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Long Shadow Lyrics

Well I'll tell you one thing that I know
You don't face your demons down
You gotta grapple 'em Jack and pin 'em to the ground
The devil may care, maybe god he won't
You better make sure you check on the do's and the don'ts

Crawl up a moutain
To reach where the eagles fly
To show you can glimpse from the mountian top
where the soul of the muse might ride

And if you put it all together
You won't have to look around
You know you cast a long shadow on the ground

Then one day I could tell my tracks
About the holes in the soles of my shoes
And thats the day I said I'm gonna make the news

And fallen back in the garden
The days so long ago
Somewhere in the memory
The sun shines on you boy

And playing in the Arroyo's
where the american rivers flow
From the Appalachians
Down to the Delta Roads

A man can think so long
His brain could well explode
The strings runnin' through the junctions
A king comes down the road

And if you put it all together
You won't have to look around
You know you cast a long shadow on the ground

Listen to the country
The night jar and the bell
Listen to the night stream lineup
Soundin' like the wolves of hell

Head for the water
The waters of the cleansing spell
It was always our destination
On the express of the ne'ver do wells

And we rocked through Madison's city
And we didn't even know she was there
And when we hit the bumpers in Memphis
Beale street didn't have no prayer

And I hear punks talk of anarchy
I hear hobo's on the railroads
I hear mutterings on the chain gangs
It was those men who built the roads

And if you put it all together
You didn't even once relent
You cast a long shadow
And that is your testament

Somewhere in my soul
There's always rock and roll
Yeaaaah!
Song Info
Submitted by
ghost C2c On Dec 12, 2005
2 Meanings

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Cover art for Long Shadow lyrics by Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros

From what I've heard Joe Strummer was in a pizza place when he heard that Johnny Cash was at a recording studio near by. So Strummer wrote this song on the back of a pizza box (there is a picture of it in the cd booklet) and ran over to the studio to show Cash. I think Cash was gonna sing it, but he died before he got the chance.

Cover art for Long Shadow lyrics by Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros

I always thought this was Joe's tribute to Johnny Cash

@irondogs agreed. He's paying tribute to the master who traveled the country and left a long shadow on music and all the people he influenced.

 
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