1. Resurrection Blues
Sittin’ in the dark, watchin' for a sign
My thoughts can hardly keep up with my restless mind
I’ve seen my future and my world has come undone
My gears are broken and my springs have sprung
I’ve slipped between the cracks of night and day
Into the twilight where the flickering pictures play
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I got sand in my pockets and stones in my shoes
Play me some of those
Play me some of those old resurrection blues
Well, I wonder how it all came to pass
How it all slipped through my fingers so fast
I could have been somebody if I was somebody else
Instead I’m nobody but myself
I got criminal blood coursin’ through my veins
I got addictive tendencies circlin’ my brain
Waitin’ like a pack of wolves till I let down my guard
I’m doing my best, but I’m breathin’ hard
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Well, playin’ these blues will steal your health
But if God made anything better, well, he kept it for himself
There is no redemption, there is no sin
I’m just prayin’ for a way out of this hole I’m in
I rise up from the ashes of this noonday matinee
Blinkin’ hard in the bright flat sun of the day
I leave the easy money in the basket by the door
I can’t ever remember feelin’ so clean before
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I got the past in my pockets and the future's in my shoes
Playin' some of those
Playin' some of those old resurrection blues
2. 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
3. My Love
It’s gonna be there, when the sky grows dark
It’s gonna be there, when doubt clutches your heart
It’s gonna be there, through the droughts and the rain
It’s gonna be there, through the tears and the pain
It’s gonna be there, when things begin to slip
It’s gonna be there, when the boat begins to tip
It’s gonna be there, when your spirits are low
It’s gonna be there, when there’s no place left to go
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My love, oh my love
Keeps on rollin’ straight and true
My love, oh my love
Will rescue you
It’s gonna be there, when the photos all turn brown
It’s gonna be there, when they tear this old place down
It’s gonna be there, when your thoughts all go black
It’s gonna be there, to guide your way back
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Its gonna be there, when shadows cross your face
It’s gonna be there, when we’ve used up all our grace
It’s gonna be there, when you turn and walk away
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My love, oh my love
Will be there when things are dark as they can be
Just like your love once rescued me
4. By and By
Thin man standin’ on the side of the road
Says rain gonna fall and the wind gonna blow
I been livin’ on roots, I been sleepin’ in a field
A man’ll break your heart for one square meal
If you’re headed up north that’s where I’ll go
I hear they’re servin’ champagne with escargot
Well, I was light on my feet till the young-uns came along
Yeah, they were bringin’ me down like a hard-luck song
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Well, we all go to heaven by and by
That’s what the good book say
So polish your shoes, straighten up your tie
Get ready for the judgment day
I drowned two at the bend in the Santa Rosa creek
‘Cause they don’t leave nothin’ in this world for the meek
Well, the missus was a-screamin’ and a-scratchin’ my eyes
Better livin’ on truths than starvin’ on lies
Yeah, we all go to heaven by and by
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Well, I left ‘em in Nipomo with a brokedown car
I sold off the tires to get me this far
And I ain’t goin’ back to no death row cell
Say, mister, can you drop me at the gates of hell
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Thin man standin’ on the side of the road
Says rain gonna fall and the wind gonna blow
5. Switchblade Heart
Frankie was a killer with a switchblade heart
He kept his enemies close and his edges sharp
It was the steel in his eyes kept the boys in line
He kept his suits clean and his watch on time
Then he met a sweet girl from Tennessee
She’d come to work at the wartime factory
And she’d take his arm and they’d promenade
Down by the water near the old arcade
Well, it took him by surprise when he felt that spark
It was the first time she kissed him on the lips in the dark
And while he struggled to find the right words to say
She leaned close and she whispered in his ear this way
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Come on, baby, let’s dance
At the end of the old wood pier
No one would ever see us way out there
And I could show you how to move
Yeah, I could show you how to move
It was the boys down the joint who called him out
She jumped in between before Frankie could shout
And it all unraveled in the blink of an eye
There was the cough of a pistol and her mournful cry
Frankie put the boys in the ground that night
But ever since that day Frankie ain’t been right
He sits in a booth tucked away from the sun
And his suit is dirty and his watch don’t run
Some nights after the town turns in
Frankie wanders down to where the story begins
And with a sliver of a smile and a far-off stare
He starts swayin’ to the music only he can hear
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6. Close
You give me room
As wide as this west Texas plain
Where I can conjure up a desperado runnin’ down a train
Headed for his doom
You give me room
You give me space
So I can try and find myself in this big empty place
Where I can stumble and tumble and fall on my face
You give me space
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You give me room
So I can breathe
You give me room
Big enough to hold my dreams
And if I laid it all out end to end, it would stretch from coast to coast
And all this room you give me
Makes us close
You give me love
As pure as that single cloud in this big western sky
I can see it reflecting in the pupils of your eyes
From above
You give me love
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You give me love
So I can breathe
You give me love
Big enough to hold my dreams
And if I laid out all the things that you give me, they’d stretch from coast to coast
But in the end it’s the love I love the most
And all this room you give me that makes us close
7. Bitter Wind
Oh, oh, it’s a bitter wind that blows
It’s a bitter wind that blows you back my way
All the miles in between, now and used to be
