Dee Dee Ramone's handwritten lyrics for three songs from the Ramones’ 1992 studio album Mondo Bizarro, including 'Poison Heart,' ‘Main Man,’ and ‘Strength to Endure,’ written in pencil on individual gridded sheets ranging in size from 8.25 x 7 to 8.25 x 11. The first song, entitled “Poisen Heart,” in full (grammar and spelling retained): “No one ever thought this one would survie / Helpless child gonna half to control you / lock you in the zoo / never let you laughf or smile / not you / maken friends / with a homeless / with a homeless man / and then he just kinda / smiles / And it really shakes me up / Danger on every conner / But I am okay / walken down the street / tryen to forget yesterday / You know that life really / takes it toll / And a poets gut reaction / is to search his very soul / so much damn confusion / before my eyes / but nothing seems to phase me / and this one’s still alive.” The second lyric sheet is for the song ‘Strength to Endure,’ and reads, in full: “Walken threw the cross fire / feeling heavy and hopeless / and wonderen how I’ll ever / see threw this darkness / every drop of blood / was so beautiful / and I sure was bleeding drops / by the bucketful / She says theres something / about you… / and neon lights allways glow hot / she says together we can / see this threw / just give me all the / strength you got." The third set of lyrics is for the song ‘Main Man,’ in full: “When I start moven / you just see a blur / you get hooked on me baby / there is no cure / All ways could / conquer hate / two brown eyes Filled / with hate / I am the man that makes / the little girls moan / and my lean mean heart / is just a hard as / stone.” Dee Dee writes a brief note to Ramones bassist CJ Ramone at the conclusion of 'Main Man': “C. J. this is the best I can do. I don’t have complete tapes so get to work boy… Dee Dee.” Includes an original demo tape of the song with Stiv Bators on vocals, labeled on the tape and case in Joey Ramone's hand, "Poison Heart." In overall very good to fine condition, with creasing to one of the sheets. Includes an audio CD of the tape.
Not long after Dee Dee Ramone left the band in February 1989, the 23-year-old Christopher Ward, freshly discharged from the United States Marine Corps, made the surprise cut as the new bass-player for the Ramones. The departure of Dee Dee, the group’s principal lyricist and songwriter, placed CJ Ramone in a crash course of punk material that concluded with the new recruit learning 40 songs in five weeks. Although Dee Dee’s main focus centered on his own sobriety and music career, he continued to write songs for the Ramones until their disbanding in 1996. According to Mondo Bizarro's liner notes, the Ramones once bailed Dee Dee out of jail in exchange for the rights to the lyrics offered here—‘Main Man,’ ‘Strength to Endure,’ and ‘Poison Heart,’ songs he had already performed live with his band the Spikey Tops.
Note: No copyright, license, or any other rights in or to the music contained on these tapes is conveyed, implied, or claimed in connection with the sale of these tapes. This sale is of the tangible personal property constituted by the physical tapes themselves only, which RR is selling at auction on consignment from the legal owner thereof. From the collection of bassist CJ Ramone, and accompanied by a signed letter of provenance.
