The Stranger Song Songtext

von Emmylou Harris

It's true that all the men you knew were dealers
Who said they were through with dealing
Every time you gave them shelter
I know that kind of man
It's hard to hold the hand of anyone
Who is reaching for the sky just to surrender,
Who is reaching for the sky just to surrender.
And sweeping up the jokers that he left behind
You find he did not leave you very much
Not even laughter
Like any dealer he was watching for the card
That is so high and wild
He'll never need to deal another
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger,
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger.

And then leaning on your window sill
He'll say one day you caused his will
To weaken with your love and warmth and shelter.
And then taking from his wallet
An old schedule of trains, he'll say
I told you when I came I was a stranger
I told you when I came I was a stranger.

But now another stranger seems
To want you to ignore his dreams
As though they were the burden of some other.
You've seen that man before,
His golden arm dispatching cards
But now it's rusted from the elbow to the finger.
And he wants to trade the game he plays for shelter,
Yes he wants to trade the game he knows for shelter.

I hate to watch another tired man lay down his hand
Like he was giving up the holy game of poker
And while he talks his dreams to sleep
You notice there's a highway,
That is curling up like smoke above his shoulder.
Yes, it's curling just like smoke above his shoulder.

You tell him to come in sit down
But something makes you turn around
The door is open you can't close your shelter.
You try the handle of the road,
It opens do not be afraid.
It's you my love, you who are the stranger
It's you my love, you who are the stranger.

Well, I've been waiting, I was sure
We'd meet between the trains we're waiting for
I think it's time to board another.
Please understand, I never had a secret chart
To get me to the heart of this
Or any other matter.
When he talks like this
You don't know what he's after
When he speaks like this,
You don't care what he's after.

Let's meet tomorrow if you choose
Upon the shore, beneath the bridge
That they are building on some endless river.
Then he leaves the platform
For the sleeping car that's warm.
You realize, he's only advertising one more shelter
And it comes to you, he never was a stranger
And you say ok the bridge or someplace later.

And sweeping up the jokers that he left behind
You find he did not leave you very much,
Not even laughter.
Like any dealer he was watching for the card
That is so high and wild,
He'll never need to deal another
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger,
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger.
He says 'I told you when I came I was a stranger'.