Joan Baez

(Joan Baez, Wally Wilson, Kenny Greenberg & Karen OConnor)
You dont have to play me backwards
To get the meaning of my verse
You dont have to die and go to hell
To feel the devils curse
Well I thought my life was a photograph
On the family Christmas card
Kids all dressed in buttons and bows
And lined up in the yard
Were the golden days of childhood
So lyrical and warm
Or did the picture start to fade
On the day that I was born
Ive seen them light the candles
Ive heard them bang the drum
And Ive cried Mama, Im cold as ice!
And I got no place to run
Let the night begin theres a pop of skin
And the sudden rush of scarlet
Theres a little boy riding on a goats head
And a little girl playing the harlot
Theres a sacrifice in an empty church
Of sweet lil baby Rose
And a man in a mask from Mexico
Is peeling off my clothes
Ive seen them light the candles
Ive heard them bang the drum
And Ive cried Mama, Im cold as ice!
And I got no place to run
So Im paying for protection
Smoking out the truth
Chasing recollections
Nailing down the proof
You dont have to play me backwards
To get the meaning of my verse
You dont have to die and go to hell
To feel the devils curse
Ill stand before your altar
And tell everything I know
Ive come to claim my childhood
At the chapel of baby Rose
Ive seen them light the candles
Ive heard them bang the drum
Ive seen them light the candles
Ive heard them bang the drum
[ Play Me Backwards Lyrics ]