Nick Cave : Tender Prey

It began when they come took me from my home And put me in Dead Row Of which I am nearly wholly innocent, you know And I'll say it again I am not afraid to die I began to warm and chill To objects and their fields A ragged cup, a twisted mop The face of Jesus in my soup Those sinister dinner deals The meal trolley's wicked wheels A hooked bone rising from my food All things either good or ungood And the mercy seat is waiting And I think my head is burning And in a way I'm yearning To be done with all this measuring of proof An eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth And anyway I told the truth And I'm not afraid to die Interpret signs and catalogue A blackened tooth, a scarlet fog The walls are bad, black, bottom kind They are sick breath at my hind They are sick breath at my hind They are sick breath at my hind They are sick breath gathering at my hind I hear stories from the chamber How Christ was born into a manger And like some ragged stranger Died upon the cross And might I say, it seems so fitting in its way He was a carpenter by trade Or at least that's what I'm told Like my good hand Tattooed EVIL across its brother's fist That filthy five! They did nothing to challenge or resist In Heaven His throne is made of gold The ark of his Testament is stowed A throne from which I'm told All history does unfold Down here it's made of wood and wire And my body is on fire And God is never far away Into the mercy seat I climb My head is shaved, my head is wired And like a moth that tries To enter the bright eye So I go shuffling out of life Just to hide in death awhile And anyway I never lied My kill-hand is called EVIL Wears a wedding band that's GOOD 'Tis a long-suffering shackle Collaring all that devil blood And the mercy seat is burning And I think my head is flowing And in a way I'm hoping To be done with all this weighing up of truth An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth And I've got nothing left to lose And I'm not afraid to die And the mercy seat is waiting And I think my head is burning And in a way I'm yearning To be done with all this measuring of proof An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth And anyway, there was no proof And nor a motive why And the mercy seat is waiting And I think my head is burning And in a way I'm yearning To be done with all this measuring of proof A life for a life and a tooth for a tooth And anyway there was no proof And I'm not afraid to die Now the mercy seat is waiting And I think my head is smoking And in a way I'm hoping To be done with all these looks of disbelief A eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth And anyway I told the truth And I'm not afraid to die And the mercy seat is waiting And I think my head is burning And in a way I'm yearning To be done with all this measuring of proof An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth And anyway I told the truth And I'm not afraid to die And the mercy seat is waiting And I think my head is burning And in a way I'm yearning To be done with all this measuring of proof A eye for a eye and a tooth for a tooth And anyway I told the truth But I'm not afraid to lie And the mercy seat is waiting And I think my head is burning And in a way I'm yearning To be done with all this measuring of proof An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth And anyway I told the truth But I'm afraid I told a lie

Fm

Oh my, oh my, what a wretched life

Cm

I was born on the day that my poor mama died

Fm

I was cut from her belly with a Stanley knife

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My daddy did a jig with the drunk midwife Who's that yonder all in flames Dragging behind him a sack of chains Who's that yonder all in flames Well, up jumped the Devil and he staked his claim on me Oh, poor heart, I was doomed from the start Doomed to play the villain's part I was the baddest Johnny in the apple cart My blood was blacker than the chambers of a dead nun's heart Oh, who's that milling on the courthouse steps Nailing my face to the hitching fence Who's that milling 'round the courthouse steps Up jumped the Devil and off he crept Oh no, oh no, where could I go? With my hump of trouble and my sack of woe To the digs and the deserts of Mexico Where my neck was safer from the lynching rope Who's that yonder laughing at me Like I was the brunt of some hilarity Who's that yonder laughing at me Well up jumped the Devil, one, two, three H-h-h-h-h-how lucky we were We hit the cat-houses and we sampled their wares We got as drunk as a couple of Czars That night I swallowed my lucky stars Who's that dancing on the jailhouse roof Stamping on the ramping with a cloven hoof Who's that dancing on the jailhouse roof Up jumped the Devil and said "Here is your man and I got a proof" Oh no, oh no, don't go, oh, slow down Joe The righteous path is straight as an arrow Take a walk and you'll find it's too narrow Too narrow for the likes of me Who's that hanging from the gallows tree His eyes are plucked but he looks like me Now who's that swinging from the gallows tree Up jumped the Devil and he took my soul from me

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Oh Deanna! Oh Deanna! Oh Deanna! Oh Deanna! Oh Deanna! you know you are my friend now

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G

And I ain't down here for your money I ain't down here for your love I ain't down here for your love or money I'm down here for your soul

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F

There's no carpet on the floor And the winding cloth holds many moths Around your Klu-Klux furniture I come of deaths head in your frock

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We discuss the murder plan We discuss murder and the murder act Murder takes the wheel of your Cadillac

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C

And death climbs in the back

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F

Oh Deanna! Oh oh Deanna Sweet Deanna! Oh oh Deanna Well, this is a car And this is a gun now And this a day number one Oh Deanna

