Luckily three -fifths of a handful (literally three!) privately pressed vanity copies were manufactured in early 1970 one of which became the source material for Finders Keepers 6th LP in their expanding library of obscure, obtuse, obsolete and obsessive vintage music from the 60's and 70's. Uber legend John Hill who penned the acid-rock floor-filler 'LOVE,LOVE,LOVE,LOVE,LOVE,' for 'Wool' and 'Pacific Gas And Electric' produced the LP which featues 9 tracks including a Johnny Cash cover and a 12 minute 'drugsploitation' epic called 'Yesterday - Where's My Mind' featuring Susan flipping vocal styles between Janis Joplin and Margo Guryan (...who was in fact a close friend of Susans at the time of recording).
30 years ago, a Philly based folk singer named Susan Christie was dropped by her record company. After one novelty song, the label bosses didn’t think her melancholy take on country and solitude would ever be of any interest. Five copies of her album were pressed and faded into obscurity. Skip forward to present time, and a small label, ‘Finders Keepers’ salvages three out of these five copies and decides to release it.
Susan Christie’s album is a beautiful piece of despondent tales and folky psychedelia. The fascinating thing is that it sounds very current. The title track is reminiscent of Portishead , while other songs incorporate break heavy folk-funk, current DJ’s would die for.
Paint a Lady
Susan Christie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The cotton candy maker is the last to leave the ground
Shuts his tiny wagon and goes to a room somewhere
His life's like cotton candy, an illusion not much there
Another man is working in a park across the town
With pointed stick he picks up paper scattered on the ground
Slowly does he walk and vent, his feet they are so sore
Tick tock
Time comes and then it's gone
Tick tock
In the end it's faced alone
Paint a lady dressed up in the finest sequin gown
Colour her your favourite shade of yellow, pink and brown
Paint a lady, give her strands of tinsel all her own
Then you will not have to go on living life alone
Still another standing on the corner of the street
People glance but hurry by, for fear their eyes might meet
He sells his red balloon so he'll sleep in a bed at night
He'll chance he'll have one for there's no parade in sight
Tick tock
Time comes and then it's gone
Tick tock
In the end it's faced alone
Paint a lady dressed up in the finest sequin gown
Colour her your favourite shade of yellow, pink and brown
Paint a lady, give her strands of tinsel all her own
Then you will not have to go on living life alone
The lyrics of Susan Christie's "Paint a Lady" paint a portrait of the struggles of everyday people who are trying to make ends meet but who, in the end, feel alone. The song starts with a vivid image of a carnival at night, where the cotton candy maker is the last to leave. His life, like cotton candy, is an illusion that is not grounded in reality. Similarly, the man who is picking up paper in the park is tired and sore, but there is no one to complain to. Both men are trapped in their circumstances and feel isolated.
The chorus of the song is a reminder that time is fleeting and that in the end, we all face our own struggles alone. The lyrics suggest that the way to alleviate this sense of isolation is to "paint a lady" - to create an imaginary companion who can provide comfort and solace. The chorus repeats the phrase "paint a lady dressed up in the finest sequin gown," urging the listener to bring their fantasies to life through visual art. The lady can be painted in any color - yellow, pink, or brown - and adorned with strands of tinsel. Through this creative act, the singer suggests that one can escape the pain of loneliness and find solace in the imagination.
The final verse of the song introduces another character, a man who sells red balloons on the street corner. He hopes to sell enough balloons to afford a bed to sleep in. The singer acknowledges that passersby do not make eye contact with him, suggesting that he, too, is invisible to the world. The chorus repeats, urging the listener to "paint a lady" and create a companion who can bring some light to the darkness of everyday life.
Overall, Susan Christie's "Paint a Lady" paints a picture of people who are struggling to survive and who feel isolated from society. The song suggests that acts of creativity can provide an escape from this isolation and that we can find comfort through the power of the imagination.
