Lyrics

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Roll On 

 

I was sitting on the levy

Just across the railroad track

Fresh from a cup of coffee

And a resting on my back

When I heard a whistle blow and

A train coming down the line

And I looked across the waters

And I felt peace of mine

 

Like this Mississippi river

That just keeps rolling on

Into the Gulf of Mexico

Into the light of dawn

Roll on, roll on

I just keep rolling on

 

Well I come down the road

All the way from Oregon

Left my home and family

So I could travel on

The girl I left behind

I said good-bye with a kiss

And I set myself free

To live at my own risk

 

Like this Mississippi river

That just keeps rolling on

Into the Gulf of Mexico

Into the light of dawn

Roll on, roll on

I just keep rolling on

 

I’ve been through many towns

I’ve worked many a job

Been treated like a man

And I’ve been treated like a dog

But I ain’t got the time

For a mind that’s always closed

When things get that way 

I just head on down the road

 

Like this Mississippi river

That just keeps rolling on

Into the Gulf of Mexico

Into the light of dawn

Roll on, roll on

I just keep rolling on

 

Now I hear that train a coming

And it’s time I got to go

Got to catch the Blue Streak

All the way to Mexico

For I know a gal there

Who I always like to see

She don’t ask me no questions

She knows I got to be

 

Like this Mississippi river

That just keeps rolling on

Into the Gulf of Mexico

Into the light of dawn

Roll on, roll on

I just keep rolling on

 

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A Good Kid

 

I was headed down the highway

Wasn’t going nowhere

I was a stranger in the city

But I didn’t care

I was a beggar in the moonlight

A dealer in the park

A hero on the corner

Trying to steal another heart

Took women for their money

As I strolled through their towns

I shot my arms full of holes

Just to see the blood dripping down

 

Well he went to college

He got good grades

He made himself a future

Yeah the road was paved

But then the towers fell

He went to Afghanistan

Where they blew him to hell

Only to bring him back again

But the horror in his eyes

Nobody wanted to see

From being alive

He just wanted to be free

 

We grew up together

On our fathers streets

He stood like my brother

When I caught the heat

They called him a good kid

And I was the bad friend

But the truth that they hid

You know did us both in

Cause he believe in everything

And I didn’t believe a word

And now he’s dead

And I just heard

 

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King James Highway

 

Somebody tell me please

How this came to be

I can’t take no more 

What are we living for

 

Well I’ve been on this road

I can’t do what I’m told

I can only resist

I can’t be party to this

 

Well it’s my cross to bear

It’s my crown to wear

If you don’t preach the lie

Then you will be crucified

 

So go ahead have your thrill

If it be your will

But someday you will see

And you will remember me

 

 

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Poor Boy Blues

 

Gypsy on the black horse

Looking mighty cool

Five card stud boys

Breaking all the rules

Someone said you got to be kidding

This can’t be real

You’re part of the problem boy

You ain’t part of the deal

I said “Hey boss man

I just do what I do”

I’m just a poor boy

Singing the poor boy blues

 

I’ve learned how to juggle

I’ve learn to play guitar

I’ve learned in the end

It don’t matter who you are

I’ve seen your holy rollers

Come rolling through my town

Heard how their lies

Can cut a man down

Say what you want

I ain’t got nothing to lose

I’m just a poor boy 

Singing the poor boy blues

 

Well I’ve been through your cities

Been down the roads you’ve paved

Been digging on your poverty

Working like your slave

I’ve been crushed by your greed

Hounded by your laws

Seen you take my sisters

Turn them into your whores

Now you have the nerve to tell me

That I ain’t nothing new

That I’m just a poor boy

Singing the poor boy blues

 

Goodbye Gypsy Girl

Goodbye my friends

See you when I get there

Somewhere near the end

I know I should of done better

I know I should of tried

But I am who I am

I don’t apologize

I guess we’re lucky mister

I ain’t nothing like you

Yeah I’m just a poor boy

Singing the poor boy blues

 

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Where The Streetlights Glow 

 

In the darkness of a city night

I was hanging out looking for a light

I’d seen a girl walking there

Her eyes were hid by her falling hair

I called hello I stood my ground

She just smiled and said

“I’ll see you around”

 

In a club somewhere I sang a song

It wasn’t too short it wasn’t too long

She was there with no place to go

I was there with arms to hold

We fell together on a hotel bed

Stars swimming all around our heads

 

