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B i o g r a p h y Jolie Holland grew up in Texas, where from a young age she experimented with writing, playing, and singing music. By her teens she had learned piano, guitar, and fiddle, and was making music her education as a traveling musician. San Francisco was home for a time in the mid-'90s before Holland was on her horse again, ambling to Vancouver and founding the neo-traditionalist folk outfit Be Good Tanyas. She contributed to the Tanyas' Blue Horse LP (Nettwerk, 2001) before moving back to San Francisco. There a series of solo demo recordings started making the rounds. Stark yet filled with imagery, Holland's work was folk in an American, Texas tradition, but accessed the fractured hope and gathered darkness of the country's past in beautiful and affecting new ways. The buzz surrounding the demos grew and grew, with national mags lining up with applause and Tom Waits nominating Holland for the esteemed Shortlist music prize. All of this led to Anti's signing Holland in August 2003; that November, the recordings were officially issued as Catalpa. In April 2004 Holland returned with her actual studio debut. Entitled Escondida, the LP was a skillful blend of blues, folk, gospel, and musky vocal jazz, and immediately established Holland as one of the nation's most important young songwriters. |
Catalpa - 2003 -
Alley Flowers |
Escondida - 2004 - Sascha Black Stars Old Fashioned Morphine Amen Mad Tom of Bedlam Poor Girl's Blues Goodbye California Do You Darlin' Ukelele Damn Shame Lil Missy Faded Coat of Blue |
Springtime Can Kill You - 2006-05-08 - Crush In The Ghetto Mehitibell's Blues Springtime Can Kill You Crazy Dreams You're Not Satisfied Stubborn Beast Don't Tell 'Em Moonshiner Ghostly Girl Nothing Left To Do But Dream Adieu False Heart Mexican Blue |
The Living and the Dead - 2008-10-07 - Mexico City Corrido Por Buddy Palmyra You Painted Yourself In Fox In Its Hole Your Big Hands Sweet Loving Man Love Henry The Future Enjoy Yourself |
Alley
Flowers
Some people say you got a psychadelic presense
Shinin in the park with a bioluminescense
Down these city streets I see you comin'
From afar and I know
In this world ain't nobody's
Got the shine like you
Got to shine in this world
Ain't nobody's got the shine
Like you got to shine
In this world
Nobody sings like Mary Sue Bell
Nobody prays like Willie MacTell
Nobody walks a mile in my stolen shoes like I do
In this world ain't nobody's
Got the shine like you
Got to shine in this world
Ain't nobody's got the shine
Like you got to shine
In this world
I still miss my lonesome lover
And I cain't find no single other
To take his empty place in my heart of hearts
I told him
In this world ain't nobody's
Got the shine like you
Got to shine in this world
Ain't nobody's got the shine
Like you got to shine
In this world
The ghost of Shakespeare's on the street
Corderoy hat layin at his feet
Howlin in the harp these dirty city blues fallin hard
In this world ain't nobody's
Got the shine like you
Got to shine in this world
Ain't nobody's got the shine
Like you got to shine
In this world
Zora Neale Hurston told her story
And they kicked her out of new york city
Just like jesus christ in gallilee like I said
In this world ain't nobody's
Got the shine like you
Got to shine in this world
Ain't nobody's got the shine
Like you got to shine
In this world
Some people say I got a psychadelic presense
Shinin' in the park with a bioluminescense
Down these city streets I see you comin'
From afar, and I know
Ain't nobody's got the shine
Like you got to shine in this world
Ain't nobody's got the shine
Like you got to shine in this world.
All the Morning
Birds
By three a.m. all the morning birds will be crying
And that old highway will be sighing
And my dreams feel as cold as my bones on the long walk home.
And my coat is old and growin thin
And my feet are numb and stumbling
And its many the thought of a long lost friend
That comes to me again and again.
And I want to thank my Sarah Bell
Who blessed me more than words can tell and who
Picked me straight up out of hell
And I miss her real bad but I love her well.
And I remember Don Clancy as a wild young man
But I haven't seen hide nor hair of him since he lost his mind
And was born again off the coast of Oregon.
Oh where are you now, oh where are you now
And do you even think of me
I'm telling you now
You are the stars that I'll follow
Endlessly, endlessly, endlessly, oh
Well, I'm singin' this song but it won't take long.
