It's a little bit funny this feeling inside I'm not one of those who can easily hide I don't have much money but boy if I did I'd buy a big house where we both could live If I was a sculptor, but then again, no Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show I know it's not much but it's the best I can do My gift is my song and this one's for you And you can tell everybody this is your song It may be quite simple but now that it's done I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words How wonderful life is while you're in the world I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song It's for people like you that keep it turned on So excuse me forgetting but these things I do You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue Anyway the thing is what I really mean Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen
I remember when rock was young me and Susie had so much fun holding hands and skimming stones, had an old gold Chevy and a place of my own. But the biggest kick I ever got was doin' a thing called Crocodile Rock, while the other kids were rocking round the clock we were hopping and bopping to the Crocodile Rock. Well, Crocodile Rockin' is something shocking when your feet just can't keep still. I never knew me a better time and I guess I never will. Oh, Lawdy Mama, those Friday nights when Susie wore her dresses tight and the Crocodile Rocking was-a out of sight. But the years went by and the rock just died, Susie went and left us for some foreign guy. Long nights crying by the record machine, dreaming of my Chevy and my old blue jeans. But they'll never kill the dreams we've got, burning up to the Crocodile Rock, learning fast as the weeks went past. We really thought that Crocodile Rock would last. Well, Crocodile Rockin' is something shocking when your feet just can't keep still. I never knew me a better time and I guess I never will. Oh, Lawdy Mama, those Friday nights when Susie wore her dresses tight and the Crocodile Rocking was-a out of sight. I remember when rock was young me and Susie had so much fun holding hands and skimming stones, had an old gold Chevy and a place of my own. But the biggest kick I ever got was doin' a thing called Crocodile Rock, while the other kids were rocking round the clock we were hopping and bopping to the Crocodile Rock. Well, Crocodile Rockin' is something shocking when your feet just can't keep still. I never knew me a better time and I guess I never will. Oh, Lawdy Mama, those Friday nights when Susie wore her dresses tight and the Crocodile Rocking was-a out of sight.
You tell me there's an angel in your tree Did he say he'd come to call on me For things are getting desperate in our home Living in the parish of the restless folks I know Everybody now bring your family down to the riverside Look to the east to see where the fat stock hide Behind four walls of stone the rich man sleeps It's time we put the flame torch to their keep Burn down the mission If we're gonna stay alive Watch the black smoke fly to heaven See the red flame light the sky Burn down the mission Burn it down to stay alive It's our only chance of living Take all you need to live inside Deep in the woods the squirrels are out today My wife cried when they came to take me away But what more could I do just to keep her warm Than burn burn burn burn down the mission walls
I used to be a rolling stone You know if the cause was right I'd leave to find the answer on the road I used to be a heart beating for someone But the times have changed The less I say the more my work gets done 'Cause I live and breathe this Philadelphia freedom From the day that I was born I've waved the flag Philadelphia freedom took me knee-high to a man Yeah gave me peace of mind my daddy never had Oh Philadelphia freedom shine on me, I love you Shine a light through the eyes of the ones left behind Shine a light shine a light Shine a light won't you shine a light Philadelphia freedom I love you, yes I do If you choose to you can live your life alone Some people choose the city Some others choose the good old family home I like living easy without family ties Till the whippoorwill of freedom zapped me Right between the eyes
I was justified when I was five Raising cane, I spit in your eye Times are changing, now the poor get fat But the fever's gonna catch you when the bitch gets back Eat meat on Friday that's alright Even like steak on a Saturday night I can bitch the best at your social do's I get high in the evening sniffing pots of glue I'm a bitch, I'm a bitch Oh the bitch is back Stone cold sober as a matter of fact I can bitch, I can bitch 'Cause I'm better than you It's the way that I move The things that I do I entertain by picking brains Sell my soul by dropping names I don't like those, my God, what's that Oh it's full of nasty habits when the bitch gets back
