BLACK RIVER

The Ring

You’ve seen my love
 You’ve seen my child
 You’ve seen my fifty-dollar make believe
 You’ve seen my car
 You’ve seen my place
 You can see that I’ve been truly blessed

Well, you’ve seen me tame
 And you’ve seen me wild
 And you’ve seen me here
 As I wait for trial

And you’ve seen my car
 And you’ve seen my place
 And you’ve seen the face for whom
I sing the blues tonight

One day they’ll comfort you now baby
 There ain’t an awful lot that you can do now darling
 The next day they’ll come for me and you baby
 I told you so, I told you so

Still the ring will shine through the dead of night
 I said I rub my eyes ‘cause I can’t sleep tonight
 And the cold outside is going to warm my vein
 And the way I feel I can’t take more pain

Well, you’ve seen my love
 And you’ve seen my child
 And you’ve seen my hundred-dollar make believe
 And you’ve seen my car
 And you’ve seen my place
 You’ve seen the face for whom I made my blue disgrace

They said the rubies shone
 From her bleeding nose I said the crowd was cold and couldn’t care much more
 How can a love so bad turn to so much gain And I won’t feel free until I taste morphine

There will be a way I’ll sign There will be a way I’ll crawl
 Across Bluebeard’s fire ‘Cause I can’t take much more baby
 And the cold outside should be my best friend
 Makes me think of you and say let’s make pretend

You know the ring will shine through the dead of night
 We all want true love and not deceit and lies
 And they can call my name over hill and vale
 They can take me down and stick me in the jail baby
 But still the ring will whirl through the pouring rain
 And they can’t kill love with a cold blade And the way to go is the way I run
 And it’s two feet first I hear the starting gun

You want to call my name in the black of night
 But it won’t be long before we fuss and fight And I’ve been there once and I’ve been there twice And I ain’t been no place three times in my sweet short life

Starbroek Woman

In the black of night When the guard dogs bray And your sweetest lover Can’t kill your pain In the cold of night By a single flame Your shining blade Won’t shift the blame

Oh said I’m sinking so low Oh I’ve said I’m sorry so long

Tighten up now mama C’mon dance now child You’re just a backstreet woman You got me hypnotized You got me hypnotized

In the cold of the night You see the black dog’s breath You feel so ashamed By your lover’s dress Like the harbour lights You can’t sneak no rest You know the brine Salt taste of death

Drink Called Love

What is this drink called love
 Why can’t I give it up
 How can it mess me up so much 
 That I would kill for another cup

What is this drink called love
 How can I get so drunk
 Still allow it to mess me up this much 
 That I would kill for your loving touch

Will I never find a hiding place
 From this sweet addiction’s cruel embrace
 You know I’ll never risk the fall from grace
 As you know I love you

Tell me why your sweet whine can break my heart
 Like a knife your love songs cut through my heart

What is this drink called love
 Makes getting to sleep so tough
 You know I can’t get enough
 I’m still craving your loving touch

Will I never find a hiding place
 From the winter sea’s cruel embrace
 You know I’ll never risk the fall from grace
 As you know I love yoU

Tell me why your sweet whine can break my heart
 Burns like fire and your heartbeat is flashing through the dark
 Tell me why your love songs rip right through my heart
 Just a sip and you stab and you twist and I bite my lip
 Take another hit

Devil’s cold weaknesses have had control of me most of my life
 Angels’ cold holiness has had contempt for me most of my life
 Drink called love
 Serve me this drink called love

Sink Like A Stone

Give me something I can’t hold on And I have never known much love Give me something I can’t hold on much more And you to me mean oh so much

Said I hope you can cling to the wreckage and stop from drowning Stop spinning the floor, stop the scenery falling down

Well you can’t make love on your own And you won’t get no blood from no stone And you can’t make it right With two wrongs in one night baby learn my way And you’d best have a whole lotta soul If you plan getting by on your own You can sink like a stone in some hole of your own And just hide away

Give me something I can’t hold on And I can’t place much faith in love Send me out for something that ain’t there no more Something that once meant so much

Said I hope you can cling to the wreckage and stop from drowning Get back on your drums and stop letting them break you down

Well you can’t make love on your own And you won’t get no blood from no stone And you can’t make it right With two knives in the night baby learn my way And you’d best have a whole lotta soul If you plan getting by on your own You can sink like a stone in some hole of your own And just hide away

And now you tell me that you don’t know why Your hands are shaking and your mouth feels dry

Well you can’t make love on your own And you won’t get no blood from no stone And you can’t make it right With two guns in the night baby learn my way And you’d best have a whole lotta soul If you plan getting by on your own You can sink like a stone in some hole of your own And just hide away

You got to give up If you want to live it up

Blackmail

If a lover wants to stay You know she can’t be made to run
 You can doctor people’s claims with secret ink And carbon guns
 There ain’t nowhere I can hide Where I won’t be afraid of you
 As unlikely as it sounds you know I’m still in love with you

Well I’m left rubbing twigs in search of a flame for fire
 Whilst you like Icarus soar higher

This time I ain’t coming back child
 You took me once that’s enough blackmail now
 Sweet love should never turn sour like this Line me up in your sights and you shoot to kiss

If I could only hear your voice I could put my jealous heart to rest
 But you rule over an isle Where the crackling wire don’t stretch
 With my tail between my legs I bring oddities from far afield
 I’ve sailed the doldrums Suffered lice and sunburn and sargasso weeds

