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Immigrant Girls (2011)

by Dan Sullivan.

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1.
Trickle down 01:14
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© Dan Sullivan Trickle Down, Trickle Down All my lazy, no-good friends Come gather around Don't complain about your pay I heard a rich man say One of these days the money Will Trickle Down Trickle Down, Trickle Down All my lazy, no-good friends Come gather around When the rich are done with it Think of the money we'll get One of these days the money Will Trickle Down
2.
Crown of gold 02:38
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© Dan Sullivan 2011 (BMI) I’m gathering all my thoughts I’m wondering what’s worse To live without your love Or to die of thirst I’ve concealed my feelings Kept them under lock and key Had to hide from prying eyes What you mean to me Darkness softly slipping Like a hood over my head Every night I dream of you Laying on my bed Now storm clouds are gathering They fill the western sky As the sun slips away Like love slowly dying I’m gathering my defenses I’m lifting shield and spear I can hear the trumpets calling As my enemy draws near I’m gathering all my thoughts I’m wondering what’s worse In this world both truth and lies Haunt us like a curse I’m harvesting from dreams Planted long ago That a crown now made of thorns Might one day turn to gold
3.
21st Century paranoid blues 03:48
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Private eyes eyeballing Everyone they meet Sensors in the hallways And cameras on the street Mailmen sending tips To the F. B. I. Men with black binoculars Scanning the sky I don't mean to panic you I'm only tellin' the truth It ain't paranoia if they're coming after you Judge in his chamber Someone wake him from his nap There's three men in suits And they're planting wire taps A man on TV says "If you break it you own it" They listen to your calls And you don't even know it I don't mean to panic you I'm only tellin' the truth It ain't paranoia if they're coming after you A bug on your computer Sees every move you make They can watch where you go See every road you take Satellites track you In your home and in your car An app on your cell phone Tells them right where you are I don't mean to panic you I'm only tellin' the truth All this paranoia and it's coming after you Drama queens and Brahmins Chanting in a foreign tongue Hobos takin' No Doz In the yard with railroad bums They're headin' for the highways They're leaving by train The Bankers took the money And they made their getaway I don't mean to panic you I'm only tellin' the truth All this paranoia and it's coming after you Houses underwater In Detroit and New Orleans Don't go blaming God For what happens on the street No one went to prison Who would ever believe A jail could be so crowded There'd be no room for those thieves I don't mean to panic you I'm only tellin' the truth All this paranoia and it's coming after you Clark Kent eyes Pat downs and watch lists Old ladies and babies treated Like their terrorists Better not act annoyed or You’ll get the evil eye If you look suspicious They’ll pull you out of line I don't mean to panic you I'm only tellin' the truth It ain't paranoia if they're coming after you All this paranoia and it's coming after you It ain't paranoia if they're coming after you
4.
Every single day 03:08
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© Dan Sullivan 2011 How long has it been Since the last time we spoke? Four or five years, you say? Where did all the time go? You ask if I missed you Well, you know what they say I’ve thought of you once or twice How many times have I wondered How things might have been If I hadn’t let you slip away If you hadn’t gone with him Did I ever think of calling? Well, you know what they say I thought of calling once or twice How have I been doing? Well, I’ve got no complaints What good would it do If I did anyway Life’s too short to dwell on Broken hearts and sad refrains I don’t think of them too often
5.
16th Ave. South 03:09
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© Dan Sullivan 2011 You hear a song on iTunes You wish that it was yours You wish you knew somebody Who’d unlock the door Who’d show you where the key is Well I’ll tell you something kid For a hundred dollar bill I’ll show you where it’s hid You hear all the stories About Music Row All of them are true Streets are lined with gold But none of it’s for you If you leave it up to fate For wide is the pathway And narrow is the gate If it was just up to me I’d lend a helping hand Seeking nothing in return But I am a working man I think you’ll find my fee Well within your means Not that I’d ever Put a price on your dreams It’s not who you know It’s who knows you You’ll need introductions And I can make a few We’ll co-write songs For a few dollars more Then a couple of open mics To get your foot in the door I’ll teach you all I know ‘Cause that’s what I do I’ll get the word around town The rest is up to you This town is full of lies And broken promises Don’t listen to the cynics Or the Doubting Thomases
6.
