Lyrics to He’s Gone

This is a song about loss of faith and abandonment.  I never recorded this or wrote any more than the melody to it.  Not a happy song.

He’s Gone (copyright 1989)

(verse 1)

 A Street boys Monday in a Saturday-sunday town

Litter swirls in the street as if a sign to say

Boy you better turn right around

Nighttime falls and this boys on his own

Runs to the beat of a silent street knowing that

he’s gotta make it alone

(bridge)

As he walks back to where the grass grows thru the cracks

In a broken voice with a handful of broken toys, he says

(Chorus)

God don’t live on my street, God don’t live on my street

He lives uptown where the girls wear the golden gowns, but I say

God don’t live on my street

He’s gone, He’s gone, he’s gone, he’s gone

(verse 2)

Adam and Eve how much would you believe

If you were just another face in the big rat race not a human face

left to help you find your release

Nighttime falls and brings you to your knees

Snakes on every corner but no apples left on the trees

(bridge)

People on the street, like shattered glass they lay

The street boys that we meet sing in an a capella way, they say

(chorus)

God don’t live on my street, God don’t live on my street

He lives uptown where the girls wear the golden gowns, but I say

God don’t live on my street

He’s gone, He’s gone, he’s gone, he’s gone

Lyrics to Vagabond Baby

The guitarist in the band we were hanging out with (Tony), wrote this great, “big-hair”, bombastic guitar piece that I really liked. I wrote these lyrics to that piece. It is based loosely on the relationship of the lead singer and his girlfriend, Dave and Casina. At some point Casina described herself as a vagabond (we made fun of her, of course) and this is what came out of that. We still see David and he is still singing. Casina dropped out of sight.

Vagabond Baby (copyright 1988)

(verse 1)

Appeared from nowhere in leather and in black

She don’t know where but she’d be going back

From her belt hung a bag of crystal fun 

and on his hip he had a loaded gun

She could not deny his intensity and she was all that he could see

All he could see, all he could see

(chorus)

His Vagabond Baby, Vagabond Baby, Vagabond Baby, Vagabond Baby

(verse 2)

He held her hostage and she held him on chains

He was backseat driving with her hands on the reins

When he pulled the ribbon from her hair it felt so right

And he unwrapped her like a gift from the night

Oh, and she smiled all the while, he knew she had come home to be

come home to be, come home to be

(chorus)

His Vagabond Baby, Vagabond Baby, Vagabond Baby, Vagabond Baby

Lyrics for Rock-n-Roll Degenerate

I need to first give credit to Pat as a co-writer on this one. Pat if you find this, laugh along with me. This was written with a punky guitar riff and a drum machine 20+ years ago. We recorded it on a four track recorder, and the “So drink me” line was recorded with about 10 people saying it at once at an early morning party we had.  I think it is deeply relevant to our times.

We could say anything we want back then-now political correctness reigns. We laughed our ass off when we wrote this. Enjoy.

Rock-n-Roll Degenerate (copyright 1987)

Eat my puke, eat my vomit

I’m a rock and roll degenerate

I’ll fart on you pinch a steamy dump

My God, this must be love

Aunt Emma’s home with her yeast infection

I’m your Grandmother’s old douche bag- so drink me!

I’ve got a plan for your teenage daughter

Take her out like a lamb to slaughter

We’ll go dancing at McDonalds

She can suck my big McDick

We’ll be swinging in the urban jungle

I’m an extremely nasty monkey- so spank me!

Lyrics to What You Need From a Man

Nothing deep here. All sex, drugs and rock and roll bravado. Funky and dark horn 5ths syth part with drum machine. Ok, so at least there are a few witty lines in there.

What You Need From a Man(copyright 1987)

(verse 1)

Up tomorrow, down today

You know they’ve gotten in the way

but you won’t admit it

Forget the pills you’re thinking of

they’re no substitute for wild love

and you’ve gotta quit it

(chorus)

What you need is real intrigue

Come get the drug you really need

Come take all that you can of what you need from a man( 2 times)

(verse 2)

Your boys buy you fancy clothes

and fill the spoon thats up your nose

But they don’t get it

They say no but you just smile

they give an inch you take a mile

And you always get it

(Chorus)

But what you see here is really indeed

that extra inch you really need

Come take all that you can of what you need from a man( 2 times)

Lyrics to Simple Pleasures

This didn’t really fit into an easy category musically. It was done with syth and drum machine. I don’t remember the syth part anymore. It is about the male -female relationship and how we have difficulty letting down our the walls that separate us emotionally. I was young, so it all came down to sex, but its more about emotional disarmament.

