1. |
Can't Seem To Keep
03:18
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Same old sad song on the radio. Why don’t you play me something rocking? I only love you when you’re singing way too loud. A little out of reach, but low down and sweet. Could you pick up the beat a little? How come you never write songs about me baby? I got a sweet mad angel burning up my telephone wires. She asks me “baby, how you do?” I almost always say “alright. I just need to hear your voice for a while that I might sleep. I seem to hold onto your words just fine. It’s your sound that I can’t keep.” Love’s just like some dear old friend of mine. I don’t talk to her often. Think about her almost all the time. And desolate don’t mean desperate. Just rode hard and put away wet. How come you never write songs about me anymore? I got a sweet mad angel burning up my telephone wires. She asks me “baby, how you do?” I almost always say “alright. I just need to hear your voice for a while that I might sleep. I seem to hold onto your words just fine. It’s your sound that I can’t keep.”
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2. |
Meet Me In the Morning
04:21
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I don’t bother changing when the going gets tough. Staying the same seems ‘bout bad enough. No, I don’t bother now with anything much at all. The road rises to meet bad news and such and I travel fast, but not fast enough. She finds me out, she tears me down, she throws me away. Look out, look out, look out mama ‘cause I’m coming about. If she’s the bourgeoning sky then I’m the deep blue sea. Meet me in the morning and I’ll give up my evil ways. I will walk a path of righteousness and never care to stray. I’ll pick you up out on the highway. I just found a brand-new car. You could be my straight and narrow maybe be my shooting star. Are you hanging out the window? Are you old enough now to know that the black sheep often wander for lack of anywhere to go? There’s no time for second chances only time to stay or leave. I’m still feeling kind of seasick. I just need some room to breathe. Look out, look out, look out mama ‘cause I’m coming about. If she’s a bitter medicine, then I’ve a sweet disease. Meet me in the morning and I’ll give up my evil ways. I will walk a path of righteousness and never care to stray. I’ll pick you up out on the highway. I just found a brand-new car. You could be my straight and narrow maybe be my shooting star. Stars will warm you ‘til they burn out bright. Makes it kind of hard to sleep at night. Black sheep, black sheep where you gonna go? I’d love to tell you buddy one thing I know. This country singer she’s a friend of mine, so I stomp my feet and try to stay in time. Clap my hands and the band plays on and on.
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3. |
Fools
03:02
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I love that rock’n’roll vest. You wear your heart on the sleeve. You’re so pretty in pain. Yeah, but your ride is broke down it’s just a bucket of rust. You left it out It the rain. Does that make you stupid? Maybe or maybe not, it all depends on your frame of mind. ‘Cause baby even fools like me get it right occasionally. Yeah baby it’s fools like you that never seem to learn. You got your rock’n’roll bands, you got your life in your hands, and street credit to burn. Yeah, but your ride is broke down it’s just a bucket of smoke. You’re so rabidly fixated and stern. Does that make you stupid? Well maybe, or maybe not, it all depends on your point of view. ‘Cause baby even fools like me get it right occasionally, but baby it’s fools like you; you never seem to learn. Does that make you stupid? Well maybe, or maybe not, it all depends on your frame of mind. ‘Cause baby even fools like me we get it right occasionally, but baby it’s fools like you; you never seem to learn. Yeah baby it’s fools like me. I’ll get it right eventually. But baby it’s fools like me and you. We’ll get it right whatever we have to do. Yeah baby it’s fools like you. You keep me coming around.
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4. |
Letters To Mary
05:14
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Mary Elizabeth where’d you go and die? You know your Ma and Pa been crying? Well, they found your torn dress. Does your body lie in the rushes down by the river? Among the rocks way up high? Well, Mary why’d you hold a grudge and then go out walking and not tell your mama just where you were going? If you left with another, won’t you please tell somebody? ‘Cause they think I killed you Mary. They think I killed you, my love. Last night my darling I slept in the trees. I guess I was drinking again.
Where I slept last night Mary no one could see, and they don’t believe me. I think they’re gonna hang me. Well, Mary why’d you hold a grudge and then go out walking and not tell your mama just where you were going? If you love another, won’t you please tell somebody? ‘Cause they think I killed you Mary. Yeah, they don’t believe me my love. Mary I am standing here with a rope around my neck, and all I can think of is you. I think I’ve seen your ghost walk the hills in my dreams, but not close enough to talk to. Not close enough to touch you. My love I am shaking, but I stand ‘til I die. Your mama’s watching me with cold hate in her eyes, and I’d pray some more, but they want last requests. “If she’s alive tell Mary I love her… If she’s not well, I’ll tell her myself.”
