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The Songster Part 2

by Brooks Long

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1.
Baby Train 04:58
Baby Train (Long) To be quite objectable, body was just a miracle Steppin in them heels, boobies, booty and no residual Smile is individual, swagger indivisible Baby do be takin her vitamins and her minerals She brushed against my body, ooh it felt so good She started making trouble in my neighborhood I said “I got the kinda lovin that could peel off your paint. I been waitin at your station, won’t you open your gates” Baby, baby train Baby, let me ride Baby, baby train Baby, let me ride I said, “Why your name is Train? It ain’t lustful, is it, cher?” She said, “I like vehicles. They can take you anywhere.” So I took her out to London, I took her out to France I went trans-continental medieval on that ass Well, drop my suspenders, put my hat on the floor I been waitin at your station, won’t you open the do’ Baby, baby train Baby, let me ride Baby, baby train Baby, let me ride When you do The Locomotion I like the way you Twist When it’s time for The Percolator, I think you get my jist Ms. Tony say “How you wanna carry it?” What’s up, what’s up with you, Miss? But I ride a mail train baby, you don’t want no part of this. When you’ze an artist like me, honey, you don’t look back You keep your hand on your blade and your blood on the tracks But I’ma keep my stride til the day I die I been waitin at your station, won’t you let me ride Baby, baby train Baby, let me ride Baby, baby train Baby, let me ride
2.
I'm the songster and I'm back in town again I'm the songster, from the town I never left. Knocked on the doors, but no one was home. the juke joints were closed, the jukebox was sold. Left town again, traveled the tracks went to the rocks and the rocks answered, "Jack, you the songster and you're doomed to carry on. You the songster. We been watching since you'ze born." It's the same old song but with a different meaning since you've been gone. You remember the tune? I remember it too. I'm the songster, playing a game that's ages old. I'm the songster. Never understood the rules but I won't fold. Out in the sea, taking some laps breathing some air and giving some back. I never cared much for the land. At least in the sea you know where you stand. I'm the songster so please don’t be too mean I'm the songster. I’m an extraordinary machine. Hanging with the snake, among the trees. Bent down a branch. Picked from the leaves. Started thinking too much. It melted my brain. It was either blame it on her or admit I had gone insane. I'm the songster. I've said the dumbest things on earth. I'm the songster. Shut me off before the next verse. Cain slew Able. Seth knew not why. So he built himself a house and hid himself inside. I'm the songster. I be glancing at the moon. I'm the songster, How it comes and goes too soon. I seen two wolves scrap 'neath the sky. One moved on, the other had died. All day and all night I stand on my guard. I've had a couple of wolves in my yard. (Interlude) Just cause I'm here don't mean I'm tough. Don't mean I ain't scared just because I don't run. If I should fade and nobody knows, if I've done well, as you walk from my bones tell them I was the songster and I sang some melodies. I was a songster and I heard them in my dreams. Somewhere not too far, way deep inside the deep, there’s an undying glow we can feel but can't see.....
3.
Freddy’s Walkin’ Home I’m patrolin the town, lookin ‘round for a crime The cuttin’ the budget, but they won’t cut mine Cause my eye is sharp, mess around if ya wanna Lawbreakers beware, I got to fill my quota Freddy don’t you do know back talkin’ You know you ain’t supposed to be drunk walkin Freddy’s walkin home I see a man all a-bumblin’ down the street Either a light-skinned colored or a tall Chinese Can’t tell for sure, but it sure don’t matter I can smell a troublemaker like shit on a cracker Freddy don’t you do know back talkin’ You know you ain’t supposed to be drunk walkin Freddy’s walkin home He say, “Why’d you pull me over? Ain’t even in my car. Figured I was too drunk after I closed my bar I’m a businessman with a reputation Are you done yet with this investigation?” I said, “Shut up, Freddy. Shut up, Freddy. I’m locked and loaded and my hands are steady. You just think about runnin, you’ll be dead already Shut up, Freddy. Shut up, Freddy. Got backup on the way and they ready too What you know ‘bout a murder June of ’92? Freddy don’t you do know back talkin’ You know you ain’t supposed to be drunk walkin Freddy’s walkin home
4.
There's an occurrence occurring somewhere in this town. I'm gonna sniff it out. I'm gonna track it down. These drivers are crazy Out 'chere on this road. What's so important? Where they tryin to go? I made a lonely prayer to some angels there. I poured out my soul but they don't care. I broke danced at the bar. I spun on my head. I did the "Run from the Feds." I did the "Getaway Car." Now, who here among you know what they wanna know? They gonna make you talk. They gonna make you walk home. I made a lonely prayer to some angels there I poured out my soul but they don't care I told the truth too much. More lethal than a touch. I tried to leave this town But the bridge fell down. Like the moonshine across pavement sweat, there's a darkness too bright to ever forget. I made a lonely prayer to some angels there I poured out my soul but they don't care
5.
Been too long, I need your taste Though it’s been a single day We did it all, but I want more Lets warm up the kitchen floor We burn with passion so lets feed the fire When the flames mingle the heat rushes higher I have question before it consumes I know I might be rushing, but Is tonight too soon To call again? Is tonight too soon To get some lovin’ in? I never do what you make me do I need it bad and you need it too I’m a match you lit just the other day I’ll blow your mind. Don’t blow me away. Take your temperature cause your burning up That’s no fever, we’re falling in love. We’re dancing with the coals on our feet. Where there’s smoke, there’s you and there’s me We burn with passion so lets feed the fire When the flames mingle the heat rushes higher I have question before it consumes I know I might be rushing, but Is tonight too soon To call again? Is tonight too soon To get some lovin’ in? I never do what you make me do I need it bad and you need it too I’m a match you lit just the other day I’ll blow your mind. Don’t blow me away. We reach the peak, your nerves they excite I’m climbing up your fahrenheights I can’t believe the things that you said. What sweaty things go on in your head? The bang, the pow, the explosion A trillion things set in motion We breathe a while, not to be rude I know we just finished, but Is tonight too soon?
6.
I give in, you win the war Just please, oh please don’t beat me no more I love you, babe, but my love is sore So I’m waving the white flag of love Waving, waving Waving the white flag of love Waving, waving Waving the white flag of love Don’t know what I came here for Don’t get up, I’ll lock the door I’ll give you all the space you want and more Cause I’m waving the white flag of love Waving, waving Waving the white flag of love Waving, waving Waving the white flag of love Crazy talk about peace Crazy talk about love Crazy talk about voices heard I ain’t gonna talk that talk no more I ain’t gonna talk that talk no more If my tears like rain could spread The mud would bloom in no man’s land But with this cloth I’ll wipe them off As I’m waving the white flag of love Waving, waving Waving the white flag of love Waving, waving Waving the white flag of love
7.
Eli, 2:45am 04:00
