1. |
Across the River
03:10
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ACROSS THE RIVER
Quiet now, can you hear?
Singing soft and clear--
voices from on high
that ring like silver?
They are calling you home
never more to roam
in the sweet by and by
across the river.
Lift your eyes, can you see
a grove of evergreen
’neath the bluest sky
so bright it shimmers?
And in fields of gold
see the young and old
you will greet by and by
across the river.
Come rest your weary head
your work is at an end
let the water wash away
any pain you feel today.
One more breath to take
one more journey to make
loose your boat from its moor
let it carry you ashore.
Take my hand, can you know
what I could never show?
Love you leave behind
will ever linger.
What was broken will mend
no farewells my friend.
We will meet by and by
across the river.
We will meet by and by
across the river.
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2. |
Girl in Blue
02:55
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GIRL IN BLUE
The girl in blue (where is she goin' to?)
The girl in blue (a coat of wool and dress of cotton)
The girl in blue (what is she gonna do?)
Unknown but not forgotten.
December 1933 - under icy skies of Willoughby
Hazel eyes, auburn hair, five-foot-four, freckled fair
Off the gray Great lake to Second Street, the boarding house to rest her feet
She walks the lane with warm hellos For strangers she will never know
The girl in blue (where is she goin' to?)
The girl in blue (a coat of wool and dress of cotton)
The girl in blue (what is she gonna do?)
Unknown but not forgotten.
Beyond the brush of maple trees - Waits her grievous destiny
Unforeseen in such a youth - Will we ever know the truth?
Mind dead set to meet the track, Knew there was no looking back
Restless for that speeding train, A swift escape, can't explain
The girl in blue (where is she goin' to?)
The girl in blue (a coat of wool and dress of cotton)
The girl in blue (what is she gonna do?)
Unknown but not forgotten.
Blue coat, blue shoes,
Are blue devils always chasing you?
Alone, no clues
Why are you passing through?
The Devils always chasing you...
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3. |
Morning Sun
03:32
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MORNING SUN
Hangman, how are you today?
Hangman, ain’t got much to say,
I feel the morning sun shine on me
Lord knows, all the things I’ve done,
Lord knows, nowhere left to run—
I feel the morning sun shine on me
I remember when I saw my face,
and in my eyes an empty space
went on, and on, and on, and on,
on and on, and on, and on.
Broken bits of memory
trying to get that feeling but it’s gone, gone.
Don’t cry for the wasted years.
Don’t cry they’re not worth the tears.
I feel the morning sun shine on me.
Satan come and take my hand—
I can see your Promised Land
stretch on, and on, and on, and on,
on and on, and on, and on.
No salvation for my soul,
you can’t save something that’s already gone, gone.
Goodbye, only seconds left.
Goodbye, taking my last breath.
I feel the morning sun shine on me.
I feel the morning sun shine on me.
I feel the morning sun shine on me.
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4. |
Rumble Seat
03:48
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RUMBLE SEAT
Jimmy is stumbling around the bar,
Bennie is sick out behind his car,
Mary Jo’s angry ‘cause nobody wants to dance.
AJ is flirting and in walks his girl,
she tells him that next time she’s gone, for sure,
and everyone know which one of them wears the pants.
Another day and night on Main Street—
Another dream to dream and bury deep.
Someday I’ll pick up and say, “so long,”
I feel like I’m lost in a country song—
Yo-di-lay-hee-hee, yo-di-lay-eee.
Oooo
Working all day, then it’s time to cruise
up and down Central to look for booze—
me and the girls smoking cigarettes in the ‘Stang.
No one’s got money for gas tonight,
we sneak out some beer from the Kwik Delight
and wind up at Annie’s ‘cause her mom don’t give a damn.
Another day and night on Main Street,
we sleep, we work, we drink, and then repeat.
Never quite seems to me I belong,
it feels like I’m lost in a country song—
Yo-di-lay-hee-hee, yo-di-lay-eee.
Oooo
Another day and night on main street
Feels like I’m always in the rumble seat
Maybe I stared at the light too long,
I think that I’m lost in this country song—
Yo-di-lay-ee-hee, yo-di-lay-eee.
Yeah, maybe I stared at the light too long,
but someday I’ll pick up and say “so long”—
yo-di-lay-heee-hee
yo-di-lay-eee.
