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Umbrella Man

by Scott Albert Johnson

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1.
Spaceship 03:30
I saw a light the other night It sure was big, it sure was bright It knocked me out, it was outta sight Sure hope it comes back again tonight They said it was from outer space From some far-off and freaky place I'm tellin' you, now, face to face It disappeared without a trace And if I saw a spaceship, could I tell you so? If you thought I'd gone bananas, would you let me know? 'Cause I'm stuck here on this planet and I've got no place to go And now you say I've gone insane Some bad ideas got in my brain You say it was a bird or plane But let me tell you something, Jane There's more to life than meets the eye Way off beyond the earth and sky Should I have called the FBI? Or would they think it was a lie? And if I saw a spaceship, could I hitch a ride? Would it take me all the way to the other side? 'Cause I can't get off this planet, and Lord knows that I've tried... I've tried – I’ve tried to get to the other side I think that I shall never see A light so lovely or so free I wonder, will it ever be Sitting here right next to me? It's an illusion, so you say There’s no such thing anyway But I saw it just as clear as day And I don't think I want to stay And if I climbed aboard a spaceship, would you let me go? Could it be there's still a few things that you still don't know? Cause I'm jumping off this planet, and I just wanted to say "so long"… so long... so long... ..and that's the end of this song
2.
When I was still a young man, she was always there for me She said I was her hero, and I always tried to be She didn’t have much confidence, but I let her borrow mine And every day I just had to say, “Girl, you’re gonna turn out fine” Well, time went by, and one day I was lying in my bed She came to me with a sad, sad look, and then she softly said “You’re not the man I used to know”… and I guess that was a sign That if she stayed just one more day, things wouldn’t turn out fine That was fifteen years ago… I’m married, got a kid But I still smile after all this while ‘bout those crazy things we did I saw her just the other day, riding the Orange Line She didn’t recognize me but she sure did turn out fine
3.
4.
There’s a light shining through your lonely window It’s a flame most cannot see It leads to a room with a door in the darkness And it seems that I’ve been given the key Your sad smile that hangs on your face Tells me I’ve come to the right place But baby… what about your man? I’m a man of very few illusions I’m going nowhere, and I’m getting there slow And yet I find myself still drawn to your doorstep For reasons I’m not given to know And you call to me in the night, Saying please, baby, make it all right But baby… what about your man? We are living in a world of deception Confusion, misdirection, lies and mystery But that doesn’t change the truth that stands before us And it won’t do a thing to keep you away from me The clock is ticking and I hear it down the hallway My time’s slipping away faster than I can see But what can I say as I stand inside the doorway Is it you who is falling, or is it me? There’s a cold wind blowing through your broken window Tonight I’m lonely, because you’re not alone And so I wander on, with my hands in my pockets These small pieces of life are all that I own Still I know that I’ll return When I see that candle burn But baby… what about your man?
5.
Hollywood 04:08
Once upon a lonely time, in a young man's fantasy The young man thought he knew what he believed he could be Until he saw the carnival—the circus came to town And he knew there wasn't much left for him there, he didn't care to stick around The choice was made there and then The forecast surely was good The young man knew he'd be okay on the road to Hollywood So when he hit the 101, his star shot up faster than light And though it brought him down to his knees, he didn't put up much of a fight Then one day he saw his name hanging over Sunset and Vine And all he had to do to get it up there was just sign on the dotted line It really wasn't too much to ask You'd'a done the same if you could You'd be so happy in your big old house in the hills of Hollywood One night the young man went to bed, an old man waiting to die And in his dreams, he traveled back home for a proper goodbye “We're so proud of you, son “You're the toast of the neighborhood “We knew you'd never forget us way out there in Hollywood”
6.
The sweet, sweet surrender of a dark and cold December The smell of burning firewood in the air My friends and my relations make a bright constellation Of the memories I once created there When I'd go walking down the Magnolia Road To find the places that I used to go And when the time comes 'round to take me one thousand miles away There I go, but here my heart will stay There's not much explanation for this old infatuation I know there isn’t much that I can do 'Cause time marches onward, with dreams left undiscovered And still this road leads me back to you And I am walking down the Magnolia Road To learn the things that I used to know And though I know I’m chasing shadows through the alleys of my past The road will take me to the things that last Tell me that old story of the power and the glory Tell me how to chase my fears away Give me one good reason to make it through one more season Until the time when I come back to stay And we’ll go walking down the Magnolia Road Hold me tight until I have to go Until the time comes 'round to take me one thousand miles away There I go, but here my heart will stay
7.
Well, come over here, little baby, let me have a talk with you Well, come over here, little sugar mama, let me have a talk with you There’s a little matter we gotta discuss, that’s the matter of why you won’t be true Now don’t be bringing me no excuses… I’ve had enough of all that jive That private eye sure ‘nuff done his job, just as sure as I’m alive Now I think I’m gonna get in my BMW convertible, gonna put my top down and drive So you’ll be hearing from my lawyer, baby… in fact, you’ll be hearing from all three And you can have my bookcase from IKEA®, you can have my widescreen TV And you can have all your other men, baby, ‘cause you ain’t getting one more damn thing from me
8.
Walkabout 03:30
9.
Umbrella Man 04:55
I’m out to save a world that doesn’t feel like being saved I’m on a metaphysical mission, headed for a heavenly grave I’m such a strange attractor, and I don’t wanna tell no tale But my mojo is a-workin’ far beyond this earthly veil Can’t you see It’s clear to me That you don’t understand my philosophy But you gotta trust my plan I’m the umbrella man I’d take you for a ride, then I’d hang you out to dry I’d leave you feeling lucky, but I ain’t that kind of guy I’m sending out false messages, and I’m burning buildings down I’d make a deal with angels if the devil’s out of town But it’s true I’m feeling blue Because I don’t seem to be getting through to you The whole world’s my biggest fan I’m the umbrella man It’s really kind of funny how it ever came to this But my trigger finger’s itching and I know that I just can’t miss The motorcade’s approaching and the time is close at hand For me to claim my destiny and make a hero’s stand Pick up the phone Let it be known That the kid sure as hell didn’t act alone And I’d do it all again I’m the umbrella man Let it be known
10.
It’s a rainy night in America and I don’t know where I am I’m not the King of Anything… stuck in another jam It’s times like these when I look inside and I wonder what I see When the Man Upstairs doesn’t seem to care what will ever become of me But there’s a lady with a phone beside her pillow And there’s a little man staying up to watch TV And I think of you and everything is clear now It’s my job to give you the best of me Don’t know how I got here from the places that I’ve been This road has been the ruin of many better men I don’t know why it took so long for me to learn how to be strong And I don’t know how to disavow the things that I’ve done wrong But I’m learning how to see across the canyon Between who I am and who I need to be And you’re the ones who keep me standing on my feet now It’s your job – to keep getting the best of me So I’ll keep on singing songs around the Southland Songs about everything from A to Z And I’ll dream a time when all these rhymes add up to more than echoes And who knows – if we’re lucky – they just might set us free And you and he and I will walk together Anticipating all that’s yet to be ‘Til the day you both look back and remember ... ... I gave you the best of me

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released May 8, 2007

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Scott Albert Johnson Jackson, Mississippi

Scott Albert Johnson was bathed in the wide range of the American songbook, as well as the sounds of his 1970’s and 80’s childhood. That diversity is at the core of his new album, Going Somewhere. Johnson incorporates rock, jazz, blues, funk, country, and world music, mixed with thoughtful lyrics, strong vocals, and virtuosic harmonica playing, to create a unique, modern concoction of sound. ... more

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