1. |
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Everything Will Be All Right
words and music by John Allee
Well they closed down County General
And the Blue Line opened yesterday to nowhere
And I’ve got this splitting headache
And I haven’t had a girl since last September
But everything will be all right
Yes everything will be all right
Unless it isn’t
There’s a guy in Sacramento
Who wants to blow the world up with a postcard
And my landlord just informed me
That he plans to use my bedroom for his office
But everything will be all right
Yes everything will be all right
Unless it isn’t
There’s really not much else to do
Just pick a tack and sail on through
Can anything worth knowing be for sure?
Grassy knolls and big black holes
The silent mystery of souls
Can you tell me without blinking
That she loves you?
There’s a country full of immigrants
And no one can remember
Where they came from
But if we’re all supposed to be here
Well then maybe we should
Show some signs it matters
And everything will be all right
Yes everything will be all right
Unless it isn’t
There’s really not much else to do
Just act as if it’s nothing new
How many times before?
How many more?
People try
The years go by
Like vacant stares in dumb reply
Like promises and premises we hold to
And I hope that I’ll be saved
Although I haven’t been to church
Since I was seven
But if God is who they say he is
Then maybe I should buy myself an army
And everything will be all right
Yes everything will be all right
Everything will be all right
Yes everything will be all right
Everything will be all right
Yes everything will be all right
Unless it isn’t
© 2007
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2. |
On the Kern County Line
01:49
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On the Kern County Line
words and music by John Allee
On the Kern County line
There ain’t nothin’ but sky
And a long stretch of highway
As the tan fields roll by
There’s a crow on a fence post
Keepin’ tabs on a toad
As I roll down the road
Past the gas station sign
On the Kern County line
On the Kern County line
Back before we were born
They were mining for gold here
Sparkling kernels of corn
That could fill a whole skillet
If you struck it just right
If your luck wasn’t tight
Like most men in the mine
On the Kern County line
On the Kern County line
Caught in the middle of choosing
And losing my mind
If I met you half way
Where would that leave us
But lead us astray?
And the Golden Gate shines
And LA’s a place that’s too hard to find
Like a fortune or fame
Like a town with no name
On the Kern County line
On the Kern County line
Where the oil flows hard
With the blood of the Yokuts
In the Mexican’s yard
And the Cantonese worker
Gave his life on the rails
Just more traveling tales
Grown like weeds on a vine
On the Kern County line
On the Kern County line
Caught in the middle of choosing
And losing my mind
If I met you half way
Where would that leave us
But lead us astray?
And the Golden Gate shines
And LA’s a place that’s too hard to find
Like a fortune or fame
Like a town with no name
On the Kern County line
Like a fortune or fame
Like a town with no name
On the Kern County line
© 2007
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3. |
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Another New York Knockout
words and music by John Allee
She’s just another New York knockout
You’d better treat her with kid gloves
She’ll have you dangling on the ropes there
You’ll only get so far and then
It’ll hurt when you drop
It’ll hurt when you drop
Yes it hurts when you drop
Don’t it hurt when you drop?
She’s undisputed, undefeated
You’re at the bottom of the card
Decked out in silver threads and diamonds
She’s got the muscle and the crowd
And it hurts when you drop
It hurts when you drop
Yes it hurts when you drop
Don’t it hurt when you drop?
And when she’s got you down you think your number’s finally up
Your world’s a blur, you’re going blind
You never were the comeback kind
You thought you had a match, a chance to show a little spine
Then she moved in and feinted right
An easy win, a nasty fight
Before you slink back to your corner
You try to go another round
The shot that gets you in the end though
Is one you never saw at all
And it hurts when you drop
It hurts when you drop
Yes it hurts when you drop
Yes it hurts when you drop
She gets a slew of new contenders
You lose the title and the ring
She keeps the city and her fan base
You get the hell out of this town
And it hurts when you drop
It hurts when you drop
Yes it hurts when you drop
Like a bitch when you drop
It hurts when you ... drop
© 2007
(The title of this song comes from a line in the novel "Jernigan," by David Gates.)
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4. |
I'm the Apostrophe
01:00
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I’m the Apostrophe
words and music by John Allee
I move my mouth, you nod your head
Have you heard anything I’ve said?
I mean, come on now, what’s the deal?
Why don’t you tell me what you feel?
