Down in the Valley

The world used to be an oyster for me
I could drink off a dollar or a dime
And I never thought I'd amount to much
Til I came into some land
It was handed to me
Given free
By a stranger who said he was my pa
Now some people come
More often they go
So I set up this local's bar

But now I'm down in the valley
Where I can't pay the rent
And the city won't let me sleep
Yeah I've wandered away
But I know I'll come back
To those faces and names
Debts must be paid
Time runs away in this place

I've been singing in this shack for a couple of years
The owner 'fesses to a number of misdemeanors

But now he's down in the valley
Where he can't pay the rent
And the city won't let him be
Yeah he's wandered away
But I know he'll come back to us
Faces and names
Debts must be paid
Time runs away in this place

So long I sing
To the roses, To the roses
Buried memory
He'll miss the dinner this eve
We'll all be merry
Thinking of his face
Someday this pub will be paved
Paved over his grave

And he'll be down in the valley
Where he can't pay the rent
And the city won't let him sleep
Yeah he's wandered away
But I know he comes back to us
Faces and names
Some things never change
Time runs away in this place