Bitter By And By Lyrics

If no one was to listen and nothing was to break
My innocent remark would count as quite a big mistake
I've never been to Normandy although I've climbed a tree
And I've never called you anything but 'she'
The titles in my library are really too obscure
But the undertow is grinning as a wave breaks through the shore
If Malcolm is a lighthouse keeper, I'm a drunken fish
From the Philippines en route to Natchitoches

And the days drag on like hours and the years plod on like seconds
As a girl I don't know beckons from the inside of the sky
For I've never felt so frazzled* or so rhythmically distracted
As my patience is refracted in a haze of when and why

St. Patrick's Day was frozen through a magnifying glass
But it's all been torn to ribbons by a diplomat on grass
And the altar boys are busking in a new sidewalk café
With their cocoa butter soaking up the hay
Do the raindrops seem to tremble at a glance from Katmandu
With a pocket full of promises and a bucket full of shoes?
Though I see the lifeguard drowning, he's talking out of key
To a fellow with a bureaucrats degree

And the days drag on like hours and the years plod on like seconds
As a girl I don't know beckons from the inside of the sky
Though I've never seen a compass made from leftover tattoos
I would love to watch you use one in the bitter by and by

Is that Nancy in the window?
Is she eating feta cheese?
Cuz the rats are watching Jeopardy and falling on their knees
As the gas truck hits a racetrack and begins to pick up speed
All the congressmen have voted to proceed
No, you can't just sit there, stupid, no, you have to grab a shoe
Cuz the rats are getting restless and there's so much you can do
Be the hero, be the villain, be the one that got away
Nothing comes from nothing gained, I always say

And the days drag on like hours and the years plod on like seconds
As a girl I don't know beckons from the inside of the sky
And the occupants are joining forces, praying to the dishes
And their words are mean and vicious and they will not wear a tie
And the days drag on like hours and the years plod on like seconds
As a girl I don't know beckons from the inside of the sky
For I've never felt so frazzled* or so rhythmically distracted
As my patience is refracted in the bitter by and by