The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #102943 Message #3757275
Posted By: Rog Peek
10-Dec-15 - 04:47 AM
Thread Name: Songs for/about Phil Ochs
Subject: Lyr Add: IT'S A HELLUVA PARTY (Gary Kanter)
IT'S A HELLUVA PARTY (Gary Kanter)
I died in my sleep, I went up to the pearly gates St. Peter met me there he said "Sorry son you're gonna have to wait He conferred with Jerry Falwell and some preacher types that I did not know He said "Sorry son to tell you this, you're going down below. Devil met me there and he handed me a drink He said "You're gonna love it here regardless what the upstairs neighbours think There's losts of happy souls inside wating for you to arrive To share our little blast the likes of which you never saw when you were alive
It's a hell of a party, it's still going on Mama don't you weep for me now that I am dead and gone It's a hell of a party, to celebrate my fall And the best part of the party is we're never gonna hear the words "Last call"
Jerry Garcia played guitar, Paganini bowed the violin George Carman read my eulogy and Molly Ivins waved me in Caruso sang from Figaro and Lady sang the blues Ella sang some scat, Phil Ochs sang the news The great W. C. Fields was right at home behind the bar Orson Wells filmed it all right behind a big Cuban cigar Ginger said to Fred "Now you know just how it feels" Doing everything you had to do backwards and in high heels
It's a hell of a party, it's still going on Mama don't you weep for me now that I am dead and gone It's a hell of a party, to celebrate my fall And the best part of the party is we're never gonna hear the words "Last call"
I walked down in the garden, never was I ever ever so glad Waiting for me there was every single dog I ever had They ran around for hours each was as frisky as a pup And miracle of miracles there was nothing to clean up Jesus came post Christmas he was exhausted from the praise He joined Moses on the golf course he'd been there since the high holy days Jesus could not sink a single put to save his soul So he ditched his cubs and walked across the water right to the nineteenth hole Mark Twain and Kurt Vonnegut were busy making each other laugh Joe Hill and Mother Jones were busy organising the staff There's billion tales to tell, right now I've gotta go It's getting late and I've got a date with Marilyn Monroe
It's a hell of a party, it's still going on Mama don't you weep for me now that I am dead and gone It's a hell of a party, to celebrate my fall And the best part of the party is we're never gonna ever, ever ,ever, ever, ever, ever, ever ever, ever, hear the words "Last call"
Notes: Sonny Ochs played this on "Sonny's Playdate" WIOX 28/07/15. I contacted Sonny to enquire the title and artist and received the following reply: "Hi Roger, Glad that you're listening from afar. The song is "It's a Helluva Party" by Gary Kanter who is an activist on the west coast. It's on a cd called Forever Vigilant which has lots of political songs on it. Best, Sonny".