..:: audio-music dot info ::..


Main Page     The Desert Island     Copyright Notice
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz


Paul Simon: Shining Like a National Guitar - Greatest Hits

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Warner Bros. Records
Released: 2000.05.23
Time:
 77:04
Category: Pop/Folk
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Rating: *********. (9/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.paulsimon.com
Appears with: Simon & Garfunkel
Purchase date: 2000.06.08
Price in €: 12,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Graceland (Paul Simon) - 4:47
[2] You can call me al (Paul Simon) - 4:41
[3] Mother and child reunion (Paul Simon) - 2:58
[4] The cool cool river (Paul Simon) - 4:43
[5] 50 ways to leave your lover (Paul Simon) - 3:07
[6] The obvious child (Paul Simon) - 4:10
[7] The boy in the bubble (Paul Simon - Paul Simon/Forere Motloheloa) - 3:58
[8] Rene and georgette magritte with their dog after the war (Paul Simon) - 3:43
[9] Late in the evening (Paul Simon) - 3:54
[10] Bernadette (Paul Simon - Derek Walcott) - 3:28
[11] Slip slidin' away (Paul Simon) - 4:45
[12] Take me to the mardi gras (Paul Simon) - 3:22
[13] Diamonds on the soles of her shoes (Paul Simon - Joseph Shabalala) - 5:49
[14] Still crazy after all these years (Paul Simon) - 3:22
[15] Kodachrome® (Paul Simon) - 3:28
[16] Loves me like a rock (Paul Simon) - 3:15
[17] Me and julio by the schoolyard (Paul Simon) - 2:43
[18] Hearts and bones (Paul Simon) - 5:38
[19] Trailways bus (Paul Simon - Derek Walcott) - 5:15

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


PAUL SIMON - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals, Background Vocals, Producer, Hi String Guitar, 6-String Electric Bass

JOHN TROPEA - Electric Guitar
NANA VASCONCELOS - Berimbau, Gourd
ADRIAN BELEW - Guitar Synth
MICHAEL BRECKER - Soprano Saxophone, EWI
JON FADDIS - Trumpet
BOB JAMES - String Arrangements, Woodwind Arrangement
ROB MOUNSEY - Synthesizer
PETE CARR - Guitar, Electric Guitar
ALEX FOSTER - Alto Saxophone
ARLEN ROTH - Acoustic Guitar, Guitar
JACKIE JACKSON - Bass
UAKTI - Percussion
KIM WILSON - Harmonica
AIRTO MOREIRA - Percussion
ADEMOLA ADEPOJU - Pedal Steel Guitar
CLIFTON ANDERSON - Trombone
BOBBY ALLENDE - Bell Tree
ROBERT AMEEN - Drums
MINGO ARAUJO - Conga, Triangle
DAVE BARGERON - Trombone
JOHN BEAL - Bass
BARRY BECKETT - Keyboards, Electric Piano
CRUSHER BENNETT - Shaker
HUX BROWN - Guitar
WELLS CHRISTY - Synclavier
DAVE GRUSIN - Horn Arrangements
CHARLES DOHERTY - Alto & Tenor Saxophones
SHANNON FORD - Drums
STEVE GADD - Drums
ERIC GALE - Electric Guitar
EARL GARDNER - Trumpet
RUSSELL GEORGE - Bass
MORRIS GOLDBERG - Penny Whistle
WINSTON GRENNAN - Drums
ROGER HAWKINS - Drums
OSCAR HERNANDEZ - Synthesizer, Celeste, Glockenspiel, Vibraphone, Associate Producer
NEVILLE HINDS - Organ
BILL HOLLOMAN - Trumpet, Tenor Saxophone
DAVID HOOD - Bass
ERROL INCE - Trumpet
ANTHONY JACKSON - Bass, Contrabass Guitar
REV. CLAUDE JETER - Falsetto
JIMMY JOHNSON - Electric Guitar
BAKITHI KHUMALO - Bass
LARRY KNECHTEL - Piano
DENZEL LAING - Percussion
TONY LEVIN - Bass
MICHAEL MAINIERI, JR. - Marimba, Vibraphone
HUGH MCCRACKEN - Electric Guitar
CLYDE MITCHELL - Trumpet
ISAAC MTSHALI - Drums
VINCENT NGUINI - Bass, Guitar
HORACE OTT - Piano
DEAN PARKS - Hi String Guitar
GREG PHILLINGANES - Synthesizer
MICHAEL RAMOS - Accordion
ALAN RUBIN - Trumpet
ROBERT SABINO - Piano
DAVID SPINOZA - Guitar
RICHARD TEE - Synthesizer, Piano, Fender Rhodes
ASSANE THIAM - Percussion
ROBBY TURNER - Pedal Steel Guitar
PAUL LIVANT - Guitar
MAKHAYA MAHLANGU - Percussion
ASANTE - Drums
KEN ASHER - Organ
RONALD E. BRECKER - Trumpet
BABACAR FAYE - Percussion
FORERE MOTLOHELOA - Accordion
LEONARD PICKETT - Tenor Saxophone
DEIDRE TUCK - Background Vocals
CHIKAPA "RAY" PHIRI - Guitar
ORIENTE LOPEZ - Fender Rhodes

