Red (Elegy)

my love is like a red, red rose
 snake on her shoulder and a ring in her nose
 sleepin it off in her swaddlin clothes
 innocent as she lies

 i don't know where she come from
 hangin with dealers and slick-back scum
 dreamin of a summer that never comes
 and waitin for me to die

 she is the daughter of the joshua tree
 long time losers and o.g. wannabes
 mama's in the corn and the fields are fallow
 soul needs savin but i'm too damned shallow

 sweet maria she's a pretty little 9
 kicks like a mule but she barks just fine
 i ain't cleaned her in a mighty long time
 takin her out tonight

 dip her in a bucket of kerosene
 mr. rogers on my t.v. screen
 friendliest sucker i ever seen
 we are precious in his sight

 cause we are the children of the joshua tree
 longtime losers and o.g. wannabes
 mama's in the corn and the fields are barren
 roof needs fixin but i'm way past carin

 ophelia's drowned in the cold, cold flood
 a thorn by any other name draws blood
 deep red drops on a scarlet bud
 daddy we comin home

 we don't know where home lies now
 but we'll turn up there some damned how
 drawn to the barn and the busted plow
 and the graves all overgrown

 we are the children of the joshua tree
 longtime losers and o.g. wannabes
 mama's in the corn and the field's been trampled
 you can't reason with a soul in shambles