LYRICS to “mostly True Stories”
Love Is
In a world without magic
In a world without faith
In a life without spirit
In a world without grace
In a world without dogma
In a world without sin
In a life that's worth living
|In the world we're in
Gonna write a book
Gonna write a play
Paint it on a wall
Gonna lead the way
Gonna tell my boy
Gonna tell my girl
Gonna tell a friend
Gonna tell the world
Gonna sing
(Chorus)
Love is the treasure
Love's the key
Love is the feeling
Love's the need
Love is the yearning
Love is deep
Love gives the purpose
Love is sweet
In a world without answers
That fall from the sky
|In a life that's uncertain
No reasons why
In a world without mysteries
In a world without prayer
In a life of our choosing
If we only care
Gonna find the truth
Gonna find all the lies
Gonna work it out
'Til the day that I die
Gonna take a look
Gonna lend a hand
Gonna try to help
Any way I can
Gonna sing
(Chorus)
Love is the virus
Love's the meme
Love is the culture
Love's the scene
Love is the message
Love is trust
Love is the motive
Love is lust
Love... (2)
(Chorus)
Love is the genius
Love's the news
Love is creative
Love is true
Love is crazy
Love's insane
Love gives meaning
Love's to blame
(Re-Intro)
In a world without masters
In a world without fear
In a life of real freedom
In the world that's here
In a world without heaven
In a world without hell
No God will save us
We must save ourselves
Love... (4)
(Chorus)
Love is the journey
Love's the way
Love is the reason
Love today
Love's for the asking
Love is right
Love's for the giving
Love tonight
Love tonight
(Tom, keys; Sam, bass; Gerry, guitars, vocals, percussion)
(Note: This song is intended to help liberate the concept of love from the supernatural. Love is the appreciation of everything there is to appreciate, including just being alive. G.D.)
_______________________________________
Xena*
I think I'm in love with Xena
Warrior Princess of my dreams
I think I'm in love with Xena
She carries a sword that's alright with me
I'm thinkin' of no one but Xena
Long dark hair and big blue eyes
I'm thinkin' of no one but Xena
If there's trouble she'll hack it down to size
She used to be evil now she's doin’ it for good
I wish we had a Xena in my neighborhood
We wouldn't need the Police or the F.B.I.
She whoops and she hollers and she flips like a coin
Better watch your step here comes that kick in the groin
Forget your bad intentions and don't even try
So don't you go messin' with Xena
She'll cut off the flow of blood to your brain
Don't you go messin' with Xena
A heart of gold but she can cause some pain
When times are at their darkest and you're needin' someone
With a flash of leg and leather it's over and done
Well you can keep your Capt. Janeway, Dana Scully too
Just hate those chicks on Baywatch and their silicone boobs
Xena's ridin' to the rescue like no woman could
I think I'm in love with Xena
Warrior Princess of my dreams
|I think I'm in love with Xena
She carries a sword that's alright with me
She carries a sword and that's alright with me
(Sam, all instruments and vocals)
_______________________________________
Man and God
A man was betrayed by his children
His wife and his family
His friends denounced him, his partner's lies
Plunged him into poverty
Pervaded with a hate
For all of humanity
He lived inside a cave
He shunned society
What could he do to punish them?
And pay for this calamity?
He'd contemplate revenge for this injustice
And for their dishonesty
He said "Imagine if I could
Create for them a fantasy
More important than their lives
About which they cannot agree"
(Chorus)
He thought, God! God! God!
He said God! God! God!
He ran back to town to spread this fearful Word
They'd echo him, they began to pray
Soon everyone would see the Holy Signs
Now prophets knew what He meant to say
A spirit filled their souls
And faith led their way
But in speaking they would disagree
How to love Him and to best obey
Their feelings grew more bitter each passing day
Curses turned to hate, hate made them kill
And with each throat that they'd cut for Him
The fatal wish became fulfilled
For such has been the past
And such will be the days ahead
A Being at all times so great
About which nothing can be said
(Chorus)
Except God! God! God!!
God! God! God!!
They'd shout God! God! God!!
They'd shout God! God! God!!
We shout God
(Tom, keys; Gerry, vocals)
(Note: Inspired by Denis Diderot who probably wrote the original idea for this song in prison while serving time for writing things like this. G.D.)
