At the broken heart ranch
You can always get work
As a cowfool
There's feelin's to wrangle
Loose ends to untangle and tie
Sun up to sundown
Ridin' herd on old memories
Sundown to sun up
Singin' the bunkhouse blues
There's a lone bawlin' calf
Lost in a little box canyon
Got no companion
Lord, don't I know how he feels
Up there on the canyon rim
Blows a cold coyote wind
Buzzards grinnin' down at him
I'm singin' the bunkhouse blues
At the broken heart ranch
Saturday night sure gets lonesome
I long for the lights
And the comfort of someone in town
Playin' cards and killin' time
Somebody stole my piggin' line
This ain't no nursery rhyme
Gents to the middle said a young girl's fiddle
And you ain't got nothin' to lose
Allemande right she can play it all night
She can fiddle off the bottom of your shoes
Chorus
Oh me, oh my, how she makes that bowhair fly
How she hangs that music (crystal) in the air
Promenade down to the lonesome sound
Of a whippoorwill in the night
Sashay back look at old mad Jack
Hugging everything in sight
Chorus
Banjo Bill he stopped stock still
As the notes came a'rolling by
It filled his ears and eased his fears
And a tear come to his eye
Chorus
The old string bass he lost his place
And his arms they felt like steel
The guitar man dropped both his hands
And he swore it was not real
Chorus
It's golden strings on eagle's wings
To the callin' of the squares
There's fiddle tunes and there's fiddle tunes
But Virginia's splittin' hairs
Chorus
She cast a spell no tongue can tell
No prophet can reveal
Quiet as death hold your breath
She played Virginia's Real
The crickets are singin' the bluegills been bitin'
The fireflies are flashin' with all of their might
Down on the river ol' Reagan went fishin'
He's layin' for a big one on a full moon lit night
We get high on the lake then we float down the river
Get off on the backroads get lost in the woods
Very deep in the heart of uncertain Texas
I tried hard to leave there but never did good
Tomorrow we're havin' the world's largest fish fry
Eat catfish and crappie till they come out our ears
Have it made in the shade of a sleepy pine thicket
Get covered up in chiggers and drink ten tubs of beer
We get high on the lake.
So give him his guitar and a long legged girl
They baptized me one fine day
Down at the river's edge
All my sins are washed away
Like water under the bridge
I had a little girl and her eyes were blue
She lived just over the ridge
Her love ran deep and her love ran true
Like water under the bridge
Sailin' away on a paper boat
As far as I can go
All the way to New Orleans
And the Gulf of Mexico
River run clear river run clean
River run rough sometime
River run wild and it run serene
Just like a friend of mine
Tie my troubles in a gunnysack
And throw 'em over the edge
Sailin' away and I won't be back
Like water under the bridge
You might be saint you might be sinner
You might be Billy The Kid
You might crap out or roll a winner
The sun was hot and the dust rose up like smoke
So we hid beneath the elm tree and
watched the watermelons float
There in a big 'ol tub of ice
And we'd split em open with a kitchen knife
And everybody had a sliece it was a watermelon dream
Chorus
Ain't nothin' sweeter than a watermelon dream
'Cept sittin on the front porch eatin' that peach ice cream
When life is really sweeter than it seems
That's what you've got to call a watermelon dream
With sticky hands and and faces we fought
the yellow-jackets to a draw
Then we used the rind for second base
and played a little hard ball
I don't know how much we ate
But we all got the belly-ache
And everybody stayed up wat too late
It was a watermelon dream
Chorus
Then a little after sundown we'd be runnin out of steam
So we'd light a roman candle and try to hold on tho the dream
Maybe slip out behind a car
Take a little tastes from a jar
Then just lay back and count the stars
Like Picasso said in 1910
? I'm gonna paint me a mandolin?
Could be cubes, it could be curves
I like to mix the paint with nerve
I'm load my brush and fire away
Paint me a hole in the light of day
Well, you can play it straight or play it from left field
You got to play it just the way you feel
Come on boys, play it again
Play it on Picasso's mandolin
Well, it's colorin' books and drinkin' wines
It? s hard to stay between the lines
Now there ain? t no rule if you don't break it
Ain? t no chance if you don't take it
Said the damndest thing he'd ever heard
Was tryin' to learn to sing from a mockingbird
Well, you can play it straight or play it from left field
You got to play it just the way you feel
Come on boys, play it again
Play it on Picasso's mandolin
Like Picasso said before he died
? There? s one more paintin' I'd like to try?
Well, the doctor held his breath
And then Picasso nailed a mandolin
He? s born in Spain and died in France
He was not scared of baggy pants
Well, you can play it straight or play it from left field
You got to play it just the way you feel
Come on boys, play it again
Play it on Picasso's mandolin
Play it straight or play it from left field
You got to play it just the way you feel
Come on boys, play it again
The old gunfighter on the porch
stared into the sun
and relived the days of living by the gun
when deadly games of pride were played
and living was mistakes not made
and the thought of the smell of the black powder smoke
and the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Ah, the smell of the black powder smoke
and the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
It's always keep your back to the sun
and he can almost feel the weight of the gun
it's faster than snakes or the blink of an eye
and it's a time for all slow men to die
and his eyes get squinty and his fingers twitch
and he empties the gun at the son of a bitch
and he's hit by the smell of the black powder smoke
and the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
hit by the smell of the black powder smoke
and the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Now the burn of a bullet is only a scar
he's back in his chair in front of the bar
and the streets are empty and the blood's all dried
and the dead are dust and the whiskey's inside
so buy him a drink and lend him an ear
he's nobody's fool and the only one here
who remembers the smell of the black powder smoke
and the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
remember the smell of the black powder smoke
and the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
He said I stood in that street before it was paved
learned shoot or be shot before I could shave
and I did it all for the money and fame
noble was nothing but feeling no shame
and nothing was sacred but stayin' alive
and all that I learned from a Colt 45
was to curse the smell of the black powder smoke
and the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
curse the smell of the black powder smoke
and the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Now he's just an old man that no one believes
says he's a gunfighter, the last of the breed
and there are ghosts in the street seeking revenge
calling him out to the lunatic fringe
now he's out in the traffic checking the sun
and he's killed by a car as he goes for his gun
So much for the smell of the black powder smoke
and the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
so much for the smell of the black powder smoke
and the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Won't say I love you babe?
Won't say I need you babe?
But, I'm gonna get you babe
And I will not do you wrong
Livin's mostly wastin' time
I waste my share of mine
But it never feels too good
So let's don't take too long
You're soft as glass
And I'm a gentle man
We got the sky to talk about
And the world to lie upon
Days up and down, they come
Like rain on a conga drum
Forget most, remember some
But don't turn none away
Everything is not enough
Nothin' is to much to bear
Where you been is good and gone
All you keep is the gettin' there
To live is to fly
Low and high
So shake the dust off of your wings
And the sleep out of your eyes
It's goodbye to all my friends
It's time to go again
Think on all the poetry
And the pickin' down the line
I'll miss the system here
The bottom's low and the treble's clear
But it don't pay to think to much
On things you leave behind
I may be gone
But it won't be long
I will be a-bringin' back the melody
And the rhythm that I find
We all got holes to fill
Them holes are all that's real
Some fall on you like a storm
Sometimes you dig your own
But choice is yours to make
And time is yours to take
Some dive into the sea
Some toil upon the stone
To live is to fly
Low and high
So shake the dust off of your wings
And the sleep out of your eyes
So shake the dust off of your wings
And that old time feelin' goes sneakin' down the hall
Like an old gray cat in winter, keepin' close to the wall
And that old time feelin' comes stumblin' up the street
Like an old salesman kickin' the papers from his feet
And that old time feelin' draws circles around the blok
Like old women with no children, holdin' hands with the clock
And that old time feelin' fall on it's face in the park
Like and old wino prayin' he can make it 'till it's dark
And that old time feelin' comes and goes in the rain
Like an old man with his checkers, dyin' to find a game
And that old time feelin' plays for beer in bars
Like and old blues-time picker who don't recall who you are
And that old time feelin' limps through the night on a crutch
Like an old soldier wonderin' if he's paid too much
And that old time feelin' rocks and spits and cries
Like and old lover rememberin' the girl with the clear blue eyes
And that old time feelin' goes sneakin' down the hall
Like an old gray cat in winter, keepin' close to the wall
And that old time feelin' comes stumblin' up the street
. . ."antithesis of the 'Boot Scootin
Boogie'. Right up my alley."
I was sittin' on the fender of someone else's truck
Drinking Old Crow whisky, hot 7-up
Out in the parking lot
You can hear the band a playin right through the wall
Ain't no cover charge, there ain't no last call
Out in the parking lot
Now there's a couple of cowpokes puttin' up there dukes
Wasn't much to it after both of 慹m puked
Out in the parking lot
Now someone called the police and the police finally came
And they wrote 慹m a couple of tickets
and they took a couple of names
Out in the parking lot
Chorus
I love to see the neon dancin' on the gravel
I love to hear the pickup trucks come unraveled
Some have given up, some have given in
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Looks like everybody's looking for a friend
Out in the parking lot
Oops there's a couple who could not wait to get home
They're probably in love so let's leave them alone
Out in the parking lot
The band is on the bus, they're all loaded up to leave
But the drummer's got a girlfriend and
she's tuggin at his sleeve
Out in the parking lot
Chorus
Everybody's gone, they've shut out all the lights
The dust begins to settle and it's never been so quiet
Now bein' six years old, I had seen some trains before,
so it's hard to figure out what I'm at the depot for.
Trains are big and black and smokin' - steam screamin' at the wheels,
bigger than anything they is, at least that's the way she feels
Trains are big and black and smokin', louder'n July four,
but everybody's actin' like this might be somethin' more. . .
. . .than just pickin' up the mail, or the soldiers from the war.
This is somethin' that even old man Wileman never seen before.
And it's late afternoon on a hot Texas day.
somethin' strange is goin' on, and we's all in the way.
Well there's fifty or sixty people they're just sittin' on their cars,
and the old men left their dominos and they come down from the bars.
Everybody's checkin', old Jack Kittrel check his watch,
and us kids put our ears to the rails to hear 'em pop.
So we already knowed it, when they finally said 'train time'
you'd a-thought that Jesus Christ his-self was rollin' down the line.
'Cause things got real quiet, momma jerked me back,
But not before I'd got the chance to lay a nickel on the track.
Chorus
Look out here she comes, she's comin',
Look out there she goes, she's gone,
screamin' straight through Texas
like a mad dog cyclone.
Big, red, and silver,
she don't make no smoke,
she's a fast-rollin' streamline
come to show the folks.
Look out here she comes, she's comin'
Look out there she goes, she's gone,
screamin' straight through Texas
like a mad dog cyclone.
. . .Lord, she never even stopped.
She left fifty or sixty people still sittin' on their cars,
and they're wonderin' what it's comin' to
and how it got this far.
