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Scavenger's Joy

by Driftwood Soldier

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1.
I’m an upstanding citizen, I’m over six feet tall Six figure salary, office with six walls I’ve got four little children, and one of them’s alright I’ve got a wife, and a mistress, but I dream of men at night I want you to tell me, what the hell is going on I want you to tell me, where did I go wrong I’m an uptown Samaritan, I earned my PhD In advanced philanthropology, back in 1963 I made my reputation, I founded my foundation I put the status back in status quo, I put the ‘con’ in conservation I want you to tell me, what the hell is going on I want you to tell me, where did I go wrong I’m an outstanding orator, young to sound this old I’ll make your liver quiver, I’ll send shivers through your soul I could’ve led a revolution, rearranged the state But I found silver absolution in that old collection plate I want you to tell me, what the hell is going on I want you to tell me, where did I go wrong I’m an outspoken intellectual, with publishable poise I can dumb down Derrida and defang Du Bois I’ve got tenure track tenacity, pointed perspicacity, I’ve theoretical, hypothetical, rhetorical mastery I want you to tell me, what the hell is going on I want you to tell me, where did I go wrong
2.
Rosalee 03:05
I’ve never had a problem finding women who would love me They just weren’t always the women I would choose And it’s always been real easy But it never really pleased me I never played a game that I might lose The walk took longer than I thought She ordered coffee and a shot Of whiskey, Lord she didn’t give a damn About the walk, about the drink About what anyone might think I was useless, I was helpless in her hands Won’t you cry over me When I’m gone Rosalee When I go and leave you lonesome Won’t you cry, cry I’d give everything I own Not to leave you here alone ‘Cause and I know you won’t be lonesome very long Minutes, moments, hours later I was in an elevator Rising, laughing, dancing to her room Some are shy and some are slow Some like to give a boy a show She just turned her back and made love to the moon Won’t you cry over me When I’m gone Rosalee When I go and leave you lonesome Won’t you cry, cry I’d give everything I own Not to leave you here alone ‘Cause and I know you won’t be lonesome very long Empty as the hall, At 4 AM I get a call It isn’t good news, it isn’t any news at all Rose is drunk she doesn’t care Living large she won’t say where Every step we climb is more to fall Won’t you cry over me When I’m gone Rosalee When I go and leave you lonesome Won’t you cry, cry I’d give everything I own Not to leave you here alone ‘Cause and I know you won’t be lonesome very long
3.
Doing Wrong 03:27
I’m in my right mind, but I can’t keep doin’ wrong I’m in my right mind, but I can’t keep doin’ wrong And the days pass so quickly, and the nights last so long My woman left me, oooh child ain’t that sad My woman left me, oooh child ain’t that sad I know I didn’t treat her right, but I swear I didn’t treat her bad She said, “You and your drinking boy, you’re giving me the blues” She said, “You and your drinking boy, you’re giving me the blues I swear you love it more than me, and that ain’t a fight I aim to lose.” I’ma put that bottle down, and bring that woman back home I’ma put that bottle down, and bring that woman back home I had some good times with that whiskey, Lord, but I hate to drink alone. I’m in my right mind, but I can’t keep doin’ wrong I’m in my right mind, but I can’t keep doin’ wrong And the days pass so quickly, and the nights last so long And the days pass so quickly, and the nights last so long And the days pass so quickly, and the nights last so long And the days pass so quickly, and the nights last so long
4.
Houston 03:05
If you're going to Houston Please mama, don't be shy I've been waiting just to hear your voice Every day since you said goodbye One little dollar’s worth a handful of dimes One spot of trouble and all those real good times Please mama be kind Mama be kind I've been sipping on weekends Hittin’ whiskey and kickin’ gin Searching for those olden, golden times Spent all my money, nothin’ but tin All I've got left are these worn down shoes And a terminal case of those lonely blues Won't you tell me how can I lose? Oh, how can I lose? Every hour lasts a week and a half Every station plays the same two songs Every woman lasts until I remember you Same old memory, same old wrongs Well when I go, don't care where I'm bound Just so long as they say I didn't waste my one time round Mama let your lost boy be found Let him be found If you're going to Houston Please mama, don't be shy I've been waiting just to hear your voice Every day since you said goodbye One little dollar’s worth a handful of dimes One spot of trouble and all those real good times Please mama be kind Mama be kind
