1. |
Deepwater Requiem
04:13
|
|||
|
Come all ye hale and hearties
gather ‘round and listen to me
For a bit of your time, and a piece of your ear
I’ll tell you a tale of the sea
Yes, I’ll sing you a song of the sea
Our journey begins on no dinghy, nor dock
But a chopper in Bayou LaFourche
You’re barely awake when you look down and take
Your last look over the marsh
In the wake of Columbus, Cortez, and Magellan
We plow the seas for gold
But the treasure we seek is black and it’s thick
And it’s three hundred million years old
Yes, the treasure we seek is black and it’s rich
And its ten thousand feet below
A speck on the curved horizon,
on the deepwater waves she awaits
A whispered prayer for your family
As you circle your vessel of fate
As you hover in over your fate
Our platform is like no fair schooner nor ship
That ever set sail or was rowed
For it’s pinned in one place and it moves not a trace
As the oceans wash over the globe
A mosquito of steel, with no rudder or keel
It pierces the sea floor below
And drinks from a vein, the fossil remains
From half an aeon ago
It drinks from a vein, the life blood contained
‘neath the Gulf of Mexico
The earth may yield her treasure
But it doesn’t come easy or free
She’ll fight you inch, by inch on land
And by fathoms ‘neath the sea
By fathoms ‘neath the sea
So “swing that wrench” the driller says
“You roughnecks move too slow”
“And stack that pipe you roustabouts”
“And haul that chain down below”.
It’s a hole so deep, to look down it would suck the
Black right out of your eyes
If the plug doesn’t hold, the gas could explode
And blow us all over the skies
And the more that we drill,
and the more that we pump,
The higher the waters rise
So gather we now, to bow our heads
by the shore of the vast unknown
As eleven men pilot their funeral barge
Into a world beyond, gone to a world beyond
We chew on the smoke from the flaming pyre
We scrape the tar from our boots
Then return to our toys and cars and planes
and other earthly pursuits
For its marshes to marshes and coast to coast
And the crude on the waves as they roil
For the harbors, and bays, and beaches
And the beauty that we spoil
God bless us all, each and everyone
And anoint us with oil
|
||||
2. |
Rain Follows the Plow
02:59
|
|||
|
Come Hendersons and Heinrichs,
MacAllens and O’Malleys
We’re living off the fat of the land
Our progress won’t be hindered by no
mountains or valleys
for it’s flat as your mama’s frying pan
I like this country fine, I like it mighty good
the wind pumps all the water
and the cow chops all the wood
people try to tell you it’s been dry up till now
but the rain follows the plow
The Great American Desert it soon will be defeated
I heard the Agriculture man say
the soil is the one thing that cannot be depleted
and the climate grows wetter by the day
Don’t listen to the Indians,
they’re a superstitious lot
don’t listen to the cowboys,
they’re a bunch of drunken sots
We’re next year people living in the here and now
and the rain follows the plow
Just use your common sense (the lord shall provide)
the end of innocence (the lord shall provide)
locusts plague and pestilence (the lord shall provide)
and the lord shall provide
and the rain follows the plow
and the rain…
The railroad pushes west, you can ride it for free
sending smoke and steam up to the sky
The nesters break the soil,
plant their crops and trees
and the clouds roll in by and by
Fortune favors folks that roll up their sleeves
next thing you know we’ll bringing in the sheaves
it’s our destiny to take all that nature will allow
and the rain follows the plow
Looks like it might could rain
Sure enough feels like rain
I’d swear I can smell the rain
and the lord shall provide
and the rain follows the plow
and the rain follows the plow
|
||||
3. |
Crimson on the Snow
03:44
|
|||
|
You don’t need the moon no more
You don’t need the sun
You don’t need your lying heart
Your lying days are done
Two of us walked out last night
Returning only one
You don’t need your lying heart
Your lying days are gone
Moonlight in the garden