Just come from the bar where I almost fought man over some long-leg I half-hearted tried to bed. Now, here I am outside the front door Let me in, it’s cold or ain’t I welcome anymore? I see you fixed the window. You rearranged the place. You painted the bathroom that color I hate. Maybe I am drunk, but I do want you back. Isn’t that enough or is it too much to ask? Dog was sick Tuesday. Last night she passed. I got fired from the firehouse for sniffing some gas. If I don’t love you, why I am I back? Why you keep asking dumb questions like that? Tell all your sisters I’ve changed very well. If they don’t believe it they can all burn in hell. Maybe I am drunk, but I still can’t see why when I try to kiss you you start to cry. You cleaned out the fridge. You drank all my beer. It’s almost like I never lived here. You got a light? Cause I need a smoke. I’ve been thinking some things Some things you should know I’m sorry for everything that I’ve done to you. What you let me do it for? What’s the matter with you? Maybe I am drunk, but there’s laws in this land. No matter who he is gotta stand by your man. Been to the doctors. It’s cancer I’m told. Don’t seem like a terrible important thing to know. Appointment on Friday. They won’t see me there. I’d rather spend time with someone who once cared. Don’t look at me like that. I’m down on my knees. I need you so bad, baby. My soul ain’t at ease. Maybe I am drunk, but something ain’t right when a man’s got to live, then the man’s got to die
8.
Apologize 01:28
All I have to do is apologize and I can have whatever I want All I have to do is apologize and I can do whatever I want You know that I still love you Despite what I say and do All I have to do is apologize All I have to do is apologize All I have to do is apologize And I can pull the wool to your eyes All I have to do is apologize And I can burn your city alive We know that mistakes were made We’ll find those weapons some bright day All I have to do is apologize All I have to do is apologize All I have to do is apologize All I have to do is apologize
9.
(Long) Back when I first met you The day you was born You kicked your little feet and I know complete a funky baby boy was born. Nurse, you see this baby? This baby right here? Nurse, you see this baby? This baby right here? Baby gon' be funky Wait til you learn how to walk, baby. I'm gonna teach you how to stride. They gonna teach you ABCs and your 123s. I'm gonna teach you how to talk a jive. Teacher, you see this baby? This baby right here? Teacher, you see this baby? This baby right here? Baby gon' be funky Don't you tell your momma. She never would understand. But I burned you two or three Funkadelic CDs. They gonna turn you to a funky man. Son, look in the mirror. This mirror right here. Son, look in this mirror. This mirror right here. You were born to be funky Here's my baby Baby gon' be funky
10.
Volcano Tax 02:27
Great people of Kalapana There’s been rumors going ‘round Everybody say we aim to tax you For the lava in the ground Now do that make any sense? Would we do a thing like that? But the truth is, if we don’t do something Gonna have to be some cutbacks Y’all know bout that mountain up there Y’all know it’s bout to blow it’s lid Now we ain’t got to rebuild if you don’t want But we kinda figured that you did Might flow down to your power plant All your businesses and schools In fact, no might about it Only question is how soon Gonna head down to your houses Gonna melt your front screen door Gonna burn up all your pictures but you can always take some more And y’all people gonna go crazy Gonna be chaos throughout the land And if we can pay no police Somebody’ll kill you where you stand Might be the police And that’s if you survive A good many of y’all won’t Some people try not to think about it But I don’t No more running for office No one around but me Finally, the whole island In perfect harmony But since you got to be here And I got to share the world with you Seem like that old Volcano Tax Is the best thing we can do
11.
Delivered 05:06
When your river can’t find the ocean When you’re two times out of ten When you’re very last dollar Is your very last friend Late in the midnight hour After you finally reached the end Then the pain you thought was sleeping When it rises up again Delivered When the light at the end Is the sunrise come again When you’re peeling back the layers Maybe you peeled them back too much When it chews you up at breakfast And spits you back out at lunch When you thought that you could fly Because you dreamed it up in bed Then the blues in your sky Starts to rain upon your head Delivered When you alight in the night And you remember an ancient dance Remember, remember, remember When you’re running through the forest Shackles on your feet But your eyes are fixed on a star and you won’t accept defeat Maybe they think that you are sleeping And you won’t wake up again Then the magic in your soul Starts to twitching up again Delivered When the light at the end Is the sunrise come again
12.
The fire just won’t die I try to try but I I feel her in my bones ever deeper If we never meet again Or if she needs me as a friend I won’t forget the peace it was to hold her. And if her voice went cold The love’s already shown There’s nothing left to know except the future She knows She’s always on my mind My heart beats out of time Until I put my mind and heart together There’s magic in the street And magic in the beat I will not shut my eyes to the wonder All magic is pure All that’s pure is real My love for her is pure and simple magic And now it’s time to turn Turn and face the world Her gentle smile I’m keeping in my pocket She knows She knows she knows I love her, but that’s not all she knows She takes her truths out and wears them for party clothes I was alright before I met her and then I knew for sure But now she gone and alright ain’t good enough any more Only thing she don’t know, girl got magic in her Rabbits fallin out of hats all over the Goddamn place and cookin up four course dinners If this is a dream, you can’t wake me, I aim to be around a while I haven’t felt this whole since I was an uncorrupted child I’d call her name in my soul if there was no number for to dial I’d touch every blade of grass, I’d walk the moonlight mile She’s worth a million priceless things and she’s just as beautiful as she looks And she just looks so good. I’d drink the naked rain, I’d jump a thousand moons I’d burn a thousand candles, I’d climb up Mount Ventoux “The life that we call blessed is to be sought on a high level and straight is the way that leads to it.” That’s the only way to beat the Devil. I was stranded in the alley when she pulled her ladder down I told her on the fire escape I was gonna pay her back somehow Now, this is her song, but I know she likes to share So take it with you. I hope she takes it everywhere And while she’s taking things, well she could take me too If I were in her boots, that’s just what I would do I know she knows she knows. She knows I know it too She knows I know I know. I know she knows I know it too
13.
