Bluesy rock to groove to.

14 MP3 Songs in this album (51:05) !
Related styles: BLUES: Blues-Rock, ROCK: Classic Rock



Details:
About this CD: Lyrics, keys, what the songs are about, etc:

The Band:
Cliff plays organ and piano
Tom Yates plays guitar
GW Jenkins plays a Steinberger Synapse bass
Tom Beier plays drums
Everyone sings. Cliff does most leads but TY sings lead on Funky Side and Diesel


Life of Crime
© 1996 Clifford A, Henricksen

(My Ode to Tony Soprano. Yo Tony, I got your theme song right ova here.)

Look at me baby, do you think that Iâm the criminal kind?
Talk to me baby, do you think I have a criminal mind?
Iâm gonna booglarize your little bank of love
Wonât leave no fingerprints, Iâll use a love-skin glove
If stealing your heart is such an evil deed, then a life of crime is what I want to lead

A life of crime, Iâll do it every day, Life of crime Iâll steal your love away
Life of crime Iâll make you feel so fine
Youâll never realize I lead a life of crime

Be careful baby, Iâll pick the padlock on a-your sweet affection
If I do baby, donât have me locked up in no house of correction
I want to be your number one most wanted man
They say that crime donât pay but I would do it again
I love you so much that itâs a shame and a sin
Iâll lead a life of cry-yime for your sweet love-in

A life of crime, Iâll do it every day, Life of crime Iâll steal your love away
Life of crime Iâll make you feel so fine, youâll never realize I lead a life of crime


Million Dollar Babies
© 2004 Clifford A, Henricksen

(This is just a recognition of very young people that become mega-stars: Michael Jackson as a pre-teen, "kids" right out of high school into the NBA and before graduating from high school right into MIT. It's rare but it's happening all the time in America anyway. This is not any kind of statement other than a recognition. It's amazing.)

Some babies drool and, some babies real cool and
Some babies laugh and clown
Some got a move or two, and some have got the whole thing down

Some babies got it and some babies donât have it, You see it all the time
When the lights come on, Million Dollar Babies shine

Million Dollar Babies, everybodyâs looking out for you
Theyâre gonna find you, sign you, baby boy and baby girl
Mom and poppaâs special babies, million dollars waiting there for you
Million dollar babies rocking all over the world

Do the impossible, do the incredible, just like it ainât no thing
Smiling all the time and looking like a diamond ring
While your babyâs sleeping, super-babies leaping and working on the cardio
And when they dream at night, theyâre starring on the radio

Million Dollar Babies, everybodyâs looking out for you
Theyâre gonna find you, sign you, baby boy and baby girl
Mom and poppaâs special babies, million dollars waiting there for you
Million dollar babies rocking all over the world



Tokyo (C) 1994 Clifford A, Henricksen

(I actually wrote this on a plane returning to the States from Tokyo, astonished at the BMT-on-steroids-level of the JR train at rush hour. I noted that if you wanted to really lose someone, this would be the place. Just duck down and you're gone. So this is about someone that got dumped by his lover and he's in endless denial over it, certain she's right around the corner. So he stays in Tokyo, looking for her, driving on the Shinjuku superhighway, riding the Shutuko bullet train, crying on the dock of the (Tokyo) Bay and generally looking for his lost love. Not autobiographical by any means. )

I took my baby down to Tokyo
Now I'm searching everywhere I go
I lost her on the train, I'll never see her again, but I know
She's down in Tokyo

She slipped away on the Shinjuku line
Left me stranded, left me right on time
Now I see her face in every place I go
Down in Tokyo

Now I'm living down in Tokyo, far away from the things I know
Riding on the JR train all day
At night I drive the Shutoko, or listen to the radio
Or cry out all my tears on the dock of the Bay
Down in Tokyo

I've been searching for my sweet cherie
From Akita to the China Sea
I ride the Shinconsen, all over old Japan, âcause I know
She's down in Tokyo

Iâm asking everyone I see, said "have you seen my sweet Marie
Jiro, can you spare just a bit of your time
Here's a faded photograph, the picture breaks my heart in half
Jiro, have you see this girl of mine?"
Down in Tokyo

I lost my baby, lost my only one
On the island of the rising sun
Such a mystery, how she slipped from me
But I know, she's down in Tokyo




A Beautiful Life
(C) 2007 Clifford A, Henricksen

(This song is a little fantasy about being a successful novelist, probably everyone's dream at some stage in their lives. The actual music just slipped on out into my lap one day and I was amazed to have it almost all done only a few days later. It's in the key of G. )

If I could write a book about someone
Masterpiece when it all was done
Maybe even be number one
What a beautiful life it would be

I could tell a tale of pain and doubt
Make you guess what itâs all about
Clever as hell how it all turns out
What a beautiful life it would be

And if my life had wealth and fame
Iâd sure be ahead of this money game
I could have everything in the world it seems
But all that I want is inside my dreams

If I became a famous bard
And made up words in my own backyard
Iâd tell reporters âit ainât that hardâ
What a beautiful life it would be