Oh but me I got a nickel smashed flatter than a dime
by a mad dog, runaway red-silver streamline. . . train
Chorus
The south coast of Texas is a thin slice of life
It' s salty and hard it it stern as a knife
Where the wind is for blwon' up hurricanes for showin'
The snakes how to swim and the trees how to lean
Chorus
The shrimpers and their ladies are out in the beer joints
Drinkin' em down for they sail with the dawn
They're bound for the Mexican Bay of Campche
And the deck hands are singin' adios Jole Blon
There's snowbirds in search of that sunshine and night life
And fond of greasin' palms down the beach as they're goin'
This livin' on the edge of the waters of the world
Demands the dignity of whooping cranes and
The likes of Gilbert Roland
Chorus
In the cars of my youth how I tore thru those sand dunes
Cut up my tires on them oyster shell roads
But nothin' is forever say the old men in the shipyards
Turnin' trees into shrimp oats Hell I guess they ought to know
I got an ol? blue shirt and it suits me just fine
I like the way it feels so I wear it all the time
I got an old guitar, won? t ever stay in tune
I like the way it sounds in a dark and empty room
I got an ol? pair of boots and they fit just right
Well I can work all day and I can dance all night
I got an ol? used car and it runs just like a top
I get the feelin? it ain? t ever gonna stop
Stuff that works, stuff that holds up
The kind of stuff you don? t hang on the wall
Stuff that? s real, stuff you feel
The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall
I got a pretty good friend who? s seen me at my worst
He can? t tell if I? m a blessing or a curse
But he always shows up when chips are down
That? s the kind of stuff I like to be around
Stuff that works, stuff that holds up
The kind of stuff you don? t hang on the wall
Stuff that? s real, stuff you feel
The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall
I got a woman I love she? s crazy, paints like God
She? s got a playground sense of justice, she won? t take odds
I got a tattoo with her name right through my soul
I think everything she touches turns to gold
Stuff that works, stuff that holds up
The kind of stuff you don? t hang on the wall
Stuff that? s real, stuff you feel
The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall
Stuff that works, stuff that holds up
The kind of stuff you don? t hang on the wall
Stuff that? s real, stuff you feel
Standin' on the gone side of leavin'.
She found a thumb and stuck it in the breeze.
She'll take anything that's goin' close to somewhere.
She can lay it down and live it like she'd please
Chorus
She ain't goin' nowhere, she's just leavin'.
She ain't goin' nowhere she can't breathe in.
And she ain't goin' home, and that's for sure.
She's not sitting and cryin' on her suitcase.
She has no second thoughts by the road.
But she's feelins than need some reparin'.
And she did not give a damn that it showed.
Chorus
And the wind had it's way with her hair.
And the blues had a way with her smile.
And she had a way of her own.
Like prisoners have a way with a file.
Standin' on the gone side of leavin'.
She found a thumb and stuck it in the breeze.
She'll take anything that's goin' close to somewhere.
She can lay it down and live it like she'd please
She ain't goin' nowhere, she's just leavin'.
She ain't goin' nowhere she can't breathe in.
And she ain't goin' home, and that's for sure.
She's not sitting and cryin' on her suitcase.
She has no second thoughts by the road.
But she's feelins than need some reparin'.
And she did not give a damn that it showed.
She ain't goin' nowhere, she's just leavin'.
She ain't goin' nowhere she can't breathe in.
And she ain't goin' home, and that's for sure.
And the wind had it's way with her hair.
And the blues had a way with her smile.
And she had a way of her own.
Like prisoners have a way with a file.
She ain't goin' nowhere, she's just leavin'.
She ain't goin' nowhere she can't breathe in.
And she ain't goin' home, and that's for sure.
She ain't goin' nowhere, she's just leavin'.
She ain't goin' nowhere she can't breathe in.
From Palo Duro Canyon outside Amarillo Texas
The prairie dog town fork of the Red River flows
Headed cross the plains along the coast of Oklahoma
To the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico
Red River I know you I know you of old
You have filled up my pockets with quicksand and gold
Susanna oh Susanna when it comes my time
Bury me south of that Red River line
My great grandfather came to that Red River line
And camped on the north side until it was time
To cross or to stay to be sooner or not
He headed south to San Antone they said he liked it hot
Here's to Charlie Goodnight and Mr. Loving too
Here's to Coronado, the Comanche, and the blues
Here's to the bootleggers and the oilfield crews
Now love is never gonna be a solid bet
It? s kinda like workin? without a net
Don? t be afraid to let your feelings out
Hey, that? s what lovin? is all about
Come on, baby, and give me a break
It? s how do you feel, not what do you think
Stop rattlin? your keys
Shut up and talk to me
Shut up and talk to me
You know I? ve known you long enough to know
There? s nothin? you can hide that still don? t show
You ain? t foolin? anyone but you
When you put me through what you put me through
Come on, honey, and tell me the truth
Give me chicken fried steak, not a baby Ruth
I? m not that hard to please
Shut up and talk to me
Shut up and talk to me now
Well, you can talk about the weather till it drives me nuts
Hey, you can rattle on about who, why, what
A little conversation wouldn? t hurt that much
A little somethin? with a human touch, hey
Now, if you? re hurtin?, baby, tell me so
If you need attention only let me know
I? m not the one that you? re hidin? from
You know, it doesn? t matter what the ever you done
You can have your cake and you can eat it too
Hey, that? s the kinda stuff I want from you
How hard can it be
Shut up and talk to me
Hey, shut up and talk to me now
Well, you can talk about the weather till it drives me nuts
Hey, you can rattle on about who, why, what
A little conversation wouldn? t hurt that much
A little somethin? with a human touch, hey
Shut up and talk to me, darlin'
Tell me the truth
Forever ain't easy to come by
For always ain't never to sure
For certain is less than you hoped for
For someone it's hard to endure
Foresaken must sometimes befall us
For sorrow sometimes will call
Four seasons go around on a pinwheel
And tomorrow ain't nothin' at all
The first time that I came by lovin'
Forever was all on my mind
And I never got used to the hurting
Or the searchin' for some love in kind
And it seems like I'm still chasing rainbows
It seems like I'm still on the run
Forever don't mean much in passing
Forgotten don't mean that it's done
Forever, for always, for certain'
For someone forsaken for sure
For any old plan you got workin'
For any old pain you can cure
Forever, for always, for certain
It's like when you're making conversation
And you're trying not to scream
And you're trying not to tell 'em
You don't care what they mean
And you're really feeling fragile
And you really can't get home
And you really feel abandoned
But you want to be alone
Old friends, they shine like diamonds
Old friends, you can always call
Old friends Lord, you can't buy 'em
You know it's old friends after all
And when the house is empty
And the lights begin to fade
And there's nothing to protect you
Except the window shade
And it's hard to put your finger
On the thing that scares you most
And you can't tell the difference
Between an angel and a ghost
Old friends, they shine like diamonds
Old friends, you can always call
Old friends Lord, you can't buy 'em
Chorus
The only difference between men and boys
Is the size of their feet and
the price of their toys
Always horsin' around makin' too much noise
Ain't it funny how men will be boys
Kickin' tires round the pick-up truck
Drinkin' beer and just cuttin' up
Smokin' and jokin' out behind the shed
Cussin' a blue streak till the girls turn red
Chorus
Sneakin' out of the house
tryin' to have a little fun
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Lookin' for somthin' that he ain't done
Look what the cat dragged in at the break of dawn
He ain't passed out he's campin' on the lawn
Chorus
You can spend a lifetime growin' up
You can spend a lifetime in a rut
When it comes a time you got to make a choice
Most men would just as soon be boys
Hooray for the drinkin' warm red wine
On a day both bright and fair
Hooray for the layin' and playin' a tune
On the sunlight through your hair, your hair
The sunlight through your haur
Well I wish that I was a fiddle bow
Flyin across the strings
And you; ve takin me at hand these days
By making that fiddle sing to you,
Makin that fiddle sing
Chorus
I wanna be felling that feelin, ood
I wanna be feelin' no pain
I wan to be feelin my love love me
Me, I'm feelin the same, the same
Me, I'm feeling the same
Now you lookin' like the mornin' side
Of the best day I've ever seen
You lookin' like hope to a hopeless fool
Like the end of an old bad dream, I mean
That it must've been an old bad dream
So let's go sailin from shore to sea
On a ship both bright and fine
And we'll run and hollar before the wind
To begin no wearin' time, oh time
He's a wino, tried and true.
Done about everything there is to do.
He worked on freighters, he worked in bars.
He worked on farms, 'n he worked on cars.
It was white port, that put that look in his eye
That grown men get when they need to cry
And he sat down on the curb to rest
And his head just fell down on his chest
He said "Every single day it gets
A little bit harder to handle and yet. . ."
And he lost the thread and his mind got cluttered
And the words just rolled off down in the gutter
Well he was elevator man in a cheap hotel
In exchange for the rent on a one room cell
He's old in years beyond his time
Thanks to the world, and the white Port wine
So he says "Son," he always called me son
He said, "Life for you has just begun"
And he told me a story that I heard before
How he fell in love with a Dallas whore
Well he could cut through the years to the very night
When it ended, in a whore house fight
And she turned his last proposal down
In favor of being a girl about town
Now it's been seventeen years right in line
And he ain't been straight none of the time
Too many days of fightin' the weather
And too many nights of not being together
So he died. . .
Well when they went through his personal affects
In among the stubs from the welfare checks
Was a crumblin' picture of a girl in a door
An address in Dallas, and nothin' more
The welfare people provided the priest
A couple from the mission down the street
Sang Amazing Grace, and no one cried
'Cept some woman in black, way off to the side
We all left and she was standing there
Black veil covering her silver hair
And 'ol One-Eyed John said her name was Alice
And she used to be a whore in Dallas
Let him roar, Lord let him roll
Bet he's gone to Dallas Rest his soul
Lord, let him roll, Lord let him roar
He always said that heaven
Was just a Dallas whore.
Pack up all your dishes.
Make note of all good wishes.
Say goodbye to the landlord for me.
That son of a bitch has always bored me.
Throw out them LA papers
And that moldy box of vanilla wafers.
Adios to all this concrete.
Gonna get me some dirt road back street
Chorus
If I can just get off of this LA freeway
Without getting killed or caught
I'd be down that road in a cloud of smoke
For some land that I ain't bought bought bought
Here's to you old skinny Dennis
Only one I think I will miss
I can hear that old bass singing
Sweet and low like a gift you're bringin'
Play it for me just one more time now
Got to give it all we can now
I beleive everything your saying
Just keep on, keep on playing
Chorus
And you put the pink card in the mailbox
Leave the key in the old front door lock
They will find it likely as not
I'm sure there's somethin' we have forgot
Oh Susanna, don't you cry, babe
Love's a gift that's surely handmade
We've got something to believe in
Dontcha' think it's time we're leavin'
Chorus
Repeat 1/2 of verse 1
Who walked out when the times got hard
When the truck broke down in the whole front yard
It wasn't me, it wasn't you
Who shot pool all night long
Wound up bettin' on the crack of dawn
That was you darlin', and that was me
Chorus
And we are fools for each other, me and you
We are lovers, in fact, we've gone crazy out back
Like only fools for each other would do
Now who gave up when the fire burned low
Who flew south when the wind blew cold
It wasn't me, it wasn't you
Who held on when the blues came down
Who took care when the tie was bound
That was you, darlin', and that was me
Chorus
Who took off when their heart got broke
Let the whole thing go up in smoke
It wasn't me and it wasn't you, oh no
And who showed up when the time was right
Laid a little mercy on a bad ol' night
That was you, darlin', and that was me
Chorus twice
The old gunfighter on the porch
Stared into the sun
And relived the days of living by the gun
When deadly games of pride were played
And living was mistakes not made
And the thought of the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Ah, the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
It's always keep your back to the sun
And he can almost feel the weight of the gun
It's faster than snakes or the blink of an eye
And it's a time for all slow men to die
And his eyes get squinty and his fingers twitch
And he empties the gun at the son of a bitch
And he's hit by the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Hit by the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Now the burn of a bullet is only a scar
He's back in his chair in front of the bar
And the streets are empty and the blood's all dried
And the dead are dust and the whiskey's inside
So buy him a drink and lend him an ear
He's nobody's fool and the only one here
Who remembers the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Remember the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
He said I stood in that street before it was paved
Learned shoot or be shot before I could shave
And I did it all for the money and fame
Noble was nothing but feeling no shame
And nothing was sacred but stayin' alive
And all that I learned from a Colt 45
Was to curse the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Curse the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
Now he's just an old man that no one believes
Says he's a gunfighter, the last of the breed
And there are ghosts in the street seeking revenge
Calling him out to the lunatic fringe
Now he's out in the traffic checking the sun
And he's killed by a car as he goes for his gun
So much for the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke
So much for the smell of the black powder smoke
Now I don't mind workin' hard
You can't burn me down
They ain't made a job
That I can't work my way around
Sometime I do it for the money
Sometime for the glamour
Sometime I use my head
Sometime I get a bigger hammer
I worked on the railroad
I worked in the fields
I'm a steeple jack and it's a fact
I drive anything on wheels
I can frame a house drive pilin'
Pour that wet concrete
Take a weldin' rig and build a bridge
And I can do it in my sleep
Chorus
I'm the jack of all trades
I love every lick I get
If I ain't got the job done son
I might not want to quit
I'm the jack of all trades
That makes me the boss
You gonna get your money's worth
No matter what it costs
I don't work assembly line
Doin' the same ol thing
Same ol shop the same ol clock
Playin' the same ol game
I don't want no desk job man
It don't suit my clothes
I don't need no engineer
Just to show me how it goes
Hmm hmm show me how it goes
Chorus
There ain't no need to do a job
It I can't do it right
I may not be gettin' rich
But I'm sleepin' good at night
Some call me a gypsy
Some call me a flake
But I'll kiss your ass if I don't earn
Every dime I make
Chorus
Hear that old tune come driftin' down the hall
Trying to put a stop to clock on the wall
Free flowin' free flown Lord mama how that old thief time carries on
Take off your old coat and let down your hair
Kick off them boots hon I don't care it's only time and only time will tell
Looks a chance with no reason not to take
Looks like our dance while the record player fakes it
Hold on King's X I think I'll be a captain standing on a burning deck
So come waltz you around this old room with me
As if we were some old pair of high degree round and round again
Don't let old fickle stickle catch you keepin' time with a friend
He washed all the road dirt from his face and from his neck
And sat down at her table and she picked up his check.
