Original song by Boston, MA-based singer/songwriter Brendan Hogan. Inspired by events in the early life of infamous South Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger. BRENDAN HOGAN - Martin D-28 acoustic guitar, Silvertone 1448 electric guitar, Gibson B-25 "Nashville-strung" acoustic guitar, Danelectro baritone guitar, vocal TOREY ADLER - Fender Rhodes, engineering/production. MORNING LIGHT (A BALLAD OF JAMES "WHITEY" BULGER) Jimmy first bought it in Boston as a teen back in 1943. He and his brothers were known to police in Southie for stealing cars and petty larceny. The Air Force took him on in ’48; he went absent without leave. Volunteered as a government test monkey for a shorter stint in penitentiary. You can see what you want in the middle of the night But city streets lose their shine in the morning light. Out of prison, Jimmy mopped floors by day, and by night mopped up for Donnie Killeen. Working for gangsters ain’t a way to live clean, it’s a way to live free. But drunk one night Donnie’s brother fought dirty and bit the nose of a Mullen boy. Mullen boss, Paulie, wouldn’t turn the other cheek, he’d give ‘em Hell like they’d never seen. You can see what you want in the middle of the night But city streets lose their shine in the morning light. Bookmaking, loan-sharking, the Killeen’s had their market cornered with their muscle. Paulie and the Mullens were working the Harbor as small-time hustlers. Paulie had a chip on his shoulder big enough to bring the racket down. Jimmy wanted to prove himself a linchpin, prove himself good for business, and put Paulie down before the fighting hit the suburbs. Jimmy saw Paulie coming down Seventh and he knew what he had to do. There’s a war going on and a chance to wrap things up before the story becomes front page news. Jimmy eased, rode his brakes, and called from his window. He said, “Paulie, this is it” and fired a shot right where their eyes met. You can see what you want in the middle of the night But city streets lose their shine in the morning light. In the flash of his shot, Jimmy smiled; he was no longer just another hack. Metallic taste in the air, Jimmy sitting there; shadows spill into clouds of black. Jimmy said “He smoked like a fiend; if it wasn’t for me he would’ve died of a heart attack.” But Jimmy left his own brother dead at the wheel of Paulie’s stolen Cadillac. You can see what you want in the middle of the night But city streets lose their shine in the morning light.