Now when I was 'bout three years old and Charlee he was twelve He was tellin me all about how the wall in Berlin fell Said it got drunk one night til it could not stand up straight Said it slept the whole night through and it woke up far too late Now it is what it is and it ain't what it ain't, of course Only one thing that I know, got a friend named Charlee Horse Now when I was 'bout eight years old and Charlee he was ten They was chasin' me 'round the block, I was runnin' 'way from them Well, Charlee he got pipin' mad and he yell right in my ear "If you don't turn round and sock 'em one, you'll be runnin' all your years" Now it is what it is and it ain't what it ain't, of course Only one thing that I know, got a friend named Charlee Horse Now when I was 'bout nine years old and Charlee was the same We'd lay outside just watching ants til Mamma call my name We dug up old relics inside a mummy's old tomb He let me have them all because my dad had left that June Now it is what it is and it ain't what it ain't, of course Only one thing that I know, got a friend named Charlee Horse Now when I was thirteen years old and Charlee he was one He was with me in detention, making me laugh, having fun Well right there sitting next to me was a beautiful young lass Charlee said to talk to her and ask her to the dance She looked at me and smiled, her braces twinkling in florescence She opened up her mouth and said the first of many "Yes"s Standing by the punch bowl wiping off my clammy hands I took hers and as we went off, well, we began the dance I smiled at her. She smiled at me. Romance had filled the air I turned to smile at Charlee, but Charlee had disappeared Now it is what it is and it ain't what it ain't, of course Only one thing that I know, got a friend named Charlee Horse Now I'm almost forty-three. My kids say I've gone gray Their mamma has the custody, but it all works out okay Now there's all different kinds of things that a mind can conceive Only one thing that I know and it's that I still believe Now it is what it is and it ain't what it ain't, of course Only one thing that I know, got a friend named Charlee Horse
14.
There is a meeting of the rivers Down where the body and soul flow No need to wonder where to find me You should know, yeah you should know I'd make it my mission You know I would I'd make it my mission to make you feel good There is a clearing from the trouble this wounded world can sometimes show They call it love and it's for certain we should go, yeah we should go I'd make it my mission You know I would I'd make it my mission to make you feel good Yes, I'd brave the waves Yes, I'd swim from shore to shore But if you won't swim with me what am I swimming for I'd make it my mission You know I would I'd make it my mission to make you feel good
15.
Every time you touch me I hear the Hallelujah Choir Every time you touch me I hear the Hallelujah Choir Touch me with your fingers, touch me with your lips Touch me with your soul, baby, but let's start with the hips I wanna fuck you beautiful with body and soul on fire Huffin and puffin our breath into space and time We touched the one and the one was both you and I So holla at me when your ready to go and lets go Go, go, go, go Every time you undress, I hear the Hallelujah Choir Every time you undress, I hear the Hallelujah Choir How does it feel to look so good, to be so fine To climb the ladder of success at a quarter to five I wanna fuck you beautiful with body and soul on fire Huffin and puffin our breath into space and time We touched the one and the one was both you and I So holla at me when your ready to go and lets go Go, go, go, go Every time you explode, I hear the Hallelujah Choir Every time I hear you moan I hear the Hallelujah Choir Wanna make you sing, babe, sing the Hallelujah Choir Wanna make you shout, babe, like your shouting for the Holy Ghost Hallelujah now
16.
Soul gonna do what the soul gonna do Soul don’t care what you go through Body can’t sit, body wanna fly Body wanna go out dancin' tonight Soul say, “Body, let’s go home.” Body and soul in a room all alone She’s smart, she’s sweet She swept my feet She good for me She done digged deep She stole my heart just like a thief on the run She done digged deep She got a smile deep, wide and bright It make the sun stay up all night And if you love her you can let her go Ain’t it a shame, though She’s smart, she’s sweet She swept my feet She good for me She done digged deep She stole my heart just like a thief on the run She done digged deep Long ways from now this river will dry and become a desert by and by And what the river is now ain't the river you know but you can go along with it if you swim just so She’s smart, she’s sweet She swept my feet She good for me She done digged deep She stole my heart just like a thief on the run She done digged deep
17.
Tell me, don't yell me babe Catfish kinda sensitive Remember the man you got and don't accuse him of being who you know he's not Now you know I ain't no perfect man But good is all I'm trying to do We can make each other better, I know But one thing that I need from you Give me some tenderness My love won't let you down but I gotta be around to prove it Take me as I am Help me be a better man Now you know I ain't no perfect man But good is all I'm trying to do This world can be so hard, you know so one thing that I need from you Give me some tenderness Your kiss won't wash away from my lips I think it wants to stay where it is And I ain't got no problem with Getting wrapped up in it All I really need from you, baby Give me some tenderness
18.
Born down in a dead man's town The first kick I took was when I hit the ground You end up like a dog that's been beat too much Till you spend half your life just covering up Born in the U.S.A. I was born in the U.S.A. I was born in the U.S.A. Born in the U.S.A. Got in a little hometown jam so they put a rifle in my hand I ended up in Afghanistan. They said "Turn around soldier. We goin into Iraq land." Born in the U.S.A. I was born in the U.S.A. I was born in the U.S.A. I was born in the U.S.A. I'm a cool rocking daddy in the U.S.A. Come back home to the temp agency Hiring man says "son if it was up to me" Went down to see my V.A. man He said "son don't you understand by now" My people was stolen into Charleston Bay Sailed 'em into the harbor. It was a cloudy day Put em up for auction, told 'em how to pray Said "Folks for a little while it might have to be this way" Down in the shadow of penitentiary Way from the lights of the Domino Sugar factory We are kings and hustlers Priests and queens Proud refutations of a dying dream that was Born in the U.S.A. Wasn't I born in the U.S.A. Born in the U.S.A. And one day they might even take that away Born in the U.S.A. Born in the U.S.A.
19.
There's no air for the breath you need Your paint is peeling of by degrees All you need is some empathy I know how you feel
20.
I am The Songster and I'm 'bout to get right with God I am The Songster and I'm 'bout to get right with God Dip me in the water, hold my right hand by the shore I ain't too much for gambling 'less I know for sure I'll win I ain't too much for gambling 'less I know for sure I'll win Still, I gambled on you baby, and I'd do it all again There's a meeting of the rivers down where the body and soul flow There's a meeting of the rivers down where the body and soul flow No need to wonder where to find me when you know that you should know I am The Songster and I'm 'bout to get right with God I am The Songster and I'm 'bout to get right with God but deal me one hand, baby, and I'll show you all my cards
21.
It's like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder how I keep from going under I can't help it sometimes, I absorb the way people treat each other I feel the beat of the rain and the hail and the rumble of the thunder I'm very sorry the weight of the world makes it hard to be my lover La da da da I'm a strange jigsaw case Baby, I don't fit no place but I'm gonna fall together soon It's like a jungle sometimes, it's got me wishin' I was built for competition They say you must sell yourself. If you do, you get ten-percent commission I'm gonna remake myself. Get ready for a brand new edition Wait, no. I can't do it. Branding happens under slavery conditions La da da da I'm a strange jigsaw case Baby, I don't fit no place but I'm gonna fall together soon It's not easy being free It's not easy being me Yes I know that I'm too soft I watch them brush it all off like nothing at all La da da da I'm a strange jigsaw case Baby, I don't fit no place but I'm gonna fall together soon
22.
