Album Lyrics: Strange Fascination

Oh Me Oh My

Oh me oh my time never flies
When you’re waiting on love to catch your eye
And you’re lonely, all alone
Might as well hit a bar, prop up a stool
Play pinball or play the fool
Getting lower, than a baritone

There must be hope for me somewhere
There must be a lucky roll of the dice<
But for now I sit and stare out these blue eyes
Looking for a love oh me oh my

Oh my oh me the poor honey bee
Works all day long for his queen
A woman, he’s never seen
Sleeps all night by his self
Don’t he long for someone else
A bee I should've been

Station to Station

Riding this train station to station
Bought my ticket with no hesitation
Silver steam is better than gold
Oh mama I was born to roll

Never grew up even though I tried
Ain’t got nothing left but my pride
As a boy you know I played with trains
Well that boy still drives this man

Stay upright even when I’m stumbling
Count my money when dice come tumbling
Thrown a punch you know I took a few
You ain’t nothing without something to prove

Strange Fascination

Strange Fascination reach for a shooting star
You don’t know how lucky, don’t know how lucky you are
Strange Fascination, it's gonna leave a mark
Don’t know how lucky, don’t know how lucky you are
I want peace on earth, I want to be sedated
I want a lovers touch, don’t keep me waiting

Strange Fascination you had me from the start
You don’t know how lucky don’t know how lucky you are
Strange Fascination, reach out and trace that scar
You don’t know how lucky, don’t know how lucky you are
I want a hand to hold chase away these blues
I want a lover’s kiss soft and loose

Strange Fascination, reach in and touch my heart
You don’t know how lucky, don’t know how lucky you are

Strange Fascination how did we get this far
You don’t know how lucky, don’t know how lucky you are
I want a secret tone undiscovered
I want an ending now let’s be lovers

Free Again

Free, free again from the chains that brought me to this land
Free, free at last from the long dark shadows in my past

This is for the millions who died
No chance to be free
This is for the blood of the fallen
Fought so hard for liberty

This is for the boards of the Galleon
Rivets in the liner’s steel
Carrying the weight of dreams
Upon her narrow keel

An ocean of dreams, a land to behold
To carve from the mountain, a piece of home

The Eagle And The Boy

It was the year of 1901 six months ‘fore this tale begun
Mother had a baby boy the favorite of all her toys
Took him with her everywhere be it rain or snow or clear and fair
Till that fateful day an Eagle bore him away

Straight on up that Eagle flew with its grip both strong and true
Around Mother there grew a crowd a grown man cried aloud
With not a moment to stop and think Mother climbed that cliff to the brink
Found them both in the nest drove her hatpin through that eagle’s breast

It’s the truth not a tale
Jonah rode in the belly of the whale
It’s the truth not a fib
Man is torn from Woman’s rib

Her boy there found unharmed she took him in her arms
And from her dress made a sling and brought him down tenderly
For Woman she is King to all of us life she brings
And when you understand you may be a man

Leave This World

Let me leave this world with my dignity
Let my soul from my body be set free
Let me leave this world don't let this world leave me
Let my soul from my body be free

Take a walk with your God by your side
The one in which you've chosen to confide
Finally say the words where no shame could ever hide
As you walk with your God by your side

The maker he will come back for us all
Be us able or not to hear his call
But when your time does come
Let him not be the one to stall

It matters not what you came here to believe
The truth is the cards up his sleeve
What makes such sense to you might make no sense to me
When this soul from this body is set free

Guitar (for Guy Clark)

Just an old guitar swinging in the window of a five and dime
And I knew we’d be together for the rest of time
So I ran home and begged on both my knees
For my folks to set her free
There’s a feeling in this world I can’t describe
Like only the bird knows how it feels to fly
When that guitar hit my hand
It was flying I could understand
Running around thick as thieves
Was the story of that old guitar and me
A boy so easy inspired
By wood & glue, steel & wire

Now I hope this old guitar remembers the song
The one that kept me holding on
Hold her right you'll hear that sound
My old friend won’t let you down

I think back now to those younger days
Dream to stand in the lights of a stage
Got a closet full of worn out shoes
From doing just what I said I'd do
For someday I will turn to dust
As sure as these old strings turn to rust
And I trust my fate will bring
Another set of hands to make this old girl sing

Queen Anne's Gold

When I was young and fever fell Mother did a story tell
A demon with a beard of black no footstep in his track
At the helm of a mighty ship of shallow berth but well equipped
Lost on the diamond shoals
Carrying the Queen Anne’s Gold

So when I hit the year eighteen long and strong and tall and mean
I set out by lanterns light to find where she sank that night
I let dreams fill my sail as I followed every trail
Of the riches in her hold
Searching for the Queen Anne’s Gold

Every tide will shape these shores gnaw them like an apple core
Wind and rain will move the land cover stone with shifting sand
A Year can been tough but kind is all I ever seem to find
Another boy grown old
Searching for the Queen Anne’s Gold

