Granny Takes A Trip
No more bread and the Cadillac’s dead
And I must have done something wrong
So I squat like Buddha singing zip a de do dah
Waiting for relief to come along
Tried to shrink my head with the Book of the Dead
And a Leonard Cohen sacred song
Peace of mind will it ever be mine
Is that what I’m looking for
Bishop takes the king, but the queen can’t bring
Peace to her own chessboard
But the pawn and rook and the orange faced crook
Are getting very bored
Until Lilli St Cyr and Gypsy Rose Lee
Strip down to nothing but eternity
The rules of the game always the same
Granny take a trip to Foreverland
So take me to the river where a nuclear reactor
Is turning all the goldfish gold
Put me in a Tesla with all the rest of
The masters of the universal soul
Not gonna shave my hair no I’m never going there
I’m a long hair ‘till the end
Beethoven and Bach and even Kid Rock
Who knows what’s around the bend
Bishop takes the knight, but the knight can’t fight
My kingdom for a horse
Just a pawn in the game unpronounceable name
Selling junk in a pop-up store
Oh Roger Marris and Richard Harris
Tell me who’s keeping score
The rules of the game always the same
Granny take a trip to Foreverland
Now what the future will bring that’s surely something
I have no idea what for
I see faces of grace getting sprayed with Mace
As the empire slams the door
To keep the have nots out and the middle in doubt
As to which side they belong
When the apocalypse hits will there be a guest list
Are the borders that strong
Now the queen is shy and tries to get by
Her virginity up for sale
Bobby Fischer tried to kiss her almost ended up in jail
And the queen’s gambit I don’t care a damn bit
Unless it’s a tv show
Double trouble toil and rubble
Granny takes a trip to Foreverland
Red Moon Over Paris
A red moon over Paris
Oh this I know
I look out my window
Marvel at its glow
What does it signify
What does it predict
How can I quantify
And make it fit
A red moon over Paris tonight
I’m hoping for a change to come
A red moon over Paris tonight
Hoping it’s a lucky one
A red moon over Paris
Like centuries before
My reality so haunted
Ghosts knocking on my door
What do they want
Poor me to do
Can’t fight the past
The future too
A red moon over Paris tonight
I’m hoping for a change to come
A red moon over Paris tonight
Hoping it’s a lucky one
Dollar Yen and Euros
Swiss Francs and English Pounds
Money calls the shots
It never makes a sound
Find me that perfect place
Where everything’s my way
What’s the point of living
With no struggle in the day
A red moon over Paris tonight
Hoping for a change to come
A red moon over Paris tonight
I’m hoping it’s a lucky one
A red moon over Paris
So let the games begin
Speaking strictly for myself
I’m all in …
Baby Boomers Lament
High flying drones are flying from home
As the roosters begin to crow
Ashes to ashes from Russia with love
What you reap is what you sow
What you reap is what you sow
Little Susie has got your number
Wake up wake up wake up … that’s what her message said
Move over and you’re moving over
Until you fall right out of your bed
Women in the valley are proceeding
To question daylight savings time
While a queen on horseback is charging ahead
Keeping the faith with rhythm and rhyme
Keeping the faith with rhythm and rhyme
We could spot the obvious solution
We were so sure of what was right
With not the faintest idea how to get there from here
And no will – to start a fight
Maniacs are running this world you know
At least that’s what John Lennon believed
Tell me that’s not true I’m gonna cry cry for you
Let it bleed – let it bleed
Let it bleed – let it bleed
Every single thing that I need is here
Wrapped in a blanket of love
Do what you can where you are what you got
Ask for help from above
You say you want a revolution
Or at least I thought that’s what you said …
The Lion In Winter / The End Of The Game (In memory of Peter Beard)
Roar once more – keeping score
Yesterday’s gone – I won’t shut the door
Battles lost but the war was won
Your finest hour – still to come
I got one eye open – Serengeti Plain
Bones are aching – but still the same
Hunger in my belly – full of pride and shame
The lion in winter – the end of the game
So we march on – the rivers of Babylon
Oh my army – they’re all gone
I won’t go gently into that dark night
A smile on my face – greets the morning light
I got one eye open – Serengeti Plain
Bones are aching – but still the same
Hunger in my belly – full of pride and shame
The lion in winter – the end of the game
Summers piled up in the past
I’m a veteran now my die is cast
I’ve crossed the Rubicon so many times
Looking back – what a time
Lay me down – this old town
Will still be standing – when I’m not around
Oh let me drift – through that veil of mist
