THE CURE LYRICS

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The Cure

 

The clouds are hanging heavy

Above the Paradise Motel

There’s a woman there that’s waiting

That’s a story I can’t tell

I’m crossing over some river

I’m looking down the road

I’m thinking about staying

But I know I got to go 

Got to go

 

And if she ever loved me

I’ll never know for sure

Cause I love the pain too much

To ever take the cure

 

It was on those Yankee streets

Where the bitter winds blew cold

Beneath the steel and concrete

You know we nearly froze

We sang in the parks

And we sang in the bars

We gave it all we had

But we never did get too far

Get too far

 

And if she ever loved me

I’ll never know for sure

Cause I love the pain too much

To ever take the cure

 

It was Omaha in the dawn

It was Denver in the dark

By the time we made ‘Frisco

Everything fell apart

I stood there on the shore

And I looked across the sea

I knew right then and there

How it was always going to be

Going to be

 

And if she ever loved me

I’ll never know for sure

Cause I love the pain too much

To ever take the cure 

Well I took that train back east

Trying to find what I lost

But I just kept pushing on

No matter what the cost

And springtime turned to summer

And summer turned to fall

When winter came again

I knew I lost it all

Lost it all

 

And if she ever loved me

I’ll never know for sure

Cause I love the pain too much

To ever take the cure

 

Well look over yonder

I’ll tell you what I see

The ghost of Phil Ochs

And he’s looking straight at me

There’s a mob down below

A crucifixion on the hill

He’s praying the fools will listen

But he knows they never will

They never will

 

And if she ever loved me

I’ll never know for sure

Cause I love the pain too much

To ever take the cure

 

Yeah the stars are hanging heavy

Above the Paradise Motel

There’s a woman now that’s sleeping

That’s story I can’t tell

And I’m driving down this highway

I’m back here on the run

By the time I get to Houston

She’ll know what I’ve done

What I’ve done

 

And if she ever loved me 

I’ll never know for sure

Cause I love the pain too much 

To ever take the cure

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Lazy Driver

 

Hey lazy driver keep your hands on the wheel

Said hey lazy driver keep your hands on the wheel

I don’t know where I’m going I just know how I feel

 

Well I’ve been on this road for a week and a day

Yeah I’ve been on this road for a week and a day

Well I’m ragged and dirty I’ve come a long, long way

 

Well I got me a wife back in Hollywood

Yeah I got me a wife back in Hollywood

But we both got addicted things didn’t turn out no good

 

So I took down my gun and man I robbed me a store

Yeah I took down my gun and man I robbed me a store

Well I left her all the money then I walked out the door

 

Well one of these days and it won’t be long

Said one of these days man it won’t be long

She’ll see I was right I never meant her no wrong

 

So hey lazy driver keep your hands on the wheel

I said hey lazy driver please keep your hands on the wheel

I don’t know where I’m going I just know how I feel

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Camille And The Dance Of Death

 

Storm clouds rising above the trees

Birds of prey shivering in the breeze

Well I’m driving this highway to God knows where

Yeah there’s a lot of trouble out here

Was it down in Mexico or back in New York

Those dark streets took us back and forth

Her name was Camille and so was yours

I can still hear her moaning through the bedroom door

 

Crossing the desert in the back of a truck

Just outside of Reno boys we run out of luck

State troopers in a big hotel

Well an honest man better run like hell

Coyotes howling on a moonlit ridge

Angel of death looking for a brand new bitch

She said she’d meet you when the flowers bloom

A whiskey bottle thrown across the room

 

Crossing the bridge into Baton Rouge

Where the air is thick and the women are loose

Well I play my guitar all night and day

And if I play it well enough maybe I might get paid

Light shinning on an empty stage

The hills of Berkeley the poets rage

Hitch hiking down by San Luis Obispo

She said “Hey baby I got to go

She said “Hey baby I got to go

She said “Hey baby I got to go

She said “Hey baby I got to go

She said….

