The Man Who Wrote Danny Boy Lyrics - Joe Jackson

It happened one night 

At three in the morning 

The devil appeared in my studio room 

And he said I'm your pal 

And I'll make you a deal 

Blow away your struggle 

And I'll take your soul for a toy 

After rubbing my eyes 

I looked all around me 

At the half-finished drivel I'd worked on for days 

And I told him my dream 

Was to live for all time 

In some perfect refrain 

Like the man who wrote Danny Boy 

And I said if you're real, then I'll ask you a question 

While most of us turn into ashes or dust 

Just you and that other guy go on forever 

But who writes the history 

And who do I trust? 

He gave me a wink 

And he said it was funny 

How mortals would pour all their blood, sweat and tears 

Onto tape, onto paper 

Or into the air 

To be lost and forgotten 

Outside of his kind employ 

Then I thought I could hear a great sound in the distance 

Of whiskey-soaked singing 

And laughter and cheers 

And they're saying, that song could bring tears to a glass eye 

So pass me the papers, I'll sign them in blood 

And the smell of the brimstone was turned into greasepaint 

And the roar of the crowd like the furies of hell 

And I hear the applause and I hear the bells ringing 

And the sound of a woman's voice from the next room 

Saying come to me now 

Come lay down beside me 

Whatever you're doing you're too gone to see 

You can't hold onto shadows, no more than to years 

So be glad for the pleasures 

We're young enough to enjoy 

So maybe I'm drunk 

Or maybe a liar 

Or maybe we're all living inside a dream 

You can say what you like 

When I'm gone, then you'll see 

I'll be down in the dark 

Down underground 

With Shakespeare and Bach 

And the man who wrote Danny Boy