|
TAKE THE BAIT
(D. Buckley)
It’s little wonder why
I always drag
On the back street corners, and I’m running out of gas
I give a little but I always crack
Like a back seat lover on the railroad tracks
CHORUS:
And when
you’re rolling with your one wheel off the track
You reel me in, but then you always throw me back
You take the difference, but I always take the bait
You take the difference, but I always take the bait
You dig the needle just to hold me back
Like a stone-dead junkie with a bottle in a bag
But you got nothing that I wish I had
Like your back yard money, and a bitch in drag
CHORUS
CHORUS
MUDHEN
(D. Buckley)
I ain’t got no secrets;
I ain’t got no lies
I got too much money; I got too much time
We’ll drink some whiskey; we’ll drink some wine
And when you’re ready, you’ll give me your sign
CHORUS:
Gotta get
away, gotta get away, gotta gotta get her on the way, yeah
Gotta get away, gotta get away, gotta gotta get her on the way, yeah
Baby here she’s coming; right through my door
She’s all hips and feathers; she’s all chains and rope
Now it’s all business; now it’s alright
My clock’s been ticking, but you still got time
CHORUS
Now it’s all
over, and we’re all smiles
So get your boots on, and rest for a while
So here’s your money, and here’s your wine
Let’s do some business just one more time…
CHORUS
TWELVE LIGHTS
(J. DiNunzio and D. Buckley)
Let me burn the river,
let the roots take hold
Take the sand and silver, like Cortez claimed his gold
‘Cause nothing really matters, it just is…
Lead the saints and sinners through the drought and cold
Leave the thieves and winners to revel in their gold
‘Cause nothing really matters, it just is…
CHORUS:
All twelve lights shine on
Thorns and rogues long gone…
CHORUS
DiARY OF A northern soldier
(D. Buckley)
Take my boy to the
company store, got to get him settled for the union’s war
The corn’s husked and the dogs are fed, as the old grey farm turns a
harvest red
The old men said this all would pass, 'cause the south ain’t heady and
their food won’t last
So grab your bag and your sister’s hand 'cause the station’s bare and
the train is rolling (down)…
So you got your union gun and a meal that lasts ‘til your day is done
Your cold hands don’t put out that fire where the general’s ranks and
their horses lie
The days start where the last one ends as the marches mount ‘round the
jasmine bends
So take your pen and your parchment pad, don’t forget your family,
‘cause the boys are headed…
CHORUS:
(Down) Cross
the southern border where the cotton sighs
(Down) Where you lay your bones under northern skies
(Down) Where the Union’s dead in the rebels’ eyes
(Down) Where a good man’s lost, but he don’t know why…
CHORUS
So you
talked to the red-haired scout how the scarlet fever is your one way out
The way home doesn’t seem that long, but the old grey farm and your
heart are sinking…
CHORUS
BLOOD AND BONE
(D. Buckley)
Well we all make our
own reservations, give our ashes to ash and dust to dust
Spending lives in a quiet consternation, turns our sorrow to shame and
blood to rust
No, we all can’t meet the Mahatma, and we can’t get Jesus on the phone
We can’t shelter the weak or the wayfared, 'Cause we won’t let strangers
in our home
CHORUS:
We won’t
need to make no reservations
‘Cause we’ll always be blood and bone
Well we can’t get past procrastination, and we can’t get promises in
stone
We’ll just send some money across the ocean, so our conscience will
leave us alone
CHORUS
________________________________________________________ |
EMMETT TILL (D.
Buckley)
“Black boy floating
‘bout a mile below”
“The good lord sees, but he don’t know”
In the Tallahatchie by the widow’s mill
Is where they
threw the body of Emmett Till
The good boys walk while the others crawl
To the hooded judge and rebel’s call
I’m gonna lynch the Wizard for the devil’s will
And the beaten body of Emmett Till
So shut your doors and get your fill, ‘cause whipping hurts but talkin’
kills
If you don’t tell, you know I will; how the Southern man killed Emmett
Till
Where the heat is thick and the water’s slow
The good lord saves but he don’t know
In the Tallahatchie by the widow’s mill
Is where you’ll find the body of Emmett Till
The good lord saves, but he don’t know…
SOUTH 55 (D.
