"All The Lilacs In Ohio" lyrics

You met her there, on a New York City stair
You were throwing up on your shoes
Tryin' to write the great book, well it really had you shook
With a bad case of wintertime blues

So you dragged her down to the ragged side of town
Shared a taxi to carry her home
Then she left her handkerchief there beside you on the seat
As if to emphasize that you were all alone

It smelled like springtime, and you were just a boy

And all the lilacs in Ohio
All the lilacs in Ohio, there ya go
In the city streets and the dirty winter snow
All the lilacs in Ohio-hio

She is the love story you speak of
When you talk to Sam at the bar
But it's in the details your story often fails
Yeah, close, but no cigar

And you might see your own ass in a double whiskey glass
But you cannot erase her smile
And you'll never write it down, never find her in this town
Of phantom dreams and fingernail files

And it was springtime, and you were just a boy

And all the lilacs in Ohio
All the lilacs in Ohio, there ya go
In the city streets and the dirty winter snow
All the lilacs in Ohio-hio

So you pin her handkerchief to clean white linen sheets
And you unmake your bed and crawl in
You imagine her there and you're tangled in her hair
And she smells like flowers again

And it's springtime, and you are just a boy

All the lilacs in Ohio
All the lilacs in Ohio, there ya go
In the city streets and the dirty winter snow
All the lilacs in Ohio-hio