Did She Mention My Name

Boss man boss man what do ya say
I gotta get you alone in the mine some day
Boss man boss man turn it around
If you don't look away how can i sit down
Look at this load upon my back
Gotta get this wheel back on the track
I can't hold on but i can't let go
And i can't say yes i can't say 'no'

Holes in my pockets and holes in my shoes
If you're ready for me i'm ready for you
The company plan takes all my pay
Got a child in july and another last may

Boss man boss man what do ya say
Gonna get you alone in the mine some day
Push your face down in the coal
'cause you got no heart you got no soul

Country life's the life for me
In ten more years i'll a pensioner be
The younger lad knows when the girls are out
But you might say he's a rural sprout

Boss man boss man what do ya say
Gonna get you alone in the mine some day
Boss man boss man clear the track
You're gonna tear the skin right offa my back

Boss man, boss man what do ya say
If you can't lend a hand then get outta my way
It'll be murder in the first degree
If you ever lay your hands on me

Boss man boss man pay my rent
A dollar i've earned is a dollar i've spent
The company plan takes all my check
For breakin' my back and riskin' my neck

Boss man boss man what do ya say
I gotta get you alone in the mine some day
I can't hold on but i can't let go
And i can't say yes i can't say 'no'

Pussywillows cat-tails soft winds and roses
Rainpools in the woodland water to my knees
Shivering quivering the warm breath of spring
Pussywillows cat-tails soft winds and roses
Catbirds and cornfields daydreams together
Riding on the roadside the dust gets in your eyes
Reveling, disheveling the summer nights can bring
Pussywillows cat-tails soft winds and roses

Slanted rays and colored days stark blue horizons
Naked limbs and wheat bins hazy afternoons
Voicing rejoicing the wine cups do bring
Pussywillows cat-tails soft winds and roses

Harsh nights and candlelights wood fires a-blazin'
Soft lips and fingertips resting in my soul
Treasuring remembering the promise of spring
Pussywillows cat-tails soft winds and roses

It's so nice to meet an old friend and pass the time of day
And talk about the home town a million miles away
Is the ice still on the river, are the old folks still the same
And by the way, did she mention my name
Did she mention my name just in passing
And when the morning came, do you remember if she dropped a name or two
Is the home team still on fire, do they still win all the games
And by the way, did she mention my name

Is the landlord still a loser, do his signs hang in the hall
Are the young girls still as pretty in the city in the fall
Does the laughter on their faces still put the sun to shame
And by the way, did she mention my name

Did she mention my name just in passing
And when the talk ran high, did the look in her eye seem far away
Is the old roof still leaking when the late snow turns to rain
And by the way, did she mention my name

Did she mention my name just in passing
And looking at the rain, do you remember if she dropped a name or two
Won't you say hello from someone, they'll be no need to explain
And by the way, did she mention my name

When i woke this mornin', something inside of me told me this would be my day
I heard the morning train, i felt the wind change, too many times i'm on my way
Come on sunshine, what can you show me
Where can you take me to make me understand
The wind can shake me, brothers forsake me
The rain can touch me, but can i touch the rain

And then i saw the sunrise above the cotton sky like a candycane delight
I saw the milkman, i saw the business man, i saw the only road in sight
Then i got to thinkin' what makes you want to go, to know the wherefore and the why
So many times now, oh lord i can't remember if it's september or july

Then all at once it came to me, i saw the wherefore, and you can see it if you try
It's in the sun above, it's in the one you love, you'll never know the reason why

Come on sunshine, what can you show me
Where can you take me to make me understand
The wind can shake me, brothers forsake me
The rain can touch me, but can i touch the rain
So much to lose, so much to gain

She was something very special to me
The kind of girl you'd like to see
In a movie or a rosary
She could be straight-laced or homespun
Or free and easy on the run
She could be meek and mild or full of fun


She liked country lanes and aeroplanes
And cigarettes would make her strange
And when she wanted you she made it plain

She would never say where she came from
It didn't seem that she had anyone
To answer to or dwell upon

She liked candlelight and good wine
And i would call her any time
Of day or night she didn't mind

The was nothing that i wouldn't do
To prove to her my love was true
And she gave to me a dream or two

There were times when she would never appear
For days and then she'd disappear
But now the days have turned to years

I was something she could use
Like a good friend or a pair of shoes
Or any kind of good news

Now the eastern sky is crimson and red
As i lie here in my lonely bed
And think about the things she said

She said darling there will come a day
When i must run far away
I will go my love and you must stay

She departed in the early spring
She didn't leave me anything
To follow or to find her

She was something very special to me
The kind of girl you'd like to see
In a movie or a rosary

Black day in july
Motor city madness has touched the countryside
And through the smoke and cinders
You can hear it far and wide
The doors are quickly bolted
And the children locked inside
Black day in july
Black day in july
And the soul of motor city is bared across the land
As the book of law and order is taken in the hands
Of the sons of the fathers who were carried to this land

Black day in july
Black day in july
In the streets of motor city is a deadly silent sound
And the body of a dead youth lies stretched upon the ground
Upon the filthy pavement
No reason can be found

Black day in july
Black day in july
Motor city madness has touched the countryside
And the people rise in anger
And the streets begin to fill
And there's gunfire from the rooftops
And the blood begins to spill

Black day in july

In the mansion of the governor
There's nothing that is known for sure
The telephone is ringing
And the pendulum is swinging
And they wonder how it happened
And they really know the reason
And it wasn't just the temperature
And it wasn't just the season

Black day in july
Black day in july
Motor city's burning and the flames are running wild
They reflect upon the waters of the river and the lake
And everyone is listening
And everyone's awake

Black day in july
Black day in july
The printing press is turning
And the news is quickly flashed
And you read your morning paper
And you sip your cup of tea
And you wonder just in passing
Is it him or is it me

Black day in july

In the office of the president
The deed is done the troops are sent
There's really not much choice you see
It looks to us like anarchy
And then the tanks go rolling in
To patch things up as best they can
There is no time to hesitate
The speech is made the dues can wait

Black day in july
Black day in july
The streets of motor city now are quiet and serene
But the shapes of gutted buildings
Strike terror to the heart
And you say how did it happen
And you say how did it start
Why can't we all be brothers
Why can't we live in peace
But the hands of the have-nots
Keep falling out of reach


Black day in july
Black day in july
Motor city madness has touched the countryside
And through the smoke and cinders
You can hear it far and wide
The doors are quickly bolted
And the children locked inside