1. |
Upstanding Citizen
02:34
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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
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2. |
Rosalee
03:05
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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
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3. |
Doing Wrong
03:27
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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
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4. |
Houston
03:05
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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
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5. |
Not Me
01:38
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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."
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6. |
The Whiskey Song
02:36
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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.
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7. |
The Tools
03:12
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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.
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8. |
Found
02:31
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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
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9. |
Birthday Song
02:49
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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
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10. |
The Letter
02:06
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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
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11. |
When I Get To Heaven
02:10
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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
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12. |
Lost
05:33
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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
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