When Sal's Burned Down

Are we the fools for being suprised that a silence could end with no sound Like the silent movie era, like with snow, like when Sal's burned down Well, yeah, there was noise, but nothing to mark the passing on Of that great unspoken chance we had found Where the night's end came, well-trod and familiar Like the Charlie Chapin walk that fades to black And there wasn't anyone trying to sell their souls They were only trying to buy them back They were only trying to buy them back Well, yeah, there was a Sal, he walked with bulging pockets 'round town Either he was up to no good or he just got excited watching things burn down Well I guess he got the idea if you hold a chunk of gold in your hand now For once in your life you can throw some weight around And Sal, you slimeball sell-out, how can we blame you? We all want something to put our fingers on And you never know the true throne that you've lost Till the vinyl barstools are gone Till the vinyl barstools are gone If you toss around some words you might say that Sal was carrying a torch for the mob But the mob's gone too, yeah, the only sign of them left Is on every screen at the multiplex, and we go there, no prob, hey 'Cause there ain't no cowboys in this Connecticut town No, not anymore, no, not since Sal's burned down Once you'd dip your tin cup down in the muse's watering hole Or pioneer a new patch of common ground Then you'd lie on your time-traveled bedroll Quite amazed at the expansive terrain And if anyone said that you'd never have fame and fortune, just that bar You know you'd ride that way again I bet you'd ride that way again. --- When Sal's Burned Down - Dar Williams