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Cowboy Junkies
Cowboy Junkies


Background information
Origin Toronto, Canada
Genre(s) Indie Rock
Blues Rock
Folk-Rock
Country Rock
Alternative Country
Americana
Years active 1986—present
Label(s) RCA Records
Geffen Records
Latent Recordings
Associated acts Jeff Bird
Website Website
Members
Michael Timmins
Alan Anton
Peter Timmins
Margo Timmins



Music World  →  Lyrics  →  C  →  Cowboy Junkies  →  Albums  →  The Caution Horses

Cowboy Junkies Album


The Caution Horses (02/22/1990)
02/22/1990
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Sun comes up, it's Tuesday morning
Hits me straight in the eye
Guess you forgot to close the blind last night
Oh, that's right, I forgot, it was meI sure do miss the smell of black coffee in the morning,
The sound of water splashing all over the bathroom,
The kiss that you would give me even though I was sleeping,
But I kind of like the feel of this extra few feet in my bed
Telephone's ringing, but I don't answer it
'cause everybody knows that good news always sleeps till noonGuess it's tea and toast for breakfast again
Maybe I'll add a little T.V. too
No milk! God, how I hate that
Guess I'll go to the corner, get breakfast from Jenny
She's got a black eye this morning, 'Jen how'd ya get it?'
She says, 'Last night, Bobby got a little bit out of hand'Lunchtime. I start to dial your number
Then I remember so I reach for something to smoke
And anyways I'd rather listen to Coltrane
Than go through all that shit againThere's something about an afternoon spent doing nothing
Just listening to records and watching the sun falling
Thinking of things that don't have to add up to something
And this spell won't be broken
By the sound of keys scraping in the lockMaybe tonight it's a movie
With plenty of room for elbows and knees
A bag of popcorn all to myself,
Black and white with a strong female lead
And if I don't like it, no debate, I'll leaveHere comes that feeling that I'd forgotten
How strange these streets feel
When you're alone on them
Each pair of eyes just filled with suggestion
So I lower my head, make a beeline for home
Seething insideFunny, I'd never noticed
The sound the streetcars make as they pass my window
Which reminds me that I forgot to close the blind again
Yeah, sure I'll admit there are times when I miss you
Especially like now when I need someone to hold me
But there are some things that can never be forgiven
And I just gotta tell you
That I kinda like this extra few feet in my bed

. . .


It's the kind of night that's so cold, when you spit
It freezes before it hits the ground
And when a bum asks you for a quarter, you give a dollar
If he's out tonight he must be truly down
And I'm searching all the windows for a last minute present
To prove to you that what I said was real,
For something small and frail and plastic, baby,
'cause cheap is how I feelHalf moon in the sky tonight, bright enough
To come up with an answer
To the question why is it that every time I see you
My love grows a little stronger
But your memory leaves my stomach churning,
Feeling like a lie about to be revealed,
But I'll horde all this to myself
'cause cheap is how I feelIt's not the smell in here that gets to me it's the lights
I hate the shadows that they cast,
And the sound of clinking bottles is the one sure thing
I'll always drag with me from my past
I think I'll find a pair of eyes tonight, to fall into
And maybe strike a deal
Your body for my soul, fair swap
'cause cheap is how I feel

. . .


Caught in the vice of heaven and earth
He turned his life into a cell
Imprisoned by the doubts which hound us all
And those desires which we all know so well
His days he lost to promises, his nights he purged of dreams
And he would wake in the hours before sunrise
And dread the coming of the dayNever thought a man could become so desperate
Never thought a life could lose so much hope
To be tearing at the roots around you
As if in manacles, or irons, or ropes
They say he told his children that all he taught was lost
That love and pride and honesty
Were to be gained at too high a costIt's been thirty summers that I've spent with him
And I expect thirty more to pass
He has blessed my life in so many ways
That I could never turn my back
But I need just one more reminder
Of the man that he used to be
If he would just look deep into my eyes
And say it's in you my love that I will find the key

. . .


The last of man's great unchained beasts lies lapping at my door
The last of man's great unchained beasts lies lapping at my door
I would give it what it wants, but I do know,
It would just ask for moreI search for you with every crest I ride
In every trough I travel through
I search for you in every trough I travel throughI didn't mean to leave you,
I unfurled my sail and the wind did blow
I didn't mean to leave you, darling,
I unfurled my sail and the wind did blow
Why why why why why, oh why I did not drop my anchor,
Oh Lord, I will never knowI search for you with every crest I ride
In every trough I travel through
I search for you in every trough I travel throughOn the lee of the island I hear your voice deep inside the calm
On the lee of the island I hear your voice deep inside the calm
Whispering baby, I'll be your delight, if you promise
To be my red sky tonightI search for you with every crest I ride
In every trough I travel through
I search for you in every trough I travel throughIn the storm you are my destination, in the port you are my storm
In the storm you are my destination, in the port you are my storm
But I would weather you my love, if you would be my guide,
If you would be my stars in the sky tonightI search for you with every crest I ride
In every trough I travel through
I search for you in every trough I travel through

. . .


