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I was in L.A. on business today and my rock critic source invited me to stop by his office and listen to the new Neil Young album Broken Arrow. Of course, I said YES. The album I heard was 45 minutes long. I tried to jot down as many of the lyrics I could, but I can't vouch for them being accurate. And, I'm not musically gifted, so I can't help you with what notes were what, etc. All I can tell you is that it's ALL unmistakably Neil. No experimenting on this one! Here are my notes...

Big Time. Starts out with a few great sounding notes, then lyrics:

"Gonna leave the pain behind,
Gonna leave the fools in line,
Gonna take the magic potion.
Gettin' in an old black car,
Gonna take a ride so far,
To the land of suntan lotion.
Gonna take it state by state,
Until I hit the golden gate,
Get my feet wet in the ocean."

"I still live in the dream we had, only it's not over.
I'm still living in the dream we had, only it's not over."

"Talking about a friend of mine,
Talking about a gold mine,
Richest vein in any mountain.
Talking about the enemy inside of me,
Talking about the youthful fountain.
Talking about you and me,
Talking about eternity,
Talking about the big time."

Loose Change. Awesome song! Probably my favorite. The melody starts out sounding slightly country, a la Amber Jean, then does an about-face and goes into pure rockin' Neil.

"Feel the house of cards,
Feel the house of rain,
Feel the house of love,
I feel them all again.
Build the road to reason,
Build the road to hate,
Build the road to the promised land,
Right up to the gate.
Loose change in my pocket,
Future in my hand,
Too many distractions,
For me to understand."

"Too many distractions,
Gotta get back home,
Get into something solid,
Get outta the zone.
Some roads bring renewal,
Some roads hide the way,
Some roads promise everything,
Steal your fuel away.
Loose change in my pocket,
Future in my hands,
Too many distractions,
For me to understand.

Loose chaaaaaaange - - -
Loose chaaaaaange - - -
Loose change in my pocket,
Future in my hand,
Too many distractions,
For me to understand.
Loose chaaaaaaange - - -
Loose chaaaaaaaange - - -
Loose chaaaaaaange - - -
Some roads hide the way,
Some roads are cracked,
Some roads someone's been sleepin' on,
Some roads are the way back - - -"

Slip Away. Starts out melodically, then progresses into a Trans Am sound. Very dreamy sounding vocals, but the lyrics were hard to figure out with one listen. Here's the first line or two:

"She lives in the TV sky,
She lives in such pain,
She rides in the ? of a stretch limousine."

"And when the music started,
She just slipped away - she just slipped away"

Changing Highways. A rock-a-billy sounding piece...

"The changing highways in every traffic,
I see the lights turn to something graphic,
With my suitcase and my crew (or was that brew? Or -?),
I'm coming to your room.
Hello, hello, is that you stranger?
Is that our music in your manger?
And is this your exit too?
We're changing highways.
We're changing highways in every traffic,
I see the lights turn to something graphic,
With my suitcase and my crew,
I come in your room.
The changing highways."

Scattered (Let's Think About Livin'). Very melodic. Here are some of the lyrics I jotted down...

"I'm a little bit high and a little bit low"...

"Let's think about living, let.s think about life"

"I'm a little bit here,
A little bit there,
A little bit scattered everywhere.
I'm a little bit up,
A little bit down,
I hear your name all over this town.
And when the music comes,
I'll be there,
No more sadness,
No more cares.
Let's think about living.
Let's think about life.
Like a comet painted on the sky."

"I'm a little bit high,
A little bit low,
I hear your name wherever I go."

This Town.

"I'm not asleep when I'm lying down.
I'm asleep when I'm walking around,
This town.
This town.
Some people think it's not okay,
To sleep around,
And kiss the hours away.
This town,
It's okay."

Music Arcade. Total acoustic by Neil only. Lyrics were easy to jot down...

"Have you ever been lost?
Have you ever been found out?
Have you ever felt all alone at the end of the day?
Yeah, I'm talking about getting down,
Take it easy, there's no one around.
Just a mirror and you and me,
And the TV screen.

I was walking down Main Street,
Not the sidewalk, but Main Street.
Dodging traffic with flying feet,
That's how good I felt.
Took a spin in the laundromat,
Played a game in the music arcade,
Kept winning while the band played,
That's how good I felt.

Have you ever been lost?
Have you ever been found out?
Have you ever felt all alone at the end of the day?
Yeah, I'm talking about getting down,
Take it easy, there's no one around,
Just a mirror and you and me,
And the TV screen.

Have you ever been singled out by a hungry man?
You're listening to the radio,
He's washing your window.
When you look in those vacant eyes,
How does it harmonize with the things that you do?

Have you ever been lost?
Have you ever been found out?
Have you ever felt all alone at the end of the day?
Yeah, I'm talking about getting down,
Take it easy, there's no one around.
Just a mirror and you and me,
And the TV screen.

There's a comet in the sky tonight,
Makes me feel like I'm all right,
I'm moving pretty fast for my size.
I really didn't mean to stay as long as I have,
So I'll be moving on."

Baby What You Want Me To Do. JUST LIKE THE OPL TAPES!!!! Starts out with the audience noise and then Neil and Crazy Horse start to play. The only difference is that Neil must've recorded it from the back of the Old Princeton Landing rather than where our beloved mystery taper was, 'cause it sounds like you're sitting at the bar in the back, listening to the band and having a drink. You can easily hear clinking glasses and bar noise/talk. The "noise" is equal to the band. I don't know which OPL date this was, and I didn't have my OPL tapes with me, but you can bet I'll be checking 'em out as soon as I get home!

All-in-all, IMHO, a great album. The first three songs were "long." Some of the stuff sounded slightly familiar (as in Slip Away sounding vaguely like Trans Am), but set to new lyrics. Didn't matter, though, 'cause Neil puts a unique twist on every one that blows it out of the "old" melody status right away!

I did notice he mentioned comets and TV screens in several songs, whatever that means.

That was quite a treat, Rusties. Neil sounds strong and healthy. This is not an "angry" album. Pure "Neil." And, if it's any indication of what's in store for the summer tour, we're in for a delicious treat!

. . . . . Cinnamon Girl

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