Joplin in Concert


Janis in Concert LP
LP Columbia C2X 31160 r. 01 05 1972
CD Columbia CGK 31160 r. 11 04 1989
Side 1:
  1. Down on Me (3:06)
  2. Bye, Bye Baby (3:42)
  3. All Is Loneliness (6:25)
  4. Piece of My Heart (4:04)
Side 2:
  1. Road Block (2:59)
  2. Flower in the Sun (3:03)
  3. Summertime (4:21)
  4. Ego Rock (8:26)
Side 3:
  1. Half Moon (4:43)
  2. Kozmic Blues (5:24)
  3. Move Over (5:02)
Side 4:
  1. Try (Just a Little Bit Harder) (7:51)
  2. Get it While You Can (7:04)
  3. Ball and Chain (8:00)

Down on Me

I don't want to hear a wrong chord all night long.
Yes.

Well, down on me, Lord, down on me.
I said it looks like everybody in this whole round world,
Yeah hey yeah all right, is down on me yeah.
Yeah yeah yeah yeah.

One of these mornings be proud and fair,
Put on my wings and then I'll try the air
Since it looks like everybody in this whole round world,
Hey, down on me, yeah, ha ha.

Baby, down on me, oh, down on me, all right,
It looks like everybody I said in this whole round world, aaah!
Down on me.
Oh yeah yeah!

Now now now now now now now now
The pot is gold, the rain is rain
And the Gods had meant that it'll never change, no.
It looks like everybody in this whole round world, now now now,
Down on me, you know they are.

Down on me, down on me, yeah.
It looks like everybody, honey, in this whole round world, Lord!!!
Is down on me, yeah.

All right, all right,
Believe in your brother, faith in man,
Help each other, honey, if you can
Because it looks like everybody in this whole round world,
Everywhere I go! Is down on me, oh yeah.

Down on me, hey, down on me, all right,
It looks like everybody in this whole round world
Down on me, yeah hey!

Big Brother & the Holding Company!

Bye, Bye Baby

Bye, bye-bye, baby, bye-bye.
I may be seeing you around
When I change my living standard and move uptown,
Bye-bye, baby, bye-bye.

Well so, so long, my honey, so long.
I guess I'm gonna make it OK.
I'll see you in the funny papers some old day,
So long, my honey, so long.

Well, I get the feeling I could chase you clean on in the ball
And wind up staying pull off, put down strung out and stalled.
I ain't got time to wait on you or to fetch your super-ball,
I've got lots of things I've got to do.

Bye, bye-bye, baby, bye-bye.
I guess I'm gonna make it OK.
I'll see you in the funny papers some old day,
Bye-bye, baby, bye-bye.

Well so, so long, my honey, so long.
Too bad you had to drift away
'Cause I could use some company
Right on this road, up on this road I'm on today, yeah hey yeah!

Well, I know that you got things to do and places to be
And I guess I'll have to find the thing you placed on me
I may wind up in the street or sleep beneath a tree,
Still I guess you know honey I've gotta go.

Bye, bye-bye, baby, bye-bye.
Lord, I might've been your wife,
But you settled for a place right in my heart,
You didn't want a place in my life.

So, so long, my honey, so long.
I guess you know you're on your own,
It seems you just got lost somewhere out in the world
And you left me here to face it all alone,
You left me here to face it all alone,
You left me here to face it all alone, yeah hey yeah,
I said bye, bye bye bye baby, baby bye-bye, waah!!

This is a, a real old tune we used to do a lot, still really care for it. The guys got it off off a guy named Moondog in-a the streets of New York. This is, this beautiful cat who writes poetry and is blind and he looks like a Viking, stands on the corner of 55th and-a 5th Avenue, something like that. 6th Avenue ? He just stands there selling poetry and wearing horns on his head and he's too much and he wrote this song called All Is Loneliness. Really dredging up the past tonight, folks!

All Is Loneliness

All is loneliness
Loneliness here for me
Loneliness here for me.

All is loneliness
Loneliness here for me
Loneliness here for me.