Morning came morning went

Seem like everything was heaven sent

We walked as one for a little while

Until our hearts fell out of style

What happen to us nobody knows

The clues that were left

Why they just don’t show

Don’t show

They just don’t show

 

Now years have passed fallen by the way

Other lovers they’ve had their day

I’ve traveled east I’ve traveled west

Always tried to do my best

Sometimes I go and get a cigarette

Light it up so I don’t forget

How she looked so long ago

Standing there 

Where the streetlights glow

Where the streetlights glow

Where the streetlights glow

 

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Except Me

 

In this land of milk and honey

In this land of laundered money

From the streets of a burnt out city

To that big house where there ain’t no pity

You crossed the bridge you swam the mile

You found a deck where the joker’s wild

Now you got everything that you need

You got everything

Everything

 

Now I remember when we were children

In the concrete parks surrounded by buildings

How we use to laugh how we use to play

How we use to dream there come a day

Now you got money you got power

You got lovers by the hour

You got everything that you need

You got everything

Everything

 

Now on a night to dark for dreaming

You can hear the souls of the poets screaming

Crying out for mercy crying out for love

As the bombs rain down from above

You got connections you got a chauffeur

You got a safe trip across the border

You got everything that you need

You got every thing

Everything

Except me

 

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California’s Not What It Used To Be

 

She was all but forgotten

The night the telephone rang

And old familiar voice

And old familiar pain

Said, “I’ve been thinking

About what you said

And California’s not what it used to be”

 

Her eyes were smiling

When I opened the door

She kissed me on the lips

Like so many years before

Said, “You don’t look different

Ah but my you have changed

And California’s not what it used to be”

 

Oh

There she was 

Oh 

I loved her so much

 

Woke in the morning

She was by my side

She whispered softly

“I guess this is goodbye”

Said “Ain’t it funny

How things turn out

And California’s not what it used to be”

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Never Show

 

I’d meet you in the dawn

I’d meet you in the day

I’d meet you at nighttime

Whenever you say

I’d meet you in the rain

Meet you in the snow

I’d meet you anywhere babe

But you would never show

 

I’d follow you across the desert

I’d follow you across the sea

I’d follow you over the mountains

And through the valleys

I’d follow you to the banks

Where the wild river flows

I’d follow you anywhere babe

But you would never show

 

I’d give you the stars

I’d give to you the moon

I’d give you my heart

And the month of June

I’d give you that city

Where the lights always glow

I’d give you anything babe 

But you would never show

 

I’d love you like a saint

I’d love you like a thief

I’d love you without regret

And without grief

I’d love you more

Then you will ever know

I’d love you forever babe

But you would never show

 

I’d meet you in the dawn

I’d meet you in the day

I’d meet you at nighttime

Whenever you say

I’d meet you in the rain

I’d meet you in the snow

I’d meet you anywhere babe

But you would never show

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Last Day On Earth

 

Hey, hey J.C. ah

We need some drugs in here man

It’s getting real, it’s getting real weird here man

Got to turn down the lights

We need some serious drugs

I’m talking about we need some real serious drugs

Yeah! Okay!

 

Wake up you’ll be dead soon enough

I see in a mans eyes the haunted ghost of love

Knowledge waits for those who stay tough

Hell fire is a heaven calling from above

 

On my last day on earth

I hope they take me outside

To be beneath the sun

To be beneath the stars

That’s where I really want to die

 

On my last day on earth

Will I hover above this land

Will I look down

Will I finally understand

What will I think

What will be my last thought

Will I be at peace

Or will I be cursing God

Will I continue to fight

Will I no longer care

Will I be with my friends

Will there be nobody there

 

On my last day on earth

Will I be ready to leave

Will the angel of death

Come and set me free

Will I see any light

Will I hear any sound

Will I escape to the heavens

Or will I just be rat food underground

Will I feel cold

Will I feel heat

Will I see myself

On some old city street

Will I count down the seconds

Ten, nine , eight

Will I go to Purgatory

Or will they say it’s all a big mistake

Will I think of Peggy Lee

Singing “Is that all there is”

Will I be back in my youth

Receiving my very first kiss

Will all my questions be answered

Will I finally know why

Will I even remember 

Why I was ever alive

 

On my last day on earth

What will I see

I pray it’s you my love

Smiling down at me

 

