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Three White Boys (painting the town)

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

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about

This is the first song I've started since discovering the musical Hamilton and (like so many people) being totally blown away by it. You do NOT want to hear me attempt to rap, but as you'll hear halfway through this song, it has a certain uptempo, syncopated lyrical influence.

I wrote this partly as a gift to the other kids depicted in the song, my two fellow graffiti artists comprising Klub City Decorators, a small but highly prolific ensemble in 1970's Philadelphia. (Yes, I do feel bad about the damage we inflicted. But we sure have some tales to tell.. )

lyrics

THREE WHITE BOYS (Painting the Town)

Three white boys
sittin in the back row
Center City, Cinema 19
It's the Blaxploitation 70's
Pam Grier and Richard Roundtree
Curtis Mayfield flying high
Super Fly

Three white boys
sittin' in the back row
taking off as soon as they take roll
It's the Richard Nixon 70's
free to take our liberties
gettin' over any way we can
fuck the man

It was a time
when we were wise
we saw it all
we saw it all
we saw it all
see it in our eyes

Three white boys
on the subway tracks
North Philly Station, 2 AM
It's the Blaxploitation 70's
that world that Opie never sees
but we were danger lovers
honorary brothers

It was a time
we had it down
they knew our names
they knew our names
they knew our names
we painted the town

Nunchucks and kung fu stars and bags of cans
don't let em rattle
let your sweet hand do your talking
blockin', NY style
scope the booth and hop the gate
late night date to set the record straight
get our heads above that crowd
colors singing loud
Germantown to West Oak Lane
every car on every train
David Bowie singin' Fame
(what's the name?)
Catchin' up with the Hip City Swingers
gun slingers, gold teeth and silver fingers, it's a pity
that mob can't paint it pretty like we three
KCD

Klub City Decorators
8' foot high balloon inflators
all for three and three for one
we can't we can't be stopped from doin' what can't be done
pumpin' up the underground nation
night by night, station by station
throwing color on these dirty walls
all it takes is smarts and balls
and Jericho falls

Lombard South is reeling
decorated floor to ceiling
Baby, you don't know that feeling
Baby, you don't know that feeling
livin' in the
city of love, brother
city of love, brother
brother, say one thing we'll do the other
brother, say one thing we'll do the other
brother, say one thing we'll do the other

credits

from Songs​-​of​-​the​-​Week, released February 19, 2016
Underlying track by QuistJam, an amazing guitarist living in England. "C Major Ionian Groovy Uptempo Jam Track" -- I found on YouTube and purchased it. Additional instruments and voices, Ira Marlowe. The subway train is me banging on my desk with a tin box full of keys sitting on top of it.

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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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