Jim Croce Album

Spin, spin, spin
Spin around, spin around

The harlequin dances in a costume of green
Spin around
But under his makeup his age can't be seen
Spin around
But where are you spinnin'
When will you know
That life is for livin'
That it isn't a show?

Spin, spin, spin
Spin around, spin around

You look out on the city from your penthouse so high
Spin around
But your pedestal's your prison and so is your high
Spin around
But where are you spinnin'
When will you know
That life is for livin'
That it isn't a show?

Spin, spin, spin
Spin around, spin around

Your pills are you conscience
They make ev'rything seem all right
Spin around
Take a white one go to sleep
Take a red one to stay up all night
To spin around
But where are you spinnin'
When will you know
That life is for livin'
That it isn't a show?
Spin, spin, spin
Spin around, spin around
Spin, spin, spin
Spin away, spin away
Spin, spin, spin
Spin around, spin around

I'd like to think about her
And the way she used to love me
But I just can't live without her
'Cause her arms are not around me
And the season's getting later
And my body's getting colder
And the vespers ring and I'm all alone
Without my love beside me

She'd call me in the evenin'
And ask me to come over
She'd be standing by the window
With her hair down around her shoulder
We'd talk a while and then she'd smile
Then she'd lock the door
And she would sit beside me
And we would talk no more

The bells would ring at six o'clock
And she'd be in my arms
Her head upon my shoulder, gently resting
And then she'd wake and look at me
Not knowing I'd been watching
Kiss me softly, then drift off to sleep

She'd call me in the evenin'
And ask me to come over
She'd be standing by the window
With her hair down around her shoulder
We'd talk a while and then she'd smile
Then she'd lock the door
And she would sit beside me
And we would talk no more

Big wheel, don't you roll
Big diesel, don't you whine
Through the night as I'm runnin' down the road
Big semi, don't you stop, 'cause if you do I'm not
Gonna make it back to Baltimore with my load

Well, the truckstop's warm and friendly
And the coffee keeps me up
And the waitress there would like to waste my time
But I'll have to pass it by
As it's down the road I fly
Just a racin' with that pocket watch of mine

Big wheel, don't you roll
Big diesel, don't you whine
Through the night as I'm runnin' down the road
Big semi, don't you stop, 'cause if you do I'm not
Gonna make it back to Baltimore with my load

Smoke a-puffin', tires a-hummin'
Burnin' up the road
Countin' road signs and the miles to Baltimore
One eye out for weighin' stations
One for radar traps
They can't stop me, 'cause my plans don't call for that

Cigareets and whuskey and wild wild women
They'll drive you crazy they'll drive you insane
Cigareets and whuskey and wild wild women
They'll drive you crazy they'll drive you insane

Once I was happy and had a good wife I had enough money to last me for life
I met with a gal and we went on a spree she taught me to smoke and drink whusky
Cigareets and whuskey...
And now I'm feeble and broken with age
The lines on my face make a well written page

I'm leavin' this story how sad but how true
On women and whusky and what they will do
Cigareets and whuskey...

Write on the cross at the head of my grave
For women and whusky here lies a poor slave
Take warning dear stranger take warning dear friend
Then write in big letters these words at the end
Cigareets and whuskey...
They'll drive you crazy they'll drive you insane

Met her in the summer
She was selling flowers In the streets of Paris
And we passed away the hours
Talking with our eyes and laughing
'Cause I spoke not her language
Still I remember her

Still we understood completely
That our love would last no longer
Than the mornings early chime
Still I cannot forget her
And the hours we spent together
And the time that she was mine
And I remember her

At first I felt uneasy
Cause she didn't care to know me
'Till our bodies introduced us
And we cared to know no more
In her softness warmth and giving
In her selfless way of giving
She had taught me so much more

Still we understood completely
That our love would last no longer
Than the mornings early chime
Still I cannot forget her
And the hours we spent together
And the time that she was mine
And I remember her

We parted in the rainy streets of Paris
She looked at me as though I'd never been
Then disappeared into a crowd of strangers
Her flowers in her hand
To sell her life again

Still we understood completely
That our love would last no longer
Than the mornings early chime
Still I cannot forget her
And the hours we spent together
And the time that she was mine
And I remember her
And I remember her

Well I know that I shouldn't have done it
I know it just wasn't right
Cause they got me back up to the cotton mouth river
And I can't cross late at night

I hear there's lots of stories told about the cotton mouth river
They tell them time and again,
About the men who tried to cross that river by moonlight
And never were heard from again

If I had all my live to live over
I'd have gone to work that day
Instead of going into town
And shooting him down
For a thing I never heard him say

I hear there's lots of stories told about the cotton mouth river
They tell them time and again,
About the men who tried to cross that river by moonlight
And never were heard from again

Well I just made it through the cane break
And I got one foot in the mud
I can hear the hounds obeying but the snake
Around my ankles telling me my running days are done

I hear there's lots of stories told about the cotton mouth river
They tell them time and again,
About the men who tried to cross that river by moonlight
And never were heard from again

I hear there's lots of stories told about the cotton mouth river
They tell them time and again,
About the men who tried to cross that river by moonlight
And never were heard from again

Hey love don't be afraid to stay until tomorrow
Lover's dawn is waiting just this side of day
If you thought I loved you yesterday
I'll love you more than that tomorrow

Hey love don't be afraid to hear the songs of morning
Birds will sing them as they're calling up the day
If I sang to you yesterday
I'll sing more than that tomorrow

If it should happen that you come to me
In the night we share our hearts
Whatever it is that you done to me
Between you and me, can't be undone...

