UNCLE BONES' LYRICS
UNCLE BONES (Lucas)
Way back in Hoot Owl Holler, young Dicey Harper
Died of a snakebite on her wedding day
Her truelove Orphie Coulter jumped down in the gravehole
"I'm bringing her back by God" was all that he would say
It broke every heart every night when he'd start
He'd lift his fiddle off its nail and make that horsehair wail
Chorus: Uncle Bones, just once have mercy
Your love is cold and she's so young
Just let her go and I'll be your fiddler
I'll play for darkness from now on
Bones told Coulter, you can go fetch your woman
She's in my cave on the Coaltown track
She'll be right there behind you if you just keep on going
But she'll be mine to hold if you look back--
A glimpse of golden hair that vanished in the air
Out on the borderline he cast a look behind
Chorus: Uncle Bones, damn your mercy
Your love is cold and now she's gone
She's yours to hold and I'm your fiddler
I play for darkness from now on
The trees in Hoot Owl Holler make a sound like someone's shivers
And the sawgrass in October's like a glimpse of golden hair
Coulter's dead and gone now, his cabin's just a chimney
But sometimes when the wind's up you'd swear that he's still there
Chorus
TAKE ME BACK, WATER (Lucas/Thurman)
She never did tell where she came from
And now no-one knew where she went
The miller just shivered and stared at the river
And wept on his knees for his sins
Rocks sewn in the pockets of her coat
She walked down to the river, got in a boat
A hunter's moon shone, the oars creaked and moaned
And a song echoed out through the cove
Chorus: Take me back, water, take me back home
Wash off this flesh and bleach out the bones
Hold me down like a stone
Take me back, take me home
Silken hair as sleek as an otter
Lay black down her back clear down to the water
Just ripples and wind in Cherokee Bend
The day he first lay down beside her
There was mystery in the strange river girl
One day she cried and the tear was a pearl
The jewel on her cheek left a milky white streak
And fell where the spillwater swirled
Chorus
Temptation got under his skin
Till he made her shed tears again and again
But the miller had sorrow for all his tomorrows
When a boat full of pearls drifted in
Hold me down like a stone
Take me back, take me home
DRAGON REEL (Lucas)
I've sung with the Red Creek Wranglers and I've plowed mother earth
Been an undertaker and I've run the tilt-a-whirl
Seen a woman flogged and a mule hit by a train
I jailed up in the big house until I slipped the chain
Now I'm the dragon beside your road
Chorus: Dosido, don't you know, it's right by right and wrong you go
Oh by gosh, oh by Joe, some go high, some low
Figure eight and then go straight, pull to the right, swing on the gate
Oh by gosh, oh by Kate, don't be too late
Now I've got a-loose I aim to stay that way
Time for talk is short so what you got to say
A good one's hard to find, what kind are you
It can take a loaded gun to get down to the truth
Of the dragon beside the road
Chorus
Cry Pollyanna tears, put camphor on your wrist
Old Slewfoot's greatest wile is that he don't exist
The blood yolk in the pan brings the savor out
I've eaten it like Ezekiel, it was honey to my mouth
The dragon beside the road
EVERY DAY I HAVE THE GREENS (Lucas)
Woke up this morning, I had the blues so blue
I asked my old mama is there anything I can do?
And Mama said . . .
