Bob Schwartz

Don’t you know that this could start
On any street in any town
In any state if any clown
Decides that now’s the time to fight
For some ideal he thinks is right
And if a million more agree
There ain’t no Great Society
As it applies to you and me
Trouble Every Day

But I’m telling you
It can’t happen here
Oh darling, it’s important that you believe me
That it can’t happen here
It Can’t Happen Here

Frank Zappa was a genius. The Mothers of Invention, the first group he founded and led, was breakthrough significant (still is). Both should be heard.

When I see that the Mothers have only 205,000 monthly listeners and that Zappa has only 962,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am disappointed. Plenty of worthy artists, contemporary and throwback, struggle to get big numbers, compared to the latest fave. But in this case, those missing listeners could really benefit from it, cause they’re missing something.

Freak Out (1966) is the first Mothers album. Artists, musical and otherwise, like to shake things up and break things. Zappa saw things in 1960s culture and society that need shaking and breaking, and being a true artist, he set out to do that. And did that for decades to come.

The two tracks from Freak Out featured here are Trouble Every Day and It Can’t Happen Here, lyrics and videos below. If this is your first taste of the Mothers and Zappa, explore.

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Trouble Every Day

Well I’m about to get sick
From watchin’ my TV
Been checkin’ out the news
Until my eyeballs fail to see
I mean to say that every day
Is just another rotten mess
And when it’s gonna change, my friend
Is anybody’s guess

Wednesday I watched the riot
I seen the cops out on the street
Watched ’em throwin’ rocks and stuff
And chokin’ in the heat
Listened to reports
About the whisky passin’ ’round
Seen the smoke and fire
And the market burnin’ down
Watched while everybody
On his street would take a turn
To stomp and smash and bash and crash
And slash and bust and burn

Well, you can cool it, you can heat it
‘Cause, baby, I don’t need it
Take your TV tube and eat it
‘N all that phony stuff on sports
‘N all the unconfirmed reports
You know I watched that rotten box
Until my head begin to hurt
From checkin’ out the way
The newsman say they get the dirt
Before the guys on channel so-and-so
And further they assert
That any show they’ll interrupt
To bring you news if it comes up
They say that if the place blows up
They will be the first to tell
Because the boys they got downtown
Are workin’ hard and doin’ swell
And if anybody gets the news
Before it hits the street
They say that no one blabs it faster
Their coverage can’t be beat
And if another woman driver
Gets machine-gunned from her seat
They’ll send some joker with a Brownie
And you’ll see it all complete

So I’m watchin’ and I’m waitin’
Hopin’ for the best
Even think I’ll go to prayin’
Every time I hear ’em sayin’
That there’s no way to delay
That trouble comin’ every day
No way to delay
That trouble comin’ every day

Hey, you know something, people?
I’m not black but there’s a whole lots a times I wish I could say I’m not white

Well, I seen the fires burnin’
And the local people turnin’
On the merchants and the shops
Who used to sell their brooms and mops
And every other household item
Watched a mob just turn and bite ’em
And they say it served ’em right
Because a few of them were white
And it’s the same across the nation
Black and white discrimination
Yellin’ “You can’t understand me!”
‘N all that other jazz they hand me
In the papers and TV
And all that mass stupidity
That seems to grow more every day
Each time you hear some nitwit say
He wants to go and do you in
Because the color of your skin
Just don’t appeal to him
No matter if it’s black or white
Because he’s out for blood tonight

You know we got to sit around at home
And watch this thing begin
But I bet there won’t be many
Live to see it really end
‘Cause the fire in the street
Ain’t like the fire in the heart
And in the eyes of all these people
Don’t you know that this could start
On any street in any town
In any state if any clown
Decides that now’s the time to fight
For some ideal he thinks is right
And if a million more agree
There ain’t no Great Society
As it applies to you and me
Our country isn’t free
And the law refuses to see
If all that you can ever be
Is just a lousy janitor
Unless your uncle owns a store
You know that five in every four
Just won’t amount to nothin’ more
Gonna watch the rats go across the floor
And make up songs about being poor

Blow your harmonica, son!

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It Can’t Happen Here

It can’t happen here
I’m telling you, my dear
That it can’t happen here
Because I been checkin’ it out, baby
I checked it out a couple a times

But I’m telling you
It can’t happen here
Oh darling, it’s important that you believe me
That it can’t happen here

Who could imagine that they would freak out somewhere
in Kansas…
Who could imagine that they would freak out in Minnesota…
Who could imagine…

Who could imagine
That they would freak out in Washington, D.C.
But it can’t happen here
Oh baby, it can’t happen here
Everybody’s safe and it can’t happen here
No freaks for us
Everybody’s clean and it can’t happen here
No, no, it won’t happen here
Plastic folks, you know
It won’t happen here
You’re safe, mama
You’re safe, baby
You just cook a tv dinner
And you make it
Oh, we’re gonna get a tv dinner and cook it up
Oh, and it won’t happen here
Who could imagine
That they would freak out in the suburbs!
Man you guys are really safe
Everything’s cool

I remember
They had a swimming pool

And they thought it couldn’t happen here
They knew it couldn’t happen here
They were so sure it couldn’t happen here
But…