It happened one day near December's end Some neighbors called on an old time friend And they found his shop so meager and lean Made gay with thousand bows of green And old Conrad was sitting with face a-shine When he suddenly stopped as he stitched a twine And he said "My friends, at dawn today" "When the cock was crowing the night away" "The Lord appeared in a dream to me" And He said "I'm coming your guest to be" So I've been busy with feet astir Strewing my shop with branches of fern The table is spread and the kettle is shined And over the rafters the holly is twined And now I'll wait for my Lord to appear And listen closely so I will hear His step as He nears my humble place And I'll open the door and look on His face Then his friends went home and left Conrad alone For this was the happiest day he had known For long since, his family had passed away And Conrad had spent many a sad Christmas Day But he knew with the Lord as his Christmas Guest This Christmas would be the dearest and best So he listened with only joy in his heart And with every sound he would rise with a start And look for the Lord to be at his door Like the vision he had had a few hours before So he ran to the window after hearing a sound But all he could see on the snow covered ground Was a shabby beggar whose shoes were torn And all of his clothes were ragged and worn But old Conrad was touched and he went to the door And he said, "Your feet must be cold and sore" "I have some shoes in my shop for you" "And I have a coat that'll keep you warmer too" So with grateful heart the man went away But Conrad noticed the time of day And he wondered what made the Lord so late And how much longer he'd have to wait Then he heard a knock, he ran to the door But it was only a stranger once more A bent old lady with a shawl of black And a bundle of kindling piled on her back But she asked for only a place to rest A place that was reserved for Conrad's great guest But her voice seemed to plead "Don't send me away" "Let me rest for awhile, it's Christmas Day" So, Conrad brewed her a steaming cup And told her to sit at the table and sup And after she left he was filled with dismay For he saw that the hours were slipping away And the Lord have not come as he said he would And Conrad felt sure he had misunderstood When out of the stillness he heard a cry "Please help me and tell me where am I?" So again he opened his friendly door And stood disappointed as twice before It was only a child who'd wandered away And was lost from her family on Christmas Day Again Conrad's heart was heavy and sad But he knew he could make this little girl glad So, he called her in and he wiped her tears And quieted all her childish fears Then he led her back to her home once more Then as he entered his own darkened door He knew the Lord was not coming today For the hours of Christmas had all passed away So he went to his room and knelt down to pray And he said "Lord, why did you delay?" "What kept you from coming to call on me?" "I wanted so much your face to see" Then soft in the silence a voice he heard "Lift up your head for I kept my word" "Three times my shadow crossed your floor" "Three times I came to your lonely door" "I was the beggar with bruised, cold feet" "I was the woman you gave something to eat" "I was the child on the homeless street" "Three times I knocked,three times I came in" "And each time I found the warmth of a friend" "Of all the gifts, love is the best" "I was honored to be your Christmas Guest"

They're gonna send us to prison for jerks For having vague ideas of the way to turn each other on again They're gonna send us to prison for jerks They'll find us here Here, here in the guest room Where we throw money at each other and cry Oh, my We miss being ruffians, going wild and bright In the corners of front yards, getting in and out of cars We miss being deviants They'll find us here Here, here in the guest room Where we throw money at each other and cry Oh, my We can't stay here We're starting to stay the same We can't stay here We can't stay this way (Ooh) (Ooh) (Ooh) (Ooh) Just tie your woman to your wrist Give her room to tie the other (Ooooh) They'll find us here Here, here in the guest room Where we throw money at each other and cry Oh, my

Yeah Im back in my back man I just like to Bragg Split you with bullets yeah my bars comes with mags Tossing the flags the yellow the red the white Surrender when Im on the mic Im feeling alright man I just like to brag These rappers aint f with me Thats a fact Over they head so they over react Back in my bag man I just like to brag Yeah Im back in my back man I just like to brag Split you with bullets yeah my bars comes with mags Tossing the flags the yellow the red the white Surrender when Im on the mic Im feeling alright man I just like to brag These rappers aint f with me Thats a fact Over they head so they over react Back in my bag man I just like to brag Back in my bag yeah Im back on my shit though You need to hop up off my dick ho I got a lot of money to show But imma keep it on the low low yeah Dreams getting vivid the styles they copy They might need a printer Up to the top man I feel like a winner Reading the lines in my mind like a scripture I eat em for dinner Im talking about all these beats Got em standing on the seats Out in the streets The realest who they claims to be But we is yet to see the feats Where do they be Me I been bringing the heat Me I been bringing the heat Y'all just finally heard me spinning these words Hating I know that it hurts Back in my bag yeah Im back in my bag Smoking on doobies I feel like Im shaggy Pants they been a little baggy Why your girl calling me daddy Ha, raising the bar Need a hot hook Im the one that they call When you the highest they need you to fall Royal rumble man this s is a brawl Yeah Im back in my back man I just like to Bragg Split you with bullets yeah my bars comes with mags Tossing the flags the yellow the red the white Surrender when Im on the mic Im feeling alright man I just like to brag These rappers aint f with me Thats a fact Over they head so they over react Back in my bag man I just like to brag Yeah Im back in my back man I just like to brag Split you with bullets yeah my bars comes with mags Tossing the flags the yellow the red the white Surrender when Im on the mic Im feeling alright man I just like to brag These rappers aint f with me Thats a fact Over they head so they over react Back in my bag man I just like to brag