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G

The little crime woven histories Are black and a smoking Christmas trees And honey, it ain't mystery

C

Why you're a mystery to me

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C

We will eat out of their pantries And their parlours Ashy leavings in their beds

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And we'll unload into their heads On this mean season But this little angel that I squeezing

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She ain't been mean to me

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Oh Deanna, oh Deanna! Oh Deanna! You are my friend and my partner On this house on the hill

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G

I ain't down here for your money I ain't down here for your love I ain't down here for your love of money

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I'm down here for your soul

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Oh Deanna! Oh Deanna! I am a-knocking With my toolbox and my stocking Well I'll meet you on the corner And you point it like a finger And squeeze its little things now I hear its kick, hear its bang

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G

And let's not worry about its issue Don't worry about where it's been And don't worry about where it hits

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'Cause it just ain't yours to sin

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Oh Deanna No it just ain't yours to sin Sweet Deanna I ain't getting any younger And I don't intend gettin' any older The sun a hump at my shoulder Oh Deanna

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G

And I ain't down here for your money I ain't down here for your love I ain't down here for your love of money

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I'm down here for your soul

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Alice wakes, it is morning, she is yawning as she walks about the room

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Her hair falls down her breast, she is naked and it is June

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Standing at the window, I wonder if she knows that I can see

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Gm

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Gm

Watching Alice rise year after year

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Gm

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D

Up in her palace she's captive there.

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Bb

Alice's Body is golden brown her hair hangs down

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As she brushes it one hundred times

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First she pulls her stocking on, and then the church bell chimes

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Gm

Alice climbs into her uniform, zippers on the side

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Gm

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Gm

Watching Alice dressing in her room

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D

It's so depressing, it's cruel

I stood in the water In the middle month of winter My camel skin was torture I was in a state of nature The wind, sir, it was wicked And I was so alone And just as I predicted My followers were gone I cried "Mercy" (Mercy on me) Have mercy on me (Mercy on me) And I got down on my knees Crying "Mercy" (Mercy on me) Have mercy on me (Mercy on me) And I got down on my knees Thrown into a dungeon Bread and water was my portion And faith, my only weapon To rest the devil's legion The speak-hole would slide open A viper's voice would plead A voice thick with innuendo Syphilis and Greed And she cried "Mercy" (Mercy on me) Have mercy on me (Mercy on me) I told her to get down on her knees Crying "Mercy" (Mercy on me) Have mercy upon me (Mercy on me) I told her to get down on her knees In a garden full of roses My hands were tied behind me My cousin was working miracles I wondered if he'd find me The moon faced toward me Like a platter made of gold My death, it almost bored me So often was it told And I cried "Mercy" (Mercy on me) Have mercy on me (Mercy on me) And I dropped down to my knees (To my knees) And I cried "Mercy" (Mercy on me) Have mercy on me (Mercy on me) And it put me to my knees (To my knees) Mercy (Mercy on me) Have mercy on me (Mercy on me) And I dropped down on my knees (On my knees) Crying "Mercy" (Mercy on me) Yeah, have mercy on me (Mercy on me) And I got down on my knees (On my knees) Crying "Mercy" (Mercy on me) Oh have mercy, have mercy on me (Mercy on me) And I got down on my knees

You better run, you better run You better run and run and run You better run, you better run You better run and run and run and run and run You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge When you stand before your father In a state of shame Because your robes are covered in mud When you kneel at the feet Of a woman of the street The gutters will run with blood They will run with blood You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge In the days of madness My brother, my sister When you're dragged toward the Hell-mouth You will beg for the end But there ain't gonna be one, friend For the grave will spew you out It will spew you out You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run You'll be working in the darkness Against your fellow man And you'll find you're called to come forth So you'll scrub and you'll scrub Hey but the trouble is, bud The blood it won't wash off No, it won't come off You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge When you stand before your father In a state of shame Because your robes are covered in mud When you kneel at the feet Of some whore off of the street The gutters will run with blood They will run with blood You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run, you better run You better run to the City of Refuge You better run, you better run You better run and run and run and run and run

Darling, that morning you chose to go I woke in my boots and clothes You dig in my cards, stole all my cash Even my 500 dollar suit was slashed And I just lay there watching the sun fall down from the sky Not wanting to open the letter But opening it anyway And seeing those two words Lover, lover, goodbye So slowly goes the night Next to me lies your body Playing like a map of some forbidden land And I trace the ghost of your bones with my trembling hand Dark is my night and darker is my day, yeah I must have been blind, out of my mind I never never saw the warning sign How goes it? It goes lonely It goes slowly So slowly goes the night Ten lonely days ten, lonely nights Come, I watch the moon get flayed each night Till the moon becomes the skinning knife The skins of my sins I send to cover and comfort you I know of a heaven But honey, I know of a hell, yeah I hang my head I toss in my bed I never never forget the words you said One evening "I'm leaving" And I laughed and checked her breathing And said darling "Go slowly through the night" See Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Live O baby I feel the heal of time And it hurts I wake to find you sitting right there Cutting tangles out of your hair Singing a song that's all wrong Hey, but that's all right, I don't care Darling I'm sorry For all your misery Yeah I reach out and embrace An empty space A song that slowly slowly fades Where goes it? It goes someplace It goes somewhere where it's lonely And black as the night Come on home, lets put things right Put things right I hang my head and cry, cry, cry Darling all night I try To seize on a reason for this mad, mad season The nights they are so long now I can't remember them being light Call it sleep, call it death, call it what you like But only sleep, only sleep brings you back to life, yeah I hang my head I toss and I sweat I never, never, never can forget How goes it? Well I'm going Baby slowly slowly goin' And we both know that its gonna be alright It ain't you that has to cry, cry, cry, mmm Ten lonely days Ten lonely nights O since you left my side, side, side

