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This section contains the song lyrics to my latest release, One-Way
Ticket. If you want more lyrics, check out the lyrics
to The Smashing of Pictures.
Some of my favorite lyricists are Bob Dylan, Prince, Lennon/McCartney,
and spoken word poets (Kerouac, Maggie Estep, and Saul Williams). I like
to mix pop and poetry. Songs on this disc include:
She's a full breath of fresh mountain air
With thick dark Italian hair.
She's a pocketful of money and a night on the town.
She's my mother's handmade wedding gown.
She's a beach vacation ocean-side,
A fireplace in the wintertime,
My Appalachian moonshine,
She's my…Christmas in July.
She's smooth skin with a hint of perfume.
She's an early morning feeling in the afternoon.
She's a crackling fire and a great read.
She's a lover and a friend in my time of need.
She's a beach vacation ocean-side,
A fireplace in the wintertime,
My Appalachian moonshine,
She's my…Christmas in July.
At Christmas, she gives me chocolate kisses…
For Valentine's she bakes a pumpkin pie…
November sees us shooting off the fireworks…
And I'm giving thanks cuz my baby's just like Christmas in July.
OOOh. She's the biggest heart--
A cross-country trip in a luxury car--
Sunday morning pancakes, toast, and ham,
An opera, a ballad, and a hip-hop jam,
A never-ending gold mine,
An exotic Hawaiian coastline,
The lovely summer morning sunshine,
Oooh-my my…
My Christmas in July.
She's 3 kids, a dog, and a summer home.
She's 50 years of feeling so young,
The best advice at just the right time--
She's always the finest glass of wine.
She's a beach vacation ocean-side,
A fireplace in the wintertime,
My Appalachian moonshine,
She's my…Christmas in July.
Copyright Brian Hartzog
I want all the masses to move dey asses--
Something's getting funky in here.
I want all the masses to move dey asses--
Something's getting funky in here.
I want all the masses to move dey asses--
Something's getting funky in here.
I want all the masses to move dey asses--
Something's getting funky in here.
I want the girls over there
To hop up on the closest chair--
Shake it like you never have before, yeah…
If you can dance,
Now's your chance--
Take this groove and rock it til you're sore, yeah…
It's a Motha, Motha Funky (Oooh, it's a funky motha)
It's a Motha, Motha Funky (Oooh, it's a funky motha)
It's a Motha, Motha Funky (Oooh, it's a funky motha)
It's not just funky, y'all…it's a motha funky!
Everybody in the place--
Come get you some bass!
Can't you feel the rhythm that we're jammin'…
I got drums and dark brown guitar sounds
The baddest mofo groove around…
I got the beat to keep the party slammin'…
It's a Motha, Motha Funky (Oooh, it's a funky motha)
It's a Motha, Motha Funky (Oooh, it's a funky motha)
It's a Motha, Motha Funky (Oooh, it's a funky motha)
It's not just funky, y'all…it's a motha funky!
Where y'all keep yo' funk at?
(Bckgd:) Right here, yo, we got it right here.
Where do you keep your sexy girls?
(Bckgd:) Right here, umm hmm, Right here.
Has anybody heard where the party's at?
(Bckgd:) Right here, yo, we got it right here.
Did anyone else bring a beat that's phat?
(Bckgd:) Right here, umm hmm, Right here.
I want all the masses to move dey asses--
Something's getting funky in here.
I want all the masses to move dey asses--
Something's getting funky in here.
I want all the masses to move dey asses--
Something's getting funky in here.
I want all the masses to move dey asses--
Something's getting funky in here.
Sexy people of the world!
Every boy and every girl--
Clap your hands and freak out with the band!
Yellow, black, and red,
Closet queens and Deadheads,
Listen up, y'all, this ain't no average jam…
It's a Motha, Motha Funky (Oooh, it's a funky motha)
It's a Motha, Motha Funky (Oooh, it's a funky motha)
It's a Motha, Motha Funky (Oooh, it's a funky motha)
It's not just funky, y'all…it's a motha funky!
It's a funky, funky motha!
