Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?

We may seem happy like everything's alright But from the outside looking in Everything's uptight But deep down inside we're covering up the pain It's an old thing It's a soul thing But it's a real thing Pray tell what’s gonna happen to brother Who’s gonna help him get further One another One another There's old dude standing on the corner Waiting for a fox to pass The only thing he's got to go by Is this is where he saw her last And there's old John, two dollars in his pocket Talking loud and thinks he's rich And look for little fool, too cool to go to school Get a job, in two days he quits Pray tell what’s gonna happen to brother Who’s gonna help him get further One another Is that the truth? One another Yeah, you're right Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Pray tell what’s gonna happen to brother Who’s gonna help him get further One another One another Mama get up early, early in the morning Papa's already gone Going out a-working for half of what he's worth now You know that it's wrong What happen to the Liberty Bell I heard so much about? Did it really ding-dong? It must have dinged wrong It didn't ding long Pray tell what’s gonna happen to brother Who’s gonna help him get further One another Is that the truth? One another Yeah, you're right Mama get up early, early in the morning Papa's already gone Working two jobs for half of what he's worth now You know that it's wrong What happen to the Liberty Bell I heard so much about? Did it really ding-dong? It must have dinged wrong It didn't ding long Pray tell what’s gonna happen to brother Who’s gonna help him get further One another Is that the truth? One another Yeah, you're right Pray tell what’s gonna happen to brother Who’s gonna help him get further One another Is that the truth? One another Yeah, you're right Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah Did it really ding-dong? It didn't ding long Did it really ding-dong? It didn't ding long

Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further? Written by Allen Toussaint Performed by Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint (featuring The Imposters, Anthony "AB" Brown & The Crescent City Horns) Produced by Joe Henry Horn arrangement Allen Toussaint Musicians Elvis Costello - vocal Allen Toussaint - vocal, piano Steve Nieve - Hammond B3 organ, second piano (live breakdown) Davey Faragher - bass, backing vocals Pete Thomas - drums Anthony "AB" Brown - Fender Telecaster guitar Carl Blouin - baritone saxophone Amadee Castenell - tenor saxophone Joe "Foxx" Smith - trumpet Sam "Big Sam" Williams - trombone & solo Recorded November 27 - December 10, 2005, Sunset Sound, Hollywood, and/or Piety Street Recorders, New Orleans Released May 27, 2006 Albums The River In Reverse, 2006 Length 5:04 First known performance:  February 20, 2006, New York, NY Last known performance:  April 28, 2016, New Orleans, LA      (60 known performances) Alternate versions Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further? (Live 2006) Performed by Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint featuring The Imposters, Anthony "AB" Brown & The Crescent City Horns Horn arrangement Allen Toussaint Musicians Elvis Costello - vocal, guitar Allen Toussaint - vocal, piano Steve Nieve - keyboards Davey Faragher - bass, backing vocal Pete Thomas - drums Anthony "AB" Brown - guitar Brian "Breeze" Cayolle - saxophone Amadee Castenell - saxophone Joe "Foxx" Smith - trumpet Sam "Big Sam" Williams - trombone Recorded July 3, 2006, Montreal, QC, Canada Released December 5, 2006 Videos Hot As A Pistol, Keen As A Blade, 2006

Recordings by other artists

• Lee Dorsey, 1970

This list may be incomplete.

Internal links

• Lyrics

External links

• Elvis Costello Reissues: The River In Reverse
• Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further? - Promo video - studio performance by Elvis Costello, Allen Toussaint, The Imposters and the Crescent City Horns