A GOOD AMERICAN LIFE

A Good American Life

I wake up in the morning
The alarm clock tells me when
Pour a cup of coffee and hit the road again
Find the nearest freeway
I got places to be
Sounds like a Good American Life to me

I’m headed to the office
Or the job-site or the mill
Time to make some money time to pay some bills
‘Cause they’re charging me for things
That I used to get for free
Sounds like a Good American Life to me

Sounds like a Good American Life to me
Just trying to catch my breath
So I can tell myself I’m free
Feels like I’m running in circles
Guess I’ll wait and see
Sounds like a Good American Life to me

Now we've got ships in the gulf
We got ‘em in Japan
Got boots on the ground in Germany and Afghanistan
They got families and loved ones
And kids they ain’t never seen
Sounds like a Good American Life to me

I keep waiting on a whistle
When everyone will stop
But they keep right on telling us there’s room up at the top
So I’m getting up tomorrow
Guess that's how it’s gonna be
Sounds like a Good American Life to me

Remember My Love

You left me here
You let me down
I got nowhere to go
So I'll wait around
I'll watch the front door
Till you come walking through
I got no better plans than to believe in you
I got no better plans than to believe in you

In the long night
In the hot sun
You will remember my love
In the long run
You won’t look back
No you think we’re done
But You'll remember my love
In the long run
You will remember my love
In the long run

When I wake up alone
No sun shining through
I gotta work real hard
To smile about you
And the lies that grow
From the seeds of truth
But I'll find a way to forgive you
I'll find a way to forgive you

Nobody knows
No one understands
Why I'm holding true
To our best laid plans
You're nowhere in sight
But I'll do what I can
Until you come home to me again
Until you come home to me again

In the long night
In the hot sun
You will remember my love
In the long run
You won’t look back
No you think you’re done
But you'll remember my love
You will remember my love
In the long run

This Old Town

The lights went out tonight
You could see it across town
From the pool hall to the pawn shop
The snow fell to the ground
Darkness filled the streets
The bars all locked their doors
Folks searching high and searching low
For what wasn't there no more

The people gathered round
An empty city hall
They were burning fires to keep the warm
And talking ‘bout it all
They were standing on a road
Where the future meets the past
When you’re traveling in circles
Ain't nothing bound to last

They came with fire and steam
They will leave without a sound
'Cause there ain't nothing left but a dream
Here in this old town

There were Fields out our front door
As far as the eye could see
But we started walking and didn't stop
Till there was pavement beneath our feet
We could not feel the ground
We drown out all the stars
We burned up all the fuel we had
To carry us this far

We came with fire and steam
We will leave without a sound
'Cause there ain't nothing left but a dream
Here in this old town

It's a trade we make again and again
Each time we lock our door
But if it's always the same in the end
Then what's it for

The lights went out tonight
You could see it across town
From the pool hall and the pawn shop
The snow fell to the ground

Darkness filled the streets
The bars all locked their doors
Folks searching high and searching low
For what wasn't there no more

Flag

The flag goes up
As the sun comes down
Jets go by
Before we hear the sound
Rise to our feet
As if to say
Red white and blue
Till our dying day

The flag waves high
When the tax man comes
He says you gotta pay
Just to be someone
It'll cost cost you plenty
If you wanna stay
Red white and blue
Till your dying day

The flag hangs still
When the wind don't blow
They keep the TVs on
To let the people know
They gotta toe the line
There’s a debt to pay
Red white and blue
Till their dying day

The Flag comes down
They fold it nice
And hand it to
Somebody’s wife
Ain’t nothing to do
Nothing to say
Was red white and blue
Till his dying day

The flag goes up
As the sun comes down
Jets go by
Before we hear the sound
Rise to our feet
As if to say
Red white and blue
Till our dying day
Red white and blue
Till our dying day

Home in Time

You called me at the station
You asked me to come home
I've been wandering this nation
And it's highways all alone
Our old life left so far behind
Now I hope that I can make it home in time
The last time I saw you
There was a new man at your arm

Your head on his shoulder
And his heart full of your charms
I told you how it was a crime
Now I hope that I can make it home in time

From Topeka to Santa Fe
I cried all the way
And I came this far to get you off my mind
Now I hope that I can make it home in time

In the foot hills I travelled
By the banks of a stream
It was there that I drown them
All our hopes and dreams
I cast them to the water like a dime
Now I hope that I can make it home in time

From Topeka to Santa Fe
I cried all the way
And I came this far to get you off my mind
Now I hope that I can make it home in time

Now a love left unspoken
Turns to a dream in the night
And a dream left unfulfilled
Burns like a fire so bright
And the fire that burns is yours and mine
And I hope that I can make it home in time

From Topeka to Santa Fe
I cried all the way
And I came this far to get you off my mind
Now I hope that I can make it home in time

Until Blue Comes ‘Round

Yellow goes up
Before blue comes down
Green paints the bend
Before you go round
Black is the hardest heart
That you'll ever meet
And gray's discontent
Pulls hard at your feet

Silver moves slows
Across the night sky
Red never knows
The reasons why
Gold holds you close
As long as it can
Until blue comes around
And takes you again

Until blue come round
And takes you again
Drags you down
And pulls you in
I'll hold you close
As long as I can
Until blue come round
And takes you again

