Listed alphabetically, these versions of Freakwater lyrics are not official, just fan transcriptions. 

All Life Long

It started with the truest affection
Then within an inch of my life I took the Fifth/fifth and hid for protection
There was a spark I craved in your eyes
And it lit me up like a lightning bug dancing
Through the summer's night sky
And we danced like

All night long

Now you say it's gonna take some time
But you're gonna set yourself straight
You're gonna walk that narrow line
But I see that spark in your eyes
And it's burning so bright, it's lit up all of your lies
And they sound like

All night long

Two fingers at a time
Seem to have a certain way of turning into two fists flying blind
And you say "maybe, I'm no good"
Well, damned if I'm not twice as twisted
Because to me those are the sweetest words
And they sound like

All night long and it felt like
All night long and forever
All life long

Annabelle Lee (Neuwirth)

The sound of a Dixieland band reminds him of a garden
Where the old ladies sit in the shade and flutter their fans
All gathered together to gossip like a bunch of old colonels
And charm the swans from their palms with their lily-white hands
And is that the singing of Annabelle Lee that I hear
And is that the ghost of the lady I’m dying to see
And is that the ether that makes these echoes that I hear
But a lady is still a lady to me
Growing up reckless someplace on the edge of the city
Learning to take danger as a matter of course, not concern
What’s the difference if there’s no light in the alley
When you’re so down and alone you’ve got no place to turn
And is that the singing of Annabelle Lee that I hear
And is that the ghost of the lady I’m dying to see
And is that the ether that makes these footsteps that I hear
But an alley is still an alley to me
And the lady is still a part of my memory
And is that the singing of Annabelle Lee that I hear
And is that the ghost of the lady I’m dying to see
And is that the ether that makes these echoes in my ear
But a lady is still a lady to me
But this lady is just a part of my memory.

A Mile Away

Bob, do you have a wife
Do you have a happy life
Doesn't it seem empty without me
Seem like things just aren't the way they oughta be
But you never call me, you never called me
I was just about a mile away
Bob, do you think of me
Sometimes it seems like it just can't be
I drank coffee all day in some stupid café
In front of that hotel where you were supposed to stay
I look so smart that my brain got sore
I'm the lonesome hippie hobo you've been searching for
But you never found me, you never found me
I was just about a mile away
Every time I see you you're so far away
A speck on the horizon as I watch you play
You never heard what I was ready to say
You never asked me, you never asked me
I was just about a mile away
But you never found me, you never found me
I was just about a mile away

Are You Ready

Are you [D] ready for your [G] new home in the [D] sky
[D] Think your luck will finally turn around the [A] minute that you die
And all your [D] prophets who profit only from your [G] fears
Will they[D] stand by and hold your hand when the[A] end is finally [D] near

Are you [D] ready to [G] claim your great [D] reward
[D] To climb those shining stairs and [A] shake hands with your Lord
When you look [D] down on those poor sinners such as [G] I
who missed our [D] chance to be redeemed will your [A] laughter drown our [D] cries

Are you [D] ready to [G] leave this sinful [D] world
[D] Would like to read your name when that [A] great scroll is unfurled
And if [D] Jesus calls you home when that [G] angel trumpet sounds
Won't you [D] just leave me alone if I'm [A] six feet under [D] ground

Are you [D] ready for your [G] new home in the [D] sky
[D] Think your luck will finally turn around the [A] minute that you die
And all your [D] prophets who profit only from your [G] fears
will they [D] stand by and hold your hand when the [A] end is finally [D] near

[D] Are you ready
Are you ready

A Song You Could Cry For

Desperately seeking more and more confusion
You sink your nails into the back of an illusion
The sun in the morning comes as such an intrusion
Banging at your door, glaring down at that whore
You thought you drowned the night before
There's something you were trying to forget
As you light the wrong end of your cigarette
And you're laughing at a joke you didn't get
Clinging to some man that you just met
Desperately hoping for a love you would die for
You play one more quarter to hear a song you could cry for
'Till the end of the world is all you've got time for 
To find someone who'll do all right and keep your demons out of sight
As you fumble through the night
He holds you so tight when you dance
And the air is filled with smoke and romance
When he stumbles you still give him a chance
It's your beauty that has put him in this trance
Desperately seeking more and more confusion
You sink your nails into the back of an illusion
The sun in the morning comes as such an intrusion
Banging at your door, glaring down at that whore
You thought you drowned the night before
Banging at your door, glaring down at that whore
You thought you drowned the night before

Binding Twine

[A] Truth [Dm] is a [A] tug of war
[A] Be [Dm]tween you and [A] me
[A] And in the [Dm] middle lies our[A] big dark holes
[A]That can suck the [Dm] dreams from a sleeping [A] baby 
[A] Some say [Dm] timing is [A] everything
[A] Burnt metal [Dm] spread across a [A] service road
[A] I'm driving [Dm] towards it and I [A] look away
[A] An instant [Dm] in time plays two [A] distinctly different ways 

[E] Would you bind my [A]memories in twine?
[E] Would you drive with [A] me over the state line?
[E] Would be will[A]ing to do the time?
[A] Their simple [Dm]messages [A]we will use
[A] Either way [Dm]there is something [A] that you are bound to confuse 

[E] Would you bind my [A] memories in twine?
[E] Would you drive with [A] me over the state line?
[E] Would be wil[A]ling to do the time?
[A] Their simple[Dm] sentences we will choose
[A] Either way [Dm] there is something [A] that you are bound to lose 

Each day I figure's like the day before
Some days I'm content, for some I devise a cure
To dim the bell I refuse to hear
Its constant tolling as it rings inside of my ear

Year after year
And day after day
And year after year
And day after year
(Neil notes: "The intro/outro bit is a bit hard to describe: Start with an open A7 
chord, but played on the 5th fret so that it's a C7 and with the D string 
slurring up from an F# to a G. Then proceed to the same thing on the third 
fret (so a Bb7), then finally to a plain A major.)

Blood and Fire

Silver hands, chemical hearts 
Too much blood they've slipped apart
The martyr hears his family cry
Too much glory's burned their eyes
Emeralds are green and blood is red
So many years, so many deaths
Rubber bullets flying fast
Another slave is freed at last
Handsome flowers mark the place 
Where the soldier lost his pretty face
Rain that makes the fuchsias grow
Blood rain makes the headstones grow
Burning tires, smoking glow
Down where the river of bodies flow
North to south through every town
South to north blood soaked the ground
Have a beer for the kid who died
Says his mother welling up with pride
Ditch the car and feel the blast 
Burning higher than the last
Hair as red as blood and fire
Go tell your god that he's a liar

Blue Eyes

You have blue eyes
They're the only ones that I know
Other eyes don't mean a thing to me
Your eyes are the ones I see when I close my eyes
You have blue eyes
I've got one that's brown and one that's kinda green
Your eyes are the prettiest I've ever seen
Eyes I see sometimes in my dreams your eyes
You have blue eyes
You have blue eyes
They're the only ones that I know
Other eyes don't mean a thing to me
Your eyes are the ones I see when I close my eyes
You have blue eyes
I sometimes lying in my bed
I see blue eyes floating above my head
I always laughed at what people said about eyes
You have blue eyes
You have blue eyes
They're the only ones that I know
Other eyes don't mean a thing to me
Your eyes are the ones I see when I close my eyes
You have blue eyes
You have blue eyes
They're the only ones that I know

Buckets of Oil

Buckets of oil, buckets of wine
To grease up these gears and shut down my mind
Buckets of nails, truckloads of blood
To float this ship of fools up out of the mudThe sand we threw on the fire
Cooked up the rose-colored glasses that we’ve all admired
A spoonful of sugar to cook over the flame
And mix with the blood of the wounded and the lame
Buckets of oil, buckets of wine
To grease up these gears and shut down my mind
Buckets of nails, truckloads of blood
To float this ship of fools up out of the mud
The amber grain, and all the beautiful spaceships, radio waves
Above the purple mountains that might just be
So many little hearts shining on that sad hill of graves
The yellow rose will rise before the father and before the son
And the yellow rose will shine down for all the world to see
When the beautiful victory’s won
The crowd we had was good in my neighborhood
Down where I shed my grace God never showed his face to me
Where the winners and the losers from sea to shining sea
Have been bought and sold and most often had for free
Buckets of oil, buckets of wine
To grease up these gears and shut down my mind
Buckets of nails, truckloads of blood
To float this ship of fools up out of the mud

