Cabaret Songs: Tobacco Road (1999)

is the first in a series of cabaret songs written for my friend, Barbara Ebbeson, to text by a mutual friend, writer Joan Skogan. The piece is dedicated to my friend, Dutch composer Louis Andriessen on his sixtieth birthday.

Tobacco Road

Text by Joan Skogan, German and Dutch text by Rodney Sharman.

You've been so long, and hot and easy to hold onto.

(German) Du bist so lang, so heiss, (English) so nice, easy to hold onto.

I've been your slave.

You made it easy to want to walk down tobacco road with you.

Got a light?

When I was young with my back to the wall

And you in my mouth on fire and all.

That smoking' love, I never know you meant it for life.

Never knew you were counting your price.

You were my Marlboro man so easy to hold onto.

I've been your slave.

You made it easy to want to walk down tobacco road with you.

(German) Hast Du Feuer?

Breathe you in the night with coffee or red wine

At home and on the dark seas I thought you were mine.

In daylight and in bed we were so good, such good company.

But I was wrong, You're the one who owned me.

(Dutch) Jij bent zo lang, zo heet, (English) so great, easy to hold onto.

You were my Players for love so easy to hold onto.

I was your slave from the start.

Too easy to want to walk down tobacco road with you.

(Dutch) Heb je'n vuurtje? 

There'll be smoking in heaven. We'll be together again.

Until then, farewell, I'm cutting the chain

Bound me to you, made you so easy to hold onto.

We're through now, but I can't say I don't want to walk down tobacco road with you.

Still.

copyright Joan Skogan, 1999, used by permission of the author.