THIRTY WAS A LONG TIME AGO
They’re giving million dollar deals – Teaching children how to steal
The next big thing is small and low – From the rooftops I can’t see
What’s coming over me – Thirty was a long time ago –
Thirty was a long time ago
I grew up on the charts – You can’t stop what you didn’t start
Blood and money run on the streets of old Soho
And queen jealousy she reigns – From Manchester down to Spain
Thirty was a long time ago – Thirty was a long time ago
Making love was once a dream that would never happen or so it seemed
Now Cupid’s gone old and lost his bow – And women half my age
They’re lying naked on the page
Thirty was a long time ago – Thirty was a long time ago
Dreams of wealth and fame you can predict it just like rain
I never did find my own chateau – But that’s all right I guess
I count my blessings – I forget the rest
Thirty was a long time ago – Thirty was a long time ago
The meaning of rock ‘n roll – That’s all been lost or so I’m told
Better not tell Fats Domino – It’s a huge industry now
Just another corporate cash cow
Thirty was a long time ago – Thirty was a long time ago
One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor
Whatever you got you’re gonna want some more
When I was out of money I had plenty of time
Now I’m paying for every damn minute that I’m on the line
The telephone rings every time I try to sing
Think I better move to Idaho – And we measure our lives
In our Levis waist size – Thirty was a long time ago –
Thirty was a long time ago
THE DAY AFTER VALENTINE’S DAY
There were paper roses all down the street
I crush them under my feet as I walked on
To another life that maybe I wouldn’t face alone
But now I’m on my own – so far gone
It’s the day after Valentine’s Day
There’s nothing left that’s gonna help me ease the pain
All my cards are gone but my broken heart remains
Everything changed the day after Valentine’s Day
She said if I start kissing you I may never stop
But what we got didn’t mean that much
Except this memory that keeps haunting me
And takes me back in time
Before you left me behind
When love was mine
But it’s the day after Valentine’s Day
There’s nothings left that’s gonna help me ease the pain
All my cards are gone but my broken heart remains
Everything changed the day after Valentine’s Day
But it’s the day after Valentine’s Day
And nothings gonna help me now to ease the pain
All my cards are gone but my broken heart remains
Everything changed the day after Valentine’s Day
But it’s the day after Valentine’s Day
Oh and there’s nothings left to help me now and gonna ease the pain
Well all my cards they’re gone but my broken heart remains
Cause everything changed the day after Valentine’s Day
Yeah everything changed the day after Valentine’s Day
Everything changed the day after Valentine’s Day
LO AND BEHOLD
Lo and behold – you’re coming back to me now
Well ain’t that a kick
Cause I never dreamed I’d see twenty-four hours go by
Without my heart turning sick
At the thought of your face and your lips and your eyes next to mine
And then you slipping away
With your smile – always so vicious and kind
Isn’t that your way
Ah…
And wasn’t that what I was attracted to at the start
Some called you dangerous
That’s what I missed and you took it as a compliment
And then we started to kiss
And deeper and deeper we fell
Until the damage was done
And I watched my bridges burn
And I waited in the rain and I waited in vain
For you to return
Ah…
Lo and behold I see the tables have turned
So I’m just gonna sit down
And take a weight right off my soul
And watch you crawl around
But I’m grateful that I
Knew when to quit
I cut my losses and run
Before the kissing went bad
And the good times turned sad
I took a walk in the sun
Ah…
NEW WORLD ORDER
Old men watch the turning of the big iron wheels
I’m circling like a hawk over rolling green field
Impossible to guess what promises I’m gonna break
She was looking to the mountains a way of escape
I only thought of you once in a while as a matter of fact
And I could forget you or I could call you back
Do I take what I want and do I get what I deserve
All of this coffee has rattled my nerves
I keep plowing these same field but no crop is gonna rise
Its time to slow down I got the sun in my eyes
And my memory is burned up and I’m starting to face
I take a cool drink of water – I’m gonna sit by the shade
Church bells are tolling and I’m staring to sink
I wouldn’t wish these thoughts on my worst enemy to think
The snow will be melting around her sooner than you think
Looks like an avalanche is coming down – coming down
The young men see the dawning of the new world order
I see the sunset on the poor side of the border
I know so well all the promises I broke
My great expectations up in smoke
LITTLE RED ROOSTER
ON ROMEO STREET
She was trapped in my peripheral vision like a long lost silhouette – She was fine and dirty and curly and loose – And from that sacred moment – when the ends of our fingers met – I felt a shiver go down into the heels of my cowboy boots – See I was cornered like a rat in a pre-war drugstore raid – And I was ranting and raving and reciting the raunchy blues
Yeah she knew a thing or two so I didn’t have much to say
She said I’m here my dear to deliver the good news
You see I felt my life was already over but my moment had just begun
