Central Park Songtext

And I never loved her
But, I told her I did
Over and over again...

I was dreaming of you, she said
In your sharp black suit, she said
With your ten dollar words
And your five dollar shoes
I bet you still got that cigarette smile
And your country boy blues
And you sing it over and over again

She said you sing it like you mean it
But, it's just some stupid song
But little ballerina it's my favorite when you dance along
Nothing ever sounded better than this scratchy old record
I'm so happy that you threw it on
And you just let it spin
Over and over again
She pulls the needle off the record, throws her favorite old record on
Now it's worn out and cracklin'
She's happy it's her favorite song
She twirls around and around and around
Until it's over and gone
Just to start all over again
She plays it over and over, over and over again

She said you sing it like you mean it, but...

The sunlight creeps in
And shines on the mirror
The night's passed us by
And morning is here
But if you gotta go
Go safely my dear
And the record just skips at the end
Over and over, over and over again
Just skips...



MORNING CIGARETTES

Brian Wright {Suspension Bridge Publishing ASCAP}

It's a long way to the top with your pockets full of sand
I saw the Devil on the tele
I was playing in the band
Your father's eyes were vacant when they came to take the land
Baby, what's it gonna take for you to go?

On a string around his neck
A leper carries both his hands
And out over the ocean pilots wonder where to land
You know we'd probably live forever
If we just follow the plan
But, baby what's it gonna take to let it go
Well, if you find out honey won't you let me know

Another morning cigarette
We were born with neither memories nor regret
And if I called your name
You'd come from miles away I bet
You're on your way
But you're not here just yet

Now the seven saddest soldiers that had ever lost a war
You know they shot the sky with rifles in dress blue uniforms
Singing Lord if you can't keep him
Send him someplace warm
Where he doesn't hear the voices anymore

They got the different colored pills for different times throughout the day
They got the long term side effects, the world has turned to gray
The lady at the door just told me God was on his way
I told her tell Him to stop by and say ?hello?
Cause if he's in town there's some folks that would like to know

Another morning cigarette...




FORMER QUEEN OF SPAIN

Brian Wright {Suspension Bridge Publishing ASCAP}

Now the rich man and the poor man and the former queen of Spain
Have all had someone like you, they all have gone away
And the fact that time will crawl or fly depending on the day
Makes every kiss a gift and everyone of us a saint
If that ain't love
It's close enough

I heard my angel crying out she'd fallen from God's grace
She'd had enough, she drank the blood, she couldn't stand the taste
From there to here's a long way down but baby I can wait
I might be a fool to catch ya, let ya fall'd just be a waste
If that ain't love
It's close enough

I should have took a breath instead I wired my jaw shut
I breathed deep through my nose and prayed my clothes'd turned to dust
Stand naked as a babe the day I finally gave up
When all I'd say became profane I would not give a f..
If that ain't love,
It's close enough

My eyes wandered round the crash site for to find your missing parts
I found your head, your perfect legs and your million dollar heart
To my surprise I caught a cop he was climbing in the car
I was flashlight blind, jaws of life could not pry us apart
If that ain't love
It's a lot of blood

I woke up from my dream to someone screaming in the road
He'd carved your name into his chest saying ?baby please don't go?
When I woke you up you whispered wearily and cold
You said ?baby shut the shades it's just someone I used to know,
It wasn't love. No, not like us.?
But it's close

The day I lost my sight , I learned to fly, and I flew away
I'd check on you from time to time just to make sure you're OK
And all at once you shot me down with a simple turn of phrase
You said ?If you got a secret, you should learn to keep it safe?
Cause, that ain't love
But it's close enough

Now the rich man and the poor man and the former Queen of Spain...




MRS. ROSENTHAL

Brian Wright {Suspension Bridge Publishing ASCAP}, Joe Firstman
{Wives Tales Publishing BMI}

Me and Mrs. Rosenthal
We rarely wear no clothes
Well, she calls me up, but not to talk
I think I'll go and see her tomorrow

When's she's drinking in the afternoon
Like she ain't got a thing to do
Well she told me she's from Baton Rouge
She singing like the Queen of Virginia

She good for me like medicine
She say her momma's Mexican
Well, I hope she wear that dress again
I swear at times I can see right through it

She say she like the way I talk
She crazy 'bout my lazy drawl
She say it mixes well with alcohol
Baby can I get ya,
Honey let me get ya
Darlin' let me fix ya up good

That's why I'm singing to ya

Me and Mrs. Rosenthal...

She wears me out
In the finest way
She making sure my spine is straight
I'm singing pardon me you highness
Little darling how'd you get so good, so good, so good
That's why I'm singing to ya

Me and Mrs. Rosenthal...






