GOLDEN
APPLES OF THE SUN
(2009
SIGNATURE SOUNDS RECORDINGS)
TALES OF THE ISLANDER
An
ode to Walter Anderson
Tales of the
islander
Tales of you and
me
Floating on our
raft
Down the Mother
Mississippi
Caught myself a
fever
Took a hospital
stay
Tied some sheets
together
Crawled down and
was on my way
I was on my way
Let’s take to
the water
Let our bodies
roam free
No more taste or
smell
No hear nor see
Then greet the
morning star
As we dance
along the beach
Embrace this
mighty sunrise
As the cranes
fly to meet it
Cranes rise to
meet it
Birds call to me
They call
They call to me
They call so
deep
Got to feel it
all
No time for
sleep
No time at all
When they call
They call to me
They call so
deep
Got to feel it
all
No time for
sleep
No time at all
We found a
paradise
And its own
garden gate
Adam in a hat on
a rowboat
Phosphorescence
in the wake
The squall has
passed
And we’re tied
to the decay
One day may the
hurricanes come
And carry us
away
Carry us away
Waves call to me
They call
They call to me
They call so
deep
Got to feel it
all
No time for
sleep
No time at all
When they call
They call to me
They call so
deep
Got to feel it
all
No time for
sleep
No time at all
Give me a sunset
Of lilac, gold
and green gray skies
I’ll give you
spirals and zig zag lines
It’s the magic
hour of a halcyon day
And all of
mankind stands there
Barely awake
A full moon
rising
On all of
nature’s powers
Stars just
observers
Of zinnias and
moonflowers
We could bathe
in the nullah of a gulf stream
Prowl like cats
in the night
Then transform
like moths
In a chrysalis
of light
Chrysalis of
light
Moths call to me
They call
They call to me
They call so
deep
Got to feel it
all
No time for
sleep
No time at all
When they call
They call to me
They call so
deep
Got to feel it
all
No time for
sleep
No time at all
When they call
When they call
A TURN UPON THE HILL
A turn upon the
hill
As the sun
reclines
I lie upon the
grass
And your eyes
meet mine
Then I run as
fast
As my legs will
carry me
From a camera’s
lens
And a stranger’s
plea
Can you see
inside my soul
Can you make
your body roll
Can you see
inside me
Watching the
world
From a warrior
pose
Wondering what’s
inside these clothes
A turn upon the
hill
As the sun
reclines
I lie upon the
grass
And your eyes
meet mine
Can you see inside
my soul
Can you make
your body roll
Can you see
inside me
Inside me
Inside me
TRUE COLORS
Lyrics
by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly
LONG BLACK VEIL
Lyrics
by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin
THE DOZENS
For
Larry Levine
I had a few more
questions
I never knew to
ask
You were feeling
downhearted
The last time we
parted
With a shock of
white hair
Life has changed
a lot you know
And I’m kind of
scared of that
It bottoms out
in seconds flat
You said you had
a good friend
He died so
needlessly
Knocked over by
a garbage truck
They threw him
down
Then they picked
him up
And your son was
back home again
Your little boy
and his children
He’s fighting
off a mean disease
That’s killing
off his faculties
Tell me a little
joke
Let’s play the
dozens
Say something
about my mama
In a veiled
quadrille round
I’m just a white
girl from a segregated town
And I’m looking
for some answers
That I haven’t
found
I remember
Memphis
Like it was
yesterday
And a Ford
station wagon
So full of us it
was dragging
With your books
in our grasping hands
We heard you
speak
We made our
plans
To hoist the
flag and rule the world
All the hopes we
had unfurled
Tell me a little
joke
Let’s play the
dozens
Say something
about my mama
In a veiled
quadrille round
I’m just a white
girl from a segregated town
And I’m looking
for some answers
That I haven’t
found
I want to be
just like you
I want to love
first, I do
Look people in
the eye
Make them feel
good
Then I’ll make
them think
Just like you
would
Y’all were off
on a night stroll
Down the capitol
boulevards
You were
emboldening another son
Of this grand
nation
I would vote for
you for president
But you’re
floating with the butterflies
Soaring with the
seagulls
Or the eagle as
he takes the skies
Let’s eat some
democratic soup
And Eastern Market
cheese
Meals with you
and Cornelia
Were my most
precious memories
I don’t know
what the hell to do
Please give me a
little tap
Tell me I can
take it
That I won’t
bottom out in seconds flat
SEE SEE RIDER
Lyrics
traditional
CACTUS TREE
Joni
Mitchell
ABUELITA
I should have
known why I loved
Driving through
the cactus fields
Or wearing white
leather gloves
Admiring the
virgin
As she stands
upon the moon
Waltzing behind
a second line
Or harmonizing
on gospel tunes
Abuelita
underneath the trees
Of Costa Rica
and her dark shored seas
They won’t tell
me about you
They don’t want
me to see
Abuelita you’re
just like me