On these frozen streets I'm half way home
And the sky above me forms a beautiful dome
Of blue and pink and starry gold.
Oh where are you now, oh where are you now
And do you even think of me
I'm telling you now
You are the stars that I'll follow
Endlessly, endlessly, endlessly, oh
Roll my Blues by
Mike Good
I've been knocked out
Drugged and loaded
River's roarin' on before me
And I look down at my reflection
Where its headed, no direction
River
Won't you roll my blues away
All my life I've been alone
And never have I had a home until you came
But now love's gone bad
Its kind of sad
But I guess that I'm to blame
'Cause I'm just untamed
Oh I can see that I have fallen
From your grace which was my calling
West wind is blowin' hard against me
Flat out road is all that I see
Highway
Won't you roll my blues away
All my life I've been alone
And never have I had a home until you came
But now love's gone bad
It's kind of sad
But I guess that I'm to blame
'Cause I'm just untamed
Oh never have I longed so dearly
My mind sees you oh so clearly
Freight train is coming fast and strong
Steady rollin' on and on
Freight train
Won't you roll my blues away
All my life I've been alone
And never have I had a home until you came
But now love's gone bad
It's kind of sad
But I guess that I'm to blame
'Cause I'm just untamed
Oh I can see that I have fallen
From your grace which was my calling
West wind is blowin' hard against me
Flat out road is all that I see
Highway
Won't you roll my blues away
Just take your black hand down
Just take your black hand down
Well this man is won all the money, good Lord
Take your black hand down
A rooster crowed in Germany
They heard him way in France
He said the flappers are doin' all the moochin, good Lord
Won't give the women no chance
A new pebble on your beach
A new pebble on your beach
A new pebble on your beach
But I cross my heart, I raise my hand, good Lord
I make no fool decree
You know the time ain't long
You know the time ain't long
You know the time ain't long
And if you don't believe
I'm really leavin' you
Watch the train I'm on
Just take your black hand down
Just take your black hand down
Just take your black hand down
Well this man is won all the money, good Lord
Take your black hand down
Please don't three on me
Please don't three on me
If you just can seven or eleven, good Lord
Little bones please don't three
Little bones please don't three
*** Thanx a lot to Charles & Koray & Mathieu for this one ***
December, 1999
I'll see you in the Springtime
After the battle is won
I know I'm crossin over
As far as we have come
And I want your hand in mine, dear
As we face that shining dawn
Eyes open
I'm hoping
You'll be there with me
So gently
I want your hand in mine
I want you by my side
In the midst
Of our great victory
The storm clouds had all gathered
We drew our forces nigh
And entered into battle
Though it clamoured to the sky
And we faced that fateful lightning
With saints on our side
Eyes open I'll follow that lonesome road
To the top of the mountain
Where the fire is blazing
And the heat is astounding
What's even more amazing
Is to see you by my side
I Wanna Die
I wanna die
I wanna die
Down south Louisiana
And the gray evening sky
I wanna die
I don't care how
I'm getting out
Down south Louisiana
And the lonesome highway sound
Well there's a cajun lady
Down in New Orleans
There's a cajun lady
And I saw her in my dream
Well if I'd held her in my arms, girls
Oh and if I'd held her in my arms
Our friendly love
Might have kept my heart from harm
But I'm out here on this road, girls
And I'm out here on the road
And I'm just a poor girl
And I ain't got a home
And I wanna die
I don't care how
I'm getting out
Down south Louisiana
And the lonesome highway sound
Oh I ain't got a home, girls
And I ain't got a home
And it's through this world I ramble
And it's through this world I roam
Well, as through this world I ramble
And as through this world I roam
I'm just a poor girl
And I ain't got a home
And I wanna die
I wanna die
Down south Louisiana
And the gray evening sky
Well I wanna die
I don't care how
I'm getting out
Down south Louisiana
And the lonesome highway sound
Demon Lover
Improv
They hadn't been gone
But about two weeks
I swear it was not three
When she espied his cloven hoof
And wept most bitterly
They hadn't been gone
But about three weeks
I swear it was not four
When she espied his cloven hoof
And knew she'd never go home no more.
