Ragtime Lyrics
PROLOGUE:
In Harlem, men and women of color forgot their
troubles and danced and reveled to the music of
Coalhouse Walker, Jr. This was a music that was theirs
and no one else's.
It was the music
Of something beginning,
An era exploding,
A century spinning
In riches and rags,
And in rhythm and rhyme.
The people called it Ragtime...
Ragtime!
JOURNEY ON:
Two ships passing
In the kinship
Of the darkness-
One going from-
One coming to-
America!
Two men meeting
At the moment
Of a journey.
For a moment,
In the darkness,
We're the same...
In the Darkness
Of the dawn-
Journey on!
SUCCESS:
Here in America
Anyone at all can succeed.
Do what you do,
And the world will come to you
Guranteed!
I may be just a maker of art,
But here you can start with less
And make a success!
I promised you America,
And little one...
We will find it.
HIS NAME WAS COALHOUSE WALKER/ GETTING READY RAG/ HENRY FORD:
Here was a music
That truly inspired.
Dancers required him.
Club owners hired him.
the strivers of Harlem
Respected and admired him
For turning Harlem into art
But Coalhouse had a broken heart.
The Good Lord looked down, saw me lonely and loveless,
and thought to Himself: "Enough is enough. I'm putting
Sarah in Coalhouse's life."
And he did.
Now she is haunting me
Just like a melody-
the only song I seem to know.
Ladies and gentlemen, the
Gettin' Ready Rag!
Anything it takes.
Anything you need.
you gotta find your girl, Coalhouse
And win her back!
Think of what a better man she'll see
When Mr. Henry Ford puts me
At the wheel of a Model T!
A genuflection to
Henry Ford!
Hallelujah!
Praise the maker
Of the Model T!
Speed up the belt.
Speed up the belt, Sam.
Speed up the belt.
Speed up the belt, Sam!
Speed up the, speed up the, speed up the speed up the belt!
Mass production
Will sweep the nation.
A simple notion,
The world's reward.
Grab yor goggles
And climb aboard!
I'm ready, Lord!
DADDY'S SON:
Daddy played piano,
Played it very well.
Music from those hands could
Catch you like a spell.
He coul dmake you love him
'Fore the tune was done.
You have your daddy's hands.
You are your daddy's son.
NEW MUSIC:
His fingers stoke those keys,
And every note says "Please",
And every chord says "Turn my way."
I thought I knew
What love was
but these lovers play
New music!
Play that melody,
Your sweet melody,
Calling my heart to you.
Just like that tune,
Simple and clear,
I've come to hear
New music-
Breaking my heart,
Opening a door,
Changing the world!
New music!
I'll hear it forevermore!
THE WHEELS OF A DREAM:
Yes, the wheels are turning for us, girl.
And the times are starting to roll.
Any man can get where he wants to
If he's got some fire in his soul.
We'll see justice, Sarah,
And plenty of men
Who will stand up
And give us our due.
Beyond that road,
Beyond this lifetime
That care full of hope
Will always gleam!
With the promise of happiness
And the freedom he'll live to know.
He'll travle with head held high,
Just as far as his heart can go
And he will ride-
Our son will ride-
On the wheels of a dream.
MAKE THEM HEAR YOU:
GO OUT AND TELL THE STORY.
LET IT ECHO FAR AND WIDE.
MAKE THEM HEAR YOU.
MAKE THEM HEAR YOU.
HOW THAT JUSTICE WAS OUR BATTLE AND HOW JUSTICE WAS DENIED.
MAKE THEM HEAR YOU.
MAKE THEM HEAR YOU.
AND SAY TO THOSE WHO BLAME US
FOR THE WAY WE CHOSE TO FIGHT
THAT SOMETIMES THERE ARE BATTLES
WHICH ARE MORE THAN BLACK OR WHITE.
AND I COULD NOT PUT DOWN MY SWORD
WHEN JUSTICE WAS MY RIGHT.
MAKE THEM HEAR YOU.
MAKE THEM HEAR YOU.
BACK TO BEFORE:
There are people out there
Unafraid of revealing
That they might have a feeling,
Or they might have been wrong.
There are people out there
Unafraid to feel sorrow,
Unafraid of tomorrow,
Unafraid to be weak...
Unafraid to be strong!
There was a time
When you were the person in motion.
I was your wife.
If never occurred to want more.
You were my sky,
My moon and my stars and my ocean.
We can never go back to before.
We can never go back to before
OUR CHILDREN:
Solemn joy and sudden spark,
Our children.
See them running down the beach.
Children run so fast
Toward the future
From the past.
There they stand,
Making footprints in teh sand,
And forever, hand in hand,
Our childrn.
Two small lives,
Silhouetted by the blue,
One like me
And one like you.
Our children.
