I have been to busy to write lately.  Or, more accurately, to write well. I was all over the place talking about Ryan Adams, and didn't get to make a point about his fast and loose similes.   Well I just heard a Guy Clark song that made the point for me.  Its the first song he wrote and kept, he jokes. But he learned from Townes, so he had a bit of an advantage. Here are the Lyrics.

And that old time feelin' goes sneakin' down the hall,
Like an old gray cat in winter, keepin' close to the wall.
And that old time feelin' comes stumblin' up the street,
Like an old salesman kickin' the papers from his feet.

And that old time feelin' draws circles around the block,
Like old women with no children, holdin' hands with the clock.
And that old time feelin' fall on it's face in the park,
Like and old wino prayin' he can make it 'till it's dark.

And that old time feelin' comes and goes in the rain,
Like an old man with his checkers, dyin' to find a game.
And that old time feelin' plays for beer in bars,
Like and old blues-time picker who don't recall who you are.

And that old time feelin' limps through the night on a crutch,
Like an old soldier wonderin' if he's paid too much.
And that old time feelin' rocks and spits and cries,
Like and old lover rememberin' the girl with the clear blue eyes.

So the grey cat line is great.  I have had Prufrock on my head for over week now too. Remember this:

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes, 
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes 
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening, 
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains, 
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys, 
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap, 
And seeing that it was a soft October night, 
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep. 

Ok, Ok, there isn't much of a relationship between that Cat and Clark's.  Like I said, the poem has been in my head, that's all.

The next song contains this greatness:

Gimme a bowl of chile,

gimme milk and toast.

As long as you're dishing it out Lord

 I'll take a litle of both

Bet Elliot couldn't come up with something like that. Too much swagger for the ole Brit.

Or this line, earlier in the CD

""She's standing on the gone side of  
leaving."            

I just googled that line to make sure I had it right and found some interview with a poet who is claiming it to be his own.  Or maybe I am misterpetting the parenthetical "Orginal" in this:

You take a phrase like "She's on the gone side of leaving me for good" (original).....and build around it. Songs are usually highly structured and poems don't have to be.

Way to ruin a line by trying to do to much with it. And then claim it as your own?