John Hiatt

[fox69]

"Georgia Rae"

"Georgia Rae"


I know a girl, mess with your mind,
She'll come to you in the summer sometime
She'll talk about things you don't understand,
But you better keep to the matters at hand
Before the whole damn thing unwinds

She is beautiful, she is small
She don't wanna play basketball
There's no tellin' what she might do
Before her doin' days are through
But right now she can't even crawl

[Chorus:]
Georgia Rae, OK, Georgia Rae
Georgia Rae, what'd I say Georgia Rae

Your mother and I we did this act
In some hotel 'bout nine moths back
Now, it's love that brings you here
A love that will not disappear
Georgia, honey, you can count on that

[Chorus]

We were tired, should've been sleepin'
But, like a fire, somethin' came creepin', creepin', creepin'

Your brother and sister don't understand
How your tiny feet and your tiny hands
Could carry the weight of a thousand earths
Into our little universe
But, Georgia, we all think it's grand

[Chorus]

 

[fox69]

"Getting Excited"

"Getting Excited"


Just a basement party with some high school friends
Boys touching girls, like they did back then
But that fat boy you invited
He's getting excited

Underneath red lights he can't believe his eyes
Pushing back his tears while fingers crawl up thighs
And it all seems so damned one-sided

[Chorus:]
Now he's getting excited
He's getting excited
And he knows what happens
Now he's getting excited
His love unrequited
Their blouses unfastened
What's it all about

He was asked to come and play his new guitar
Driven through the snow in his mother's car
Any twelve year old would be delighted

[Chorus]

This body's not his
It's no good in this world
Of muscular boys
And giggling girls
And all the pretty ones stand undivided
Now he's getting excited

Just a basement party and this is where ends
Some of us make love, some of us pretend

[Chorus]

He's getting excited
He's getting, he's getting excited
He's getting excited
He's getting, he's getting excited

 

[fox69]

"Girl On A String"

"Girl On A String"



Well hes got her going up and down like a yo-yo
And she never feels better than ever, just so-so
Like a shrunken head on a rear view mirror
She rides along in his atmosphere
Like furry dice or some voodoo thing
Hes got that girl on a string

Since they tied the knot he keeps her in stitches
And when she ain't banged up, shes sewing his britches
Like a line between the orange juice cans
Shes strung out on his childish demands
To meet him out by the backyard swing
Hes got that girl on a string

Girl on a string, just a little play toy
Girl on a string, for a little bad boy
Girl on a string, hes dragging her around
Girl on a string, hes tying her down

She carries his baby straddled on her hipbone
And theres another on the way, just wait till they get home
The deeper into darkness they get
The more she sees the silhouette
Of a girl who wanted pretty things
Not that girl on a string

 

[fox69]

"Give It Up"

"Give It Up"



So you take what you want
Like you know what you need
And you run like a train
'Til your mind doesn't strain to believe

And you see what you see
And it's thin as a wire
And it trips you up
Every time you show your naked desire

Give it up, give it up
Hasn't got you nowhere
Live it up, live it up
There's folks who love you back there

And if I see Sally
I'm gonna tell her you care
With that nasty old habit
And not even a dollar to spare

'Cause she may still wanna help you
For the very last time
'Cause she knows how it works
She knows you have to make up your own mind

Give it up, give it up
That limb is gonna break
Give it up, give it up
Just how much more can you take?

Give it up, give it up
You know you got to do your share
Give it up, give it up
Somebody loves you back there

And the nights get longer
You wish the day didn't come
And the pounding in your head
Says you're hell-bent on killing someone

The pain on your face
It's like a beast in control
And it's feelin' like somethin's
Been torn from that hole in your soul

Give it up, give it up
You got to do your part
Give it up, give it up
All you gotta do is start
Give it up, give it up
While there's someone to save
Give it up, give it up
Before we're cryin' in someone's grave

Give it up, give it up
Before we're cryin' in someone's grave

 

[fox69]

"Go Down Swingin'"

"Go Down Swingin'"



Kickin' and a-screamin'
Only way I learn
I'm afraid of my own shadow
Not the bridge around the turn

Well I lost myself and found myself
While you were kissin' ass
And I know it's not your nature
Just to let me pass

I'm gonna go down swingin'
Singin' till the end
I'm gonna go down swingin'
You and me and your best friend
I'm gonna go down swingin'
Upper cut and two left jabs
I'm gonna go down swingin' with everything I have

Sometimes I am a predator
Prowlin' for my life
Other times I am a field mouse
Running for the sides
Of the biggest, flattest corn field
Bigger than my Indiana home
'Til the harvest comes along
And I leave my tiny bones

I'm gonna go down swingin'
Singin' till the end
I'm gonna go down swingin'
Like the Duke recommends
I'm gonna go down swingin'
For the bleachers in left field
I'm gonna go down swingin' like a blade of steel

There's a scarecrow scarin' nothin'
Trumpet player in the barn
And he's puffin' both his cheeks out
And he's liftin' both his arms

