John Finn's Wife Lyrics - Henry's Dream - Nick Cave

Well, the night was deep and the night was dark 

And I was at the old dance hall on the edge of town, yeah 

Some big ceremony was going down 

Well dancers writhed and squirmed and then 

Came apart and then writhed again 

Like squirming flies on a pin 

In the heat and in the din, in the heat and in the din 

I fell to thinking about brand new wife of mad John Finn 

Well, midnight came and clock did strike 

And in she came, did John Finn's wife 

With legs like scissors and butcher's knives 

Tattooed breast and flaming eyes 

And a crimson carnation in her teeth 

Carving her way through the dance floor 

And I'm standing over by the bandstand 

Every eye gaping on John Finn's wife 

Every eye gaping on John Finn's wife 

Oh yeah 

Now John Finn's wife was something of a mystery 

In a town where to share a sworn secret was a solemn duty 

I had brass knuckles and a bolo knife 

Over near the bandstand with John Finn's wife 

She got perfumed breasts and raven hair 

Sprinkled with wedding confettis 

And a gang of garroters were all giving me stares 

Armed, as they were, with machetes 

Well the night through the window was full of lights 

Winking and watching at John Finns' wife 

Winking and watching at John Finns' wife 

Well next came the cops, all out on the town 

But it don't look like no trouble there 

As they had for the bar in their lumpy suits 

And I slip my hand between the things of John Finn's wife 

They seemed to yawn awake, her things 

It was a warm and very ferocious night 

And the moon was full of blood and light 

And my eyes grew small and my eyes grew tight 

As I plotted in the ear of John Finns' wife 

Enter John Finn in his shrunken suit 

With his quick black eyes and black cheroot 

With his filled down teeth and a hobnail boot 

And his fists full of pistols in his pockets 

Aiming at me and aiming at his wife 

The band fall silent fearing for their lives 

And with fear in my guts like tangled twine 

'Cause all I got is brass knuckles and a bolo knife 

And mad John Finns' wife is all 

And the three of us walk out of the hall 

Now the night bore down upon us all 

You could hear the crickets in the thickets call 

Guns did flare and guns did bawl 

And I planted my bolo knife in the neck of mad John Finn 

I took his wretched life 

Now I'm over by the bandstand 

Every hand moving on John Finns' wife 

Every hand moving on John Finns' wife 

And John Finns' wife took all the flowers down 

From her hair and threw them on the ground 

And the flies did hum and the flies did buzz around 

Poor John Finn lying dead upon the ground 

Lying dead upon the ground