Get all 35 Rick Berlin (now playing w/ THE NICKEL & DIME BAND) releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of THE WHIFFENPOOFS OF 1967, TRUE STORY, THE CHA CHA CLUB, 7 SONGS, GREAT BIG HOUSE, ON THE TOWN W/ MIKEY DEE (live) II, THE COURAGE OF THE LONELY, 2 HEP CATS, and 27 more.
1. |
I LOVE MY ROOM
03:55
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(I LOVE) MY ROOM
i love my room
it’s just for me
no one can go in there
w/out a secret key
i love my room
it’s just for me
if it’s messy or clean
i look around n i know
for sure
i’m free
oh oh oh
i love my room
it’s just for me
if i wanna get naked
i close the curtains
i love my room
it’s just for me
at night i troll the web
n smoke a lot
o weed
oh oh oh
solo
i love my room
it’s just for me
no one can go in there
w/out a secret key
if i bring you home
ill sit you on my bed
close the door n
keep my fingers
crossed
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2. |
A MILLION DOLLARS
03:11
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A MILLION DOLLARS
ya sat across from me
ya put yr cards on the table
you were feelin’ no relief
from the stars r the heat
there were tears in yr eyes
you were shuffling yr feet
your voice got raspy
yr face looked sweet
i will put a million dollars
in yr hands, i will
but it won’t be the money
that pays that bill
it’s all the friends in yr heart
& the light on the hill
that bring you back to earth
you can do it, i know you will
don’t run
don’t hide
your heart
is a bull’s eye
you were doin’ somethin’ simple
in the dark downstairs
+ ya burst out cryin’
don’t anyone care
to show you affection
to love who you are
to just watch tv
wrapped up in yr arms
i will put a million dollars
in yr hands, i will
but it won’t be the money
that pays that bill
it won’t be the money
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3. |
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MY FICTIONAL FRIEND FROM NORWAY
you grew up in a world that was
filled with trees
n cemeteries
n friends were few and far between
n far between
but the girls were very pretty in a brand
in a brand new way
n a spark was lit that never went
would never ever go away
n yr mom was something
n so was yr dad
saturday nights wr weird when the drinking got bad
n you got sad
but now yr over all that
more r less yd say
n yr life is grand
n ya look like a elf today
in a story i read on a subway train
yr my fictional friend from norway
a beautiful boy laughing in the rain
yeah
well ya paint like a child
n ya think like a grown up, yeah
n ya feel like a woman
n yr smile breaks thru Everything
like a cyclone like a bell
n ya ask the hard questions
n yr always horny, yeah
n ya miss Everybody
n yr true t the ones
the ones ya love
the ones ya love
n the kids in the summer camp
say that they like you they like you, they do
ya got hair like gold
n yr eyebrows in a knot
in a vacant lot
throwin’ rocks at a secret spot
ya got a song in yr head
a painted bird in yr bed
a forest of roses
n moss all over yr arms
like i said
ya live forever in my head
(n in my heart
n in my heart)
emerald eyes
n pearl white skin
in a homeless hat
that ya fit right in
where are you now
hey what should i do
is there a trick or a clue
i am so lucky to invent
you
first i saw yr hair n then i saw yr ala-bastard skin
yr eyes locked me onto your soul like a angel
living in sin
let the right one in
i can carry you around in my coat like a kitten
all worked up
askin’ more than i can ever give out
r simply give up
like a little red truck
you like t sleep but ya work real hard
n yr honest like a con man
like a dog
n ya never say goodbye w a tear in yr eye
but ya feel me don’t ya boy
like a tin can noisy on the sidewalk kickin’ the dust up
like the truth
n ya sing it like a song in a treehouse
hammered w yr best friend
naked
on the roof
on the roof
emerald eyes
n pearl white skin
in a homeless hat
that ya fit right in
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4. |
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SIMPLE THINGS
it’s just the simple things
that get ya high
just 2 chords on guitar
that make ya smile
kid w a funny face
ice cream on his chin
his daddy is laughing sideways
his son jes did him in
ol lady w a walker
her head is bowed so low
her friend he carries groceries
latch key to let her go
yr big ol ears are see-thru
it’s the sun that makes em red
a lake can smell like leaves
clean sheets are on yr bed
an old picture of yr mom n daddy
before they had you kids
smiling at the camera
n holding hands…
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5. |
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the girl with the guitar (for margaret of Mr Airplane Man)
the girl with the guitar
like a boy in her arms
twanging away like a ice storm
slidin up the frets
a bottle on the neck
empathetic, sexy,
+ disturbing
like a knife in the water
like a moth to the flame
twisted rusty strings
played like she could save
you, you + me
the girl with the guitar
like a pretty boy in her arms
twanging away like a ice storm
a spot light on her face
she looks like she won't break
yr heart
but you ain't sure
r you
catholic school girl knee socks
trippin up her legs
short skirt is a triumph
of the will
on a table's a gin + tonic
ice shaking from the sonic
boom, boom...
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6. |
I THINK I...
