The complete first act of the audio theatre production of Last Night at the Ha-Ra.

A troubled vet’s decision to save a sex trafficked immigrant sparks a lifetime of love and murder, betrayal and redemption, and sex and suicide that leads to a final mortal goodbye on the last night at Ha-Ra bar in San Francisco’s gritty Tenderloin neighborhood.

For more information:
billmagill.com/music/drama/
sfenprovence@gmail.com

Last Night at the Ha-Ra. Audio theatre production. Act 1

Key of Fm, then modulates down a fifth (to Cm) for final verse.
(Place capo at 3rd fret to play mostly open chords)
To see how Bill plays this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws6mrS239Eg

Fm                           C
Little bird with the broken wing
C        Fm
fly fly away
Fm                           C
Little bird can you hear us sing
C           Fm
Mahsa Amini

A#m
They kill
Fm
And we cry
C
They crush
Fm
So you die
D#
But we sing
G#
And you fly
C
And you will never die

(same chord progression)
Zan, zindiqi, azadi
In Iran today
Mahsa Amini
We sing your name

They preach
They lie
We march
We try
When we dance
you fly
 and you will never die
C
Our revolution
Fm
Now revolution
C
Our revolution
Fm
Now revolution

They preach
They lie
We march
We try 
When we dance 
you fly
(G chord here, not C)
 and you will never die

Cm                           G
Little bird with the broken wing
G          Cm
fly fly away
Cm                           G
Little bird can you hear us sing
G            Cm
Mahsa Amini

Fm
They kill
Cm
And we cry
G
They crush
Cm
So you die
A#
But we sing
D#
And you fly
G
And you will never die

Little Bird - Original Demo Recording

This recording comes from the 2020 Audio Theatre production of Last Night t the Ha-Ra, with the full London cast joining on the song.

Ciao Ciao Au Revoir - Fully Cast Production

Demos

Little Bird - Simon Brotherton

Words & Music by Bill Magill ©

go climb a mountain
right up to god
go look him in the eye
say hey man what do I got
you hear the thunder
that heathen bawl
you hear the sins and the saints of the night
you hear it all
you head the call

go on and climb a mountain
right up to god
go look him in the eye
say hey man what do I got
you hear the thunder the drum beat
that heathen bawl
you hear the howls in the bowels of the night
when the hyenas call
you hear it all
you're a manic man

are you losing friends
brother are you losing sleep
your family don't love you no more
or the company you keep
you ain't now butterfly
get out of your cocoon
you're just an ugly, ugly worm
with the caterpillar blues
now go sing the news
you're a manic man

you were a respected man
in this community
and your boss he said he saw
a big future to be
mister responsibility
in the morning light
but Doctor Jekyll met Mister Hyde
in the night
and he start to bite

go and climb a mountain
right up to god
you gotta look him in the eye
hey man what do I got
I hear the thunder, the drum beat
one two three four
I get a happy bouncy feeling in my feet
to find a back door
do you have a cure, do you have a cure
for the manic man

Manic Man

Words & Music by Bill Magill ©

I won’t miss you
planning our holidays
I won’t miss you
picking out places to stay
I wanted the Ritz
you picked a Motel 6
I won’t miss that at all

I won’t miss you
sitting in our car
I won’t miss you
cause I’ve parked too far
from the drive-through window
and you’re teasing me hard
I won’t miss that at all

I won’t miss you
dancing in the rain
I won’t miss you
drunk in the south of Spain
on a whole lot of wine
and a little cocaine
I won’t miss that at all

these memories are going to burn away
like the morning fog on a summer day
just confetti tossed into the breeze
when it’s gone
it’s gone

I won’t miss you
sitting in our bath
I won’t miss you
soaking in the other half
you’re so sexy in suds
and you’re washing my toes
I won’t miss that at all

I won’t miss you
warming up our bed
I won’t miss you
now I’m on the sofa instead
with my can of beer
and the tv on
I won’t miss that at all

these memories are going to burn away
like the morning fog on a sunny day
just ashes tossed into the sea
when you’re gone
you’re gone

feeling alive
the radio’s on
we’re taking a drive
and we’re singing along
and you’re juking and jiving

I won’t miss you
holding me near
and feeling your breath
warming my ear
and I hear
baby I love you so
I won’t miss that at all
No no no

I Won't Miss You

Words & Music by Bill Magill ©

you call me in the morning when he’s gone
you call me in the evening when he don’t come home
when you realize that mister right was wrong
I’ll get you right, I’ll turn you on
all night long

you call me in the middle of the night
you call me whenever the mood is right
you call me when that itch becomes an urge
I got so much love for you, I can splurge
I'll give you a surge

he will buy you everything
that shuts you up at night
are you ready to be tamed
or do you want to scream
cause I want to hear you scream
scream with me

you call me when there is no play to see
you call me when there’s nothing on TV
you call me when you got nowhere to go
we’ll have ourselves a little picture show
you can have the leading role

you call me when his promises turn to lies
you call me when you have no more tears to cry
when it’s love that you need and his has gone bye bye bye
when you need love to get you high

