Jimmy Webb

WORDS & MUSIC

Words


"Words & Music" first hit the stores in 1970 on Reprise Records (RS 6421) (yeah, that's right, Sinatra's own label!).
Like albums to come, it featured his sister Susan on backing vocals.  

Sleepin' In The Daytime (5:03)  P.F. Sloan (4:00)  Love song (3:35)  Careless Weed (3:12)  Psalm One-five-0 (4:35)  
Music For An Unmade Movie (in three parts) I. Songseller (3:40); II. Dorothy chandler Blues (6:18); III. Jerusalem (5:00)  
Three Songs (Let It Be Me; Never My Love; I Wanna Be Free) (2:11)  Once Before I die (4:30)  

Mr. Webb was still quite young here, in his early 20's.  I believe I read somewhere that his father was a Pastor, I'm really not sure, but if that is true, you can see the influence it may have had on him in his songs Careless Weed, Psalm One-Five-0 and Jerusalem. I have two copies of this one. One, the original, has an insert with all the lyrics to the songs on it. The other, which I later purchased at a bargain bin, doesn't have the insert.
Songseller appears to be a biting indictment to the music industry probably caused by the unwanted release release of Webb Sings Webb.
The songs on this album that I played the most were Careless Weed, Dorothy Chandler Blues, Jerusalem,and Once Before I die.


Drums, tympani, percussion, all guitars, bass, trumpets, and patience--Freddy Tackett
Conga, African Drums--Darrell Birch
Sax--Joan Scott
Piano, organ, accordian, craftsman 6" power saw, vibes, psaltry, effects --J.W.
Console was played by Brian Ingoldsby and Terry Brown
Other engineering assistance from Brent Albright
Thank you Susan--strawberry and vanilla
Photograph by Gary Webster
The studio was M.C.A. at Universal City
Art direction--Ed Thrasher






SLEEPIN IN THE DAYTIME

Sleepin in the daytime
I can't bare to see the smog stained sky
I'm sleepin in the daytime
I can't bare to see the work strained people struggling by oh yeah
But nighttime's cool dark and sweet
Forget the sound of one foot dancing down
Down Cripple street
I do my sleepin in the daytime yeah

Sleepin in the daytime
Hurts me so to see the trees turn gray
I'm sleepin in the daytime
They lift their dyin arms as if to pray
Oh as if to pray
The moon floats up the sun groans down
Still there ain't no way of seeing the sore
the sick and sore
Side of town
I do my sleepin in the daytime
It seem to get me on through hey hey hey
I do my sleepin in the daytime

Sleepin in the daytime
Ever since they turned the river brown
I've been sleepin in the daytime
It chokes the gulls with oil
And drags them down
Oh it drags them down
And I have seem them half alive
Forget the look in one eye closing down
Down angry drive
I do my sleepin in the daytime
It seems to get me on through hey hey hey
I do my sleepin in the daytime


P.F. SLOAN

I have been seekin P.F. Sloan
But no one knows where he has gone
No one ever heard the song that boy set winging oh yeah
Now you might sigh and you might moan
And sweat about the skin and bone
Yeah but you just smiled
And read the Rolling Stone while he continued singin
Oh yeah now, listen to him singin
Na na na na na na na na na na na don't sing that song
Oh don't sing that song
Na na na na na na na na na na na don't sing this song
It belong to P.F. Sloan
Oh, from now on

My old friend trigger up and died
So now they've got him stuffed and dried
Ya know they've tanned his hide
He's crucified
He's staring glassy eyed out through the parlor door oh yeah
The London Bridge was finally found
They've moved it to another town
And now all the people gather round to watch the bridge fall down
But I don't think it will no more
Oh no now listen to him singin

Na na na na na na na na na na na don't sing that song
Oh don't sing that song
Na na na na na na na na na na na don't sing this song
It belong to P.F. Sloan
Oh, from now on

