Gillian Welch

The finest silver needle
Shouldn't ever slide between
When lovers stand as parting friends
Gonna put myself on a leaving train
And I won't come back again

I could wait til morning
If it don't come down today
A dime says I won't be satisfied
Gonna put myself on a leaving train
And I won't come back again

The words that go unspoken
On the color of the sun
And the coolin' air of the evening shade
And the breathless hours on the sleeping phone
And the last taillight on a leaving train
And I won't come back again
And I won't come back again

go to sleep little babe
go to sleep little babe

your momma's gone away and your daddy's gonna stay
didn't leave nobody but the baby

go to sleep little babe
go to sleep little babe

everybody's gone in the cotton and the corn
didn't leave nobody but the baby

you're a sweet little babe
you're a sweet little babe

honey in the rock and the sugar don't stop
gonna bring a bottle to the baby

don't you weep pretty babe
don't you weep pretty babe

she's long gone with her red shoes on
gonna need another loving babe

go to sleep little babe
go to sleep little babe

you and me and the devil makes three
don't need no other lovin' babe

go to sleep little babe
go to sleep little babe

come lay bones on the alabaster stones
and be my everlovin baby

Some glad morning when this life is o'er,
I'll fly away;
To a home on God's celestial shore,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

*I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

When the shadows of this life have gone,
I'll fly away;
Like a bird from prison bars has flown,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)

*Repeat

Just a few more weary days and then,
I'll fly away;
To a land where joy shall never end,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)

*Repeat

When the iceberg hit
How was I to know
That God moves on the water
Like Casey Jones?

So I walked downtown
On my telephone
Took a lazy turn
Through the red eye zone

It was a five-band bill
A two dollar show
Saw the van out in front
From Idaho

And the girl passed out
In the backseat trash
And there was no way they'd make
Even a half a tank of gas

They looked sick and stoned
And strangely dressed
No one showed from the local press

But I watched 'em awhile
Through the bottom land
And I wished I played
In a rock and roll band

Hey, hey
It was the fourteenth day of April

Then they closed it down
With the sails and rags
And they swept up the fags
And the local rags

And threw the plastic cups
In the plastic bags
And the cooks cleaned the kitchen
With the staggers and the jags

Ruination Day
The sky was red
I went back to work
And back to bed

And the iceberg broke
And the Okies fled
And the Great Emancipator
Took a bullet in the back of the head

Hey

I want to go all over the world
And start living free
I know that there's somebody who
Is waiting for me
I'll build a boat, steady and true
As soon as it's done
I'm going to sail along in the dreams
Of my dear someone

One little star, smiling tonight
Knows where you are
Stay, little star, steady and bright
To guide me afar
Blow, little wind, over the deep
For now I've begun
Hurry and take me straight into the arms
Of my dear someone
Hurry and take me straight into the arms
Of my dear someone

I was thinking that night about Elvis
Day that he died, day that he died
I was thinking that night about Elvis
Day that he died, day that he died
Just a country boy that combed his hair
And put on a shirt his mother made and went on the air
And he shook it like a chorus girl
And he shook it like a Harlem queen
He shook it like a midnight rambler, baby
Like you never seen

I was thinking that night about Elvis
Day that he died, day that he died
I was thinking that night about Elvis
Day that he died, day that he died
How he took it all out of black and white
Grabbed his wand in the other hand and he held on tight
And he shook it like a hurricane
He shook it like to make it break
And he shook it like a holy roller, baby
With his soul at stake

I was thinking that night about Elvis
Day that he died, day that he died
I was thinking that night about Elvis
Day that he died, day that he died
He was all alone in a long decline
Thinking how happy John Henry was that he fell down and died
When he shook it and he rang like silver
He shook it and he shine like gold
He shook it and he beat that steam drill, baby
Well bless my soul

He shook it and he beat that steam drill, baby
Well bless my soul, what's wrong with me?

I was thinking that night about Elvis
Day that he died, day that he died
I was thinking that night about Elvis
Day that he died, day that he died
Just a country boy that combed his hair
Put on a shirt his mother made and he went on the air
And he shook it like a chorus girl
He shook it like a Harlem queen
He shook it like a midnight rambler, baby
Like he never seen

Everything is free now,
That's what they say.
Everything I ever done,
Gotta give it away.
Someone hit the big score.
They figured it out,
That we're gonna do it anyway,
Even if doesn't pay.

