• Lyrics: play full screen play karaoke
• Signs Following - Kate Campbell
• Older Angel - Kate Campbell
• Now Is The Day Of Salvation - Kate Campbell
• More Than One More Day - Kate Campbell
• Mississippi And Me - Kate Campbell
• Lord Help The Poor And Needy - Kate Campbell
• Look Away - Kate Campbell
• Locust Years - Kate Campbell
• Like A Buffalo - Kate Campbell
• Lay Back The Darkness - Kate Campbell
• Lanterns On The Levee - Kate Campbell
• Joe Louis' Furniture - Kate Campbell
• Jesus And Tomatoes - Kate Campbell
• Jerusalem Inn - Kate Campbell
• In My Mother's House - Kate Campbell
• If I Ever Get To Heaven - Kate Campbell
• Heart of Hearts - Kate Campbell
• God Of Grace And God Of Glory - Kate Campbell
• Genesis Blues - Kate Campbell
• Galaxie 500 - Kate Campbell
• Funeral Food - Kate Campbell
• Free World - Kate Campbell
• Fade to Blue - Kate Campbell
• Faces In The Water - Kate Campbell
• Delmus Jackson - Kate Campbell
• Deep Tang - Kate Campbell
• Dark Night Of The Soul - Kate Campbell
• Bus 109 - Kate Campbell
• Bury Me In Bluegrass - Kate Campbell
• Bud's Sea-mint Boat - Kate Campbell
• Bear It Away - Kate Campbell
• A Perfect World - Kate Campbell
• A Cotton Field Away - Kate Campbell
• 10.000 Lures - Kate Campbell
• Yellow Guitar - Kate Campbell
• Wild Iris - Kate Campbell
• Who Will Pray For Junior - Kate Campbell
• Walk Among Stones - Kate Campbell
• Waiting For The Weather To Break - Kate Campbell
• Visions Of Plenty - Kate Campbell
• Twang On A Wire - Kate Campbell
• Trains Don't Run From Nashville - Kate Campbell
• This Side Of Heaven - Kate Campbell
• The Last Song - Kate Campbell
• South Of Everything - Kate Campbell
• Sorrowfree - Kate Campbell
• Sing Me Out - Kate Campbell
• Kate Campbell - Kate Campbell
• Rosa's Coronas - Kate Campbell
• Porcelain Blue - Kate Campbell

He used to preach the end of time was near
Set your house in order before the Lord appears
Be not deceived by Satan’s demonry
Brethren, let the Spirit lead
Some say the devil took a hold of him that night
Spirits from the bottle led his soul awry
He forced her hand into the rattler’s cage
Domestic violence with a holy rage
Reach down, pick up
Have faith, live right
If you believe signs following
The snake will not bite
Twelve good apostles decided his fate
Ninety-nine to life the judge proclaimed
But somewhere on Sand Mountain a woman needs no proof

I don’t know who dug this hole we’re standing in
All I know is that it’s dark and deep
We’ve cried out to heaven and lifted up our hands
But I kind of got this feeling we ain’t getting nowhere
We need an older angel if we’re gonna make it through
One who’s been around this block we’re on a time or two
If he knows all the angles then we might have a prayer
We need an older angel tonight if we’re gonna get there
People make their choices I have heard it said
Maybe that’s the truth or maybe not
When you’re lying in this clover with a bullet in your
heart
Tell me what it really matters when the shooter finds the
mark
One who knows the score
Who’s walked through the doors of heaven
One who’s been around

Now is the day of salvation
Now is the time to be set free
And it’s yours for the taking
The moment you believe
Now is the day of salvation
Now is the time to be set free
And there is no condemnation
The moment you believe
Like the man on the cross next to Jesus
Who had lived a life of crime
It wasn’t too late for forgiveness
Jesus promised he’d wake up in paradise
Paul and Silas were singing in prison
When at midnight the doors opened wide
The jailer asked what must I do to be saved

People say forever like it’s no big deal
Promise that they’ll never when they probably will.
Act as though they’ve got some kind of crystal ball or key
To let them see exactly what the future’s gonna be.
The rivers that we thought would always run go dry
Stars burn brightly then they fade away
I don’t know how long this love will be strong
But it’s more than one more day.
Kings and ancient empires we thought would always stand
Crumble into nothing under wind and sand.
Who can say how long they’re gonna feel the way they feel
All I know is right here by your side I know it’s real.
Rivers that we thought would always run go dry.
Stars burn brightly, then they fade away.
I don’t know how long
This love will be strong
But it’s more than one more day.
Time’s just a second hand that ticks away
What is forever but a string of one more day
I don’t know how long
Our love will be strong
But it’s more than one more day.