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO - Vocals
THE EVERLY BROTHERS - Vocals
SARA RAMIREZ - Vocals
THE OAK RIDGE BOYS - Background Vocals
THE DIXIE HUMMINGBIRDS - Background Vocals
PATTI AUSTIN - Background Vocals
THE HARPTONES - Background Vocals, Vocal Arrangement
KEVIN HARRISON - Background Vocals
MILTON CARDONA - Background Vocals
BRIZ - Background Vocals
CISSY HOUSTON - Background Vocals
VALERIE SIMPSON - Background Vocals
VON EVA SIMS - Background Vocals
RAY DE LA PAZ - Background Vocals

ROY HALEE - Producer
PHIL RAMONE - Producer
RUSS TITELMAN - Producer
KEITH BLAKE - Digital Mastering
ANDY SMITH - Executive Engineer
ONWARD BRASS BAND - Overdubs
LYNN GOLDSMITH - Cover Photo
PETER DOGGETT - Liner Notes

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


2000 CD Wea International 47721
2001 CD Wea International 10842



The various compilations of Paul Simon's work that have been released with his input over the years have been an unsatisfying bunch, leaving out key tracks in favor of the artist's own favorites, so that none of them could be recommended unreservedly. The international release Greatest Hits: Shining Like a National Guitar is by far the best such collection ever released, selecting 19 songs from Simon's studio recordings originally released over a 25-year period between 1972 and 1997. All ten of Simon's British chart singles are included, though American fans picking up import copies will note the omission of a number of U.S. singles, notably the Top 40 hits "American Tune" (which, confusingly, is discussed in Peter Doggett's liner notes as if it were present), "Gone at Last," and "One-Trick Pony." That leaves room for plenty of album tracks, and Simon shows consistency in his choices, again picking, for example, "Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War" and "Hearts and Bones" from Hearts and Bones, just as he did for 1993's The Paul Simon Anthology, rather than, say, "Train in the Distance" (which Doggett talks up) or the exquisite "Song About the Moon." But that's just a way of saying that Simon has too many great songs to fit onto a single disc, and, of course, it is the fate of underrated albums like Hearts and Bones and Songs from "The Capeman" to be underrepresented on greatest hits albums. The real strength of this one lies in its sequencing. Simon has experimented with many different styles of writing and music, which would seem to make it difficult to fit the light jazz of "Still Crazy After All These Years" with the South African and Brazilian music he employed later on. But this compilation reveals the similarities between, for example, "You Can Call Me Al" from 1986's Graceland and "Mother and Child Reunion" from 1972's Paul Simon, which follows it, just as the distinctive march-drum pattern of "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" segues well into the massive drums of "The Obvious Child." It's impossible to listen to this album and not marvel at Simon's accomplishment as a musician over a quarter century, and that's as strong a recommendation for a compilation as anybody should need. Unfortunately, though it was a chart success across Europe, Greatest Hits: Shining Like a National Guitar was not issued in the U.S., remaining a pricey import, and with the release only a few months later of a new Simon album, You're the One, it seemed unlikely it would get stateside release. (Note that, as is typical on Simon compilations, several tracks have been trimmed slightly to fit so many songs on one CD.)