_______________________________________
Vengeance
Three young brothers, asleep in the night
Innocent children, in Ulster's fight
In their garden
A man with a bomb
In their garden
He knew their mother, she didn't belong
He swore he'd kill her, her faith was wrong I
n their garden
A man with a God
In their garden
(Pre-chorus)
Great hate, little room
Maimed him from the start
Carried from his mother's womb
A fanatic's heart
(Chorus)
Now he can't think, he just believes
His soul is pure, his mind diseased
What he prays for is misery
Hell on earth is his legacy
Facing Mecca, their hearts at peace
A holy temple, their minds at ease
In the doorway
A man with a gun
In the doorway
He was a healer, but now he kills
They were not chosen, their prayers defile
In the doorway
A man with a God
In the doorway
(Repeat Pre-chorus)
(Repeat Chorus)
There is none beside me, I form the light
I stretch the heavens, I made the night
I create the evil
I make the peace
I create the evil
Love not the living, I am the end
Every tongue shall swear it, every knee shall bend
Vengeance is mine
I will repay
Vengeance is mine
(Bob, guitars; Tom, keys; Sam, bass; Gerry, guitar, vocals, percussion)
(Note: For the three brothers murdered by a fire bomb in Northern Ireland and the thirty or more Muslims shot in Israel while praying in their Mosque by a religiously fanatic Brooklyn-raised physician. The last few verses are a collection of supposed utterances by the Deity from the Bible. G.D.)
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Bad Habits
Well the night is getting late
But the dawn will have to wait
There's just so many things I got to do
Well there's people to meet
Somewhere out on the street
Is a place somebody thinks I'm due
Bad habits
Just ain't no excuse
How I got here I don't know
I'm just goin' with the flow
I'll see where the currents carry me
Through the jungle and heat
Slow natives under feet
Survival of the fit is the rule
Bad habits
Just ain't no excuse
(Bridge)
Oh me oh my
I'm surely gonna die
That is if I'm not already dead
I walk the line
On borrowed time I'll probably be just some statistic yet
So the cupboards always bare
And the wardrobe's rather spare
I got all of the answers I can use
I'm feeling just fine
No worries on my mind
Just can't remember where I put my shoes
Bad habits
Just ain't no excuse
(Repeat Bridge)
Oh me oh my
I'm surely gonna die
That is if I'm not already dead
I walk the line
On borrowed time
I'll probably be just some statistic yet
To the lady I just met
And whose name that I forget
Well your offer was more than could be refused
But I had to leave so soon
No sunny honeymoon
You see I have just one more deal to do
Bad habits
Just ain't no excuse
Bad habits
Just ain't no excuse
(Bob, guitar; Tom, keys; Sam, bass; Gerry, vocals, percussion; Fred Reiter, saxophones)
_______________________________________
Who You Know*
Let me start from the beginning and I'll try and make it brief
If you wanna get ahead, you gotta start with this belief
That it doesn't really matter if you get there on your own
If you find this hard to swallow, then you'd better get on home
Cause I found out for myself maybe simple but it's true
If you ain't got no connections, then that's it you're done you're through
Solo
You stand in line
You wait your turn
You take a number but you're never gonna learn
That you can even go to school get yourself an education
No matter how you slice it-it's a no win situation
You can run around in circles hold your breath until you're blue
If you ain't got no connections well that's it
You're done you're through.
You stand in line
You wait your turn
You take a number but you'll never ever learn
That you can even go to school get yourself an education
No matter how you slice it-it's a no win situation
You can run around in circles hold your breath until you're blue
If you ain't got no connections well that's it
You're done you're through
Cause it's a sad fact honey
But that's the way the story goes
When you realize baby
It's not whatcha can do but who you know
You know you know
|When you realize baby
It's not whatcha can do but who you know
(Sam, all instruments and vocals)
_______________________________________
Where They Kill Love
(Chorus)
Don't lay me down
Where they kill love
Don't say a prayer
To a God above
Just let me lie
In land untouched
By creeds of hate
Where they kill love
They tied him up
Called him a queer
Bathed him in blood
Save for a tear
But they could quote
Leviticus
He's crucified
Like gay Jesus
(Repeat Chorus)
In Aghalee
She broke the rule
When she fell hard
And he fell too
But some young man
Watched from afar
He made her part
Of holy war
(Instrumental bridge)
An Israelite
He took a wife
But she was cursed
As Midianite
Now Phinehas
He drew his sword
And he was blessed
As his reward
(Repeat Chorus)
(Tom, keys; Sam, bass; Gerry, guitar, vocals, percussion)
(Note: Of course the first reference is to Matthew Shepard, and the second to a young Irish woman murdered while sleeping by a man who knew her from a local pub. She was dating a man of a different faith. I seem to remember that Jim Dwyer of Long Island Newsday wrote a story about her called "Where They Kill Love" and I could not forget it. The reference to Phinehas is from the Old Testament where he and his offspring are blessed for killing an inter-racial couple. This passage inspires racist religious terrorists to this day who fancy themselves "Phineas Priests." G.D.)
