nick cave - when i first came to town

When I first came to town
All the people gathered round
They bought me drinks
Lord, how they quickly changed their tune

When I first came to town
People took me round from end to end
Like someone may take round a friend
O how quickly they changed their tune

Suspicion and dark murmurs surround me
Everywhere I go they confound me
As though the blood on my hands
Is there for every citizen to see

O sweet Jesus
There is no turning back
There is always one more town
A little further down the track

And from my window, across the tracks
I watch the juicers burn their fires
And in that light
Their faces leer at me
How I wish they'd just let me be

When I first came to town
Their favours were for free
Now even the doors of the whores of this town
Are closed to me

I search the mirror
And I try to see
Why the people of this town
Have washed their hands of me

O sweet Jesus
There is no turning back
There is always one more town
A little further down the track

O lord, every god-damn turn I take
I fear the noose, I fear the stake
For there is no bone
They did not break
In all the towns I've been before

Well those that sin against me are snuffed out
I know from every day that I live
God-damn the day that I was born
The night that forced me from the womb
And god-damn this town
For I am leaving now
But one day I will return
And the people of this town will surely see
Just how quickly the tables turn

O sweet Jesus
This really is the end
There is always one more town

Category:

Music

Tags:

• nick
• cave
• when
• first
• came
• to
• town
• henry's
• dream
• music
• rock

[fallingblack]

I will say that I am an atheist and I generally find it distasteful to hear Jesus this and that in music but it never bothers me when Nick Cave does it, because he's honest. It is actually quite moving. This is one of my favorites from him, my favorite musician ever. Thanks for putting it up.

-Much Love

[HighPisi]

i understand you. i am an atheist too. i dont go to church and i don t feel the need to pray but in the songs of nick cave it makes sens, i like his passion and his addiction to feelings. he makes it all supreme. he makes it all divine.

[simona66678]

wonderful

[HighPisi]

wonderful is such a small word when we talk about nick cave

[bteniswood]

I've often heard fans say that this is the one of the worst songs on H. Dream, and yet, to me, this is possibly his greatest masterpiece. It has the most incredibly moving story feel to it with a beautiful build up to an amazingly intense climax. It find it so moving and powerful and yet I hear from many people that they think is one of the lesser songs. I still listen to this song after all these years and it still comes across as so powerful, when he sings "God damn.." and the rest of that bit

[MsBickle76]

I don't get it... He was a hitch hiker?

Why did people hit him?

[Jnth007]

@fallingblack I submit!

[bifroses]

my favorite



[SoNickPick]

@Siste4366 If you knew anything about Nick cave, you would know that the use of religious imagery is one of his trademarks. You'll find religious references in every single album he ever put out and his first novel, And the Ass Saw the Angel, well... even the title comes straight from the Bible. Your comment amounts to telling the Beatles: "stop writing songs about love, you're so much better when you sing obladi-oblada"

[mrns87]

@downhereforyoursoul1

the images are from wim wenders wings of desire and the two people in the second picture are bruno ganz and the female lead solveig somebody. ganz played hitler in downfall a few years back.

sorry

[mglezman]

@downhereforyoursoul1 its from the movie "wings of desire" which featured Nick Cave performing From Her to Eterniry

[Siste4366]

oh nick, your god"n jesus bla,bla, bla makes me sick.good idea to perform grinderman!!!! thats the stuff you can, and this hellish-sound is the stuff we love,and not this one,nick!!! when we wanna would love this borin"howlin" jesus-bla-bla we all would go to church next sunday morning or whenever.now in grinderman-times , dear nick beware to even think about god or jesus....!!! you/we go better without this shit.....!!!