Hey, Mr. Trump, now whadaya say How come your daddy was KKK? And if he wasn't, why was he arrested that day in 1927? Hey, Mr. Trump, now whadaya say How come your daddy was KKK? Seem like he taught you a lot about real estate in a funny kinda way in a funny kinda way that ain't funny Now most people just want a place to be where they can find some inner harmony And if they can't find none, they find folks like you and do the foolish things that fooled people can do In an imperfect world an imperfect nations stands on the brink of falling into an unstable con-man's hands who treats objects like women and minorities like thieves A man who can't squash a Rosie O'Donnell beef Hey, Mr. Trump, now whadaya say How come your daddy was KKK? And if he wasn't, why was he arrested that day in 1927? Hey, Mr. Trump, now whadaya say How come your daddy was KKK? Seem like he taught you a lot about real estate in a funny kinda way in a funny kinda way that ain't funny Now maybe tenderness and empathy can't wash everything away but I really feel we ought to try it someday If we gave love the same shot we give hate and war we might find the time to figure what we're all here for Hey, Mr. Trump, now whadaya say How come your daddy was KKK? And if he wasn't, why was he arrested that day in 1927? Hey, Mr. Trump, now whadaya say How come your daddy was KKK? Seem like he taught you a lot about real estate in a funny kinda way in a funny kinda way that ain't funny
23.
24.
Some people get what they ask for, then get what they deserve But when we gotta get it too they got some nerve People doin in the light what they used to in the dark I been done told you bout that locker room talk You’ze a mannish little boy, how you fit your britches? You too damn dumb to mourn your bitches You too damn dumb to listens to your soul So I’ll tell you anything you wanna know and everything you don’t I’ve known you boys for a mighty long time You’ll give me a nickel if I give you a dime Throw me down the stairs with your words and then smile so cruelly Then turn around and say “We gotta stop these bullies” You can’t take no heat but you’re standing in the kitchen You think the nothing that you know is somehow sufficient Flying through your chamber door was the raven and I quote “I’ll tell you anything you wanna know and everything you don’t” You betray the trust we need to survive You can’t handle a queen so you’re stirring up the hive Blues fallin down like hail from the sky I hope to understand it better in the by and by The afterlife ain’t a question that sticks in my mind The way to heaven on Earth is down deep and out wide I swear the whole truth or the truth as I know I’ll tell you anything you want to know and everything you don’t Baby we can’t stop fightin, but what fightin will we do? I got my guitar case and my aim is true Gonna sing about war, gonna sing about peace Gonna sing about love from the west down to the east I’ll let the art department handle what photos they’ll use I’m goin’ down in the valley on a walk with my muse From time to time I’ll stop by with a couple that I wrote They’ll tell you anything you wanna know and everything you don’t
25.
I got a friend in Houston. I humor him a bit. He say “Trump said this and Trump said that” til I got to beg him to quit. I say “You live in Texas, man.” I say “Don’t you know they like that shit?” I say “Don’t you know they ain’t never gonna change? “Why don’t you leave if you’re tired of it?” They keep their thoughts very simple. They don’t allow nothin new. They only look out for their own kind. and if you were smart that’s what you would do. Chorus You know what your problem is? You like everybody. You know what your problem is? You think everybody else does too. You know what your problem is? You think we’re all equal. What in the world is the world gonna do with you? I got a friend in Detroit. Now she lives in Flint. She be talkin bout “Immigrants this and immigrants that” til I got tot beg her to quit. I say “Girl, don’t you got your own problems?” “Girl, don’t you ever think? I say, “They ain’t gonna do nothing but take the few jobs you got. “Must be something in the water you drink” She say, “They fleein death and destruction.” She say, “It could be me or you.” I say “But it ain’t me or you.” Yeah, I said it. I say “I don’t care what they goin though.” Chorus I had a dream when I was a kid, saw the beginning and the end. I woke up and I started to cry. I haven’t cried since then. My hippie parents got me a doctor Doc say “Boy, what’s wrong with you?” Five months later they stopped wasting their money They got me a job at a petting zoo An old man taught me how to make money Then disappeared with all of mine He said most people fear the truth so you can sell ‘em any lie. Made some friends in rehab They believe in bright shining days They see all y’all folks coming together I don’t see it all that way Chorus Chorus
26.
The sadness in your eyes has nearly ended me Just once to see you smile be thrown in ecstasy You need to get away I know just the place. There's a paradise 'round there and there's never a frowning face I will take you home to the shores of New Miami We would be alone on the shores of New Miami Into the Milky Way, past Alpha Centauri on the planet next to Mercury We'll land in new Miami You need to get away I know just the place. There's a paradise 'round there and there's never a frowning face I will take you home to the shores of New Miami We would be alone on the shores of New Miami
27.
You and me been down here Can't buy a thrill It must be nice up there on top of the hill Trouble calls you by your name Knocks on your door and you know why and you know what for But it's alright It's alright You got soul and everybody knows that it's alright Double-dealin' under the table as you place your bet Thought they took you for all you had but they forget I got my feet to keep on dancin Might feel your being dragged along like a marionette Might feel they been pulling your strings but don't forget I got my feet to keep on dancin I got the truth to keep from lying I got the weight to keep from flying I might be broke, but I ain't broken I might smile, but I ain't jokin I got my feet to keep on dancin This ain't over, this ain't it I ain't never gonna have enough sense to quit I got my feet to keep on dancin
28.
My love is on time, baby You can rely on it true My love is on time, baby You can set your watch by my love for you Use and age will dull the sharpest blade It don't take much time for change Build your hopes on things eternal, babe True spirit never fades The minutes become hours, dear The hours become days Dawn and dusk collect the years Your metal rusts away And the world you want starts to decay Then something winds you clock anew The hands, they move me into you My love is on time, baby You can rely on it true My love is on time, baby You can set your watch by my love for you Every second you have second thoughts Love your time in essence Come and rest with me, my love Let's work on our transcendence And when we rise we must still know that not all work will pay But we must know the worth of work when nothing gold can stay Don't wait for fate to give you faith Let's do the work we will not hate Let's do the work that will not wait Do the work and don't be late My love is on time, baby You can rely on it true My love is on time, baby You can set your watch by my love for you Be on time
29.
They say it take hard work. I'm workin hard, baby. Give me a K of days, I'll be a star, baby. Yeah, I'm that swagger. I'm that shit. Too sexy to give up. Cool, mama. (Smooth, daddy) Nothin' but the strut Said I just wrote a brand new jam. They said "Uh-uh, baby "Should be tweeting up your brand." I said "Huh, baby?" "Yeah, it ain't no time for passion. Just go head and get yo' nut." Is that cool, Mama? (Ew, daddy) I'm nothin' but a strut It's Day 999 and something' wrong, baby They say "Do you want a gig?" I say "Naw, baby." What happened to the feelin' I was feelin' in my guts? Cool, mama? (Ooooh, daddy. What about yo' strut?)
