Leaving Key Member Clause

Well I arrived late night in

Southern California

Got a ride from Jackson

To my old place in the Hollywood Hills

“Congratulations you’ve been declared

The band’s key member

Here’s the recording contract

and all of the unrecouped 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 cash and my last

 Two thousand dollars

Bought a Tascam 688

And some microphones

Set it all up

In the kitchen of Bryan McPherson’s apartment

The record company contract

Leaving key member 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