When I was young and fever fell Mother did a story tell
A demon with a beard of black no footstep in his track
On the day they find his ship he will laugh with hands on hips
For only the deep sea knows
Where he hid the Queen Anne’s Gold

Nothing

You know most days now I do what I want I got a great list you see
Tighten this I loosen that plenty of places for me to be
Sure someday these feet get to rustling
Most my days I find myself working hard at nothing

A man ain’t worth his sand unless he’s getting something done
So I consider it a full time job having my fun
Sure somedays this smokestack gets to puffing
But most my days I’m overworked and worn out from nothing

Nothing - Sitting and staring at the sun slowly creeping by
Nothing - I’m watching the birds and learning how to fly
I used to get in trouble for all the things I done but that old race is run
So come down now the leaves are rustling I got a little time for nothing

A cold beer ain’t worth a damn lest it’s sweating in your hand
So hand me down another friend let's make a plan
The day may come we'll get back to hustling
But till that day let's make our hay making bets on nothing

all songs Dave Wilson {BMI}

Album Lyrics: Wildwood

Wildwood

Don't mistake me for a Wildwood
A place to run and hide
Don't mistake me for a Wildwood
Where your love can go to die

I'm not a place to hang your head
Run away from yourself
You decided a long time ago
That I was the one to help

Don't mistake me for a Wildwood
A place to run and hide
Don't mistake me for a Wildwood
Where your love can go to die

I start to feel like a broken game
Tucked in a cupboard stored away
Don't you remember how we used to laugh
When we remembered how to play

Oh it speaks so loud
Like a headline in the news
Oh it speaks so loud
That you did what you did just to lose
That you could not find. . . the blues

Alone in New York

As I walk 42nd street
Empty people’s empty glances I meet
Do they expect to find - Along with some piece of mind
That there's someone out there - In this big city
Someone out there - Someone for me

Or is everyone alone in New York?

As the subway cars I ride
Holding on through the shifting tide
The people all look away - but in their silence they pray
That there's someone out there - In this big city
Someone out there - Someone for me

Or is everyone alone in New York?

At night the man by her side
Pretends to sleep but his eyes are wide
And as the morning comes one nights work so quickly undone
There are so many to hold - In this big city
But when will I find - Someone for me

Or is everyone alone - everyone alone in New York?

Saturdays & Sundays

Wipe the dust from the piano key
Bring the shadows in from the trees
Through the window - through the shade
To the bedroom where the bed is made
On Saturdays and Sundays with my baby

Take my scarf won't you wring it out
Let the demons have their shout
Get a broom - sweep those webs
Take that notion from your head
On Saturdays and Sundays with my baby

Please don’t say the sun's gonna leave
Let the knot in the drawstring free
Through the window where the bed is made
Nestled there we can share our shade

Don't let this work come undone
Pull the shade let in the sun
A whole world there outside
They must know of my pride
Saturdays and Sundays with my baby

Crop Comes In

Sweet Marie I can hardly wait
There's gas in the tank tonight's our fate
Let us not part sore by the porches light
Let's go out together into the night
She said her friend Peter had a steady wage
A home for two, numbers on the page
Well I thought for a while and that’s when she spoke
The words as they started I thought a joke
…she said. . .

Come see me when the crop comes in
When the water's high you can afford to spend
I'm high on the cotton and my dress is fine
I'd spend it all - if you could be mine
I'm not the kind of woman that's bound to lose
So don’t come around with your poor boy blues

Well she was sore from the moment she picked up
A plastic fork and a paper cup
But she laughed at the jokes and she sure could smile
Something cheap as love should last a while
…she said. . .

Come see me when the crop comes in
When the water's high you can afford to spend
I'm high on the cotton and my dress is fine
I'd spend it all - if you could be mine
I'm not the kind of woman that's bound to lose
So don’t come around with your poor boy blues

Does a diamond really talk that loud
Does just love not make you proud?
When you've got all you can use
Don't bore me with your Rich Girl Blues

Well Sweet Marie I could hardly wait
Back when I thought you were my fate
A diamond told you to walk that aisle
Even though that could have been my style

Porcelain Doll

Hush now my baby – hush my porcelain doll
Your Papa has you in his arms and he won’t let you fall
The wind might rock your cradle, the earth itself may shake
But I’ll be here to catch you if the bough does break
I’ll never let you fall - my porcelain doll

Look at the little feet – look at the little hands
There is something there that only I can understand
I’m here to protect you and keep you from harm
If you could only live your whole life wrapped up in my arms
In a little ball – My porcelain doll

Someday you’ll be older and go off on your own
Out into the world and build a brand new home
But I want you to know as the years they pass us by
I’ll be here for you, until the day I die
For anything at all – My porcelain doll

Out of the Running

You could say that I'm retired
I no longer get around
You could say anything but you
Couldn't put me down

Well I guess I'm out of the Running
Thanks for your applause
So I guess I'm out of the Running
Say goodbye to the stars

I'll never have my name in lights
On a glowing marquee
Most of the world knows right now
What it's like to be me

