Jack Ruby

I remember his hat tilted forward His glasses are folded in his vest And he seems like the kind of man who beats his horses Or the dancers who work in a bar We saw on the screen his face for a moment No time to plead or even ask why Jack Ruby appears from out of nowhere Then disappears, in broad daylight 'Cause he's a friend of that cloven-hoofed gangster the devil He's been seen with the sheriff and the police Drinking whiskey and water after hours Saying, "Let's do business, boys. The drinks are on me." So draw the box along quickly Avert your eyes with shame Let us stand and speak of the weather And pretend nothing ever happened on that day Grant us the luxury, 'cause all our heroes are bastards Grant us the luxury, 'cause all our heroes are thieves -- Of the innocence, of the afternoons That we think it's a virtue to simply survive But it feels like this calm it's decaying It's collapsing under its own weight And I think it's your friend the hangman coming Chokin' back a laugh, drunk and swaggering to your door Now do you feel that cold, icy presence In the morning with coffee and with bread? Do you feel, in the movement of traffic and days A terrible significance?