You don't know what you're missing
With your endless supplies
Of that infinite variety
Of the same old merchandise
You're standin' on the corner
Lookin' lonely and lazy
He had no way to warn her
That he was feelin' so crazy
He just went out, and he bought
The fastest bike he could buy
Popped a wheelie in the alley
Aimed it straight for the sky
Bit the dust on the highway
Doin' 90, 95
Just east of Albuquerque
Singin', "Sweet by and by"
He followed her down
She took him for granted
He showed her his heart
She showed him the door
He showed her the road
She says, "I don't understand it"
When he died, he was thinkin'
Honey, here's what it's for
I asked my angel
If heaven was near
He said, "It's closer than you think
But you can't get there from here"
Where can you go?
When you're already gone
Where can you go?
When you're already gone
Peabody and the government
Got no respect for this earth
They wanna move the Indians again
From the very land of their birth
They wanna move big mountain
Cut the coal out from under
They never heard about sunshine
They never listen to thunder
You know who they are
Oh, but who are you?
To let them do this to a people
When they would do this to you
Though the great spirit follow you
To the end of the earth
When he died, he was thinkin'
Honey, here's what it's for
Would you follow them down
To the skids and the slums
Take somebody from the circle
Turn 'em into a bum
Though the great spirit followed you
To the end of the earth
When he died, he would be thinkin'
What the hell was it worth?
I asked my angel
If heaven was near
He said, "It's closer than you think
You just can't get there from here"
Where can you go?
When you're already gone
Where can you go?
When you're already gone
In the city of the angels
Here, I once caught a thief
'Twas 20 years off the reservation
Now the cops all called him chief
It's more than mind over matter
It's your body and soul
The last rung on the ladder
The poor, the hungry, the cold
Here's to the moon above the mountains
Here's to the snow on the ground
It's a smokeless horizon
Someone you don't let down
But, it's those hearts that can't feel
And those arms that won't reach
And it's sad, but it's real
These ain't just figures of speech
America lies, border to border
Signs treaties in disguise
Forgets natures law and order
Rebuild the statute of liberty
As a band play a song
For another statute that's cryin'
Where did I go wrong?
I asked my angel
If heaven was near
He said, "It's closer than you think
You just can't get there from here"
Where can you go?
When you're already gone
Where can you go?
When you're already gone