Lyrics The Rewards Of A Career In Music - Frank Zappa

The Rewards Of A Career In Music

Bunk:
I’d like to tell you about the first time I went down to take some piano
lessons from the lady on the corner—her name was Elmira Snodgrass.
That was really her name
I was seven years old and my mother took me down, introduced me.
She got her little book of stars out, you know, you get a BLUE STAR if you
play your lesson with no mistakes.
And she— Oh, she was really into it
So the first week I went down there, uh, it really didn’t mean so much to me
but I thought her name was so funny that I had to keep commenting on it
And uh, she said uh, «Johnny, you’re gonna have to straighten up a little there
if we’re gonna get along.»
So uh, I think I got a Red Elephant that week.
I didn’t do too well
So uh, I straightened up next week and uh—I forget what the tune was,
but I tore it up.
No mistakes at all.
But uh, my posture was very poor.
I had very poor posture so, uh, that week I got uh—I think it was a Blue Horse.
And uh, she said I was doing much better
Nice!
So by the time the third week—I had started to practice by then,
I was getting serious and I. .
Roy:
Buns
Bunk:
I went back for my lesson and she said, uh, «I hope you get a Blue Star this
weekend, Johnny.»
So I played my lesson and uh, I got my Blue Star and uh,
she said, «You'll have to do better than that when .»
Roy:
I always wondered what made you sleepy.
I thought it was buns.
I don’t know.
Hamburgers, cheese.
Buns.
I think it’s probably the buns.
I thought it was the
cheese at one time, I don’t know.
Weasely cheese.
Could have been the pickles
or something—buns.
It had to be the buns
Bunk:
She said, «.»
So I started bringing in four books
Motorhead:
So I said
Roy:
Buns!
Round buns, long buns.
I don’t know, hot dog buns, or something.
It must have been.
No, it had to be the buns, I guess.
I don’t know.
It could be the mustard.
But then again.
.
Bunk: And she said, «John, I don’t think there’s any more that I can teach you.
«So I started taking lessons from her son, whose name was Freddie Snodgrass.
He’s a pretty good piano player, by the way.
Motorhead:
Roy:
Buns!
That’s all I can see.
BUNS!
BUNS!
Bunk:
I’d like to play jazz.
You couldn’t get very serious.
I told her I wanted to
play jazz.
So she said, «Take that jazz and stick it under a rock!
«So I had to forget about jazz.
So I jumped into the classics.
My first tune
was, uh, Beethoven’s.
.