1. |
Walk As If You Won
04:02
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Walk As If You Won
There's an old man on the corner Wearing clothes ragged and worn
Collecting soda cans that people threw away
Some kids rode by him in a car and shouted "Bum, go get a job"
But he just smiled and went about his day
When I asked him how he dealt with people treating him like that
He held his head up high and he said "Son,
if all that you got left is how you look at yourself
You still got to walk as if you won."
You always got to walk as if you won.
There was a woman who'd been hurt. For far too long treated like dirt
By the man that she'd surrendered herself to
For years he bullied her about. Til she was crippled by self-doubt
And then he left her all alone, damaged and blue
And though she'd stayed a faithful wife to the creep who ruined her life,
she says there no use second guessing what she'd done-
cause if all that you got left is how you look at yourself
You still got to walk as if you won.
You always got to walk as if you won.
There was a guy known as a loser, he'd been cheated on and used
He couldn't even give himself an even break
And no matter what the odds he never drew the winning cards
It seemed like everything he did was a mistake
But he wouldn't stoop or bend although by women and by men
He was laughed at and looked down upon and shunned
He said if all that you got left is how you look at yourself
You still got to walk as if you won
You always got to walk as if you won.
You got to keep on walkin like you won.
You always got to walk as if you won.
©2014, 2018 Jon Waterman (ASCAP)
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2. |
Mean Ol' Debil Jones
06:36
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Mean Ol Debil Jones
Devon Jones used to fish for crawdads in the river by the shack
Where he was born to bear the burden of the money that he lacked
He'd go to town on every Saturday to drink away his woes
And there one time he met himself a girl, and as the story goes
That night he lured her to the darkness & despite her tender age
He took her to his liking with a poor man's lust & rage & then he fled
Into the swampland thinking she was dead.
Chorus: And they all say stay away from mean old Debil Jones
He been mumbling bout the debil all the day
He's been locked up in Angola getting rickets in his bones
He must have learned himself some voodoo on the way
Charlie Taylor was a wealthy Texas oil driller's son
He bought a home in Louisiana when his daddy's day was done
He used his father's money wisely bought a shipping company
And he made himself a fortune selling oil cross the sea
He had a daughter Charlotte Ann, she was his pleasure and his pride
Cause she looked so like her ma who'd fallen down the stairs and died so long ago
Poor woman never saw her baby grow.
They found poor Charlotte Ann out in the street one Sunday morn
Her eyes were black and puffy and her clothes were ripped and torn
And she thought about her father, all his highfalutin airs
And she thought about her mother, all those whispers and the stairs
So when the sheriff asked who did it, her face turned sickly tones
And she said it was none other then that mean young debil Jones that hurt her so
And so away to prison he must go
Charlie Taylor's daughter died in labor, she never got to see the son
That was the product of that evil deed ol Devon Jones had done
And when that boy had long since became a man, he went to see that wicked soul
That had hurt his mama years before and now was on parole
But when he saw old Devon Jones, he was full of shock and fright
Cause he saw old Debil Jones was black, while he himself was white
Ain't it true- the wonders that that voodoo sure can do.