When I look in your eyes
I hear the crowd start to cheer
And when we're alone in the night
I know I'm famous here

Heart Attack

Once I knew a racehorse and he raced all over town
He'd pick a few aces up and never lay 'em down
He would take a man and take all but his dues
And that's the man you'd see in the street without his shoes

Now I'm breathing awful heavy in this thick afternoon
I lost my favorite dollar when I tarried in that saloon
Then I saw a lovely maiden with her scarf all in its place
and all I ever wanted was her breath upon my face.
Heart Attack. . .Heart Attack

I lost that lonesome dollar but I gained a little time
To spend on getting dressed from the neighbors clothesline
Her husband was a dandy and thanks he called her name
'Cause I ran for the window and jumped out of the game.

So now I find myself a-running, a-hunted on the lam
My haste was not in waste my pants had tore there on the jamb.
My wallet there lay open and out he read my name
I might be out the window but I'm not out of the game.
Heart Attack. . .Heart Attack

So now I live in fantasy like Robert Louis wrote
I ran from all that mess and I hid out on a boat
But then the seas were rough I thought "Lord here I come"
Lets find a deserted island where my story can be done.

Stranded on that spit of land was four and twenty men
Starving and wishing they could all fight the sea again.
The meals were few and far between and some did entertain
To heat the one they didn't know his face or his name.
Heart Attack. . .Heart Attack

I made it somehow safe and dry to port and to land
I'd like to say I did it all myself but a boatswain lent his hand
I told him that his dues would come when we hit the town
But when we hit the docks I tied him up and let him down.

So now its miles and miles away where I choose to reside
I've found another name under which all this past can hide
Awake I lie deep in the night and those memories still remain
Of the hellhounds on my trail, the day I lost the game.
Heart Attack. . .Heart Attack

The Ghost of Woody Guthrie

I was flat broke on the edge in my life
There were bombs dropping and good people dying it was not right
All the gunpowder in the world couldn’t right this wrong
But that's all right
‘Cause the ghost of Woody Guthrie came to me and told me to write this song

Let’s end this war and live in peace and harmony
Or let’s kill everyone except her and you and me
Either one is gonna happen anyway before too long
But that's all right
‘Cause the ghost of Woody Guthrie came to me and told me to write this song

There’s men in prison that shouldn’t be there
And there’s men that’s free oh they surely should
Now some excuses are short and some are long
But that's all right
‘Cause the ghost of Woody Guthrie came to me and told me to write this song

Is it Death to the facists and the communist ranks?
Or to the sane and the able who we give our thanks?
This land is our land and we must get along
But that's all right - 'cause that's all right
‘Cause the ghost of Woody Guthrie came to me and told me to write this song

Whether you kneel you dance you sing or shout
My God and his God and our God ain’t what it’s about
You do what you do, I’ll do what I do and none of us will be wrong
'Cause that's all right
‘Cause the ghost of Woody Guthrie came to me and told me to write this song

Honeymoon

The date has been set - invitations sent
Those days between quickly came and went
Now up here we stand but it'll be soon
That we'll bask in the light of the Honeymoon

We've walked that aisle the flowers tossed
By a sweet young maiden who'd barely caught
The hand of a man who now stands proud
To say these words before this crowd

Forever and ever till the end of time
I will be yours, you will be mine
Look up to my eyes 'cause we'll be there soon
To dance in the light of the Honeymoon

That day it has gone the moment's passed
But I'm here to attest that the feelings last
I still hold her close and whisper a tune
That we heard that night on our Honeymoon

Forever and ever till the end of time
I will be yours, you will be mine
Look up to my eyes 'cause we'll be there soon
To dance in the light of the Honeymoon

Ringing in my Ears

She said there's 50 ways to leave your lover
And I said you're still crazy after all these years
We fell in love to the sound of Smokey and the Miracles
Now all that’s left are the Tracks of our Tears

Is my life just a song one that's been played for too long

Has someone else cried these lonesome tears
Did she just whisper that she loves me?
Or is it just a ringing in my ears

She said all things must pass
So I said ain’t it funny how time slips away
She said she was so lonesome she could cry
So I stopped loving her today

She said that I was just Crazy
Said ain't it funny how time slips away?
We never wanted this song to be over
So I figured out how to play side B

Blue Jay Way

My love lives on Blue Jay Way
And that's where I long to stay

In the cold of a winters night
I lie alone and wish to hold her tight
And every chill in my bones
She feels there in her home alone

But someday soon I'll reach for her
And the leaves around her heart will stir
The sun will stop in its path
The light will be the love we have

But oh what price this silence
And oh that heart that rents
That house on Blue Jay Way
That's where I long to stay

So until that day I lie alone
And think of her in her little home
With a sweater bare and wearing thin
That I long to take and mend

But oh what price this silence
And oh that heart that rents

One day I pray to hold her near
And shake away her midnight fears
Like a winding clock and a spinners wheel
Take a hand to make them reel

