Woke Up This Morning

And after three days of drinking with Larry Love

I just get an incline to go on home

So, I'm walking down Coldharbour Lane, head hung low

Three or four in the morning

The sun's coming up, and the birds are out singing

I let myself into my pad

Wend myself up that spiral staircase and stretch out nice on the Chesterfield

Pithecanthropus Erectus already on the CD player and I just push that remote button to sublimity

And listen to the sweet sculptural rhythms of Charles Mingus

And J.R. Monterose and Jackie McLean duet on those saxophones and

The sound makes its way out the window, mingling with the traffic noises outside, you know

All of a sudden I'm overcome by a feeling of brief mortality

'Cause I'm getting on in the world, coming up on 41 years

41 stony gray steps towards the grave, you know the box awaits

It's, it's grisly load

Now I'm gonna be food for worms

And just like Charles Mingus wrote that beautiful piece of music

Epitaph for Eric Dolphy

I say, "So long, Eric, So long John Coltrane and Charles Mingus

So long Duke Ellington and Lester Young

So long Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald

So long Jimmy Reed, so long Muddy Waters, and so long Howling Wolf"

(Woke up this morning)

You woke up this morning

Got yourself a gun

Your mama always said you'd be the chosen One

She said, "You're one in a million

You got to burn to shine"

But you were born under a bad sign

With a blue moon in your eyes

And you woke up this morning

And all that love had gone

Your Papa never told you about, right and wrong

Hey but you're, but you're looking good, baby

I believe that you're feeling fine

Shame about it

Born under a bad sign with a blue moon in your eyes

So sing it now

(Woke up this morning) oh yeah, oh yeah

(Woke up this morning) oh yeah, oh yeah

(Woke up this morning) oh yeah, oh yeah

(Woke up this morning) oh yeah, oh yeah

I see you, you woke up this morning

The world turned upside down

Lord above, things ain't been the same

Since the blues walked into town

Hey but you're, but you're, one in a million

'Cause you got that shotgun shine

No Shame about it

Born under a bad sign, with a blue moon in your eyes

So sing it now (woke up this morning)

You got a blue moon (got a blue moon in your eyes)

So sad, Goddamn (woke up this morning)

A God-damned shame about it (woke up this morning)

You got a blue moon (got a blue moon in your eyes)

(Woke up this morning) oh yeah, oh yeah

Oh yeah

Oh yeah

(Woke up today) oh-oh

Mister D Wayne Love

When you woke up this morning, everything was gone

By half past ten your head was going ding-dong (oh yeah)

Ringing like a bell from your head down to your toes

Like some voice tryna tell you there's something you should know

Last night you was flying, but today you're so low

Ain't it times like these makes you wonder if you'll ever know (oh yeah, oh yeah)

The meaning of things as they appear to the others

Wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers

Don't you wish you didn't function, don't you wish you didn't think

Beyond the next pay check and the next little drink? (Oh yeah, oh yeah)

Well you do so make up your mind to go on

'Cause when you woke up this morning, everything you had was gone

(Woke up this morning)

When you woke up this morning

(Woke up this morning)

You woke up this morning

(Woke up this morning)

You wanna be, you wanna be the chosen one

Yeah, you know it, you just can't help yourself, yeah

(Woke up this morning)

When you, woke up this morning

(Woke up this morning)

(Woke up this morning)

Woke up this morning (this morning)

You got yourself a gun

You got yourself a gun

You got yourself a gun

Oh yeah