Daddy was a preacher in Sledge
We were living on gospel and beans
Every Sunday night Deacon Jones
Would give a silver dollar to me
On the way home my poor momma
Would pry it from my hand
And say it fell from heaven
Way down in me a river runs deep
Reminding me just who I am
Good or bad it'll always be
Mississippi and me
Mississippi and me
Cissy was a beautician next door
She had the worst hair-do in town
She always smoked Pall Malls and drank Tabs
And hung out at the Delta Lounge
But I heard she finally found herself
She runs the best motel
In West Memphis, Arkansas
Way down in me a river runs deep
Reminding me just who I am
Good or bad it'll always be
Mississippi and me
Mississippi and me
Mr. Thomas Lee ran the bank
And made a fortune on catfish farms
Every time you'd try for a loan
You had to twist his arm
I heard one night in Tupelo
He stepped out of a window
He thought he was Elvis
Way down in me a river runs deep
Reminding me just who I am
Good or bad it'll always be
Mississippi and me
Mississippi and me

Lord help
The poor and needy
In this land
In this land
Lord help
The poor and needy
In this land
In this land
When we all
Rise together
And face
The rising sun
Lord help
The poor and needy
In this land
In this land
Lord help
The gambling man
In this land
In this land
Lord help
The gambling man
In this land
In this land
When we all
Rise together
And face
The rising sun
Lord help
The poor and needy
In this land
In this land
Lord help
The sinner man
In this land
In this land
Lord help
The sinner man
In this land
In this land
When we all
Rise together
And face
The rising sun
Lord help
The sinner man
In this land
In this land
Lord help
The motherless children
In this land
In this land
Lord help
The motherless children
In this land
In this land
When we all
Rise together
And face
The rising sun
Lord help
The motherless children
In this land
In this land
Lord help
The war-torn peoples
In this world
In this world
Lord help
The war-torn peoples
In this world
In this world
When we all
Rise together
And face the rising sun
Lord help
The war-torn peoples
In this world

I can still recall the night
Lightning burned the mansion down
We all stood in out pajamas
On that hallowed southern ground
When the flames had turned to ashes
Only blackened bricks remained
And sixteen stately Doric columns
There beneath a veil of gray
And it's a long
And slow surrender
Retreating from the past
It's important to remember
To fly the flag half-mast
And look away
I was taught by elders wiser
Love your neighbor, love your God
Never saw a cross on fire
Never saw an angry mob
I saw sweet magnolia blossoms
I chased lightening bugs at night
Never dreaming others
Saw our way of life
In black and white
Part of me hears voices crying
Part of me can feel their weight
Part of me believes that mansion

He built his life with his hands
Put all he had into the land
They came from nowhere on a cold dark wind
The harvest disappeared
But he survived the locust years
It hurt to hear her baby cry
Worked two jobs to get by
Convinced herself she never needed a man
Holding back the tears
She survived the locust years
When I lay next to you in your arms
I know the world can do us no harm
And like the thorns protect the rose
I am safe with you
I know a place inside a dream
Where rivers run through fields of green
A quiet valley that never lives in fear
I will meet you there
If we survive the locust years

It sounded like a thousand hooves
Running 'cross the plains
It felt like an earthquake
When I first saw your face
You were standing like a rock
And suddenly I knew
From that moment on
I belonged to you
Like the sound of distant thunder
Your heart beats next to mine
With love strong enough to stand the test of time
And I will follow you no matter where you roam
I like a man like a buffalo
I like a man like a buffalo
Where have all the real men gone?
Did we run 'em off?
In searching for a better way
Did we just get lost?
When I look around these days
I thank the Lord for you
'Cause you're a field of open range
And I'm the sky of blue
Like the sound of distant thunder
Your heart beats next to mine
With love strong enough to stand the test of time
And I will follow you no matter where you roam
I like a man like a buffalo
I like a man like a buffalo
And I will follow you no matter where you roam
I like a man like a buffalo

How many times
Have I stood
By the river
And could not see
To the other side
Hoping like moses
The clouds
Would be lifted
Stretch out my hand
The waters divide
Lay back the darkness
Let in the light
Take all the wrongs
Make them all right
And if I could
Lay down these blues
For good
For so long I'm standing
Alone at the crossroad
Praying for someone
To give me a ride
Watching as slowly
Shadows come crawling
But nobody knows me
They all pass me by
We're all
Born to trouble
In troubling times
This world has a way
Of wearing us down
But the earth
Keeps on turning
Night turns to day
And every new morning

You can fall like the rain
And I will be a river
Winding forever
You have always been a rock
A silent hurricane
A light of focus when I could not see
Now I want you to know
If there comes a need
You can count on me
You can fall like the rain
And I will be a river
Winding forever, strong and true
I'll carry you away
To the peaceful water
And lanterns on the levee
Will shine for you
There are storms on the horizon
That you won't even see
Until the cold relentless winds appear
But you won't have to worry
No, you won't have to fear
There's shelter here
You can fall like the rain
And I will be a river
Winding forever, strong and true
I'll carry you away
To the peaceful water
And lanterns on the levee
Will shine for you
No, you won't have to worry
You won't have to fear
I'll be here
You can fall like the rain
And I will be a river
Winding forever, strong and true
I'll carry you away
To the peaceful water
And lanterns on the levee

