Rickie Lee Jones — We Belong Together
Album: PiratesAvg rating:
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Length: 4:51
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I say this was no game of chicken
You were aiming your best friend
That you wear like a switchblade on a chain around your neck
I think you picked this up in Mexico from your dad
Now its daddy on the booze
And Brando on the ice
Now it's Dean in the doorway
With one more way he can't play this scene twice
So you drug her down every drag of this forbidden fit of love
And you told her to stand tall whet you kissed her
But that's not where you were thinking...
How could a Natalie Wood not get sucked into a scene so custom tucked?
How now look who shows up
In the same place
In this case
I think it's better
To face it ---
We belong together
We belong together
Once Johnny the King made a spit ring
And all the skid kids saw a very, very proud man
And he entwine her in his finger
And she lay there like a baby in his hand
And climb upon the rooftop docks lookin' out on the crosstown seas
And he wraps his jacket across her shoulders
And he falls and hugs and holds her on his knees
But a sailor just takes a broad down to the dark end of the fair
To turn her into a tattoo
That will whisper
Into the back of Johnny's black hair
And now Johnny the King walks these streets without her in the rain
Lookin' for a leather jacket
And a girl who wrote her name forever
A promise that ---
We belong together
We belong together
Shall we weigh along these streets
Young lions on the lam?
Are the signs you hid deep in your heart
All left on neon for them?
Who are foolish
Who are victim
Of the sailors and the ducky boys who would
Move into your eyes and lips and
Every tear
That falls down on the neighborhood now
I said "Bird, we just gotta tell them"
And they turn and ignore us
And the only heroes we got left
Are written right before us
And the only angel who sees us now
Watches through each other's eyes
And I can hear him
In every footstep's passing sigh
He goes crazy these nights
Watching heartbeats go by...
And they wisper ---
We belong together
We belong together
You were aiming your best friend
That you wear like a switchblade on a chain around your neck
I think you picked this up in Mexico from your dad
Now its daddy on the booze
And Brando on the ice
Now it's Dean in the doorway
With one more way he can't play this scene twice
So you drug her down every drag of this forbidden fit of love
And you told her to stand tall whet you kissed her
But that's not where you were thinking...
How could a Natalie Wood not get sucked into a scene so custom tucked?
How now look who shows up
In the same place
In this case
I think it's better
To face it ---
We belong together
We belong together
Once Johnny the King made a spit ring
And all the skid kids saw a very, very proud man
And he entwine her in his finger
And she lay there like a baby in his hand
And climb upon the rooftop docks lookin' out on the crosstown seas
And he wraps his jacket across her shoulders
And he falls and hugs and holds her on his knees
But a sailor just takes a broad down to the dark end of the fair
To turn her into a tattoo
That will whisper
Into the back of Johnny's black hair
And now Johnny the King walks these streets without her in the rain
Lookin' for a leather jacket
And a girl who wrote her name forever
A promise that ---
We belong together
We belong together
Shall we weigh along these streets
Young lions on the lam?
Are the signs you hid deep in your heart
All left on neon for them?
Who are foolish
Who are victim
Of the sailors and the ducky boys who would
Move into your eyes and lips and
Every tear
That falls down on the neighborhood now
I said "Bird, we just gotta tell them"
And they turn and ignore us
And the only heroes we got left
Are written right before us
And the only angel who sees us now
Watches through each other's eyes
And I can hear him
In every footstep's passing sigh
He goes crazy these nights
Watching heartbeats go by...
And they wisper ---
We belong together
We belong together
Comments (102)add comment
This isn't bad.. normally RLJ triggers a PSD for me but this is ok. 
Hearing Randy Newman in this one..
Hearing Randy Newman in this one..
Watching heartbeats go by...
The lead off song on a mix tape for someone that I'll never be together with again.
This song...album is just so good. Cinematic. I used to subscribe to Rolling Stone back in the day and remember reading the review for Pirates. They gave it 4 or 5 stars. I brushed it off as back then, I was only into new wave type stuff. However, I never forgot that review and when the intenet came into its own, I dialed it up. Wow. This was also the case for Springsteens Nebraska album. Thank you for playing this!