The Funky Side of Town
(C) 1997 Clifford A, Henricksen

(We joke at our shows that we're rich rock stars but don't like living in our mansions because our rich neighbors are never around, too busy making money somewhere else. Tom Yates sings this great: Moving back to the old neighborhood, in C. )

Iâm gonna move, to the funky side of town
Iâm gonna move, to the funky side of town
Iâm getting tired of living, where thereâs nothing going down

When I hit the big time, got a house to match
Some classy address, but there just one catch
Never see the neighbors, donât know their name
I look around me, it all looks the same

Iâm gonna move, to the funky side of town
Iâm getting tired of living, where thereâs nothing going down

Nobodyâs home, in the neighborhood
Or hanging in the backyard, like a neighbor should
Theyâre taking care of business, making a pile of dough
When Iâm sad and lonely, I got nowhere to go

Iâm gonna move, to the funky side of town
Iâm getting tired of living, where thereâs nothing going down

Uptown, baby; not for me
The attitudeâs so uppity
The neighborhood go soul and pride
Iâm going back to the funky side

I want to go where the air is sweet
Barbecues cooking, music in the street
âCause I love some action and the human touch
My fancy neighbors ainât touching too much

Iâm gonna move, to the funky side of town
Iâm getting tired of living, where thereâs nothing going down



Never Get A Bargain © Clifford A Henricksen 1999

(I was in a band that had two women singers in it. They truly sang great together and I couldn't ask for better, cooler and more reliable bandmates. They loved to go shopping (of course) and they also had these tragic love-lives. So I said "You ought to go use your shopping skills to find a good man. Wait: I'll write a song about it". So I did. They sang it for a while and the band later broke up. So I rewrote it so I could sing it. In Fm.)


She got a ruthless eye for the big sale, only spend her cash for a steal
Got a fine sense of intuition, when it comes to the killer deal
But when it comes down to love I just canât understand
Why she never gets a bargain when sheâs looking for a man

Listen, girls: Itâs sure not like shopping for jewelry

Sheâs a fool for the sweet persuasion, mystified by the choice she made
Itâs a lonely and sad occasion when she thinks of the price she paid
Itâs not like picking out tomatoes at the grocery stand
You know she never gets a bargain when sheâs looking for a man

(You know she never gets a bargain when sheâs looking for a man)
Thatâs right!
(She never gets a bargain when sheâs looking for a man)
She knows the retail business like the back of her hand
But she never gets a bargain when sheâs looking for a man

(Bridge)
Sheâs the queen of the discount hunters, like a shark in the department store
Knows the aisle to try and the time to buy and even the salesman on the floor
But there is just one thing that doesnât fit in her plan
You see she never gets a bargain when sheâs looking for a man


Christmas Blues
(C) 1999 Clifford A, Henricksen

(Every family has someone they really don't want to have coming around, the sort-of "black sheep" kind of family member that annoys evernone. No, not about anyone in my own family, by any stretch. So anyway, these people, sensing this general desire to not have them around seem to pick up on this and come over at the very worse of times: Christmas, when everyone wants to be merry. This is a pretty tradidional blues format in G, a pleasure to play too.)

The blues came home for Christmas, satisfied with the choice they made
The blues came home for Christmas, satisfied with the choice they made
It was a low-expense arrival, oh but what a price we paid

The blues came in through the backdoor, they were sailing on a winter wind
The blues came in through the backdoor, sailing on a winter wind
Must have looked like an invitation, âcause they unpacked their bags and settled in

The blues will come and find you, where you never thought they would
Sneak up unsuspected when you never thought they could
The Blues came home for Christmas, didnât recognize when they came
And I know they got my number, but I never got their name

The Blues came home for Christmas, it was a sad sad piece of news
The Blues came home for Christmas, it was a sad sad piece of news
Silver bells might be ringing , but I got the Christmas blues


The Trashman (C) 1997 Clifford A, Henricksen

(In the 1970's, they were going through Henry Kissinger's trash (Nixon's Secretary of State) and found a whole bunch of government secrets. So it was then that they passed all these laws about invasion of privacy, or invasion of your trash can. I think I really wrote this in the 1980's. Pretty funny. )

The trashman comes when you are sleeping
He comes to your house before the birds are peeping
He finds everything that you been sweeping
He goesâ¦Watch out for that trashman!

The trashmanâs sneaking in your neighborhood
He knows if youâre bad and he knows if youâre good
He finds all the things you never knew he would
He goesâ¦Watch out for that trashman!

The trashman finds all the letters youâve written, he knows what youâve been thinking
The trashman finds all the bottles youâre dumping, he knows what youâve been drinking
He looks in the can, he looks in the bag, he knows every secret youâve got
If the trashman interviews the FBI, theyâll put you in a terrible spot
Watch out for that trashman

The trashmanâ¦He knows what youâve been thinking
He knows what youâve been drinking
Sneaking in your neighborhood, he knows if youâre bad or good
That trashman knows everything about you: watch out for him!


The Truth About Your Past (C) 1988 Clifford A, Henricksen

(Guys seem more concerned about this than girls, not sure why.)