It's gonna kick your ass!
Get some Southern funk--
Don't you want to feel how I feel to night? (You know it's alright…)
I want all the masses to move dey asses--
Something's getting funky in here.
I want all the masses to move dey asses--
Something's getting funky in here.
I want all the masses to move dey asses--
Something's getting funky in here.
I want all the masses to move dey asses--
It's time to rock it up tonight!
Oooh-what's that smell? (Something's getting' funky N here!)
Oh--what chu doin'? (We're cookin' up da funk tonight!)
Put your groove in the stew (Stir it with what you've got!)
We made our own recipe (And we serve it up nice and hot…)
My drummer's getting loose and
I'm kinda a ham--
I got the juice--this is the jam!
Feel the bass thump and the snare makin' time--
As you ball to the beat and you rap with the rhyme--
Roll to the joint , dance around the chords--
Everybody get up! and holler for more.
It's for the virgin and the junky,
And the artsy and the punky,
And the skinny and the chunky,
And the cheeky little monkey…
It's a…Funky! Funky!
It's a real motha funky!
Funky! Funky!
Real motha funky!
It's not just funky…
It's a Southern style deep-fried,
Swamp water skinny dippin',
Carolina pig pickin',
Homemade hand-me-down,
Grits-eatin' small town,
Hot Jalapeno Cornbread funky Motha Funky!
It makes me wanna soak my toes in Robotussin
Makes my iced tea turn green
Copyright Brian Hartzog
Amy was 7, the first time that she ran--
Scared of her mother's silence and her stepfather's hands…
They found her near Grandma's, three miles away--
No one dared to explain why she wouldn't stay…
All they could say is…
Amy's Run Away.
Amy was only 16 when she left for good--
With a Greyhound ticket, a suitcase, and a wrinkled map of Hollywood.
The kitchen window frames her mother's tears--
A portrait of the daily prayers, unanswered through the years,
A mother's worst fear-
Her baby's run away.
She first met trouble her 2nd week in town
It was 6 foot 3, 185, Caucasian male, age 39
With an arm tattoo of a skeleton in a wedding gown…
As a runaway, she couldn't call the cops.
As a little girl, she couldn't make him STOP!
Please, baby, Please-
Run away!
Amy was 22 and dancing at a bar part-time--
She promised me drinks all nite if I agreed to stay awhile…
She found me after last call, asked me for my name.
The way she used it all nite, I really thought she'd stay--
But I woke up to my mistake…
Amy's run away.
Run, run, run, run baby!
Run away!
Copyright Brian Hartzog
Will you come back to me?
I've come back for you.
Will you come back to me?
I've come back for you.
I betcha wonder why you're here…
if we can't reconcile…
Don't you want a last Italian meal
to remember our romance by???
I guess there's something that I really have to know--
When you're with him, don't you still feel alone--
Are you thinkin' about letting him go?
Don't say "No". Please, don't say "No".
I was thinking we could drink some wine
By quiet candlelight…
Maybe later, we can talk old times
And laugh away the night…
But first, there's something I gotta know--
When you're with him, don't you still feel alone?
Baby, please, will you just let him go?
Don't say "No". Please, don't say "No".
Will you come back to me?
I've come back for you.
Will you come back to me?
I've come back for you.
Truthfully, I'm not too well--
Nighttime worries me to sleep…
And I can't get it through my head
That I'm supposed to let you leave…
There's only one thing that I have to know…
Cuz with him, I can tell you're more alone…
Are you ever gonna let him go?
Don't Say "No"!
Don't say "No"!
Please, don't say "No"!
Copyright Brian Hartzog
At 8 a.m., gridlocked in a traffic jam--
You'll never make the meeting at 9. (breathing)
9:10. You rush in--the meeting's been postponed again--
No one thought to tell you in time!
And every day, the same routine--
You take a hit of strong caffeine,
Underneath the office lights so bright they burn your eyes…
Your project is due.
There's 80 emails to go through--
And lists of people to call.
Voice mail, email, memo, fax--
No one helpful calls you back--
The stress starts to rip you apart...