All is loneliness
Loneliness here for me
Loneliness here for me.

All is loneliness
Loneliness here for me
Loneliness here for me.

All is loneliness
Loneliness here for me
Loneliness here for me
Loneliness here for me
Loneliness here for me.

Loneliness come on bother me
Want me 'round my door.
I get loneliness
I get loneliness
I get loneliness
I get loneliness
Loneliness, heck I said loneliness
Lord, loneliness, yeah, I said loneliness.

I said loneliness come on by my bed
Gonna worry me 'round on my door-mat.
I said loneliness come and found me,
I said you found me whole.
Yeah and now loneliness
Lordy Lordy loneliness
Lordy Lordy loneliness
Lordy Lordy loneliness
Yeah, loneliness

Oh loneliness
Oh loneliness
Oh loneliness
Oh loneliness
Oh loneliness
Oh loneliness
Oh loneliness

Ah loneliness
Ah loneliness
Loneliness
Loneliness
Loneliness
Loneliness.

Every day when I walk home
I see loneliness
When I waited for my baby.
You know I open my front door,
I said Mr. Loneliness is waiting for me at home
Lordy, Lord at home, Lord at home, Lo-o-o-rd at home.

You know, I get home every day, Lord,
There ain't nobody waiting there, man
And I ain't got no girlfriends, and I ain't got no boyfriends, man.
I ain't got no any kind of friends, man, I ain't got no...
My TV set doesn't work, my radio doesn't work, man.
I come home there's nothing
Nothing, man, there's no animals moving,
There's nothing, man
Walk in that door seems like I'm sitting there every day, man.

Lord, loneliness
Lord, loneliness
Ah, ah, loneliness
Loneliness
Loneliness
Loneliness
Loneliness
Lord.

All right!

Piece of My Heart

Didn't I make you feel like you were the only man, yeah,
An' didn't I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can ?
Honey, you know I did!
And each time I tell myself that I, well I've just had enough,
But I'm gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough.

I said come on, come on, come on, come on and take it,
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby,
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah.
Hey! Have another little piece of my heart now, baby, yeah.
You know you got it if it makes you feel good,
Oh yes indeed.
All right!

You're out on the street looking good, honey,
Deep down in your heart I said you know that it ain't right,
Never never never never never never hear me when I cry at night.
Honey, I cry all the time!
And each time I tell myself that I, well I can't stand the pain,
But when you hold me in your arms, I'll sing it once again.

I'll say come on, come on, come on, come on and take it!
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby.
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah,
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby, yeah.
You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good — hey!

Now all right!

Now come on, come on, come on, come on and take it,
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby.
Break another little bit of my heart, honey, yeah.
Hey! Have another little piece of my heart now, baby,
You know you got it if it makes you feel good.
Hey! Hey! Have another little piece of my heart now, baby,
Break it, break it, break it, yeah.
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby,
You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good.

Road Block

Hey! All right, all right, all right, all right!

Oh, ain't no problem
Carry no heavy load
Why can't I love you, baby ?
You try to block my road.
I wish ya wouldn't do it.

Oh, better off to hand you
Everything I own, ha ha ha ha!
Strange to see you waiting for me,
You try to block my road
All the time.
Yeah, try to block my road
Please be mine!
Hey, hey, hey, hey.

Road block
Hit me with a roadblock
Come on a road block
Road block
Road block
Road block
Road block
Road block
Ah! Road block
My, my, my, my, my, my, road block
Up ahead I see a roadblock
Up ahead I see a roadblock
Whoa, road block
Whoa, road block
Road block
Road block
Road block
Road block
Road block
Road block
Road block
Road block
Road block

Oh, ain't no problem
Carry no heavy load
No, no!
Hey! why can't I love you, baby ?
You try to block my road.
Why are you doin' it ?
Yeah, try to block my road.

Try to block my
Road!
Lord! Road block!!!

Flower in the Sun

Oh please don't you think baby that I am wrong to cry, yeah.
You loved me, too,
So how come you just sit there and laugh
And laugh and laugh and laugh ?
Things just can't be this way
And not for very long
No no no no no no no no no no no no no no.
Our love affair said it's just history, yes it is.

