top of page

LYRICS

THE RASCAL IS BACK (2023)
HELLFIRE (2018)
GROWN UP LOVE (2021)
BEN BOSTICK (2017)
AMONG THE FACELESS CROWD (2020)
MY COUNTRY EP (2016)
SINGLES
The Rascal Is Back

THE RASCAL IS BACK

Well howdy, y’all

Did ya miss me? 

Go on and say I told you so

Yeah now I know the straight life is a no go

I was wrong

I tried to get domesticated

But yesterday I finally couldn’t take it

And I was gone!

 

I probably shoulda told my wife

But the minute I saw the light

 

I just dug out my boots and threw out the fanny pack

Sold the van and got my old Harley back

Cranked up the bike and flew out the cul-de-sac

Straight to the nearest bar

I put AC/DC on the jukebox, Back in Black

Got so drunk I’s singing like a maniac

Smoked so much I ‘bout had a heart attack

So it’s a fact…the rascal is back

 

It got bad

Ain’t gonna lie

I dressed up in a suit and tie

Pulled out the driveway seven forty five

Yeah, in the morning!

She started having baby fever

She made me trade my Harley for a Kia

Oh, help me Lord!

 

I saw my reflection in the minivan

And thought this ain’t who I am

 

So I dug out my boots and threw out the fanny pack

Sold the van and got my old Harley back

Cranked up the bike and flew out the cul-de-sac

Straight to the nearest bar

I put AC/DC on the jukebox, Back in Black

Got so drunk I’s singing like a maniac

Smoked so much I ‘bout had a heart attack

I woke up in someone's yard…the rascal is back

It’s crossed my mind that I’m a fool

For leaving all I had

But then I think about a beer

And boy I sure am glad…that I

 

Dug out my boots and threw out the fanny pack

Sold the van and got my old Harley back

Cranked up the bike and flew out the cul-de-sac

Straight to the nearest bar

I put AC/DC on the jukebox, Back in Black

Got so drunk I’s singing like a maniac

Smoked so much I ‘bout had a heart attack

So hang on to your hats…the rascal is back

YOU CAN LEAVE IN THE MORNING

YOU CAN LEAVE IN THE MORNING

Hey there Molly, I’m just a-calling

Cuz I’m ‘bout to go out of my mind

The rain keeps a-falling, falling and falling

And I’m outta ways of wasting my time

 

Why don’t ya come on by and allow me to remind ya

Of the charming twinkle in my eye

And if you don’t mind, grab a bottle of wine

And we’ll be fine until we see sunshine

 

And you can leave in the morning if you feel that way

Or I can fix you some breakfast if you wanna stay

 

Hey! No maybes Please don’t play me

You know I’m not the game playing kind

You’re making me crazy, way you’re acting so cagey

I think you like to mess with my mind

 

If you’re gonna say no, I wish you’d just tell me so

Then I’ll go to bed and read till I’m tired

If you’re interested though, well don’t be so slow

And I’ll throw another log on the fire

 

And you can leave in the morning if you feel that way

But bring some eggs and some coffee if you wanna stay

Oh and don’t forget the wine!

 

Lalalala

 

Whoa there mama, put on your pajamas

I really can’t take anymore

You know I wanna, oh you know I wanna

But I only got so much loving in store

And you can leave in the morning if you feel that way

Or if you wanna stay for another day, hey that’s okay 

Yeah you can leave in the morning if you feel that way

Oh how I love ‘em—oh how I love these rainy days

 

Lalalala

MY SISTER & ME

MY SISTER & ME

Summer sweat in the sweet summer heat

Running round till blisters on our feet

In the yard kicking a soccer ball

Watching TV, doing nothing at all

 

Growing up, my sister and me

Counting the days until we would be free

I guess that qualifies as family

Nobody knows except my sister and me

 

She was sixteen years old and ready to blow

You’d never know when she would come or go

She’d take me to parties, slip me a beer

Leave me alone and disappear

 

Growing up, my sister and me

Making believe that we could be free

I guess that qualifies as family

Nobody knows except my sister and me

 

Ooh why’d you leave me

 

After the bomb and Mama’s all gone

On holidays I get a call on the phone

We talk like strangers in line at the bank

Just be polite and get on with your day

 

Growing up, my sister and me

Making believe that we could be free

I guess that qualifies as family

Nobody knows except my sister and me

 

Lalala..my sister and me

Lord have mercy on my sister and me

BIG TRAIN

BIG TRAIN

Big train, big train — bowling through the Iowa night

Big train, big train — going to Colorado tonight

Big train, big train — closing in on mountain time

Big train, big train — rolling into Loveland tonight

 

I’m taking me a free ride

Ain’t got nothing to leave behind

 

Just keep a-rolling, just keep a-rolling

Just keep a-rolling on down the track

Just keep a-rolling, just keep a-rolling

Big big train let’s roll on fast

 

Big train, big train — ain’t staying stationary tonight

Big train, big train — racing cross the prairie tonight

 

I’m taking me a free ride

Ain’t got nothing to leave behind

 

Just keep a-rolling, just keep a-rolling

Just keep a-rolling on down the track

Just keep a-rolling, just keep a-rolling

Big big train let’s roll on fast

PO NO MO

PO NO MO

I ain’t tryna be rich and have a high price phone

Or have a picket fence round my perfect lawn

I don’t need no hired help to run my home

I just don’t wanna be po no mo

 

I don’t need to play golf at the country club

I don’t need to show off, don’t care to one up

I ain’t keeping up with no one, I don’t know the Jones

I just don’t wanna be po no mo

 

Oh I don’t know what I did wrong

To be oh so po for oh so long

 

The bible told just how it goes

God only bless the child who got his own

I don’t know what sin I’m paying fo

But I sho know what I’m praying fo

Lord I don’t wanna be po no mo

 

I don’t need my own scent or a clothing line

I just wanna make rent and have a Natty Light

Don’t even need no respect when I get home

I just don’t wanna be po no mo

 

Oh I don’t know what I did wrong

To be oh so po for oh so long

 

The bible told just how it goes

God only bless the child who got his own

I don’t know what sin I’m paying fo

But I sho know what I’m praying fo

Lord I don’t wanna be po no mo

 

I just wanna be paid right for my hard work

That’s all I’m praying fo, oh Lord oh Lord

I just don’t wanna be po no mo

I DON'T CARE

I DON'T CARE

I always was too cool for school

And just too dumb to get a job

I know I’m lazy, but I don’t care

I’m good for nothing, and I don’t care

 

I never was motivated

To go and do something I hated

I know I’m lazy, but I don’t care

I’m good for nothing, and I don’t care

 

I may be dumb, but I ain’t no jerk

It make no sense for me to work

When Uncle Sam sends checks for free

So who’s the dumb one, you or me?

 

My mom tells me I’m a loser

I don’t care, cuz she’s a loser

I know I’m lazy, but I don’t care

I’m good for nothing, and I don’t care

 

I may be dumb, but I ain’t no jerk

It make no sense for me to work

When Uncle Sam sends checks for free

So who’s the dumb one, you or me?

 

I may dumb, but I’m no jerk

It don’t make no sense to work

STRANGE DUCK

STRANGE DUCK

Growing up I was a weird kid

Seemed no matter what I ever did

All the normal guys would never quit

Poking fun at me

 

Mama tried to make me regular

She said the Lord above was testing her

As I grew more and more peculiar

Unashamedly

 

When people say that I’m a strange duck

I tell ‘em maybe so but so what

Sure I’m a little different from you

But I don’t really see the issue

So don’t go frittering away your sympathy

Ain’t nothing wrong with me

I consider it good luck that I was born a strange duck

 

If someone tries to make a wisecrack

It don’t matter, I don’t give a quack

Rolls off me like water off a duck’s back

Whatcha think about that?