One of the first CDs I bought.
bluematrix wrote:
Great post, thank you
I will always think of a new years many years ago when i hear this song. I was at a party at a friends house and everyone had someone to kiss at midnight, except for me. I was sitting on the bench of this baby grand piano (no not playing) and feeling sorry for myself when this song came on a few minutes later. I could feel the pain in her voice and it matched and ignited my own. I'm not that emotional of a guy, but... I'm not sure I've ever cried so hard before. I slipped out the back door and walked in the woods most of the night.
The power of music...
The power of music...
Great post, thank you
leafmold wrote:
She's still great.- saw her in a small, intimate jazz club this past Fall. She didn't play this song though and I was waiting to hear it.......
Loved her, back in the day.
She's still great.- saw her in a small, intimate jazz club this past Fall. She didn't play this song though and I was waiting to hear it.......
old_shep wrote:
Yep ......
Funny how some songs are about just one person. I find much of RLJ's music expresses feelings I wish I had expressed at the time.
Yep ......
Whoa. I haven't heard this in years (wait, 1981? ...I don't even know who I was then). I have this LP -- which is well past well-worn. Thanks for bringing her back to me today!
some artist you over play some not enough, RLJ is one of the latter
Funny how some songs are about just one person. I find much of RLJ's music expresses feelings I wish I had expressed at the time.
Very Nice
bluematrix wrote:
Thanks for sharing this. Hard to spill it all out there. Easier here, though, as we're relatively anonymous. It was important enough for you to take the time to write it. Just as important that someone acknowledge this. I chose to.
I'm sure you've moved on from that memory ... as I've moved on from many of mine, thankfully.
I will always think of a new years many years ago when i hear this song. I was at a party at a friends house and everyone had someone to kiss at midnight, except for me. I was sitting on the bench of this baby grand piano (no not playing) and feeling sorry for myself when this song came on a few minutes later. I could feel the pain in her voice and it matched and ignited my own. I'm not that emotional of a guy, but... I'm not sure I've ever cried so hard before. I slipped out the back door and walked in the woods most of the night.
The power of music...
The power of music...
Thanks for sharing this. Hard to spill it all out there. Easier here, though, as we're relatively anonymous. It was important enough for you to take the time to write it. Just as important that someone acknowledge this. I chose to.
I'm sure you've moved on from that memory ... as I've moved on from many of mine, thankfully.
Cack.
Passionate woman, brilliant song-writing. Still have this CD's tracks on my playlist.
Loved her, back in the day.
I feel like I'm supposed to like this, but I just don't. I recognize it's unique & heartfelt — but I just can't jibe with her style. Can't win them all. Maybe it would hit me differently on another day.
Nice song. Heartfelt. But at first I thought it was Edie Brickell. Which almost made me hit the PSD. Shooting rubber bands at an off key voice.
I'd have given her my heart on a plate!
She always seems to have worn hers on her sleeve, no matter what.
She always seems to have worn hers on her sleeve, no matter what.
Still like this, but over time RLJ has come to sound very affected to my ears.
I will always think of a new years many years ago when i hear this song. I was at a party at a friends house and everyone had someone to kiss at midnight, except for me. I was sitting on the bench of this baby grand piano (no not playing) and feeling sorry for myself when this song came on a few minutes later. I could feel the pain in her voice and it matched and ignited my own. I'm not that emotional of a guy, but... I'm not sure I've ever cried so hard before. I slipped out the back door and walked in the woods most of the night.
The power of music...
The power of music...
crockydile wrote:
How about a 2-Marginal ? Less than acceptable
How about a 2-Marginal ? Less than acceptable
lbaltz wrote:
I'd take it one step further; the best song from her best album.
. . . This is a great track from one of her best records. . . .
I'd take it one step further; the best song from her best album.
I always smile when Rickie Lee is played. This is a great track from one of her best records. Then there's "Traces of the Western Slopes"...
Always loved this album. Big fan of Rickie. Saw her at the Chance in Poughkeepsie back when this came out. Magic.
Rickie Rocks, baby 
I love this song - so intimate... I have a live version from her boxed set, and it's really great - she improvises and changes the words, and I love it, too - but this version holds my heart. I still find that when I hear it, I inadvertently hold my breath until my body tells me I better breathe or I'll end up in an emergency room... I love Rickie Lee Jones. Always.
