Jim O'Rourke - North Country lyrics

[Judee] (Ok listen to the words very carefully of this, the words are real good, the words are, you know...) The North country is a rough country And it mother's a bloody brood Its icy arms hold hidden charms For the wicked and the sinful and the lewd The strong men rust from the gold and the lust That sears the Nothland's soul But the wickedest born from the Pole to the Horn Is the hermit of Shark Tooth Shoal Miles away in Keokuk Ia Did a ruined maiden fight To remove the smirch from the baptist church By bringing a heathens light And the elders declared all would be squared Should take the holy word From our Keokuk home to the hell-town Nome And save those sinful birds Though two weeks later she took a freighter For the gold cursed land near the poles But a freighter ain't made for a gal that's betrayed She was wrecked on Shark Tooth Shoal He was huntig seal for his evening meal He handled a mean harpoon When he saw at his feet not something to eat But a gal in a frozen swoon So he held her hand in the dreadful land And on her knees he rubbed gin And to his surprise she opened up her eyes And revealed her original sin So he rode her to shore on a broken oar Traded her to Dan Megrew For a husky dog and a hot eggnog As villains are want to do Now ruthless Ruth is a maid uncouth With painted cheeks and lips She sings rough songs with the bawdy throngs That come off the sealing ships For a rouge-stained kiss from this infamous miss The trade is seal-slick fur Or a sable if they're able Cuz its all the same to her The north country is a rough country And it mothers' a bloody brood Its icy arms hold hidden charms For the wicked and the sinful and the lewd The strong men rust from the gold and the lust That sears the Nothland's soul But the wickedest born from the Pole to the Horn Is the hermit of Shark Tooth Shoal