Ain't but one thing when the hellhound's on your trail
Can whip that old dog and tie a knot in his tail
Chorus: Greens, a big pot of greens
Eat you some turnip greens, collard greens, and mustard, they're greens too
Once you got the greens, you won't have the blues
She said, Greens are for good luck, every leaf's a dollar
And the taste of hot potlikker is gonna make you holler
Chorus
Some folks call 'em trash, some folks call 'em weeds
But if you got the blues, greens are what you need
She threw in some cayenne, a hog jowl, and fatback
Then found the fishbait cooler and iced down a sixpack
She cooked 'em greasy, cooked 'em tender sweet
Then stopped before they fell apart and said, Amen let's eat
Chorus
Ain't but one thing when the hellhound's in your yard
Can shoo that old dog and take the bite out of his bark
Eat you some turnip greens, collard greens, and dandelion, they're greens too
Once you got the greens, you won't have the blues
CARRYING FIRE (Lucas)
He was in my dream again last night, I was on a horse on a mountainside
Snow was falling, the sky was pale, I passed my father out on that trail
He touched his hat, no word was said, he was riding on, on up ahead
With a buffalo horn slung on a strap and a look that said no turning back
Chorus: That old horn glows like a copper moon
Filled with coals like the Old Ones used to do
Precious embers, banked and dry
He's up ahead, carrying fire
It's a bitter wind, nowhere to hide, and the dark is black as a starless sky
Just ice and stone, some last frontier, which way's the way, the way from here
Chorus
There's a light out in the west and a river shines like a silver thread
I can see a fire from off this ridge, I'll catch up when I cross that bridge
I've got a long, a long ways to go, but when the hour comes, I know
There''ll be a light out there in the dark, a campfire flame from a firehorn spark
GRITS AND REDEYE GRAVY (Lucas)
The diner's hot as a little red wagon
Mac says he's sweating like a whore in church
Big Dutch is hungry, wants to know what's cooking
Tiny says, "Honey, anything you want"
It was Johnny Ace singing "Pledging My Love"
And the counter bell ringing, "Patches up!"
Connie in the kitchen, beating time on a skillet
"Everything's scratch, keep your shirt on, Jack"
Chorus: I've got your grits and red-eye gravy
Fried peach pie and country ham
A big mess of hash browns and green tomatoes
Fried in lard from a Folger's can
Three plays for a dime, all D-27
"Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets"
That dame's got sass and a cha-cha swagger
The Judge got a flask in his vest
"Wanna hot that coffee?"--they drink it from the saucer
She's pretty in the face, bless her heart
"Your weight and fortune--Ask the Swami"
"From seed to harvest--the time is short"
Chorus: For eating grits and red-eye gravy
Fried peach pie and country ham
A big mess of hash browns and green tomatoes
Fried in lard from a Folger's can
Storm's on the way, Mac taps his skullbone
They all fought in Korea, Mac took some lead
He's got a steel-plate that can tell the weather
He picks up Louisiana Hayride in his head
All gone to ground in the marble orchard
They called that booth the DMZ
Mac, Dutch and Monk, and Connie's Kitchen
All once alive, boys, as you or me
Chorus: Eating grits and red-eye gravy
Fried peach pie and country ham
A big mess of hash browns and green tomatoes
Fried in lard from a Folger's can
HEZEKIAH (Lucas)
Hezekiah rode a mule to Walker Town
And bought a jug of 40-rod and drank it down
He rared and roared and cussed and swore and drew a crowd
Until a stranger stood up and spoke out:
Chorus: He said, It's me, it's the King of Silence
Make ready, it's almost your time
You can run, you can hide, Hezekiah
But the book says tomorrow you're mine
Hezekiah whipped the mule through the rain
Said Death can't find what won't be here for him to claim
I'll be in Harlan far away from idle threats
And there he went and bought a jug and mocked at Death
Chorus
He rared and roared and then he swore all through the night
Who's the bully of the town, who'll fight?
He beat his chest crying, Death where's thy sting?
