Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds — John Finns Wife

[Verse 1] Well the night was deep and the night was dark And I was at the old dance-hall on the edge of town Some big ceremony was going down Well, dancers writhed and squirmed and then Came apart and then writhed again Like squirming flies on a pin In the heat and in the din In the heat and in the din I fell to thinking about brand new wife of mad John Finn [Verse 2] Well, a midnight came and a clock did strike And in she came, and did John Finn's wife With legs like scissors and butcher's knives Tattooed breast and flaming eyes And a crimson carnation in her teeth Carving her way through the dance floor And I'm standing over by the bandstand Every eye gaping on John Finn's wife Every eye gaping on John Finn's wife [Verse 3] Now, John Finn's wife was something of a mystery In a town where to share a sworn secret was a solemn duty I had brass knuckles and a bolo knife Over near the bandstand with John Finn's wife She got perfumed breasts and raven hair Sprinkled with wedding confettis And a gang of garrotters were all giving me stares Armed, as they were, with machetes Well the night through the window was full of lights Winking and awatching at John Finns' wife Winking and awatching at John Finns' wife [Verse 4] Well next came the cops, all out on the town But it don't look like no trouble there As they head for the bar in their lumpy suits I slip my hand between the thighs of John Finn's wife They seemed to yawn awake, her things It was a warm and very ferocious night And the moon full of blood and light And my eyes grew small and my eyes grew tight As I plotted in the ear of John Finns' wife [Verse 5] Enter John Finn in his shrunken suit With his quick black eyes and black cheroot With his filed-down teeth and a hobnail boot His fists full of pistols in his pockets Aiming at me and aiming at his wife The band fall silent all fearing for their lives And with fear in my guts like tangled twine Cause all I got is brass knuckles and a bolo knife And mad John Finns' wife is all And the three of us walk out of the hall [Verse 6] Now the night bore down upon us all You could hear the crickets in the thickets call Guns did flare and guns did bawl And I planted my bolo knife in the neck Of mad John Finn. I took his wretched life Now I'm over near the bandstand Every hand moving on John Finns' wife Every hand moving on John Finns' wife [Verse 7] And John Finns' wife Took all the flowers down From her hair And threw them on the ground And the flies did hum And the flies did buzz around Poor John Finn Lying dead upon the ground Lying dead upon the ground