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A Fingerpainter's Murals

by Chuck Brodsky

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1.
Lefty’s in the minors, got his shoulder packed in ice He’s trying to hang on there against all that good advice Used to throw that sinker but that sinkerball went south And then they started calling him for going to his mouth Lefty holds the record for most strike-outs in a game Once upon a time he really threw a ball of flame Some wish he’d gone gracefully when his time finally came They put Lefty on waivers but nobody laid a claim It’s a Godalmighty shame - he got too old to play the game Where he made himself a name - and they call him Lefty Lefty wore the pinstripes for a good number of years The bleacher bums all loved him - they were tanked up with their beer He used to throw that heater, but the radar does not lie And now when Lefty lays one up there you can kiss that thing goodbye It’s a Godalmighty shame - he got too old to play the game Where he made himself a name - and they call him Lefty Now they’re calling him from Cooperstown - out on the bullpen phone Some little field in Bumfolk where the grass is overgrown It’s the bottom of the 7th and a runner just got on And they’re calling for a lefty...but Lefty’s not the one There’s a capital “L” in Lefty, so say it with respect He’s Senor Lefty down in Mexico & he’s Lefty in Quebec He could smoke you, he could fool you, throw a curve around your neck He could paint one on the corners, he could fill the upper deck It’s a Godalmighty shame - he got too old to play the game Where he made himself a name - and they call him Lefty
2.
Jones & I were classmates back when we were kids He lived around the corner, had the same friends as I did I traded my Marv Throneberry for his Yastrzemski and his Mays Now he can’t believe what those baseball cards are worth these days Jones & I ran neck & neck in almost every race In every high school track meet we took first and second place I’d have to say he’s faster now, but strictly off the cuff Long gone are the days when I was trying to keep up Jones went to the Ivy League & me I went to State We got the same degrees, but they don’t carry the same weight Jones, he climbs the ladder & he’s almost to the top Me, I ride the elevator up & down & up & down & up & down & up... And now I can only guess if I might ever cross Jones’ mind Does he ever stop to wonder, does he ever look behind? Me, I’m looking forward to that place around the bend When we can catch up with each other’s lives like a couple of long-lost friends Jones, he got married early on in life He’s got beautiful children, he’s got a beautiful wife And what more could I ask for than to know that kind of love Well...maybe just one or two things from some of Jones’ stuff Jones has all the gadgets, gets his electronic thrills Remote control on everything in his house up in the hills Me, I’m like that tortoise, carrying my shell I keep on moving, but it’s sometimes hard to tell And now I can only guess if I might ever cross Jones’ mind Does he ever stop to wonder, does he ever look behind? Me, I’m looking forward to that place around the bend When we can catch up with each other’s lives like a couple of long-lost friends At our 25th reunion, if Jones & I should meet Over by the punchbowl with the dips & stuff to eat I wonder how he’d take it, and the look upon his face If I’d write my name & number on the back of Willie Mays
3.
Acre By Acre 03:53
My father’s father was a hard-working man Spent his whole lifetime working his land He plowed with a jack-ass and he built with his hands The balcony where the auctioneer stands Acre by acre, it all disappears 3 generations and 70 years The cows & the chickens, the tractor & the barn Big money buying up all of these farms My own father worked a 12 hour day From sun-up to sundown, the wheat, corn, and hay I worked right beside him & I learned from his ways He taught me to sweat & he taught me to pray Acre by acre, it all disappears 3 generations and 70 years The cows & the chickens, the tractor & the barn Big money buying up all of these farms I knew one day that it all would be mine I’d pass it on down to my own son in time When my Daddy died back in ‘72 I stepped into his boots, I knew just what to do I had me a dream & I took out a loan Interest rates then, they were still pretty low I planted my seeds but before they could grow They came telling me I had to pay what I owe Acre by acre, it all disappears 3 generations and 70 years The cows & the chickens, the tractor & the barn Big money buying up all of these farms
4.
