Cracker

Lyrics

Leaving Key Member Clause

Well I [C] arrived late night in
[F] Southern Cali [C] fornia
got a [C] ride from Jackson
to my [F] old place in the Hollywood [C] Hills

“Congratu-[G]-lations you’ve been de-[F]-clared
the band’s key [C] member
here’s the re-[G]-cording contract
and [F] all of the unrecouped [C] debt”

Drove my Valiant out to my Redlands
storage locker
the door was open
the lock laying on the ground
all my gear was gone
just a crate of vinyl records
sold them all for cash
at Rhino Records that afternoon.

I took that [am]cash and my
last [G] two thousand [F] dollars
bought a [am]Tascam 688 [G]
and so micro-[F] phones
set it [C] all up
in the [F] kitchen of Bryan McPherson’s [C] apartment
The [G] record company contract
[F] leaving key member [C] clause

Johnny Hickman comes in
with a black eye just out of Kern County
a Circle K argument
over incorrect change
couldn’t make up my mind if this was a good
or terrible omen
but he took out his frustrations
playing guitar on every song
I could barely get by on my Bug
mechanical royalties
But the record company parties
kept us fed and drunk
there were local girl flirtations
in the Hollywood dive bars
the record company contract
leaving key member clause
it’s a wonder we got anything
done at all
it’s a wonder we ever left