Runaway Slave
I know I have more things to do
Tasks expected of me that I haven’t finished
I know I was bought and paid for
But the road is calling
And my master’s master has a prior right to my efforts
That no whip and chain
Can keep me from
The manacle around my ankle
Is as much part of me as the flesh it ties me to
But I will use this shovel
To chop off my leg if need be
And die crawling
With the mountain in my sights
My unabsolved sins have been earning interest for years
One has led to another, variations on a theme
A pile of rocks
Constantly added to, none taken away
But the market has crashed
They’re starting to lose money
Time to sell off, eat my losses and get the hell out of here
Prayer and fasting
Prayer and fasting
No tools or appliances needed
No electric bill to pay
Nothing to assemble
No instructions necessary
Just open your mouth and say the words
And the money you save on food speaks for itself
Lord knows, I've got fat to shed
Prayer and fasting
Prayer and fasting
The ultimate weight loss program
I will not despoil the Egyptians as I leave the city
Let them keep their damn spoils
They will only weigh me down
And tempt me construct the golden calf from their component parts
I do not intend to carry my slavery with me
This journey can only be made naked
And naked I will go
The sunburn is a blessing I can well endure
I know all about endurance
I've been enduring myself for years
No longer
The taste of freedom is bitter
Therefore do men fear it
As they fear the wind
That crushes ships against the pier
And forces journalists out into the rain to get the better shots
Before they themselves are swept away
But I will fear it no longer
My love’s lost tongue is the storm’s bent edge
The pain of her is sweet
But I have carried her long enough
And though she has sustained me
I will learn to walk alone
And make her proud
She has rejected my hatred
Only my love can save us both
The word is my crutch
Who can stand against me?
The drinking gourd is filled with whisky
That I will bathe in or drown
The Free States are just across the river
The barbed wire is rusting on rotted poles
The aged crocodiles have lost their teeth
And must rely on the blender for nourishment
The blender’s name is fear
Being naked I will swim the waters
And emerge new born
With my sins washed away
And my tax and penalties with them
Poverty is economic opportunity turned inside out
I will carry nothing with me but my slave’s wry cunning
I know the ways of the master well
I created them
His dogs will never find me
I trained them
The sun is rising
The master likes to sleep late
That’s his problem
I could leave him a note but he might wake up while I’m writing
And the tears in his eyes might stay my hand
Not wise to risk it
In my weakness is my strength
Time to go.
I know I have more things to do
Tasks expected of me that I haven’t finished
I know I was bought and paid for
But the road is calling
And my master’s master has a prior right to my efforts
That no whip and chain
Can keep me from
The manacle around my ankle
Is as much part of me as the flesh it ties me to
But I will use this shovel
To chop off my leg if need be
And die crawling
With the mountain in my sights
My unabsolved sins have been earning interest for years
One has led to another, variations on a theme
A pile of rocks
Constantly added to, none taken away
But the market has crashed
They’re starting to lose money
Time to sell off, eat my losses and get the hell out of here
Prayer and fasting
Prayer and fasting
No tools or appliances needed
No electric bill to pay
Nothing to assemble
No instructions necessary
Just open your mouth and say the words
And the money you save on food speaks for itself
Lord knows, I've got fat to shed
Prayer and fasting
Prayer and fasting
The ultimate weight loss program
I will not despoil the Egyptians as I leave the city
Let them keep their damn spoils
They will only weigh me down
And tempt me construct the golden calf from their component parts
I do not intend to carry my slavery with me
This journey can only be made naked
And naked I will go
The sunburn is a blessing I can well endure
I know all about endurance
I've been enduring myself for years
No longer
The taste of freedom is bitter
Therefore do men fear it
As they fear the wind
That crushes ships against the pier
And forces journalists out into the rain to get the better shots
Before they themselves are swept away
But I will fear it no longer
My love’s lost tongue is the storm’s bent edge
The pain of her is sweet
But I have carried her long enough
And though she has sustained me
I will learn to walk alone
And make her proud
She has rejected my hatred
Only my love can save us both
The word is my crutch
Who can stand against me?
The drinking gourd is filled with whisky
That I will bathe in or drown
The Free States are just across the river
The barbed wire is rusting on rotted poles
The aged crocodiles have lost their teeth
And must rely on the blender for nourishment
The blender’s name is fear
Being naked I will swim the waters
And emerge new born
With my sins washed away
And my tax and penalties with them
Poverty is economic opportunity turned inside out
I will carry nothing with me but my slave’s wry cunning
I know the ways of the master well
I created them
His dogs will never find me
I trained them
The sun is rising
The master likes to sleep late
That’s his problem
I could leave him a note but he might wake up while I’m writing
And the tears in his eyes might stay my hand
Not wise to risk it
In my weakness is my strength
Time to go.