Silium's Hill Lyrics - Daniel Lanois

Shoe Shine Mamma 

Spits for her money 

Wants to make a living 

Try to make her own 

All she ever wanted was to 

Make her own money and 

Settle down on Silium's Hill 

She prayed by the water on Manitou Bay 

Sipping ambrosia on a holy night 

Counting the lovers that had passed her way 

They could not see her on Silium's Hill 

On a frozen lamp pole I scratch her name 

With my rusty old penknife 

On a empty heart 

Standing by the window, is that you out there 

At the Southern Cross over Silium's Hill 

Oh, baby will you ride with me 

Through the wheat towns to Medicine Hat 

When the cold winds blow I'll be there 

I'll hang on tight, baby sure go for that 

Now the old man knocks at my front door 

Shoe Shine Mamma isn't here anymore 

There's a stranger in my place 

Looking out over Silium's Way 

Listen to the humming of the railway cars 

My hands frozen on the wheel 

Six hundred miles away from home 

Running on the shadow of Silium's Hill 

Somewhere back on Church Street 

Shoe Shine Momma spits for her money 

Trying to make a living, wanna make her own 

Down at the bottom of Silium's Hill 

Momma wanna build her own 

Down at the bottom of Silium's Hill