©2000, 2013, 2018 Jon Waterman (ASCAP)
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3. |
Born That Way
04:32
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Born that Way
Some people leaves their mother's womb
With the golden touch of a silver spoon
And what they want they can assume
They'll get to have some day-
Some people were born that way
Some people get the life they choose
And never have to pay their dues
Some people got nothing to lose
And still they have to pay- Some people were born that way
Some claim it all comes down to nature
Cause such a lot in life comes from our genes
But there’s no way to deny success or failure
Has as much or more to do with whether we’re
born to those with means
Some people try hard to get by
Some people hardly have to try
And the way they walk with their heads held high
Make those around them say- Some people were born that way
Some people start out knowing love
A gift they're barely conscious of
Some have faith that there's a God above
Who listens when they pray Some people were born that way
Some claim it all comes down to nature
Cause such a lot in life comes from our genes
But there’s no way to deny success or failure
Has as much or more to do with whether we’re born to those with means
Some people begin this life on Earth
Already knowing what they're worth
But no matter who you are at birth- You go back to the clay
All people were born that way
©2012 Jon Waterman
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4. |
Hughie Cannon's Blues
04:19
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Hughie Cannon’s Blues
Hear that old piano rollin out a ragtime melody
From the bars where Hughie Cannon used to play
To the rhythm of the shots of gin and whiskey goin down
A good timin' song that still gets sung today
Where the rounders and the railroad men the gamblers and the whores
Told their stories from the darker side of life
And a kid at the piano heard a drunkard at the bar
Describe how he’d been tossed out by his wife
Up on Tin Pan Alley Hughie Cannon's got a song
And Mrs. Bailey moanin all night long
She handed her philanderin' man a pair of walkin shoes
Now many a minstrel knows the tune of Hughie Cannon's blues
It's 60 miles from Detroit to Toledo
You can go that distance any way you choose
And there's a lot of men who've fallen goin sideways down that road
And many a minstrel knows the tune of Hughie Cannon's blues
From Jackson to Manhattan, Hughie Cannon made his name
Writing music for the publishers to sell
Some songs were sold for parlors and some were sold for shows
And some nights he spent locked in a holding cell
Cause Hughie Cannon had been drinking hard from the time he was a kid
And as a man his drinking drove away his wife
He drank away the songs he wrote and the money that he made
Then at 34 he drank away his life
But back on Tin Pan Alley Hughie Cannon had a song
Where a widow mourned the man who'd done her wrong
Fast livin had caught up with him and he had to pay his dues
And many a minstrel knows the tune of Hughie Cannon's blues
It was 34 years from Detroit to Toledo
Goin by the way of pills and booze
And there's a lot of men who've fallen goin sideways down that road
And many a minstrel knows the tune of Hughie Cannon's blues
©2011 Jon Waterman
“Bill Bailey Won’t You Please Come Home” - Hughie Cannon
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5. |
Belinda
04:18
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Belinda
Belinda
I've been in this dark so long
I can't find that ray of light they say is always shining through
And i can't see where i'm going, but i can feel i'm going down
Belinda, be my something to hold on to
I know the liquor
Only brings me further down
And there's a cost of trying to get numb that's going to come due
But I can't handle feeling anymore, I'd rather fall apart
Belinda, be my something to hold on to
Belinda be my light
I'm held captive by the night
Belinda, be my something to hold on to
I've lost my will to fight
Help me get myself up right
Belinda, be my something to hold on to
Belinda
Please believe me, I'm ashamed
And I know it must seem like I'm not much of a man to you
Lost and reaching out for someone like a helpless child
Belinda, be my something to hold on to
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6. |
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Shouldn't Lovers Have Islands of Their Own
Close your eyes in blind trust and we'll leave this world behind us
When we find that far off island where we'll build ourselves a home
There's a heaven to discover
Where we'll only have each other
Shouldn't lovers all have islands of their own?
Don't you want to get away get away?
Don't you want to get away get away?
Don't you want to get away to an island of our own?
Don't you want to get away get away?
Don't you want to get away?
Shouldn't lovers all have islands of their own?
Leave the moon and stars to guide us to a place where none can find us
Where the solitude and silence will be ours and ours alone
That we'll have the space to breathe in and embrace each others demons
Shouldn't lovers all have islands of their own?
Like Adam and Eve we'll be living as nature intended
Alone on an island learning how our high love can evolve
But on the way to attaining perfection, the devil may tempt us
And the forbidden fruit will bring riddles, no one can solve
©2014, 2018 Jon Waterman (ASCAP)
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7. |
Everybody's All Right
04:12
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Everybody's All Right
There's a soap opera queen on the tv screen looking like the devil's own bride
From her sinister eyes you can recognize she's a conniving person inside
She's evil and she knows it, she's wicked and she shows it, she was made to be that way
You don't meet people like her on a typical day.