I do not have
your mind
Nor your body
Nor your
circumstance in time
But I feel
something rising
Up through me
like a song
It’s fragile and
lovely
It’s powerful
and strong
Abuelita
underneath the trees
Of Costa Rica
and her dark shored seas
They won’t tell
me about you
They don’t want
me to see
Abuelita you’re
just like me
Oh grandmother
Did you have to say
Sometimes life
Well it just turns
out that way
Waiting for a
boy
Waiting for a
train
Waiting on
something to
Make you feel
again
All of the girls
Lined up the
stairs
Dressed like
queens and princesses
With jewels in
their hair
Wrapped up in
old furs
You gave to us
that night
We were the
midnight fireworks
We blazed in a
New Year sky
Abuelita
underneath the trees
Of Costa Rica
and her dark shored seas
They won’t tell
me about you
They don’t want
me to see
Abuelita you’re
just like me
I’m just like
thee
A LITTLE BIT OF MERCY
Time goes by so
quickly now
On this freight
train line
Through my
hometown
There are days I
wait for night to come
When I fall
asleep just to wake again
Oh to walk
beside an honorable man
Honey, sometimes
I just do the best that I can
And you show me
a little bit of mercy
Of mercy, of
mercy
More than a
little bit of mercy
Striving for
that golden crown
Will He say well done
When the trumpet
sounds
Standing where
our fathers stood
We learn their
ways to make them good
But where is the
heart in an honorable man
Honey, sometimes
you just do the best that you can
And I show you a
little bit of mercy
Of mercy, of
mercy
More than a
little bit of mercy
Underneath this
house of stones
A whole wide
world beckons us on
To leave behind
the walls and doors
Windows,
ceilings and floors
Let us breathe
in mountains
Breathe out sun
For ourselves
And this race we
run
If you’ll show
me a little bit of mercy
Of mercy, of
mercy
More than a
little bit of mercy
And I’ll show
you a little bit of mercy
Of mercy, of
mercy
More than a little
bit of mercy
SONG OF THE WANDERING AENGUS
Poem
by William Butler Yeats
THE GREAT UNKNOWN
Just get in
there
Gas up the car
If you’re gonna
go
You’ll need fuel
for the road
But if you stay
Forget the past
Things that
haunt you
They never last
Oh but can they
last
Just one more
day
Somebody light a
candle
Light my way
Like those two
who crawled out
From the devil’s
claws
And then they
saw the stars
From the center
of the Earth
Or crashing
through the atmosphere
The answer
unclear
Though written
in stone
And when those
break
There’s nothing
but the great unknown
It was a long
wait
And a walk down an aisle
He placed his
hands on my head
And said “Bless
you, my child”
Sweet chrism
crossed
And incense
burned
Throughout the
ages Amen was heard
Are we fools who
stay our fear
Declaring one
desire most dear
Like those two
who crawled out
From the devil’s
claws
And then they
saw the stars
From the center
of the Earth
Or crashing
through the atmosphere
The answer
unclear
Though written
in stone
And when those
break
There’s nothing
but the great unknown
Teachers line up
in rows
To tell me
things I already know
As I separate
the wheat from the chaff
Until there’s no
wheat
No laughter left
The sun and moon
have disappeared
Might some light
enter here?
Like those two
who crawled out
From the devil’s
claws
And then they
saw the stars
From the center
of the Earth
Or crashing
through the atmosphere
The answer
unclear
Though written
in stone
I am afraid of
the great unknown
THE WILD ROSE
Compiled
from the poems The Wild Rose by Wendell Berry and
The Light Wraps You by Pablo Neruda
When you are
hidden from me
When I cannot
feel the beating of my heart
Walk me where
wild things grow
Where grace and
light surround me
There I’ll see
my wild, wild rose
Ablaze in all
her glory
Choosing what
before I chose
The blessings of
God’s bounty
Light wraps you
as you stand
Oh sacred stem
in mortal flame
Great roots of
night they grow
The things that
hide come out again
Come to me my
wild, wild rose
Ablaze in all
your glory
Choosing what
before I chose
The blessings of
God’s bounty
LANTANA
(2008
SIGNATURE SOUNDS RECORDINGS)
STONE COLD WORLD
I'm a selfish
girl
In a selfish
world
Each town has
her selfish ways
And each girl
has her selfish days
Especially
me
Longing to be
free
From all the old
complaining crew
And all the new
ones moaning, too
Then there was
you
Smiling when I
couldn't smile
Drawing me to
tears
Feeling out
these aches and pains
Because nothing
here comes easy
In this stone
cold world
For a selfish
girl
You're a pioneer
Headed for
Newfoundland
Each land has
his newfound joys
And pioneers
must be big boys
Especially
you
Longing to be
true
To what your
people came here to do
And who your
mama said you could be
Then there was
me
Crying when I
wasn't sad
Slouching in my
shoes
Damning
expectations
