Last Year's Man
The rain falls down on last year's manThat's a Jew's harp on the table, that's a crayon in his handAnd the corners of the blueprint are ruined since they rolledFar past the stems of thumbtacks that still throw shadows on the woodAnd the skylight is like skin for a drum I'll never mendAnd all the rain falls down, AmenOn the works of last year's man
I met a lady, she was playing with her soldiers in the darkOne by one she had to tell them that her name was Joan of ArcI was in that army, yes I stayed a little whileI want to thank you, Joan of Arc, for treating me so wellAnd though I wear a uniform, I was not born to fightAll these wounded boys you lie besideGoodnight, my friends, goodnight
I came upon a wedding that old families had contrivedBethlehem the bridegroom, Babylon the brideGreat Babylon was naked, oh she stood there trembling for meAnd Bethlehem inflamed us both, like the shy one at some orgyAnd when we fell together all our flesh was like a veilThat I had to draw aside to seeThe serpent eat its tail
Some women wait for Jesus, and some women wait for CainSo I hang upon my altar and hoist my axe againAnd I take the one who finds me back to where it all beganWhen Jesus was the honeymoon and Cain was just the manAnd we read from pleasant bibles that are bound in blood and skinBut the wilderness is gatheringAll its children back again
The rain falls down on last year's manAn hour has gone by and he has not moved his handBut everything will happen if he only gives the wordThe lovers will rise up and the mountains touch the groundAnd the skylight is like skin for a drum I'll never mendAnd all the rain falls down, AmenOn the works of last year's man