TRACK LISTING:
1. “Crawl in Bed” 3:57
2. “Judas Kiss” 4:36
3. “Ashes to Ashes” 4:19
4. “I’m Gonna Be Around” 3:01
5. “Poem of the River” 5:58
6. “Cool and the Crazy” 5:18
7. “Cheyenne” 3:47
8. “A Lover’s Prayer” 4:45
9. “Whole Lotta Nothin’ Goin’ On” 3:34
10.“River of Justice” 5:10
SELECT AN ALBUM TO READ LYRICS AND TRACK LISTING:
Frontier Days (1984, EMI America)
Johnny Comes Marching Home (1986, EMI America)
Based On A True Story (1988, Enigma)
Lovers Who Wander (1990, Enigma)
Elvis Club (2013, Lakeside Lounge Records/GB Music)
CRAWL IN BED
Nobody tells me what to do
I told my mom and dad
And now I’m telling you
I do what I want
I speak my mind
Anyway anywhere anytime
I’m my own man
I’m my own boss
I’ve begged, borrowed and stole
But I paid the cost
I’ll lend a helping hand
If you’re in need
But don’t think that you can just
Crawl in bed with me
I ain’t no cop on TV
No corporation sponsors me
I ain’t your boy
I’m out of control
I can’t be bought
And I can’t be sold
Not like the lame toothless shit
You see everywhere
Hey, Huey baby, it’s just square to be square
I’ll lend a helping hand
If you’re in need
But don’t think that you can just
Crawl in bed with me
I’ll sing a song for the sick and poor
And all the hungry mouths outside my door
But, I spit on Republican hoi polloi
And I ain’t no Liberal wet dream toy
I was just a kid when I saw through your lies
The things that mattered most to me you trivialized
Now, you’re trying to do the same thing to Rock’n’Roll
And, I’m here to make sure you don’t swallow it whole
I lost a lot of friends to the needle and the gun
There but for Rock’n’Roll I might’ve been one
So remember, we ain’t playing for the same team
If we coincide, it’s a coincidence
Know what I mean?
Don’t you think you can crawl in bed with me
Don’t you think you can crawl in bed with me
Don’t you think you can crawl in bed with me
Don’t you think you can crawl in bed with me
By Scott Kempner
© Prince of the Bronx
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JUDAS KISS
It’s been a long hot summer
I’m still waiting on a breeze
I got nothing in my pockets
I got holes in my jeans
The radio kept playing
Those same old rotten songs
Every single tune reminded me of you
All summer long
And the roses in the closet
All summer I’ve watched them fade
Now they crumble to the touch
Like the promises you made
When I close my eyes
I can still taste your lips
Now I’m left here alone
Betrayed by your Judas Kiss
Judas Kiss, Judas Kiss
You left me hanging at the altar
Well, it might as well have been
For as sure as I’m standing here
There is sin, and you have sinned
It don’t matter if we like it
There is right, and there is wrong
And, if you look that hard for trouble
It surely won’t take long
You remember our favorite picture?
