van Zandt, Townes Filmography

• For the Sake of the Song: The Story of Anderson Fair (2009)
• Unfinished Stories (2009)
• Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt (2004)
• I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive (1993)
• Heartworn Highways (1976)

• Lyrics: play full screen play karaoke
• Who do you love (E. McDaniel) - Townes Van Zandt
• No lonesome tune - Townes Van Zandt
• Upon my soul - Townes Van Zandt
• Snowin on Raton - Townes Van Zandt
• Snow don't fall - Townes Van Zandt
• Rex's blues - Townes Van Zandt
• Pueblo waltz - Townes Van Zandt
• Only him or me - Townes Van Zandt
• Nothin' - Townes Van Zandt
• Little sundance #2 - Townes Van Zandt
• Kathleen - Townes Van Zandt
• High, Low and In between - Townes Van Zandt
• Goin' down to Memphis - Townes Van Zandt
• Brand new companion - Townes Van Zandt
• Billy, Boney and Ma - Townes Van Zandt
• Ain't leavin' your love - Townes Van Zandt
• Sixteen summers, fifteen falls - Townes Van Zandt
• She came and she touched me - Townes Van Zandt
• Mr Gold and Mr Mud - Townes Van Zandt
• Don't let the sunshine fool ya' (Guy Clark) - Townes Van Zandt
• Columbine - Townes Van Zandt
• A song for - Townes Van Zandt
• White freight liner blues - Townes Van Zandt
• Where I Lead Me - Townes Van Zandt
• When she don't need me - Townes Van Zandt
• Two girls - Townes Van Zandt
• Turnstyled, junkpiled - Townes Van Zandt
• The silver ships of Andilar - Townes Van Zandt
• Shrimp Song (r. Bennett & S. Tepper) - Townes Van Zandt
• Nine Pound Hammer - Townes Van Zandt
• Maria - Townes Van Zandt
• Loretta - Townes Van Zandt
• If I needed you - Townes Van Zandt
• Flyin' shoes - Townes Van Zandt
• Don't Let The Sunshine Fool Ya' - Townes Van Zandt
• Catfish song - Townes Van Zandt
• Blaze's blues - Townes Van Zandt
• Don't you take it too bad - Townes Van Zandt
• Colorado girl - Townes Van Zandt
• Buckskin stallion blues - Townes Van Zandt
• At my window - Townes Van Zandt
• Heavenly houseboat blues - Townes Van Zandt
• Fraulein (L. Williams) - Townes Van Zandt
• My proud mountains - Townes Van Zandt
• Like a summer thursday - Townes Van Zandt
• Pancho And Lefty - Townes Van Zandt
• Nine pound hammer (Merle Travis) - Townes Van Zandt
• All Your Young Servants - Townes Van Zandt
• (Quicksilver daydreams of) Maria - Townes Van Zandt
• No Place To Fall - Townes Van Zandt
• Delta mama blues - Townes Van Zandt
• Gone too long - Townes Van Zandt
• Many a fine a lady - Townes Van Zandt
• Lungs - Townes Van Zandt
• Greensboro woman - Townes Van Zandt
• Gone, gone blues - Townes Van Zandt
• Hey Willie boy - Townes Van Zandt
• Be Here To Love Me - Townes Van Zandt
• Announcement - Townes Van Zandt
• Two Hands - Townes Van Zandt
• Tower song - Townes Van Zandt
• You are not needed now - Townes Van Zandt
• Still looking for you - Townes Van Zandt
• Why she's acting this way - Townes Van Zandt
• When He offers his hand - Townes Van Zandt
• Waiting around to die - Townes Van Zandt
• Velvet voices - Townes Van Zandt
• Billy, Boney & Ma - Townes Van Zandt
• To live is to fly - Townes Van Zandt
• The spider song - Townes Van Zandt
• The hole - Townes Van Zandt
• Tecumseh valley - Townes Van Zandt
• Talking thunderbird blues - Townes Van Zandt
• Talkin' karate blues - Townes Van Zandt
• Standin' - Townes Van Zandt
• St John the gambler - Townes Van Zandt
• Snake song - Townes Van Zandt
• Snake mountain blues - Townes Van Zandt
• She Came & She Touched Me - Townes Van Zandt
• Second lovers song - Townes Van Zandt
• Sad cinderella - Townes Van Zandt
• Rake - Townes Van Zandt
• Pancho & Lefty - Townes Van Zandt
• Our mother the mountain - Townes Van Zandt
• None but the rain - Townes Van Zandt
• No deal - Townes Van Zandt
• Niles river blues - Townes Van Zandt
• Mr. Mudd And Mr. Gold - Townes Van Zandt
• Mr Gold & Mr Mud - Townes Van Zandt
• Marie - Townes Van Zandt
• Lover's lullaby - Townes Van Zandt
• Katie Belle blue - Townes Van Zandt
• If I was Washington - Townes Van Zandt
• I'll be here in the morning - Townes Van Zandt
• Honky tonkin' (Hank Williams) - Townes Van Zandt
• Highway kind - Townes Van Zandt
• High, Low & In Between - Townes Van Zandt
• Fraternity blues - Townes Van Zandt
• For the Sake of the Song - Townes Van Zandt
• FFV (Trad.) - Townes Van Zandt
• Fare thee well, Miss Carousel - Townes Van Zandt
• Dollar bill blues - Townes Van Zandt
• Cowboy junkies lament - Townes Van Zandt
• Come Tomorrow - Townes Van Zandt
• Cocaine Blues - Townes Van Zandt
• BW railroad blues - Townes Van Zandt
• Brother Flower - Townes Van Zandt
• Blue wind blew - Townes Van Zandt
• Blue Ridge mountains - Townes Van Zandt

(Ellas McDaniel) 1956
I walk 47 miles of barbed wire,
I use a cobra-snake for a necktie,
I got a brand new house on the roadside,
Made from rattlesnake hide,
I got a brand new chimney made on top,
Made out of a human skull,
Now come on take a walk with me, Arlene,
And tell me, who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Tombstone hand and a graveyard mine,
Just 22 and I don't mind dying.
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
I rode around the town, use a rattlesnake whip,
Take it easy Arlene, don't give me no lip,
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Night was dark, but the sky was blue,
Down the alley, the ice-wagon flew,
Heard a bump, and somebody screamed,
You should have heard just what I seen.
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Arlene took me by my hand,
And she said ooowee Bo, you know I understand.
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

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

Be my staple and my stay
Jesus, help through each day
As I walk this weary way upon my soul
And when judgment falls to me
Through my savior shall I be
Given peace eternally upon my soul
Upon my soul
Upon my free and joyous soul
Given peace eternally upon my soul
Jesus shine Your light on me
Shine with love and charity
That I might help brothers see upon my soul
For temptation let me ply
Be my wings, Lord, be my eyes
Guard me when old Satan's nigh upon my soul
Upon my soul
Upon my free and joyous soul
Guard me when old Satan's nigh upon my soul
I shall fill each earthly day
With the singing of His praise
Follow in His holy ways upon my soul
And when I lay my troubles down
On my brow he'll place a crown
And the trumpets all shall sound upon my soul
Upon my soul
Upon my free and joyous soul
And the trumpets all shall sound upon my soul
Upon my soul
Upon my free and joyous soul

When the wind don't blow in Amarillo
And the moon along
The Gunnison don't rise
Shall I cast my dreams
Upon your love, babe
And lie beneath
The laughter of your eyes
It's snowin' on Raton
Come morning I'll be through
Them hills and gone
Mother thinks the road
Is long and lonely
Little brother thinks
The road is straight and fine
Little darling thinks
The road is soft and lovely
I'm thankful that old road
Is a friend of mine
Bid the years good-bye
You cannot still them
You cannot turn
The circles of the sun
You cannot count the miles
Until you feel them
And you cannot hold
A lover that has gone
Tomorrow the mountains
Will be sleeping
Silent 'neath a blanket
Green and blue all that I shall hear
The silence they are keeping

Snow don't fall on summers time
Wind don't blow below the sea
My loves lies 'neath frozen skies
And waits in sweet repose for me
Her eyes did laugh, her lips did sing
Her legs did roll, my soul to bring
Her hair did curl and her thoughts unfurled
Like birds upon the wings of spring
My love, I need not see
To know she cast her glance at me
Snow don't fall on summers time
Wind don't blow below the sea
My loves lies 'neath frozen skies

Ride the blue wind, high and free
She'll lead you down through misery
Leave you low, come time to go
Alone and low, as low can be
Well, if I had a nickel, I'd find a game
If I won a dollar, I'd make it rain
If it rained an ocean, I'd drink it dry
And lay me down dissatisfied
It's legs to walk and thoughts to fly
Eyes to laugh and lips to cry
A restless tongue to classify
All born to grow and grown to die
So tell my baby, I said so long
Tell my mother, I did no wrong
Tell my brother to watch his own
And tell my friends to mourn me none
I'm chained upon the face of time
Feelin' full of foolish rhyme
There ain't no dark till something shines
I'm bound to leave the dark behind
Well, ride the blue wind, high and free
She'll lead you down through misery
Leave you low, come time to go
Alone and low, as low can be

Sunrise comes and I don't know why
Living loves and the day does fly
Soon the moon and baby and I
Will be lyin' side by side
How many of your skies are blue?
How much of your love is true?
Where to get them eyes of green?
I'm knowin' you know just what I mean
If I have to go I won't be long
Maybe we'll move to Tennessee
Leave these Texas blues behind
See Susanna and Guy
Well, I'm in this cold room all alone
I guess I'll try the telephone
It'll be busy or she won't be home
Tomorrow is another day
Sunrise comes and I don't know why
Living loves and the day does fly
Soon the moon and baby and I

Don't go sayin' I'm leaving you
Thinkin' I never got close enough to stay
Time runs in and then runs out
Starts again and it's always been that way
You're gonna drown tomorrow
If you cry too many tears for yesterday
Tomorrow's half of all you've got, so treat him good
'Cause when I'm gone, he'll stay
I won't be forgetting you
You won't be forgettin' me, I know
If memory comes a summer cloud
Rains her sweetness down to me below
I see you like you look right now
Maybe wonder why I had to go
But Heaven is the way she is
Rain falls and rivers flow
So here's to feelin' good
An' here's to feelin' bad
Here's to bein' thankful
Sorry for the pleasures that we had
And autumn days ,and window panes
God, forgive us if you feel deceived
The clock don't know you like I do

Hey mama, when you leave
Don't leave a thing behind
I don't want nothin'
I can't use nothin'
Take care into the hall
And if you see my friends
Tell them I'm fine
Not using nothin'
Almost burned out my eyes
Threw my ears down to the floor
I didn't see nothin'
I didn't hear nothin'
I stood there like a block of stone
Knowin' all I had to know
And nothin' more
Man, that's nothin'
As brothers our troubles are
Locked in each others arms
And you better pray
They never find you
Your back ain't strong enough
For burdens doublefold
They'd crush you down
Down into nothin'
Being born is going blind
And buying down a thousand times
To echoes strung
On pure temptation
Sorrow and solitude
These are the precious things
And the only words

by Townes Van Zandt
When I'm with you, babe,
I just can't be lonely
When I'm away, babe,
I think of you only
What can I do, babe,
to get back to you, babe,
I do anything that you say
The night she is a sapphire
full of blue desire
follow her love fire
higher and higher
What can I do, babe,
to stay her with you babe
at least till the east turn to grey
Just you and me, girl,
the stars and the real whirl
spinning the minutes away
The darkness is passing
she's never long lasting
but my love ain't leaving
through hurtin' or pleasin'
I am tellin' you true, babe,
ask me to do, babe,
I'll trade all my treasures for you
The daylight are flashing
our hearts could be laughing
if only you wanted them to
for just you and me, girl,
the sun shine and turmoil
will spill from a basket of blue

By townes van zandt
It's plain to see, the sun won't shine today
But I ain't in the mood for sunshine anyway
Maybe I'll go insane
I got to stop the pain
Or maybe I'll go down to see kathleen.
A swallow comes and tells me of her dreams
She says she'd like to know just what they mean
I feel like I could die
As I watch her flying by
Ride the north wind down to see kathleen.
Stars hang high above, the oceans roar
The moon is come to lead me to her door
There's crystal across the sand
And the waves, they take my hand.
Soon I'm gonna see my sweet kathleen.

by Townes Van Zandt
I come from a long line
high and low and in between
same as you
hills of golden
hails of poison
time's thrown me through
and I believe I've come to learn
that turnin' round
is to become confusion
and the gold's no good for spending
and the poison's hungry waiting
What can you leave behind
when you're flyin' lightning fast
and all alone?
Only a trace, my friend,
spirit of motion born
and direction grown.
A trace that will not fade
in frozen skies
your journey will be
and if her shadow doesn't seem much company
who said it would be?
There is the highway
and the homemade lovin' kind
the highway's mine
and us ramblers are getting the travelling down
you fathers build with stones
that stand and shine
heaven's where you find it
and you can't
take too much with you
but daddy, don't you listen
it's just this highway talkin'
All things at our life
are brothers in the soil
and in the sky
and I believe it
with my blood
if not my eyes
I don't know why we can't
be brothers here
I know we should be
answers don't seem easy
and I'm wonderin'
if they could be

