Old Road (single release April 14, 2023)
written with Matt Tedder
It’s an old road get off when you get on it / Time just blow on by like a whistle in the breeze / And there’s a real thin line between / What ya need and what you want / And it can burn you down / And it can set you free / And the undertaker is gonna make his money / But it don’t have to be today. // The mountains high and the valleys low / The rich is rich and the poor is poor / Your train rolls by strawberry pickers / And a beggar at the station / Reaches out his hand / A preacher offers up his sermon for salvation / While the Devil takes what he can. // It's an old road / It's an old road // The leaves they turn green to gold / And the weather goes from hot to cool / The whole damn thing is just circles and cycles / Maybe nothing’s new / But there’s a lot to see / And moss don’t gather on a rolling stone / And the fruit’ll tell ya ‘bout the tree. // The mountains high and the valleys low / The rich is rich and the poor is poor / Your train rolls by strawberry pickers / And a beggar at the station / Reaches out his hand / A preacher offers up his sermon for salvation / While the Devil takes what he can.
I ain't never seen a ghost in this old house.
Nah, nah, nah, nah.
1912 and the wife's away
Her husband, the house maid and the devil play.
Nine months there's a baby girl
She'll grow up hated but she won't grow old
I ain't never seen a ghost in this old house.
Nah, nah, nah, nah.
1918 the man's away
The wife's grabs a knife while the devil sings
The moon gives light where the child lay
Now there's blood on the rug and a mother screams
Well I ain't never seen a ghost in this old house.
Nah, nah, nah, nah.
Well there's footsteps on the stairs
And there's footsteps overhead
And there's shadows on the wall
Make me wish that I were dead
And the TV won't stay off
It's as loud as it can go
And there's pennies in the rafters
And some doors that won't stay closed
And there's creaking in the hallway
And some pictures overturned
And there's even been a baby heard
Crying out for help!
Well I ain't never seen a ghost in this old house.
Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah.
Open your eyes, my child,
There's a great big world to see.
Open your heart, open your mind,
Open your mouth and sing.
Paint your visions in the stars.
Let it be written on your heart.
I love you to the moon and back.
I love you to the moon and back.
In a space that knows no time,
There forever is your heart and mine.
I love you to the moon and back.
Arise, my child,
Be anything you choose.
Rise and shine, know there's nothing you can't do.
You may fall, but you'll get up
You can't fail if you don't stop
And I love you to the moon and back.
I love you to the moon and back.
In a space that knows no time,
There forever is your heart and mine.
I love you to the moon and back.
And though I know this life is hard
I'll be with you from the start, my love.
In a space that knows no time
There forever is your heart and mine.
I love you to the moon and back.
Talking Talking Head Blues
I was awoke last night from a beautiful dream / The world had finally come together it seemed / There were men and women of varied faith and color / Laughing and singing and loving each other / Ah but then I’s awoke / Into what some have dubbed our pseudo-modern age / A real waking nightmare. // It was a talking head on TV / Ranting and raving and informing me / That woke me from my beautiful slumber / Catching me up on these attacks we’re all under /Yeah the world’s a mess / And here to tell me all about it was a bonafide newsman // He said: “Terrorism is the scourge of our day / And they want us all dead, make no mistake / And if we don’t kill ‘em away over there / They’ll be coming to kill us away over here! / Crossing the border in droves / With sex-crazed Mexi-cans stealing jobs, no less / Time to build a wall!” // And he continued: “Terrorists hate us ‘cause we’re the land of the free / The home of the brave, yeah let freedom ring! / They hate all our churches and movies and music / They hate you for not bowing five times in public. / Gonna win this War On Terror!” / I noticed he didn’t mention all our bombs or coups or drones or secret prisons or CIA or killin’ / They must like them just fine. // He reminded me of how freedom ain’t free / And ain’t nobody safe unless we let the government see / With a camera on every road and street corner / And an ear in each phone and a nose in each drawer. / “That’s right friends! Big Brother needs to sniff your drawers!” / Well ya never know what might be hiding out in the medicine cabinet at Grannie’s / Might be something terribly holistic or natural or a terrorist or an unsanctioned glass of milk!” // He proceeded to race wars right here at home / How the blacks and the whites can’t get along / How the browns and the reds and the greens and the scarlets / Hate all those yellows and oranges and violets / “Let the Rainbow Wars begin! / And look, Bob, now the gays and the straights are having it out in the streets. / What a fantastic distraction of a circus!” // “And the men hate women and the women hate men / And there’s a battle concerning where a trans can go piss,” / And the small tiny text scrolls beneath his desk / With news of a wedding party blown up in Iraq. / Ah I’d sure like to change the channel. / But this man…has…such…beautiful…teeth… // Then he cried: “The Left and Right can’t stand each other. / We’re a dee-vided nation of bickering brothers / And though approval has sunk to an all time low / The incumbents have won the majority vote.” / Blow the horn and stamp your feet! / Give me more of these smoke and mirrors. / I think I just saw Edward Bernays laughing doing somersaults in the parking lot of a Ford dealership! // He shouted: “Now listen up friends ‘cause this is important! / There’s unsanctioned news, and it’s spreading like poison. / So if you don’t hear it from this horse’s mouth / Or if it conflicts with what I spit out / Just know it’s fake! / Yeah the worlds amuck with truth-threatening conspiracy theories, foreign propaganda, and the meddlings of Russian secret agents like that albino pederast Julian Ass-ange! // Now my head and my heart were heavy with fear / And his voice continued its assault on my ears / When Providence graciously intervened with a favor / “We interrupt this report with breaking news of Justin Bieber.” / Seems he’s been a bad, bad boy /Driving too fast somewhere round Florida in a black, suped up sports car / Stop the presses boys! What’s that? / Turns out he was wearing women’s underwear at the time?…lace?…looks to be indigo in color…just one string going all the way up….
Big Old River
It’s a big ‘ol river, got mud on the bottom, / Got mud on the bottom, get mud on your shoe. / It’s a big ‘ol river so you better get to walking. / It’s a big ‘ol river and a long way, too. / It’s a big ‘ol river. It’s a big ‘ol river, and a long way, too. // There’s smoke on the land and mirrors in the water. / There’s smoke on the land and fire in the streets. / There’s smoke from the hand of the uniformed magician, / Turns his own crimes into another man’s pain. / It’s a big ‘ol river. It’s a big ‘ol river, and a long way, too. / It’s a big ‘ol river. It’s a big ‘ol river, and a long way, too. // There’s plenty of food, and there’s plenty of money. / And there’s plenty of hunger, and there’s plenty of greed. / And there’s plenty of reasons they’ll tell you that there isn’t, / While there’s plenty who die with nothing to eat. / Yeah it’s a big ‘ol river. It’s a big ‘ol river, and a long way, too. // There’s plenty for war and there’s plenty for killing. / Yeah there’s plenty for taking another man’s life. / And there’s plenty of reasons they’ll tell ya that we got to, / While their profits are counted far from the light. / It’s a big ‘ol river. It’s a big ‘ol river, and a long way, too. / It’s a big ‘ol river. It’s a big ‘ol river, and a long way, too. // It was a great big world, but now it’s getting smaller, / It was a great big world but now we can see / It’s a great big world and we got sisters and brothers / Love in every country and prayers for peace. / But it’s a big ‘ol river. It’s a big ‘ol river, and a long way, too. // It’s a big ‘ol river, got mud on the bottom, / Got mud on the bottom, get mud on your shoe. / It’s a big ‘ol river so we better get to walking. / It’s a big ‘ol river and a long way, too. / It’s a big ‘ol river. It’s a big ‘ol river, and a long way, too.
