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JIMMY GUITAR SMITH


Hear what a songwriter can do on a discarded plastic
guitar with a cracked top, some generous L.A.
studio muscians who believe in his music, and the work
of a veteran UCLA recording professor with
a very good stereo microphone.
Technical note: we invite you to experience the sonics of these tracks close to the way we created them by auditioning through SONY model MDR-7506 or MDR-V6 headphones, the monitoring choice of classical music recordists worldwide.  Please keep in mind that these offerings are data-compressed mp3s. The CDs sound even better!
-Master Recording Engineer, Drew Daniels

Song titles are listed here in alphabetical order.
Click on the " (listen ) " links to hear the mp3s.
A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE     (listen)
It’s a bad situation and your mind is on fire
In the middle of nothing, you lose your desire
When the morning is breaking and the night is alone
and you’re feeling forsaken down deep in your bones
just call up my number and tell me how you feel
no matter if you’re wounded, I can help you to heel.
And if you are hiding, I will not call you out.
A little bit of love is what it’s all about, umm.
 
solos
 
A little bit of love can go a long, long way
It don’t cost yo nothin’ — it’s a give away
A little bit of love, it won’t hurt to see it go
A little bit of love is all you need to know
 
A little bit of love…repeat
(It’s a bad situation and your mind is on fire
In the middle of nothing, you lose your desire
When the morning is breaking and the night is alone
and you’re feeling forsaken down deep in your bones
just call up my number and tell me how you feel
no matter if you’re wounded, I can help you to heal.
And if you are hiding, I will not call you out.
A little bit of love is what it’s all about, umm...


Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars
Al DiMarco – electric piano
Drew Daniels – bass
The Encino Army Men's Chorus (Drew)
George Green -- drums
Dave Pearlman – pedal steel


ALL FALLS DOWN     (listen)
We spend a lifetime working on these castles in the sand,
season after season a bird within our hand.
A flower in our garden, or a bright and shining day,
then the tide rolls in, and takes it all away
And it all falls down, It all falls down
We can build it to the sky but it all falls down

We look for easy lovers of our very own design,
someone that is perfect so that is what we find
And all the ones we measured and so lightly tossed away
get tangled in our memories and stay

Then it all falls down, It all falls down
You can take it to the limit but it all falls down

We can try to hold on to it, keep it to ourselves,
buy it by the bushel and put it on the shelf,
then take it down on holidays and look at it and grin,
but is it love, or just the lovely box it's in?

And it all falls down, and no one knows it's gone
We might think it lasts forever, but it all falls down

 
Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars
Roger Kellaway – piano
Drew Daniels – bass , backing vocal
Harry Middlebrooks – backing vocal



BAD RUMORS     (listen)
I’ve got plenty of room in my heart,
my baby don’t love me no more
You know how these rumors start,
but it’s too late to give ‘em what for
She was my sweet companion,
then she was talkin’ to you on the phone
One minute we were in love forever,
the next minute, I look around and she’s gone
 
What did you say to my baby?
How could you send her away?
Why would you think that it’s all right
To be sayin’ the things that you say?
What did you say to my baby?
How could you send her away?
Now why would you think that it’s all right
To be sayin’ the things that you say?
 
I know that you heard the rumors
You know I was seein’ Irene
But you were the one that decided
That me and Irene was obscene
Friends come in every description
And some of them don’t fit your bill
You don’t know all of the answers
And love is so easy to kill…

 
chorus
solos
chorus                                        
 
What did you say to my baby?
What did you say to my baby?

