A Colloquial Dream (take 6) Lyrics - Charles Mingus

Well here I am right back where I was yesterday 

And the day before, and the day before that 

Sitting on a high barstool 

Holding my dreams up to the sound of Jazz music 

I live uptown, where? I dont exactly know 

Im always downtown 

And it seems I'm always with the blues 

I talk to myself in public places and hum Jazz tunes 

I love Jazz 

But soon I hafta make it uptown 

To that old furnished room of mine 

I guess thats why I stall so long downtown 

But I like the Cafe bars down here 

Especially the ones across the street from theartres 

I once wanted to be on the stage 

But this is the closest I'll ever get to one 

I couldnt afford a seat next to the ceiling 

That was Jazz music you heard blastin out 

Now I got fifteen cents between me and starvation 

I'll prolly hafta walk all the way uptown 

Cause I'm playin that music again 

You see.....I love Jazz music 

Doo do do dooooo (slow & sad muted trumpet) 

Doooo da da di dooooo........Daaaaaaaaaaa! 

Thats pretty music boy 

But it aint "really" pretty 

It aint like girls in magazines 

Its beautiful.....its terribly beautiful man 

Say...like a woman you might of been with last night 

Or say maybe an hour ago 

Dooo da da di doooo ( Sad muted trumpet again) 

Doooo da da dee daaa da! 

Sad huh? 

Sorta reminds me of that old building I live in 

My room,...... looking out over lonely waters 

Dooo dee dee da dooo( Trumpet picks up, cymbals & Bass start walking faster and faster louder and louder) 

Now catch this! 

( Cymbals crash) 

Dig! 

( whole band comes in now with swing and gusto!) 

Bada dee dee ba da da doo da! 

Bada dee dee be da da doo da! 

( band plays on for a little while....free but together) 

Now here I am standing in this old building 

It's night time in the city 

I sure wish I could just relax and be cool 

But it's just like my mother says 

"Dont cause nuthin ya wish jack" 

Now here comes Bob with a mouth full of jive 

I know hes comin right here 

" Yeah I hear ya talkin Jim, no company tonight man, 

no man my record machine is in the pawn shop, 

man stop talkin so loud, before you wake my land lady up and she remebers I havent paid my rent in three weeks" 

"Oh man who cares" (yelling in the background) 

"Go man go!" (landlady starts in to yelling about rent) 

"Why dont everbody please stop that noise" ( pots, pans and cans crashing now) 

"Please stop all the confusion" (Landlady,Bob, and the pots still being loud) 

"Please just let me be cool man!!!" ( Noise is unbearable now) 

"Please get away from my door!!!" (oh s***, gonna snap,,,any minute!!) 

"Will you please go!!!" (Noise starts to recede...slowly) 

"I just want to be cool man" ( finally quiet...again...fer now) 

Man you oughta see this old room of mine 

Every morning I wake up and look around me 

And I keep thinkin 

I must've died a hundred years during the night 

And I wonder about that jack, yes I wonder 

Like how I ever got here 

Because I dont have any plans of dying that fast 

I guess I'm the only man in the world who wakes up too Jazz music in the morning 

I guess, i cant say exactly why 

I guess I find it solemn... 

Like a hymn 

Ya know I had to prove that to my mother when I was living back home 

I'd wake up to them sounds 

Mom didnt dig, she just didnt go for it 

Bird, Miles, Max... she just couldnt see it 

Morning, afternoon, night or anytime 

That is until I played her some monk one night,late 

Round Midnight 

I played her some monk 

Thelonious that is 

Now Mom spends many of her nights in tunisia 

(Trumpet starts in again,un-muted, soaring and somber yet still swinging...slow) 

( Now a sax comes in and starts conversating with a muted trumpet) 

(Now everyone starts to walk and swing) 

(Slow muted trumpets pauses all, says a few things here and there,no one listens) 

Yeah! Early in the morning time, late in the night time 

I'm with the blues 

Sometimes Im laughing and having myself a ball 

And thats why Bob keeps telling the blues aint all up there in my old room 

But sometimes it dances and struts like a woman 

Skips and hops like children playing ball 

and maybe thats why I always manage to change once in a while 

Even with the blues 

And wether I like it or not I love the idea of living 

But sometymes its tough man 

And I dont mean tough like when Miles is grooving with his horn 

I mean tough like when I cant make that morning meal 

When I'm ducking the landlady 

When everything I have is in hock 

Like when I think of all the places I havent been 

And wont ever likely get there 

But I think maybe I will 

Yes, thats the way I think 

Like the song says 

The sun will shine thru my back door someday 

All the way down to the bottom of my stomach and back up again 

Yes thats the way I feel 

Doo da da da deeeeee ( slow muted trumpet again...sad) 

Deee da da da dee daaaa 

doooooooooooooo 

Pretty man 

But not "real" pretty 

Beautiful like a woman 

A real woman