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5. |
Forgetful
04:22
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He only tells her “I love you” when he’s coming home. He never says “I need you” ‘til he’s all alone. Well, it seems he’s a phone ring or sometimes he’s a postcard and she’s trying to play him cool, but it’s hard and lord she’s so fine to me. Just earlier today I figured love out. Just earlier today I knew what love was all about, but I forget. If she was water and I was anything but water, I would surely sink in her like a stone. Tell her time and again “I love you.” Over and over “oh, how I need you” and I’d never feel alone. But those sweet words they never fall from her lips. No they’re never spoken and I’m trying to play it cool, but I just feel broken and lord, she’s so fine to me. Just earlier today I figured love out. Just earlier today I knew what love was all about, but I forget.
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6. |
Sparkler
04:05
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Which way was up when you were high, high, high as the sky and in love? Which way was down dear when you were cold, alone, and hovering above us all? I swear you’re gonna catch your death of blue horizons out there. You’ll never see the sunrise like you want to see it out there. I swear you think you’ll never be the lonely one. Won’t ever be the lonely one. So won’t you sparkle on sparkler? Get your dim light in gear. Come on if you’re going. Go on and disappear ‘cause you’re like the brief Indian summer and you’re like the buzzing in my ear. So glad you’re gone. Somehow the wanting of you has lingered on. Do you come on like a streetlamp after a hazy day in a lazy May full of flowers brought by April rains? Or do you rise like the moon waltzing all the while with your drummer boy to some lullaby tune you wrote? I swear you’re gonna catch your death of blue horizons out there. You’ll never see the sunrise like you want to see it out there. I swear you think you’ll never be the lonely one. Won’t ever be the lonely one. So, won’t you sparkle on sparkler? Get your dim light in gear. Come on if you’re going. Go on and disappear ‘cause you’re like the brief Indian summer and you’re like the buzzing in my ear. So glad you’re gone. Somehow the wanting of you has lingered on and on. So which way was up when you burned out like a streetlamp with an overflowing cup?
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7. |
Dear Democracy
03:48
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So sorry that you slipped and accidentally killed me dead. (We’re so very sorry yeah) No shots fired it was slow, but I’m thinking that it must be said (Just so you know) Authoritari-aristocracy. I really didn’t think it had a thing on me. Send dead flowers labeled “Dear Democracy.” Stones were thrown, pods were cast, there were kittens on the internet. (Oh, what a pretty kitty) Were you under the impression that the caring hadn’t started yet? (Just so you know, it did) So distracted by the shapes and sounds, bet you couldn’t tell your ass from a hole in the ground. Send dead flowers labeled “Dear Democracy.” So, lend me your ear and I’ll sing you a story. Be quick to my side for I haven’t much time. The fix it was in ere the moment we started dreaming. La La, La La, rockabye. All this time were you blind? There were signs there were fascist plots. (Eenie Meenie Mussolini) Big money talks even walks let it vote and tell me what have we got? (What a terrible mess) Aristocrauthoritarian. We’re gonna build a big wall. We’re gonna get things done. Send dead flowers labeled “Dear Democracy.” Rest in pieces Democracy. Oh Dear! Democracy.
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8. |
A Miner's Son
03:39
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Well, my daddy was a miner. He spent his whole life busting coal, spent his whole life savings in company scrip the Peabody company store, and he stands taller than the mountain in my childhood memory. When he died of black lung poisoning, he passed the helmet on to me. Well, the company man at the funeral had hands white like driven snow. He said “there’s a job here for you son.” Tell me something I don’t know. ‘Cause you got men dying on the mountain quicker than you can fill their clothes. The damned mineshaft eats our spirits fast as you can chuck ‘em down the hole. So, Mary take me and keep me in your sight tonight. My summers number only fourteen
and I don’t want to die. This hammer weighs near nine pounds it’s too heavy for my size. Far too heavy for my size. Far too heavy for my size. I hear music from the mountain late at night when I can’t sleep. There’s Irish gins and jigs and reels that echo from that keep. “Put a number to them voices” I tell the buttons on papa’s shirt. Then I kiss my mama goodbye and I go off to work. ‘Cause my daddy was a miner he busted coal his whole life through, but he died of black lung poisoning now his son’s a miner too.
