Taxi

It was raining hard in 'Frisco,
I needed one more fare to make my night.
A lady up ahead waved to flag me down,
She got in at the light.
Oh, where you going to, my lady blue,
It's a shame you ruined your gown in the rain.
She just looked out the window, and said
"Sixteen Parkside Lane".
Something about her was familiar
I could swear I'd seen her face before,
But she said, "I'm sure you're mistaken"
And she didn't say anything more.
It took a while, but she looked in the mirror,
And she glanced at the license for my name.
A smile seemed to come to her slowly,
It was a sad smile, just the same.
And she said, "How are you Harry?"
I said, "How are you Sue?
Through the too many miles
and the too little smiles
I still remember you."
It was somewhere in a fairy tale,
I used to take her home in my car.
We learned about love in the back of the Dodge,
The lesson hadn't gone too far.
You see, she was gonna be an actress,
And I was gonna learn to fly.
She took off to find the footlights,
And I took off to find the sky.
Oh, I've got something inside me,
To drive a princess blind.
There's a wild man, wizard,
He's hiding in me, illuminating my mind.
Oh, I've got something inside me,
Not what my life's about,
Cause I've been letting my outside tide me,
Over 'till my time, runs out.
Baby's so high that she's skying,
Yes she's flying, afraid to fall.
I'll tell you why baby's crying,
Cause she's dying, aren't we all.
There was not much more for us to talk about,
Whatever we had once was gone.
So I turned my cab into the driveway,
Past the gate and the fine trimmed lawns.
And she said we must get together,
But I knew it'd never be arranged.
And she handed me twenty dollars,
For a two fifty fare, she said
"Harry, keep the change."
Well another man might have been angry,
And another man might have been hurt,
But another man never would have let her go...
I stashed the bill in my shirt.
And she walked away in silence,
It's strange, how you never know,
But we'd both gotten what we'd asked for,
Such a long, long time ago.
You see, she was gonna be an actress
And I was gonna learn to fly.
She took off to find the footlights,
And I took off for the sky.
And here, she's acting happy,
Inside her handsome home.
And me, I'm flying in my taxi,
Taking tips, and getting stoned,
I go flying so high, when I'm stoned.

Cats In The Cradle

(Verse 1)
My child arrived just the other day,
He came to the world in the usual way.
But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay,
He learned to walk while I was away.
And he was talkin fore I knew it, and as he grew,
Hed say Im gonna be like you, yeh,
I know Im gonna be like you.

(Chorus)
And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little Boy Blue and The Man In The Moon.
When ya comin home Dad?
I dont know when, well get together then, son,
ya know well have a good time then.

(Verse 2)
Well my son turned 10 just the other day,
He said Thanks for the ball Dad, come lets play.
Can ya teach me to throw? I said
Not today, I got a lot to do. He said Thats ok.
And then, he walked away but a smile never came,
He said Im gonna be like him, yeh,
Ya know Im gonna be like him.

(Chorus)
And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little Boy Blue and The Man In The Moon.
When ya comin home Dad?
I dont know when, well get together then, son,
ya know well have a good time then.

(Verse 3)
Well he came from college just the other day,
So much like a man I just had to say
Son Im proud of you, can ya sit for a while?
He shook his head, and he said with a smile
What Id really like Dad, is to borrow the car keys.
See ya later, can I have them please?

(Chorus)
And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little Boy Blue and The Man In The Moon.
When ya comin home son?
I dont know when, well get together then, Dad,
ya know well have a good time then.

(Verse 4)
Well Ive long since retired, my sons moved away,
I called him up just the other day.
I said Id like to see you, if you dont mind.
He said Id love to Dad, if I can find the time.
You see my new jobs a hassle and the kids have the flu,
But its sure nice talking to you Dad,
Its been sure nice talking to you.
And as he hung up the phone it occurred to me,
Hed grown up just like, my boy, was just like me.

(Chorus)
And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little Boy Blue and The Man In The Moon.
When ya comin home son?
I dont know when, well get together then, Dad,
were gonna have a good time then.

I Wanna Learn A Love Song

I come fresh from the street,
fast on my feet, kind a lean and lazy;
not much meat on my bones, and a whole lot alone,
and more than a little bit crazy.
The old six string was all I had
to keep my belly still,
and for each full hour lesson I gave
I got a crisp ten dollar bill.

