Lyrics

8. Switchblade Heart

Frankie was a killer with a switchblade heart
He kept his enemies close and his edges sharp
It was the steel in his eyes kept the boys in line
He kept his suits clean and his watch on time

Then he met a sweet girl from Tennessee
She’d come to work at the wartime factory
And she’d take his arm and they’d promenade
Down by the water near the old arcade

Well, it took him by surprise when he felt that spark
It was the first time she kissed him on the lips in the dark
And while he struggled to find the right words to say
She leaned close and she whispered in his ear this way

chorus
Come on, baby, let’s dance
At the end of the old wood pier
No one would ever see us way out there
And I could show you how to move
Yeah, I could show you how to move

It was the boys down the joint who called him out
She jumped in between before Frankie could shout
And it all unraveled in the blink of an eye
There was the cough of a pistol and her mournful cry

Frankie put the boys in the ground that night
But ever since that day Frankie ain’t been right
He sits in a booth tucked away from the sun
And his suit is dirty and his watch don’t run

Some nights after the town turns in
Frankie wanders down to where the story begins
And with a sliver of a smile and a far-off stare
He starts swayin’ to the music only he can hear

chorus two times

Ernest Troost: vocals, guitars, bass
Lisa O'Kane: vocals
Richard Greene: fiddle
Rick Smith: harmonica