Lyrics Civilians - Joe Henry

Civilians

The carriage horses stamp and fume
Until all color’s gone
They leave the street in black and white
And bring the evening coming on
Lovers tug their way out of gloves
Out of shoes, and gray chiffon
The driver pulls his blanket high
And pretends to look beyond
Oh, pray for you, pray for me
Sing it like a song
Life is short but, by the grace of God
This night is long
Girls crowd into bathroom stalls
The boys smoke in their cars
The general, he’s in civilian clothes
Standing at the bar
He waves at the deaf flower lady
«Come sit by me, sweetheart»
He draws a napkin battle plan
Says, «this is where we start»
Oh pray for you, pray for me
Sing it like a song
Life is sort but, by the grace of God
This night is long
There are no more hummingbirds
Like there used to be
They’re fat and slow and careless now
They’ve turned blue and mean
And the parrots sound like monkeys
Screaming from the trees
As the decent people
Fumble for their keys
We used to spend the night in town
Down by city hall
And the water works of Irish Beach
Just below the falls
We’d walk down to the Park Hotel
Past the Baptist Veteran’s Mall
Back then, a man in uniform
Might mean anything at all
Oh, pray for you, pray for me
Sing it like a song
Life is short but, by the grace or cruel heart of God
The night is long