Maria's Prayer 02:39
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© Dan Sullivan 2011 There's a howling wind There's a storm outside There's a knocking on the door "Please let me in" a voice does cry From a far off foreign shore I hear the small voice of a child Pleading once more "Please let me in" The poor boy cries But no one answers the door Won’t you spare his life, sweet Jesus But if it’s not your plan for him He’ll be knocking on Heaven’s door tonight Won’t you please let him in In a barrio In a border town 80 passengers are squeezed In the back of a tractor-trailer Along with Maria Ruiz Well, the Border Patrol Saved most of them But among the deceased They find Maria with her fingers Still clutching her rosary beads Won’t you hear her prayers, sweet Jesus For she’s left this world of sin She’ll be knocking on Heaven’s door tonight Won’t you please let her in
7.
John Wayne Movie 03:28
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© Dan Sullivan 2011 A baby is born in a midwestern town He’s off and he’s running when his feet hit the ground He’s going to school and watching TV Thinks that life is like a John Wayne Movie Thinks that life is like a John Wayne Movie Eating ice cream on the front porch steps “Johnny, say your prayers, it’s time for bed Pick up your clothes and turn out the lights Come and kiss Mommy and Daddy goodnight” He turns 18 many miles from his home His days are green but his dreams are all chrome He learns how to shoot a gun and believes That life is like a John Wayne Movie Thinks that life is like a John Wayne Movie Re-reading letters on a barracks steps Bouncing quarters off a GI bed “Dad’s doing fine, he’s finished your room You know that we love you, write again soon” No honor, no glory, no enemy killed A chopper goes down on a Tennessee hill Door gunner Johnny’s as scared as can be The ground coming up is the last thing he sees The ground coming up is the last thing he sees Eating ice cream on the front porch steps “Johnny, say your prayers, it’s time for bed Pick up your clothes and turn out the lights Come and kiss Mommy and Daddy goodnight”
8.
Lookin' for work 02:34
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© Dan Sullivan 2011 When the factory shut down We got a two week notice No severance package They just paid us what they owed us So I’m looking for work I’m looking all around I’m looking for work But there’s none to be found Another hard luck story For these hard luck times But no one wants to hear it All they say is “Get in line” So I’m looking for work I’m looking all around I’m looking for work But there’s none to be found Some folks blame the bankers Some blame the government For the jobs that disappeared I just wonder where they went So I’m looking for work I’m looking all around I’m looking for work But there’s none to be found I think I’ll got to Texas I heard there’s work down there It’s minimum wage But anymore I don’t care So I’m looking for work I’m looking all around I’m looking for work But there’s none to be found
9.
Streets of Jerusalem 04:24
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©Dan Sullivan 2011 It was cold that night There was something in the air Something wasn’t right So I said a little prayer While I was walking the streets of Jerusalem Two women in burqas Being questioned by the cops There’s a man standing watch In the doorway of a Mosque And I’m walking the streets of Jerusalem The man in the doorway He needs a bath So he pulled out a cigarette And he lit it with a match I just kept walking the streets of Jerusalem An Imam being interviewed By Al Jazeera In a hotel across the street Narcissus smiles into a mirror While I’m walking the streets of Jerusalem She puts on her best dress She walks outside She joins some kind of flash mob That’s being televised As I’m walking the streets of Jerusalem So I’m walking down the street Knowing something isn’t right Could almost put my finger on it Almost but not quite And I’m walking the streets of Jerusalem Then across the street A man comes walking up to me He says “Do you know my name?” I say “You’re the man of mystery” And we’re walking the streets of Jerusalem “You’re a clever man yourself,” He says, “soon all will be revealed Until then you must keep quiet” I say, “My lips are sealed” I’m just walking the streets of Jerusalem “The sky is full of lies,” He says, “The world’s full of deception It’s too late to negotiate It’s too late for confession Just keep walking the streets of Jerusalem” I know very well that things Aren’t always what they seem But your words are so confusing Tell me what they mean He says. “There’s lies on every tongue Falling from every mouth Hang around here long enough And you’ll figure it all out While you’re walking the streets of Jerusalem” Then with one bony finger He points towards the Temple And says, “It’s all been written down None of it’s accidental” And we’re walking the streets of Jerusalem “The hour’s late and I must go But I’ll see you around I’ve got a little business In a garden outside town” Walking the streets of Jerusalem “Keep all of this a secret Don’t put it on your blog Don’t speak of it in church Or at the synagogue Just keep walking the streets of Jerusalem” It was cold that night There was something in the air Something wasn’t right So I said a little prayer
