Craig Finn - Bethany Lyrics

In the later afternoon it sort of softens on the avenue
I'm wasting the remainder of the day
Drinking off what's left of the glasses on the table
When the couples get their checks and walk away
And I'll be here tomorrow then every day that follows
Until I see you later on this week
Will you come and pick me up when I get off of the bus?
Will you help me bring by stuff out to the beach?

When we met I was The Reverend
You were in the congregation
Didn't happen right away but pretty soon
And I never had a calling it was just a strong desire
To be the one that stood up in the room
When I was a child I used to fixate on the chaplain
The way he brought the widows all to tears
And that looked like a decent way to make a little living here
I gave myself to God for a few years

Built a chapel off the exit
On the highway outside Harrisburg.
There was all that new development back then

Parishioners would come to me
With cakes and little pastries
And ask me for my blessing once again

But I couldn't shake the feeling
I was faking all the faithfulness.
Every single sermon was a fraud

Drifted through the rituals
Prideful high and pitiful and
Pissing off a petty vengeful God
Pissing off a petty vengeful God

My parents are both ancient now
I'm staying at their summerhouse.
I clear out on the weekends when they come
To my sister's and her daughter's
On the fringe of Philadelphia
With their skinny cigarettes and snapping gum
But I'm grateful for the place to stay
I'm caddying on Saturdays
The money's not as good as it was when we were teenagers
I walk back from the golf course
Cut through a couple backyards
But I try to keep my eyes pointed heavenward

In some other prior life
The Reverend and his wife
Are sitting in the kitchen making plans

Unaware of all the mess
The pressure and the flesh
Is capable of making in a man

I never really fell
Because I was never quite convinced
I must admit I miss all the simplicity

Of a woman and a man
Though I also understand.
The reasons that you no longer want to be with me. i can see why you no longer want to be with me

The devil came in hot
Someone called the cops
I explained to them how much it is you mean to me
The cuffs they made a click
As they wrapped around my wrists.
Everybody's got their version of security
Maybe there's a life where
The Reverend has his wife
And Jesus has his ministry in Galilee

But the sunset looks like blood
From the window of the bus
Somewhere between Harrisburg and Bethany
Somewhere between Harrisburg and Bethany
Somewhere between Harrisburg and Bethany