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5. |
A History of Ghosts
04:00
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A HISTORY OF GHOSTS
Ten men ride in the cold November sky,
(Ten men ride in the cold November sky),
whiskey on their breath, blood on the trail.
One man hides, cold and terrified,
(one man hides, cold and terrified),
Jesus, he ain’t answering his mail.
When all is said and done
the tide comes rolling in.
Pages writ in rust, slowly turn to dust—
drifting on the wind.
Twelve men decide who is gonna die,
(Twelve men decide who is gonna die),
truth be told, there weren’t much truth to tell.
When all is said and done
the tide comes rolling in.
Pages writ in rust, slowly turn to dust—
drifting on the wind.
In a land across the sea, a lady holds a bible in her hand;
calm in the assurance that everything that happens is God’s plan.
Two boys beside a grave open wide,
(Two boys beside a grave open wide),
Daddy’s gone to heaven up from hell.
When all is said and done
the tide comes rolling in.
Pages writ in rust, slowly turn to dust—
drifting on the wind.
When all is said and done
the tide comes rolling in.
A history of ghosts, a descending line of notes—
drifting on the wind.
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6. |
Darlin'
03:07
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DARLIN’
When I call you darlin’, do you think of her?
When I lie beside you, do you dream of her?
While I feel certain, you seem unsure,
when I call you darlin’, do you think of her?
When first we met, you promised me
that you could forget the memory.
But the thing that haunts me most
is you can’t give up her ghost.
When I call you darlin’, do you think of her?
When I lie beside you, do you dream of her?
While I feel certain, you seem unsure,
when I call you darlin’, do you think of her?
You crossed your heart and that’s a fact,
but were your fingers crossed at your back?
Can you put the past behind you?
Or does everything remind you?
When I call you darlin’, do you think of her?
When I lie beside you, do you dream of her?
While I feel certain, you seem unsure,
When I call you darlin’, do you think of her?
When I call you darlin’, do you think of her?
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7. |
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OUR LADY OF GUADELUPE STREET
Every day at her door, line up the devotees
Faces hidden by veils so nobody will see
When the saints and the priests don’t have the answers they seek
They pray to Our Lady of Guadelupe Street
They say she once was a beauty, but some disagree
I don’t know how they know she’s at least a hundred and three
But they believe she has the power to bring men to their knees
Is she an angel or devil Our Lady of Guadelupe Street?
They can break your heart, And leave you out in the cold
But peace can be yours, If you have the gold
Make ‘em stay, make ‘em go, make ‘em crawl, make ‘em beg for more
No matter what you’re looking for¬–it’s behind the red door
She had a lover from Sevilla, or was it Napoli?
Quick with a fist, and a head full of steam.
They found him lying in the alley, his death a mystery
But on his lips the last kiss from Our Lady of Guadelupe Street
They can break your heart, And leave you out in the cold
But peace can be yours, If you have the gold
Make ‘em stay, make ‘em go, make ‘em crawl, make ‘em beg for more
No matter what you’re looking for¬–it’s behind the red door
Have a drink for love, take a pill for tranquility
A few words from her lips can set you free
May God grant you joy and serenity
But if God’s not at home try Our Lady of Guadelupe Street
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
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8. |
Fosse Grim
04:07
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FOSSE GRIM
Their ears pressed to the wind, enchanted by his hymn.
Every stroke of his bow readies heart and soul,
‘Tis the song of Fosse Grim
For blood, or beast or snus, he'd spill his secrets loose.
On the Midsummer's Night came the neophytes
for to master and seduce
Though lured by violin, no lass would stay with him.
And the Lillie bowers turned to crimson flowers
in the flight from Fosse Grim.
Abiding love forsook, then to his bones he shook.
And, with his vi-o-lin, went to sea again,
no more to play the silvery brook.
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9. |
Kentucky Graveyard
03:11
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KENTUCKY GRAVEYARD
Ah-ah, Ah-ah
Shake those stones, rattle them bones, bang on your guitar,
Make a sound to wake the dead in that old Kentucky graveyard.
Shake that gloom, bang those tombs, pluck the old banjo,
The graveyard’s where people come when it’s time to go.
Jimmy Joe lost his girl so he took his life,
Pastor Ned was caught in bed with someone else’s wife.