Nixon's come and bound to stay
He's taken all my sins away
Heard it on the news today
It set my ears to ringing, yeah
Cause the last time I saw P.F. Sloan
He was summer burned
He was winter blown
Ya know he
Turned the corner all alone but
He continued
Yes he continued
Oh he continued singing yeah


LOVE SONG

There's a place inside my throat
Where all the tender things I long to say
Somehow get caught
Till now it seems that I might choke
On old forgotten words I should have said
But somehow did not baby
Let my life
Let it be your love song
Let these eyes sing the words that I
Will never say
Oh no
There could still be a way
Back to your loving heart
Hey now I'll do my part yeah yeah
Let my life be your love song..

There's a space inside my soul
As deep as oceans and
Wider then the sky
And it's shaped like you
And nothing seems
To fill that hole
But old forgotten dreams
That have no hope of ever coming true baby
Let my life
Let it be your love song
Let these eyes sing the words that I
Will never say
Oh no
There could still be a way yeah
Back to your loving heart
Hey now I'll do my part yeah yeah
Let my life
Let it be
Let it be your love song
Let my life be your love song


CARELESS WEED

The wind is blowin
The farmer is sowin now
And soon you'll be growin
To seed yes And goin
Oh careless weed
Rise beside the road and sing to me
To be where roads and rivers lead
And livin without greed careless weed

So grow beneath the bridge
And grow you in the fence row now
But God help you in the farmer's field cause
He will make you weep with his hoe down now
Careless weed
From across the river bed your calling me
To be where roads and rivers lead
In love and without need careless weed

I lean on my hoe and stare and stare
Because I know I ain't really goin nowhere
Oh no where and the mare

The mare she's foalin
The tumbleweeds are rollin now
Movin down the line
And leavin tracks for the wind to read
Oh careless weed
Stand beyond the hills and call to me
To be where reads and rivers lead
And livin without greed
Careless weed


PSALM ONE-FIVE-0

Praise ye the Lord
Praise ye the Lord
Praise God in His sanctuary
Praise Him in the firmament of His power
Praise Him for His mighty acts
Praise ye the Lord now
Praise ye the Lord

Praise Him
Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet oh
Praise Him
Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet oh
Yeah

Praise Him with the psaltry and the harp oh
Praise Him
Praise Him with the psaltry and the harp oh
Praise Him with the timbrel and the dance
Praise Him with the stringed instruments
Praise Him with the stringed instruments
Praise Him with the stringed instruments
Praise Him with the stringed instruments
Praise Him with the stringed instruments
Praise Him with the stringed instruments
And organs

Praise Him
Praise Him with the high sounding cymbals oh
Praise Him
Praise Him with the high sounding cymbals then
Let everything that had breath
Praise ye the Lord
Praise ye the Lord
Praise ye the Lord

Praise ye the Lord
Praise ye the Lord
Praise God in His sanctuary
Praise Him in the firmament of His power
Praise Him for His mighty acts
Praise ye the Lord now
Praise ye the Lord

He love you yeah yeah yeah
yeah


SONGSELLER

This is just a little memo
To remind you of my demo
Put in the mail a week ago
Haven't heard it on the radio though

Good morning songseller
I suppose we've got it made
You're such a charming fellow
Why can't you get this record played
This record played
This record played
This record played
This record played

I got two sleeves I tore off the Beatles
Had em sewn on with a magic needle
Now I can play like George and Ringo
Haven't heard it on the radio though

Good morning songseller
I suppose we've got it made
You're such a charming fellow
Why can't you get this record played
This record played
This record played
This record played
This record played

Waitn around for the devil
I'm gonna make me a record deal
I'm gonna meet me a real big wheel Some who'll tell it to me real now I'll cut you a track that truly truckin
If you want me to I'll sing about fuckin
Sing about it fast or
Sing about itslow
Wanna hear it on the radio though

Good morning songseller
I suppose we've got it made
You're such a charming fellow
Why can't you get this record played
This record played
This record played
This record played
This record played


