JIM CROCE
01-ALABAMA RAIN – Sol M
Jim Croce
Lazy days in mid-july
country sunday mornin's
dusty haze on summer highways
sweet magnolia callin'
but now and then i find myself
thinkin' of the days
that we were walking in
the Alabama rain
Drive-in movies, friday nights
drinkin' beer and laughin'
somehow things were always right
i just don't know what happened
but now and then i find myself
thinkin' of the days
that we were walking in
the Alabama rain
We were only kids
but then i've never heard it said
that kids can't fall in love
and feel the same
i can still remember the first time
i told you "i love you"
On a dusty mid-july
country summer's evenin's
weepin' willows sang its lullaby
and shared our secret
but now and then i find myself
thinkin' of the days
that we were walking in
the Alabama rain
Walking in the alabama rain…
02-BAD BAD LEROY BROWN – Sol M
Jim Croce
Well the south side of chicago
is the baddest part of town
and if you go down there
you better just beware
of a man named leroy brown
Now leroy more than trouble
you see he stand 'bout six foot four
all the downtown ladies call him "treetop lover"
all the men just call him "sir"
and it's bad, bad leroy brown
the baddest man in the whole damned town
badder than old king kong
and meaner than a junkyard dog
Now leroy he a gambler
and he like his fancy clothes
and he like to wave his diamond rings
in front of everybody's nose
he got a custom continental
he got an eldorado too
he got a 32 gun in his pocket for fun
he got a razor in his shoe
and it's bad, bad leroy brown
the baddest man in the whole damned town
badder than old king kong
and meaner than a junkyard dog
Now friday 'bout a week ago
leroy shootin' dice
and at the edge of the bar
sat a girl named Doris
and oo that girl looked nice
well he cast his eyes upon her
and the trouble soon began
'cause leroy brown learned a lesson
'bout messin' with the wife of a jealous man
and it's bad, bad leroy brown
the baddest man in the whole damned town
badder than old king kong
and meaner than a junkyard dog
Well the two men took to fighting
and when they pulled them off the floor
leroy looked like a jigsaw puzzle
with a couple of pieces gone
03-DON'T MESS AROUND WITH JIM – Mi M7
Jim Croce
Uptown got it's hustlers
The bowery got it's bums
42nd Street got Big Jim Walker
He's a pool-shootin' son of a gun
Yeah, he big and dumb as a man can come
But he stronger than a country hoss
And when the bad folks all get together at night
You know they all call big Jim "Boss",
just because
And they say You don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Jim
Well outta south Alabama came a country boy
He say I'm lookin' for a man named Jim
I am a pool-shootin' boy My name Willie McCoy
But down home they call me Slim
Yeah I'm lookin' for the king of 42nd Street
He drivin' a drop top Cadillac
Last week he took all my money
And it may sound funny
But I come to get my money back
And everybody say Jack don't you know
CHORUS
Well a hush fell over the pool room
Jimmy come boppin' in off the street
And when the cuttin' were done
The only part that wasn't bloody
Was the soles of the big man's feet
Yeah he were cut in in bout a hundred places
And he were shot in a couple more
And you better believe
They sung a different kind of story
When big Jim hit the floor
now
CHORUS
Speak:
Yeah, big Jim got his hat
Find out where it's at
And it's not hustlin' people strange to you
Even if you do got a two-piece custom-made pool cue
Yeah you don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Slim
04-HARD TIME LOSIN' MAN – La M
Jim Croce
Chorus:
And you think you've seen trouble
Well you're lookin' at the man ah ha
Oh, the world's own original hard luck story
And a hard time losin' man
Oh, sometimes skies are cloudy
And sometimes skies are blue
And sometimes they say that you eat the bear
But sometimes the bear eats you
And sometimes I feel like I should go
Far far away and hide
'Cause I keep a waitin' for my ship to come in
And all that ever comes is the tide
Chorus
Oh I saved up all my money
I gonna buy me a flashy car
So I go downtown to see the man
And he smokin' on a big cigar
Well he must'a thought I were Rockefeller
Or an uptown man of wealth
He said "Boy I got the car that's made for you
And it's cleaner than the Board of Health"
Then I got on the highway...
oh, I feelin' fine...I hit a bump
Then I found I bought a car
held together By wire,
and a couple a' hunks of twine
Chorus
Oh, Friday night, feelin' right
I head out on the street
Standin' in the doorway
Was a dealer known as Pete
Well he sold me a dime of some super fine
Dynamite from Mexico
I spent all that night
Just tryin' to get right
On an ounce of Oregano
Chorus (4 x's)
05-THE HARD WAY EVERY TIME – Mi M
Jim Croce
Yeah, i've had my share of broken dreams
and more than a couple of falls
and in chasin'
what i thought were moonbeams
i have run into a couple of walls
but in looking back
at the places i've been
the changes that i've left behind
i just look at myself to find
i've learned the hard way every time
'cause i've had my share of good intentions
and i've made my share of mistakes
and i've learned at times it's best to bend
'cause if you don't well those are the breaks
should have listened to
all the things i was told
but i was young and too proud at the time
now i look at myself to find
i learn the hard way ev'ry time
But in looking back
at the lessons i've learned
and the mountains i wanted to climb
i just look at myself to find
i've learned the hard way ev'ry time
'cause i've had my share of broken dreams
and more than a couple of falls
and in chasin' what i thought were moonbeams
i have run into a couple of walls
but in looking back
at the faces i've been
i would sure be the first one to say
when i look at myself today
wouldn'ta done it any other way
06-I GOT A NAME – Mi M
Jim Croce
Like the pine trees lining the winding road,
i got a name,
i got a name;
like the singing bird and the croaking toad,
i got a name,
i got a name.