 

When people say that I’m a strange duck

I tell ‘em maybe so but so what

Sure I’m a little different from you

But I don’t really see the issue

So don’t go frittering away your sympathy

Ain’t nothing wrong with me

I consider it good luck that I was born a strange duck

 

A strange duck needs a strange pond

I know one out on 441

You can have yourself a strange brew

And just do whatcha wanna do

Do whatcha wanna do

Whatcha whatcha whatcha wanna do

 

When people say that I’m a strange duck

I tell ‘em maybe so but so what

Sure I’m a little different from you

But I don’t really see the issue

So don’t go frittering away your sympathy

Ain’t nothing wrong with me

I consider it good luck that I was born a strange duck

IOWA GIRL

IOWA GIRL

I was raised down in South Carolina

Where they say nothing’s finer than a Carolina girl

So imagine my surprise upon finding

That the finest in the world is an Iowa girl

 

I’m in love with an Iowa girl

She’s a mighty desirable girl

Boy it sure all went by in a blur, ooh-ooh

I’m in love with an Iowa girl

 

Never thought much of power and money

I’m a happy-go-lucky kind of guy as it were

Now she don’t really care for diamonds and pearls

But if she desired the world, I’d buy her the world

 

I’m in love with an Iowa girl

She’s a mighty desirable girl

Boy it sure all went by in a blur, ooh-ooh

I’m in love with an Iowa girl

 

I’m no geographical connoisseur

But I must state that I prefer…and Iowa girl

 

I’m in love with an Iowa girl

She’s a mighty desirable girl

Boy it sure all went by in a blur, ooh-ooh

I’m in love with an Iowa girl

COME BACK HOME TO ME

COME BACK HOME TO ME

 can’t fall asleep, I lost my will to eat

I smoke endless cigarettes all night and lie awake and weep

I tried to drown my sorrows, but it turns out sorrows float

The only glad tomorrow is the one where you come home

 

My heart is bleeding, ooh I’m pleading

There’s only one thing I’m needing

 

Won’t you come back (come back), come back (come back)

Come back home to me

I need you to come back (come back), come back (come back)

Come back home to me

 

If I apologize another million times

Will that fill back up the hole I dug, or just remind you of my crimes?

Oh gimme gimme gimme a chance, oh gimme gimme gimme a chance

I’ll burn and rise again like the phoenix of romance

 

My heart is bleeding, ooh I’m pleading

There’s only one thing I’m needing

 

Won’t you come back (come back), come back (come back)

Come back home to me

I need you to come back (come back), come back (come back)

Come back home to me

 

I’d rather go blind (than be alone)

I’d rather go dumb (than be alone)

I’d rather go deaf (than be alone)

I’d rather die young (than be alone)

Oh won’t you just come home (come home)

Please just come on home (come home)

If I gotta spend another night alone, it’ll be below a tombstone

 

My heart is bleeding, ooh I’m pleading

There’s only one thing I’m needing

 

Won’t you come back (come back), come back (come back)

Come back home to me

I need you to come back (come back), come back (come back)

Come back home to me

BURNING DOWN THE ROAD

BURNING DOWN THE ROAD

I’m blowing out of this southern town

For the setting sun is where I’m bound

I filled her up with eighty nine

And I’m coming down on the state line

 

I’ve never been this far 

From the place where I was born

I’m tearing off my rearview mirror

Won’t look back till tomorrow morn

 

I’m burning, burning, burning, burning

Burning down the road

 

One headlight on that long white line

In the darkness shines a Pilot sign

Passed the point of no return

Throttle up and smell it burn

 

I’m burning, burning, burning, burning

Burning down the road

I REMEMBER EASY STREET

I REMEMBER EASY STREET

I remember Easy Street

That little warm and breezy street

Where all the old friends like to meet

And all the women smile so sweet

Yes, I remember Easy Street

That lazy, slightly sleazy street

Where living’s cheap and worry free

Yes, I remember Easy Street

 

Before the potholes and red lights

Sidewalk tents and dead end signs

Wrong ways and blown out tires

Stolen stereos and engine fires

Yes, I remember olden days

The sun shining down his holy golden rays

Mmm hmm I remember that

 

I remember Easy Street

That little warm and breezy street

Where all the old friends like to meet

And all the women smile so sweet

Yes, I remember Easy Street

That lazy, slightly sleazy street

Where living’s cheap and worry free

Yes, I remember Easy Street

 

Before the potholes and red lights

Sidewalk tents and dead end signs

Wrong ways and blown out tires

Stolen stereos and engine fires

Yes, I remember way back when

Thought love was in the cards back then

Mmm hmm I remember that

I remember Easy Street

That little warm and breezy street

Where all the old friends like to meet

And all the women smile so sweet

Yes, I remember Easy Street

That lazy, slightly sleazy street

Where living’s cheap and worry free

Yes, I remember Easy Street

 

Different Woman

DIFFERENT WOMAN

The one who would become my wife had rare peculiar taste

An expertly easy style

She tripped a hallelujah with a funny kind of grace 

A dealer in easy smiles

 

But these days I’m in love with a different woman

Yeah these days I’m in love with a different woman

 

The one who would become my wife walked freely through the world 

Commitments were optional

Time was a suggestion, a promise but a word

Not very conjugal

 

But these days I’m in love with a different woman

Yeah these days I’m in love with a different woman

 

The one with whom I lay at night has eyes of wisdom earned

A mother’s authority

Bound by ties unbreakable, unfree yet unconcerned

She has her priorities

 

The one I met and the one I love have many things in common

But these days she’s a different woman

 

I’m in love with a different woman

Yeah these days I’m in love with a different woman

Yeah these days I’m in love with a different woman

Yeah these days I’m in love with a different woman

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

Shades of Night

SHADES OF NIGHT

Another day is done and you’re tired and weary

And the children gone to bed

I believe we need a soul connection

Sit next to me and rest your head

 

Let’s put on a song with a mellow melody

And turn down the light

May the blues and shadows rock you tenderly

Into the shades of night

 

That busy sun, the long noisy day

Have gone away now, they’ve gone away

So drink in the lazy moonlight and listen to the poetry

I want you, I want you so bad

 

Let the song go on with its mellow melody

Turn off the lights

Let the warm glow of the dancing candle flame

Reveal the shades of night

 

Baby the day is done and the moonlight’s shining on you

Such a beautiful sight

Come close to me and let me love you

Into the shades of night

Oh let me love you

Into the shades of night

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

Lucky Us

LUCKY US

There are some people out there leading lives of luxury

There are some people out there with wealth and fame

There are many people out there leading lives of poverty

There are many people out there in pain

 

We aren’t rich, but we aren’t poor

We’ve got more, more than enough

Lucky me, lucky you, lucky us

 

There are some people out there leading lives of whimsy

There are some people out there without a care

There are many people out there leading lives of suffering

There are many people out there with too much to bear

 

We have our burdens, but they won’t break us

We are more, more than strong enough

Lucky me, lucky you, lucky us

 

I have seen the lives of those that many envy

But everything they have is meaningless

The only thing in the world to envy

Is the light of the lucky stars shining down on us

 

Cuz I got you and you got me

What better luck could there be

What better luck, what deeper love

Oh yes it’s more, more than enough

Lucky me, lucky you, lucky us

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

THE DIAGNOSIS

The Diagnosis

Dreams are made of glass

They shatter so completely and it happens so fast

In a moment go from bliss to bust

The world changes so much faster than us

 

And wisdom is in short supply

Science knows what it is, but it don’t know why

Data flows like water from implausible machines

But just because you know the truth don’t mean that you know what it means

 

Lord, the heart is in constant motion

Tumbling downstream to the infinite ocean

Gasping, beating, looking for signs and wonders

Listening for signal in the storm and thunder

 

Hope will light the way

On the darkest of all days

God, we need an overdose

To face the diagnosis

 

Pain is a poetic art

Mastered by specialists reading from charts

Sticks and stones can break your bones

But words will break your heart

 

Lord, the heart is in constant motion

Tumbling downstream to the infinite ocean

Gasping, beating, looking for signs and wonders

Listening for signal in the storm and thunder

 

Hope will light the way

On the darkest of all days

God, we need an overdose

To face the diagnosis

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

Under the Palmetto Moon

UNDER THE PALMETTO MOON

On Friday nights

She waits for me

By the warehouse fence

When the whistle blows we go riding

Under the palmetto moon

 

I work all week

In that windowless hell

Counting down the hours

Till that engine roars and she holds me

Under the palmetto moon

 

We leave their world

In our dust

The night belongs to us

Only us

 