Jesus was drunk when he roughed up Maria He kicked down the door, he was looking for a fight The children fell asleep beside their mother Maria whimpered all through the night Jesus took the car & he took all the money A six pack of Bud, and a change of clothes He left Maria with the kids in the trailer I heard he went back to Mexico This was not the first time that he’d struck her And I hate to say that it’s probably not the last This time she swore she’s never gonna take him back again She said that all too often in the past Maria stayed in the trailer all morning Maria stayed there all afternoon There was a welt on her cheek that Maria was hiding In the shape of a purple crescent moon At work the next day nobody was talking So I made up the words to Maria’s Lament And at dinnertime that night nobody was hungry Everybody just stayed inside their tents This was not the first time that he’d struck her And I hate to say that it’s probably not the last This time she swore she’s never gonna take him back again She said that all too often in the past Maria’s mother lived down in Porterville That’s an orange picking town The apple season was just about over And I myself was California bound I’d bought an old Dodge van with my apple money And I offered them a ride on down the coast I loaned them all the bus fare back to Porterville When in Sacramento I’d take a different road We drove down the coast mostly in silence Maria held the baby and she cried There was little Isabella trying to comfort her Me, I wanted to talk, but my tongue was tied Came a letter with the money from Maria And a photograph of Jesus & the kids Maria, she was there, behind the camera Makes me wonder about the bruises it must’ve hidden This was not the first time that he’d struck her And I hate to say that it’s probably not the last This time she swore she’s never gonna take him back again She said that all too often in the past
5.
Found the key where you said it would be - underneath the welcome mat Opened up that creaky door & was greeted by your chesire cat Tiptoed going up the stairs to the room that you call mine You left a little night light on so I wouldn’t stumble blind I put my stuff down over in the corner - same place that I always do Saw you’d left me a stack of towels - extra blankets like you always do The pillows, they were piled high - you’d already made the bed You left a note where you knew I’d see it but I already knew what it said There’s food in the oven - I only have to heat it up Whatever’s in the fridge - I should help myself and eat it up Coffee in the freezer - filters in the cabinet Anything I find in the cupboard...not to be shy about having it I’m home away from home again...home away from home again You drew a map of the neighborhood - showed me where to catch my train All the way to San Jose & then back to Jamaica Plain You said you’d be gone early in the morning - but you’d be back home by dark You left directions to the post office & to the best cafe & a nice little park So I turned the night light out & I lay down in my very own bed Fell asleep with a smile on my face & sweet dreams in my head I was home away from home again - with a cat purring at my feet Home away from home again - and you sure do make it sweet There’s food in the oven - I only have to heat it up Whatever’s in the fridge - I should help myself and eat it up Coffee in the freezer - filters in the cabinet Anything I find in the cupboard...not to be shy about having it I’m home away from home again...home away from home again Found the key where you said it would be - underneath the welcome mat...
6.
You might catch me sleeping on a soft featherbed Where the moss grows green & heavy - that’s where I lay my head Frogs and things are croaking - the river ‘round me swirls On an island...in my happy little world White knights do ride horses and do battle for the hand Of the fairest maidens in this enchanted land I give ‘em happy endings, the guy always gets the girl Her hero...in his happy little world So and so, she’s gone now - that’s an oft-recurring theme My outlook still is rosy though it’s not like I had dreamed That Lady Luck would brush my face with her long, soft, golden curls And then leave me...in my happy little world Things, they could be better - things, they could be worse I’ve ridden in an ambulance but never in a hearse Tragedy makes front page news in the Daily Morning Herald I’ll take the funnies...back to my happy little world And when I have a penny - I’ll often make a wish Throw it in the river - and out’ll jump a fish Sometimes I’ll just dive right in and I’ll come up with a pearl From the oyster...of my happy little world So let that sourpuss be sour - I don’t give a damn And shoefly, he don’t bother me - I’m as happy as a clam I march behind the majorette, with the baton that she twirls It’s halftime...in my happy little world You can call it an asylum, but who’s to say what’s real Don’t you hate it when somebody tries to tell you what to think & what to feel? I’m spraypainting graffiti & fingerpainting little murals In the schoolyards...of my happy little world So if you catch me sleeping on a featherbed so soft With angels singing over me & my head upon the moss Stand back with your warnings, and the heresies you might hurl About a doomsday...in my happy little world
7.