William Ruhlmann - All Music Guide
© 1992 - 2001 AEC One Stop Group, Inc.



Viele Best-Ofs sind langweilig, denn die Songs eines Künstlers, die man wirklich liebt, hat man sowieso schon auf CD. Und die paar, die man versäumt hat, hat man deswegen nicht, weil sie einen nicht interessierten. Von dieser Regel gibt es an sich wenige Ausnahmen. Wenige. Aber es gibt sie. Eine Van-Morrison-Best-Of wäre einmal angesagt. Eine George Michael, Prince, Paul Simon oder wie die wenigen Vielarbeiter, deren Werk man einfach nicht komplett besitzen kann, ohne dabei arm zu werden, alle heißen. Letzterer tut uns nun den Gefallen. Aus neun seiner seit 1972 entstandenen elf Alben hat er nur das Beste vom Besten herausgefiltert, denn auf jeder dieser neun LPs fanden sich ein bis drei Superhits, die Simon nun zusammengefasst hat. Man kennt jeden Song. Jeden einzelnen. Man kennt ihn gut, und man liebt ihn, aber hat ihn sich damals irgendwie nicht gekauft. Beim Durchhören fällt auf, wie früh Simon sich bereits den Schuh der Worldmusic anzog, wie homogen er als erster Rockmusiker mit den Sounds aus Jamaika, Afrika, Südamerika, Paris oder New Orleans umging, wie stark die Klänge anderer Kulturen sein gesamtes Schaffen, seine Lieder, seine Gedanken inspiriert und beeinflusst haben. Die Zeiten von "Bridge Over Troubled Water" oder "The Boxer", die auf diesem Album völlig ausgeklammert werden, waren vermutlich nötig für einen Mann wie Simon, um sich mit einem starken Befreiungsschlag vom Korsett der netten Schmalzduette zu verabschieden und sich kraftvoll in ein völlig anderes Lager zu katapultieren, in das der weltumspannenden Popmusik ohne Grenzen. Auch ohne musikalische Grenzen, das bedeutet, dass Simon auch den Rock'n'Roller ("Kodachromeâ"), den hochmusikalischen Komponisten ("Cool, Cool River"), den balladesken Gefühlsmenschen ("Rene And Georgette") oder den stillen Singer/Songwriter ("Bernadette", "50 Ways To Leave A Lover") hervorholen kann, ohne seinen Personalstil, den zum großen Teil auch seine zärtliche Stimme ausmacht, zu verraten. Ein feines Album zum Tanzen oder Träumen von einem fantastischen Musiker und musikalischem Fantasten.

Kati Hofacker - Amazon.de



Though much of Paul Simon's musical reputation seems based on his involvement with Art 'Bright Eyes' Garfunkel in the Sixties and the rest seems centred on his mega-selling 1986 "worldpop" album Graceland, there was always plenty more to Paul Simon's songs than a shrill voice and some ethnic drumming. Indeed, this 19-song strong collection proves that much pretty conclusively. From the reggae-tinged Mother And Child Reunion through to the bigger productions of The Obvious Child and Boy In The Bubble, this is songwriting infused with as many traditional influences (stylistic and lyrical) as you can find a name for. And it has travelled well down the years (and some songs here were written 30 years ago now, though others are only three years old). These are deceptively simple tunes, Simon doesn't waste a note or a syllable, and even the grander compositions are never needlessly indulgent, though it's the older songs that have worn best here. The man who has 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover at his disposal also has 19 ways win hearts forever.

