They sat together in the park
As the evening sky grew dark,
She looked at him and felt a spark
tingle to her bones.
'Twas then she felt alone
and wished that she'd gone straight
And watched out for a simple twist of fate.

They walked along by the old canal
little confused, I remember well
And stopped into a river front hotel         [renovated/cheap/little hotel]
with a neon burnin' bright.                  [threw his wide-brimmed hat on the bed (1981)]
                                             [/with a neon burning dim,
He [she] felt the heat of the night          he looked at her and she looked at him
hit him [her] like a freight train           with that look that can manipulate
Moving down with a simple twist of fate.     brought on by a simple twist of fate (1980)]

saxophone someplace softly played
As she was walkin' on by the arcade.
She heard a melody rise and fade
and the sun [bad word] up,
She dropped a coin into the cup
of a blind man at the gate
And forgot about that simple twist of fate.

He woke up, and she was gone
He didn't see nothing but the dawn.
Got out of bed and put his shoes back on,    [clothes/wide-brimmed hat (1981)]
pushed back the blinds,
Found a note she'd left behind
but he just could not relate                 [/concentrate on]
to anything 'cept that simple twist of fate. [/to which he just could not relate,
                                             all about that simple twist of fate]

He hears the ticking of the clocks
hunts for her through the city blocks        [/Looks for her everywhere he walks (1988)]
                                             [/people hear him humming as he walks (1997)]
Even down by the waterfront docks
where the sailers all roll  in.
Maybe he'll see [spot] her once again,
how long must he wait
One more time for a simple twist of fate.

People tell me it's a crime
To know to much * for too long a time.       [think of her/remember her]
She should have caught me in my prime,
She would have stayed with me.
Instead of going off to sea,
and leaving me to meditate
upon that simple twist of fate.