Ferron's "Cactus" has already been detailed here so it's time to branch out with a few other faves from her musical tree. she is such a poetess.
Girl On A Road
My momma was a waitress, my daddy a truckdriver. The
thing that kept their power from them slowed me down
awhile. I remember the morning that was the closing of
my youth, when I said goodbye to no one and in that way
faced my truth...and a walk along the river... and a
rain a'coming down...and a girl on a road.
There's a rhythm to a highway to match the rhythm of
your fears. My shopping bag possessions scattered with
my splattered tears. A string of nights in truck stops
and in darkness and in lies and a man they all called
Tigerboy...he just had to show me why. He just had to
give me something I'd forever understand...as a girl on
a road.
Rain upon the water makes footprints sunk in sand.
Anger upon angry hurt, take me by the hand. Take me by
the heartstrings and pull me deep inside and say I'm
one with your forgiveness and separate from my pride.
I don't know what it's like for you but here's what
it's like for me... I wanted to turn beautiful and
serve Eternity and never follow money or love with
greasy hands, or move the earth and waters just to make
it fit my plans. My eyes would be the harbor, my words
the perfect place for a girl on a road.
I met you in the Summer, I left you in the Fall. In
between we did some living...I like to think that's
all...but now I see words can be like weapons no matter
that they're small, and I used three tiny words on you
and then beat it down the hall. Does this road go on
forever? Does this terror know no end...for a girl on a
road? Would you like to sing it with me?
Rain upon the water makes footprints sunk in sand.
Anger upon angry hurt, take me by the hand. Take me by
the heartstrings and pull me deep inside and say I'm
one with your forgiveness and separate from my pride.
You cannot measure what it takes to mend a withered
heart. They'll tell you at the onset everybody does
their part. I did my best to follow the calling of my
soul. But, it's like that first guitar I played...at
the center is a hole, at the center is a...longing...
that I cannot understand as a girl on a road.
But if music be a boulder, let me carry it a long
while. Let it turn into a feather, let it brush against
my smile. Let the life be somewhat settled with the
life that song has made. Let there be nothing I am
longing for in some plan I may have made, in some story
quickly written during a long forgotten time as a girl
on a road.
Rain upon the water makes footprints sunk in sand.
Anger upon angry hurt, take me by the hand. Take me by
the heartstrings and pull me deep inside and say I'm
one with your forgiveness and separate from my pride.
+++++
Snowin' In Brooklyn
I thank you your letters though they come to me slowly
I hear the city's in a panic with its first foot of snow
I want to answer you quickly having read you again
'Cause it sounds like you're dancing
with time's favorite friend
And it's everyone's secret and muttered refrain
That for all of our trouble we be lonely again
It's old human nature,
It's cold or it's hot
But if it's snowin' in Brooklyn
You say it's snowin' in Brooklyn
Well if it's snowin' in Brooklyn
I'd say snow's what we've got.
It won't pay you to think that your move caused the break
Sweet love has its chemistry
sometimes it don't take
But you sound lke you whip yourself
you sound like you hurt
How long do you plan to sweat it in that mouldy hairshirt?
If you're thinking of coming back
then come back you will
If you're afraid of them talking, friend
They're all talking still
It's old human nature,
It's cold or it's hot
But if it's snowin' in Brooklyn
You say it's snowin' in Brooklyn
Well if it's snowin' in Brooklyn
I'd say snow's what we got.
It'll be cold as the ocean if you don't take the train
But I hear if you know where you're going
You can beat half of the pain
So don't mind but I called your sister
and she'd glad take you in
You're thirty years old, admit pride doesn't win
Life moves so mysterious with its cute little spins
And it's everyone's koan and door to get in
It's old human nature,
It's cold or it's hot
I think of you often, I like you a lot
But if it's snowin' in Brooklyn
I'd say snow's what we've got.
And it's everyone's secret and muttered refrain
That for all of our trouble
For all of our trouble
For all of our trouble
We be lonely again.
+++++
Ain't Life A Brook
I watch you reading a book
I get to thinking our love's a polished stone
You give me a long drawn look
I know pretty soon you're going to leave our home
And of course I mind,
especially when I'm thinking from my heart
But life don't clickety clack down a straight line track
It comes together and it comes apart.
You say you hope I'm not the kind
To make you feel obliged
To go ticking through your time
With a pained look in your eyes
You give me the furniture, we'll divide the photographs
Go out to dinner one more time
Have ourselves a bottle of wine
And a couple of laughs
And when first you left
I stayed so sad I wouldn't sleep
I know that love's a gift, I thought yours was mine
And something that I could keep
Now I realize that time is not the only compromise
But a bird in the hand could be an all night stand
Between a blazing fire and a pocket of skies
So I hope I'm not the kind
To make you feel obliged
To go ticking through your time
With a pained look in your eyes
I covered the furniture, I framed the photographs
Went out to dinner one more time
Had myself a bottle of wine and a couple of laughs
And just the other day
I got your letter in the mail
I'm happy for you, its been so long
You've been wanting a cabin and a backwoods trail
And I think that's great...me...
I seem to find myself in school
It's all Ok, I just want to say
I'm so relieved we didn't do it cruel
But ain't life a brook
Just when I get to feeling like a polished stone
I give me along drawn look
It's kind of a drag to find yourself alone
And sometimes I mind
Especially when I'm waiting on your heart
But life don't clickety clack down a straight line track
It comes together and it comes apart.
Cause I know you're not the kind
To make me feel obliged
To go ticking through my time with a pained look
In my eyes
I sold the furniture, I put away the photographs
Went out to dinner one more time
Skipped the bottle of wine
Had a couple of laughs
And wasn't it fine....
+++++
Shadows On A Dime
This window makes a perfect frame
For New England leaves like painted rain
They hold me as I hold this train
All shadows on a dime.
You move forward fast by holding back
You gauge your steps and you don't look slack
Me I'm looking backward down the track
To see us dreamers in our prime.
I poured my soul in Santa Cruz
I ached all night,
Next day I lost my shoes
It's so optional what you may or may not lose
in this pattern we call time.
Fifteen years ago I worked the line
With a thousand more all doing time
While a foreman smiled complicit crime
We were strangers to the plan.
An old old woman ran the gears
She couldn't move
They said she'd been there forty years
...I think that's rude...
'Cause forty years is forty years
And I was only fifteen then.
The work waged war upon our backs
But we gauged our steps and we didn't look slack
One day the old woman didn't come back
I couldn't work so well and they let me go.
But I don't forget about the factory
I don't expect this ride to always be
Can I give you what you want to see?
Can we do it one more time?
Ten years have worn this guitar down
Its ivory whites are now mustard brown
Its face bears cracks from every town
Still it resonates with age.
Where would I be without its ring?
Who would I be if I didn't sing?
For half a chance you spare nothing --
A tethered bird to a tethered cage.
I sing to you to feed the dream
I call to you 'though it's a muted scream
We're one on one projected beams
Translucent future be our sage.
Five years have blazed since she warmed my side
She is my gift I've loved and cried
With her level look she is my guide
A spirit on the wing
Our love has jostled like this train
Or like the moon to wax and wane
But to know somebody worth the strain --
Me I have one gift to bring
I cried for here then I let her down
She let me go and then we came around
I felt us new and I felt the ground
And I felt myself believing.
And now a tired conductor passes by
He takes my ticket with a sigh
I don't think he meant to catch my eye
But he doesn't turn away.
He says "I have a daughter as old as you
And there's really nothing anyone else can do
Do you play guitar...well good for you
Me I play the violin"
I imagine him with his hair jet black
Does he hide his fiddle in the back?
He gauged his words as the train went slack:
The New York train stops here
But I don't forget the factory
I don't expect this ride to always be
Can I give them what they want to see
Let me do it twice --
The second time for me.
'Cause these windows make a perfect frame
For New York buildings like upright trains
They hold me as I hold the rain
Fleeting shadows on a dime.
+++++
Shady Gate
When I was young the mom next door would
have tea at our house and she said her heart was
broke and she told me that life was based on faith in
the Evermore but me I was always trying to find a way
to get a dime and go outside and play. It was pretty
weird my childhood years, especially with the
transference of those dreaded adult fears that I
remember a song the moms would sing and we'd
sing along...
"If you go through that Shady Gate
Have soneone near who is for you
Someone who will not mind to wait
As you go slow through shady gate."
He left my mom when I was ten. She said she
didn't give a damn...that they'd never amount to
anything and they woke me up one night in the
middle of an awful fight and I heard him yell 'What
about my needs?' and her hiss back "Why don't you
wake up all the neighbours too but please just leave
me be, another kid would finish me" and in the
morning while I ate my cereal he left...I didn't look
so I
didn't see...and she got a better job in the new
department store and me I had to rush right home
from school and feed the kids...they didn't ask about
him much.
But I asked her once about 'Shady Gate'. It was
late one night whiel we were hanging out the laundry
and she said that Shady Gate was when sweet time
won't wait, it's like when a choice gets made like a
deck been laid and maybe the sun will shine or
maybe it won't at all but whatever is coming for you
you get to have it all. And I wanted to ask her then
exactly what he'd meant by 'needs' but we had to
rush inside the winter made her fingers split and
bleed.
And he knocked upon the door before my next
birthday and my mom looked real upset and she sent
us out to play and when we came back in it looked
like she'd been crying hard and him he tried to hug us
then and he said he loved us all. He said, "Anything
you want all you have to do is say" and my mind
raced to the brand new pair of jeans I'd seen at
school that day but you know that night when we
slept the monsters didn't come and I dreamt we sang
the song out loud only this time with a drum...
"If you go through that Shady Gate
Have soneone near who is for you
Someone who will not mind to wait
As you go slow through Shady Gate"
...I like the way you held your head and how you
muttered right out loud...the things you said...you
were so serious and I didn't believe at first you
saying there was still some place you had to go and still
something you had to know. "Well, wash your face"
my good friend tells me and "Clean your house in
troubled times"...I must admit it helps an awful lot to
go on loving what you love you see I've even trained
my mind, I'm not afraid to look behind. It's a cool
night falling with the night birds calling and I dare not
wonder where you be. But it's times like this I wish I
had a line to mother love or even just another word
for Eternity.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Lucy Kaplansky "Guinevere" "10 Year Night" "Land of the Living"
Here are a trio of Lucy Kaplansky's best (in my humble opinion).
Guinevere
Guinevere in my castle in Normandy
Make a new home with me come follow me down
Guinevere all my honor and glory
Will just be a story of the fall of the crown
Am I some dancing Lancelot who only falls in love
With a woman who belongs to someone else
Is it just the blood of Paris running through my veins
That sees and takes a woman and myself I can't restrain
Is this knight of cups in his noble stance
Just a jack of clubs with an eye askance
On the queen of hearts in her royal blue
I may shield the poor but I can't save you
Guinevere in my castle in Normandy
Make a new home with me come follow me down
Guinevere all my honor and glory
Will just be a story of the fall of the crown
Golden apples on the mountain this one fell to me
We are planets in a heartless gravity
I never chose to make a choice
It felt like someone else's voice
Saying all those crazy things down on one knee
Cassandra never cast a shadow now it's heading to the shore
Oh the face that launched a thousand ships is sailing one more
Guinevere in my castle in Normandy
Make a new home with me come follow me down
Guinevere all my honor and glory
Will just be a story of the fall of the crown
+++++
10 Year Night
There is no one else around the road is quiet, the only sound
Is wind that sounds like cars that sound like breathing
The desert air is hot and dry two lanes weaving earth and sky
The stars are all that's keeping time till morning
And I turn and look beside me and you're sleeping like a baby
And you haven't heard a word that I've been saying
And the way you look tonight fast asleep in the dashboard light
Well I can't speak that's how I feel
Open your eyes and look at me and look at me
Open your eyes and look at me
'Cause I have and hold this love for you
Before this ten year night is through, I'm telling you
Take it from me, take it from me
We're ten years older, I know we are
Than the night we met in that downtown bar
You thought I was some kind of star
That's what you said
I felt your skin, I felt the heat
As you pulled me out into the street
And you kissed me there till I was weak
'Cause I asked you to
And later on your kitchen floor
Two flights above the grocery store
I felt things I never felt before and I still do
Open your eyes and look at me and look at me
Open your eyes and look at me
'Cause I have and hold this love for you
Before this ten year night is through, I'm telling you
Take it from me, take it from me
Going eighty on the highway
We're all rushing somewhere
But the way I feel tonight
It's like I'm already there
Open your eyes and look at me and look at me
Open your eyes and look at me
'Cause I have and hold this love for you
Before this ten year night is through, I'm telling you
Take it from me, take it from me
+++++
Land of the Living
Late afternoon back in New York town
Waking up as the wheels touch down
Pick up my guitar and walk away
Wish I was going home to stay
Line of taxis, I wait my turn
Tar and asphalt, exhaust and fumes
Beside the road on a patch of ground
Taxi drivers are kneeling down
Beneath the concrete sky I watch them pray
While the people of the world hurry on their way
I think they're praying for us all today
And the stories that fell from the sky that day
CHORUS:
This is the land of the living
This is the land that's mine
She still watches over Manhattan
She's still holding onto that torch for life
Back home fire's still burning, I can see it in the air
Pictures of faces posted everywhere
They say "hazel eyes, chestnut hair
Mother of two missing down there"
I pass the firemen on duty tonight
Carpets of flowers in candlelight
And thank you in a child's scrawl
Taped to the Third Street firehouse wall
There's shadows of the lost on the faces I see
Brothers and strangers on this island of grief
There's death in the air but there's life on this street
There's life on this street
CHORUS
This is the land of the living
This is the land that's mine
She still watches over Manhattan
She's still holding onto that torch for life
Then I got in a taxi, said "Hudson Street please"
He started the meter and he looked at me
I glanced at his name on the back of his seat
And I looked out the window at the ghost filled streets
I noticed cuts on his hand and his face
And I said "You're bleeding, are you okay?"
