1998 - Thanks to excellent 'Press' from 'Girls n Cows' cd - Bob Boilen of NPR's "All Things Considered" asked me to do a song about a weather condition - The first song I had done for them was "Cheese" - For a story about Wisconsin farmers - but it was barely radio quality audio - so luckily my neighbor was a chorale conductor and had a little studio set-up in his basement - so a huge thanks to Larry Farrow who recorded this - it still sounds fabulous - 

La Niña

La Niña, La Niña 
Bring your snowboard down to Ecuador
The weather's different than it was before
It's kinda nippy on the ocean floor
All because of La Niña
La Niña,  La Niña
The weatherman has got me runnin' scared
The lovely wife she just stood and stared
When I said I had to be prepared
In the event of La Niña
La Niña,  La Niña
I took my wallet to the hardware store
The prices higher than they were before
I wish I knew what I was looking for
To prepare for La Niña
La Niña,  La Niña
I asked the hardware man I met by chance
What he would do if he were in my pants
And then the hardware man began to dance
What I assume was La Nina
La Nina,  La Nina
Down to the aisle To the weather strips
He was swiveling his hardware hips
He took my hand and then he kissed my lips
As we danced the La Niña
La Niña, La Niña

®rgoldman dragbunt music

La Niña '98

WASHING DISHES

I was at a Waffle House in Nashville and actually saw this happen... sort of.  My daughter, Charlotte Dean (https://charlottedean.com) did the drawing.

LYRICS:
There’s a new guy making waffles today at the Waffle House
It’s Sunday morning and busy as it can be  
I take the last available seat at the counter
Where the new guy Is stationed right in front of me

All four of his machines are overflowing with batter
It’s oozing down the cabinet to the floor
It’s two inches deep, he can hardly keep his footing
Three waitresses are waiting for 

Waffles… if he can’t make ‘em, they can’t serve ‘em
Shouldn’t we diners take a closer look at him?

Five foot five, barely seventeen
Legs tangled up in dirty apron strings
Really bad skin, two broken teeth 
Arms like sticks poking out of his sleeves 
A chef’s hat teetering on his big ears
He’s sweating like a pig; he’s fightin’ back the tears
In this trial by fire --
The boy who mans the waffle irons.

A buzzer sounds, a waffle’s ready, so he lifts the lid
He can’t ease the waffle out, so he grabs a fork
He stabs at the waffle, it breaks into little pieces
He digs them out and flicks them on the floor

A young waitress can’t resist, she tries to help him
But the man in charge of eggs throws her a look
She backs away; I guess the egg man is the owner
Or the father of this awkward would-be cook, of

Waffles, if he can’t make ‘em, they can’t serve ‘em
We’re all thinking that this job’s too much for him.
	
Five foot five, barely seventeen
Legs tangled up in dirty apron strings
Really bad skin, two broken teeth
Arms like sticks pokin’ out of his sleeves
A chef’s hat teetering on his big ears
He’s sweatin’ like a pig; he’s fightin’ back the tears
Ain’t it time to fire
The boy who mans the waffle irons?
        
Just look at all our plates lined up beside the waffle boy   
Bacon, eggs and sausage, all congealing    
Everyone is hungry, little children are crying
So who cares how a teenager is feeling?

Then, suddenly he puts a waffle on an egg-filled plate
His ragged smile would take your breath away
He spins around to show the waffle to that waitress
But like a Frisbee it sails right off the plate 

And flies into the face of the egg man
Who catches it and looks down at the kid
He holds up the waffle for all of us to see it
Then he smiles and says, “Do you see what my boy did?”

“Waffles. My boy can make ‘em, we can serve ‘em
And I always knew he had the gift in him!”  

Five foot five, barely seventeen
Legs tangled up in dirty apron strings
Really bad skin, two broken teeth
Arms like sticks pokin’ out of his sleeves
A chef’s hat teetering on his big ears
He’s sweatin’ like a pig, he’s fightin’ back the tears
But there’ll be no firin’ 
And we’re all admirin’
And he’s awe-inspirin’
The boy who mans the waffle irons


Words and Music by Tracy Newman
KABEAUTY MUSIC (BMI)

A Place in the Sun

Waffle Boy

DANCE LIKE A LADY - The perfect children’s activity song. It tells the children to walk like a turtle or hop like a bunny or dance like a lady. Once they learn this one, they’ll make up their own verses.

LYRICS:
Dance like a lady
Dance like a lady 
Dance like a lady, 
Ting a ling a ling

I’ll give you a golden ring
Give you a bird to sing
Dance like a lady
Ting a ling a ling

Walk like a daddy
Walk like a daddy
Walk like a daddy
Ting a ling a ling

I’ll give you a golden ring
Give you a bird to sing
Walk like a daddy
Ting a ling a ling

Crawl like a baby (etc.)
Walk like a mommy (etc.)
Walk like a turtle (etc.)
Hop like a bunny (etc.)
Dance like a lady (etc.)

