Casey
Kris Kristofferson Lyrics

Casey joins the hollow sound of silent people walking down
Casey becomes part of the lonely and desperate crowd walking towards the subway.

The stairway to the subway in the shadows down below
The staircase leads to the subway, which is dark and gloomy.

Following their footsteps through the neon darkened corridors
Casey follows the footsteps of others through the dimly lit subway corridors.

Of silent desperation, never speakin' to a soul
Everyone is sad and desperate, but no one talks to each other.

The poison air he's breathin' has the dirty smell of dying
The air in the subway is polluted and smells like death.

'Cause it's never seen the sunshine and it's never felt the rain
The subway has never seen the light of day or felt the freshness of the rain.

But Casey minds the arrows and ignores the fatal echoes
Casey pays attention to the signs and directions, but ignores the sound of the subway turnstiles and chains.

Of the clickin' of the turnstiles and the rattle of his chains
The noise of the subway turnstiles and chains is all around Casey.

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

"Here," she said, "Just a kiss to make a body smile"
The woman gives Casey a kiss to make him feel better.

"See," she said, "I've put on new stockings just to please you"
The woman is dressed up and wearing new stockings to impress Casey.

"Lord," she said, "Casey, can you only stay a while?"
The woman asks Casey if he can only stay for a short time.

Casey leaves the under ground and stops inside the Golden Crown
Casey exits the subway and goes into a bar called the Golden Crown.

For something wet to wipe away the chill that's on his bone
Casey orders a drink to warm himself up.

Seeing his reflection in the lives of all the lonely men
Casey sees his own loneliness reflected in the other men in the bar.

Who reach for any thing they can to keep from goin' home
The other men in the bar are also trying to avoid going home.

Standin' in the corner, Casey, drinks his pint of bitter
Casey stands alone in the corner, drinking his bitter beer.

Never glancing in the mirror at the people passing by
Casey doesn't look at anyone else in the bar as they walk by.

Then he stumbles as he's leaving and he wonders if the reason
Casey trips as he leaves the bar and wonders if it's because of the beer or his tears.

Is the beer that's in his belly, or the tear that's in his eye
Casey wonders if he's stumbling because of alcohol or because he's crying.

"Oh," she said, "I suppose you seldom think about me"
The woman tells Casey that she thinks he doesn't often think about her.

"Now," she said, "Now that you've a family of your own"
The woman is aware that Casey has started his own family.

"Still" she said, "It's so blessed good to feel your body"
The woman still enjoys being close to Casey and feeling his body.

"Lord," she said" "Casey, it's a shame to be alone"
The woman thinks it's a waste for Casey to be alone.