If I should understand just why I need you by me
Then I would know the reasons for the songs of morning
'Cause if I wanted you yesterday
And if in the night we shared our hearts
Whatever it is that you done to me
Between you and me, can't be undone...

Hey love don't be afraid to stay until tomorrow
Lover's dawn is waiting just this side of day
If you thought I loved you yesterday
I'll love you more than that tomorrow

If you thought I loved you yesterday
I'll love you more than that tomorrow

Pickin' wasn't easy
Kept you brown and thin
Been a child for every season
That the fruit was on the limb

Pack the truck, Maria
Tell the kids we're off again
Cross a dozen states or more
We'll teach 'em what we can

Teach 'em what we can
We can't do more
The land is good
But still the livin's poor

Harvest in September
Drought in mid-July
January's peeking
Through a white lace gypsy sky

March rolls into April
Then plant and pray for rain
Sweat like hell in August
Run the circle once again

acRun the circle once again
And then once more
The land is good
But still the livin's poor

Oregon in August Michigan in May
Tryin' to make enough
To keep my family on its way
And buy the pickin' boss a drink
To keep working every day
You know it isn't honest
But you do it any way

Do it anyway to keep alive
Do it anyway to keep alive

She stood by the window
And let down her hair
Asked if I knew that I shouldn't be there
Her lips said goodbye
But her body said stay I knew I should go
But I stayed anyway

And they called her child of midnight
And they say she'd love whomever she'd find
But when morning came I loved her
And she stayed there in my mind

She stood by the window
And let down her hair
Asked if I thought that it was right
That she'd give her body and I'd give my mind
Looked for an answer all the night

And they called her child of midnight
And they say she'd love whomever she'd find
But when morning came I loved her
And she stayed there in my mind

She stood by the window
And tied up her hair
Acted as if I had never been there
Her lips said goodbye
And her body said stay
Knew I should go but I stayed anyway

And they called her child of midnight
And they say she'd love whomever she'd find
But when morning came I loved her
And she stayed there in my mind

It's been too many years
Inside this prison
Too many years just for
One little fight
He got what was comin'
And I think I've served enough time
I'm goin' home tonight

That stone looks mighty cold
And the guard that walks that wall
Is just waitin' to get a
Convict in his sights
But if I can clear the top
You can bet I'll never stop
'Cause I'm goin' home tonight

Because stone walls do a prison
Make iron bars a cage
Any man who says they don't
Never been inside
'Cause in time the bars get closer
And at night the walls grow tighter
Do you feel like there's a
Shackle around your mind

Now those guards are on my tail
I can hear those sirens wail
But I know that I'll get away
And that I'll be alright
'Cause I'd rather live on the run
Stand free in the morning sun
Than to spend another
Lonely prison night

Because stone walls do a prison
Make iron bars a cage
Any man who says they don't
Never been inside
'Cause in time the bars get closer
And at night the walls grow tighter
Do you feel like there's a
Shackle around your mind

He struggled so hard to be king
Working night and day
Dreaming of only one thing
Never a holiday
Somewhere along the way
He forgot she was only a girl
Now his kingdom has fallen
And it's really quite a tragic tale
Cause he built a castle to harbor his queen
But the queen claimed he built her a jail
He struggled so hard to be king
He wanted everything
He built her a house by the sea
Just to keep her in
Somewhere along the way
He forgot she needed a friend
Now his kingdom has fallen
And it's really quite a tragic tale
Cause he built a castle to harbor his queen
And the queen claimed he built her a jail
It happened so quickly before he could know
She was gone, far gone
Far from the castle, the diamonds and things
She had worn to the ball
There was a note that she carefully wrote
Signed it best wishes to all
Oh you struggled so hard to be king
Working night and day
Dreaming of only one thing, never a holiday
Somewhere along the way
You forgot that I needed a man
When they found him they took him back where he belonged
And his family and friends saw him annually
And they say it's a shame what's become of the king

With just a sleeping bag
And an old guitar
I left the band in New Orleans
I did some time with the bottle
Some with the river queens
I never thought I would meet a girl
Who could turn my head around
'Til I met that Mississippi lady
In sleepy Gulfport town, she was a

Mississippi lady
My lovin' Gulfport gal
She taught me how to love
And she really loved me well
She took me up to heaven
Then she brought me down
That Mississippi lady
Sweet Cordelia Brown

Hot July in Gulfport
And I was working in the bars

And she was working on the street
With the rest of the evening stars
She said, "I never met a guy
Who could turn my head around"
And that's really sayin' something
For sweet Cordelia Brown, she was a

Now I'm back in New York City
Playin' in a band
But my mind's on Mississippi
Is it hard to understand
I never thought I would meet a girl
Who could bring me that far down
Like the girl I met in Gulfport
Sweet Cordelia Brown, she was a

That Mississippi lady
Sweet Cordelia Brown

That Mississippi lady
Sweet Cordelia Brown

Which way are you goin'?
Which side will you be on?
Will you stand and watch while,
All the seeds of hate are sewn?
Will you stand with those who say
Let his will be done?

One hand on the Bible
And one hand on the gun.
One hand on the Bible
And one hand on the gun.

Which way are you lookin'?
Is it hard to see?
Do you say what's wrong for him
Is not wrong for me?
You walk the streets of righteousness
But you refuse to understand.

Say you love the baby,
And then you crucify the man.
Say you love the baby,
And then you crucify the man.

