The man in the long black coat lyrics Stan Ridgway

The man in the long black coat

Crickets are chirpin
The water is high
Theres a soft cotton dress
On the line hangin dry
The windows wide open
African trees
Bent over backward
In a hurricane breeze
Not a word of goodbye
Not even a note
Shes gone with the man
In the long black coat

Somebody seen him
Hangin around
At the old dancehall
On the outskirts of town
He looked into her eyes
When she stopped him to ask
If he wanted to dance
He had a face like a mask
Somebody said
From the Bible he quoth
There was dust on the man
In the long black coat

Preacher was talkin
Theres a sermon he gave
He said, every mans conscience
Is vile & depraved.
You cannot depend on it
To be your guide
When its you
Who must keep it satisfied.
It aint easy to swallow
It sticks in the throat
She gave her heart to the man
In the long black coat

There are no mistakes in life,
Some people say
Its true sometimes
You can see it that way
People dont live or die
People just float
She left with the man
In the long black coat

Theres smoke on the water
Its been there since june
Tree trunks uprooted
In the high crescent moon
Hear the pulse & vibration
And the rumbling force
Somebodys out there
Beating on a dead horse
She never said nothing
There was nothing she wrote
Shes gone with the man
In the long black coat