Trouble Every Day

Here's Frank with a "big band" style remake of one of his own tunes from one of his early recordings. Oddly enough, there is a cover of the original version by George Thorogood that is also excellent. According to the Trouble Every Day Songfacts, Zappa wrote this song while watching the 1965 Watts riots live on television. The riots lasted for six days and left 34 dead, more than a thousand wounded, and two hundred million dollars in damage. More than thirty thousand blacks took part in them, and there were around four thousand arrests.

Frank Zappa (lead guitar, vocals) George Duke (keyboards, synthesizer, vocals) Tom Fowler (bass) Ruth Underwood (percussion) Jeff Simmons (rhythm guitar, vocals) Don Preston (synthesizer) Bruce Fowler (trombone) Walt Fowler (trumpet) Napoleon Murphy Brock (tenor saxophone, flute, lead vocals) Ralph Humphrey (drums) Chester Thompson (drums) Debbie (background vocals) Lynn (background vocals) Robert Camarena (background vocals) Well I'm about to get sick From watchin' my TV Been checkin' out the news Till my eyeballs fail to see I mean to say that every day Is just another rotten mess And when it's gonna change, my friend Is anybody's guess, so I'm Watchin' and I'm waitin' Hopin' for the best Even think I'll go to prayin' Every time I hear 'em sayin' There's no way to delay That trouble comin' every day No way to delay the trouble Comin' every day Wednesday I watched the riot Seen the cops out on the street Watched 'em throwin' rocks & stuff & chokin' In the heat Listen to reports About the whisky passin' 'round Seen the smoke & fire And the market burnin' down Watched while everybody On his street would take a turn To stomp & smash & bash & crash & slash & Bust & burn And I'm Watchin' and I'm waitin' Hopin' for the best Even think I'll go to prayin' Every time I hear 'em sayin' that there's No way to delay That trouble comin' every day No way to delay That trouble comin' every day