_______________________________________
Bad, Bad Time
I used to be a rich man
I used to be king
I used to walk on water
You could kiss my ring
She knows just where I'm goin'
And whatever I do
My life's her own to ruin
Over something like you
(Chorus)
I picked a bad, bad time
To fall in love again
I picked a bad, bad time
To fall in love again
Now I feel like I'm living
In a waking dream
I can choose between the devil
And the deep blue sea
(Repeat chorus)
(Bridge)
A bad, bad night To breathe again
A bad, bad life
That never ends
A bad, bad time
To play that game
A bad, bad sign
I'm going insane
It makes me crazy
When you do those things
Now after she kills me
Will you feel the same?
(Repeat Chorus) (2)
(Sam, bass; Gerry, guitars, vocals, percussion)
(Note: Written while flying to Las Vegas on the same day that I wrote "Last Prayer" from the rock opera "My Name is Thomas..." Great flight! G.D.)
_______________________________________
I Just Want to Look at You
I just want to look at you
I just want to look at you
The hair around your shoulders
The fullness of your lips
The color of your body
The way you move your hips
I just want to hold you near
I just want to hold you near
I feel your arms around me
You pressed against my chest
The rhythm of your heartbeat
The warmness of your breath
(Chorus)
I don't know
What brought us together
I just know how I feel
I just know that it's real
Everyday we'd search for the answer
But this is what it meant
It feels so innocent
(Bridge)
Can't give you Paradise
Can't ask you to believe
We only have this life
Everything will die
All the rest's a lie
I just want to sleep with you
I just want to sleep with you
To know that you're beside me
And know that you are there
To wake with you each morning
Each moment that we share
(Repeat Chorus)
I just want to look at you
(Bob, guitar; Tom, keys; Sam, bass; Gerry, acoustic guitars, vocals, percussion)
(Note: This is the missing love song from "My Name Is Thomas." Written after the CD was completed so that's why it's not on it! It belongs just before "I'm So Scared" and would end the first act. The bridge lyrics are stolen from the "Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam." G.D.)
_______________________________________
Blind, Broke, Naked and Lonely*
Well I was walkin' with my baby through the park the other day
Long legged woman joggin' by the other way
Couldn't help but notice worst mistake I ever made
That's when my jealous woman put a whoopin' on my head
She said, "what are you starin' at?"
I said, "I'm just enjoyin' the view"
She said, "I've had it with your excuses and I don't wanna hear your lies
If I catch you once again I'm gonna scratch out both your eyes"
You know I get up every mornin', break my back from sun to sun
Always busy workin' never seem to have much fun
So I stash a little money in a jar beneath the bed
That's when my greedy woman puts a whoopin' on my head
She said, "why you hidin' that?"
I said, "I'm savin' it all for you"
She said, "I've had it with your excuses and I know you be talkin' trash
If you wanna get my love you'd better give me all your cash"
Now I'm flat Broke-Busted
(Solo)
Well you know I'm not an angel and it's not always my fault
But sometimes I get the feelin' that I'm locked inside a vault
So I took a run for daylight thought I had it made
That's when my evil woman put a whoopin' on my head
She said, "why you steppin' out?"
I said "I've had enough of you"
She said, "now you won't be goin nowhere, I know how to make you stay"
That's when my evil woman went and gave my clothes away
Salvation Army I do believe
I never saw it comin' never even had a clue
I never knew what hit me always thought that she'd be true
I come walkin' through the front door, I hear my back door slam
My cheatin' woman went and found another man
I said, "why you steppin' out?"
