[Intro - Melancholic muted trumpet solo, sparse piano chords] [Verse 1 - Laid-back crooner vocal] The lights were low at Chequers The atmosphere burned bright I saw her through the cigarette smoke Moving just like slow midnight I sent a note across the room On a cocktail napkin But she told me where to shove it And walked straight to a Balmain man [Chorus - Strings swell softly] Black Bob from Balmain... Getaway cars through the dark He’d run with shadows, dodged the law Left nothing but tyre marks [Vocal - Fast and conversational] worked hard, got sober, moved north, started eating cake. Flew pigeons, caught blackfish, pulled them from the lake! [Big emotional shift - dramatic and proud] And I was Frank Sinatra! The whole damn world at my feet... [Drop back - quiet regret] But she took the hand of a sober man And I never stood a chance. [Verse 2 - Quiet rhythm section, intimate trumpet fills] Now I’ll admit, I had my doubts I noticed wrinkles on her neck The years had drawn a map on her But darling... who’s perfect? What the heck! She hated me, and so did Bob A man who knew the underworld He knew what company I kept... And he hadn’t forgiven me yet [Chorus - Sweeping orchestral strings] Black Bob from Balmain... Getaway cars through the dark He’d run with shadows, dodged the law Left nothing but tyre marks [Vocal - Fast and conversational] worked hard, got sober, moved north started eating cake. Flew pigeons, caught blackfish, pulled them from the lake! [Proud, then fading] And I was Frank Sinatra! The whole damn world at my feet... But she took the hand of a sober man And I never stood a chance. [Bridge - Stripped back, lonely piano only] (Spoken intimately) A man like me... I’ve known regret The broad and bitter kind I’ve left enough good women behind To occupy every night of my mind But this one sticks... a Sydney girl Who saw through the spotlight’s glare She wanted a man who fought his own fight... Not a man the whole world stares… at. [Stop] [Silence - Spoken softly] Maybe she was right. [Final Verse - Slow lush strings re-enter] So here’s to Bob from Balmain Who put down the bottle and walked into A life beyond his wildest dreams Here’s to the woman who spotted that man… They’re probably out there on the highway… And I’m out here... playing the rooms And that, my friend, is my greatest regret The one that I carry through the blues. [Outro - Acapella - Spoken, weary, slightly drunk] I was Frank Sinatra… The whole damn world at my feet… I’d trade every last bit of it… For a motorhome... and an open road. (Sigh) One more for the road, sweetheart. One more for the road. [End]
