Back in the old folky days
The air was magic when we played.
The riverboat was rockin'
    in the rain
Midnight was the time
    for the raid.

Oh, Isabela, proud Isabela,
They tore you down and
    plowed you under.
You're only real
    with your make-up on
How could I see you
    and stay too long?

All along the Navajo Trail,
Burn-outs stub their toes
    on garbage pails.
Waitresses are cryin'
    in the rain
Will their boyfriends
    pass this way again?

Oh, Mother Goose,
    she's on the skids
Shoe ain't happy,
    neither are the kids.
She needs someone
    that she can scream at
And I'm such a heel
    for makin' her feel so bad.

I guess I'll call it
    sickness gone
It's hard to say
    the meaning of this song.
An ambulance can only
    go so fast
It's easy to get buried
    in the past
When you try to make
    a good thing last.

I saw today
    in the entertainment section
There's room at the top
    for private detection.
To Mom and Dad
    this just doesn't matter,
But it's either that
    or pay off the kidnapper.

So all you critics sit alone
You're no better than me
    for what you've shown.
With your stomach pump and
    your hook and ladder dreams
We could get together
    for some scenes.

I never knew a man
    could tell so many lies
He had a different story
    for every set of eyes.
How can he remember
    who he's talkin' to?
'Cause I know it ain't me,
    and I hope it isn't you.

Well, I'm up in T.O.
    keepin' jive alive,
And out on the corner
    it's half past five.
But the subways are empty
And so are the cafes.

Except for the Farmer's Market
And I still can hear him say:
You're all just pissin'
    in the wind
You don't know it but you are.

And there ain't nothin'
    like a friend
Who can tell you
    you're just pissin'
        in the wind.

I never knew a man
    could tell so many lies
He had a different story
    for every set of eyes
How can he remember
    who he's talking to?
Cause I know it ain't me,
    and hope it isn't you.