1. |
Lefty (original version)
03:19
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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
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2. |
The Ballad Of Me & Jones
03:41
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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
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3. |
Acre By Acre
03:53
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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
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4. |
Maria’s Lament
05:06
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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
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5. |
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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...
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6. |
Happy Little World
04:11
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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
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7. |
Unbridled Reins
05:16
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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
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8. |
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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...
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9. |
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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
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10. |
Red Skies And Red Waters
04:28
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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
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11. |
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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
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12. |
Fighting
04:10
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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
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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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