...I'm so far away from you
Pacing up and down my room
Does Jesus only love a man who loses?
I turn on the radio
There's some cat on the saxophone
Laying down a litany of excuses
There's madhouse longing in my baby's eyes
She rubs the lamp between her thighs
And hopes the genie comes out singing
She lives in some forgotten song
And moves like she is zombie-strong
Breathes steady as the pendulum keeps swinging
You better hold on to yourself
Well, cities rust and fall to ruin
Factories close and cars go cruising
In around the borders of her vision
She says ooh
As Jesus makes the flowers grow
All around the scene of her collision
You know I would, yes, I would
I would hold on to yourself
In the middle of the night
I try my best to chase outside
The phantoms and the ghosts and fairy-girls
On 1001 nights like these
She mutters open sesame and Ali Baba and his forty thieves
Launch her off the face of the world
You know one day I'll come back and I'd hold on to yourself
To yourself, I'd hold on to yourself
Ooh baby, I'm a 1000 miles away
And I just don't know what to say
Cause Jesus only loves a man who bruises
But darling, we can clearly see
It's all life and fire and lunacy
And excuses and excuses and excuses
Well, you know if I could, I would
I'd lie right down and I'd hold on to yourself
Yeah, I would lie right down and I would hold on to yourself
One day I'll come back to you and I'd hold on to yourself
Yeah, I'm gonna come back, gonna lie down
And I would hold on to yourself
Yeah, to yourself...
...Here I sleep the morning through
'Til the wail of the call to prayer awakes me
And there ain't nothing at all to do but rise and follow
The day wherever it takes me
I stand at the window and I look at the sea
And I am what I am, and what will be will be
I stand at the window and I look at the sea
And I make me a pot of opium tea
Down at the port I watch the boats come in
Watch the boats come in can do something to you
And the kids gather around with an outstretched hand
And I toss them a diram or two
Well, I wonder if my children are thinking of me
Cause I am what I am, and what will be will be
I wonder if my kids are thinking of me
And I smile and I sip my opium tea
At night the sea lashes the rust red ramparts
And the shapes of hooded men who pass me
And the moan of the wind laughs and laughs and laughs
The strange luck that fate has cast me
Well, the cats on the rampart sing merrily
That he is what he is and what will be will be
Yeah, the cats on the rampart sing merrily
And I sit and I drink of my opium tea
I'm a prisoner here, I can never go home
There is nothing here to win or lose
There are no choices needed to be made at all
Not even the choice of having to choose
Well, I'm a prisoner here, yes, but I'm also free
Cause I am what I am and what will be will be
I'm a prisoner here, yeah, but I'm also free
And I smile and I sip my opium tea...