And i carry it with me
like my daddy did
but i'm living the dream
that he kept hid.
Moving me down the highway,
rolling me down the highway
moving ahead so life won't pass me by.
Like the north wind whistlin down the sky,
i got a song;
i got a song.
like the whippoorwill and the baby's cry,
i got a song;
i got a song,
And i carry it with me and i sing it loud;
if it gets me nowhere,
i'll go there proud.
Moving me down the highway,
rolling me down the highway
moving ahead so life won't pass me by.
(lead break)
And i'm gonna go there free...
Like the fool i am and i'll always be,
i got a dream,
i got a dream.
they can change their minds
but the can't change me,
i got a dream,
i got a dream;
Oh, i know i could share it
if you'd want me to;
if you're goin' my way,
i'll go with you.
Movin' me down the highway,
movin' ahead so life won't pass me by.
07-I REMEMBER HER – Re M
Jim Croce
Met her in the summer
She was selling flowers
In the streets of Paris
And we passed away the hours
Talking with our eyes and laughing
'Cause I spoke not her language
Still I remember her
Still we understood completely
That our love would last no longer
Than the mornings early chime
Still I cannot forget her
And the hours we spent together
And the time that she was mine
And I remember her
At first I felt uneasy
Cause she didn't care to know me
Till our bodies introduced us
And we cared to know no more
In her softness warmth and giving
In her selfless way of giving
She had taught me so much more
Still we understood completely
That our love would last no longer
Than the mornings early chime
Still I cannot forget her
And the hours we spent together
And the time that she was mine
And I remember her
We parted in the rainy streets of Paris
She looked at me as though I'd never been
Then disappeared into a crowd of strangers
Her flowers in her hand
To sell her life again
Still we understood completely
That our love would last no longer
Than the mornings early chime
Still I cannot forget her
And the hours we spent together
And the time that she was mine
And I remember her And I remember her…08-LONG TIME AGO – Sol M
Jim Croce
Seems like such a long time ago
I was walking on a lonely road
Getting tired of dreamin' alone
Like all the lonely people I had known
Seems like such a long time ago
There was no one who would share my song
I was just a boy far from home
But I became a man when you came along
We spent the whole night talkin'
You said you'd like to see the sunrise
But in the gold of mornin'
Was nothing I had not seen in your eyes
I was so afraid to touch you
Thought you were too young too know
So I just watched you sleeping
Then you woke and said to me
The night is cold It frightens me
And I could sleep so easy next to you
It wasn't very long ago
You said that you would like to share my road
Then you started singin' my song
You said so many nights are waiting
Let's not spend a moment wasting time
'Cause we have very far to go
I will go if you will take me
I have never had a lover
I am young But I am so alone
We spent the whole night talkin'
But in the gold of mornin'
09-LOVER’S CROSS – Do M
Jim Croce
Guess that it was bound to happen
Was just a matter of time
But now I've come to my decision
And it's a-one of the painful kind
'Cause now it seems that you wanted a martyr
Just a regular guy wouldn't do
But baby I can't hang upon
no lover's cross for you
Yes, I really got to hand it to you
'Cause girl you really tried
But for ev'ry time that we spent laughin'
There were two times that I cried
And you were tryin' to make me your martyr
And that's the one thing I just couldn't do
'Cause baby, I can't hang upon
no lover's cross for you
'Cause tables are meant for turnin'
And people are bound to change
And bridges are meant for burnin'
When the people and mem'ries
they join aren't the same
So I'll hope that you can find
Another who can take what I could not
He'll have to be a super guy
Or maybe a super god
'Cause I never was much of a martyr before
And I ain't 'bout to start nothin' new
And baby, I can't hang upon
no lover's cross for you
10-MISSISSIPPI LADY – Mi M
Jim Croce
With just a sleeping bag and an old guitar
i left the band in New Orleans
i did some time with the bottle,
some with the river queens
i never thought i would meet a girl
who could turn my head around
till i met that Mississippi lady
in sleepy gulfport town,
she was a
mississippi lady
my lovin' gulfport gal
she taught me how to love
and she really loved me well
she took me up to heaven
then she brought me down
that Mississippi lady,
sweet Cordelia Brown
Hot july in gulf port
and i was working in the bars
and she was working on the street
with the rest of the evening stars
she said, i never met a guy
who could turn my head around
and that's really sayin' something
for sweet Cordelia Brown
She was a
Chorus
Now i'm back in New York city
playin' in a band
but my mind's on Mississippi
is it hard to understand
i never thought i would meet a girl
who could bring me that far down
like the girl i met in gulfport
sweet Cordelia Brown
She was a
Chorus
That Mississippi lady,
11-NEW YORK'S NOT MY HOME – La M
Jim Croce
Well, things were spinnin’ ‘round me
And all my thoughts were cloudy
And I had begun to doubt
all the things that were me
Been in so many places
You know I’ve run so many races
And looked into the empty faces
of the people of the night
And something is just not right
‘Cause I know that I gotta get out of here
I’m so alone
Don’t you know that I gotta get out of here
‘Cause, New York’s not my home
Though all the streets are crowded
There’s something strange about it
I lived there ‘bout a year and I never
once felt at home
I thought I’d make the big time
I learned a lot of lessons awful quick And now I’m
tellin’ you
That they were not the nice kind
And it’s been so long since I have felt fine
That’s the reason that I gotta get out of here
I’m so alone
Don’t you know that I gotta get out of here
‘Cause New York’s not my home
That’s the reason that I gotta get out of here
I’m so alone
Don’t you know that I gotta get out of here
‘Cause New York’s not my home
12-OLD MAN RIVER – Re M
Jim Croce
Ol’ man river, that ol’ man river,
he must know somethin',
But he don't say nothin'
That ol’ man river,
he just keeps rolling along.
