Category: Lyrics

Written by Robbie Smith

Sidewalk stars – on sunset boulevard the sidewalk stars –
They came here searching for a promised pot of gold
But they’re growing old those sidewalk stars

Sidewalk stars – the ones who wanted fame and came so far
The lives they led were so much harder than we knew
For the chosen few – the sidewalk stars

Some found joy and some found glamour
Some of them even found love
Some made friends to share their laughter
But for some sweet stardom was never quite enough

For the sidewalk stars – yes, fame is fickle and it left its scars
Upon the faces that once graced the silver screen
Til their final scene – the sidewalk stars

Something meaningful, something magical –
Something of quality and grace
Something mem’rable yet something tragic
All that’s left are impressions but we still recall the faces

Of the sidewalk stars – the ones who gave their all
And left their mark –
Preserved forever in the movie reels of time
Still in their prime the sidewalk stars

Conjure up my boyhood mem’ries
Let them spring to life like flames
Hear familiar voices as they carry
Can you recall their names?
Fame’s timeless unforgettable names…

Rita Hayworth, Judy Garland, Clark Gable, Charlie Chaplin
Lana Turner, Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn… and Marilyn

Some found wealth and adoration
But there was a price to pay
Some lost their health – in isolation they ended their days they just faded away…

Oh, the sidewalk stars –
Swept by the furtive light of passing cars –
Their imprints deepen in the cool nostalgic night
In shadow-light the sidewalk stars,
In shadow-light the sidewalk stars,
In shadow-light the sidewalk stars

Written by Robbie Smith

Riding the riverboat on its journey
Lord, it’s a long long way
But it’s turnin’ mild on the old Missouri
With the sun cuttin’ through the grey

Been working up north a-cursin’ the weather
And shivering in the snow
Dreamin’ of the day I’d break my tether
And southward I would go

I’ll lay you a bet with the time we’re makin’
We’re bound to be there soon
With a ten piece band swingin’ and a-swayin’
Playin’ a dixieland tune

Orders comin’ down from the riverboat master
“Keep those tugs in view”
That mighty wheel is a-spinnin’ faster
Better let that riverboat through

Instrumental

Out on the deck with my banjo ringin’
Rollin’ right along – with people all around
Swayin’ and a-swingin’ – singin’ a riverboat song

Paddle on riverboat – keep a paddlin’ just for me
Paddle on riverboat – oh ho – until I’ve won my liberty

Instrumental

Been writin’ to a girl thinkin’ ‘bout a wedding
I can almost hear those bells
I’ve earned my liberty and now I’m headin’
To the city where my sweetheart dwells

There’s a lock of her hair and a four leaf clover
In a letter that she sent to me
I’m beginning to think that the worst is over
And the best still waitin’ to be

Out on the deck with my banjo ringin’
Rollin’ right along – with people all around
Swayin’ and a-swingin’ – singin’ a riverboat song

Hear them sing, now…

Paddle on riverboat – keep a paddlin’ just for me
Paddle on riverboat- oh ho – until I’ve won my liberty
Paddle on riverboat – keep a paddlin just for me
Paddle on riverboat…..Riverboat (riverboat)
‘Till at long last I am free

Words and music by Robbie Smith

His Word and His Promise
Will carry us through these trials,
And His Love will shine down upon us –
To shorten the long, weary miles.

Heed not the war cry that rallies
The forces of “wrong” or of “right”;
There may yet be Peace in our valleys –
With the beacon of Truth burning bright –
Burning eternally bright…

Sing an Anthem of Peace
‘Til the battles all cease
And the suffering gives way to mirth;
Put an end to the greed
And attend to the needs of your children –
The ones who’ll inherit the earth.

Give one voice to your Anthem –
No matter what lies ahead;
You have seeds to sow – go and plant them,
‘Til all of your hungry are fed.

Have Faith, oh, my brothers –
Each Peacemaker shall be spared;
Spread your kindness now unto others –
A Blessing in turn to be shared –
A Blessing to always be shared…

Sing an Anthem of Peace
‘Til the battles all cease
And the suffering gives way to mirth;
Put an end to the greed
And attend to the needs of your children –
(Oo-oo-oo-ooh – of your children)
The ones who’ll inherit the earth.

Written by Robbie Smith & Kathleen Glauser

Hey hey hey Mr. T,
Won’t you look over here, won’t you listen to me
Hey hey we’ve got something to say,
We’re standing right here, not going away

We’re gonna sing shout, spell it all out
Till you put it in the constitution
We’re gonna sing shout, spell it all out
Got a problem? Get a solution…

So many nations are proud to be one
Of the countries who value their daughters and sons
We want clean air to breathe, pure water to drink
Safe food on the table, so what do you think?

