Album: Jackson Browne

From Silver Lake

Did you see our brother
He was here the other day
But he only came to say that he was leaving
Did you see his lady
She was looking where he'd gone
But she wasn't letting on that she was grieving
She's bound to go
Perhaps she'll find him waiting for his boat in some city far away
She's bound to go
Lately I remember afternoons of smoke and wine
There was nothing we could find but peace and pleasure
And with a smile he told me
That he wanted just to be on his way across the sea no man can measure
He won't be back,
And the sun may find him sleeping in the dust of some ruin far away
He won't be back
Early today as I watched while the skyline was shaking
I heard a rumbling
Early today the mechanical city was waking
And I ran out stumbling, mumbling
Out through the laughter of children and dogs
Did you see our brother
He was here the other day
But he only came to say that he can't breathe here
Did you see his lady
She was reaching for his hand
Just as if to tell her man that she can't either
They're bound to go
And the sun may find me running after them, seeing something far away
We won't be back
...COUNTER SONG AT THE END OF ";FROM SILVER LAKE";
.....Someone who had been away
.....Suddenly came back today
.....And I allowed him home today into my mind
.....For a moment face to face
.....Evil packed upon the place
.....Long ago he meant to stay out there this time
.....Oh, what do you know
.....The love that I've been feeling
.....The past is healing so slow
.....By tomorrow, gone from sorrow.
Please note the the lyrics to the ";counter song"; came from two very reliable sources... however, a fan who asked Jackson Browne for these lyrics was lucky enough to get Jackson to write down the way he remembered the words and Jackson came up with the following:
Someone who had been away, suddenly came back today.
I allowed a hope to stray into my mind.
For the moment face to face, we looked back upon the place
where today we went to chase our careless time.
Oh, what did we know, not what I've been feeling, the past is healing so slowly.
My tomorrow. Gone from sorrow.