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1. |
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1) Lullaby of Faris Jordan - m.litton
I knew an old man, he lived by the clock
He never spent a dime or gave a damn
In twenty-four days he saw the sun set once
Cuz his clock only had on big hand
Now I ain’t so clever, ain’t had much school
But I know the man he was a damn fool
Chorus: Let’s take a holiday beneath the moon
Let’s give a new friend some old wine
You know the rules, you’ve got ‘em down
Either you’re dead or you’re alive
So let the rivers rise, pick your melons ripe
And paint your steamboats white
I drink a hundred-proof in memory
Of the night I’s married down in Tennessee
And Farris Jordan of Kentucky
Wed brown-eyed Alice of Missouri
And my Alice said just the other day
Better knock on wood when you pray
(chorus)
Last night I dreamed of my gran-daddy’s mules
It’s been years since I thought of that pair
So I’m takin’ my family to the Smokey Hills
Though there ain’t much money down there
But come the spring we’re gonna hit the road
North to Maine or west to Idaho…
I’ve always been in love, my friend
I like old wine, oh yes I do
Though it’s crossed my mind that my lullaby
Might be another man’s blues
But I’ve taken a look down that long ol’ track
And I don’t see any goin’ back
(chorus)
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2. |
Victrola Blues
03:19
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2) Victrola Blues - m.litton
Chorus: Cat’s got my tongue, dog’s got me treed
Been so damn lonely thought I’d bleed
A’rollin’ down the highway like a needle in a groove
Put my teeth to the wind, gonna sing Victrola blues
My world goes around like a lazy Susan
Home today, tomorrow I’ll move on
Come in a’crawlin’, exit twirlin’ a can
Don’t ever think of winnin’, just in ‘n out of every game
I been kickin’ cans ‘n spittin’ nails
Bendin’ steel ‘;n ridin’ the rails
Been ballin’ the jack ‘n slippin’ nearly every noose
Been cuttin’ ‘er wide, shootin’-the-moon on a deuce
(chorus)
There’s a picture on the wall, in my mind a riddle
Whiskey in the bottle with a dog on the label
An old phonograph bringin’ memories alive
Pieces of the puzzle come awake most every night
I been layin’ up in an ol’ motel
Drinkin’ coffee tryin’ to break the spell
The curtain’s off the window, my door’s unhinged
The little spider on the ceilin’ is callin’ my allee-oots in
(chorus)
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3. |
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3) Nothin’ Aint Tryin’ - m.litton
Well bless my soul it’s a rodeo, let’s get a horse ‘n go ridin’
Ain’t no sense in duckin’ down, ain’t a bit of use in hidin’
Pheasants fly and the hounds give chase, bawling thru the milo
Edith is her ma’s disgrace, she don’t wear no halo
I got a bullwhip, Danny got a gun, Johnny got a brand new saddle
And if you paint that Kansas sky, best use a brush made of sable
Chorus: Whoo-pee! Kansas City!
Got a haircut ‘n got a boot shine
I’m goin’ out dancin’ with a red-light queen
Gonna get a little loaded on the wine
Some get nothin’ but nothin’ ain’t tryin’
I’s raised up in a Kansas town, buried my daddy in the Kansas ground
Me ‘n my friends are hard-luck boys, spin our gold when the moon gets round
We whacked weed in ’76, our long knives sang all summer
Dried them leaves ‘n stacked them bricks, our wolves really howled that winter
Now you get a gunny sack, I’ll take a drive, big Bill sharpen all them knives
We gonna have us a harvest night, gotta make the money to do ‘n die
(chorus)
Some they like their fresh popcorn, me I love them crisp ol’ maids
Wash my body in a thunderstorm, drink my whiskey in the summer shade
I’m gonna die just cus I’s born, ya can’t outrun that shadow
Chase your tail ‘n curse the moon, drown like a fly in a bottle
When that ol’ road cries out “Dead end!” most go to sleep in the evenin’
But I’ll live by the sword, gonna lose my blood
Lord, I’m goin’ out white-lightnin’
(chorus)
Believe I’ll go on down to Georgia
Learn to make that ol’ moonshine
Gonna make whoopee with Gloria
Gonna pick a little fruit off the vine
Some get nothin’ but notin’ ain’t tryin’
My grandpa came from Tennessee
Here, spend a nickel, spend a dime
And I’m a shoot off the Rebel tree
Spend a nickel, spend a dime
Some get nothin’ but nothing ain’t tryin’
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4. |
Jack o' Diamonds
03:23
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4) Jack o’ Diamonds - m.litton
Chorus: Jack o’ Diamonds, the skeleton clown
He cries so loud, “I need one more card!
“I need the joker wild!”
Half the night he’s stayed his hand
Sober at the dealing
Sober like the shadows webbed
To the closet and the ceiling
Jack o’ Diamonds, the anguished smile
His eyes are taut and deceiving
He’ll spin more copper of your gold
More doubt from your believing
(chorus)
His silk-top hat’s moth-eaten now
As he leads you half a dollar
For the winter moon he’d give his life
His hand for your lovely daughter
Jack o’ diamonds has missed his aim
His dice spin off the table
For the sacred seven he counts to twelve
But his tears are mere fable
(chorus)
A bolted door shuts out the night
There’s a full-house in the ante
Asleep the children dream no dreams
For the father spoke no history
Jack o’ Diamonds is screaming now
“Here you bastard call me!
“I’ll have your heart, your love, your life
“I’ll have all that’s holy!”
But the trump was heart in this gambled hand
And as the good queen stole across his face
The clown had lost to the man
Jack o’ Diamonds is leaving now
But he says, “Tomorrow’s another day
“Watch it you don’t lose your life
“When the Queen of Spades comes to play”
(chorus)
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5. |
Momma's Song
02:01
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5) Momma’s Song - m.litton
I’ve been a’fightin’ it, ain’t denyin’ it
Makin’ waves where seas are calm
I’m the kinda guy that makes his mamma cry
Everything I do is wrong
So Momma why do you even try to help me carry on
Chorus: Take my picture off the mantel
Throw it in the fire
Get my suitcase out from behind the couch
And send your love by wire
Swear I wasn’t born to plant no corn
Nor mow the meadow hay
And I’ll never plow no matter how
Much the landlord pays
He beat my father down into the ground
Into a dirty tenant grave
(chorus)
I’m headed straight down the interstate
I’ll take the highway to the sea
Gonna ride them rails until I sail
Through that drifter’s dream
And if I fail, Momma, don’t ever tell ‘em
No, that you cried for me
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6. |
Ten Years Ago
03:09
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6) Ten Years Ago Today - m.litton
Ten years ago today we walked along the shore
Not knowing as we shared our dreams
What life would have in store
As the dark clouds gathered round, blocking out the sun
You took my hand in yours, girl
You said, “We’ll walk as one…”
Chorus: We must abide the seasons,
To each day bid adieu
And the time will come when we will reach
A path that’ll lead us through…
And ten years aren’t near enough
A hundred would not do
But as long as we’re a’livin’
I’ll want ten more years with you
And I would be the kind of man
Who’d give the world his all
For ten long years you’ve watched me climb
And now you’ve seen me fall
That fortune wheel can spin you up
And it can take you down
But as l long as it’s a’spinnin’, babe
Good fortune may be found
(chorus)
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7. |
That Ol' Night Train
03:37
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7) That Ol’ Night Train - m.litton
Down ‘n out one moonlit night, a’runnin’ from a gun
I crossed the county on the chance I’d catch a night train run
Swam the muddy river, waded the slough
Up beyond the willows where the water hemlock grew
That ol’ Night Train thundered from the sky
The ol’ Night Train wore the moon’s disguise
The engineer was named Mister Nibbs
And as his devil whistle wailed
He said, “You can ride if you sign your soul to hell”
He carried the evil freight of our dreadful times
Many a soul I had known
I saw my father manning the tender car
And as he fed that fire with bones
He said, “Son, don’t ride
“You must heed these words I moan…
Chorus: “That ol’ Night Train, hear it’s engine roar
“That ol’ Night Train, calling all aboard
“Those who ride this train are cursed forever
“And will burn…”
Heard the bloodhounds on my trail ‘n terror filled my soul
The question flashed into my mind to answer yes or no
“Get behind me Satan!” I fell to my knees
And prayed to God in heaven, “Have mercy one me…”
That ol’ Night Train rides the rail of sin
That ol’ Night Train, its journey never ends
Ol’ Mister Nibbs, he just laughed ‘n said
“Well if you ever change your mind
“Just remember, boy, I make this run each night”
The morning sun warmed my pale and weary arms
As they cuffed my hands in chains
Deep in my heart I knew I was free at last
When that black Maria came
For back down to hell went the Devil’s ol’ Night Train
(chorus)
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8. |
Frankie Me 'n Johnny
04:07
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7) That Ol’ Night Train - m.litton
Down ‘n out one moonlit night, a’runnin’ from a gun
I crossed the county on the chance I’d catch a night train run
Swam the muddy river, waded the slough
Up beyond the willows where the water hemlock grew
That ol’ Night Train thundered from the sky
The ol’ Night Train wore the moon’s disguise
The engineer was named Mister Nibbs
And as his devil whistle wailed
He said, “You can ride if you sign your soul to hell”
He carried the evil freight of our dreadful times
