Well the dru[E]nken clown still ha[G#m]nging 'round
but it's pla[A]in the lau[G#m]ghters al[F#m]l died down
The te[B]ars you tried so ha[A]rd to hide are flo[E]wing
And a blind[E] man with his knife[G#m] in hand
has convin[A]ced himse[G#m]lf that he und[F#m]erstands
I wish[B] him well, miss Carousel, but [A]I gotta be a go[E]ing
{soc}
W[C#m]on't you come and ge[G#m]t me when
You're s[C#m]ure that you don't ne[G#m]ed me then
I'll st[C#m]and outside your wi[G#m]ndow
and pro[A]udly call your na[G#m]me [G#m] [B]
{eoc}
Well the lady's been told that all her gold
is worth so much she can't be sold
No time to weep, she'll later sleep tomorrow
When she carries her face to the market place
and bets it on the open enrage
She can ring her bells, miss Carousel, but this singing brings me sorrow
{comment:Chorus}
But it's always done, every mothers sun
is surely grown, and never run
So they fight with all their might inside them
When the battles been fought 'n they all been taught
that the trick is just not being caught
Will you give 'em hell, miss Carousel, when they're begging you to hide them
When they need a rose, your eyes felt closed
You clamped your fingers around your nose
Would you say, that's anyway to judge him
Well you haven't got the authority
too kill him in the first degree
But would you feel compelled, miss Carousel, if you had something to regret in
{comment:Solo over chorus}
On velvet beach far beneath the reach
of those who come to pray and preach
The natural man that tried to stand is falling
Well how long will it be before he sees
you own his legs but his mind is free
only you can tell , miss Carousel, how long will he be crawling
{comment:Chorus}
All the castle walls grown so tall
Seems there ain't no hope at all
to reach the top even though you stopped for breathing
But I ain't gonna try to make you cry
the teardrops couldn't find your eyes
It's all been swell, miss Carousel, but the time has come for leaving
{comment:Chorus ( x 4)}
We all discover the music of Townes Van Zandt through other people's
covers of his material. For me it was the Waylon & Willie cover of Pancho
And Lefty. No matter the path you've trod to get there, once you've
discovered Townes, you've unearthed yourself America's greatest living
songwriter. The Cowboy Junkies, Nanci Griffith, and many others are doing
us all a great service by covering his songs.