BALL AND CHAIN (1968)

(Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton)

Sittin’ down by my window,
Honey, lookin’ out at the rain.
Oh, Lord, Lord, sittin’ down by my window,
Baby, lookin’ out at the rain.
Somethin’ came along, grabbed a hold of me, honey,
And it felt just like a ball and chain.
Honey, that’s exactly what it felt like,
Honey, just dragging me down.

And I say, oh, whoa, whoa, now hon’, tell me why,
Why does every single little tiny thing I hold on to go wrong?
Yeah it goes wrong, yeah.
And I say, oh, whoa, whoa, now babe, tell me why,
Hey, here you gone today, I wanted to love you,
I just wanted to hold you, I said, for so long,
Yeah! Alright! Hey!

Love’s got a hold on me, baby,
Feels like a ball and chain.
Now, love’s just draggin’ me down, baby,
Feels like a ball and chain.
I hope there’s someone out there who could tell me
Why the man I love wanna leave me in so much pain.
                 
And I say, oh, whoa, whoa, now hon’, tell me why,
Now tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me why,yeah.
And I say, oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, when I ask you,
When I need to know why, c’mon tell me why, hey hey hey,
Here you’ve gone today,
I wanted to love you and hold you
Till the day I die.
I said whoa, whoa, whoa!!

And I say oh, whoa, whoa, no honey
It ain’t fair, daddy it ain’t fair what you do,
I see what you’re doin’ to me and you know it ain’t fair.
And I say oh, whoa whoa now baby
It ain’t fair, now, now, now, what you do
I said hon’ it ain’t fair what, hon’ it ain’t fair what you do.
Oh, here you gone today and all I ever wanted to do
Was to love you
Honey you can still hear me rock and roll the best,
Only it ain’t roll, no, no, no, no, no.

Sittin’ down by my window,
Lookin’ out at the rain.
Lord, Lord, Lord, sittin’ down by my window,
Lookin’ out at the rain, see the rain.
Somethin’ came along, grabbed a hold of me,
And it felt like a ball and chain.
Oh this can’t be in vain
And I’m gonna tell you one more time, yeah, yeah!

And I say oh, whoa whoa, now baby
This can’t be, no this can’t be in vain,
And I say no no no no no no no no, whoa,
And I say whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Now now now now now now now now now no no not in vain
Hey, hope there is someone that could tell me
Hon’, tell me why love is like
Just like a ball
Just like a ball
Baaaaaaalllll
Oh daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy
And a chain.
Yeah.

MANIC DEPRESSION (1967)

Manic depression is touching my soul
I know what I want but I just dont know
How to, go about gettin it
Feeling sweet feeling,
Drops from my fingers, fingers
Manic depression is catchin my soul

Woman so weary, the sweet cause in vain
You make love, you break love
Its all the same
When its, when its over, mama
Music, sweet music
I wish I could caress, caress, caress
Manic depression is a frustrating mess

Well, I think Ill go turn myself off,
And go on down
All the way down
Really aint no use in me hanging around
In your kinda scene

Music, sweet music
I wish I could caress, caress, caress
Manic depression is a frustrating mess

Bummer The Summer (1967)

Well i remember when you used to look so good
And i did everything that i possibly could for you
We used to ride around all over town
But they're puttin' you down for bein' around with me
But you can go ahead if you want to
'cause i ain't got no papers on you

In the middle of the summer i had a job bein' a plumber
Just to pass till the fall it was you i wanna ball all day
Ah-we were walkin' along, honey, hand in hand
I'm a-thinkin' of you, mama, when you're thinkin' of another man
But you can go ahead if you want to
'cause i ain't got no papers on you
(no, i don't i ain't got no papers on myself)

All alone on the bone when i didn't have a home
When i saw the way i was and i knew where i was supposed to be
I was twitchin' so i turned and it's really hard to learn
That everyone i saw was just another part of me
But you can go ahead if you want to
'cause nobody's got no papers on you
(no, babe, it's just a falsehood)

MONTEREY (1970)

Under a loop of stars in the vulgar cold
The dead airport lay
By the pebbles of the highway
Through the snail clouds
You soared to your lover
I hurried away my darling
With a howl in my throat.
Hiding inside the weeds
In the orange grove,
The black rooster crowed
Through the hollow of the midnight.

With my shot blood,
With stains on my fingers,
I run with the damned, my darling:
They have taught me to laugh

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD
(George Weiss / Bob Thiele)

 I see trees of green, red roses too
 I see them bloom for me and you
 And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

 I see skies of blue and clouds of white
 The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
 And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

 The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
 Are also on the faces of people going by
 I see friends shakin' hands, sayin' "How do you do?"
 They're really saying "I love you"

 I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow
 They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
 And I think to myself, what a wonderful world
 Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world

 Oh yeah

Northern Sky (1969)

I never felt magic crazy as this

I never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea

I never held emotion in the palm of my hand

Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree

But now you're here

Brighten my northern sky.

It's been a long time that I'm waiting

Been a long time that I'm blown

been a long time that I've wandered

Through the people I have known

Oh, if you would and you could

Straighten my new mind's eye.

Would you love me for my money

Would you love me for my head

Would you love me through the winter

Would you love me 'til I'm dead

Oh, if you would and you could

Come blow your horn on high.

I never felt magic crazy as this

I never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea

I never held emotion in the palm of my hand

Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree

But now you're here

Brighten my northern sky.

SHE SAID (late 50's)

Why's don't I tell you what it is?

I wen' out last nigh' and I got messed up

When I woke up this mornin'

Shoulda seen what I had inna bed wi' me

She comes up at me outta the bed

Pull her hair down the eye

Looks to me like a dyin' can of that commodity meat

And says

And says

Woo ee ah ah!

Woo ee ah ah!

Woo ee ah ah!

Woo ee ah ah!

Wooooeeeeahhh!

So this time we got waay over here

(Where?! Where?!)

I don't know, since it was early dawn's light

She jumped up outta the car

She pulled her hair down her eye

She looked to me like a dinosaur 'bout to jump outta that seat

She said

She said

She said

Woo ee ah ah!

Woo ee ah ah!

Woo ee ah ah!

Woo ee ah ah!

Wooooeeeeyahhhh!

So this time we got waaay over here

And then we went waay down here

We got all the way over

'n that lady sound like this:

Oooooo! Oooooo!

She said

She said

Woo ee ah ah!

Woo ee ah ah!

Woo ee ah ah!

Yoo ee ah ah!

Wooooaaahhyahh!

So this time we went waaay over there

Now things was really gettin' goin'

Boilin' up with the blisters

She sound like this:

Ooooo! Ooooo!

She jumped up outta the car

Pulled her hair down her eye

And do you know what she tol' me?

Do you know what she try to tell me?

She said

Ooooo! It feel so goood!

Woo ee ah ah!

Woo ee ah ah!

Woo ee ah ah!

Woo ee ah ah!

Woo woo eeeeeyahhhh!

Yah yah yah!

Woo ee ah ah!

Woo ee ah ah!

Woo ee ah ah!