1. All the Boats Are Gonna Rise
I don’t know but I been told
No need to worry ‘cause the levee’s gonna hold
No need to worry ‘cause the levee’s gonna hold
Don’t you know the levee’s gonna hold
Well, the man say, poor boy, don’t you realize
High water comin’ all the boats are gonna rise
High water comin’ all the boats are gonna rise
Told me all the boats are gonna rise
Well, his good fortune will shine on my shack
Poor boy ridin’ on a rich man’s back
Poor boy ridin’ on a rich man’s back
Told me all the boats are gonna rise
Well, folks around here they do what they must
They don’t need no government to tell ‘em who to trust
They don’t need no government to tell ‘em who to trust
Don’t you know the levee’s gonna hold
If it smells like trouble don’t lay your money down
Get yourself a shovel, dig a hole in the ground
Get yourself a shovel, dig a hole in the ground
Don’t you know the levee’s gonna hold
Well, we hauled our rigs to higher ground
Fat cats laughin’ as we pulled out of town
Fat cats laughin’ as we pulled out of town
Don’t you know the levee’s gonna hold
When the levee let go with a lonesome sigh
We gathered up the bodies and we stacked ‘em up high
We gathered up the bodies and we stacked ‘em up high
Don’t you know we stacked ‘em up high
Mud on the rooftops, limbs in the trees
It takes a Mississippi bring a man to his knees
It takes a Mississippi bring a man to his knees
Don’t you know the levee’s gonna hold
Well, I put what was left of his pride in my pack
Rich man ridin’ on a poor boy’s back
Rich man ridin’ on a poor boy’s back
Told me all the boats were gonna rise
2. Hold On
Last time that I saw your face you were starin’ at me hard
You must have felt bitter and betrayed after letting down your guard
But since I been on the road I had a chance to think about a thing or two
And if there’s any way I can I’d like to make it up to you
So, honey, can you hold on
Baby, can you hold on
Well, I been livin’ sleepless nights and groggy, restless days
I heard you were leavin’ town, don’t let it end this way
I could come on over and we could talk about what we could do
‘Cause if there’s any way I can I’d like to make it up to you
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‘Cause it don’t matter what they always say
That the root of the problem will come back to haunt you someday
Well, honey, can you hold on
Baby, can you hold on
If we could meet just one more time, honey, we could talk things out
Or you could pack your bags and leave with no regrets or doubts
But if there’s any latitude and you could see your way to maybe take a
different view
‘Cause if there’s any way I can I’d like to make it up to you
Yes if there’s any way I can I’d like to make it up to you
So, honey, can you hold on
Baby, can you hold on
3. Evangeline
There was blood on his fingers
Mud was caked upon his shoes
When they caught him up near Bakersfield
I heard it on the news
He was tried and convicted
Though he swore that he’d been framed
Folks said things‘d get back to normal now
But I ain’t never been the same
I see faces in the shadows
I hear voices from the dead
I feel an emptiness I can hardly stand
Beside me in my bed
There’s no peace in silence
There’s no comfort in a song
Just a weight that will crush you
If you think on it too long
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Evangeline, Evangeline
That poor boy’s not to blame
I put you down in the cold, cold ground
And I bear alone this shame
‘Twas a mist o’er the valley
And a blush upon your cheek
And a line on my brow
For every vow you did not keep
Then the light turned to crimson
Spread like fire across the day
And your lips failed to answer
From the tall grass where you lay
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Evangeline, Evangeline
I know what he ain’t done
I put you down in the cold, cold ground
Before your time had come
Now the truth lies in darkness
In the dirt beneath my feet
There are ghosts in this graveyard that
I do not wish to meet
So as the evening sun is setting
And the light begins to dim
I will stand by the lamppost
Till the sun comes up again
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4. She Might Have Been a Muse
I been livin’ like there’s no tomorrow, just breathin’ out and breathin’ in
Headin’ for the end of the pavement, where the old dirt road begins
I run through what’s been dealt me, and I’m borrowin’ what I can’t steal
I got everything I own in the back of my car, but it ain’t nothin’ I can
feel
I got a suitcase full of trouble I been haulin’ round for years
I got a mason jar wrapped up tight filled with Hallmark tears
I been buildin’ bodies from stolen bones and sellin’ ‘em like they was new
I got out of there by the skin of my teeth, it was the best thing that I
could do
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Blues man on the stereo’s got trouble on his mind
And he says, don’t be a stranger, give me a chance to be kind
I been watchin’ as the brown hills rub up against the sky
I been worryin’ about the friction between a fiction and a lie
I been cleanin’ out my pockets, sortin’ keys and coins and string
I been tryin’ to stay on my side of the road no matter what tomorrow brings
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I’m watchin’ every penny, I got Lincoln on my mind
And he says, don’t be a stranger, give me a chance to be kind
