Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Henry's Dream Album Lyrics

I went out walking the other day
The heat hung wet around my neck
My head it rung with screams and groans
From the night I spent amongst her bones
And I passed beside the mission house
Where that mad old buzzard, the reverend
Shrieked and flapped about life after you're dead
Well, I thought about my friend, Michel
How they rolled him in linoleum
And they shot him in the neck
A bloody halo, like a think-bubble
Circling his head
And I bellowed at the firmament
Looks like the rains are hear to stay
And the rain pissed down upon me
And washed me all away
Saying

Papa won't leave you, Henry
Papa won't leave you, Boy
Papa won't leave you, Henry
Papa won't leave you, Boy
Well, the road is long
And the road is hard
And many fall by the side
But Papa won't leave you, Henry
So there ain't no need to cry

And I went on down the road
He went on down the road
Oh yeah, I went on down the road
He went on down the road

Well, the moon it looked exhausted
Like something you should pity
Spent an age-spotted
Above the sizzling wires of the city
Well, it reminded me of her face
Her bleached and hungry eyes
Her hair was like a curtain
Falling open with the laughter
And closing with the lies
And the ghost of her still lingers on
Though she's passed through me
And is gone
Well the slum dogs, they are barking
The rain children on the streets
And the tears that we will weep today
Will all be washed away
By the tears that we will weep
Will weep again tomorrow

Papa won't leave you, Henry
Papa won't leave you, Boy
Papa won't leave you, Henry
Papa won't leave you, Boy
For the road is long
And the road is hard
And many fall by the side
Well, Papa won't leave you, Henry
So there ain't no need to cry

And I went on down the road
He went on down the road
Oh yeah, I went on down the road
He went on down the road

And I came upon a little house
A little house upon a hill
And I entered through, and the curtain hissed
Into the house with its blood-red bowels
Where wet-lipped women with greasy fists
Crawled the ceilings and the walls
They filled me full of drink
And they led me round the rooms
Naked and cold and grinning
Until everything went black
And I came down spinning
I awoke so drunk and full of rage
That I could hardly speak
A fag in a whale-bone corset
Draping his dick across my cheek
Well its into the shame
And its into the guilt
And its into the f*cking fray
And the walls ran red around me
A warm arterial spray
Saying

Papa won't leave you, Henry
Papa won't leave you, Boy
Papa won't leave you, Henry
Papa won't leave you, Boy
Well, the night is dark
And the night is deep
And its jaws are open wide
Yeah, well Papa won't leave you, Henry
So there ain't no need to cry

And I went on down the road
He went on down the road
Oh yeah, I went on down the road
He went on down the road
Yeah, woah, woah

It's the rainy season where I'm living
Death comes leaping out of every doorway
Wasting you for money, for your clothes
And for your nothing
Entire towns being washed away
Favelas exploding on inflammable spillways
Lynch-mobs, death squads, babies being born without brains
The mad heat and the relentless rains
Well if you stick your arm into that hole
It comes out shit up to the bone
And with her kisses bubbling on my lips
I swiped the rain and nearly missed
And then I went on down the road
He went on down that road

Papa won't leave you, Henry
Papa won't leave you, Boy
Papa won't leave you, Henry
Papa won't leave you, Boy
Well, the road is long
And the road is hard
And many fall by the side
Well, Papa won't leave you, Henry
So there ain't no need to cry

And I went on down the road
He went on down the road
Oh yeah, I went on down the road
He went on down the road
Bent beneath my heavy load
Under his heavy load
Yeah, I went on down that road
Yeah, he went on down the road

Woah, woah
Woah, woah
Woah, woah
Woah, woah
Woah, woah
Woah, woah
Woah, woah
Woah, woah
And I went on down that road

I had a dream
I had a dream
I had a dream
I had a dream
I had a dream, Joe

I had a dream, Joe
You were standing in the middle of an open road
I had a dream, Joe
Your hands were raised up to the sky
And your mouth was covered in foam
I had a dream, Joe
A shadowy Jesus, he flitted from tree to tree
I had a dream, Joe
And a society of whores stuck needles in an image of me
I had a dream, Joe
It was Autumn time and thickly fell the leaves
And in that dream, Joe
A pimp in seersucker suit sucked a toothpick
And pointed his finger at me

I had a dream
I had a dream
I had a dream
I had a dream
I had a dream, Joe

I opened my eyes, Joe
The night had been a giant, dribbling and pacing the boards
I opened my eyes, Joe
All your letters and cards, all stacked up against the door
I opened my eyes, Joe
The morning light came slowly tumbling through the crack
In the window, Joe
And I thought of you man, and I felt like I was lugging
A body on my back

I had a dream
I had a dream
I had a dream
I had a dream
I had a dream, Joe

Where did you go, Joe?
On that endless, on that senseless, on that demented drift
Where did you go, Joe?
It was into the woods, it was into the trees, where you move and shift
Where did you go, Joe?
All dressed up in your ridiculous seersucker suit
Where did you go, Joe?
With that strew of wreckage
Forever at the heel of your boot