I can get a tip jar,
Gas up the car,
And try to make a little change
Down at the bar.

Or I can get a straight job,
I've done it before.
I never minded working hard,
It's who I'm working for.

(Chorus)

Every day I wake up,
Hummin' a song.
But I don't need to run around,
I just stay home.

And sing a little love song,
My love, to myself.
If there's something that you want to hear,
You can sing it yourself.

'Cause everything is free now,
That what I say.
No one's got to listen to
The words in my head.
Someone hit the big score,
And I figured it out,
That we're gonna do it anyway,
Even if doesn't pay.

Oh I dream a highway back to you love
A winding ribbon with a band of gold
A silver vision come and rest my soul
I dream a highway back to you

John he's kicking out the footlights
The Grand Ole Opry's got a brand new band
Lord, let me die with a hammer in my hand
I dream a highway back to you.

I think I'll move down into Memphis
And thank the hatchet man who forked my tongue
I lie and wait until the wagons come
And dream a highway back to you.

The getaway kicking up cinders
An empty wagon full of rattling bones
Moon in the mirror on a three-hour jones,
I dream a highway back to you.

Oh I dream a highway back to you love
A winding ribbon with a band of gold
A silver vison come arrest my soul
I dream a highway back to you.

Which lover are you, Jack of Diamonds?
Now you be Emmylou and I'll be Gram
I send a letter, don't know who I am
I dream a highway back to you.

I'm an indisguisable shade of twilight
Any second now I'm gonna turn myself on
In the blue display of the cool cathode ray
I dream a highway back to you.

I wish you knew me, Jack of Diamonds
Fire-riding, wheeling when I lead em up
Drank whisky with my water, sugar in my tea
My sails in rags with the staggers and the jags
I dream a highway back to you.

Oh I dream a highway back to you love
A winding ribbon with a band of gold
A silver vision come molest my soul
I dream a highway back to you.

Now give me some of what you're having
I'll take you as a viper into my head
A knife into my bed, arsenic when I'm fed
I dream a highway back to you.

Hang overhead from all directions
Radiation from the porcelain light
Blind and blistered by the morning white
I dream a highway back to you.

Sunday morning at the diner
Hollywood trembles on the verge of tears
I watched the waitress for a thousand years
Saw a wheel inside a wheel, heard a call within a call
I dreamed a highway back to you.

Oh I dream a highway back to you love
A winding ribbon with a band of gold
A silver vision come molest my soul
I dream a highway back to you.

Step into the light, poor Lazarus
Don't lie alone behind the window shade
Let me see the mark death made
I dream a highway back to you.
I dream a highway back to you.

What will sustain us through the winter?
Where did last years lessons go?
Walk me out into the rain and snow
I dream a highway back to you.

Oh I dream a highway back to you love
A winding ribbon with a band of gold
A silver vision come and bless my soul
I dream a highway back to you

I dream a highway back to you
Oh I dream a highway back to you love
A winding ribbon with a band of gold
A silver vision come and bless my sould
I dream a highway back to you.

I want to sing that rock and roll.
I want to 'lectrify my soul,
'Cause everybody been making a shout
So big and loud, been drowning me out.
I want to sing that rock and roll.

I want to reach that glory land.
I want to shake my savior's hand,
And I want to sing that rock and roll.
I want to 'lectrify my soul,
'Cause everybody been making a shout
So big and loud, been drowning me out.
I want to sing that rock and roll.

I been a-traveling near and far,
But I want to lay down my old guitar,
And I want to sing that rock and roll.
I want to 'lectrify my soul,
'Cause everybody been making a shout
So big and loud, been drowning me out.
I want to sing that rock and roll.

I been a-traveling near and far,
But I want to lay down my old guitar,
And I want to sing that rock and roll.
I want to 'lectrify my soul,
'Cause everybody been making a shout
So big and loud, been drowning me out.
I want to sing that rock and roll.
I want to sing that rock and roll.

my first lover
my first lover

he was tall and breezy with his long hair down
but he gets a little hazy when I think of him now

my first lover
my first lover

he was always talking tryin to bring me down
but i was not waiting for a white wedding gown
from my first lover

i do not remember any goin wrong
just a record playin that old steve miller song

quicksilver girl
quicksilver girl

at a surfer party with the whiskey porin
and the bottle rollin i was on the floor
with my first lover
my first lover

i do not remember any fights or fits
just shakey morning after callin it quits
with my first lover

quicksilver girl
quicksilver girl
quicksilver girl ... and she's free

All the girls all dance with the boys from the city,
And they don't care to dance with me.
Now it ain't my fault that the fields are muddy,
And the red clay stains my feet.

