Knockin' On Joe Lyrics - Nick Cave & The Bad Seed

These chains of sorrow 

They are heavy, it is true 

And these locks cannot be broken 

No, not with one thousand keys 

O Jailer, you're dragging 

Ball and chain, you cannot see 

You can lay your burden on me 

You can lay down your burden on me 

You can bring burden down upon me 

But you can't lay down your memories, no 

Here I go, knockin' on Joe 

This square foot of sky will be mine til I die 

Knockin' on Joe, all down the row 

Knockin' on Joe 

O Warden, I surrender to you 

Your fists can't hurt me anymore 

You know, these hands will never mop 

Your dirty 'Death Row' floors 

Preacher, come closer 

You don't scare me anymore 

Just tell Nancy not to come here 

O, tell her not to come 

And let me die in the memory of her arms 

All down the row, knockin' on Joe 

O you Kings of halls, ends of halls 

You will die within these walls 

And I'll go, all down the row, knockin' on Joe 

O Nancy's body is a coffin 

She wears my tombstone at her head 

Her body is a coffin 

She wears my tombstone at her head 

She wears her body like a coffin 

She wears a dress of gold and red 

She wears a dress of gold and red 

She wears a dress of red and gold 

Grave robbers at my coffin 

Before my body's even cold 

It's a door for when I go 

Knockin' on Joe 

O, these hands will never mop 

Your dirty row floors 

No and you can hide, you can run 

You can run, you can hide 

You'll stay, you'll come 

O but your trial is yet to come 

O you can run, you can hide 

But you have yet to be tried 

You can lay your burdens down here 

You can lay your burden down 

Knockin' on Joe 

You can lay your burden upon me 

You can lay your burden on me 

Knockin' on Joe 

You can lay it down here 

You can bring burden down 

Knockin' on Joe 

You can't hurt me anymore, no 

You can't hurt me anymore, no 

Knockin' on Joe 

You can bring burden down 

You can bring burden down