On my last day on earth

On my last day on earth

I want to be conscious

I want to see, hear, taste, feel

I want to ride that horse

I want to ride that horse

All the way down to the end

I want to look into the eyes

Of the angel of death

I want to know

On my last day on earth

On my last day on earth

On my last day on earth

 

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Cold, Cold Morning

 

Morning has broken

Daylight sneaking through the blind

I’m walking these rooms

For there’s only a chill I find

 

It’s a cold, cold morning

On the morning after she’s gone

It’s a cold, cold morning

On the morning after she’s gone

 

I got a blanket on my shoulder

A cup of coffee in my hand

I’m standing on the porch

I’m looking down that road she ran

 

It’s a cold, cold morning

On the morning after she’s gone

It’s a cold, cold morning

On the morning after she’s gone

 

Well I couldn’t of loved her

Any more then I did

But too many nights

I kept my feelings hid

 

It’s a cold, cold morning

On the morning after she’s gone

It’s a cold, cold morning

On the morning after she’s gone

 

Well listen up friend

Don’t you do like I’ve done

Put your arms around your baby

Like a circle ‘round the sun

 

It’s a cold, cold morning

On the morning after she’s gone

It’s a cold, cold morning

On the morning after she’s gone

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Sleeping With The Boss

 

In a motel room

On the outskirts of town

He reaches for her

Gently pulls her down

She can feel his hunger

See the loneliness in his eyes

She’s sleeping with the boss

Not one of the guys

 

She was married when she was young

To the boy of her dreams

But he was cruel, treated her bad

And more and more grew mean

When she finally got free

She said never again as long as I’m alive

Yeah she’s sleeping with the boss

Not one of the guys

 

He was a rebel in college

But there was no future there, no pay

So he found himself a rich man’s daughter

He was soon on his way

But there’s a darkness inside of him

No amount of money could ever hide

Yeah she’s sleeping with the boss

Not one of the guys

 

So go ahead boys tell your stories

When she walks through the door

And try to convince yourself

It don’t matter no more

But those are diamonds

On her fingers boys

Her bank account tells no lies

Yeah she’s sleeping with the boss

Not one of the guys

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Something To Find

 

People going to tell you babe

What you can and can’t do

Receiving all their information

From only what is new

Everybody’s taking chances

By taking none

Substituting real romance

With always having fun

But I, I can see now babe

You’re not that kind

And I think that maybe babe

We got something to find

 

Send your monkey back to the pet shop baby

You don’t need him no more

He was just some kind of useless chair

Taking space on the floor

Wipe the dust off of your heart now babe

I see a ray of hope

This whole world’s being hypnotized

By electronic dope

But I, I can see now babe

You’re not that kind

And I think that maybe babe

We got something to find

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Lonesome Train

 

I heard that lonesome whistle blow

Train coming down the track

I stood there and I watched it go

Until it wasn't coming back

 

I heard my mama start to weep

Saw a tear in my daddy’s eyes

Everybody just bowed their heads

As that train went crawling by

 

Oh please tell me Mr. President

How this came to be

We praise the men who lie and cheat

And kill the man of peace

 

I heard that lonesome whistle blow

Train coming down the line

Now I’ve stood here and I’ve watched it roll

Forever through my mind

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War

 

I stood on the porch in the fading light

I watched the sun go down through a cloud

There wasn’t much talking there wasn’t much speaking

There wasn’t much left to be said out loud

And I sat in a room alone through the night

And I watched as my momma died

And I thought I heard her whisper a word

But it was just the wind blowing outside

 

We all came down from across the plain

I was just a baby my sister was four

With sweat and toil we worked the land

And the land kept us from being poor

The years rolled by but then the bankers came

And soon our home was gone

They gave Ma a check called it an accidental death

But we all knew what Daddy had done 

 

Well I quit my schooling and I joined the Marines

I went off to kill the Godless man

But it wasn’t for glory it wasn’t for country

It was for reasons you just don’t understand

I landed in the desert and I landed in hell

And I watched as my brothers died 

When I got home to this country all alone

Nobody would even look me in the eyes

 

Now my sister got married she settled down

She raised herself a family

As I drifted around from town to town

To any woman who would have me

I ached and I hurt and I drank and I cursed

And I fought who ever I had to

I done my time walking out over that line

But somehow I made it through

 

Now the snow fell softly upon our heads

As we stood around Momma’s grave

The preacher he read words for the dead

But the wind just kept blowing them away

I looked at the sky and I looked at ground

And the tears in my sister’s eyes

I stood there alone after everyone went home

And I told my Momma good bye

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Caroline

 