I've got a coffee table
Made of mahogany
With cigarette burns
And water rings
But that don't bother me
I bought it at an auction
Ten years ago
I put my feet up on it
And watch the fights on HBO
Float like a butterfly
Sting like a bee
I am the greatest
Said Muhammad Ali
Oh, but I've got Joe Louis'
Furniture in my den
Twelve years running world
Heavyweight champion
And in my book well
He's the best
There's ever been
And you can't take
That away from him
He came from Alabama
He didn't come from much
He fought his way up
To the top
Then lost his money
To the government
So here I sit
In his old chair
Something about this
Don't seem fair
Now I've worked hard
All my life
With nothing
To show for it

I bought a pack of seeds
Tennessee Bradleys
The best homegrown you'll find
How it happened I don't know
Must've been the Miracle-Gro
Oh, I could not believe my eyes
In my tomato bed
A holy image blood red
Smile, God loves you
I see him on the vine
This just might be a sign
Help me I'm confused
So many brands to choose
Jesus and tomatoes coming soon
Folks came from miles around
They laid their money down
To see that ripe phenomenon
It even made the evening news
And had a website too
This vegetable from heaven
(Or is it a fruit)
What rose up from the dirt
Now sells on t-shirts
The profits kept rolling in
I prayed they'd never end
And filed for tax exemption
I heard a knocking at my door
It was a lawyer for the Lord
Saying don't do this no more
I said come and dine with me

If you're traveling down a dead-end road
And need a place to lighten your load
I know a spot on the edge of town
With all you need to go around
There's always room at the Jerusalem Inn
For lonely hearts without a friend
Just open the door and walk right in
You're welcome at the Jerusalem Inn
I once had a friend whose prettiest dress
Was not good enough for Sunday's best
They said she was different, not like us
So they showed her the way to the bus
There's always room at the Jerusalem Inn
For lonely hearts without a friend
Just open the door and walk right in
You're welcome at the Jerusalem Inn
Oh, I knew a man who had a dream
To take the truth and set men free
But no one listened, no one saw
And so they nailed him to the wall
There's always room at the Jerusalem Inn
For lonely hearts without a friend
Just open the door and walk right in
You're welcome at the Jerusalem Inn
There's always room at the Jerusalem Inn
For lonely hearts without a friend
Just open the door and walk right in

Photographs
And old forty-fives
Stowed beneath
A homecoming gown
Pictures of me
At sweet sixteen
But everything's
Not as it seems
In my mother's house
When I go home
For holidays
There's so much
To talk about
And sometimes
We disagree
On politics
And theology
In my mother's house
The chimes
In the hall
Sound every hour
The sun and moon
Go 'round
Time flies by
And fades
Like the flower
And I can't
Slow it down
I spend my days
With music and words
Playing these songs
From town to town
And everyone sees
What they want to see
But I'm just the girl
Who used to sing
In my mother's house
I am
A prodigal daughter
But in my wandering
I have found
There is
A wideness in mercy
And there'll always be
A place for me

If I ever get to heaven
Don't know what I'll find
Maybe streets of gold
Maybe peace of mind
Will there be water
Will there be wine
Milk and honey
On the other side
If I ever get to heaven
Don't know who I'll see
Maybe some old friends
Or family
Will you all be there
Waiting for me
Singing a song
About being free
I'm not thinking about
Leaving right now
Sometimes I wonder
Where I'm bound
There's no place
Like heaven I'm told
Wherever it is
You know I want to go
If I ever get to heaven
Don't know who I'll meet
Maybe kings and queens
Or beggars and thieves
Will there be lost souls
Who made their way home
Kind of like you

The story is told
Strange as it sounds
In Louisiana
A turtle fell
From the clouds
Some just believe
Some only doubt
And some proclaim
They've got it all
Figured out
Some keep their thoughts
To themselves
Afraid to come out
Of their shell
In my heart of hearts
I want to believe
That love never fails
And peace will prevail
And hope lives on
If I can get
To the deepest part
Inside my heart of hearts
There is a man
Who used bowling balls
To make a rosary
In his yard on the ground
Some people laugh
Some only frown
Some shake their heads
And wonder
What it's about
Some walk around
Counting prayers
Looking to find
Faith to spare
Some like to hear
Themselves talk
But seldom say

