Midnight Cowboy

by Joni Mitchell

Home demo version

It was in an all night movie
And I heard the usher say
Here comes the midnight cowboy
With his gun hired out for pay

I saw you in the depot
With your ticket in your jeans
And I overheard your dreamin
about them debutantes
and New York City queens
Oh them scenes
wait till you get there
you'll see what I mean

oh dead end
What are you thinkin of my friend
go back home

You started for the city
With your calendar of gold
but the timer started leaking
and it led you to the cold

Now you can't afford a blanket
You could steal one from a friend
You could trick one off the corner
You could keep the change to spend

Oh dead end
what are you thinking of my friend
oh bad scene
wait till you get there
soon you'll see what I mean
go back home


The Barangrill version

I was in an all night movie
And I heard the usher say
Here comes the midnight cowboy
With his gun hired out for pay

You were walking kind of faded
From the Netherlands Hotel
With your hat tipped up to ladies
With your smile strapped on to sell

Hey Joe, why don't you go back home?
Quit hangin round the lost and found
Dirty old town

You came to New York City
with your calendar of gold
But they locked it in the bedroom
and they keeped you in the cold

Now you can't afford a blanket
You could steal one from your friend
You could trick one off the corner
You could keep the change to spend

Hey Joe, why don't you go back home?
I hate to see you slippin down
In dirty old town

There's a soldier in the depot
He's a fighting nightingale
Wearing western boots and buckskins
Reading fortunes off the scale
And today he's got a quarter
For the photograph machine
And tomorrow he'll be lonely
That's the way he's always been

Hey Joe, why don't you go back home
and find yourself a girl and settle down
Dirty old town

I was in an all night movie
That I heard the usher say
Here comes that midnight cowboy again
With his gun hired out for pay

You were walking kind of faded
From the Netherlands Hotel
With your hat tipped up to ladies
With your smile strapped on as well

Hey Joe, why don't you go back home?
Quit hangin round the lost and found
Dirty old town

© August 16, 1973; Crazy Crow Music

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