There’s a blue moon on the horizon

As I stand here alone

And I’m thinking of the years

Oh how they’ve flown

But it’s you 

Who are really on my mind

Oh fare thee well,

Caroline

 

They say a man is a fool

If he don’t take what’s true

And it’s only my misfortune

That I’ve come to lose you

For your love it was true 

So tender and so kind

Oh fare thee well 

Caroline

 

Now the night it is cold

It’s a chilly wind that blows

As I listen to my footsteps 

Echo down this road

And it’s with love 

I’ll remember our time

Oh fare thee well 

Caroline

Oh fare thee well

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Baby Joe’s Blues

 

Oh Baby Joe

What are you gonna do

Your good gal is gone

Says she’s tired of you

 

Dark clouds rolling in

Looks like rain today

Oh Baby Joe

Your hair’s a turning grey

 

Your money’s all gone

You’re back out on the street

Things were looking good

But that was last week

 

But you ain’t no stranger

Remember ole San Francisco

Down by Golden Gate

Hanging out with the old winos

 

But those days you thought

You had the world in your hands

Had it all figured out

You had yourself a plan

 

But you were so young

And young men just grow old

And now here you are

Another stranger on this road

 

Now you say it don’t matter

If she never comes back

Cause California’s waiting

Down by the railroad track

 

Oh Baby Joe

Don’t this time pass us by

Seems like yesterday

When we were all to young to die

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Tallahassee Baby

 

The truck’s on the highway

The wind’s blowing high

I come in from the north

Under October skies

It sure is good 

To see you again

Oh Tallahassee Baby

My dear sweet friend

 

I’ve been living on the run

Like a slave through these woods

Pushing this rig

From Bangor to Hollywood

Are you still dancing

That old bump and grind

Oh Tallahassee Baby

It’s been a long, long time

 

Well the last time I was with you

We nearly got caught

Out behind the club

In the parking lot

Your boss man with his threats

Your rich boy with his gun

It was lucky I left

My motor to run

 

Well I can see around here

Nothing much has changed

It’s still the same old crowd

Still the same cheating game

But you’re still as pretty

As those stars in your eyes

Oh Tallahassee Baby 

Girl you could make me cry

 

Well everyday I stop

To catch the sunrise

Trying to get a grip

On this life blowing by

Sometimes I remember

Back to Washington Square

Me with my guitar

And you dancing there

Well I hear voices calling

I guess I better go

There’s so much to say 

So much we’ll never know

How often I’ve wished

All our dreams came true

Oh Tallahassee Baby

I’ll always love you

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Northlands

 

I was a stranger when I came here

When I saw you standing there

Shivering on the frozen snow

And I offered you my winter coat

You offered me a new hope

And together our love did grow

 

Oh my sweet thing, my angel,

My whole life, my Godsend

You’re the only thing in this world that’s been true

And I make you this promise

You’ll always have my very best

I dedicate my heart to you

 

Now the years they have passed by

And so many dreams have died

As I wait all alone by the sea

And I remember the northlands

When I was just a young man

When our lord took you from me

 

Oh my sweet thing, my angel,

My whole life, my Godsend

You’re the only thing in this world that’s been true

And I make you this promise

You’ll always have my very best

I dedicate my heart to you

 

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Ramblin’ Jack

 

Ramblin’ Jack don’t ramble no more

Ramblin’ Jack don’t ramble no more

Things ain’t like they were before

Ramblin’ Jack don’t ramble no more

 

Went on down to Tennessee

Went on down to Tennessee

Joelton girl made a mess of me

Way down there in Tennessee

 

Ramblin’ Jack don’t ramble no more

Ramblin’ Jack don’t ramble no more

Things ain’t like they were before

Ramblin’ Jack don’t ramble no more

 

Went across to London town

Went across to London town

Watch that rain come falling down

All across that London town

 

Ramblin’ Jack don’t ramble no more

Ramblin’ Jack don’t ramble no more

Things ain’t like they were before

Ramblin’ Jack don’t ramble no more

 

Went on out to ‘Frisco Bay

Went on out to ‘Frisco Bay

Policeman said I could not stay

Out there on ‘Frisco Bay

 

Ramblin’ Jack don’t ramble no more

Ramblin’ Jack don’t ramble no more

Things ain’t like they were before

Ramblin’ Jack don’t ramble no more

 

