~ El Vaquero ~
by Rawclyde!
alias Cloyd Campfire
(1980)
~ Part One ~
I was ridin'
my mule
stalking
the great horned toad ~
Wondering
am I
Brother Eternity or
Dead End Road ~
Fightin' off
the heat
&
a hungry vulture ~
Across
the insurmountable desert
of a
single man's culture ~
I was pouring sand
out of my canteen
when
thee ol' mule died ~
As I walked away
from
the poor dead thing
I almost cried ~
My
feet
kept
stallin' ~
Pretty soon
I
was
crawlin' ~
'Til I was at
the edge
of a wide deep hole
in the ground ~
N' you won't believe
what
I saw
when I looked down ~
Way
down
down
down there ~
I saw a Cyclops's brain
without a skull
or
hair ~
Bloody
& glowing
& big as a
hotel ~
It
beckoned
to me & suddenly
I fell ~
Had a funny feeling
I was fallin'
into
hell ~
Had a funny feeling
I'd be
gone
for a spell ~
Prayed a quick prayer
that was
quick
as a shot ~
The brain gulped
n'
now this boy is
food for thought...
~ Part Two ~
After
I was swallowed up
by the
prehistoric brain ~
I kept on fallin'
like a
drop
of rain ~
Fell thru fleecy clouds
that
like scholars
quoted many a book ~
Fell into
the middle of a city
that had
a haunted look ~
When you are food
for thought
you grow light like
dust ~
So
when
I hit the street
I didn't bust ~
I just stood there
n' gawked
at the haunted city
around me ~
N'
let
it
be ~
The buildings were not
built
of brick
or steel or wood ~
But they
were
built
good ~
Out
of
experiences
long gone ~
Like dancing
below the border
'til
dawn ~
Or driving across
a vast country
in an
old slow truck ~
N'
occasionally
getting
stuck ~
Or working a job
day
after
day ~
For
less
than
fair pay ~
Then
with
nothin'
to say ~
Qwitting
in
a
spectacular way ~
For
ye olde
whore
called Glory ~
Or
writing
a
story ~
Yeeeeeeeap
experiences long gone
these
haunted buildings were ~
Inside a brain
that was
crazy
for sure ~
There were
beautiful woman
daydreams
walking all over the place ~
Each one
a slice of heaven
begging to
sit on my face ~
The prettiest
sat at a bus stop
looking in her purse
for a dollar ~
Her breasts were
peek-a-boo secrets
under a
very unbuttoned collar ~
She crossed
her soul smokin'
legs
lifted one somewhat high ~
Panty flash
blinded
my
eye ~
Her dress
slipped
up
her thigh ~
She
looked
up
n' said "Hi" ~
I could tell
she was looking
for
somebody to meet ~
So I tripped
on the curb &
fell
at her feet ~
Attempted to lick
her delectable leg
nothing was there
but air ~
She was only
a daydream
there was nothin'
to share ~
I
groped
about
town ~
Feelin'
kind
a
down ~
Started back alley'
driftin'
thru this haunted city in
a mind ~
A city
nailed together
by experiences
of every kind ~
Like
discovering in
a tree a
circular branch ~
Or
working
on
a ranch ~
Or
going
nuts
in a jail ~
Or
around each corner
learning to
gracefully fail ~
Yeeeeeeeap
I was back alley
driftin'
in somebody's brain ~
When I spied a
little girl
with her ankle
locked to a chain ~
An ordinary little girl
quiet as
a
mouse ~
On top o'
the
tallest
house ~
That's
where
she
sat ~
Sadder than
a cowboy
without
a cowboy hat ~
I climbed the stairs
asked her
what her name
might be ~
She said, "My
name
is The Peace And Comfort
Of Reality" ~
She had
freckles on
her face
& knobby knees ~
Her hair
was
full
of fleas ~
Her eyes were
blue
like a
teeter tottering prayer ~
My heart almost
exploded as
I looked at her I
swear ~
N' the next
thing
she
had to say ~
Was "Pleeeeeeease
take
me
away" ~
So I leaned over n'
the chain on her ankle
I was
about to break ~
When the clouds above went
crazy
quoting books for
a soul's sake ~
Quoted so many
so loud
all the buildings
began to shake ~
N' all the
pretty daydreams
below
began to make ~
So much noise howlin'
they seemed to be
witches
burnin' at the stake ~
N' I half expected
the chain in my hand
to turn into
a snake ~
N' across the desert
on
top
o' the sky ~
Where the sun
is fierce
& the
humor is dry ~
There appeared on
a mule
a vaquero
ridin' by ~
Oh
my
oh
my ~
His craftsmanship in
the saddle
made me
look like a fool ~
He was the
parable
of parables
so God awful cool ~
The chain in
my hand turned
cold
like ice ~
N' before
I
could
think twice ~
Like a
crack
of lightning above
a plastered lake ~
El Vaquero said
"Don't"
so I didn't
n' now I'm awake...
~ Part Three ~
Yeah
now
I'm
awake ~
Sittin' at thee ol'
dream table
trying
not to shake ~
It's 4 o'clock in
the morning
the sun
will be here soon ~
I must have dozed
off
dreaming
yesterday afternoon ~
Of course the brain
I've
been walking in is
my own ~
It makes me
kinda sad
seeing how it's
grown ~
Such a haunted
home
for The Peace And
Comfort Of ~
Jesus please
help me
learn
how to love...
###