03:42
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I THINK I…
i always go
for the Rimbaud kid
w the disturbed hair
& a cane
fearless &
challenging
everything in sight
who i am
& who I ain’t
why i always chase
what’s in the box i lock
i think i
i think i
i think I’m falling
again
all i did was
shake his hand just once
& he smiled like he’s
ready to run
like an alley cat
in a dirty french quarter
i was out of order
mr chairman
i was out of order
& jumping again
nothing in life is worth
doing i guess
unless it can break your heart
tear you apart
turn you upside down
run you outa town
r forsake you
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7. |
I WANNA PLAY THE MIDWAY
03:36
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I WANNA PLAY THE MIDWAY
i wanna
i wanna
i wanna
i wanna play the midway
on a saturday
i gotta call jay…hey
where all the hot shots
give my career a jump start
a fernet shot
playin’ punk rock…hey, hey!
it used t be the rat
where all the bands wr bangin’
on the east coast
where da hooker grls were
smokin’ +
the neighborhoods
were killin’ it
oi oi oi oi
oi oi oi oi
c
but the rat is dead n all we got
today
is jes the fuckin’ midway
w all the chicks r hangin
will we get paid?
i better ask jay
oi oi oi oi
ah…hm
you neighborhoods
not so hot
nobody come
oh
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8. |
SAD SONGS MAKE ME HAPPY
04:51
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sad songs
sad songs make me happy
sad songs make me smile
sad songs tell the truth 'bout love
when yr poor heart's standin' trial
if i had a dollar
for every time im down
baby, i'd be a rich man
w/ my silly ol' head up in the clouds
sad songs make me happy
sad songs make me smile
sad songs tear the heart out
of every face in the lonesome crowd
if i was in trouble
w/ a loss i could not bear
an old song whispers, yr ok mister, please,
do not despair
i know we all get cut t pieces
makes us feel insane
lost in the jungle blind and wasted
look for answers t heal the pain
look for answers t ease the pain
sad songs make me happy
sad songs make me smile
sad songs tell the truth 'bout love
when yr poor heart's standin' trial
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9. |
NY GIRL!? (So Cool)
02:51
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NY GIRL?! (So Cool)
She come from
Brooklyn NY
or London UK
or old school Paree
or Blitzkrieg Germany
but she ain’t
stuck up
n she ain’t just pretty
she’s cool
so cool
a voice Alice B
eyes like January
She come from
Seattle, WCoast
or Chicago in the USA
or Woody Allen’s Roma
or Almodovar Barcelona
but she ain’t
stuck up
n she ain’t just pretty
she’s cool
so cool
a voice Alice B
eyes like January
when she walks in the door
everybody turns to look
a hundred years ago
a portrait by Picasso
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10. |
KEEPING WATCH
03:56
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Keeping Watch
we’ll keep watching over you
yr scarred n yr bruised
n ya scream ya scream at the dark
n ya won as many times
as ya lost it
but you won’t fall apart
even tho life broke yr heart
ya carved something indecent
on a tree in the park
it made ya smile… yeah
ya lost yr last job
but ya found another
n yr friends all left town
one after the other
yr boss he don’t understand
what yr up against
n ya hate how disgusting
yr apartment is
ya woke up in the morning n
reached for the pills
the ones that wd do the most damage…ha!
we’ll keep watching over you
then ya thought of yr dad n yr mom
n yr brother n sister
and we’ll keep watching over you
amazing grace
how sweet it is
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11. |
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Before It Rains
I’m sorry
Don’t want to hurt you
I know I did
Can’t take it back
I love you
I need a cigarette
don’t go anywhere
without me, oh
Nothing real has changed
Nothing true has gone
but I’m sorry
Today turned out this way
I’d fix it if I could
Remember
Can’t you see?
There’s really no one out there
like you + me
I’m sorry
Let’s get outa here
before it rains
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12. |
HOW CAN I LET YOU GO?
05:01
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HOW CAN I LET YOU GO?
how can i let ya go?
so many days we been together
you want out
we need to talk you say
oh i HATE those words
can’t we try again
cuz baby this is
killing me
how can i let you go?
where did we go wrong, sugar?
somethin’ about yr face…
hiding’ the truth
you fell outa the sky
a direct hit
can’t we try again
cuz baby
this is killing me
a river of feeling
burns through my soul
where do we begin r end?
a mountain top
a cloud
a divining rod
a shotgun
i just can’t stop
i just can’t stop
loving you
how can i let you go?
yr everywhere i look
i am shook
w breaking up
it ain’t in my love book, baby
throw me a lifeline
in the nick o time
cuz baby this
is killing me
a laugh on a bus
an eye with a wink
a tourist on a island
postcard away from here
i’ll write you a letter in my mind
but i won’t send it
cuz i can’t stop
i just can’t stop
loving you
how can i let ya go?
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13. |
BUS STOP
03:00
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BUS STOP
i see you
leavin' the bus stop
walkin' away
with a magazine
under your arms
to read alone
under the street light
scarin' the girl away
i know ya didn't mean to
you didn't ask
to be the way you are
to me
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14. |
WISH YOU WAS HERE
04:19
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WISH YOU WAS HERE
(for those who’ve lost someone)
wish you was here
like the postcard says
i can’t sleep
& yr not in my bed
wish you was here
making me laugh
wish you was here
when i start t crash
wish you was here
breakin' my rules
wish you was here
killin’ the blues
i saw yr phone number
on a wall in the john
put there by some asshole
a rubicon
yr a cynic
& i love romance
yr a tough guy girl
but yr heart is dancin’
a waltz
wish you was here
& not far away
wish you was here
makin' my day
fallen down n
& gettin’ back up
ya jump start my engine
yr cylinder is hot
yr a cynic
& i love romance
yr a tough guy dude
but yr heart is dancin’
a waltz
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Rick Berlin (now playing w/ THE NICKEL & DIME BAND) Jamaica Plain
A giant on the Boston music scene. His colorful songwriting + strong stage presence have influenced countless other artists since the early 1970s. He continues to make music w/ intelligence + integrity, building an international reputation around his knotty, singular piano playing, straight-from-the-heart singing and a style of character-based songwriting that's drawn comparisons to Waits + Cohen ... more
Rick Berlin (now playing w/ THE NICKEL & DIME BAND) recommends:
i don't understand a word, but it hits hard regardless (the bears alone)
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Whitehaus Family Sampler #4
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love everything these guys's do. multiple artists making it happen always
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2 women harmonizing as one voice always knocks me out
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