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Speed Demons

from One Night by Jim Ballard

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"Crowd of young boys gathered by the street lamp light..." Boys ready to go one way or the other..

lyrics

Speed Demons

The air is heavy ain’t no breeze tonight
crowd o’ youngboyz gathered by the street lamp light
In the atmosphere you could cut with a knife
somebody gonna hear about the street lamp life

Everything’s quiet on the east side front
‘cept for Jacknife Lenny and his paradise punks
talkin bout skippin out them night school classes
catch a cross town ride kick some rich boyz asses

Speed Demons on a one way street
Sucked in by the light burned up by the heat
Where muscle and blood is all the promise you get
Some make it through and some are caught in the net
In the naked night in the final toll
You can give up the fight or you can give up your soul
Swallowed up by the night

One child thinkin was i born to this?
to survive among the dead end streets to never know the kiss
of the well off widows of the debutantes
growin fat and contented in their restaurants

Somewhere in the sidestep of a tire iron dance
Is this some kinda joke or this some kinda romance
Hard lessons learned early never wanna die
that a young man surely ain’t supposed to cry

The flower girls on the promenade
The shoe shine boys with their razor blades
With every kind of dream that won’t be stilled tonight
Risin from the ruins of another rigged fight
Stormin the beaches of this conquered land
In every that’s diggin in to make a stand
Swallowed up by the night

I know the lessons that they tell ya in the school make it
sound so sweet
But the pavement never learned the golden rule you got to
stay on your own feet or be
swallowed up by the night

©Jim Ballard 1987/2020 HandMade Music All Rights Reserved

credits

from One Night, released December 2, 2020
Jim Ballard Vocals and Guitar
Wes McCraw Lead Guitar
Tim Longfellow Piano, Organ
Bill Watson Bass
Joe Lang Drums

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Jim Ballard Akron, Ohio

Jim Ballard
A native of NE Ohio, Jim Ballard has been, for many years a part of the recording/performing community. After touring and performing all over the country with artists from 10,000 Maniacs to Gordon Lightfoot,The Mekons to Pete Seeger, he moved into his studio, Skylyne. There, he has recorded and worked with artists from Michael Stanley to Don Dixon and Alex Bevan. ... more

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