Townes Van Zandt — Quicksilver Daydreams of Maria 1968 version

[Verse 1] Well, the diamond fades quickly when matched to the face of Maria Ah the harps they sound empty when she lifts her lips to the sky Ah the brown of her skin makes her hair seem a soft golden rainfall That spills from the mountains to the bottomless depths of her eyes [Verse 2] She stands all around me, her hands slowly sifting the sunshine All the laughter that lingered down deep 'neath her smilin' is free Well, it spins and it twirls like a hummingbird lost in the morning Caresses the south wind and silently sails to the sea [Verse 3] As softly she wanders, I desperately follow her footsteps I chase after shadows that offer a trace of her sigh They promise eternally that she lies hidden within them But I find they've deceived me and sadly I bid them goodbye [Verse 4] So the serpent slides slowly away with his moments of laughter And the the old washerwoman has finished her cleanin' and gone The bamboo hangs heavy in the bondage of quicksilver daydreams And a lonely child longingly looks for a place to belong