Beneath the Underdog
So many times
I’ve been wandering
Out through the rain
Watch the people
Hurry on by
Watch the trench-coat relics
As they run for the train
And the merchants stare at the sky
They ponder their luck
As the hours roll by
They rest their chins
In the palms of their hands
And dream of their homelands
…yes, they dream.
And in spite of it all
I feel relieved
Because even on the darkest of days
Well there’s beauty to see
The puddles drench my feet
As the rain bathes these filthy little streets
I walk past an alleyway
By an overhang where the drunkards meet
You know they stand around,
Tell jokes and laugh
Smoke their cigarette down to a long, long ash
Try to get the attention of the wing-tip warriors
As they walk past
You know, they may dance for change
But you’d better watch your ass
And in spite of it all
I feel relieved
Because even on the darkest of days
Well there’s beauty to see
It’s a late August afternoon
A cold wind blows and the autumn looms
There’s not a dreary day that goes by
That someone don’t think about
Getting in their car and driving
But they turn their collar up to the wind and sigh
Well, there’s beauty in it, by and by
And in spite of it all
I feel relieved
Because even on the darkest of days
Well there’s beauty to see
Hammer and nails to mend the fence
That’s back is breaking from strain
But it doesn’t stop the sounds
From the street
Though a rainy night
Will offer some reprieve
Things can fall apart
Before they ever get together
We’ve got to chart our course and go
I know I’ve said all this before
But this time is different
That’s for sure
We’ll not bend to the pressures,
We’ll keep ourselves pure
And we’ll do it our own way
So self-assured
And it’s easy livin’ from here on out
I’ll send you a postcard from paradise…
When the summer comes
We’ll move again
And try our luck in another land
We’ll make our fortunes
Then make our demands
We’ll sell our souls
To be dealt another hand
And we’ll work like dogs
To get our long shot chance
And it’s easy livin’ from here on out
I’ll send you a postcard from paradise…
We work days
But we’re a scene at night
The people all come to see our show
We’re city chic come on don’t you know
That they’ll follow us
Wherever we want to go
We’re one step from the top,
With room to grow
And it’s easy livin’ from here on out
I’ll send you a postcard from paradise…
Here’s our chance, lets grab it and run
Come on let’s have our fun
Those dogs on top
Can’t ruin what we’ve got
It’s our turn in the spotlight
Like it or not
Come on, it’s not so bad
To be a big shot
We’ve fallen so many times,
It’s nice to be caught
And it’s easy livin’ from here on out
I’ll send you a postcard from paradise
Soaked in the scent
Of a Pina Colata kiss
So you’ll know
What you’ve been missing
And you can ask yourself
Am I ahead of my time?
When you’re not afraid to shine.
Joey likes to name drop
He really wants you to think that he’s in demand
He’ll meet you down at the bar for drinks
He’ll be the first to see you
And the last to shake your hand
And he’s always got his ear to the ground
He knows the latest rage
And he’s always looking sharp
Joey knows all the world’s a stage
And when you start to shine
Joey shake your hand
Say he knew it all the time
Joey don’t know right from wrong
Stab you in the back
Just to get to the head of the line
And he wants to be a star himself
That’s why he’s got the blues
Because one day Joey knows
He’s going to run out of people to use
And I said…
He’s only going to make things harder on himself
One day, cross the wrong people
Could be bad for his health
He’s only going to make things harder on himself
But he’s ready to stake his life
For a little wealth
Joey’s got a line
It’s the same old rap he uses every time
He’s got his eye on a female jewel
Well, after all she’s only looking for a chance to shine
And he’s always getting drinks for free
He knows everybody’s name
But he’ll use the little girl
He’s only looking for a piece of fame
And I said…
He’s only going to make things harder on himself
One day, cross the wrong people
Could be bad for his health
He’s only going to make things harder on himself
But he’s ready to stake his life
For a little wealth
Joey’s got a silent partner
He’s got associates from the underworld
They gave Joey a bag of money to launder
But when the deal went south he had to break his word
And now he’s on the run they say
Trying to stay alive
He learned to walk the walk
But he couldn’t talk the jive
And you know….