He don't plant ‘tater's,
Don't plants cotton.
‘Cause them that plants them is soon forgotten,
That old man river,
he just keeps rolling along.
‘Cause you and me,
we sweat and strain,
Body all achin' and wracked with pain,
Tote that barge,
lift that bale,
Get a little drunk,
And you'll land in jail.
But I’m get weary, sick of trying
‘Cause I’m tired of livin’, but I’m scared of dyin'
That ol’ man river,
he just keeps rollin’ along.
‘Cause you and me,
we sweat and strain,
Body all achin' and wracked with pain,
Tote that barge,
lift that bale,
Get a little drunk,
And you'll land in jail.
But I’m get weary, sick of trying
‘Cause I’m tired of livin’,
but im scared of dyin'
That ol’ man river,
he just keeps rollin’ along13-ONE LESS SET OF FOOTSTEPS – Do M
Jim Croce
We been runnin' away from
somethin' we both know
we've long run out of things to say
and i think i better go
So don't be getting' excited
when you hear that slammin' door
'cause there'll be one less set of footsteps
on your floor in the mornin'
And we've been hidin' from somethin'
that should have never gone this far
but after all it's what we've done
that makes us what we are
And you been talkin' in silence
if it's silence you adore
oh there'll be one less set of footsteps
on your floor in the mornin'
Chorus:
Well there'll be one less set of footsteps on your floor
one less man to walk in
one less pair of jeans upon your door
one less voice a'talkin'
But tomorrow's a dream away
today has turned to dust
your silver tongue has turned to clay
and your golden rule to rust
if that's the way that you want it
that's the way i want it more
there'll be one less set of footsteps
on your floor in the mornin'
There'll be one less set of footsteps
on your floor in the mornin
14-OPERATOR (THATS NOT THE WAY IT FEELS) – Sol M
Jim Croce
Operator, well could you help me place this call?
see, the number on the matchbook is old and faded.
she's living in L. A. with my best old ex-friend Ray,
a guy she said she knew well and sometimes hated.
Isn't that the way they say it goes?
well, let's forget all that
and give me the number if you can find it,
so i can call just to tell 'em i'm fine and to show
i've overcome the blow,
i've learned to take it well
i only wish my words
could just convince myself
that it just wasn't real,
but that's not the way it feels.
Operator, well could you help me place this call?
well, i can't read the number that you just gave me.
there's something in my eyes,
you know it happens every time --
i think about a love that i thought would save me.
Isn't that the way they say it goes?
and give me the number if you can find it,
so i can call just to tell 'em i'm fine and to show
i've overcome the blow,
i've learned to take it well
i only wish my words
could just convince myself
that it just wasn't real,
but that's not the way it feels.
no, no, no, no
that's not the way it feels.
Operator, well let's forget about this call
there's no one there i really wanted to talk to.
thank you for your time,
ah, you've been so much more than kind.
and you can keep the dime.
Isn't that the way they say it goes?
well, let's forget all that
and give me the number if you can find it,
so i can call just to tell 'em i'm fine and to show
i've overcome the blow,
i've learned to take it well
i only wish my words
could just convince myself
that it just wasn't real,
15-PHOTOGRAPHS AND MEMORIES – Sol M
Jim Croce
Photographs and memories
Christmas cards you sent to me
All that I have are these
To remember you
Memories that come at night
Take me to another time
Back to a happier day
When I called you mine
But we sure had a good time
When we started way back when
Morning walks and bedroom talks
Oh how I loved you then
Summer skies and lullabies
Nights we couldn’t say good-bye
And of all of the things that we knew
Not a dream survived
Photographs and memories
All the love you gave to me
Somehow it just can’t be true
That’s all I’ve left of you
But we sure had a good time
When we started way back when
Morning walks and bedroom talks
Oh how I loved you then 16-ROLLER DERBY QUEEN – Mi M
Jim Croce
Gonna tell you a story that you won't believe
but i fell in love last friday evenin'
with a girl i saw on a bar room
tv screen
well i was just gettin' ready to get my hat
when she caught my eye and i put it back
and i ordered myself a couple o' more
shots and beers
Chorus:
the night (you know) that i fell in love
with a roller derby queen
(round 'n' round, oh round 'n' round)
the meanest hunk o' woman
that anybody ever seen
down in the arena
She is a five foot six and two fifteen
a bleached-blonde mama with a streak of mean
she knew how to knuckle
and she knew how to scuffle and fight
and the roller derby program said
that she were built like a 'fridgerator with a head
the fans called her "tuffy"
but all her buddies called her "spike"
Chorus
Round 'n' round, go round 'n' round (3 x's)
Well i could not help it but to fall in love
with this heavy-duty woman i been speakin' of
things looked kind of bad
until the day she skated into my life
Well she might be nasty she might be fat
but i never met a person who would tell her that
she's my big blonde bomber
my heavy handed hackensack mama
Chorus
Round 'n' round, go round 'n' round (3 x's)
17-SALOON AND SALOON – Re M
Jim Croce
Sometimes i think about
our good old high school days
you would always kid
about my adolescent ways
oh, Mary,
Mary,
good to see you too
haven't seen to many
of the old crew
the time just flew,
and how are you?
