Following on from Warren Zeavon's Play It All Night Long, here's one of his I can never tire of,
Werewolves of London
"I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain He was looking for the place called Lee Ho Fooks For to get a big dish of beef chow mein
Ah-hooo, werewolves of London, ah-hooo Ah-hooo, werewolves of London, ah-hooo
You hear him howling around your kitchen door You better not let him in Little old lady got mutilated late last night Werewolves of London again
Ah-hooo, werewolves of London, ah-hooo Ah-hooo, werewolves of London, ah-hooo, huh
He's the hairy-handed gent who ran amok in Kent Lately he's been overheard in Mayfair You better stay away from him He'll rip your lungs out, Jim Huh, I'd like to meet his tailor
Ah-hooo, werewolves of London, ah-hooo Ah-hooo, werewolves of London, ah-hooo
Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen Doin' the werewolves of London I saw Lon Chaney Junior walking with the Queen, uh Doin' the werewolves of London I saw a werewolf drinkin' a piña colada at Trader Vic's And his hair was perfect, na
Ah-hooo, werewolves of London Heh, draw blood Ah-hooo, werewolves of London"
Apparently there really was a place called Lee Ho Fooks! Continuing in the theme of great London songs here's a 1980s Pogues classic you won't often hear on the radio.
The Old Main Drag
When I first came to London, I was only sixteen With a fiver in my pocket and my ol' dancin' bag I went down to the dilly to check out the scene But I soon ended upon the old main drag
There the he-males and the she-males paraded in style And the old man with the money would flash you a smile In the dark of an alley you'd work for a five For a swift one off the wrist down on the old main drag
In the cold winter nights, the old town, it was chill But there were boys in the cafes who'd give you cheap pills If you didn't have the money, you'd cajole or you'd beg There was always lots of tuinol on the old main drag
One evening as I was lyin' down in Leicester Square I was picked up by the coppers and kicked in the balls Between the metal doors at Vine Street, I was beaten and mauled And they ruined my good looks for the old main drag
In the tube station, the old ones who were on the way out Would dribble and vomit and grovel and shout And the coppers would come along and push them about And I wished I could escape from the old main drag
And now I'm lyin' here, I've had too much booze I've been spat on and shat on and raped and abused I know that I am dyin' and I wish I could beg For some money to take me from the old main drag
"I was drivin’ home, early Sunday mornin’, through Bakersfield listenin’ to gospel music on a colored radio station and the preacher said, you know, you’ll ALWAYS have the LORD by your side, I was so pleased to be informed of this, that I ran twenty red-lights in his honor,
(Thank you Jesus, thank you Lord)
I had arrangements to meet a girl, and I was kind of late... I thought by the time I got there, she’d be off... she’d be off with the Nearest truck driver she could find much to my surprise, there she was, sittin’ in the corner, little bleary, worse for wear and tear was the girl... FAR away eyes
chorus so if you’re dowwwn on your luck and you can’t quite harmonize find a girl, with faaar away eyes
and if you’re down right disgusted and life ain’t worth a dang get a girl, with faaar away eyes"
Well the preacher kept right on sayin’ that all I had to do was send ten dollars to the Church of the Sacred Bleeding Heart of Jesus located somewhere in Los Angelis California and next week they’d say my payer on the RAdio and all my dreams would COME true
know next week I got a praaayer I got a Girrl… You know what kind of eyes she got? A Girrl, with far away eyes.
"Idiot wind Blowing through the buttons of our coats Blowing through the letters that we wrote Idiot wind Blowing through the dust upon our shelves We're idiots, babe It's a wonder we can even feed ourselves"
Dylan's final verse always comes to mind each time some new realisation gradually dawns upon me.
"Woke up on Monday and wrote you a love song, a love song well the pen stopped and the paper flew out the window and the notes rang down the road I don't know where they'll go, get caught in the trees I suppose ripped apart by the birds and the winter winds whisper good bye to your love..."
Two from the Queen of Folk - so much talent in one person. Sometimes I wish she’d taken the road of success rather than activism. Still, I think most of what she sought came to be. I certainly hope so.
