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2003: Without remorse and without hesitation, we ignore all complaints from Twelve Steppers. |
Every year or so, I used to grab several hundred records, tapes, and CDs, schlep them over to the studios of KBOO FM, Oregon’s only (and some say America’s only) listener-sponsored community radio station. Here, I perform a program called “Five Hours of Songs about Drugs.” My premise is that the entire story of drug and alcohol use in our culture has already been told in popular song, and that the issues of drug and alcohol use are probably best understood by listening to the lyrics of these songs. It’s also lots of fun to collect these songs and to perform the show -- but don’t tell anybody I said that!
This radio show is legal in America only becuase I present the program as an educational documentary. The fact that I do not drink alcohol or use illicit drugs would only fortify my case should the Federal Communications Commission ever drag KBOO FM into court over this. Otherwise, playing drug-lyric songs on the radio is strictly verboten in the United States of America -- the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights notwithstanding.
Please note that my understanding of copyright law and the Fair Use clause is only slightly more thorough than my understanding of broadcast law. Also, many of these songs are on tape, and tapes often do not give complete publishing information. So, if I am violating your copyright by posting your lyrics for the purpose of cultural education, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Cliff Walker
I tracked down, transcribed, typed, and formatted most of these songs by hand. A few supporters helped. We did this solely to bring attention to this Web project, in the hope that somebody who needs it might have a better chance of finding it because these lyrics are here. |
Please do not post these on your own web site. Rather, support the work that spawned this one by linking to this page? If you want unique lyrics for your own site, then go out and find them, transcribe them, and type them yourself. Okay? |
by Bert Jansch
- Return to Top
When sadness fills your heart
And sorrow hides the longing to be free
When things go wrong each day
You fix your mind to 'scape your miseryYour troubled young life
Had made you turn
To a needle of deathHow strange, your happy words
Have ceased to bring a smile from everyone
How tears have filled the eyes
Of friends that you once had walked amongYour troubled young life
Had made you turn
To a needle of deathOne grain of pure white snow
Dissolved in blood spread quickly to your brain
In peace your mind withdraws
Your death so near your soul can't feel no painYour troubled young life
Had made you turn
To a needle of deathYour mother stands a'cryin'
While to the earth your body's slowly cast
Your father stands in silence
Caressing every young dream of the pastYour troubled young life
Had made you turn
To a needle of deathThrough ages, man's desires
To free his mind, to release his very soul
Has proved to all who live
That death itself is freedom for evermoreAnd your troubled young life
Will make you turn
To a needle of death
by Lou Reed
- Return to Top
The last shot should have killed me
Pour another drink
Let's drink to the last shot
And the blood on the dishes in the sink
Blood inside the coffee cup
Blood on the table topBut when you quit, you quit
But you always wish
That you knew it was
Your last shot
When you quit, you quit
But you always wish
That you knew it was
Your last shotI shot blood at the fly on the wall
My heart almost stopped hardly there at all
I broke the mirror with my fall
With my fall, fall, fall; fall, fall, fall
Gimme a double, give yourself one too
Gimme a short beer, and one for you, too
And a toast to everything that doesn't move
That doesn't moveBut when you quit, you quit
But you always wish
That you knew it was
Your last shot
When you quit, you quit
But you always wish
That you knew it was
Your last shotWhiskey, Burbon, Vodka, Scotch
I don't care what it is you got
I just wanna know that it's my last shot
My last shot
I remember when I quit feeling good
See, this here's where I chipped my tooth
Shot a vein in my neck and I coughed up a Quaalude
On my last shot
My last shotHere's a toast to all that's good and
Here's a toast to hate
An' here's a toast to toasting and I'm not boasting
When I say I'm getting straight
When I say I'm getting straight'Cause when you quit, you quit
But you always wish
That you knew it was
Your last shot
When you quit, you quit
But you always wish
That you knew it was
Your last shot
by Black Sabbath
- Return to Top
