THE CHAMPION OF HUDSON TOWN (CD #1)

THE CHAMPION OF HUDSON TOWN

All my friends are married
Except Charlie my best friend
Tonight on borrowed money
We're going for broke again
We'll be down at the Mid-Night Poolhall
My big game's been arranged

(CHORUS)
And tonight...
It's the night...
Rack 'em up real tight
My best friend bet his life on me
I can't lose tonight
I threw my sneakers 
On the telephone wire
I hear the speakers
Blasting out of Charlie's car
I'm sorry Momma
But I can't let Charlie down
I'm the Champion of Hudson Town
I'm the Champion of Hudson Town

"Why can't you be more like your brother"
Momma screams as I fly out the door
"You're old enough to be working now
You ain't sixteen no more"
But I don't care what the years say
I'm going strong, she's so wrong
(CHORUS)

And I admit I'm scared sometimes
But Charlie never knows
And if he ever doubts me
Well, at least it never shows
Anyway, life's a combination shot
To me and Charlie
(CHORUS)

HOBOKEN NIGHTS

I never asked for this
I was always the target
It's time to slit my wrists
I just fell in a dark pit
This guy walks in the poolroom
His nick name was Nine-Ball Sonny
I beat him bad all night
But he wouldn't pay my money
I cursed his family
Said a welsher ain't no man
He said, "Screw yourself"
And flashed a gun in his waistband
He said, "I'll see you soon"
It turned out he was the Black Hand

(CHORUS)
Hoboken nights
In the jaws of hell
Living on the line
I learned my lesson well
Hoboken nights
Duckin' wiseguys
Hey, what's right is right
It's the story of my life

The Hudson River swelled
As I walked down by the skyline
Thinking 'bout his threat
And slowly losing my mind
Suddenly a voice said,
"Don't turn around just listen,
The last guy that did this to Sonny...
He iced him
The devil's in the shadows
Waiting to ambush you
Be careful where you go
And watch out who you tell this to
Sonny knows your name, 
Where you live and what you're into"
(CHORUS)

My mother slapped my face
As I walked through the front door
She called me a disgrace
Said she wouldn't take it no more
On the avenue 
The night traffic was hummin'
Dead drunk on the sidewalk
I screamed, "I ain't runnin'!"
The shylark on the corner said, 
"The heat won't get no hotter"
He said Sonny got whacked
For skimmin' money from his father
He wore vanilla shoes
And he looked like Jake LaMotta
(CHORUS)



SALLY'S ON THE STREET TONIGHT

Sally's by the clothesline
Looking for a good time
Man she's looking real fine
Getting ready for Saturday night

The boys are in the doorway
Watching Sally's hips sway
Thinking of something to say
They'd love to hold her tight
They'd love to turn out the lights
And show her what they've got
They shout...

(CHORUS)
"Sally's on the street tonight"
And then they laugh, 
And say she's got no brains
But she's got everything I need tonight
Look at that, 
Don't it drive you insane
What she's got on,
What she's got on,
The neighborhood can talk all they want
I'll see you Sally on the street tonight

Young, dizzy and pretty
Running 'round the city
They say that it's a pity
She's so wild, she just can't be tamed

The boy's are on the corner
They can't hold back much longer
They feel it getting stronger
They want to call her name
They'd love to play her game
And give her all they've got
They shout...
(CHORUS)

Sally's by the clothesline
Looking for a good time
Man she's looking real fine
Getting ready for Saturday night

They boys are by the front gate
Too bad they got there too late
I've got my arms around her waist
I'm holding Sally tight
We're gonna burn up the night
I'll show her what I've got
They shout...
(CHORUS)

MAGIC SUMMER TWILIGHT

Quick behind the house let's hide
I want no one to see
I got some magic in my jacket
Come along with me

Baby I got tricks up my sleeve
You've never seen
I'll change this urban nightmare
We're living into a golden dream

(CHORUS)
The sun's gonna rise
In the middle of the night
The world's gonna stop 
Spinning 'round...
Maybe then you'll realize
I'm the wizard of the night
And we'll disappear
In the magic summer twilight
And we'll disappear
In the magic summer twilight

Underneath this fire escape
And before your very eyes
I'll snap my fingers in the air
And away from here we'll fly

No, baby, come on, don't punk out now
Something's waiting for you
Don't deny your dreams and fantasies
They're coming true
(CHORUS)


BRAND NEW NIGHT

I'm blowing out of this town
Tonight like a desperate wind
I'd never lie to you baby
We'll start our lives over again
You grew up believin' the lies
Your momma told you were true
And I grew up in my own little world
C'mon a brand new night is callin' you
It's a brand new night
It's a brand new life tonight

