1. |
Let's Hear It
03:08
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Let’s Hear It
music and words by John Allee
Listen up, now hear this
Listen up, now hear this
Whatcha got to say?
Don’t fear it
Say it anyway
Let’s hear it
Listen up, now hear this
Listen up, now hear this
Talkin’ to the crowd
And we’re it
Say it right out loud
Let’s hear it
Your point of view is how you you it
Pick up your cue and let’s get to it
Can’t find the words? Then we’ll work through it
Have a chat about that, chew the fat
Let’s hear where you’re at
Or let’s scat
Listen up, now hear this
Listen up, now hear this
There’s so much to say
Let’s cheer it
Notions to convey
Let’s hear it
Your point of view is how you you it
Pick up your cue and let’s get to it
Can’t find the words? Then we’ll work through it
Have a chat about that, chew the fat
Let’s hear where you’re at
Or let’s scat
Listen up, now hear this
Listen up, now hear this
There’s so much to say
Let’s cheer it
Notions to convey
Let’s hear it
Got some gossip to relay?
Let’s hear it
© 2023 Portuguese Knees Music/ASCAP
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2. |
Like
03:42
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Like
words and music by John Allee
You are like the rain
You pitter patter on my window pane
Then blow right through me like a hurricane
You are like the rain
You are like the snow
You’re up above when I am down below
You lay your blanket anywhere you go
You are like the snow
You are like a breeze
Deftly dancing on the shifting seas
Or faintly whistling mystic melodies
You are like a breeze …
And I am like a mountain or a forest or a valley
Fastened and unchanging but for centuries of knowing
And how is it that we should come to care about each other
When I am of the constant and you are of the free?
You are like the sun
You light my world and you’re the only one
When you arrive the day has just begun
You are like the sun
© 2023 Portuguese Knees Music/ASCAP
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3. |
Until the Money's Gone
04:59
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Until the Money’s Gone
words & music by John Allee
Cash your check on Friday it’s two days ‘til it posts
Start the weekend slowly with a drive to the coast
Scare up some provisions at the local liquor store
Don’t you know this party’s gonna be straight up hard-core
And we’ll be havin’ some fun, uh, uh, until the money’s gone
Hop a flight for Vegas keep this evening on track
Hook up with some babies you remember from way back
Hit the strip – while you’re trippin’ it, catch a ride in someone’s Rolls
End up in a session with these cats from Muscle Shoals
And we’ll be havin’ some fun, uh, uh, until the money’s gone
Monday’s a drag and Tuesday’s a bust
And who could face that with that kind of disgust?
Wednesday’s too rough and Thursday’s a crime
So why not get lost for a whole lot more time?
Back at the casino hit a straight – hit it twice
Order up some drinks and maybe try your luck at dice
Scarf some scrambled eggs and tip your waitress with a smile
Take her to your room and show your gratitude in style
And we’ll be havin’ some fun, uh, uh, until the money’s gone
Back out on the highway find this crazy circus clown
Left there by the circus when the circus was in town
Dig his groovy music while his monkey keeps the beat
Bust some moves and hit the grooves with everyone we meet
And we’ll be havin’ some funk, uh, uh, until the monkey’s gone
Monday can chill and Tuesday can wait
And what good am I anyway in this state?
Wednesday’s a wash and Thursday’s just gone
And why should you care - I mean whose side are you on?
End up with these roadies at some roadside motel
The quiet one with the big black eyes – well, she’s got me in her spell
Someone lights a cigarette, forgets it ‘til it’s spent
The room goes up and the girl goes out and I’m left without a cent
Man, those roadies are fun, uh, uh, until the money’s gone
('Til the money's, money's gone
'Til the money's, money's gone)
'Til all the money's gone
('Til the money's, money's gone)
There ain't no money left
('Til the money's, money's gone)
Where'd all that money go?