Till the shadow said I see you came
Chorus: It's me, it's the King of Silence
Make ready, your race is run
The book said tomorrow in Harlan
And now tomorrow in Harlan has come
Make ready, your race is run
Tomorrow in Harlan has come
BIG BAD LOVE (Lucas/Thurman)
Earlene picks up a broken tire iron
Bobby Lee kicks the jack
Earlene's giving him hell
Bobby Lee's giving it back
He grabs the pistol from the glovebox
Puts two slugs in the dash
Then tries to cool down by pretending Earlene
Is a five-pound largemouth bass
Chorus: Point blank, shots fired
Two bodies down and one tire
Point blank, hot blood
Nothing's left but big bad love
The gun makes her eyes look crazy
She's got the glovebox .22
You never hurt for me, she says,
Like I hurt for you
And then the whole thing flips when Bobby says,
I hurt, Earlene, I do
She grabs him by the belt
And then they both go down
In the back of that ragtop coupe
Chorus
They're gonna ride it on the rims until the wheels fall off
They're gonna run it right down in the dirt
They're getting legal when the baby turns two
If they don't shoot or strangle each other first
Chorus
They're gonna ride it on the rims until the wheels fall off
They're gonna run it right down in the dirt
They're getting legal when the baby turns two
If they don't shoot or strangle each other first
She knows about a cabin by the railroad tracks
If they can just come up with some cash
He says, All there is between us and nothing, Earlene,
Is just a dollar's worth of jihad gas
THE PRICE (Lucas/Thurman)
This old bar, she said, was built for Napoleon
I bet he'd buy a girl a Scotch if she asked nice
I said Napoleon's dead but here's Johnny Walker Red
Everything's free tonight just name your vice
We had our fortunes told and I couldn't pay
The mambo laughed and said, The spirit say you pay some other day
Someone said you'd moved to Memphis
And then I heard Abilene
I've still got all those letters
Still don't know what they mean
Last year I drove to Texas
2000 miles straight down
Drove all night through the desert
Then turned around, just turned around
Chorus: When I can't remember to forget that's the price I pay, that's the price I pay
When tomorrow's just a shadow of a yesterday, that's the price I pay, that's the price I pay
It's a quiet life up on this mountain
"What if?" makes no sound outside your mind
I can still hear your bare feet slapping through Jackson Square
If those old stones could talk they'd just sigh
We had our fortunes told and I couldn't pay
The mambo laughed and said, The spirit say you pay some other day
Chorus
This old bar, she said, was built for Napoleon
PICK UP (Lucas)
Did they ever make it even once through dinner, he didn’t say “I’ve got to take this call?”
That poker face told her, Monkey business—somebody’s hand’s in the candy jar
She always had a bad bad bad short temper so she took it for a good long stroll
It made her feel all warm inside, revenge would be served cold
She used to text a little message just to pass the time but she never did hit send
HSDUTIA: How stupid do you think I am?
Late nights waiting up all alone, she’d dial his cellphone line
You always pick up her calls, she thought, why don’t you pick up mine?
Chorus: Pick up that phone, pick up that phone, pick it up—pick up that phone
When he went face down in the grits and gravy, she was just so stunned
By the time she got done sipping her bourbon—too late for 9-1-1
She bore her grief in graveside black, just a Tiffany locket
And there was something she did before they closed the lid—she put the phone in his pocket
Chorus
Now she’s the buzz, she’s the click, she’s the ringtone, she’s the flicker on a smartphone screen
She’s the girl in the blood-red Porsche GT, bee-stung lips, diamond rings
That's her on Graveyard Hill idling in the shade
Such a loving wife, she calls him every day
Chorus
"Leave a message at the beep." It's always "Leave a message."
What's wrong? You in a dead zone? Find a hot spot. Think outside the box.
Daddy warned you: "Get that girl mad she's meaner than a skillet full of rattlesnakes . . ."
"Leave a message at the beep." It's always "Leave a message."
What's wrong? You in a dead zone? Find a hot spot. Think outside the box.
Daddy warned you: "Get that girl mad she's meaner than a skillet full of rattlesnakes . . ."
TROUBLE (Lucas)
Juvies starting mulch fire in front of A&P
Crying child left locked in back of black Ford LTD
Fight in progress, church league, unit sent to park
Man trapped in van by pit bull wants tranquilizer dart
Chorus: Trouble (oh, trouble, that’s what we got)
Trouble (ooh, trouble, that’s what we got)
Trouble (yeah, trouble, that’s what we got)
People, we got trouble
Complainant says drunk neighbor is talking out of her head
Desk call from Sunset Inn, Room 8 is cooking meth
Heart Fund bucket stolen, gravestones vandalized
Report of woman selling child to couple from Ohio
Priestess, prophet, oracle, make the madness stop
Great 9-1-1, send a cop
Chorus
(all songs ©2012Mark Lucas/DarkThunder/ASCAP
except "Take Me Back, Water," "Big Bad Love," and "The
Price" ©2012Lucas/Thurman/DarkThunder/ASCAP)
(all songs ©2012Mark Lucas/DarkThunder/ASCAP
except "Take Me Back, Water," "Big Bad Love," and "The
Price" ©2012Lucas/Thurman/DarkThunder/ASCAP)
DUST LYRICS
DOWN IN THE SWAMP (Lucas)
We stirred the mash, we stoked the still
Cut loose on the keelboat, goodbye Louisville
Ran that whiskey down the river, boys, and now we just got paid
So get behind me, Satan, you’re standing in my way
New Orleans women gonna say, Voulez vous?