He’s only going to make things harder on himself
One day, cross the wrong people
Could be bad for his health
He’s only going to make things harder on himself
But he’s ready to stake his life
For a little wealth
Somewhere below fourteenth street
In the breeding ground of the chic elite
I meet you in the corner of some whitewashed loft
It’s another downtown party scene
With women straight from magazines
But you know how to stand out
In any crowd
So I tell you some sweet lies
As you cross those sweet thighs
And roll your eyes
Into the back of your head
So I tell you something
To make you laugh
And I take a mental photograph
With a caption that says,
This is how I like you best
You used to laugh at how I dance
But it’s impossible to think that
Time in and time out
I’ve blown my every chance
To win you back, it seems
Try to get you off my mind
But I won’t rest till you’re mine
Again
No more lies
Until I realize
It’s only the last goodbye
Harlem hues and Brooklyn dues
Friday night rendezvous
We can do anything you want tonight
And it’s cocktails and a camera
Condoms and some stamina
And you can laugh at the way I dance
You used to laugh at how I dance
But it’s impossible to think that
Time in and time out
I’ve blown my every chance
To win you back, it seems
Try to get you off my mind
But I won’t rest till you’re mine
Again
No more lies
Until I realize
It’s only the last goodbye
And all the crimes of love acquitted before our eyes
All the truth’s revealed in pieces, it’s no surprise
It’s what’s been hiding up my sleeve
It’s what’s buried inside me
It’s what’s been hiding up my sleeve
It’s what’s buried inside me
You started talking to yourself
So you’d have some company
You say there’s something about me that you love
Still a mystery, well don’t ask me I don’t know either
And nothing ever took its place
a smile for your good grace
This comfort’s a rough trade for wild days
Got the message that you left
When you got home from the bar
Some pillow talk for ringing ears
A couch to crash on, I don’t ask for much these days
And nothing ever took its place
a smile for your good grace
This comfort’s a rough trade for wild days
If I try to feel like no one can see me
When I come to your voice stays with me
And so I tried to be someone who
Could live like this
It’s what’s been hiding up my sleeve
It’s what’s buried inside me
It’s what’s been hiding up my sleeve
It’s what’s buried inside me
And nothing ever took its place
a smile for your good grace
This comfort’s a rough trade for wild days
I remember those days sitting in the park
Singing songs for the local drunks
All them notes didn’t hit their mark
But in my head I’m back there now
Spending time like copper coins
Aimless and without measure
Spending words on ugly rhymes
Just begging for some meter
But the songs sound so perfect to me
Because we meant them
When they had no meaning
Telling stories about our lives
With metaphors that don’t make sense
But the sentiment comes clearly through
In the simple tales we tell
And the stories all have no point
They just damn us straight to hell
And it’s always on my mind
Well, them days they seem like yesterday
When we had all of our time
To do the things we want to do
And I say we’re free to do just what we choose
We’re bred to win, born to lose
But we’re gonna try anyway
Man, I was a clam when I was a kid
Kept my songs all to myself
Wondered if I’d make it big
If I opened up my mouth
Then I saw them singing loud
Bold, and gathering a crowd
And I knew what I wanted to do
And it’s always on my mind
Well, them days they seem like yesterday
When we had all of our time
To do the things we want to do
And I say we’re free to do just what we choose
We’re bred to win, born to lose
But we’re gonna try anyway
And if you wait for success to find you
Then you will never know the truth
Because we want to see
Things for ourselves
And it’s always on my mind
Those days, they seem like yesterday
When we had all of our time
To do the things we want to do
And it’s always on my mind
Those days, they seem like yesterday
When we had all of our time
To do the things we want to do
And I say we’re free to do just what we choose
We’re bred to win, born to lose
But we’re gonna try anyway
And if you wait for success to find you
Then you will never know the truth
Because we want to see
Things for ourselves
Daylight breaks
So easy on you fingertips
And you tease me when you’re looking so coy
The morning sun is pleased to be lingering on your lips
And we can lay here just a little bit more
And if it’s all right
If it’s all right
If it’s all right with you
I think I’ll stay awhile
Well, it’s nine a.m.
