Badlees, The River Songs Bendin' the Rules Pity my brother For how he's suffered me Pity my brother Through nameless towns For how he's suffered me And cold prairie Through nameless towns For restless women And cold prairie At the end of the line For restless women Who tendered checks for At the end of the line A promise divine Who tendered checks for Cash as quick as 'vegas' A promise divine Like 'vegas' in a dream I work this charismatic ruse Cash as quick as "vegas" For my brother's peace and being Like "vegas" in a dream Sittin' tight in moline I work this charismatic ruse The money on the bed For my brother's peace and being With every memory sharp to me Sittin' tight in moline And the fear of times ahead The money on the bed With every memory sharp to me CHORUS And the fear of times ahead Maybe the good book Came from the divine (Chorus) Or maybe it was written Maybe the good book Just to keep us in line Came from the divine The mistakes of the sages Or maybe it was written Make the rules for the fools Just to keep us in line So father forgive me The mistakes of the sages For bendin' the rules... Make the rules for the fools So father forgive me Well, mister he improved some For bendin' the rules... With the money I scammed Some days his light shines as bright Well, mister he improved some As the light of the promised land With the money i scammed Death was often something Some days his light shines as bright We freely would discuss As the light of the promised land When he was ten and I was twelve Death was often something And the spectre would often brush We freely would discuss In and out of treatments When he was ten and i was twelve Since twenty months of age And the spectre would often brush At eighteen the insurance No longer would maintain In and out of treatments And my old man in the kitchen Since twenty months of age His hands upon his face At eighteen the insurance Did weep to shake his very soul No longer would maintain In the darkness of this place And my old man in the kitchen His hands upon his face CHORUS Did weep to shake his very soul In the darkness of this place Hold me Saint Christopher Over every county line (Chorus) Overlook my blasphemy For the sake of buying time Hold me saint christopher Grant him days of laughter Over every county line Bestow me clemency Overlook my blasphemy He sleeps soft in the back seat For the sake of buying time His freedom from ordeal Grant him days of laughter To every ruddy youngster Bestow me clemency Off free in summer's fields He sleeps soft in the back seat And every young lass poised to claim His freedom from ordeal Her share of what love yields To all the grieving angels To every ruddy youngster And the litany of saints Off free in summer's fields I am my brother's keeper And every young lass poised to claim To what end decides the fates Her share of what love yields To all the grieving angels CHORUS And the litany of saints I am my brother's keeper To what end decides the fates (Chorus)