[Verse 1] Down by the tavern where the chimney smokes, There sits a cat in a coat of dust and rain. One eye watches every drunken soul, The other went missing somewhere down the lane. He never begs and he never sings, He merely judges from his wooden throne. While men discuss their foolish little things, The one-eyed cat pretends he’s made of stone. [Chorus] Oh, the one-eyed cat knows more than you, He sees the lies that you believe are true. With a crooked tail and a midnight stare, He owns the room though he hasn’t paid a fare. [Verse 2] Old Harry swears the cat can read his mind, Young Molly says he talks when no one's near. The landlord claims he stole a silver spoon, But the cat has heard that story every year. At closing time he stretches in the doorway, As if the whole damn tavern were his land. Then disappears beneath the pale moonlight, Leaving paw prints on the bartender's hand. [Bridge] Perhaps he lost his eye in some grand battle, Perhaps he simply closed it long ago. Perhaps he sees the world a little clearer By having half as much of it to know. [Chorus] Oh, the one-eyed cat knows more than you, He sees the lies that you believe are true. With a crooked tail and a midnight stare, He owns the room though he hasn’t paid a fare. [Outro] So if you meet him wandering home tonight, Don't ask him where he's been or where he'll go. He'll look at you with that remaining eye— And somehow, you'll feel he's the one who knows.
