Donald Jay Fagen (born January 10, 1948) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the co-founder, lead singer, and the principal songwriter of the rock band Steely Dan (along with partner Walter Becker).
Fagen is known for his use of jazz harmonies, elaborate arrangements, and attention to detail. Following the breakup of Steely Dan in 1981, he launched a long-running, if sporadic, solo career in 1982, spawning three albums to date, with a fourth album in progress. Fagen has toured with Becker since Steely Dan reunited in 1993.
Fagen was born in Passaic, New Jersey, on January 10, 1948 to Joseph "Jerry" Fagen, an accountant and his wife Elinor. From the age of 12 to 17, Elinor sang in a hotel band in upstate New York's Catskill Mountains until bouts of stage fright (a condition her son would later be afflicted with) forced her to discontinue performing live. Fagen would later recall: "I can't ever remember when there was silence around the house. She was either playing records or singing."
Walter Carl Becker (born February 20, 1950 in Queens, New York) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist and co-songwriter in Steely Dan.
Becker met his future songwriting partner Donald Fagen while studying at Bard College. After a brief period of activity in New York, the two relocated to California in 1971 and formed the nucleus of Steely Dan, who enjoyed a critically and commercially successful ten-year career. Following the group's disbanding, Becker relocated to Hawaii and reduced his musical activity, working primarily as a record producer.
Becker and Fagen reformed Steely Dan in 1993 and have remained active, most notably including their 2000 Two Against Nature album, which won four Grammy Awards. Becker has also released two solo albums, 1994's 11 Tracks of Whack and 2008's Circus Money.
Becker was born in Queens, grew up in Westchester County and Forest Hills, Queens, and graduated from Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan in the class of 1967. After starting out on saxophone, he switched to guitar and received instruction in blues technique from neighbor Randy Wolfe.
Crewmen of the true companion
I can see your tired of action
In this everlasting twilight
Home is just a sad extraction
Just beyond the troubled skyways
Young men dream of fire and starshine
I've been dreaming of my own green world
I'm Lester the Nightfly
Hello Baton Rouge
Won't you turn your radio down
Respect the seven second delay we use
So you say there's a race
Of men in the trees
You're for tough legislation
Thanks for calling
I wait all night for calls like these
An independent station
WJAZ
With jazz and conversation
From the foot of Mt. Belzoni
Sweet music
Tonight the night is mine
Late line till the sun comes through the skylight
I've got plenty of java
And Chesterfield Kings
But I feel like crying
I wish I had a heart like ice
Heart like ice
If you want your honey
To look super swell
You must spring for that little blue jar
Patton's Kiss And Tell
Kiss And Tell
An independent station
WJAZ
With jazz and conversation
From the foot of Mt. Belzoni
Sweet music
Tonight the night is mine
Late line till the sun comes through the skylight
You'd never believe it
But once there was a time
When love was in my life
I sometiemes wonder
What happened to that flame
The answer's still the same
It was you you it was you
Tonight you're still on my mind
An independent station
WJAZ
With jazz and conversation
From the foot of Mt. Belzoni
Sweet music
Tonight the night is mine
Mona's become a child of the night
When she goes out
It's only for bare necessities
She says she's had it up to here with light
While the city sleeps
That's when she comes alive
Yes, the night belongs to Mona
When she's dancing all alone
Forty floors above the city
CDs spinnin'
AC hummin'
Feelin' pretty
Sometimes she'll call at some unholy hour
She wants to talk
All of this grim and funny stuff
Then she'll go all quiet in her Chelsea tower
And that' when we wait
To see how the story ends
'Cause the night belongs to Mona
When she's dancing all alone
Forty floors above the city
CDs spinnin'
AC hummin'
Feelin' pretty
Was it the fire downtown
That turned her world around
Was it some guy or lots of different things
We all wonder where she's gone
That sunny girl we used to know
Now every night we get the Mona show
Maybe it's good that she's above it all
Things don't seem as dark
When you're already dressed in black
We try not to see the writing on the wall
What happens tomorrow
When the moonrays
Get so bright
When she rises
Towards the starlight
Miles above
The city's heat
Will she fall hard
Or float softly to the street
Tonight the night belongs to Mona
When she's dancing all alone
Forty floors above the city
CDs spinnin'
AC hummin'
I dreamed I had a fever
I was pushin' one-oh-three
My mom's all upset - cryin' by my bedside
Everybody's prayin' for me
I hear a scratchin' at the window
I somehow twist myself around
I realize I'm eyes to eyes
With the fella in the Brite Nitegown
Brite Nitegown
Brite Nitegown
You can't fight with the fella
In the Brite Nitegown
The eagle flies on Friday
My baby wants to bash
I hit the ATM - and march down the street
With a roll of party cash.
