[Country Joe's Place]

Hold on It's Coming

[_____________________]

[Hold on It's Coming]

Side 1:
  1. Hold on It's Coming No 1 (3:48)
  2. Air Algiers (2:28)
  3. Only Love Is Worth This Pain (3:53)
  4. Playing with Fire (3:17)
  5. Travelling (4:20)
Side 2:
  1. Joe's Blues (4:11)
  2. Mr. Big Pig (3:30)
  3. Balancing on the Edge of Time (3:09)
  4. Jamila (3:23)
  5. Hold on It's Coming No 2 (3:48)

[_____________________]

Hold on It's Coming No 1

Hmm, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah.
Hey!

Picked up a hitchhiker the other day,
He said he wasn't going far.
He looked so strange I couldn't help myself,
I asked, "Please, tell me who you are."
He smiled politely and lit a cigarette,
The smoke seemed to cast a spell.
What happened next I don't understand,
Yet it was so strange I can hardly tell.

He said, hold on it's coming    Hold on it's coming
He said, hold on it's very near  Hold on it's near
He said, hold on it's coming    Hold on it's coming
He said, hold on it's almost here.Hold on it's almost here

My mind seemed to spin and my hands began to tremble,
I began talking in tongues.
I looked over and his eyes seemed to glow,
It was like looking at the sun.
I told him everything in just a few moments
As if we had stopped time.
I felt the great light just as if I were floating,
It was truly blowing my mind.

He said, hold on it's coming    Hold on it's coming
He said, hold on it's very near  It's very near
He said, hold on it's coming    Oh, hold on it's coming
He said, hold on it's almost here.Hold on it's almost here

And then I was suddenly a child again
Holding my father's hand
And I watched it from the beginning
As I grew from child to man.
My friends all came and gathered round me once more,
We undid what was done,
And when it was over I was driving down the road
I looked around and he was gone.

He said, hold on it's coming    Hold on it's coming
He said, hold on it's very near  Hold on it's almost here
He said, hold on it's coming    Hold on it's coming
He said, hold on it's almost here.Hold on it's very near  

He said, hold on it's coming    Yeah, it's coming
He said, hold on it's very near  Hold on it's very near  
He said, hold on it's coming    Hold on it's coming
He said, hold on it's almost here.Hold on it's almost here

Air Algiers

I hopped on a plane
Oakland New York
Oakland New York
New York to Marseilles.
Yes, I hopped on a plane
Oakland New York to Marseilles
Pigs on my trail,
Hey, I got to make my getaway.

Ah, when the man holler
You sure got to jump boy
You sure got to jump hey
You got to jump bail
When the man hollers now
Sure got to jump bail
First fair trial, hey,
And then they put you back in jail.

Ah come on now !
Oh yeah!
Alright !

Hey now I can remember
A-seein' my picture
A-seein' my picture
On the post-office wall.
Yeah, I can remember my picture
On the post-office wall.
I can remember the day
That the F.B.I. called.

I got to make my connection,
I got a one-way ticket
I got a one-way ticket
I'm flyin' Air Algiers.
I got to make my connection
A one-way on Air Algiers.
I think I'll go to the Casbah
Cool it for a couple a years.

Only Love Is Worth This Pain

Baby, baby, won't you please
Help me in my time of need.
What I need to see me through
Only your sweet love can do.
Oh, you know we hurt each other so
Oh, baby, baby please don't go.

Baby, I have been so cruel
Expecting you to play the fool
And now I think I understand
What it means to be your man.
Oh, only love is worth this pain
Oh, come on, let's try again.

Oh, the pain and sorrows
Waiting for tomorrows.
I know how you felt now,
Come on let's work it out somehow.

Baby, baby love can't last,
Come on let's work out the past.
That's how much it means to me,
I want to be your family.
Oh, only love is worth this pain
Oh, come on, let's try again.

Oh, the pain and sorrows
Waiting for tomorrows.
I know how you felt now,
Come on let's work it out somehow.

Playing with Fire

Dynamite Charlie was a loser
Building bombs in his flat
Filled up his head with too many words
You know where that's at.
One day while he was working
He made a bad mistake.

He was playing with fire
Playing with fire, yeah,
Playing with fire
But it was too late.

Said he was playing with fire
Playing with fire
Playing with fire
But it was too late.

Double Head Danny was a heavy
He would try anything.
He thought he would take a good look at himself
Dropping some L.S.D.
When the doors were open
He knew he made a mistake.

