The Firstborn Is Dead

These chains of sorrow, they are heavy, it is true
And these locks cannot be broken,
No, not with one thousand keys
O jailer, you drag a ball-n-chain you cannot see
You can lay your burden on me
You can lay your burden down on me
You can lay your burden down upon me
But you cannot lay down your memory


Woooo wooo wooo
Woooo wooo wooo
Here i go!
Knockin on joe!
This square foot of sky will be mine til i die
Knocking on joe
Woooo wooo wooo
All down the row
Knockin on joe


O warden i surrender to you
Your fists can't hurt me anymore
You know, these hands will never mop
Your dirty death row floors
O preacher, come closer, you don't scare me anymore
Just tell nancy not to come here
Just tell her not to come here anymore
Tell nancy not to come
And let me die in the memory of those arms


O woo woo woo
Woo woo woo
All down the row
Knockin on joe
O you kings of halls and ends of halls
You will die within these walls
And i'll go, down the row
Knockin on joe


O nancy's body is a coffin,
She wears my tombstone at her head
O nancy's body is a coffin,
She wears my tombstone at her head
She wears her body like a coffin
She wears a dress of gold and red
She wears a dress of gold and red
She wears a dress of red and gold
Grave-looters at my coffin
Before my body's even cold


It's a door for when i go
Knockin on joe
These hands will never mop
Your dirty death row floors
No! you can hide! you can run!
O but your trial is yet to come
O you can run! you can hide!
But you have yet to be tried!
You can lay your burdens down here
You can lay your burden down
Knockin on joe
You can lay your burden upon me
You can lay your burden upon me
Knockin on joe
You can lay it down here
You can bring your burden down
Knockin on joe
You can't hurt me anymore
You can't hurt me anymore
Knockin on joe


(ad lib)

Mmmmm mmmmm mmmmm
I am the black crow king
Mmmmm mmmmm mmmmm
I am the black crow king
Keeper of the nodding corn
Bam! bam! bam! bam!
All the hammers are a-talking
All the nails are a-singing
So sweet and low


You can hear it in the valley
Where live the lame and the blind
They climb the hill out of its belly
They leave with mean black boots on


"i just made a simple gesture
They jumped up and nailed it to my shadow
My gesture was a hooker
You know, my shadow's made of timber."


And the storm is a-rolling
And the storm is a-rolling
All down on me


And i'm still here rolling after everybody's gone
And i'm still here rolling after everybody's gone
Ah'm still here rolling and i'm left on my own
The blackbirds have all gone!
Everyone's rolled on!


I am the black crow king
Keeper of the trodden corn
I am the king
Won't say it again
And the rain, it raineth daily
Lord
And wash away my clothes
I surrender up my arms
To a company of crows
I am the black crow king
I won't say it again


And all the thorns are a-crowning
King ruby on each spine
And the spears are a-sailing
O my o my


And the storm is a-rolling
And the storm is a-rolling
All down on me


And i'm still here rolling after everybody's gone
And i'm still here rolling after everybody's gone
I'm still here rolling and left on my own
Those blackbirds they have all flown and
I am on my own


I am the black crow king
Keeper of the forgotten corn
The king! the king!
I'm the king of nuthin' at all
The hammers are a-talking
The nails are a-singing
The thorns are a-crowning him
The spears are a-sailing
The crows are a-mocking
The corn is a-nodding
The storm is a-rolling
The storm is a-rolling
The storm is a-rolling down
The storm is a-rolling down
The storm is a-rolling
Down on me
Rolling down on me
Rolling down on me

Looka yonder! looka yonder!
Looka yonder! a big black cloud come!
A big black cloud come!
O comes to tupelo. comes to tupelo


Yonder on the horizon
Yonder on the horizon
Stopped at the mighty river
Stopped at the mighty river and
Sucked the damn thing dry
Tupelo-o-o, o tupelo
In a valley hides a town called tupelo


Distant thunder rumble. distant thunder rumble
Rumble hungry like the beast
The beast it cometh, cometh down
The beast it cometh, cometh down
Wo wo wo-o-o
Tupelo bound. tupelo-o-o. yeah tupelo
The beast it cometh, tupelo bound


Why the hen won't lay no egg
Can't get that cock to crow
The nag is spooked and crazy
O god help tupelo! o god help tupelo!
O god help tupelo! o god help tupelo!


Ya can say these streets are rivers
Ya can call these rivers streets
Ya can tell ya self ya dreaming buddy
But no sleep runs this deep
No! no sleep runs this deep
No sleep runs this deep
Women at their windows
Rain crashing on the pane
Writing in the frost
Tupelos' shame. tupelo's shame
O god help tupelo! o god help tupelo!