He said "I'm not so good, got beat up today
And I'm not one of them no matter what they say
I'm just worried about my family
My wife's in the house and she's scared to leave"
And I didn't know what to say
I didn't know what to say
But I said a prayer for him anyway
CHORUS
This is the land of the living
This is the land that's mine
She still watches over Manhattan
She's still holding onto that torch for life
Guinevere
Guinevere in my castle in Normandy
Make a new home with me come follow me down
Guinevere all my honor and glory
Will just be a story of the fall of the crown
Am I some dancing Lancelot who only falls in love
With a woman who belongs to someone else
Is it just the blood of Paris running through my veins
That sees and takes a woman and myself I can't restrain
Is this knight of cups in his noble stance
Just a jack of clubs with an eye askance
On the queen of hearts in her royal blue
I may shield the poor but I can't save you
Guinevere in my castle in Normandy
Make a new home with me come follow me down
Guinevere all my honor and glory
Will just be a story of the fall of the crown
Golden apples on the mountain this one fell to me
We are planets in a heartless gravity
I never chose to make a choice
It felt like someone else's voice
Saying all those crazy things down on one knee
Cassandra never cast a shadow now it's heading to the shore
Oh the face that launched a thousand ships is sailing one more
Guinevere in my castle in Normandy
Make a new home with me come follow me down
Guinevere all my honor and glory
Will just be a story of the fall of the crown
+++++
10 Year Night
There is no one else around the road is quiet, the only sound
Is wind that sounds like cars that sound like breathing
The desert air is hot and dry two lanes weaving earth and sky
The stars are all that's keeping time till morning
And I turn and look beside me and you're sleeping like a baby
And you haven't heard a word that I've been saying
And the way you look tonight fast asleep in the dashboard light
Well I can't speak that's how I feel
Open your eyes and look at me and look at me
Open your eyes and look at me
'Cause I have and hold this love for you
Before this ten year night is through, I'm telling you
Take it from me, take it from me
We're ten years older, I know we are
Than the night we met in that downtown bar
You thought I was some kind of star
That's what you said
I felt your skin, I felt the heat
As you pulled me out into the street
And you kissed me there till I was weak
'Cause I asked you to
And later on your kitchen floor
Two flights above the grocery store
I felt things I never felt before and I still do
Open your eyes and look at me and look at me
Open your eyes and look at me
'Cause I have and hold this love for you
Before this ten year night is through, I'm telling you
Take it from me, take it from me
Going eighty on the highway
We're all rushing somewhere
But the way I feel tonight
It's like I'm already there
Open your eyes and look at me and look at me
Open your eyes and look at me
'Cause I have and hold this love for you
Before this ten year night is through, I'm telling you
Take it from me, take it from me
+++++
Land of the Living
Late afternoon back in New York town
Waking up as the wheels touch down
Pick up my guitar and walk away
Wish I was going home to stay
Line of taxis, I wait my turn
Tar and asphalt, exhaust and fumes
Beside the road on a patch of ground
Taxi drivers are kneeling down
Beneath the concrete sky I watch them pray
While the people of the world hurry on their way
I think they're praying for us all today
And the stories that fell from the sky that day
CHORUS:
This is the land of the living
This is the land that's mine
She still watches over Manhattan
She's still holding onto that torch for life
Back home fire's still burning, I can see it in the air
Pictures of faces posted everywhere
They say "hazel eyes, chestnut hair
Mother of two missing down there"
I pass the firemen on duty tonight
Carpets of flowers in candlelight
And thank you in a child's scrawl
Taped to the Third Street firehouse wall
There's shadows of the lost on the faces I see
Brothers and strangers on this island of grief
There's death in the air but there's life on this street
There's life on this street
CHORUS
This is the land of the living
This is the land that's mine
She still watches over Manhattan
She's still holding onto that torch for life
Then I got in a taxi, said "Hudson Street please"
He started the meter and he looked at me
I glanced at his name on the back of his seat
And I looked out the window at the ghost filled streets
I noticed cuts on his hand and his face
And I said "You're bleeding, are you okay?"
He said "I'm not so good, got beat up today
And I'm not one of them no matter what they say
I'm just worried about my family
My wife's in the house and she's scared to leave"
And I didn't know what to say
I didn't know what to say
But I said a prayer for him anyway
CHORUS
This is the land of the living
This is the land that's mine
She still watches over Manhattan
She's still holding onto that torch for life
Terence Martin "The Way It Didn't Go"
The late Terence Martin has two especially exquisite songs -- "Waterproof" and "The Way It Didn't Go" but only the former is on YouTube. Enjoy.
where is the life the life we might have led
it started on the corner where we never met
I nearly turned to you you nearly turned to me
at the intersection of what is and what could be
what would have happened we'll never know
that's the way it didn't go
I saw a child who might have had our name
he passed me in a crowd just the other day
he spoke some words but none of them were clear
our shadows nearly touched as he disappeared
did he have your eyes?
I'll never know
That's the way it didn't go
i'm not myself today & you're not who you are
we're one lane over riding in that car
they read a map but they don't recognize the road
and if they think about us they don't let it show
where did they turn?
We'll never know
That's the way it didn't go
the door you didn't walk through
the girl you didn't talk to
the light you didn't run that day
the call you didn't answer
the unrequited dancer
you met her glance and turned away
put it down lightly
you know how things can break
I can't forget the love we didn't make
the sun that didn't rise
through the window that's not there
the way it didn't fall
on your face and on your hair
what did you dream?
I'll never know
That's the way it didn't go
What might have been?
We'll never know
That's the way it didn't go
+++++
Below are the "Waterproof" lyrics:
it’s the middle of the country
it’s the middle of the year
it’s a little too much sunlight
for anyone to bear
there’s a thousand miles between us
of unbroken sky
and a thousand crooked questions
along for the ride
we sleep together
we dream all alone
and I wake up beside myself
in the half light of dawn
and I wish at that moment
that i were waterproof
when these thoughts fall like rain
on a corrugated roof
like rain on a roof
it’s the curve of love
it’s the rise and the fall
it’s a frame that we keep
around a hole in the wall
the problem’s in the human
in the flesh & the bone
‘cause if love were the measure
we’d never come undone
a woman is a window
a man’s a revolving door
one foot’s always moving
the other’s nailed to the floor
and the walls keep them together
and they keep them apart
and it’s all just graffiti
in the chambers of the heart
the sheets hold the imprint
of your lover after dawn
and the bed remains unmade
long after she’s gone
and you wish at that moment
that you were waterproof
when these thoughts fall like rain
on a corrugated roof
like rain on a roof
where is the life the life we might have led
it started on the corner where we never met
I nearly turned to you you nearly turned to me
at the intersection of what is and what could be
what would have happened we'll never know
that's the way it didn't go
I saw a child who might have had our name
he passed me in a crowd just the other day
he spoke some words but none of them were clear
our shadows nearly touched as he disappeared
did he have your eyes?
I'll never know
That's the way it didn't go
i'm not myself today & you're not who you are
we're one lane over riding in that car
they read a map but they don't recognize the road
and if they think about us they don't let it show
where did they turn?
We'll never know
That's the way it didn't go
the door you didn't walk through
the girl you didn't talk to
the light you didn't run that day
the call you didn't answer
the unrequited dancer
you met her glance and turned away
put it down lightly
you know how things can break
I can't forget the love we didn't make
the sun that didn't rise
through the window that's not there
the way it didn't fall
on your face and on your hair
what did you dream?
I'll never know
That's the way it didn't go
What might have been?
We'll never know
That's the way it didn't go
+++++
Below are the "Waterproof" lyrics:
it’s the middle of the country
it’s the middle of the year
it’s a little too much sunlight
for anyone to bear
there’s a thousand miles between us
of unbroken sky
and a thousand crooked questions
along for the ride
we sleep together
we dream all alone
and I wake up beside myself
in the half light of dawn
and I wish at that moment
that i were waterproof
when these thoughts fall like rain
on a corrugated roof
like rain on a roof
it’s the curve of love
it’s the rise and the fall
it’s a frame that we keep
around a hole in the wall
the problem’s in the human
in the flesh & the bone
‘cause if love were the measure
we’d never come undone
a woman is a window
a man’s a revolving door
one foot’s always moving
the other’s nailed to the floor
and the walls keep them together
and they keep them apart
and it’s all just graffiti
in the chambers of the heart
the sheets hold the imprint
of your lover after dawn
and the bed remains unmade
long after she’s gone
and you wish at that moment
that you were waterproof
when these thoughts fall like rain
on a corrugated roof
like rain on a roof
Cheryl Wheeler "Gandhi/Buddha" "When Fall Comes To New England" "Arrow"
Cheryl Wheeler is the funniest live show singer-songwriter I've witnessed while also producing song after wonderful song.
Gandhi/Buddha
Feel this wind blow, scatters all these leaves like paper rain.
Feel these days roll, back into our winter lives again.
The tangle at the garden fence is brown and dry.
You call me out and point to your November sky.
chorus:
I must've been Gandhi or Buddha or someone like that,
I must've saved lives by the hundreds everywhere I went.
I must've brought rest to the restless, fed the hungry too,
I must've done something great to get to have you.
And when the cold comes and you are by your fire and fast asleep,
I'll turn a light on, to watch the snow outside fall soft and deep.
And when the winter morning shines all white and blue,
We'll watch the dogs run through the fields like children do.
I must've been Gandhi or Buddha or someone like that,
I must've saved lives by the hundreds everywhere I went.
I must've brought rest to the restless, fed the hungry too,
I must've done something great to get to have you.
I suppose stranger things have come to pass,
Many's the forest I can't see.
I was so down and lost and fading fast.
How did you find your way to me?
I must've been Gandhi or Buddha or someone like that,
I must've saved lives by the hundreds everywhere I went.
I must've brought rest to the restless, fed the hungry too,
I must've done something great to get to have you.
There is an alternate version (not sure if it was ever recorded
Man this wind blows, scatters all these leaves I've raked all day
And your snot nosed little cat keeps getting in the way
I've got to take that f-ing garden fence back down
Just so your local yokel friend can plow the ground
I must've been Hitler or Satan or someone like that
I must've caused death and destruction everywhere I went
I must've brought torts to the tortured, beat some nuns up too
I must've done something bad to have to have you
And when the cold comes and you have turned the heat to 95
I'll put some shorts on, and wonder how the cats and dogs survive
And when the winter morning shines all white and blue
I'll tell you how it was when you get up at two
I must've been Hitler or Satan or someone like that
I must've caused death and destruction everywhere I went
I must've brought torts to the tortured, drowned some puppies too
I must've done something bad to have to have you
+++++
When Falls Comes To New England
When fall comes to New England
The sun slants in so fine
And the air's so clear
You can almost hear the grapes grow on the vine
The nights are sharp with starlight
And the days are cool and clean
And in the blue sky overhead
The northern geese fly south instead
And leaves are Irish Setter red
When fall comes to New England
When fall comes to New England
And the wind blows off the sea
Swallows fly in a perfect sky
And the world was meant to be
When the acorns line the walkways
Then winter can't be far
From yellow leaves a blue jay calls
Grandmothers Walk Out In Their Shawl
And Chipmunks Run The Old Stone Walls
When fall comes to New England
The frost is on the pumpkin
The squash is off the vine
And winter warnings race across the sky
The squirrels are on to something
And they're working overtime
The foxes blink and stare and so do I
'Cause when fall comes to New England
Oh I can't turn away
From fading light on flying wings
And late good-byes a robin sings
And then another thousand things
When fall comes to New England
When fall comes to New England
+++++
Arrow
I wish I could fall in love
Though it only leads to trouble, oh I know it does
Still I'd fool myself and gladly, just to feel I was
In love, in love
I wish I could feel my heartbeat rise
And gaze into some gentle, warm excited eyes
And give myself as truly as an arrow flies
In windless skies
(Chorus)
Oh I remember you in the tv light
Holding you close to me where we lay
And now I wish I knew some of those softer nights
Whispering quietly, feeling you turn to me
Only last night in the winter dark
I dreamed of how you loved, in all your innocence
And I've never known a softer warmer feeling since, or a truer heart
Maybe these dreams are leading me
Maybe love is not as gentle as my memory
Maybe time and wishful half-remembered fantasy are the greatest part
Oh I remember you in the tv light
Holding you close to me where we lay
And now I wish I knew some of those softer nights
Whispering quietly, feeling you turn to me
Wish I could feel my heartbeat rise
And gaze into some gentle, warm excited eyes
And give myself as truly as an arrow flies
In windless skies
I wish I could fall in love
Though it only leads to trouble, oh I know it does
Still I'd fool myself and gladly just to feel I was, in love
+++++
If It Were Up To Me
Maybe it's the movies, maybe it's the books
Maybe it's the bullets, maybe it's the real crooks
Maybe it's the drugs, maybe it's the parents
Maybe it's the colors everybody's wearin
Maybe it's the President, maybe it's the last one
Maybe it's the one before that, what he done
Maybe it's the high schools, maybe it's the teachers
Maybe it's the tattooed children in the bleachers
Maybe it's the Bible, maybe it's the lack
Maybe it's the music, maybe it's the crack
Maybe it's the hairdos, maybe it's the TV
Maybe it's the cigarettes, maybe it's the family
Maybe it's the fast food, maybe it's the news
Maybe it's divorce, maybe it's abuse
Maybe it's the lawyers, maybe it's the prisons
Maybe it's the Senators, maybe it's the system
Maybe it's the fathers, maybe it's the sons
Maybe it's the sisters, maybe it's the moms
Maybe it's the radio, maybe it's road rage
Maybe El Nino, or UV rays
Maybe it's the army, maybe it's the liquor
Maybe it's the papers, maybe the militia
Maybe it's the athletes, maybe it's the ads
Maybe it's the sports fans, maybe it's a fad
Maybe it's the magazines, maybe it's the internet
Maybe it's the lottery, maybe it's the immigrants
Maybe it's taxes, big business
Maybe it's the KKK and the skinheads
Maybe it's the communists, maybe it's the Catholics
Maybe it's the hippies, maybe it's the addicts
Maybe it's the art, maybe it's the sex
Maybe it's the homeless, maybe it's the banks
Maybe it's the clearcut, maybe it's the ozone
Maybe it's the chemicals, maybe it's the car phones
Maybe it's the fertilizer, maybe it's the nose rings
Maybe it's the end, but I know one thing.