And she took him home for reasons that she did not understand.
And him, he had the answers but did not play his hand.
For him he knew the taste of this wine very well.
It all goes down so easily but the next day is hell.
Morning - "Man was I drunk," she wispered in the shower.
While he lay there and smoked his way there through the final hour.
And she felt wholly empty like she'd felt it every time.
And he was feelin' just the same, 'cept he was tryin' to make it rhyme.
Time was of the essence so they both did their best,
to meet up in the kitchen feelin fully dressed.
She just had to go to work, and he just had to go.
And she knew where and he knew how to blow it off and so.
They shot the breeze quite cavalier to the boilin' of the pot.
And sang the Instant Coffee Blues and never fired a shot.
And him he hit the driveway with his feelin's in a case.
And her she hit the stoplight and touched up her face.
So you tell them the difference between caring and not.
And that it's all done with mirrors, lest they forgot.
I said it's all done with mirrors, of which they have none.
To blend the instant coffee blues into the morning sun
I rolled off the San Francisco mint in 1909
The last one they ever made, you should've seen me shine
When I landed on the counter they gave me to a kid
Making change for a jaw breaker was the first thing that I did
I got traded for a pocket knife, two marbles and some string
Wound up on a railroad track waiting for a train
Snatched up by a hobo and turned right into wine
Pitched up against the wall at least a thousand times
Chorus
'Round and 'round a penny goes
'Round and back again
Listen and I'll tell you
The places that I've been
I got stolen from a banker by Pretty Boy Floyd and then
He gave me to a farmer who was trying to save his land
I was good luck to a soldier back in W.W.II
He lost me in a poker game the day the war was through
I got stuck behind the back seat of a '51 Chevrolet
Spare change in the sixties, getting worth less every day
Now it's piggy banks and gum machines and occasional wishing wells
Or laying on a barroom floor, Indian heads or tails
Chorus
I'm a pretty lucky penny, Lord it happens every time
Just when I start feeling lost and left behind
Some kid will pick me up and wonder where I've been
Put me in his pocket, and here I go again
Chorus
If you ever go out to the circus
Where the Wallendas walk on the wire
I'll tell you a tale to remember
When the white horses leap rings of fire
It was a cold night in Oklahoma
The show was about to begin
The animals they were all restless
When the star horse she broke from her pen
She was a mare of high spirit
Just like a whore on Saturday night
She's kickin' and buckin' past the men who were brushin'
The elephants lyin' on their sides
Next to the tent sat some lanterns
They were dangerously close to the hay
That mare headed straight for those lanterns
Some fool had put there by mistake
Then up stepped some Indian Cowboy
His lasso went whirlin' throught the air
In the full dead middle of danger
He roped that runaway mare
Then the elephants raised up their trumpets
Two of them broke from their chains
Stampeded that Indian Cowboy
Who had saved the big top from flames
So if you ever go out to the circus
Where the Wallendas walk on the wire
You just remember that Indian Cowboy
When the white horses leap rings of fire
Oh a time there was I was feelin' so hopeless
It's a wonder I didn't cave in
I kept throwing love at all the wrong people
Never to see it again.
Chorus
Oh Lord won't you look what I've found
Starin' me right in the face
I'm through bein lonely I'm through bein sad
I'm all through throwin' good love after bad.
When I think of all the time I have wasted
Wearin' my hear on my sleeve
Entrusting my love to the kindness of strangers
Oh I was so naive
Chorus
I had a friend named Bill Campbell he used to rob steal and gamble
And on the side he'd beg so he mopped up
Well I told ol' Billy shouldn't do but ol' Bill said that he knew it
So he started beggin' with a bucket instead of a cup
He's in the jailhouse now he's in the jailhouse now
Now ol' Bill fluffed his dove
When he wrote a tuxedo to the country club
He's in the jailhouse now
[ yodel ]
Now Bill had a gal named Saddie and she said have you seen Billy lately
No I don't believe that he's about
But ol' Saddie went down to the jail she it was just to take him his mail
Then she whispered sheriff please don't let him out
He's in the jailhouse now he's in the jailhouse now
It was while ol' Bill's away
Saddie's with the sheriff everyday he's in the jailhouse now
[ yodel ]
[ piano - guitar ]
[ yodel ]
Well I remember the last election the prohibitionists were in action
Tryin' to elect themselves a president
Bill Canpbell and John Austin they rode from New Orleans to Boston
And they've got a bottle in every settlement
They're in the jailhouse now they're in the jailhouse now
Lord they caught them out by the railroad track
Stealin' a train to haul it back they're in the jailhouse now
[ yodel ]
I donÅ love you much do I
Just more than human tongue can tell and that's all
I donÅ love you much do I
Remember how I kissed you in the hall
Chorus
See how it sparkles in my eyes
I couldnÅ hide it if I tried- thatÅ right
I donÅ love you much do I
Just more than anything else in this whole world
I donÅ love you much do I
Just more than all the stars in the sky
I donÅ love you much do I
I think you hung the moon and thatÅ alright
Chorus
I donÅ love you much do I
You can feel it all the way across the room
I donÅ love you much do I
Like the spring doesnÅ make the flowers bloom
I donÅ love you much do I
I'd follow you to hell and back again
I donÅ love you much do I
Just watch me light up when you walk in
Chorus
Sorry 'bout your mama
Sorry 'bout your paw
Sorry 'bout the business
With your brother-in-law
Hard cheese about the money man
Hard cheese about the stock
Hard cheese about you bein'
Up to your ears in hock
Tough luck about your luggage tough luck about your socks
Tough luck about the way
That the other shoe drops
Too bad about your girlfriend
Too bad about your wife
Too bad about the thing
You call the rest of your life
Chorus
How'd you get this number man
Who do you think you're talkin' to
Who do you think youÅ e kiddin'
What do you want me to do
HowŠŽ you get this number man
Please don't make me laugh
You know you oughta be on TV
With a line like that
I heard about the car wreck
I heard about the fight
I heard about the time
YouÅ in jail all night
I know you don't like trouble
I know you don't like to fight
I know that you can argue
With a fence post all night
I heard about the lamp shade
I heard you had it on your head
I heard you told a joke and
Knocked the whole room dead
No kiddin' 'bout the cough syrup
No kiddin' 'bout the junk
No kiddin' 'bout you been
In a deep blue funk
Chorus
Ain't nothin' in the world that I like better
Than bacon & lettuce & homegrown tomatoes
Up in the mornin' out in the garden
Get you a ripe one don't get a hard one
Plant `em in the spring eat `em in the summer
All winter with out `em's a culinary bummer
I forget all about the sweatin' & diggin'
Everytime I go out & pick me a big one
Homegrown tomatoes homegrown tomatoes
What'd life be without homegrown tomatoes
Only two things that money can't buy
That's true love & homegrown tomatoes
You can go out to eat & that's for sure
But it's nothin' a homegrown tomato won't cure
Put `em in a salad, put `em in a stew
You can make your very own tomato juice
Eat `em with egss, eat `em with gravy
Eat `em with beans, pinto or navy
Put `em on the site put `em in the middle
Put a homegrown tomato on a hotcake griddle
If I's to change this life I lead
I'd be Johnny Tomato Seed
`Cause I know what this country needs
Homegrown tomatoes in every yard you see
When I die don't bury me
In a box in a cemetary
Out in the garden would be much better
I could be pushin' up homegrown tomatoes
Somedays I think this old machine is out to get me
Somedays she does what I tell her
It's like dancing with a widow-maker forty hours a week
You know I'm talkin' 'bout a big ol' D-10 caterpiller
Chorus
I don't know why I like to drive 'em like I do
It ain't nothin' but a hundred seventy-five thousand pounds of steel
Could be the money babe could be the power
Could be I love the way it feels
Could be I love the way it feels
But you know she's mighty unforgivin' so you got to pay attention
You know the D-10 can be the death of you
But I get her all fired up and I can feel it in my soul
And it's hard to tell who's drivin' who
I can move Alaska all the way to Beirut
I can bulldoze a beeline from here to Peru
I can push the Rocky Mountains into the sea
You know Heavy metal don't mean rock and roll to me
You know I'm a modern day mule skinner drivin' ten thousand mules
So I got to say a little prayer every day
Lord just let me get her turned around
Without fallin' off this mountain
You know the boss don't like me treatin' his D-10 that way
Chorus
Who wouldn't notic the fire in your eyes
Or the bitter direction of impending goodbyes
I'm fallen and folded and wilted in place
At the sight of you standing with streaks down your face
Chorus
Heartbroke and runnin' from the reason
Heartbroke Don't give up on believin' in me
Heartbroke Who kept me from leavin' with my
Heartbroke
Pride is a bitch and a bore when your lonely
Sheer madness prevails upon reason to yield
But all is not lost it is only mistaken
That's small consolation but I know just how you feel
Chorus
Nobody said it was goin' to be easy
We all have feelings that need a softer touch
But nobody said that it would not be worth it
The human condition continues as such
Chorus
One manÅ hawk is another manÅ dove, one manÅ hug is another manÅ shove
One manÅ rock is another manÅ sand, one manÅ fist is another manÅ hand
One manÅ tool is another manÅ toy, one man grief is another manÅ joy
One manÅ squawk is another manÅ sing, one manÅ crutch is another manÅ wing
One manÅ pride is another manÅ humble, one manÅ step is another manÅ stumble
One manÅ pleasure is another manÅ pain, one manÅ loss is another manÅ gain
One manÅ can is another manÅ grail, one manÅ curse is another manÅ sail
One manÅ right is another manÅ wrong, one manÅ curse is another manÅ song
Chorus
For every fatherÅ daughter
For every motherÅ son
The only think the same
Is that is ainÅ for everyone
Hank Williams said it best
He said it a long time ago
"Unless you have made no mistakes in your life
Be careful of stones that you throw"
One manÅ deuce is another manÅ ace, one manÅ back is another manÅ face
One manÅ reason is another manÅ rhyme, one manÅ dollar is another manÅ dime
One manÅ tree is another manÅ post, one manÅ angel is another manÅ ghost
One manÅ rain is another manÅ drought, one manÅ hope is another manÅ doubt
One manÅ false is another manÅ fair, one manÅ toup is another manÅ hair
One manÅ hand is another manÅ stub, one manÅ feast is another manÅ grub