Simple Pleasures (copyright 1987)

(verse 1)

Safe in the facade you garner

the girl inside I will not harm her

det aside your suit of armor

lay down

Soul searcher and revelations

need not intrude in our relations

We can avoid the complications

lay down

To analyze is human nature

but there are things we cannot measure

Love is such a simple pleasure

lay down

(chorus)

Lay down, lay down, lay down, lay down

Love is such a simple pleasure, lay down

(verse 2)

Insistent on that we we seek

To avoid appearing weak

Silence those words that you speak

lay down

I can see that you are shaken

but there are times we must be taken

Think of the love we could be makin’

lay down

I look into your eyes of azure

in the long hours of or leisure

love is such a simple pleasure

lay down

(chorus)

Lay down, lay down, lay down, lay down

Love is such a simple pleasure, lay down

Lyrics to We’re Still Young

This was done with simply piano and a drum machine. I would be hard pressed to remember the piano part today.  I must have been a bit obsessed with growing old as the theme appears in more that one set of lyrics.

We’re Still Young (copyright 1987)

The hard streets will harden your head

The hard girls will harden your jeans

So you learn how to walk real bad

And you learn how to look real mean

Work a job for money to run

The might starts when the day is done

Get your wallet and your knife

No time to do the walk of life

(Chorus)

You say you gotta grow old while you’re young, a matter of survival’s what you say (time 2)

When you’re young ( 5 times)

(verse 1)

Yesterday we busted up our minds

For the middle-class American dream

Rescued the with the white lines

On the mirrors and the streets

Seen to me it had to be

We’d give it up for responsibility

But somewhere girl along the way

Had had it all and we gave it all away

(Chorus)

Cause we don;t want to grow old while we’re young, we’re gonna live forever and say (2 times)

Were still young (5 times)

Lyrics for “World of Runaways”

This was written in the Billy Idol days of the 80′s. It was keyboards and guitar and drum machine.  Man, did we have fun in the 80′s. We (my wife and I) hung around with musicians who played and the clubs in the greater Cleveland area. It was booze and drugs every weekend, work all week and then do it again. Maybe this one is about those day- but I don’t remember.

World of Runaways(copyright 1987)

(Verse 1)

You’re just a new face, don’t know your way around

And you don’t know if you’re up or if you’re down

If you’re down, if you’re down

Put one hand in my hand and one hand against the light

I got my finger on the trigger of the night

of the night, of the night

(Chorus)

In a world, In a world, in a world of runaways ( times 3)

In a world that’s got too much too many find me

Standing in the shadow of the world

(bridge)

Guitars scream like animals on the run

midnight goes off like a loaded gun

All the while think you’re right behind me

and you turn around to find me

I’ll be walking in the shadows, I’ll be walking in the shadows of the world

verse 2)

Step into the darkness where the night can just occur

And the things you see and feel are just a blur

just a blur, just a blur

Spike heels on the sidewalk set the beat that drives the night

Doesn’t matter if its wrong or if its right

if its right, if its right

(Chorus)

In a world, In a world, in a world of runaways ( times 3)

In a world that’s got too much too many find me

Standing in the shadow of the world

Lyrics to “Do It Again”

I wrote this a long time ago. Short and simple. It has a nice piano part with a very simple but pretty solo between the verses.

Do It Again

I sent some roses to you my friend

For all the roses that I’ve never sent

I’ve always seen you thru a soft focus lense

The good times we’ve had

Let’s do it again  (3 times)

I think about time and where my cigarettes go

A half page of scribbled lines but nothing to show

Ten bucks for a bottle and the way that life goes

One night of glory for two weeks in the hole, but

Lets do it again  ( 3 times)

Lyrics for “In This Land”

I wrote these when I was in my 20′s and I was into Springsteen. I later updated them with the “Sampson and Delilah” and the “Vampire”verse- I couldn’t resist trying to find a rhyming scheme for “Deliliah” and there are just too few uses of vampires in music lyrics. There is a piano part that goes with these. Of all the songs I’ve written this is probably my favorite.

Any buyers?

IN THIS LAND (Copyright 2004)

You know I have this crazy dream

We meet so secret and sweet

We hide in The Crowd where we can’t be found

With the Legions of Defeat

You in your napalm sweater

Me in my gasoline jeans

We’ll burn This Town to the ground tonight

And find Refuge in the Heat

In this land

Where nothing is sacred man

In this land

We can live like Bonny and Clyde

But leave our guns and our gangs behind us

We’ll park our car on Nowhere St.

No lawman will ever find us

We won’t need no telephone lines

Or contracts that may bind us

We’ll shoot Silver Bullets between our teeth

And Run naked down a back water beach

In this land

We won’t let ‘em run us down

In this land

Someday, I may, come home to be

Your Sampson, and you my Delilah

You pledge your love eternally

Then smile at me all the time while ya’

Plan to steal my secret powers from me

But all the time, I would still try ta’

Find you, my love, and take your hand

And run away with you into the Desert Sand

IN this land

Betray me not, cause I’m your man

In this land

( In This Land, Con’t)

To keep our love forever I’ll be

Your sweet and secret Vampire

I’ll marry you in a Gothic Church

Then turn you at the top of the spire

Immortally, we’d see the world at night

Free from the False Fruits of man’s fires

When the world of man was finally done

We’d walk hand-in-hand into the Morning Sun

In the land

Nothing lasts forever man

In this land