1. |
A Story
01:56
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A STORY
One night at the Opry
They let me through the door
I was holding my guitar
Walking an inch above the floor
Been waiting there for months, it seemed
I would not be denied
I came to Nashville with a job to do
History on my side
And I’d always had an angel
On my shoulder as I’d play
But there at the Opry microphone
I felt my angel fly away
Walked offstage to light applause
No one would look my way
Someone said with a little luck, son
You’ll be back one day
Well I’m back all right, back in the holler
And it’s funny how polite
The people in this town can be
Once they’ve been proven right
And now I’m just a story
That nobody wants to tell
A song that you can’t hear
A shadow in the night
A window in the air
A future looking bright
Down a road paved with light
You can’t see it but you know it’s there
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2. |
The Movie
02:47
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THE MOVIE
Aren’t we in the car?
Aren’t we on the run?
Don’t see no policemen
And I don’t see no guns
Do you feel all this sunshine
All over your skin?
Tell me, where is the movie
We thought we were in?
Kathy was late
I grew concerned
That Kathy had flipped
and I had been burned
I called in a favor
They flew in the drone
I did everything right
Now my country is gone
Aren’t we in the car?
Aren’t we on the run?
I don’t hear the music
And I don’t see no guns
Do you feel all this sunshine
All over your skin?
Tell me, where is the movie
We thought we were in?
Once, I was human
My function was clear
Now I can’t find the camera
And I can’t drink the beer
The plot’s too organic
The direction’s unclear
And I’m so afraid
I’ll get used to it here
We were the heroes
We went to the mat
If this is the future
What was all that?
Where’s the redemption
And where is the sin?
Honey, where is the movie
We thought we were in?
And where is the truth
Among all these facts?
And where are the people
Who know how to act?
Where’s the redemption
And where is my skin?
Tell me, where is the movie
We thought we were in?
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3. |
Elis Regina
04:49
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ELIS REGINA
Midday summer ‘91
There wasn’t much to do for fun
But Hector and I would go down the hill
To the cemetery in Potter’s Field
Drink beer, hang out and shoot the breeze
In the shade of the locust and the big oak tree
One day back up Memorial Street
Was a pile of records left out in the heat
Top one had a name we’d never seen
It was obviously calling to be free
So we rescued that record from the sun
Midday summer ‘91
Oh, Elis Regina
You set our spirits free
With songs of love from far away
A home in heaven for me
Hector’s house was super strict
His mom commanded much respect
She had family to protect
We had Elis Regina
Well his brother freaked and ran away
I knew all along it could have been me
Drama in the afternoon
The music played in Hector’s room
And when one side comes to an end
Put the needle back and play it again
We played that record every day
Still blows my mind someone threw it away
Oh, Elis Regina
You set our spirits free
With songs of love from far away
A home in heaven for me
I lost that record years ago
And where Hector is, I don’t know
Clouds in the daytime, stars at night
We seem to lose things left and right
But I miss my friend since he’s gone
And I think of him when I hear her songs
So thanks for posting her video
You brought tears to my eyes, whoever you are
Just one more thing – When I go
Play that record at my funeral
Oh, Elis Regina
You set our spirits free
With songs of love from far away
A home in heaven for me
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4. |
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SATURDAY NIGHT IN DOUGLAS COUNTY
So now you’re white power kid, getting online
Now you can flash your own sign
It says dad’s gone, mom’s crazy
And I don’t know what else to do
Nothing can be done, nothing to do
You’re staring at the screen staring back at you
Little brother big man digging in the dirt
Why don’t you just wear a shirt
That says I’m poor and I’m stupid, totally screwed
But I’ll always be white
Dad’s up on the mountain, talking smack
Who else can he hurt
He did you dirt, Jack
Jack Junior
Junior Jack
Saturday night in Douglas County
And the feeling is bad
Saturday night in Douglas County
I became the brother you never had
Ooh what is wrong with you
Staring at the screen, up all night
Maybe we should have another fight
I know they make you feel strong to belong
They’re so goddamn clever, I’m so wrong
Now I gotta go sing this song
Saturday night in Douglas County
And the feeling is bad
Saturday night in Douglas County
Now I’m the brother you never had
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Go home, you’re drunk again, your ship has sunk again
And dad? Dad is not a problem with me
Yo, dad is not a problem with me
Problem is, I have friends, you have issues
I’ll go to the Dollar Tree, get you some tissues
Brother you know I love you, but now I gotta reach above you
Cause unlike you I know what I stand for – Our country –
Where I can get married, buy myself a home
That’s all my people have left that we can still call our own
They take that away, they’ll never stop
They’re in the streets going after cops!