Because nothing
here comes easy
In this stone
cold world
For a selfish
girl
I saw the tip of
an iceberg explode
But I'm no
tourist in this deep blue sea
Off that hard
rock shore
In this stone
cold world
For a selfish
girl
LAY MY BURDEN DOWN
When I lay my
burden down
There’ll be no
mourners outside my window
Put my body in
the ground
Because my
spirit will be free at last
And I’ll be
flying in the darkness
I’ll ride the wind
without a sound
When I lay my
burden down
When I see that
great green valley
The haunting
shadows will fade behind me
A golden highway
stretched out before me
And I will walk
in to the sunrise
With the lion
and the lamb
And the beasts
of the field
When your secret
is revealed
When I lay my
burden down
Could be
tomorrow
God has not told
me
And now I will
love
With all the
heart, soul and strength within me
As a mother and
a lover
And a sister and
a daughter
And then one
day
Over Jordan
I’ll see angels
hear trumpets sound
When I lay my
burden down
When I lay my
burden down
PAPER GOWN
Small town stars
shine bright for a day
The moon lights
up a watery grave
Woods move in
the nighttime breeze
That lifts from
the lake through the trees
On the night
that defined my name
Fantasy or
monster, you say
Watched my boys
ride the incline down
All for a paper
gown
Long ago I used
to be
A little girl on
my daddy’s knee
Dreams lie like
diamond rings
Babies and
pretty things
I watched my car
sink silently
My lover’s
sweatshirt wrapped around me
On a black man I
blamed the crime
With moans and
screams and cries
Then I waited
for him to call
My ready-made
family gone after all
While the world
mourned an alibi
My hopes began
to die
Long ago I used
to be
A little girl on
my daddy’s knee
Dreams lie like
diamond rings
Babies and
pretty things
Day by
day
All the promises
faded away
No one but
me
Controls my
destiny
The sheriff sat
me down to pray
At the First
Baptist Church on the ninth day
“Susan, make
your conscience clean”
“Sheriff,
I’ve done a terrible thing”
I confessed
that, for love’s sake,
I drowned my
children in John D. Long Lake
They’re with
Jesus, looking down
At me in this
paper gown
Long ago I used
to be
A little girl on
my daddy’s knee
Dreams lie like
diamond rings
Babies and
pretty things
Long ago I used
to be
A little girl
with dreams I believed
Dreams lie like
diamond rings
Babies and
pretty things
HEARTBREAK TONIGHT
Different and
good
Easy to please
A cheerleader’s
skirt on the backseat
A childhood
worth forgetting
Her twenties
damn depressing
She eyes another
age
She turns
another page
You change your
name
You don’t stay
the same
So it’s
heartbreak tonight
And tomorrow’s
new beginnings
It’s supper on
the stove
And a gambler’s
winnings
Raised on the
farm
Raised on
Enjoli
Raised on je ne sais pas
And some joie de
vivre
Now for the
first time
The end is in
sight
You give me your
traditions
I’ll hand off my
ambitions
‘Cause it feels
so right
You change your
name
You don’t stay
the same
So it’s
heartbreak tonight
And tomorrow’s
new beginnings
It’s supper on
the stove
And a gambler’s
winnings
It was when you
forgot
To feel like a
fool
Or notice if
they were watching you
Looking so good
In front
of that mirror
But living in
the back room
You begin to
disappear
You change your
name
You don’t stay
the same
So it’s
heartbreak tonight
And tomorrow’s
new beginnings
It’s supper on
the stove
And a gambler’s
winnings
Her winnings
MIDNIGHT ON THE WATER
Lyrics
by John Croizat
STATES OF GRACE
Shall we walk
the narrow way
Crooked
straight, rough places plain
Raised up in the
yin and yang
Takes her around
and back again
She’s got her
act down
A shadow of a
sound
Her show’s on
the road
‘Cause she
knows
what she knows
Can you see her
I can see
her
Can you see her now
Amidst all her
states of grace
I can see her
now
Tightrope across
an ocean wide
Can we reach the
other side
Where china
dolls and worlds collide
Where we fall
and are baptized
She’s got her
act down
A shadow of a
sound
And her show’s
on the road
‘Cause she knows
what she knows
That she knows
Can you see her
I can see
her
Can you see her now
Amidst all her
states of grace
I can see her
now
She’s got a
slight frame
For such a heavy
burden
She’s on the
highway of her Lord
Can you see her
I can see
her
Can you see her now
Amidst all her
states of grace
I can see her
now
ALL THE PRETTY LITTLE HORSES
Lyrics
traditional
FAIR AND TENDER LADIES
(for Natasha Trethewey, Thea Bowman and Montie Greer)
You write about
a place so dear
In all its good
and evil
A loving cup, an
aching scar
You need no
thread and needle
To sew your name
into your clothes
Or hem a ragged
line
All muscular and
luminous
Oh heroine of
mine
Ladies
Oh
ladies
My ladies
My fair and
tender ladies
You raised
yourself from mud and spit
And opened up
