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12​/​45

by Howard Levy

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1.
Carnival of Souls (Hey Buddy Bolden) 04:06
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Carnival of Souls (Hey Buddy Bolden) Hey, Buddy Bolden  I heard you play  In my dreams of yesterday  Taking your trumpet to the street  Leading the band with your swinging beat  But now you wander like a ghost  Far from those places that you loved the most  You’re the king of the trumpet without your crown  Gone and forgotten in your own home town  And that’s why, I’m singing the Blues for you  Nobody here will ever know  The sounds that came from your horn  The way you made the dance hall swing  And made the ladies shake their thing  Oh, Mr. Bolden, we’ll never know just how…  So let the tuba player play it now  And now the piano player will tickle the ivories in your memory  And the clarinet player play a filigree  Like those wrought iron railings down on Bourbon Street  No jazz band played your funeral  They laid you in a pauper’s grave  Nobody knows where your body lays  And it’s a mystery till this very day  Hey, Buddy Bolden  I thought I heard you play  In my dreams of yesterday  You were the king of the trumpet  But you lost your crown  Gone and forgotten in your own home town
2.
Can I Get A Witness? 02:50
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Can I Get A Witness? Can I get a Witness? Can I get a Witness? Can I get a mm, mm, mm, mm, witness? A witness to the power of God above A witness to the power of his heavenly love A witness to the power of his heavenly light Bringing us together in this place tonight Witness... can I get a witness? Can I get a mm, mm, mm, mm, witness? A witness to the love he puts in our hearts And the miracle of life When everything starts A witness to his power to amaze That makes us appreciate all our days Witness... can I get a witness? Can I get a mm, mm, mm, mm, witness? He brings sunshine and he brings rain You can’t know joy till you’ve known pain Here’s to his laws and to his rules That keep us from acting like total fools Witness... can I get a witness? Can I get a mm, mm, mm, mm, witness? A witness to his love divine He gives you yours, he gives me mine A witness to the glory of all that’s good In every town and neighborhood! Witness... can I get a witness? Can I get a mm, mm, mm, mm, witness?
3.
Christmas Blues 04:59
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Christmas Blues I got the Christmas Blues- I feel ‘em way down in my shoes I got the Christmas Blues- I feel ‘em way down in my shoes Both my credit cards are maxed out I can’t even pay my dues Santa Claus, Santa Claus- He ain’t comin’ to my house Santa Claus, Santa Claus- He ain’t comin’ to my house Not a creature is stirring there Not even a mouse Because my good woman left me She walked out just yesterday My good woman left me She walked out yesterday When she got up and left me It just stole my heart away She said, “Howard, Howard There’s all these bills we have to pay.” She said, “Howard, Howard There’s all these bills we have to pay Why don’t you get yourself a real job Instead of sitting around playing that harp all day?” And I yelled and I screamed (da dum da da dum) And I cursed and I moaned (da dum da da dum) The next thing that I knew My woman had left our happy home I’ve got the Christmas Blues I feel ‘em way down in my shoes So I’ll just keep blowin’ that harp, babe ‘Cause I’ve got nothing left to lose...
4.
Home on the Road 03:40
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Home on the Road (Parody of Home on the Range, my grandpa’s favorite song.) O give me a home Where the tour buses roam Where the bands and the roadies all play Where often are heard many angry curse words And we sleep in our bunk beds all day Home, home, on the road In a bus with a trailer that’s towed We drive and we drive Till we’re barely alive Wait a minute- it’s time to unload When you’re in a great band You must travel the land You are destined to wander and roam You can never look back From your fast-moving track So you just make the road feel like home Now it’s sound check again And after that then We will all eat some great catered grub It tastes really good But I wish that I could Be at home in my neighborhood pub Home, home, on the road In a bus with a trailer in tow I travel each day To do sound check and play And then back to my bunk bed I go I’m missing my home Feeling lost and alone Though I am with my buddies and friends Great music Great dough- There are worse ways to go But this life on the road never ends Home, home, on the road You can start to feel lonely and low But when you get to a town You can stop feeling down ‘Cause each night you will play a great show We travel and play, every night, every day To places so close and so far Colorado, Wyoming- the bus keeps on roaming Till we have no idea where we are And after the show, we load up and we go Through the night till we hit the next town The bus rocks me to sleep And my dreams are all deep Till our driver shuts the bus engine down Home, home, on the road In a bus with a trailer that’s towed We drive and we drive Till we’re barely alive Wait a minute- it’s time to unload