When the rain comes
The rivers rise
And soon tears will fall
From you dark eyes
But I know you'll hold on
Right till the end
Until blue comes round
And takes you again

Until blue come round
And takes you again
Drags you down
And pulls you in
I'll hold you close
As long as I can
Until blue come round
And takes you again

With love you nevEr know

She keeps the light on in the kitchen
When she can't sleep at night
She told him how he wouldn't be there
And time has proven she was right
She’s searching for the reason
Why he had to go
But Through it all she understands

That with love you never know
With love you never know
Just how to play your part
We make the rules up as we go
And hope to keep each other’s’ hearts
But it’s like trying to guess
Which way the wind may blow
Or how long the rain will fall
With love you never know

You'll find him sitting on a bar stool
In those lonely hours of night
Wondering how life could be so cruel
There bathed in neon light
She's in the arms of another man
Though she said she wouldn't go
But somewhere deep he understands
That with love you never know

With love you never know
Just how to play your part
We make the rules up as we go
And hope to keep each other’s’ hearts
But it’s like trying to guess
Which way the wind may blow
Or how long the rain will fall
With love you never know
Or how long the rain will fall
With love you never know

Whiskey Bones

The drinking starts at five o’clock at the bar just past the mill
Same old boys beside me, same old fears to kill
With every round that I put down I sink deeper in
And when I can’t tell up from down you bring me back again

The way you hold these Whiskey Bones
The way you warm this heart of stone
You bring me close in a world so cold
The way you hold these Whiskey Bones

When I think back on my younger years
And all the roads that led me here
These weathered eyes are moved to tears
But you take me in and the sadness disappears

The way you hold these Whiskey Bones
The way you warm this heart of stone
You keep me close in a world so cold
The way you hold these Whiskey Bones

Train

Don’t think that they won’t protect
The garden they have grown
Don’t think that they will forget
They hold the deed to your home
Don’t think they’ll ever compromise
Don’t think they’d settle for less
They’d steal your dreams from where you sleep
No they won’t ever let you rest

‘Cause it’s a big ‘ol train
Rolling down the tracks
And where it’s going
There ain’t no coming back

Now they’ll call you up when you’re at work
They’ll call you up when you’re at home
They’ll dial your number when you’re making love
They’ll call you up when you’re at church

‘Cause it’s a big ‘ol train
Rolling down the tracks
And where it’s going
There ain’t no coming back

There ain’t no brighter future
Built the way we built the past
But we just keep on stacking stones
And believing it will last

‘Cause we drive those cars out on the road
We fill those planes up in the sky
We give the money that fuels this machine
We are beggars to our own demise
‘Cause it’s a big ‘ol train
Rolling down the tracks
And where it’s going
There ain’t no coming back

You don't get to explain

She never stopped to say goodbye
When she walked away
She never turned to look at me
Or called out my name
You could read it on her face
You could see it in her pain
When you do the things I've done
You don't get to explain

I wanted to take her in my arms
And hold her so tight
To wipe away those tears
And ease her worried mind
Instead I watched her walk away
And step onto that train
When you do the things I've done
You don't get to explain

When you do the things I've done
You don't get to explain
When someone's world come crashing down Again and again
Now I'm here alone standing in the rain
When you do the things I've done
You don't get to explain

I promised her every thing
That a lonely girl could want
She took my ring
And I took her heart
How could she have known
I would cause her such pain
When you do the things I've done
You don't get to explain

When you do the things I've done
You don't get to explain
When someone's world come crashing down Again and again
Now I'm here alone and I finally see it plain
When you do the things I've done
You don't get to explain

I want to tell her all about the changes I will make
I want to say I'm sorry for every last mistake
I want to her hear about the little things I'll do
But in the end she'd know that none of it was true

She never stopped to say goodbye
When she walked away
She never turned to look at me
Or called out my name
You could read it on her face
You could see it in her pain

When you do the things I've done
You don't get to explain
When you do the things I've done
You don't get to explain

Too Late Now

You walked away just like each one before
You told me you won’t play that part no more

And it’s too late now
It’s a goddamn shame
You’re gone from me
And I can’t forget your name

You told me you’d be here when the spring comes around
When the fields are in bloom and the snow has left the ground

But it’s too late now
It’s a goddamn shame
You’re gone from me
And I can’t forget your name

It took me so long last time
To get this old heart to mend
I’ve had enough of this game
I ain’t playing again
You walked away just like each one before
You broke my heart just in case you’re keeping score

And it’s too late now
It’s a goddamn shame
You’re gone from me
And I can’t forget your name

Without You

You tell me again how I've gone too far
You don't know the boundaries of this heart
There's nothing I won't say
Nothing I won't do
‘Cause I wouldn't last one day without you

You come to me at night when darkness falls
When I can't find the light and my demons call
You point me where to go
When north just won't be true
And I wouldn't last one day without you
When neon light have spun me round and round
I know you will pick me up off the ground

You tell me again how I've gone too far
You don't know the boundaries of this heart
There's nothing I won't say
Nothing I won't do
‘Cause I wouldn't last one day without you

Tennessee Night

Too Big to Fail

Take down that glass and pour me a strong one,
‘Cause pretty soon they'll be choosing sides and I'll be on the wrong one.
There's storm clouds, wind, rain and hail,
But I still believe that love’s too big to fail.

