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Words We Can Dance To
"Ballad of Dan Moody"
(Mike Smith)
He used to be a roving cowboy
He used to he a rodeo cowhand
He tried to rob the Kansas Railway
Along with two other friends of mine
I said for God's sake do not do this
They put it off for quite some time
Until the twelfth of January
Such a cold and bitter time
Snow was drifting on the line
A mind confused is sometimes altered
That's what a friend of mine who knows once told me
Don't tell a madman with a shotgun
That he is not supposed to shoot no one
Foolishly heeding my own counsel
Too easily tired of the fight
They done the deed and was successful
And returned that very night
Looking the same around the eyes
Having recently found Jesus
I tried to speak to them, as friends should do
Of the eternal consequences
And about those hellfires that wait below
They soon fell in with sweet companions
Who helped them spend their evil wage
Until the thought of precious Jesus
Drove me to a holy rage
And I knew they must be saved
Then who comes riding across the prairie
Seeking shelter from the wild deep snow
Why it's the sheriff and his deputies seeking
Information bout them three rodeo chums
I did not know that they'd be sleeping
That they'd come out with guns ablaze
And that all three was to be murdered
This was never my intention
This I swear I did not know
When I told the posse where to go
(Ritchie Adams & Malou Rene)
I couldn't sleep at all last night
Just thinking of you, baby things weren't right
And you got me tossin'and turnin'
turnin' and tossin, tossin' and turnin'all night
I kicked the blankets on the floor
Turned my pillow upside down
I never did before and you got me tossin'and turnin'
turnin'and tossin; tossin' and turnin' all night
Jumped out of bed
Turned on the light
Rolled up the shade, went to the kitchen for a bite
Pulled down the shade, turned off the light
Jumped back into bed, it was the middle of the night
The clock downstairs was striking four
I couldn't get you off my mind
I heard the milkman at the door
And you got me tossin'and turnin'
turnin'and tossin', tossin'and turnin'all night
(Steve Goodman)
When I got up this morning I walked down to the plant
I wanted to go to work but they said you can't
When I asked the boss why I got canned
He said something 'bout the laws of supply and demand
Now that's just the kind of thing
That gets a man annoyed
When the wolf is knocking
And you're unemployed
I filled out the forms they had in personnel
There's twenty men applying for every job to fill
Some boys in fine are just bums like me
And some of them got sheepskins and PHD's
It's a sorry situation that you can't avoid
When you're over educated and unemployed
I don't want to be told how long I have to wait
Don't want to be no number in no jobless rate
Don't want no welfare from no welfare state
I just want to put the groceries on my baby's plate
When I die then I'll get my just reward
When the devil makes me chairman of the board
Whenever they had the hard times in this land
Before then they said the way you stop is to start a war
Well I don't want to hear any of that stuff from any politicians
no more
Or next election day they'll be unemployed
(Steve Goodman & Steve Burgh)
The day you're born they sign a piece of paper
To certify the date of your birth
And the day you die they sign another
Just to prove you've gone back to the earth
And between those two pieces of paper
There's the truth that is so hard to find
And the story of your life is written ' , but
You must read in between the lines
Now when you're young you think it doesn't matter
If you leap before you look
But those old folks are wiser and sadder
From the chances that they took
Now when your chance comes along, you must take it
Just be careful and take your time
And the chances are good you will make it
If you could read in between the lines
And when someone tells you they love you
And that no one has ever loved you more
It is wise to stop and consider how many
Times they night have said that before
Because when love leaves you cryin'
You will surely lose your mind
And you might have known love was lying
If you could read in between the lines
(Steve Goodman, Steve Burgh, Pat Chamberlain & Paula Bailin)
Friends are always telling me that
I'm old fashioned
Out of date and born too late to ever catch on
But maybe that's because they can't imagine
The love of an old fashioned girl
When they tell you you don't have a leg to dance on
She's the one that you can take a chance on
The one who knows the difference between
Promises and passion is my old fashioned girl
These days it's smart to hide your heart
Behind some painted smile
But have no fear I will still be here
When love comes back in style
Maybe it's the way she lets me think I caught her
When I'm without her I'm a fish out of water
And maybe someday our daughter will be
An old fashioned girl
So go ahead and tell me I'm old fashioned
I know one thing you can bet your cash on
Love that's built to last and can't be rationed
Between an old fashioned boy and girl
(Steve Goodman, Steve Burgh, Pat Chamberlain, Paula Bailin)
Now in this great big world of trouble
Sometimes there must be a little you
And when the woman wants to good, good lovin'
She must separate the men from the boys
And men you know it's the same for us
All around the world
Once you've been in love with the
Good, good woman, it sure is hard to go