Many a soul I had known
I saw my father manning the tender car
And as he fed that fire with bones
He said, “Son, don’t ride
“You must heed these words I moan…
Chorus: “That ol’ Night Train, hear it’s engine roar
“That ol’ Night Train, calling all aboard
“Those who ride this train are cursed forever
“And will burn…”
Heard the bloodhounds on my trail ‘n terror filled my soul
The question flashed into my mind to answer yes or no
“Get behind me Satan!” I fell to my knees
And prayed to God in heaven, “Have mercy one me…”
That ol’ Night Train rides the rail of sin
That ol’ Night Train, its journey never ends
Ol’ Mister Nibbs, he just laughed ‘n said
“Well if you ever change your mind
“Just remember, boy, I make this run each night”
The morning sun warmed my pale and weary arms
As they cuffed my hands in chains
Deep in my heart I knew I was free at last
When that black Maria came
For back down to hell went the Devil’s ol’ Night Train
(chorus)
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9. |
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9) Dagger ‘n the Rose (Bimbo) - m.litton
Chorus: Once you’ve gone so far you can’t return
Oh Bimbo, Bimbo, where ya gonna go
Now that all your bridges have been burned
I’m on the street outside these walls, been spendin’ time
I won it gamblin’ off a very old man
I bluffed him once, you might say I bluffed him 9 times
Just before he died he raised his head and he cried
“Stand by the window with your gun…”
But that was all, a cat had caught his tongue
And beside the dagger I laid the rose
The grass is green where I will go, but it ain’t summer
The ice has locked me behind a scared door
Beneath the bridge and across the tracks
I’m gonna soon be a’runnin’
Lookin’ for that one fence that might hold me
I’ve come ‘n gone so many times
Lord, they don’t believe me
I’m colored by so many shades of gray these days
And beside the dagger I see the rose
(chorus)
Its wine ‘n beer, the sun ‘n moon, that I been drinkin’
All these blue nights that I’ve been thinkin’
And what I’ve learned remains unnamed
It just can’t be spoken
Cuz the pain I’ve known ain’t come clear through
Ah no no, it’s stayed buried deep somewhere within
Like an arrow in an old tree
Is it a wound or just another limb, I don’t know
Beside the dagger I see the rose
I’m on the street outside these walls, been spendin’ time
I won it gamblin’ off a very old man
I bluffed him once, you might say I bluffed him 9 times
And beside the dagger I laid the rose
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10. |
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11. |
Epilogue of a Pioneer
03:14
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11) Epilogue of a Pioneer - m.litton
I’s born in Ireland in 18 ‘n 33, sailed for America in 18 ‘n 60
Marched with Sherman south outa Tennessee
That was a sorry time
The captured Rebs lay there a’bleedin’
About their fires with banjoes singin’
They sounded like a pack of a’grievin’ some old old rhyme
Chorus: O’er our trail the leaves are fallin’
The wolf ‘n the winter are howlin’ our names
O’er our trail both cold ‘n hungry
The night waits to swallow the wounded and slain
I rode on west when the war was thru
In northern Kansas ol’ Jed threw a shoe
So I homesteaded beside the Big Blue
That seemed the thing
I sold the bones of the buffalo
Built my home with sod then stone
That first winter as the blizzards rose I began to sing
(chorus)
I learned to farm by many teachers
The sun, the moon ‘n the four ol’ seasons
Though I swear it was never easy
You can get along
Her name was Sara and we raised two sons
I watched her age from a pretty fawn
She died in 18 ‘n 91, that was in the fall
The century turns with gold in the mountains
People pour forth like water from a fountain
And way up north where the great snows fall
My young sons roam
As I look back on my memory
To those Rebel lads singin’ that evenin’
God, I wonder why I’m livin’ to be so old
(chorus)
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12. |
Dry County Yodel
04:53
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12) Dry County Yodel - m.litton
Well I’s singin’ in a barroom out on them western plains
Up stepped a little lady, her eyes was full of pain
She said “Tonight my heart feels like a dead dog on the road
“So please, don’t play slow, cuz I only wants to jostle-bostle
“Step ‘n fetch a bottle, flash my eyes at some big fellow
“I’m tired of feelin’ so damn low
“I only wants to wiggle, spin it on a nickel
“Swing my hips like a musical cello
“I’m gonna dance tonight even if I dance alone”
So I yodel-yodel-yodeled…yodeled for the sad lady
There came on a blue norther, you could hear howlin wind
The door fell open, a big cowboy waltzed in
He whoopeed “It’s Friday, I’m fresh in from the ranch
“So mister, don’t play sad, cuz I only wants to jostle-bostle
“Step ‘n fetch a bottle, skip to my lou, forget about the cattle
“I’m here to lose them cowboy blues
“Been sleepin’ on my cot alone a lot
“And I’m hot to unzip a thought
“Gonna dance with every lady in this lowdown saloon”
So I yodel-yodel-yodeled…yodeled for the cowboy too
Now I’s set to go by midnight, thought my gig was done
When this good ol’ boy come grabbed my arm ‘n said
“Howdy-do there, son…say there’s a great big show
“Down at my ol’ red barn where you can play till dawn
“Cuz we only wants to jostle-bostle, step ‘n fetch a bottle
“Don’t wanna lay our heads on a pillow
“This town’s been dry 30 years till this afternoon
“I’ll play my fiddle while you spin your riddles
“Come on down now, be a good fellow
“Whole damn county’s there tonight catchin’ up on booze”
So I yodel-yodel-yodeled…yodeled on down to the show
They was swingin’ from the rafters ‘n wrestlin’ in the hay
There was more umm-umm goin’ on than I’d care to say
Finally down in my throat little frog jumped on the horse
And I pleaded “I can’t sing no more, don’t wanna jostle-bostle
“Or step ‘n fetch a bottle, just wanna ease off on the throttle
“My fingers are blistered, my tongue can’t even spit”
Then this ol’ geezer jumped up, fed me whiskey from his cup
Called his pretty daughter to help me getty-up
She whispered the sweetest words that can a virgin’s lips
I yodel-yodel-yodeled…the little bird was chirpin’ half past 3
Well I kept a’singin’ dreamin’ about that pretty miss
But as things turned out I never even got a kiss
That big cowboy cut ‘er out just like a brown-eyed calf
He led her to the loft for a little laugh
They jostled ‘n they bostled in the shadows
That young gal didn’t even battle
Next I saw was a big two-barrel in the hands of her ol’ man
He said “See my thumb on the gun, chum, don’t be dumb ‘n run
“Cuz you’re gonna be my son-in-law ‘n I’m gonna be your dad”
And I yodel-yodel-yodeled…yodeled at the cowboy’s wedding
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13. |
Jaloeb Corley
03:49
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13) Jaloeb Corley - m.litton
Jaloeb Corley was his name, he weren’t on of fame
I knew him back when I’s a lad of 10 ‘n he was 40
He rode from the distance as he came to our town
All the people stood back from him
And even the ol’ hounds they did howl
For y’all see, Corely was the hangman
Jaloeb his first name and he was a hangman
It was in my day when a man could hang
For takin’ swim ‘n playin’ Huck Finn with a local rich dame
His name was Jimmy Sage and they charged him with rape
Of ol’ man Slate’s black-eyed daughter of fifteen years
They stood Jimmy up in a barroom trial
They stood Jimmy up ‘n he walked the last mile
The day of the hangin’ was clear ‘n cold with the rope
Set to strike poor Jimmy’s young neck like a long dull knife
When they set Jimmy swingin’, the crowd sang shrill
The sky fell black ‘n down the street came a blowin’ chill
For Jimmy was not brave, he screamed to his grave
No, Jimmy was not brave, he screamed to his grave
When the deed was done the chikdren went runnin’
And the old men cursed Mr. Corley’s purse of 50 dollar gold
But Mr. Corley just sneered, he could smell their fear
As he stared back ‘n said “Now he’s dead, what’s it matter you so?”
And he drank his brandy all alone from his hotel window
Yes, he drank his brandy all alone from his hotel window
Now the gibbous moon shone ‘n the prairie wolves cried
The winter clouds came, buried each shadow ‘n the night fell blind
That next lone morning as it started to snow
I walked out back, found a man dressed with his neck stretched long
Hanged from our tree, I found Jaloeb Corley
Hanged from our tree, I found Jaloeb Corley
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14. |
Whistle Bird
01:49
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14) Whistle Bird - m.litton
I’m goin’ down the road again
If I return then I’m your friend
And babe, that’s all you need to know
Cuz I’ve heard the whistle bird
A’singin’ songs without no words
Like a dry rain fallin’ o’er the snow
Chorus: Strike a note of thunder if you’re bored
Shake a bolt of lightning at the Lord
Now he just might damn your mortal soul, well burn!
Cuz don’cha know the devil’s dust is just as good as gold
Have you heard about Puss ‘n Boots
He ain’t got no gun to shoot
The women drank his whiskey, the Feds burned all his pay
Light the light for Felix the cat, give me back my cowboy hat
Give the witch a broom ‘n give the night to the day
(chorus)
(Extra verse): I always wanted to fly a kite
And I always wanted to win one fight
Yet here I sit just as bloody as the day I’s born
But the sun knows the sky is blue
Like I know that I love you
Like the wheat loves the barley ‘n barley loves the corn
(Bonus verse): Floatin’ down the river one day
What I spied was a brand-new grave
And I heard a’laughin’ a jolly “Ho-Ho-Ho!”
