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Past Imperfect

by John Allee

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1.
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
2.
Like 03:42
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
3.
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
4.
Hard Sell 02:24
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
5.
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
6.
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
7.
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
8.
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
9.
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
10.
The Outsider 03:53
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
11.
This Old Hat 05:40
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
12.
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
13.
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
14.
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
15.
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
16.
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
17.
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

about

"Past Imperfect" showcases a lyrical menagerie of dreamers, schemers, and lovable rogues. My fourth studio album, it's a set of acoustic music anchored by a piano trio that fuses jazz, blues, and folk, that feels like an evening sitting at the rail in a dive bar or on a bench in a Greyhound bus waiting room surrounded by a gaggle of sweet, quirky, romantic, and fantastically unreliable narrators.

"Allee presents a splendid, alternately heartfelt, charming, gently reflective and incisively pointed fictionalized chronicle of colorful characters he’s met (or will meet) and stories he’s heard (or imagined) throughout his 40-year career in showbiz…. A brilliantly poetic storyteller. The joy of the album is never knowing what tempo, vocal timbre, subject or style (jazz, blues, pop, folk, you name it) his powerhouse ensemble is going to treat us to next." - Jonathan Widran, JW Vibe

credits

released May 5, 2023

John Allee, Piano and Vocals; Mike Schnoebelen, Bass; John Harvey, Drums; Adam Bravo, Piano (tracks 3,4,7,8,9,11,16); Javier Vergara, Tenor Saxophone; Jeff Kaye, Flugelhorn and Trumpet; Cortes Alexander, Harmony Vocals; Jane Lui, Harmony Vocals

Engineered by Paul Tavenner and Jeff Peters
Mixed by Jeff Peters
Recorded at Big City and Studio F - Los Angeles
Mastered by Nate Wood at Kerseboom Mastering

Cover images - excerpted from "Hanging Boy," David S. Allee (c) 2019, courtesy of the artist. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Album design and inside cover photo - John Allee

Thank you to the musicians and engineers, to Susan Allee, Barbara Ross & Michael Bassett, to Pete & Patty Allee, Julie & Walt Hamann, Michael Lennox, Moira Walley-Beckett, to Chip Allee, Glenna Allee, Joshua Beckett, Eric Brown, Kevin Goldberg, Emily Goss, Gary Matanky, Nan McNamara, Jeremiah McNulty, Liza Seneca.

Special thanks to Kathleen Ross-Allee, who never leaves me hanging.

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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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