Hey he was playing with fire, ha,
Playing with fire, yeah
Playing with fire
But it was too late.

I said he was playing with fire, huh uh,
Playing with fire, yeah
Playing with fire
But it was too late.

Alright come on play it one time!
Oh come on!
Yeah!

Acid Mary was a dealer,
She had a mission in life.
Soon as everybody was turned on
Everything would be alright.
When she sold speed to a narc girl,
She made a bad mistake.

Yeah she was playing with fire, ha!
Playing with fire, yeah
Playing with fire
But it was too late.

Said she was playing with fire, huh uh,
Playing with fire, yeah
Playing with fire
But it was too late.

I said she was playing with fire, huh uh,
Playing with fire, yeah
Playing with fire
But it was too late.

Alright, playing with fire, now now now
She was playing with fire, huh huh huh,
Said she was playing with fire, but it was too late...

Travelling

I lost my baby in outer space
She's up there past the moon.
Searching the heavens for her face
I hope that I find her soon.

We both took rocket up past the sky
I lost her somewhere above.
I feel so lonesome I could cry
Since I lost my love.

Hey, hey, what do you say ?
I travel the distant stars.
Hey, hey, I'll find some way
To go wherever you are.

Hey, hey, what do you say ?
I travel the distant stars.
Hey, hey, I'll find some way
To go wherever you are.

Now if you travel the Milky Way
Far beyond the Northern Star
To the place where there is no night or day
To where all the planets are

You may see her pass you by
On a journey to the sun.
Tell her that I search the skies
To try and find her love.

Hey, hey, what do you say ?
I travel the distant stars.
Hey, hey, I'll find some way
To go wherever you are.

Hey, hey, what do you say ?
I travel the distant stars.
Hey, hey, I'll find some way
To go wherever you are.

Hey, hey, what do you say ?
I travel the distant stars.
Hey, hey, I'll find some way
To go wherever you are.

Joe's Blues

Woke up this morning feeling round my bed
Looking for my baby but I found the blues instead.
Oh yeah I, I's feeling round my bed,
Oh yeah, you know I was feeling round my bed
Looking for my baby — great God I found the blues instead.

Ain't it sad when good love goes wrong
Ain't it lonesome when you find yourself alone.
Oh yeah — ah when good love goes wrong
Hum — hey when good love goes wrong
Oh yeah an' you feel so lonesome — you find yourself all alone.

Now talk the blues!
Yeah.
Hum hum.
Alright.
Hey!
Huh uh uh uh uh uh ...
Huh uh uh uh uh uh ...
Huh uh uh uh uh uh ... ooh.

Hey, I can almost hear it in the wind
It sounds like my baby is coming home again.
Oh yeah, I can almost hear it in the wind.
Oh yeah now, oh hear it in the wind,
Hum hope is my darling oh come back home again
Oh yeah.

Mr. Big Pig

Mr. Big Pig, he thought he was tough,
He learned how to swear, you know that he learned how to curse.
He got himself a gun and he learned how to shoot,
He even got a gas mask and put it on his snoot.

With his gun and his club hanging by his side
You know that he thought he was the meanest -huh- pig alive.
With his gloves on his hands and his boots on his feet
He thought he was the coolest pig on the streets.

Hey, you don't have to be a man to beat a man,
You don't have to be a man to beat a man.
Aw come on, play it for me now.

Hey! You know what I'm talkin' about,
I'm talkin' about Mr. Pig, the man.

Mr. Big Pig, he likes to be safe,
You know that he always begs for tear-gas and a little bit of mace.
He loves his leather gloves, his bullet-proof vest,
His great Big Pig badge pinned to his chest.

With all his equipment, he feels pretty big,
But it takes more than clothes to make more than a pig —
Shotguns, squad cars, walky-talkies, too,
Mr. Big Pig, you just look like a fool.

Hey, you don't have to be a man to beat a man.
C'mon, you don't have to be a man to beat a man.

Ah, come on, let's rock on now.

Balancing on the Edge of Time

Here I sit all by myself
I put all my books back on the shelf
I got no thoughts to trouble my mind
Balancing on the edge of time.
Then suddenly the light shines through
And I know just what to do
I sing la la la, I sing la la la.

Walking through the palm of my hand
It could be a woman — could be a man
I'm not afraid of what I'll find
Balancing on the edge of time.
Then suddenly night turns to day
I see my high life in a different way
And I sing la la la, yeah, I sing la la la.