More when I find the rest of the good ones.... aaaaah.
In Harlem, men and women of color forgot their
troubles and danced and reveled to the music of
Coalhouse Walker, Jr. This was a music that was theirs
and no one else's.
It was the music
Of something beginning,
An era exploding,
A century spinning
In riches and rags,
And in rhythm and rhyme.
The people called it Ragtime...
Ragtime!
JOURNEY ON:
Two ships passing
In the kinship
Of the darkness-
One going from-
One coming to-
America!
Two men meeting
At the moment
Of a journey.
For a moment,
In the darkness,
We're the same...
In the Darkness
Of the dawn-
Journey on!
SUCCESS:
Here in America
Anyone at all can succeed.
Do what you do,
And the world will come to you
Guranteed!
I may be just a maker of art,
But here you can start with less
And make a success!
I promised you America,
And little one...
We will find it.
HIS NAME WAS COALHOUSE WALKER/ GETTING READY RAG/ HENRY FORD:
Here was a music
That truly inspired.
Dancers required him.
Club owners hired him.
the strivers of Harlem
Respected and admired him
For turning Harlem into art
But Coalhouse had a broken heart.
The Good Lord looked down, saw me lonely and loveless,
and thought to Himself: "Enough is enough. I'm putting
Sarah in Coalhouse's life."
And he did.
Now she is haunting me
Just like a melody-
the only song I seem to know.
Ladies and gentlemen, the
Gettin' Ready Rag!
Anything it takes.
Anything you need.
you gotta find your girl, Coalhouse
And win her back!
Think of what a better man she'll see
When Mr. Henry Ford puts me
At the wheel of a Model T!
A genuflection to
Henry Ford!
Hallelujah!
Praise the maker
Of the Model T!
Speed up the belt.
Speed up the belt, Sam.
Speed up the belt.
Speed up the belt, Sam!
Speed up the, speed up the, speed up the speed up the belt!
Mass production
Will sweep the nation.
A simple notion,
The world's reward.
Grab yor goggles
And climb aboard!
I'm ready, Lord!
DADDY'S SON:
Daddy played piano,
Played it very well.
Music from those hands could
Catch you like a spell.
He coul dmake you love him
'Fore the tune was done.
You have your daddy's hands.
You are your daddy's son.
NEW MUSIC:
His fingers stoke those keys,
And every note says "Please",
And every chord says "Turn my way."
I thought I knew
What love was
but these lovers play
New music!
Play that melody,
Your sweet melody,
Calling my heart to you.
Just like that tune,
Simple and clear,
I've come to hear
New music-
Breaking my heart,
Opening a door,
Changing the world!
New music!
I'll hear it forevermore!
THE WHEELS OF A DREAM:
Yes, the wheels are turning for us, girl.
And the times are starting to roll.
Any man can get where he wants to
If he's got some fire in his soul.
We'll see justice, Sarah,
And plenty of men
Who will stand up
And give us our due.
Beyond that road,
Beyond this lifetime
That care full of hope
Will always gleam!
With the promise of happiness
And the freedom he'll live to know.
He'll travle with head held high,
Just as far as his heart can go
And he will ride-
Our son will ride-
On the wheels of a dream.
MAKE THEM HEAR YOU:
GO OUT AND TELL THE STORY.
LET IT ECHO FAR AND WIDE.
MAKE THEM HEAR YOU.
MAKE THEM HEAR YOU.
HOW THAT JUSTICE WAS OUR BATTLE AND HOW JUSTICE WAS DENIED.
MAKE THEM HEAR YOU.
MAKE THEM HEAR YOU.
AND SAY TO THOSE WHO BLAME US
FOR THE WAY WE CHOSE TO FIGHT
THAT SOMETIMES THERE ARE BATTLES
WHICH ARE MORE THAN BLACK OR WHITE.
AND I COULD NOT PUT DOWN MY SWORD
WHEN JUSTICE WAS MY RIGHT.
MAKE THEM HEAR YOU.
MAKE THEM HEAR YOU.
BACK TO BEFORE:
There are people out there
Unafraid of revealing
That they might have a feeling,
Or they might have been wrong.
There are people out there
Unafraid to feel sorrow,
Unafraid of tomorrow,
Unafraid to be weak...
Unafraid to be strong!
There was a time
When you were the person in motion.
I was your wife.
If never occurred to want more.
You were my sky,
My moon and my stars and my ocean.
We can never go back to before.
We can never go back to before
OUR CHILDREN:
Solemn joy and sudden spark,
Our children.
See them running down the beach.
Children run so fast
Toward the future
From the past.
There they stand,
Making footprints in teh sand,
And forever, hand in hand,
Our childrn.
Two small lives,
Silhouetted by the blue,
One like me
And one like you.
Our children.
More when I find the rest of the good ones.... aaaaah.