Failure

Well, I saw the lights of Virginia City and the Union Saloon
All I need is this street lamp to keep me from a fanciful swoon
I drank my fill from the Carson River, where the mercury flows
In booze-baked moonlight, and lost my mind wherever it blows.

So, if you be a rockabilly gal, I’ll be your raging dragon
And we can walk together down in the Six Mile Canyon
And we can waltz along the Comstock Highway
Hear the coyotes yip and fuck with wild abandon.

Well, I tied myself into a knot, whiskey drinking so fine
Suddenly coming undone should have stuck with the wine
No recall of Saint Mary’s bell’s ring; the C Street shuffle
The boardwalk to Silver Dollar Club or the fist-a-cuff scuffle.

Those women, how do I smile at their glorious thought
Large and small-breasted, big ol’ butt, the camel-toed lot
Oh, how I could get myself stabbed, then damn near shot
So if you are a secret freak, I’ll fill you with my manly snot.

It’s been nearly three years since I lost my way
Not once have I heard a ten-penny tinkled play
I’d try to sing along, a burlap sack to carry the tune
Sniff at her grass, bark up her tree, howl at her moon.

On a bender one night in front of Red Dog
She was a princess while I was the frog
I leaned in for a kiss to become a new prince
A chorus of spirits loosed, drunk on Absinthe.

So, look to the old west, the Virginia City route
You don’t need a condom when out on the scout
Because there is more mud and less in romance
Where old fucks like me don’t have half a chance.

You can watch as I drive down Gieger Grade
The moon, the stars, and me failing to get laid
Forget about Six Mile as I wander back home
To dream of her lips, of trailer hitch and chrome.