So I saw my chance and I grabbed it as best as I could – So I lay down in her sweet smelling soulfully seductive quicksand – Though the ghost of romance stood behind me and might have given me a push
We had no friends in common except mister and misses happenstance
And I was talking more and more about movies and books
Then I ran out of words and I asked her well can I have this dance
And she thought that was funny and gave me a very, very special look
Well the parade was passing and I was marching right behind the majorette – She was throwing her baton much higher than the oldest oak trees – There was such symbolism I thought Christ had risen and I just had to forget – And start over again from the day I stood at my daddy’s knee – When he said son there’s a few things here that I gotta tell you
And he bent down low to whisper in my childish ear
When just then a squadron of jet fighters it passed right over my head
And he said promise me boy you’ll always keep that thought dear
Well I guess I forgot more now than I’ll ever remember – About why you plant roses when a rainbow is just at its end – About why you shouldn’t make any new plans till say mid- December – Keep the New Year new as long as you can – Here’s to the crazies who make a dreary day worth living – See them laughing at phonies and frauds who believe so much in themselves – Because among them I believe is where the magic it keeps itself well hidden – From those politicos who would steal the ring out of a church bell
So I went back to her every night till I was totally addicted – And she knew it too and believe me that was the very best part – Sure the newness gets old but she sure knew how to fix it – And soon I was sporting a good as new broken in heart – Well we’ve fought about friends and we’ve argued about the weather – And whether or not we turn left or right when we go out at night – I’ve misused every sacred word that I could remember – Except for love cause that just wouldn’t be right
On Romeo Street they’re selling bedroom sets and mirrors
And couches covered in the most luxurious velour
And one day I lay down in the softness but I saw where the fear is
So I turned around and marched back onto the killing floor
Yeah Romeo Street is twisting its way out into the suburbs
But tonight the traffic is all running the other way
Its a madness my dear that keeps us out here in the moonlight
It’s a madness I hope that never ever goes away
I WISH I WAS PICASSO
I wish I was Picasso so I could paint a portrait of you
And the world would see you as I do
With your pretty smile
Brown brown eyes
Just like Mona Lisa in the Louvre
If I was the ocean
I would cover every part of you
When you dive into me
With your so soft skin
Black black hair
I’m the wave that’s gonna take you to my sea
If I was in St Louis I would stand under the arc
Of the great wide Mississippi
Watching that river flow
To the Gulf of Mexico
That’s how strong I long for
That’s how strong I long for
That’s how strong I long for
You to be next to me
I wish I was Picasso
Mmmm…
FOOL FOR LOVE
She says that she has dreams she can’t let go
And haunted memories she doesn’t show
And I’m some kinda fool for love – Or at least I thought I was
But I don’t know
And you shine like a diamond
You hide like a pearl
Don’t you know that the only thing that matters to this boy is his girl
She says she’s like a house that’s burning down
And there’s a fire in her heart no man has found
But I’m some kinda fool for love – Or at least I thought I was
Till you came around
(Refrain)
And there are sparks when I lie beside her – And she kisses like rock ‘n roll
I thank the lord for the day I found her – But I swear she’s gonna steal my soul
She says there’s more to life than we can know
And places to see where we must go
And I’m some kinda fool for love – or at least I thought I was
But I don’t know
(Refrain)
BULLET
I was the bullet and you were the gun
Standing on Main Street
With a showdown ‘bout to come
Streets were deserted – Why…everybody’s already left town
Too late I realized I was the fool who stuck around
Good night my own true love
Send your sweet prayers above
I was the one and we were the two
I was completely worn out but still we weren’t through
The ghost of the good times – she kept hanging around
And don’t you look so good – in your torn wedding gown
(Refrain)
I was the wounded and you were the nurse
I lay down on your couch – man that was a first
I forgot nearly everything except how to tell your time
And don’t you look so good – when I’m coming up from behind
(Refrain)
If I pick up my guitar – you are the pick
When I finish my ice cream bar you’re the little wooden stick
If I was a fire I’d be cold without the touch of your match
If I was number twenty-two well then you’d be the catch
No need to look outta my window ‘cause you’re always the view
I can buy a bottle of oxygen but I can’t get a deep breath of you
When I’m lost in my memory – you turn up in my dreams
I was alone on the ocean when you float by on a warm gulf stream
Now if I was the sky you’d be the blue
Or the green of the billiard table but I’m definitely still the cue
When I watch my TV you’re the only thing that’s ever on
Go for a ride on my yellow tractor and you’re the one crop growing on my farm
When I screw in a light bulb you are the lamp
And when I zip up my sleeping bag you’re those scary noises outside my camp
