TRACK LISTING (CLICK SONG TITLE TO READ LYRICS):
1. “When THe Drugs Kick In” 4:17
2. “Princess” 3:48
3. “Chicks, Man!” 3:47
4. “Flying” 5:15
5. “All of My Life” 5:20
6. “Everyday” 3:23
7. “Me and the Lord Blues” 3:50
8. “Letter (Unmailed)” 4:04
9. “Damaged” 3:52
10.“You Can Make A Mistake One Time” 4:54
11.“Silverlake” 3:52
12.“Southern Pacific” 5:55
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)
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WHEN THE DRUGS KICK IN
I was right in the middle of a big idea
(when the drugs kick in, when the drugs kick in)
I forgot everything right then and there
(when the drugs kick in, when the drugs kick in)
for the last year or so that’s how it’s been
(when the drugs kick in, when the drugs kick in)
I’ve tried and I’ve tried but the drugs always win
(when the drugs kick in, when the drugs kick in)
chorus
when the drugs kick in, when the drugs kick in
when the drugs kick in, when the drugs kick in
here I go, here I go, here I go again
(when the drugs kick in, when the drugs kick in)
I’m goin’ down I know, but I’m goin’ down slow
(when the drugs kick in, when the drugs kick in)
when the drugs
kick in
I had this dream, yeah, I used to dream
(when the drugs kick in, when the drugs kick in)
I’d leave no sound unheard, no sight unseen
(when the drugs kick in, when the drugs kick in)
But I heard lies and deception, saw heartbreak and rejection
(when the drugs kick in, when the drugs kick in)
Just an uncast vote in a fixed election
(when the drugs kick in, when the drugs kick in)
chorus
I’m a jet plane baby, movin’ coast to coast
(when the drugs kick in, when the drugs kick in)
I’m a part time lover, I’m a full time ghost
(when the drugs kick in, when the drugs kick in)
And the tunnel of love is the tunnel of life
(when the drugs kick in, when the drugs kick in)
And I leave on the lights when I go to sleep at night
(when the drugs kick in, when the drugs kick in)
chorus
by Scott Kempner
©Prince of the Bronx Music 2012
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PRINCESS
I can’t let go
Got a burnin’ desire
I can’t let go
My dreams are on fire
I can’t let go
No intention of doing so
No no no no no
I can’t let go
Hangin’ onto a rocket
I can’t let go
Stuff it back into my pocket’
I can’t let go
No intention of doing so
No no no no no
No no no no no
I bit the apple
I bit the snake
I bit Eve
Maybe that was my mistake
Cause I’m getting’ kinda old
Still no self-control
No no no no no
But if you could be me
And I could be you
You would know that every word
That you heard is true
And maybe I could see
What the Hell is wrong with me
No no no no no
No no no no no
No no no no
Whatever you say
Whatever you want
Just don’t expect it from me’
I can’t getting’ up for nobody
I ain’t movin’ for no one
Not even you
Not even you
Not even you, Princess
Not even you
The big old world is spinnin’ round and round
My little world is bouncin’ up and down
I can’t let go
No intention of doing so
I’m drivin’ down a mountain
My eyes shut tight
One hundred miles an hour
I’m high as a kite
I can’t let go
No intention of doing so
No no no no no
No no no no no
By Scott Kempner
Prince of the Bronx Music 2012
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CHICKS, MAN!
First time I saw you, you were half a block away
I felt the ground move, I saw the buildings shake
Heaven stopped crying, She dried her bloodshot eyes
Everybody turned and stared, but, you were not surprised, no!
Chicks, man!
Now, everything is nothing, and, nothing ain’t worth shit
I could do the math, too, I figured it’s time to quit
So, I looked in the mirror, but, there was no one there
Division and subtraction, I was cut in half
(or maybe a third – or half)
Chicks, man!
Chicks, man!
Hey, I forgot to tell the story. yeah, we fell in love and lust
Blah blah blah, it was great, blah blah
blah it sucked
Then suddenly it was great again, then once again it sucked
Enough was enough was enough was enough.
Chicks, man!
Chicks, man!
Then, one day she says to me, you know you never change
I said, ”you know, Boo, I guess that’s true, I’ve always been the same
She said that’s the problem, I said, “I don’t understand.
The same guy you fell in love with, I am still that same man”, hey!
Chicks, man!
Chicks, man!
I guess tonight I’ll take a walk when the walls start closing in
I’ll head up to the boulevard, and run into a friend
But, something will remind me, maybe something on TV
A whisper that I overhear
A flood of memories
And I begin to drown
And I am almost free
As I’m on my way down
You’ll be the last thing I see, hey!