We’ll tell ‘em, Ooh-la-la, merci beaucoup
Fan-dance girls and can-can kickers saying, Come on in, boys, we won’t bite
Watch your back those honeydrippers will carve you with a Bowie knife
Down in The Swamp of the Vieux Carrée
It’s gouge and stomp, guns and blades
Anything you want all night and day
Down in The Swamp of the Vieux Carrée
Chuck-a-luck, brag, and bluff, faro, craps, and stud
A bar monkey and a burly-Q stage, cage-fights in the mud
Spanish fly and that old Green Faery, panther piss and pigsweat ale
Voodoo rum with a finger of laudanum to wash down that gator tail
Smoke cigars, cut the cards, get a shave and shear
Roll on red-light velvet, shoot the chandelier
Then pole that boat back up the river, boys, and if we don’t get robbed
Any money left we shall deliver to good old, sweet old, dear old Ma
Chorus
Big Bill woke up married across the river in Algiers
The hotel asked, Do you want the bridal? He said, I’ll just hold her ears
Mambo juice from an old gourd dipper, Rue Dauphine’s the mouth of hell
Brother got sick and I got sicker but we’ll go back when we get well
Chorus
LOST JOHN (P.D., adap. Lucas)
Funniest thing you ever seen was Long Lost John from Bowling Green
No hat on his head or shoes on his feet, begging all the women for bread and meat
He’s long gone, long gone, he’s long gone, Lost John
Took Lost John to the burlesque show, got him a seat on the very first row
The girls come out to do the dance, they hauled John away in an ambulance
He’s long gone, long gone, he’s Long Lost John
Bank got robbed in broad daylight, sheriff got mad, said shoot on sight
But hide nor hair was ever seen of long Lost John from Bowling Green
He’s long gone, long gone, he’s long gone, Lost John
Lost John sitting on the railroad track waiting for the freight train to come back
Freight train come, never made a stop, but there goes John riding on top
He’s long gone, long gone, he’s Long Lost John
LAST THINGS (Lucas)
Close the lid on the toolbox, put the nails in a jar
Play that old Hank he had on in the car
The wind in the chimney blows dust in your eye
While you sweep out the ashes from the old man’s last fire
The wall clock’s wound tight, the key’s still in the notch
And there’s a glass on the counter and a bottle of Scotch
It still smells like pipesmoke over there where he sat
You said, I’ll see you later, today you came back
There’s a book on the nightstand with a folded-down page
And a note on the rolltop: “Call the drugstore today”
The fiddle’s on the back porch with a new set of strings
It’s a haunted old house now, full of last things
His wallet’s on the dresser, ten 20’s, three 1’s
And a picture of you before you moved on
Take the silver, sell the china, put the clothes in a sack
You said, I’ll see you later, today you came back
The wind in the chimney blows dust in your eye
You hear your name in the rain, you turn to reply
Too late, just missed him, there’s his hat
You said, I’ll see you later, today you came back
CIRCUIT RIDER (Lucas)
Praise the Father, praise the Son for this old Book and this old gun
We’ve fought Satan hand to hand from Bitter Creek to No Man’s Land
I ride a Chickasaw pony, bred of Spanish stock
My steeple’s Shawnee Mountain, my altar’s Panther Rock
When the trumpet sounds, don’t give me wings
No long white robe, no angel choir
Just let me rise on an old gray pony
I’m the saddlebag preacher, the circuit rider
I’ve preached His Word in fields and caves to trappers, heathens, thieves, and slaves
But blood is in the lung-spit now, this buckskin coat will be my shroud
Lord, You made me strong, now make me stronger
Don’t take me home, let me stay a little longer
Chorus
The journey’s done, my heart grows still, I lift my eyes unto these hills
Winding rivers, virgin woods—God made this earth and it was good
God locked the gates of Eden, but before the iron swung shut
A gust of wind blew through the gap a swirl of shining dust
Chorus
THE SIDESHOW (Lucas)
Wolf Boy, Tom Thumb, Missing Link
Sad-Eyed Serpentina and Armless Girl Marie
We’ve been right here, your oldest dream
