Songs from the first CD "Dry Rain and Other Southern Folk Tales"

Crystal Eyes of Blue

V1
On the back roads of her mind
She wanders free
Never knowing what she'll find
Life has treated her unkind
And so she leaves
Reality behind

Chorus
Vacant crystal eyes of blue
They look inside they don't see you
Crystal eyes of blue

V2
She was once a happy child
Running free
With spirit wild
But the ravishes of time
Brought her down
And took her smile

Chorus

Bridge:

There was a time she saw the world
through younger eyes
Filled with happiness and joy
and youthful sighs
But the circumstances of life,
came and took it all away
Now she lives inside her head from day to empty day

V3
Time can be a fickle friend
It can bring you joy, or bring you rain
But she's safe within her mind
No more hope, but no more pain

Chorus


Outro
In the canyons of her mind
She wanders free
She's feeling fine


Top

Evangeline



V1
Moonlight plays upon black water
Silver threads on raven hair
Evangeline had sparkling green eyes
She's not there

V2
Like the mist upon the meadow
Vanishes with morning sun
Then the darkness follows daylight
All undone

Chorus:

Separated by the reaper
Endless night has begun
Once more they'll be together
Two as one

V3
So he walks upon the highland
She's sleeping underground
Lonely travelers of the unknown
Outward bound

V4
Forty years they were together
Hearts and souls intertwined
Temporary separation
Of ties that bind

Chorus:
Separated by the reaper,
Endless night has begun
Once more they'll be together
Two as one

Top



Dry Rain

V1
Blue and grey and yellow green.
The colors of my wicked dream.
I wake up with a scream.
Dry rain's gonna' fall.

V2
The moon is full behind a cloud
Trees are bent - taking a bow
River was deep, it's deeper now.
Dry rain's gonna' fall.

Chorus
Dry rain doesn't quench your thirst,
It doesn't satisfy.
Dry rain goes right to your head
And leaves you with a lie.
Dry rain

V3
I see green trees and dusty roads
Eye of newt and Texas toads
Through the violent storm they rode
Dry rain's gonna' fall.

Bridge
And what's it all about?
Just a rainy drought

V4
Now I don't know what this all means
It just came to me in a dream
In blue and grey and yellow green
Dry rain's gonna' fall

Chorus
Dry rain doesn't quench your thirst
It doesn't satisfy.
Dry rain goes right to your head
And leaves you with a lie.
Dry rain (2X)

Top


Bartender Superstar

V1
I go out Wednesday night to be with some friends
Play some music or maybe have a little gin
Park my red truck, walk down the street with my guitar
Go up the stairs and step inside into the bar

V2
Set down my axe, get my name on the sign up list
Then I go say hi to the cute mixologist
With her love whip shirt and her faded jeans
she's quite a sight
Her Irish eyes and smiling face lights up the night

Chorus
Katrine Katrine with your hair so red
You're making me dizzy in my head
And when you pour my glass of wine
You know that you just look so fine
Katrine, bartender superstar

V3
She's mixing drinks and serving beer behind the bar
And all the guys are putting tips in her tip jar
Because she just makes everybody feel alright
She's so happy go lucky each and every night

Chorus

Bridge

She's a girl who's fun to be around
She's a girl who can take away your frown

V4
Well you know it's all just innocent flirtation
Wouldn't do anything to sully her reputation
But now you know she really livens up the place
And if she ever left she could not be replaced

Chorus

Top


Going Back To Georgia

V1
My body's getting weary, but my soul is free
I'm going home to Georgia, that's where I want to be
There's a warm breeze through the pines
And southern ladies look so fine
I'm going back to Georgia
That's where I want to be

V2
I've climbed atop volcanoes, I've marched in desert sands
I've traveled here and yonder, all across the land
But there's a warm breeze through the pines
And southern ladies look so fine
I'm going back to Georgia
That's where I want to be

Bridge

No matter where I go, no matter where I roam
It always feels so good when I get back home

V3
My traveling days are over, my roaming days are done
I'll spend my time in Georgia, just enjoy the setting sun
Where there's a warm breeze through the pines
And southern ladies look so fine
I'll spend my time in Georgia
That's where I want to be

Outro
I'm going back to Georgia
That's where I will be


Top


Old Girlfriend

V1
Sometimes I think about
And even dream about
An old girlfriend of mine
I wonder what she's doing
I wonder how her life turned out
She was fine

Chorus
I haven't seen her face in over forty years
Since we said good bye in high school
She was standing oh so near
Fighting tears

V2
But I knew I could not settle down
So I went off to see the world
She stayed behind
And I guess I thought that she'd be there
If I ever came back
I was blind

Chorus

Bridge


I wonder what would have happened
If I had not gone away
Would my life be different
Still I would not change what I have today

V3
But sometimes I think about
And even dream about
An old girlfriend of mine
Old girlfriend of mine
And I wonder...


