1. |
St. Peter
02:56
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1/ SAINT PETER
(chorus) Saint Peter on a horse, it was 24 hands, the color of coal, stone still in the wind
The rider wore a cloak, he kept the book of man, he unfurled a scroll, began reading of sin.
Gypsies, poets, troubadours, all these friends of mine
Living the excesses of lust and love and wine
Layabouts well you might say, philosophers say we
Looking for the answers to save humanity
We took our prayers to the square, oh we libertines
Behold how our souls were crushed by the war machine
Chaos, fire, bloody streets, the panic and the fear
How were we to believe a savior would appear?
(chorus)
This burned out wood thick with smoke, the road it seems not real
Up ahead I see a gate beyond Elysian Fields
Naked afraid to this world, naked afraid I'll leave
Naked afraid I now stand looking for reprieve
(chorus)
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2. |
Myth in Texas
03:03
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2/ MYTH IN TEXAS
Cattle Ranches, oil wells and a hunter's lease
Bobcats prowling beneath the Pleiades
That vast dark prairie, it's a place to be
Home, home on the range, off limits to me
(chorus) Wide open spaces, it's a myth in Texas
When it's signs of no trespass and barbed wire fences.
Drove through Amarillo, into New Mexico
Now from Arizona on up to Idaho
From the Rocky Mountain peaks to Pacific sands
I'll be rattling my old truck on federal land
Felt the spirit of the ancients in the Kaibab Plateau
Set out walking in the Cascades just to reach the snow
Every different tree has a different song, I wanna hear every one
Oh, the feeling on a logging road with the morning sun
(chorus)
(bridge) Public land is the soul of the American West
I celebrate anyone that's ever touched its height or breadth
Like backpackers, kayakers, hear the buzz of a Boy Scout troop
Elk hunters, foragers and a son learning how to shoot
Hot shotters, prospectors, a wrangler rounding up his stock
Four wheelers, bee keepers and students studying rock
(chorus)
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3. |
William Penn
04:12
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3/WILLIAM PENN
When he was a child, one night his room filled with light
He just lay there still, felt the joy and calm inside
He knew he was in the presence, of the Love Supreme
He knew it was a blessing, part of a grander scheme
(chorus) Hey, you're in the Quaker State now, the City of Brotherly Love
You need to pause at City Hall, take a look above
There you'll see a statue, honoring humanity's friend
Think spiritual freedom, that's William Penn.
He could've lived in privilege, the leisure of royalty
But he felt a calling, God was his loyalty
He witnessed persecution, had to speak his mind
When Christians were imprisoned, he too served his time
(chorus)
With his father's passing, he felt the Lord's gentle hand
From deep in that darkness, the seed of a master plan
For the debts owed from the Crown, he offered up in trade
Had a grant in the New World, when the deal was made
Now he set his vision, liberal democracy
Where the civic dealings, were open with honesty
Where the Christian, Jew and native could worship as they please
That ideal's still evolving, here in the land of the free
(chorus)
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4. |
Holy O Holy
03:38
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4/ HOLY O HOLY
Stood in a meadow on its own
A climb for a boy out hiking alone
In the branches with a breeze
Heart racing wild, mind running free
(chorus) Lo I walk through the valley shadowed by death
Holy O Holy every step is blessed
A humble core is what I seek in prayer
And a mind that's still with senses aware.
With age, he considered the tree
Nests, insects, leaves and the seed
In the heights a place to roost
The rustle and a den dug beneath the roots
(chorus)
With a mate hand in hand
They stroll as though to see an old friend
Air is crisp, October gold
To feel the presence of a reverent soul
(chorus)
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5. |
Tramp's Waltz
03:53
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5/TRAMP'S WALTZ
On the west side of ol' San Antone, La Gente all dressed so fine
There's the chug and the bounce of accordion, the bajo sexto keeps time
Tortillas being made by hand, then stuffed with sizzle and spice
As the next band takes to the stand, another beer comes from the ice
(chorus) Here I am a tramp a trampin' barely a print in the sand
Though I stand apart, it still warms the heart to see the folks in the land.
