Page type: lyric reference
Artist: Nick Cave
Canonical path: /nick-cave/tupelo
Related lyric paths: 6
Lyric guide
Tupelo
Read Tupelo lyrics by Nick Cave on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Lyrics
Tupelo
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
Looka yonder! Looka yonder!
Looka yonder! A big black cloud come!
O comes to Tupelo. Comes to Tupelo.
Yonder on the horizon.
Stopped at the mighty river and
Sucked the damn thing dry.
Tupelo-o-o, O Tupelo.
In a valley hides a town called Tupelo.
Distant thunder rumble. Rumble hungry like the Beast.
The Beast it cometh. Cometh down. Wo wo wo-o-o.
Tupelo bound. Tupelo-o-o. Yeah Tupelo.
The Beast it cometh. Tupelo bound.
Why the hen won't lay no egg.
Cain't get that cock to crow.
The nag is spooked and crazy.
O God help Tupelo! O God help Tupelo!
Ya can say these streets are rivers.
Ya can call these rivers streets.
Ya can tell ya self ya dreaming buddy.
But no sleep runs this deep.
No! No sleep runs this deep.
Women at their windows
Rain crashing on the pane
Writing in the frost
Tupelos' shame. Tupelo's shame.
O God help Tupelo! O God help Tupelo!
O go to sleep lil children
The sandmans on his way.
O go to sleep lil children.
The sandmans in his way.
But the lil children know
They listen to the beating of their blood.
They listen to the beating of their blood.
The sandman's mud!
The sandman's mud!
And the black rain come down.
Water water everywhere.
Where no bird can fly no fish can swim.
No fish can swim
Until The King is born!
Until The King is born!
In Tupelo! Tupelo-o-o!
Til The King is born in Tupelo!
In a clap-board shack with a roof of tin.
Where the rain came down and leaked within.
A young mother frozen on a concrete floor.
With a bottle and a box and a cradle of straw.
Tupelo-o-o! O Tupelo!
With a bottle and a box and a cradle of straw.
Well Saturday gives what Sunday steals.
And a child is born on his brothers heels.
Come Sunday morn the first-born dead.
In a shoebox tied with a ribbon of red.
Tupelo-o-o! Hey Tupelo!
In a shoebox tied with a ribbon of red.
O ma-ma rock you lil one slow.
O ma-ma rock your baby.
O ma-ma rock your lil one slow.
O God help Tupelo! O God help Tupelo!
Mama rock your lil one slow.
The lil one will walk on Tupelo.
Tupelo-o-o! Yeah Tupelo!
And carry the burden of Tupelo.
Tupelo-o-o! O Tupelo! Yeah!
The King will walk on Tupelo!
Tupelo-o-o! O Tupelo!
He carried the burden outa Tupelo!
Tupelo-o-o! Hey Tupelo!
You will reap just what you sow.
Quick answers
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "Tupelo"?
Nick Cave performs "Tupelo", and this lyric page sits inside the Nick Cave catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "Tupelo"?
Yes. The related section below points to The Good Son and All The Gold In California with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by Nick Cave?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Nick Cave's lyric pages.
Song Room
Open Song Room
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
Listener comments
What people are saying
No listener comments on Tupelo yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.