Bombing For Peace
Bombing for peace is like a chainsaw to a melody / Ice cream on a diet or a future-father vasectomy / Sewing shut one’s eyes to see more clearly than before / Bombing for peace is like a chainsaw to a melody // Bombing for peace is like oil spills for purity / Switchblades for children’s safety or orgies for monogamy / Strangling the future while hoping for tomorrow / Yeah bombing for peace is like oil spills for purity // Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity / Cocaine for sleeping pills or whiskey for sobriety / Strangling the future while hoping for tomorrow / Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity / Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity // Why do people still believe the lie? / How come it still works every time? / I don’t know why but / One thing’s for certain / Killing ain’t loving / And if love is the road to peace / Then bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity // One thing’s for certain / Killing ain’t loving / And love is the road to peace / Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity.
Christmas 1914
It’s Christmas 19 and 14 / And I’ve been fighting two months / In what they’ve called / The Great War // And the horrors I’ve known / In these trenches / No man should know / And certainly no boy. // But yesterday / We awoke to the Germans / Singing old carols / We all know so well // And we joined them / In song and in greetings / And we met in the middle / Were many friends fell // And we exchanged / Simple gifts with each other / I got some tobacco / And a nice German schnapps // And a game of football / Was played there / In the cold bloodied soil / They call no man’s land. // And it got me to thinking / The enemy is not here / Killing and dying / Tired and scared / But the ones who have sent us / Those who’ll never know war / Those who sent off their children / They’re the ones we should kill. // Well it’s Christmas 19 and 14 / And I just met some boys they want me to kill / It’s Christmas 19 and 14 / Too small a break from this terrible hell. // Well it’s Christmas 19 and 14 / And I just met some boys they want me to kill / It’s Christmas 19 and 14 / Too short a peace in this terrible hell.
Bastards & Bitches
All the bastards and bitches in suits and dresses / Bicker and spit in public spaces / Posture and cluck over feigned offenses / Fondle each other in private places. // Yeah the bastards and bitches in suits and dresses / Crow and bark with twist-up faces / Strut while extolling empty expressions / Fall down on their knees, and not for confession. // Ah the bastards and bitches in the world’s high places / Posing for pictures, posing as saviors / Wagging their fingers while creating messes / Whoring for power to those with no faces. // Yeah the bastards and bitches in the world’s high places / Don’t blink twice at the hell they’re creating / Self-righteous pricks robbing all generations / Stroking each other while the world lies bleeding // Hey you bastards and bitches in your suits and dresses / Choking our future with wars and oppression / Playing a game where there ain’t no winning / Bunch of lust-crazed cowards with your holes greased open // Hey you bastards and bitches in the world’s high places / You criminal lot of deranged, damned sadists / If there is a Hell you’re why it was created / Go shove your agendas up your worn-out asses. / Yeah you can shove your agendas up your old worn-out asses.
The Ballad of Timmy Johnson’s Living Brother
Poor little Timmy Johnson / Will never grow to be a cowboy / And he’ll never live to hold a body tight / Cause the government of Egypt / Thought there might be someone plotting / In the general vicinity that night // So they rained down hell and murder / On some unsuspecting houses / And Timmy’s baby brother also died / And his mother and his father / And his grandad in from Texas / And some neighbors and their friends / From junior high // But their government assured us / That though, yes, it was most tragic / They killed a man who threatened all our lives / And he threatened their whole country / And everything they stand for / And his death was a great progress in their fight // What a catastrophe! / Can you imagine such a world / Where such a thing could ever be viewed normally? // Or justified! / Could it really be the people / There’s lives are worth so much more than mine? / How is this civilized? // Timmy had another brother / Who was only slightly older / And now found himself an orphan overnight / And his dog was also killed there / In a series of explosions / And the truth is I’m not sure how I survived. // But some family back in Egypt / Sent some money and a ticket / And told me I could with them there if I like / But their government denied me / Said I’s old enough for fighting / And they couldn’t trust I wasn’t radic’lized. // Now I’ve been eight long years an orphan / And my city’s now a war zone / And I’ve buried everyone / I’ve loved or known / And I’ve lost all hope and reason / And I’m filled with rage and poison / And I want revenge / And care not if I die. // What a catastrophe! / Can you imagine such a world / Where such a thing could ever be viewed normally? // Or justified! / Could it really be the people / There’s lives are worth so much more than mine? / Do they not recognize / They’ve made me what I am? // What a catastrophe! / Can you imagine such a world / Where such a thing could ever be viewed normally? // Or justified! / Could it really be the people / There’s lives are worth so much more than mine? / Do they not recognize / They’ve made me what I am? // They’ll recognize.
Nietzsche Wore Boots
Nietzsche wore boots and came down from the mountain / He opened his mouth and his mustache started shaking / He bellowed, “God is dead! And you’re the ones who killed him. / God is dead, and you’re the ones who killed him.” // “‘Holy’ and ‘Sacred’ have lost all meaning. / It’s the Murder of Murders, and you’re all still sleeping. / God is dead, and you’re the ones who killed him.” // A crowd gathered round, scoffing and bleating / There were priests and queens and kings there among them / Bankers and rabbis, imams and politicians, / Mothers and fathers and business men and women, / Citizens and slaves of the world’s many nations, / Mocking and snarking, no hint of comprehension. // Again, Nietzsche cried out in a voice big and booming: // “You who feed the hungry with stones and derision. / You who love your neighbor with bombs and oppression. / You who only mourn when it’s your dead children. / You who rape and destroy what you’ve called Creation / For money and power, control and dominion. / God is dead, and you’re the ones who killed him. // “You who’d rather not see than be bothered with action. / You who’d rather not know than be burdened with compassion. / You who close up your ears to the cries of your neighbor / While washing your hands as the earth groans, plundered. / Robbing yourselves and future generations / Of health and wellness and peace and forgiveness. / God is dead, and you’re the ones who killed him.” // The people all roared, “Listen to this madness!” / Beating their chests and rending their garments, / Ripping and tearing and gnashing and clawing, / Stomping and snorting and spitting and pawing. / The people roared: “BLASPHEMY! BLASPHEMY!” // They grabbed at the man, but their hands passed right through him / They kicked at his knees just to find themselves falling / They picked up sharp rocks to stone him and kill him / The mob formed a circle to keep him from leaving / Tighter and tighter it closed in around him / Closer and closer they pressed down upon him / But he slipped through all their raging and violence / Ducked through the crowd as if no one could see him / While the people continued their raging and writhing / Frenzied and thrashing, nostrils now flaring, / Blind and forgetting their mustached accuser / Lusting for blood they turned on each other. // Nietzsche wore boots and walked back up the mountain. // Overlooking the unfolding mayhem below him / He shook his head / And sighed. // Raising his eyes to the heavens he said: / “I told you so.” / And he burst into flame and disappeared. // And the people devoured each other / And the field turned crimson / And the day turned to night / And the night turned to day / And the vultures got their fill of flesh / And the maggots grew fat, / And the earth drank the blood of the masses. / And after a brief time / Made a full recovery / And lived / A very long / And happy / Life.
