THE VERDANT MILE EP (2004)
- The Verdant Mile
- This Dirty Little Town
- Wasn't Born To Follow
- Solitary Man
- When I Reach The Place I'm Goin'
- Jackson's Tune/Trickster Tale/St. Anne's Reel
- Old Paint
creditsProduced by Tracy Grammer & Jim Henry
Recorded by Billy Oskay at Big Red Studio. Additional recording by Mark Frethem at Doctor Digital; Jim Henry at Rubytone. Mixed by Bob Stark at Kung Fu Bakery. Mastered by Ryan Foster, Freq Mastering. Package design by Curt Franklin |
quotable"Grammer wraps her rich, ethereal voice around Neil Diamond's Solitary Man, evoking Joan Baez in her prime, while a lovely ray of hope rings out in Emory Gordon and Joe Henry's When I Reach the Place I'm Goin'... Classic Americana." -Dirty Linen
"A brilliant collection of songs with Tracy sounding absolutely at the top of her craft." - Kevin Welch, Music Director, KINK-FM "This EP effortlessly reconciles Grammer's pop and bluegrass sensibilities... The results are so pure, they make Neil Diamond sound like he hails from the farthest reaches of the Blue Ridge Mountains." - Eye.net “Tracy's song [The Verdant Mile] reminds me of how "Boulder To Birmingham" was such a significant presence on Emmylou Harris’ Pieces of the Sky...it stands as a testament to this woman's courage, considering the extent of her loss, that she's willing to place this recent part of her life journey full-square in the public domain.” - Folkwax "Infused with catchy, changing rhythms, take [the title] cut as a marvelous sign of things to come as Grammer moves along the path of penning and performing more of her own compositions." - Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews |
the verdant mile
Tracy Grammer © 2004 Tracy Grammer Music (BMI)
i didn't want to burn like this, so close to the bone
no muscle left to carry it, this black bag of stones
it's a black bag
the august heat, the autumn rain, and winter's face of blue
the seasons keep their spinnin up but there's no sign of you
there is no sign
and so i walk this verdant mile
of memory with you
the gentle arms of eden
and the mountain get me through
richard says the whippoorwill taught him how to go
i tell him death is just a dream but i don't really know
it's everything and nothing when the spirit cracks the sky
but flowers fold and go to seed and no one questions why
nobody
and so i walk this verdant mile ...
i miss you like i love the sound of blackbirds in the trees
i sit alone and wish that either one of you would visit me
but no matter how much seed i hang, what prayer i call out
i cannot bring that bird in from the field or make an angel come around
and so i walk this verdant mile ...
i didn't want to burn like this, so close to the bone
no muscle left to carry it, this black bag of stones
it's a black bag
the august heat, the autumn rain, and winter's face of blue
the seasons keep their spinnin up but there's no sign of you
there is no sign
and so i walk this verdant mile
of memory with you
the gentle arms of eden
and the mountain get me through
richard says the whippoorwill taught him how to go
i tell him death is just a dream but i don't really know
it's everything and nothing when the spirit cracks the sky
but flowers fold and go to seed and no one questions why
nobody
and so i walk this verdant mile ...
i miss you like i love the sound of blackbirds in the trees
i sit alone and wish that either one of you would visit me
but no matter how much seed i hang, what prayer i call out
i cannot bring that bird in from the field or make an angel come around
and so i walk this verdant mile ...
this dirty little town
Kieran Kane © 1995 Cross Keys Publishing / Kieran Kane Music (ASCAP)
someday i'm gonna leave this dirty little town
where the talk is cheap on the dirty little streets
and the trees are dying underneath a sky that's purple and brown
you can't drink the water, can't breath the air
of you go out at all, well you better take care
people packing heat on the mean old streets of this dirty little town
i've been saving my money each and every day
every dollar i make, i put a nickel away
five little pennies don't seem like much
after twenty more years i'll have enough
someday i'm gonna leave this dirty little town ...
folks around here say i'll never go
but there's something about me that they don't know
i've already left this place in my mind
till my body goes, it's just a matter of time
but someday i'm gonna leave this dirty little town ...
someday i'm gonna leave this dirty little town
where the talk is cheap on the dirty little streets
and the trees are dying underneath a sky that's purple and brown
you can't drink the water, can't breath the air
of you go out at all, well you better take care
people packing heat on the mean old streets of this dirty little town
i've been saving my money each and every day
every dollar i make, i put a nickel away
five little pennies don't seem like much
after twenty more years i'll have enough
someday i'm gonna leave this dirty little town ...
folks around here say i'll never go
but there's something about me that they don't know
i've already left this place in my mind
till my body goes, it's just a matter of time
but someday i'm gonna leave this dirty little town ...
wasn't born to follow
Carole King/Gerry Goffin © 1972 Screen Gems-EMI Music, Inc.