They got cojones kickin’ up that fuss
When everything they got, they got from us
Maybe if they could work a lick they’d understand
Nah, I’m out man
See you’re so negative, I try to reason with you
But you’re so argumentative, there ain’t no pleasin’ with you
Nah I got nothing more to say and I can’t say it any better
Maybe one day I’ll sit my ass down and write your ass a letter
That goes
Well, well what’s that smell, come outta your shell
Go straight to he‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Aw man I don’t mean that, you seen that
I’m just lookin for a rhyme
I do it all the time
Please don’t tell
Seriously, I gotta go man, I don’t know
I’ll see you on the other side of something
Hey – go get yourself well
Mom’s in the clinic, maybe you know
Maybe one day you could go
I brought her some flowers and a stuffed animal
And I told her it was from us
Saturday night in Douglas County
Good times bad times straight to hell
Saturday night in Douglas County
And it feels like a winner for someone else
Ooh fight and cuss
Who did this to us
Who did this to us
Who did this to us
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5. |
Here It Comes
05:46
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HERE IT COMES
Your hair is long, your jacket’s blue
And shiny as the morning dew
The early spring is dancing through the skies
You shine upon our high school stage
Against rock and roll and Satan’s rage
The light of Jesus dawning in your eyes
Well I’ve got friends I like okay
And AC/DC’s here to stay
But no one knows the way I really feel
I want to take you for a walk
To a place where we can talk
I want to spend some time with you for real
Here it comes
Your eyes are blue, your hair is blond
We’re swimming naked in the pond
Your jacket folded neatly on the grass
So many things I want to do
I have so much respect for you
I don’t think I’ll be back in time for class
Here it comes
We dried off, then got dressed
I lay my head upon your chest
And listened to you talk about the road
How saving souls comes with a cost
The loneliness, the ones you lost
And you can’t know what comes from what you sow
Your hair is blond, your jacket’s blue
And I’m already missing you
The clouds of March are twisted in the skies
But I’ll remember what you said
And your hand upon my head
The light of Jesus dawning in your eyes
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6. |
King
01:42
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Within Thy circling pow’r I stand,
On ev’ry side I find Thy hand;
Awake, asleep, at home, abroad,
I am surrounded still with God.
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7. |
Do It Well
07:09
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DO IT WELL
We swept the floors, put out the chairs
Patched up the costumes and took up the tickets
And when the seats were filled, on went the show
We were never ever late
It was New York City 1828
When I turned ten my daddy said, “Son,
Now you’ve come of age
Walk to the center of the stage
Put your face right in that spot
Where the limelight’s bright and hot
If you project your voice to the very back tier
Everybody else in the room will hear
Now do your African song
And assume that you belong there
Because you do”
And if we’re going to eat tonight
You better dance and sing
‘Cause there’s a hundred boys behind you
Waiting in the wings
You got your angels up in heaven
And your devils down in hell
You’re in the middle, standing on that stage
And you better do it well
Out to Ohio in ‘29
We were broke and living hard
Boiling potatoes in Banquo’s helmet
Sleeping out in the yard
And we had to get to Pittsburgh by the 8th
So Daddy pulled me aside
He put burnt cork on my face and hands
And sent his little boy out to dance
And sing my African songs
And they all sang along
They threw nickles, dimes and gold dubloons
Half‐eagles, pennies, and picayunes
When I was done we had a hundred dollars
I can still hear them holler
It’s true
And who was there but Mr. T. D. Rice
Right before he learned to Jump Jim Crow
I loved that man, he was so nice
And he gave me such a lift
Put his hands on my shoulder, looked into my eyes
And said boy, you’ve really got a gift
Well, I guess I gave him an idea
Cause the next thing we all seen
T. D. Rice is over in London
Jumping Jim Crow for the Queen
Or a Duchess or a Duke
Or a serpent in the garden!