I see her there and hold my breath
I'd sooner speak than catch my death
The words are here in my mind
I must speak but no, not this time

End of the Line

At the end of the line, we’ll be fine we’ll just be rolling stones
Gathering dust from our head to our cuffs all alone
Get your bills in your hand and understand this your waking call
I promise to you when you get out, that you won’t fall

Some people find it easy
Some people take it slow
But you’ll find in the long run
We’ve all got to go

At the end of the line we’ll be fine we’ll just be fast asleep
Like an unwound watch in a drawer finding time is hard to keep
Look me up if you would when you’re feeling good and say hello
It’s been a while and it’s still in style to do so

Some people find it easy
Some people take it slow
But you’ll find in the long run
We’ve all got to go We’ve all got to go

At the end of the line, we’ll be fine we’ll just be rolling stones
Gathering dust from our head to our cuffs all alone
We all do plan but understand that it's all made up
So don’t go around with your feet on the ground and an empty cup

Album Lyrics: Autumn

You are my Light

You come into my room when it’s cold and dark
You bring warmth to the candle, you are my spark
You give sight to the blind and lead the day
You give me every reason to say

You are my Light

You bring flame to the wood when it’s wet with rain
You bring food to the hungry and soothe their pain
You guide the cars at night safe to their homes
You warm the very marrow of my bones

You are my Light

When I’ve given up hope that I will see
You bring the light to me
When I’m lost in an endless night
You are my Light

You come into my room when it is cold and dark
You bring warmth to the candle, you are my spark
You give sight to the blind and lead the day
You give me every reason to say

You are my Light

Bon Ton Roulet

Awoke with a headache - Got to bed too late
Head like a live oak - Woodpecker beating morse code

Laissez Les Bon Ton Roulet

The night started off real slow - Cold beer a rock show
Someone brought the whiskey ‘round
Man I need to lay down
Still high as the milky way - Live my life the Creole way
Head like a live oak - Woodpecker beating morse code

Laissez Les Bon Ton Roulet

This life’s gonna take it’s toll - A life of letting the good times roll
Speeding through a small town
Man I should probably slow down
Sun’s so hot today - Think I’ll hide out in a Matinee
Head like a live oak - Woodpecker beating morse code

Laissez Les Bon Ton Roulet

In the creed of the Creole - Woodpecker making his hole
So I can let the Good Times Roll

Tell that woodpecker he’s made his hole
So I can let the Good Times Roll

Siren Song

There’s a song that’s sung in this world few living men have heard
Magic in the melody a magnet in the words
With their captain tied to the mast and beeswax in their ears
They sailed past the Sirens so this warning you could hear

Nothing will take your heart like a woman
Singing in your ear
You will be as lost as the sailor
When the Siren’s Song they hear

Below her wrists she holds her fists a quarter in each one
Dances with the jukebox 'til her song is done
But don’t you catch her eye or let her get too near
For in a moment of her song your heart will disappear

Nothing will take your heart like a woman. . .

There’s a song that’s sung in this world few living men have heard
Magic in the melody a magnet in the words
For every man’s a sailor, every day at sea
Captured by the song of a woman the heart will mutiny

Nothing will take your heart like a woman. . .

Rock in the River

Met her in the streetlight’s amber glow
She taught me things I’d never known
You’ve thought that she was blind
To give me love so true and kind

Life’s a rolling tide
So one day I left her side
And the heart that I couldn’t give her
Became another rock in the river

She put her pan beneath the cold
To sift through sand and rock for gold
A love that once held such a shine
She’d search her whole life for that mine

Life’s a rolling tide. . .

Left a card there by the stove
No words she didn’t already know
One may find but not deserve
The love I could not frame in words

Life’s a rolling tide. . .

Jackie Boy

Jack was a dog he had nothing
But together we had something
Few were the moments that we spent apart
He left behind a few broken hearts

Blackest coat, feet of white
Skipping through his dreams all in the night
Let him off his leash and boys he could run
Till I whistled through my teeth for him to come

Jackie Boy come running

Light a fire in the evening
Till a little sleep we’re both retrieving
I awake to the sound of Jackie’s bark
The house was aflame from the flying sparks

Jackie Boy come running

You know Jack never died
Just kept finding ways to survive
Till one day he disappeared into the sun
And when I close my eyes I can still see him run

Jackie Boy come running

All That's Left

There’s a grave by the roadside no one tends it anymore
Crumbling headstone, letters faded and worn
Where lies an inscription you can hardly read
Saying “All that’s left of you, Is all that’s left of me”

A rich man can barter and deal through his days
But when he’s gone all that’s gold will stay
No matter who you are and what you do believe
One day all that’s left of you will be all that’s left of me

We go on living when our bodies meet the ground
How else can this mean old world keep spinning ‘round
So when there’s nothing left for this old body to prove
All that’s left of me will be all that’s left of you

There’s a grave by the roadside no one tends it anymore
Crumbling headstone, letters faded and worn
Where lies an inscription you can hardly read
Saying “All that’s left of you, Is all that’s left of me”

Dark Rider

They call him the Dark Rider
On his horse as black as night
He rides the midnight hour
To make sure you boys do right

Mama told me “Son you’d better walk straight”
Get tucked in your bed ‘fore the hour gets late
‘Cause outside your window borne on the wind
The Dark Rider waits to ride again

She called him Dark Rider. . .