oh I'd rather go and journey
where the diamond crescent's glowing
and run across the valley
beneath the sacred mountain
and wander through the forest
where the trees have leaves of prisms
and break the light in colors
that no one knows the names of
and when it's time i'll go and wait
beside a legendary fountain
till i see your form reflected
in it's clear and jeweled waters
if you think i'm ready
you may lead me to the chasm
where the rivers of our vision
flow into one another
i will want to dive beneath
the white cascading waters
she may beg, she may plead
she may argue with her logic
and mention all the things I'll lose
that really have no value
in the end she will surely know
i wasn't born to follow
oh I'd rather go and journey
where the diamond crescent's glowing
and run across the valley
beneath the sacred mountain
and wander through the forest
where the trees have leaves of prisms
and break the light in colors
that no one knows the names of
and when it's time i'll go and wait
beside a legendary fountain
till i see your form reflected
in it's clear and jeweled waters
if you think i'm ready
you may lead me to the chasm
where the rivers of our vision
flow into one another
i will want to dive beneath
the white cascading waters
she may beg, she may plead
she may argue with her logic
and mention all the things I'll lose
that really have no value
in the end she will surely know
i wasn't born to follow
solitary man
Neil Diamond © Sony/ATV Music Publishing OBO Tallyrand Music, Inc.
melinda was mine till the time that i found her
holding jim, loving him
then sue came along, loved me strong, that's what i thought
me and sue, that died too
don't know that i will but until i can find me
a girl who'll stay and won't play games behind me
i'll be what i am
solitary man
solitary man
i've had it to here being where love's a small word
part-time thing, paper ring
i know it's been done having one girl who'll love me
right or wrong, weak or strong
don't know that i will but until i can find me,
a girl who'll stay and won't play games behind me
i'll be what i am
solitary man
solitary man
melinda was mine till the time that i found her
holding jim, loving him
then sue came along, loved me strong, that's what i thought
me and sue, that died too
don't know that i will but until i can find me
a girl who'll stay and won't play games behind me
i'll be what i am
solitary man
solitary man
i've had it to here being where love's a small word
part-time thing, paper ring
i know it's been done having one girl who'll love me
right or wrong, weak or strong
don't know that i will but until i can find me,
a girl who'll stay and won't play games behind me
i'll be what i am
solitary man
solitary man
when i reach the place i'm goin'
Emory Gordy Jr./Joe Henry © Sony/ATV Publishing/Cool Hand Music
when i reach the place i'm goin'
i will surely know my way
and i will turn and look inside me
and bid farewell to one more day
every light begins with darkness
every flower was once a seed
and with the sun and wind to test us
we are bound to be released
i will fly beyond this valley
i will open up the gate
and when i reach the place i'm goin'
i will surely know my way
we have hands to hold our sorrows
we have tears to heal the pain
and though your eyes ask many questions
on your lips i hear my name
i was born without a whisper
i was born beneath the rain
but when i reach the place i'm goin'
i will surely know my way
when i reach the place i'm goin'
i will surely know my way
and i will turn and look inside me
and bid farewell to one more day
every light begins with darkness
every flower was once a seed
and with the sun and wind to test us
we are bound to be released
i will fly beyond this valley
i will open up the gate
and when i reach the place i'm goin'
i will surely know my way
we have hands to hold our sorrows
we have tears to heal the pain
and though your eyes ask many questions
on your lips i hear my name
i was born without a whisper
i was born beneath the rain
but when i reach the place i'm goin'
i will surely know my way
jackson's tune/trickster tale/st. anne's reel (instrumental)
Tracy Grammer/Unknown/Trad.
Arr. Tracy Grammer/Jim Henry
Arr. Tracy Grammer/Jim Henry
old paint
Trad. arr. Tracy Grammer
i ride an old paint, i lead an old dan
goin' down to montana for to throw the houlihan
they feed in the gully, they water in the draw
their tails are all matted, their backs are all raw
ride around little doggies
ride around real slow
for the fiery and the snuffy
are rarin' to go
now old john dodd had two daughters and a farm
one went to denver and the other went wrong
his wife was killed in a pool room fight
now he sings this song most ev'ry night
ride around little doggies ...
and when i die, take my saddle from the wall
put it on my pony and lead him out of the stall
tie my bones to his back and point us out west
and we'll ride the prairie we love the best
ride around little doggies ...
i ride an old paint, i lead an old dan
goin' down to montana for to throw the houlihan
they feed in the gully, they water in the draw
their tails are all matted, their backs are all raw
ride around little doggies
ride around real slow
for the fiery and the snuffy
are rarin' to go
now old john dodd had two daughters and a farm
one went to denver and the other went wrong
his wife was killed in a pool room fight
now he sings this song most ev'ry night
ride around little doggies ...
and when i die, take my saddle from the wall
put it on my pony and lead him out of the stall
tie my bones to his back and point us out west
and we'll ride the prairie we love the best
ride around little doggies ...