John Hiatt

[fox69]

"The Most Unoriginal Sin"

"The Most Unoriginal Sin"


What there was left of us
Was all covered in dust and thick skin
A half eaten apple
The whole Sistine chapel
Painted on the head of a pin

A life long love's work
Gone up in a smirk
And you didn't even see her waltz in

[Chorus 1:]
Now this love is a ghost, for having played host
To the most unoriginal sin

At the wedding we smiled
While some devil played wild violin
Soon after the chapel
She offered me that apple
One bite and i was gone with the wind

And you needed no proof
Cause the whole naked truth
Was wearing only an infidels grin

[Chorus 2:]
And a proud school boys boast
For havin' left his post
For the most unoriginal sin

Now the juke box is hummin'
Al the venial short comings of men
But i found me this drink
That can finally sink
All this guilt i been wallowing in

Buddy once you get started
Once true love's departed
You do it over and over again

[Chorus 3:]
So tonight i will toast
Just who ever comes close
To the most unoriginal sin

[Chorus 3:]
So tonight i will toast
Just who ever comes close
To the most unoriginal sin

 

[fox69]

"The Nagging Dark"

"The Nagging Dark"


How fast you gonna run?
Away from this one
Anywhere but here
You wanna disappear
To the next daylight
Where everythings right
It's always somewhere else
You're gonna fix yourself
Once shame and guilt
Have made their mark

[Chorus:]
You can't run away from the nagging dark
Toy carry it everywhere in your heart
It finishes everything that you start
You can't run away from the nagging dark

How much it gonna cost?
When everything's lost
What a price you'd pay
Just to feel some way
'Cause you're heart is stone
Ground down to the bone
All your flesh and blood
Just ashes and mud
Feels like
Your soul's been blown apart

[Chorus:]
You can't run away from the nagging dark
Toy carry it everywhere in your heart
It finishes everything that you start
You can't run away from the nagging dark

How far can you see?
Will you even be free?
Through the blackest night
You still hold on tight

Hope is your finest work
It's your finest work
Hope is your finest work of art

[Chorus:]
You can't run away from the nagging dark
Toy carry it everywhere in your heart
It finishes everything that you start
You can't run away from the nagging dark

 

[fox69]

"The Negroes Were Dancing"

"The Negroes Were Dancing"


Little lover sittin' in the corner with a former member of the jets
He would write a letter to the editor about the little holes in her dress
She said Oh, I'm so bored
He said Oh, tell me more

She popped him on the dick until he got a little bigger then she just blew up
She grabbed him by the liver put his hands on her hips, said push my luck
He said Oh, I'm so scared
She said Oh, I don't care

[Chorus:]
Just then the negros were dancing
Just then backup singers backed up
Just then the beat was entrancin'
Just then the negros were dancin'

A former member lit a cigarette said I bet you never get too much
Little lover hit him on the shoulder, said you caught him that's [?] I touch
He said Oh, I confess
She said Oh, I'm not impressed

They gathered up all the fingerprints and put splints on all the broken bones
A former member lover to discover seven more overtones
He said Oh, my dear
She said Oh, touch me here

[Chorus 2x]

 

[fox69]

"The Night That Kenny Died"

"The Night That Kenny Died"


He was the kind of kid you did not want to sit by
He kept his boogers in his desk he wore a neck tie
And he never washed his hair
You wished he wasn't there

But everybody cried
The night that Kenny died
Everybody cried
The night that Kenny died

It was so touching all the girls that would not touch him
He drew their pictures in his books I used to watch him
And then he'd pick his nose
And wipe it on his clothes

But everybody cried
The night that Kenny died
Everybody cried
The night that Kenny died

Died on a motorcycle
We never understood
That he was holdin' on tight
Through the middle of the night
Starin' at a [?]

It seemed so spooky that the nerd we all detested
Would die so gloriously and so unexpected
A wonderful guy God knows
They kept the casket closed

And everybody cried
The night that Kenny died
Everybody cried
The night that Kenny died

And everybody cried
The night that Kenny died
Everybody cried
The night that Kenny died

And everybody cried
The night that Kenny died
Everybody cried
The night that Kenny died

And everybody cried
The night that Kenny died
Everybody cried
The night that Kenny died

 

[fox69]

"The Open Road"

"The Open Road"



Shrunken head and Mardi Gras beads
Hanging on a rearview mirror that bleeds
Keepin' her eyes on the open road
No tellin' where that son-a bitch goes

Got her doors locked doin' 75
Don't care to be caught now, dead or alive
Seen enough to kill anyone's soul
Keepin' her eyes on the open road
Keepin' her eyes on the open road

The open road where the hopeless come
To see if hope still runs
One by one they bring their broke down loads
And leave 'em where the hobo dreams are stowed
Out on the open road
Out on the open road

Midnight fallin' like a bag of bones
Weighted down now the rest with stones
Bouncin' off a river the moon made steel
Cracking off the chrome of a steering wheel

Anything back there is burned and dead
Any love they made any words they said
Nothing to do now but drop it and roll
Into the lights of the open road
Into the lights of the open road

The open road where the hopeless come
To see if hope still runs
One by one they bring their broke down loads
And leave 'em where the hobo dreams are stowed
Out on the open road
Out on the open road

Shrunken head and Mardi Gras beads
Hanging on a rearview mirror on the beach
Keepin' their eyes on the open road
No tellin' where that son-a bitch goes

