Shut Out the Light

The runway rushed up at him as he felt the wheels touch down

He stood out on the blacktop and took a taxi into town

He got out down on Main Street and went into a local bar

He bought a drink and found a seat in a corner in the dark

Well, she called up her mama to make sure the kids were out of the house

She checked herself out in the dining room mirror and undid an extra button on her blouse

He felt her lying next to him when the clock said 4 a.m.

He was staring at the ceiling, he couldn't move his hands

Oh, Mama, Mama, Mama, come quick

I've got the shakes and I'm gonna be sick

Throw your arms around me in the cold dark night

Hey now, Mama, don't shut out the light

Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light

Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light

Well, on his porch, they stretched a banner that said, "Johnny Welcome Home"

Bobby pulled his Ford out of the garage and they polished up the chrome

His mama said, "Johnny, oh Johnny, I'm so glad to have you back with me"

His pa said he was sure they'd give him his job back down at the factory

Now every evening, well, just after supper time

He'd go into the back bedroom and he'd lock the door behind

He'd lie awake till the morning light stretched out across the chair

Just him and a few bad habits he'd brought back from over there

Oh, Mama, Mama, Mama, come quick

I've got the shakes and I'm gonna be sick

Throw your arms around me in the cold dark night

Hey now, Mama, don't shut out the light

Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light

Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light

Well, deep in the dark forest, a forest filled with rain

Beyond a stretch of Maryland pines, there's a river without a name

In the cold black water, now Johnson Leneire stands

He stares across the lights of the city and dreams of where he's been

A gray moon disappears beyond that town hillside

Stars rise, grow brighter, then gone, gone, gone in a black and endless sky

Like the others before him, he'd gone and done his best

Now he watches the water of that nameless river rise above his chest

Oh, Mama, Mama, Mama, come quick

I've got the shakes and I'm gonna be sick

Throw your arms around me in the cold dark night

Hey now, Mama, don't shut out the light

Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light

Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light

Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light