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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Bare Bones, Between the Wars, Fresh Blood / Old Skin, It's a Short Life, Hard West, Magdalene, and Rootless Seed.
1. |
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1) A Long Long Way
m.litton
We live a fable, we live a dream, in this sweet land of liberty
You’re free to doubt, free to believe, all in America all are free
We come from Africa, from Native tribes
From Ireland, Germany, Judean scribes
Italy, Spain, Russia, China too
All are Americans, me ‘n you
Chorus: And I wanna love and live a long long day
‘Cause we still need to go a long long way
We’ve done some wrong, we’ve done some right
There’s still much to do with all our might
If there’s ever justice beneath the stars
It beats deep in the American heart
Some claim they know, others ask
All live in question beneath the same blue sky
We plow ‘n plant the same hard earth
Out of many comes our nation’s birth
(chorus)
Bridge: Sunrise on an empty street, gray sky starts to glow
A bus rolls to a stop, a young soldier is coming home
In the American night, on the American shore
To the American dream...
You may be Chicano or a big cowboy
Come from Montana or old Detroit
From the Rocky Mountains to the shining sea
All are Americans, you ‘n me
(chorus)
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2. |
Gingerbread Man
03:47
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2) Gingerbread Man
m.litton
Put the gingerbread in your pan
Bake it in your oven, baby, fast as you can
Turn it on, get it hot, I’ll jump out before I am caught
Gonna roll- roll, I’m a gingerbread man
Gonna roll- roll, I’m a gingerbread man
Aw chew-chew-chew, cha-cha-cha
Your meat’s so sweet, girl you’ve got
The kind of move that drives me loco
I’ll stay with you tonight then it’s hasta luego
Gonna roll- roll, I’m a gingerbread man
Gonna roll- roll, I’m a gingerbread man
Bridge (1): They knock-knock at my door
Get one taste then they want one more
But you can run as fast as you can
You’ll not catch me, I’m a gingerbread man
You’ll not catch me, I’m a gingerbread man
Gonna roll- roll, I’m a gingerbread man
Gonna roll- roll, I’m a gingerbread man
I come to a river, water wide
A foxy little lady offered me a ride
Her rosebud lips, pearly white teeth
She said she was hungry just for me
She said, “Climb on little gingerbread man”
She said, “Climb on me little gingerbread man”
Bridge (2): Now I thought I should say no to her
But I liked the feel of her soft warm fur
And when we made the opposite shore
The gingerbread man he was no more
Little gingerbread man he was no more
She said, “Climb on little gingerbread man”
She said, “Climb on me little gingerbread man”
Now the candy man and salty dog
They was my daddy and my ol’ grandpa
But the taste has changed like the lady said
She don’t want no candy, she wants gingerbread
She said, “Climb on little gingerbread man”
She said, “Climb on me little gingerbread man”
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3. |
Coleen
03:38
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3) Coleen
m.litton
She was one for the road, she’d make a man smile
Forget all his troubles awhile
A pleasure to touch, but a little too hot
If you loved her more than a little you were in for a lot
Her name was Coleen, she worked in a bar
She’d play a man’s heart like a strummin’ guitar
Take all your money and never be bought
If you loved her more than a little you were in for a lot
Chorus: A lot of the reason a man goes to drinkin’
Is to cloud up his mind and keep him from thinkin’
About a woman he’s known and can never hold
If you love her more than a little, better let her go
Let her go…yeah, let her go…
Like old wine and whiskey she’ll eat at your brain
Till there ain’t nothin’ left but regret and shame
So spend your last dollar and down you last shot
If you love her more than a little you’re in for a lot
(chorus)
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4. |
It's a Short Life
04:30
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4) It’s A Short Life
m.litton
Born of a woman what had no man
She’d been had in a one-night stand
I called her “Ma,” she called me “Kid”
It never much mattered what I did
Had my first bar-fight in El Dorado
He flashed a knife, I swung a bottle
Come out alright, hey never fear
He got smashed ‘n I jumped clear
Chorus: It’s a short life, it’s a true life
It’s my life...