"Like these flowers at your door and scribbled notes about the war We’re only saying the time is short and there is work to do And we’re still marching in the streets with little victories and big defeats"
"Now I see you standing With brown leaves falling around And snow in your hair Now you’re smiling out the window Of that crummy hotel Over Washington Square Our breath comes out white clouds Mingles and hangs in the air Speaking strictly for me We both could have died then and there"
"Here comes the helicopter second time today everybody scatters and hopes it goes away, how many kids they murdered only God can say
(if I had a rocket launcher....I'd make somebody pay)
I don't believe in guarded borders and I don't believe in hate I don't believe in generals or their stinking tortured states and when I talk with the survivors of things too sickening to relate
(if I had a rocket launcher...I would retaliate)
on the rio lacant'un one hundred thousand wait to fall down from starvation or some less human fate cry for Guatemala with a corpse in every gate
(if I had a rocket launcher...I would not hesitate)
I want to raise every voice at least I've got to try every time I think about it water rises to my eyes situation desperate echoes of the victims' cry
(if I had a rocket launcher...some son of a bitch would die)
"Not a day goes by that I don't think about you You left your mark on me. It's permanent, a tattoo, Pierce the skin and the blood runs through Oh my baby
(The way you move, it's right on time The way you move, it's right on time, It's right on time with me.)
I stand over the stove in the kitchen watch the water boil and I listen Turn off the television Oh my baby,
(chorus)
I take off my watch and my earrings my bracelets and everything Lie on my back and moan at the ceiling Oh my baby"
"I work mornings in the old yard, digging in the ground, but I moonlight as an astronaut, mostly just sit around and howl, won't you come to my house tonight, we could sleep on the floor, I got this window that looks out to Orion, I paid extra for, oh don't forget about the sun, he's forgotten us by now, kiss me so I remember how, we'll turn these sorrows into strangers, buy them a ticket on the train, drop 'em off at the station, watch 'em ride far away, far away"
@rlb61 , it’s funny how despite me feeling symbiotically linked to the Beatles, (like no doubt many, many others), I just can’t think of many lyrics that I consider great.
The magic of the Beatles is a most mysterious one. It’s not exclusively in the lyrics nor in the musicianship or even the image. It’s seems to be some wonderful combination of almost everything, especially the tunes.
Favourite lines don’t ring like poetry,
"Everywhere there’s lots of piggies Living piggy lives You can see them out for dinner With their piggy wives Clutching forks and knives to eat their bacon"
"People running round it’s five o’clock Everywhere in town it’s getting dark Everyone you see is full of life It’s time for tea and Meet The Wife"
"There’s people standing round Who’ll screw you in the ground They’ll fill you in with all their sins you see"
"I’m fixing a hole where the rain gets in And stops my mind from wandering Where it will go"
"Semolina Pilchard Climbing up the Eiffel tower Elementary penguin singing Hare Krishna Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allen Poe"
and finally perhaps the best pure lyric they ever came up with,
"Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup They slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe Pools of sorrow waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind Possessing and caressing me Jai guru deva om
Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world
Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes They call me on and on across the universe Thoughts meander like a restless wind Inside a letter box they Stumble blindly as they make their way Across the universe Jai guru deva om
Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world
Sounds of laughter shades of life are ringing Through my open ears inciting and inviting me Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns And calls me on and on across the universe Jai guru deva om
Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world Nothing’s gonna change my world
Jai guru deva Jai guru deva Jai guru deva Jai guru deva"
Or in other words, “Talent borrows. Genius Steals!” Something Dylan himself understood only too well. Talking of Bob,
The guilty undertaker sighs The lonesome organ grinder cries The silver saxophones say I should refuse you The cracked bells and washed-out horns Blow into my face with scorn, but it’s Not that way, I wasn’t born to lose you I want you I want you I want you, so bad Honey, I want you The drunken politician leaps Upon the street where mothers weep And the saviors who are fast asleep, they wait for you And I wait for them to interrupt Me drinkin’ from my broken cup And ask me to open up the gate for you I want you I want you Yes I want you, so bad Honey, I want you How all my fathers, they’ve gone down True love they’ve been without it But all their daughters put me down ’Cause I don’t think about it Well, I return to the Queen of Spades And talk with my chambermaid She knows that I’m not afraid to look at her She is good to me and there’s Nothing she doesn’t see She knows where I’d like to be but it doesn’t matter I want you I want you Yes I want you, so bad Honey, I want you Now your dancing child with his Chinese suit he Spoke to me, I took his flute No, I wasn’t very cute to him, was I? But I did it, because he lied and Because he took you for a ride And because time was on his side and Because
I want you I want you Yes I want you, so bad Honey, I want you
ghosthouse, I’ve long been intrigued by the subject of the genesis of songs, not possessing that gift and talent myself. I’m sure Iris has heard "Black Diamond Bay", but she didn’t write "No Time To Cry" until almost twenty years after that song came out. The songs share the TV news theme, but the sentiment of the two is very different. Both great songwriters!
