Saturday, January 4, 2014

On the Back Streets of Shinjuku

On the back streets of Shinjuku
There's a little boy there
And he'll play cards with you

You win and he'll give you whatever you want
Just name it and it'll be back at the hotel waiting for you

He's the tourist trap, the little boy
Because it costs to play cards with him
At his little folding table

And even though it is possible to win
And you'll understand the rules
The nature of the game
You can't win
Not really

So you'll lose
And that'll cost you even more

Just out of curiosity
Because I'm curious, you know
Tell me--

What did you want from the little boy?

What would your one wish have been?

I was watching you from the window
I have a little room in the motel
Next to the alley

From up here I can conduct my business
And keep an eye on the little boy

He's not my son
But he's the son of a girl I used to know
And the girl is long gone
So I keep an eye on him now

I'm the one who taught him how to play cards

I taught him that the better you help somebody understand how to win
The more likely it is they'll end up losing

You make the rules very simple
You play fair
And you'll take the shirt off their back
Every single time

So what did you want?
Maybe I can help you get it
You came all the way here
And now you have to leave with nothing
With less than you came with
A lighter pocket, as they say

I feel bad about that
Even though I created this problem
Found a kid who could grant wishes
And turned him into what he is now

But I can't stop him
He likes the cards
And he really likes watching people lose
I get nervous thinking about
The kind of man he's going to be one day

But for now I just watch him
I make sure he's gracious when he wins
Because otherwise somebody's going to put a knife in him
One day when he takes too much from somebody

Or when they do beat him
A few people have
But maybe someday somebody'll want something
He doesn't know how to give

That'll be tough
Seeing what goes down
If that should happen

If that should happen--
Well...

I gotta tell ya
That'd be hard to watch

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