One manÅ dread is another manÅ dream, one manÅ sigh is another manÅ scream
One manÅ water is another manÅ wine, one manÅ daughter leave another manÅ cryin
Chorus
One manÅ famine is another manÅ feast, one manÅ pet is another manÅ beast
One manÅ bat is another manÅ ball, one manÅ art is another manÅ scrawl
One manÅ friend is another manÅ foe, one manÅ Joesph is another manÅ Joe
One manÅ hammer is another manÅ nail, one manÅ freedom is another manÅ jail
One manÅ road is another manÅ rut, one manÅ if is another manÅ but
One manÅ treasure is another manÅ trash, one manÅ landinis another manÅ crash
One manÅ word is another manÅ lie, one manÅ dirt is another manÅ sky
One manÅ skin is another manÅ color, one manÅ killer is another manÅ brother
Chorus
I used to be Juanita's old boyfriend
We sure gave 'em some stories to tell
Now I can't even find her picture
I guess I'm finally through foolin' myself
I used to be an ex-bullrider
Livin' on the edge of life itself
Now I can't even find my buckle
Looks like I'm finally through foolin' myself
Chorus
Hang on just as long as you can
Get up whenever you fall
Shake it off, Boys, and go 'round again
Don't be hangin' your life on the wall
I used to be forever chasin' firetrucks
I sure could raise me some hell
I don't know why I like to do that kinda stuff
I guess I wasn't through foolin' myself
I used to have a smokin' little fastball
I sure could show 'em some stuff
Now I can't even make it on the
church team anymore
I guess I'm finally through foolin' myself
Chorus Twice
Shake it off, Boys, and go 'round again
Don't be hangin' your life on the wall
A hand is just another kind of hammer made of steel
Beating blindly on the anvil a hammer cannot feel
But a hand is for reaching out and touching all you can
Holding on and hoping that you'll come to understand
Chorus
So always try to keep you heart connected to your wrist
Cause everybody knows that you can't shake hands with a fist
A fist is just another kind of tower made of stone
Without a window anywhere you know a tower stands alone
But a hand can open windows that have never seen the light
Lead you through the darkness and guide you through the night
Chorus
Now here comes Texas rolling through my mind
There ain't nothing to it mama don't be cryin'
It's just one of those things that everyone goes through
Just an old time feelin' don't mean no harm so roll me in your lovin' arms
Everybody needs a little help from time to time
If I could change anything then I wouldn't be me
I wouldn't have you and it's plain to see
I need all of help that I can get everybody's got 'em some kind of past now
And here comes that old snake in the grass now
Lord it's good to be in Tennessee with you
It's good to have you lady-o on my side through it all
It's good to see you lady-o when the rain starts to fall
It's good to love you lady Lord that's the best of all
Fort Worth neon shinin' bright
Pretty lights red and blue
They shut down all the honky tonks tonight
Say a prayer or two, if they only knew
You used to say the highway was your home
But we both know that ain't true
It's just the only place a man can go
When he don't know where he's travelin' to
Colorado's always clean and healin'
Tennessee the spring is green and cool
But it never really was your kind of town
So you went around with the Fort Worth blues
Somewhere out across the Great Divide
Where the sky is wide and the clouds are few
A man can see his way clear to the light
Just hold on tight, that's all you got to do
They say in Texas the weather's always changin'
One thing change will bring is something new
Houston really ain't too bad a town
So you hung around with the Fort Worth Blues
There's a full moon over Galway Bay tonight
Silver light on green and blue
Every place I travel to find
Some kind of sign that you've been through
Amsterdam us always good for grievin'
London never fails to leave me blue
Paris really ain't my kind of town
So I walked around with the Fort Worth blues
Well I wake up every morning Lord and what do I see
I got a fool in my mirror and he's lyin' to me
He says aw man she's comin' back you just hide and watch
That fool in my mirror singin' the same ol' song
But it still don't change the fact that my baby is gone
I got wrinkles round my eyes I got grey in my hair
I'm puttin' on a little bit of weight but I don't seem to care
Fool say hey slick you lookin' good lie lie lie
That fool in my mirror singin' the same old song
But it still don't change the fact that my baby is gone
Now I just figured out what she meant when she sid
And she was not comin' back so why don't I drop dead
Well I can't live with him I can't live without him
I can't believe a word he says but I don't dare doubt him
He says aw man she just went off to get a loaf of bread
Say you losin' a litle bitty weight aren't you
That fool in my mirror singin' the same old song
But it still don't change the fact that my baby is gone
[ guitar ]
Now I just figured out what she meant when she sid
And she was not comin' back so why don't I drop dead
Well I wake up every morning Lord and what do I see
I got a fool in my mirror and he's lyin' to me
He says oh man she's comin' back don't worry
That fool in my mirror singin' the same old song
But it still don't change the fact that my baby is gone
But it still don't change the fact that my baby is gone
Don't let the sunshine fool ya
Don't let the bluebirds do ya
And don't let the women do ya
Put your hand in mine
I was feelin' depressed I was feelin real low down
I felt so bad I could not get my butt up off the grounds
I was mopin' around the house I was bumpin' into walls
I was cryin' at the Andy Griffith show and I was snappin' and the dog
I was startin' to fear for my sanity
I could not find my ego with both hands
So I decided professional help was the only hope for me
So I called up this number which I'd gotten of T.V.
They said "Are you havin' marital problems Are you emotionally impaired
Are you sure you're bein' followed or Are you just scared of bein' scared?
Well if so you better come on in have a little talk with the doc"
So I did
I said doctor good doctor I got trouble on my mind
Listen to me doc I don't have too much time
I got a feelin' down inside me and it will not go away
You know it hangs on and bangs on my soul every day
Doctor good doctor I'm grabbin' at loose ends
And I haven't felt like I used to since I don't know when
Yesterday go past me today is all the same
And tomorrow really scares me I just can't play the game
He said quit whinin'
He said straighten up and fly right
He said life is not a piece of cake
He wanted to know if my insurance was paid up
Well I'm O.K. You're O.K. if the check's O.K.
Second best hundred dollars I ever spent
Don't be a stranger
If you're looking for a friend
If you want an even break
You've got to learn to bend
You don't have a song
If you don't know how to sing
You don't have a prayer
If you don't know how to dream
Chorus
What's the use in dyin'
If you don't die tryin'
If you don't die tryin'
What's the use
What's the use in flyin'
If you don't die flyin'
If you don't die flyin'
What's the use
If you're gonna roll the dice
You gotta take a chance
Gotta get out on the floor
If you want to do the dance
If you don't know how to laugh
You'll never learn to cry
If you don't know how to fall
You'll never learn how to fly
Chorus
Well, don't you take it too bad
If you're feelin' unlovin'
If you're feelin' unfeelin'
If you're feelin' alone
Don't take it too bad
'Cause it ain't you to blame, babe
Lord, it's some kind of game, babe
Out of all of this living
That we've got left to do
And if you go searching
For rhyme or for reason
Then you won't have the time
That it takes just for talkin'
About the places you've been, babe
About the faces you've seen, babe
And how soft the time flies
Past your window at night
And we just can't have that, girl
'Cause it's a sad, lonesome, cold world
And a man needs a woman
Just to stand by his side
And whisper sweet words in his ears about daydreams
And roses and playthings
And the sweetness of springtime
I'd play the Red River Valley and he'd sit in the kitchen and cry
And run his fingers through seventy years of livin'
And wonder Lord has every well I drilled gone dry
We was friends me and this old man
We're like desperados waiting for the train like desperados waiting for the train
He's a drifter and a driller of oil wells and an old school man of the world
He taught me how to drive his car when he's too drunk to
And he'd wink and give me money for the girls
And our lives was like some old western movie
Like desperados waiting for the train like desperados waiting for the train
From the time that I could walk he'd take me with him
To a bar called the Green Frog Cafe
And there was old men with beer guts and dominos
Lyin' bout their lives while they'd play
And I was just a kid they all called his sidekick
Like desperados waiting for the train like desperados waiting for the train
One day I looked up and he's pushin' eighty
And there's brown tobacco stains all down his chin
Well to me he's one of the heroes of this country
So why's he all dressed up like them old men
Drinkin' beer and playin' moon and forty-two
Like desperados waiting for the train like desperados waiting for the train
And the day before he died I went to see him
I was grown and he was almost gone
So we just closed our eyes and dreamed us up a kitchen
And sang another verse to that old song
Come on Jack I swear this time it's comin'
And we're like desperados waiting for the train like desperados waiting for the train
Like desperados waiting for the train like desperados waiting for the train
I played the Red River Valley
He'd sit in the kitchen and cry
Run his fingers through seventy years of livin'
And wonder, "Lord, why has every well I've drilled gone dry?"
We were friends, me and this old man
We's like desperados waitin' for a train
Desperados waitin' for a train
He's a drifter, a driller of oil wells
He's an old school man of the world
He taught me how to drive his car when he was too drunk to
And he'd wink and give me money for the girls
And our lives was like, some old Western movie
Like desperados waitin' for a train
Like desperados waitin' for a train
From the time that I could walk he'd take me with him
To a bar called the Green Frog Cafe
There was old men with beer guts and dominos
Lying 'bout their lives while they played
I was just a kid, they all called me "Sidekick"
Just like desperados waitin' for a train
Like desperados waitin' for a train
One day I looked up and he's pushin' eighty
He's got brown tobacco stains all down his chin
Well to me he was a hero of this country
So why's he all dressed up like them old men
Drinkin' beer and playin' Moon and Forty-two
Jus' like desperados waitin' for a train
Like a desperado waitin' for a train
The day 'fore he died I went to see him
I was grown and he was almost gone.
