Mealtime in Atlanta | John Hewitt Music

BETTER TIMES WILL COME

I met her on a falling star
Where everyone knows who you are
And dying is all and all a state of mind
The restaurant would be closing soon
Hidden on this frosted moon
With nothing but our love to hide behind
We drifted through the alleys and spoke our broken thoughts

Innocent and lying still on God’s paved parking lot
And she was there and I was there
They were there and we were there
And better times will come for her and I

She was taken when we met
A broken girl I can’t forget
She added up confusion with her time
She came with me one summer night
Feeling that the time was right
For loving, crying, dreaming and drinking wine
We traded our misfortunes and told our blistered souls

Only to fall back in time to a place that never heals

And she was there and I was there

And they were there and we were there

And better times will come for her and I

Her father was a sober man
Never had a drink in hand
But always had a fist to hold a grudge
His daughter was the sweetest thing

Sweeter than most anything
But not too sweet to kick down in the mud
He ravaged her and beat her within inches of her life

But never half as bad as the way he kept his wife

And she was there and I was there

And they were there and we were there

And better times will come for her and I

Her brother never spoke too much

Never had that crimson touch

Still I didn't mind him being 'round

Silence was his only will

Violence kept his body still
An early death he kept his body bound

They stabbed him and they shot him

And he died at twenty one
Left out on the streets
Until the early morning sun
And she was there and I was there

They were there and we were there

And better times will come for her and I

We settled in a quiet spot
Where loneliness could not get caught
And drifted far apart just like the tide
Our golden age had passed us by
Our distance could have reached the sky
But with her rules I know I did abide
Some things are for lovers and some for those who run

Some things never work out lord some things just don’t get done

And she was there and I was there

And they were there and we were there

And better times will come for her and I

-Hewitt-

BASTARDS OF THE SEA

He called himself a family man he meant it in his soul

Took out all the women his withered mind could know

He left is table empty he left his bedroom full

There weren’t any strings that his fingers could not pull

Mister Becker don’t you run Mister Becker don’t you hide

Stealing from the husbands who’ve long since had a bride

And if you wish to crawl now don’t you crawl to me

You’ve made his children orphans, bastards of the sea

There once was a time when they’d throw your ass in jail

Leave you there for dead no punishment could fail

But now you’re just a promise to let the simple down

Mother puts them on a hill and you just drag them down

Mister Becker don’t you run Mister Becker don’t you hide

Stealing from the husbands who’ve long since had a bride

And if you wish to crawl now don’t you crawl to me

You’ve made his children orphans, bastards of the sea

She claims to be of faith but faith in what, I say

She has no reason to believe in her god anyway

She’s just as bad as Satan if she protects herself

While we all accept the lies that fall on some one else

Mister Becker don’t you run Mister Becker don’t you hide

Stealing from the husbands who’ve long since had a bride

And if you wish to crawl now don’t you crawl to me

You’ve made his children orphans, bastards of the sea

Now weary and ashamed how they crucify his name

Just to sleep with destiny so you may keep her tame

I’m not surprised with nothing if we all found you dead

I’m not surprised if Gilbert puts a bullet in your head

Mister Becker don’t you run Mister Becker don’t you hide

Stealing from the husbands who’ve long since had a bride

And if you wish to crawl now don’t you crawl to me

You’ve made his children orphans, bastards of the sea

-Hewitt-

DEVILS ON MY SIDE

Somebody knows, somebody knows

Somebody knows that you got your clothes

Hanging on the wrong line hanging on the wrong line

Somebody cried, somebody cried

Somebody here aint getting out alive

And the ace is in your hands The ace is in your hands

You're a cheating girl, youre a cheating girl

You're a cheating girl and youre lost in this world

But I dont know why I love you
No I dont know why I love you

I'm going back I'm going back

I'm going back and Im under attack

But you dont give a damn 'bout me

No you dont give a damn about me

I'm going home yes, I'm going home

Lord Im going home loaded on the sun

Cause the devil got a hold on me

Yeah the devils got a hold on me

Well the devil got a hold on me

-Hewitt-

GENTLE

When glory came about us we were waiting at the station
As we held each other softly with no innocence or patience

We both sat still and listened to the trains coming through the hotel walls

Stuck inside the city with no way of going further
There was music in the hallways children begging on the corners

And without a friend to call on and no voice to answer when you called

But she’s desperate and she’s gentle

And she means it when she says

You are nothing but a number in her line

Yes she’s desperate and she’s gentle

As she takes another sip of golden wine

We walked another mile in the shoes of other strangers
There were coffee stains and pencils saying watch out for the danger

But we whistled off by memory a tune that’s set our hearts to feeling free

As we stepped out on the sidewalk there were cameras flashing wildly

And a lonely little girl was sleeping some where down the alley

We held each others hands until the cold had chilled out bones out on the streets

