When I First Came To Town Lyrics - Cave Nick

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(l,m) Nick Cave 

(Inspired by the traditional song 'Katie Cruel') 

(p) Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 

Blixa Bargeld: guitar; Conway Savage: piano, other vocals; 

Martyn Casey: bass; Thomas Wydler: drums; 

The Bad Seeds: backing vocals; 

Mick Harvey & David Blumberg: string arrangements; 

Dennis Karmazyn: cello; Bruce Dukov, Barbara Porter: violins > 

( Henry's Dream [Mute, 1992] ) 

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When I first came to town 

All the people gathered round 

They bought me drinks 

Lord, how they quickly changed their tune 

When I first came to town 

People took me round from end to end 

Like someone may take round a friend 

O how quickly they changed their tune 

Suspicion and dark murmurs surround me 

Everywhere I go they confound me 

As though the blood on my hands 

Is there for every citizen to see 

O sweet Jesus 

There is no turning back 

There is always one more town 

A little further down the track 

And from my window, across the tracks 

I watch the juicers burn their fires 

And in that light 

Their faces leer at me 

How I wish they'd just let me be 

When I first came to town 

Their favours were for free 

Now even the doors of the whores of this town 

Are closed to me 

I search the mirror 

And I try to see 

Why the people of this town 

Have washed their hands of me 

O sweet Jesus 

There is no turning back 

There is always one more town 

A little further down the track 

O lord, every god-damn turn I take 

I fear the noose, I fear the stake 

For there is no bone 

They did not break 

In all the towns I've been before 

Well those that sin against me are snuffed out 

I know from every day that I live 

God-damn the day that I was born 

The night that forced me from the womb 

And god-damn this town 

For I am leaving now 

But one day I will return 

And the people of this town will surely see 

Just how quickly the tables turn 

O sweet Jesus 

This really is the end 

There is always one more town 

A little further round the end 

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