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Higher Ground

 

Now so much has gone

So many words have been said

And this road I’m traveling on

Has all but left me for dead

But then I remember a sunset

Shining in your eyes

And I won’t ever forget

The day we said goodbye

 

And all the hours in between

Somehow we get on with our lives

And I don’t know what it all means

I can only surmise

But then I hear the roar of a thunder

Another night crashing down 

We may live in the same memories

But we live in different towns

 

Now I don’t try to pretend

That I know what I must do

For my thoughts they never end

They keep coming back to you

And if I ever listen

To a heart that pounds

You know that will be the day

I’ll be standing on higher ground

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Fading Light

 

I’m going down this highway

It seems to be my very last friend

Yeah I’m going down this highway

It seems to be my very last friend

But my bones are getting weary

I must be getting near the end

 

I tried to find some beauty

In this great big bad evil world

Yeah I tried to find some goodness

In this great big bad evil world

Once I thought I had it

But then I lost you girl

 

Now they say I’m too old

And my best days have gone

Yeah they say I’m so old

And my time has come and gone

Well it may be true

But I just keep pushing on

 

It’s another honest day

Turning into another criminal night

Yeah it’s another honest day

Turning into another criminal night

Well I’m standing in the shadows

In this fading light

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Like Some Old Irish Rover

 

Well the lights have all come down

The party’s all but over

And I’m rambling around this town

Like some old Irish Rover

 

I don’t know what to say

And I don’t know what to think

It seems like I’ve lost my way

And I’ve had too much to drink

 

Is it all for the money

Is it all for the greed

With so many sick and hungry

Is this the world we need

 

I hear you calling baby

I know the stakes are high

But it’s too late to save me

Those days have all gone by

 

For the ships are in the harbor

The boats are on the shore

And the fruits of all our labors

Belongs to us no more

 

Now I hear the bells ringing

Tolling for the dawn

And I hear the captain singing

One last drunken song

 

For the lights have all come down

And the party’s all but over 

And I’m rambling around this town

Like some old Irish Rover

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Gonna Miss You

 

What’s left what’s gone I can’t forget

For love these days is so hard to get

From the top to the bottom I don’t understand

These sons and daughters with empty hands

And down that river waits all my dreams

I’m stranded in this desert I can only scream

Oh babe

I’m gonna miss you

 

What’s good what’s bad it’s all the same

When the love you grab just turns into pain

You look up you look down it’s all very clear

You say what you want then you just disappear

I’d run down that highway I’d tear down that fence

I’d blow away my mind but tell me whats the sense

Oh babe

I’m gonna miss you

 

I stay up all night and I’ll sleep all day

To avoid these faces that get in my way

If you ask me to I’d stumble through the dark

Just to touch you baby just to feel your spark

The train on the track and the snow on the ground

I’m tired of waiting for something to come around

Oh babe

I’m gonna miss you

 

Well fortunes come and fortunes go

And a good feeling is so hard to hold

The truth is no more than I could tell

We knew all along and we knew it so well

From the New York island to the California bay

We roamed and we rambled but we never got away

Oh babe

I’m gonna miss you

 

Now I watch the sunrise and I watch the sunset

My brain it hurts I can’t get no rest

You go where you go and I’ll do what I must

For God only knows who’s left here to trust

And I stand in the wind with my hat in my hand

Trying to remember what I’ll never understand

Oh babe 

I’m gonna miss you

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Blame It On The Rain

 

You’re sitting in a bar

With a bottle in your hand

You’re listening to the jukebox

But you just still don’t understand

How the years have left you

A king without a queen

How the years have left you

Just a joker in a dream

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You can blame it on the road

You can blame it on the city

You can blame on bad luck

Bad women and whiskey

But deep down in your heart

The truth makes it plain

You’re just another fool

Trying to blame it on the rain

 

Once there was some blue eyes

Looking into yours

Once there was a guitar

And a voice that opened doors

But now it all but kill you

To sing a simple song

For the one who really listened

Has been gone way too long

 

You can blame it on the road

You can blame it on the city

You can blame on bad luck

Bad women and whiskey

But deep down in your heart

The truth makes it plain

You’re just another fool

Trying to blame it on the rain

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Now you reach down in your pocket