Every day,
Things are changing.
Words once honored turn to lies.
People wandering
Can you blame them?
It's too far to run
And too late to hide.

So now you turn your back on,
Everything that you used to preach.
It's let him live in freedom,
If he lives like me.
Well your light has changed,
Confusion reigns.
What have you become?

All your olive branches turn to spears
When your flowers turn to guns.
All your olive branches turn to spears
When your flowers turn to guns.

Oh Rapid Roy that stock car boy
He too much too believe
You know he always got an extra pack of cigarettes
Rolled up in his t-shirt sleeve
He got a tattoo on his arm that say "baby"
He got another one that just say "hey"
But every sunday afternoon he is a dirt track demon
In a '57 Chevrolet

Oh Rapid Roy that stock car boy
He's the best driver in the land
He say that he learned to race a stock car
By runnin' shine outta Alabam'
Oh the demolition derby
And the figure eight
Is easy money in the bank
Compared to runnin' from the man
In Oklahoma City
With a 500 gallon tank

Oh Rapid Roy that stock car boy
He too much too believe
You know he always got an extra pack of cigarettes
Rolled up in his t-shirt sleeve
He got a tattoo on his arm that say "baby"
He got another one that just say "hey"
But every Sunday afternoon he is a dirt track demon
In a '57 Chevrolet

Yeah, Roy's so cool, that racin fool
He don't know what fear's about.
He do a hundred thirty mile an hour, smilin at the camera
With a tooth pick in his mouth.
He got a girl back home, name of Dixie Dawn
But he got honeys all along the way
And you oughta hear 'em screamin for that dirt track demon
in a '57 Chevrolet.

Oh Rapid Roy that stock car boy
He too much too believe
You know he always got an extra pack of cigarettes
Rolled up in his t-shirt sleeve
He got a tattoo on his arm that say "baby"
He got another one that just say "hey"
But every sunday afternoon he is a dirt track demon
In a '57 Chevrolet

Uptown got its hustlers
The Bowery got its bums
42nd Street got Big Jim Walker
He's a pool-shootin' son of a gun
Yeah, he big and dumb as a man can come
But he stronger than a country hoss
And when the bad folks all get together at night
You know they all call big Jim "Boss", just because
And they say

You don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Jim

Well outta south Alabama come a country boy
He say I'm lookin' for a man named Jim
I am a pool-shootin' boy
By name 'a Willie McCoy
But down home they call me Slim
Yeah I'm lookin' for the king of 42nd Street
He drivin' a drop top Cadillac
Last week he took all my money
And it may sound funny
But I come to get my money back
And everybody say Jack don't you know

You don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Jim

Well a hush fell over the pool room
Jimmy come boppin' in off the street
And when the cuttin' was done
The only part that wasn't bloody
Was the soles of the big man's feet, ooh
And he was cut in about a hundred places
And he were shot in a couple more
And you better believe
There come another kind of story
When big Jim hit the floor now they say

You don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Slim

Yeah, big Jim got his hat
Find out where it's at
And it's not hustlin' people strange to you
Even if you do got a two-piece custom-made pool cue

Yeah you don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Slim

Well, I'm sorry for the things that I told you
But words only go so far
And if I had my way
I would reach into heaven
And I'd pull down a star for a present
And I'd make you a chain out of diamonds
And pearls from a summer sea
But all I can give you is a kiss in the morning
And a sweet apology

Well, I know that it hasn't been easy
And I haven't always been around
To say the right words
Or to hold you in the mornin'
Or to help you when you're down
I know I never showed you much of a good time
But baby things are gonna change
I'm gonna make up for all of the hurt I brought
I'm gonna love away all your pain

And tomorrow's gonna be a brighter day
There's gonna be some changes
Tomorrow's gonna be a brighter day
This time you can believe me
No more cryin' in your lonely room
And no more empty nights
'Cause tomorrow mornin' everything will turn out right

Well, there's something that I've got to tell you
Yes I've got something on my mind
But words come hard
When your lying in my arms
And when I'm looking deep into your eyes
But there's truth and consolation
And what I'm trying to say
Is that nobody ever had a rainbow baby
Until he had the rain

And tomorrow's gonna be a brighter day
There's gonna be some changes
Tomorrow's gonna be a brighter day
This time you can believe me
No more cryin' in your lonely room
And no more empty nights
'Cause tomorrow mornin' everything will turn out right

It's gonna, it's gonna, it's gonna be a brighter day
It's gonna, it's gonna, it's gonna be a brighter day
It's gonna, it's gonna, it's gonna be a brighter day
It's gonna be, it's gonna be, it's gonna be a brighter day
It's gonna be, it's gonna be, it's gonna be a brighter day
Come on tomorrow
Come on tomorrow
It's gonna be a brighter day

Things were spinnin' 'round me
And all my thoughts were cloudy
And I had begun to doubt all the things that were me
Been in so many places, you know I've run so many races
I looked into the empty faces of the people of the night
Somethin' is just not right

'Cause I know that I've gotta get outta here
I'm so alone
Don't you know that I gotta get outta here
'Cause New York's not my home

Though all the streets are crowded
There's somethin' strange about it
I lived there 'bout a year and I never once felt at home
I thought I'd make the big time
I learned a lot of lessons awfully quick
And now I'm tellin' you that they were not the nice kind
It has been so long since I have felt fine

That's the reason that I've gotta get outta here
I'm so alone
Don't you know that I gotta get outta here
'Cause New York's not my home

That's the reason that I've gotta get outta here
I'm so alone
Don't you know that I gotta get outta here
'Cause New York's not my home