But she’s desperate and she’s gentle

And she means it when she says that

You are nothing but a number in her line

Yes she’s desperate and she’s gentle

As she takes another sip of golden wine

There was darkness all around us as we took out our last quarters

And a bird was whistling dixie like no singer could afford her

There were stars above the village for we all had the time to make a wish

Then the gamblers from the tavern speaking highly of a princess

Listening to the station that was playing songs by inches

And we stepped into a restaurant and ordered up the cheapest foreign dish

But she’s desperate and she’s gentle

And she means it when she says that

You are nothing but a number in her line

Yes she’s desperate and she’s gentle

As she takes another sip of golden wine

-Hewitt-

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

There has to be a way

To end all this pain

Find shelter from rain

And madmen

There has to be a way

To heal all these wounds

Please help us out soon

In the light of the world

You can't hide their tears

The young ones who fear

The soldiers who clear

Their bedrooms
They cant help but cry

And neither can I

They’ve darkened our skies

In the light of the world

Please catch all the beggars

And stop all the fools

Before their blood

Starves, so cruel

Please take all the children

And find them a home

Don’t leave them alone

In the light of the world

Please end all this hate

And end all the wars
We don’t know what for

No reason
Please catch all the killers

And turn them to Saints

We’ll watch how they change

In the light of the world

We’ll watch the world change

In the light of the world

-Hewitt-

MEALTIME IN ATLANTA

Well it’s mealtime in Atlanta
And they’re waiting for their food without a knife

And the men who walk up Grand Street
Are not shaken they’re just waiting for a wife

And I’ve been here since sundown

Waiting for you to dream your song tonight

I’m not here for any reason babe
No, I’m just waiting here for life

Well the poster children lovers
Are just aging for the times they’ve seen before

And Julius Ex-Caesar has his money out

As he walks out the door
And Meredith is bleeding on the

Elevator from the twenty second floor

I understand your questions
But I don’t see what you’re asking them for

Well the Clown has got his blues wrong

His left hand shoe is on his right hand side

They’ve taken all his enemies
But with it goes the foundation of his pride

Waiting for the summer where
Once he found himself a worn in bride

And it’s mealtime in Atlanta
We’re so hungry that the feeling up and died

-Hewitt-

LONDON GIRL

I was down in a place, in a place called London town

Not New England, not New France not New Orleans

I called out your name in the fog and in the rain

And I didn’t get to sleep until the morning

Meant to be in a place a place across the sea
To be or not to be you were meant to be with me
When the fog had come and gone I hadn’t waited there too long

And I waited for my London girl to save me

Dance with me London girl

Dance with me around the world

Singing Alouette, gentille alouette
Alouette, je te plumerai

I left my London Girl to sail the ocean world

So I Sailed across the world for my baby

When I got to aching bones I heading back for home

Where I waited there for Danny boy to save me

My lady caught a plane and she left me in the rain

Had an aching in my brain from the screaming
We shouted bon voyage it must have been a new mirage

When I woke up in the night I was dreaming

Dance with me London girl

Dance with me around the world

Singing Alouette, gentille alouette
Alouette, je te plumerai

I’ve been waiting for the chance for my London girl to dance

But she’s got a nervous bone that’s been paining
We settled in a pub and we ordered up some grub

Only took her half a pint ‘fore she was dancing

Dance with me London girl

Dance with me around the world

Singing Alouette, gentille alouette
Alouette, je te plumerai

Some one took my London girl away from me

Across the sea, feeling blue
Some one took my London girl away from me

Across the sea, I’m crying

As they lowered her down, I could hear her sing

Alouette...

-Hewitt-

BALLAD OF YOUR 2012

Devil came down to me said "take me down to Galilee"
Said "I need your babies blood and watch out for the chance of flood"

He took from me a dollar bill sent me back over the hill
"Tell me all the names you see grab their souls and send to me"

The devil rode shotgun all that night

Caught him dancing 'neath an old street light

Said "If you believe in what I do
I just came back from Jesus' tomb"

Well I came back to see him there sitting in my rocking chair

Wore a look of greed and shame as he watched the world go up in flames

He whispered to me in my ear

Although I could barely hear

Looking down I saw him cry a burning teardrop in his eye

He said he must be going fore it gets too late

Jesus will be coming and he's feeling not so great

For those of you who practice faith
The devil holds your hand with grace

You can go to jerusalem

You can study the Islam

You can go to Galilee
But I'm going down to New York City

-Hewitt-

BALLAD OF CLETUS O'NEILL

Cletus O'Neill jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge
You shouldve seen the note tied to the ribbon on his fridge

Tied to the note a clover of leaves no more than three
A crowd stood and stared while his mama was left there to grieve

And he died on aspirin and wine

Cletus O'Neill hung himself from the highest limb
A tavern he left after twenty-two pints to the brim
He tried and he cried left there in the roses untrimmed

And his body still sways while the west is harvesting wind

And he died on aspirin and wine
And he died on aspirin and wine

Cletus O"Neill took on more than he could handle
His soul lit his heart on fire while his mind lit his body a candle

His body and mind were so deprived they began to ramble

And if your mind is like his or mine then your life is just another gamble
And he died on aspirin and wine
And he died on aspirin and wine

Cletus O'Neill jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge

-Hewitt-

TELL ME MAMA

Tell me mama now what'd'ya got
A heavy load don't seem like a lot

And if you tell me mama now what'd'ya got

Is it a sweet melody?
Is it a sweet Melody?

I went walking on the rivers edge
I caught you there just a skipping stones

Somebody came and whistled your tune

And I was gone
Then it was gone

I took your hand and I led the way

Some one called out a familiar tune

I was stepping on the wrong path lord it led to flame
Babe it led to a flame

Tell me mama now what'd'ya got
A heavy load don't seem like a lot

And if you tell me mama now what'd'ya got

Is it a sweet melody?
Is it a sweet Melody?

There's something in the air tonight
I can feel chills down in my bones

When I came back and seen you there

Could you be alone
Could you be alone

Tell me mama now what'd'ya got
A heavy load dont seem like a lot

And if you tell me mama now what'd'ya got

Is it a sweet melody?
Is it a sweet Melody?

-Hewitt-