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Expect Delays

by John Allee

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1.
On Melrose 03:05
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On Melrose words and music by John Allee All hell rose on Melrose and she chose to walk home I’d just washed my windows and polished my chrome Now I sit here with my head in my hands Running my fingers through unchartered strands Looking at the dimples in the seat where she sat All hell rose on Melrose, the story goes on And even the moon knows my love, she is gone Here the kid waits for a signal to move Doubting his motives for wanting to prove That any heart will warm up when you give it a start All hell rose on Melrose and heaven knows why But listen, amigos, I gave it a try ‘Else I’d never have traveled this far You can’t drive away if you don’t have a car Any make or model that you’re willing to take © 2016
2.
I Fail 03:19
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I Fail words and music by John Allee Good days I've got my good days I've got my good days But this ain't one of 'em Don't take this personally But I hate it when you say to me That I'm like you I don't agree You don't play fair But you do play games I don't want to know their names You think you're so immune You sleep at night beneath the moon Untethered to that big balloon While I get drawn in like the tide And drained until you're satisfied And all in all and through and through I always end up right back with you Whenever I try for something new I fail 'Cause you have handed me the rope With which to hang my guilty hope Whenever I push the envelope I fail I'm just a cipher here I fade away I disappear Like wedding bells and Christmas cheer Well maybe I have lost my touch But I never thought I'd lose so much And all and all and through and through I always end up right back with you Whenever I try for something new I fail You pin me down I beg for more You leave me bleeding on the floor No matter how I prepare before I fail I keep Saying that I'll change somehow Oh, and I keep Your picture in my wallet still I keep Banging into things Bracing for a fall Running out of luck Running into walls Screw you, your alibis, your therapist, Your deep set eyes For letting me believe your lies I want to move I want to fight I'll see you here tomorrow night And all in all and through and through I always end up right back with you Whenever I try for something new I fail 'Cause every gamble Every spin Is heads I lose and tails you win Consider it my greatest sin I fail © 2016
3.
The Right Parts Combine 02:46
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The Right Parts Combine words and music by John Allee The night starts in high with the hum of a promise The girl from Quebec is now back from wherever She calls from her mother’s to give you her number The next thing you’re talking philosophy, fiction and science Some days are like silver A soft light makes them shine A hard center made precious The mold of the metal made fine When all of the right parts combine You think of her face as it was back in college Her body like syrup that melts in its movements You pick up your speed as you drive in from Stockton A fire of taillights that flows down the mountain like lava Some days are like silver A soft light makes them shine A hard center made precious The mold of the metal made fine When all of the right parts combine She offers you dinner and all her best whisky You watch “Easy Rider” and “Five Easy Pieces” She says that you look like a young Peter Fonda And what happens next is too good to be part of a movie Some days are like silver A soft light makes them shine A hard center made precious The mold of the metal made fine When all of the right parts combine You lie in her bed and you pull back the covers Those cool cotton sheets that once made you so jealous You kiss her goodbye on that out of place freckle And driving back home you make every green light in the city … © 2016
4.
For People Who Are Lucky Enough 04:23
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For People Who Are Lucky Enough words and music by John Allee For people who are lucky enough It might seem just like breathing Unconscious and unnoticed The kind of thing they’d barely recall As if they’d never been there at all For people who are lucky enough They wouldn’t see you reeling Or trying to be stoic No, they couldn’t see how hard they can be On people who are lucky like me Careless with words Words that don’t care Words Like when I tell you things in confidence And then you use them heartlessly To hurt me or embarrass me And people who are lucky enough They never know that feeling Or why it seems to matter There’s always more to black and to blue For people who are lucky like you Careless with words Words that don’t care Words Like when I tell you things in confidence And then you use them heartlessly To hurt me or embarrass me And people who are lucky enough They never know that feeling Or why it seems to matter There’s always one more punch that cuts through For people who are lucky like you © 2016
5.
All She Would Say Is I'm Cold 04:55