And I tried to love you in my own way,
I think that you know I did.
But to have you here, to see you living,
Oh so near to me, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh but you are distant and so it's dead
And so often people are glad to be old, yeah yeah,
Our love affair is just history, yes it is.

Once in a green time a flower
Oh, fell in love with the sun.
The passion lasted for an hour
And then she wilted from her loved one.

Once in a green time a flower
Oh, fell in love with the sun.
The passion lasted for an hour
And then she wilted from her loved one.

And I see you looking up at the sky, how high it is, yeah.
You wonder if there is, whoa another me
Now how can that be, how can it be ?
Well, I sit here and I ask you, why all this ?
I just got toni-ni-ni-night
Our love affair said it's just a history
But baby, baby, I said it's over, Charlie,
I can't stand another lo-lo-lonely,
I'm never too lonely.

It's over baby,
Where were you when I wanted ya
And needed ya right by my side ?
I said-a, baby, baby, don't you feel me moving,
Baby, don't you hear me cry ?
I know I hurt you, but Lord don't you know I cried,
I know I hurt you, but babe don't you know I tried,
Oh baby, oh babe, whoa.

Summertime

Summertime, time, time,
Child, the living's easy.
Fish are jumping out
And the cotton, Lord,
Cotton's high, Lord so high.

Your daddy's rich
And your ma is so good-looking, baby.
She's a-looking good now,
Hush, baby, baby, baby, baby now,
No, no, no, no, no, no, no,
Don't you cry, don't you cry.

One of these mornings
You're gonna rise, rise up singing,
You're gonna spread your wings, child,
And take, take to the sky,
Lord, the sky.

But until that morning,
Honey, n-n-nothing's going to harm ya,
No, no, no no, no no, no...
Don't you cry — cry.

Ego Rock

Let's go, let's go let's go let's go. Peter you start it. Richard, you start it. Somebody start it.

I just had to get out on the Texas plane,
Lord, well it was bringing me down.
Yeah, I had to get out of Texas, baby,
Lord, it was bringing me down.
I been all around the world,
But Port Arthur is the worst place that I've ever found.

I guess they couldn't understand it there,
Honey, they'd laugh me off the street!
Lord, I guess they couldn't understand me, baby,
Honey, they'd laugh, I said they'd laugh me right off the street, yeah.
I said I want to keep on moving, baby,
Be the last person I ever wanna meet.

Yeah, yeah, yeah,
Honey ain't it hard when you're all alone.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Honey ain't it hard, Lord, when you're all alone.
I might die real old lady
But I'd never call Texas my home,
No, no, no, oh!

  You say you come from Texas, baby,
  She says she left Texas with just her name.
  (That's what she told me.)
  Yes she's from Texas I tell you,
  She says she left Texas with just her name.
  Yes, well I swear when that girl came to the big city
  Lord, she learned a brand new game.
  Well, yeah!

Honey, I hear you talkin' about sorrow,
Baby but you don't know my pain — that's right!
  Mercy! Mercy!
I hear you talking about my sorrow,
You don't know my pain.
You know there's an inside kind of sorrow
Lord, the women are always singin' the blues.
All right, All right motherfucker, you sing!

  You know I, I dealt the Ace to the Queen,
  You know I played scrabble with L.B.J.
  Yes, I dealt an Ace to the Queen,
  Didn't I'll tell ya I's playin' scrabble with L.B.J.
  Well, I don't care what the name of the game is, baby, I tell you
  I always seem to get my way.

  I used to be a doggone fool,
  Fall for a woman's story every time.
  — But no more, I swear —
  Well, I used to be a, be a doggone fool,
  Fall for that old woman's story every time.
  Yes I, I'm a big boy now,
  Yeah, they gotta come up with some kind of heavy line.
  Well, well, yeah!

Sounds like I found the man
Who could take care of my time.
  It ain't me babe, it ain't me babe!
It appears to me that I found a man
That could take care of my time.
  Well, I got my own trouble, I got my own car,
  I got my own little lady, I got my hotel,
Oh what are you talking about!
  Don't try to take it!
Somebody talks as fine as he does
Oughta be able to take care of
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.