What you gonna do,
Time's caught up with you
Now you wait your turn,
You know there's no return
Take your written rules,
You join the other fools
Turn to something new,
Now it's killing youFirst it was the bomb,
Vietnam napalm
Disillusioning,
You push the needle in
From life you escape,
Reality's that way
Colours in your mind,
Satisfy in timeOh you, you know you must be blind
To do something like this,
To take the sleep that you don't know
You're giving death a kiss
Oh little fool nowYour mind is full of pleasure,
Your body's looking ill
To you it's shallow leisure
So drop the acid pill
Don't stop to think nowYou're having a good time baby,
But that won't last
You're mind's all full of things
You're living too fast,
Go out and enjoy yourself
Don't bottle it in
You need someone to help you
Stick the needle inNow you know the scene
Your skin starts turning green
Your eyes no longer see
Life's reality
Push the needle in
Face the sickly grin
Holes are in your skin
Caused by deadly pinsHead starts spinnin' round
Fall down to the ground
Feel your body heave
Death's hand starts to weave
It's too lat to turn
You don't want to learn
Price of life is high
Now you're gonna die
by John Trudell, a.k.a. Graffiti Man
I saw my brother in a needle
I saw my brother face the gun
I saw my brother back in laughing time
With every morning
A brand new day
In childhood gone out
Stretching to now
Until one day
Every day
Became the sameI saw my brother in a needle
I saw my brother face the gun
I saw my brother on the run
Living the little time he had
Where progress was just too much
More than he really wanted
Or needed
Society of lies
Repeated daily by the same faces
Denying balance, the lies became truth
What's the difference
In death
And living a lie?I saw my brother in a needle
I saw my brother face the gun
I saw my brother love the wrong ones
Looking for love a long time gone
Alone in relationships
He couldn't communicate sorrow
Felt with each lie told
Finally
Choosing exile over madness
I saw my brother shooting pain
I saw my brother in a needleI saw my brother in a needle
I saw my brother face the gun
I saw my brother back in laughing time
With every morning
A brand new day
In childhood gone out
Stretching to now
Until one day
Every day
Became the same
by James Brown
Ladies and Gentlemen
Fellow Americans
Lady Americans
This is James BrownI wanna talk to you about one of our
Most deadly
Killers in the country todayI had a dream the other night, and I
Was sittin' in my living room
Dozed off to sleep
So I start to dreamin'I dreamed I walked in a place and
I saw a real strange, weird object
Standin' up talkin' to the people
And I found out it was Heroin
That deadly drug that go in your veinsHe says:
I came to this country without a passport
Ever since then I've been hunted and soughtMy little white grains are nothin' but waste
Soft and deadly and bitter to tasteI'm a world of power and all know it's true
Use me once and you'll know it, tooI can make a mere schoolboy forget his books
I can make a world-famous beauty neglect her looksI can make a good man forsake his wife
Send a greedy man to prison for the rest of his lifeI can make a man forsake his country and flag
Make a girl sell her body for a five-dollar bagSome think my adventure's a joy and a thrill
But I'll put a gun in your hand and make you killIn cellophane bags I've found my way
To heads of state and children at playI'm financed in China, ran in Japan
I'm respected in Turkey and I'm legal in SiamI take my addicts and make 'em steal, borrow, beg
Then they search for a vein in their arm or their legSo, be you Italian, Jewish, Black or Mex
I can make the most virile of men forget their sexSo now, no, my man, you must (you know) do your best
To keep up your habit until your arrestNow the police have taken you from under my wing
Do you think they dare defy me, I who am king?Now, you must lie in that county jail
Where I can't get to you by visit or mailSo squirm -- with discomfort -- wiggle and cough (hack!)
Six days of madness, hah! You might throw me offCurse me in name! Defy me in speech!
But you'd pick me up right no if I were in your reachAll through your sentence you've become resolved to your fate
Hear now! younng man and woman, I'll be waitin' at the gateDon't be afraid, don't run! I'm not chased
Sure my name is Heroin! You'll be back for a tasteBehold, you're hooked!
Your foot is in the stirrup
And make -- haste!
Mount the steed!
And ride him well
For the white horse of heroin
Will ride you to Hell!
To Hell!
Will ride you to Hell!
Until you are dead!
Dead, brother! Dead!This is a revolution of the mind
Get your mind together
And get away from drugs!
That's the man!