By townes van zandt
Goin' down to memphis
Maybe get my ashes hauled
I can drive me a car
But I don't need no car at all
I beleive I'll ride that memphis cannon ball
She runs so fast
You can't catch her from behind
Ah, she runs so fast
You can't catch her from behind
But I'll be there waitin'
For that little memphis girl of mine
Why I left
Guess I'll never know
Why I left
Man, I guess I'll never know
Sittin' here thinkin'
I'm one dumb-ass so and so
I'm headed back
That memphis train
She leaves real soon
The memphis train
Sound like she leaves real soon
Got nothin' to guide me
'cept the color of the moon
Hangin' over memphis
Headed down
Where the mississippi runs
Boys I'm headed home
Back where the mississippi runs
I hear there's some lovin' there
Try to get me some
Headed down to memphis
Maybe get my ashes hauled
Just don't know
Why I ever left at all
I'm gettin' on that train, man,
I ain't even gonna call

By townes van zandt
I got a brand new companion
Man, I'm gonna do my best this time
I got a brand new companion
Man, I'm gonna do my best this time
You know she cools me with her breathin'
Chases away those howlin' bottles of wine
She fits just like my guitar
Man, she's near as tall as me
She fits just like my guitar
She's near as tall as me
She lives way out the d train
But she's texas as can be
She got a home-spun disposition
Man, she's just as gentle as you please
She got a home-spun disposition
Man, she's just as gentle as you please
She got arms just like two rattle snakes
Legs just like a billow in the breeze
I got a brand new companion
Man, I'm gonna do my best this time
I got a brand new companion
Man, I'm gonna do my best this time
I want to trace her with my body

by Townes Van Zandt
Well, Billy went down to the battleground
to find a little trinket he could call his own
didn't see nothin' lying around
he decided he'd dig awhile
well he dug her up and he dug her down
'fore too long he found some bones
poor little Billy couldn't make a sound
when the bones sat up and smiled
Oh Billy you seem like a fine young man
no reason to be a tremblin' soul
come over here and shake my hand
make my proud acquaintance
Well Billy he was stunned he could hardly stand
whether he could move he didn't know
but he knew he had to formulate some kinda plan
or try the boneman's patience
The first thing he wanted to do was breathe
so he gulped in some of that battleground air
next thing he wanted to do was leave
but Billy wasn't raised up rude
Well the boneman grunted and he gave a heave
all of a sudden he was loomin' there
shakin off dirt and actin pleased
things didn't look too good
Well Billy decided what the hell
you don't meet a boneman every day
A little bit skinny but you never can tell
he might be a pretty good guy
Well they started off with the old soft sell
'fore too long they were jawin' away
by the time the darkness fell
they were seein' socket to eye
They decided right then on a life of crime
with the boneman's looks and Billy's brains
they could scare old Scrooge out of his last dime
Might as well have a go
Billy he would picked the place and time
from the corner store to the railroad train
Boney'd flash him a smile sublime
and Billy he'd grab the dough
They decided they might as well start right then
Time's awastin' so they say
they headed for the park
where the lights are dim
and only the foolish tread
he was whistlin' a tune
when they spotted him strollin' along
so plump and gay
Boney gave him a great big grin
and Billy snagged his bread
Next come a lady of the night
Boney saddled up and said hello
gave the poor thing such a terrible fright
she fainted dead away
Billy lifted her purse and her earrings bright
diamond rings and watch you know
couldn't figure out try as they might
why they'd ever worked a single day
Billy's plans ended up in ruin you know
they were workin' a quaint little neighborhood
spied an old lady about eighty or so
almost looked too easy
Boney put on a pretty good show
the little ol' lady didn't see too good
My kind Sir your all bones you know
you need something hot and greasy
Grabbed ol' Boney drug him inside
Billy peeked in through the window sill
she fed him boiled and baked and fried
Ol' Boney he's chewin like crazy
he gobbled up everything he tried
pounds added on like you know they will
Billy laid down in the dirt and cried
watchin Boney Gettin fat and lazy
Well Billy's back workin his job by day
sleep'n nights it ain't so bad
never liked stealin anyway
kinda gives a guy the willies
Boney and Ma got a new cafe
best baked beans you ever had
Ma's expecting any day
and they say they're gonna name him Billy

By townes van zandt
Mister gator he's a-glidin' down the bayou
Mister buzzard he's a-slidin' through the air
Mister turtle be a-hittin' the highway
I ain't goin' nowhere
I ain't leavin you love, babe
I ain't leavin you love, babe
Not for heaven above, babe
I ain't leavin you love, babe
The poor man got him an airplane
Tryin to cruise across the traffic jam
The rich man got him a chevrolet
I'm stayin' right where I am
Now hannibal he climbed the mountains
Cleopatra danced down the nile
Lucky lindy made it all the way to gay paris

Let me tell you a story 'bout a girl I knew
Fairest skin with eyes of blue
I swear to the Lord that I loved her true
It's a year now she's been gone
Her spirit was as bright as the soft sunshine
Lips, the color of strawberry wine
I wish to God, she still was mine
The chance won't come again
After first, we lay in love's sweet bed
With one look at her eyes, I might have read
All the pain that was flying through her head
Through my guilt I could not see
I turned to her when the morning came
Hungry thoughts racing through my brain
But the knife in her heart screamed herself she'd slain
And a note whispered love too soon
Her old man screamed and her mother cried
All I could do was to wonder why
A girl in her youth was forced to die
Is loving such a crime?
She died
(Few in the years)
With breasts still small
Seeing sixteens summers and fifteen falls
Me and my blindness never realized all
The fear she kept inside
Let me tell you a story 'bout a girl I knew
Fairest skin with eyes of blue

by Townes Van Zandt
She came and she touched me
with hands made of heaven
reflections sent spinnin'
through a face laced in mist
Now I stand where she left me
buried deep 'neath her shadow
and the mirror plead sadly
does it all come to this
and I wonder: Will she call my name?
The wind careens madly
through wide windows paneless
fragrancies mingle
in a room full of shade
The peons pick partners
and waltz cross the ceilings
but the violins whisper
that I've been betrayed
tryin not to look ashamed
The drunkards drink deeply
from cups full of nothingness
ghost lovers laugh
at the games that they play
the moments do somersaults
into eternity
cling to their coattails
and beg them to stay
saying I got nothing to hide
Illusions projected
on walls made of Tiffany
mad men you adds to
a sad satin song
A harlequin mandolins
harmonize helplessly
hoping that endlessly
won't last for long
Praying that their God ain't dying
Then I turn and I see her
in a dress made of moonlight
teardrops like diamonds
run slow down her face
her arms surround me
like chains made of velvet
and the demons fall faithfully
into their place
and the rivers run with jewels
Now the morning lies open
the night went quite quickly
memory harmlessly
fractures and fades
All the poets do push-ups
on carpets of rubber foam
loudly they laugh
at some joke that's been made
and the wise men speak like fools

by Townes Van Zandt
The wicked king of clubs awoke
it was to his queen turned
his lips were laughing as they spoke
his eyes like bullets burned
the sun's upon a gambling day
his queen smiled low and blissfully
let's make some wretched fool to play
plain it was she did agree
He send his deuce down into diamond
his four to hart, and his trey to spade
three kings with their legions come
preparations soon where made
they voted club the days commander
gave him an army face and number
all but the outlaw jack of diamonds
and the aces in the sky
He give his sevens first instructions
spirit me a game of stud
stakes unscarred by limitation
'tween a man named Gold and man named Mud
Club filled Gold with greedy vapors
'til his long, green eyes did glow
Mud was left with the sighs and trembles
watching his hard earned money go
Flushes fell on Gold like water
tens they paired and paired again
but the aces only flew through heaven
and the diamond jack called no man friend
The diamond queen saw Muds ordeal
began to think of her long lost son
fell to her knees with a mother's mercy
prayed to the angels every one
The diamond queen, she prayed and prayed
and the diamond angel filled Muds hole
the wicked king of clubs himself
fell in face down in front of Gold
now three kings come to Clubs command
but the angels from the sky did ride
three kings up on the streets of Gold
three fireballs on the muddy side
The club queen heard her husband's call
but Lord that queen of diamond's joy
when the outlaw in the heavenly hall
turned out to be a wandering boy
Now Mud he checked and Gold bet all
and Mud he raised and Gold did call
and the smile just melted off his face
when Mud turned over that diamond ace
Now here's what this story's told
if you feel like Mud you'll end up Gold
if you feel like lost, you'll end up found
so amigo, lay them raises down

Me & this friend Streetlife Brown
We got a bottle of red and walked downtown
One hand on the jug and one on time
He said I bet you a dollar against this next line
Don't let the sunshine fool ya
Don't let the bluebirds tool ya
Don't let the women do ya
Put your hand in mine
Advice is fine if you've got a mind
To listen to the end that's got the time
But the muse'll get ya if you don't watch out
He's equipped to know what it's all about
Don't let the sunshine fool ya
Don't let the bluebirds tool ya
Don't let the women do ya
Put your hand in mine
Fannin Street in the afternoon
An easy way to get out of tune
But the hard soap salesman said no dice
When I asked politely for a better priceDon't let the sunshine fool ya
Don't let the bluebirds tool ya
Don't let the women do ya
Put your hand in mine
Here's a song for you child of mine
I hope you make it through this time
Get yourself a piece of that rainbow pie
No reason in the world you can't get by
Don't let the sunshine fool ya
Don't let the bluebirds tool ya
Don't let the women do ya
Put your hand in mine
Don't let the sunshine fool ya
Don't let the bluebirds tool ya
Don't let the women do ya
Put your hand in mine

By townes van zandt
Tossin' hair a-ravin'
Eyes of flashin' blue
All the livin' that you're savin'
Won't buy you dreams for you
Cut yourself a columbine
Tear it from the stem
Now breathe upon the petals fine
And throw them to the wind
Watch the petals dancin'
See them twirl and sing
All your pride and prancin'
How much does it mean?
Watch the petals start to fly
And then come falling down
Hear the wind begin to cry
As she sees some touch the ground
Ah, lady, like the flower fair
Some day you'll have to fall
And you can find me standin' there
To catch you if you crawl
Tossin' hair a-ravin'
Eyes of flashin' blue
All the livin' that you're savin'

By townes van zandt
Ribbons of love
Please keep me true sane
Until I reach home on the morrow
Never never to wander again
I'm weak and I'm weary of sorrow
London to dublin
Australia to perth
I gazed at your sky
I tasted your earth
Sung out my heart
For what it was worth
Never again shall I ramble
There's nowhere left
In this world where to go
My arms, my legs they're a-tremblin'
Thoughts both clouded and blue as the sky
Not even worth the rememberin'
Now as I stumble
And reel to my bed
All that I've done
All that I've said
Means nothin' to me
I'd soon as be dead
All of this world be forgotten
No words of comfort
No words of advice
Nothin' to offer a stranger
Gone the love, gone the spite
It just doesn't matter no longer
My sky's getting far
The ground's gettin' close
My self goin' crazy
The way that it does
I'll lie on my pillow
And sleep if I must
Too late to wish I'd been stronger

I'm goin' out on the highway
Listen to them big trucks whine
I'm goin' out on the highway
Listen to them big trucks whine
White freight liner
Won't you steal away my mind?
Ah, New Mexico ain't bad, Lord
And the people there, they treat you kind
And the people there, they treat you kind
Well, it's bad news from Houston
Half my friends are dying
Well, it's bad news from Houston
Half my friends are dying
Ah, Lord, I'm gonna ramble
'Til I get back to where I came
Ah, Lord, I'm gonna ramble
'Til I get back to where I came
I'm goin' out on the highway
Listen to them big trucks whine
I'm goin' out on the highway

Where I lead me, I will travel
Where I need me, I will call me
I'm no fool, I'll be ready, God knows I will be
And in the meantime make a little money and buy a little mercy
Met this morning, now he loves me, says he loves me
It must be easy, look around you, all around you
But you see the motion, you're not movin'
You don't know how to hold on
Just keep it loose, don't get excited, it'll pass before long
Now one is goin' one is stayin'
One is silent one is saying'
Here's your coat, take care of yourself, sorry you're leavin'
A little sad, you're all I had will you be returnin'
The boys upstairs are gettin' hungry
You can shout in the wind about how it will be
Or you can clench your fist, shake your head
And head to the country I got no doubt about it my friend
That's where they'll find me, that's where they're gonna find me
Ask the boys down in the gutter
Now they won't lie cause you don't matter
The street's just fine if you're good and blind
But it ain't where you belong
Roll down your sleeves, pick up your money
And carry yourself home
Roll down your sleeves, pick up your money

When she don't need me, it makes me crazy
She say, rest easy and it makes me lazy
But when she please me, she please me all night long
My friends are leavin', she say, don't worry
They're only leavin', there is no parting
You will be lonely, I will be here with you
On the winds of darkness, the light is soring
And chains are bonded, freedom is singing
Cling to the darkness until you've turned to song
Well, the blues shall wash me and sun shall dry me
The world will hide me but she will find me
And when she find me, she will take me home
Well, when she don't need me, it makes me crazy
She say, rest easy and it makes me lazy