  Woman, woman, it just makes me mad.
Ahh!   Ahh! Woman, Yeah,
  Woman,
Yeah,
  Woman,
Yeah,
  Woman,
Yeah,
  Woman,
Yeah, yeah,
  it just makes me mad
Oh man — shit, man...
  Yes she played me for the fool I tell ya
  Yes and I've got to love every man she's ever had, yeah.

If I found a man who could put me down the way you do
— I mean so handy-like, you know what I mean ?
Yeah, I found a man, whoa, who could put me down the way you do,
— I mean so easy like it was second nature, y'know what I mean, man ?
Ah maybe that man could help me
At least, honey I thought I would give you a chance
I said I, what I said I could try after the, after the show tonight maybe uh ...

  I'm just a working man, you know
Ha ha ha ha, you don't work too hard, baby!
  You know I ain't no Hollywood star.
  — I'm not Joe Namath, you know,
  I read about that in the papers today —
  You know I'm just a working man
You don't work too hard, baby!
  I never ran in a football game 200 yards
Ha ha ha ha ha, that's the kinda man I like, that's the kinda man I like.
  But you know I can take care of those country girls
  Well I can mess around in that farm-yard.
Lord, Lord, whoaah!!

  Ha ha ha! ha. Whew! Whew! Wow! That's getting a little too close, too heavy here. That's Nick Gravenites, that was a tune called Ego Rock. No! ...

  All right, rock, rock & roll song.

Express program
Festival Express 1970 program

Half Moon

Half moon, night time sky,
Seven stars, Heaven's eyes.
Seven songs on seven seas
Just to bring all your sweet love home to me.

Hey, fill me like the mountains, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Fill me like the sea, Lord,
Not coming past, still at last
Your love brings life to me,
Your love brings life to me,
Hey!

Rings of cloud, arms aflame,
Sunrise up to call your name,
Sunrise up and it burn the ground
Just to shine above the first true love I found.

Hey! Fill me like the mountains, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Fill me like the sea, Lord,
Not coming past, still at last
Your love brings life to me,
Your love brings life to me,
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, yeah!

Half moon, night time sky,
Seven stars, Heaven's eyes,
Seven songs on seven seas
Just to bring all your sweet love home to me.

Hey! Fill me like the mountains, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Fill me like the sea, Lord,
Not coming past, still at last
Lord! Fill me like the mountains, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Fill me like the sea, Lord,
Not coming past, still at last

Lord! fill me like the mountains, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Fill me like the sea, Lord,
Not coming past, still at last
Your love brings life to me,
Your love brings life to me,
Your love, la, la, la, la wah, whoa love, love —
Your love brings life to me, yeah.

All right. We'll sue you! Oh, it's Sunday, right ? It's Monday now, right ? No ? Well, well, keep on rockin'. It's five minutes past Sunday ? Hey, you're still here, man ? It's Monday, it's legal, right. This is a very strange place you have. And if you ever need a drink that should be on Sunday, man, that's the worst, ha ha! The worst day in the week and they close the bars ? I can't understand it!

Trans Continental
Trans Continental Pop Festival poster
Ken Walker & John H. Lown

Kozmic Blues

Time keeps moving on,
Friends they turn away, Lordy Lord.
Well, I keep moving on
But I never found out why
I keep pushing so hard a dream,
I keep trying to make it right
Through another lonely day.

Whoa — don't discover it lasts ...
Honey, time keeps a-moving on, hey yeah, yeah yeah.
Well, I'm twenty-five years older now
So I know it can't be right
And I'm no better baby and I can't help you no more
Than I did when I was just a girl. Yeah!

But it don't make no difference baby, no, no,
'Cause I know that I could always try.
There's a fire inside of everyone of us, huh-uh,
I'm gonna need it now,
I'm gonna hold it yeah,
I'm gonna use it till the day I die.

