Deeper
Well: The LifeRing Music Page
Last update: 11/26/2002
To submit song titles/artists and lyrics to the LifeRing
music page, email Mike M., music page
editor.
Many of the songs have links at the end of their
lyrics so you can listen to an audio sample.
If
an “X” appears in the audio sample line rather than a link, it means
no audio sample is available at this time.
Should you order any album from Amazon.com by
clicking here, LSR receives a small referral fee on the purchase.
Please note that a few audio excerpts are linked to
sites other than Amazon. Any copyrighted material on these pages is used in
“fair use”, for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis
only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s).
Thanks to John R., Lowell W. and Marty N. for
getting this all from text to web page.
Index by Song Title
Amazing | Amphetamine
Annie | The
Anonymous Alcoholic | Another Try
| Ashes to Ashes |
Between The Bars
| The Big
Light | Billy Dee | Bright Baby
Blues | China White
| Clean | Cocaine Bill
& Morphine Sue | Cocaine
Blues | Cocaine Cannot Kill My Pain | Cocaine
Decisions | Cocaine
Eyes | Codeine | Cold Turkey
| Come
Away From It | Comfortably Numb | Dead
Flowers | Deeper Well
| Demon
Alcohol | Drug Ballad | Dumb | Forbidden
Fruit | Geek Stink
Breath | Gold Dust
Woman | Got to Give it Up | I
Gotta Get Drunk | Is That All
There Is | Guilty | Heroin | Heroin Girl
| Hey
Stoopid | Home
Is Where the Hatred Is | Hotel
California | I Can't
Dance to That | I Drink
Alone | John
Barleycorn Must Die | Junkie's
Lament | Kick Hit 4
Hit Kix U (Janis & Jimi Blues) | Life Worth
Living | Living It Up
| Lost
Horizons |
Lost Mind | Marmalade |
Miss World
| Mother's
Little Helper | Naked In the
Rain | The
Needle & the Damage Done | The
Needle & the Spoon | The No No
Song | Not an Addict | One For My
Baby (And One More For the Road) | Paper Thin | Payday
| The
Piano Has Been Drinking | Quaaludes
Again | The Rescue Blues | Ritalin Bob
| Running
to Stand Still | Sam Stone | She Talks
to Angels | Sister
Morphine | Snow Blind
Friend | Song About
Walls | Song For The Life | Stolen
Moments | Straight | Street
Lobotomy | Suicide
Solution | Sunday
Morning Coming Down | Sylvia Plath | That Smell |
Through
the Glass | Wake Up!
Time to Die | Weaving Way
| We're Not Right
| Wishin'
All These Old Things Were New | White
Rabbit | You |
The White Lady Loves You More | You
Index by Artist
10
CC | Aerosmith |
Adams, Ryan 1 2 | America | Axton, Hoyt |
The Band |
Black
Crowes | Brown,
Jackson | Candlebox | Canned Heat
| Cooper,
Alice | Costello,
Elvis | Crosby and
Nash | Crosby,
Stills, and Nash | Crowell, Rodney | David
Bowie | Depeche
Mode | DiFranco,
Ani | Eagles | Earle,
Steve | Elliot Smith
1 2 | Eminem | Everclear |
Faithfull,
Marianne | George,
Lowell | The Geraldine Fibbers 1
2
| Gin
Blossoms | David Gray | Green Day | Haggard,
Merle | Harris,
Emmylou | Hiatt, John 1 2 | Hole | Hooker, John
Lee | Ice
T/D-Roc | K's Choice | Kinks | Kitt, Eartha
| Krall,
Diana | Kristofferson, Kris 1 2
| Peggy Lee
| Lennon,
John | Lynyrd Skynyrd 1 2 | Mercer,
Johnny | Nelson, Willie | Newman,
Randy | Nicks,
Stevie | Ono, Yoko | Osbourne,
Ozzy | Pink Floyd | Pop Will
Eat Itself | Prine, John |
Rea, Chris
| Rolling Stones 1 2 3 | St. Marie,
Buffy | Scaggs, Boz | Shocked,
Michelle | Silverstein,
Shel | Slapshot | Starr, Ringo
| Switch 76
| Taylor,
James | Thorogood,
George | Thin Lizzy | Traditional
| Traffic |
U2 | Uncle
Tupelo | van Ronk,
Dave | The
Velvet Underground | Veruca Salt
| Waits,
Tom | Werner,
Susan | Young, Neil 1 2 | Zappa,
Frank
Ajax
Liquor Store | Beer
AMAZING
Aerosmith
“I kept the right ones out
And let the wrong ones in
Had an angel
of mercy to see me through all my sins
There were times in my
life
When I was goin' insane
Tryin to walk through
The
pain
When I lost my grip
And I hit the floor
Yeah, I thought I
could leave, but couldn't get out the door
I was so sick and
tired
Of livin' a lie
I was wishin that I
Would
die
Chorus
It's Amazing
With the blink of an eye you
finally see the light
It's Amazing
When the moment arrives that you
know you'll be alright
It's Amazing
And I'm sayin' a prayer for
the desperate hearts tonight
That one last shot's a Permanent
Vacation
And how high can you fly with broken wings?
Life's a
journey not a destination
And I just can't tell just what tomorrow
brings
You have to learn to crawl
Before you learn to
walk
But I just couldn't listen to all that righteous talk
I was out
on the street
Just tryin' to survive
Scratchin' to
stay
Alive
Chorus
--Meaghan M., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here… and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples”
and click on the song title.
AMPHETAMINE ANNIE
Canned Heat (Robert J. Hite Jr.)
"This is a song with a message,
I want you to heeeeed my
warning.
Wanna tell you all a story, about this chick I
know.
They call her Amphetamine Annie, and she's always shovelin'
snow.
I sat her down and told her, I told her crystal clear
I don't
mind you gettin' high but there's one thing you should fear
Your mind
might think it's flyin' baby on those little pills
But you ought to
know it's dyin', cause - speed kills!
But Annie kept on speedin',
her health was gettin' poor
She saw things in the window, she heard
things at the door
Her mouth was like a grindin' mill, her lips where
cracked and soar
Her skin was turnin' yellow, I just couldn't take it
no more
She thought her mind was flyin' on those litte pills
She
didn't know it was going down fast, cause - speed kills!
--- Solo
---
Yaaaa, speed can kill you too baby, yaa
Well I sat her
down and told her, I told her one more time
The whole wide human raice
has taken far too much melamine
She said "I don't care what a lyma(??)
says, I got to get it on
I'm not hip to the seen of the man who come
from across the pond."
She wouldn't heed my warning, Lord she wouldn't
hear what I said
Now she's here in the grave yard, and she's awfully
dead.
Ya, speed gonna kill you!
Anybody.
Speed will get
you!
Speed from over the pond.
There ain't no hope baby...
Yaa,
aah hah.
Spoon a Spoon a Spoon.... huah..."
--Joseph H., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here… and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples”
and click on the song title.
THE ANONYMOUS ALCOHOLIC
10 CC (Eric Stewart & Graham Gouldman, © 1978)
Submitter's Note: Here is one of my true favorites. It is a 1978
song by the British pop band 10cc.
It begins as a slow tempo
sort of remorseful ballad. The bridge is a really funky
disco/dance
beat and then returns to the slow tempo and fade.
“You walk in
the room
The folks are all there
With glasses in hand
But, you
can't take the band
So, you head for the bar
The barman's well
stocked
He knows where you're at
He offers a drink
But you can't
take none of that
No
you can't take none of that
Everybody's havin' fun
So, why be the
one
Who's out in the cold?