Everybody thinks they're the good guy, nobody thinks they're bad
Everybody thinks they're perfectly sane, nobody thinks they're mad
Everybody thinks they're the nicest person you'd ever want to meet in the night
Everbody's all right, everybody's all right.
See the heave on film and the supervillain from the Saturday morning cartoon
See the hopelessly pathetic sitcom loser who's always made to seem the buffoon
With cunning and craft and maniacal laughs, they practice their chicanery
It's all in black and white even when it's on a color tv.
Everybody thinks they're the good guy, nobody thinks they're bad
Everybody thinks they're perfectly sane, nobody thinks they're mad
Everybody thinks they're the nicest person you'd ever want to meet in the night
Everbody's all right, everybody's all right.
In a make believe world, it serves so well
That there are some meant for heaven and some bent on hell
But in reality that doesn't hold true
Everybody plays the hero from their own point of view.
The news report from the district court captures the defendant on trial
And from the way they show it in your heart you know that this character is certainly vile
The camera zooms in to catch a guilty grin that fades into a look of fear
Then the sentence is passed since the evidence is perfectly clear.
Everybody thinks they're the good guy, nobody thinks they're bad
Everybody thinks they're perfectly sane, nobody thinks they're mad
Everybody thinks they're the nicest person you'd ever want to meet in the night
Everbody's all right, everybody's all right.
©2015, 2018 Jon Waterman (ASCAP)
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8. |
Tourettes Tommy
03:29
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9. |
Learn How to Love
03:51
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Learn How to Love
It's the most important lesson- They don't teach it much in school
You learn just part of it at church- When they teach the golden rule
You can't learn it from a website- Or a book up on the shelf
And even if your parents teach you, -You got to learn it for yourself
Chorus:
You've got to learn how to love, learn how to love
The best thing you can do in life is to learn how to love
Learn how to love, you've got to learn how to love
Yeah the lesson we were put here for is to learn how to love
Love is the promise of tomorrow
It's what makes the world go 'round
It's the meaning of prosperity
And where happiness is found
It's the garden of eden
It's the fountain of youth
It's the secret to salvation
It is the one and only truth
You found somebody that you to be around- they want to be around you
Somebody you can't help but think about with every single thing you do
You want to make her feel good- You want everything to be just right
You want to hold her in the morning-
You want to hold her all through the night
You've got to learn how to love, learn how to love
The best thing you can do in life is to learn how to love
Learn how to love, you've got to learn how to love
Yeah the lesson we were put here for is to learn how to love
©2014, 2018 Jon Waterman (ASCAP)
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10. |
Thought It Was Love
02:55
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Thought It Was Love
I thought it was love, but I was wrong
I’d been listening to some of those old time songs
Where two people go walking in the park beneath the stars above
And those songs got me thinking all wrong and I thought it was love
I thought it was love, but that was a mistake
I’d been watching old movies for heavens sake
Where there’s magic and then ‘happy ever after’- and all of that stuff
And those movies confused me- that must be why I thought it was love
I thought it was love, but now I know it wasn’t
Cause they say love hurts and what she did to me doesn’t
I ain’t feeling nothin’ but the whiskey I’ve been drinking so much of
And thinkin’ what a fool I was that I thought it was love
I thought it was love, but it was all in my head
I was thinking ‘bout the ending of a story I read
Where a boy was together with the girl he’d been dreaming of
And just because I read that boring love story, I thought it was love
I thought it was love, but now I know it wasn’t
Because they say love hurts and what she did to me doesn’t
I ain’t feeling nothin’ but the whiskey I’ve been drinking so much of
And thinkin’ what a fool I was that I thought it was love
I thought it was love, why was I so stupid?
I saw Hallmark cards with pictures of Cupid
And it got me thinking there was something more between us then there was
I thought it was love, but now I know it wasn’t
Because they say love hurts and what she did to me doesn’t
I ain’t feeling nothin’ but the whiskey I’ve been drinking so much of
And thinkin’ what a fool I was that I thought it was love
©2013, 2018 Jon Waterman (ASCAP)
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11. |
Thing For My Guitar
03:14
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Thing for My Guitar
She doesn't think I'm rugged or attractive
She doesn't think my looks will get me far
She doesn't think I'm anything exciting
But I think she has a thing for my guitar
She doesn't care much for the drinks I buy her
Or my clever conversation at the bar
She doesn't think I'm cute or smart or funny
But I think she has a thing for my guitar
She doesn't want to ride out to the country-
Sittin there beside me in my car
She doesn't want to cruise around the city-
But I think she has a thing for my guitar
She doesn't think my clothes are sharp and stylish
Or as hip as what they sell at the bazaar
She doesn't think the way I dress is sexy
But I think she has a thing for my guitar
She doesn't think I'll ever be successful
Or believe I'll ever be a big rock star
She thinks my songs are pretty mediocre
But I think she has a thing for my guitar
Everytime she hears my guitar, she says it sounds so good
Everytime she sees my guitar she wants to touch the hard, hard wood-
You know I told tell her that she could...
Now I know a lot of guys are kind of jealous
They'll deny it, but I know deep down they are
They're wrong about the way she's looking at me
But I think she has a thing for my guitar
©2013, 2018 Jon Waterman (ASCAP)
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12. |
Midnight Sun
03:43
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Midnight Sun
If you've ever loved then you know
How the world can seem aglow with sunlight
Even in the midst of a dark night
With no end in sight
If you've ever loved then you know
The warmth you can show to someone
Even though winter has begun
For love is the midnight sun
And if you've ever loved then it's clear
How easily tears can start flowin
Just a change in how the wind's blowin
Can leave you cold and alone
And if you've ever loved it's so clear
How there can be somebody near you
Someone whose smile can cheer through
Your deepest blue
for love is the midnight sun, it keeps shining, keeps on shining
Love is the midnight sun, it keeps shining on through the night etc.
©2018 Jon Waterman (ASCAP)
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13. |
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In Grainy Days of Black and White
In Grainy days of black and white- And innocents at play
A Seed began to Sprout from Fertile Ground
And from the Fields of Illinois- Young Carl made his way
To where his fame and sad misfortune would be found
On the starlit sets of Hollywood the lights are hot and bright
And some say the stage ain't no place for a child
But Carl was a rascal he said "piss on the lights"
He went against the Grain, he was reckless, he was wild
But those Grainy days of black & white were over all too soon
Like a bowl of breakfast Cereal during the Saturday cartoons
Cause Seasons change and people age and stars will fade from sight
Except for those that will remain in days of Grainy black and white
So Carl went to the dogs, he had nowhere else to go
All his days of child stardom having passed
Hollywood is cruel to those who've Grown out of the only role
In which anyone can see them being cast
Times were hard and Ripe for trouble, there was tragedy in Store
On the night that Carl quarreled with a friend
It was just a Chaffy fifty bucks his buddy shot him for-
A much too early Harvest in the end
But those Grainy days of black & white were over all too soon
Like a bowl of breakfast Cereal during the Saturday cartoons
But the Grass is always green and stars are always shining bright
For those who always will remain in days of Grainy black and white
Who will always stay inGrained in Grainy days of black and white
Yeah, Carl's time was cut way too short
But now, whenever his story crops up every now and then
People start to wonder whether there might be something more to the story-
And they get this idea Planted in their heads
That it was all Hay, Hay, Hay Hay, in Grainy days of black and white.
Hay, Hay, Hay Hay, in Grainy days of black and white. (repeats)
©2014, 2018 Jon Waterman (ASCAP)
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Jon Waterman Massachusetts
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