[Vintage54]

                               The crows are waiting for me.

                        I used to ride the Highways
                        Now i'm low, as a man can be
                        But tomorrow i'll be high again
                        Upon that gallows tree
                        I'll be swinging like a pendulum
                        For all the world to see
                        And the patient crows will wait their turn
                        Before they feast on me

                        I sprang from leafy shadows
                        And i caught them by surprise
                        The gents, they feared my pistols
                        The ladies loved my eyes
                        Behind a mask of velvet black
                        That's all, that they could see
                        But they'll look into these eyes no more
                        The crows are waiting for me

                        The only flower i truly loved
                        Rose sweet, from a stinking ditch
                        I softened her bed, with feathers of gold
                        That i plucked, from the stinking rich
                        Till sickness took her by the hand
                        And drowned her in that sea
                        I too, will soon be taken
                        The crows are waiting for me

                        The one man that i trusted
                        Whose word i thought was good
                        Had coins of silver on his mind
                        And Judas in his blood
                        Now all the roads from Hounslow Heath
                        They lead to calvary
                        And no friend have i, in this world
                        The crows are waiting for me

                        So all you rogues and scoundrels
                        Who think you won't be caught
                        Take heed, and learn the lesson
                        When you see my face contort
                        Earn your wages honestly
                        Don't steal, those precious stones
                        Less like me the patient crows
                        Pick clean your crooked bones.

                                 Vintage54

[Paulski]

Hi Vintage

So much to like! So much!
How dare you rhyme "pendulum" with "wait their turn" and "be caught" with "contort" and totally make it work? Not fair to the rest of us. Not fair at all.
Seriously loved this one and the strong message in that last verse.
"crooked bones" - man that works!
So much to like...

Paul

PS - should that final "Less" be "Lest" or am I thinking biblical?

[PaulAds]

Top drawer!

When the time comes, many years from now, I'm going to pick over your bones for some better lines in my future songs

[EpiphoneEpiphany]

  alright I think you've won the LOTM..

stinking ditch and stinking rich is my fav

EE

[seriousfun]

Beautifully crafted lyric. Sumptuous rhymes and very descriptive phrases that totally sell this for me. I particularly loved the Judas line. If i had a nit it was the use of the word stinking to describe the ditch and the rich. Maybe use filthy for the rich? But then thats maybe too obvious and well used. Still, could be worth some thinking about to get an alternate for one of the uses.

Super classy writing, kudos to you.

Allan.

[johnlondon]

Hello  V54,

Again excellent narrative in verse. Evocative, well crafted lyrics painting pictures in the readers mind.

I also liked the stinking ditch/rich rhyme worked for me.

[DevyE]

I like the dandy highwayman topic and it's well written as the lyric flows nicely. It is an old English folk song, so for me it drift too far away from the main subject from verse three as they tend to just tell the story. Instead of the woe is me, don't follow my wicked ways etc I would have preferred verses about the rogues you hired in seedy pubs, the routes between wherever and wherever (e.g London/York) you committed the crimes and maybe how your foolhardiness brought you to the gallows but accept death without remorse etc (with maybe a they got what they deserved thrown in  .

A good tale to be told here but becomes a little insular as an old English folk song for me but is well written  

[igg]

Vintage,

A captivating story ....with a lesson for us all....  I too, liked the visceral Judas setup...  Stinking ditch, stinking rich was arresting but the sound of it was a bit harsh for me....
Excellent work as usual....  I look forward to your work every time I sign in!

igg

[adamfarr]

Usually I don't necessarily like story or character songs (can come over a bit too 'country' foro me but I really enjoyed this. The way the crows still appear in the first and last verses but without hammering on the same line really works for me and keeps it interesting. And it's also interesting not to have any repetition (formal chorus etc.) - a good choice I think as could tire the ear.

Someone said on here "every day's a school day" and this one definitely got me thinking about different structures.

[hardtwistmusic]

Loved this when I first saw it... but I was caught up in the "forum overload" of hosting the SOTM and LOTM contests.  If this one doesn't draw a nomination for this month, I'll be shocked. 

Reminds me of a lyric I wrote years ago about a pirate - the song is called "Chase Me Down" and I'll probably post the lyric here now that you have brought it to mind.  Very similar in tone. 

[lillypilly]

WOW this is just great

 "filthy for the rich" I have to disagree it is so common the use of "stinking" to my mind is better

You are a superb writer of songs and poetry, I always look forward to your next write

[Neil C]

Vintage, top drawer stuff as others have said. Great images, rhyming and story telling. The first two verses are just a fantastic way to start.
Thoughts: nothing other than suggest perhap you shorten the title to "the crows are waiting"
Keep on keeping on.
 
Neil