Right then a couple lit-up brothers
They gently put me on the ground
They do the steal and leave me to deal
With the fella in the Brite Nitegown
Brite Nitegown
Brite Nitegown
You can't fight with the fella
In the Brite Nitegown
Ten milligrams of Chronax
Will whip you back through time
Past Hebrew kings - and furry things
To the birth of humankind
I shared in all of nature's secrets
But when I finally came around
I'm sittin' on the rug gettin' a victory hug
From the fella in the brite Brite Nitegown
Brite Nitegown
Brite Nitegown
You can't fight with the fella
Our town is just like any other
Good citizens at work and play
Normal folks doin' business in the normal way
This morning was like any other
Mommies kissing daddies goodbye
Then the milkman screamed
And pointed up at the sky
Chorus:
From Sheilus to the reefs of Kizmar
From Stargate and the Outer Worlds
They're speeding towards our sun
They're on a party run
Here come Tomorrow's Girls
Tomorrow's Girls
You see them on the grass at lunch hour
Soaking up the vertical rays
In their summer dresses
A little smile can really make your day
Their kisses feel like real kisses
And when they cry they cry real tears
But what's left in your arms
When the static clears
Chorus:
They're landing on the Jersey beaches
Their engines make the white sand swirl
The heat is so intense
Earth men have no defense
Against Tomorrow's Girls
In the cool of the evening
In the last light of the triple sun
I wait by the go-tree
When the day's busy work is done
Soon the warm night breezes
Start rolling in off the sea
Yes, at lantern time
That's when you come to me
Come to me
Our home is just like any other
We're grillin' burgers on the back lawn
Some time goes by
We fall asleep with the TV on
I dream about a laughing angel
Then the laugh becomes a furious whine
Look out fellas
It's shredding time
Chorus:
They're mixing with the population
A virus wearing pumps and pearls
Lord help the lonely guys
Hooked by those hungry eyes
Here come Tomorrow's Girls
Tomorrow's Girls
Chorus:
From Sheilus to the reefs of Kizmar
From Stargate and the Outer Worlds
They're speeding towards our sun
They're on a party run
Here come Tomorrow's Girls
Well I guess I needed a miracle
If I was gonna make my flight
I had to get to gate C13
And it was still way out of sight
Something in my carry on bag
Tipped off the x-ray machine
'Cause then an angel straight from heaven
Asked me to 'step behind that screen'
And when I felt the wand sweep over me
You know I never felt so clean
Well you won't find my name on your list
Honey you know I ain't no terrorist
Confiscate my shoes, my cellphone
You know I love you,
Security Joan
I hung out at the Starbucks
'til just around boarding time
Then I strolled on back to the checkpoint
Just one thing on my mind
She flashed that crooked smile and said
'Well I believe you missed your flight'.
I said 'There's been a minor change of plan,
And I'll be stayin' for one more night'.
I could tell from the way she looked at me
Everything was gonna be all right
Well you won't find.....etc.
I got a girl and Ruby is her name
She don't love me, but I love her just the same
Ruby Baby how I want you
Like a ghost I'm gonna haunt you
Ruby Baby when will you be mine
Each time I see you baby my heart cries
I'm gonna steal you away from all those guys
From the sunny day I met you
Made a bet that I would get you
Ruby Baby when will you be mine
I got a girl and Ruby is her name
I'd give the world just to set her heart aflame
Got some lovin' money too
Gonna give it all to you
Here at Laughing Pines
Where the party never ends
There's a spicy new attraction
On the Funway
You can scan yourself
For traces of old heartaches
The details of desire
Shimmering - shimmering
Yowie! - It's Connie Lee
At the wheel of her Shark-de-Ville
We're cruisin' at about a thousand miles an hour
But the car is standin' still
So good to hear that crazy laugh
To hear her whisper hold me tight
To learn to love all over again
On that warm wet April night
Chorus:
Swing out
To Lake Nostalgia
Route 5 to Laughing Pines
Get off at Funway West
Drive into Springtime
Drive into Springtime
Easter Break - '66
A shack on Cape Sincere
Mad Mona bakin' gospel candy
It was a radical year
We get a little silly
And fall into microspace
It's even better this time around
With Coltrane on the K.L.H.