Back! Back
by Jim Carroll (1982)
transcribed by Cliff Walker
Seven blonde women
They gather in the square
They raise their hands up to the sunTheir skin is so thin and white
You know their fathers must surely be wealthyI watch the others stand around and form a crucifix
A serpent of vapor
Some stray birds riseThe one on the end, the fine one on the end
She called me over, she pulled me asideShe said, "You know I have to make it all look different
It seems that every time I lay down on it
And it's like a snake in water and when I look out of it
And it's like the one from last week was breathing again"And she said that she had some white light
And she said that she had some morphine
But she didn't have no gimmicks
So she just took this razor
And she laid it on her white veinAnd then she took a black orchid
And she just ripped apart that flower
And then she took the white light
Then she said, "Hey, later!" for the morphineShe took the razor 'n slit open her white vein
She slit open her white vein
She put the flower through the slit vein
She poured the white light through the red stem
She put the white light through the red stem
She just poured it through the red stemAnd I was talking with my angel
I was talking with my angel, then
I was underneath the staircase
I was talking with my angel
He said that beauty is only terror
You know, when terror is just beginningI thought I heard some footsteps
Lorraine, she was coming
But she's been feelin' real sick lately
She's been kickin down her habitI went around to see her
I had the angel in my pocket
She had jewels between her fingers
And there was blood across her carpetBut I know that she's feelin' better
I saw her walking down to the marketShe went down
The sharp black hole
She wants to die just to save her soul
But she wants to live
She wants to start her band
She swears the stage is God's left handI'm sitting in the cellar
Beneath my dark apartment
I had the angel on my shoulder
You know, his wings were kinda shatteredHe plays with broken mirrors
He said that he just saw Sally
And that Sally was with Lorraine
And they were playing in the alleySo I went around to see them
They were doing it together
And there was a little blood along the concrete
I know they were feelin' betterThey got straight
They've got plans
They wanted to die but now thay've got plans
They want to live
They want to start a band
They swear the stage is God's left handI'm waitin' in the lobby, now
The angel he dropped his mirror
But he still insists that beauty
That beauty is just one part of terrorThere's a painting on the ceiling
Of a dog -- had eyes like rubies
And then the angel just remembered
That Lorraine is at the moviesSo I found her in the back aisle
There was blood across the next seat
Hey, when she reached out to touch me
Oh, I though that that was so sweetSo I stuck her with my finger
It was like a knife through leather
She had a song along her eyelid
I know she was feeling betterShe got straight
She understands
She wanted to die but now she got plans
She wanna live
She wanna start her band
She swears the stage is God's left hand
by John Prine
transcribed by Andy Prescott
Sam Stone came home,
To his wife and family
After serving in the conflict overseas
And the time that he served,
Had shattered all his nerves,
And left a little shrapnel in his knee But the morphine eased the pain,And the grass grew round his brain,
And gave him all the confidence he lacked,
With a Purple Heart and a monkey on his backThere's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes,
Jesus Christ died for nothin' I suppose
Little pictures have big ears,
Don't stop to count the years,
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radiosSam Stone's welcome home
Didn't last too long
He went to work when he'd spent his last dime
And Sammy took to stealing
When he got that empty feeling
For a hundred dollar habit without overtimeAnd the gold rolled through his veins
Like a thousand railroad trains,
And eased his mind in the hours that he chose,
While the kids ran around wearin' other peoples' clothesThere's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes,
Jesus Christ died for nothin' I suppose
Little pictures have big ears,
Don't stop to count the years,
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radiosSam Stone was alone
When he popped his last balloon,
Climbing walls while sitting in a chair
Well, he played his last request,
While the room smelled just like death,
With an overdose hovering in the airBut life had lost it's fun,
There was nothing to be done,
But trade his house that he bought on the G.I. Bill,
For a flag-draped casket on a local hero's hillThere's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes,
Jesus Christ died for nothin' I suppose
Little pictures have big ears,