So we just closed our eyes and dreamed us up a kitchen
And sang one more verse to that old song
(spoken) Come on, Jack, that son-of-a-bitch is comin'
We're desperados waitin' for a train
Was like desperados waitin' for a train
My daddy told me when I was a young girl
A lesson he learned, it was a long time ago
If you want to have someone to hold onto
You're gonna have to learn to let go
You got to sing like you don't need the money
Love like you'll never get hurt
You got to dance like nobody's watchin'
It's gotta come from the heart
If you want it to work
Now here is the one thing I keep forgettin'
When everything is falling apart
In life as in love, you know I need to remember
There's such a thing as trying too hard
You got to sing like you don't need the money
Love like you'll never get hurt
You got to dance like nobody's watchin'
It's gotta come from the heart
If you want it to work
You got to sing sometimes like you don't need the money
Love sometimes like you'll never get hurt
You got to dance, dance, dance like nobody's watchin'
He's a black haired boy of some confusion
and he makes no excuse for the things that he's usin'
He's gentle and wild and a child of the mountain
his words are for singing and his days are for countin'
Chorus
And he's looking for a home he's scared to find
some lady beside him and he's drunk on white wine
some lady beside him and he's drunk on white wine
He's a devil in the morning and a savior at night
tomorrow's a case of whatever's right
Lonesome and high are the things that he feels
and the cards that he plays are the ones that he deals
Chorus
He's one of the chances you're entitled to take
He's one of the hearts that it's too late to break
I've seen him be sad and never know why
seen him fall down to laugh, seen him stand up to cry
Chorus
Chorus
Black Diamond Strings
Black Diamond Strings
Drinkin1 W. Harper
PlayinBlack Diamond Strings
Black Diamond Strings
Are like white flour and grits
You play Black Diamond Strings
...?ause itÅ all you can get
Black Diamond Strings on a Catalog Guitar
ThatÅ pretty high cotton whoever you are
You break one you change one, thatÅ as good as it gets
You can play all year long on two or three sets
J.W. Crowell was a hell of a man
He played two nights a week in a hillbilly band
He played at the Ice House on Telephone Road
He played in the yard just to lighten his load
Chorus
Hey J.W play that frogline
Let Rodney sit in, hell, heÅ goinon nine
His fingers are bleedin but heÅ keepingood time
PlayinBlack Diamond Strings, heÅ l never quit tryin
Causette told ...m both
You boys pack t up, itÅ time to go home
We got church in the mornin itÅ cominup dawn
DonÅ make me say it again or IÅ gone
You can stay here forever, but youÅ e gonna walk home
Standing at the window her face to the glass
As far as she can see the time has come to pass
As far as she can see the sky is all ablaze
And this looks like the first of better days
She's takin' charge of her life for a change
She's takin' it back that she's lost
It's just as clear as the window pane
She'll survive at all cost
See the wings unfolding that weren't there just before
On a ray of sunshine she dances out the door
Out into the morning light where the sky is all ablaze
This looks like the first of better days
Lawdy mercy land of Goshen
Shades of gray out on the ocean
Don't you dare take that boat out to sea
For the high seas are runnin'
You will sure enough be done in
If you dare take that boat out to sea
'Cause out there in the Gulf
The wind is blowin' like a bandit
And I'm talkin' 'bout a hurricane
And your riggin' will not stand it
There's an ill wind a blowin'
You better get back to your moorin'
Don't you dare take that boat out to sea
You better take a weather warnin'
You'll be shark bait in the mornin'
If you dare take that boat out to sea
You better give up on that shrimpin'
You just might come home a limpin'
If you dare take that boat out to sea
You better not make one more drag
You're gonna wind up in a bag
If you dare take that boat out to sea
'Cause out there in the Gulf
The wind is blowin' like a bandit
And I'm talkin' 'bout a hurricane
And your riggin' will not stand it
Lawdy mercy land of Goshen
Shades of gray out on the ocean
Don't you dare take that boat out to sea
For the high seas are runnin'
You will sure enough be done in
It's time for a change
I'm tired of that same ol' same
The same ol' words the same ol' lines
The same ol' tricks and the same ol' rhymes
Days precious days
Roll in and out like waves
I got boards to bend I got planks to nail
I got charts to make I got seas to sail
I'm gonna build me a boat
With these two hands
It? ll be a fair curve
From a noble plan
Let the chips fall where they will
'Cause I've got boats to build
Sails are just like wings
The wind can make 'em sing
Songs of life songs of hope
Songs to keep your dreams afloat
I'm gonna build me a boat
With these two hands
It? ll be a fair curve
From a noble plan
Let the chips fall where they will
'Cause I've got boats to build
Shores distant shores
There? s where I'm headed for
Got the stars to guide my way
Sail into the light of day
I'm gonna build me a boat
With these two hands
It? ll be a fair curve
From a noble plan
Let the chips fall where they will
Sometimes a loser
Sometimes a hero
This is a lonely captain's story
Sword and a pistol by his side
Chorus
Do Lord oh do remember him
Yes, yes, remember him
There will be a singer
Whenever his time
Has come to die
Be gone forever
Sometimes an angel
Sometimes unwanted
This is a lonely nurse's story
Watch and a
Clipboard by her
Side
Chorus
Sometimes a legend
Sometimes a beggar
This is a lonely hobo's story
Cane and a
Switchblade by his
Side
Chorus
Sometimes we're ugly
Not really worth it
This is a lonely planet's story
We're the third one from the sun
Oh a time there was I was feelin' so hopeless
It's a wonder I didn't cave in
I kept throwing love at all the wrong people
Never to see it again.
Chorus
Oh Lord won't you look what I've found
Starin' me right in the face
I'm through bein lonely I'm through bein sad
[ Lyrics provided by www.mp3lyrics.org ]
I'm all through throwin' good love after bad.
When I think of all the time I have wasted
Wearin' my hear on my sleeve
Entrusting my love to the kindness of strangers
Oh I was so naive
Well, I'm gonna leave Texarkana
I'm goin' down to Louisiana
I'm gonna try my luck in Baton Rouge
I'm gonna follow ol' Red River down
'Til I see the lights of town
And I ain't gonna get no sleep in Baton Rouge
Sayin', Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge
I'm gonna get me some alligator shoes
Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge
I'm gonna wear 'em out in Baton Rouge
It was a Texas girl that broke my heart
Then she tore my truck apart
Hey, I guess I'll get me another in Baton Rouge
I like crawfish, I like rice
An' I like girls that treat you nice
Hey, I'm gonna find me one in Baton Rouge
I said, Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge
I'm gonna get me some alligator shoes
Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge
I'm gonna wear 'em out in Baton Rouge
Hey, I'm gonna learn to walk that walk
I'm gonna learn to talk that talk
I'm gonna learn to dance in Baton Rouge
Ain't life just like a Cul de Sac?
I'm a Texas boy an' I'm goin' back
Soon as I catch my breath in Baton Rouge
Sayin', Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge
I'm gonna get me some alligator shoes
Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge
I'm gonna wear 'em out in Baton Rouge
Hey, I'm gonna strut my stuff in Baton Rouge
She did not want to drive
She did not want to fly
She did not want to wait
For a bus to come by
She did not want to hassle
She did not want to hurry
She didnæ?° want to know
What is cost, donæ?° worry
Chorus
Baby took a limo to Memphis
Seemed like the thing to do
Baby took a limo to Memphis
She did it æ?¶ause she wanted to
She was not lookinback
She was lookingood
She was not in the mood
To be knockinon wood
She knows what she wants
She knows how to get it
She knows what it takes
Just do it, donæ?° regret it
The shortest distance between two towns
Is ridinin a limo with the windows down
Donæ?° ask why sheæ?¯ goin
She might let you know
Donæ?° ask when sheæ?¯ cominback
æ? ause she donæ?° know
Donæ?° let her fool you
Sheæ?¯ nobodyæ?¯ fool
She knows whatæ?¯ tacky
I wish I had a dime for every bad time
But the bad times always seem to keep the change
You been all alone so you know what I'm sayin'
So when all you can recall is the pain
Just you wait until tomorrow when you wake up with me
at your side and find I haven't lied about nothin'
I wouldn't trade a tree for the way I feel about you
in the mornin', anyhow I love you
Everyday it gets just a little bit better
And half the gettin' there is knowin' where I been before
I'm sure you understand 'cause I ain't your first man
So when you feel like runnin' for the back door... don't
Just you wait until tomorrow when you wake up with me
at your side and find I haven't lied about nothin'
I wouldn't trade a tree for the way I feel about you
Well she ain't got no cell phone
You got to call her when she's home
All of her clocks have got hands
Now don't try to e-mail her,
you've got to snail mail her
You got to take pen in hand
Ones and zeros, zeros and ones
She'll have none of that virtual fun
She's a real deal ol' fashioned analog girl
In a digital world
Now she gets online out in the backyard
Hangin' up her ol' blue jeans
She's got all of the memory she can live with
She really hates drum machines
Ones and zeros, zeros and ones
She'll have none of that virtual fun
She's a real deal ol' fashioned analog girl
In a digital world
Out in the garden she's got a website
It sparkles in the mornin' dew
Got a mouse in her pocket,
she's got spam in a can
What's an analog girl to do
Ones and zeros, zeros and ones
She'll have none of that virtual fun
She's a real deal ol' fashioned analog girl
Baby don't let 'em blow smoke up your dress
Don't let 'em break your heart
Don't start thinkin' that life's a mess
You've done just fine so far
When the ways of the world start getting you down
And you're all out of repartee
If your smile turns to a frown
It ain't no trouble to me
Trouble be gone, trouble be damned
Love be trouble free
Come on home any old time
It ain't no trouble to me, ain't no trouble to me
I got a shoulder with your name on it
If a tear come to your eye
I got ears to hear anything you fear
And a tongue will not lie
Yeah, I'm gonna love you till the day I die
That's a guarantee
Tomorrow be another day
It ain't no trouble to me
Trouble be gone, trouble be damned
Love be trouble free
Come on home any old time
It ain't no trouble to me, ain't no trouble to me
I said,? Trouble be gone, trouble be damned
Love be trouble free
Come on home any old time
I'd play the Red River Valley
And he'd sit out in the kitchen and cry
And run his fingers through seventy years of livin'
And wonder, "Lord, has ever' well I've drilled run dry?"
We were friends, me and this old man
Like desperados waitin' for a train
Like desperados waitin' for a train
He's a drifter and a driller of oil wells
And an old school man of the world
He let me drive his car
When he's too drunk to
And he'd wink and give me money for the girls
And our lives were like some old western movie
Like desperados waitin' for a train
Like desperados waitin' for a train
From the time that I could walk he'd take me with him
To a bar called the Green Frog Cafe
There were old men with beer guts and dominos
Lying 'bout their lives while they'd played
And I was just a kid
They all called his "Sidekick"
Like desperados waitin' for a train
Like desperados waitin' for a train
One day I looked up and he's pushin' eighty
And there's brown tobacco stains all down his chin
To me he's one of the heroes of this country
So why's he all dressed up like them old men
Drinkin' beer and playin' Moon and Forty-two
Like desperados waitin' for a train
Like desperados waitin' for a train
A day before he died, I went to see him
I was grown and he was almost gone
So we just closed our eyes and dreamed us up a kitchen
And sang another verse to that old song
"Come on, Jack, that son of a guns are comin' "
Like desperados waitin' for a train
Like desperados waitin' for a train
Like desperados waitin' for a train
That Crystelle, you temptress, you creature of back booths
So accomplished at dancin' when walkin' would do
There's a neon fire in your eyes reflecting off a rhinestone tear
Fixed upon your cheek to see who cares
And that's way too much for a country boy who stares
"Our life is just a private joke", she said it like that was the punch line
Me, I fell in love now, wouldn't you?
And here's a fine madness in the air it comes and goes like honeysuckle
Sent to you free from what to do
Oh, me I fell in love now, wouldn't you?
Oh that Crystelle, she's barely a woman
Oh that Crystelle, she's hardly a child
Oh that Crystelle, I know she saw me comin'
But doesn't Crystelle have a beautiful smile
She's a reason to be reckless, she's the right to Rock 'n' Roll
She's exactly what they meant when they told you not to go
And her breath's as sweet as chewing gum
And her heart's a gold as kingdom come
She's heaven sent and hell bent to run
Oh, me I fell in love now, wouldn't you?
