Baggy Red Pants and Other Stories: fictional book cover by Stephen Cohen, created on hard wood with acrylics.
BAGGY RED PANTS AND OTHER STORIES is a work in progress, a performance piece which will use voice, acoustic guitar, cigar box guitars, miniature guitar, piano, a "One String Thing" instrument, and 3 dancers, to tell musical stories. All the performers will be wearing baggy red pants. You can see the words and hear the music of some of the songs that will be performed, including the title piece, below:
Baggy Red Pants lyrics by Stephen Cohen
In those hitchhiking days I arrived in Santa Fe
I was wearing baggy red pants that my girlfriend had made
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
I needed some guitar strings, so I found the local music store
I was wearing those baggy red pants as I walked out the door
Into the plaza where a tall bespectacled Englishman approached by chance
He said” I’m producing a movie, would you like to be in it? Meet me tomorrow and wear those red pants”
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
I slept in an alley that night. In the morning I met the cast and crew at a plaza hotel
We boarded a charter bus to go film a rock musical based on Shakespeare’s Othello.
The producer was impresario Jack Good. The movie was called “Catch My Soul”.
The set was a fake hippy commune in the desert hills, 10 miles up the road
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
I worked as an extra in that movie, every day for 2 months I wore those red pants
One night they brought in 100 local hippies for a party scene that turned into a stoned, chaotic dance
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
“Catch My Soul” opened in New York City, got some bad reviews and quickly disappeared
It stayed lost for 42 years but then, reappeared
I did other work for Jack Good, a genuine person, who died in the United Kingdom last year
As for the pants, we threw them in the fire and watched the ashes float into the mountain air
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
In those hitchhiking days I arrived in Santa Fe
I was wearing baggy red pants that my girlfriend had made
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
I needed some guitar strings, so I found the local music store
I was wearing those baggy red pants as I walked out the door
Into the plaza where a tall bespectacled Englishman approached by chance
He said” I’m producing a movie, would you like to be in it? Meet me tomorrow and wear those red pants”
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
I slept in an alley that night. In the morning I met the cast and crew at a plaza hotel
We boarded a charter bus to go film a rock musical based on Shakespeare’s Othello.
The producer was impresario Jack Good. The movie was called “Catch My Soul”.
The set was a fake hippy commune in the desert hills, 10 miles up the road
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
I worked as an extra in that movie, every day for 2 months I wore those red pants
One night they brought in 100 local hippies for a party scene that turned into a stoned, chaotic dance
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
“Catch My Soul” opened in New York City, got some bad reviews and quickly disappeared
It stayed lost for 42 years but then, reappeared
I did other work for Jack Good, a genuine person, who died in the United Kingdom last year
As for the pants, we threw them in the fire and watched the ashes float into the mountain air
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
Baggy, baggy, homemade baggy, baggy, baggy, baggy red pants
Miniature Planet lyrics by Stephen Cohen
I saw a miniature planet, slowly spinning around, I saw a miniature planet, slowly spinning around, with miniature sights and miniature sounds and miniature cities and miniature towns and miniature people with miniature brains and miniature cars and miniature trains and miniature houses and miniature planes and miniature clouds with miniature rain and miniature rivers and a miniature sea and a miniature forest with miniature trees.
I saw a miniature planet, slowly spinning around, I saw a miniature planet, slowly spinning around, with miniature sights and miniature sounds and miniature cities and miniature towns. There was a miniature election, with miniature selections and miniature choices with miniature voices in a miniature debate, with miniature candidates, with miniature platforms and miniature stands and miniature minds with miniature plans.
I saw a miniature planet, slowly spinning around, I saw a miniature planet, slowly spinning around, so I'm singing this song with my miniature guitar, and here we are.
I saw a miniature planet, slowly spinning around, I saw a miniature planet, slowly spinning around, with miniature sights and miniature sounds and miniature cities and miniature towns and miniature people with miniature brains and miniature cars and miniature trains and miniature houses and miniature planes and miniature clouds with miniature rain and miniature rivers and a miniature sea and a miniature forest with miniature trees.
I saw a miniature planet, slowly spinning around, I saw a miniature planet, slowly spinning around, with miniature sights and miniature sounds and miniature cities and miniature towns. There was a miniature election, with miniature selections and miniature choices with miniature voices in a miniature debate, with miniature candidates, with miniature platforms and miniature stands and miniature minds with miniature plans.
I saw a miniature planet, slowly spinning around, I saw a miniature planet, slowly spinning around, so I'm singing this song with my miniature guitar, and here we are.
