Johnny's Jazz Grocery

Hey, hey people, have you heard the news
There's a place to buy groceries and hear some blues
Down around the corner on Shrewsbury Street
You can feed your soul while you're buying your meat
It's Johnny's Jazz Grocery down on Shrewsbury Street

It doesn't matter if you're hip or straight
Cause the service is friendly and the prices are great
Two little aisles and a freezer case
And the pure sounds of jazz all over the place
It's Johnny's Jazz Grocery down on Shrewsbury Street

This ain't no ordinary mom and pop
It's the only place in town where you can bop while you shop
You can hear Prez and Bird and Dizz
While you're buying your crackers and your cheese whiz

They got lamb chops, ham hocks, cherry tomatoes
Coconuts and mangoes and sweet potatoes
Bee bop and swing and cool jazz too
At Johnny's you can pig out on humanity stew
It's Johnny's Jazz Grocery down on Shrewsbury Street

This ain't no ordinary mom and pop
It's the only place in town where you can bop while you shop
You can hear Prez and Bird and Dizz
While you're buying your crackers and your cheese whiz

Hey hey people have you heard the news
There's a place to buy groceries and hear some blues
Down around the corner on Shrewsbury Street
You can feed your soul while you're buying your meat
It's Johnny's Jazz Grocery down on Shrewsbury
Jazz Grocery down on Shrewsbury
Jazz Grocery down on Shrewsbury Street
              

I laid my cards down on the table - two deuces and two eights
Through the cigar smoke, two beady eyes pondered my fate
He slammed his paw down hard, the glasses jumped. Some whiskey spilled
He was one drunk pissed-off bear, I thought he might have me killed
He made a fist and he shook it"You'll pay for this, Piglet" he said

He picked up a bottle and smashed it, broke off a jagged edge
He stood and he staggered and he swung it around, like he was out of his head
He said "I want my pants back" and I said "But Pooh, you don't wear any pants" 
And he said "Piglet. . . you're dead"

I thought I knew Winnie the Pooh, he seemed like a silly old bear
But he was mean when he'd been drinking, and I knew I had to get out of there

I went for the door, but he blocked me, he swung that bottle and screamed my name
Then he fell by the trashcan, and his anger turned to shame
He said"Piglet, I'm sorry, I love you man" and then he fell asleep
He was a sad old bear, just snoring there, lying in a heap

I thought I knew Winnie the Pooh He seemed like a silly old bear
But he got sad when he'd been drinking, and I knew I had to get him out of there

Well Kanga she called the EMTs and Roo was worried sick
They made Pooh go to rehab and dried him out real quick
The Disney lawyers kept it quiet, I heard some palms were greased
And Pooh still doesn't have his pants, and he can't get no peace

I thought I knew Winnie the Pooh He seemed like a silly old bear
But he's still sad and he still drinks and he, he still has no pants to wear
I thought I knew Winnie the Pooh He seemed like a silly old bear
But he's still sad and he still drinks and he still has no pants to wear
              

The blossom's on the cherry tree, the bird is on the wing
The land is sweet and greening and the breeze, it smells of spring
And me, I am an old man, and my memory it stirs
I think of Carolyn McCaine and things that never were

She lived in town in a fine house, at Chestnut Street and Main
Her father was a lawyer with his suit and watch and chain
I meant nothing to her, she never knew my name
A working boy, invisible to Carolyn McCaine

To lay my head upon her lap and hear her speak my name
That's all I ever wanted, sweet Carolyn McCaine
I don't know if she's still alive or what's become of her
After all these years and all these miles, and things that never were

She was the queen of my high school, and I could surely see
She was made for better things than ugly fools like me
I'd see her laughing with her friends as she walked in to class
I always hoped she'd smile at me, it never came to pass

And then I joined the service, they sent me off to war
I did the things they told me to, I never asked what for
And I came home to nobody, I didn't stay for long
I left town and no one even noticed I was gone

To lay my head upon her lap and hear her speak my name
That's all I ever wanted, sweet Carolyn McCaine
I don't know if she's still alive or what's become of her
After all these years and all these miles, and things that never were

The building trades they kept me fed, the whiskey kept me warm
One roof or another kept me sheltered from the storm
The years flew by and I grew old and I ran out of steam
Now I sit here with strangers and I rock my chair and dream

The blossom's on the cherry tree, the bird is on the wing
The land is sweet and greening and the breeze, it smells of spring
And me I am an old man and my memory it stirs
I think of Carolyn McCain and things that never were

To lay my head upon her lap and hear her speak my name
That's all I ever wanted, sweet Carolyn McCaine
I don't know if she's still alive or what's become of her
After all these years and all these miles, and things that never were
              

I was quite an idiot, and quite a dreamer too
Nineteen years old and horny as a toad
A sleeping bag, a new backpack, a head full of Jack Kerouac
I left the house, and set off on the road
I walked down to the freeway ramp and stood out in the sun
No idea what I was meant to do
I stuck my thumb up in the air, the sign I held said"Anywhere"
In half an hour everything was new

