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A Picture

from A Picture by Allan Thomas

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about

The title track 'A Picture', was written on Halloween in Boulder Colorado in 1970. The lyric endeavors to paint a picture of slices of everyday life using colors and images as a metaphor for things I had seen and experienced.

My friend and occasional sideman Jack McGann and I played acoustic guitars while I sang live.

My producer asked me if I wanted my photo to be on the cover of the album, and after some thought I declined. I actually had reservations about being recognized in the street should I achieve fame, losing my anonymity, but I didn't tell him that.

He suggested having Frank Gauna - a noted painter living in New Jersey - paint the album cover. He was supposed to have been a compadre of Andy Warhol. This idea struck me as novel right off the bat.

The lyrics had to do with "painting a picture for you so you can see what I've seen too". Frank, during a handful of sittings, painted a portrait of me with a brush and easel in my hands, my face and head in the center of a gold painted picture frame, with the sky behind me. He had painted the main lyrical idea. I loved it. Pretty cool for a record company to have initiated that kind of artwork I thought.

Later the painting would win Mr Gauna an award, and it was displayed in an art gallery in Manhattan for a while. Frank was a personable man and left a good impression on me. He'd put on classical music and jazz to paint to, and we would go on about our perspectives on life in general, and music and art in particular. He also told me about a great little Cuban Restaurant on Tenth Avenue. I remember the cat fondly.

This song happened to be in 3/4 time, one of the few songs I ever wrote in that time signature.

lyrics

A Picture

words & music - Allan Thomas


I want to paint a picture for you
So you may see what I've seen too
And I'll use colors of loneliness shades of blue
Colors of children and barking dogs too
Colors of wandering wondering why
Wishing and waiting while watching the sky

These are the images I choose to use
I'll paint a picture for the price of my dues

And I'll use colors of music and moments of love
Colors of questions and signs from above
Colors of patience and colors of pain
Colors of Dylan and colors of Coltrane

These are the images that I choose to use
I'll paint a picture for the price of my dues

I want to paint a picture for you
So you may see what I've seen too

And I'll use colors of grain sun-struck and gold
Colors of a man afraid to grow old
Colors of war bloody and red
Colors of lies upon which we're fed

These are images that I choose to use
I'll paint this picture for the price of my dues

And I'll use colors of laughter and colors of jail
Counting and cursing while waiting for mail
Colors of death doom and desire
Colors of naked ladies on fire

These are images that I've chosen to use
I've painted my picture for the price of my dues

Now I've wanted to paint a picture for you
And I hope you have seen what I've seen too


© 1971 Bleu Disque Music - ASCAP

credits

from A Picture, track released January 1, 1971
Allan Thomas - live vocals & acoustic rhythm guitar
Jack McGann - lead acoustic guitar

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Allan Thomas Hanalei, Hawaii

Aloha and welcome to my Bandcamp Music Store home page. Here you can listen to full-length samples of all seven Allan Thomas albums and three singles. Also to be found are credits, photos, stories and lyrics for all songs. Dig in...

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