light come shinin'
From the west down to the east
Any day now, any day now
I shall be released

Now yonder stands a man in this lonely crowd
A man who swears he's not to blame
All day long I hear him shouting so loud
Just crying out that he was framed

I see my light come shinin'
From the west down to the east
Any day now, any day now
I shall be released

When I get off of this mountain, you know where I want to go?
Straight down the Mississippi river, to the Gulf of Mexico
To Lake Charles, Louisiana, little Bessie, girl that I once knew
She told me just to come on by, if there's anything she could do

Up on Cripple Creek she sends me
If I spring a leak she mends me
I don't have to speak, she defends me
A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one

Good luck had just stung me, to the race track I did go
She bet on one horse to win and I bet on another to show
The odds were in my favor, I had 'em five to one
When that nag to win came around the track, sure enough she had won

Up on Cripple Creek she sends me
If I spring a leak she mends me
I don't have to speak, she defends me
A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one

I took up all of my winnings, and I gave my little Bessie half
She tore it up and threw it in my face, just for a laugh
Now there's one thing in the whole wide world, I sure would like to see
That's when that little love of mine, dips her doughnut in my tea

Up on Cripple Creek she sends me
If I spring a leak she mends me
I don't have to speak, she defends me
A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one

Now me and my mate were back at the shack, we had Spike Jones on the box
She said, "I can't take the way he sings, but I love to hear him talk"
Now that just gave my heart a throb, to the bottom of my feet
And I swore as I took another pull, my Bessie can't be beat

Up on Cripple Creek she sends me
If I spring a leak she mends me
I don't have to speak, she defends me
A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one

Now there's a flood out in California and up north it's freezing cold
And this living on the road is getting pretty old
So I guess I'll call up my big mama, tell her I'll be rolling in
But you know, deep down, I'm kind of tempted to go and see my Bessie again

Up on Cripple Creek she sends me
If I spring a leak she mends me
I don't have to speak, she defends me
A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one

Now when the rumor comes to your town
It grows, it grows, where it started no one knows
Some of your neighbors will invite it right in
Maybe it's a lie, even if it's a sin, they'll repeat the rumor again

Close your eyes, hang down your head
Until a fog blows away, let it blow away
Open up your arms and feel the good
It's a'comin', a brand new day

Big men little men turn into dust
Maybe it was all in fun, didn't mean to ruin no one
Could there be someone among this crowd
Who's been accused had his name so misused and his privacy refused

Close your eyes, hang your head
Until a fog blows away, let it blow away
Open up your arms and feel the good
It's a'comin', a brand new day

Now all you vigilantes want to make a move
Maybe they won't, you know I sure hope they don't
For whether this rumor proves true or false
You can forgive, a'you can regret, but you can never ever forget

Close your eyes, hang down your head
Until a fog blows away
Open up your arms and feel the good
It's a'comin', a brand new day

Hang around, Willie boy,
Don't you raise the sails anymore
It's for sure, I've spent my whole life at sea
And I'm pushin' age seventy-three
Now there's only one place that was meant for me:

Oh, to be home again,
Down in old Virginny,
With my very best friend,
They call him Ragtime Willie
We're gonna soothe away the rest of our years,
We're gonna put away all of our tears,
That big rockin' chair won't go nowhere

Slow down, Willie boy,
Your heart's gonna give right out on you
It's true, and I believe I know what we should do
Turn to stern and point to shore,
The seven seas won't carry us no more

Oh, to be home again,
Down in old Virginny,
With my very best friend,
They call him Ragtime Willie
I can't wait to sniff that air,
Dip that snuff, I won't have no care,
That big rockin' chair won't go nowhere

Hear the sound, Willie boy,
The Flyin' Dutchman's on the reef
It's my belief
We've used up all our time,
This hill's to steep to climb,
And the days that remain ain't worth a dime

Oh, to be home again,
Down in old Virginny,
With my very best friend,
They call him Ragtime Willie
Would'a been nice just to see the folks,
Listen once again to them stale old jokes,
That big rockin' chair won't go nowhere

I can hear something callin' on me
(And you know where I wanna be)
Oh Willie, can't you hear that sound?
(Down in old Virginny)
I just wanna get my feet back on the ground
(Down in old Virginny)
And I'd love to see my very best friend
They call him Ragtime Willie
(Oh, to be home again)
I believe old rockin' chair's got me again!

The many roads I've covered, the many trails I've burned,
But when our paths did cross, love, whew! My whole world made a turn.