('Til the money's, money's gone)
'Til all the money's gone
('Til the money's, money's gone)
© 2023 Portuguese Knees Music/ASCAP
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4. |
Hard Sell
02:24
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Hard Sell
Words and music by John Allee
You sell your ass on Hollywood and Vine
She sells subscriptions on the telephone line
He sells baby Jesuses made of wood
I’d sell my mother if I only could
Hard sell, hard sell
Make your pitch
Cast your spell
You’ll be rich as Rockefeller
A guy sells stocks in a three-piece suit
A girl sells flowers and candied fruit
The government’s selling weapons for their secret war
The church is selling bibles from door to door
Hard sell, hard sell
Scratch that itch
Ring that bell
You’ll be rich as Rockefeller
You can sell it on the street with the flim flam jive
You can sell it in the office from nine to five
You can sell it from a podium on Capitol Hill
You can sell it in a market in a bottle in a pill
Hard sell, hard sell
There’s a hitch
But don’t tell and
You’ll be rich as Rockefeller
You can sell it through the mail from a magazine
You can sell it at the drug store to the beauty queen
You can sell it on the television once a week
You can sell it at the circus as a side show freak
Hard sell, hard sell
Bait and switch
Shill the Shell
You’ll be rich as Rockefeller
You sell it to alleviate the national debt
You sell it when your luck is dry to settle a bet
You sell it to send your children away to school
You sell it to build an island in your swimming pool
Hard sell, hard sell
That’s the sitch
Drill a well
You’ll be rich as Rockefeller
He sells it cause it’s the only thing he’s ever known
She sells it cause it’s the only thing she’ll ever own
You sell it cause there’s really nothing else to do
I’d sell my mother wouldn’t you?
Of course you would…
© 2023 Portuguese Knees Music/ASCAP
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5. |
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Constant Storm of Jupiter
words and music by John Allee
She’s like the constant storm of Jupiter
How do I get through to her?
Spinning in her coffee cup
I never seem to know which way is up
Her turns and patterns formed so long ago
How could I begin to know?
Reaching out to touch her face
I see the clouds shift as she wanders off in space
Oh god of sky and thunder, ice and snow
Why, I wonder, do you never seem to want to let her go?
When you’re ready I’ll be waiting down below
I’ll be waiting on the ground here down below
We walked for miles and watched the sun turn red
An eagle circled overhead
And there among the old oak trees
I turned to her and fell upon my knees
There’s an eye in every hurricane
A quiet place inside the rain
And maybe that’s the best we do
A little stillness in the craziness we’re going through
Oh god of sky and thunder, ice and snow
Why, I wonder, do you never seem to want to let her go?
When you’re ready I’ll be waiting down below
I’ll be waiting on the ground here down below
I’ll be waiting on the ground here down below
I’ll be waiting on the ground here down below
© 2023 Portuguese Knees Music/ASCAP
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6. |
Some Other Way
04:24
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Some Other Way
Words and Music by John Allee
Johnny got hooked on a map of the island
And every Sunday night he would study its angles
And every Sunday night he would figure the numbers
And everybody knew it was something he thought of
And everybody’d say “that’s just Johnny, you know,
He is like that, like that”
Somebody told me that nobody changes
The older that we get it’s just more of the same
And everything you are just gets magnified more so
And everyone you know thinks they’ve
Figured you sideways
Like looking at a clock
When you don’t see the numbers
But clocks are just measures
Time is what matters
Time we spend just waking up
Is time that keeps running out
But the times we think there’s nothing more
There’s always the day
Time we spend just waking up
Is time we could chase it down
All the times we think there’s nothing more
There’s always some other way
Johnny got stuck on a bus going nowhere
He tried to pull the cord but the driver was deaf
So Johnny kept his eyes on the road to the right
And everywhere they passed
There was something to look at
‘Til Johnny didn’t care if he’d ever get off
And he laughed at the time gone
And forgot about all of the time to come
Time we spend just waking up
Is time that keeps running out
But the times we think there’s nothing more
There’s always the day
Time we spend just waking up
Is time we could chase it down
All the times we think there’s nothing more
There’s always some other way
© 2023 Portuguese Knees Music/ASCAP
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7. |
A Typical Paris Affair
03:31
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A Typical Paris Affair
words and music by John Allee
Come, let’s go for a walk
It’s a wonderful day
On this big city block
By the Champs-Elysée
Taking Paris by storm
May’s much warmer than April
Cars driving circles around the gendarmes
Get distracted by you on my arm
And the tourists all gawk when we walk
Past Rue de Berri
Where the smell of baguettes
Gets us hungry to be
With the jet-set
at Fouquet's make a bet
Who you'll see
After lunch for a lark
On a hunch, hit the park
With the gardens in bloom everywhere
Then head back to our room for a
Typical Paris affair
And as for Paris
It’ll still be there
After lunch for a lark
On a hunch, hit the park
With the gardens in bloom everywhere
Then head back to our room for a
Typical Paris affair
And as for Paris
It’ll still be there
© 2023 Portuguese Knees Music/ASCAP
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8. |
Truth Be Told
03:29
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Truth Be Told
Words and Music by John Allee
Truth be told
I’m not that different from the average guy
I like the simple things
A moonlit sky
An easy laugh
A hand to hold
Truth be told
I tend to blend in with the same old crowd
I’m not mistrustful
But I’m rarely wowed
I wait it out
Before I’m sold
And truth be told
Love was a luxury that I could not afford
Borrowing kisses
Never earning them
Always owing more
And who am I to think my luck could ever change?