Crimson on the snow
I’ll hide away your lying heart
No one will ever know
You don’t need your fancy clothes
You won’t see the dawn
You don’t need your walking shoes
Your walking days are gone
Two of us walked out last night
Returning only one
You don’t need your walking shoes
Your walking days are done
Moonlight in the garden
Crimson on the snow
I’ll hide away your walking shoes
No one will ever know
I don’t need your love no more
Now that you are gone
I don’t need a broken heart
Heavy as a stone
Two of us walked out last night
Returning only one
I don’t need a broken heart
My broken days are gone
Moonlight in the garden
Crimson on the snow
I’ll hide away my broken heart
No one will ever know
|
||||
4. |
Can't Count on the Sun
03:21
|
|||
|
The sun – beats me up in the morning
without warning – of the dawning
of another day – that’s on its way
But by noon – clouds come calling
rain starts falling – the sky takes on a
whole new attitude – and a different mood
And then the twilight draws her curtains
and then another day is through
and it feels just like the last one
cause I’m still missing you
Too soon our time was over
It seemed like we had only begun
you can depend upon tomorrow
but, you can’t count on the sun
The moon – she shines at night
like a big headlight – to blind my sight – And
hit me in the eye – and warn the sky
With her stars, she flies – but soon they hide
in a swirling tide – of clouds both black and gray
until they can’t stay
And then the dawn she paints her canvas
but the morning rain obscures the view
and subdues the awakening colors
while I’m still missing you.
Too soon it was all over
It seemed like we had only begun
You can depend upon tomorrow
But, you can’t count on the sun
|
||||
5. |
Satin Shoes
03:22
|
|||
|
You say that we were lovers in the sixteenth century
A landed lord in England was I then
And you a lovely maiden of nobility and grace
Your reputation sullied in the end
You say the day I left you, that you
wore pink satin shoes
Intently fixed upon them as I fled
And you a lovely maiden of nobility and grace
Standing there – wishing you were dead
When will you wear your satin shoes?
When will you wear your lace?
And will you love me once again
When we leave this place?
You become a lover with each rising of the moon
But you become a stranger at its wane
And you’ve become a prisoner to the
passage of this place
Not knowing what to do to ease the pain
Well, I can’t see the vision in the
stillness of the night
And I can’t hear the quiet of the day
But I can feel a passion and a love I can’t erase
This I know with you I’ll always stay
|
||||
6. |
Tornadoes
04:15
|
|||
|
The folder with foreclosure papers, leaned on my front door
Marked “X” beside the line,
where I should sign them
A car pulled from the driveway,
as his right foot pressed the floor
In the fields beyond, the seeds were simply dying
I pulled aside the curtain,
where I’d hidden just before
From the sheriff, and the doorbell, and his knocking
Standing in my childhood place,
where all the kids were born
Through the window,
the light outside was darkening
My grandfather’s father’s farm
has fallen down to me
He was a man of different times and possibilities
Now drought and debt conspire
against the family legacy
They’re trying to sweep me up, and out of Kansas
I see my father’s picture there,
as he looked before the war
My eyes are wet, the images are blurring
My boy he’s got those dimples too,
just like his grandpa wore
Through the window, the trees outside are stirring
It’s not like bad times, never happened here before
The Dust Bowl, is blowing through my blood line
But the bank account is empty now,
and there ain’t nothing more
I pray for hope, and then some kind of sign
My grandfather’s father’s farm has
fallen down to me
He was a man of different times and possibilities
Now drought and debt conspire against the
family legacy
They’re trying to sweep me up, and out of Kansas
We wish for love. . . We wish for family. . .
Wish on the stars above. . . to let us be. . .
Just let us be. . .