Strange and wondrous cousins that wait behind the screen
Step right up, look and see
Five hundred dollars guaranteed
All true, this way from birth
We’re the sideshow of the greatest show on earth
Two rows, ten tents, make your choice
The tank of Feejee Mermaid, the cage of Monkey Boy
Half-price, six cents, children under twelve,
Watch Two-Headed Girl sing with herself
Step right up, can this be true
Temples of the Holy Ghost just like you
Laughter without mirth
At the sideshow of the greatest show on earth
We’ve been kicking sawdust since the Flood
Nothing slows us down but jump-day mud
We don’t complain, can’t be what we’re not
Doing the best we can with what we got
KooKoo, Bird Girl, sold by her ma
Said sometimes the way they look at me makes my feathers crawl
No dodge, no trick, no pigeon up the sleeve
This is what we are, nothing changes when you leave
So step right up, gape and stare
Bust a gut, we don’t care
Just drop two bits for our day’s work
For the sideshow of the greatest show on earth
GOLD (Lucas)
The hayfields spread out like a big amber sea
The October moon was a bowl full of honey
The carnival midway—an Arabian Night
And that beat-up old ferris wheel was a miracle of light
The whole world was gold—but gold’s hard to hold
A sail disappearing at dawn, it’s always moving on
You won’t know what it was till it’s gone
Whispers and sighs, words in the dark
Fairytale promises—sun, moon, and stars
Wells full of wishes in the deeps of the night
Spindrift of paradise in your eyes
The whole world was gold—hard to hold
A sail disappearing at dawn, it’s always moving on
You won’t know what it was till it’s gone
Dawn turns into day and dreams slip away
Nothing, no, nothing, nothing gold can stay
I know, yes I know—gold can’t hold
Dawn turns into day and heaven fades away
WHISKEY RAILROAD (Lucas)
Mama said Daddy was a deadbeat drunk then she pulled up the cover and she died
Daddy took a drink and then he wiped his jaw, said, Son, that's a lie and here’s why:
I can beat the bottle anytime I want, once I’ve made my mind, it’s set
Where’s it writ that I can’t quit, I just aint wanted to yet
Whiskey railroad—just one more ride then you’ll get off
Whiskey railroad--when you jump the tracks, that’s your stop
Daddy spent his draw on raw white mule then he beat us with the back of a spade
But he corked the jug and he kicked that corn the day we laid him in the grave
Sister might’ve fallen down weeping in fits and Brother’s eyes might’ve been wet
And I might mourn like a true firstborn, we just aint wanted to yet
Chorus
Preacherman says, It’s dust to dust, let us not forget
This soul has flown to the judgment throne, it just didn’t want to yet
Chorus
Daddy said, I can beat the bottle anytime I want, I just aint wanted to yet
GTT (Lucas)
My mother said I’d be all right someday when the sap went down
But the still won’t run, I sold my mule, and I aint cut out for a plow
Kate’s up the duff and crazy, told her old daddy it’s mine
Now he’s at the door with a horsewhip—reading the sign
Scratch it on the window, write it on the door
Paint it on the barn, gouge it in the floor
Nail it to a fencepost, carve it in a tree
Just three letters—GTT, gone to Texas
Spurring this old piece of crowbait to the river by dawn
Just got a Tennessee Toothpick and the suit I have on
That dandy I cut at the bit house was the sheriff’s son
Aint waiting to see how the cat jumps, got to run
Chorus
The Boss got mad at the Devil—said, “You’re running that place in the ground”
He deputized some angels to take a look around
Nobody home in the junkyard, just broken-down wagons and weeds
And some paint on the side of the privy—said, “GTT”
Scratch it on the window, write it on the door
Paint it on the barn, gouge it in the floor
Look out, Sam, aint seen the like of me
Here I come, I’m GTT, gone to Texas
BIVOUAC OF THE DEAD (O’Hara/Lucas)
The muffled drum’s sad roll has beat the soldier’s last tattoo
No more on life’s parade shall meet that brave and fallen few
Nor war’s wild note nor glory’s peal shall thrill with fierce delight