Cathy Ann 

Cathy Ann, hold/fold your little hand
If your daddy didn’t love you, there’s just no good in man
Cathy Ann, Cathy Ann, still playing in the sand
Where the moon tells the water to come sleep with the land
On Mermaid Avenue everybody knew you
The sky was always blue when your daddy drew you
Born by the ocean, born for the fire
That was born by a spark, blown by a wire
Cathy Ann, hold/fold your little hand
If your daddy didn’t love you, there’s just no good in man
Cathy Ann, Cathy Ann, still playing in the sand
Where the moon tells the water to come sleep with the land
You’re mama she’s dancing, flying down the stairwell
And your daddy he’s fading, as his mama did foretell
Shaking like a leaf, shaking like a flame
That was fed by the wind that stirred up from the plain
Ashes are scattered, last smoke comes rising 
Dark clouds are cinders across the horizon
Cathy Ann, fold/hold your little hand
If your daddy didn’t love you, there’s just no good in man
If your daddy didn’t love you, there’s just no good in man

Cheap Watch

Wound[A] up tighter than a cheap watch
Wind it [D] up and watch how the time [A] flies
Little white teeth wound around what sounds like [F] more cheap [A] lies
Little black [E] clouds suck us up into the sky
[D] Wound up where the Christmas lights stay [A] up all year
And it takes the barman half an hour just to get me another [E] beer
Was it [D] just for kicks or was it [A] in and out of [D] fear
One step [E] closer, two stepping posers get a [D] little kings [A] lear
[D] One foot on the gas, two [A] feet from Tennessee
[E] L ittle hand on the twelve-gauge and the [D] big hand swinging [A] free
Well, I [D] made you look but I [A]could not make you [D] see
Look [E] down at your shoes 'cause the tie that binds was un[D]tied by [A]me
[D] Rebel rouser and the e-string is my [A]last nerve
Ringing [D] out like a stabbing [A] pain
It's the [D] last call, and I'm calling on
Something that they don't [A] serve
Like a [E] double shot of that ball and [A] chain
[D] Spoonful of absence makes my [A] heart grow fonder
[E] Spoonful of absinthe makes my [D] mind to [A] wander
[D] Spoonful of sugar down [A] at the candy [D] store
I got a [E] string around your sweet tooth, baby
And I'm [D] getting up to slam the [A] door
Wound up tighter than a cheap watch
Wind it up and watch how the time flies
Little white teeth wound around what sounds like more cheap lies
Little black clouds suck us up into the skies
Little black [E]clouds suck us [D] up into the [A] skies

Cloak of Frogs

I'm sitting at this table I painted a shiny red
With a bowl full of oranges, a candle and a half a cigarette
I turn on the radio watch the tubes begin to glow
And the light flickers with the voice of one who knows

Take me to the river
Wash me in the water
He sings to me, to the fallen (water)
And I hear him singing out
I'm nervous in my skin I feel it has been read (rent) 
And the mess that's seeping out
Only the devil could have sent
Wash me in the water
Get rid of the evidence
She is standing on the bank
Prayin' for water to take my breath
Take me to the river
Wash me in the water
He sings to me, to the fallen
And I hear him singing out (say do it now)
My muscles have grown weary dragging this cloak of frogs
(Now mosses have grown where he dragged in his cloak of frogs)
And I cried when the deal was struck
Oh please no gun
For I am a murderer hidden in a gasoline shroud
You were my healer you were my match
I was gonna burn this damn thing down

Crazy Man

[G] I heard that your [C] daddy was a [D] crazy man
[G] He left your mama [C] standing with a [D] dishtowel in her hand
[G] Snuck out through the [C] back way and let the [D] screen door slam
[G] It's hard to find the [C] words to say you don't [D] give a damn
You said that you never saw your mama cry
Maybe she was sneakin' around with another man on the sly
I have met your mama and she's crazy too
You got more from her than just your eyes of blue
[C] All the words have been [G] spoken
[G] All the bridges have been burned and the promises [D] broken
[C] It's not hard just to have a little [G] baby 
[G] And I won't have far [D] to go when I go crazy [G]
All the words have been spoken
All the bridges have been burned and the promises broken
It's not hard just to have a little baby 
And I won't have far to go when I go crazy
I look into your eyes and I think I see
Picture of my smiling with a baby on my knee
There in that old photograph you never change
Like the last time that I saw you when you looked so strange
All the words have been spoken
All the bridges have been burned and the promises broken
It's not hard just to have a little baby 
And I won't have far to go when I go crazy

Cricket versus Ant 

The moon shone down with a silvery light 
And a little voice told me I was bound to be all right 
He said don't you worry my little golden child 
Let the other ones work why don't you just run wild
Some work hard while others work harder 
To put up the jam and fill up the larder 
Let the other ones work these lovely days away 
You are the one who would rather sport and play
I rubbed my knees together and just played along 
when I heard the crickets singing their bowlegged song 
If it all goes terribly wrong, maybe it won't take long
We came to our destruction through fire and through water 
Through the cruel machinations of the vengeful daughter 
The earth that trembled destroyed all we had made 
Many were lost still many more were saved
Some plant in the springtime to reap in the fall 
Watch the trees in their orchard grow heavy and tall 
While the lillies of the field swaying half drunk with pride 
Stand gaping at the sky, their pretty mouths open wide
I rubbed my knees together and just played along 
When I heard the crickets singing their bowlegged song 
If it all goes terribly wrong, maybe it won't take long 
If it all goes terribly wrong, maybe it won't take long

Dirty Little Snowman 

Raised up in Kentucky on a sunny winter's day
Just below the Mason-Dixon this final scene was played
Dirty little snowman, a sight for sore eyes to see
But no one was ever watching but my brother and me
And though we used to dance all around the Christmas tree
Singing of the baby Jesus, he looks a lot like me
And three worlds collided on the day of his creation
His head and his heart set on the arc of his foundation
Lightning struck the tower and your dirty mouth smiled 
We gazed down with pride at our hideous child
I'll give you my hat, I'll give you my gloves
I'll give you my eyes that have been blinded by love
And here is a rock for you to roll back up the hill
Every single morning until the world stands still
Roll his body through the mud and the snow
Where the dead leaves and the green grass 
Will make a dirty snowman grow
The snow would not cover the ground
The snow would not cover the hill
The snow would not cover the tracks we had made
Or the coal from his mouth where he fell
The snow would not cover the ground
The snow would not cover the hill
The snow would not cover the mud from our tears 
As we knelt for the final farewell
And though we used to dance all around the Christmas tree
Singing of the baby Jesus, he looks a lot like me
And three worlds collided on the day of his creation
His head and his heart set on the arc of his foundation

Dog Gone Wrong

Little sheep-killing dog, fell in with a bad crowd
Three miles away, hear 'em howling when they howl so loud
Down at the end of the road, a bloody mouth and she was so proud
Her first taste of blood and it's a dog gone wrong
And it's a doggone shame
Black fur clinging to the lowest wire
Mud on your feet, scratches down your back say that you're a liar
Once she crossed that line, once she crossed the fence
Little sheep should know they oughta pack up and go but they got no sense

Slack up on the rope and she's bound to roam
Pulling up/out stakes/steaks and spitting out the bone
Give her an inch, she's looking for a mile
Give her a cake and she's looking for a file
Give her a kiss, she's gonna suck the gold right out of your mouth
Give her a car and she'll be headed South
Little dog came sneaking without a sound
Sneaking up so low-down, steering clear of the higher ground
Once you cross that line you can't help but see
Little lambs should fall easy as the apples fall from a tree
Slack up on the rope and she's bound to roam
Pulling up/out stakes/steaks and spitting out the bone
Give her an inch, she's looking for a mile
Give her a cake and she's looking for a file
Give her a kiss, she's gonna suck the gold right out of your mouth
Give her a car and she'll be headed South
Little sheep-killing dog fell in with a bad crowd
Three miles away, hear 'em howling when they howl so loud
Down at the end of the road, a bloody mouth and she was so proud
Her first taste of blood and it's a dog gone wrong 
And It's a doggone shame

