The day the devil comes to getcha
You know him by the way he smiles
The day the devil comes to getcha
He's a rusty truck with only twenty miles
He's got bad brakes he's got loose teeth
He's a long way from home
The day the devil comes to getcha
He's got a smile like a scar
He knows the way to your house
He's got the keys to your car
And when he sells you his sport coat
You say, Funny! That's my size
Attention shoppers!
Everybody please rise
Give me back my innocence
Get me a brand new suit
Give me back my innocence Oh Lord!
Cut me down to size
Well you can hide under the porch
And you can hide behind the couch
But the day the devil comes to getcha
He's right on time
Here he comes
Well I'm sick of hearin' bout your problems
Yeah girlie you're breakin' my heart I
'm the original party animal Hey! Hey! Babaloo
So don't come bangin' your Bibles
'Cause you've been laughin' all the way to the bank And don't give me those crocodile tears
'Cause you've been doing it for years
I'm everywhere!
Sign right here Mr. Jones
The day the devil comes to getcha
He's a long way from home
And you know he's gonna getcha
Cause you're stuck in the middle
Everybody please rise
Give me back my innocence
Get me a brand new suit
Give me back my innocence Oh Lord!
Cut me down to size
Give me back my innocence
Get me a new Cadillac
Cause when I get on up to heave Lord
You can have it all back
Cause in heaven, you get it all back
In heaven it all comes back
Cause in heaven, you get it all back
In heaven Cause in heaven...
In heaven...


Lyrics submitted by Lepra Messias

The Day the Devil Lyrics as written by Laurie Anderson

Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing

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The Day The Devil song meanings
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    General Comment

    Hearing this verse:

    Well I'm sick of hearing bout your problems Yeah girlie your breakin' my heart ... Cause you've been laughin' all the way to the bank And don't give me those crocodile tears Cause you've been doing it for years...

    ...somehow, I imagine, was the sort of thing which might go through Laurie's head when her--shall we say--emotional weather was not the sunniest? Like she was thinking, what do I do for a living? I get up on stage with all this gear, and...and just talk, mostly.

    And a lot of people's jobs really suck. And, she knows this. So she's feeling extraordinarily fortunate, and wondered whether eventually some kind of negative counter-reaction would necessarily surface. Well, a Faustian bargain might have seemed apropos, metaphorically speaking.

    foreverdroneon August 07, 2010   Link

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