God of grace and God of glory
On Thy people pour Thy power
Crown Thine ancient church's story
Bring her bud to glorious flower
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
For the facing of this hour
For the facing of this hour
The hosts of evil 'round us
Scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways
From the fears that long have bound us
Free our hearts to faith and praise
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
For the living of these days
For the living of these days
Cure Thy children's warring madness
Bend our pride to Thy control
Shame our wanton selfish gladness
Rich in things and poor in soul
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
Lest we miss Thy kingdom's goal
Lest we miss Thy kingdom's goal
Save us from weak resignation
To the evils we deplore
Let the gift of Thy salvation
Be our glory evermore
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
Serving Thee Whom we adore
Serving Thee Whom we adore
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
For the living of these days

They say God
Walked in the garden
Between the Tigris
And Euphrates
They say God
Walked in the garden
Between the tigris
And Euphrates
But we all know that Eden
Is down
In the delta south of memphis
Eve and Adam ate the apple
Stood there naked in the sun
Eve and Adam ate the apple
Stood there naked in the sun
But when God
Came looking for them
Oh, they knew
What they had done
Jesus is Lord of picayune
And Mississippi welcomes you
Jesus is Lord of picayune
And Mississippi welcomes you
Just remember
When you're passing thru
Everything started
With the blues
There's a place
That they call witchdance
Where not one
Blade of grass will grow
There's a place
That they call witchdance
Where not one
Blade of grass will grow
Something awful bad
Went down there
Or so the story goes
You can read
All about it
On a sign
By the side of the road
You can read
All about it
On a sign
By the side of the road
But sometimes the way
Things happened
Ain't the way
The story's told
Jesus is Lord of picayune
And mississippi welcomes you
Jesus is Lord of picayune
And Mississippi welcomes you
Just remember
When you're passing thru
Everything started
With the blues
He broke his nehi bottle
And laid it cross the strings
He broke his nehi bottle
And laid it cross the strings
Then he took that sears
And roebuck silvertone
And really made
That guitar sing
That's all right mama
Any way you do
That's all right now mama
Any ole way you do
We all feel it too
Cause everything started

We got her white
From the factory
But daddy had her
Painted baby blue
She had
A red vinyl interior
That burned my legs
On summer afternoons
She took us
Down to Panama City
And we got sand
All in the seats
And the year
We went out west
She made it up
Pike's Peak
I could go anywhere
In that automobile
My dreams came true
Behind the wheel
No road was too long
No mountain too steep
For me
And my Galaxie 500
Mama said kids
I'll be right back
And left us
In the K-Mart parking lot
On the radio
We heard the news
In Memphis Dr. King
Had just been shot
So late that night
I sat alone
Feet propped up
On the big dashboard
And I cried myself
To sleep again
Like every time before
When I came home
From school one day
In the driveway
Sat a Datsun
With two doors
And I never told
A single soul
How much
I missed that Ford
No road was too long
No valley too deep
For me

Aunt Fidelia
Brought the rolls
With her
Green bean casserole
The widow Smith
Down the street
Dropped by a bowl
Of butter beans
Plastic cups
And silverware
Lime green
Tupperware everywhere
Pass the chicken
Pass the pie
We sure eat good
When someone dies
Funeral food
It's so good
For the soul
Funeral food
Fills you up
Down to your toes
Funeral food
Funeral food
There sits mean
Ole Uncle Bob
Gnawing on a corn
On the cob
And who's that
Walking
Through the door
I don't think
I've ever
Seen him before
Isn't it a shame
She passed away
She made
The best chocolate cake
Let's hit the line
A second time
We sure eat good
When someone dies
Everybody's here
For the feast
But come next week

I'm going out
Into the free world
And farm
I'm gonna paint me
A big red barn
Don't wanna do
Nobody else no harm
I'm going out
I'm going out
Into the free world
And farm
Buy me a mule
Won't need no car
Don't wanna grow
Nobody else's corn
I'm going out
Into the free world
I'll put my hand
To the plow
Won't let them
Keep me down
I'm going out
I'm going out
Into the free world
And farm
Have me some chickens
In my front yard
Don't wanna fight
Nobody else's war
I'm going out
I'm going out
Into the free world
And farm
I'm gonna spin me
Some very fine yarns
Don't wanna be where
I can't see the stars
I'm going out
Into the free world
I'll put my hand
To the plow
Hold my head up proud

Every night
It's the same routine
He has some hurting
He's got to do
Sets up a shrine
To her memory
So he can
Fade to blue
He takes her picture
From its hiding place
Tells it he loves her
A time or two
Carefully touches
Her unchanging face
Watches her
Fade to blue
Blue as the flame
In the candle he lights
Bluer than indigo ink
Bluer than beale street
On saturday night
Blue as her eyes
Used to be
Every morning
He wakes up
From the dream
Puts on a mask
No one else
Sees through
Goes through
The motions
Of being free
Drives home to
Fade to blue
Seems like
The right thing to do
Sit down

