love wins lyrics and stories

I think of this as my ‘Cy Coleman song’ – I had the opportunity to work with him on a show called LIKE JAZZ, with music by Cy and lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Watching them write songs and grapple with the process of putting a show together was fascinating. This melody was actually born at the piano during breaks in rehearsal, and the lyric was inspired by Lillias White, who was in the show and is just a powerhouse performer...

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A little bit of help

Music and lyrics: Bill Cantos

All I need is a little bit of help

I’m tired of doing this all by myself

I’ve been traveling a long hard road

Carrying a heavy load, can you hear me

Feels like I’m pushing a train up a hill

Maybe it’ll get me there, but I doubt it will

But this little engine could push on through

With just a little bit of help from you

A little boost, a little shove

A little kindness, just a little love

A cup of water for a thirsty man

I don’t care, just do what you can

Uh-huh, that’s right - I need a little bit

Uh-huh, that’s right - just a little bit

Uh-huh, that’s right -

I need a little bit of help from you

You needn’t bother with lip service

Too many promises just make me nervous

Write my name on your inside track

And don’t forget to call me back when I phone you

Your good faith will be rewarded

I’ll be just what the doctor ordered

You’ll be surprised how much I can do

With just a little bit of help from you

Work me in, try me out

Throw me a lifeline, send me a shout

Let me up to bat, put me to the test

Turn me loose and I’ll do the rest

Uh-huh, that’s right.....(etc.)

Take my word now, you can use me

Oh but please, please don’t refuse me

Yes indeed, I need a little bit of help from you

I always wanted to write a blues shuffle like this, not necessarily in a blues form, but a fun song with chord changes that are easy to blow over. The lyrics, while lighthearted, truly are a cry from my heart, born out of the inevitable frustration that comes with self-releasing your music - what better way to express it than the blues...

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Do I ever

Music and lyrics: Bill Cantos

Verse:

Lately I’ve been walking in the moonlight

The way we used to do

I can’t keep from talking to myself

And asking my heart a question or two.....

Do I dream about your kiss

On a starry night like this

My, my, do I ever

Do I wonder where you are

When I wish upon a star

My, my, do I ever

Could a love gone wrong just haunt you like a song

With a hopelessly sad refrain

Could a flame that should have died

Just burn you up inside

Well, betcha it could, betcha but good

Do I know that I was cruel

Do I feel just like a fool

My, my, do I ever

Would I throw away my pride

Just to have you by my side right now

Do I think that I will think of you forever

My, my, do I ever

And how

During the ‘jump swing’ phenomenon of a couple of years back, I performed with a group in LA called the Step Sisters, led by the wonderful Rita Valente. I wrote this song for them, envisioning it with full-on 40's style close harmony, but we never did end up doing it. I started singing it with my band and getting a good reaction - later I added the verse.

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Who are you

Music and lyrics: Bill Cantos

Who are you

Are you a flower that grows on the hillside

Catching my eye with a rainbow of color

Hopelessly lovely and wild as the moon

You smile and I wonder,

Who are you

Are you a statue inside a museum

Drawing me closer with eyes like the ages

Unable to love for you’re made out of stone

I look in your eyes and see nothing but mystery

There’s so many things I’ve been longing to ask you

Who are you

And what have you done with my heart

Who are you

Are you a season, a lifetime, an hour

Will you be there when the sky turns to winter

And if I should love you

Will you love me too

Who are you

I was working on a project in Nashville and took a break; I went off to be alone, put on my headphones and listened to Sarah Vaughan’s ‘Brazilian Romance’ album (arranged by Dori Caymmi and produced by Sergio Mendes). After it was done, I went to the piano and this song just came out, in less than two hours. It always reminds me of Dori, since it has his influence - all those two-five changes. People ask me about the grand love affair I must have had to inspire the lyric, but I must be honest - it was all just in my imagination. Brenda Russell (singing a duet with Bobby Caldwell) and Ramsey Lewis have both done me the honor of covering this one.

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Morning coffee

Music and lyrics: Bill Cantos

You’re my morning coffee, it’s absolutely true

I get all caffeinated just looking at you

Something in the way you way ‘hello’

Makes my engine go, just like a cup o’ Joe

You’re my cappuccino, a full-on triple shot

You send a shiver through my veins with what you’ve got

Even if I start out bleary-eyed

Once you’re by my side, my eyes just open wide

When I need a pick-me-up

The thought of you just fills my cup

And it’s uninterrupted bliss - imagining your kiss

So I’m sending out an S.O.S.

