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Like Sailors Do
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It's a mean breakup when you leave your girl alone with Gene Kelly in a hotel room...
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Singer/songwriter combining the imagery of Bob Dylan's lyrics with B.B. King guitar playing, Neil Young's harmonica, and a Johnny Cash voice to create something
Lester is a singer/songwriter who's lyrical style has been described as "throwing a bucket of paint at a wall to see what happens." In reality, his songs are bluesy and his lyrics paint interesting pictures with unique turns of phrase. He combines the imagery of Bob Dylan's lyrics with B.B. King guitar playing, Neil Young's harmonica, and a Johnny Cash voice to create something that might be called CountryBluesFolkRock. Originally from Maine, Lester currently lives with his wife, two kids and four cats in the middle of Florida, which is exactly like Maine... just a hell of a lot warmer.
Song Info
Genre
Acoustic • Acoustic Folk
Charts
Peak #212
Peak in subgenre #46
Author
Lester Norton
Rights
2006 Lester Norton
Uploaded
April 11, 2006
Track Files
MP3
MP3 2.7 MB • 128 kbps • 2:56
Story behind the song
Songwriting inspiration comes from the strangest places. Take this one, for example... Back a while ago, a newspaper columnist friend of mine posted something that sounded a little mysterious and desperate on her blog that was basically: "If you and I were stuck in prison for 20 years, what kind of stories would you tell me? Would you sing me a lullaby?" As usual, I was going to make a nonsense comment like: "Hey, I can't sing you a story, like sailors do. I can't tell you a sweet lullaby." Somehow, those lines got stuck into the middle of this dark little song about a guy who may or may not have done something terrible to the girlfriend who just dumped him in a hotel room watching "On the Town." (Don't ask. I have no idea where this crap comes from.)
Lyrics
It was late last September In a Hilton hotel room Our life flashed in front of my eyes I cannot remember The smell of your perfume But I remember the movie that night Gene Kelly was dancing All over Manhattan While you smoked your last cigarette The rain hit the window Like pellets of poison My heart lying dead in my chest You told me the truth about Elvis You said that our love wasn't real And I can't sing a story Like sailors do I can't tell you a sweet lullaby My rhymes are not pretty My dreams are not handsome I can't tell you an easy goodbye I remember the beautiful Smile on your face As I left you asleep on the bed I hated to leave you Alone with Gene Kelly Even though that I knew he was dead You told me our life was a movie You said it had just reached the end And I can't sing a story Like sailors do I can't tell you a sweet lullaby My rhymes are not pretty My dreams, they ain't handsome I can't tell you an easy goodbye I'll see you in heaven Or maybe in hell I can't tell you an easy goodbye
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