Top


Midnight on Broadway

V1
Midnight on Broadway, Listening to the band
Midnight on Broadway, Red wine in my hand
Strangers all around me, No one that I know
Midnight on Broadway, No place else to go

V2
Sitting on this bar stool, I'll have another round
Soaking in the smoke and noise
The laughter and the sound
Strangers all around me, No one that I know
Midnight on Broadway, No place else to go

Bridge

Broadway is the night soul of this old river town
Everybody everybody's on the street
when the sun goes down

V3
Midnight on Broadway, Just another night uptown
Wasting all my time away
I should be homeward bound Strangers all around me, No one that I know
Midnight on Broadway, No place else to go


Top


Nowhere

V1
Back in nineteen five when the steel mill was alive
You could see the pig iron cooling on the line
Furnaces would glow, and the trains would come and go
On the downhill run bringing red ore from the mine
Four hundred thousand tons of steel
Would roll out every year
Surrounding was a growing steel mill town
With all the iron and steel, that was coming from the mill
Nobody ever thought it would go down
But the furnaces are gone
And the steel rails all are leading off to nowhere

V2
The company it grew and the furnaces were new
With 12 more done in 1953
But change was coming soon like a new phase of the moon
Something that nobody did foresee

Bridge
It was new technology
Steel from across the sea that took it down
And now there's nothing there
Just the stillness in the air
And the shattered store fronts of the old mill town
It's all run-down

V3
By 1983 the plant was just a memory
The open hearth furnaces were gone
The shutdown was complete the plant could not compete
Emptiness would greet the coming dawn
And now when you drive by
There's empty smoke stacks to the sky
Dusty fields with scrap iron all around
That's all there is to see, is busted buildings and debris
And silence is the industrial sound
'Cause the furnaces are gone
And the steel rails all are leading off to nowhere

Top


Rainy Highway

V1
Rainy highway headed south
Cigarette hanging from my mouth
This town's got nothing for me now
So I'll just kindly take my bow

V2
I can't believe I stayed so long
I can't believe she did me wrong
She really played me for a fool
She just broke all of the rules

Bridge

She told me that she loved me
She told me that she cared
She said we'd be together
Our lives we would share
But I woke one morning
She wasn't there
To think that she's just go away
Is more than I can bear

V3
So I've just got to get away
There's just no way that I can stay
Town in my mirror getting small
Nobody missing me at all

V4
Rainy highway headed south
Cigarette hanging from my mouth
Town in my mirror getting small
Nobody missing me at all

Top


Coal Mining Town

V1
The old buildings have crumbled with age
The windows broken, the roof fallen down
Weeds grow tall around wide open doors
And the wind is the only sound

V2
The entrance to the mines so far underground
Is closed. the coal is no more
The once thriving town has ghosts from the past
With no hint of the life it once bore

Chorus:

This was once a coal mining town
Where men spent their lives underground
They made their living where the danger was high
And an easy time seldom was found

V3
People drive on Sunday on the old back-country roads
They don't think about the way it used to be
When hard working people once lived all around
Digging coal just to raise families

Bridge:

Digging coal was the only life they knew
Working on that coal mining crew
And they didn't know of anything else to do
'Til fate stepped in with a different point of view

V4
Cause the coal ran dry, and the cost was too high
And the mines finally shut down
The miners scattered with the wind
and did the best they could
And gave up the life underground

Chorus:

This was once a coal mining town
Where men spent their lives underground
They made their living where the danger was high
And an easy time seldom was found

Top


Baby I'm Weak

Chorus
Baby I'm weak when it comes to your love
Baby I'm weak when it comes to your love
I belong to another
Just as sure as there's stars above
But Baby I'm weak when it comes to your love

V1
I can't help myself when I'm with you
I can't help myself when I'm with you
And when I'm not around you I'm feeling blue as blue
'Cause I can't help myself when I'm with you

Chorus
Baby I'm weak when it comes to your love
Baby I'm weak when it comes to your love
I belong to another
Just as sure as there's stars above
But Baby I'm weak when it comes to your love

Bridge

The night was warm, the moon was bright
High up in the sky
The time was right to steal a kiss
So I thought I'd try
I kissed you once, I kissed twice
I kissed you once again
Then I saw the moonlight shining on my wedding band

Chorus
Baby I'm weak when it comes to your love
Baby I'm weak when it comes to your love
I belong to another
just as sure as there's stars above
But I'm weak when it comes to your love

V2
I spend every hour thinking bout you
I spend every hour thinking of you
When I'm not around you I don't know what to do
I spend every hour thinking of you

Chorus
Baby I'm weak when it comes to your love
Baby I'm weak when it comes to your love
I belong to another just as sure as there's stars above
But Baby I'm weak when it comes to your love


Top


Cotton Mill

V1
They're tearing down the cotton mill
Just outside of town
Brick by red brick
It's coming down

V2
The shanty town is long since gone
It vanished years ago
Now the mill is silent
Moved to Mexico

Chorus
Oh Siluria, what will you do?
Your golden years have faded,
Although your sky's still blue
The creek is running dry
And no one's asking why
Too late to start anew

V3
Flourishing in nineteen two
The biggest one around
Cotton was the king then
With undisputed crown

V4
Now the mill is gone away
Thompson's dream turned to dust
It won't be long before it's
Ashes and rust

Chorus
Oh Siluria, what will you do?
Your golden years have faded,
Although your sky's still blue
The creek is running dry
And no one's asking why
Too late to start anew

Top


(I Like) Women

V1
The older I get, the more I appreciate women
A whiff of perfume or a look can start my head spinning
It's not that I didn't notice before
It's just that I see that there is much more
And I think my life would be such a bore
Without women

V2
I like to watch them walking down the street, young women
Or maybe experience could be the key, older women
Age doesn't really matter to me
If I see what I like and I like what I see
It's more than just biology
I like women

Chorus
Red hair, blond hair, blue eyes, green
Prettiest things I've ever seen
Short ones, tall ones, rich or poor
The only thing I want is more, more, more
Pretty women

V3
I've been all over this big wide world, watching women
From Europe to Hawaii even Singapore lovely women
And if I see one standing over there
With a cute little derriere
It's hard for me to not stop and stare
At pretty women

Chorus

V4
I know its true I'm not a single guy, women
All I'm gonna do is just look and sigh, pretty women
But when it's all done and said
I'm gonna keep looking until I'm dead
I never want to let them get out of my head
Pretty Women
Lovely women
Sexy women
I like women

