Living My Life


Grace Jones' fifth album, released in 1982. Produced by Chris Blackwell and Alex Sadkin, for Island Record INC. Recorded at Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas. Singles released from this album include "My Jamaican Guy".





1. My Jamaican Guy
2. Nipple To The Bottle
3. The Apple Stretching
4. Everybody Hold Still
5. Cry Now-Laugh Later
6. Inspiration
7. Unlimited Capacity For Love

My Jamaican Guy (G. Jones)

Take a toke from the smoke,
Never standing by the door,
Just stretching out pan de floor,
That way him don't fall over,
No way him gwan fall out pan me,
That way him won't fall over,
No way him gwan fall out pan me.

'Cause he's layed back, not laying back,
Layed back, not worried back,
Layed back, not thinking back,
Layed back, never holding back,
My Jamaican guy, My Jamaican guy.

When my dread start to sw..
Him no think if it hot nor cold,
We just come in a de riva cold,
Dat way him don't waste him wata,
No way it gwan run out pan him,
Dat way him don't waste him wata,
No way it gwan run out pan him.

'Cause he's layed back, not worried back,
Layed back, not thinking back,
Layed back, not laying back,
Layed back, never holding back,
My Jamaican guy, My Jamaican guy.
My J.A. guy.

Take my life for a drive,
Never need to change his tools,
Him drive like a stubborn mule,
Dat way him naw go plop plop,
No way gas gwan bun out pan him,
Dat way him naw go plop plop,
No way gas gwan bun out pan him.

'Cause he's layed back, not thinking back,
Layed back, not worried back,
Layed back, not laying back,
Layed back, never holding back,
My Jamaican guy,
My J.A. guy.

Nipple to the Bottle (G. Jones / S. Dunbar)

Colour and warmth came into your world,
It makes me crazy,
When you don't get what you want,
You scream and you shout,
You're still a baby.

Don't give me a line,
Keep the lid on the bottle this time,
I'm still a lady,
I won't do it tonight,
I won't do it tonight,
No way baby,
I won't give in and I won't feel guilty.

Rant and rave to manipulate me,
From the nipple to the bottle,
Never satisfied,
From the nipple to the bottle,
Now the cow must die.

Power and wealth surrendering myself,
It ain't easy,
Embarassing my store by opening up my door,
When it's breezy.

You showed me your force,
Exaggerated stamina and energy,
No place for that,
No place for that,
It's not that easy.

Rant and rave to manipulate me,
From the nipple to the bottle,
Never satisfied,
From the nipple to the bottle,
Now the cow must die.

You ain't gon get it, I ain't gon give it,
You ain't gon get it, I ain't gon give it.

Colour and warmth came into your world,
It makes me crazy,
When you don't get what you want,
You scream and you shout,
You're still a lady.

Don't give me a line,
Keep the lid on the bottle this time,
I'm still a lady,
I won't do it tonight,
I won't do it tonight,
No where baby,
I won't give in and I won't feel guilty.

Rant and rave to manipulate me,
From the nipple to the bottle,
Never satisfied
From the nipple to the bottle,
Now the cow must die.

I ain't gon give it, you ain't gon get it,
If I don't give it, how you gonna get it?

I ain't gon give it, you ain't gon get it,
If I don't give it, how you gonna get it? (fade)

The Apple Stretching (M. Van Peebles)

The sun comes swaggering across the harbour,
And kisses the lady waiting in the narrows,
She already plenty shaky stands there,
Blushing, clutching the torch of liberty,
Uptown Luigi who dont speak english so good,
Is having an accident,
Backing his dumptruck into the fence,
The tin cans go clattering down the lane,
A drowsy bum thinks its thunder,
And pulls the news over his head to stop the rain.

No, it ain't judgement day,
No, it ain't Armageddon,
It's just the apple stretching and yawning, just morning.

New York putting it's feet on the floor,
It's just the apple stretching and yawning, just morning,
New York putting it's feet on the floor.

Suburban refugees fleeing the cracked cisterns,
Worm ridden fruit trees stream out Grand Central,
Please to be breathing bagels and pollution.

In Time Square new graffiti, old revolutions,
A bag lady is cursing the waiter for giving her a free coffee
Lucky he's a Jesus freak moonlighting,
At the Acme discount store over in Queens,
The burglar alarm starts to scream,
A cop picks out his gun fires one and yells, "FREEZE!".

No, it ain't Worl War Four,
No, it ain't World War Four,
It's just the apple stretching and yawning, just morning,
New York putting its feet on the floor.

Nearby the Hudson a hooker makes a 'U',
To help a blind man to his pew in the park,
Some long ago home training jars the memory,
The bag lady says 'Thank you' and curties.

The herd of beaten tourists limp homeward,
Having bitten off more than they could chew,
Moaning them old big city blues,
Miss Liberty depicts her qualms and grins,
Another subway starts rattling,
And Luigi's cans go clattering down the hill.