5.
How Can I Be Certain? 01:48
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How Can I Be Certain? (Additional lyrics by Diane Holmes) How can I be certain That everything will work out fine? How can I believe you Are you giving me another line? Our lives could get troubled and weary We’d be destined just to drift apart Oh, how can I be certain Of the feelings that are in your heart? First you said you’d love me true That I’d share every part of you We’d be together all the time... But that was just the night Before you turned and pointed to the door And said you’d had a change of mind Oh, how can I believe you When you say you’re feeling blue? Has some other boyfriend, slightly disappointed you? This time I demand a good answer To satisfy my curiosity Oh, how can I be certain When you say that you love me? I don’t want to be demanding But I need an understanding Of the situation that we’re in Times when we were miles apart Your memories nearly broke my heart- I just don’t know where to begin… How can I believe you When you say you’re feeling blue? Has some secret boyfriend slightly disappointed you? This time I demand a good answer Satisfy my curiosity Oh, how can I be certain when you say that you love me?
6.
I'm Just A Worker 03:49
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I’m Just A Worker I’m just a worker Working for the War Machine I do the killing To keep their pockets lined with green They call me hero and pin a medal to my chest For killing faceless enemies I’ve trained to be the very best I grew up on the farm raising hogs and baling hay I prayed to Jesus for salvation Never thought I’d see this day But when I enlisted I gave up every right When I think of all the men I’ve killed It’s impossible to sleep at night… So here I am A khaki killer trained in war And I can never be again The happy kid I was before The men who sign the orders The ones who pull the strings Are holed up in their war rooms Where they do their dirty things While leaders trump up reasons To make it right to kill They greedily line their pockets From the blood they have us spill I’m just a worker Working for the War Machine I do the killing To keep their pockets lined with green Who can I pray to now That I’ve gone down this road? Can Jesus or The Buddha Lighten up my load? Will a loving, caring woman Wash the bloodstains from my hands? Can any living person really help or understand? I’ve prayed to every deity to wash away my sins I’ve tried to find a soul to save Deep underneath my skin But the callouses of war are thick My soul is hard to find I try to drown my hopelessness So I won’t lose my mind I’ve seen things that no man should have to see They come to me at night when I turn off my TV They haunt my days and dominate my dreams I see the blood I hear the moans and screams My body hurts and my soul is raw and rough I never knew the aftershocks would be so tough I was trained to kill But I can’t kill phantom foes That live inside my head Where no one else should go
7.
Long Distance Love 03:13
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Long Distance Love Long distance love is messing up my head So far apart, our hearts hang by a thread So close to you inside I go to sleep at night smiling in the dark Knowing you feel the same way But at the break of day We’re still 1,000 miles apart Long distance love is messing up my mind When I look inside I don’t know what I’ll find This life’s just not for me, darling can’t you see I feel like I am lost I’m making lots of dough But it’s a trap, you know. Is it really worth the cost? Baby, I hate to leave, you know It’s feels so bad every time I have to go And then sleepless nights pass in a blur As thoughts of home grow dim I try to enjoy, but it’s just a ploy As my smoke-filled eyesight swims Long distance love... Long distance love… Long distance love is messing up my life When I get back home, will you still be my wife? Someday I’ll break away and stop this whole charade Of being who I’m not Then we can share the time that’s so overdue And I can give you everything I’ve got Frustration blowing circuits in my mind- It’s hard to leave this touring life behind... I play my best each and every show And the audiences cheer But when I look into the crowd each night I know you aren’t here You aren’t near... Long distance love...
8.
Night in New York 03:11
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Night in New York Night in New York is a hard time to sleep Peaceful slumber comes at break of dawn Robbers are running, bums stagger down side streets Taxi is blowing his horn. Gunshots ring out through alleys and hallways Cops always chase the wrong man... Quiet and peace, they don’t come with your lease Just sign and sleep if you can Night in New York is a hard time to sleep Heartbeats in the dark sound like a drum If you can find peace of mind in this city You must be blind, deaf, and dumb Numb, not just tired I sink into dreamland Outside the madness flies on Try as I might, I can’t sleep in the night, in New York One hell of a town Get away, get away to a place Where a country breeze holds you In her sweet embrace Peaceful dreams Full of sunshine and light Without screams, confusion and fright, oh… Live in Manhattan, fears start to fatten Electric currents run around your head Restless and wired, although they are tired Thousands are tossing in bed The rich and the mighty They flee to their castles Escaping the muggers that creep Street cleaners sweep where the heartbroken weep And I just can’t get to sleep...