She was married for seven years
to a concrete castle king.
She said she wanted to learn to play the guitar
and to hear her children sing.
So I'd show up about once a week
in my faded tight-legged jeans
with a backlog full of hobo stories
and dilapidated dreams.

She said, "I wanna learn a love song full of happy things."
She said, "I wanna learn a love song; won't you let me hear you sing?"
She said, "I wanna learn a love song, I wanna hear you play."
She said, "I wanna learn a love song before you go away."

So I tried to teach her a couple of chords
and an easy melody;
but it always turned out she'd rather listen
to my guitar and me.
I could hear her old man laughing in the den,
playing stud poker with the boys
while I sang so soft in the living room,
to scared to make much noise.
I came one week and the den was dark
and she met me at the door.
And we sat on the couch and we sang and talked
till I could not sing no more.
The silence kept on building,
her eyes grew much too wide;
and I could her both of our heartbeats,
but there was no place to hide.

She said, "I wanna learn a love song full of happy things."
She said, "I wanna learn a love song; won't you let me hear you sing?"
She said, "I wanna learn a love song, I wanna hear you play."
She said, "I wanna learn a love song before you go away."

Well, I guess you know what happened,

Greyhound

It's midnight at the depot
And I drag my bags in line.
Travellin' light, I got to go
But the bus won't be on time.
Everybody's looking half alive.
Later on the bus arrives.

They punch my ticket
I find a seat
And we move out past the lights.
Come on Driver, where's the heat?
It's cold out in the night.
I keep telling to myself that I don't care.
Come tomorrow, I'll be there.

Take the Greyhound.
It's a dog of a way to get around.
Take the Greyhound.
It's a dog gone easy way to get you down.

Tired of watching this night go by
So I look across the aisle.
The window's frosted, I can't sleep
But the girl returns my smile.
She reminds me of someone I knew back home.
So I doze. So it goes.

I'm wrinkled on my stool at the rest stop.
The waitress being cozy with the highway cop.
My coffee's tasting tired.
My eyes roll over dead.
Got to go outside and get the gas out of my head.
Oh, to be in bed.
You got me driving.
I'm on your Greyhound bus and you're driving.

But there's nothing new about Greyhounds.
Nothing new about feeling down.
Nothing new about putting off
Or putting myself on.

Looking to tomorrow is the way the loser hides
I should have realized by now that all my life's a ride.
It's time to find some happy times and make myself some friends
I know there ain't no rainbows waiting when this journey ends.

Stepping off this dirty bus first time I understood
It's got to be the going not the getting there that's good
That's a thought for keeping if I could.
It's got to be the going not the getting there that's go

Vacancy

Mrs. Smith and Mr. Jones have come to pass the night
They pulled off of the highway when they saw my light
It's a vacancy I offer them, what they offer me
Is fullness for a lifetime that's bare as can be

There's a vacancy, won't you come to me
And fill my empty spaces
I'm a motel man in a promised land
That's filled with empty faces
So won't you bring your sorrows bring your dreams,
It's a place for you to be
There's no more tomorrow or that's how it seems
Won't you come to me? I've got a vacancy

Another name, another key, another pass to glory
Another night, another sight, another bedtime story
Another stage, another chance, for gentleness or violence
Another birth, another dance, another death in silence

There's a vacancy, won't you come to me
And fill my empty spaces
I'm a motel man in a promised land
That's filled with empty faces
So won't you bring your sorrows bring your dreams,
It's a place for you to be
There's no more tomorrow or that's how it seems
Won't you come to me? I've got a vacancy

Mr. John is coming on with his liason
Mr. Soft is comin' off and soon he'll be gone
Mrs. Hart has come apart now that she's alone
Mr. Jive has come alive but nobody's home

Mornings come checkout time, with my pail and broom
I find what they've left behind in every tell-tale room
The sheets show their struggles, the glasses their fears
The ashtrays the hours passed, the towels their tears

There's a vacancy, won't you come to me
And fill my empty spaces
I'm a motel man in a promised land
That's filled with empty faces
So won't you bring your sorrows bring your dreams, -aca