Townes Van Zandt

[fox69]

"Highway Kind"

"Highway Kind"


My days, they are the highway kind
They only come to leave
But the leavin' I don't mind
It's the comin' that I crave.
Pour the sun upon the ground
Stand to throw a shadow
Watch it grow into a night
And fill the spinnin' sky.

Time among the pine trees
It felt like breath of air
Usually I just walk these streets
And tell myself to care.
Sometimes I believe me
And sometimes I don't hear.
Sometimes the shape I'm in
Won't let me go.

Well, I don't know too much for true
But my heart knows how to pound
My legs know how to love someone
My voice knows how to sound.
Shame that it's not enough
Shame that it is a shame.
Follow the circle down
Where would you be?

You're the only one I want now
I never heard your name.
Let's hope we meet some day
If we don't it's all the same.
I'll meet the ones between us,
And be thinkin' 'bout you
And all the places I have seen
And why you where not there.

 

[fox69]

"Honky Tonkin'"

"Honky Tonkin'"


Well if your baby leaves you,
And you got no place to go,
Come and see me darlin',
And bring along some dough.

And we'll go honky tonkin, honky tonkin
Honky tonkin, honky tonkin
We'll go honkin tonkin 'round this town.

If you and your old man,
Have a fallin' out,
Well you come and see me darlin,
And we'll go steppin' out.

And we'll go honky tonkin, honky tonkin
Honky tonkin, honky tonkin
We'll go honkin tonkin 'round this town.

I'm headin' out to the city,
To the city fair,
If you wanna do the boogie babe,
You can meet me there.

And we'll go honky tonkin, honky tonkin
Honky tonkin, honky tonkin
We'll go honkin tonkin 'round this town.

 

[fox69]

"Hunger Child Blues"

"Hunger Child Blues"


Well, some have called me hunger's child
Some have turned away
Well, some said wild and a few said free
Some have refused to say

Ah, do you think that you know my name?

Well, the songbird somehow sweetly sings
The sun somehow she shines
And the fireflies cut the cold black wind
Paint their strange designs

And the wind she sings my name

Take your armies, take them from my door
Your battle's built on doom
All your standards all lie shattered now
'Neath the portals of my room

And the walls they sing my name

Well, some have called me hunger's child
Some have turned away
Well, some said wild and a few said free
Some have refused to say

Do you think that you know my name?
Do you think that you know my name?
Do you think that you know my name?

 

[fox69]

"I'll Be Here In The Morning"

"I'll Be Here In The Morning"


There's no stronger wind than the one that blows down a lonesome railroad line
No prettier sight than lookin' back on a town you left behind
There is nothin' that's as real as a love that's in my mind

Close your eyes
I'll be here in the morning
Close your eyes
I'll be here for a while

Well there's lots of things along the road I'd surely like to see
I'd like to lean into the wind and tell myself I'm free
But your softest whisper's louder than the highways call to me

Close your eyes
I'll be here in the morning
Close your eyes
I'll be here for a while

All the mountains and the rivers and the valleys can't compare
To your blue lit dancin', flashin' eyes and yellow shining hair
I could never hit the open road and leave you layin' there

Close your eyes
I'll be here in the morning
Close your eyes
I'll be here for a while

Lay your head back easy, love, close your cryin' eyes
I'll be layin' here beside you when the sun comes on the rise
I'll stay as long as the cuckoo wails and the lonesome bluejay flies.

Close your eyes
I'll be here in the morning
Close your eyes
I'll be here for a while

Close your eyes
I'll be here in the morning
Close your eyes
I'll be here for a while

 

[fox69]

"If I Needed You"

"If I Needed You"


If I needed you
Would you come to me,
Would you come to me,
And ease my pain?
If you needed me
I would come to you
I'd swim the seas
For to ease your pain

In the night forlorn
The morning's born
And the morning shines
With the lights of love
You will miss sunrise
If you close your eyes
That would break
My heart in two

The lady's with me now
Since I showed her how
To lay her lily
Hand in mine
Loop and Lil agree
She's a sight to see
And a treasure for
The poor to find

 

[fox69]

"If I Was Washington"

"If I Was Washington"


