NOWHERE TO GO (country rock) San Francisco CA Jan 1974
The grey window panes are staring down at me
The wind's blowing mean in the long winter's snow
I'm lying in my bed and staring at the ceiling
A cold prairie night with nowhere to go
--
[chorus:]
And what can a man do, what can he do?
When he's alone, so alone
There's nothing to do, nowhere to go
--
Over the years the folks have been leaving
The whole damn town's just drifted away
The bars are all empty, the stores are abandoned
I just about the only man here today [chorus]
--
The semi's go by on the old northwest highway
Each diesel roar is a sad travelin' song
Somewhere south, the sun is shinin
But up here the [winter's still] rolling along [chorus]
AND IF I EVER... (acid rock) San Francisco CA Jan 1974
and if i ever felt
the wind on my face
i'd never know from where
--
and if i ever tried to trace
the gashes inside
i'd know that they're there
--
and if i'd ever known
the grass in my toes
i'd feel it with loving care
--
and if i ever felt
my years waste away
i don't think i'd care
--
and if i ever saw
your face in my dreams
i'd see that it's fair
--
and if i ever fly
with the fires of time
i know you'd be there
STUDLY (slow boogie) San Francisco CA 1974
She was wearing justifiable rape
And drinking a damn good time
I was in lustification city
Working on understandable crime
--
[chorus:]
You been gettin' me off
Don't ever put me off, no no no
(Studly, studly, studly...)
--
She was licking my libido
And lubing up my ego
Tell me baby, are you serious?
Tell me baby, where can we go? [chorus]
--
Seeing the way you look baby
Just tickled my ass right off
Given me the boogie pneumonia
And a lifelong case of lust cough [chorus]
TV TECHNOLOGY [acid rock] San Francisco CA 1974
lines forming visions / magnetic perceptions
it all travels on a particle beam
from the electron gun / to the phosphor screen
--
peripatetic particles boil / past magnetic deflection coils
that bend the beam in flux
then hit the screen / and paint the pixels
--
watch your eyes / retinal mirrors reflectant
virtual imaging phosphorescent
that's me on your screen / beep beep
ANCHOR STEAM DREAM (acid blues) San Francisco CA 1974
My my but you flashed right
Took ne down at the midnight
Took me down in the fire, fire
Down in the starlight
--
Frantic hyperbola, superfluous supreme
Blown away in the steam dream
Cold-cut baby, I mean, I mean
But do you know what i mean?
--
Holy shit, it's a burn-off
Just another greasy turnoff
Slidin' by, slidin' by
The last mistake I tried
SNAKES / HOME (rocker) San Francisco CA 1974
Tell me how to go
Living with the snakes
Living wih the snakes
Well I know what it takes
Take the long way home
--
Gar, I'm freezing to the bone
Sleeping all alone
Sleeping all alone
Well I know what it takes
Take the long road home
--
[bridge:] O snakes ain't so bad, once your used to'em
But who the fock wants to get used to living with snakes?
--
O, the road is much too tough
I'm just not strong enough
I'm just not strong enough
Well I know what it takes
Stay a long time home
FIRE WOMAN (guitar jazz) San Francisco CA 1974
You pull at me, you shine on me, you're a fire
You're the sun, in the morning, you're a fire
You're the light, on the water, you're burning, burning
--
You're the night, on the ocean, you're a star
You're the light, on the water, you're a fire
You're the smoke, on the river, you're climbing, rising
--
You're a planet, in the sky, you're a star
You pull at me, with gravity, you're pure gold
I'm in orbit, around you, I'm spinning, falling
DAMN ELECTRIC BILL (bluegrass) San Francisco CA 1974
I live out in the country where all winter long it snows
All spring and fall it's raining and the cold wind blows
I live out in the country where the heavy storms pass
My house ain't been connected yet to burning natural gas
--
[chorus:]
I need electric power to keep from getting ill
I need electric power to keep away the chill, but
Every damn month! Every damn month!
Every damn month! Every damn month!
I gotta pay the damn electric bill!
--
I wake up in the morning and I reach down for the mail
The first thing that I grab is that damn electric bill
I got my sharpest knife to slice open the envelope
I think I should be using it to slice open my throat
[chorus]
--
In Florida they burn palm trees to keep away the cold
In Texas they keep warm on beans and peppers, so I'm told
And down in Arkansas they heat up on moonshine swill
But every damn month I gotta pay the damn electric bill
[chorus]
--
I live out in the country where it gets freezing cold
I'll prob'ly spend my days here, I'm getting kinda old
I've always been poor and I guess I always will
'Cause every month I gotta pay the damn electric bill
[chorus]
FIREBALL! (hard gospel) San Francisco CA 1974
O where do ya think yer going?
O what do ya think yer doing?
It's the end, ya know, it's all over
It's the fireball, baby, right overhead
--
It's a comet out of space
On fire, right overhead
Look up and cry and wave your head
It's the end of the world: Fireball!
--
Yeah Babe, you can wiggle
Yeah Babe, you can shake
There's no difference your dance can make
There's no good in any pills you take
--
Fireball's coming down: Fireball!
Fireball's right here, right now
The sky's surely falling in
Damn right, damn right: Fireball!
