“Singin’in Bars"
screwin’ in a screw is nothing i can do
don’t possess the skills to be a mailman
of all my professions
there’s not one i had success in
though some say i got a knack for gettin’ canned
i love singing in bars
my kind of job takes just a couple of hours
i’m good with diggin a livin
out the bottom of a jar
i love singing in bars
momma wanted me to be a doctor
stay in our hometown become a family man
though college wasn’t my vocation
still got a lower education
playing on the road too long with a cover band
(chorus)
playing a different joint
every night ‘s the
right thing for my well being
where i can forget
all my regrets
while i’m gettin’ good as it gets
sittin’ alone and drinking
a bartender last week called me a has been
i told him beats being a never was
bro there’s a lot of you
o i’ve heard my share of boos
thank god lately i’m getting a lot more applause
(chorus)
“Bottom of the Bottle”
my grand daddy blasted dynamite
worked the quarry day and night
the lord took his wife in the prime of life
he was never the same
buckets of tears and homemade wine
layed him in the ground at 55
mama told me a hundred times what he said headed to his grave
the bottom of the bottle’s that’s an empty place
guaranteed to leave a bitter taste
better ease back on the throttle
turn around on the double
'cause brother all you’ll ever find is trouble
at the bottom of the bottle
my cousin was a high school football star
took a bottle of Jack and his buddy’s car
crashed his dreams into a cottonwood tree
then he walked with a cane
one night women and whiskey bars
hid the pain not that scars
hey cous’ if you could hear me know
i know just what you’d say
(chorus)
daddy said
the day he died
just look what the bottle’s done
my last request is
don’t let this happen to you
swear to me son
got a wife a child a picket fence
all i lack is common sense
caught it young had it ever since caught the family disease
she took our daughter to Omaha
haven’t seen them in so long
so I’m drinking overtime to forget it all and the last thing she said to me
(chorus)
“Praise God Work Hard Keep Goin”
the young man was a poet
his sole possession a guitar
made a living singing songs he wrote
and scraping coins out of jars
to this very day
he still plays
one certain song each night
if you’re listening now
It goes like this
let’s hope i get it right
for years he roamed from joint to joint
with little recognition
some called him the man
others just another musician
along the way
a few would say
hey don’t quit your day job
the haters
were but reminders
of the words to his own song
praise god work hard and keep going
the good lord’s holdin’ cards he’s not showing
you won’t read this in the good book
but it’s worth knowing
praise god work hard and keep going
smokin’ a cheap cigar
carryin’ his guitar
down a city street one night
turned a dim corner
rolled up behind
a deadly sight
some bad dude held a beautiful girl
his piece upside her head
he was shouting to her friends
if you move one muscle
the woman’s good as dead
hidden by the dark
without a tick of a clock to think
our hero shot out like a cannonball
driven by pure instinct
bad dude never saw that
guitar case smash into his chest
but when the gun went off
that son-of-a-bitch
drew his final breath
(chorus)
these days he sings in night clubs
and swank martini bars
shows out in killer threads
strums one hell-of-a kick ass guitar
maybe he finally cashed in
all the heavy dues he’d paid
maybe married a billionaire heiress
the one whose life he saved
(chorus)
“Wouldn’t Want To Be Young”
wouldn't want to be young
see so many changes
get high and get off
in faraway places
they call that having fun
then I wouldn’t want to be young
these days
wouldn’t want to be young
wouldn't want to be young
lead an internet life
should you need a human being
swipe right
i‘ve heard that’s how it’s done
i wouldn't want to be young
these days
wouldn’t want to be young
all of our lives are digitized and automated
it’s no surprise these kids don’t play the blues
who’d want to live in a world where 100 is young
drive a flying car
have a kid on Mars
wouldn’t want to be young
face armageddon
hey the aliens are comin’
don’t want to meet one
of course i’ll be in Kingdom Come
i wouldn’t want to be young
these day
wouldn’t want to be young
you feel where i’m comin’ from
i wouldn’t want to be young
these days
wouldn’t want to be young
wouldn’t want to be young
“Tom Petty Likes All My Songs”
when you’re dead it’s said your life gets better
because everybody loves each other in the hereafter
let’s say you weren't so good at livin
in heaven that’s forgiven
all us nobodies in life
are stars once we arrive
here in heaven Tom Petty likes all my songs
when i was living nobody give a damn about them at all
i’m a wonderkind a zimmerman now that I’m gone
here in heaven Tom Petty likes all my songs
i’d write songs hoping people might like me
too bad they didn't but i wrote them anyway
nowadays souls on high
sing my songs all the time
they don’t care that there’s no hook
or that the words don’t often rhyme
(chorus)
you’re probably sayin shut up
i know you're makin that up