(CHORUS)
I'm painting my name on the turnpike rocks
Tonight and I'm driving away
Just to remind the ones that know me
That nobody owns me
There are some games that I won't play
Hold on to me baby, 
You've drivin' me crazy
I'll love you all the rest of my life
Our theme song's playing
On the highway it's saying
It's the morning of a brand new night
It's a brand new night
It's a brand new night tonight

We won't have to worry no more
At last we're gonna finally be free
>From a scene full of empty talk
It's a life that just ain't for me
I don't care where we wind up tonight
As long as I have you
Turn that radio up all the way
This brand new night'll see us through
It's a brand new night
It's a brand new night tonight
(CHORUS)

FRANKIE GO HOME

"Oh, Frankie, I hate you"
Tina said and slammed the car door
"And keep your roses, too
Don't call me up,  I swear we're through"
Then she sighed like in a movie scene
And started to cry
Frankie tried explaining
But his hands were tied
"Cause once dramatic girls get hurt
They wanna die in the front row
It seems that loves a danger zone
Frankie go home
Frankie go home

"Oh, Frankie, save your breath
Nothing you can say is gonna change my mind
Let go of me
You're just what Momma said you'd be"
Then she looked up at the stars
With teardrops in her eyes
Frankie started sweatin'
He felt sick inside
Hey, all you gotta do is confess one little lie
And your all alone
You'd better leave the rest unknown
Frankie go home
Frankie go home

"Oh, Frankie, get in your car
And disappear from my block forever
Right now i don't feel right
Before I faint, just leave my sight"
And as violins played 
Inside of Tina's mind
Frankie begged her to get in
And trust him one more time
But she ran into the house
And pulled down all the blinds
Like a spoiled child
She screamed, "I want to be alone"!
Frankie go home
Frankie go home

There's no use talkin'
Just keep walkin'... go home
Those wedding bells
They ring in hell
Frankie go home
You're such a fool
You broke the rules
Frankie go home

MONTGOMERY STREET

A saxman on the corner wails
With his cap down low
An open fire hydrant 
Down the block explodes
Ice cream music 
Starts to play in the background
>From tenement windows
Fat women throw coins down
To waiting hands
Soon to be sticky ones
As the whole block screams

(CHORUS)
I had a dream
I was back on Montgomery Street
And the neighborhood
Was just the way it used to be
I was young again
My friends were there
We'd hang all day
Without a care
And on summer nights
We'd sing and dance 
Under the streetlights
On Montgomery Street
On Montgomery Street

Hot shots wash and wax their cars
In sweaty T-shirts
Ballgames blare from radios
While Latino girls flirt
Kids play hopscotch
In the burning black street
Project mothers 
Hanging out wet sheets
Small boys climb over hot roof tops
With scraped knees
As the landlord screams
(CHORUS)


THINK OF ME
(Everytime The Radio Plays Something Sweet)

Think of me
Everytime the radio plays something sweet
Wherever you are 
I'm sure that you won't forget me
I dug up old graves of memories
And saw you on that subway car
Throwing kisses back
   to me as I cried
When the train pulled away
   I wanted to die

(CHORUS)
And when the radio
Plays that song 
That we used to know
I start to cry
For our love that died
So many years ago

The years peeled away
And time erased your rejection
Still, when I hear that song
I think of all the fun
   that we had on those warm summer nights
And the dozen roses that you said
   you'd send me when I one day
   captured all my dreams
But I'm so far off
Your gift I'll never see
(CHORUS)

Think of me
Everytime the radio plays something sweet
Close your eyes and recapture
How it used to be
Oh, I wish I could turn back time
And find those moments with you
Running through the rain
Laughing in the street
I can almost see you
   splashing after me
(CHORUS)


BRIANNA

I'm walking the streets at night
Wishing we'd never met
I'll smoke one more cigarette
And try my best to quiet down

I'm gonna bang my head against the wall
It's getting so I can't sleep at night
You swore you'd love me
Then broke my heart
You're really tearing me apart
No, don't go getting too close to me
You'll stick your head in a lion's mouth
I ain't got nothing to smile about

(CHORUS)
Brianna, 
Just when I thought I'd shine
My luck ran out
And I got left behind
And now I'd better leave
Before I...
I'm walking the streets at night
Wishing we'd never met
I'll smoke one more cigarette
And try my best to quiet down

I'm gonna bang my head against the wall
I don't know whether to laugh or cry
I've had enough of your alibis
It might take some time
But I'll forget the night
Up on the roof of the projects
I kissed you lips as the deli sign
Across the street winked a loveless eye
(CHORUS)

I'm walking the streets at night
Wishing we'd never met
I'll smoke one more cigarette
And try my best to quiet down

HIT AND RUN YEARS

The moving truck will be here tomorrow
And I'm feeling so confused
I'm older and I'm much sadder now
My heart's as beat up as my old shoes
I thought I'd take one last look around
Remind myself of something to miss
The city music toyed with my ears
And as I melted in the darkness 