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9. |
Hey Lonely
04:05
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Hey lonely came to trouble near the trestle. I was walking western down the boulevard near my house. Well, gin and nothing surely paints a pretty picture, but drunk and stumbling, what comes around seems to keep on coming around. And I believe that there’s a whole lot wrong with me, but everything must count for something in a long run of misery. If you were me would you always heed the call of a siren-like buzzing bar light singing “baby, won’t you rock’n’roll with me all night? We’ll reckon the cost of the love that we’ve lost to these crazy, crazy dreams.” There’d be a whole lot more wrong with you if you were me. You assume too much. You’re presuming and such. Hold your tongue, thought I heard the sound of an old soul with a young heart in the throes of breaking down out on the scene. And I may be nobody now, but if you knew who I used to be. You better believe that there’s a whole lot wrong with me, but everything must count for something in a long run of misery. If you were me would you always heed the call of a siren-like buzzing bar light singing “baby, won’t you rock’n’roll with me all night? We’ll reckon the cost of the love that we’ve lost to these crazy, crazy dreams.” There’d be a whole lot more wrong with you if you were me. Hey lonely came to trouble near the trestle. Drunk and stumbling western down the boulevard towards our house.
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10. |
Outskirts
05:05
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There’s been a death on the outskirts of town where our road meets the north rail and the Jones’ place burned down. An old man we all knew. Well, at least knew his name. He had a heart attack or something and he fell by the tracks of the train. He had a flask in his jacket read the paper by our steps, a purple heart from the great war and an arrowhead he’d kept a pipe and a pouch of some cheap captain’s black. Just out for a stroll. He never quite made it back. There’s been a death in the middle of our town where the main street meets the south rail another body was found. An old woman we all knew. In love she bore the same name as the veteran who fell by the tracks of the train. They found her dead in her kitchen read the paper by our walk. She held a dried bachelor button old as a grandfather clock. Her love was an old man though she met him so young. They say love’s a cruel master when your love’s time is done. Smiling old man in dirty jeans in the garden, and this dignified lady, she’d shake her head then she’d scold him. But she’d laugh when he’d tease her and say “William! Hold could you!?” Then she’d hold him. She never let him go. Yeah, there was a love once on the outskirts of our town.
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11. |
A Good Day
03:50
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It was a good day to be on lock-down in the States. I knew this truth the second you walked away. ‘Cause even if I could have followed there’d have been nothing I could say to make you stay. It was a good day to learn to live with your disregard. My heart the lonely moving target. Shooting pistols out in the yard. Loaded questions, a loaded trailer, dangerous looks, and a smoking gun. Come on and get you some. So, lock all your doors and double check all the windows. Tell all your friends it’s gonna be alright. Keep washing your hands of this and that. Even then though, I want to see you laughing. I hope you’re happy. I’ll see you on the other side. This seems as good a day as any I’ve seen for laying things to rest. Unspoken angry words turn into poison. It’s probably better just to get it off of your chest. Trace out the fire escape up to the roof top, draw down deep, and shout it loud and clear; “I don’t want to stay in here anymore.” I want to see you laughing. I hope you’re happy. I want to see you on the other side.
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12. |
So High
05:04
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Say a little prayer for the one that you always kick and fight and come running back to. Keep a little prayer right on the tip of your tongue for one you feel is far beneath you, but as good as many, and maybe better than some. If you’d give a little damn for the wrent and the shook. If you’d shed a single tear for the time it took. If you’d fall in and take a hit for the pale and waning rays of your darker sun fell down onto my perfect day. Why’d you get me so high knowing you’d never stay? So high that I would fall to you any day. So high that I could never get level without you around. So, speak a word in tune to a troubled mind. Shed a little light of a helping kind. I’d give everything within if I could learn to live without you.
Love’s the way they say is real, but I still have my doubts.
Why’d you get me so high knowing you’d never stay? So high that I would fall to you any day. So high that I could never get level without you around. And if it’s all the same to you I don’t want to fight or fuss. It’s just I seem to find love alone it sometimes ain’t enough. It’s just I seem to find there’s the lucky and the rest of us get taken for a ride. I’d give away my records. Everything I’ve ever owned. I’ve lost all faith and interest in feeling almost always gone. I’m standing up and I’m drowning in a big bad screaming sound. I can’t shake you. I can’t make you love me.
You and me.
We are the same.
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