If I was the mystery you’d be the clue If I was size 10D you are the shoe
PUT IT DOWN
You can lie like a television baby flying innocent like a blue eyed dove
You can stand by a fountain with your landlord pitching coins but it ain’t gonna bring you luck – Cause I will know where you are and why and how and whatever that behavior well it really sucks – But the time we were young – was the time when my passion was on the run – And the time we were young – oh well now our love seems to be all eaten up – Put it down
The elite troopers of the harmonica commandos – they were marching to the John Sousa band – And I knew we was somewhere to the west of never never never never never never neverland – I saw no snow on the mountains but I knew the iceman he was coming anyway – But that’s another story for a rainy day – That’s another set of rules for another game I’m gonna play – Put it down
Well I was resting and I picked up a magazine in the restroom and I opened it to the page it was opened to before – There was a picture of a crying Spanish painter he was standing in a barroom full of whores
But his model she was nowhere to be seen cause she died just a year before – drinking absinthe on the quai with an African named Louis Amour
drinking absinthe on the Quai D’Orsay with an African named Louis Amour – that’s right
So I rode into the galleria and I went to my favorite toyshop
And I loaded up my BB gun so when I saw that lamppost I could give it a good shot – You know I missed by a mile or three – Although the truth was I wouldn’t have broken it if I could – The truth was my heart was already cracked although no one could see – Yeah the truth was my bulb was burned out and there was absolutely no life, no light left inside me
Hmmm…
So I went down by the frontier watching the troops in black silk skate past – I was sipping ginger ale and a near beer at the Martinez and I knew these good times couldn’t last – There was some kinda demonstration gong on down in the MIDEM market place of sounds
Ah but man I was so out of it I didn’t know if it was laughter or if somebody was about to drown – Yeah I was so completely out of it and my consciousness had just left town
So once again I slipped across the old border when the guards were looking the other way – At a parade of retired revolutionaries – We all raised our hands and said hip hip hooray – And than came the dirty general and his staff – And man they were as infected as can be
When they tried to shake my hand – I said please don’t touch me
So they all put their dress gloves on and said now we’re gonna do it to you for free – That’s right
So I found a shoe that I was comfortable in – It was black – it was soft – it was suede – And I’m gonna walk a thousand miles to your house – if I could just get out of the Lincoln brigade – See I had misplaced ideals – they were lost in the sixties or before – And the present was changing so rapidly and the future was already a bore – Yeah things were changing so fast but even Bill Gates couldn’t tell me what for – That’s right
So you better change your eyeglasses you better change your underwear
But I won’t change my mind – Because now I’m trying to be nice to you but you’re gonna wait till the very next time – When I’m gonna tell you what I really think – I’m a gonna pull no punches at all – And like the true sportsman that I’ve always been I’m gonna say I’m gonna pass the ball
And the stadium will rise in a grand unison and we’re gonna watch you take a fall – Ah that’s all…that’s all
Now can you tell me why they make the telephone books yellow – Why they make the toilettes white – Can you tell me who’s been screeching tires around my corner when it’s the middle of the night – And why I am alone again – But why am I at peace – Is it just that lonesome Hurricane weather ah but the season is so brief – When the barometric pressure it allows my good pants to finally keep a crease – Oh mama…
You know I’ve stayed in this motel before perhaps in this very same room
I think we slept together in this queen-sized bed together under the silver golden anniversary moon – And there was still some kinda mystery back then – Ah that’s what I liked about you – Back when I was a detective – you were my own best clue – But the case it was never really solved – Because you alibi so quickly fell through – That’s right fell through
Now that’s eleven verses – It’s after midnight and I gotta go – I gotta pack my bags tonight – Cause tomorrow the morning comes so bright and early and so bright – And I wonder who am I singing to – When there’s just me and the carpet and the wall – Its the rainy season of my memory – I hear drops of recollections leaking down the hall – And a memory you gotta put it down so gently cause it will drop if you let it fall – Ah its the rainy season of my memory and I’m just gonna let it all fall Put It Down
IMMIGRATION ACROSS THE NATION
See me walking a thousand miles
My wife is crying she’s heavy with child
The headlights they stare right through you
Nobody here want to lives next to you
Sacred blood – a generation
Immigration of a nation
Mmm…
I pay with money and i live with fear
Try something funny and you disappear
I swear to god i never crossed her
Swear by the head of my daughter
Sacred blood – a generation
Immigration of a nation
Mmm….