First taste of blood and it's a dog gone wrong and 
And it's a doggone shame

Double Clutch

See the liar nurse the lie 
And watch it flower where truces die
With such assurance, like a mother's arms 
So far from honesty and safe from harm
And how you test your nerve
Against the windfall that could blow your bones away
To sulking sultans, cow-eyed kings
You are your downfall, your tattered wings 
For there's glory in the furrowed brow 
And love of ruin will show you how
And how you test your nerve
Against the windfall that could blow your bones away
And it takes a toll and leaves a stain 
But it's wandring out/one thing that ?
When you’re lost you will never stray
The Devil never strikes as familiar 
Affection like a snakebite on a winter’s day 
There's night time skills ? in every song you play 
For your own
Melting bliss from a Dixie cup 
A yearling’s lust turns a vaguely / angry crutch ?
Songs and woe on a bride's deaf ear 
She'll wear your ring while she cokes the mirror
And how you test your nerve
Against the windfall that could blow your bones away
And it takes a toll and leaves a stain 
But it's wandering out/one thing that 
When you’re lost you will never stray
And how you test your nerve
Against the windfall that could blow your bones away
And it takes a toll and leaves a stain 
But it's wandering out/one thing that 
When you’re lost you will never stray

Dream Girl

I may not be the girl of your dreams
Dreams aren't always pretty anyway
Just like me they'll be gone in the morning
They just don't make sense in the light of day
You are not the first love I've known 
We both know that is right 
Darlin' you might be the last love for me
If I die tonight
A smile is not always what it seems
It's hard to believe what people say
Like a river the current changes without warning 
And it's easy to be swept away
You are not the first love I've known 
We both know that is right 
Darlin' you might be the last love for me
If I die tonight
The lies that were not meant to be believed
Like lines memorized for a play
And the truth is just an unspoken longing
To hear the words we now hear ourselves say
You are not the first love I've known 
We both know that is right 
Darlin' you might be the last love for me
If I die tonight

Family Tradition

I don't drink very often, I almost never get stoned
Once I get started you'll have to drive me home
My father is an alcoholic, my grandfather was too
And that's why I'd better stay away from you
You make me want to drink until I can't even see
You make me want to get messed up when you're not here with me
Once I start drinking I wanna get out of my mind
And I'll be bad off in the morning if I don't leave you behind
Things got started slowly but they changed and lost control
I'd wake up in the evening, tip the bottle and party some more
Jose became my best friend, Jack sang my lullabies
So it's time I picked up, kissed you sweetly and said goodbye
You make me stop and think it's all just killing me
Takin' the road to the age I've gotta finally see
Things aren't lookin' better yet there just not getting worse
Not as bad as yesterday, think I dodged that ol' black Hearse
You make me want to drink until I can't even see
You make me want to get messed up when you're not here with me
Once I start drinking I wanna get out of my mind
And I'll be bad off in the morning if I don't leave you behind
And I'll be bad off in the morning if I don't leave you behind

Fill My Thermos

I'll be gone before tomorrow in my dreams
If I see you the next day it's not 'cause I didn't want to leave
It was always on my mind I was trying to get away
It no money as much as you that makes me want to stay
I'll be flying down the highway in my dreams
Driving through Ohio in the falling orange leaves
Fill my thermos in a truckstop watch the night turn into day
It's the highway as much as you that make me run away
Draw a map in the steam on the windshield of my car
At a rest stop in the Midwest in the middle of my dreams
Soemthing crazy inside makes me want to drive all night
Everything's gone wrong but maybe that's all right

Flat Hand

[C] Flat hand, open palm
Your mouth was [F] scream- [Fmaj7]ing,
Your eyes were [D] calm [D7]
[G] Flat land, [G7] 23rd Psalm
Little [F] Bo Peep,
Your sheep done [C] gone

Flat hand to leave no trace
Mark where the nail went
And left a scratch across your face
Flat land, glittering strand
Lover’s angels
Banished from the sand

No eyes shine [F] brighter
To the flailing failing [C] fighter
Who once held above her [G] head
A [F] glowing trembling [C] lighter
No heart pounds [F] harder
To the sinking, drinking [C] martyr
Who trembled on the [G] bank
As her last dream boat sank
Beneath the [F] deep and sleepless [C] water

[C] Holy Mary, hold the phone
I want a little [F]ba- [Fmaj7]by that’s all my [D] own [D7]
[G] Hold the line, [G7] hold me tight
I got a [F] hole in my arm and I can’t get it [C] right

[C] Holy flesh, howlin’ bones
Run off and [F] left [Fmaj7] me all a- [D]lone[[D7]
[G] Hopped up boy, [G7] hothouse frail
I got a [F] hole in my arm and I know I’m bound to [F] fail
[C] Blood of my [F] blood is what you [C] are
No wise man’s [G] gift sent from a- [C]far
[C] Blood of my [F] blood [Fmaj7] flows through your [D] veins
And bound our [G] hearts in [F] crimson [C] chains

Forgettable Song

[A] I tried to remember things I told you I would never [D] forget
And I [E] try not to think on things you told me I might live to [A] regret
Some days when I wake up I can't remember where I put the [D] blame
And in the [E] morning when it's time to go home I can't remember your [A] name
[D] I had a new dress and I think it must have been [A] white
I [D] remember a church and we slept in a motel that [A] night
I [D] remember the clothes lay scattered all across the [A] floor
[E] That's where it all gets so dark I can't remember any[A]more
I tried to remember things I told you I would never forget
And I try not to think on things you told me I might live to regret
The past is often faded and the future is always unsure
True love and true regret will always endure
This little scar will always remind me of you
A souvenir that always remains just like a tattoo
And a green band still lingers around my finger where that ring used to be
And I wonder if you have a scar to remind you of me

I try to remember things I told you I would never forget
I try not to think of things you told me I might live to regret
Some days when I wake up I can't remember where I put the blame
And in the morning when it's time to go home I can't remember your name

Glass of a Stranger

Once the sun, it said
Goodbye to the dawn
For my light it will begin to wane 
And the night it holds so much charm 
With all of the tricks of the trade 
That beg you to fall gently in
All of the tricks of the trade
Plied with a dance where you spin
And spin
Once this pimp, he said
That bitch was coming, leaving 
And once his whore, she said,
You can only bleed when you're breathing
And you've got to find your way 
To figure how you're gonna play
And you've got to find your way
To keep the blood flowing 'round
And 'round
Let joy take the hand of all those who will take her on
And hear a song from a blade of grass 
And drink up what's been offered from a stranger's glass
Once a father, he drew
Two simple clocks in the sand
His desire was to make
His middle daughter try to understand
How a man's plan can change
The arbitrary hands of time 
How a man's plan can change
When given over to the divine
Let joy take the hand of all those who will take her on
And hear a song from a blade of grass 
And drink up what's been offered from a stranger's glass
Let joy take the hand of all those who will take her on
And hear a song from a blade of grass 
And drink up what's been offered from a stranger's glass
And drink of what's been offered from a stranger's glass
And drink up what has been offered from a stranger's glass

Gone to Stay

[G] How many heartaches do you [C] think you can [G] stand
I used to count 'em all on the fingers [D] of just one [D7] hand 
[G] Way back in the distance before these [C] sad times began
Now I'm [G] down by the ocean coun[D]ting grains [G] of sand
[G7] There's nothing so [C] pure as the kindness of an [G]atheist
A simple act [D]of unselfish[D7]ness that never has to be [G] repaid 
[G7]And there's nothing so [C]sure as a razor [G] blade above your wrist
When you think you just [C] can't stand it
You're gonna leave [D7] empty handed
Do you still dream of [G] being saved
Friends and relations they all stand around 
As the casket is lowered down into the ground 
The shovel dirt and gravel - all his mother hears is the sound 
Of a little baby crying somewhere in the crowd
[C] Jesus wouldn't save you [G] and you cried 
I knew I couldn't save [D]you [D7] so I lied
The [C] doctors couldn't save you but [G] I do believe they [C] tried
After [G] dying together we die al[D]one side by [G]side
There's nothing so pure as the kindness of an atheist
A simple act of unselfishness that never has to be repaid 
And there's nothing so sure as a razor blade above your wrist
When you think you just can't stand it 
You're gonna leave you empty handed
Do you still dream of being saved

