red (elegy)

my love is like a red, red rose
snake on her shoulder and a ring in her nose
sleepin it off in her swaddlin clothes
innocent as she lies

i don't know where she come from
hangin with dealers and slick-back scum
dreamin of a summer that never comes
and waitin for me to die

she is the daughter of the joshua tree
long time losers and o.g. wannabes
mama's in the corn and the fields are fallow
soul needs savin but i'm too damned shallow

sweet maria she's a pretty little nine
kicks like a mule but she barks just fine
i ain't cleaned her in a mighty long time
takin her out tonight

dip her in a bucket of kerosene
mr. rogers on my t.v. screen
friendliest sucker i ever seen
we are precious in his sight

cause we are the children of the joshua tree
longtime losers and o.g. wannabes
mama's in the corn and the fields are barren
roof needs fixin but i'm way past carin

ophelia's drownded in the cold, cold flood
a thorn by any other name draws blood
deep red drops on a scarlet bud
daddy we comin home

we don't know where home lies now
but we'll turn up there some damned how
drawn to the barn and the busted plow
and the graves all overgrown

we are the children of the joshua tree
longtime losers and o.g. wannabes
mama's in the corn and the field's been trampled
you can't reason with a soul in shambles

© 1995 David Robert Carter (BMI), administered by Tracy Grammer Music

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