Don't stop to count the years,
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios
by Savoy Brown
Some of 'em wise men, some of 'em fools
But I need a little something to keep my cool
I sleep with the sun and I rise with the moon
And I feel alright with my needle and spoon
I feel alright with my needle and spoonIt's difficult sometimes to get my stuff
So if I'm evil don't get in a huff
I sleep with the sun and I rise with the moon
And I feel alright with my needle and spoon
I feel alright with my needle and spoonDon't need no women don't need no wine
'Cause life is sweet when you hit the main line
I sleep with the sun and I rise with the moon
And I feel alright with my needle and spoon
I feel alright with my needle and spoonOnly one thing that worries my mind
The stuff it kills you and it treats you unkind
If you're married you can divorce your wife
But when you're married to "H" then you're married for life
You're married to "H" and you're married for life
by Hoyt Axton
You say it was this mornin' when you last saw your good friend
Lyin' on the sidewalk with the misery on his brain
Stoned on some new potion he found upon the wall
Of some unholy bathroom in some ungodly hallHe only had a dollar to live on 'till next Monday
But he spent it all on comfort for his mind
Did you say you think he's blind?Someone should call his parents or a sister or a brother
And they'll come and take him back home on a bus
But he'll always be a problem to his poor and puzzled mother
And he'll always be another one of usHe said he wanted heaven but prayin' was too slow
So he bought a one-way ticket on an airline made of snow
Did you say you saw your good friend flyin' lowYou say it was this mornin' when you last saw your good friend
Lyin' on the sidewalk with the misery on his brain
Stoned on some new potion he found upon the wall
Of some unholy bathroom in some ungodly hallDid you say you saw your good friend flyin' low
Dyin' slow
Blinded by snow
by Ten Years After
I got water on the brain
My mind is like a drain
Here I go again
Over the hillMy eyes don't see too clear
I'm not sure what I hear
Seems I'm goin' clear
Over the hillLike a cripple and his crutch
I have leaned a bit too much
Seems as I shall never touch
AgainNow it seems it's plain to see
That the stuff is killing me
Got to quit so I'll be free
AgainI've got too much to lose
No one can fill my shoes
Think I'll leave the blues
Over the hill
by Loudon Wainright III
Used to have a red guitar
'Till I smashed it one drunk night
Smashed in the classic form
As Peter Townshend might
Threw it in the fireplace
I left it there a while
Kate she started cryin when
She saw my sorry smileRed guitar was made of wood
Could not take the heat
Red guitar it caught on fire
And the damage was complete
It burned until all that was left
Was six pegs and six strings
Kate she said, "You are a fool
You've done a foolish thing"Placed the remains in the case
And I put the case away
Went to New York City
For a new guitar the next day
I bought myself a blonde guitar
I had it for three days
Some junkie stole my blonde guitar
God works in wonderous ways
by John Prine
When I woke up this morning
Things were looking bad
Seemed like total silence
Was the only friend I hadBowl of oatmeal tried to stare me down
And won
And it was 12 o'clock before I realized I was having
No funAhhh, but fortunately
I have the key
To escape realityAnd you may see me tonight
With an illegal smile
It don't cost very much
But it lasts a long while
Won't you please tell the man
I didn't kill anyone
No I'm just trying to have me
Some funLast time I checked my bankroll
It was gettin thin
Sometimes it seems like the bottom
Is the only place I've beenI chased a rainbow down a one-way street
Dead end
And all my friends turned out to be insurance
SalesmenAhhh, but fortunately
I have the key
To escape realityAnd you may see me tonight
With an illegal smile
It don't cost very much
But it lasts a long while
Won't you please tell the man
I didn't kill anyone
No I'm just trying to have me
Some funWell I sat down in my closet
With all my overalls
Trying to get away from
All the ears inside my wallsDreamed the police heard everything I though
What then
Well I went to court and the judge's name was
Hoffman*Ahhh, but fortunately
I have the key
To escape realityAnd you may see me tonight
With an illegal smile
It don't cost very much
But it lasts a long while
Won't you please tell the man
I didn't kill anyone
No I'm just trying to have me
Some fun
Well done
Hot dog bun
My sister's a nun
* Julius Hoffman notorious judge of the "Chicago Seven" or "Chicago Eight" so-called conspirators accused of conspiracy to obstruct justice, etc, during the police riots that ensued in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic convention.
