Sweat - Bambara

Well, I saw John in a vision years after he died

I asked what it’s like to stop living

He said, «It's a look in your eye»

Then he moved in slow motion

Said, «It's kind of like that too

Death is what you make it

But you’ll find that out soon»

No halo, no wings, just seventeen

With a sheen of nothing (Huh)

Connor’s mom wore a bandana on her head

Frail and tired, but still smiling

Though she rarely left her bed

One day she called us in, put Old Yeller on TV

And we watched it, both wishing

We were outside climbing trees

When the kid shot his dog

She fixed Connor’s hair and said (Huh, huh)

«Though it doesn’t seem fair

Sometimes love’s interrupted by death»

Near the end, KC said, «Son, no savior will return

And his daddy ain’t waiting for us

See what happened to Irene after years at the church?

Ain’t no good book keep maggots away from their lunch»

And the last words he said to his nurse were

«Pray for me» (Huh)

Ed reclined on a frozen body for a smoke

His friend stepped onto a landmine, Ed’s uniform got soaked

His eyes lingered on the cigarette in his hand

And he ashed it with his new finger the doc cut from a dead man

He told me nights were so black

It’s like you passed through the other side (Hey)

And you’re not sure if you’re alive

'Til you feel the sweat burn your eyes

At her place after working a late shift at the bar

Drunk and mad at the hot city night

She was scared, saying people got shot up on Starr

I said, «Everything is alright»

And it all seemed so suddenly sweet to me

Even cleaning up rich tourist piss on my knees

Kicking her hissing cat off of my feet, I told her

«We're still sweating» (Huh)