Muscular Face and Lips About A Mile Large
Muscular legs stompin' out the boulevard Muscular face and lips about a mile large Pluckin' out a leaf from a tree as she passes by I touch greenery a lot when I walk, she's a lot like me
LET'S MAKE LOVE ON THE FLOOR OF THE LIQUOR STORE IN BETWEEN THE PINBALL,
ICE CREAM, MAGAZINES AND CUSTOMERS LET'S MAKE LOVE
After a while, on a street called Vine There she is again, standin' in a check-out line She's buyin' my brand (and that's generic) With a store-bought tan (but I'm not allergic) Looks at me as if to say,"Love is just a beer away." (Love is just a beer away)
LET'S MAKE LOVE [ From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/lets-make-love-on-the-floor-of-the-liquor-store-lyrics-abraham-cloud.html ] ON THE FLOOR OF THE LIQUOR STORE IN BETWEEN THE PINBALL,
ICE CREAM, MAGAZINES AND CUSTOMERS LET'S MAKE LOVE
go to the window.
We could buy a twelve-pack and take it to the laundro-mat But why waste all our precious cash Gettin' ourselves good'n'trashed ? let's make love…..
LET'S MAKE LOVE ON THE FLOOR OF THE LIQUOR STORE IN BETWEEN THE PINBALL, ICE CREAM,
ICE CREAM, MAGAZINES AND CUSTOMERS LET'S MAKE LOVE
Walking The Gumbo Way
Check out this cool Alligator called Leonard . Its part of a
new book by local artist and friend Chole Anderson.
It reminded me of a poem I wrote a long time ago
called , "Walking The Gumbo Way." Gumbo was part of a
a book called "Burning Dirt Symphonies," that was only
read by Stu Pearson, Rory, Joni Mitchel and David Byrne.
You can find Chole on facebook where she's posting a
lot of stuff from her upcoming book. She' s realy cool
friend her .
Walking The Gumbo Way
A Dog Called Man by Abraham Cloud
The eternal struggle between Man and God and Pleasure and Pain and Eternal and Now all seem to come to a head for me in this song, "A Dog Called Man."
Remember, " the missionaries left on fairies bound for foreign sanctuaries," and " the dog ate religion with soda and large order fries." I'm trying to remember exactly what I was thinking during the writing and production of this song. All I can really draw is a huge blank. I think I was in a huge funk as to the nature of humanity. Were we Dogs with Clothes or Gods with fur ? The Dog called Man seemed to be a combination. I really don't want to live in a Godless universe or a God-Controlled universe , I just want to relax on the couch of Leave It To Beaver drinking milkshakes and waiting for the evening paper.
Check out Cloud and a lot of other interesting music
The Children of the Milkman
The phrase, “Children of the Milkman” was running round my brain for years. At one point I had it stenciled on my table. I tried to write the song a million times . It would not leave me alone. I called my band “The Children of the Milkman” , I drew pictures , I suffered for the phrase. It really says a lot to me . My father left when I was a baby and I’m not sure I ever got over the Mystery of it all. He was alive and living in another state and made NO effort at all to contact me. It was a weird kind of hell. I had to wonder if he really was my father, and if not him then who ? The situation he left me in was treacherous. My mother was ruined by her alcoholic family and a nervous wreck. We had no money and her insane worry , depression and anxiety forced me to try to be the parent. My constant thought was if only he would come back , we could pay the bills and I would have someone who understood me. Anyway , as far as the song , I pretty much took the cowards way out and made it a bizarre comedy. Perhaps one milkman managed to father an entire city , while making his daily deliveries. Thanks for checking it out .
Why Try ?