Without you I’m a mess, oh yes

Your love is my espresso

And I guess no--one else will do....just you

You’re my English Breakfast, my Lady Earl Grey

One look from you makes such a difference in my day

If we run out of coffee, can’t you see

That won’t bother me

Just be my cup of tea (you are my cup of tea)

When I’m losing all my buzz

And life gets crazy like it does

I call on you because I’ve found - it all turns around

So I’m sending out an S.O.S.

Without you I’m a mess, oh yes

Your love is my espresso

And I guess no one else will do

Gotta have my, gotta have my morning coffee

Those first two lines were in my head for years before I actually did anything with them; once the song started taking shape, I knew I wanted it to be fun, full of lyrical turns, and as fast as possible…

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Love wins

Music and lyrics: Bill Cantos

I’ve heard it my whole life--

“The nicest guys always finish last”

“Look out for yourself”, they say--

“The golden rule is just a thing of the past”

People say fighting dirty is the only game

That the world’s gonna understand

Well not me, not today

That’s not the way that I play - I say...

Love wins, love wins

You can cheat, you can lie, but by and by-

Love wins, love wins, yeah

Love wins

I know it’s a cruel world

I read the same morning paper as you

I know these are real hard times

So many never even make it through

Well, it seems like the devil’s working overtime

And he’s got the upper hand

But hold on, take a look

Cause I read the end of the book - and I know...

Love wins, love wins

Better listen, my friend, cause in the end-

Love wins, love wins, yeah

Love wins

Call me a naive, call me a fool - I still believe, love is gonna rule....

Another song where I had the title in my head for a couple of years before the song followed. One of my favorite grooves of all-time is that wonderful mid-60’s cha-cha mixed with bossa nova thing; think Ramsey Lewis’ “The In Crowd”, or Sergio’s version of “Daytripper”, or from a later era, David Sanborn’s remake of “Bang Bang”. That was the feeling I wanted to offset the words, which, honestly, are my personal manifesto. The world tries to make you feel like being ‘nice’ is a curse, when I say it’s a blessing. (And yes, I have read the end of the book.)

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Don’t say a word

Music and lyrics: Bill Cantos

Don’t say a word, darling, tonight

I’ve already heard enough

There’ll be no more conversation

‘Bout the trial and tribulation of the world outside

Now that you’re near, holding me tight

Suddenly it’s clear to me

This is absolute perfection

Just to drown in the reflection of my lover’s eyes

There’s so much time in the day for chatter

But that doesn’t matter anymore

Cause silently, we are breaking free

As we begin to fall right into love

Turn out the light

What a sweet discovery

When you kiss me in the quiet

Better hurry, dear, and try it

But don’t say a word

My homage to Ellington and Strayhorn – what amazing changes and melodies they invented…..

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Forgive me in advance

Music and lyrics: Bill Cantos

There’s a saying I know

Too often it’s unfortunately true-

That the ones you hurt the most

Turn out to be the ones who mean the most to you

And so if anything I do should interfere with our romance

Forgive me, my darling

Forgive me in advance

You’re a part of me

I barely can remember being alone

And I hope it’s plain to see

You’re just about the finest thing I’ve ever known

And so if I should start to say ‘I love you’ and then miss the chance

Forgive me, my darling

Forgive me in advance

I’d never mean to ever make you cry

There’s no good reason why I should

Don’t know how I could

But sometimes I do

And when I see the sadness in your eyes

It almost tears my skies apart

You know it breaks me heart

To do that to someone like you

So I hope you understand

I’m only human but my love is true

I’m an ordinary man

I’m bound to make a few mistakes - and so are you

So if I fail to mention just how good it feels to have this dance

Forgive me, my darling

Forgive me in advance

So if I fail to mention just how good it feels to have this dance

My darling, my darling, my darling

Forgive me in advance

There’s a lot of homage going on in these songs; this time it’s Ivan Lins (“Love Dance” and dozens more) and to a certain extent Burt Bacharach, who writes those wild, jagged, intricate melodies that shouldn't work at all but do! The lyrics are very much from the heart, for those many moments when I can’t measure up to my wonderful intentions in love. I see a lot of guys nodding their heads every time I sing this…

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Go ‘way moon

Music and lyrics: Bill Cantos

Go ‘way moon

Don’t shine tonight

Go ‘way moon

Just hide your light

The last time we met

You lit up the world like a Christmas tree

I thought it belonged to me

What a fool I turned out to be

So go ‘way moon

Don’t tell your lies

Go ‘way moon

I’m finally wise

You made me fall in love

And then she broke my heart

So don’t you start with me tonight

Go ‘way moon

A singer/actress named Susan Krebs called me on the phone to say she was doing a cabaret show where all the songs were about the moon – did I have anything? So I wrote this. To this day, I don’t actually know whether or not it made her show.