No, it ain't some kind of ill wind,
No, it ain't the world coming to an end,
Just the apple stretching and yawning, just morning,
New York putting its feet on the floor.

Everybody Hold Still (G. Jones / B. Reynolds)

I knew Ishouldn't have left the apartment,
I knew I should've stayed in watching TV,
If I'd looked at the moon,
And looked at my stars,
I wouldn't be in this mess I'm in right now.

I should've known when my car would not get started,
It should've clicked when indecision read it's question mark,
If I'd ran back for the phone,
But instead let it ring,
I wouldn't be in this mess I'm in right now.

Everybody hold still,
Nobody gets hurt.

I could've left all my cash and taken a credit card,
I should've said "Dont' wear no jewellry you lookin' fine",
If I'd ran back for the telephone,
But instead I let it ring,
I wouldn't be in this mess I'm in right now.

Everybody hold still,
Nobody gets hurt,
Please don't take all of my money mister,
Don't take my money all my money, money,
Everybody hold still,
Nobody gets hurt.

Cry Now Laugh Later (G. Jones / B. Reynolds)

Cry now, Laugh later.

It's time now to return the favor,
Cry now, laugh laugh later.

I dont know why I'm laughing,
I'm still wet from the rain,
I dont know why I'm laughing,
I'm still spotted from the stain.

I dont know why I'm laughing,
I'm burning from the flame,
I dont know why I'm laughing,
Theres a storm running through my veins.

Cry now, laugh later,
Cry now, laugh later,
Sign out, I'll see you later,
Time now to return the favor.

You know I aint lying,
Its so unreal on the other side,
I'll tell you why I'm crying,
Dad's ten grand on a 4 wheel drive,
I thought they wanted money,
Two thieves as they were passing by,
They tied me up so lonely,
And took the car out from under my eyes.

Cry now, laugh later,
Cry now, I'll get you later,
I'm just too tired now to return the favor,
Cry now laugh later.

I dont know why I'm laughing,
Immigration breathing down my back,
Aint got no money for a pay off,
Stay in jail until they send me back,
I dont know why I'm laughing,
I'm still hurting from the pain,
A foreigner in this hell hole,
He aint never gunna touch me again.

Cry now, laugh later,
It's time now to return the favor,
You'e got me crying now,
I'll laugh at you later,
Time now to return the favor.

I dont know why I'm laughing,
I'm still wet from the rain,
I dont know why I'm crying,
I'm still spotted from the stain.

You know I ain't lying,
Im burning burning up from the flame,
I dont know why I'm laughing,
I've got the storm running through my veins.

Cry now, laugh later,
Baby got to sign out return later,
Just too tired now to return the favor.

Cry now, laugh later...

Inspiration (G. Jones / B. Reynolds)

I'm hoping to find a new source of information,
I'll step off the line,
I've been searching for some inspiration,
The thing I wrote off as false came true,
Another gift of mine with love from me to you.

Don't be intimidated, I don't want to be the first one,
It's a problem calculated,
I've been searching for some inspiration,
The thing I wrote off as false came true,
Another gift of mine with love from me to you.

Stop it now I've been killing myself,
I've been willing myself,
To give back all what he gave,
Another turnstile bare to the bone turning alone.

Hope he's turning in his grave,
My source of satisfaction from laying it on the line,
You could be the one too,
I've been searching for some inspiration,
The thing I wrote off as false came true,
Another gift of mine with love from me to you.

Stop it now I've been killing myself,
I've been willing myself,
To give back all what he gave,
Another turnstile bare to the bone turning alone.

Hope he's turning in his grave,
I'm hoping to find a new source of information,
I'll step off the line,
I've been searching for some inspiration,
Searching for some inspiration. (fade to end)

Unlimited Capacity For Love (G. Jones / B. Reynolds)

The end's not in sight, it's gone way too far,
This could turn our another unwinning war,
It wasn't inherited, certainly not a joke,
So many human hearts, hanging in hope,
Unlimited capacity for love,
Unlimited capacity for love.

And now I must add another to love in my life,
It's one thing to say, to do is another,
If Im capable of adapting without pressured expense,
In a schizoid society in a classic moral sense,
Unlimited capacity for love,
Umlimited capacity for love.

How young I am now, stop counting the weeks,
We're safe from the vois, where they're still counting sheep,
Put the phone to the floor, you'll hear my heart beat,
Some people get married, but I'll never chat,
Unlimited capacity for love,
Unlimited capacity for love.

The end's not in sight, it's gone way too far,
This could turn our another unwinning war,
It wasn't inherited, certainly not a joke,
So many human hearts, hanging in hope,
Unlimited capacity for love. (repeat, fade)

More Lyrics Coming Soon!