Well you can guess at my surprise
What I saw before my eyes
Was a daddy ghost jumpin’ on a mamma soul
And he said…(chorus)
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15. |
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1) Minstrel Man - m.litton
Chorus: I’m a minstrel man and I travel thru this land
And I’ve never done my brother any wrong
I will sing for the sun, sing for anyone
For the devil if he wants to hear my song
Through the deepest woods I will ride alone
Where the bandits hide by the narrow road
And I who have no gold have a song to make them laugh
They’ll call me “Friend” and let me pass
On the battlefields behind their halberds and their shields
Stand the hearts that are longing to be home
I’ll compose a rhyme for the ones they left behind
Of the region they nevermore may roam
Along a castle wall, through the city gate
I will ride to the square with my song to trade
For the lion-hearted king I will sing a spritely air
He’s a prisoner of the lion’s lair
(chorus)
And my only peace in this gypsy world
Are the nights I’ve stayed with some dancing girl
But love bears a saddle girthed about the heart
And I never let her ride me very far
On the bitter plain where the peasants harvest grain
As the grim-reaper stalks about their door
I will sing a hymn that their misery may end
When the Lord comes to gather in the poor
Through the summer rain and the winter snow
I will seek the song that may bring me home
But each soul wears a crown of thorn’s
Each must live the fate to which he’s born
(chorus)
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16. |
Marijuana Fields
02:51
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2) Marijuana Fields - m.litton
When I was a little bitty lad
I used to run down the cattle path
Through the marijuana fields back home
Down near where the old creek ran dry
The wild hemp grew over 12 feet high
In those marijuana fields back home
Then came years of boom ‘n bust
The days were low ‘n mean ‘n rough
In those marijuana fields back home
When the roads weren’t too damn muddy
We drove out, me ‘n my buddies
To those marijuana fields back home
Chorus: Oh when that female hemp put on her seed
You could pick a lot of weed
In those marijuana fields back home
It was down below Nebraska
You can tell ‘em that, son, if they ask ya
Those marijuana fields back home
Well we took some out to Californ
People said, “Why’d ya bring it here for
We can get higher off the air we breathe…”
I’m sure…and them pretty girls out in Californ
Had to find themselves a matador
Cause they brought out the longhorn bull in me
(chorus)
Now once or twice I’s nearly caught
And several times nearly shot
In them marijuana fields back home
But I got away so I guess I’m lucky
Though I never made very much money
In those marijuana fields back home
So next time you go cut the weed
I’ll just sit here ‘n sing
Of those marijuana fields back home…
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17. |
Forsake Me Not
04:04
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3) Forsake Me Not - m.litton
It was in the November cold when I left our home
I’s goin’ to the city to trade my poems for gold
I thought to keep your love I needed knowledge of
More things than any one man would ever know
So I went seekin’ fame ‘n fortune, blue days ‘n nights
But I only found sad women and empty streets of ice
And all I heard were melodies of things a heart can’t bear
The lyrics were of loneliness, the rhythms were despair
Chorus: Forsake me not, forget me not
Don’t leave me alone now that I feel so cold
Just love me now, forgive me now
And I’ll sing for you the music from a long time ago
The day I got your letter it was raining
And that bitter winter pain was eatin’ at my heart
It’d been some weeks since I’d gotten any word from ya
Still I hadn’t counted on you throwin’ in all your cards
So when I read the line that you’d suffered so many times
I felt like a wounded fighter down on the count of nine
Yes, my road can get weary, babe, but it’s the only one I know
As I wondered where I’s from and wondered where I’d go
Yeah, I drove one thousand miles in a single day ‘n night
I only stopped for coffee, gas, ‘n some moments to cry
And all I heard were melodies of things a heart can’t bear
The lyrics were of loneliness, the rhythms were despair
(chorus)
I packed my suitcase and headed down that western pike
Where I drove ‘n drove for many an hour
Far from the Atlantic waters through the prairie winter
And I wasn’t cryin’ for you, Lord, no, I’s cryin’ for my gal
“Just tell her you need her, boy, the door will open wide
Cause your love is still a need in her
If that woman’s still your bride…”
I listened to my good friend’s words
As we drank throughout the night
His beer and my tears began to make things right
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18. |
White Moon
05:10
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4) White Moon - m.litton
White Moon was a Southern Cheyenne, Oklahoma Indian
From the red dust ‘n cactus he had grown
With an army bag, a guitar case
He left his home on a Greyhound Stage
Singing, “Our lives will meet on the rim…”
From the Washita to Wichita
Down every city street he saw a dead-end
White Moon went out to Kanorado, Kansas
To play the harvest dances
Where he strayed into a white daughter’s bed
They ran him out in the spring
When the ponies shed and the prairies sings
White Moon soon had so many reasons
But he never told Jesus
He had a devil on his tail
He played it hard, burned his bridge
And blazed his trail to the very edge
Out in Denver, up to Cheyenne, back in Omaha
From town to town he picked guitar
And traveled by the Northern Star like an outlaw
White Moon served time down in Texas
He never would believe the west was won
In Dallas when he took the stand
He said to the judge, “You stole my land…”
White Moon wore a tattoo on his right forearm
Of a scorpion dancing in a flame
Beneath the tavern’s whiskey lights
He sang of Ira Hayes’ frozen life
And those desert-sand-snake ‘n wailin’ wind songs
For the lonely ‘n deeply scarred
So their bitter angry hearts could beat along
White Moon got a long-knife wound
In a Santa Fe saloon
He’d lay his life down on every play
“It’s the high mountain dream
And a low valley grave for the song I sing…”
White Moon sang on all the borders
Every red-light quarter
He’d step down at midnight from the crowds
Then lay awake with a whiskey glass
In a boarding house as the trains roared past
As the diesel smoke curled up to the neon
And the winos ‘n café whores
Came like music through his door into his songs
White Moon shared his last bottle
Out in Rifle, Colorado
With a Badland Dakota and a Sioux
Then he pulled a knife, heard the drum
And ran into a bluecoat gun
Singing, “Out lives will meet on the rim…”
And the red clouds put their bloody stain
Above the white winter plains just for him
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19. |
Starvin for a Song
02:53
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5) Starvin’ For a Song - m.litton
I’ve got songs of heartache, hard times ‘n bitterness
Of a good woman’s love ‘n a child’s sweet tenderness
But through each door I’ve entered they’ve turned me away
Now I’m starvin’ for a song the radio will play
You need a hook ‘n a bridge ‘n a pop melody
Some lines about whiskey and women who cheat
Cause clean livin’ ‘n family aren’t sellin’ these days
And you’ll starve for a song the radio will play
Chorus: And I’m starvin’ for a song the radio will play
In my heart don’t I know things may never change
So won’t heaven send ol’ Hank to help me sing the blues away
Cause I’m starvin’ for a song the radio will play
Bridge: I’ve got two little children ‘n a darlin’ sweet wife
Through many a lean winter their needs I’ve denied
Now the road seems so hard ‘n the journey so long
But they’ve stayed for the sake of my songs
The man said, “Son, your only legacy will be
The words you’ve written on the pages you leave
Most likely they’ll wither once you’re in your grave
You’ll die starvin’ for a song the radio will play
(chorus)
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20. |
Ol' Bull Sade
04:30
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6) Ol’ Bull Sade - m.litton
I’s 50 miles I’ll say with a smile from San Anton
Had a shirt on my back ‘n a bag in my hand so I weren’t alone
She’s a princess, an heiress of Spain ‘n I’s a bum
But I walked pretty fine, least I kept a straight line ‘n she said I’s fun
Ah but ‘toodity-toot-toot toodity-toot-toot’ along came a car
It was long as a train ‘n driven by a famous baseball star
He said, “I’m your champion, Apple Pie...hey,who’s the lame?”
She jumped in ‘n said, “He’s just a fan, let’s get to the game!”
Chorus: Oh my dear ladies, I gotta have you know
If it’s all the same, I’ll stay to the road
But because you’re beautiful, I’ll have ya know my name
I’m ol’ Bull Sade of the Mission Parade
In 1917 outside Pairee I got my stripes
The Army taught me well how to dodge a shell ‘n stand up right
“Keep your one eye open ‘n your one eye closed to aim your gun
And watch it there, boy, cause the powder is pain, ya might lose a thumb!”
We went into battle with our fangs ‘n our rattles at a belly-crawl
It got pretty rough, the Kaiser said, “Enough, let’s hang it all...”
But the Army taught me nothin’ about the German custom
With the women ‘n the booze
And to this very day all the wounds I carry are from those two
(chorus)
From Waterville, Maine through the western plains south to Brownsville
From the Peace River Valley to my Dixie Sally in the Smokey Hills
I’ve been called a clown, marched uptown, put on parole
Tossed off a train ‘n hollered with a cane at an ol’ sideshow
But there ain’t no feelin’ like Oh-in’ ‘n a’singin’ on an open freight
Them Pullman cars ‘n new cigars ain’t for ol’ Sade
Now you can lay low or you can jump high they won’t pay you no mind
But you best watch your nose if you ride in the cold on them northern lines
(chorus)
At my death won’t ya put me to rest with Rip Van Winkle
I want the taste of ale ‘n another full barrel a’waitin’ to sample
With my trumpet ‘n my gun won’t ya beat on my drum
And gather them around
Say, “There’s to let ol’ Bull’sd flat above the bar uptown…”
Then pick up the litter round the poor ol’ critters in the city zoo
Give my Bible to a drunk ‘n my libel debt to the neighborhood Jew
Give my credit to the bank ‘n please won’t ya thank the WPA
For buildin’ them bridges, them parks ‘n ditches for me to lay
(chorus)
(Extra verse): Now I never should’ve oughter
But I lived off the daughter of City Hall
No, we’s never wed but I’s often fed by her father in the law
And just for the record never called no reverend to pawn my soul
I crossed my t’s, dotted my I’s, ‘n opened my O’s
Ah but what the hell I’m just an ol’ nail been hit too hard
I been buckled at the knees ‘n busted my teeth
Tryin’ to work a damn farm
Now I once believed in the moon’s green cheese ‘n a second try
But without no wings I’m prone to think it was the damnedest lie
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21. |
Where Do You Go
03:45
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7) Where Do You Go - m.litton
Where do you go, Romeo, when your Juliet no longer speaks
She stares out the window all night at life in the streets
When the moment is over, you look in her eyes
And your hearts no longer sing
And the unrhymed verses your write her are passionless things
Where do you go when the world you’ve known
Colors her sweet flesh with paint
And you no longer care for what she is but fear for what she ain’t
Chorus: Do you tear your flesh to the bone
Scratching ‘n clawing at the stone
Chipping at the mortar in the wall like the Count of Montecristo
While the keeper of the keys sleeps soundly in the hall
I’ll escape, someday I’ll escape from it all
Where do you go when the morning awakens
On a mirror reflecting the past
And you measure each day the same from the first to the last
When you want to surrender, lay your soul down
And kiss the ground in defeat
But the invincible foe merely chides you back on your feet
(chorus)
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22. |
||||
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8) Shoeless Joe Rag - m.litton
Back before “Big-Chief Buffalo Nickel” and
“Hey Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime…?”
