1. |
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She Says Yes To Everything
words & music by John Kimsey (John Kimsey Tunes / ASCAP)
She came here form back east her face shows the lines
Of orders to make peace with Doc and the combine
I still hear her whisper like wind in the trees
Remember yourself and forget about me
No no she is not the same
No no she is not to blame
She says yes yes yes yes yes
To everything
Well it’s a hard one to try and live outside the law
If the zombies don’t get you there’s always the thaw
And should you get stuck in that muddy country
Remember yourself and forget about me
No no she is not the same
No no she is not to blame
She says yes yes yes yes yes
To everything
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2. |
Words for Snow
05:07
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Words for Snow
words & music by John Kimsey (John Kimsey Tunes / ASCAP)
Who are we, where do we come from
Where is it that we go
Said the Khan, a round for everyone
And two for young Mr. Polo
Compass four
Cross seven ocean shores
Twice thirteen nights and more
Words for snow
Day-o
Who are we, where do we come from
What is it that brings us all here
Silent song, a dream or a dusty gong
Or just your own face in the mirror
Compass four
Cross seven ocean shores
Twice thirteen nights and more
Words for snow
Day-o
[chanted, not sung; these are words of W. B. Yeats]:
Locke sank into a swoon
The garden died
God took the spinning jenny
Out of his side
Where got I that truth?
Out of a medium’s mouth
Out of nothing it came
Out of the forest loam
Out of dark night where lay
The crowns
Of Nineveh
Who are we, where do we come from
Where is it that we go
Said the Khan, a round for everyone
And two for young Mr. Polo
Compass four
Cross seven ocean shores
Twice thirteen nights and more
Words for snow
Day-o
Day-o day-o day-o
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3. |
Leslie Is More
04:39
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Leslie Is More
words & music by John Kimsey (John Kimsey Tunes / ASCAP)
Leslie is more, Leslie is more
Leslie is more than just a girl
I met her at a party on the outskirts of town
She looked a bit familiar in her strapless evening gown
I said ‘scuse me, seems like I’ve seen you around
She charmed me with a gesture, she fixed me with a stare
Here eyes they seemed to question what we were doing there
As we took off I heard someone say beware
Leslie is more, Leslie is more
Leslie is more than just a girl
Leslie is more, Leslie is more
Leslie is more than just a girl
The tower bell struck midnight as we reached her final stair
Her living rom was ice cold, static filled the air
Better make this one of those brief affairs
I’ve been known to burn the candle at both ends naturally
But I found it hard to handle her specific gravity
Then she put out the light and I could see
Leslie is more, Leslie is more
Leslie is more than just a girl
Sun moon stars rain
Sleep dirt soul train
And now I’m just a dancer to a strange adagio
In a tropic of Cancer I’m a jolted gigolo
And my heart knows what the wild goose knows
Leslie is more, Leslie is more
Leslie is more than just a girl
Leslie is more, Leslie is more
Leslie is more than just a girl
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4. |
Hurdy Gurdy Man
04:37
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Hurdy Gurdy Man
words & music by Donovan Leitch (Peer International); arr. Kimsey
Thrown like a star in my vast sleep
I opened my eyes to take a peek
To find that I was by the sea
Gazing with tranquility
‘Tis then when the hurdy gurdy man came singing songs of love
Then when the hurdy gurdy man came singing songs
Of love
Histories of ages past
Unenlightened shadows cast
Down through all eternity
The crying of humanity
‘Tis then when the hurdy gurdy man comes singing songs of love
Then when the hurdy gurdy man comes singing songs
Of love
Hurdy gurdy hurdy gurdy hurdy gurdy gurdy he sang
Up comes a roly poly man and he’s singing songs of love
Roly poly roly poly roly poly poly roly pole
Ahh
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5. |
Forbidden Zone
04:11
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Forbidden Zone
words & music by John Kimsey (John Kimsey Tunes / ASCAP)
In the forbidden zone of your heart
There’s an emperor who plays the part
Of the man in the iron mask, dethroned by an ass
Revenge is all he asks
Behind the great wall of your mind
There’s a lady fair who got left behind
And she walks in a long black veil, her long fingernails
Hold the grail no man can find
They go diving down along her coast
Trying to find which one she loves the most
Within the sepulcher of your face
There’s a tiny kid who’s encased
With perfume, incense and gold, he was quite young when he was told
That his birthright had been sold
They go diving down along your coast
Trying to find which one you love the most
They go diving down along your coast
Trying to find which one you love the most
In the whirlpool temple ziggurat
Ripped-out guts burn lest the gods forget
In the forbidden zone of our hearts
I wonder who’ll be the one to start
To dive into the wreck, to stick out their neck
Hold your breath ‘cause here we go
We go diving down along your coast
Trying to find which one you love the most
We go diving down along your coast
Trying to find which one you love the most
