I could be wrong but I have seen your face before
You were the man that I saw running from his door
You owed him money but you gave him something more
With a gun
With a gun
You will be what you are just the same
Did you pay the other man with the piece in your hand
And leave him lying in the rain?
You were the founders of the clinic on the hill
Until he caught you with your fingers in the till
He slapped your hand so you settled up your bill
With a gun
With a gun
You will be what you are just the same
Did you pay the other man with the piece in your hand
And leave him lying in the rain?
When you're born to play the fool
And you've seen all the western movies
Woe to the one who does you wrong
You hide in the bushes
Murder the man
With Luger in hand
I understood that you will soon be leavin' town
Don't try to call me when they finally run you down
Just give fair warning any time you come around
With a gun
With a gun
You will be what you are just the same
Did you pay the other man with the piece in your hand
And leave him lying in the rain?
You were the man that I saw running from his door
You owed him money but you gave him something more
With a gun
With a gun
You will be what you are just the same
Did you pay the other man with the piece in your hand
And leave him lying in the rain?
You were the founders of the clinic on the hill
Until he caught you with your fingers in the till
He slapped your hand so you settled up your bill
With a gun
With a gun
You will be what you are just the same
Did you pay the other man with the piece in your hand
And leave him lying in the rain?
When you're born to play the fool
And you've seen all the western movies
Woe to the one who does you wrong
You hide in the bushes
Murder the man
With Luger in hand
I understood that you will soon be leavin' town
Don't try to call me when they finally run you down
Just give fair warning any time you come around
With a gun
With a gun
You will be what you are just the same
Did you pay the other man with the piece in your hand
And leave him lying in the rain?
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Steely Dan rock out country-style better than anyone else! I love the "Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town" drum beats and the desperate lyrics. It's about outlaws on the run - but in a counter-cultural hippie context(?) juxtaposed to the typical/traditional Hollywood Western.
The "clinic in the hills" is one of those great cryptic lines that stick with you.
Could be a meth lab? I even imagine an abortion clinic sometimes.
this song was written long before any meth lab was in existance
@NomadMonad , agree with johnnyo that meth wasn't a thing at that time. <br /> Still, there were plenty of clinics that overprescribed various prescription drugs for profit.<br /> It might have been a totally legitimate clinic, with a crooked doctor who got caught skimming the till by his partner.
@NomadMonad <br /> like that Beatles song "Dr. Roberts" about the clinic that injected celebs and rich socialites with pure speed in the 60's !