(CHORUS)
I was struck down by hit and run years
Walking past landmarks in my life
I was struck down by hit and run years
And memories surround me from all sides
Then they disappear 
Along with hit and run years
Oh, those hit and run years
Oh, those hit and run years... goodbye

Past the phantoms of the schoolyard
Through the juvenille jungle I roamed
Past the trainyards and factories
By the heavy industry zone
A stranger asked me the baseball score
He settled for my time instead
He talked about all the greats he'd seen
I tried to listen to what he said but...
(CHORUS)

I checked the time in front of the bank
Decided I'd take the backstreets home
Past the immigrant tenements
The smell of whiskey and cheap cologne
And as they watched from their windowpanes
Cardboard faces pulled down their shades
I thought of friends that I use to know
And as I marched I my own parade
(CHORUS)

THE NEON WILDERNESS (CD #2)

THE NEON WILDERNESS

Bright marquees and hot burning city lights
Blink and blind as strangers swarm the night
Traffic roars and stores are working overtime
As street food venders howl out their price
I'm leaning on a violated parking meter
Outside a laundromat when suddenly
Brainless laughter echoes from two loaded GI's
Singing Irish songs in the street
And the passersby poked their fun
But not me I bit my tongue "cause I

(CHORUS)
Kill the night in the neon wilderness
And crawl these desert streets back home
Blood thirsty I search for tenderness
At least I ain't in this alone
With savage eyes 
I hunt for a caress
In the neon wilderness

Young romancers creep through darkened alleyways
Sidewalk salesmen sandbag with their charm
Pool room con-men argue in a hallway
As backroom strongmen feel each other's arms
I bought a late edition from a corner newsboy
Hollering headlines and tragedies
His broken record played in front of a cafe'
While half asleep blue cops walked their beats
But I can't complain, I'll do my time
I'm guilty of the same crime 'cause I
(CHORUS)


SIDE STREET MASQUERADE

It's Halloween everyday
The masks never come off
And I was watching you from in my car
As you conveyed your mood
Your troubled attitude
To your friends that I don't like
They don't like me
They took your side street masquerade seriously
They blamed me
You're just a side street masquerade

A real romantic twist
In a comic strip town
Those soapy dramas I detest
As you parade around seeking sympathy
>From a crowd of pettiness
Just like you guessed
They took your side street masquerade seriously
They blamed me
You're just a side street masquerade

I watched you play your part so well
You're an artist at exaggeration
You paint yourself a tragic face
And the fools you call friends 
Swallow your creation

It's Halloween everyday
They masks never come off
But you gave yourself away this time
Lecture on my life
Sigh your worried sigh
Feed those fools your alibis
You made them cry
They took your side street masquerade seriously
They blamed me
You're just a side street masquerade


BACK TO NOTHING, LAUGHING BOY

I been caught in tender traps
I got footprints on my back
I can't believe I'm dying again
I pressed my ear against the door
And heard her whispering for more
Why do people have to pretend?

I stood like a question mark
With her initials in my heart
Begging her to please act her age
She said, "I don't know what you're talking about
Don't make a scene, no need to shout
Just crawl away back to your cage

(CHORUS)
Because it's back to nothing, laughing boy
The show's over, I hope you've enjoyed
Your fun while it lasted, tragic boy
"Cause it's back to nothing
You're destroyed, laughing boy"
 
I did my little monkey dance
Down her hallway in a trance
I hid behind my comedy
I never fell in love so fast
I never thought we'd never last
I turned away in silent defeat

Shivering in a parking lot
My hands were numb, my nerves were shot
I stumbled toward the sad part of town
In front of the five and ten
On the dime-a-ride horse drunk again
I cried as the curtain came down
(CHORUS)


DIRTY FACED ANGEL

Once upon a past life
You were such a tease
In a dive on Dream Street
Dancing where the dead meet
When one of the drunken fools
Tried to touch you
I came to your rescue
Decided I would be your ride home

(CHORUS)
You said, "C'mon, don't put me on
You're a dirty faced angel
Some other time, not tonight"
And when I tried to change your mind
You became unkind
Better luck next time

You made like you didn't know me
As I poured my heart out
You laughed sipping wine
As I dwindled into nothing
Just like a fly I dropped
Out of sight and then
Kept coming back to
Linger in your sweet loveliness
(CHORUS)

That's when I fell off
The edge of madness
Insane from sadness
As you danced your last dance
I got down on my knees
And begged you to love me
You thought you were above me
You said I'd make the perfect stranger
(CHORUS)


PAPER DOLL

She was fresh out of school
Her family's jewel
Down on St. Mark's Place
She was touching up her face
When I went searching to find myself
With fallen faith and pride
And I met a paper doll
That needed someone for the night

In pastel party rags
Flew the paper doll
While through cautious eyes
I was trying to decide
If I was only dreaming
Or if she was really there
When like a fool I fell too soon
For someone who'd never care

