Throw It Away Lyrics - Stan Ridgway

Bobby had a background 

He'd done some prison time 

He borrowed a police car 

Drove it over the state line 

His partner wore a red dress 

She looked like Stubby Kaye 

And when they finally caught 'em 

Oh, she sang to the DA 

Chorus: 

Throw it away 

Oh, throw it away 

There's nothin' left to do but throw it all away 

Throw it away 

Yeah, throw it away 

There's nothin' left to do but throw it all away 

Skies gettin' darker 

Cloudburst comin' on 

I've gotta clean my closet out 

And move this thing along 

Some things are gettin' hard to part with 

Most have gotta go 

Some memories can haunt your mind 

Stored underground below 

Chorus repeat 

Walkin' down a highway 

I stopped into a church 

Heard an empty sermon 

From a parrot on a perch 

Slept under a bridge 

Heard those big trucks haulin' freight 

So many things to buy and sell 

But none are worth the wait 

Rang up the conciliere 

Said to him "there's somethin' wrong" 

He put me back on hold 

And said he'd heard that radio song 

Woke up at the hotel 

In the Mussolini Suite 

I tried to put my shoes on 

But someone had stole my feet 

I rang up that old bellboy 

Said to him "there's somethin' wrong" 

He put me back on hold 

And said he'd heard that radio song 

Chorus repeat 

Shadows of the past 

Keep messin' up my mind 

Some mistakes I made 

Some people I can't find 

Where did the road get twisted? 

And did I let you down? 

But you never were a cowboy 

And I ain't no radio clown 

Tryin' to paint a picture 

But blue turns into red 

Some people have gone missing 

Some people end up dead 

Chasin' near the shadows 

I'm just tryin' to stay in the light 

I wonder sometimes if y'ever thought 

I was ever right