It’s an evening without shadows,
and somehow nature knows
There’s a tension in the sky in the beginning
A cold wind from up north sideswipes a
warm one from below
It twists and curls the air, and sets it spinning
A haunting dance of dust devils,
they circle to and fro
Some disappear like ghostly apparitions
Whirlpools coalesce above and violently let go
To kiss the ground in frantic demolition
From Canada, to Mexico, and the alleys in between
Tornados of different drafts and their conspiracies
My family farm is blown away;
I’m a memory on the breeze
They finally sweep me up, and out of Kansas
Bless Mexico and Canada, and the alleys in between
Tornados of different drafts and their conspiracies
The family farm is in the wind,
floating on the breeze
They’ve finally swept us up and out of Kansas
Yeah, they’ve finally swept us up and out of Kansas
|
||||
7. |
Look Through Any Window
02:44
|
|||
8. |
Standing Stones
02:55
|
|||
|
I sailed a ship to Swansea
To see my native land,
And walk the roads my father walked
Before my life is done
My children’s mother stayed behind
Asleep in holy ground
As I walked there, I thought of her
Amid the fields of stone
Standing stones and misty mountains
Ancient legends fill the land
Who were the ones so long ago
Who reared these standing stones
A feeling drew me from the path
And there a ring of stone
They beaconed like familiar friends
Upon returning home.
And now my love of distance years
With all the lives we’ve
Come dance with me in this fair land
Amid the fields of stone
Did we dance with ancient Druids
Did we worship ancient suns
And now my love, will you dance with me
Here amid the fields of stone
In time these stones will wear away
And crumble into sand
In time these mountains will be gone
And sea will cover land
But still our lives will circle on
In one unending round
So do not wait, come dance with me
Amid the fields of stone
|
||||
9. |
||||
|
Your lamp is flickering low boy
On the eve of the Paddington Fair
So breathe in deep of the dampening air
Mark well your shadow’s unsteady dance
Upon the cold stone wall
And the smoke as it rises and falls
Oh you’re the talk of the town boy
The toast of the Paddington Fair
Though many will offer a heartfelt prayer
In spite of the mercies that you’ve been shown
They’ve finally done you in boy
Your wickedness and your sin
You’ll don your fine white hat and coat
On the morning of Paddington Fair
From Newgate out through Hanover Square
As bricklayers beggars and ladies fair
Will toss you fruit and flowers
To mock your final hour
Atop the hill in Tyburn Green
In the middle of Paddington Fair
The hideous wooden three-legged mare
A rickety ladder and ten thousand necks
But a necklace just for one
All shining in the sun
A hush will come over the crowd boy
Throughout the Paddington Fair
To hear what repentance you may declare
As if your words and your miserable sobs
Could save you from their scorn
For you’ll wear no crown of thorns
So nod to the ladies and gentlemen
In the stands of the Paddington Fair
They paid well to watch as you dance on air
To see how you jerk and soil yourself
And you offer up your tongue
As your tender neck is wrung
Will you hear your dear old mother boy
O’er the crowd at the Paddington Fair
She’ll weep o’er your corpse and stroke your hair
She’ll fight with the Royal Surgeon’s men
Who’d strip you from your hide
To see what lies inside
Your lamp is flickering low boy
On the eve of the Paddington Fair
|
||||
10. |
Half Moon Bay
04:02
|
|||
|
There’s a full moon rising over Half Moon Bay
You always swear you’re coming back to stay
But the plane leaves tomorrow
And you know you’ll be on board
There’s still something missing
from that master plan
Hatched in a hammock here in Roatan
Blown in with the breezes
But you’re leaving with the tide
So fare thee well, Sweet Caribbean
This is the last time I’m leaving you behind
And here’s to you, senoritas
Look for me by moonrise – Half moon moonrise
Your first love down here was the Yucatan
And then lying in that warm Puerto Rican sand
Had you ready to pack up
And you nearly cut the cord
But you’ll dream of the rhythms of Montego Bay
While scraping the windshield in your cold driveway
The frost and the freezes, the risk and the reward
Now the sun is rising over Half Moon Bay
