As I sat sadly by her side
At the window, through the glass
She stroked a kitten in her lap
And we watched the world as it fell past
Softly she spoke these words to me
And with brand new eyes, open wide
We pressed our faces to the glass
As I sat sadly by her side

She said, father, mother, sister, brother,
Uncle, aunt, nephew, niece,
Soldier, sailor, physician, labourer,
Actor, scientist, mechanic, priest
Earth and moon and sun and stars
Planets and comets with tails blazing
All are there forever falling
Falling lovely and amazing

Then she smiled and turned to me
And waited for me to reply
Her hair was falling down her shoulders
As I sat sadly by her side

As I sat sadly by her side
The kitten she did gently pass
Over to me and again we pressed
Our different faces to the glass
That may be very well, I said
But watch the one falling in the street
See him gesture to his neighbours
See him trampled beneath their feet
All outward motion connects to nothing
For each is concerned with their immediate need
Witness the man reaching up from the gutter
See the other one stumbling on who can not see

With trembling hand I turned toward her
And pushed the hair out of her eyes
The kitten jumped back to her lap
As I sat sadly by her side

Then she drew the curtains down
And said, when will you ever learn
That what happens there beyond the glass
Is simply none of your concern?
God has given you but one heart
You are not a home for the hearts of your brothers

And God does not care for your benevolence
Anymore than he cares for the lack of it in others
Nor does he care for you to sit
At windows in judgement of the world he created
While sorrows pile up around you
Ugly, useless and over-inflated

At which she turned her head away
Great tears leaping from her eyes
I could not wipe the smile from my face
As I sat sadly by her side

• 500 Miles
• A Dead Song
• All The Pretty Little Horses
• All The Pretty Little Horsies
• And No More Shall We Part
• As I Sat Sadly by Her Side
• Banks of The Roses
• Big-jesus-trash-can
• Blast Off
• Blundertown
• Capers
• Cassiel's Song
• Cindy
• Cry
• Darker With The Day
• Dead Joe
• Deep in The Woods
• Down in a Willow Garden
• Dull Day
• Dumb Europe
• Faraway, So Close!
• Fears of Gun
• Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow
• Figure of Fun
• Gates to The Garden
• Girl at The Bottom of My Glass
• God is in The House
• God's Hotel
• Hallelujah
• Hamlet
• Happy Birthday
• Hard on for Love
• Ho-ho
• How Long, How Long Blues
• I Just Dropped In
• I Put a Spell on You
• I Rowed a Little Boat
• Jack's Shadow
• Jennifer's Veil
• Junkyard
• Just You & Me
• Katy Cruel
• Kewpie Doll
• King Ink
• King Kong Kitchee Kitchee Ki-mi-o
• Kiss Me Black
• Knoxville Girl
• Long Time Fan
• Long Time Man
• Love Henry
• Love Letter
• Mack The Knife
• Mama's Boy
• Mister Frog Went A-courting
• Mojo
• Mutiny in Heaven
• Nick The Stripper
• Oh My Lord
• Oh, Happy Day
• Oxford Tragedy
• Patripassian
• Peace in The Valley
• Pleasure is The Boss
• Release The Bats
• Riddle House
• Rye Whiskey
• Sad Dark Eyes
• Sad Waters
• Sail Away
• Scum
• Several Sins
• She Fell Away
• She's Hit
• Shivers
• Six Inch Gold Blade
• Sonny's Burning
• Stagalee
• Stow-a-way
• Swampland
• Sweetheart Come
• That's What Jazz is to Me
• The Ballad of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane
• The Big Hurt
• The Dim Locator
• The Friend Catcher
• The Good Hun
• The Sorrowful Wife
• The Sweetest Embrace
• The Willow Garden
• There is a Light
• Till The End of The World
• Time Jesum Transeuntum Et Non Riverentum
• Tower of Song
• Truck Love
• Tupelo Blues
• Viviane
• Vixo
• Wade in The Water
• We Came Along This Road
• What Can I Give You?
• Where The Action Is
• Wild World
• Yard
• Young Hunting