And you think you've seen trouble
Well you're lookin' at the man ah ha
Oh, the world's own original hard luck story
And a hard time losin' man

Oh, sometimes skies are cloudy
And sometimes skies are blue
And sometimes they say that you eat the bear
But sometimes the bear eats you
And sometimes I feel like I should go
Far far away and hide
'Cause I keep a waitin' for my ship to come in
And all that ever comes is the tide

Oh I saved up all my money
I gonna buy me a flashy car
So I go downtown to see the man
And he smokin' on a big cigar
Well he must'a thought I were Rockefeller
Or an uptown man of wealth
He said, "Boy I got the car that's made for you
And it's cleaner than the Board of Health"
Then I got on the highway...oh, I feelin' fine...I hit a bump
Then I found I bought a car held together
By wire, and a couple a' hunks of twine

Oh, Friday night, feelin' right
I head out on the street
Standin' in the doorway
Was a dealer known as Pete
Well he sold me a dime of some super fine
Dynamite from Mexico
I spent all that night
Just tryin' to get right
On an ounce of oregano

Photographs and memories
Christmas cards you sent to me
All that I have are these to remember you
Memories that come at night
Take me to another time
Back to a happier day, when I called you mine

But we sure had a good time
When we started way back when
Morning walks and bedroom talks
Oh, how I loved you then

Summer skies and lullabies
Nights we couldn't say goodbye
And of all of the things that we knew
Not a dream survived

Photographs and memories
All the love you gave to me
Somehow it just can't be true
It's all I've left of you

But we sure had a good time
When we started way back when
Morning walks and bedroom talks
Oh, how I loved you then

I'm walkin' back to Georgia
And I hope she will take me back
Nothin' in my pockets
And all I own is upon my back

But she's the girl who said she loved me
On that hot dusty Macon road
And if she's still around
I'm gonna settle down
With that hard lovin' Georgia girl

I'm walkin' back to Georgia
She's the only one who knows
How it feels when you lose a dream
And how it feels when you dream alone

Georgia can you hear me callin'
Oh I'll be home in just a while
And if I had to I'd be crawlin'
Just to share another mornin' smile

But you're the girl who said you loved me
On that hot dusty long ago
And if you're still around
I'm gonna settle down
With you my hard lovin' Georgia girl...because

I'm walkin' back to Georgia
And I hope she will take me back
Nothin' in my pockets
And all I own is upon my back

Operator, well could you help me place this call
See, the number on the match book is old and faded
She's living in L.A
With my best old ex-friend Ray
A guy she said she knew well and sometimes hated

But isn't that the way they say it goes
Well let's forget all that
And give me the number if you can find it
So I can call just to tell 'em I'm fine, and to show
I've overcome the blow
I've learned to take it well
I only wish my words
Could just convince myself
That it just wasn't real
But that's not the way it feels

Operator, well could you help me place this call
'Cause I can't read the number that you just gave me
There's something in my eyes
You know it happens every time
I think about the love that I thought would save me

But isn't that the way they say it goes
Well let's forget all that
And give me the number if you can find it
So I can call just to tell 'em I'm fine, and to show
I've overcome the blow
I've learned to take it well
I only wish my words
Could just convince myself
That it just wasn't real
But that's not the way it feels
No, no, no, no
That's not the way it feels

Operator, well let's forget about this call
There's no one there I really wanted to talk to
Thank you for your time
Ah, you've been so much more then kind
You can keep the dime

But isn't that the way they say it goes
Well let's forget all that
And give me the number if you can find it
So I can call just to tell 'em I'm fine, and to show
I've overcome the blow
I've learned to take it well
I only wish my words
Could just convince myself
That it just wasn't real
But that's not the way it feels

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day till eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I'd save every day like a treasure and then
Again, I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do, once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go through time with

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty, except for the memory of how
They were answered by you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do, once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go through time with

Well, out of Southern Illinois
Come a down home country boy.
He's gonna make it in the city
Playin' guitar in the studio.

Well he hadn't been there an hour,
When he met a Broadway flower,
You know she took him for his money
And she left him in a cheap hotel.

Oh, well, it's easy for you to see
That that country boy is me
Saying "And how am I gonna ever
break the news to the folks back home?"

Well, I was gonna be a great success,
Things sure ended up a mess,
But in the process I got messed up too.

"Hello Mamma and Dad I had to call collect
'Cause I ain't got a cent to my name.
Well I'm sleepin' in the hotel doorway,
And tonight they say it's gonna rain.
And if you'd only send me some money
I'll be back on my feet again,
Send it in care of the Sunday Mission
Box number ten."

Well, back in Southern Illinois
They're still worryin' 'bout their boy.
But this boy's goin' home soon's he get's the fare.

Because as soon as I got my bread
I got a pipe upside my head.
You know they left me in an alley,
Took my money and my guitar, too.

"Hello Mamma and Dad I had to call collect
'Cause I ain't got a cent to my name.
Well I'm sleepin' in the hotel doorway,
And tonight they say it's gonna rain.
And if you'd only send me some money
I'll be back on my feet again,
Send it in care of the Sunday Mission
Box number ten."

Seems like such a long time ago,
I was walking on a lonely road.
Getting tired of dreaming alone,
like all the lonely people I had known.

Seems like such a long time ago,
there was no one who would share my song.
I was just a boy far from home,
but I became a man when you came along.

We spent the whole night talking.
You said you'd like to see the sun rise.
But in the gold of morning,
was nothing that I had not seen in your eyes.

