first
There's one on every ship
And don't be thinking
it's an accident
Or some optical illusion
It's destiny
Those are people who always
have that precise instant
stamped on their life
And when they were kids
you could look into their eyes
and if you looked carefully enough
you'd already see her
America
And I've seen a few Americas
Six years on that ship
five crossings a year
Europe, America and
back always soaking in the ocean
When you stepped on land
you couldn't even
piss straight in the john
It was teady. The john, I mean
But you'd keep
bobbing like an idiot
You can get off a ship all right
But off the ocean
I was just closing
What can I do for you?
When I boarded, I was 24 years old
And I only cared
about one thing in life
Playing the trumpet
I'm selling it
Conn
Not bad
Best brass money can buy
Six pounds, ten shillings
Best I can do
That horn's my whole life, mister
Even being a nobody
has got to be worth
more than twenty lousy bucks
It that's how things are, I suppose
it's barely worth half a crown
Shut the door when you leave
please
Okay, pops
you win
You just bought yourself
a piece of musical history
Now if you want my advice
got out, treat yourself
to a decent meal
At least let me play it
one last time
Young man
I don't have time to waste
All right
Hurry up, then
I'm closing
Thank you
Two peas in a pod, wouldn't you say
It's the music
you were just playing
What is it?
It doesn't have a name
Just a handful of people have
had the privilege of hearing it
That style. I was wondering
since this morning, but...
I can't work out
who this amazing piano player is
I don't think you ever heard of him
Who is he?
If I told you
this pianist never existed
I wouldn't be lying
I don't like secrets
Come on now, Yank
who the devil is playing?
That's my secret
It was the first year
of this frigging century
as defined by an unknown colored
coal stoker on the Virginian
Fucking rich-ass bastards
Can't lose nothing
but cigarette butts
and dirty-ass handkerchiefs
Can't lose no watch
not even a beat-up Elgin
or a sorry-ass cufflink
What am I talking about?
Not even a fake fucking ring
Look here
A whole cigar
Must've been somebody poor
at the party
Look at this shit
Nasty fucker
Damn rich. Don't forget nothing
unless they owe you some money
What in the scuts you doing here?
"T.D. Lemons"
Howdy do there, Lemon
Immigrant bastard
You said it
That's the way the immigrants do it
Have a baby on the ship
and then leave on board
another mouth to feed
And, like that, avoid trouble
with the immigration office
What's a boy like him
going to be when he grows up?
Another immigrant
Don't pay those bastards no mind
Lemon
Go on, lap it up, boy
This one they left in first class
on top the piano
They are hoping
some rich guy will come
and stick a silver spoon
in his mouth
And who does
the little ape get instead?
A poor coal stoker
Someoe is taking you
for a sucker, Danny
They have the fun
You have the misery
Fuck poverty
You stinking sewer rats
T.D. was wrote on that box. Any of
you shitheads know what that means?
I forgot. You all can't read
It means, "Thanks, Danny."
"Thanks, Danny"
They left him for me
and I'm gonna keep him
Rest of you all
can go fuck yourselves
Danny, what are you going
to call the nino?
Hell, I ain't think about that
To start off
I'm going to name him after me
Danny Boodman
Then I'll put "T.D." in the middle
Iike rich folks puts that
in the middle, don't you think?
That give it class, to put that
in the middle, don't you think?
All fucking lawyers gots initials
in the middle of their names
Well, my lawyer
was Jonathan PTK Wonder
My son grow up to be a lawyer
I swear I'll kikk him myself
But the boy's name is still going
to be Danny Boodman T.D. Lemon
He ain't the son of
no fucking duke, Danny
You found him on a Tuesday
Call him "Tuesday"
You ain't as dumb as you look
colored