The Death of Joe Strummer

The Death of Joe Strummer
by Tom Flannery copyright 2008

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What happens when the heart is too big for the chest
and it just can't keep up with all the rest
what happens when it takes you on
and wears you down until you're gone
what do we take from that Joe?
what do we take from that Joe?
now that you're gone

I got these sounds in my head
they make no sense so we're stuck instead
with recycled trash and computer chips
rock and roll for food and tips
what do we take from that Joe?
what do we take from that Joe?
now that you're gone

You were Woody Guthrie with a Mohawk
and a scratching loud guitar
a ravaged voice from screaming
telling us where we are
now you're knocking at the backstage door
trying to get in
panhandling on the boardwalk
wondering what might have been

It still don't feel right that you're gone
without the blaze of a deathbed song
so used to watching 'em waste away
eaten to the bone by a brand new day
what do we take from that Joe?
what do we take from that Joe?
now that you're gone