By townes van zandt
Well, the clouds didn't look like cotton
They didn't even look like clouds
I was underneath the weather
My friends looked a crowd
The swimmin' hole was full of rum
I tried to find out why
All I learned was this my friend
You got to swim before you fly
I got two girls
One's in heaven and one's below
Oh, one I love with all my heart
And one I do not know.
Two lonesome dudes on an ugly horse
Passed by not long ago
They asked me where the action was
I said I did not know
As they disappeared into the brush
I heard the driver say
He's a little slow between the ears
He's always been that way.
Jolly jane just lays around
And listens with her mouth
She's had about a dozen husbands
But the last one pulled out
Now, who's gonna bring her dinner
Through the weary years ahead
All she'll get from me is sympathy
Got no time to see she's fed.
It's cold down on the bayou
They say it's in your mind
But the moccasins are treadin' ice
And leavin strange designs
Cajuns say the last time
That this happend they weren't here
All beaumont's full of penguins

By townes van zandt
Well, I've been turnstyled,
Junkpiled
And railroaded too
I've been laid low
But don't you know
I'm still in love with you
I've been took down many a road
If anybody says I ain't day lie
But ain't got no plans
Except to be your man
And love you till I die
Well you got me under your spell
Won't you tell
Me all 'bout your wonderful charms
I got time to burn
And a lot to learn
Mama, take me in your lovin' arms
Well, I know that probably
You feel quite oddly
'bout you hear say
But if you hold me tight
It's gonna be all right

Of those that sailed the silver ships from Andilar I am the last
And the deeds that rang our youthful dreams it seems shall go undone
North for the shores of Valinor our bows and crimson sails were made
Our captains were strong and our lances long and our liege the holy king
Well the hills did turn from green to blue
And vanish as on the decks we watched
But every thought in that noble company was forward bound
To the lifeless plains of Valinor where reigns the dark and frozen one
And with tongues afire and glorious eyes we pledged our mission be
For The clime from mild to bitter ran the wind from fair to fierce did blow
Oath and prayer did turn to thoughts of homes left far behind
And longed every man for some glimpse of land
And the host that did await us there
Oh the each new day brought only a sea and sky of ice and gray
Thanks give no word can drag you through
Those endless weeks our ships did roll
Thanks give you cannot see those sails and faces bleach and draw
Ice we drank and leather did chew
For the oceans are unwholesome there
And the dead that slid into the seas did freeze before our eyes
Then a wind did fling the ships apart each one to go her separate way
And The sky did howl, the hull did groan for how long I do not know
And what men were left when the winds had ceased
Grew dull and low of countenance
For soldiers denied their battle plain on comrades soon must turn
So one by one we died alone some by hunger, some by steel
And the Bodies froze where they did fall their souls unsanctified
Until only another and I were left then just before his flame did fail
We were shone ourselves brothers-in-arms to serve the holy king
Perhaps this shall reach Andilar although I know not how it can
Oh once again he's hurled his wind upon the silver prow
Oh if it should my words are these arise young men fine ships to build

(Words & music by Bennett - Tepper)
I saw three shrimp in the water, two were old and gray
I swam a little bit closer and .. I heard the third one say
Goodbye mama shrimp, papa shake my hand
Here come the shrimper for to take me to Louisian'
Here come the shrimper for to take me to Louisian'
He showed his mama and papa, the shrimp newspaper he read
An invitation to all the shrimp and this is what it said
Free ride, New Orleans, stay in grand hotel
Big Creole gal who help you come out of your shell
Big Creole gal who help you come out of your shell
If I should live to be ninety, I will never forget
The little shrimp and the song he sang as he jumped into the net
Goodbye mama shrimp, papa shake my hand
Here come the shrimper for to take me to Louisian'
Here come the shrimper for to take me to Louisian'
Here come the shrimper for to take me to Louisian'
Here come the shrimper for to take me to Louisian'

This nine pound hammer, it's a little too heavy
For my size, honey, for my size
I'm goin on the mountain, gonna see my baby
But I ain't comin' back, no, I ain't comin' back
Chorus
Roll on buddy, don't you roll too slow
How can I roll, when the wheels won't go
Roll on buddy, pull a load of coal
How can I pull , when the wheels won't roll
Well, it's a long way to harlan, it's a long way to hazard
Just to get a little brew, just to get a little brew
Well, when I'm long gone you can make my tombstone
Outta number nine coal, outta number nine coal
(chorus)
(inst. break)

By townes van zandt
Well, the diamonds fades quickly when matched to the face of maria
All the harps they sound empty when she lifts her lips to the sky
The brown of her skin makes her hair seem a soft golden rainfall
That spills from the mountains to the bottomless depths of her eyes
Well, she stands all around me her hands slowly sifting the sunshine
All the laughter that linger down deep 'neath her smilin' is free
Well, it spins and it twirls like a hummingbird lost in the morning
And caresses the south wind and silently sails to the sea
Ah, the sculpter stands stricken and the artist he throws away his brushes
When her image comes dancin' the sun she turns sullen with shame
And the birds they go silent the wind stops his sad mournful singing
When the trees of the forest start gently to whisper'in her name
So as softly she wanders I'll desperately follow her footsteps
And I'll chase after shadows that offer a trace of her sight
Ah, they promise eternally that she lays hidden within them
But I find they've decieved me and sadly I bid them goodbye
So the serpent slide softly away with these moments of laughter
And the the old washy woman has finish her cleanin' and gone
But the bamboo hang heavy in the bondage of quicksilver daydreams

Well Loretta, she's a bar-room girl
Wears them sevens on her sleeve
Dances like a diamond shines
Tell me lies I love to believe
Her age is always 22
Her laughin' eyes a hazel hue
Spends my money like water falls
Loves me like I want her to
Oh Loretta, won't you say to me?
Darlin', put your guitar on
Have a little shot of booze
Play a blue and wailin' song
My guitar rings a melody
My guitar sings, Loretta's fine
Long and lazy, blonde and free
I can have her any time
Sweetest at the break of day
Prettiest in the settin' sun
She don't cry when I can't stay
'Least not till she's all alone
Loretta, I won't be gone long
Keep your dancin' slippers on
Keep me on your mind a while
I'll be back babe to make you smile
Loretta, she's a bar-room girl
Wears them sevens on her sleeve
Dances like a diamond shines

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
Well, in the night forlorn, oh, the morning's born
And the morning shines with the lights of love
And you will miss sunrise if you close your eyes
And 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
A treasure for the poor to find
Well, 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

Days full of rain, skys comin' down again
I get so tired of these same old blues, same old song
Baby, it won't be long 'fore I be tyin' on
My flyin' shoes, flyin' shoes
Till I be tyin' on my flyin' shoes
Spring only sighed, summer had to be satisfied
Fall is a feelin' that I just can't lose
I'd like to stay, maybe watch a winter day
Turn the green water to white and blue
Flyin' shoes, flyin' shoes
Till I be tyin' on my flyin' shoes
The mountain moon forever sets too soon
Bein' alone is all the hills can do
Alone and then her silver sails again
And they will follow
In their flyin' shoes, flyin' shoes
They will follow in their flyin' shoes
Days full of rain, skys comin' down again
I get so tired of the same old blues, same old song
Baby, it won't be long
Till I be tyin' on my flyin' shoes, flyin' shoes

Now, me and this friend named, Streetlife Brown
We got a bottle of red and walked downtown
One hand on the jug and one on time
He said, "I bet you a dollar against this next line"
I said, "Don?t let the sunshine fool ya
Don?t let the bluebirds tool ya
Don?t let the women do ya
Put your hand in mine"
Oh, advice is fine if you?ve got a mind
To listen to the end that?s got the time
But the muse?ll get ya if you don?t watch out
He?s equipped to know what it?s all about
Don?t let the sunshine fool ya
Don?t let the bluebirds tool ya
Don?t let the women do ya
Put your hand in mine
Oh, Fanon street in the afternoon is
An easy way to get out of tune
But the hard soap salesman, he said, "No dice"
When I asked politely for a better price
He said, "Don?t let that sunshine fool ya
Don?t let the bluebirds tool ya
Don?t let the women do ya
Put your hand in mine"
Well, here?s a song for you, child of mine
I hope you make it through this time
Get yourself a piece of that rainbow pie
No reason in the world you can?t get by
But don?t let the sunshine fool ya
And don?t let the bluebirds tool ya
And don?t let the women do ya
Put your hand in mine
Oh, don?t let the sunshine fool ya
Don?t let the bluebirds tool ya
Don?t let the women do ya
Put your hand in mine

Down at the bottom of that dirty ol' river
Down where the reeds and the catfish play
There lies a dream as soft as the water
There lies a bluebird that's flown away
Well, to meet is like springtime and to love's like the summer
Her brown eyes shone for nobody but me
Then autumn forever, the fool come a fallin'
And the rain turned to freezin' inside of me
I'll kindle my fires with the words
I can't send you
And the roads I can't follow
And the songs I can't sing
Well, all you young ladies who dream of tomorrow
While you're a listenin' these words will I say
Cling to today with its joy and its sorrow
You'll need all your memories when youth melts away
Well, the angel of springtime, he rides down the southwind
The angel of summer, he does just the same
The angel of autumn, she's blue and she's golden
And the angel of winter won't remember your name
Down at the bottom of that dirty ol' river
Down where the reeds and the catfish play
There lies a dream as soft as the water
There lies a bluebird that's flown away

By townes van zandt
I gotta guitar all my own
I gotta quarter for the telephone
I ain't headed down this highway all alone
One two three and maybe four
Honey, they're knockin' on my door
I know you're gonna miss me when I'm gone
Got no daddy but I got a ma
Think she lives in arkansas
Maybe I'll go see her some old day
It ain't like she'd really care
It ain't like she'd pay no fare
But I might just blow on through there anyway
Headed down to alabam
Cause some trouble if I can
Aw, buddy, would you like to come along?
It's a place I never been
And you know I could use a friend
They say they'll give us twenty bucks a song
I gotta guitar all my own
I gotta quarter for the telephone
I ain't headed down this highway all alone
One two three and maybe four
Honey, they're knockin' on my door

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?m goin? out to Denver
See if I can?t find
I?m goin? out to Denver
See if I can?t find
That lovin? Colorado girl of mine
The promise in her smile
Shames the mountains tall
The promise in her smile
Shames the mountains tall
She bring the sun to shining
Tell the rain to fall
It?s been a long time, mama
Since I heard you call my name
Ah, been a long time
Since I heard you call my name
I got to see my Colorado girl again
Be there tomorrow
Mama, don?t you cry
Be there tomorrow
Now, mama, don?t you cry
I got to kiss these
Lonesome Texas blues goodbye
I?m goin? out to to Denver
See if I can?t find
I?m goin? out to to Denver
See if I can?t find
That lovin? Colorado girl of mine

I heard her sing in tongues of silver
I heard her cry on a summer storm
I loved her but she did not know it
So I don't think about her anymore
Now she's gone and I can't believe it
So I don't think about her anymore
If three and four was seven only
Where would that leave one and two?
If love can be and still be lonely
Where does that leave me and you?
Time there was, and time there will be
Where does that leave me and you?
If I had a buckskin stallion
I'd tame him down and ride away
If I had a flyin' schooner
I'd sail into the light of day
If I had your love forever
Sail into the light of day
Pretty songs and pretty places
Places that I've never seen
Pretty songs and pretty faces
Tell me what their laughter means
Some look like they'll cry forever
Tell me what their laughter means
If I had a buckskin stallion
I'd tame him down and ride away
If I had a golden galleon
I'd sail into the light of day
If I had your love forever

At my window
Watching the sun go
Hoping the stars know
It's time to shine
Daydreams
Aloft on dark wings
Soft as the sun streams
At days decline
Living is laughing
Dying says nothing at all
Baby and I are laying here
Watching the evening fall
Time flows
Through brave beginnings
And she leaves her endings
Beneath our feet
Walk lightly
Upon their faces
Leave gentle traces
Upon their sleep
Living is dancing
Dying does nothing at all
Baby and I are laying here
Watching the evening fall
Three dimes
Hard luck and good times
Fast lines and low rhymes
Ain't much to say
Feel fine
Feel low and lazy
Feel gray and hazy
Feel far away
Living is sighing
Dying ain't flying so high
Baby and I are lying here

Well, I'm building a houseboat in heaven
To sail them, deep and holy seas
Well, I'm building a houseboat in heaven
And it's welcome aboard you sweet, sweet peace
Oh, the bow she is made of solid silver
And the hall she is made of solid gold
Now, she ain't much 'long the line's floating
But she's yours, babe, to have and to hold
Now, I rode my old guitar to heaven
Oh, heaven didn't feel too much like home
So I'm headed out on to them lonesome oceans
In my ruby studded houseboat to roam
Well, I'm building a houseboat in heaven
To sail them, deep and holy seas
Well, I'm building a houseboat in heaven
And it's welcome aboard you sweet, sweet peace
Well, I'm building a houseboat in heaven
To sail them, deep and holy seas

Far across the deep blue water lives an old German's daughter
On the banks of the old river Rhine
Where I loved her and left her and I can't forget her
Oh, she was my pretty fraulein
Fraulein, fraulein, walk down by the river
Tonight when those stars start to shine
By those same stars above you, I swear that I love you
Oh, you are my pretty fraulein
Oh, when my memories wander way over yonder
To the one that I left behind
In a moment of glory, her face comes before me
The face of my pretty fraulein
Fraulein, fraulein, walk down by the river
Tonight when those stars start to shine, shine
By those same stars above you, well, I swear that I love you