Chorus
It's you and me honey, in a crowded booth
At the Smokehouse in the Sand
I'm dragging out some bad old gag
When you touch my hand
At 4 a.m. we go out of this place
You look absurdly sweet
We hike downtown to Avenue A
Like we own the street
At Nervous Time
We roll downtown
We've got scenes to crash
We're gonna trick and trash
We're gonna find some fun
We hit the street
With visors down
With our thermasuits
Sealed up tight
We can beat the freeze
And get saved tonight
Let's stop off at the Metroplex
That little dancer's got some style
Yes she's the one I'll be waiting for
At the stage door
Chorus:
Snowbound
Let's sleep in today
Wake me up
When the wolves come out to play
Heat up
These white nights
We're gonna turn this town
Into a city of lights
We take the tube
To Club Hi Ho
It's about deadspace
It's a marketplace
And a party house too
Something new
From Charlie Tokyo
It's a kind of pyramid
With a human heart
Beating in an ion grid
A critic grabs us
And says without a smile
The work seduces us with light
Eviva laughs and we step out
Into the blue-white night
Chorus
We sail our icecats on the frozen river
Some loser fires off a flare, amen
For seven seconds it's like Christmas day
And then it's dark again
And then it's dark again
They came in under the radar
When our backs were turned around
In a fleet of Lincoln Town Cars
They rolled into our town
Confounded all six senses
Like an opiate in the brain
Mary shut the garden door
Looks a lot like rain
Mary shut the garden door
Mary shut the garden door
We pounded Rachel's radio
For reports about the bridge
There was nothing on but static
Nothing in the fridge
We lay there listening to the wind
Whistling through the pines
When we heard the engines idling
Saw the headlights through the blinds
Mary shut the garden door
Mary shut the garden door
Rough dreams
Those voices in the kitchen
I woke up
And sensed the new condition
They won
Storms raged
Things changed
Forever
So if you ever see an automaton
In a midprice luxury car
Better roll the sidewalks up
Switch on your lucky star
'Cause this zombie does impressions
But not really to amuse
This ballad is for lovers
With something left to lose
Mary shut the garden door
Since you've been gone, an awesome change has come about
My life is different now,
I'm not the same without you
I'm evolving at a really astounding rate of speed
Into something way cooler, than what I was before
I feel much stronger than I have in years
My mind is sharp, and my spirit's high
Now people tell me the shape of my face is changing
I've grown an inch tall since you left
What in the world is going on? Please tell me
Without you, I now have eyes to see some other destiny
A future escape of brighter things of which I belong to
Her role...
I can hold my breath for a really long time now
I can hold my own
I'm not the same without you
Without you, I now have eyes to see some other destiny
A future escape of brighter things of which I belong to
Her role...
Since you've been gone, it's like somebody switched the stars back on
I can see into everybody's heart, and everybody's dreams girl
I don't need sleeW anymore,
If I close my eyes, I sleep the sleep of the gods
And no, no, no
I'm not the same without you
I'm not the same without you
I'm not the same without you
Some say that we're reckless
They say we're much too young
Tell us to stop before we've begun
We've got to hold out till graduation
Try to hang on Maxine
While the world is slepping
We meet at Lincoln Mall
Talk about life the meaning of it all
Try to make sense of the suburban sprawl
Try to hang on Maxine
Mexico City is like another world
Nice this year they say
You'll mbe my senorita
In jeans and pearls
But first let's get off this highway
We'll move up to Manhattan
And fill the place with friends
Drive to the coast and drive right back again
One day we'll wake up make love but till then
Standing tough under stars and stripes
We can tell
This dream's in sight
You've got to admit it
At this point in time that it's clear
The future looks bright
On that train all graphite and glitter
Undersea by rail
Ninety minutes from New York to Paris
Well by seventy-six we'll be A.O.K.
