Skittering freely down Tin Pan Alley, a group of songs are suddenly transported one hundred years into the future. Can they possibly hold onto their devil-may-care exuberance? And just what of these newer songs shadowing them..?
Pas Maintenant is the second EP in the Shifafa on the Side series; a series that pairs songs from the 1920s with those from the 2020s. The first track, “Pas Maintenant (Mon Ciel est Bleu)” is the companion piece to the first EP’s final track , “My Blue Heaven”.
Piano, guitar, vocals: J Roth
All songs written and/or rearranged by J Roth
Special thanks to Ryan Murphy of Phlox House for mixing assistance
The two songs from the 1920s:
“Side by Side” by Harry M. Woods;
“April Showers” by Louis Silvers and B.G. De Sylva
*This album’s “liner notes” can be found under its companion album “Blue Skies”
LYRICS
Pas Maintenant (Mon Ciel est Bleu)
Pas maintenant…
Uh-uh, uh-uh, pas maintenant…
Uh-uh, uh-uh, pas maintenant, pas maintenant…
Pas maintenant…
Uh-uh, uh-uh, uh-uh, uh-uh, pas maintenant, pas maintenant…
Pas maintenant…
Uh-uh, pas maintenant, mon ciel est bleu
Side by Side
(adapted from original lyrics written by Harry M. Woods)
Ain’t got a barrel of money
Yeah, I’m ragged, you’re funny, so what?
What if the sky should fall?
As long as we’re together it doesn’t matter at all
Side by side, side by side, let’s go
Oh, we ain’t got a barrel of money
Maybe we’re ragged, maybe funny
But we’ll travel along, singin’ a song
Side by side
I don’t know what’s comin’ tomorrow
Maybe it’s trouble, maybe sorrow
But we’ll travel the road, sharin’ our load
Side by side
Through all kinds of weather
What if the sky should fall?
Just as long as we’re together
It doesn’t, doesn’t matter at all
When they’ve all had their quarrels and they’ve parted
We’ll be the same as we started
Just travelin’ along, singin’ our song
Side by side, let’s go
Side by side… Side by side…
We ain’t go a barrel of money
Yeah, I know I’m ragged, you’re kind of funny
But we’ll travel along, yeah, and we’ll sing that song
Goin’ side by side
I don’t know what’s comin’ tomorrow
Could be trouble, could be sorrow
But let’s travel the road, share the load
Side by side
Through all kinds of weather
Yeah, what if the sky should fall?
Just as long as we’re together
It doesn’t matter at all
When they’ve all had their quarrels and they’ve parted
We’ll be the same as we started
Just travelin’ along, singin’ our song
Side by side…
Side by side, oh yeah
Side by side…
Side… by… side
Side by Side (with the Devil in Stride)
Side by side… with the devil in stride
And we all tramp side by side
With the devil in stride, like the devil we ride
You say you can’t abide by the rules of the tide and your build your castle
Where the past will not hassle your pride and all your prized parcels
But how far still to go for the car full of woe that you tow to the station you’re conflatin’
With the dog-and-pony show that has a map full of arrows, pointin’ to the straight and narrow
Where you don’t dare go cause the halos are jails for the chumps
With no gumption or barrows to wheel their guts through the narrows
‘Tween the seas of sin and prayer, oh
Where oh, where has my little dog gone?
Is Cerberus now really the only one who’ll come when I cry “here, boy”?
Here, boy! Here, boy!
Hey there, Mr. Dream Monger
Can you set me up with something stronger?
Hey there, Lil’ Hope Builder
Can I get, can I get, can I get one more dose of your painkiller?
Will or won’t doesn’t matter when you can’t climb the ladder
‘Cause you’re fatter from all the Saturdays when you grazed on the truffles and the trifles
Now you rifle through the drawer looking for the score to settle
With the devil for the motley you wore
But evermore’s in the nevermore and you’re forevermore…
Well, well, look at you, you’re biting ankles
Yeah, you’re rankled, well, what? What right, you’re supposed to be thankful?
For being spanked for the pranks pulled by everyone but they walk and you’re hung out to dry in the sun
With no white flag to wave toward the hum-diddy-hum-diddy, dum-ditty-doo
Well, hey there, Mr. Wise Guy (yeah, you)
Just pass me one of those alibis
Hey there, Lady Luck
Why are you, why are you, why are you always tryin’ to duck me?
I see… you just can’t agree
With my philosophy… as far as you can see it
Well, be that as it may, there is no hazard pay
For those who wend their way to the buffet of self-knowledge
And I acknowledge that I probably owe apology for my apathy shown toward our… wait for it….
Putative apogee
Yeah, well, here we are side by side with the devil in stride
Yeah, and we’re all trampin’ side by side
With the devil in stride, like the devil’s bride
Yeah, here we go side by side
With the devil we ride, like the devil we ride
Hey there, Monsieur Faith Keeper
Why’s your price grown steeper?
Hey there, Miss Wish Giver
What d’ya mean, what d’ya mean, what d’ya mean that you no longer deliver?
Well, shifafa
April Showers
(adapted from original lyrics written by B.G. De Sylva)
Though April showers may come your way
They bring the flowers that bloom in May
So if it’s raining have no regrets
Because it isn’t raining rain, you know, it’s raining violets
And when you see clouds up on a hill
You know they’ll bring crowds of daffodils
So just keep looking for that bluebird
And listening for his song
Whenever April showers come along
Though April showers may come your way
They bring the flowers that bloom in May
So when it’s raining have no regrets
Because it isn’t raining rain, you know, it’s raining violets
And when you see clouds up on a hill
You know they’ll bring crowds of daffodils
So just keep looking for that bluebird
And listening for his song
Whenever April showers come along
Come along…
Those April showers, they will come your way
But remember they will bring the flowers that bloom in May
So when it’s raining don’t have any regrets
Just remember it’s not raining rain, you know, it’s raining violets
And when you see those clouds up on a hill
Take a closer look, it’s just crowds of daffodils
So keep looking for that bluebird
Keep on listening for his song
Whenever April showers, when they come along
Talking ’bout showers, showers of flowers…
Oh, showers of flowers… raining down on me…
Come on now, let’s go up, up, up the hill
Take a look at all these daffodils
And just look there, look there, there’s that bluebird
Oow, listen to that song
Now that April showers have come along
Whenever April showers come along
Whenever April showers come along
Pardon Me (It Has Begun to Rain)
Pardon me but you see
It has begun to rain
And though it pains our sweet refrain
I must beg leave of your company
You see, ah, for this fella, there’s no umbrella
I tell ya, there’s no need
My soul’s a bit sullied, it’s been a bit bullied
These showers just might nullify my melancholy
So pardon me but you see
It’s begun to rain
Excuse me while, I kiss the sky
I’ll tell you why I do
These parched lips, oh, how they’ve missed
The elixir mists they once knew
For this bloke there’s no rain coat
Let the joke be on me
My pride’s a bit patched, it’s been over-matched
But there’s a catch, you see…ah
After the clouds pass, nothing like having my slice of humble pie with a cup of hot tea
Pardon me but you see
It has begun to rain
Pardon me, I must beg your leave
I’ll see you some sunny day
Pardon me, yeah, pardon me
It has begun to rain
Pardon me, yeah, pardon me
It has begun to rain
Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain… it has begun to rain
Yeah, the rain takes the pain, the rain takes the pain from me
So pardon me, pardon me, pardon, pardon me
Pardon, p-p-p-p-p-p-pardon, p-p-p-p-p-p-pardon, pardon me
P-p-p-p-p-p-p-p, p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p, pardon, pardon me
Pardon me but you see, it has begun to rain