But I’ve been wrong before
How can I be sure now?
Truth be told
Though I have loved you for the longest time
I haven’t told you so
And maybe I’m
Still afraid
To be that bold
And truth be told
I’m not that young anymore
But I’m not that old
So if you’ll let me
Let the truth be told
© 2023 Portuguese Knees Music/ASCAP
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9. |
Get A Real Job
03:55
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Get A Real Job
words and music by John Allee
I got a woman who tells me all the time …
To get a real job, get a real job, get a real job
Get a real job, get a real job, get a real job
Get a real job, get a real job, get a real job
(repeat)
She says you come home all broken and spent
But you got no do-re-mi to make the rent
She says I got bills and hell to pay
It’s been a blast, but your money won’t last me another day
Get a real job, get a real job, get a real job
Get a real job, get a real job, get a real job
Get a real job, get a real job, get a real job
(repeat)
She says you got a slow ambition and a lazy gait
And it’s about time you pulled your own damn weight
Beans don’t grow from an apple seed
I got moths in my Mother Hubbard cupboards and mouths to feed
Get a real job, get a real job, get a real job
Get a real job, get a real job, get a real job
Get a real job, get a real job, get a real job
(repeat)
See my baby she says, she says she likes me working
So I’m working, and I’m working beaucoup
She wonders why there ain’t more money
I wonder what else I got to do
And she wants me to …
Get a real job, get a real job, get a real job
Get a real job, get a real job, get a real job
Get a real job, get a real job, get a real job
(repeat)
She says you’re a hard hittin’ Joe in a no hitter game
You say it’s a slump but Chump, it’s always the same
She says I need a man who’s worth what he makes
Got his eye on the ball and that ain’t all, got a hand in the stakes
Get a real job, get a real job, get a real job
Get a real job, get a real job, get a real job
Get a real job, get a real job, get a real job
(repeat)
© 2023 Portuguese Knees Music/ASCAP
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10. |
The Outsider
03:53
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The Outsider
Words and Music by John Allee
I watched him come through the door every night at 8 O’clock
A briefcase in his hand
And sometimes he’d carry flowers
And he’d give them to mother
And she’d pour him a drink
But when they looked at each other
Sometimes I’d think
He is the outsider
You see my father and me never had that much to say
It’s not that he was cold
But he never said “I love you”
But I heard it from mother
And I heard it a lot
So when we looked at each other
Sometimes I thought
He is the outsider
Outside
But just within reach
Floats the open hand
Inside
The willingness to teach
To understand
And now a son of my own watches me with hopeful eyes
A blanket in his hand
With a face that’s as bright as laughter
And he’ll ask for his mother
And he’ll suddenly cry
And as they comfort each other
I hope that I
Won’t be the outsider
© 2023 Portuguese Knees Music/ASCAP
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11. |
This Old Hat
05:40
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This Old Hat
Words and Music by John Allee
This old hat
Sits on my head
Holds my thoughts pat
Tucked in their bed
Keeps my ears warm
Just as it’s said
Safe in a storm
Happily wed
Made with such care
Given with love
Flattens my hair
Up there above
This old hat
Like a good friend
Stays where it’s at
Right to the end
Who could resist
Something like that?
