Live Lyrics Page
Here are the lyrics for our show
Follow along, and join in if you’re in the mood!
Full Set
If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that after everything goes to hell and things are looking pretty bad, there’s only one thing to do…
Party!
I ain’t had work since a month gone by
My bank account has long run dry
The ‘lectric bill had gone unpaid
They’ll shut it off in a couple days
Things lookin’ tough, I know it’s true
There’s only one thing left to do
I’m gonna party tonight
I’m gonna party tonight
If the world aint’ right
And the end’s in sight
Well I tried with all my might
Now I’m just gonna party tonight
Well the taxman came and said hello
And left a bill for what I owe
It’s getting rough without a doubt
My baby said she’s moving out
My car got towed to who knows where
At this point I don’t even care
I’m gonna party tonight
I’m gonna party tonight
If the world aint’ right
And the end’s in sight
Well I tried with all my might
Now I’m just gonna party tonight
Old man trouble walked right in
Made himself at home
I’ll just sit and drink all night
Since they shut off my phone
Laugh and dancin’ all night long
I bet a ten to end off strong
Six big numbers, all came in
And just for once, I get to win
So have a drink, my credit’s good
And let’s light up the neighborhood
I’m gonna party tonight
I’m gonna party tonight
If the world aint’ right
And the end’s in sight
Well I tried with all my might
Now I’m just gonna party tonight
©2022 Russell Alexander / All Rights Reserved
Okay, so I got shanghai’d into judging a “King Of The Blues” contest. I was given a list of qualities to check off – ability, presence, originality, versatility, and there, at the end of the page. In capital letters. Bolded (sorry Arlo, couldn’t resist). Question 5 – Blues Content.
Is it blues enough for you?
The criteria sheet must have been written by a frustrated music critic…
Got a black cat bone
Got a mojo in my hand
Got a black cat bone
Got a mojo in my hand
Got the blues so bad
I can hardly even stand
(Chorus)
Is that blues enough for ya?
Is that blues enough for ya?
Does it do enough for ya?
Is that blues enough for ya?
Does it make the score
Do you want some more
Is that blues enough for ya?
No time to play
‘Cause I work my self to death
No time to play
‘Cause I work my self to death
And I’m running so fast
I can’t ever catch my breath
Is that blues enough for ya?
Is that blues enough for ya?
Does it do enough for ya?
Is that blues enough for ya?
Does it make the score
Do you want some more
Is that blues enough for ya?
Hard hard times
Don’t know what I’m going through
Hard hard times
Don’t know what I’m going through
Slept on the cold hard ground
By the age of 22
Is that blues enough for ya?
Is that blues enough for ya?
Does it do enough for ya?
Is that blues enough for ya?
Does it make the score
Do you want some more
Is that blues enough for ya?
Do I show enough pain
Do I bend the strings right
Is the bass too loose
Are the drums too tight?
Is that blues enough for ya?
Is that blues enough for ya?
Is that blues enough for ya?
Is that blues enough for ya?
Does it do enough for ya?
Is that blues enough for ya?
Does it make the score
Do you want some more
Is that blues enough for ya?
©2011 by Russell Alexander, all rights reserved.
Once I held diamonds in my hand
I thought that I could never lose
Wasting money, wasting time
I took the long way round to get back to the blues
I was building castles, in the clouds
Thought I’d never have to choose
I believed I could have it all
I took the long way round to get back to the blues
Oh I promised, many things
Just to could keep all in play
But I found out, it has to end
And there’s a price you’ve got to pay
Now the road’s been long and hard
And I’m back to paying dues
If it ends in heaven, or if it’s hell
It’s a long way round to get back to the blues
©2024 Russell Alexander/All Rights Reserved
Yes, love is grand. But sometimes one partner may not understand how much they affect the other one. It can be a positive, or a negative – or both…
Out all night
Sleep all day
Never want to do a thing I say
Warn you baby (darling,)
I can’t take this heavy load
(Before I just explode)
You’re useless as a
Side Pocket For A Toad
(You know I)
Bring you beer, from
Down in Tring
But you don’t never do a doggone thing
A little love is the least of what I’m owed
But you ain’t no better than a
Side Pocket For A Toad
Collie’s Dog is gonna hunt you down
‘Cause I’m tired of you just
Running ‘round
Take a hint, better hit the road
Man, you ain’t nothin’ but a
Side Pocket For A Toad
©2022 Russell Alexander/All Rights Reserved
Everything changes. Neighborhoods and entire cities come and go. People die. Values change. And like the 60’s song says, you may look at people and think “Don’t they know it’s the end of the world?”
