Orpheus Descending Album Lyrics by John Mellencamp

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Hey God

Weapons and guns, are they really my rights?
Laws written a long time ago
No one could imagine the sight
Of so many dead on the floor

Hey God, if you're still there
Would you please come down?
Hey God, if you're still there
Would you please come down?

So what do you really have in mind for us now?
We know that you're not on our side
A few words of wisdom written down
Ain't enough to sustain us anymore

Hey God, if you're still there
Would you please come down?
Hey God, if you're still there
Would you please come down?
We can't take it no more

Some cannot live inside the law
Not much has changed here at all
I see the sun's really going down
This is not the Garden of Eden for sure

Hey God, if you're still there
Would you please come down?
Hey God, if you're still there
Would you please come down?
We can't take it here anymore
We can't take it no more

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The Eyes of Portland

As I saw through the eyes of Portland one day
There were so many homeless, they'd all gone astray
They slept on the corners during the day
As not to be harmed when the sun went away

There were old ones and young ones, white ones and black
They were all shapes and sizes with rags on their backs
So many people mixed up in this stew
With no place to go and nothing to do

All of these homeless, where do they come from?
In this land of plenty where nothing gets done
To help those who are empty and unable to run
Your tears and prayers won't help the homeless

Some are mentally ill, some are higher than kites
Selling their bodies as day turns to night
Where are their loved ones, does anyone care?
To be lost and alone in the middle of nowhere

All of these homeless, where do they come from?
In this land of plenty where nothing gets done
To help those who are empty and unable to run
Your tears and prayers won't help the homeless

What will it take for this country to see
For the grace of God go they and not you and me
The fallen and forgotten, who are down on their knees
Living here in the gutters in this land of the free

All of these homeless, where do they come from?
In this land of plenty where nothing gets done
To help those who are empty and unable to run
Your tears and prayers won't help the homeless
Your tears and prayers won't help the homeless

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The So-Called Free

I went to Long Island
To look at a diamond ring
It sparkled so bright in the window
But to me it didn't mean a thing
Both of us are sailors
And our words were noise on a wing
Some lovers would buy it
And call it their wedding ring

And you recognize the danger
That you saw inside of me
So we both took a different road home
And said "Hello" and "Goodbye"
To the land of the so-called free

Now you got some change
Jingling around in your purse
You used to call me a mean ol' daddy
But what made matters worse
You were just as crazy
Just as crazy as me
Two monsters laid out naked
Don't make no family

And we both saw the danger
Like the skin across our skinned-up knees
We we're both worthless as money
In the land of the so-called free

A relative of mine
Took a gun to his head
"Life's just too boring"
Is what his little note said
A permanent solution
To a temporary thought
No heroes nowhere
No dreams could be caught

He recognized the danger
So no happiness please
He was just getting even with someone
In the land of the so-called free

There's a song you could sing
When you're feeling down
Has a sweet little melody
To take away your frown
It's sort of repetitious
Says something about being free
Seems to make sense to a lot of people
But it makes no sense to me

I recognize the danger
Of all these false prophecies
Just leaning on a cane on the corner
In the land of the so-called free
In the land of the so-called free

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The Kindness of Lovers

There's only two cigarettes that matter
The first one and the last one you smoke
The kind of smoke that gets in your eyes
The kind of smoke that makes you choke

There's only two kinds of lovers
The kind you love and the ones you love even more
But the rest are just something you'll do
And they're the ones that always walk out the door

They want very little from you
They're happy to be with in your company
There's just two kinds of lovers
Lovers like you and me
Lovers like we used to be

I once talked to Jesus
He was sitting on the concrete on the street
He was playing both ends against the middle
And this is what he said to me

"Putting one man's opinion
Against another man's is just a joke
And look at the mess you all have made around here
Someday I'm afraid you'll give up hope"

They want very little from you
They're happy with your company
Just two kinds of lovers
Lovers like you and me
Lovers like we used to be, yeah

I wish I had a little more time
Ah, I'd just waste it anyway
A dollar, a dime what makes the difference
When it comes to the end of the day?

Most things are unforgivable
Cruelty by the human hand
And the lies that we tell just to cover ourselves
And not to say I love you when you can

Because they want very little from you
They're happy with your company
Just two kinds of lovers
Lovers like you and me
Lovers like we used to be

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Amen

This is a rough place
To find a seat
This life is a confusion play
With conflict after conflict
Day after day
Amen is all I got to say

There are people out in the alleys
There are people across this land
There's sadness across this country
With people who just don't give a damn
We continue on with the sickness
Like we have so many times before
Amen, and amen, and shut the door

You can blame it on the weather
Or simply on the day
Rough times are here to stay

There are women who have suffered
By the back of many man's hands
There are people who have disgraced themselves
Keeping their heads in the sand
And the greed of the three piece suit
With their signatures and weapons in their hands
Say amen, and amen
That's all we got to say

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Orpheus Descending

Well, you can't go here
And you can't go there
The police say
You can't go anywhere
Can't make it up to Heaven
We got no place to land
Guns and war
And clubs in their hand

Do you think we'll see the light
Before the blood hits the street?
I don't care what they say
If there's a will
There's got to be a way
If there's a will
There's always a f*cking way

There's a broke down shack
Out on alphabet street
Take a streetcar named "Desire"
If you can take the heat
There's a yellow haired snake
That can get us in for free
With her gaslight stories
And a body like you wouldn't believe

