The ragamuffin gunner is returnin' home like a hungry runaway
he walks through town all alone--"he must be from the fort," he hears the high school girls say
his countryside's burnin' with wolfman fairies dressed in drag for homicide
the hit-and-run plead sanctuary, 'neath a holy stone they hide
they're breakin' beams and crosses with a spastic's reelin' perfection
nuns run bald through vatican halls, pregnant, pleadin' immaculate conception
and everybody's wrecked on main street from drinking unholy blood
sticker smiles sweet as gunner breathes deep, his ankles caked in mud
and i said, "hey, gunner man, that's qucksand, that's quicksand, that ain't mud
have you thrown your senses to the war, or did you lose them in the flood?"
That pure american brother, dull-eyed and empty-faced
races sundays in jersey in a chevy stock super eight
he rides 'er low on the hip, on the side he's got "bound for glory" in red, white and blue flash paint
he leans on the hood telling racing stories, the kids call him jimmy the saint
well, that blaze-and-noise boy, he's gunnin' that bitch loaded to blastin' point
he rides head first into a hurricane and disappears into a point
and there's nothin' left but some blood where the body fell, that is, nothin' left that you could sell
just junk all across the horizon, a real highwayman's farewell
and i said, "hey kid, you think that's oil? man, that ain't oil, that's blood"
i wonder what he was thinking when he hit that storm, or was he just lost in the flood?
Eighth avenue sailors in satin shirts whisper in the air
some storefront incarnation of maria, she's puttin' on me the stare
and bronx's best apostle stands with his hand on his own hardware
everything stops, you hear five quick shots, the cops come up for air
and now the whiz-bang gang from uptown, they're shootin' up the street
and that cat from the bronx starts lettin' loose, but he gets blown right off his feet
and some kid comes blastin' 'round the corner, but a cop puts him right away
he lays on the street holding his leg, screaming something in spanish, still breathing when i walked away
and somebody said, "hey man, did you see that? his body hit the street with such a beautiful thud"
i wonder what the dude was sayin', or was he just lost in the flood?
hey man, did you see that, those poor cats are sure messed up
i wonder what they were gettin' into, or were they just lost in the flood?