Get all 12 David Gans releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Home By Morning (2022), Home Sweet Home, One Afternoon Long Ago, The Town That Still Believes in Magic, Fragile Thunder Duo 11/17/18, Drop the Bone BONUS DISC, Drop the Bone, Chocolate Coffee Pot, and 4 more.
1. |
Life Is a Jam
11:27
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Yes, and life and song have endless variation
So we embrace the possibilities
The groove is what we all create together
With sympathetic synchronicity
Yes, and what we seek is not just entertainment
And what we make is not just rock’n’roll
We’re teaming up for spiritu’l entrainment
To fortify the body and the soul
Life is a jam
We live to jam
Our music is a soul collaboration
We sing and dance
At every chance
It’s a righteous conflagration
Of concerted inspiration
Our collective intuition
Brings our wishes to fruition
Jamming is a leap into the future
Uncertainty is not a thing to fear
Yes, and when the music’s playing us
No one has to steer the bus
We’re Magellan, Captain Cook, and Marco Polo
What’s next is not a jam – it’s just a solo
Yes, and we don’t know where we’re going til we get there
And we don’t know how it ends until it ends
We do our greatest work when we’re not thinking
And no one can remember what played when
‘Cause what we seek is not just entertainment
And what we make is not just rock’n’roll
We’re teaming up for spiritu’l entrainment
To fortify the body and the soul
Life is a jam
We jam to live
Our music is a soul collaboration
We sing and dance
At every chance
It’s a righteous conflagration
Of concerted inspiration
Our collective intuition
Brings our wishes to fruition
Jamming is a leap into the future
Uncertainty is not a thing to fear
Yes, and when the music’s playing us
No one has to steer the bus
Now, depending on my mood and random factors
We’ll groove, or jam, or segue, or just end.
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2. |
Be Like Earl
02:53
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Earl Crabb was a brilliant man
A gentle man, and generous
His Rolodex was heavy
And his attic was voluminous
He had a million tales to tell
And every one was true
I’m a better man for knowing him
And a better friend to you
Earl Crabb was an easy man
A laughing man, and sociable
To stand before his camera
Was to be well viewed and notable
He had a million friends, you know
And every one was real
A friend of Earl’s is a friend of mine
That’s just the way I feel
Let’s ignore the dominant paradigm
And practice random kindness all the time
Treat our customers like neighbors
Not the other way around
A little more “Share this planet”
And a little less “Stand your ground.”
This world will be a better place
For every boy and girl
If we all do our best to be like Earl
Earl Crabb was a software man
When very few were doin’ it
He made the world a better place
Enhancing and improvin’ it
I know I’m not the only one
Who's benefited thus
So I’m making it my mission
To pass on his gifts to us
Let’s ignore the dominant paradigm
And practice random kindness all the time
Treat our customers like neighbors
Not the other way around
A little more “Share this planet”
And a little less “Stand your ground.”
This world will be a better place
For every boy and girl
If we all do our best to be like Ear
l
I will do my very best to be as kind as Earl
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3. |
Summer by the Bay
06:14
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Gilman and I-80, I was driving my car
Fifty-seven minutes, hadn’t gotten too far
Everybody’s headin’ for the beach or the lake
A concert or a ballgame or a naked parade
It’s summer by the bay, summer by the bay
Traffic is a hassle every inch of the way
In every direction, every time of the day
It’s summer by the bay, summer by the bay
Haight and Buena Vista, I was ridin’ my bike
Along come Mister Mellow with a strain that I like
Annie in the intersection walkin’ her dog
I turned around and everyone was lost in the fog
It’s summer by the bay, summer by the bay
The afternoons are colder than the evenings, they say
Be sure to dress in layers and you’ll be okay
It’s summer by the bay, summer by the bay
Gentrified in Jingletown, sweatin’ the rent
Too much month remaining when the money is spent
I’m sittin’ here in limbo ’til I make it big
I told my dog to drop the bone and find us a gig
It’s summer by the bay, summer by the bay
I can’t afford to move out and I can’t afford to stay
There ain’t no place on Earth I’d rather live anyway
It’s summer by the bay, summer by the bay
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4. |
River and Drown
04:58
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Cruisin’ down the boulevard of smoke and dreams
Tryin’ not to worry ’bout what it means
It’s not as trivial as it might seem
C’mon down to the river and drown
Let’s go down to the river and drown
Ain’t nothin’ shakin’ in this old town
Get out on the highway and follow that sound
Come on down to the river and drown
Jonathan’s home life wasn’t too nice
Trapped in a prison of unsound advice
He heard the river callin’ and he didn’t think twice
Mary and Elizabeth pitchin’ a tent
A day at the river is a day well spent
They need a miracle to pay their rent
Goin’ down to the river and drown
Let’s go down to the river and drown
Ain’t nothin’ shakin’ in this old town
Get out on the highway and follow that sound
Come on down to the river and drown
Long tall Sally strummin’ her guitar
She’s got a new tattoo of a moon and a star
Week after next she’s got a gig in a bar
Julie took a wrong turn right out of school
Seventeen years in the bed of a fool
Now she’s at the river and everything’s cool
Benny’s makin’ big bucks riding the boom
Pushin’ them dot-coms from dawn til doom
Tonight he’ll dance by the light of the shroom
Goin’ down to the river and drown
Let’s go down to the river and drown
Ain’t nothin’ shakin’ in this old town
Get out on the highway and follow that sound
Come on down to the river and drown
Louie takes a bong hit and lets it fly
Ravin’ like The Raven that the end is nigh
He’s been on this rant since Pigpen died
Goin’ down to the river and drown
Let’s go down to the river and drown
Ain’t nothin’ shakin’ in this old town
Get out on the highway and follow that sound
Come on down to the river and drown
A day at the river is a dream well dreamed
It can do wonders for your self-esteem
You don’t need a coupon to get redeemed
I could go on talkin’ but I’m starting to bore
Next time I see you I will tell you some more
Just remember what a metaphor is for
When you go down to the river and drown
Let’s go down to the river and drown
Ain’t nothin’ shakin’ in this old town
Get out on the highway and follow that sound
Come on down to the river and drown
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5. |
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6. |
Your Movie
04:18
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He spends his whole work day unmanned and unnerved
Goes out every night for the fun he deserves
Nine times out of ten he is way overserved
And then he begins to declaim
Of conspiracies, “fake news,” and blame
And I say…
I don't want to be in your movie today
It's a role I'm not prepared to play
Don't want to be in your movie today
Coyote, there is just no comprehending
These metaphors you're trying to put in play
And when I start to feel my patience ending
That's when I know it's time to step away
You run with these preposterous assumptions
Demanding I believe it ‘cause you say
But I prefer to trust my higher functions
And focus on reality today
I don't want to be in your movie today
It's a role I'm not prepared to play
Don't want to be in your movie today
Your natterings evince no introspection
I find that there’s no reason in your rhyme
And standing here reflecting your projections
Is not the way I choose to spend my time
I don't want to be in your movie today
It's a role I'm not prepared to play
Don't want to be in your movie today
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7. |
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8. |
Box of Rain
07:53
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9. |
Pancho and Lefty
09:59
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10. |
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11. |
Here Comes the Sun
05:57
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David Gans Oakland
Singer, songwriter, guitarist, looper, improviser, social commentator, humorist, etc.
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