If it were up to me, I'd take away the guns.
Gandhi/Buddha
Feel this wind blow, scatters all these leaves like paper rain.
Feel these days roll, back into our winter lives again.
The tangle at the garden fence is brown and dry.
You call me out and point to your November sky.
chorus:
I must've been Gandhi or Buddha or someone like that,
I must've saved lives by the hundreds everywhere I went.
I must've brought rest to the restless, fed the hungry too,
I must've done something great to get to have you.
And when the cold comes and you are by your fire and fast asleep,
I'll turn a light on, to watch the snow outside fall soft and deep.
And when the winter morning shines all white and blue,
We'll watch the dogs run through the fields like children do.
I must've been Gandhi or Buddha or someone like that,
I must've saved lives by the hundreds everywhere I went.
I must've brought rest to the restless, fed the hungry too,
I must've done something great to get to have you.
I suppose stranger things have come to pass,
Many's the forest I can't see.
I was so down and lost and fading fast.
How did you find your way to me?
I must've been Gandhi or Buddha or someone like that,
I must've saved lives by the hundreds everywhere I went.
I must've brought rest to the restless, fed the hungry too,
I must've done something great to get to have you.
There is an alternate version (not sure if it was ever recorded
Man this wind blows, scatters all these leaves I've raked all day
And your snot nosed little cat keeps getting in the way
I've got to take that f-ing garden fence back down
Just so your local yokel friend can plow the ground
I must've been Hitler or Satan or someone like that
I must've caused death and destruction everywhere I went
I must've brought torts to the tortured, beat some nuns up too
I must've done something bad to have to have you
And when the cold comes and you have turned the heat to 95
I'll put some shorts on, and wonder how the cats and dogs survive
And when the winter morning shines all white and blue
I'll tell you how it was when you get up at two
I must've been Hitler or Satan or someone like that
I must've caused death and destruction everywhere I went
I must've brought torts to the tortured, drowned some puppies too
I must've done something bad to have to have you
+++++
When Falls Comes To New England
When fall comes to New England
The sun slants in so fine
And the air's so clear
You can almost hear the grapes grow on the vine
The nights are sharp with starlight
And the days are cool and clean
And in the blue sky overhead
The northern geese fly south instead
And leaves are Irish Setter red
When fall comes to New England
When fall comes to New England
And the wind blows off the sea
Swallows fly in a perfect sky
And the world was meant to be
When the acorns line the walkways
Then winter can't be far
From yellow leaves a blue jay calls
Grandmothers Walk Out In Their Shawl
And Chipmunks Run The Old Stone Walls
When fall comes to New England
The frost is on the pumpkin
The squash is off the vine
And winter warnings race across the sky
The squirrels are on to something
And they're working overtime
The foxes blink and stare and so do I
'Cause when fall comes to New England
Oh I can't turn away
From fading light on flying wings
And late good-byes a robin sings
And then another thousand things
When fall comes to New England
When fall comes to New England
+++++
Arrow
I wish I could fall in love
Though it only leads to trouble, oh I know it does
Still I'd fool myself and gladly, just to feel I was
In love, in love
I wish I could feel my heartbeat rise
And gaze into some gentle, warm excited eyes
And give myself as truly as an arrow flies
In windless skies
(Chorus)
Oh I remember you in the tv light
Holding you close to me where we lay
And now I wish I knew some of those softer nights
Whispering quietly, feeling you turn to me
Only last night in the winter dark
I dreamed of how you loved, in all your innocence
And I've never known a softer warmer feeling since, or a truer heart
Maybe these dreams are leading me
Maybe love is not as gentle as my memory
Maybe time and wishful half-remembered fantasy are the greatest part
Oh I remember you in the tv light
Holding you close to me where we lay
And now I wish I knew some of those softer nights
Whispering quietly, feeling you turn to me
Wish I could feel my heartbeat rise
And gaze into some gentle, warm excited eyes
And give myself as truly as an arrow flies
In windless skies
I wish I could fall in love
Though it only leads to trouble, oh I know it does
Still I'd fool myself and gladly just to feel I was, in love
+++++
If It Were Up To Me
Maybe it's the movies, maybe it's the books
Maybe it's the bullets, maybe it's the real crooks
Maybe it's the drugs, maybe it's the parents
Maybe it's the colors everybody's wearin
Maybe it's the President, maybe it's the last one
Maybe it's the one before that, what he done
Maybe it's the high schools, maybe it's the teachers
Maybe it's the tattooed children in the bleachers
Maybe it's the Bible, maybe it's the lack
Maybe it's the music, maybe it's the crack
Maybe it's the hairdos, maybe it's the TV
Maybe it's the cigarettes, maybe it's the family
Maybe it's the fast food, maybe it's the news
Maybe it's divorce, maybe it's abuse
Maybe it's the lawyers, maybe it's the prisons
Maybe it's the Senators, maybe it's the system
Maybe it's the fathers, maybe it's the sons
Maybe it's the sisters, maybe it's the moms
Maybe it's the radio, maybe it's road rage
Maybe El Nino, or UV rays
Maybe it's the army, maybe it's the liquor
Maybe it's the papers, maybe the militia
Maybe it's the athletes, maybe it's the ads
Maybe it's the sports fans, maybe it's a fad
Maybe it's the magazines, maybe it's the internet
Maybe it's the lottery, maybe it's the immigrants
Maybe it's taxes, big business
Maybe it's the KKK and the skinheads
Maybe it's the communists, maybe it's the Catholics
Maybe it's the hippies, maybe it's the addicts
Maybe it's the art, maybe it's the sex
Maybe it's the homeless, maybe it's the banks
Maybe it's the clearcut, maybe it's the ozone
Maybe it's the chemicals, maybe it's the car phones
Maybe it's the fertilizer, maybe it's the nose rings
Maybe it's the end, but I know one thing.
If it were up to me, I'd take away the guns.
Garnet Rogers "Night Drive"
Garnet Rogers is a Canadian singer-songwriter who composes both tender love songs while simultaneously creating ripping, guitar-driven melpdies.
His all-time best is "Night Drive" about his musical travels with his brother and the persona created by others for Stan after his untimely death:
How bright the stars
How dark the night
How long have I been sleeping?
Sleep overtook me on my westward flight
Held me in its keeping
I had a dream; it seemed so real
Its passing left me shaking
I saw you're here behind the wheel
On this very road I'm taking
Hurtling westward through the prairie night
Under the spell of motion
Your eyes were clear and bright in the dashboard light
Dreaming of the western ocean
The dusty towns left far behind
Mountains drawing ever nearer
Your face was then as it was tonight
Ever young
Ever clearer
I know this road
And its every curve
Where the hills commence their climbing
We rested here
If my memory serves
The northern lights were shining
You lit a smoke
We shared some wine
We watched the sky in wonder
Your laughter echoes after all this time
In that high and wild blue yonder
I don't know why I write these lines
It's not like I could send you the letter
It's that I love your more after all this time
It's that I wish I'd shown you better
Years have slipped
Beneath my wheels
Dwindling in my rear view mirror
As time has passed
Your life has seemed less real
But these night drives bring you nearer
So tonight I'll wish upon these stars
As they rise upward to guide me
That I'll see you here just as you are
Now, as then, beside me
Scares me how the years have flown
Like the leaves drift in September
They've lost sight of you as your legacy's grown
But this road and I
We remember
His all-time best is "Night Drive" about his musical travels with his brother and the persona created by others for Stan after his untimely death:
How bright the stars
How dark the night
How long have I been sleeping?
Sleep overtook me on my westward flight
Held me in its keeping
I had a dream; it seemed so real
Its passing left me shaking
I saw you're here behind the wheel
On this very road I'm taking
Hurtling westward through the prairie night
Under the spell of motion
Your eyes were clear and bright in the dashboard light
Dreaming of the western ocean
The dusty towns left far behind
Mountains drawing ever nearer
Your face was then as it was tonight
Ever young
Ever clearer
I know this road
And its every curve
Where the hills commence their climbing
We rested here
If my memory serves
The northern lights were shining
You lit a smoke
We shared some wine
We watched the sky in wonder
Your laughter echoes after all this time
In that high and wild blue yonder
I don't know why I write these lines
It's not like I could send you the letter
It's that I love your more after all this time
It's that I wish I'd shown you better
Years have slipped
Beneath my wheels
Dwindling in my rear view mirror
As time has passed
Your life has seemed less real
But these night drives bring you nearer
So tonight I'll wish upon these stars
As they rise upward to guide me
That I'll see you here just as you are
Now, as then, beside me
Scares me how the years have flown
Like the leaves drift in September
They've lost sight of you as your legacy's grown
But this road and I
We remember
Eliza Gilkyson "Rose of Sharon" Hard Times In Babylon" "The Beauty Way" "Tender Mercies" "Man Of God"
Eliza Gilkyson is another artist with a lifetime of superb songs -- here are a few of my selections:
Rose of Sharon
I am a rose of Sharon
A lily of the valley
As a lily grown among the thorns
Love in this world has found me
As an apple tree among the trees
That grow deep in the forest
My lover's form in comely
With life and limb most joyous
Rise up my love and come away
The rain is over and gone
Your love is the fruit of my darkest day
And I am your Rose of Sharon
His gentle hand lies under my head
His shoulders turn to face me
I shall not stir him from my bed
While he doth so embrace me
Oh bring me wine to pass the time
Though none but him can soothe me
I am my beloved's and he is mine
Desire for his pleasure moves me
Rise up my love and come away
The rain is over and gone
Your love is the fruit of my darkest day
And I am your Rose of Sharon
+++++
Hard Times In Babylon
I light a candle in your name
Long past midnight, memories bright in the freeze frame
And I'm asking myself why
I see at the Marriott, funny little grin
Driving those drums like a chariot
Did it hurt too much to try?
Woody you were my hero
A shoulder to cry on when I bottomed out at zero
In the hour of the wolf, just before the dawn
Hard times in Babylon.
O.K. so you had to go
Take a walk on the wild side
Down to the valley of the shadow
But it just don't seem like you.
Well you could have called out
There's not a man or woman gathered tonight in the big house
Wouldn't run to pull you through.
An incident so grievous
20 years ago you would have thought this is the way you
would leave us
In the hour of the wolf, just before the dawn
Hard times in Babylon.
Got to hang together when the air's this thin
Hand out the masks for the oxygen
Live for something
We're coming upon a time in our lives
When the little dreams live but the big dream dies
Not for nothing, Not for nothing
I know that love don't end
Nothing I can do is gonna bring you back or let me see
you again
In the hour of the wolf, just before the dawn
Hard times in Babylon.
In the hour of the wolf, just before the dawn
Hard times in Babylon.
+++++
The Beauty Way
My father made a pretty damn good living
Playing music on the Beauty Way
He’s gonna die with some money in his pocket
Wish I could do the same today little darling
Wish I could do the same today
Doe eyed kid and a little transistor
Tuned into Wolfman jack
I picked up a guitar heard the sirens whisper
And I never looked back little darling
And I never looked back
I worked the clubs along the Sangre de Cristos?
