Warren wanted a Beach Boys thing for this one, and Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche came in, with Carl arranging the vocal parts. The other harmony vocalists (credited as the "Gentlemen Boys") were Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Zevon's longtime backers Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Linda Rondstadt/Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards.
My Daddy told me, lookin back
The best friend you'll have is a railroad track
So when I was 13 I said, I'm rollin' my own,
And I'm leaving Missouri and I'm never coming home
And I'm lost
And I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the Bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
Satchel puddin' and Lord God Mose
Sittin' by the fire with a busted nose
That fresh egg yeller is too damn rare
But the white part is perfect for slickin' down your hair
And I'm lost
And I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the Bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
Blackjack Ruby and Nimrod Cain
The moon's the color of a coffee stain
Jesse Franks and Birdy Joe Hoax
But who is the king of all of these folks?
And I'm lost
And I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the Bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
Well I dined last night with Scarface Ron
On Telapia fish cakes and fried black swan
Razorweed onion and peacock squirrel
And I dreamed all night about a beautiful girl
And I'm lost
And I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the Bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
Well God's green hair is where I slept last
He balanced a diamond on a blade of grass
Now I woke me up with a cardinal bird
And when I wanna talk he
Hangs on every word
And I'm lost
And I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the Bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
The best friend you'll have is a railroad track
So when I was 13 I said, I'm rollin' my own,
And I'm leaving Missouri and I'm never coming home
And I'm lost
And I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the Bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
Satchel puddin' and Lord God Mose
Sittin' by the fire with a busted nose
That fresh egg yeller is too damn rare
But the white part is perfect for slickin' down your hair
And I'm lost
And I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the Bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
Blackjack Ruby and Nimrod Cain
The moon's the color of a coffee stain
Jesse Franks and Birdy Joe Hoax
But who is the king of all of these folks?
And I'm lost
And I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the Bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
Well I dined last night with Scarface Ron
On Telapia fish cakes and fried black swan
Razorweed onion and peacock squirrel
And I dreamed all night about a beautiful girl
And I'm lost
And I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the Bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
Well God's green hair is where I slept last
He balanced a diamond on a blade of grass
Now I woke me up with a cardinal bird
And when I wanna talk he
Hangs on every word
And I'm lost
And I'm lost
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
I'm handcuffed to the Bishop and the barbershop liar
I'm lost at the bottom of the world
Lyrics submitted by xdvr, edited by Mellow_Harsher
Bottom Of The World Lyrics as written by Kathleen Brennan Thomas Alan Waits
Lyrics © JALMA MUSIC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
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Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
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The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
this is just how you feel after a long period of being in a transient state. when you feel like you don't have any roots you have moments like some of the lyrics in here. balancing a diamond on a blade of grass...you start to see beauty everywhere. even if your future is bleak..especially actually. beck wrote a lot of songs like this. this reminds of stuff like "hollow log" and "modesto" two artists that seem very akin to me. and very personal to me as well.