1. |
Under The Island Sun
05:56
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Under The Island Sun
The tea pot's talking it's a shrill dispatch
bad weather and a train you don't want to catch
the kid's crying school's open and the train's on time
eat your breakfast baby school's open and the train's on time
Chorus:
Under the island sun
there we can all relax
the laundry is always done
we're never out of Apple Jacks
dance by the ocean
fill your basket with the coconut and the lime
Under the island sun
we never punch a clock
lot's of money and fun
you need some help
you just shout it down the block
eat your breakfast baby school's open and the train's on time
You drop her off on icy steps you go downtown
and wrestle with sales reps
for five minutes there your morning reverie was so sublime
eat your breakfast baby school's open and the train's on time
Chorus
So much to think about so many places to be
the crush and clamor for peace and serendipity
I see my child growing up I see the time we need
I see the sun on a billboard from a train going full speed
The snow is falling on paper palm trees
we can't go skating until the ponds freeze
don't cry baby school's open and the train's on time
don't cry baby school's open and the train's on time
Under the island sun
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2. |
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Sunday Needs A Blues Band
Sunday needs a blues band in a bar by the ocean
a tortoise shell plectrum made of setting sun
strumming the western guitar sky
plenty of drum circles T-shirt stands and folk music
a crowd that dances and passers by
Sunday needs a blues band
The south wind's up and almost as warm
as the tubes in old Fender amps
or the beer or the way she turns when her heel gets stuck
where the pavement's cracked at the barroom door
dogs and fortune tellers her laughter past garbage cans
and bullet holes and blunderings and jive on the Boardwalk
Spokes spinning herb Jah babies of purpose strong
turning back to see an arrest or a beer ad on a building wall
and all that bravado against diffidence
to stand between what is me
and what I assume is you
Sunday needs a blues band
I washed up on the shore in a bamboo canoe a war canoe
a tattered sail a soggy hull I was jamming with the day moon
pitched by a last mad wave flung across the sand
to the bike rack and the bistro and you sitting there
on the hood of your old gray car
something about you reminds me of her
or vice versa either way there's too much going on here
Sunday needs a blues band
She said she’d meet me at the water’s edge
so why am I here with you
and you made outlandish by the large fuzzy dice
twiddling in your windshield
I convince myself they turn in one direction
when you turn in the other
see I need romance too or at least physics on my side
what do you need
Sunday needs a blues band
I gather my provisions and belongings
a moldy peach my middle emotions an acoustic guitar
startle flirts with rebuff in your unwavering brown eyes
you hop a cloud of cigarette smoke
and drift across the sandy parking lot
Sunday needs a blues band plenty toe rings buffalo wings
German girls vagabonds buzzing tattoo machines
a love child a wine cooler a Ghost Town G
a tour group from Tokyo
a crowd that dances and passersby
Sunday needs a blues band
Knots in an oak table surrounded by perfect wood
sealed in lacquer it's my greatest fear
that I might take out my pen knife
and fashion your initials in the tabletop
or that C and D will eternally answer G
... be good
Well I veered off toward the water as the girl walked in the bistro
heard the euphonic wind passing through an abandoned harmonica
poised on the window sill in the bar by the ocean
and I am trailed by bead salesmen and the blunt chord issuing
Sunday needs a blues band
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3. |
The Coconut Monk
03:59
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The Coconut Monk
The Coconut Monk was a little rat boy on the streets of Saigon
hustling the American invaders hustling the Viet Cong
he could walk you down the path to whiskey
women guns and opium
The Coconut Monk was a little rat boy on the streets of Saigon
The Coconut Monk rode a napalm bouquet
up into the hidden hills
he tried to get back to his enterprise but the gods made him face
his evils and his ills he
