Iron & Wine

[fox69]

"Free Until They Cut Me Down"

"Free Until They Cut Me Down"


When the men take me to the devil tree
I will be free and shining like before
Papa don't tell me what I should've done
She's the one who begged me
"Take me home"

When the wind wraps me like the reaper's hand
I will swing free until they cut me down
Papa don't tell me what I could've done
She's the one who begged me
"Take me home"

When the sea takes me like my mother's arms
I will breathe free as any word of God
Papa don't tell me what you would've done
She's the one who begged me
"Take me home"

 

[fox69]

"Freedom Hangs Like Heaven"

"Freedom Hangs Like Heaven"


Mary, carry your babe
Bound up tight like lips around a whimper
Your fingers over my face
Blind eyed Samson driven to the temple
And night birds digging until dawn
Freedom hangs like heaven over everyone
Ain't nobody knows what the newborn holds
But his mama says he'll walk on water
And wander back home

Mary, carry your shame
Well past all those eyes across the avenue
Fish heads running from rain
You know i'll do anything you want me to
Lamp oil lovers may say
"freedom hangs like heaven over everyone"
Ain't nobody knows what the newborn holds
But his papa's going to hide shaking gristle
And shaking like bone

Mary, carry my name
Hoof marks hacked up all i had to offer you
Looked all over this place
Lost your portrait lately when the winter blew
In like herod and them
Freedom hangs like heaven over everyone
Ain't nobody knows what the newborn holds
But a dollar says he'll lick that devil
And do it alone

 

[fox69]

"Friends They Are Jewels"

"Friends They Are Jewels"


Dreamless sleep will fall like a deep, poisoned well
On the steeple birds and this red-light hotel

So lay your pistol down, Granny
The company men never came to you
But don't unknit your brow, Granny
The mice in the yard ate the potted plants you grew

Pour your bitter tea for our sweet, liquored host
Perfect polished stones but this breeze beats you both

So lay your pistol down, Granny
The duty of men never fell to you
When you unknit your brow, Granny
Your friends, they are jewels, twice as beautiful and few

 

[fox69]

"Glad Man Singing"

"Glad Man Singing"


I've become a glad man singing a song
About a soldier on a good and a fallen angel
Naked as a fish and a high
About a sad man climbed up a willow bough
And the cops are on the fence around a dog in the manger
And the mouth of the river is wide
Wide...

I've become a glad man singing a song
By the bushes, by the gas pump
Gon' the flower and a constant star collides
About a sad man singing they forgotten how
And the baby quick sucking when the milk went sour
And the mouth of the river is wide
Wide...

About a sad man lost in the hammock sway
When the bridal gown came on and spit out the window
And the cops say the dog won't bite
And the sad man's saying they forgot him when
And the blood running black in the valley shadows
And the river running all the while

I've become a glad man singing a song
About a lover rolled over, said you must be tired
And the truth coming towards the light
About a sad man knocking on a chapel door
And a burned out boat called "Tried by Fire"
And the mouth of the river is wide
Wide...

 

[fox69]

"God Knows (You Gotta Give To Get)"
(originally by El Perro Del Mar)

"God Knows (You Gotta Give To Get)"
(originally by El Perro Del Mar)



God knows
I've been taking a lot without giving back
God knows
I've been taking a lot without giving back

You gotta give to get
You gotta give to get back
You gotta give to get
You gotta give to get back
You gotta give to get
You gotta give to get back to the love

God knows
I've been taking a lot without giving back
God knows
I've been taking a lot without giving back
God knows
I've been asking a lot without giving back

You gotta give to get
You gotta give to get back
You gotta give to get
You gotta give to get back
You gotta give to get
You gotta give to get back to the love

Get back got to get back
Get back got to get back
Get back got to get back
Get back got to get back

 

[fox69]

"God Made The Automobile"

"God Made The Automobile"


God made the automobile
To pass all the pretty girls
That smoke by the side of the road
Their blues lovin' boys in tow
To drive until the of the day
And bow to a borrowed flag
Beside all the brave and the blind
And men without men in mind
To pass all the things he made
But then never bothered to name
And no one will tell the truth
And no one will hide it from you
Like birds around the grave
God made the automobile
And i made a little boy
To pass all the blissfully young
The snake with the forked toungue
That prays on the waiting for time
And makes in the sleepless waves
The fear of the black and the jew
And blood for the camera crew
And passes the things he made
And then never bothers to name
And no one can tell the truth
And no one can hide it from you
Like birds around the grave

 