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6. |
The Mighty Wurlitzer
04:34
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The Mighty Wurlitzer
words & music by John Kimsey (John Kimsey Tunes / ASCAP)
The mighty wurlitzer
Piping through the system, the exquisite machine
The mighty wurlitzer
Playing on your heartstrings as you stare at what’s there on the screen
Come and journey out to where the arches are gold
Feel it where the enterprise flies free
And the buffalo roam on the videodrome
And Disneyland was made for you and me
The mighty wurlitzer
Pulling out the stops so that the show can go on
The mighty wurlitzer
Pay no attention to the man behind the jumbotron
Ride the big one, roll the bones, be all you can’t be
Spend a moment filling out the form
Runners-up can claim the free home version of our game
Offer good ‘til April Fools’ Day morn
The mighty wurlitzer
You’re getting very sleepy and it’s dark all around
The mighty wurlitzer
Let it carry you along and block out the unpleasant
Sounds that echo from those shapes in the back row
Is it hot in here or am I crazy oh no
Wait don’t answer that I mean
That is, I mustn’t stop the show
O mighty wurlitzer, mighty wurlitzer, mighty wurlitzer, mighty wurlitzer
All rise as we sing along and all rise as we sing along and all rise as we sing along and
Drown out the noise from below
The noise from below
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7. |
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The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
words & music by Ewan MacColl (David Platz Music); arr. Kimsey
The first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave
To the dark and the endless skies
The first time ever I kissed your lips
I felt the earth move in my hand
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird
That was there at my command
And the first time ever I lay with you
I felt your heart so close to mine
And I knew our joy would fill the earth
And last 'til the end of time
[lines from Shakespeare, The Tempest]
And you whose pastime
Is to make midnight mushrooms, that rejoice
To hear the solemn curfew; by whose aid. . .
I have bedimm'd
The noontide sun, call'd forth the mutinous winds,
And 'twixt the green sea and the azured vault
Set roaring war:
But this rough magic
I here abjure, and, when I have required
Some heavenly music. . .
To work mine end upon their senses. . .
I'll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And deeper than did ever plummet sound
I'll drown my book.
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8. |
Nobody's Home
04:13
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Nobody’s Home
words & music by John Kimsey (John Kimsey Tunes / ASCAP)
East is east and west is west
And one man’s meat
Is another man’s mystery
And if you can’t stand the heat
Well then we’re bangin’ on the gong, bangin’ on the gong, bangin’ on the gong
My country right or wrong, country right or wrong, country right or wrong
Well you say and it feels like lights are on
But nobody’s home
Now hey big Gipper we’re all watching you
We dig your makeup and your hair
Makes us feel like you’re just Mr. Smith
And not some toy millionaire
And now let’s all sing along, all sing along, all sing along
My country right or wrong, country right or wrong, country right or wrong
Well it’s a red, white and blue dawn
But nobody’s home
Now coming up it’s that new war sponsored by
Your friendly corporate entities
They gonna let you watch some star wars
With your head between your knees
And still we all go along, all go along, all go along
Whether it’s right or wrong, it’s right or wrong, it’s right or wrong
From outer space it looks like place where lights are on
But nobody’s
Nobody’s
Is anybody home
Is anybody home, anybody home, anybody home
Is anybody home, anybody home, anybody home
I don’t know
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9. |
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Best of All Possible Worlds
words & music by John Kimsey (John Kimsey Tunes / ASCAP)
No more iron curtain
We’ve set the whole world free
To embrace the good life
They want their MTV
How can you blame’em?
We’ve cracked the mystery
The building blocks of life are
Greed and hypocrisy
Pity the poor people in those countries that aren’t free
And be thankful you can choose Tweedled-dum or Tweedled-dee
What more could you ask for in this
Best of all possible worlds?
Give us 15 minutes
We’ll give you the world
Or at least the portions
We choose not to ignore
A camera that’s unblinking, so balanced and so fair
‘Specially to the powers who put us on the air
Pity the poor people living under tyranny
And go exercise your choice – McLaughlin 1 or 2 or 3
Sitting here in Limbaugh in this
Best of all possible worlds
Don’t worry
Be happy
War is peace
Freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength, we are the world
Whaddya man “we”?
Information highway
Run right through your brain
Fifty thousand channels
And they’re all the same
Screw on the headset
Hail to the new flesh
We bring good things to life
Even living death
Pity the poor suckers killing for a crumb of food
And remember there’s no payoff in
Negative attitudes
They just spoil the party in this
Best of all possible worlds
Don’t worry
Be happy
War is peace
Freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength, we are the world
Whaddya man “we”?