A motorbike is a powerful thing

With its throttle open wide

It cuts the night like a razor

And bleeds our blue hearts dry

 

We leave their world

In our dust

The night belongs to us

Only us

 

On Friday nights

She waits for me

By the warehouse fence

When the whistle blows we go riding

Under the palmetto moon

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

If We Only Had Tonight

IF WE ONLY HAD TONIGHT

If we only had tonight

And the end was really nigh

Like some old disaster film

I would lay you down in bed

Lay my head beside your head

For a moment an eternal kiss

As the world runs out of time

And the image fades to white

 

If we only had tonight

Every argument would die

Every wall would melt like lemon drops

As the world runs out of time

Forgiveness for our crimes

 

But let’s not wait till it’s too late

The end could come on any day

So love me like it’s our last time

Love me like we only have tonight

 

If we only had tonight

Nevermore the morning light

Like some old disaster film

I would lay you down in bed

Lay my head beside your head

For a moment, for eternity

As the world runs out of time

As time folds into time

 

Let’s not wait till it’s too late

The end could come on any day

The angels of infinity

Come knocking unexpectedly

Love me like it’s our first time

Tracing every untouched line

Love me like it’s our last time

Love me like we only have tonight

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

The Myth of Translation

THE MYTH OF TRANSLATION

If you say what you mean

And I listen close

Then I’ll know what you mean

So the theory goes

 

But here in the real world

It don’t work that way

You claim I don’t hear

Anything you say

 

The myth of translation 

Says words can convey 

Intentions and meaning

From your heart to my brain

Miscommunication

Has plainly been framed

The myth of translation 

Is clearly to blame

 

We feed our children

All flavors of lies

Sweet deceptions

To mask the taste of life

 

We teach the them to listen

We say go speak your mind

They grow up and leave us 

And we wonder why

 

The myth of translation 

Says words can convey 

Intentions and meaning

From my heart to your brain

Miscommunication

Has plainly been framed

The myth of translation 

Is clearly to blame

 

The news out of Babel

Was worse than reported

The editors knew that

We couldn’t have borne it

 

When hearts draw near

And wish to relate

Precious messages are shared

But they do not translate

The myth of translation 

Says words can convey 

Intentions and meaning

From my heart to your brain

Miscommunication

Has plainly been framed

The myth of translation 

Is clearly to blame

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

A Grown Up Kind of Love

A GROWN UP KIND OF LOVE

Young love is such a piece of cake

So sweet, but gone so fast

You’re high then you’re low and then stomachache 

It isn’t meant to last

 

But our love is like a garden

To be tended and taken care of

Our nourishment never uncertain

A grown up kind of love

 

When I’m downhearted

She gives me thrill

She gives me reason

When I’m losing my will

When I’m in the valley

Hungry and cold

I can keep climbing

Cuz she warms me and feeds my soul

 

It’s such a shame when a heart’s fare goes to waste

It pains me just to think of

Those hungry souls who never will taste

A grown up kind of love

A grown up kind of love

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

Like Old People Do

LIKE OLD PEOPLE DO

You and me been running so fast we’re gonna run outta gas

We gotta slow down to make this last

Find a small hotel by the water somewhere and breathe in some morning air

From a pair of rocking chairs

 

We’ll gaze out across the deep blue ocean

Just taking in the view

Holding hands, not a word spoken

Just like old people do

 

Later on we can take a walk and talk about the weather

Collect shells and seagull feathers

Browse antiques, grab a bite to eat, but can’t forget to get back by sunset

To our pair of rocking chairs

 

We’ll gaze out across the great blue ocean

Just taking in the view

Holding hands, not a word spoken

Just like old people do, oh yeah

Just like old people do

Just like old people do

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

It Seems Like Only Yesterday

IT SEEMS LIKE ONLY YESTERDAY

I can’t believe it’s already been one year

It seems like only yesterday we met

On Halloween, a pirate and an angel

Sharing stories and a midnight cigarette

It seems like only yesterday we met

 

Oh and truly you sure were a beauty

That night one year ago

But you’re more beautiful tonight than you ever were

And I’d be lying if I denied

That I loved you from the get-go

But I love you more tonight than I ever did before

 

I can’t believe it’s already been ten years

Didn’t think that I was cut out for the family life

But here we are, I’m a dad and you’re a mom

I’m a husband and you’re a wife

And it seems like only yesterday we met

 

Oh and truly you sure were a beauty

That night ten years ago

But you’re more beautiful tonight than you ever were

And I’d be lying if I denied

That I loved you from the get-go

But I love you more tonight than I ever did before

 

I can’t believe it’s been fifty years gone by

The world’s sure changed a lot over that time

And I can’t believe, in the twinkling of an eye

Mmmm…

Because it seems like only yesterday we met

 

Oh and truly you sure were a beauty

Those fifty years ago

But you’re more beautiful tonight than you ever were

And I’d be lying if I denied

That I loved you from the get-go

But I love you more tonight than I ever did before

BUY IT ON:
CD - MP3 ALBUM

Absolutely Emily

ABSOLUTELY EMILY

Absolutely Emily

I’ll come back when you call on me

The days are getting shorter

But I’ll be back before long

I promise, Emily

 

Do you miss me, Emily?

I spend the night with you in my dreams

The days are getting colder

But we’ll be warm before long

I promise, Emily

 

Please forgive me, Emily

I have to stay just one more week

To make some extra money

But I’ll spend it all on you

I promise, Emily

 

I did something, Emily

Can you come post the bail for me

I’ve got a little money saved

So don’t you worry, babe

I promise, Emily

 

And pack your bag up, Emily

I know a place that’s far away

We’ll live high on a hilltop

And we’ll never go to town

I promise, Emily

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

Wasting Gas

WASTING GAS

Cleaned out my desk at work yesterday

I haven’t told Caroline, don’t know what to say

So I get dressed up in my shirt and tie

She fixes me a lunch and kisses me goodbye

 

And I drive around, but I’m going nowhere

Down county two lanes that lead nowhere

Through endless fields of Bermuda grass

Just spinning my wheels and wasting gas

 

It’s two weeks now since they let me go

Still telling lies when I come home

When we go to bed she reaches for me

I turn my back, pretend that I’m asleep

 

And I drive around, but I’m going nowhere

Down county two lanes that lead nowhere

Through endless fields of Bermuda grass

Just spinning my wheels and wasting gas

 

A month gone by now, and I think she knows

Cuz when I get dressed and ready to go

She fixes me lunch and kisses me goodbye

Trying to hide the tears in her eyes

 

Sometimes I find myself down on Hilton Head

Among the mansions, where Emily lives

I think about us seventeen years old

As I see her looking pretty through her window

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

Working for a Living

WORKING FOR A LIVING

8 bucks an hour is what I’m worth

Putting shingles on houses that I can’t afford

That’s 64 for an 8 hour day

A family of 4 can’t live that way

 

So now I’m working nights, parking cars at the club

On a good night I make fifty bucks

I take it all home and I add it all up

Somehow an 80 hour week just ain’t enough

 

Something ‘bout this math just don’t add up

Something ‘bout this math just don’t add up 

 

I’m working for a living, I’m working for a living

I’m working for a living, and it’s turning me cold

I’m working for a living, I’m working for a living

I’m working for a living, and it’s turning me cold

 

My wife says, “Babe, we really need a vacation”

But she don’t know our situation

I’m falling, falling, falling behind

Sir, don’t make me look like a loser in my baby’s eyes

 

I never used to be so cold and cruel

I never used to be so cold and cruel

 

I’m working for a living, I’m working for a living

I’m working for a living, and it’s turning me cold

I’m working for a living, I’m working for a living

I’m working for a living, and it’s turning me cold

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

I Just Can't Seem to Get Ahead

I JUST CAN'T SEEM TO GET AHEAD

Working a job that I can’t stand

For less than I’m worth, but all that I can command

Boss looking for a volunteer to stay on late tonight

I can’t wait to leave, but I need the overtime

 

I take every shift I can cuz I’m in deep

Been falling behind since the Chevrolet went dead

I built her back up myself, but parts ain’t cheap

I just can’t seem to get ahead

 