Strange we should meet here
seeing off our friends
it's hard to draw the line between
beginnings and ends
oh, Mary,
Mary,
must you go so soon?we must be a sight to see
salon and saloon
i'll look you up soon
maybe sing you a tune
18-SPEEDBALL TUCKER – Sol M
Jim Croce
I drive a broke down rig on "may-pop" tires
forty foot of overload
a lot of people say that i'm crazy
because i don't know how to take it slow
i got a broomstick on the throttle
i got her opened up and head right down
non stop back to Dallas
poppin' them west coast turn-arounds
Chorus:
and they call me speedball
speedball tucker
terror of the highways
and all them other truckers
will tell you that the boy is mad
to be drivin' a rig like that
You know the rain may blow
the snow may snow
and the turnpikes they may freeze
but they don't bother ol' speedball
he goin' any damn way he please
he got a broomstick on the throttle
to keep his throttle foot a-dancin' round
with a cupful of cold black coffee
and a pocketful of west coast turn-arounds
Chorus
One day i looked into my rear view mirror
and a-comin' up from behind
there was a Georgia state policeman
and a hundred dollar fine
well he looked me in the eye as he was writin' me up
and said "driver, you been flyin'"
and "ninety-five is the route you were on
it was not the speed limit sign"
Chorus (2 x's)
19-THESE DREAMS – Re m
Jim Croce
Once we were lovers
but somehow things have changed
now we're just lonely people
trying to forget each other's names
now we're just lonely people
trying to forget each other's names
what came between us?
maybe we were just too young to know
but now and then
i feel the same,
and sometimes at night i think
i hear you calling my name
mm, mm, mm, these dreams
they keep me going these days
Once we were lovers
but that was long ago
we lived together then
and now we do not even say hello
we lived together then
and now we do not even say hello
what came between us?
maybe we were just too young to know
but now and then
i feel the same,
what came between us?
maybe we were just too young to know
but now and then
i feel the same,
20-TIME IN A BOTTLE – Re m
Jim Croce
If i could save time in a bottle
the first thing that i'd like to do
is to save every day
'til eternity passes away
just to spend them with you
If i could make days last forever
if words could make wishes come true
i'd save every day
like a treasure and then,
again, i would spend them with you
but there never seems
to be enough time
to do the things
you want to do
once you find them
i've looked around
enough to know
that you're the one
i want to go
through time with
If i had a box just for wishes
and dreams that had never come true
the box would be empty
except for the memory
of how
they were answered by you
but there never seems
to be enough time
to do the things
you want to do
once you find them
i've looked around
enough to know
that you're the one
i want to go
through time with
21-WORKIN’ AT THE CAR WASH BLUES – Sol M
Jim Croce
Well, i had just got out from the county prison,
doin' ninety days for non-support.
tried to find me an executive position,
but no matter how smooth i talked
they wouldn't listen to the fact that i was a genius
the man say, "we got all that we can use."
now i got them
steadily depressin', low down mind messin'
working at the car wash blues.
Well, i should be sittin' in an air conditioned
office in a swivel chair
talkin' some trash to the secretaries,
sayin', "here, now mam-ma, come on over here."
instead, i'm stuck here rubbin'
these fenders with a rag
and walkin' home in soggy old shoes
with them steadily depressin',
low down mind messin'
workin' at the car wash blues.
You know a man of my ability,
he should be smokin' on a big cigar.
but till i get myself straight
i guess i'll just have to wait
in my rubber suit a-rubbin' these cars.
Well, all i can do is a-shake my head
you might not believe that it's true,
for workin' at this end of Niagara falls
is an undiscovered Howard Hughes.
so baby, don't expect to see me
with no double martini
in any high-brow society news,
'cause i got them steadily depressin',
low down mind messin',
workin' at the car wash blues.
(lead break)
So, baby, don't expect to see me
with no double martini
in any high-brow society news,
'cause i got them steadily depressin',
workin' at the car wash blues.
22-A GOOD TIME MAN LIKE ME AIN'T GOT NO BUSINESS – Mi M
Jim Croce
I was born to sing a good time song
You know that nothin' used to bring me down
'Til the day I fell in love with you
And baby that's the day I found
You had me singin' the blues
Singin' the blues
But a good time man like me
Ain't got no business singin' the blues
Go on woman get out of here
You know that I don't want a see your face
'Cause the things you're doin'
to this boys mind
Is just an absolute disgrace
You got him singin' the blues
Singin' the blues
But a good time man like me
Ain't got no business singin' the blues
Never gonna fall in love again
You know I learned my lesson well
I played the game of love and lost my heart
You can believe me when I tell you
That I'm singin' the blues
Singin' the blues
But a good time man like me
Ain't got no business singin' the blues
You got me singin' the blues
Singin' the blues
But a good time man like me
Ain't got no business singin' the blues
You had me singin' the blues
Singin' the blues
And a good time man like me
Ain't got no business singin' the blues23-AGE – Re M
Jim Croce
I've been up and down and around
and 'round and back again
I've been so many places
I can't remember where or when
And my only boss was the clock
on the wall and my only friend
Never really was a friend at all.
I've traded love for pennies,
sold my soul for less
Lost my ideals
in that long tunnel of time
I've turned inside out and around
about and back and then
Found myself
right back where I started again.
Once I had myself a million,
now I've only got a dime
The diff'rence don't seem quite as bad today
With a nickel or a million,
I was searching all the time
For something that I never lost or left behind.
I've traded love for pennies,
sold my soul for less
Lost my ideals
in that long tunnel of time
I've turned inside out and around
about and back and then
Found myself
right back where I started again.
break
And now I'm in my second circle
and I'm headin' for the top
I've learned a lot of things along the way
I'll be careful while I'm climbin'
'cause it hurts a lot to drop
When you're down nobody gives a damn anyway.