In a three piece suit, eyes black as the coal
On the turn of the hour, he come for your soul
A golden watch swung from a chain
Where instead of numbers he reads your name

One night I had strayed and come off the path
It happened so easy, happened so fast
And outside my window as I shook and prayed
I swore I heard that jingling chain

Here come the Dark Rider. . .

Moving Pictures of My Mind

Handkerchief dropped on the sidewalk in May
An old black and white scene it plays
Now showing, the greatest film of all time
Where she is the star - the moving pictures of my mind

A summer romance lost in the wind
We can’t shoot our scenes again
She hums a tune I swore had no rhyme
The Soundtrack to the moving pictures of my mind

Going through those old photographs
Frozen moments from our past
Memorize every image I can find
Where she is star - the moving pictures of my mind

Reach back now for that memory
Initials carved in a stout oak tree
One look and the reels start to wind
Where she is the star - the moving pictures of my mind

In the dark I stare at the screen
Waiting for that familiar scene
She walks out the door, it closes behind
The ending to the moving pictures of my mind

If I Had My Way

If I had my way - we could have it all
Peaches in the summertime - Apples in the fall
While I’m living life - standing on a stage
You don’t count the days - till I act my age

It’s so easy
Cause you don’t have to try hard
To please me...at all

If I had my way - life would be a breeze
Sitting by the fire - with a banjo on my knee
I’ll be keeping time - pickin’ out a song
Fiddle in your hand - bowing along

It’s so easy
Cause you don’t have to try hard
To please me...at all
Singing through the night
Your eyes bright
Shine on everything

If I had my way - love will never change
We don’t need - fortune and fame

All I need is you - to live my life a king
For me to have it all honey - you’re the only thing

It’s so easy
Cause it don’t take a dime
To please me...at all
Money won’t buy
All you bring
You are everything

If I had my way - we could have it all
Peaches in the summertime - Apples in the fall

Moving Pictures of My Mind

Handkerchief dropped on the sidewalk in May
An old black and white scene it plays
Now showing, the greatest film of all time
Where she is the star - the moving pictures of my mind

A summer romance lost in the wind
We can’t shoot our scenes again
She hums a tune I swore had no rhyme
The Soundtrack to the moving pictures of my mind

Going through those old photographs
Frozen moments from our past
Memorize every image I can find
Where she is star - the moving pictures of my mind

Reach back now for that memory
Initials carved in a stout oak tree
One look and the reels start to wind
Where she is the star - the moving pictures of my mind

In the dark I stare at the screen
Waiting for that familiar scene
She walks out the door, it closes behind
The ending to the moving pictures of my mind

Show Me The Door

You gotta show me your love or show me the door

She said put down that guitar and pick me up
I’m sitting ‘round feeling like an empty cup
You got love if you see these eyes
I’ll never tell another lie
Show me your love or show me the door

She said get off that line and climb up my tree
I got a feeling so wild it should be free
Like a lion broke out of the zoo
I got something to say and it’s so true
Show me your love or show me the door

To smoke a cigarette you gotta get it lit
To have a best-seller you gotta get it writ
If all your words turned to dimes
You wouldn’t make a dollar for your time
Till you show me your love or show me the door

You gotta show me your love or show me the door

Album Lyrics: Tightrope

The Traveler

I am from Frisco many days come
And I long to get back to where I’m from
For I never saw a woman with a sweeter gaze
Than that woman I loved in my younger days

I’ve seen the arch and the redwoods tall
Tasted the fruit, heard the siren’s call
Saddled horse and slept in field
I know this land, I know how it feels

I am the traveler - I am the one
I am the roamer - My love is gone

I’ve seen a face draw a thousand stares
Held a woman the world judged as fair
But I never saw an eye that shared your hue
Nor lips that spoke words half as true

I am the traveler - I am the one
I am the roamer - My love is gone

I am from Frisco many days come
And I’ll never get back to where I’m from
For I know where that woman she waits for me
For I laid the stone she’s underneath

I am the traveler - I am the one
I am the roamer - My love is gone

Should Have Known

. . .You know I would not be here without love
It binds us and ties us and speaks like a drug
No I would not be here without love

Should have known better than to fall in love
But she hit me just like a drug
And in the eye of the hurricane
There was no relief from the pain
So tonight before you leave
Let me feel the love I need
Should have known better than to fall in love
Should have known, should have known better

So tonight I hope we’re all in
The mood for falling in love together

Should have known better than to fall in love
Man it’s hard to quit this drug
Should have known better than to fall in love
Should have known, should have known better