And we've got time to kill, what a thrill, June and July.
We've got all our love, buckets of the tears that we cried.

Now we don't cry no more, gonna bolt the door.
Don't know what we've got, but it feels like a lot, we don't need no more.

When my day's work is done, we can take in a jamboree,
But I just wanna sit down by the fire with my love right here beside me.

We've got time to kill, Catskill, sweet by and by.
We've got all our love, the sky above, the twinkle in your eye.

Now where the wheel might roll, is where my love and I shall go.
We're gonna plant the seed, there ain't nothing we need, we found our own rainbow.

My love wants to have her fortune read, and I know that she's in a hurry.
If we go along the straight and narrow, you don't even have to worry.

We've got time to kill, standin' still, go on, give it a try!
We've got all our love, mountains of, the trees are so high.

We don't need no big car, don't eat no caviar.
When we come to rest, we take to the nest, you know where we are.

Crash on the levee, mama,
Water's gonna overflow,
Swamp's gonna rise,
No boat's gonna row.
Now, you can train on down
To Williams Point,
You can bust your feet,
You can rock this joint.
But oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
You're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow.

Now, don't you try an' move me,
You're just gonna lose.
There's a crash on the levee
And, mama, you've been refused.
Well, it's sugar for sugar
And salt for salt,
If you go down in the flood,
It's gonna be your own fault.
Oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
You're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow.

Well, that high tide's risin',
Mama, don't you let me down.
Pack up your suitcase,
Mama, don't you make a sound.
Now, it's king for king,
Queen for queen,
It's gonna be the meanest flood
That anybody's seen.
Oh mama, ain't you gonna miss your best friend now?
Yes, you're gonna have to find yourself
Another best friend, somehow.

Oh, the streets of Rome are filled with rubble,
ancient footprints are everywhere.
You could almost think that you're seeing double,
On the cold, dark night on the Spanish Stairs.
Gotta hurry on back to my hotel room,
Where I got me a date with a pretty little girl from Greece.
She promised she'd be there with me,
When I paint my masterpiece.

Oh, the hours we spent, inside the Coliseum.
Dodging lions, and a-wasting time,
oh those mighty kings of the jungle, I could hardly stand to see 'em
Yes it sure has been a long, hard drive.
Train wheels a-running thru the back of my memory,
When I ran on a hilltop following a pack of wild geese,
Someday everything is gonna sound like a rhapsody
When I paint my masterpiece.

Sailing round the world in a dirty gondola,
Oh to be back in the land of, Coca-cola.
Well I left Rome, and landed in Brussels,
On a plane ride so bumpy that I almost cried,
Clergy men in uniform, and young girls pulling mussels,
Everyone was there to greet me when I stepped inside,
Newspaper men eating candy,
Had to be held down by big police.
Someday, its gonna be different,
When I paint my masterpiece.

Don't ya tell Henry,
Apple's got your fly.
I went down to the river on a Saturday morn,
A-lookin' around just to see who's born.
I found a little chicken down on his knees,
I went up and yelled to him,"Please, please, please!"
He said, "Don't ya tell Henry,
Don't ya tell Henry,
Don't ya tell Henry,
Apple's got your fly."

I went down to the corner at a-half past ten,
I's lookin' around, I wouldn't say when.
I looked down low, I looked above,
And who did I see but the one I love.
She said, "Don't ya tell Henry,
Don't ya tell Henry,
Don't ya tell Henry,
Apple's got your fly."

Now, I went down to the beanery at half past twelve,
A-lookin' around just to see myself.
I spotted a horse and a donkey, too,
I looked for a cow and I saw me a few.
They said, "Don't ya tell Henry,
Don't ya tell Henry,
Don't ya tell Henry,
Apple's got your fly."

Now, I went down to the pumphouse the other night,
A-lookin' around, it was outa sight.
I looked high and low for that big ol' tree,
I did go upstairs but I didn't see nobody but me.
I said, "Don't ya tell Henry,
Don't ya tell Henry,
Don't ya tell Henry,
Apple's got your fly."

Once upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you?
People'd call, say, "Beware doll, you're bound to fall"
You thought they were all kiddin' you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging for your next meal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?

You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And ask him do you want to make a deal?

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?

You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns
When they all come down and did tricks for you
You never understood that it ain't no good
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you
You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain't it hard when you discover that
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?

Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They're drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made
Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts and things
But you'd better lift your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?