mosquitos

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Heat Takes A Walk
Lonely Town
Goin' Southbound
Dogs
Can't Complain
Peg And Pete And Me
Newspapers
Calling Out To Carol
The Last Honest Man
A Mission In Life
Footnotes

(instrumental)

credits

Written by: Stanard Ridgway
Published by: © Copyright 1989 Mondo Spartacus / Illegal Songs (administered by BMI)
Produced by: Joe Chiccarelli and Stanard Ridgway
String arrangement: Van Dyke Parks
Concertmaster: Sid Page

performers

Joseph Berardi: percussion and wildlife
Berj Garabedian: violin
John Kip: woodwinds
Ezra Kliger: violin
Marty Krystall: woodwinds
Jim Lang: keyboards
Roger Lebow: cello
Sid Page: violin
Joe Ramirez: bass
Stanard Ridgway: acoustic piano, insects
Steve Reid: percussion and wildlife
Bernard Sauser-Hall: additional keyboards and cloudbursts
Paul Shure: violin
Dan Smith: cello
Pietra Wexstun: additional keyboards and cloudbursts
Eric Williams: mandolin, guitars

They all say that it's a lonely town
They all say that it's a lonely town

Wide open spaces––empty rooms
If the weather holds out, you can get there by noon
Shadows crawl on the highway line
Don't rush, you've got time

Pull into a donut shop
And get a cup of mud
Ask for directions from a plumber outside
He says "don't go there, bud"

Chorus:
'Cause they all say
That it's a lonely town
And they all say
That it's a drag
And they all know
Those people in a lonely town
All those people are
Lonely and mad

Now I've got my foot on the gas
As I'm crossin the midwest county line
And I think about those mosquitos on my windshield
How they don't give a damn about Christmas-time

And as the passing trucks all flash their lights
Just as I top the hill
I'll remember two green eyes and some flowers
Dyin' on a windowsill

Chorus:
They all say
That it's a lonely town
And they all say
That it's a drag
They all know
Those people in a lonely town
And all those people
Are lonely and mad
They're just lonely and mad
Out here in a lonely town

credits

Written by: Stanard Ridgway
Published by: © Copyright 1989 Mondo Spartacus / Illegal Songs (administered by BMI)
Produced by: Joe Chiccarelli and Stanard Ridgway

performers

Joseph Berardi: drums
Joe Chemay: backing vocals
Jim Haas: backing vocals
Jon Joyce: backing vocals
Tim Landers: acoustic bass
Jim Lang: hammond organ, keyboards
Steve Reid: congas, percussion
Marc Ribot: additional electric guitar
Stanard Ridgway: vocals, harmonica, lead guitar
Eric Williams: acoustic guitar

Tell not a word that you heard it here
But there's a big truck waitin' tonight at the pier
Comin' in on an east-bound boat
Now, don't be late for delivery––here, put this in your coat
It's a strange weight from an exotic locale
Don't worry about the cops, 'cause they're in on it, pal
Just pick it up no later than tonight at three o'clock
And bring it to the warehouse––here, put this in your sock

No one left to save you
Nobody will return
You run so fast, you catch on fire
You've just gotta burn
Yeah––

Chorus:
Goin' southbound
Follow that sound
Long line of cars
Just a-movin' out of town
You've got this job
But you don't know how
And everybody does
What nobody will allow

Full moon shines like a big cue ball
Someone fishin' on the pier, might as well stall
Repaint the car, change your license plate
How ya spell relief? Must be somethin' that you ate

All this is a secret
As common as that dirt
We'll rely on your expert eye
Here, put this in your shirt
Yeah––

Chorus repeat x2

And we'll all be waiting so long
Wait so long
We'll all be waiting so long
Wait so long, wait so long

Now if you get caught, don't tell 'em about me
The last one who did, well, we tied him to a tree
Out in the high desert, by an ant hill
Haven't been back there since––guess he's swingin' there still

All this is a secret
As common as that dirt
We'll rely on your expert eye
Here, put this in your shirt
Yeah––yeah! yeah! yeah!

