Gov't Mule Album

Hey can I tell you a little story
About a bad man looking for glory
Oh he wasn't such a bad man
But he kindly let his fame seep into his brain

Hey can I tell you a little secret
You see the bad man he was a lot like me
Oh he had a little wisdom
But he traded it away for a fifteen-minute reign

Bad man walking
Bad man
Bad tongue talking

Hey can you spare a little sympathy
'Cause right now I think it's what I really need
Oh do you think you really know yourself
Are you sure what you might do if the choice was up to you

Bad man walking
Bad man
Bad tongue talking

Bad man walking
Bad man
Bad tongue talking
Bad man

Bad man walking
Bad man
Bad tongue talking

Hesitation is a hole in the head
And contradiction buys you time
A battle worth winning is a battle worth losing
Sometimes revolution is kind

We can stop and pray for rain
Or we can march and beat the drum
But the storm's about to rage

He who speaks loudly will surely be heard
But a whisper cannot be ignored
Heaven and hell are one and the same
When desperation's all you can afford

Knowing all along
The truth will overcome
And the storm's about to rage
About to rage

Anger and tears
Will wash away our fears

Some pages in history will surely be burned
Revisions are not always wrong
Time to discover what's really, really, really right
Instead of what makes us feel strong

Blood is on your hands
But it's what the part demands
The storm's about to rage
About to rage
Storm's about to rage
About to rage

Hesitation is a hole in the head

Serene - what a dream
A pillow to rest your weary bones
Recharge - redefine
Time to repaint the lines
Change your world - it's time
Life's around the corner, death's grip is far behind
Life can be sweet, wounds can start to heal

Stay and be destroyed - move and be renewed
Grow or wither - it's all up to you

None of us has built a perfect shelter

Don't christen me with your condescending laughter
Don't, don't, don't put me in a box
Don't forget I once knew a few things about you too
I think you'll see, life can be quite the paradox

Stay and be destroyed - move and be renewed
Grow or wither - it's all up to you

None of us has built a perfect shelter
None of us has built a perfect shelter

Stay and be destroyed - move and be renewed
Grow or wither - it's all up to you

None of us has built a perfect shelter
None of us has built a perfect shelter

None of us has built a perfect shelter
None of us has built a perfect shelter

So you thought you could handle it - yeah didn't they all
So look at the shape that you're in
But fools never compromise - they go out in flames
So out with the old, in with the new
What in the world has happened to you

What goes on in that little toy brain
Who'll sweep out the wreckage, who'll sing the refrain
And after the smoke clears - is there anything left
Did you wash it all away

So you cried like a baby asking for more - still you don't know where you've been
Ain't it high time you woke up, took a good look around
You're killing yourself - damning your soul - all in the name of sweet rock and roll

What goes on in that little toy brain
Who'll sweep out the wreckage, who'll sing the refrain
And after the smoke clears - is there anything left
Did you wash it all away

"Hold me, I'm lonely," you say to yourself
The only one who will listen now
So what does it mean when you finally explain you were never good at apologies

I've got some pride left, but it's plain to see
It's been earmarked for emergency
So what ever happened to your blind faith - did it crumble away
Like me, like me

What goes on in that little toy brain
Who'll sweep out the wreckage, who'll sing the refrain
And after the smoke clears - is there anything left
Did you wash it all away

Did you wash it all away
Did you wash it all away
Tell me what goes on in that little toy brain

Babies were crying when you got here
I believe they're crying still
The world as we know it keeps right on turning
I guess it always will

Still, something's changed - I hate to admit it
I ain't been the same since you came around
My mind is swollen from the weariness
Wish you'd never flagged me down

Twisted angel, cast out of some strange heaven
Sent down here to pull me out of my shell
You show up on my doorstep - honey dripping from your mouth
Like some slackjaw Jezebel

Flesh and bones is all I'm made of
I couldn't have stopped you if I tried
The spell you wer casting - way too heavy
Now I can't be satisfied