They say if you work hard, there’s some ladder you’ll climb

But I’m not convinced there’s any ladder to find

Burying my dreams, drowning in debt

I just can’t seem to get ahead

 

I don’t desire any fancy things

Riches and wealth and the bitterness they breed

But it’d be nice to take my baby out to dinner now and then

Or buy her some roses just for no reason

 

When I get home tonight she’ll be asleep in bed

Ten years older than the day we were wed

Things didn’t turn out how I promised they would be

Oh I just can’t seem to get ahead

 

They say if you work hard, there’s some ladder you’ll climb

But I’m not convinced there’s any ladder to find

Burying my dreams, drowning in debt

I just can’t seem to get ahead

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

The Last Coast

THE LAST COAST

Made nothing from nothing, made shit from shit

Come home to an empty apartment, and that’s as good as it gets

I was raised by strangers five miles from here

If I never see those people again I won’t shed a tear

 

By the light of the palmetto moon I’m busting out of this godforsaken cage

I’d rather be lost out there than lost at home, least I’ll be lonely in a different place

 

Mom and Dad, I hope you understand

That you can’t lose something that you never had

So I’m bound for the last coast, for the last coast, for the last coast

 

Best friend from school lost a leg to an IED

Come home to his wife and baby, hung himself with the dog leash

I’ve heard it said you can’t outrun your ghosts

But if they wanna take a ride with me, baby, then I’m-a drown ‘em on the last coast

 

And by the light of the palmetto moon I’m busting out of this godforsaken cage

I’d rather be lost out there than lost at home, least I’ll be lonely in a different place

 

Mom and Dad, I hope you understand

That you can’t lose something that you never had

So I’m bound for the last coast, for the last coast, for the last coast

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

The Thief

THE THIEF

I’m a Christian, and I don’t believe it’s right for someone to steal

But I’m a man with a family to provide for, that’s the deal

 

If I could find a way, an honest way

I swear to you I’d take the job today

But they don’t want me or nobody like me

With a tenth grade education and a rap sheet

 

So I take unnecessary things

From those who can afford to lose their necklaces and rings

I ain’t no Jesse James, I just looked my options through

I got two kids and a wife who deserve a decent life

So I do what I gotta do

 

There’s a guy up near Bakersfield who likes what I got to sell

So I ain’t scraping by no more, cleaning toilets in some rich man’s hotel

 

But sometimes when I’m winding through the grapevine

Driving north across that Kern County line

I keep hoping for blue lights coming up behind

Coming to relieve all this pressure in my mind

 

And yet I take unnecessary things

From those who can afford to lose their necklaces and rings

I ain’t no Jesse James, I just looked my options through

I got two kids and a wife who deserve a decent life

So I do what I gotta do

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

Central Valley

CENTRAL VALLEY

Deep in the valley

I was raised to be a man

Great central valley

Where a man ain’t worth a damn

They cut my pay

To minimum wage

 

How is a family

Meant to survive on ten an hour

A wife and a baby

And a man with no power

 

So yes I’m guilty

But I ain’t sorry for what I done

I needed the money

More than the men I took it from

I didn’t mean

To hurt no one

 

So what’s gonna happen

Mister, to my wife and son

When I go to prison

I didn’t mean to hurt no one

 

Deep in the valley

Where the grapes of wrath are sown

Great central valley

Where the weeds are overgrown

And they burn

And they burn

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

Too Dark to Tell

TOO DARK TO TELL

In this dark night it’s too hard for me to say

If the rays of hope will shine again someday

And if I might be spared as the tempest starts to swell

At this point it’s just too dark to tell

 

Was the stars guided me to God’s shores

Was the devil set me drifting once more

Will these clouds ever lift and the map again reveal

At this point it’s just too dark to tell

 

If these green eyed blues would lighten up

If my nature would shake this wicked spell

If this midnight sky would brighten up

If my ears could hear a voice saying all will be well

Then all is well, all is well

 

I once was found, but now again I’m lost

On merciless waves I am tossed

I would tell you of His grace, and how it was I fell

But some tales are just too dark to tell

 

If these green eyed blues would lighten up

If my nature would shake this wicked spell

If this midnight sky would brighten up

If my ears could hear a voice saying all will be well

Then all is well, all is well

 

I once was found, but now again I’m lost

On merciless waves I am tossed

I would tell you of His grace, and how it was I fell

But some tales are just too dark to tell

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

Untroubled Mind

UNTROUBLED MIND

Call me Abraham if you don’t mind

That’s my only request as I reach my dying time

I’ve known wretchedness that words can’t tell

I’ve seen the darkest hell when I looked into myself

 

I’ve done things You can’t forgive

I turned from Your grace when You tried to give me sight

Now I pray Your grace You’ll give

May I pass through the night with an untroubled mind

 

May you never know what you will find

In a concrete prison cell on the execution line

All the wickedness that ever was

Is living in your heart and running in your blood

 

I’ve done things You can’t forgive

I turned from Your grace when You tried to give me sight

Now I pray Your grace You’ll give

May I pass through the night with an untroubled mind

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

If I Were in a Novel

IF I WERE IN A NOVEL

If I were in a novel

I wouldn’t be the hero

I wouldn’t have the grand romance

Or conquer mighty foes

 

I wouldn’t be the villain

And hatch an evil plan

I wouldn’t be the rebel

I wouldn’t be the wise man

 

I would be the nameless clerk

A shadow passing by

Unnoticed in the milling round

Among the faceless crowd

 

If I were in a movie

I’d have no lines to say

I’d be out of focus

In the distance on the edge of frame

 

I would be the background

A shadow passing by

Unnoticed in the milling round

Among the faceless crowd

 

If I were a magician

And could really disappear

Not a soul would notice

And none would shed a tear

 

If I were to vanish

It would bring no joy

To an audience of no one

No witness to the void

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

No Show Blues

NO SHOW BLUES

I got a job in the valley but today I didn’t go
I need a day off but the boss said hell no
I’m gonna get drunk and smoke three packs of Marlboros

And part of me thinks I ain’t never gonna make it back home

 

I got a wife at the house, but she got no love for me

Plopped on the couch on her phone watching TV
The woman I married wasn’t nearly so goddam mean

And she didn’t suck down so many benzodiazepines

I’m gonna go to the bank and cash out my account
Drive straight to the tavern and drink a disgusting amount

Spin my pistol and baby you better look out
Cuz wherever it points I’m coming to your town

I had a job in the valley, but I doubt I do anymore
I took a day off and then I took four more
Been drunk since I left and chain smoking Marlboros
And part of me thinks I ain’t never gonna make it back home

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

Hellfire

HELLFIRE

Met a woman, got engaged

Time passed, wedding day

Then my feet turned cold at the tone of those wedding bells

Felt bad everyone got dressed up, but I knew I’d messed up

So had to ‘fess up that all I really wanted  was just to get drunk as hell

So I jilted that poor woman and I got drunk as hell

 

I’m talking ‘bout hellfire (hellfire)

Hellfire (hellfire)

Hellfire, that’s where I’m bound

 

Feeling sinful, needing grace

Sunday morning, knew the place

So I stumbled into church and set down for a spell

Few minutes in felt free of sin, so I polished off my bottle of bathtub gin

And got stinking, dirty, awful drunk as hell

Yeah right there in the back pew I got drunk as hell

 

I’m talking ‘bout hellfire (hellfire)

Hellfire (hellfire)

Hellfire, that’s where I’m bound

 

My drinking buddy passed away

Lightweight, couldn’t hang

So I filled my flask and went to say farewell

I stood in the back, dressed in black, tearing up and turning up

Getting lit up, good godawful greasy drunk as hell

I cried, “I’m coming for you, buddy, that’s where I’m bound!”

