Well, drivin' back from Nashville I was caught with a bag of cocaine
I was under the influence but I was under a terrible strain
They beat me and left me alone to scoop up my guts and the bits of my brain
Just then a-came a drizzle and gave my insides a terrible rinse
I stuck 'em back in in a hurry and they've been damp ever since
This is the Hard Luck Palace; I'm the Hard Luck Prince

You know I took a coupla pills to give my head some relief
My phantom bird had died the night before while I's asleep
So you can imagine my state, I mean, I was feeling immeasurable grief
Then an apparition appeared at the foot of my bed and made me wince
He beckoned me to follow, and he asked my confidence
Take the keys to the Hard Luck Palace; don't wait up for your Hard Luck Prince

I woke up with a fever, opened the door and looked around
I thought the sun was inchin' closer but 'twas a streetlight shinin' down
Oh, how the bed does move itself when your head can only pound!
When I went to see the doctor to replace my soggy splints
He said""What atrophy you've rendered due to teenaged dalliance""
And they took to the Hard Luck Palace and said""Good night, Hard Luck Prince""

Then I started up a company, I hired seven men with grit
My line was oiling guillotines and appraising monkey shit
And we widened the volcanoes when the virgins wouldn't fit
When you swore you never bled we provided counterevidence
We specialized in medicine with a measured indifference
After all, I'm a professional!
Here's my card:
The Hard Luck Prince

It's a man possessed with evil who lives with private pain and then
Sees fit to step outside and take it out on other men
But long as there is man there is a darkness that descends
The ghosts sleep in the room with the peculiar ornaments
We held a seance years ago and they been squatting ever since
Make no mistake: this is the Hard Luck Palace
I'm the Hard Luck Prince

Copyright: Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust Ave
Writer(s): JAMES TOTH