John Mellencamp

[fox69]

"Blues From The Front Porch"

"Blues From The Front Porch"


Well it's another hot day
In Lima, Mississippi.
Evan played the harmonica,
And the old group sang.
Some are laughin', some are crying'
Most are still relyin' on the old (damn tar ?).

Yeah in Shannon County,
No one's overworked today.
There ain't no use to,
So they took our dignity and ran away.
Well who we are,
And we what we achieve,
When it comes to (cruzmitat ?),
Well maybe someone will believe,
In Shannon County
Here in the Midwest,
Farm prices are a slow burn.
Well I know it ain't my fault,
So I reckon it must be my turn.
Aimless days,
Empty future,
Whose got the fizzle,
You know we ain't no quitters here
In the county.

Just keep a talkin',
Do you know what I mean?
You can keep all those big deals,
Don't take away our reason to believe.
We can work and we feel,
And plant your farm in green,
Send soldiers in the world,
(And peace signs ?) keep our dream,
We'll just keep on talkin'.

 

[fox69]

"Born Reckless"

"Born Reckless"


Spend a lot of time tryin' to grow up
Guess I got a lot of growin' up to do
Used to tell me sit down, hey shut up
Guess they don't know what I was goin' through
But I've loved me some girls
And I've broken me some hearts
A cast in Nova in my own right
As I see here watching the sun coming up
I guess it's okay, yea its ok
To say good night

[Chorus:]
Born reckless, born reckless
Born reckless (watch the family cry)
Cause I was born to be reckless
Till the day, I die

Well you know, I've been shoved around
Hey, but I've done my share of the shovin' too
I guess you get what you deserve
Yeah you get what's comin' to you
For the life of me, I don't understand
I don't understand, how I ever got you
Someone so warm to hold my hand
When this world has beat me back through

[Chorus]

Well what I really want to say is
I guess I don't know, what it is I really wanna say
Anyway the thing is, I'm just surprised
That you're still here with me today
'Cause I've lied and I've cheated
And I've spit in your face
I've taken from you exactly what I need
But I want you to know
There's no one to take your place
How can we embrace love, how can we make love
At such an high rate of speed

[Chorus]

 

[fox69]

"Break Me Off Some"

"Break Me Off Some"


[Chorus:]
Babe break me off a piece of your love
Once it's on I can't seem to get enough
So keep it up Keep it comin' uh What
Break me off some baby

You're wicked, Baby So do what's right
Break me off a piece of that love tonight
Like a steel guitar that I love to play
Everyone loves Jesus on judgment day
You get hot just like gasoline
In your cashmere shirt and your cut-off jeans
I've been workin' all day Here's what I made
Baby what you say Break me off some

Babe break me off a piece of your love
Once it's on I can't seem to get enough
So keep it up Keep it comin' uh What
Break me off some baby

[Chorus]

Down in Mexico there's a man I know
Who gave away his future for a piece of gold
He washed his hands in Noah's flood
Now those mountains they're just red as blood
I left this place just to come with you
Walkin' off the mesa in some dead man's shoes
I've been workin' all day Here's what I made
Baby what you say Break me off some

Babe break me off a piece of your love
Once it's on I can't seem to get enough
So keep it up Keep it comin' uh What
Break me off some baby

[Chorus]

Eie yie yie yie yie yie yie
Eie yie yie yie yie yie yie

I like the way you're movin' on the dance floor baby
I like the way you're moving' on the dance floor baby

Shake shake shake 'til my eyes are sore baby
Shake shake shake 'til my eyes are sore baby

Bounce bounce bounce 'til your body is sore baby
Bounce bounce bounce 'til your body is sore baby
Feel the heat Moe Z Put his hands on

Babe break me off a piece of your love
Once it's on I can't seem to get enough
So keep it up Keep it comin' uh What
Break me off some baby

[Chorus]

 

[fox69]

"Brothers"

"Brothers"


Let's get to the point now
Just because we've got the same mom & dad
That don't mean I'm your keeper
That don't mean I owe anything to you
You don't care for me
And man, I don't think that much of you

[Chorus:]
Cause we're brothers brothers brothers
I don't approve of anything you do
Cause we're brothers brothers brothers
Cain and Abel and me and you

You drove my car when we were young boys
And you tore it up too
You never paid to get it fixed
And you got me beat up a time or two
I know I should forgive and forget
But man I still hold a grudge against you