 

I’m talking ‘bout hellfire (hellfire)

Hellfire (hellfire)

Hellfire, that’s where I’m bound

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

No Good Fool

NO GOOD FOOL

Amber moved to the suburbs

Molly moved out of state

Dawn moved on to the next world

Just to get away

 

Cuz I’m a no good fool

And I mess around

Yeah I’m a no good fool

I’m low down

 

I’m fun for the night 

But I ain’t no good for you

You’re dancing with the devil

When you dance with this no good fool

 

So you say you like bad boys

Well, run away while you can

I told you ain’t no bad boy

I’m a bad, bad man

 

Yes I’m a no good fool

And I mess around

Yeah I’m a no good fool

I’m low down

 

I’m fun for the night 

But I ain’t no good for you

You’re dancing with the devil

When you dance with this no good fool

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

Blow Off Some Steam

BLOW OFF SOME STEAM

Let me tell you little something about me

When it’s Saturday night I need to blow off some steam

 

I’ve been holding it in since I clocked in Monday morning

Come the end of the week I’m about to blow

We walk into the honky tonk like a pack of wolves now

Order up a round of shots and it’s away we go

 

It’s a throw down hoedown get down order up another round of shots

Gonna get drunk, get some, have fun, get into some trouble, baby, like it or not

I’m a Jim Beam drinking, paycheck slinging, line dancing machine

It’s been a helluva week and I need to blow off some steam

 

Gotta blow off some steam before I blow up

Been holding it in through the whole workweek

Now it’s Saturday night and I’m about to blow 

 

So come on now band don’t you play me none of them slow songs

I need boot scooting, barn burning, hell-raising get up and go songs 

Gimme something hot, just give it all you got

Now let’s hear what them Hellfire Boys can do

 

It’s a throw down hoedown get down order up another round of shots

Gonna get drunk, get some, have fun, get into some trouble, baby, like it or not

I’m a Jim Beam drinking, paycheck slinging, line dancing machine

It’s been a helluva week and I need to blow off some steam

 

Gotta blow off some steam before I blow up

Been holding it in through the whole workweek

Now it’s Saturday night and I’m about to blow 

 

It’s Saturday night, I need to blow off some steam

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

It Ain't Cheap Being Poor

IT AIN'T CHEAP BEING POOR

It ain’t cheap being poor, and I can’t take anymore

Of the tickets and the taxes and the fees

I work hard for my pay, then they take it away

Like they don’t care I got a family to feed

 

They cut my shifts at the mill, I fell behind on my bills

And when you’re late they try to charge you more money

They were riding my back, so I just cut ‘em a check

Then the bank charged me a low balance fee

 

Yeah it ain’t cheap being poor (It ain’t cheap being poor)

No it ain’t cheap being poor (It ain’t cheap being poor)

I work hard for my pay, then they take it away

And they wonder why the hell I’m so poor

 

I wanna buy in bulk to try to save a few bucks

But I can’t cuz I’m down to my last penny

And my insurance is high on my beat up old ride

Cuz I’m living on the rough side of the city

 

Yeah it ain’t cheap being poor (It ain’t cheap being poor)

No it ain’t cheap being poor (It ain’t cheap being poor)

I work hard for my pay, then they take it away

And they wonder why the hell I’m so poor

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

Tornado

TORNADO

It was a hazy day downtown LA

When I met her on an elevator on its way

Up to the hotel room of my fiancé

But I never made it there cuz she come

 

Tearing through my life like a tornado

Coming on hotter than a baked potato

She spin me round then see ya later

Wanna hate her but I love her instead

 

We caught the red-eye to Dubai

She was blowing my dough like it’s going out of style

In general I’s a sensible guy

But that guy died when she come

 

Tearing through my life like a tornado

Coming on hotter than a baked potato

She spin me round then a see ya later

Wanna hate her but I love her instead

 

I lost my job and all of my money

Most of my friends and half of my mind

I’m so messed up it’s a little funny

Man, I thought for sure that she was mine

 

But now I’m alone just trying to get right

Picking up the pieces of my busted life

If she walked into this room tonight

I’d say, baby—won’t you come

 

Tearing through my life like a tornado

Coming on hotter than a baked potato

Just spin me round then see ya later

Wanna hate her but I love her instead

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

The Other Side of Wrong

THE OTHER SIDE OF WRONG

Well I missed the kick in the big game, failed my driving test

Misspelled my ex-girlfriend’s name on the tattoo on my chest

 

Cuz I can’t do nothing right, and I can’t seem to get along

I’ve forgotten what it looks like on the other side of wrong

 

I picked a fight with a boxer, scratched an Angel’s hog

Gave a heart attack to the doctor and lost my mama’s dog

I hung a left on a red light and lost my right to drive

Just show me to the shallow end and I’m sure to dive right in

 

Cuz I can’t do nothing right, and I can’t seem to get along

I’ve forgotten what it looks like on the other side of wrong

 

So I’m sitting on this barstool in this dirty downtown bar

Drinking up my money and I piss it in the bathroom stall

A man of my disposition should steer clear of alcohol

But if I didn’t make bad decisions, I wouldn’t make no decisions at all

 

Cuz I can’t do nothing right, and I can’t seem to get along

I’ve forgotten what it looks like on the other side of wrong

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

Work Sleep Repeat

WORK, SLEEP, REPEAT

Alarm goes off at a quarter to five, roll outta bed, rub the sleep from my eyes

Throw on a shirt and some jeans and my boots and then it’s time

To make that morning drive

 

Work all day till I’m totally beat, get back home and fall right to sleep 

Alarm goes off in the morning and the cycle’s complete

Work, sleep, repeat

 

Work, sleep, work, sleep, that’s all I ever do anymore

Somewhere up the line I forgot what I was working for

There goes life, looks like it ain’t slowing down for me

All I ever do is work, sleep, repeat 

 

Seems like yesterday I was seventeen, running bootlegs and draws and screens

Now I’m running up debt and I’m scrambling to make ends meet

So work, sleep, repeat

 

Work, sleep, work, sleep, that’s all I ever do anymore

Somewhere up the line I forgot what I was working for

There goes life, looks like it ain’t slowing down for me

All I ever do is work, sleep, repeat

 

Sometimes at work I just sit around and fantasize

Bout how I can save myself from dying in this working life

 

But that alarm goes off again at 4:45, roll outta bed, rub the sleep from my eyes

Throw on a shirt and some jeans and my boots and then it’s time

To make that morning drive

 

Work, sleep, work, sleep, that’s all I ever do anymore

Somewhere up the line I forgot what I was working for

There goes life, looks like it ain’t slowing down for me

All I ever do is work, sleep, repeat

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

How Much Lower Can I Go

HOW MUCH LOWER CAN I GO

I’m a liar, I’m a boozer, I’m a bastard and abuser

And I’m wondering how much lower can I go

I’ve been beaten, I’ve been bloodied, I’ve been broken and betrayed

And I’m wondering how much lower can I go

 

Found her with another man

I was thrown into confusion

For the world I thought was true

Was nothing but illusion

 

I’m a liar, I’m a boozer, I’m a bastard and abuser

And I’m wondering how much lower can I go

I’ve been beaten, I’ve been bloodied, I’ve been broken and betrayed

And I’m wondering how much lower can I go

 

Even though I know it’s wrong

I wish my pain upon the world

I curse the lives of lucky men

Into this hell I hope they’re hurled

 

I was once a good man

Now I’m living in this hell

 

I’m a liar, I’m a boozer, I’m a bastard and abuser

And I’m wondering how much lower can I go

I’ve been beaten, I’ve been bloodied, I’ve been broken and betrayed

And I’m wondering how much lower can I go

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

Feeling Mean

FEELING MEAN

Tonight I’m feeling mean, I’m feeling mean

Tonight I’m feeling mean, I’m feeling mean

Tonight I’m feeling mean, gonna make an ugly scene

Cuz tonight I’m feeling mean, I’m feeling mean

 

Tonight I’m gonna pick myself a fight

Give some deserving dirtbag a black eye

And if he swings at me, then I’ll bust that sucker's knee

Cuz tonight I'm feeling mean, I'm feeling mean

 

I’m feeling mean

I’m feeling mean

The meanest hunk of meat that anyone’s ever seen

Get out of the way of the hurricane or there’s a heavy price to pay

Tonight I’m feeling mean, I’m feeling mean

 

Tonight I’m gonna drink like daddy done

Gonna act a fool and keep on till the dawn

Drink fifteen pints of beer, then I’ll roll right out of here

Tonight I’m gonna drink like daddy done

 