And everyday, the same routine--
Earn your two weeks of leave…
And you're staring at a screen as your best days pass you by...
Welcome to your Daily Grind.
From the day you start, you stay behind…
Working all the time, but you're barely getting by--
Welcome to your day...your Daily Grind.
It's 12:02, your boss assigns you something new--
It's due before you can go! (breathing)
Skipping lunch, no time to stop.
Check your watch--
Watch the clock.
How will you get it all done?
And everyday, the same routine
Crazy deadlines and bureaucracy
Watch your back and count the years til you retire…
Welcome to your Daily Grind.
From the day you start, you stay behind…
Working all the time, but you're barely getting by--
Welcome to your day...your Daily Grind.
Ooh-And they tell you what to do!!!
Oh--They're not paying you to think...
Or for late nights every week...
If they could, they'd make you work for free...
At 3 o'clock, a client calls--her bill is wrong...
She screams til you take the blame...
Track your minutes, bill the time...
Focus on the bottom line...
For bigwigs who don't know your name...
And every day, the same routine-
Layoff rumors and restructuring-
All the raises get delayed, but the pink slips arrive on time…
Welcome to your Daily Grind.
From the day you start, you stay behind…
Working all the time, but you're barely getting by--
Welcome to your day...your Daily Grind.
Welcome to your Daily Grind.
From the day you start, you stay behind…
Working all the time, but you're barely getting by--
Welcome to your day...your Daily Grind.
Copyright Brian Hartzog
Last night, while she cried a pillow full of broken dreams,
Her husband slept by her side.
At morning light, before she woke him up, she started tea and then, she
dried her eyes.
As she got dressed, a mirror full of loneliness stared back at her til
she turned away.
Today, she's still the same girl who dreamed that her father would return
on her birthday…
She's Daddy's Little Girl
My look at how she's grown
Daddy's Little Girl--
Buried her heart at home.
This afternoon, she locked herself inside her room
writing letters to clear her head.
She filed one in a dusty box of memories that hides away
beneath the bed.
She's Daddy's Little Girl
My look at how she's grown
Daddy's Little Girl--
Buried her heart at home.
Dear Daddy,
She's a woman now--
But tonight she's really missin' you…
Daddy,
Won't you come make
her birthday wish come true?"
Tonight as guests arrive, she smiles from her dress…
She counts the candles on her cake.
No one there will ever know the little girl that hides
Behind her birthday face…
She's Daddy's Little Girl
My look at how she's grown
Daddy's Little Girl--
Buried her heart at home.
Dear Daddy,
She's a woman now--
But tonight she's really missin' you…
Daddy,
Won't you come make
her birthday wish come true?"
Copyright Brian Hartzog
I was hangin' outside a street café--
When she parked her car and headed my way…
She was lost; I knew where she needed to be--
Oh Yeah-She said, "Who needs a map--
You can ride with me...c'mon, c'mon, c'mon..."
So we roared through town with her foot to the floor--
Yeah, we ran three lights at 104--
She was pumpin' and shiftin', wearin' high heels.
She said, "Feel the leather trim…
Watch the RPMs...c'mon, c'mon, c'mon..."
She's a Fast Girl in a Pretty Car,
Pedal to the medal in a red Jaguar…
She blows by in a flash of light,
All dolled up for the Saturday night…
She's a Fast Girl in a Pretty Car,
Cruisin' 'round town like a movie star…
She sets the mood with the radio on...
Rollin' down the road and a-singin' along...singin' along...singin' along--
Yeah... She's a Fast Girl in a Pretty Car!
The engine was hummin'; her body was tight…
I said, "You need to slow down, take the second right..."
She hit the gas and said, "That's not what I need..."
Oh Yeah! Then she said to me:
"Hold onto your seat...c'mon, c'mon, c'mon..."
She's a Fast Girl in a Pretty Car,
Pedal to the medal in a red Jaguar…
She blows by in a flash of light,
All dolled up for the Saturday night…
She's a Fast Girl in a Pretty Car,
Cruisin' 'round town like a movie star…
She sets the mood with the radio on...
