LyricMeaning

The Priest They Called Him
William S. Burroughs

Fight tuberculosis, folks. Christmas Eve, an old
junkie selling Christmas seals on North Park Street.
The Priest, they called him. Fight tuberculosis, folks.
People hurried by, gray shadows on a distant wall.
It was getting late and no money to score.
He turned into a side street and the lake wind hit him like a knife.
Cab stop just ahead under a streetlight.
Boy got out with a suitcase. Thin kid in prep school clothes,
familiar face, the Priest told himself, watching from the doorway.
Remindsme of something a long time ago. The boy, there, with his overcoat
unbuttoned, reaching into his pants pocket for the cab fare.
The cab drove away and turned the corner. The boy went inside
a building. Hmm, yes, maybe - the suitcase was there in the doorway.
The boy nowhere in sight. Gone to get the keys, most likely,
have to move fast. He picked up the suitcase and started for the corner.
Made it. Glanced down at the case. It didn't look like the case the boy had,
or any boy would have. The Priest couldn't put his finger on what was so
old about the case. Old and dirty, poor quality leather, and heavy.
Better see what's inside. He turned into Lincoln Park, found an
empty place and opened the case. Two severed human legs that belonged to
a young man with dark skin. Shiny black leg hairs glittered in the
dim streetlight. The legs had been forced into the case and he had to use
his knee on the back of the case to shove them out. Legs, yet,
he said, and walked quickly away with the case.
Might bring a few dollars to score. The buyer sniffed suspiciously.
Kind of a funny smell about it. It's just Mexican leather.
Well, some joker didn't cure it.
The buyer looked at the case with cold disfavor.
Not even right sure he killed it, whatever it is.
Three is the best I can do and it hurts. But since this is Christmas
and you're the Priest... he slipped three bills under the table into the
Priest's dirty hand. The Priest faded into the street shadows, seedy
and furtive. Three cents didn't buy a bag, nothing less than a nickel.
Say, remember that old Addie croaker told me not to come back unless
I paid him the three cents I owe him. Yeah, isn't that a fruit for ya,
blow your stack about three lousy cents.
The doctor was not pleased to see him.

Now, what do you WANT? I TOLD you!
The Priest laid three bills on the table. The doctor put the
money in his pocket and started to scream.
I've had TROUBLES! PEOPLE have been around!
I may lose my LICENSE! The Priest just sat there, eyes, old and heavy with
years of junk, on the doctor's face.
I can't write you a prescription. The doctor jerked open a drawer
and slid an ampule across the table. That's all I have in the OFFICE!
The doctor stood up. Take it and GET OUT! he screamed, hysterical.
The Priest's expression did not change.

The doctor added in quieter tones, After all, I'm a professional man,
and I shouldn't be bothered by people like you.
Is that all you have for me? One lousy quarter G? Couldn't you lend
me a nickel...? Get out, get out, I'll call the police I tell you.
All right, doctor, I'm going. Of course it was cold and far to walk,
rooming house, a shabby street, room on the top floor.
These stairs, coughed the Priest there, pulling himself up along the
bannister. He went into the bathroom, yellow wall panels,
toilet dripping, and got his works from under the washbasin.
Wrapped in brown paper, back to his room, get every drop in the dropper.

He rolled up his sleeve. Then he heard a groan from next door,
room eighteen. The Mexican kid lived there, the Priest had passed him on
the stairs and saw the kid was hooked, but he never spoke, because he
didn't want any juvenile connections, bad news in any language.
The Priest had had enough bad news in his life.
He heard the groan again, a groan he could feel, no mistaking that groan
and what it meant. Maybe he had an accident or something.
In any case, I can't enjoy my priestly medications with that sound coming
through the wall. Thin walls you understand. The Priest put down his
dropper, cold hall, and knocked on the door of room eighteen.
Quien es? It's the Preist, kid, I live next door.
He could hear someone hobbling across the floor.

A bolt slid. The boy stood there in his underwear shorts, eyes black with
pain. He started to fall. The Priest helped him over to the bed.
What's wrong, son? It's my legs, senor, cramps, and now I am without
medicine. The Priest could see the cramps, like knots of wood there
in the young legs, dark shiny black leg hairs.
A few years ago I damaged myself in a bicycle race,
it was then that the cramps started. And now he has the leg cramps back
with compound junk interest. The old Priest stood there, feeling the boy
groan. He inclined his head as if in prayer, went back and got his dropper.
It's just a quarter G, kid. I do not require much, senor.