O go to sleep lil children
The sandmans on his way
O go to sleep lil children
The sandmans in his way
But the lil children know
They listen to the beating of their blood
Listen to the beating of their blood
Listen to the beating of their blood
Listen to the beating of their blood
They listen to the beating of their blood
The sandman's mud!
The sandman's mud!
And the black rain come down
The black rain come down
The black rain come down
Water water everywhere
Where no bird can fly no fish can swim
Where no bird can fly no fish can swim
No fish can swim
Until the king is born!
Until the king is born!
In tupelo! tupelo-o-o!
Til the king is born in tupelo!


In a clap-board shack with a roof of tin
Where the rain came down and leaked within
A young mother frozen on a concrete floor
With a bottle and a box and a cradle of straw
Tupelo-o-o! o tupelo!
With a bottle and a box and a cradle of straw


Well saturday gives what sunday steals
And a child is born on his brothers heels
Come sunday morn the first-born dead
In a shoebox tied with a ribbon of red
Tupelo-o-o! hey tupelo!
In a shoebox buried with a ribbon of red


O ma-ma rock you lil' one slow
O ma-ma rock your baby
O ma-ma rock your lil' one slow
O god help tupelo! o god help tupelo!
Mama rock your lil' one slow
The lil one will walk on tupelo
The lil one will walk on tupelo
Black rain come down, black rain come down
Tupelo-o-o! yeah tupelo!
And carry the burden of tupelo
Tupelo-o-o! o tupelo! yeah!
The king will walk on tupelo!
Tupelo-o-o! o tupelo!
He carried the burden outa tupelo!
Tupelo-o-o! hey tupelo! [repeat]
You will reap just what you sow

I'm a wanted man, wanted man...
I'm wanted, i'm a wanted man...
Oh yeah...
Yeah...
Ah honey, i'm a wanted man


I'm a wanted man in california, i'm a wanted man in buffalo
I'm a wanted man in kansas city, i'm a wanted man in ohio
I'm a wanted man in mississippi, they want me in old cheyenne
Wherever you may look tonight, you will see this wanted man


I might be in colorado or georgia by the sea,
Working for some man who may not know at all who i might be
If you ever see me comin' and you know justa who i am,
Don't breathe a word to no one buddy, 'cause i'm a wanted man


Wanted man in albuquerque, wanted man in syracuse,
Wanted man in tallahassee, wanted man in baton rouge,
Wanted man in arizona, wanted man in galveston,
Wanted man in el dorado, this wanted man's in great demand


If you ever catch me sleepin',
Just see the price flashin' 'bove my head,
Well take look again my friend,
That's a gun pointed at your head


Wanted man by lucy watson, wanted man by jesse brown,
Wanted man by nellie johnson, wanted man in this next town


Wanted man by the boller(?) sisters,
Wanted man by kid callahan
Hey darlin' don't you tell me you don't want me,
Cause i'm a wanted man


A wanted man who's lost his will to live,
A wanted man who won't lay down,
There's a woman kneelin' on my grave,
Pushin' daisies in the ground


Wanted man in the windy city, wanted man in tennessee,
Wanted man in broken arrow, wanted man in wounded knee
Wanted man in jackson town, wanted man in el passo,
I got bounties on my head in towns i wouldn't ever think to go


Wanted man in arizona, wanted man in louisville,
Wanted man deep in death valley,
Wanted man up in the hollywood hill


If the devil comes collectin',
Cause he doesn't know i'm a wanted man,
He'd better wear a six gun on his hip
And hold another in his hand


If you love the wanted man,
You best hold him while you can,
Cause you're gonna wake up one mornin'
And find the man you wanted, he is gone


Wanted man in new york city, wanted man in san anton'
Wanted man down in lorado, wanted man in tupelo
Wanted man in the state of texas, wanted man in the state of maine
This wanted man's in the state of leavin' ya baby,
Jumpin' on a midnight train


Wanted man in every cat house, wanted man in a many saloons,
Wanted man is a ghost in hundred homes, a shadow in a thousand rooms


Wanted man down in st. louis, wanted man in new orleans
Wanted man in mussel(?) bay, wanted man in cripple creek
Wanted man in detriot city, wanted man in san anton'
But there's one place i'm not wanted lord,
It's the place that i call home


Wanted man...
Wanted man...
If the devil comes collectin'
He better hold a six gun in his hand