What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free
Get your ticket to that wheel in space
While there's time
The fix is in
You'll be a witness to that game of chance in the sky
You know we've got to win
Here at home we'll play in the city
Powered by the sun
Perfect weather for a streamlined world
There'll be spandex jackets one for everyone
What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free
On that train all graphite and glitter
Undersea by rail
Ninety minutes from New York to Paris
(More leisure for artists everywhere)
A just machine to make big decisions
Programmed by fellows with compassion and vision
We'll be clean when their work is done
We'll be eternally free yes and eternally young
What a beautiful world this will be
On a night like this
You look up at your lover
It's like you're in some old cartoon
Then you detect
The scent of faded roses
Up in the sky
There's that cruel countermoon
Could that be murder you see in her eyes
You try a long and desperate kiss
You can't escape it
That beam is sure to find you
Chorus:
On a night like this
The story is told
How the women get restless
And the men grow cold
Gotham shudders
There's a chill in the air
There's a countermoon
Lovers all beware
Hand in hand
You walk along the river
You stop to clutch and caress
A countermoonbeam
Comes sweeping off the water
She says "You're not my Jackie.
My Jackie was the best."
Spitewaves are threatening
The seaside hotels
It's nasty weather for July
Last night you loved her
Tonight you wonder why
Chorus
At every pay phone
There's somebody cryin'
All the streets are slick with tears
When you see that blue ray
There's a heartquake on the way
Uptown
It's murder out in the street
Uptown
It's murder out in the street
That's where I found my mandarin plum
That's where you'd be if you found one
Where the nights are bright
And joy is complete
Keep my squeeze on Green Flower Street
Since May
There's trouble most every night
Where once we danced our sweet routine
It reeks of wine and kerosene
Where the nights are bright
And joy is complete
Keep my squeeze on Green Flower Street
There's a special place for lovers
One we understand
There where neon bends in daylight sky
In that sunny room she soothes me
Cools me with her fan
We're drifting
A thousand years roll by
Lou Chang
Her brother he's burning with rage
Lou Chang
Her brother he's burning with rage
I'd like to know what's on his mind
He says hey buddy you're mot my kind
Where the nights are bright
And joy is complete
Start on Key Plantain
Walk a tropical mile
You'll see a house
In the Spanish style
There's a room in back
With a view of the sea
Where she sits and dreams
Does she dream of me
When summer's gone
I get ready
To make that Carribee run
I've got to have
Some time in the sun
Chorus:
When the cold wind comes
I go where the dahlias bloom
I keep drifting back
To your Florida room
She's dressed too warm
For this latitude
We go out to lunch
With some Jamaican dude
Then the sunshower breaks
We come in out of the rain
But in her Florida room
There's a hurricane
While the city freezes over
We'll be strollin' down the shore
Can she bring me back
To life once more
Chorus
When summer's gone
I get ready
To make that Carribee run
I've got to have
Some time in the sun
I say Ray why do girls treat you nice that way
He said it's not what I know what I think or say
It's what I do
It's what I do
It's deep beneath the skin
It's what I major in
It's what I do
Yes I come to play some big bad soul
Well I could rock long before they named it rock and
roll
It's what I do
It's what I do
I'm specially qualified
To keep 'em satisfied
It's what I do
You turn the lamp down low
And make her feel secure
You've got to show the girl
That she's the one that you adore
If you want that sugar to pour
Well you bring some church but you leave no doubt
As to what kind of love you love to shout about
It's what I do
It's what I do
If you can't dance by now
The Raylettes will show you how
It's what I do
You turn the lamp down low
Make her feel secure
You've got to show the girl
She's the one that you adore
If you want that sugar to pour
He says Don don't despair, just take some time
You find your bad self You're gonna do just fine.