(CHORUS)
I was hungry for the paper doll
The princess of the night
When I turned my back the paper doll
Moved the finish line
Whatever happened to the paper doll
Who left me here to die?
Torn to pieces by a paper doll
She buried me alive

She was fresh out of school
Her family's jewel
Down on St. Mark's Place
Now, she's the family's disgrace
There's two stories to every side
She was using me
She handed me an ice cold surprise
Now, I'm melted history
(CHORUS) 


ONE OF A TOUSANDS CLOWNS

I called you by mistake
But while you're on the line
How come you said goodbye
When I thought you were mine?
My friends told me that you were
Less than meets the eye
With fingers in my ears
I'd fall apart inside
I refused to see
What they seemed to know
You made a fool of me  
One thing before I go

(CHORUS)
I'm one of a thousand clowns
Don't you remember me?
I'm that guy you used to know
One of a thousand clowns
Why won't you answer me
Is this the girl that stole the show?

Each night I wondered
What you were like in real life
When you were all alone
And out of your disguise
You know I never had it
In me to pretend
I bet you tell stories
About me to your friends
That's all right with me
We all need a laugh
You had me on my knees
I'm gonna make this fast
(CHORUS)


DAMAGED MAN

Each day is no different than the last
Imagining at your little desk
Alternatives tempt you from your whereabouts
You review the  options in your head
You're being pursued by something strange
You can't help feeling you're being timed
Your temper burns your reason away
You're running down the street in your mind

(CHORUS)
You're a damaged man punching out
A victim down for the count
Too bad you can't beat up time
Or try and come back from behind
Damaged man, damaged man
Underneath the stairs again
Everything is out of hand
Now, break out your secret plan
Damaged man

You've tried and sentenced yourself to life
In the washroom you wet your face
You ask your reflection where you are
It tells you to get out of that place
Down ugly streets past shut down stores
With ball and chain eyes stark raving mad
The little boy in you lets out a cry
For the heartaches and bad breaks that you've had
(CHORUS)

BAD HIGHT LULLABYE

Night after night
While sleeping tenents snore
So deep in lonely thought
I pace the kitchen floor

I need a ray of light
My sense of humor's gone
I'm all locked up inside
I prowl the night till dawn

(CHORUS)
The city is weary
Except for me no one's around
The cold streets are empty
But through the stillness churchbells sound
It's a sad song
What went wrong?
These demons haunt me day and night
I wipe the tears from my dark eyes
As I sing this bad night lullabye

What day is it today?
I live inside a box
I've lost all track of time
My life is on the rocks

There's a moat around my heart
It's a castle draped in black
And the drawbridge won't come down
"Cause I guard against attack
(CHORUS)

NO PITY ON NINTH STREET

The spirit of adventure
Came barging in my room
He looked just like a gangster
In the dreary night light gloom
He lit a cigarette and said
As he lifted my chin,
"Look deep in that mirror, kid 
Meet your assassin
Wake up, 
There's no pity  on Ninth  Street
Time's creeping in 
What are you waiting for?"
He clapped his hands 
And the hands on the clock
Slapped my face 
And started shoving me out the door
No pity on Ninth Street

Full of doubt, I still stepped out
In the dreamy night
I thought I heard voices somewhere
It sounded like a fight
Then three chefs from Hell's Kitchen
Came and caught me in a lie
They left me in a back alley
Wishing I would die
When I heard,
"No pity on Ninth Street"
The spirit reappeared
Among some broken glass
He clapped his hands
And the hands on my watch
Slapped my face
And brought me to my feet as he laughed
"No pity on Ninth Street"


AIN'T IT FUNNY HOW THE HEART SURVIVES

Like a shooting star
She fell out of the magic sky
Her love light found me
In my darkest hour that night
She touched my lips 
And woke the dead silence in my life
Ain't it funny how the heart survives
Ain't it funny how the heart survives
Ain't it funny how the heart survives

We shot through the dark
And as the city slept we talked
It didn't take long
For her to sense my tragic flaw
I let my guard down
The episode intensified
Ain't it funny how the heart survives
Ain't it funny how the heart survives
Ain't it funny how the heart survives

We drove to her house
She showed me her room
I fought off feeling out of place
But when she kissed my face
I could feel my old self die away

Six in the morning
Down the long sleeping highway
The sun was rising
To start a melancholy day
I played our scenes back
In my mind a million times
Ain't it funny how the heart survives
Ain't it funny how the heart survives
Ain't it funny how the heart survives

UNSUNG (CD #3)

THE LAST ANGRY MAN

He never walked on floors that belonged to him
He always ended up one step behind
Every night he prayed that he'd be sent something
That would make some sense to him this time
Always with a frown
Like a sad sack clown
A nobody with a one line part
Never at ease
Never appeased
Love seems like a stranger to his heart
Love seems like a stranger to his heart