Oh that Crystelle, she's barely a woman
Oh that Crystelle, she's hardly a child
Oh that Crystelle, I know she saw me comin'
But doesn't Crystelle have a beautiful smile
Oh that Crystelle, she's barely a woman
Oh that Crystelle, she's hardly a child
Oh that Crystelle, I know she saw me comin'
But doesn't Crystelle have a beautiful smile
William Butler Yeats in jeans
Got up to play guitar and sing
In some join in Mission Beach last night
At the door sat Tom Waits
In a pork pie hat and silver skates
Jugglin' three collection plates Jesus Christ
Townes Van Zandt standin' at the bar
Skinnin' a Hollywood movie star
Can't remember where he parked his car
Or to whom he lost the keys
Full of angst and hillbilly haiku
What's a poor Ft. Worth boy to do
Go on rhyme somethin' for 'em, man
Show him how you really feel
Ain't no money in poetry
That's what sets the poet free
I've had all the freedom I can stand
Cold dog soup and rainbow pie
Is all it takes to get me by
Fool my belly till the day I die
Cold dog soup and rainbow pie
Ginsberg and Kerouac
Shootin' dice and playin' Ramblin' Jack's guitar
With the cowboy paintin' pickguard on it
And they sat in the back and drank for free
And rhymed orange with Rosalie
Now there's a pride of lions to draw to
Ain't no money in poetry
That's what sets the poet free
I've had all the freedom I can stand
Cold dog soup and rainbow pie
Is all it takes to get me by
Fool my belly till the day I die
I found comfort and courage in bottles of whiskey
I swear to you friends that that life is some risky
I have backed away quickly from those who tried to burn me
And stopped up my ears that no one should learn me
But the lady beside me is the one I have chosen
To walk through my life like a coat from the cold
I have flown like a bird from each cage that confined me
And broken every one of the ties that bind me
And I have danced me around some sad ol' situations
And taken my share of them sweet temptations
But the lady beside me is the one I have chosen
To walk through my life like a coat from the cold
Meanwhile down on Biel Street
Drinking in a Biel Street bar
There's a fog rollin' off the Mississippi
Has anybody seen Arkansas?
And the deckhands from the toll boats
Come ashore wearin' Mexican shoes
They headed strait for Graceland
It was the first thing they wanted to do
Cinco de Mayo in Memphis
Marchetti singin' the blues
Soul sisters hugging Senoritas
All sportin' Blue suede shoes
Pork pie hats and sombreros
Hangin' on a downtown street
Swingin' pool cues at Pinatas
Don't that river smell sweet?
And they all come to get 'em some Memphis
A little somethin' for their souls
'Lone riders land up with limousines
Hey, they all came to rock and roll
Cinco de Mayo in Memphis
Marchetti singin' the blues
Southern belles and Senoritas
All sportin' Blue suede shoes
Cinco de Mayo in Memphis
Marchetti singin' the blues
Soul sisters hugging Senoritas
Let us now praise a carpenter and the things that he made
And the way that he lived by the tools of his trade
I can still hear his hammer singing ten penny time
Working by the hour till the day he died
Oh he was tough as a crowbar quick as a chisel
Fair as a plane and true as a level
He was straight as a chalkline and right as a rule
He was square with the world he took good care of his tools
[ guitar ]
Oh he worked his hands in wood from the crib to the coffin
With a care and a love you don't see too often
He built boats out of wood big boats working in a shipyard
Mansions on the hill and a birdhouse in the backyard
He was tough as a crowbar...
[ steel - guitar ]
He said anything that's worth cuttin' down a tree for
Is worth doin' right don't the Lord love a two by four
Well they asked him how to do some he'd say just like Noah built the ark
You got to hold your mouth right son and never miss your mark
Eight years old with a flour sack cape tied all around his neck
He climbed up on the garage, he's figurin' what the heck, well
He screwed his courage up so tight that the whole thing come unwound
He got a runnin' start and bless his heart, he's headed for the ground
Well, he's one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith
Spread your arms and hold your breath and always trust your cape
Now, he's all grown up with a flour sack cape tied all around his dream
And he's full of spit and vinegar and he's bustin' at the seam
Well, he licked his finger and he checked the wind, it's gonna be do or die
And he wasn't scared of nothin', boys, he was pretty sure he could fly
Well, he's one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith
Spread your arms and hold your breath and always trust your cape
Now, he's old and gray with a flour sack cape tied all around his head
And he's still jumpin' off the garage and will be till he's dead
All these years the people said, he was actin' like a kid
He did not know he could not fly and so he did
Well, he's one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith
Spread your arms and hold your breath and always trust your cape
Yes, he's one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith
Broken hearted people always seem to drink
Tryin' to drown those sorrows, it ain't as easy as you think
Living with a liar is a hard old way to go
Laughin' just to keep from crying ain't no way to grow old
So take me to a barroom, driver
Set me on a stool
If I can't be her man
I'm damned if I'll be her fool
They say that whiskey ain't the best way, but then I ain't too smart
To think I just found out she was lyin' from the start
So if this is nothing but a bad joke lookin' for a laugh
Well, hold on to your lampshade darlin', 'cause I'm looking for a hat
And you take me to a barroom, driver
Set me on a stool
If I can't be her man
I'm damned if I'll be her fool
So get this taxi movin' because I have got no time to lose
And there's no time to be choosy, you know that any old bar will do
And I'm lookin' to get silly and I'm lookin' to get loose
And if that don't get it done darlin', I'll come looking for you
Now take me to a barroom, driver
Set me on a stool
If I can't be her man
I'm damned if I'll be her fool
Take me to a barroom, driver
Set me on a stool
If I can't be her man
Chorus
Well it's a nickel for the fiddler. It's a nickel for his tune.
It's a nickel for the tambourine kind of afternoon.
And it's a high holiday on the 21st of June.
And it's country music in the park and everybody's ruined.
Instrumental break
Well it's fountains full of dogs and kids.
And it's freaky apple pie.
And it's the ones who came to play.
And the ones just passin' by.
And it's coats of many colors.
And it almost makes me cry.
Lord it's ice cream on a stick.
And it's somethin' you can buy.
Instrumental break
Well it's a fiddler from Kentucky,
Who swears he's 83.
And he's fiddled every contest
From here to cripple creek.
And it's old ones and it's yound ones.
And it's plain they half agreed
But it's country music in the park,
as far as they can see.
I found comfort and courage in bottles of whiskey
I swear to you friends that that life is some risky
I have backed away quickly from those who tried to burn me
And stopped up my ears that no one should learn me
But the lady beside me is the one I have chosen
To walk through my life like a coat from the cold
I have flown like a bird from each cage that confined me
And broken every one of the ties that bind me
And I have danced me around some sad ol' situations
And taken my share of them sweet temptations
But the lady beside me is the one I have chosen
To walk through my life like a coat from the cold
Oh a time there was I was feelin' so hopeless
It's a wonder I didn't cave in
I kept throwing love at all the wrong people
Never to see it again.
Chorus
Oh Lord won't you look what I've found
Starin' me right in the face
I'm through bein lonely I'm through bein sad
[ Lyrics provided by www.mp3lyrics.org ]
I'm all through throwin' good love after bad.
When I think of all the time I have wasted
Wearin' my hear on my sleeve
Entrusting my love to the kindness of strangers
Oh I was so naive
I beg your pardon mama what did you say
My mind was drifting on a Martinque day
It's not that I'm not interested you see
Augusta Georgia is just no place to be
Just think Jamaica in the moonlight
Sandy beaches drinking rum every night
We've got no money mama but we can go
We'll split the difference and go to Coconut grove
Just keep on talking momma I can hear
Your voice it tickles down inside of my ear
I feel a tropical vacation this year
Might be the answer to that Hillbilly beer
Oh just think Jamaica...
Voila an American dream
We can travel girl without any means
When it's as easy as closing your eyes
And dream Jamaica is a big neon sign
Just keep on talking mama I like that sound
It goes so good with that rain pouring down
I feel a tropical vacation this year
Might be the answer to that Hillbilly beer
I threw a rock through your window
Just to let you know I love you
Just to let you know I care and I ain't scared
To have you see how I feel
I blew a kiss through your keyhole
Just to let you know I'm breathin'
Just to try and smack you in the heart
If I was smart, I'd give up and go back home
I'm not tryin' to say I'm sorry, I'm tryin' to say I love you
I'm not tryin' to make excuses, nor set myself above you
I'm not tryin' to rearrange it, I'm not sayin' I can change it
The only thing I'm tryin' to do is try
I was hidin' by the back porch
Just to try and catch you leavin'
Just to try and catch you unaware, I don't care
If that ain't fair, I ain't proud
I'm not tryin' to say I'm sorry, I'm tryin' to say I love you
I'm not tryin' to make excuses, nor set myself above you
I'm not tryin' to rearrange it, I'm not sayin' I can change it
The only thing I'm tryin' to do is try
I leaned on your doorbell
Just to see if you would answer
Just to see if you would open up, no such luck
I'll come back when you calm down
I'm not tryin' to say I'm sorry, I'm tryin' to say I love you
I'm not tryin' to make excuses, nor set myself above you
I'm not tryin' to rearrange it, I'm not sayin' I can change it
The only thing I'm tryin' to do is try
I'm not tryin' to say I'm sorry, I'm tryin' to say I love you
I'm not tryin' to make excuses, nor set myself above you
I'm not tryin' to rearrange it, I'm not sayin' I can change it
Too much workin'll make your back ache
Too much trouble'll bring you a heartbreak
Too much gravy'll make you fat
Too much rain'll ruin your hat
Too much coffee'll race your heart tick
Too much road'll make you homesick
Too much money'll make you lazy
Too much whiskey'll drive you crazy
Too much just ain't enough
Too much ain't near enough
Breathin' 'bout the only thing
I do too much of ain't enough
Too much limo'll stretch your budget
Too much diet'll make you fudge it
Too much fluff'll make you show it
Too much pressure'll make you blow it
Too much onion'll make you weepy
Too much preachin'll make you sleepy
Too much Mexican food'll fill you
Too much honky tonk'll kill you
Too much just ain't enough
Too much ain't near enough
Breathin' 'bout the only thing
I do too much of ain't enough now
Too much hot rod'll get you a ticket
Too much dog'll make you kick it
Too much hidin' out'll find you
Too much you-know-what'll blind you
Too much wrist watch'll make you hurry
Too much waitin'll make you worry
Too much smokin'll give you cancer
Too much cocaine ain't the answer
Too much just ain't enough
Too much ain't near enough
Breathin' 'bout the only thing
I do too much of ain't enough now
Too much walkin'll wear your shoes out
Too much juice'll blow your fuse out
Too much time'll fill your hands up
Too much speed'll wire the band up
Too much chip'll bruise your shoulder
Too much birthday'll make you older
Too much map has always lost me
Too much fun has always cost me
Too much just ain't enough
Too much ain't near enough
Breathin' 'bout the only thing
I do too much of ain't enough
Too much, too much
[Incomprehensible]
Breathin' 'bout the only thing
And that old time feelin' goes sneakin' down the hall
Like an old gray cat in winter, keepin' close to the wall
And that old time feelin' comes stumblin' up the street
Like an old salesman kickin' the papers from his feet
Oh, and that old time feelin' draws circles around the block
Like old women with no children, holdin' hands with the clock
And that old time feelin' falls on it's face in the park
Like and old wino prayin' and he can make it 'til it's dark
Oh, and that old time feelin' comes and goes in the rain
Like an old man with his checkers, dyin' to find a game
That old time feelin' plays for beer in bars
Like and old blues time picker who don't recall who you are
Oh, and that old time feelin' limps through the night on a crutch
Like an old soldier wonderin' if he's paid too much
And that old time feelin' rocks and spits, and cries
Like and old lover rememberin' the girl with the clear blue eyes
And that old time feelin' goes sneakin' down the hall
Well I'm going down to Austin, Texas
I'm going down to save my soul
Get that barbeque and chili
Eat my fill then come back home
I'm gonna take my baby with me
We gonna have a high ol' time
We gonna eat till we get silly
Sho' do make a beer taste fine
Oh my, momma ain't that Texas cookin' something
Oh my, momma it'll stop yo' belly and backbone bumpin'
Oh my, momma ain't that Texas cookin' good
Oh my, momma eat it everyday if I could alright
I know a man that cook armadillo
Tastes so sweet he calls it pie
I know a woman makes pan Dulce
Tastes so good it gets you high
Get them enchiladas greasy
Get them steaks chicken fried
Sho' do make a man feel happy
To see white gravy on the side
Oh my, momma ain't that Texas cookin' something
Oh my, momma it'll stop yo' belly and backbone bumpin'
Oh my, momma ain't that Texas cookin' good
Oh my, momma eat it everyday if I could
I know a place that got fried okra
Beat anything I ever saw
I know a man that cook cabrito
It must be against the law
We gonna get a big ol' sausage
A big ol' plate of ranch style beans
I could eat the heart of Texas
We gonna need some brand new jeans
Oh my, momma ain't that Texas cookin' something
Oh my, momma it'll stop yo' belly and backbone bumpin'
Oh my, momma ain't that Texas cookin' good
Oh my, momma eat it everyday if I could
Oh my, momma ain't that Texas cookin' something
Oh my, momma it'll stop yo' belly and backbone bumpin'
Oh my, momma ain't that Texas cookin' good
Well, he used to be a pretty good rodeo clown
People loved to watch him horse around
When that rank black bucked em all down
He was a pretty good rodeo clown
Till he met the gal who sold the souvenirs
He could make her smile from ear to ear
They stayed up all night drinkin rodeo beer
He was a pretty good rodeo clown
He dont laugh much anymore
Since she locked her trailer door
Tears and grease paint will not mix
And old dogs will not learn new tricks
Hes got that smile painted on,
nobody knows somethins wrong
She broke his funny bone
Broke his funny bone
When that new young bull rider came on the circuit
Oh in about, eight seconds flat she was gone
Now he asks himself if she was worth it
You can hide your heart in a barrel for just so long
He dont laugh much anymore
Since she locked her trailer door
Tears and grease paint will not mix
And old dogs will not learn new tricks
Hes got that smile painted on,
and we all knew what was wrong
Now bein' six years old, I had seen some trains before,
so it's hard to figure out what I'm at the depot for.