Polished the diamond in the rough
By the time I hit L.A. I was hotter than a pistol
But you’re never hot enough little darling
You never really hot enough
I felt the lights on the big, big stages
The fire burning in my soul
I’ve had those nights when my guitar rages
But it’s not something you control little darling
It’s not something you control
Redtail diving for a rat on Sunset
Coyote picking through the trash
Oh I wish I was lying like a cat in the sun
‘stead of working like a dog for the cash little darling
I’m only working for the cash
Sometimes I wish I could unplug this cord
And my soul or my money I could save
Oh but every time I say I’m gonna quit the Beauty Way
I hear my bones just turning in their grave little
darling
Bones turning in their grave
hey yeah yeah
hey yeah
hey yeah yeah yeah
yeah yeah yeah yeah
+++++
Tender Mercies
Across the world she tapes explosives to her chest
steps into a shopping mall
a life devoid of all of mercy's tenderness
really isn't any life at all
Tender mercies,tender mercies, come before despair
shine down all your tender mercies
it's every mother's prayer
Down below the factory along the riverside
children swimming in a poison pool
playful afternoon of unintended suicide
gone before they ever knew
Tender mercies,tender mercies, come before despair
shine down all your tender mercies
it's every mother's prayer
Across the world she holds her loved ones to her chest
lays them down and listens at the door
everybody safe and warm among the truly blessed
how can we even dare to ask for more
Tender mercies,tender mercies, come before despair
shine down all your tender mercies
it's every mother's prayer
+++++
Sanctuary
Yeah though I walk through the valley of the shadow thou
thou art with me
though my heart's been torn on fields of battle
thou art with me
though my trust is gone and my faith not near
in love's sanctuary
thou art with me
Through desolation's fire and fear's dark thunder thou
thous art with me
through the sea of desires that drag me under thou art
thou art with me
though I've been traded in like a souvenir
in love's sanctuary
thou art with me
Through the doubter's gloom and the cynic's sneer
thou art with me
in the crowded rooms of a mind unclear
thou art with me
though I'll walk for a while down a trail of tears
in love's sanctuary
thou art with me
++++++
Man Of God
The cowboy came frm out of the west
With his snakeskin boots and his bulletproof vest
Gang of goons and his big war chest
Fortunate son he was doubly blessed
Corporate cronies and the chiefs of staff
Bowin' to the image of the golden calf
Startin up wars in the name of god's son
Gonna blow us all the way to kingdom come
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the teachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the preachings of a man of god
Coalition of the willing and the judgmental
Patricians, politicians, and the fundamentalists
You never have to tell them how the money's spent
You never have to tell them where their freedom went
Homophobes in the high command
Waitin' for the rapture like it's disneyland
Hide all the bodies from out of view
Channel all the treasure to the chosen few
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the teachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the preachings of a man of god
If I could I surely would
Stand on the rock where moses stood
Look out people now we're gonna get fleeced
By a wolf masquerading as a man of peace
Jesus said blessed are the meek
Jesus said you gotta turn the other cheek
Jesus said help the poor and the weak
If he lived today he'd be a liberal freak
All the money changers would be out on the street
Weepin and wailin and gnashin their teeth
Me I'm waitin on the reckoning day
When the whole world gonna rise up and say
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the teachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the preachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the teachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the preachings of a man of god
Rose of Sharon
I am a rose of Sharon
A lily of the valley
As a lily grown among the thorns
Love in this world has found me
As an apple tree among the trees
That grow deep in the forest
My lover's form in comely
With life and limb most joyous
Rise up my love and come away
The rain is over and gone
Your love is the fruit of my darkest day
And I am your Rose of Sharon
His gentle hand lies under my head
His shoulders turn to face me
I shall not stir him from my bed
While he doth so embrace me
Oh bring me wine to pass the time
Though none but him can soothe me
I am my beloved's and he is mine
Desire for his pleasure moves me
Rise up my love and come away
The rain is over and gone
Your love is the fruit of my darkest day
And I am your Rose of Sharon
+++++
Hard Times In Babylon
I light a candle in your name
Long past midnight, memories bright in the freeze frame
And I'm asking myself why
I see at the Marriott, funny little grin
Driving those drums like a chariot
Did it hurt too much to try?
Woody you were my hero
A shoulder to cry on when I bottomed out at zero
In the hour of the wolf, just before the dawn
Hard times in Babylon.
O.K. so you had to go
Take a walk on the wild side
Down to the valley of the shadow
But it just don't seem like you.
Well you could have called out
There's not a man or woman gathered tonight in the big house
Wouldn't run to pull you through.
An incident so grievous
20 years ago you would have thought this is the way you
would leave us
In the hour of the wolf, just before the dawn
Hard times in Babylon.
Got to hang together when the air's this thin
Hand out the masks for the oxygen
Live for something
We're coming upon a time in our lives
When the little dreams live but the big dream dies
Not for nothing, Not for nothing
I know that love don't end
Nothing I can do is gonna bring you back or let me see
you again
In the hour of the wolf, just before the dawn
Hard times in Babylon.
In the hour of the wolf, just before the dawn
Hard times in Babylon.
+++++
The Beauty Way
My father made a pretty damn good living
Playing music on the Beauty Way
He’s gonna die with some money in his pocket
Wish I could do the same today little darling
Wish I could do the same today
Doe eyed kid and a little transistor
Tuned into Wolfman jack
I picked up a guitar heard the sirens whisper
And I never looked back little darling
And I never looked back
I worked the clubs along the Sangre de Cristos?
Polished the diamond in the rough
By the time I hit L.A. I was hotter than a pistol
But you’re never hot enough little darling
You never really hot enough
I felt the lights on the big, big stages
The fire burning in my soul
I’ve had those nights when my guitar rages
But it’s not something you control little darling
It’s not something you control
Redtail diving for a rat on Sunset
Coyote picking through the trash
Oh I wish I was lying like a cat in the sun
‘stead of working like a dog for the cash little darling
I’m only working for the cash
Sometimes I wish I could unplug this cord
And my soul or my money I could save
Oh but every time I say I’m gonna quit the Beauty Way
I hear my bones just turning in their grave little
darling
Bones turning in their grave
hey yeah yeah
hey yeah
hey yeah yeah yeah
yeah yeah yeah yeah
+++++
Tender Mercies
Across the world she tapes explosives to her chest
steps into a shopping mall
a life devoid of all of mercy's tenderness
really isn't any life at all
Tender mercies,tender mercies, come before despair
shine down all your tender mercies
it's every mother's prayer
Down below the factory along the riverside
children swimming in a poison pool
playful afternoon of unintended suicide
gone before they ever knew
Tender mercies,tender mercies, come before despair
shine down all your tender mercies
it's every mother's prayer
Across the world she holds her loved ones to her chest
lays them down and listens at the door
everybody safe and warm among the truly blessed
how can we even dare to ask for more
Tender mercies,tender mercies, come before despair
shine down all your tender mercies
it's every mother's prayer
+++++
Sanctuary
Yeah though I walk through the valley of the shadow thou
thou art with me
though my heart's been torn on fields of battle
thou art with me
though my trust is gone and my faith not near
in love's sanctuary
thou art with me
Through desolation's fire and fear's dark thunder thou
thous art with me
through the sea of desires that drag me under thou art
thou art with me
though I've been traded in like a souvenir
in love's sanctuary
thou art with me
Through the doubter's gloom and the cynic's sneer
thou art with me
in the crowded rooms of a mind unclear
thou art with me
though I'll walk for a while down a trail of tears
in love's sanctuary
thou art with me
++++++
Man Of God
The cowboy came frm out of the west
With his snakeskin boots and his bulletproof vest
Gang of goons and his big war chest
Fortunate son he was doubly blessed
Corporate cronies and the chiefs of staff
Bowin' to the image of the golden calf
Startin up wars in the name of god's son
Gonna blow us all the way to kingdom come
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the teachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the preachings of a man of god
Coalition of the willing and the judgmental
Patricians, politicians, and the fundamentalists
You never have to tell them how the money's spent
You never have to tell them where their freedom went
Homophobes in the high command
Waitin' for the rapture like it's disneyland
Hide all the bodies from out of view
Channel all the treasure to the chosen few
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the teachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the preachings of a man of god
If I could I surely would
Stand on the rock where moses stood
Look out people now we're gonna get fleeced
By a wolf masquerading as a man of peace
Jesus said blessed are the meek
Jesus said you gotta turn the other cheek
Jesus said help the poor and the weak
If he lived today he'd be a liberal freak
All the money changers would be out on the street
Weepin and wailin and gnashin their teeth
Me I'm waitin on the reckoning day
When the whole world gonna rise up and say
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the teachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the preachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the teachings of a man of god
Man of god, man of god
That ain't the preachings of a man of god
Thursday, October 25, 2012
More Gretchen Peters
Understated resonance (if that isn't an oxymoron) just pours from "Five Minutes" -- another offering from Gretchen Peters on her "Hello Cruel World" release.
I've got five minutes to sneak a cigarette
Five minutes to myself
Back behind the screen door of Andy's luncheonette
And I ain't got time to worry 'bout my health
My boss Andy says I smoke myself to death
Andy he reminds me some of you
Back when you were Romeo and I was Juliet
West Texas Capulet and Montague
Now I don't think too much about you anymore
We weren't much more than kids
It was nearly twenty years ago I shut and locked that door
Now I've got five minutes
Not much time to reminisce
Most nights I come home from work and I pour a glass of wine
Sometimes it's three or four before I stop
And Jessie makes a sandwich if I sleep through suppertime
And she leaves me on the couch to sleep it off
Now Jessie just turned 17 and she's wild as she can be
And there ain't nothin' I can do
Last weekend she ran off to meet a boy in Tennessee
Just like I used to run to you
I gave her hell when she came home this afternoon
Mascara runnin' down her face
Seems like history repeats itself, and it ain't up to you
And in five minutes
Your whole life can change
Andy he's good to me, and I can see it in his eyes
He'd love to take your place
But somethin' deep inside me just withers up and dies
To make love to him and only see your face
Somehow I've let myself go gently down the stream
A fine example I have set
Between the working and the livin' and the ghosts that haunt my dreams
I've got five minutes and I'm gonna smoke this cigarette
+++++
Here's the title cut "Hello Cruel World":
haven’t done as well as I thought I would
I’m not dead but I’m damaged goods
And it’s gettin’ late
I’m a rusty hinge, a squeaky wheel
at the bad end of a shaky deal
cursed by the hand of fate
and ooooooh – I’m a very lucky girl
yeah ooooooh – hello cruel world
I’m a ticking clock, a losing bet
a girl without a safety net
I’m a cause for some concern
You don’t live this long without regrets
Telephone calls you don’t wanna get
Stones you’d rather leave unturned
but ooooooh – the grain of sand becomes the pearl
yeah ooooooh – hello cruel world
some folks go the easy route
numb the pain or put the lights out
either way they got to go
me I’m gonna stick around
in for a penny in for a pound
cause I hate to miss the show
and ooooooh – I’m a very stubborn girl
yeah ooooooh – hello cruel world
hello cruel world
+++++
We'll close with "St. Francis" -- again on the "Hello Cruel World" release:
St. Francis walking on the water
All his lambs have gone to slaughter
All the creatures who receive his grace
you can see them all
in his haggard face
St Francis begging at your doorway
you want to let him in but what will the neighbors say
you know you can’t go on but you can’t give up
And he answers you
with his begging cup
St Francis sitting at your table
a cup of tea among the faithful
behind a wall that’s made of little lies
much to your surprise
you start to cry
by these wounds you will be whole again
by these signs you will know
you’ll feel a stirring in your soul again
’til sweet amnesia takes a hold
Saint Francis sleeping in the meadow
His halo is a raven’s shadow
He’s been sleeping for 800 years
In a potter’s field
Full of sparrow’s tears
And while we sleep and dream of heaven’s gates
down here on earth
the old man waits
Peters is simply one of those singer-songwriters who not only has lived what she writes about but captures those experiences in exquisite verse.
I've got five minutes to sneak a cigarette
Five minutes to myself
Back behind the screen door of Andy's luncheonette
And I ain't got time to worry 'bout my health
My boss Andy says I smoke myself to death
Andy he reminds me some of you
Back when you were Romeo and I was Juliet
West Texas Capulet and Montague
Now I don't think too much about you anymore
We weren't much more than kids
It was nearly twenty years ago I shut and locked that door
Now I've got five minutes
Not much time to reminisce
Most nights I come home from work and I pour a glass of wine
Sometimes it's three or four before I stop
And Jessie makes a sandwich if I sleep through suppertime
And she leaves me on the couch to sleep it off
Now Jessie just turned 17 and she's wild as she can be
And there ain't nothin' I can do
Last weekend she ran off to meet a boy in Tennessee
Just like I used to run to you
I gave her hell when she came home this afternoon
Mascara runnin' down her face
Seems like history repeats itself, and it ain't up to you
And in five minutes
Your whole life can change
Andy he's good to me, and I can see it in his eyes
He'd love to take your place
But somethin' deep inside me just withers up and dies
To make love to him and only see your face
Somehow I've let myself go gently down the stream
A fine example I have set
Between the working and the livin' and the ghosts that haunt my dreams
I've got five minutes and I'm gonna smoke this cigarette
+++++
Here's the title cut "Hello Cruel World":
haven’t done as well as I thought I would
I’m not dead but I’m damaged goods
And it’s gettin’ late
I’m a rusty hinge, a squeaky wheel
at the bad end of a shaky deal
cursed by the hand of fate
and ooooooh – I’m a very lucky girl
yeah ooooooh – hello cruel world
I’m a ticking clock, a losing bet
a girl without a safety net
I’m a cause for some concern
You don’t live this long without regrets
Telephone calls you don’t wanna get
Stones you’d rather leave unturned
but ooooooh – the grain of sand becomes the pearl
yeah ooooooh – hello cruel world
some folks go the easy route
numb the pain or put the lights out
either way they got to go
me I’m gonna stick around
in for a penny in for a pound
cause I hate to miss the show
and ooooooh – I’m a very stubborn girl
yeah ooooooh – hello cruel world
hello cruel world
+++++
We'll close with "St. Francis" -- again on the "Hello Cruel World" release:
St. Francis walking on the water
All his lambs have gone to slaughter
All the creatures who receive his grace
you can see them all
in his haggard face
St Francis begging at your doorway
you want to let him in but what will the neighbors say
you know you can’t go on but you can’t give up
And he answers you
with his begging cup
St Francis sitting at your table
a cup of tea among the faithful
behind a wall that’s made of little lies
much to your surprise
you start to cry
by these wounds you will be whole again
by these signs you will know
you’ll feel a stirring in your soul again
’til sweet amnesia takes a hold
Saint Francis sleeping in the meadow
His halo is a raven’s shadow
He’s been sleeping for 800 years
In a potter’s field
Full of sparrow’s tears
And while we sleep and dream of heaven’s gates
down here on earth
the old man waits
Peters is simply one of those singer-songwriters who not only has lived what she writes about but captures those experiences in exquisite verse.