30.
And while your tracking down your bliss You’ve got to know about the risks The question old but yet so fresh What does the spirit do about the flesh? The soul is noble down the list, But the body’s not sure it exists So even when the spirit drops a clue The body’s not sure what to do And while your tracking down your bliss You’ve got to know about the risks The question fresh but yet so old What does the body do about the soul? The spirit lifts you and reveals you But it also doesn’t mind to kill you So in a bid for self-preservation The body sends its resignation Looking for the middle course To find a balance to the force The answer faint but yet so clear The music’s playing in your ear The groove it shoots down to your feet Your partner rises from her seat So while your tracking dow your bliss Make sure you know about a kiss
31.
Invitations aren’t always sent by mail Some disappear leaving ghost trails Ah, but you’re too cool for it all Dressing for the ball Such silly customs you protest alone But even something inside says go You find a partner and tend to smile Frightened by your joy after while It defines what you want and more Reminds you what you want it for The dance Waltzing you into a trance The dance Making you feel defiantly real The dance Waltzing you into a trance The dance Making you feel undeniably real How come we don’t dance no more? How come we never danced before? Ordinary people reaching for the divine The beat of your heart syncopating with mine To reach the light we struggle and strain Strive, then struggle all over again Hamsters on a wheel never touch the ground When you’re in motion it’s hard to slow down It defines what you want and more Reminds you what you want it for The dance Waltzing you into a trance The dance Making you feel defiantly real The dance Waltzing you into a trance The dance Making you feel undeniably real And just as you feel the feeling starting to grow You may find yourself dancing alone Resist the urge to run from the floor We must dance more Creatures are glaring, they stare at us “So graceful, so violent all at once” And if you’re tired of cliche affair We can swing from the chandelier It defines what you want and more Reminds you what you want it for The dance Waltzing you into a trance The dance Making you feel defiantly real The dance Waltzing you into a trance The dance Making you feel undeniably real
32.
As you remember your name Can you forget it, too? Can you learn to move the way the spirit tells you to? As you began to sway Your body stretching loose Can you feel the Earth beneath you swaying too? Some people never make it out on the floor Some people never make it past the door You might think she don’t know how to dance Because she’s dancing free Some people never make it out on the floor Some people never make it past the door You might think she don’t know how to dance Because she’s dancing free As you recite your lines After you hear your queue Can you find yourself in the role you’re acting through? The spotlight points your way The stage shades to blue Sing your song, there’s nothing wrong If you’re singing true Some people never make it out on the stage Some people never read the second page You might think she don’t know how to act Because she’s acting free. Some people never make it out on the floor Some people never make it past the door You might think she don’t know how to dance Because she’s dancing free
33.
I had never ever met a hat before But then I met a hat and a whole lot more I had never ever reached the stars before But then I reached the stars and I went back home It’s so strange It’s so hip She dreamed I gave the Freudian slip Bite my ear Bite my lip I guess she likes to ride on a trip Yes, I touched the wire The wire of electric desire I’m on fire, yet I’m cool I’m cool, yet she set me on fire Cool fire Dippin in the river of the galaxies Naked in the ocean of a thousand seas Ridin with my baby on an asteroid Posin for the pictures on a her Polaroid It’s so strange It’s so hip I’m happy when she does a good flip Ride a star, lick a blimp I guess I just admire her grip Yes, I touched the wire (touched the wire) The wire of electric desire I’m on fire, yet I’m cool (yet I’m cool) I’m cool, yet she set me on fire Cool fire Yes, I touched desire (touched the wire) desire of electrical wire Yeah I’m cool, yet on fire (yet I’m cool) I’m fire, yet she set me on cool Cool fire
34.
I seen a car smashed the other night Cut the applause and dim the light The girl in the front was bleedin, but was more or less okay But the boy in the back seat was in a bad, bad way I couldn’t move the door and your leg was stuck inside the door Your mama looked at you and started pleadin with the Lord You wasn’t moving and I begged you to stay They calmed her down and we both whispered for you to stay Please be okay, child, please be okay Please be okay, child, please be okay Please be okay, child, please be okay Please be okay, child, please be okay All the sudden you woke and started a-failin and a-cryin I was tryin to tell you not to move but there as no point in tryin Now I’ve heard children cryin a couple hundred thousand times before But the way you was cryin cut me deep down inside, my Lord The firefighters came and they used the jaws of life Then the ambulance came and they put you on the gurney You was mad because the strap was on your head And your head was pretty busted I asked could I peak inside the ambulance and the cops said “No" Last time I saw you you had a long way to go Neighbors was speculatin on whose fault it was I didn’t care whose fault it was Please be okay, child, please be okay Please be okay, child, please be okay Please be okay, child, please be okay Please be okay, child, please be okay The world can be a beautiful place I hope you see it Can make you feel a beautiful way I hope you feel it Be okay, child. Be okay, child. I kept looking in the papers, but there was nothin there But If you don’t die by the next day then they don’t really care I light a candle for you almost every day I hope some kinda somethin gets to you some kinda way Please be okay, child, please be okay Please be okay, child, please be okay Please be okay, child, please be okay Please be okay, child, please be okay
35.
When we speak of magic what really do we mean? Are we seeing something that reason can't believe? Are we feeling something that we cannot conceive? When you know what you don't know it's magic. When you think of magic think of what exists. The flowing of the wand. The flicking of the wrist. The beating of the heart. The miracle of this. Even when you know the trick it's magic. Take my hand. I'll take your hand. We'll travel through this land a part of something greater than we'll ever understand. Not of the earth, nor in the sky, nor in the daily grind, there is a there out somewhere someplace somewhere deep inside. It's magic.
36.
We will tow your ass. We will tow your ass. Might think your special and you'll get a pass, but we will tow your ass. We will tow your ass. We will tow your ass. Might think your special and you'll get a pass, but we will tow your ass. Might be stuck in park somewhere. You might run out of gas. You might think you know everything, but how come you didn't know that we will tow your ass? We will tow your ass. We will tow your ass. Unless you got a tag from the FOP, we will tow your ass. You'll see.
37.
