Paul Simon - Stranger To Stranger Album Lyrics

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The Werewolf

Milwaukee man led a fairly decent life
Made a fairly decent living, had a fairly decent wife
She killed him. Ah, sushi knife
Now they're shopping for a fairly decent afterlife

The werewolf is coming

The fact is most obits are mixed reviews
Life is a lottery, a lotta people lose
And the winners, the grinners with money-colored eyes
Eat all the nuggets, then they order extra fries

The werewolf is coming. (Extra fries)
The werewolf is coming. The werewolf's coming,
the werewolf's coming, yes, the werewolf is coming

I hear her howling, prowling on the hills
The werewolf's coming, Bill

Ignorance and arrogance, a national debate
Put the fight in Vegas, that's a billion dollar gate

Revenues, pay per views, it should be pretty healthy
The usual productions, and it all goes to the wealthy

Still, the werewolf's coming
Eh, the werewolf's coming

I'm not complaining, just the opposite my friend
I know it's raining, but we're coming to the end
Of the world, of the lyin' and the spyin' through
Oh, you don't know me?
OK, I don't know you, too

The werewolf's coming. Werewolf's coming up
The werewolf's coming, and the The werewolf's coming
The werewolf is coming, too

I hear her howling, prowling on the hills
The werewolf's coming

You better stock up on water, canned goods off the shelves
And loot some for the old folks who can't loot for themselves
The doorbell's ringing, could be the elves
But it's probably the werewolf. It's quarter to twelve
And when it's midnight, and the wolf bites

It's a full moon, she really got the appetite
The werewolf's coming
(The werewolf, the werewolf.)
The werewolf's coming
(The werewolf, the werewolf.)

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Wristband

I stepped outside the backstage door to breathe some nicotine
And maybe check my mailbox, see if I can read the screen
Then I heard a click, the stage door lock
I knew just what that meant
I'm gonna have to walk around the block if I wanna get it in

Wristband, my man, you've got to have a wristband
If you don't have a wristband, my man, you don't get through the door
Wristband, my man, you've got to have a wristband
And if you don't have a wristband, my man, you don't get through the door

I can explain it, I don't know why my heart beats like a fist
When I meet some dude with an attitude saying "hey, you can't do that, or this"
And the man was large, a well-dressed six-foot-eight
And he's acting like Saint Peter standing guard at the pearly...

Wristband, my man, you've got to have a wristband
If you don't have a wristband, you don't get through the door
And I said "Wristband? I don't need a wristband
My axe is on the bandstand, my band is on the floor"

I mean it's just...
[Scat]
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)

The riots started slowly with the homeless and the lowly
Then they spread into the heartland towns that never get a wristband
Kids that can't afford the cool brand whose anger is a short-hand
For you'll never get a wristband and if you don't have a wristband then you can't get through the door
No you can't get through the door
No you can't get through the door
Say you can't get through the door, no

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Street Angel

My heart goes out to the street angels
Working their way back home
My heart goes out to the street angels

I saved my change for a street angel
Working his way back home
I had this exchange with the street angel:

"Nobody talks to me much
I said, nobody talks to me much
Nobody."

So he says
"I make my verse for the universe
I write my rhymes for the universities
And I give it away for the hoot of it
I tell my tale for the toot of it
I wear my suit for the suit of it
The tree is bare, but the root of it
Goes deeper than logical reasoning

It's God goes fishing
And we are the fishes
He baits his lines
With prayers and wishes

They sparkle in the shallows
And catch the falling light
We hide our hearts like holy hostages
While hungry for the love, and so we bite."

Working his way back home
He's working his way back home
Took him away in the ambulance
Made away with the ambulance
He waved goodbye from the ambulance
My heart goes out to the street angel

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Stranger To Stranger

Stranger to stranger
If we met for the first time, this time
Could you imagine us
Falling in love again

Words and melodies
So the old story goes
Fall from summer trees
When the wind blows

I can't wait to see you walk
Across my doorway
I cannot be held accountable
For the things I do or say

I'm just jittery
I'm just jittery
It's just a way of dealing with my joy
It's just a way of dealing with my joy
It's just a way of dealing with my joy
It's just a way of dealing

Words and melody
Easy harmony
Old time remedies
All in good time
Although most of the time
It's just hard working
The same piece of clay
Day after day
Year after year

Certain melodies tear your heart apart
Reconstruction is a lonesome art.
But I love to watch you walk
Across my doorway
I cannot be held accountable
For the things I do or say

I'm just jittery
I'm just jittery
It's just a way of dealing with my joy
It's just a way of dealing with my joy
Just a way of dealing with my joy

Words and melody

Stranger to stranger
If we met for the first time, this time
Could you imagine us
Falling in love again
Still believing
That love endures
All the carnage
And the useless detours

Oh I love you, I love you, I love you
I love you, I love you, I love you
I love you, I love you, I love you
I love you, I love you
Love you...