your eyes
Stretching out
your graceful limbs
From heart and
soul on fire
From sidewalks
and handlebars
Summer sun and
evening stars
And
unincorporated streets
Oh heroine I
long to meet
Ladies
Oh
ladies
My ladies
My fair and
tender ladies
Ladies
You set aside
your trays and flowers
Like a ball and
chain
You understood a
time and place
Upon which you proclaimed
Your skirt was
not to hide behind
Your womanhood
no alibi
You would not
live so man could die
Oh white-gloved
heroine of mine
Ladies
Oh
ladies
My
ladies
My fair and
tender ladies
LOVER GIRL
Looking for a
hand to hold
There to pull
and push against
Even now we’re
dancing
Longing for a
place to know
Where branches
reach, lantana grow
And butterflies
take their poses
Come
My lover girl
Did you grow an
inch today
Once you were a
tiny thing
And before that
God’s dream
Goodness comes
to those who wait
Give them love,
and sacrifice
Because it’s
your turn now
Come
My lover girl
We’re as new as
scheming eyes
We’re as old as
mother and child
We’re as new as
scheming eyes
We’re as old as
mother and child
Just a little
piece of us
Marveling at all
of you
Head, heart,
shoulder, shoulder
Go and close the
drapes I made
Put your little
hands together
And pray for
your mama
Come
My lover girl
SONG FOR FAY
For
Larry Brown
Sun comes up in
the morning
See that sunrise
forming
All the pretty
colors
Shining down on
the water
I don’t know
about heaven
But I put in my
dollar
Let’s see what
it buys me
Rest and a
little dinner
Walking down the
highway
Thirsty for some
water
Men keep looking
my way
Wonder what
they’re wanting
I don’t know
about heaven
But I put in my
dollar
Mister, what you
show me
Don’t think I’m
not learning
Maybe it’s my
brother
Always tried to
save us
Maybe it’s my
daddy
He ain’t good
for nothing
I don’t know
about heaven
But I put in my
dollar
Don’t you try
and stop me
Til’ I get where
I’m going
Watching all the
women
Making sense of
living
All their little
babies
Aren’t we
supposed to have them
I don’t know
about heaven
But I put in my
dollar
Answers for the
taking
Now that I’m a
woman
Sun comes up in
the morning
See that sunrise
forming
All the pretty
colors
Shining down on
the water
I don’t know
about heaven
But I put in my
dollar
I don’t know
about heaven
But my purse is
on my shoulder
I don’t know
about heaven
But my purse is
on my shoulder
WELLSPRING
(2003
BLUE CORN MUSIC)
TRACE
First of many
flowers
Growing
close behind the wall
Flax and seed, want and need
The
wonder of it all
There’s a place
in that garden
We’ve
both been there, darling
I won’t
forget
That day
we met long ago
Woods of miles
and acres
Winding
through the hills
Moaning
of the barnyard dogs
And
barbed wire fences
There’s a
place in that countryside
You’ll
build a house so deep and wide
I can see
the stones
The fires
and thrones of long ago
Long ago
Rooms of
abandoned houses in my mind
Long ago
Back
porch living suits me fine
There were
paints of blue and green
I was
somewhere in between
Mama
rings the dinner bell
Women and
men
Move towards the
sacred sound
Of a chiming
metal wind
Daddy he
flips a dime
How will
we survive this time
Long ago
There were
sharecropping farmers on the land
Long ago
All
that’s left are rusty nails in your hand
There were walls
of yellow hue
Yeah, I
learned a thing or two
The Trace winds
1000 ways
The
Natchez drew it well
Their hallowed
bones the native ones
Ours a
merchants’ trail
There are places
in that road
Where lie the seeds we sowed
I won’t
forget
That day
we met long ago
Long ago
MORTIFIED
I should have
been ashamed
I should
have been mortified
I should
have hung my head
Dug me a
hole and climbed inside
Cause I
was able
But the
crumbs on the table kept me satisfied
No one should
walk this path alone
My path of
loneliness and shame
I thought
my heart would turn to stone
Before
our eyes, and with your blessing
What made me a martyr
What
makes me your outcast
I just
wanted to feel something
I should have
been ashamed
I should
have been mortified
I should
have hung my head
Dug me a
hole and climbed inside
Cause I
was able
But the
crumbs on the table kept me satisfied
Hot off the
press, come get the news
Right from the
source of the scandal
About the
dangers of the muse
And temptations
too great to handle
What made me a martyr
What
makes me your outcast
I just
wanted to feel something
I just
wanted to feel something
I should have
been ashamed
I should
have been mortified
I should
have hung my head
Dug me a
hole and climbed inside
Cause I
was able
But the
crumbs on the table kept me satisfied
Do I sound mean
Do I
sound rude
Do you
think me petty
Think me
cruel
Was I in
love with you or you or you or you
I tried
to be so true so true so true
I should have
been ashamed
I should
have been mortified
