A man and a woman come together as strangers
When they part they’re usually strangers still
It’s like a practical joke played on us by our Maker1
Empty bottles that can’t be filled2
Chorus:
Baby who’s to say it could have been different now that it’s done
Baby who’s to say that it should have been, anyway
Baby who’s to say that it even matters in the long run
Give it just a minute
And it will blow away
It’ll blow away
You fancy me to be the master of your feelings
You barely bruise me with your looks to kill
Though I admit we were sometimes brutal in our dealings
I never held you against your will
(Chorus)
Your case against me is so very clearly stated
I plead no contest, I just turn and shrug
I’ve come to figure all importance overestimated
You must mean water when you beg for blood
(Chorus)
Like a feather in a whirlwind
Blow away
Just as sure as the world spins
Blow away . . .
Words by John Barlow
Music by Brent Mydland
“Wharf Rat” uses the same designation for God.
Echoes of “Ripple”: “Reach out your hand if your cup be empty,” and of “Comes a Time”: “You’ve got an empty cup / only love can fill.”
Written in Martinez, California, February 1988.
Studio recording: Built to Last (October 31, 1989).
First performance: June 20, 1988, at Alpine Valley Music Theater, East Troy, Wisconsin.