John Finn's Wife (Live)

Well, the night was deep and the night was dark

And I was at the old dancehall on the edge of town

Some big ceremony was going down

Well, dancers writhed and squirmed and then

Came apart and then writhed again

Like squirming flies on a pin

In the heat and in the din, in the heat and in the din

And I fell to thinking about brand new wife of mad John Finn

Well, a midnight came and a clock did strike

And in she came, did John Finn's wife

With legs like scissors and butcher's knives

Tattooed breasts and flaming eyes

And a crimson carnation in her teeth

Carving her way through the dance floor

And I'm standing over by the bandstand

Every eye gaping on John Finn's wife

Every eye gaping on John Finn's wife

Now, John Finn's wife was something of a mystery

In a town where to share a sworn secret was a solemn duty

I had brass knuckles and a bolo knife

Over near the bandstand with John Finn's wife

She got perfumed breasts and raven hair

Sprinkled with wedding confettis

And a gang of garrotters were all giving me stares

Armed, as they were, with machetes

Well, the night through the window was full of lights

A winking and a watching at John Finns' wife

A winking and a watching at John Finns' wife

Well, next came the cops, all out on the town

But it don't look like no trouble there

As they head for the bar in their lumpy suits

I slip my hand between the thighs of John Finn's wife

They seemed to yawn awake, her thighs

It was a warm and very ferocious night

And the moon was full of blood and light

And my eyes grew small and my eyes grew tight

And I plotted in the ear of John Finns' wife

Enter John Finn in his shrunken suit

With his quick black eyes and black cheroot

With his filed-down teeth and a hobnail boot

His fists full of pistols in his pockets

Aiming at me and aiming at his wife

The band fall silent, all fearing for their lives

With fear in my guts like tangled twine

'Cause all I got is brass knuckles and a bolo knife

And mad John Finn's wife is all

And the three of us, we walk out of the hall

Now the night bore down upon us all

You could hear the crickets in the thickets call

Guns did flare and guns did bawl

And I planted my bolo knife in the neck of mad John Finn

I took his wretched life

Now I'm over near the bandstand

Every hand moving on John Finn's wife

Every hand moving on John Finn's wife

And John Finn's wife took all the flowers down

From her hair and threw them on the ground

And the flies did hum and the flies did buzz around

Poor John Finn lying dead upon the ground

Lying dead upon the ground