We’re gonna sing shout, spell it all out
Till you put it in the constitution
We’re gonna sing shout, spell it all out
Got a problem? Get a solution…
Sing… Shout… spell it all out spell it all out

Hey hey, Five million of us are singing out loud:
Who’s driving the bus?
We heard mother earth, she’s crying big tears
There’s no Planet B, so get into gear

Oh Canada we looked for our place
In the list of the Nations setting the pace
To protect Mother Nature but we’re lagging behind
And we are your future so keep that in mind

We’re gonna sing shout, spell it all out
Till you put it in the constitution
We’re gonna sing shout, spell it all out
Got a problem? So get a solution
Sing… Shout… spell it all out spell it all out
Sing… Shout it out… spell it all out SPELL IT ALL OUT!

We’re gonna sing shout, spell it all out
Till you put it in the constitution
We’re gonna sing shout, spell it all out
Got a problem? So get a solution
Sing… Shout… spell it all out spell it all out
Sing… Shout it out… spell it all out SPELL IT ALL OUT!

Written by Robbie Smith

I heard you were married in Lincoln Cathedral
Crowds in the courtyard, bells in the steeple
Carted and carried and brought to the altar
Kissed by your mother, held by your father

Over and over I read your reply –
heard you deny the love that once filled your eyes
A love that could never die – so brightly it filled your eyes
How could it ever die, how could it ever die?

Proudly they hailed you in Lincoln Cathedral
The rich and the hungry, young and the feeble
Voices proclaiming undying devotion
Power and glory spanning the ocean
Further and further we drifted apart
Hoping ’til now that somehow I’d touched your heart

Oh Lincoln Cathedral the kingdom applauds
A gift to your people and a blessing from God

Leaving the gateway of Lincoln Cathedral
Off to his palace stately and regal
Chandelier crystal and goblets of silver
Deep spacious rooms where candle-lights filter
Servants awaiting your every command
But you must obey the one who has claimed your hand
Oh Lincoln Cathedral -ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Oh Lincoln Cathedral – ah -ah

Instrumental Break

Now the great halls are silent in Lincoln Cathedral
Cloistered in darkness safe from the people
And far in the distance a princess is weeping
Hiding a letter still in her keeping
Bound by tradition she’ll sleep by his side
His choice was made and so she must be his bride
Now she must be his bride keeping the truth deep inside
Now she must be his bride – casting her love aside

Music by Robbie Smith, words by Robert S. Smith

On the rolling waves he goes
Rowing where the fish will be
With his sturdy hands the Spanish fisherman
Will gather in the harvest of the sea

As the sun breaks from the waves
And his boat rocks silently
Some great power keeps watch upon the deep
And his little boat upon the sea

Ah, but Celinda waits for him
Waiting to soothe his rope-burned hands
And the lonely’s worth the living
When the sea meets with the land… meets with the land

Till the salt spray whites his hands
And the sea winds carve their lines
All alone will he fill his destiny
Gathering the harvest of the sea

Ah, but Celinda waits for him
To soothe his rope-burned hands
And the lonely’s worth the living
When the sea meets with the land… meets with the land

Ah, but Celinda waits for him
Waiting to soothe his rope-burned hands
And the lonely’s worth the living
When the sea meets with the land… meets with the land

Written by Robbie Smith

Hey you tired miner listen to the wind
It’s saying that you’ll never find a chance like this again
Been digging like a fool for someone else’s gold
When you should be hauling mackerel nets and searching for the schoals

Oh life – give me what you can
Another game and another chance to win
Oh life – the follies and the toils
You won’t be here to gather up the spoils
When they lay ya six feet underneath the soil

Hey you ruddy jailer throw away the key
Open up the silver box and set your spirit free
A jail tells a man he’s the lowest thing that crawls
When he’d rather be out in the farmin’ lands and working in the stalls

Oh life – give me what you can
Another game and another chance to win
Oh life – the follies and the toils
You won’t be here to gather up the spoils
When they lay ya six feet underneath the soil

Hey you nine-to-fiver steppin’ up the pace
You think you’re moving forward but you’re losing every race
They treat you just the same as they treated you in school
If you don’t like bein’ a loser then it’s time to change the rules

Oh life – give me what you can
Another game and another chance to win
Oh life – the follies and the toils
You won’t be here to gather up the spoils
When they lay ya six feet underneath the soil (repeat)

Music by Robbie Smith, words by John Masefield

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying

Instrumental Break

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way, where the wind’s like a whetted knife
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over

Written by Robbie Smith

It’s been a dream of mine since I was no more than a child
– just a child
To set out on my own and conquer that river running wild
To forget about the life I’ve led and find a place where no one ever goes
Find out where that cold old river flows

Now, Pa was a mountain man, that’s what the parson said
– That’s what he said
But I never knew his name and I never had his picture by my bed
But he lived up in those rocky hills where the coyote cries,
and the wind just blows and blows
Out there where that cold old river flows