There lived an old horse trainer - who used to work for the man Who owned about 25 stables - on 25 pieces of land Whose name was Mr. Hardy - the trainer’s name was Gus Hardy’s business was racing - and he owned the 2 of us Gus, he hated racing - it was the horses that he loved Every time Mr. Hardy would come around - he’d pretend like he was being tough He called him Heartless Hardy - cussed him underneath his breath For the breeding of the horses - and the running them to death My father, he was famous - he won the Triple Crown Mama won 5 ribbons - at a horse show back in town I sold for a million - on the day I was born I was going to be a champion - Mr. Hardy was sure Well, they pumped me up one morning - with something the officials would never detect I remember that cold steel needle - spending a lifetime in my neck I never knew that race was fixed - only that I was supposed to win The jockey was tall in his saddle - his breath was stinking of gin He pushed me a little bit too hard - I stumbled & I shattered my leg Mr. Hardy called in a specialist - who said I’d never race again He said my promise, it was broken - Mr. Hardy, sipping on champagne... Ordered me out of my misery - but I was too numb to feel any pain My father, he was famous - he won the Triple Crown Mama won 5 ribbons - at a horse show back in town I sold for a million - on the day I was born I was going to be a champion - Mr. Hardy was sure They led me out to the stables - where that mercy killing would be done I was thinking about what might’ve been - & all that I might’ve won Thinking about being put out to pasture - when my time might’ve finally come And remembering how before I could walk, they were teaching me how to run I saw they were going to shoot me - I don’t know why they would I couldn’t run any more races - so I guess that made me no good Mr. Hardy handed Gus the rifle - Gus, he cried & he stroked my mane That was the last thing I remember - before Gus unbridled my reins My father, he was famous - he won the Triple Crown Mama won 5 ribbons - at a horse show back in town I sold for a million - on the day I was born I was going to be a champion - Mr. Hardy was sure
8.
Every morning I commute Mild mannered man in a business suit I want to get home at the end of my day But there are all these other cars in my way I pull up behind one...pull out my pistol... And I blow ‘em away I’m driving my car & I want to go fast But there’s a slow car...won’t let me pass I flash my lights & I honk my horn I have to consider him warned I pull up behind him...pull out my pistol... And I blow ‘em away Jesse James behind the wheel It’s high noon in my automobile You can call me crazy...you can call me sick Just let me get where I’m going to quick Son-of-a-bitch...he cut me off Three whole lanes he cut across Made me mad...made me swerve Son-of-a-bitch, he got what he deserved I pulled up behind him...pulled out my pistol... I blew him away Motorcycle driving between The backed up traffic...right between the lanes Y’know, to me...that’s an act of war I saw him coming...I opened my door Knocked him over...pulled out my pistol... And I blew him away Jesse James behind the wheel It’s high noon in my automobile You can call me crazy...you can call me sick Just let me get where I’m going to quick Little red sports car...flying past Made me jealous...he went so fast I gave him the finger...I thumbed my nose Took me fifty miles for me to get close enough To pull up behind him...pull out my pistol... And blow ‘em away Little old lady...bless her heart Walking her poodle across the boulevard It was wearing a red knitted sweater and a red knitted hat Its name was Fifi...or something stupid like that I said, “Here Fifi”...pulled out my pistol...
9.
The old house needs a painting after all the winter floods You can see it on the window ledge, there’s still a trace of mud Everybody’s pushing shovels, they’re all digging in the dirt I didn’t come to cause them trouble but I know the truth would hurt No one’s heard from Abraham in over 30 days There’s talk in Mama’s Restaurant that he got swept away But I cannot believe them and I refuse to mourn He’s been looking to get out of here since the day that he was born The windows of the steeple have been covered up with wood ‘Cause there is not too much faith no more in this old neighborhood And I have to keep explaining it to all the folks I knew That I’m only here to see my Pa, I’m only passing through Everybody asks me how I’ve managed where I’ve been All the friends of 2nd cousins and all the next of kin I get a lot of “Good to see ya’s” and the “Won’t you please come in’s” But I can tell from every handshake who’s lying through their skin I stopped by the cemetery, I came to pay my last respects To the one who’d live forever, he died of a broken neck From the weight upon his shoulders, man he finally hung his head So I laid a wreath above him for the honest life he led There’s a lot more of those tombstones than there ever were before People dying so much younger now, there’s not much hope anymore And I can’t tell anybody how I’ve seen a glimpse of death Nobody wants to hear it & I shouldn’t waste my breath The ghost of Mrs. Addison, she was haunting me last night People say that she’s still living, but her face is much too white She used to be my teacher, she retired to collect But it’s been almost a year now since she last received a check People talk of hard times in the government reports In the newspapers & the radio & the television shorts But it’s been that way a long time here & I guess it will go on ...Tomorrow I’ll be gone The old house needs a painting after all the winter floods You can see it on the window ledge, there’s still a trace of mud Everybody’s pushing shovels, they’re all digging in the dirt I didn’t come to cause them trouble but I know the truth would hurt