But the world moves on. And, somehow, so do we.
Well, I knew this day was coming
Each beginning has an end
But it’s just too hard to face it
It’s so easy to pretend
Smiling faces caught forever
Living in a photograph
While the sun is dropping lower
As we hit the second half
And the world moves on
And the center is gone
And I can’t hold on
So the world moves on
Oh the good times I remember
I didn’t recognize them then
Now the buildings all are falling
And they can never rise again
And did I ever really thank you
Did you know how good you’ve done
I sing the blues after midnight
While shadows
Rise up one by one
And the world moves on
But the center is gone
And I can’t hold on
As the world moves on
©2016 by Russell Alexander and Mike Porter (music), Russell Alexander (lyrics), All Rights Reserved.
I met this lady with a winning smile
We had some drinks and then we talked awhile
She leaned in close and whispered in my ear
“I hope my boyfriend doesn’t show up here”
She said her ex had kind of lost his mind
On top of that, he was the jealous kind
Special forces, till they kicked him out”
Then she looked around to see if he’s about
She said “be ready, things might get funky”
I said,
“Whoa, not my circus, not my monkeys”
Monkey see, monkey do
Monkey see, but I’m not you
I got a burger from the all-night stand
This guy walks over with an open hand
He says “hey buddy, can you spare some change?
I haven’t eaten and I’m feeling strange”
I said “pick something” but he shook his head
“if you don’t mind, I’d rather have the bread” Um hm,
“if you could spare just a little more
I’ll take you someplace where we both could score”
Now, I’m no angel, but I ain’t no junkie,
I said,
“Not my circus, not my monkeys”
Monkey see, monkey do
Monkey see, but I’m not you
I like to think that I’m a caring man
And we’re all part of a bigger plan
But sometimes when it’s said and done
You got to grab your things and run
The general contractor had a worried frown
He said that ceiling’s got to come on down
But all his crew had a day of rest
And he was trying just to do his best
He pointed up, pointed way up high
Where even pigeons were afraid to fly
Asked me to climb up there and risk my skin
I said “Buddy, I’m just here to plug stuff in
I’d like to help you, but I ain’t that spunky
Not my circus, not my monkey”
©2020 Russell Alexander, Paul Gilmore / All Rights Reserved
This was Kris Kristofferson’s first big hit, performed by Johnny Cash. It launched his career as a writer, and that led to his career as a performer.
This is our version – it’s nothing at all like the original, but I felt it was – at its heart – always a blues song.
Well I woke up Sunday mornin’, with no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad, so I had one more, for dessert
Then I fumbled through my closet, for my clothes and found my cleanest dirty shirt
And I shaved my face and combed my hair and, stumbled down the stairs to meet the day
I’d smoked my brain the night before on, cigarettes and songs that I’d been pickin’
But I lit my first and watched a small kid cussin’ at a can, that he was kickin’
Then I crossed the empty street and caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin’ chicken
And it took me back to somethin’, that I’d lost somehow somewhere along the way
On the Sunday morning sidewalks, wishin’ I was stoned
‘Cause there’s something in a Sunday, makes a body feel alone
And there’s nothin’ short of dyin’, half as lonesome as the sound
On the sleepin’ city side walks, Sunday mornin’ comin’ down
In the park I saw a daddy, with a laughing little girl who he was swingin’
And I stopped beside a Sunday school and listened to the song that they were singin’
Then I headed back for home and somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringin’
And it echoed through the canyons like the disappointed (disappearing) dreams of yesterday
On the Sunday morning sidewalks, wishin’ I was stoned
‘Cause there’s something in a Sunday, makes a body feel alone
And there’s nothin’ short of dyin’, half as lonesome as the sound
On the sleepin’ city side walks, Sunday mornin’ comin’ down
©1969 Kris Kristofferson, All Rights Reserved.