And it's under my nails and it's under my collar,
And it shows on my Sunday clothes.
Though I do my best with the soap and the water,
But the damned old dirt won't go.

But when I pass through the pearly gate,
Will my gown be gold instead?
Or just a red clay robe with red clay wings,
And a red clay halo for my head?

Now it's mud in the spring and it's dust in the summer,
When it blows in a crimson tide.
Until trees and leaves and the cows are the colour,
Of the dirt on the mountainside.

But when I pass through the pearly gate,
Will my gown be gold instead?
Or just a red clay robe with red clay wings,
And a red clay halo for my head?

Now Jordan's banks they're red and muddy,
And the rolling water is wide.
But I got no boat, so I'll be good and muddy,
When I get to the other side.

And when I pass through the pearly gate,
Will my gown be gold instead?
Or just a red clay robe with red clay wings,
And a red clay halo for my head?

I'll take the red clay robe with the red clay wings,
And a red clay halo for my head.

Darling, remember
When you come to me
I'm the pretender
And not what I'm supposed to be
But who could know if I'm a traitor
Time's the revelator

They caught the katy
And left me a mule to ride
The fortune lady
Came along, she walked beside
But every word seemed to date her
Time's the revelator
The revelator

Up in the morning
Up and on the ride
I drive into Corning
And all the spindles whine
And every day is getting straighter
Time's the revelator
The revelator

Leaving the valley
And fucking out of sight
I'll go back to Cali
Where I can sleep out every night
And watch the waves and move the fader
Time's the revelator
The revelator

Queen of the fakes and imitators
Time's the revelator

Caleb Meyer, he lived alone
In them hollarin' pines
He made a little whiskey for himself
Said it helped to pass the time

On one evening in back of my house,
Caleb came around
And he called my name 'til I came out
with no one else around

Caleb Meyer, your ghost is gonna
wear them rattlin' chains.
but when I go to sleep at night,
Don't you call my name

Where's your husband, Nellie Kane
Where's your darling gone?
Did he go on down the mountain side
and leave you all alone?

Yes, my husband's gone to Bowlin' Green
to do some business there.
Then Caleb threw that bottle down
and grabbed me by my hair.

Caleb Meyer, your ghost is gonna
wear them rattlin' chains.
but when I go to sleep at night,
Don't you call my name

He threw me on the needle bed,
and on my dress he lay
he held my hands above my head
and I commenced to pray.

I cried My God, I am your child
send your angels down
Then feelin' with my fingertips,
the bottle neck I found

I pulled that glass across his neck
as fine as any blade,
and I felt his blood run fast and hot
around me where I laid.

Caleb Meyer, your ghost is gonna
wear them rattlin' chains.
But when I go to sleep at night,
Don't you call my name

Caleb Meyer, your ghost is gonna
wear them rattlin' chains.
But when I go to sleep at night,
Don't you call my name

Authors: Rawlings/Welch

Balled out wasted and I feel I'm going down.
Balled out wasted and I feel I'm going down.
Goodbye, darling, I been good till now.

I went walking with a girl as pure as milk.
I went walking with a girl pure as milk.
Standing on the corner, sweating through a yellow silk.

Rocks in my pocket and a devil on my back.
Rocks in my pockets and a devil on my back.
You won't even come across the tracks.

Balled out wasted and I feel I'm going down.
Balled out wasted and I feel I'm going down.
Goodbye, darling, I been good till now.