You Call Me

Words & Music by Bill Magill ©

in the middle of the winter
in the middle of the night
she skated on the river
and she lied about the ice

if she wanted reassurance
well she didn’t need the truth
lying to herself from falling through

she always found her reasons
the answers to the whys
why to go on believing
after all his lies
but she was the biggest liar
this much was true
lying to herself
from falling through

some were holy whoppers
and some were little whites
and some of those deceptions
were as light as paper kites
with gentle tales that fluttered
almost innocent and true
lying to herself
from falling through

the day she stopped believing
was the day she said goodbye
to all that self-deceiving
and the end to all the lies
but she used to burn like fire
and she missed it so was true
but lying to herself
had fallen through

so if you go a’skating
out upon that winter ice
the risk you are a’taking
the heart you’ll sacrifice
when you hear that crack and shudder
and know you’re falling through
drowning in the lies
drowning in the lies
drowning in the lies
who told to you?

Falling Through (featuring Lauren Lucille)

Words & Music by Bill Magill ©

there were tears in the tub
but I pulled the plug
and they whirled and twirled away
lost in an ocean of pain
but I found the drain
and it whirled and twirled away

the sky above was cloudy and grey
and hid all the stars away
but now I’m humming on sunny days

I’m humming on sunny days
I’m humming on sunny days
I’m humming on sunny days

I climbed up a mountain of hurt
and pound into a mound of dirt
huffed and puffed and blew it all away

so much thunder and rain
it almost drove me insane
but now I’m humming on sunny days

I’m humming on sunny days
I’m humming on sunny days
I’m humming on sunny days

swimming in the river of love
floating in the stars above
and I’m humming on sunny days

drowning in the fountain of joy
dancing with the angels above
and humming on sunny days

I’m humming on sunny days
I’m humming on sunny days
I’m humming on sunny days

Lights Up on the Vivid Stage

Humming On Sunny Days

Vincent went mad in the stars
Ernest took us into war
Albert saw space and time unified
now wasn’t that something

wasn't that something
they soar where we crawled
left us in awe

Petit was a man on a wire
but could he go spire to spire
as they led him away
a cop turned to say
man wasn’t that something

now wasn’t that something
way up on his stage
out on the wire
wasn’t he something
risking it all
and walking so tall

when I die
when I’m gone
I want to leave something
more than a stone
(repeat)

Quixote in Converse and jeans
off we go tilting at dreams
some realized
and some, well we tried
just tried to be something

I want to be something
I want to shoot out the stars
lasso that moon
don’t you want to be something
sunflower stars
solving to it all
out on the stage
walk on the wire
maybe we’ll fall
but maybe, just maybe we’ll fly


Something

Words and Music by Bill Magill

how hard
do you think I am
just how hard
do you think I am

lift me up
don't let me break
don't let me lose
this life of faith
'cause i'm tough
now tough ain't enough

how tough 
I got to be
just how tough
you want me to be

tough enough
to take the pain
and still believe
in our lying game

just how hard
is hard enough
how hard
do you think I am
how hard 
do you think I am

How Hard

Words and Music by Bill Magill

if I say hello
tomorrow, tomorrow
to a face that I don't know
tomorrow, tomorrow

put a needle in my arm
let it drip and I'll be gone
in a fog of summer holidays
then plant your kiss upon my head
and lay me back upon our bed
and when I'm dead
the love you see
will never be
strange

if I don't recognize
tomorrow, tomorrow
the lips I've kissed a million times
tomorrow, tomorrow

bring me roses full in bloom
with photographs around our room
play some Tony Bennett, promise me
hold my hand while I slip away
then call the paramedics say
she's gone
but it was all on me
I couldn't bear to be
strange

make me laugh until I cry
remember all the reasons why 
I drove you mad, my crazy ways
remember me in blazing shades
of indigo and vivid red
not grey
I never want to fade to grey
I don't want to fade away
don't want to be 
strange

Strange

Words and Music by Bill Magill

I'm sailing on a sea of dreams
every day and every night
every time I think of you
come and sail away with me
sail with me upon that sea of dreams

think of things to do together
things to do in sunny weather
things to do in rainy weather

I'm sailing on a sea of dreams
every day and every night
every time I think of you
come and sail away with me
sail with me upon this sea of dreams

swaying to an easy rhythm
tremolo and underdriven
corporeal and gentle motion

i saw you in this smokey bar
it was a pulsing hopping club
and across the court our eyes locked and time stopped
it was just a moment that lingered
and it lingered
and it lingered

I'm sailing on a sea of dreams
every day and every night
every time I think of you
come and sail away with me
sail with me upon this sea of dreams
out upon this sea of dreams