I like that fish fry music play it for me all night long I like that fish fry music play it til the break of dawn (Free Blues giveaway) (Free Blues giveaway) (Free Blues giveaway) (Free Blues giveaway) It’s the Free Blues giveaway Come on down and take all mine It’s the free blues giveaway you ain’t got to spend one dime If you want it you can have it today Not with money will you have to pay at the giveaway (Free Blues giveaway) (Free Blues giveaway) (Free Blues giveaway) (Free Blues giveaway) It’s the free blues giveaway Cause I don’t really need no more It’s the free blues giveaway Mine could fill a whole damn store I got every kind of blues you need and some of y’all ought to have ‘em more than me come and get ‘em for free (Free Blues giveaway) (Free Blues giveaway) (Free Blues giveaway) (Free Blues giveaway) I don’t know what I did to get these blues so bad but it’s all I have Don’t you worry bout me running out at my store Seem like I always get more I like that fish fry music play it for me all night long I like that fish fry music play it til the break of dawn
38.
Clarie, I do declare when you need me sooner or later I'm gonna be there. You mean more to me than other things do. I wanna spend my life some times being with you. You know I stay up in the club. Oh yeah, I met you in the club. I was eating on some grub when you came into the club We made lovely conversation. Almost every indication was that you were really feelin' me. You were diggin' on my energies That's how it go so usually But I had snuck up in the club so we had to sneak up out the back door Woah, woahh Clarie, I do declare when you need me sooner or later I'm gonna be there. You mean more to me than other things do. I wanna spend my life some times being with you.
39.
Baby brother, don’t cry. everybody’s got to die sometimes. and grandma found her time. She couldn’t do it all forever and now they say she’s someplace better. Don’t you worry, little man. I got your back. Mom and Dad still love you, but they just can’t seem to get it right. They try and that’s why sometimes they have to holler and shiver in the night. I’ll protect you and take you to the court to play some ball. Maybe you could be the MVP, or anything you want to be. I taught you how to read and now your the best in school. Don’t you be a fool and listen when they call you weird just because you’re smart. I’ll pick you up at three, but when we get home there’s somewhere else I gotta be Grandma wouldn’t like it, but it’s something I have to do I gonna have to start skipping Sunday School We’re gonna stick together, me and you Love is such a beautiful thing. Now you see this? This is not a toy. Don’t you touch it, not even with the safety on. I’d hate if you made a mistake but if I ever go away just drop it in the lake That won’t happen. We’re not wards of the state; we’re kin. We’re gonna have to move in with some friends. They’ll like you a lot, but just don’t do what they do. don’t smoke any pot. If you’re by a window and you hear a sound don’t look for where it came from just drop drown. Crawl fast as you can to the tub. Love is such a beautiful thing.
40.
When the fire's rainin', oh lord and the quiet stream's about to blow. Your keyboard's complainin', oh lord The steps of your next dance you do not know. Open your shoes and take off your letter. It's all falling apart together. It doesn't matter what the world may say when your goals are aimless, oh lord and you finished your novel from back to front. When the truth is changin', oh lord and you don't know where to take your guts. Around the corner and under the border the one whole was sliced into quarters. It doesn't matter what the world may say. It doesn't matter what the world may do. I see the sunshine breakin' through. I see the sunshine breakin' through. Open your shoes and take off your letter. It's all falling apart together. Re-reading empty pages, oh lord Painting on a canvas that will not stain Be yourself on stages, oh lord Spread your vegetables and eat your name The main mission is always arrival. Don't end up dead on survival. It doesn't matter what the world may say. It doesn't matter what the world may do. I see the sunshine breakin' through. I see the sunshine breakin' through.
41.
The sun finds your eyes and I just realized that your shine hasn’t faded with grey. We’re not such old folks and though we do struggle some fun hasn’t all washed away. I’ll grab my tux and you call the limo. We’ll show ‘em all that we ain’t that simple. After the ball we’ll just smile for a century. Chandeliers, diamonds and wine. Pictures of mothers and fathers are hung in the living room along the wall. Most of them smiling, but through all their ups and downs never had much use for style. You in your gown and nose in the sky. I tip my stovepipe to folks on the by. After the ball, we’ll have pictures in tabloids. Gossip and rumor abound. Slide off your ring, I’m your gentleman caller. The parlor’s where debutantes sing. Siren a song with an old-timey melody. We’ll sweep the floor in our glide. Ain’t it so fun? Just you and me, honey Ain’t it so fun to pretend we got money? We may waltz to stormy weather, but the dancing is lasting forever. Ain’t it so fun? Just you and me, honey. Ain’t it so fun to pretend we got money? After the ball, we’ll give back all the borrowed clothes, pick up the kids and head home. The sun finds your eyes and I just realized that your shine hasn’t faded with grey
42.
Born in the alley of a dead man's town First kick I took was when I hit the ground I had a dream but I woke up again The deck is stacked against us but we have to go all in We're forced to play the game where the house will always win R-e-v-o-l-u-t-i-o-n Waiting for heroes come to save the day We never see the villains anyway Who got the dollar that's worth all this hurt? My sister's tryin' to cope with it so she had to steal Mom's purse. My bucket's got a hole in it and my heart is even worse R-e-v-o-l-u-t-i-o-n I look world round at what the system's doin' Folk ain't got nothin' and afraid to lose it Deeper in debt so then the harder you bet They say can't afford the raise then they board their private jets Their families' set for centuries while you can't pay the rent R-e-v-o-l-u-t-i-o-n
43.
The alarm busts in your dreams Do you snooze it or just let it ring? (I’m workin’ on it) But you rise to meet the day and you struggle just to do your thing. (I’m workin’ on it) You got a purpose in you you can hide but you can’t match it with the world outside. I’m workin’ on it, baby I’m workin’ on it, baby I’m workin’ on it, baby I’m workin’ on it, baby When a single grain of sand is all that you have to start your plans (I’m workin’ on it) Precious few can understand Still you try to be an upright man (I’m workin’ on it) It’s just something that you need to do and you’re hoping someone needs it too I’m workin’ on it, baby I’m workin’ on it, baby I’m workin’ on it, baby I’m workin’ on it, baby Got me workin’ on it (Go Johnny, go go) See me workin’ on it (Go Johnny, go go) Feel me workin’ on it (Go Johnny, go go) Hear me workin’ on it (Go Johnny, go go) I’m workin’ on it, baby I’m workin’ on it, baby I’m workin’ on it, baby I’m workin’ on it, baby Got me workin’ on it (Go Johnny, go go) See me workin’ on it (Go Johnny, go go) Feel me workin’ on it (Go Johnny, go go) Hear me workin’ on it (Go Johnny, go go)
44.
2065 03:56
The honey in your tea The pain from where you bleed i wish it all could never leave Let's get old I wouldn't mind not at all Dirt under your nails in the garden Soaking up the warm afternoon In the sun Dancing round the floor at a friend's house Smelling all the sweat in the room Feeling young I hope you're still alive in 2065 The colors all around the sky down to the ground The way it feels, the way it sounds Let's go on Never end Never done Sit around the fire singing old songs Warm faces flicker in the night Feeling love Big lake stretching out the moonlight Catching fireflies with your hands Having fun I hope you're still alive in 2065