I see faces in the water
Of a time not gone by
I see places in the water
Where so many souls won't die
I hear babies and their mothers
Crying Lord, oh lord why
I hear wailing for their brothers
And their fathers without life
From the faces in the water
Brightly shines
Through freedom's cry
I see faces in the water
Of new life that answers why
Through those faces in the water
We can feel a change draw nigh
You can see the clouds are moving
Giving way to the light
People everywhere are saying
Now’s the time for love to shine
From the faces in the water
Came a better world we can't deny
You can see the clouds are moving
Giving way to the light
People everywhere are saying
Now's the time for love to shine
From the faces in the water

Delmus Jackson was a black man
Delmus Jackson was a custodian
He cleaned the church house
Five days a week
Delmus Jackson talked to me
He'd say
I'm working for the Lord
Gonna see his face
For my reward
And on that day he will say
Well-done Delmus Jackson
Delmus Jackson had nine children
Delmus Jackson had great wisdom
Do unto others as if they was you
Delmus Jackson spoke the truth
He'd say Jesus
Loves all his children
And he will welcome everyone
And on that day he will say
Well-done Delmus Jackson
Delmus Jackson bought me Cokes
Delmus Jackson told me jokes
He drank his coffee
From a thermos
Delmus Jackson made no fuss
He'd say my bags are packed
And I’m ready to go
To meet the Lord
On streets of gold
And on that day he will say

Rust hills
Red clay
Steel mills
Deep tang
Lime stone
Iron veins
Loose coal
Deep tang
Birmingham
Birmingham
Beneath the haze
Your skies once blue
Now deep tang
Smoke stacks
Orange flames
Gray slag
Deep tang
Burnt sun
Brown rain
Black lung

You can pray with all your might
Till your knuckles all turn white
You can look the other way
Hope it's gone with each new day
You can do your best to hide
You can hold it all inside
You can curse and shake your fist
You can ask why God why this
There is peace somewhere I'm told
There's a fire out in the cold
There are wonders to behold
In the dark night of the soul
You can give in to your doubts
Try to figure it all out
You can fight the fight alone
Do your best to drink it gone
There is peace somewhere I'm told
There's a fire out in the cold
There are wonders to behold
In the dark night of the soul
Trust your spirit to be your guide
You'll come out on the other side
In the absence of the light
Let the shadows hold you tight
You can let your fear and pain
Wash over you like rain
There is peace somewhere I'm told
There's a fire out in the cold
There are wonders to behold
In the dark night of the soul

They forced it
On the county school board
And made a lot people mad
They planned to bus
Us off across town
And things got really bad
That's when
The private schools
Were started
And they opened in a rush
But daddy said
Come September
You’ll be riding bus
109 bus
109 bus
You'll be fine
(I'll)
(We'll)
On bus 109
I met Lavonna Jones
In gym class
She said my hair
Had no curl
We played
Basketball together
But came
From different worlds
Lavonna lived down
In the projects
Compared to her
I had so much
You know my life
Was changed forever
All because of bus
One day Lavonna
Came to my house
What people thought
Didn't matter to us
When the lines
Were drawn by colors
We crossed

Huey was a captain with Andy Jackson
He settled in Kentucky on a soldier's pay
It was two hundred acres and for almost as many years
The land has borne my family name
You can count the generations
Like circles in a tree
On tombstones you can barely read
Will you walk with me across the blue-green pastures
I wanna see horses run one more time
You can lay me down beside the ones gone before me
Bury me in bluegrass when I die
Uncle Henry sells computers, he never learned to farm
So he sold his part to Daddy when Grandpa died
And Mom and Dad are old now, they say they're gonna
move
Where the weather is always warm and dry
The buyers signed the note today
They're gonna build a mall
With plans to break ground before the fall
Will you walk with me through the fields of burley
I wanna see leaves of gold one more time
You can lay me down beside the ones gone before me
Bury me in bluegrass when I die
They nailed the sign up yesterday
And I don't understand
To me it's more than just a piece of land
Will you walk with me through the peaceful valley
I wanna see the harvest moon one more time
You can lay me down beside the ones gone before me

He lived his life
A civil service man
Designing toilets
For the space program
He believed
If we could go to the moon
There's nothing on Earth
A man can't do
So he ordered a ton
Of sand and clay
In his front yard
He built a frame
Most folks said
It'll never float
Still they came to see
Bud's cement boat
A dream is anything
That you want it to be
For some
It's fame and fortune
But for others concrete
Sometimes you just
Gotta follow your heart
No matter where it leads
He gave up fishing
And most of his friends
Worked all night
And every weekend
But he didn't mind
The sacrifice
Cause he'd build a boat
That's one of a kind
Well the neighbors thought
It was a real eyesore
They'd say hey Bud
What are ya
Building that for
And knowing they would
Never understand
He'd just smile
And say because I can
Well he got laid off
In seventy-four
And they don't go
To the moon anymore
But down around
The Alabama coast
She still floats