Buckley)
I’ve been to places and
wide-open spaces, burning the king and his crown
You’re young and wasted in a sea of old faces, and I’d like to keep you
around
I’m running senseless, worn-down and defenseless, but I can’t stop
looking away
‘Cause our eyes are shining, but whose time are we biding, when death
just gets closer each day?
CHORUS:
The South
55’s gonna eat me alive
The snake charmer’s sway’s gonna take me away
We don’t have too much left to say…
This tastes like disaster and a slow-moving cancer, dragging us both
underground
But I can’t deny it like the old full-swing riots, where the poor can’t
believe what they’ve found
CHORUS
CHORUS
OLD COUNTRY HOME (D.
Buckley)
You got lost in the
streets of Chicago
Selling drugs to your muggers and friends
On the steps of the old Coronado
Where the asphalt and cigarettes blend
In the seventies’ haze you were free and amazed
That the whole world could be on your side
But you holed up for days at the YMCA
Where the strung-out were leading the blind
CHORUS:
Maybe I’d be
helpless; maybe I’d be strong
Maybe I’d still wind up in this old country home
CHORUS
EL DORADO SUITE
(D. Buckley)
Think I’ll get an El
Dorado; take it out around the sun
Make it red or encarnado; say good-bye to everyone
See my back is strong and able; see those scars along my hands
Spill my heart out on the table; but it’s hard to understand
Left the baby in the cradle; daddy’s only chosen son
He’ll be back when he is able; but we all knew he was gone
We are programmed for survival; we all take what we can get
And if you’re looking for an idol, I might not be your safest bet
There’s a peace we’re all entitled; and there’s a pain that’s hard to
hide
And I don’t need no false bravado; I just need to rest a while
Buy myself an El Dorado; let an inch become a mile
I’ve been thinking Colorado; watch the mountains for a while |
|
Bible Belt (D. Buckley)
There
ain’t no civil in the war for hearts and minds
Down in Mississippi ‘cross the cultural divide
They took it to the cities with their bibles in their hands
And stormed upon the hilltop
Can you help me understand?
They sold the preacher just to buy the president
And held their babies as the newsmen came and went
They took it to the prairies with their bibles in their hands
And came down from the hilltop
Can you help me understand?
And every Sunday
‘Cross the country far and wide
The empty pockets
Help the government decide
They took it to the district
With their bibles in their hands
And died upon the hilltop
Can you help me understand?
DOWNTOWN VAMPIRES (D. Buckley)
You got
some lead and a two-ton head, your eyes never rise above the ground
You got tequila and a rat on a leash, I gotta know it’s going down…
I got an itch from a nervous twitch, symptomatic of what’s all around
We’re at the crossroads and there’s nowhere to go, but the way seems to
lead downtown…
Hey, you ‘re gonna see it, you’re gonna need it, you gotta know it’s all
downtown
Hey, I gotta steal it, I gotta feel it, you’re gonna leave it all
downtown
How much hurt can your old heart hold? I’ve heard there’s enough
to go around
Wake up in filth and the stench doesn’t care 'bout the new friend that
you’ve seemed to found
Hey, you ‘re gonna see it, you’re gonna need it, you gotta know it’s all
downtown
Hey, I gotta steal it, I gotta feel it, you’re gonna leave it all
downtown
STATE OF THE
UNION (D. Buckley)
Throw me
in the water, shed my skin
Now I’ve stole the redman’s gold, we’re dancin’ on his hide again
Throw it in the water, take my pride
I don’t know the Reverend Joe, but let’s close all our eyes again…
There’s
something we all deserve to know
This isn’t a sin but it’s a show…
Throw me in the water, forget my sins
Your liberty’s enough for me, we’re running for our lives again…
We won’t let it pass again, no
We won’t let it pass again, no…
PRAYER FOR THE
RIVERBED (D. Buckley)
Say it
is, say it ain’t, say it slow
Lying in the river bed
Save your breath, save your child, save your life
Save me when the sky is red
Pray for me, pray for you, pray for us
What has prayin’ done for us?