Words and melody
Easy harmony
Words and melody

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In A Parade

Some nights the ER is quiet as an EKG
But tonight it feels like every broken bone
Tonight it feels like every wounded soul
Is filling out a form or on the 'phone

I can't talk now, I'm in a parade
I can't talk now, I'm in a parade
Can't talk to you now, I'm in a parade
I can't talk now, I'm in a parade

Diagnosis: schizophrenic
Prognosis: guarded
Medication: Seroquel
Occupation: Street Angel

I drank some orange soda
Then I drank some grape
I wear a hoodie now to over my mistake
My head's a lollipop
My head is a lollipop
My head's a lollipop and everyone wants to lick it
I wear a hoodie now so I won't get a ticket
I write my verse for the universe
That's who I am

I can't talk now, I'm in a parade
I can't talk now, I'm in a parade
I can't talk now, I'm in a parade
Can't talk to you now, I'm in a parade

Diagnosis: schizophrenic
Prognosis: guarded
Medication: Seroquel
Occupation: Street Angel

---

Proof Of Love

Begin again, no easy trick
Without a guide or walking stick
Begin before the bells of twilight peal

Downhill town, the road ahead
Spiral, as a serpent's head
A teaspoon of desire for my meal

I trade my tears
To ask the Lord
For proof of love
If only for the consolation
Of gazing at the stars above

Amen, amen, amen

The road is steep
The air is thin
I hear a voice inside my skin
Don't be afraid
Your days won't end with night
Feel the sun
Drink the rain
Let your body heal its pain
Bathe beneath a waterfall of light

I trade my tears
To ask the Lord
For proof of love
If only for the explanation
That tells me what my dreams are made of

I ask the Lord
For proof of love
Love is all I seek
Love is all I seek
And when at times my words desert me
Music is the tongue I speak

Silent night
Still as prayer
Darkness fills with light
Love on Earth is everywhere

---

The Riverbank

Frightened by the tone of a 'phone in the dead of night
Then staring into darkness and praying 'til the morning light
The price already paid, a son gone to the grave
Now the sorrowful parade to the riverbank

Must be half the county come down to the riverbank
High school is closed, same for the local police
Shall we tearfully embrace, shall we sing "Amazing Grace"?
Will the shallow river waters bring us peace?

Army dude, only son, nowhere to run, no one to turn to, he turns to the gun
It's a cross, it's a stone, it's a fragment of bone
It's a long walk home, a long walk home
Gonna be a long walk home from the riverbank

Is there any reason why the black pine should not weep?
Is there a woman or a man who wouldn't understand why he could not sleep?
And the nightmares when they came, like poison to the brain
Reminded him again life is cheap

Army dude, only son, nowhere to run, no one to turn to, he turns to the gun
It's a cross, it's a stone, it's a fragment of bone
It's a long walk home, a long walk home
Gonna be a long walk home from the riverbank

Army dude's mama at the edge of the river
Limp as a rag, American flag in her arms
Then a triangle of light kissed the red and blue and white
Along the riverbank, past the dealerships and farms

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Cool Papa Bell

It turns out to be
A great thing for me
I don't worry (and)
I don't think (because)
It's not my job to worry or to think

I'm more like 'everyday I'm here I'm grateful'
And that's the gist of it
Now you may call that a bogus, bullshit
New-age point of view
But check out my tattoo says wall-to-wall fun
Does everyone know everyone
Mr. wall-to-wall fun

We got the well, well, well
And Cool Papa Bell
The fastest man on Earth did dwell
As Cool Papa Bell

Motherf*cker!
Ugly word!
Ubiquitous and often heard
As a substitute for someone's christian name
And I think 'yeah, the word is ugly, all the same'
Ugly got a chase to make
It's not like every rodent gets a birthday cake
No, it's 'you're a chipmunk, how cute is that?'
But you, you motherf*cker, are a filthy rat!

And well, well, well
Is it true Papa Bell?
That the beauties go to heaven
And the ugly go to hell
Cool Papa Bell?

(Let the tubas cry!)

Have you all heard the news?
'Heaven finally found!'
Okay, it's six trillion light years away
But we're all gonna get there someday
Yes, we're all gonna get there one day

But, but not you!
You stay and explain the suffering
And the pain you caused
The thrill you feel when evil dreams come true

Check out my tattoo!
It says 'wall-to-wall fun'
Does everyone know everyone
Mr. wall-to-wall fun

We got the well, well, well
And Cool Papa Bell
The fastest man on Earth did dwell as
Cool Papa Bell

And you're never gonna stop
Never gonna stop, never gonna stop
Never gonna stop, never gonna stop
Never gonna stop, never gonna stop
You know, you know you
Are never gonna stop, never gonna stop
Chi-kow-bow-chika

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Insomniac's Lullaby

Oh Lord, don't keep me up all night
Side by side with the moon
With its desolate eyes
Miles from the sunrise
The darkness inviting a tune
The Insomniac's Lullaby

A siren is playing its song in the distance
The melody rattles the old window frame
Gradually, angels reveal their existence
And there's nothing and no-one to blame

Oh Lord, don't keep me up all night
Side by side with the moon
Alone in the bed
The season ahead
Is winter that lasts until June
The Insomniac's Lullaby

Sleep

They say all roads lead to a river, then one day
The river comes up to your door
How will the builder of bridges deliver us all
To the faraway shore?