I should
have hung my head
Dug me a
hole and climbed inside
Cause I
was able
But the
crumbs on the table kept me satisfied
And I should
have been ashamed
JEWELS
It’s amazing to
survive
How would
I have known
There
were jewels in my shoes
Hush now,
don’t you cry
This may break
your bones
But who wants to
lose
In the long wait
for timelessness
More than
staying sane
Or being
worthy of a name
Is that
strange salvation
Shoulders
growing wings
Taking to
the air
Soaring
who knows where
Five golden
rings
There are
reasons girl
That no one
would choose
In the long wait
for timelessness
More than
staying sane
Or being worthy
of a name
Is that strange
salvation
MAGNOLIAS
I met you once
in a living room in Jackson
Thought of you
for six years or more
One hour,
you were my secret standard
One
night, you walked back through my door
Your lanky frame
was not what I remembered
Waking
from a long and fitful sleep
But after early
morning conversation
I drove
to north Texas in disbelief
That quaking in
my heart was too deep for words
It
tremored and it trembled and it ached
We spoke
our peace out on the Golden Gate Bridge
And
sealed it with a kiss under magnolias
Fortunes not
made and not discovered
There were
mentors, we were protégés
From one rite of
passage to another
We roughed
through the wellsprings of our early days
Underneath
that surface there was something
Only you
and I could understand
I made my
commitment to that long ago
Standing in the
hallway down in Dixieland
Cause that
quaking in my heart was too deep for words
It
tremored and it trembled and it ached
We spoke
our peace out on the Golden Gate Bridge
And sealed it
with a kiss under magnolias
There’s one
thing I love more than Austin
Or curving round
the Frio on her turquoise streets
It’s your
melancholy dread of Sunday evenings
Your shivering
body when it sleeps
The
future’s looking stormy here before us
Wars, calamities
and tribulations
We’ll
hatchet down the windows if we have to
And stand the
watch together till the morning
Cause that
quaking in my heart’s too deep for words
It
tremors and it trembles and it aches
We spoke
our peace out on the Golden Gate Bridge
And sealed it
with a kiss under magnolias
COLORADO WOMAN
The western
prairie stretches far away from home
Lose your
troubles in the big sky
Thought I’d move
along like the ranchers do
Stake a claim on
a quiet space or two
Miles away,
still I recall your face
And your
lines
I once
resided in a place
Where riverboats
lined up the big muddy shore
Until I couldn’t
stand my sunny South anymore
Tonight I want
to be a strong Colorado woman
I don’t
want to be your Mississippi girl
There are times
I need you to hold on to
But this
time I got to hold on by myself
I tumbled with
the dustbowls
Across the
Oklahoma plain
Headed
westward towards the mountains and the rain
The
meadow of the timberline
With your
image still haunting my mind
Tonight I want
to be a strong Colorado woman
I don’t
want to be your Mississippi girl
There are
times I need you to hold on to
But this time I got
to hold on by myself
Take me
down
Take me
down
Won’t you please
melt me down
But let me
up
Help me up
I want
back on my feet again
I’m going where
the Rockies and the river collide
Formed
like a woman stretched across the great divide
Far from the
land I betrayed
And what would
be the price if I stayed
Tonight I want
to be a strong Colorado woman
I don’t
want to be your Mississippi girl
There are times
I need you to hold on to
But this
time I got to hold on by myself
By myself
MISTRESS
Who was my mother
Who was
my father
All I’ve known
is a whip upon my back
My skin
is yellowed by much more than weakness
And wise beyond
the years of the blue and the black
My arms
were never strong enough to stir molasses
My eyes watch
riverboats as they go by
Some call me
mistress, but I wish that I was cargo
Floating down
the Brazos in that chariot to the sky
Oh Rachel, won’t
you lie next to me
Tonight and
every night to come
And won’t
you calm all that’s raging inside me
Cause outside’s
just a battlefield that Santa Ana won
My people, they
worked from can’t see to can’t see
Traded in
and out from the grassy shores
They say there’s
something about me
Flying like a
bird
Never known
freedom before
I wear
dresses of silks and threaded satins
Some gowns were
only meant to bear a woman’s breast
I’ll stand down
every white man in this county
But Columbus,
you are dying
And I’m no
different from the rest
Oh Rachel, won’t
you lie next to me
Tonight and
every night to come
And won’t you
calm all that’s raging inside me
Cause
outside’s just a battlefield that Santa Ana won
I was born in
the hills of Kentucky
But never native
to the auction block arrest
Headed
Southbound as a captive in this country
Just like the