Married Darlene, I’s 22
She was skinny 15, but she still grew
Had a boy ‘n girl by 17
She turned 20 fat ‘n mean
So I joined the Army to get away
Got a haircut, clothes ‘n a raise in pay
A brand-new Hummer with 4-wheel drive
I toured Iraq, I’m still alive
(chorus)
I’ve had my trouble with alcohol
Easy women and the local law
Got tattooed while doin’ time
Found sweet Jesus and peace of mind
Now I’m back livin’ with my dear Darlene
Our boy ‘n girl are both preteens
I steer ‘em right when they’re doin’ wrong
And wake each day to a country song
(chorus)
‘Stray-dog Ike’ is my call sign
I pay my tolls, I pay my fines
I drive big rigs over-road
Guess over time we all grow old
There ain’t no moral to my tale
I could curse you all or wish you well
Can’t win, break ever or get out alive
It’s a downhill run till the day ya die
(chorus)
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5. |
Another Cold Cold Beer
04:09
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5) Another Cold Cold Beer
m.litton
There was a time I didn’t drink so much beer
My neighbor called me “Mister,” my woman called me “Dear…”
Now high above the avenue I watch the neon through the rain
Beneath the sky I see my life is cut through with stain
She said, “For you my precious there ain’t nothin’ I won’t do
“Turn to the right, to the left, I’d turn inside out for you…”
But I gambled on her love, I was not true
She said, “Oh no, you go, I won’t turn my back for you…”
Chorus: Another cold, cold beer, amber tears in the rain
Bring back her memory, sharpen the pain
I keep whiskey and laudanum locked in the drawer
The day’s gonna come I’ll need something more
It will soon be Halloween and everyone is running scared
Behind the autumn’s colored mask waits the winter’s cold ol’ stare
The birds they’ve flown south, the corn’s in the shed
The scarecrow still stands there though he’s a long time been dead
(chorus)
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6. |
Down By the River
06:18
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6) Down By The River
m.litton
Goin’ down…yeah…down by the river…hey…
Goin’ down, down there by the river, far from the road, deep into the night
Goin’ down, down there by the river, slip into the shadows where dreams come alive
Down by the river, yeah, down by the river…
See the moon shine upon the water…yellow, yellow moon on the deep dark wate
And all them stars way out in the distance, burnin’ from a time before we ever came
Down by the river, yeah, down by the river…
Come dance, dance down by the river, come ‘n dance with the wind thru the trees
Come dance, dance down by the river… I’m calling you, girl, won’t you come to me
Down by the river, yeah… Down by the river! Yeah!
See the mushrooms growin’ in the mud…old trees root into the earth
Feel the night close upon your skin, girl, feel it, feel it, feel the feeling givin’ birth
Down by the river, yeah, down by the river…
There’s a ripple, ripple in the current…an old snake crawlin’ through the grass
And there’s a time, it’s surly comin’, girl, we each ‘n all gonna breathe our last
Down by the river, yeah, down by the river
So come ‘n dance with me in the changin’ wind, child of the thunder, child of the rain
Come light that fire ‘n burn it down to ashes, let your soul rise up in the flames
Down by the river, yeah… Down by the river! Yeah!
Hear those drums… O Lord, hear those drums…yeah…
Hear those drums drummin’ by the river, drummin’ from a time before we ever came
Feel those drums drummin’ to your feet, girl, feel those drums drummin’ to your thighs
Feel those drums, gonna make your hips shake… Hear your heart drummin’, bring your lips to mine
Down by the river, yeah… Down by the river! Yeah!