I’m feeling mean

I’m feeling mean

The meanest hunk of meat that anyone’s ever seen

Get out of the way of the hurricane or there’s a heavy price to pay

Tonight I’m feeling mean, I’m feeling mean

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

The Outsider

THE OUTSIDER

They say I’m stupid

Maybe I am

But baby it’s amazing

How little I care

What they say or

What they think about me

Never had no love

And no I don’t need none

Just leave me alone

 

I’m on the outside and I ain’t looking in

What everybody’s doing really ain’t that interesting

I’m on the outside but that ain’t far enough

Watch me take it to the edge and I’m-a jump right off

 

They say I’m too different

If I don’t change then

I’m a never fit in

I won’t never get invited

To the parties

Never make the money

Goddam it’s so amazing

That they think I care

 

I’m on the outside and I ain’t looking in

What everybody’s doing really ain’t that interesting

I’m on the outside but that ain’t far enough

Watch me take it to the edge and I’m-a jump right off, watch me

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

Independence Day Eve

INDEPENDENCE DAY EVE

Can’t find nobody to cast a stone

When you’re living in the city of broken bones

Can’t live your last day tucked away in a shell

You won’t be alone when you get to hell

 

There’s a bomb coming out of the sky and everybody knows

But the highway’s shut down and ain’t no place to go

There’s a party in the streets before we bleed

Everything’s free on Independence Day Eve

 

It don’t matter you’re a saint, a lover, or a liar

When you’re watching your city burning up in the fire

Faces flashing in the night, who could that be?

Voices churning in my head like a holy choir

 

There’s a bomb coming out of the sky and everybody knows

But the highway’s shut down and ain’t no place to go

There’s a party in the streets before we bleed

Everything’s free on Independence Day Eve

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

Coast of Mexico

COAST OF MEXICO

I’m heading south on Highway 25

And I’m going just as fast as I can drive

 

Adios to the USA

I’ll see you again someday

But tonight I’ve got a better place to be

 

Tonight I’ll be staying on the coast of Mexico

In a little tent out on the beach down as far as I can go

With a button of peyote or a little bit of Mexican snow

Oh Mexico

 

Dame más mezcal, I got things I wanna see

And I’m stuck here now, because I threw away my keys

 

So come on, señorita

Come on and baile conmigo

Cuz tonight I ain’t going anywhere

 

Tonight I’ll be staying on the coast of Mexico

In a little tent out on the beach down as far as I can go

With a button of peyote or a little bit of Mexican snow

Oh Mexico

 

I’m running down that devil

From the valley to sea level

And tonight she’ll be staying here with me

 

Tonight I’ll be staying on the coast of Mexico

In a little tent out on the beach down as far as I can go

With a button of peyote or a little bit of Mexican snow

Oh Mexico

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

Paid My Dues

PAID MY DUES

I’m going down to Georgia, the place my folks call home

Then on to Carolina, the place where I was born

Good morning Music City, I’ve got a song for you

Good God Almighty Lord I’ve paid my dues

 

Good God I’ve paid my dues from Mississippi onto Alabama

From Louisiana onto Texarkana

I’m getting a little too good, Lord, at singing these old blues

Good God Almighty Lord I’ve paid my dues

 

That Motel 6 in Austin has really gone downhill

But not as bad as my back seat, where I stayed in Amarillo

Not much further to California, just a couple one night stands

Till I’m wrapped up in my baby’s arms again

 

Good God I’ve paid my dues from Albuquerque onto Arizona

From Boulder City up to Idaho

I’m getting a little too good, Lord, at singing these old blues

Good God Almighty Lord I’ve paid my dues

 

I’ve paid my dues from Ensenada up to Washington

Hell, I ain’t saying I ain’t had some fun

But I’m getting a little too good, Lord, at singing these old blues

Good God Almighty Lord I’ve paid my dues

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

After the Rain

AFTER THE RAIN

Rain on me, you stormy sky, wash my sins away

Let the thunder roll, let the lightning strike until I’m clean again

 

Moon shine bright behind the clouds, but don’t you show your face

Till I’m clean by and by and I’m free from earthly trials

When I’m new again after the rain

 

After the rain, when the clouds roll away

When my skin is soaked through with water

When the pain is awful great, I can face the coming days

When I’m new again after the rain

 

When I come or go, to the west, to the east, over the mountain or over the sea

It don’t matter where I am, I will be a happy man if those clouds just follow me

 

Someone said to me, “You’re a fool to wait. I will take you down to the river

And the stream will wash away all the pain of yesterday”

I said, “Thanks, but I’ll just wait for the rain”

 

After the rain, when the clouds roll away

When my skin is soaked through with water

When my legs can’t hold their weight, when I’m waiting for my fate

I’ll be new again after the rain

 

I don’t know what Jesus said, he never spoke to me

But I thank the sky above for pouring down her holy love

To save a wretch like me

 

After the rain, when the clouds roll away

When my skin is soaked through with water

When the night won’t turn to day, when the pain is awful great

I’ll be new again after the rain

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

Paper Football

PAPER FOOTBALL

Chocolate ice cream on your tight tan face

Lying on the hammock and staring into space

Hum a melody, then it’s gone without a trace

Hmmm…

 

Feel the ridges, valleys, ridges of your bones

As I paint my name on your skin in Coppertone

And you cheat on your homework over the phone

Sweet and sad

 

I didn’t cry when I heard the news of your suicide

Just saw you sitting there, sweet and sad

I took the blow and it cast my memory back

To playing paper football in the back of class

 

Drive an hour just to go and mock the gossips at the mall

And talk of movie stars and losers in the bathroom stall

Frame our names in heart on cracked white tile wall

Forever and ever

 

That night lying back in the bed of a hand-me-down highboy in the holler

Rolling round and fooling round and pulling bourbon from the bottle

Screaming and shouting at the shooting stars to stay a little longer

Forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever…

 

I didn’t cry when I heard the news of your suicide

Just saw you sitting there forever and ever

I heard the words and they cast my memory back

To playing paper football in the back of class

 

Images of high and wild, dancing and insane

Printing doubles so we both could have the same

Drop into the junk store to buy some empty frames

 

Drag my shadow down Lake Murray Blvd

No one home, so wait in your front yard

Sunshine tries to bleach away my scars

While I think about the dealer who dealt us these cards

Darkness falls on your front yard

Hmmm…

 

Oooh oooh

 

Slipping and sliding in and out of forever

Slowly sliding and slipping down the river

Beat back the current and never surrender

Playing paper football forever and ever

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

The Juggler

THE JUGGLER

They call me the juggler cuz I always have three lovers

Man, I burn through Trojan rubbers like no other

But when I’m not between the sheets I’m busy staying undercover

Ain’t as sweet as it seems being the juggler

 

Cuz Edith likes eating at East of Eden

Where Wendy works on Wednesday evenings

And Donna Lee does her laundry two doors down

So when I’m out to eat with Edith

I’m always worried Wendy’s watching

And equally that Donna Lee is gonna be around

What’s worse is Wendy lives by the Wally World

Where Donna Lee goes to the pharmacy

And Edith’s ex-old man is employed there

So I choose to keep a low profile

Sneak around like it’s going out of style

And try to keep these balls up in the air

 

They call me the juggler cuz I always have three lovers

Sometimes I wish I had me a twin brother

Because it takes a lot of steam making all that hubba hubba

Ain’t as sweet as it seems being the juggler

 

I had three more the month before

Tanya, Tina, and Isadora

But that all ended in a puddle of tears and blood

I had Tanya down for ten to noon

And Tina’d turn up around one or two

And Izzy’d use me all night like a stud

But one day Tanya showed up a little late

And Tina turned up a lotta early

So fists were flying till Izzy came that night

I’m pretty sure Isadora’s the one that threw me on the floor

While Tanya and Tina punched and kicked and swore

And long story short I lost the fight

 

They call me the juggler cuz I always have three lovers

They come and go but there’s always another

I guess I can’t be pleased by just one lady’s comfort

Ain’t as sweet as it seems being the juggler

 

Maybe someday I’ll quit this fooling round

And find someone to make me settle down

But I’d hate to be the one to make her suffer

Cuz one of them days we’d go to town

And one of my friends would flag us down

And say, “You know why everybody calls him the juggler?”