Richard Shindell "Transit" "The Ballad of Mary Magdalen" "Wisteria" "Reunion Hill"
The Richard Shindell pantheon of memorable songs is a splendid and distinctive one -- as if no else could have written them, common lives writ large.
It has to begin with "Transit' -- nothing else touches this absolute classic:
The merge from the turnpike was murder, but it’s never a cinch
It was Friday at five, and no one was giving an inch
They squeezed and the edged and they glared
Half them clearly impaired by rage or exhaustion
The rest were just touchy as hell
Somewhere near Paterson everything slowed to a crawl
The all-news station was thanking someone for the call
It’s a van from St. Agnes’s choir
There’s a nun out there changing a tire
By the time they got by her, tempers were out of control
So they all hit the gas in a dash for position
Bobbing and weaving and flashing their highbeams
Fliping the bird and screaming obscenities
A well-insured hoard hell-bent on Saturday
And so they continued west-bound and into the sun
Law and decorum constraining nary a one
By then it was devil-may-care
Not one even vaguely aware
That they had come all the way to the Delaware Water Gap
But how had it happened? They had all missed their exits
How had it happened? Was it some kind of vortex?
And in they all went, bumper to bumper
Faster and faster, no sign of a trooper
In they all went, like sheep to the slaughter
Bankers and carpenters, doctors and lawyers
And in they all went, families in minivans
Reagan republicans, weekend militiamen
They followed the river, and rounded the bend
Between Minsi and Tammany and into their destiny
Lying in ambush right their before them
The angry old sun right on the horizon
Sister Maria tightened the bolts of the spare
She said a quick prayer and put the old van into gear
Thank God that the traffic was light
If she hurried she might not be late
For that evening’s performance at the state penetentiary
She entered the common room and their was her choir
Altos and baritones, basses and tenors
Car thieves and crack dealers, mobsters and murderers
Husbands and sons, fathers and brothers
And so it began in glorious harmony
Softly and tenderly – calling for you and me
With the interstate whining way off in the distance
And the sun going down through the bars of the prison
They poured out their souls, they poured out their memories
They poured out their hopes for what’s left of eternity
To sister Maria – her soul like a prism
For the light of forgiveness on all of their faces
+++++
Then there is "The Ballad of Mary Magdalen" -- again, a take unlike any other, ever:
My name is Mary Magdalen
I come from Palestine
Please excuse these rags Im in
But I've fallen on hard times
But long ago I had my work
When I was in my prime
But I gave it up, and all for love
It was his career or mine
Jesus loved me
This I know
But why on earth
Did I ever let him go
He was always faithful
He was always kind
But he walked off
With this heart of mine
A love like this will come but once
This I do believe
And I'll not see his like again
As I live and breath
And Im sorry if I might offend
But I will never see
How the tenderness I shared with him
Became a heresy
Jesus loved me
This I know
But why on earth
Did I ever let him go
He was always faithful
He was always kind
But he walked off
With this heart of mine
But I remember nights we spent
Whispering our creed
Our rituals, our sacraments
The stars our canopy
There beneath an olive tree
We'd offer up our plea
Gods creation innocent
His arms surrounding me
Jesus loves me
This I know
But why on earth
Did he ever have to go
He was always faithful
He was always kind
But he walked off
With this heart of mine
+++++
"Wisteria" employs plant as metaphor, with a change diminishing remembrances:
Lets not drive away just yet
Give me a moment more
To walk through those rooms again
To walk through that door
If we turn off the radio
I've only to close my eyes
And the wind in the sycamores
Carry me home
The vine of my memory
Is blooming around those eaves
But it's true it's a chore to tame wisteria
I'm tempted to ring the bell
Maybe they'd let me in
Or maybe it's just as well
To let it all be
Remember the price we paid?
It seemed like a lot back then
Remember the love we made
The day we moved in?
The vine of my memory
Is blooming around those eaves
But it's true it's a chore to tame wisteria
It did need some pruning back
And I know that it's not my place
but how couold they just cut it down
And leave not a trace?
Lets not drive away just yet
Give me a moment more
To walk through those rooms again
To walk through that door
The vine of my memory
Is blooming around those eaves
But it's true it's a chore to tame wisteria
+++++
As sweet and sad a love song as can be written is "Reunion Hill":
Must have been in late September
When last I climbed Reunion Hill
I fell asleep on Indian Boulder
And dreamed a dream I will not tell
I came home as the sun went down
One eye trained upon the ground
Even now I find their things
Glasses, coins, and golden rings
Its ten years since that ragged army
Limped across these fields of mine
I gave them bread, I gave them brandy
But most of all I gave them time
My well is deep, the water pure
My streams are fed by mountain lakes
I cleaned the brow of many a soldier
Dousing for my husband's face
I won't forget our sad farewell
And how I ran to climb that hill
Just to watch him walk across the valley
And disappear into the trees
Alone there in a sea of blue
It circles every afternoon
A single hawk in God's great sky
Looking down with God's own eyes
He soars above Reunion Hill
I pray he spiral higher still
As if from such an altitude
He might just keep our love in view
Must have been in late September
When last I climbed Reunion Hill
It has to begin with "Transit' -- nothing else touches this absolute classic:
The merge from the turnpike was murder, but it’s never a cinch
It was Friday at five, and no one was giving an inch
They squeezed and the edged and they glared
Half them clearly impaired by rage or exhaustion
The rest were just touchy as hell
Somewhere near Paterson everything slowed to a crawl
The all-news station was thanking someone for the call
It’s a van from St. Agnes’s choir
There’s a nun out there changing a tire
By the time they got by her, tempers were out of control
So they all hit the gas in a dash for position
Bobbing and weaving and flashing their highbeams
Fliping the bird and screaming obscenities
A well-insured hoard hell-bent on Saturday
And so they continued west-bound and into the sun
Law and decorum constraining nary a one
By then it was devil-may-care
Not one even vaguely aware
That they had come all the way to the Delaware Water Gap
But how had it happened? They had all missed their exits
How had it happened? Was it some kind of vortex?
And in they all went, bumper to bumper
Faster and faster, no sign of a trooper
In they all went, like sheep to the slaughter
Bankers and carpenters, doctors and lawyers
And in they all went, families in minivans
Reagan republicans, weekend militiamen
They followed the river, and rounded the bend
Between Minsi and Tammany and into their destiny
Lying in ambush right their before them
The angry old sun right on the horizon
Sister Maria tightened the bolts of the spare
She said a quick prayer and put the old van into gear
Thank God that the traffic was light
If she hurried she might not be late
For that evening’s performance at the state penetentiary
She entered the common room and their was her choir
Altos and baritones, basses and tenors
Car thieves and crack dealers, mobsters and murderers
Husbands and sons, fathers and brothers
And so it began in glorious harmony
Softly and tenderly – calling for you and me
With the interstate whining way off in the distance
And the sun going down through the bars of the prison
They poured out their souls, they poured out their memories
They poured out their hopes for what’s left of eternity
To sister Maria – her soul like a prism
For the light of forgiveness on all of their faces
+++++
Then there is "The Ballad of Mary Magdalen" -- again, a take unlike any other, ever:
My name is Mary Magdalen
I come from Palestine
Please excuse these rags Im in
But I've fallen on hard times
But long ago I had my work
When I was in my prime
But I gave it up, and all for love
It was his career or mine
Jesus loved me
This I know
But why on earth
Did I ever let him go
He was always faithful
He was always kind
But he walked off
With this heart of mine
A love like this will come but once
This I do believe
And I'll not see his like again
As I live and breath
And Im sorry if I might offend
But I will never see
How the tenderness I shared with him
Became a heresy
Jesus loved me
This I know
But why on earth
Did I ever let him go
He was always faithful
He was always kind
But he walked off
With this heart of mine
But I remember nights we spent
Whispering our creed
Our rituals, our sacraments
The stars our canopy
There beneath an olive tree
We'd offer up our plea
Gods creation innocent
His arms surrounding me
Jesus loves me
This I know
But why on earth
Did he ever have to go
He was always faithful
He was always kind
But he walked off
With this heart of mine
+++++
"Wisteria" employs plant as metaphor, with a change diminishing remembrances:
Lets not drive away just yet
Give me a moment more
To walk through those rooms again
To walk through that door
If we turn off the radio
I've only to close my eyes
And the wind in the sycamores
Carry me home
The vine of my memory
Is blooming around those eaves
But it's true it's a chore to tame wisteria
I'm tempted to ring the bell
Maybe they'd let me in
Or maybe it's just as well
To let it all be
Remember the price we paid?
It seemed like a lot back then
Remember the love we made
The day we moved in?
The vine of my memory
Is blooming around those eaves
But it's true it's a chore to tame wisteria
It did need some pruning back
And I know that it's not my place
but how couold they just cut it down
And leave not a trace?
Lets not drive away just yet
Give me a moment more
To walk through those rooms again
To walk through that door
The vine of my memory
Is blooming around those eaves
But it's true it's a chore to tame wisteria
+++++
As sweet and sad a love song as can be written is "Reunion Hill":
Must have been in late September
When last I climbed Reunion Hill
I fell asleep on Indian Boulder
And dreamed a dream I will not tell
I came home as the sun went down
One eye trained upon the ground
Even now I find their things
Glasses, coins, and golden rings
Its ten years since that ragged army
Limped across these fields of mine
I gave them bread, I gave them brandy
But most of all I gave them time
My well is deep, the water pure
My streams are fed by mountain lakes
I cleaned the brow of many a soldier
Dousing for my husband's face
I won't forget our sad farewell
And how I ran to climb that hill
Just to watch him walk across the valley
And disappear into the trees
Alone there in a sea of blue
It circles every afternoon
A single hawk in God's great sky
Looking down with God's own eyes
He soars above Reunion Hill
I pray he spiral higher still
As if from such an altitude
He might just keep our love in view
Must have been in late September
When last I climbed Reunion Hill
Bill Morrissey "Birches" & "She's That Kind of Mystery"
The two Bill Morrissey songs that stand out the most for me are "Birches" and "She's That Kind of Mystery."
They sat at each end of the couch, watched as the fire burned down,
So quiet on this winter's night, not a house light on for miles around.
Then he said, "I think I'll fill the stove. it's getting time for bed."
She looked up, "I think I'll have some wine. how 'bout you?" She asked and he declined.
"Warren," she said, "maybe just for tonight,
Let's fill the stove with birches and watch as the fire burns bright.
How long has it been? I know it's quite a while.
Pour yourself half a glass. Stay with me a little while."
And Warren, he shook his head, as if she'd made some kind of joke.
"Birches on a winter night? no, we'll fill the stove with oak.
Oak will burn as long and hot as a July afternoon,
And birch will burn itself out by the rising of the moon.
"And you hate a cold house, same as me. Am I right or not?"
"All right, all right, that's true," she said. "It was just a thought,
'Cause," she said, "Warren, you do look tired. Maybe you should go up to bed.
I'll look after the fire tonight." "Oak," he told her. "Oak," she said.
She listened to his footsteps as he climbed up the stairs,
And she pulled a sweater on her, set her wineglass on a chair.
She walked down cellar to the wood box -- it was as cold as an ice chest --
And climbed back up with four logs, each as white as a wedding dress.
And she filled the stove and poured the wine and then she sat down on the floor.
She curled her legs beneath her as the fire sprang to life once more.
And it filled the room with a hungry light and it cracked as it drew air,
And the shadows danced a jittery waltz like no one else was there.
And she stood up in the heat. She twirled around the room.
And the shadows they saw nothing but a young girl on her honeymoon.
And she knew the time it would be short; the fire would start to fade.
She thought of heat. She thought of time. She called it an even trade.
and
Below is Morrissey singing "She's That Kind of Mystery" but the video is unconnected to him.
You can look into her eyes and live forever
She’s as restless as the sea
She’s as calm as a summer dawn
She’s that kind of mystery
And you can write the song that wins her heart
A song will take you half the way
But you’ve known from the start
You’ll never write the song that makes her stay
Chorus
Love comes in a sound of a dream
In a whisper of a prayer
In a promise of a sigh
And love comes from the corner of a smile
But it isn’t meant for you
She will only stay awhile
And she will fall asleep within your arms
And you will know the fear as lovers do
For in the night she’ll pledge her heart
But she cannot feel what is not hers
Chorus
First verse
They sat at each end of the couch, watched as the fire burned down,
So quiet on this winter's night, not a house light on for miles around.
Then he said, "I think I'll fill the stove. it's getting time for bed."
She looked up, "I think I'll have some wine. how 'bout you?" She asked and he declined.
"Warren," she said, "maybe just for tonight,
Let's fill the stove with birches and watch as the fire burns bright.
How long has it been? I know it's quite a while.
Pour yourself half a glass. Stay with me a little while."
And Warren, he shook his head, as if she'd made some kind of joke.
"Birches on a winter night? no, we'll fill the stove with oak.
Oak will burn as long and hot as a July afternoon,
And birch will burn itself out by the rising of the moon.
"And you hate a cold house, same as me. Am I right or not?"
"All right, all right, that's true," she said. "It was just a thought,
'Cause," she said, "Warren, you do look tired. Maybe you should go up to bed.
I'll look after the fire tonight." "Oak," he told her. "Oak," she said.
She listened to his footsteps as he climbed up the stairs,
And she pulled a sweater on her, set her wineglass on a chair.
She walked down cellar to the wood box -- it was as cold as an ice chest --
And climbed back up with four logs, each as white as a wedding dress.