5.
Not Me 01:38
My old man's got a wooden hand He uses it every time he can Might as well be fighting sand You're punching hard but you never land Still I find I speak my mind Though I lose a little piece of it every time He says, 'Read between the lines you'll see Love's gonna save you, son, not me.' My deck is stacked with broken jacks Punctured tires, empty packs Of cigarettes and heart attacks They call my bluff I answer back I five card flush of pawn shop stubs I used to pay the queen of clubs She says, 'Buy one more and get one free Love's gonna save you, son, not me.' I left Roanoke in a cloud of smoke I drove 500 miles before she broke Them Georgia night's, boys, ain't no joke Thick as tar and sweet as coke- -a-cola, dig a hole and Watch it fill before you're six-feet down The day after you die, you drown The reverend gives a eulogy He says, 'Love's gonna save you, not me.' Them sawed off husbands, shotgun wives The sharpen up their kitchen knives Stomp through their domestic lives, Angry hornets in their hives They thrive on isolation Fearing dreams of liberation, Agitation, accusation, drag my ass to central station He says, 'You've got 'til the count of three Then pray love saves you boy, from me.' And it's true I stand accused Of sabotaging cable news With unfair and unbalanced views I know I'll lose, I choose my ink in jailhouse blues My tattoos read like prophecy, They say, "Love's gonna save you, not me." They say, "Love's gonna save you, not me." They say, "Love's gonna save you, not me." They say, "Love's gonna save you, not me."
6.
I love you more than whiskey, Though its true I do love whiskey, I love you more than whiskey and I thought that you should know That even if the worlds distillers Offered me endless refillers I’d still probably stick with you. I thought you'd like to know. I love you more than other women, Though I do love other women, More than any other single woman that I know. And even if a coalition Posed a poly-proposition I’d still probably stick with you I thought you’d like to know. I love you more than money, honey, ‘Cause let’s face it, who needs money? You’re the only salary that I would work to earn. ‘Cause love has higher interest rates And isn’t taxed like large estates And I’ll still have my savings On the day the banks all burn. And they will burn. I love you more than music, Though I’d hate to have to choose, it would be Difficult to say the least, I hope you understand. ‘Cause lovers can and will deceive you In the end they always leave you But when you’re drowning, darling Music is dry land. I love you more than whiskey, I love you more than other women I love you more than money, and I know that that ain’t wrong. And if I ever change my mind, And it’s true I change it all the time, Well I’ll still have this music And I’ll write another song.
7.
The Tools 03:12
Well farmers just don't get enough respect these days Even those they feed don't seem to care Think that they're some better kind of animal Making money sitting in a chair Like the guy at the bar, but he pushed me too far He had muscles that he bought from Golden Gym His friends all dragged me out into the parking lot They thought they'd watch him tear me limb from limb But I stomped on his loafers with my steel toed boots I kicked him where it doesn't make a sound I never fought in school, now I've got the tools And I ain't gonna take it sitting down Well I leased some land across the vacation home Of a man who made his fortune selling oil Just to keep his lawnscaping immaculate They drained the pond and poisoned all the soil Well I watered those fields with the sweat of my brow I barely made enough to pay my crew He bought that land right out from underneath me Because my fields were spoiling his view Well I dragged his Porsche sedan down to the scrap metal yard I put his private putting green under the plow He might sell the fuel, Lord, I got the tools I ain't gonna take it sitting down Well they repossessed my tractor late the other night On account of interest that I owe It seems that I'm the only one who thinks it isn't right They sit back