What's under the moving beach towel ? The new slacker's anthem is here to let you know. Watch closely as the towel moves and comes to life. Shot on location in Slacker Paradise Hawaii, Abraham Cloud asks the ultimate slacker question, "Why Try ?" Guaranteed to put a smile on your face the band pumps out the coolest punk-a-billy knee-slapper ever. These lyrics will allow you to finally, totally and completely relax. Way better than a spa or a massage ,Cloud reveals.; "I've been thinkin' 'bout ambition, and I've been wishin' that I had some. I've been watchin' the convertibles, looks like fun, if you have one. WHY TRY ? COME ON PRETTY BABY, WHY TRY ? went to an auction, over my head, old lady died, fifty bucks to get in. she had some fine stuff, went for millions, she didn't get a dime, neither did I, when you're standin' in the parking lot, and you're thinkin' hard 'bout what you haven't got, all those minutes spent in misery, why not think of nothing, live in ecstasy, why try? You got your health, You got it all, You got some good friends, Go have a ball. WHY TRY ? (Rory Anton guitar, Lee Walters drums , Johnny G bass and production)
I happened to stumble accross this life-changing song
As soon as you're born they make you feel small By giving you no time instead of it all Till the pain is so big you feel nothing at all A working class hero is something to be A working class hero is something to be They hurt you at home and they hit you at school They **** you if you're clever and they despise a fool Till you're so fucking crazy you can't follow their rules A working class hero is something to be A working class hero is something to be When they've tortured and scared you for twenty odd years Then they expect you to pick a career When you can't really function you're so full of fear A working class hero is something to be A working class hero is something to be Keep you doped with religion and *** and TV And you think you're so clever and class less and free But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see A working class hero is something to be A working class hero is something to be There's room at the top they are telling you still But first you must learn how to smile as you kill If you want to be like the folks on the hill A working class hero is something to be A working class hero is something to be If you want to be a hero well just follow me If you want to be a hero well just follow me<br/><br/><a
Open Windows
The first time I played this song to our drummer , Lee, he said it sounded like a suicide note. He equated the term , "letting go" with dying. I meant the exact opposite . It was about getting stuck, starting over, and realizing that you do have the power to change. I'm not sure how much choice we really have in our lives, but if all powers of mind and soul , along with a strong support community is involved, I do believe you can change direction. I've seen it in myself and others too many times to deny it. …
"every open window makes you cry "
I think thats probably one of the best lines I've ever written. To me it totally sums up depression. Its one of those few times when I feel that I really nailed it. Really found a way to express a universal emotion. The most frightening thing about a deep funk is that you do see ways out of it but you can't act, it's like you're frozen.
I've felt it , I think everyone has felt it. So trapped , so caged . so immobilazed that any glimpse of happiness or freedom made you cry. And although somehow you know the change you have to make, its impossible to do it. Johnny G did an excellent job on production, he often said it reminded him of his favorite band Yes. I don't reall y hear that. But I know it was a truly magical session.
Johnny and John Garwood are both huge Prog-Rock fans and both I think did incredible work on this song.
Click Here, Give it a listen and let me know what you think.
""
OPEN WINDOWS
Letting go’s the hardest part,
It’s easy just to stay, another day.
Holding on is killing you,
Clinging to the things that never let you sing
‘Til every open window makes you cry
IT’S UP TO YOU
ONLY YOU CAN MAKE THE CHANGE
ONLY YOU CAN TURN THIS SUNLIGHT
INTO DAYLIGHT, INTO NEW LIFE,
INTO DREAMS
You always thought they’re come a day,
When steppin’ from the haze,
Everything would change.
Tryin’ hard to carry on,
Even you can not believe
the beauty that you see
IT’S UP TO YOU
ONLY YOU CAN MAKE THE CHANGE
ONLY YOU CAN TURN THIS SUNLIGHT
INTO DAYLIGHT, INTO NEW LIFE
INTO SONGS I HEARD WHEN I WAS YOUNG HOLD ME NOW
GIVE ME WINGS TO FLY ABOVE
ALL THE SORROW
It’s up to you.
Another Successful Breakfast
I think this song will stick with me for life. It seems to be the one people really remember. It was totally autobiographical and kind of a diary entry , pretty much unedited. I'd been in LA for about a year and was realixing what a long way it is not only to the top but to even making a living at music. I remember walking around with absolutely nothing and wondering how everybody got so situated. They all seemed to have huge houses , lucrative jobs and glamourous lives and looked at me like, how charming , someone who wants to play the homeless poet to entertain us. I really didn't understand that I was in the entertainment business, I was trying to unburden myself of ideas, or connect with like minds and make statements, . Probably why I refused to sign anything. It always seemed like I would be signing my soul away. It is pretty absurd to be smack dab in the center of a world based on illusion actually ernestly looking for answers.
