The morning of the aftermath, my dog was glowing bright
I showed him to my doctor, who’d arrived sometime that night
The chickens on the rooftops, they were cutting up the hens
The lawyers in the breadbox, they were sharpening their pens
The bible bangers down the street were finally on their knees
The winos and the junkies they were sitting in the trees
The big guy in the White House, he was melted to his throne
I took the time to roll a joint and disconnect my phone

A couple years after the war some abstract kids were born
With triple heads and shortened legs and ears that looked like corn
They didn’t speak no English and they didn’t eat no food
Their mouths were in the basement and their teeth were set in wood
The cows out in the pasture gave us milk that hissed with steam
An artist up in Boston built a statue with the cream
And all because 6the leaders couldn’t deal with what they owned
It didn’t matter to me out of sight and staying stoned

Don’t go near the river
Stay here where it’s high and dry
Don’t go near the river
You’ll forgive her bye and bye

What you see is what you get
If you go in the river you’re gonna get wet
Easy come and easy go
If you go in the river you’ll sink like a stone

Don’t go near the river
Stay here where it’s high and dry
Don’t go near the river
You’ll forgive her bye and bye

Settle down and have a drink
If you go in the river you’re going to sink
Walking north but looking south
If you go in the river you’ll never come out

Don’t go near the river
Stay here where it’s high and dry
Don’t go near the river
You’ll forgive her bye and bye

And now I’ve got this fear of flying  (G/D)
It may be paranoia, but I think there’s something wrong (C/G)
So now I’ve got this fear of dying  (G/D)
Should have stayed below down on the ground where we belong (C/Em)

The union guys were sleeping when we should have been inspected
And ground control has gone on strike; our flight has been neglected
The sky is way too crowded, collision is expected
No one’s in command now that the pilot has ejected
I think about those pictures that I’ve seen on the TV
Where limbs and bits of luggage are mangled with debris
Just another number now, another casualty
Sayonara sweetheart; now it’s happening to me

And now I’ve got this fear of flying  (G/D)
It may be paranoia, but I think there’s something wrong (C/G)
So now I’ve got this fear of dying  (G/D)
Should have stayed below down on the ground where we belong (C/Em)

The first hundred miles only took four days
But the Cherokee nation still stood in our way
So we paid for our gas, with pockets of change
‘n headed back out on the lonesome range

If we can only get to New Haven  (C/G/Am)
If we can only find some tickets to the show (C/G/Am)
If we can only score some kind buds (C/G/Am)
Ooooooo Ooooooooo Oooooooooo  (F/G/Am)
Ooooooo Ooooooooo Oooooooooo  (F/C/Am)

Twenty miles east of Syracuse
Almost hit a cop when a tire came loose
Didn’t have a spare, only an excuse
And a half a pound of Buds from a freak named Bruce

If we can only get to Pittsburgh
If we can only find some tickets to the show
If we can only huff some nitrous
Ooooooo Ooooooo Ooooooooo

Didn’t get a loser ‘til the second night
The Terrapin was short, but the Playin’ was tight
Jerry played a Stranger with a broken string
Brent turned into Bruce, Phil began to sing
Scarlet into Fire ‘n a Darkstar into Space
Went to take a leak and someone Stole My Face
Camping in the Mountains of the Great Divide
The Wagon up and died back in Telluride
Eating nuts and berries we were living outside
Couldn’t thumb a ride no matter how tried

If we can only get to Las Vegas
If we can only find some tickets to the show
If we can only score us some liquid
Ooooo Oooooooo Ooooooooo

If we can only make it to Frisco
If we can only find some tickets to the show
If we can only hear a _________
Oooo Ooooo Ooooooo

When the going gets tough (A)
They slash the budget first  (C/G)
To help the nation, fight starvation, medical research (A/D/A/D)
God help us if the going gets worse (A/D/A)

Our tax dollars disappear into a mysterious void  (D/A)
Contrails in the stratosphere of billion dollar toys  (D/A)
God only knows what games they’re playing miles in the sky  (D/A)
Let’s buy them each a deck of cards to keep them occupied  (E)