cowboys drove their cattle through the West
You can read all
our names in the records
You can deny all
the days as they go down
There’s a
brick-laid pathway calling you to find us
Underneath a
golf course in an east Texas town
Oh Rachel, won’t
you lie next to me
Tonight
and every night to come
And won’t you
calm all that’s raging inside me
Cause outside’s
just a battlefield that Santa Ana won
Santa Ana
won
Santa Ana
won
TEXAS TWO STEP
You’re what I
call reasonably attractive
With an ego
that’s hyperactive
Standing there
playing tricks on me
Cause I’m the girl you happen to see
Well, I know
that I’ve been hurt before
And maybe I
looked twice when you walked through that door
That don’t mean
I want some cheap romance
I only
came here to dance
Texas two
step
Guide me with
your eyes
Texas two
step
Got to
learn how to slide
Shuffle, shuffle
Spin me
around
You got
to hold me up
When you dip me
down
The band is
playing and you were saying
Don’t
lift your feet too far from the floor
The
fiddle’s crying and Lord knows you’re trying
To spin
me around one time more
I love it when
you put your hand right
Under my
shoulder
And guide me
across the floor
Under the
circumstances
This
could really mean something
And this
song’s still got a few seconds more
Texas two step
Guide me
with your eyes
Texas two
step
Got to
learn how to slide
Shuffle,
shuffle
Spin me
around
You got to hold
me up
When you dip me
down
MGM GRAND
There’s a world
of people dying out there
Many of
them on the east side
I never
staked a claim with the rich folks
Though I am one
The New
York, New York casino waves
As I fly towards
Las Vegas
I gambled
ten dollars there once
Cause it’s all I
had
The MGM Grand
Could steal the heart of a man
But the
one next to me
Gives me
mine back again
The stewardess
says, “Good morning
And welcome to
Southwest Airlines
This morning
we’ll be offering
Your choice of juice or coffee”
And a man with
an accent in 19B
He’s confused,
he pleads for a cup of tea
She’s mad but
brings it because she must
And his
thank you, it melts all of us
The MGM Grand
Could steal the heart of a man
But the one next
to me
Gives me mine
back again
I fly away from
my beloved
He says
our honeymoon period has ended
And
somewhere through the tears
I ponder
o’er the years
That
taught me so much
And so
little
“Excuse me miss,
are you a writer
I’d like to get
your autograph now
If you’ll
be famous”
Then he
said, “I live in San Francisco
And I
work for the immigration office
Of the
United States government
I’m going
to visit my brother in Las Vegas”
Our plane
descends into the desert
I pretend
that I am weightless
There’s glitter
and there’s glare
On the
landscape
And there’s a
world of people dying out there
Many of them on
the east side
I never
staked a claim with the rich folks
Though I am one
Though I am one
HEART AND SOUL
I look at you
and smile and say my baby
And I
watch you walk away
You’re a
big boy now
On a sunny
day
May the wind
blow your direction
As you fly from
town to town
And lift you
up
Not throw you
down
Southern breezes
may circle
But they
won’t last for long
Not even
hurricanes can keep us
From
hearing the song
Something in
your brown eyes shining baby
The tune
has swallowed you whole
You’re a
big boy now
Fighting heart
and soul
Heart and
soul
TACOMA BLUES
I’m lonely out
here baby
I want to
come back home
Forget
this autumn ocean town
Opportunities
tomorrow
This life
is good for no one
It tears
my heart in two
I want to
see you smile
And feel you
I’m standing in
the shadows
I’m
howling at the sound
Inspiration
fails me
Nothing
seems to ease me
Sad songs
could drive me down
Drive me
down
Another day of
rain
In
another town
These days
everything changes
I try to
think ahead
But keep
looking behind
Another
host
Just another
stranger
I want to
be stronger
You know I want
to be stronger
Say your prayers
to Jesus
Please
say one for me
May He help me
do for others
May He set me free
To think of you
only
To smile
graciously
And not
to tell the friendly people
To go
away from me
Because I’m
lonely out here baby
I want to
come back home
Forget
this autumn ocean town
Opportunities
tomorrow
This life
is good for no one
It tears
my heart in two
I want to
see you smile
And feel
you
I want to see
you smile
And feel you
TWILIGHT
(2001
BLUE CORN MUSIC)
MISSISSIPPI SNOW
A little girl
A lust, a
life
Hoping
one day to be some man’s wife
Early
school mornings
Cold
bathroom floor
You brushed my
hair
And pushed me
out the door
Oh, mama, you
know I had to go
Before
they up and covered me in that Mississippi snow
I miss the tall
trees and sister’s pine
Between
the playhouse and the clothesline
And I remember
driving home after your father passed
Thinking
that night ride on 61 would be my last