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All She Would Say Was I’m Cold words and music by John Allee So I forgot her birthday two years in a row I’ve never forgotten her name And these women around me, well they’re just for show Like a circus you know, Like a game And while no, I’m not perfect At least I have shown her some signs that I’m willing to try ‘Cause she’s the best woman that I’ve ever known But to her I’m as common, as common as the sky And I don’t understand how it all changed so fast We were sailing away when she cut down the mast If it’s something I did, I can do what I’m told But all she would say was I’m All she would say was I’m cold It seems crazy I know, but it’s what I have chosen I love her with all of my might You can call it a case of The Emperor’s Clothes And then lock me away out of sight You can bring down the curtain And leave me there hurtin’ With everything left unresolved But if I’ve learned anything, this much is certain Love withers and weathers whoever’s involved And I don’t understand how it all changed so fast When the trust we were building was molded and cast When we promised to keep it until we grew old But all she would say was I’m All she would say was I’m cold Did I break her like a spell? Did I quit her like a drug? Did I tease her unkindly? Just please, sir, remind me I swept it all under the rug Was I callous to her friends When we drove out to the coast? Did I treat her unfairly Refuse her and barely acknowledge the times when she needed me most? And I don’t understand how it all changed so fast When it could have been written “We two to the last” When she could just forgive and forget what she’s heard When she could just believe ‘cause I gave her my word And I’d buy her a house on a street paved with gold But all she would say was I’m All she would say was I’m All she would say was I’m All she would say was I’m All she would say was I’m All she would say was I’m cold All she would say was I’m cold © 2016
6.
Why Couldn't We Just Forget About Life for a While? 02:45
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Why Couldn’t We Just Forget About Life for a While? words and music by John Allee Let’s you and I get out of here, go grab ourselves a glass of beer And toast our sorrows with a smile Why couldn’t we just forget about life for a while? ‘Cause you and I was never meant to get elected president Ours is a different kind of style Why couldn’t we just forget about life for a while? We’ll put the worries of the world on someone else’s shoulder Take off our shoes and dance under the stars ‘Cause all we’re doing here is slowly growing older Selling time like some polyestered jester sells used cars So shouldn’t we make other plans? Get busy working on our tans? How ‘bout a cruise along the Nile? Why couldn’t we just forget about life for a while? All this worry and this tension is enough to make you crazy More than your average man or woman can take Kinda feel like some heel in a movie by Scorsese How long will it be before I see how many heads I can break? But if we keep our heads on straight And leave before it gets too late We’ll have them beat by a mile Why couldn’t we just forget about life for a while? Why couldn’t we just forget about life for a while? © 2016
7.
Instant Replay 05:48
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Instant Replay words and music by John Allee I saw you today In a picture at the cleaners down the street In a frame up on the wall It was one I’d seen before You were somewhere in someone else’s arms And he wasn’t even tall It must be something now To be someone who’s known throughout the world On screens and magazines Whose face is everywhere and nowhere I drove into town Past the playhouse on Hampton Avenue Where we’d sneak a cigarette And some old film was there Filled with stories that I couldn’t quite recall But I still can’t quite forget ‘Cause in between the lost and the losing It’s hard to see what’s left It’s hard to take a chance It’s hard to make the choice to move on And I keep thinking … If only I had stayed around Until the final reel unwound I might have found a way to end this endless instant replay But autumn came and then the snow Blurring all there was to know And I’m here wondering still Watching brick walls from my windowsill I saw you today At a table holding court and stopping time In an east side restaurant But was it really you Or some memory projected through the past Of the girl I used to want? And was it all for show Like the movies that calendar your life In fictive little frames Enlarged beyond their size like sorrow? I drove myself mad Thinking somehow I’d have you back again ‘Til the thinking made me numb And now I wouldn’t know If it’s you that I’ve wanted all this time Or the image you’ve become But I need something more Not some goddess, perfection and divine But skin and heart and noise The things your wicked art destroys Seducing all those lonely boys By feeding them delicious lies And leading them to fantasize about some summer afternoon That stayed too late and came too soon Then bled away like celluloid If only I had stayed around Until the final reel unwound I might have found a way to end this endless instant replay But autumn came and then the snow Blurring all there was to know And I’m here wondering still Watching brick walls from my windowsill © 2016
8.
When Love Comes Down 04:05