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7. |
Gravedigger's Wage
04:12
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7) Gravedigger’s Wage
m.litton
I’m drivin’ at the end of a winter rain
Empty streets ain’t got no one to call my name
I left all my friends, Lord, it seems so long ago
In a land where the wind will always blow
I carry the memory of a man
Of his love, his pride, his hard old hand
I can’t recall the image of his grave
He never worked for no gravedigger’s wage
Beneath the painted vaults they call the city
Where neon spirits gather in silent pity
Walk their weary souls down dark alleyways
All a’huntin’ for a gravedigger’s wage
That voice I hear is cold ‘n hollow
He says, “Put all ya got, boy, down on tomorrow”
But if I’ve got the blues I’m goin’ to sing ‘em today
Ain’t gonna sing for no gravedigger’s wage
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8. |
Breakaway
05:04
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8) Breakaway
m.litton
Late night closes round a little prairie town
Lone car on the highway, moon cuts through the clouds
Two young hearts are trying to break free
“Take my hand, girl, come break away with me
“Feeling hunted like two shadows on the run
“Only wantin’ to escape this dead-end that we’re from
“Feel your long hair blow against mine
“Don’t wanna die till I reach the sky…
Chorus: “Where does the road lead beyond the distant hill?
“We reach the horizon we’re standing here still
“Why is there no answer when the question gets real?
“Aw, stab me in the heart, ask me how I feel
“Caught like a tumbleweed in a barb wire fence
“I tremble without moving just touching your skin
“All my life I’ve been longing to break free
“Take my hand, girl, come break away with me
“Break away-ay-ay…
“Red fox in the headlights he trots along the road
“His eyes flash yellow as he jumps the ditch to go
“Deep into the night to vanish in his dream
“He answers no one, he’s always been free
“Let it all pass away, it’s all been said before
“Keep what we’ve got today, don’t need nothing more
“Take you in my arms, draw your breath to mine
“Don’t wanna die till I reach the sky…”
(chorus)
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9. |
Bad Seed
05:09
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9) Bad Seed (for Terry Householter 1948-1969)
m.litton
His grandaddy ran a pool hall, his daddy lay run to ground
Terry could outrun any boy in any Kansas town.
They say he was a "bad seed" 'cause he smoked, drank, and cursed
But in any race he ever ran he always came in first.
He was an ace, deuce, joker wild, he'd dust you with a grin
He played it fast, died hard, left his shadow in the wind...
They say he was a bad seed...
He went down to a college town to party for a spell
A war was on, he soon was gone to try a taste of hell.
He joined up with the Marines, the boys of Semper Fi,
They sent him off to Vietnam where the game was do or die...
They say he was a bad seed...
His first day in-country they hit a hot L-Z
He soon had cause to "git some" if you know what I mean.
They hit the ground a'runnin', mortars fallin' left 'n right
They hit the dirt face down, hearts pumpin' full of life.
He yelled out to a buddy as they clawed their hands to dig,
"I never knew these fatigue buttons were so damn big!"
They say he was a bad seed...
He won the V for valor in a fight with the NVA
He raced 200 meters of fire-swept terrain
To reach three wounded buddies, yeah he outran them guns,
Then carried each to safety 'neath the hot jungle sun.
If you say he was a bad seed, go tell it to the wind,
He ran through that hellfire again and again...
They say he was a bad seed...
On R 'n R down Tu Do Street, drinking beer in ol' Saigon
He hit the bars and brothels, yeah he loved to get it on.
He'd say, "Let's do right tonight, boys, gotta try 'n taste it all,
"'Cause you never know, good buddy, when that black card may fall."
He was an ace, deuce, joker wild, he'd dust you with a grin,
He played it fast, died hard, left his shadow in the wind...
They say he was a bad seed...
Near a year of blood 'n battle, only 29 days to go
A buddy swore one morning, "I can't do no more patrol."
Terry said, "Don't sweat it, man, I'll walk this point for you."
He stepped down the jungle path and a bullet cut him through...
They say he was a bad seed, yeah they say he was a bad seed...
Well if you say he was a bad seed, go tell it to the wind
'Cause he ran through that hellfire and he died for a friend...
Like a hawk above the praire they flew his body home
They laid him up on Pleasant Hill beside his daddy's bones.
One thousand stood in witness as they put him in the ground
The only race he ever lost was to the gun that shot him down.
He was an ace, deuce, joker wild, he'd dust you with a grin
He played it fast, died hard, left his shadow in the wind...
They say he was a bad seed...
They say he was a bad seed...
Lance Corporal Terry A. Householter
KIA Vietnam, June 23, 1969
1rst Platoon, Mike Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines...