We've been chasing down the dreams they showed us to,
Now the Mercury is rising and we don't know what to do.
Yeah, there's times when the future seems so frail,
But I still believe that love's too big to fail.

There's people on the roof tops and people in the streets.
They're shouting names and wanting change, a kind they've never seen.
And I can't say how it's gonna be, or if truth will prevail,
But I still believe that love's too big to fail.

Now the people lose their way one by one,
And it's hard to stop that train once it's begun.
In our blindness we're building our own jails,
But I still believe that love's too big to fail.

There's people on the rooftops and people in the streets.
They're shouting names and wanting change, a kind they've never seen.
And I can't say how it's gonna be, or if truth will prevail,
But I still believe that love's too big to fail.

Yeah, we see it growing darker every day,
Till we don't know how much more that we can take.
Still we're drawn somewhere just beyond the veil,
And we still believe that love’s too big to fail.
And we still believe that love’s too big to fail.
Yeah, we still believe that love’s too big to fail.

Two Wrongs

The Danville Train used to run this way,
Now they're pulling up the tracks and hauling them away.
They’re leaving nothing behind,
Just the memories and scars along the line.

When you found me I was less than I am,
You were drowning in your tears when you reached out for my hand.
And, the devil was shining in your eyes,
And for a little while, two wrongs made a right.

Yeah two wrongs made a right,
In the darkest hour of night.
And you tell me that you’re leaving come the morning light,
But for a little while two wrongs made a right.

Now you never told me all that you went through,
Guess I didn’t want to hear about the things they’d done to you.
But you grew like you’d never seen the light.
Ain’t it funny how two wrongs made a right?

Yeah two wrongs made a right,
In the darkest hour of night.
And you tell me that you're stronger, and ready to take flight,
But for a little while two wrongs made a right.

The Danville Train used to run this way,
Now it’s fading into darkness as it carries you away.
Pretty soon there’ll be nothing left in sight.
But for a little while two wrongs made a right.
For a little while two wrongs made a right.

Heading Home Again

Out on this highway it’s always the same,
You drive all night till the sun shows its face,
Still a long way to go but I'm Heading home again.
On a farm out of Leesburg off an old dirt road,
Where I used to run in the white corn rows,
Still a long way to go but I'm Heading home again.

Heading home again.
I've been gone too long my friend.
And this road it never ends.
But I'm heading home again.

Now you run all day and you run all night,
And if you don't work hard you'll run all your life,
Yeah, the years will pass you by leaving you without a friend.
‘Cause it ain't the money, it ain't the cars,
It ain't the lovers, and it ain't the bars,
No there ain't no feeling like heading home again.

Heading home again.
I've been gone too long my friend.
And this road it never ends.
But I'm heading home again.

(Now) We tell ourselves all about the lives that we lead,
Yeah we tell ourselves we're standing on our own two feet.
But in the end it’s all that we can do,
To wash away the lines between me and you.
Yeah, let’s wash away the lines between me and you.

‘Cause Out on this highway it always the same,
You drive all night till the sun shows its face,
Still a long way to go but I'm Heading home again.
Still a long way to go but I'm Heading home again.
Still a long way to go but I'm Heading home again.

DO IT FOR ME

I've got half a broken heart, and I don't know where to start,
‘Cause I can't stay here, and I can't let you go.
I watch your picture on the wall, and I wait for it to fall,
‘Cause you'll be leaving soon and everybody knows.

I've walked this road with you for so long,
I deserve better than this.

You got one foot out the door, and the other on the floor,
Like you’re holding on to what we used to be.
There's nothing I can say, but I can't live this way,
So if you won’t do it for you do it for me.
Do it for me.

There were times when things were new, when you were all that got me through,
But you won’t sing those songs for me no more.
We’re the tiniest of sparks, just a flicker in the dark,
Only a shadow of the things we were before.

I've stayed by your side through wind and storm,
I deserve better than this.

‘Cause you got one foot out the door, and the other on the floor,
Like you’re holding on to what we used to be.
There's nothing I can say, but I can't live this way,
So if you won't do it for you do it for me.
Do it for me.
Do it for me.

SOME THINGS

I heard you been drinking again,
And telling everybody how he's just a friend.
I wish I could believe that were true.
I guess there's some things you just can't undo.

I watched as you pulled into town,
A cigarette burning and the window rolled down,
Like you had something to prove.
I guess there's some things you just can't undo.

I guess there's some things you just can't undo,
What you've done to me and what I've done to you.
It's always been wrong, it ain’t ever been true.
I guess there's some things you just can't undo.

Now I passed him today on the street,
And I stared straight down at my feet,
‘Cause somehow I knew that he knew.
I guess there's somethings you just can't undo.

I guess there's some things you just can't undo,
What you've done to me and what I've done to you.
It's always been wrong, it ain’t ever been true.
I guess there's some things you just can't undo.

Now I lock myself up as long as I can,
Hold tight to my heart till I let go again.
Till I lay myself down like always do,
There's nothing to gain and nothing to lose.
There's nothing to gain and nothing to lose.

So I heard you been drinking again,
And telling everybody how he's just a friend,
Who knows maybe this time it's true?
I guess there's some things you just can't undo.
I guess there's some things you just can't undo.
I guess there's some things you just can't undo.

