The Negro Problem Lyrics

Since Stew has made it clear that he doesn't intend to transcribe his lyrics for our edification, I've decided to take the task upon myself. He says that the lyrics can't stand without the music behind them, and if he really feels that way, he should be playing jazz. While I agree that the lyrics combined with the emotional tone of the song is a more powerful image, I disagree that lyrics can't stand on their own. You can look at an image of just the face part of the Mona Lisa and still appreciate its beauty. I think Stew's lyrics are generally very clever, often funny in a tongue-in-cheek sorta way, and usually stand on their own.

Actually, the real reason to transcribe these is that I like to sing along with the CD in my car, and it sucks when I'm driving along and I come to a line of words that I don't know. Lyrical impotence is the true cause of road rage.

Of course, I'll probably incorrectly transcribe some of them, so if you know if one of the lyrics I have here is incorrect, let me know and I'll correct it. I'll also try to get the right lyrics from Stew if I can.

Post Minstrel Syndrome Lyrics

  1. Birdcage
  2. If You Would have Traveled on the 93 North Today
  3. Submarine Down
  4. The Meaning of Everything
  5. Miss Jones
  6. Buzzing
  7. Doubting Uncle Tom
  8. Ghetto Godot
  9. The Great Leap Forward
  10. MacArthur Park
  11. 2 Inch Dick Mobile
  12. Omegaville
  13. Witch
  14. Heidegger in Harlem
  15. Smudges
  16. Camelot
  17. Club Girl Terrain

Joys and Concerns Lyrics *

  1. Repulsion (Show Up Late for Work on Monday)
  2. Sea of Heat
  3. Comicbookland
  4. Heads
  5. Monsanto
  6. Bleed
  7. Peter Jennings
  8. I'm Not Mad at You
  9. Ken
  10. Good Time
  11. The Rain in Leimert Park Last Tuesday
  12. Come Down Now
  13. Stumble
  14. Brave New World
  15. The Ordinary One
* - The song order for Joys and Concerns uses my spelling and the correct song order. The track listing on the actual CD is out of order and ignores the many hidden tracks. They also spelled stuff funny (e.g. "Ahmnot Madatcha" for "I'm Not Mad At You"). The one substitution I made that might be wrong is "Comicbookland" for "Comikbuchland". Since the song mentions Berlin, the German spelling may be the name of an actual store in Berlin.

Songs about Brassai Paintings
Written for a Performance at The Getty Center

  1. The Statue Song
  2. Bijou

Songs from Closet Pop Folk

  1. She's Flying Naked Through The Air
  2. Amsterdam (Listen When The Rhine Sings)