Work for food, work for love, work for life
But don’t forget the rest of us
The lord giveth, the lord taketh away
Sell your
soul, sell your horse, sell your plow
Never need it anyhow
Give me truth, give me pain, give me light
Shine it on us here and now
Take my heart, take my love, take my life
Give it to the rest of us
Pray for me, pray for you, pray for us
What has prayin done for us?
The lord giveth, the lord taketh away
LET THE SUN IN
(Music: J. DiNunzio; lyrics: D. Buckley)
Every day
it gets so hard to turn this over
And you’re so scared your drifting thoughts will take you under
It’s every time, it’s every day…
And every day I try so hard to turn you over
And it’s so sad you had no drugs for feeling older
It’s every time, it’s every day, it’s all I know
Let the sun in
You gotta pick up your shoes when you’re living the news
Let the sun in
And there’s a way you can lose all your American blues
It’s all right, it’s all right
It’s all right, it’s all right
What will you become when you reach the sun?
Let’s tell everyone their waiting is done
You’re livin’ for one, your patience is gone
So what did you become when you felt the sun?
Let the sun in
You gotta pick up your shoes when you’re living the news
Let the sun in
And there’s a way you can lose all your American blues
It’s all right, it’s all right
It’s all right, it’s all right
TRAITORS AND
PATRIOTS (D. Buckley)
Lift me
up from the water
Hold me up to the sky
Open up the northern borders
While the patriots decide
All the patriots decide
Bring your children to the table
Burn your flags within the pile
You can label me a traitor
For the things I’ve said and tried
So lift
me up from the water
Bring me down from the sky
Hang the juries and the judges
For the things we shouldn’t hide…
________________________________________________________ |
Ticket to Mexico
(D.
Buckley)
She got a one-way ticket to
Mexico to see her baby again
You know he slipped on by the Minutemen just to feel his face in the
wind
Everybody’s got a rock at the railroad stop, they’re wavin’ their flags
in the wind
She got a one-way ticket to Mexico to see her baby again
You got a
one-track mind and a heart of gold and you’re hopin’ that you’ll never
win
You know you think so fast but move so slow when you’re
jumpin’ the fences again
Everybody’s got a rock at the railroad stop, they’re wavin’
their flags in the wind
She got a one-way ticket to Mexico to see her baby again
When the sun isn’t shinin’ yeah yeah yeah
When your eyes ain’t lyin’ yeah yeah yeah
We all gotta do this baby once in a while
So grab all your papers baby before they go outta style
She
got a one-way ticket to Mexico to see her baby again
You know he slipped back past the Minutemen and he’s rollin’
in Texas again
Everybody’s got a rock at the railroad stop, they’re wavin’
their flags in the wind
She got a one-way ticket to Mexico to see her baby again
CHIMBORAZO (D.
Buckley)
I’ve been
walking on crutches and I’ve been counting up stars
I’ve been killing presidents to feed my empty heart
Thinking ‘bout your family and thinking ‘bout my head
“Selon le regles” and the heart attacks instead
It’s been a long time coming since I’ve been out to that farm
Been dodging railcars and been holding you from harm
So don’t take no notice of the way I was back then
All that shit’s been washed away, but it’s coming back again
Do you remember just what you’re living for?
I felt like Virginia before the Civil War
Out in the valley and beyond the old front four
I’m in Chimborazo, as the other settled score
I
still remember the way you were back then
But can I trust that low front fallin’ down on us again?
And don’t take no notice of the way I was back then
All that shit is gone away, and you’re coming back again
Do
you remember just what you’re living for?