Look out, Mama, there's a white boat coming up the river,
With a big red beacon and a flag and a man on the rail
I think you'd better call John
'cause it don't look like they're here to deliver the mail
And it's less than a mile away
I hope they didn't come to stay
It's got numbers on the side and a gun,
And it's making big wavesDaddy's gone, my brother's out hunting in the mountains
Big John's been drinking since the river took Emmy Lou
So the powers that be left me here to do all the thinking
And I just turned twenty-two
I was wondering what to do
And the closer they got,
The more those feelings grewDaddy's rifle in my hand felt reassuring
He told me, 'Red means run, Son, numbers add up to nothing'
But when that first shot hit the dock, I saw it coming
Raised the rifle to my eye
Never stopped to wonder why
Then I saw black and my face flash in the skyShelter me from the powder and the finger
Cover me with the thought that pulled the trigger
Just think of me as one you never figured,
To fade away so young
With so much left undone
Remember me to my love
I know I'll miss her

. . .


There's a young man in the corner playing 'Crazy' all night long
Quarters piled high upon the table
He orders Wild Turkey and with a quick wit and a smile
He says, 'My darling, you're the one I'll drape in sable'
But his baseball cap and this bar-room rap
Tell me a different story
That this is not my prince to grant all my wishes
Just another lonely country-boy grown weary of the night
Just another boy with a sink full of dirty dishesWhere are you tonight?
When I left you in my dreams last night
You promised me that we would be breaking free
Where are you tonight?He tells me of the back roads
And how we'll drive them all night long
How the days will fade and the moon will hang forever
And how the cloud of dust we'll kick up will linger like a song
And the myth will grow about the two who refused to surrenderThen I catch us in the bar-room mirror
With his arm around my shoulder
This girl I see has grown so unfamiliar
And as she stands to leave with a stranger by her side
She can't help but laugh at a life grown so peculiarWhere are you tonight?
I don't think I can face tomorrow's light
Not knowing if you'll be there to guide me
Where are you tonight?Where are you tonight?
I think that I'll make it through all right,
But I'd love to have you just one more time beside me

. . .


There are witches in the hills calling my name
Saying come join us sister, come kiss the flame
Come dance in the moonbeams, ride the night wind
Make love to the darkness and laugh at man's sinsI shiver with delight, I shiver with fear
My heart wants to go but my soul's filled with fear
So I turn to my lover and ask what do I do
Do I answer their call or stay here with youBut under spell of deep sleep he moans and turns away
Taking his protection and my desire to stay
So I rise to the hill tops, I ride the night winds
I make love to the darkness and laugh at man's sins

. . .


She captured both Rock and Bird
Tied one to the leg of the other
Kept them as prisoners
Until they knew who was master
Then she threw them to the skyBird with unbarred wings disappeared
Rock with weighted heart returned
And Rock became her anchor
And Bird became her dreamNow she stands on the forest floor
Among the pines and towering firs
Rock still firm beneath her feet
Bird perched high above her
Singing songs of love's betrayal'I offered you my endless skies
You countered with hoods and chains
This song I sing will be the last
To be inspired by your memory'

. . .


The way you kissed me this morning
It told me that you soon would be going
You didn't even look in my eyes
When you said goodbyeAnd last night in your sleep you broke all the promises
That I knew you would never keep
Now I'm reading the letter which you placed on the dresser
And you're five hundred miles down the roadEscape is so simple
In a world where sunsets can be raced
But distance only looses the knife
The pattern of its scar
Can always be tracedYeah, I remember when we said 'forever'
Was the craziest word that we knew
But I think that I like it much better than I do 'goodbye'And I could sit here all evening and think of the reasons
Why you are not by my side
Instead I'll go to the kitchen, find a strong chair to sit in
And drink myself far, far awayEscape is so simple
In a world where sunsets can be raced
But distance only looses the knife
The pattern of its scar
Can always be traced

. . .


How could he take you in his arms
And help you to be free
Then leave you forgotten
And is it enough to cry?
When you're so broken...Her cold eyes tell you you're not welcome
She tells lies but you'll take her back again
And is it enough to die?
When you're so takenYou will be loved again
You will be loved againBut will she sing and will she dance
And will she forever
And will he sing and will he dance
And will he foreverSomeday you will feel a love so deep
And you'll find someone not lost in sleepAnd you will be loved again
You will be loved again
You will be loved again

. . .


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