Baez, Joan - The Altar Boy And The Thief Lyrics
At night in the safety of shadows and numbers
Seeking some turf on which nothing encumbers
The buying and selling of casual looks
Stuff that gets printed in x-rated books
Your mother might have tried to understand
And you gave up saluting the chief
To find yourself some relief
Finely plucked eyebrows and skin of satin
Smiling seductive and endlessly Latin
Olympic body on dancing feet
Perfume thickening the air like heat
A transient star of gay bar fame
You quit your job and changed your name
And you're nearly beyond belief
The seven foot black with the emerald ring
Broke up a fight without saying a thing
As the cops cruised by wanting one more chance
To send Jimmy Baldwin back over to France
And a trucker with kids and a wife
Prefers to spend half of his life
In early Bohemian motif
Playing pool and getting relief
My favorite couple was looking so fine
Dancing in rhythm and laughing in rhyme
In the light of the jukebox all yellow and blue
Holding each other as young lovers do
To me they will always remain
Unshamed, untamed, and unblamed
The altar boy and the thief
Grabbing themselves some relief
The altar boy and the thief
Catching a little relief
Other Lyrics by Artist
- Baez, Joan - Seabirds
- Baez, Joan - Luba, The Baroness
- Baez, Joan - The Altar Boy And The Thief
- Baez, Joan - Cry Me A River
- Baez, Joan - Let Your Love Flow
- Baez, Joan - No Woman, No Cry
- Baez, Joan - Light A Light
- Baez, Joan - The Song At The End Of The Movie
- Baez, Joan - Before The Deluge
- Baez, Joan - Honest Lullaby
- Baez, Joan - Michael
- Baez, Joan - For Sasha
- Baez, Joan - For All We Know
- Baez, Joan - I'm Blowin' Away
- Baez, Joan - A Heartfelt Line Or Two
- Baez, Joan - Caruso
- Baez, Joan - Still Waters At Night
- Baez, Joan - Kingdom Of Childhood
Rand Lyrics
Last Posts
Beyonce Shakes the Internet with Surprise Super Bowl Tease and New Music Release
Beyoncé once again set the digital world abuzz with her latest musical surprise. In an unforgettable move during the Super Bowl, a Verizon commercial served...
Watch Usher’s Full Super Bowl 2024 Halftime Performance Usher, Alicia Keys, Jermaine Dupri, Ludacris,
At the 2024 Super Bowl, Usher redefined the halftime show with a dazzling, career-highlight performance that will be remembered for years to come. Taking the...
Usher Unveils ‘Coming Home’: A Journey Through Sound and Soul in His Latest Album
Spanning three decades in the music industry, Usher has consistently mesmerized fans with his soulful tunes and magnetic performances. However, his most recent project, Coming...
Baez, Joan The Altar Boy And The Thief Comments
my queen
respect from #BANGLADESH, our liberation friend.
interesting song. I cant imagine this coming out back in the day when being gay was so looked down upon.
GREAT SONG
Superbe, merci merci merci !!!!!!
Thanks for posting this. I used to perform this song myself right after the album came out. It's one of my favourites....so moving.
One of the most beautiful song she's ever written!
thanks taddyd1 for the details!
Also to you Scout4Me1 for posting
She dedicated this song to James Baldwin when he came to one of her shows in France.
JB lived in Santa Monica @ the time Blowin Away came out. She's frequently mentioned the Pink Elephant (now defunct) as the the inspiration for the song. JB and Robert Redford were the co-chairmen of the Santa Monica Pier Centiennial this year; she performed to a record crowd of over 10,000 at one of the annual free summer Pier Concerts last July. She frequently stayed @ a friend's apartment above the Carousel on the Pier where she wrote "Heartfelt Line or Two". She revived it for the show.
no, it's the gay bar that inspired the song.
A night at the Pink Elephant in Santa Monica.