Chorus repeat x2

Goin' southbound...
We're goin' southbound...
We're goin' southbound...
We're goin' southbound...

credits

Written by: Stanard Ridgway
Published by: © Copyright 1989 Mondo Spartacus / Illegal Songs (administered by BMI)
Produced by: Joe Chiccarelli and Stanard Ridgway

performers

Joseph Berardi: drums
Richard Greene: electric violin
Larry Grennan: backing vocals
Jim Lang: synth bass, keyboards, drum programming
Marc Ribot: additional electric guitar
Stanard Ridgway: vocals, "twang" guitar
Bernard Sauser-Hall: clavinet
Pietra Wexstun: additional keyboards
Eric Williams: electric and 12-string guitar

One dog buries a bone and then the
Other dog digs it up and finds
A prize in store
One dog dies and the other dogs go
Dig him up a tomb, with his
Name inscribed

Chorus:
And there, on his tombstone
Carved so bold
The words are clear and strong
It says:
This one is for the eyes
For the eyes of the other dogs to come
It's for the eyes of the other dogs to come

One man digs a hole while the
Other one shovels dirt inside
Another hole
One man says "hello" while
Another man is leaving on a
Long journey––to a place he'll not return

Chorus repeat

Every entrance has an exit
Every doorknob has a twist
I wonder what my face looked like
Before it looked like this?

Chorus repeat

credits

Written by: Stanard Ridgway
Published by: © Copyright 1989 Mondo Spartacus / Illegal Songs (administered by BMI)
Produced by: Joe Chiccarelli and Stanard Ridgway

performers

Tori Amos: backing vocals
Joseph Berardi: drums and ratchet
Steve Berlin: saxophones
Larry Grennan: backing vocals
Joe Ramirez: backing vocals
Steve Reid: percussion, conch shell
Marc Ribot: electric guitar
Stanard Ridgway: vocals, harmonica, piano, ectoplasm
Bernard Sauser-Hall: keyboards, time tunnel piano
Pietra Wexstun: keyboards, backing vocals
Eric Williams: electric guitar

"How you doin', Bert?" "Well, not so good, Charlie,
My back's gone out and I got my finger cut gnarly.
The job's the same, and so's the boss.
He's still a big ass, and my wallet got lost.
My wife's sick in bed, she says she'll never get well.
And all these kids today have gone to hell.
And all that government paperwork caught up with me––
Had to hire a beancounter for an outrageous fee.
And I don't know if the chicken or the egg is to blame
But all things considered, I guess I can't complain."

"Cheer up," Charlie said, "things could be worse."
"Well, yeah, I know, but did I tell ya that
My landlord's a cop? My neighbor's insane?
But all things considered, I guess I can't complain."

Chorus:
Out on the water
Where the sailing men all go
The water's high,
While all the fish swim low
Out on the water
Where the sailing men all go
The water's high,
While all the fish swim low

"You know what, Bert?" Charlie said, "You've got the wrong attitude.
Sometimes life's a big game, and the paths, you can choose.
Things may go wrong, but you've gotta stand tall."
"Well, I know," Bert said, "But well, that ain't all.
My hair's fallin' out. The roof leaks when it rains.
But all things considered, I guess I can't complain."

Chorus repeat

"You know what, Bert?" Charlie said, "You're a real loser.
So I'll see you next week––if you live 'til then."
As Bert walked out to the sidewalk, ten floors up
Two men lost control of a hoist at just the right time
And a big Steinway grand flattened Bert like a dime.
And as a crowd gathered 'round and asked, what was his name?
And could it be the chicken, or the egg to blame?
Well, the only thing heard was that he couldn't complain.

So if you're a loser in life, and your gun's outta ammo,
Just remember the story of Bert and the piano.
'Cause if you can't string the bow––and you're clean outta rosin¹
Someone may have planned for a music lesson.
Keep your eyes to the sky; it could be a brand name
And remember, all things considered, you really can't complain.

credits

Written by: Stanard Ridgway
Published by: © Copyright 1989 Mondo Spartacus / Illegal Songs (administered by BMI)
Produced by: Joe Chiccarelli and Stanard Ridgway

performers

Joseph Berardi: drums, marimba, congas
Larry Grennan: backing vocals, weights and pulleys
Ken Jones: additional tracking
John Porter: additional tracking
Stanard Ridgway: vocals, keyboards, piano accident
Bernard Sauser-Hall: keyboards
Pietra Wexstun: keyboards
Eric Williams: acoustic guitar, ukulele, poi

I can feel the life runnin' out of me
Workin' here at Pete's
Two years ago it was just the thing
Workin' cars part time every week
I met 'em both at a drag race
They both dressed pretty snappy that day
Pete's wife Peg, she put the make on me
While Pete just looked the other way

Now no one can say what your future may hold
Or what your life will have in store
We went home that night, Pete passed out on the couch
And then Peg pulled me down on the floor
Well, I know now she knew what she was doing
Forbidden fruit, but what the hell, I bit
That's all it took––my fate was sealed
That night the flame was lit

Chorus:
Every night when the lights go out
Pete drinks his booze and then he passes out
I hear a footstep outside my door
And then I remember what I started working here for
Peg and Pete and me
One and one and one make three
Peg and Pete and me
One and one and one make three
Now tell me what would you do
If you were in my shoes?