It’s collecting dust under the bed
My bed of fire and nails
A jagged stone for my weary head
When I close my eyes
I can still taste your lips
Now I’m left here alone
Betrayed by your Judas Kiss
Judas Kiss, Judas Kiss
First it was cocaine
Then you discovered crack
Then, like they say, you got so high
You were never coming back
Judas Kiss, you called it
Such a clever fucking name
I miss you so bad
I may never get well
It’s so sad, such a goddamn shame
And the roses in the closet
I took them from your grave
Everyday I stand and look at them
Then I bow my head and pray
I hope wherever you are
It’s a better place than this
I’m left here alone
Betrayed by your Judas Kiss
Judas Kiss, Judas Kiss
Judas Kiss, Judas Kiss
By Scott Kempner
© Prince of the Bronx Music
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ASHES TO ASHES
The sky is dark, the rain is falling
My house is warm and bright
Down in the subway station
500 seeking shelter from the night
Say a prayer for the forgotten
Say a prayer for you and me
There are homeless in our city
None of us are free
None of us are free
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
When nowhere else will take you
These streets they must
In nothing we believe in,
In no one we trust
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
Now, the world don’t owe no living
Just a chance for a decent life
And if we can’t help everybody
Don’t we still have to try
Say a prayer for the forgotten
Say a prayer for you and me
There are homeless in our city
None of us are free
None of us are free
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
When nowhere else will take you
These streets they must
In nothing we believe in,
In no one we trust
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
You gotta be rich to be sick
It’s Catch-22
When you got no friends or family
Man, there’s nothing you can do
Cause someone’s gotta pay for a hospital bed
And it costs a king’s ransom
I’d have been better off dead
My life fell like dominoes
My job and then my home
By the time I was well
There was nowhere I could go
I once held the brass ring
But it crumbled to my touch
Ashes to ashes
Dust to dust
By Scott Kempner
© Prince of the Bronx Music
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I’M GONNA BE AROUND
When love has vanished from the Earth
And nothing’s left of any worth
Faithfully, I’ll stand my ground
I’m gonna be around
I’m gonna be around
When all the honest men have come and gone
Down the roads that leads to Babylon
And the last fair deal has gone down
I’m gonna be around
I’m gonna be around
I’m gonna be around
And, I’m gonna do
The thing that I set out to do
I’m gonna be around
When the country is one big shopping mall
And some slimy corporate cartel owns it all
And every song that you hear on the radio
Has the same sound
I’m gonna be around
Don’t know one try and mess with me
I’m twisted up and ready
I’m nervous and I’m dangerous
I’m gonna be around
A man can be his own worst enemy
When he just won’t accept the things he sees
The things that just won’t let me sleep
I’m gonna be around
I’m gonna be around
I’m gonna be around
I’m gonna be around
By Scott Kempner
© Prince of the Bronx Music
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POEM OF THE RIVER
There’s a storm rolling in from out of the East
This riverbank ain’t no place to be
But, I’m sitting right here, so let it rain
Cause this river is all that remains
Of the love I’ll never know again
And I know one day it’s gonna call your name
I’m listening to the poem of the river
Watching the ghosts on the shore
Retreads, dead baby carriages
Souvenirs of broken marriages
Wash into the past forevermore
The river washes to the sea
And takes a lovesick memory
Of the first time you stared into the icy black
Or those afternoons you kept coming back
Sometimes I’d hear the river laugh
And then it tore my life in half
I’m listening to the poem of the river
Watching the ghosts on the shore
A picture frame with broken glass
I wonder who’s baby was in it last
Wash into the past forevermore
And the river sings such a sad song
About a guy on top of the world
But it’s all long gone
And the river tells such a funny rhyme
About a fool who returns to this spot
Time after time
Wasting away waiting for a sign
I followed her trail, it led me here
At the river her tracks just disappeared
I realize I may never know
Where she went or why she’d go
Now I’m waiting and waiting and going down slow
And the rain has soaked me to the bone
I’m listening to the poem of the river
Watching the ghosts on the shore
Empty beer cans, pots and knives
There’s nothing stainless in our little lives
The past is waiting just outside our door
I’m listening to the poem of the river
Watching the ghosts on the shore
By Scott Kempner
© Prince of the Bronx Music
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THE COOL AND THE CRAZY
This place is so Squaresville
Man, I don’t even wanna know
We’re the outsiders
Watching the whole show
It’s amazing how much it resembles TV
An L7 world lost in mediocrity
But, I got another way
Baby, if you’re feeling wild
Step into the land of the cool and the crazy
Welcome to my beatnik world
A place where Nature’s own laws turn hazy
Here it’s just dig it or die
Listen to me howl
I run with a cool crowd
Cool cats, cool chicks
We walk proud, talk loud