 
Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars
Drew Daniels – bass, percussion
George Green -- drums



BIG BAD MONKEY     (listen)
Jump down, get back, get out of the sack
there is no one here gonna cut you slack
and there's no refill for the things you lack
shame, shame, you been a big bad monkey

you been living a life of chastity
then you sold your wife and got a law degree
now you make a good living while you're shtupping me
shame, shame, you been a big bad monkey

you been doing lunches with them other clowns
leaving greasy spots all over town
kissin' booty till your nose is brown
committin' nasty in the first degree

you can smile and grin with the best of the crew
there is no gaijin get the drop on you
you just love the feel of the turn of the screw
shame, shame, you been a big bad monkey

you give great political rhetoric
you seem to skate whenever you hit the bricks
you so satisfied that you make me sick
shame, shame...

So jump down, get back, get out of the sack
there is no one here gonna cut you slack
and there's no refill  for the things you lack
shame, shame, you been a big bad monkey
shame, shame, you been a big bad monkey
shame, shame, you been a big bad monkey


Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars
Roger Kellaway – piano
Drew Daniels – bass
George Green – drums



BORN IN CHICAGO     (listen)
I was born in Chicago in the drizzling rain
sorry from the first day of my life
The doctor told my momma I was in for some sizzlin' pain
and I just had recent confirmation from my wife

So if my eyes roll up and I hit the floor
don't be worried, this has happened before
And if my life signs cease and they won't start no more
just toss my ashes in the ocean, so that they can wash up on the shore

I had some bad times, but they left me and now I'm feeling good, oh yes I have
I've had some bad times but they've left me, and I never really thought they would

You know I've bummed around this country never really knowing why
and every bridge I crossed was cinders when I passed
I used to have a certain knack for making young ladies cry
and then just jumping on the first bus and leaving fast

So if you're wondering why I been feeling bad
I'm just embarrassed about all the fun I had
and even when I'm blue it really ain’t so bad
it's just my Odyssey rubbing up against my Iliad

I had these bad times, but they left me and now I'm feeling good oh yes I have
I've had some bad times but they've left me, and I never really thought they would

I had these bad times, and they left me and now I'm feeling good, yes I have
I've had these bad times and they've left me, and I never really thought they would

Ummm...

Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars
Greg Beck – guitar
W. Michael Lewis – keyboards
Drew Daniels – bass
George Green -- drums

 

BRING IT HOME     (listen)
You say you brought it home, didn't leave it in the car
Didn't eat it up like candy, or wish it on a star
You didn't sell it to the landlord or take it out in trade
You didn't give it to the night man for some funny thing he said
You promised me you'd keep it in a place that's safe and warm
But now I just can't find it and you say you brought it home

If your momma goes out dancing and your daddy doesn't care
And she spends the whole day searching for some pretty thing to wear
Then she drags it home at midnight smelling cheap as her perfume
And your daddy fixes breakfast while she's sleeping in her room
And the family goes neglected from the love she hasn't shown
She said she would protect it but she didn't bring it home

There's some strange woman here at the table she don't seem like she has the desire
to be making polite conversation or faking romance by the fire
If you call out her name she won't hear you with her mind on some far away dream
and she speaks in obsequious riddles while you're wondering where she has been

You swear you still have it but I see that it's gone
You might have it for someone but you didn't bring it home


Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars
W. Michael Lewis – keyboards
Drew Daniels – bass
George Green – drums

 

DETAINED AFTER SCHOOL     (listen)
In the last resurrection when they roll away the stone
all the shadows behind us try to follow us home
Many sainted survivors on the trail of our tears
languish here in our heartbreak till the end of our years

Chorus:
and some foreign invader we thought dead in our past
rises up from his chamber to receive us at last
There is one for the mad man and one for the fool
and one that has always been detained after school

I was once in the vintage of a tasty retreat
open hands to a stranger that I met on the street
and the terrible penchants buried deep in our eyes
shows it's face for a moment in a final reprise

More than love comes to someone more than rain in the air
more than helpless reflections of the one that was there
I have tried to find something but I may never know why
and I might never forgive you for making me cry
If my moment were longer I could harvest my time
I could package my pity and pardon this crime
You were once my companion and I gave you my share
there's no use in this memory now that no one is there

chorus

Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars, mandolin
W. Michael Lewis – keyboards
Drew Daniels – bass
George Green – drums