The taxi idles by the curb
And you ask me if I’m feeling okay
A stranger’s bed left me singing like a bird
And ready to face the day
And if it’s all right
If it’s all right
If it’s all right with you
I think I’ll stay awhile
The thinking man’s game’s always knowing where his head’s at
But it’s easy to get lost in times like these
You can ask me about the thoughts of every angel that sleeps
But not mine
Daylight breaks
So easy on you fingertips
And you tease me when you’re looking so coy
The morning sun is pleased to be lingering on your lips
And we can lay here just a little bit more
And if it’s all right
If it’s all right
If it’s all right with you
I think I’ll stay awhile
Well, I laid my head down in Georgia
I was looking for a place to rest
Couldn’t find nowhere ‘sides a coffee house roof
That I found by scaling a fence
And I slept like a man in plush hotel
But my rest was still briefÂ
For I was woken by my friend and traveling partner
He had found us a place to sleep
And we jumped down the fence in no time flat
And I felt the first drops of rain in my hairÂ
And the pack on my back was weighing me down
As we made our way to an awaiting car
I know the open road
Will help to change your mind
Help you to unwind
If you open your heart you’ll see
What you’re meant to be
Where there was two there now was four
Plus, the beautiful woman that let us
Sleep on her floor
And the sense of adventure that had kept me awake
Was fading now
That there was something real at stake
You see these young girls
That we paired off with in Charleston
Danced through the streets
Together they were on the run
It was only the day before that young Ashley and I
Hitch-hiked through the swamps of Georgia
In the sun getting high
And the meeting point with our friends on the way
Had gone awry
So we pushed on to Atlanta
Under the hot Georgia sky
I know the open road
Will help to change your mind
Help you to unwind
If you open your heart you’ll see
What you’re meant to be
We found our friends, only took us awhile
In a place called Little Five Points
That was about five miles
From a place called Big Five Points
Where the trucker dropped us off
With his toothless grin-smile
And some lady on the corner holding a sign
Told me that Jesus wants me to
Cut my hair off and put a shirt onÂ
Well I thanked her for the advice
All the same and said
You know my curls point towards the sky
Don’t it make you stop and wonder why?
I know the open road
Will help to change your mind
Help you to unwind
If you open your heart you’ll see
What you’re meant to be
That night I spent
Squatting with the squatters
Spitting in the gutters
Listening to a bar band across the street
Play a bad version of “Let’s Go Get Stonedâ€
And suddenly, I get this idea…
So I run down the alleyway with Ashley
And we drink ourselves
Two big bottles of cough syrup
And I know it wasn’t the brightest idea
But things started moving real slow
And the colors of the night
Move around in the periphery of my vision
As I look at the squatters with no place to go
I say to myself, you know it’s time to go home
So I say it out loud
And start running through the streets
Of Little Five Points
Looking for a ride to the Greyhound
But it was the beautiful fifth that found it for me
With the snap of her fingers
To a local boy who lingered
Hoping maybe he could cash in on a favorÂ
A little later
Next thing you know
I’m in a seventy-three convertible El Dorado
Cruisin’ through the streets of downtown Atlanta
He’s swerving and ducking, screeching and halting
He’s got a crazy look in his eyes
I’m kind of happy when I say goodbye
Now I’m on a twenty-four hour bus trip
Tripping my face offÂ
And I tell you
Sleep would not come no,
Sleep would not come no,
Sleep would not come
I guess in the back of my head
I was planting a seed for this song….it goes…
I know the open road
Will help to change your mind
Help you to unwind
If you open your heart you’ll see
What you’re meant to be
I’m gonna write some bubble-gum fluff
That’s gonna stain your heart
I’m gonna learn to mock things
Like love that is never true
And instincts that are never right
And I’m gonna learn to laugh
At my own misfortune
Laugh at my own big fortune
Laugh at my own misfortune
I’m going to steer myself around
By my own tail
And dizzy with the work put in
I begin to see straight through a crooked eye
I’m gonna say it all with ooh’s and ah’s
To deliver my messages of renewal
Like the summer rolling around again
Like I blow out the candles
On a seamless adventure
Where no one travels anywhere
And no one arrives
But we scramble to do it one more time
We scramble to do it one more time
I’m gonna tell it to the mountain
Sing it in the valley below
I’m gonna sing my song
I’m gonna let you know
I’m gonna tell it to the mountain
Sing it in the valley below
I’m gonna sing my song
I’m gonna let you know
I’m gonna learn to speak in metaphors
That don’t make sense
I’m gonna sing a simple song
About the truth
And them I’m gonna distort the facts
And I’m gonna live my life inside a sound bite
Bend the hook until the inflection is just right
Don’t ask me why
Don’t ask me why
Don’t ask me why
I’m gonna learn to dodge a question
Like a bullet
So I can seem abstract and aloof
Without really saying anything at all
Perhaps, I’ll pretend I’m deaf
Like Reagan getting on an airplane
Would you really think I was insane?
