Ithaca

I was born outside of Lexington
The first son of Oblivion
I came with a name that was on my tongue
I thought it might be You

I came of age and fell in love
I always pushed too hard or not enough
But I kept that song stuck to my tongue
I've been trying to get it out

See, I tried to marry Jesus Christ
It didn't take, but the dress was nice
So I filled my pockets with bread and wine
And I went on down the road

Caught a train to Babylon
Learned to sing the secret Songs
I dreamt of God in foreign tongues
And I learned how to starve

In a beautiful dream you were walking
In the city by the sea
And you wanted me
Like I wanted you I wish that were true

I learned that Dionysis dances well
But the hangover she hurts like hell
Apollo robs the wishing well
He's a liar and a thief

Blind Lemon, Jack, and Kerouac
Henry Miller in my gunny sac
Blind Willie Johnson and Kierkegaard
Taught me the Texas Blues

I found a sleeping river man
Swore he would take me across the river to Jerusalem
But he wanted more than I could offer him
I memorized some quotes and wrote some songs

Now I sing for food and cigarettes
In these noisy bar and cabarets
Cough up the songs stuck in my chest
And I trade them for a beer

In a beautiful dream you were walking
In the city by the sea
And you wanted me
Like I wanted you I wish that were true

The rain came in Vichy France
In a rented room by Pére Lachaise
Calypso on the unmade bed
She wears grey, but you wear blue, don't you

There, I dreamt that I met Kind Louis
Who was waiting on the guillotine
He said "They just don't see the things I see"
I said "They see more than you think"

He said "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani"
Like the Son of God of or a fallen Beast
C'est ne pas mon pais
This is not my home

Then I awoke by a chestnut tree
In the Garden of Gethsemane
For a moment I saw Everything
Hallelujah and God Damn

In a beautiful dream you were walking
In the city by the sea
And you wanted me
Like I wanted you I wish that were true

Oh Penelope, she ain't waiting on me no more
Queen of Tennessee, every street to her was paved with gold

A thousand song I have sung
I got a hundred thousand in my lungs
But they never seem to be enough
To keep you by my side

All the lovers I have known
Most for fun and some for show
They were only just a place to hold
The space I keep for you

And What may be the only sin
Is: life keeps you hungry to the bitter end
And one trip to the well ain't enough to get
Every thing you'll ever need

But I do not tell the world my dreams
They are alone for me to keep
Like a forrest in a mustard seed
Like the fire in the black coals

In a beautiful dream you were walking
In the city by the sea
And you wanted me
Like I wanted you I wish that were true

Oh Penelope, she ain't waiting on me no more
I heard that she left town, heard she settled on another shore

I made it back to Ithaca
A high rise where the vineyard was
No magnolia trees up above
Blue grass hills had turned to stone

Then the oracle came at last
Said "Everything has come to pass."
Disappeared in a camera flash
And left me with the bill

I am a dying leaf upon this tree
I'll maybe last a century
Just waiting for a gentle breeze
To cast these sails to shore

Then I'll return from where I came
Without a face or family name
And I'll dissolve in the winter's rain
Back into Everything

In a beautiful dream you were walking
In the city by the sea
And you wanted me
Like I wanted you I wish that were true

Oh Penelope, she ain't waiting on me no more
I sailed the seven seas
But she don't want a man, she wants her King
And that ain't me
I'm sorry