Come on boys and sing along

Come on boys and sing along

One more time this old song

Come on boys and sing along

 

Ramblin’ Jack don’t ramble no more

Ramblin’ Jack don’t ramble no more

Things ain’t like they were before

Ramblin’ Jack don’t ramble no more

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A Drink And A Car

 

Look down that highway

Look down that road

From that motel

You had to go

It could’ve been a salesman

Or country star

It could’ve been anybody

With a drink and a car

 

I walk these rooms

I go outside

I hit the bars

I’m barely alive

The trembling fingers

On the piano key

Whatever happened baby 

To you and me

 

We make heroes

Of idiots and fools

We make a joke

Of the golden rule

We make love

And we never even try

To see the truth 

Underneath these lies

 

Well I’m so tired

Of these slamming doors

I just can’t take 

These battles no more

You run away 

You get what you need

This world is filled 

With hungry mouths to feed

 

Now I hear your voice

On the telephone line

I hear your tears

But I’ve made up my mind

No amount of words

Could ever undo

The damage done

Between me and you

So look down that highway

Look down that road

From that motel

You had to go

It could’ve been a salesman

Or some country star

It could’ve been anybody

With a drink and a car 

​

 

 

 

Beautiful Lady

 

Beautiful lady 

Standing there

Everyone can see 

Your long soft hair

Always in trouble 

They keep rescuing you

Oh beautiful lady

Only fools love you

 

I’ve been up all night

I’ve sold my guitar

Trying to make some money

Playing these cards

Don’t know what I’m doing

It’s beyond my control

Oh beautiful lady

Now please don’t go

 

I know you want more

Than I can afford

But I keep hanging on

Now I hear the law

Knocking at my door

My sentence might be wrong

 

So I’ll catch a train

That’s headed west

Hide all my money 

Inside my vest

You get older

And your face grows kind

Oh beautiful lady

I’ll make you mine 

Oh beautiful lady

Someday

 

 

​

 

 

Tell Her

 

If you see her will you tell her

That she’s still on my mind

If you see her will you tell her

Her clothes still hang on the line

But tell her I’ll be leaving soon

Before the next full moon

Tell her I’m California bound

I got to get away from this town

 

If you see here will you tell her

That the world is still the same

And if she’s still feeling sad

She’s only got herself to blame

For she knows what she must do

I told her so many times so true

It don’t matter where you go

You still got to face what you know

 

If she’s out on that highway

She’ll feel those cold winds blow

They say everything’s as simple

Once you finally know

But only she knows what’s on her mind

And the heartaches left behind

Until the past finally catches up

Sometimes you just can’t stop

 

So if you see her will you tell her

That she’s still on my mind

If you see her will you tell her

Her clothes still hang on the line

But tell her I’ll be leaving soon

Before the next full moon

Tell her I’m California bound

I got to get away from this town

I just couldn’t hang around

 

 

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Oh Mama (Gonna Get Around)

 

Well I thank God

The stars above

I found a girl

That I love

But the brightest day

Can soon grow dark

Now lord have mercy

On my poor heart

 

Oh Mama gonna get around

Oh Mama gonna get around

Oh Mama gonna get around

Oh Mama gonna get around

 

Well I went west 

Looking for work

Trying to make money 

For what it’s worth

When I got home

What did I find

Oh sweet darling

You blew my mind

 

Oh Mama gonna get around

Oh Mama gonna get around

Oh Mama gonna get around

Oh Mama gonna get around

 

Well I don’t know

Where I’ve been told

Grass is greener

On down this road

I’ll say goodbye

I’ll say goodnight

I know two wrongs

Don’t make it right

 

Oh Mama gonna get around

Oh Mama gonna get around

Oh Mama gonna get around

Oh Mama gonna get around

 

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Kiss Me Softly

 

Oh kiss me softly one more time

The night is getting late

Hold me closer one more time

Crush me with all of your weight

Cause all the pretenders are walking through the door

And all these girls they’re trying so hard

And I’m caught between the highs and the lows

Thinking about this world at large

 

I’m sorry my love if I change my tune

But sometimes I’m just not the same

My eyes get foggy my tongue gets loose

With words that I just can’t explain

For I don’t know how this came to be

Why I have no more points of view

I’m walking tall I’m walking small

Then I’m walking home with you

 

