Disc 1 | ||||||
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1. |
| 3:01 | ||||
Come to the dinner gong
The table is laden high Fat bellies and hungry little ones Tuck your napkins in And take your share Some get the gravy And some get the gristle Some get the marrow bone And some get nothing Though there's plenty to spare I took my share down by the sea Paper plates and Javex bottles on the tide Seagulls come down And they squawk at me Down where the water-skiers glide Some turn to Jesus And some turn to heroin Some turn to rambling round Looking for a clean sky And a drinking stream Some watch the paint peel off Some watch their kids grow up Some watch their stocks and bonds Waiting for that big deal American Dream I took my dream down by the sea Yankee yachts and lobster pots and sunshine And logs and sails And Shell Oil pails Dogs and tugs and summertime Back in the banquet line Angry young people crying Who let the greedy in And who left the needy out Who made this salty soup Tell him we're very hungry now For a sweeter fare In the cookie I read "Some get the gravy And some get the gristle Some get the marrow bone And some get nothing Though there's plenty to spare" |
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2. |
| 4:17 | ||||
Cold Blue Steel out of money
One eye for the beat police Sweet Fire calling "You can't deny me Now you know what you need" Underneath the jungle gym Hollow-grey-fire-escape-thief Looking for Sweet Fire Shadow of Lady Release "Come with me I know the way" she says "It's down, down, down the dark ladder Do you want to contact somebody first? Leave someone a letter? You can come now Or you can come later" A wristwatch, a ring, a downstairs screamer Edgy - black cracks of the sky "Pin-cushion-prick- Fix this poor bad dreamer!" "Money" cold shadows reply Pawnshops crisscrossed and padlocked Corridors spit on prayers and pleas Sparks fly up from Sweet Fire Black soot of Lady Release "Come with me I know the way" she says "It's down, down, down the dark ladder Do you want to contact somebody first? Does it really matter You can come now Or you can come later?" Red water in the bathroom sink Fever and the scum brown bowl Blue Steel still begging But it's indistinct Someone's HI-Fi drumming Jelly Roll Concrete concentration camp Bashing in veins for peace Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire Fall into Lady Release "Come with me I know the way" she says "It's down, down, down the dark ladder Do you want to contact somebody first? I mean what does it really matter? You're going to come now Or you're going to come later" |
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3. |
| 2:52 | ||||
Three waitresses all wearing
Black diamond earrings Talking about zombies And Singapore slings No trouble in their faces Not one anxious voice None of the crazy you get From too much choice The thumb and the satchel Or the rented Rolls-Royce And you think she knows something By the second refill You think she's enlightened As she totals your bill You say "Show me the way To Barangrill" Well some say it's in service They say "Humble Makes Pure" You're hoping it's near Folly 'Cause you're headed that way for sure And you just have to laugh 'Cause it's all so crazy Ah, her mind's on her boyfriend And eggs over easy It's just a trick on you Her mirrors and your will So you ask the truck driver On the way to the till But he's just a slave To Barangrill The guy at the gaspumps He's got a lot of soul He sings Merry Christmas for you Just like Nat King Cole And he makes up his own tune Right on the spot About whitewalls and windshields And this job he's got And you want to get moving And you want to stay still But lost in the moment Some longing gets filled And you even forget to ask "Hey, Where's Barangrill?" |
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4. |
| 3:11 | ||||
Lesson in Survival
Spinning out on turns That gets you tough Guru books-the Bible Only a reminder That you're just not good enough You need to believe in something Once I could in our love Black road Double yellow line Friends and kin Campers in the kitchen That's fine sometimes But I know my needs My sweet tumbleweed I need more quiet times By a river flowing You and me Deep kisses And the sun going down Maybe it's paranoia Maybe it's sensitivity Your friends protect you Scrutinize me I get so damn timid Not at all the spirit That's inside of me Oh baby I can't seem to make it With you socially There's this reef around me I'm looking way out at the ocean Love to see that green water in motion I'm going to get a boat And we can row it If you ever get the notion To be needed by me Fresh salmon frying And the tide rolling in I went to see a friend tonight 'Was very late when I walked in My talking as it rambled Revealed suspicious reasoning The visit seemed to darken him I came in as bright As a neon light And I burned out Right there before him I told him these things I'm telling you now Watched them buckle up In his brow When you dig down deep You lose good sleep And it makes you Heavy company I will always love you Hands alike Magnet and iron The souls |