A dime was hard to find in the hills of Caroline
Born around Greenville, he worked in a cotton mill
From the tender age of six
Now famous for the 19 ‘n 19 baseball fix
He battled Ty Cobb for the title while Babe Ruth stole his swing
“Give ‘em ‘Black Betsy’, Joey…!” the crowd would sing
Cause the boy could hit that thing
He slammed them ‘Blue-Darters’, those ‘Saturday Specials’
While the crowd filled his little brothers’ hats
With Liberty dimes and Indian nickels
Chorus: “Hey Joe, say it ain’t so…”
“Sorry kid, I swear that it’s true…”
Shoeless Joe Jackson swung a mighty bat, son
In that World Series play
There in 19 ’n 19 he had twelve hits to his name
But ol’ Judge “Kenneshaw Mountain” Landis
Thought Joey was a ‘slacker’ sure
So he banned him from baseball forevermore
Now a stitch-in-time might save nine, I guess
But why did the White Sox Black Sox boy confess
Well I’ll take all bets that if you’re waitin’
For justice to flow down from the rich
You could thread a camel through the eye of a needle
Before this ol’ world’s gonna mend one stitch
(chorus)
Bridge: They laid down the law, let them gamblers testify
Why, ol’ Chicago Charles Cominsky, who never spared a dime
While Shoeless Joe ‘n the unlucky seven all caught hell
Charlie went to heaven
(chorus)
Now there ain’t no Buffalo nickels, boys,
And there ain’t no Liberty dimes
And those black clouds ain’t silver, they’re uranium lined
But the law was a mutant bastard, boys
Long before the atom split
I’d wager Sholess Joe would swear to it
So now we’re White Sox Black Sox veterans all
From the top of a ladder ain’t no good place to fall
Hell no, I’d rather crawl
But just like Shoeless Joe we’re a Cinderella story
Once you get your glass slippers on
You’re walkin’ on broken glass, so sorry
(chorus)
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23. |
Prairie Ballad
03:35
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9) Prairie Ballad - m.litton
When I was yet a little boy I asked my daddy one day
“Oh say what are those old wallows
In the pasture where the water stays?”
“Come near, my son, you’ll not believe
The sad history of these plains
For the buffalo roamed a million fold
In one decade all were slain
The hunters came in iron horses with big 50s ‘n skinnin’ knives
Sold the furs in eastern cities ‘n left the bones to dry
But listen, son, the wind carries their song
It’s a short time they’ve been gone
To the living earth all is memory
She’s a greater beast than we…”
The seasons passed though I weren’t much older
When one morning we found him dead
I cried to my mother, “Oh why did he die?”
She held me close ‘n said
“His heart was afire and violent storms
Were tossing through his mind
He lost his soul to the bandit ghost in the ruins of the night
Our land was poor and we hadn’t much hope
One day you’ll understand
How the great bear dies when he leaves his home
And so easily dies a man
But listen, son, the wind carries his song
It’s a short time he’s been gone
To the living earth all is memory
She’s a greater beast than we…”
From what I’ve seen I must own it seems we live by words
Though we only speak what we’ve been told
Like puppets made of wood
On the browning page of some old day
We all promised to be brave
But we were the sons of the totem then
Now we rod our father’s grave
As history blows a wind of grief, her nonbelieving rhyme
“There ain’t much truth, there ain’t much glory
It’s enough you live and die”
And I listen now as the wind carries my song
In a short time I’ll be gone
To the living earth all is memory
She’s a greater beast than we…
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24. |
Zoo Blues
03:24
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10) Zoo Blues - m.litton
Did you ever see a monkey in his cage
He stares right through you then turns away
There’s a little bitty tear in the corner of his eyes
Which say he wants to be in the jungle tonight
He’s got the zoo blues, he only wants a little wagon room
He hangs his head and eats a banana
And dreams of his home in the Tropicana
The penguin sits alone on a rock
He don’t dance cause it’s too damn hot
And he don’t ask cause he’s so polite
Why the great good Lord never taught him to fly
He’s got the zoo blues, all dressed up in his favorite suit
He wishes he could flap his little wings ‘n go
Back to his friends at the Southern Pole
The ostrich buries its head in the sand
While the giraffe hides his in the leaves where he stands
They both agree with the hippopotamus
Who stays underwater so he can’t see us
They got the zoo blues, wouldn’t be their if they could choose
They’d rather roam the plains of Africa
With the elephant and the striped zebra
The little boy sits in school all day
Just lookin’ out the window, wantin’ to play
But he must memorize his ABCs
So he can write his name when he grows real big
He’s got the zoo blues, wonders whose been foolin’ who
When takes out a loan for college ‘n signs
His name right there on the ol’ dotted line
Now you go to work and you buy a house
You go to church and you wed a spouse
Then one cold day you’ll realize
Your behind on the bills ‘n she’s tellin’ ya lies
You got the zoo blues, tired of doin’ the things you do
The grass is always greener over the fence
You planned for the future now ya wonder where it went
Ever see a monkey in his cage…
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25. |
Lily Mae & Harvest King
03:08
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11) Lily Mae & Harvest King - m.litton
Almost July, hot as hell, the moment I stepped outside
My face felt like an egg bein’ fried
I picked up the paper ‘n saw that the dog
Had somehow broke his chain
I hollered once, as usual he never came
I heard ‘em say on the radio as I turned to go inside
“Humid today, a high of 95…”
Then I read about the murder of Lily Mae Rhodes
And a man called Harvest King
They can’t find a motive, a clue, or anything
He was 52, she was 53, on the table lay a deck of cards
Their throats were slit in a Kansas City salvage yard
The owner Bob Henry had let ‘em stay in a rundown red brick shack
Through a broken pane they kept an eye on his junk out back
It was June 24th when Sally Rider ‘n the shuttle crew touched down
The very same Friday the victim’s bodies were found
Page 1 had a photo of the shuttle landing on the hot dry desert floor
You could read about the murder in section B, page 4
A neighbor said, “They kept to themselves, never had much to say
Ain’t it a shame how we found ‘em this a’ way…”
After readin’ about the murder of Lily Mae Rhodes
And a man called Harvest King
I didn’t feel like eatin’ or doin’ much anything
I laid down the paper, sipped on my coffee
Stared out the window ‘n said, “If we don’t keep
The ol’ dog chained he’s gonna be dead…”
As I saw the coal truck round the curve
And heard its engine scream
I thought again of Lily Mae Rhodes
And a man called Harvest King
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26. |
Down the River
02:02
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12) Down the River - m.litton
I been down the river floatin’, smokin’ dope ‘n hopin’
There’s plenty more just like it waitin’ round the bend
I got a line to rhyme so fine, Jesus/God can’t be no crime
To smile like a broken mirror
When you’re smilin’ at your friends
Chorus: My old bottles are on parade in the park
I like to fill my pipe with ol’ cigars
While the Sunday funnies cover me
I don’t need no sympathy
I’ll fly a bottle rocket all the way out to the stars
Got my lady roped down, hogtied ‘n hold down
Can’t tell her that I love her if I let her run around
Goin’ dancin’ prancin’, chance can’t be too handsome
When you chase the ladies’ pleasures
It’s like the rabbits chasin’ the hound
(chorus)
(Extra verse): Had some gold in my pocket but dropped it
Now Davey Jones has got it
Swallered by the ocean like my teardrops in the sand
Ah pipe up your organ, Gordon
We’ll be portin’ o’er the Jordan
There’s a rumble in the desert
They say some rummy’s in command
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27. |
Wounded Knee
05:56
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13) Wounded Knee - m.litton
There’s ice across the river on this cold Dakota night
The eyes of each soldier burns from the wind as they ride
Through the air they hear a ghostly chant
As they follow the trail of hoof-prints through the sand
In the morning a Cheyenne scout comes riding down a butte
He says that just ahead they’ll find Big Foot and his Sioux
The Chief rides ill upon a pony drag
His people are starving, they carry the white flag
Chorus: Soon the buffalo will roam upon the plains
The elk and the deer will play
The bluestem will flood across the sod
When our warriors return from beyond
“We’ll put the captured band in camp at Wounded Knee
Put the big guns upon that rise just west of the creek
I want the ranks to form on all sides
Give the Sioux plenty of food and firewood for the night
You soldiers skin your saddles, each rank put out its guard
And keep a steady hand at dawn when we take their arms”
Then the Colonel goes to parley with the Sioux
“Tell your warriors, Chief, we want peace like you”
The white buffalo moon rises in the sky
And runs upon the sweating flank of the black deep night
In their ‘Ghost Shirts’ the Sioux warriors dance
About the flaming hell where they have all been damned
The Northern Spirit speaks, his lights are red for war
The sun bleeds through the ice as the day is born
A stallion neighs, a woman screams
For both can scent the danger which men can only dream
(chorus)
The famous commander of the 7th Calvary
Was the Wolf of Washita who died with gnashing teeth
There are some from the old command among the men
And they would pay the devil dearly to have revenge
Colonel James Forsyth marches to the camp
Says, “The weapons of each warrior must pass into our hands”
Their sabers rattle as they search through each tent
The Sioux are growing restless as a fire in a changing wind
(chorus)
Their medicine man Yellow Bird urges them to fight
“Remember Wovoka said the soldier dogs must die!”