Catalpa Waltz
I waltzed this whole town
Through every nook and corner
And cranny and bar
I know you're out there somewhere
Wherever you are
Maybe the sun will rise
I saw it go down
And scattered its golden light
Across the ground
I held you in the alley
My hand on your waist
And your eyes were like diamonds
With the light on your face
Your gentle soul was open to me
And I am so in love
With who you be
With who you be
I always will love
To waltz across this city with you
From the rising of the moon
To the falling of the dew
There's a young catalpa tree
Out behind the record store
I'll always remember
The way you looked at me
Your light was so pure
I could hear the door of our fate creaking ajar
I could hear the key in the hand of God
Turning inside the lock
The Littlest
Birds
(Sammy Parton/Jolie Holland/Syd Barrett)
Well, I feel like an old hobo
I'm sad, lonesome and blue
I was fair as a summer's day
Now the summer days are through
You pass through places
And places pass through you
But you carry them with you
On the soles of your travelling shoes
Well, I love you so dearly
I love you so clearly
I wake you up in the morning
So early just to tell you
I got the wandering blues
I got the wandering blues
And I'm going to quit
These rambling ways one of these
Days soon
And I sing
The littlest birds sing the prettiest songs
The littlest birds sing the prettiest songs
the littlest birds sing the prettiest songs
And the littlest birds sing the prettiest songs
Well it's times like these I feel so small
And wild like the rambling footsteps
Of a wandering child
And I'm lonesome as a lonesome whippoorwill
Singing these blues with a warble and a trill
But I'm not too blue to fly
No I'm not too blue to fly
'Cause the littlest birds sing the prettiest songs
The littlest birds sing the prettiest songs
The littlest birds sing the prettiest songs
And the littlest birds sing the prettiest songs
But I love you so dearly
I love you so fearlessly
I wake you up in the morning so early
Just to tell you
I've got the wandering blues
I've got the wandering blues
And I don't want to leave you
I love you through and through
Well I left my baby on a pretty blue train
And I sang my songs to the cold and the rain
And I had the wandering blues
And I sang those wandering blues
And I'm gonna quit these rambling ways one of these
Days soon
And I sing
The littlest birds sing the prettiest songs
The littlest birds sing the prettiest songs
The littlest birds sing the prettiest songs
The littlest birds sing the prettiest songs
The littlest birds sing the prettiest songs
And the littlest birds sing the prettiest songs
Well I don't care if the sun don't shine
And I don't care if nothing is mine
And I don't care if I'm nervous with you
I'll do my loving in the wintertime.
Wandering Angus
( Words by
W.B. Yeats, Music by Brian Miller )
I went out to the hazelwood
Because a fire was in my head
I Cut and peeled a hazel wand
And hooked a berry to a thread
And when white moths were on the wing
And moth-like stars were flickering out
I dropped a berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout
When I had laid it on the floor
And went to blow the fire aflame
And something rustled on the floor
And something called me by my name
It had become a glimmering girl
With apple blossoms in her hair
Who called me by my name and ran
And vanished in the brightening air
Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands
I will find out where she has gone
And kiss her lips and take her hand
And walk through long green dappled grass
And pluck till time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon
And the golden apples of the sun
Periphery Waltz
When the supreme authorities of our culture
Tell us to get down on our knees
And beg for salvation from some divinity
Is it any wonder there are people
Begging on the street for salvation from poverty
Well, it's no surprise to me
It's no surprise to me
I left my home in the church
I left my home in the suburbs to wander
Now I did it all for my dreams
And the star that I followed fell from the periphery
And the street lights
Slipping down my windshield fell like falling stars
Down a dark country road
I first left my home when I was seventeen
And I paid my respects to my fellow rejects
But I tended to wander alone
Like I was listening to the words of a song
Whispered soft and low
Well it's kind of like dancing
It's kind of like losing your mind
And I've often considered
The impractibility of my life
And the moon behind the clouds is ill-defined
Well I got lost so many times
But I could not be consigned
To a fate of obsolescence and decline
So I'll take the chance again
And the Mockingbird is my friend
When he sings a song in the warm midnight wind
So I'll follow my old tune
And I'll wish you good morning
Ghost Waltz
Broken by the silence
That echoed in my heart
I couldn't help waving
When the waves rushed my way
And the world tilted over
I saw in my dreams
Things aren't the way
I hoped they would be
You are so kind to be civilized
Don't think that I haven't noticed
'Cause I've been too sad to think
And too sick to care
But someday I'll meet you in the cold midnight air
I've been a ghost in houses I've loved
I've been a stranger to heaven above
But as for the world below
This is the one I know
My poor beloved home.