by Loudon Wainright III
We were up in heaven
But now we're in the mud
We fell off the wagon
You should have heard the thud
We were so superior
But that was just a phase
We were high on life
For fourteen boring daysBartenders got insulted
When we would insist
On ginger ale, Perrier
Or soda with a twist
On the airplane we were good guys
We sat where folks don't smoke
At the party they were all surprised
When we turned down a tokeWe kicked nicotine and caffeine
And alcohol and cannibis
We copped an ounce of clarity and
We scored a pound of bliss
But I kept having nightmares
And you kept gaining weight
We gave in to our withdrawal pains
And finally took the baitIn no time we were hooked again
Suckers that we are
Life of every party and
The fly in every bar
Two weeks on the wagon
'Till we toppled off
I got back my headaches
And you got back your coughWe were up in heaven
But now we're in the mud
We fell off the wagon
You should have heard the thud
We were so superior
But that was just a phase
We were high on life
For fourteen boring days
We were high on life
For fourteen boring days
by Roger Miller
Chug-a-lug, Chug-a-lug!
Make ya' wanna holler "Howdy Ho!"
Burns yer tummy, don't ya' know?
Chug-a-lug, Chug-a-lug!Grape wine in a mason jar
Home made and brought to school
By a friend of mine, after class
Me and him and this other fool decide that
We'll drink up what's left
Chug-a-lug, so help thyself
First time for everything, mmmm!
My ears still ring!Chug-a-lug, Chug-a-lug!
Make ya' wanna holler "Howdy Ho!"
Burns yer tummy, don't ya' know?
Chug-a-lug, Chug-a-lug!Four-H and FFA
On a field trip to the park
Me'n a friend sneak off behind
This big ole' barn where we uncovered
A covered-up moonshine still
An' we had thought we'd drank our fill
An' I swallered it with a smile
(Bugl-bugl-bugl-bugl)
I run ten milesChug-a-lug, Chug-a-lug!
Make ya' wanna holler "Howdy Ho!"
Burns yer tummy, don't ya' know?
Chug-a-lug, Chug-a-lug!Juke box and sawdust floor
Somp'n like I ain't never seen
Heck! I'm jus' goin' on fifteen
But with the help of my finaglin' uncle
I git snuck in
For my first taste of sin
I sat down'n have a big ole' sip
(Bub-bub-bub-bub)
I done a double back-flip!Chug-a-lug, Chug-a-lug!
Make ya' wanna holler "Howdy Ho!"
Burns yer tummy, don't ya' know?
Chug-a-lug, Chug-a-lug!
(Dab, doo, dab, eech!)
by The Fugs (1966)
I don't have a bedtime
I don't need to cum
For I have become
An amphetamine bum
If you don't like sleeping
And don't want to screw
Then you should take lots
Of amphetamine tooThese stimulant games
Can make life so sweet
I can walk down the street
Without moving my feet
My brain works so fleet
I can outwit the heat
And I never feel beat
And I don't need to eatI'm always excited
I just love to walk
My jaws keep on moving
And turning out talk
I love to draw pictures
In layers and layers
And say the words backwards
When I say my prayersThere's nine bouncing people
In one little room
The vectors are threading
Eternity's loom
It's not bad for brain cells
The doctors proclaim
It's almost as safe as
That good old cocaine
by P.H. Factor
(Sung as barbershop-esque dirge to:
"We Wish You a Merry Christmas")
We want some merrywanna
We want some merrywanna
We want some merrywanna
To give us good cheerWe won't go until we get some
We won't go until we get some
We won't go until we get some
So bring it right hereSo if you have merrywanna
If you have merrywanna
If you have merrywanna
Please bring it right here
by Country Joe and the Fish
(sung as old timey jug band)
Now, if you're tired
Or a bit run down
Can't seem to get your feet
Off the ground
Maybe you ought to try
A little bit of LSD(Only if you want to)
Shake your head it'll
Rattle your brain
Make you act
Just a bit insane
Give you all the psychic
Energy you need!(Eat flowers and kiss babies
L S D
For you and me-e-e-e-e-e!)
lyrics by Chevy Chase
(Same tune; different words)
I shot de sheriff
An' I also shot de deputy
I shot de bailiff
After smoking all de PCP
(You know)All aroun' in my hometown
I'm shooting everyone
(That's right)
I drop a 'Lude, get in de nude
I take de knife an' gun
(Oh boy)
I can't stop having fun
(No)I shot de sheriff
An' I guess I shot some THC
I shot my elbow
But I did not feel a thing, you see
(No, no, I did not feel it.)(Huh!)