I've traded love for pennies, sold my soul for less
Lost my ideals in that long tunnel of time
I've turned inside out and around about and back and then Found myself right back where I started again.24-BIG WHEEL – Re M
Jim and Ingrid Croce
Big wheel, don't you roll
Big diesel, don't you whine
Through the night
as I'm runnin' down the road
Big semi, don't you stop,
'cause if you do I'm not
Gonna make it back to Baltimore
with my load
Well, the truckstop's warm and friendly
And the coffee keeps me up
And the waitress
there would like to waste my time
But I'll have to pass it by
As it's down the road I fly
Just a racin'
with that pocket watch of mine
Big wheel, don't you roll
Big diesel, don't you whine
Through the night
as I'm runnin' down the road
Big semi, don't you stop,
'cause if you do I'm not
Gonna make it back to Baltimore
with my load
Smoke a-puffin', tires a-hummin'
Burnin' up the road
Countin' road signs
and the miles to Baltimore
One eye out for weighin'
Stations One for radar traps
They can't stop me,
'cause my plans don't call for that
And-a...Big wheel, don't you roll
Big diesel, don't you whine
Through the night
as I'm runnin' down the road
Big semi, don't you stop,
'cause if you do I'm not
Gonna make it back to Baltimore
with my load.25-CAREFUL MAN – Mi M
Jim Croce
I don't gamble, I don't fight
I don't be hangin' in the bars at night
Yeah I used to be a fighter but
Now I am a wiser man
I don't drink much, I don't smoke
I don't be hardly mess around with no dope
Yeah I used to be a problem but
Now I am a careful man
But if you used to want to see a commotion
You shoulda seen the man that I used to be
I was trouble in perpetual motion
Trouble with a capital "T"
Stayin' out late, havin' fun
And shot off every single shot in my gun
Yeah I used to be a lover but
Now I am an older man
But if you used to want to see a commotion
You shoulda seen the man that I used to be
I was trouble in perpetual motion
Trouble with a capital "T"
Stayin' out late, havin' fun
And shot off every single shot in my gun
Yeah I used to be a terror but
Now I am a tired man26-CHILD OF MIDNIGHT – Mi m
Jim Croce
She stood by the window
and let down her hair
Asked if I knew
that I shouldn't be there
Her lips said goodbye
but her body said stay
I knew I should go
but I stayed… anyway.
And they called her Child of Midnight
And they say she'd love whomever she'd find
But when morning came I loved her
And she stayed there in my mind.
She stood by the window
and let down her hair
Asked if I thought that it was right
That she'd give her body
and I'd give my mind
Looked for an answer all the night.
And they called her Child of Midnight
And they say she'd love whomever she'd find
But when morning came I loved her
And she stayed there in my mind.
She stood by the window
and tied up her hair
Acted as if I had never been there
Her lips said goodbye
and her body said stay
Knew I should go
but I stayed… anyway.
And they called her Child of Midnight
And they say she'd love whomever she'd find
But when morning came I loved her
And she stayed there in my mind...27-CIGARETTES, WHISKEY & WILD, WILD WOMEN – Re M
Jim Croce
CHORUS:
Cigarettes, whiskey and wild wild women
They'll drive you crazy, they'll drive you insane;
Cigarettes, whiskey and wild wild women
They'll drive you crazy, they'll drive you insane;
Once I was happy and had a good wife
I had enough money to last me for life
Then I met with a gal and we went on a spree
She taught me to smoke and drink whiskee
Write on the cross at the head of my grave
For women and whiskey here lies a poor slave.
Take warnin' poor stranger, take warnin' dear friend
In wide clear letters this tale of my end.
Cigarettes, whiskey and wild wild women
They'll drive you crazy, they'll drive you insane;
Cigarettes, whiskey and wild wild women
They'll drive you crazy, they'll drive you insane;
Cigarettes are a blight on the whole human race
A man is a monkey with one in his face;
Take warning dear friend, take warning dear brother
A fire's on one end, a fools on the t'other.
And now good people, I'm broken with age
The lines on my face make a well written page
I'm weavin' this story -- how sadly but true
On women and whiskey and what they can do
Cigarettes, whiskey and wild wild women
They'll drive you crazy, they'll drive you insane;
Cigarettes, whiskey and wild wild women
They'll drive you crazy, they'll drive you insane;28-COTTON MOUTH RIVER – Sol M
Jim Croce
Well I know that I shouldn't have done it
I know that it just wasn't right
Cause they got me back up
to the Cotton Mouth River
And I can't cross late at night.
I hear there's lots of stories told
about the Cotton Mouth River,
They tell them time and again,
About the men who tried to cross
that river by moonlight
And never were heard from again…
If I had all my live to live over,
I'd have gone to work that day
Instead of going into town
and shootin' him down
For a thing I never heard him say.
I hear there's lots of stories told about
the Cotton Mouth River,
They tell them time and again,
About the men who tried to cross
that river by moonlight
And never was heard from again…
Well I just made it through the cane break
And I got one foot in the mud
I can hear the hounds a-bayin'
but the snake around my ankles
Telling me my running days are done.
I hear there's lots of stories told
about the Cotton Mouth River,
They tell them time and again,
About the men who tried to cross
that river by moonlight
And never were heard from again…
I hear there's lots of stories told
about the Cotton Mouth River,
They tell them time and again,
About the men who tried to cross
that river by moonlight
And never were heard from again…29-DREAMIN' AGAIN – Re M
Jim Croce
Don't you know I had a dream last night
That you were here with me
Lyin' by my side so soft and warm
And we talked awhile and shared a smile
And then we shared the dawn
But when I woke up
Oh my dream it was gone.
Don't you know I had a dream last night
And you were here with me
Lyin' by my side so soft and warm
And you said you'd thought it over
You said that you were coming home
But when I woke up
Oh my dream it was gone.
*I'm not the same
Can you blame me
Is it hard to understand
*I can't forget
You can't change me
I am not that kind of man.