Words and Music: Patty Zeitlin (ASCAP)
Album: SHOEBOX TOWN

Shoebox Town

Dance Like a Lady

Saving the Republic

Old Mill Town

Old Mill Town R4 Mix 1.4

'02 - Written for a low-budget comedy satan film -
This was a quickie demo - 
Turned down because the director hated the band, 'Styx' 
And felt the song wasn't working for him - 
Hollywood is... Hollywood  

Here's the final version - without 'styx'
https://soundcloud.com/dragbunt/the-other-side-of-paradise-03 

So Raise a Glass to the Beloved 'Turned-Down' everywhere - 

Cheers

THE OTHER SIDE OF PARADISE

Follow me down to the banks of the river, Styx
The band is wailing
We’ll put you up at the motel 666
We’ll leave the flame on
You can book yourself a reservation 
Kick-back in eternal damnation
Prices are low for long-time cheaters
Heaven knows we don’t need heaters
Even when you’re dead 
You can economize
We’re just on 
The other side of paradise

If you happen to be down by the river Styx
There’s plenty to save on
We’ll put you up at the motel 666
We’ll leave the flame on
Even when you’re dead 
You can economize
We’re just on 
The other side of paradise

®rgoldman dragbunt music

Richard Goldman's Album

THE OTHER SIDE OF PARADISE  '02

Written in 1966 - Recorded in 2014

I was 16 & had a crush on the lead guitarist's 14 y/o sister 
My first band - The Humbys - We played parties  
We played the hits  
But only the hits we liked  
I'd been writing songs for a couple of years  
Many had 'coded' messages' 
This one particularly  
The first letter of each word in the Title 
Spells out her name - DALE  
The Humbys rehearsed in the guitarist's living room and 
Younger sister, Dale would watch 
While splayed all-over the sofa  
There are some things you just don't forget

DO ALL LOVES END?

Different from the rest
And by far the best you can see that I’m blessed with a god
Lends a helping hand
Ending all her plans
And will understand when your low
Do All Loves End
When people die
Or do they last longer
Than you can see with the Naked eye

Denting your mind
And others of your kind with a smile that could bind a deep wound
Lets you speak your lines
Entering at times
She’s a love you don’t find anymore
Do All Loves End
I ask this cos I pray
That when that fateful day will come
Our love will go on

®rgoldman dragbunt music

DO ALL LOVES END?  '66

Written in 1966 - 
Recorded in my childhood bedroom on an Ampex - reel to reel - In 1967 With Marvin Goodfriend – Soon he'd bring along his bud – Peter Noah – guitar/piano singer/songwriter – Hummingbird was born – We knew we sounded good together and had a cool New Rochelle vocal blend – we grew up together – we lived within a half mile of each other – went to same elementary/middle and high school – Marvin who died in 2019  had the coolest voice – even his speaking voice was warm and memorable – I eventually ended-up in LA in 1970 – Staying at first with Peter’s parents who'd moved from New Rochelle 6-months before I did – So, during the summers of ‘71 ‘2 & ‘3  Peter & Marvin came to LA where we recorded what ended-up on "Sweethearts, Deluxe" – The music industry was 'sketchy' and Marvin who was on the conservative side was appalled by my manager – he would soon would bail and grow-up to become a well-respected man – 
 
TELL ME TRUE
I’m your man and you are my love
I will stand around you my love
Only thing that I ask of you
Tell me right Tell me true

Hey the sun, hey the moon
All day long, some day soon
In the morning I wont be so blue
If you tell me right, tell me true
Tell me right, tell me true

There’s a carnival right down the road
We will make it if we don’t explode 
We’ll hey the carnival and hey the food
If you tell me right tell me true
Tell me right, Tell me true

Drive my Bonnyville back to my home
Leave the carnival back down the road
Look at my eyes and tell me their blue
Tell me right, tell me true 
Tell me right, tell me true

TELL ME TRUE  '66

Harriet Schock and Andrea Ross-Greene wrote this nostalgic look at the holidays with a new reason to celebrate.

Always Here

Latest studio rough from Gates & Goodell. Soon to be released on the upcoming CD "Oleander Road"

Oleander Road

2/7/21

Back To Oklahoma

Third rough studio mix before adding drum, bass and final mix/master...

On The Road

I was a singer/songwriter, then a TV writer.  Now I'm a singer/songwriter again.

Waffle Boy

Tracy Newman

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