Top




The following are from the CD "Back to Nothingville"

Bearskin Rug

V1
A cold wind blows outside my cabin door,
the windows shake, it's warm inside.
The fireplace roars, the lights are low,
a glass of wine, your eyes are wide

Chorus
The outside world just seems a million miles away
Here on the bearskin rug our clothes in disarray

V2
You snuggle close, we drink our wine,
I watch the fire, you look at me
I turn to you and our lips meet
Your body moves, like poetry

Chorus
The outside world just seems a million miles away
Here on the bearskin rug our clothes in disarray

Bridge
Here in our weekend cabin hideaway
We do our very best to keep the world at bay

Chorus
The outside world just seems a million miles away
Here on the bearskin rug our clothes in disarray

V3
Now side by side wrapped in the rug
The fireplace glows, the night went fast
But there's wood outside and lots more wine
We've got time, let's make it last

Chorus
The outside world just seems a million miles away
Here on the bearskin rug our clothes in disarray

Top


Leaving River Town

V1
I think it's time for leaving this old river town
I think it's time to move on down the line
There's places I want to be
And new faces I want to see
So I'll be on the road by half past nine

V2
I've made a friend or two in this river town
I hope that they don't miss me for too long
We used to raise a glass or two
Of some wine or a little brew
When we'd gather round sometime to sing a song

Chorus
River town you'll always be a special place
And who knows I might come back here one day
Now I'm gonna go rollin' down the road
'Cause I just can't do it any other way

V3
I never planned to stay so long in river town
I never planned to stay so many years
But I'll soon be on my way
Another town and another day
I'll driving down the road and shifting gears

Chorus
River town you'll always be a special place
And who knows I might come back here one day
Now I'm gonna go rollin' down the road
'Cause I just can't do it any other way

V4
Don't know where I'm going after river town
Just someplace that I've never been before
I'll probably head somewhere out west
To a place where I can rest
And spend a year or two, or maybe more

V5
So I'm all packed up, I hear the highway calling me
It's a haunting sound I simply can't ignore
I got an itching in my feet
And a destiny to meet
There's a whole world out there I have to ex-plore

Chorus


Top


Nothingville

V1
I was walking down the street, feeling out of place
Had no money, had no friends, I was losing the rat race
You came up and talked to me, brightened up my day
Won't you stay a little longer and make me feel OK

V2
We can talk about the weather, we can talk about your car
We can talk about the universe, the sun and moon and stars
We can talk about your pretty dress and how you look so good
You know I'd talk to you all day if I only could

Chorus
It's hard to go back to Nothingville
with something on my mind
I'd rather stay and talk to you because you are so fine
If I go back to Nothingville I won't have a thing to do
So please just spend some time with me
so I won't feel so blue - I'm feeling blue

V3
The day was cold and overcast until you said hello
Now the sun is shining bright and everything's aglow
A gentle breeze is blowing, birds sing in the trees
Just looking at your smiling face makes me weak in the knees

Bridge:
So get in my red pick-up truck and let's go for a ride
I'd really be so honored if you sat there by my side

V4
Wait, don't go, come on back, why must you leave so soon?
The day is still so young you know it's barely just past noon
But I guess you have to go, you've got somewhere else to be
And I'll just keep on walking so don't worry about me

Chorus
It's hard to go back to Nothingville
with something on my mind
I'd rather stay and talk to you because you are so fine
If I go back to Nothingville I won't have a thing to do
So please just spend some time with me
so I won't feel so blue - I'm feeling blue

Top


Early Morning Ride

V1
Got up early this morning and I jumped on my machine
Put on my do rag and gloves, my motorcycle screamed
Picked up my hot mama wiping sleep out of her eyes
She had on those tight blue jeans
She was born to ride, born to ride

V2
Hair as black as midnight, eyes of greenish blue
She was holding on so tight as up the road we flew
Taking on the twisties, leaning left and right
Long hair blowing in the breeze
She was a lovely sight, lovely sight

Chorus
There's nothing like an early morning ride, ride, ride
To make a man feel so alive, live, live
It may be in the bed or on a bike
But an early morning ride just feels alright

V3
We rode up twenty-seven, cool wind in our face
We did 87 miles then - back to her place
She cooked us a hot breakfast, got that look in her eye
Then she took me by the hand
And we began to fly, began to fly

Bridge
Early morning rider
You mean the world to me
When we ride together,
My heart just feels so free, feels so free

V4
I love her and she loves me, we both love my bike
And that early morning ride is something we both like
Not a worry in the world, riding like the wind
Life just can't get better
Than to take that morning spin, morning spin

Chorus
There's nothing like an early morning ride, ride, ride
To make a man feel so alive, live, live
It may be in the bed or on a bike
But an early morning ride just feels alright

Top


My Home Town

V1
I went back to my hometown, after 40 years away
Had no reason to go back, I just showed up there one day
Walking down that main street just seemed a little strange
Seemed like after all these years, nothing much had changed.

V2
There's the old red high school, it still looked the same
Right over there is where we'd meet, just after a football game
Then we'd walk down main street, to the ice cream shop
Yeah the old town still looks the same, still just a whistle stop

Chorus
Most things still looked the same
A few things they did not
Some things I remembered
Some things I did not
My home town

V3
I'd spend time with my friends, on weekends and after school
Going to the swimming hole, playing a little pool
I wonder where those guys are now, I didn't keep in touch
When I left there 40 years ago, I didn't think about it much

V4
Then I ran into an old friend of mine, we used to do some crazy things
We were tight in high school, man we thought we were kings
We made a little small talk, about back in the day
But it's just like we were strangers, time fades it all away.