The tears of a clown – a joyous sound
I got one eye open – Serengeti Plain
Bones are aching – But still the same
Hunger in my belly – Full of pride and shame
The lion in winter – The end of the game
Fetch Me Water
You can fetch me water
I can make some tea
I hear Devil’s Daughters
Playing Rockabilly
I can be your witness
You can kiss the bride
Oh I didn’t expect this
Caught in a landslide
Mama’s in the kitchen
Thunder passing by
And if you really listen
You can hear her cry
Crying for the lost years
Oh what youth can steal
Waiting for the moment
When more will be revealed
I’ll go check the mailbox
Waiting for some news
How could they forget us
Dancing here in Cinderella shoes
Waiting for that somone
Who will never come
Egyptians they believed that’s the worst curse ever done
Well I can go the distance
Careening down a slide
Ready willing and able
To love you ‘till i die
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba …
Three Shadows
Well I got three shadows following me
Past and future – what the present can see
I flip around like a leaf in the wind
Blown this way and that while I try to begin
To add up my wins – And settle my scores
Make sense of it all – And shut the door
Now through the fog of war and a veil of tears
I tried to get it right all these years
My instincts gain strength like a Caribbean storm
Primordial urges in a uniform
I’m searching for beauty in a brutal world
Like a Vermeer face of a beautiful young girl
My man Michelangelo – I guess he knew
The work is finished when the artist is through
Museums make order from chaos and mess
At the Met Gala this year let’s see who’s best dressed
I’m on the outside – eyes pressed to the glass
Envy and desire – as the celebrities stroll past
The sculpture settles – and the canvas dries
Get your tickets online – once the artist dies
Pablo Picasso – turning in his grave
Every doodle he scribbled is framed and saved
Georgia O’Keefe kept her eye on the ball
What mattered to her – that was all
Oh come on these shadows won’t you lighten my load
My train keeps a rolling with a heart full of soul
Precious cargo of hope, memory and dreams
But wrapped in reality – it’s not what it seems
Still I’ll keep on running ‘til my feet leave the ground
A gold hat bounces on Long Island Sound
Makin’ It Real
Well I was nine maybe ten years old
And I was walking down the street feeling so alone
I got the baby blues ‘cause I didn’t belong
Didn’t know then I was a rolling stone
How was I to know these were the golden years
And there’d be shit coming down I never even feared
My demons were freaks, vampires and stuff
But the ghosts in my attic turned out real enough
Love is elusive like fame or youth
You think you got it than it sets you loose
Kiss goodbye boy that sweet old world
I’m not painting it black I’m just making it real
You were the flame keep my oven lit
I’m just trying my best to stay on top of it
My memory so full I need to forget
All this stuff that hasn’t happened yet
I can’t compete anymore I’m telling you that
I’m running a race gonna hit the road Jack
Come on Charlie don’t let me down
Sergeant Rock is coming to town
Love is elusive like fame or youth
You think you got it then it sets you loose
Kiss goodbye boy that sweet old world
I’m not painting it black I’m just making it real
Church bells ringing outside my door
And I’d like to know who they’re ringing for
The lost and the lonely and the given up
Collecting chump change in a paper cup
I knew I’ll be a winner – collect some day
All that I was owed – someone’s gonna pay
Until that time I’ll be moving on
Heading south for the winter
I’ll be gone gone gone
Night Surfing
Let’s go down to the beach
Everything is slightly out of reach
We’ll be riding high tonight
Underneath that sad starry light
And there ain’t nothing you can do anyhow
There ain’t nothing you can do
Bring your sleeping bag along
While you listen to my song
You’ll find it so satisfying
You just won’t think about dying
And there ain’t nothing you can do anyhow
There ain’t nothing you can do
Let’s go swimming in the rain
Even if you don’t feel the same
I don’t feel anything at all
Bouncing like a bouncing beach ball
And there ain’t nothing you can do anyhow
There ain’t nothing you can do
Night surfing my life is flying by
Night surfing my life is flying by
Night surfing my life is flying by
Night surfing under moonlit skies
Something’s pushing me along
A power that’s very very strong
It’s a force I can’t describe
Just a ride on a good vibe
And there ain’t nothing you can do anyhow
There ain’t nothing you can do
Count My Blessings
Well I thought I’d make a list
Of everything I missed
Before arriving at the sweet spot of life
I count my blessings on my fingers
My love for you still lingers.
