It happened one night
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At three in the morning
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The devil appeared in my studio room
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And he said I'm your pal
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And I'll make you a deal
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Blow away your struggle
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And I'll take your soul for a toy
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After rubbing my eyes
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I looked all around me
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At the half-finished drivel I'd worked on for days
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And I told him my dream
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Was to live for all time
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In some perfect refrain
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Like the man who wrote Danny Boy
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And I said if you're real, then I'll ask you a question
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While most of us turn into ashes or dust
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Just you and that other guy go on forever
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But who writes the history
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And who do I trust?
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He gave me a wink
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And he said it was funny
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How mortals would pour all their blood, sweat and tears
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Onto tape, onto paper
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Or into the air
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To be lost and forgotten
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Outside of his kind employ
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Then I thought I could hear a great sound in the distance
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Of whiskey-soaked singing
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And laughter and cheers
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And they're saying, that song could bring tears to a glass eye
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So pass me the papers, I'll sign them in blood
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And the smell of the brimstone was turned into greasepaint
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And the roar of the crowd like the furies of hell
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And I hear the applause and I hear the bells ringing
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And the sound of a woman's voice from the next room
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Saying come to me now
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Come lay down beside me
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Whatever you're doing you're too gone to see
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You can't hold onto shadows, no more than to years
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So be glad for the pleasures
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We're young enough to enjoy
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So maybe I'm drunk
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Or maybe a liar
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Or maybe we're all living inside a dream
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You can say what you like
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When I'm gone, then you'll see
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I'll be down in the dark
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Down underground
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With Shakespeare and Bach
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And the man who wrote Danny Boy
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-----------------
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The Man Who Wrote Danny Boy
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| Joe Jackson |
