Coattails of a Dead Man Lyrics

[Tom Waits]
One, two, three

[Martina Topley-Bird, background vocals throughout]
Ooohhh, aaahhh...

[Verse 1 (Les Claypool)]
Well, he wasn't looking for fanfare or fame
But it all came around just the same
He then met a girl with desire in her eye
He gave her love, she took his name
[Verse 2 (Les Claypool)]
The times they were good, the times they were bad
Most times it was just in between
The hard pill he swallowed was the times that they had
She put on display for all to be seen

[Verse 3 (Les Claypool)]
Some find their solace in work or the lord
She was quite content in her greed
When his eyes, they burned from the bright limelight
He found comfort in the bottle of old Jimmy Beam

[Verse 4 (Les Claypool)]
One day, from the depths of his deep darkened hole
He reached out for something to feel
She offered back nothing but lack of respect
So he let himself out with two barrels of steel

[Verse 5 (Les Claypool)]
She cried in the day, she cried in the night
She cried loudest when someone was near
Whether crying for him or she cried for herself
The bigger the camera, the bigger the tear

[Verse 6 (Les Claypool)]
Most folks agree that she was living a hell
And publicly she showed her pain
And never once was there a thought for herself
And the ever-growing slices of fortune and fame

[Chorus (Les Claypool, Tom Waits, Martina Topley-Bird)]
Now on the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride (She'll ride)
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride, she'll ride
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride, she'll ride high
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride (She'll ride)
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride, she'll ride
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride, she'll ride high
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride (She'll ride)
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride, she'll ride
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride, she'll ride high
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride (She'll ride)
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride, she'll ride
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride, she'll ride high
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride (She'll ride)
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride, she'll ride
On the coattails of a dead man, she'll ride, she'll ride high