Never Enough
©1987 Andrew Calhoun, recorded on The Gates of Love and Phoenix Envy.
Whatever I have, it is never enough
Glide on smooth water and make it rough
Own my own home and think it strange
Sit in my kitchen, wait for life to change
Out in my garden grow peaches and berries
Up in the chimney live goblins and fairies
Out by the rock by the water running
Out by the rock by the lizard sunning
I want to be free, not another dull tragedy,
Come with me, I have seen the fields
Come with me, I have seen the fields
We walked two by two by eight, but the sun driving down
And the candy we ate made us ugly and mad
Left us walking alone
In the dead zone
Life came to visit, he was big in size
He sat and he broke my chair and he told me lies
About the income tax and his other facts
His coat was manifold, his manner bleak and gay
He stuttered easily and he rose and he died away
Death came to visit, it was small in size
And it spoke mo truth and it told no lies
And it spoke no words but two blackbirds flew out of its cape
In trying to escape, they bang the windowpane, bang the windowpane
Bang the windowpane, blackbirds blackbirds, bang the windowpane
Bang the windowpane, bang the windowpane,
I am in the race, you are in the race
We are God's own, we are no disgrace
Cast your vote upon the water,
Cast your vote upon the rage,
Send your note up to the stage
This is your place
This is my place
Get that gong out of my face
Get that gong out of my face,
gong gong gong gong, going gong gong gong gong gong gong
Give me shooboopadoo, give me shoobopadee,
Get my home run city out of slavery
We were drunk in love, we were tip to bow
We were high and full, but we are sober now
We are sober now
We know many things
They have made us weak
We have many friends with whom we do not speak
We have many sorrows which we cannot cry
We are still in darkness though we can't see why
Though we can't see why
God is after you, Henry
And I hear he's mad
I heard him on the back porch
Talking to your dad
He said he's tired of ya
Running around his yard
Playing hide and seek
You'd better stay on guard
God is wearing an old blue hat
And some baggy pants
He's staking out the neighborhood
You haven't got a chance
Here he comes, Henry, the Great Forgiver
To unwind your bowels and pluck out your liver
I will make a shield, Henry
With my little sister
We'll go up to God and we'll say
"Hey, Mister
Where's the barbershop
Where's the barbershop
We need a little off the top
Can you direct us to the barbershop?"
And if you get safe, Henry
If you escape Hell's door
We still don't like you
Don't come around no more
There's not much I want, just to make amends
With a former lover and a couple of friends
By a happy fire, on a little hill
I would like to read my will
Tell a little story, and pass through glory
With a hand in a hand in a hand in a hand in a hand
But I fear for my children, and seeing them damned
I wait for the gang to come to the door
Or the police to come
With guns on their hips
Lies to sign
Slavery
The will be no one, only many
On a rack that goes around and breaks our backs across the ground
And again the sound,
Unknown to the guard who stands outside
So pale and grim and strong and stupid
Send me back to Ethiopia
Send me back to Madrid,
I want to see my sister again
Give me shooboopadoo, give me shoobopadee,
Get my home run city out of slavery
We were drunk in love, we were tip to bow
We were high and full, but we are sober now
Whatever I have, it is never enough
Glide on smooth water and make it rough
Own my own home and think it strange
Sit in my kitchen, wait for life to change