and reap all that I sow Well they sent the sheriff over with the paperwork He moonlights as the banker's hired man He had his German shepard in his unmarked Ford He kept his holstered pistol close at hand But I gave him both the barrels of my irrigation pump I broke a scuffle hoe across his crown He might make the rules, Lord, I got the tools And I don't need a gun to stand my ground Well my world is made of iron bars and cinderblocks And the warden says I'll never see the sun Never smell the earth after a sudden thunderstorm Never raise a daughter or a son Well let them break their teeth just chewing on them badges and them bills Trying to wash it down with a pint of crude Cause empty plates and starvation awaits Those who fuck with those who grow their food, I said empty plates and starvation awaits Those who fuck with those who grow their food.
8.
Found 02:31
The clouds hung over the city, like a sheet metal roof I was hungover, trying to fall asleep in a metal booth Every time I woke up, I was older than I was before Every time I woke up, I was older than I was before You won’t find me, you won’t find me You won’t find me making myself proud You won’t find me, you won’t find me You won’t find me saying your name out loud I was taking a bus downtown and I sat next to a man Who said, ‘Son, what’s in that brown bag clutched in your white-knuckled hand? And if it’s that good stuff, won’t you share it with me please?’ I said, ‘This here’s that medicine that’s worse than the disease.’ You won’t find it, you won’t find it You won’t find it on no drug store shelf You won’t find it, you won’t find it You won’t find it cause it causes what it cures itself The woman who lives in our old apartment wrapped herself in both arms And she stood there, hugging herself in the doorway She said, ‘I used to love you so much, and you still look the same.’ She said, ‘I used to love you so much, but I can’t recall your name. You won’t find it, you won’t find it You won’t find it in no telephone book You won’t find it, you won’t find it You won’t find it cause you don’t know where to look You weren’t home when I got home, and it still comes as a surprised Even though you left out weeks ago, somehow I Still expect to see you there, by the window in your chair Holding out both hands, asking for nothing. Holding out both hands, asking for nothing You won’t find me, you won’t find me You won’t find me making myself proud You won’t find me, you won’t find me You won’t find me saying your name out loud You won’t find me, you won’t find me You won’t find me holding my head high You won’t find me, you won’t find me You won’t find me cause you won’t try
9.
On the day I was born, I was already older than most I grabbed up a glass and I proposed a toast I said, “Here’s to my life, may it be nice and long So all y’all can be remembered when you’re dead and gone.” And on and on And on and on and on and on and on, and on and on and on and on and on And on and on and on and on and on, and on and on and on and on and on I kid I grew up with died underground He and this girl we knew went one too many rounds The sun sets every night before it can dawn She’s sobered up now that he’s moved on And on and on And on and on and on and on and on, and on and on and on and on and on And on and on and on and on and on, and on and on and on and on and on Another friend of mine made it to wife number four But a fifth laid him out on that barroom floor That eighty proof proved what I’ve known all along The world’s spinning fast and we’re all just holding on. And on and on And on and on and on and on and on, and on and on and on and on and on And on and on and on and on and on, and on and on and on and on and on She’s the last of the three and the hardest to kill With a car as old as Jesus was on Calvary hill It’s burning luck and diesel fuel and running strong And the road stretches out and the night wears on And on and on And on and on and on and on and on, and on and on and on and on and on And on and on and on and on and on, and on and on and on and on and on Now, I like living, but I don’t live right I might leave out this very same night I wrote these words, I sung this song So if I die young, they’ll live on And on and on And on and on and on and on and on, and on and on and on and on and on And on and on and on and on and on, and on and on and on and on and on And on and on and on and on and on, and on and on and on and on and on And on and on and on and on and on, and on and on and on and on and on