Cajun coast what it celebrate, this time the shrimp and the oil
Shrimp remoulade, shrimp etouffee, shrimp gumbo, shrimp boiled
There's a lass fiddling fire on stage, singing heartbreak in English and French
Two steppers of every age, I drink sweet tea and take in the blend
(chorus)Rambling through the Georgia pine, when I shed the world's weary weight
To hear that warm gospel shine and feel the love radiate
Just an old wooden church in the glade, work folk gathered for prayer
From a distance, I sit in the shade, do my best to lay my soul bare
(bridge)
Now you hobos and rounders and drifters who feel compelled to roam
You hikers and carneys and hipsters who know the joy of the road
Well you know that it's magic, you know it's a curse, so next you set out to roam
Sing a few notes, write your own verse, tell your tale, then sing along
(chorus)
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6. |
Rucksacks
04:13
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6/ RUCKSACKS
Mark was leaving hippie park, headed for the desert southwest
A bed roll and a bank roll, 10 dollars and fifty cents
Sally boarded that hound, now she's way out of reach
Plays her songs in a folk club, works a bookstore in North Beach
(chorus) And it's thumbs out and rucksacks, cats and chicks filling up maps
A mix of buzz and all night raps, getting their kicks, finding their path.
Eric and Red hitch hiking then sleeping in the sand
Just to see Big Mama Thornton, Muddy Waters and his band
A 3 day fest near Woodstock, Todd he's going to take that ride
He grabs Mike and Gloria, they were in for surprise
(chorus)
(bridge) Walt Whitman, then the Jacks, that's London and Kerouac
Huckleberry Finn and his best friend Jim, to wander is American
Sonny rode that motorcycle all the way to the Keys
He said, long hairs living on boats and the streets are filled with freaks
Frankie he been wandering, yeah, he's out on the bum
Hustling the kindness of strangers, and riding that thumb (that's right)
(chorus)
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7. |
Red Cloud
03:07
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7/ Red Cloud
Powder River Basin, in the heart of Indian land
Red Cloud led the warriors of the Sioux and Cheyenne
In the end, the U.S. Army was forced into retreat
Even General Sherman had to admit defeat
(Chorus) Red Cloud was a mighty chief, as brave as he was wise
A vision of the future appeared before his eyes
When he watched that steam locomotive, coming over the rise.
The young Cheyenne warriors, tore up the tracks
When that train derailed, that's when they sprung attack
Soon like ants the workers and soldiers reappeared
With repeating rifles, that filled the braves with fear
(Chorus)
Red Cloud rode that iron horse all the way through the east
He saw all the frantic people and he met the Great White Chief
Diplomats and congressmen, among the hands he shook
Dressed himself in buckskin, had his picture took
(bridge) At the Cooper Union, people listened as he spoke
He talked of the many lies, he talked of the treaties broke
He said all the red man wanted was to roam his land in peace
Didn't think it was possible, given the white man's greed
(chorus
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8. |
Snake in the Garden
02:32
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8/ SNAKE IN THE GARDEN
The wrens are agitated, jays screaming for blood
I look to see a mockingbird, dive and fly back up
Cardinals and finches, hey, I'm part of this watch
I go running, just to see what they've got
(chorus) There's a snake in the garden, coiled in the shade
There's a snake in the garden, acting like he owns the place.
Mama gets her shoo stick, 10 feet of hard wood staff
Puts her high boots on, goes walking down the path
She sets and flips that snake goes 30 feet through the air
Lands, recoils, rattles, angry as a wounded bear
(Mama's not done)
She sets and swings again, this time she clears the fence
That serpent will not return, if he's got any sense
(chorus)
Birds go back to singing, tending to their nests
Mama goes back to cooking and mending Mary's dress
Me, I'm heading to the swimming hole so excited I could yell
Mama and the rattle snake is a story I want to tell
(chorus)
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9. |
Negro Leagues
03:41
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In tones of gray, ballplayers posed, a photo for that season's team
An annual rite so recognized by American kids and their dreams
Manager, the coach, the slugger, the ace, defensive whiz and the speed
Figuring the line up, the order of bat, thinking on the strengths and the needs
Hear the crack of the bat, hear the pop in the mitt, hear the yelling as the umpire's cursed
Then look again at these old black and whites, a parallel universe
(chorus) Sing me a song of those old negro leagues, sing me a song for the ages
Those barnstorming days of Monarchs and Grays, an ode to the Gibson and Paige's.
