Coneville Slough - Greg Brown

We came out of the country and drove into the cityscape —

Like every other one in America, it’s a black and white town

You were sitting beside me, neither of us in good shape

Leaning on one another and coming back down

We had walked miles along Cape Cod, I was right behind you

Watching your hips move, and the cloudy sky —

The ocean was cold, by God, you were stiff and your lips were blue

It ain’t hard to find the groove when you don’t have to try

Truck parked by the Yellow Dog, I had gone way upstream

You sat in your lawn chair, so sad and alone

And I recall how your eyes would fog when you went deep into your dream

You and the sky were both bare, down to the bone

I’m a shy exhibitionist standing by a window

Thinking about a woman from Boston town

How she danced in a slow twist, how wide her arms would go

When the city night was coming in, and the sun going down

You can walk down the avenue with your coat all around you

And all the phantoms glowing just as bright as can be

Yeah, but what really gets through to you, where is the one who found you

When everything was showing on the day you felt free

I was just wondering where the wild swans gather

And if you ever stand in their glory like we did that day

When the sky was thundering and we were all the way together

In the middle of a big story that doesn’t fade away