I knew the situation going in
I guess I thought I’d have a thicker skin
I’m the apostrophe
I’m there to show what’s missin’
Like Marlon Brando’s stand-in
Like some dark shadow creepin’ there
‘Cause when you look at me
I know it’s him you’re seein’
And what is so confusin’
I don’t even care
We talk in terms too vague to tell
And yet it’s spoken all too well
Whatever means I might employ
I’m just another changeling boy
No matter how I try to give to you
I haven’t found a way of getting through
I’m the apostrophe
I’m there to show what’s missin’
Like some big yellow ribbon
A marble statue standin’ there
‘Cause when you look at me
I know it’s him you’re seein’
And what is so amusin’
I don’t even care
I’ll find a star and shoot it down
I’ll wear your hair shirt, be your clown
I’ll make a friend, I’ll start a war
Imagine any metaphor
If I could carve your face in ivory
What a perfect image that would be
I’m the apostrophe
I’m there to show what’s missin’
Like Marlon Brando’s stand-in
Like some dark shadow creepin’ there
‘Cause when you look at me
I know it’s him you’re seein’
And what is so amazin’
I don’t even care
© 2007
(The title of this song comes from a line in the novel "Jernigan," by David Gates.)
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5. |
Fire is Yellow
01:25
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Fire is Yellow
words and music by John Allee
Emmett Roe locked the doors
On twenty five desperate southern souls
Trying to work their nine to fives
He locked the doors – Kept ‘em tight
He never did care that they all might
End up fighting for their lives
Fire is yellow
The color of the moon
Your mama will be prayin’ for you soon
Fire is yellow
Its reaches only spread
Your mama will be cryin’ when you’re dead
Emmett Roe liked to say
He never did trust them anyway
Stealing chicken parts and such
It all adds up – every dime
The cigarette breaks, the wasted time
“I ain’t no sucker – Not so much”
Fire is yellow
The color of a snake
The more you try to give, the more they take
Fire is yellow
And colors like to run
They do a lot of damage when they’re done
Emmett Roe got a call
Said that a fire killed them all
When the fryer caught a flame
The workers ran, they couldn’t see
And only one man had the key
But there’s a hundred men to blame
Fire is yellow
The color of disease
Your mama will be fallin’ on her knees
Fire is yellow
It’s greedy and it’s hot
Your mama will be missin’ you a lot
© 2007
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6. |
That's the Thing of It
01:46
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That’s the Thing of It
Words and music by John Allee
When I’m with my friends I talk so loud
But you know it ends when you join the crowd
‘Cause I start to sweat and start to ache
How much torture can this poor boy take?
If I was made to fly
If I was just some other guy
If I could tell you how I feel
I know you’d fall for me for real
And I would steal one kiss
If I was not so shy like this
But the thing of it is … that’s the thing of it
Well your Abercrombies fitcha’ fine
But I guess I have to get in line
‘Cause I can’t compete, I can’t compare
With them other guys all standing there
If I was made to fly
If I was just some other guy
If I could tell you how I feel
I know you’d fall for me for real
And I would steal one kiss
If I was not so shy like this
But the thing of it is … that’s the thing of it
And girl when you first smiled at me I was numb
With all the possibility that could come
And your laugh was a window
Was the way to my soul
If I was made to fly
If I was just some other guy
If I could tell you how I feel
I know you’d fall for me for real
And I would steal one kiss
If I was not so shy like this
But the thing of it is … that’s the thing of it
The thing of it is … that’s the thing of it
The thing of it is … that’s the thing of it
© 2007
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7. |
Torn
01:23
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Torn
words and music by John Allee
Water's dripping from the faucet
Baby's looking at the holes in her jeans
And you are thinking about a woman
That you met at the Sunset out in New Orleans
A little pull and it starts to fray
A little more where the edge is worn
A little time and it tatters till it’s torn
Voices echo from the corners
Forgotten dreams that got left out of the game
And who are you to think of dreaming
When the day that you’ve been waiting for
It already came?
