One Beautiful Evening

Laurie Anderson

Compositor: Laurie Anderson

One beautiful evening in the garden on Eden
A snake came walking in the twilight
He was leaning on his ivory cane
And he said, let me tell you a little secret about life
There's a certain sharpness to a knife, or a diamond
Come here, Watch it glitter
Oh it's another blue day in a nowhere place
We're singin' hey, hey, nonny, hay
I'm a little teapot short and stout
Tip me over and pour me out
You know when the Egyptians built their steam trains
They didn't have any fuel to burn - no wood, no trees anywhere.
But they did have a lot of old mummy rags lying around
So the gathered up all the rags and burned them in their trains
Yeah, they burned their ancestors for fuel.
Ooo, I'm a crocodile floating down the river
I'm a tree catching my own oranges as they fall from my head
I'm a little teapot short and stout
Tip me over and pour me out
And hello to all the people who sent me on the way
A pat on the back for you.
Have fun, it's your moment now
It's your turn to walk along the runway road
And me?
I sent my better self on ahead.
Your attention, please
It's like at the end of the play and all the actors come out
And they line up and they look at you...
And horrible things have happened to them during the play
And they stand there while you clap and now what?
What happens next?
And the fire dies and there were furious winds where he went
We're singin' hey, hey, nonny, hey
We're singin' hey, hey, nonny, hey
It's another blue day in a nowhere place
We're singin' hey, hey, nonny, hey
I'm a little teapot short and stout
Tip me over and pour me out
Oh beauty in all it's forms
Funny how hatred can also be a beautiful thing
When it's as sharp as a knife
As hard as a diamond
Perfect.