Electric Music for the Mind and Body

Side 1: Flying High (2:38) Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine (4:21) Death Sound Blues (4:23) Happiness Is a Porpoise Mouth (2:48) Section 43 (7:23)

Side 2: Superbird (2:04) Sad and Lonely Times (2:23) Love (2:19) Bass Strings (4:58) The Masked Marauder (3:10) Grace (7:03)

Flying High

I'm stuck on the L.A. freeway,
Got rain water in my boots,
My thumbs done froze, can't feel my toes,
I feel a little destitute.
Wheels throwing water all over my axe
And Mr. Jones won't lend me a hand.
Up come two cats in a Cadillac
And they say, "Won't you hop in, man ?"
I went flying high
All the way — all the way.

The one that's driving's got a bowler hat,
The other's got a fez on his head.
They turn around and grin and I grin back
But not a word was said.
So I took out my harp and I played 'em a tune,
I could see they were diggin' it,
Then the one with the fez, well he turns and he sez,
"We'd like to help you make your trip."
And I went flying high
All the way — all the way.

He said, "We can't leave him out in the rain,
He just might freeze and die,
So why not put him on a plane
And send him home in the sky ?"
So they took me to the L.A. airport,
Laid twenty dollars in my hand.
Well, I paid my fare, I'm in the air
Flying back home again.
And I went flying high
All the way, yeah, all the way, all the way,
You know I went flying high all the way,
Don't you know I went flying high all the...

Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine

She hides in an attic concealed on a shelf
Behind volumes of literature based on herself
And runs across the pages like some tiny elf
Knowing that it's hard to find
Stuff way back in her mind,
Winds up spending all of her time
Trying to memorize every line,
Sweet Lorraine, ah, sweet Lorraine.

Sweet lady of death wants me to die
So she can come sit by my bedside and sigh
And wipe away the tears from all my friends eyes
Then softly she will explain
Just exactly who was to blame
For causing me to go insane
And finally blow out my brain,
Sweet Lorraine, ah, sweet Lorraine.

Well you know that it's a shame and a pity
You were raised up in the city
And you never learned nothing 'bout country ways,
Ah, 'bout country ways.

The joy of life she dresses in black
With celestial secrets engraved in her back
And her face keeps flashing that she's got the knack,
But you know when you look into her eyes
All she's learned she's had to memorize
And the only way you'll ever get her high
Is to let her do her thing and then watch you die,
Sweet Lorraine, ah, sweet Lorraine.

Now she's the one who gives us all those magical things
And reads us stories out of the I Ching,
Then she passes out a whole new basket of rings
That when you put on your hand
Makes you one of the Angel Band
And gives you the power to be a man,
But what it does for her you never quite understand
Sweet Lorraine, ah, sweet Lorraine.

Well you know that it's a shame and a pity
You were raised up in the city
And you never learned nothing 'bout country ways,
Oh 'bout country ways, oh 'bout country ways,
Yeah, about country ways, oh, country ways ...

Death Sound Blues

I hear that death sound, baby,
Oh, like an echo in my brain.
I hear that death sound, baby,
Oh, like an echo in my brain, brain.
Well, there's a part of us dying,
You know that things will never be the same,
Ah, never be the same!

I feel the black nails a-poundin' now,
Yes, into the coffin of our love.
Hear the black nails a-poundin' now,
Yes, into the coffin of our love.
Well, like a black shrouded hunter now,
Don't you know that I have killed a snow white dove,
Oh, I've killed the dove.

Well, the time sands keep a-fallin' now
On towards our ending day.
Yeah, the time sands keep a-fallin'
Towards our ending day.
I see the minutes chasing the hours,
Yes, to the words that we should say,
Ah — we should say.

Happiness Is a Porpoise Mouth

The white ducks fly on past the sun,
Their wings flash silver at the moon.
While waters rush down the mountain tongue
My organs play a circus tune.
I dance to the wonder of your feet
And sing to the joy of your knees.
The cold white dress on the mountain breast
Paints the frozen trees.

The maple plants patterns in the sky
Its leaves to kiss the wind
While scores of glittering bugs and flies
Dance polkas on her limbs.
I whistle symphonies of your face
And laugh for your hair so fine.
In startled greens of playground grass
A child jumps rope to rhyme.

Reeds and brass, the marching drums
Make a joyous sound
Trees bend low with nuts and plums
Then fall to find the ground.
I hunger for your porpoise mouth
And stand erect for love.
The sun burns up the winter sky
And all the earth is love.

Section 43

instrumental

Superbird

Look, up yonder in the sky, now, what is that I pray ?
It's a bird it's a plane, it's a man insane, it's my President LBJ
He's flying high way up in the sky just like Superman,
But I have got a little piece of kryptonite,
Yes, I'll bring him back to land.