Rickie Lee helped me escape the tedium of the British Columbia Bible Belt town I grew up in. It was probably a little odd for a straight teenage boy to be listening to her, but when I think of the pap my peers were listening to during the early 80s (poodle metal, wimpy Brit techno-pop), I guess I had to grab on to something different (with help from my oldest sister). Steve Gadd's tomtoms, alone, make this song a gem.
fredriley wrote:
Ah, well that's one way of judging people - whether they acknowledge a singer's "genius" or not, and if they don't they must be emotionally deficient. Thanks for the pity, mate, but no thanks. Even when my life was an emotional roller-coaster I hated RLJ's voice, and "Chuck E's in love" has been in my top 10 most hated for at least two decades.
Cheers!!!!
Couldn't stand her since the day I first heard her in high school in the 70's.
Ah, well that's one way of judging people - whether they acknowledge a singer's "genius" or not, and if they don't they must be emotionally deficient. Thanks for the pity, mate, but no thanks. Even when my life was an emotional roller-coaster I hated RLJ's voice, and "Chuck E's in love" has been in my top 10 most hated for at least two decades.
Cheers!!!!
Couldn't stand her since the day I first heard her in high school in the 70's.
fredriley wrote:
Ah, well that's one way of judging people - whether they acknowledge a singer's "genius" or not, and if they don't they must be emotionally deficient. Thanks for the pity, mate, but no thanks. Even when my life was an emotional roller-coaster I hated RLJ's voice, and "Chuck E's in love" has been in my top 10 most hated for at least two decades.
Yeah, 3 times hearing Chuck E's in Love was 2 times too many, but this album changed my mind about Rickie Lee Jones. I haven't heard this in 20 years, but the first chords brought it all back. Great album, not that anyone cares about albums anymore.
Ah, well that's one way of judging people - whether they acknowledge a singer's "genius" or not, and if they don't they must be emotionally deficient. Thanks for the pity, mate, but no thanks. Even when my life was an emotional roller-coaster I hated RLJ's voice, and "Chuck E's in love" has been in my top 10 most hated for at least two decades.
Yeah, 3 times hearing Chuck E's in Love was 2 times too many, but this album changed my mind about Rickie Lee Jones. I haven't heard this in 20 years, but the first chords brought it all back. Great album, not that anyone cares about albums anymore.
Couldn't agree more. Held up really well for being 30 y.o.
coding_to_music wrote:
coding_to_music wrote:
Eleven !
If music is the doctor of my soul, then this woman is my pharmacist.
She always comes through with the right script. Thanks Dr. Bill...
Eleven !
justin_thyme wrote:
Ah, well that's one way of judging people - whether they acknowledge a singer's "genius" or not, and if they don't they must be emotionally deficient. Thanks for the pity, mate, but no thanks. Even when my life was an emotional roller-coaster I hated RLJ's voice, and "Chuck E's in love" has been in my top 10 most hated for at least two decades.
A brilliant song from one of great talents of our time. I feel sorry for those who lack the ability to appreciate RLJ for the genius she is . . . their lives must be so emotionally flat.
Ah, well that's one way of judging people - whether they acknowledge a singer's "genius" or not, and if they don't they must be emotionally deficient. Thanks for the pity, mate, but no thanks. Even when my life was an emotional roller-coaster I hated RLJ's voice, and "Chuck E's in love" has been in my top 10 most hated for at least two decades.
I like a lot of Rickie's stuff. Especially her debut album. This may not be her best but it's still good.
lwilkinson wrote:
I keep visualizing a drunk sitting on a bar stool and crying into her bourbon.
Perhaps you should stop staring into the mirror.A brilliant song from one of great talents of our time. I feel sorry for those who lack the ability to appreciate RLJ for the genius she is . . . their lives must be so emotionally flat.
lwilkinson wrote:
a bad poem set to discordant music and then described as a "song".
For me the song started as an "8" but dropped to a "5" somewhere in the middle of the song...
I take affront at a bad poem set to discordant music and then described as a "song".
I keep visualizing a drunk sitting on a bar stool and crying into her bourbon.