Those hearts that never more may feel the rapture of the fight
Their shivered swords are red with rust, their plumed heads are bowed
Their haughty banner, trailed in dust, is now their martial shroud
And solemn funeral tears have washed the red stains from each brow
These bodies torn, by battle gashed, are free from anguish now
Rest on, sainted dead, dear as the blood you shed
On Fame’s eternal ground, silent tents are spread
And glory guards, on solemn rounds, the bivouac of the dead
Beneath the earth of home you rest, far from the field
Borne to a Spartan mother’s breast on many a bloody shield
Your own proud land’s heroic soil is your hallowed grave
She claims from war his richest spoil, the ashes of her brave
Your glory shall not be forgot while fame her record keeps
For honor points the hallowed spot where valor proudly sleeps
Nor wreck nor change nor winter’s blight nor time’s remorseless doom
Shall dim one ray of glory’s light that gilds your deathless tomb
Chorus
DUST (Lucas)
The last show played there was Splendor in the Grass
We sat there in the darkness trying to make it last
But the footlights were burned out, the old curtains were torn
And when we walked back out on Main Street, they chained the door
Specks of dust like flecks of gold shine, shine, shine
Shine when that projector beam lights up to the screen
Rise in the light and shine like gold, shine like gold then they’re gone
Specks of dust, flecks of gold
That old poster hung for years fading in the rain
Coming Soon Kirk Douglas in Lonely Are the Brave
A girl played piano there in the days of Bow and Gish
All the world is young, she thought, it’ll always be like this
Chorus
Shine like gold, shine like stars, shine in the light, then vanish in the dark
Rise in the light and shine like gold, shine like gold then we're gone
Specks of dust, flecks of gold
(all songs ©2010Mark Lucas/DarkThunder/ASCAP)
We stirred the mash, we stoked the still
Cut loose on the keelboat, goodbye Louisville
Ran that whiskey down the river, boys, and now we just got paid
So get behind me, Satan, you’re standing in my way
New Orleans women gonna say, Voulez vous?
We’ll tell ‘em, Ooh-la-la, merci beaucoup
Fan-dance girls and can-can kickers saying, Come on in, boys, we won’t bite
Watch your back those honeydrippers will carve you with a Bowie knife
Down in The Swamp of the Vieux Carrée
It’s gouge and stomp, guns and blades
Anything you want all night and day
Down in The Swamp of the Vieux Carrée
Chuck-a-luck, brag, and bluff, faro, craps, and stud
A bar monkey and a burly-Q stage, cage-fights in the mud
Spanish fly and that old Green Faery, panther piss and pigsweat ale
Voodoo rum with a finger of laudanum to wash down that gator tail
Smoke cigars, cut the cards, get a shave and shear
Roll on red-light velvet, shoot the chandelier
Then pole that boat back up the river, boys, and if we don’t get robbed
Any money left we shall deliver to good old, sweet old, dear old Ma
Chorus
Big Bill woke up married across the river in Algiers
The hotel asked, Do you want the bridal? He said, I’ll just hold her ears
Mambo juice from an old gourd dipper, Rue Dauphine’s the mouth of hell
Brother got sick and I got sicker but we’ll go back when we get well
Chorus
LOST JOHN (P.D., adap. Lucas)
Funniest thing you ever seen was Long Lost John from Bowling Green
No hat on his head or shoes on his feet, begging all the women for bread and meat
He’s long gone, long gone, he’s long gone, Lost John
Took Lost John to the burlesque show, got him a seat on the very first row
The girls come out to do the dance, they hauled John away in an ambulance
He’s long gone, long gone, he’s Long Lost John
Bank got robbed in broad daylight, sheriff got mad, said shoot on sight
But hide nor hair was ever seen of long Lost John from Bowling Green
He’s long gone, long gone, he’s long gone, Lost John
Lost John sitting on the railroad track waiting for the freight train to come back
Freight train come, never made a stop, but there goes John riding on top
He’s long gone, long gone, he’s Long Lost John
