I'm gonna start this song on a dark low road Out of respect for the story that it tells It all begins with the prick of a finger A man and his fear, with nose before ear So many ways to love him So little time to choose among them I'll stick with the ones whose hearts are torn Broken, that's why the blues were born A man and his life and his race to the finish And the moments infused with dread All in the service of tryin' to diminish Disappointments that lay in ambush Upon the path ahead I'm not tryin' to stitch this heart to that sleeve It's simply a case of mutual need A grief more dance than hearts can bear That's the way it goes, with nose before ear This is the story of the land-locked sailor Who cried himself to sea This is the tale of the sleeping princess Who found her way back to me What we love will kill us That which won't don't thrill us I'm gonna tell you a story about the ones that I love And a life lived, nose before ear