(slow)
Don't you know I had a dream last night
And everything was still
And you were by my side so soft and warm
And I dreamed that we were lovers
In the lemon scented rain
But when I woke up
Oh I found that again,
I had been Dreamin',
dreamin' again
I had been dreamin',
dreamin' again.
30-FIVE SHORT MINUTES – La M
Jim Croce
Well, she was standing by my dressing room
after the show
Asking for my autograph
and asked if she could go
Back to my motel room,
but the rest is just a tragic tale
Because five short minutes of lovin'
Done brought me twenty long years in jail
Well, like a fool in a hurry
I took her to my room
She casted me in plaster
while I sang her a tune
Then I said, "Ooh, ooee!"
Sure was a tragic tale
Because five short minutes of lovin'
Done brought me twenty long years in jail
Well, then a judge and a jury
sat me in a room
They say that robbin' the cradle
is worse than robbin' the tomb
Then I said "Ooh, ooee!"
Sure was a tragic tale
(Wasn't worth it, wasn't worth it!)
Because five short minutes of lovin'
Done brought me twenty long years in jail
Sax Break
And when I get out of this prison
gonna be forty-five
I'll know I used to like to do it
but I won't remember why
I'll say "Ooh, ooee!
Sure was a tragic tale
(Wasn't worth it, wasn't worth it)
Because five short minutes of lovin'
Done brought me twenty long years in jail
Because five short minutes of lovin'
Done brought me twenty long years in jail31-HEY TOMORROW – Do M
Jim Croce
Hey tomorrow, where are you goin'?
Do you have some room for me?
'Cause night is fallin' and the dawn is callin'
I'll have a new day if she'll have me
Hey tomorrow, I can't show you nothin'
You've seen it all pass by your door
So many times I said I been changin'
Then slipped into patterns
of what's happened before
'Cause I've been wasted and I've over-tasted
All the things that life gave to me
And I've been trusted, abused, and busted
And I've been taken by those close to me
Hey tomorrow, you've gotta believe that
I'm through wastin' what's left of me
'Cause night is fallin' and the dawn is callin'
I'll have a new day if she'll have me
'Cause I've been wasted and I've over-tasted
All the things that life gave to me
And I've been trusted, abused, and busted
And I've been taken by those close to me
Hey tomorrow, where are you goin'?
Do you have some room for me?
'Cause night is fallin' and the dawn is callin'
I'll have a new day if she'll have me
I'll have a new day if she'll have me
32-IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY – Do M
Jim Croce
Snowy nights and Christmas lights,
Icy windowpanes,
Make me wish that we could be
Together again.
And the windy winter avenues
Just don't seem the same,
And the Christmas carols sound like blues,
But the choir is not to blame.
But it doesn't have to be that way.
What we had should never have ended.
I'll be dropping by today.
'Cause we could easily
get it together tonight.
It's only right.
Crowded stores, the corner Santa Claus,
Tinseled afternoons,
And the sidewalk bands play their songs
Slightly out of tune.
Down the windy winter avenues
There walks a lonely man,
And if I told you who he is,
Well I think you'd understand.
But it doesn't have to be that way.
What we had should never have ended.
I'll be dropping by today.
'Cause we could easily
get it together tonight.
It's only right.
No, it doesn't have to be that way.
What we had should never have ended.
I'll be dropping by today.
'Cause we could easily
get it together tonight.
It's only right.33-KING'S SONG – Sol M
Jim Croce
He struggled so hard to be king
Working night and day
Dreaming of only one thing
Never a holiday
Somewhere along the way
He forgot she was only a girl
Now his kingdom has fallen
And it's really quite a tragic tale
'Cause he built a castle to harbor his queen
But the queen claimed he built her a jail.
He struggled so hard to be king
He wanted everything
He built her a house by the sea
Just to keep her in
Somewhere along the way
He forgot she needed a friend
Now his kingdom has fallen
And it's really quite a tragic tale
'Cause he built a castle to harbor his queen
And the queen claimed he built her a jail.
+ 1 tone
It happened so quickly before he could know
She was gone, far gone
Far from the castle, the diamonds and things
She had worn to the ball
There was a note that she carefully wrote
Signed it best wishes to all:
"Oh you struggled so hard to be king
Working night and day
Dreaming of only one thing,
Never a holiday
Somewhere along the way
You forgot that I needed a man"
When they found him they took him
back where he belonged
And his family and friends saw him annually
And they say, "It's a shame
what's become of the king"34-MORE THAN THAT TOMORROW – Do M
Jim Croce
Hey love don't be afraid
to stay until tomorrow
Lover's dawn is waiting
just this side of day
If you thought I loved you yesterday
I'll love you more than that tomorrow
Hey love don't be afraid
to hear the songs of morning
Birds will sing them as
they're calling up the day
If I sang to you yesterday
I'll sing more than that tomorrow
If it should happen that you come to me
In the night we share our hearts
Whatever it is that you done to me
Between you and me,
can't be undone...
If I should understand
just why I need you by me
Then I would know the reasons
for the songs of morning
'Cause if I wanted you yesterday
And if in the night we shared our hearts
Whatever it is that you done to me
Between you and me,
can't be undone...
Hey love don't be afraid
to stay until tomorrow
Lover's dawn is waiting
just this side of day
If you thought I loved you yesterday
I'll love you more than that tomorrow
If you thought I loved you yesterday
I'll love you more than that tomorrow35-NEXT TIME, THIS TIME – Do M
Jim Croce
If you get to feelin' all alone
When your good time friends
have all got up and gone
Don't come knockin' around my door
Because I've heard your lines before.
And there ain't gonna be a next time this time
'Cause woman startin' right now
I'm gonna forget you name
and your pretty face, girl
And write you off as a bad mistake
You know that some women, they are lovers
And some just got no sense
But a woman like you oughta be ashamed
Of the things that you do to men.