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Avenue 18

Music and lyrics: Bill Cantos

Take me back tonight

Back to where the music made the world all right

We could play the blues until the dawn

Even then, we could carry on

What a lovely scene

You gotta get me to avenue 18

Take me back in time

Somewhere far away when I didn’t need a dime

Just a place to play those songs again

Making music with all my friends

What a lovely scene

You gotta get me to avenue 18

(optional vocalese)

Back then, back when I we eighteen or so

I couldn’t wait to go anywhere they’d let me play

Didn’t matter when, didn’t matter where

Oh, Blakey and Shorter and Gershwin and Porter and oh -

Such wonderful music

What a beautiful time it was

This melody was actually written back when I was 18 (or so), and would get played every so often as an instrumental. When the idea of ‘new standards’ became the theme of this album (a phrase coined by Mari, by the way), I revisited my old book of songs and discovered it again; the form and style were perfectly suited to this project. The lyric took a while, since I wanted it to be simple and singable, capturing the feeling of being totally wrapped up in the process of music-making - and wanting to find that place again. There is no real Avenue 18 – just a place in time….

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Summer dream

Music: Bill Cantos

Lyrics: Bill Cantos/Kevyn Lettau

Summer dream coming true

Lazy day with nothing much to do

Follow me and steal a kiss or two in the sunshine

Willow tree on a hill

Wind that blows me like a daffodil

Hold me while the earth is sitting still

Watch a butterfly flutter by

I don’t want to catch a worry today

Let the world go away

Leaving every trace of time behind

Won’t you take me back to feel the thoughts of a child

Wanna run free and wild

Lose myself in this summer song

In between hide and seek

Let me show you what you mean to me

Give me your hand

We’ll find a land where summer dreams will last

All winter long

Written originally for Kevyn’s album “Another Season” – I wrote the music and part of the lyrics, then she seamlessly took over the rest. She sang it beautifully, and I rediscovered the song while choosing material for this CD. The vibe was meant to evoke the old song ‘Lazy Afternoon’ – languid, sweet, slow, and lovely.

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After you say it’s over

Music and lyrics: Bill Cantos

Should I laugh, should I cry

Should I look you in the eye or should I walk away

Just walk away

And how do you know

That the sky won’t ever go on back to blue

Tell me what should I do

After you say it’s over

Should I leave, do I dare

Should I take your hand and swear that we can work it out

This time we’ll work it out

Is it worth all the pain of this lover’s hurricane

That we’ve been through

And tell me what should I do

After you say it’s over

I could count up all the times before

When you said you couldn’t take no more

Then you’d turn around and cry

Say you’ll love me till I die

And we start it all over again

Is this real, who can tell

I was never good at melodrama anyway

What a crazy game to play

Love is kind, love is cruel

And I still would play the fool if you want me to

So tell me what should I do

After you say it’s over

I never had a good 12/8 bluesy ballad, so this song came out of the desire to write something like that. It feels like a little mini-play to me; and I’m so happy to say it’s not based on personal experience! (I tell Mari that all my love songs are about her, except the ones I wrote before her and the ones about breaking up.)

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I feel you

Music and lyrics: Bill Cantos

Just another afternoon on the sidewalks of London

All the gray and rainy days run together

Hidden in the streets of stone

Suddenly I’m not alone

I feel you, I feel you

Every time I think I’ve lost you, it seems that you find me

Blowing through me like the wind of December

Though you’ve gone away so far

Still I turn and there you are

I feel you, I feel you

I feel you beside me, your head on my shoulder

Your fragrance, your laughter, your touch

I’m lost in remembering the reasons I miss you so much

How could I ever think about a lifetime that happens without you

Even if my only hope is a memory

Please don’t let us be apart

Wrap yourself around my heart

Let me feel you

How I need to feel you

Inspired by and written for Flora Purim. I was in London playing with her and Airto at Ronnie Scott’s, and the melody grew out of the very unique feeling of their music. As I walked around town, a mix of sadness for friends who were no longer with us, isolation, and loneliness of being without Mari all came together - the title came up and I knew what the song needed to be ….

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