Jokerman (Springtime In New York)

Standing on the waters casting your bread
While the eyes of the idol with the iron head are glowing
Distant ships sailing into the mist
You were born with a snake in both of your fists while a hurricane was blowing
Freedom just around the corner for you
But with truth so far off, what good will it do?

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman

So swiftly the sun sets in the sky
You rise up and say goodbye to no one
No store-bought shirt for you on your back
One of the women must sit in the shack and sew one

Shedding off one more layer of skin
Keeping one step ahead of the persecutor within

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman

You’re a man of the mountains, you can walk on the clouds
Manipulator of crowds, you’re a dream twister
You’re going to Sodom and Gomorrah
But what do you care? Ain’t nobody there would want to marry your sister
Scratchin’ the world with a fine-tooth comb
You’re a king among nations, you’re a stranger at home

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman

Now, the Book of Leviticus and Deuteronomy
The law of the jungle and the sea are your only teachers
No crystal ball do you need on your shelf
Michelangelo himself could’ve carved out your features
So drunk, standin’ in the middle of the street
Directing traffic with a small dog at your feet


Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman

Well, the Preacherman talking about the deaf and the dumb
And the world to come that’s already been predetermined

Nightsticks and water cannons, tear gas, and padlocks
Molotov cocktails and rocks can’t drown out his sermon
You let the wicked walk right into a trap
You give away all the good things that fall in your lap


Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman

It’s a shadowy world, skies are slippery grey
A woman just gave birth to a prince today and she’s dressed in scarlet
He’ll turn priests into pimps, and make old men bark
Take a woman who could’ve been Joan of Arc and turn her into a harlot

Oh, Jokerman, you know what he wants
Oh, Jokerman, you don’t show any response

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman

Standing on the water casting your bread
While the eyes of the idol with the iron head are glowing
Distant ships sailing into the mist
You were born with a snake in both of your fists while a hurricane was blowing
Freedom just around the corner for you
But with truth so far off, what good will it do?

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman

So swiftly the sun sets in the sky
You rise up and say goodbye to no one
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
Both of their futures, so full of dread, you don’t show one

Shedding off one more layer of skin
Keeping one step ahead of the persecutor within

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman

You’re a man of the mountains, you can walk on the clouds
Manipulator of crowds, you’re a dream twister
You’re going to Sodom and Gomorrah
But what do you care? Ain’t nobody there would want to marry your sister
A friend to the martyr, a friend to the woman of shame
You look into the fiery furnace, see the rich man without any name


Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman

Well, the Book of Leviticus and Deuteronomy
The law of the jungle and the sea are your only teachers
In the smoke of the twilight on a milk-white steed
Michelangelo indeed could’ve carved out your features
Resting in the fields, far from the turbulent space
Half asleep near the stars with a small dog licking your face

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman

Well, the rifleman’s stalking the sick and the lame
Preacherman seeks the same, who’ll get there first is uncertain
Nightsticks and water cannons, tear gas, padlocks
Molotov cocktails and rocks behind every curtain
False-hearted judges dying in the webs that they spin
Only a matter of time ’til night comes steppin’ in


Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman

It’s a shadowy world, skies are slippery grey
A woman just gave birth to a prince today and dressed him in scarlet
He’ll put the priest in his pocket, put the blade to the heat
Take the motherless children off the street and place them at the feet of a harlot
Oh, Jokerman, you know what he wants
Oh, Jokerman, you don’t show any response

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman

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Union Sundown (April or May 1983)

This is a studio outtake from the Infidels sessions.

Well, the drug dealers are making big profits
Oh yeah, they say times were tough for a while
When the Russians bomb Las Vegas
They’ll be on a desert isle
And them big manufacturers are starvin’ though
Their profits are down beyond belief
Goin’ to have to send them a care package
Or make it food relief

We need a man in a mask in the White House
Who’s got no name or important ties
Just as long as he understands the shape of things to come
He can stay there till he dies
Got to be an invisible man
Not a front man for some diseased cause
Certainly not a union man, an independent man
Not a man tied to social laws

¯_(ツ)_/¯

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