If you get to feeling all alone
When you find that you can't
make it on your own
Don't come knockin' around my door
You see I've seen your act before.
And there ain't gonna be a next time this time
'Cause woman startin' right now
I'm gonna forget you name
and your pretty face, girl
And write you off as a bad mistake
You know that some women, they are lovers
And some just got no sense
But a woman like you oughta be ashamed
Of the things that you do to men.
Guitar break
If you get to feelin' you were wrong
Don't go wastin' your good money on the phone
'Cause I can hang up as fast as you can call
And that ain't all.
And there ain't gonna be a next time this time
'Cause woman startin' right now
I'm gonna forget you name
and your pretty face, girl
And write you off as a complete disgrace
You know that some women they are liars
And some just got no sense
But a woman like you oughta be ashamed
Of the things that you do to men. (X2)36-RECENTLY – Do M
Jim Croce
Used to be that I could see
A reason to be happy 'cause I was free
But then
recently it seems I've been lettin'
your mem'ry get to me
Used to be that I could pretend
That I wasn't really hurt back then
But then
recently it seems I've been lettin'
your mem'ry get to me
*'Cause mem'ries can be friends
Or they can take you to a place
That you never thought you'd be again
*And take you to a place
That you never ever thought
That you would see again
Guitar break
*'Cause mem'ries can be friends
Or they can take you to a place
That you never thought you'd be again
*And take you to a place
That you never ever thought
That you would see again
Doesn't matter now who was wrong
The future is tomorrow 'cause the past is gone
And then
I'm findin' that I'm not as strong
As I thought that I used to be
'Cause recently it seems I've been lettin'
your mem'ry get to me37-RAPID ROY (THE STOCK CAR BOY) – Mi M
Jim Croce
Oh Rapid Roy that stock car boy
He too much too believe
You know he always got an extra
pack of cigarettes
Rolled up in his T-shirt sleeve
He got a tattoo on his arm that say 'Baby'
He got another one that just say 'Hey'
But every Sunday afternoon
he is a dirt track demon
In a '57 Chevrolet
Oh Rapid Roy that stock car boy
He's the best driver in the land
He say that he learned to race a stock car
By runnin' shine outta Alabam'
Oh the Demolition Derby
And the Figure Eight
Is easy money in the bank
Compared to runnin' from the man
In Oklahoma City
With a 500 gallon tank
Oh Rapid Roy that stock car boy
He too much too believe
You know he always got an extra
pack of cigarettes
Rolled up in his T-shirt sleeve
He got a tattoo on his arm that say Baby;
He got another one that just say Hey
And Sunday afternoon he is a dirt track demon
In a '57 Chevrolet
break
Yeah Roy so cool
That racin' fool he don't know what fear's about
He do a hundred thirty mile an hour
Smilin' at the camera
With a toothpick in his mouth
He got a girl back home
Name of Dixie Dawn
But he got honeys all along the way
And you oughta hear 'em screamin'
For that dirt track demon
In a '57 Chevrolet
Oh Rapid Roy that stock car boy
He too much too believe
You know he always got an extra
pack of cigarettes
Rolled up in his T-shirt sleeve
He got a tattoo on his arm that say 'Baby'
He got another one that just say 'Hey'
But every Sunday afternoon he is a dirt track demon
In a '57 Chevrolet
38-SPIN, SPIN, SPIN – Do M
Jim Croce
Spin, spin, spin
Spin around, spin around
The harlequin dances in a costume of green
Spin around
But under his makeup his age can't be seen
Spin around
But where are you spinnin'
When will you know
That life is for livin'
That it isn't a show?
Spin, spin, spin
Spin around, spin around
You look out on the city
from your penthouse so high
Spin around
But your pedestal's your prison
and so is your high
Spin around
But where are you spinnin'
When will you know
That life is for livin'
That it isn't a show?
Spin, spin, spin
Spin around, spin around
Your pills are you conscience
They make ev'rything seem all right
Spin around
Take a white one go to sleep
Take a red one to stay up all night
To spin around
But where are you spinnin'
When will you know
That life is for livin'
That it isn't a show?
Spin, spin, spin
Spin around, spin around
Spin, spin, spin
Spin away, spin away
Spin, spin, spin
Spin around, spin around39-STONE WALLS – Re M
Jim Croce
It's been too many years
Inside this prison
Too many years just for one little fight
He got what was comin'
And I think I served enough time
I'm goin' home tonight
That stone looks mighty cold
And the guard that walks that wall
Is just waitin' to get a convict in his sights
But if I can clear the top
You can bet I'll never stop
'Cause I'm goin' home, tonight
*Because stone walls do a prison
make and iron bars a cage
Any man that says they don't
never been inside
'Cause in time the bars get closer
And at night the walls grow tighter
Do you feel like there's a shackle
around your mind?
Now those guards are on my tail
I can hear those sirens wail
But I know that I'll get away
and that I'll be alright
'Cause I'd rather live on the run
Stand free in the morning sun
Then to spend another lonely
prison night
Because stone walls do a prison
make and iron bars a cage
Any man that says they don't
never been inside
'Cause in time the bars get closer
And at night the walls grow tighter
Do you feel like there's a shackle
around your mind?