Guess my heart finally got it right
So ride ‘em urban cowboy
Don’t you know the time is now boy
To get up and wipe that dust off your chaps
Like a rodeo skyscraper
This town’s a widow maker
Get out of Dodge while you can
And if I go dark and out of site
Just keep on your love light
I’ll catch you later – somewhere down the road
Swing open heaven’s gate
I’ll be there at ten to eight
Carrying a heavy tragic load
So ride ‘em urban cowboy
Don’t you know the time is now boy
To get up and wipe that dust off your chaps
And like a rodeo skyscraper
This town’s a widow maker
Get out of Dodge if you can
There’s a lesson here
Took a long time getting clear
To arrive at the beginning of the end
Rodeo skyscraper
This town’s a widow maker
Get out of Dodge while you can
All Songs by Elliott Murphy except “Count My Blessings” by Elliott Murphy and Olivier Durand – ©2025
Lyrics Reprinted by Permission
Infinity
Murphyland Records ML0015
2025
Produced, Mixed and Arranged by Gaspard Murphy
Photographs © Laurent Bachet
Design by Chloe
Mastered by Raphael Jonin
Elliott Murphy: Vocals, Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Ukelele, Programming
Olivier Durand: Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Mandola, Dulcimer, Chorus
Alan Fatras: Cajon, Percussion
Melissa Cox: Violin, Chorus
Gaspard Murphy: Electric Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Percussion, Programming
Gerard McFadden: Stand up Bass (Fetch Me Water)
“Counting My Blessings” recorded on Tascam 4 Trk cassette Recorder
Record By Record, Murphy By Murphy: Infinity
Where do you go after a 50-year career in music and as many albums? I suppose INFINITY is the answer and thus the title of my 52nd (I think) album, which will be released as a limited edition CD on March 7, just in time for my tour of France/Belgium/Spain, and Italy (via Cruise ship). It’s my first studio album of original songs since Wonder (2023) and in this very recent family of songs, I tried to peer into the future while being grounded in the icons of my youth all wrapped in a diverse genre-defying musicality. Hopefully, it’s a personal collection that will appeal to the universal musical collective consciousness. That’s been my modus operandi since my debut album, Aquashow (1973).
INFINITY was produced, arranged, and mixed by Gaspard Murphy, and all songs (except “Count My Blessings,” co-written by Olivier Durand) were written by me in a surprising flurry of creative activity last year. The album was recorded nearby at Murmure studio in Paris with contributions by my musical partner for 29 years, virtuoso guitarist Olivier Durand, violinist Melissa Cox, and percussionist Alan Fatras with double-bassist Gerard McFadden on one track. Keyboards, electric bass, drum programming, and additional instrumentation were all handled by Gaspard Murphy and myself.
