Albums
Line Up Some Country
About the power and influence of drug companies but seen through the lens of the old time Medicine Shows with their snake oil charlatans.
Lyrics
I was standing by a stop sign on Platform No 5
Heading for the Oaksville Country Fair
I whooped and I hollered 'Let's make a fast dollar
From the folks of the town going there'
When a Sheriff outta Houston with papers in his hand
Asked if Clark was my name
Saying my mother , my sister, my brother
Won't make the Southbound train
CHORUS
Crossing state lines
Skipping outta town
Setting up deals as we go
For lotions, potions , aphrodisiac promotions
At the Maggie Clark Medicine Show
They'd been challenged at the border
Coming from Cheyenne
Taken to the local county jail
Charged with wheeling and dirty double dealing
Thrown in a cell without bail
So I headed for the Court House to lay some money down
Grease some lawyers grubby palm
Ensuring Clark's Elixirs those great all round fixers
Were certified before I took the stand
CHORUS
I bribed the judge and jury 4 G's off the top
Profits might feel a little thin
Our pills for agitation and constant constipation
Are back on sale once again
And so dear mother, sister and brother
Meet me at the Rockville Rodeo
I won your appeal 'cause they always take the deal
That's the way of the world , don't you know
CHORUS
We all will face that long black train at some time, whether we believe we will find a seat on board and meet up with loved ones or simply miss the train altogether. I tried to encapsulate that final journey.
Lyrics
There's a long black train coming down the track
Long black train with no one coming back
Everyone on board has said goodbye
They'll be waiting for us on the other side
I can see my friends waving back at me
They might be gone but at last they're free
There comes a time to just let go
And cash in that ticket for a brand new show
Don't be sad, it's not the end
This train will come for us and then
Climb the sky , transcend the sun
There's a seat on board for everyone
CHORUS
There's a long black train coming down the track
Long black train with no one coming back
Everyone on board has said goodbye
They'll be waiting for us on the other side
And when we reach that golden shore
We'll see our loved ones there once more
No more sorrow , not more pain
Riding aboard that long black train
CHORUS
Sitting up late at night is a time for me to write songs and learn tunes. One night listening to an internet radio show, I heard the old bluegrass tune Cotton Eye Joe. Grabbing my mandolin I played along and from that came the song.
Lyrics
Listening to a show on the radio
Playing along soft and low
Trying somehow to keep in time
A tune they call Cotton Eyed Joe
I hear a fiddle and an old banjo
Beyond the Tennessee Line
CHORUS
These old tunes they make me smile
They take me away for a little while
To a blue moon , a cabin in the pines
Could play all night by a campfire glow
With Jimmy Martin and Bill Monroe
Beyond the Tennessee Line
Bob Wills fiddle on the break
Bending those notes, way out of shape
Taking that tune to a place it's never been
Pushing the speed to double time
Now I know I'm really flyin'
Beyond the Tennessee Line
CHORUS
When I'm down six feet below
I'm gonna grab my fiddle
An' play Cotton Eyed Joe
Beyond the Tennessee Line
Travelling is a big theme in a lot of my songs. Arriving and leaving and the journey in between. I am trying to capture the freedom of being footloose and fancy-free but also some of the compromises.
Lyrics
Travelling round this country
There's nowhere I call home
I pick up work for a week or two
On a ranch or a hill top farm
If rain and wind they curse me
Chill me to the bone
I say goodbye to a stormy sky
And again I'm moving on
CHORUS
In the morning In the morning
In the morning I'll be gone
Riding a blue train
To somewhere yet unknown
Could be California
Maine or Tennessee
When I hear that whistle blow
I know it blows for me
Tonight I'll find a boxcar
To rest my weary head
A sack for a pillow
A pallet for my bed
And when that train starts rolling
And the engine picks up steam
I'll raise a cheer to the engineer
And the wonders that I've seen
CHORUS
There's a cost to freedom
Travelling through this land
The price you've gotta pay
For never settling down
Whenever there's a someone
Who says you are the one
You hear that whistle blowing
And you know you're moving on
I’m a big fan of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. I was always struck by the hardship endured by those who come to a new country and what they leave behind. I'm trying to capture the loneliness and difficult working conditions endured and the hope of meeting up with loved ones in the future.
Lyrics
He stood by a sign on the edge of town
Saying Cash in Hand, We're Hiring Now
He sighed with relief as he crossed the yard
Travelled down the old highway
through a rocky ridge on a blue sky day
Raised his eyes and thanked the Lord
Made his way from Mexico
With a silver dollar and an iron hoe
The smell of sadness on his skin
Left behind the life he'd known
A wife, a kid in the Barrio
Who were never too far from his mind
CHORUS
And the dark valley sighs
As the days roll by
But we'll dance on Diez y Seis
Beneath a warm September sky
The Foreman looked him in the eye
Saying sign here on the dotted line
Minimum wage, no Union Card
There's a shack out back with a water pipe
A couple of rugs when it's cold at night
And a stove you can use at supper time
So he worked from the time the hot sun rose
Weeding the ground round the olive grove
At night he cried for the life he'd known
Often dreamed of his wife and kid
The sacrifice they all had made
For the dollars he was sending home
CHORUS
What’s not to love about country music? At the end of the day, nothing like kicking back and enjoying a whisky whilst listening to some of the old favourites .
