Jonny and Mari

Written by Jeff Rolfzen & Rocky Steen-Rolfzen

(Spoken)- Now this here’s a story they tell in Romania. At least that’s what I’ve been told. Now it doesn’t take place in Romania, but it could take place near Romania. And it doesn’t even take place today, you have to imagine yourself in a different era, a time well Ellis Island was the gateway to America. Now this story doesn’t take place on Ellis Island but it could take place near Ellis Island. You see the people in this story, they’re hungry, they’re tired, and they’re poor. They’re teeming masses longing to be free or at least that’s what I’ve been told. ANd when you put people like that into a situation like that well, here’s what happens.

Jonny and his one man band

Stepped into a foreign land

With a bookbag and guitar in hand

And a pocket full of coins

He didn’t speak the language

And he couldn’t read the signs

He just followed arrows and those arrows led to lines

Lines composed of sailors

Prostitutes and beggars

Runaways hiding away

People young and old

Jonny and his one man band

Just stood there with guitar in hand

He didn’t understand the land

That he had ventured to

So he hopped on board a ferry

Where he met a girl named Mari

She was all alone with her guitar as Jonny was

They couldn’t go speaking what was spoken around

So the two of them took a seat on the ground

Pulled out their guitars and played

The only common sounds they knew

Well it wasn’t long before that music duo drew a crowd

The two of them kept strumming and a picking

As the people gathered round

And it wasn’t long before 

They couldn’t keep their feet flat on the ground

The music lead to stomping and clapping

To the rhythm and the sounds

They couldn’t go speaking what was spoken around

So the two of them stayed right there on the ground

Playing their guitars

To the only common sound they knew

And when the boat hit solid ground

The crowd dispersed into the town

They were just two kids guitars in hand

And the money they had earned

Jonny snatched it all and began to run

Shot poor Mari with his gun

And left her there to die all  alone

Since he couldn’t go speaking what was spoken around

He hopped off that ferry and strolled into town

And sat himself there upon the ground

So if you ever see Jonny with his one man band

Walking through a foreign land

With a bookbag and guitar in hand

Ad a pocket full of coin

Don’t play your guitar

Don’t stay too long

Though you think the two of you might get along

He’ll cheat you any way he can find

(Spoken) Sometimes that story uses different names, or at least that’s what I’ve been told.But I think it’s safe to say the message gets across just fine. When hard up and trying to make a dime don’t try to play on my corner when I’m playing for coin. Look I’m not really saying that I would do something like that, but maybe you would, hell maybe I would. All I know for sure is there’s a fella out there with a guitar playing it somewhere in some town. Maybe he’s capable of something and maybe he’s not. All I know for sure is, you don’t really know, do you?