Would you really think I knew anything
About anything at all?
Anything about it at all
I’m gonna tell it to the mountain
Sing it in the valley below
I’m gonna sing my song
I’m gonna let you know
I’m gonna write some bubble-gum fluff
That’s gonna stain your heart
I’m gonna sing it city to city
Until it climbs up the charts
And I’m gonna live my life
Just how I planned
On the rise
And in demand
Don’t ask me why
Don’t ask me why
Don’t ask me why
I’m gonna tell it to the mountain
Sing it in the valley below
I’m gonna sing my song
I’m gonna let you know
I’m gonna tell it to the mountain
Sing it in the valley below
I’m gonna sing my song
I’m gonna let you know
I don’t know how long it’s going to be
We play out our hand and wait and see
We stay unattached because we’re ready to leave
And we ask our families to believe, for just a little while.
But it’s a lonely life for the likes of us
We live for something we feel but can’t touch
And we live hand to mouth and don’t ever complain
Because the feeling runs so deep we can’t even explain
And if you ask me about the life
I say follow your heart and don’t think twice
And if you ask me for advice
I say, if you know deep in your heart you’re right,
Then you know you’re right
In the days we’re in disguise
We live ordinary lives
Working jobs and riding the bus
Thinking about last night the tune’s still in our head
We’re gonna work it out and it’s gonna be bad
We write our songs to spread the truth
To raise the roof
And our folks will come to understand
We’re living for the love of the life, the music’s in demand
And we’re going to make it happen, if we take command
And if you ask me about the life
I say follow your heart and don’t think twice
And if you ask me for advice
I say, if you know deep in your heart you’re right,
Then you know you’re right
We lay down each and every night
Meditate and hope for the proper insight
So the steps we take always move us ahead
You know they got to move us ahead, now.
And if you ask me about the life
I say follow your heart and don’t think twice
And if you ask me for advice
I say, if you know deep in your heart you’re right,
Then you know you’re right
You have your walk through the park
You have your Sunday drive
You have your weeds to pull from your garden
If you want to
But you have only enough air to breathe
And you have just enough space to live
You have your obligations to keep
And now you’ll have this lullaby
To sing you to sleep
You’ve got everything under the sun
But it’s only going to make things harder
To leave before they’ve even begun
But, don’t you know, sometimes that’s better
You have your man
You say, you’ve been trying to leave him for years
And you’ve had your bouts with misery
And you’ve shed your fair share of tears
But still you smile when he takes you by the arm
Or does it just take you that long to sound the alarm?
You’ve got everything under the sun
But it’s only going to make things harder
To leave before they’ve even begun
But, don’t you know, sometimes that’s better
I see you five years down the road and say hello
How you doing now?
It’s been so long
Tell me was I wrong?
When I said, you have to wait your turn
Just like anybody else
If you want to shine
You know you’ve got to burn
And if you know what’s good for you
You’ll turn around and run
You’ve got everything under the sun
But it’s only going to make things harder
To leave before they’ve even begun
But, don’t you know, sometimes that’s better
