I wanna hold you in the Bible black predawn.....

A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission)

I been Norman Mailered, Maxwell Taylored. I been John O'Hara'd, McNamara'd.
I been Rolling Stoned and Beatled till I'm blind.
I been Ayn Randed, nearly branded Communist, cause I'm left-handed
That's the hand I use, well, never mind.

I been Phil Spectored, resurrected. I been Lou Adlered, Barry Sadlered.
Well, I paid all the dues I want to pay, and I learned the truth from Lenny Bruce
and all of my wealth won't buy me health so I smoke a pint of tea a day.

I knew a man, his brain so small, he couldn't think of nothing at all,
not the same as you and me- he doesn't dig poetry.
He's so unhip that when you say Dylan,
he thinks you're talking about Dylan Thomas, whoever he was.
The man ain't got no culture. But it's all right, ma, everybody must get stoned.

I been Mick Jaggered, silver daggered. Andy Warhol, won't you please come home?
I been mothered, fathered, aunt and uncled, been Roy Haleed and Art Garfunkeled
and I just discovered somebody's tapped my phone.

Folk rock.

I've lost my harmonica, Albert.

Writer In The Sun
The days of wine and roses are distant days for me.
I dream of the last and the next affair and of girls I'll never see.
And here I sit, the retired writer in the sun,
The retired writer in the sun and I'm blue,
The retired writer in the sun.

Tonight I trod in the starlight, I excused myself with a grin.
I ponder the moon in a silver spoon and the little one 'live within.
And here I sit, the retired writer in the sun,
The retired writer in the sun.

The magazine girl poses on my glossy paper aeroplane
Too many years I spent in the City playing with Mr. Loss and Gain.
And here I sit, the retired writer in the sun,
The retired writer in the sun and I'm blue,
The retired writer in the sun.

I bathe in the sun of the morning, lemon circles swim in the tea
Fishing for time with a wishing line and throwing it back in the sea.
And here I sit, the retired writer in the sun,
The retired writer in the sun and I'm blue,
The retired writer in the sun.

Mama mama
Don't spank de baby on de face
Nature provide de propper place
Mama mama don't kick de children in de head
Give dem de knock-out drop instead
Science wrote de book
Open de book
Take a look
Don't wring de children by de necks
Dis give de children de complex

BETWEEN THE LINES
(Janis Ian)

THERE'S NEVER MUCH TO SAY
BETWEEN THE MOMENTS OF OUR GAMES AND REPARTEE
THERE'S NEVER MUCH TO READ
BETWEEN THE LINES OF WHAT WE NEED
AND WHAT WE'LL TAKE
THERE'S NEVER MUCH TO TALK ABOUT OR SAY ALOUD
BUT SAY IT ANYWAY
OF HOLIDAYS AND YESTERDAYS
AND BROKEN DREAMS THAT SOMEHOW SLIPPED AWAY

IN BOOKS AND MAGAZINES OF HOW TO BE
AND WHAT TO SEE WHILE YOU ARE BEING
BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOGRAPHS
TEACH HOW TO PASS FROM REACHING TO BELIEVING
WE LIVE BEYOND OUR MEANS ON OTHER PEOPLES' DREAMS
AND THAT'S SUCCEEDING
BETWEEN THE LINES OF PHOTOGRAPHS, I'VE SEEN THE PAST
IT ISN'T PLEASING

SO STRIKE ANOTHER MATCH
WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER CUP OF WINE
AND DANCE UNTIL THE EVENING'S DEAD
OF TOO MUCH SONG AND TIME
THERE'S NEVER MUCH TO TALK ABOUT
OR READ BETWEEN THE LINES
OF WHAT WE DREAM ABOUT WHEN WE'RE APART
AND NO ONE'S LOOKING ON TO SAY "YOU'RE MINE"

IT WAS A GOOD YEAR THEN. IT WAS A GOOD YEAR THEN
WE ALL REMEMBER
THE TIME YOU THREW THE LOOKING GLASS
AND SEEMED A FOOL, OR VERY CLEVER
DON'T SPOIL IT ALL. I CAN'T RECALL
A TIME WHEN YOU WERE LEFT WITHOUT AN ANSWER
WE'LL LIVE A QUIET PEACEFUL TIME BETWEEN THE LINES
AND GO TOGETHER