9.
Security 04:03
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Security Security can be a cup of tea in a warm room Sleeping in your own bed With your sweetheart next to you Or seeing people on the street who greet you As they pass by ‘Cause you know each other Even if you can’t remember why To stroll on a hot summer night Down the streets of your town Hear the TV’s, see the people Though the shades are down... Relaxed in the warmth As you glide down familiar ways Walking quietly As the night birds dive and play Building, collecting, and buying, we get many things To look at, learn, from, add onto until there’s no more But where are the roots And whose are the fruits to enjoy When we’ve lost the happiness, children’s delight That makes every object a toy?
10.
Sound Surround 02:36
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Sound Surround I speak music, I feel sound When I walk down the street My feet don’t touch the ground Am I dreaming or am I awake? When I get this feeling My soul it starts to shake If I’m alone and no one is around I can get lost in the world of sound surround Sound surrounds me When I’m walking down the street I feel the rhythms in the way I move my feet I hear the melody in the trucks that go on by I get the harmony from the colors in the sky It’s a world that I’m glad I’m living in It’s called Music- Why don’t you come on in?
11.
Up Here on the 83rd Floor 02:22
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Up Here on the 83rd Floor Up here on the 83rd floor I don’t have a care in the world I don’t hear a sound Coming up from the ground With all the money I make I’ve got a view of the lake Up here on the 83rd floor Life is clean, so serene We don’t have any crime Nobody begs for a dime Up on the 80- 80- 83rd Floor I live in luxury I don’t even know What those common people do If they had bucks like me They too could feel free Instead of living in a human zoo... No dirt, no grease, no grime And it’s quiet all the time I’ve got everything I need I don’t pay the world no heed Up on the 80-80- 83rd floor And at night when I get high I watch the planes fly by Smoke cigarettes, stare at the jets Can’t think that nothing could ever be finer Nothing could be finer than the 83rd Floor I really found out what living is for So take your houses in the suburbs Your mansions and your farms And pass me my martini ‘cause it’s getting warm
12.
Wanderlust Blues in B 03:49
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Wanderlust Blues in B Got my suitcase packed and ready ‘Cause I’m leaving town today Got my suitcase packed and ready ‘Cause I’m leaving town today Don’t know where I’m going Don’t know how long I’ll be away I’m leavin’ in the morning When the sun begins to shine I’m leavin’ in the morning When the sun begins to shine Then I’ll carry down my suitcase To that old Rock Island Line ‘Cause I hear her whistle blowing She rolls through town at break of dawn ‘Cause I hear that whistle blowing She rolls through town At break of dawn And when I buy my ticket I’ll get on board and I’ll be gone The sound of her wheels They go click, click, click, clickety clack The sound of her big wheels They go click, click, click, clickety clack They’re tellin’ me “We’re not sure where you’ll end up Not sure when you’ll be comin’ back” ‘Cause I’ve got the Wanderlust blues, child There’s nothing anyone can do The Wanderlust blues, child There’s nothing anyone can do But deep down in my heart, babe You know my love for you is true I’m gonna miss you when I’m gone, baby But you know I just can’t stay I’m gonna miss you when I’m gone, baby But you know I just can’t stay If I stay at home too long, mama It just makes me want to go away Got my suitcase packed and ready ‘cause I’m leaving town today Got my suitcase packed and ready ‘Cause I’m leaving town today Don’t know where I’m going Don’t know how long I’ll be away

about

This is Howard's first vocal album. 12 Songs written, played and sung by Howard, in styles including jazz, blues, pop, folk & hip-hop. (The songs are also included in his audiobook along with stories and poems.)

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released December 12, 2020

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Howard Levy Chicago, Illinois

Howard Levy is an acknowledged master of the diatonic harmonica, a superb pianist, innovative composer, recording artist, bandleader, teacher, and producer.

Equally at home in Jazz, Classical, Rock, Folk, Latin, and World Music, the two- time Grammy Award Winner is a favorite with audiences worldwide.

Howard has been touring as a solo artist and with The Flecktones, Trio Globo, & Chris Siebold. ... more

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