And she filled the stove and poured the wine and then she sat down on the floor.
She curled her legs beneath her as the fire sprang to life once more.
And it filled the room with a hungry light and it cracked as it drew air,
And the shadows danced a jittery waltz like no one else was there.
And she stood up in the heat. She twirled around the room.
And the shadows they saw nothing but a young girl on her honeymoon.
And she knew the time it would be short; the fire would start to fade.
She thought of heat. She thought of time. She called it an even trade.
and
Below is Morrissey singing "She's That Kind of Mystery" but the video is unconnected to him.
You can look into her eyes and live forever
She’s as restless as the sea
She’s as calm as a summer dawn
She’s that kind of mystery
And you can write the song that wins her heart
A song will take you half the way
But you’ve known from the start
You’ll never write the song that makes her stay
Chorus
Love comes in a sound of a dream
In a whisper of a prayer
In a promise of a sigh
And love comes from the corner of a smile
But it isn’t meant for you
She will only stay awhile
And she will fall asleep within your arms
And you will know the fear as lovers do
For in the night she’ll pledge her heart
But she cannot feel what is not hers
Chorus
First verse
Eva Cassidy "Fields of Gold'
It's unusual when a remake is better than the original but that's just what Eva Cassidy did with her rendition of "Fields of Gold." She owns this song, adding depth to the lyrics with her range of lightness and then emotion throughout the cut.
Mary Chapin Carpenter makes mention of Eva Cassidy and this song in her "In My Heaven":
...There's little white lights everywhere
Your childhood dog in Dad's old chair
And more memories than my heart can hold
When Eva's singing "Fields of Gold"...
You'll remember me when the west wind moves upon the fields of barley.
You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky as we walk in fields of gold.
So she took her love for to gaze awhile upon the fields of barley.
In his arms she fell as her hair came down among the fields of gold.
Will you stay with me, will you be my love among the fields of barley?
We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky as we lie in fields of gold.
See the west wind move like a lover so upon the fields of barley.
Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth among the fields of gold.
I never made promises lightly and there have been some that I've broken,
But I swear in the days still left we'll walk in fields of gold.
We'll walk in fields of gold.
Many years have passed since those summer days among the fields of barley.
See the children run as the sun goes down among the fields of gold.
You'll remember me when the west wind moves upon the fields of barley.
You can tell the sun in his jealous sky when we walked in fields of gold,
When we walked in fields of gold, when we walked in fields of gold.
Mary Chapin Carpenter makes mention of Eva Cassidy and this song in her "In My Heaven":
...There's little white lights everywhere
Your childhood dog in Dad's old chair
And more memories than my heart can hold
When Eva's singing "Fields of Gold"...
You'll remember me when the west wind moves upon the fields of barley.
You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky as we walk in fields of gold.
So she took her love for to gaze awhile upon the fields of barley.
In his arms she fell as her hair came down among the fields of gold.
Will you stay with me, will you be my love among the fields of barley?
We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky as we lie in fields of gold.
See the west wind move like a lover so upon the fields of barley.
Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth among the fields of gold.
I never made promises lightly and there have been some that I've broken,
But I swear in the days still left we'll walk in fields of gold.
We'll walk in fields of gold.
Many years have passed since those summer days among the fields of barley.
See the children run as the sun goes down among the fields of gold.
You'll remember me when the west wind moves upon the fields of barley.
You can tell the sun in his jealous sky when we walked in fields of gold,
When we walked in fields of gold, when we walked in fields of gold.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Josh Ritter "Harrisburg" & "Golden Age of Radio"
Here's two more from Josh Ritter -- "Harrisburg" and "Golden Age of Radio":
Romero got married on the fifth of July
In our Lady of Immaculate Dawn
Could have got married in the revival man's tent
But there ain't no reviving what's gone
Slipped like a shadow from the family he made
In a little white house by the woods
Dropped the kids at the mission, with a rose for the virgin
She knew he was gone for good
It's a long way to Heaven, it's closer to Harrisburg
And that's still a long way from the place where we are
And if evil exists its a pair of train tracks
And the devil is a railroad car
Could have stayed somewhere but the train tracks kept going
And it seems like they always left soon
and the wolves that he ran with they moaned low and painful
sang sad misery's to the moon
It's a long way to Heaven, it's closer to Harrisburg
And that's still a long way from the place where we are
And if evil exists its a pair of train tracks
And the devil is a railroad car
Rose at the altar withered and wilted
Romero sank into a dream
He didn't make Heaven, he didn't make Harrisburg
He died in a hole in between
Some say that man is the root of all evil
Others say God's a drunkard for pain
Me I believe that the Garden of Eden
was burned to make way for a train
and
Picture they took of you in your cowboy hat
Makes you look like you are one of the boys
Out on a Saturday night, meanwhile on the outskirts of the dance hall
I'm a joke that you'd probably enjoy
On the outside of Memphis all the building look big
And the white picket fences all dare to charge around the lawn
And hold their heads up high when my headlights find them out
They'll be the first to put their hands in the air with my radio on
Singing a country song soft and low
Oh when I've got a worried mind I know
I hear the ghost of Patsy Cline
On the Grand Old Opry Show
Living on the edge of the city limit line
This is where the boundary finally ends
And I swear that we're the last living souls in a populated ghost town
All the billboards are our best friends
Which way did our last chance go and can we
Get out if we go right now?
It seems that with the malls and the mega-church stadiums
We would get out if we knew just how with the radio on
Oh when I've got a worried mind I know
I hear the ghost of Patsy Cline
On the Grand Old Opry Show
Standing in line to get my self-help book signed off
On by the reverend who shouts to the converted
Have mercy on this boy he did it all by the book
But still kind of has his doubts
Oh you look pretty good in that jonquil dress
But your smile is a wooden nickel's pride
and I know that it ain't worth much but it feels good to touch
And I think that I could dance if I tried with your radio on
Oh when I've got a worried mind I know
I hear the ghost of Patsy Cline
On the Grand Old Opry Show
Romero got married on the fifth of July
In our Lady of Immaculate Dawn
Could have got married in the revival man's tent
But there ain't no reviving what's gone
Slipped like a shadow from the family he made
In a little white house by the woods
Dropped the kids at the mission, with a rose for the virgin
She knew he was gone for good
It's a long way to Heaven, it's closer to Harrisburg
And that's still a long way from the place where we are
And if evil exists its a pair of train tracks
And the devil is a railroad car
Could have stayed somewhere but the train tracks kept going
And it seems like they always left soon
and the wolves that he ran with they moaned low and painful
sang sad misery's to the moon
It's a long way to Heaven, it's closer to Harrisburg
And that's still a long way from the place where we are
And if evil exists its a pair of train tracks
And the devil is a railroad car
Rose at the altar withered and wilted
Romero sank into a dream
He didn't make Heaven, he didn't make Harrisburg
He died in a hole in between
Some say that man is the root of all evil
Others say God's a drunkard for pain
Me I believe that the Garden of Eden
was burned to make way for a train
and
Picture they took of you in your cowboy hat
Makes you look like you are one of the boys
Out on a Saturday night, meanwhile on the outskirts of the dance hall
I'm a joke that you'd probably enjoy
On the outside of Memphis all the building look big
And the white picket fences all dare to charge around the lawn
And hold their heads up high when my headlights find them out
They'll be the first to put their hands in the air with my radio on
Singing a country song soft and low
Oh when I've got a worried mind I know
I hear the ghost of Patsy Cline
On the Grand Old Opry Show
Living on the edge of the city limit line
This is where the boundary finally ends
And I swear that we're the last living souls in a populated ghost town
All the billboards are our best friends
Which way did our last chance go and can we
Get out if we go right now?
It seems that with the malls and the mega-church stadiums
We would get out if we knew just how with the radio on
Oh when I've got a worried mind I know
I hear the ghost of Patsy Cline
On the Grand Old Opry Show
Standing in line to get my self-help book signed off
On by the reverend who shouts to the converted
Have mercy on this boy he did it all by the book
But still kind of has his doubts
Oh you look pretty good in that jonquil dress
But your smile is a wooden nickel's pride
and I know that it ain't worth much but it feels good to touch
And I think that I could dance if I tried with your radio on
Oh when I've got a worried mind I know
I hear the ghost of Patsy Cline
On the Grand Old Opry Show
Gretchen Peters "The Matador"
Gretchen Peters has a recent release (Hello Cruel World) and one of the cuts is "The Matador" -- a metaphor song of sorts. Watch the fascinating video that accompanies the song:
I threw a rose to the matador, not sure who I was cheering for
My aim was true, my heart was full, I loved the fighter and the bull
I loved like only a woman can, a very complicated man
I bound his wounds, I heard his cries, I gave him truth, I told him lies
His rage is made of many things: faithless women, wedding rings
Snakes and snails and alcohol, his daddy’s fist thrown through the wall
Ah but he’s beautiful when he’s in the ring, the devil howls, the angels sing
Sparks fly from his fingertips and words like birds fly from his lips
Some man is lyin’ in the dirt
Some woman’s crying that he’s hurt
But he’s not alive without the thrill
Without the dance, without the kill
The lights go down, the people roar
They’re cheering on the matador
And this is how the story goes
I knew it when I threw the rose
I come to each and every show; the woman in the second row
I watch them in their ancient dance and I know I never stood a chance
Cause while other demons prance and clown, it’s vanity that takes you down
I thought that I could be the one, but I’m just another hanger-on
Some man is bleedin’ in the dirt
Some woman’s crying that she’s hurt
But who are we without the thrill
Without the dance, without the kill
And he is bull and matador
And I’m the mother and the whore
And this is how the story goes
I knew it when I threw the rose
I threw a rose to the matador, not sure who I was cheering for
My aim was true, my heart was full; I loved the fighter and the bull
I threw a rose to the matador, not sure who I was cheering for
My aim was true, my heart was full, I loved the fighter and the bull
I loved like only a woman can, a very complicated man
I bound his wounds, I heard his cries, I gave him truth, I told him lies
His rage is made of many things: faithless women, wedding rings
Snakes and snails and alcohol, his daddy’s fist thrown through the wall
Ah but he’s beautiful when he’s in the ring, the devil howls, the angels sing
Sparks fly from his fingertips and words like birds fly from his lips
Some man is lyin’ in the dirt
Some woman’s crying that he’s hurt
But he’s not alive without the thrill
Without the dance, without the kill
The lights go down, the people roar
They’re cheering on the matador
And this is how the story goes
I knew it when I threw the rose
I come to each and every show; the woman in the second row
I watch them in their ancient dance and I know I never stood a chance
Cause while other demons prance and clown, it’s vanity that takes you down
I thought that I could be the one, but I’m just another hanger-on
Some man is bleedin’ in the dirt
Some woman’s crying that she’s hurt
But who are we without the thrill
Without the dance, without the kill
And he is bull and matador
And I’m the mother and the whore
And this is how the story goes
I knew it when I threw the rose
I threw a rose to the matador, not sure who I was cheering for
My aim was true, my heart was full; I loved the fighter and the bull
Hayes Carll "Easy Come, Easy Go"
Hayes Carll's "Easy Come, Easy Go" is a catchy tale with a nice un-Nashville, very atypical twist at the end.
Jamie was a barmaid at the Underground Longrail
Seems like every Friday evenin’
She’d find herself in Jail
Not a friend this side of Houston
With the time to throw her bail
But she’ll be fine, she’ll be fine
Spent a lifetime walkin’
Through the walls of a broken home
Not a man round here still standin’
For the girl to call her own.
Every time she tried to hold him
She just ended up alone
But there’s still time, there’s still time
Davey drove a taxi
Through the streets of Boston town
Like the billboards up above him
The world just wore him down
Only soul he’d ever cared for
Was the one he’d never found
But He’ll be fine, He’ll be fine
Broken Half of Winter, with a wind chill ten below
Davey sittin’ in his kitchen laughin ‘bout
How the world had done him so
Then the postman burst his bubble
With a letter from below
And now it’s time, now it’s time
Chorus
And there’s a lot of people runnin’ round
Not quite sure which way to go
But as for me I believe I finally found
It’s just easy come and easy go
Jamie grabbed a bottle, threw her apron on the bar
Packed her whole world in a suitcase
And tossed it in the car
Woke up in Texarkana
Wondrin’ how she’d got this far
And on her own, on her own
Stranger at the motel let Jamie stay for free
She was gone before the daybreak
On her ways to Tennessee
Lookin’ to make the whole world over
Into a place she wants to be
But not alone, not alone
Davey left his taxi
In the bottom of a Beantown lake
He said this whole world’s full of chances
And this is one I gotta take
So he caught the line to Nashville
To finally find his break
And make a home, make a home
As the train flew out of Boston
His whole world passed him by
He said I spent a lifetime runnin’
And now’s the time to try
If I can’t find someone to hold me
My dreams will surely die
And I’ll be gone, I’ll be gone
Repeat Chorus
When Davey hit the pavement
The sky was almost gray
He lit a smoke off of the sidewalk
To drive the storm away
And when Jamie turned the corner
With the world upon her brow
Davey said I must be dreamin’
How could this happen now
And then she walked right towards him
Looked him right up in the eye
Davey reached out for forever
And Jamie walked on by
Repeat Chorus
+++++
Here's a subject and lyrical interesting Carll song -- "Down The Road Tonight" -- and it's much more raucous than above:
Thrifts store cowboys
Five and dime junkies
Red dirt plow boys
Asphalt monkeys
Holly rollers
Signal callers
Truck stop angels
Backstreet brawlers
Van zant groupies
Guitar slingers
Hallelujah
Gospel singers
Freight train mommas
Pistol shooters
My first girlfriend
works at Hooters
Beans and biscuits
in my cupboard
Listen to Ray Wylie Hubbard
All gone down the road tonight
Drunken' angels
Blacktop racers
Holly rollers
Whiskey chasers
Lone star drinkers
Midnight ramblers
Dirty road divas
Highway gamblers
Moonshine mommas
Panty droppers
Dali llamas
Old pill poppers
High school heroes
Back road preachers
Pool hall hustlers
Tantric teachers
Teenage cuties
Politking
Hare Krishna
Feed me chicken
All gone down on the road tonight
Blue jean babies
Old heart breakers
Had a party
with some Quakers
Hard-worn highways
Country singers
Radios full of
old right-wingers
Session players
Duck tape dealers
Outlaw country
Hubcap stealers
Aint no money
in my wallet
Broke again is
what they call it
My grandmamma's
name was Stella
Michael Jackson
peaked at thriller
All gone down the road tonight
Jukebox gypsies
Mustang sallies
Don't go walkin'
down dark alleys
Needle pushers
horn rimmed glasses
Rhinestone jumpsuit
Backstage passes
Blue plate specials
Lou Ann platters
Japanese is
all that matters
broken arrows
Gulf coast kickers
Who's your daddy
bumper stickers
da da da da
da da da da
da da da da da da
Oooh yeah
Oh uh uh uh
I'm outta words people
That's all I got
Americana woman
Hip shake with me baby
Jamie was a barmaid at the Underground Longrail
Seems like every Friday evenin’
She’d find herself in Jail
Not a friend this side of Houston
With the time to throw her bail
But she’ll be fine, she’ll be fine
Spent a lifetime walkin’
Through the walls of a broken home
Not a man round here still standin’
For the girl to call her own.
