John Cale
Fear Is A Man's Best Friend - John Cale

Lyrics

Fear

Fear

  1. Fear Is A Man's Best Friend
  2. Buffalo Ballet
  3. Barracuda
  4. Emily
  5. Ship Of Fools
  6. Gun
  7. The Man Who Couldn't Afford To Orgy
  8. You Know More Than I Know
  9. Momamma Scuba

Fear Is A Man's Best Friend

Standing waiting for a man to show
Wide eyed one eye fixed on the door
This waiting's killing me, it's wearing me down
Day in day out, my feet are burning holes in the ground

Darkness warmer than a bedroom floor
Want someone to hold me close forever more
I'm a sleeping dog, but you can't tell
When I'm on the prowl you'd better run like hell
You know it makes sense, don't even think about it
Life and death are just things you do when you're bored
Say fear's a man's best friend
You add it up it brings you down

Home is living like a man on the run
Trails leading nowhere, where to my son?
We're already dead, just not yet in the ground
Take my helping hand I'll show you around
You know it makes sense, don't even think about it
Life and death are just things you do when you're bored
Say fear's a man's best friend
You add it up it brings you down

[top]

Buffalo Ballet

When Abilene was young and gay
And thunder storms filled up the day
The cattle roamed outside the town

Sleeping in the midday sun
Sleeping in the midday sun
Sleeping in the midday sun
Sleeping in the midday sun

Then tracks were lain across the plain
By broken old men in torrid rains
The towns grew up and the people were still

Sleeping in the midday sun
Sleeping in the midday sun
Sleeping in the midday sun
Sleeping in the midday sun

We all joined in and all joined hands
All joined in to help run this land
Then soldiers came, long long ago
Rode through the town and rode down those who were

Sleeping in the midday sun
Sleeping in the midday sun
Sleeping in the midday sun
Sleeping in the midday sun

Gold came and went, quickly spent
And the people broke down and often drowned
In the wealth and pain of old Abilene

Sleeping in the midday sun
Sleeping in the midday sun
Sleeping in the midday sun
Sleeping in the midday sun

[top]

Barracuda

Dark woman in the water drowning
Sinking in a funny way
Black footing for a face exploding
Mimicking our final days

The ocean will have us all
The ocean will have us all

Dark woman in a cupboard burning
Woman, what have they done
Dark woman like a panther breathing
Woman, what can be done

The ocean will have us all
The ocean will have us all

Cold cost of the death of nothing
Slipping just like nothing did
Burnt scarecrow in the wind was choking
Smoking in the summer heat

Barracuda, barracuda
Wont you lay down your life for me
Won't you love me barracuda
If you always need to bring out the worst in me

Ten morons with their whistles blowing
Howling like a winter gale
Dark woman like a crow a-crowing
Crowing for the carrion meat

The ocean will have us all
The ocean will have us all

Dark forest with the moon arising
Smiling at you out of reach
Cracked window in a chapel dreaming
Hoping that the twain'll meet

Barracuda, barracuda
Wont you lay down your life for me
Won't you love me barracuda
If you always need to bring out the worst in me

[top]

Emily

Oh Emily, I'd love to be
Down by the sea with you
Having tea with you
Walking hand in hand
On the shifting sands
Maybe we'll love again
Maybe we'll love again

Soon the time will come
When we must say
Goodbye my dear dear friend
Till we meet again
Though I'm far away
I'll still hear you say
Maybe we'll love again
Maybe we'll love again

Hold my hand
On the sand
And say once more
Like before
Maybe we'll love again
Maybe we'll love again

Maybe we'll love again

[top]

Ship Of Fools

The Ship of Fools is coming in
Take me off I've got to eat
Same old stories same old thing
Letting out and pulling in

Mister, there's a caravan parked out back
Restless hoping for a Christian rider
The black book, a grappling hook
A hangman's noose on a burnt out tree
Guess we must be getting close to Tombstone

The last time we had eaten
Was when the flies were going for free
You could count the hardships by the open doors
But sandwiched in between
Were the fishermen who still
Wished they could sail from Tennessee to Arizona

So hold on, won't be long
The call is on the line
Hold on, Sister's gone
South to give the sign

We picked up Dracula in Memphis
It was just about the break of day
And then hastily prayed for out souls to be saved
There was something in the air that made us kind of weary

By the time we got to Swansea it was getting dark
Mumbles, jungles, bugles and the prized
The tides turned west at Ammanford
As if they didn't know what to do
But Garnant stood its ground and asked for more