But you think you're going to save me - you better think again
I've had saviors galore
And although you are a vision - an angel wrapped in sin
I've seen it all before

Twisted angel, cast out of some strange heaven
Sent down here, landed on my window sill
Now you're walking through my back door - honey dripping from your mouth
Like some slackjaw Jezebel

You've got your bag of dust and your divining rod
I wonder how I got myself here
Wheel's spinning faster and I know I have to jump off
Guess I'm weighing the fire against the fear

You spoon-fed my ego, made me feel so young
Kissed me 'til my lips were sore
But I know you're just a Jezebel with a poisonous tongue
I've been down this road before

I'ts full of twisted angels, cast out of some strange heaven
Sent down here to put me through Hell
You show up on my doorstep - honey dripping from your mouth
Like some slackjaw Jezebel
Oh like some slackjaw Jezebel

Desiree's in disarray waiting for her angels to come
Where she used to feel the weight of a thousand lifetimes
Now she just feels numb
But there was a time when her beauty raised the eyebrows of the town
Any man would gladly give up all he had just to take Desiree down

She stares out the window at the world passing by
She is caught beneath the wheel
Too heavy to lift - she feels too weak to try
People stare like strangers where once she might've asked them in
To fill the void where her heart once was
Now she just fills her glass again
And again

And she walks the floor less traveled
Thinks of a sad melody
Wine and blood don't mix like they used to
Now they just make a memory
Too many years trying to do the right thing for the wrong man
Now the picture is clear
She drinks and she cries and she hides from the past
'Cause the truth is more bitter than the tears

All these half-truths and alibis help build a wall of denial
She takes comfort in the night - darkness blocks the light
From falling on her aging smile
Grey befalls her halo where there once was a golden mane
And her eyes don't shine like they used to
Without the moon, the sun would be in vain

So she walks the floor less traveled
Thinks of a sad melody
Wine and blood dont mix like they used to
Now they just make a memory
Too many years trying to the right thing for the wrong man
Now the picture is clear
She drinks and she cries and she hides from the past
'Cause the truth is more bitter than the tears

She puts on h er make-up - though no one's seen her for days
Her silence is a lonely cry
She's trapped inside a maze
Her tears have turned to honey, drawing the black flies of depression
Desiree's in disarray waiting for her angels again

Don't make me beg - well maybe just a little
But please don't make me crawl
What you got, baby, is killing me
Making me ten feet tall
My southern pride is all in a tizzy
Weak in my knees
My head is spinning - I'm feeling kind of dizzy
Guess I'm begging please

Lola leave your light on
I said Lola leave your red light on
Lola leave your light on
I said Lola leave your red light on

Don't tease me - well maybe just a little
Don't tantalize my heart
It's hard to know where the torture ends
And where the pleasure starts
I can taste the pain - I can feel the fire
Seep into my soul
Mother Mary, I said please forgive me
I'm about to lose control

Lola leave your light on
I said Lola leave your red light on
Lola leave your light on
I said Lola leave your red light on

Smooth operator - playing a little bit rough
How'd you know I like it that way
We can come together if I call your bluff
Wash our sins away
Shadows dancing on your bedroom wall - caution to the wind
Wolves are howling outside your door
Oh you better let them in

Lola leave your light on
I said Lola leave your red light on
Lola leave your light on
I said Lola leave your red light on Lola leave your light on
I said Lola leave your red light on
Lola leave your light on
I said Lola leave your red light on

Hey, what's the use - daily excuse
And what's it all mean to me
Pride pushed aside - thanks for the ride
More is in store, you'll see

Hey, we're all trapped in a silent scream

Life's worth the price - don't you think twice
Just 'cause it's unjust to you
Why not rejoice - what's the other choice
When death, like your dreams, will come soon

Hey, we're all trapped in a silent scream
Hey, we're all trapped in a silent scream

Search for the truth - no one has proof
But faith is all you need to believe

Hey, we're all trapped in a silent scream
Hey, we're all trapped in a silent scream
Hey, we're all trapped in a silent scream
Hey, we're all trapped in a silent scream