We live for kicks
Did your mom and dad tell you
You were just a bad seed
I knew I liked something ‘bout you
Baby, come and go with me
But, I got a Plan B
Baby, if you’re feeling wild
Step into the land of the cool and the crazy
Welcome to my beatnik world
A place where Nature’s own laws turn hazy
Here it’s just dig it or die
Listen to me howl
We don’t follow fashion
Who needs it when you got style
We dig Rock’n’Roll music
We play it loud enough to hear for miles and miles
So, stand back cubeheads
Baby, we’re feeling wild
Step into the land of the cool and the crazy
Welcome to my beatnik world
A place where Nature’s own laws turn hazy
Here it’s just dig it or die
Listen to me howl
We got our own way of walking
We got our own way of talking
We’re in with the in crowd
By Scott Kempner
© Prince of the Bronx Music
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CHEYENNE
I was just a boy
The first time I heard of Cheyenne
I fell in love with the word, and what to me,
Seemed such a strange exotic land
Where cowboys still rode the high plains
And Heaven kisses the Earth
And a person could be free enough
To find out what he was worth
Cheyenne, someday
Cheyenne, I’m gonna ride the high plains
Cheyenne, can’t you picture me
A city boy in God’s Country
I’d never known anywhere
Other than the streets of this town
And too much of anything
Even the best things finally get you down
I’d never been any farther west
Than the shores of Jersey
But, I guess dreams were created
By a God in His infinite mercy
Cheyenne, someday
Cheyenne, I’m gonna ride the high plains
Cheyenne, can’t you picture me
A city boy in God’s Country
I’ve seen a little bit of the world
These last few years
And while I’m still a young man
I’ve had my share of laughs
Shed my share of tears
Tonight when I get home I’ll settle back
Maybe turn on the TV
Or I could just close my eyes
And Cheyenne is where I will be
Cheyenne, someday
Cheyenne, I’m gonna ride the high plains
Cheyenne, can’t you picture me
A city boy in God’s Country
Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Hey, picture me
A city boy in God’s Country
By Scott Kempner
© Prince of the Bronx Music
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A LOVER’S PRAYER
Can’t sleep, who am I foolin’
Got a fever that ain’t coolin’
Lyin’ awake just thinkin’ about my baby
I just watch the clock
Tick tock tick tock tick tock
On time, I can count on my baby
I’m on my knees (Lord Lord)
Won’t you listen to my plea (Lord Lord)
She’s on a trip across the sea (Lord Lord)
With her mommy and her daddy
She’s the only girl (Lord Lord)
In this whole wide world (Lord Lord)
One day my ring she’ll wear
Please bring her back from there
This is my lover’s prayer
For three long weeks
I’ve been cryin’ myself to sleep
If I have to wait the whole eight
I will surely die
I can’t stand no more
My baby’s on some distant shore
Lying in the sun
Having all kinds of fun
Without me
I’m on my knees (Lord Lord)
Won’t you listen to my plea (Lord Lord)
She’s on a trip across the sea (Lord Lord)
With her mommy and her daddy
She’s the only girl (Lord Lord)
In this whole wide world (Lord Lord)
One day my ring she’ll wear
Please bring her back from there
This is my lover’s prayer
Her mommy and her daddy think
I’m gonna be her ruination
They think I’ll take her by the hand
And walk her straight into eternal Damnation
So, in a bug-eyed frenzy
They dragged her on this damn vacation
But, in the end true love always wins
I’m on my knees (Lord Lord)
Won’t you listen to my plea (Lord Lord)
She’s on a trip across the sea (Lord Lord)
With her mommy and her daddy
She’s the only girl (Lord Lord)
In this whole wide world (Lord Lord)
One day my ring she’ll wear
Please bring her back from there
This is my lover’s prayer
By Scott Kempner
© Prince of the Bronx Music
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WHOLE LOTTA NOTHIN’ GOIN’ ON
Sally’s goin’ out tonight
As soon as the clock strikes one
She’s pickin’ up Freddie and Jimmy and Joan
They’re lookin’ for some fun
But, there’s a whole lotta nothin’ goin’ on
A whole lotta nothin’ goin’ on
They can drive round and round this whole damn town
But there’s a whole lotta nothin’ goin’ on
Oh oh oh oh oh
Whole lotta nothin’ goin’ on
Whole lotta nothin’ goin’ on
Every damn place is a rip-off
Every damn body’s on drugs
But, if you got your heart set on goin’ out
You best be makin’ big bucks
Cause, there’s a whole lotta nothin’ goin’ on
A whole lotta nothin’ goin’ on
They can drive round and round this whole damn town
But there’s a whole lotta nothin’ goin’ on
Oh oh oh oh oh
Whole lotta nothin’ goin’ on
Whole lotta nothin’ goin’ on
Our four dejected friends
Are slowly drivin’ home
They had about the worst time they ever did have
I know they’re not alone
Twelve and change for parking
An Andy Jackson just to get in
$4.75 for each damn beer
And the band looked more bored than them
But, there’s a whole lotta nothin’ goin’ on
A whole lotta nothin’ goin’ on
They can drive round and round this whole damn town
But there’s a whole lotta nothin’ goin’ on
Oh oh oh oh oh
Whole lotta nothin’ goin’ on
Whole lotta nothin’ goin’ on
By Scott Kempner
© Prince of the Bronx Music
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RIVER OF JUSTICE
When St. Peter comes a-calling
And says it’s time for you to go
Do you think you’re goin’ to Heaven?
