Jean The Birdman

He gambles on the saddle

He's pulling on the mane

He thrashes on the horse's back

Ambition is a bloody game

 

Horse doesn't want to jump

The river looks too wide

Well he faces every hurdle

With a nervous state of mind

 

"Stay with me, breathe deeply

take three passes back

turn and make a full attack"

 

The gods are laughing

And they're tugging at the reins

But he's taken to his wings

And they hit the bank

 

Heaven may stone him

But Jean the birdman pulls it off

 

His finger's on the trigger

His eye is on the clock

He doesn't give the game away

And quickly fires the bullets off

 

Six hearts cut short

Still dreaming they're alive

Blown 'round in dusty circles

Like an absent state of mind

 

Who hunter? Who victim?

God love America

He surely doesn't love him

 

Hitching out of nowhere

Lines of traffic knee deep

A chance to stave the morning off

And get some sleep

 

Heaven may stone him

But Jean the birdman pulls it off

 

He wears a crucifix

His mother left to him

It's wrapped in chains around his heart

Rusted and wafer thin

 

"Don't count on luck son"

All the angels sing

"Don't need to check a weathervane

We all know what tomorrow brings"

 

Life is a cattle farm

Coyotes with the mules

Life is a bullring

For taking risks and flouting rules

 

Who needs a safety net

The world is open wide

Just look out for card sharks

And the danger signs

 

Heaven may stone him

But Jean the birdman pulls it off

Songtext: Sylvian, David