(CHORUS)
There's only one journey
And no happy land
Just the rage that lives inside
The last angry man
He lives without a reason
He moves without a plan
Say a prayer and light a candle for
The last angry man
The last angry man

Every fearfilled day and every sleepless night
He wonders if there'll ever come a time
When his discontent will one day disappear
And he'll finally find some peace of mind
He knows that life ain't fair
He knows that no one cares
Still in all he still makes his demands
He dwells on his mistakes
And everything he hates
And wonders why no one will lend a hand
He wonders why no one will lend a hand
(CHORUS)

Underneath the awning of a sad pawn shop
He stares at the horn he used to own
The closest thing he ever knew to happiness
In a band he used to play trombone
But that was long ago
Now, he's got nothing to show
For those days of dance halls and of song
He sits in a bar
With his head up in the stars
Drinking, thinking how his life went wrong
Drinking, thinking how his life went wrong
(CHORUS)

TOUGH GUYS DON'T DANCE

She said, "Are you scared
   to feel love again?
Don't you know I care?
Take a dare
C'mon take a chance
Tough guys don't dance
Tough guys don't dance"

She looked in my eyes
And said, "What's your game?
Don't you think it's time
   to decide?
You've gotta take a chance
Tough guys don't dance
Tough guys don't dance"

She said, "C'mon...
   you've been hurt before
But you've gotta be strong
Unlock the door
   to your wounded heart
We'll make a new start
You've gotta be tough
You've gotta be tough
You've gotta be tough 
   to be tender"

She said, "It's your move,
   now, make up your mind
Tell me, has this been
   a waste of time
This is your last chance
Tough guys don't dance
Tough guys don't dance
Tough guys don't dance
Tough guys don't dance"

REMEMBER ALWAYS

There is a street 
Where nothing will grow
Where no light can reach
Where hope never shows
And there is a silence
Loud as a graveyard
There is a stray cat creeping
And then there's me

(CHORUS)
Remember always I told you
Those without shadows
Never see the sun shine
Tonight as I look all around me
I fear I'm dying
I wanna see you one more time
I wanna see you one more time

There was a time
When this was a place
Where roses would bloom
And smiling faces
Pasted on the sidewalk
Now, there's no trace of
Their happy laughter
They pull their curtains down
(CHORUS)

There is a house
That's never a home
Where there is a room
A man turn's to stone
He thinks of the place
Where dreams die alone
And where the forgotten hearts
Can never forget
(CHORUS)

THE KING OF THE KIDS

Lucky was the king of the kids
He lived on my block
In the projects in the sixties
In the sandlot
He looked like Jimi Hendrix
With fire in his eyes
This colored boy was trouble
But we idolized the guy
Built like a building
Faster than a cat
The town had never seen
    a greater halfback

(CHORUS)
Hey, man, 
Remember the king of kids
I don't know what it is
I'm haunted by things he did
Hey, man,
He walked like the king of kids
He talked like the king of kids
He ran like the king of the kids

I remember Mickey Mantle
Slapping the spokes
My brother on the handlebars
With a bottle of coke
When Lucky stormed up to us
And he screamed, "You wanna fight?!
To you I'm just a nigger
But I'm better than you whites!"
Mr. Jones explained 
As he shot out of sight
Some white guy shot and killed
His old man last night
(CHORUS)

Lucky was the king of the kids
He lived on my block
In the projects in the sixties
Built like an Ox
But when he started changing
That body went to pot
Everytime you'd see him
He'd be selling something hot
On his sixteenth birthday
He pulled his last alarm
He died on the street
With a needle in his arm
(CHORUS)

VOICE FROM THE PAST

In this corner stands
   a man in pain
Trying not to fall
Up against the ropes
   tonight, he's tired
But he'll try and fool them all

Destroy the evidence that's on your face
Pretend you're strong
You've been carrying around
That bag of guilt so long
That you've weighed down

What's the matter 
   long lost little boy
Are you afraid to show your hand?
There's a riot going on
   inside your mind
Since you've become a man

Trapped in the revolving doors
Of all your life long shame
All the nervous classrooms
That you sat in taught you
Pain and sorrow

(CHORUS)
And this voice from the past
Keeps haunting me
Laughing at me
Being cruel
Oh, this voice from the past
Keeps asking me
If I'm still the same old fool
I hate the voice from the past

Don't turn on the lights
Let your mind swim 
   in the silence for a while
This world is a dark theatre
Filled with frightened actors
Hiding behind smiles

When it comes to fools
You are the champion of the world
Banished to that tragic place
Where all sad clowns are hurled
   ... and forgotten
(CHORUS)


EAT AT JOE'S

Puddles in the street
And gasoline rainbows
The sandwich sign said, 
"Eat at Joe's"
Oh. you're really sly
I bet you saw me coming
Well, break my will
I'll give you what you want