Four little girls
Dressed up nice
Singing about Jesus
Red and yellow
Black and white
Dreaming of freedom
Across the land
And all God's children
Walking hand in hand
One deadly blast
Shattered the peace
Making for a dark
Sunday morning
On Sixteenth Street
Who can explain
Such ignorant hate
When the violent
Bear it away
Bear it away
Bear it away
Merciful Jesus
Lift up our sorrow
Upon your shoulder
And bear it away
It hurts my heart
To think of them
Four little girls
And what they
Could have been
But we never know
About these things
When the violent

Shadows fall
Across the land
Prophets say
The end's at hand
More bad news
Everywhere I turn
But in your arms
It's a perfect world
Rebels rage
And lions roar
Everyday
It's a brand new war
Lines are crossed
And bombs are hurled
But in your arms
It's a perfect world
When your love
Wraps around me tight
I believe in paradise
There's one place
Where my heart's secure
Here in your arms
It's a perfect world
Homeless hearts
On every street
Desperate eyes
Of poverty
No refuge left
On God's green earth
But in your arms

A child of three
Reaches out to touch
And only sees
Pretty powder puffs
Down the road
A black child plays
But the dreams he holds lie
A cotton field away
The fires burn bright
A window breaks
Another one dies
A momma's heart aches
Behind locked doors
A white man prays
And thanks the Lord he lives
A cotton field away
If we could see
Beyond the clouds
We both might be
On common ground
We met in school
By court's decree
I learned real soon
You were a lot like me
Across the land
They say things have changed
But still we stand

Wasn't no copperhead
Wasn't no cottonmouth
Just a garden snake
That brought us all down
It didn't look deadly
Didn't look venomous
Wrapped around that tree
So lovely and sensuous
There's vices and voodoo
Always enticing you
From the day
That you're born
'Til the day
You leave this world
The devil's
Got a line for you
For sure and 10.000 lures
You may think
I'm preaching
Even evangelizing
But what he's throwing out
Can be so tantalizing
He's a master of disguise
He'll reel you
In with power
Roaming to and fro
Seeking whom he may devour
He knows every weakness
Knows just when to strike
You know he was an angel once
And he knows what you like
For you it might be money
For me it might be fame
Better cover up your ears now
When he whispers your name
Before I end this song
Before the music's through
Oh, I'd like to share
A good word or two
There's 10.000 angels
Watching over you
From the day
That you're born
'Til the day
You leave this world
Three rusty nails
That's the cure

I saw a man with a yellow guitar
Standing by the side of the road
Through the steam coming off the tar
posing like some delta ghost
The sun was rising
It was shining
Halfway to Memphis
Halfway to Tupelo
There was this man with a yellow guitar
Standing by the side of the road
I shouldn't have let him in my car
but his axe is what I had to hold
the sun was high then
It was frying
halfway to Memphis
halfway to Tupelo
I only stopped because I'd never seen
so bright a beautiful thing
my only want my only need
was to hear it sing
There was this man with a yellow guitar
Standing by the side of the road
I knew that I was being charmed
By an angel or the devil I don’t know
The sun was dying
I was crying
Halfway to Memphis

She wore lace white as snow
Under a lavender dress it would show
And when he gave her his ring
For him she'd do anything
He used to call her Wild Iris
If you said don't, she would
He had a love for her pure as diamonds
Back when good times were really good
Every night they would run
And from behind the law would soon come
She'd hold on to him so tight
And they'd disappear into the night
He used to call her Wild Iris
If you said don't, she would
She had a love for him pure as diamonds
Back when good times were really good
Now she's eighty and he's gone
To her grandkids she's always been old
But in her mind she's with him
Forever young, chasing the wind
He used to call her Wild Iris
If you said don't, she would
They had a love so fine, pure as diamonds

Thomas passed away last June
And I’ll be following him soon
Junior will be left here all alone
Oh how it worries me so
Jesus sent him to us late
An angel to brighten up our day
Who will tell him stories and sing him bedtime songs
Who will pray for Junior when I’m gone
Sometimes I can’t help but cry
When I look into my Junior’s eyes
He reaches out and takes my hand
I know he doesn’t understand
A mother’s love a son will sorely miss
I’ve made my peace with everything but this
But that’s the thing that keeps me hanging on
Who will pray for Junior when I’m gone
Suffer the children
This is my plea
Oh Lord could you keep him
In the shadow of your wings
Lord forgive my asking if it’s wrong