All the people seemed quite glad to see us
Shaking hands and smiling like the clock
Well we gave them all the message then
That the Ship of Fools was in
Make sure they get home for Christmas

So hold on, won't be long
The call is on the line
So hold on, Sister's gone
South to give the sign

[top]

Gun

Me and my partner we work on the run
The quick try to get quicker
And the creepers get hung
Now it's you that got wasted tonight on the job
One lost his liquor
And the other lost his hand

Ten sticky thumb prints on the door and the sink
But nothin' saw nothin' - just smell the stink
Five hundred mug shots and a hundred to one
Four forgotten and the rest just won't come

When you've begun to think like a gun
The rest of the year has already gone
When you've begun to think like a gun
The days of the year have suddenly gone

(Well) blood on the windows and blood on the walls
Blood on the ceiling and down in the halls
And the papers keep downing on everything I burned
And the people getting restless but they'll never learn

I picked up a doctor - he's good with a knife
Says anaesthetic's a waste of his time
Works in a hurry but always worthwhile
Knows they won't be back for a long long time

Top of the staircase was ready to fall
We were still waiting downstairs in the hall
Watch out for big mama, she'll set you on fire
Or go for your neck with the chicken wire

When you've begun to think like a gun
The days of the year have suddenly gone
Once you've begun to think like a gun
The days of the year have already gone

Mother of plenty, mother of none
You've got me cornered and still on the run
I don't care nothing about you anyway
Stuck in this hole I'm on my way

Yeah when you've begun to live like a gun
The days of the year have already gone
When you've begun to think like a gun
The days of the year have suddenly gone

[top]

The Man Who Couldn't Afford To Orgy

Pity the poor man, pity the sad man
Pity the green man, who couldn't afford to orgy

Pity the policeman, pity the snowman
Pity the woman, who couldn't afford to orgy

"Say, Johnny, you're a little lonesome?
Oh, come on big boy, let me show you
Mmm, don't you wanna good time?"

Good for the postman, good for the con man
Good for the milkman, they can afford to orgy

Good for the butcher, good for the astronaut
Good for the curate, they can afford to orgy

"Come on, honey, keep breaking my heart
Ooh, you're breaking my heart. Aah, aah"

If it's a problem, getting together
Leave it alone, it's the easiest way
Great while it lasts, but it don't last forever
Nothing like living real dangerously

"Ooh, come on, give yourself a break.
Oh, don't worry, baby, you'll get over it.
Mmm, you'll get over it."

Sorry to hear it, sorry to see it
Sorry to mention I couldn't afford to orgy
Seems such a bother, one thing, another
Tempting and teasing, just for an orgy

"Oh no, you have to take a chance.
Ah, you've gotta give me one chance anyway, ha heh heh heh.
Mmm, you can sure do it. Ah, mmm. C'mon. Mmm. Ooh. Ah, ooh, mmm."

[top]

You Know More Than I Know

But us, like other angry whores
Discuss what steps were made before
You don't need them anymore
You know more than I know
You know more than I know
You know more than I know

Instead, we read the morning news
In bed - what endlessness ahead
And there's no more to be said
You know more than I know
You know more than I know
You know more than I know

The blind may see, but stay behind relief
Of all liability and greed
And there's nothing more you need
You know more than I know
You know more than I know
You know more than I know

No-one listens to it
They don't believe it
But it's the only way for me
You know more than I know
You know more than I know
You know more than I know

What crap, old chap, fills up the gap
We set like traps, like traps for us, the rats
And there's nothing more to catch
You know more than I know
You know more than I know
You know more than I know

Then bury me deep down among the weeds
That creep into the hearts of all the weak
And there's nothing oh so weak
You know more than I know
You know more than I know
You know more than I know

[top]

Momamma Scuba

Scuba woman down me slow
Scuba woman down me slow
Love you
Skin turn to slime

Hold me slow and dub me down
Take me with you, dub me down
Love you
Skin dub me down

Scuba mama sink me down
Love your sinking, hold me down
Love you so much
Skin will drown and drown

Soul in deep, deep ocean water
We hide in the cool, cool shade
Seeking, reaping
Make it only, baby, only
Sleeping the pain away

Well, hug me close and stuff me tight
Quick is quick and knife is knife
Momamma Scuba dance
Dance, dance

Love me brave, my love's on fire
Crack the magnet of desire
Push me further, straight along
I'll still be here when mama's gone
Don't you love me, my skin woman
Love you
My skin can dry

[top]



© 1999- Hans Werksman