Up Ahead

There's a motel sign up ahead, and a $40 bed
Where we can spend the night.
We been driving for so long, yeah, Tulsa’s good and gone,
We've been lost in these headlights.

And up ahead there's just more of the same.
We’ll pull off of the highway and forget our names for a while,
Up ahead.

There's a fog rolling in, and the air it's getting thin,
But I think we can make it through.
You're getting hard to see, sitting right here next to me,
But there ain't much that we can do.

Up ahead they are calling for snow,
We’ll keep one eye on the shoulder and one eye on the road and take it slow,
As we go, up ahead.

Sometimes the best that you can do
Is hold on to the deepest part of you.

There's a motel sign up ahead, and a $40 bed,
Where we can spend the night.
We been driving for so long, but still we carry on,
Lost in these headlights.
Just lost in these headlights.

Anthem

Well I do believe it’s time to go,
Tomorrow we take up with the road.
‘Cause it’s been far too long, and we are too far gone,
And I do believe it’s time to go.

‘Cause we’ve been living for the past too long,
Dreaming on the promises of poets dead and gone.
And you can feel it in the wind, yes, it’s time to start again,
‘Cause we’ve been living for the past too long.

There’s a road we followed here,
Running on hope and driven by fear.
Tooth and claw, rule of law, and dog eat dog,
Year after year.

But don’t believe a word they say,
‘Cause just like you and me they're all workin’ for their pay.
There’s no place to start, just follow your heart,
And don’t believe a word they say.

There’s a road laid out ahead,
Yeah, we’re going somewhere but we ain’t found it yet,
And out here there’s no returns, no exchanges, and no regrets.

We ain’t got nothing to prove,
We did what we did and we will do what we do,
‘Cause there ain’t no changing, you just learn to stop playin’.
And we ain’t got nothing to prove.
We ain’t got nothing to prove.
No we ain’t got nothing to prove.

Everything Is In Bloom

We've got bills to pay, and a little put away,
And we're bringing in some money on the side.
We've got dreams that's big, and a wound time won't forgive,
And we’re getting too old for goodbyes.

Now we've been round the bend, and we've been back again,
But I've never seen that look in your eyes.
Well, it cuts and it soothes, and it feels like the truth,
And it's everything that I want in this life.

And we can feel the ground move beneath our feet,
As we stand inside this room.
And everything is in bloom.

I’ve been out on the road, always on the go,
And you, you've been doing the same.
Yeah, We've been burning at both ends, trying to pretend,
That in the end, nothing will change.

And we can feel the ground move beneath our feet,
As we stand inside this room.
And everything is in bloom.

We've got bills to pay, and a little put away,
And we're bringing in some money on the side.
We've got dreams that's big, and a wound time won't forgive,
And we’re getting too old for goodbyes.
Yeah, we’re getting too old for goodbyes.

Promised Land

I thought someone was at the wheel.
I thought somebody up there was keeping score.
But it's just you and me,
And the dreams we choose to dream forevermore.

I'd been burned out on the news.
I'd been turning inside out and going deep.
To find those things that stand so still, a promise to fulfill,
Just one more lost soul learning how to be.

But it's a long way down,
When the sky gets dark and the wind is cold.
Reach out take a hand, try once more if you can,
And we can walk together into the Promised Land.

‘Cause I've been hearing a new song,
From town to town, job to job, and heart to heart.
It seems so far to go, but it’s closer than you know,
So start opening doors and find out where they go.

‘Cause it's a long way down,
When the sky gets dark and the wind is cold.
Reach out take a hand, try once more if you can,
And we can walk together into the Promised Land.
And we can walk together into the Promised Land.
Yes, we can walk together into the Promised Land.

Tennessee Night

You stopped on the shoulder and the dust blew away,
I watched you get out on a hot summer's day,
And step back into my life,
And out of the Tennessee night.

It's been hard miles since you left this town,
Faithful and fearless your feet on the ground,
Now you're back and you’re burning bright.
Straight out of the Tennessee night.

Out of the Tennessee night,
That's where I want you to stay.
Far from all the bright lights,
The ones that took you away.
I've been lost in this town,
Trying to keep you in sight.
And you've been out there too long,
Alone in the Tennessee night.

I watched as your dress it blew in the wind,
Your hair in your face and the sun on your skin,
It's been years since you've seen the light,
And been out of the Tennessee night.

I followed the path of your star in the sky,
I traced every line, every tear that you cried,
Hoping you'd get out all right,
Out of the Tennessee night.

Out of the Tennessee night,
That's where I want you to stay.
Far from all the bright lights,
The ones that took you away.
I've been lost in this town,
Trying to keep you in sight.
And you've been out there too long,
Alone in the Tennessee night.

Hold Me Tight

The summer I turned eighteen I worked down at Rouge Ford,
Forty cars an hour we put out the door.
I must have climbed in every one as they rolled down of the line,
I was looking for something that I'm still trying to find.

I never cut the rugged frame as in those magazines.
I never liked the sight of me, a sight I've never seen.
But Mama saw me perfectly, her love for me was true,
How could she have known what this cruel world can do?