Atomic Clock lyrics by Bonnie Bostrom
she sets the clock at 2 to 12, and puts the key upon the shelf it's Cinderella time
she says goodnight to the one she loves, and puts away her party gloves it's Cinderella time
the clock strikes 1, where do we run? the clock strikes 2, it's me and you, the clock strikes 3, we're never free
and on, and on
she climbs upon the great wide stair, and leaves her crystal sandals there it's Cinderella time
the clock strikes 1, where do we run? the clock strikes 2, it's me and you, the clock strikes 3, we're never free
and on, and on
she slips into her white satin bed, and prays we don't all wake up dead it's Cinderella time
the clock strikes 1, where do we run? the clock strikes 2, it's me and you, the clock strikes 3, we're never free
and on, and on, and on, and on
she sets the clock at 2 to 12, and puts the key upon the shelf it's Cinderella time
she says goodnight to the one she loves, and puts away her party gloves it's Cinderella time
the clock strikes 1, where do we run? the clock strikes 2, it's me and you, the clock strikes 3, we're never free
and on, and on
she climbs upon the great wide stair, and leaves her crystal sandals there it's Cinderella time
the clock strikes 1, where do we run? the clock strikes 2, it's me and you, the clock strikes 3, we're never free
and on, and on
she slips into her white satin bed, and prays we don't all wake up dead it's Cinderella time
the clock strikes 1, where do we run? the clock strikes 2, it's me and you, the clock strikes 3, we're never free
and on, and on, and on, and on
Running Falls lyrics by Stephen Cohen
running falls, running falls, running falls see the red brick sunset by the factory mall
running falls, running falls, running falls hear the steel string symphony from the third floor
running falls, running falls, running falls see the framed family photographs in the front hall
running falls, running falls, running falls see my mother & my father smile as they greet you at the door
running falls, running falls, running falls hear the news of their passing in midnight telephone calls
running falls, running falls, running falls
running falls, running falls, running falls see the red brick sunset by the factory mall
running falls, running falls, running falls hear the steel string symphony from the third floor
running falls, running falls, running falls see the framed family photographs in the front hall
running falls, running falls, running falls see my mother & my father smile as they greet you at the door
running falls, running falls, running falls hear the news of their passing in midnight telephone calls
running falls, running falls, running falls
Thomas lyrics by Stephen Cohen
There was a little boy named Thomas, he was a little bit shy
He would not play with the other kids, he would not look you in the eye
He just recited numbers, just as far as he could go
Thomas liked to stage his secret shows
The first time I saw Thomas, it was in a special school
I took him to the music room, he sat down at the stool
He yelled monster at the piano, I yelled danger at the drums
Thomas liked to sing his special songs
There was a little boy named Thomas, he was a little bit strange
He liked to spin in circles, and he smiled as he sang
He really was intelligent, people thought him slow
Thomas liked to stage his secret shows
The last time I saw Thomas, he was crying in a yard
A friend of his was leaving, and he always took things hard
He yelled monster at the piano, I yelled danger at the drums
Thomas liked to sing his secret songs
And if the world's not right with Thomas, then something must be wrong
And if the world's not right with Thomas, then something must be wrong
There was a little boy named Thomas, he was a little bit shy
He would not play with the other kids, he would not look you in the eye
He just recited numbers, just as far as he could go
Thomas liked to stage his secret shows
The first time I saw Thomas, it was in a special school
I took him to the music room, he sat down at the stool
He yelled monster at the piano, I yelled danger at the drums
Thomas liked to sing his special songs
There was a little boy named Thomas, he was a little bit strange
He liked to spin in circles, and he smiled as he sang
He really was intelligent, people thought him slow
Thomas liked to stage his secret shows
The last time I saw Thomas, he was crying in a yard
A friend of his was leaving, and he always took things hard
He yelled monster at the piano, I yelled danger at the drums
Thomas liked to sing his secret songs
And if the world's not right with Thomas, then something must be wrong
And if the world's not right with Thomas, then something must be wrong
Flight in A words by Stephen Cohen music by Stephen Cohen and Yuan-Chen Li
taxi takeoff climb cruise descent landing to a new place movement in space
taxi takeoff climb cruise descent landing to a new place movement in space
The Closing List lyrics by Stephen Cohen
turn the sign, close the blinds, lock the door count the till, clean the grill, sweep and mop the floor
put all the receipts in a drawer
put the dry goods in the bins put the wet goods in the walk-in clean the ovens and the counter tops
and the silver and the pans and pots turn on the dish washing machine after you get everything restaurant clean
prepare a statement from the bank put the money in the safe say goodnight to the help
thank you, you don't need their help anymore take off your restaurant clothes move across the floor
there's no restaurant, there's no restaurant, there's no restaurant, there's no restaurant anymore
count the till, clean the grill, sweep and mop the floor change the signs, shut the blinds, put a padlock on the door
there's no restaurant, there's no restaurant, there's no restaurant here anymore, anymore, anymore
there's no restaurant, there's no restaurant, there's no restaurant, there's no restaurant
turn the sign, close the blinds, lock the door count the till, clean the grill, sweep and mop the floor
put all the receipts in a drawer
put the dry goods in the bins put the wet goods in the walk-in clean the ovens and the counter tops
and the silver and the pans and pots turn on the dish washing machine after you get everything restaurant clean
prepare a statement from the bank put the money in the safe say goodnight to the help
thank you, you don't need their help anymore take off your restaurant clothes move across the floor
there's no restaurant, there's no restaurant, there's no restaurant, there's no restaurant anymore
count the till, clean the grill, sweep and mop the floor change the signs, shut the blinds, put a padlock on the door
there's no restaurant, there's no restaurant, there's no restaurant here anymore, anymore, anymore
there's no restaurant, there's no restaurant, there's no restaurant, there's no restaurant