10.
Red skies and red waters - soon to be black and blue The sun’s going down now - and I’m going down too I’ve been so high - I’ve been so high on you Red skies and red waters - soon to be black and blue Sirens are approaching - turn them all back around If anything here’s on fire - let it burn to the ground I could beg you don’t leave me - I could beg you to leave me alone Sirens are approaching - send them all back home Well I have been in your shoes - they led me here & there Had myself some good times - even grew my hair Those same shoes took me walking - a most comfortable pair Walk on, walk on, walk on if you dare Walk on - shoes like those are rare Well, I must’ve been sleeping - had a sweet little dream When I managed to wake - the ache was unforeseen I can’t tell you what’s right now - nothing would be more wrong Red skies and red waters - what I thought was the dawn
11.
I hope I see you later - ‘cause it’s time for me to go That’s my ride that just pulled over - and it sure was good to know you So go answer your calling - go and fill somebody’s cup And if you see an angel falling - won’t you stop and help them up? We are each other’s angels - we meet when it is time We keep each other going - and we show each other signs Sometimes you’ll stumble - sometimes you’ll just lie down Sometimes you’ll get lonely - with all these people around You might shiver when the wind blows - and you might get blown away You might lose a little color - you might lose a little faith We are each other’s angels - we meet when it is time We keep each other going - and we show each other signs Thank you for the water - thought I was gonna die out here in the desert but you quenched my thirst Let’s break a little bread together - I’ve got a little Manna - it was a gift From someone who was passing by and offered me a lift We are each other’s angels - we meet when it is time We keep each other going - and we show each other signs
12.
Fighting 04:10
I was seeing all these stars - and my jaw had just been jarred I had never been hit so hard - I didn’t know where I was But this ringing in my ears - had all but disappeared I was on my knees but now I’m standing up Standing up...standing up...I was on my knees but now I’m standing up If I fight & still I lose - then no matter how you choose I will stand here in these shoes - and with these kid gloves I will wipe my bloody nose - change back into my clothes And my head would not hang low for having fought for your love For your love...for your love...my head would not hang low for having fought for your love For that love that I have known - to the core & to the bone It was holy...it was holy Now I don’t fight to be king - but to be champion of the ring That you might wear on your finger for always And if I fight & I get beat - though the prize would be so sweet I would go down in defeat but I’d be the winner And if you should fall to me - how much sweeter it would be To have earned the victory - hey, I’m a contender Contender...I’m a contender...so don’t count me out, I’m a contender For that love that I have known - to the core & to the bone It was holy...it was holy Now I don’t fight to be king - but to be champion of the ring That you might wear on your finger for always So it’s a risk I can’t not take - and it’s a choice you can’t not make Could be the big break, the one shot at the title And if all I need to win is to be still standing after ten Then if I go down...I’m gonna go down fighting Fighting...fighting... if I go down...I’m gonna go down fighting For that love that I have known - to the core & to the bone It was holy...it was holy Now I don’t fight to be king - but to be champion of the ring That you might wear on your finger for always

about

Recorded at WERS Studio C, Boston MA
Produced by Brian C. Doser
Engineered by Brian C. Doser and Jeffrey Valade
Additional recording at Seaside Digital Studio, Santa Cruz CA
Engineered by Matthew Schneider
Cover photo by Cynthia Riedel

credits

released May 20, 1995

Chuck Brodsky - vocal, guitar, piano
Martin Simpson - slide guitar
Keith Greeninger - conga, harmony vocals
Kimball Hurd - mandolin
Roger Feuer - guitar
Gina Forsyth - fiddle
Radislav Lorkovic - accordion
Dave Moore - harmonica
Alisa Fineman - harmony vocals
John Thomas - trombone
Annie Steinhardt - bass

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Chuck Brodsky Asheville, North Carolina

See bio at www.chuckbrodsky.com/bio. If you'd like to support me further, you can do so through my paypal address - chuck@chuckbrodsky.com. Thanks.

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