Hold me tight, tonight, while we wait for morning’s light.
‘Cause the days keep slipping by me, and they’ve never seemed quite right.
Hold me tight, Hold me tight, tonight.

In the darkness of the night shift I still walk those polished floors,
Flashing lights and Hi Lo’s and the sound of slamming doors.
I’ll work like the devil ‘til my body it gives in,
But the outside never tells of the pain it holds within.

So hold me tight, tonight, as we wait for morning’s light.
‘Cause the years keep slipping by me, and they’ve never seemed quite right.
Hold me tight, hold me tight, hold me tight,
Hold me tight, hold me tight, tonight.

The Lonesome Side of Town

That night after the show, you wouldn’t let me go
Until I let you know I’d be around
You saw right through me standing there, barely breathing the same air
How was I to know you’d never let me down
It doesn’t show to look at you, all the pain that you’ve been through
And this old world for us keeps spinning round

Without a word, without a sound
You shine bright when this hard life tries to bring me down
You showed up, you stayed around
When everybody left me on the lonesome side of town

Pulling hard against the wind, time and time again
Hand in hand beneath the darkest of clouds
Lost in all our schemes, stealing fire from heavens dreams
Somehow it seems we’re still waiting to be found
Girl I never let it show, the things you think that I don’t know
You’re still the one who keeps me coming round

Without a word, without a sound
You shine bright when this hard life tries to bring me down
You showed up, you stayed around
When everybody left me on the lonesome side of town

Lonely

All this has ever been is lonely
A moment's glance, a stolen kiss if only
I held those promises so tight, the things you told me
But all this has ever been is lonely

All this has ever caused is pain
Out here alone till you come round again
You hold back the sun while I’m drowning in the rain
All this has ever caused is pain

It’s been a year or two, keeping time with you
Running like a thread right through your life
Holding onto you like it’s forever, till I realize

All this has ever brought is fear
You hold the cards and I live with the tears
I’ve been lost in the clouds, but they’re starting to clear
All this has ever brought is fear

I’ve learned a thing or two in the time I spent with you
As I watched the light of hope fade from your eyes
And wondered was love still growing slowly, or starting to die?

All this has ever been is lonely
Lying to myself that you’re my one and only
But I’m finally figuring out all those things you should’ve told me
All this has ever been is lonely
All this has ever been is lonely
All this has ever been is lonely

It All Sounds Like Leaving

I got late night plans, guitar in hand, as you walk through the door
Hanging around, two drinks down, moving boxes on the floor
You’re looking for ways, something to say to leave me a little more
But there ain’t no words, nothing I haven’t heard a 1000 times before

It all sounds like leaving, every word you say
There’s no room for for believing at the end of the day
And it comes as no surprise, you’ve lost that look in your eyes
Let’s get on with the grieving, ‘cause it all sounds like leaving

Now you’re standing there at the top of the stairs, not knowing what to say
I’m looking at you, now that we are through there’s no more games to play
From all that I’ve heard you can’t find the words, and maybe you never will
But if you ever do you know I’ll hear them through, we’ve got nothing but space to fill

‘Cause it all sounds like leaving, every word you say
There’s no room for for believing at the end of the day
And it comes as no surprise, you’ve lost that look in your eyes
Let’s get on with the grieving, ‘cause it all sounds like leaving
Let’s get on with the grieving, ‘cause it all sounds like leaving

Both Hands On The Wheel

I’ve got you on my mind, past that city limit sign
Cleveland left so far behind me this time
Two flames burning bright, following our own design
Staying in between the lines somehow this time

I’ve got both hands on the wheel
Far from all the fears I used to feel
I guess the old wounds take the longest to heal
Yeah, I’ve got both hands on the wheel

Yeah, we’ve been doing time, waiting on what’s yours and mine
Shackled to such different lives it seems sometimes
But still this road unwinds, draws the Sun across the sky
And every town I leave behind brings me closer to your side

I’ve got both hands on the wheel
Far from all the fears I used to feel
I guess the old wounds take the longest to heal
Yeah, I’ve got both hands on the wheel

There’s snow blowing across the freeway
I’m seeing things in such different ways
Thinking that you might just stay awhile

Now the sun is going down, on some old midwestern town
No one keeping company where I’m bound
But my feet are on the ground, your love follows me around
And darkness doesn’t bring me down no more, since you’ve been round
No, darkness doesn’t bring me down no more, since you’ve been round

The Things I Miss

I miss our good days, I miss our good nights
I miss our talks and the way we used to try
I miss our hellos, I miss our goodbyes
I miss your touch and that look in your eyes

I miss the way that we used to laugh
When we took the time that neither of us had
I miss all the things that we used to do
Now there’s only me and there’s only you

We’ve been holding on so long
We can’t tell right from wrong anymore

I miss the way you’d dance, just because you could
I miss the ways you wouldn’t and the ways you would
I miss the little things that you used to say
I knew they weren’t all true, but you’d say them anyway

We’ve been so far under ground
We can’t tell up from down anymore

And if only for a moment
Would you hold me like you used to do?

