The Man In The Long Black Coat Lyrics - Stan Ridgway

Crickets are chirpin' 

The water is high 

There's a soft cotton dress 

On the line hangin' dry 

The windows wide open 

African trees 

Bent over backward 

In a hurricane breeze 

Not a word of goodbye 

Not even a note 

She's gone with the man 

In the long black coat 

Somebody seen him 

Hangin' around 

At the old dancehall 

On the outskirts of town 

He looked into her eyes 

When she stopped him to ask 

If he wanted to dance 

He had a face like a mask 

Somebody said 

From the Bible he quoth 

There was dust on the man 

In the long black coat 

Preacher was talkin' 

There's a sermon he gave 

He said, "every man's conscience 

Is vile & depraved. 

You cannot depend on it 

To be your guide 

When it's you 

Who must keep it satisfied." 

It ain't easy to swallow 

It sticks in the throat 

She gave her heart to the man 

In the long black coat 

"there are no mistakes in life," 

Some people say 

It's true sometimes 

You can see it that way 

People don't live or die 

People just float 

She left with the man 

In the long black coat