"I was sitting home alone one night in L.A. Watching old Cronkite on the seven o'clock news It seems there was an earthquake that Left nothing but a Panama hat And a pair of old Greek shoes Didn't seem like much was happening So I turned it off and went to grab another beer Seems like every time you turn around There's another hard-luck story that you're gonna hear And there's really nothing anyone can say And I never did plan to go anyway To Black Diamond Bay"
Lyrics: Bob Dylan - Black Diamond Bay from Desire
Not to step on your post, bdp. Couldn't resist posting based on the (slight) similarity. Never heard the Iris Dement tune. Guessing it conveys a less jaded attitude than what Bob conveys.
The third verse of Iris Dement’s "No Time To Cry", one of my absolute favorite songs:
"I sit down on the sofa and I watch the evening news
There’s a half a dozen tragedies from which to pick and choose
The baby that was missing was found in a ditch today
And there’s bombs a’flying, and people dying, not so far away
And I take a beer from the ’fridgerator and go sit out in the yard
And with a cold one in my hand I’m gonna bite down and swallow hard
Because I’m older now, I’ve got no time to cry"
Reading the lyrics doesn’t come close to conveying the devastating heartbreak in Iris’ singing of them. The song has been recorded by two of my all-time favorite singers, Merle Haggard and Kasey Chambers, both of them also superior songwriters themselves. You can hear the song on You Tube, and then go buy the album it is on, Iris’ My Life. Not a single bad song on it, one of my "Perfect Albums".
"Well I woke up Monday morning wondered if Tuesday would be this bad, yeah I woke up Monday morning wondered if Tuesday would be this bad Well I let that thing about last night ohhhhh... the bad whiskey I had
Ants in the sugar bowl weebles in the cornmeal I got ants in the sugar bowl weebles in the cornmeal, My old lady said "let's sleep late" I said "honey I believe I will"
Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone Susanne the plans they made put an end to you I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song I just can't remember who to send it to
I've seen fire and I've seen rain I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend But I always thought that I'd see you again
Won't you look down upon me, Jesus You've got to help me make a stand You've just got to see me through another day My body's aching and my time is at hand And I won't make it any other way
Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend But I always thought that I'd see you again
Been walking my mind to an easy time my back turned towards the sun Lord knows when the cold wind blows it'll turn your head around Well, there's hours of time on the telephone line to talk about things To come Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground
Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend But I always thought that I'd see you, baby, one more time again, now
Thought I'd see you one more time again There's just a few things coming my way this time around, now Thought I'd see you, thought I'd see you fire and rain, now
"Sun going down on a canyon wall I gotta soul that ain’t never been blessed, yeaahh ….my shadow at the back of the hall yeahh ...I got a sin I ain’t never confessed"
"Bums drink and wonder round tramps drink and wonder too well the hobo was a pioneer who preferred to work for food he knew how our nation was doin’ by the length of a sidewalk cigarette butt born with an aching wanderlust embedded within his gut hounded and beat and broke and chased out of every town with his walking stick severed with his coffee can crown the last, of the hobo kings.’
