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Diamonds & Gold Lyrics
Broken glass, rusty nails where the wild violets grow
Say goodbye to the railroad, the mad dogs of summer
And everything that I know
What some men will do here for diamonds
What some men will do here for gold
They're wounded but they just keep on climbing
And sleep by the side of the road
There's a hole in the ladder, a fence we can climb
Mad as a hatter, you're thin as a dime
Go out to the meadow, the hills are a-green
Sing me a rainbow, steal me a dream
Small-time Napoleon's shattered his knees
But he stays in the saddle for Rose
And all his disciples, they shave in the gutter
And they gather what's left of his clothes
What some men will do here for diamonds
What some men will do here for gold
They're wounded but they just keep on climbing
And sleep by the side of the road
Say goodbye to the railroad, the mad dogs of summer
And everything that I know
What some men will do here for gold
They're wounded but they just keep on climbing
And sleep by the side of the road
Mad as a hatter, you're thin as a dime
Go out to the meadow, the hills are a-green
Sing me a rainbow, steal me a dream
But he stays in the saddle for Rose
And all his disciples, they shave in the gutter
And they gather what's left of his clothes
What some men will do here for gold
They're wounded but they just keep on climbing
And sleep by the side of the road
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amazing song about those who chaise fortunes and their unfortunate lifes.
one of my favorite songs
and the lines "And all his disciple They shave in the gutter And gather what's left of his clothes" describes what's left of these men after death
and the lines "And all his disciple They shave in the gutter And gather what's left of his clothes" describes what's left of these men after death
I'm in love with these lyrics.
tom waits is one of the most fantastic lyricists of all time. i love this song~
Its about people who would do anything for fortune, and he is saying that he won't be like that. Great song.
Anybody else think the stanza starting with "There's a hole in the ladder" and ending with "Steal me a dream" sounds strangely like Chim-Chim-Cheree or whatever that song from Mary Poppins is called?
hahaha i know what you mean!
hahaha i know what you mean!
@ThomYorkeGuyGarvey92 Yes, it's a fantastic use of quoting the melody from Chim-Chim-Chimeree, which totally matches the vibe on this album, where all the songs apparently have some connection with a nursery rhyme/theme. It's uncanny how well it fits into the overall melody and feel of Diamonds & Gold.
@ThomYorkeGuyGarvey92 Yes, it's a fantastic use of quoting the melody from Chim-Chim-Chimeree, which totally matches the vibe on this album, where all the songs apparently have some connection with a nursery rhyme/theme. It's uncanny how well it fits into the overall melody and feel of Diamonds & Gold.
i think its also about how they'll leave everyone behind to chase their fortunes "all his disciples, they shave in the gutter / and they gather whats left of his clothes"
For me it's about how a man leaves behind the way of life he used to live before - the railroad, the glass and the mad dogs of summer. Now he tries to live like everyone else, but preserve some of his ideals, however seeing his used-to-be friends chasing for their fortunes he both envies them and feels how ugly the way of life their living is.