To find one more drink

But the further that you dig

The deeper that you sink

You’ll stumble home alone

Through these dark and empty streets

And you’ll lay back on your bed

But you know you’ll find no peace

 

You can blame it on the road

You can blame it on the city

You can blame on bad luck

Bad women and whiskey

But deep down in your heart

The truth makes it plain

You’re just another fool

Trying to blame it on the rain

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Ballad Of A Bloody Nose

 

I was sitting in a bar with my favorite drink

When somebody says “Here was Doctor Shrink”

I said “Man what do you think?” He says “Sometimes it’s clear

But I still don’t know and I really don’t care”

 

In walks JC who I haven’t seen for awhile

He says “Hello” without breaking a smile

I said “How’s it going?” He says “Things are pretty rough

The judge he’s crooked and the crooks are just as tough”

 

Well there sat Mary Ann with a book in her hand

Saying “No one here really understands”

I said “Is it really that hard?” She said “If you want to know

If you think you’re funny honey I’ll tell you it ain’t so”

 

Well I looked around and figured it must be time to leave

When somebody called my name and grabbed my sleeve

“Could you please leave a tip” I said “Gee it ain’t that I’m cheap

It’s just that I’m having trouble and I need work done on my teeth”

 

I was walking my way home without a thing on my mind

When I heard footsteps from somewhere behind

I said “What do you want?” I didn’t say no more

The lights went out somebody had slammed my door

 

Two black eyes and a fistful of teeth

I got up trying to find the thief

But there was nobody in sight only the police

They said “What’s the matter son? Can we help you please?”

 

Back at the bar people were getting drunk

Talking about the usual junk

Some crazy gal was doing a striptease

Everybody else was wrecking their necks just to see (her that is)

 

Well I sat down someone asked “What happened?”

I said “I don’t know I just come back to leave a tip”

Onto the bar I laid my fistful of teeth

The bartender said “Thanks, want a drink?” I said “Please!”

 

The moral of this story by now must be clear

When someone says “Please” you better hear

Or else you’ll end up like me back down in a hole

With a mark on my conscience and a bloody nose

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Louise Ann

 

Hear my dog

He’s barking loud

He don’t like 

This new kind of crowd

Oh Louise Ann

 

I’ve been up

Here all night

I just can’t

Get to feeling right

Oh Louise Ann

 

I see that train

Going down that track

I know those days

Ain’t coming back

Oh Louise Ann

 

Your cool eyes

Looking my way

I remember

Everyday

Oh Louise Ann

 

Hear my dog

He’s barking loud

He don’t like

This new kind of crowd

Oh Louise Ann

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Stranger In This Town

 

I’m a stranger in this town

And I’ve come a long, long way

Life has turned me upside down

Led all my dreams astray

Once I was just like you

With a family and home

I’m a stranger in this town

Standing here alone

 

I’m a stranger in this town

And I got no place to go

I’ve been traveling all around

I’ve been living on the road

I don’t mean nobody harm

I ain’t looking for no fight

I’m a stranger in this town

Trying to make it through the night

 

I’m a stranger in this town

Now Mister can’t you see

I don’t know were I’m bound

I’m just trying to get free

From all the heartache and strife

And the troubles in my head

I’m a stranger in this town

Please don’t shoot me dead

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Earth Quake

 

Well the morning has fallen

The sun do shine

It’s another day

Going by in time

Oh, oh

Going by in time

 

There’s fires in the west

There’s storms in the east

There’s floods and tornadoes

Can’t get no relief

Oh, oh

Can’t get no relief

 

Well I got me job

It don’t pay too much

A man gets older

And he runs out of luck

Oh, oh

He runs out of luck

 

My wife kisses me

Sends me on my way

She’s got a job too

But at half the pay

Oh, oh

At half the pay

 

Well there’s a man in the White House

He tells a lot of lies

But people sure love him

Don’t ask me why

Oh, oh

Don’t ask me why

 

Now I’m stuck in traffic

Got the radio playing

But my car is shaking

And this bridge is swaying

Oh, oh

The bridge is swaying

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Jesus Wears A Six Gun

 

Hey boy take a stand

Come on boy be a man

Look over there, look over here

You see trouble everywhere

 

