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Jesse Winchester's Studio

Lyrics

A Touch On The Rainy Side   1978

touch

A Touch On The Rainy Side
A Showman's Life
Sassy
Candida
High Ball
Little Glass Of Wine
Holly
Wintry Feeling
Just Now It Feels So Right
I'm Looking For A Miracle




A Touch On The Rainy Side


Leslie, all you wish, I wish you'd find in me,
A feather on your breast, Leslie, that's what I will be,
And all that I will ask, this bagatelle for me,
Is open wide your loving heart, so that I may see
Your laughter when you're glad,
Your sadness when you're blue,
And any little pleasure, Leslie, I may bring to you.

And just because you are the sunshine,
Please don't run and hide,
Just because I am a little touch on the rainy side.

Tell me what you want, anything at all.
At your service, Lady Leslie, at your beck and call,
And all that I will ask, a bagatelle for me,
Is open wide your loving heart, so that I may see
Your laughter when you're glad,
Your sadness when you're blue,
And any little pleasure, Leslie, I may bring to you.

And just because you are the sunshine,
Please don't run and hide,
Just because I am a little touch on the rainy side.

©1978 Jesse Winchester
From the LP "A Touch On The Rainy Side"

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A Showman's Life

A showman's life is a smokey bar,
The fevered chase of a tiny star,
It's a hotel room and a lonely wife
From what I've seen of a showman's life

Nobody told me about this part
They told me all about the pretty girls and wine
The money and good times
No mention of the wear and tear on an old honkey-tonker's heart
Well, I might have known it
But nobody told me about this part

A boy will dream as children do
Of a great white way, 'til the dream comes true
And a phoney smile in a colored light
Is all it is to a showman's life

Nobody told me about this part
They told me all about the pretty girls and wine
The money and good times
No mention of the wear and tear on an old honkey-tonker's heart
Well, I might have known it
But nobody told me about this part

©1978 Jesse Winchester
From the LP "A Touch On The Rainy Side"

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Sassy

Sassy's daddy's a lawyer, and you can't do better than that
Sassy's daddy's got a three-piece suit, and a grey, crushed-velvet hat;
Years of fancy schooling can't tame Sassy down
No, me, I want to be in the way when Sassy come rollin' round

Sassy, she's got spirit, and you can't do better than that
Plus she's got the sweetest way of tellin' me this and that
Not to mention money, she's too good to be true
Me, I want to be in the way when Sassy come rollin through

And O, Sassy, if you're ever blue,
Call on me, the comforter,
Sassy, I love you, yes I do.

Many a heart she's broken Sassy knows nothing about
She just goes her merry way, knockin' the menfolk out;
Sassy, she has no patience, sorry, she has to fly,
Well, me, I want to be in the way, when Sassy goes flyin' by
Bye-Bye

©1978 Jesse Winchester
From the LP "A Touch On The Rainy Side"

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Candida


The stars won't come out
If they know that you're about
'Cause they couldn't match
The brightness of your eyes
And oh, who am I?
Just an ordinary guy;
Who's tryin' hard to win me first prize.
Oh my Candida
We could make it together
But the further from here girl
The better
Where the air's fresh and clean
O my Candida
Just take my hand
And I'll lead ya
I promise life will be sweeter
It says so in my dreams

The future is bright
A Gypsy told me so last night
Said she saw our children playing in the sunshine
And there were you and I
In a house, girl, it's no lie
She said all these things by right were yours and mine

Toni Wine and Irwin Levine
©1970 Big Apple Music Company
From the LP "A Touch On The Rainy Side"

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High Ball


High ball in the passing lane
This old Plymouth is a balling train
I will drive it hard til the wheels wear down
Then get out and push the thing into town

Chorus:
Not too strong but I'm ever ready
I drive fast but I drive steady
I'm not too long for this old world
So please get out of my way

High ball, this poor old heart
You're going to pull the thing all apart
You drive it hard til the heart break down
Who's gonna fix it in this ole town

Chorus

High ball, you must lay back
You're going to run the thing off the track
Now lay back, why another day
I got to high ball it all the way

Chorus

High ball, in a jet airplane
Much too slow that old balling train
Fly it hard til the thing fall down
Then get out and push the thing into town

Chorus

©1978 Jesse Winchester
From the LP "A Touch On The Rainy Side"

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Little Glass Of Wine

Little glass of wine, a good thing you are here
You're warm on my lips, warm as a tear
A comfort to the fool who's restless in his mind
The lover's trusty potion, little glass of wine

Little glass of wine, you're oil on my flame
Shy of the sunlight, hiding your shame
Many, many tears, the number is sublime
Shall stain a woman's bosom for a little glass of wine

As soon as you learn that you don't live forever
You'll grow fond of the fruit of the vine
So here is to you, and here is to me
And here is to the ones we've left behind.

