1. |
Heat Lightnin'
03:38
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Nighttime in the country
I’m in so deep
Listenin’ to every creature
That swims, flies or creeps
Sweat runnin’ down
The back of my neck
Ohhh I can’t sleep
We had foxes in the graveyard
'Coons by the lake
Peeper frogs singin’
Their own special tune
And hoot owls
On the take
Heat lightnin’
Lyin’ here in bed
Wishin’ you were here
I finally fall asleep
And I had a dream
I wanna be your hoodoo lover
I wanna be your voodoo man
I wanna take you under cover
I wanna take you underhand
Puttin’ my spell on you
Heat lightnin’
We had foxes in the graveyard
'Coons by the lake
Peeper frogs singin’
Their own special tune
And hoot owls
On the take
Peep peep peep
Peeo peep peep
Yeowww
Hoo hoo
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2. |
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I used to live in New York City,
The girls are tough,
and the boys so pretty,
Steam comes up.
from the underground,
And stars shine out,
From the buildings’ crowns.
The town was rough and
Loud and raw,
Out on the street
you were beyond the law,
Trannies swore and
madmen screamed,
And bag ladies sang
Their broken dreams,
And all the poetry was downtown,
And all the music was downtown,
Now all the ghosts are still downtown.
New York City, your streets are singin’,
Your streets are singin’ to me.
We used to play at CBGBs,
Down on the Bowery.
where it meets Bleecker Street,
Bums staggered round,
and the junkies ran,
And punk rockers made
their very first stand.
Television said,
Hey, can we play?
And Hilly Krystal just
pointed at the stage,
Mink DeVille took a Spanish stroll
All for the love of rock n roll,
We used to see the bands
Out on the street,
But now they’re gone.
But if you listen hard enough,
You can hear their songs.
Debbie Harry hung on the telephone,
And Patti Smith declared her
sins for her own,
the jukebox played
little Johnny Jewel,
Planets and Suns and a
Band called Cool,
Johnny Thunders
Lived on a Chinese rock,
And we went psycho for the
Heads that talked,
Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee
Played the Blitzkrieg Bop,
We thought the summer
Would never stop.
And all the poetry was downtown,
And all my hopes and dreams were downtown,
Now all the ghosts are still downtown.
New York City, your streets are singin’
Your streets are singin’ to me,
Your streets are singin’ to me,
Your streets are singin’ to me...
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3. |
Finest Hour
03:29
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We’re on our way
To God knows where,
Our chests‘re on fire
And we’re shit scared.
The fight’s begun
But we won’t cower,
They’ll say that
This was their finest hour.
You stand by me
And I’ll stand by you,
And side by side
We’ll make it through.
From the deepest ditch,
To the tallest tower,
They’ll say that
This was their finest hour.
I got your back,
And you’ve got mine,
We’ll never leave
A man behind,
And when our guns
Are replaced by flowers,
They’ll say that
This was their finest hour.
You stand by me
And I’ll stand by you
And side by side
We’ll make it through
From the deepest ditch
To the tallest tower
They’ll say that
This was their finest hour
This was their finest hour
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4. |
Hicksville, Long Island
03:20
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I grew up in the country
Way out in the sticks
When I moved
to the city
My friends called
me a hick
How right they
were in their
little put-down
‘cause Hicksville,
Long Island
was my home town
Hicksville, Long Island –
sounds like a joke
Where all my love
Went up in smoke
We caught fish
for breakfast
Went barefoot all day
When my folks had
parties we would
dance the night away,
Next day in the pond
we’d have glorious
mudfights, visit our
girlfriends in the sunshine
on our bikes
Hicksville, Long Island
Where I called home
Where my mind goes to
When I’m on my own
Then the sky went black
My friends moved away
My Dad had a heart attack
He didn’t last a day,
My best girl got married
She ran off with some bloke
And my Ma died
From a lifetime of smoke.