So tonight I hope we’re all in
The mood for falling in love together

Any Port in a Storm

Got my pedal down to get crosstown
Just had to get out of the house tonight
Down a well beat track I feel my shoulders crack
When up ahead I see the neon signs

The floors of this old bar are worn
And the flag on the wall is torn
But in here we’re free like a ship at sea
Singing Any Port in a Storm

We take to the floor she’s danced this one before
With the prairie wind blowing at her feet
I pray right then and there whatever brought me here
Lets us end the night cheek to cheek

While the whiskey keeps us warm
I tell myself I mean no harm
Cause man is free like a ship at sea
Singing any port in a storm

It’s been one of those years
And I beg of you dear
Let’s keep tonight behind our lips
Because the dawn brings two sailing ships

For I am free like a ship at sea
Yes I am free like a ship at sea
And love is free like you and me
And this night will be like a ship at sea
Singing Any Port in a Storm

Girl She Used to Be

I knew her when she was just so tall
Back when she was bell of the ball
Now she's a woman all but grown
Who knows the things her eyes have known

She's a woman now
But somehow I'm gonna get her back
To the girl she used to be

We met again in our college years
Back when tomorrow held no fear
She once placed flowers in her hair
But now a shade of grey is all that's there

She's a woman now
But somehow I'm gonna get her back
To the girl she used to be

Loved her since I first could walk
She’s the reason I first could talk
Hold her hand when she gets scared
And for a moment the child is there
Afraid of what tomorrow brings
Like when late at night the phone does ring
She’ll toss and turn throughout the night
Who knows the cause of all that fright

She's a woman now
But somehow I'm gonna get her back
To the girl she used to be

Tightrope of Love

I find love is like a balancing act lean one way you gotta react
And this girl’s got me up on a high wire
So step right up ladies and gents like a tightrope walker in a circus tent
I couldn’t fall for her from any higher

I might have found love - but it didn’t find me
I’m walking a line too thin to see
Looking down from high above
Walking on this tightrope of love

Her diamond eyes and raven hair got me walking through the air
Every step just showing her what she’s worth
To tell the truth I am inspired and everyday walk that wire
Putting on the greatest show on earth

I might have found love - but it didn’t find me
I’m walking a line too thin to see
Looking down from high above
Walking on this tightrope of love

If I fail in my balancing act I can rest assured in the fact
That I got as close to her as I could get
And I did it all without a net

I might have found love - but it didn’t find me
I’m walking a line too thin to see
Looking down from high above
Walking on this tightrope of love

Sixteen Years

Alone in your car finally sixteen years
Everything in life seems to disappear
Roll down the window throw your arm outside
All us men have known this pride

Pull up to the curb, every eye on you
Give a ride to the girl who’s always been true
Put the car in gear turn the radio dial
She’s like putty in the hands of a child

She came easy like a doe in heat
Squirming like a viper in her vinyl seat
A steadier hand never wiped her tears
She became a mother at sixteen years

Sixteen years to the day that her mother had her
Now she’s another and the world goes ‘round the sun
Another sixteen years

They all say she looks just like you
That little girl smiling in your rearview
You shrug a little bit and offer no lie
She has your face but her mother’s eyes

You never believe there will come a day
She’ll grow to understand every word you say
You show her how to put the old car in gear
Now she knows it all at sixteen years

Sixteen years to the day that her mother had her
Now she’s a woman and the world goes ‘round that sun
Another sixteen years

Put one arm around the love of your life
The woman as a boy you took for your wife
Put your other hand on that horizon line
Point that machine on back in time

Press the gas pedal down the lines disappear
You ain’t much older than sixteen years

Sixteen years to the day that your mother had you
You’re as old as her now and the world goes ‘round that sun
Another sixteen years

Love I Found

She keeps me straight and acting like a man:
She has succeeded where no other woman can
I don’t have to speak and she understands
She keeps me straight and acting like a man

There was a time I rambled ‘round:
If the wind was blowing that’s where I was bound
Now by her side is where I am found
Oh but for the days of rambling ‘round

This love that I have found
Is stronger than the men who built this town
Where the weight of every stone
Remains long after love has gone

You ever seen a mockingbird guard its young
If you get near you will surely run
There’s a reason for every song to be sung
She’s like the mockingbird with her young

This love that I have found
Is stronger than the men who built this town
Where the weight of every stone
Remains long after love has gone

The chapel bell is ringing for me now
She caught me the other girls keep asking how
When she don’t answer that’s why I am proud
That bell is ringing for me now

This love that I have found

Hawk

Hawk was just seventeen when he flew away for war
Lied a little when he applied but what else is lying for
Trained in Arizona in the year of ’42
They all called him Hawk for the way that he flew

It’s been sixty years or more since he’s been up in the air
Spends his days now flying a dusty old armchair
Well I might be just a boy but he became my friend
For what is a story without an ear to bend

Hawk how you could fly

Well there’s finally a war old Hawk he couldn’t win
They told him all the things he would never do again
But his mind stayed as sharp as a propeller blade
Spinning me the tales of his glory days

