Orange Claw Hammer

A thick cloud caught a piper cub's tail
The match struck blue on a railroad rail
The old puff horse was just pullin' through
And a man wore a pegleg forever

I'm on the bum where the hobos run
The air breaks with filthy chatter
Oh I don't care there's no place there, don't think it matters

My skin's blazin' through and my clothes in tatters
And the railroad look like a "why" up the hill of ladders

One shoe fell on the gravel
One stick poked down
Gray of age fell down on a pair of ears
An eagle shined through my whole watch pocket

A gingham girl, baby girl, passed me by in tears
A jack rabbit raised his folded ears
A beautiful sagebrush jack rabbit

And an oriole sang like an orange
His breast full o'worms
And his tail clawed the evenin' like a hammer
His wings took to air like a bomber

And my rain can caught me a cup o'water
When I got into town
Odd-jobs mam, ah your horse, I'll fodder
I'm the round house man, I once was your father

A little up the road, a wooden candy-stripe barber pole
And above it read a sign, "Painless Parker"

Licorice twisted around under a fly
And a youngster cocked her eye
God, before me if I'm not crazy, is my daughter

Come, little one, with your little old dimpled fingers
Gimme one and I'll buy you a cherry phosphate

Take you down to the foamin' brine and water
And show you the wooden tits on the Goddess
With the pole out full sail, that tempted away your pegleg father
I was shanghaied by a high-hat beaver mustache man and his pirate friend

I woke up in vomit 'n beer in a banana bin
And a soft lass with brown skin
Bore me seven babies with snappin' black eyes
And beautiful ebony skin
And here is, is I'm with you, my daughter, thirty years
Away can make a seaman's eyes, a round house man's eyes
Flow out water, salt water