Black Fox pulls a rifle from his robe
One soldier dies then the whole damn camp explodes
The Hotchkiss guns laugh as they knives are unsheathed
The women and the children fall down a dry ravine
Over 300 Sioux die that day
They lived as one now they sleep in one mass grave
The warrior with the wolf and the bear has died
A blizzard roars down from the sky
Above the wounded the sabers fall
And the eagle has flown to God
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28. |
Orion
03:46
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14) Orion (for Barbara, my sister, 1941-2014) - m.litton
Above the rhythms of the rivers, the roads, and the rails
Over the rollin’ plains through the western horizon
Above our fathers’ graves the larks are flyin’
Unto the hymns of our homes, our hearts, and these hills
Into the ruined soil we are descending
Into that mournful song where the gods are awaitin’
Chorus: Then lead me to the land where there are no winters
Where the soft moon shines to eyes
Asleep in the breast of Orion, then I’ll be gone
In the cool light of dawn I will surrender
Who is the soul of the silence, the sea, and the sky
Who bore the memory of all the ages
Who bore the misery of every race
Through the will of our women, our wounded, and our weary
Oh will the marble’s face ever shed a tear for us
And will the waters of the sun ever part for us
(chorus)
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29. |
Pantomime (Disc3-Desire)
04:01
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1) Pantomime - m.litton
Sippin’ mint julep beneath the moon, dancin’ by candlelight
A butterfly his cocoon, I never wanna leave your side
The wind goes puff on a dandelion, the birds ‘n bees just hum
A pair of wings in paradise when two hearts beat as one
Chorus: Pantomime, love don’t need no words
Each night our bodies rhyme another verse
Let the little flame improvise the fire
You will always kindle my desire
You make it steam like a jungle inside this artic igloo
You got me jumpin’ right up out of my skin
With your banana voodoo
If they’re out of helium ‘n there’re big balloon won’t rise
Just put us lovebirds in the nest, by golly girl she’ll fly
(chorus)
Shelley, Keats ‘n Lord Byron wrote some fine refrains
But when we start in coupleting, we put them all to shame
You got that rhythm I like to rhyme ‘n all them adjectives
Let’s scratch another verse into the sand
And let it wash on out to sea
(chorus)
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30. |
Ol' Trouble
02:44
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|
2) Ol’ Trouble - m.litton
Now there are men who never run from ol’ trouble
And I was one until I ran from you
And now my life becomes a mirror
Reflecting that thing I can never undo
She brought ol’ trouble, I saw ‘em comin’
That night I held her instead of you
And I know I should have refused the moment
Ah but the moments in life seem so few
Chorus: Now ol’ trouble, trouble is surrounding me
Standing every which way I turn
I’m a man who never ran from trouble, babe
Now I’ve got to say, this time I learned
And I could give you a dozen red roses
I could sing you some rhymes
But I could never stand and face you just now
Nor look you in the eye
(chorus)
And as I look on down this ol’ highway tonight
My headlights cut deep into the rain
Now I’m a man who never ran from trouble
Ah but I hung my head and ran from you in shame
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31. |
Red Rose Blues
03:48
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|
3) Red Rose Blues - m.litton
Chorus: I got a red rose today, I got a jailhouse sorrow
I got a red rose today, I got a jailhouse sorrow
Ain’t a good man’s noose just the Evil One’s halo
The birds won’t sing long as you carry a gun
And the wind will never blind you
If you never race a horse that can run
And your rose will never grow to wither, girl
If you never ever let it see the sun
That fire on the moon, babe, ya know it’s there ‘n it’s not
You may have visions in your mind
But the fusions all glow from the heart
I swear a woman can’t love a man
Unless she thinks he’s a devil or he’s a god
(chorus)
Leonardo loved a lady, she wore a long black veil
Some say she knew his secret
Though she kept it hidden so very well
Oh Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa, did he come
From heaven or did he crawl up from hell?
(chorus)
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32. |
My Lady Been Gone
03:23
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4) My Lady Been Gone - m.litton
Chorus: Lately my lady been gone
Lord, lately my good gal been gone
She only left last Tuesday mornin’
Still it seems it’s been so goddamn long
Last Saturday it rained ‘n rained
Lord, Saturday it rained ‘n it rained
The sky felt gray ‘n cold
Just like the iron on an ‘ol freight train
Oh listen to it blow
Lord, listen to that ol’ north wind blow
It makes me sad ‘n lonely
Wish my lady’d come runnin’ on back home
(chorus
Lord, I sin and lie ‘n lie
Good Lord, I sin and I lie
And if that devil ever catch me
He’s gonna burn me alive
So I drinks that whiskey for my sleep
Yes, I drinks whiskey for my sleep
Now that my life is an empty dream
All I do is lay awake at night ‘n weep
(chorus)
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33. |
||||
|
5) Dakota Wind - m.litton
It was years ago out in Denver town
I was half a soldier and half a clown
In an alley shadowed by the Larimer lights
With a whiskey bottle I went to hide
I walked the pavement and came to dare
A painted lady with painted hair
She laughed ‘n cried ‘n moaned a curse
Flashed a thigh beneath her skirt
I followed her down till the dust ‘n smoke was slumberin’
I moved from that edge with my blood and senses thinned
Chorus: And that ol’ Dakota wind was hounding me
I’m bound to meet my end out on the winter plain
When your morning light comes on
You’ll find that I’m gone
At first you think your home’s too small
But once you leave you’re only half so tall
From every side the road looks gray
The ol’ road leads back from where ya came
That homegrown gal with the kitten eyes
Vowed to love me her whole life
But when I came home one bitter morn
Muddy boots had crossed our floor
The shadows of my pain fell like our child’s dominoes
My blood came to boil, then my heart just froze
(chorus)
Now the ax of guilt waits to fall
But the serpent speaks a double law
We’ve tipped the scales, what’s done is done
I drink my whiskey, she has her fun
We tear at the flesh ‘n think we’re wolves
We swear our passions fit like gloves
Our devils dance all night with gods
But the morning shows us dull as dogs
And the moon just ripens us for the grave to harvest
With our one ‘n every deed we pay that pound of flesh
(chorus)
I drive out past the ol’ rail line
Where the weeds have grown thru the broken ties
I park my truck high on a hill
To view this land of frozen fields
The winter sun is slanting south
The sky hangs in one gray cloud
And I’ve heard those say fate forces it to end this way
Cause life is just a picture of something we wish was real
Hidden in a dark room, just an image on a film
(chorus)
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34. |
Any Ol' Time
02:56
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6) Any Ol’ Time - m.litton
Chorus: Any ol’ time will suit me, any ol’ time at all
I’m gonna come a’runnin’, babe, when I hear ya call
I’m gonna saddle up my big white horse
I’m gonna jump aboard a boat
I’m gonna hop upon an ol’ freight train
And shovel ‘er full of coal
There ain’t no mountain high enough
Ain’t no storm too cruel
There ain’t no river so wide can keep me from my girl
(chorus)
A’workin’ in that city, a’huntin’ out on them plains
Any ol’ time I’m away from her, feel like I’m in pain
She can throw away my pistols, pour my whiskey in the sand
Even ride with me on my big white horse if I can be her man
(chorus)
Now heaven may not have me, hell knows I don’t care
The green earth’s good enough for me
When I’ve got my lady fair
And when it comes my time for dyin’
Don’t drown me in that sea
Let me fall by my lady, Lord, so she can bury me
(chorus)
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35. |
Louisiana Nights
03:59
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|
7) Louisiana Nights - m.litton
These Louisiana nights seem so cold
All these Southern gals are pretty but I’m so shy
Can’t they tell by the way I look at them
That I don’t wanna be lonely tonight
Please don’t leave me lonely tonight
Outside the traffic rolls on like a river
The streetlamp glows just like a moon
The rain starts to fall and I shiver
As her eyes say Hello, how are you
Ain’t got much to say, suppose I’ll say How d’ya do
Chorus: This lover in my heart like the shadows on the wall
Are gonna call for you
I’ll whisper like the breeze ‘n hope you might see
My eyes following you
Oh Louisiana nights, what a long, long way to roam
Louisiana nights, she so far away ‘n I feel just like a ghost
Now the rain it runs beneath the door
The window is broken by the wind
The music must play till the player has gone
And the actors mustl speak their lines again
Like an actor I’ll play it to the end
Yes, it’s plain that many men have hurt you
Did you try too hard to please?
I can see where you’ve been ‘n you’re a giver
Now won’t you give your warm lovin’ to me
I won’t break your heart, I won’t steal your dreams
(chorus)
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36. |
When I's In Denver
03:54
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8) When I’s In Denver - m.litton
When I’s in Denver I packed a .38
Drove a little Ford coup painted gunpowder gray
And every Saturday, I’d take a drive
Runnin’ south down Broadway I’d pass them Chevrolets
Cuttin’ her east off ol’ Colfax I outran a Stutz-Bearcat
Turned up my radio, stuck my head out the side window
Then stopped at Gypsy Jane’s
She’d say, “Tonight you’re gonna meet a dame…”
Boys, in the evening I’d take a trolley down Curtis Street
Once I met a blonde Lombard, her sister’s name was Carol
She said, “Now won’t you drive my Pierce Arrow?”