[Chorus]

It's as normal as it can be
This sibling rivalry
We should have dropped it at 22
But man I can't stand the things you do
Cause we're brothers brothers brothers
You're always wanting something from me
Cause we're brothers brothers brothers
It was so much fun having you in the family
Cause we're brothers brothers brothers
Now that we're grown up it ain't helped nothin' at all
Cause we're brothers brothers brothers
On my birthday, please don't bother to call
Cause we're brothers brothers brothers
Brothers brothers brothers
Yeah, you're my brother brother brother
Brothers brothers brothers
Yeah, we're brothers brothers brothers
Yeah, we're brothers brothers brothers
Brothers brothers brothers

 

[fox69]

"Can You Take It"

"Can You Take It"


I was courting a Southern belle.
Her daddy was a rich 'un, too.
Sports car outside her door,
She was pretty good looking, too.

You call me up, want me to come over
When the servants are all in bed.
And she said,
"Daddy's on a flight tonight.
Does that put any ideas in your head?"

I say to her:

[Chorus:]
Take it all the way.
Can you really take it all the way down?
Can you really take it all the way down, down, down?
Down, down, down.

So we watch a little TV,
I drink up the family wine.
She said, "You're such a snake in the grass, boy.
But tonight, you're mine."

But wait a minute, wait a minute, baby.
Are you tryin' to make a fool out of me?
She said, "I've seen men like you before.
I've got a long family tree."

And she said to me:

[Chorus]
Take it all the way.
Can you really take it all the way down?
Can you really take it all the way down, down, down?
And I say to myself: Even a fool like me can be the loving kind.
Even a fool like me can be the loving kind.

 

[fox69]

"Case 795 (The Family)"

"Case 795 (The Family)"


Tony Jones stabbed Alice Jones
On their first anniversary
Down in Dallas, Texas
In a small apartment
With nobody present.
He pulled out a knife
And he stuck it to her.
He left her bleeding
On the floor in the kitchen
With cake on her fingers
And her wedding ring holding.
In her hand was a note
That said the wicked must suffer
And he drove off quickly
To his girlfriend's apartment.
But who really suffers in the end?
It's easy enough for us to pretend that

Everything's all right with the family.
Everything is safe here at home.
Everything's all right with the family.
The beds are made but there's no sheets on.

From the courtroom stand
Tony said he was sorry.
That he was sad and mixed up,
And he didn't know what he was doing,
That he'd always loved Alice
And he begged for forgiveness.
So he threw himself
On the mercy of the jury
And he told how his father
Had beat and abused him
Back in grade school
In the basement den,
And that maybe prison
Was the best thing for him.
And he said, "Oh God, can you forgive me?" yeah
But who really suffers in the end?
It's easy enough for us all to pretend that

Everything's all right with the family.
Everything is safe here at home.
Everything's all right with the family.
The beds are made but there's no sheets on.

How many days does it take to make us weak?
And how many hours do people spend lonely?
In the heart of the heart the family lay dying
The ruin of a nation lies at our feet, yeah.

Everything's all right with the family.
Everything is safe here at home.
Everything's all right with the family.
The beds are made but there's no sheets on.

Everything's all right with the family.
Everything is safe here at home.
Everything's all right with the family.
The beds are made but there's no sheets on.

 

[fox69]

"Chance Meeting At The Trantula"

"Chance Meeting At The Trantula"


Hey, don't I know you from somewhere
Yeah, it was down in New Orleans
In one of those back-street bars in the quarter
Between Desire and Honalee
You were dancin' with a friend of Michael's
I remember how we met
You were talkin' to ol' Jimmy
And you lit my cigarette

How come you can't remember?
This is me you're talkin' to
From May through September
It was all about me 'n you, Baby
It was all about me 'n you

Well it looks like to me
That you have conveniently forgotten everything
This confusion that has surrounded you
Is this your morality and not your brain
You've got a birthmark below your navel
You wear a size seven and a half shoe
You got this Rolex watch that I suspect you cobbed
From that doctor who said he loved you

How come you can't remember?
This is me you're talkin' to
From May through September
It was all about me 'n you, Baby
It was all about me 'n you

