GRAYSON HUGH

(For this thinly-veiled autobiographical take on the venerable tale of Faust, I asked my friend Pete Anderson to do the guitar solo. Besides the blistering, soulful solo that Pete lay down, this tune is all about the call-and-response background vocals. When I wrote this song, I saw a vintage 1940's cartoon of a spooky old forest, with the branches of twisted trees waving their trembling branches as they sing the Temptations-like choral echoes of the lead vocal telling his tale of a rise to fame and his fall from grace.)




ROCK 'n ROLL MAN
words & music by Grayson Hugh







(Hey, hey, hey, hey)

I was seventeen when I left home

(whoa)

I had to leave, I had to roam

(whoa)

I got thrown out of three high schools

(whoa)

I didn't fit, I broke the rules

(whoa)

but I had somethin' that could soothe my soul

(whoa)

I could play that music called rock 'n roll

(play that music, rock 'n roll)

(play that music, rock 'n roll)

 

I told my father and my mother

(told my father and my mother)

they said "school or a job, son, one or the other"

(school or a job, one or the other)

so I got me a job as a laundry man

(got me a job as a laundry man)

I played all night with my rock 'n roll band

(played all night, rock ’n roll band)

after a while I split, it seemed kinda lame

(I moved out, seemed kinda lame)

I got outta there to seek my fortune and fame

(got outta there, fortune and fame)

(play that music, rock ’n roll)

(play that music, rock ’n roll)

 

Don’t you know I’m gonna do everything I can                      

to make my livin’ as a real live rock ‘n roll man

might think I’m crazy, it’s all that I want to do

gonna have a record on the radio

next time I see you

 

Then one night I was playin’ some blues

(whoa)

a man walks up wearin’ fancy shoes

(whoa)

he said “son, I’m gonna get you a record deal”

(whoa)

“you’ll be rich and famous, make the women squeal”

(whoa)

so I signed right there on the dotted line

(whoa)

I was doin’ good, I was feelin’ fine

(whoa)

 

I got me a house at the top of the hill

(got me a house, top of the hill)

I had cars and cash, lotsa whisky to swill

(cars and cash, was a thrill)

then one day I lost it all

(then one day, lost it all)

they robbed me blind, I took a fall

(robbed me blind, took a fall)

but I got somethin’ that can soothe my soul

(I got somethin’, soothe my soul)

I can play that music called rock ’n roll

(play that music, rock ’n roll)

(play that music, rock ’n roll)

 
© 2015 by Swamp Yankee Music/ASCAP