By Esther Sadler - Virgin.net
 

 L y r i c s


GRACELAND

The Mississippi Delta was shining
Like a National guitar
I am following the river
Down the highway
Through the cradle of the civil war
I'm going to Graceland
Graceland
In Memphis Tennessee
I'm going to Graceland
Poorboys and Pilgrims with families
And we are going to Graceland
My traveling companion is nine years old
He is the child of my first marriage
But I've reason to believe
We both will be received
In Graceland

She comes back to tell me she's gone
As if I didn't know that
As if I didn't know my own bed
As if I'd never noticed
The way she brushed her hair from her forehead
And she said losing love
Is like a window in your heart
Everybody sees you're blown apart
Everybody sees the wind blow

I'm going to Graceland
Memphis Tennessee
I'm going to Graceland
Poorboys and Pilgrims with families
And we are going to Graceland

And my traveling companions
Are ghosts and empty sockets
I'm looking at ghosts and empties
But I've reason to believe
We all will be received
In Graceland

There is a girl in New York City
Who calls herself the human trampoline
And sometimes when I'm falling, flying
Or tumbling in turmoil I say
Oh, so this is what she means
She means we're bouncing into Graceland
And I see losing love
Is like a window in your heart
Everybody sees you're blown apart
Everybody sees the wind blow

In Graceland, in Graceland
I'm going to Graceland
For reasons I cannot explain
There's some part of me wants to see
Graceland
And I may be obliged to defend
Every love, every ending
Or maybe there's no obligations now
Maybe I've a reason to believe
We all will be received
In Graceland


YOU CAN CALL ME AL

A man walks down the street
He says why am I soft in the middle now
Why am I soft in the middle
The rest of my life is so hard
I need a photo-opportunity
I want a shot at redemption
Don't want to end up a cartoon
In a cartoon graveyard
Bonedigger Bonedigger
Dogs in the moonlight
Far away my well-lit door
Mr. Beerbelly Beerbelly
Get these mutts away from me
You know I don't find this stuff amusing anymore
If you'll be my bodyguard
I can be your long lost pal
I can call you Betty
And Betty when you call me
You can call me Al

A man walks down the street
He says why am I short of attention
Got a short little span of attention
And wo my nights are so long
Where's my wife and family
What if I die here
Who'll be my role-model
Now that my role-model is
Gone Gone
He ducked back down the alley
With some roly-poly little bat-faced girl
All along along
There were incidents and accidents
There were hints and allegations

If you'll be my bodyguard
I can be your long lost pal
I can call you Betty
And Betty when you call me
You can call me Al
Call me Al

A man walks down the street
It's a street in a strange world
Maybe it's the Third World
Maybe it's his first time around
He doesn't speak the language
He holds no currency
He is a foreign man
He is surrounded by the sound
The sound
Cattle in the marketplace
Scatterlings and orphanages
He looks around, around
He sees angels in the architecture
Spinning in infinity
He says Amen! and Hallelujah!

If you'll be my bodyguard
I can be your long lost pal
I can call you Betty
And Betty when you call me
You can call me Al
Call me Al


MOTHER AND CHILD REUNION

No I would not give you false hope
On this strange and mournful day
But the mother and child reu-nion
Is only a motion away, oh, little darling of mine.
I can't for the life of me
Remember a sadder day
I know they say let it be
But it just don't work out that way
And the course of a lifetime runs
Over and over again

No I would not give you false hope
On this strange and mournful day
But the mother and child reu-nion
Is only a motion away, oh, little darling of mine.

I just can't believe it's so,
and though it seems strange to say
I never been laid so low
In such a mysterious way
And the course of a lifetime runs
Over and over again

But I would not give you false hope
On this strange and mournful day
When the mother and child reu-nion
Is only a motion away,
Oh, oh the mother and child reunion
Is only a motion away
Oh the mother and child reu-nion
Is only a moment away


THE COOL, COOL RIVER

Moves like a fist through the traffic
Anger and no one can heal it
Shoves a little bump into the momentum
It's just a little lump
But you feel it
In the creases and the shadows
With a rattling deep emotion
The cool, cool river
Sweeps the wild, white ocean

Yes Boss. The government handshake
Yes Boss. The crusher of language
Yes Boss. Mr. Stillwater,
The face at the edge of the banquet
The cool, the cool river
The cool, the cool river

I believe in the future
I may live in my car
My radio tuned to
The voice of a star
Song dogs barking at the break of dawn
Lightning pushes the edge of a thunderstorm
And these old hopes and fears
Still at my side