Tonight, Peg, we gotta stop this thing
I don't know if we can
Peg said, Don't worry, now, Pete's asleep
And I've got a certain plan
You know everything is in my name, she said
And anyway I love you so very much
He'll never feel a thing––just like he never woke up
And after that it'll just be us

Chorus repeat

The next morning, when I woke up
Peg was gone, the detective said
Son, you gotta come downtown with me
'Cause we know you killed Pete dead
The jury found me guilty
And sent me up for ninety-nine to life
And if there's any advice I can give from this cell
Never trust a rich dead man's wife

Chorus:
Peg and Pete and me
Peg and Pete and me
Peg and Pete and me
Peg and Pete and me

credits

Written by: Stanard Ridgway
Published by: © Copyright 1989 Mondo Spartacus / Illegal Songs (administered by BMI)
Produced by: Joe Chiccarelli and Stanard Ridgway

performers

Tori Amos: backing vocals
Gregg Arreguin: electric guitar
Joseph Berardi: drums and accordian
Phil Kenzie: saxophone
Tim Landers: fretless bass
Jim Lang: keyboards
Steve Reid: percussion
Stanard Ridgway: vocals, keyboards, harmonica, tin cup
Eric Williams: bouzouki, acoustic guitar
Pietra Wexstun: backing vocals

I work for the newspapers
Any news is good news, I always say
But I don't write no daily column
Talk is cheap, and so's my pay
And when my workday's over
I pocket five or ten from the tray
And then I start it up again at five a.m.
I stack 'em up just to throw 'em away

Now lately, I've been thinkin'
What would the world do without the news?
You wouldn't know when wars were started
Or when they ended––win or lose
It'd probably be a much better world to live in
But the question would be whose
And what side you're on, or who's right or wrong
You'd never have to choose

Sometimes, late at night
I can see the streets like no one else can
There's a lot of things goin' on here
That even newspapers don't understand
Some people got too much money
Some rob with a gun or a ballpoint pen
Maybe I'll get me a big black cape
And then they'll be runnin' from me
Lookin' over their shoulder for me

What's buried in the back pages
Was on the front page yesterday
And old news never dies
Though they say it just fades away
Crime and murder, business and politics
And international strife
It's all the same, find someone to blame
It's there in black and white

credits

Written by: Stanard Ridgway
Published by: © Copyright 1989 Mondo Spartacus / Illegal Songs (administered by BMI)
Produced by: Joe Chiccarelli and Stanard Ridgway

performers

Joseph Berardi: drums
Bernard Sauser-Hall: keyboards
Tim Landers: bass
Jim Lang: keyboards
Stanard Ridgway: vocals
Eric Williams: electric sitar, guitars
Peter White: accordian

Calling out to Carol
She could really twist the screws
What'cha doin' Monday
And are you back on the booze?
Now, I've been dooin' some thinkin'
About Colorado Springs
A dirty denim jacket
And a seven-dollar ring

Well, I've been keepin' busy
I've got lots of pots boiling on the stove
Who's that in the background
I'm sorry that I asked––I guess I should have known

Chorus:
Callin' out to Carol on the telephone call
Message on a wire comin' through a wall
Talk about old times but not too long ago
Carol was the girl that everybody got to know

When'd you change your number? Hey, Carol!
It's different than you had
Have you got protection?
I know some police are bad
But that's not why I called you up, now
You know I quit that scene
I told ya 'bout your pictures
I guess I'll buy that magazine

And I still remember
All those days we spent alone
You went one way while I went the other
Sometimes, I guess, that's the way things go

Chorus:
Callin' out to Carol on a telephone call
Message on a wire comin' through a wall
Talk about old times but not too long ago
Carol was the girl that everybody got to know
Callin' out to Carol gets a busy tone
Sees a lot of people but she lives alone
Pick up the reciever––love will come and go
But Carol was the girl that everybody got to know

When they called me in the morning
And told me that she'd gone
I didn't want to hear it
So I just hung up the phone