LUSTDREAM (You're Just Walking By) [fast blues] San Francisco CA 1974
Long slim beauty, hidden sweetmeats
Flaming flowertop figment, loving sweet treats
Just walking by, just walking by
--
I'm a spider waiting to net you
I'm a skeeter waiting to stick you
I'm a hungry man who just wants to
Sink some teeth in
But you're just walking by, just walking by
Baby you're a tough tangerine, I'm an old fruit fly
--
I'm just locked in, I'm just boxed in
I could talk in and out and over and down all day
'Til the sky stops raining
And I got no more pain in me
What else can I say? My mainspring's all rust away
--
Assbrush coatfringe, below the leather
Ass warm and dry in this nasty weather
You're just walking by, just walking by
FORD V8 [rockabilly] San Francisco CA 1974
Cruisin' through the Golden State
Lookin' for a girl who's on the make
Go out early, come in late
Boogie all day in my Ford V8
--
[chorus:] Ford V8, Ford V8
Ain't no time to hibernate
Watch those windows agitate
Gettin hot in my Ford V8
--
Chuggin' thru the smog and trash
running lights and blasting hash
Driving like the Fresno Flash
I got 4 on the floor and a 5th in the dash
[chorus]
--
Rubbers and bottles on the floor
Bullet holes in the door
Smells just like a 2-bit whore
Don't think I can take much more
[chorus]
--
Monthly payments up the ass
It burns the oil and drinks the gas
Taking this curve much to fast
My Ford V8 ain't gonna last
--
[chorus - 2x & fade...]
CITY BLUES [honkytonk] San Francisco CA 1974
Well I'll tell ya, it's another cold night
The drunks are loose and the women are tight
I'm gonna slide downhill in my old scooter shoes
Walkin' and a'moanin' the city blues
--
I got no money, I got no friends
I'm a dirty red rooster locked out from the hens
I'm just like a gander, ain't got no goose
Walkin' and a'groanin' the city blues
--
[bridge:] Let's walk together in the city alleys
Thru the shining gutters in the urban valleys
Past the winos and all their prized possessions
Let's party on past the punctured seasons
--
Took a girl to the island for an evening date
I washed in at 7 and washed out at 8
Swimmin outa my depth, gotta reakon my dues
Just walkin' and a'hummin the city blues
COUNTRY SONG (old-timey C&W) San Francisco CA 1974
Here's a sad sad tale
About a whale of a woman and her good old man
Who does the best he can
Ain't no flash in the pan
--
She was Sunshine Lil, he was Moonshine Bill
They always made a good livin'
Lotsa care they'd be givin'
To tending their moonshine still
--
They had a home, the roof was snug
Kept'em dry as a bone
When the sky would storm
And a good soft be to keep'em warm
And a baby was born
--
They were livin' right
Makin' whiskey all day, makin' love all night
Almost never had a fight
I tell ya, they were livin' right
--
[instrumental]
--
Then their life went bust
All the corn went to dust
And the still went to rust
And there wasn't a person in the county to trust
Lord, who could they trust
--
Bill had to get a job
Coins and dollars from the pockets of folks he'd rob
Sellin'em smoggy ethyl gas
Hard times didn't pass
And Lil had to peddle her ass
--
Then the saddest day
Their house burnt away
And Bill and Lil with the baby at her teat
Were livin' out in the street
Yeah, they sure were beat
--
Sob, now I just can't go on
With this sad ol' song
Well sometimes a good sweet life
Sure can go wrong...
OPEN UP (radio rock) San Francisco CA 1974
Come open up
Give your hard heavy heart to heaven
When the skies are golden grey
And the Cadillacs fall thru the dead trees like rain
And stay awake late tonight
Watch the fireworks skyshow tonight
And stay with me tonight
--
Come open up
Empty your house to the demon tonight
When the end is coming near
When the housetops burn and children cry
And stay awhile tonight
And look upon yourself tonight
And stay with me tonight
TIGHTROPE WALKER (rock) San Francisco CA 1974
Tightrope walker
Balancing over the fire below
Just one misstep
And y'know where y'll go
--
The crowds jeer at your agony
The clowns somersault around you
The lions are loose on the floor
--
O tightrope walker
Y'really are in a [fine] fix
Sure, you can get out
You've got the contacts
--
A quick stop in Acapulco
And later Chile and Peru
Until they catch up with you
--
O tightrope walker
Balancing on political lines
Balancing powers
Balancing for all you're worth
--
You're screwed -- step off
You're screwed -- step off
You're screwed -- step off
--
[bridge:]
All -- running trapped within life
We are all -- running endless races
Isn't this all so self-evident?
--
O tightrope walker
[repeat and fade]
GLORIA EX POST FACTO (rock) San Francisco CA 1974
Sweet Gloria in excelsis
She's been raised so very high
Poor Gloria in extremis
Must've gone too far tonight
Pawnshop leather bells flashing
Goodnight boys' wives flashing
All the crusty knives slashing
Furniture and glasses crashing
--
The short and fat ones enter
By the red back door
Happy waddles on tender tendons
Looking for another whore
Sweet Gloria's here tonight
Have her and pay cash
Good for a long night
Good for a short bash
--
Gracious Gloria ex post facto
What's been done is none
Goodtime Gloria's slightly wacko
She could almost be a nun
[instrumental]
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