Don't, honey, don't you expect any answers, dear,
Ah, I know they don't come with ease, no, no, no, no.
Hey, I ain't never gonna love you any better baby
'Cause I'm never gonna love you right
So you better take it now, I said right yes now, yeah.

But it don't make no difference baby, no, no,
'Cause I know that I could always try.
There's a fire inside of everyone of us, huh-uh,
I'm gonna need it now,
I'm gonna use it yeah,
I'm gonna hold it till the day I die.

Don't make no difference babe, no, no, no,
Honey, I hate to be the one.
I said you're gonna live your life
And you're gonna love, love, love your life.
I'm gonna need it now,
I'm gonna hold it yeah,
I'm gonna use it, say, whoa ...

Don't make no difference, baby, no, no, no,
Honey, I hate, I hate to be the one.
I said every time you're gonna wanna love somebody,
Every time you're gonna wanna need somebody,
You're gonna wanna turn around, I'm gonna be there.
No no no no no, no no no no no, no no no no.

When you're gonna put out your hand,
All your want is some kind of lovin' man,
He ain't gonna be there, I said, not here.
No no no no, no no no no, no no no no,
No no no, no no no, no no no no,
No no no no, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, wah wah, whoa,
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Honey when I wanna reach out my hand
I said darling all I ever wanted
Was for you to understand me now — whoa
Ah baby, I wanna sing about me Lord, honey, every day yeah!

This is a song that demands audience participation. All you have to do is clap your hands, man. I know you can cope with it no matter how stoned you are, man. We are all gonna cope with it and we're all pretty stoned, too, man. Like that! I can't hardly hear you, man! — Yeah!

Move Over

You say that it's over baby, Lord,
You say that it's over dear,
But still you hang around me, come on,
Won't you move over.

You know that I need a man, honey,
You know that I need a man,
But when I ask you to you just say
That you think you can.

Please dontcha do it to me babe, no!
Please dontcha do it to me baby,
Either take the love I offer
Or let me be.

I ain't quite a ready for walking, no!
I ain't quite a ready for walking,
But whatcha gonna do with your life,
Life all just dangling ?

Hey! Make up your mind, honey,
You're playing with me.
Make up your mind, honey,
You're playing with me.
I said now, well either be my loving man,
Come on let me, honey, let me be, yeah!
Move on.

You say that it's over, baby, oh,
You say that it's over dear,
But still you hang around me, come on
Won't you move over.

You know that I need a man, yeah!
You know that I need a man,
When I ask you to you just say
That you think you can.

But please dontcha do it to me, babe, no!
Ain't quite a ready for walking
But whatcha gonna do with your love,
Love all just dangling ?

Honey, I fear that it's dangling,
Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord!
Lord I know that it's dangling,
Lord I fear, fear, fear!

It's like a carrot baby now,
Like a carrot, yeah.
Like a carrot baby now,
Like a carrot baby.
Like a carrot baby!
Like a carrot darling!
Like a carrot baby!
Like a carrot baby!
Like a carrot dear!
All right, daddy, take it all!

I'll tell you something, man, I never expected that out of Toronto, man. You're looking real good, real good — in fact you're all invited to my house for a drink. I live in San Francisco and if you can get there man, I'll give you the drink. I promise. I ain't too hard to find, ha ha ha ha ha ... I'm all over the streets, man. Ha Ha. I'm not.

A while back, it was about a year ago, I think it was, I had this apartment in San Francisco, I lived on the third floor in this little tiny apartment building, had a little two rooms and a dog, right. I lived on the third floor and I used to walk around town and I had, you know, a couple of pairs of Levis and a couple T-shirts and I thought I had my shit pretty good together, man. You know I was out on the streets talking and talking, doing all that shit, and every time I found a nice piece of talent he went right straight downstairs to the chick on the second floor, there was another chick on the second floor, right. And I couldn't understand, I couldn't understand, I kept thinking, Janis, why are you doing wrong suddenly ? Well I so decided to get up one morning, ha ha ha, and check out the chick's action, right, figure out what she had going that I didn't have going. I got up at 9:30 in the morning, which I want you to know is an effort on my part. And I got up at 9:30 in the morning, I hid in the stairwell right next to the chick's across from her apartment, right. And I watched her and watched to see what she had, man, that I didn't have. And I'll tell you what she had man, that chick hit the streets at noon. I mean I didn't use to get up till three. That chick was already in the street hustling, man. So I figured out what you gotta do, man. Every time you're looking for a little piece of action and you ain't getting none, man, you know what you better do, baby, you better try harder, man.

Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)

Try, try, try just a little bit harder
So I can love, love, love him, I tell myself
'Cause I'm gonna try, oh yeah, just a little bit harder
So I won't lose, lose, lose him to nobody else, yeah.
Hey, I don't care how long it's gonna take ya
But if it's a dream I don't want   No I don't really want it
Yeah if it's a dream I don't want nobody to wake me.

Yeah I'm gonna try, oh yeah, just a little bit harder
So I can give, give, give, give him every bit of my soul.
I'm gonna try, oh yeah, just a little bit harder
So I can show, show, show him love with no control, yeah.
Hey! I don't care how long it's gonna take ya
But if it's a dream I don't want
   No I don't really want it
Yeah if it's a dream I don't want nobody to wake me.
Hey, dig it! Yeah! Yeah yeah yeah!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, all right.

Try oh yeah, hey, try oh yeah, Lord, Lord, Lord,
Try oh yeah, try oh yeah, Lord, Lord, Lord,
Try oh yeah yeah, try, whoa, try oh yeah, Lord, Lord, Lord,
Push, work, push, work, oh yeah, try, oh yeah hey!
Try oh yeah, hey try oh yeah,
Try Lord, try, try, you ain't trying man
You're not trying out man, come up with it.
Come on, that's a wanker that listens to words, man.
Hey you gotta work all night
Hey little girl, gotta push on
You gotta need
Work a little more, hey, try a little more,
Need a little more
Yeah, work on, push on, move on, move on,
You gotta work for it, you gotta work on it
Push on, need on, move on,
Move on, hey hey hey.

Work it daddy,
Work it daddy,
Come on, work it daddy, oh
Yeah, yeah, you better try, try, try, try a little more
You ain't never gonna get any man if that's the sort of thing you can do.
Shit, there's lot more talent around than that man.
Try, try, try, try try try,
You've gotta try, try, try, try,
Try, try, try, try, try, try...
You gotta try, try, try, try...
Lord, try, try, try, try,
Lord, try, try, try, try,
Hey, try, try, try, try,

Hey, try oh yeah, try oh yeah, Lord, Lord, Lord
Try oh yeah, hey, try whoa, try oh yeah
Try oh yeah, Lord, Lord, Lord, try oh yeah
Try oh yeah, hey, hey, hey,
Try oh yeah, try oh yeah,
Lord, Lord, Lord, oh Lord.

And don't you forget!

Janis Joplin!

Boy they're incredible.

Quiet, quiet!

I'll tell you one thing, we sure turned a trainful of freaks into a party, man, ha ha ha ha, didn't we, boys ? All right, all right, now what should I do ? Get it ?

"Get it While You Can" ? "Get it While You Can" !

All right. I'll do a song, man, that I'll tell you you could apply it to more or less to anything you want to but it could almost be even called the truth man. I wouldn't go that far, I wouldn't heavy up on anyone like that, man. I'll tell you one thing, songs got something to say, man, if you can dig it. It's talking about everybody's life, man, and what passes by you and what you miss and what you're gonna have, man. This is a song called Get it While You Can 'cause it ain't gonna be there when you wake up, man. (On Richard!) Richard Bell on piano.

Get it While You Can

In this world, if you read the papers, darling,
You know everybody's fighting with each other.
You got no one you can count on, dear,
Not even your own brother.
So if someone comes along,
He gonna give you love and affection,

I'd say get it while you can, yeah,
Honey, get it while you can, yeah,
Honey, grab it while you can,
Don't you turn your back on love, no, no, no.