I was so afraid to touch you,
thought you were too young, you know.
So I just watched you sleeping.
Then you woke and said to me,
The night is cold, it frightens me.
I could sleep so easy next to you.

Wasn't very long ago,
you said that you would like to share my role.
Then you started singing my song.
Spent so many nights a-waiting,
Lets not spend a moments wasting time,
because we have very far to go.
I will go if you will take me,
I have never had a lover.
I am young but I am so alone.

We spent the whole night talking.
But in the gold of morning...

Hey tomorrow, where are you goin'
Do you have some room for me
'Cause night is fallin' and the dawn is callin'
I'll have a new day if she'll have me

Hey tomorrow, I can't show you nothin'
You've seen it all pass by your door
So many times I said I been changin'
Then slipped into patterns of what happened before

"Cause I've been wasted and I've over-tasted
All the things that life gave to me
And I've been trusted, abused and busted
And I've been taken by those close to me

Hey tomorrow you've gotta believe that
I'm through wastin' whats left of me
'Cause night is fallin' and the dawn is callin'
I'll have a new day if she'll have me

That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
All day long they work so hard till the sun is goin' down
Working on the highways and byways and wearin', wearin' a frown
Hear them moanin' their lives away
Then you hear somebody say
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
He don't love you, like I love you
If he did he wouldn't break your heart
He don't love you, like I love you
He's trying to tear us apart
Gonna find her, I'm gonna find her, I'm gonna find her
Oh, if I have to climb a mountain, you know I will
And if I have to swim a river, you know I will
And I might find her hidin' up on Blueberry Hill
How am I gonna find her, child, you know I will
Cause I'm goin' searchin'
I'm goin' searchin'
Searchin' everywhere
Just like some Northwest Mountie
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
All day long they work so hard till the sun is goin' down
Working on the highways and byways and wearin', wearin' a frown
Hear them moanin' their lives away
Then you hear somebody say
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang

Ol' man river.
That ol' man river.
He must know somethin'
But he don't say nothin'
That ol' man river he just keeps rollin' along

He don't plant tators
He don't plant cotton.
Them that plants 'em is soon forgotten.
But ol' man river
He just keeps rollin' along.

You and me
We sweat and strain.
Body all achin'
And wracked with pain.

Tote that barge.
Lift that bale.
Get a little drunk
And you land in jail.

But I get weary
Sick of tryin'
Cause I'm tired of livin'
But I'm scared of dyin'
And ol' man river
He just keeps rollin' along.

You and me
We sweat and strain.
Body all achin'
And wracked with pain.

Tote that barge.
Lift that bale.
Get a little drunk
And you land in jail.

But I get weary
Sick of tryin'
Cause I'm tired of livin'
But I'm scared of dyin'
And ol' man river
He just keeps rollin' along.

I don't gamble, I don't fight,
I don't be hangin' in the bars at night,
Yeah, I used to be a fighter but
Now I am a wiser man.

I don't drink much, I don't smoke,
I don't be hardly mess around with no dope.
Yeah, I used to be a problem but
Now I am a careful man.

But if you used to want to see a commotion,
You shoulda seen the man that I used to be,
I was trouble in perpetual motion,
Trouble with a capital "T".

Stayin' out late, havin' fun
And shot off every single shot in my gun.
Yeah, I used to be a lover but
Now I'm an older man.

But if you used to want to see a commotion,
You shoulda seen the man that I used to be,
I was trouble in perpetual motion,
Trouble with a capital "T".

Stayin' out late, havin' fun
And shot off every single shot in my gun.
Yeah I used to be a terror but
Now I am a tired old man.
Yeah I used to be a terror but
Now I am a tired old man.

Once we were lovers
But some how things have changed
Now we're just lonely people tryin' to forget eachother's names
Now we're just lonely people tryin' to forget eachother's names

What came between us?
Maybe we were just too young to know
But now and then I feel the same
And sometimes at night I think I hear you callin' my name
Mmm hmm hmm these dreams
They keep me goin' these days

Once we were lovers
But that was long ago
We lived together then
And now we do not even say hello
We lived together then
And now we do not even say hello

What came between us?
Maybe we were just too young to know
But now and then I feel the same
And sometimes at night I think I hear you callin' my name
Mmm hmm hmm these dreams
They keep me goin' these days

Snowy nights and Christmas lights,
Icy windowpanes,
Make me wish that we could be
Together again
And the windy winter avenues
Just don't seem the same,
And the Christmas carols sound like blues,
But the choir is not to blame

But it doesn't have to be that way
What we had should never have ended
I'll be dropping by today
We could easily get it together tonight
It's only right

Crowded stores, the corner Santa Claus,
Tinseled afternoons,
And the sidewalk bands play their songs
Slightly out of tune
Down the windy winter avenues
There walks a lonely man,
And if I told you who he is,
Well I think you'd understand

But it doesn't have to be that way
What we had should never have ended
I'll be dropping by today
We could easily get it together tonight
It's only right

No, it doesn't have to be that way
What we had should never have ended
I'll be dropping by today
We could easily get it together tonight
It's only right

Don't you know I had a dream last night
That you were here with me
Lyin' by my side so soft and warm
And we talked a while
And shared a smile
And then we shared the dawn
But when I woke up
Oh, my dream it was gone

Don't you know I had a dream last night
And you were here with me
Lyin' by my side so soft and warm
And you said you'd thought it over
You said you were coming home
But when I woke up
Oh, my dream it was gone