I got a king sized bed
With fine satin sheets
But there’s no room for me
When I want to go to sleep
I’m on the edge of the bed
I’m on the edge of the bed
Now I don’t mean to pout
But my baby spreads out
I’m on the edge of the bed
Now if I push her back
Her eyes fill up with tears
She says I want to hug you
Baby don’t you want me here?
I’m on the edge of the bed
I’m on the edge of the bed
Now I don’t mean to pout
But my baby spreads out
I’m on the edge of the bed
I don’t ask for much
I work hard all day
I love my baby’s touch
But I can’t go on this way
I’m on the edge of the bed
I’m on the edge of the bed
Now I don’t mean to pout
But my baby sure spreads out
I’m on the edge of the bed
If it’s a tiny cot
Or fit for a king
No matter what the size
It doesn’t change a thing
I’m on the edge of the bed
I’m on the edge of the bed
Now I don’t mean to pout
But my baby spreads way out
I’m on the edge of the bed
© 2024 Russell Alexander / All Rights Reserved
Our take on the Willie Dixon classic
The gypsy woman told my mother
On the day I was born
You got a boy child comin’
He’s gonna be a son of a gun
He gonna make pretty women’s
Jump and shout
Then the world wanna know
What it’s all about
Because I’m him
Everybody knows I’m him
I’m the hoochie coochie man
Everybody knows I’m him
got a black cat bone
I got a mojo too
I got the Johnny Conqueror root
He’s gonna mess with you
I’m gonna take all the women
Lead me by my hand
Then the world gonna know
I’m the hoochie coochie man
Because I’m him
Everybody knows I’m him
I’m the hoochie coochie man
Everybody knows I’m him
On the seventh hour
On the seventh day
On the seventh month
The seven doctors say
He was born for good luck
Just you wait and see
I got seven hundred dollars
Don’t you fool with me
©1957 Willie Dixon. All Rights Reserved.
Need to reach my buddy ‘cause I’m in a fix
But he passed away back in ‘96
Now I got some books and they all explain
How to reach somebody on the other plane
I’m calling long distance
Calling way long distance
I’m calling long distance
But all the lines are down
My crystal ball got a great big crack
My tarot cards are missing half the stack
My old dried bones have gotten wet somehow
Even my black cat bone is out of service now
I’m calling long distance
Calling way long distance
I’m calling long distance
But all the lines are down
My Ouija board don’t move at all
And my spirit guide won’t take my call
My crystal of power ain’t workin’ right
And my votive candle won’t even light
I’m calling long distance
Calling way long distance
I’m calling long distance
But all the lines are down
Well I held a séance with Miss DuPree
She said she had a message just for me
There is an easy answer, the message said
I’m gonna spell it out, but then the line went dead
I’m calling long distance
Calling way long distance
I’m calling long distance
But all the lines are down
Miss Catherine told me not to be a fool
Don’t waste my time, don’t bend the rules
She said the tea leaves told her I was in a jam
And I’d find my answer in an old tin can
She said wait an hour till the moon gets high
Go find the place where the seasons die
Count twenty paces to the westward side
Dig a dozen feet and it’ll save my hide
She called long distance
She called way long distance
When I called long distance
Baby all the lines were down
I took the road, I paid the toll
And now I’ve left the murderer’s hole
And the moral here is when it hits the fan
If you can’t fix it, find someone who can
Call long distance
Call way long distance
Call long distance
Even when the lines are down
©2024 Russell Alexander / All Rights Reserved.
Baby, are you thirsty?