I had a dream
I had a dream
I had a dream
I had a dream, Joe
I had a dream
I had a dream
I had a dream, Joe

I had a dream
I had a dream
I had a dream, Joe

All the towers of ivory are crumbling
And the swallows have sharpened their beaks
This is the time of our great undoing
This is the time that I'll come running
Straight to you
For I am captured
Straight to you
For I am captured
One more time

Now the light in our window is fading
And the candle gutters on the ledge
Well now sorrow, it comes a-stealing
And I'll cry, girl, but I'll come a-running
Straight to you
For I am captured
Straight to you
For I am captured
Once again

Gone are the days of rainbows
Gone are the nights of swinging from the stars
For the sea will swallow up the mountains
And the sky will throw thunder-bolts and sparks
Straight at you
But I'll come a-running
Straight to you
But I'll come a-running
One more time

Now Heaven has denied us its kingdom
The saints, they're are drunk howling at the moon
And the chariots of angels are colliding
Well, I'll run, babe, but I'll come running
Straight to you
For I am captured
Straight to you
For I am captured
One more time

Brother, my cup is empty
And I haven't got a penny
For to buy no more whiskey
I have to go home

Oh brother, my cup is empty
And I haven't got a penny
For to buy no more whiskey
I have to go home

I am the captain of my pain
Tis the bit, the bridle
The trashing cane
The stirrup, the harness
And the whipping mane
The pickled eye
And the shrinking brain
Brother, buy me one more drink
I'll explain the nature of my pain
Yes, let me tell you once again
I am the captain of my pain

Brother, my cup is empty
And I haven't got a penny
For to buy no more whiskey
I have to go home

I cannot blame it all on her
To blame her all would be a lie
For many a night I lay awake
And wished that I could watch her die
To see her accusing finger spurt
To see flies swarm her hateful eye
To watch her groaning in the dirt
To see her clicking tongue crack dry
Brother, buy me one more drink
One more drink and then goodbye
And do not mock me when I say
Let's drink one more before I die

Brother, my cup is empty
And I haven't got a penny
For to buy no more whiskey
I have to go home

I've been sliding down on rainbows
I've been swinging from the stars
Now this wretch in beggars clothing
Bangs his cup across the bars
Look, this cup of mine is empty!
Seems I've misplaced my desires
Seems I'm sweeping up the ashes
Of all my former fires
So brother, be a brother
And fill this tiny cup of mine
And please, sir, make it whiskey
I have no head for wine

Brother, my cup is empty
And I haven't got a penny
For to buy no more whiskey
I have to go home

Brother, my cup is empty
And I haven't got a penny
For to buy no more whiskey
I have to go home

I counted up my blessings
And I counted only one
One tiny little blessing
And now that blessings gone
So buy me one more drink, my brother
Then I'm taking to the road
Yes, I'm taking to the rain
And I'm taking to the snow
O my friend, my only brother
Do not let the party grieve
So throw a dollar on the bar
Now kiss my ass and leave

Brother, my cup is empty
And I haven't got a penny
For to buy no more whiskey
I have to go home

Brother, my cup is empty
And I haven't got a penny
For to buy no more whiskey
I have to go home

Christina the Astonishing
Lived a long time ago
She was stricken with a seizure
At the age of twenty-two

They took her body in a coffin
To a tiny church in Liege
Where she sprang up from the coffin
Just after the Agnus Dei

She soared up to the rafters
Perched on a beam up there
Cried "The stink of human sin
The stink of human sin
The stink is more that I can bear"

Christina the Astonishing
Was the most astonishing of all
She prayed balanced on a hurdle
Or curled up into a ball

She fled to remote places
Climbed towers and trees and walls
To escape the stench of human corruption
The stench of human corruption
Into an oven she did crawl

Christina the Astonishing
Behaved in a terrifying way
She would run wildly through the streets
Jump in the Meusse and swim away

Christina the Astonishing
Behaved in terrifying manner
She died at the age of seventy-four
Died at the age of seventy-four
In the convent of St Anna

When I first came to town
All the people gathered round
They bought me drinks
Oh Lord, how they quickly changed their tune

When I first came to town
People took me round from end to end
Like someone may take around a friend
Oh how quickly they changed their tune

Suspicion and dark murmurs surround me
Everywhere I go they confound me
As though the blood on my hands
Is there for every citizen to see

Oh sweet Jesus
There is no turning back
There is always one more town
A little further down the track

And from my window, across the tracks
I watch the juicers burn their fires
And in that light
Their faces leer at me
How I wish they'd just let me be

When I first came to town
Their favors were for free
Now even the doors of the whores of this town
Are closed to me

I search the mirror
And I try to see
I search the mirror
And I try to see
Why the people of this town
Have washed their hands of me