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Well, I thought I might have lost it once, but I’d just been confused
Guilty of holdin’ on too tight, afraid of what I might lose
But as the sand slips through my fingertips and there’s little left to hold
She says, you gotta stand up out there, though it’s cruel and bitter cold
Well, she might have been a vapor, or she might have been a muse
She could have took me for everything I had and left me old and used
But something seemed to resonate and ring out loud and true
So I threw myself at the mercy of her touch, it was all that I could do
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And when I stumble if I feel I’m in a bind
She says, don’t be a stranger, give me a chance to be kind
She said, don’t be a stranger, give me a chance to be kind
5. Disturbin’ Blues
Momma in the kitchen cuttin’ the meat from the bone
Momma in the kitchen cuttin’ the meat from the bone
Devil in the pantry sharpens the blade with a stone
Momma, come quick, come see what I can do
Momma, come quick, come see what I can do
I can clap my hands, I can drum with my fingers too
You get your rhythm from your momma, I’m one of your biggest fans
You get your rhythm from your momma, I’m one of your biggest fans
And she raised up her big knife and cut off both of his hands
Momma, come quick, come see what I can do
Momma, come quick, come see what I can do
I can dance you a quick-step and tap you an old soft shoe
You get your rhythm from your momma, you’ve seen me sway to the beat
You get your rhythm from your momma, you’ve seen me sway to the beat
And she raised up her big knife and cut off both of his feet
Momma in the kitchen cuttin’ the meat from the bone
Momma in the kitchen cuttin’ the meat from the bone
Devil in the pantry sharpens the blade with a stone
Momma, come quick, come hear what I can do
Momma, come quick, come hear what I can do
I can read you a poem, I can sing a song for you
Oh, Lord in the heavens, just see this trouble he brung
Oh, Lord in the heavens, just see this trouble he brung
And with a heavy heart she cut out his tongue
Your momma be there for you through thick and thin
Your momma be there for you through thick and thin
You can count on me like the devil count on sin
6. Second-hand Smoke
You’d like to sing the blues
But you grew up with your pockets full of cash
You’re shufflin’ ‘round the campus
Puttin’ on your best white trash
Well, I’m pretty sure
Being rich ain’t no sin
But that ain’t no shanty
You grew up, grew up in
You wish you’d been a cropper
Or an Okie on the road to CA
But Dad was in munitions
Didn’t work for no WPA
You seen the old photos
The hunger and the hurt
You touch ‘em with your fingers
And you try, try to feel the dirt
You’d like to feel the blues
But you’re cranked up on gourmet joe
Your papa left a trust fund
Your momma’s at a fashion show
You’re singin’ ‘bout some guy
Luckless and broke
But ya seen it on the TV
It’s just second, second-hand smoke
7. Travelin’ Shoes
I been hearin’ Grandpa’s ghost callin’ out to me
Lookin’ for that sweet land, California
Where the honeysuckle blossoms tumble to the sea
Lookin’ for that sweet land, California
Well, he walked out of Arkansas in nineteen thirty-four
Lookin’ for that sweet land, California
Didn’t want very much, just a little more
Lookin’ for that sweet land, California
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There’s a scent of citrus on the breeze
And the land gets down upon its knees
To touch the ever-restless seas and wipe the slate clean
Well, Boulder City took him in with dust on his shoes
Lookin’ for that sweet land, California
No need to worry, son, we got no union dues
If you’re lookin’ for that sweet land, California
Well, he helped out with the gradin’ and they asked him if he’d stay
Lookin’ for that sweet land, California
Started up a family, put his travelin’ shoes away
And his thoughts of that sweet land, California
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We’re carvin’ stone and liftin’ sand
We’re cuttin’ steel with burnished hands
We run the water ‘cross the land and turned the valleys green
Well, lying in the cool grass beneath a lemon sky
Thinkin’ ‘bout that sweet land, California
He said, I hope these shoes will take me to the sea before I die
Thinkin’ ‘bout that sweet land, California
Well, he took out those trusty shoes in the spring of sixty-nine
Thinkin’ ‘bout that sweet land, California
But sat down on his front porch and said, this is where I’ll lie
With my dreams of that sweet land, California
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We carved the stone and lifted sand
We cut the steel with burnished hands
We run the water ‘cross the land and turned the valleys green
There’s a scent of citrus on the breeze
And the land gets down upon its knees
To touch the ever-restless seas and wipe the slate clean
I been hearin’ Grandpa’s ghost callin’ out to me
Lookin’ for that sweet land, California
Where the honeysuckle blossoms tumble to the sea
Lookin’ for that sweet land, California
8. Big Momma Rag
Remember this
Don’t be late
Big momma, she hates to wait
You gotta cook her favorite dish without delay
If you don’t listen
And try to play deaf
Big momma find herself another chef
You gotta cook her favorite dish without delay
chorus
TV dinners will never satisfy
Serve her up some braised asparagus tips
And a nice big slice of pecan pie
Listen up
