(Verse 1)
Joe\'s emotions are his enemy
He\'ll do anything not to feel
In order to feed his habit
He\'ll beg, scheme and steal
Conniving and abusive
Mirroring the trauma he suffered as a kid
A daily ritual of misery and regret
In everything he did
A face of a fifty five year old
Although he is only thirty three
Failed suicide attempts and rehab
Veins permanently thirsty
He\'s burned all those around him
Used up all nine lives
Beside the storm drain, beneath the overpass
Is where he now resides
Turning tricks to raise some capital
His world has gone from dark to black
But none of that matters now
As he’s about to shoot the smack
A fever like a plague victim
Well and truly dope sick
A tourniquet around his bicep
In anticipation of the prick
This hypodermic lifeline
The only thing that shows him love
He\'s just about to push the plunger home
When there\'s an almighty crash above
A twisted bike first hits the water
As the boy falls in slow motion
The surging torrent sweeps him away
A sailor swallowed by the ocean
(Chorus)
Hey Joe...
With a needle in your arm
Trying to wash the pain away
Hey Joe...
Fate\'s gonna force a difficult
Choice on you today
(Verse 2)
Benny is an active kid
Who idolises Mat Hoffman
Spending all day at the BMX park
Cycling the five mile journey often
A promising prospect
Catching the eye of several scouts
The healthiest kind of addict
Practising\'s what Benny can\'t do without
Today he\'d excelled in his stunts
He glided through the air
If only Hoffman could have seen him
Perfectly landing his first flair
Not a care in the world
At twelve years old, the epitome of cool
All the other kids want to be him
One of the most popular in school
The LA skies are growing dark
It\'s approaching rainy season
No rain can dampen Benny\'s mood
His euphoria from practice can\'t be beaten
After a successful BMX session
He\'s cycling the five miles back home
Shelly is approaching the traffic lights
But she\'s distracted, on her phone
Benny is approaching the overpass
Thinking about his recently landed flair
Shelly never sees him coming
Benny and bike hurtle through the air
Such a cruel twist of fate
Beyond his control
Benny and bike clear the guard rail
Plunging to the storm drain below
(Chorus)
Hey Joe...
With a needle in your arm
Trying to wash the pain away
Hey Joe...
Fate\'s gonna force a difficult
Choice on you today
(Verse 3)
Joe can\'t believe the timing
Just as he\'s about to get his fix
Everything he\'d suffered that day
Selling his body, turning tricks
As if God was playing a cruel joke
Or was he offering him redemption?
What fork in the road would his life take
At that stormy intersection?
He rips the works back out his thirsty vein
Ignoring the insatiable urge
Dives head first into the storm drain
Swimming after Benny in the surge
In the fast flowing water
There\'s a tunnel covered by a grate
He finds Benny pinned
Pushes him to the surface before it\'s too late
Benny regains consciousness
Hauls himself from the surging water
Seconds before Joe is smashed by debris
A good samaritan slaughtered
Some say the Lord works in mysterious ways
Divine intervention? It\'s hard to say
Plenty witnessed Joe\'s heroic actions
On that stormy day in LA