This song is an apocalyptic tale. We live in a world of decay, water is becoming a problem. This song is about lack of water, addicts, crooked policemen, and so much more.
lyrics
Well I asked my babe to walk with me x3
Her mother would not let her daughter be.
Well I asked the lord for the reason why x3
He’s too drunk to come down from the sky
Well lord I said I’m a simple man
And mama well I’m doing the best I can
If I follow my heart and speak my mind
Don’t get nothing back but blood and crying
Chorus:
City’s on fire, run to the woods, there ain’t no left
Don’t you remember what you could,
Could have done, times run out, flames creeping up,
No water in the well to put it out.
Honest man, Honest man come walk with me
Tell me how do you live so peacefully
Well he took out a needle and a sack of cocaine
and said these things help me to stay sane.
I said lord well if this is sanity
Then I’ll go wild I’ll be insane for free
Policeman, he walked up to me
He said boy, come with me.
Well they threw me, in the county jail
He said don’t ask questions, son don’t rebel
If we let you leave, son well you better walk right
And he handed me the plans to the rest of my life
Well I looked at the paper in my hand
White-picket fence, two kids, a handyman
Well it had the day I was to leave this old world
Then he handed me a ring and told me the name of a girl.
Chorus
Well I contemplated suicide,
They said that’s illegal but good try
I grabbed the pistol from policeman’s belt
pulled the trigger down the officer fell.
I laughed, felt better than a man could tell
Said looks like the place for me is hell
It couldn’t be worse than this godforsaken world
Couldn’t be worse than this godforsaken world.
Chorus +:
Trains gone loose, thousand miles out
Stuck in the desert times run out
Throat’s so dry whiskeys all we got
No cure on board, Oh waters all run out
credits
from Criminal Man,
released March 9, 2012
3. Godforsaken World (5:01)
Jonah Tolchin // Dirt Floor Studios // Eric Michael Lichter
Jonah Tolchin - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
MorganEve Swain - Fiddle, Outro Vocals
Shea Vaccaro - Harmony Vocals
Dirty John Peterson - Bass
David Lamb - Outro Vocals, Pretzels
Born and raised in central New Jersey, Tolchin began his career as a DIY artist, hitting the road as a teenager and self-
releasing his own music until signing with Yep Roc for his critically acclaimed albums Clover Lane, Thousand Mile Night and Fires for the Cold. Tolchin has shared bills with the likes of Mandolin Orange, Chuck Prophet, Gregg Allman, Chris Smither, Dave Alvin, and Tony Joe White....more
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