10.
The Letter 02:06
I’ma write you a letter babe, cause it costs too much to call Write down all the reasons why, it didn’t work at all With a ballpoint pen I borrowed, an envelope I found, a stamp for which I had to kiss the postman on my round I’ma write you a letter babe, cause it costs too much to call I’ma take you out to dinner girl, where the prices ain’t so steep Where they give you paper napkins and the jugs of wine are cheap We’ll split it fifty fifty, but I’ll cover the tip, because for all your fancy clothes that’s the part you like to skip I’ma take you out to dinner girl, where the prices ain’t so steep I’ma get you flowers honey, from I garden I know And they don’t need no money babe, just sun and rain to grow A dozen thorny roses, like a dozen thorny swords, aimed at those dozen pretty boys who buy you things I can’t afford I’ma get you flowers honey, I’ma cut them from somebody’s yard I’m buy you a ring girl, from a hardware store And if you ever lose it now, I can get a dozen more Gold and silver bend so easily, steel’s six times as strong, and they say diamonds last forever, but who’s around that long I’m get you a shiny new ring from a hardware store I’ma write you a letter babe, cause it costs too much to call And if I never hear from you, I won’t mind at all With a ballpoint pen I borrowed, an envelope I found, a stamp for which I had to kiss the postman on my round I’ma write you a letter babe, cause it costs too much to call
11.
When I get to heaven, I will see my closest friend For he has gone before me around the river bend And you’ll hear his righteous fury like thunder across the sky As he tears at my golden halo and blackens my holy eye Cause I’m the one who shot him, yes I took that poor boy’s life When I found him enjoying the tender embrace of my dearly beloved wife Well I never harmed that woman as others might have done But I trusted him more than I trusted myself so I reached for my trustworthy gun Now I stand before a jury of some dozen unfortunate men Who must all understand I’ll be waiting for them on the day that they meet their end When I get to heaven I will see my closest friend I’ll never know trouble or sorrow or grief cause we’ll be together again I’ll never know trouble or sorrow or grief cause we’ll be together again I’ll never know trouble or sorrow or grief cause we’ll be together again
12.
Lost 05:33
I finally looked around me and I realized I ain’t never been here before But every turn I took was one I recognized from my very first step out of my front door And I don’t get worried that often cause the life I’ve lived has made me strong But when you’ve got two turns and no options you’re left with the conclusion that right is wrong I said I’m lost I said I’m lost I said I’m lost I said I’m lost, and I can’t be found You’ve got a way about you that I can’t describe, it ain’t wholesome but honey I don’t mind You catch me when I’m not paying attention, you sneak up on me softly, steal up from behind And all I wanna do is take you home with me, I got a powerful notion you could teach me something new But I’ve got to restrain that emotion, honey, ‘til I find myself a home that I can take you to I said I’m lost I said I’m lost I said I’m lost I said I’m lost, and I can’t be found Some people they’ll you I’m a bad man and depending on the day it ain’t a lie But I deal with what I’ve done the best that I can, my fondness for liquor and my wandering eye And if life is no more than a balance sheet then I’ll probably fair worse than my fellow machines But my crimes constitute my deliverance, I own what I am, I like what I’ve seen I said I’m lost I said I’m lost I said I’m lost I said I’m lost, and I can’t be found

about

All songs written by Owen Lyman-Schmidt, arranged and performed by Driftwood Soldier

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released February 28, 2015

Owen Lyman-Schmidt: Vocals, Mandolin, Suitcase, Coffee Can
Bobby Szafranski: Bass Guitar, Bottle Caps
Recorded and Mixed by Kyle Pulley at The Headroom
Mastered by Jarrod Pedone at Electric Jelly Studio

Additional Instrumentation:
Caitlin Quigley: Backing Vocals on Rosalee and Houston
Saundra Malanowicz: Fiddle on Houston
Jacob Brunner: Piano on Houston and Not Me, Marimba on Found

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Driftwood Soldier Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Driftwood Soldier is no average mandolin-bass foot-stomping gutter-folk duo.

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