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A Cautionary Song Lyrics by The Decemberists

Castaways and Cutouts

2002

There's a place your mother goes
When everybody else is soundly sleeping
Through the lights of Beacon Street
And if you listen, you can hear her weeping
She's weeping
'Cause the gentlemen are calling
And the snow is softly falling on her petticoat
And she's standing in the harbor
And she's waiting for the sailors in the jolly boat
See how they approach
With dirty hands and trousers torn
They grapple till she's safe within their keeping
A gag is placed between her lips
To keep her sorry tongue from any speaking
Or screaming
And they row her out to packets
Where the sailors' sorry racket calls for maidenhead
And she's scarce above the gunwales
When her clothes fall to a bundle and she's laid in bed
On the upper deck
And so she goes from ship to ship
Her ankles clasped, her arms so rudely pinioned
'Till at last she's satisfied
The lot of the marina's teeming minions
In their opinions
And they tell her not to say a thing
To cousin, kindred, kith or kin or she'll end up dead
And they throw her dirty dollars
And return her to the harbor where she goes to bed
And this is how you're fed
So be kind to your mother
Though she may seem an awful bother
And the next time she tries to feed you collard greens
Remember what she does when you're asleep
Credits
The Decemberists

The Decemberists

About “A Cautionary Song” by The Decemberists

Read the complete lyrics to "A Cautionary Song" by The Decemberists from the album "Castaways and Cutouts" in 2002. 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 Rock, Indie Rock, Folk Rock.

"A Cautionary Song" is performed by The Decemberists. from the album "Castaways and Cutouts" in 2002 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 "A Cautionary Song", explore more songs by The Decemberists 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

"A Cautionary Song" is credited to The Decemberists. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"A Cautionary Song" appears on "Castaways and Cutouts" in 2002.

Visit the The Decemberists artist page at /artist/the-decemberists for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.