I keep visualizing a drunk sitting on a bar stool and crying into her bourbon.
Boy, it's been a long time - this LP got a lot of rotation when it came out and I had my studio apt in college. Reminds me of a whole crowd of people with whom I long ago lost touch. Hah!
Boooooring !
One of the first CDs I ever bought... 
steeler wrote:
Interesting since, according to Wiki, "The album is partially an account of her break-up with fellow musician Tom Waits..."
Rickie is the female version of Tom Waits.
Interesting since, according to Wiki, "The album is partially an account of her break-up with fellow musician Tom Waits..."
jhorton wrote:
I'd fashion the piano into a raft, use the bench top as a paddle, and get away from her as fast as I could.
If I had to be stranded on a desert island with one woman and a piano-This would be the one!
I'd fashion the piano into a raft, use the bench top as a paddle, and get away from her as fast as I could.
You either love her or hate her - put me in the former! Lovely album.
Gryn wrote:
Hmmm, I like that comment . . . I think I know what you mean.
She always takes me back to a lifetime I've never lived.
Hmmm, I like that comment . . . I think I know what you mean.
mojoman wrote:
Well said. Eddie Brickell hadn't even been born when Rickie Lee started her career. This is by far the best of her output.
Edie was a teenager in '79
Well said. Eddie Brickell hadn't even been born when Rickie Lee started her career. This is by far the best of her output.
Edie was a teenager in '79
LOVE YOU RLJ!
If I had to be stranded on a desert island with one woman and a piano-This would be the one!
How appropriate! September 19th (every year) is International Talk Like A Pirate Day!
Still after all these years , Ricki has place in my heart . Still enjoy her early stuff ,never loses its tug
EleventhMan wrote:
RLJ wrote the book...Edie just studied it ..... 
Rickie's the master...or mistress? 
Rickie is the junkie and Edie's the acid head.
RLJ wrote the book...Edie just studied it ..... Rickie's the master...or mistress? Rickie is the junkie and Edie's the acid head.
n4ku wrote: RLJ wrote the book...Edie just studied it ..... Rickie's the master...or mistress?
No, but I hear a lot of Rickie Lee Jones whenever Edie Brickell opens her mouth.
RLJ wrote the book...Edie just studied it ..... Rickie's the master...or mistress?
dwhayslett wrote:
true dat. (can't help but wonder why she listens.) 
but this one sent me to the LRC.
What's your point? You give everything a one.
true dat. (can't help but wonder why she listens.)
but this one sent me to the LRC.
catmaven wrote:
Sorry to hear that, since I keep giving it a 1 whenever I am unlucky enough to hear it.
What's your point? You give everything a one.
SoundsGoodToMe wrote:
anyone else hear edie brickell?
Not if I can help it.
I listened to Pirates a lot when it first came out, but I don't think I really appreciated how good RLJ is. Damn, now I have to go digging through the LPs again.
Neither had Edie Brickell.
mojoman wrote:
Well said. Eddie Brickell hadn't even been born when Rickie Lee started her career.
Sorry to hear that, since I keep giving it a 1 whenever I am unlucky enough to hear it.
mojoman wrote:
Well said. Eddie Brickell hadn't even been born when Rickie Lee started her career. This is by far the best of her output.
n4ku wrote:
No, but I hear a lot of Rickie Lee Jones whenever Edie Brickell opens her mouth.
Well said. Eddie Brickell hadn't even been born when Rickie Lee started her career. This is by far the best of her output.
SoundsGoodToMe wrote:
anyone else hear edie brickell?
No, but I hear a lot of Rickie Lee Jones whenever Edie Brickell opens her mouth.
... Can't get enough RLJ thanks RP ... So good! ...
anyone else hear edie brickell?
There are singers and then there are artists who sing. RLJ, one the shining stars of modern music. "Pirates," a gem of an album! More RLJ on RP would be appreciated by this listener.
Gryn wrote:
She always takes me back to a lifetime I've never lived.
Great comment!
without doubt one of my faves albums...Rickie Lee is just wonderful...I've loved her music for years...nice to hear her on RP!
This gives me goose bumps, a beautiful song, I've always loved her music.
I can listen to this song over and over again.