Rollin' down the road and a-singin' along...singin' along...singin' along--
Yeah... She's a Fast Girl in a Pretty Car!
She never let me drive!
She never let me drive!
I asked about a dozen times!
She never let me drive--
I wanna drive--c'mon...c'mon...c'mon...
She pulled off the road at the edge of town (Yeah-let's get it on!)
She said, "Ooh-I wanna let my top down" (Yeah-let's get it on!)
She turned off the key, slid closer to me…
Oh Yeah…And all the lights were green,
If you know what I mean...c'mon, c'mon, c'mon..."
She's a Fast Girl in a Pretty Car,
Pedal to the medal in a red Jaguar…
She blows by in a flash of light,
All dolled up for the Saturday night…
She's a Fast Girl in a Pretty Car,
Cruisin' 'round town like a movie star…
She sets the mood with the radio on...
Rollin' down the road and a-singin' along...singin' along...singin' along--
Yeah... She's a Fast Girl in a Pretty Car!
Fast Girl in a Pretty Car!
Take a little chance and you will go far--
with a fast little momma in a pretty car!
Copyright Brian Hartzog
All my clothes will fit in half your closet.
My guitar will slide underneath your bed.
Have you got some extra space for a music man…
All I need is a place to crash with a roof overhead…
Find a little hospitality…
C'mon baby, can you make a little room for me?
I don't need plush accommodations…
Your hardwoods don't sound that hard to me.
I don't need much space at all to feel right at home---
If your room is small, the closer to me you'll be…
If you've got a vacancy…
C'mon, baby, can you make a little room for me?
C'mon, baby, can you make a little room for me?
I don't care if your loveseat ain't sexy…
Or your panties stay on the floor all day.
We could put your favorite chair to pretty good use.
And your pussycat will miss my lap when I've gone away.
I could use your generosity…
C'mon baby, can you make a little room for me?
C'mon, baby, can you make a little room for me?
Ooh Baby, don't you want to stay up late with me?
Ooh Baby, if you want someone warm to tuck you in, well then…
You should make a little room for me…
If you're a lady with compassion,
Come and meet me backstage when we're through.
If you've got no floor space for a wandering soul…
Would it be alright for just one night, if I slept with you?
If you need some TLC…
C'mon baby, can you make a little room for me?
C'mon baby, can you make a little room for me?
I need to know, can you make some room for me??
Copyright Brian Hartzog
It was 10 when I called, she was still in the shower
I said, ''Oooh I'm comin', give me half an hour…"
Checked my hair in the mirror as I put on my coat…
I closed the door--my baby was waiting, so I had to go…
Riding on the metro.
I heard the train comin' rollin' under the ground--
There was no one in the booth-almost no one around--
I jumped the gate not to pay the fare
The cop there just stared, didn't dare chase, I was free to go...
Riding on the metro…
You know how it goes, I can't stop when I wanna go…
Riding on the metro.
The doors began to close, I was 10 feet away.
I stuck my arm in to cause a d-d-delay
The intercom said: "Step back from the door!"
The closed, and I rode, smiling from my seat as we started to roll…
Riding on the metro…
You know how it goes, I can't stop when I wanna go…
Riding on the metro.
Through Greenwich, Midtown, Chelsea,
Lexington, Lincoln, the Bowery,
Rockefeller, 42nd, Bleecker Street--
Anywhere I wanna go…
Fulton, Canal, and Wall Street,
Christopher, Cortlandt, Bowling Green,
Union, Houston, Delancey Street--
Anywhere I wanna go--
Tunneling the city's soul…
Riding on the metro.
I hopped off the train at the end of the line,
Running for my baby--makin' pretty good time…
But then I heard something, made me turn around--
From deep in the ground, it was the downtown line calling me to go…
For another ride on the metro…
You know how it goes, I can't stop when I wanna go…
Riding on the metro.
Addicted to the City
I'm addicted to the city--
Need my air thick and gritty--
Cravin' crowds like a drug--
A metropolitan buzz.