And I’d have to explain…

 

That they call me the juggler cuz I always have three lovers

Man, I burn through Trojan rubbers like no other

But when I’m not between the sheets I’m busy staying undercover

Ain’t as sweet as it seems being the juggler

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

Sweet Thursday

SWEET THURSDAY

Wasn’t supposed to go this way

When I met you yesterday

Didn’t need you next to me

Am I the kind that you expected me to be?

 

It’s getting a little warm

Crack the window please

 

I’ll pump the gas if you run inside

Grab a couple tall boys and a honey pie

 

Yesterday is far away

And tomorrow you’ll be gone

Wasn’t supposed to go this way

Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet Thursday

 

Ten million people, maybe more

Out on the highway in a dusty storm

Two lonesome losers in a stolen dream

Headed straight for nowhere in a suicide machine

 

If you see you the lights flashing

Push the pedal down

 

Over the border they can’t get us there

Between the two of us, we’ll make it if we share

 

Yesterday is far away

And tomorrow you’ll be gone

Wasn’t supposed to go this way

Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet Thursday

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

Supposed To

SUPPOSED TO

I did my chores and made my bed because I’s supposed to

Cleaned my room, obeyed my dad because I’s supposed to

I raised my hand and waited my turn because I’s supposed to

Everything they taught I learned because I’s supposed to

I finished school at the age of eighteen because I’s supposed to

I kept on and got a college degree because I’s supposed to

Got a job, work it nine to five because I’s supposed to

Bought a ring and got me a wife because I’s supposed to

And what the hell’s all of this supposed to ever done for me?

 

I didn’t sleep a wink last night

Work’s drying up and money’s tight

Though I followed this old script line by line

The sure thing was a lousy bet

There’s holes all in my safety net

And it’s a goddam lie when I say I’m doing fine

Didn’t think this was what I’s supposed to get

By doing everything that I’s supposed to

 

I don’t stay out late & I hardly drink because I supposed to

No more Kool Filter Kings because I supposed to

I put money in the IRA because I supposed to

I pledge allegiance to the USA because I supposed to

I keep up with the local team because I supposed to

Laugh at my childhood dreams because I supposed to

I never eat before saying grace because I supposed to

Go to church every seven days because I supposed to

And what the hell’s all of this supposed to ever done for me

 

I didn’t sleep a wink last night

Work’s drying up and money’s tight

Though I followed this old script line by line

The sure thing was a lousy bet

There’s holes all in my safety net

And it’s a goddam lie when I say I’m doing fine

Didn’t think this was what I’s supposed to get

By doing everything that I’s supposed to

 

I button up and stay clean cut

Try to eat good and watch my gut

Clean behind my ears and between my toes

And always keep up with the goddam Jones

 

The sure thing was a lousy bet

There’s holes all in my safety net

And it’s a goddam lie when I say I’m doing fine

Didn’t think this was what I’s supposed to get

By doing everything that I’s supposed to

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

I Should Have Been Her Man

I SHOULD HAVE BEEN HER MAN

Sometimes you know by the light in her eyes

That she is the sun you’ve been waiting to rise

Sometimes you know by the light in her eyes

That she is the sun you’ve been waiting to rise

 

I should have taken her hand

I should have known that I’d just get old

I should have stayed instead of playing in this band

I should have been her man

 

I could have got me some job some place

These honky tonk mirrors put lines on your face

I could have got me some job some place

These honky tonk mirrors put lines on your face

 

I should have taken her hand

I should have known that I’d just get old

I should have stayed instead of playing in this band

I should have been her man

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

ERIN IS BLUE

Erin is blue, Erin is blue

Nothing you can do when Erin is blue

And Erin is blue

 

Erin is blue

She don’t eat no food

Only eats pills

Drinks only booze

Sleeps through the day

Night she’s awake

Get script refilled

Dress up to kill

Powder the bruise

 

Erin is blue, Erin is blue

Nothing you can do when Erin is blue

And Erin is blue

 

Erin gets high

Catches a ride

Gets to the bar

Catches your eye

Her eyes say she’ll love you

Lips say she’ll fuck you

Know in your heart

It ain’t kind or smart

And you’ll pay the price

 

Cuz Erin is blue, Erin is blue

Nothing you can do when Erin is blue

And Erin is blue

 

Pretends she’s asleep

When she feels you leave

You don’t feel so bad

About her feeling sad

Nothing you could do

 

Erin is blue, Erin is blue

Nothing you can do when Erin is blue

And Erin is blue

Erin Is Blue

BUY IT ON:

VINYL - CD - MP3 ALBUM

MY COUNTRY

My Country

This is my country, my damn country

Gimme my country, you can keep the rest

This is my country, my damn country

And it don’t mean a thing if it don’t pass the test

If you ain’t never cheated or been cheated on

Then take off your boots, you rhinestone fraud

 

Gimme cheating, drinking, and outlaw songs

Hard times, foolish pride, done me wrong

Flirting with the devil, get right with the man

Amen, pain songs, one night stands

You can keep your picket fence fantasies

And put a cork in your high school memories

 

This is my country, my damn country

Gimme my country, you can keep the rest

This is my country, my damn country

And it don’t mean a thing if it don’t pass the test

If you ain’t never spent a single night in jail

Then get another job and I’ll see you in hell

 

I’m drawn like a moth to the neon lights

I need a bucket of beer and someone to fight

Don’t call yourself country if your music is shitty

Or this Carolina boy’ll take you down to Fist City

You know who you are, I ain’t gonna name names

Just keep your hands off my country and go back from where ya came

 

My country, my damn country

Gimme my country, you can keep the rest

This is my country, my damn country

And it don’t mean a thing if it don’t pass the test

If you ain’t never done something you regret

Well, then I’m proud of ya, now git

 

Get this pussified, polished, pop song piece of

Glorified nursery rhyme outta my face

Wintertime, springtime, summertime, autumn

Show me to the jukebox and Yoakam if you got ‘em

I want country like Johnny, country like Merle

Country like Loretta, that honky tonk girl

Country like Townes, country like Travis

I’m a country-fried junkie with a bad habit

Country like Kris, country like Gretchen

If you ain’t cooking country then get out of the kitchen

 

I want country like Hank one, two, and three

Dropping like peaches from the family tree

Country like women, whiskey, and wheels

Yeah I know if it’s country cuz I know how it feels

Country like Waylon, country like Willie

Country like lightning in a hillbilly

 

This is my country, my damn country

Gimme my country, you can keep the rest

This is my country, my damn country

And it don’t mean a thing if it don’t pass the test

If you can’t sing along to Tear in my Beer

Then don’t forget your coat and get the fuck out here

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

Sweet Maria

SWEET MARIA

If I had a car, we’d drive down to the ocean

You’d call it el mar, and we’d lay out in the sand

And if the sun was shining, I’d cover you with lotion

Talk about the fine things and forget the second hand

 

Oh Maria, dance a little closer

Close your eyes and don’t say anything

Don’t believe the sirens on Figueroa

Just listen to Carmelita sing Las Mañanitas

Sweet Maria

 

And if I had a plane, we’d fly to Costa Rica

Land atop a mountain and look down on the world

I’d learn to speak Spanish, we’d eat comida rica

And everything would vanish that we didn’t want in our world

 

Oh Maria, dance a little closer

Close your eyes and don’t say anything

Don’t believe the sirens on Figueroa

Just listen to Carmelita sing Las Mañanitas

Sweet Maria

 

And if I wasn’t me, I wouldn’t blow my money

On cocaine mariachi, and we could do all that kind of stuff

And maybe I’d never worry that you weren’t gonna love me

That I’d wake up and find you burned me cuz I didn’t have enough for you

 

Maria, dance a little closer

Close your eyes and don’t say anything

Don’t believe the sirens on Figueroa

Just listen to Carmelita sing Las Mañanitas

Sweet Maria

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

RUNNING ON FUEL

Running On Fuel

I wrote this song for all my no good friends who’s just getting by, just like me

 

Leaving the bar, my breath’s as hard as regular gasoline

Fire up a bone while I’m swerving home, blowing smoke like a Model T

Wake up to a cup as black as tar, go to work and get beat like a mule

I’m just as empty as I am poor, so I’m running on fuel

 