The Love That We Give
The old man started singing / As he closed his eyes, / “If there’s plenty for three / There’s plenty for five. / So gather ‘round my table / And I’ll share what I have, / Both the food for your bellies, / And my words for your heads.” // “It’s a crazy cruel world / Yet so full of beauty / So wrapped all in mysteries / So horribly lost. / But the love that you give here / Can drive away darkness, / Give hope to the hopeless, / And keep a hungry man fed.” // He looked to his wife, / And he began laughing, / “If there’s food here for five / There’s food here for seven. / Pop open a bottle / And stoke up the fire. / Then lend me your ears, / I’ll just be a while. / Lend me your ears, / I’ll just be a while.” // “It’s a crazy cruel world / Yet so full of beauty / So wrapped all in mysteries / So horribly lost. / But the love that you give here / Can drive away darkness, / Give hope to the hopeless, / And keep a hungry man fed.” // His hand came to rest / Atop the old mandolin. / He said, “If we can feed seven, / We can feed ten.” / And the flames from the fire / Danced in his eyes. / And he laid down his head / In the lap of his wife. / He laid down his head, / And that’s where he died. // It’s a crazy cruel world / Yet so full of beauty / So wrapped all in mysteries / So horribly lost. / But the love that you give here / Can drive away darkness, / Give hope to the hopeless, / And keep a hungry man fed. / Give hope to the hopeless, / And keep a hungry man fed.
Keegan's Beautiful Dream
We’re rising and waking / Across every nation / With brothers and sisters / Of all different hues / We’re lending our voices / To the songs sang before us / And from the shoulders of giants / We’ll ring in the new // There is a change that is coming / And a shift long past due / There’s a frequency humming / A harmonious tune / And we are the instruments / Set to be played / That’ll move us from darkness / Out into the day // We’re standing and marching / Resisting and talking / We refuse to be quiet / And we won’t go away // We’re shining a light / So bright there’s no hiding / And our sleepiest of sleepers / Will soon be awake // There is a change that is coming / And a shift long past due / There’s a frequency humming / A harmonious tune / And we are the instruments / Set to be played / That’ll move us from darkness / Out into the day // Fear and division / Will no longer blind us / And we’ve all grown tired / Of the bread and the circus / And we’ve got the truth on our side / With love and compassion as guides / And we’ll no longer go fight and die / In these wars for money, power, and pride // We’re rising and waking / Across every nation / We’re laughing and dancing / With hearts open wide / For the world’s failing systems / Lie broken and dying / And the future we’re willing / Will not be denied // There is a change that is coming / And a shift long past due / There’s a frequency humming / A harmonious tune / And we are the instruments / Set to be played / That’ll move us from darkness // Out into the day.
Country Music Outlaws
It's Halloween and I'm dressed as Willie Nelson. / I started off my day like Willie would. / Now my mind is free and rolling / As the autumn leaves here blowing / And the sun is shining bright as any Halloween I've yet survived. / But cousin Mo's got stripes around his shoulders, / And Delia's gone but she ain't dead yet. / And there's things I'd like to say, probably best be left unspoken / And there's thing I'd like to do, surely be best undone. // I'm no country music outlaw / It seems that both terms get abused / I'm just another shaggy singer of songs / I keep the highway under my boots / The way these country outlaws do. // It was a straight and lonely road through Arizona / When an album by Merle Haggard got me stoned. / From a truck-stop and a rabbit, to the city of Seatlle, / Merle and I, like two drunk poets, stumbled down the road. / And the good times were anything but over. / My momma raised a rambling man. / And though I ain't yet spent a single hour in a jail cell / That has more to do with Momma's prayers than anything that I deserve. // I'm no country music outlaw / It seems that both terms get abused / I'm just another shaggy singer of songs / I keep the highway under my boots / The way these country outlaws do. // There is a German town with a Guinness pub I played in, And an angry barman pouring pints. / And through his broken English / "Townes van Zandt" was clearly spoken / And I played Poncho and Lefty for him three times a night. / Down at the former butcher's shop, Malacarne / A violent man was looking for a fight / And though he was likely thinking it'd be my ass he'd be kicking / We sang David Alan Coe songs and I kept him on my side. // I'm no country music outlaw / It seems that both terms get abused / I'm just another shaggy singer of songs / I keep the highway under my boots / The way these country outlaws do. // I'm no country music outlaw / It seems that both terms get abused / I'm just another shaggy singer of songs / I keep the highway under my boots / The way these country outlaws do.
Tonight
Tonight I said goodbye to you / Looked up at the star's a'glowing / Turned my face to the cold winds blowing / Clenched my fists and grit my teeth/ Poured a drink tried not to think / Somewhere beneath these stars he'll reach for you / You'll turn and smile / And I know just how it'll feel / As into his world you violently spill / Ah, but I ain't the one you reach out to, / So tonight I said goodbye to you. // And tonight I hurt someone new. / A friend I now call a lover / But was it worth all we discovered / When I won't be there for her / Like she wants me there for her / Even with words we spoke / Of what this is and what won't work / I feel the lingering hope / As she leaves me for her home / No, I ain't the one she can go home to / And tonight I hurt someone new. // What a painful game we fools play with our hearts / But I'd be a bigger fool to say I won't play again / And what a tragic way we fools deal with our scars / I hope the pain I cause is never long to stay / That's what tonight I pray. // Tonight I met someone who / Moves me like I ain't been moved / Since I first fell hard for you / Has me writing lovers poems / Has me singing lovers songs / Yeah she's an inspiration / And I get mine where I can take 'em / But ain't this just another pretty thing / An unobtainable but beautiful dream / I probably ain't the one that she should choose / But tonight I met someone new. // What a painful game we fools play with our hearts / But I'd be a bigger fool to say I won't play again / And what a tragic way we fools deal with our scars / I hope the pain I cause is never long to stay / That's what tonight I pray. / I hope the pain I cause is never long to stay / That's what tonight I pray.