Oh bartender, bartender don’t look so sad

Just give me one more drink

Cause I’m tired of the future I’m weary of the past

And I’m tired of trying to think

For anyone can be a criminal anyone can be a saint

It’s all the same to me

We’re all blind men stumbling in the dark

Gambling on what we see

 

So kiss me softly one more time

Look me gently in the eyes

Tell me you love me and that you’ll never leave

Cause you know how much I believe those lies

For time it ain’t kind it don’t even exist

We’re just a part of somebody’s dream

There’s no place too run there’s no place to hide

Cause things are exactly as they seem

​

 

 

 

Going Down This Road

 

I’m gong down this road

As far as I can see

I’m going down this road

That’s where I got to be

Don’t care about nobody

Nobody care about me

 

I’ve been through the rain

I’ve been through the snow

I’ve been through the rain

I’ve been through the snow

I’ve been in trouble 

Wherever I go

 

Once I had me a job

Once I had me a girl

Once I had me a job

Once I had me a girl

Once I had me a heart

Once I had me a world

 

Now I’m going down this road

As far as I can see

I’m going down this road

That’s where I got to be

Don’t care about nobody

Nobody care about me

 

​

 

 

If I Told You

 

If I told you that I love you

What would you do what would you say

Would you run away would you take cover

In your memories of yesterday

If I told you

 

If I told you that I need you 

Like a flower needs the rain

Would you believe me would you see me

Would you come and ease my pain

If I told you

 

Oh I been out walking

And I think that this time I know

What my heart is trying to tell me

Oh baby I love you so

 

If I told you all of these things

Put my heart on the line

Would you believe me would you need me

Would you come and be mine

If I told you

 

Oh I been out walking

And I think that this time I know

What my heart is trying to tell me

Oh baby I love you so

 

If I told you that I love you

What would you do what would you say

Would you run away would you take cover

In your memories of yesterday

If I told you

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still Ain’t Bound

 

Springtime came strolling 

Down the road today

As the sun shined in the sky a brand new

With winter finally over 

Another year come between us

You know I still ain’t bound for forgetting you

 

I’ve been out to Colorado 

I’ve been singing in Nashville

I’ve been doing all the things I set out to

But for all of the miles 

And all the midnight smiles

You know I still ain’t bound for forgetting you

 

I could travel to the ends of this earth

Or sail on the ocean so blue

But with your eyes in the stars

Your memory here in my heart

You know I still ain’t bound for forgetting you

 

Now there’s no telling where

I’ll lay my head tonight

Or tomorrow the towns I’ll be drifting through

But like this wild wind that blows

Me further down this road

You know I still ain’t bound for forgetting you

 

I could travel to the ends of this earth

Or sail on the ocean so blue 

But with your eyes in the stars

And your memory here in my heart

You know I still ain’t bound for forgetting you

I still ain’t bound for forgetting you

​

​

 

 

Tears Of Love

 

Some of us came here to fight

Some were left buried in the night

When the dawn finally lifted the sky

We stood before these ashes and cried

Tears of love

 

Tears of love, tears of love

Lord what can we do

Tears of love, tears of love

Gonna bring me back home to you

 

It’s been a long hard road

So many have fallen beneath the load

But somehow I remain

Through the toil, heartache and pain

And tears of love

 

Tears of love, tears of love

Lord what can we do

Tears of love, tears of love

Gonna bring me back home to you

 

Now the days are growing dark

I feel a emptiness in my heart 

And though my troubles may be deep

I can still hear the angels weep

Tears of love

 

Tears of love, tears of love

Lord what can we do

Tears of love, tears of love

Gonna bring me back home to you

 

​

 

​

On The Gold Coast

 

They say there’s trouble in paradise

You know that’s nothing new

You play the game you roll the dice

Pray that the cards they don’t fall on you

On the gold coast baby

On the gold coast baby

 

I come to town with a ticket in my hand

You know I tried to get through the door

But the man just smiled said “Son you better understand

Capitalism isn’t a game it’s a war”

On the gold coast baby

On the gold coast baby

 

She sure looked good sure looked fine

Make any man want to crawl

I paid my dues I walked the line

You know for her every law I broke them all

On the gold coast baby

On the gold coast baby

 

Take a man’s measure take his pay

You know that’s the way it works down here

You do the math you find a way

You can make anything anybody disappear

On the gold coast baby

On the gold coast baby

 

I climbed that ladder climbed that hill

You know up there you can see for miles

But I tell you friend if looks could kill

You’d see your doom behind every smile

On the gold coast baby

On the gold coast baby

 