Said come out Lyndon with your hands held high,
Drop your guns, baby, and reach for the sky.
I've got you surrounded and you ain't got a chance,
Gonna send you back to Texas, make you work on your ranch,
Yeah, yeah, oh yeah.

He can call Super Woman and his Super Dogs,
But it sure won't do him no good,
Yeah, I found out why from a Russian spy
That he ain't nothing but a comic book.

We'll pull him off the stands and clean up the land,
Yes, we'll have us a brand new day.
What is more I got the Fantastic Four
And Doctor Strange to help him on his way.

Said come out Lyndon with your hands held high,
Drop your guns, baby, and reach for the sky.
We got you surrounded and you ain't got a chance,
Gonna send you back to Texas make you work on your ranch,
Yeah yeah, oh yeah.

Yeah, gonna make him eat flowers.
Yeah, make him drop some acid ...

Sad and Lonely Times

My love stands beside me
Through the rain, through the wind and the snow.
Through the bad and the good you know it's
Always understood that she's my love,
This I know, this I know.

So long sad and lonesome times,
So long lonely days.
So long sad and lonesome times,
Got my love here to show me the way.

My love stands beside me
  I can't seem to find the words
Through the rain, through the wind and the snow.
  To tell you how I care.
Through the bad and the good you know it's
  But I want you and I
Always understood that she's my love,
  Trust you and I love you, this I know
This I know.

And I want you and it's
  And I want you and I
Always understood that she's my love,
  Trust you and I love you, this I know,
This I know, this I know.

Love

Oh, c'mon!

Well, now deep in my heart baby I know that you care,
Deep in my heart, babe, the feeling is there,
'Cause I got something money can't buy,
I got something that you oughta try,
I got love, love, I said love, sweet love,
I got love, baby, yeah!

Well, I can tell by your smile what you wanna do,
See in your eyes you got the feeling, too.
Come on, baby, it's time to move,
'Cause I've got something that's a stone groove,
I got love, love, I said love, sweet love,
I got love, baby.

Well, now deep in my heart baby I know that you care,
Deep in my heart, babe, the feeling is there,
'Cause I got something money can't buy,
I got something that you oughta try,
I got love, love, I said love, sweet love,
I got love, baby, yeah!

Bass Strings

Hey partner, won't you pass that reefer round,
My world is spinnin', yeah, just got to slow it down.
Oh, yes you know I've sure got to slow it down.
Get so high this time that you know
I'll never come down, I'll never come down.

I believe I'll go out to the seashore, let the waves wash my mind,
Open up my head now just to see what I can find.
Oh, yes you know I'm gonna see what I can find,
Just one more trip now, you know I'll stay high
All the time, all the time.

Yes, I'll go out to the desert just to try and find my past.
Truth lives all around me, but it's just beyond my grasp.
Oh, yes you know it's just beyond my grasp.
I'll let the sand and the stars and the wind
Carry me back, oh carry me back.

L.S.D.
L.S.D.
L.S.D.

The Masked Marauder

La la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la.

La la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la.

La la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la.

Grace

One, two, three, four.

Cold rain to splash water diamonds colored green and
Flash the sun to paint green her hair.
Cold rain to splash water diamonds colored green and
Flash the sun to paint green her hair.
Your silver streak flash
Your silver streak flash
Your silver streak flash
Across the tiny door of my eye
Across the tiny door of my eye.

Warm wind to touch the trees colored blue and
Flash the moon to paint blue my heart.
Warm wind to touch the trees colored blue and
Flash the moon to paint blue my heart.
Your silver streak flash
Your silver streak flash
Your silver streak flash
Across the tiny door of my eye
Across the tiny door of my eye.

Soft skin to spend the every day colored gold and
Flash the sea to paint gold our love.
Soft skin to spend the every day colored gold and
Flash the sea to paint gold our love.
Your silver streak flash
Your silver streak flash
Your silver streak flash
Across the tiny door of my eye
Across the tiny door of my eye.

I love you
I love you
I love you

Recorded at Sierra Sound Laboratories, Berkeley, January-February 1967
Producer: Samuel Charters
Engineer: Robert di Souza
Processed at Vanguard Studios, 71 West 23rd Street, New York City

Joe McDonald: vocals, harmony vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica, tambourine, bells
Barry Melton: vocals, lead guitar
David Cohen: rhythm guitar, organ, lead guitar
Bruce Barthol: bass, harmonica
Gary "Chicken" Hirsh: drums, background sounds

This album is dedicated to Mr. & Mrs. Martin Dimbatt

Original vinyl release: Vanguard VSD.79244 [April 1967]
Original CD release:  Vanguard VMD-79244 [July 07, 1987]

All songs copyright © 1967 renewed 1996 by Joyful Wisdom, BMI

This page made possible through the kind assistance of Serge Mironneau.

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