1. |
Broadcasting Signals
02:25
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I found an affectation and I wrote it
It spilled out of my mouth onto the page
It spoke of heartache, loneliness and knowing
And it told of music's last great dying age
Though it only came and went
I knew that I was meant
To broadcast signals till my dying day
I believe I am a fool, oh don't I know it
It's just that I don't know it every day
I speak as if I'm some enlightened poet
Though I haven't got a truthful thing to say
Oh my glory comes and goes
But I'll continue, I suppose
To broadcast signals till my dying day
I woke up in a hotel room in Paris
Was the finest place that I had ever stayed
But I had no one with whom I could share it
Except a lonely book without a page
Though I couldn't write this down
I still wished that it'd be found
Broadcasting signals till my dying day
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2. |
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James Alex came a marching
James Alex had no gun
From Toledo on to Charlottesville
James Alex made his run
Poor Richard often told him
That his race would soon be free
From behind his shield he challenged
The freedoms of you and me
Well the marchers met an army
And soon did the fountains flow
To the tune of hateful martyrs
For a cause that lost long time ago
James Alex plunged his charger
Laid the army upon the street
And the strong man down in Washington
Laid the blame down upon our feet
On a quiet Saturday evening
The president gave his best
He proclaimed us all responsible
For the fists pounding on flesh
But what about James Alex?
And all the he stood for?
He may have knocked your enemies down
But he’ll soon come a knock on your door
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3. |
Ordinary Theft
01:22
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4. |
Words Are Meaningless
03:21
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Policeman waved me down today
My blood turned to ice
I though I'd snowed him well before
Don't think he will be nice
He said, "How do you do today?"
I said, "I'd rather not."
He said, "That's a mighty fine
Sporting vehicle that you've got.
Won't you give it up right now
And we will see if I let you go.
But if you don't, you surely won't
Reap what you have sowed. Cause,
"Words are meaningless, you see
If you ain't got a car
You won't get to anywhere
If you can't go that far
So let it go, and let me in
And then perhaps we'll see
If you are all you said you were
Least who you said you'd be."
I gave that man my given name
And he waved me on down the road
I thought on back to who and what
Had helped me bear the load
The devil came to mind just then
He grinned at me
He said, "Hello, son,
How're you today?
You know you're all I meant to be?"
I said, "Oh no, is that really true?
I never thought it so."
Then Red Baker's leash he handed me
And away he did go, singing
REFRAIN
Good Friday come just before one
But not before eleven
And in that time our Savior's crime
Sent him on up toward Heaven
But I got lost upon that cross
As I looked for my next turn
I didn't know if I was to fly
Or if my lot was to burn
Well, it's hard to say when you live this way
Caught between dark and light
So I'll slog on blind till I can find
The proper way to fight
REFRAIN
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5. |
The Agony of Aging
03:30
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The agony of aging old
Is always doing what you're told
But big old blue won't always spin
And you'll be left alone again
"My you look nice," I said, "Look at you.
You'll love me once the night is through."
So I take her out all over town
But all I muster is a frown
She say's, "What's wrong? What did I do?
Something has come over you."
"It's not you—it's me and this whole week."
From that point on I didn't speak
REFRAIN
Ten years on, two little boys
Always want to play with toys
"I'll make my tea, then yours I'll be."
And off they go to watch TV
I say, "All done now, let's have some fun."
But the sounds turned up, and I'm no one
So I check my phone and I check some rhyme
As we sit there, time rolling by
REFRAIN
It's her birthday now and we've grown old
And in her hand she does hold
A rosewood box so I can see
The kind of man that I used to be
She says, "I know you even though you don't,
And I remember all the things you wrote.
How you feared today, and how you'd mess up,
But I'll love you till the door is shut."