Lumberjack Blues
I'm a lumber jack baby I can swing an ax for days / I'm a lumber jack baby I can swing an ax for days / And my blade stays sharp so don't ya worry none 'bout me. // Yeah the world's my forest so full of lovely trees / Yeah the world's my forest so full of lovely trees / I'm just a lumberjack honey I let someone else plant seeds. / But I ain't just a taker, I'm a giver to that's true. / But I ain't just a taker, I'm a giver to that's true. / Ah the trees the love me, babe, I know that you will too. // I'm a lumber jack baby I can swing an ax for days / I'm a lumber jack baby I can swing an ax for days / And my blade stays sharp so don't ya worry none 'bout me. // Way down in south Italia little town called Napoli / Way down in south Italia little town called Napoli / They tell my story, child, you know they heard 'bout me. // And I don't need no ox just to sit and sing the blues. / I don't need no ox just to sit and sing the blues. / And when I swing my ax I do it better than Paul Bunyan do. // I'm a lumber jack baby I can swing an ax for days / I'm a lumber jack baby I can swing an ax for days / And my blade stays sharp so don't ya worry none 'bout me. // Ah the good Lord loves me and the Lord knows I love trees / Ah the good Lord loves me and the Lord knows I love trees // And I love the Lord, finest artist that I've seen. // I'm a lumber jack baby I can swing an ax for days / I'm a lumber jack baby I can swing an ax for days / And my blade stays sharp so don't ya worry none 'bout me.
Give Me the Rain
Give me the rain, give me the rain / Give me the rain, give me the rain / Give me the rain, let it pour down on me / Give me the rain, let it drench me and soak me / Give me the rain, let it sting me and hurt me / Give me the rain let it drown me and choke me. // Give me a grey sky, give me a grey sky / Give me a grey sky, give me a grey sky / Give me a grey sky I don’t need the sun / Give me a grey sky I don’t need no warmth / Give me a grey sky and darken my day / Give me a grey sky and that’s where I’ll stay // Give me the thunder, give me the thunder / Give me the thunder, give me the thunder / Give me the thunder, rattle my bones, / Give me the thunder rumbling low / Give me the thunder bellowing violently / Give me the thunder song of the lightening // Give me a heartache, give me a heartache / Give me a heartache, give me a heartache / Give me a heartache a scar I can wear / Give me a heartache something to kill / Give me a heartache break me to pieces / Give me a heartache bring me my muses. // Give me the rain, give me the rain / Give me the rain, give me the rain / Give me the rain, let it pour down on me / Give me the rain, let it drench me and soak me / Give me the rain, let it sting me and hurt me / Give me the rain let it drown me and choke me.
Begoña
Oh Begoña, let's take a train and get away. / To the Moselle River Valley in a chateau where we can stay. / And dear Begoña, let's don't talk about tomorrow / Because tomorrow ain't got nothing on today. / Sweet Begoña, you've been fighting for so long / Won't you lay your pretty head upon my shoulder? // I want to watch over you, if only for this day, / And I long to hold you, and help you see what I see. / Oh Begoña. // Ain’t life so strange, our choices naked. / And hanging like the greatest weight around our bleeding necks. / And whose to say, what futures may await us? / And is it wrong to wake a dreamer to try and show a softer way? // Oh Begoña, like the flower of your name / Your beauty greets the eye in many colors. / Dear Begoña, written in your smile / There's a sadness that neither one has spoken. / Sweet Begoña, won't you walk here by my side / And we can laugh away the painful roads behind us. // Come you roads ahead, come what roads you may, / Come you roads ahead, but don't bother if I'm late. // Ain’t life so strange, our choices naked. / And hanging like the greatest weight around our bleeding necks. / And whose to say, what futures may await us? / And is it wrong to wake a dreamer to try and show a softer way? //
Woody and Ruth
Woody was hitching', / Ruth was traveling with her family / In the back of an old '29 Sedan. / She said, "You look like one of them pretty-boy drifters / Avoids about all the hard work you can." / And as he held up his calloused fingers to her grey eyes, a tire blew. / But as luck would have it for a carload full of pickers / They were stranded near a little work to do. // While fetching water late that evening, / She waded barefoot out in the clear, crystal blue. / She painted an awful pretty picture / Reflecting upside-down with the stars, trees and moon. / And as she stepped out of the water, Woody was waiting / To dry her feet and legs up to her knees. / She laughed, "I hope you don't mind I got wet up so high." / He smiled, "I's hoping you'd wade a little deeper in the creek." // Then he threw both arms around her / He made a pillow with his hands out of leaves. / And as he laid his head upon her chest, / Time stood still as he listened to her heart beat. / He said, "I've rambled a lot of roads, hopped a lot of freights, / To find what I'm holding now." / Cause he knew she was a warmth, a movement, a life / That no man can live good without. // She thought, "You're one kind of liar, Woody. / And I guess I'm a liar too. / Both saying things we can't deliver, / And we might mean 'em, too. / I'm gonna plant these four seeds deep in the earth / And make a wish for me and you. / Yeah, you're one kind of liar, Woody, even still I love you." // Early next morning they both met / Beneath the sun shining down so bright and warm. / And as he kissed her face, she softly spoke, / "We've both been looking for this thing we thought we'd found before." / He said, "If you loved me like I love you / We could sleep under a railroad bridge and it'd be alright." / But Ruth was no fool, knew what he was bound to do, And Woody could see it in her eyes." She said, "You're one kind of liar, Woody. / And I guess I'm a liar too. / Both saying things we can't deliver, / And we might mean 'em, too. / I'm gonna plant these four seeds deep in the earth / And make a wish for me and you. / Yeah, you're one kind of liar, Woody, even still I love you." // He slung his guitar across his shoulder and said, / "I'd surely kinda like to stay." / "Feels like half of me is staying and half of me is going. / It's kinda funny." Then he turned and walked away. / And it was over one year later and he up was in New York City / And he thought of Ruth thousands of miles away, / Dancing along that muddy California river, he thought, "It'll heal over one day." / "It'll heal over one day."
Resolutions
written with Lindsay Hightower
I ain’t got no resolutions / I ain’t got no disco ball / I ain’t got no diapered baby / But I’ve had more New Year’s day love / Than I’ve had food so far. // New year, same old story / Home is anywhere I lay my head / It’s not like I’m begging for money / I dance and the quarters come. // Black-eyed peas to start my morning / My day begins about 5pm / Lady Luck is gonna be my darling / As soon as I drive Rebecca home / As soon as I drive Rebecca home. // I ain’t got no resolutions / I got a glass of warm champagne / I don’t want no diapered babies / I got two dollars in my pocket and a world to see. // Some friends resolved to give up drinking / Guess I won’t be seeing them no more / All this quitting has got me to thinking / It’s just about time to pour one more. // Collecting vices, telling stories / I’ve already got a few this year / Father Time is a steady walker / I’m gonna fall behind one day. / But I got candles burning / And I got brand new strings / And I hear them out there moaning / I hear them call my name. // I ain’t got no resolutions / I ain’t got no limousine / I won’t fight a good temptation / And temptation is like an ocean far as the eye can see.