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10. |
Because of You
05:14
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10) Because Of You
m.litton
And it’s the same, same ol’ thing each day
Seems like nuthin’, Lord, nuthin’ ever goes my way
I throw the dice, hit the races, lose all my wages
Even knell down on my knees and I pray
Still the same, same ol’ thing each day…
You know I dream, but my dreams never come alive
They fade each morning before my eyes
I go to work shovel in hand, answer to the man
You know I laugh but deep down I cry
To see my dreams, all my dreams slowly die…
Each night I come home so tired ‘n blue
I stand like a shadow in this shadowed room
I gaze up at the ceiling where the old paint is peeling
Then your smile, sweet smile comes shinin’ through
Each night I come alive again,
Each night I’m alright again,
Each night I fall in love again because of you…
Because of you…ah, sweet girl because of you…
Because of you…yeah, yeah, because of you…
Each night I come alive again,
Each night I’m alright again,
Each night I fall in love again because of you…
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11. |
Stickhorse Blues
04:17
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11) Stickhorse Blues
m.litton
Momma’s got a broom ‘n she’s sweepin’
Daddy’s got a shovel ‘n he’s a’diggin’
But baby’s on a stickhorse...he’s out a’ridin’
I’m a bull-legged bandit, ain’t got a dime
No gas for my car
If you don’t pay your taxes you’re stealin’
From ol’ Uncle Sam while he’s a’sleepin’
Well if you’re ridin’ them ridges
Better burn your bridges a’leavin
So if they come your way they won’t get too far
Hey my old friend Bill he moved too slow
That woman got him married
Now he spends his nights at home
Goes to work every morning, get off half-past four
Lately I hear he’s drinkin’ more ‘n more
Chorus: Got the stickhorse blues...
Got the stickhorse blues, stickhorse blues
I’d like to lose these stickhorse blues
Like to stick these stickhorse blues
Right up, oh Lord, you know whose...
Now I went down to read the job bulletin
Talked with old Easy Fortune
He said, “There’s alotta money these days
“To be made dishwashin’
“Y’ain’t goin’ nowhere, boy, pickin’ that ol’ guitar”
So I’m outa work, ain’t got a dime
My pockets are empty, I laid it all out on a line
Bought a midnight special
Couldn’t make my payment on time
Today I had to hock it just to pay for my crimes
(chorus)
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12. |
Go Down Ol' Hanna
05:17
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12) Go Down Ol’ Hanna
(traditional – arr. border band – last verse m.litton)
Go down ol’ Hanna, don’t you rise up no more
But if you rise up in the mornin’, set the world on fire
It was early one morning, the sun did rise
I was thinkin’ about my pretty baby
Hung my head and I cried
Go down ol’ Hanna, don’t you rise up no more
But if you rise up in the mornin’, bring Judgement Day
Should’ve been down by the river in 1910
They was drivin’ our women like they drove the men
I told the Captain that ol’ John he lay dead
The Captain didn’t do nuthin’, just nodded his head
Go down ol’ Hanna, go down ol’ Hanna
When I went to school, teacher, she asked me one thing
“Say tell me little partner, who learned you to sing?”
I said, “My ol’ daddy, he taught me these songs
“He plowed the hard earth ‘n to the earth he has gone”
Go down ol’ Hanna, go down ol’ Hanna
By the red of my blood, by the white of my bones
By the deep river mud each man dies alone
Go down with my shovel, go down dig my grave
Go down with ol’ Hanna come Judgement Day
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13. |
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13) Sky Road
m.litton
I knew a man called Horse
He was a hard-drinkin’ hoss, a freeborn Eskimo
We were both young, friends for a day
Workin’ down a long hard road
I’d play my song, my sad dark song
Horse would close his eyes ‘n dream
He made me a hatband of many-colored beads
Said, “Hey listen, I’ll tell ya what they mean
“Yeah, look to the sun, the bright rising sun
“For there is the path you should walk
“Don’t ever look back on the dark-water past
“Don’t listen to dead spirits talk
“Walk the sky road, walk the sky road...”