I had rocks in my head, I had wings on my feet
I couldn't talk but the road could make me sing
It made my momma worry, but I think it did me good
To find out what that highway could bring

You meet a lot of losers when you're standing by the road
I'm sure they thought the same about me
Some were high and some were low and some had nowhere else to go
That roadside rumble had no referee

Now I could tell you stories about women that I met
And the ex-cons and the perverts and the jive
I have a million stories and some of them are true
And thinking 'bout them makes me feel alive

I had rocks in my head I had wings on my feet
I couldn't talk but the road could make me sing
It made my momma worry but I think it did me good
To find out what that highway could bring

Poor Jack died back in '69 but me I've had a lot more time
I'm way older now but I ain't dead
I settled down I found a wife, been blessed to have a sweet old life
But I've still got those rocks in my head
That old urge to move still comes, that same blood in my veins
Pack on up and head on out the door
Sleeping bag goes in the van, I don't give a great goddamn
Freeway ramp and pedal to the floor

Still got rocks in my head and wings on my feet
Still can't talk but the road still makes me sing
It makes my children worry but I know it does me good
To find out what that highway can bring
It makes my children worry but I know it does me good
To find out what that highway can bring
              

I was tossed out of the ship and swallowed by the surge
Carried then across the tide, to survive and emerge
Coughed up on some foreign shore, baffled, starved and pale
I am in this world just like Jonah in the whale

I am in this world just like Jonah in the whale
I try to make sense of it, it's all to no avail
God is in his heaven, devil's in the dark detail
And I am in this world just like Jonah in the whale

I cry to the Lord above, oh please show me a sign
I try to discern his voice but all I hear is mine
I strain and strain to hear his words but I always fail
And I am in this world just like Jonah in the whale

Why are we so fearful and vengeful and cross?
Humourless and hateful and lonesome and lost?
How did we get here? What now should we do?
What in hell is happening between me and you?

I guess in time we all will know, it all shall be revealed
Have mercy in the meantime Lord, oh be our strength and shield
Forgive us our confusion and our faith so weak and frail
We all are in this world just like Jonah in the whale

I am in this world just like Jonah in the whale
I try to make sense of it, it's all to no avail
God is in his heaven, devil's in the dark detail
And I am in this world just like Jonah in the whale
              

Well the sun is out, the leaves are changing, it's a fine November day
My wife is out, my coffee's warm, I got no bills to pay
Nine AM the morning's mine to sit and write a tune
All I need is some idea I hope I find one soon
So far nothing's come to mind but I ain't been at it long
There's still a chance I'll find something to make into a song
I looked in the fridge and ate a couple grapes
It's nine fifteen and there's no sign a song is taking shape

Amateurs wait for inspiration but pros just get to work
I know I'm not a pro but I hope I'm not a jerk
A stupid song is better than nothing, persistence pays they say
And so I crank out crap like this and throw it all away

It's almost 10 o'clock now and I don't have much to show
My brain is constipated and I just can't make it go
But quitting ain't an option and I refuse to fail
Think it's time to step outside and go and check the mail
I know I still need one more verse, I guess it starts like this
Nothing to be proud of here, another swing and miss
Some day I hope to take a swing and get a solid hit
But this morning all I have to show is another piece of shit

Amateurs wait for inspiration but pros just get to work
I know I'm not a pro but I hope I'm not a jerk
A stupid song is better than nothing, persistence pays they say
And so I crank out crap like this and throw it all away
              

I bit the apple, I drank the wine
I thought I loved her, it faded in time
I made mistakes, we all do, it's the only way
To learn the things I had to learn, the price I had to pay
I learned a few things, but it took a while
Now it makes me shake my head and smile
It keeps me humble, puts my feet on solid ground
It's late but it's still not too late to turn it all around

Show a little kindness, shed a little light
Just have some faith, it'll be alright
Try some forgiveness, it might be true
The things you give, come back to you

Well I was young once, and full of fight
It took me years to set it right
And I think I found it, and it's understood
That all that fighting that I did, did no one any good
Now I know my parents loved me and they did the best they could
But they messed it up, they couldn't know, they never understood
They hurt me and I hurt them back and we all lost somehow
But we all did the best we could, and we'd do better now

Show a little kindness, shed a little light
Just have some faith, it'll be alright
Try some forgiveness, it might be true
The things you give, come back to you
              

Us kids were in the graveyard, standing 'round the fire
It was really cold that night I know
We were smoking weed and drinking, none of us cared much for thinking
Feels like yesterday but it was long ago
The air was clear, the moon was bright, small town on a Friday night
Medicate the boredom for a while
I was watching Angela, Tommy watched her too
I saw her look at him and smile