She always takes me back to a lifetime I've never lived.
Vastly underrated, grossly underheard. THANKS, RP!
MrSpaz wrote:
Commennts amiably recognized. But what are your collective musical legacies? 
Totally agree on this. No matter what she's doing, the focal point is that "punched in the nose" sound she has. It ruins it.
Mrssrs Spaz (apt) and Daveinbawlmer Commennts amiably recognized. But what are your collective musical legacies?
Such a great song, great to hear it on radio.
I love the emotion she puts in this song and the images that form.
What has she been doing lately?
Hey everyone! Didja know that Chuckie's in love? Oh, sorry, wrong song....
phillips wrote:
i've neither heard of nor heard anything by rickie lee jones. thanks RP! i enjoy this - is this her best album? are all songs as slow/sad as this?
Not in my opinion - there's a real mix of tempos..."Woody & Dutch" is a lot of fun, and "Pirates" is funky with nice horns too. There are some sad ones though, and "Skeletons" will still bring the tears. And on top of it all "Traces Of the Western Slope" is mind-blowing. So go get it already! :~)
i've neither heard of nor heard anything by rickie lee jones. thanks RP! i enjoy this - is this her best album? are all songs as slow/sad as this?
And this song is the masterpiece of Pirates.
s
SCJoniguy wrote:
Hits or no hits, Pirates is Rickie Lee's masterpiece.
Hits or no hits, Pirates is Rickie Lee's masterpiece.
This is why I listen (and support!) to RP...haven't heard this in years. Loved this album. Have to dig out of my collection tonight. 
Daveinbawlmer wrote:
Uh Oh.
She always sounds like she has a wad of snot stuck in her nose or something. Mebbe some Claritin or Flonase would help clear things up. Its too bad, she has a nice touch with a song, but her clogged nasal delivery turns me off.
Totally agree on this. No matter what she's doing, the focal point is that "punched in the nose" sound she has. It ruins it.
Now I have to dig up this cassette and an old walkman from my garage, put in a couple of AA batteries and then see if I'll feel like a lonely teenager again.
But this album is worth the effort.
In the meantine, I'll just back up my real player and listen to this again.
Uh Oh.
She always sounds like she has a wad of snot stuck in her nose or something. Mebbe some Claritin or Flonase would help clear things up. Its too bad, she has a nice touch with a song, but her clogged nasal delivery turns me off.
A cherished old favorite of mine. So nice to hear it on RP. Not much to add to the previous kudos for this song; glad I'm not the only one who adores it.
I think this album is every bit the equal companion to her debut. Such deeply felt emotion and beautiful sadness. Rickie has such a unique talent for depicting narratives of everyday experiences that have a transcendent, heart-wrenching beauty. And it's worth actually reading the lyrics!
I had this on cassette.
I always loved this song, but I didn't think anyone else listened past the first few songs. (was it Chuck E's in Love)
It's good to hear I wasn't the only one.
Ditto on all the positive comments previously posted. Unique. Mesmerizing imagery. Rickie is the female version of Tom Waits.
This is such a plaintive plea -- We belong together. You hear it in her voice. All so real; all so surreal.
She's an enigma. Love her music, truly original. Saw her with... Carson? Letterman? Can't remember. Rickie was on her own level, just out there. But she sure can play/sing.
excellent, what a nice surprise...great album too.
A true original talent. I had forgotten how much I love her! I love the jazz fusion quality and her clear and controlled voice.
My favorite Rickie song, in fact, a favorite song, period. :D
Beautiful, brilliant song. But I HATE her voice. Hate hate hate.
For everyone who can't stand Thom Yorke and that's their reason for not liking Radiohead, I grant you a reprieve. I totally understand where you're coming from.
I love this song.
s
she has the same birthday as me ;-)
I've seen her several times, the latest was 3 months ago
A singular talent, well worth seeing.
She has a great collection of songs even established artists must envy...
Glad to hear this played here...
my biggest problem in life has always been picking the wrong 'we'
what an artist. what a song.
Strident piano, grating vocals, incoherent rhythms. Ugh. Make it stop.
Yep. Happily married for 32 years. But there is always one that came through your life that you, from time-time, think kind thoughts about.