LAST THINGS (Lucas)
Close the lid on the toolbox, put the nails in a jar
Play that old Hank he had on in the car
The wind in the chimney blows dust in your eye
While you sweep out the ashes from the old man’s last fire
The wall clock’s wound tight, the key’s still in the notch
And there’s a glass on the counter and a bottle of Scotch
It still smells like pipesmoke over there where he sat
You said, I’ll see you later, today you came back
There’s a book on the nightstand with a folded-down page
And a note on the rolltop: “Call the drugstore today”
The fiddle’s on the back porch with a new set of strings
It’s a haunted old house now, full of last things
His wallet’s on the dresser, ten 20’s, three 1’s
And a picture of you before you moved on
Take the silver, sell the china, put the clothes in a sack
You said, I’ll see you later, today you came back
The wind in the chimney blows dust in your eye
You hear your name in the rain, you turn to reply
Too late, just missed him, there’s his hat
You said, I’ll see you later, today you came back
CIRCUIT RIDER (Lucas)
Praise the Father, praise the Son for this old Book and this old gun
We’ve fought Satan hand to hand from Bitter Creek to No Man’s Land
I ride a Chickasaw pony, bred of Spanish stock
My steeple’s Shawnee Mountain, my altar’s Panther Rock
When the trumpet sounds, don’t give me wings
No long white robe, no angel choir
Just let me rise on an old gray pony
I’m the saddlebag preacher, the circuit rider
I’ve preached His Word in fields and caves to trappers, heathens, thieves, and slaves
But blood is in the lung-spit now, this buckskin coat will be my shroud
Lord, You made me strong, now make me stronger
Don’t take me home, let me stay a little longer
Chorus
The journey’s done, my heart grows still, I lift my eyes unto these hills
Winding rivers, virgin woods—God made this earth and it was good
God locked the gates of Eden, but before the iron swung shut
A gust of wind blew through the gap a swirl of shining dust
Chorus
THE SIDESHOW (Lucas)
Wolf Boy, Tom Thumb, Missing Link
Sad-Eyed Serpentina and Armless Girl Marie
We’ve been right here, your oldest dream
Strange and wondrous cousins that wait behind the screen
Step right up, look and see
Five hundred dollars guaranteed
All true, this way from birth
We’re the sideshow of the greatest show on earth
Two rows, ten tents, make your choice
The tank of Feejee Mermaid, the cage of Monkey Boy
Half-price, six cents, children under twelve,
Watch Two-Headed Girl sing with herself
Step right up, can this be true
Temples of the Holy Ghost just like you
Laughter without mirth
At the sideshow of the greatest show on earth
We’ve been kicking sawdust since the Flood
Nothing slows us down but jump-day mud
We don’t complain, can’t be what we’re not
Doing the best we can with what we got
KooKoo, Bird Girl, sold by her ma
Said sometimes the way they look at me makes my feathers crawl
No dodge, no trick, no pigeon up the sleeve
This is what we are, nothing changes when you leave
So step right up, gape and stare
Bust a gut, we don’t care
Just drop two bits for our day’s work
For the sideshow of the greatest show on earth
GOLD (Lucas)
The hayfields spread out like a big amber sea
The October moon was a bowl full of honey
The carnival midway—an Arabian Night
And that beat-up old ferris wheel was a miracle of light
The whole world was gold—but gold’s hard to hold
A sail disappearing at dawn, it’s always moving on
You won’t know what it was till it’s gone
Whispers and sighs, words in the dark
Fairytale promises—sun, moon, and stars
Wells full of wishes in the deeps of the night
Spindrift of paradise in your eyes
The whole world was gold—hard to hold
A sail disappearing at dawn, it’s always moving on
You won’t know what it was till it’s gone
Dawn turns into day and dreams slip away
Nothing, no, nothing, nothing gold can stay
I know, yes I know—gold can’t hold
Dawn turns into day and heaven fades away
WHISKEY RAILROAD (Lucas)
Mama said Daddy was a deadbeat drunk then she pulled up the cover and she died