Or to Hell down below?
When you lay it on down, boy
Whacha think it’s gonna be?
The river of justice gonna decide for you and me
I ain’t superstitious
But I like to cover my back
Cause I know someday I gotta answer
For all the steps I’ve made along the track
For every heart I’ve shared a home with
For every one that’s lived in mine
The river of justice gonna sort us out in due time
The losers and the winners all gotta swim
In the river of justice
The saints and the sinners all gotta swim
In the river of justice
It’s sink or swim, sink or swim
That’s the whole deal, boy, sink or swim
In the river of justice
Night time is descending
The Devil running free
And the temptations of the night time
Sometimes get the best of me
Ya know, I’m only human
And I don’t think that’s a crime
And the river of justice gonna sort us out in due time
The losers and the winners all gotta swim
In the river of justice
The saints and the sinners all gotta swim
In the river of justice
It’s sink or swim, sink or swim
That’s the whole deal, boy, sink or swim
In the river of justice
In the river of justice
In the river of justice
In the river of justice
In the river of justice
By Scott Kempner
© Prince of the Bronx Music
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LIVIN’ WITH HER, LIVIN’ WITH ME
One day true love came to me
Sent from Heaven Special D
But, I learned a word in ‘83
Incompatibility
Livin’ with her, livin’ with me
In a one room apartment on East 13th
The room got smaller everyday
Finally true love slipped away
The room got smaller everyday
Finally true love slipped away
I used to believe love conquered all
United we stand, divided we fall
I’d fight to the death for my belief
That love was really all you need
Livin’ with her, livin’ with me
In a one room apartment on East 13th
The room got smaller everyday
Finally true love slipped away
The room got smaller everyday
Finally true love slipped away
The room got smaller everyday
Finally true love slipped away
I’m gonna get it right someday
Everything’s gonna go the right way
And I wish it was today
Can’t wait, can’t wait, hey hey hey
I had this dream the other night
Me and her were having a terrible fight
Yelling and screaming and punching on the wall
Red as fire up and down the hall
But the words we said, they made no sense
We had no idea what the other meant
Man, that dream was true to life to me
Incompatibility
Livin’ with her, livin’ with me
In a one room apartment on East 13th
The room got smaller everyday
Finally true love slipped away
The room got smaller everyday
Finally true love slipped away
The room got smaller everyday
Finally true love slipped away
Finally true love slipped away
Finally true love slipped away
Finally true love slipped away
Finally true love slipped away
By Scott Kempner
© Prince of the Bronx Music
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VALLERI
Valleri, you mean more to me
Than a Cadillac
With wheels of gold
Than a ’65 black little GTO
Valleri, the way you look at me
The way you call my name
Tell me you’re my girl
I can melt away to another world
I pray to Heaven
To watch my baby
God protect her
Keep her safe for me
Valleri, such a mystery
You’re my star up in Heaven
You’re my light in the dark
You’re my Lucky 7
You’re the spark
Valleri, as far as I can see
The sun rises with your smile
The rain falls with your tears
Our love will move mountains
Through the years
You keep me honest
You keep me true
And if that’s what love is
I owe the world to you
Valleri, as the world spins round
Valleri, way too fast for me
Valleri, my life is up and down
Valleri, baby rescue me
Valleri
Valleri
By Scott Kempner
© Prince of the Bronx Music
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