Good for Nothing

[G] I've been good, and I've been [C] good for nothing
I had it [G] bad for something seems [D]like a long time ago
[G] And the dirt beneath my nails is not from [C] some field of flowers
[G] Sown by the April showers and what they may or [C] may not bring
[G] I always get lucky [C] in the [G] spring
I [D] have been [G] good for nothing
[C] Loose lips are bound to sink ships 
And many times I've watched [G] my own self drown
[C] Clinging fast to my lucidity 
Like a life raft that's al[D]ways sinking down
[C] One big drink and then another
Pull my head down far [G] beneath the waves
[D] Where I'm living like a mermaid decked in stolen jewels 
From the drowning men [G] I've saved
I've been good, and I've been good for nothing
I had it bad for something seems like a long time ago
And the dirt beneath my nails is not from some field of flowers
Sown by the April showers and what they may or may not bring
I always get lucky in the spring
I have been good for nothing
[Solo over chords from chorus]
Black crows break and scatter wide 
The buckshot blast soaring out of sight
Clouds of heat and dust that rise up from the ground
On a slow and gasping flight
I'm bound to think about my brother 
When August sucks the colors from the air
And Kudzu vines make tangled monsters
Of the trees where we first learned to play fair
[Same chords as chorus]
Forgive and forget are words that never slid across my tongue
Revenge like a fleeting Christmas morning I knew when I was young
Put the toys back in their boxes 
Let me tear the ribbons off them just once more
Inside my little box of bones a ray of light shines 
Where I'm slowly keeping score
I've been good, and I've been good for nothing
I had it bad for something seems like a long time ago
And the dirt beneath my nails is not
From some field of flowers
Sung by the April showers and what they may or may not bring
I always get lucky in the spring
I have been good for nothing
I have been good for nothing

Gravity

I wasn't drinking to forget, I was drinking to remember
How I once might have looked through the eyes of a stranger
When all hope should be gone still the dream somehow lingers
Like the ghost of a snowstorm in frostbitten fingers
Ten thousand backwards glances won't bring second chances
I never knew I was wasted, I was way too far gone
The face I think is mine is not the face that I see
The worried face in the mirror whose worried eyes are fixed on me
All your beauty will be stolen by young girls in the night
A thief as quiet as a dark cloud that's stole away the moonlight

Great Potential

Your breath's not exactly like a breath of spring
And your eyes aren't shining brighter than any diamond ring
Your hair's not flowing down like a great black waterfall
And things that used to turn me on don't move me at all
Every word you speak is not the smartest thing I've ever heard
And when you talk about yourself I'm not hanging onto every word
I know every line on your face could tell a story
But I've heard them all before and now they bore me
Even your great potential now just leaves me cold
When I look at you I'm thinking, God, do I look that old
I've been told a city of gold waits at the bottom of a long dark hole
But I can't wait around for that story to unfold
It leaves me cold

Heaven

Heaven is for the weak at heart
And those who never are as smart as me
But I would trade all that I believe
And keep no trick card up my sleeve
Just to know the angels hold you in their arms tonight

I was a good baby, I slept all through night
My mother remembers my eyes were like hers
When no one remembers do the dying embers
Say goodnight, say goodnight

A screen door bangin’ in the wind
Through the quiet night you come crashin’ again
Just like new, it’s never faded
It’s a game we play, my jaded little brain and I

In a dream where I could fly
I look down on you [fallen down?] [outside?]
My heart's desire could not be sated
Til your own child you have traded
An eye for an eye

Heaven is for the weak at heart
And those who never are as smart as me
But I would trade all that I believe
And keep no trick card up my sleeve
Just to know the angels hold you in their arms tonight
Just to know the angels hold you in their arms tonight

Hellbound 

There's the door the carpenter made
It opens wide, don't be afraid
To step into my high world
Little dream has set the story on pearl (?)Why a mans [a-skep-a-depple???]
Secrets stop at my doorstep
Never to see the light of day
But the light of night shines so sweetly on your face
I don't need a ring
Don't want any of those usual things
I just want that look inside your eyes
You run rings around me, I'm out of my mind
Well, Sweetie, you are there
Can I fix you a drink stay out there tonight (?)
Looking for the door
Shut it tight and slip the bolt into its notch
Baby that ship is comin' round
Whooooooo!
Slipstream will slip on our dreams and ride them down
Well, don't think twice before you roll
Just toss the dice and see what floats
And you will find what comes to the top
Unless those devil eyes have got you marked

When the party's over
When our secret's blown its cover
When this boat is gone from its anchored ground
The deeper you dive the steeper you fall
Well, Sweetie, you are right there
Can I fix you a drink?
Stay up here tonight, lookin' for the door (?)
Shut it tight and slip the bolt into its notch
Let's get a drink and let it go 
I threw my anchor right smack down into the undertow
Now hold my hand as far as I'm goin' down
[Goin' where the whole world can dive, hellbound/
Don't wear the holy robe, I am hellbound]

(Hey, it's the best we could come up with. . .)

Hero/Heroine

You are my hero, you are my heroine
I followed your dusty trail to where it all began
Back to the time before I knew I was a fool
To the night I saw my star like some flashing jewel
And the way I chose was not my own invention
But it was ignorance more than pretension
You are my hero, you are my heroine
I followed you way downtown to steal your fountain pen
But there were myths and there were facts that I mistook
And everyone who gets drunk will not write a good book
But the words I spoke, the stories I was making
Were for the love of you not for the love of faking
You are my hero, you are my heroine
Would you dig a grave I might be buried in
I lean my back against the stove and drink a beer
The song you're singing in my head just like you were here
And your hat's pulled down so far it hides you eyes
Just like a dust storm hit the Oklahoma skies
You are my hero, you are my heroine

Hex

When you hear me calling your name in the night
Do you run to your window thinking the coyote might
Be howling
When you hear me knocking at your door again
Do you tell yourself it’s only the wind
That’s blowing
When you watch the sun sink down in the west
Do you tell yourself that the heart in your chest 
Is still beating
Will you know or must I tell you
This is my lover’s spell you have fallen into 
My dear
My voice is all you’ll hear
Only the sound of my heart pounding, darling
You took my heart
Cast it aside 
Laughed when I cried
Like it was just no big deal 
And here all alone in the dark 
I know just how you feel
When you feel my fingers touch your skin again
Do you tell yourself there’s just no use
In crying
When the stars in the sky begin to fade
Do you tell yourself, don’t be afraid
It’s just the night
That’s dying
Will you know or must I tell you
This is my lover’s spell you have fallen into, my dear
My voice is all you’ll hear
Only the sound of my heart pounding, darling

Hi Ho Silver 

Two wrongs don't make it right 
Like two drunken losers can make a make a knock-down drag-out fight 
Flying saucers in the air last night 
Boo- boomeranging golden lights
I've got a friend he's trying to give me the good news 
Like solace can be found in pills and booze 
That kind of leaves me here with nowhere to go 
Sounds like crazy talk but what do I know
Hi Ho Silver, high on pills 
Use your hands and tell me how I feel 
Higher power, hired hand of mine 
Tell me why your god is so divine
And the door says he adores me now 
And the window says he feels my pain 
And the floor tells me you're lying like a rug 
And the blood tells me it's all in vain
Hi Ho Silver, high on pills 
Use your hands and tell me how I feel 
Higher power, hired hand of mine 
Tell me why your god is so divine

Jack the Knife 
​
There was a knife I left behind 
I will always search for and never find 
A knife I believe was right here in my pocket 
And its blade still flashes through my mind 
And my fingers will forever be entwined 
Around the knife I left behind
There was a knife that would not be found 
Though I've searched the whole world round 
Spiraling downward, long red ribbons to the ground 
Turning smooth as a razor where the skin came all unwound 
There was a knife, would not be found
My hand holds a memory its handle just like ebony 
Its blade was beaming, gleaming like a fast blue flame 
When it stabs me to the heart I feel the pain 
And no other knife could ever be the same
With a heavy heart I drew and snapped the chalk line 
That ran between what was yours and mine 
In dreams I return to the scene of the crime 
For the knife I left behind
There was a knife I left behind 
I will always search for and never find 
A knife I believe was right here in my pocket 
Its blade still flashes through my mind 
And my fingers will forever be intwined 
Around the knife I left behind
And my fingers will forever be intwined 
Around the knife I left behind

Jesus Year

Jesus Year is upon me now
But for no one but my child would I die
Jesus’ no more make me lay with a man
Than the devil made us both writhe

Jesus keeps his brother well
With pensions paid by us all
When ridding ourselves of our guilt
On the guilty. . .we call

Have you written of what we’ve lost
Have you written of what I’ve told
Have you written of what we’ve lost
Have you written of what I’ve told
Have you written of what we’ve gained
In the misery we now dearly know

When I’m lowered down alone or with a crowd
Tomorrow or a long time from now
There will have been choices I’ve made
With fear, greed and shame
No one but myself is to blame

But I tried my best, sometimes I tried a little less
I’m not the person you want me to be
Please take your anger and your disappointment
And bury it along with me

