Carla Ulbrich: Songs

• MP3 play whole song, hi-fi (broadband)
• MP3 play whole song, lo-fi (modem)

I wrote this on the way home from one of my last bar gigs ever. I used to play a lot of restaurants, bars, bookstores, etc. for a living, when I lived in Atlanta and was working on my 1st CD. I thought I was enjoying them OK until I wrote this song on the way home from that last gig and then read the lyrics...

Across the room it was the girls’ night out
Asked me for Alanis Morissette
And I thought they were applauding
But they were just packing down their cigarettes

So I went for something easy
Played a song that everybody likes to hum
And I thought they all were singing ‘til I realized
They were only chewing gum

It’s like the gods have spoken
"So you are making this your trade?
Would you like to be listened to
Or would you rather be paid?"

They were applauding they were cheering
They were hanging on each syllable I said
Or so I thought until I saw the football game
On TV just above my head

"Well you get to drink for free," they said.
I don’t think they’ll ever get the joke
I have tried but I could never swallow
Fifty dollars worth of Diet Coke

It’s like the gods have spoken
"So you are making this your trade?
Would you like to be listened to
Or would you rather be paid?"

I’m only drinking soda
I didn’t come here to get laid
It’s nice to be listened to
But either way I still get paid (for singing)

It’s not been an evening
It’s not complete until I’ve heard
Several lewd suggestions
And someone loudly hollering…. "Freebird"

You think that’s funny?
Go ahead and say it
One day you’ll regret it
Because I’ll actually play it

The long, long version
I’m gonna play it really slow…
And with only one guitar
I’ll have to sing the solo

La la la la...

I’ve done my duty
I came I saw I sang I played
It would be nice to be listened to
But either way I still get paid