When Horse was a boy he hunted with his father
For seal in the Arctic cold
One day he heard a sharp sound
And when he looked around
His father fell in a dark-water hole
“No don’t ever look back on the dark water past
“It’ll swallow you beneath the ice
“Look to the birds, the spirits in the sky
“They’ll lead you to the light
“To the sky road, to the sky road...”
At a fork in the road Horse headed north
I south with my one-man band
The years circled back, one day I found him in a bar
Too drunk to speak or even stand
He’d lost the sun, the bright rising sun
The birds had fallen from the sky
The dark-water past had taken him in hand
And I could not lead him to the light
To the sky road, to the sky road
I knew a man called Horse
He was a hard-drinkin’ hoss, a freeborn Eskimo
We were once young, friends for a day
And once was a long time ago
But maybe what was once will once come again
When we meet the spirit in the sky
And we’ll look down on the long hard road
And go with the birds where they fly
To the sky road, to the sky road
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14. |
Bottom of the Mine
06:18
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14) Bottom Of The Mine
billy hunsinger & m.litton
There’s a mine pit in Picher where many bodies lie
There’s a mine pit in Picher ‘neath the Oklahoma sky
There are crocked gamblers and the guys who run shine
And their bones lie bleachin’ at the bottom of the mine
That circuit-ridin’ preacher pointed his finger at me
He said, “Boy, you’re a heathen just plain as can be
“Better git off the devil’s highway and back on Jesus time
“Or your bones will lie bleachin’ at the bottom of the mine”
Chorus: At the bottom of the mine in those Oklahoma hills
Where fortunes were made and the scree lies spilled
At the bottom of the mine where the iron turns to rust
And the rattlesnakes coil in the windblown dust
I heard tales of Stand Wattie at my grandpa’s knee
He was the last Confederate general and chief of the Cherokee
They say his heart was true and his tongue never lied
Unlike those whose bones bleach at the bottom of the mine
(chorus)
My momma was a poor girl bought ‘n sold
My daddy was a half-breed with a Cherokee soul
They caught him runnin’ cattle ‘cross the Kansas line
And left his bones to bleach at the bottom of the mine
May the spirit of Stand Wattie help me git away
And I’ll say “goodbye” to this Oklahoma clay
I’ll cross the Red River before flooding time
And pray my bones never bleach at the bottom of the mine
(chorus)
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15. |
There Liz a Diamond
04:16
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15) There Liz A Diamond
m.litton & dave melody
Some say love shines like a diamond
Then melts away with the morning dew
But your love is always where I can find it
Cut from the old rock, tried and true
Chorus: Take a rock and mold into a diamond
Two hearts build a treasure over time
I’ll take all the time you give me
Take your hand and fold it to mine
I’ve hunted gold high up in the mountains
Cut timber by a flowing stream
Built a fire all alone at sunset
Warmed there by your memory
Bridge: In the deepest coal there lies a diamond
In the darkest night a star shines through
There is no grain of time so empty
As the time away from you
(chorus)
If I were lost I’d roam the far desert
Until I found a cactus flower in bloom
I’d reach and gently touch its essence
And in its beauty hold a part of you
(chorus)
(bridge)
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16. |
Jaloeb Corley
05:22
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16) Jaloeb Corley
m.litton
Jaloeb Corley was his name, he weren’t one of fame,
I knew ‘im back when I’s a lad of 10 and 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, Corley was a hangman
Jaloeb his name and he was a hangman
It was in my day a poor man could hang
For layin’ a hand before the weddin’ band on a high-born dame
His name was Jimmy Sage and they charged him in the rape
Of Beau Fontaine’s black-eyed daughter of 15 years
They stood Jimmy up in a barroom trial
They stood Jimmy up an’ he cried like a child
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 an’ down the street come 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 it was done the children 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 by the hotel window
And he drank his brandy all alone by the hotel window
The gibbous moon shone and the prairie wolves cried
As the winter clouds came and buried each shadow
And the night fell so blind
That next lone mornin’ it started to snow, I walked out back
Found a man dressed in black 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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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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