Chorus

V5
The buildings may resist the change,
but the people they do not
Friends you knew 40 years ago,
well they've pretty much forgot
I got back in my pickup truck and I drove on down the line
I still have my memories, sweet like cherry wine

Chorus

Outro

I went back to my home town, after 40 years away.


Top


Whistle of the Freight Train

V1
I lived in a little house close to the railroad track
The freight trains rumbled by throughout the night
I was barely eighteen when it burned to the ground
The glowing, smoking ashes is still etched into my sight

V2
Nothing left for me to do but take it on the road
I planned to see the world in my own way
I spent some time across the sea, then made my way back home
But no matter where I landed, I never planned to stay

Chorus
I still hear the whistle of the freight train
It stirs my blood and I can't settle down
I'm sorry I can't stay,
But what else can I say?
I'm rolling down the track to the next town

V3
I met a girl in Houston, she fell in love with me
She had blue eyes and a big old Texas smile
And though I tried so very hard, I could not hang around
To settle down with just one girl could never be my style

Chorus
I still hear the whistle of the freight train
It stirs my blood and I can't settle down
I'm sorry I can't stay,
But what else can I say?
I'm rolling down the track to the next town

V4
Now I'm sitting at the long bar down in Singapore
Next week I might be in Timbuctoo
I've always got to see ahead beyond the next long curve
I'm always looking for a little something that is new

Chorus

Outro
I'm rolling down the track

Top


Fast Creek Rising

V1
Woke up early this morning to the sound of falling rain
Seems like it's been raining here for days
Looking out the window all I see is the gray sky
The nearby hills all hidden by the haze

V2
The narrow, muddy country lane that leads up to my door
Takes a 4 wheel drive but you gotta go real slow
The ground is soaked, the creek is high,
Just when will it all end?
It could be worse, but only if it snowed

Chorus
I've watched the muddy Chattahoochee overflow
I've seen the rainy days as they come and go
I hear the thunder crash, I see the pine trees blow
And I know - it's a fast creek rising

V3
The bridge across old yellow creek is under water now
Don't know if it's gonna make it through
If that creek keeps on rising it'll be in my front door
And if it does I don't know what I'll do

Chorus

Bridge
Fast creek rising, down by the country lane
Fast creek rising, I'm tired of all the rain
Fast creek rising, just need a little sun
Or we'll be flooded 'fore this day is done

V4
The weatherman says we might get a little sun real soon
But for now all that we get is rain
Half the state is water logged, how much more can we stand?
The water's washed away the country lane

Chorus

Top


Bottle of Wine

V1
Rain's coming down in Birmingham,
shiny on the sidewalk, It's wet and cold
Three A.M. and I'm on the street,
standing by the lamp post, I'm feeling old
Bottle of wine tucked under my shirt
It can't seem to take away the hurt

V3
Been that way since you been gone,
no direction, I'm all alone
Got no job, I've got no car,
I wander the streets, ain't got no home
Bottle of wine tucked under my shirt
It can't seem to take away the hurt

Chorus
Oh wine, take away the hurt (twice)

V4
I wander these streets both day and night,
hot or cold, I'm a wandering soul
Can't seem to think of anything new,
just drinking my wine, ain't got no goal
Bottle of wine tucked under my shirt
It can't seem to take away the hurt

Bridge
I thought we had, thought we had it all
You just never know, when you're gonna fall

V5
So I'll walk these streets from east to west,
North and south, until I die
Keep drinkin' my wine I won't have to think
Cloudin' my mind, I won't have to ask why
Bottle of wine tucked under my shirt
It can't seem to take away the hurt

Chorus
Oh wine, take away the hurt (twice)


Top


Creature of Habit

V1
He gets to work each morning 'fore the sun comes up
Drives a ten year old Chevrolet
Parks in the same spot every day
Takes a break at 12:15 to eat his lunch
Leaves the building every day at the same time
Another day, another dime
He's just a creature of habit

V2
The workday ends and he drives home to an empty house
Spends every evening in a leather easy chair
With a TV dinner, and a bottled beer
Nine o'clock and time for bed the lights go out
Laying there he drifts right off to sleep
He never prays his soul to keep
He's just a creature of habit

V3
Now it's Saturday and he's not doing anything that's new
Gets up and goes about the same old chores
To the laundry mat and the grocery store
Buys the same six frozen dinners and a case of beer
Goes back home and puts it all away
Washes his car, in his driveway
He's just a creature of habit

Chorus
And he never wants to do things that he hasn't done before
His life could be so different if he'd open up the door.

V4
Sunday night at 9 PM the lights go out
He wakes up and it's Monday once again
Another week, the same refrain
Tuesday night he went to sleep and never saw the dawn
His life is gone but he never really lived
He never shared, he'd never give
He was just a creature of habit


Top


In a Tree

V1
I'm sitting in the top of a tree
Way up high where no one can see me
Yes, I can see the world but the world cannot see me
I'm sitting in the top of a tree

V2
I can see so very far away
Maybe even to the 'Frisco Bay
And I think I might just stay up here all day
Just let my worries slowly drift away

Chorus
In a tree, in a tree
Way up here where nothing bothers me
In a tree, in a tree
I'm sitting in the top of a tree

V3
It's kind of hard to get up in the top
Down below there is a mighty drop
But when I start to climb I don't ever wanna stop
It's worth it just to get up to the top

Chorus
In a tree, in a tree
Way up here where nothing bothers me
In a tree, in a tree
I'm sitting in the top of a tree