I Got Trouble
I got trouble, I got trouble. Whoa. I got trouble. // Melted whiskies and a hard night's labor / After hours getting later and later / A jealous hand is gonna break this bottle. / A jealous hand is gonna break this bottle. // I got trouble, I got trouble. Whoa. I got trouble. // Italian waitress with her cups running over / Coulda' been a looker before she coulda' been my mother. / She says' "I wanna ride you like a John Deere tractor." / "I wanna ride you like a John Deere tractor." // I got trouble, I got trouble. Whoa. I got trouble. // My eyes are open, but my heart ain't looking / The roads my home and I keep on moving / Ain't no woman gonna catch me sleeping / Ain't no woman gonna catch me sleeping. // I got trouble, I got trouble. Whoa. I got trouble. // In Barcelona and he looks like a woman / Grabbing for me as I'm turning and going / Another's on me and my phone's been stolen / In Barcelona, sure looked like a woman. / Down to the station, gonna get my justice / The book is opened of the mugshot hustlers / In every face such a sad desperation / In every eye, every person's screaming: // I got trouble, I got trouble. Whoa. I got trouble. // A one man circus down this long lost highway / These lusty appetites keep me sideways / Make ya shudder see the things I seen / Make ya wonder 'bout the shape I'm in. // I got trouble, I got trouble. Whoa. I got trouble.
Flower Song for Barefoot Dancers
written by Michele Bertoldi
Oh my God, oh my good Lord / There's no mercy in this world / Everything is full of lies / I can see it clearly with my eyes / Clearly with my eyes. / I woke up and I was a snake / I woke up and I lost my faith / Everything is sad and blue / Since I spend my days without you / Days away from you. // All the fishes in the sea / They just don't care about me / All the fishes in the sea / They just don't care about me // Will you miss me when I'm gone? / Will you sing a goodnight song? / Will you dance upon my grave? / Will you spend everything I saved? / Everything I saved. / I woke up and I was a snake / I woke up and I lost my faith / Everything is sad and blue / Since I spend my days without you / Days away from you. // All the fishes in the sea / They just don't care about me / All the fishes in the sea / They just don't care about me // Oh my God, oh my good Lord / There's no mercy in this world / Everything is full of lies / I can see it clearly with my eyes / Clearly with my eyes. / I woke up and I was a snake / I woke up and I lost my faith / Everything is sad and blue / Since I spend my days without you / Days away from you. // All the fishes in the sea / They just don't care about me / All the fishes in the sea / They just don't care about me.
Verona
O fair Verona! How seldom I've known ya / Yet Shakespeare's affections are no mystery / For each time I leave ya / There's a new song I'm singing / With an inspired melody you've given to me. // And I've been told by locals that the people are cold / And the north of Italia is no place to be / But I'm sure it's a story / They tell just to strangers / And ramblers and drifters who might like to stay. // And though I've never been to the small Colosseum / And I won't eat the horse meat they serve on a plate, / I've seen the statue of Dante / And I've been to Malacarne / Where the booze flow like water, and they know me by name. // And I was there just last evening, for the friends and the drinking / When a tall, slender beauty sat down next to me, / And then we began talking / And she began charming / And it appeared my affections were felt mutually. // And her legs stretched to heaven, and she laughed when I told her / I was taller than she was, and she proved me wrong, / But it doesn't matter / Because I'm a fine climber / And her breasts were like two doves ready to fly. // And she works in a bookstore, and she's smart and she's funny, / And she insisted I speak with her more naturally, / So I loosened my tongue / And the night moved along / As pleasant as any I've had to this day. // But then I got distracted by a youth of the city / And the green in his cigarette twisted my brain, / And I left the young lovely / All alone on her barstool / And I laughed in the streets just a stone's throw away. // And I'm told that she waited, but one can't wait forever, / And forever was near how long I was delayed / So I drank my last drinks / With a laughing bartender / And a homeless old man with few words to say. / O fair Verona! How seldom I've known ya / Yet Shakespeare's affections are no mystery / For each time I leave ya / There's a new song I'm singing / With an inspired melody you've given to me.
Nikolina
No more rokija, no more weed, / And no more Nikolina. / No more rokija, no more weed, / And no more Nikolina. // A wagon heading east to west / Haunted from Croatia / With tender girls along the shores / But no more Nikolina, / No more Nikolina. // Basko beards on Basko men / Rascals and mosquitos / Tuna fish with hairy fins / Swimming in tomatoes / Pimpled skin, "come here" grins, / Curves of lusty treasure / Peeking through to say hello / Thrust up toward the heavens. // A stranger and a slow raised hand / Nostrils smelling fingers / Boozy nights, early frights / But no more Nikolina, / No more Nikolina. // Dancing jerking younger lads / Moonshine in the cupboard / Sordid hymns and bloodied beds / But no more Nikolina, / Ah you should have seen her. // Border crossings, turn and coughings, / Rubber gloves and trauma / A bottle full of used up booze / In the doorway mocking / Cancelled shows and rain soaked clothes / And sweat to wet the evenings / Lofty tolls along the roads / But no more Nikolina, / No more Nikolina. // No more rokija, no more weed, / And no more Nikolina. / No more rokija, no more weed, / And no more Nikolina, / No more Nikolina.
Uncouth Pilgrim
Bring me the pick and bring me the hammer. / Gonna take a little piece when I go. / Bring me the pick and bring me the hammer. / Gonna take a little piece when I go. / Gonna take a little piece when I go. // Well bring me the pick and bring me the hammer. / Gonna take a little with me when I go. / Yeah bring me the pick and bring me the hammer. / Glad I showed up while there's still something to steal. / Glad I showed up while there's still something to steal. // Yonder lays that hallowed beauty. / Gonna get on my knees and worship here. / Yonder lays that hallowed beauty. / Gonna get on my knees and worship here. / Gonna get on my knees and worship here. // So bring me the pick and bring me the hammer. / Gonna take a little piece when I go. / Yeah bring me the pick and bring me the hammer. Gonna take a little with me when I go. / Gonna take a little with me when I go. // Now show me the rock where Moses stood. / Or where the Savior's blood stained the wood. / And then hand me down my pick and hammer. / I'm gonna take a little with me when I go. / I'm gonna take a little with me when I go. // Show me the holy, show me the sacred. / Show me the chest with the heart of gold. / I'll pick the lock and count my blessings. / Then I'll take a little with me when I go. / And I'll take a little with me when I go. // Well bring me the pick and bring me the hammer. / Gonna take a little piece when I go. / Bring me the pick and bring me the hammer. / Gonna take a little piece when I go. / Gonna take a little piece when I go.
