Joe's Ghost

Down where the river don’t sleep… That’s where I learned to play. Where the ghost dance... In the shadows of spanish moss. I was born where the horns cry loud, And the nights don’t end on time, Learned my trade on ivory keys And a bottle full of rhyme. Had fingers quick as a lovers pounding heart, I could make that piano plead… And lord I made my living easy then On music, luck, and greed. But luck don’t stay in one man’s coat, And debts don’t die alone, I owed some boys with sharper smiles Than any I had known. So I slipped out west with borrowed time, Left trouble where it grew… Figured I’d outrun what I’d done... Like gamblers always do. I used to play in New Orleans, Make the whole room sway, Had two good eyes and a steady hand And a tune that wouldn’t stray. But the road don’t care who you were, It just takes what it’s owed… Now I’m half the man I used to be... They call me One-Eyed Joe. I landed broke at Murphy’s bar, With nothing left but skill, She said, “You play, you earn your keep,” I said, “Ma’am, I surely will.” Rosie laughed like summer sin, Red silk, sharp and bright, And for a while I almost thought I’d landed somewhere right. We’d drink and joke and pass the time, She’d lean in close and oh god i smelled the sweet sin… And I damn near let myself believe A man like me could win. I played that room like it was home, Like nothing foul followed through… Till the night the cards turned crooked And I crossed old Lucky Vale. I used to play in New Orleans, Before the trouble came, Before the bottle got too loud And luck forgot my name. I had a life that almost fit, Like a song I never sang… Now I’m half the man I used to be... They call me One-Eyed Joe. I called him cheat in front of God And every soul inside, He smiled slow and raised his glass... That should’ve been my sign. Next thing I knew was broken light And blood across the floor… When I stood up, the world was gone From one side evermore. Rosie held me, hands all red, Said, “Joe, just let it be…” But all I saw was what I’d lost Staring back at me. You think a wound just takes your sight? No… it takes your soul… Leaves you chasing who you were In a mirror full of holes. I couldn’t stand her looking kind, Couldn’t stand that care… ‘Cause every time she touched my face I felt what wasn’t there. Then she came in soft and young, With eyes like morning skies, Baby Blue with careful smiles And practiced little lies. She laughed at things I used to say, Made me feel almost whole… Like maybe I could still be him... The man before the hole. So I pushed Rosie clean away, Turned hard and turned cold… Chased that ghost in satin blue Like a fool chasing gold. Figured if she chose me I’d be that man again… But broken glass don’t mend itself No matter how you pretend. I used to play in New Orleans, Had rhythm in my bones, Now every note I hit comes back Like something carved in stone. You can lose your eye, your luck, your past, Your heart down some dark road… But the worst thing you can ever lose Is the man you used to know. Now the keys still hum beneath my hands… But they don’t sound the same… And somewhere in the music… I forgot my own damn name.