It's not good enough
You made a deal
with yourself
You said you'd never, never take another drop
Your
cravin’s big
Your liver’s shot
You'd give a million for a solitary
drop
You take your first belt
It tastes like pure hell
The second
one drops
Intentions are shot
Well, you think you might as
well
You take another sip
You get to likin' it
The music sounds
hip
So, you head for the floor
Well, you step out on the dance
floor
And you grab at your boss' wife
You've been longing to hold
her close
For the whole of your working
life
And the band played
on
(...Move your
ass!…)
Well, your hostess is looking mad
As your hands start to
wander
And your boss is gonna get you now
He's gonna put you six
feet under
You're gettin' waltzed through the door
And your feet
don't touch the floor
Your never gonna see her no more
The dawn
starts to break
Your head's a big ache
You're lyin' in bed
You're
back from the dead
And your mouth feels like
Old leather, old
leather
Never do it again
You'll never do it again
Everyone was havin' fun
But, you were the
one
Kicked out in the cold
You slept in your clothes
You let 'em
down
Down at the club
You know your conscience
Gotta take the
rub
Your boss is sore
You've had your chance
He says he never
wants to see you again
Don't
want to see you again
Don't
want to see you again
You've gotta dry out
The boys have found
out
It's the end of the line
But, it's martini time
So, you head
for the bar…”
--Tom S., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click on…
X
…and
then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song title.
ANOTHER TRY
America
Excerpt:
“Hey. Daddy just lost his pay.
What did he do it
for?
It never made it through our door.
He drank a week away.
Now
what can a family say?
There must be another way.
Now mama don't
start to cry.
Let's give him another try”
Larry B., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click
here …
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on
the song title.
THE BIG LIGHT
Elvis Costello
"The Big Light
Well I had a little feeling to have a big night
And I woke up feeling small and not so brave and not quite right
I
had to face the who am I and where is she and what did I do
But worst
of all I had to face the big light
Chorus:
The big light came
through my window and it opened up my eyelids
And it snapped them up
like roller blinds and told me things that I did
I can't face another
day and night of good ideas and complications
And I'm thankful that I
didn't open another bottle of inspiration
When the hangover this
morning had a personality
And I cast my shattered mind over selected
memories
I didn't even touch the light switch so I knew I'd never see
The Haggard face that would be staring back at me
Chorus
Well I had a little feeling to have a big time
And I woke up
to alarm bells like a big church chime
I had to face the who am I and
who is she and what did I do
But worst of all I had to face the big
light
Chorus"
--Mo K., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click on…
X
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song
title.
BILLY DEE
Kris Kristofferson
"Billy Dee was seventeen when he turned twenty-one
Fooling with
some foolish things he could've left alone
But he had try to satisfy a
thirst he couldn't name
Driven towards the darkness by the devils in
his veins
All around the honky tonks, searching for a sign
Gettin'
by on gettin' high on women, words and wine
Some folks called him
crazy, Lord and others called him free
But we just called us lucky for
the love of Billy Dee
Busy goin' his own way and speakin' his own
words
Facin' and forgettin' every warnin' that he heard
Makin'
friends and takin' any crazy chance he could
Gettin' busted for the bad
times and believin' in the good
Billy took a beatin' from a world he
meant no harm
The score was written in the scars up on his arms
Some
felt he was payin' for the life he tried to lead
But all we felt was
sorry for our good friend Billy Dee
It may be his soul was bigger than
a body's oughta be
Singin' songs and bringin' laughter to the likes of
you and me
Cause the world he saw was sadder than the one he hope to
find
But it wasn't near as lonesome as the one he left
behind
Yesterday they found him on the floor of his hotel
Reachin'
toward the needle, Lord, that drove him down to hell
Some folks called
it suicide, and others blamed the speed
But we all called it crucified
when Billy Dee O.D.'d."
????, submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click
here …
…and
then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song title.
BRIGHT BABY BLUES
Jackson Brown
Excerpt:
"It's so hard to come by, that feeling of peace.
A
friend of mine said, 'Close your eyes,
And try a few of these.'
I
thought I was flying like a bird
So high above my sorrow, but when I
looked down
I was standing on my knees
Now I need someone to help
me, someone to help me please."
--Richard C., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click
here…
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the
song title.
CHINA WHITE
Lowell George (Little Feat)
"I said blow away, blow away
This cruel reality
And keep me from
its storm
Suspicion has crept in, and ruined my life
I'm messed up,
and hassled, and worn
Well its pure indignation
Just another
sensation
And I'd like to knock on that door
But the boy he keeps on
callin' for more
Yes and my sweet China White
She ain't here
tonight
And love has robbed me blind
So cast away, cast
away
>From this ball full of pain
For it sinks beneath the
waves
Yes and my sweet China White
She ain't here tonight
Oh
and love has robbed me blind
Morphine and cocaine have robbed me
blind"
--Mike F, submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click on…
X
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song
title.
CLEAN
Depeche Mode
Excerpt:
“Now that I’m clean
You know what I mean
I’ve broken my fall
Put an end to it all
I’ve changed my
routine
Now I’m clean…”
--Mike M., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click
here…
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the
song title.
COCAINE BILL AND MORPHINE SUE
Traditional folk song?
“I've only been picking up on about half the posts in this list, so
I'm not sure if this one has been mentioned; Cocaine Bill and
Morphine Sue was a popular song among the folkies in the '50's and
'60's.”
"Cocaine Bill and Morphine Sue
Strolling down the avenue two by
two.
Refrain: Oh, honey
won't you have a little sniff on
me,
Have a sniff on me,
Said Sue to Bill: "It'll do no
harm,
If we both just have a little shot in the arm."
Said Bill
to Sue: "I can't refuse,
'Cause there's no more kick in this darned ol'
booze"
So they walked down first and they turned up
main,
Looking for a place they could buy cocaine.
They came to a
drugstore full of smoke,
Where they saw a little sign sayin' "No more
coke"
Now in the graveyard on the hill,
Lies the body of Cocaine
Bill.
And in a grave right by his side,
Lies the body of his
cocaine bride.
All o' you cokies is a-gonna be dead
If you don't
stop a-sniffin that stuff in your head.
Now where they went, no one
can tell
It might have been heaven or it might have been ... SNIFF.”
--Richard B., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click on…
X
…and
then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song title.
COCAINE BLUES
Dave van Ronk (traditional)
“Every time my baby an' me we go uptown
Police come an' they knock
me down --
Cocaine, runnin’ all ‘round my brain.
Hey,
baby, won't you come here quick;
This old cocaine is 'bout to make me
sick --
Cocaine, runnin’ all ‘round my brain.
Yonder
come my baby, she's dressed in red,
She's got a shotgun, says she's
gonna kill me dead --
Cocaine, runnin’ all ‘round my brain.
(talking blues aside:) Yeah, it makes you feel like superman
If you don’t believe me, try jumping out a third story
window…
Hey, baby, will you come here quick;
This old cocaine
'bout to make me sick --
Cocaine, runnin’ all ‘round my brain.
You take Sally, an' I take Sue,
Ain't no difference between the
two --
Cocaine, runnin’ all ‘round my brain.
Hey, baby,
ya better come here quick;
This ol' cocaine 'bout to make me sick
--
Cocaine, runnin’ all ‘round my brain.
I’m walkin’
down Lead Street and I turn towards Coal
Needin’ all that cocaine that
I just sold
Cocaine, runnin’ all ‘round my brain.
Hey,
baby, ya better come here quick;
This old cocaine 'bout to make me sick
--
Cocaine, runnin’ all ‘round my brain.
Cocaine's for
horses, an' it's not for men,
Doctors say it kill you, but they don't
say when --
Cocaine, runnin’ all ‘round my brain.
Hey,
baby, ya better come here quick;
This old cocaine 'bout to make me sick
--
Cocaine, runnin’ all ‘round my brain.
Hey, baby, you
better come here quick;
This old cocaine 'bout to make me sick
--
Cocaine, runnin’ all ‘round my brain."