Stars fell on Alabama
Near the rocky shoals
In a casket factory
Where they found the soul
See that skinny boy there
Drinking him a Coke
Didn’t we just see him
On the Sullivan Show
Oh we walk among stones
Oh we walk among stones
Some say it was the cotton
And working side by side
All those alluvial layers
And time upon time
Or was it in the struggle
And crying to the Lord
Cause for one shining moment
They made hit records for the world
And now we’re left to wonder
What happened to the sound
Was it two kings dying

The fairest skies I’ve ever seen
Were in your eyes the day we met
The wind was hard and full of rain
A storm I never will forget
It came on fast and caught us by surprise
A raging flood swept us away
We hid beneath a hollow tree
Waiting for the weather to break
A veil of silence thick as fog
Moves between us like a cloud
How’d we ever get to where we are
And can we find our way out
Now we lie in a bed of years
Under this blanket we made
And here we are again
Waiting for the weather to break
The stars are shining blue in the distance
Calling us away
The storm in me and you once so dark
Will all be clear some day

I live south of Memphis in downtown Hollywood
And these fields are all I’ve ever known
Season after season I have worked to find a way
To buy a piece of land to call my own
Sometimes when that Delta sun comes beating down
Well I swear those rows of cotton shine like gold
Visions of plenty
Roll across my mind
Still my hands are empty
And the system’s going dry
I keep thinking 'bout my children
What’s left down here for them
Just a cotton field of dreams (just a billboard full of
dreams)
And everybody’s dreaming
Everybody’s dreaming
Dreaming just like me
A sign went up for Harrah’s on Highway 61
Promising we’d all be winners soon
So every Friday evening I go and spin the wheel
Sometimes I win, most times I lose
These lights are so much brighter than I thought they’d

61 Gibson, tobacco sunburst
Carved my name on the back and a bible verse
It was one piece of wood that sure started a fire
All I wanted to do was twang on a wire
Well I went to school and then went to work
But it all seemed to me like shoveling dirt
With each passing day I sank deeper in the mire
I had to find me a way to twang on a wire
There have been times when I was so down
Mothers and lovers and preachers came ‘round
No one could cheer me, not one could inspire
There’s no consolation like a twang on a wire
Angels with flat-tops they pick and they sing
Playing those songs that pull on heart strings
As long as I live I’ll never tire
Of hearing the sound of a twang on a wire
When it’s all said and done and I’m laid in the ground
Would you have someone play that sweet Wildwood Flower
You could sing me on over with a big Gospel choir

I'm sittin' in a restaurant drinking coffee black
They call it Union Station but it ain't got no tracks
I'm thinking 'bout my baby, stuck somewhere up north
And the trains don't run from Nashville anymore
This used to be where people stepped aboard a dream
Now it's just an old hotel people come to see
If I could buy a ticket I'd be in his arms once more
But the trains don't run from Nashville anymore
Just one more time I'd like to hear
The rumble and the roar
Taking lonely hearts like mine
From here to every shore
Lord, I miss my baby like I never have before
And the trains don't run from Nashville anymore
Momma waved goodbye to Daddy as he went off to war
She stood right here crying back in '64
And now it's me that stands here all alone on this old
platform
And the trains don't run from Nashville anymore
Just one more time I'd like to hear
The rumble and the roar
Taking lonely hearts like mine
From here to every shore
Lord, I miss my baby like I never have before

This side of heaven
There’s not much to go on
You never know
Which way the wind will blow
One day there’s caviar
The next a soup bowl
And you’re left wandering alone
This side of heaven
This side of heaven
People look the other way
Don’t stop to listen
Don’t want to know your name
But in this world
Ain’t it finny how things change
And you’re left wandering strange
This side of heaven
This side of heaven
The train is always late
All I seem to do
Is stand here at the gate
Listening for the whistle
And waiting for the day
I won’t be left wandering

After the supper was over and the table had been
cleared away
When the last bottle was empty, there was nothing much
left to say
Jesus started humming an old tune, everybody fell right
They sang the last song, the last song
Matthew started singing the low part, John grabbed the
high harmony
Their voices filled up the night air all the way to
Gethsemane
Judas walked some distance behind them like he had
forgotten the words
They sang the last song, the last song
Just before they got to the garden
Just before they all fell asleep
Just before Barabbas was pardoned
And Jesus was nailed to a tree
I reckon it was some kind of soul song, maybe kind of
sad and slow
All about how we get weary, all about holding on
Only Jesus knew what was coming, still he never said a
thing
He sang the last song, the last song
He could have made a toast to the good times and only
the best for his friends
He could have stayed up late reminiscing about the long
strange trip it had been
But he went just like a lamb to the slaughter knowing
it was part of the plan

