Half past midnight in a murder mystery
She’s still dancing with the boys; fast company,
He smiles like Eddie Robinson, smokes Turkish cigarettes
His eyes reflect an empty room that never forgets.
Somewhere in the city, on a corner by the bend
I’ll meet you in the moonlight where the sidewalk ends
Sister Broadway.
The boys are going crazy, this wagon’s off the rail
And the ladies all go home tonight, out on bail.
I saw you from the payphone booth as you lit a cigarette,
Your dangerous curves stimulate and masturbate my head.
The neon sign invites me, this doorway leads to Hell,
While the streetlights shade a wet parade for those who buy and sell
Sister Broadway.
Terms are plain and simple for the undercover man,
Use it while you’ve got it and get it while you can.
You think it’s so exciting, a trip down Memory Lane,
But no one gets a second chance on Suicide & Main.
So dance this dying moment and try to show you care,
I always wake up screaming on Hangover Square
Sister Broadway.
Kiss me deadly, kiss me sweet
Hold me while this moment lasts
Make it all complete…
Murder on the blackboard; the schoolboy show is closed,
There’s torture on the tv and blackmail in the post.
She wants to save her money, a down payment on a car,
But this illegal traffic won’t take you very far.
As the girl and her detective caress the private eye,
They tried to make you someone but all you did was cry
Sister Broadway.
Kiss me deadly, kiss me sweet
Hold me while this moment lasts
Make it all complete
Sister Broadway.
Comments
sue dinum | July 1, 2012 - 12:18
Love it, ton.car. Fantastic rhythm in your words and phrasing, it sung to me, I could almost hear the backing track. I can relate to this and at a quick guess, judging by what you write, we may well like the same things, so can I throw a couple of names into the ring:
Bukowski, Carver, Leonard, Thompson, Chandler, Willeford, Lennon, Cohen...
...and many more, but I bet you like at least a couple of the aforementioned.
Love your style, will definitely be coming back for more.
Great stuff, gritty poetry, lyrical...
Trev
ton.car | July 3, 2012 - 21:09
I was having a clear out in the attic and came across a book filled with lyrics that I wrote as a teenager for a band I was in that were going to change the world. We never did but I always liked that song. It's got to be over thirty years old! I'm familiar with all those names and, Cohen aside, love them all. Thanks for the positive review.
magicdarer | August 29, 2012 - 18:11
As visual as a film script, feeling like the narrator is not a distant observer of the scene, he is living it as dirty as it gets.
ton.car | August 29, 2012 - 18:29
I was very young and very into crime fiction when I wrote those lyrics, but I still think they look good 30 years on. You're right about the visual aspect - I wrote them with a video in mind, although the band's budget didn't stretch anywhere near that far! Thanks for the comment. Much appreciated.
magicdarer | August 29, 2012 - 18:33
You are welcome mate. When you say very young, you make it sound like you were six. But I guess with that you say your current style is vastly more refined?! This has huge depth to it for such a young mind, and is massively creative.
ton.car | August 29, 2012 - 19:10
I guess I was about 20. I'd bummed around the USA, Canada and Mexico for the best part of a year and I'd read Ian Hunter's 'Diary Of A Rock 'n Roll Star' about a million times. I guess I fancied myself as a bit of a Jack Kerouac. Probably still do, although I think that particular train left the station some time ago! Mind you, I wouldn't mind re-enacting Richard Hell's trash classic novel 'Go Now'. All I need is the balls to throw in the boring job and middle-class trappings, hire a beat up old Eldorado, and hit Route 66. Hhmm...when I put it like that it sounds real easy!
magicdarer | August 30, 2012 - 07:44
Haha, if you have few ties what the f*** are you waiting for, you will regret it later in the old folks home. I shit you not.
ton.car | August 30, 2012 - 08:05
You're absolutely right and don't think I haven't thought long and hard about it. I wondered why, in a few short months, I'd banged out a load of stories which, now I look at them closely (which I never do when I write them) are all on a similar theme. Perhaps there's a message in there. Perhaps that little voice in my head is trying to tell me something through words on a page. Having seen my dad wither away in an old folks home there's no way I want that to happen to me - I'd rather step in front of a train. I've thought about packing up ABC because I think the little man has said all he needs to say, and maybe it's time to go off and do something else before the clock runs out. That's the problem with school holidays - way too much time to sit around thinking about stuff!
magicdarer | August 30, 2012 - 20:26
Ahh so you are a teacher?! Time to give yourself a lesson, open your eyes to new pastures. Do it. I know you can and will. You will touch many lives on your journey and they will touch you. Start booking and buying that car.... ebay.us fligh out and collect it. Your little man will lap it up, you owe it to him.
ton.car | August 30, 2012 - 21:34
Don't think I'm not tempted, although I'd have to put a few things in order at this end first. I've just brought a houseboat so I'm not quiet ready to split yet, but it'll come. Thanks for the info and the friendly nudge! By the way, I read some of your poems this afternoon in between sanding and varnishing. Love the one about the cab driver.That's some deep stuff you write. Leaves me standing!
wendy1960 | September 3, 2012 - 23:32
what an exceptional talent you have Mr.C!! Do not let time nor circumstance hold you back! There is so much more out there for someone with such a talented mind, and a burning in their soul for the satisfaction that life should bring. You were never meant to be the ordinary kid on the block, nor tainted by a population of people that do not possess the ability to see. As much as we endeavour to open the eyes of the blinded, some will always be blind, but..... for the fortunate beings in this life, you are truley inspirational!