She has won numerous awards and inspired many to donate their time and money to countless charities around the globe. Her accomplishments in blues, jazz and rock have moved audiences across the country. Her talents have led to collaborations, as both singer and songwriter, with internationally acclaimed artists as well as local friends and heroes.
Molly Johnson has rocked standing-room only audiences in nightclubs and bars from coast-to-coast as a pop artist, seduced the patrons of salons and lounges with her luscious interpretations of jazz and blues standards and even regaled royalty with her unique and charming presence.
However, Molly's most prized accomplishment to date is being a good mother to her two children.
Lush Life
Molly Johnson Lyrics
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Those come what may places
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
To get a feel of life
From jazz and cocktails
The girls I knew had sad and sullen grey faces
With distant gay traces
You could see where they've been washed away
By too many through the day
Twelve o'clock tales
Then suddenly you came along
With a siren song
It tempts me to madness
I thought for a while that your poignant smile
Was tinged with the sadness...
Of a great love for me
But, I was wrong
I was wrong
Life is lonely again,
And only last week, everything seemed so sure.
Now life is awful again,
A trough full of hearts will probably be a bore, a bore
A week I might go to Paris
At least a bite of it
All, all I want to do is laugh in spite of it
I'll forget you, I will
And yet you are still
Burning inside my brain
Romance is mush
And it stifles those who strive
Well I'll live a lush life in some small dive
And I, I'll be alright with the rest
All those whose lives are lonely too
The lyrics of Molly Johnson's Lush Life describe the singer's memories of the wild and exciting times she used to have in the past, frequenting exciting and dangerous places where she could get lost in the excitement of jazz and cocktails. She describes her memories of the girls she used to know in these places, whose visibly faded, grey faces revealed the weariness of a life that had been washed away by the excess and drama of their existence. The singer then goes on to describe the entrance of someone new, whom she initially assumes is a romantic interest but later comes to realize was only a passing fling. Ultimately, she resigns herself to a life of loneliness and decides to focus on living a lush life in a small and unremarkable dive where she can avoid heartbreak and find solace amongst the company of similarly lonely individuals.
Line by Line Meaning
I, I used to visit all these very gay places
I used to frequent lively, carefree establishments
Those come what may places
Places where anything goes and people behave recklessly
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
Where one unwinds and experiences life's ups and downs
To get a feel of life
To experience the essence of life
From jazz and cocktails
By listening to jazz music and drinking cocktails
The girls I knew had sad and sullen grey faces
The women I knew were unhappy and had lifeless expressions
With distant gay traces
With faint remnants of their past happiness
That used to be there
That were once present in their lives
You could see where they've been washed away
Their happiness was destroyed by the hardships of life
By too many through the day
By dealing with too many struggles throughout the day
Twelve o'clock tales
Stories told at midnight, probably about their struggles or regrets
Then suddenly you came along
Then suddenly you appeared in my life
With a siren song
With a captivating and irresistible appeal
It tempts me to madness
Your song drives me insane with desire
I thought for a while that your poignant smile
I believed for some time that your meaningful smile
Was tinged with the sadness...
...was characterized by sadness, despite its beauty
Of a great love for me
Of a deep affection that you had for me
But, I was wrong
However, I was mistaken
Life is lonely again,
My life is once again devoid of companionship,
And only last week, everything seemed so sure.
Just last week, everything appeared clear and certain.
Now life is awful again,
Now life is terrible and depressing again,
A trough full of hearts will probably be a bore, a bore
A group of people looking for love would likely be uninteresting and dull
A week I might go to Paris
I might visit Paris for a week
At least a bite of it
At least enjoy some of what the city has to offer
All, all I want to do is laugh in spite of it
All I want is to try to be happy in spite of my situation
I'll forget you, I will
I will try to forget about you
And yet you are still
However, you remain
Burning inside my brain
Persistently occupying my thoughts and feelings
Romance is mush
Love is trivial and meaningless
And it stifles those who strive
And it prevents people from achieving their goals
Well I'll live a lush life in some small dive
I will try to live a life of luxury, even in a humble place
And I, I'll be alright with the rest
And I will be content along with all those whose lives lack love
Lyrics © K SMITH MUSIC CO., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billy Strayhorn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind