I don't believe everything happens for a reason To us romantics out here, that amounts to high treason I don't go in for your star-crossed lovers In the heart of a skeptic There's a question that still hovers near For it begs the question How did I ever find you Now you got me writing love songs With a common refrain like this one here, baby And all your left handed kisses Were just prelude to another Prelude to your backhanded love song, baby But it begs a question How did I ever find you Drifting gently through the gyre Of the great Sargasso sea, Atlantic Ocean Got me writing love songs With a common refrain like this one here The point your song here misses Is that if you really loved me You'd risk more than a few fifty cent Words in your backhanded love song For it begs the question How did I ever find you Drifting gently through the gyre Of the great Sargasso sea, Atlantic Ocean The point your song here misses You got me writing love songs Is that you really love me With a common refrain like this one here, baby Prelude to another of your backhanded love songs Now it's time for a handsome little bookend Now it's time to tie up all the loose ends Am I still a skeptic or did you make me a believer? If you hesitate, you'll hear the click of the receiver

Who will buy a glad story That a young man has to sell? Come into my house of glory And I will treat you well. Who will buy a sad story That a widow has to sell? Come into my house of lonely And I will treat you well. Young and old, we all have stories That we all must try to sell Tales of how you get to heaven And how we been through hell Who will buy a perfumed story That a young girl has to sell? Sleep with me on satin pillows And I will treat you well.

You want to take me to a doctor To talk to me about my mind To try to give directions to some places That I don't really want to find Trouble in me is not related To things that I might say or do I'm really not that complicated Your good doctor friend, he oughta talk to you I notice that he can't remember Things that he never should forget Why does he spend his evenings smoking Them funny-smelling cigarettes? I have a friend that knows your best friend He goes some places where she goes He said he saw y'all at a party Sniffing white powder up your nose You got the nerve to call me narrow-minded 'Cause I'm not loose and indiscreet People lying down always get blinded By people standing on their own two feet Life is just a shadow That I just can't seem to find sometimes Oh Lordy, sometimes But I guess I'll make it 'Cause I found out that it's really in my mind Really all in my mind You shouldn't take it too seriously 'Cause it really ain't gon' last too long Really ain't gon' last too long You really only got two choices You can lay down and be weak Or you can stand up where you're at And still be strong Stand up and still be strong Hey, tomorrow depends too much on today And yesterday, all that gentleman is to you is gone All he is, is gone All you find out looking back Is the fact that both of us was wrong Both of us was wrong Hey, now you're talking right to me But you really ain't saying a thang You're pouring muddy water on me Trying to convince me it's rain Now you're talking to me crazy But you're trying to make me feel insane Oh Lordy, feel insane You're like a Sunday family Digging animals in a zoo But while you're looking at monkeys Monkey's looking dead at you Two people getting done Trying to figure out who's doing who If you're throwing dirt at people You got to get some dirt on you I got to take a ton of lies Just to get an ounce of truth from you You're like a man loving Jesus That says he can't stand a Jew Get on down and play the dozens Talk about your folks From your mama to your cousins You head down there Now you know what I'm talking 'bout Get on down and play the dozens Talk about your folks From your mama to your cousins You head down there Now you know what I'm talking 'bout

Summer night in Harlem Man it's really hot Well it's too hot to sleep and too cold to eat I don't care if I die or not Winter night in Harlem Oh oh radiator won't get hot And that mean old landlord He don't care if I freeze to death or not Saturday night in Harlem Oh every thing's alright You can really swing and shake your pretty thing The parties are out of sight Sunday morning here in Harlem Now every body's all dressed up The heathen folk just gettin' home from the party And the good folk just got up Our crooked delegation wants a donation To send the preacher to the holy land Hey hey Lord, honey don't give your money To that lyin', cheatin' man Saturday night in Harlem Hey hey, every thing's alright You can really swing and shake your pretty thing The parties are out of sight Sunday morning here in Harlem Now every body's all dressed up The heathen folk just gettin' home from the party And the good folk just got up Our crooked delegation wants a donation To send the preacher to the holy land Hey hey Lord, honey don't give your money To that lyin', cheatin' man

Love, everybody needs you sometimes Why do I have to call on you When I'm only feeling sad and lonely Let's just love awhile and smile Love, can we just be happy one time Why must it always end with you and I Only feeling sad and lonely Let's just love awhile and smile Love, help me shake it Can we make it right (love can make it right) We can make it (love can make it right) Help me make it right (love can make it right) We can make it (love can make it right) If we make it right Love, everybody needs but one time Try not to make it end with you and I Only feeling sad and lonely Let's just love awhile and smile Love, help me shake it Can we make it right (love can make it right) We can make it (love can make it right) Help me make it right (love can make it right) We can make it (love can make it right) If we make it right