When the going gets tough
They slash the budget first
For preservation, transportation, housing for the homeless
God help us if the going gets worse

When the going gets tough
They slash the budget first
For libraries, humanities, and keeping law and order
God help us if the going gets worse

We pay and pay and pay and pay for only God knows what
Research for a death ray and a zillion dollar truck
Hidden labratories buried far beneath the city
Let’s buy them each a magazine to keep their hands all busy

I’m renting a jumbo
A seven-four-seven for this party of mine
You won’t need a passport, you won’t need no money
You’ll just need the time
We’re taking a year off, and headed to Europe
To see what we find
I’m renting a jumbo
And you are invited along for the ride

I’ll hire a band, maybe The Rain  (D)
For this party I’m throwing  (C)
We’ll go to the beach, to catch us a tan (D)
Then head where it’s snowing  (C)
Let’s get going  (D)

I’ve bought a hotel
That sits in Nepal, for this party of mine
There’s plenty of food, and plenty of smoke
And plenty of wine
There won’t be no clocks and there won’t be no cops
And we’ll have a good time
I’ve bought a hotel that sits in Nepal
And you are invited

The men with the helmets
They make more than me
They lean on their shovels
They drink their coffee
They must be joking
It never looked broken
What’s it all about?

Bridgework madness every day
All across the state
Shut it down to just one lane
Be sure to irritate

The traffic is tangled
Commuters are late
An accident’s looming
They think it’s great
They must be joking
It never looked broken
What’s it all about?

Someone fucked up far away
Some red tape, Red Square, Kremlin clown
Some bureaucrat will probably pay
For the cloud of steam that made the rounds
And the glowing wasteland of a town
Where the antique monster melted down
And their neighbors in the west
Put their food back underneath the ground

Someone’s dying far away
Some Pravda reading Marxist chum
He’s getting weaker every day
He’s waiting for the end to come
With thinning hair and rotting gums
And white cell revolution blood
And the rest of the world goes on about
It’s money making happy hum

Meltdown in the USSR
It’s a meltdown in the USSR

It’s not their fault
It’s not their fault
They always meant to do it right
They only wanted the good life
It’s not their fault

It’s not their fault
It’s not their fault
Big brother goofed and now it’s gone
He only wanted the lights to come on
It’s not their fault

Meltdown in the USSR…

Terrorism far away
It’s in the papers every day
So listen when the experts say
You’re better off at home
Where it’s safe

A child weaned
On an M-16
Slams a clip into his holy gun
Third World soldiar, growing bolder
Completes the horror story he has spun
Airboard pirate; Eliminates the pilot
Adding to the score another one
Kill a cripple
Media ripple
Got to keep the networks on the run

Terrorism far away
We read about it every day
So listen when the experts say
It’s coming to your town
You’re not so safe

When it’s finished
Will you think the choice we made was ever right?
We’re diminished
As we separate and go about our lives
An how will I spend my time
I’ve gotten used to sharing it with you
And where will you go when you’re feeling down?
Will you sit alone at home feeling blue?

Well, I’m not blaming blame  (C)
But you could have done so much more  (Am)
I never meant to play your game  (C)
You should have told me long before  (Am)
You wanted more than I could give  (C)
You wanted more than you should take   (Am)
You wanted more than you could have  (C)
And then you finally made the break  (Am)

When it’s over
Will you tell me that we ever had a chance?
Thin it over
Like the first time that I asked you for a dance
And what will we tell our friends?
They’ve gotten used to seeing us together
And when they ask “how did it end”
Should I tell them I thought that things could be better?

And all those times I see you in the street  (D/G)
I know exactly what you mean   (C… C/D)
What you mean

You tell me you think that it would be so grand
But you’ve never worked and I’m in a band
You tell me you think that it would be so great
But you show up early and I’m always late

And when you smile at me from afar
I know exactly who you are

Ypu tell me you think that I should call you up
But my phone’s broke and your dad hangs up
You tell me you think that we should run away
But I’m going places where you’d be afraid

And when I see you in your summer dress
I know exactly what I’ll get

You think but I know
You think but I know
You think, I know
You think, I know
I know
I know…