about

So to recap, The Songster Part 2 is a collection that I keep adding more songs to. Mostly a homemade, one-man-show, though I've had some crucial help. It started in 2015 as an island of misfit songs that didn't work with the band. Nowadays it's the main thing. I don't listen to this stuff much. On to the next thing, ya know? But when I do, it feels like I am the artist I've always wanted to be. So I got that goin for me, which is nice.

I've been averaging 1 new chunk of tunes per year. The newest stuff you gotta scroll down the page to check out. I'm not sure how digestible it all seems, but it's not so daunting. Picture it like a buffet. You don't have to eat everything in one visit, but my God is it fun to try. Man, now I'm hungry.

This fifth edition isn't quite complete yet, but I got tired of sitting on what I finished. Also, I might make a poetry book out of these tunes. Wouldn't that be cool? Download the songs, listen and read along? Or just read? Yeah. Maybe. Hey, you heard about this coronavirus thing?

-Brooks Long, May 2020
P.S. - Be safe! Promise?
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Hey, shit happens. Sometimes for at least four years. It's both a time to keep fighting and to keep yourself together. Writing songs, that's how I do it. I hope they help.

I've added six new tracks to my island of misfit songs: Mr. President (a sound collage and the unfortunate sequel to Mr Trump), The Songster Part 4, You Like Everybody, New Miami, Feet and On Time Love.

Be on time.
-Brooks Long, December 2016
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Is this the new album? No, that comes out on May 13th (album release party May 13th at Ottobar!!! You can still donate and pre-order at www.gofundme.com/brookslong).

This, friends, is my island of misfit songs I call The Songster Part 2. (Long story) It's an ever-expanding collection of songs that don't fit with The Mad Dog No Good shows. So I've got nine new ones for you - My Mission, Hallelujah Choir, She Done Digged Deep, Tenderness, Blues In The USA, Empathy, The Songster Part 3, Strange Jigsaw Case and Mr. Trump. What a guy.

This 2nd edition is dedicated to Cody Chestnutt, who showed me that if an artist has something to say, he or she can and should find some way to say it, conventions be damned. Also, I unconsciously stole his main lyrical theme in "Headphone Masterpiece" for The Mad Dog No Good's upcoming album, "Mannish Boys."

-Brooks Long, April 2016
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Table of Contents

I. Incoherent rant
II. Coherent rant
III. What is The Songster Part 2, anyway?
IV. Blurt


I.