Little glass of wine sure makes the party gay,
It will seal a lover's bargain, it will chase the blues away.
So if you're feeling low, and you want to rest your mind,
Just run and fetch another little glass of wine.
Just run and fetch another little glass of wine.

©1978 Jesse Winchester
From the LP "A Touch On The Rainy Side"

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Holly


And Holly, I know it will be grand
There'll be a lots of talking
And teasing
And laughing
And holding of hands
We know there's a dark side
To the moon that we see
But what's a little darkness
To the likes of you and me?

And oh yah yah oh yah yah
Yonder comes the morning star
Oh yah yah the darkest days
They don't last always

And Holly, I think I've changed my mind
I think that there's a God up above
Holly, dear, you're so clearly a sign
We know there's a dark side
To the moon that we see
But what's a darkness
To the likes of you and me?

And oh yah yah oh yah yah
Yonder comes the morning star
Oh yah yah the darkest days
They don't last always

©1978 Jesse Winchester
From the LP "A Touch On The Rainy Side"

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Wintry Feeling

Look how the sky's all silver, beautiful Montreal
And out of the sky of silver, snowflakes begin to fall
I sit me by my window, I take my pen in hand
If I sound a little wintry, you'll have to understand.

So how is California, how is the weather there?
Where every day is sunny, where all the skies are fair
Tell me do you remember how once upon a time
We'd sit and watch the snow fall, sharing a glass of wine?

Oh that sad old wintry feeling
I don't really seem to mind
Sad but sweet old wintry feeling
O that wintry feeling, somehow it just seems to suit me fine.

If you are never cold love, who's going to keep you warm?
You'll take the sun for granted, if you run from every storm
Lord, me and this old guitar, now we've seen a storm or two
We've seen a million drifters, these snowflakes and you.

Oh that sad old wintry feeling
I don't really seem to mind
Sad but sweet old wintry feeling
O that wintry feeling, somehow it just seems to suit me fine.

©1978 Jesse Winchester
From the LP "A Touch On The Rainy Side"

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Just Now It Feels So Right

Put your loving arms around me dear, and lay down by my side
And forget the ugly things I said, I said them out of pride
All your tears they have disarmed me, now I don't want to fight
Oh what looked so wrong a moment before, just now it feels so right.

I have been this way so long now
Till it looks like I will never change
I'm a long lonesome stranger and a shot gone wild
I'm a soft-hearted soldier with a wife and a child
So I'm taking all the chances that I can

Oh I know I broke my promise dear, and it always the same thing
Why it never even slowed me down, this little golden ring
But I've had my feel of empty love and the ring's still shining bright
Oh what looked so wrong a moment before, just now it feels so right
Oh what looked so wrong a moment before, just now it feels so right.

©1978 Jesse Winchester
From the LP "A Touch On The Rainy Side"

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I'm Looking For A Miracle

O I'm looking for a miracle
I'm looking for a miracle
I'm looking for a miracle
And I know it's just a matter of time.

Now listen to me Doctor, the business that you're in
You must have seen a miracle time and time again
If I can leave a number, and the next one that you see
If it ain't too much trouble, Doctor, get in touch with me.

O I'm looking for a miracle
I'm looking for a miracle
I'm looking for a miracle
And I know it's just a matter of time.

Now listen to me Reverend, all the praying that you do
Surely you've been favored with a miracle or two
I'm a stranger to the church, a little lamb astray
But if you show me a miracle I'll be there every day.

O I'm looking for a miracle
I'm looking for a miracle
I'm looking for a miracle
And I know it's just a matter of time.

Now Thomas was a doubter, he would not understand
He would not believe until he touched it with his hand
Now I'm ashamed to say it, but he's a lot like me
I want to believe it, Lord, but first I want to see.

O I'm looking for a miracle
I'm looking for a miracle
I'm looking for a miracle
And I know it's just a matter of time.

©1978 Jesse Winchester
From the LP "A Touch On The Rainy Side"

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