Kathleen, Queen of the Desert

Loosely based on an encounter with man from Brighton in Dover, 1978.

On the Dover docks one night,
In the middle of a barroom fight,
I heard a man call out, “It’s people like you
Bringin’ this country down.”

And wanting to hear more, I looked inside the door;
And an angry man, bigger than most,
Slowly turned around.

There was an element of danger
As I looked at the stranger;
He said, “I’m mad as hell,
But I can tell this day may turn out right.”

CHORUS:

Motorcycles were his lovers
He didn’t have no room for others;
And if I’d had just a little more time,
I woulda climbed on right behind,
To watch the ripple of the blue tattoos
On the back of his hands.

It was kind of a one-shot deal,
It was cold but it was real;
Losin’ track of time I lost him,
On that foggy channel crossing,
Lost the ripple of the blue tattoos
On the back of his hands.

CHORUS