Coffee and Whitey
Coffee and Whitey send their regards / They're better behaved than they were last March / When you came // I'm thinking of taking a trip somewhere / A one way ticket and see the world for a while / And I don't like the idea of putting any timeframe on it // Thailand, Burma, or Napal / Chile, Uruguay or Pero / And after that I'd love to visit Texas, / And then away up North or maybe out to the West Coast // And how's your family? And how are you? / The stars are shining here. Are they shining there too? / I bet you are, and I bet you're thriving / Moving along like you always do // Happiness is an open road and a story unfolding / And I write best, when all my pages got a little dirt on 'em / And I hope you know, wherever else you go, / You got a home wherever I am. // Big city lights have been keeping me blue. / Sometimes I love 'em but sometimes it's abuse / Feeling lost in a concrete jungle // I'm a creature of the earth ya know / To be in the wild suits me down to the bone / Where the only sounds I might hear / Are the songs of birds or a river flowing. // With no distractions just the wind in my hair / I take a deep breath and I disappear / And that's where I do my best thinking / Most of my dreaming and all of my healing // But I don't stay in the same place long / I've a restless spirit just moves me along / Just like you, and I bet you're smiling / And I'm thinking of ya like I often do // Happiness is an open road and a story unfolding / And I write best, when all my pages got a little dirt on 'em / And I hope you know, wherever else you go, / You got a home wherever I am. / And I hope you know, wherever else you go, / You got a home wherever I am.
Lay Down
I've been to Salzburg, I been to Vienna, too. / I've been this whole world over just searching 'round for you. // And I've been to Verona, saw a statue or two. / But I didn't touch her chest, I get my luck searching 'round for you. // Now I ain't looking for no Juliet and I ain't no Romeo. / Nah, I don't write sonnets and I don't wear no fancy clothes. / When you see me you'll know it, and I hope I know it, too. / I been this whole world over just to lay down next to you. // I rolled into Brussels, I sang an old Dylan tune. / I seen those streets of Rome, searching 'round for you. // And I been to London. I took a train to Lyon. // I played those streets of Torino, searching round for you. // Now I ain't looking for no Juliet and I ain't no Romeo. / Nah, I don't write sonnets and I don't wear no fancy clothes. / When you see me you'll know it, and I hope I know it, too. / I been this whole world over just to lay down next to you. // I seen you walking down so many roads, / And it hurts me not to ever hold you close. / And it ain't easy, living this way / When there's so many of you and just one of me. // And I been to Stockholm, met a ringer for Jones. / But my feet just kept a'moving and I guess it's for you I rome. // 'Course I been to Fort Worth, knew a nice girl or two, // But they didn't slow me down and I keep rambling 'round for you. // I ain't looking for no Juliet and I ain't no Romeo. / Nah, I don't write sonnets and I don't wear no fancy clothes. / When you see me you'll know it, and I hope I know it, too. / I been this whole world over just to lay down next to you.
I Don't Mind
I don't mind if a blizzard falls down over us, / And we're holed up in some one-room shack. / Tossing cards as the minutes roll into days, / And the snow falls at such a pace that we're stuck inside…no I don't mind. / Mozelle laughs, and our child moves close to me. / Nowhere I'd rather be. Nah, I don't mind. // When we first met I was rounding out my rougher ways, / Or so it seems since you took their place and changed my life…ah, but I don't mind. / I love to play with you. You're my best friend, ya know? / It makes me feel about three years old just to make you smile. / Some might say that to choose one is to throw away / What comes along on other days, but I don't mind. // When I met you I met the dream I never thought of dreaming. / Forgot myself and poured into you, Love, from floor to ceiling. / Consumed, I breathed your light and danced a rhyme to you the reason. / And I'm dancing still today, and though I'll never be the same, it's ok. I don't mind. // And I don't mind if I never see another girl, / Sail the seas or explore new worlds, save those we find. / The sun don't rise that I don't fall down on my knees, / And gives thanks for the love you've breathed into my life…and I don't mind. / And if you leave, babe, I'll treasure every day / As our little eternities run through my mind…and I don't mind.
If I Can't
If I can't love you, baby, / I don't know what I'll do / 'Cause already I've forgotten / Myself without you. / And if I can't hold you, darlin', / I won't find no one new / 'Cause there's much more in holding / Than simply touching you. // And I've perceived a steady flow / Of dreams and echoes of you. / A song which I have always known / But am only now receiving, so now I'm singing... // If I can't love you, baby, / I don't know what I'll do / 'Cause already I've forgotten / Myself without you. / And if I can't be there, honey, / Know these words are true: / Every road I travel / Leads back to your door. // And I've perceived a steady flow / Of dreams and echoes of you. / A song which I have always known / But am only now receiving, so now I'm singing... // If I can't love you, baby, / I don't know what I'll do / 'Cause already I've forgotten / Myself without you. / But if this ain't right, sweet darlin', / Lets don't push or pull / 'Cause the last thing I would want / Is to keep you from being you.
Old Lover's Arms
Fly in from the east coast, baby, / I'll be there waiting, shoot ya straight to Dallas, / Take ya to the finest parts of town. / And we can sing our hearts out thumping' / With both fists raised and our spirits soaring. / Ain't no place I'd rather be. // I said I would marry you / After you woke up and said the same. / We must have moved too fast and scared you / Right back to your old lover's arms again. // And no I guess it don't take long / To fill me up when you're pouring on / Fill my head with fantasies. / You're like some mythic creature / I'd dreamed in dreams, I never thought I'd meet ya. / Oh forgive me for being weak. // I said I would marry you / After you woke up and said the same. / We must have moved too fast and scared you / Right back to your old lover's arms again. // How often can I hope to meet someone like you? / Who captivates like you? And sparkles like you do? / Trying to let go of a thing I never had / It's silly and it's sad…it's silly and it's sad… // I still adore you, baby, like I said I did / Before what you said twisted / And caused me all this misery. / I'd hop the first plane to Boston / If I could only be all ya ever wanted. / It still makes a pretty dream. // I said I would marry you / After you woke up and said the same. / We must have moved too fast and scared you / Right back to your old lover's arms again.
Don't Ya Never Leave
Oh baby don't ya never leave / Oh baby don't ya never leave / Oh baby don't ya never leave / Oh baby don't ya never leave / Oh baby don't ya never leave / Oh baby don't ya never leave.