You are so kind to be civilized
Don't think that I haven't noticed
I've been too sad to think
And too sick to care
But someday I'll meet you in the cold midnight air
I've been a ghost in houses I've loved
I've been a stranger to heaven above
But as for the world below
This is the one I know
My poor beloved home.

Tonight, my heart is full of a sad
song
My lonesome lover has taken off
I'm wandering around on a cloud
Empty-hearted and down and out
It's been a week, I think, since
he rolled into town
And it's been years that I've heard these stories about
This fellah he's so brave and so alive
Turning this world around from the out to the inside
Well, our courtship was brief and magnetic
I was singing at the corner bar
And we both felt so romantic
We took a walk with the moon
Down to the train yard
Well, it was too much for me
My gypsy heart was inflamed
Put me at the head of your list
And don't forget to call my name
Well, I fell in love with a boy
Who has a real live romance with a train
Oh, my beautiful lover and friend
This is exactly what I wanted
And now I'm feeling so haunted
And I can't get you out of my mind
I can't forget him as he's rolling
away
And it's all I can do is just to stay here
Is just to stay
*** Thanx a lot to Inaiah & Joe for this one ***
I saw you tonight by the light
Of the shining black stars that circle my heart
I saw you come in, though it was dim
I have been listening from the beginning
When you arrived
It was as if we had both died
And gone somewhere else
You and myself
That otherworldly feeling
Came over me stealing
My mind was reeling
Blood bleeding
Red like my guitar
Whoever you are
Cold in the night
I think you're right
To whisper and listen
Like flowers glisten
In a quiet garden
The moon is wizened and it is old
As a toad in a Chinese story
The fallen glory of my ego
Is laid at the feet of all our purposes
And my purpose is to keep on dreaming
I am fishing for wishes that's where you come in
Though it was dim when you arrived
It was as if we had both died
And gone somewhere else
You and myself
*** Thanx a lot to Joe for this one ***
Old fashioned
morphine
Give me that old fashioned morphine
Give me that old fashioned morphine
Give me that old fashioned morphine
It's good enough for me
What it was good enough for my Grandpa
It was good enough for my Grandpa
It was good enough for my Grandpa
It's good enough for me
Sister don't get worried
Sister don't get worried
Sister don't get worried
Because the world is almost done
Give me that old fashioned morphine
Give me that old fashioned morphine
Give me that old fashioned morphine
It's good enough for me
It was good enough for Billy Burroughs
It was good enough for Billy Burroughs
It was good enough for Billy Burroughs
It's good enough for me
Sister don't get worried
Sister don't get worried
Sister don't get worried
Because the world is almost done
Give me that old fashioned morphine
Give me that old fashioned morphine
Give me that old fashioned morphine
It's good enough for me
It was good enough for Isabelle Eberhardt
It was good enough for Isabelle Eberhardt
It was good enough for Isabelle Eberhardt
It's good enough for me
Sister don't get worried
Sister don't get worried
Sister don't get worried
Because the world is almost done
Amen
Amen
There’s a ring around the moon
I’m going to fly all night
Down to see you
I’m going to fly all night
Down to see you
There’s a road
Drifting through the mountains
I’m gonna fly down that road
Until I get to where I’m going
Amen
There’s a ring around the moon
I’m going to fly all night
Down to see you
I’m going to fly all night
Down to see you
There’s a light
Inside my chest
That switched on
When we first met
And it will
Not let me rest
Amen
There’s a ring around the moon
I’m gonna fly all night
Down to see you
I’m gonna fly all night
Down to see you
And the silvery moon so fine
And the air
Tastes like wine
