Janis Ian Album

Would you like to learn to sing?
Would you like to sing my song?
Would you like to learn to love me best of all?

Anyone can learn the words
And the melody's so plain
This is my song to bring you back again.

I can teach you how to sing and dance
With a song and dance routine
And when my party's over
You can fall in love with me.

Would like to learn to Tango?
Do you dance the light Fandango?
Teach you how before we're done.

Anyone can make it two
Any two can turn to one
And the melody's lost
before the song's begun

Well, we sound so good together
And so poorly sung alone
Your harmony's an open breeze
Into my sheltered home.

I can teach you how to sing and dance
With a song and dance routine
And when my party's over
You can fall in love....with me.

I learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
And high school girls with clear skinned smiles
Who married young and then retired.
The valentines I never knew
The Friday night charades of youth
Were spent on one more beautiful
At seventeen I learned the truth

And those of us with ravaged faces
Lacking in the social graces
Desperately remained at home
Inventing lovers on the phone
Who called to say come dance with me
and murmured vague obscenities
It isn't all it seems
At seventeen

A brown eyed girl in hand me downs
Whose name I never could pronounce
Said, "Pity please the ones who serve,
They only get what they deserve"
The rich relationed hometown queen
Marries into what she needs
With a guarantee of company
And haven for the elderly

Remember those who win the game
Lose the love they sought to gain
In debentures of quality
And dubious integrity
Their small town eyes will gape at you
In dull surprise when payment due
Exceeds accounts received
At seventeen

To those of us who know the pain
of valentines that never came
And those whose names were never called
When choosing sides for basketball
It was long ago and far away
The world was younger than today
And dreams were all they gave for free
To ugly duckling girls like me

We all play the game and when we dare
To cheat ourselves at solitaire
Inventing lovers on the phone
Repenting other lives unknown
That call and say, come dance with me
and murmur vague obscenities
At ugly girls like me
At seventeen

I'm leaving by night
I'm leaving alone
I'm leaving it lie
When you waken I'll be gone
I would not beg for me
As I would not beg for you
Though I'd like to be the one
To see you through

Every step you have taken
Disappears with the tide
You're torn up and shaken
With changing your mind
You haven't got the grace
To say you'll finally decide
And you haven't got the strength
To stay and fight

Those people who surround you
Only want to see you weak enough to crawl
They'll lie for you decide for you
And buy up all your rights and all your wrongs
And they'll try to stop your singing
In the middle of your song
For they do not want you free
And they do not make you strong
But only drag you down
In the hole they're coming from

They say you are foolish in wanting the sun
Say you are selfish in learning to run
And they'll tell you that the darkness
Is a blessing in disguise
For you never have to notice
If you're sighted or you're blind
And they'll do their best
To keep you from the light

You're more than beginning
You're learning to fly
You feel like you're falling
But it passes in time
I hate to see a friend
Go down in flames without a song
So I'm waiting by the doorway
But I will not linger long

I'm leaving by night
I'm leaving alone
I'm leaving it lie
When you waken I'll be gone
I would not beg for me
As I could not beg for you
But I'd like to be the one
To see you through

Bright lighs and promises
A pocket full of dreams
That's what they pay me to be
Gold lame' and diamonds
I am a hometown queen
Honey, would sing it just for me?

When I was good
And when I was bad
I never thought I'd end up this way
With no dreams to hide me
Bright lights to guide me
How long does it take to make the grade?

Everywhere I hear
A ringing in my ear
Drummer, let the music play

Give me small town blues
Make it loud, make it do
Listen to the music sway.

Barrails and cocktails
Have you got a lite?
Ain't that what it pays to keep in site?

Over used and much abused
Promises of delight
Honey, would you care to spend the night?

Take a little time
Some memories and wine
Loosen up the sucker by the bar
And if he wants to hold you
If he wants to know
Honey, that's what your here for.

Until all I see
Is them reaching out for me
Drummer, play that ol' time melody.

Bright lights and promises
That's all it's for
Leave and enter by the service door
Now, I'm gold lame' and diamonds
Even if my gold is worn
Honey, can you show me more?

The days are okay
I watch the TV in the afternoon
If I get lonely
The sound of other voices, other rooms
Are near to me, I'm not afraid.

The operator, she tells the time
It's good for a laugh
There's always radio
And for a dime I can
Talk to God, dial-a-prayer,
Are you there? Do you care?
Are you there?

And in the winter
Extra blankets for the cold
Fix the heater getting old
I am wiser now, you know
And still as big a fool
Concerning you

I met your friend
She's very nice
What can I say?
It was an accident
I never dreamed we'd meet
Again this way, you're looking well
I'm not afraid

You have a lovely home
Just like a picture
No, I live alone
I found it easier
You must remember how
I never liked the party life
Up all night, lovely wife
You have a lovely wife

And in the winter
Extra blankets for the cold
Fix the heater getting old
You are with her now, I know
I'll live alone forever
Not together now

I remember photographs
Watercolors of the past
He turned and said – you ask much of me
Then, when we'd made our peace
We lay between the sheets
He turned and said – I set you free

Go on, be a hero, be a photograph
Make your own myths
Christ, I hope they last longer than mine
Wider than the sky we measure time by
Go on, be a hero, I set you free
Your stagehand lovers have conquered me
They'll send you carnations
While smiling faces look on and applaud
Go on, go on, go ‘way from me

I said – do you wish me dead
Lip service to books you've read
Articles on how to bed a bird in flight
You called it love - I called it greed
You say – you take what you want
I said – you get what you need

Go on, be a hero, be a man
Make your own destiny if you can
Go find a fence, locate a shell
And hide yourself
Go on, go to hell, go away from me
I need no charity

