A Song Is Born Page #3

Well, in my God's bible

in the book of James

Christ was a-healing the cripple

and the lame

Giving the poor and the needy a break

Healing the sick and raising the dead

Well, they tell me

when he passed through Galilee

He passed by a man that couldn't see

The man was blind and crippled from birth

Tell me that his name was blind Barnabas

When Barnabas heard

that my lord was nigh

He fell on his knees and began to cry

Crying "Oh, thou man of Galilee

"Great God a mighty have mercy on me... "

- Yeah!

- Yeah!

Yeah!

Daddy-O, I'm gonna teach you some blues

From now on

That's all you'll be able to use

Do you hear me, Daddy-O?

I'm gonna teach you some blues

However you wanted it

I sang your song

Whenever you wanted me

I tagged along

But that lipstick on your shirt isn't mine

So I'm getting off

It's the end of the line

Do you hear me, Daddy-O

I'm gonna teach you some blues

He told you that a woman was his religion

But I didn't hear him mention

that he meant them all

So now while you're concerned

You're just a dead pigeon

Well, I've got to be the only filly

in the stall

You've got a lot of fish a-waiting

round to nibble

And your baby's got a line

that they can't overload

So, Baby-O, you're hardly

in the mood to quiver

You'll make me very happy

if you hit the road

You gave me the runaround

and that was wrong

You wanted to run around

so run along

If we never meet again, it's too soon

And I'll make a bet

you'll be changing your tune

Do you hear me, Daddy-O?

I'm gonna teach you some blues

However you wanted it

I sang your song

Whenever you wanted me

I tagged along

But that lipstick on your shirt isn't mine

So I'm getting off

It's the end of the line

Do you hear me, Daddy-O?

I'm gonna teach you some blues!

I'll teach you

I'll teach you

I'll teach you

I'm gonna teach you some blues

- Come on, quick.

- Quick is right.

What's the fever?

Listen, you got to take it on the lam.

- Yeah, they're looking for you.

- Wait a minute.

Who's looking for me?

- The district attorney.

- Why?

You've got to get dressed

and get out of here

before they slap a subpoena on you.

A subpoena?

Come on, we'll talk about it

in the dressing room.

Why can't you tell me here?

Now what it all this subpoena business?

It's on account of Tony.

- What happened to him?

- Nothing.

- But something happened to Ernie Hart.

- Ernie Hart?

I told Tony not to monkey with him.

Well, he won't anymore.

The funeral's tomorrow.

But Tony didn't have nothing to do with it.

Did he, Monte?

Oh, no. Tony's as innocent

as the new mown hay.

Who said Tony had anything to do with it?

But he was framed, Honey, honest he was.

The DA's trying to pin it on him,

just because they found

that ring near the body.

- What ring?

- That ring you gave Tony for his birthday.

Yeah. It was a little too

big for him, remember?

Well, it slipped off

and Tony lost it someplace.

That's why you gotta beat it.

And stay undercover.

What for? What's it got to do with me?

Well, right now they can't prove

that ring was Tony's.

But when the DA finds out you bought it,

and everybody knows about you and Tony.

Well, it'll look awful bad for him.

You're what they call a maternal witness.

Tony mixed up in a murder.

I don't believe it.

We've got to get you out of here

before they slap a subpoena on you.

Who is it?

I'd like to have a few words with you in

regard to an investigation I'm conducting.

- Just a minute.

- Let him in. We'll handle him.

- Yeah?

- How do you do, Miss Swanson?

Hello.

I hate to intrude like this,

but this inquiry is really very important.

Get this, I don't know from nothing.

But I'm sure you do.

You could probably help me

more than anyone.

All I would like is a little of your time.

Say an hour or so a day.

- Say, are you a cop or aren't you?

- A cop?

No, I'm not a cop.

- Well, then what are you selling?

- Selling?

- Nothing. I'm from the Totten Foundation.

- I don't wear any.

Oh, no, no, I'm Professor Frisbee

of the Totten Musical Foundation.

Well, then what is this

investigation, Professor?

Well, it concerns itself with modern jazz

and other forms of popular music.

I'd like you to help me. Would you mind?

Yes, I would. Goodbye.

In case you change your mind,

here's my card.

- Okay. Yeah.

- It's the address of the foundation.

- Good night.

- And also my address.

Goodbye.

- Honey Swanson.

- What do you want?

- Just put the coat on.

- All right.

We'll get out the window.

Right in there.

Open up. District attorney's office.

Where to?

- Just keep cruising, Jack.

- Where are we going?

- Well...

How about that warehouse on West 11th?

No, too many rats.

Hey, wait a minute,

where are you taking me?

We can't take you to your place.

They'll have it covered.

- But you live some place, don't you?

- Yeah, sure, and the cops know where.

I thought of a hotel,

but they'll fan every hotel in town.

I could change my name.

Listen, Honey, why take chances?

It's an awful nice warehouse.

He says rats.

Well, maybe a few little bitty mice, but...

- Uh-uh. That's out.

- Say, I got an uncle

who's an undertaker,

and with business the way it is,

he's always bound to have an extra slab.

- That's fine, that's all I need.

- Oh, no. Keep thinking.

Hey, what's this?

Totten Foundation.

Hobart Frisbee. That's, that professor jerk.

He must have...

I never would have believed it.

It seems impossible.

Have I missed anything?

No, Oddly, I was just explaining,

and I repeat, gentlemen,

I actually heard Rimsky-Korsakov

played on a washboard...

- A washboard?

- ... a bicycle pump...

- Bicycle pump?

- ... a plunger of some sort

and pots and pans.

- Heaven knows what else.

- You cannot make music

out of pots and pans.

Are you sure you had nothing to drink

but buttermilk?

- Quite sure.

- What else was there?

Please tell us.

I heard remarkable music,

strange rhythms.

- I talked to people.

- What kind of people?

- All sorts of people. Musicians, singers.

- Chorus girls?

- All sorts of people.

- Prima donnas?

- And did you go backstage?

- Yes, yes, I had...

I had one conversation

with a young girl in her dressing room.

- Dressing room!

- But unfortunately

she wasn't interested in our project.

A blond or brunette?

I don't remember, Oddly, I didn't notice.

I once went backstage to see Pavlova.

Imagine ballerinas and all that.

- In tights, I suppose.

- Naturally in tights.

- And that ineffable smell of rice powder.

- On bare shoulders.

It's getting late, gentlemen,

perhaps we should go to bed.

I'd like to have heard a lot more.

Me, too.

- Frisbee.

- Yes?

Frisbee, in your travels this evening,

did you encounter any music

where the melodic figure

in straight eights is changed to one

of Umpateedle character?

- What's that?

- Umpateedle.

What are you reading here, Magenbruch?

That's one of the books

I procured this afternoon.

Hot and Hybrid.

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