When I’s in Denver I had pearly white teeth
I had curly hair and my pants had pleats
I wore flowers in the spring, the ladies called, “Hey fella!”
If ya wanna talk about love affairs, boy, I had a few
Red, black, long blonde hair ‘n ooh-la that brunette lady
Olivia de Havilland she was the only one
Who could steal my breath away
Did you ever see a picture of her in her day?
And oh Lordy God, boys, should’ve met my lil’ Sady
She wore fishnet stocking now, moved like a barracuda
She danced at the bar Abdulla…just for me
When I’s in Denver I’d never lose
I had money in my pockets ‘n Florsheim shoes
I didn’t pay no dues, I saw every movie made
One night I took a lil’ gal named Fay
To the Green Lantern Café
She made me feel like Errol Flynn
And I swear she looked like Olivia de Havilland
Well I reached down ‘n touched her hand
As we listened to the marionette band
We jitterbugged the winter through
Yeah, we did the big apple too
And it was out by Lakeside
The night I asked her to be my bride
We danced as the big band started to play
“When the Deep Purple Fa-alls”
That night we drove to city hall
Well we moved from Denver to Omaha
I went to workin’ for her pa
I obeyed every law, and now I feel tired
I sell real-estate, boys, ‘n I keep a poker face
When Fay asks, “What’s on your mind?”
I say, “Nothin’…” but it’s those Denver nights
Now lately I’ve been countin’
It’s 20 some years since I’ve seen those mountains
And that Colorado air…
Seems my whole life happened out there
And oh Lordy God, boys, should’ve seen my lil’ Sady
She wore fishnet stocking now, moved like a barracuda
She danced at the bar Abdulla…just for me
|
||||
37. |
Chicago Morgue
05:43
|
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|
9) Chicago Morgue - m.litton
On a night so cold I was breathin’ frost
On a Pullman window and feelin’ lost
The winter drizzle had turned to snow
As the midnight train wound down into Chicago
The streetlight wore a halo outside the morgue of St. Jude
Where I’d come for my dead brother, he was only 22
All my memories were scattered ‘n torn
Like the autumn leaves in a winter storm
From that deep dark valley of stone ‘n steel
I recalled our summers out on Cedar Hill
Where we’d played ‘n dreamed for hours
And wrestled beneath the boughs
How the walls of our childhood kingdom
Have so quickly fallen down
Chorus: From the east Montana prairie to that cold Chicago morgue
His face so pale as the linen shroud which draped down to the floor
I watched the smoke from the factories fade
As we crossed the rivers onto the frozen plains
One thousand miles o’er the iron rails
At each road crossing the whistle wailed
Oh Lord, where is the reason, what was he runnin’ from
When the poison left the needle ‘n raced into his blood?
(chorus)
From the cemetery I took the road
That led out to our childhood home
A devil’s claw snatched at my heel
A black crow flew away across the field
The north wind blew through the open door
All the walls were weather-stained
As I watched the sun set behind the hills
Through a broken window pain
(chorus)
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38. |
Taco 'n Wine
03:47
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|
10) Taco ‘n Wine - m.litton
Chorus: I went down to Maria’s for a taco ‘n wine
But when I left Maria’s I’s crawlin’ on my knees a’cryin’
All the men who see her follow hot ‘n heavin’
But if you walk with Maria
She’ll lead ya down some street ‘n leave ya bleedin’
She’s a no-good Lizy, a cheap two-timin’ Gypsy
She’ll find another man on down the road
Then leave you all cuckold ‘n tipsy
(chorus)
I got silver dollar scars, they line my brow
And blood in my right eye
A hard brass ring once broke my nose
But a low mean woman ruined my life
It was a big man out in Denver
The one who laid me cold
But it was a lone Memphis woman
That took ‘n broke my mortal soul
(chorus)
She always said she would love me
Through my darkest hour
But when I cried “I need you, babe…”
She just laughed so loud ‘n called me a coward
She’s a demon lady, her flesh is made of iron
She makes her bed on a spider web
I’d had a lot better luck at lovin’ a lion
I went down to Maria’s for a taco ‘n wine
But when I left Maria’s I’s crawlin’ on my knees a’cryin’
Cause I shot her with a big gun ‘n left her dyin’
It was a long barreled gun ‘n I left her dyin’
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39. |
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|
11) Spanish Guns/Aztec Gold - m.litton
He rode out of Sonora, boys, like an outlaw of old
Singing vaquero songs for the ladies
Tales of Zapata and Poncho…Villa rides!
He quit the red banks of the Rio Yaqui
The adobe hut where he was born
To rustle cattle from the rich haciendas
From descendants of Castilian lords…Villa rides!
High in the sierras, above the chaparral
He butchered the cattle in an Indian corral
He rode to Durango, sold the hides to an Anglo
For Spanish guns and Aztec gold
And he played his guitar with a force that turned all eyes
She was the midnight’s bronze-skinned maiden
Colored by the moon
An evening flower for the prince of music
His fair lady of Guadalupe...Marina!
Hernando felt her beauty cut through him
As the wine warmed the veins of his arms
Late that night on the upstairs veranda
He cradled her like his Spanish guitar…Marina!
Have you never felt the breath of the desert night air
Nor tasted the fruit which sharp cactus bear
Sweet as new music, a women ripe beauty
Like Spanish guns and Aztec gold
She’ll flood the sands of your soul with fire
He taught Marina the art and the language
Of bandits and thieves and life on the run
He made their rings from a bullets brass casing
At the altar they knelt like a priest and a nun…Hernando!
Soon they were hunted through all of Chihuahua
So they planned their way up to San Joaquin
Hernando sold a man his guitar and his pistols
To smuggle them both to the land of their dreams…California!
At the border the bracero king led Marina away
Told her it was time she paid for her ride
Hernando grabbed this coyote by the shoulder
With a long stiletto he took his life…in California!
In the high Yankee Temple the melting pot stews
And the Mexican cornucopia has abundant fruit
Her sons and daughter spill across the deserts and the hills
And Spanish guns and Aztec gold lay buried
In arroyos for the day when la Raza will rise
|
||||
40. |
Quittin You
03:41
|
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|
12) Quitin’ You - m.litton
All the lies, lazy rhymes ‘n tales you ever told me
Couldn’t break the spell, oh no
Your magic still could hold me
But love’s the kinda game where ya have to play along
Now I broke a rule or two myself, girl
But you went ‘n broke ‘em all
Chorus: I’m quittin’ ya, babe
I’m already through
Girl, hear me when I say, I’m quittin’ you
I could be out ridin’ shotgun, acting out the role
But each bandit along the highway
Knows the cargo has been stole
I swear I’ve been mendin’ fences till my hands are cut ‘n torn
Now my hands will heal, so help me
But my heart won’t take no more
Bridge: Of your lies ‘n lazy rhymes
And all the tales you have told
Girl, ya know, I believed you then
But that was so long, long ago
Once I stood just like an oak, now I am willow
But come what may, I vow to hold my own
I realize quitters never win
But your cheatin’ game will never end
Now you must learn to sink or swim alone
(chorus)
In your heart your know I’m gone
But your pride will swear I’m dead
Well I’m tired of playin’ possum, girl
I’ll play the wolf instead
Cause there’s plenty of deer in the valley
And plenty of fish in the pond
And plenty of plums ‘n berries
For this ol’ wolf to feast upon
(chorus)
|
||||
41. |
Padlock Rock
03:19
|
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|
13) Padlock Rock - m.litton
My old padlock would take most any man’s key
She hung from a door along a dim-lit street
She was always too loose, you could pick her easily
My new lil’ lock, she’s the top of her line
Got a lot of brass ‘n man she really shines
Stays real well-oiled mornin’ noon ‘n night
And she only takes a key if it’s the one I hold
You can offer her another, she’s only answer no
She’s a tit for tat, one man’s sweet treasure trove
Chorus: Pick a peck of peaches, pick my pocket too
Y’all two-bit forbidden fruit picker you
You can pick a guitar in San Antone
Moved to Santa Fe ‘n pick an old banjo
Pick any lock, boy, but you cannot steal my gal
I’m an ol’ locksmith and I know a keyhole well
And there ain’t no theif this side of heaven or hell
That can pick her lock, many have tried ‘n they all failed
So when I die I don’t care where I go
Just put my new lil’ lock on the tomb which holds my bones
And if the devil can pick it then he can have my soul
(chorus)
|
||||
42. |
Beast of the Jungle
01:40
|
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|
14) Beast of the Jungle - m.litton
Beast of the jungle he knows my name
Now I hunt every night and sleep every day…
My little mistress Mary, she slipped he spirit in my tea
Now as I close my eyes, what’s this on the ceiling
A lady in green
Is it her ballerina thighs or merely the dream of her
That I find so appealing, that I now find so revealing
That I will lie here and despise her till she’s mine
But when that sweet moment comes
I’ll hear heaven’s own chimes and lift up my arms
Like leaves raised in the wind and fly to her
Beast of the jungle he don’t like chains
All the ladies try to but he won’t be tamed…
(Extra verses): Oh my dear Mother Mary
Take them and go away from me
You say live peacefully but that is more than I can give
Go tell the world your prayers were too late for me
I do not seek to be blessed, give me a savage priestess
Wild like the night wind singin’ and dancin’ o’er the ocean
An ancient blood with long Medusa curls
With rich moist lips – when I find her I’ll hurl her
Deep through the passion of my memory
Beast of the jungle he ain’t afraid
