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    THE STORIES IN MY MIND, recorded live at a New York revue of Dennis Livingston’s songs, reaches back to the American Songbook to offer multi-genre, contemporary-based tales of life, relationships and the unexpected chanciness of existence in our time. Comes in a CD jewel case.

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Stories In My Mind: The Songs of Dennis Livingston [Live at the Metropolitan Room] via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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about

An uptempo, jazzy comic number about the perils of collecting more books than can be crammed into too small a living space; the chorus veers into opera parody.

Sheet music available by request from dennis@dennislivingston.com

Watch a performance of this song from the original Stories revue at youtu.be/iImRcTuagKM

lyrics

TOO MANY BOOKS!

Words & Music by Dennis Livingston

I live in a New York apartment.
Of course, it’s rather small.
The neighbors are nosy, the kitchen is cozy.
I can’t turn around without hitting a wall.

There’s a living room, dining room,
guest room for two.
To be sure, they’re the same room,
but what can you do?

It’s affordable and clean,
I never see any mice.
There’s only one tiny problem
in this urban paradise.

I’ve got too many books.
Too many God damn books!

They block the windows.
The views are gone.
I sleep in the daytime,
read till dawn.

To make room for more books,
I’ll dump the bed.
Put the fridge on the street,
I’ll eat out instead.

I may be a schnook,
but I keep buying
book after book, after book.

I’ve got too many shelves.
Too many shelves with books!

Shelves hit the ceiling,
no drapery,
in my quiet, private
library.

I rappel over shelves
seeking the sink.
Crawl through the aisles
to look for a drink.

I admit I’m a nut,
stuck in a rut,
with a glut
of too many hard-copy books.

Lord of Print,
save me from the tomes in my life.
Grant me the light
to see my own face
when I wash up at night.

Lord of Print,
let me find my bedroom at last.
Help me explore
the path that you clear
to my buried front door.

Ah, but Lord of Print
you know that in spite of it all
when push comes to shove,
as it frequently does,
given the above,
I love having…

Too many books.
Even too many unread books.

My place smells like a musty shop.
There’s no space for me to flop.
Call me demented,
call me obsessive,
anal retentive,
slightly possessive.

But I can’t make myself stop …
collecting all those
too, too, too, too, too many books.

© 2005 Hallmark Music Co.

credits

from The Stories In My Mind: The Songs of Dennis Livingston [Live at the Metropolitan Room], released November 13, 2016
Producer: Dennis Livingston
First performed at the Metropolitan Room, New York, NY
Ensemble vocal arrangements: Scott Coulter & Kenneth Gartman
Recording: Jean-Pierre Perraux
Mixing & mastering: Doug Hammer, Dreamworld Productions, Lynn, MA

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Dennis Livingston - Cabaret & Jazz Songwriter image

Dennis Livingston - Cabaret & Jazz Songwriter Boston, Massachusetts

Stories offers an intriguing group of original songs by Dennis Livingston from a variety of genres, rooted in the sophisticated lyrics and story-telling tradition of American Songbook standards. Performances feature the harmonies and passionate singing of (l to r in the photo) Kenneth Gartman, Julie Reyburn, Alex Goley, Christina Connors & Scott Coulter, plus Matt Scharfglass (bass) & Dennis. ... more

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