We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

To The Depth of Jazz

by Billy Butler

/
1.
Fame 1920 02:59
So you wanna join the Follies Leave your ordinary life behind Become a Ziegfeld dolly And dance a can-can line You have got a pretty face And you can hold a little tune But there is more to being a star Than sitting on the moon There will be loss and pain But without risk there is no gain Rely on skill and charm, not some guy with a hat-on There are better ways to reach… fame! Can’t you see this girl is thirsty? Someone get her drink, and quick If you didn’t know, this is Olive Thomas Ziggy’s latest pick She the contest winner of New York’s Beautiful-est Girl Every artist wants to paint her Dressed only in diamonds and pearl There will be loss and pain But without risk there is no gain Rely on skill and charm, not some guy with a hat-on There are better ways to reach… fame! Here’s a tragic example Of a showgirl who had it all Now down and out on skid row That’s a pretty long way to fall She was once a Broadway starlet Life was but a dream Now she’s hawking chachkies And chorus girl cold cream She met a wealthy banker with six kids and a wife He showered her with gifts and all the comforts of life She didn’t have a clue he was a gambling man Now she’s busted flat and selling all she can She says, there’s work waiting for me If I can just get to Paris The showgirls make a solemn pact To meet at the diner in twenty years or so They’ll be rich and famous in fact Everyone will know their name There will be loss and pain But without risk there is no gain Rely on skill and charm, not some guy with a hat-on There are better ways to reach… fame!
2.
3.
Pianotown 04:15
Isms and schisms were gettin on me Got to comfy in complacency Then New York City called I packed up my Uhaul And headed down I-93 So I'm movin to Pianotown Pulling my roots right outa the ground Movin to Pianotown Uptown, downtown Yes, I'm moving to Pianotown Pulling my roots right outa the ground Movin to Pianotown Uptown, downtown Yes, I'm uptown and downtown Down, down, down, down... Six months later still lookin for dough Watching it all fly out the window You might think it's strange Slinging an ax for spare change I'm selling a song, not selling my soul So I'm provin in Pianotown This white boy knows how to get down Provin in Pianotown I'm diggin in and gettin down Yes, I'm provin in Pianotown This white boy knows how to get down Provin in Pianotown I'm diggin in and gettin down Yes, I'm diggin in and gettin down Down, down, down, down... Take the 6, the 5, or the 4 First stop in The Bronx Then south to my door Half a block from parole Half an ounce for a c-note And a view of the Harlem shore So I'm groovin in Pianotown Diggin my roots right into the ground groovin in Pianotown I'm diggin in and gettin down Yes, I'm groovin in Pianotown Diggin my roots right into the ground Groovin in Pianotown I'm diggin in and gettin down Yes, I'm diggin in and gettin down Down, down, down, down...
4.
Folks, here's a story about Minnie the Moocher She was a lowdown hoochie coocher She was the roughest, toughest frail But Minnie had a heart as big as a whale Hidee hidee hidee hi Hode hode hode ho Hee dee hee dee hee dee hee Woah, oh oh oh oh oh oh She messed around with a bloke named Smoky She loved him though he was cokey He took her down to Chinatown And he showed her how to kick the gong around Hidee hidee hidee hi Whoah Hee dee hee dee hee dee hee A hidee hidee hidee ho Woah, oh oh oh oh oh oh She had a dream about the King of Sweden He gave her things that she was needin' He gave her a home built of gold and steel A diamond car with platinum wheels Hidee hidee hidee hi Whoah Hee dee hee dee hee dee hee A hidee hidee hidee ho Woah, oh oh oh oh oh oh He gave her his townhouse and his racing horses Each meal she ate was a dozen courses She had a million dollars worth of nickels and dimes She sat around and counted them all a million times Hidee hidee hidee hi Hooh whoaa oh oh whoa Hidee hidee hidee hi Poor Min, Poor Min, Poor Min
5.
The Ritz Hotel, Paris, France, 1920 Young Jack and Olive married far too soon Life on the stage kept them far apart So they engaged to renew their hearts A second honeymoon A first wedding bed Impending doom Someone will be dead Jack was once in the Navy He brought something back with him too No, it’s not a trinket Or a Sailor Jerry tattoo A doctor prescribed blue coffin-shaped pill To crush, mortar and apply to his dill Restless, Olive decides to write to her mama back home: ‘Mama dear: I’m well and having a nice time. Leaving here on the 11th of September. I will cable you from the boat and will tell you all the news when I arrive. Love to all. Olive.’ Tonight, Olive took it all too far She drank too much alcohol at all those bohemian bars A bottle of champagne at Cabaret de l'Enfer, At Cafe du Néant, two Black Deaths, one Yellow Fever "Drink, Maccabees!" the bartender cried “My deadly drinks will get you high!” And drink she did! There on the dresser what does she see? Perhaps Jack’s flask of favorite Whiskey A little hair of the dog that bit, they say Keeps the pink elephants away ‘My God, what have I done,’ she cried. Jack rings the front desk terrified “Help, my wife’s gonna die!” The bellhop rushes in With milk and water they begin To nurse her, induce her But nothing is working. She clung to life for five long agonizing days Then the bright shining star sadly faded away Rumors sailed faster than the steamer That brought her dead body back to the USA The American Hospital, Paris, France, Nineteen Twenty A young lady’s life ended far too soon Take heed if you love fame and booze This could be your fate if you so choose A last honeymoon An empty wedding bed Impending doom Olive now is dead Yes, she’s dead In case you weren’t paying attention Olive’s Dea…………d!
6.
Spider webs, squeaking floors Dust bunnies and creaking doors Listen closely you can hear it moan I love this house, I love this home But alone, I am alone, I am alone No, no, no, I am utterly alone My life is one big dark room I’m a negative, string up on gloom Underdeveloped under a red light A ghostly outline of black and white But alone, I am alone, I am alone No, no, no, I am utterly alone I know things you never thought could be I see things that no one will ever see People who have died More alive than the living I can’t wait to die I won’t bide my time And yet, I bet I die alone I am alone Alone No, no, no, I am utterly alone
7.
8.
Cynthia 02:17
Cynthia, oh Cynthia Queerest lady I know Makes music swing and the birds all sing Cynthia we love you so Have you seen The Manhattan Queen She’s a Bowery beauty Eyes of blue Her hair sometimes to She’s a downtown cutie Cynthia, oh Cynthia Gershwin should write you an aria I am so hysteria For sweet Cynthia (piano solo - chorus) Cynthia, oh Cynthia Queerest lady I know Makes music swing and the birds all sing Cynthia we love you so She once played A lovely mermaid Swam the sea top to bottom Obscure as her art She left her heart With the Women of Sodom Cynthia, oh Cynthia Sees us all for the dolls we are She is so mysteria Sweet Cynthia No one holds a candelabra To sweet Cynthia
9.
My fur-coat's sold, oh, Lord ain't it cold But I'm not gonna holler 'cause I've still got a dollar And when I get low, oh, I get high My man walked out, now you know that ain't right Well, he better watch out if I meet him tonight I said when I get low, oh, I get high All the hard luck in this town has found me Lord only knows how these troubles have found me I'm all alone with no one to pet me But old rocking chair ain't never gonna get me When I get low, oh, I get high All the hard luck in this town has found me Lord only knows how these troubles have found me I'm all alone with no one to pet me My old rocking chair ain't never gonna get me When I get low, oh, I get high My man walked out, now you know that ain't right Well, he better watch out if I meet him tonight I said when I get low, oh, I get high When I get low, oh, I get high
10.
Dinner for one Is not much fun Can’t share a laugh Or clever conversation A bottle of champagne Just doesn’t taste the same Without you The grand drape falls On the final curtain call The show is over For the belles of the ball The houselights are trim Footlights have dimmed At the end of the play A single light center stage Shines for the ghosts of Broadway We’ll meet again In heaven my friend Dance all night long The song will never end Cole Porter will play Night and Day forever We will dine The finest food and wine Our cups runneth over With a buzz divine When it’s time to play We’ll take our place center stage We’ll bring down the house We’ll be all the rage And we’ll shine with the ghosts of Broadway We’ll bring down the house We'll be all the rage And we’ll shine with the ghosts of Broadway