Of the pagan’s red fire or Calypso’s cave…
Her hair would be braided ‘n black
And flow down her dark muscled back
And her ballerina thighs would have the strength
To make men cry a glorious pain
Could this be the magic of beautiful Magdalene
Oh just to speak her name nearly drive me insane
If I could but find her grave
There’re be another sinner laid beside her
Even if she lies over the ocean
I’d rather drown than stay here and die here
Never to have known nor called to her
|
||||
43. |
Gypsy Fire (Disc4-Dream)
03:35
|
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|
1) Gypsy Fire - m.litton
When the sun goes down ‘n the moon comes up
Come gather ye around my flame
I’m the Gypsy fire, a poor man’s home
I can tell ya some tales, I can ease your pain
Of ancient wars and troubadours
Of women, gods and slaves
Of falling men and foaming tides
Of endless hymns and vintage age
So get your fiddle there young man
And let the bow scream wild
And get the wine to wet your lips
For wine is a brother to the child
If you’ve ridden in the saddle all day
And long for your sorrow to sing
Come listen to the sad fiddle play
It was born of the heart of a dying queen
We’ll sing cruel sins in harmony
Our prayers and our grief
We’ll sing the wine barrel to emptiness
And ballad widows to their sleep
So rest your leather in the evening
And lead your beast to water
Unclothe your day to the woman dream
To the night, to the naked father
And if you need fermented drink
To warm your shadowed nights
Yes, if your days have brought you low
You can laugh again if you drink the wine
And we’ll dream of women in Egypt, oh
And through their dark veiled hair
We’ll scent the jewels of their flesh
You can dream of heaven even if you dare
So get your fiddle there young man
And let the bow scream wild
And get the wine to wet your lips
For wine is a brother to the child
Cry no more my pretty one
We’ll soon enough be gone
Warm your flesh here next to mine
We’ll join our hearts in song…
|
||||
44. |
||||
|
2) Ashes ‘n Dust - m.litton
So you’ve heard all about them barroom battles
Fought with blades ‘n guns
Over some black-eyed Gypsy beauty
Raped by a rambler’s love
Well I know the ash ‘n dust of life won’t change just because
Some roadhouse poet sings a song of lust ‘n blood
But through the rights of passage he would travel
Once he came of age
And to many a lonely queen of hearts
He played his black-jack ace
He kept his dagger hidden by the smile on his face
He soon forgot his father’s words
And the promise he had made
“Son, don’t get caught in the trap the harlot in black sets for you
“Death she will bait us if we let her, saying, “Let us be true…’
“You’ll not escape her, don’t embrace her
“Promise never to make the first move
“We’ll each possess her one day forever all too soon
Chorus: “Now you may think life is a river that never runs dry
“And passion is a fire reaching the sky
“But through the mist of the water
“And through the smoke of the flame
“Ashes ‘n dust and old memories of are all that remain…”
As it came to pass he found the rose he’d pictured in his mind
Their love was like a dream that happened once upon a time
They laid beside the river beneath the moonlit night
Not caring for a moment that she was another’s bride
But then the hand of vengeance cast his shadow
Across the path they walked
The only warning given was a hammer being cocked
The bullets blazed burning deep into their flesh
Their bodies embraced in the agony of death
And though the nigh grows still the wind never will
Reveal one word from their dream
The lovers lie buried on the bank by the river
Together forever they sleep
“Now you may think life is a river that never runs dry
“And passion is a fire reaching the sky
“But through the mist of the water
“And through the smoke of the flame
“Ashes ‘n dust and old memories of are all that remain…”
|
||||
45. |
Ode to Red Rover
04:33
|
|||
|
3) Ode to Red Rover - m.litton
Bring my bow ‘n bring my fiddle
It’s goin’ to snow tonight
But that won’t stop me from enjoying
You sharing some my wine
Remember when we were young
Evil was sluggish ‘n couldn’t even run
Into that mirror we would laugh
It seemed the good times would never pass
And God lived way up in them clouds
We jumped at the gun, off at a run
Chasing our own shadows danglin’ from the sun
A pretty girl with braids lived up the lane
I hollered “Red Rover!” then sang out her name
And she ran into my arms
We stole the music down from the stars
Waltzin’ thru a mountain meadow with a sweet milk-maid
From the village who says she’d really like to
But she’s so afraid
Dancing girl of the street
I wouldn’t trade you for a queen
Don Quixote lives in my heart
Fighting windmills, collecting scares
You’ll lose one then you’ll lose another
Open up that old attic trunk
Full of pirate treasure ‘n all sorts of junk
When I’m dead count to ten, this story ain’t no sin
And call for Red Rover, he’ll send you a friend
I feel like runnin’ blind, cuttin’ fences ‘n shootin’ signs
“Jesse James ‘n Robin Hood were better than most kings”
So my father told me as he held me and said
“Don’t forget your dreams…”
I wonder why we killed the Indian
Seems like he’d have made a pretty good friend
We chased the buffalo from the plains
Just so we could ride the damn trains
Now Hollywood tells the story with brand-new clothes
All aboard, kick down the door, cough up you money
And spit it on the floor
Up against the wall, make yourselves tall
Cause I’m ol’ Red Rover, I’m a bad outlaw
And I come from way out west
In Spanish spurs and a gambler’s vest
See that moon ridin’ so high,
There’s a bandit in the saddle
It’s the morning star, he’s about to charge
And meet the ol’ sun in a battle
(Extra verse): If you walk in the giant’s shadow
He cannot see you, cause it’s the essence
Of his great presence that’ll always block his view
Hungry birds in the snow make me feel like a broken bowl
I watch the smoke through the chimney rise
Carrying memories through the night
On a journey to the Milky Way
It’s drifted the roads, the barrooms are closed
But springtime is gonna enter ‘neath an arching rainbow
Let’s dry up our tears, uncork the years
And listen for Red Rover to echo in our ears
“You’ll get a new skin every seven
“And by that fraction you’ll go to heaven…”
|
||||
46. |
No Diamonds
03:31
|
|||
|
4) No Diamonds - m.litton
Chorus: I don’t send no diamonds, I don’t send no gold
I don’t send no diamons ‘n I don’t send no gold
And I’ll never buy a fur coat to keep you from the cold
Ah but babe, I love you, I’ll come runnin’ on back home
There are those who compare your beauty to a queen
They see you as a distant one as in some misty dream
And they can never hold you, they’ll never bar the door
When you see my ship return, babe
When you feel my surf beatin’ on your shore
(chorus)
There are those who worry of what tomorrow may bring
But I don’t ever hurry, I just sit here ‘n sing
Since we went into that gypsy wood
Where your flesh was so naked and so good
You touched my heart ‘n said to me
“There ain’t no further mystery…”
(chorus)
Now I could never whisper as through a garden wall
For when I get too near to you I wanna howl ‘n call
Like a warrior or a wolf man
Babe, I’m the storm upon your land
Let’s crawl into that river’s moon
And draw its silk about our hot cocoon
|
||||
47. |
||||
|
5) Long Way From Beulah Land - m.litton
I like to skim it off the top
But the bottom of the deck is just fine with me
I’ll take a throw on the dice
And let the roulette wheel spin up another dream
If I stay surprised I’ll have more wrinkles
Above my brow than under my eyes
Takes a friend’s advice, drink your firewater cool
And cross the desert at night
I’ve been hangin’ from a noose in F ‘n G
And C ‘n D too
Waitin’ for my lady to come cut me down
So I can sing away my blues
I need a harder edge, some wagon room
A Stetson hat ‘n alligator shoes
A brand-new suit ‘n big bowtie
Now I might not improve but sure gonna try
Chorus: I live a long way from Beulah Land
And Lord, I’m doin’ about the best I can
I might live this life a little too fast, friend
But, ya know, I’ll never ever get a chance again
My candle burns at both its ends
And it make my mamma cry
But ya never know just what the hell
I might need that much more light
If night is a tunnel into the day
Then life is a funnel into the grave
And there’s damn little light
Where that box you’re in descends
So I’m wild in the manger, out in the pasture
Wild as a coon in the corn
I’m wild with laughter gonna love ya ever after
In the back seat of my Ford
Got wild as a bandit from Tuesday to Saturday
Scattered my wild oats, spilled my brandy
Life is a wild ‘n perilous act
Don’t you ever look back. don’t ever think twice
(chorus)
Now I’ll confess I’m a little deranged
But I swear I ain’t no dunce
I can write my name, divide by seven
And I know when it’s time to punt
Now you may think that the sun shines more
Upon you face than mine
Well if it’s true you’ve never lately left a clue
I love Lilly de Loup, she lives down in the valley
And her breath smells of thyme
She’s five foot dandy, free ‘n handy
And greatly on my mind
She has a ponytail of long corn silk
And comes to me when I whip-o-will
Her fiddle-lee-dee ‘n animal charm
Can’t do me no harm ‘n it ain’t no crime
(chorus)
That snappy ol’ turtle told the bad habit rabbit
Ya better lay off the booze
You’ll never get even with the whiskey ‘n the women
It’s a race you’re born to lose
Well I suppose that damned ol’ hair
Is gonna linger by the roadside but I’ll declare
There’s a hurtle for the turtle
He’ll stew when the race is through
And the itty-bitty ant is steady on the job
Yes, he builds a mighty hill
He’s the insect Sisyphus cursed to the endless
Toil of a weary tale
While the grasshopper yearns to dance ‘n sing
He’s a deuce, he’s wild, he’s a joker, he’s a king
Does the two-step, four-step, jitterbug, waltz
And a little boogie called “Gonna fiddle till I die!”