A little pull and it starts to fray
A little more where the edge is worn
A little time and it tatters till it’s torn
Entire life times go by unnoticed
Like the subtle signals of a woman's pain
And in their fading there’s someone waiting
But you know as it all goes it’s just waiting in vain
A little pull and it starts to fray
A little more where the edge is worn
A little time and it tatters till it’s torn
There was a family in West Virginia
Destroyed by allegiance in the civil war
When they finally shot each other
They forgot exactly what they had been fighting for
© 2007
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8. |
Texas to Tuesday
01:27
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Texas to Tuesday
words and music by John Allee
She's been out on the road
She forgets for how long
Just her dog her guitar
And that scorpion song
She's got a head full of
Interstate RV campgrounds
And she's trying to find a place
She can't be found
'Cause there's a man in her life
Who doesn't like to play fair
He's got cards up his sleeve
She gets caught unaware
And he promised her
Sure as his old short-arm blow
That he'd never let up
That he'd never let go
So she drives from Texas to Tuesday
Looking for where to say when
She'd buy a house in the country
But what if he finds her again
So she jumps in the van
Gets some stuff at the store
Pulls out her map
And drives 16 hours more
Now what was that town
In that traveling book
Maybe she'll go there
And have a quick look
And if it rains all the time
At least the air doesn't stink
Like it did in LA
Like it did when he'd drink
And she remembers how
He wasn't always that way
But his thirst made him mean
And his threats made her stay
Now she drives from Texas to Tuesday
Looking for where to say when
She'd buy a house in the country
But what if he finds her again
She may settle down
She may settle the score
But one thing's for sure
She should settle for more
If it takes her whole life
Then her life it will take
It's the price that you pay
When your life is at stake
She drives from Texas to Tuesday
Looking for where to say when
She'd buy a house in the country
But what if he finds her again
She drives from Memphis to midnight
One more motel and she'll quit
She'd like a warm bath with bubbles
She'd like a nice place to sit
She drives from Austin to April
Keeping her eyes on the mirror
What is this cold cup of coffee?
What is this black-hearted fear?
© 2007
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9. |
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A Simple Transpicuous Philippic: or, You’re Not Nice
words and music by John Allee
And you destroy me with your honesty
For brutal honesty is more about brutality
Than honesty
You’re not nice
You’re not nice
To be precise
You’re just not nice
You’re very pretty
And also funny
But you’re not nice
Why would you say that my hair
Is my only handsome feature?
You’re some kind of creature
But you’re not nice
And you insult me with your comedy
Your caustic comedy is more about hostility
Than comedy
You’re not kind
You’re not kind
I’m of a mind
That you’re not kind
You’re very worldy
And good with money
But you’re not kind
Why would you find me backstage
Just to say the show was lousy?
Too Alison Krauss-y
You’re not kind
My love was based on some reality
But that reality was more about some futile sense
Of loyalty
You’re not fair
You’re not fair
You may not care
But you’re not fair
You’re very cunning
And well connected
But you’re not fair
Why would you barter my friends
And then sell me down the river?
You sure deliver
When you’re not fair
© 2007
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10. |
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Half on the Side of the Leaver
words and music by John Allee
Half on the side of the leaver
Even while I’m left behind
I thought I’d go crazy
I thought that these days would be filled with a rage that was blind
But I’m half on the side of the leaver
Who hasn’t wanted to run?
Like Bonnie and Clyde
You root for the wrong side despite all the crimes that they’ve done
She offered the bread of her body and kisses like wine
She told me she’d love me like Jesus
And I got hooked on the lure of that line
Forever hers but never mine
Half on the side of the leaver
Even when I’m blown apart
Sure I lay bleeding
But wasn’t she needing a much better man from the start?
Now I’m half on the side of the leaver
Why that should be I can’t say
But true love’s expression
Can betray your flesh and can make you do things its own way
She offered the bread of her body and kisses like wine
She told me she’d love me like Jesus
And I got hooked on the lure of that line
For Heaven knows she’s so divine
Half on the side of the leaver
Half on the side of the leaver
Half on the side of the leaver
© 2007
(The title of this song comes from a line in the poem "Stag's Leap" by Sharon Olds.)
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11. |
Hidden in the Crosshairs
00:55
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Hidden in the Crosshairs
words and music by John Allee
Hey, Annie, looks to me you could use a rest
I think I’ll take that job at the family store
Choice is something you and I could live with
Maybe even something we never had before
Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
Hey, Annie, looks to me you could use a friend
I bought some front row seats for your favorite band
Music may be all I have to give you
Sometimes maybe even all that I understand
Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
Hey, Annie, looks to me we’ve a ways to go
I think I’ll take that drink if there’s anything left
Chance is always hidden in the crosshairs
Somewhere in the scene between the warp and weft
Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
© 2003
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12. |
I Love You Like This
01:38
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I Love You Like This
words and music by John Allee
I love you like this
Without any sunset
Without any candlelight warming your features
Without any mistletoe, music or mystery
Here’s how I love you
Just you and me
You and me
I love you like this
Without any whisky
Without any midnight that melts into morning
Without any warning or worry or say so
Without any money or children or answers
Without any fireworks, favors or fantasy
Here’s how I love you
Just you and me
You and me
You and me
You and me
© 2007
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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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