Well, I’ve got some soda right here
It’s bubbly and brown, it’ll cool you down
But let me make it perfectly clear
You can’t have none
And you’re bad, bad, bad, ’cause you want some
You can’t touch it
And you’re bad, bad, bad, ’cause you want it
And if you can’t understand
Well, that’s what it’s like to be a man
If a man’s just a man, well that’s all that I am
And girl, you’re keeping me on the run
When you bump and grind, I just lose my mind
But then you say it’s only in fun
Baby, are you tired?
Well, I’ve got a mattress right here
It’s comfy and soft, you can drift right off
But let me make it perfectly clear
You can’t have none
And you’re bad, bad, bad, ’cause you want some
You can’t touch it
And you’re bad, bad, bad, ’cause you want it
And if you can’t understand
Well, that’s what it’s like to be a man
©2003 Russell Alexander / All Rights Reserved
I hear that train a-comin’
It’s rollin’ round the bend
And I ain’t seen the sun shine since
I don’t know when
I’m stuck in Folsom Prison, and time keeps draggin’ on
But that train keeps on rollin’, down to the San Antone
When I was just a baby
My mama told me “Son
Always be a good boy
Don’t ever play with guns”
But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die
Now when I hear that whistle blowin’, I hang my head and cry
I’ll bet there’s people eatin’
In them fancy dining cars
They’re probably drinkin’ coffee
And smokin’ fat cigars
I know I had it comin’, I know I can’t be free
But I hear that whistle blowin’, and that’s what tortures me
When they free me from this prison
When that railroad train was mine
I’ll probably move it on a little further down the line
Far from Folsom Prison, that’s where I want to stay
And I’ll let that lonesome whistle, blow all my blues away
©1955 Johnny Cash/ All Rights Reserved
Sometimes, I have to wonder – is anybody NOT living in a hurricane? Past the age of five, I mean.
Well the storm is breaking
It’s been raining since I don’t know when
There’s a black cloud
Leaves are tremblin’ in the wind
Beg, plead, on my knees
Something starts tearing like a killer disease
Poor boy, living in a hurricane
Just a poor boy, living in a hurricane
Poor boy, living in a hurricane
Try to leave but I just can’t go
Running like the devil but I’m moving too slow
Poor boy, living in a hurricane
The walls and flashing
Crashing before my eyes
There’s danger
Death on the wind tonight
Jump, shout “Who’s out there?”
Nothing but the screaming of the cold night air
Oh god, living in a hurricane
Just a poor boy, living in a hurricane
Poor boy, living in a hurricane
Try to leave but I just can’t go
Running like the devil but I’m moving too slow
Poor boy, living in a hurricane
©2003 by Russell Alexander, all rights reserved.
This became Son House’s signature song, and it was based on a number of songs that came before it. Our version, as usual, is NOTHING like his. But it gets the right mood, and can be scary as hell!
Woke up this morning, got a letter that read
Said, “Hurry, hurry, the girl you love is dead.”
Woke up this morning, got a letter that read
Said, “Hurry, hurry, the girl you love is dead.”
I packed up my suitcase, and took off down the road.
When I got there she was lying stiff and cold.
I packed up my suitcase, and took off down the road.
When I got there she was lying stiff and cold.
Kissed her forehead, right where she lay
I said “My love, I’ll see you on the Judgement Day.”
Kissed her forehead, right where she lay
I said “Oh my love, I’ll see you on the Judgement Day.”
There was 10,000 people at her buryin ground.
I didn’t know I loved her til they lowered her down.
There was 10,000 people at her buryin ground.
I didn’t know I loved her til they lowered her down.
There was just four women I love in my life
My mother, my sister, that woman and my wife
There was just four women I love in my life
My mother, my sister, that woman and my wife
Hush, I hear her calling my name
It ain’t too loud, just sweet and plain
Hush, I hear her calling my name
It ain’t too loud, just sweet and plain
Woke up this morning, got a letter that read
Said, “Hurry, hurry, the girl you love is dead.”
Woke up this morning, got a letter that read
Said, “Hurry, hurry, the girl you love is dead.”
