The Lantern on Dauphine

About this track

[Intro] (instrumental, 8–16 bars) [Verse 1] I came in on a river fog, with a pocket full of pay, Boots still clean, eyes wide open, thinkin’ I’d be okay. Brass on the corner, whiskey laughter, perfume in the air, And down a backstreet doorway, I saw trouble standin’ there. A sign lit up like a promise, swingin’ soft in midnight heat, It whispered sweet as satin, “Come and rest your weary feet.” But comfort’s got a hook in it, and mercy’s got a fee— That’s how the night first met me on old Dauphine. [Chorus] Oh, the lantern burns till morning, and it never burns for free, It trades your days for midnight, and your truth for make-believe. You can win a little moment, you can lose your name complete— In the lantern on Dauphine, in the lantern on Dauphine. [Verse 2] My mama used to tell me, “Boy, don’t gamble with your soul,” Said, “A smile can be a shotgun, and a kiss can take its toll.” My old man wore his hard years like a coat he couldn’t mend, He’d stare into a bottle like it might