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Old Gangsters Never Die Lyrics by Alan Moore

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Old gangsters never die
Except the few that pass away in cinemas at midnight
Lay there sprawling in the footlights for the usherette or ice-cream girl to find
And if I die
God knows, I might
Don't make me die in black and white
Don't make me share a haunted screen
with all those other ghostboys who stood
trembling in the foyer sipping wine
Then coughed, and shoot their cuffs and check the time
and step outside and get cut down by dead policеmen
faces strobing in the panic-light
Thеir long dark cars parked out the back
their haloes black against the night
and John Dillinger's name in finest bulletsilver etched upon the hearts a cold tattoo upon the skin right next to where the badge is pinned
I could die carefully
at dusk
Cause buddy, I once owned a pair of diamond collar studs,
and as I live and breathe I swear that that's no lie
and men with such good taste as me deserve to cash their chips more elegant than those without a shirt upon their back or shine upon their dancing shoes
like, uh, playing poker
being dealt the ace of flames, you stand
and whispering once your mother's name pitch headlong dead across the roulette table
bulletholes pinned like armistice poppies
in neat rows across your back
or drowning
do you know, so many hoods and hitmen got sent down to tread the river bed for all eternity
and now they look like statues in some cold submerged art gallery
and I would gladly kiss the hand of any man who'd bind my wrists and send me down to be in such good company
Dutch Schultz, Capone, why mean like that had hellstars in their eyes
and when they walked in groups of more than three they must have look like grounded constellations torn down from a B-movie sky
Old gangsters, they never die
Say, say
wouldn't it be nice to fall asleep forever in some, some, some
old speakeasy in the 1920s where they never pulled aside the blind and looked outside to find that
that fifty years had washed away all of the legends
and the zoot suits and the bloodstains
like a fistful of dead rose
someone left with the hatcheck girl
and then drove off into old Chicago
with their windows wound and radio turned down
to keep their holstered shoulders cold and dry
Old gangsters, they never die
Say, John! Hey, John
I, I got the tickets for the show, here, in my very hand
Enjoy that show and when you kiss that girl goodnight
there in her red dress streaming, do it carefully
good burgundy upon the tongue, for she will kill you, John
and one must always kiss one's killer
Now ain't that so?
Hey, ma!
They shot your boys out there
and as I live and breathe I swear I never seen a pair
who fell so sweet to hear the final poetry of cordite in the air
or turned their faces up like so
receiving death as if it were a mother's kiss
or something black and rare
Hey, hey Fellas
is it cold there in that movie-house tonight?
C'mon, let's pass out that Jack Daniels
and we'll talk about old murders
and double crosses
and dead blondes
and we'll say "Here's lookin' atcha!"
"Here's blood in your eye!"
Old ghosts sit in the backroom
Old bodies don't tell stories
Old dreams wear dusty clothing
Old gangsters
Never
die
Credits
Alan Moore

Alan Moore

About “Old Gangsters Never Die” by Alan Moore

Read the complete lyrics to "Old Gangsters Never Die" by Alan Moore. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Dark Cabaret, Spoken Word, Non-Music.

"Old Gangsters Never Die" is performed by Alan Moore. This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Old Gangsters Never Die", explore more songs by Alan Moore using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Old Gangsters Never Die" is credited to Alan Moore. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

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Visit the Alan Moore artist page at /artist/alan-moore for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.