I curse the days I spent in vain
With nothing to lose and nothing to gain.
I'll make a promise now of a different kind
Balancing on the edge of time.
Then suddenly new thoughts appear
And I can realize some of my fears
And I sing la la la, oh I sing la la la,

La la la la la la la ...

Jamila

She's one of the Eastern ladies, the hand of Fatima protects her.
She is a living Shiva, hell of belly-dancer.
Her body is hanging the silver rings
And when she's moving you can hear them ring
She moves her hips and she moves her hands
Her finger symbols start to play with her now.

La la la la, la la la la.

She's one of the Eastern ladies, you can feel her charisma.
She is a living Shiva, hell of belly-dancer.
Slowly she moves and then faster and faster
You must move quickly if you want to catch her
The beat of the dumba, the sound of the hude
You can understand life when you see her move.

La la la, hey, la la la, hey!

She's one of the Eastern ladies, you can feel her charisma,
She is a living Shiva, hell of belly-dancer.
Slowly she moves and then faster and faster
You must move quickly if you want to catch her
The beat of the dumba, the sound of the hude
You can understand life when you see her move.

La la la la la la la la la la.

Hold on It's Coming No 2

Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah.

Picked up a hitchhiker the other day,
He said he wasn't going far.
He looked so strange I couldn't help myself,
I asked, "Please, tell me who you are."
He smiled politely and lit a cigarette,
The smoke seemed to cast a spell.
What happened next I don't understand,
Yet it was so strange I can hardly tell.

He said, hold on it's coming    Hold on it's coming
He said, hold on it's very near  Hold on it's near
He said, hold on it's coming    Hold on it's coming
He said, hold on it's almost here.Hold on it's almost here

My mind seemed to spin and my hands began to tremble,
I began talking in tongues.
I looked over and his eyes seemed to glow,
It was like looking at the sun.
I told him everything in just a few moments
As if we had stopped time.
I felt the great light just as if I were floating,
It was truly blowing my mind.

He said, hold on it's coming    Hold on it's coming
He said, hold on it's very near  It's very near
He said, hold on it's coming    Oh, hold on it's coming
He said, hold on it's almost here.Hold on it's almost here

And then I was suddenly a child again
Holding my father's hand
And I watched it from the beginning
As I grew from child to man.
My friends all came and gathered round me once more,
We undid what was done,
And when it was over I was driving down the road
I looked around and he was gone.

He said, hold on it's coming    Hold on it's coming
He said, hold on it's very near  Hold on it's almost here
He said, hold on it's coming    Hold on it's coming
He said, hold on it's almost here.Hold on it's very near

He said, hold on it's coming    Yeah, it's coming
He said, hold on it's very near  Hold on it's very near  
He said, hold on it's coming    Hold on it's coming
He said, hold on it's almost here.Hold on it's almost here

[_____________________]

Country Joe McDonald starring in Hold on it's coming,
terror on Tin-Pan Alley: a saga of loose strings and fast music

Recorded at:
DeLane Lea Studios, 129 Kingsway, London WC2, late 1970
Engineer: Louie Austin

Pacific High Recording, Brady Street, San Francisco, late 1970
Engineer: Phil Sawyer

Vanguard Studios, 71 West 23rd Street, New York City, late 1970
Engineer: Eddie Friedner

Producers: Robin Menken & Bill Belmont

Processed at Vanguard Studios, 71 West 23rd Street, New York City
Engineer: Ed Friedner
Mixing Engineer: Jack Lothrop

Joe McDonald: vocals, acoustic guitar, guitar
Spencer Davis: back-up vocal, acoustic guitar, harmonica
Rockhead: electric guitar
Richard Sussman: piano
Nick Buck: electric piano
Alex Dmochowski: bass
Eric Weissberg: bass
Vic Smith: bass, electric guitar, back-up vocal
Gary "Chicken" Hirsh: drums
Greg Dewey: drums
Mark Sidi Siddy: talking drum [B-4]
Ed Bogas: fiddle [B-5]

Cover concept: Narcissistic Purposes Productions:
Photography: Jerry Wainwright
Production values: Don Sturdy
Graphics: Wm. Thut

Original vinyl release: Vanguard VSD.79314 [April 1971]
Original CD release:  One Way OW-30998 [April 20, 1995]

All songs copyright © 1970 renewed 1995 by McDonalds Music, BMI

This page made possible through the kind assistance of Serge Mironneau.

[_____________________]


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