Daniel is travelling tonight on a plane I can see the red tailed eyes heading for Spain Oh and I can see Daniel waving goodbye God it looks like Daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes They say Spain is pretty though I've never been Well Daniel says it's the best place that he's ever seen Oh and he should know, he's been there enough Lord I miss Daniel, oh I miss him so much Daniel my brother you are older than me Do you still feel the pain of the scars that won't heel Your eyes have died but you see more than I Daniel you're a star in the face of the sky Daniel is travelling tonight on a plane I can see the red tailed eyes heading for Spain Oh and I can see Daniel waving goodbye God it looks like Daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes Oh God it looks like Daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes
I remember when rock was young Me and Suzie had so much fun holding hands and skimming stones Had an old gold Chevy and a place of my own But the biggest kick I ever got was doing a thing called the Crocodile Rock While the other kids were Rocking Round the Clock we were hopping and bopping to the Crocodile Rock Well Crocodile Rocking is something shocking when your feet just can't keep still I never knew me a better time and I guess I never will Oh Lawdy mama those Friday nights when Suzie wore her dresses tight and the Crocodile Rocking was out of sight But the years went by and the rock just died Suzie went and left us for some foreign guy Long nights crying by the record machine dreaming of my Chevy and my old blue jeans But they'll never kill the thrills we've got burning up to the Crocodile Rock Learning fast as the weeks went past we really thought the Crocodile Rock would last
I can't light no more of your darkness All my pictures seem to fade to black and white I'm growing tired and time stands still before me Frozen here on the ladder of my life Too late to save myself from falling I took a chance and changed your way of life But you misread my meaning when I met you Closed the door and left me blinded by the light Don't let the sun go down on me Although I search myself, it's always someone else I see I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free But losing everything is like the sun going down on me I can't find the right romantic line But see me once and see the way I feel Don't discard me just because you think I mean you harm But these cuts I have they need love to help them heal
When I think of those East End lights Muggy nights The curtains drawn in the little room downstairs Prima Donna lord you really should have been there Sitting like a princess perched in her electric chair And it's one more beer And I don't hear you anymore We've all gone crazy lately My friends out there rolling round the basement floor And someone saved my life tonight sugar bear You almost had your hooks in me didn't you dear You nearly had me roped and tied Altar-bound, hypnotized Sweet freedom whispered in my ear You're a butterfly And butterflies are free to fly Fly away, high away bye bye I never realised the passing hours Of evening showers A slip noose hanging in my darkest dreams I'm strangled by your haunted social scene Just a pawn out-played by a dominating queen It's four o'clock in the morning Damn it listen to me good I'm sleeping with myself tonight Saved in time, thank God my music's still alive And I would have walked head on into the deep end of the river Clinging to your stocks and bonds Paying your H.P. demands forever They're coming in the morning with a truck to take me home Someone saved my life tonight, someone saved my life tonight Someone saved my life tonight, someone saved my life tonight Someone saved my life tonight So save your strength and run the field you play alone
When I look back boy I must have been green Bopping in the country, fishing in a stream Looking for an answer trying to find a sign Until I saw your city lights honey I was blind They said get back honky cat Better get back to the woods Well I quit those days and my redneck ways And oh the change is gonna do me good You better get back honky cat Living in the city ain't where it's at It's like trying to find gold in a silver mine It's like trying to drink whisky from a bottle of wine Well I read some books and I read some magazines About those high class ladies down in New Orleans And all the folks back home well, said I was a fool They said oh, believe in the Lord is the golden rule They said stay at home boy, you gotta tend the farm Living in the city boy, is going to break your heart But how can you stay, when your heart says no How can you stop when your feet say go
She packed my bags last night pre-flight Zero hour nine a.m. And I'm gonna be high as a kite by then I miss the earth so much I miss my wife It's lonely out in space On such a timeless flight And I think it's gonna be a long long time Till touch down brings me round again to find I'm not the man they think I am at home Oh no no no I'm a rocket man Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids In fact it's cold as hell And there's no one there to raise them if you did And all this science I don't understand It's just my job five days a week A rocket man, a rocket man And I think it's gonna be a long long time...
