Back in 1957
We had to dance a foot apart
And they hawk-eyed us from the sidelines
Holding their rulers without a heart
And so with just a touch of our fingers
I could make our circuitry explode
All we ever wanted
Was just to come in from the cold
We really thought we had a purpose
We were so anxious to achieve
We had hope
The world held promise
For a slave to liberty
Freely I slaved away for something better
And I was bought and sold
And all I ever wanted
Was just to come in from the cold
I feel your leg under the table
Leaning into mine
I feel renewed
I feel disabled
By these bonfires in my spine
I don't know who the arsonist was
Which incendiary soul
But all I ever wanted
Was just to come in from the cold
I am not some stone commission
Like a statue in a park
I am flesh and blood and vision
I am howling in the dark
Long blue shadows of the jackals
Are falling on a pay phone by the road
Oh all they ever wanted
Was just to come in from the cold
Is this just vulgar electricity
Is this the edifying fire
Does your smile's covert complicity
Debase as it admires
Are you just checking out your mojo
Or am I just fighting off growing old
All I ever wanted
Was just to come in from the cold
When I thought life had some meaning
Then I thought I had some choice
And I made some value judgments
In a self-important voice
But then absurdity came over me
And I longed to lose control
Oh all I ever wanted
Was just to come in from the cold