And the road
Slips and slides
Amen
There’s a ring around the moon
I’m going to fly all night
Down to see you
I’m going to fly all night
Down to see you
There’s a road
Slipping through the mountains
I’m gonna fly
'Til I am there
I’ll put a kiss
Behind your ear
Amen
There’s a ring around the moon
I’m gonna fly all night
Down to see you
I’m gonna fly all night
Down to see you
There’s a road
Drifting through the mountains
I’m gonna fly down that road
Until I get go where I’m going
Amen
*** Thanx a lot to Hannah for this one ***
Mad Tom of Bedlam
To see Mad Tom of Bedlam
Ten thousand miles I've travelled
Mad Maudlin goes on dirty toes
To save her shoes from gravel
It's well that we sing bonney boys
Bonney mad boys
Bedlam boys are bonney
For they all go bare, and they live in the air
And they want no drink nor money
I went down to Satan's kitchen
For to break my fast one morning
And there I got souls popping hot
All on the spits a-turnin'
It's well that we sing bonney boys
Bonney mad boys
Bedlam boys are bonney
For they all go bare, and they live in the air
And they want no drink nor money
They' spirits got hot as lightning
Did on that journey guide me
The sun did shake and the pale moon quake
Wherever they did spy me
Yet it's well that we sing bonney boys
Bonney mad boys
Bedlam boys are bonney
For they all go bare, and they live in the air
And they want no drink nor money
My staff has murdered giants
And my pack a long knife carries
For to slice mince pies from children's thighs
From which to feed the faeries
It's well that we sing bonney boys
Bonney mad boys
Bedlam boys are bonney
For they all go bare, and they live in the air
And they want no drink nor money
Tonight I'll go a murderin'
The man in the moon to a powder
His dog I'll shake and his staff I'll break
And I'll howl a wee bit louder
It's well that we sing bonney boys
Bonney mad boys
Bedlam boys are bonney
For they all go bare, and they live in the air
And they want no drink nor money
To see Mad Tom of Bedlam
Ten thousand miles I've travelled
Mad Maudlin goes on dirty toes
To save her shoes from gravel
It's well that we sing bonney boys
Bonney mad boys
Bedlam boys are bonney
For they all go bare, and they live in the air
And they want no drink nor money
*** Thanx a lot to Shonami & Jason who corrected this one ***
Poor girl’s blues
Oh maybe I’m a poor girl
But it doesn’t bother me at all
Maybe I’m a poor girl
But it doesn’t bother me at all
When this world comes crashing down
I know that I’ll be standing tall
I used to be an angel
Now I’m just like everybody else
I used to be an angel
Now I’m just like everybody else
I left my wings in the gutter
And my halo is lost
Dusty on a shelf
I know a rambling girl
She’s driving me crazy and wild
I know a rambling girl
She’s driving me crazy and wild
Wild wild wild
I’d have Austin as my footstool
And the world as my throne
If only she were by my side again
I got a couple of foodstamps
And a caffeine buzz
I got a couple of foodstamps
And a caffeine buzz
So I’d be set for right now, darling
If I only knew
Just where she was
I’d tell her to hold tight honey
Don’t you lose your spirit to the wind
I’d tell her to hold tight honey
Don’t you lose your spirit to the wind
I know you and I know you’ll be a long time rambling
Before you see your rest again
Oh maybe I’m a poor girl
But I don’t worry about it none
Maybe I’m a poor girl
But I don’t worry about it none
When this world comes crashing down
I know that I’ll be standing in the sun
I’ll be standing in the sun
*** Thanx a lot to Hannah for this one ***
I’m pre-meditating crime of a
personal kind
I’m about to go out of my mind
I’m just about sick to death of taking breath
And walking this line of mine
Now, folks that know what’s good for them
Are good at ignoring them
But I just can’t put these thoughts down
I’m harrowed and abused
And broken and pursued
By this notion that follows me around
