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Which Came First

by Ry Cooder

on The Slide Area (1982)

(Willie Dixon & Ry Cooder)

You may be a hater, you may be a lover
You can bet your life one destroys the other
I don't know how it all began, which came first
The egg or the hen

The moon comes up and the sun goes down
This old world keeps spinning around
Just as sure as the day turns into the night
What you do in the dark will turn up in the light
Masked man ridin' out across the land
Spreading destruction and moving his hand
He carries a ray-gun, shoots from the hip
Got your past in his pocket, your future's in his grip

You may be a hater, you may be a lover
You bet your life one destroys the other
I don't know how it all began, which came first
The egg or the hen

Now, you bet your life without a doubt
Asking a masked man to leat you out
He's got you so tight that you can't even see
That ray-gun is pointed right at you and me

You won't see it coming
You won't feel the blow
You won't get no warning
You won't never know
You can't start it sooner
And fix it up later
And you ain't going to read about it in the newspaper

Rich or poor, mighty and meek
Don't need no ticket, you've all got a seat
High up on the mountain, low down in the alley
We'll all watch the world turn into death valley

You may be a hater, you may be a lover
You can bet your life one destroys the other
I don't know how it all began, which came first
The egg or the hen

Better shake my hand 'cause time is winding up
Shake your neighbor's hand 'cause time is winding up

You may be a hater, you may be a lover
You can bet your life one destroys the other
I don't know how it all began, which came first
The egg or the hen