Jesus wears a six gun

Jesus wears a six gun

Jesus wears a six gun

Jesus wears a six gun

 

Hey girl don’t cross that line

We got laws, we got fines

You best better turn around

Get yourself heaven bound

 

Jesus wears a six gun

Jesus wears a six gun

Jesus wears a six gun

Jesus wears a six gun

 

Well I’ve been north, I’ve been south

East and west and all about

I hear what people say

But it don’t matter anyway

 

Jesus wears a six gun

Jesus wears a six gun

Jesus wears a six gun

Jesus wears a six gun

 

Hey kid it’s going down

From the courts to your town

You better move fast, you better keep low

Dodge them bullets wherever you go

 

Jesus wears a six gun

Jesus wears a six gun

Jesus wears a six gun

Jesus wears a six gun

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There’s A Man

 

There’s a man to your left

There’s a man to your right

There’s a man dressed in black

There’s a man dressed in white

There’s a man in the middle

They say gray is his name

You better watch where you go

Cause honey there’s a man

 

There’s man from the north

There’s a man from the south

There’s a man slipping in

There’s a man slipping out

There’s a man in the crowd

Looking for someone to blame

You better watch what you say

Cause honey there’s a man

 

There’s a man on the street

There’s a man on the wall

There’s a man through the door

There’s a man down the hall

There’s a man in your room

With a gun in his hand

You better run for your life

Cause honey there’s a man

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Looking In Your Eyes

 

Looking in your eyes

I can see your light

Shinning down

On this world tonight

Looking in your eyes

Looking in your eyes

 

Looking in your eyes

I can hear the Gypsy sing

On those streets

Where the guitars still ring

Looking in your eyes

Looking in your eyes

 

Looking in your eyes

I can lose my breath

Forget all those things

That I’ve come to regret

Looking in your eyes

Looking in your eyes

 

Looking In your eyes

I can see myself

Like you see me

Like nobody else

Looking in your eyes

Looking in your eyes

 

Looking in your eyes

I can hear the poet screaming

The words of beauty

His heart was dreaming

Looking in your eyes

Looking in your eyes

 

Looking in your eyes

I can feel your pain

Get on board

And ride your train

Looking in your eyes

Looking in your eyes

 

Looking in your eyes

I know for sure it’s true

Your love for me

And my love for you

Looking in your eyes

Looking in your eyes

 

Looking in your eyes

I know now there’s no turning back

It’s you and me baby

All the way down this track

Looking in your eyes

Looking in your eyes

Looking in your eyes

Looking in your eyes

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Mercy Street

 

And the rain fell down 

On Mercy Street

Where the priest was praying

On his aching feet

Ah but he looked towards you

With a Bible in his hand

But when he tried to speak

He could no longer stand

For he fell beneath the weight

Of his lust, of his faith

 

And the rain fell down

On Mercy Street

Where the poet hung

His words in defeat

Ah but he sang for you

By that Golden Arch

Where the dancers danced

And the protesters marched

He just wanted to see you smile 

Set you free for a little while

 

And the rain fell down 

On Mercy Street

Where the lovers stood waiting

On the cold concrete

And the night rushed by

But the words never came

In the silence of the dawn

There was only pain

And you in your foreign disguise

He never saw the tears you cried

 

And the rain fell down

On Mercy Street

Where the rich and the powerful

Crush the poor and the weak

And shots rang out

And a woman screamed

The headlines read

The end of a dream

And you with nothing left to tell

Without a word you said farewell

 

 

And the rain fell down

On Mercy Street

Where the revolution

Was in full retreat

And I sat in a bar

With a bottle of Rye

And I looked in the mirror

And I looked in my eyes

It was then and there I knew

The awful truth, my love for you

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My Ship’s A Coming

 

The morning’s fallen

The highway’s calling

It’s time to be up and gone

A rooster’s crowing

Train whistle blowing

Another day has begun

 

Shadows are casting

This moment’s everlasting

Watching the birds fly

But my time is running

My ship’s a coming

So long, so long good bye

 

 

Words & Music by Tom Ovans
C & P Tom Ovans
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