Anger and no one can heal it
Slides through the metal detector
Lives like a mole in a motel
A slide in a slide projector
The cool, cool river
Sweeps the wild, white ocean
The rage of love turns inward
To prayers of devotion
And these prayers are
The constant road across the wilderness
These prayers are
These prayers are the memory of God
The memory of God

And I believe in the future
We shall suffer no more
Maybe not in my lifetime
But in yours I feel sure
Song dogs barking at the break of dawn
Lightning pushes the edges of a thunderstorm
And these streets
Quiet as a sleeping army
Send their battered dreams to heaven, to heaven
For the mother's restless son
Who is a witness to, who is a warrior
Who denies his urge to break and run

Who says: Hard times?
I'm used to them
The speeding planet burns
I'm used to that
My life's so common it disappears
And sometimes even music
Cannot substitute for tears


50 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER

"The problem is all inside your head", she said to me
The answer is easy if you take it logically
I'd like to help you in your struggle to be free
There must be fifty ways to leave your lover

She said it's really not my habit to intrude
Furthermore, I hope my meaning won't be lost or misconstrued
But I'll repeat myself at the risk of being crude
There must be fifty ways to leave your lover
Fifty ways to leave your lover

Just slip out the back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You don't need to be coy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Hop on the bus, Gus
You don't need to discuss much
Just drop off the key, Lee
And get yourself free

Just slip out the back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You don't need to be coy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Hop on the bus, Gus
You don't need to discuss much
Just drop off the key, Lee
And get yourself free

She said it grieves me so to see you in such pain
I wish there was something I could do to make you smile again
I said I appreciate that and would you please explain
About the fifty ways

She said why don't we both just sleep on it tonight
And I believe in the morning you'll begin to see the light
And then she kissed me and I realized she probably was right
There must be fifty ways to leave your lover
Fifty ways to leave your lover

Just slip out the back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You don't need to be coy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Hop on the bus, Gus
You don't need to discuss much
Just drop off the key, Lee
And get yourself free

You just slip out the back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You don't need to be coy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Hop on the bus, Gus
You don't need to discuss much
Just drop off the key, Lee
And get yourself free


THE BOY IN THE BUBBLE

It was a slow day
And the sun was beating
On the soldiers by the side of the road
There was a bright light
A shattering of shop windows
The bomb in the baby carriage
Was wired to the radio
These are the days of miracle and wonder
This is the long distance call
The way the camera follows us in slo-mo
The way we look to us all
The way we look to a distant constellation
That's dying in a corner of the sky
Therse are the days of miracle and wonder
And don't cry baby, don't cry
Don't cry

It was a dry wind
And it swept across the desert
And it curled into the circle of birth
And the dead sand
Falling on the children
The mothers and the fathers
And the automatic earth
These are the days of miracle and wonder
This is the long distance call
The way the camera follows us in slo-mo
The way we look to us all
The way we look to a distant constellation
That's dying in a corner of the sky
Therse are the days of miracle and wonder
And don't cry baby, don't cry
Don't cry

It's a turn-around jump shot
It's everybody jump start
It's every generation throws a hero up the pop charts
Medicine is magical and magical is art
The Boy in the Bubble
And the baby with the baboon heart

And I believe
These are the days of lasers in the jungle
Lasers in the jungle somewhere
Staccato signals of constant information
A loose affiliation of millionaires
And billionaires and baby
These are the days of miracle and wonder
This is the long distance call
The way the camera follows us in slo-mo
The way we look to us all
The way we look to a distant constellation
That's dying in a corner of the sky
Therse are the days of miracle and wonder
And don't cry baby, don't cry
Don't cry


RENE AND GEORGETTE MAGRITTE WITH THEIR DOG AFTER THE WAR

Rene and Georgette Magritte
With their dog after the war
Returned to their hotel suite
And they unlocked the door
Easily losing their evening clothes
They danced by the light of the moon
To the Penguins, the Moonglows
The Orioles, and The Five Satins
The deep forbidden music
They'd been longing for
Rene and Georgette Magritte
With their dog after the war