Lyrics
When the sky is dark and the night is calling
Draw the blinds, kick off your shoes
Dim the lights, get out the whisky
Line up some country, rhythm and blues
Here come the Carters with Mother Maybelle
Twanging the strings like a big bass drum
And they're singing songs of Heaven
And how the Gospel Ship to glory
Has room for everyone
Is that a Gibson reverberating
Honky Tonkin' on Cryin Time?
Young Buck Owens won't be knowing
He's gonna be a big star further down the line
CHORUS
Let's hear Patsy from the Opry
Hitting the high notes pure as a bell
I've been walking after midnight
Falling to pieces under her spell
CHORUS
River of Life
Despite fashions coming and going, I believe the spirit of Country music remains the same. Tales of love and heartache to help you through hard times.
Lyrics
Hank Williams was on the jukebox
With a song about the River of Life
How you've got to hold on
And not let your boat capsize
Then I heard Elvis
Young and sounding free
And he was singing about a Blue Moon
I felt he was singing to me
CHORUS
These songs and these singers
Travel with me through life
Waylon, Willie, Merle Haggard
Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline
When I'm feeling lonesome
Down and a little blue
Their voices will uplift me
And help me make it through
Then up came Johnny
With a voice like a rattlin' cage
He's talking about redemption
And how he's gotten saved
George and Tammy just got married again
Singing D.I.V.O.R.C.E
And Standing By Your Man
CHORUS
The years they may have passed
The stories remain the same
Tales of love and heartache
Only the singers change
Crooked Still, Nickel Creek,
Reba and the Dixie Chicks,
George Strait and Iris DeMent,
Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt
CHORUS
Going away to sort out life's problems sometimes doesn't work. Remembering the good times through songs you heard on the radio when you were young can remind you of what you've lost.
Lyrics
Never been back in over 20 years
Still she hears that old radio
Playing the songs, the ones from her youth
Songs that never let go
CHORUS
And that radio still plays in her mind
Bringing back memories of when she was young
And that radio when she hears the sound
It's taking her to a better time
Moving around and working up north
Met someone and settled down
Now it's gone from bad to worse
All she wants is to come on home
CHORUS
Looking at her life, something's gotta change
Pack up the past and get up and go
There's only one thing that'll always stay the same
Listening to the sound of that radio
CHORUS
A tale of recklessness and regret. Nothing's the same since I lost you.
Lyrics
I've been up I've been down
I've been all around the town
Nothing's been the same since I lost you
I've been high and outta line
Buying wine after closing time
Nothing's been the same
Since I lost you
CHORUS
I lost you I lost you
Days that I'm sober are getting few
Every night that you've been gone
This house is feeling less like home
Nothing's been the same
Since I lost you
I've been sad I've been blue
I've been wishing that you knew
Now I've gone so far away
I've been crying in the night
Hoping to make it right
Nothing's been the same
Since I lost you
CHORUS
I lost you I lost you
Days that I'm sober are getting few
Every night that you've been gone
This house is feeling less like home
Nothing's been the same
Since I lost you
I lie awake every night
No one close to hold me tight
And every night that you've been gone
This house is feeling less like home
Nothing's been the same
Since I lost you
Based on my uncle who emigrated from Scotland to Lethbridge, Alberta in the late 1950's. He had a rich life, including being a cowboy and a rodeo rider who won a Golden Belt at the Calgary Stampede. Later he became a truck driver and though loving live on the road was always glad to get safely home.
Lyrics
Leaving Lethbridge I turn my rig around
Saying goodbye and head for Shaky Town
It's a long run , be gone for weeks
But I know you'll keep me safe
CHORUS
So I'm praying to you St Christopher
Praying to you my load won't roll
Praying to you braking on the curve
You'll carry me , carry me home
Christopher
Crossing the border, I'm in the USA
Leaving Lethbridge a thousand miles away
Heading south , the Pacific coast
But it's Lethbridge I love the most
CHORUS
What I love best is driving trucks
Of all the things I've ever done
And every time I'm leaving Lethbridge
I can't wait to get back home
CHORUS
A tears in yer beers song, my favourite kind.
Lyrics
When you find love is gone
You've got to leave it behind
You got to move on
Don't be wasting your time
Stick a pin in a map
Find yourself a new town
Where you can rebuild
Maybe settle down
CHORUS
On nights like this
If sleep won't come
I'm remembering you
And feeling all alone
On nights like this
Waiting for the dawn
I'm remembering you
Will I stay strong
Starting over again
It happens all the time
All over the world
People survive
They pack up the past
They leave it all behind
Find a new deal
Find a new hand
CHORUS
Love is a well
It sometimes runs dry
The bucket's half full
No matter how you try
Cutting the rope
Letting it fall
Find a new place to drink
You can have it all
CHORUS
Truck driving is not for the faint-hearted. Highways are hazardous, mountains steep and rockfalls frequent. 'Oh Lord, keep my wheels going round, Keep me safe and sound.'