Please take your anger and your disappointment
And bury it along with me

Jewel 

Nineteen words of sorrow, side by side were strung 
Way out, across the alley where a long, broken strand of pearls was flung
Between her teeth she held a note from a choked and broken chord 
As the last sad song was finally sung
And she stole away with the breath that flowed across her velvet tongue
A shining strand of pearls washed up on the shore 
Far out on the ocean, waves pound against her kitchen door
A deal has been struck, the tables have been turned 
A chair is kicked aside across the floor 

The future and the past, long-lost lovers when they met 
Are never to be parted anymore
Jewels of the midnight sky, ten thousand diamond tears she cried 
A grain of sand carried on the tide, lay buried deep within her sigh
Jewels of the ocean wide, now in darkness to abide 
Everything has slipped through her hands 
A shining pearl from a grain of sand
We close our eyes and see how the angels fly 
Just below ill-fated knots their trembling hands have tied 

What you are taking, what you are leaving 
A world of sorrow, a world of grieving
A careful thief to leave no trace, 
the crashing waves beneath your feet could not erase
Jewels of the midnight sky, ten thousand diamond tears she cried 
A grain of sand carried on the tide lay buried deep within her sigh
Jewels of the ocean wide, now in darkness to abide 
Everything has slipped through her hands 
A shining pearl from a grain of sand
Everything has slipped through her hands 
A shining pearl from a grain of sand

Lorraine

[G] Red as the blood from a body that was torn
[C] White as the white sheets that white men had [G] worn
[G] Bluer than the river that flowed to the sea
[D] As thin as a rope left [C] tied to a [G] tree


[G] Red as the dirt where a shallow grave was made
[C] White as the church where the killers all [G] prayed
[G] Bluer than the sky when the evening sun fell
[D] As empty as the case of an [C] old shotgun [G] shell


[G] I was [C] dreaming of Lorraine when I [G] turned my head in [D] shame
I could not [G] love you, my only true love is for my lovely [C] pain
my tears dry [G] faster than good luck in a [D] gambling [G] game


Red as the eyes of a woman who was crying
White as the shirt of a man who lay dying
Bluer than the steel of the bullet that flew
Hollow as the words I came crying to you


And I was dreaming of Lorraine when I turned my head in shame
I could not love you, my only true love is for my lovely pain
My tears dry [G] faster than good luck in a [D] gambling [G] game
My tears dry [C] faster than [D] good luck in a [C] gambling [G] game

Louisville Lip

Down at the bottom of the Second Street Bridge
In a story I've often been told
Beneath the water at the Second Street Bridge
There's a little piece of gold
Has the gild edge worn away
And the ribbon long ago rotted and frayed
Has the rust eaten through like a cheap ring would do
Or was it really solid gold
Whip the world, whip this town
Whip it into the river and watch it go down
Whip the world, your lashing tongue
Big man crying like babies from where the bee stung
Fair fight on a Friday night
Ropeadope swingin' in the spotlight
Fight your own fight, fight to win
Fight the wrong fight, it's gonna be a sin
Hatred and love fit together like a hand in a glove
Bound with tape and tied at the wrist 
A hand becomes a fist
Whip the world, whip this town
Whip it into the river and watch it go down
Whip the world your lashing tongue
Big man crying like babies from where the bee stung
Whip the world whip this town
Whip it into the river and watch 'em all drown
When the king threw off his golden crown
Floating down like butterfly wings
It sank without a sound

Just Like You

Just look at what you've done
Don't try and think of takin' it away
Play it through your head
Until you think you're taught
It'll still be there
This sleepless heart [??? incorrect]
To answer to like I do
Just like I do
I won't let you escape
By takin' you out
And letting someone take your place
You'll have to face it every day
False glory won't keep it away
Now you know what it takes
To be fueled by hate
And I was told a rule of gold
But it was undone by you
But I know better now
The rule that is true
To forgive is to be a fool
From the second fate was sealed
Like a deadbolt lock on a life on a wheel
The simple things that you would do
Would drive it home on a spinning wheel
That rolls you back 'til you feel
Just like I do
Just like a light down in a storm
The light goes out for some but for others
A fire is born
And I was told a rule of gold
But it was undone by you
But I know better now
The rule that is true
To forgive is to be a fool
I pray someone will find me first
Deliver me from this fatal curse
Now any of you so that I can breathe [wrong]
At the hardness swallowing me
All I can seem to do
Is be just like you

Kentucky House

Come on back to Kentucky
Come on back where you belong
Come on home my little darlin'
You know you never should have gone
You went up to the city 
And you came home all dressed in black
With that big wide-eyed monkey
Tattooed all across your back
You were burning with a vision 
Burning like a shooting star
The only time when I get driven 
Is when I'm driving in my car
Come on back to Kentucky
Come on back where you belong
Come on home my little darlin'
You know you never should have gone
Come on home little darling
Everything's gonna be just fine
We got ice, we got a front porch
And all the girls have big ol' dreams like mine

Little Black Train

[G] (w/ fills)
[C] There's a little black train that's coming, coming down the track
[F] You gotta ride that little black train 
And it [C] ain't gonna [G] bring you [C] back
[C] You may be a barroom gambler, cheat your way through life
[F] You can't cheat that little black train 
Or [C] beat this [G] final [C] ride
[C] You silken barroom ladies, dressed in your worldly pride
[F] You gotta ride that little black train
And it's [C] coming [G] in [C] tonight
[C] Your million dollar fortune, mansion glittering wife
[F] You can't take it with you
When the [C] train rolls [G] in to- [C]night
[C] Get ready for your savior, fix your business right
[F] You gotta ride that little black train
That's [C] coming [G] in to- [C]night
[C] There's a little black train that's coming, coming down the track
[F] You gotta ride that little black train 
And it [C] ain't gonna [G] bring you [C] back
[C] [G]

Loserville

Here down in Loserville, we say if looks could kill 
We'd all been dead long ago 
And you say maybe you are 
And maybe you just don't know
And here down in Loserville 
The bourbon flows like a river so deep and still 
We fill up a bucket every day 
And you say, baby, if that's so 
Why don't you fall down on your knees and pray
Run and your feet will be bound 
Crawl and broken glass will cover the ground 
Speak and only lies will be spoken 
Ask, all the doors will be broken
Here down in Loserville, we've got some big shoes to fill 
But we don't walk fast we walk slow 
And you say maybe you do
But it looks like you've got no place to go
Cry and it's music to my ears 
Weep and I will fall down drunk on your tears 
Pillars of salt line the side of the road 
Take off running, don’t look back 
For the debt that you were owed
Here down in Loserville, we say if looks could kill 
W e'd of all been dead long ago
And you say maybe you are 
And maybe you just don't know

Lullaby

[G] Don't cry, little [C] baby [G] girl
[G] You have no worries [C] in this [C] world
[C] Your [G] momma, she's a [C] worryin' [G] kind
[G] She's always got some troubles [D] on her [G] mind
[G] The landlord's comin' [C] down the [G] hall
[G] He wants the rent, but I [D] spent it [G] all
[G] The heat goes off on Monday, 'twas a [C] letter [G] sent
[G] I took that money to [D] pay the [G] rent
[G]The food is all gone now, there's [C] nothin' to [G] eat
[G] I took that money to [D] pay the [G] heat
[G] Don't cry little [C] ba- [G] by, [G] go to sleep now, [D] close your eyes
[G] Go to sleep little [C]ba- [G]by, it's so sad to [D] see your momma [G] cry
[G] Don't cry little [C] baby [G] girl
[G] You have no worries [C] in this [G] world
[C] Your [G] momma she's a [C] worryin' [G] kind
[G] She's always got some troubles [D] on her [G] mind

Miner Song

Diamonds are rough when they're buried in the clay
Men dig down to find them for five dollars a day
Too tired from working down in the mine
To make a better life they haven't got time
To make a better life they haven't got time
Slaves underground while others up above
Give gold and diamonds as symbols of true love
Miner goes home at the end of the night
To a labor camp a thousand miles from his wife
To a labor camp a thousand miles from his wife
Who thinks the diamonds that's there on her hand
Is worth more than the life of some African man
The life of these miners is too much to pay
So under the earth these diamonds should stay
Under the earth these diamonds should stay
Diamonds are rough when they're buried in the clay
Men dig down to find them for five dollars a day
Too tired from working down in the mine
To make a better life they haven't got time
To make a better life they haven't got time

