Our Lady of Angels

Before I was out of my teens I knew I had to escape Los Angeles. At the time I thought I'd be heading north, not south.

I was caught between a bottle of darkness and a couple of lines of light
I was looking for Our Lady of Angels but she's out at a party tonight
I was stuck like a fly in amber in the pages of a magazine
I called up Our Lady of Angels and I listened to the message on her phone machine

        Some people are looking for the Real Thing -- Don Quixote and his cavaliers
        The Real Thing hasn't come around here in years

I found half of a high school dream in the bottom of my coffee cup
I spotted Our Lady of Angels working counter at the pìkmë-ûp
I was slogging through a trench coat night that had slowed me to a crawl
When I heard that Our Lady of Angels had been highly recommended on a bathroom wall

        Some people believe in the Real Thing -- Don Quixote and his ship of fools
        The Real Thing never did play by the rules

            He never settled for a dime-store Dulcinea
            He never settled for a second best anybody's thing
            But the Real Thing ain't what it used to be
            Now he's tilting at spreadsheets and getting respectable -- finally forgetting his name

I was riding on a shotgun wave hoping somebody could hit the brakes
I saw a picture of Our Lady of Angels selling dildos down at Drake's
I was talking to the alley cats, looking for a new disease
I ran into Our Lady of Angels smoking Cloves out in front of the Mann's Chinese

        She said: Hey aren't you looking for the Real Thing
        Don't you know that you’re asking too much
        Why can't you settle for a comfortable crutch?

I was caught between a bottle of darkness and a couple of lines of light
I was hoping that Our Lady of Angels could get me through the night
I was stuck like a fly in amber in the pages of a magazine
I was late, and Our Lady of Angels had already wised up and left the scene

        So now who's looking for the Real Thing? Don Quixote has a wife and kids
        The Real Thing doesn’t care and never did

So I'm looking for Our Lady of Angels tonight
'Cause I think she's got my last chance ticket out of here
And I've heard stories that there are cities in the north
Where you can still find patron saints who can look you in the eye

        Some people still talk about the Real Thing
        Don Quixote left a legacy
        And once the Real Thing spent the night with me