No one up here seems to know me
And I don't like the ones that do
Everyone is as cold as the weather
It's time to buy some traveling shoes
I don't need to pack a suitcase
No map to show me where to go
Give me one change of clothes and a box of Oreos
And endless miles of open road
I'm going south of everything
Where the air is sweet and church bells ring
Back where I come from, back where I belong
Down where the sun shines in the rain
And life goes by from a front porch swing
You can keep the bitter cold
I'm gonna go south of everything
Why is everyone in such a hurry?
No one ever wins a rat race
And they wonder why so many go crazy
I gotta get out of this place
When I hear someone ask how I'm doing
Or see a stranger wave behind the wheel
Then I'll know I'm headed in the right direction
By the peaceful way I feel
I'm going south of everything
Where the air is sweet and church bells ring
Back where I come from, back where I belong
Down where the sun shines in the rain
And life goes by from a front porch swing
You can keep the bitter cold
I'm gonna go south of everything
Back where I come from, oh, that's where I belong
Down where the sun shines in the rain
Life goes by from a front porch swing
You can keep the bitter cold
I'm gonna go south of everything

On the banks of the Alabama
Autumn falls into spring
And a day is always longer than it seems
White camellias, winter blooms
When summer comes I will think of you
There will be a shining river
There for you and there for me
There will be a sweet forever
There we will meet, and we will sing
Glory hallelujahs
Golden bells will ring
There all will be forgiven
In that land called sorrowfree
Dying free is different
For each and every one
Beholdin’ on to nothin’ and no one
Ivanhoe to ease the pain
Birds know where to go when it rains
There will be a shining river
There for you and there for me
There will be a sweet forever
There we will meet, and we will sing
Glory hallelujahs
Golden bells will ring
There all will be forgiven
In that land called sorrowfree
A pair of good luck pennies
A broken watch and chain
Oh the things that neighbors sometimes bring
Food for funerals, flowers for sickness
And all the little things in between
There will be a shining river
There for you and there for me
There will be a sweet forever
There we will meet, and we will sing
Glory hallelujahs
Golden bells will ring
There all will be forgiven

Down in Mississippi on a winter’s day
They laid his little girl in an early grave
Only the good Lord knows the tears he cried
When the angels sang her over to the other side
Sing me out
Lay my burdens down
Sing me out
Take my body to the burying ground
Sing me over Jordan cause I’m glory bound
Oh sweet Lord won’t you sing me out
Everyone said she was born of shame
From a rich man’s blood bore a poor man’s name
But he loved that child like she was his own
The closest thing to heaven he would ever hold
From where he stands he can hear the sound
Of those old gravediggers turning up the ground
It’s been thirty years since she left his hands

Wasn't no copperhead
Wasn't no cottonmouth
Just a garden snake
That brought us all down
It didn't look deadly
Didn't look venomous
Wrapped around that tree
So lovely and sensuous
There's vices and voodoo
Always enticing you
From the day
That you're born
'Til the day
You leave this world
The devil's
Got a line for you
For sure and 10.000 lures
You may think
I'm preaching
Even evangelizing
But what he's throwing out
Can be so tantalizing
He's a master of disguise
He'll reel you
In with power
Roaming to and fro
Seeking whom he may devour
He knows every weakness
Knows just when to strike
You know he was an angel once
And he knows what you like
For you it might be money
For me it might be fame
Better cover up your ears now
When he whispers your name
Before I end this song
Before the music's through
Oh, I'd like to share
A good word or two
There's 10.000 angels
Watching over you
From the day
That you're born
'Til the day
You leave this world
Three rusty nails
That's the cure

Como estás?
My name is Rosa
And like my mother
Before me
Everyday I roll cigars
And they're
The finest in the world
To pass the time
The reader reads
About the violence
In America
And I pray
For my daughter
And her baby girl
Late one night
They took a boat
Ninety miles
From Havana
To escape
The only life
I've ever known
She could have been
Just like me
A well-respected
Working woman
Who believes
In her country
And her home
And I wonder as I roll
Where will each one go
Will they land
In the hands of kings
And presidents
It's an art
It's a skill
And some would even kill
Just for one
Of Rosa's coronas
It's everywhere
In the news
That John Paul
Is on his way
And for years
I've longed to see
The Holy Father's parade
We've been told not to go
Or production falls behind
But I know the quota

She is standing in the garden
Silently astute
Waiting for the sun to come
And kiss away the dew
How can she be so translucent
From my window view
I can see her heart clear
Through in porcelain blue
You can find me in the city
Where the music grooves
Surrounded by a misty brew
Of magic and voodoo
Lying in my bed
In the sultry afternoon
I can hear those saints
Go marching through
In porcelain blue
I will follow
In that number
And I hope
To meet you there
Blessed Mary
Please don't slumber
Pray for us
Who need your care
Staring at this vase
Searching for my muse
If lovers die together
Are they forever fused
I've heard love's eternal
And I wonder if it's true
Underneath
This crescent city moon