My History

My history surrounds me
And it's closing in around my bed
And all I have known
Has turned to sticks and to stones
But these words are wandering/a dream/would ring in my head
I've got you paper for ten
Not the kind tradition meant
But the kind that says
I'm walking out that door
And my heart breaks in two
A little for me and a little for you
Still this thing
Is just the thing I've got to do
For so long I was on my own
Seeking shelter from what I've known
Like the last leaves of the fall's last embrace
Waiting for it all to drop
Like a big new year's ball
With just a past and a song for the lost
I've got you paper for ten
Not the kind tradition meant
But the kind that says
I'm walking out that door
And my heart breaks in two
A little for me and a little for you
Still this thing
Is just the thing I've got to do
Now the glass has filled with sand
I look down and don't know my own hands
I thought that surely the answers would be revealed
We'd know it'd all been for the better
The hurt's past like a forgotten winter
But I'm haunted by these words instead
When I say it
I've got you paper for ten
Not the kind tradition meant
But the kind that says
I'm walking out that door
And my heart breaks in two
A little for me and a little for you
Still this thing
Is just the thing I've got to do
Still this thing is just the thing that I've 
It's just the thing that I've gotta do

My Old Drunk Friend

[G] My old drunk friend, it's good to [C] see you [D] again
[C] Every time you walk [D] in I should [D] run the other [G] way
My old drunk [G] friend, you're [C] lookin' kinda [D] thin
I won't [C] ask where you've been, you [D] never want to [G] say
I'll [C] buy you a drink when [G] I get into town
And [C] we'll go out walking 'till our [G] boots are run down
We'll [C] walk through this town where all the [G] alleys are haunted
Though the [C] streets are deserted these ghosts [G] remain undaunted
And you're [C] laughing [A] louder in my [D] ear with every bottle of [G] beer
My old drunk friend, it's good to see you again
Every time you walk in I should run the other way
My old drunk friend, you're lookin' kinda thin
I won't ask where you've been, you never want to say
I should have moved to New York City, but I never was that cool
I just languished in the Midwest like some old romantic fool
And the streetlights shine down on the bottles we have broken
'Till the road is paved with diamonds from a thousand lost love tokens
And my logic just seems more clear with every bottle of beer
My old drunk friend, it's good to see you again
Every time you walk in I should run the other way
My old drunk friend, you're lookin' kinda thin
I won't ask where you've been, you never want to say
My old drunk friend, we watch the moonlight grow dim
As the long night gives in to the dim light of day

One Big Union

Even one big union can’t help us now

Even one big union can’t help us now
The lines of blame are tangled far below the ground
The mines/minds of fame have flown their shiny gold dust all around
And even one big union can’t help us now

Don’t it just tear me up to see your children cry
When they got ice cream waitin’ up in the sky
Don’t the truth look bad up next to a pretty lie
If it gets too high to live you know you're free to die

Even one big union can’t help us now
The hand that holds us down we reach out to hold on
And which side are you on has got more angles than a pentagon
And even one big union can’t help us now

Don’t it just tear me up to see your children cry
When they got ice cream waitin’ up in the sky
Don’t the truth look bad up next to a pretty lie
If it gets too high to live you know you're free to die

Even one big union can’t help us now
The boss says he might let me milk his golden cow
And false hope is the seed in the field of greed that we must plow
Even one big union can’t help us now

One Shot

I gave it more than one shot, I gave it more than one pill
I gave it more than one drink, but it would never be still
I tried to make it calm, and I tried to make it weak
I tried to it stop its ceaseless heartbeat
I threw it more than one bone, and I threw the fight just like it asked
I threw the switch that lit the room to put the light across its carnival mask
I never asked it why, I never asked it what it meant
I never let them in the room to witness its slow decent
How I love to watch it fight, how I love to see it bleed
How I love to watch it bite, how I love to see it plead
Because it always keeps from me the single thing that I need
I trained it like a trainer should, and I maimed it with a single word
I drained it clean of all its mettle, and I stained it with a whisper it overheard
I wished it never come, I wished connections never sparked
I wished the chambers powder-free because the bead is drawn and I'm the man

Picture in my Mind

Whiskey is not evil when it's sitting on the shelf
Whiskey is not evil when it's sitting on the shelf
I'm as sweet as I can be when I'm all by myself
A shotgun never shot no one when it's hanging on the wall
A shotgun never shot no one when it's hanging on the wall
I got itchy fingers and you got knees to crawl
I've got a picture in my mind
Fighting like a mad fish on the wrong end of a line
Just beneath the surface silver lightning flashes shine
I've got a picture in my mind
Salt water is no danger with your feet on solid ground
Salt water is no danger with your feet on solid ground
Cry yourself a river but it don't take much to drown
I've got a picture in my mind
Fighting like a mad fish on the wrong end of a line
Just beneath the surface I can see it clear somehow
Don't talk to me darlin can't you see I'm gone right now
I've got a picture in my mind

Queen Bee

Did you see the Queen Bee, my my
She kinds wide and she's awful mean
She gonna get her way 'cause she's the Queen
She's got a million fellas all waitin' in line
Bringing the sweetest nectar from the honeysuckle vine
Theyre mixin' her drinks and stirrin' up the stinger
With a diamond ring on every finger
They work so hard to make this hive a home 
And the whistle while they work and they sing while they drone
I'm gonna be the Queen Bee
And in the beautiful world I see
Way up in a hollow tree, perfect idolatry
Little bees on their knees
Sayin' "Baby, you're the Queen Bee"
I won't be grubbin' around down here like I was
I'll be buzzin' like the honeybees buzz because
I'm gonna do like the Queen Bee does
She's pretty and lucky but it's dark in there
She got a honeycomb but she's got no heir/hair
The boys are waxin' her legs and doin' her nails
Knittin' her sweaters with their pointy little tails
One little bee, the only square in the hive
Tried to get smart back when he was alive
She aimed her hexagon right between his eyes
And said, "The Queen of the Bees beats the Lord of the Flies"
I'm gonna be the Queen Bee
And in the beautiful world I see
Way up in a hollow tree, perfect idolatry
Little bees on their knees
Saying "Baby, you're the Queen Bee"
I won't be grubbin' around down here like I was
I'll be buzzin' like the honeybees buzz because
I'm gonna do like the Queen Bee does

Raised Skin

There was a teardrop on the inside of her arm
She couldn’t tell if it was warm, she couldn’t tell if it was cold
It just felt like every other tear from every other storm

Raised skin leaves a scar within and a shame that keeps her ever-feeling
Like she did on that date tacked to the back of her door
The date she gave her word it wouldn’t happen anymore

Dream your sweet dreams, little bird, before your demons
Take your wings and you fall to earth
Or is it too late have they found you or were you never alone
Now she knows there’s no keeping the poison buried so deep in the ground
For it will always seek the well where the water is drawn

Raised skin leaves a scar within and a shame that keeps her ever-feeling
Like she did on that date tacked to the back of her door
The date she gave her word it wouldn’t happen anymore
The date she gave her word it wouldn’t happen anymore

Right Brothers

I thought that I could make it 
I thought that I could get by 
With the right brothers at the wrong time 
And that they never, just plain never, was gonna fly
You thought that you were gonna shake it 
You thought that you were so sly 
With a couple of rich friends behind your vaseline lens 
And your hand on the shunt, leave the bastard dry
When I forget, when I can't remember I 
Call on someone who knows me
Someone who knows me, someone who knows how I feel
Someone who knows me, someone who can show me 
How I come out on top of this deal
Up to the highest star, down to the hotel bar 
To find someone that knows me
We thought that we were gonna fake it 
We thought we'd go on living a lie 
But it turns out oftentimes the fire burns out 
Long before the ghosts have said goodbye
When I forget, when I can't remember I 
Call on someone who knows me
Someone who knows me, someone who knows how I feel
Someone who knows me, someone who can show me 
How I come out on top of this deal
Up to the highest star, down to the hotel bar 
To find someone that knows me
Up to the highest star, down to the hotel bar 
To find someone that knows me

Sap

I know that I can make you laugh
I believe I know enough to make you cry
But I just can’t make you fall for me
No matter how hard I try
On the day you first told me that you would be mine
I fell like a stone from a very great height
On the night I first held you so tight in my arms
Like a stretch up to hell I fell hard for your charms
I fell like a thing that falls 
And I crashed like a thing that crashes
I burned up like the kind of thing that burns down to the ground
And leaves nothing but an empty ol’ box of matches
I have been lonely, and I have been alone
And I have been strung out waiting by the telephone
One shoe off, one shoe on, I was ready to leave
Going out with a big bang and my heart on my sleeve
I know that I can make you laugh
I believe I know enough to make you cry
But I just can’t make you fall for me
No matter how hard I try
I cried like you hear a little baby cry
I was livin’ life, cross your heart and hope to die
I broke like a the kind of thing that just can’t bend
And it went on and on and on and on
Like a thing that just won’t end
I know that I can make you