Trains are big and black and smokin' - steam screamin' at the wheels,
bigger than anything they is, at least that's the way she feels
Trains are big and black and smokin', louder'n July four,
but everybody's actin' like this might be somethin' more. . .
. . .than just pickin' up the mail, or the soldiers from the war.
This is somethin' that even old man Wileman never seen before.
And it's late afternoon on a hot Texas day.
somethin' strange is goin' on, and we's all in the way.
Well there's fifty or sixty people they're just sittin' on their cars,
and the old men left their dominos and they come down from the bars.
Everybody's checkin', old Jack Kittrel check his watch,
and us kids put our ears to the rails to hear 'em pop.
So we already knowed it, when they finally said 'train time'
you'd a-thought that Jesus Christ his-self was rollin' down the line.
'Cause things got real quiet, momma jerked me back,
But not before I'd got the chance to lay a nickel on the track.
Look out here she comes, she's comin',
Look out there she goes, she's gone,
screamin' straight through Texas
like a mad dog cyclone.
Big, red, and silver,
she don't make no smoke,
she's a fast-rollin' streamline
come to show the folks.
Look out here she comes, she's comin'
Look out there she goes, she's gone,
screamin' straight through Texas
like a mad dog cyclone.
. . .Lord, she never even stopped.
She left fifty or sixty people still sittin' on their cars,
and they're wonderin' what it's comin' to
and how it got this far.
Oh but me I got a nickel smashed flatter than a dime
by a mad dog, runaway red-silver streamline. . . train
Look out here she comes, she's comin',
Look out there she goes, she's gone,
screamin' straight through Texas
He singin' what is that sound? What is that noise?
I cannot figure it out for the life of me boys
Is it the coast guard or is it the wind?
Is it the mother ship comin' again?
Convicted on charges of supply and demand
He was unloadin' the American Dream
Caught in the middle of a bigger plan
It was a South American scheme
He is no smuggler he is a fisherman
All of his debts they're owed to the sea
Some call it justice but it just ain't right
This ain't live and let live and let be
He singin' what is that sound? What is that noise?
I cannot figure it out for the life of me boys
Is it the coast guard or is it the wind?
Or is it the mother ship comin' again?
Layin' in his cell and thinkin' 'bout Ulysses
How he picked up his oar and walked away from the sea
Until someone said you ain't from round here, are you?
And that's how far away he feels
He thinks of his wife and he thinks of his children
And thinks about 'em takin' his boat
He thinks about the killer in the bunk below
And he's tryin' to keep his hopes afloat
He singin' what is that sound? What is that noise?
I cannot figure it out for the life of me boys
Is it the coast guard or is it the wind?
Is it the mother ship comin' again?
He singin' what is that sound? What is that noise?
I cannot figure it out for the life of me boys
Is it the coast guard or is it the wind?
Now what's up with the walkin' man
I wonder where he's gone
Marchin' down to Birmingham
I think I'll tag along
Was a walkin' man come by here
A hundred years ago
Walkin' down the trail of tears
Out to Oklahom-i-o out to Oklahome
Hand me down my walkin' shoes
Hand me down my cane
Tune me up my mandolin
I'll be on my way, hey sure does smell like rain
Woody Guthrie was a walkin' man
In the dust bowl days
Had a six string guitar in his hands
He killed a fascist every day
Chuck Berry is a walkin' man
So was Ghandi too
Lace me up my ol' Brogans
That's just what I'll do
I got walkin' left to do
Hand me down my walkin' shoes
Hand me down my cane
Tune me up my mandolin
I'll be on my way, hey
If I had shoes like the walkin' man
Tell you what I'd do
I'd walk away and not come back
Now the Houston Kid's got a new pair of jeans
But he's got no soap, he got no washing machine
Now the Houston Kid he's feelin' tight and he's mean
And he's tryin' to figure out how his pants got clean Well, he's doin' his wash in a tub full of whiskey
Hangin' his threads on a very thin line
Tryin' to tell the man in charge of the dryers
What a great job he's doin' fakin' sunshine Now the Houston Kid he seems hard pressed'Cause he hit the world naked, now he's headed back dressed
As the Houston Kid, no more and no less
If your dice fit your pocket then your pants pass the test Well, he's doin' his wash in a tub full of whiskey
Hangin' his threads on a very thin line
Tryin' to tell the man in charge of the dryers
What a great job he's doin' fakin' sunshine Now some say the Houston Kid is bent
But if you've got to do your wash
Then you've got to pay some rent
So the Houston Kid he just up and he went
And love could buy back the dimes that he'd spent Well, he's doin' his wash in a tub full of whiskey
Hangin' his threads on a very thin line
Tryin' to tell the man in charge of the dryers
The last time it snowed in Del Rio hell froze
I could not believe that I missed it
So far from the border so close to the line
Son I almost got down and kissed it
But it's too far from home and it's too late to look back
Two times a night make it tough
Bee Spears showed me the day that I met him
Too much ain't never enough
Lord this old road she's enough to make you holler
Holler Calf-Rope -- Make you holler Calf-Rope
Let me just say that the road to good intentions
Is paved with the fools I've been
You can get up or stay up, it's all the same com sunup
All you got to do it is go again
Lord this old road she's enough to make you holler
Holler Calf-Rope-- Make you holler Calf-Rope
Calf-Rope-- Make you your
Nose to the road grind runnin' right on road time
Gone deaf dumb and road blind you can chalk it up to road crime
It's a fool of the road kind tryin' to make the road rhyme with
I ain't lookin' for trouble
I can't stay here tonight
I got to leave here on the double
If I want to see the morning light
Don't need no pistol for the tickets
I've got just enough to get us down the line
I don't know what happens next
Your guess is just as good as mine
Chorus
Move with me Magdalene
I'm tired of the same old scene
There's a greyhound leaving at midnight
If you came with me it'd be like a dream
Come on Magdalene
Move with me Magdalene
Verse
I've heard Mexico is easy
I wouldn't stay here if I could
Don't come along just to please you
Let's go while the going's good
Chorus
Move with me Magdalene
I'm tired of the same old scene
Let's go down to San Miguel
Let's go be somebody else tonight
Come on Magdalene
There's a greyhound leaving at midnight
If you came with me it'd be like a dream
Come on Magdalene
Well the sky was blacker than a funeral suit
Hotter than a depot stove
Hide in the cellar
Here comes Amarillo
Blowin' down the road
Ya got yer hail stones big as hen eggs boy
Yer clouds as green can be
Old mother natures raisin hell
She parked a pickup in a tree
Tornado time in Texas
Take the paint right off of your barn
Tornado time in Texas
Blow the tattoo off your arm
Well when pigs fly, no I mean really fly
You can bet that it's blowin' hard
Uncle Clarence was sittin' in the outhouse
Now he's sitting in the yard
Granny's got the barn cat under her arm
She's got a dish pan over her head
Daddy's countin' kids four five six
Better bring a loaf of bread
Tornado time in Texas
Take the paint right off of your barn
Tornado time in Texas
Blow the tattoo off your arm
Hidin' in the cellar with the cannin' jars
Sounds like a train up top
Hold your breath and peek outside
To see what we ain't got
It'll take your wheat, it'll take your corn
Even take your cotton balls
Suck red river just as dry as a bone
Dump it on Wichita falls
Tornado time in Texas
Take the paint right off of your barn
Tornado time in Texas
I've smeared my heart on my sleeve
I've tagged my name on the wall
It's prob'ly time for me to leave
Actin' big and talkin' small
I've tracked blood in on the floor
I put my first through the wall
I've dragged trouble through the door
And I've spilled wine on it all
(chorus)
Maybe I can paint over that
It'll prob'ly bleed through
Maybe I can paint over that
But I can't hide it from you
I've got some ink beneath my skin
A good idea at the time
I won't be doing that again
Not with any arm of mine
And I have stumbled in my time
I left my footprints down the road
And the part of me that shines
Ain't the part of me that's showed
Well, the bus pulled away
In a roaring black cloud
I stood in the road
Honey, I hollered right out loud
Hey, darlin', I love you
Hey, bus driver, whoa
But you can't stop a woman
Who is out of control
Oh, she's crazy for leavin'
I told her so
When the boys at the bus stop
Just said, “Man, let her go”
She's crazy for leavin'
I told her so
But you can't stop a woman
Who is out of control
So, I punched out my truck
On a telephone pole
Whoa, she never looked back
She just said, “Go driver, go”
Well I know, I could have stopped her
But I ran out of luck
She was long gone to Lufkin
By the time they cut me out of my truck
Oh, she's crazy for leavin'
I told her so
When the boys at the bus stop
Just said, “Man, let her go”
She's crazy for leavin'
I told her so
But you can't stop a woman
Who is out of control
So, I kicked and I cursed
That old east Texas road
I throwed rocks at my truck
Which had busted my nose
You add insult to injury
What do you get?
Get a bus stop full of honkies
That don't ever forget
Oh, she's crazy for leavin'
I told her so
When the boys at the bus stop
Just said, “Man, let her go”
She's crazy for leavin'
I told her so
But you can't stop a woman
Who is out of control
Oh, she's crazy for leavin'
I told her so
When the bus, people, lady
Just said, “Umm, I don't know”
She's crazy for leavin'
I told her so
But you can't stop a woman
Now There's a man you'll hear about
Most anywhere you go,
And his holdings are in Texas
And his name is Diamond Joe.
And he carries all his money
In a diamond-studded jar.
He never took much trouble
With the process of the law.
I hired out to Diamond Joe, boys,
Did offer him my hand,
He gave a string of horses
So old they could not stand.
And I nearly starved to death, boys,
He did mistreat me so,
And I never saved a dollar
In the pay of Diamond Joe.