By townes van zandt
My home is colorado
With their proud mountains tall
Where the rivers like gypsys
Down her black canyons fall
I'm a long, long way from denver
With a long way to go
So lend an ear to my singing
Cause I'll be back no more
I left as a young man
Not full seventeen
With nothin' for company
But the wind and a dream
'bout all the fast ladies
And livin' I'd find
When I left my proud mountains
And rivers behind
So I rolled and a-rambled
Like a leaf in the wind
Well, I found my fast ladies
And some hard livin' men
Well, I sometimes went hungry
With my pockets all bare
Lord, I sometimes had good luck
With money to spare
I made me some friends, lord,
That I won't soon forget
Some are down under
And some are rambling yet
But as for me
I'm headed for home
Back to high colorado
Never more for to roam
So friends, when my time comes
As surely it will
You just carry my body
Out to some lonesome hill
And lay me down easy
Where the cool rivers run
With only my mountains
'tween me and the sun

By townes van zandt
Her face was crystal
Fair and fine
Her breath was morning
Her lips were wine
Her eyes were laughter
Her touch divine
Her face was crystal
And she was mine
If only she
Could feel my pain
But feelin' is a burden
She can't sustain
So like a summer thursday
I cry for rain
To come and turn
The ground to green again
If only she
Could her my songs
'bout the empty difference
'tween the rights and wrongs
Then I know that i
Could stand alone
As well as they
Now that she's gone
Her face was crystal
Fair and fine
Her breath was morning
Her lips were wine
Her eyes were laughter
Her touch divine
Her face was crystal

by Townes Van Zandt
Living on the road my friend,
is gonna keep you free and clean
Now you wear your skin like iron,
Your breath as hard as kerosene.
You weren't your mama's only boy,
but her favorite one it seems
She began to cry when you said goodbye,
And sank into your dreams.
Pancho was a bandit boy,
his horse was fast as polished steel
He wore his gun outside his pants
For all the honest world to feel.
Pancho met his match you know
on the deserts down in Mexico
Nobody heard his dying words,
ah but that's the way it goes.
All the Federales say
they could have had him any day
They only let him slip away
out of kindness, I suppose.
Lefty, he can't sing the blues
all night long like he used to.
The dust that Pancho bit down south
ended up in Lefty's mouth
The day they laid poor Pancho low,
Lefty split for Ohio
Where he got the bread to go,
there ain't nobody knows
The poets tell how Pancho fell,
and Lefty's living in cheap hotels
The desert's quiet, Cleveland's cold,
And so the story ends we're told
Pancho needs your prayers it's true,
but save a few for Lefty too
He only did what he had to do,
and now he's growing old

This nine pound hammer, it's a little too heavy
For my size, honey, for my size
I'm goin on the mountain, gonna see my baby
But I ain't comin' back, no, I ain't comin' back
Chorus
Roll on buddy, don't you roll too slow
How can I roll, when the wheels won't go
Roll on buddy, pull a load of coal
How can I pull , when the wheels won't roll
Well, it's a long way to Harlan, it's a long way to Hazard
Just to get a little brew, just to get a little brew
Well, when I'm long gone you can make my tombstone
Outta number nine coal, outta number nine coal
(chorus)
(inst. break)
(chorus)

You live on your hill so high and so lonely
You toss out your bread crumbs to those down below
They think you're a king but believe me it's only
Because they're too blind to know
There once was a time when your money had meaning
You diamonds had glitter but now it's all gone
It poisoned your laughter and muffled your singing
You can't even see that it's wrong
Your castle is dingy and dirty and dismal
Your carpets are faded, your walls are all gray
There's dust on your silver and cracks in your crystal
All your young servants have drifted away
So go back to your sadness, go back to your sorrow
And I'll make my bed on a hill 'neath the sky
And lay here a-listening 'til the sun comes tomorrow
Counting the tears that you cry
Your castle is dingy and dirty and dismal
Your carpets are faded, your walls are all gray
There's dust on your silver and cracks in your crystal

Well, a diamond fades quickly when matched to the face of Maria
All the harps they sound empty when she lifts her lips to the sky
The brown of her skin makes her hair seem a soft golden rainfall
That spills from the mountains to the bottomless depths of her eyes
Well, she stands all around me her hands slowly sifting the sunshine
All the laughter that linger down deep 'neath her smilin' is free
Well, it spins and it twirls like a hummingbird lost in the morning
Then caresses the south wind and silently sails to the sea
Ah, the sculptor stands stricken and the artist he throws away his brushes
When her image comes dancin' the sun she turns sullen with shame
And the birds they go silent the wind stops his sad mournful singing
When the trees of the forest start gently to whispering her name
So as softly she wanders I'll desperately follow her footsteps
And I'll chase after shadows that offer a trace of her sigh
Ah, they promise eternally that she lies hidden within them
But I find they've deceived me and sadly I bid them goodbye
So the serpent slide softly away with his moments of laughter
And the the old washer-woman has finished her cleanin' and gone
But the bamboo hang heavy in the bondage of quicksilver daydreams

If I had no place to fall
And I needed to
Could I count on you
To lay me down?
I'd never tell you no lies
I don't believe it's wise
You got pretty eyes
Won't you spin me 'round
I ain't much of a lover, it's true
I'm here, then I'm gone
And I'm forever blue
But I'm sure wanting you
Skies full of silver and gold
Try to hide the sun
But it can't be done
Least not for long
And if we help each other grow
While the light of day
Smiles down our way
Then we can't go wrong
Time, she's a fast old train
She's here, then she's gone
And she won't come again
Won't you take my hand
If I had no place to fall
And I needed to
Could I count on you

By townes van zandt
Come away with me,
My little delta boy
I wanna be your delta mama for awhile
And if you stay you'll see
That I bring you lots of joy
I turn those little teardrops to a smile
Well, if you're blue don't cry
Just wander right downtown
You can find your delta mama waitin' there
Well, I thought you knew that i
Would never let you down
I can ease your mind and take away your cares
Come away with me,
My little delta boy
I wanna be your delta mama for awhile
And if you stay you'll see
That I bring you lots of joy
I turn those little teardrops to a smile
Well, if the grass goes brown
Don't you hang your head too low
Well, there ain't no need for you to sit and pine
If you'll just ask around
I'm sure someone will know
Just exactly what it takes to get you back to feelin fine
Well, if you don't know by now
What I've been tryin' so hard to say
Well my delta boy I'm afraid you're up to tight
But you take it slow and somehow
You come meandering out my way
And I'll take you in my arms and make it right
Ah, come away with me,
My little delta boy
I wanna be your delta mama for awhile
And if you stay you'll see
That I bring you lots of joy

By townes van zandt
I been gone too long
Too long gone, too long
I been travelin hard
I just can't get back home
It's hard to believe I done all that much wrong
I wanna find me a seven
Sevens ain't so bad
Seven's about the best friend
This poor boy ever had
You get you a seven
One and six don't seem so sad
I ain't bein' alone
Bein' alone too long
I'm sick of singin' this same ol' lonesome song
I'm gonna find me a seven and darlin'
I'm comin' home
It's lonesome down along this ol' highway
Darlin' I ain't stayin' here
I don't intend to stay
You may not want me I'm comin' home anyway
When the sun comes creepin'
Over the mountain side
I at least lay down and tell myself I tried
I ain't like somebody gonna sit
In no ditch and cry
I been gone too long
Too long gone, too long
Travelin' hard I just can't get back home
It's hard to believe I done all that much wrong
Too long gone
Too long gone, too long
Travelin' hard, I just can't get back home
It's hard to believe I done all that much wrong

It's many a fine lady that's walked along beside me
With their flesh made of velvet and their eyes made of rain
Some tried to hold me to hurt me to hide me
And some turned away not to look back again
One stood among them I remember most clearly
Her sorrows were heavy and her laughter was slow
I courted her gently and I loved her most dearly
And I came her majestic reflections to know
Her words like the mountain stood lonely and lofty
With her face like daydream and her hair like the shawl worn by a mourner As he steals away softly
From those that would have him mourn nothing at all
Endlessly sorrow rode high on the north wind
Slashing and slicing to take him his toll
And endlessly creatures of darkness were cuttin'
Their paths through the walls that sheltered her soul
But no longer gypsy lie sadness unending
Her eyes they lay hollow and her face petrified
The sun will go laughin' and others condemn him

Well, won't you lend your lungs to me?
Mine are collapsin'
Plant my feet and bitterly breathe
Up the time that's passin'
Breath I'll take and breath I'll give
And pray the day is not poisoned
Stand among the ones that live
In lonely indecision
Well, fingers walk the darkness down
Mind is on the midnight
Gather up the gold you've found
You fool it's only moonlight
If you try to take it home
Your hands will turn to butter
You better leave this dream alone
Try to find another
Salvation sat and crossed herself
Called the devil partner
Wisdom burned upon a shelf
Who'll kill the raging cancer
Seal the river at its mouth
Take the water prisoner
Fill the sky with screams and cries
Bathe in fiery answers
Well, Jesus was an only son
And love his only concept
The strangers cry in foreign tongues
And dirty up the doorstep
And I for one, and you for two
Ain't got the time for outside
Keep your injured looks to you

Greensboro woman don't you smile on me
I do not feel like being comforted
And anyway I'll be home soon
For once is someone waitin' there
And if you don't mind, I just think on her instead
Your face, she's a picture, babe pictures ain't what I crave
I don't feel this way most generally
I just pit a thousand miles 'tween me and where my thoughts do lie
And I thank you kindly baby to kindly let me be
Your car, she's smooth and fast
Babe, your bourbon's fine but I ain't feelin' free and clear today
Texas loving layin' on my mind
I couldn't do you right babe spinnin' round this way
So, Greensboro woman don't you smile on me
I do not feel like being comforted
And anyway I'll be home soon
For once is someone waitin' there

Well, little darling she ain't mean me no harm
You know, she loved me all night long
Now she's gone, gone
Well, little darling in a dress so red
Now she's gone, man
I'm stuck in Chicago, Illinois
Let me tell you, boys
She's gone, gone
I do believe she gone a mobil deal
I do believe she made a fool of me
She's gone now
Little darling, won't you stay friend
I want to do them things again
Ah, gone, gone
You know, she loved me all night long
You know, she didn't mean me no wrong

By townes van zandt
Hey willie boy what you gonna do
When the wind blows cold
The moon turns blue
Build me a fire
Gonna dance and sing
A little bit of winter don't mean a thing
A little bit of winter don't mean a thing
Hey willie when the birds arrive
The flowers bloom
While the clouds float by
Tell my puppies
And my turtles and things
All gods children need a little spring
All gods children need a little spring
Hey willie boy where you gonna go
When the grass gets sticky
And the wind blows slow
Down to the river
Gonna jump right in
A little bit of summer can't be no sin
A little bit of summer can't be no sin
Hey willie how you gonna feel
When the leaves turn gold
Beneath your heels
Twirl and spin never gonna fall
Fallin just won't do at all
No that wouldn't do at all
Hey willie boy how you gonna feel
Hey willie boy where you gonna go
Hey willie boy what you gonna do
It's time to go to sleep right now

Your eyes seek conclusion in all this confusion of mine
Though you and I both know it's only the warm glow of wine
That's got you to feel in this way
But I don't care I want you to stay
And hold me and tell me you'll be here to love me today
The children are dancin', the gamblers are chancin' their all
The window's accusing the door of abusing the wall
But who cares what the night watchmen say
The stage has been set for the play
So just hold me and tell me you'll be here to love me today
The moon's come and gone but a few stars hang on on to the sky
Well, the wind's runnin' free though it ain't up to me, ask why
But the poets are demanding their pay
An' they've left me with nothin' to say
'Cept hold me and tell me you'll be here to love me today

A few announcements for the people who just came in
The other people have heard it five times already, I'm sure
The restrooms are upstairs
Pay phone's upstairs
Pool table's upstairs
Foosball's upstairs
Cigarette machine's upstairs
(Now, wait wait wait, we're not talkin' about that)
This week the Old Quarter's had Townes Van Zandt for five nights
We have him for one more night and we're glad to have him here tonight.

