Carmichael
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Lyrics

Silk scarf and a napkin hidden in a drawer
There were two items hidden away and stowed, one of them being a silk scarf and the other a napkin.

Two hundred bucks in an envelope labeled Lenore
A sum of 200 dollars could be found tucked and enclosed within an envelope that was marked with the name Lenore.

"Maybe she shouldn't see this
There is a possibility that the items should be hidden and not be presented to a certain someone.

She should never know"
It is imperative that this certain someone should never find out about the items in question.

Said the widow's best friend Ann
The woman who is the friend of the widow, named Ann, spoke.

"I'll just take it and go
Ann explained her plans to take the items and quickly leave.

I'll give it her the money later
Later on, Ann intends to present the money to the person who should not have seen it before.

Say it was in his shoe
Ann will devise a lie by claiming that the money was found inside the late person's shoe.

That way she'll never find out
The hope is that the individual in question will remain unaware of the money.

That'll do"
Ann feels as though this plan should be sufficient and will do.

"Carmichael was a credit to the force
The late Carmichael was thought of very highly and was considered to have been an excellent individual within his line of work.

In everything he did
This high opinion of Carmichael applied to everything that he was involved with.

It's like we've got a big hole in our side
Now, his absence has left a large and noticeable emptiness.

Where he fit
This emptiness is located where Carmichael once belonged.

If any of you officers would like to say a word
A request was made for any police officers in attendance to speak if they so desired.

Now would be the time to be heard"
This was the ideal moment for individuals to come forth and share their thoughts about Carmichael.

"Thank you chief, I sure would
One officer came forward and expressed his interest in speaking.

He was a partner of mine
The officer speaking had worked alongside Carmichael.

He was always very careful
Carmichael was known for being meticulous.

Played it straight down the line"
He followed regulations and protocols strictly and always did so correctly.

One by one the officers spoke
Other officers took turns speaking and sharing their experiences with Carmichael.

And the service drew to a close
As each officer finished speaking, the service came to an end.

He had no living relatives but his wife-who never showed
Carmichael's only living relative was his wife, and she did not attend the service.

She just couldn't face the men--they all understood
The reason why his wife did not show up was that she was unable to deal with the emotional toll that attending the service would take on her, and the other officers respected her decision.

They got in their cars and drove home
After the service, the other officers left in their vehicles to return home.

As directly as they could
They left the service in the shortest amount of time possible.

"Carmichael, you asshole!"
The widow, in frustration and pain, shouted at her late husband.

The new widow sobbed beneath her vale
The widow of Carmichael was crying while wearing her mourning veil.

"Shot down in the line of duty
The circumstances surrounding his death were when he was killed while performing his job duties.

Is this how justice never fails?
The widow felt as though this was not a just outcome.

I wish that things were better
If only circumstances could have been different, she would have been happier.

When we said goodbye today
The widow was reminiscing about what occurred earlier in the day.

But we had our share of good times though along the way
Despite the sadness of the present moment, the widow recalled that she had experienced many happy times with Carmichael throughout their life together.

Remember 'Hey mister Las Vegas-You used to be so cool!'?
She fondly recalled a time when the couple met Wayne Newton and joked with each other, saying 'Hey mister Las Vegas-You used to be so cool!'.

We met Wayne Newton down on Pebble Beach and you acted like a fool
During their meeting with Wayne Newton, Carmichael acted in a comedic manner, bringing joy and laughter to the couple.

But we both just couldn't stop laughing-it seemed so funny to us
The memory of that day brought a smile to their faces, and they laughed together about it constantly.

We left our luggage back in the room and almost missed the bus
Due to their enjoyment of the moment and being lost in conversation, the couple forgot their luggage in the room and almost missed their transportation.

That was a great vacation--maybe the best of all
This particular vacation from their life together was exceptional and possibly the most enjoyable and fulfilling.

But goddamn it, Carmichael, you're dead now and I'm talking to the wall"
The widow concludes her soliloquy by expressing her frustration that Carmichael is no longer able to share in these fond memories as he has passed away and is no longer with her.

The force got back to normal
After Carmichael's passing, things returned to the way they were before.

Carmichael was replaced
Someone new was assigned the same job duties that Carmichael had performed prior to his death.

For one year nobody parked a car in Carmichael's space
In the memory of Carmichael, nobody else would park in the parking space that he had previously used, for a total of one year.