--Richard B., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click
here…
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the
song title.
COCAINE CANNOT KILL MY PAIN
Steve Earle
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
Like a freight train through my vein
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
Whiskey got no hold on me
Left them chains in Tennessee
Whiskey got no hold on me
Don't come knockin' on my door
Even that won't work no more
Don't come knockin' on my door
Heroin is the only thing
The only gift the darkness brings
Heroin is the only thing
Guess you'd best leave me alone
At least until these blues have gone
Guess you'd best leave me alone
UNAVAILABLE audio sample (on album "I Feel Alright")
COCAINE DECISIONS
Frank Zappa
"Chop a line now...
Cocaine decisions...
You are a person with a
snow-jon
You got a fancy gotta go job
Where the cocaine decisions
that you make today
Will Mean that millions somewhere else
Will do
it your way
Cocaine decisions...
You are a person who is high
class
You are a person not in my class
And the cocaine decisions
that you make today
Will mean nothing later on
When you get nose
decay
I don't wanna know
'Bout the things that you
pull
Outta your nose
Or where they goes
But if you are
wasted
From the stuff you're stickin' in it
I get madder every
day
'Cause what you do 'n' what you say
Affects my life in such a
way
I learn to hate it every minute!
Cocaine
decisions...
You are a doctor or a lawyer
You got an office with a
foyer
And the cocaine decisions that you make today
Will not be
discovered till it's over 'n' done
By the customers you hold at bay
Cocaine decisions...
You are a movie business guy
You got
accountants who supply
The necessary figures
To determine when you
fly
To Acapulco
Where all your friends go
Cocaine
decisions...
We must watch the stuff you make
You have let us eat
the cake
While your accountants tell you Yes Yes Yes
You make
EXPENSIVE UGLINESS
(How do you do it? -- Let me guess...)
Cocaine
decisions...
Cocaine decisions...
Cocaine decisions... "
????, submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click
here…
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the
song title.
COCAINE EYES
Neil Young
"Ain't a day goes by, I don't burn a little bit of my soul
Ain't a
day goes by, I don't burn a little bit of my soul
Scored some friends
along the way
Did what I did, said what I had to say
And I'd do it
all again if I had to today
When all is said and done
I'm the one.
It's a long hard road when your friends start to leave you behind
It's a long hard road when you try to find peace of mind
Some
might go for poison
And some go for too much stuff
Some just go to
sleep at night
And forget to wake up.
Cocaine eyes
Can't
hide your face
It's no surprise
You lose the race
Again.
Ain't a day goes by, I don't burn a little bit of my
soul
Ain't a day goes by, I don't burn a little bit of my soul
Scored some friends along the way
Did what I did, said what I had
to say
And I'd do it all again if I had to today
'Cause when all
is said and done
I'm the one.
I'm the one, yeah.
Cocaine eyes
It won't hide your face
It's no surprise
You lost the race
Once again
My old friend."
--Ryan P., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click on…
X
…and
then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song title.
CODINE
Buffy St. Marie (Traditional?)
“An' my belly is craving, I got shakin' in my head
I feel like I'm
dyin' an' I wish I were dead
If I lived till tomorrow it's gonna be a
long time
For I'll reel and I'll fall and rise on codine
An' it's
real, an' it's real, one more time
When I was a young man I learned
not to care
Wild whiskey, confronted I often did swear
My mother and
father said whiskey is a curse
But the fate of their baby is many times
worse
An' it's real, an' it's real, one more time
You'll forget
your woman, you'll forget about man
Try it just once, an' you'll try it
again
It's sometimes you wonder and it's sometimes you think
That
I'm a-living my life with abandon to drink
An' it's real, an' it's
real, one more time
Stay away from the cities, stay away from the
towns
Stay away from the men pushin' the codine around
Stay away
from the stores where the remedy is found
I will live a few days as a
slave to codine
An' it's real, an' it's real, one more time
An'
my belly is craving, I've got a shakin' in my head
An' I've started
heating whether my body said
Steady yourself with the grains of
cocaine
An' you'll end dead or you'll end up insane
An' it's real,
an' it's real, one more time
An' my belly is craving, I got shaking
in my head
I feel like I'm dyin' an' I wish I were dead
If I lived
till tomorrow it's gonna be a long time
For I'll reel and I'll fall and
rise on codine
An' it's real, an' it's real, one more time
An' it's
real, an' it's real, one more time
…My one satisfaction
That comes
when I think
That I’m livin’ my life
Without bendin’ to
drink…”
--Claudia F., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click
here…
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on
the song title.
COLD TURKEY
John Lennon/Yoko Ono
"The temperature is rising
The fever is high
I can't see no
future
I can't see no sky
My feet are so heavy
And so is my
head
I wish I was a baby
I wish I was dead
Cold turkey
Has
got me
On the run
My body is aching
With booze in my
bones
I can't see no body
So leave me alone
My eyes are wide
open
I can't get no sleep
But the one thing I'm sure of
I'm in
for the deep freeze
Cold turkey
Has got me
On the
run
36 hours
I'm rolling in pain
I'm praying inside
me
Free me again
Oh I'll be a good boy
Please make me
well
I promise you anything
Get me out of this hell
Cold
turkey
Has got me
On the run”
--Jennifer S., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click
here…
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on
the song title.
COME AWAY FROM IT
Ani Di Franco
“come
come away
come away from
come away from it
next to the glass ashtray
in a little plastic babby
is a
bitter rock remedy
really good stuff
but I take offense to the
fact
that you’re so hell bent
are you just trying to tell me this
world
just isn’t beautiful enough?
do you want to get
off?
is this your stop?
do you gotta have a tripledecker super
fudge sundae
with a goddamn cherry on top?
i mean, what makes you
so lavish
that you can afford
to spend every sober moment feeling
angry and bored
why don’t you come
come away
come away from
it
why?
we used to hold hands down
those unfamiliar
streets
you used to take me diving
into the watery blue deep
but now you’re trying to find every tiny treasure
every shiny
penny of pleasure
satisfy every selfish purpose
before you swim
back up to the surface
why don’t you come
come away
come
away from it
you think that I just don’t like it anymore
but
I’ll tell you what i don’t like
i don’t like that I had to put the
training wheels
back onto your bike
and i don’t like the
extravagance
or the way you taste when I kiss you
I don’t like
being left alone
Baby, don’t you think I miss you?
why don’t
you come
come away
come away from it
why?”
--Dodo G., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click
here…
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on
the song title.
DEAD FLOWERS
Rolling Stones
"Well when you're sitting there in your silk upholstered chair
Talkin' to some rich folk that you know
Well I hope you won't see
me in my ragged company
Well, you know I could never be alone
Take me down little Susie, take me down
I know you think
you're the queen of the underground
And you can send me dead flowers
every morning
Send me dead flowers by the mail
Send me dead
flowers to my wedding
And I won't forget to put roses on your
grave
Well when you're sitting back in your rose pink Cadillac
Making bets on Kentucky Derby Day
Ah, I'll be in my basement room
with a needle and a spoon
And another girl can take my pain away
Take me down little Susie, take me down
I know you think you're
the queen of the underground
And you can send me dead flowers every
morning
Send me dead flowers by the mail
Send me dead flowers to
my wedding
And I won't forget to put roses on your grave - yeah!
Take me down little Susie, take me down
I know you think
you're the queen of the underground
And you can send me dead flowers
every morning
Send me dead flowers by the U.S. Mail
Say it with
dead flowers in my wedding
And I won't forget to put roses on your
grave
No, I won't forget to put roses on your grave"
Franny, Rich CBT, submitters
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song title.