 

END OF THE GAME     (listen)
When I woke up this morning I was feeling fine,
took a walk in the mountains by the timberline
I was happy and singing your name
I was off in the nowhere and losin’ time,
when I saw you romancin’ with a friend of mine
oh, darlin’ it's the end of the game
Now I'm leavin’ in the morning
And I won't be back by dark
Oh darlin’, you're a knife in my heart
When you feed me lies at breakfast,
Just to keep this poor man tame
Oh darlin’, it's the end of the game

I was in love with Jenny and doin’ all right
When you invited me over and I stayed all night
I was wrong then, and I'm takin’ the blame
The new day left me sorry and feelin’ sad
But you told me sweet nothings about the fun we had
Oh darlin’ it's the end of the game.

I'm in love with you this evening
But I won't be when you wake
And I'll always remember your name
In the little time you're grieving
Please try giving what you take
Because darlin’, it's the end of the game

Oh darling it's the end of the game
Oh darling it's the end of the game
Darling it's the end of the game
Oh darling’… it's the end of the game

solos

Oh darling, it's the end of the game
Oh darling’… it's the end of the game
Darling it's the end of the game
Oh darling’… it's the end of the game


Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars, mandolin
David P. Jackson -- accordion
Drew Daniels – bass, percussion
George Green – drums


 
GUMBO     (listen)
I been to London an I been to Paris France
I been to see the Diva an she showed me how to dance
Sometime I drive a Lexus cause it smell so good inside
an when I see a hitch-hiker, I can offer him a ride

I got a lot of high-tone pals an friends of quality,
sophisticated ladies just waitin' to hang with me
I eats when I get hungry and I travels where I choose,
but no matter where I travel
I just can't seem to get this gumbo offa my shoes

I was hangin’ with some aristocrats just the other day
They serve me tea an cookies on a little silver tray
so I wash my hands in lemonade, with my pinkies in the air
I make a big mess at the table, an the waiter doesn't care

I've got a lot of high tone pals an friends of quality,
Even my homeboy Junior Mintz got 1600 on his S.A.T.
I eats when I get hungry an I travels where I choose,
but no matter where I travels
I just can't seem to get this gumbo offa my shoes

I bought myself a rolo flex an a VCR TV
Unless you got a real good lawyer, don't you screw around with me.
I've got a lot of high tone pals an friends of quality,
sophisticated ladies with a bachelor's degree!

I just can't seem to get this gumbo offa my shoes

Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars
W. Michael Lewis – keyboards
Al DiMarco -- accordion
Drew Daniels – bass
Lee Spath – drums



I KNOW WHAT LOVE IS  (Forrest Gump's blues)     (listen)
I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is,
I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is.
They say that life is like a box of chocolates,
you never know what you're gonna get.
I know I'm gonna get you, but I just haven't got you yet.
I may not be a smart man, but I know what love is.

I'm not a wise man, but I can follow my star.
I'm not a prize winner, and I don't drive a new car.
I never been too lucky, I didn't do too good in school.
I might never have a fortune because I'm always fortune's fool.
I'm not a wise man, but I know what love is.

solo

I'm not a good man, but I'm the best man that I can be.
When they handin’ out the good stuff they didn't save too much for me.
So I can worry and worry, and never get it quite right,
or do the best I am able, and get some sleep at night.
I may not be a good man, but I know what love is...
I'm not a wise man, but I know what love is...
I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is.


Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitar
W. Michael Lewis – piano
David P. Jackson  –  bass
George Green – drums
David Zasloff – trumpet
David McKelvy – chromatic harmonica


 
I MISS YOU LIKE A RAINY DAY     (listen)
I miss you honey, more than I miss a rainy day
I miss you baby, more than I miss a rainy day
I get so broken hearted when the sun goes down
I get nothing but pity from every woman in town
And I miss you darlin, more than I miss a rainy day

I still remember, I recall your sunny smile
That glowing ember, stays with me all the while
Back when we started it was cool and slow
We learned from each other every thing we know
Now I'm down in this hideaway, waiting on a rainy day

I tried to find you, looking everyplace there was to look
You're not down on main street, or between the pages of a book
You're not here in my mailbox, or on my internet
It's been a long separation, but I'm not over you yet
And I miss you more than I can say, like I miss a rainy day

I miss you honey, more than I miss a rainy day
Um, your sweet caresses, never seem to fade away
It was a short time of happy, with a long road of slip away

One night of good credit, with a lifetime to pay
And I miss you darlin’ more than I miss a rainy day,
And I miss you more than I can say
Just like I miss a rainy day


Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitar
David P. Jackson -- bass

 

IT'S A GOOD LIFE     (listen)
The storm rolls in hope runs out
The truth gets lonely in your mouth
A free man falls, rich men die,
love gets canceled and time forgets to fly
The ground gets soft, your footsteps slip,
the mast gets twisted on your ship
The way gets weary, day gets dark
Your hands get tired holding out your heart

chorus:
It's a stone's throw to a good life
just a few steps to a brighter day
just a few words to a love complete
it's a good life, I've got to believe
It's a good life

Why did you call me?  What do you need?
Why should I stay and watch you bleed?
There may be something more than you
You want my words, I'll try to tell you true.
chorus 


Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars
Al DiMarco – piano, organ
Drew Daniels – bass
George Green – drums

 


JACK OF DIAMONDS     (listen)
My mama was a tailor
she sewed these new blue jeans
My daddy was a gamblin' man
way down in New Orleans

Come all you good time ladies
come all you good time men
The Jack Of Diamonds' calling you
to the game that never ends

Jack Of Diamonds took my money
took my golden watch and chain
left me lonely and forsaken
out in the pouring rain

Come all, all you pretty ladies
come all, all you good time men
The Jack Of Diamonds' calling
to the game that never ends

I used to know this fella
who swore he'd never lose
when last we met, I gave him
a dollar for his shoes

Gamblin' man don't need no money
He'll gamble his last dime
till at last it takes him
down to a life of crime

Jack Of Diamonds took my money
took my golden watch and chain
left me lonely and forsaken
out in the pouring rain

I'll bring you pretty flowers
and I'll offer you my hand
but never be mistaken
I'm still a gamblin' man

Gamblin' man don't need no money
He'll gamble his last dime
till at last it takes him
down to a life of crime

Jack Of Diamonds, Jack Of Diamonds,
took my golden watch and chain
left me lonely and forsaken
down in the pouring rain

Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars
Bill Knopf 
banjo
Drew Daniels – bass, percussion, bg vocal
David McKelvy 
harmonica
 


KISS AWAY     (listen)
I walked out in the city at a quarter past three,
and this pretty wahani started checkin' on me
She was finer than dandy in a sensual way
and love was only a kiss away

I was down at the table holding aces and nines
and anticipating a pretty good time
When the dealer drew sevens
what can I say
Luck was only a kiss away

Bridge
If you only along fo the money,
you could miss the surprise on the way
The world is a bigger place, honey…
than Horatio dreamed in his phil-os-ofay

There's some cool breezes stirring
and they makes me feel good
I could see the horizon from wherever I stood
I'm so glad to be breathing for just one more day
Life is only a kiss away

Soli – split chorus

There's some cool breezes stirring
and they makes me feel good
I could see the horizon from wherever I stood
I'm so glad to be breathing for just one more day
Life is only a kiss away
Carpe diem if you see 'em
cause they might slip away
And they only a kiss away
Life is only a kiss away
Luck is only a kiss away
Love is only a kiss away



Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars
W. Michael Lewis – keyboards
Drew Daniels – bass
George Green – drums