(CHORUS)
Because you talk my talk
Loose and fast
We don't need reasons
We just need gas
I'm going home
To get all my clothes
And tell them I'm leaving
And we'll meet at Joe's

You're no more than a child
Shrugging your shoulders
I'm love sick to dead so don't turn away
I'm no liar
You smear lipstick on
And I just can't resist it
Don't make a doomed affair
>From my mad desire
(CHORUS)


GINA

Another night
Another moon above
I'm sitting by my window
Across the street
I see the one I love
In her room all alone

Most every night
They call her from the street
I hear them calling, "Gina"
I wish I was
The one she runs to meet
But I'm just a dreamer

What can I say
How can I tell her that
I feel this way
She doesn't know my name

(CHORUS)
Gina,
I wanna get to know you
I wanna be your friend
Oh, Gina,
I wanna get to show you
That true love never ends
True love never ends
True love never ends

What's this I see
I can't believe my eyes
Gina and me together
Arm in Arm
Beneath the neon sky
Pledging our love forever

I hold her close
And just as our lips meet
I wake up by my window
Her light is out
She must be fast asleep
I guess that she'll never know

What can I say
How can I tell her that
I feel this way
She doesn't know my name
(CHORUS)

FAMILY PORTRAIT

My grandfather came to this country
In spring of 1923
He left his wife in Sicily
When he was just a boy

His family were masons by trade
For fifteen hours a day he slaved
He sent for his wife with the money he made
He could not be destroyed

The holy smell of Momma's sauce
On sad Sunday afternoons
My old man with his rosary
My brother snoring in his room
Lately, I been thinking about
Where I fit
In this family portrait

My father fought in WW II
Stationed in Honolulu
He married my mother when the war was through
A proud Italian boy

In '49 my brother was born
In '55 I came along
Through the rough times they braved the storm
They could not be destroyed

So, what happened along the way
Why can't I be half as strong?
All my dreams seem out of reach now
Everything's turning out wrong
Lately, I been thinking about
Where I fit
In this family portrait

THE ZERO HOUR

I passed a note to Carlos
Said I'd meet him after school
In the courtyard
To talk about the news
The CIA had photos
Arms were camouflaged
Fidel and the fat man
Hated Camelot

(CHORUS)
Oh, there is nowhere to run
It's the zero hour
The final countdown's begun
It's the zero hour

Castro in pajamas
On a sofa bed
Was throwing crushed cigars
At JFK's head
God and country
On the basement floor
Trembled at the game
We practiced for
(CHORUS)

We did the locomotion
With the Russian bear
We divided the ocean
Planes were in the air
We held our breath
Waiting for the final sin
Till the fat man backed down
And the fever was broken

And while Hefner lived like Gatsby
All America
Watched with blurred vision
At what we wished we were
That was long ago
And these are different times
Still at night I wonder
If we're still blind
(CHORUS)


MAY MY TONGUE TURN BLACK

You're a teenage princess
But you ain't gunshy
I'm just a child
Waging big dramas in my mind
But good and evil's
Divided by a fine line

(CHORUS)
Don't you dare give me that stare
I'll just give one right back
If what I say ain't true
May my tongue turn black

Smoking cigarettes
On the high school steps
With city slang on my tongue
I was the teacher's threat
One sin led to another
Headstrong and reckless
(CHORUS)

I'm tired of playing angry roles
And tricks of tragedy
Your loveliness amazes me
Should I pretend not to see

I swear I wanna make friends
I don't wanna be like this
Come hold me tight
And save my life with just one kiss
My tramatized mind
Has had enough of this
(CHORUS)

THE LAST ENCORE

I walked the streets last night
Trying to make my mind up about you
I tried and tried
To make all of your fairy tales come true
I'm a fool
But I'm coming back again

Under sad streetlights
I stood and watched the snow begin to fall
The winter wind chilled the night
And somewhere in my mind I heard you call
Calling me back
To make amends

(CHORUS)
Girl, I'm coming back once more
For my last encore
My last encore
One more time
I'll be walking through your door
For my last encore
My last encore

I waited all my life
Believing someday I could make you mine
But now we fight
Were all my dreams a tragic waste of time
I'm sick and tired
Of you tearing me apart
(CHORUS)

Make me no more promises
Tell me no more lies
I'm a fool for rushing in
But this is the last time

So, kiss me once again
And tell me all the words I long to hear
Tonight I'm by your side
But this is the last time you'll have me near
Like a clown
Dancing on a string
(CHORUS)

BIG TALK, OLD DEBTS (CD #4)

THE LAND OF ALWAYS NIGHT

I guess it wasn't my fate
I guess it wasn't my time
To put a claim on a dream
And make it all turn out mine

It seems like just yesterday
I left my family and home
And went out into the world
And wound up lost and alone

