You were the boy who grew bored with his mission,
Praise to the Lord and pass the ammunition.
Now you’re the man with a five dollar vision,
Drunk on honeymoon and seeking permission
To lay your head in the valley
To sing a song for all the world to see
That poor John Doe’s got his birds in a row
But he can’t dance on a wounded knee.
You tried to explain why curiosity killed the cat
And the children all cried when the rabbit got stuck in your hat.
You smile like the devil when you tell me that
A man can’t cut his teeth if he’s always chewing the fat.
Now I wanna lay my head in the valley
I wanna sing for all the world to see
That poor John Doe’s got his birds in a row
But he can’t dance on a wounded knee.
Self-medicated man with an arrow in his back
Throwing out the baby before you even filled the bath
You got stars in your eyes and stripes on your back
You sing for St. Sebastian but he ain’t never coming back.
You wanna lay your head in the valley
You wanna sing a song for all the world to see
That poor John Doe’s got his birds in a row
But he can’t dance on a wounded knee.
Why won’t you believe me when I tell you I was there
When the vines of the angels came crawling down the stairs
You had moon in your eyes and nightshade in your hair
I was trying to take you home but you didn’t even care
Now I wanna lay my head in the valley
I wanna sing for all the world to see
That poor John Doe’s got his birds in a row
But he can’t dance on a wounded knee.
That poor John Doe’s got his birds in a row
But he can’t dance on a wounded knee.