Old river I am young – changing river my journey’s begun
I only hope that I might be your friend until my journey’s end

I’ll take this birch canoe leave my orphan days behind
– far behind
This time I won’t be turning back for I have no ties that bind
I’ll just camp out ‘neath an open sky then southward to canyons I will go
’Til I find out where that cold old river flows

Old river I am young – changing river my journey’s begun
I only hope that you might be my friend…
Once I’ve reached my journey’s end

Tonight I’ll make my bed in the milkweed by the shore
– the misty shore
And then I’ll close my eyes and listen to the distant rapids roar
And I’ll put away my hunting knife and think about the lonely life he chose
Out here where that cold old river flows
Where that cold old river flows, where that cold old river flows
Where that cold old river flows

Written by Robbie Smith

Catch your breath cause I’m comin’ ta get ya
Don’t get gloomy cause I won’t let ya
I won’t let that smile turn to a frown
It was a picnic basket day when I met ya
Blow a kiss to the sun then let the night wind spread
Its velvety blanket down upon the ground

And that’s where we’ll lie neath the inky blinky starlit sky
Watch the moon and the clouds play hide and seek
And that’s when we’ll sigh ba ba ba blinky blinky eye to eye
Mmmm…no need to speak cause we’ll be milky silky cheek to cheek

I’m rollickin’ frolickin’ yours for the pickin’
Got heals that are getting’ an urge to start clickin’
My chin’s never been so high above the ground
I’m a regular Einstein with you standing next to me –
Equation: I plus you equals ecstasy
Albert E’s got nothin’ on me whenever you’re around

Scat

I’m the opposite of solemn and uncommonly lucky
Cupid’s arrow has finally struck me –
Up until now he’d always missed the mark
I’m naturally high and undeniably happy –
If I get more euphoric you really should slap me
You’re good for my soul let’s go for a stroll down to Palisades Park

And that’s where we’ll stay snuggly cuddly huggly on display
Like two stuffed prizes in a penny arcade
And that’s when we’ll kiss – slip our lips together just like this
Sippin’ music like cool orangeade – a tuneful spoonin’ serenade

You’re tops in a league of your own with no equals
If you were a book I’d want two dozen sequels
The nearest competition’s a distant 2nd place
I’m academically lacking it’s held me back a bit
But physically willing to make up for it
Park yourself a little bit closer til we’re face to face

And that’s where we’ll be when I propose to you on bended knee
With some shiny shiny diamond earrings for your ears
And that’s when you’ll see our serious/silly destiny
Stretching out way out through the years
As that magic wedding day draws nears

Scat

Written by Robbie Smith

Shake the bandstand with that march
It sounds so grand when that music starts
When I was young I knew every part
It takes me back and it stirs my heart

Feel the rhythm shake that floor
Bring back the music we knew before
Before the crash before the war
Just wanna hear that march once more

Served in the forces in my younger days
Then came the war I got caught inside the maze
Left my best arm in the trenches of France
Can’t play the horn now but I still love to dance

So put some feeling in those notes
The ones that John Phillip Sousa wrote
Suspend the 4th just let it float
There’s a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat

There’s someone on the dance floor I’d surely like to get to know
So just for awhile play something soft and slow
She reminds me of someone I loved so long ago…

Instrumental Break

Place this corsage in your winter hair
Dance with me closely ’til we’re free from care
Shhh! The band pauses for a breath of air
Then the tuba thunders and the trombone blares

Shake the bandstand with that sound
The greatest sound that’s yet been found
No not yet don’t bring the curtain down
Play one for the soldiers who are still around

And feel the rhythm shake that floor
Bring back the sounds we knew before
Before the crash – before the war
Just want to hear that march… once more

Written by Robbie Smith

The storekeeper’s son was a kindly young man,
He dreamed many dreams and he planned many plans
But from sun-up ’til dusk he would stand on his feet
In a curio shop on Darby Street

He could have gone far so the townspeople said
But he chose to live simply and sheltered instead
And he stayed where he was on the chance he might meet
A pretty young girl from Darby Street
From Darby Street

And sometimes we’d see him along the canal
On damp winter mornings when time would allow
And he’d quick tip his hat and smile with his eyes
A smile that passed quickly as we passed him by

And when in the night he would pause to reflect
He was glad he had earned his father’s respect
But somehow his life was a song incomplete
That could never be sung on Darby Street
On Darby Street

And sometimes we’d see him along the canal
On damp winter evenings when time would allow
And he’d quick tip his hat and smile with his eyes
A smile that passed quickly as we passed him by

And one day the curtains were drawn on his door
The windows were barred from ceiling to floor
And somehow we sensed ‘twas the last time we’d meet
The storekeeper’s son from Darby Street