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 bast*rds
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?