Casey
June Tabor Lyrics

Casey joins the hollow sound of silent people walking down
Casey blends in with the sound of countless others walking down the subway stairs.

The stairway to the subway in the shadows down below
The dark, murky steps lead to the subway platform below.

Following their footsteps through the neon-darkened corridors
Casey walks the path of other subway riders through dimly lit passageways.

Of silent desperation, never speakin' to a soul
Everyone on the subway is silently fighting their troubles and keeping to themselves.

The poison air he's breathin' has the dirty smell of dying
The subway air is toxic and unpleasant, and it feels like it's slowly killing him.

'Cause it's never seen the sunshine and it's never felt the rain
The subway world is so far underground that it never sees daylight or feels natural elements.

But Casey minds the arrows and ignores the fatal echoes
Casey follows the signs in the subway and tries to ignore the depressing sounds of the train and turnstiles.

Of the clickin' of the turnstiles and the rattle of his chains
The turnstile clicks and whirs remind Casey of being trapped, chained to a life he never wanted.

"Oh!" she said, "Casey it's been so long since I've seen you!"
A woman named Casey greets Casey and tells him it's been a long time since they met.

"Here" she said, "just a kiss to make a body smile!"
She offers him a kiss to cheer him up.

"See" she said, "I've put on new stockings just to please you!"
She mentions how she dressed up to impress him.

"Lord!" she said, "Casey can you only stay a while?"
She wants Casey to stay a bit longer with her.

Casey leaves the under-ground and stops inside the Golden Crown
Casey exits the subway to visit the Golden Crown pub.

For something wet to wipe away the chill that's on his bone
He drinks alcohol to warm himself and numb the cold he feels inside.

Seeing his reflection in the lives of all the lonely men
Casey sees himself in the eyes of other lonely pub goers.

Who reach for any thing they can to keep from goin' home
The others are desperately clinging to any distraction to avoid being alone at home.

Standin' in the corner Casey drinks his pint of bitter
Casey stands alone and drinks his beer in solitude.

Never glancing in the mirror at the people passing by
Casey avoids looking at the other customers in the pub.

Then he stumbles as he's leaving and he wonders if the reason
As Casey leaves the pub, he stumbles and isn't sure if it's due to the alcohol or the sadness in his heart.

Is the beer that's in his belly, or the tear that's in his eye
He doesn't know if he's upset from being drunk or if he's genuinely emotional.

"Oh!" she said, "I suppose you seldom think about me
Casey connects with a woman from his past who might feel neglected.

"Now" she said, "now that you've a fam'ly of your own"
She mentions Casey having a family now.

"Still" she said, "it's so blessed good to feel your body!"
She reminisces about feeling physically close to him in the past.

"Lord!" she said" "Casey it's a shame to be alone!"
She tells Casey it's unfortunate to feel lonely.