Oh sweet Jesus
There is no turning back
There is always one more town
A little further down the track

Oh lord, every goddamn turn I take
I fear the noose, and I fear the stake
For there ain't a bone
They did not break
In all the towns I've been before

Well those that sin against me are snuffed out
I know that from every day that I live
Goddamn the day that I was born
The night that forced me from the womb
And goddamn this town
For I am leaving now
But one day I will return
And the people of this town will surely see
Just how quickly the tables turn

Oh sweet Jesus
This really is the end
There is always one more town
A little further round the bend

Well the night was deep and the night was dark
And I was at the old dance-hall on the edge of town
Some big ceremony was going down
Well dancers writhed and squirmed and then
Came apart and then writhed again
Like squirming flies on a pin
In the heat and in the din
In the heat and in the din
I fell to thinking about the brand new wife of mad John Finn

Well, midnight came and clock did strike
And in she came, did John Finn's wife
With legs like scissors and butcher's knives
A tattooed breast and flaming eyes
And a crimson carnation in her teeth
Carving her way through the dance floor
And I'm standing over by the bandstand
Every eye gaping on John Finn's wife
Every eye gaping on John Finn's wife

Now John Finn's wife was something of a mystery
In a town where to share a sworn secret was a solemn duty
I had brass knuckles and a bolo knife
Over near the bandstand with John Finn's wife
She got perfumed breasts and raven hair
Sprinkled with wedding confetti's
And a gang of garroters were all giving me stares
Armed, as they were, with machetes
Well the night through the window was full of lights
A-winking and a watching at John Finns' wife
A-winking and a watching at John Finns' wife

Well next came the cops, all out on the town
But it don't look like no trouble there
As they head for the bar in their lumpy suits
I slip my hand between the thighs of John Finn's wife
And they seemed to yawn awake, her things
It was a warm and very ferocious night
The moon full of blood and light
And my eyes grew small and my eyes grew tight
As I plotted in the ear of John Finns' wife

Enter John Finn in his shrunken suit
With his quick black eyes and black cheroot
With his filed-down teeth and a hobnail boot
And his fists full of pistols in his pockets
Aiming at me and aiming at his wife
The band fall silent fearing for their lives
And with fear in my guts like tangled twine
'Cause all I got is brass knuckles and a bolo knife
And mad John Finns' wife is all
And the three of us w walk out of the hall

Now the night bore down upon us all
You could hear the crickets in the thickets call
And guns did flare and guns did bawl
And I planted my bolo knife in the neck
Of mad John Finn
I took his wretched life
Now I'm over by the bandstand
Every hand moving on John Finns' wife
Every hand moving on John Finns' wife

And John Finns' wife
Took all the flowers down
From her hair
And threw them on the ground
And the flies did hum
And the flies did buzz around
Poor John Finn
Lying dead upon the ground
Lying dead upon the ground

It was the dirty end of winter
Along the loom of the land
When I walked with sweet Sally
Hand upon hand

And the wind it bit bitter
For a boy of no means
With no shoes on his feet
And a knife in his jeans

Along the loom of the land
The mission bells peeled
From the tower at Saint Mary's
Down to Reprobate Fields

And I saw that the world
Was all blessed and bright
And Sally breathed softly
In the majestic night

O baby please don't cry
And try to keep
Your little head upon my shoulder
Now go to sleep

Well the elms and the poplars
Were al turning their backs
Past the rumbling station
We followed the tracks

We found an untrodden path
And followed it down
The moon in the sky
Like a dislodged crown

My hands they burned
In the folds of her coat
Breathing milky white air
From deep in her throat

O baby please don't cry
And try to keep
Your little head upon my shoulder
Now go to sleep

I told Sally in whispers
I'll never bring you harm
Her breast it was small
And warm in my palm

I told her that the moon
Was a magical thing
It shone gold in winter
And silver in spring

And we walked and walked
Across the endless sands
Just me and my Sally
Along the loom of the land

O baby please don't cry
And try to keep
Your little head upon my shoulder
Now try to sleep

O baby please don't cry
And don't you weep
Lay your head upon my shoulder
Now try to sleep

I got a woman
She rules my house with an iron fist
I got a woman
She rules my house with an iron fist
She screams out Jack the Ripper
Every time I try to give that girl a kiss

Oh well I got a woman
She strikes me down with a fist of lead
Oh well I got a woman
She strikes me down with a hand of lead
We bed in a bucket of butcher's knives
I awake with a hatchet hanging over my head

Well you know the story of the viper
It's long and lean with poison tooth
Oh well, you know the story of the viper
It's long, it's lean, it's got a poison tooth
Well they're hissing under the floorboards
Hanging down in bunches from my roof

I got a woman
She just hollers what she wants from where she's at
I got a woman
She just hollers what she wants from where she is
She screams out Jack the Ripper
Every time I try to give that girl a kiss