V4
Now it's time to get back on the ground
But I really like the freedom I have found
Just sitting way up high with the wind the only sound
Just sitting up here looking all around

Chorus
In a tree, in a tree
Way up here where nothing bothers me
In a tree, in a tree
I'm sitting in the top of a tree


Top


Hippy Girl

V1
She was a hippy girl, and that's all she wanted to be
But she was born too late, in 1993.
She dreamed of the 60's and LSD
She smoked just a little pot
She had stars in her eyes for a time that's passed
But she gave it everything she's got
She was a hippy girl in a modern world you see

V2
She was a hippy girl, her parents didn't understand
Why she burned incense and listened to the 60's bands
She played guitar and tambourine
She sang all the protest songs
She wore leather sandals and tie dye clothes
And dresses that were long
She was a hippy girl holding flowers in her hand

Chorus
Hippy girl, hippy girl
Quit Trying to live the 60's in a modern world
'Cause the 60's weren't just exactly what you think
Hippy girl, hippy girl
Wake and smell the flowers of the modern world
Life will be gone before you have time to blink
Little hippy girl

V3
She was a hippy girl, but I think she's beginning to see
You've got to live for today if you really want to be happy
She still wears her sandals and her tie dye shirts
Plays guitar and tambourine
But now she sings songs that she writes herself
Yeah she's really trying to make the scene
She was a hippy girl, just another spirit fancy free

Chorus


Top


Stuck in Mamacita's

V1
Drove downtown to our favorite restaurant
To have a good meal and maybe a drink or two
Took a left down on Main Street
Until we came to the cross street avenue

V2
Another left and we drove into the parking lot
Found a spot and we walked right through the door
Young chaquita, showed us to a table
We sat down and spirits began to pour

Chorus
Stuck in Mamacita's drinking margaritas
Sitting at the end of the day
Checking out the honeys, spending all our money
Just passing the time away

V3
Ordered up a top shelf margarita
With Patron and a shot of Grand Marnier
Enchilatas from the menu
A perfect end to a long hot Texas day

V4
While we ate, the clouds began to gather
The wind began to blow and rain to fall
We were drinking those margaritas
The weather outside didn't bother us at all

Chorus

V5
We finished up our meal and margaritas
No way that we could hold another bite
There was thunder, there was lightning
The storm outside was really quite a sight

V6
We tried to leave but the parking lot was flooded
So we turned around and walked back through the door
And we said to the bartender
"I think it's time we had a couple more."

Chorus


Top


Going Home

V1
Headed out upon the road 3 years ago
I'm going home
Looking for adventure but what did I know?
I'm going home
And tonight I'm one bar closer to my home

V2
Now I'm tired of spending all my time in smoky bars
I'm going home
Breathing smoke from cigarettes and cheap cigars
I'm going home
And tonight I'm one bar closer to my home

Bridge
Found myself one gray, rainy day thumb in the air
Holding my guitar on a two lane country road
Just saying a little prayer
Wishing I wasn't there

V3
I thought that I would have some fun just being free
I'm going home
Playing on the road I could just be me
I'm going home
And tonight I'm one bar closer to my home

V4
Now every night I'm playing in a different bar
I'm going home
Trying to make some money playing my guitar
I'm going home
And tonight I'm one bar closer to my home

V5
But every bar's a little closer to where I'm from
I'm going home
Once again tomorrow morning I'll ride my thumb
I'm going home
And tonight I'm one bar closer to my home
And tonight I'm one bar closer
to my home


Top


Ballad of Kerrville

V1
Took a little drive to Kerrville, folk music in the sun
Drink some wine, share some music, have ourselves some fun
Two long days on the road, rolling right along
Set up camp, tune guitars, been waiting all year long.

V2
Suffered through the thunderstorms, hail and heat and rain
Mud and dust, outdoor plumbing, we did not complain
Breakfast taco's in the morning, Big Earl's Bar-B-Que at night
And music 'til the break of day made everything all right

Chorus:
Protest songs and hippie chicks, takes me back to '66
The more things change the more they stay the same
Dreadlock curls, tie dyed shirts,
Leather sandals and flowing skirts
Seems to me like it's the same old game

V3
Sittin' round Camp Combo Nation, song circles through the night
Wandering through the meadow in the pale moon light
Fire twirlers after midnight is such a sight to see
And tomorrow we'll go up the hill to the Ballad Tree

V4
Eating burgers at the café and that good apple ice cream
Swimming in the river, that cold and icy stream
Watching the Kerrdi gras parade was something else again
You just had to be there, I really can't explain

Chorus:
Protest songs and hippie chicks, takes me back to '66
The more things change the more they stay the same
Dreadlock curls, tie dyed shirts,
Leather sandals and flowing skirts
Seems to me like it's the same old game

V5
All too soon it had to end, we say goodbye and pack
Put away guitars and mandolins and hit the road on back
But we'll be there again next year, of that you can be sure
When you catch that Kerrville fever, there really is no cure

Chorus
And Kerrville's just like going home again





The following are from the CD "The Rain Comes Down"


Top


Rain in the Desert

V1
There's rain in the desert tonight
There's rain in the desert tonight
Rain in the desert, and it's anything but pleasant
There's rain in the desert tonight

V2
Dry washes are flowing tonight
Dry washes are flowing tonight
Better head for some high ground or you never gonna be found
There's rain in the desert tonight

Chorus
Ohhhh look at the water flow
Ohhhh where you gonna go? Gotta find some higher ground

Chorus

V3
Animals are running tonight
Animals are running tonight
Running just to stay alive, anything just to survive
There's rain in the desert tonight

