Townes Van Zandt Sanitarium Blues Lyrics

The folks - they just can't take no more Throw you in the back seat, slam the door No stoppin' as down the road you go Got not time to lose

Gigantic one-way gate ahead You're thinkin', man, I'd as soon be dead They decided to give you life instead The sanitarium blues

Big ol' nurse all dressed in white Slaps you on a table in the middle of the night Then he straps you down real tight You're wonderin', what'd I do?

They hose you down, make sure you're clean Wrap you up in hospital green Shoot you full of Thorazine The sanitarium blues
Could be TB or maybe a tumor Eavesdropping on the doctors, listening to the rumors Can't see your friends, hear the hum of the wheels Hey, my man, you know how it feels Like the sanitarium blues

Then upon some sunlit day They figure there's no need for you to stay They're pretty sure you can't be cured So they send you on your merry way

You hit the pavement, hang around Nobody's on the outside to be found You're just tryin' to stay above the ground You start to thinkin', what's the use? The sanitarium blues