Oh, mama, you
know I had to go
Before
they up and covered me in that Mississippi snow
I hear them
singing In The Sweet By and By
And I Can Hear A Voice
Calling from Heaven on High
Little
baby born to take my place
Pastor
are new peoples born to replace my race
Oh, mama, you
know I had to go
Before they up
and covered me in that Mississippi snow
Oh, mama,
you know I had to go
Before they up
and covered me in that Mississippi snow
RINGSIDE RODEO
She wears her
cross like a tattoo
She needs
identity just like you
Life has
treated her just as hard
Playing house in
her own backyard
Now don’t be
looking for one to fall
You know she fell a long time ago
Watch her
riding, rising high
In the
ringside rodeo
Daisy-chain
chandelier
Like a
rosary
And wildwood
wallpaper sloping down on me
Dreams of
patent leather on a Saturday night
Wake up on
Sunday with the birds at daylight
Who knows the
voices in her head
A little
bread and wine could raise her from the dead
She wears her
cross like a tattoo
She needs
identity just like you
Life has treated
her just as hard
Playing house in
her own backyard
Now don’t
be looking for one to fall
You know she fell a long time ago
Watch her
riding, rising high
In the
ringside rodeo
Exit arch-framed
doors
Into a
big ol’ world
Ain’t she a woman
Is she a
little girl
Pillows frame
the beams of a big brass bead
Pink felt heart
on a blue ribbon
Hanging over her
head
Fools deny that
angels take us home
But you and me
we got places to roam
She wears her
cross like a tattoo
She needs
identity just like you
Life has
treated her just as hard
Playing house in
her own backyard
Now don’t
be looking for one to fall
You know she fell a long time ago
Watch her
riding, rising high
In the
ringside rodeo
DEVIL MADE A MESS
No one will know
The words
you said
No one
Leave it
to me
To
disappear, to move along
Nothing
from the past
Will ever haunt
me like you do
Oh, sweet
baby
The devil made a
mess out of you
Never
say never
Thought I
was wise when I loved you, dear
But some
little boy
Needed a
mama to hold him near
Wailing
on the mourner’s bench
Right behind the
back row pew
Oh, sweet
baby
Devil
made a mess out of you
What’s that spell
Makes us want to
ride into hell
This much
is true
He made a
mess of me, too
I’ll never
forget the good times we had
Though
you crossed them out
Then went
back to the girl
You once sent
away
Then you
laughed about
There’s a meanness inside you
That
turns my insides black and blue
Oh, sweet baby
The devil made a
mess out of you
Oh, sweet
baby
The devil
made a mess out of you
WISE WOMAN
I went up to the
mountain
And I came back
a wise woman
Went to
the river
Came back
wiser still
Only to
see
You’re as dear
to me as the air I breathe
Won’t you
meet me at that mansion on the hill
Stuffed your
mattress and wove your sheets
Patched
your blanket piece by piece
If the
Lord had granted me a choice
I’d a
held up my hand
We ground
the corn, molded lard and lye
Had ten
children and watched four die
I’ll stand
beside you when you meet the promised land
Because I went
up to the mountain
And I came back
a wise woman
Went to
the river
Came back
wiser still
Only to see
You’re as
dear to me as the air I breathe
Won’t you
meet me at that mansion on the hill
Danced to the
fiddle on a Saturday night
And chopped the
cotton before daylight
The sun don’t go
down on a poor man’s woes
But my
love, if you don’t meet the dawn
I promise
you, I’ll carry on
Singing Precious
Memories as I plant along the rows
I went up to the
mountain
And I
came back a wise woman
Went to
the river
Came back wiser
still
Only to see
You’re as
dear to me as the air I breathe
Won’t you
meet me at that mansion on the hill
Won’t you meet
me at that mansion on the hill
Won’t you meet
me at that mansion on the hill
EMMA
Nobleman steps
through the doorway
Bends to
kiss his daughter’s face
He
reaches out and pulls her to him
Clasping her in
warm embrace
“Oh Emma,
I cannot stay here
The thunder
calls me even now
Child, you need
no one to save you”
And Emma moans
as he goes
Down below
Down
below
Down
below
She goes
Cursed is the
one who never ceases
Favor for the
poor and crazed
You should see
her daddy when he preaches
Voices singing
among the graves
Ah,
heaven reaches out and makes a whisper
For to
wake the haunts alive
Emma feels and
Emma knows the seasons
Of the joys and
the sighs
Down below
Down
below
Down
below
She goes
Nobleman steps
through the doorway
Bends to
touch his lover’s face
She reaches out
and pulls him to her
Clasping him in
warm embrace
“Oh Emma,
I cannot stay here
The thunder
calls me even now
Woman,
you need no one to save you”
And Emma moans
as he goes
Down below
Down
below
Down
below
She goes
WHIPPOORWILL
Hey there
mama
Come and sit on
my windowsill
I’ll be
your St. Francis