HIGH SCHOOL DRUGS

Brian Wright {Suspension Bridge Publishing ASCAP}

Hey Julianna you must be tired
You've been running all day and running all night
Now the sun's coming up in a big pink sky
You got the radio on you look just fine
Now with the radio on, you look just fine

Hey Julianna I won't leave town
Just lie right here and I won't make a sound
When you wake up you can talk me down
When I'm walking around with my head in the clouds
Just a walking around with my head in the clouds

And I'd watch them all float away
Before I'd leave you
(Repeat)

Find myself hummin' the songs you'd sung
I remember you singing when we were young
Just driving around on high school drugs
We had that sunrise kind of love
Just driving around on high school drugs

And I'd watch them all float away
Before I'd leave you...




BOY WITH NO NAME

Brian Wright {Suspension Bridge Publishing ASCAP}

Saw her just sitting there, sunk in her shoulders
And this kind of thing, will usually blow over'
But, it ain't blowin' over
It's a new kind of pain
She cries for the boy with no name

We must have missed the last chance oasis
Free drinks all around
Sun on our faces
At just the right time, in just the right places
She cries for the boy with no name

She says ?Waltz with me Darlin,
Watch the stars fallin, and know that I came
When I heard you callin'
This heartache's a game that nobody wins right away?
And it's always the same,
When she cries for the boy with no name.

Creased in the corner, cards on the table
Between secrets and dreams, who's got the angle
And time is a spy that grows blinder each day
When she cries for the boy with no name

We must have missed the last chance oasis...

She says ?Waltz with me Darlin...?

She cries and she cries and she cries
She cries all night
(Repeat)




SOPHIA

Brian Wright {Suspension Bridge Publishing ASCAP}

Senora, Sophia, circa 1975
Well, she joined 'em
Can't beat 'em
Everybody saw how she tried

They just broke her down
As we all know they'll do
And she can joke about it now
You know she still looks good,

Lenora, oil painter
She gave me one to hang on the wall
Well, she burned out
Can't blame her
But, now she never bothers to draw at all, at all, at all

And, they just broke her down
But, she was younger then
And man I hope she works it out
She's a real good kid
Never meant to do what she did
She a real good kid

Senora, Sophia, circa 1975
(Repeat)




YOUR BROTHER, THE POET

Brian Wright {Suspension Bridge Publishing ASCAP}

So, you scratched at the door
Like a cat in the rain
And at that I had you
Dead to rights
So I looked to be sure
That your hair was the same
But something had scared you
Ghostly white

So, I lent you a coat
And it fell off your shoulders
I laughed at the way
It swallowed you whole
Girl, it's so nice to see ya
How long has it been
Since Los Angeles has seen any snow

And your brother's up in New York City
The city that he loved so well
And he's plagiarizing promises
With the ghost of Dylan Thomas
On the ninth floor of the Chelsea Hotel

So a penny a thought
And a nickel a prayer
If we just save a little
It'll just get us there
So give back the nickels
That I've tossed in the well
Cause summer in San Francisco
Is colder than hell

So I dressed up the truth,
In a big blue hat,
And I walked the old girl right down to the service,
And they all asked about you,
And the troubles you've had
And everyone seemed to believe
You deserved it

And your brother's up in New York City....

I looked all around
And no one could find you
Just had to remind you
Of the girl on a train
She was waving and scared
She was tangled and fair
Hair danced in the window
As the train pulled away



GLORY HALLELUJAH

Brian Wright {Suspension Bridge Publishing ASCAP}

I 'm trapped here by the sound
Of the sleeping soldiers now
And the cars out on the street
Well they never screamed so loud
And the voices in my head
They whisper true and proud
And something that they've said has got a whole new meaning now

Singing glory hallelujah
How that pain it'll shoot right through ya
And it sure was fine to knew ya
But, I'm gone, gone, gone

Lord I'm feelin' fine
Drinkin' sacramental wine
Got me swimming toward the sky
Til I get caught up in a bind
Lucky, I built the kids a shrine,
That we worship all the time
We just roll the dice and pine
All the loss of love and crime

Singing ?Glory Hallelujah...

Until we're left with only hollow thoughts
And memories we've won and lost
Tied our hands with golden knots
And went to tell the others... and I told em

I got a girl at home
Man, I left her all alone
She was crying on the phone
Man, I couldn't bear to listen
So I screamed 'til I was tired
I was full of kerosene and lies
I told her, I forgot her eyes
And couldn't give a damn to kiss her

Singing, glory hallelujah...
(Repeat)

And we were left with only broken glass,
And memories of good things past
Convinced myself that nothing lasts
And went to tell the others... And I told em




ADELINE

Brian Wright {Suspension Bridge Publishing ASCAP}

You grabbed my hand
And held on tight
We floated down
Past prying eyes
And I'd never jumped dear
From such great heights
Were you not there, dear Adeline

You got a voice dear
That's hard to find
I hear it call me
Each time I die
It brings me back love,
And you're wearing white
It's all the time now, dear Adeline

And we'll wave goodbye to the punch drunk world
Sugarcoat so sweet, little gum drop girl
And I'm hopeless to believe in
But, if you'll just stay a while
I'll do anything you say
Dear Adeline

I caught you smiling
I asked you why
You said no reason
I said baby that's just fine
Long as you're happy
Right by my side
Your little gun shy grin, Adeline

