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Two​-​Tone Johnny

from Songs​-​of​-​the​-​Week by Ira Marlowe

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about

A fun mashup of the Johnny B. Goode and Robert Johnson stories, with a little Chuck thrown in for good measure. Go!

lyrics

Two-tone Johnny left it all on the stage
Nothing to see but a spot on the floor
Old man came and wiped it away
And Two-tone Johnny was no more
He had a jet-black pomp and a teenage bride
Shotgun barrel for a bottleneck slide
The undisputed king… of the 1-4-5

So go – down to the crossroads
Go – down to the crossroads
everything you think you own
gonna find one day, was just on loan


Did you hear about the man with the blood-red Strat?
How he laid it on the counter and he never came bac?
Gleamin’ like a ruby on the pawnshop glass
And Johnny just a kid… couldn’t let that pass
Yeah, his eyes got big and his mouth went dry
Boss slumped over with a bottle of rye
Johnny snuck it home in a gunny sack
Played it all day long
But you knew about that

So go – down to the crossroads,
Go – down to the crossroads,
Every love you ever knew
Fades away and the bill comes due

Two-tone shoes, black and gold
Two-tone ‘Vette with the leather rolled
Cuttin’ like a solo across the land
In every new town another pickup band
From '59 to '83
He wore it ‘round his neck like a rosary
That blood-red Leo Fender love machine
Playin’ so dirty, playing so mean

solo

Two-tone Johnnie left it all on the stage
A shriek of feedback, a flash of light
There’s a million people in a mid-size hall
who swear on a Bible they was there that night

So go — down to the crossroads
Go — down to the crossroads
Pay that man, pay his price
And maybe some day your name'll be in lights (4x)
Now go!

credits

from Songs​-​of​-​the​-​Week, released February 19, 2016

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about

Ira Marlowe image

Ira Marlowe Berkeley, California

Ira Marlowe's songs have appeared in indy films, been featured on NPR and Dr. Demento, and received a Parent's Choice Award. He's taught songwriting at UC Berkeley and penned the tunes for four shows by a Tony-winning theatre troupe.

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