I miss our good days, I miss our good nights
I miss you next to me turning out the light
I miss our own hellos, I miss our goodbyes
I miss our talks and the way they used to try
I miss our talks and the way they used to try

State Of The Nation

The man on the TV’s talking about the state of the nation
While I’m out here in a world of pure frustration
The economy Is looking good, but that don’t mean the things it should
The man on the TV’s talking about the state of the nation

The woman on the news smile so wide
She’s got long blonde hair to match those deep blue eyes
She wants me to tagalong on a ride where everything goes wrong
The woman on the news smile so wide

I’ve been out here running like a hamster on a wheel
I voted for change, but there ain’t no new deal
It’s enough to make you wonder if the old ways still hold true
Has anybody seen the red white and blue?

They told me to stay inside the lines
Follow the rules you’ll be just fine
I did my time, paid my dues, all I got was these old blues
They told me to stay inside the lines

The man on the TV’s talking about the state of the nation
When he’s done he’s leaving on a weeks vacation
Me I’m keeping my head down, it’s getting tough round this old town
The man on the TV’s talking about the state of the nation
The man on the TV’s talking about the state of the nation
The man on the TV’s talking about the state of the nation

Hypnotized

I used to pass the miles so damn proud
Your picture on the dash and my head in the clouds
Staying ‘tween the lines so far from home
Yeah, I take you with me everywhere I go
When night would fall I’d play the fool
In some old dive bar sitting on a stool
Just lost and lonesome while the jukebox wined
That’ll old photograph and you on my mind

I guess that’s how I lost it all
Looking at your face when I should have called
Living in a dream of days gone by
A thousand things I didn’t do
Now a picture’s all that’s left of you
Honey, you’re still burning in my mind
You still got me hypnotized

Moving town to town’s no way to live
From here to there then back again
And that Polaroid won’t hold me tight
Lay me down or turn out the light

Maybe that’s where I went wrong
Living life like some old country song
Believing you be waiting by and by
If I could do it all again
I’d tear that picture end from end
It’s your memory that keeps me up at night
You still got me hypnotized

From Oklahoma, Arizona, Baltimore to Saratoga
I still wonder how you pass your time
And you still got me hypnotized
You still got me hypnotized
You still got me hypnotized

It Tears the Heart Right Out of Me

You’re here one day and gone the next
You’ve got the kind of love that leaves a man perplexed
Left to wonder if there’s something he don’t see
Yeah, your love it tears the heart right out of me

You’ve been running schemes the way some people do
Living on the dreams I shared with you
And I know it won’t be long till the day you set me free
Yeah, your love it tears the heart right out of me

You’ve been playing it cool while I’ve been playing the fool
Believing in somebody meant to be
I’ve been waiting here so long, on a dream that’s all but gone
And a love that tears the heart right out of me

Just For Two

If you waltz with me my love
If you hold me like you do
We will dance beneath the stars above
In a world made just for two

If you put your hand in mine
If you do just as you do
I will satisfy your worried mind
As years go rolling through

If you always come to call
If your heart was born to be true
I will catch you each time you fall
My love will see you through

No fan of roses, porcelain poses
You’re holding yourself back again, my friend

But you’re steady in the darkest night
When the world seems much too cruel
And you’re pretty and that fire light
When the moon comes shining through

No fan of roses, porcelain poses
You’re holding yourself back again, my friend

If you waltz with me my love
if you hold me like you do
We will shine beneath the stars above
In a world made just for two

Love Me Right

You gotta love me right, don’t fool around
You gotta stay the night, when the sun goes down
You gotta do the little things that lovers do
You gotta love me right, like I love you

You gotta leave the past so far behind
You gotta put those fears out of your mind
Just take ahold of my hand, like lovers do
And love me right, like I love you

Woman you pick me up like a summer breeze
Woman you spin me round till I’m on my knees
You gotta hold of my heart, that much is true
But you gotta love me right, like I love you
You gotta love me right, like I love you
You gotta love me right, like I love you

On My Way

You at the top of the stairs, me by the door
We’ve been here five years, you’ll be here no more
Nothing I can say, nothing I can do
Guess you’re on your way, I’m on my way too

We’ve been here so long, words can’t say
No more tomorrows, only yesterdays
I can feel your ghost dance across the floor
I live right here, where you don’t live no more

But I can still see you sitting on that barstool, it’s true
You’re on your way, I’m on my way too

So take your aim and shoot to kill
Never give up, I know you never will
Loose strings that hold your heart
Those fears aren’t yours to carry anymore

If it all came down there’s nothing I won’t do
You’re on your way, I’m on my way too
You’re on your way, I’m on my way too

This Old Heart (single release)

I’m a slow mover and an improver
When something gets knocked over I just reach for the Hoover
I’m a simple man with a steady hand
Faded hopes and worn out dreams I ain’t gave up on yet

Now, it’s been a long night for a long, long time
I tried to get from here to there and damn near lost my mind
But I’m home again, thankful for my friends
Praying for somebody I can stand with till the end

So I do my best to hold it all together
When this old world just wants to fall apart
They’re telling us we’re in for nasty weather
But it’s nice and warm right here in this old heart

Now, I’ve seen some rough road, a heavy load
Beating back a jungle of the seeds that I let grow
And from all I’ve seen, everywhere I have been
The only peace I’ve yet to find is the peace I choose to know

So I do my best to hold it all together
When this old world just want to fall apart
They’re telling us we’re in for nasty weather
But it’s nice and warm right here in this old heart

