In My Skin (2007)

In My Skin
with Gina Leishman vocals, baritone ukulele, piano, glass; Charlie Burnham violin; Greg Cohen bass; Matt Munisteri guitar; Marc Ribot guitar; Todd Sickafoose bass; Kenny Wollesen percussion

1. GIRL WITH A CURL
Once a girl with a curl
Lived in the world of men
She played her horn night and morn
In that world and then
One day she say I’m going away
Some day we’ll play together again
Then the girl with the curl
She just ran and ran
Then she sat and she sang
As the day began
Singing of time before time began
Singing of how singing can give wings to man
Time went by
And the sky turned from grey to blue
And every day on her way
She found something new
Sand as golden as the rays of the sun
Water as blue as a child’s play is fun
Time went by
And the sky turned from blue to gold
And the songs that she sang
Were from stories she’d been told
By the birds and by the fish in the sea
A story for you and a song for me
Time went by
And the sky turned from blue to grey
In her heart was a voice
And she heard it say
Time was you were not quite so alone
Time could be time to go home
Then the girl with the curl
Missed the world of men
Birds are fine and the sun shines all day but then
Sing as she might
Come the night her heart is blue
Wish on a star
Wonder how far she is from you
So the girl with the curl
Returned to the world of men
And she sang and she played with them once again
Time was time is
And time will be again
So she plays once more in the world again

2. (ANOTHER) FOOLISH HEART
I’m going to tell my foolish heart
That it is best that we part
Although I’ll often wonder why
I’m going to climb into my bed
And not regret what I said
There must be honour among thieves
You stole a part of me I never meant to give
You’ve got the heart of me
So how am I to live?
There may be times when I will say
That I have lived to rue the day
That I let you steal my heart
But then I’ll get up off the floor
And I will close and lock that door
And then I’ll throw away the key
I may have wanted you but now at last I see
It’s too late to start
So say goodbye my foolish heart

3. FOOD FIRST (LOVE LATER)
If I had a million dollars
I would give them all to you
Lay them one beside the other
So we might enjoy the view
But I only have two dollars
One for you and one for me
Put them side by side and maybe
They’ll make more for all to see
I may never be a millionaire
I may never grace the cover of Vanity Fair
My face may be as forgettable
As my bank account is regrettable
But nonetheless I must confess
I’m happy
Sam says food first love later
From alpha to omega
In the beginning right to the bitter end
Wise men say the same
Who said first bread, morals follow on
The love of life lingers when you’re gone
Love won’t fill your belly
It won’t keep the devil away from your door
He’ll knock and take you straight to hell
He’ll convince you oh so well
That the ceiling is the floor
You can dance on the ceiling
If it’s safer than the floor
You can try and eat your dreams
But they’ll leave you wanting more
I curse myself for being such a fool
I let you walk right in
Just like the first day at school
You stole my lunch box and then my heart
I decided right then love and I must part
So Sam says food first love later

4. LE CHAT
Est-ce qu’il y a un chat sur mon lit?
Oui
Est-ce qu’il y a un poisson?
Non
Et peut-être les fenetres vertes sont ouvertes
Et je dois boire un verre d’eau
Ou un bon Bordeaux au bord de la mer
Qu’est-ce que c’est sur mon nez?
Un tache
Un tache rouge qui bouge pas
Est-ce que ce monsieur qui compte la honte
Donne une pourboire
Pour boire un verre d’eau
Ou un bon Bordeaux au bord de la mer
J’adore mon chat
J’adore mon chat Jacques
Mais je dors en dehors et puis
La lune me fait reveiller toute la nuit
Et ça m’ fait rigoler toute la journée
Est-ce qu’il y a un chat
Qui me fait rigoler comme ça?
Oui
Il s’appelle Jacques

5. NIGHT WIND
Cries on the night wind
Echoes of empires’ fall
Ours in the making
Sighs on the night wind
Falling of buildings tall
There for the taking
How can it be we hadn’t heard of them?
How can it be that they could murder them all?
Cries on the night wind
Glimpses of something strange
Limpid and glistening
Sighs on the night wind
Only just out of range
But who is listening?
How can it be we didn’t see it coming?
How can it be that time is running out?
Cries on the night wind
Rumours of empty shelves
But who is feeding the
Sighs on the night wind
Pictures of burning wells
Children lie bleeding
How can it be you think you’re safer now?
How can it be you don’t believe when I say for how long?
One two buckle your shoe
Three four out the door
Five six pick up sticks
And rob your neighbour blind
Seven eight don’t be late
Nine ten just say when
Eleven twelve help yourself
Don’t leave anything behind
Cries on the night wind
Greed is the king of now
Everyone’s buying the
Sighs on the night wind
Oil is the king of how
Everyone’s lying
How can it be that we should have it all?
How can it be that we won’t take the fall?
One for Peter two for Paul
Three for the guy who stole it all
Four for silver five for gold
Six for the story that’s never been told
One two buckle your shoe etc.