The boy was sleeping when the Priest left room eighteen.
He went back to his room and sat down on the bed.
Then it hit him like heavy silent snow. All the gray junk yesterdays.
He sat there received the immaculate fix. And since he was himself a priest,
there was no need to call one.


  Purchase "The Priest They Called Him"   Purchase Entire Album   Email Video to Friends   Play Youtube "The Priest They Called Him" Video   Play Spotify "The Priest They Called Him" Song   View Wikipedia "The Priest They Called Him" Entry   Receive Emails for Future William S. Burroughs Lyrics

Email:

  Link to "The Priest They Called Him"   Share on Facebook, Twitter, and more
  See Recommended Lyrics For You

Loading...

Lyrics by William S. Burroughs

  A Thanksgiving Prayer   Introducing John Stanley Hart   Mr Hart Couldn't Hear The Word Death   My Protagonist Kim Carson   Progressive Education   Salt Chunk Mary   Star Me Kitten   Star Me Kitten (R.E.M. Cover)   Star Me Kitten [*]   The Name Is Clem Snide   The Unworthy Vessel   The Wild Fruits   Twilight's Last Gleamings

Related Songs

  Priest They Called Him - Nirvana  The Priest They Called Him - Nirvana  They Called Him Laughter - Michael Card  They Called Him Laughter - Card Michael  Ballad Of The Hoodlum Priest - Deville Willy  Priest - Unit  Dio, Priest, Maiden - Aneurysm  Crucifixion - Hellhammer  Crucifixion (Hellhammer) - Torment  He Was Heard - Card Michael  He Was Heard - Michael Card  Jesus Must Die - Jesus Christ Superstar  The One - Killah Priest  The Next Day - DAVID BOWIE  Saviorself - Jedi Mind Tricks  Saviourself (ft. Killah Priest) - Jedi Mind Tricks  Baron Samedi - Ghoul  Preacher Man - Inkubus Sukkubus  The Reaven Odin's Witness - Abused Majesty  Che - Judy Collins  The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest...  The Verdict - October 31  Excalibur - Killah Priest  Come With Me - Killah Priest  Harvey Bodine - Brad Paisley  Broken Rites - Sacred Steel  The Edict - White Skull  Hip Priest - Fall  HIP PRIEST - The Fall  When They Have Called - Arkhon Infaustus  The Next Day - David Bowie  The Story Of The Scullion King - Steeleye Span  Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead...  Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead...  Ten Thousand Angels - Loretta Lynn  Disturbing the Priest - Black Sabbath  Goodbye - Killah Priest  Musifixtion - Killah Priest  Ding Dang - Les Claypool  Ticking - Elton John  Mary Called Him Mister - Tania Kernaghan  Priest - J Church  Sell Me Yo Soul - Esham  Come to the Sabbath [Live] - Mercyful Fate  Biblewhore - Aeon  Maria And Luis' Wedding - Sesame Street  Victimized - King Diamond  Ding Dang...  If Jesus Had A Wife - Tom Flannery  Queen - Three  Queen - 3  What Am I? - ãðàæäàíñêàÿ îáîðîíà  King Pharao - Pharao  Creature - Fades Away  Domino - Roy Orbison  Thirty Pieces Of Silver - Porter Wagoner  Crackin' Up - Jesus and Mary Chain  You Pray To Nothing - Aeon  Killing Is All - Xordeal  Billy - Blue Murder  Blessing - Killah Priest & Chief Kamachi  Message To The Clerk - Jandek  Domino [#] - Roy Orbison  Domino [#][*][Demo Version] - Roy Orbison  Come To The Sabbath - King Diamond  Domino - Sam Phillips  cracking up - Jesus and Mary Chain  Robbery [Remix] - Killah Priest  Hendershot - Les Claypool  Places I've Been - Killah Priest  Let Him Roll (Live) - Johnny Cash  Blessed By The Priest - Aeon  Ko-Ko Joe - Jerry Reed  Barbecutioner (Donny Don’t Dance) - Frightmare  Altered Boy - Exodus  Little Guy Called Joe - Stonewall Jackson  A Little Guy Called Joe - Stonewall Jackson  Little Guy Called Joe - Stonewall Jackson  Little Guy Called Joe - Stonewall Jackson  Queen And Priest - Zed Yago  Let Him Roll - Guy Clark  Let Him Roll - Johnny Cash  Disturbing the Priest [*] - Black Sabbath  Jesus Fall - Hypocrisy  Church Breaks Down - Helloween  Let