The play began with an upbeat song
The audience just sang along
The curtain rose to much applause
After all it was a worthy cause

As intermission came and went
We talked about what the author meant
It didn’t matter much to me
It was hard to hear from the second row of the balcony


And everyone cried
At the very end when the heroine died
It was raining outside
I couldn’t find my car
Though I swear I parked it right in front
Of the American Bar

And everyone cried
At the very end when the heroine died
It was raining outside
I couldn’t find my car
Though I swear I parked it right in front
Of the American Bar
The American Bar

The play began with an upbeat song
The audience just sang along

I don’t wanna lose you
I don’t wanna lose you
Way up here in the balcony
Nothing matters much to me
At the end of my green couch

Notes on song:
I found the opening melody of this song on an old cassette tape. I liked the opening two lines, but that’s all it had. I hammered away at it and piece by piece it started to come. For awhile it was called the Mercury Bar, but when I sang it, it needed an extra syllable. As I was laying down the lead vocal I came up with American Bar and the song was complete. Or, so I thought. I was putting on a final acoustic guitar part and didn’t stop where the song is supposed to stop at the end ( “The audience just sang along”) and I liked it. So, I turned it into a little coda which concluded with the final line being, “At the end of my green couch”. That made the song and the concept of the album feel complete.