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5. |
| 3:57 | ||||
Papa's faith is people
Mama she believes in cleaning Papa's faith is in people Mama she's always cleaning Papa brought home the sugar Mama taught me the deeper meaning She don't like my kick pleat skirt She don't like my eyelids painted green She don't like me staying up late In my high-heeled shoes Living for that Rock'n'Roll dancing scene Papa says "Leave the girl alone, Mother She's looking like a Movie Queen" Mama thinks she spoilt me Papa knows somehow he set me free Mama thinks she spoilt me rotten She blames herself But papa he blesses me It's a rough road to travel Mama let go now It's always called for me Sometimes I get that feeling And I want to settle And raise a child up with somebody I get that strong longing And I want to settle And raise a child up with somebody But it passes like the summer I'm a wild seed again Let the wind carry me |
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6. |
| 3:43 | ||||
I heard it in the wind last night
It sounded like applause Did you get a round resounding for you Way up here It seems like many dim years ago Since I heard that face to face Or seen you face to face Though tonight I can feel you here I get these notes On butterflies and lilac sprays From girls who just have to tell me They saw you somewhere In some office sits a poet And he trembles as he sings And he asks some guy To circulate his soul around On your mark red ribbon runner The caressing rev of motors Finely tuned like fancy women In thirties evening gowns Up the charts Off to the airport- Your name's in the news Everything's first class- The lights go down- And it's just you up there Getting them to feel like that Remember the days when you used to sit And make up your tunes for love And pour your simple sorrow To the soundhole and your knee And now you're seen On giant screens And at parties for the press And for people who have slices of you From the company They toss around your latest golden egg Speculation-well, who's to know If the next one in the nest Will glitter for them so I guess I seem ungrateful With my teeth sunk in the hand That brings me things I really can't give up just yet Now I sit up here The critic! And they introduce some band But they seem so much confetti Looking at them on my TV set Oh the power and the glory Just when you're getting a taste for worship They start bringing out the hammers And the boards And the nails I heard it in the wind last night It sounded like applause Chilly now End of summer No more shiny hot nights It was just the arbutus rustling And the bumping of the logs And the moon swept down black water Like an empty spotlight |
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7. |
| 2:57 | ||||
Where are you now
Are you in some hotel room Does it have a view? Are you caught in a crowd Or holding some honey Who came on to you? Why do you have to be so jive O.k. hang up the phone It hurts But something survives Though it's undermined I'd still like to see you sometime I'm feeling so good And my friends all tell me That I'm looking fine I run in the woods I spring from the boulders Like a mama lion I'm not ready to Change my name again But you know I'm not after A piece of your fortune And your fame 'cause I tasted mine I'd just like to see you sometime Pack your suspenders I'll come meet your plane No need to surrender I just want to see you again We're in for more rain I could sure use some sunshine on my apple trees It seems such a shame We start out so kind and end so heartlessly I couldn't take them all on then With a headful of questions and hypes So when the hopes got so slim I just resigned But I'd still like to see you sometime I'd sure like to see you |
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8. |
| 3:02 | ||||
The Minus is loveless
He talks to the land And the leaves fall And the pond over-ices She don't know the system, Plus She don't understand She's got all the wrong fuses and splices She's not going to fix it up Too easy The masking tape tangles It's sticky and black And the copper Proud headed Queen Lizzie Conducts little charges That don't get charged back Well the technical manual's busy She's not going to fix it up too easy And she holds out her flashlight And she shines it on me She wants me to tell her What the trouble might be Well I'm learning It's peaceful With a good dog and some trees Out of touch with the breakdown Of this century They're not going to fix it up Too easy We once loved-together And we floodlit that time Input-output-electricity But the lines overloaded And the sparks started flying And the loose wires Were lashing out at me She's not going to fix that up Too easy But she holds out her candle And she shines it in And she begs him to show her How to fix it again While the song that he sang her To soothe her to sleep Runs all through her circuits Like a heartbeat She's not going to fix it up Too easy |