Him Roll (Live) - Guy Clark  Who Did That To You - John Legend  The Priest - Limp Bizkit  Catechism - Dj Spooky  The Bells Are Ringing - Ray Boltz  They Killed Him - Bob Dylan  They Killed Him - Dylan Bob  They Killed Him - Kris Kristofferson  They Killed Him - The Highwaymen  Confession - Ces Cru  Heat Of The Moment - Killah Priest  Monkey Magic - TV Theme Songs  30 Pieces Of Silver - Hank Williams  Thirty Pieces Of Silver - Hank Williams  Indestructible Sam - Buck 65  THE PRIEST - Joni Mitchell  The Priest - Milow  I Call Him Love - Kathy Troccoli  Man in White - Johnny Cash  Man in White [DVD] - The Carter Family  William - Blackbird Raum  Ponderlust - Burton Cummings  The Pursuivant - Black Magician  Victory - Bad Religion  Akelarre - Criminal  The Piper - ABBA  The Piper - ABBA  Somebody's Getting Married - The Marriage...  Nut The Haircut - Ranko Damjanovic  Donkey Freedom (Theme From Poolboy)...  God Dethroned - God Dethroned  God Dethroned - God Dethroned  Holy War - The Lords of the New Church  I Have An Island - Drew Blackard  Bullets For The New-Born King - Elvis Costello  Book Of Faith - U. D. O.  Don't Sing - Prefab Sprout  J.I.G. - Deliverance  Domino - The Cramps  Royal Priesthood - Killah Priest  Saints and Sinners [*] - Silent Force  Saints and Sinners - Silent Force  Silence Between the Prayers - Purple Martin  Carrier Of Pestilence - Deathchain  Virus Meadow - And Also The Trees  Robbery - Killah Priest  Hell Bent For Leather (Judas Priest Cover)...  California Son - The Adolescents  California Son - Adolescents  Last Rites - Mercyful Fate  The Ritual - Destruction  Amos Moses - Primus  The Ledge - Replacements  THE LEDGE - The Replacements  piss Aaron - Todd Rundgren  Big Parade - The Lumineers  Black August (Dark) - Killah Priest  Priest - Kaihoro  Priest - Stephen Lynch  Condemned To The Throne Of Hazraehel - Unlord  Real Naked Girls...  Maccabee Freestyle Pt. 2 - Maccabeez  Amos Moses (Jerry Reed cover) - Primus  Intro (Blackball Me) - Killah Priest  Western White Kid - Heideroosjes  Ola - Beenie Man  Selassie - Beenie Man  All Eyes On The Saint - Enter Shikari  Hearsay - Salvation Army Soldiers  Have You Seen Mary - Eggstone  "Nicky" - Momus  Fanatics - 116 Clique  Fanatic - Lecrae  Love Like Crazy - Lee Brice  Liquid Wordz - Canibus  Sin - Seance  Friends - Womack & Womack  12 Men - Mortification  From Jerusalem To Jericho - Hank Williams  Mrs Victoria - Warlord  Flame Of The Panzerchrist - Panzerchrist  Who We Are - Elephant Man  Geronimo - George Jones  Before The Throne of God Above - Anathallo  Sax Shack Boogie - Amos Milburn  Mystic City - Killah Priest  If I Die - Killah Priest  View From Masada - Killah Priest  Kill The Devil - Cage  Diamond Dogs [K-Tel Best of...Edit] - David Bowie  We Fall Down - Bob Carlisle  Sense Of Insanity - Blackfield  Heaven on Earth - Beenie Man  Ballad of Alferd Packer - Phil Ochs  Hatred's Rise - Testament  Nearly All The Time - Echoboy  Soul Love (2012 - Remaster) - David Bowie  Lord Have Mercy - Cage (Rap)  Lord Have Mercy - Cage  Silent Night 9/11 - Fish  The Bothered Son and Phony Ghost...  Aura - Church, The  Operator, Long Distance Please - Barbara Mandrell  May All Liars Burn In Hell - Captain Chaos  The Cruzifixus - Anus Dei - Belphegor  Mighty Mouth - Kix  Heretics & Killers - Protest the Hero  Life, Love, Death And The Meter Man...  For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge - Coven  Simon Peter - Dragon  Eppie Morrie - Karan Casey  Black August (Daylight) - Killah Priest  The Shipwreck Of St. Paul - Julian Cope  Message To The Clerk, Pt.1 - Jandek  God Snaps His Fingers - Television Personalities
  Please consider supporting this site by Clicking Here and Bookmarking whenever you search and shop Amazon. It costs you nothing but it supports us and gives us credit and we appreciate it greatly.