Lyrics The Ballad of King Coyote - Johnathan Rice

The Ballad of King Coyote

Flyin' in a helicopter
Watering the wildfire
And watching the coyotes running for the hills
Driving down the 405 now
Dead coyotes on the roadside
While the king stands watchin' from the shelter of the tree
Give Coldwater Canyon back to the coyotes
Twirling past the gay bars and markets
Past dealerships and pizza parlors
Past domesticated dogs that are choking on the leash
A big bad German Shepherd
The coyotes got him surrounded
And they tore that big dog into little bitty pieces
Give Coldwater Canyon back to the coyotes
Last night in Benedict Canyon
Coyote in a governor’s mansion
Standing in the middle of the big man’s living room
The Governor could not reach his shotgun
He offered King Coyote a pension
And the king tore the man’s heart right out of his chest
Give Coldwater Canyon back to the coyotes
Now the streets are empty
And the beach fronts and the studio lots
Forest grows over the freeway
And the vines cover whole city blocks
And all you can hear is that high and lonesome sound
Give Coldwater Canyon back to the coyotes
Give Las Vegas, Nevada back to the lions