So Angela and Tommy, they snuck off in the dark
While us boys were knocking back the brew
Tommy was a ladies man and Angela was drunk
It was pretty clear what they were going to do
Down by Fortune Teller Creek, everybody hears
It might be a whisper or a shriek
Down by Fortune Teller Creek, everybody knows
It's not over till the fortune teller speaks

Well it was sometime later, Tommy came back to the fire
Said that he was done with Angela for now
Said she fell up by the road, she puked as if she might explode
He said he still got her home somehow
And Tommy led the singing and the stories and the jokes
We went along like passive little sheep
We kept that fire going until just before the dawn
Then we stumbled home and tried to get some sleep

Well a couple hours later, the knock came on my door
State trooper came and took me to the station
They found her in the creek, did I know where was Tommy now
I cried, I knew there would be no salvation
Down by Fortune Teller Creek, everybody hears
It might be a whisper or a shriek
Down by Fortune Teller Creek, everybody knows
It's not over till the fortune teller speaks

They caught Tommy on the turnpike, west of mile nine
No chance in hell that he was going free
They tried him as an adult and that was all she wrote
They locked him up and threw away the key
But I remember Angela, one time she smiled at me
She was so sweet and pretty, wild and free
I think of how it was to die so cold and all alone
Drowning down in Fortune Teller Creek

I could have been a man that night, I could have made a play
But I just stood there stupid and let Tommy have his way
And all these years it haunts me and still in my mind I see
The lovely face of Angela. . . that time she smiled at me
Down by Fortune Teller Creek, everybody hears
It might be a whisper or a shriek
Down by Fortune Teller Creek, everybody knows
It's not over till the fortune teller speaks
It's not over till the fortune teller speaks
              

Hope is the dime on the pavement, hope is the bird in the sky
Hope is the speck of the pollen that clings to the leg of the bee
Hope is the root pushing up through the sidewalk, hope is the light on the trees
Hope is the air that comes after the rain that is carried on the breeze

I hope that you will carry on
This sorrow will fade before too long
This burden you carry will melt away slowly, and leave you as light as a feather
I hope that you will carry on

Hope is the train in the distance, hope is the crossing guard
Hope is the pigeon that pecks at the french fry it found in the parking lot
Hope is the smile of the baby, hope is the infrared light
Hope is the sound of the frogs in the pond in the heat of the summer night

I hope that you will carry on
This sorrow will fade before too long
This burden you carry will melt away slowly, and leave you as light as a feather
I hope that you will carry on

The dark is so deep and the road is so long
The winter seems cold evermore
I doubt it will help but I hope you still know
That even an ocean has a shore

Hope is the flickering candle
Hope is the heart of the seed
Hope is the newspaper left on the seat of the subway for you to read
Hope is the thing with the feathers
Hope is the reason to fight
Hope is the boat that will carry the heart through the long and desperate night

I hope that you will carry on
This sorrow will fade before too long
This burden you carry will melt away slowly and leave you as light as a feather
This burden you carry will melt away slowly and leave you as light as a feather
this burden you carry will melt away slowly and leave you as light as a feather
I hope that you will carry on
I hope that you will carry on
              

I don't know, but I've been told
Nothing good comes from growing old
Might be true, but I have doubts
Guess if I'm lucky, someday I'll find out
But for now, I think I'll try
To make my days count until the day I die
And if I mess it up, that's nothing new
At least I got to spend my time with you

Sun comes up, and sun goes down
Big old globe keeps spinning round
Babies born, and old folks die
Not much we can do, but we can try
I'm grateful for all the days I get
Don't intend to quit just yet
They say it all goes by so fast, I know that's true
At least I got to spend my time with you

They say it all goes by so fast, I know that's true
At least I got to spend my time with you
At least I got to spend my time with you
              

I know I'm a lucky man, not much gets me down
Dog poop on the sidewalk, I just step around
Fistfight by the liquor store, I just cross the street
People want to fuss and fight, I just let them be

Cause that man is rich whose pleasures are cheap
Joy is great when gratitude's deep
I know I'm a lucky man

I know I'm a lucky man, permit me to expound
I may have some aches and pains but I still get around
Cup of coffee in my hand, kitten on my lap
I don't really need too much of that other crap

Cause that man is rich whose pleasures are cheap
Joy is great when gratitude's deep
I know I'm a lucky man

I know this won't last forever, enjoy it while I can
That old grim reaper's chasing me, that's just the plan
Someday something bad will happen, that curtain's gonna fall
But when it does, there'll be so many good things to recall

When I get to heaven, don't need no pearly gates
A front porch and a rocking chair's what I anticipate
God says nice to see you man, sit down, let's have a beer
You can unpack later, I think you'll like it here

Cause that man is rich whose pleasures are cheap
Joy is great when gratitude's deep
I know I'm a lucky
I know I'm a lucky
I know I'm a lucky man