And the first one tore a picture

of a dead and hanging man

who was kissing foreign fishes

that flew right out from his hands

and when I put my arms around him

felt the blushing blood run through my cheeks

and an eerieness surrounded

when his tongue began to speak

and he said, "oh, boy, you are so pretty,

enough to wrap tight in rice-paper string"

and when I finally kissed him

the whole world began to ring

lost like a bell that's tipping over

with two cracks along both sides

and I knew the world was over

so I took a look outside

and watched the fires that were reaching

up to the weather vanes and the tops of trees

and the waiting scene and the Sunday dream

they're all waiting here for me



Deli markets with their flower stands

and pretty girls and the burning men

hanging out on the hooks

next to window displays

and I took out my tongue

twice removed from my face

across a bridge and across the mountains

threw a nickel in the fountain

to save my soul from all these troubled times

and all the drugs that I don't have the guts to take

to soothe my mind so I'm always sober

always aching, always heading towards

mass suicide, occult figurines

and wasted gas-station attendants

attending to their jobs

and a nice drive in the country

finds a nice cliff to drop off

oh, when this life just gets so grating

all the grittiness of life

but don't take those pills your boyfriend gave you

you're too wonderful to die



And the last one tore a picture

from the pornographic page

and all the pleasure points attacking

all the looks of love were staged

and it's a lie that you've been given

that just hurts you every day

so why should I lie here naked

when it's just too far away

from anything we could call loving

any love worth living for

so I'll sleep out in the gutter

you can sleep here on the floor

and when I wake up in the morning

don't forget to lock the door

'cos with a match that's mean and some gasoline

you won't see me anymore