And now I know Spanish Harlem are not just pretty words to say I thought I knew But now I know that rose trees never grow in New York City Until you've seen this trash can dream come true You stand at the edge while people run you through And I thank the Lord there's people out there like you I thank the Lord there's people out there like you While Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters Sons of bankers, sons of lawyers Turn around and say good morning to the night For unless they see the sky But they can't and that is why They know not if it's dark outside or light This Broadway's got It's got a lot of songs to sing If I knew the tunes I might join in I'll go my way alone Grow my own, my own seeds shall be sown in New York City Subway's no way for a good man to go down Rich man can ride and the hobo he can drown And I thank the Lord for the people I have found I thank the Lord for the people I have found
Oh little Jeannie You got so much love, little Jeannie And you take it where it strikes And give it to the likes of me Oh little Jeannie She got so much love, little Jeannie So I see you when I can You make me all a man can be And I want you to be my acrobat I want you to be my lover Oh there were others who would treat you cruel And oh little Jeannie You were always someone's fool Little Jeannie You got so much time, little Jeannie Though you've grown beyond your years You still retain the fears of youth Oh little Jeannie You got so much time, little Jeannie But you're burning it up so fast Searching for some lasting truth And I want you to be my acrobat I want you to be my lover Oh there were others who would treat you cruel But oh Jeannie I will always be your fool And I want you to be my acrobat I want you to be my lover Oh there were others, and I've known quite a few But oh oh Jeannie I'm still in love with you Stepped into my life from a bad dream Making the life that I had seem Suddenly shiny and new Oh Jeannie I'm so in love with you Stepped into my life from a bad dream
Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand And now she's in mine, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand Jesus freaks out in the street Handing tickets out for God Turning back she just laughs The boulevard is not that bad Piano man he makes his stand In the auditorium Looking on she sings the songs The words she knows the tune she hums But oh how it feels so real Lying here with no one near Only you and you can hear me When I say softly slowly Hold me closer tiny dancer Count the headlights on the highway Lay me down in sheets of linen you had a busy day today Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand
Levon wears his war wound like a crown He calls his child Jesus 'Cause he likes the name And he sends him to the finest school in town Levon, Levon likes his money He makes a lot they say Spend his days counting In a garage by the motorway He was born a pauper to a pawn on a Christmas day When the New York Times said God is dead And the war's begun Alvin Tostig has a son today And he shall be Levon And he shall be a good man And he shall be Levon In tradition with the family plan And he shall be Levon And he shall be a good man He shall be Levon Levon sells cartoon balloons in town His family business thrives Jesus blows up balloons all day Sits on the porch swing watching them fly And Jesus, he wants to go to Venus Leaving Levon far behind Take a balloon and go sailing While Levon, Levon slowly dies He was born a pauper to a pawn on a Christmas day When the New York Times said God is dead And the war's begun Alvin Tostig has a son today
I can see very well There's a boat on the reef with a broken back And I can see it very well There's a joke and I know it very well It's one of those that I told you long ago Take my word I'm a madman don't you know Once a fool had a good part in the play If it's so would I still be here today It's quite peculiar in a funny sort of way They think it's very funny everything I say Get a load of him, he's so insane You better get your coat dear It looks like rain We'll come again next Thursday afternoon The Inlaws hope they'll see you very soon But is it in your conscience that you're after Another glimpse of the madman across the water I can see very well There's a boat on the reef with a broken back And I can see it very well There's a joke and I know it very well It's one of those that I told you long ago Take my word I'm a madman don't you know The ground's a long way down but I need more Is the nightmare black or are the windows painted Will they come again next week Can my mind really take it
What have I got to do to make you love me What have I got to do to make you care What do I do when lightning strikes me And I wake to find that you're not there What do I do to make you want me What have I got to do to be heard What do I say when it's all over And sorry seems to be the hardest word It's sad, so sad It's a sad, sad situation And it's getting more and more absurd It's sad, so sad Why can't we talk it over Oh it seems to me That sorry seems to be the hardest word What do I do to make you love me What have I got to do to be heard What do I do when lightning strikes me What have I got to do What have I got to do When sorry seems to be the hardest word
I see your teeth flash, Jamaican honey so sweet Down where Lexington cross 47th Street She's a big girl, she's standing six foot three Turning tricks for the dudes in the big city Island girl What you wanting with the white man's world Island girl Black boy want you in his island world He want to take you from the racket boss He want to save you but the cause is lost Island girl, island girl, island girl Tell me what you wanting with the white man's world She's black as coal but she burn like a fire And she wrap herself around you like a well worn tire You feel her nail scratch your back just like a rake He one more gone, he one more John who make the mistake
Yeah I looked at my watch and it said a quarter to five The headlines screamed that I was still alive I couldn't understand it I thought I died last night Oh I dreamed I'd been in a border town In a little cantina that the boys had found I was desperate to dance Just to dig the local sounds When along came a senorita She looked so good that I had to meet her I was ready to approach her with my English charm When her brass knuckled boyfriend grabbed me my the arm And he said grow some funk of your own amigo Grow some funk of your own We no like to with the gringo fight But there might be a death in Mexico tonight If you can't grow some funk of your own amigo Grow some funk of your own Take my advice, take the next flight And grow your funk, grow your funk at home Well I looked for support from the rest of my friends For their vanishing trick they get ten out of ten I knelt to pray Just to see if he would comprehend