Well I got two hands, I wanna clap my hands together
I got two legs, I wanna dance to heavens door
I got one heart, I'm gonna fill it up with up Jesus
And I ain't gonna think about trouble anymore
Well now, this old world sometimes it does get lonesome
And it's many a grown man has hung his head and cried
Look down in your soul theres one that won't desert you
Ain't it fine to have the Saviour by your side
Well I got two hands, I wanna clap my hands together
I got two legs, I wanna dance to heavens door
I got one heart, I want to fill it up with up Jesus
And I ain't gonna think about trouble anymore
Now the Lord resides inside a house of golden
And faith is the door and love is the key
And warm is the light pouring from His mighty windows
And that light, my friend, it shines on you and me
Well I got two hands, I wanna clap my hands together
I got two legs, I wanna dance to heavens door
I got one heart, I'm gonna fill it up with up Jesus
And I ain't gonna think about trouble anymore
But when the wind blows on that faithful morning
And I close my eyes, Lord, and fly my body home
Well I don't want my friends to cry no tears about me
I'll be bathing in the glory of the throne
Well I got two hands, I wanna clap my hands together
I got two legs, I wanna dance to heavens door
I got one heart, I want to fill it up with up Jesus

So close and yet so far away
And all the things I'd hoped to say
Will have to go unsaid today
Perhaps until tomorrow
Fears have built a wall between
Our lives and all that lovin' means
Will have to go unfelt it seems
And that leaves only sorrow
You built your tower strong and tall
Can't you see it's got to fall some day?
You close your eyes and speak to me
Of faith and love, and destiny
As distant as eternity
And truth, and understanding
The wind blows cold outside your door
Whispers words I've tried before
But you don't hear me anymore
Your pride's just too demanding
You built your tower strong and tall
Can't you see it's got to fall some day?
The end is coming soon, it's plain
A warm bed just ain't worth the pain
And I will go and you'll remain
With the bitterness we tasted
A mother's breast, a newborn child
A poet's tear and drunken smile
But can't help thinkin' all the while
Their meaning won't be wasted
You built your tower strong and tall

Well, the birds were talking all at once
And the old man moving down his lawn
He didn't look like much too bad a guy
And I was thinkin' hang on, man, something's wrong
Your blues they do seems to be gone
Heaven ain't bad but you don't get nothing done
Lay down your head a while
You are not needed now, you are not needed now
Well, Allison laid a hex on me
And every time I turn around
It's swimming through the air above my bed
I told Miss Higgs and she said fine
As long as you're back in your room on time
I keep you clean and the girls will keep you fed
Lay down your head with mine
You are not needed now and we got things to do
Well between the blankets made of wool
The trains go by every half an hour
And the body can get no restin' done, that's true
So I spend my time as best I can
Thinkin' big and making plans
And wondering where them trains are rolling to
Lay down your head poor boy
Feel how the ground does move and hear how them drivers sing
Well, goodbye friends, it's time to close
Everybody knows that's the way it goes
And where was it you lived in case I'm ever there
Well, three doors down and two behind
And it gets a little bit out of hand sometimes
Don't let it fool you into thinkin' you down care
Lay down your head and fly
And I'll quietly pass you by you won't even see me go
Well if I thought about it long enough
I just might make some kind of move
Watchful lies are too hard on the soul
With the smoke house just across the way
And it's fog upon the light of day
That would be hard but comin' up with where to go
Lay down your head poor boy
And feel how the ground does move, hear how them drivers sing
And what now, my darling one, go find a little fun

By townes van zandt
Ain't much I ain't tried
Fast livin' slow suicide
Then a-runnin' in a place to hide
Just looking for you
My friends they all agree
Ain't many a fool like me
I just tell them wait and see
Go looking for you
Looking low and looking high
Looking far and looking wide
Try to tell myself that I'm fine
But it just ain't true
It just ain't true
I'm still looking for you
Still looking for you
From the shadow of the darkest pine
To the edge of the sweet sunshine
I keep looking till they make you mine
Looking for you
When the curtain tumbles down
I'll be somewhere hanging round
With my heart laid on the ground
Just looking for you
Looking low and looking high
Looking far and looking wide
Try to tell myself that I tried
But it just ain't true
It just won't do
I'm still looking for you

By townes van zandt
Like silent she stands
Like laughter she falls
From a castle of sand
Like a memory she crawls
And the mockingbirds grieve
'cause they can't make her cry
They'll soon start to believe
That the lady has died
What it all goes to show
It ain't my job to say
For who am I to know
Why she's actin' this way
Once again turn away
If you're sure that it's done
Tell your prophets to pray
Tell your bandits to run
Take your eyelids of stone
They won't do you no harm
Take your cross made of bones
Take your your fly-paper arms
And when everything's placed
In your coffin and go
Through a scarf 'round your face
'cause the subway gets cold
Pack up your sunflower smile
And your bandana blues
Take your worthless denials
They're all you've got left to lose
Take your tinkerbell lies
And your weary desires
Take the tears in your eyes
Take your cup full of fire
Give your lover a call
If your legs start to fail
And he'll come break your fall
With a bed full of nails
No need to glance back again
There ain't nothin' to see
Just this drunken old man
And this woman and me
And you've made it quite plain
That we're just wastin' time
And you say that it seems strange
That I'm staying behind
But you don't worry 'bout me
I can make it alone
'cause I got no place to be

When He offers His hand, don't you turn Him away
He can lead you to light through the darkest of days
With His love wrapped around you, you can't go astray
When He offers His hand, don't you turn Him away
In a world full of sorrow, a world full of hate
You can't wait for tomorrow 'cause tomorrow's to late
Come and stand 'mongst the pilgrims in their golden array
When He offers His hand, don't you turn Him away
When He offers His hand, don't you turn Him away
He can lead you to light through the darkest of days
With His love wrapped around you, you can't go astray
When He offers His hand, don't you turn Him away
Well I am no Simon, no Matthew, no Paul
It don't take an Apostle to answer His call
And it don't take a Prophet to stand up and say
When He offers His hand, don't you turn Him away
Well I hope as I'm leavin' my message is clear
It's a fool that would turn down a gift that's so dear
Well He offered His blood your debts to repay
Now He offers his hand, don't you turn Him away
When He offers His hand, don't you turn Him away
He can lead you to light through the darkest of days
With His love wrapped around you, you can't go astray

By townes van zandt
Sometimes I don't know where
This dirty road is taking me
Sometimes I can't even see the reason why
I guess I keep a-gamblin'
Lots of booze and lots of ramblin'
It's easier than just waitin' around to die
One time, friends, I had a ma
I even had a pa
He beat her with a belt once 'cause she cried
She told him to take care of me
Headed down to tennessee
It's easier than just waitin' around to die
I came of age and I found a girl
In a tuscaloosa bar
She cleaned me out and hit in on the sly
I tried to kill the pain, bought some wine
And hopped a train
Seemed easier than just waitin' around to die
A friend said he knew
Where some easy money was
We robbed a man, and brother did we fly
The posse caught up with me
And drug me back to muskogee
It's two long years I've been waitin' around to die
Now I'm out of prison
I got me a friend at last
He don't drink or steal or cheat or lie
His name's codine
He's the nicest thing I've seen
Together we're gonna wait around and die

By townes van zandt
I'll play upon my violin
Until the mountains ring
Of lonely laughter blindly thrown
And cause an endless sark of strings
The skies are sad
They're dancin' to a silent symphony
And the velvet voices all shall join
The singing
The hall is filled to every corner
By a tinkling hint of chimes
A melody careens and crumbles
Leaving just a trace behind
A rhythm [palter and] faintly fails
The silver on it's wings
And the velvet voices all shall join
The singing
The cymbals flash, the drums they crash
The trumpets rise the song
The brass beton plucks it's diamonds
From a glittering wall of almost dawn
The crystal chords they slash the wind
In humble majesty
And the velvet voices all shall join

By townes van zandt
Well, billy went down to the battleground
To find a little trinket he could call his own
Didn't see nothin' lying around
He decided he'd dig awhile
Well he dug her up and he dug her down
'fore too long he found some bones
Poor little billy couldn't make a sound
When the bones sat up and smiled
Oh billy you seem like a fine young man
No reason to be a tremblin' soul
Come over here and shake my hand
Make my proud acquaintance
Well billy he was stunned he could hardly stand
Whether he could move he didn't know
But he knew he had to formulate some kinda plan
Or try the boneman's patience
The first thing he wanted to do was breathe
So he gulped in some of that battleground air
Next thing he wanted to do was leave
But billy wasn't raised up rude
Well the boneman grunted and he gave a heave
All of a sudden he was loomin' there
Shakin off dirt and actin pleased
Things didn't look too good
Well billy decided what the hell
You don't meet a boneman every day
A little bit skinny but you never can tell
He might be a pretty good guy
Well they started off with the old soft sell
'fore too long they were jawin' away
By the time the darkness fell
They were seein' socket to eye
They decided right then on a life of crime
With the boneman's looks and billy's brains
They could scare old scrooge out of his last dime
Might as well have a go
Billy he would picked the place and time
From the corner store to the railroad train
Boney'd flash him a smile sublime
And billy he'd grab the dough
They decided they might as well start right then
Time's awastin' so they say
They headed for the park
Where the lights are dim
And only the foolish tread
He was whistlin' a tune
When they spotted him strollin' along
So plump and gay
Boney gave him a great big grin
And billy snagged his bread
Next come a lady of the night
Boney saddled up and said hello
Gave the poor thing such a terrible fright
She fainted dead away
Billy lifted her purse and her earrings bright
Diamond rings and watch you know
Couldn't figure out try as they might
Why they'd ever worked a single day
Billy's plans ended up in ruin you know
They were workin' a quaint little neighborhood
Spied an old lady about eighty or so
Almost looked too easy
Boney put on a pretty good show
The little ol' lady didn't see too good
My kind sir your all bones you know
You need something hot and greasy
Grabbed ol' boney drug him inside
Billy peeked in through the window sill
She fed him boiled and baked and fried
Ol' boney he's chewin like crazy
He gobbled up everything he tried
Pounds added on like you know they will
Billy laid down in the dirt and cried
Watchin boney gettin fat and lazy
Well billy's back workin his job by day
Sleep'n nights it ain't so bad
Never liked stealin anyway
Kinda gives a guy the willies
Boney and ma got a new cafe
Best baked beans you ever had
Ma's expecting any day

Won't say I love you, babe
Won't say I need you, babe
I'm gonna get you babe
And I will not do you wrong
Living's mostly wasting time
I'll waste my share of mine
But it never feels too good
So let's don't take too long
Well you're soft as glass
And I'm a gentleman
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
Don't turn none away
Everything is not enough
And nothin' is too much to bear
Where you've been is good and gone
All you keep's the getting there
Well to live is to fly, all 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
But think of all the poetry
And the pickin' down the line
Well 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
Well I may be gone
But it won't be long
I will be a bringin' back the melodies
And rhythm that I find
We all got holes to fill
And them holes are all that's real
Some fall on you like a storm
Sometimes you dig your own
The choice is yours to make
And time is yours to take
Some dive into the sea
Some toil upon the stone
Well to live is to fly, all low and high
So shake the dust off of your wings
And the sleep out of your eyes
Shake the dust off of your wings

By townes van zandt
There is a spider in my dreams
Long and silent is his name
Cold as lightning is his smile
Final is his sting
His curse is deep as seven skies
Boys, I wouldn't tell you lies
The legends say he never sleeps
He's never hungry long
He's got us, boys, I believe it's true
But I'm fighting till he lays me down
Run his foul black body through
Cleave him all asunder
Think your women, won't you boys,
Think your mother growing old
Think about your darling son
Spittin' the spider's eye
Up [at ease] against him ride
We'll not take him by surprise
Give a scream down in your dreams
Let him know we're comin'
There is a spider in my dreams
Long and silent is his name
Cold as lightning is his smile

By townes van zandt
The old woman finally caught me
Sneakin' 'round her cave
Her hair looked just like barbwire, boys
And her smile just like the grave
She asked me could I stay awhile
I said I'd better go
She slid her arm around my neck
And sweetly whispered no
It's cold and dark and lonely here
As soon enough you'll see
I'm oh so glad you stumbled in
I've been cravin' company
I cannot stay too long you know
I left some friends at home
Don't you fret about your friends
Down here we're all alone
What about my mother
I can't just leave her there to mourn
You don't have to think about her
Just forget you were ever born
I'll disappoint my father
You know he worked so hard for me
If you have to pay your father back
Just send him some misery
I'll miss, I said, a girl I know
I can't just leave there to pine
She's still got plenty of men to go
I'm sure she'll do just fine
What about my little boy
She said, he's just like you
Let a few short years roll by
He'll end up down here too
Then her pale green eyes began to glow
She placed her hand on mine
She smiled and said don't worry
You'll get used to me in time
As her cold tongue flickered toward
I spun myself around
Made a dive for the passageway
But the walls come crashing down
Now her eyes were the only light
My fevered brain could see
But I tore myself away from them
And fell down to my knees
I've come too far, I can't get back
I beseeched the gods of men
Fame and fortune just laughed at me
Then silence once again
A whisper deep within
Embrace the God of love
I lifted my face and through the tears
I saw light fall from above
I hurled myself into the wall
I ripped and clawed my way
Through the stinkin', clingin' loam
Back to the light of day
I crawled out into the wind again
The sky upon my face
I heard the earth sigh patiently
As it slid back into place
Now I'm back among the ones I love
I'm loved by them in turn
And it's only on the darkest night
That green eyed memory burns
So walk my friends, in the light of day
Don't go sneakin' 'round no holes
There justmight be something down there

Well, the name she gave was Caroline
The daughter of a miner
An' her ways were free, an' it seemed to me
That sunshine walked beside her
She comes from Spencer, across the hill
She said her pa had sent her
'Cause the coal was low and soon the snow
Would turn the skies to winter
Well, she said, she'd come to look for work
She was not seekin' favors
For a dime a day and a place to stay
She'd turn those hands to labor
The times were hard, Lord and the jobs were few
All through Tecumseh valley
But she asked around till a job she found
Tending bar at Gypsy Sally's
Well, she saved enough to get back home
When spring replaced the winter
But her dreams were denied, her pa had died
Well, the word come down from Spencer
So she turned to whorin' out on the streets
With all the lust inside her
And it was many a man, returned again
To lay himself beside her
Well, they found her down beneath the stairs
That led to Gypsy Sally's
And in her hand when she died was a note that cried
'Fare Thee Well, Tecumseh Valley'
Well, the name she gave was Caroline
The daughter of a miner
An' her ways were free, an' it seemed to me