It's what I do
It's what I do
It's not some game I play
It's in my DNA
A shadow crossed the blue Miami sky
As we hit the causeway by the big hotel
We fought
Now I can't remember why
After all the words were said and tears were gone
We vowed we'd never say goodbye
When we kissed we could hear the sound of thunder
As we watched the regulars rush the big hotels
We kissed again as the showers swept the Florida shore
You opened your umbrella
But we walked between the raindrops back to your door
In my dreams I can hear the sound of thunder
I can see the causeway by the big hotels
That happy day we'll find each other on that Florida shore
You'll open your umbrella
And we walk between the raindrops back to your door
I was born yesterday
When they brought my Kamakiri
When they handed me the keys
It's a steam-power 10
The frame is out of Glasgow
The tech is Balinese
It's not a freeway bullet
Or a bug with monster wheels
It's a total biosphere
The farm in the back
Is hydroponic
Good, fresh things
Every day of the year
Good, fresh things
Every day of the year
With all screens and functions
In sync lock with Tripstar
This cool rolling bubble
Is all set to samba
This route could be trouble
(This route could be trouble)
Chorus:
Steamin' up
That Trans-Island Skyway
Tryin' to make that final deadline
And if the lanes are clear
We're gonna drive a little harder
We'll be deep in the Zone by cryin' time
Say, there's a wreck
On the side of the road
Lots of blood and broken glass
The kid who was driving
I know from somewhere
Some kids just drive too fast
Wait just a minute
There's a beautiful survivor
With dancer's legs and laughing eyes
C'mon snakehips, it's all over now
Strap in tight cause it's a long sweet ride
Relax - put some sounds on
I'll brew up some decaf
C'mon kick off those heels ma'am
Now breathe in and sigh out
Let's get with the program
(Let's talk about the good times)
Chorus
We reach the sprangle
Just at dawn
These little streets I used to know
Is that my father
Mowin' the lawn
(C'mon daddy get in let's go)
C'mon daddy get in let's go
C'mon daddy get in let's go
C'mon daddy get in let's go
C'mon daddy get in let's go
C'mon daddy get in let's go
C'mon daddy get in let's go
We pull into Five Zoos
Past motels and drive-thrus
That noon sun is blinding
The tidepools are boiling
Below plates are grinding
(Let's talk about the good times)
The Great Pagoda of Fun
The stars are bright tonight
The air is sweet
Though summer's over now
There's a strange new music in the street
You and i
Know the world can't be like this
It's our love that makes it shine
Girl
Whatever trouble waits outside these doors
We're safe inside thsi house of light
We make up our own storyline
Around the neighborhood
They stare and grin
As if they live their lives
Just to help maintin the state we're in
But when we fight
Then those hungry woolves close in
We're one thoughtless word away
From poison skies
And severed heads
And pain and lies
So follow me
I'll hold you tight
And we'll build a life together
In the great pagoda of fun
This magic soon will fade
Without a doubt
We'll have to work my love
Just to keep the flame from going out
Cause if we fail
Then these walls will fall away
And we'll fin we're in the realm
Of psycho-moms
And dying stars
And dirty bombs
Please follow me
And hold me tight
Yes we'll build a world together
The surf was easy on the day I came to stay
On this quiet island in the bay
I remember a line of women all in white
The laughter and the steel bands at night
Now the Americans are gone exept for two
The embassy's been hard to reach
There's been talk and lately a bit of action after dark
Behind the big casino on the beach
The rules are changed
It's not the same
It's all new players in a whole new ball game
Last night I dreamed of an old lover dressed in gray
I've had this fever now since yesterday
Wake up darling they're knocking the Colonel's standing in the sun
With his stupid face the glasses and the gun
I know what hapens
I read the book
I believe I just got the goodbye look
Won't you pour me a Cuban breeze Gretchen
I know a fellow with a motor launch for hire
A skinny man with two-one shoes
Cause tonight they're arranging a small reception just for me
Behind the big casino by the sea
I know what hapens
I read the book
Out on the fringe
Where the shallows meet the scratchlands
Out where hope and the highway ends
You can park or cruise
Both ways you lose
This is Flytown now my friend
You take a walk on Bleak Street
Tonight could be the night you crash
Then you turn and stop
Start to fingerpop
You think you hear a wailin' combo
You climb a flight of twisted stairs