(CHORUS)
In the land of always night
The land of always night
I wonder if there's ever gonna 
      be another chance for me
In the the land of always night
The land of always night
Hiding in the darkness of
     the city running wild

But then she came along
And she rescued my heart
We both lived for our love
The king and queen of the dark

But soon everything changed
Like a photo love fades
One night she whispered farewell
To the whole sad parade
(CHORUS)

I guess it wasn't my fate
I guess it wasn't my time
To put a claim on a dream
And make it all turn out mine

If you see her one day
Tell her I'm doing fine
Don't breathe a word of my pain
And how I lost my mind
(CHORUS)


BIG TALK, OLD DEBTS

Well, hello again
No, I won't shake your hand
And I won't kiss your cheek
But these last words I'll speak

Through all the years
And all the fears
I ain't forgotten when
It all came to an end

You stole my pride away from me
And on your soul you lied
My face is the last one you'll see
So, for your own good
Stay away from me

(CHORUS)
Revenge is sweet
But it is a dish
That's best served cold
Big talk, old debts
It's a miricle
I ain't killed nobody yet

The world has changed
But some things remain the same
I swear you should have died
On the street that night

So, for now, goodbye
But you better grow some eyes
Behind your head
I won't rest till you're dead

I'll catch up with you one day
And settle this old score
I guess for now I've said enough
I see you still think you're tough
(CHORUS)


GIRL IN THE PARKING LOT

The girl in the parking lot
She's waiting for her crowd
She's dressed to kill
Every night she's out
She lives down the street
In Shakespeare Towers
Her act is complete
She's got fatal powers

She's the girl in the parking lot
She's young and she's hot
The girl in the parking lot
She knows what she's got

The girl in the parking lot
Her family's got cash
They spoil her rotten
She spends money fast
Her mother ran off
With some other guy
Her daddy'd away
For months at a time

She's the girl in the parking lot
Her life's a long shot
The girl in the parking lot
She's tied in a knot

The girl in the parking lot
She's gonna turn you to dust
The girl in the parking lot
When she's in your arms
She's no one to trust

The girl in the parking lot
She's got all the moves
She's larger than life
But not bullet proof
A joyride turned into
Armed robbery...
In the summer calm
She's dead on the street

Through red flashing lights
And sirens ablaze
I stood and I watched
Them take her away
Her eyes were wide open
Blood on her hands
Girl in the parking lot
Was this your plan?

She's the girl in the parking lot
Searching the wrong spots
Girl in the parking lot
For love she never got

HOMETOWN HELL

By the dawn's early light
The streets started to steam
As I sat on the curbside
Unshaven and demeaned
And as my thoughts strayed away
Into the silent beyond
I pondered all my dreams
And this treadmill I'm on

I can't take it no more
In the hot summer heat
Forgotten and forlorn
Out on the street
The gray ash from the factories
And the garbage strike smell
Welcome to my sad hometown hell
Welcome to my sad hometown hell

(CHORUS)
My sad hometown hell
Blame it on whatever
Blame it on yourself
My sad hometown hell
Where the deaf, dumb and blind
Ain't got nothing to tell
Living in this sad hometown hell
Living in this sad hometown hell

Well, the dog in us all
Looks for a bone
Every once in a while
When you're down and the only 
     miricles on the block
Are the diesel rainbows
That grace these black streets
When the rainy wind blows

Here I stand in the blackness
Of the desolation
This guy in a bar
He can get me a gun
Maybe this was my fate
Since my innocence fell
Living in this sad hometown hell
Living in this sad hometown hell
(CHORUS)


WHAT YOU DID LAST NIGHT

I wrote all the reasons
I was leaving down
Nailed it to the church-door
In my town
Tattoo and Mousey
Were waiting for me
Late last night
In Union City

The moon shone bright
Like a wafer in the sky
Tattoo had a gun
Mousey had a knife
We stopped in a bar
Mousey had a fight
Tattoo pulled his gun out
And shots rang in the night

(CHORUS)
He, Mousey, look...
Tattoo, wake up...
There's a rainbow in the sky
I wonder if
God does exist
If He does
You're going straight to hell
For what you did last night
What you did last night

Standing on the dock
Gazing at the skyline
With Tattoo and Mousey
I was losing my mind
Thinking 'bout sin
Thinking 'bout pain
Thinking that the both
     of them were insane

I called home
My mother was crying
She called me a disgrace
She cursed at me for lying
She said the front page
Told all that we did
She said I wasn't raised
     to turn out like this
(CHORUS)

I cried as we crossed
The Hudson County line
The dead guy's face
Was still in my mind
I swore to himself
As they made our plans
I'm getting out of here
Just as fast as I can

They made me vow
Into the night
We'd always live as one
Blood brothers for life
I saw the abyss
I made the sign of the cross
I don't wanna wear 
     this albatross
(CHORUS)


TROUBADOUR

Another night,
Another town,
Another song, 
Another round,
>From down the street,
I hear the sound
     of his sad guitar

A poet of 
     the ragged life
The broken dream
The barroom fight
In torn bluejeans
He's back tonight
The aging troubadour

(CHORUS)
Hey, man, sing a song for me
Play one sweetly, play one mean
Sing of all the wrong you've seen
Till they lock the door
Hey, man, sing what's on your mind
I love your melodies and rhymes
I'll sit here till closing time
With the troubadour

How long you think
He's played these gigs?
I wonder how old
     he is...
Is this the only
     happiness... 
     of the troubadour?

