ADAM RAISED A CAIN

Live 11 Feb 1997 version

[Spoken intro:] Good evening. Thanks. Thank you. Uh, I've been in uh, Australia here for about a week and a half now. Yeah, I've been to the rainforest, seen the rain, seen the wallabies, uh... had my picture taken 'neath uh, one of those kangaroo crossing signs. It's kind of a thrill. Held a koala bear... yeah? huh? Uh... alright? Went around the harbor, that was beautiful. Uh... sent home a lot of those little stuffed kangaroos, very popular back home. Uh... went to the beach, went up to Bondi Beach there and uh I almost drowned myself God damn it. I tried to swim out to one of those sandbars and uh, the harder I swam, it seemed the further away it got there. For a while I thought about yelling for help or something but I said, "Screw it, I'll just drown instead". It's a guy thing, you know what I mean? But uh, anyway, made it to the sandbar, made it back to the beach, but I had some trouble there too. I suffered uh, some severe retinal distress on the beach there. Yeah. A lifeguard came over and said I was using my eyes too much and I have to go home now. But uh, ??? I was asking the folks last night, the only thing I'm not sure about, was a little disquieting 'cause there's supposed to be a young fellow around town who's been abducted by female aliens. His picture's on all the lightpoles if you drive around the city. Now uh, if I get abducted, I do wanna be abducted by female aliens. So... Anyway, they'll have to bring me back, my wife's expecting me home. Welcome, enjoy the show.

In the summer that I was baptized, my father held me to his side
As they put me to the water, he said how on that day I cried
We were prisoners of love, a love in chains
He was standin' in the door, I was standin' in the rain
With the same hot blood burning in our veins
Adam raised a Cain

Now all of the old faces they ask you why you're back
They fit you with position and the keys to your Cadillac
In the darkness of your room your mother calls out your true name
You remember the faces, the places, the names
You know it's never over, it's relentless as the rain
Adam raised a Cain

In the Bible, mamma, Cain slew Abel, East of Eden, now he was cast
Well you're born in this life paying for the sins of somebody else's past
My father worked his whole life for nothing but the pain
Now he walks these empty rooms looking for someone to blame
But you inherit the sins, you inherit the flames
Adam raised a Cain

Lost but not forgotten from the dark heart of a dream

The above lyrics refer to the live 11 Feb 1997 performance from Capital Theatre, Sydney, Australia, during The Ghost Of Tom Joad tour.

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