The Lyre Of Orpheus Lyrics - Nick Cave & The Bad Seed

Orpheus sat gloomy in his garden shed 

Wondering what to do 

With a lump of wood and a piece of wire 

And a little pot of glue 

Oh mama, oh mama 

He sawed at the wood with half a heart 

And glued it top to bottom 

He strung a wire in between 

He was feeling something rotten 

Oh mama, oh mama 

Orpheus looked at his instrument 

And he gave the wire a pluck 

He heard a sound so beautiful 

He gasped and said, "Oh my God" 

Oh mama, oh mama 

He rushed inside to tell his wife 

He went racing down the halls 

Eurydice was still asleep in bed 

Like a sack of cannonballs 

Oh mama, oh mama 

"Look what I've made", cried Orpheus 

And he plucked a gentle note 

Eurydices eyes popped from their sockets 

And her tongue burst through her throat 

Oh mama, oh mama, oh mama, oh mama 

"Oh God, what have I done" he said 

As her blood pooled in the sheets 

But in his heart he felt a bliss 

Which nothing could compete 

Oh mama, oh mama 

Orpheus went leaping through the fields 

Strumming as hard as he did please 

Birdies detonated in the sky 

Bunnies dashed their brains out on the trees 

Oh mama, oh mama, oh mama, oh mama 

Orpheus strummed till his fingers bled 

He hit a G minor seven 

He woke up God from a deep, deep sleep 

God was a major player in Heaven 

Oh mama, oh mama 

God picked up a giant hammer 

And he threw it with an thunderous yell 

It smashed down hard on Orpheus' head 

And it knocked him down a well 

Oh mama, oh mama 

Well, the well went down very deep 

Very deep went down the well 

Well, the well went down so very deep 

Well, the well went down to Hell 

Oh mama, oh mama 

Poor Orpheus woke up with a start 

All amongst the rotting dead 

His lyre tucked safe under his arm 

His brains all down his head 

Oh mama, oh mama 

Eurydice appeared brindled in blood 

She said to Orpheus 

"If you play that fucking thing down here 

I'll stick it up your orifice" 

Oh, mama, oh mama 

"This lyre lark is for the birds", said Orpheus 

"It's enough to send you bats 

Let's stay down here, Eurydice, dear 

And we'll have a bunch of screaming brats" 

Oh, mama, oh mama 

Orpheus picked up his lyre for the last time 

He was on a real low down bummer 

He stared deep into the abyss and said 

"This one is for mama" 

Oh, mama, oh mama 

Oh mama, oh mama 

Oh mama, oh mama 

Oh mama, oh mama 

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