Hawk how you could fly
Rolling Thunder through the sky
If there’s a war to win
I hope you will take to the sky again

The mourners were few when they laid him in the ground
Decorated soldiers gathered around
They folded the flag and placed it in my hand
Said Hawk is in a place where he’ll never have to land
And that’s the full measure of the life of a man

Hawk how you could fly
Rolling Thunder through the sky
You found a war to win
You will never leave the sky again

Ship At Sea

Yes we’re all ships at sea
Passing in the night eventually
As the waves rock us to sleep

Yes we’re all ships at sea
Passing in the night eventually
So as the waves rock us to sleep
Lets share this dream you and me
Two long lost ships at sea

Yes we’re all ships at sea

Will You Still Love Me

When you’re young love comes quick
Pretty soon you’ve had your pick
But as the years they pass
Will young love grow to last

Will you still love me when I'm old
Shuffling 'round always cold
When all of my stories they've been told
Will you still love me when I'm old

You said yes when I took my knee
As a flower brings the honeybee
But will this love in its prime
Prove to stand the test of time

Will you still love me when I'm old
Shuffling 'round always cold
When all of my stories they've been told
Will you still love me when I'm old

You’re all I have left in this world
My grown and grey haired girl
While I’m not cavalier
You have calmed this fear

Will you still love me when I'm old
Shuffling 'round always cold
When all of my stories they've been told
Will you still love me when I'm old

Final Reward

Walk through the valley with me young soldier
Let me take the breath from your life
Your Mother may lay there sound asleep
At your age you’ll never know a wife

They held Atlanta boys they tried
But soon she fell by the way
So let us drink to the memory of those who died
For in ashes our Georgia’s layin’

He’s gone to his final reward
Seen the savior’s sword
Touched the coat of Robert E. Lee
Like it was the garment of the Lord

This country was built on arrogance
And the blood of the fallen men
When brother shot brother those years ago
Let it not happen here again

He’s gone to his final reward
Seen the savior’s sword
Touched the coat of Robert E. Lee
Like it was the garment of the Lord

Let us rise up now to become
Greater than we were before
For the colors on this here flag
Yes in that fire then forged

He’s gone to his final reward
Seen the savior’s sword
Touched the coat of Robert E. Lee
Like it was the garment of the Lord

Album Lyrics: IV

Chip of a Star

Take the chip of a star and you hit it with an iron bar And when its broken in two – you’ve made the eyes for you Take the song from a bird and you turn it to words And when you’re through – you’ve found a voice for you Like a song on the wind – My beautiful friend Take the coat of a tree – Autumn’s fallen leaves Weave them gold and fair – and that is your hair Take the pale of the moon, dip into it with a spoon Touch the earth again and that is your skin Come to me again – My beautiful friend For you were born when the world first turned The flames flickered and the first fires burned You are the phoenix and the heavens clear Let you be mine and I’ll call you dear Take the clouds from the sky and the sun shone bright Shape them with a file and that is your smile Take the heat of the earth when the mountains burst Put it in a mold and your heart you’ll hold Like a song on the wind – my beautiful friend Together to the end, My beautiful friend

The Carolinian

We met on The Carolinian – heading south from D.C. It’s as if God himself had picked out our seats She smiled and said “Richmond” when I asked where she was bound I began to wish my life away to have been born in that town We talked a little bit and then she smiled, I saw down in her eyes She wasn’t just beautiful, she was kind and she was wise But a woman down in Raleigh, would soon have my son So I waited for her station like the bullet from a gun She’s in Richmond with my heart - And I’m bound for Carolina Wish I’d never met this train or the girl that’s left behind her When the train reached the station, she looked me in the eye Said, “Come with me to Richmond and we’ll start a brand new life” Well you know that moment still weighs on my mind ‘Cause I took my body to Raleigh, and left my heart behind She’s in Richmond with my heart - And I’m bound for Carolina Wish I’d never met this train or the girl that’s left behind her- now we’re apart While I’m bound for Caroline - she’s in Richmond with my heart My son is grown up to my hand, and he fills me with pride I take him down to the station to watch the trains roll by But that northbound Carolinian always makes the teardrops start Cause its headed up to Virginia where I left my heart She’s in Richmond with my heart - And I’m bound for Carolina Wish I’d never met this train or the girl that’s left behind her- now we’re apart While I’m down in Caroline - she’s in Richmond with my heart I’m still down in Caroline, she’s in Richmond with my heart

Let it Rock

Let it move, let it rock, let it beat like a clock Let it Shake the foundations of the whole damn block Let it move. . .let it rock Let it keep up time with the welfare line Your feet to the beat like a knot is tying Let it move. . .let it rock Let it tick to the tack like a rail track clack Move a foot forward and another back Let it move. . .let it rock Let it thump like a foot on a big bass drum Keep you rolling like a hitchike thumb Let it move. . .Let it rock Let it move, let it rock, let it shake like a shack Keep you jumping like a sidewalk crack Let it move. . .let it rock Let it creep down the street like a cable car Shine brighter than the northern star Let it move. . .let it rock