My heart is hurting
My spirit’s burdened
I feel like a liar and a thief
For taking air
For being here
Unwanted
I look for my final release
Goodbye, goodbye, California
Goodbye and I’ll be moving on
I sang you my songs
I know i’m wrong
Fare thee well
And I’ll be moving on
When I’m dead and gone
My immortal home
Will hold me in its bosom
Safe and cold
No more desires
Will light their fires
Or disturb my immaculate calm
And the birds of the air
And the beasts of the soil
And the fishes of the desperate seas
Will know who I am
And our substance will expand
As part of everything
As part of everything, my God
As part of everything
And the clouds will roll
And the wind will blow
And the beautiful birds will sing
Goodbye, goodbye, California
Goodbye to your waving trees
To you succulent wind
And all my friends
Fare thee well
Goodbye
So be it
Amen
Amen
*** Thanx a lot to Hannah & Joe for this one ***
Oh do you
Have to go crazy
Is that
The best thing that you can think
To do
I know I’m lost without a place
To go crazy
I know there’s a sunrise on the
other side
To pull me through
What did you do when I called
Did you hear me at all
It’s a long night that seems to have no end
There’s big stars falling and twinkling
As they fall
Oh do you
Have to go crazy
Is that
The best thing that you can think
To do
Oh do you
Have to go crazy
Is that
The best thing that you can think
To do
I know I’m lost without a place
To go crazy
I know there’s a sunrise on the other side
To pull me through
What did you do when I called
Did you hear me at all
You motherfucker
I wanted you
*** Thanx a lot Nate for this one ***
Darlin Ukulele
That I've been dreaming of
Darlin Ukulele
That I love
When I'm in San Francisco
I'm dreaming all the time
Deep in the park
Where the constellations shine
Darlin Ukulele
That I been dreaming of
Darlin Ukulele
That I love
Dreaming by the ocean
Walking by the sea
Talking to a starfish
And the mermaids sing to me
Damn shame
I hid out on the front porch
I laid up in my mind
I looked for me a love
The best one I could find
He got himself a ticket
On an international flight
Oh it’s nothing
But a goddamn shame
Is what it is
Oh it’s nothing
But a goddamn shame
The smell of burnt exhaust
Drifts into the bar
It’s midnight in California
It’s high noon where you are
Motorcycles and booze
Dirty old perfume
Oh it’s nothing
But a goddamn shame
Is what it is
Oh it’s nothing
But a goddamn shame
I tried to go to sleep
In my haunted little room
The shadows are churning
In the passage of the moon
It’d break my heart to tell you
I couldn’t come so soon
Oh it’s nothing
But a goddamn shame
Is what it is
Oh, it’s nothing
But a goddamn shame
Tell me one more time
Why you went away
It makes a little sense
In the light of day
When evening comes around
All my senses fly away
It’s nothing
But a goddamn shame
Is what it is
Oh it’s nothing
But a goddamn shame
*** Thanx a lot to Hannah for this one ***
Lil missy
Hey little Missy
Don’t think we won’t miss you
When you go out on the road
When you go out on the road
I know half of the story
Has never been told
Well, I heard you’re going up in California
Oh don’t you think we won’t be praying for you
Oh don’t you think we won’t be praying for you
Oh we can’t do nothing but adore you
Hey little Missy
Don’t think we won’t miss you
When you go out on the road
When you go out on the road
I know half of the story
Has never been told
*** Thanx a lot to
Hannah for this one ***
Faded Coat of Blue
My brave lad sleeps in his faded coat of blue
In a lonely silent grave lies the heart that beat so true
He sank faint and hungry among the famish'd brave
And they laid him sad and lonely within his nameless grave
He cried, ";Give me water and just a little crumb
And my mother she will bless you in all the years to come
Oh! tell my sweet sister, so gentle, good and true
That I'll meet her up in heaven, in my faded coat of blue."