Scamp

First one out the door is the one who left
And the other one is just the one left alone all by theirselves
There's ups and downs to every side
Like bad shocks on a low-down ride
My baby is a swinger, and he's hard to dodge
Kickin' up gravel by the motor lodge
My baby is a demon, like to break my heart
Shot through the arm with a poison dart
I caught a ride with the first car out of town
He's got legs like a goat and he's keeping the lights turned down
Well things just never did go the way I planned
But the fall don't hurt, honey, it's when you land
Eight tracks running up and down
On out the window, all over town
My baby is a scamp, four on the floor
On his hands and knees, crawling toward the door
Wide, wide dixie highway
He's got one lane that's always headed my way
Wide, wide dixie highway
There's a little piece of heaven by the gates of hell
Straight up to the end of that skyway
My baby is a swinger and he's hard to dodge
Kickin' up gravel by the motor lodge
My baby is a demon, like to break my heart
Shot through the arm with a poison dart
Shot through the arm. . .with a poison dart

Scratches on the Door (O'Bannon)

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
The smoke and cinders, the screaming and shouts
The children were huddled asleep on the floor
No stocking or presents or toys anymore
The firemen beat down the blackened door
Six children spread out across the floor
They never saw the screatches on the door
Then came a man from the LG&E
He showed the crowdd the tears on his cheek
He brought some gifts in case one had survived
He came to see just what could be denied
But he never saw the children on the flor
He never saw the scratches on the door
TV news team cried a million tears
Said the oldest one was just eleven years
They showed the fire burning up in the sky
They showed the father policemen at this side
But not the handcuffs that the father wore
And not the scratches left upon the door
'Twas the night before Christmas and all throought eh house
Not a creature was sturring not even a mouse
They children were lying asleep in the ground
The children were silent asleep in the ground
The children were silent asleep in the ground

Sick, Sick, Sick

John K says: Use an open D tuning - DADF#AD - and bottleneck slide for best results
A - 7th fret
E - 14th fret
C# - 11th Fret
D - 12th fret
[A] [A] Iridescent
[E] Opalescent
[C#] Now descending
[D] A silver cresecent
[A] There's a silver lining 
Shining [E] above me
[A] Black top black
The [E] water's slick slick
How [C#] high the moon 
How [D] sick the sick
It's a [A] dark night [E] for me and my [A] baby [E]
[A] [E] [C#] [D] [A] [E] [A] [E]
[D] I saw you again and I [A] came all undone
Where the [D] ice is all melted
And I [A] ain't got [E] none
[D] Half full from the bottom
Is still half [A] empty from the top
[E] Spin the bottle one more time
And [D] make it [A] stop
[A] [E] [C#] [D] [A] [E] [A] [E]
[D] I shiver and [A] shake
[D] Deliver the poison that I [A] take
[D] A fever that just won't [A] break
[C#] Drawn crooked from its quiver
Cupid's arrow has made a big mis[D]take
And I [A] shiver [E] and [A] shake [E]
[A] [E] [C#] [D] [A] [E] [A] [E]
[D] A slack-jawed smile [A] fell from the vine
[D] A cigarette hung from a crescent moon
That was [A] slung on its [E] side
[D] Drink a drink and crimson smiles are [A] clinging to the rim
[E] Lipstick stick , the liquor licks
The [D] old flame [A] fuels
[A] Iridescent
[E] Opalescent
[C#] Now descending
[D] A silver cresecent
[A] There's a silver lining 
Shining [E] above me
[A] Black top black
The [E] water's slick slick
How [C#] high the moon
How [D] sick the sick
It's a [A] dark night [E] for me and my [A] baby [E]
[A] Black top black
The [E] water's slick slick
How [C#] high the moon
How [D] sick the sick
It's a [A] dark night [E] for me and my [A] baby [E]

[A] [E] [C#] [D] [A] [E] [A] [E] [A]

Sleeping on Hold

Moonlight shines through a window
Bathed in TV blue like the night before
And the night before, the night before, 
And the night before
She fell asleep somewhere in between
The opening credits and the final scene
It doesn’t matter much ‘cause she’s lost touch
It doesn’t matter much
Where did she go?
The time just slipped away
Trying to keep his memory that’s forever young
While she’s turned old and gray
Old tomcat he sleeps by her side
Dreamin’ dreams of his life gone by
While he was in the chase alleys were the place
For the night he couldn’t wait
She rolled on over towards the wall
Wakin’ tomcat from a crawl along a real high ledge
He jumped from the bed
And wandered down the hall
Where did she go?
The time just slipped away
Trying to keep this memory that’s forever young
While she’s turned old and gray
Where did she go?
The time just slipped away
Trying to keep his memory that’s forever young, 
While she’s turned old and gray
Mornin’ light shines through a window
The TV’s goin’ from the night before,
And the night before the night before but
No one’s keepin’ score

Slow Ride 

[D] You've got that look in your eyes
[G] Into the infinite beyond our lives
Where [E] does it end?
You want to know so [A] you can begin
To figure out just where you're [G] at
That's like a mouse chasing a [D] cat
And I know I've cast blame
[G] I know the ways for which I am ashamed
But it will [E] never end
Does that mean good[A]bye, my friend
And is the pain you win/wear[G] worth
Not settlin' up/ That's saddlin' up before you [D] leave this/the earth/dirt
Mr. [A] Brink is in the [G] palm of your [D] hand
[A] Swallow him[G] down and you're his [D] man
If I could rope it in
[G] And place before you a/our beginning and an/our end
Would it [E] make a difference?
Would it [A] change your experience?
And isn't that the fatal [G] blow
You miss the ride, you miss the [D] show
You got to hold on to the earth
[G] While she spins you like a Tilt-a-Whirl
And [E] when she's done
You can frame up your [A] ticket stub
And hum the ringing in your [G] ear
Slow ride, you [D] hear [E C A D]

Smoking Daddy

Smoking daddy, did the smoke get in your eyes
Or was it just that brilliant sun that made you cry
Smoking daddy, looking down from out of a cloud 
And the smoke goes straight up to heaven
With the words we would never say outloud
You never know, I might get lucky 
You never know, I might break that camel's back
I'll be lit up like those girls up in Salem
I'll be a cowboy twenty times in every pack
Smoking daddy, you see breath and it cannot be denied 
The smoke comes out let it mean you're still breathing
You just don't quit even though I know you've tried
You never know, I might get lucky 
You never know, I might break that camel's back
I'll be lit up like those girls down in Salem
I'll be a cowboy twenty times in every pack
Smoking daddy, just a red light in the dark
Shooting stars out in the corner of my yard
Make a wish on that little trail of sparks
You never know, I might get lucky 
You never know, I might break that camel's back
I'll be lit up like those girls down in Salem
I'll be a cowboy twenty times in every pack
I'll be cool

So Strange 

It’s so strange what you told me 
We know chains to hold me
Drag me down, jerk me around
Throw me back over way down to the ground
Where I lie, lie, lie, it’s so strange
It was so lame what you sold me 
But you’re so sweet and then you call me
Drag me down, jerk me around
Hold my head under ‘til I like to drown
Then you cry, cry, cry, it’s so lame
I did what I could to get rid of your good time
The fender was bent when the grim malcontent dropped a dime
I did what I could and I meant to put a dent in your good time
I defiled you cake and I drank up the end of your wine
I imagine you’d like to tell me that you love me now
But the cat’s got your tongue darlin’, and you don’t know how
It’s a damn shame how you snowed me
Then you act like you’re gonna blow me
Off again, but I don’t know when 
And you’re coming back over at a quarter past ten
And my, my, my it’s damn shame
I did what I could to get rid of your good time
The fender was bent when the grim malcontent dropped a dime
I did what I could and I meant to put a dent in your good time
I defiled you cake and I drank up the end of your wine
It was moraine that slowed me, and you tried hard to throw me
Off again and around the bend 
But I heard you comin’ and you flashed that grin 
Why, why, why, my poor aim
And I lie, lie, like, it’s so strange

Twisted Wire (Garrison)

Your lovely form and fearsome eyes
Fuels our war, fuels our lies
I dreamt of you in a fever’s fire
Your lovely form was draped in silver wire

You always say that stars align
Whenever your world bumps into mine
I dreamt of you, your hands were bound
I had to leave you just as you were found

Silver hoops of silver wire
Every man here was born a liar
Shackles made of silver wire
Cut them loose and jump into the fire

Let’s think about your final days
So many memories pass my way
I’ll take your smile but not your blame
Can you promise me that you won’t curse my name?