I can't be called
Begged or bought
If you want to be my
Johnny on the spot

Chorus:
Honey now now now
Honey now now now
You know later won't
Do me no good anyhow
Honey now now now

Front door's shut
Back door too
Blind's pulled down
What you gonna do

Chorus

You take your time
And get me sore
Tell me what you want
To keep waiting for

Chorus

Now now now
Now now now
Now now now
Now now now
You know later won't
Do me no good anyhow
Honey now now now

Nobody knows what waits ahead
Beyond the earth and sky
Lie-d Lie-d Lie
I'm not afraid to die

And there the work of my own hand
Be broken by and by
Lie-d Lie-d Lie
I'm not afraid to die

Sometimes it finds me fast asleep
And wakes me where I lie
Lie-d Lie-d Lie
I'm not afraid to die

Forget my sins upon the wind
My hobo soul will rise
Lie-d Lie-d Lie
I'm not afraid to die

Lie-d Lie-d Lie
I'm not afraid to die

In the black dust towns of east Tennessee
All the work's about the same
And you may not go to the job in the ground
But you learn the miner's refrain

I'm down in a hole, I'm down in a hole,
Down in a deep, dark hole
I'm down in a hole, I'm down in a hole,
Down in a deep, dark hole

When you search the rain for the silver cloud
And you wait on days of gold
When you pitch to the bottom
And the dirt comes down
You cry so cold, so cold

I'm down in a hole, I'm down in a hole,
Down in a deep, dark hole
I'm down in a hole, I'm down in a hole,
Down in a deep, dark hole

Now there's something good in a worried song
For the trouble in your soul
'Cause a worried man who's been a long way down
Down in a deep dark hole

I'm down in a hole, I'm down in a hole,
Down in a deep, dark hole
I'm down in a hole, I'm down in a hole,
Down in a deep, dark hole

I'm down in a deep, dark hole

I looked around and all up and down
I never wasted time on two or three
There's only one girl for me

There was a time she used to treat me fine
But lately she's been acting awful stoned
Makes a man weep alone

eye dee oh lay ee tee
eye dee leeldle odle ay oo ee tee
eye dee oh lee tee
lee tee
deedle ohdle lee tee
My Morphine be the death of me

You should have seen me and my Morphine
When we used to go dancing in the war
Spin me right off the floor

eye dee oh lay ee tee
eye dee leeldle odle ee odle ee tee
eye dee odle ee tee
lee tee
deedle odle lee tee
My Morphine be the death of me

Morphine, Morphine, what made you so mean?
You never used to do me like you do
Where's that sweet gal i knew?

eye dee oh lee tee
eye dee leedle odle ay odle ay tee
eye dee oh lay tee
lee tee
deedle odle lee tee
My Morphine be the death of me

My Morphine

One mornin', one mornin' as work I begun
What did I see ridin' out of the sun
On the road from Lexington

One rider, one rider beatin' the breeze
Down on his saddle, low to his knees
Comin' through my willow trees

Now closer, the terrible work of the gun
Was stiffened and black where his blood all had run
But I knew my wayward son

One mornin', one mornin' the boy of my breast
Came to my door unable to rest
Even in the arms of death

Round, round, I wanna go round
wanna see the rock of ages
when my body gives out
gonna read the final pages

Oh, my mother who's gone
she told me I should meet her
Someday streets of gold
Gonna guide me on to greet her

Once my father sat down
and told me of the prophets
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
they're gone but not forgotten

Round, round, I wanna go round
wanna see the rock of ages
til my body gives out
gonna read the gospel pages

Moses heard a voice
it called him up the mountain
forty days had set
when Moses come a shoutin'

Round, round, I wanna go round
wanna see the rock of ages
when my body gives out
gonna read the final pages

Round, round, I wanna go round
wanna see the rock of ages
til my body gives out
gonna read the gospel pages

Round, round, I wanna go round
wanna see the rock of ages
when my body gives out
gonna read the final pages

Now I was just a girl of two
Now I was just a girl of two
With a golden heart and a button shoe

The devil had a hold of me
The devil had a hold of me
I turned my head and I could see
The devil had a hold of me

There was something wrong with the butcher's boy
Was something wrong with the butcher's boy
He trembled in his hand and voice

The devil had a hold of me
The devil had a hold of me
The others knew to let him be
But the devil had a hold of me

Now the tailpipe spit and the engine roared
The tailpipe spit and the engine roared
I's waving out the Plymouth door

And the devil had a hold of me
The devil had a hold of me
The old folks saw the last they'd see
The devil had a hold of me

I dreamed last night that my time was done
I dreamed last night that my time was done
And my soul flew up to the holy son

But the devil had a hold of me
The devil had a hold of me
I snapped back down when he pulled my lead
The devil had a hold of me