The open road where the hopeless come
To see if hope still runs
One by one they bring their broke down loads
And leave 'em where the hobo dreams are stowed
Out on the open road
Out on the open road

 

[fox69]

"The Rest Of The Dream"

"The Rest Of The Dream"


You were a tiny spark
Caught in your parents' eyes
When they made love in the dark
You were the big surprise
And the old man came through
Gave his very best for you
And your mother's arms
They kept you warm
Like no other arms could do

[Chorus:]
When you couldn't find the light
At the top of the stairs
When you cried in the night
Well, you knew they were there
Will the light of the day
Was as bright as it seemed
And you knew in your heart
You were livin' the rest of the dream

Well, I had a dream of you
But I never realized
Baby, the dream was true
That's when you opened my eyes

And I will come through
Do my very best for you
And your lovin' arms
Gonna keep me warm
Like no other arms will do

When you can't find the light
At the top of the stairs
When you cry in the night
Well, you know I'll be there
Till the light of the day
Is as bright as it seems
And you know in your heart
You're livin' the rest of the dream

Now I see a tiny spark
Caught in your lovin' eyes
As we make love in the dark
And wait for the big surprise

And the old man will come through
Son or daughter, just for you
And your mama's arms
Gonna keep you warm
Like no other arms can do

When you can't find the light
At the top of the stairs
When you cry in the night
Well you know we'll be there
Till the light of the day
Is as bright as it seems
And you know in your heart
You're livin' the rest of the dream

[Chorus]

 

[fox69]

"The River Knows Your Name"

"The River Knows Your Name"



Oh the river knows your name
And your tears falling like the rain
All around you suffering and pain
Oh the river knows your name

And the river hears you cry
As the lightning cracks the open sky
As your Momma sings a lullaby
Oh the river she knows why

Let the river wash you down
Beneath the surface with a rushing sound
Like a freight train passing through a town
Let the river wash you down

Let the river take away
All the words you and I could never say
In the silence Darling let us pray
Let the river take it all away

Oh the river she knows your name
From the Brazos to the Wabash to the Seine
No two journeys are ever quite the same
But the river knows your name
Oh the river knows your name

 

[fox69]

"The Tiki Bar Is Open"

"The Tiki Bar Is Open"


[Chorus:]
Thank God the tiki bar is open
Thank God the tiki torch still shines
Thank God the tiki bar is open
Come on in and open up your mind

I was out on a leave of absence
From any resemblance to reality
I felt like a rocket launched to the great blue yonder
From the boys down at Kennedy

I was driving by his majesty's court hotel
Where the sign said praise his name
I was tired and alone I couldn't see too well
But I don't think that he was to blame

[Chorus]

There's a full moon over Daytona beach
There's a full moon in my mind
And my suntan dream is still out of reach
And the strip malls are robbing me blind

Well his name was Mr. Dale Earnhardt
And he drove the black number three
Now the king is gone but he'll not be forgotten
Nor his like will we ever see

[Chorus]

I know a drink ain't no solution
I ain't had one in seventeen years
But if that tiki bar was closed tonight
Well I might just disappear

[Chorus 2x]

 

[fox69]

"The Trouble With Blood"

"The Trouble With Blood"



I heard this poor town --'s daddy ---
Like he was just some kind of crazy old fool
Maybe he is, maybe he ain't - hey, I don't know
But I know that boy loves his daddy
Just about as much as he can stand
Cruel words get spoken and hearts get broken

It's hard to understand
That's the trouble with blood, your sons and your daughters
That's the trouble with blood, it's thicker than water

I heard his mama screaming at her daughter the other day
That she wished she'd never been born
All those tears welling up in both of their eyes
You know that mama never had more joy
Than when that baby come into this world
The pain and the sorrow will be there tomorrow

It's hard to understand
That's the trouble with blood, your mothers and fathers
That's the trouble with blood, it's thicker than water

You can't wash it out, no, no
You can curse it you can swear it
That's the trouble with blood, you just gotta wear it

It's hard to understand
That's the trouble with blood, your sons and your daughters
That's the trouble with blood, it's thicker than water

 

[fox69]

"The Usual"

"The Usual"



I'm trippin over dumb drunks at a party
Girlfriend just ran off with the DJ
I give her everything, but she refused it
It doesn't matter, she don't know how to use it
My confidence is dwindling
Look at the shape I'm in
Where's my pearls, where's my swine?
I'm not thirsty, but I'm standing in line.
I'll have the usual
I'll have the usual
Fifty silhouettes bumpin' on the dance floor
Pink elephants fallin' through a trap door
Sixty cigarettes a day 'cause I'm nervous
When will that bitch serve us?
I used to be a good boy, livin' the good life
Fifty thousand kisses later she was a housewife
She was good, I was unkind
I'm not thirsty, but I'm standin' in line
I'll have the usual
I'll have the usual
(on the rocks)
(two ice cubes)
(and a little umbrella)

Big Jim says the second comin's comin'
I think he's just seein' double or something
Or something
You can hang around waiting for the also rans
I can't win, but I've seen enough, man
A fifth of whisky he could knock it away
I drink some more and it's judgment day
I had a future, but she just passed out
I'm gonna drink until I see what it is I wanna think about
I'll have the usual
I'll have the usual
I'll have the usual
On the rocks
With a twist