about

January 2015 started with a commission to write some tunes for "Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic," a brand new immersive 1920s show in New York City. I ended up in the show playing all the songs I wrote, knee deep in jazz, blues, and burlesque! I was always the punk, the so-called rocker, so I thought it would take me a bit to fit in. Didn't take much time at all actually, my mother used to sing all those great old tunes to me growing up, I was right at home. It was a great three month run. Met some amazing dancers, strippers, musicians, and artists. I will always think of them with such deep fondness and love. How we took over a small piece of the center of the universe, led by a Valkyrie to the bazaar of 42nd street, there in the back of a shotty diner we made magic, with glitter, champagne, jazz, and stardust! The show may be over but a light shines for all of us.
"We’ll bring down the house
We’ll be all the rage
And we’ll shine with the ghosts of Broadway"

This record is a collection of songs from Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic; a mix of my ditties, covers, and a few extras just because.

Thank you Paula, Mum, Lowell, Syrie and Heather, Fink, Ari, Jack and Purl, Stuart and his beautiful sax, and Manny's

credits

released September 8, 2015

recorded at Good Ship Studios
pianos/guitar/organ/vocal - Billy Butler
bass and drums - A.I.
sax on People Are Strange - Stuart Matthewman
violin on Ghosts of Broadway - Kenny Butler

All songs by Billy Butler except:
People Are Strange by John Densmore, Robert Krieger, Raymond Manzarek, and Jim Morrison
Minnie the Moocher by Cab Calloway, Irving Mills, and Clarence Gaskill, Copyright Emi Mills Music Inc and Emi Entertainment
World Obo Hi­De­Ho Man Music
When I Get Low, I Get High by Marion Sunshine, Copyright Bughouse Music Obo Fred Ahlert Music Group
2015 all rights reserved

license

Some rights reserved. Please refer to individual track pages for license info.

tags

about

Billy Butler New Hampshire

He has an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustains him through temporary periods of joy.

contact / help

Contact Billy Butler

Streaming and
Download help

Shipping and returns

Redeem code

Report this album or account

Billy Butler recommends:

If you like Billy Butler, you may also like: