Third Reel - Joe Henry

Well, they’ve torn up the streets and

Burned off the fields

And turned all the dogs to the woods;

They took up the cross

But they lost the third reel

And the picture was just getting good;

Evening is crawling

Summer is Lost

— They're dragging the pond for it now

They’ve painted the windows all shut

And the frost has

Warmed everything up somehow

And you can ask me for nothing at all

And I’ll always be what you please

You can never leave nothing behind you

And I always will love Louise

You’ve seen this before

And to hear you tell

It’s not worth the tears or the rain;

There’s nothing worth keeping

But nothing you’d sell

Though you’d trade it all for a seat on the train;

When your breath can be seen

It hangs at your knees

But raises itself like a crow

You can jump for your life

From your place in the trees

But you’d do well to just watch it go

And you can ask me for nothing at all

And I’ll always be what you please

You can never leave nothing behind you

And I always will love Louise

You can send me alone

To the shed after dark

Lay me down in my Easter Clothes

Or send them along

To my folks with your prayers

But save me at least one of those;

You can make me your only one

Or leave me today

And send no more mail than you do

I may never be able

To reach you this way

But I always will reach out to you

And you can ask me for nothing at all

And I’ll always be what you please

You can never leave nothing behind you

And I always will love Louise

I always will love Louise