Back to girls
Now when I was just a little boy
My Poppa said these words to me
Son, you better watch your step when
You go lookin'for the female company
Don't be fooled when they make eyes at you
And they all look the same
The woman is the one who means business
The little girl is just playing a game
When the woman's thinking of you
Some little girl will come break your heart
You can find the one who loves you
If you're man enough to tell them apart
And Poppa told me, when you find one
Who gives you good lovin'
Son, don't you ever make her cry
You could search the whole world over
And never find another no matter
How hard you try
Just remember that she will only care for you
Just as much as you care for her
And once you've been in love
With the good, good woman, it sure is
Hard to go back to girls
(Steve Goodman, Steve Burgh & Jim Rothermel)
Down to the Banana Republics
Down to the tropical sun
Come the expatriated Americans
Expecting to have some fun
Some of them come for the sailing
Drawn by the lure of the sea
To cure the spirit that's ailing
From living in the land of the free
Some of them are running from lovers
Leaving no forward address
Some of them are running marijuana
Some are running from the IRS
Late at night you can see them
In the cheap hotels and bars
Hustling the senoritas
As they dance beneath the stars
Spending the renegade pesos
On a bottle of rum and a lime
Singing give me some words I can
Dance to and a melody that rhymes
Once you learn the native customs
And a word of Spanish or two
Then you know you can't trust them
Because they know they can't trust you
Down in Banana Republics
It is not always as warm as it seems
When none of the natives are buying
Any second hand American Dreams
Expatriated Americans
Are feeling so all alone
Telling themselves the same lies
That they told themselves at home
(Steve Goodman, Steve Burgh, Jeff Gutcheon,
Jim Rothermel, Lew London, Saul Broody & Ken Kosek)
The traveling salesman stopped for gas
As it was getting late
He sure was feeling tired
And it was snowing on the interstate
He said "won't 'cha fill 'er up with gas
And see if my oil's alright
And do you know a place where a tired-out traveling man
Might spend the night?"
The attendant winked at him and said
"I'll bet you been around
The man who puts up lodgers here is
Known as Farmer Brown
You'll find him in that old stone house
Just at the edge of town
And he's got a 15 year old daughter
Who likes to fool around."
The salesman winked right back at him
And a smile came to his lip
He paid for the gas and oil
And then he gave that man a tip
He started up and pushed that old gas pedal to the floor
Went off like a hat and in nothing flat
He was at the farmer's door
The door opened up and a beautiful girl said
"Won't you come on in"
The traveling salesman's tongue was hanging out like Rin-Tin-Tin
"That old gas station attendant said I would find you here
And do you have a suitable room
To rent to me my Dear?"
She said "Kind Sir, I'm sorry, but the last one's gone you see,
So if you want to spend the night
You'll have to sleep with me:'
He said "How fortuitous, my pretty little miss"
And he throws his arms around her
And he gives that girl a kiss
Her warm and tender ruby lips
He scarcely could believe
He never saw the hammer
She had hidden up her sleeve
She said "I'm getting sleepy,
Why don't we go to bed?"
And as they turned to climb the stairs
She whopped him on the head
The very next day the salesman's car
With brand new license plates
Was sitting at Farmer Brown's super service
'bout a mile from the interstate
So all you traveling salesmen
Who might be passing through
You better watch your step
Or that traveling salesman joke might be on you
(Steve Goodman, Steve Burgh,
Jim Rothermel & Jeff Gutcheon)
How to hide your feeling is the first thing that you learn
When you cannot tell the truth to whom it may concern
When you fall in love with your closest friend
And she's not in love with you
You get caught in the middle
If she can't pretend that she feels the same about you
But whenever someone breaks her heart
She comes knocking at your door
She knows she can count on you
After all that's what friends are for
Friends are the ones who hold you up
When the whole world is letting you down
Friends are the ones you turn to for love
When lovers can't be found
I wish I knew how to tell her
I'm her friend and something more
But some things are better left unsaid
And, after all, that's what friends are for
That's what friends are for
(William J. Hill)
You gotta give a little
Take a little
Let your poor heart break a little
Baby, that's the glory of love
You gotta laugh a little
Cry a little
Let the clouds roll by a little
Baby, that's the glory of love
As long as there's just the two of us
To have the world and its charms
And when the world is through with us
We'll be safe in each others arms
Win a little
Lose a little
Sometimes you got to have the blues a little
Baby, that's the glory of love
All songs are C 1976 Big Ears Music, Inc./Red Pajamas Music,
Inc. ASCAP except the following: "Unemployed" C) 1975 Big Ears
Music, Inc./Red Pajamas Music, Inc., ASCAP "Rovin Publishing
Co., Inc. BMI, "Tossin' and Turnin"' (C) 1961 Harvard Music,
Inc./Warner-Tameriane Publishing Corp. BMI and "The Glory Of
Love" (D 1936 Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., In All son s used by
permission. All rights reserved.
