You don't have to play me backwards To get the meaning of my verse You don't have to die and go to Hell To feel the Devil's curse
Well, I thought my life was a photograph On the family Christmas card Kids all dressed in buttons and bows And lined up in the yard
Were the golden days of childhood So lyrical and warm Or did the picture start to fade On the day that I was born
I've seen them light the candles I've heard them bang the drum And I've cried Mama, I'm cold as ice And I got no place to run
Let the night begin, there's a pop of skin And the sudden rush of scarlet There's a little boy riding on a goat's head And a little girl playing the harlot
There's a sacrifice in an empty church Of sweet lil' baby Rose And a man in a mask from Mexico Is peeling off my clothes
I've seen them light the candles I've heard them bang the drum And I've cried Mama, I'm cold as ice And I got no place to run
So, I'm paying for protection Smoking out the truth Chasing recollections Nailing down the proof
You don't have to play me backwards To get the meaning of my verse You don't have to die and go to Hell To feel the Devil's curse
I'll stand before your altar And tell everything I know I've come to claim my childhood At the chapel of baby Rose
I've seen them light the candles I've heard them bang the drum I've seen them light the candles I've heard them bang the drum