Rene and Georgette Magritte
With their dog after the war
Were strolling down Christopher Street
When they stopped in a men's store
With all of the mannequins dressed in the style
That brought tears to their immigrant eyes
Just like The Penguins, the Moonglows
The Orioles, and The Five Satins
The easy stream of laughter
Flowing through the air
Rene and Georgette Magritte
With their dog apres la guerre
Side by side
They fell asleep
Decades gliding by like Indians
Time is cheap
When they wake up they will find
All their personal belongings
Have intertwined
Oh Rene and Georgette Magritte
With their dog after the war
Were dining with the power elite
And they looked in their bedroom drawer
And what do you think
They have hidden away
In the cabinet cold of their hearts?
The Penguins, the Moonglows
The Orioles, and The Five Satins
For now and ever after
As it was before
Rene and Georgette Magritte
With their dog after the war


LATE IN THE EVENING

The first thing I remember, I was lying in my bed
I couldn't've been no more than one or two
And I remember there's a radio, coming from the room next door
My mother laughed away some ladies' due

Well it's late in the evening, and all the music sees me through

The next thing I remember, I am walking down a street
I'm feeling alright with my boys and with my troops, yeah
Down along the avenue some guys are shootin' pool
And I heard the sound of acapella groups, yeah

Singin' late in the evening, and all the girls out on the stoops, yeah

Then I remember playin' some lead guitar, I was underage in this funky bar
And I stepped outside to smoke myself a J
When I come back to the room, everybody just seemed to move
And I turned my amp up louder to get away

It was late in the evening, and I blew that room away

First thing I remember when you came into my life
I said I wanna get that girl, no matter what I do
Well I guess I've been in love before and once or twice have been on the floor
But I've never loved no-one the way that I love you

And it was late in the evening, and all the music sees me through

First thing I remember when you came into my life
I said I wanna get that girl, no matter what I do
Well I guess I've been in love before and once or twice have been on the floor
But I've never loved no-one the way that I love you

And it was late in the evening, and all the music sees me through


BERNADETTE

SAL
Whoa------I got time on my hands tonight
You're the girl of my dreams
When I'm near you my future seems bright

OO------I want you to be my girl
I want you to be my movie
I am Sal Mineo and I need you so
Sweet Bernadette

Whoa------You got style from your hair to your heels
Though my words may be jumbled
Still I'm telling you just how it feels

I love you

SAL & BERNADETTE
I love you
And the breeze that wraps around you

SAL
Satin summer nights

BERNADETTE
Satin summer nights

SAL & BERNADETTE
A girl I can't forget

SAL
Whoa------You're the smile of the moon Bernadette

SAL & BERNADETTE
Dom Dom Dom Doo
Well-a well I'm home
Dom Dom Dom Doo
Well-a well I'm home

SAL
Wop, Wop, Wop, Wop
Come with me
There's a place I want you to see

When the leaves are dark
I've got a hiding place in Central Park
And the sky is a coat of diamonds

There's a wooden cross over my bed
The city is lit with candles
They're shining for you Bernadette.

Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa
OO OO, Bernadette

SAL & BERNADETTE
Dom Dom Dom Doo
Well-a well I'm home
Dom Dom Dom Doo
Well-a well I'm home


SAL
Wop, Wop, Wop, Wop, Wop.


SLIP SLIDIN' AWAY

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away

I know a man
He came from my home town
He wore his passion for his woman
Like a thorny crown
He said Delores
I live in fear
My love for you's so overpowering
I'm afraid that I will disappear

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away

I know a woman
Became a wife
These are the very words she uses
To describe her life
She said a good day
Ain't got no rain
She said a bad day's when I lie in bed
And think of things that might have been

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away

And I know a fa-ther
Who had a son
He longed to tell him all the reasons
For the things he'd done
He came a long way
Just to explain
He kissed his boy as he lay sleeping
Then he turned around and headed home again

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away

God only knows
God makes his plan
The information's unavailable
To the mortal man
We work our jobs
Collect our pay
Believe we're gliding down the highway
When in fact we're slip slidin' away

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away

Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away
Mmm...