I heard the news, about your past
Nasty rumors, some nasty trash
Tell me baby, about me and you
What theyâre saying: is that the truth?

Everybody, they know your name
And everybody, they got your game
You can call the doctor, it donât do no good
Your past baby, with you for good

What theyâre saying I canât believe
I thought I knew you, been deceived
What theyâre saying, all this trash
You got to tell me: the truth about your past

Your reputation, it just wonât hide
The realization hurt me deep inside
I love you baby and I want it to last
But you got to tell me the truth about your past


Steady Roll (C) 1993 Clifford A, Henricksen

(Everyone loves to be in the zone. That's what this is about. In C.)

Moon on the rise and, I see fires on the river side
There's a Night Owl calling, signs from the other side
Yes, I know, Iâm on a steady roll

Tossing and turning, shaken and mystified
That melody's playing, I feel like I've been hypnotized
Yes I know, Iâm on a steady roll

I got the blues in the morning, and I play till the sun goes down
Shout in the evening, howl like a bloodhound
Yes I know, I'm on a steady roll

And weâre gonna rollâ¦all night long

The Latest Thing (C) 1994 Clifford A, Henricksen

(Not much to say about this, other than I coulda bin a contenda. In A. )

I could have been a movie star, looking like I do
I could have went to Hollywood, could have lived there too
I could have rolled 'em in the aisle, had 'em mesmerized
They left me in the cutting room, cut me down to size

I could have been a contender, that's what I been told
But I just can't remember, when he knocked me out cold
I could have been a champion, Mr. Superfine
When I get another chance, I'm gonna make it shine

(Chorus)
I could be the latest thing, I could be the next thing too
Everybody's gonna know my name, and love the things I do
The latest sensation, The Alligator King
Master of the Universe, I'll be The Latest Thing

I could have been a millionaire, and made the front-page news
I could have made the NBA, and have my own line of basketball shoes
I could have been the president, or had a TV show
When I get another chance, you'll be the first to know

I could be the latest thing, I could be the next thing too
Everybody's gonna know my name, and love the things I do
The latest sensation, The Alligator King
Master of the Universe, I'll be The Latest Thing


A Message For You
(C) 1991 Clifford A, Henricksen

(A song about communication, in the key of Gm. Originally called "Can You Read My Lips", the present title is way better than this. )

I've been trying for a long time, just to get a message through
Trying ESP and telepathy, anything to get to you
Can you read me on your wavelength, I'll try any wave at all
Even ringing on the telephone line, you don't even hear the call

Can you read my lips? There's a message for you, baby
Can you read my lips? A message for you
You can use your lips, your eyes or your spirit
Or your fingertips, can you read my lips?

Can you hear me on the heartline, don't you know we're on the air
All I want to do is get some reception,I've got my broadcast everywhere

Iâve tried every kind of signal I know
They all seemed to pass you by
Just try thinking hard and closing your eyes
Your eyes, your eyes


Fat Baby © 2007 Clifford A, Henricksen

(About one of my children and for all you mommies (daddys too) out there.)

Somethingâs shaking in my house today
Heâs a fat little roller and heâs looking ok
His mommy really digs him and she feeds him so well
Heâs a jolly roller-poller, anybody can tell
Heâs a
Fat Baby, he rock and he roll
Fat Baby, he never gets cold
Fat Baby, heâs a jelly-bowl

He rolls just a big smile from a cheek to cha-cheek
All he does is ga-gurgle when heâs trying to speak
He says dblllt dblllt dit-ah dit-ah, dit-ah dit-ah oompp bll it-ah
And than he say dit-ah dit-ah oomp blll it-ah
Heâs a
Fat Baby, he rock and he roll
Fat Baby, he never gets cold
Fat Baby, heâs a jelly-roll

He donât ever worry âbout crime in the streets
âCause heâs got a whole lot of loveing from his head to his feets
Heâs just a little fussy only once in a while
All you got to do is say âHey Fatty!â and heâll give you a smile
Heâs a
Fat Baby, he rock and he roll
Fat Baby, he never gets cold
Fat Baby, heâs a jelly-roll

Come on, look at what heâs doingâ¦

Diesel Engine (C) 1991 Clifford A, Henricksen

(Love takes on all forms. I wrote this when I felt very strong about my own love life. And I love internal combustion, both internal and in automobiles. It's for the truckers. Roll on, good buddies. Tom Yates sings this, Tom Beier does high harmonies at the end.)

I got love like a diesel engine, I think I'm gonna let it run
I got love like a diesel engine, I think I'm gonna let it run
Now, my heart is beating like a piston, I think I'm gonna let it run

I got love like a superhighway, stretching out from sun to sun
I got love like a superhighway, stretching out from sun to sun
That road is going on forever, I think I'm gonna let it run

Like a cross-country all-night hauler, I got a big load of love for you
When I make it to your destination, I'll tell you what I'm gonna do
I think I'm gonna let it run

I got love like an eighteen wheeler, never gonna shut it down
I got love like an eighteen wheeler, never gonna shut it down
I'm all loaded up with fuel and fire, I'm never gonna shut it down