It’s in your hands but not in mine
Twisting wire, twisted lies (suits me fine)
I dreamt of you in a fever’s fire
Your lovely form was draped in silver wire


Silver hoops of silver wire
Every man here was born a liar
Shackles made of silver wire
Cut them loose and jump into the fire

Waitress Song

If I didn't come home every day smelling like fried eggs
If I didn't have those veins poppin' out all over my legs
If I had my hair done up real nice, if I had some clothes that weren't too tight
Would you still be comin' home drunk in the middle of the night?
I believe it's all a joke but I don't think it's funny
There's a man at table five and he's calling me honey
Some people are born too late, some people are born too soon
Some people are born to die chokin' on their silver spoon
Maybe money can't buy everything
It looks like I'm never gonna know for sure
Maybe money can't buy happiness
Well neither can just being poor
Maybe money can't buy everything
It looks like I'm never gonna know for sure
Maybe money can't buy happiness
Well neither can just being poor
Some people are born with luck, some people are born without it
Some people are born with faith, some are born to doubt it
If I didn't go to bed afraid about some bills that'll never get paid
I wouldn't be down at the laudromat watchin' my work clothes fade
I wouldn't be down at the laudromat watchin' my work clothes fade

Washed in the Blood

[G] When I'm dragged through the mud for the [C] last time
[G] Then I know I'll be [D] washed in the blood [G]
Way down at the bottom of a slippery slope when I [C] start my decline
[G] Fast waters flow I'll be lost in the flood
[D] I hear angels behind my [G] shoulder telling [D] me to have no fear [D]
I hear [C] voices of a/the long-dead whisper in[G] my ear
Telling me every[D]thing I want to hear [G]
When I'm dragged through the mud for the last time
Then I know I'll be washed in the blood
Way down at the bottom of a slippery slope when I start my decline
Fast waters flow I'll be lost in the flood
Down by the river wher I often stray
I heard a little voice calling, and I was so afraid
Down on my knees, where I often stay
You go down three times, you better come up saved(sane)

Written in Gold

This finger's grown thin
Where a ring had always been
Evermore means something that it never did before

Paler skin under a band of gold
Paler and frailer
Now nail her to the words she swore
'Til death do us part
Death came to this heart
Now where to begin
Time comes and it goes
And only the twistin' shows
Rising and falling
To the rhythm of your breathing
And my longing

Paler skin under a band of gold
Paler and frailer
Now nail her to the words she swore
'Til death do us part
Death came to this heart
Now where to begin
Its easy to break apart
like a glass up against a wall
Shattering until it falls
'til it's glittering/bitter end
With all that's exposed
Do you think I'll ever know
How to hold this hand
And simply understand
Paler and frailer
Now nail her to the words she swore

Ugly Man

I always thought that I knew what I wanted
What I wanted was a family man
We'd lie in bed at night together makin' all kinds of plans
I always thought that I knew what he was thinkin'
And I knew I didn't understand
But I knew to lay low when he came home drinkin' 
Cause I knew him like the back of his hand
Don't you believe everything you're told
Everything that glitters can't be gold
Every little diamond doesn't shine like crazy sometimes
You can smell the smoke long after the fire is gone
Every star in the sky's not the one that you can put your wish on 
Every darkest hour can't be the one that's just before the dawn
Sometimes I'm just amazed how the night just drags on and on
I knew it was time to leave and I knew it some time ago
And I knew the best part of leavin' was walking out the door
I was standin' with my hand on the door and I was so tired it got sore
And I turned around when I heard the sound like a shadow cross the floor
Don't you believe everything you're told
Everything that glitters can't be gold
Every little diamond doesn't shine like crazy sometimes
You can smell the smoke long after the fire is gone
Every star in the sky's not the one that you can put your wish on 
Every darkest hour can't be the one that's just before the dawn
Sometimes I'm just amazed how the night just drags on and on

Upside Down 

A little tear rolled down my forehead 
And landed on the ceiling far below 
Yesterday I thought it was funny 
Today I say that's just the way these things go
Well, sombody’s crawlin’ through my kitchen 
Down on his hands and knees 
He looked up at me and he smiled that smile 
Like a mouth full of black-eyed peas
Well I never have seen the early bird 
I never did rise and shine 
And it may have to be over your dead body 
When I come to get what's mine
If you wait for a good breeze to blow through the orchard 
The peaches just fall to the ground 
And the early bird may get the worm 
But for the second mouse they're gonna throw that red carpet down
Everything's a little upside down 
Layin’ on my back, starin’ up at the ground 
I've been sleepin like a bat underneath my bed 
Wearing out a hole in the top of my head
Well I've got a poison headache 
I've got a poison pen 
I've got the poise of a debutant 
All dressed in black out by the back garbage bin
Is the bottle half full or half empty
Hand it over if you really want to know
’Cause I've been drinkin’ from the tree of knowledge 
And I'm a runnin’ about a half quart low

Well I never have seen the early bird 
I never did rise and shine 
And it may have to be over your dead body 
When I come to get what's mine
If you wait for a good breeze to blow through the orchard 
The peaches just fall to the ground
And the early bird may get the worm 
But for the second mouse they're gonna throw that red carpet down
And the early bird may get the worm 
But for the second mouse they're gonna throw that red carpet down 

 When the Leaves Begin to Fall

When the leaves begin to fall
When the leaves begin to fall
Faded rays of sunlight bend low, too weak to crawl
Where the last one crying burns the last before the fire
And the children of the dying hold a matchbook to the pyre
A river of tears drown the last ember's glow
When the cold winds blow and the leaves begin to fall

When the leaves begin to fall
When the leaves begin to fall
Where the beauty of the season turns to gray and ashen white
In shattered rooms lit only by the moon and stars at night
Shine down from above on the sorrow below
No reason to stay and nowhere to go
When the cold winds blow and the leaves begin to fall
Turned down turned away and lost
Into the fire your fortunes have been tossed
As we rock all our babies to sleep
And sing of sweet dreams
Sing on the ocean wide and deep
So close your eyes my little darling
You're in my arms 
The world won't turn
The ice won't freeze
And the hunger won't burn

When the leaves begin to fall
When the leaves begin to fall
Will the sky above our heads be shelter for us all
A pillow of stone and a blanket of snow
When the cold winds blow and the leaves begin to fall
When the cold winds blow and the leaves begin to fall

White Rose

You were waiting for your chance, it wasn't coming
You were waiting for your chance, it finally came
Did they catch you standing still, were you thinking about running
Did they know you were the ones who hated evil more than pain
Just an old photograph left to show
White roses fall in the snow
Bursting into flower red roses grow
Where white roses lay broken in the snow
You could have lived to be old without trying
Just your children to remember your name
Beautiful flowers are beautiful dying
When you died for true love you didn't die in vain
Just an old photograph left to show
White roses fall in the snow
Bursting into flower red roses grow
Where white roses lay broken in the snow
So easily you make me cry
Like pouring rain tearsdrops fall from my eyes
But there's no virtue in crying and no virtue in trying
To deny I wouldn't stand by the tracks and never see the trains
Just an old photograph left to show
White roses fall in the snow
Bursting into flower red roses grow
Where white roses lay broken in the snow

Your Goddamn Mouth

Keep your tongue inside your goddamn mouth
Every word you are saying makes me want to go south
The way you kiss that beer bottle and slide your tongue down its neck
And you're still talking crazy to me I expect
But I just can't hear anymore
Keep your tongue inside your goddamn mouth 
I've already forgotten what you're talking about 
And now you're saying that you never lied
But it seems like some things were just implied
And nothing too clear anymore
Keep your tongue inside your goddamn mouth
I've already turned off all the lights in the house
There's no happy ending or friendly goodbyes
And I don't have any tears left to cry 
And I cant stay here anymore
Keep your tongue inside your goddamn mouth
Every word you are saying makes me want to go south
The way you kiss that beer bottle and slide your tongue downs its neck
And you're still talking crazy to me I expect
But I just can't hear anymore