Well you told me that you lived in the wind
Like a bird who never touched the ground
And if you did you would surely die without making a sound
"Live, let's live", that's all you kept sayin'
And our summer was full of life
We're gonna send them a postcard, and show 'em what it's like to be alive
But I never wanted to leave your side
No, I just couldn't believe that you'd lie
No, I never wanted to say "good-bye" baby

How come you can't remember?
This is me you're talkin' to
From May through September
It was all about me 'n you, Baby
It was all about me 'n you

 

[fox69]

"Cheap Shot"

"Cheap Shot"


Well I was out on the town
I was out cruising around
Looking for a suitable bitch
To throw down on the ground

I was out looking for a cheap shot
Well you ain't got nothing but cheap shots a lot
Oh ho yea, give me another cheap shot
Oh ho yea, give me another cheap shot

Well I picked her up
I took her to a movie cafe', yea
And I took her to the XXX theater place, woo
It was a cheap shot at best
When I ran my hands across her dress
Oh ho yea, give me another cheap shot
Oh ho yea, give me another cheap shot

Let me tell ya all about it
Cheap shots are fun
Cheap shots are for everyone
Playboy after your done
You know you've had a cheap shot
So why don't you shoot shoot shoot me

Well its was getting late
Decided to take myself back home
And I borrowed a dime and
I called her on the pay telephone
I was whispering real heavy into the phone
When her old man picked it up
Said "Leave my Kids alone"
Oh ho yea, give me another cheap shot, yea
Oh ho yea, give me another cheap shot

Now don't you know little boy
You got the world a jerk-off man
And don't you be no candy ass
And a use your right hand

Get out on the corner
Take another cheap shot
Never eat there with .....
Oh ho yea, give me another cheap shot, yea
Oh ho yea, give me another cheap shot, yea
Oh ho yea, give me another cheap shot
Oh ho yea, give me another cheap shot
Shoot me

 

[fox69]

"Check It Out"

"Check It Out"


A million young poets
Screamin' out their words
To a world full of people
Just livin' to be heard
Future generations
Ridin' on the highways that we built
I hope they have a better understanding

Check it out
Goin' to work on Monday
Check it out
Got yourself a family
Check it out
All utility bills have been paid
You can't tell your best buddy that you love him
So check it out
Where does our time go
Check it out
Got a brand new house in escrow
Check it out
Sleepin' with your back to your loved one
This is all that we've learned about happiness

Check it out
Forgot to say hello to my neighbors
Check it out
Sometimes I question my own behavior
Check it out
Talkin' about the girls that we've seen on the sly
Just to tell our souls we're still the young lions
So check it out
Gettin' too drunk on Saturdays
Check it out
Playin' football with the kids on Sundays
Check it out
Soarin' with the eagles all week long
And this is all that we've learned about living
This is all that we've learned about living

A million young poets
Screamin' out their words
Maybe someday
Those words will be heard
By future generations
Ridin' on the highways that we built
Maybe they'll have a better understanding
Check it out
Hope they'll have a better understanding
Check it out
Maybe they'll have a better understanding
Check it out
Maybe they'll have a better understanding
Check it out
Hope they have a better understanding
Check it out.....

 

[fox69]

"Cherry Bomb"

"Cherry Bomb"


Well I lived on the outskirts of town
In an eight room farmhouse, baby
When my brothers and friends were around
There was always somethin' doin'
Had me a couple of real nice girlfriends
Stopped by to see me every once in a while
When I think back about those days
All I can do is sit and smile

[Chorus:]
That's when a sport was a sport
And groovin' was groovin'
And dancin' meant everything
We were young and we were improvin'
Laughin', laughin' with our friends
Holdin' hands meant somethin', baby
Outside the club"Cherry Bomb"
Our hearts were really thumpin'
Say yeah yeah yeah
Say yeah yeah yeah

The winter days they last forever
But the weekends went by so quick
Went ridin' around this little country town
We were goin' nuts, girl, out in the sticks
One night, me with my big mouth
A couple guys had to put me in my place
When I see those guys these days
We just laugh and say do you remember when

[Chorus]

Say yeah yeah yeah
Say yeah yeah yeah

Seventeen has turned thirty-five
I'm surprised that we're still livin'
If we've done any wrong
I hope that we're forgiven
Got a few kids of my own
And some days I still don't know what to do
I hope that they're not laughing too loud
When they hear me talkin'
Like this to you

[Chorus]