Well I don’t know what happened to her

When I fell from grace she fled

But I can’t complain you know the rules are clear

Without money you might as well be dead

On the gold coast baby

On the gold coast baby

 

 

 

Unbound

 

Well I can see the city

Shinning in the dark

I hear people speaking 

They sound pretty smart

They sound pretty smart

But what do I know

Well I come down

From a Massachusetts town

Didn’t know much of nothing

Except to walk down

Down that highway

Down that road

From Cape Cod Bay

All the way to Mexico

All the way to Mexico

 

Well I had me a dream

I had me a thought

I had me a scream

Before I got caught

Before I got caught

A long time ago

Now I can’t remember 

What I come here for

Sometimes I’m at peace

Sometimes I’m at war

There’s so much gone

There’s so much left

So many people

Gone blind and deaf

Gone blind and deaf

 

Well I had me friend 

Eddie was his name

He went to California

To play that crazy game

To play that crazy game

To make some dough

Now the bells are ringing

In his neighborhood

They’re putting him in the ground

Where he once stood

Where he buried his Ma

He buried his Pa

I guess in the end

It don’t matter who you are

It don’t matter who you are

 

So tell me babe

And tell me quick

I’m tired of the scene

And I’m tired of the tricks

I’m tire of the tricks

That makes a man feel low

Well one of these days

I’m gonna get unbound

I’m gonna find that place

That I’ve already found

Where my eyes can see

My ears can hear

Where my heart can feel

That God is near

That God is near

 

​

 

 

 

Babe

 

Babe 

Hear what I say

If there’s a way

I’m going to find it

And I’ll be back for you

My love is true

I’m gonna prove it

 

Know I’m just a poor boy

Your daddy wants better for you

But girl I’m gonna show them all

What a man in love can do

 

Oh babe 

Please don’t cry

This ain’t good-bye

There’s no chance of it

Cause I’ll be back someday

To take you away

From all of this

 

This world is filled with treachery

Manipulators of the heart

But we’re going to rise above it all

They ain’t going to tear us apart

 

No babe 

Against all odds

If that’s the job

You know I’ll take it

Cause I refuse to fall

I’ll face them all

Just to have you

​

 

 

 

Streets Of Rome

 

His eyes were dead

He was touched by gold

From the words he said

From the lies he told

In the shadowy mist

Of a descending dawn

He remembered a kiss

And a woman gone

 

From a fire escape

To the roof high above

They heard the window break

Saw the jump of love

I know that man

An ambulance screamed

As the pigeons ran

And the sewer grates steamed

 

The streets were shaking

The air was frigid

Voices were breaking

Faces stood rigid

His name, his name

Tell me what was it

They saw the red rose stain

Where his body hit

 

A young girl stood 

With tears in her eyes

For nobody could

Understand why

Upon his tattered shirt

They all stared down

And they saw the hurt 

Buried in his frown

 

Through the rainy streets

And the all night cafes

On weary feet

She waited for the day

A message came

Up the ancient steps

She read his name 

And broke down and wept

In some hotel room

On a timeless bed

Oblivious to doom

I heard two lovers wed

Through paper thin walls

So far from home

I remembered his fall

On the streets of Rome

​

 

 

Darlin’

 

Tell me about your country meadows

And your mamas copper kettles

Darlin’

Tell me about front porch swings

Old songs that grand pa sings

Darlin’

Tell me about them swimming holes

Fields where wild flowers grow

I promise I’ll be listening to you 

Darlin’

 

Darlin’, Darlin’

Pour me one more drink

Darlin’, Darlin’

I think I’m on the brink

Of loving you Darlin’

 

I could tell you of city streets

Hungry kids and tired feet

Darlin’

How a man has to beg for a dime

A place where love is often a crime

Darlin’

Where the skies are smoky gray

Life just gets in the way

But please go on talking to me 

Darlin’

 

Darlin’, Darlin’

Pour me one more drink

Darlin’, Darlin’

I think I’m on the brink 

Of loving you Darlin’

 

There’s shop in Paris France

That sells dresses for romancing

Darlin’

Snow covered Alps in Switzerland

Big gala party with a band that swings

Darlin’

A festival in Brazil

Lovers dancing on a hill

I know a way we can get there still

Darlin’

Darlin’, Darlin’

Pour me one more drink

Darlin’, Darlin’

I think I’m on the brink

Of loving you Darlin’