[fox69]

"Godless Brother In Love"

"Godless Brother In Love"


Godless brother in love
You might as well
Lay down that rose
And fold the flag
She is money and tabs
That broken freedom in
See her big children burning rags
By the riverside
You can hear them on the hilltop laughing
Cursing every bird in the air
Telling her what fun they're having
Driving eyes closed
Godless brother
As far as I can tell
And I won't compensate the blight
She looks lovely
As lightning all
But what the hell
Her big kids all run down the road
With no memories at all
And you can hear them on the hilltop laughing
Cursing every bird in the air
Telling her what fun they're having
Driving eyes closed
Godless brother in love
You might as well
Lay down that rose

 

[fox69]

"Grace For Saints And Ramblers"

"Grace For Saints And Ramblers"


But it all came down to you and I (down to you and I)
But it all came down to you and I (down to you and I)

There were banged up heads stealing first base
Underneath the table so we never said grace
Falling out of bed for the workday week
There was kissing in the cracks of the flashflood street
There were budding blossoms blaring Johnny Rotten
Chewed up and swallowed by the prophet they were trying to follow
Picked to green and we payed no tax on our quick romantic cul-de-sacs

But it all came down to you and I (down to you and I)
But it all came down to you and I (down to you and I)

There were crashed out cars in our barcode clothes
There was rubbing on each other, rubbing ghost on ghost
There were jumped-up punks and the Jesus freaks
Weaving in and out of trouble, wrapping round and round a leash
There were sleepless dreamers, doomsday preachers
The message and the messenger, the gun beneath the register
The sweet gum tree by the tough drunk tank
We could never give enough to the bad blood bank
There were hopeless sinners, sweepstake winners
They danced with the farmer’s daughter, capered with the corporate lawyers

All came down to you and I (down to you and I)
But it all came down to you and I (down to you and I)
But it all came down to you and I (down to you and I)
But it all came down to you and I

There was laughing in the light, sugar in the shade
There were backstab handshakes made on faith
We were never out of time and we'd never entertain
Anybody say the habit of the wind was gonna change
There were mislead misfits, teething biscuits
Fountains full of penny wishes, potties full of pretty fishes
Side by side with the birds and bees
And we never said grace, never ever took a knee
With the saints and ramblers, movie star handlers
High above the aviary, underneath the cemetery
And we never wondered why
Cause the sun was in our eyes
There was seed for the field, there was grease for the wheel
We were drinking with the luminaries eaten with the missionaries

All came down to you and I (down to you and I)
But it all came down to you and I (down to you and I)
But it all came down to you and I (down to you and I)
But it all came down to you and I (down to you and I)
But it all came down to you and I (down to you and I)
But it all came down to you and I (down to you and I)
But it all came down to you and I

 

[fox69]

"Grass Widows"

"Grass Widows"


We found each other blown between the trees
Waning moons wanting to be swallowed by the sea
Like we finally saw the colors of the world
We grew the garden snake within the weeds
Laid each other long across a flat backstreet
Like we finally saw the colors of the world
We felt the sun leave us for the west
Little lips always folding farther from the breast
Like we finally saw the colors of the world
We ran a white flag up the mast
Puckered up like a widow dreaming in the grass
Like we finally saw the colors of the world
Like we saw black
Like we saw black and blue
You pressed a pillow full of snow on my bruise
Like we saw black
Like we saw God green too
You saw it awful but it's over too soon
Like we saw black
Running around red ripe vines
I find you in the folds of lonely red night
Like we saw black
Lying in golden white
Lonely so you tried to love me alright
We threw our money to the river stones
Led each other through the woods to wander back alone
Like we finally saw the colors of the world
We let the taste linger in the mouth
South Chicago never gave us more to sing about
Like we finally saw the colors of the world

 

[fox69]

"Gray Stables"

"Gray Stables"


Brave lady, i could see you through
The mosses
Laid, shameless in the sun
My lady with her porcelain and her
Weightless
Face, pleasing everyone

Gray stables and the horses of the
Righteous
Pray daily for the brave

Lady, you were gorgeous in your
Weakness
Wet flowers on the ground
My lady never told me of her sadness
Bones floating in the sound

Brave lady could you see me in the
Darkness
Wait, nameless like a stone
My lady with her watches by the
Mattress
Bathes lately all alone

Gray stables and the horses of the
Righteous
Pray daily for the brave

Lady, would you love me if i left her
Laid breathless in the sun
My lady, like a teacup on the counter
Frail, pleasing everyone