The driver knows you’re coming back to stay
He smiles in the mirror
yeah he’s heard it all before
But you still have work left on that master plan
Caught between money and the moonlit sand
The rent and the runway
The breakers and the shore
|
||||
11. |
Maximón
03:30
|
|||
|
Down a drunken alleyway
High above Lake Atitlán
Mayan priests sit on Pepsi crates
And offer smokes to Maximón
Candles light the concrete walls
Flower petals and paper cups
Where Maximón sits silently
A tourist curiosity
Such a hard way for a God to fall
Save a cigarette for Maximón
The Church has left him out there on his own
He’s still attended by a faithful few
Seems even saints need sinners too
Fallen women and their customers
And all who cannot cast a stone
Climb the rocks and cross the lake
To offer gifts for Maximón
A gambler may deal an ace
A dealer may drop a dime
As Maximón waits patiently
For a Pall Mall or a few quetzales
A thousand years across his wooden face
All ye less than perfect ones
Whatever path you walk upon
Set aside a sin or two
And name it for Saint Maximón
An evil deed that’s left undone
A bottle with a few sips left
For Maximon’s proud effigy
To serve an outlaw deity
You don’t know where
redemption might come from
Even saints need sinners too
Even Gods need sinners too
|
||||
12. |
At the Dawn
02:54
|
|||
|
When your road grows weary
And the darkness drives away the sun
Just remember this little thing
At the dawn another day will begin
When for love you’re searching
For a love that never fades away
Just remember this little thing
At the dawn another day will begin
You don’t know where you’re going
You don’t know where you’ve been
You know you feel so bad today
But at dawn another day will begin
When your friends desert you
And you find you’re finally at an end
Just remember this little thing
At the dawn another day will begin
When all faith escapes you
And an inner light has died within
Just remember this little thing
At the dawn another day will begin
When your road grows weary
Another day will begin
|
||||
13. |
||||
|
Carry me back to North Virginny
The roads are all full so I never shall roam
Might pass the time if I had any
Carry me back to my home
How fondly I recall our starter mansion
Way back when Ashburn was out on the edge
Four car garage to park all six cars in
Salvadorans toiling in the hedge
Had to move out across the state line
To find a little space
Now we drive three hours each morning
To join the human race
Once there were trees in North Virginny
But the chain saws they buzzed
till I thought I’d go deaf
Maples, and pines, and oaks are so pretty
We still have six of them left
Pardon our dust while we envision
A vibrant downtown scene
I’m going to find that country road
Soon as this damn light turns green!
I-66 B4 HOV - 267 to IAD
AOL you so Y2K - LOL VRE
495 to 7-11 - WTOP
MS-13 in SUVs - What’s the BFD?
|
||||
Harley String Band Fairfax, Virginia
The Harley String Band is a trio of bold singer-songwriters who just happen to favor banjo, mandolin, and bouzouki in support of their adventurous songscapes. Jim, Jim, and Steve are old enough to remember when folk music was considered important and relevant, and they work to meet that expectation. ... more
If you like Harley String Band, you may also like:
Dakota Blue Moon
by Jackson Harden
Gorgeous acoustic Americana from North Carolina, stripped-back and sublime.
go to album
Collaborating remotely with 12 songwriters from all over the world, Kim Edgar emerged with a work of striking art pop.
go to album
THAT PASSED
by Patrick Regan Band
This collection of '90s work from folkie Patrick Regan and friends will appeal to fans of Fairport Convention and Pentangle.
go to album
Caught Up On A Feeling
by Veronica Stanton
Stunningly beautiful orchestral folk songs with just a hint of country, delivered with heart-on-sleeve immediacy.
go to album
The latest album by Phill Reynolds, a project of Italian singer Silva Martino Cantele, takes listeners on an Americana-fueled musical ride.
go to album
A vibrant vision of "Central Americana" from the Costa Rica-based artist, blending heartland devotionals with playful Tropicália grooves.
go to album
A fresh, constantly-evolving vision on Americana from the New York trio, weaving together bluegrass, roots music, and pop rock.
go to album
