Back in the old folky days The air was magic when we played The Riverboat was rockin' in the rain Midnight was the time for the raid Oh, Isabella, proud Isabella They tore you down and plowed you under You're only real with your make-up on How could I see you and stay too long? All along the Navajo Trail Burn-outs stub their toes on garbage pails Waitresses are cryin' in the rain Will their boyfriends pass this way again? Oh, Mother Goose, she's on the skids The shoe ain't happy, neither are the kids She needs someone that she can scream at And I'm such a heel for makin' her feel so bad I guess I'll call it sickness gone It's hard to say the meaning of this song An ambulance can only go so fast It's easy to get buried in the past When you try to make a good thing last I saw today in the entertainment section There's room at the top for private detection To Mom and Dad this just doesn't matter But it's either that or pay off the kidnapper So all you critics sit alone You're no better than me for what you've shown With your stomach pump and your hook and ladder dreams We could get together for some scenes Well, I'm up in T.O. keepin' jive alive And out on the corner it's half past five But the subways are empty And so are the cafes Except for the Farmer's Market And I still can hear him say: You're all just pissin' in the wind You don't know it but you are And there ain't nothin' like a friend Who can tell you you're just pissin' in the wind I never knew a man could tell so many lies He had a different story for every set of eyes How can he remember who he's talking to? Cause I know it ain't me, and hope it isn't you [December 5, 1973 early version with less verses Back in the old folky days The air was magic when we played The Riverboat was rockin' in the rain Midnight was the time for the raid Oh, Isabella, proud Isabella They tore you down and plowed you under You're only real with your make-up on How could I see you and stay too long? All along the Navajo Trail Burn-outs stub their toes on garbage pails Waitresses are cryin' in the rain Will their boyfriends pass this way again? Oh Mother Goose, she's on the skids The shoe ain't happy, neither are the kids She needs someone that she can scream at And I'm such a heel for makin' her feel so bad I guess I'll call it sickness gone It's hard to say the meaning of this song An ambulance can only go so fast It's easy to get buried in the past When you try to make a good thing last So all you critics sit alone You're no better than me for what you've shown With your stomach pump and your hook and ladder dreams We could get together for some scenes But, I'm up in T.O. keepin' jive alive And out on the corner it's half past five But the subways are empty And so are the cafes Except for the Farmer's Market And I still can hear him sayin' You're all just pissin' in the wind You don't know it but you are And there ain't nothin' like a friend Who can tell you you're just pissin' in the wind