I'm not the same
Can you blame me
Is it hard to understand
I can't forget
You can't change me
I am not that kind of man

Don't you know I had a dream last night
And ev'rything was still
And you were by my side so soft and warm
And I dreamed that we were lovers
In the lemon scented rain
But when I woke up
Oh, I found that again, I had been
Dreamin', dreamin' again
I had been dreamin,' dreamin' again

Lazy days in mid-July
Country Sunday mornin's
Dusty haze on summer highways
Sweet magnolia callin'

But now and then I find myself
Thinkin' of the days
That (when) we were walking in
The Alabama rain

Drive-in movies, Friday nights
Drinkin' beer and laughin'
Somehow things were always right
I just don't know what happened

We were only kids
But then I've never heard it said
That kids can't fall in love
And feel the same
I can still remember the first time
I told you "I love you"

On a dusty mid-July
Country summer's evenin's
Weepin' willows sang its lullaby
And shared our secret

Walking in the Alabama rain

I was born to sing a good-time song
You know that nothin' used to bring me down

'Til the day I fell in love with you
And baby that's the day I found...

You had me singin' the blues
Singin' the blues
But a good-time man like me
Ain't got no business singin' the blues

Go on woman get out of here
You know that I don't wanta see your face
'Cause the things you're doin' to this boys mind
Is just an absolute disgrace...

You got him singin' the blues
Singin' the blues
But a good-time man like me
Ain't got no business singin' the blues

Never gonna fall in love again
You know I learned my lesson well
I played the game of love and lost my heart
You can believe me when I tell you that I'm...

That I'm singin' the blues
Singin' the blues
But a good-time man like me
Ain't got no business singin' the blues

You got me singin' the blues
Singin' the blues
But a good-time man like me
Ain't got no business singin' the blues

You had me singin' the blues
Singin' the blues
And a good-time man like me
Ain't got no business singin' the blues

If you get to feelin' all alone
When your good time friends have all got up and gone
Don't come knockin' around my door
Because I've heard your lines before

And there ain't gonna be a next time this time
'Cause woman startin' right now
I'm gonna forget you name and your pretty face, girl
And write you off as a bad mistake
You know that some women, they are lovers
And some just got no sense
But a woman like you oughta be ashamed
Of the things that you do to men

If you get to feeling all alone
When you find that you can't make it on your own
Don't come knockin' around my door
You see I've seen your act before

If you get to feelin' you were wrong
Don't go wastin' your good money on the phone
'Cause I can hang up as fast as you can call
And that ain't all

And there ain't gonna be a next time this time
'Cause woman startin' right now
I'm gonna forget you name and your pretty face, girl
And write you off as a complete disgrace
You know that some women they are liars
And some just got no sense
But a woman like you oughta be ashamed
Of the things that you do to men

Yeah a woman like you oughta be ashamed
Of the things that you do to men

Well, the south side of Chicago
Is the baddest part of town
And if you go down there
You better just beware
Of a man name of Leroy Brown

Now Leroy more than trouble
You see he stand ‘bout six foot four
All those downtown ladies call him "Treetop Lover"
All the men just call him "Sir"

And he's bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damn town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog

Now Leroy he a gambler
And he like his fancy clothes
And he like to wave his diamond rings
Under everybody's nose

He got a custom Continental
He got an Eldorado too
He got a 32 gun in his pocket full a fun
He got a razor in his shoe

And he's bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damn town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog

Well Friday 'bout a week ago
Leroy shootin' dice
And at the edge of the bar
Sat a girl named Doris
And oh that girl looked nice

Well he cast his eyes upon her
And the trouble soon began
And Leroy Brown had learned a lesson
'Bout a-messin' with the wife of a jealous man

And he's bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damn town
Badder than a-old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog

Well the two men took to fighting
And when they pulled them from the floor
Leroy looked like a jigsaw puzzle
With a couple of pieces gone

And it's bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damn town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog

And he's bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damn town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog

Yeah he was badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog.

We've been runnin' away from somethin' we both know
We've long run out of things to say and I think I'd better go
So don't be gettin' excited oh-when you hear that slammin' door
Cause there'll be one less set of footsteps on your floor in the mornin'

And we've been hidin' from somethin' that should have never gone this far
But after all it's what we've done that makes us what we are
And you've been talkin' in silence well if it's silence you adore
Oh there'll be one less set of footprints on your floor in the mornin'

Oh there'll be one less set of footsteps on your floor
One less man to walk in
One less pair of jeans upon your door
One less voice a-talkin'

But tomorrow's a dream away and today has turned to dust
Your silver tongue has turned to clay and your golden rule to rust
If that's the way that you want it well that's the way I want it more
Cause there'll be one less set of footprints on your floor in the mornin'
Oh there'll be one less set of footsteps on you floor in the mornin'

Gonna tell you a story, that you won't believe
But I fell in love last Friday evening
With the girl I saw on a bar room TV screen
Well I was just getting ready to get my hat
When she caught my eye, and I put it back
And I ordered myself couple of more shots and beers

The night that I fell in love with a roller derby queen
around and round, a round and round
The meanest hunk of woman that anybody ever seen
Down in the arena

She was 5 foot 6, two fifteen
A beach blonde mama with a streak of mean
She knew how to knuckle and she knew how to scuffle and fight
And the roller derby program said
that she was built like a 'fridgerator with a head
Her fans called her Tuffy, but all her buddies called her Spike

The night that I fell in love with a roller derby queen
around and round, a round and round
The meanest hunk of woman that anybody ever seen
Down in the arena

Well I could not help it, but to fall in love
With this heavy duty woman I've been speaking of
Things were kinda bad, untill the day she skated into my life
Well she might be nasty, she might be fat
But I never met a person who would tell her that
She's my bleach blonde bomber, my heavy handed Hackensack sack mama

The night that I fell in love with a roller derby queen
around and round, a round and round
The meanest hunk of woman that anybody ever seen
Down in the arena

[No lyrics]

Well, I know it's kinda late.
I hope I didn't wake you.
But what I gotta say can't wait,
I know you'd understand.

