1. |
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"Ronnie Got Free"
(R.F. Restaino)
When Ronnie Got Free of Phil and started singing again
All the rock and roll fans shouted, "Hallelujiah, Amen!"
She'd been locked away too long,
but now she's back where she belongs
Ronnie got free, Ronnie got free, whoa-oh
Ronnie and her cousin Nedra and her sister Estelle
Learned to dance on the streets of Spanish Harlem
that they loved so well
But Ronnie caught the record man's eye
and he really took her for a ride
But Ronnie got free, Ronnie got free
And that just made me so damned happy
Ronnie's got bad memories, but she don't do regrets
And don't talk to her about Phil's troubles
'Cause that's one thing she deserves to forget
When Ronnie got free of Phil and started living again
She called up some of her old pals and she started a band
She's back home up on the stage and
Phil, he's loked up in a cage
But Ronnie got free, Ronnie got free
And rock-and-roll's got back it's queen
Ronnie got free, Ronnie got free
And that just makes me so damn happy
Ronnie got free, Ronnie got free, whoa-oh
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2. |
So It Goes
03:15
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"So It Goes"
(R.F. Restaino)
You're born, you die
You laugh, you cry
But the day you check out is just another day
For ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the human race
So it goes, my friend
You were here and then you went
And the best that any of us can expect
Is for someone left behind
Who might say that you were kind
So we work, we dream
We plan, we scheme
But we get no guarantees, except one
The big one; I'm talking 'bout the great-big 'D'
So it goes, my friend
We are here just for a while
And what a nicer place this old world would be
If instead of looking toward the sky
We tried to make each other smile
We're flesh, we're dust
Life hurts, but we must
'Cause it's the only game in town
And they only give us one go-round
So it goes, my friend
You were here and then you went
And the best that any of us can expect
Is for someone left behind
Who might say that you were kind
Is there someone left behind
Who might say that you were kind?
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3. |
Rock & Roll Casualty
03:14
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"Rock & Roll Casualty"
(R.F. Restaino)
All I see up and down the street
Is a blur of studded belts and tattoos,
Fifty-dollar vintage t-shirts and
Chuck Taylor shoes
It seems like everybody's playing in a rock and roll band
You can see 'em all unloading their Econoline vans
I know it looks like fun, but trust me, I know better
And I don't wanna be
I don't wannna be another rock & roll casualty
Look at all these kids with guitars
Working every night in these goddamn bars
Rehearse for six months just to play to empty rooms
Waiting for some man to come and dig their tunes
They've got money enough for drugs but
Got to borrow for the rent
I don't meann to criticize
'Cause some of them are my friends
But I hope they get the picture when I change my phone number
'Cause I don't wanna be
I don't wanna be another rock & roll casualty
Rock is dead
Long live rock
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4. |
Brooklyn
02:02
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"Brooklyn"
(R.F. Restaino)
Me and T. got drunk one night
Sitting on the stoop outside of
Some kind of den of iniquity
Back in 1983
It's true that we were not yet ten-
Years old, but times were tough back then
Disco yet had not been declared dead
In Brooklyn, they tell you off right to your face
In Brooklyn, where every woman carries mace
Me and T., we sang along
With some old cats on the corner
Who tried to teach us harmony
But, fuck it, Zimmy only would sing lead
He wouldn't go "bop-shoo-bop"
No "ram-a-lang," no "ding-dong"
But I had to do that every fucking song
In Brooklyn, where everyone's connected
In Brooklyn, does this thing look infected?
The old neighborhood has changed
It can never be the same again
With all those yuppies there
The girls still tease, but they don't tease their hair
And that was the last straw
I knew I couldn't take no more
I sold my Monte Carlo to some pimp
In Brooklyn, emo-rockers moving in to
Brooklyn, but Jackie Robinson is still the king in
Brooklyn, it's enough to make a grown man cry, so
Brooklyn, kiss my working-class, old-school ass goodbye
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5. |
Take Off the Gloves
03:27
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"Take Off the Gloves"
(R.F. Restaino)
Way down where you keep those things that
You won't let me see
I suspect there's a thing or two
You'd like to tell show me
Get it over with, tell me off, I got it coming
Take off the gloves and lean right into me
Show me your worst
Then we'll both be free to let it go
Just land a few good blows, my sweet
Why is it just so hard for you to
State your case when
I'm inviting you to
Say it all right to my face and
I'll take it on the chin
It's OK, I'm prepared for the worst
Take off the gloves and lean right into me
Show me your worst
Then we'll both be free to let it go
Just land a few good blows, my sweet
Yeah, yeah, I just wanna fight like we used to
Whoa-yeah, they say breakin' up is hard
But makin' up is just so easy to do
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6. |
Working
02:19
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"Working"
(R.F. Restaino0
Step into my office, said the man,
And so I went
We talked for a little while,
And then he offered me his hand
He offered me a job,
And a job’s what I came looking for
So I started out on Monday,
But on Tuesday I was out the door
Working for a living will do you in
God, tell me, when does the fun begin?
I’ve bounced around a bit,
Taken my fair share of shit
It’s just the way of the world,
It’s how it goes, so let’s get on with it
Eight hours and a lunch,
Five days a week seems a bit too much
I suppose I’ll never really get the hang of this
Working for a living will do you in
God, tell me, when does the fun begin?
This business here is your business, not mine
Ain’t it enough I’ve given you my time?
The worker has always been the pet
Of the owner class, and
Man, it’s getting harder to find enough humps
Willing to risk their ass
Remember Haymarket, the Wobblies,
Sacco and Vanzetti, too?
They got shot up, their heads busted in
For the likes of me and you, they knew
Working for a living will do you in
But, Jesus Christ, when does the fun begin?
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7. |
Prometheus Baby
02:11
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"Prometheus Baby"
(Zimmy T. / R.F. Restaino)
What can I do with all this hate in my heart
That tears me away from you
I could drop down some bucks and tell some schmuck
All the things I should be telling you
Or I could try cussin, fighting, and crying
Wallowing in sorrow and gloom
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8. |
Kristopher Brown
04:03
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COMING SOON!
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Rich Restaino Austin, Texas
"Rich Restaino covers a lot of territory, as apt to remind you of Carl Perkins as David Byrne." -- www.austin.com
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