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10. |
Secret Agent Man
05:25
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Secret Agent Man
words & music by Steve Barri & P.F. Sloan (Universal-MCA); arr. Kimsey
There's a man who lives a life of danger
To everyone he meets he stays a stranger
With every move he makes, another chance he takes
Odds are he won't live to see tomorrow
Secret agent man, secret agent man
They've given you a number and taken away your name
Beware of pretty faces that you find
A pretty face can hide an evil mind
Bee careful what you say or you'll give yourself away
Odds are you won't live to see tomorrow
Secret agent man, secret agent man
They've given you a number and taken away your name
Swingin’ on the Riviera one day
And then layin' in a Bombay alley next day
You let the wrong word slip while kissing persuasive lips
Odds are you won't live to see tomorrow
Secret agent man, secret agent man
They've given you a number and taken away your name
Secret agent man
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11. |
On, Off Swing
04:57
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On, Off Swing
words & music by John Kimsey (John Kimsey Tunes / ASCAP)
There’s a girl on a swing on a wall in a room
And she flies through the air with the greatest aplomb
Though her shoe has come off so her foot is exposed
Much to the delight of the assembled pierrots
But the girl on a swing never falls, never climbs
She has been hung up like this since time out of mind
A tribute that’s offered to beauty and truth
By limbs that are frozen and lips that are mute
Then one day in the canvas, a crack like a vine
And she slides down it under the horizon line
Where she’s greeted by this nice young minotaur who asks
If she’d like to try on his new African mask
And she says thanks but really I’m quits with this art
And anyway I’ve got to find Monsieur Fragonard
And gently but firmly break him the news
That he’s getting the boot from his fleet-footed muse
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12. |
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Variation on a Theme, by George
words & music by John Kimsey (John Kimsey Tunes / ASCAP)
Twenty birds they turn as one in flight
The people’s will unfolds like dawning light
Consider oysters and pearls
We give our lives to build a new
World for all mankind
Deep within the sunken vaults of time
Our blood and sweat they ripen into wine
It is reactionary, but like the black canary
I sing in the moonshine
Of work, love and party
Girl in Half Moon Street
Long-legged bird on a watercress plain
Symbol of longevity
Chrysanthemum yearning toward morning star
Although etched into stone, knows no gravity
I fight this tendency to mystify
But from some ashes firebirds arise
All of the struggling classes, all of the teeming masses
Vanish in your eyes
The single man is incomplete
Girl in Half Moon Street
Long-legged bird on a watercress plain
Symbol of longevity
Chrysanthemum yearning toward morning star
Although etched into stone, knows no gravity
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13. |
Bohemian Girl
04:56
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Bohemian Girl
words & music by John Kimsey (John Kimsey Tunes / ASCAP)
She was a bohemian girl
Her hifi it was monaural
Long nights on the front divan
Stick of incense in her hand
We would talk awhile
Then walk that miracle mile
I didn’t know just then what she had in store
Imagine my surprise when she showed me the door
Bohemian girl, bohemian girl
She worked for the office downtown
Chasing that red tape around
She told me she would quit
When had enough bread to split
But ‘til then she would play
At erasing the system away
Then one night she couldn’t stay too long
Walked out of my life, left me with this song
Bohemian girl, bohemian girl
After all I’ve done for you
I took you out of that gutter you knew
I made you a first-class pickpocket
Made you a first-class pickpocket
Made you a first-class pickpocket
You can’t do this to me
That was my bohemian girl
The world was her oyster, she was a pearl
She went to Mandalay, married an attaché
I guess I wasn’t right, she had much higher sites
I didn’t know back then but now I see today
The love I thought I’d steal was for giving away
Bohemian girl
Bohemian girl
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14. |
Keep A-Knockin' (live)
02:56
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Keep A-Kockin’
words & music by Richard Penniman (Sony ATV)
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Come back tomorrow night and try it again
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Come back tomorrow night and try it again
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Come back tomorrow night and try it again
You said you love me but you can’t come in
You said you love me but you can’t come in
You said you love me but you can’t come in
Come back tomorrow night and try it again
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Come back tomorrow night and try it again
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Come back tomorrow night and try it again
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Come back tomorrow night and try it again
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Keep a-knockin’ but you can't come in
Come back tomorrow night and try it again
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John Kimsey Oak Park, Illinois
Singer, songwriter, guitarist and bandleader John Kimsey is a musical man about town (and country). He helms and writes for The Twisted Roots Quartet; does old-timey duet sets with brother Jim as The Kimsey Brothers; conjures psychedelic pandephonium with power trio Medicated Goo; and whips up cheeky pop euphoria with The Art Thieves. Then he has a nice sandwich. ... more
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