Oh Lord, don't keep me up all night
With questions I can't understand
While I wrestle my fears
The sound in my ears
Is the music that's sweeping the land
The Insomniac's Lullaby

Sleep

Soft as a rose, the light from the East
As if all is forgiven
And wolves become sheep
We are who we are
Or we're not, but at least
We'll eventually all fall asleep
Eventually all fall asleep

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Horace And Pete

Hell no
I can't complain about my problems
I'm OK the way things are
I pull my stool up to the bar
At Horace And Pete's

Sometimes I wonder
Why do we tear ourselves to pieces?
I just need some time to think
Or maybe I just need a drink
At Horace And Pete's.
Horace And Pete

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Duncan (Live From A Prairie Home Companion)

Couple in the next room
Bound to win a prize
They've been going at it all night long
Well, I'm trying to get some sleep
But these motel walls are cheap
Lincoln Duncan is my name
And here's my song, here's my song

My father was a fisherman
My mama was the fisherman's friend
And I was born in the boredom
And the chowder
So when I reached my prime
I left my home in the Maritimes
Headed down the turnpike for
New England, sweet New England

Holes in my confidence
Holes in the knees of my jeans
I was left without a penny in my pocket
Ooh-wee, I was about destituted
As a kid could be
And I wished I wore a ring
So I could hock, I'd like to hock it

A young girl in a parking lot
Was preaching to a crowd
Singing sacred songs and reading
From the Bible
Well, I told her I was lost
And she told me all about the Pentecost
And I seen that girl as the road
To my survival

Just later on the very same night
I crept to her tent with a flashlight
And my long years of innocence ended
Well, she took me to the woods
Saying here comes something and it feels so good
And just like a dog I was befriended
I was befriended

Oh, oh, what a night
Oh, what a garden of delight
Even now that sweet memory lingers
I was playing my guitar
Lying underneath the stars
Just thanking the Lord
For my fingers
For my fingers

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Wristband (Live From A Prairie Home Companion)

I stepped outside the backstage door to breathe some nicotine
And maybe check my mailbox, see if I can read the screen
Then I heard a click, the stage door lock
I knew just what that meant
I'm gonna have to walk around the block if I wanna get it in

Wristband, my man, you've got to have a wristband
If you don't have a wristband, my man, you don't get through the door
Wristband, my man, you've got to have a wristband
And if you don't have a wristband, my man, you don't get through the door

I can explain it, I don't know why my heart beats like a fist
When I meet some dude with an attitude saying "hey, you can't do that, or this"
And the man was large, a well-dressed six-foot-eight
And he's acting like Saint Peter standing guard at the pearly...

Wristband, my man, you've got to have a wristband
If you don't have a wristband, you don't get through the door
And I said "Wristband? I don't need a wristband
My axe is on the bandstand, my band is on the floor"

I mean it's just...
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)

The riots started slowly with the homeless and the lowly
Then they spread into the heartland towns that never get a wristband
Kids that can't afford the cool brand whose anger is a short-hand
For you'll never get a wristband and if you don't have a wristband then you can't get through the door
No you can't get through the door
No you can't get through the door
Say you can't get through the door, no

---

New York Is My Home

The morning came today
With rain and sheets of grey
The subway rocked me out of bed
To take me on my way

Where I go, I go in style
Each and every mile
You know, I'm not alone
New York is my home

I got a girl up in the Proms
She treats me like a king
I'll give her anything she wants
She is my everything

She can be hard as concrete
Soft as a summer breeze
We can wake the dawn
New York is my home

New York is calling me
It's on the phone
It's like the rooftop songs
Up from the cobblestones

You will never hear me say
"The city street's too loud"
I hear a gospel hymn
In every passing crowd

It trails me and it tails me down
To central park
Even after dark
New York is my home

New York is calling me
And now I find
The city never sleeps
It's my state of mind

The breezes blow
And take me where the Hudson never flows
The harbour light shines on the piers
As all young lovers know

I can touch the world
As it sails in from everywhere
I'm not alone
New York is my home

New York is calling me
And now I find
The city never sleeps
It's my state of mind

The breezes blow
And take me where the Hudson never flows
The harbour light shines on the piers
As all young lovers know

I can touch the world
As it sails in from everywhere
I'm not alone
New York is my home

I'm not alone
New York is my home