Purple Silence
Joni wasn't happy in Austin so she moved back home. / His 'ol life repeating had got down in her bones. / With those cold words still ringing, she sat down all alone. // She said, "You can keep your drama, you can keep your gun." / Tell me when the hammer falls, to which god will you run? / Tell me when the flooding starts, just which way is up? // Like a big, lone rock above the setting sun / Out amongst the dancing waters, the night falls with a song. / But if she had to sing it now, she just might come undone. // Joni let go a cry but not to anyone. / She knows she is the singer, she knows she is the song. / She knows she is the painter and the canvas painted on. // In her purple silence she sits. / A vision of self-reflection on mirrors starlit / Trying to make sense…of this. // Joni threw away her words and took a long, deep breath. / Leanings of the heart and mind often conflict. / She wondered where leaping falls in common sense. // With her arms flung back and her eyes shut tight, / Joni leaned out into the void, and she listened with all her might. / She felt the rush of fate and her eyes popped open wide. // Joni let go a laugh and threw away her fear, / And though she started singing softly, there were no words to hear. / Floating like a melody, she closed her eyes in prayer. // In her purple silence she sits. / A vision of self-reflection on mirrors starlit / Trying to make sense…of this.
Home
When are you coming back home, babe? / It's getting ugly on my own. / I can hear your song, love / Lighting my way from your honeyed throat. // All the strings are cut, babe. / The aprons fallen to the floor, / And there it burned to ashes. / Ashes, ashes, now the roofs the floor. // Home don't have to be Texas, / Home don't have to be the u.S.A. / Home is where our love is, / Long as we're together, it'll be okay. // Stop wasting, stop wasting our time. / Ten years is too long, and even if you had nine lives, / You'd never find a home like mine. // Lost a lot last year, babe. / Don't have much left to my name, / But as long as I got breath and a heart that beats / I'll sing your name. // Some folks search for riches. / Some folks search for fortuned fame. / But I've found all my treasure. / Yeah the light in your eyes is gold to me. // Each new days a blessing. / Ain't no breath that's guaranteed. / Don't you think we both have / So much to learn, so much to teach. // Stop wasting, stop wasting our time. / Ten years is too long, and even if you had nine lives, / You'd never find a home like mine.
A Thousand Dreams
You can come home anytime you want to / I'll have your supper sitting on the stove / And you can come home when He calls you yonder / I'll be here waiting like you hoped I would. // I heard my song and I came a'running / I stood beside you but you couldn't see / While there I lay in the dress you bought me / Outshone the diamond on my wedding day. // Hear those church bells ringing / Like every sad song that you know / Does it help you to know that I'm singing? / Does it help you to carry the load? // I heard ya saw me and began to wonder / If it was me or something on the wall / Hard to tell with the shadows falling / Hard to know when your baby's gone. // I missed your talking so I went to find you. / I didn't find you where I thought you'd be. / A thousand dreams just to flash before you. / A thousand dreams now which one was me? // Hear those church bells ringing / Like every sad song that you know / Does it help you to know that I'm singing? / Does it help you to carry the load? // So dream of me my sweet, sweet darling. / Dream of me my only one. / Dream of me and beg my pardon / For leaving you before your race was run. // Goodnight my love I hope you sleep well. / Goodnight my love when the day is through. / Goodnight my love and goodbye my darling… / Which one was meant when I last kissed you? // Hear those church bells ringing / Like every sad song that you know / Does it help you to know that I'm singing? / Does it help you to carry the load? // You can come home anytime you want to. / I'll have your supper sitting on the stove, / And you can come home when He calls you yonder. / I'll be here waiting like you hoped I would. / I'll be here waiting like you knew I would.
How Long
How long, Lord, must I lay here / While this old body slowly dies? / And how long, Lord, must I stay here / Staring up into the pain in my loved ones' eyes? / How long, Lord, must I wait here / While my love calls to me from the other side? / And how long, Lord, must I grieve here / 'Til I walk with her along that golden shore? // It's a long hard life if you're lucky. / You live and learn just to die and forget it all. / But as I take these shallow breaths, / And this strong, old heart slows in my chest, / I look back on life with no regrets. / I'm just ready. // How long, Lord, must I lay here / While this old body slowly dies? / And how long, Lord, will you let me / Fight this battle when I've lost the war? // It's a long hard life if you're lucky. / You live and learn just to die and forget it all. / But as I take these shallow breaths, / And this strong, old heart slows in my chest, / I look back on life with no regrets. / I'm just ready. // How long, Lord, must I suffer, / Suffer along with those I'll leave behind? / And how long, Lord, must I wander / Through this shadowed land between their world and Yours? // It's a long hard life if you're lucky. / You live and learn just to die and forget it all. / But as I take these shallow breaths, / And this strong, old heart slows in my chest, / I look back on life with no regrets. / I'm just ready.
Time Goes By
I never felt that look in someone else's eyes, 'til I felt it / And I'd always wondered why, so I guess I should thank you. / But then I heard you wrote 'bout when I cried / Probably wrote several clever lines. / Well I could hardly blame you, I do it all the time / It's just funny to see it happening to me. / And I can't say I never been good at goodbyes / I say 'em all the time and then I keep on moving / And time goes by…and time goes by. // And time goes by and finds me wrestling with myself. / Seems the sun won't set unless I got spiders on my shelf. / Heartache and tragedies 'bout to strangle my last breath, / And here comes that condescending train roaring down the tracks. / Yeah I guess I would have been fine / Leaving closed what you opened up in me. / I guess I need more time to go by / 'Cause each tomorrow still greets me with your smile. // Now ya tell me ya got somebody new, / Well that makes two you chose over me / And everybody is wondering why I can't see…I don't know why. / I guess I must be thinking 'bout those times / We sat staring into each others' eyes, and you spoke to me / And I spoke to you things I never wanted to say to no one new. / But I'll put on my biggest smile, / Guess there's really only two things left to do, / Get up and fly or lay down and die, either way, time goes by… // And time goes by and finds me wrestling with myself. / Seems the sun won't set unless I got spiders on my shelf. /Heartache and tragedies 'bout to strangle my last breath, / And here comes that condescending train roaring down the tracks. / Yeah I guess I would have been fine / Leaving closed what you opened up in me. / I guess I need more time to go by / 'Cause each tomorrow still greets me with your smile. / And I can't say I never been good at goodbyes / I say 'em all the time and then I keep on moving / And time goes by…and time goes by.
The Ballad of the Romantics
We flew to Amsterdam singing our songs / Cross hazy canals we walked arm in arm / When we met in Dublin, I'd never have dreamed / What started that evening would lead to today / What started that evening would lead to this day. // Through city and country our footsteps would fall / Through rain and through sunshine, winter and snow / You didn't move that my shadow would feel. / You were my angel, other people my hell / You were my angel, other people my hell. // The weeks passed as minutes on a dusty old clock / That no one dared look at lest the good times might stop / And I lived a lifetime each day in your arms / Born new every morning, we spent our nights in the stars. / Born new every morning, we spent our nights in the stars. // Flew into New York from shores far away / We bought an old van and toured round the States / We lived in our senses and got carried away / Our vagabond living paving the way, / Our vagabond living paving our way. // Adventure and romance led to Old Mexico / To a dusty cantina long forgotten by roads / And save for the bartender we were alone / 'Til a handsome young stranger stepped into the room / A handsome young stranger stepped into the room. // The stranger and bartender nodded and grinned / And the stranger moved close, laid his hand on your leg / Then I took your hand and we made for the door / But the stranger was quicker, and I hit the floor / The stranger was quicker, and I hit the floor. // With a knife that he carried, he opened my throat / And I heard you scream as you clung to my clothes / The last thing I felt were your lips on my face / As the handsome young stranger took you away / As the handsome young stranger took you away. // We flew to Amsterdam singing our songs / Cross hazy canals we walked arm in arm / When we met in Dublin, I'd never have dreamed / What started that evening would lead to this day / What started that evening would lead to this.