Chorus:
Callin' out––Callin' out to Carol
Callin' out––Callin' out to Carol
Callin' out––Callin' out to Carol
Callin' out to Carol
Callin' out to Carol on a telephone call
Message on a wire comin' through a wall
Is this line in service––operator says no
But Carol was a girl that everybody got to know

credits

Written by: Stanard Ridgway
Published by: © Copyright 1989 Mondo Spartacus / Illegal Songs (administered by BMI)
Produced by: Joe Chiccarelli and Stanard Ridgway

performers

Joseph Berardi: drums
Bruce Fowler: trombones
Jim Lang: vibraharp
Joe Ramirez: bass
Steve Reid: bongos and percussion
Marc Ribot: electric guitar
Stanard Ridgway: vocals, keyboards
Eric Williams: acoustic guitar, hammer dulcimer, mandolins, 12-string electric guitar

A crowd came in and sat down
Then a man began to yell
About savin' souls to heaven
And for the sinner, there was hell
But later on that night
In a hotel room down the road
He kept his meeting for a cat-o-nine beating
From a leather-clad man named Moe

Chorus:
An honest man
We're looking for the last honest man
An honest man
We're looking for (Keep searchin' for) the last honest man

There's a man who moves the masses
On a big-city radio dial
He shouts and screams at all he's seen
Runs a talk show like a trial
And there's a bartender keepin' secrets
About a boxer that took a dive
And in an office way uptown, a deal is goin' down
That could get somebody four to five

When playing live, Stan sometimes substitutes this verse here:
Now, there's a man who spins the records
In a big city east of here
The station covers three whole states
And they say he has an ear
But he never seems to listen
And how he picks 'em, no one knows
But every night after the job, with two guys from the mob,
He listens with his nose

Chorus repeat x2

Now we'll keep looking high and low
And we'll keep searching 'round
Is everybody, everyone
Dishonest in this town?
Well, they'll stab you in the back
You get a handshake and a smile
But if one don't get ya, the other one will
And ya gotta walk that mile, lookin' for

Chorus repeat x3

credits

Written by: Stanard Ridgway
Published by: © Copyright 1989 Mondo Spartacus / Illegal Songs (administered by BMI)
Produced by: Joe Chiccarelli and Stanard Ridgway

performers

Tori Amos: backing vocals
Denny Fongheiser: drums
Bruce Fowler: trombone
Steve Fowler: horns
Walt Fowler: horns
Larry Grennan: backing vocals
Tim Landers: bass
Stanard Ridgway: vocals, lead guitar
Bernard Sauser-Hall: keyboards
Pietra Wexstun: keyboards, backing vocals
Eric Williams: acoustic guitar, electric guitar

Sue, turn out the lights
It's time to close up––we're through
Gotta clear it out
So let's drink up, it's past two
Girl, don't push 'em out
They can walk out on their own
How many times I gotta tell you, Bob,
You gotta drink up and go home
I don't run a business
Just to talk to you all day

Clear out the backroom, Sue
Stack up the chairs
Who broke this glass?
No one really cares
Go take the trash out
And vacuum the stairs
What do I
Pay you for?
And don't forget to sweep up
The glass off the floor

Once I had plans
To fix up this place
A room where you could go to
And meet people with taste
They'd talk and they'd laugh
And forget the rat race
And I'd be just like one of those guys
With the moustache and face
Hey, help me pick up this case

Hey, I'm really sorry I blew up then
I've had no sleep
I've been up all night with my wife and brother-in-law
You know, Pete
At times, this world can seem
Just like a cold icy ball
But don't let that discourage you
'Cause you're young––take that call
And if it's my wife
Just try and stall

I was just wondering
How you get home
Do you have a boyfriend?
Or do you live alone?
I'm going your way
If you're going mine
No, I feel fine
But before you go
Let me just pass on one thing

Chorus:
You've got a mission in life
To hold out your hand
To help the other guy out
Help your fellow man
That's why I own this bar
They're thirsty outside
I give 'em oceans to drink
Then they drown in the tide
repeat once, then repeat They just drown in the tide four times

credits

Written by: Stanard Ridgway
Published by: © Copyright 1989 Mondo Spartacus / Illegal Songs (administered by BMI)
Produced by: Joe Chiccarelli and Stanard Ridgway

performers

Joeseph Berardi: drums, percussion
Tim Landers: bass
Steve Reid: percussion
Marc Ribot: electric ghost guitar
Stanard Ridgway: vocals, harmonica, piano
Bernard Sauser-Hall: keyboards
Pietra Wexstun: keyboards
Eric Williams: acoustic guitar, electric guitar

1. Rosin, which rhymes with "pheasant", is what violinists use on their bowstrings to get the proper amount of friction.