The Firstborn Is Dead
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
1985 ReleasedUpvote Your Favorite Album Today!
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Digging into The Firstborn Is Dead - what's your favorite track or standout moment? 🤘
1
Tupelo
07 : 18
2
Say Goodbye to the Little Girl Tree
05 : 10
3
Train Long-Suffering
03 : 49
4
Black Crow King
05 : 05
5
Knockin' on Joe
07 : 38
6
Wanted Man
05 : 29
7
Blind Lemon Jefferson
06 : 09
8
The Six Strings That Drew Blood
04 : 50
9
Tupelo (single version)
05 : 02
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Track Lyrics
Train Long-Suffering Lyrics
[Chorus]
Woo-wooooooo Woo!
In the name of pain!
(In the name of pain and suffering)
In the name of pain!
(In the name of pain and suffering)
There comes a train!
(There comes a train)
Yeah!
A long black train
(There comes a train)
Lord, a long black train
Woo-woo! Woo-woo!
[Verse 1]
Punched from the tunnel
(The tunnel of love is long and lonely)
Engines steaming like a fist
(A fistful of memories)
Into the jolly jaw of morning
(Yeah! O yeah!)
O baby it gets smashed!
(You know that it gets smashed)
O baby it gets smashed!
(You know that it gets smashed)
[Verse 2]
I kick every goddamn splinter
Into all the looking eyes in the world
Into all the laughing eyes
Of all the girls in the world
Oooooo-woooooh
She ain't never comin' back
She ain't never comin' back
She ain't never comin' back
She ain't never comin' back
And the name of the pain is...
And the name of the pain is...
And the name of the pain is...
And the name of the pain is...
The name of the pain is
A train long-suffering
[Chorus]
On rails of pain
(On rails of pain and suffering)
There comes a train
(There comes a train long-suffering)
On rails of pain
(On rails of pain and suffering)
O baby blow its whistle in the rain
Woo-oo Woo! Woo-oo Woo!
[Verse 3]
Who's the engine driver?
(The engine drivers over yonder)
His name is Memory
(His name is Memory)
O Memory is his name
(Woooooo-wo!)
Destination: Misery
(Pain and misery)
O pain and misery
(Pain and misery)
O pain and misery
Hey! Hey!
(Pain and misery)
Hey! That's a sad lookin sack!
Oooh that's a sad lookin sack!
And the name of the pain is...
And the name of the pain is...
Ooh the name of the pain is
A train long-suffering
[Chorus]
There is a train!
(It's got a name)
Yeah! It's a train long-suffering
O Lord a train!
(A long black train)
Lord! Of pain and suffering
Each night so black
(O yeah! So black)
And in the darkness of my sack
I'm missing you baby
(I'm missing you)
And I just dunno what to do
(dunno what to do)
(Train long-suffering)
(Train long-suffering)
(Train long-suffering)
(Train long-suffering)
O she ain't never comin' back
O she ain't never comin' back
O she ain't never comin' back
O she ain't never comin' back
And the name of the pain is...
And the name of the pain is...
The name of the train is...
The name of the train is
Pain and suffering
Black Crow King Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmmm
I am the black crow king
Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmmm
I am the black crow king
Keeper of the nodding corn
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
All the hammers are a-talking
All the nails are a-singing
So sweet and low
You can hear it in the valley
Where live the lame and the blind
They climb my hill out of its belly
They leave with mean black boots on
"I just made a simple gesture
They jumped up and nailed it to my shadow
My gesture was a hooker
You know, my shadow's made of timber."
[Chorus]
And the storm is a-rolling
And the storm it's a-rolling
All down on me
And I'm still here rolling after everybody's gone
And I'm still here rolling after everybody's gone
Ah'm still here rolling and I'm left on my own
The blackbirds have all gone!
Everyone's rolled on!
[Verse 2]
I am the black crow king
Keeper of the trodden corn
I am the king
Won't say it again
And the rain, it raineth daily
Lord
And wash away my clothes
I surrender up my arms
To a company of crows
I am the black crow king
I won't say it again
And all the thorns are a-crowning
King ruby on each spine
And the spears are a-sailing
O my o my
[Chorus]
And the storm is a-rolling
And the storm is a-rolling
All down on me
And I'm still here rolling after everybody's gone
And I'm still here rolling after everybody's gone
I'm still here rolling and left on my own
Those blackbirds they have all flown and
I am on my own
[Outro]
I am the black crow king
Keeper of the forgotten corn
The King! The King!
I'm the king of nothin' at all
The hammers are a-talking
The nails are a-singing
The spears are a-sailing
The thorns are a-crowning him
The crows are a-mocking
The corn is a-nodding
The storm is a-rolling
The storm is a-rolling
The storm is a-rolling down
The storm is a-rolling down
The storm is a-rolling
Down on me
Rolling down on me
Rolling down on me
Knockin' on Joe Lyrics
[Verse 1]
These chains of sorrow, they are heavy, it is true
And these locks cannot be broken
No, not with one thousand keys
O Jailer, you drag a ball-n-chain you cannot see
You can lay your burden on me
You can lay your burden down on me
You can lay your burden down upon me
But you cannot lay down your memory
[Chorus]
Woooo wooo wooo
Woooo wooo wooo
Here I go!
Knockin' on Joe!
This square foot of sky will be mine til I die
Knocking on Joe
Woooo wooo wooo
All down the row
Knockin' on Joe
[Verse 2]
O Warden I surrender to you
Your fists can't hurt me anymore
You know, these hands will never mop
Your dirty Death Row floors
O Preacher, come closer, you don't scare me anymore
Just tell Nancy not to come here
Just tell her not to come here anymore
Tell Nancy not to come
And let me die in the memory of those arms
[Chorus]
O woo woo woo
Woo woo woo
All down the row
Knockin' on Joe
O you kings of halls and ends of halls
You will die within these walls
And I'll go, down the row
Knockin' on Joe
[Verse 3]
O Nancy's body is a coffin
She wears my tombstone at her head
Her body is a coffin
She wears my tombstone at her head
She wears her body like a coffin
She wears a dress of gold and red
She wears a dress of gold and red
She wears a dress of red and gold
Grave-robbers at my coffin
Before my body's even cold
[Chorus]
It's a door for when I go
Knockin' on Joe
These hands will never mop
Your dirty Death Row floors
No! You can hide! You can run!
O but your trial is yet to come
O you can run! You can hide!
But you have yet to be tried!
You can lay your burdens down here
You can lay your burden down
Knockin' on Joe
You can lay your burden upon me
You can lay your burden on me
Knockin' on Joe
You can lay it down here
You can bring your burden down
Knockin' on Joe
You can't hurt me anymore
You can't hurt me anymore
Knockin' on Joe