V4
Rain is really coming down tonight
Heavy rain is coming down tonight
Doesn't happen very often, it can put you in a coffin
There's rain in the desert tonight

Chorus
Ohhhh look at the water flow
Ohhhh where you gonna go? Gotta find some higher ground

V5
There's rain in the desert tonight
Rain in the desert tonight
Tomorrow there will be flowers but tonight it's heavy showers
There's rain in the desert tonight
Rain in the desert tonight
Rain in the desert tonight


Top


She's Gone

V1:
The rain is falling down on my window, like a drum
I take a look around me and I wonder just what have I become
I stumble out of bed and I look through the back door
Then I turn away and I start to walk the floor
I'm thinking to myself I cant take it anymore
But there's just no changing the fact She's gone

V2:
I can smell the scent of her perfume when Im laying in my bed
And memories about her keep running through my head
I take my cup of coffee and I pour a little rum
Once again I wonder just what have I become
I go from feeling good to bad just like a pendulum
But there's just no changing the fact she's gone

Bridge
What could I have done differently just to make her stay?
I never saw a sign that she might go away
And I think about it each and every day
And I wonder, wonder, keep wondering, why she's gone.
I know that I should move on like the wind through the tree
But the wind isnt missing her, the wind is always free

V3:
The rain is getting harder, thickening the haze
The rum is swirling in my brain, deepening my daze
I hear a noise in my front yard and I put on my shoes
Hoping that she's come back so we can start anew
But its just the paperboy, hes bringing the bad news
But there's just no changing the fact Shes gone


Top

Change the World

V1
She stands upon the stage, just a mere slip of a girl
And she sings her song with passion
She's gonna change the world
She sings about injustices and how things oughta be
She's gonna make it better and give hope to you and me.

V2
Only twenty-three years old
She's never seen the world
She looks through rosy glasses, such a silly, silly girl
She thinks that she can change it all
By writing down some words
They've been trying that for ages
But it all just goes unheard

Chorus
And she's gonna change the world now with her song
Gonna fix it up and right what's wrong

V3
Twenty five years later she's still standing on the stage
She still sings her songs with passion
But she really shows her age
Twenty five years on the road and not a thing to show
Gone are the rosy glasses
But there's one thing she knows

Chorus
She's not gonna change the world now with a song
She can't fix it up and right the wrong

V4
Now I'm standing here before you and I'm singing you my song
I can't change a thing and I've known it all along
Just want to share the music, a little part of me
And if that brings some happiness
Thats good enough for me

Chorus
I'm not gonna change the world now with a song
I can't right a thing now that is wrong
She stands upon the stage, just a mere slip of a girl
And she sings her song with passion
She's gonna change the world


Top


Sea Breeze Calling

V1
I'm standing on the sea shore
As the darkness fades away
The sun is like a phoenix rising
Bringing with it a new day
New day

V2:
I have been away so long now
It was time to come again
The crashing waves are asking
Wondering just where Ive been
Where I've been

Chorus:
I can hear the sea breeze whispering
Gently tries to call me home

Break

Chorus:
I can hear the sea breeze whispering
Gently tries to call me home

V3:
There is sand inside my sandals
As I watch the rising tide
I can hear the seabirds calling
Echoes what I feel inside
Feel inside

Chorus:
I can hear the sea breeze whispering
Gently tries to call me home

V4:
But I know the times not right now
And I have to go away
But maybe I'll be back soon
And maybe then I'll stay
I'll try to stay

Outro:
Try to stay
I'll try to stay
Maybe I'll stay


Top


Perfect Girl

Chorus
She got the lips, she got the hips,
She got the face, she got the grace
She got the smile, she got the style
I think she would be the perfect girl for me

V1
I saw her sitting at the bar I said Have one on me
I sat down to talk to her and the rest is history
We had so much in common as we talked the night away
I knew shed meet me more than just halfway

Chorus
Yeah she got the move, she got the groove
She got the look kinda left me shook
She got the face, she got the grace
So I knew shed be the perfect girl for me.

V2
We left the bar together and we did the town up right
I said Let's go to your place, and she said Alright
Sometime the next morning when wed had our night of play
I knew this one would never get away

Chorus
She got the lips, she got the hips,
She got the face, she got the grace
She got the smile, she got the style
I knew she would be the perfect girl for me

V3
I saw her sitting at the bar I said Have one on me
I sat down to talk to her and the rest is history
We had so much in common as we talked the night away
Gonna stay with her until the end of days

Chorus
She got the face, she got the grace
She got the smile, she got the style
She got the eyes makes me realize
I know she is the perfect girl for me.


Top


North Carolina

V1
I've got North Carolina on my mind
I think that living there would be so fine
Where the skies are Carolina blue
And the folks are friendly like me and you
I've got North Carolina on my mind

V2
I'd find me a sweet mountain girl to love
She would be my little turtle dove
She'd be my wife for eternity
And our children would number one, two, three
I'd find me a sweet mountain girl to love

V3
I'd build a little cabin on a hill
I'd make me some moonshine and drink my fill
And if you wanted a sip I'd gladly share
While we sat and breathed fresh mountain air
I'd build a little cabin on a hill

V4
We'd play mountain music with our friends
And the kids would all join in before they're ten
While the guitar plays and the banjo rings
We'd all join in with a song to sing
We'd play mountain music with our friends.

V5
I've got North Carolina on my mind
I think that living there would be so fine
Where the skies are Carolina blue
And the folks are friendly like me and you
I've got North Carolina on my mind
I've got North Carolina on my mind


Top


Ghost Town


V1
Well the ferry it don't run no more in this old town
And all the stores they all closed down some years ago.
The park bench where the old men smoked
And told their lies and corny jokes
There ain't no trace of it there now at all.

