© Copyright: 2001. Cuz Bonita
Act One
(The Ballad of Brian Coltrane)
**Atlanta, urban background. Night. Streets glow with neon. A black Chevy
pulls up in front of an old, rambling, downtown hotel. A young man wearing
a black leather jacket gets out of the car and walks towards the front of
the stage, singing: **
I'm just a bad guy,
Fighting the good fight
Sometimes I've done wrong
To try and put things right
I've been so bad,
For the greater good -
Am I just another hoodlum,
Or am I another Robin Hood?
Am I a Jesse James,
Or maybe an Al Capone,
Am I "Billy the Kid"
Or an unlikely hero?
It's hard to obey the law,
When you can't agree at all,
With injustice in the street
And corruption on the beat
I did what I did to survive,
Can't say I apologize,
Is it too much now to ask,
That I just want to stay alive?
If I could do it all over again,
I would - tho' I wouldn't win,
You can bust me, but you can't break me
You can catch me, but never take me
'Cause I'll die a bad guy
Playing the wrong side
Fighting the good fight,
Can two wrongs make a right?
I've been so bad,
For the greater good,
Am I just another hoodlum,
Or am I another Robin Hood...
Am I a Jesse James
Or maybe an Al Capone
Am I "Billy the Kid"
Or an unlikely hero......
Act Two
(The Ballad of MaryAnne Coltrane)
**Hazzard County, in front of the courthouse. Broad daylight. A white patrol
car pulls up to the courthouse steps. A young female deputy gets out of the
car, turns to the audience and starts to sing: **
I wear a silver star
I drive a patrol car
I uphold the law
I believe in justice for all
What's in a name,
When you're a Coltrane
When the law is in your blood
And the badge your only fame
I swore to serve and protect
But it ain't helped me yet
When there ain't enough conviction
In the justice that's dispensed
I catch the lawbreakers
The lawyers try and let them go
I ticket the common folk
This is the only life I know
I've seen my share of crime
Sent criminals to do their time
There's always more where that came from
Another suspect on the run
Police work is never done,
But justice can still be done
If you want peace, work for justice
And you'll find liberty preserved
Maybe I can't catch them all
But I'll still do all I can,
To keep crime off the streets
And bring in the wanted man
I wear a silver star
I drive a patrol car
I uphold the law
I believe in justice for all
What's in a name
When you're a Coltrane
When the law is in your blood
And the badge your only fame...
Act Three
(The Ballad of the Syndicate)
**Inside the stronghold of the Atlanta underworld, a rough-and-tumble bar is
crowed with an assortment of thieves, assassins, call girls, and thugs of
every creed...they suddenly burst into song: **
Crime is as good as it can get
When you come and join the Syndicate
The law might chase and hate us,
But they haven't caught all of us yet!
If you're an outlaw,
Take refuge at the Jigsaw
If you can survive here,
You can make it anywhere
Leave your warrant at the door
Ain't no questions anymore
Your past don't matter none,
Nor does anything you've done!
Yeah, it's a tough crowd
It's rowdy and a little loud
But at least the beer is cold
No need to worry 'bout growing old
Just one thing, that you need to know
Before you say if you're a friend or foe
The only law here, is our own code
And the loyalty the Don is owed
Those with a badge need not apply,
'Cause if ya do, you'll surely die
At the hands of some cool hitman
In the twinkling of an eye
And if your life should abruptly pass,
There will be no questions asked
We'll soon forget your name and face
Once your body is carried from this place
So join us, if you think you can!
We're all friends to the wanted man
Business has never been better
We combine all our crimes together
Crime is as good as it can get,
When you come and join the Syndicate
The law might chase and hate us,
But they haven't... caught... all... of us yeeeeeeet!
~Original Lyrics by Cuz Bonita~ =)