Million Dollar Racket

Million Dollar Racket

Unpublished

What is a part time picker
Doing here cutting singles
Knocking on the doors
Up and down Music Row
Writing songs about a lover
Who turns out to be no other
Then a Nashville hit
That don’t make it out the door

It’s a million-dollar racket
And you got to have the backing
To get that love song
Played on the radio
If you make it, you are lucky
If you don’t, you’re just a flunky
Knocking on the doors
Up and down Music Row

Some towns have got it
Others got nothing
But a gas station
And a grocery store
And a band that plays Top 40 hits
To a crowd that don’t know better
And a cop that drives in circles
Until the drunks get home

It’s a million-dollar racket
And you got to have the backing
To get that love song
Played on the radio
If you make it, you are lucky
If you don’t, you’re just a flunky
Knocking on the doors
Up and down Music Row

Think I might head
Down to the panhandle
And lay out on the beach
Where the salty winds blow
Across the horizon
Where the sun goes skipping
Like a stone into the waters
Of the Gulf of Mexico

It’s a million-dollar racket
And you got to have the backing
To get that love song
Played on the radio
If you make it, you are lucky
If you don’t, you’re just a flunky
Knocking on the doors
Up and down Music Row

Words & Music by Larry Long
Copyright Larry Long 1976 | BMI

Appears on

Listen Now

Larry’s music is available on Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify, Bandcamp and select e-tailers

[qbutton icon_pack=”” target=”_blank” font_weight=”600″ text=”Apple Music” link=”https://music.apple.com/us/artist/larry-long/259062085″ color=”#FFFBFB” hover_color=”#B42B2B” border_color=”#FFFFFF” hover_border_color=”#FFFFFF” background_color=”#8D6D2B” hover_background_color=”#FFFFFF”]
[qbutton icon_pack=”” target=”_blank” font_weight=”600″ text=”Spotify” link=”https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CvR2214CV84RkyUYVQKyh?si=5uwfiPZTTTGYOIw8B4Bwug” color=”#FFFFFF” hover_color=”#B42B2B” border_color=”#FFFFFF” hover_border_color=”#FFFFFF” background_color=”#8D6D2B” hover_background_color=”#FFFFFF”]
[qbutton icon_pack=”” target=”_blank” font_weight=”600″ text=”Amazon” link=”https://amazon.com/music/player/artists/B000QK8CZ4/larry-long?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_rjApRjysC81HQ7VFuOSiMRTAr” color=”#FFFFFF” hover_color=”#B42B2B” border_color=”#FFFFFF” hover_border_color=”#FFFFFF” background_color=”#8D6D2B” hover_background_color=”#FFFFFF”]
[qbutton icon_pack=”” target=”_blank” font_weight=”600″ text=”Bandcamp” link=”https://larrylong.bandcamp.com” color=”#FFFFFF” hover_color=”#B42B2B” border_color=”#FFFFFF” hover_border_color=”#FFFFFF” background_color=”#8D6D2B” hover_background_color=”#FFFFFF”]