One More Minute

I don’t want to leave I don’t want to go But I make my living away from home These hands of time – too fast they wind I’d trade everything I own if I could just find One more minute – One more second - To spend with you One more minute – one more second -Just to hold you I hear the whistle blow – the idle hiss of the steam There’s such little time to tell you what I mean So you keep this - simple refrain and a kiss I swear on my life we won’t always miss But that is life and love you cannot control If I was another man you might have less to hold So I pack my grip and set my chin Knowing that feeling when I see your face again One more minute – One more second - To spend with you One more minute – one more second -Just to hold you One more minute – One more second - Don’t tell me the truth One more minute – one more second -Just to hold you I hear the whistle blow – the idle hiss of the steam There’s such little time to tell you what I mean

Birmingham Jail

Four little girls tying their sash in the basement room that day Poking fun and making jokes before getting on their knees to pray Just so young with all their dreams and years to their end Strewn away in the rubble by the hatred of scared white men It was early December in the year of ‘63 George Wallace defied what the federal courts they did decree They said make your school doors open for the child of black & white Wallace clenched up both his fists and he called out for a fight Down in the Birmingham Jail Down in the Birmingham Jail You’ve had a chance to live your life but now you’re locked. . . When the locals heard the news that day, their blood began to boil They decided the only good coloured man is down beneath the soil So with their hate and money, they began to conspire And soon in Birmingham the air was thick with powder and fire Down in the Birmingham Jail Down in the Birmingham Jail You’ve had a chance to live your life but now you’re locked. . .

Sweet Eviction

Out all night at the roadhouse - Where the glasses stand like statues in the ruins of a lifetime Stumble by the cathouse Where the women dance for dollars you made while dreaming Stay awake at the café Where the coffee warm like spite and you cannot sweeten End your night at the boardhouse Where the sign on your door reads sweet eviction Don’t be afraid to change your ways - Sweet Eviction Shut your eyes on a park bench Where your last few dollars you hold like a diamond That you dream of spending On a cheap pint of rye and an old transistor Don’t be afraid to change your ways - Sweet Eviction What you hold in your hands - Disappears No one understands - Sweet Eviction Out all night at the roadhouse - where the glasses stand like statues in the ruins of a lifetime

I Got Worry

Where does the money come from Where does the healing come from What do I do when I’m lonely What do I do when I don’t get tired I got worry – Yes I got worry I looked for you on a Monday I still been looking through Sunday What do I do when you’re really lost What should I do to hide that cost I got worry – Yes I got worry Where you goin’ with the lights low Do you want someone not to follow In a parking lot by a burned out tree If you don’t blink then you might see That I got worry – Yes I got worry I’ve walked the streets with pocket lint Waiting all week for a check that’s spent Where do you go when the rent is due? What do you prefer, a lie or the truth? Never felt so bad having so much fun You can put me to sleep when the taxman comes ‘Cause I got worry – Yes I got worry So you got worry – So you got worry

She

She waits for me In the twilight hours, or just before the dawn If I make it there Will love linger on? She waits for me On a bed of roses On a bed of nails No matter how I try Will love ever fail? She waits for me

Country Boy / City Boy

Tell you about those city boys – they got it made Never work out in the sun – always in the shade Tell you about those Country boys – they got it good Not a worry in the world – don’t know if they could Country boy at the races – bets his horse to win City boy at the races – he bets just to spend I saw a bird in the city – pecking at the street I saw a bird in the country – she sang so sweet One wishes that they were the other - the other just the same One life so exciting - the other just so tame If I was a country boy I’d wish for the city lights If I was a City boy I’d wish for a quiet night Country boy on a train – keeps his eyes outside City boy on that train – reads a paper his whole ride Saw a friend in the city – he kept going on his way Saw a friend in the country – we talked away the day One wishes that they were the other - the other just the same One life so exciting - the other just so tame If I was a country boy I’d wish for the city lights If I was a City boy I’d wish for a quiet night

Thanks

You can’t thank somebody with the words you carve on their headstone You got to come right out and say what you gotta say You gotta thank somebody for the time they gave to you So honey thanks, thanks for making me crazy Thanks for putting the light out in my eye Yeah baby thanks, for a heart that’s lazy But I’m not gonna cry a little, no not gonna cry You can’t thank somebody for a romance with a postcard It don’t make no difference if you’re weak or strong you got to take the time You’ve gotta thank somebody for the time they gave to you So honey thanks, thanks for making me crazy Thanks for putting the light out in my eye Yeah baby thanks, for a heart that’s lazy But I’m not gonna cry a little, no not gonna cry Well I never thought that I could be so strong Take you away from where you belong But I’m tired and restless, tired and beat, oh so tired. . . . So honey thanks, thanks for making me crazy Thanks for putting the light out in my eye Yeah baby thanks, for a heart that’s lazy But I’m not gonna cry a little, no not gonna cry