When I'm getting good an' high
(Oh)
I wake up feeling fine
(So fine!)
I smoke de smoke, drink down de coke
An' toke another line
(You know)
It really blows my mineI shot de sheriff
An' I also shot some lemon trees
(I actually did)
I do not care if
They take me into custody
(I don' care; I will shoot them, too!)Let them try to fine me out
I'm always wearing a disguise
In my mine there is no doubt
I'm no one you would recognize
(No)
I could be jus' one of de guys
(I could; look out!)I shot de sheriff
I shot my elbow
I stabbed a guava
I shot de sheriff
lyrics by "Fred Zeppelin" (1995)
(sung to "On the Road Again"; played exclusively on The Dean Edell Show)
Lickin' toads again
Tastin' reptiles, lord knows where they've been
Havin' wild hallucinations with my friends
And we can't wait to be lickin' toads againFrenchin' frog rear-ends
It's a practice that I can't defend
They're not as potent, and it takes 'bout nine or ten
Oh, I can't believe just where my lips have beenSeems we just can't win
Like a bus of Deadheads swervin' down the highway
Toads we never lend
We heard that AIDS is spread by both the gay way
And from toad playHope it's an honest sin
If they hop we stick in safety pins
Or a bug, lick any critter from end to end
We're just lookin' for a brand-new mind to bend'Cause they're our best friends
We order frog legs when we're out to dinner
Every now and then
We have to drink a Compound-W chaser
The wart eraserEvery bye and bye
I get the sudden urge to swallow flies
A tongue so long that I can zap my own rear end
Oh, I can't wait to be lickin' toads again
I can't wait to be lickin' toads again
Oh, I can't wait to be lickin' toads again
by Allen & Grier (1963)
Both: Her: | Whacka-whack-doo whacka-whacka-doo Whack-whack a-whack whack whack Ooh! | |
Both: | A-dope dope dope dope dope-ope-ee-oh Reef- reef- reefer snoot full of snow Op- op- op- op- op-opium Goofball goofball A-dope dope dope dope dope-ope-ee-oh Reef- reef- reefer away we go Op- op- op- op- op-opium Fly up high with me | |
Him: Her: Him: Her: | I want to turn it on with you Inside my cozy den You know, you're my hero You're my heroine Huh! | |
Both: | A-rot rot rot rot rot-a-lee-ot A-beep beep beep beep sniff of pot A-boop boop boop boop boop-oop-ee-oop Morphine morphine A-rot rot rot rot rot-a-lee-ot A-beep beep beep beep mainline shot A-boop boop boop boop boop-oop-ee-oop Dialated eye | |
Both: Her: Both: Her: Both: Her: Both: Her: | Doo whacka doo whacka doo whacka doo whacka Doo whacka doo whacka doo Drunk! Doo whacka doo whacka doo whacka doo whacka Doo whacka doo whacka doo Junk! Doo whacka doo whacka doo whacka doo whacka Doo whacka doo whacka doo Kicks! Doo whacka doo whacka doo whacka doo whacka Doo whacka doo whacka doo Take a fix! | |
Him: Her: Both: Her: | You're my spoon of sugar And you're my poppy seed Let's connect together Inhaling loco weed (inhales) | |
Both: Her: | Cud- cud- cud- cud- cuddle-ee-poo A trifle mill town just won't do Kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss-a-lee-poo Cocaine is good for you Tea for two and two for tea A horse for you and a monkey for me Euphoria and ecstasy Alone, together Hug hug hug hug huddle-ee-wug Sit around and drag that drug Vo vo vo vo vo-vo-dee-oh I hope the cops don't know A-bo-ing! | |
Copyright ©1995–2009, by Cliff Walker