I felt like Virginia before the Civil War
Out in the valley and beyond the old front four
I’m in Chimborazo, as the other settled score
UNTITLED > INTELLIGENT DESIGN (Music: J. DiNunzio; lyrics: B. Walker)
Take a look at my life
and go for a ride
And you’ll see in time that yours is a lot like mine
Every day is the same, there is no change
Open the door and observe what’s deep inside
A land of confusion where people can run and hide
Find your way or go insane; I’m the only one to blame
Follow your heart just for a while
Or in time you’ll be found in exile
Hold on for just a little while
The nature of man is in hands
The nature of man…
Tell me now that there’s more to life than this
We’re here my friend to do more than just exist
Follow your heart just for a while
Or in time you’ll be found in exile
Hold on for just a little while
BIG
RIVER (D. Buckley)
Alabama
The federales told you too, they told you too
Our heads were sinking
But that old girl, she plowed on through, she plowed on
through
And took the sacred
But left the quarters shining blue, yeah shining blue
Our eyes are drying
But my old friend, he needs me too—he needs me too
So tell me baby, what can you do
When that big river’s on to you
It’s on to you…
Below the sunset
Above the callous floating through, yeah floating through
My gold and loyal
I guess this means it’s me or you, yeah it’s me or you
So tell me baby, what can you do
When that big river’s on to you
It’s on to you…
I’ve been swimming in this goddamn life, with this goddamn
weight
And it’s goddamn hard to do, yeah it’s hard to do
Now I’m holding your goddamn life, and my own good will
Has gone and bit me too, yeah it bit me too
So tell me baby, what can you do
When that big river’s on to you
It’s on to you…
|
DOPESICK (D. Buckley)
I’ve
got nothing, I’ve got nothing for your scars
Can’t stop shakin’, and those brown eyes look so hard
I’m beatin’ faster than your heart
I’m seein’ shadows in the dark
Can’t think or we may lose this spark
I’m feelin’ dopesick after all…
Grab some singles, and the needle from your arm
You go somewhere, you go somewhere safe from harm…
I’m beatin’ faster than your heart
I’m seein’ shadows in the dark
Can’t think or we may lose this spark
I’m feelin’ dopesick after all…
GREEN STATION SHUFFLE
(D. Buckley)
Oh my baby
One thing on her mind
Cool and lazy
Oh my baby, send me down the road
To the station, where the weed is sold
Oh my baby
Hound dog by her side
Fat and Crazy
That old hound dog, chase me down the road
He won’t leave me, ‘til the weed is sold
Oh my baby, send me down the road
She won’t love me, ‘til the weed is sold
Oh my baby, send me down the road
She won’t love me, ‘til the weed is sold
I WOULD PAY THE
DEVIL FOR YOUR HEART
(D. Buckley)
Still got flowers in the yard; I've got
candles
in the bedroom, but the roses have turned hard
You're not 'round to set me right; people say I should be prayin', but
it's hell here every night
I've been thinking real hard; got some incense in the bedroom, and some
bones out in the car
In the attic after dark; in the basement fire and brimstone, in the hall
five-pointed stars
You know I would pay the devil for your heart; you know I would pay the
devil for your heart
Could be Moses wants the two of us to part
You know I would pay the devil for your heart
Now your statue's in the yard; still you're blonde and artificial, and
some parts of you turned hard
I've been told you just ain't right; signed the contract just this
morning and you'll be with me tonight
You know I would pay the devil for your heart; you know I would pay the
devil for your heart
Could be Moses wants the two of us to part
You know I would pay the devil for your heart
I can't rob the devil blind; so you're off to church this morning, but I
think I'll stay behind
Do you think of me at all? Got my life to spend in heaven, then
I'll heed the devil's call
You know I would pay the devil for your heart; you know I would pay the
devil for your heart
Could be Moses wants the two of us to part
You know I would pay the devil for your heart
WHEN YOU WIN
(D. Buckley)
You got a crazy way about you, you know the walls are close and thin
You think they’re talkin’ all about you, and the truth you love to spin
You know the doctor talks about you, when you’re drowning all the wounds
And you waste another morning, in a cage you call a room
And you take it so hard; yeah you take it so hard
When you win, when you win, when you win
You know I like to talk about you, and I curse the way you’ve made
‘Cause I know you’re breathing easy, but my lungs are old and stale
And you take it so hard; yeah you take it so hard
When you win, when you win, when you win
You know I’ve heard a lot about you, and you’re up around the bend
But methadone for breakfast, won’t win you any friends
And you take it so hard; yeah you take it so hard
When you win, when you win, when you win
SEVEN
SUNDAYS
(D. Buckley)
I've
got a heart as big as your condition
It doesn't seem to mean that much to you
Maybe we're just carrying on this grand tradition
So you be the queen and I'll be the fool...I'll be the fool
It's been seven Sundays since my feet last hit the floor
Seven Sundays--Don't ask me to say any more...any more
Nobody asked for total submission
I just want to know I've got a friend
I've never been above a little superstition
But I'll never trust a pretty face again...never again
It's been seven Sundays since my feet last hit the floor
Seven Sundays--Don't ask me to say any more...any more
|
THIS TOWN
(D. Buckley)
Counting
up the road signs, drinkin’ up moonlight
Watchin’ the miles pile up from home
Listenin’ to the gravel, hittin’ that gavel
Judgment is not too far from home
Been laid aground
And my heart I will lay down
I won’t make a sound
As my wheels leave this town
Thinkin’ of good friends, feelin’ that road bend
Watchin’ the sunset far from home
Am I just lonely, dreadin’ that phone ring
Was I just a stranger in my home?