Now his bread it was corn dodger
And his meat you couldn't chaw,
Nearly drove me crazy
With the waggin' of his jaw.
And the tellin' of his story,
Mean to let you know
That there never was a rounder
That could lie like Diamond Joe.
Now, I tried three times to quit him,
But he did argue so
I'm still punchin' cattle
In the pay of Diamond Joe.
And when I'm called up yonder
And it's my time to go,
Coleman Bonner was a fiddle playin' fool
He's a backwoods rounder and a breaker of mules
Coleman Bonner's got a wore out bow
He's been playin' two days down the new cut road
Coleman's little sister said you better act right Coleman
Daddy's gone to Louisville he'll be back tonight
He's gonna get another wagon and a good pair of mules
And we gonna move to Texas we just waitin' on you
Now Coleman's daddy he pulled up in the yard
He said pack up your lives kids it's gettin' too hard
Kentucky's alright but there's too many people
Oh just the other day I thought I saw a church steeple
Nope Coleman said daddy don't you worry bout me
I'm gonna stay here in Kentucky till the day I D
I'm gonna drink that sour mash and gonna race that mare
And find that woman with the fox red hair
Now you all been movin' west since the day you got married
Well I'm gettin' off the wagon daddy I'm too old to be carried
Gonna stay here in Kentucky where that bluegrass grow
I'm gonna play it all night down the new cut road
Now Coleman's daddy said what's it all comn' to
Young people these days are just as stubborn as mules
You can't make him go he's too old for that
It's that damned old fiddle and that bowler hat
Now Coleman's mama said let the boy stay
Cause he's raised up solid and he can find his own way
But as for me honey I'm with you
I always thought Kentucky was just passin' through
Now Coleman's little sister then she started into a cryin'
And his daddy shook his head for the very last time
Coleman's mama said somebody's gotta do it
Wouldn't be no Kentucky less you didn't stick to it Coleman
Coleman Booner stood on the porch of that cabin
And he watched 'em all go to Texas in a covered wagon
He pulled out his fiddle and he rosined up his bow
If I needed you would you come to me?
Would you come to me and ease my pain?
If you needed me I would come to you
I'd swim the seas for to ease your pain
In the night forlorn, oh, the morning's born
And the morning shines with the lights of love
You will miss sunrise if you close your eyes
That would break my heart in two
The lady's with me now since I showed her how
To lay her lily hand in mine
Loop and Lil agree she's a sight to see
And a treasure for the poor to find
If I needed you would you come to me?
Would you come to me and ease my pain?
If you needed me I would come to you
Give me just one more sip of that Worry B Gone
I'm planning on feelin' much better before too long
Got a world of trouble that I need to forget
I'm on my way but I ain't there yet
Give me just one more sip of that Worry B Gone
Everywhere I look, trouble is all I see
Can't listen to the radio, I can't stand TV
Well, I've got trouble with the air, trouble with the water
People ain't treating one another like the other
Give me just one more sip of that Worry B Gone
Don't wanna hear no preacher preachin'
No more politician bitchin'
All those songs about love gone wrong
Got me wonderin' where my baby's gone
Well, I can't suffer for wastin' my time
Don't give me no advise that rime
Just give just one more puff of that Worry B Gone
Don't wanna hear no preacher preachin'
No more politician bitchin'
All those songs about love gone wrong
Got me wonderin' where my baby's gone
Give me just one more hit of that Worry B Gone
Yeah, give me just one more sip of that Worry B Gone
Here comes Martha runnin' down the pier
looks like Captain Flint is here
You get the bow and I get the stern
Lord would you look at that Laverne
Old Flint's got shrimp from the deep blue sea
and buckets of fish for you and me
Chorus
Old Flint's boat is fine and she's called the Miss-Inclined
and there's no home port painted on her stern
and they say she's like a ghost up and down that Texas coast
but you saw him didn't you Laverne
Daddy says Flint is a weird old bird
and what's more I have heard
that his nets are charmed by a woman who knew
how to work that Louisiana voo-doo
Laverne get away from that boat you hear
your mama don't want you hangin' round here
Chorus
Martha, Martha won't you tell me please
that it's not Laverne that I see
there on the deck of the Miss-Inclined
with Captain Flint I must be blind
Laverne girl what's the matter with you
old Captain Flint put a spell on you
I was sittin' on the fender of someone else's truck
Drinkin' Old Crow whisky, hot 7UP
Out in the parking lot
You can hear the band are playin' right through the wall
Ain't no cover charge, there ain't no last call
Out in the parking lot
Now there's a couple of cowpokes puttin' up there dukes
Wasn't much to it after both of 'em puked
Out in the parking lot
Now someone called the police and the police finally came
And they wrote 'em a couple of tickets
And they took a couple of names out in the parking lot
I love to see the neon dancin' on the gravel
I love to hear the pickup trucks come unraveled
And some have given up, some have given in
Looks like everybody's lookin' for a friend
Out in the parking lot
Oops, there's a couple who could not wait to get home
Now they're probably in love, so let's leave them alone
Out in the parking lot
Now the band is on the bus, they're all loaded up to leave
But the drummer's got a girlfriend and she's tuggin' at his sleeve
Out in the parking lot
I love to see the neon dancin' on the gravel
I love to hear the pickup trucks come unraveled
Some have given up, some have given in
Looks like everybody's lookin' for a friend
Out in the parking lot
Now everybody's gone, they've shut out all the lights
The dust begins to settle and it's never been so quiet
Cowboys and Indians and trees he could climb
Tomorrow came too fast but he didn't mind
Ah, the distance was short, so light it again
It don't take no time to get where I am
But one paper kid wasn't really so mean
Just a little bit scared and a little bit green
And he'd heard of a place and it was legal to dream
So he sat with his coffee in a blue Texas wind
Wrote on a rock ''The one paper kid is rolling again''
Ah, the driver was drunk or he just didn't see
The future was there, it'll happen to me
And all the time that he'd wasted was his once again
Ah, it never takes long to get where you've been
There's broken hearts scattered all over the past
And old bad memories trying to last
Whiskey and women and growing up fast
Fussing and loving and itching like grass
Hell that one paper kid wasn't really so mean
Just a little bit weird 'cause the times were so lean
Now he's gone to a place where it's legal to dream
No camels, no coffee, no cold morning winds
And it's written on a rock "The one paper kid, he's rolling again"
I ain't gonna sing no lonesome tune
Ah, babe, I'm a comin' soon
I cannot believe I stayed so long away
But a man must look around
You're the sweetest thing I've found
All your lost high roller's rollin' home today
Well, my Daddy said to me
"Son, it's hard as you will see
To find someone upon whom to rely
In the kitchen, Mama sneezed
And he grinned big as you please
Said, "Bless you" and a tear come to his eye
I did decide that very day
That I would like to live that way
And now I know I just been wastin' time
It's with you that I should be
If you feel the same 'bout me
Well I'm headed home along the straightest line
I ain't gonna sing no lonesome tune
Ah, babe, I'm a comin' soon
I cannot believe I stayed so long away
But a man must look around
You're the sweetest thing I've found
Frankie D. said he got it
Straight from Roger Miller
Life just like takin' candy
From a gorilla
I started thinkin' man
This ain't so tough
That's about the time
That the monkey showed up
Sometimes I can't find
My heart with both hands
I usually got my head stuck
Down in the sand
I start to feel like
I can't even breathe
What's the little
breath of fresh air
Blowin' up my sleeve
Chorus
Must be my baby hey hey hey
She can make the Mississippi River
Run the other way
Must be my baby just in time
How she always know when
I'm about to lose my mind
Sometimes it feels like
Everything a drag
I could not smile my way
Out of a wet paper bag
It gets so dark
That the clock stops tickin'
It's just like night and day
Was playin' chicken
I'm ridin' on the boiler of
a long black train
Tryin' to find the brakes
In a drivin' rain
I got smokestack
lightning' pourin out
the funnel
What's the little light at
the end of the tunnel
Now, a ramblin' Jack Elliot said, "I got these lines in my face
Tryin' to straighten out the wrinkles in my life
When I think of all the fools I've been
It's a wonder that I've sailed this many miles"
To which Larry Mahan replied, he said, "The sweet bird of youth
Was sittin' on my shoulder yesterday
But she's always changin' partners
And I always knew she'd up and fly away"
Let's stayin' up all night in the Driskill Hotel
Ramblin' Jack and Mahan was cowboyed all to hell
And the room smelled like bulls, the words sound like songs
Now, there's a pair to draw to boys, I would not steer you wrong
So, ol' ramblin' Jack said, he said, "I recall a time
I set my soul on fire just for show
All it ever taught me was
The more I learn the less I seem to know"
Ol' Mahan crawled out from behind a couch and said, "Jack"
He said, "As far as I can see, mistakes are only horses in disguise
Ain't no need to ride 'em over
'Cause we could not ride them different if we tried"
And let's stayin' up all night in the Driskill Hotel
Ramblin' Jack and Mahan was cowboyed all to hell
And the room smelled like bulls, the words sound like songs
Now, there's a pair to draw to boys, I would not steer you wrong, ooh
Stayin' up all night in the Driskill Hotel, ooh
Ramblin' Jack and Mahan was cowboyed all to hell
And the room smelled like bulls, the words sound like songs
Now, there's a pair to draw to boys, I would not steer you wrong
I like drinking whiskey
I like being straight
I like a voodoo spinners
And I like live bait
I like a hundred miles an hour
I like Sunday driving too
I like being alone with me
I like being alone with you
Chorus
Give me a bowl of chili
Give me milk and toast
As long as you're dishing it out Lord
I'll take a little of both
I could do with someone
But I could do without
Sometimes you feel like dancing
Sometimes like sitting it out
I like staying at home
And I like going to town
(in actual song it's: "And I can't help going to town")
As long as I got a choice
I can't turn nothing down
Chorus
(Spoken) Put a little gravy on everything for me
Solo
Somtimes I like to fly
Sometimes I have to crawl,
Sometimes I'm cool as ice
Sometimes I'm climbin' the wall
Sometimes it's just the money
Sometimes it's just a game
Six of one and half-a-dozen
Of another is all the same
Kick your shoes off in the corner, mama
Tuck the babies all up snug
Sis Draper's comin' over
We all gonna cut a rug
When you see that lantern swingin' yonder
Comin' up the Holler Road
Them dogs'll get to barkin'
Ought to tie? em all up with a rope
You boys better get in tune
Sis Draper's gonna be here soon
Don't shoot no dice nor get too tight
If you're gonna pick with Sis tonight
She came down from the Boston mountains
There was lightnin' in the air
Honey on them fiddle strings
Magnolia in her hair
She's a diamond in the rough
If you can't see the shine that's tough
Play all night for the likes of us
Sis Draper's got the touch
She'll play all night if she feels like it
Have some fruit punch if you spike it
Sis don't care who don't like it
See, ol' Sis has got a Hell of a bow arm on her
She stepped up and sawed one off
And uncle Cleve dropped his jaw
Said she's the best I ever saw
She must be from Arkansas
I think grandpa used to date her
Grandma says she still hates her
All the fella? s stand up straighter
In the presence of Sis Draper
Sis Draper is the devil's daughter
Plays the fiddle, daddy bought her
Plays it like her mama taught her
She's a travelin' Arkansawyer
Put her fiddle in a box
Said it's getting awful late
She's on her way to Little Rock
And Little Rock can't wait
So we all stood out in the yard
Hands all full of watermelon
Watcher her leave watched her go
Wishin' I was in that wagon
Sis Draper is the devil's daughter
Plays the fiddle, daddy bought her
Plays it like her mama taught her