Every time I tried to tell you,
The words just came out wrong,
So I'll have to say I love you in a song.

Yeah, I know it's kinda strange.
Every time I'm near you,
I just run out of things to say.
I know you'd understand.

Every time I tried to tell you,
The words just came out wrong,
So I'll have to say I love you in a song.

Every time the time was right,
All the words just came out wrong,
So I'll have to say I love you in a song

Yeah, I know it's kinda late.
Hope I didn't wake you,
But there's something I just gotta say.
Know you'd understand.

Every time I tried to tell you,
The words just came out wrong
So I'll have to say I love you in a song.

Like the pine trees lining the winding road
I got a name, I got a name
Like the singing bird and the croaking toad
I got a name, I got a name
And I carry it with me like my daddy did
But I'm living the dream that he kept hid

Moving me down the highway
Rolling me down the highway
Moving ahead so life won't pass me by

Like the north wind whistling down the sky
I've got a song, I've got a song
Like the whippoorwill and the baby's cry
I've got a song, I've got a song
And I carry it with me and I sing it loud
If it gets me nowhere, I go there proud

Moving me down the highway
Rolling me down the highway
Moving ahead so life won't pass me by

And I'm gonna go there free

Like the fool I am and I'll always be
I've got a dream, I've got a dream
They can change their minds but they can't change me
I've got a dream, I've got a dream
Well, I know I can share it if you want me to
If you're going my way, I'll go with you

Moving me down the highway
Rolling me down the highway
Moving ahead so life won't pass me by
Moving me down the highway
Rolling me down the highway
Moving ahead so life won't pass me by

Used to be that I could see
A reason to be happy
'Cause I was free
But then, recently it seems
I've been lettin' your mem'ry get to me

Used to be that I could pretend
That I wasn't really hurt back then
But then, recently it seems
I've been lettin' your mem'ry get to me
'Cause

Mem'ries can be friends
Mem'ries can be friends

Or they can take you to a place
That you never thought you'd be again
And take you to a place
That you never ever thought
That you would see again

Doesn't matter now who was wrong
The future is tomorrow
'Cause the past is gone
And I'm findin' that I'm not as strong
As I thought that I used to be
'Cause, recently it seems
I've been lettin' your mem'ry get to me

Well, she was standing by my dressing room after the show
Asking for my autograph and asked if she could go
Back to my motel room
But the rest is just a tragic tale
Because five short minutes of lovin'
Done brought me twenty long years in jail

Well, like a fool in a hurry I took her to my room
She casted me in plaster while I sang her a tune
Then I said, 'Ooh, ooee! Sure was a tragic tale
Because five short minutes of lovin'
Done brought me twenty long years in jail'

Well, then a judge and a jury sat me in a room
They say that robbin' the cradle is worse than robbin' the tomb

Then I said "Ooh, ooee! Sure was a tragic tale'
(Wasn't worth it, wasn't worth it!)
'Because five short minutes of lovin'
Done brought me twenty long years in jail'

And when I get out of this prison gonna be forty-five
I'll know I used to like to do it but I won't remember why
(Wasn't worth it, wasn't worth it!)
I'll say, 'Ooh, ooee! Sure was a tragic tale
Because five short minutes of lovin'
Done brought me twenty long years in jail'

'Because five short minutes of lovin'
Done brought me twenty long years in jail'

Well it started out just like a dream
And like a dream I knew that what we had,
Would have to end
Cuz I was lookin' for a,
Lifetime lover and,
You were lookin' for a friend
Someone to be there
After all your night time lovers had gone,
The way they came
Someone who knew the way
And helped to play your daytime game
It's not the same

Well I started out pretending that I'd,
Come to mean enough to you to make,
You want to change
Then I came to realize that
There was just too much of you you'd have,
To rearrange
And I couldn't bear to wait around
For all your night time lovers to go,
The way they came
And it came to hurt too much for me
To have to play your daytime games
No one's to blame

Well it started out just like a dream
And like a dream I knew that what we had,
Would have to end
Cuz I was lookin' for a,
Lifetime lover and,
You were lookin' for a friend
I was lookin' for a,
Lifetime lover and,
You were lookin' for a friend

Yeah, I've had my share of broken dreams
And more than a couple of falls
And in chasin' what I thought were moonbeams
I have run into a couple of walls
But in looking back at the places I've been
The changes that I've left behind
I just look at myself to find
I've learned the hard way every time

'Cause I've had my share of good intentions
And I've made my share of mistakes
And I've learned at times it's best to bend
'Cause if you don't well those are the breaks
Should have listened to all the things I was told
But I was young and too proud at the time
Now I look at myself to find
I learn the hard way ev'ry time

But in looking back at the lessons I've learned
And the mountains I wanted to climb
I just look at myself to find
I've learned the hard way ev'ry time

'Cause I've had my share of broken dreams
And more than a couple of falls
And in chasin' what I thought were moonbeams
I have run into a couple of walls
But in looking back at the faces I've been
I would sure be the first one to say
When I look at myself today
Wouldn'ta done it any other way

I've been up and down and around and 'round and back again,
I've been so many places I can't remember where or when.
And my only boss was the clock on the wall and my only friend
Never really was a friend at all.