By townes van zandt
Among the strangest things I ever heard
Was when a friend of mine said "man, let's get some thunderbird"
I said "what's that? " he just started to grin
Slobbered on his shirt, his eyes got dim
He said "you got fifty-nine cents? "
I said "yeah, I got a dollar, but don't be a smart-aleck
I ain't gonna spend it on no indian relic"
And he said "thunderbird's not an old indian trinket,
It's a wine, man, you take it home and drink it."
I said "it sure don't sound like wine to me"
And he said he'd bet me the change from my dollar
We hustled on down to the nearest u-tate-um
The guy wanted my id, I whipped her out and showed him
He got a green bottle from the freezing vault
My friend started doing backward somersaults
Through the cottage cheese
Took it back to his house, started drinkin'
Pretty soon I set in to thinkin'
"man, this thunderbird tastes yummy, yummy, yummy
And I know it's doing good things to my tummy, tum..., t..."
It's so you reason when your on that crap
Got a few more bottles, chugged them down
I pulled myself up off the ground
Decided I go see my dearest sweet wife
Who met me at the door with a carving knife
Said "get them damn grape peel from between your teeth."
I could see we're gonna have a little misunderstanding
I said "dear, I better get in touch with you later"
She said "forget it, man, you're never touchin' me again!"
Now I've seen the light and heard the word
And I'm staying away from that ol' dirty thunderbird
A message come from heaven radiant, and fine,
All I drink now is communion wine

By townes van zandt
Well, I ain't very big for twentyone
And it seems I never could have any good clean fun
Cause every time I'd go outside some great big bully'd come along
He'd hit me in the face and he'd knock to the ground
And he'd start kickin' me all around
And that ain't exactly fair, friends, that's wrong.
So I got me a paper the other night
And I crawled up on the sofa and I turned on the light
And flipped through the pages till I found the classified ads.
Said, "take karate from lee hung chow;
Man, make your first appointment now
This course is guaranteed to make you bad."
Well, the next day I drove to the address
By japanese design I was really impressed
It looked like a regular house of the rising sun.
I walked inside, I was all alone
I had a nervous feeling down in my bones
I was kind of sorry I'd ever even come.
Then a giant jap came through the door
He must have been about seven foot four
And he looked like he's prone to easy aggrevation.
He said, "lee hung chow, ah kee dung"
That's japanese for fee fie foo fum
I tried to explain my entire situation.
He said, "number one course, yankee, self defence,
Twohundred dollars and twentyfive cents";
I said "what's the twentyfive cents for? " and he said, "repairs."
I said, "repairs to what? ", and he said "to you"
And I thought to myself "man, that won't do"
Felt about a half inch tall under that ol' slender stare
Ah, you think he was yellow...
I said, "i believe I better go check another place"
He said, "ha so, yankee don't like my race"
I said, "now, there's a mistake, man, and that's true;
I've been for you you japanese all along
You japanese just can't do no wrong
And I thought you got mighty dirty deal in world war ii."
Well, he grabbed me by the hand and gave a heave
I figured there's a pretty good time to leave
Before he had a chance to do me any definite harm.
But my plan worked out in the end, you see,
Now no bully is gonna pick on me

Well, I'm standin' with my head bowed down, now
That ain't right, that ain't wrong
It's just a feelin' but I can't shake it
Well, I keep on tryin' but it's been so long
If I hurt you, I did not mean to
I beg you pardon, I did not want to
When I leave you, don't you think about me?
Well, I won't be back babe, I'll be long gone
When the time comes and I'm not ready
Seems it's over before I'm started
Well, the time comes and I don't feel it
I don't know nothin' but my own
So I'm standin' with my head bowed down, now
And that ain't right, that ain't wrong
It's just a feelin' but I can't shake it
Well, I keep on tryin' but it's been so long
Our kingdoms into the sky go
And the highway like a river does flow
On my way sometimes it hurts so
On your way, just don't go home
So I'm standin' with my head bowed down now
That ain't right, that ain't wrong
It's just a feelin' but I can't shake it
Well, I keep on tryin' but it's been so long
Well, I'm standin' with my head bowed down now
That ain't right, that ain't wrong
It's just a feelin' but I can't shake it
Well, I keep on tryin' but it's been so long
Well, I'm standin' with my head bowed down now
That ain't right, that ain't wrong
It's just a feelin' but I can't shake it

When she had twenty years she turned to her mother
Saying mother, I know that you'll grieve
But I've given my soul to St. John the gambler
Tomorrow comes time to leave
For the hills cannot hold back my sorrow forever
And dead men lie deep 'round the door
The only salvation that's mine for the asking
So mother, think on me no more
An' winter held high 'round the mountains breast
And the cold of a thousand snows
Lay heaped upon the forests leaf
But she dressed in calico
For a gambler likes his women fancy
Fancy she would be
And the fire of her longing would keep 'way the cold
And her dress was a sight to see
But the road was long beneath the feet
She followed her frozen breath
In search of a certain St. John the gambler
Stumbling to her death
She heard his laughter right down from the mountains
And danced with her mothers tears
To a funeral drawn a calico
'Neath the cross of twenty years
To a funeral drawn a calico

Babe you can't hold me I'm too slippery
I do no sleepin' I get lonely
But you can touch me if you want to
But I got poison I just might bite you
Lie in circles on the sunlight
Shine like diamonds on a dark night
Ain't no mercy in my smilin'
Only fangs and sweet beguiling
Well the future, he don't try to find me
Skin I been through dies behind me
Solid hollow wrapped in hatred
Not a drop of venom wasted
Babe you can slip in try to find me
Hold your breath and flat deny me
It makes no difference to my thinkin'

By townes van zandt
Mr ten dollar man
Let me tell where you're bound
Drink your green liqour, lord
You'll roll to the ground
But you come around here
With your money in your hand
Taste of my woman
Well, you die where you stand
Snake mountain blues
Got me down low
I could die in the morning
But noone would know
When my woman come around
My body she'd find
Go down to dundee
Have her a time
Snake mountain gonna crumble
And fall from the sky
Before that woman of mine
Stops tellin' her lies
If I'd die, lord, she'd weep
She'd weep and she'd mourn
Soon as i's buried
Forget I'd been born
Love of blackskin woman
She won't do you no wrong
Slow to start moaning
She don't moan for long
Yellow headed woman
Brings nothing but pain
Take all you give her
She leaves only shame
My daddy, lord, he rides
On a long holy train
First winds of winter
I see him again
In this farewell to this
Yellow headed misery I've known
Snake mountain's calling
Calling me home
Snake mountain blues
Got me down low
I could die in the morning
But noone would know
When my woman come around
My body she'd find
Go down to dundee

By townes van zandt
She came and she touched me
With hands made of heaven
Reflections sent spinnin'
Through a face laced in mist
Now I stand where she left me
Buried deep 'neath her shadow
And the mirror plead sadly
Does it all come to this
And I wonder: will she call my name?
The wind careens madly
Through wide windows paneless
Fragrancies mingle
In a room full of shade
The peons pick partners
And waltz cross the ceilings
But the violins whisper
That I've been betrayed
Tryin not to look ashamed
The drunkards drink deeply
From cups full of nothingness
Ghost lovers laugh
At the games that they play
The moments do somersaults
Into eternity
Cling to their coattails
And beg them to stay
Saying I got nothing to hide
Illusions projected
On walls made of tiffany
Mad men you adds to
A sad satin song
A harlequin mandolins
Harmonize helplessly
Hoping that endlessly
Won't last for long
Praying that their God ain't dying
Then I turn and I see her
In a dress made of moonlight
Teardrops like diamonds
Run slow down her face
Her arms surround me
Like chains made of velvet
And the demons fall faithfully
Into their place
And the rivers run with jewels
Now the morning lies open
The night went quite quickly
Memory harmlessly
Fractures and fades
All the poets do push-ups
On carpets of rubber foam
Loudly they laugh
At some joke that's been made

By townes van zandt
You're wakin' next to me
Tears splash across the sun
You whisper soft to me
That I ain't the only one
To breathe your yellow hair
Caress your bosom fair
Do you think I really care?
Do you think it matters?
What do your feelin's mean?
Do you think I'd love more
If you stood pure and clean
Of those you'd known before
Would your words be sweeter then
Upon november's wind
If you began again
Could your smile be softer?
Would your eyes more brightly shine?
Would your laughter be so tender
If you'd been only mine
For as long as you remember?
I don't want tears from you
Don't build your love on shame
All what we've done is through
And all we can do remains
My lady can't you see
I love not jealously
But for all you are to me

When the bandits have stolen your jewelry and gone
And your crippled young gypsy, he's grown tall and strong
And your dead misconceptions have proven you wrong
Well then, princess, where you plannin' to turn to?
When your magazine memory has spun you around
And you realize your lovers were just painted clowns
And outside your window you start hearing sounds
Where they're building a cross for to burn you
When all your bright scarlet turns slowly to blue
Will you stop and decide that it's over?
When your teardrops go sour and no longer fall
The splash cross the virgin that lives down the hall
And spends all her nights with an ear to your wall
Well then, what will you have you can offer?
When the firedancers finish and leave you alone
With nothing but embers and sacks full of stone
That hang 'round your neck, slicing through to the bone
Will there still be a place for your laughter?
When all your bright scarlet turns slowly to blue
Will you stop and decide that it's over?
When your shattered illusions come a-tumblin' home
And all of the butchers you've nourished have grown
And they are suddenly able to leave you alone
And they run like slaves that are set free
When your questions are answered and your pleading is done
And your mind starts a-screaming that you ain't the one
That once dwelled within you, will you turn, will you run
But princess, will you come home and get me?
When all your bright scarlet turns slowly to blue

I used to wake and run with the moon
I lived like a rake and a young man
I covered my lovers with flowers and wounds
My laughter, the Devil would frighten
The sun, she would come and beat me back down
But every cruel day had its nightfall
I'd welcome the stars with wine and guitars
Full of fire and forgetful
My body was sharp, the dark air clean
And outrage my joyful companion
Whisperin' women, how sweet did they seem
Kneelin' for me to command them
And time was like water but I was the sea
I'd have never noticed it passin'
Except for the turnin' of night into day
And the turnin' of day into cursin'
You look at me now and don't think I don't know
What all your eyes are a sayin'
Does he want us to believe these ravings and lies
They're just tricks that his brains been a playin'?
A lover of women, he can't hardly stand
He trembles, he's bent and he's broken
I've fallen it's true but I say unto you
Hold your tongues until after I've spoken
I was takin' my pride in the pleasures I'd known
I laughed and thought I'd be forgiven
But my laughter turned 'round eyes blazing and
Said my friend, we're holdin' a wedding
I buried my face but it spoke once again
The night to the day we're a bindin'
And now the dark air is like fire on my skin

Livin' on the road, my friend
Was gonna keep you free and clean
And now you wear your skin like iron
And your breath as hard as kerosene
Weren't you mama's only boy
But her favorite one, it seems
She began to cry when you said, "Goodbye"
Sank into your dreams
Pancho was a bandit, boy
His horse was fast as polished steel
He wore his gun outside his pants
For all the honest world to feel
Pancho met his match, you know
On the deserts down in Mexico
Nobody heard his dyin' words
But that's the way it goes
All the federales say
"They could have had him any day"
They only let him slip away
Out of kindness, I suppose
Lefty he can't sing the blues
All night long like he used to
The dust that Pancho bit down south
Ended up in lefty's mouth
The day they laid poor Pancho low
Lefty split for Ohio
Where he got the bread to go
There ain't nobody knows
All the federales say
"They could have had him any day"
We only let him slip away
Out of kindness, I suppose
The poets tell how Pancho fell
And lefty's livin' in a cheap hotel
The desert's quiet and Cleveland's cold
And so the story ends, we're told
Pancho needs your prayers, it's true
But save a few for lefty, too
He only did what he had to do
And now he's growin' old
All the federales say
"We could have had him any day"
They only let him go so long
Out of kindness, I suppose
A few old gray federales say
"Could have had him any day"
We only let him go so long

My lover comes to me with a rose on her bosom
The moon's dancin' purple all through her black hair
And a ladies-in-waiting, she stands 'neath my window
And the sun will rise soon on the false and the fair
She tells me she comes from my mother the mountain
Her skin fits her tightly and her lips do not lie
She silently slips from her throat a medallion
Slowly she twirls it in front of my eyes
I watch her, I love her, I long for to touch her
The satin she's wearin' is shimmering blue
Outside my window, her ladies are sleeping
My dogs have gone hunting, the howling is through
So I reach for her hand and her eyes turns to poison
And her hair turns to splinters and her flesh turns to brine
She leaps 'cross the room, she stands in the window
And screams that my first-born will surely be blind
She throws herself out to the black of the nightfall
She's parted her lips but she makes not a sound
I fly down the stairway and I run to the garden
No trace of my true love is there to be found
So walk these hills lightly and watch who you're lovin'
By mother the mountain, I swear that it's true
Love not a woman with hair black as midnight