REFRAIN
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6. |
Mike and Betty Jo
03:30
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Born in the summer of ‘43
With Rome falling down you came to be
Dark brown hair and even darker eyes
You came into a world being built on lies
Skinny little boy about 10 years old
Left his coal town when the glass was sold
He got a new dad and he got a new life
And before too long he’d even have a wife
Mike and Betty Jo
Like statues made of sand
Always had to wonder where the wind would blow
Mike and Betty Jo
Walking hand in hand
Down the river of life’s ever winding flow
Times got tough and the world fell down
As the lies from the past finally got a crown
But you soldiered on as your kids got old
As your cash ran out and your house got sold
REFRAIN
Sometimes things happen
Sometimes they don’t
But that don’t mean
You should get out of the boat
Even though it’s sinking—
And you know it will
You hold on tight, cause it just might
Give you another year
Late one night you laid down to rest
Closed your eyes and took a gentle breath
Left the world behind and saw another day
The weight was gone and you could feel no pain
REFRAIN
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7. |
The Chessmen Are Dead
04:04
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He drives an old Mazda
A battered blue car
He takes it to work
It's not very far
Today, he turned left
When he should've turned right
And he began his descent
Into deepest of night
The doors opened freely
They welcomed him in
They never imagined
His stowaway sin
Sold by a priest
Bought by this man
Who came from Somalia
Who came from Sudan
Where the chessmen are dead
Least that's what he said
Because of the meaning inside of his head
They're all falling down
Can't you hear the sound?
Of the wandering soldiers
Without any ground
He carried it well
Plunged it in deep
He swung with abandon
Surprising the sheep
Fountain turned red
But he wouldn't stop
Until a man brought him down
he was an off duty cop
Susan was angry
But she knew this would be
How could we just open the doors of the free?
"They'll all be just like him."
That's what she liked to say
And so they brought in a strongman to reset the way
REFRAIN
That strongman took Susan
He also took Nel
He closed up the doors
And he shattered the bell
"We can't take a chance,
Let's send them to Hell!
They're taking our lives,
So we'll take theirs as well."
REFRAIN
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8. |
Everybody
02:46
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While out sailing cross the ocean
While out sailing cross the sea
I bumped into the Savior
And He said, "Pardon me."
I said, "Jesus, you look tired."
He said, "Jesus so do you,
Won't you sit down, son,
'Cause I got some fat to chew."
Everybody needs somebody
That they can talk to
Someone to open up their ears
And let that trouble through
Now you don't have to sympathize
Or care what they may do
But everybody needs somebody
That they can talk to
Well he spoke to me of morality
Starvation, pain and sin
Matter of fact, the whole dang time
I only got a few words in
But I won't squawk—let him talk
Hell, it's been a long long time
And any friend that's been turned down
Is bound to be a friend of mine
REFRAIN
Now, we sat there for an hour or two
Just eatin' that Gospel pie
When around the bend came a terrible wind
And lightning lit the sky
He said, "So long, son,—I gotta run
I appreciate you listening to me."
I believe I heard him sing these words
As he skipped out across the sea
REFRAIN
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9. |
Among My Kind
02:11
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Looking for love
It's so hard to find
I'd give up my dollar
For the very last dime
Of the true hearted woman
Who'd give it to me
In exchange for my broken
Descript sanity
It's no pleasant or nice
To be out on the ice
Far better inside catching mice
Looking for love
It's so hard to find
I'd rather be fishing
Than stuck here inside
Looking to leave
Don't think I'll be
Hard to imagine
I'd set my soul free
I'll do what I can
To find my next rhyme
Or to find my way back
To the one with the dime
I'm not pleasant or nice
But I used to be me
Far better outside
As you can see
Looking to leave
Don't think I'll be
So won't you tell my old woman
To leave the light off for me
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10. |
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Went down to a nightclub just the other day
I brought along my gun so I could save the day
Man at the door says, “Not in here—ain’t no way.”
So I said, “Don’t you know? I’m the NRA.”
Well that fella changed his tune, “Hey why didn’t you say?
You know you’re the only one to save the US of A?”
So I marched right in and towards the looks sideways
I said, “Don’t you know? I’m the NRA.”
The crowd settled in, their fears melted away
With this holster strapped here it’s a good guy day
Then a fella walks in, man says, “Not in here—ain’t no way.”
So I said, “Let him in, cause I’m the NRA.”
Well that man pulled his piece, then he shot straightaway
It was real quick and dead, in fact, 49 stayed that way
I just sat back and watched while I counted my pay
And I said, “It wasn’t me, it was him who did it. I’m just the NRA."
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11. |
Mister McKinley
03:34
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12. |
Ramble Down the Road
02:58
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