LAST DANCE     (listen)
South Carolina, remember the days we was all too complacent to try
Smoky September in so many ways, there was less than a tear in your eye

Back when the truth was religion and only the bad boys died soon
Girls in blue dresses with intimate guesses that could make a man howl at the moon

Cool West Virginia, mountains that cry, while this fool let his broken bird go
Up in the meadow under the sky, please come along to the next fait de doux

Out on the distant horizon, down on my knees in the dust
My back to the wall, expecting a fall, and searching for someone to trust

Sweet Betsy bayou remember me well, as these daydreams might never come true
I'm too lonesome to talk to, but I'm here to tell, I've been saving my last dance for you
I've been hoping this dream would come true, I've been saving my best dance for you

Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars
 

LAST OF APRIL     (listen)
Some time in September, I called her number, fate had filled her with desire
Smiling and remembering, she was burning like a house on fire
That was when I saw the first of April

Broken journeys, sad half love affairs, all in the name of lonely
She pretends that she doesn't care, she tells me I am her only one
And I think I've seen the best of April

She goes about her business like a circle in the sky
Like a rippling reflection, broken daydreams make her cry
Lovers and admirers long since have walked away
She keeps them in her memories for a sudden rainy day
She doesn't really need me she needs something she can't find
I know she thinks she loves me--she would never be unkind
But I think I've seen the last, yes, I think I've seen the last of April

Back time in September, I called her number, fate had filled her with desire
Smiling and remembering, she was burning like a house on fire
Now the season has passed, and I think I've seen the last of April,
the last of April


Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars, bass
Roger Kellaway – piano
George Green – drums
David McKelvy – chromatic harmonica

 

LUCKY     (listen)
I'm so lucky, I'm lucky, yes I'm lucky, lucky just to be alive
Sometimes my day ain't sunny, and I don't have money
But I still feel lucky, lucky just to be alive
Sometimes the girls ain't willing, and my love life's chilling
But I still fell lucky, lucky just to be alive
And if the banks ain't friendly, squeezing every penny
While I ain't spending any, cause I don't get too many
And my car keeps on smoking like it's reefer toking
And life just ain't no joke, still I'm lucky just to be alive
I'm lucky, lucky just to be alive
I'm lucky just to be alive
I'm lucky just to be alive

And the nuns go right on praying, and the dead guys go on decaying
But I try to listen to the words I'm saying cause I'm lucky, I'm lucky just to be alive
I'm lucky just to be alive

I'm so lucky, lucky just to be alive
lucky just to be alive, I'm lucky just to be alive
Yes I'm lucky, I'm lucky just to be alive
I'm lucky just to be alive, I'm lucky just to be alive

I've lived through hard drugs, FBI bugs, Flat and Scrugs and silicone jugs
Magic slams, comedy hams, e-mail spams about Viet Nam
Proliferation, segregation, inflation in this alien nation
High times, low crimes, cocaine lines at two for a dime
Hip shooters with big hooters, high faluters on motor scooters
Times of plenty, times without any,
I've even lived long enough to get the senior menu at Denny's

Damn, I'm lucky!  I'm lucky just ta be alive, lucky just to be alive,
I'm so lucky, Lucky just to be alive, I'm lucky just to be alive
I'm lucky just to be alive, I'm lucky just to be alive, I'm lucky just to be alive
lucky just to be alive, lucky just to be alive
Um, hmm...


Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars
 

MAXIE     (listen)
Poor little Maxie was out on her own
Pale and discarded as dust on the wind
Small as the circle of life she has known
Blink your eyes and you might never see her again
Blink your eyes

In her mind, she's a flower of dazzling hue
On her lips is a song that she sings to herself
In her heart is a stone left by love so untrue
That she hides so she won't have to tell you

Sweetness serves her but she never gets to choose
She'll be down on her luck by tomorrow
She'll never notice she's got nothing left to lose
But the light in a life filled with sorrow

Poor little Maxie was out on her own
Pale and discarded as dust on the wind
Small as the circle of life she has known
Blink your eyes and you might never see her again
Blink your eyes


Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars
David P. Jackson  – bass

 

PLEASE DON'T HANG THAT SIGN ON ME     (listen)
You must be proud of what you think you know, you take your opinion everywhere you go
but just because you think it doesn't make it so and please don't hang that sign on me

I might not be as pretty as your favorite one.  I may not be the man to provide your fun
but I'll still be at this table when the deal is done so please don't hang that sign on me

I might not be the coffee cooling in your glass or your perennial partner as the seasons pass,
but I'm really not the villain that you take to task, if you look a little closer you might see

It's a whole new picture from a different view and the way you see it is up to you
You will never know what's on the other side of what you can't see through
So please don't hang that sign on me

You change your mind like you change your sheets
You find the same old trouble on a whole new street
You give that last man's problems to every new man you meet
And please don't hang that sign on me, please don't hang that sign on me

Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitar
 

SOMETIMES IT DON'T WORK OUT     (listen)
I had a romance with Mary Jean, she was a snappy dresser and a sex machine
But when the money got gone, Mary Jean got mean…
Sometimes it don't work out.
So I find myself with nothin' left to say and the rain keeps fallin' on a sunny day.
I had to learn to tip my hat and walk away knowin' that
sometimes it don't work out

These pretty people are a dime a dozen,
and they stuck in the same rut that they always was in.
They got their money flashin' and their buzz words buzzin'
but they don't know what it's all about.
Even if you don't hear the music they play,
you find out you still got the piper to pay.
It's like Sun Tzu say "you gotta C.Y.A. 'cause
sometimes it don't work out.”

Desdemona was a lovely bride; she was a good-lookin' girl with nothin' to hide.
Then Mr. Iago took her for a ride, you know,
sometimes it don't work out
When Napoleon got to Waterloo, he thought there was nothin' that he couldn't do,
but when the fightin' was over, Napoleon was screwed, you know,
sometimes it don't work out

You take control until it makes you nuts,
you play the game callin' all the shots,
but your expectations might just kick yer butt 'cause
sometimes it don't work out.

You come to La-La land if you want to be a sinner,
you come to La-La land if you feelin' like a winner,
but in La-La land, they gonna have you for dinner
if you don't work out.

So don't give all your change away -- save a little for a rainy day.
You night need it for one more replay if it don't work out.

If it don't work out, you can make a new plan.
If it don't work out, you can try it again.
If it don't work out, you can find another friend.
If it don't work out, if it don't work out
(La, la, la, la, la, la la), if it don't work out
(La, la, la, la, la, la la), if it don't work out
(La, la, la, la, la, la la), if it don't work out
(La, la, la, la, la, la la)
If it don't work out


Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars
W. Michael Lewis – keyboards
Drew Daniels – bass
George Green – drums
David McKelvy – harmonica
Jimmy Guitar Smith, Anna Ferraro, Drew Daniels – backing vocals

 

TOO BLUE (To Rescue)     (listen)
They say there's a light at the end of the tunnel and I heard that this night only lasts for a spell
but I'm startin’ to wonder how long I must travel and never get out of this well

I keep puttin’ one foot in front of the other and tryin’ to stay on my side of the road
I can't find a reason to go on much further without losing this load

And I'm blue, too blue to rescue

There's no one but me at the end of the evening watching TV so I don't have to cry
There's nothing as cold as this bed where I'm sleeping since you told me good bye

My telephone rings but I don't need to answer I know what it means to say no one is home
the game has been played and I've run out of chances for keeping my winning one

And it's true, I'm too blue to rescue

You know it's true, I'm too blue to rescue
I'm too blue to talk to
I'm too blue to rescue


Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars
W. Michael Lewis – elect. piano
Drew Daniels – bass
Terry Hand – drums

 
"TOO BLUE" is an award winner, judged best recording from over 400 entries to
Syntrillium's "That's a Cool Edit" contest by judge Audley Freed of the Black Crows.





