1. |
black night darlin'
02:57
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who ties your name to the old water wheel?
tie it to the earth.
drag it through the dirt.
who ties your name to the red moon risin'?
hang it low and under fog.
hang it over nothin' at all.
who sparks your flame in the black night, darlin'?
burnin' bright so i can't see you for the earth,
through the dirt and the fog and the dark.
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2. |
goodbye, pretty mama
01:56
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gonna take those shoes i bought you,
put your feet on the ground.
put your feet on the ground.
ain't gonna buy you nothin' else
when i go o'er to town,
if i go to town.
gonna leave you like i found you:
all out and down.
all out and down.
gonna have to get my pistol,
gonna have to hunt you down.
gonna have to get my hammer,
gonna have to hold it down.
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3. |
rex's blues
01:49
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ride the blue wind high and free.
she'll lead you down through misery,
leave you low come time to go,
alone and low as low can be.
if i had a nickel, i'd find a game.
if i won a dollar, i'd make it rain.
if it rained an ocean, i'd drink it dry,
then lay me down dissatisfied.
it's legs to walk and thoughts to fly,
eyes to laugh and lips to cry,
a restless tongue to classify,
all born to grow and grown to die.
so tell my baby i said, 'so long'.
tell my mother i did no wrong.
tell my brother to watch his own,
and tell my friends to mourn me none.
chained upon the face of time,
feelin' full of foolish rhymes.
there ain't no dark 'til somethin' shines
i'm bound to leave this dark behind.
so ride the blue wind high and free.
she'll lead you down through misery,
leave you low come time to go,
alone and low as low can be.
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4. |
the river
02:43
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i'm goin' down to the river.
i'm goin' down to pray.
i'm goin' down to the river,
gonna drown myself today.
i rode into town on a high horse.
i was just hopin' to get laid.
now i'm drinkin' whiskey from the bottle,
but it don't make you go away.
i'm goin' down to the river.
i'm goin' down to pray.
i'm goin' down to the river.
gonna drown myself today.
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5. |
i can't get no
01:54
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when i'm ridin' in my car,
and a man come on the radio,
he's tellin' me more and more
about some useless information,
tryin' to mess my imagination.
when i'm watchin' my tv,
and a man come on to tell me
how white my shirts can be,
but he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
the same cigarettes as me.
i can't get no
satisfaction
and i try,
i try, and i try.
when i'm ridin' around the globe,
and i'm doin' this,
and i'm signin' that,
and i'm tryin' to meet some boys,
baby, baby, baby, come back.
can't you see i'm on a losin' streak?
i can't get no
satisfaction
and i try,
i try, and i try.
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6. |
yr million sweetnesses
02:44
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yr million sweetnesses are sometimes not enough to keep me lapping at the flood-tide of desire.
this is how i walk when i have given up.
do you see how free the body moves?
the bones inside the skin are loose.
i know if i could see you,
you'd be walkin' like this, too.
marry a virgin.
marry an idle virgin.
marry someone who sold their sex to god or man.
marry completely and give yourself whole-heartedly to everything that wants you, and everything you are.
i have spent time with unspoiled birds and generous sunshine that taught me doin' nothin'.
i do recall that my very best friends are the ones who've left me empty and ready to be filled again.
yr million sweetnesses are sometimes not enough to keep me lapping at the flood-tide of desire.
this is how i walk when i have given up.
do you see how free the body moves?
the bones inside the skin are loose.
i know if i could see you,
you'd be walkin' like this, too.
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7. |
dollar bill blues
01:16
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if i had a dollar bill,
yes, i believe i surely will
go to town and drink my fill
early in the mornin'.
little darlin', i'm a red-haired thing.
man, i'll make your legs to sing.
gonna buy me a diamond ring
early in the mornin'.
my mother was a golden girl.
slit her throat just to get her pearls.
cast myself into a whirl
before a bunch of swine.
it's a long way down the harlan road.
busted back and a heavy load
won't get through to save my soul
early in the mornin'.
oh, whiskey be my dyin' bed.
tell me where to lay my head.
'not with me,' is all he said
early in the mornin'.
oh, if i had a dollar bill,
yes, i believe i surely will
go to town and drink my fill
early in the mornin'.
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8. |
rye whiskey
02:05
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i'm a rambler, i'm a gambler.
i'm a long way from home.
if you don't like me,
you can leave me alone.
i'll eat when i'm hungry,
drink when i'm dry.
if the hard times don't kill me,
i'll live 'til i die.
rye whiskey, rye whiskey,
rye whiskey, i cry.
if you don't give me rye whiskey,
i surely might die.
for work, i'm too lazy.
investment's too slow.
train robbin's too easy.
it's a-gamblin' i'll go.
jack of diamonds, jack of diamonds,
i know you of old.
you robbed my poor pockets
of silver and gold.
sometimes i drink whiskey,
sometimes i drink rum.
sometimes i drink brandy,
sometimes i drink blood.
my foot's in the stirrup,
my bridle's in hand.
i'm leavin' my man now.
he don't understand.
his parents don't like me.
they say i'm too poor.
they say i'm unworthy
to enter his door.
well, i drink my own whiskey,
and i make my own stew.
and if i get drunk, sir,
it's nothin' to you.
way up on a mountain,
i wonder alone.
i'm drunk as the devil.
oh, leave me alone.
rye whiskey, rye whiskey,
rye whiskey, i cry.
if you don't give me rye whiskey,
i surely might die.
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9. |
suitcase is heavy
01:53
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we set out to sea with tattered sails,
backs and boughs all broken,
hands all dirty.
we set out to sea with no name,
and no reason to come home again.
my suitcase is heavy with all the nothin' i carry around.
baby, i'll sweep your floors,
tie your teeth to the door.
i don't mind if you need more.
leave my things on the porch.
turn on the light when it's dark.
leave a note on the door.
my suitcase is heavy with all the nothin' i carry around.
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witchgrass Shepherdstown, West Virginia
front porch music in the daylight
back porch music in the dark
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