Words and Music by Dennis Livingston I live in a New York apartment. Of course, it’s rather small. The neighbors are nosy, the kitchen is cozy. I can’t turn around without hitting a wall. There’s a living room, dining room, guest room for two. To be sure, they’re the same room, but what can you do? It’s affordable and clean, I never see any mice. There’s only one tiny problem in this urban paradise. I’ve got too many books, too many God damn books! They block the windows. The views are gone. I sleep in the daytime, read till dawn. To make room for more books, I’ll dump the bed. Put the fridge on the street, I’ll eat out instead. I may be a schnook, but I keep buying book after book, after book. I’ve got too many shelves, too many shelves with books! Shelves hit the ceiling, no drapery, in my quiet, private library. I rappel over shelves seeking the sink. Crawl through the aisles to look for a drink. I admit I’m a nut, stuck in a rut, with a glut of too many books. Lord of Print, save me from the tomes in my life. Grant me the light to see my own face when I wash up at night. Lord of Print, let me find my bedroom at last. Help me explore the path that you clear to my buried front door. Ah, but Lord of Print you know that in spite of it all when push comes to shove, as it frequently does given the above, I love having… too many books. Even too many unread books. My place smells like a musty shop. There’s no space for me to flop. Call me demented, call me obsessive, anal retentive, slightly possessive. But I can’t make myself stop … collecting all those too, too, too, too, too many books.     © 2005 Hallmark Music Co.   Back to previous page Back to SONGS main page