V2
The pot holes in the streets keep getting bigger
But there ain't no traffic now nobody cares
Theres broken glass and falling fences
Doors swinging wide on rusty hinges
Crumbling structures waiting just to fall.

Chorus
Now there ain't nobody left at all in this old town
When the mill shut down it turned the whole world upside down
And even though some people tried to carry on
The town just sits there empty dead and overgrown

V3
Well they say that ghosts still wander here in this old town
You can hear 'em whisper when the wind blows free
And sometimes when the dusk is nigh
If you listen close you can hear them sigh
Like they're wondering what is was made this town fall

Chorus

V4
In a hundred years or so there won't be nothing left
There’s a chance there won’t even be a faded memory
But the ghosts live on where the streets once bustled
And the people walked and strolled and hustled
Where the children ran and played and had a ball

Chorus
Now there ain't nobody left at all in this old town
When the mill shut down it turned the whole world upside down
And even though some people tried to carry on
The town just sits there empty dead and overgrown
The town just sits there empty dead and all alone


Top


A Good Day

V1
Today looks like a real good day,
I think I'll go outside and play
Its been so long since I have seen the light
So I put on jeans and hiking boots
Grab a bottle of water and plan my route
Today, today the sky is looking bright

Chorus
Cause its all been rainy weather
For the last three days or four
But now it's looking better
And I'm walking, walking out the door

V2
I've been cooped up inside too long
Just playing guitar and singing a song
And I think its time to get me some fresh air
So I drive out to the wilderness
Where I can go to decompress
I feel much better when I'm somewhere out there.

Chorus

Bridge
I can only stand so much time inside
Now its time to go and take a ride – in the great outdoors

V3
Now I'm hiking up a rugged trail
I think I hear a bobwhite quail
I see birds and deer the sky is blue
There's no place that I'd rather be
Then here in nature among the trees
When I can bid the indoor life adieu

Chorus:


Top


Drifter Man

V1:
It was a west Texas town, late afternoon
He was just passing through just chasing the moon
Coming from nowhere with nowhere to go I guess

V2:
Just another lost soul on the highway of life
Carving out time with a dull pocket knife
No one to care for and nobody to impress

Chorus:
He had a beat up old car and worn out boots
But he still had his pride
Working odd jobs just to stay on the road
Never swimming against the tide
Just drifting through the countryside.

V3:
So he found a cheap room where he could crash
Bought a burger and beer with what was left of his cash
He was looking for work when the morning brought another day

V4:
Found a job with a road crew in the hot sun
Making some money but it wasn't much fun
Planning to leave just as soon as he had traveling pay

Chorus:
With a beat up old car and worn out boots
He's still got his pride
Working odd jobs just to stay on the road
Is all it takes to keep him satisfied.
Just drifting through the countryside.

Bridge:
And he never gives much thought about the life he leads
He's just a drifter man living by that highway creed
That's all he needs

V5:
Early one morning with little to pack
He had a two lane ahead of him the sun at his back
Just seeing where the long flat road would lead today

V6:
With some Texas swing on the radio
Arm out the window to feel the wind blow
Road sign says 300 miles to Santa Fe

Chorus:

Outro:

Drifter man, drifter man, drifter man, drifter man


Top


The Rain Comes Down

Chorus:
Well the rain comes down, and the streets are mud
Yeah the rain comes down, gonna make a flood
And the wind is howling, blowing everything
Yeah the wind is howling, listen to it sing

V1:
And the tents go floating, floating by
And the awnings way up in the sky
And the banner is laying on the ground
Better check in with the lost and found

Chorus:

V2:
And the creeks are rising overflow
And the wind keeps blowing, blow blow blow
And the ground is soggy, can't stand up
Need a 4-wheel driving pick up truck

Chorus:

V3:
The clouds are swirling black and green
And the trees are bending see them lean
The birds can't fly they're laying low
Hope it don't get worse oh no no no

Chorus:

V4:
Some folks think it's time to split
Cause the weather's dealing them a fit
They're tired of seeing that rainy sky
Gonna tell that festival bye bye

Chorus:


Top


One Way Ticket

V1
She slips the night around her like a cloak of finest silk
Gets in a yellow taxi for the train
Settles back into the seat adrift and all alone
And looks out of the window at the rain

V2
A one way ticket in her hand she slowly climbs aboard
She plans to leave her troubles all behind
But somewhere east of Omaha she comes to realize
That she's looking for a peace she'll never find

Chorus
And she's running from her troubles in the rain
Hoping it will take away the pain
As the lightning shatters darkness
And flashes through her mind
Deep down she knows it's really all in vain

V3
She's going back to Tennessee to where she was before
Where she recalls some happy memories
She's grown tired of desert scenery, of cactus and of sand
And she wants once again to see the trees

V4
The sand reminds her too much of places where they lived
Before he left her there and went away
Now there's an empty feeling
That's with her all the time
And stays with her through each and every day

Chorus

V5
Now the train keeps going eastward
But the memory lingers on
It will be with her as long as she's alive
They say that time will heal all wounds
She's hoping that it's true
She's hoping to be able to survive

Chorus


Top


Clueless Fool
Written by Don L Williams & Judy Hoover

V1
You tell me to be strong, But I know that's just wrong
Life doesn't work that way, I don't care what they say
No matter what you do, You've got to stay true
To what's inside your heart, or else you'll fall apart

V2
You tell me to be brave, and never misbehave
To take the traveled road, follow someone else's code
But deep inside you know, that is no way to grow
You know you must break free, be what you're meant to be

