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MY FICTIONAL FRIEND FROM NORWAY

from THE COURAGE OF THE LONELY by Rick Berlin w/ THE NICKEL & DIME BAND

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Years ago I waited on this kid at Doyles. ‘You’re from Iceland, right?’ (He had the look. White blond hair, cat eyes, midnight sun smile.) ‘No. I’m not. I was brought up in Vermont.’ Huh. Wrong again. But we became close friends. He had the exact same birthday as me. The day after Paul Revere rode around and the day before Hitler came into this world. Sick coincidence. He told me about growing up in what is known as The Kingdom - a massive evergreen part of upper VT. In vampiric fashion, I wrote a song portrait - My Fictional Friend from Iceland. It gathered dust until a few months back. Another guy (scary handsome) heading up a Euro group visiting BU took over the big table in the middle room at Doyles. I waited on ‘em, but was stumbling and stammering because he was so intense to look at. Green eyes, white blond spike hair, big smile. Here I go again, the teenager with the miles away hide-behind-a-textbook crush. As they were leaving this incredibly good looking dude shakes my hand, looks at me dead on and says: ‘You are a very beautiful person with a great heart.’ Knock me over with a broomstick. I’m sure the red rushed into my face. Of course I never saw him again, but I returned to that song, and changed the title. Turns out he was Norwegian: My Fictional Friend From Norway. The band Sade soft hip-hopped it (at least that’s how I hear it in my head). Willem kindly agreed to play the part. I hope BU gets to see/hear it someday. Ya never know.

lyrics

MY FICTIONAL FRIEND FROM NORWAY

you grew up in a world that was
filled with trees
+ cemeteries
+ friends were few and far between
+ far between
but the girls were very pretty in a brand
in a brand new way
+ a spark was lit that never went
would never ever go away
+ yr mom was something

saturday nights wr weird when the drinking got bad
+ you got sad
but now yr over all that
more r less yd say
+ yr life is grand
+ ya look like a elf today
in a story i read on a subway train
yr my fictional friend from norway
a beautiful kid laughing in the rain

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

+ the kids in the summer camp
say that they like you they like you, they do
ya got hair like gold
+ 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
+ moss all over yr arms
like i said
ya live forever in my head
+ in my heart

emerald eyes
+ 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

you like t sleep but ya work real hard
+ yr honest like a con man
like a dog
+ 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
+ ya sing it like a song in a treehouse
hammered w yr best friend
naked
on the roof

emerald eyes
+ pearl white skin
in a homeless hat
that ya fit right in

credits

from THE COURAGE OF THE LONELY, released October 20, 2017
Rob Manochio: bass
Ken Diaz: kit

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Rick Berlin (now playing w/ THE NICKEL & DIME BAND) image

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

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