We had our day, now it's over
We had our song, now it's sung
Had our stroll through summers clover
Summer's gone now, our walkin's done
So tell me gently who be your lover
Who be your lover after I'm gone?
Will it be the moon that hears your sighin'?
Will it be the willow that hears your lonesome song?
Will it be the rain that clings to your bosom?
Will it be the sunshine that dries your golden hair?
Will it be the wind that warns of my returning
Will a rose be in your arms when I find you waitin' there
None but the rain should cling to my bosom
None but the moon should hear my lonesome sigh
None but the wind should warn of your returning

Well no deal, you can't sell that stuff to me
Ah no deal, I'm going back to Tennessee
Now this man down at the used car lot
Tried to sell me four wheels and a trunk
I said, "But man, there is no engine!"
He said, "The engine's just a bunch of junk"
"You don't need no engine to go downhill
And I could plainly see
That that's the direction you're headed in"
And he handed me the keys
And I said no deal, you can't sell that stuff to me
Ah, no deal, I'm going back to Tennessee
Well, I went to a doctor of the highest order
He said I couldn't have a drink for a year
One glass of wine on my birthday
If my birthday wasn't too very near
Lord, he must have put me in a state of shock
'Cause I made it for about two weeks
And then he sent me a bill that knocked me flat off the wagon
And back down on my feet
And I said no deal, you can't sell that stuff to me
Ah, no deal, I'm going back to Tennessee
Well when true love knocked upon my door
She just barely turned fifteen
And I was a little bit nervous
If you know just what I mean
But I'd heard somewhere that true love conquers all
And I figured that was that
Then I started having dreams 'bout being chased out of town
Wearing nothing but my cowboy hat
And I said no deal, you can't sell that stuff to me
Ah, no deal, I'm going back to Tennessee
Well, I come through this life a stumbler, my friends
I expect to die that way
Oh it could be twenty years from now
Could be most any day
But if there is no whiskey and women, Lord
Behind them heavenly doors
I'm gonna take my chances down below
And of that you can be sure
Oh it's no deal, you can't sell that stuff to me
Ah no deal, I'm going back to Tennessee
And it's no deal, you can't sell that stuff to me

By townes van zandt
On the banks of the niles I courted my love
I walked with her soft as a mournin' dove
I loved her true I swear I still do
And now she's gone without me
I walk by the banks and give the lord thanks
That I had the chance to court her
I don't know why he flew her away
I don't know why I'm left here
The niles runs cold and clear
As cold and clear as my tears
I'll never forget, I'll never regret
Those days on the beautiful niles
Her name was diane her beautiful hands
Were soft as the pearls in the water
I looked in her eyes they were blue as the skies
And now I've gone and left her
I'll follow her down the way to the river
Follow her now, now and forever
She's my one and only smile
On the beautiful banks of the niles
Someday soon 'neath the light of the moon
When the sun and the rain shine together
I'll meet her down where the waters flow
And continue to flow forever
Down on the banks of the beautiful niles
I wonder what I can be thinking
Down on the banks of that beautiful river
I'll wander, look for her forever

Well the wicked king of clubs awoke
And it was to his queen turned
His lips were laughing as they spoke
His eyes like bullets burned
The sun's upon a gambling day
His queen smiled low and blissfully
Let's make some wretched fool to play
Plain it was she did agree
He send his deuce down into diamond
His four to hart, and his trey to spade
Three kings with their legions come
Preparations soon where made
They voted club the days commander
Gave him an army face and number
All but the outlaw jack of diamonds
And the aces in the sky
Well, he gave his sevens first instructions
Spirit me a game of stud
Stakes unscarred by limitation
Between a man named Gold and man named Mud
Club filled Gold with greedy vapors
Till his long, green eyes did glow
And Mud was left with the sighs and trembles
Watching his hard earned money go
Flushes fell on Gold like water
Tens they paired and paired again
But the aces only flew through heaven
And the diamond jack called no man friend
Now, the Diamond Queen saw Muds ordeal
Began to think of her long lost son
Fell to her knees with a mother's mercy
And prayed to the angels every one
Now, the Diamond Queen, she prayed and prayed
And the Diamond Angel filled Muds hole
The wicked King of Clubs himself
Fell in face down in front of Gold
Now, three kings come to Clubs command
But the angels from the sky did ride
Three kings up on the streets of Gold
Three fireballs on the muddy side
The club queen heard her husband's call
But Lord, that Queen of Diamond's joy
When the outlaw in the heavenly hall
Turned out to be a wandering boy
Now, Mud he checked and Gold bet all
And Mud he raised and Gold did call
And the smile just melted on his face
When Mud turned over that diamond ace
Now, here's what this story's told
If you feel like Mud you'll end up Gold
If you feel like lost, you'll end up found

Well the wicked king of clubs awoke
And it was to his queen turned
His lips were laughing as they spoke
His eyes like bullets burned
The sun's upon a gambling day
His queen smiled low and blissfully
Let's make some wretched fool to play
Plain it was she did agree
He send his deuce down into diamond
His four to hart, and his trey to spade
Three kings with their legions come
Preparations soon where made
They voted club the days commander
Gave him an army face and number
All but the outlaw jack of diamonds
And the aces in the sky
Well, he gave his sevens first instructions
Spirit me a game of stud
Stakes unscarred by limitation
Between a man named Gold and man named Mud
Club filled Gold with greedy vapors
Till his long, green eyes did glow
And Mud was left with the sighs and trembles
Watching his hard earned money go
Flushes fell on Gold like water
Tens they paired and paired again
But the aces only flew through heaven
And the diamond jack called no man friend
Now, the Diamond Queen saw Muds ordeal
Began to think of her long lost son
Fell to her knees with a mother's mercy
And prayed to the angels every one
Now, the Diamond Queen, she prayed and prayed
And the Diamond Angel filled Muds hole
The wicked King of Clubs himself
Fell in face down in front of Gold
Now, three kings come to Clubs command
But the angels from the sky did ride
Three kings up on the streets of Gold
Three fireballs on the muddy side
The club queen heard her husband's call
But Lord, that Queen of Diamond's joy
When the outlaw in the heavenly hall
Turned out to be a wandering boy
Now, Mud he checked and Gold bet all
And Mud he raised and Gold did call
And the smile just melted on his face
When Mud turned over that diamond ace
Now, here's what this story's told
If you feel like Mud you'll end up Gold
If you feel like lost, you'll end up found

I stood in line and left my name
Took about six hours or so
Well, the man just grinned like it was all a game
Said they'd let me know
I put in my time till the Pocono line
Shut down two years ago
I was staying at the mission till I met Marie
Now I can't stay there no more
Fella 'cross town said he's lookin' for a man
To move some old cars around
Maybe me and Marie could find a burned-out
Van and do a little settlin' down
But I'm just dreamin', I ain't got no ride
And the junkyard's a pretty good ways
That job's about a half week old besides
It'd be gone now anyway
Unemployment said I got no more checks
And they showed me to the hall
My brother died in Georgia some time ago
I got no one left to call
Summer wasn't bad below the bridge
A little short on food that's all
Now I gotta get Marie some kind of coat
We're headed down into fall
I used to play the mouth harp pretty good
Hustled up a little dough
But I got drunk and I woke up rolled
A couple of months ago
They got my harp and they got my dollar
Them low life so and so's
Harps cost money and I ain't got it
It's my own fault, I suppose
The Pocono's down but the Chesapeak's runnin'
Two freights everyday
If it was just me, I'd be headed south
But Marie can't catch no train
She's got some pain and she thinks it's a baby
Says we gotta wait and see
In my heart I know it's a little boy
Hope he don't end up like me
Well, the man's still grinnin' says he lost my file
I gotta stand in line again
I want to kill him but I just say no
I had enough of that line my friend
I head back to the bridge, its getting kinda cold
I'm feelin' too low down to lie
I guess I'll just tell Marie the truth
Hope she don't break down and cry
Marie she didn't wake up this morning
She didn't even try
She just rolled over and went to Heaven
My little boy safe inside
I laid them in the sun where somebody'd find them
Caught a Chesapeak on the fly
Marie will know I'm headed south
So's to meet me by and by
Marie will know I'm headed south

By townes van zandt
Dreams that have flown down the hall
Tears that were sown on despair
Summer's turned fall
It don't matter at all
When I wake and find you lying there
Sweet silence and soft auburn hair
Blues gonna dance through the sky
Time's gonna roll soft as rain
Sigh after sigh is gonna pass by and by
Ah love's gonna fly on the wind
When I gaze into your brown eyes again
All the things I've seen
And the places that I've been
Don't mean a thing since I found you
All that matters now
Since I've won your love somehow
Are these plans I keep makin'
Not to lose you
So sleep till the moon slips away
I'm hopin' all you're dreamin' comes true
When you rise with the day
I might not have too much to say
But you know that doesn't mean
That I don't love you
Ah you know that doesn't mean
That I don't love you
All the things I've seen
And the places that I've been
Don't mean a thing since I found you
All that matters now
Since I've won your love somehow
Are these plans I keep makin'
Not to lose you
Dreams that have flown down the hall
Tears that were sown on despair
Summer's turned fall
It don't matter at all
When I wake and find you lying there
Sweet silence and soft auburn hair

By townes van zandt
There is no deeper blue
In the ocean that lies
As deep as the blue
Of your laughing eyes
No sweeter sound
Than your gentle sigh
No heart was ever so pure
Dream pretty dreams
Touch beautiful things
Let all the skies surround you
Swim with the swans
And believe that upon
Some glorious dawn
Love will find you
Come some day
I'm bound away
Wind and wings on the water
Whatever may
You must stay
And remain my beautiful daughter
There is no deeper blue
In the ocean that lies
As deep as the blue
Of your laughing eyes
No sweeter sound
Than your gentle sigh
No heart was ever so pure

By townes van zandt
If I was washington
Valleys would I forge for
If I was a fat man
Fun would I gorge for
If I was gingus
Gold would I horde for
Wish I had a dollar a day
If I was a gouger
Gouge would I wish for
If I was a fisherman
Fish would I fish for
If I was a french whore
Frenchies I'd dish for
Wish I had a dollar a day
Turkeys are for flyin'
Chickens are for eatin'
I'm all for fun
Fun's forbidden
Forbidden's forgotten
And forgotten's for gettin'
I wish I had a dollar a day
Buzzards are for circling
Circles are for heroes
Heroes for floatin'
Fiddles to nero
Fingers for countin'
Numbers for zero
Wish I had a dollar a day
If I was washington
Valleys would I forge for
If I was a fat man
Fun would I gorge for
If I was gingus
Gold would I horde for
Wish I had a dollar a day
If I was washington
I'd wear wood teeth
If I was a policeman
I'd walk me a stone beat
If I was a singer
I'd stop right now

By townes van zandt
There's no stronger wind than the one that blows
Down a lonesome railroad line
No prettier sight than looking back
On a town you left behind
There is nothin' that's as real
As a love that's in my mind
Close your eyes
I'll be here in the morning
Close your eyes
I'll be here for a while
There's lots of things along the road
I'd surely like to see
I'd like to lean into the wind
And tell myself I'm free
But your softest whisper's louder
Than the highways call to me
All the mountains and the rivers
And the valleys can't compare
To your blue lit dancin' eyes
And yellow shining hair
I could never hit the open road
And leave you layin' there
Lay your head back easy, love,
Close your cryin' eyes
I'll be layin' here beside you
When the sun comes on the rise
I'll stay as long as the cuckoo wails

And if your baby leaves you
And you got no place to go
Oh, you come and see me darlin'
And bring along some dough
And we'll go honky-tonkin', honky-tonkin'
We'll go honky-tonkin', honey, baby
We'll go honkin'-tonkin' 'round this town
And you and your old man
You have a fallin' out
Well, you come and see me darlin'
And we'll go steppin' out
And we'll go honky-tonkin', honky-tonkin'
We'll go honky-tonkin', honey, baby
We'll go honkin'-tonkin' 'round this town
Well, I'm headin' out to the city
Oh, to the city fair
If you wanna do the boogie, babe
You can meet me there
We'll go honky-tonkin', honky-tonkin'
We'll go honky-tonkin', honey, baby
We'll go honkin'-tonkin' 'round this town
Oh, we goin' honkin'-tonkin', honky-tonkin'
Honky-tonkin', honey, baby

My days, they are the highway kind
They only come to leave
But the leavin' I don't mind
It's the comin' that I crave
Pour the sun upon the ground
Stand to throw a shadow
Watch it grow into a night
And fill the spinnin' sky
Time among the pine trees
It felt like breath of air
Usually I just walk these streets
And tell myself to care
Sometimes I believe me
And sometimes I don't hear
Sometimes the shape I'm in
Won't let me go
Well, I don't know too much for true
But my heart knows how to pound
My legs know how to love someone
My voice knows how to sound
Shame that it's not enough
Shame that it is a shame
Follow the circle down
Where would you be?
You're the only one I want now
I never heard your name
Let's hope we meet some day
If we don't it's all the same
I'll meet the ones between us
And be thinkin' 'bout you
And all the places I have seen