DEEPER WELL
(Dave Ohey/Daniel Lanois/Emmylou Harris)
"The sun burned hot, it burned my eyes
Burned so hot I thought I'd
died
Thought I'd died and gone to hell
Lookin' for the water from
a deeper well
I went to the river but the river was dry
I fell to
my knees an I looked to the sky
I looked to the sky and the spring
rain fell
I saw the water from a deeper well
Well...lookin for
the water from a deeper well
Well...lookin for the water from a deeper
well
I was ready for love I was ready for the money
Ready for
the blood and ready for the honey
Ready for the winnin', ready
for the bell
Lookin' for the water from a deeper well
I found some
love and I found some money
Found that blood would drip from the honey
Found I had a thirst that I could not quell
Lookin'for the water
from a deeper well
Well...lookin for the water from a deeper well
Well...lookin for the water from a deeper well
Well I did it
for kicks and I did it for faith
I did it for lust and I did it for
hate
I did it for need and I did it for love
Addiction
stayed on tight like a glove
So I ran with the moon and I ran with the
night
And the three of us were a terrible sight
Nipple to the
bottle to the gun to the cell
To the bottom of a hole of a deeper well
Well...lookin for the water from a deeper well
Well...lookin
for the water from a deeper well
I rocked with the cradle and I
rolled with the rage
I shook those walls and I rattled that gage
I
took my trouble down a deadend trail
Reachin' out a hand for a
holier grail
Hey there mama did you carry that load
Did you tell
your baby 'bout the bend in the road
'Bout the rebel yell 'bout the
one that fell
Lookin' for the water from a deeper well
Well...lookin for the water from a deeper well
Well...lookin
for the water from a deeper well"
--Mike M., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click
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the song title.
DEMON ALCOHOL
Kinks
A nod to Jazz-age cautionary tunes.
“Here is a story about a sinner,
He used to be a winner who enjoyed
a life of prominence and
position,
But the pressures at the
office and his socialite engagements,
And his selfish wife's fanatical
ambition,
It turned him to the booze,
And he got mixed up with
a floozy
And she led him to a life of indecision.
The
floozy made him spend his dole
She left him lying on Skid Row
A drunken lag in some Salvation Army Mission.
It's such a shame.
Oh demon alcohol,
Sad memories I cannot recall,
Who thought
I would say,
Damn it all, blow it all,
Oh demon alcohol,
Memories I can't recall,
Who thought I would fall a
slave to demon alcohol.
Sad memories I can't recall,
Who thought I would fall a slave to demon
alcohol.
Barley wine pink gin,
He'll drink anything,
Port,
pernod or tequila,
Rum, scotch, vodka on the rocks,
As long as all
his troubles disappeared.
But he messed up his life when he beat
up his wife,
And the floosie's gone and found another sucker
She's
gonna turn him on to drink
She's gonna lead him to the brink
And
when his money's gone,
She'll leave him in the gutter,
It's such a
shame.
Oh demon alcohol,
Sad memories I cannot recall,
Who
thought I would fall,
Damn it all, blow it all.
Sad memories I
cannot recall,
Who thought I would fall a
slave to demon alcohol.”
--Mike M., submitter
DUMB
Nirvana
“I'm not like them
But I can pretend
The sun is gone
But I
have a light
The day is done
But I'm having fun
I
think I'm dumb
or maybe just happy
Think I'm just happy
my
heart is broke
But I have some glue
help me inhale
And mend it
with you
We'll float around
And hang out on clouds
Then
we'll come down
And I have a hangover...Have a hangover
Skin the sun
Fall asleep
Wish away
The soul is cheap
Lesson learned
Wish me luck
Soothe the burn
Wake me up”
--Jennifer S., Robert B., submitters
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title.
FORBIDDEN FRUIT
The Band
“This one is from the Band, written by Robbie Robertson, allegedly
for
Richard Manuel, his bandmate who later shot himself. He
definitely had a
smack problem.”
“Little brother got caught in the web
He ran off to join the living
dead
Been through the mill, seen the cross on the hill
He sold his
soul just for a thrill
Forbidden fruit
In hot pursuit out on a
limb
Forbidden fruit
Your whole world is closing in
You got
the picture but missed the drift
About me workin' the graveyard
shift
I never went in for no burglary
But there's a stranger inside
of me
Forbidden fruit
Don't you shoot the whole works
away
Forbidden fruit
It's too high of a price to pay
How can
you hear with a bad connection?
You can't see when there's no reception
Keep your distance, don't fool with taboo
'Cause it'll overtake and
undertake you
Forbidden fruit
That's the fruit that you'd better not
taste
Forbidden fruit
You've got one life that you'd better not
waste”
--Richard C., submitter
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GEEK STINK BREATH
Green Day (Omniac, 1995)
"I'm on a mission
I made my decision
To lead a path of
self-destruction
A slow progression
Killing my complexion
And
it's rotting out my teeth
I'm on a roll
No self control
I'm
blowing off steam with
Meth Amphetamine
Don't know what I
want
That's all I've got
And I'm picking scabs off my
face
Every hour my blood is turning sour
And my pulse is beating
out of time
I found a treasure
Filled with sick pleasure
And
it sits on a thin white line
I'm on a roll
No self
control
I'm blowing off steam with
Meth Amphetamine
Don't
know what I want
That's all I've got
And I'm picking scabs off my
face
I'm on a mission
I got no decision like a
cripple
Running the rat race
Wish in one hand and shit in the
other
And see which one gets filled first
I'm on a roll
No
self control
I'm blowing off steam with
Meth
Amphetamine
Don't know what I want
That's all I've got
And
I'm picking scabs off my face"
--Marie D., submitter
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GOLD DUST WOMAN
Stevie Nicks
Lyrics - live version on The Dance video:
"Rock on Gold Dust Woman
Take your silver spoon
And dig your
grave
Well its a heartless challenge
You pick your path
And then
you pray
You wake up in the morning
You see your sunrise, loves, to
go down
Lousy lovers
They pick their prey
But they never cry out
loud
No they don't try out, cry out
Well did she make you
cry
Make you break down
Shatter your illusions of love
Well is it
over now
Do you know how to pick up the pieces and go home
So
rock on, ancient queen
Follow those who pale in your shadows
They
say rulers,
They make bad lovers
You'd better put your kingdom up
for sale
Well you'd better sell it, sell it
Well did she make
you cry,
Make you break down,
Shatter your illusions of love
Well
is it over now ,
Do you know how to pick up the pieces and go
home
Well did she make you cry,
Make you break down,
Shatter
your illusions of love,
Now tell me is it over now
Do you know how
to pick up the pieces and go home
And go home
And go
home....
Ooh pale shadow of a woman
Ooh black widow, ooh
yeah
Ooh pale shadow, shes a dragon
Gold Dust Woman
Ooh pale
shadow of a woman,
Ooh black widow, ooh yeah
Ooh pale shadow, shes a
dragon
Gold Dust Woman
Runnin' in the shadows (woman)
Runnin' in
the shadows (woman)
Runnin' in the shadows
Runnin' in the
shadows
Said something
Runnin' in the shadows,
Gold
Dust
Runnin' in the shadows,
Gold Dust
Runnin' in the
Shadows,
Gold Dust
Runnin' in the shadows"
--Franny, submitter
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title.
I GOTTA GET DRUNK
Willie Nelson
Well I gotta get drunk and I sure do dread it
Cause I know just what I'm gonna do
I'll start to spend my money
Callin' everybody honey
And wind up singin' the blues
I'll spend my whole paycheck on some old wreck
And brother I can name you a few
Well I gotta get drunk and I sure do dread it
Cause I know just what I'm gonna do
Well I gotta get drunk I can't stay sober
There's a lot of good people in town who wanna hear me holler,
See me spend my dollars,
And I wouldn't think of lettin' 'em down
There's a lot of doctors that tell me
I should slow it all down
But there's more old drunks than there are old doctors
So I think that I'll have another round!