forgot about the U.S. shipment of comic books and Dr. Fog's pills
The Coconut Monk rode a napalm bouquet
up into the hidden hills
The Coconut Monk spent the years in silence and in prayer
the valley of explosions shook and trembled in the burning air
he made a bamboo spear into a flute
then he knew that he must go back there
The Coconut Monk spent the years in silence and in prayer
The Coconut Monk went to an island
it was on a peaceful river
until the soldiers dug in
at night the arcs of RPG's and tracers
burned up the sky
but no one fired upon
the Coconut Monk's island
From the regiments and the villages
the people came
refugees and children crossed the river
soldiers dropped their rifles in the sand
The Coconut Monk saw the bombs fall on the beach
and the burning black sun
saw the blood on the water
machine gun fire cut the lotus vine
then the soldiers heard the old man say
You have come in peace
you have come in peace
you have come in peace
I pray
The Coconut Monk was a little rat boy on the streets
The Coconut Monk rode a napalm bouquet up
The Coconut Monk spent the years in silence
The Coconut Monk closed his eyes and watched the gunboats
closed his eyes and watched the gunboats
closed his eyes and watched the gunboats
drift away
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4. |
Oh Jamaica
03:36
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Oh Jamaica
Was Jamaica dealing or was it political
the judge say girl how do you plead
"Sir, suddenly the schoolyard
was a storm of soldiers but I was just
teaching the children how to read"
Chorus:
Oh Jamaica when the fierce wind blows
it'll carry you a thousand miles away
before the jailer even knows
Cash in a brief case crimes and rumors
Papa knows someone in the government
she was helping the helpless Officer
that's all I know to be true
a simple life a wall of books
unsuspected on the Boardwalk now
a plant in a corner of a small apartment
maybe two
Chorus
How did you get away from the authorities
they gave you 25 years you were out in a few short weeks
and they flew you to California with the diplomats
and the governor and the generals they all tipped their hats
Let's rejoice in the freedom made
from the hurricanes of Autumn
the judge he threw away the keys
and you reached right up and caught 'em
Oh Jamaica Oh Jamaica
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5. |
Museum
04:14
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Museum
On her walls the ancient works of the great painters
torn from the pages of old magazines
they made the trip with her all the way from Birmingham
with a box of books and a can of beans
Chorus:
Eight bucks 'til pay day cooped up in this novel
with a weekend to kill and no one to call
she steers her rattle trap to the County Museum
it's the Sistine Chapel it's the Taj Mahal
Lunch money and gasoline and unexpected Mozart
the student quartet played for her beneath the tender sun
she was supremely joyful she threw a buck in the cello case
then could not pay the museum cashier
the strict price of admission
Chorus
Pondering love and purpose in the pages of her Emerson
she found a 20 dollar bill book mark and had a drink with a friend
what you been up to he said have you been okay
she said ...
I ... went to the museum today
On her walls the ancient works of the great painters
torn from the pages of old magazines
they made the trip with her all the way from Birmingham ...
... went to the museum today
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6. |
Sunday
04:40
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Sunday
It's Sunday morning in a sleepy world
we rub our eyes and take a look
and lying in bed I'm reading you poetry
from an overdue library book
Our blanket's under the apple tree
that's where we made love last night
'til Santa Ana winds came out of nowhere
and we raced upstairs and held each other tight
Chorus:
What should we do today
oh just look at you what should we do
Should we wake up work out phone the folks
go to Santa Barbara for the day
read the paper get the groceries
take a ride along the Coast Highway
We are dancing slow to the orchestra
of lawn mowers and football games
our trail of apple blossoms leads
to things to do and sundry aims
Chorus
The wind's still knocking apples down
we'd be crazy to go anywhere
we can stay inside while the world goes by
we can pull apple tree twigs from your hair
What should we do today?