Sea Of Dreams

Words and Music by Bill Magill

daisy
we're getting soft and lazy
growing old and sleepy
by the tv
just lounging around 
bored with ourselves

outside
the night life people
like the street lamps twinkle
oh they dazzle
walking somewhere
we're sitting here
tonight

dress up
put on your shine and kiss me
pick out a tie and tie me
when you're ready
give me your arm
baby we're gone

daisy
am I looking grand
cause you're dazzling
and we're gonna shine
in the bar light
at the ha-ra
leading the cheer
out with the crowd
singing our song
out in the night
tonight

Daisy

Words and music by Bill Magill

somewhere is the sun
out beyond these plains and frozen mountains
people and they're having fun
my fun

sunday's gone and monday's here
don't the weekends fly
it don't seem fair
i'm sleeping in the eye
when my ride arrives 
upon the curb and i
need to take a wee
but i ain't got the time
it's time to go to work

an earthquake
a hurricane
something really big
come along you could save my day
well i could make a run
i'll make my getaway
way out into the sun
like an eskimo 
who knows not where he goes
he just knows that it's cold

we're passing cars with people like me
thinking of places they'd rather be
than heading to work
on a monday morning with the other jerks
like me
i'd rather not be
going to work 

it's 400 miles down to LA
what i wouldn't give to go there today
stick my toes in the sand
just drinking on a beer watch the people play
and i
would rather not be
going to work
going to work

there's an eskimo in the sun
living in west LA
sandy beaches and surfer girls
life is fun 
chase the sun all day

a renegade on the run
don't life wear a big tin star
cattle drive on these chosen roads
it's a death march
right out of the sun we go

here we go it's another day
in another week
in the month of may or june
what a crime 
the time flies by
another week and no dreams realized

the eskimo lies in the sun
and he winks at me
from just beyond
my sleepy eyes
i rise up from the car
lock the door
and straighten my tie
eskimo in the sun

Eskimo in the Sun

In 1991 Bill and music partner Wayne Ditzel assembled band in San Francisco that brought a full, rollicking foundation to Bill's music. Eskimo In The Sun was released 4 years later with the help of musicians David Fox and Dave Dewey, and the guidance of renowned San Francisco producer Dave Wellhausen (Chris Isaak, Maria Muldaur, others).

Eskimo In The Sun has a decidedly alt acoustic, rocking feel, reflective of Bill’s time living in the Southwest and Southern California. The compositions are tightly crafted, with a focus on melody, hook and harmony. Ditzel’s lead guitar work veers from Mark Knopfler through Dick Dale. Lost, loss and longing, and finding a warmer place; these theme weaves through the varied songs on the Eskimo collection.

Come With Me

Words and music by Bill Magill

some call you heaven
some call you hell
are you empty enticer
or a golden well
what have you to offer me
only time will tell

pacifica
island in the sun
pacifica
blessed golden one

well you're fodder
for my hopes and dreams
your fortune and nirvana
fertile valley endless spring
i'm going to plant
see what grows
in pacifica

the wise and the wicked
the wealthy and poor
for 300 years have knocked on your door
ravage and scavenge and raping your charms
wounded you offer us more

pacifica
island in the sun
pacifica
blessed golden one

hey seducer of my hopes and dreams
pacifica


Pacifica

Words and music by Bill Magill

running for the border 
we were riding shooting praying for the nightfall
killing stealing raping cheating lying
they accused us of it all
but they were wrong
we never done nobody harm
they didn't like us
we had way too much fun
with those dance hall girls

diamondback and cactus grabbing
desert heat tequila drinking good times
the pretty senoritas whisper i can treat you sweeter
and they don't lie
all night long
lord must have been a sin
she clearly understood
the shape that i was in
the dance hall girls
i love them dance hall girls
and they love me

if the federales catch us
chances are we'll never see the hoosegow
those dirty pistolaros
got a feeling they ain't planning on no pow wow wow
but i ain't scared
no i'll never go to hell
i've been to heaven and they said
come back any time bill
those dance hall girls
i love those dance hall girls


Dance Hall Girls

Bill is an American composer, musician, and writer living in Provence, France. His most recent release - "Lights Up on the Vivid Stage" - is a 5 song EP released with David Dower in mid 2024. Bill writes in a deeply dramatic style, with each song a short story and each collection a full arc of emotional theater. Indeed, his works are adapted to musical theater. The script for "Lights Up" is now in development.

Earlier releases include "Last Night at the Ha-Ra" in 2018 and "Eskimo in the Sun" in 1996. (Lots of life in between.)

Bill began joining rock bands in the mid 1970s as a teen in Pennsylvania. With the power pop/punk quartet Tina Peel, he played on various EPs and other live compilation recordings before moving to Texas and then California, where he played the club scene as a solo artist and later in a band he formed and fronted. Plans are forming for a tour to promote his recent work. Stay tuned.

Bill Magill

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