Aren’t enough to shield me from this cold
All the guilt on my shoes, all the times I have not used
All the time I have not used has slipped away
All the scheming and the tears, come howlin’ back through the years
They come howlin’ back through the years, like they’re here to stay
Did you keep me in your sight, did you hunt me through the night
Did you follow all the crumbs I left behind
Did the blood and the gore tip you off, make you sure
Make you sure that I really wouldn’t mind
‘Cause I’m just too weak to do anything but sleep
To do anything at all would mean a choice
Will I run, will I freeze, will I crumble to my knees
I will crumble as you embrace me so hard
And the gnawin’ at the door, I can’t stand it anymore
I can’t stand to know it will eat its way inside
And then, once it’s in, the end will begin
The end will begin with a sigh
Oh, oh, it’s a bitter wind that blows
It’s a bitter wind that blows you back my way
8. 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
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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
Pickin’ in this field, ain’t no place to die
9. Doubtin’ Blues
When blue skies turn to gray
And my mind begins to block my way
Darlin', all because of you
I can put aside these doubtin’ blues
When the black dog is on the prowl
And I’m sure it’s time to throw in the towel
Darlin', all because of you
I can put aside these doubtin' blues
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And when the stars fall from the sky
And crash into the sea
That’s when I know that I’m
Lucky to have you here with me
When black’s the only color I see
And my mind keeps playing tricks on me
Darlin', all because of you
I can put aside these doubtin’ blues
Darlin', all because of you
I can put aside these doubtin’ blues
10. O Love
O love, lift this weight from my chest
O love, lift this weight from my chest
What goes unspoken now will be buried with the rest
O love, shake these bones until they crack
O love, shake these bones until they crack
I burned all the good to the ground and it ain't never comin’ back
O love, left me a broke and hollow frame
O love, left me a broke and hollow frame
I don’t feel a thing, but I cannot bear the pain
O love, don’t turn your back on me now
O love, don’t turn your back on me now
I know you can touch this troubled heart somehow
I know you can touch this troubled heart somehow
11. Storm Comin’
Gonna build me a castle outta mortar and stones
And a big blockade outta mastodon bones
Gonna burrow down deep among the roots and the grubs
Keep my head down with the beetles and the bugs
Gonna build me a fortress outta rock and steel
With doors that bolt and windows that seal
Gonna build me a wall ‘bout ten foot thick
Outta old car chassis, barbed wire, and brick
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The horizon is clear for as far as the eye can see
But there’s a storm comin’ and she’s gonna make a mess outta me
Gonna build me a levee outta gravel and fill
With a tall watch tower at the top of the hill
Gonna build me a bunker with a big search light
Keep my eyes wide open and the hatch locked tight
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The horizon is clear for as far as the eye can see
But there’s a storm comin’ and she’s gonna make a mess outta me
But there’s a storm comin’ and she’s gonna make a mess outta me
12. The Last Lullaby
The golden light shines above
As we all gather here with love
And as our voices gently bend
You are on your way back home again
The leaves are thick upon the ground
Where you now walk without a sound
The birch tree bows as you go by
As we sing to you this last lullaby
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Your laughter will ripple down the rivers to the bays
Your smile will spread through all our days
We’ll be real good to ourselves and won’t cry
While we sing to you this last lullaby
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The woods are rich and dark and green
As pure and sweet as you’ve ever seen
She takes your hand and the meadow sighs
And she brings you home with this last lullaby
She takes your hand and the meadow sighs
And she brings you home with this last lullaby
13. Real Music
Father, Father, I must confess
I been runnin’ with a crowd that thinks they know best
I seen ‘em beat a song till it could not stand
It finally gave in and put some money in their hands
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He said, real music got a mind of its own
Real music is blood and bone
Real music make a strong man weak
And burn the fingers of the infidel
Father, Father, I must confess
I been runnin’ with a crowd that thinks they know best
I seen ‘em shoot a song up and leave it to bleed
It was lyin’ in the street, another victim of greed
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Father, Father, I must confess
I been runnin’ with a crowd that thinks they know best
I seen ‘em dress a song up in the latest style
It set the dogs a-howlin’ for a quarter of a mile
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It burns the fingers of the infidel
It burns the fingers
14. 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 mamma, I’m one of your biggest fans
You get your rhythm from your mamma, 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
Lord in the heavens, just see this trouble he brung
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
15. The Last to Leave
I keep my eyes open
I try to look both ways
And I try most days to keep my ear to the ground
But I never saw
This freight train comin’
I never heard its mournful sound
Well, this was a sweet ride
While it lasted
I guess I’ll get past it, I can only try
But since you have gone
On that Greyhound to Boston
I’m still kind of lost in the reasons why
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My heart, my heart
It’s always the first to believe
My heart, my heart
It’s always the last to leave
If this love was a party
Well, everyone’s gone home
The stereo plays a lone melody
And I’m in the kitchen
I’m sortin’ through empties
Sortin’ through how empty can be
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Well, time wore my edges down
And I met a girl from a northern town
And she said, we better take it slow and see
‘Cause she knows what you pay to play
And her heart’s made in a special way
Then she turned and whispered to me, she said
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