The Fortune Favors the Bold songbook is 27 years old and it's been unavailable for 26 of those years...since I've spent a great deal of time wondering exactly what it is the Kinman brothers were singing, here are all the words I could find: Fortune Favors the Bold Mk II.
You can see scans of the original Fortune Favors the Bold here. This version has extra songs, corrected lyrics, alternate texts for a few songs, and comments on the songs.
Yankee boy
Shoot the yankee boy
Yankee boy
Gonna shoot him dead
--9 dead
10 shot
Nice shot
Military solutions
For civil rights problems
Just call the military
They gonna lend you a hand
--9 dead
10 shot
Nice shot
Here comes the National Guard
Yankee Boy
Shoot the yankee boy
You'll get a good education
At the end of a gun
--9 dead
10 shot
Nice shot
Here comes the National Guard
What you gonna do when they take it all away?
How you gonna live 'til tomorrow
What you gonna say? How high's the price you gotta pay
What you gonna do with your sorrow?
You, your day has come at last
But it feels like yesterday to me
I got lost--in your love house
Shows you how wrong you can be
How you gonna feel when the lights go off at nine o'clock?
What you gonna do for eight hours?
How you gonna sleep? Wear the face the others keep
What you gonna do with no power?
What you gonna do when they take it all away?
How you gonna live 'til tomorrow
What you gonna say? How high's the price you gotta pay
What you gonna do with your sorrow?
You, your day has come at last
But it feels like yesterday to me
I got lost--in your love house
Shows you how wrong you can be
The released version of this (on the Dils Dils Dils LP) has pretty different lyrics.
Hey, Mr Big, you look so big to others
Hey, Mr Big, well I can see you're nothin'
You watch TV to learn the news
Don't switch the station, you'll get confused
When you go downtown, you're driven in your car
While I take the bus--twice as long to get half as far
Sneaking in at 2 AM--walking on your toes
So over confident, you think that no one knows
And you hate me
And I hate you
Hey Mr Big well now I know the truth
When the walls come down, I'll be there to see
The look on your face when you see me
Pin-balling on Broadway
And snagged for something I'd never say
Big fat man in a dark blue suit
Innocence had gotten in his way
That's when I knew I was before the law
I knew how to run, they'd teach me how to crawl
Talking 'bout humanity
in terms of chain and leather
Red books, blackbook, gold-bound books and more
We should have talked about the weather
Skating on a frozen lake
Snow men and women on the make
Watching those mermaids through a sheet of ice
Praying for a frozen Christ
Before the law, the ghost had answered me
Before the law, was LAW, and we were free
Before the law, I'd heard the door was mine
I've been sitting here for a long, long time
I couldn't make out anything from the released version, so these lyrics will just have to stand as-is.
I
I wanna war, between the rich and the poor
I wanna fight and know what I'm fighting for
In a class war, class war, class war, class war
This war, that war, class war, last war
In New York and LA
City Halls are falling down
There is no escape
When a class war comes to town
Class war, class war, class war, class war
This war, that war, class war, last war
If I'm told to kill
A Cuban or African
There'll be a class war
Right here in America
Class war, class war, class war, class war
Class war, class war, class war, class war
Class war, class war, class war, class war
Class war's gonna be
The last war
Are the cowards ready
For a class war?
I'm not talking about a race war.
The last two verses aren't sung on either of the released versions of the song. The first one comes from the songbook, the second was included on a Dils flyer.
It's not worth it
You might as well spend your days in bed
It's not worth it
No matter what you do you're better off dead
You pretty girl
You make good use of your eyes
But don't use 'em on me cause you'll be wasting your time
You've got your problems and I've got mine
What you do to make your living makes your living a crime
It's not worth it
You might as well spend your days in bed
It's not worth it
No matter what you do you're better off dead
You're so stupid
You'd put your head through a wall
When nothing works you tried to make sense of it all
Look in the mirror, tell me, what did you see?
It ain't me, it ain't, no it ain't me
It's not worth it
You might as well spend your days in bed
It's not worth it
No matter what you do you're better off dead
Spend your days in bed
Maybe you'll get ahead
It's not worth it
You might as well spend your days in bed
It's not worth it
No matter what you do you're better off dead
You're so stupid
You'd put your head through a wall
When nothing works you tried to make sense of it all
Look in the mirror, tell me, what did you see?
It ain't me, it ain't, no it ain't me
It's not worth it
You might as well spend your days in bed
It's not worth it
No matter what you do you're better off dead
I see walls
But these walls aren't in my way
And I read words
But they don't have much to say
I don't listen to the cops
I wish they all were dead
Listen to the planes flying over head
Listen to the sound of the loss and gain(?)
I just listen to the sound of the rain
I see a man
He worked so hard to get ahead
And we're a band
That's playing music for the dead
I don't listen to the cops
I wish they all were dead
Listen to the planes flying over head
Listen to the sound of the loss and gain(?)
I just listen to the sound of the rain
To the sound of the rain
Oh, the rain falls down upon my head
Those words that you heard
I wish I'd have said
Oh no, why didn't I say
Oh no, oh yeah, oh yeah
I see a man
He worked so hard to get ahead
And we're a band
That's playing music for the dead
I don't listen to the cops
I wish they all were dead
Listen to the planes flying over head
Listen to the sound of the loss and gain(?)
I just listen to the sound of the rain
To the sound of the rain
I just listen to the sound of the rain
To the sound of the rain
To the sound of the rain
I just listen to the sound of the rain
To the sound of the rain
To the sound of the rain
...
They gave him his orders at Monroe, Virginia
Saying, "Steve, you're way behind time"
This is not the 38, this is Old 97
You must get her into Spencer on time
He looked around and said to his black greasy fireman,
"Just shovel in a little bit more coal
And when we reach that White Oak Mountain
You can watch Old 97 roll"
In a mighty rough road from Lynchburg to Danville
And a line on a three mile grade
It was on that grade that he lost his air brakes
And you see what a jump he made.
He was coming 'round the bend, doing 90 miles and hour
When his whistle broke into a scream
He was found in the wreck with his hand on the throttle
A-scalded to death by the steam.
Now, ladies, you must take warning
From this time now and on
Never speak harsh words to your true loving husband
He may leave you and never return
NO News: The Dils' Hoedown number--will it be on their next single?
Tune: "The Ship That Never Returned"
Words attributed to David George
Some call it wholesome fun
I call it racism
Some call it defense
I call it war
New Kicks
A hot Nazi who changed his name
New Kicks
Red star on the front of his car
Some call it crime
I call it this for that
Some call it a Cadillac
I call it the poor man's back
New Kicks
Where were you when I needed you?
New Kicks
Why do I have to go?
Some call it wholesome fun
I call it racism
Some call it defense
I call it war
There was a girl
She danced with me
She smelled like roses
She could not see
New Kicks
A hot Nazi who changed his name
New Kicks
Red star on the front of his car
New Kicks
Where were you when I needed you?
New Kicks
Why do I have to go?
I hate the rich
They should dig the ditch
I hate the rich
Gotta life without a hitch
Life without a hitch
I hate the rich
I don't want their money
I hate the rich
And it ain't so funny
Look at the poor
Crawling on the floor
Look at the poor
Always wanting more
Always wanting more
Look at the poor
They need the money
Look at the poor
Now it ain't so funny
I hate the rich
Look at the poor
I hate the rich
I hate them all
I hate the rich
I don't want their money
I hate the rich
And it ain't so funny
Look at the poor
They need the money
Look at the poor
Now it ain't so funny
I hate the rich
Look at the poor
I hate the rich
I hate them all
I hate the rich
Look at the poor
I hate the rich
I hate them all