Every time she tried to hold him
She just ended up alone
But there’s still time, there’s still time
Davey drove a taxi
Through the streets of Boston town
Like the billboards up above him
The world just wore him down
Only soul he’d ever cared for
Was the one he’d never found
But He’ll be fine, He’ll be fine
Broken Half of Winter, with a wind chill ten below
Davey sittin’ in his kitchen laughin ‘bout
How the world had done him so
Then the postman burst his bubble
With a letter from below
And now it’s time, now it’s time
Chorus
And there’s a lot of people runnin’ round
Not quite sure which way to go
But as for me I believe I finally found
It’s just easy come and easy go
Jamie grabbed a bottle, threw her apron on the bar
Packed her whole world in a suitcase
And tossed it in the car
Woke up in Texarkana
Wondrin’ how she’d got this far
And on her own, on her own
Stranger at the motel let Jamie stay for free
She was gone before the daybreak
On her ways to Tennessee
Lookin’ to make the whole world over
Into a place she wants to be
But not alone, not alone
Davey left his taxi
In the bottom of a Beantown lake
He said this whole world’s full of chances
And this is one I gotta take
So he caught the line to Nashville
To finally find his break
And make a home, make a home
As the train flew out of Boston
His whole world passed him by
He said I spent a lifetime runnin’
And now’s the time to try
If I can’t find someone to hold me
My dreams will surely die
And I’ll be gone, I’ll be gone
Repeat Chorus
When Davey hit the pavement
The sky was almost gray
He lit a smoke off of the sidewalk
To drive the storm away
And when Jamie turned the corner
With the world upon her brow
Davey said I must be dreamin’
How could this happen now
And then she walked right towards him
Looked him right up in the eye
Davey reached out for forever
And Jamie walked on by
Repeat Chorus
+++++
Here's a subject and lyrical interesting Carll song -- "Down The Road Tonight" -- and it's much more raucous than above:
Thrifts store cowboys
Five and dime junkies
Red dirt plow boys
Asphalt monkeys
Holly rollers
Signal callers
Truck stop angels
Backstreet brawlers
Van zant groupies
Guitar slingers
Hallelujah
Gospel singers
Freight train mommas
Pistol shooters
My first girlfriend
works at Hooters
Beans and biscuits
in my cupboard
Listen to Ray Wylie Hubbard
All gone down the road tonight
Drunken' angels
Blacktop racers
Holly rollers
Whiskey chasers
Lone star drinkers
Midnight ramblers
Dirty road divas
Highway gamblers
Moonshine mommas
Panty droppers
Dali llamas
Old pill poppers
High school heroes
Back road preachers
Pool hall hustlers
Tantric teachers
Teenage cuties
Politking
Hare Krishna
Feed me chicken
All gone down on the road tonight
Blue jean babies
Old heart breakers
Had a party
with some Quakers
Hard-worn highways
Country singers
Radios full of
old right-wingers
Session players
Duck tape dealers
Outlaw country
Hubcap stealers
Aint no money
in my wallet
Broke again is
what they call it
My grandmamma's
name was Stella
Michael Jackson
peaked at thriller
All gone down the road tonight
Jukebox gypsies
Mustang sallies
Don't go walkin'
down dark alleys
Needle pushers
horn rimmed glasses
Rhinestone jumpsuit
Backstage passes
Blue plate specials
Lou Ann platters
Japanese is
all that matters
broken arrows
Gulf coast kickers
Who's your daddy
bumper stickers
da da da da
da da da da
da da da da da da
Oooh yeah
Oh uh uh uh
I'm outta words people
That's all I got
Americana woman
Hip shake with me baby
Chris Kokesh "Lucy"
In "Lucy," Chris Kokesh writes matter-of-factly yet poignantly about a mother facing death and assessing of her children. If this one doesn't touch you, check for a pulse.
Most of the time lately I am not myself
Sometimes I’m just so tired, sometimes I feel like hell
We made it through the winter and it’s starting to turn spring
But the cancer just keeps growing and killing everything
My son’s just turning 15, he already tows the line
He’s so much like his father I know that he’ll be fine
Lucy is two years younger, but she smells like cigarettes
She still needs her mama, but she doesn’t know it yet
Lucy, Lucy
There’ll be joy and there’ll be pain
Lucy, you have no idea what the world can throw your way
From the moment you could crawl you thought you’d seen it all
Little flame that burns so bright
Lucy, Lucy
Goodnight, sweetheart, goodnight
Lucy do you remember when your mama’s gentle hand
Woke you in the dark and flew you off to Disneyland
Now I never see you smiling as you creep around this house
But I know you keep a hotel soap in the shape of Mickey Mouse
Lucy, I remember when you found that baby bird
You were so mad at its mama because she never returned
But Lucy it’s a world of plans that fall apart
And you must be a brave girl and not let it break your heart
Lucy, Lucy
There’ll be joy and there’ll be pain
Lucy, you have no idea what the world can throw your way
From the moment you could crawl you thought you’d seen it all
You are a flame that burns so bright
Lucy, Lucy
Goodnight, sweetheart, goodnight
Most of the time lately I am not myself
Sometimes I’m just so tired, sometimes I feel like hell
We made it through the winter and it’s starting to turn spring
But the cancer just keeps growing and killing everything
My son’s just turning 15, he already tows the line
He’s so much like his father I know that he’ll be fine
Lucy is two years younger, but she smells like cigarettes
She still needs her mama, but she doesn’t know it yet
Lucy, Lucy
There’ll be joy and there’ll be pain
Lucy, you have no idea what the world can throw your way
From the moment you could crawl you thought you’d seen it all
Little flame that burns so bright
Lucy, Lucy
Goodnight, sweetheart, goodnight
Lucy do you remember when your mama’s gentle hand
Woke you in the dark and flew you off to Disneyland
Now I never see you smiling as you creep around this house
But I know you keep a hotel soap in the shape of Mickey Mouse
Lucy, I remember when you found that baby bird
You were so mad at its mama because she never returned
But Lucy it’s a world of plans that fall apart
And you must be a brave girl and not let it break your heart
Lucy, Lucy
There’ll be joy and there’ll be pain
Lucy, you have no idea what the world can throw your way
From the moment you could crawl you thought you’d seen it all
You are a flame that burns so bright
Lucy, Lucy
Goodnight, sweetheart, goodnight
Monday, October 22, 2012
Josh Ritter "Girl In The War"
Found Josh Ritter's "Girl In The War" plus also his description of the meaning behind it:
Peter said to Paul you know all those words we wrote
Are just the rules of the game and the rules are the first to go
But now talking to God is Laurel begging Hardy for a gun
I got a girl in the war man I wonder what it is we done
Paul said to Peter you got to rock yourself a little harder
Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire
But I got a girl in the war Paul the only thing I know to do
Is turn up the music and pray that she makes it through
Because the keys to the Kingdom got lost inside the Kingdom
And the angels fly around in there but we can¹t see them
I got a girl in the war Paul I know that they can hear me yell
If they can¹t find a way to help her they can go to Hell
If they can¹t find a way to help her they can go to Hell
Paul said to Peter you got to rock yourself a little harder
Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire
But I got a girl in the war Paul her eyes are like champagne
They sparkle bubble over and in the morning all you got is rain
They sparkle bubble over and in the morning all you got is rain
They sparkle bubble over and in the morning all you got is rain
Describing his most recent album, The Animal Years, Ritter told The Irish Sunday Tribune, “I was trying to write about what I believed in, and the only way I could do this was to write songs about confusion.” He shared one of those songs about confusion, “A Girl in the War,” with the audience at the dinner. The song portrays the disciples Peter and Paul debating the dangers of maintaining an inflexible worldview while a young man fears for the fate of his lover who is serving in Iraq. Ritter searched the audience and explained: “It’s about a bunch of people talking about problems and not getting past just the talking. So I hope you do.”
Peter said to Paul you know all those words we wrote
Are just the rules of the game and the rules are the first to go
But now talking to God is Laurel begging Hardy for a gun
I got a girl in the war man I wonder what it is we done
Paul said to Peter you got to rock yourself a little harder
Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire
But I got a girl in the war Paul the only thing I know to do
Is turn up the music and pray that she makes it through
Because the keys to the Kingdom got lost inside the Kingdom
And the angels fly around in there but we can¹t see them
I got a girl in the war Paul I know that they can hear me yell
If they can¹t find a way to help her they can go to Hell
If they can¹t find a way to help her they can go to Hell
Paul said to Peter you got to rock yourself a little harder
Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire
But I got a girl in the war Paul her eyes are like champagne
They sparkle bubble over and in the morning all you got is rain
They sparkle bubble over and in the morning all you got is rain
They sparkle bubble over and in the morning all you got is rain
Gregory Alan Isakov "The Stable Song"
Gregory Alan Isakov's "The Stable Song" is another of my favorites.
remember when our songs where just like prayers.
like gospel hymns that you called in the air.
come down come down sweet reverance,
unto my simple house and ring…
and ring.
ring like silver, ring like gold
ring out those ghosts on the ohio
ring like clear day wedding bells
were we the belly of the beast or the sword that fell…we’ll never tell.
come to me clear and cold on some sea
watch the world spinning waves..like some machine
now i’ve been crazy couldn’t you tell
i threw stones at the stars, but the whole sky fell
now i’m covered up in straw, belly up on the table
well and sang and drank, and passed in the stable.
that tall grass grows high and brown,
well i dragged you straight in the muddy ground
and you sent me back to where i roam
well i cursed and i cried, but now i know…now i know
and i ran back to that hollow again
the moon was just a sliver back then
and i ached for my heart like some tin man
when it came oh it beat and it boiled and it rang..its ringing
ring like crazy, ring like hell
turn me back into that wild haired gale
ring like silver, ring like gold
turn these diamonds straight back into coal
remember when our songs where just like prayers.
like gospel hymns that you called in the air.
come down come down sweet reverance,
unto my simple house and ring…
and ring.
ring like silver, ring like gold
ring out those ghosts on the ohio
ring like clear day wedding bells
were we the belly of the beast or the sword that fell…we’ll never tell.
come to me clear and cold on some sea
watch the world spinning waves..like some machine
now i’ve been crazy couldn’t you tell
i threw stones at the stars, but the whole sky fell
now i’m covered up in straw, belly up on the table
well and sang and drank, and passed in the stable.
that tall grass grows high and brown,
well i dragged you straight in the muddy ground
and you sent me back to where i roam
well i cursed and i cried, but now i know…now i know
and i ran back to that hollow again
the moon was just a sliver back then
and i ached for my heart like some tin man
when it came oh it beat and it boiled and it rang..its ringing
ring like crazy, ring like hell
turn me back into that wild haired gale
ring like silver, ring like gold
turn these diamonds straight back into coal
Amelia Curran "All Hands On A Grain Of Sand'
Amelia Curran's "All Hands On a Grain of Sand" -- just five stanzas but captivating.
Jonathan Byrd "The Young Slaver"
Jonathan Byrd's musical universe delves into a number of genres but here is his very best song -- The Young Slaver. The link below apparently covers an entire Byrd concert.
Oh my dear, you prepare, are you going anywhere?
Oh my dear, back from town, are you to a vessel bound,
Off to war on an angry sea?
Fairest one, I love you, this is something I must do
Fairest one, if I stay, then your honor I’d betray
So I seek lesser company
Oh my dear, please don’t leave, there are tears upon my sleeve
Oh my dear, if you go, down the archipelago
You will never return to me
Fairest one, let me go, for you know I love you so
Fairest one, I’ll return and your marriage I will earn
With promotion and bravery
Oh my dear, you are gone, I will mourn you ere the dawn
All the young and the brave are the first to find their grave
In Her Majesty’s company
Fairest one never knew what I’m really set to do
Fairest one I never told, trading slaves for rum and gold
To win her from her family
Oh my dear, I have dreams, in the night I hear the screams
Oh my dear, in those lands, you have blood upon your hands
And your soul is in jeopardy
Fairest one of my land, I do not deserve your hand
Fairest one, like a fool, I have been the devil’s tool
And my soul is in jeopardy
Oh my dear, I have learned, all the ships of war returned
Oh my dear, as you know, they did not return with you
So I made you a grave by the sea
Fairest one, I have sins rum or gold could never cleanse
Fairest one, in the deep, I will lay my soul to sleep
And make me a grave of the sea
Oh my dear, you prepare, are you going anywhere?
