Peeling Bark Lyrics - John Wesley Harding

Yesterday he was walking through the park 

On the way back from work it was getting dark 

He saw autumn trees with their peeling bark 

She was sitting on a bench 

He didn't think she'd look twice you see 

But she looked three times or so it would seem 

The rain started up it began to teem 

And she was getting drenched 

She started to run but he caught up quickly 

And he was wearing sunglasses it was hard to see 

Then she hit him with a moving plea 

Could I please share your umbrella 

Well he just smiled and he let her in 

And they walked through the rain like Siamese twins 

He doesn't normally pick up girls he thinks it's a sin 

He just not that sort of fella 

She told him where she lived and she told him her name 

And he tried her patience, she tried to play games 

He wanted to be with her though his excuse was lame 

I was going that way anyway 

Her flat in a house it was three miles out 

Right next to a train track and he had to shout 

She said I'm a dancer, she twirled about 

And asked him if he wanted to stay 

His clothes were really wet he should have taken them off 

But he was embarrassed cos he thought she'd laugh 

But then she insisted when she heard him cough 

She went to make some tea 

And he was wearing just a towel to keep him warm 

And he saw that she liked Somerset Maugham 

She took the Guardian so she could be better informed 

But she wasn't interested politically 

She seemed rather nonchalant 

Time went fast, time came to leave 

But in that room he thought he was Adam, she was Eve 

He wasn't lying and she wasn't deceived 

And neither knew what to say 

But everything seemed to be going down fine 

Til she gave him a leaving sign 

And he asked her 'Why?', he said 'Is the fault all mine?' 

She just said 'No, I've had a bad day' 

So he wandered back to town in the drizzling rain 

And he wondered if he'd ever see her again 

He wanted to walk with her down lover's lane 

And it started to make him cry 

Cos his life was turning cartwheels, all his cards were down 

In the circus of existence, he always played a clown 

He wanted a slice of forever as he turned into town 

And he felt her memory die 

But today he was walking through the park 

On the way back from work it was still getting dark 

He saw autumn trees with their peeling bark 

And she was still sitting on that bench