Skip to Content Skip to Navigation
Join the email list!

Kelly Zullo: Lyrics/Notes

Lyrics and Liner Notes -- Four Lies and forty Criminals - June 14, 2008

Lyrics for 4 Lies and 40 Criminals. Released June 2008 on I'magic Records. Copyright 2008 Kelly Zullo & Imagic Records.

Mastered by Paul Umbach @ The Maze Franklin, TN. Recorded in 'The Closet' and The Fishtank Studio Nashville, TN by the left brain.

Notes: This was recorded mostly in one day in the humid attic where I hang out. I used an avalon pre amp, akg microphone, and my gibson country western acoustic. Some of the other takes were the first time the song was written, such as 'One Note Song' and 'Sing You To Sleep'.
The band track 'Where You're Hiding' was recorded a year previous and when it was written was about something completely different, yet it evolved into a song about reaching inside and asking for more. I did the drum loop editing, accordion, guitars, bass and of course vocals. It was layered one by one and rerecorded about 50 times. Probably more- I 'm crazy when doing studio tracks which is why there aren t more my guess.
After spending a year behind the mic everyday after working at something barely profitable and disheartening, I came home one day and said.. sing, I'm sick of you.

Hopefully Stevie Wonder forgives me for randomly rearranging his lyrics on Superstitious, to me it's more fun to make something new up everytime.



Superstitious
Similiar version to Stevie Wonder

Lyrics, I change these every time

His Cigar

c. 1998 Kelly Zullo

It was a lonely time for miss ellen rhine as she stood in the rain
She waved good bye and started to cry as the train pulled away
She knew when something came up it had to fall back down
But she couldn t keep her feet this time from flying off the ground
She was

Shootin for the moon Countin on the stars
Hoping that a fired up engine
Wouldn t take her too far
She was driving toward her doom
With no brakes on her car
And the train pulled away on that lonely day
With just him and his cigar

Miss Ellen Rhine would just start to cry sometimes in later days
And every time she saw a cigar she had to turn away
Time s got cruel tricks in mind and games it like to play
But nothing could stop that little shot as she stood there on that day
She was

Shootin for the moon
Countin on the stars
Hopin that a fired up engine wouldn t take her too far
She was driving towards her doom with no brakes on her car
As the train pulled away on that lonely day with just him and his cigar

No time to cry no time to cry no time to cry at all
There s no time to cry when you re the one being let go
And you got to stay where you ought to be if you don t know the deal



Have the faith?
c. 2008 Kelly Zullo

I get my instructions from my head
I get my instructions from my head
How am I to know where I m going
If you re not talking to me know it

Time is kind of heavy in this small town
Time is kind of heavy when I fall down
If you got a remedy you don t say
If you got a remedy come tell me

If you have the faith then fly away
If you have the faith go your way
Do you have the faith don t stay
If you have the faith you fly away


If you have the faith then fly away
If you have the faith go your way
Do you have the faith don t stay
If you have the faith you fly away



Lost Dear
c. 2008 Kelly Zullo


4 Lies, 40 Criminals
c. 2007 Kelly Zullo

Here lies the old boring waiter
The 10 second traitor to my life sure
Here lies the word in a puddle
If you like to stumble this one's all for you

4 lies and 40 criminals kept you being what you really weren't
4 lies and 40 criminals can't put you back together baby when you're hurt
ooh yeah

The truth hurts when
The truth hurts but you'll go nowhere when you're done with that

4 lies and 40 criminals kept you being what you really weren't
4 lies and 40 criminals can't put you back together baby when you're hurt
ooh yeah

4 Lies, it takes 4 lies and 40 criminals
They can't put you back together baby when you hurt


The High Way
c. 2000 Kelly Zullo

I'm flagging down the postman there's no letter from my baby in here
Been so long since we left I don t remember why yeah
We're moving on and changing that's a warning and that's a when

I spent 6 months in a small town making my brain go numb
So long in a small town I don t remember why I'd come
I am moving on and changing there's no warning there

In my head there's a baron of magic
I can't live underground
I've been falling for heaven but this highway
Needs me more now

I stopped at the station to get some gas



The Holy You
c. 2008 Kelly Zullo

We all are under neath the regimen of ourselves
And if you have to salute drop down and follow it it it
THis is the day
This is the the the day
THis is the day

This is the ho holy you
To meet the holy you who says

Jesus Christ everyone has fucked this up
Why are you so hard on yourself??

The first step of the regimen is fucking up a lie
And learn to abandon it drop down follow it
You do not let it go what do you do
You lie then

This is the holy you
Jesus Christ Everyone has fucked this up
Why are you so hard on yourself??


One Note Song
c. 2007 Kelly Zullo

I am the most afraid person of everything in the whole world
And if I don t become unafraid I don t know what's gonna happen but it's probably gonna be not pretty good
Why am I so much afraid of everything?
Sometimes fuckin up for years makes you think you should not be getting anyplace
And then you start to go somewhere and you think oh great this is not what usually happens
This is not what happens

If I could just get myself a balloon
I would be good
If I could just get myself alone
I'd be going home

Yeah think about all those things you see up on a mountain
Aren't really things that are up there on a mountain
And if you ever thought you could come along
Yeah I just changed notes, so it's not no more the one note song
Hey yeah yeah yeah

If you ever figure out who you're supposed to be
Shout it out loud, cause it's hard to even see
You know you're not alone
It's hard to get back home
And when you feel like you're already gone

Know that I can not overestimate the things you will follow
And you will be going through a lot of shit that I can say I told you so tomorrow
And I let you know everything is not just one not that I can sing to you
Everything in this world is not one note and not one song that you can get through
Take me home where we'll sing a one note song all year


Where You're Hiding
c. 2007 Kelly Zullo
Accordion, acoustic guitars, bass, bgv's, mixing and recording: Kelly Zullo
Drums: Mark Nemer
Drum Loop: Gota Yashiki Groove Activator

Usually we re shining, finding a little light
That we all believe comes through a fight
As I walk this line and blink my eyes oh I don't feel holy

I wonder where we're hiding
We should look inside yeah
A soul you'd rather find you're short fury
Fear will stay alive if you live in a fight
Prepare to stay alive

Ooh it s good to be here it s a good day in the world
As I reel a stare about me
Do you enjoy slip sliding living that riddle of a life yeah
I know you should fool it yeah

I wonder where we're hiding
We should look inside yeah
A soul you'd rather find you're short sorrys
Here to stay alive and live in a fight
Only staying alive

The fear will stay up all night if you don t look it in the eyes
If you don t look it in the eyes
If you don t look it right in the eyes and say

I wonder where you're hiding
Let's look inside yeah
A soul you'd rather find you're short fury
Here to stay alive and live in a fight
You're only staying alive
When you live in a fight yeah
Show you where you're hiding
Follow me to my shallow inside yeah


Sing you to Sleep
c. 2008 Kelly Zullo

I will just be naked for you I do want to sing you to sleep
And I am here so ordinary
There is a clock on the wall that keeps on ticking
It's not mine it's time
I try to stand up and say it's mine but it's not it's time

If I was unusual or short I would be part of the army of love
But those people are kind of dumb
I'd rather stick my thumb in the electric socket ya'll

So why don't I sing a love song so I can rock
Sing a love song so I can act like I rock
You to sleep

This is a magical age, nobody knows just hey
How they get up and go to sleep but they keep doing it yeah
They don t get married yeah unless they're scared to death
And then they're scared to death cause they're living with that idea

So why don t I sing you a love song
Act like I rock Yes I'll rock you to sleep