DOROTHY CHANDLER BLUES

You've plugged in the cable to turn the table
You're sittin in your bow tie getting kinda cross-eyed
Tryin to read the label
Good evening Mr. Critic
How many shows did you close?
All by yourself Mr. Critic
All by yourself Mr. Critic

Hey hey hey yeah
Hey hey hey yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

I wanna be a rock'n'roll Christian
I wanna be
Deep down in my heart
I've got to be
A rock'n'roll Christian baby baby
A rock n roll Christian baby

Bad news, new reviews Ice cold Kelvinator cynic come to call Come to write about the blues Good evening Mr. Critic
Tell us what records to choose
Cause we need your Mr. Critic
We need you so bad
Hey hey hey yeah
Hey hey hey yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

I wanna be a rock'n'roll Christian
I wanna be
Deep down in my heart
I've got to be
A rock'n'roll Christian baby baby
A rock n roll Christian baby

I just got to be
A rock'n'roll Christian baby
A rock n roll Christian
A rock n roll Christian
A rock n roll Christian
I've got to got to be

How many songs of love have you written in your life sir?
How many have you destroyed?
Who is the man who doesn't pay to see the play sir?
And angry with his wife
Take out his knife
And put s the show away
Puts the show away

Now some are spastic and some bombastic
And some are still born Mozart children
But they're all made out of plastic
And an hole Mr. Critic
Just life the hole in your soul
Good evening Mr. Critic

Hey hey hey yeah
Hey hey yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

Well I wanna be…

Why don't we have a little coffee Jesus
We will tell him all about our trouble…


JERUSALEM

Oh, oh oh oh right now yeah

I was looking at the day moon
When the mist it faded away
I thought I saw some Jesus and I thought I heard some Jesus say

Take your wife and family and anyone you love
You'd better get out of L.A.
And the lord said right now

I said might not the Lord be tood soon?
Would you make the innocent pay?
If you could find just 10 good men
Would you try to save this wicked town today?
And a voice said tell yoru sidter and your brother and anyone you love
Boy you'd better get out of L.A.
And the Lord said, Right now.

Jerusalem Jerusalem
How often would I have gathered you together
Just as a hen gathers her babies under her wings
And you would not
No you would not

And then humming a meaningless ruin
The voices faded away
I thought I saw a black dove flyin
Cryin down Catalina way
Singin take your father and your mother
And anyone you love
Boy you'd better get out of L.A.
Right now
And the Lord said right now

Jerusalem
Jerusalem


ONCE BEFORE I DIE

When moonrise wanders down the road
And asks me if I want to ride you know I'll decide
It may be that I'll go alone or with some
Gypsy angel by my side but you know
I'll decide

I've heard all of your lines
All false promises
All illusions
All delusions
I demand my right to stand
I'll not die upon my knees
Now you can go out in the hall
and you can write that on the wall

Oh yes
Once before I die whoa whoa whoa yes
I'm gonna be fee
Oh yes I'm gonna be free
Once before I die
Whoa whoa yes
I'm gonna be free
Yes I'm gonna be free
Once before I die
I'm gonna be free
I'm gonna be free

This summer when it rains I may not
Sleep before my clothes have dried but you know
I'll decide
I may not yet have lived or I may
Have already died but you know
I'll decide
I've heard all of your lines
All your false promises
They're all behind me
They'll never bind me
And I will steer my star by my own course or I will fall
You know they'll never make me crawl
And you can write that on the wall
Oh yes

Once before I die
Whoa whoa whoa yes
I'm gonna be free
Whoa yes I'm gonna be free
Once before I die
Whoa whoa yes
I'm gonna be free
Yes I'm gonna be free
Once before I die
Once before I die
Once before I die
I'm gonna be free
Yes I'm gonna be free
I'm gonna be so free
Gonna be so free I'm gonna be
Free
Wo wo wow o wo whoa whoa
Yea
I'm gonna be free Oh yes I am
Yes I'm gonna be free
Yes I'm gonna be free


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