Future 4 (Finale: Before The Music Ends)
Arranged By: Gordon Jenkins
With the
From the Album: The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings
Label: Reprise Records
Recorded:
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Frank with (chorus)
I reached the age of forty
somewhat sooner than expected,
Living at a
fairly hectic pace.
When I count the years that I
have happily collected,
The future shows its
apprehensive face.
(But now, Francis, what the hell
do you do now, Francis?)
Quite a different song must be
sung
When the
singer is no longer young.
Before the music ends, before it
fades away,
There are several very necessary
things I must do.
Friends, I must be again certain
places where I must be again.
Before the music ends, I must go
to
(pause)
I wanna
run down that street where that thin Italian kid ran.
Then slow down at the school,
Where those nice old ladies tried
to teach me,
Unaware that I knew much more
than they did.
And stop at the poolroom for a
beer,
And sadly say to myself, I don't
know anybody here.
(Francis, don't go home again.)
One thing I'd like to do, before
the music ends,
Is to thank some wonderful
life-long friends,
I've never met but have known so
well.
(background:
Liszt's Liebensraum)
From one Frank to another, thank
you for your dream,
Your dream is now my own.
And thank you Ludwig Van
(background: a snatch of the Fifth Symphony)
For the flight of fancy you sent
me on.
Thank Mrs. Verdi, for Joe and a
special thanks to Giacomo.
(background:
Verdi's opera)
All of you took turns in
delivering sunrise a little sooner to my window.
(musical
interlude)
Before the music ends, with
company by Dino and Clark,
I'd like to make one more charge
at Baker's.
You won't find me at that idiot
wheel that spins, and spins and spins.
I won't play the slot machine,
the management always wins.
Not for me the game where the jack
is called black,
And meet them dikes that stand
back.
(And you're actually down the line, and a hundred on the drum)
(Is enough to make you shy, load
the truck with speaker's drum)
You won't hear me talk about
saving new shoes, baby's got 57 pairs,
All I ask is Time, just plain
and simple Time
(just a
little tiny boo, just a little business free)
(time,
time, time, time, time. time, time, time, time, time) Time!
(pause)
In years to come, I may forget
if I lost or if I won,
But I'll always remember how much
fun it was.
(just
concentrate on five and four, just stick to six and three).
(pause)
And when the music ends, I'd
like it to end this way,
I'll ask Chester to write me one
more song.
I'll get Lesty
to make me one more chart,
And I'll make one more record
with the best musicians in the world.
(Fanfare)
And when that cat with the sight
comes tugging at my sleeve,
I'll be singing as I leave
(Sandra, Sandra, Sandra).