SHIPS IN THE NIGHT (1974)

MAMA'S GONNA MAKE IT ALL BETTER

Chorus:

Baby, baby, don’t you cry anymore

Mama’s gonna make it all better like before

Gonna wipe away your tears

Kiss away the pain

Mama’s gonna make it all better again

When I fell off the merry-go-round

And dropped my ice cream cone on the ground

Daddy bought me a rainbow balloon

But I let loose of the string too soon

I remember when ever I was hurt

Mama sang a little song and it always worked

Repeat Chorus

Now I’m grown up and left all alone

'Cause my best friend just broke up my home

People warned me, but I laughed at them

I couldn’t see she was after him

She’s just using me

I can’t believe he’s gone

As I cry myself to sleep I can hear this little song

Repeat Chorus

WHO BROKE YOUR HEART AND MADE

YOU WRITE THAT SONG

Chorus:

Who broke your heart and made you write that song

Every time you sing I want to cry along

Everything was right till your love went wrong

Who made you write that song

I remember the happy things

In the songs that you used to sing

Sunny blue skies and wedding rings

This morning their gone

Cloudy skies have begun to form

There's a ring in your bureau gone

And you're really alone once more

I can tell by your song

Repeat Chorus twice

When you asked me if I could see

That the songs only make believe

If you think that you're fooling me

Let me tell you you're wrong

Anyone who has loved will know

After hearing a verse or so

You smile but your tears still show

In the words to your songs

Repeat Chorus twice

IN ANOTHER WOMAN'S ARMS

Every night I used to get warm

By the bathroom heater

A cold one-bedroom house

My father was the neighborhood cheater

Oh, how I dreaded wearing

My one dress to the summer dance

Strutting along

With a back wood boy in baggy pants

Chorus:

How I dreamed to change my life some way

Or end it in a bayou bay

I wanted love, I always thought

But every man I loved I always caught

Wrapped up in another woman's arms

One night I drove in and watch a drive-in movie

The hero rode a motorbike

And every word he said was groovy

He picked up a girl, who looked a lot like me

And rode her all around

The movie ended when they fell in love and settled down

Repeat Chorus

Searching too hard, I fell in love with a married man

He gave me a son

And day and night, the back of his hand

Every morning when I woke up

I felt an empty space

He was living down at Rosie's drinking up the whole damn place

Repeat Chorus

TAKE ME TO HEAVEN

I know you love to make love like I love it

And though we made oceans of it

We're still, my love, oceans apart

And I can remember those long, lonely mornings

After loving you all night long

It's not easy, not easy to do

So take me to Heaven tonight, my love

But tomorrow, please take me with you

Take my word for it, there's no place for it

Love means nothing when it's part-time

And you need someone, need someone like I do

So take me to Heaven tonight, my love

But tomorrow, please take me with you

Take me to Heaven tonight, my love

But tomorrow, take me with you

CAMEO

When she was handed down to me

I held her very close to see

How many lovers left their secrets in their eyes

She lived in love a hundred years

So many arms have held her near

And now she's here to bring her magic to my life

Chorus:

Cameo, Cameo

Let me wear your magic spell

Cameo, Cameo

And learn the secrets your eyes tell

You'll be here forever

So while we're together

Find me a beautiful life we'll both remember

A love like mama said would come

Stronger than the morning sun

I'll live as two, but love as one my whole life through

'Cause I've been lonely much too long

But there're some changes coming on

Good vibrations coming strong since I got you

Repeat Chorus

SHIPS IN THE NIGHT

I saw her look and I realized

She was seducing my man with her eyes

And yet I couldn't blame you

For she was delicious

And smiled me assurance and still I was jealous

Then you took me home and finally alone

You set myself down and you sang me this song

Baby, ships in the night

Eyes that are flashing

Flirting and passing with time on their hands

She's a ship in the night looking for love

And nobody's taking your man

You remember the fight on the way to the party

And we both went inside, neither saying we're sorry

And because he was handsome

And you were disturbed

Through his whole boring story, I hung on each word

Acting as though I enjoyed him so

Playing a game

I'm a woman, you know

And nothing was said in the car going home

And my ego exploded, 'cause your jealousy showed

And then in our bedroom you stalked and you talked

And I quieted your thunder and sang you this song

Baby, ships in the night

Eyes that are flashing

Bragging about all his trips around the world

He's a ship in the night

Looking for love and nobody's taking your girl

I cannot follow through each waking day

And I know some lovely eyes get in your way

But then you're a big boy

Baby, I know when the day's sun surrenders

My ship sails home to me

Ships in the night

Eyes that are flashing

Flirting and passing with time on their hands

She's a ship in the night

Looking for love and nobody's taking my man

FUNNY GIRL

I didn't need you when you found me

You barely fit into my world

But you were sweet and hung around me

And you called me your funny girl

I did my part and made you happy

I make you laugh and that brought you up

You pat my head instead of squeezing my body

A patted head ain't quite enough

I brought you through the trials and tribulations

Silly fool, now, don't you know a funny girl gets sad

Somewhere along the line you sure forgot to touch me

I needed touching mighty bad

Chorus:

Funny girl's got feelings, too

She's not made just to entertain you

Come on, let's hear you laugh

(Well) A funny girl gets sleepless nights

And cries of loss of appetite

Now, mister, how do you like that?

You hurt your funny girl

You'd hold my hand into the party

Until you heard some kitten purr

You'd dropped my hand

And next thing that I knew, darling

I'd see you standing next to her

You'd hold my hand in front

Of friends to prove you like me

Playing sympathetic tricks upon my head

And then because you were so unbearably handsome

You'd thought I'd leap into your bed

Repeat Chorus

Oh, funny girl's got feelings, too

She's not made just to entertain you...

MAKING LOVE IN MY MIND

People say my head is in a cloud

When you're not around

But they don't know just what I'm thinking about

They don't know what I've found

When the one you love is far away

You've got to improvise

So anytime I want you in my arms, all I do is close my eyes

I'm making love in my mind

I'm loving you all the time

I'm making love in my mind with you, to you

My imagination runs away

To almost anywhere

If I took a penny for my thoughts

I would be a millionaire

I'm making love in my mind

I'm loving you all the time

I'm making love in my mind to you, just you

Oh, I'm making love in my mind

I'm loving you all the time

I'm making love in my mind with you, to you, with you

WHO DO I CALL WHEN I NEED YOU

Last Christmas morning

I opened my presents all alone

And last Thanksgiving

Where could I go but my married sister's home?

Well, this morning

I decided that you've had me way too long

I need a man who's free to be here

When everything's going wrong

Chorus:

'Cause you see the plumber comes when the faucet drips

I call in the painter when the woodwork chips

The Yellow Pages always seem to help me through

But who do I call when I need you?

Every evening your children run

To kiss you at your door

You throw your arms around them

After leaving me alone and wanting more

In your life, I'm just the icing

On a many-layered cake

While I go hungry giving you much more than I can take

Repeat Chorus

The plumber comes when the faucet drips

I call in the painter when the woodwork chips

The Yellow Pages always seem to help me through

But who do I call when I need you?

THE LIGHT ON THE BACK PORCH DOOR

I turn down the covers and I smooth the satin sheets

Pretending I don't do that for every man I meet

And then I let my hair hand down and make myself smell pretty With that special kind of perfume

That comes straight from New York City

Chorus:

On the corner of Elm in the south side of town

Take the second right past Shelby's Hardware Store

There's a little white house where the curtains are drawn

And a dim red light on the back porch door

The streetlight on the corner shining circles on the floor

The music from the Hi-Fi slowly drifting through the door

Softly then I'll smile at you and take you by the hand

For a while I'll make you know how good it is to be a man

Repeat Chorus

Now we lie here in the darkness and we share a cigarette

Till it's time to turn and softly say goodnight with no regret

I know there're people in this world, who'd say "It just ain't right"

But there's no man who ever lived you'd trade places with tonight

Repeat Chorus

YOU ARE THE SUNSHINE OF MY LIFE

You are the sunshine of my life

That's why I'll always be around

You are the apple of my eye

Forever you'll stay in my heart

I feel like this is the beginning

Though I've loved you for a million years

And if I thought our love was ending

I'd find myself drowning in my own tears

Chorus:

You are the sunshine of my life

That's why I'll always stay around

You are the apple of my eye

Forever you'll stay in my heart

You must have known that I was lonely

Because you came to my rescue

And I know that this must be heaven

How could so much love be inside of you?