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7. |
Fairy Tale
06:19
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Fairy Tale
Once upon a time you walked by the ocean
you made me crazy how I wanted to meet you
the closer we get the worse I treat you
Chorus:
Oh what's love supposed to be
such expectations scorned by reality
Oh on some days we succeed
on some we fail
but stay with me always
our love's the closest thing
to a fairy tale
It's no lie when we bebop and whisper
shut down clam up simmer or shout
letting you in shutting you out
Chorus
Big deal a little misunderstanding
with my best friend
we won't scare love away
with the silly things we say
now and then
So this is love we laugh cry and apologize
slam the bedroom door but we don't want to fight
argue all morning make love all night
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8. |
From Those Who Sail Away
05:48
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From Those Who Sail Away
Blew a kiss into the wind off my port bow tonight
and I rolled out my chart for Frenchman's Bay
the kiss should have reached you by now and I by morning light
you don't hear much from those who sail away
I did not miss this harbor town no I came back for you
I'm walking in the morning light to the Southern Cross cafe
yeah you're there baking bread alone
I put my arms around you and say I'm home
you don't hear much from those who sail away
Chorus:
Then the day is done in this old harbor town
the shopkeep and the shipwright
and the fishermen they're driving home
the old men still run their tugboats south
towing the granite barges building New York City
talking about the wives they've left
and the island girls they've known
and the day is done yeah the day is done
This boat's been beaten by the Cape's cold seas
and caressed by the wind of the West Indies
but I'll be selling sailboat rides today
and tell these tourists when we're through
about the best food in town and send them to you
you don't hear much from those who sail away
Fat Jack called from the Pirate's Pier
I told him I was freezing my ass off here
he said Joe needs a captain
but what more could I say
you don't hear much from those who sail away
Chorus
So darling keep that fire hot
there's ice in the rigging and snow on the dock
I guess I just missed hearing you say
you don't hear much from those who sail away
Blew a kiss into the wind off my port bow tonight
and I rolled out my chart for Frenchman's Bay
the kiss should have reached you by now
and I by morning light
you don't hear much from those who sail away
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9. |
She Has A Way
03:37
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She Has A Way
She has a way of looking out for you
she has a way of loving when you fall
she has a way of seeing it all
Chorus:
Now you've got trips and cool machines
and a righteous plan in disarray
when you're stuck on another day
she has a way
She has a way of laughing about it
she has a way of patience and commotion
she has a way of showing you her emotion
Chorus
She's forgiving when you need forgiving
soulful when you need soul
when the hard times come
when the good times roll
She has a way of looking out for you
she has a way of laughing about it
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10. |
That New Machine
04:05
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That New Machine
It's an old fashioned working day
a smooth operation and some hell to pay
a laugh a load a break a shouting match a quick handshake
a call across town girl we've got to get away
Chorus:
Put that company down the paperwork put the calls on hold
turn your back on that new machine
the castle you want to buy the idea you haven't sold
the picture of paradise in an old magazine
Ocean exits on a highway sign
a beach nobody knows about out on the county line
a long lunch that's all we get baby it's not over yet
dancing in the sun kicking sand in the bread and wine
Chorus
Let's not race the world back to town
we can watch the sun go down
It's an old fashioned working day
a smooth operation and some hell to pay
but when it's all work and no play
that new machine don't work that way
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11. |
My Ancient Place
03:21
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My Ancient Place
The typhoon came and went
and took with it fat Buddha's temple
he remained seated up on that hill
This is my ancient place this is where I belong
You were sitting on a stone in the jungle
still loving and leaving a boy back home
oh did you run to the end of the earth
only to find the trail of you post cards
This is my ancient place this is where I belong
He took to pleading baby come back to me quick
and a hundred times you were halfway home
your two week vacation became a three year trip
until you find your ancient place
remember when you're all alone ...
The typhoon came and went
and took with it fat Buddha's temple
he remained seated up on that hill
This is my ancient place this is where I belong
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12. |
Last Summer
05:11
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Last Summer
Let's meet in a town by the ocean
where the winter sun greets the frozen shore
vacant motels and boarded up windows
last summer I wanted you more
Last summer the dance halls were crowded
an old man on a catwalk bought a soda for the Mrs.
our friends couldn't see what we did in the darkness
but we knew and in the unwanted morning ...
I missed kissing you ...
after those kisses
Bonfires and Canadian students
beers and sunburns and postcards to send
nothing then black boats then you in the moonlight
summer's over but we can't let it end
Last summer the dance halls were crowded
an old man on a catwalk bought a soda for the Mrs.
our friends couldn't see what we did in the darkness
but we knew and in the unwanted morning
I missed kissing you ...
after those kisses
We both know what it was supposed to be
slap happy an untoward goodbye
standing there so awkwardly ...