TAKE ME TO THE MARDI GRAS

C'mon take me to the Mardi Gras
Where the people sing and play
Where the dancing is elite
And there's music in the street
Both night and day

Hurry take me to the Mardi Gras
In the city of my dreams
You can legalize your lows
You can wear your summer clothes
In the New Orleans

And I will lay my burden down
Rest my head upon that shore
And when I wear that starry crown
I won't be wanting anymore

Take your burdens to the Mardi Gras
Let the music wash your soul
You can mingle in the street
You can jingle to the beat of the jelly roll
Tumba, tumba, tumba, Mardi Gras
Tumba, tumba, tumba, day

Mm------------


DIAMONDS ON THE SOLES OF HER SHOES

(a-wa) O kodwa u zo-nge li-sa namhlange
(a-wa a-wa) Si-bona kwenze ka kanjani
(a-wa a-wa) Amanto mbazane ayeza
She's a rich girl
She don't try to hide it
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes

He's a poor boy
Empty as a pocket
Empty as a pocket with nothing to lose
Sing Ta na na
Ta na na na
She got diamonds on the soles of her shoes
She got diamonds on the soles of her shoes
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes

People say she's crazy
She got diamonds on the soles of her shoes
Well that's one way to lose these
Walking blues
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes

She was physically forgotten
Then she slipped into my pocket
With my car keys
She said you've taken me for granted
Because I please you
Wearing these diamonds

And I could say Oo oo oo
As if everybody knows
What I'm talking about
As if everybody would know
Exactly what I was talking about
Talking about diamonds on the soles of her shoes

She makes the sign of a teaspoon
He makes the sign of a wave
The poor boy changes clothes
And puts on after-shave
To compensate for his ordinary shoes

And she said honey take me dancing
But they ended up by sleeping
In a doorway
By the bodegas and the lights on
Upper Broadway
Wearing diamonds on the soles of their shoes

And I could say Oo oo oo
As if everybody here would know
What I was talking about
I mean everybody here would know exactly
What I was talking about
Talking about diamonds

People say I'm crazy
I got diamonds on the soles of my shoes
Well that's one way to lose
These walking blues
Diamonds on the soles of your shoes


STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

I met my old lover
On the street last night
She seemed so glad to see me
I just smiled
And we talked about some old times
And we drank ourselves some beers
Still crazy afler all these years
Oh, still crazy after all these years

I'm not the kind of man
Who tends to socialize
I seem to lean on
Old familiar ways
And I aint no fool for love songs
That whisper in my ears
Still crazy afler all these years
Oh, still crazy after all these years

Four in the morning
Crapped out, yawning
Longing my life a--way
I'll never worry
Why should I?
It's all gonna fade

Now I sit by my window
And I watch the cars
I fear I'll do some damage
One fine day
But I would not be convicted
By a jury of my peers
Still crazy after all these years
Oh, still crazy
Still crazy
Still crazy after all these years


KODACHROME

When I think back
On all the crap I learned in high school
It's a wonder
I can think at all
And though my lack of edu---cation
Hasn't hurt me none
I can read the writing on the wall

Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, Oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama don't take my Kodachrome away

If you took all the girls I knew
When I was single
And brought them all together for one night
I know they'd never match
my sweet imagination
And everything looks worse in black and white

Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, Oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama don't take my Kodachrome away


LOVES ME LIKE A ROCK

When I was a little boy, (when I was just a boy)
And the Devil would call my name (when I was just a boy)
I'd say "now who do,
Who do you think you're fooling?" (when I was just a boy)
I'm a consecrated boy (when I was just a boy)
I'm a singer in a Sunday choir
Oh , my mama loves, she loves me
She get down on her knees and hug me
Like she loves me like a rock
She rocks me like the rock of ages
And loves me
She love me, love me, love me, love me

When I was grown to be a man (grown to be a man)
And the Devil would call my name (grown to be a man)
I'd say "now who do,
Who do you think you're fooling?" (grown to be a man)
I'm a consummated man (grown to be a man)
I can snatch a little purity
My mama loves me, she loves me
She get down on her knees and hug me
Like she loves me like a rock
She rocks me like the rock of ages
And loves me
She love me, love me, love me, love me
And if I was President (was the President)
The minute Congress call my name (was the President)
I'd say "who do,
Who do you think you're fooling? (Who do you think you're fooling)