I’m convinced that inspiration comes in unpredictable waves, and there’s no telling when new songs, complete with melodies, rhythm, and lyric fragments, will start crashing onto the shore of my unconsciousness. But the trick is to just get on board when they do and don’t let them loose until done. Last year, I was in the grip of just such a mania and made a decision to write a song a day, which proved impossible, but fortunately, that leveled out to about a song a month, which was well within the capacity of my creative output. In some fashion, INFINITY takes on the form of a novel with songs replacing chapters and characters both past, present, and future, dancing hand in hand with a “ghostly rhythm partner…”
“Granny Takes A Trip” erupted like a psychic volcano and spewed out childhood icons as diverse and nearly forgotten as burlesque queens Lilli St Cyr and Gypsy Rose Lee, who join forces with 60’s era homerun champ Roger Marris and hard-drinking Irish actor Richard Harris all set to a Neil Young Harvest groove.
I can attest to witnessing a mythical “Red Moon Over Paris” from the 5th-floor apartment window on Rue Beauregard (which can be translated as “good view”) in Paris and seeing it as a portent of things to come as Dollar, Yen, Euros, Swiss Francs and English Pounds all make cameo appearances. The unspoken stars of our era.
My generation thought we could change the world before discovering that we’d have to change ourselves first, and thus the message of “Baby Boomers Lament.” Were we on the losing side of the cultural battle? Time will tell. Thanks to Gaspard for a soaring BB King inspired guitar solo.
I recorded music for the legendary photographer Peter Beard when he was setting up his photo exhibit at the ICP gallery on 5th Avenue in NYC in the late 70’s. Peter was a legend among both Manhattan’s high society and the elephants of Kenya. “The Lion in Winter / The End of the Game” is dedicated to his memory and to my future. And yes, like Ceasar, I have crossed the Rubicon so many times, and this is my own personal favorite.
“Fetch Me Water” was inspired by Devil’s Daughters (an American female Rockabilly Band) and puts those stylish frontier gals in Cinderella shoes. On my 1976 Night Lightsalbum, I had the great honor of working with upright bass jazz legend Richard Davis and thought this song deserved something similar in the bass clef. Thanks to Australian double bass player Gerald McFadden, who did a fine job.
What “Three Shadows” are following me? Past, present, and future, I suppose. The Fog of War has now entered into the vernacular as a tragic explanation of misplaced ideals turning to horrific carnage, especially during the Vietnam War. The song ends with a Gold Hat bouncing on Long Island Sound just as The Great Gatsby (my American bible) began.
“Makin’ It Real” could be the most rocking track on Infinity, and Olivier Durand really shines with his brutally beautiful slide guitar solo, a trademark sound of this Le Havre native on so many of my songs, both recorded and live after close to 29 years, of unbroken musical partnership. I’d say that’s a record, wouldn’t you?
“Night Surfing” was the first single off Infinity. My 1967 Garden City High School yearbook labeled me the pioneer surfer of that town. And although my surfing days are behind me, I still can hear the sound of my Gordon & Smith 9’2” board cutting through the water. Olivier’s favorite song on the album, by the way. Let’s go down to the beach …
Olivier Durand and I have written quite a few songs together, and “Count My Blessings” came out of the latest batch. Gaspard wanted to experiment a la Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska mode of recording, so this last track was recorded on an ancient Tascam 4-track cassette recorder so please forgive a bit of tape hiss. The line “Get out of Dodge” refers to the wild west town of Dodge City, Kansas, where Wyatt Earp was once sheriff. Maybe that’s what I did when I settled in France 35 years ago. I had to have harmonica somewhere on this album and voila, here it is.
The world is getting smaller and faster as we move into a future which can only be described as … INFINITY.
CDs
France:
Murphyland Records ML0011
Vinyl
France:
Murphyland Records ML0011LP
Please note: If you have additions or corrections to this discography, please send them to the webmaster.