But Daddy Rice got paid and his name in the papers too
So if you want to get to England
You better dance and sing
Cause there’s a hundred boys behind you
Waiting in the wings
You got your angels up in heaven
And your devils down in hell
You’re in the middle, jumping on that stage
And you better do it well
Daddy Rice he played Othello in 1845
And at the end of the play that fellow
and Desdemona were still alive
And when they brought their baby out
For all the world to see
Half his face was painted black
The other half was white as me
Othello told them all, lovin’ ain’t no sin
Come back tomorrow night and we’ll get married all over again
You never saw a crowd so crazy
They had to bring the house lights up
And it was warmer than the sun
Warmer than the sun
No slaves and no slave owners
Manhattan bathed in light
We’d sing and play together
Like brothers for the night
And in the firmament of the night sky
The moon over the city
It was warmer than the sun
Warmer than the sun
Now they’re all gone, I’m all alone
In my father’s rocking chair
Watching the young men take the Bowery
Wishing I could be back there
I’d give anything to have that world again
Have my Daddy back with me
Singing Coal Black Rose and Blue Tail Fly
On a wagon in St. Louis
Or the opera house in Cleveland
Or the Federal in Boston
I’d even dance on a board on Market Street
Let Mister Dionysius guide my feet
From Brooklyn to Kalamazoo
‘Cause when you jump Jim Crow everybody knows
Any stage will do
So if you want the glory
You better dance and sing
Cause there’s a hundred boys behind you
Waiting in the wings
My daddy’s up in heaven
And the devil’s on the run
We’re in the middle, standing on that stage
So you better be having fun
Yeah, if it ain’t fun, it ain’t nothin’!
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8. |
Dancehall Man
05:36
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DANCEHALL MAN
I’m as surprised as you
Two unlikely people,
How could it be true?
I came to your concert
As a friend of a friend,
No one you’d want to meet,
Much less befriend
But you could see in my face
That I’d come to Jamaica
From a quite different place
Backstage, one by one,
You got rid of the guests,
‘Til there was just us two,
A question, and the answer –
Fate will lead you to a place
You least expect to be
I never dreamed that coming here
Would lead to you and me
The mountains, the sea,
The music set me free
Dancehall man, look
What you’ve done to me
Onstage,
You have all their respect
And I know what it means,
So I’m quite circumspect
And I wait in the hallway,
And I pray for the day
When we don’t feel the need
To hide our love away
The moon,
In your garden, the rain,
And you holding me close,
Disconnecting the pain
And I leave by myself,
‘Cause the cameras don’t lie
Unlike you and I.
