Story Behind The Song

The story behind this song is basically one by Canadian author Robertson Davies. In 5th Business he talks about how truth is often found in the refuse of life. He cites a case of Merlin knowing that the gold was under the faeces, and that the man who thre

Song Description

This song tells the story of a person who comes across a bum in a back-alley. After asking for a cigarette and offering a drink the bum begins to talk about the nature of life and the inherant responsibility therein. He basically asserts that all actions

Lyrics

Back-alley point of view
Strange light in the sky
And all around the smell
Of garbage piled high
I see a figure in the gloom
Dirty fingers reaching out
I hear the sound of Merlin's laugh,
A little bit of this, a little bit of that
A little bit of everything goes in the hat
You are involved, this is your life
Choose wisely friend
'cause everything has a price.
He asks me for a ciggarette
And offers me a drink
Takes some objects from a bag
And says there's something I should see
A severed finger, a diamond ring
A bible and a string of pearls
Then he looks me in the eye and whispers,
A little bit of this, a little bit of that
A little bit of everything goes in the hat
You are involved, you can't get away
Might be a game, but you still gotta play