Some cat says buddy
[Chorus:]
If you've got eyes
To rhythmatize
Bring your flat hat and your ax
'Cause tonight at ten
We'll be workin' again
At the Teahouse on the Tracks
The Siegel Bros. were slammin' out a baion
So slick it should have been a crime
Irene and Flocko and little Amy Khan
Lead off the big front line
The crowd was bouncin' in sync with the pulse
You get a case of party feet
(Then the room turns bright
And fills up with light)
And then from somewhere deep inside you
Some frozen stuff begins to crack
Better hurry
[Chorus:]
Take the T-Line to Bleak and Divine
Just above the Good Time Flats
It's your last chance
To learn how to dance
At the Teahouse on the Tracks
On Sunday morning
You're back at the wheel
You're feelng calm and crisp and strong
[Chorus:]
If it feels right
Just drive for the light
That's the groovessential facts
Someday we'll all meet at the end of the street
Drive along the sea
Far from the city's twitch and smoke
To a misty beach
That's where my life became a joke
On the dunes
On the dunes
(Became a joke on the dunes)
Where rents are high
And seabirds cry
On the dunes
As you spoke you must have known
It was a kind of homicide
I stood and watched my happiness
Drift outwards with the tide
On the dunes
On the dunes
(Homicide on the dunes)
It wasn't fair
It's brutal there
On the dunes
Pretty boats
Sweeping along the shore
In the faltering light
Pretty women
With their lovers by their side
It's like an awful dream
I have most every night
In the summer all the swells
Join in the search for sun and sand
For me it's just a joyless place
Where this loneliness began
On the dunes
On the dunes
(Loneliness on the dunes)
I'm pretty tough
But the wind is rough
Yes we're gonna have a wingding
A summer smoker underground
It's just a dugout that my dad built
In case the reds decide to push the button down
We've got provisions and lots of beer
The key word is survival on the new frontier
Introduce me to that big blonde
She's got a touch of Tuesday Weld
She's waering Ambush and a French twist
She's got us wild and she can tell
She loves to limbo that much is clear
She's got the right dynamic for the new frontier
Well I can't wait till I move to the city
Till I finally make up my mind
To learn design and study overseas
Have you got a steady boyfriend
Cause honey I've been watching you
I hear you're mad about Brubeck
I like you eyes I like him too
He's an artist a pioneer
We've got to have some music on the new frontier
Well I can't wait till I move to the city
Till I finally make up my mind
To learn design and study overseas
Let's pretend that it's the real thing
And stay together all night long
And when I really get to know you
We'll open up the doors and climb into the dawn
Confess your passion your secret fear
High above Manhattan town
What floats and has a shape like that
Fans like us who watch the skies
We know it's Morph the Cat
Gliding like a big blue cloud
From Tomkins Square to Upper Broadway
Beyond the park to Sugar Hill
Stops a minute for a latte
He oozes down the heating duct
Swims like seaweed down the hall
He briefly digs your wiggy pad
And seeps out through the wall
It's kind of like an arctic mindbath
Cool and sweet and slightly rough
Liquid light on New York City
Like Christmas without the chintzy stuff
What exactly does he want
This Rabelaisian puff of smoke
To make you feel all warm and cozy
Like you heard a good joke
Like you heard an Arlen tune
Or you bought yourself a crazy hat
Like you had a Mango Cooler
Ooh - Morph the Cat
He's all the talk in shops and schoolyards
Sultan Place - the Automat
Players playin' in da Bronx
Respects to Morph the Cat
It's kind of like an arctic mindbath
Cool and sweet and slightly rough
Liquid light on New York City
Like Christmas without the chintzy stuff
So rich is his charisma
You can almost hear it sing
He skims the roofs
And bells begin to ring
Chinese cashiers can feel it now
Grand old gals at evening mass
Young racketeers
And teenage models
Laughing on the grass
Blessed Yankees have an ally
When this feline comes to bat
Bringing joy to old Manhattan
I hear Denise is back on the outside
That's she's got a wicked plan
She's callin' in the Gong sisters again
To form the ultimate five chord band
For eight months now in that freaking cell
She's been knockin' ideas around
Now she's good and ready to make a big noise
Right here in her own hometown
[Chorus:]
Here comes the H Gang
Slammin' into Hinktown
Oh you better get off the stage boy
'cause they'll be looking for a showdown
On a moonless night they started off
On a bus called Happy Day
To bring their vision to cities and towns
Across the U.S.A.