If I was Washington
Valleys would I forge for
If I was a fat man
Fun would I gorge for
If I was Gingus
Gold would I horde for
Wish I had a dollar a day
If I was a gouger
Gouge would I wish for
If I was a fisherman
Fish would I fish for
If I was a french whore
Frenchies I'd dish for
Wish I had a dollar a day
Turkeys are for flyin'
Chickens are for eatin'
I'm all for fun
Fun's forbidden
Forbidden's forgotten
And forgotten's for gettin'
I wish I had a dollar a day
Buzzards are for circling
Circles are for heroes
Heroes for floatin'
Fiddles to Nero
Fingers for countin'
Numbers for zero
Wish I had a dollar a day
If I was Washington
Valleys would I forge for
If I was a fat man
Fun would I gorge for
If I was Gingus
Gold would I horde for
Wish I had a dollar a day
Oh, if I was Washington
I'd wear wood teeth
If I was a policeman
Walk me a stone beat
If I was a singer
I'd stop right now
I wish I had a dollar a day

 

[fox69]

"Ira Hayes"

"Ira Hayes"


Ira Hayes,
Ira Hayes

Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

Gather round me people there's a story I would tell
About a brave young Indian you should remember well
From the land of the Pima Indian, a proud and noble band
Who farmed the Phoenix valley in Arizona land

Down the ditches for a thousand years
The water grew Ira's peoples' crops
'Till the white man stole the water rights
And the sparklin' water stopped

Now Ira's folks were hungry
And their land grew crops of weeds
When war came, Ira volunteered
And forgot the white man's greed

Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

There they battled up Iwo Jima's hill,
Two hundred and fifty men
But only twenty-seven lived
to walk back down again

And when the fight was over
And when Old Glory raised
Among the men who held it high
Was the Indian, Ira Hayes

Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

Ira returned a hero
Celebrated through the land
He was wined and speeched and honored
Everybody shook his hand

But he was just a Pima Indian
No water, no crops, no chance
At home nobody cared what Ira'd done
And when did the Indians dance

Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

Then Ira started drinkin' hard
Jail was often his home
They'd let him raise the flag and lower it
like you'd throw a dog a bone

He died drunk one mornin'
Alone in the land he fought to save
Two inches of water in a lonely ditch
Was a grave for Ira Hayes

Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

Yeah, call him drunken Ira Hayes
But his land is just as dry
And his ghost is lyin' thirsty
In the ditch where Ira died

 

[fox69]

"Kathleen"

"Kathleen"


It's plain to see, the sun won't shine today
But I ain't in the mood for sunshine anyway
Maybe I'll go insane
I got to stop the pain
Or maybe I'll go down to see Kathleen.

A swallow comes and tells me of her dreams
She says she'd like to know just what they mean
And I feel like I could die
As I watch her flying by
Ride the north wind down to see Kathleen.

The stars hang high above, the oceans roar
The moon is come to lead me to her door
There's crystal across the sand
And the waves, they take my hand.
And soon I'm gonna see my sweet Kathleen.

Soon I'm gonna see my sweet Kathleen.

 

[fox69]

"Katie Belle Blue"

"Katie Belle Blue"


There is no deeper blue
In the ocean that lies
As deep as the blue
Of your laughing eyes
No sweeter sound
Than your gentle sigh
No heart was ever so pure

Dream pretty dreams
Touch beautiful things
Let all the skies surround you
Swim with the swans
And believe that upon
Some glorious dawn
Love will find you

Well come some day
I'm bound away
Wind and wings on the water
But whatever may
You must stay
And remain my beautiful daughter

There is no deeper blue
In the ocean that lies
As deep as the blue
Of your laughing eyes
No sweeter sound
Than your gentle sigh
No heart was ever so pure

Good night Katie Belle, good night

 

[fox69]

"Like A Summer Thursday"

"Like A Summer Thursday"


Her face was crystal
Fair and fine
And her breath was morning
And her lips were wine
And her eyes were laughter
And her touch divine
And her face was crystal
And she was mine

If only she
Could feel my pain
But feelin' is a burden
She can't sustain
So like a summer Thursday
I cry for rain
To come and turn
The ground to green again

If only she
Could hear my songs
'bout the empty difference
'tween the rights and wrongs
Then I know that I
Could stand alone
As well as they
Now that she's gone

Her face was crystal
Fair and fine
And her breath was morning
And her lips were wine
And her eyes were laughter
And her touch divine
And her face was crystal
And she was mine