Broken heads and shotgun shacks
so far gone you can't look back
oh, somewhere got to be 
better than this

from rusty clay to skin and bones
from heaven sent to my will, my home 
oh, somewhere got to be 
better than this

in my dreams 
I'm walking grand 
far away
in some promised land
in a veil
oh, I'm trapped in the hiss
locked in the kiss 
of somewhere 
oh, somewhere

there she sits
oh, all dressed up fine
luring me
somewhere down the line
in a veil
oh, I'm trapped in a tryst
locked in a kiss
with somewhere
oh, somewhere

broken dreams and roadhouse prayers
it's all or nothing and the cupboard's bare
oh, somewhere 
got to be better 
oh, somewhere
got to be better 
oh, somewhere
got to be better than this

We walked alone
she took my hand
and while skimming a stone
she said, "I'm going"
she said, "you're it hon'"
in all respects
the perfect love 
in the light of the wreck
everything I ever dreamed of
who would have known
nothing's enough

the horses ran
cigars they smoked
we had it all 
we wanted more
yes, that was it
in all respects
some kind of perfect love 
in the light of the wreck
so many things we only dreamed of
who would have known
nothing's enough

dance with me 
across the empty air
my heart's as big as the moon
come with me where there's not a care
and it won't take long
before we sing our songs
and there's nothing there

too old to try 
too tired to care
and my ship came in
in the silence there
yes, that was it in all respects
the perfect love
in the light of the wreck
so many things
we never dreamed of
who would have known 
nothing's enough

You ain't this trainwreck
or this ugly town
you ain't your daddy the midget
or mama whoring around
you ain't your uncle Eddy
robbing convenience stores
with his leg blowed off 
in someone else's war

you ain't your money
it ain't my truth
or my southern auntie
making love to fruit
he ain't your your savior
or my funny valentine
locked up tight
in the double wide
it's just a picture under skies so blue
a postcard from Topeka
while we were passing through
postcard from Topeka

it ain't my mojo working 
this ain't your land
or my old moo cow
or your nail in his hand
it ain't your will, baby
it ain't your shame
stuck in your heart 
so please just give it away
it's just a picture
tried but true
a postcard from Topeka 
as we were passing through

you ain't good or bad
it ain't right or wrong of you
or these days on the river
or my loving the blues
no it wasn't your teardrops
it wasn't your son
laying in the blue lights
dead and gone
no it ain't your fault 
in the end it's true
all we got's this postcard from Topeka
as we were passing through
were just passing through

It flew in as fear 
it flew in as rain
disguised as a dream 
in a suit grey and plain
at the end of a rainbow
in all he could hold
in the taste of her tears
as they salted the road
in the sounds in the stations 
built from iron so grand
the long lonesome death of the traveling man

was it you on my arm 
like a tattoo carved in
your strawberry curls
against my black leather grin
in a love going nowhere 
but right here and now
on a carousel horse
with this life as your shroud
you kissed me one time 
passed me the moment at hand
and the long lonesome death of the traveling man

here I am standing right in the middle 
with my head in the west
and my mind somewhere east of belief
here I ride
at the speed of the sound of the lonely
holding you 
looking back holding me
holding me

now the boats they all lay
on the muddy bay floor
and wait for the tide
to take them from shore
as the moon and its pull
brings them to stand 
I feel the weight of my duty 
slip from my hand
feel myself going nowhere
as fast as I can
feel the long lonesome death of the traveling man

Well I walked and I crawled and I bled and I lied
put my hopes on a train in the middle of the night
gave myself and my dreams to the midnight moon
and now I'm bringing my love back home to you

I thought I had it coming, I knew it was mine
but with the world on my string I couldn't hold that line
sealed my fate with a letter of intent to prove
and now I'm bringing my love back home to you

holy mama
have mercy on a guilty man
call my heart back
and leave my footprints in the sand

well I pushed and I pulled and I splintered and died
carried that cross in the dead daylight
heard your echo in the fog and I knew I was through
now I'm bringing my love back home to you

well all I got now is this moment in time
and a story in my heart of the perfect crime
all I got to give is giving it's true
so I'm bringing my love back home to you

