Sunday, 2 May 2021

A flamingo drinking from a cocktail glass


It's definitely not the weather for this sort of malarkey!

As we continue to wait for the Spring weather to actually begin - it's lovely when the sun is out, admittedly, but there are massive black clouds and sprinklings of rain that keep ruining the enjoyment, and it's far too cold at night for our liking - here's a little light music interlude...

How about a cover of a typical Tom Waits "growly misery-ballad", as interpreted by South Korea's foremost jazz vocalist Youn Sun Nah? That'll do nicely.

Edna Million in a drop dead suit
Dutch Pink on a downtown train
Two dollar pistol but the gun won't shoot
I'm in the corner on the pouring rain
16 men on a dead man's chest
And I've been drinking from a broken cup
2 pairs of pants and a mohair vest
I'm full of bourbon, I can't stand up

Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone

Schiffer broke a bottle on Morgan's head
And I've been stepping on the devil's tail
Across the stripes of a full moon's head
Through the bars of a Cuban jail
Bloody fingers on a purple knife
A flamingo drinking from a cocktail glass
I'm on the lawn with someone else's wife
Come admire the view from up on top of the mast

Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone

I said, hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
House is on fire, your children are alone

Yellow sheets in a Hong Kong bed
Stazybo horn and a Slingerland ride
To the carnival is what she said
A hundred dollars makes it dark inside

Edna Million in a drop dead suit
Dutch Pink on a downtown train
Two dollar pistol but the gun won't shoot
I'm in the corner on the pouring rain

Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone

Did someone mention Bourbon? Don't mind if I do...

14 comments:

  1. Well, I came here for you to razzle my dazzle and you did not disappoint. If it wasn't part of the soundtrack for 'Pulp Fiction' it should have been. That breathy voice and her phrasing are fantastic.

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    1. She's rather good, isn't she? A great discovery from some radio station or other we were listening to... Jx

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  2. It's been lovely and sunny all day here. Up until about 5pm, then the heavens opened. Still, it saves watering everything.

    I LOVE your choice of "light musical interlude"! I'm sure it's going to feature heavily in my YouTube history.

    Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go an stand in the pond on one leg and try drinking out of a cocktail glass...

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it, and your sunny afternoon - be sure to take some photos of your naked flamingo cocktail-drinking session! Jx

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  3. Been glorious here all week. Today it came to a beautiful head, sunny, warm light breeze and 85 degrees.

    Me thinks in a hour, we're taking our G&T's out in the garden to sit.

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  4. Hmmm... it appears that gentlemen is doing a sobriety test for the officers... odd that they would make him do it in the nude and in the middle of traffic... but coppers are awful. As or Mr. Waits, an acquired taste. Although I do treasure my copy of the Soundtrack from One From The Heart where he and Crystal Gayle do amazing musical things with each other. Your vid choice is fun, too. Kizzes.

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    1. I never "got" that "gritty" folk schtick - Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen - so it is always joyful to find cover versions that lift the originals into new territory. Youn Sun Nah fits the bill for that. Jx

      PS I think our "traffic dancer" failed the sobriety test...

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  5. I like Tom Waits, but this cover was fantastic! xo

    It's been in the upper 80s/lower 90s around here, but it's starting to cool down a bit here. I miss rain! xox

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the twist on Tom Waits! We've had a piddlingly small amount of rain here for weeks [it's forecast for tomorrow night, allegedly, however], but despite all that it's still just a little bit too chilly to really be enjoyable to sit out in for long, unfortunately... Jx

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  6. Very Pink Martini / Caro Emerald -ish and none the worse for that
    Love it.

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    1. Pink Martini came to my mind, too, funnily enough. Jx

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