As he blows his notes to heaven
As the preacher dunks you in
And all along the river
The air is sweet as sin

I wanna go down singin'
Hallelujah Gabriel
I wanna go down singin'
Oh, you play the blues so well
I wanna go down swingin'
Three sheets to the wind
I wanna go down swingin', punch drunk to the end

 

[fox69]

"God's Golden Eyes"

"God's Golden Eyes"



We came through the forrest
Of jealousy and greed
All our loved ones before us
Gave us everything we need

To cross that great river
Of every tear was ever cried
'till we find ourselves staring in God's golden eyes

In the desert love waited
Licking salt water from her skin
We could have been sedated
For all that we put in

We thought it was some devil
Who put the crying in goodbye
Till we found ourselves staring in
God's golden eyes
We found ourselves staring in God's golden eyes

And we did all we could do
We couldn't run from me and you
We did the best we could
No matter how hard we tried

Like babes we come whining
For some forgotten sin
Surprised to be shining
Just like diamonds in the wind

Every facet so perfect
And every cut the proper size
When we find ourselves staring in God's golden eyes
We find ourselves staring in God's golden eyes

 

[fox69]

"Gone"

"Gone"



Gone like my last paycheck gone gone away
Gone like the car I wrecked gone gone away
Gone like a fifth of gin gone gone away
Gone like the shape I'm in gone gone away
My baby's gone away

Gone like a Nixon file gone gone away
Gone like my landlord smile gone gone away
Gone like the furniture gone gone away
Gone like the rest of her gone gone away
My baby's gone away

Don't like the silhouette there by the bed where she undressed
Don't like the candlelight where we made love so sweet and bright
Don't like the one last turn she took before in Little Burn (?)
Don't like everything I learned gone gone away

Gone like my last paycheck gone gone away
Gone like the car I wrecked gone gone away
Gone like a fifth of gin gone gone away
Gone like the shape I'm in gone gone away
My baby's gone away

 

[fox69]

"Good As She Could Be"

"Good As She Could Be"


Well she was a millionaire
Before she was fourteen
But there was an emptiness there
That to practically everyone else could be seen
She hit up on the drug of love
Though there was no hole in her arm
There was a hole some place else
About as big as dady 10.000 acre farm

[Chorus:]
Oh, she was dying for it
For all the world to see
Ah, she was as good as she could be

Well she had a baby at eighteen
Never finished high school
Her husband beat her for money and sex
Till that cadillac finally ran out of fuel
One disaster led to another
Down to her and her baby son
Born with a silver spoon in her mouth
Headed south now
Cause she was never born to run

[Chorus 2x]

Well her momma died last year
And her daddy he called her back home
But when he opened the door
He could not recognize
This spectre of hair and bone
But it was his own baby child
Though she looked like an old woman now
Well she lived ten lifetimes in five years
Anywhere that the law would allow

[Chorus 2x]
Yeah, she was good as she could be
Ah, she was good as she could be

 

[fox69]

"Good Girl, Bad World"

"Good Girl, Bad World"


Put your make up on
Though your face is long
Clothes that fit you wrong
What's wrong with you

Last night's Romeo
He just had to go
I don't wanna know
What else is new?

[Chorus:]
Good girl bad world
Didn't you say
Good girl, bad world
Can't get away
From boys who unfurl
Flags that don't pay
You're a good girl in a bad world
I'll take her
Now come out to play

They just want to kiss
You just want to miss
Sometimes I think you wish you were a boy
Then you could stand around, act just like a clown
Put those good girls down
Like they were toys

Look in the mirror
Where nothing comes clearer and start to cry
Start to cry
Look in the mirror
Where nothing comes clearer and I know why
I know why
I know why
I know why

[Chorus]

 

[fox69]

"Graduated"

"Graduated"



I used to stumble up to your door
Three thousand kisses on the living room floor
But we don't do that kind of thing anymore
Cause we both graduated

We used to talk until the morning light
Bout everything we did and did not like
Now it's all double blinds and downsized appetites
Cause we both graduated

Yeah we both graduated
And we learned, we learned, we learned to be strong
Now the power's gone
And we turned, we turned, turned out to be wrong
Now we both graduated
Now we both graduated
Now we both graduated

I liked feeling in the dark for you
We watched Apocalypse Now and The Heart of Darkness, too
Melted down barriers and cleaned up the goo
Now we both graduated

No amount of college is gonna give you that jolt
The top of the pyramid is holding all our volts
It's not high technology, it's just nuts and bolts
And we both graduated
Yeah we both graduated

And we learned, we learned, we learned to be strong
Now the power's gone
And we turned, we turned, turned out to be wrong
And we both graduated
Yeah we both graduated

Na na, na nanana, nana nanana na
Na na, na nanana, nana nanana na
Na na, na nanana, nana nanana na

Now as we step out in this frozen world
The amazing Mr Snowjob and his Cryogenic Girl
Living out history but dead to the world
Cause we both graduated
Yeah we both graduated

Na na, na nanana, nana nanana na...