No more the bugle calls the weary
one
Rest, noble spirit in thy grave unknown
I'll find you and know you among the good and true
When a robe of white is giving for the faded coat of blue
Long, long years have vanished,
and though he comes no more
Yet my heart will startling beat with each footfall at my door
I gaze over the hill where he waved a last adieu
But no gallant lad I see, in his faded coat of blue
No more the bugle calls the weary
one
Rest, noble spirit in thy grave unknown
I'll find you and know you among the good and true
When a robe of white is giving for the faded coat of blue

Crush in the Ghetto
I'm floating with the birds
I'm talking to the weeds
Look what you've done to me
I'm still dressed up from the night before
Silken hose and an old Parisian coat
And I feel like a queen at the bus stop on the street
Look what you've done to me
It's a beautiful morning in the ghetto
Finer than the day before
The ants are crawling over my pants as if to say
They know where the honey is
There's really old roses blooming in the ghetto
Birds of paradise are taller than me
The weeds grow high, the birds flicker by
Children are walking to school
In the midst of all of this profusion
The bus pulls up to take me back home
The bus driver looks like an African prince
The babies have tears in their eyes
And I feel like a queen
On this sunny city bus
Look what you've done to me
*** Thanx a lot to Zara & Emily for this one ***
Mehitabel's Blues
Feeling my blues
I tear myself away
He will never have to hear
What I had to say
My little words
Are lost in the wind
With no where to go
And I am just like them
There's a voice in the alley
In the cold bare arms of a tree
When the moon sails high, a ghost ship
In a dark and lonely sea
Mockingbird, your song burns right through me
Like that little mockingbird
High up in the pine
All I do is worry, all I do is cry
We're lost in the shadows of a beautiful spring
Empty-handed lovers, all we do is sing
*** Thanx a lot to Emily
for this one ****
Springtime
can Kill You
Go down the backroads
Don't take it too slow
You don't have the time for a long flirtation
You don't have the time for the least hesitation
Roses all are blooming
Lilacs all aglow
Honeysuckle vine shine shine
Oh get out, get out of your house
Springtime, springtime can kill you
Just like it did poor me
Don't you see we're all hurt the same way
So get out, get out of your house
High on the moonshine bodies entwine
Don't you see it's better this way
Don't you see it's better this way
You can't be too shy
You know the reason why
If you don't go get what you need
Something's going to break on the inside
Springtime, springtime can kill you
Just like it did poor me
Don't you see we're all hurt the same way
So get out, get out of your house
*** Thanx a lot to Emily
for this one ****
Crazy
Dreams
Crazy dreams been calling me
Steam Whistle, state line
Wind did howl
Crazy dreams been calling me
Got caught in the thistle
Someone stumped on my pride
But I won't throw in the towel
I can't throw in the towel
Crazy dreams been calling me
Got my wooden pistol
I got my lucky dime
And I was bown a night owl
These crazy dreams been calling me
*** Thanx a lot to Emily
for this one ****
You're Not
Satisfied
No you're not satisfied with me
Still you call me your dearie
Oh you had your way but someday you'll pay
For the heartaches you brought to me
Oh we'll say goodbye forever
And I'll be a rolling stone
Oh sweetheart you know that I love you so
Though you're not satisfied with me
Oh we'll say goodbye forever
And I'll be a rolling stone
Oh sweetheart you know that I love you so
Though you're not satisfied with me
*** Thanx a lot to Emily
for this one ****
Stubborn
Beast
My sullen songs have taken me
Far down this darkened road
I have seen the campfires burning
I have heard the drunkards howl
I'm silent in my solitude
I'm quiet as a theif
I have stolen all these hours
I have gotten no relief
My crazy dreams and tragedies have taken me for a ride
But I can see strange glory on the other side
Oh this has been my misery and the source of my pride
But all along I'm thinking I've been taken for a ride
Why don't you take me when I'm willing
Why don't you take me when I'm willing
But like a stubborn beast when the barn is on fire
I might resist you when you try to save my life
I might resist you when you try to save my life
When the flames rise around us and I can't see the door
This is still my home and it has never burned before
This is where I've taken my solace and my peace
The walls are caving in but I am still a stubborn beast
Why don't you take me when I'm willing
Why don't you take me when I'm willing
*** Thanx a lot to Emily
for this one ****
Please
Don't
The twelfth day of never came faster than ever
For the likes of you and I
I used to adore you but now I implore you
To quietly pass me by
It's unseemly how I hate myself
I don't want anyone to see
Least of all someone like you
Who knows so much about me
Oh please don't tell 'em what you know about me
I can never be beholded to you
Our affairs are our own
Most of all for someone like me
Who is always alone
Oh please don't tell 'em what you know about me
*** Thanx a lot to Emily
for this one ****
Moonshiner
Moonshiner, moonshiner
Pass it here one more time
Moonshiner, moonshiner
Pass it here one more time
You've got that good, hard stuff that always gets me high
You can break that ground and plant that field
Hole up in the backyard and work that still
You know we're gonna miss you around here
You've got that good, hard stuff,that always gets me high
Moonshiner, moonshiner
Why don't you come back home?
Now I got to drink this store-bought stuff and go to bed all alone
Moonshiner, moonshiner
Why don't you come back home to me?