I've got the Presidential Seal (was the president)
I'm up on the Presidential Podium
My mama loves me
She loves me
She get down on her knees and hug me
Like she loves me like a rock
She rocks me like the rock of ages
And loves me

Fade out:
She love me, love me, love me, love me
(loves me like a rock)


ME AND JULIO DOWN BY THE SCHOOLYARD

The mama pajama rolled out of bed
And she ran to the police station
When the papa found out he began to shout
And he started the investigation
It's against the law
It was against the law
What the mama saw
It was against the law

The mama looked down and spit on the ground
Everytime my name gets mentioned
The papa said oy if I get that boy
I'm gonna stick him in the house of detention
Well I'm on my way
I don't know where I'm going
I'm on my way

I'm taking my time
But I don't know where
Goodbye to Rosie the queen of Corona
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
Me and Julio down by the schoolyard

In a couple of days they come and take me away
But the press let the story leak
And when the radical priest
Come to get me released
We was all on the cover of Newsweek
And I'm on my way
I don't know where I'm going
I'm on my way

I'm taking my time
But I don't know where
Goodbye to Rosie the queen of Corona
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
See you, me and Julio
Down by the schoolyard
Me and Julio down by the schoolyard


HEARTS AND BONES

One and one-half wandering Jews
Free to wander wherever they choose
Are travelling together
In the Sangre de Cristo
The Blood of Christ Mountains
Of New Mexico
On the last leg of the journey
They started a long time ago
The arc of a love affair
Rainbows in the high desert air
Mountain passes slipping into stones
Hearts and bones
Hearts and bones
Hearts and bones
Thinking back to the season before
Looking back through the cracks in the door
Two people were married
The act was outrageous
The bride was contagious
She burned like a bride
These events may have had some effect
On the man with the girl by his side
The arc of a love affair
His hands rolling down her hair
Love like lightning shaking till it moans
Hearts and bones
Hearts and bones
Hearts and bones
And whoa whoa whoa
She said why?
Why don't we drive through the night
And we'll wake up down in Mexico
Oh I
I don't know nothin' about nothin'
About Mexico
And tell me why
Why won't you love me
For who I am
Where I am
He said:
'Cause that's not the way the world is baby
This is how I love you, baby
This is how I love you, baby
One and one-half wandering Jews
Returned to their natural coasts
To resume old acquaintances
Step out occasionally
And speculate who had been damaged the most
Easy time will determine if these consolations
Will be their reward
The arc of a love affair
Waiting to be restored
You take two bodies and you twirl them into one
Their hearts and their bones
And they won't come undone
Hearts and bones
Hearts and bones
Hearts and bones
Hearts and bones


TRAILWAYS BUS

LAZARUS
A passenger traveling quietly conceals himself
With a magazine and a sleepless pillow
Over the crest of the mountain the moon begins its climb
And he wakes to find he's in rolling farmland

The farmer sleeps against his wife
He wonders what their life must be
A Trailways bus is heading south
Into Washington, D.C.

A mother and child, the baby maybe two months old
Prepare themselves for sleep and feeding.
The shadow of the Capitol dome slides across his face
And his heart is racing with the urge to freedom.

The father motionless as stone,
A shepherd resting with his flock,
The Trailways bus is turning west-
Dallas via Little Rock.

WAHZINAK
O my darling, darling Sal
The desert moon is my witness.
I've no money to come East,
But I know you'll soon be here

LAZARUS
We pull into downtown Dallas by the side of the Grassy Knoll
Where the leader fell and a town was broken.
Away from the feel and flow of life for so many years
He hears music playing and Spanish spoken

The border patrol outside of Tucson boarded the bus

BORDER PATROLMAN
Any aliens here? You better check with us,
How about you son?
You look like you got Spanish blood.
Do you 'Habla Ingles,' am I understood?

SAL
Yes, I am an alien, from Mars.
I come to earth from outer space.
And if I traveled my whole life
You guys would still be on my case
You guys would still be on my case

LAZARUS
But he can't leave his fears behind,
He recalls each fatal thrust
The screams carried by the wind,
Phantom figures in the dust
Phantom figures in the dust
Phantom figures in the dust.

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


Currently no Samples available!