Always Someone Else
Ain't there always someone else? / Well ain't there always someone else? / Ain't there always someone else to show you a good time? // Big, full moon flood the tide / Diamond-sparkling batted eyes. / Who mentioned love? Whose got the right? / Swept under the rug to enjoy tonight. // Ain't there always someone else? / Well ain't there always someone else? / Ain't there always someone else to show you a good time? // The cards were dealt to divine the truth, / And multiple readings eerily stayed in tune. / What is this magic? What will the Spirit do? / I couldn't believe it, looks like neither can you. // Ain't there always someone else? / Well ain't there always someone else? / Ain't there always someone else to show you a good time? // Blacker the night, Blacker the song I sing. / Blacker than coal or fallen angels wings. / To cure the lonely such an easy thing. / A fleeting moment might just last all week. / Just an object, just a pill to take. / Just a reason to self-medicate. / A savage release will keep the dogs at bay. / Leave for tomorrow whats wrong with today. // Ain't there always someone else? / Well ain't there always someone else? / Ain't there always someone else to show you a good time?
I'm Still Here
Oh what a year… / Ushered in with such a sin. / To sit with children and then spin. / Not the father I would be, / But just a friend whose tongue refused to speak. // I felt it then, / But how could I have ever known / What scars my heart would show / After walking that hard road, / Covered in new sorrows head to toe. // A precious gift / That I prayed the Lord to take / If it wasn't He who gave. / Deny myself and have Your way, / But still she haunts me in the home she made. // But I'm still here / Through all these tears / With so much less, yet so much more of me / Stripped back and open bare. / Yes, I'm still here. / No worse for wear, / With so much less, yet so much more of me / To face the coming years… / Yes, I'm still here. // My oldest fear / Played out while I napped unaware, / After he prepared our last meal. / When needed most during his hell / I was fast asleep and late to help. / The greatest man / That I will ever know on earth. / A teacher, father, friend and more, / Who blessed me with his final breath. / Oh how I wish I could have eased his death. // Our family home / For over fifty years stood strong. / Whose walls saw each year of my mom's, / Caught fire and burned down to the ground. / Charred brick and ash is all there is left now. // But I'm still here / Through all these tears / With so much less, yet so much more of me / Stripped back and open bare. / Yes, I'm still here. / No worse for wear, / With so much less, yet so much more of me / To face the coming years… / Yes, I'm still here.
Annie
Annie…Annie…. // Annie you grew into quite a woman, child. / How I hate to see you cry. / Annie we'll see you in the bye and bye. / Dry your eyes. // I know you've had your doubts, / And Lord knows it wasn't easy, / But I had you right there by my side. / So don't you ever doubt. / I watched you try and save me. / But it was time for this old man, / So Annie…live… // Annie you gave all there was to give. / Your love was our greatest gift. / Annie you brought such joy into our home. / You lit our faces with your own. // I know you've had your doubts, / And Lord knows it wasn't easy, / But I had you right there by my side. / So don't you ever doubt. / I watched you try and save me. / But it was time for this old man, / So Annie…live… // I still remember, Annie, when you were just a girl. / You followed me all over, staring up in wonder. / But as you grew, child, the roles reversed, / And it was our turn, to stare up in wonder and in hope… // Annie…Annie… // Annie you learned all I had to show, / So don't be scared you're not alone. / Annie I'm so proud you are my own. / You'll come through this fire pure as gold. // I know you've had your doubts, / And Lord knows it wasn't easy, / But I had you right there by my side. / So don't you ever doubt. / I watched you try and save me. / But it was time for the old man, / So Annie…live…
Christmas in Levelland
It's Christmas time in Levelland / And snows been falling on the ground / And that don't happen too often here / Had to write a song before it disappears. / It's Christmas time in Levelland / Got my Christmas Bell close at hand / Waggin' her tail like a fuzzy dog / And that's what she is so you can't go wrong. / And little brothers stuck up north, ya know, / Where the cables out and it hadn't even snowed / While way down south in this level land / We got snow drifts rising from the level ground. // Merry Christmas, I hope you've had a good year. / Merry Christmas, pass the bottle, spread the cheer. // It's Christmas time in Levelland / Got the little baby Jesus in his manger bed / And a big 'ol star on the Christmas tree / With Christmas lights and Christmas wreaths / And we might even have a little mistletoe / But it wouldn't really matter cause don't ya know / I ain't got no one here to kiss or hold / Just a fuzzy little dog and a yard full of snow. // Merry Christmas, I hope you've had a good year. / Merry Christmas, pass the bottle, spread the cheer. // It's Christmas time in Levelland / And the sun's come out but the snow is sticking 'round / And with any kind of luck when the sun goes down / And the temperature drops more snow'll drop down. / It's Christmas time in Levelland / And my momma's coming over and I got the old man, / Sitting in the living room watching Fox News / Moaning 'bout the government, whatcha' gonna do? // Merry Christmas, I hope you've had a good year. / Merry Christmas, pass the bottle, spread the cheer.
Gonna Be My Bride
Well I love ya, baby, gonna be my bride. / Love ya, baby, gonna be my bride. / I love ya, baby, gonna be my sweet, sweet wife, / And I'd sacrifice myself to have you by my side. // There ain't no part to your body I love anymore / Than any other part I might find next door. / I've searched you over, I love to explore / Every inch of my love and there's always more / Every inch of my love and there's always more. // Well I love ya, baby, gonna be my bride. / Love ya, baby, gonna be my bride. / I love ya, baby, gonna be my sweet, sweet wife, / And I'd sacrifice myself to have you by my side. // There ain't no flaw in ya, baby, not a blemish one. / You're distinct, unique, and it's my heart you've won. / You'll make a spotless bride, I'll wash you in my blood. / So don't ya never worry there's no end to my love / No don't ya never worry there's no end to my love. // Hard to wait so long with you so close to me, / But waiting on your love is sweet, babe. / And when I think of you the whole world fades away / 'Cause it could never hold my love for you, babe…hold my love for you babe. // Well I love ya, baby, gonna be my bride. / Love ya, baby, gonna be my bride. / I love ya, baby, gonna be my sweet, sweet wife, / And I'd sacrifice myself to have you by my side. // When I come to meet ya on the air we'll soar / On lovers' wings above the whole wide world. / Then I'll bend to kiss the one I adore, / And pour my love out on ya forevermore. / And pour my love out on ya forevermore.