Fate will lead you to a place
You least expect to be
I never dreamed that coming here
Would lead to you and me
The mountains, the sea,
The music set me free
Dancehall man, look
What you’ve done to me
You,
You have got your career
And if ever they find us,
It would all end in tears
And I wait in the hallway,
And I try to pretend
I’m not the one
You say you’ll be with ‘til the end
Fate will lead you to a place
You least expect to be
I never dreamed that coming here
Would lead to you and me
The mountains, the sea,
The music set me free
My Jamaican man
Look – look –
Look what you’ve done to me
Dancehall Man
Move me
Move me
Look what you’ve done to me
Dancehall Man
Move me
Move me
Look what you’ve done to me
Dancehall Man
Move me
Move me
Look what you’ve done to me
Dancehall Man
Move me
Move me
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9. |
Frankie and Albert
04:13
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FRANKIE AND ALBERT
Frankie and Albert were lovers
Lordy how they could love
Fast forward a couple of centuries
Frankie’s standing on the gallows above
They made it through
We can make it too
I was ten years old in aisle thirteen
In jeans and a rhinestone vest
I sang Lovesick Blues and I made the news
It was for the best
I made it through
You can make it too
Mama was tough, Daddy was fair
With them I could not lose
I been ahead of the curve
since the day I was born
Singing the blues
I made it through
You can make it too
I met him backstage in Tucson
We were more than the West would allow
And whether I shot him or he shot me
It doesn’t matter now
We made it through
Baby how about you
Frankie took abuse from no one
Albert did her wrong
Judge said “It was self‐defense Frankie,
you’re goin’ free,
They can kill you in the song”
She made it through
We can make it too
The role is perfect, the script needs help
They got the feel all wrong
You can scream you can shout
Count me in count me out
It’s somebody else’s song
They stole my cue
And I had to sue
Johnny B Goode’s on a gold disc
Somewhere in outer space
In L.A. the master tape burned up
Sayin’ someone’s takin’ my place
I’m losing you
Come on through
They got the silver, they got the gold
We get a tenth of a penny per stream
When they say this story has no moral
You know exactly what they mean
It sticks like glue
But you can make it through
I was the king of Country and Western
But I had to find some peace
I just want to teach the world to sing
I explained all this to the police
What can I do
To make it up to you
Albert and Johnny were lovers
Frankie’s been a good, good friend
Sometimes the names change
to protect the song
And that is how the story ends
They made it through
We can make it too
The world’s been right beside me
While I chase down the dawn
It’s just a straight shot down the center
And that is why it takes so long
But here’s to you
You make it all come true
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10. |
Billie Ray
06:13
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BILLIE RAY
Billie honey, get out of bed
There’s a vision in my head
Summer’s gone, October’s on the way
And there’s something that I’ve just got to say
Billie I appreciate
Your attempts to separate
Work from pleasure
From something approaching love
You’ve been like a dad to me
You messed me up, you set me free
I’m not used to making the first move
But now it’s
Bye bye Billie, bye bye Billie, bye bye
I know that you won’t cry
‘Cause you’ve got too much love to share
You drew the circle wide
The summer was oh so splendid
Went on forever, then it ended
Bye bye Billie, bye bye Billie, bye bye
Look in the mirror as I shave
There’s still a world left to save
Ticket’s booked, toothbrush in the case
The passport says somewhere there’s a place
You killed me with a grin
Ruined everything, you let me win
No one ever treated me so kind
But now it’s
Bye bye Billie, bye bye Billie, bye bye
The leaves are drifting by
And you’ve got too much love to share
You drew the circle wide
Boyfriend, girlfriend, what’s the score
It only makes me want you more but
Bye bye Billie, bye bye Billie, bye bye
It’s not just your body, Billie
I’m taking all of you with me
I’ve been to hell with the sheriff’s crew
I’ve been to heaven next to you
There’s no place left for me now but New York
When we learn to be free
When there are words for you and me
And when our excuses won’t suffice
Til then it’s
Bye bye Billie, bye bye Billie, bye bye
Call me when you get tired of
Married men from the Capitol
Parts seven, eight and nine
And one lucky day we’ll meet
At the other end of Cypress Street
Til then
Bye bye Billie, you’re the one I adore
Leaving hurts, staying hurts more
Bye Billie, bye bye Billie, bye bye
Vampires on the street tonight
Showing up for another bite
Call me, text, send some mail
So I know you’re not in jail
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11. |
Song for Printed Matter
04:11
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SONG FOR PRINTED MATTER
Was in the city on some business
Feeling trapped inside my brain
Counting the minutes until dinner
Stepped out into the Chelsea rain
Stopped in a bookstore for a moment
Wanted just to clear my head
But this store was so creative
Couldn’t believe the things they had
You mean a postcard is an artwork?
You mean this poster is a book?