There're those who'll laugh and not believe
There're those who'll laugh and not believe
Until you feel that touch upon your sleeve

The devil had a hold of me
The devil had a hold of me
I turned my head and I could see
The devil had a hold of me
I turned my head and I could see
The devil had a hold of me

Nowhere man
And the whiskey girl
Nowhere man
And the whiskey girl
They loaded up for
A weekend in the underworld

I'd take you down
Honey if I could
I'd take you down
Honey if I could
We'd find a place
In the sunshine
We'd be feeling good

Don't you know
That it ain't a crime
Don't you know
That it ain't a crime
If all the squares
And the junkmen
Think you're out of line

Nowhere man
And the whiskey girl
Nowhere man and
The whiskey girl
They loaded up for
A weekend in the underworld

Oh little red bird
Come to my window sill
Been so lonesome
Shaking that morning chill
Oh little red bird
Open your mouth and say
Been so lonesome
Just about flown away

So long now I've been out
In the rain and snow
But winter's come and gone
A little bird told me so

Oh little blue bird
Pearly feather breast
Five cold nickels all I got left
Oh little blue bird
What am I gonna do
Five cold nickels
Ain't gonna see me through

So long now I've been out
In the rain and snow
But winter's come and gone
A little bird told me so

Oh little black bird
On my wire line
Dark as trouble
In this heart of mine
Poor little black bird
Sings a worried song
Dark as trouble
'Til winter's come and gone

So long now I've been out
In the rain and snow
But winter's come and gone
A little bird told me so

So long now I've been out
In the rain and snow
But winter's come and gone
A little bird told me so

The fairest bloom the mountain knows
Is not an iris or a wild rose
But the little flower of which I'll tell
Known as the brave acony bell

Just a simple flower so small and plain
With a pearly hue and a little known name
But the yellow birds sing when they see it bloom
For they know that spring is coming soon

Well it makes its home mid the rocks and the rills
Where the snow lies deep on the windy hills
And it tells the world "why should i wait
This ice and snow is gonna melt away"

And so i'll sing that yellow bird's song
For the troubled times will soon be gone

I lease twenty acres and one Jenny mule
From the Alabama trust
Half of the cotton, a third of the corn
Ya get a handful of dust

Chorus:
And we can not have all things to please us
No matter how we try
Until we've all gone to Jesus
We can only wonder why

I had a daughter called her Annabelle
She's the apple of my eye
Tried to give her something like I never had
I didn't want to ever hear her cry

Chorus

When I'm dead and buried I'll take a hard life of tears
For every day I've ever known
Anna's in the churchyard, she's got no life at all
She's only got these words on a stone

Chorus
Until we've all gone to Jesus
We only wonder why

Oh the night came undone like a party dress
And fell at her feet in a beautiful mess
The smoke and the whiskey came home in her curls
And they crept through the dreams of the barroom girls
Well she tosses and turns because the sun is unkind
And the heat of the day is coming in through the blinds
But leave all the blue skies for the rest of the world
Because the neon will shine for the barroom girls
Oh the barroom girls go by your side
Like the ponies who pass on a carousel ride
And all of the colors go 'round in a swirl
When you dance in the arms of the barroom girls
Now she rolls to her feet when she can't sleep no more
And looks at her clothes lying out on the floor
Last night's spangles and yesterday's pearls
Are the bright morning stars of the barroom girls
Last night's spangles and yesterday's pearls
Are the bright morning stars of the barroom girls

When I cross over
I will shout and sing
I will know my savior
By the mark where the nails have been

By the mark where the nails have been
By the sign upon his precious skin
I will know my savior when I come to him
By the mark where the nails have been

A man of riches
May claim a crown of jewels
But the king of heaven
Can be told from the prince of fools

By the mark where the nails have been
By the sign upon his precious skin
I will know my savior when I come to him
By the mark where the nails have been

On Calvary Mountain
Where they made him suffer so
All my sin was paid for
A long, long time ago

By the mark where the nails have been
By the sign upon his precious skin
I will know my savior when I come to him
By the mark where the nails have been