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here
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GOT TO GIVE IT UP
Thin Lizzy
I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff
Tell my mama and tell my pa
That their fine young son didn't get far
He made it to the end of a bottle
Sitting in a sleazy bar
He tried hard but his spirit broke
He tried until he nearly choked
In the end he lost his bottle drinking alcohol
I've got to give it up I've got to give it up
That stuff
I've got to give it up I've got to give it up
That stuff
Tell my brother I tried to write and
Put pen to paper but I was frightened
I couldn't seem to get the words out right
Right quite right
Tell my sister I'm sinking slow
Now and again I powder my nose
In the end I lost my bottle
It smashed in a casbah I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff I've got to give it up I've got to give it up
That stuff I've got to give it up I've got to give it up
That stuff I've got to give it up I've got to give it up
That stuff I've been messing with the heavy stuff
For a time I couldn't get enough
But I'm waking up and it's wearing off
Junk don't take you far
Tell my Mama I'm coming home
In my youth I'm getting older
And I think it's lost control Mama I'm coming home
I've got to give it up I've got to give it up
That stuff I've got to give it up I've got to give it up
That stuff
-- Dion D., submitter
UNAVAILABLE audio sample (on album "Black Rose")
GUILTY
Randy Newman
Yes, baby, I been drinkin'
And I shouldn't come by I know
But I
found myself in trouble
And I had nowhere else to go
Got some
whisky from the barman
Got some cocaine from a friend
I just had to
keep on movin'
Til I was back in your arms again
Guilty, baby
I'm guilty
And I'll be guilty the rest of my life
How come I never
do what I'm supposed to do
How come nothin' that I try to do ever turns
out right?
You know, you know how it is with me baby
You know, I
just can't stand myself
And it takes a whole lot of medicine
For me
to pretend that I'm somebody else
--Joseph H., submitter
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title.
HEROIN
The Velvet Underground
Excerpt:
“Her-o-in
Be the death of me
Her-o-in
It's my
life
and it's my wife
...
cos it makes me feel
like I'm a
man
when I put a spike
into my vein
Then I really don't
care
any more”
--Bob M., submitter
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title.
HEROIN GIRL
Everclear
“I used to know a girl...
she had two pierced nipples
and a black
tattoo
we'd drink that mexican beer
we'd live on mexican
food
yes, I wish I could go back
yes, back in time
esther
used to be
the kind of girl that you would
never leave
she'd do
anything
to give me what I need for my disease
she'd do
anything
I can hear them talking in the
real world
but they don't
understand that
I'm happy in hell
with my heroin girl
I am
losing myself in a
white-trash hell
lost inside a heroin
girl
they found her out in the fields
about a mile from
home
her face was warm from the sun
but her body was cold
I heard
the policeman say
just another overdose
...just another
overdose!
esther used to be
the kind of lover you would
never
leave
she'd do anything to give me
what I need
for my
disease
she would do anything”
Mike M., submitter
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title.
HEY STOOPID
Alice Cooper
Excerpt:
“Hey Bro, Take it slow
You ain’t livin in a
video
You're flying low with a high velocity
No doubt you're
stressin' out
That ain’t what Rock n' Roll's about
Get off that one
way trip down Lonely Street
Now I know you've been kicked
around
You ain’t alone in this ugly town
You stick a needle in your
arm
You bite the dust, you buy the farm
Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey
Stoopid
What ya tryin to do
Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey Stoopid
They win,
You lose
Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey Stoopid…”
--J.J. Hitt, submitter
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title.
HOME IS WHERE THE HATRED IS
Eartha Kitt
"A Junkie walking through the twilight
I'm on my way back home
I
left three days ago
But no one seems to know I'm gone....
Home is
where the needle marks.
Try to heal my broken heart.
It might not be such a bad idea if I never,
Never went home
again”
Larry B.,submitter
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HOTEL CALIFORNIA
Eagles
“On a dark desert highway
Cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of
colitas
Rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance
I
saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy, and my sight grew dim
I
had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway
I
heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself
This could be
Heaven or this could be Hell
Then she lit up a candle
And she
showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor
I thought I
heard them say
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely
place
Such a lovely place
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year
You can find it here
Her mind is Tiffany
twisted
She's got the Mercedes bends
She's got a lot of pretty,
pretty boys
That she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard
Sweet summer sweat
Some dance to remember
Some dance to forget
So I called up the Captain
Please bring me my wine He said
We haven't had that spirit here
since 1969
And still those
voices are calling from
far away
Wake you up in the middle of the
night
Just to hear them say
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely Place, Such a lovely face
They're livin' it up at
the Hotel California
What a nice surprise, Bring your alibies
Mirrors on the ceiling
Pink champagne on ice And she said
We are all just prisoners here
Of our own device
And in the
master's chambers
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with
their steely knives
But they just can't kill the beast
Last
thing I remember
I was running for the door
I had to find the
passage back
to the place I was before
Relax said the nightman, We
are
programed to recieve
You can check out any time you like
But you can never leave”
--Angela1, submitter
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title.
I CAN'T DANCE TO THAT
Chris Rea - album: "Dancing With Strangers"
Excerpt:
“If you'll excuse me please
you see I got to
go
and take myself before I'm past redemption
A voice is calling
out
as if I didn't know
This wretched road is paved with good
intentions
all the way down this Judas track
I know it so
well
and I ain't going back
I don't know what happened to the
good time songs
but I can't dance to that
Oh, I can't dance to
that
so let me dance to this
'cos I can't dance to that”
--Ben G., submitter
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title.
I DRINK ALONE
George Thorogood
“I drink alone, yeah,
with nobody else
I drink alone,
yeah,
with nobody else
You know when I drink alone,
I prefer to
be by myself
Every morning just before breakfast,
I don't want
no coffee or tea
Just me and good buddy Wiser,
that's all I ever
need
'Cause I drink alone, yeah,
with nobody else
Yeah, you know
when I drink alone,
I prefer to be by myself
The other night I
laid sleeping,
and I woke from a terrible dream
So I caught up my
pal Jack Daniel's,
and his partner Jimmy Beam
And we drank alone,
yeah,
with nobody else
Yeah, you know when I drink alone,
I
prefer to be by myself
The other day I got invited to a
party,
but I stayed home instead
Just me and my pal Johnny
Walker,
and his brothers Black and Red
And we drank alone,
yeah,
with nobody else
Yeah, you know when I drink alone,
I
prefer to be by myself
My whole family done give up on me,
and
it makes me feel oh so bad
The only one who will hang out with
me,
is my dear old granddad
And we drink alone, yeah,
with nobody
else
Yeah, you know when I drink alone,
I prefer to be by
myself”
--Numerous submitters
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title.
JOHN BARLEYCORN MUST DIE
Traffic
“I also second whoever nominated Traffic's John Barleycorn Must Die,
which is
really an incredible song, musically and lyrically.
Don't have the lyrics
handy to quote, but it chronicles the efforts of
several men to murder John
Barleycorn, whom they first bury in the
earth, and then cut him off at the
knees, and then bind him at the
waste, and then thrash him, and grind him
into paste, and boil him,
etc., but of course, they never kill him, as he
comes back as Whiskey
and gets his revenge.”