The flag is flying in the corner
steaks on the grill
we're drinking gasoline
in little houses by the freeway
we're living large in our American dream

we live our lives for the future
fill our plates up to "biggie size"
we ain't leaving till we're heaving
drinking and dancing in our compromise

can't get it up when you're sixty
pop a pill and now you're twenty three
in little houses by the freeway
we're living large in our American dream

come on boys, hop in
we're all going somewhere
cash in, man
get down
we're all going out
we're all going out
we're going out on a tear

we're on our knees every Sunday
'cause the football game is coming through
back to work on Monday morning
we get our biscuits while we're driving through
we got power for the people
got roller coasters, can you hear us scream
in little houses by the freeway
we're living large in our American dream

Geronimo said 'don't ya know now
I'm tired of living on the run
ya can't fight for peace 
with the wind in the trees
bows and arrows 
and thrift store guns'
Levon said 'ah, hold your horses
there's, I believe, a better way
as the crow it flies 
as the clouds they part the sky
let me shed some light here if I may'

chorus
ease me down in the water
whisper it'll be ok
promise me my soul to keep
whilst I'm throwing shadows from the train
walk you west upon the moonlight
walk you tall through what you see 
surrender's songs whistling in the air 
keeping me 
forever evergreen

so he built a great casino
and blew confetti across the land
they asked him why and with a searching eye
he said "trying's the only way I can."
he rolled them bones out till sun up
yeah he rolled them all away
till the dealer read
flicked his ash and said
'chief, I think ya got just one more play'

chorus
better ease me down in the water
whisper it'll be ok
promise me my soul to keep
whilst I'm throwing shadows from the train
walk me west across the moonlight
walk me tall through what I see 
surrender's songs whistling in the air 
keeping me 
forever evergreen

chorus

Put the money in your pocket 
the key in the door
the neon is screaming 
the world cries for more
and down by the river there's a voice in the night
it comes in a shiver as you're losing the light

it says, hey now
get it while you can 
the world's at your feet
find the map 
draw your plans
you could have had it all 
could have been Superman
if it wasn't for the fall 
and these ol'
holes in my hands

it came to her late in a cool T.V. dream
in a blue sequin flash on the flying trapeze
in a picture of something she's long since forgot
sparked by a kiss and some liquor she'd shot

it said, somewhere is love
somewhere is now 
somewhere is better
oh somewhere, oh somehow
somewhere is happy 
somewhere is clear
if only the weather 
were with us, my dear

chorus

They hung starlight up in her head
a powder blue moon above her gate
and loneliness was just a rose
she quietly just sent my way

umbrellas blue and gold, wine and green
against a drop of tears she shed for me
dreams of perfect girls and Coney Island trains
melt like winter snow in her Soho rain

she said 'I know it's time inside my heart'
said 'till you decide I fall away'
and loneliness was just a rose
she quietly just gave away

umbrellas blue and gold, wine and green
against a drop of tears and Sullivan Street
dreams of perfect girls and Coney Island trains
melt like winter snow in her Soho rain

diamonds in her eyes, her future my fate 
I long for her tonight - the strength of change
tears she shed for me they puddle in my veins 
leave me all alone in her Soho rain

chorus
umbrellas blue and gold, wine and green
against a drop of tears and what I'll be
dreams of perfect girls and Coney Island trains
melt like winter snow in her Soho rain

Show me the everyman 
on the Spanish wall
and I'll show you God himself 
walking bowlegged
down the hall
growed from blue cornmeal
perfection in bloom
from passing you to me
and me back to you

so blow a kiss my dear
to the aching night
and walk me through the fear
so I can stand up right

just like everyman
come from skies so blue
take this weight my dear 
and I'll give it right back to you
just like everyman
made of dust and clay
just a-knowing my love 
is the diamond in the day

sometimes the wind it blows
it seems to pass right through
it's just a part of me
if I let it move on through
and I'm invisible now
and I've nowhere to go 
and I'm no one to be
these are the free-est times I know

chorus

like everyman
just like everyman

Saw your smile in the tears of Chicago
found your face in the faceless crowd
walking in fear down in the Seventh Street station
when you said it to me and I said it back out loud
hallelu
what's it all coming to

saw my witness in a misfit angel
found my place in an ache for more
made all my time down at the lazy river
with a church choir singing to a sawdust floor
found my freedom in a cross that lay burning
found my home in a homeless man
found my voice in a bell I heard a-ringing
ringing in waves out across this land
hallelu
what's it all coming to

so I'm gonna walk right out 
and forget I was a-looking 
walk right out that hand-hewn door
walk right out and never stop walking
walk right out on what I come here for
hallelu
what's it all coming to