Well I’m left rubbing twigs in search of a flame for fire
 Whilst you like Icarus soar higher
 The boiling sun will melt the wax that holds your wings
 And lover’s sheets can’t break your fall It’s gonna be alright child

It was a risk, we knew it all along
 One mistake you’d play, I’d sing along
 It’s a mistake, we knew it all along
 I can play but you can’t sing along

That’s My Right

I guess you don’t feel like calling 
 Maybe I feel the same I heard your fog yellow fingers
 On the back window pane
 Down the Sav La Mar Highway
 Hang a left on Love Lane
 There’s a gingerbread huntress
 And desire is still her name

She says such sweet things
 Gives me some kind of reason to stay
 Wild flowers sweet as kisses
 Only drive me further away

If I want to say I love her If I want to say goodbye If I want to leave our loving home behind
 Sugar that’s my right

I know I never call you
 I know I am to blame
 If you don’t ever want to Look my way again

Don’t play on guilt now
 I won’t wear that, not today
 I’ll strip you bare from the bone Leave you nothing left to play with

I still love you right
 Make love all night Feeling good inside

Mannish Water

Oh tenderness, babe, oh treachery, yeah Let go the dealer’s hand and quit placing bets for me Oh such tenderness, yeah, at zero gravity Well, let go the other man’s hand and treat me with some decency

Since we’ve parted darling I can’t get a hold on nothing I pretend but you know I can’t live without your loving All those promises of yours they just dissolve to nothing I pretend but you know I can’t live without your loving

Roll on sweet milk river Float on brackish sea Flow down mannish water Wash away this misery Roll on sweet milk river Float on brackish sea Flow down mannish water Wash away these sins from me

Oh tenderness babe, blatant heresy When you act the queen of crime and start faking dignity Oh such refined noblesse it’s almost regency Slip back your black and white tongue And treat me with some decency

Since we’ve parted darling I can’t get hold on nothing I pretend but you know I can’t love without your loving All those promises of yours they don’t evolve to nothing I pretend but you know I can’t live without your loving

Roll on sweet milk river Float on brackish sea Flow down mannish water Wash away this misery Roll on sweet milk river Float on brackish sea Flow down mannish water Wash away these sins from me

Just bring it back to me Don’t you hear me singing

Roll on sweet milk river Float on brackish sea Flow down mannish water Wash away this misery Roll on sweet milk river Float on brackish sea Well I’m a lonely man Don’t you hear me singing

Black River

What am I going to do
? Ain’t no cage that can hold you
 Said it’s going to be rough Facing up to some justice

Oh Black River let me roll back to you
 Under the water the light looks so fine
 And down in the shallows The faithless are gathering
 To steal from the sufferer
 What’s yours and what’s mine

What am I going to say
 And who’s going to believe me
 When they drag you away
 Scratching and screaming and kicking
 Said it’s going to be brutal
 And it’s me who’s left grieving facing up to the truth

Oh Black River let me roll back to you
 Under the water the light looks so fine
 And down in the shallows the faithless are gathering
 To steal from the sufferer
 The sacrament wine

Oh Black River Let me roll back to you
 Under the water the light looks so fine
 And out on the iron shore the lighthouse is flickering
 A psalm for the serpents
 Some rummy’s last call

Oh Black River
 Let me roll back to you
 Under the water the light looks so fine And down in the foxhole The torchlights still flickering 
 And back in the shanty
 The waters run dry

What am I going to do
? Ain’t no cage that can hold you
 What am I gonna say
 When they drag you away

You Don’t Love Me Anymore

You don’t love me anymore You don’t need me no more And my old heart has been rubbed so raw That you don’t want me anymore

I went down to the harbour one day As the black slave ship made ready You know my heart was so blue inside From too long swimming against the tide

I went down to the city one day To fetch my lover to sail away But she had flown on another wing I’ve done lost most everything

Wherever you are and wherever you’ve been I will always remember thee And that last time though I had to beg You said you’d be my lady

(I Don’t Wanna Go) Uptown

I don’t wanna go uptown baby
 Any friends I’ve got are downtown anyway
 Spit me out on the sidewalk right away
 I wanna chase some high hope lady

I don’t wanna go uptown baby
 Any friends I’ve got are downtown anyway
 I’m tenderloining and it strikes me maybe
 I’ve got wine that’ll drive you crazy

Jimmy dragging me downtown lately
 Said he’s eating out of trash cans baby
 Is shooting up inside a black cab crazy? 
 He’s gotta pay for his Bond Street lady

I don’t wanna go uptown baby
 Any friends I’ve got are downtown anyway
 Spit me out on the sidewalk right away
 I wanna chase some high hope lady

Jimmy giving it downtown attitude
 Jumpin’ lights on Mountain View Avenue
 He’s picking ganja out the ashtrays baby
 And taking bows with his Hope Road Lady
 And cut a piece off of downtown gravy
 To keep himself out of all that harms way

I don’t wanna go uptown baby
 I don’t wanna go uptown baby

Jimmy dragging me down lately
 Said he’s eating out of trash cans baby
 Shooting up inside a cop car crazy
 To take the heat off his Banlieue baby
 Breaking chains off speedball slavery To keep himself out of all that harms way

I don’t wanna go uptown baby I don’t wanna go uptown baby

Hold on tight and we never let go
 Plant a sweet suspicion and just watch it grow
 Hold fast heat don’t let it break your sway baby, yeah
 You know he’ll play upon The little things you dread fe say

I don’t wanna go uptown baby
 I don’t wanna go uptown baby