Over the Rhine - All Over Ohio lyrics

Well the rain it has been falling Like it wants to drown us all And the trees are gently swaying Like they’re thinkin’ ‘bout the fall I still get shivers when I hear You singin’ down the hall I’m gonna kiss you all over Ohio And the starlings they were flying Earlier today Doing their maneuvers Clouds of feathers on display Makes me wanna kneel in prayer but I’ve forgotten what to say I’ll just name all the birds in Ohio Now the reason I am writing Is to tell you ‘bout the flood Ahh, the river is so beautiful But it leaves a load of mud All I have now are these dirty songs I guess they’re in my blood They make me wander so far from Ohio (Yeah) It’s a silly undertaking To fly halfway ‘round the earth With an imaginary womb of songs Intent on giving birth I gave all that I had to give I’m not sure what it’s worth Scatter the ashes right here in Ohio All I wanna be is a thousand black birds Bursting from a tree into the blue Love – let it be not just a feeling But the broken beauty Of what we choose to do And the halleujah chorus Used to make my Daddy cry I still wonder ‘bout the ruckus Angels make up there on high In the meanwhile there are measures We can take to get us by Lay me down next to you in Ohio But my expectations stand still Like beggars at the door I’m flat broke from the dues I’ve paid them all before Gonna let the Cuyahoga Wash me up on burning shores Shipwrecked with you in Ohio All I wanna be is a thousand black birds Bursting from a tree into the blue Love – let it be not just a feeling But the broken beauty Of what we choose to do I have seen the slow corruption Of the best ideas of Christ In the pulpits of our nation Gospel turned into white lies If you preach a subtle hatred - The bible as your alibi Goddam you right here in Ohio But my shameless hallucination: He’s still knockin’ at my door And I know how this one’s gonna end He’s gotten in before I’ve run as fast as I can run I’ve had to ask, What for? He haunts me all over Ohio All I wanna be is a thousand black birds Bursting from a tree into the blue Love – let it be not just a feeling But the broken beauty Of what we choose to do Well the rain it has been falling Like it wants to drown us all And the trees are gently swaying Like they’re thinkin’ ‘bout the fall I still get shivers when I hear You singin’ down the hall I’m gonna kiss you all over Ohio