Get it right
‘Cause big momma is hungry tonight
You gotta cook her favorite dish without delay
You saute too slow
And try to play it cool
Big momma send you back to cookin’ school
You gotta cook her favorite dish without delay
So play it straight
When you’re cookin’
‘Cause big momma always says the proof is in the puddin’
Cook her favorite dish without delay
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9. I’ll Be Good to You
Close your eyes and in this moment reside
And when you open them I’ll still be at your side
chorus
If there’s one thing in this world that is true
It’s, baby, I’ll be good to you
Oh, baby, I’ll be good to you
From when the honeysuckle blossoms open in the sun
I’ll stand by you till the evening comes
chorus
Soft as a breeze that blows gently through your hair
I will lift your troubles and soothe your cares
chorus
10. The Patriot
Endless streams of microwaves
Bounce across the room
They’re rattlin’ in the rafters
They’re warmin’ up the tombs
They’re scannin’ all the faces
It might be her or him
That shiver of suspicion
Gets underneath your skin
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And the old man seen it all before
Shakes his weary fists at the night
If I had me my thirty-aught-six
I’d shoot me a satellite
They’re riflin’ through your bedroom
In the land of the free and the brave
The fox is in the hen house
And the hero’s in his grave
Shut down all the borders
Antenna all the hills
Trump up all the charges
Empty all the tills
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They’ve driven out dissenters
Who were shakin’ out the lies
Covered up all their traces
Smothered all their cries
Secret codes of conduct
Behind curtains of flames
We’re not pawns anymore
I believe we’re runnin’ this game
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11. This Field
Ain’t no way to live, workin’ in this field
Ain’t no way to live, workin’ in this field
I send all my money home, got nothin’ left to give
Workin’ in this field, ain’t no way to live
Ain’t no time to sleep, owin’ to this field
Ain’t no time to sleep, owin’ to this field
I picked my last but I can’t go home, they say I’m in too deep
Owin’ to this field, ain’t no time to sleep
bridge
How much can I carry before this back won’t bend
How much can I hold before the fingers of these hands will not ever mend
Ain’t no place to die, pickin’ in this field
Ain’t no place to die, pickin’ in this field
Tractor and the hauler bound to take my life ‘neath this blue Sonoma sky
Pickin’ in this field, ain’t no place to die
12. Willie Tames the River
Jacob went down to the river
And he swore to renounce his sin
And the river rose high and it swept him away
‘Cause it ain’t gonna listen to him
No, it ain’t gonna listen to him
Well, the mud is the blood of the river
And it scours his bones till they gleam
And it lays them to rest where the flood waters crest
And you never seen Jacob so clean
No, you never seen Jacob so clean
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Let the river take him home
Let the river take him home
Let the river take his hard times to the sea
Let it take both tooth and stone
Muscle, flesh, and bone
Well, I know this old river will be the death of me
John pleaded down by the river
For his meager crop was thin
And the river rose high and it covered them up
‘Cause it ain’t gonna listen to him
No, it ain’t gonna listen to him
Well, the cotton and the sugar gonna come back
But old John, his days are spent
With his nights in the tank and his mornings on the bank
Waiting on the river to repent
He’s still waiting on the river to repent
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Let the river take him home
Let the river take him home
Let the river take his hard luck to the sea
Let it take both tooth and stone
Muscle, flesh, and bone
Well, I know this old river will be the ruin of me
Young Willie took a question to the river
Do I always have to take it on the chin
And the river rose high and it swept him away
‘Cause it ain’t gonna answer to him
No, it ain’t gonna answer to him
Well, he swam to the bottom and he stood there
He said, you ain’t the first bully I met
And the river done spit him right back out
Said, we ain’t quite ready for you yet
Son, we ain’t quite ready for you yet
chorus
Then he rode that river home
Yeah, he rode that river home
Well, he rode that river hard down to the sea
And when all his riding was done
And he’d taught that river some
He said, you know, old river, it just could be, you’ve met your match in me
13. Train to Kokomo
Here come John Henry
He carries his sins ‘round in a sack
And young Eliza
She says she won’t be coming back
Can’t shake this trouble
It follows them everywhere they go
Can’t bear this heartache
You know it pains them so
chorus
But they hope to find relief
And they hope to be received
On the train to Kokomo
Here come old T-Bone
He swears he ain’t nobody’s fool
There’s been a mix-up
He’s the exception to the rule
Down at the station
The crowd is packed in toe to toe
While Willie-the-Needle
Pleads that he’s too high to go
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And Dog-Faced-Mary
Is selling tickets at the gate
Her final shakedown
Two bits will buy a window seat
And Pastor Jacob
Passes his hat amongst the flow
The blood of angels
He said you reap what you sow
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