He said come unto me
I am beauty
I am the light
Come unto me
Hold the darkness and stay the night
I am wonder, I am the heart's delight
Tomorrow we'll fight

Come on come on, come on come near to me
Come be my fantasy
We'll talk it over again sometime
I'll send some flowers
To change your mind
But for tonight, turn out the light
Hold me – come on, come on
Set me free
Lend me your charity

There's never much to say between
The moments of our games and repartee
There's never much to read between
The lines of what we need and what we'll take
There's never much to talk about or say aloud
But say it anyway
Of holidays and yesterdays
And broken dreams that somehow slipped away

In books and magazines of how to be
And what to see while you are being
Before and after photographs
Teach how to pass from reaching to believing
We live beyond our means on other peoples' dreams
And that's succeeding
Between the lines of photographs, I've seen the past
It isn't pleasing

So strike another match
We'll have another cup of wine
And dance until the evening's dead
Of too much song and time
There's never much to talk about
Or read between the lines
Of what we dream about when we're apart
And no one's looking on to say "you're mine"

It was a good year then. It was a good year then
We all remember the time you threw the looking glass
And seemed a fool, or very clever
Don't spoil it all. I can't recall
A time when you were stuck without an answer
We'll live a quiet peaceful time between the lines
And go together

And I'm striking up the band
To play our last hurrah
We'll dance until we've killed another evening off
Don't think of anyone but me
I'll have no lovers on the side
Tonight is all we ever dreamed about
For once, let's get it right
We'll go down flying in the end
Throw another bottle in between the lines
We'll go down like a ship of state
Let's be gracious now
Between the lines

I haven't been loved by a man in quite a while
You know it ain't easy making me smile
Friends have their lovers
Men on a string
There must be something terribly wrong with me
Sometimes I feel like I haven't learned anything

How do you do?
Would you like to be friends?
No, I just want a bed for the night
Someone to tell me they care
You can fake it, that's all right
In the morning I won't be here

It's a sacrificial altar
And I'm laying down my head
And I'm telling you up front --
I haven't much to give
Is that how it's done,
or shall I sing and dance?
Give me a chance

How do you do?
Do you want to be friends?
Yes, that might be very nice
Maybe we'll fall in love
Every body has its price
Mine is yours for free
if you'll be in love with me

I haven't been loved by a man in quite a while
You know it ain't easy making me smile
Friends have their lovers
Men on a string
There must be something terribly wrong with me

I hear your voice in every corridor
I see your face in every picture frame
I feel your eyes in every starry sky
Lover, am I coming home again

Now am I humble, who once was proud
Now am I silent, who once was loud
Now am I waiting for the sound of your saying
Lover, am I coming home again

When you're gone, the sun don't shine
Light a light, light a light for me
Bring me back home again

And how we loved, 'til the years were days
How we laughed all our tears away
And now the time begins to fade
Lover, am I coming home again

There's a wisdom in the teachings
Of the old familiar songs
And a sorrow in repeating
All the old familiar wrongs
And a lesson to be learned
Though I've known all along
Lover, am i coming home again

Light a light, light a light for me
Light a light, light a light for me
Light a light, light a light for me
Bring me back home again
Bring me back home again

I don't want to ride
The milk train anymore
I'll go to bed at nine
And waken with the dawn
Have lunch at half passed noon
Dinner prompt at five
The comfort of a few old friends
Long passed their prime.

Pass the tea and sympathy
For the good ol' days long gone
Let's drink a toast to those who most
Believe in what they want
It's a long, long time 'til mornin'
Lays wasted on the dawn
I'll not write another line
For my true love is gone.

When the guest have done
I'll tidy up the room
I'll turn the covers down
And gazing at the moon
I'll pray to go quite mad
And live in long ago
Where you and I were once
So very long ago.

Pass the tea and sympathy
For the good ole'days long gone
Let's drink a toast
To those who most
Believe in what they want
It's a long, long time 'til morning
Lays wasted on the dawn
I'll not write another line
For my true love is gone.

When I have no dreams
To give you anymore
I'll lite a blazing fire
And wait within the door
And throw my life away
"I wonder why?", they all will say
Now I lay me down to sleep
Forever and a day.

Pass the tea and sympathy
For the good ol' days are dead
Let's drink a toast to those who best
surrvived the life they've led
It's a long, long time 'til mornin'
So build your fires high
Now I lay me down to sleep
Forever by your side.

Lay down now in slumber
Mama's boy is torn assunder
All the fields have gone grey
All the leaves are gone brown.

Let me tell you a story
Lay down, I know your weary
While the star's are in the sky
While the moons on the rise.

Lay down and don't you wake 'til mornin'
Close your eyes and helpless through the night
Lay down and dream of love and glory
This is a lover's lullabye.

There once was a magician
Fair he was, and handsome
Well, he brought to the table
All the fool's gold and wine.

And he promised us three favors
Said he was a saviour
But we drank all his glory
And we borrowed all his time.

Lay down and don't you wake 'til mornin'
Close your eyes and helpless through the night
Lay down and dream of love and glory
This is a lover's lullabye, my love
Sleep tight, my love
Softly fade away
The moon was made of old green cheese
To keep the night away.

Softly now, close your eyes
Lightly will fade
The moon was made for wakefull boys
To keep the night away.

Lay down, and don't wake 'til mornin'
Close your eyes all through the night
Lay down and dream of love and glory
This is a lullabye.

Lay Down, and don't wake 'til mornin'
Close your eyes all through the night
Lay down in all your glory
This is a lullabye
This is a lullabye.