AND I'M STRIKING UP THE BAND
TO PLAY OUR LAST HURRAH
WE'LL DANCE UNTIL WE'VE KILLED ANOTHER EVENING OFF
DON'T THINK OF ANYONE BUT ME
I'LL HAVE NO LOVERS ON THE SIDE
TONIGHT IS ALL WE EVER DREAMED ABOUT
FOR ONCE, LET'S GET IT RIGHT
WE'LL GO DOWN FLYING IN THE END
SO THROW ANOTHER BOTTLE IN BETWEEN THE LINES
WE'LL GO DOWN LIKE A SHIP OF STATE
LET'S BE GRACIOUS NOW
BETWEEN THE LINES

Stoney End
I was born from love and my poor mother worked the mines.
I was raised on the good book Jesus till I read between the lines.
Now I don't believe I want to see the morning.
Going down the Stoney End, I never wanted to go down the Stoney End.
Mama, let me start all over. Cradle me, mama, cradle me again.

I can still remember him with love light in his eyes,
but the light flickered out and parted as the sun began to rise,
now I don't believe I want to see the morning.
Going down the Stoney End, I never wanted to go down the Stoney End.
Mama, let me start all over. Cradle me, mama, cradle me again.

Never mind the forecast cause the sky has lost control,
cause the fury and broken thunder's come to match my raging soul,
now I don't believe I want to see the morning.
Going down the Stoney End, I never wanted to go down the Stoney End.
Mama, let me start all over. Cradle me, mama, cradle me.
Going down the Stoney End, I never wanted to go down the Stoney End.
Mama, let me start all over. Cradle me, mama, cradle me again…

Wow edgar!

Great posts.

You struck me dumb, like radium
Like Peter Pan, or Superman
You will come, to save me
--Aimee Mann (Save Me)

27 8x10 color glossy photos with a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what it is
--Arlo Guthrie (Alice's Restaurant)

Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Susanne the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can't remember who to send it to
--James Taylor (Fire and Rain)

And the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
--Simon and Garfunkle (Sounds of Silence)

Fantastic thread, Boom . . .

Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night beside her
And you know that she's half crazy
But that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer
That you've always been her lover
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.
And Jesus was a sailor
When he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching
From his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain
Only drowning men could see him
He said "All men will be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them"
But he himself was broken
Long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human
He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you'll trust him
For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.

Now Suzanne takes your hand
And she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers
From Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbour
And she shows you where to look
Among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.

an oldie and a mouldie, from 37 years ago, our dear Leonard Cohen . . .

Lucinda Williams' Little Angel, Little Brother

Your R B records your music books
Your sense of humor and your rugged good looks
I see you now at the piano
Your back a slow curve
Playing Ray Charles and Fats Domino
While I sang all the words
Little angel little brother
Your bad habits and your attitude
Your restless ways and your solitude
I see you leaning your lanky frame
Just inside the door
A figure behind the kitchen screen
Staring down at the floor
Little angel little brother

SOLO

Little angel little brother
Your passion for Shakespeare and your paperbacks
Your chess pieces and your wisecracks
I see you sleeping in the car
Curled up on the back seat
Parked outside of a bar
An empty bottle at your feet
Little angel little brother
Your R B records your music books
Your sense of humor and your rugged good looks
I see you now at the piano
Your back a slow curve
Playing Ray Charles and Fats Domino
While I sang all the words
Little angel little brother
Little angel little brother of mine

I'm glad you're having fun with it Setanta. I like to test my memory by trying to connect the seemingly unconnected - - although I do confess to agumenting my memory with an occasional web search just to be sure I got the lyrics right.

I used not to do that, and i do have thousands of lyrics floating around in my brain . . . just ask my sweetiepie, i often free associate with what people are saying by singing snatches of song.

Then a lady at another site (Babypie at P45) pointed out that if you don't go get the lyrics, it might not make sense to those who don't know the song. So now, before i post, i go get the lyrics. I like the idea behind the thread.

I too have some weird lyric databank in my head so most of them make sense to me - even when they're just snippets. I do the same free association thing - often to the point where I'll distract myself from what the person is saying!

I can't belive I haven't posted this one because I really love this song:

I know theres a word for this
I know 'cause its in the dictionary
And when I find what it is
I'll write it down in case it comes up again
I'll be certain to avoid it
--Aimee Mann (I Know There's a Word For This)

And more Aimee:

Well, I guess that this is now the end
Who'd have thought
My old friend
We signed the papers and we capped the pen
--Aimee Mann (Way Back When)

Round and round and round we spin,
To weave a wall to hem us in,
It won't be long, it won't be long
How slow and slow and slow it goes,
To mend the tear that always shows.
It won't be long, it won't be long.