Repeat Chorus

OLD HOME MOVIES

Here it is, just another lonely night

Not an awful lot to do

But get out the old home movies

And take another look at you

Switch on some of my movies

Light up all of my dreams

And then I'll watch my life come tumbling down

Up on the silver screen

There she is reaching out to touch you

And that's you touching back again

Well it ain't no fun to watch old home movies

Knowing how the story ends

I think I'll have another look at your birthday

People stepping out to dance

And here's a scene where they're raising a champagne toast

To you and your fine romance

I figured they were talking about you and me

But the pictures plainly show

You had your eye on another girl

And I was the last to know

And there she is reaching out to touch you

And that's you touching back again

Well it ain't no fun to watch old home movies

Knowing how the story ends

Here's another scene from a party

Everybody having fun

Well, look at you, hanging on to what's-her-name

As if she were the only one

And this is you and her laughing and singing

And that's me walking out the door

And you probably noticed in the last few scenes

That I'm not around anymore

There she is reaching out to touch you

And that's you touching back again

Well it ain't no fun to watch old home movies

Knowing how the story ends

THE OTHER WOMAN

I'm up early every Monday morning

There's some laundry to do

I'm emptying out his pockets

While the kids go off to school

And then I see the letter

And my heart just breaks in two

It's another woman's writing

Saying “Baby, I love you”

Well 10 years of being married to him

I haven't let myself letdown

So I make a quick appointment

To do some work at the gym downtown

What a shock to finally find out

That my nicest dress don't fit

So I sit down at my mirror and I get out my makeup kit

Chorus:

The other woman is in for the fight of her life

I've loved him too much

And too long to have him taken away

Oh, that would be the day

I'm going to bury the hurt

Gonna get down to work

Roll up my sleeves and be what he needs

A lover at night, oh, and not just a wife; you bet your life

I'm gonna keep him

Well, I read the daily papers

And we discuss the latest news

And I love him each and every night

Just the way that I used to do

Well sometimes it just takes giving

To get something back again

Now there'll never be another woman

And a whole new life begins

Repeat Chorus twice

I'M GLAD I'M NOT HER

He should be there by now

He said it wouldn't take long to pack

By now he must've told her

He won't be coming back

When he's emptied all his closets

And she has to watch him go

That's the kind of pain I hope

I'll never have to know

Chorus:

I'm glad I'm not her

I'd hate to be standing in her shoes

I'm glad I'm not her

'Cause he'd be awfully hard to lose

She's the one woman

In the whole wide world I wouldn't want to be

'Cause he's walking out on her

And he's running to me

He'll be moving in tonight

He's finally coming here to stay

But even when his toothbrush

And his clothes are put away

And he's held me and he's loved me

And we're drifting off to sleep

Oh, God, now that he's mine

Please make him someone I can keep

Repeat Chorus

Track listing

Mama's Gonna Make It All Better

(Mary Dean & Al Capps)

Who Broke Your Heart And Made You Write That Song

(Michael Chain)

In Another Woman's Arms

(John Durrill)

Take Me To Heaven

(Richard Mainegra & Susan Taylor)

Cameo

(Arthur Hamilton, Annette Tucker & Yolanda Garrett)

Ships in the Night

(Bobby Russell)

Funny Girl

(Bobby Russell)

Her Second Album for the Bell Label, Ships in the Night, Was Only Released in Australia and Makes Its CD Debut Here.

In 1974 pop star Vicki Lawrence recorded another album for Bell, Ships in the Night, again with the title song penned by Russell and production by Garrett.
However, financial problems at the Bell label resulted in the album being released only in Australia, and it appears here on CD for the first time.
We’ve also added the non-Bell single sides “Old Home Movies” and “The Other Woman” and an unreleased track for a total of 25 tracks from this enduring performer. Notes and photos accompany…remastered by Steve Massie.

Making Love In My Mind

(Bobby Flax & Lanny Lambert)

Who Do I Call When I Need You

(Gloria Sklerov & Molly Ann Leiken)

The Light On The Back Porch Door

(Gloria Sklerov, Harry Lloyd & Yolanda Garrett)

You Are the Sunshine of My Life

(Stevie Wonder)

Old Home Movies

(Wayne Parker & Richard Torst)

The Other Woman

(Tom Bahler & Henry Shannon)

I'm Glad I'm Not Her

(Gloria Sklerov & Molly Ann Leikin)