So when darkness calls and the nighttime falls
When it seems we’ve lost our way and the world slows to a crawl
If it feels like the end, it’s just time to start again
Find hope in one another as we travel round the bend

And do our best to hold it all together
When this old world just wants to fall apart
So never mind those changes in the weather
Cause it’s nice and warm right here in this old heart
Yeah, it’s nice and warm right here in this old heart

CODENAME CALIFORNIA

Codename California

I’m here to tell you, here to warn you
About a feeling codenamed California
It starts at your feet and it shines you through and through

Oh, California, I’m coming home to you

From town to town, year to year

You whisper sweet a sound so clear
I hear your heart when I put my ear down to the ground
But California, you’re nowhere to be found

We shone so bright that we lost the sun
But that’s alright, 'cause babe you’re still the one
Who knows my name—the name that has no sound
Oh, California, when you coming back around?

I hear the rhinestones jingle-jangle
Up from the street in the City of Angels
They light the night best they can until we find the sun
Yeah, California, you know you’re still the one

I’m here to tell you, here to warn you
About a feeling codenamed California
It starts at your feet and it shines you through and through
Oh, California, I’m coming home to you
Oh, California, I’m coming home to you
Yeah, California, I’m coming home to you

Barbed Wire Cross

The view’s real good from up on the hill
You can try to make it to the top, but I doubt you will
No one here to help you if you fall
Just a barbed wire cross hanging on the wall

The sun’s going down on better days
So we’re sending our prayers from far away
Through the twisted streets of broken glass
To the folks sleeping underneath the overpass

To the ones ain’t got no place to be
To the food lines as far as the eye can see
Please help yourself up if you will
Because the view’s real good from up on the hill

Cling to the past and all that you know
All that you’ve heard and all that you own
It’s best not to ask about the voices below
It’s full speed ahead and steady as we go
It’s full speed ahead and steady as we go

It’s a hell of a ride, it’s a hell of a thrill
Chasing after a dollar bill
Don’t need no level playing field
When we got the truth Darwin revealed

So find a place and stake your claim
Work real hard and make a name
It’s a hell of a ride, it’s a hell of a thrill
Chasing after the dollar bill

The view is real good from up on the hill
You can try to make it to the top, but I doubt you will
No one here to help you if you fall
Just a barbed wire cross hanging on the wall
Just a barbed wire cross hanging on the wall
Just a barbed wire cross hanging on the wall

Box of Lonely Men

You’re shining like the bar lights
Making Mai Tais and Mudslides
They’re watching you from all sides, it’s plain to see
You work on the front linesWhere the whiskey’s pouring all night
Just a smile, then you take flight—wild and free

You’re the life of the party
When you’re pouring the Bacardi
Out on the boulevard, he can just be seen
Getting out of his Tacoma
Then it’s half a block and over
To this barstool on the right here next to me

Where you’ll do your dance again
In your box of lonely men
We know it’s all pretend
Your eyes are just for him
So close, so far away
I come back every day
Just to hear you say my name again
In your box of lonely men

You get to feeling like a best friend
When you double-up The Captain
Makes me wonder where the world went for just a while
But your heart is slowly opening
To a guy who’s got his own thing
There’s a girl who’s wearing his ring across town

And you do your dance again
In your box of lonely men
We know it’s all pretend
Your eyes are just for him
So close, so far away
I come back every day
Just to hear you say my name again

When the whiskey flows like wine
You get everybody feeling fine
Till it’s closing time

It’s not that I don’t want you
Every dream that you could bring true
But I’m wise enough to see through the things you do
To know there’s nothing that I can say
When a heartache’s headed your way
But I promise I’ll stay right here next to you

As you do your dance again
In your box of lonely men
We know it’s all pretend
Your eyes are just for him
So close, so far away
I come back every day
Just to hear you say my name again
To hear you say my name again
To hear you say my name again
In your box of lonely men

Ready to Be Found

I’ve been paying the bills in the Hollywood Hills for a while
Living without care as the world out there runs wild
Yeah, I had to turn off the news just to find my smile

I’d been town to town, one day after the next
Far from home and living without rest
Ain’t it funny how life seems to know what’s best?

I’ve been keeping an ear to the ground
I’ve been listening for a sound
No, I ain’t been back to town
In 5,000 miles or more by now
And I ain’t ready to be found

I’ve been laying low as the stars and cars roll by
And when the sun goes down, the canyon lights—they shine
Yeah, the only thing to lose out here is time

So take one last look around before you go
Out to the mountains, up to the Sunshine Coast
Far from all the things you love the most

I’ve been keeping an ear to the ground
I’ve been listening for the sound
No, I ain’t been back to town
In seven months or more by now
And I ain’t ready to be found

There ain’t no control out on the road, my friend
Better to lose yourself and follow to the end
Maybe find you someplace new to begin

I’ve been keeping an ear to the ground
I’ve been listening for the sound
No, I ain’t been back to town
In what feels like a lifetime somehow
And I ain’t ready to be found

Queen of Hearts

You’re the queen of hearts
I’m the king of spades
I’ve loved you since I met you
Let me count the ways

Like I count the stairs
Up to your room
Just to find you sitting all alone
Staring at the moon

Deal me in
I want to play this game with you
Again and again

Child of the lonely
With nowhere to start
You’ve filled my nights with wild delights
And torn my world apart

But I’m the king of spades
Nothing brings me down
Still I wonder why you disappear
When the jester comes around?

Deal me in
I want to play this game with you
Again and again

Queen of the dark
Ghost of the moon
The mysteries of creation’s fire
Burn deep within your womb

And we’re worlds apart
So why do I believe
That this losing hand can somehow win
And find you next to me?

Deal me in
Deal me in
I want to play this game with you again
Again and again
Again and again

The Great Shutdown

Watching as the clocks melt off the wall
I’ve been down so long I don’t feel down at all
Everybody’s talking Civil War, I don’t know what they do that for
I don’t need nobody’s help feeling small

Stand in line till someone calls your name
Just take your time, you know it’s all the same
Welcome to the world that we call new
Does it feel normal to you
Now that you’ve got somebody else to blame?

So it goes in this town
From coast to coast and all around
Listen close, you can almost hear the sound
Of the great shutdown

So we get down low and make friends with the blues
Can’t miss that show tonight on cable news
Trying to recall what we once knew
Then lost again somehow, it’s true
And red or blue is the only thing to choose

So it goes in this town
From coast to coast and all around
Listen close, you can almost hear the sound
Of the great shutdown

Watching as the clocks melt off the wall
I’ve been down so long I don’t feel down at all
I’ve been trying hard to understand
To learn to love my fellow man
But lately I don’t understand at all

So it goes in this town
From coast to coast and all around
Listen close, you can almost hear the sound
Of the great shutdown
Of the great shutdown

The Medicine

Lately I’ve been lost in an Afghan Haze
Floating like a Stardawg through an endless maze
Living life in a Blue Dream just to pass the days
Can’t say where I’m bound but I’m on my way

When night time falls I can’t make it back to bed
I sleep ‘neath Northern Lights, a full moon overhead
Searching for my Lodestar in a sky filled with White Fire
Prisoner of a cold heart and my own desire

It’s probably the medicine running through my veins
Can’t say which world my head is in, from day to day
I’ve been trying for so long to pick myself up off the ground
It’s probably the medicine that’s been bringing me down

When the fog rolls in I ain’t got much to say
Stuck to the couch with Gorilla Glue hiding out all day
Tell me what’s a man to do when he feels this way
And the world keeps spinning round just the same

My Only One

We’ve been wandering all the night, searching for a secret sun
We’ve been lost without the light, waiting on morning to come
We’ve come so far now from the place where we begun
But you’re still my only one

Huddled in the darkness, shivering from the cold
Ain’t nobody going to find us this far from the road
We promised when we started that we would not let go till we were done
And you’re still my only one

I can hear you calling out to me
I can feel your love, but I can’t see
I know it seems sometimes there’s nowhere else to run
But you’re still my only one

Holy Land

I pulled off the highway one solitary morning
Now I’m standing at this truck stop hanging out with Father Gordon
Wearing a long black robe in the sun
Talking ’bout the kingdom come

I asked him what it’s like to walk the world dressing like he does
He said some folks feel their spirits lift, some hate me just because
Of all they’ve heard and think they know
But I don’t let it get me down, that’s just how it goes

Walk the path of peace, my son, like a river flows
Try to be a North Star to the world when the cold winds blow
Always test the spirit, never trust the best-laid plans
And I will say a prayer for you when I get to the holy land

I asked him, “Father, don’t it get warm in that robe out in the sun?”
He said, “Better warm in this life than the life that’s still to come.”
Then his solemn face turned to a smile
And we both had a good laugh for a while

I said, “Father, I’m a blind man in this reality.”
He said, “Son, you’re not so blind if you know that you can’t see.
Hold to your heart, it’s all you own
Until they roll the stone.”

And walk the path of peace, my son, like a river flows
Try to be a North Star to the world when the cold winds blow
Always test the spirit, never trust the best-laid plans
And I will say a prayer for you when I get to the holy land

The days go passing by
Like the fading summer sky
No matter how I try
I can’t help but wonder why

I fell asleep for three whole days and woke in a garden
With Cherubim and Seraphim whispering my pardon
Set my eyes to the horizon steady as she goes
And pulled onto the highway out of Post Falls, Idaho
And pulled onto the highway out of Post Falls, Idaho

Angel

I’ve been under your spell
From Ruidoso to Roswell
Hugging the shoulder
As these wheels turn over
In my mind

Passing highway signs
Watching you fly
Across the sky
Out of the night
In a streak of light
You made your way
Into my life

Born from nothing
On an eve so fine
You’re one step ahead
I’m one step behind

Angel in the sky
Passing me by
When the moment arrived
What could I do but follow
Into the dark
The path of my heart
Right back to the start
Now here we are, my guiding star

When I was a child
You’d softly smile
Into my dreams
Once in a while

Now here in the dead of night
You’re shining down so bright
I’m hanging on so tight
Coming up on city lights

To belong, to believe
In things unseen
The places I am going
I have never been

I pulled into town
Shut the engine down
Watched you burn
Bright to the ground
Right here before me
The strangest story
Like you came here for me
Like you came here for me

Angel in the sky
Right before my eyes
When the moment arrived
What could I do but follow
Into the dark
The path of my heart
Right back to the start

Now here we are
Now here we are
Now here we are
My guiding star