Daddy took a drink and then he wiped his jaw, said, Son, that's a lie and here’s why:
I can beat the bottle anytime I want, once I’ve made my mind, it’s set
Where’s it writ that I can’t quit, I just aint wanted to yet
Whiskey railroad—just one more ride then you’ll get off
Whiskey railroad--when you jump the tracks, that’s your stop
Daddy spent his draw on raw white mule then he beat us with the back of a spade
But he corked the jug and he kicked that corn the day we laid him in the grave
Sister might’ve fallen down weeping in fits and Brother’s eyes might’ve been wet
And I might mourn like a true firstborn, we just aint wanted to yet
Chorus
Preacherman says, It’s dust to dust, let us not forget
This soul has flown to the judgment throne, it just didn’t want to yet
Chorus
Daddy said, I can beat the bottle anytime I want, I just aint wanted to yet
GTT (Lucas)
My mother said I’d be all right someday when the sap went down
But the still won’t run, I sold my mule, and I aint cut out for a plow
Kate’s up the duff and crazy, told her old daddy it’s mine
Now he’s at the door with a horsewhip—reading the sign
Scratch it on the window, write it on the door
Paint it on the barn, gouge it in the floor
Nail it to a fencepost, carve it in a tree
Just three letters—GTT, gone to Texas
Spurring this old piece of crowbait to the river by dawn
Just got a Tennessee Toothpick and the suit I have on
That dandy I cut at the bit house was the sheriff’s son
Aint waiting to see how the cat jumps, got to run
Chorus
The Boss got mad at the Devil—said, “You’re running that place in the ground”
He deputized some angels to take a look around
Nobody home in the junkyard, just broken-down wagons and weeds
And some paint on the side of the privy—said, “GTT”
Scratch it on the window, write it on the door
Paint it on the barn, gouge it in the floor
Look out, Sam, aint seen the like of me
Here I come, I’m GTT, gone to Texas
BIVOUAC OF THE DEAD (O’Hara/Lucas)
The muffled drum’s sad roll has beat the soldier’s last tattoo
No more on life’s parade shall meet that brave and fallen few
Nor war’s wild note nor glory’s peal shall thrill with fierce delight
Those hearts that never more may feel the rapture of the fight
Their shivered swords are red with rust, their plumed heads are bowed
Their haughty banner, trailed in dust, is now their martial shroud
And solemn funeral tears have washed the red stains from each brow
These bodies torn, by battle gashed, are free from anguish now
Rest on, sainted dead, dear as the blood you shed
On Fame’s eternal ground, silent tents are spread
And glory guards, on solemn rounds, the bivouac of the dead
Beneath the earth of home you rest, far from the field
Borne to a Spartan mother’s breast on many a bloody shield
Your own proud land’s heroic soil is your hallowed grave
She claims from war his richest spoil, the ashes of her brave
Your glory shall not be forgot while fame her record keeps
For honor points the hallowed spot where valor proudly sleeps
Nor wreck nor change nor winter’s blight nor time’s remorseless doom
Shall dim one ray of glory’s light that gilds your deathless tomb
Chorus
DUST (Lucas)
The last show played there was Splendor in the Grass
We sat there in the darkness trying to make it last
But the footlights were burned out, the old curtains were torn
And when we walked back out on Main Street, they chained the door
Specks of dust like flecks of gold shine, shine, shine
Shine when that projector beam lights up to the screen
Rise in the light and shine like gold, shine like gold then they’re gone
Specks of dust, flecks of gold
That old poster hung for years fading in the rain
Coming Soon Kirk Douglas in Lonely Are the Brave
A girl played piano there in the days of Bow and Gish
All the world is young, she thought, it’ll always be like this
Chorus
Shine like gold, shine like stars, shine in the light, then vanish in the dark
Rise in the light and shine like gold, shine like gold then we're gone
Specks of dust, flecks of gold
(all songs ©2010Mark Lucas/DarkThunder/ASCAP)