“There were three men came out of the west, their fortunes for to
try
And these three men made a solemn vow
John Barleycorn must
die
They've plowed, they've sown, they've harrowed him in
Threw
clods upon his head
And these three men made a solemn vow
John
Barleycorn was dead
They've let him lie for a very long time, 'til
the rains from heaven did fall
And little Sir John sprung up his head
and so amazed them all
They've let him stand 'til Midsummer's Day 'til
he looked both pale and wan
And little Sir John's grown a long long
beard and so become a man
They've hired men with their scythes so sharp
to cut him off at the knee
They've rolled him and tied him by the way,
serving him most barbarously
They've hired men with their sharp
pitchforks who've pricked him to the heart
And the loader he has served
him worse than that
For he's bound him to the cart
They've
wheeled him around and around a field 'til they came onto a pond
And
there they made a solemn oath on poor John Barleycorn
They've hired men
with their crabtree sticks to cut him skin from bone
And the miller he
has served him worse than that
For he's ground him between two
stones
And little Sir John and the nut brown bowl and his brandy in
the glass
And little Sir John and the nut brown bowl proved the
strongest man at last
The huntsman he can't hunt the fox nor so loudly
to blow his horn
And the tinker he can't mend kettle or pots without a
little barleycorn”
--Richard C., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here…
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title.
JUNKIE’S LAMENT
James Taylor
Excerpt:
“Oh My god a monkey can move a man
Send him to
hell and back home again
With an empty hand in the
afternoon
Shooting for the moon....”
????. submitter
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title.
KICK HIT 4 HIT KIX U (JANIS AND JIMI BLUES)
John Lee Hooker
“Looky here, I'm gonna tell you a story
About two friends, whom I
known
And the whole world know'd 'em
The one and only, Jimi Hendrix,
and Janis Joplin
Who passed on, from the needle
They o.d.'d
Ah
what a big loss
to this wonderful world
It's sad
Dope
addicts, dope addicts
You better watch yourself
Dope addicts, dope
addicts
You got to watch yourself
You one of these days, one of
these days
You might pass on
Stop shootin' no needle,
and stop
swallowin' that LSD
Stop shootin' no needles,
and stop swallowin' in
those pills
That needle's too heavy,
your heart can't take it
none
Hey hey
I know, so many young folks,
they're hooked, they're
doomed to die
So many young folks,
they're hooked, they're doomed to
die
You better try and kick it,
but you can't last long this
way
Yeah
Drug addict, drug addict
You better wake up and get
wise
Drug addict, drug addict
You better wake up and get
wise
Your days are numbered, your days are numbered
Your day you
just don't know
You better try and kick it
You better try and kick
it
That needle is too heavy for you
It's too heavy
Hey, it's too
heavy
It's too heavy for your heart, for your heart
Hey hey
It's
too heavy
It's too heavy
You better kick it right now
I know
you’d better kick it
I know it's hard
You better suffer and kick
it
You better suffer and kick it
You got to suffer some
To
kick
Hey, it's too heavy for you”
Mike M., submitter
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song title.
LIFE WORTH LIVING
Uncle Tupelo
"Here's a song by Uncle Tupelo that my son put on a compilation CD he
made for me for my last birthday. I wondered at the time if there was a
message intended, but judging by his genuine surprise when I told him of
my relapsing in early January, I would say not. Either way, it hits
awfully close to home."
“This song is sung for anyone that's
listening
This song is for the broken spirited man
This song is for
anyone left standing
Through the strain of a slow sad end
It
seems everybody wants what someone else has
There's sorrow enough for
all, just go in any bar and ask
With a beer in each hand and a smile in
between
All around's a world grown mean
Now we've all had our
ups and downs
Been mostly down around here
Now this whole damn mess
Is becoming quite clear
Looks like we're all looking for a life
worth living
That's why we drink ourselves to sleep
Now we're all
looking for a life worth living
That's why we pray our souls to
keep
There's nothing left now but broken pieces
Of one man's
broken will to care
And in the end when all is said and done
How
many others might follow him there”
--Richard C., submitter
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LIVING IT UP
Crosby, Stills, and Nash
“A fairly good song on a bad album long after their prime is Crosby,
Stills
and Nash's ‘Live it Up’ by Joe Vitale”
Excerpt:
“Don't need to drink till we all fall down
Takes more than
liquor just to live it up
Don't need no dealer pushing me
around
Takes more than chemicals to live it up”
--Larry B., submitter
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LOST HORIZONS
Gin Blossoms
“Here's one from the Gin Blossoms, off New Miserable Experience,
that has
always moved me, and is made more poignant knowing the writer
of the song,
Doug Hopkins, committed suicide not too long after the
album was released.”
“The last horizons I can see are filled
with bars and factories
and in them all we fight to stay
awake...
Drink enough of anything to make this world look new
again
Drunk drunk drunk in the gardens and the graves
She had
nothing left to say so she said she loved me
I stood there grateful for
the lie...
Drink enough of anything to make this girl look new
again
Drunk drunk drunk in the gardens and the graves
Turn
summer trees to bones and ice
Turn insect songs against the
night
With words we build and words we break
I'm drunk drunk drunk
in the gardens and the graves...
Maybe I could use you to reassure
myself
I wouldn't wish this indecision on anybody else
Drink enough
of anything to make this world look new again
And when the sin smiles
how could it be wrong
The last horizons I could see are now
resigned to memories
I never thought I'd still be here
today...
Drink enough of anything to make myself look new
again
Drunk drunk drunk in the gardens and the graves”
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click on…
X
…and
then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song title.
LOST MIND
Diana Krall (Percy Mayfield 1953) - album: "Love
Scenes"
Excerpt:
“If you could be so kind
To help me find my
mind
I'd like to thank you in advance
Know this before you
start
My soul's been torn apart
I lost my mind in a wild romance”
--Ben G., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here…
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song
title.
MARMALADE
The Geraldine Fibbers
"Marmalade, sunny days, drugs make me wanna sit next to you.
Doctors
floating to and fro... silverfish is on the go.
I'm in rapture, I'm in
deep, all I want to do is sleep.
The sky enclose me, I'm going
down.
Marmalade marmalade, don't try to find me, don't try to pull
me out, my
marmalade.
Marmalade marmalade, make me so happy, make me
forget my name, my marmalade.
My marmalade...
Duck pond
memories pass me by, paddle boats and cherry pie.
Wet eyelashes look
inside... droplets gather in your eye.
Day and hours melt away, Dolly
says I'm here to stay.
It's hard to care, the mist comes
down.
Marmalade marmalade, tell me a story, help me forget I'm
gone, my marmalade
Marmalade marmalade, hide me somewhere, carry me
somewhere, my marmalade.
Marmalade marmalade, you're the devil, you're
half empty now, my marmalade.
My marmalade..."
--Franny, submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click on…
X
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the
song title.
MISS WORLD
Hole
“I am the girl you know, can't look you in the eye
I am the girl you
know, so sick I cannot try
I am the one you want can't look you in the
eye
I am the girl, you know, I lie and lie and lie
I'm Miss World,
somebody kill me
Kill me pills
No one cares, my friend
My
friend
I'm Miss World
Watch me break and watch me burn
No one is
listening, my friend
Now I've made my bed I'll lie in it
I've made
my bed, I'll die in it
I've made my bed, I'll lie in it
I've made my
bed, I'll die in it
Kill girls watch
When I eat ether
He sucked
me under
Maybe forever my friend
I've made my bed, I'll lie in
it
I've made my bed, I'll die in it
I've made my bed, I'll lie in
it
I've made my bed, I'll die in it
My friend
I am the girl, you
know, can't look you in the eye”
--Jennifer S., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here…
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song
title.
MOTHER’S LITTLE HELPER
Rolling Stones
“What a drag it is getting old.
"Kids are different today,"
I
hear ev'ry mother say
Mother needs something today to calm her
down
And though she's not really ill
There's a little yellow
pill
She goes running for the shelter of a mother's little
helper
And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy
day.
Things are different today,
I hear ev'ry mother
say
Cooking fresh food for a husband's just a drag
So she buys an
instant cake and she burns her frozen steak
And goes running for the
shelter of a mother's little helper
And two help her on her way, get
her through her busy day.
Doctor, please, some more of
these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting
old.
"Men just aren't the same today,"
I hear ev'ry mother
say
They just don't appreciate that you get tired
They're so hard to
satisfy. You can tranquilize your mind
So go running for the shelter of
a mother's little helper
And four help you through the night, help to
minimize your plight.