(chorus)
|
||||
48. |
Belladonna
03:25
|
|||
|
6) Belladonna - m.litton
It was sad, ah so sad, when you finally went home
You had no more dreams, you had no more gold
There were faces from the pages of long, long ago
And too much kindness in the words they spoke
As the grapevine unwinds behind your trail
Your sense another meaning from those who wish you well
Through each grape of gossip they sink their teeth
Then run to spite the seed of your defeat
Chorus: Oh where is the outlaw who laughed at the game
The young gypsy minstrel who broke all his chains
Who played his soul like dice
And let the full moon flood his eyes
He’d act on any dare, ah but lately he’s known fear
The laughing madonna’s of his younger days
Have come to tease him in his dreams of late
They let you touch them then you awake
From memories you cannot seem to shake
You have run the gauntlet, you’ve taken many blows
Now you’re staring back through familiar windows
Were it not for your image beyond the glass
You’d never ever look into the past
(chorus)
From the hilltop windmill thru the bay window pane
Seems even the wind is calling your name
You knock on the door and wait to be claimed
Then enter so empty, cold, and changed
You rush up the stairs, down the hall, room to room
Searching each closet for some final clue
Into the viper darkness of her bittersweet lips
Into her bone-white arms to shed your skin
|
||||
49. |
What Rough Beast
04:02
|
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|
7) What Rough Beast - m.litton
See the children dancin’ in the alley dressed like they could kill
There’s an old man standin’ on the corner wanderin’ if they will
He’s got nothin’ n they want something so what’s he got to fear
Well could be he knows somethin’s comin’
‘Cause he’s already been there, now it’s comin’ here
Cruel like the eye of a viper crawlin’ through a Cajun swamp
Hidden in the red-brick jungle above the cold asphalt
Hear the cry of a victim as the neon night turns black
Hear your silent heartbeat scream
‘Cause somethin’ turnin’ round, now it’s comin’ back
Chorus: Look around, it surrounds you, too late to escape
What rough beast is comin’, slouching towards
Howling with rage
One wears white, the rest wear black, one dies, the others mourn
From the eye of the spinning gyre this madness gets reborn
You may say that battle leaves a bad taste in your mouth
While in the prison Maze they fast to death
And the violence hungers to break out
There’s the IRA, the KKK, the them’s, the you’s, the me’s
Gathering, choosing sides, leaving nothing in between
And if you listen carefully to what’s bein’ said
If you have not yet been claimed
They’d be better off if you were dead
(chorus)
It came to pass down in New York City on the 27th day of June
The rough beast found another victim down on ol’ 8th Avenue
They stripped him naked then ran him down to die on a subway rail
Those who flee the heart of darkness
Risk runnin’ right through the gates of Hell
(chorus)
|
||||
50. |
I Come To You
02:31
|
|||
|
8) I Come To You - m.litton
Braver words were never spoken than when I swore I’d make it
Down that road I would go unbroken
Now I stand before your gate
And I swear my heart may break
As I wait for your door to open
Chorus: Girl, I come to you in the morning light
At the dawn of a brand-new day
Girl, I come to you now that my dream is through
And this time I swear I’ll stay
Bridge: For I’ve sailed an ocean that knows no shore
Through the eye of an angry dream
And I never found the pearl of the oyster
But girl, at last I’ve dreamed my dream
Where there’s a will there is a way but on the way you must borrow
From the pain you will gain with each new day
For to wear the crown of laurel you’ll harvest many sorrows
And in vain you may dream your life away
(chorus)
|
||||
51. |
Blue Sky 'n Roses
03:22
|
|||
|
9) Blue Sky ‘n Roses - m.litton
Blue sky ‘n roses o’er the grave
Who’ll light the morning, child, who’ll show the way
Went down by the river, knelt down on my knee
Prayed to the stars above, “Give me light to see…”
And I know, Lord, I know I’ve been a fool
Been a joker at times and often I’ve been cruel
But I can never stop until I’ve climbed
And stumbled from the summit of my pride
Chorus: While this fire burns in my blood
That water won’t baptize me
I’ll go down in the flood, oh Father
Before I’ll ever break bread with a perfumed priest
I cannot drink the wine that they horde
You must sanctify this sinner with your sword
Alone in the night, anxious for a word
Watching as the rays of light from the stars converge
Flashed upon the retinae, imaged in the mind
A voice in my heart that says, “You’ve neared your mortal time…”
And I know, Lord, I’m a prisoner of decay
I cannot scale these walls, there ain’t no escape
And I will cry for mercy when I fall
But what fierce judgement demands that I should crawl
(chorus)
|
||||
52. |
Mad Dog Blues
03:54
|
|||
|
10) Mad Dog Blues - m.litton
Chorus: It’s a rough ol’ world, you’re born to surrender
Though you may run ‘n hide like an old outlaw
It’s rough ol’ world and none are delivered
She’ll shoot ya down, my friend, shoot ya down one ‘n all
When a dog goes mad they’ll shoot him at sunrise
And let the barn cat come ‘n lap up his blood
If he lives so long that he’s old ‘n near blind
They’ll stake ‘im by the river when it’s starting to flood
When I was a child I walked into the pasture
Found bones bleached white by the sun ‘n the rain
I recognized my ol’ dog’s brown-black fur
Now I curse the hour I first felt my soul give way
The lilac bloomed in the cemetery breeze
Mixed her perfume with the stench of death
Beneath those bones the grass grew green
The earth feeds each and by each she is fed
(chorus)
When a man goes mad he best jump in the river
If he don’t jump fast they’ll haul him away
In the give ‘n take some are taken by the giver
While others put up gold for their burin’ day
So tell my sons there’ll be peace in the valley
Tell my daughters that the lilac blooms
You can tell ‘em all I’ve gone out huntin’
Gonna shoot a mad dog in the afternoon
|
||||
53. |
For a Nickel or a Dime
01:55
|
|||
|
11) For a Nickel or a Dime
My brother cried when I left home
He also cried when our daddy died
But me, I just got sick inside
Closed my heart and tried to hide…
Away a man grows from a child
Away like whitecaps o’er the sea
Now I can cry most anytime
I can cry for a nickel, I can cry for a dime
My love laughed when the sun went down
She ran ‘n danced in her brightest gown
But I wouldn’t smile like a painted clown
I could only laugh if I wore a crown…
But I have built a fire on yonder hill
Yes I have touched the night above the wind
Now I can laugh most anytime
I can laugh for a nickel, I can laugh for a dime
(Extra verse): I went to the circus with a cold lone heart
Guarded my eyes and I walked apart
Clubs and Spades were my favorite cards
My only love was a tattooed arm…
But old stones are buried in these walls
The ones I’ve known I carry in my heart
Now I can love most anytime
I can love for a nickel, I can love for a dime
|
||||
54. |
||||
|
12) Don’t Wanna Die in Arkansas - m.litton
Chorus: I don’t wanna die in Arkansas
Don’t wanna die in Spain
Please let me die, Lord, close to my home
I don’t wanna long journey to my grave
Now whether I die in the morning
Or whether it’s late at night
Just wear the veil on your shoulders, my love
Don’t let my death darken your pretty eyes
And don’t bury me on the hillside
Where all the crosses stand
But lay me to the side of a great oak tree
In a valley or some small wood of land
(chorus)
Lay a red rose on me
Don’t wake me with your kiss
But before you turn to walk so far away
Use wine to warm my lips
And I’ll dance with you no more, my love
Nor hold you in my arms
I’ll journey through darkness to silence ‘n peace
And sleep with the Hunter in the stars
(chorus)
They say it’s ash to ash
They say it’s dust to dust
There’s nothing to add, nothing I need say
For the wind said all long before us
(chorus)
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55. |
Old Men and Old Hymns
03:18
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13) Old Men & Old Hymns - m.litton
Birth ‘n death are the threaded needle
Mending an old dress
Life is an ancient riddle spun of the ocean’s brine
A roaring old rhythm unrhymed
Warrior horses ranged the earth
While wolf-women sang their prayers
And fire-infants played naked in the lairs
Old men like old hymns all seem to move so slow
And old sins are like old winds
They never cease to moan
On the millstone grinds the grain
And on the metals toil
While the jaded cross of olden man
Stands lonely there still
Forgotten like a scarecrow in the field
Through wool ‘n fur and silks ‘n flesh
Of the seasons and old centuries
The wine has ebbed ‘n flowed like truth ‘n misery
Old women like old roses fade with the years
They press their youth between the pages
To hold that season dear
The soul is like a raging river
It has no bones
And the night is a haunted memory
Illumined by the moon
The pirates’ old bounty of ruin
The demons of our fathers yet linger out the door
But the devil and his angels are no more
A young child with new dreams
Is dancing before my grief
The old fable for a new heart
Fruit from the same damn tree
And old men like old hymns
All seem to move so slow
And old sins are like old winds
They never cease to moan…
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56. |
Moonlight on the Prairie
02:14
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14) Moonlight on the Prairie - m.litton
Moonlight on the prairie, small town and farms
Her pastures of plenty asleep beneath the stars
Seasons may change through childhood and toil
I’ll leave my dust in her soil
So long my prairie, prairie so wide
From Dallas north to Calgary
Blue horizons and sky
The north winds may blow ‘n blanket the plains
Spring will bring thunder and rain
Come summer they’ll harvest her grain
Moonlight on the prairie, memories I have known
My headlights shine down an old highway
By morning I will be home…
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The Gothic Cowboy/The Border Band Lawrence, Kansas
I'm a creekbank ghetto boy. Began my singin' near half a century ago in Canada, then hit northeast, down thru Nashville, Austin, out to Colorado and back to Kansas where I started out and will likely remain. My influences are Leadbelly, Jimmie Rodgers, CCR and The Band, while the juices of a hundred others flavor my music, not to mention the devil himself if that's what it takes to make a song... ... more
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