10.
Immigrant girls 04:02
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© Dan Sullivan 2011 They said the building was fireproof So on the eighth and ninth floors Where Immigrant Girls sewed garments They locked the exit doors When the fire broke out that day There was nowhere else to go They could stay behind and die in flames Or jump to their deaths below So say a prayer for the Immigrant Girls Who died on that long ago day Never forget the reason they died And always remember their names The fire engines came quickly As a crowd watched in horror But the ladders couldn't reach Beyond the sixth floor The girls screaming from the windows Had only seconds left to decide What their final thoughts would be And which way they wanted to die So say a prayer for the Immigrant Girls Who died on that long ago day Never forget the reason they died And always remember their names The funeral march to the gravesite Was made in a pouring rain Mourners lined New York streets Four hundred thousand came Now once a year the church bells ring And for a moment heads are bowed In memory of the Immigrant Girls Each name is read aloud So say a prayer for the Immigrant Girls Who died on that long ago day Never forget the reason they died And always remember their names
11.
Sometimes love means letting go 03:16
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© Dan Sullivan 2011 He doesn’t love her anymore But she’s still in love with him He says he needs to find himself But she knows where he’s been Her heart’s hoping to change his mind But deep inside she knows Sometimes love means holding on Sometimes love means letting go There’s a picture hanging on the wall Taken on their wedding day He’s holding her in his arms As she cuts the wedding cake Seems like only yesterday His love was sure and strong Now her world’s turned upside down And she’s barely hanging on She could try to hold onto A love that isn’t there But what good would it do When he no longer cares He doesn’t love her anymore But she’s still in love with him He says he needs to find himself But she knows where he’s been Her heart’s hoping to change his mind But deep inside she knows Sometimes love means holding on Sometimes love means letting go
12.
Maria's Prayer (David Michael Kissinger performance) 04:22
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© Dan Sullivan 2011 There's a howling wind There's a storm outside There's a knocking on the door "Please let me in" a voice does cry From a far off foreign shore I hear the small voice of a child Pleading once more "Please let me in" The poor boy cries But no one answers the door Won’t you spare his life, sweet Jesus But if it’s not your plan for him He’ll be knocking on Heaven’s door tonight Won’t you please let him in In a barrio In a border town 80 passengers are squeezed Into the back of a tractor-trailer Along with Maria Ruiz Well, the Border Patrol Saved most of them But there among the deceased They find Maria with her fingers Still clutching her rosary beads Won’t you hear her prayers, sweet Jesus For she’s left this world of sin She’ll be knocking on Heaven’s door tonight Won’t you please let her in
13.
It doesn't feel like Christmas this year 03:07
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© Dan Sullivan 2011 Carolers are singing They’ve gathered all around A brightly lit Christmas tree In a snowy park downtown Stores are full of Santas And shoppers in good cheer But it doesn’t feel at all Like Christmas this year It doesn’t feel at all Like Christmas this year I listen to the radio And all those Christmas songs I hear Salvation Army bells Ringing all day long I see the happy faces As Christmas day draws near But it doesn’t feel at all Like Christmas this year It doesn’t feel at all Like Christmas this year There’s nothing to look forward to Now that you’re not here Snowflakes aren’t as pretty When you’re seeing them through tears Carolers are singing They’ve gathered all around A brightly lit Christmas tree In a snowy park downtown Stores are full of Santas And shoppers in good cheer But it doesn’t feel at all Like Christmas this year It doesn’t feel at all Like Christmas this year

about

This is my second CD of original songs, all but 2 were written in 2010 and 2011. The title cut, "Immigrant Girls," relates the tale of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire which took the lives of 246 garment workers in NYC and led to improved workplace safety laws in the State of New York. This collection of songs also features a version of "Maria's Song" by David Michael Kissinger of Pennsylvania.

credits

released May 1, 2011

© 2011 all songs by Dan Sullivan (BMI)
David Michael Kissinger on "Maria's Song."

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Dan Sullivan Kalamazoo, Michigan

Some people like gardening, working on cars or woodworking. Others enjoy knitting, collecting stamps or coins. That kind of thing. I like writing songs.

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