It's hard enough losin'
the paper illusion
you've hidden inside,
Without the confusion
of findin' you're usin'
the crutch of the lie
To shelter your pride when you cry.

Round and round and round we spin,
To weave a wall to hem us in,
It won't be long, it won't be long
How slow and slow and slow it goes,
To mend the tear that always shows.
It won't be long, it won't be long.

Now you're movin' too slow
and wherever you go
there's another beside.
It's so hard to say no
to yourself and it shows
that you're losing inside,
When you step on your pride and you cry.

Round and round and round we spin,
To weave a wall to hem us in,
It won't be long, it won't be long
How slow and slow and slow it goes,
To mend the tear that always shows.
It won't be long, it won't be long.

How the hours will bend
through the time that you spend
till you turn to your eyes,
And you see your best friend
looking over the end
and you turn to see why,
And he looks in your eyes and he cries.

Round and round and round we spin,
To weave a wall to hem us in,
It won't be long, it won't be long
How slow and slow and slow it goes,
To mend the tear that always shows.
It won't be long, it won't be long.


Neil Young

Its strange that you would bring up Neil Young. I've had "Cowgirl In The Sand" stuck in my head all day.

Ol' Neil was pretty damned prolific . . .

See love struck Romeo hit the street on a serenade
And he's laying everybody low with a love song that he made
He finds a streetlight steps out of the shade
Says something like "you and me baby how about it?"
Juliet's gonna say "hey it's Romeo you nearly gimme a heart attack"
He's underneath my window she's singing "hey la my boyfriend's back"
You shouldn't come around here singing up to people like that
Well anyway what you gonna do about it?
Juliet, when we made love you used to cry
You said you love me like the stars above you'd love me till you died
Well there's a place for us and you know the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong?
We both came up on different streets they both were streets of shame
Both dirty both mean and the dream was just the same
And I dreamed your dream for you and now your dream is real
How can you look at me as if I was just another one of your deals?
Oh no you can fall for chains of silver you can fall for chains of gold
You can fall for pretty strangers and the promises they hold
You promised me everything you know you promised me thick and thin
Now you say "oh Romeo yeah I used to have a scene with him"
Oh Juliet when we made love you used to cry
used to swear like the stars above well you'd love me till the day that we died
Well there's a place for us you know the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong?
I can't do the talk like they talk on TV
And I can't do a love song like the way it's meant to be
I can't do everything but I'd do anything for you
Juliet all I can do is be in love with you
And all I do is miss you and the way we used to be All I do is keep the beat in this rock n roll company
All I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme
Juliet I'd do the stars with you any time
Oh Juliet when we made love you used to cry
Used to swear like the stars above well you'd love me till the day that we died
There's a place for us you know the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong?
See a love struck Romeo hit the street on a serenade
Laying everybody low with a love song that he made
Finds a streetlight steps out of the shade
Says something like "you and me baby how about it?
You and me baby, now how about it?
You and me baby, now how about it?"
well Juliet the dice were loaded from the start
and I bet and you exploded through my heart
well there's a place for us you know the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong?
Yeah now Juliet the time was wrong
Oh I know the time was wrong yeah
the time was wrong
Yeah, and I know the time was wrong yeah

Just like a paper tiger
Torn apart by idle hands
Through the helter-skelter morning
Fix yourself while you still can
No more ashes to ashes
No more cinders from the sky
All the laws of creation
Tell a dead man how to die

O deserts down below us
And storms up above
Like a stray dog gone defective
Like a paper tiger in the sun

Looking through a broken diamond
To make the past what it should be
Through the ruins and the weather
Capsized boats in the sea

O deserts down below us
And storms up above
Like a stray dog gone defective
Like a paper tiger in the sun

We're just holding onto nothing
To see how long nothing lasts

O deserts down below us
And storms up above
Like a stray dog gone defective
Like a paper tiger in the sun

There's one road to the morning
There's one road to the truth
There's one road back to civilization
But there's no road back to you

Boomer-It's gratifying to see the glee this thread has brought out in Set. And here I thought he had his head stuck only in history books. You contimue to amaze, boss.