A long time ago I left my home
For a job in the fruit trees
But I missed those hills with the windy pines
For their song seemed to suit me
So I sent my wages to my home
Said we'd soon be together
For the next good crop would pay my way
And I would come home forever
One more dime to show for my day
One more dollar and I'm on my way
When I reach those hills, boys
I'll never roam
One more dollar and I'm going home
No work said the boss at the bunk house door
There's a freeze on the branches
So when the dice came out at the bar downtown
I rolled and I took my chances
One more dime to show for my day
One more dollar and I'm on my way
When I reach those hills, boys
I'll never roam
One more dollar and I'm going home
A long time ago I left my home
Just a boy passing twenty
Could you spare a coin and a Christian prayer
For my luck has turned against me
One more dime to show for my day
One more dollar and I'm on my way
When I reach those hills, boys
I'll never roam
One more dollar and I'm going home
One more dollar
Boys I'm going home

There's a hundred bluebirds
Up above the clouds
Putting all the color in the sky
And twice as many teardrops
There to wash it down
Every one's another lullaby
But there's only one and only
Who could go and leave me lonely

There's a world of trouble
Trying to take its turn
I can hear it shaking underground
And half a dozen lessons
I might never learn
Not until them troubles come around
But there's only one and only
Who could go and leave me lonely

There's a mile of blacktop
Where the road begins
It takes a time or two to recognize
Growing at the roadside
Scattered by the wind
Are everybody's unsaid sad goodbyes
But there's only one and only
Who could go and leave me lonely

But there's only one and only
Who could go and leave me lonely

I am an orphan on God's highway
But I'll share my troubles if you go my way
I have no mother no father
No sister no brother
I am an orphan girl

I have had friendships pure and golden
But the ties of kinship I have not known them
I know no mother no father
No sister no brother
I am an orphan girl

But when He calls me I will be able
To meet my family at God's table
I'll meet my mother my father
My sister my brother
No more orphan girl

Blessed Savior make me willing
And walk beside me until I'm with them
Be my mother my father
My sister my brother
I am an orphan girl

Paper wings, all torn and bent
But you made me feel that they were heaven sent
Paper wings, not real at all
But they took me high enough to really fall
Your paper kisses faded too soon
Just like a paper rose beneath a paper moon
Paper wings, paper wings
Oh how could I expect to fly with only paper wings
Angels were singing, didn't you hear
If only I'd listened close when they whispered in my ear
Paper wings, paper wings
Oh how could I expect to fly with only paper wings
I tried to fly but found that I had only paper wings

I got an old V-8 from the year I was born
Don't look like much, just a flat black Ford
The engine's clean, I could paint it someday
But most of the time I like it this way

Don't turn no head, don't catch no eye
Just a wind on the road, gonna pass you by

Well I used to talk tough, I used to get loud
Want to paint my name all over this town
The folks lined up just to dog my day
Now if i stay quiet, they stay out of my way

Don't turn no head, don't catch no eye
Just a wind on the road, gonna pass you by

I got a brand new plan, I'm gonna help myself
'Cause it's a fat man's town, I'm gonna share the wealth
Put the money in the bag, keep your hands in sight
Turn around, count to ten, and I go back into the night

Don't turn no head, don't catch no eye
Just a wind on the road, gonna pass you by
Don't come over here, Don't scream don't cry
Just a wind on the road, gonna pass you by

I got an old V-8 from the year I was born
Don't look like much, just a flat black Ford

Put no stone at my head, no flowers on my tomb
No gold plated sign in a marble pillared room
The one thing I want when they lay me in the ground
When I die tear my stillhouse down
Oh tear my stillhouse down, let it go to rust
Don't leave no trace of the hiding place
Where I made that evil stuff
For all my time and money no profit did I see
That old copper kettle was the death of me
When I was a child way back in the hills
I laughed at the men who tended those stills
But that old mountain shine, it caught me somehow
When I die tear my stillhouse down
Oh tear my stillhouse down, let it go to rust
Don't leave no trace of the hiding place
Where I made that evil stuff
For all my time and money no profit did I see
That old copper kettle was the death of me
Oh tell all your children that Hell ain't no dream
'Cause Satan he lives in my whisky machine
And in my time of dying I know where I'm bound
So when I die tear my stillhouse down
Oh tear my stillhouse down, let it go to rust
Don't leave no trace of the hiding place
Where I made that evil stuff
For all my time and money no profit did I see
That old copper kettle was the death of me