I've traded love for pennies, sold my soul for less,
Lost my ideals in that long tunnel of time.
I've turned inside out and around about and back and then
Found myself right back where I started again.

Once I had myself a million, now I've only got a dime,
The diff'rence don't seem quite as bad today.
With a nickel or a million, I was searching all the time
For something that I never lost or left behind.

I've traded love for pennies, sold my soul for less,
Lost my ideals in that long tunnel of time.
I've turned inside out and around about and back and then
Found myself right back where I started again.

And Now I'm in my second circle and I'm headin' for the top,
I've learned a lot of things along the way.
I'll be careful while I'm climbin' 'cause it hurts a lot to drop,
When you're down nobody gives a damn anyway.

I've traded love for pennies, sold my soul for less,
Lost my ideals in that long tunnel of time.
I've turned inside out and around about and back and then
Found myself right back where I started again.

Well, I had just got out from the county prison
Doin ninety days for non-support
Tried to find me an executive position
But no matter how smooth I talked
They wouldnt listen to the fact that I was a genius
The man say, we got all that we can use.
Now i got them steadily depressin, low down mind messin
Working at the car wash blues

Well, I should be sittin in an air conditioned office in a swivel chair
Talkin some trash to the secretaries
Sayin, here, now mama, come on over here.
Instead, Im stuck here rubbin these fenders with a rag
And walkin home in soggy old shoes
With them steadily depressin, low down mind messin
Workin at the car wash blues

You know a man of my ability
He should be smokin on a big cigar
But till I get myself straight I guess Ill just have to wait
In my rubber suit a-rubbin these cars

Well, all I can do is a shake my head
You might not believe that its true
For workin at this end of niagara falls
Is an undiscovered howard hughes
So baby, dont expect to see me
With no double martini in any high-brow society news
Cause I got them steadily depressin, low down mind messin
Workin at the car wash blues
So baby, dont expect to see me
With no double martini in any high-brow society news
Cause I got them steadily depressin, low down mind messin
Workin at the car wash blues
Yeah I got them steadily depressin, low down mind messin
Workin at the car wash blues

I guess that it was bound to happen
Was just a matter of time
Now I've come to my decision
And its a-one of the painful kind
'Cause now it seems that you wanted a martyr
Just a regular guy wouldn't do
But baby I can't hang upon no lover's cross for you

You really gotta hand it to ya
'Cause girl you really tried
But for ev'ry time that we spent laughin'
There were two times that I cried
And you were tryin' to make me your martyr
And that's the one thing I just couldn't do
'Cause baby I can't hang upon no lover's cross for you

'Cause tables are meant for turnin'
And people are bound to change
And bridges are meant for burnin'
When the people and mem'ries they join aren't the same

Still I hope that you can find another
Who can take what I could not
He'll have to be a super guy
Or maybe a super god
'Cause I never was much of a martyr before
And I ain't 'bout to start nothin' new
And baby I can't hang upon no lover's cross for you

'Cause tables are meant for turnin'
And people are bound to change
And bridges are meant for burnin'
When the people and mem'ries they join aren't the same

But I hope that you can find another
Who can take what I could not
He'll have to be a super guy
Or maybe a super god
'Cause I never was much of a martyr before
And I ain't 'bout to start nothin' new
And baby I can't hang upon no lover's cross for you

Sometimes I think about our good old high school days
You would always kid about my adolescent ways
Oh, Mary, Mary, good to see you too
Haven't seen to many of the old crew
The time just flew, and how are you?

Strange we should meet here
Seeing off our friends

It's hard to draw the line between
Beginnings and ends
Oh, Mary, Mary, must you go so soon?
We must be a sight to see
Salon and Saloon
I'll look you up soon
Maybe sing you a tune

Well, if you're lookin' for a good time
Look hard as you want but you ain't gonna find
The kind of good times you will
Come every Friday and Saturday evening at the Top Hat Bar and Grill

Well, at the Top Hat Bar and Grill
There is a waitress name of Lil
Well, she's a honky tonky, little bit chunky, divorcee

She wears the tight hippy hugger slacks
You can believe me when I tell you jack
That she's a dancin', prancin', hard romancin',
P-I-E-C-E

And she can do the boogie woogie
She can do the boogaloo
And she can do the hoochie coochie
And she knows how to nasty too

So, if you're lookin' for a good time
Look hard as you want but you ain't gonna find
The kind of good times you will
Come every Friday and Saturday evening at the Top Hat Bar and Grill

Well, at the Top Hat Bar and Grill
They've got this bouncer name of Gil

Well, he's a honky tonky heavily funky ex-Marine

He wears the skin-tight body builder shirts
And jack he'll knock you out into the dirt
But, if you got you no money or you try to get funny
Then, brother you gonna see

That man's gonna do the boogie woogie
He gonna do the boogaloo
He gonna do the hoochie coochie
And he'll be doin' all his dancin' on you

So, if you're lookin' for a good time
Look hard as you want but you ain't gonna find
The kind of bad times you will
Come every Friday and Saturday evening at the Top Hat Bar and Grill

Lookin' for a good time

Lookin' for a bad time

So, if you're lookin' for a good time
The parties you want but you ain't gonna find
The kind of good times you will
Come every Friday and Saturday evening at the Top Hat Bar and Grill

[No lyrics]