How many women 
     over time
Left him when
     they realized
They'd be second
     in his life
Because he's a troubadour
(CHORUS)

The blues guys played
     until they dropped
I wonder if
     he'll ever stop
And will he make it
     to the top
The aging troubadour

He's better than
     the radio
But he don't care
     how many know
This one man band
He plays his show
As they talk over him
(CHORUS)


DIANE

You loved, you lost
Your heart was tossed
It's all so clear
The pain, the fear
Each page of your life
Has always been a fight
But you don't have to be
With strangers every night

(CHORUS)
I'll put it on the line
If you ever change your mind
You know where I am
Diane, Diane
You know where I am
Diane....

I stepped over
   the line this time
Before you go
You've got to know
This space in my heart
   needed fillin' in
See, I'm a lot like you
I needed a friend
(CHORUS)

I know It's hard for one
Who's always had to run
>From all of your struggles
   and your fears
Diane, if not with me
   then, with somebody
To show you what 
   you deserve to be

I loved, I lost
My heart was tossed
It's all so claer
The pain, the fear
Each page of my life
Has always been a fight
But I don't wanna be
With strangers every night 

I'll say it one more time
If you ever change your mind
You know where I am
You know where I am
You know where I am
Diane, Diane
You know where I am
Diane....


CRAWLING

I was rolling a boulder up a mountain
I was sailing an ark across a storm
I was running lost through the dark forest
Cursing the day that I was born

I was drowning in a river of bad blood
I was hammering nails in my own hands
I was struck down without any mercy
Praying someone would understand

(CHORUS)
Crawling, Crawling
In a bottomless pit,
     girl, I was falling
Crawling, crawling
Till you saved my life,
     girl, with your love
You were sent from
     heaven above

I was caught in a flood of desolation
I was engulfed by dragon fire
I was running with the falling angels
Following my wicked desires

I was condemned without a hearing
Losing my mind, chained to a stone
Until you came into my life, girl
I was a million miles from home
(CHORUS)

I was dancing in the flames of hell, girl
I was blown away by the winds of change
I was struggling hard to keep dignity
In a world that's gone insane

I sat in the desert waiting for a sign
I mumbled my prayers machanically
Until you rescued me from myself
I was blind, now I can see
(CHORUS)


WHAT'LL I DO IF THE ROSES DIE

Queens Boulevard
It's raining hard
The actress climbs the stairs
And locks her door
Well, I wish I held her hand
Like her leading man
With every show 
She seems to glow more

So, I'll buy her roses every night
And leave them on the stage in the footlights
And I'll watch her as she takes her bows
I've got to get to her somehow tonight

(CHORUS)
So, let the curtain fall
With every curtain call
I'll be in the front row in the clouds
The audience can cry
While the understudy sighs
But what'll I do if the roses die
What'll I do if the roses die

Every time
She speaks the lines
About her wounded heart
I want her more
The sub-text is clear
Love is what she fears
I've got to be the one 
She's waited for

These flowers are the only way
My only chance that someday she'll see me
And I'll leave them lying at her feet
And leave the theatre in defeat tonight
(CHORUS)

Well, I walk home alone
Through the streets I roam
On this windy, rainy night
I wish I held her tight

Well, these flowers are the only way
My only hope that someday she'll be mine
And I'll watch her window from the street
How I wish our lips would meet tonight
(CHORUS)


911

Hell across the river
Who's got a radio
Who could have done this
Doesn't anybody know?
I know somebody in there
I know his family
America, America...
God shed His grace on thee

Since I was a child
I always believed
I was safe and sound
In my own country
But now there's so much
I don't understand
What will heal
This wounded land?

(CHORUS)
And here I stand  
At ground zero
There's no place to hide
There's no place to go
It's black as death
In the morning sun
On September 11, 2001
On September 11, 2001

Remove the metal
Remove the stone
The Mothers and Fathers
That won't come home
What once was
Will no longer be
There's devils in the sky
Over our country

Get me through the day
Get me through the night
Look at the tears
In the Statue of Liberty's eyes
We're filled with resolve,
But where do we begin
Battling shadows 
In the wind...?
(CHORUS)

Tell me who are these people,
And where have they gone?
How will we know
When we have won?
Get ready to bleed
Get ready to fight
I ain't gonna sleep
Too well tonight...
(CHORUS)