Lyrics The Sins of Memphisto - John Prine

The Sins of Memphisto

From the bells of St Mary
To the Count of Monte Cristo
Nothing can stop
Nothing can stop
Nothing can stop
The sins of Memphisto
Sally used to play with her hula hoops
Now she tells her problems to therapy groups
Grandpa’s on the front lawn staring at a rake
Wondering if his marriage was a terrible mistake
I’m sitting on the front steps drinking Orange Crush
Wondering if it’s possible for me to still blush
Uh huh, oh yeah
A boy on a bike with corduroy slacks
Sleeps in the river by the railroad tracks
He waits for the whistle on the train to scream
So he can close his eyes and begin to dream
Uh huh, oh yeah
From the bells of St Mary
To the Count of Monte Cristo
Nothing can stop
Nothing can stop
Nothing can stop
The sins of Memphisto
The hands on his watch spin slowly around
With his mind on a bus that goes all over town
Looking at the babies and the factories
And listening to the music of Mister Squeeze
As if by magic or remote control
He finds a piece of a puzzle that he missed in his soul
Uh huh, oh yeah
From the bells of St Mary
To the Count of Monte Cristo
Nothing can stop
Nothing can stop
Nothing can stop
The sins of Memphisto
Adam and Eve and Lucy and Ricky
Bit the big apple and got a little sticky
Esmeralda and the Hunchback of Notre Dame
They humped each other like they had no shame
They paused as they posed for a Polaroid photo
She whispered in his ear, «Exactly-Odo Quasimodo»
From the bells of St Mary
To the Count of Monte Cristo
Nothing can stop
Nothing can stop
Nothing can stop
The sins of Memphisto
Sally used to play with her hula hoops
Now she tells her problems to therapy groups
Uh huh, oh yeah