Oh my dear, back from town, are you to a vessel bound,
Off to war on an angry sea?
Fairest one, I love you, this is something I must do
Fairest one, if I stay, then your honor I’d betray
So I seek lesser company
Oh my dear, please don’t leave, there are tears upon my sleeve
Oh my dear, if you go, down the archipelago
You will never return to me
Fairest one, let me go, for you know I love you so
Fairest one, I’ll return and your marriage I will earn
With promotion and bravery
Oh my dear, you are gone, I will mourn you ere the dawn
All the young and the brave are the first to find their grave
In Her Majesty’s company
Fairest one never knew what I’m really set to do
Fairest one I never told, trading slaves for rum and gold
To win her from her family
Oh my dear, I have dreams, in the night I hear the screams
Oh my dear, in those lands, you have blood upon your hands
And your soul is in jeopardy
Fairest one of my land, I do not deserve your hand
Fairest one, like a fool, I have been the devil’s tool
And my soul is in jeopardy
Oh my dear, I have learned, all the ships of war returned
Oh my dear, as you know, they did not return with you
So I made you a grave by the sea
Fairest one, I have sins rum or gold could never cleanse
Fairest one, in the deep, I will lay my soul to sleep
And make me a grave of the sea
Friday, October 19, 2012
Dar Williams "After All"
Dar Williams is another of those folk artists who deserves special recognition for her myriad of intriguing releases and songs. But one in particular is what I label a stopper, meaning hearing it forces the listener to completely stop what he or she is doing.
After All (the video below is not connected to Williams)
Here are the lyrics:
Go ahead, push your luck
Find out how much love the world can hold
Once upon a time I had control
And reined my soul in tight
Well the whole truth
Is like the story of a wave unfurled
But I held the evil of the world
So I stopped the tide
Froze it up from inside
And it felt like a winter machine
That you go through and then
You catch your breath and winter starts again
And everyone else is spring bound
And when I chose to live
There was no joy, it's just a line I crossed
It wasn't worth the pain my death would cost
So I was not lost or found
And if I was to sleep
I knew my family had more truth to tell
And so I traveled down a whispering well
To know myself through them
Growing up, my mom had a room full of books
And hid away in there
Her father raging down a spiral stair
Till he found someone
Most days his son
And sometimes I think
My father, too, was a refugee
I know they tried to keep their pain from me
They could not see what it was for
But now I'm sleeping fine
Sometimes the truth is like a second chance
I am the daughter of a great romance
And they are the children of the war
Well the sun rose with so many colors
It nearly broke my heart
And worked me over like a work of art
And I was a part of all that
So go ahead, push your luck
Say what it is you've got to say to me
We will push on into that mystery
And it'll push right back
And there are worse things than that
'Cause for every price
And every penance that I could think of
It's better to have fallen in love
Than never to have fallen at all
'Cause when you live in a world
Well it gets in to who you thought you'd be
And now I laugh at how the world changed me
I think life chose me after all
After All (the video below is not connected to Williams)
Here are the lyrics:
Go ahead, push your luck
Find out how much love the world can hold
Once upon a time I had control
And reined my soul in tight
Well the whole truth
Is like the story of a wave unfurled
But I held the evil of the world
So I stopped the tide
Froze it up from inside
And it felt like a winter machine
That you go through and then
You catch your breath and winter starts again
And everyone else is spring bound
And when I chose to live
There was no joy, it's just a line I crossed
It wasn't worth the pain my death would cost
So I was not lost or found
And if I was to sleep
I knew my family had more truth to tell
And so I traveled down a whispering well
To know myself through them
Growing up, my mom had a room full of books
And hid away in there
Her father raging down a spiral stair
Till he found someone
Most days his son
And sometimes I think
My father, too, was a refugee
I know they tried to keep their pain from me
They could not see what it was for
But now I'm sleeping fine
Sometimes the truth is like a second chance
I am the daughter of a great romance
And they are the children of the war
Well the sun rose with so many colors
It nearly broke my heart
And worked me over like a work of art
And I was a part of all that
So go ahead, push your luck
Say what it is you've got to say to me
We will push on into that mystery
And it'll push right back
And there are worse things than that
'Cause for every price
And every penance that I could think of
It's better to have fallen in love
Than never to have fallen at all
'Cause when you live in a world
Well it gets in to who you thought you'd be
And now I laugh at how the world changed me
I think life chose me after all
Part Three: The Best of Stan Rogers
Let's conclude with my final two inclusions:
Witch of the Westmoreland
The House of Orange
Here are the lyrics of the latter:
I took back my hand and I showed him the door
No dollar of mine would I part with this day
For fueling the engines of bloody cruel war
In my forefather's land far away.
Who fled the first Famine wearing all that they owned,
Were called 'Navigators', all ragged and torn,
And built the Grand Trunk here, and found a new home
Wherever their children were born.
Their sons have no politics. None could recall
Allegiance from long generations before.
O'this or O'that name just can't matter at all
Or be cause enough for to war.
And meanwhile my babies lie safe in their home,
Unlike their pale cousins who cower and cry
While knee-cappers nail their poor dads to the floor
And teach them to hate and to die.
It's those cruel beggars who spurn the fair coin.
The peace for their kids they could take at their will.
Since the day old King Billy prevailed at the Boyne,
They've bombed and they've maimed and they've killed.
Now they cry out for money and wail at the door
But Home Rule or Republic, 'tis all of it shamed;
And a curse for us here who want nothing of war.
We're kindred in nothing but name.
All rights and all wrongs have long since blown away,
For causes are ashes where children lie slain.
Yet the damned U.D.L. and the cruel I.R.A.
Will tomorrow go murdering again.
But no penny of mine will I add to the fray.
"Remember the Boyne!" they will cry out in vain,
For I've given my heart to the place I was born
And forgiven the whole House of Orange
King Billy and the whole House of Orange.
Witch of the Westmoreland
The House of Orange
Here are the lyrics of the latter:
I took back my hand and I showed him the door
No dollar of mine would I part with this day
For fueling the engines of bloody cruel war
In my forefather's land far away.
Who fled the first Famine wearing all that they owned,
Were called 'Navigators', all ragged and torn,
And built the Grand Trunk here, and found a new home
Wherever their children were born.
Their sons have no politics. None could recall
Allegiance from long generations before.
O'this or O'that name just can't matter at all
Or be cause enough for to war.
And meanwhile my babies lie safe in their home,
Unlike their pale cousins who cower and cry
While knee-cappers nail their poor dads to the floor
And teach them to hate and to die.
It's those cruel beggars who spurn the fair coin.
The peace for their kids they could take at their will.
Since the day old King Billy prevailed at the Boyne,
They've bombed and they've maimed and they've killed.
Now they cry out for money and wail at the door
But Home Rule or Republic, 'tis all of it shamed;
And a curse for us here who want nothing of war.
We're kindred in nothing but name.
All rights and all wrongs have long since blown away,
For causes are ashes where children lie slain.
Yet the damned U.D.L. and the cruel I.R.A.
Will tomorrow go murdering again.
But no penny of mine will I add to the fray.
"Remember the Boyne!" they will cry out in vain,
For I've given my heart to the place I was born
And forgiven the whole House of Orange
King Billy and the whole House of Orange.
Part Two: The Best of Stan Rogers
Here's a trilogy of water or maritime songs from Stan Rogers -- touching, triumphant and defiant -- among his best regardless of subject.
White Squall
The Mary Ellen Carter
Lockkeeper
White Squall
The Mary Ellen Carter
Lockkeeper
Part One: The Best of Stan Rogers
Selecting the highlights from Stan Rogers' discography is a near impossible task so I will do some grouping as a way around winnowing down to his best offerings.
Let's begin with a threesome of Rogers' a capella songs. His booming voice lends him the 'presence' to carry a rollicking piece minus any instrumental backing. The following are basic but infectious cuts, making the listener want to both sing along and also move around.
Barrett's Privateers
Rolling Down to Old Maui
Northwest Passage
Let's begin with a threesome of Rogers' a capella songs. His booming voice lends him the 'presence' to carry a rollicking piece minus any instrumental backing. The following are basic but infectious cuts, making the listener want to both sing along and also move around.
Barrett's Privateers
Rolling Down to Old Maui
Northwest Passage
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Dar Williams new-ish release
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Ferron's "Cactus" -- "Driver" release
This has been one of my faves since the first time I heard it -- intimate, philosophical, ultimately hopeful:
It's been a year since you left home for higher ground. In the distance I hear a hoot owl ask the only question I have found to be worthy of the sound it makes as it breaks the silence of your old town. These letters are another way to love you.
It takes trouble, and it takes courage to be free. But you 'll find, if you are soft enough, love will hang around for free. And the coldest bed I found does not hold one but it will hold three. I hope you never have to know what that can mean.
It's safe to say I took the long and winding path. And were it not for loving friendships who knows how long I would have lasted. You're young one day but youth is rude and while you watch it walks right past and then...hey...you get your chance to think like me.
When I was young I was in service to my pain. On sunny days you'd find me walking miles to look for rain. And as many times I swapped it all just to hop a moving train. Looking back, it was a most expensive way to get around.
And I found that all the world could love you save for one. And I don't know why it is, but that kiss will be the haunted one. You'll pine and weep and you'll lose good sleep and you'll think your life has come undone, until you learn to turn and spurn that bitter wind.
Because it'll probably be the one you least expect to, who will wager through your storm with you, who will give your fears respect... who will melt your burden down...though you probably don't want that yet, still...the odds fall sweet in favor to an open heart.
Seems to me the tools for being human are wicked crude. They're not so slick and smooth and shiny as some stranger might allude. And while your longest night might test you, you don't be scared of solitude. And remember what is shared is also true.
Because there's a place where the water races wide. And you could be hard pressed (in the muck of time) just trying to reach the other side. You learn to find the only way, or you learn to say you tried. It seems to me a lot of little towns were made that way.
Now while I'm at it...let me tell you about the moon. Because I heard some people talking, looks like we're probably going to have to move there soon. All I know is the face it shows at midnight is not the one it shows at noon. But I bet it's a standing kind of wistful from over there.
In a word, I heard that life's a cactus tree. And should you find a way to break it's skin, won't you have a drink for me. But...if you're standing near a cactus, you're probably where you shouldn't be. Isn't this why you left your home, though you love me.
Now when I imagine life is only time and space...then I guess I've seen the best of it upon your tender, loving face. And the faith that you bestowed in me gives me a solid sense of place. I learn to say...Fire, Water, Earth and Air...I learn to say Fire, Water, Earth and Air...I learn to say Fire, Water, Earth and Air...and I'll see you there.
It's been a year since you left home for higher ground. In the distance I hear a hoot owl ask the only question I have found to be worthy of the sound it makes as it breaks the silence of your old town. These letters are another way to love you.
It takes trouble, and it takes courage to be free. But you 'll find, if you are soft enough, love will hang around for free. And the coldest bed I found does not hold one but it will hold three. I hope you never have to know what that can mean.
It's safe to say I took the long and winding path. And were it not for loving friendships who knows how long I would have lasted. You're young one day but youth is rude and while you watch it walks right past and then...hey...you get your chance to think like me.
When I was young I was in service to my pain. On sunny days you'd find me walking miles to look for rain. And as many times I swapped it all just to hop a moving train. Looking back, it was a most expensive way to get around.
And I found that all the world could love you save for one. And I don't know why it is, but that kiss will be the haunted one. You'll pine and weep and you'll lose good sleep and you'll think your life has come undone, until you learn to turn and spurn that bitter wind.
Because it'll probably be the one you least expect to, who will wager through your storm with you, who will give your fears respect... who will melt your burden down...though you probably don't want that yet, still...the odds fall sweet in favor to an open heart.
Seems to me the tools for being human are wicked crude. They're not so slick and smooth and shiny as some stranger might allude. And while your longest night might test you, you don't be scared of solitude. And remember what is shared is also true.
Because there's a place where the water races wide. And you could be hard pressed (in the muck of time) just trying to reach the other side. You learn to find the only way, or you learn to say you tried. It seems to me a lot of little towns were made that way.
Now while I'm at it...let me tell you about the moon. Because I heard some people talking, looks like we're probably going to have to move there soon. All I know is the face it shows at midnight is not the one it shows at noon. But I bet it's a standing kind of wistful from over there.
In a word, I heard that life's a cactus tree. And should you find a way to break it's skin, won't you have a drink for me. But...if you're standing near a cactus, you're probably where you shouldn't be. Isn't this why you left your home, though you love me.
Now when I imagine life is only time and space...then I guess I've seen the best of it upon your tender, loving face. And the faith that you bestowed in me gives me a solid sense of place. I learn to say...Fire, Water, Earth and Air...I learn to say Fire, Water, Earth and Air...I learn to say Fire, Water, Earth and Air...and I'll see you there.
Ralph McTell's best
Ralph McTell is featured in this article and justly so.
"The Streets of London" is certainly a keeper:
But my favorite McTell song is "Jesus Wept"
"The Streets of London" is certainly a keeper:
But my favorite McTell song is "Jesus Wept"
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