She said, "I've had enough of you"
She said, "now even if you beg me ain't no way I'm gonna stay"
That's when my cheatin' woman packed her bags and ran away
My jealous woman, my greedy woman, my evil woman, my jealous woman
My cheatin' woman left me Blind, Broke, Naked and Lonely
Yes she did
My jealous woman, my greedy woman, my evil woman, my jealous woman
My cheatin' woman left me Blind, Broke, Naked and Lonely
(Sam, all instruments and vocals)
_______________________________________
All I Want Is Everything
A cool night walking on Main Street
She can talk real smooth and not miss a beat
How did I get stuck with you?
How do I get lucky with you?
She can run, she can run so fast
She's got defenses I just can't attack
How do I get you home tonight?
How do I get it just right?
(Chorus)
All I want is everything
All I want is everything
All I want is everything
All I want is you
We find a place just for a drink
I never really know just what to think
Am I in your master plan?
Do I really have a chance?
(Repeat Chorus)
(Bridge)
Everybody's looking everywhere
All the lonely faces, well I don't care
Everybody's talking all the time
They can get their own 'cause I got mine
A cool night walkin' on Main Street
Angelo's is closed, there's no place to eat
How did I get stuck with you?
How do I get lucky with you?
(Repeat Chorus)
(Bob, guitar; Tom, keys; Sam, bass; Gerry, acoustic guitars, vocals, percussion)
_______________________________________
Mr. Bug*
Sittin' here tryin' to write a song
Suddenly you came along
Whizzin' by my head so effortlessly
Should I be good and spare your life
Let you go home to your kids and wife
Or should I mash you just for annoyin' me
You may not think I have the right
To take a swat put out your light
But I'm bigger and I'm stronger can't you see
Who would miss you who would care?
There's a million just like you everywhere
Why should I treat you so differently?
If you don't stop buzzin' round my head
It's not my fault if you end up dead
I ain't got the time to deal with you
I'm only human that's how we act
You're just a bug besides the fact
I got more important things to do
If you leave me all alone
Then I'll let you go back home
And we'll both live in peace and harmony
Thought I was talkin' to myself
Then Mr. Bug lands on the shelf
I look at him and he stares back at me
Now the question is it life or death?
Mr. Bug has taken his last breath
And I just got an idea for a song
(Sam, all instruments and vocals)
_______________________________________
BQE
I was a Boy Scout going to waste
She was the fruit I could never taste
Hit in the eye with a blinding light
I try to tell myself it'll be all right
She's not the kind of girl you take home to mom
Try to hold her hand you might lose your arm
Caught in a landslide I felt the weight
Hooked like a fish well I took the bait
(Bridge)
You want her now, you'll have to wait
Everybody's got a date
Like poison from a rattlesnake
She hits you like a heavyweight
(Chorus)
Thrown from a car on the BQE
To think I was taught sex was a disease
Lost in the borough with a gun in my face
Something tells me that I may have loved in haste
She needed a ride to visit an old friend
He just got out from doing 5 to 10
Somehow the truth gets so hard to find
But when she looks my way I must lose my mind
(Bridge)
He wants her now, I'm in the way
I'm gonna go, he's gonna stay
I might have made a slight mistake
I guess that I've been tempting fate
(Repeat Chorus)
(Instrumental verse)
Licking my wounds down in Williamsburg
When someone asked me if I was hurt
\She looked like she meant every word that she said
I said don't tell your friend that I'm not quite dead
(Bridge)
She wants me now, she'll have to wait
Until I know I didn't break
A thin line from love to hate
I didn't think I'd hesitate
(Repeat Chorus)
(Note: The truth is I have never been a Boy Scout would any child of mine. They discriminate against the non-religious and consider the non-religious incapable of being the "best" kind of citizens. Every parent whose children are scouts must agree that this is true, or lie about it when taking the oath. G.D.)
(Bob, guitar; Tom, keys; Sam, bass; Gerry, vocals, percussion)
_______________________________________
Bosko and Admira
He prayed to Jesus, she prayed to Allah
They loved each other, it was forever
They met in high school, it was so easy
Now there was shelling, it got so crazy
They knew that somehow
He'd answer their prayers tonight
They'd go to movies, she cried at E.T.
