Newman, Randy - Hard Currency (Demo) Lyrics






[Martha (at the Costa Rica airport, in posession of Margaret's jewels):]

[Industrialists, the military, peasants are waiting at the airport]
[CHORUS:]
She's coming, she's coming, she's coming
With a great silver bird she's coming
She's coming, she's coming, she's coming
With a great silver bird she's coming

Martha, Martha, Martha, Martha, Martha
Martha, Martha, Martha, Martha, Martha

[Martha:] When I was poor I hated it
Always the wolf at the door
Now that I'm rich
I'm so happy
I'll never be poor anymore
I'll never be poor anymore

[Chorus:] Heavy industry
A higher standard of living

[Martha:] When I was a kid grandma told me
Girl, now you listen to me
Without any money you're nothing
Without money you'll never be free

[Chorus:] Martha, Martha, Martha, Martha, Martha

You might be pretty, forget it, forget it
You might be smart but so what
If you don't have plenty of money
It's plenty of nothing you've got

Heavy industry
A higher standard of living
Hard currency

[An unwritten dance]

[Martha:] I had a friend
I betrayed that friend
Am I an animal or what?
Does not a human heart beat within my breast
Maybe not!

[Chorus:] Martha, Martha, Martha, Martha, Martha, Martha

[Martha (speaking to the audience):] Goodbye, goodbye everyone! We won't see each other ever again. But in my heart, I'll always be an
American. [Some angry grumbling] A north american. Goodbye and give my regards to broadway!





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Newman, Randy Hard Currency (Demo) Comments
  1. y.... y....

    Thank you. It's really pretty

  2. s.... ....

    The ragtime craze back then started with Joshua Rifkin's recordings of rags. That came out in 1970. He wrote Vine St. 2-3 years before that. I think TheBlewis is right, it's a ragtime riff, not a direct quote.

    s.... ....

    It was really The Sting in '73, wasn't it? Guitar players on the Kicking Mule label really drove that little renaissance. Love ragtime!

  3. t.... ....

    It was released on the Randy Newman box set, "Guilty".

  4. D.... R....

    He's certainly quoting The Entertainer. He does it in the middle, then he uses it again at the end, turning the rhythm around a little.

  5. T.... ....

    Well yeah, definitely Ode to Joy. I don't think it's directly quoting the Entertainer, but definitely has some stock ragtime/tin pan alley changes in there.

  6. J.... ....

    Anyone hear "The Entertainer" and "Ode to Joy" in the middle?

  7. Z.... H....

    jesus, its unreal to hear newman sing this. how did you get this?

  8. a.... ....

    Thanks for putting this on! I've loved this song for ages from Nilsson and Van Dyke Parks, but always wanted to hear this version! You made my day

  9. W.... ....

    @Hoboscouts Absolutely

  10. W.... ....

    Harry had skills