Doctor,please, some more of these
Outside
the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting
old.
Life's just much too hard today,"
I hear ev'ry mother
say
The pursuit of happiness just seems a bore
And if you take more
of those, you will get an overdose
No more running to the shelter of a
mother's little helper
They just helped you on your way through your
busy dying day”
--Mike M., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here…
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song
title.
NAKED IN THE RAIN
Crosby and Nash - "Wind On The Water”
"When it dawns on you
what it takes from you
living under clouds
of pain.
There's a storm in you
you don't know what to
do.
Just when you think you're going insane
you lie naked in the
rain again.
Fluttering pages of faces
no two
alike.
Choice is your soul's moment
for your light to
strike”
--Ben G., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here…
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song
title.
THE NEEDLE AND THE DAMAGE DONE
Neil Young
“I caught you knockin' at my cellar door
I love you, baby, can I
have some more
Ooh, ooh, the damage done.
I hit the city and I
lost my band
I watched the needle take another man
Gone, gone, the
damage done.
I sing the song because I love the man
I know that
some of you don't understand
Milk-blood to keep from running
out.
I've seen the needle and the damage done
A little part of
it in everyone
But every junkie's like a settin' sun.”
--Robert B., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here…
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the
song title.
THE NEEDLE AND THE SPOON
Lynyrd Skynyrd
“Thirty days, lord and thirty nights
I'm comin' home on an airplane
flight
Mama waitin' at the ticket line
Tell me son why do you
stand there cryin'
(chorus)
It was the needle and the spoon
And a trip to the moon
Took me away, took me away
I've been
feelin' so sick and tired
Got to get better, lord before I die
Seven doctors couldn't help my head, they said
You better quit,
son before your dead
(chorus)
Quit the needle. Quit the spoon
Quit the trip to the moon
We gonna take you away. Lord, we gonna
take you away
(spoken)
It was the needle and the spoon
I've seen a lot of people who thought they were cool
But then
again, lord I've seen a lot of fools
Well, I hope you people, lord can
hear what I say
You'll have your chance to hit it some
day
(chorus)
Don't mess with the needle or a spoon
Or any
trip to the moon
It'll take you away
Lord, their gonna bury you
boy
Don't mess with the needle
Now I know, I know, I know...”
--?????, submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here…
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song
title.
THE NO NO SONG
Ringo Starr (written by Hoyt Axton)
“A lady that I know just came from Columbia
She smiled because I did
not understand
Then she held out some marijuana, uh huh
She said it
was the best in all the land
{Refrain}
And I said, "No-no-no-no,
I don't smoke it no more
I’m tired of waking up on the floor
No
thank you please, it only makes me sneeze
Then it makes it hard to find
the door"
A woman that I know just came from Majorca, Spain
She
smiled because I did not understand
Then she held out a ten pound bag
of cocaine
She said it was the finest in the land
{Refrain with
[sniff]}
A man I know just came from Nashville, Tennessee-o
He
smiled because I did not understand
Then he held out some moonshine
whiskey, oh-ho
He said it was the best in all the land
{Refrain
with drink it}
{Refrain with "I can't take it no more"}”
--Numerous submitters
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here…
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song
title.
ONE FOR MY BABY (AND ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD)
lyrics by Johnny Mercer
“(I recall feeling, well, gloomy whenever I heard this tune and then
when I
researched the lyrics I discovered something - the refrain is
'almost',
well, support-like.)”
Here's one for the folks
with more gray hair than me. Or maybe just less
hair. I recall Ella
Fitzgerald doing this one real well, but it was always
Ol' Blue Eyes
that got to me. (That's Frank Sinatra to the youngsters.)
“It's
a quarter to three, there's no one in the place except you and me
So,
set 'em up, Joe, I got a little story you oughta know
We're drinkin',
my friend, to the end of a brief episode
Make it one for my baby and
one more for the road
I got the routine, so drop another nickel in
the machine
I'm feelin' so bad, wish you'd make the music pretty and
sad
Could tell you a lot, but you've got to be true to your code
So,
make it one for my baby and one more for the road
You'd never know
it but buddy, I'm a kind of poet
And I got a lot of things to
say
And when I'm gloomy, you simply gotta listen to me
Till it's all
talked away
Well that's how it goes and Joe, I know your gettin'
pretty anxious to close
So, thanks for the cheer, I hope you didn't
mind my bendin' your ear
This torch that I found must be drowned or it
soon might explode
So make it one for my baby and one more for the
road
That long, long road”
--Ben G., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song
title.
PAPER THIN
John Hiatt
“Unfortunately, I can't do it justice. Lean, head-pounding guitar
clangs out the desperation of being wasted in a bar. It's not a
rock song and it's not country. It's just...John Hiatt. He writes
as someone who knows firsthand the prison of active addiction!”
"I was gonna' get up off of that bar stool
Just as soon as
I could figure it out
Why I was overlooked at the car pool
Stood up
at the door with no twist and shout
When you're burning with your
last desire
And every memory haunts you
You write it down in alcohol
fire
Cause that's the only flame that wants you
When you're
paper thin..."
--Larry B., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here…
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song
title.
PAYDAY
Boz Scaggs
Hey you, stepping on my head
Why you have to throw those rocks
at my bed
Must you shout or could you
kindly keep it down
Do we really need
an apocalypse right now
Where's my Sunshine
Sunshine is my friend
She was good to me
right up to the end
Where I left her
yeah it's hard to tell
Got to call her
just as soon as I get well
Come payday everybody gets straight
Talking about my payday
better get out of my way
I don't mind the job
the work's no big deal
But it's how they treat you
and the way they make you feel
I'll take my check
and you take your mood
And let's just say whatever man
whatever gets you through
Because it's payday
and I'm blowin' the blues away
Talking about my payday
don't be waiting up for me
Brothers, sisters
Tonight we party
Tonight we're dancing
Yeah we're talking the ultimate smash
of a lifetime
And this one's on me
Sometimes it's like a war in here
I'm facing down alone
Ever since I woke up
I've felt it in my bones
Waiting for that hour
is all that keeps me clear
There's gonna be some lightning striking man
when I get out of here
Because it's payday
better stay out of my way
Talking about some heyday
Man it's all coming home
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here
and then scroll down to "Listen to Samples" and click on the song title.
THE PIANO HAS BEEN DRINKING
Tom Waits
“The piano has been drinking,
my necktie is asleep
And the combo
went back to New York,
the juke box has to take a leak
And the
carpet needs a haircut,
and the spotlight looks like a prison
break
And the telephone's out of cigarettes,
and the balcony is on
the make
And the piano has been drinking, the piano has been
drinking
And the menus are all freezing,
and the light
man's blind in one eye
and he can't see out of the other
And
the piano-tuner's got a hearing aid
and he shows up with his
mother
And the piano has been drinking, the piano has been
drinking
As the bouncer is a Sumo wrestler cream-puff casper
milktoast
And the owner is a mental midget with the I.Q. of a fence
post
'Cause the piano has been drinking, the piano has been
drinking
And you can't find your waitress with a Geiger
counter
And she hates you and your friends
and you can't get
served without her
And the box-office is drooling,
and the
bar stools are on fire
And the newspapers were fooling,
and
the ash-trays have retired
'Cause the piano has been drinking, the
piano has been drinking,
The piano has been drinking, not me, not me,
not me, not me, not me”
--Ben G., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here…
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song
title.
QUAALUDES AGAIN
Shel Silverstein
“She falls through the doorway,
Rolls down the hall.
She bounces
off the sofa,
And walks into the wall.
It's easy to see that she
buckles and bends.
She's doin' quaaludes again.
Quaaludes
again.
Quaaludes again.