Hicksville, Long Island
Where I called home
Where my mind goes to
When I’m on my own
I go out there sometimes
There ain’t much to see
Just a bunch of old
spirits all callin’ after me
I moved far away
‘cause I couldn’t let it lie
I still hear their voices
When I close my eyes
Hicksville, Long Island
Where I called home
Where my mind goes to
When I’m on my own
Hicksville, Long Island –
sounds like a joke
Where all my love
Went up in smoke
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5. |
Flyin' Home
02:45
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Girl, I met you on a
downtown train
Your face was lit up
and your hair aflame
And I knew that things
Would never be the same
I was on my way
To take a flight
To see my girlfriend
At the time
But I knew now that
It would be a lie
Well, I had some
explainin’ to do
When I told her ‘bout you
Then we cried and said
our adieus
And then ‒
I flew home to you
I hope you felt it too
But you were the one
That much I knew
That was many
moons ago
The years seem long
But the feeling I had then
Is just as strong
Girl, I met you on a
downtown train
Your face was lit up
and your hair aflame
And I knew that things
Would never be the same
Oh, I’m flyin’ home
Yeah, you’re not alone
Girl, I’m flyin’ home
Yeah, I’m flyin’ home
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6. |
Dixie Paradise
03:10
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Goin’ down to Dixie
Where the water
tastes like beer
Down to West Virginia
Where the mountain
streams run clear
Drinkin’ moonshine
in the sun, playin’ banjo
in the shade
‘Strummin’ to the rhythm
That the drivers made’
They’re shootin’
revenooers,
We better get outa here
How low can you go
How high can you fly
How slim can you swim
How wide can you slide
It’s a Dixie Paradise
Down to Carolina,
Alabama, Georgia,
Tennessee.
No more burning crosses,
no more Robert E. Lee.
Yes ma’am, no ma’am
Come on in my kitchen
Eat your ham and grits,
boy, while momma does
the stitching
There’s a new South
a-risin’, so quit yer
bitchin’ right now.
How low can you go …
Down the Mississippi
on a raft with
Huck and Jim
Tom Sawyer
and the pirates
always after him
Chased down the river
by the Angel of Death,
Scarred old slaver
Breathin’ down his neck
‘ain’t nobody ever ever
ever gonna sivilize me’
How low can you go …
Down to Lousiana
Where the gumbo
tastes like fire
Ridin’ around on a
Streetcar named Desire
The Wild Tchapitoulas
play the Mardi Gras
Dr John, ma cher, ca va
Ain’t no hurricane
Gonna bring this city
down
How slow can you go
How quick can you blow
How fast can you blast
How long can you last
It’s a Dixie Paradise...
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7. |
Church of Wasted Souls
03:25
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1988 America:
Reagan’s men had
picked it clean,
There was champagne
on the coast
But ruin in between.
We were driving
’cross the country
Stopped into a
broken down old bar
Everyone was silent
Wonderin’ who we are
They bowed their
heads in silence
Like a church of
wasted souls
If you want to be left
alone, then you’ve
found a home
A man came in
staggering
He’d split his foot
with an axe
Everyone was silent
watching the blood
on his tracks
He said, I was buried
alive once
It took me ten months
to mend
And I ain’t goin to no
damn hospital again
They bowed their
heads in silence...
We wanted to help
the man
But that was
against the rules
So we got up and left
this ship of fools
I always wondered after
Did he pass out
from the strain
Or is he still in there
drinking and nursing
his pain?
They bowed their heads
in silence....
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8. |
Pursuit of Happiness
02:46
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Sending out an SOS
Cuz the pursuit
of happiness
Is giving me some stress
cuz I never take a rest,
Well, my life’s a mess
Cause I must say yes
The pursuit of happiness
Do you find that success
Just gives you emptiness
Do you want more and
more than just doin’
your chores?