When you're loving somebody, baby,
You're taking a gamble against some sorrow.
But who knows, baby,
'Cause we may not be here tomorrow.
And if anybody comes along,
He gonna give you love and affection,

I'd say get it while you can, yeah!
Honey, grab it when you're gonna need it!
Yeah hey, hold it while you can,
Don't you turn your sweet back on love,
No no no, no no no no no!

Ah! Once I had me a man,
But I didn't know enough at the time
To count my blessings, no no,
But I wish he could see me crying today,
'Cause his love don't feel to listen.
And if anybody comes along,
He gonna give me love and affection,
Yeah, hey!, Hey! Yeah! Hey!

Get it while you can, yeah!
Honey, get it while you can, yeah!
Honey, get it while you can,
Don't you turn your back on love,
No no no, no no no no.

Get it while you can, yeah!
Honey, grab it while you can, yeah!
I said, hold on to that man, love,
Hold on to that man whole,
Yeah, get it, want it, need it,
Get it, get it, hold it, need it, want it,
Get it, need it, want it, hold it,
Get it, squeeze it, love it, touch it,
Use it, need it, want it, get it,
Need it, want it, hold it,

Yeah hey, get it while you can, baby,
Yeah hey, get it while you can,
Honey, don't you go and turn your sweet back on love,
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
No, no, daddy, you'll be sorry,
No, no, no, no!

Why, thank you! I don't smoke. I just don't sleep, man, that's the trouble. I gotta sleep sometime. There's too much happening, why sleep, man ? I might miss a party.          

Ball and Chain! Ball and Chain! Ball and Chain.

Stay short tonight man, shorten it, shorten it, shorten it.

Three, four!

Yeah!!!

Ball and Chain

S-sitting down by my window,
Oh, looking at the rain.
S-sitting down by my window now now,
All around I felt it,
All I could see was the rain.
Something grabbed a hold of me, honey,
Felt to me honey like, Lord, a ball and chain.
Yeah! Hey! You know what I mean,
But it's way too heavy for you,
You can't hold it tomorrow.

Say, whoa, whoa, honey, it can't be
Just because I got to want your love
Please please please please, whoa please, please.
Whoa, honey it can't be
Just because I got to need you daddy.
Please don't you let me down, no, please, Lord!
Here you gone today, but I wanted to love you,
I wanted to hold you, yeah, till the day I die,
Till the day, till the day,
Yeah! Hey! Hey! All right!

Say, whoa, whoa, honey this can't be
Not anything I ever wanted from you daddy
Tell me now, now, now, now, oh, tell me now, yeah.
I say, whoa, whoa, honey this can't be
No, no, no, no, no, no, no ... yeah yeah, hey!
And I want someone that could tell me, tell me why
Just because I got to want your love
Honey, just because I got to need, need, need your love
I said I don't understand, honey, but I wanna chance to try
Try, try, try, try try try try
Honey when everybody in the world wants the same damn thing
When everybody in the world will need the same lonely thing
When I wanna work for your love, daddy.
When I wanna try for your love, daddy.

  I don't understand how come you're gone, man. I don't understand why half the world is still crying, man, when the other half of the world is still crying too, man, I can't get it together. I mean, if you got a cat for one day, man — I mean, if you, say, say, if you want a cat for 365 days, right — You ain't got him for 365 days, you got him for one day, man. Well I tell you that one day, man, better be your life, man. Because, you know, you can say, oh man, you can cry about the other 364, man, but you're gonna lose that one day, man, and that's all you've got. You gotta call that love, man. That's what it is, man. If you got it today you don't want it tomorrow, man, 'cause you don't need it, 'cause as a matter of fact, as we discovered in the train, tomorrow never happens, man. It's all the same fucking day, man.                     

So you gotta, when you wanna hold a sigh,
You gotta hold him like it's the last minute in your life, baby.
You gotta hold, whoa, whoa, hold him
'Cause someday some weight's gonna come on your shoulders, babe,
It's gonna feel too heavy, it's gonna weigh on you,
It's gonna feel just like a ball, ball, ball, oh daddy,
And a chain.


© 1996-2002 Serge Mironneau