THE GREAT MARY GAUTHIER! "The Last of the Hobo Kings"
Now tell me there is no good music made today.....
"Well I stared out of my windshield into the rains so light I put on my dims... somebody flashed their brights, and I reached over turned the radio down low your sister cried all the way home lightening crashed and the road shown like a mirror a dog came out of the ditch and then he disappeared and I remember a conversation we had on the phone and your sister cried all the way home"
I just googled it, Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Throw Away Your Television - couldn’t agree with it more. I just use the TV for the occasional old movie (Last Picture Show, Kane, Vertigo, or YouTube / classic Doctor Who etc). Music is way less constrictive, and thank God I’ve still got friends worth talking to.
My dad seems to watch TV all day, but then he is in his 80's!
I have watched my fair share of TV in my life and now I fully embrace this song! Get out there and do it and live life yourself and not through others...get out of the stands passively wasting your life away and get out there on stage and really live! Make your life your performance! Step up to the plate! Take the noose off your ambition!
Throw away your television Time to make this clean decision Master waits for it’s collision now It’s a repeat of a story told It’s a repeat and it’s getting old
Throw away your television Make a break big intermission Recreate your super vision now It’s a repeat of a story told It’s a repeat and it’s getting old
Renegades with fancy gauges Slay the plague for it’s contagious Pull the plug and take the stages Throw away your television now
Oh oh oh
Throw away your television Take the noose off your ambition Reinvent your intuition now It’s a repeat of a story told It’s a repeat and it’s getting old
@cd318 I hear ya. I latched onto Tempest about 6 months ago, after reminiscing with Bob on his Americana "Triplicate" album. The dark nature, but beautiful brutality of Tempest had me enamored for a good 2 months.
But I hear ya, and thats why I only play Tempest once in while these days, when I need to balance the light with the dark, to keep perspective.
@1graber2 , Tin Angel reminds me a bit of Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts. But this time no one gets out alive.
Tempest is a great album but dark and brutal in places. I've not played it for a few years except for my favourite track Tempest, with the brilliant ending,
"The watchman he lay dreaming Of all the things that can be He dreamed the Titanic was sinking Into the deep blue sea"
@bdp24 Probably preaching to mostly the choir, but what is so amazing about Dylan is that he has reincarnated himself and/or his musical style/voice at least 4-5 times, every decade, and being successful with each one, particularly the success following his 60’s popularity (folk, from acoustic to electric guitar etc). This consistency is a testament to his talents, awarding him the Pulitzer.
E.g., Dylan prevailed with each new style and decade, from the 70’s music (from New Morning, gospel, to The Band to John Wesley Harding) to his 80’s music (Tangled up in Blue, Oh Mercy, etc) and so on an so forth. All different, all masterpieces IMO>
-But today, like the 2001 "love and theft" album that has received praise, I wanted to share some of Dylan’s more recent work, the "Tempest" lyrics from his 2012 album, a regular novel as it were .... the accompanying music is calm, measured, with a metronome-like bass thwacking, keeping a driving rhythm which inevitably signals a treacherous ending ...
----------------------------------- Tin Angel WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN ---------------------------------------- It was late last night when the boss came home To a deserted mansion and a desolate throne Servant said, “Boss, the lady’s gone She left this morning just ‘fore dawn.”
“You got something to tell me, tell it to me, man. Come to the point as straight as you can.” “Old Henry Lee, chief of the clan, Came riding through the woods and took her by the hand.”
The boss he laid back flat on his bed He cursed the heat and he clutched his head He pondered the future of his fate To wait another day would be far too late
Go fetch me my coat and my tie And the cheapest labor that money can buy Saddle me up my buckskin mare If you see me go by, put up a prayer
Well, they rode all night and they rode all day Eastward long on the broad highway His spirit was tired and his vision was bent His men deserted him and onward he went
He came to a place where the light was dull His forehead pounding in his skull Heavy heart was wracked with pain Insomnia raging in his brain
Well he threw down his helmet and his cross-handled sword He renounced his faith, he denied his Lord Crawled on his belly, put his ear to the wall One way or another he’d put an end to it all
He leaned down, cut the electric wire Stared into the flames and he snorted the fire Peered through the darkness, caught a glimpse of the two It was hard to tell for certain who was who
He lowered himself down on a golden chain His nerves were quaking in every vein His knuckles were bloody, he sucked in the air He ran his fingers through his greasy hair
They looked at each other and their glasses clinked One single unit inseparably linked “Got a strange premonition there’s a man close by.” “Don’t worry about him, he wouldn’t harm a fly.”
