While working on my online classes I teach and on my tax preparation, I heard a Son Volt song on my Americana Cable station I like to listen to. The song was okay, but as always happens when I hear any Son Volt song, I thought of my favorite song of his and decided to post the lyrics. Songs are often personal turning points, and I’m sure this song was a spark for my interest in the saints and their involvement in or distance from the life of the individual artist. Jay Farrar (of Uncle Tupelo fame) has a voice that deeply resonates in the heart of many. Anyway, here is a transcription of the song I found on the Web somewhere a while back. If I got any of the lyrics wrong, please let me know.  The official Son Volt site is here:

“Tear Stained Eye”

Walking down Main Street
Getting to know the concrete
Looking for a purpose from a neon sign
I would meet you anywhere the western sun meets the air
We’ll hit the road, never looking behind

CHORUS:
Can you deny, there’s nothing greater
Nothing more than the traveling hands of time?
Sainte Genevieve can hold back the water
But saints don’t bother with a tear stained eye

Seeing traces of the scars that came before
Hitting the pavement still asking for more
When the hours don’t move along,
Worn-out wood and familiar songs
To hear your voice is not enough
It’s more than a shame

Chorus:

Like the man said, rode hard and put away wet
Throw away the bad news, and put it to rest
If learning is living, and the truth is a state of mind
You’ll find it’s better at the end of the line.

CHORUS:
Can you deny, there’s nothing greater
Nothing more than the traveling hands of time?
Sainte Genevieve can hold back the water
But saints don’t bother with a tear stained eye.