Bruce Cockburn - The Charity of Night lyrics
[Bruce Cockburn - The Charity of Night lyrics]
Big city Europa July of 64 It's 5AM
Weather blowing bitter off the Baltic
Car slows beside him as he walks
Hubcaps slow revolution
Jaundiced-looking pockmarked face round
In window short greasy black beard
A couple of language stabs settle on English
"It's cold I give you ride
Don't you want to kiss me?"
This goes on halfway across
The cobbled bridge
Driver pulls ahead gets out
By the construction fence
Ambles towards him rubbing the
Bulge in his pants
In his jacket is the revolver
The hand is already in the pocket for warmth
And fingers slide easily around wood grips
Slow as that predator's footsteps
The gun comes out arm straightens
Sight blade bisecting yellow forehead
Wind blue metal streetlight
Faint twilight shining on the
Corners of stones
Wave on wave of life
Like the great wide ocean's roll
Haunting hands of memory
Pluck silver strands of soul
The damage and the dying done
The clarity of light
Gentle bows and glasses raised
To the charity of night
Slow revolution 1985
Crosswise in a hammock in
The hot volcanic hills
Its 3AM the night after the air raid
From the ridge she watched A37s
Like ugly gulls make a dozen swooping passes
Over some luckless town
Maybe ten kliks beyond the border
In the distance the Pacific glimmered silver
Now lascivious laughter floats
On the darkness
From the police post next door
Male voices and a woman's
Little clouds of desire painted around
The edges with rum
In the muddy street a pig suddenly screams
Wave on wave of life
Like the great wide ocean's roll
Haunting hands of memory
Pluck silver strands of soul
The damage and the dying done
The clarity of light
Gentle bows and glasses raised
To the charity of night
Pacific glimmers silver
Moon full over shadow mansion
West coast Can't say when
There is incense and the
Heat-driven scent of flowers
The tongue slides over soft skin
Love pounds in veins brains
Buzzing balls of lust
Fingers twine in wet hair
Limbs twist and roll
On the dresser wax drips in slow motion
Down the long side of a black candle
Ecstatic halo of flame and pheromone
Wave on wave of life
Like the great wide ocean's roll
Haunting hands of memory
Pluck silver strands of soul
The damage and the dying done
The clarity of light
Gentle bows and glasses raised
To the charity of night
Weather blowing bitter off the Baltic
Car slows beside him as he walks
Hubcaps slow revolution
Jaundiced-looking pockmarked face round
In window short greasy black beard
A couple of language stabs settle on English
"It's cold I give you ride
Don't you want to kiss me?"
This goes on halfway across
The cobbled bridge
Driver pulls ahead gets out
By the construction fence
Ambles towards him rubbing the
Bulge in his pants
In his jacket is the revolver
The hand is already in the pocket for warmth
And fingers slide easily around wood grips
Slow as that predator's footsteps
The gun comes out arm straightens
Sight blade bisecting yellow forehead
Wind blue metal streetlight
Faint twilight shining on the
Corners of stones
Wave on wave of life
Like the great wide ocean's roll
Haunting hands of memory
Pluck silver strands of soul
The damage and the dying done
The clarity of light
Gentle bows and glasses raised
To the charity of night
Slow revolution 1985
Crosswise in a hammock in
The hot volcanic hills
Its 3AM the night after the air raid
From the ridge she watched A37s
Like ugly gulls make a dozen swooping passes
Over some luckless town
Maybe ten kliks beyond the border
In the distance the Pacific glimmered silver
Now lascivious laughter floats
On the darkness
From the police post next door
Male voices and a woman's
Little clouds of desire painted around
The edges with rum
In the muddy street a pig suddenly screams
Wave on wave of life
Like the great wide ocean's roll
Haunting hands of memory
Pluck silver strands of soul
The damage and the dying done
The clarity of light
Gentle bows and glasses raised
To the charity of night
Pacific glimmers silver
Moon full over shadow mansion
West coast Can't say when
There is incense and the
Heat-driven scent of flowers
The tongue slides over soft skin
Love pounds in veins brains
Buzzing balls of lust
Fingers twine in wet hair
Limbs twist and roll
On the dresser wax drips in slow motion
Down the long side of a black candle
Ecstatic halo of flame and pheromone
Wave on wave of life
Like the great wide ocean's roll
Haunting hands of memory
Pluck silver strands of soul
The damage and the dying done
The clarity of light
Gentle bows and glasses raised
To the charity of night