A frame for my brow
That’s special somehow
And anything but old hat
Made with such care
Given with love
Flattens my hair
Up there above
This old hat
Like a good friend
Stays where it’s at
Right to the end
Who would have guessed
Something like that
Would turn out to be
Special to me
And anything but old hat?
© 2023 Portuguese Knees Music/ASCAP
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12. |
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Let’s All Up and Go There
words and music by John Allee
Let’s all up and go there when we die
Just like all the times you tell me to when I make you cry
Let’s all up and go there when we die
Let’s all up and go there like you say
I hear the booze and the music are better down there anyway
So, let’s all up and go there like you say
It takes a lot of envy
It takes a lot of pride
It takes a lot of greedy bastard
Just to get inside
But, let’s all up and go there side by side
I got my pride and my worst ways in those rodeo days
I got my envy, don’t ya see, from these shiny things in front of me
And greedy, I just come by naturally
So, let’s all up and go there when we die
Just like all my so called friends who hung me out to dry
Let’s all up and go there when we die
Let’s all up and go there when we go
The bouncer at the gate is this insurance guy I used to know
Let’s all up and go there when we go
Still got a lot to live for, though
Still got a lot to do
Still got a lot of hearts to break before my time is through
But let’s all up and go there, just us two
I got my pride and my worst ways in those rodeo days
I got my envy, don’t ya see, from these shiny things in front of me
And greedy, I just come by naturally
So, let’s all up and go there when we die
Just like that ol’ boy Lucifer who fell down from the sky
Let’s all up and go there when we die
Let’s all up and go there
They say it doesn’t snow there
Let’s all up and go there when we die
© 2023 Portuguese Knees Music
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13. |
Past Imperfect
05:12
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Past Imperfect
words and music by John Allee
We were living the dream
I was standing so tall
We had nothing to lose
When the winning was good we were raking it in
But you figured me out, you figured me out, you figured me out,
You figured me out, you figured me out, you figured me out
We were having a blast
In my imperfect past
Past imperfect
But the die had been cast
By my imperfect past
Past imperfect
It beats me on the hardways bets I make
And you can bet those bets are hard when the house is on the take
That’s my mistake
I was running on fumes
You were drifting away
It was all going south
When I thought we were up I was bringing you down
But you figured me out, you figured me out, you figured me out
You figured me out, you figured me out, you figured me out
I’ll never outlast
My imperfect past
Past imperfect
It comes on so fast
My imperfect past
Past imperfect
It clocks me like a dealer on the street
And kicks me to the curb at the sign of any heat
And there we meet
It’s endless and vast
My imperfect past
Past imperfect
Look at all I’ve amassed
In my imperfect past
Past imperfect
A collection of the things I never said
Regrets I’ll have to live with ‘til the moment that I’m dead
And what’s ahead
We were living the dream
I was standing so tall
But you figured me out, you figured me out, you figured me out
You figured me out, you figured me out, you figured me out
You figured me out, you figured me out, you figured me out
© 2023 Portuguese Knees Music/ASCAP
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14. |
Creatures of the Tried
03:16
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Creatures of the Tried
Words and Music by John Allee
My respect went out the window
When you handed me that line
And you can guess you won’t be hearing from me soon
Unless you like to catch me cryin’
See, I don’t cotton much to common
You gotta reach, you gotta strive
There were a hundred ways to deal with what went wrong
You chose the one we can’t survive
You know I heard it before you said it
It’s so damn typical, yeah, I get it
Don’t you have something that doesn’t sound like old clichés?
Like you don’t know how it could have happened
It just got out of hand and so what
Am I supposed to be impressed by you confessing your betrayal?
See we get hooked on repetition
A kind of porno of the soul
And while we’re getting off on getting what we want
We lose all sense of self-control
So what’s the secret to our hunger?
Are we just creatures of the tried?
We get a little taste and sometimes just for fun
We get a little on the side
You know I heard it before you said it
It’s so damn typical, yeah, I get it
Don’t you have something that doesn’t sound like old clichés?
Like you don’t know how it could have happened
It just got out of hand and now what?
Are we supposed to just forget about it?
Like you don’t know how it could have happened
It just got out of hand and now what?