40-THE MIGRANT WORKER – La M
Jim Croce
Pickin' wasn't easy
Kept you brown and thin
Been a child for every season
That the fruit was on the limb
Pack the truck Maria
Tell the kids we're off again
Cross a dozen states or more
We'll teach 'em what we can
Teach 'em what we can
We can't do more
The land is good
But still the livin's poor
Harvest in September
Drought in mid July
January's peeking
Through a white lace gypsy sky
March rolls into April
Then plant and pray for rain
Sweat like hell in august
Run the circle once again
Run the circle once again
And then once more
The land is good
But still the livin's poor
Oregon in August
Michigan in May
Tryin' to make enough
To keep my family on its way
And buy the pickin' boss a drink
To keep working every day
You know it isn't honest
But you do it any way
Do it anyway
To keep alive
Do it anyway
To keep alive…41-THURSDAY – Do M
Jim Croce
Well, it started out just like a dream
And like a dream
I knew that what we had
Would have to end
I was lookin' for
a lifetime lover
And
you were lookin' for a friend.
Someone to be there
after all your nighttime lovers
Had gone
the way they came
Someone who knew the way
To help you play your daytime game…
It's not the same.
Well, I started out pretending
That I've come to mean enough to you
To make
you want to change
Then I came to realize
That there was just too much
of you you'd have to rearrange.
And I couldn't bear to wait around
For all your nighttime lovers
To go
the way they came
Then it came to hurt too much for me
To have to play your daytime games
No one's to blame.
Well, it started out just like a dream
And like a dream
I knew that what we had
Would have to end.
Cause I was lookin' for a lifetime lover
And you were lookin' for a friend
I was lookin' for a lifetime lover
And
you were lookin' for a friend.42-VESPERS – Sol M
Jim Croce
I'd like to think about her
And the way she used to love me
But I just can't live without her
'Cause her arms are not around me
And the season's getting later
And my body's getting colder
And the vespers ring and I'm all alone
Without my love beside me
She'd call me in the evenin'
And ask me to come over
She'd be standing by the window
With her hair down around her shoulder
We'd talk a while and then she'd smile
Then she'd lock the door
And she would sit beside me
And we would talk no more
The bells would ring at six o'clock
And she'd be in my arms
Her head upon my shoulder,
gently resting
And then she'd wake and look at me
Not knowing I'd been watching
Kiss me softly, then drift off to sleep
She'd call me in the evenin'
And ask me to come over
She'd be standing by the window
With her hair down around her shoulder
We'd talk a while and then she'd smile
Then she'd lock the door
And she would sit beside me
And we would talk no more43-WALKIN' BACK TO GEORGIA – Mi M
Jim Croce
I'm walkin' back to Georgia
And I hope she will take me back
Nothin' in my pockets
And all I own is upon my back
But she's the girl who said she loved me
On that hot dusty Macon road
And if she's still around
I'm gonna settle down
With that hard lovin' Georgia girl
I'm walkin' back to Georgia
She's the only one who knows
How it feels when you lose a dream
And how it feels when you dream alone
But she's the girl who said she loved me
On that hot dusty Macon road
And if she's still around
I'm gonna settle down
With that hard lovin' Georgia girl
Georgia can you hear me callin'?
Oh I'll be home in just a while
And if I had to I'd be crawlin'
Just to share another mornin' smile
But you're the girl who said you loved me
On that hot dusty long ago
And if you're still around
I'm gonna settle down
With you my hard lovin' Georgia girl
Because I'm walkin' back to Georgia
And I hope she will take me back
Nothin' in my pockets
And all I own is upon my back
But she's the girl who said she loved me
On that hot dusty Macon road
And if she's still around
I'm gonna settle down
With that hard lovin' Georgia girl44-WHICH WAY ARE YOU GOIN' – Re M
Jim Croce
Which way are you goin'?
Which side will you be on?
Will you stand and watch while,
All the seeds of hate are sewn?
Will you stand with those who say
Let his will be done?
Chorus:
One hand on the Bible
And one hand on the gun.
One hand on the Bible
And one hand on the gun.
Which way are you lookin'?
Is it hard to see?
Do you say what's wrong for him
Is not wrong for me?
You walk the streets of righteousness
But you refuse to understand.
Say you love the baby,
And then you crucify the man.
Say you love the baby,
And then you crucify the man.
Every day,
Things are changing.
Words once honored turn to lies.
People wandering
Can you blame them?
It's too far to run
And too late to hide.
So now you turn your back on,
Everything that you used to preach.
It's let him live in freedom,
If he lives like me.
Well your light has changed,
Confusion reigns.
What have you become?
All your olive branches turn to spears
When your flowers turn to guns.
(repeat)45-TOP HAT BAR AND GRILL – La M
Jim Croce
Well, if you're lookin' for a good time
Look hard as you want but you ain't gonna find
The kind of good times you will
Come every Friday and Saturday
evening at the Top Hat Bar & Grill
Well, at the Top Hat Bar and Grill
There is a waitress name of Lil
Well, she's a honky tonky, little bit chunky,
divorcee
She wears the tight hippy hugger slacks
You can believe me when I tell you jack
That she's a dancin', prancin',
hard romancin',P-I-E-C-E
And she can do the boogie woogie
She can do the boogaloo
And she can do the hoochie coochie
And she knows how to nasty too
So, if you're lookin' for a good time
Look hard as you want but you ain't gonna find
The kind of good times you will
Come every Friday and Saturday evening at the Top Hat Bar & Grill
Well, at the Top Hat Bar and Grill
They've got this bouncer name of Gil
Well, he's a honky tonky
heavily funky ex-Marine
He wears the skin-tight body builder shirts
And jack he'll knock you out into the dirt
But, if you got you no money
or you try to get funny then,
brother you gonna see
That man's gonna do the boogie woogie
He gonna do the boogaloo
He gonna do the hoochie coochie
And he'll be doin' all his dancin' on you
So, if you're lookin' for a good time
Look hard as you want but you ain't gonna find
The kind of bad times you will
Come every Friday and Saturday evening at the Top Hat Bar & Grill