You'll take no husband
You'll have no kids
But you love your whiskey
And all your friends
They'll break your back love
But you'll never cry
Cause you never was like them
Dear Adeline

And we'll waive goodbye to the punch drunk world



CENTRAL PARK

Brian Wright {Suspension Bridge Publishing ASCAP}

I met the last of the great painters
Selling grass in Central Park
He painted all he was afraid of
'Til all the world was art
And he's a brilliant conversationalist
His topics ranging near and far
From the price of tea in China
To the fastest foreign cars
He knows a lot about the cars

But he doesn't have a license
Doesn't leave the neighborhood
He doesn't quite know where his wife is
But he hopes she's doing good
She ran off to south of Sante Fe
With some hippie throwing copper
That was seven years ago today
Well, he heard she had a daughter
Well, he heard she had a daughter

Oughta send her something nice he thought
A book, a piece of jewelry
But he don't know what she likes
And he thinks her name is Julie
Partially and mostly right
For her name is Julianna
Probably pretty, probably shy
Probably gets it from her momma
She had a real good looking momma

Not a single day goes by,
He doesn't think of her and wonder,
Why she up and left him for some turquoise wearing sculptor
But she always liked a dry heat
She was raised in Arizona
It's a hundred ninety-five degrees
At seven in the morning

Doo do doo, do doo doo, doo do do, doo doo do
I was walking through the park
Trying to score a joint or two

I was probably lying when I said I was a singer,
Said he saw it in my eyes I was just an in-betweener
Never stood up to a giant
Never seen the Mona Lisa
Never said nothing so defiant, so that anyone'd believe it
No one's gonna believe it

Well he hasn't touched a brush
In long enough he could still wield it

Saw a lot of things he'd like to paint
But, he never could quite feel it
And I've felt the same of song
When there was no one there to listen
But, it never was for them
No, it never was for them
No, it never was for anyone but me

He said, I am not a wise man
But I know you are mistaken
Cause art is only yours
Until the second you create it
And I may have had a wife once
And I may have been a painter
But, right now I got these bags man
And they're fifty bucks an eighth
That's the going rate
So, I thought I'd pick one up for ya

Doo do doo, do do doo, do do doo, do do doo
I was walking throught the park
And I was on my way to see ya




WAR ON WILCOX

Brian Wright {Suspension Bridge Publishing ASCAP}

Where in the world do you come from?
Where in the world do you go?
Who dropped the dime on good reverend Jerome?
He just took what he felt he was owed

You rolled dice last night with Coretta
Rolled twice and won me the world
But you'd give it away if I let ya
Crazy I tell ya, make me laugh out loud

Like that time that I caught you in Austin,
And you were carrying ten times your weight,
I loved you as quick as I lost you
But cost ain't nothing to a rich man like me,
It don't mean a thing

I found heaven in a three sided story,
Heard my story in clear blue sky
I got this brand new tattoo just this morning
Covered your name up

I melted my thumb like a candle,
Sealed a letter that I'll never send
I wondered who taught you, the art of a scandal
Is 99 5/16 what you put in, and we both put in.

You lived through the war out on Wilcox
Got bored with the billionaire's tie
You carried your teeth in a pillbox,
Those nice pearly whites,
Let me see you smile like one more time.

Where in world...




BLUEBIRD

Brian Wright {Suspension Bridge Publishing ASCAP}

I was a bluebird
Lost and alone
Searching for shelter
Far from my home
Struggling to fly
But you mended my wing
And you're sweeter than springtime
I love how you'd sing

You know the song
To play when I'm gone
No longer weary,
Finally Home
Watching from heaven
With fond recollection
My sisters and brethren
Have all gathered round
To help me to lay
My burden down

I was a preacher
Robbed of my faith
Surrounded by devils
Suspicious of saints
Drawn to temptation
Drowning in sin
But I found my salvation
When you sang again

You know the song...

Bluebird flying home
(Repeat)






NEIGHBORHOOD

Brian Wright {Suspension Bridge Publishing ASCAP}

Where I live now
Is a little red house
Down on Wilcox and Fountain
Los Angeles
I sleep through the sirens
Police lullabies
And I ride
My little black bicycle
Down to Bogie's

And drag queen Cecilia
She's the last true believer
She's walking the Boulevard
She's handing out leaflets
That nobody reads
Cause they know all the secrets
And the don't need a reason
To be, so scared

And this ain't no kind of scene, babe
Why in the world would you follow me here
And this ain't no kind of scene
Why in the world would you follow me here
You followed me here

My friends and my worries
They got old in a hurry
But no less deserving
A fond farewell
And bellbottomed cheapskates
They're all asleep in the heat wave
And they wake up
From their dreams
Of the sixties
Find that nothing has changed
Baby nothing has changed

And this ain't no kind of scene
Why in the world would you follow me here
And you believe what you wanna believe
And this ain't no kind of scene

And I hang out with singers
Bunch of glass jawed bleeders
Whose skin
Is as thin
As a leaf
And there's actors
And dancers
And more second chancers
Than lights