By the time you get back, there's no telling where I'll be
I loved you in summertime, when we kissed goodbye
I loved you in the fall and I missed you all the time
I loved you in the winter, when you were far away
And the springtime almost killed me
With hot blood in my viens
Moonshiner, moonshiner
I know you're comin' back again
Moonshiner, moonshiner
Oh it's probably a sin, 'cause I'm down in the alley with my old drunk friend
Yes I'm down in the alley, with my old drunk friend
*** Thanx a lot to Zara for this one ***
Ghostly Girl
Ghostly girl
Too light to stand on the ground
Nothing you do is done
All I can tell
You are not real
Girl, what are you doing here
I don't know why I am here myself
No one else seems to know
Nobody likes a spook
Or so I've deduced
But I have loved some ghosts in my time
But that doesn't mean I want them around
I'd rather be lost than found
I thought I would loose my mind
But through your eyes I see
Past the billboards to the trees
And the flowering weeds
Grow throught the cracks of the city
And all these things will go
And all these seeds will grow
And you'll be home in the sky
*** Thanx a lot to Emily for this one ****
Nothing left to do but Dream
The sun's too bright
And the mountains are too far
And there's nowhere in town
I can get to in my broken car
I've got nowhere to go but to sleep
I would shut my eyes but I've got promises to keep
I can't go crazy and I can't get sane
And I don't want to leave-I'd just have to come back again
I've got nowhere to go but to sleep...
I remember, I remember something about who we were
I remember, I remember something about who we could be
I've had nothing to do for years but dream
I got reckless
And I broke my baby's rule
And I'm sick and restless
With the wandering blues
Cause most of my friends are gone down the line
And I'm sitting in town on the proceeds of my crimes
I've got nowhere to go but to sleep...
I took my sister to the river and I came back alone
And this sickness that's on me is settling in my bones
And my Daddy is suspicious but I know how he does
He won't find out about it till she's safe down in the mud
With nowhere to go but to sleep
I would follower her down but I've got promises to keep
I remember, I remember something about who we were
I remember, I remember something about who we could be
I've had nothing to do for years but dream
*** Thanx a lot to Emily for this one ****
( Traditional )
Adieu false heart, since we must
part
May the joy of the world go with you
I've loved you long with a faithful heart
But I never anymore will I believe you
I've seen the time I'd have married you
And been your constant lover
But now I'll freely give you up
for one whose heart's more truer.
My mind is like the constant sun
From the east to the west it ranges
Yours is like unto the moon
It's every month a-changing
When I lay down to take my rest
No scornful morn to wake me
I'll go straight ways unto my grave
Just as fast as time can take me
Mexican Blue
You're like a saint's song to me
I'll try to sing it pure and easily
You're like a Mexican blue
So bright and clear and pale in the afternoon
I saw you riding on your bike
In a corduroy jacket in the night
Past the hydrangeas that were blooming in the alley
With a galloping dog by your side
When I was hungry you fed me
I don't mean to suggest that I'm like Jesus Christ
Your light overwhelmed me
When I lay beside you sleepless in the night
And when you dreamed my guardian spirits appeared
And the moon stretched out across your little bed
They said they'd started to get worried about me
They were happy we had finally met
We had finally met
A mysterious bird flies away
Seemed to be calling your name
And bounced off the top of a towering pine
And vanished in the drizzling rain
There's a mockingbird behind my house
Who is a magician of the highest degree
And I swear I heard him rip the world apart
And sew it back again with his fiery melody, melody
When you were mad at me I didn't care
And I just loved you all the same
And I waited for the wind to push the hurricane
Out to sea, and the sun could shine again
Oh I don't mean to give you advice
Its just like Delia said, "oh, Jesus Christ"
Just don't get so hight you leave the ground
Everything is so much better when you're around
Just don't float so hight you drift away
Stand tall, with your feet on the ground
I love your songs, I love your sound
Everything is so much better when you're around
When the moon is as clear as an opal
And the amethyst river sings a song
I'll remember all your dreams and the mysteries
You have borne in your crystalline soul
That you sing from your golden throat
That you shine from your sparkling eyes
That you feel from the goddess in your thighs
You're like a saint's song to me
I'll try to sing it pure and easily
You're like a Mexican blue
So bright and clear and pale in the afternoon
In the afternoon
*** Thanx a lot to Robert & Emily for this one ***
