A Hard Land Lyrics

A hard land under clear sharp skies

A blue so deep and a red so bright

A dusty wind blows hot indifference

On Kansas Joe with mischief in sight

Joe Johnson looks across the desert

Turns around and heads back to town

A crackling mind that likes to vex

Sad Horace perfect to bring down

Horace Jones dissipated this morning

He whored and drank the day before

A heavy pain now fills his heart

Miss Louise said that's it no more

Louise Jane puts the pen away

Blots the letter she wants to send

Wrote too much, didn't say it all

Clerk Billy takes her prayer to mend

Two Bit Bill bites the hard-earned coin

Saw no despair in her lowered eye

Sacks up the letter for an outbound train

Addressed to New Orleans and Miss Lorelei

Lorelei never got the final letter

Train robbers let it blow across the sand

Passing and wary she often denied

All those who left for a hard land

A hard land and sheltering sky

Nothing but horizon everywhere

Ash to ashes, it's dust to dust

A hard land returns your stare