The Jim Carroll Band
Lorraine
Lorraine (OPENING POEM)
Seven blonde women
They gather in the square
They raise their hands up to the sun
Their skin is so thin and white
You know their fathers must surely be wealthy
I watch the others stand around and form a crucifix
A serpent of vapor
Some stray birds rise
The one on the end, the fine one on the end
She called me over, she pulled me aside
She said, You know, I have to make it all look different
It seems that every time I lay down
On it, and its like a snake in water
And when I look out of it
It's like the one from last week
Was breathing again
And she said she had some white light
You know, she said that she had some morphine
But she didn't have no gimmicks
So she just took this razor
And she laid it on a white vein
And then she took a black orchid
And she just ripped apart that flower
And then she took the white light
Then she said, Hey, later for the morphine
She took the razor and slit open her white vein
She slit open her white vein
She put the flower through the slit vein
She poured the white light through the red stem
She put the white light through the red stem
She just poured it through the red stem
I was talkin' with my angel
I was talkin' with my angel then . .
I was underneath the staircase
I was talking with my angel
He said that beauty is only terror
You know, when terror is just beginning
I thought I heard some footsteps
Lorraine, she was coming
But she's been feelin' real sick lately
She been kickin' down her habit
So I went around to see her
I had the angel in my pocket
She had jewels between her fingers
And there was blood across Lou's carpet
But I know that she's feelin' better . .
I saw her walking to the Market
She went down
The sharp black hole
She wants to die just to save her soul . .
But she wants to live
She wants to start her band
She swears the stage is God's left hand
So I'm sitting in the cellar
Beneath my dark apartment
I had the angel on my shoulder
You know, his wings were kinda shattered
He plays with broken mirrors
And he said that he just saw Sally
And that Sally was with Lorraine
And they were playing in the alley
So I went around to see them
Ahhh . . . they were doing it together
And there was a little blood across the concrete . .
I know they were feeling better . .
They got straight
They understand
They wanted to die but now they got plans
They want to live; they want to start their band
They swear the stage is God's left hand
I'm waiting in the lobby
The angel dropped the mirror
But he still insists that beauty . .
That beauty is just one part of terror
There's a painting on the ceiling
Of a dog . . . he had eyes like rubies
And then the angel just remembered
That Lorraine was at the movies
I found her in the back aisle
There was blood across the next seat
When she reached out to touch me
I thought that that that was so sweet
So I stuck her with my finger
It was like a knife through leather
She had a song along her eyelid
I KNOW she was feeling better
She got straight
She understand
She wanted to die but now she got plans
She want to live
She want to start her band
She swear the stage is God's left hand . .