I come from a long line
High and low and in between, same as you
Hills of golden, hails of poison
Time?s thrown me through
And I believe I?ve come to learn
That turnin? 'round is to become confusion
And the gold?s no good for spending
And the poison?s hungry waiting
What can you leave behind
When you?re flyin? lightning fast and all alone?
Only a trace, my friend
Spirit of motion born and direction grown
A trace that will not fade in frozen skies
And your journey will be
And if her shadow don?t seem much company
But who said it would be?
There is the highway
And the homemade lovin? kind, the highway?s mine
And us ramblers are getting the traveling down
You fathers build with stones that stand and shine
Heaven?s where you find it
And you can?t take too much with you
But daddy, don?t you listen?
It?s just this highway talkin?
All things at our life
Are brothers in the soil and in the sky
And I believe it with my blood, if not my eyes
I don?t know why we can?t be brothers here, I know we should be

By townes van zandt
I decided to improve my social station
I joined a fraternity organisation
Tucked in my shirt
Signed on the line
Right away they said about to improve my mind
The car I drove
The books I read
The food I ate
The booze I drank
The girls I took out
My breath
Said "kid, we don't much like the way you walk
And you gonna have to change the way you talk"
They said "your dress is kind of sludge
And your attitude is mighty grudge"
Said "you got to learn to bubble"
"you got to bubble with enthusiasm" I started bubble
"most important thing you can't forget
Is learning the entire greek alphabet"
I never did really understand
That that's gonna make me anymore a man
But I learned it
I can whip through that son-of-a-beta backwards in five seconds
Then they hit me with some pretty bad news
Concerning the payment of monthly dues
I never did know where that money went
I never was sure it was well spent
But I paid it
I'm no troublecauser and besides I figured that's life
If you want good friends it gonna cost you
Well, finally got to be party time
I got a great big old jug of wine
I went back to the house in about an hour
[when the boy's were] drinking whiskey sours
Brandy alexanders
Frozen [daquires]
Reciting the greek alphabet to one another
I could see I was gonna have to do my very best
To get myself out of that fraternity mess
I stood right there outside the door
And I chugged that wine like never before
Walked inside and bubbled
All over a couple of their dates
So now everything's back to normal again
But there is still lots of room for improvement my friend
'cause that fraternity stuff is too much for me
Next time I'm gonna join a sorority

Why does she sing these sad songs for me
I'm not the one to tenderly bring her soft sympathy
I've just begun to see my way clear, it's plain if I stop I will fall
I can lay down a tear for her pain, a tear and that's all
What does she want me to do?
She says that she knows moments are rare
I suppose that it's true and on she goes to say
I don't care when she knows that I do
Well, maybe she just has to sing
For the sake of the song
And who do I think that I am
To decide that she's wrong
She'd like to think I was cruel, she knows that's a lie
For I would be no more than a tool if I allowed her to cry all over me
Oh my sorrow is real even though I can't change my plans
If she could see how I feel then I know she'd understand
Does she actually think I'm to blame?
Does she really believe that some word of mine
Could relieve all her pain?
Can't she see that she grieves just
Because she's been blindly deceived by her shame?
Well, maybe she just has to sing
For the sake of the song
And who do I think that I am
To decide that she's wrong
I know nothings what it seems maybe one day she'll start to realize
That if she abandons her dreams
Then all the words she can say are only lies
When will she see that the gain is only to lose?
All that she offers me are her chains and I got to refuse
But it's only to herself that she's lied
She likes to pretend it's something
That she should defend, with her pride
And I don't intend to stand here
And be the friend from whom she must hide
Well, maybe she just has to sing
For the sake of the song
And who do I think that I am
To decide that she's wrong
Well, maybe she just has to sing

Well, along come the FFV the swiftest on the line
Running long the C&O; road 20 min behind
Running in the Subhill Headquaters on the line
Receivin' their strict orders from a station just behind
Well, Georgie's mother come to him with a bucket on her arm
Saying my darlin' boy be careful how you run
Well, it's many a man has lost his life in trying to make lost time
But if you run your engine right you'll make it just on time
Aw, but off of the road she darted and into the rocks she crashed
Well the engine she laid upside down and Georgie's breast was smashed
Well his head lay against the firebox door and the flames were rolling high
Well I'm proud to be born for an engineer on the C&O; road to die
Well, the doctor come to Georgie my darlin' boy be still
Well, your life can yet be saved if it is god's bless it will
Oh, no, no, it will not do, I wanna fly so free
Well I wanna die with the engine I love a hundred forty three
Then the doctor said to Georgie well you're life cannot be saved
Murdered out on the railroad, laid in a lonesome grave
But his face was all covered up with blood, his eyes they could not see

Well the drunken clown's still hanging 'round
But it plain the laughter's all died down
The tears you tried so hard to hide
Are flowin'
And a blind man with his knife in hand
Has convinced himself that he understands
I wish him well, Miss Carousel
But I gotta be a-goin'
Won't you come and get me when
You're sure that you don't need me then
I'll stand outside your window
And proudly call your name
Well the lady's been told that all of gold
Is worth so much it can't be sold
No time to weep she'll need her sleep
Tomorrow
When she carries her face to the market place
And bets it on the opening race
She can ring her bells, Miss Carousel
But her singing brings me sorrow
Won't you come and get me when
You're sure that you don't need me then
I'll stand outside your window
And proudly call your name
Well, it's always done every mother's son
Is shown that grown men never run
So they fight with all the might
Inside them
When the battle's been fought and they all been taught
That the trick is just not being caught
Will you give them hell, Miss Carousel
When they're begging you to hide them
Won't you come and get me when
You're sure that you don't need me then
I'll stand outside your window
And proudly call your name
When the need arose, your eyes fell closed
You clamped your fingers round your nose
Would you say that's any way
To judge him
Well, you haven't got the authority
To kill him in the first degree
But would you feel compelled, Miss Carousel
If you had something to begrudge him
On a velvet beach far beneath the reach
Of those that come to pray and preach
The natural man who tries to stand
Is fallin'
Well how long will it be before he sees
You own his legs but his mind is free
Only you can tell, Miss Carousel
How long will he be crawling?
Won't you come and get me when
You're sure that you don't need me then
I'll stand outside your window
And proudly call your name
Oh, the castle wall has grown so tall
It seems there ain't no hope at all
To reach the top even though you stop
For breathin'
But I ain't gonna try to make you cry
The tear drops couldn't find your eyes
It's all been swell, Miss Carousel
But the time has come for leavin'
Won't you come and get me when
You're sure that you don't need me then
I'll stand outside your window
And proudly call your name
Won't you come and get me when
You're sure that you don't need me then
I'll stand outside your window
And proudly call your name
Won't you come and get me when
You're sure that you don't need me then
I'll stand outside your window
And proudly call your name
Won't you come and get me when
You're sure that you don't need me then
I'll stand outside your window

If I had a dollar bill
Yes, I believe, I surely will
Go to town and drink my fill
Early in the morning
Little darling, she's a redhaired thing
Man, she makes my legs to sing
Gonna buy her a diamond ring
Early in the morning
Mother was a golden girl
I slit her throat just to get her pearls
Cast myself into a whirl
Before a bunch of swine
It's a long way down the Harlan Road
Busted back and a heavy load
Won't get through to save my soul
Early in the morning
I've always been a gambling man
I've rolled them bones with either hand
Seven is the promised land
Early in the morning
Whiskey'd be my dying bed
Tell me where to lay my head
Not with me is all she said
Early in the morning
If I had a dollar bill
Yes, I believe, I surely will
Go to town and drink my fill

By townes van zandt
Baby hit the back door breathin' real heavy
Said the boys in the alley wouldn't leave her alone
Mama did her make-up in a terrible hurry
She finally got ready but the boys were gone
Mama don't you worry, night's aproachin'
There's a hole in heaven where some sin slips through
Close your eyes and dream real steady
Maybe just a little will spill on you
The dark don't lie
And dreams come true
Could be a few will see you through
Old lady rose, lookin' down her nose
At lonely miss lily hiding in the hall
Lily's just praying for the trial to be over
Rosy's just waitin' for the ax to fall
Show me off on the way to town
The sky's still shiny and the earth's still brown
Tell the judge I'm ready for the vases
Gonna dance in their faces
When the guitar sounds
It won't be long
I won't be gone
I've been leaning toward the shadows all along
Those in the know say how it goes
You plan on reapin' you better sow
You plan on sleepin' you better keep movin'
Sleepin ain't allowed around here you know
Tell me please when the rollin's over
Me and my baby gonna have some fun
Bury our backs in a bed of clover
Smile in style while the sun goes down
Snake eyes cry
And boxcars sigh
Seven's stuck in the middle just wonderin' why
The dark don't lie
And dreams come true
All it takes is one or two
Maybe just a few will see you through

Could it be the season's changin'
The winds of winter rearranging
All the leaves like fallin' queens of sorrow
Could be the freezing rain a-fallin'
Could be sad September callin'
Or maybe it's knowin' she'll be gone
Come tomorrow
Well, it's strange how many tortured mornings
Fell upon us with no warning
Lookin' for a smile to beg and borrow
It's over now, there is no returning
A thousand bridges sadly burning
And light the way I have to walk alone
Come tomorrow
I guess that no amount of lying
To myself will stop the crying
I guess I have to take things like they are
The facts are plain to see, it's only
That I ain't used to being lonely
Like I'm gonna be without you
Come tomorrow

Cocaine, cocaine,
'Round my heart and runnin' 'round my brain,
Cocaine, aw, you ol' cocaine.
I woke up this mornin', Lord, I had a hunger pain.
And all I want for breakfast is my good cocaine,
Cocaine, aw you ol' cocaine.
Jump out of bed, Mama, run downtown;
Take along the money and look all around.
Find the man, the man that sells cocaine.
Come here, Mama, come here quick;
That ol' coke's got me and I'm feelin' sick.
Cocaine, aw you ol' cocaine.
Get out of here, Mama, I thought you understood;
You got no connections then you're no damn good.
Cocaine.
Well, coke's for horses, Lord, it ain't for men.
They say it kills you, but they don't say when.
C'mon, Mama, let's rent us a boat.
We'll sail down that Gibraltar moat;
Shed a tear every time we pass Tangiers.
Cocaine, cocaine,
'Round my heart and runnin' 'round my brain,

By townes van zandt
I'm gonna lay my troubles on a railroad track
I'm gonna ride I ain't lookin' back
Tried to stop but I can't unpack
Gotta get used to the clickety-clack
The big ol' wheels and the smokin' stack
Ah babe I gotta go
Babe I gotta go
Loved you honey heart and soul
I swear you're the sweetest thing I know
I loved you true and I told you so
I told you too come time to go
I'll be gone with any ol' wind that blows
Ah babe I just can't stay
And it's bound to be that way
There's lots of things I'd like to see
From the mountains to the shining sea
Up in the sky where the wind blows free
To the cities down below
Babe I just don't know
I got trouble, trouble in my soul
I got trouble in my soul
I'm gonna lay my trouble on a railroad track
I'm gonna ride, I ain't lookin back
I tried to stop but I can't unpack
Go to sleep with the clickety-clack
The big ol' wheels and the smokin' stack
Babe I'm bound to go
I got trouble in my soul

Brother Flower, are you listenin'?
Let me sing a song for you
Brother Flower, petals glistenin'
In the bashful mornings dew
Brother Flower, when the sun shines
And the dew has flown away
If you don't mind weak and wrong rhymes
Brother Flower, may I stay?
Brother Flower, you ain't lonely
For you've always been alone
But I haven't been so lucky
I had love and now it's gone
I have arms to hold another
Never to hold her again
I have life to give lover
You have life to give the wind
Brother Flower, when the snow flies
And you lay your beauty down
Brother Flower, are you sleepin'?
There upon the cold, cold ground
Brother Flower, please awaken
Show the sky your face of blue
Let me know I ain't forsaken

Blue wind's blown my dreams away
My darling's flown and she's gone to stay
All I got now is yesterday
And I don't know what to do
I guess I'll go downtown and see
Just what downtown can do for me
Maybe set my lonesome free
Or maybe let me go
I loved her true and I told her so
I ask her too and she told me no
She said, she had somewhere to go
And then she said good-bye
I wonder how long it can go on
How long I'll sing this same old song
I wonder which one done us wrong
Which one forgot to try
I loved her true and I told her so
I ask her too and she told me no
She said, she had somewhere to go

Well, my home is in the Blue Ridge Mountains
My home is in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Well, my home is in the Blue Ridge Mountains
And I ain?t comin? back here anymore
Well, I had me a mother that could pray, boys
She prayed for me both night and day, boys
And I tore down every prayer that she could say, boys
And I ain?t comin? back here anymore
I wanna find me a lady fair and tender
Wanna play her song on my steel strings
Gonna lay her down in a bed of clover
Then I ain?t comin? back here anymore
Well, I?ve seen this whole wide country over
From New York City down to Mexico
And I?ve seen the joyful and the sorrow
And I ain?t comin? back here anymore
So Mister Sinby, can you hear me
Down there in Gracel, Louisana, oh
Well, I?ll lay a joint upon your grave, sir
Then I ain?t comin? back here anymore
Well, my home is in the Blue Ridge Mountains
My home is in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Well, my home is in the Blue Ridge Mountains

Famous quotes by Townes Van Zandt:

"I don't think you can ever do your best. Doing your best is a process of trying to do your best."