This one was originally written for our beloved next-door neighbor, Anne McKenna, on the occasion of her birthday. The words were full of personal references ("Little E" is her dog, Esther; 'Becca and Elise, her granddaughters; "Gramma Up" is their nickname for Anne), so I re-wrote it a bit for wider consumption. (Just for the hell of it, we've included both versions below.) I really like the tune, especially in the A section, and hope to some day record it without an acoustic guitar and a piccolo trumpet, to make the McCartney allusions/steals that much more obvious.
This version is from WW II -the second semi-annual Wild Weekend show in Hartford, CT., last August, which we've played twice now, much to our delight; it's a swell little event organized by our friend Stacey Sandler that brings together a bunch of crazy NRBQ fans to see the 'Q and some of their musical friends (like P.J. O'Connell, the Mayocks, Bill Kirchen, and and Japan's the Hot Shots) -a most excellent time was had by all!
And, by the way, if there's any of you who are unfamiliar with NRBQ, well, what are you? Nuts? They're only one of the truly greatest and most magical bands in the universe, not to mention a huge influence on both the Philharmonic and the Incredible Casuals, so please go see them and buy all their records NOW!!! You might want to start with their web site: www.nrbq.com
lyrics
"ANNE" (the "BEFORE" version)
When it's after "Judge Judy" in the afternoon,
And it's time to walk the dogs
Little E will bark at me until she gets her way
And on occasion we exchange a
"hi there, neighbor, how's by you?"
If I'm lucky maybe she'll be making margueritas
as the sun goes down
Oh life is hard from yard to yard in Eastham town
And my good neighbor is my favorite
Former lounge piano-playing,
swimming teaching vice-principal
in charge of flattering people into an acquiescent
jello-like frame of mind.
Whoa-oh Anne
I'm just about your biggest fan
I'm more than a flash in your gravy pan
Whoa-oh Anne... Anne
We all love you, hon, that's why we're here
That and 'cause you're even older now
than you were last year
Whoa-oh Anne
Anne
Both 'Becca and Elise agree
When it comes to the sand and the deep blue sea
All the others are just Gramma Up wanna-be's
And that goes double for the pups and Rache and me
Whoa-oh Anne
"ANNE" (the "AFTER" version)
When it's after "Judge Judy" in the afternoon,
And it's time to walk the dogs
Across the street, sometimes I'll see a friendly face
And on occasion we exchange a
"hi there, neighbor, how's by you?"
If I'm lucky maybe she'll be making margueritas
as the sun goes down
Oh life is hard from yard to yard in Eastham town
And my good neighbor is my favorite
Former lounge piano-playing,
swimming teaching librarian
in charge of stunning people into an acquiescent
jello-like frame of mind.
Whoa-oh Anne
I'm just about your biggest fan
I'm more than a flash in your gravy pan
Whoa-oh Anne... Anne
I'm curious to say the least
Tell me beauty could you use a beast
Whoa-oh Anne
Anne
When you're hanging your wash on your laundry line
In that little blue dress in the summertime
I never used to think of myself as the cheating kind
But your husband's never home, do you think he'd mind?
Whoa-oh Anne
credits
from Song of the Weak!!!,
track released September 30, 2003
Recorded by Paul Cirincione
Live at NRBQ Wild Weekend 2003, Hastings Hotel, Hartford, CT, August 14, 2003
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