Fireman Fred was crushed to death by a train gone off the tracks,
Otis Parson’s heart gave out while engaging in the act.
Captain Craig was blown to bits when the boiler blew,
Katie Lee, an Irish lass, killed by the Spanish flu.
Granny Cob was frozen stiff in the blizzard of ‘99,
Baby Tyler took a swig from a can of turpentine.
Shake those stones, rattle them bones, bang on your guitar,
Make a sound to wake the dead in that old Kentucky graveyard.
Shake that gloom, bang those tombs, thump that double bass,
You’re welcome any time you like, we’re saving you a place.
Major Stevens lost his head to a rebel gun,
Then his entire regiment was blown to kingdom come.
The Etzels and McDearmans, they got into a feud,
Eighteen died on the Etzels’ side, the McDearmans: twenty-two.
The outlaw Sneaky Snyder was gunned down by the law,
Hattie West—killed by a bus that she never saw.
Tim Cook struck by lightening while walking in the rain,
Grandpa Hicks died in his sleep and never felt no pain.
Shake those stones, rattle them bones, bang on your guitar,
Make a sound to wake the dead in that old Kentucky graveyard.
Shake that gloom, bang those tombs, strum that mandolin,
The line is wrapped around the block, they’re dying to get in.
Shake those stones, rattle them bones, bang on your guitar,
Make a sound to wake the dead in that old Kentucky graveyard.
Shake that gloom, bang those tombs, let us hear your horn,
You were on your way here the day that you were born.
Ah-ah, Ah-ah
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10. |
Oh, Undertaker
03:36
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OH, UNDERTAKER
When he took my hand his touch was cold
I felt a chill deep down in my soul
And I could have sworn the blood in my veins froze
As he offered me a withered black rose
Oh undertaker, oh undertaker
You took my heart to meet its maker
Now I can't get over the undertaker
The sky opened up, the rain came down
As we lay upon that sacred ground
He captured the day and he caught my breath
And showed me the way to my little death
Oh undertaker, oh undertaker
You took my heart to meet its maker
Now I can't get over the undertaker
When I awoke, I found he was gone
I was alone in the cruel light of dawn
And I heard the toll of the old iron bell
The sun broke the sky and shattered the spell.
Oh undertaker, oh undertaker
This sleeping heart, you'll never wake her
Now I can't get over the undertaker
No I can't get over the undertaker
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11. |
Stitch in Time
03:49
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STITCH IN TIME
Put the paper to the pen,
add it up, but in the end
it don’t matter what you've got
only matters what you’ve been.
Take the high road when you can,
get your head out of the sand,
find a place to make your stand,
hey, you’ve got to be a better man.
To everyone comes quid pro quo,
yours will come, now, don't you know?
When the credits roll to fin
only really matters what you’ve been.
Put the paper to the pen,
add it up, but in the end
it don’t matter what you've got,
only matters what you’ve been.
Put the paper to the pen,
add it up, but in the end
only matters what you’ve been, ooo, ooo
People always lookin’ out for me, me, me
but what we gonna give to the Giving Tree?
When we gonna stop putting out our hand
and give the world a better man?
Really don't matter how you take the hook—
whether Bible verse or a science book,
there's more than one way to be damned
so you gotta give while you can.
Put the paper to the pen,
add it up, but in the end
it don’t matter what you've got,
only matters what you’ve been.
Put the paper to the pen,
add it up, but in the end
only matters what you’ve been, ooo, ooo
Days are short and it won’t be long
(Hey, you got to be a better man)
we’ll wake up wondering where the time has gone
(Hey, you got to be a better man)
Have no regrets when you look behind
(Hey you got to be a better man)
Don’t wonder if you could have been more kind.
Lord knows we get just one chance,
we are only a stitch in time
Put the paper to the pen,
add it up, but in the end
it don’t matter what you've got,
only matters what you’ve been.
Put the paper to the pen,
add it up, but in the end
only matters what you’ve been, ooo, ooo
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Bobtown Brooklyn, New York
"If you're looking for acoustic gothic-folk-Americana kissed with gorgeous harmonies then look no further." -Americana
UK
NYC-based Bobtown's four full-length CDs show their evolution from mostly a capella arrangements to full instrumentation, with bits of folk, Americana, pop, bluegrass, rock, and gospel all bound together by a continuous thread of innovative vocal harmonies.
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