In the whiskey hours
I sit mourning
But the morning brings no consolation
Sun is rising - sky is yawning
But the new day brings no celebration
No celebration
Reminds me life is hard
Here in my back yard

And I lie awake
And I stare at the sky
And my life passes by
And I lie here suffering, wondering
How long, how long

In a sea of silence
I lay wondering
But with it comes no real solution
Dreams die young
In this world of violence
Just to be betrayed by revolution-revolution
Still my life is hard here in my back yard

And I lie awake
And I stare at the sky
And my life passes by
And I lie here suffering, wondering
How long, how long

We are only the beginning here
None of us will reach the end
So hold me close like an angel
With your breath draw me in
Feel me swim through your bloodstream
Hear my voice - soft but clear
After today things will never be the same
I'm sorry for you, my dear

In a world of darkness
We are surrounded - surrounded by eternity
We reach out but no love abounds us
Guess we traded it for sanity
Meanwhile life is hard here in my back yard

And I lie awake
And I stare at the sky
And my life passes by
And I lie here suffering, wondering
How long, how long

In the whiskkey hours
I sit mourning
But the morning brings no consolation
Sun is rising - sky is yawning
But the new day brings no celebration

How much more can we ignore the voices
How much longer can we keep our h eads in the sand
Can't you hear me - don't you even hear me
I'm screaming as loud as I can
Can't you hear me, Mr. Man

There's no concern for the people dying
There's more concern for keeping the upper hand
In their faces - we're laughing in their faces
And you still don't understand
Why they hate you, Mr. Man

You better get ready
I said ready
Time to get ready

Can you see that day when your world starts crumbling
Can yous ee that day when you meet your maker again
Will he be like you - do you think he's really like you
You can bet your soul depends
On that, Mr. Man It's time to get ready
I said ready
You better get ready

Children in the playground, laughing and dancing in the street
All the colors of the rainbow - wrapped in childlike harmony
Me, I'm not laughing - I see things only as they were
When I first needed you - yeah, when I first needed you

Cars passing by - representing my life
I ain't old but I ain't young enough to cry like a baby
And I'm so scared but I won't tell you for fear you'll hate me more
Tough on the outside, tough on the outside - yeah, tough all over

Coulds go rollin' by as I lay floatin' in a stream of semi-consciousness
I'll follow it 'til the end or at least 'til I drown in my separate reality
Sorry there's only room for me

I used to have an angel - she took care of everything
Yeah, so sometimes we cried - maybe more than most, but so what
We shared everything - even some things we should not have shared
Like my separate reality - now there's only room for me

I walk among the criminals and I pray among the saints
And somewhere in between I try to scrape off this war paint
It's cold in here in the corner of my soul - so dark and lonely
Oh but I ain't never gonna let go

Children in the playground - laughing and dancing in the street
All the colors of the rainbow - wrapped in childlike harmony
Me, I'm not laughing or dancing - I see things only as they were
When I first needed you - yeah, when I first needed you

I used to have everything - now you won't even talk to me, but that's alright
'Cause I've got a new friend and her name is tattooed across my chest
And she won't let me down - 'cause I ain't never, never gonna let her in
Tough on the outside, tough on the outside - and it's surely tough
In my separate reality - sorry there's only room for me
In my separate reality - sorry there's only room for me, for me
Sorry there's only room for me

Life is not a compromise
Though it often turns to this
Unintended suicide
As if our fate's sealed with a kiss

We're all taught to rise above
Can't let ourselves be hurt by love

So tell me what I have to lose
I am ready to feel these new world blues

Dreams are only of a new world
Instead of making this one right
But "run away" is not the answer
Still we all want to take flight

Never knowing what we seek
We think our pain is so unique

So tell me what I have to lose
I am ready to feel these new world blues

Heroes are not to cry
So hold your head up high
The future is ours to see
So come on and rescue me

So tell me what I have to lose
I am ready to feel these new world blues

So tell me what I have to lose
I am ready to feel these new world blues

Life is not a compromise