My little boy says his feet feel dead
Another time i say we ain’t there yet
The rubber bullets they shoot right past me
God didn’t make these frontiers if you ask me
Sacred blood – a generation
Immigration of a nation
Mmm….
The images fuel my desires
But nowadays i’m always tired
Working days and sleeping nights
Your kind of freedom well it fits too tight
Sacred blood – a generation
Immigration of a nation
All songs by Elliott Murphy
©1999 Eljamur Music/Warner Chappell Music
Except as noted below:
“The Day After Valentines Day” (Murphy/Cosgrove/Clark) About time Music/Belebe Music/Eljamur Music
“New World Order” (Murphy/Durand)
“Little Red Rooster” (Willie Dixon)
“Django 306” (Murphy/Margolis) Kenny Margolis Music/Eljamur Music
Lyrics reprinted by permission.
Rainy Season
Blue Rose Records
2000
Produced by Elliott Murphy
Recorded at Livewire Studios, New York City , USA
Engineer: Ryan Smith
Recorded at Frederick IV Studio, Long Island City, USA
Engineer: Fred Reed
Mixed by Florent Barbier at Franklin Studios, Le Havre, France
Production Assistance by Olivier Durand
Cover Designed by Chloe
Musicians:
Elliott Murphy: Vocals, Acoustic Guitars, Harmonica, Synth, Piano (“Picasso”), Fender Bass (“Valentine’s Day”), Danelectro fuzz bass (“New World Order”)
Olivier Durand: Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Mandolin, Backing Vocals
Ernie Brooks: Acoustic Bass
Kenny Margolis: Hammond B3 Organ, Wurlitzer Electric Piano, Accordion
Jonathan Kane: Percussion, Drums
Florent Barbier: Drums (“Valentines Day”), Percussion
Kevin Clark: Organ & Backing Vocals (“Valentines Day”)
Berny Cosgrove: Backing Vocals (“Valentines Day”)
Elliott Murphy plays GUILD GUITARS
Record By Record, Murphy By Murphy: Rainy Season
I was back in New York visiting my family and Ernie convinced me to do some recording with Olivier and “the genius” Kenny Margolis on keyboards. Kenny was in Mink Deville and Olivier knew him when they both played with Little Bob some years before. Kenny said he used to come see me play at his college in New Jersey in the 70’s and I was his hero. That made me laugh. “Put it Down” is over ten minutes long and I wrote it in Toulouse a few months earlier and we recorded it in one long take with no mistakes. Long songs never scared me.
Taken from Crossroads magazine.
Around the same time this album came out, Murphy released the excellent but not exactly trail-blazing April, a live CD that featured faithful covers of some of his earlier recordings. Think that package indicated a creative dry spell? Think again, because here comes Rainy Season, replete with some of Murphy’s strongest new songs ever. As always, love relationships are a primary obsession, but there’s also a fine tune about growing older in a changing world (“Thirty Was a Long Time Ago”) and a high-spirited cover of Willie Dixon’s “Little Red Rooster.” “Put It Down,” which at more than ten minutes may be the longest song Murphy has recorded, is probably worth the price of admission all by itself. It’s just as abstruse at times as Dylan’s “Brownsville Girl,” and just as irresistible. Note that German and Spanish versions feature slightly different track lineups.
Jeff Burger – AllMusic
Vinyl LPs
Germany:
Blue Rose Records BLU LP0108
CDs
Germany:
Blue Rose Recores BLU CD0108
*Note: Includes “Django 306” instead of “Immigration Cross The Nation”
Spain:
Dusty Roses Records DR004
*Note: Includes “Immigration Cross The Nation”
Italy:
Many Records MN 30731
Please note: If you have additions or corrections to this discography, please send them to the webmaster.