Been laid aground
And my heart I will lay down
I won’t make a sound
As my wheels leave this town
Remember when you where the one, box of shells and loaded gun
Hidden underneath the weeds
Lonely children in the yard, never thought it’d be so hard
To balance everybody’s needs
Got a few green bills, shinin’ on the windshield
Countin’ the miles ‘til I get home
Lincoln to Bradley, huggin’ my family
Forgettin’ the miles spent from my home
Been laid aground
And my heart I will lay down
I won’t make a sound
As my wheels leave this town
SAINT IN
TATTERED CLOTHES
(D. Buckley)
To the
left side, to the right side
Tie your lover to the tracks
On the downside, on the upside
Hide the monkey on your back
I’m the right man, I’m the wrong man
I’m a saint in tattered clothes
I’m the savior, killin’ strangers
I’m the devil no one knows
And we suffocate alone, just find troubles here at home
Got that same look in my eyes
And the things you say today, I know are bound to go away
Doesn’t mean I’ll never try
I’m the right man, I’m the wrong man
I’m a saint in tattered clothes
I’m the savior, killin’ strangers
I’m the devil no one knows
Getting’ hard to breathe alone
And we’re dying here at home
I’ve had that same look in my eyes
And the things you do today
I will hold and hide away
‘N give this life another try
BAD
DOG BLUES
(D. Buckley)
You got me runnin' all night long; yeah, you got me runnin'
all night long
You got me runnin' to the bottle, got me creepin' 'round like
a dog
You got me howlin' all night long; yeah you got me howlin'
all night long
You got me howlin' at the neighbors, got me sniffin' 'round
like a dog
You got me shakin' all night long; yeah, you got me shakin'
all night long
You got me shakin' like a bullfrog, got me diggin' 'round
like a dog
HELLO AGAIN
(J. DiNunzio)
I’d like
to know—how ya feelin’? By the way—I feel just the same
Thought I’d ask, ‘cause I haven’t seen ya; come on by and
we’ll...
I’d like to know how are you and your kids? I’m surprised you
haven’t gone insane
Thought I’d ask , ‘cause I haven’t seen ya; By the way—you’re
looking kinda thin
You ask me how things are going; I tell you that nothing has
changed
I’m working hard trying to make a livin’; I’d like to but I
can’t complain
Hello again
By the way, how’s your Uncle Philip?
Is he still a civil engineer?
Sorry to hear about your dear sweet mother
I tell ya friend, what happens to the years?
Hello again
I’d like to know—how ya feelin’? By the way—I feel just the
same
Thought I’d ask, ‘cause I haven’t seen ya; come on by and
we’ll... we will play
DIG ME A
GRAVE
(D. Buckley)
Cross the
valley of indecision, and the hole in the sun
All the people you never notice, giving handouts on the run
And it’s here in my confusion, choosing souls you wanna save
I don’t need no cut-out Jesus, 'cause they’re digging me a
grave
It’s not a question of derision, or a stake I need to claim
But your problem’s my solution, and they’re digging me a
grave
Swallow silver dollars, now I’m sinking again, now I’m
sinking again
Swallow silver dollars, ya got me thinking again, got me
thinking again
So take your power and your pulpit, find another soul to save
Now I’ve got my inspiration, no more digging me a grave
Swallow silver dollars, now I’m sinking again, now I’m
sinking again
Swallow silver dollars, ya got me thinking again, got me
thinking again
|
Blood and Bone
State Of The Union
Hymns and Curses From the
Heartland