I’m running on fuel, it’s all I can do

To get up and make it through

Coffee in the morning, whiskey in the evening

Cigarettes all day long

I’m running low on faith and lower on pride

I’m out of love, but I still gotta drive

I feel like a fool, but it’s all I can do

I’m running on fuel

 

I ain’t lazy, and I ain’t no martyr, I ain’t leaning on Uncle Sam

I just drink coffee like crazy, whiskey like water, and smoke like a power plant

 

I’m running on fuel, it’s all I can do

To get up and make it through

Coffee in the morning, whiskey in the evening

Cigarettes all day long

I’m running low on faith and lower on pride

I’m out of love, but I still gotta drive

I feel like a fool, but it’s all I can do

I’m running on fuel

 

Sometimes getting by seems harder than dying

But something in a man just makes him keep on trying

 

Ain’t got no wife, ain’t got no kids that I know of, it’s hard enough as it is

To work all day then make it to that barstool, I’m running on fuel

 

I’m running on fuel, it’s all I can do

To get up and make it through

Coffee in the morning, whiskey in the evening

Cigarettes all day long

I’m running low on faith and lower on pride

I’m out of love, but I still gotta drive

I feel like a fool, but it’s all I can do

I’m running on fuel

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

FADE TO BLUE

Fade to Blue

I could fight like a wounded soldier

And allow the war to rage

I could work like a slave, enduring everyday

Although Master wields no chains

 

I could take a knife and cut ties

And leave you without a clue

But I knew when I saw your green eyes like mine

We could only fade to blue

 

No fighting now

Tie on down

Lover, light the spoon

Fix enough for two

Stick a needle in

Feel it flowing through

And fade to blue

 

By a trick of magic light

Our sunset lights the view

I could make myself believe it for a time

But it’d only fade to blue

 

No fighting now

Tie on down

And light the spoon

Lover, be a friend

Stick a needle in

Feel it flowing through

And fade to blue

 

No fighting now

Tie on down

Lover, light the spoon

Fix enough for two, my friend

Stick a needle in

Feel it flowing through

And fade to blue

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

Wait For Me

WAIT FOR ME

I know it’s been awhile since we’ve kissed or even since I’ve seen you

And once again we went too long without talking

So I hope I didn’t disturb you, but it’s Sunday and I’m lonely

And I know 7:15’s too early to be calling

 

But this ain’t gonna take long, I’ll let you fall back asleep soon

I was hoping maybe you could ease my worried mind

Now there ain’t no damn way I can love someone else like I loved you

And I know that it might be a long time

 

But could you wait for me

And stay true for me

Save your lips for me

Sleep alone for me

Could you wait for me

 

You told me on multiple occasions you weren’t gonna love no one like you loved me

We’ll never be that innocent again

I gave you everything I had till I didn’t have myself

I lost myself in you and I’d do it all over again

 

And I will wait for you

And stay true for you

Save my lips for you

Sleep alone for you

I will wait for you

 

Now it won’t be too long till I’m coming back to visit

But it could be a year till I’m back for good

Now I’m asking you a question, but if you don’t wanna, then don’t tell me

But if the answer’s yes, I really wish you would

 

Can you wait for me

And stay true for me

Save your lips for me

Sleep alone for me

Cuz I will wait for you

And be good for you

Save my heart for you

Buy a ring for you

I will wait for you

If you wait for me

I will wait for you

If you wait for me

BUY IT ON:

CD - MP3 ALBUM

DIE LIVING

DIE LIVING

Some folks measure their success by the labels in their suits

Some folks let their family ties choke them like a noose

But not me my friend, not me my friend, no no not me

We all got to die, and when it’s my time, I’m gonna die living

 

Give me wings and a guitar case

Show me, show me to the stage

Let me loose and I will play

I will

But hold me back or tie me down

Trap me under a golden crown

And watch me blow this nothing town

I will

I will die living

 

Some folks argue politics till it drives them mad

Some folks let their problems shine, wear them like a badge

But not me my friend, not me my friend, no no not me

We all got to die, and when it’s my time, I’m gonna die living

 

Put me on a jet airplane

Send me to a foreign place

And fall in love with a stranger’s face

I will

Show me something I ain’t seen

Take me somewhere I ain’t been

I got my music and my old six string

And I will

I will die living

TAKE IT ON FAITH

TAKE IT ON FAITH

I’ve loved you since the day you left me

Good timing’s never been my thang

I reckon ain’t no way to prove love

So I’m just a-praying that you’ll trust me when I say, oh baby 

 

I need you now

I’m such a fool

I made a mistake and baby

Believe me now

I’m begging you

You just got to

Take it on, take it on faith, take it on faith

 

That I’ll love you till the day I die 

I’m ready for the quiet life

Yes I was born a rambling man

But I done did all the rambling that any man can, and baby

I need you now

I’m such a fool

I made a mistake and baby

Believe me now

I’m begging you

You just got to

Take it on, take it on faith, take it on faith

 

Don’t you believe

That folks can change

Or must I pay

For the crimes of a man that I used to be, oh baby

I need you now

I’m such a fool

I made a mistake and baby

Believe me now

I’m begging you

You just got to

Take it on, take it on faith, take it on faith

NEVER BELIEVED IN HEROES

NEVER BELIEVED IN HEROES

I never believed that heroes were real

I’d given up hoping for some man of steel

When darkness would fall

No one to call

 

But I never knew someone so brave

Somebody who had the power to save

I couldn’t conceive of the fires you’ve been through

I never believed in heroes till I met you

 

You cut through the shadows, now I can see

The light that I hoped for is shining on me

When darkness does fall

You answer the call

 

I never knew someone so brave

Somebody who had the power to save

I couldn’t conceive of the fires you’ve been through

I never believed in heroes till I met you

 

And you taught me that I can be a hero too

When you need a superman, I’ll be there for you

I never knew someone so brave

Somebody who had the power to save

I couldn’t conceive of the fires you’ve been through

I never believed in heroes till I met you

ELSEWHERE, USA

ELSEWHERE, USA

Well, I’ve finally had enough of your nasty ways

I ain’t staying for another day

It’s been the same old tune for way too long

It’s time to sing another song

 

Where I’m bound I can’t say

Just away from you and away from this place

I’m bound for freedom — Elsewhere, USA

 

I’m taking my car and I’m taking the dog

You can keep the rest of my junk

I’m leaving tonight and I’m traveling light

Your baggage won’t fit in my trunk

 

I’m bound for no address, no location

Just somewhere else in this US nation

Destination: Elsewhere, USA

 

If you miss me too much

And you need my touch again

Just suck it up, cuz I’ll be far away

Elsewhere, USA

 

You know what I love about the open road

It ain’t the wind blowing back my hair

It’s not the speed or the radio

It’s the fact that you ain’t there

 

I ain’t felt this good since before I met ya

Now mile after mile I feel better and better

I’m bound for freedom — Elsewhere, USA

Destination: Elsewhere, USA

I HOPE I'M WRONG

I HOPE I'M WRONG

Every time I turn that old TV on

Someone’s saying we ain’t been so at odds

Since way on back in 1861, my God

It’s written in the lines of every face I meet

Everyone on edge with uncertainty

From the penthouse suite to the tents out on our streets

 

Oh the anger my friend is blowing in the wind

 

It sure feels like it won’t be long

Till something breaks and all is lost

But I hope I’m wrong, I hope I’m wrong

We got billions for bombs and pennies for peace

I did the math and it seems clear to me

But I hope I’m wrong

 

Now if you wanna hear what a lie sounds like

Just listen to one of them political types

Ain’t a seat on the hill that doesn’t have a price

How can it be that the slow will be fast

And the first one now will later be last

When they write the bills and we can’t pay the tab

 

O say can you still see this land was made for you and me

 

‘Cuz it sure feels like it won’t be long

Till something breaks and all is lost

But I hope I’m wrong, I hope I’m wrong

The data might say times have never been better

But something in the air says we’re in for stormy weather

But I hope I’m wrong

 

The only hope that I got left

Is the hope that I am wrong myself

And I hope I’m wrong

bottom of page