Shamus

Down these mean streets a man must go come shine, come rain, come hail, come snow; a trenchcoat, gun and cigarette, with hardboiled charm and gumshoe sweat. Pink neon signs light up the place, the backdrop to a murder case; the suspect vamp, her legs apart, gave easy sex and killed my heart. So what's it matter, I can't feel, a diamond mind and heart of steel that cuts through slums and sleazy bars, a world of wrecks and movie stars. Expenses and a hundred note, buys me for keeps and gets my goat; a dirty job, it ain't no fun, just go to work and get it done. As monkey music pounds my beat, a metronomic film-noir suite; I really loathe this tinsel town, there's no excuse, they're going down. Wisecracking wiseguy, razor wit, dark detours, cryptic photo-fit; nail the killer, lose the dame, it always seems to end the same. Track down your lover, husband, dog, price or princess, pig or frog; clear your name and give you hope, locate a heiress hooked on dope. Iced bourbon helps the case to break and find the lady in the lake; a gunplay climax ends in death the big sleep cutting short his breath. And when it's done I'm left alone, an office, desk and telephone; a tarnished soul, a cynic's brain, no love, no heart, no life...just pain.