This dude took pictures of his breakfast
Just to see how his mornings looked
I got a book at Printed Matter
Artists’ books and magazines
They’re on 10th Avenue in Chelsea
The coolest store I’ve ever seen
One night some friends came by to party
With this cute guy I’d never met
He picked up the book, looked through the pages
Said this is cool, where did you get it?
I said
I got that book at Printed Matter
Artists’ books and magazines
They’re on 10th Avenue in Chelsea
The coolest store I’ve ever seen
The next week we met there together
Looked at some zines
and went to lunch
And now we know each other better
We made a book about our love
It’s got photos, text and drawings
It’s diaristic in tone
They carry it at Printed Matter
You can get a copy of your own
Then you can say
I got that book at Printed Matter
Artists’ books and magazines
They’re on 10th Avenue in Chelsea
The coolest store I’ve ever seen
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12. |
Trained to Help
04:48
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TRAINED TO HELP
A normal life, a love divine
I am trained to help
I am trained to help
I got yours and you got mine
I am trained to help
I am trained to help
If you tell me what is wrong
As we approach the night
I am trained to help
We can sing a glad new song
You have every right
I am trained to help
But I won’t be here forever
Feet don’t touch the ground
You can give yourself completely
As we come back around
I am grateful for the chance to be
Talking through the mask
I am trained to help
It has the opposite effect on me
It’s a lot to ask
I am trained to help
I never want to make you cry
How much does it take
I am trained to help
It takes another pair of eyes
When the levee breaks
I am trained to help
But I won’t be gone completely
Turn my head around
And up in the air to meet me
I am
I am
I am
I am trained to help
A pretty bird has come to town
She warbles as she flies
I am trained to help
It takes a lot to wear me down
Trouble in disguise
I am trained to help
The blackness of the heavens
The stories I could tell
Living in the moment
While doing something else
Let’s gather up the sunshine
Home before the game
It’s all another lifetime
I think I’ve been quite clear
Don’t wait until you’re ready
It’s closer than you know
Do you understand me
It’s better than you think
Don’t manufacture passion
Playing by the rules
Don’t cultivate indifference
It happens all the time
It happens all the time
It happens all the time
It happens all the time
I am
I am
I am
I am trained to help
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13. |
Seville
01:42
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Blest be the dear uniting love
That will not let us part;
Our bodies may far off remove,
We still are one in heart.
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14. |
Future Song
04:56
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FUTURE SONG
We’re in the dark, lying together
Hand across my arm
Maybe it’s you, no question about it
We’ve been here so long
You’re like part of my body now
We’re out to lunch, world in my pocket
Yes I see the signs
We cross the street, the city so noisy
We’re used to the sound
It’s like part of the scenery now
This is the future, places we go
Easy to get there, nobody knows
The days and nights pass slow
And it means more to me than you know
Maybe you’re right, the clouds disappear
Maybe the sun is coming out
Maybe the blanket’s wet and filled with sand and
We have to shake it out
It breaks just like a memory now
This is the future, what can we bring
You have to think of everything
The days and nights pass slow
And it means more to me than you know
This is the future, I got the news
Say something funny, whatever you choose
It's enough to go around
I always said we’d be together
Take all the time you need
When we’re apart, I never worry
You’ll come home to me
You know, I have no secrets now
One day it’s quiet, the kids are asleep
The snow is falling, soft at our feet
We watch the street lights glow
And it means more to me than you know
I hope you’re right
I hope you’re right again
My friend
I hope you’re right
I hope you’re right again
My friend
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15. |
Passage
02:14
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PASSAGE
And as the day is set to rise
Still in love with you
The morning sun, the summer flies
Nowhere but time and looking through
The stars that slowly organize
The ship that sails across the skies
Below and yet again, surprise
Still in love with you
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Andy Ditzler Atlanta, Georgia
Andy Ditzler is a composer, curator, and artist. Trained as a musician at Indiana University, he has composed and performed in contexts ranging from classical and jazz to free improvisation, rock. and live theater. His first CD Songs from Yes and No was followed by the single Solstice, with a music video by filmmaking legend George Kuchar. ... more
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