The Birth Of It
I was born in the places
Between what was known
What the families called evil
What their children call home
Down into the cracks
‘Tween the newspaper shades
‘Tween the old country west
And the big city babes
Between grasses of blue
And blues of the blacks
Between forsaken rhythms
And popular tracks
Between crooners and yodels
And nonsense sh’boom
With a scream and a yelp
I came from the womb
And the man of the Moondog
And his colleagues of voice
And the independent labels
Giving people their choice
From the air waves of Cleveland
To the sounds in New York
Coined a phrase that was waiting
In the beak of the stork
Though the claims on the first
Are harder to state
Where in ’51 a young cat
Drove a Rocket 88
And that night in ‘47
With some Good Rockin’ soul
Or at last in ‘54
Comets shook, rattled, rolled
The stories ring out legends
The legends still live on
In me they sound their instruments
In me they sing their song
And though those who brought together
The elements of all
Would crash upon the Billboard
And slowly surely fall
The spirit is what drives it
The spirit’s here to stay
They brought me up with love
Now listen to me play
But do not forget the years
When the life I have was born
With the bang of a piano
And the screech upon a horn
And the freight-train drumming back-beat
And the wild shock guitar
And the grunting, gospel vocal
Of the crazy shooting star
A Domino obese
A “happy” little dick
A throw duck walking Berry
Whose weapon was his pick
A piano playing loony
Who married cousin girl
And a friend to deck the halls with
Whose glasses were a pearl
And let us not forget
A King of rocking fame
Who died upon the toilet seat
Oh god, Ain’t That A Shame
His tutti-frutti hips
Shook the world to disarray
The Maybellines and Johnnies
Needed more with every day
And the parents heard the noise
That caused the country’s rave
And they thought it was enough
To make Beethoven roll in his grave
And today with balls of fire
I carry on the great
While the crickets are a churpin’
“Oh Boy, it’s getting’ late”
But I grow and don’t stop growing
And they all came into me
Because I am crossing over
Into everything that be
Hear me play upon your speakers
Let me lift you to your feet
You can feel me deep within you
With a heavy steady beat
And I will live on through you
Forever and some more
For I am that which you feel truly
The Rock and Roll you adore.
Between what was known
What the families called evil
What their children call home
Down into the cracks
‘Tween the newspaper shades
‘Tween the old country west
And the big city babes
Between grasses of blue
And blues of the blacks
Between forsaken rhythms
And popular tracks
Between crooners and yodels
And nonsense sh’boom
With a scream and a yelp
I came from the womb
And the man of the Moondog
And his colleagues of voice
And the independent labels
Giving people their choice
From the air waves of Cleveland
To the sounds in New York
Coined a phrase that was waiting
In the beak of the stork
Though the claims on the first
Are harder to state
Where in ’51 a young cat
Drove a Rocket 88
And that night in ‘47
With some Good Rockin’ soul
Or at last in ‘54
Comets shook, rattled, rolled
The stories ring out legends
The legends still live on
In me they sound their instruments
In me they sing their song
And though those who brought together
The elements of all
Would crash upon the Billboard
And slowly surely fall
The spirit is what drives it
The spirit’s here to stay
They brought me up with love
Now listen to me play
But do not forget the years
When the life I have was born
With the bang of a piano
And the screech upon a horn
And the freight-train drumming back-beat
And the wild shock guitar
And the grunting, gospel vocal
Of the crazy shooting star
A Domino obese
A “happy” little dick
A throw duck walking Berry
Whose weapon was his pick
A piano playing loony
Who married cousin girl
And a friend to deck the halls with
Whose glasses were a pearl
And let us not forget
A King of rocking fame
Who died upon the toilet seat
Oh god, Ain’t That A Shame
His tutti-frutti hips
Shook the world to disarray
The Maybellines and Johnnies
Needed more with every day
And the parents heard the noise
That caused the country’s rave
And they thought it was enough
To make Beethoven roll in his grave
And today with balls of fire
I carry on the great
While the crickets are a churpin’
“Oh Boy, it’s getting’ late”
But I grow and don’t stop growing
And they all came into me
Because I am crossing over
Into everything that be
Hear me play upon your speakers
Let me lift you to your feet
You can feel me deep within you
With a heavy steady beat
And I will live on through you
Forever and some more
For I am that which you feel truly
The Rock and Roll you adore.