Sister Cities

See the old man?
On the bridge?
He's hauling up a sagging net
It's full of eels
Twisting through the eye sockets of a horse's head

And this fiend has no family
So he will outlive
You and me

In the hospital you talked about
Thumbing down that truck ride
For the first time

And the false friend
Kept his back turned
That's when you learned
The fierceness of man
Again

How long it took to reach the
Sister cities
And then somehow make it back
Just to tell me, "yeah, I guess I'm still
Pretty mad"

Every other day
The same long road to
The old man down the street

Neither one of you knows
What the flowers in your hand
Are supposed to mean

Red flowers against your, red flowers against your
Painted shut window

Help! My uncle's gone insane
In his room he sits
Shaking a geranium

Outside, the old dog, resigned
Leaves heavy tracks for the father
Dragging the rifle to find

Every other day the same
Long road to the old man down the street
Do you think someday, through all the flowers
Your eyes finally will meet?

Where he'll tell you, "honey, you know I had to shoot that dog
You loved so much. Aw, know I had to do it. Aw, honey, you know I had
To shoot that dog you loved so much, you know I had to do it"

"Yeah, I know you had to shoot that dog I loved so much
I know you had to do it"