Thelonious Monk Follow

Blue Monk - lyrics by Abbey Lincoln (1961)

Goin' alone, life is your own,
But sometimes the cost is dear.
Being complete, knowing defeat,
Keeping on from year to year.
It takes some doing.
Monkery's the blues you hear,
Keeping on from year to year.

Life is a school, 'less you're a fool,
But the learning brings you pain.
Knowing at once you're just a dunce,
Trial and error, loss and gain.
It takes some doing -
Monkery's a slow, slow train,
Trial and error, loss and gain.

Finding your one place in the sun
Doesn't come the easy way
Shallow and deep, nothing is cheap
Measured by the dues you pay
It takes some doin',
Monkery's a blue highway
Measured by the dues you pay