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When Love Comes Down words and music by John Allee Blind love Cupid’s art Shot through the heart with a poison dart Nature’s second son A tyrant sparing none The blood of life, the power of reunion It takes some time To get it right You say you do when you think you might And seal it with a kiss For luck and happiness Forever his, forever sanctify this Because when love comes down It makes the ladies weep Yeah when love comes down It lets the children sleep The undertaker sighs But he should have a heart Because when love comes down It isn’t love that makes us part You share his bed You share his things Fasten the slings to his broken wings And keeping him in sight You guard against the night Where there you both Dance naked in the moonlight Because when love comes down It makes the foolish wise Yeah when love comes down It shows up all the lies The masquerader falls He’ll try another face Because when love comes down… Nor fear, nor sloth, nor jealousy Injustice, shame, nor cowardice Nor guilt, nor greed, nor enmity Can take the place Can take the place of love © 2016
9.
Quiet Company 04:12
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Quiet Company words and music by John Allee So we grow and so we sow more seeds So you know that’s how our future reads Change is where we came from The reason that we go From summer sun To sudden snow And we are wiser now We know how it’s meant to be You know what’s best for you And I know you’re what’s best for me We’re a little bit older now We bring a little more clarity It’s just easier, you see When I’m lying in your quiet company So we fold into each other’s lives Changing even as each day arrives Taking what we’re given But learning how to choose The things we need And need to lose And we are wiser now We know how it’s meant to be You know what’s best for you And I know you’re what’s best for me We’re a little bit older now We bring a little more clarity It’s just easier, you see When I’m lying in your quiet company And nobody Nobody but you Can reach through me Can reach right through me and pull me out The way you do And we are wiser now We know how it’s meant to be You know what’s best for you And I know you’re what’s best for me We’re a little bit older now We’ve got a little more charity It’s just easier, you see When I’m lying in your quiet company It’s easier in your quiet company © 2016
10.
Lucky Day Girl 03:08
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Lucky Day Girl words and music by John Allee Lucky day girl Living on sunshine Walking a fine line Lucky day girl Lucky day girl Wing and a prayerin’ Devil may carin’ Lucky day girl You’re taking all your pleasure And making all your plays You find the hidden treasure By any measure And ways to get what’s coming And ways to get ahead And to get what you want But one of these days … Lucky day girl What if it’s raining? Will you still be champagning Lucky day girl? Lucky day girl If your luck runs dry I’ll be your lucky Lucky day guy You get just what’s expected You set up all the rules You seem so well protected So unaffected by fools Who want a piece of you Fools who’ll stack the deck So you lose on the draw And though it seems cruel To lose to a fool … Lucky day girl Luck can be fleeting So it’s worth me repeating Lucky day girl Lucky day girl If your luck runs dry I’ll be your lucky Your lucky day guy I’ll be your lucky Your lucky day guy © 2016
11.
Sugar Pop 03:17
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Sugar Pop words and music by John Allee She’s my piece o’ candy My butterscotch ripple surprise She’s a sip o’ brandy My sweet sensational prize And like a bee buzzin’ round his hive I need my honey just to keep me alive And my honey likes to give it to me She likes to give it to me And I’m her sugar pop I’m her sugar pop Loves her Coca-cola and you know She tastes like cherry to me She’s a ginger cookie My cinnamon spice – she’s so nice When I get that nookie Got to have one more heavenly slice And like a kid in a candy shop Give me more and I just can’t stop And my mama likes to give it to me She likes to give it to me And I’m her sugar pop I’m her sugar pop Loves her Coca-cola and you know She tastes like cherry to me Cherry and cola are nice (Better put that drink on ice) Cherry’s the thing can’t you tell ‘Cause it goes down so well, down so well And it gives you that sweet sensation It gives you that sweet sensation She gives me that sweet sensation Add a little J&B for Baby and me And I’m her sugar pop I’m her sugar pop Loves her Coca-cola and you know She tastes like cherry She tastes like cherry to me © 2016

about

"Expect Delays" is a solo outing. It's an intimate set of original love songs that I recorded live at the piano one afternoon at the legendary Village Studios in West Los Angeles, playing the so-called "Elton John Piano," a Yamaha Concert Grand.

credits

released April 26, 2016

John Allee, Composer, Piano and Vocals

Produced by John Allee and Phil Swann
Engineer: Gabe Burch
Mixing and Mastering Engineer: Jeff Peters
Assistant Engineer: Alan Demoss

Recorded at Village Recorders, Los Angeles, CA
Mixed, Mastered and Additional Recording at The Pie Studios, Pasadena, CA

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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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