And in every club and hall they played
The crowd knew every word
Even today folks are talkin' about
The incredible sounds they heard
Here comes the H Gang
Turn on the floodlights
Get off the stage son
Unless you're ready for a kickfight
Whatever happened to the H Gang
Some say they were the best
I heard they broke up, Denise got hitched
And she's living in the Mid West.
There's a film that's in production,
The working title, "Song of Desire,"
'bout an orphan girl with this crazy red hair,
And a voice and a dream and a soul on fire
[Chorus:]
Here comes the H Gang
Slammin' into Hinktown
Oh you better get off the stage boy
'cause they'll be looking for a showdown
[Chorus:]
Here comes the H Gang
Slammin' into Hinktown
Oh you better get off the stage boy
Those trucks in the street
Is it really Monday
Time to find some trouble again
Make a bid for romance
While the dollar stands a chance
Dumb love in the city at century's end
We tap to this line
Dancing on a mirror
There's no disbelief to suspend
It's the dance, it's the dress
She's a concept more or less
Dumb love in the city at century's end
(At century's end)
Nobody's holding out for heaven
It's not for creatures here below
We just suit up for a game
The name of which we used to know
It might be careless rapture
This kid's got the eye
Call it pirate radar
Scooping out the roof for some trend
But there's nobody new
So she zeroes in on you
Dumb love in the city at century's end
(At century's end)
Nobody's holding out for heaven
It's not for creatures here below
We just suit up for a game
The name of which we used to know
By now it's second nature
Scratch the camera
We can grab the locals
Let's get to the love scene, my friend
Which means look, maybe touch
But beyond that not too much
Dumb love in the city at century's end
Dumb love in the city
Love in the city at century's end
Love in the city at century's end
Love in the city at century's end
Yes we're gonna have a wingding
A summer smoker underground
It's just a dugout that my dad built
In case the reds decide to push the button down
We've got provisions and lots of beer
The key word is survival on the new frontier
Introduce me to that big blonde
She's got a touch of Tuesday Weld
She's waering Ambush and a French twist
She's got us wild and she can tell
She loves to limbo that much is clear
She's got the right dynamic for the new frontier
Well I can't wait till I move to the city
Till I finally make up my mind
To learn design and study overseas
Have you got a steady boyfriend
Cause honey I've been watching you
I hear you're mad about Brubeck
I like you eyes I like him too
He's an artist a pioneer
We've got to have some music on the new frontier
Well I can't wait till I move to the city
Till I finally make up my mind
To learn design and study overseas
Let's pretend that it's the real thing
And stay together all night long
And when I really get to know you
We'll open up the doors and climb into the dawn
Confess your passion your secret fear
It was an October morning
Near the carousel.
I met a light young beauty,
And we talked there for a spell.
We walked up by the green lawn,
And my heart began to sing.
Mad man on a bench screams out,
“Hold on to that slinky thing,
Hold on to that slinky thing.”
Went to a party.
Everybody stood around,
Thinking, “Hey, what’s she doing
With a burned out hippie clown?”
Young dudes were grinning,
I can’t say it didn’t sting.
Some punk said, “Pops, you better
Hold on to that slinky thing,
Hold on to that slinky thing.”
More light, more light, more light, more light, more light, more light.
More light, more light, more light, more light, more light, more light.
Today we were strolling
By the reptile cage.
I’m thinking, “Does she need somebody
Who’s closer to her own age?”
Try not to worry
What tomorrow may bring.
I’m just going to do my best to
Hold on to that slinky thing,
Hold on to that slinky thing.
More light, more light, more light, more light, more light, more light.
More light, more light, more light, more light, more light, more light.
Today we were strolling
By the reptile cage.
I’m thinking, “Does she need somebody
Who’s closer to her own age?”
Try not to worry
What tomorrow may bring.
I’m just going to do my best to
Hold on to that slinky thing.
(Repeat and fade)
She smiled,
There’s a sun in my sky.
She laughed,
That’s my power supply.
She stayed with me,
I walked into Lindey's, tired and tight
Me and my Julie, been a' fighting all night
Bankroll don't like it when I come in late
We got a big beef with a small concern we must liquidate.