Chorus
You're not the worlds rule maker, you're no redeeming savior
No knight in shining armor, no fancy well-dressed charmer
You're no respected leader, just a down and dirty cheater
You're no one's fine cut jewel, you're just a clueless fool

V3
Now here's my point of view, I have no need for you
It's a brand new day, so please just go away
I've made up my mind, cause I know that it's time
To follow my dream, to go against the stream

Chorus


Top


Mississippi

V1
On my way to Mississippi, gonna leave this place behind
Spend my time in Mississippi, gonna ease my worried mind
I might live down on the big lake
Go fishing every day
Play my guitar like an old bluesman
And I’'ll pass, yeah I’'ll pass, my time away

V2
Do my packing in the daytime, I’'ll be leaving in the night
Put those highway miles behind me, say goodbye to city lights
Rocking chair on my front porch
At my cabin on the bay
Where I can look out on the water
And I'’ll pass, yeah I'’ll pass, my time away

V3
There are memories here that haunt me, I can’t make them go away
Wake up at night in a cold sweat, so I'’m leaving come what may
Have my days all full of sunshine
Say goodbye to skies of gray
Find my peace there by the water
And I'’ll pass, yeah I’'ll pass, my time away

V4
On my way to Mississippi, gonna leave this place behind
Spend my days in Mississippi, just to ease my worried mind
Gonna live down on a big lake
Go fishing every day
Play my guitar like an old bluesman
And I’'ll pass, yeah I'’ll pass, my time away
Oh yeah I'’ll pass, yeah I’'ll pass, my time away


Top


Black Hearted Woman

V1
I'm driving, down this long lonesome highway
I'm driving to the end, don't know where that might be
But I'll keep driving, down this long lonesome highway
'Cause that black hearted woman gonna be the death of me.

Chorus
She's evil, she's so damn evil
She's got those witchy ways, put a spell over me.

V2
So I'll keep driving, down this long lonesome highway
With the night so dark, it's impossible to see
But I got to keep going, got to somehow break the spell
'Cause that black hearted woman gonna be the death of me.

Chorus

V3
I once loved that woman, I thought that she was true
But she hid her evil ways, while she stirred that witches brew
'Til I was under her spell, locked up without a key
And that black hearted woman gonna be the death of me.


Top


Hills of Virginny

V1:
In the hills of old Virginny I had me a still
I'd sell you a quart jar for a two dollar bill
And we had a reputation for the best there was around
Our corn whiskey was the best that could be found.

V2:
My daddy he made whiskey it was him that taught me how
It was easier than following a mule with a plow
With a big old copper kettle, some corn and copper line
We made that homemade whiskey taste so fine.

Chorus
My family made that whiskey since 1941
Hidden in the holler pines and shaded from the sun.

V3:
I knew the county sheriff, he was a friend of mine
So he never bothered us hidden in the pines
But the revenooers heard about it trouble on the way
They vowed to take us down and make us pay

Chorus:

V4:
We heard 'em coming down the hill with dogs, men and guns
But we were gonna fight em, we weren't gonna run
And the lead commenced to flyin and it took my daddy down
So I put three revenooers in the ground

Chorus

V5:
Now I'm sittin in this prison cell just waitin on the day
When I go to see my maker, hear what He has to say
And I hope He has some mercy for the bad things that I done
But I'm afraid my trouble barely just begun

Chorus:
My family made that whiskey since 1941
Hidden in the holler pines and shaded from the sun.
But the still is now in pieces, scattered on the ground
They finally found our still and took it down.


Top


Run Free


V1
The midnight stars are shining bright tonight
All around me spirits are in flight
They slowly start to take control
I cannot get away

V2
I feel my feet are fastened to the ground
I feel my heart as it begins to pound
Voices fill my head I cant go back
I know I must obey

Chorus
The transformation comes and I howl at the moon
I must run free, run free, run free, run free

V3
I lope across the meadow and the hill
The feeling inside builds and I must kill
I was man but now the beast is out
You cannot get away

Chorus
The transformation comes and I howl at the moon
I must run free, run free, run free, run free

Bridge
I did not ask to be this way
My secret I hide every day

V4
Who can free me from this evil spell?
Or understand the story that I tell?
When the moon is full I cant escape
I cannot get away

V5
Month by month the cycle just repeats
Wicked claws replace my hands and feet
I roam the land in search of prey
Stay inside or meet your fate

Chorus
The transformation comes and I howl at the moon
I must run free, run free, run free, run free
Top


Society

V1
She was young and she was pretty
And her eyes looked right through me
I may as well have been invisible
For all that she could see
I wasn't worthy of attention
As she stood cold as could be
Cause she was young and she was pretty
Born into high society

V2
She got her very first Mercedes
When she was only seventeen
A gift from her father
For his little beauty queen
She has maids and she has servants
At her beck, at her call
She considers them beneath her
It does not bother her at all

Chorus
Say a prayer for the privileged
With eyes too blind to see
Past power and position
From their life of luxury

V3
Her daddy is a broker
With lots of money, cars and a yacht
He always gave her what she wanted
She always wanted quite a lot
She has friends that are just like her
From the finest family
They never mingle with the masses
Folks like you and folks like me

Bridge
I dont think that shell ever see
That shes really just like you and me
Cause from the top of the hill
All her dreams are fulfilled

V4
Now she's going off to Harvard
Or maybe Yale, I don't know
Of course shell marry her a rich man
To maintain the status quo
They'll have sons and theyll have daughters
And the cycle will start anew
Cause they'll be born into society
Better than me, better than you

chorus

Top

Songs from the "Twilight Years" project