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9. |
| 2:39 | ||||
If you're driving into town
With a dark cloud above you Dial in the number Who's bound to love you Oh honey you turn me on I'm a radio I'm a country station I'm a little bit corny I'm a wildwood flower Waving for you Broadcasting tower Waving for you And I'm sending you out This signal here I hope you can pick it up Loud and clear I know you don't like weak women You get bored so quick And you don't like strong women 'Cause they're hip to your tricks It's been dirty for dirty Down the line But you know I come when you whistle When you're loving and kind But if you've got too many doubts If there's no good reception for me Then tune me out, 'cause honey Who needs the static It hurts the head And you wind up cracking And the day goes dismal From "Breakfast Barney" To the sign-off prayer What a sorry face you get to wear I'm going to tell you again now If you're still listening there If you're driving into town With a dark cloud above you Dial in the number Who's bound to love you If you're lying on the beach With the transistor going Kick off the sandflies honey The love's still flowing If your head says forget it But your heart's still smoking Call me at the station The lines are ope |
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10. |
| 2:42 | ||||
The blonde in the bleachers
She flips her hair for you Above the loudspeakers You start to fall She follows you home But you miss living alone You can still hear sweet mysteries Calling you The bands and the roadies Lovin' 'em and leavin' 'em It's pleasure to try 'em It's trouble to keep 'em 'Cause it seems like you've gotta give up Such a piece of your soul When you give up the chase Feeling it hot and cold You're in Rock'n'Roll It's the nature of the race It's the unknown child So sweet and wild It's youth It's too good to waste She tapes her regrets To the microphone stand She says "You can't hold the hand Of a Rock'n'Roll man Very long Or count on your plans With a Rock'n'Roll man Very long Compete with the fans For your Rock'n'Roll man For very long The girls and the bands And the Rock'n'Roll man" |
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11. |
| 2:39 | ||||
I am a woman of heart and mind
With time on her hands No child to raise You come to me like a little boy And I give you my scorn and my praise You think I'm like your mother Or another lover or your sister Or the queen of your dreams Or just another silly girl When love makes a fool of me After the rush when you come back down You're always disappointed Nothing seems to keep you high Drive your bargains Push your papers Win your medals Fuck your strangers Don't it leave you on the empty side I'm looking for affection and respect A little passion And you want stimulation-nothing more That's what I think But you know I'll try to be there for you When your spirits start to sink All this talk about holiness now It must be the start of the latest style Is it all books and words Or do you really feel it? Do you really laugh? Do you really care? Do you really smile When you smile? You criticize and you flatter You imitate the best And the rest you memorize You know the times you impress me most Are the times when you don't try When you don't even try |
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12. |
| 5:19 | ||||
No tongue in the bell
And the fishwives yell But they might as well be mute So you get to keep the pictures That don't seem like much Cold white keys under your fingers Now you're thinking "That's no substitute It just don't do it Like the song of a warm warm body Loving your touch" In the court they carve your legend With an apple in its jaw And the women that you wanted They get their laughs Long silk stockings On the bedposts of refinement You're too raw They think you're too raw It's the judgement of the moon and stars Your solitary path Draw yourself a bath Think what you'd like to have For supper Or take a walk A park A bridge A tree A river Revoked but not yet cancelled The gift goes on In silence In a bell jar Still a song You've got to shake your fists at lightning now You've got to roar like forest fire You've got to spread your light like blazes All across the sky They're going to aim the hoses on you Show 'em you won't expire Not till you burn up every passion Not even when you die Come on now You've got to try If you're feeling contempt Well then you tell it If you're tired of the silent night Jesus well then you yell it Condemned to wires and hammers Strike every chord that you feel That broken trees And elephant ivories conceal |