I had a real good mother and father
And they surely stood the test
And now they're in bright glory
And are sleeping on the savior's breast

They set a good example for me
And they taught me how to pray
Now I truly converted
And walking on the narrow way

I know that if I can not meet them on high
Then how lonely I will be
For what good is my journey
If I miss out on eternity

I had a real good mother and father
And they surely stood the test
And now they're in bright glory
And are sleeping on the savior's breast

I made a lover's prayer
I made a lover's prayer
Then watched the sky
Then wanted to cry
It's only you and I
And how I try

So, I made a lover's prayer

So, I made a lover's prayer
I made a lover's prayer
Help me rise above
What I'm thinking of
Just a little more love
Just a little more love

I made a lover's prayer
I made a lover's prayer
I made a lover's prayer

Oh me, oh my-oh
Look at Miss Ohio
She's a-running around with her rag-top down
She says, I want to do right but not right now

Gonna drive to Atlanta
And live out this fantasy
Running around with the rag-top down
Yeah, I want to do right, but not right now

Had your arm around her shoulder
A regimental soldier
And mama starts pushing that wedding gown
Yeah, you want to do right, but not right now

Oh me, oh my-oh
Would you look at Miss Ohio
She's a-running around with the rag-top down
She says, I want to do right, but not right now

And I know all about it
So you don't have to shout it
I'm gonna straighten it out somehow
Yeah, I want to do right, but not right now

Oh me, oh my-oh
Look at Miss Ohio
She's a-running around with her rag-top down
She says, I want to do right, but not right now
Oh, I want to do right, but not right now

Saw a girl on the street from my home
Like a fire on the hillside she shone
And I knew right then that my best days were gone
And I'd been, been in the lowlands too long

Oh, I've been in the lowlands too long
Oh, I know, I know that I should go
And I've been in the lowlands too long

This is not how it was at the start
There's a doubt and a blame in my heart
And it's no one else, no fault but my own
And I've been in the lowlands too long

Oh, I've been in the lowlands too long
Oh, I know, I know that I should go
And I've been in the lowlands too long

What is this weight in my mind
And what is this new sense of time
It's the open fields and the friends that are gone
And I've been in the lowlands too long

I can sing out at all sing a song
I can do nothing all the day long
But I can't do right and I know I'm wrong
And I've been in the lowlands too long

Oh I've been in the lowlands too long
Oh, I know, I know that I should go
And I've been in the lowlands too long

Make me down a pallet on your floor
Make me down a pallet on your floor
Make me down a pallet soft and low
When I'm broke and I got nowhere to go

Been hanging 'round with a good-time friends of mine
Hanging around with a good-time friends of mine
Oh, they treat me very nice and kind
When I've got a dollar and a dime

We're in blues everywhere I see
We're in blues everywhere I see
We're in blues, honey, everywhere I see
No one ever had the blues like me

Way I'm sleeping, my back and shoulders tired
Way I'm sleeping, my back and shoulders tired
Come tomorrow, I'll be satisfied
If I can catch that fast train and ride

So, make me down a pallet on your floor
Make me down a pallet on your floor
Make me down a pallet soft and low
Babe, I'm broke and I got nowhere to go

Oh, my mother was just a girl, seventeen
Oh, my mother was just a girl, seventeen
And my dad was passing through
Doing things a man will do
And my mother was just a girl, seventeen

It's a wonder that I'm in this world at all
It's a wonder that I'm in this world at all
And I have a life to claim
Though I really don't know my name
It's a wonder that I'm in this world at all

Ain't one soul in the whole world knows my name
Ain't one soul in the whole world knows my name
But it's written up in the sky
And I'll see it by and by
Ain't one soul in the whole world knows my name

Well, I had a good mother and dad just the same
Well, I had a good mother and dad just the same
And they took me to their rest
And they surely stood the test
Yes, I had a good mother and dad, the same

Well, there ain't one soul in the whole world knows my name
Ain't one soul in the whole world knows my name
Just another baby born
To a girl lost and lorn
Ain't one soul in the whole world knows my name

Now and then, there's a lonesome thought in my mind
Now and then, there's a lonesome thought in my mind
And on the crowded street I see
A stranger's face that looks like me
Now and then, there's a lonesome thought in my mind

Well, there ain't one soul in the whole world knows my name
Ain't one soul in the whole world knows my name
But I'll see it by and by
'Cause it's written up in the sky
Ain't one soul in the whole world knows my name