Do you think we'll see the light
Before the blood hits the street?
I don't care what they say
If there's a will
There's got to be a way
If there's a will
There's always a f*cking way

We got a weasel in the pot
Filthy romance all around
Orpheus is descending
On the hellish side of town
Let's try to get ourselves
A front row seat
Orpheus and what's her name
This is gonna be sweet

Darkness has found us
With the blood up to our knees
I don't care what they say
If there's a will
There's got to be a way
If there's a will
There's always a f*cking way

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Understated Reverence

In the understated reverence
Of the eight-ball now
Maybe it's the weather
Or the roads we're crossing somehow
Listen to Bukka White
Playing his twelve string guitar
In the understated reverence
Where we find out who we really are

In the understated reverence
We're all safe in your room
The fragileness of your presence
That never came too soon
And the White River keeps flowing
Way out with the sheets
In the understated reverence
Is where the two sides can meet

You can blame it all on tomorrow
And let your time slip away
Blame it all on your brothers
But then get out of the way
He'll come down on you like thunder
Make you dig your own grave

The understated reverence
Just another name for judgement day

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One More Trick

So they finally got that noose around my neck
It makes no difference to me now
I knew they'd win, on that you can bet
But I got one more trick up my sleeve

One more trick up my sleeve
Just one more trick before I leave
I got one more trick up my sleeve

Been told what to do my whole life
And this world has run me all around
Maybe yes, maybe no
But I got one more trick up my sleeve

One more trick up my sleeve
One more trick before I leave
I got one more trick up my sleeve

So they finally got that noose around my neck
Makes no difference to me now
I knew they'd win, on that you can bet
Got one more trick up my sleeve

One more trick up my sleeve
Just one more trick before I leave
One more trick up my sleeve
I got one more trick up my sleeve

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Lightning and Luck

Well, lightning won't come and see me
He said he's never ever coming back
This world is too full of cowards
And I could not disagree with that
He was very busy counting up his money
Money he'd made at all costs
Made from those who protect us
Over the wars that they have lost

So use whatever you've got
To get whatever you want
You don't have to look too hard to notice
We could use a little lightning and luck

Heroes, we have many
They stand up for us when we are blind
We've built towns and roads and statues
And sang their songs that did not rhyme
The future just does not matter
Tongues are wagging about the past
Saying anything to get power
A tawdry power that will never last

So use whatever you've got
To get whatever you want
You don't have to look too hard to notice
That we need a little lightning and luck

Well, there's trouble out on Main Street
With all the gunplay every day
Shooting out the windows
Where all the children go to play
It doesn't seem to matter much
Hell, we all gotta go sometime
We've been looking behind this curtain so long
But nothing there is worth a dime

So use whatever you've got
To get whatever you want
You don't have to look too hard to notice
That we need a little lightning and luck

Well, I took a walk just to look around
To see what I've seen my whole life
Our vanities and confusion
And people believe they have rights
And they spit at me when I told them
That the rights we thought we had are all gone
But no one seemed to notice or care
They lost 'em all in a deal somewhere

So use whatever you've got
To get whatever you want
You don't have to look too hard to notice
That we need a little lightning and luck

Just because we think so
Doesn't make it true
It's just what we think
It comes down to what we'll do
And I'm aware that this is obvious
But actions mean a lot
We need to keep a grip on our emotions
Or else we'll all be lost

So use whatever you've got
To get whatever you want
You don't have to look too hard to notice
That we need a little lightning and luck
We could all use some lightning and luck

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Perfect World

Every lover would get a rose on Valentine's Day
And every stray dog would find its way
I'd be in your arms tonight with your ease
Instead of at your doorstep on my knees
In a perfect world
In a nearly perfect world

The passing days absolve all our sins
In the cool of the evening, the losing team wins
How to count my lack of trust
And the mess I made of us
In a perfect world
In a nearly perfect world

When you held me, I could not fall
When we walked together, we walked tall
When you locked me in your arms, I felt so free
When I looked in your eyes, I saw what I thought would be
A perfect world
Nearly perfect world

The harshness of the day would be broken by rain
Shattered hearts would come together again
We'd have the guts to let our love stand
I'd never let you slip through my hands
In a perfect world
In a nearly perfect world
In a perfect world
In a nearly perfect world

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Backbone

As the days grow a little bit shorter
And our sights grow dim
It seems to matter to me
The lies we've been fed
The corruption and the hatred
We've lived through our whole lives
Will haunt us forever
Morning, noon, and night

Let me lean on my backbone
So I'll still have my pride
When they lay me down
To die

Well, I've been here on this Earth
Seventy odd years
Seen the best and the worst
That we have here
I've loved and I've won
But lost most of the time
I hope there was happiness
I could share sometime

Let me lean on my backbone
So I'll still have my pride
When they lay me down
To die

Well, the truth has always been
Right here in front of my nose
Plain truth is something
That's very hard to know
I have myself to blame
For covering my ears and my eyes
And ignoring the truth
Every time I've lied

Let me lean on my backbone
So I'll still have my pride
When they lay me down
To die

So, in conclusion
At the end of it all
I hope I've learned something
Probably nothing at all
And that's about as good
As one's life can get
So I'll try to be better
With what time I have left

Let me lean on my backbone
So I'll still have my pride
When they lay me down
To die
When they lay me down here
To die