From behind the curtain the boss crossed the floor He moved his feet and he bolted the door Shadows hiding the lines in his face With all the nobility of an ancient race
She turned, she was startled with a look of surprise With a hatred that could hit the skies “You’re a reckless fool, I can see it in your eyes. To come this way was by no means wise.”
“Get up, stand up, you greedy lipped wench And cover your face or suffer the consequence. You are making my heart full sick. Put your clothes back on double quick.”
“Silly boy, you think me a saint. I’ll listen no more to your words of complaint. You’ve given me nothing but the sweetest lies. Now hold your tongue and feed your eyes.”
“I’d have given you the stars and the planets too But what good would these things do you? Bow the heart, if not the knee Or never again this world you’ll see.”
“Oh, please let not your heart be cold. This man is dearer to me, then gold.” “Oh my dear, you must be blind. He’s a gutless ape with a worthless mind.”
“You had your way too long with me. Now it’s me who’ll determine how things shall be. Try to escape,” he cussed and cursed, “You’ll have to try to get past me first.”
“I dare not let your passion rule. You think my heart, the heart of a fool. And you sir, you cannot deny You made a monkey of me, what and for why?”
“I’ll have no more of this insulting chat. The devil can have you, I’ll see to that. Look sharp or step aside, Or in the cradle you’ll wish you died.”
The gun went boom and the shot rang clear First bullet grazed his ear Second ball went right straight in And he bent in the middle like a twisted pin
He crawled to the corner and he lowered his head He gripped the chair and he grabbed the bed It would take more than needle and thread Bleeding from the mouth, he’s as good as dead
“You shot my husband down, you fiend.” “Husband, what husband, what the hell do you mean? He was a man of strife, a man of sin. I cut him down and I’ll throw him to the wind.”
“Hear this,” she said, with angry breath “You too shall meet the lord of death. It was I who brought your soul to life.” And she raised her robe and she drew out a knife
His face was hard and caked with sweat His arms ached and his hands were wet “You’re a murderous queen and a bloody wife. If you don’t mind, I’ll have the knife.”
“We’re two of a kind and our blood runs hot. But we’re no way similar in body and thought. All husbands are good men, as all wives know.” Then she pierced him to the heart and his blood did flow
His knees went limp and he reached for the door His doom was sealed, he slid to the floor He whispered in her ear, “This is all your fault. My fighting days have come to a halt.”
She touched his lip and kissed his cheek He tried to speak, but his breath was weak “You died for me, now I’ll die for you.” She put the blade to her heart and she ran it through
All three lovers together in a heap Thrown into the grave forever to sleep Funeral torches blazed away Through the towns and the villages all night and all day
Great postings @cd318. Printing out his lyrics puts the lie to the people who questioned the validity of Dylan’s 2016 Nobel prize for literature. Literature snobs! I also find Joni Mitchell’s recent critique of Dylan absurd. I admit to having never cared for her, but she is no where close to being on his level. Her critiquing Dylan would have been like The Monkees critiquing The Beatles ;-).
For me, Dylan's John Wesley Harding album was as revolutionary as were the three early masterpieces of his that you mention. Thank God for his motorcycle accident! That got him off the speed, and into the basement with The Hawks (soon to become The Band), where they reinvented Rock 'n' Roll!
@bdp24 yes it was the one for me that finally cracked the 'holy trilogy' of Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde On Blonde. Almost feels like sacrilege to even suggest such a thing!
Unlike those earlier amphetamine fuelled masterpieces, Love and Theft feels like a mature work finding Dylan in a playful mood.
"I asked Fat Nancy for something to eat She said, "Take it off the shelf As great as you are, man You'll never be greater than yourself." I told her I didn't really care High water everywhere"
"Well, my parents they warned me not to waste my years And I still got their advice oozing out of my ears"
"You can smell the pinewood burning You can hear the school bell ring Gotta get up near the teacher if you can If you wanna learn anything"
Compare that to the surreal brilliance of Tombstone Blues -
"Well, John the Baptist after torturing a thief Looks up at his hero the Commander-in-Chief Saying, "Tell me great hero, but please make it brief Is there a hole for me to get sick in?"
The Commander-in-Chief answers him while chasing a fly Saying, "Death to all those who would whimper and cry." And dropping a bar bell he points to the sky Saying, "The sun's not yellow it's chicken."
For over 25 years I've been calling one of my friends the 'Commander-in-Chief', or sometimes just 'Commander' or just 'Chief'.
"Sugar Baby" is on the "Love And Theft" (quotation marks in the title, as if to say..... ;-), album, which I have raving about for quite awhile here on Audiogon. It doesn’t seem to get mentioned much, but’s it’s a favorite of mine.
How about some more Dylan lyrics? My favourite (Mr Tambourine Man - final verse is as good as it gets for me) has already been mentioned at least twice, so here’s a few others which live strong in the memory.
"Your sister sees the future Like your mama and yourself You’ve never learned to read or write There’s no books upon your shelf" [we used to love quoting that last line in our college days!]
"I see a lot of people As I make the rounds And I hear her name here and there As I go from town to town And I’ve never gotten used to it I’ve just learned to turn it off Either I’m too sensitive Or else I’m gettin’ soft
Sundown, yellow moon I replay the past I know every scene by heart They all went by so fast
If she’s passin’ back this way I’m not that hard to find Tell her she can look me up If she’s got the time"
"A change in the weather is known to be extreme But what’s the sense of changing horses in midstream? I’m going out of my mind, oh With a pain that stops and starts Like a corkscrew to my heart Ever since we’ve been apart"
"Yes, I received your letter yesterday, about the time the doorknob broke When you asked me how I was doing, was that some kind of joke
All these people that you mention, yes, I know them, they’re quite lame I had to rearrange their faces and give them all another name
Right now, I can’t read too good, don’t send me no more letters no Not unless you mail them from Desolation Row"
[This next one, Sugar Baby, is my favourite Dylan song, everyone should listen to it at least once]
"I got my back to the sun ’cause the light is too intense I can see what everybody in the world is up against You can’t turn back you can’t come back, sometimes we push too far One day you’ll open up your eyes and you’ll see where we are Sugar Baby get on down the road You ain’t got no brains, no how You went years without me Might as well keep going now
Some of these bootleggers, they make pretty good stuff Plenty of places to hide things here if you want to hide ’em bad enough I’m staying with Aunt Sally, but you know, she’s not really my aunt Some of these memories you can learn to live with and some of them you can’t
Sugar Baby get on down the line You ain’t got no brains, no how You went years without me You might as well keep going now
The ladies down in Darktown, they’re doing the Darktown Strut You always got to be prepared but you never know for what There ain’t no limit to the amount of trouble women bring Love is pleasing, love is teasing, love’s not an evil thing
Sugar Baby, get on down the road You ain’t got no brains, no how You went years without me Might as well keep going now
Every moment of existence seems like some dirty trick Happiness can come suddenly and leave just as quick Any minute of the day the bubble could burst Try to make things better For someone, sometimes you just end up making it a thousand times worse
Sugar Baby, get on down the road You ain’t got no brains no how You went years without me Might as well keep going now
Your charms have broken many a heart and mine is surely one You got a way of tearing a world apart, love, see what you done Just as sure as we’re living, just as sure as you’re born Look up, look up seek your Maker ’fore Gabriel blows his horn
Sugar Baby, get on down the line You ain’t got no sense, no how You went years without me Might as well keep going now"
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