The Last Time I Saw Richard

The last time I saw Richard was Detroit in sixty-eight
And he told me
All romantics meet the same fate someday
Cynical and drunk and boring someone in some dark café
You laugh he said
You think you're immune
Go look at your eyes
They're full of moon
You like roses and kisses and pretty men to tell you
All those pretty lies
Pretty lies
When you gonna realise they're only pretty lies?
Only pretty lies
Just pretty lies

He put a quarter in the Wurlitzer
And he pushed three buttons and the thing begin to whirr
And a barmaid came by in fishnet stockings and a bow tie
And she said
Drink up now it's gettin' on time to close
Richard
You haven't really changed I said
It's just that
Now you're romanticizing some pain that's in your head
You got tombs in your eyes
But the songs you punched are dreaming
Listen
They sing of love so sweet
Love so sweet
When you gonna get yourself back on your feet?
Oh and love can be so sweet
Love so sweet

Richard got married to a figure skater
And he bought her a dishwasher
And a coffee percolator
And he drinks at home now most nights with the TV on
And all the house lights left up bright
I'm gonna blow this damn candle out
I don't want nobody comin' over to my table
I got nothing to talk to anybody about
All good dreamers pass this way some day
Hidin' behind bottles in dark cafés
Dark cafés
Only a dark cocoon before I get my gorgeous wings and fly away
Only a phase
These dark café days