We cab down to the St. Mark for a lookie-lou
They'ra all loungin' in the lobby, and we do what we come to do.
Lotsy goes down easy, Moe takes it in the face
Weinburg brothers, run for cover, squirting metal all over the place.
There's a special satisfaction
When a job comes off so right.
Better break out the good stuff,
The boss wants to party all night.
My Julie's in the chorus, on Mr. Ziegfield's stage,
My little canary, in a golden cage,
I'm goofy on the girlie, but she runs hot and cold,
It's a relief to get marching orders, and do just what I'm told.
Tonight we 'jack the convoy, 200 barrel run,
Trucked in from a brewery in East Patterson,
Rolled in around midnight, delivered to the Speaks,
All that bubble, no trouble, whole crew gets to dip their beaks.
There's a special satisfaction
When a job comes off so right.
Better break out the good stuff,
The boss wants to party all night.
It's just about dawn, when I finally get home,
I find my twist with that punk, Johnny Rome.
So I popped the both, and I ankled downtown,
To a hop-house in the Tenderloin, need to kick that gong around.
There's a special satisfaction
When a job comes off so right.
Better break out the good stuff,
Back in double-o-seven
Miss M was queen
She could roll like a pro rolls
When she was seventeen
Whether straight or hammered
She was the best in town
When she release the red ball
All the pins fall down
Can’t you hear the balls rumble?
Can’t you hear the balls rumble?
Miss Marlene
We’re still bowling
Every Saturday night
Saturday night
Your move to the lane, child
Played on my heartstrings
With the long skinny legs, child
And your hoop earrings
When the stakes are sky-high
That’s when you'd always shine
The ball would ride a moonbeam
Down the inside line
Can’t you hear the balls rumble?
Can’t you hear the balls rumble?
Miss Marlene
We’re still bowling
Every Saturday night
Saturday night
And then, one night
Something came apart
You were throwin' back hurricanes
And we knew someone
Had played with your heart
You ran into the dark street
At University Place
The cab came up so fast that
We saw your laughin' face
Can’t you hear the balls rumble?
Can’t you hear the balls rumble?
Miss Marlene
We’re still bowling
Every Saturday night
Sometimes on a league night
I catch her scent again
Her hand guiding my hand
We drop the seven-ten
Can’t you hear the balls rumble?
Can’t you hear the balls rumble
Miss Marlene
We’re still bowling
Every Saturday night
Saturday night
Have you seen the memorabilia?
Rusty old memorabilia,
Souvenirs of perfect doom,
In the back of Louis Dakine's back room.
Have you seen the memorabilia?
Dusty old memorabilia,
Souvenirs of perfect doom,
In the back of Louis Dakine's back room.
Have you met that lovely creature?
The exceptional Ivy King.
She knows just what she’s after.
She’s got a jones for the real thing.
For that vintage atomic trash,
For the alien breeze,
The bright white flash,
From the Island east of the Carolines.
Lovely Island.
Have you seen the memorabilia?
Rusty old memorabilia,
Souvenirs of perfect doom,
In the back of Louis Dakine’s back room.
Have you seen the memorabilia?
Dusty old memorabilia,
Souvenirs of perfect doom,
In the back of Louis Dakine’s back room.
In a room right off the kitchen
There’s an old gas centrifuge.
Color film of Castle Bravo,
Girl you know that shot was huge.
There’s a crate full of lead-lined pipes,
A photo of laughing navy types
On the island east of the Carolines.
Lovely Island.
Have you seen the memorabilia?
Junky old memorabilia,
Souvenirs of perfect doom,
In the back of Louis Dakine’s back room.
Have you seen the memorabilia?
Funky old memorabilia,
Souvenirs of perfect doom,
In the back of Louis Dakine’s back room.
There was an island
East of the Carolines.
Lovely island.
Have you seen the memorabilia?
Rusty old memorabilia,
Souvenirs of perfect doom,
In the back of Louis Dakine’s back room.
Have you seen the memorabilia?
Dusty old memorabilia,
Souvenirs of perfect doom,
In the back of Louis Dakine’s back room.
Have you seen the memorabilia?
Junky old memorabilia,
Souvenirs of perfect doom,