Miracle Mile
For some reason this ancient song went running through my mind today. I think I was trying to be Springsteen at the time and write a triumphant story of desperate characters lost in a world they couldn't understand. But It came out all garbled and weird . Something about a "Portable Girl" and a "rabit vacation". Well I guess these are pretty cool images, especially the "rabit vacation". If there are any psychoanalysts in the readership , I'd love to get a rundown on this……
Miracle Mile
My portable girl took a rabit vacation
Borrowed someone's car and took off across the nation
Haven't heard from her in quite a long time
Dangerous Dad was dealing with the problem
Lost the only woman that had ever tried to love him
So he ran through the streets where the people don't smile
Searching for his daughter on a Miracle Mile
Portable Girl met a Dangerous Dad
They were having such a good time the waitress got mad
She'd been working all night to support her child
She never understood it was a Miracle Mile
Miricle mile is waiting down the road
Miracle Mile won't be there when you get old
The road is calling , The chips are falling , Its gonna be fine on a Miracle Mile
It don't call out to non-believers
You need a little faith if you're gonna be leaving
You look to the sky and step on the gas
You realize all those bad times are passed
Miracle Mile is waiting down the road
Miracle Mile won't be there when you get old.
Stuart Pearson is responsible for the arrangement on this , and he did an increbible job geting the "lost parade turned triumphant" sound. Rory Anton is doing a great job on guitar and his friend John from John's Guitar and drum shop is playing some fantastic drums. I think Rick Elias is in there somewhere, at least I remember him being there. And the funniest moment of all was in the middle of our drunken studio revelry Stu dumped a huge cup of coffee all over the board. Quite possibly why we could never work in San Diego again.
Company of Strangers
This song is real in every sense of the word. The working environment has always been strange and ominous to me. I always had to take part time jobs to support my Musical aspirations. These jobs usually revolved around one mans dream to get rich by employing a bunch of dispossessed dreamers to sell his garbage to someone. The lines were always pretty clearly drawn between the winners and the losers. The winners were always vacationing and the losers were doing all the work to buy the umbrella drinks for the bosses. An environment that by its very nature spawns truck-loads of resentment anger and ruined lives. I was always astounded how little I had in common with my co-workers, and even how little they had in common with each other. It was almost always as if we were all wandering through the desert looking for scraps of food and we happened upon an air-conditioned office with free snacks. The song is positive though. It calls for a joining together of the underdogs . Why don't we start our own company ? but unfortunately it realizes that this probably wouldn't work either , because it would have to be called , "The Company of Strangers," If you'd like to hear the original Symphonic version that appeared on "Another Successful Breakfast" click here . Below you'll find a live acoustic version.
Abe with Rory on guitar filmed by Randy Morgan. One of the most classic Cloud tunes , deep shades of Bowie and Pink Floyd with a haunting Lennon-esqe type theme
Company of Strangers
hi, how are you ?
how was your weekend ?
and what are we going to do. today ?
No. I'm OK. It's just that this office is starting to feel like a cage.
in the distance, it shines like a beakon. offering shelter to the lost and the weakened.
but here. in this room. I've whiled away hours and planted the flowers of doom, in my life.
smiles, like they say, can wipe away saddness, but this little game's here to stay.
FOR AN INSTANT I thought I knew you. That day you broke down and smashed up the cooler.
crystal cool water drencend all the carpet. wild nervous laughter filled out department.
as you screamed out,
" Hey what you say ? Why don't we start our own company, and we'll call it the Company of Strangers."
for twenty-five years I have sat by your side typing letters and memos for people who hide behind doorways with titles in hallways of horrible crime. we never had time for the things that we wanted to do when we saved up enough to be happy. it's true in the end all you have is a moment or two.
but, "Hey what you say ? Why don't we start our own company, and we'll call it the Company of Strangers."