There is a great spewing revolutionizing our times. Every thought, emotion, ambition and whim is casually immortalized by the great glow of the nexus. Type, type. Click, click. New ones all the time and in the tangled jungle of the nexus you can either read or be read by friends you never would have had before. Yet here we sometimes see great warfare, powerful aggression, though without the sting of suffering because it doesn’t really matter, does it? And you read more words than your grandfather ever did, but what matters? Only the glow itself matters, says the glow. Can you remember how much every sound, every painstaking etching must have mattered at the beginning of language? Tree. Mother. Beast. Love. Out on some dangerous and golden African savanna, can you recall the value of meaning? What a struggle it must have been to get near the center of your mind’s focus, what a rush when you found others who had been trying to get at the same center, as if there were a center somewhere outside of the mind. Truth. Sometimes you sang it to each other. You felt proud, connected and mortally comforted when someone remembered your sounds. Oh dear, but here come the lies, and using the same sounds too. A lie is a non-thing that isn’t or doesn’t matter. Since there is more of nothing than there is of something, there are more lies than truths. Yet every lie desperately wants to be true. Today, there are many desperate people, people willing to pacify and be pacified, knowing they don’t mean what they say when they say they are searching for truth because they know they don’t have the time. Lies grow stronger and faster by the second, while truth comes by the same slow struggle it always has, its verification requiring a solitude the glow cannot provide. I am no better than you and cannot claim any truths to waste your solitude on, but I have been searching. Stay a while, away from the glow that we may soon find the substance and the center of the substance.

II.

Which is to say, The Songster Part 2 was, is and will be written away from our hyper-connected world and if there is anything of value in it, you will find it when you distance yourself from that world also. If you don’t have the time, believe me, I understand. There is so much happening these days, isn’t there? Hard to keep up with it all, much less slow it down. I wrote the above some months ago; you’d think something happened to my head. But just because a man goes crazy doesn’t mean he’s not saying some real shit; check out Sly & The Family Stone’s “There’s A Riot Goin’ On.”

The glow of a computer screen. You know, social media can be so wonderful, but ultimately it scares me. Yes, it is a place where we find engagements, births, graduations and occasionally thoughtful social discussion. But much of the time it is a place to blurt. And blurting is strongly encouraged on these sites; it is the quantity, not quality, of expression that generates attention. I can’t see this being good for anybody, most especially artists. The time it takes to step back, take a walk in the park, internalize and reflect is time that could have been taken to blurt twenty or so posts that would really do well for your “Likes” average. Yet no one needs social media attention more than an independent music artist and yet still no one needs to stay away from the blurting environment more than an artist. What the hell are we going to do? We owe it to our art and to the fellow artists who help us create to bring attention to the art; we also owe it to ourselves and to those who give us attention to make sure we are creating great art. You can’t take money or “Likes” with you to the grave, but great art rarely goes in the grave in the first place.

III.

On the way to an amazing Al Green concert in 2010, I got into a car accident that should have killed me. After that, I felt great pressure to release an album that would show totally who I was as an artist just in case I never got another chance. That was The Songster, which we’ll now call Part 1. But now it’s 2015 and I’m still not dead. I spent a few years literally believing I had to allow my passion to kill me; I sacrificed my finances, my relationships, my friends, my family and sometimes my own life, accidentally. Figured it was worth the risk; some sort of “beautiful suicide” notion. Stupid. I don’t care how many others have that notion; I don’t care how many times that notion has worked out for people. It’s stupid. Live your dreams, yes. Let them kill you? Fuck that shit. Anyway, I wound up on the side of the road again, this time after my own gig. Could have died. Again. But Geico Roadside Assistance and my dad came to the rescue, just like he did a thousand times as a kid. Later that night, he drove me to the train station so I could make the Wilmo Rock Circus. Backstage after the set, I told the guys something had to change and I needed time to do some figuring. That’s when I thought up The Songster Part 2.

The Songster Part 2 is not an album, but a continually expanding collection of songs that will be added to every few months or so for the rest of my life since I am now under the assumption that life could be quite long. It is a promise to myself that I will uphold my life-long commitment to song craft no matter what the future holds in store. Is The Mad Dog No Good still going? Of course! As long as it still makes sense. And as of this writing, I am very grateful that it still makes sense. But you know how it goes. I just don’t want some snot-nosed kids asking, “How come Grandpa Brooks never has any food for us?” “Don’t ask questions, honey. Just tell him he looks great for his age and that the band’s gonna make it.” I’d rather them come over, get some good, possibly nutritious food and play them some records. “This is Sam Cooke. The ‘e’ is silent. Yes, you can have another cookie. Did your parents let you have a Facebook account?” Then after they went home, I’d pick up my guitar, turn on my futurized recording machine and maybe that’s when I’d finally, after all those years of trying, finally make my masterpiece.

IV: Blurt

I wouldn’t consider these songs demos, but my main concern is not production, as you can probably tell. On my home recordings I had fun, but I’m sure a million things were done wrong and since The Songster Part 2 is my own little corner of the world, I will happily keep them wrong. Lo-fi, they call it. But if anyone wants to spruce any of these tunes up proper, be my guest! It’s every songwriter’s dream that people will keep singing the songs. For me, as long as the songwriting is presented well enough, I’m satisfied. So yes, now that I think about it, these are a bit like demos. But I hope they connect.

credits

released January 16, 2015

As before, I could definitely be sued into a hole in the ground for the many samples and a song appropriation in this 2nd edition. But this Songster thing is not about profit. It is about expression. Everything that you hear comes from conviction. I really don't care if I make a dime from this. Just, please, listen. I think Randy wouldn't mind.

Songs 14 - 22 written, performed and strangely produced by Brooks Long, except "Blues In The U.S.A.," adapted from "Born In The U.S.A" by Bruce Springsteen

-Brooks Long, April 2016


The many samples at the beginning of “Baby Train” are a collection of some of my favorite beginnings to some of my favorite albums. (You’ll also find Mr. Calhoun Tubbs, one of my first musical influences on one of my first favorite TV shows.) If certain interested parties happen to find out about it, I hope they may take the complement rather than my non-existent funds.

All songs written by Brooks Long except “The White Flag Of Love” written by Brooks Long with assistance from LaFayette Gilchrist. Much love, brother.

All songs produced by Brooks Long except “Freddie’s Walking Home,” “Apologize,” and “Volcano Tax” [featuring a terrible overdub by Brooks] produced by Shea Springer at Sweetfoot Studios in Easton, MD and “Delivered” produced by Nate Safren.

All instruments played by Brooks Long except drums on “Freddie’s Walking Home,” “Apologize,” and “Volcano Tax” by Shea Springer and percussion on “Delivered” by Arschel J.C. Morell, Jr. and Dan Samuels

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