Lyrics
Driving to Black Mountain
Shifting through the gears
Summit in the distance
As daylight disappears
Climbing out of Asheville
Watching for the signs
Been another rock fall
It happens all the time
Chorus
Oh Lord – Keep my wheels going round
Keep them turning day and night
Keep me safe and sound
Oh Lord – You gotta lend a hand
Keep my wheels a- turning
Help me all you can
Lanes are getting narrow
The air is getting thin
If you want to see tomorrow
Stay back from the Black Ravine
Fighting hard to keep my grip
Firestone tyres won’t hold
Sliding back instead of up
My engine’s about to stall
Chorus
Sometimes on life’s journey
You need to ask for help
Find someone to turn the wheel
You can’t do it by yourself
Chorus
Relationships can be tricky, especially if cheating isn't part of the deal. This time enough is enough, and it is indeed the end of the line.
Lyrics
Close the door, sit right down
Stop pretending your not sleeping around
Your boss just called told me the news
She thought it's time I knew the truth
CHORUS
Here again at the end of the line
Sorry won't work for me this time
Pack your bags, get out of my sight
I'm letting you go
I want you gone tonight
You thought somehow you 'd keep it from me
A late night tryst, coming home at three
You were pushing a deal, hustling a dime
Now I know you'd something different in mind
CHORUS
What have you done, why'd you do it this way
Why didn't you tell me , why didn't you say
It's too late now to wonder why
You let me down , so say goodbye
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CHORUS
This is my go-to song if I'm asked to sing without much warning. Breaking up is hard and sometimes we pretend we're OK when we're really not.
Lyrics
Travelling alone on a train that's leaving town
Hanging out the window waiting for a sign
You've never written and now I'm leaving
I wonder what your thinking
Across the borderline
Nine hours on the rails and the train is pulling in
I'm picking up my case in this brand new town
Drawing a shutter down , all around my heart
Now we're apart across the borderline
Once we were sweethearts
Love was in our blood
Thought we'd be together
Forever for all time
But a cold wind came a'callin'
Suddenly I'm fallin'
Find myself a'goin'
Across the borderline
Don't try and find me, call me or write me
I'll drop you a letter let you know I'm fine
Yeah I'll be okay, think about you some day
Tell you I still miss you across the borderline
Nine hours on the rails and the train is pulling in
I'm picking up my case in this brand new town
Drawing a shutter down , all around my heart
Now we're apart across the borderline
A bar where romantic possibilities seem an impossibility. 'I just want to be somebody's darling, just want to be somebody's girl. I just want love and understanding but I won't find it down at the Catfish Bar & Grill.
Lyrics
CHORUS
I just want to be somebody's darling
I just want to be somebody's girl
I just want love and understanding
But I won't find it down at
The Catfish Bar & Grill
Old Fancy Pants MacKenzie
He's come and he's sat right down
He's askin' what I'm drinkin'
As he has a good look around
'I'm the best you'll do tonight my dear
Come try my whisky still'
But I tell him 'I'd rather
Swallow a suicide pill'
CHORUS
One eyed Sue saunters in
Fixes me with a smile
She buys me a drink saying
'You know what I think
You haven't kissed me in a while
It was last year - Christmas Eve
Under the mistletoe'
Well I was outta my seat
Beatin' a retreat
Before she had another go
CHORUS
Texas Joe from Idaho
They say he killed his wife
He's straddlin' a chair
Givin' me a stare
Cleanin' his nails with a knife
When outta the blue he shouts 'Hey you!
Throw caution to the wind '
He's down on his knees sayin 'Marry me
I've already got the ring '
CHORUS
The upshot of this tale I tell
Is love eludes me still
But if this is the catch
Then it's goin' right back
And it's goodbye to
The Catfish Bar & Grill
Words often come uninvited and can inspire a song. ' I was born in Gallitin County, near the hills of Gradyville' and is my homage to the state of Kentucky and for anyone with a hankering for home.
Lyrics
I was born in Gallitin County
Near the hills of Gradyville
Though I'll forever love Kentucky
I've always been a restless girl
Every spring I'd take to wanderin'
Through the mighty sugar pines
No matter where I lay my head down
You're forever on my mind
CHORUS
In my heart you always linger
No matter where I choose to go
Baltimore, the Tennessee River
I can't forget I love you so
I worked down in Mississippi
Picking tunes and cutting cane
And every night when I drink whisky
I hear Kentucky call my name
I always thought I'd be a rambler
Roaming free, chasing the sun
All I am is a weary traveller
Oh Kentucky I'm coming home
CHORUS