awkwardly
So let's meet in a town by the ocean
where the winter sun greets the frozen shore
vacant motels and boarded up windows
snow on the sand
what are we waiting for
Last summer ... after those kisses
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13. |
Paris
04:24
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Paris
Paris sings into the tape machine
parties all night with the gang
vows to strangle the next producer who gives the job away
yet tells her how beautifully she sang
Chorus:
Paris I've seen your finest hours go unnoticed
I've seen you on your darkest day
when it doesn't even help to sing
Paris I've seen your finest hours go unnoticed
by all but your old friends
baby we will always be listening
Paris' friends say listen to your heart girl
she could have toured with a rock and roll star
she'd rather sing with the cats in Ladera
it's a great band
there are sixteen people eating dinner at the jazz bar
Chorus
Breakfast at 3 AM in a diner filled with zombies and musicians
the waitress says she's heard you sing
she says you sing really good
and all of our friends hung out and we laughed until dawn
we watched the sun come up over Hollywood
Paris these are the finest hours
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14. |
Little Wild Indians
03:36
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Little Wild Indians
There are two little boys fighting
in the aisles of Larsen's Supermarket
socking over taco shells and slamming up the cart
And their mom says, "Boys knock it off,
or we won't get your super pops.
quit slugging your little brother you're hurting him
and you're breaking my heart"
Their little old lady neighbor smiles and says, "Hello ...
crazy weather for September ..."
and "... there's a sale on cookie dough..."
"What have we got here?" she says ...
"Little wild Indians!"
The old lady says, "Lately I've been so depressed,
I have a young grandson fighting in the war"
And the boys climb up into her cart and they play
paratrooper down to the supermarket floor
She says, "I don't understand why the killing goes on,
we taught them to love ... where has the love gone?"
"What have we got here?" she says ...
"Little wild Indians!"
Chocolate bombs are falling at the checkout stand
Mamma says, "Boys put those candy bars back!"
and the boys say, "Mamma give us some quarters!"
and they argue about what to play
There's the street fighting video game
and there's aerial attack
Add an avalanche of oranges rolling toward the parking lot
and a small ice cream fire to the specials this week
The six year old says, "Look mamma we're playing nice."
And he grabs the little one by the neck
and slams a wet kiss on his cheek
The old lady says, "Oh they're so young I hope you never know
hoping they come home soon and wishing they never had to go."
"What have we got here?" she says ...
"Little wild Indians!"
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15. |
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The Way You Think About Things
Trouble with the money trouble with the brew
trouble with the citizen sitting next to you
trouble with your auto trouble with your boss
trouble with the friends you've made
trouble with the time you've lost
The way you think about things
it's all that holds you down
you've got to walk these streets
like you own this town
No one sees your progress no one sees your pain
no one sees you pull into the right hand lane
got to pay those bills got to push that broom
got to learn to work the parking meter baby
before you learn to work the room
The way you think about things
it's all that holds you down
you've got to walk these streets
like you own this town
Walk these streets like you own this town
Your neighbor hit the big time
you got her apartment and you hit the skids
the world's in the way you're quick to say
oh me oh my they got me again
so you lie around the beach
commiserating with the dead end kids
it's hardly the way of the wiseacres and the warriors
we thought you were on to them
The Captains Of Industry are very busy men
they don't need you until you don't need them
you're either crying in the shower or you're laughing in the sun
there is no negotiation no the deal is done
The way you think about things ... think about things
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16. |
It's Been A Long Day
04:08
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It's Been A Long Day ... The day is done, the peach is gone, the city lights are coming on. And all around the world a golden sky. Some of us have got shrimp to boil and some will burn the midnight oil . Some of us just sit and say, "My oh my." That's that we made our way. It's been a long day. In Hong Kong there's a traffic jam, a cloud of smoke over Amsterdam. There are factories and conflicts and the day ain't over yet. The greatest minds are dining out. Tango dancers twist and shout. Someone helped someone hurt. Someone gave what they could give. Someone took what they could get. That's that we made our way. It's been a long day. In the lamplight of a combine, in the candle of a monk, in the laser and the bonfire and the shiny eyes of the town drunk, a confidence accrues to the dawn not far away, in the last light of the long day. It's been a long day. The day is done, the peach is gone, the city lights are coming on. And all around the world a golden sky. And we all did some quiet good, went peacefully through the neighborhood. Or so it seemed to me as I went walking ... Bye bye! It's been a long day ...
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David Harris Los Angeles, California
Singer Songwriter David Harris ... "Tada!"
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