They'd go out dancing, he loved his Iggy
Then there was no food, there was no power
Now there was no hope, hour to hour
Their love was outcast
He'd answer their prayers tonight
(Chorus)
In your arms he'd say to her
He would always be
She would say the war could not
Ever change the world for you and me, my sweet
We'll go to Belgrade, he said don't worry
The war was growing like grandfather's stories
She packed her diary, her golden bracelet
The soldiers told them they'd have safe passage
She wrote a letter
They were in His hands tonight
(Instrumental Verse)
(Repeat Chorus)
She hugged her parents, he held her hand tight
Down to the river, the bridge was in sight
He fell behind her, now she was bleeding
And as she sinks down, she crawls up to him
They die embracing
Around the world tonight
He prayed to Jesus, she prayed to Allah
They loved each other, it was forever
The gunman was blessed
His prayers were answered tonight
(Bob, guitars; Tom, keys; Sam, bass; Gerry, acoustic guitars, vocals, percussion)
(Note: Bosko and Admira were the Romeo and Juliet of Sarajevo. Though of different faiths they tried to escape the war and ethnic cleansing together but were shot dead in each other's arms just shy of the bridge out of town and supposed safety. Their bodies lay in plain sight for a week until prisoners were forced to retrieve them. In the event that they were to die they had requested that they be given secular burials together, disowning the belief systems that led to their deaths. Their families complied. G.D.)
_______________________________________
Charlton Heston High School
Catch the bus every day
Do my homework on the way
Pack a book, pack a gun
Eat my breakfast on the run
Every boy, every girl
It's a dog eat dog type world
Just act like you're lame
While they try to steal your brain
(Bridge)
You can be a pain in the ass
If you're in the right group in class
You could even be yourself
But you gotta realize
It's a living hell
(Chorus)
Say a prayer, say a curse
I don't know which is worse
Charlton Heston High School
It's a war, it's so cool
Where guns and Jesus rule
Charlton Heston High School
(Bridge)
You can fall asleep in the back
If you're the school quarterback
Or you can say enough is enough
But you gotta realize
They're gonna kick your butt
(Chorus)
Got no drugs over here
But don't touch my can of beer
Got no dope, got no weed
Just the cigarettes I need
No one's gay, no one's queer
They're too scared to come out here
The NRA is the boss
And the Decalogue the law
(Bridge)
You can make the geeks all cry
And be a cool kind of guy
Or you can do what's right
But you gotta realize
You're gonna lose that fight
(Repeat Chorus) (2)
(Tom, keys; Sam, bass; Gerry, guitars, vocals, percussion; Bill Dean, harmonica)
(Note: In the aftermath of the Columbine High School tragedies, Congress decided that public schools lacked the Ten Commandments, leading to the killings. Guns, of course, they decided, were irrelevant to the problem. Charlton Heston, a devout Christian, once portrayed Moses in a movie and is now the leader of the National Rifle Association, a natural progression it would seem. "It's a Madhouse" is a line from "Planet of the Apes." I am the drafter of the "Standard Ten Commandments," a constitutionally compliant and ethically superior alternative to the intolerant biblically-based Commandments. For a copy, email Info@universaldice.com. G.D.)
_______________________________________
Circling the Drain*
Work our fingers to the bone and make our little plans
Buy a house, have some kids, take out the garbage cans
Mow the lawn, rake the leaves, shovel all that snow
Round and round and round and round and down the pipe we go
Hey look at us we got it made we're really on our way
We made the deal boy what a steal must be our lucky day
Let's toast to our good fortune seal it with a kiss
Round and round and round and round and into the abyss
Circling the drain my friends we're circling the drain
With a little hope we'll stay afloat
While circling the drain
Guess it's not so funny when you think of what's in store
We paid our dues and sang some blues and wish that we had more
We'd gladly pay the devil to do it all again
Circle once or twice before our time to spiral in
Circling the drain my friends we're circling the drain
With a little hope in a leaky boat
We're circling the drain
Destined for the cesspool be that as it may
We go about our daily lives with not much else to say
At least we'll go down happy
Sit back enjoy the ride
Round and round and round and round
Till we're taken by the tide
Circling the drain my friends, we're circling the drain
With a little hope we'll stay afloat while circling the drain
Circling the drain my friends we're circling the drain
So don't rock the boat and we'll stay afloat circling the drain
With a little hope in a leaky boat we're circling the drain
(Sam, all instruments and vocals)
_______________________________________
All lyrics (c) Gerald Dantone 1999 Except * (c) S. Cimino 1999
All Sound recordings copyright Gerald Dantone 1999
Except * copyright S. Cimino 1999