There's gotta be a song left to sing
'Cause everybody can't have thought of everything
One little song that ain't been sung
One little rag that ain't been wrung out completely yet
That's got a little left

One little drop of falling rain
One little chance to try again
One little bird that makes it home now and then
One little piece of endless sky
One little taste of cherry pie
One little week in paradise and I start thinking

There's gotta be a song left to sing
'Cause everybody can't have thought of everything
One little note that ain't been used
One little word ain't been abused a thousand times
In a thousand rhymes

One little drop of falling rain
One little chance to try again
One little bird that makes it every now and then
One little piece of endless sky
One little taste of cherry pie
One little week in paradise and I start thinking

Gotta be a song left to sign
'Cause everybody can't have thought of everything
One little song that ain't been sung
One little rag that ain't been wrung out completely yet
'Til there's nothing left

One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show
So get on board

One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show
So get on board

Here comes the freight train
Here comes the freight train
Here comes the freight train
So get on board

One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show
So get on board

There is a purpose, a running keep
There is a captain with a steady wheel

One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show
So get on board

One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show
So get on board

Here comes the slow train
Here comes the slow train
Here comes the slow train
So get on board

One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show
So get on board

She's at the station, running slow
Ready for leaving and she's gonna go

One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show

Here comes the freight train
Here comes the freight train
Here comes the freight train
So get on board

One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show

One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show
So get on board

One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show
One monkey don't stop the show
So get on board

Here comes the freight train
Here comes the freight train
So get on board

Standing on the corner with a nickel or a dime
There used to be a rail car to take you down the line
Too much beer and whiskey to ever be employed
And when I got to Nashville, it was too much soldier's joy
Wasted on the wayside, wasted on the way
If I don't go tomorrow, you know I'm gone today

Back, baby, back in time
I wanna go back when you were mine
Back, baby, back in time
I wanna go back when you were mine

Black highway all-night ride
Watching the times fall away to the side
Clear channel way down low
Is coming in loud and my mind let go

Peaches in the summertime, apples in the fall
If I can't have you all the time, I won't have none at all
Oh, I wish I was in 'Frisco in a brand new pair of shoes
I'm sitting here in Nashville with Norman's Nashville blues
So come all you good time rounders listening to my sound
And then drink a round to Nashville before they tear it down

Back, baby, back in time
I wanna go back when you were mine
Back, baby, back in time
I wanna go back when you were mine

Hard weather, driving slow
The buggies and the hats in town for the show
Oh darling, the songs they played
Are all I got left of the love we made

Back, baby, back in time
I wanna go back when you were mine
Back, baby, back in time
I wanna go back when you were mine

Look out boys, 'cause I'm a rollin' stone.
That's what I was when I just left home.
I took every secret that I'd ever known
And headed for the wall
Like a wrecking ball.

Started down a little road of sin
Playin' bass under a pseudonym.
The days were rough, and it's all quite dim,
But my mind cuts through it all
Like a wrecking ball.

Oh, just a little 'Deadhead
Who's watching,
Who's watching.
I's just a little 'Deadhead.

Won a dollar on a scholarship.
I got tired and let my average slip.
And I's a farmer in the pogonip
Of a weed that I recall
was like a wrecking ball.

I met a lovesick daughter of the San Joaquin.
She showed me colors I'd never seen
And drank the bottom out of my canteen
Then left me in the fall
Like a wrecking ball.

Standin there in the morning mist,
A Jack & Coke at the end of my wrist.
Yes, I remember when first we kissed,
Though it was nothing at all
Like a wrecking ball.

Hey, boys, a little 'Deadhead
Who's watching,
Who's watching.
I's just a little 'Deadhead,

Too much trouble for me to shake
Oh, the weather and the blinding ache
We was ridin high 'til the eighty-nine quake
Hit the Santa Cruz Garden Mall
Like a wrecking ball.

I made a lover's prayer
I made a lover's prayer
Then watched the sky
Then wanted to cry
It's only you and I
And how I try

So, I made a lover's prayer

So, I made a lover's prayer
I made a lover's prayer
Help me rise above
What I'm thinking of
Just a little more love
Just a little more love

I made a lover's prayer
I made a lover's prayer
I made a lover's prayer