I've always said that one's enough to love Now I hear you're bragging one is not enough Something tells me you're not satisfied You got plans to make me one of four or five I guess this kind of thing's just in your blood But you won't catch me carving up my love I ain't no puzzle piece that needs to fit If it takes more than me then let's call it quits 'Cause I don't wanna go on with you like that Don't wanna be a feather in your cap I just wanna tell you honey I ain't mad But I don't wanna go on with you like that It gets so hard sometimes to understand This vicious circle's getting out of hand Don't need an extra eye to see That the fire spreads faster in a breeze And I don't wanna go on with you like that Don't wanna be a feather in your cap I just wanna tell you honey I ain't mad But I don't wanna go on with you like that No I don't wanna go on with you like that One more set of boots on your welcome mat You'll just have to quit them if you want me back 'Cause I don't wanna go on with you like that Oh if you wanna spread it around sister that's just fine But I don't want no second hand feeding me lines If you wanna hold someone in the middle of the night Call out the guards, turn out the light
You could never know what it's like Your blood like winter freezes just like ice And there's a cold lonely light that shines from you You'll wind up like the wreck you hide behind that mask you use And did you think this fool could never win Well look at me, I'm coming back again I got a taste of love in a simple way And if you need to know while I'm still standing you just fade away Don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid I'm still standing after all this time Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind I'm still standing yeah yeah yeah I'm still standing yeah yeah yeah Once I never could hope to win You starting down the road leaving me again The threats you made were meant to cut me down And if our love was just a circus you'd be a clown by now
Don't wish it away Don't look at it like it's forever Between you and me I could honestly say That things can only get better And while I'm away Dust out the demons inside And it won't be long before you and me run To the place in our hearts where we hide And I guess that's why they call it the blues Time on my hands could be time spent with you Laughing like children, living like lovers Rolling like thunder under the covers And I guess that's why they call it the blues Just stare into space Picture my face in your hands Live for each second without hesitation And never forget I'm your man Wait on me girl Cry in the night if it helps But more than ever I simply love you More than I love life itself
Well she looked a peach in the dress she made When she was still her mama's little girl And when she walked down the aisle everybody smiled At her innocence and curls And when the preacher said is there anyone here Got a reason why they shouldn't wed I should have stuck up my hand I should have got up to stand And this is what I should have said I wanna kiss the bride yeah! I wanna kiss the bride yeah! Long before she met him She was mine, mine, mine Don't say I do Say bye, bye, bye And let me kiss the bride yeah! Underneath her veil I could see a tear Trickling down her pretty face And when she slipped on the ring I knew everything Would never be the same again But if the groom would have known he'd have had a fit About his wife and the things we did And what I planned to say Yeah on her wedding day Well I thought it but I kept it hid
Holy Moses I have been removed I have seen the spectre he has been here too Distant cousin from down the line Brand of people who ain't my kind Holy Moses I have been removed Holy Moses I have been deceived Now the wind has changed direction and I'll have to leave Won't you please excuse my frankness but it's not my cup of tea Holy Moses I have been deceived I'm going back to the border Where my affairs, my affairs ain't abused I can't take any more bad water I've been poisoned from my head down to my shoes Holy Moses I have been deceived Holy Moses let us live in peace Let us strive to find a way to make all hatred cease There's a man over there what's his colour I don't care He's my brother let us live in peace He's my brother let us live in peace He's my brother let us live in peace
Guess there are times when we all need to share a little pain And ironing out the rough spots Is the hardest part when memories remain And it's times like these when we all need to hear the radio 'Cause from the lips of some old singer We can share the troubles we already know Turn them on, turn them on Turn on those sad songs When all hope is gone Why don't you tune in and turn them on They reach into your room Just feel their gentle touch When all hope is gone Sad songs say so much If someone else is suffering enough to write it down When every single word makes sense Then it's easier to have those songs around The kick inside is in the line that finally gets to you and it feels so good to hurt so bad And suffer just enough to sing the blues Sad songs, they say Sad songs, they say Sad songs, they say Sad songs, they say so much
What happened here As the New York sunset disappeared I found an empty garden among the flagstones there Who lived here He must have been a gardener that cared a lot Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop And now it all looks strange It's funny how one insect can damage so much grain And what's it for This little empty garden by the brownstone door And in the cracks along the sidewalk nothing grows no more Who lived here He must have been a gardener that cared a lot Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop And we are so amazed we're crippled and we're dazed A gardener like that one no one can replace And I've been knocking but no one answers And I've been knocking most of the day Oh and I've been calling Oh hey hey Johnny Can't you come out to play And through their tears Some say he farmed his best in younger years But he'd have said that roots grow stronger if only he could hear Who lived there He must have been a gardener that cared a lot Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop Now we pray for rain, and with every drop that falls We hear, we hear your name Johnny can't you come out to play in your empty garden