I went to staten island.
to buy myself a mandolin
and i saw the long white dress of love
on a storefront mannequin
big boat chugginand' back with a belly full of cars...
all for something lacy
some girland's going to see that dress
and crave that day like crazy
Little indian kids on a bridge up in canada
they can balance and they can climb
like their fathers before them
theyand'll walk the girders of the manhattan skyline
shine your light on me miss liberty
because as soon as this ferry boat docks
iand'm headed to the church
to play bingo
fleece me with the gamblersand' flocks
I can keep my cool at poker
but iand'm a fool when loveand's at stake
because i canand't conceal emotion
what iand'm feelingand's always written on my face
thereand's a gypsy down on bleecker street
i went in to see her as a kind of joke
and she lit a candle for my love luck
and eighteen bucks went up in smoke
Sharon, i left my man
at a north dakota junction
and i came out to the andquot;big appleandquot; here
to face the dreamand's malfunction
loveand's a repetitious danger
youand'd think iand'd be accustomed to
well, i do accept the changes
at least better than i used to do
A woman i knew just drowned herself
the well was deep and muddy
she was just shaking off futility
or punishing somebody
my friends were calling up all day yesterday
all emotions and abstractions
it seems we all live so close to that line
and so far from satisfaction
Dora says, andquot;have children!andquot;
mama and betsy say-andquot;find yourself a charity.andquot;
help the needy and the crippled or put some time into ecology.andquot;
well, thereand's a wide wide world of noble causes
and lovely landscapes to discover
but all i really want right now
is...find another lover
When we were kids in maidstone, sharon
i went to every wedding in that little town
to see the tears and the kisses
and the pretty lady in the white lace wedding gown
and walking home on the railroad tracks
or swinging on the playground swing
love stimulated my illusions
more than anything
And when i went skating after golden reggie
you know it was white lace i was chasing
chasing dreams
mamaand's nylons underneath my cowgirl jeans
he showed me first you get the kisses
and then you get the tears
but the ceremony of the bells and lace
still veils this reckless fool here
Now there are 29 skaters on wolmann rink
circling in singles and in pairs
in this vigorous anonymity
a blank face at the window stares and stares and stares and stares
and the power of reason
and the flowers of deep feeling
seem to serve me
only to deceive me
Sharon youand've got a husband
and a family and a farm
iand've got the apple of temptation
and a diamond snake around my arm
but you still have your music
and iand've still got my eyes on the land and the sky
you sing for your friends and your family
iand'll walk green pastures by and by