even in heaven that stuff is impossible
but i’ve been lookin deep inside far and wide finally found something phenomenal
(chorus)
ok i’m busted this is just an allegory
thank god i’m still livin’ and here’s the moral to my story
this song’s about a guy
who finally realized
heaven’s not a place
it’s a state of mind
(chorus)
“Small Time Zimmerman”
hopped a freight to Kankakee
because some poet told him to
jumped off just to get lost
and let the train roll straight on through
don’t know where he’s going
or if he gets there
what he went there to do
small time Zimmerman
this one always makes ‘em cry
small Time Zimmerman
with starlight in his eyes
broke some hearts and a lot of stings
should of pawned that guitar long ago
But you can’t convince a troubadour to quit
rollin’ down the road
haven’t seen him in years
could be anywhere
even heaven nobody knows
(chorus)
he’s got no hits
got a lot of misses
a couple of ex’s too
if he back this way
and you want to hear him play ‘em
you don’t have to pay the man
just got to tell him he’s cool
once had a dream about New Orleans
we were getting drunk as hell
I asked him I said do you think man can
ever find his one true self
he said well dude
don’t know about you
but i found my groove being somebody else
(chorus)
“The Church Burnt Down”
a church in the big city
is where he came from they say
took the reins from brother Thompson
same day he passed away
there as something about him
a vibe he gave off
not your average small town run of the mill
man of the cloth
the church burned down
burned down
down down to the ground
the church burned down
to the ground
and now the preacher’s nowhere to be found
six foot two and handsome
say the women of the congregation
some who hung on every syllable
of his sunday sermon
i for one am not impressed
must be the devil in me
or i’m just a jealous man
but his spirit never moved me
(chorus)
bout a month ago on main st
saw him walking with becky brown
everyone knows othe mayor's wife
is the prettiest girl in town
not making accusations
the truth will soon come out
but it’s a week now since the church caught fire
and both of them left town
(chorus)
the cops sifted thru the ashes
tryin' to figure out what happened
found the safe wide open
with hundreds of thousands missing
our church and all our money’s church gone
now all we can do is pray
hope and have faith the good lord works
in mysterious ways
(chorus)
maybe the preachers innocent
only time will tell
had i been born a gamblin man
i’d bet he’d meet ms brown in hell
the Lord taught us the lesson
beware those wheelers and dealers
who in the name of god steal heaven and earth
from true believers
(chorus)
“Murder of the Mind”
a 10–31 ’s goin’ down and i know the perpetrators
one time kindly citizens are now slick operators
they don’t rough you up with a gun or knive they barley leave a trace
the deed is carried out with smoke and mirrors lies and hate
murder murder
5 to 1 i’m next in line
murder murder
it’s a murder of the mind
from Quoddy Head* to Cape Wrengell* they’re layin’ waste to our traditions
claiming fantasy is fact and truth a work of fiction
you don't need to be Jake Gittes to figure out what their up to
simply quote the king of pop and say the lie's becomes the truth
murder murder
5 to 1 i’m next in line
murder murder
it’s a murder of the mind
my good father was a christian could be your old man was too
taught me tell the truth and do unto others as you’d have them do to you
these days those pearls of wisdom are shot down publicly
as so called true believers stand and watch idly
murder murder
5 to 1 i’m next in line
murder murder
it’s a murder of the mind
if your thoughts are born of treachery here's a glimpse into your fate
when it’s time to knock on heavens door they’ll say dude you’re in the wrong place
who the hell are your heroes preaching ignorance is bliss
name them all unless of course my name is on that list
murder murder
5 to 1 i’m next in line
murder murder
it’s a murder of the mind
you of science and letters better watch your step
sowers of evil seeds are out to put your works to death
they’ll claim it’s pride and pestilence to appease their devotees
as they plot to murder your masterpieces at 451 degrees
murder murder
5 to 1 i’m next in line
murder murder
it’s a murder of the mind
i’m on prime time on line trash talker no psychic no sage
but no it feels kike murderous thoughts and deeds rising up more each day
let me leave you with this question though rhetorical it may be
didn’t god say we’re all brothers even when we disagree
murder murder
5 to 1 i’m next in line
murder murder
it’s a murder of the mind
“Living In Denial”
i’ve taken up residence in a most peculiar place
far from the mall ar Walmart where I don’t buy stuff anyway
it’s not as much a place as a state of mind
far away hard to find
an escape from reality
where I don’t think about you and me
i've lived in Dallas Denver Chattanooga
Detroit and Omaha
even spent a little time in Tijuana running from the law
though my new head space is a lonely place
think I’ll hang my hat here awhile
acting like I’m happy
living in denial
we haven't shared that king sized bed in over a year