Are we supposed to just forget about it?
Supposed to just forget about it?
Supposed to just forget about it?
© 2023 Portuguese Knees Music/ASCAP
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15. |
Feather in Your Panama
03:39
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Feather in Your Panama
words and music by John Allee
Don’t look at me that way
You know what I’m talking about
Sure it’s hard to see through all that pretty
But I can call upon my superpowers somehow
This is not just another jealous rant
Some people can fly off the handle but I can’t
The thing is, I know there’s something you’re not telling me
Maybe you’re a liar
Maybe I’m a sucker
Maybe I’m another feather in your panama
You treat me like a stranger
And I just have to wonder
Am I maybe just another feather in your panama?
You like my money all right
You like me staying up all night
Sure it’s hard to make you happy
But I’m not so sure that’s what you really want
I keep thinking about your past
Yeah I know I said I wouldn’t saddle you with all that
But I guess I’ve had to live with those consequences too
Maybe you’re a liar
Maybe I’m a sucker
Maybe I’m another feather in your panama
You treat me like a stranger
And I just have to wonder
Am I maybe just another feather in your panama?
Maybe you’re a liar
Maybe it’s no wonder
That you see me as another feather in your panama
Maybe you’re a liar
Maybe I’m just lonely
Maybe I am only a feather in your panama
Maybe you’re a cipher
Maybe I was hoping
Maybe you were groping for that feather in your panama
Maybe I am wiser
Maybe I was broken
Maybe I’m a token like those feathers in your panama
Did you get me where you want me?
Will you keep me, will you leave me?
Will you thread me, will you weave me like a feather in your panama?
© 2023
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16. |
Those Letters
03:45
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Those Letters
Words and music by John Allee
Your kids are growin'
My kids too
You get to know em’
Then they’re gone in a flash
When they get to know you
Your life seems cozy but you’re oblique
You say I’m nosy
But I think you want
To give me just a little peek
Why don’t you let me read those letters that I wrote you in high school?
Why not bring ‘em by we’ll have us a show?
What’s the harm in hearing things that were written long ago?
Are they naughty little nothings? (Like I didn’t always know)
Why don’t you let me read those letters that I wrote you in high school?
Are they prescient, pure, perverse, or profound?
Could it be you like to read ‘em when there’s no one else around?
Do you hide them from your lover where you think they can’t be found?
They’re just ancient paper artifacts from some forgotten fool
Why don’t you let me read those letters that I wrote you in high school?
We kiss and tell so somebody will hear
But I can keep a secret dear
You never know
The years they go so fast
We might learn something from the past
Our lines are showin’
Our lies are too
That comes from knowin’ what’s right for some
Might not be right for you
You talk of danger but let’s rehash
I ain’t no stranger and I’m not the one
Who saved those memories from the trash
© 2023 Portuguese Knees Music/ASCAP
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17. |
Where's the Door?
05:35
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Where’s the Door?
words and music by John Allee
Where’s the door?
I just got to know
‘Cause I ain’t singing any love songs anymore
About the chick at the bar
With the Chiclets grin
Who can’t see where she is going
And can’t remember where she’s been
Or sloe-eyed boy
Who’s incurably grim
‘Cause he is holding onto to someone
Who isn’t holding onto him
It’s the same old hurt
In that same old place
Never changing from face to face
Not yours
Not mine
This Jack and Jill
Well, they fell apart
‘Cause time can do that with the facets of a heart
But they’re acting cool
Like it’s no big thing
So many promises get broken
So many choruses to sing
But you and I
We know the truth
He is always feeling lonely
And she gets drunk on sweet vermouth
It’s the same old tune
In that same old key
Never changing from you to me
Not now
Not then
I think I’ll go
I’d better go
So, where’s the door?
© 2023 Portuguese Knees Music/ASCAP
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John Allee Los Angeles, California
John Allee is an American actor, singer and songwriter. He is a recipient of the ASCAP/Sammy Cahn Award for excellence in lyric writing and his music has been featured in regional theatre, and on TV. His latest album is 'Bardfly' (“Fantastic!”- Jazz Weekly, “Otherworldly, super-literate and supremely swinging” – Broadway World, “A standout” - All About Jazz) ... more
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