Sunday's got a slave Monday has got one too Sunday's got a slave Monday has got one too Our sufferings are countless And our pleasures are motley few Spend all day digging my grave Now go get Sunday's slave Tuesday sleeps in a stable Wednesday's in chains Tuesday gathers up the crumbs under the table Wednesday dare not complain My heart has collapsed on the tracks of a run-a-way train Just whisper his name And here comes Sunday's slave The hands in the stable are willing and able to pay If you feel at a loss, man, as to who is the boss-man Ask the blood of one of its bad days I'm nervous to serve but the service is a fucking mockery He insists that he piss in your fist But he still takes the money anyway The master's a bastard But don't tell Sunday's slave Thursday's angered the master OK, so Friday's gonna pay Thursday's angered the master Yeah, so Friday's gonna pay One night on the rack and he's back saddling up Saturday You can only whisper his name But not on Sundays Never on Sundays No, not Sunday's slave

Sugar Sugar Sugar, that man is bad The road he drives you down, sugar, it's a drag The road it twists. That road is crossed Down that road a lot of little girls go lost Sugar Sugar Sugar, keep on driving on Until the City of Right becomes the City of Wrong Man, that stretch is long, you'll sleep and slide That stretch will find you gagged and tied Sugar sugar sugar, that assembly of sand Like a lamb to a knife you followed him in He will laugh and hang your sheets to see The tokens of your virginity You'll be his queen for the night But the morning you'll wake With the Lords and high ladies Of the bottom of the lake Sugar sugar, honey you're so sweet But beside you baby nothing can complete Sugar sugar sugar, honey you're so sweet But beside you baby a bad man sleeps You better pray baby Pray baby, pray baby You better pray You better pray, baby Pray, baby, pray baby You better pray You better pray baby Pray baby, pray baby You better pray Honey, you better pray baby Pray baby, pray baby You better pray Get down on your knees and pray Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on Oh come on, come on, come on, come on, come on Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on Sugar sugar sugar, that man is bad And that's the bottom, baby, coming right up ahead You can smell his fear You can smell his love As he wipes his mouth on your altar cloth Sugar sugar sugar, try to understand I'm an angel of God, I'm your guardian He smells your innocence And like a dog he comes And like all the dogs he is, I shut him down Sugar sugar sugar, I can't explain Must I kill that cocksucker everyday You better pray baby Pray baby, pray baby You better pray You better pray baby Pray baby, pray baby You better pray, daddy You better pray baby Pray baby, pray baby You better pray, you better pray You better pray baby Pray baby, pray baby You better pray, cause your daddy he ain't far away You better pray baby Pray baby, pray baby You better pray, your daddy he ain't far away You better pray baby Pray baby, pray baby You better pray, your daddy come to take you away You better pray baby Pray baby, pray baby You better pray, get down on your knees and pray You better pray baby Pray baby, pray baby You better pray, your daddy he ain't far away You better pray baby Pray baby, pray baby You better pray, prey baby, tender prey You better pray baby Pray baby, pray baby You better pray Tender prey, baby, tender prey You better pray baby Pray baby, pray baby You better pray

One morn I awakened A new sun was rising The sky was a Kingdom All covered in blood The moon and the stars Where the troops that lay conquered Like fruit left to wither Poor spiritual food And the spears of the bright sun All brave with its conquest Did hover unearthly With banners of fire I knelt in the garden Awash with the dawning And a voice came so brightly I covered my eyes Thank you for giving This bright new morning So steeped seemed the evening In darkness and blood Let there be no sadness No sorrow Let there be no road too narrow There'll be a new day Oh yes it's today For us I thank you for giving This bright new morning So steeped seemed the evening In darkness and blood Let there be no sadness No sorrow There be no road too narrow There'll be a new day Oh yes it's today For us

Nick Cave : Tender Prey
1988

Mercy Seat

Up Jumped The Devil

Deanna

Watching Alice

Mercy

City Of Refuge

Slowly Goes The Night

Sunday's Slave

Sugar Sugar Sugar

New Morning

Nick Cave : Tender Prey 1988