6. GREEN WATER
Green water indigo sky
Wind in the pines dying
Olive trees sky-high fennel
Girl in a hammock lying
Cicadas sing in the heat of the afternoon
Swallows in the early morning
Share the water with the daughter
Later she swims alone by the light of the moon
Here is the daughter
There is the sun going to bed
As red as the moon that is rising
Birds singing early evening
The wind dies
Light on the olive trees
Under she lies
Old stone walls sky-high fennel
Parched red earth
Dragonflies both red and blue
Hover over the water
In the pool by the daughter
As she slides in
Glides into the setting sun
Into the green water indigo sky
Sky-high fennel ullastre and pine
Sun-warmed tiles olive trees a

7. MERRY MONTH OF MAY
Spring’s been a long time coming
April’s almost out the door
Sun’s shining in through my window
But I could wish for more
Winter took forever
Seems it would never go away
Time’s ticking by me
Soon it’ll fly me to the merry month of May
Birds singing outside my window
They never sounded so sweet
Trees busting out in leafy green
Their blossom lines the street
Flowers show their faces
Soon there’ll be no traces of winter’s gloom
April showers bring those flowers
That in the merry month of May bloom
Take a walk by the river
Dogs and children in the park
Boats on the river
And dancing in the dark
Spring’s been a long time coming
Winter’s had its day
Summer is a-coming
Soon it’ll be that very merry month of May

8. LEAVING
She only loves when she is leaving
She’s only happy when she’s grieving
Feeling like a heart of stone
Comes from living all alone
Heartache and the blues are thick as thieving
She only knows her heart is breaking
He’s only in it for the taking
Join the crowd come one come all
Hear the story see the fall
Lost in a desire of her own making
He said I feel I’ve known you all my life
She said I know
He said I think I love you
And by the way have you met my wife
She said no
9. MY HEART BELONGS TO DADDY (Cole Porter)
When tearing off a game of golf
I might make a play for the caddy
But if I do I don’t follow through
‘Cause my heart belongs to daddy
If I invite a boy some night
To dine on my fine fin and haddie
I just adore his asking for more
But my heart belongs to daddy
Yes my heart belongs to daddy
So you know I couldn’t be bad
Yes my heart belongs to daddy
Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-dad
So I want to warn you laddie
That I know you’re perfectly swell
But my heart belongs to daddy
‘Cause my daddy he treats it so well
(my lyric, sorry, Cole:)
Some other men
Every now and then
May make me feel like being a baddie
But I just think about all that mink
And my heart goes back to daddy.
Yes my heart goes back to daddy
So you know I couldn’t be bad etc.
10. THE SCENIC ROUTE
If I had it to do all over again
I’d do the same things over time and again my friends
Let’s face it I should have changed my ways
Let’s face it these aren’t the good old days
But I still go on living the same old way
I don’t know what’s coming I live from day to day
It’s getting late but the point is moot
‘Cause given the choice I’ll take the scenic route
Let’s take the scenic route
We may get lost but we can always toot the horn from night to morn
I’ve always liked the scenic route
It may be slow but it’s beautiful and so
Go slow take in the view
Watch the corners and if you do you’ll
Enjoy the scenic route
You’ll find there highways and byways to suit every mood
And if you find you go ‘round the bend
In the end that’s why it’s called the scenic route
It’s not as if I trod the straight and narrow path
When things got rough I acted tough or took a bath
Some people may say that I’ve been blind
Well some people I guess they’re not my kind
And so the day may come when I will pay
A hefty price for making all that hay
But if it fits why not wear the suit
The point is moot
I took the scenic route

11. HERE TODAY GONE TOMORROW
Noel Coward asked the question
Why do the wrong people travel
While the right people stay at home?
When fending off the hordes when I
Alone beside the sea would lie
He’s right I say I wish they’d go away
But I simply can’t decide if I agree
I can’t abide that he
Should cast such aspersions
On my favourite excursions
Here today gone tomorrow
Or so I hear that’s what people say
So when I see those umbrellas
And all those happy fellas
Out catching the rays
I just whistle and say
Here today gone tomorrow
Sometimes it rains sometimes shine
And so when I’m pining or feeling blue
I pack my bags and I don’t think of you
I say to myself pay no attention
Just stay away from that door
Fly away sorrow
Come back tomorrow
Because tomorrow
I will be far away from here
Goodbye to the heartache
Just say farewell
Here today gone tomorrow

12. IN MY SKIN
I feel much more like I do now
Than I did when I came in
I was out of sorts
Now I am in my skin
It may be much too late for me
To tell you where I’ve been
But I feel much more like I do now
Than I did when I came in
You look much more like you do now
Than you did when we first met
I was not your type
Now what you see you get
It may be true it’s too late for you
To tell me where you’ve been
But you look much more like you do now
Than you did when you came in
Oh what a time we might have had
Oh I would gladly love you only
To leave you sad and lonely
‘Cause I feel much more like I do now
Than I did when I came in
I was out of sorts
Now I am in my skin
It may be much to late for me
To tell what might have been
But I feel much more like I do now
Than I did when I came in

All songs by Gina Leishman (unless otherwise noted)
© c’estquoi music/BMI