Max, Jimmy, rocked J-Town
The Songwriter
I heard Max Brown on the radio singing 'Chinatown'
He was a local boy from Neosho, a nearby town
The first song I wrote was about sin, sorrow, and death
I covered all the bases, I mean, after that what's left
I heard Jimmy Thurman on the radio singing ‘Pretty Baby’
He was a local boy from Joplin, and I thought just maybe
I could write a song or two with my guitar and play me
I could write a song, free my bonds and save me
So I did and in doing so the process really drew me in
Creating worlds and dreams I could live within
Maybe someday the songs will be in store record bins
For sale for all to buy and hear at the local five and ten
I wrote more songs, found it was hard to come up with tunes
But the words were easy, moon and June and all that blooms
I was doing just fine, tweaking and sculpting every line
A notebook full, I could hardly believe they were all mine
Pretty soon I got pretty good and all was going as it should
Then I realized all my songs were nothing but dead wood
Until people heard them and made a judgement as to their merit
Or, I would be singing to an empty room like a lonely parrot
Surely, I thought the public can't be that hard to please
I mean Fabian sounds like a wheel you forgot to grease
It's way too late to stop now as it has become a habit
If you hear me and think you can do better, have at it
© Words and music by Bryce Martin 1959,1960
© Godot Boys Music (BMI) 2022
Words and Music by Bryce Martin
NOTE: “Pretty Baby” by Jimmy Thurman is on YouTube. I posted on there several years ago and Jimmy’s daughter, Christina, responded to my post: “Jim Thurman was born in CA and moved to Joplin, Mo., as a child. He recorded in
Tulsa… Thank you for appreciating his music, I’m sure he is smiling down from heaven!