Chicks, man!
Chicks, man!
By Scott Kempner
©Prince of the Bronx Music 2012
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FLYING
Everybody loves a winner
Until they win too big
Then everybody is ready to bury
They just get out their shovels and dig
I was lonely
Man, I was lonely
I’d pretend I liked it that way
But, I was only a big phony
Till you looked my way
CHORUS
I’m the man up on the high wire
Dancin’ blindfolded just above the fire
Ain’t nobody gonna take me down
Cause I am high above this town
I’m flying, a silhouette against the night
Flying, gonna disappear into the night
Into the night, into the night
Got a feeling
A good feeling
Got it all the time
It’s like a little bit of Heaven that I’m stealing
When you’re on my mind
CHORUS
People tell me, “In life
You gotta roll the dice sometimes”
I tell ‘em, “Rollin the dice, well, that’s a way of life,
At least it’s always been mine”
CHORUS
By Scott Kempner
©Prince of the Bronx Music 2012
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ALL OF MY LIFE
All of my life, I’ve been afraid of a love like this
All of my life, I’ve been afraid of that fatal kiss
The one I can’t resist
That will not let me be
Never set me free
Make a goddamn slave of me
All of my life, with chains around my heart
All of my life, put out that fire before it starts
Cause it don’t take but a spark
Shine a light through the dark
And what I had feared from afar
Here you are, here you are
I stared down the Devil Himself
At the Gates of Hell
I walked on the wild side
And lived to tell
All in all the walls of my defenses held
Till brick by brick they fell
And here I am, here I am
All of my life, now everything’s brand new
All of my life, baby, now there’s you
Come and take the hand
Of God’s lonely man
A stranger in a stranger land
Here I am, here I am
Here I am, here I am
By Scott Kempner
©Prince of The Bronx Music (2012)
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EVERYDAY
Everyday I stare down trouble
Heaven knows that’s what I do
Everyday I raise my fist for the struggle
Everyday that I’m with you
Everyday I wake up hungry
And I try and get my fill
Anyway it’s a great big country
And I’ve got time to kill
We shared a dream together
One dark winter night
And found our dream still burned
In the long summer light
Everyday you call upon the angels
They do what you tell them to
And I’m walking just a little south of Heaven
Everyday that I’m with you
I’ve crossed mountains, I’ve crossed valleys
I’ve walked the highways sea to sea
Everyday it’s another blind alley
Everyday, just you and me
The sun is always shining
Somewhere when you smile
The chimes of freedom ring
And your heart beats in time
Everyday you call upon the angels
They do what you tell them to
And I’m walking just a little south of Heaven
Everyday that I’m with you
Everyday I get a little closer
Everyday another clue
Everyday I see more and more and more
Everyday that I’m with you
We shared a dream together
One dark winter night
And found our dream still burned
In the long summer light
Everyday you call upon the angels
They do what you tell them to
And I’m walking just a little south of Heaven
Everyday that I’m with you
By Scott Kempner/Dion DiMucci
©Bronx Soul Music/Prince of the Bronx Music 1998
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ME AND THE LORD BLUES
I woke up this morning
And I says to God, “I know
You’re gonna hit me if you wanna hit me
But do ya gotta hit so hard?”
No food on my table
Too much on my plate
I bust my brains, back and as for nothing
Please tell me, Lord, this is all a mistake
Where is my God of Mercy?
Not of Vengeance but of Love
Hey God, I’m livin’ west of Jersey
Push finally came to shove
Every night
I get a ticket to ride
Into the light
On the other side
And I hear freedom
I smell justice
I taste sunshine
In my eye
Hey God, this job is killin’ me
Where is the God of my Fathers?
I can’t wait around here all day
Nobody cares, nobody bothers
Help me roll the stone away
I get a ticket to ride
Into the light
On the other side
And I hear freedom
I smell justice
I taste sunshine
In my eyes
Hey God, this job is killin’ me
Maybe I should just stay here, Lord
Spend the rest of my life in bed
I could probably make it to the end of the year, Lord
Or, am I already dead
Every night
I get a ticket to ride
Into the light
On the other side
And I hear freedom
I smell justice
I taste sunshine
In my eyes
Hey God, this job is killin’ me
By Scott Kempner
(2012) Prince of the Bronx Music
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LETTER (UNMAILED)
I hold you inside me
Like I swallowed the morning sun
And I sleep ‘neath your slipstream
Dream of you when day is done
The boys wait at your window
Whisper your name in their secret prayers
They all want something for nothing
Some unguarded moment you’ll see them there
I would climb a mountain of sorrow
Never falter or tire
The Devil says true love’s a lie
But, the Devil’s a liar
I would swim a raging sea
If you were in some foreign land
And if it’s Heaven you want to see
I know the way, darlin’, take my hand
Look in your heart, if you see me
Don’t leave me out on the wire
The Devil says true love’s a lie
But, the Devil’s a liar
It’s a cold cold world outside
And these are strange times we’re livin’ in
So, if you are lonesome tonight
Feel like givin’ up, feel like givin’ in
When the party is over
And you’re the one left standing there
And the world just won’t listen
Talk to me, I will hear
I’ll stand by you when you’re tall and strong, weak and uninspired
The Devil says true love’s a lie
But, the Devil’s a liar
The Devil says true love’s a lie
I say the Devil’s a liar
By Scott Kempner
©Prince of the Bronx Music 2012
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DAMAGED
Hey little girl, what’d your daddy do to you?
You know, I come with my own baggage, too
We’re damaged damaged
Let’s fall in love
You step up to the plate already two strikes down
They blindside ya, blindfold ya, spin you around
We’re damaged, damaged
Let’s fall in love
CHORUS:
We’re damaged baby, ain’t that just great?
Damaged, by the time we’re born, it’s already too late
Damaged, pre-set to detonate
And that’s what makes the world go round and round
And around and around
Baby, we’re damaged
Round and around
Baby, we’re damaged
Damaged, damaged
Let’s fall in love
We can move into a bubble inside an illusion
Heartbreak City, State of Confusion
We’re damaged, damaged
Let’s fall in love
We can get married, settle down, have a kid
And do the same great job our folks did
We’re damaged, damaged
Let’s fall in love
CHORUS
We breathe our first breath, dream our first dream
The unwelcome stranger in the opening scene
We’re damaged, damaged
Let’s fall in love
CHORUS
By Scott Kempner
©Prince of the Bronx Music 2012
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YOU CAN MAKE A MISTAKE ONE TIME
You can make a mistake just one time, one time
You can make a mistake just one time, one time
You can make a mistake just one time
Pay for it for the rest of your life
You can make a mistake just one time, one time
I bought a one-way ticket on a train to nowhere one time
I bought a one-way ticket on a train to nowhere one time
I bought a one-way ticket on a train to nowhere
Don’t matter where I’m going, she don’t care
I bought a one-way ticket on a train to nowhere one time
Got to the station at the wrong time
And, I stood a little too long in the wrong line
But, I found a seat, found a bottle of wine
Don’t know whose it was but now it’s mine
Took a sip, settled in for the long ride
One time
Now, I’m free at last, out on my own
Floating out here in The Twilight Zone
But if I look lost, destination unknown
Don’t cast me a line, I know where I’m goin’
Yeah, it feels real good to be on my own
But, I’m heading right back even knowing what I’m knowing
Save me from myself, save me from myself
Save my from myself, Lord, one time, one time
She told me my very existence was a sin
Can you imagine a thing like that, well, she did!
I held my breath and slipped away
Didn’t exhale until today
And now I hear that last train comin’ and I’m gonna ride it
You can make a mistake just one time, one time
You can make a mistake just one time, one time
You can make a mistake just one time
Pay for it for the rest of your life
You can make a mistake just one time, one time
By Scott Kempner/Eric Ambel
©Prince of the Bronx Music/Vibemeister Music 2012
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SILVERLAKE
I wake up tired, I wake up late
It gets dark these days about half past eight
Waited for good fortune to come to me
Waited till I couldn’t stand my own company
My friends said there’s gold in those hills out West
I thought I’d put that old notion to the test
They said, “Be careful, man, the sun don’t rise it sets”
Maybe that’s funny to you
It’s just a matter of tryin’
It’s just a matter of cryin’
It’s just a matter of lyin’ to yourself
And, everybody else
Now, I’m a stranger where I’ve been many times before
But, nothin’ much scares me anymore
A bullet through the heart of the city of my birth
A target on my back everywhere I go on this earth
I know I will never go home anymore
What I’d find I’m not even sure
An orphan in the storm in the Land of Setting Sun
How can I explain this to you?
It’s just a matter of tryin’
It’s just a matter of cryin’
It’s just a matter of lyin’ to yourself
And, everybody else
Every night we ride the Mystery Train
Leaving behind the Human Stain
And, yes I carry a few regrets
None of which I will ever forget
But, I love a woman and she loves me right back
My songs are my lantern, my dreams are my map
Another chapter in the Big Book of Me
Who knows how this story ends?
It’s just a matter of tryin’
It’s just a matter of cryin’
It’s just a matter of lyin’ to yourself
And, everybody else
By Scott Kempner
©Prince of the Bronx Music (2012)
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