Who Stole The Soul of Johnny Dreams

 

Written by John Stewart

 

Who Stole the Soul of Johnny Dreams?  My guess is that Johnny´s soul is far more intact and “unstolen” than the soul of most other people...The first two lines are really good.  Classic.  This song has a great hypnotic bassline.  Reminds me of Rodney Crowell´s 'Shame on the Moon' (Bob Seger had the hit). 

‘Who Stole the Soul of Johnny Dreams?’ is from “Havana”, Appleseed Recordings, 2003.  There are two other versions, on the “Havana” cassette, Neon Dreams,  1998, and on the “Rocket Roy In The Real World Plus” CD, Neon Dreams, 1999.

The chords and patterns you see below should work for all three.

 

 

Single notes: g (high E-string, 15th fret),

d (high E-string, 10th fret)

(Bass notes (muffled): G-B  G-F#-E-E  E-F#-F#-G-G

F#-G-F#-E-E  E-E-F#-G-G  F#-G-F#-E-E  E-E-F#-G-G

F#-G-F#-E-E  E-E-F#-G-G (pattern repeated until last line of verse)

 

Attention, K Mart shoppers!

Do you really need all of that crap?

Made somewhere in Thailand,

No one's taking the rap.

I'm holding out for yellow

Airbags in my shoes,

I saw the ad from Calvin Klein,

It's the (C-chord)kind the junkies use.

(E-E-F#-G-G  F#-G-F#-E-E, resume pattern)

 

Watching too much TV,

When will I ever learn?

The call me the midnight surfer,

'Cause I love to watch the channels turn.

At 8 pm on Channel 2,

"When Animals Attack."

There's a lot of guys that I once knew

With (C)monkeys on their backs.

 

And (G)written on the (D)bathroom (Em)walls

That the (G)old fan (D)dancer (Em)cleans

(G) The never (D)answered (Em)question,

(single notes on D- and A-strings: e-d-b-c)

(C)(hold)Who stole the

(g-note on high E)Soul of Johnny (Em)(hold)Dreams?

G-G  F#-G-F#-E-E  E-E-F#-G-G  F#-G-F#-E-E, resume pattern

 

A singing dog named Peewee,

He´s the star of the neighborhood,

He´s singing songs from Oklahoma,

His “Tutti Frutti" is awfully good.

Straight-edged boy is cooking

Tofu for his friends.

They're planning their next sit-in,

For the (C)animals have friends.

 

And (G)written on the (D)bathroom (Em)walls

That the (G)old fan (D)dancer (Em)cleans

(G)Is the never (D)answered (Em)question,

(single notes on D- and A-strings: e-d-b-c)

(C)(hold)Who stole the soul of Johnny (Em)(hold)Dreams?

G  F#-G-F#-E-E  E-E-F#-G-G  F#-G-F#-E-E, resume pattern

 

Still I'm a circus boy,

I´ve taken up croquet.

Someone stole a ferris wheel

>>From Fargo yesterday.

Hell, I have no sense of who I am,

Or who that I am not.

Am I "The Great Wallinda"

(C) That everyone forgot?

(John plays fewer notes here, G  F#  E, a couple of times,

but I´d suggest resuming the pattern might work better

for one guitar)

 

Still I write the songs

That only I will sing.

Something has gone wrong

It's the bell that never rings.

And hip hop rappers and DJ's,

Pop stars, lawyers and thieves,

Someone's selling the rainbow, yeah,

And (C)things that you wouldn't believe.

 

And (G)written on the (D)bathroom (Em)walls

That the (G)old fan (D)dancer (Em)cleans

(G)Is the never (D)answered (Em)question,

(single notes on D- and A-strings: e-d-b-c)

(C)(hold)Who stole the soul of Johnny (Em)(hold)Dreams?

(on G-string: g-a-g-a-g  g-a-g-a-g)

 

(G)Written on the (D)bathroom (Em)walls

That the (G)old fan (D)dancer (Em)cleans

(G)Is the never (D)answered (Em)question,

(single notes on D- and A-strings: e-d-b)

(C)(hold)Who stole the soul of Johnny (Em)(hold)Dreams?

(Em)(hold) E-E-F#-G-G  F#-G-F#-E-E, resume pattern

 

Who stole the soul,

Who stole the soul,

Who stole the soul

Mmm,who stole soul,

Who stole the soul

Of Johnny Dreams?

 

© John Stewart, All Rights Reserved

 

janhauenstein@gmx.de, Art Faller & Charlie Woodward