I’ll be
your whippoorwill
We’ll sing
together through the rolling glass
While your lover
makes a nest that’s built to last
These are the
mornings of our past
I will
watch your babies born
Not from a
branch or a white magnolia bloom
But a farmhouse
second-floor corner room
With pieces old
and new
Borrowed and
blue
Daddy watched
his father play and arch top guitar
Him and
Uncle Clint on the porch of a grocery store
Well I don’t
know but I’ve been told
They
sang, “You get a line, I’ll get a pole, sugar babe”
Hey there cousin
Won’t you play
dress up today
Or
brother, slide down the stairs
Where
mama threw her wedding bouquet
Mama, did
you line them up and watch them fall
With a 22’ waist
and deep South drawl
I bet you
charmed them all
Hey there
sister
Won’t you come
sleep in my bed
We’ll pull up
all the blankets tight round our heads
And turn off the
bedside table light
When I’ve closed
my eyes and I’m sleeping tight
Don’t want to
stay up tonight
And we will wake
up with the sun
And birds
chirping from magnolia blooms
In our
farmhouse second-floor corner room
With pieces old
and new
Borrowed
and blue
LEARNING TO DRIVE
Pretty girl from
a Delta town
Made to run the
gasoline down
Learned a
little about many things
Our sweet potato
cotton queen
Looks ahead when
the whistles blow
A lady
knows when it’s time to go
Learned
to drive on graveyard streets
And give a smile
to all she meets
Daddy taught her
to never look twice
Say thank you
ma’am and always look nice
Be the
best like a football team
Scoring against
the rivalry
And keep
the insides hammered down
Best performer
of the stage in town
A speck
surrounded by soybean fields
In the
land of red clay wheels
They say she’d
tumble over the pews
Go sit with the
preacher, too
Play
flute from the choir loft
Sing alto and
soprano parts
Gaze out
at the back church wall
Stained-glass
Jesus standing tall
Holding all of
His little lambs
And the whole world
in His hands
The boys eyed
her through the rear-view mirror
Sucking
two straws on Strawberry Hill
Driving back
from a country bridge
Or throwing
rocks from the water’s edge
Now she’s all
packed up in parceled pillars
She’s driving a
U-Haul across the Mississippi River
Lanterns on the
levee and a fist full of cotton
Old times there
will not be forgotten
CAROLINA MOON
If I were to die
tomorrow
At least we’d
have tonight
Spend the hours
knowing we’re alive
Laughing
under stars and running fields throughout the night
Amen and Amen
Pass the
biscuits darling
This supper’s
heaven sent
You mean more
than any fame and fortune I could find
And the Carolina
Moon is rising in the Texas sky
To the blue of
the canyon
I will
love you my whole life
Autumn all
yellow, rust and red
I’d trade
seasons for time with you instead
Amen and
Amen
Pass the
biscuits darling
This supper’s
heaven sent
You mean more
than any fame and fortune I could find
And the Carolina
Moon is rising in the Texas sky
So let’s sing
our hallelujahs
And we’ll
have our sit right down
Pass that corn
and okra, black-eyed peas
Can I
have more of those kisses from you please
Amen and
Amen
Pass the
biscuits darling
This supper’s
heaven sent
You mean more
than any fame and fortune I could find
And the Carolina
Moon is rising in the Texas sky
STANDING IN THE WATER
In the land of
the crazies
Gentlemen
and ladies
I was
born
I was
born
But long
gone the fish fry
Long gone
the moon pie
Long gone
Long gone
Standing in the water
My
dresses soiled and seen
Goodnight
cottonlandia
Get your ghosts
off of me
Grant captured
Vicksburg
Sherman shot the
hummingbird of the land
But slaves pull
the sack across
The
weight of this albatross in my hands
In my
hands
Standing in the
water
My dresses
soiled and seen
Goodnight
cottonlandia
Get your
ghosts off of me
DELTA HIGHWAY
I was on a Delta
highway
Twilight rising
from the road
Lightning
shone on cotton fields
I drove
through pink skies alone
Went to Lourdes
and Santiago
Traveled
down to New Orleans
Between pilgrims
and les bons temps
Live the visions
and the dreams
All this
searching leads
Down such
winding roads
Funny how
the time goes
So far
away from home
Climbed the
Yellow Mountain
Held the
sun in my hand
Worshipped the
warriors
In tombs of
ancient lands
Did not reach to
the leper
Though
she gave me a smile
I just played
this old guitar
Amidst
1000 Chinese eyes
All this
searching leads
Down such
winding roads
Funny how the
mind goes
So far away from
home
Maybe on the
midland prairies
We could
chase the native tears
Or wander
in the desert
In hopes
of Tunis or Algiers
May the
Moors next enchant me
Tall, dark
friend I have known
But when
on the Delta highway
I’ll
think of you and you alone
All this
searching leads
Down such
winding roads
Funny how
the mind goes
So far
away from home
