THE SONGS OF
JOHN W. ALLEN
During a short period in this year of 1964 I moved back to Chicago for six months. I became part of a band called Dave and the Delrays.
One Puerto Rican, two Mexicans and Me, the token white boy. We practiced free in the basement of a Catholic Church on the south side of Chicago. Very dangerous grounds.
We played for Latino weddings, Battle of the Bands at local theaters and for High School Dances in Chicago. It was here in 1964 that I wrote some simple dance songs trying to create new dances. Songs such as The Yoyo and Stringbeans with my Gravy on my Mashed Potatos.
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The Yoyo
(circa spring/summer 1964).
Gonna teach you all about this dance,
Then I'm gonna let you have a chance,
To do the Yoyo and not the Twist,
So listen to me baby and it goes like this.
Well you put your arms in front of you,
You then turn around,
And then you do the yoyo,
Up and down,
Turn to the right,
And give a little twist,
Can't you just see Chubby Checkers doing this,
Well you rock that cradle,
All around the world,
You give a little twist and you give a little twirl,
Turn to your right and give her a kiss,
Cannot wait to see Ole Chubby doin this.
Stringbeans with my Gravy on my Mashed Potatos
(circa spring/summer 1964. Chicago.)
Give me stringbeans,
with my gravy on my mashed potatos,
Give me stringbeans,
with my gravy on my mashed potatoes,
give me stringbeans,
With my gravy on my mashed potatos Tonight.
Stringbeans is the gratest thing,
Since the Mashed Potatoes and the Onion Rings,
Come on baby its the talk of the teens,
Its the same kinda dance but its called Stringbeans.
Give me stringbeans,
with my gravy on my mashed potatos,
Give me stringbeans,
with my gravy on my mashed potatoes,
give me stringbeans,
With my gravy on my mashed potatos Tonight.
Like I said,
Stringbeans is the greatest thing,
Since the Mashed Potatos and the Onion Rings,
Stringbeans gonna take first place,
Leavin' gravied Mashed Potatos all over the place.
Give me stringbeans,
with my gravy on my mashed potatos,
Give me stringbeans,
with my gravy on my mashed potatoes,
give me stringbeans,
With my gravy on my mashed potatos Tonight.
While I was in Chicago, I also worked part time for the Chicago Sun Time and the Chicago Tribune newspapers.
It was during this period that I wrote two protest songs. Poor Soldier and I Believe You.
I wrote the Poor Soldier song while working on the paper truck delivering newspapers to the news stands and stores on the west side of Chicago.
Poor soldier started out as a joke.
Unfortunately, two verses are gone forever. The song was sung to the tune of Bill Bailey.
A few years later in 1967 I tried to peddle the song to Sonny and Cher.
Unfortunately they turned the songs down claiming they were to controversial.
I personally think they were chicken-shit about doing them. It was at this time in history that protests began to become popular in America and the world and my song was about Viet-Nam, long before anyone heard of it.
The song was for a girl to sing the first and third verse and for the boy to sing the second and fourth verse. Had a line in the middle of the song which said in a Bobby Bare voice,
Carry a can of raid by your side,
The enemy smells the insecticide.
The second song, "I Believe you" is about a boy who commits suicide at the end of the record when you hear a gun shot blast from the speakers. Again, too controversial for Hollywood in 1964.
So below are the first two verses to the Poor Soldier song and the First verse of "I Believe You."
The original lyrics for both songs were included in my poetry book and were lost in New Orleans in the early summer of 1967 |
Poor Soldier
(Circa spring/summer 1964, Chicago)
Girl: Won't you come home poor soldier,
Won't you come home,
Viet-Nam's a long way from home,
You might do the fightin' for me,
But who's gonna pay my rent,
While your out there fightin' a war.
And did you know this administration,
They're just too damm frustratin',
When they send our men out there to die,
Just as long as they're not there,
They don't seem to even care,
Ain't no use in tryin' to figure why.
Boy:Well they say I played my part,
Just like a work of art,
Brave to the core through and through.
But don' let them fool you darlin'
It isn't so,
I was frightened just the same as you.
And all of them damm politicians,
Should really be morticians,
Sending mothers sons to war to die,
Just as long as they're not there,
They don't seem to really care,
Honey, ain't no use in tryin' to cry.
I Believe You (Chicago, early summer, 1964)
(TO BE WRITTEN IN HERE SOON. I AM A LAZY BOY)
This next song was written and played by me on the guitar while trippin on hit of acid ('purple flat') in Los Angeles 1967. The rest of the lyrics were lost over the years
Get High (Los Angeles, 1967)
Children,
You get high,
And still,
People pass you by,
So why don't I just turn you on my friend,
That's the way to be free,
To do the things,
that you want to,
When dropping L.S.D.
Trippin',
Now I see,
What,
What I must be,
So lets go out and turn on the world,
That's the way to feel free,
To love living life, doing things you like to do,
And all in harmony.
(Long Instrumental).
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