WAITING FOR DAWN     (listen)
Good night my dear, please don't cry when I'm gone
There's a circle that's been broken, a line that's been drawn
I'll be down by the water, waitin’ for dawn
I'll be down by the water, waitin’ for dawn

I hope against hoping, and I laugh when I can
We could go on forever and adhere to the plan
If only you were my woman, you could make me your man
If only you were my woman, you could make me your man

Sometimes I remember what we're doing here
December to December, salutations into years
All your pretty players and their sweet refrain
All your sooth-ing sayers, but they don't recall your name
And they'll never know they knew you and you'll never win their game

With a gentle kiss, you have opened my eyes
To a dream that's worth dreaming, to a shot at the prize
Come away from that scheming and meaningless lies
Do away with your scheming and meaningless lies

Good night my dear, please don't cry when I'm gone
There's a circle that's been broken, a line that's been drawn
I'll be down by the water, waitin’ for dawn
I'll be down by the water, waitin’ for dawn


Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars
Roger Kellaway – piano
David P. Jackson – bass
David Zasloff -- trumpet

 

WAITING GAME     (listen)
Hold the phone stand in line
People passing passing time
Sun comes up night shade blooms
Shadows play across these rooms
Fill each moment, talk with friends
Still there seems to be no end
To the waiting game

Mores' the pity nerves of steel
Time is something we can't feel
Today until today is gone and then today again
Lovers' memories go on
And still there seems to be no end
To the waiting game

From this perspective far beyond
This misdirected Walden Pond
This slowly turning ball of rock
This happy sun that seems to mock
The pain of being here alive
And small where only strong survive
I break when I forget to bend
And still there seems to be no end
To the waiting game


Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars, mandolin, percussion
Drew Daniels – bass
Rick Cantu -- percussion

 

WAITING IN LINE     (listen)
I've been waiting, waiting in line
I've been waiting and biding my time
I've been waiting, waiting in line for the picture show

I've been willing I show up and grin
I keep chilling while we do it all again
There's no filling this hole that I'm in and I gotta go

All in the promise of brighter tomorrow
we count on the things yet to be
Milking perfection from sadness and sorrow,
some sorry survivors are we

But we keep waiting, waiting in line
And hoping we're not wasting our time
Is there something at the end of this climb?
I sure don't know
Feels like I'm waiting, I'm waiting in line for the picture show

All in the promise of brighter tomorrow
we count on the things yet to be
Milking perfection from sadness and sorrow,
some sorry survivors are we

But we keep waiting, waiting in line
And hoping we're not wasting our time
Is there something at the end of this climb?
I sure don't know
Feels like I'm waiting, I'm waiting in line for the picture show

Waiting in line…
Feels like I'm waiting, I'm waiting in line for the picture show

Jimmy Guitar Smith – vocal, guitars
David P. Jackson – bass
Rick Cantu – percussion

 


NOTE: all recordings herein copyright Drew Daniels



Jazz great, film composer and writer of the "All In The Family" closing theme - Roger Kellaway (who appears gratis on some of Smith's tunes such as Big Bad Monkey, The Last Of April and Waiting Game) lauds his lyrical abilities, as does Van Dyke Parks, composer and arranger of much of Beachboy Brian Wilson's later works (see "Orange Crate Art").  These two industry luminaries have been Smith boosters.  Jimmy Guitar Smith had one of his compositions, Time Is On The Run, used by Donovan as his closing theme, and has had some of his many songs covered by other artists.  The redoubtable folk singer and actor Hoyt Axton (wrote Joy To The World and starred in "The Black Stallion") called Smith "the most prolific S.O.B. I ever met."

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