Line by Line Meaning
Night has fallen quickly on the carnival in town
The day has ended abruptly at the circus in the city
The cotton candy maker is the last to leave the ground
The candy man is the final person to leave the carnival premises
Shuts his tiny wagon and goes to a room somewhere
He locks his small cart and departs to an unknown room
His life's like cotton candy, an illusion not much there
His existence is like cotton candy, a deceptive appearance with little substance
Another man is working in a park across the town
Someone else is employed at a park on the other side of town
With pointed stick he picks up paper scattered on the ground
Using a pointed stick, he collects litter dispersed on the earth
Slowly does he walk and vent, his feet they are so sore
He walks and vents his frustrations slowly, as his feet are extremely painful
There's no one to complain to, though he's tried at times before
Despite his previous efforts, there is no one to express his grievances to
Tick tock
The sound of a clock ticking
Time comes and then it's gone
Time arrives and departs quickly
In the end it's faced alone
Ultimately, everyone must face their individual struggles alone
Paint a lady dressed up in the finest sequin gown
Create a portrait of a woman adorned in a lavish dress covered in sequins
Colour her your favourite shade of yellow, pink and brown
Tint her image with your preferred hues of yellow, pink, and brown
Paint a lady, give her strands of tinsel all her own
Illustrate a woman with strands of tinsel that are unique to her
Then you will not have to go on living life alone
This action will prevent you from having to go through life without companionship
Still another standing on the corner of the street
Another person stands at the street corner
People glance but hurry by, for fear their eyes might meet
Individuals quickly glance at him but quickly move on, for fear of making eye contact
He sells his red balloon so he'll sleep in a bed at night
He vends his red balloon in order to afford a good night's sleep
He'll chance he'll have one for there's no parade in sight
He hopes he will have a sale, even if there is no parade nearby
Tick tock
The sound of a clock ticking
Time comes and then it's gone
Time arrives and departs quickly
In the end it's faced alone
Ultimately, everyone must face their individual struggles alone
Paint a lady dressed up in the finest sequin gown
Create a portrait of a woman adorned in a lavish dress covered in sequins
Colour her your favourite shade of yellow, pink and brown
Tint her image with your preferred hues of yellow, pink, and brown
Paint a lady, give her strands of tinsel all her own
Illustrate a woman with strands of tinsel that are unique to her
Then you will not have to go on living life alone
This action will prevent you from having to go through life without companionship
Contributed by Jeremiah J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Voldemar Drakula
Night has fallen quickly on the carnival in town
The cotton candy maker is the last to leave the ground
Shuts his tiny wagon and goes to a room somewhere
His life's like cotton candy, an illusion not much there
Another man is working in a park across the town
With pointed stick he picks up paper scattered on the ground
Slowly does he walk and vent, his feet they are so sore
There's no one to complain to, though he's tried at times before
Tick tock
Time comes and then it's gone
Tick tock
In the end it's faced alone
Paint a lady dressed up in the finest sequin gown
Colour her your favourite shade of yellow, pink and brown
Paint a lady, give her strands of tinsel all her own
Then you will not have to go on living life alone
Still another standing on the corner of the street
People glance but hurry by, for fear their eyes might meet
He sells his red balloon so he'll sleep in a bed at night
He'll chance he'll have one for there's no parade in sight
Tick tock
Time comes and then it's gone
Tick tock
In the end it's faced alone
Paint a lady dressed up in the finest sequin gown
Colour her your favourite shade of yellow, pink and brown
Paint a lady, give her strands of tinsel all her own
Then you will not have to go on living life alone
Voldemar Drakula
Night has fallen quickly on the carnival in town
The cotton candy maker is the last to leave the ground
Shuts his tiny wagon and goes to a room somewhere
His life's like cotton candy, an illusion not much there
Another man is working in a park across the town
With pointed stick he picks up paper scattered on the ground
Slowly does he walk and vent, his feet they are so sore
There's no one to complain to, though he's tried at times before
Tick tock
Time comes and then it's gone
Tick tock
In the end it's faced alone
Paint a lady dressed up in the finest sequin gown
Colour her your favourite shade of yellow, pink and brown
Paint a lady, give her strands of tinsel all her own
Then you will not have to go on living life alone
Still another standing on the corner of the street
People glance but hurry by, for fear their eyes might meet
He sells his red balloon so he'll sleep in a bed at night
He'll chance he'll have one for there's no parade in sight
Tick tock
Time comes and then it's gone
Tick tock
In the end it's faced alone
Paint a lady dressed up in the finest sequin gown
Colour her your favourite shade of yellow, pink and brown
Paint a lady, give her strands of tinsel all her own
Then you will not have to go on living life alone
Victor
Never heard of her before, but the songs and her voice are magic. Thanks for posting this
J F
I love the bass..wonderful psychedelia
Dino Delray
It's a shame this wasn't released sooner. It's interesting.
sequentialable12
wonderful the essence of psychedelia
Noel K
I can’t find the rest of the album this song really has a sound ahead of its time
Paulo Pinheiro
It's here in YouTube and in Spotify also (listening to it right now)! ;-)
gilbert bono
Bien beau!
roach lung recordings
Trellion and Sniff are wild with the dope sample sources
Prof. Turbid
Knew someone would be here