I'm addicted to the city--
I need it to breathe!
I'm addicted to the city--
It's my favorite disease.
As I stride my usual beat,
Listening to the sounds of the city street,
The asphalt summer exhales its heat
And I'm lost in the rush hour crowd.
Traffic races,
Stops, argues, chases,
As the colorful creatures crawl up from their stoops
To take a deep breath
To take a deep breath
To take a deep breath of the noise…
They scurry quickly down into the caves--
Where a saxophone plays--
begging for a quarter,
begging for a quarter,
begging for a quarter or a dime.
Look! There's a drag queen in Stilettos!
2 brothers from the ghetto--
A punk with a face full of pins!
A yuppie, a hippie,
A WASP, a dike,
A drunk, a cop,
A hustler, a mime--
A subway car of every color skin…
An aspiring waitress in designer jeans,
With the nicest fake watch I've ever seen!
5 o'clock vodkas in business suits--
a Sikh, a Muslim, a prostitute--
A sidewalk chalk artist headed to the park,
Tourists getting nervous cuz the city's getting dark--
Every villain sharpens his teeth--
The pusher, the pimp, the con man, the thief--
The shadows have eyes, the eyes have fingers, the fingers have minds of
their own--
Whatever you do…
Never--
Ever--
Travel the underground--
At night--
Alone!
The Graffiti prophets spray Truth on walls--
I pause to breathe the poetry of it all…
And there at the next stop, a beautiful long-haired,
Street-smart urban girl gets on, sits next to me,
Looks up, and our eyes lock--
As we disappear into the black veins of the underground…
And all around,
Magic moments arrive like passing trains--
Like passing trains--
There's more told each second in the city,
Than I can ever explain!
I'm addicted to the city--
Need my air thick and gritty--
Cravin' crowds like a drug--
A metropolitan buzz.
I'm addicted to the city--
I need it to breathe!
I'm addicted to the city--
It's my favorite disease.
Copyright Brian Hartzog
Baby, I got a few drinks in me tonight,
But they're leavin' me unsatisfied…
And you're lookin' alright…
Can we go for a drive-
My convertible's right outside?
Baby, can I buy you a drink tonight?
If you've had two, you're still two behind…
Don't mean to seem undignified…
But if you've got some time,
My car's parked right outside.
We could go for a ride,
Cuz I'm still ok to drive…
Baby, if I can get a few drinks in you,
You'd start to see the things the way that I do--
You'd let me take you home tonight--
Tell your girlfriends "goodbye"--
Cuz you're going for a midnight ride.
I got a full tank of gas,
And I'm still okay to drive.
We could take it slow--
And enjoy the cruise control…
Or I could get you home, burning rubber to the road.
Baby-my place is real close by…
Less than a downhill neighborhood mile
And it's almost closing time…
So I'm giving you my keys
But we're takin' an all night drive
Yeah-I'm giving you my keys,
But I'm still okay,
(No matter what they say)
You know, I'm alright to drive.
You know I'm alright to drive.
I'm alright to drive.
I'm alright to drive.
I'm alright to drive.
Copyright Brian Hartzog
Every day it shows,
That you want to go--
The job you want right outside Chicago…
How can you say no?
Every night I pray,
That you'll decide to stay.
Sleeping Angel, are you afraid?
I fold my hands to God… I'm praying…
All By Myself
Left with nothing else to hold onto
All By Myself
Missing you from the town that you outgrew.
Every hour unwinds,
Leaving one less to say goodbye.
Domestic Flight #1205
Makes me want to cry…I'm crying…
All By Myself
Left with nothing else to hold onto
All By Myself
Missing you from the town that you outgrew.
Bye, bye, Baby
Surprised by the friends who've come to see you off
Driving home, I start to think
This town never seemed so small.
Maybe it's all my fault
Maybe it's part of who you are
But we haven't finished loading the car
But I can tell you're already gone…And now I'm…
All By Myself
Left with nothing else to hold onto
All By Myself
Missing you from the town that you outgrew.
I'll be waiting for you…
Copyright Brian Hartzog
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