Jeane The low-life has lost its appeal And I'm tired of walking these streets To a room with a cupboard bare Jeane I'm not sure what happiness means But I look in your eyes And I know that it isn't there We tried, we failed We tried, and we failed We tried, and we failed We tried, and we failed We tried Jeane There's ice on the sink where we bathe So how can you call this a home When you know it's a grave? But you still hold a greedy grace As you tidy the place But it'll never be clean Jeane We tried, we failed We tried, and we failed We tried, and we failed We tried, and we failed We tried Oh, cash on the nail It's just a fairytale Oh, and I don't believe in magic anymore Jeane But I think you know I really think you know Oh, I think you know the truth Jeane, oh No heavenly choir Not for me and not for you Because I think that you know I really think you know I think you know the truth Oh, Jeane That we tried, and we failed That we tried, and we failed We tried, and we failed We tried, and we failed Oh, oh, Jeane

Shirley, it's so exciting to be sleeping here in this new room Shirley, you're my reason to get out of bed before noon Shirley, you know when we sat out on the fire escape talking Shirley, what did you say about running before we were walking? Sometimes when we're as close as this It's like we're in a dream How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team? Shirley, your sexual politics have left me all of a muddle Shirley, we're joined in the ideological cuddle I'm celebrating my love to you With a pint of beer and a new tattoo And if you haven't noticed yet I'm more impressionable when my cement is wet Politics and pregnancy are debated as we empty our glasses And how I love those evening classes Shirley, you really know how to make a young man angry Shirley, can we get through the night without mentioning family? The people from the church agree It's not much of a career Trying the handles of parked cars Whoops there goes another year, whoops there goes another pint of beer Here we are in our summer years Living on ice cream and chocolate kisses And would the leaves fall from the trees If I was your old man and you was my missus? Give my greetings to the new brunette Shirley Greetings to the new brunette Shirley Greetings to the new brunette Shirley Greetings to the new brunette Shirley

Kiss me goodnight and say my prayers Leave the light on at the top of the stairs Tell me the names of the stars up in the sky A tree taps on the window pane That feeling smothers me again Daddy is it true that we all have to die At the top of the stairs Is darkness I closed my eyes and when I looked Your name was in the memorial book And what had become of all the things we planned I accepted the commiserations Of all your friends and your relations But there's some things I still don't understand You were so tall How could you fall? Some photographs of a summer's day A little boy's lifetime away Is all I've left of everything we've done Like a pale moon in a sunny sky Death gazes down as I pass by To remind me that I'm but my father's son I offer up to you This tribute I offer up to you This tank park salute

She said it was just a figment of speech And I said "You mean figure", And she said "No, figment" Because she could never imagine it happening. But it did When we first met I played the Shy boy When she spoke to me for the first time my nose began to bleed She guessed the rest The next day we went on a bus ride to the ferry And when nobody came to collect our fares Well I knew then this was something special I couldn't stop thinking about her And every time I switched on the radio There was somebody else singing a song about the two of us It was just like being on a fast ride at the fun fair The sort you want to get off because its scary And then as soon as you're off you want get straight back on again But all love is strange And you have to learn to take the crunchy with the smooth I suppose She began going out with Mr. Potato Head It was when I saw her in he car park With his coat around her shoulders that I realized I went home and thought about the two of them together Until the bathwater went cold around me I thought about her eyes and the curve of her breasts And about the point where their bodies met I confronted her about it I said, "I'm the most illegible bachelor in town, And she said "Yeah that's why I Could never understand any of those silly letters you sent me" And then one day it happened She cut her hair and I stopped loving her

One by one the teardrops fall as I write you One by one my words come falling on the page One by one my dreams are fading in the twilight One by one my schemes are fading fast away One by one the flowers fading in my garden One by one the leaves are falling from the trees One by one my hopes are vanished in the clouds clear One by one like snowflakes melting in the breeze One by one my hair is turning gray One by one my dreams are fading fast away One by one I read your letters over One by one I lay them all away One by one the days are slipping up behind you One by one the sweetest days of life go by One by one the moments stealing out behind you One by one she'll come and find not you or I One by one I hear the soft words that you whispered One by one I feel your kisses soft and sweet One by one I hope you'll say the words to marry One by one to one by one forever be