Well, it’s getting tough
Cuz there’s never enough
The pursuit of happiness
She’s sizzling hot
She’s gonna get me shot
I tried to say no
but she wanted to know
Baby, count to ten
and we’ll do it again
The pursuit of happiness
Belly up to the bar
The next one can’t be far
We’re chasing rainbows
Every shot that we throw
Well, it’s getting tough
Cuz there’s never enough
The pursuit of happiness
You got me to say yes
And slip off your dress
And then we
were blessed
Afterward we confessed
Well, my life’s a mess
Cuz I must say yes,
The pursuit of happiness
The pursuit of happiness
Is giving me distress
Cuz I never take a rest
From the pursuit of
happiness
Well, my life’s a mess
Cuz I must say yes,
The pursuit of happiness
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9. |
Battle of Bunker Hill
03:37
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King George and his
army were tempting fate
They turned our home
into a police state
My dad and I left our
farm in the spring of ‘75,
We took our rifles to fight
the biggest force alive.
A couple months later
on a hill by Boston Bay,
digging trenches all night
with our pickaxes
and spades,
Their cannon
couldn’t reach us
Try though they might
So in the morning
They sent the army
to fight.
And it’s one, two,
three, four Redcoat
lines a-comin’,
five, six, seven
hundred more,
Boys, don’t shoot until
you see the whites
of their eyes,
It’s King George
we despise.
They came up that hill
in formation so neat,
sweatin’ in red wool
in that sweltering
June heat.
We waited ‘til
the last minute
to give them a blast
You never seen anyone
go down so fast.
And it’s one, two, three...
Oh, they kept on comin’,
and oh,
we shot them down
On the third charge
we realised to our shock
‒ we were out of powder
and shot.
When the sound of our
muskets began to fade,
They came into that
trench,
There was hell
to be paid
A Redcoat stuck
my father with his
bayonet blade
So I stove his head in
with my old
rusty spade.
And it’s one, two, three...
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10. |
Sweet's Gone Sour
02:08
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I need some sweetness
cuz my life’s gone sour,
Bring on the cookies
that I’m gonna devour.
I need some sweetness
cuz my life’s gone flat,
I’m gonna eat and eat
til I get fat
My sweet’s gone sour,
Sour on me
My sweetheart’s gone
sour so I’m gonna eat
and eat and eat.
I’m gonna eat until
I explode
I’m gonna need a sign
that says ‘Wide Load’
I’m gonna eat myself
inside out
Gonna grow a curly tail
and snout
My sweet’s gone sour...
I miss your sweet,
sweet love
Miss it every day
The things I’m gonna
shove, shove away
I’m gonna eat my way
across the state
Jaws will drop about
the things I ate
I’m gonna eat until the
cows come home,
and then I’ll eat them
one by one.
My sweet’s gone sour..
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11. |
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Me and my daddy
didn’t get along much
Fightin’ over
every little
such and such
I liked peace and
he liked war
and we used
to fight until
we couldn’t
no more.
He was a wartime
Navy man, and
I didn’t want to
go to Viet Nam,
Nobody there ever
done me no harm,
He said ‘Do your duty,
whether it’s right or
wrong’.
I... think I know why
I know why
we push and we shove
Cuz we love to hate
the ones that we love.
Then I had a dream
that changed my game
He was drownin’
and he called my name
I looked around, there
was no-one to blame
I couldn’t save him,
I was too far away
Then he went and died
in his sleep one night
There was no chance
to make things right
i still argue with him
in my head,
It’s a way of stayin’ friends
I... think I know why...
Now it doesn’t matter
who was right or wrong
All that matters is that
you belong
Say what you mean
and mean what you
say cuz you never know
when they’re gonna
cart you away.
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Johnny Bee London, UK
Johnny Bee is a newspaperman and songwriter. His New York band played at CBGBs in the 1970s, supporting the Ramones, Blondie, and Talking Heads while he worked for the Village Voice. He moved to London, worked on Fleet St, and played with psychobilly band the Highliners at Glastonbury and Endorse-It-In-Dorset. He later formed Johnny and the Bees (also on Bandcamp). This is his first solo album. ... more
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