that we’re still livin’ under the same roof is nothing short of weird
the house is dark the cupboards bare
no sign of our love anywhere
the passion and laughing’s gone
still i'm pretending nothing’s wrong
(chorus)
where i currently reside
is the perfect place to hide
and keep denying the awful truth
i’m not strong enough to say
our love’s faded away
that it’s over between me and you
(chorus)
“It’s My Guitar’s Fault”
i’m addicted to that body and those curves
and hookin’ her melodies up to my words
when i hold her in my arms i get my fix
she won’t let me put her down cause i’m her bitch
it’s my guitar’s fault
this song sucks
and the reason i keep screwin’ everything up
that six strings to blame
for all my mistakes
it’s my guitar’s fault i’m this way
some say i’m lazy and that i don't give a you know what
hear a lot of crazy self involved and out of touch
that i hurt the ones who love me most and ain’t that sad
well i know my life’s a bust but it’s not my bad
(chorus)
so if i break your heart
you know the excuse is
that old flat top guitar
made me do it
(chorus)
“Faith”
should the dark of the night linger too long
if your hopes and your dreams fade away
there’s a flame deep inside burning day and night
have faith
winding far down a road gone a long way from home
on a path you’ve lost in your haste
to your strength may you cling let it sprout you new wings
have faith
if you believe its true faith will come to you
any place any time
with open arms to raise you up when you’re weak
to free your heart and ease your mind
one day a voice you know will call you on home
for we’ll all meet again that’s our fate
so lay your fears down to rest and be heavenly blessed
have faith
have faith
have faith
“Hey Hippie”
we all smoked weed and dropped acid
grew our hair to our asses
new Viet Nam was a tragedy
made lot of love well it was free
that was back in the day and much has changed
too bad some things stayed the same
its because some aquarian kids
grew up to be hippocrates
hey hippie
what have you done for me lately
swore we’d change the planet
didn’t turn out like we planned it
is peace love and brotherhood
like our hair
gone for good
hey hippie
what have you done for me lately
met a dude at a comune
who bailed on Berkley society too
quoted Marx the Bha-ga-vad Gita
could play the organ part to In A Gadda Da Vida
blew my mind last week when
dude popped up on CNN
the feds had cuffs on the man
for a billion dollar internet scam
(chorus)
take a trip back in your mind
hey didn’t we say all the time
don’t make war
make more love
strange how people change
maybe it comes with age
or something you’re afraid of
lived with a girl I was 19
she wore flowers in her hair
and bell bottom jeans
hadn't thought of her in an age
of course she’s got a facebook page
her feed was all rage and hate
how the hell could she turn out that way
he sweet girl who once burned her bra
is now an up tight old grandma
(repeat chorus)
“A Song You Can Get Drunk To”
you may have found the one love in bed with a real good friend
maybe the boss said pack that junk and don’t come back again
if the IRS is on your ass
i’ve been where you’re at
and pray your fortunes sweeten soon
did the doctor tell you now’s time to write that will
maybe the judge said someone’s spending a little time in jail
could be your shrink declared you nuts
just as your 50 minutes were up
well i see why you might desire a drink or two
you can love with all your heart and still get hurt
fight the good fight and you’re sure to get burned
when drowning your sorrows is all you can do
here’s a song you can get drunk to
a song you can get drunk to
a song you can get drunk to
here’s a song you can get drunk to
that naked selfie just went viral on the internet
the next door neighbor went and married a terrorist
your DNA results arrived
and what a surprise
somebody’s got some explaining to do
(chorus)
it’s not for your birthday holidays or karaoke
no it’s not a hit pop song
this one’s made for singing
when you’re drinking
so everybody raise as glass
and sing along
(chorus)
“Tic Tok”
loretta was a woman hoped to be a man
our friend found out got a little up-tight
someone wrestling with their destiny
isn’t casting shade on you or me
people gotta do what gets them through the night
once you get the message
hang up the phone
if this life is we’ve got why not rock
tomorrow’s not a promise
carpe diem call ‘em as i see‘em
the hands keep moving faster ‘round the clock
tic tok tic tok tic tok
a politician stated the truth is overrated
that people are into fantasy not fact
if my job was makin’ laws that’s a quote i’d withdraw
it might come back and bite me in the end
(repeat chorus)
A true believer rang my bell
said bro you’re headed straight to hell
less’n you put your faith in my deity
said son i got a beautiful wife and kids
they get all i’ve got to give
what faith i have in in humanity
(repeat chorus)
(repeat chorus)
A true believer rang my bell
said bro you’re headed straight to hell
less’n you put your faith in my deity
said son i got a beautiful wife and kids
they get all i’ve got to give
what
faith i have in in humanity
(repeat chorus)