Black folk took to the national game and the nation barred them from their leagues
They took their passion and devil may care and made their own minor and bigs
Sixty point six, ninety feet to the bags, their papers covered the game
More risk on the paths and a whole lot more flair, still it was separate but same
And when by chance they'd go eye to eye with the pros from the other side
Well, the whiff and the homer, the turning of two, these are things that can't be denied
(chorus)
(bridge) And when Mister Rickey broke color line with the heroics of 42
Then a red head white kid could root for a black, if he wore Dodger blue
Now pennants are chased by all of the races, every race rounding the bases
When you start thinking of your favorite nines, take yourself back to that by gone time
(chorus)
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10. |
Bread or Blood
03:55
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10/ BREAD OR BLOOD
Took the wage from the working man, gave the rich a dividend
Had to know the reaction then, was like a match to kindling
Jobs were lost and more dangerous, working class was furious
Soon enough a strike began, all the freight is idling
Couldn't call militiamen, cause they wouldn't fire on their brethren
And the powers that be won't negotiate, troops are called from around the state
(Bread or blood)
Working man got mouths to feed, now bayonets are going to bring the peace
When all the city's in the street, tension rising like the summer's heat
It's rocks and jeers as chaos spread, shots are fired and there's many dead
It was risk that wrecked the economy, led to panic in '73
Now banks are still making policy, Scott free, it wouldn't be
Labor knows where to lay the blame, Pennsy yards going up in flames
(Bread or blood)
(bridge)Now the strike it lost its fire, order was restored
The strikers had to accept things as they were before
Bitter lesson learned, in the collective mind
Hardened into story, passed down through time
So if you're a Union family, then you know the deal
This is Pittsburgh, City of Steel
(Bread or blood)
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11. |
Piney Woods
02:37
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11/ PINEY WOODS
All this bang clang blare and this city grit
It's time to take my mind out to really drift
Stop by the beer mart for a case of brew
I know a spot where I can chase these blues
Old logging road keep getting further from time
With a woodpecker's call and the murmur of pine
Nearby a bayou and a heron's cry
An easeful dusk and then the fire flies
(chorus) A man can get to feeling pretty good
Drinking beers in the piney woods.
Big can of chile for some Frito pie
Onions and cheese and a me o' my
I'll get some pork rinds and some cigarettes
Some local sausage and a big ice chest
(chorus)
(bridge) Where there's a chorus of amphibians
Katydids and crickets are chirping in
Imagining the time of the Indian
Sitting in my lawn chair, drinking it in
I'll take the dogs and Angie Lee
No need for guns or an ATV
An owl a hooting, moon on the rise
I'll be looking for those swooning eyes
A gal can get to feeling pretty good
Drinking beer in the piney woods
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12. |
Happy Go Lucky
03:00
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12/ HAPPY GO LUCKY
That old volksie bug cost two hundred bucks, and we were humming and heading west
Where I was going or how far I'd get, I could only guess
I had a rabbit's foot and every cent I owned was wrapped up in travelers' checks
(chorus) Happy go lucky, happy just to be alive
Hope to be singing this song on the day that I die
Happy go lucky, happy just to be alive.
Caffeine crazed I drove a couple of days 'til Colorado appeared in the clouds
Slowed down time in aspen and pine, as I was drifting south
There was a holy place near Santa Fe that I was seeking out
Shimmering heat and a rocking beat, rolling all the way to the coast
Highway One and a setting sun, I got that moment froze
I was a drunken beat, stumbling North Beach searching for Kerouac's ghost
(chorus)
Into Oregon and Washington, like a gnome in the forest deep
I philosophized 'neath a misty sky, camping on a rocky beach
In the Olympic Range with a roaring flame, I was laughing at fortune's feast
Had to keep my cool when the motor blew in Pocatello, Idaho
What I had to have, I put it in my pack, rolling with a lighter load
Sold the car for junk, had a motel drunk, in the morning I was on the road
(chorus)
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Mailman Bob Austin, Texas
ol' hippie...influenced by Kerouac, spent years driftin' around the country. there was love, spirit, awe, kicks and adventure. when that road ended was saved by a union job carrying the u.s. mail. influenced by Dylan have wrestled with the craft of songwriting since high school. now with the help of some friends and a windfall from selling an old guitar, I can finally showcase some of my songs... ... more
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