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Thanks Dave. I've got to track down that melody somehow.

It is indeed a depressing song...but it has an optimistic twist at the end, "I'll be coming home tonight, and everything will be all right...." For anyone who has ever been down on his/her luck, but was fortunate enough to have someone from whom to find comfort, Al's message of hope rings true. You know, I often thought Al was the most accomplished lyricist in the group. There is a narrative quality to his work that stands apart (just like Al) from the others. In other words, instead of just evoking a feeling or emotion in a song (not that there is anything wrong with that), Al's work usually takes the listener on a little literary trip. It's quite easy to conjure up mental images when listening to his lyrics; try not to imagine the lusty, hardworking cab driver in Susie Cincinnati, or the sad but hopeful Bess and her husband in Lookin' At Tomorrow. Likewise, the eponymous Santa Ana Winds come to life as the narrator in their own song, passing over the California landscape, reminding us of the unchangeable forces of nature. I could go on, but it's not necessary...we all know Al is a poet. Happy Easter

Not so deep when you think about it. Compare Al's lyric style to the rest of the band...Mike's lyrics evoke a sense of place or feeling, usually accomplished by repeating the theme over and over but with different words. Dennis's uses a similar method, but with much more romanticized content. In either case, the songs' "stories" end in the same place they begin. Al's songs rarely do that (there are exceptions, of course), but instead take the listener from point A to point B...a narrative style of storytelling through music. Not suprising when you consider Al's fondness for folk music.