If you've got aurora,
You know for shorra
She's your friend.
She's doin' quaaludes
again.
[guitar music]
She fumbles and stumbles
And falls down the stairs,
Makes love to the leg of the diningroom
chair.
She's ready for animals, women or men.
She's doin'
quaaludes again.
Quaaludes again.
Again.
Again.
Quaaludes
again.
If you've got a lemon, a dog and three women,
Then she's
your friend.
She's doing quaaludes again.
Quaaludes
again.
[Dialogue between man and woman with riff in the
background:]
He: Baby, you've been doing quaaludes again.
Well,
then who?
She: No. Not me. I don't have any quaaludes.
He:
You don't have 'em cuz you took em all already.
She: No.
He: You had
six.
She: Nooo...
He: You had six yesterday, right? In your purse?
She: No...
He: How many you got now? Where'd they go?
She: No. I
don't have ANY.
He: That's what I mean.
She: No...
He: Where'd
they go? What'd you take?
She: I didn't take anything. I just had a
small... a small
headache.
He: So what did you take? What did you
take for a
headache?
She: No... Maybe an aspirin.
He: That's the
biggest damned aspirin I've ever
seen! You did... You keep... Don't
keep pullin at me!
Don't do that! Don't do that! C'mon... you're
bumpin'
into the furniture.
She: It hurts!
He: What?! I didn't
mooove ANYTHING around!
She: [moaning]
He: You had FIVE quaaludes in
your purse yesterday.
You have none today!
She: I gave them
away.
He: You gave away what? You gave EVERYTHING away!
She: I gave
it to all my friends.
He: Yeah. How much time did you see your
friends?
She: Wellll...
He: You were supposed to see them for five
minutes?
She: Well... Don't you know how it is?
He: I DON'T know how
it is.
She: Nooo...
He: I know you're doin 'ludes, and you said...
you said
that the next time you get them I should take them
away and
flush them down the toilet.
She: Noooo...
He: Didn't you say
that?
She: NO....noooooo...
He: DON'T keep pullin' me to the damn
bed! I don't
want an old... I'm tellin you... You are turnin' me
OFF!
[fading away]
He: Now let me tell you... Will you keep your
eyes
open! Get up! “
--Mike M., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here…
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song
title.
The Rescue Blues
Ryan Adams
everybody
wants you to be special
and
everybody wants you to be high
they
throw you down a rope when you're in trouble,
baby
screamin' "save me"
they
then charge you with the rescue blues
and
everybody wants to see you suffer
they
know that you need the pain so much
they
throw you up a rope when you're too high
to
cruise, baby
lord,
you lose lady
then
they charge you with the rescue blues
and
everybody wants to see you fall
that's
why the always love to get you high
and
everybody knows you need the pain so much, lady
well,
keep in touch, baby
just
don't charge me with your rescue blues
-- Matt L.,
submitter
“I think both of these songs deal with drinking fantasies. ‘Rescue
Blues’ of ‘friendship’ we create as drinkers and ‘Sylvia
Plath’ a fantasy of what we think we'll always meet at the bar...the
quintessential accepting, beautiful, smart, woman, smoking drunk who will
take care of our fantasy....”
To
hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here
and
then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song title.
SYLVIA PLATH
Ryan Adams
I wish I had a Sylvia Plath
busted tooth and a smile
and cigarette ashes in her drink
the kind that goes out and then sleeps for a week
the kind that goes out on her
to give me a reason, for well, I dunno
and maybe she'd take me to France
or maybe to Spain and she'd ask me to dance
in a mansion on the top of a hill
she'd ash on the carpets
and slip me a pill
then she'd get pretty loaded on gin
and maybe she'd give me a bath
how I wish I had a Sylvia Plath
and she and I would sleep on a boat
and swim in the sea without clothes
with rain falling fast on the sea
while she was swimming away, she'd be winking at me
telling me it would all be okay
out on the horizon and fading away
and I'd swim to the boat and I'd laugh
I gotta get me a Sylvia Plath
and maybe she'd take me to France
or maybe to Spain and she'd ask me to dance
in a mansion on the top of a hill
she'd ash on the carpets
and slip me a pill
then she'd get pretty loaded on gin
and maybe she'd give me a bath
how I wish I had a Sylvia Plath
I wish I had a Sylvia Plath
Matt L., submitter
"I think both of these songs deal with drinking fantasies. 'Rescue Blues' of 'friendship' we create as drinkers and 'Sylvia Plath' a fantasy of what we think we'll always meet at the bar...the quintessential accepting, beautiful, smart, woman, smoking drunk who will take care of our fantasy...."
-- Matt L., submitter
UNAVAILABLE audio sample (on album "Gold")
RITALIN BOB
Switch 76
"Born and raised on the jersey shores
he thought his life was a
bore
he needed an exit from his pain
so he spiked his hair and
started wearing chains
his name was ritalin bob
he was a
slob
he can't control his problems
his name was ritalin
bob
well, bob started to do some kind of drugs
it got so bad he
saw cocane bugs
he started to snort ritalin
it made him hyper, it
made him sick
his name was ritalin bob
he was a slob
he can't
control his problems
his name was ritalin bob
bob needed to stop
his little tricks
so he went to re-hab to stop his trips
stopped his
smoking and snorting too
he became drug free and went back to
school
his name was ritalin bob
he was a slob
he can't
control his problems
his name was ritalin bob
born and raised on
the jersey shores
he thought his life was a bore
he needed an exit
from his pain
so he spiked his hair and started wearing chains"
--Marie C., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click on…
X
…and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song
title.
RUNNING TO STAND STILL
U2
And so she woke up
Woke up from where she was-lying still
Said I gotta do something about where we're going
Step on a steam train
Step out of the driving rain
Maybe run from the darkness in the night
Singing Ha La La La De Day
Ha La La La De Day
Sweet the sin
But bitter the taste in my mouth
I see seven towers
But I only see one way out
You got to cry without weeping
Talk without speaking
Scream without raising your voice
You know I took the poison
From the poison stream
Then I floated out of here
Singing Ha La La La De Day
Ha La La La De Day
She runs the streets
Her eyes painted red
Under black belly of cloud in the rain
In through a doorway she brings me
White gold and pearls stolen from the sea
She is raging
She is raging and a storm blows up in her eyes
She will suffer the needle chill
She's running to stand still
--John Price and Michael H., submitters
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here
and then scroll down to “Listen to Samples” and click on the song
title.
SAM STONE
John Prine
“Sam Stone came home,
To his wife and family
After serving in the
conflict overseas.
And the time that he served,
Had shattered all
his nerves,
And left a little shrapnel in his knee.
But the
morphine eased the pain,
And the grass grew round his brain,
And
gave him all the confidence he lacked,
With a Purple Heart and a monkey
on his back.
Chorus:
There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the
money goes,
Jesus Christ died for nothin' I suppose.
Little pitchers
have big ears,
Don't stop to count the years,
Sweet songs never last
too long on broken radios.
Mmm....
Sam Stone's welcome
home
Didn't last too long.
He went to work when he'd spent his last
dime
And Sammy took to stealing
When he got that empty
feeling
For a hundred dollar habit without overtime.
And the gold
rolled through his veins
Like a thousand railroad trains,
And eased
his mind in the hours that he chose,
While the kids ran around wearin'
other peoples' clothes...
Repeat Chorus:
Sam Stone was
alone
When he popped his last balloon
Climbing walls while sitting
in a chair
Well, he played his last request
While the room smelled
just like death
With an overdose hovering in the air
But life had
lost its fun
And there was nothing to be done
But trade his house
that he bought on the G, I. Bill
For a flag draped casket on a local
heroes' hill
Repeat Chorus"
--Meaghan M., submitter
To hear an audio sample of this song or buy it, click here…
…and then scroll d |
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