WHEN I GO (1998)
- When I Go
- Don't Tread On Me
- Annie's Lover
- Grand Prairie TX Homesick Blues
- Kate And The Ghost Of Lost Love
- The River, Where She Sleeps
- Lancelot
- Frank To Valentino
- Little Liza Jane
- Elvis Presley
creditsProduced by Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer
Associate Producer: Mark Frethem Recorded in Tracy's Kitchen by Dave & Tracy except for (8) recorded in Donny Wright's garage. Mixed by Mark Frethem at Doctor Digital. Mastered by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering. Photography by Kathleen Williams, Dan Betenbender. Package design by Tracy Grammer. Musicians: Dave Carter: guitar, banjo, bass, vocals Tracy Grammer: violin, mandolin, guitar, vocals Eric Park: harmonica, accordion |
quotable"Discovery of the year... [Carter] is a major lyrical talent." -Los Angeles Times
|
when i go
© 1998 David Robert Carter (BMI), administered by Tracy Grammer Music
come, lonely hunter, chieftain and king, i will fly like the falcon when i go
bear me my brother under your wing, i will strike fell like lightnin when i go
i will bellow like the thunder drum, invoke the storm of war
a twistin pillar spun of dust and blood up from the prairie floor
i will sweep the foe before me like a gale out on the snow
and the wind will long recount the story, reverence and glory, when i go
spring, spirit dancer, nimble and thin, i will leap like coyote when i go
tireless entrancer, lend me your skin, i will run like the gray wolf when i go
i will climb the rise at daybreak, i will kiss the sky at noon
raise my yearnin voice at midnight to my mother in the moon
i will make the lay of long defeat and draw the chorus slow
i'll send this message down the wire and hope that someone wise is listenin when i go
and when the sun comes trumpets from his red house in the east
he will find a standin stone where long i chanted my release
he will send his mornin messenger to strike the hammer blow
and i will crumble down uncountable in showers of crimson rubies when i go
sigh, mournful sister, whisper and turn, i will rattle like dry leaves when i go
stand in the mist where my fire used to burn, i will camp on the night breeze when i go
and should you glimpse my wand'rin form out on the borderline
between death and resurrection and the council of the pines
do not worry for my comfort, do not sorrow for me so
all your diamond tears will rise up and adorn the sky beside me when i go
come, lonely hunter, chieftain and king, i will fly like the falcon when i go
bear me my brother under your wing, i will strike fell like lightnin when i go
i will bellow like the thunder drum, invoke the storm of war
a twistin pillar spun of dust and blood up from the prairie floor
i will sweep the foe before me like a gale out on the snow
and the wind will long recount the story, reverence and glory, when i go
spring, spirit dancer, nimble and thin, i will leap like coyote when i go
tireless entrancer, lend me your skin, i will run like the gray wolf when i go
i will climb the rise at daybreak, i will kiss the sky at noon
raise my yearnin voice at midnight to my mother in the moon
i will make the lay of long defeat and draw the chorus slow
i'll send this message down the wire and hope that someone wise is listenin when i go
and when the sun comes trumpets from his red house in the east
he will find a standin stone where long i chanted my release
he will send his mornin messenger to strike the hammer blow
and i will crumble down uncountable in showers of crimson rubies when i go
sigh, mournful sister, whisper and turn, i will rattle like dry leaves when i go
stand in the mist where my fire used to burn, i will camp on the night breeze when i go
and should you glimpse my wand'rin form out on the borderline
between death and resurrection and the council of the pines
do not worry for my comfort, do not sorrow for me so
all your diamond tears will rise up and adorn the sky beside me when i go
don't tread on me
© 1997 David Robert Carter (BMI), administered by Tracy Grammer Music
red dog runnin down a long black road
nose to the gravel, license to travel
he don't care if it's your place or my place
whole human race got just one face in his case
up on the mountain sits a sleepy old coot
rifle on his shoulder, pistol in his boot
bottle in one hand, bible in the other
no-count rebel, baby he's my brother
ethyl in the gas tank, chicken on the farm
semper fidelis on my good right arm
elvis blastin on the color tv
i'm a u.s. male, dontcha tread on me
johnny's in the attic writin automatic
talkin emphatic about the bureaucratic static
jungle, low-pay high-rent
bobby's on the pavement thinkin bout the government
so go where you gotta, do what you will
but it's another workin day up on capitol hill
boozin cruisin snoozin and usin
but somebody's winnin, somebody's losin
one pound of flesh and a gallon of sweat
just your daily payment on the national debt
but all god's children got a right to be free,
mister state trooper dontcha tread on me
seems we live and die in a crossfire hurricane
in the rain but "no pain, no gain." the sign explains
still, jesse james in his coat of flames
held up their one-way gravy train
"nothin to lose but your workin blues
and your chains," the man with no name claims
well i figure i'll make me a sign of my own
take the stars and stripes and the skull and bones
and the cross of jesus and a golden crown
and the serpent that bites when the boot grinds down
tie it all together with a fine silk cord from
the rusty antenna of my '63 ford
now look over yonder, son, tell me whatcha see
that's the flag of freedom, dontcha tread on me
red dog runnin down a long black road
nose to the gravel, license to travel
he don't care if it's your place or my place
whole human race got just one face in his case
up on the mountain sits a sleepy old coot
rifle on his shoulder, pistol in his boot
bottle in one hand, bible in the other
no-count rebel, baby he's my brother
ethyl in the gas tank, chicken on the farm
semper fidelis on my good right arm
elvis blastin on the color tv
i'm a u.s. male, dontcha tread on me
johnny's in the attic writin automatic
talkin emphatic about the bureaucratic static
jungle, low-pay high-rent
bobby's on the pavement thinkin bout the government
so go where you gotta, do what you will
but it's another workin day up on capitol hill
boozin cruisin snoozin and usin
but somebody's winnin, somebody's losin
one pound of flesh and a gallon of sweat
just your daily payment on the national debt
but all god's children got a right to be free,
mister state trooper dontcha tread on me
seems we live and die in a crossfire hurricane
in the rain but "no pain, no gain." the sign explains
still, jesse james in his coat of flames
held up their one-way gravy train
"nothin to lose but your workin blues
and your chains," the man with no name claims
well i figure i'll make me a sign of my own
take the stars and stripes and the skull and bones
and the cross of jesus and a golden crown
and the serpent that bites when the boot grinds down
tie it all together with a fine silk cord from
the rusty antenna of my '63 ford
now look over yonder, son, tell me whatcha see
that's the flag of freedom, dontcha tread on me
annie's lover
© 1998 David Robert Carter (BMI), administered by Tracy Grammer Music
annie's lover was a medicine man, and he roamed the chokes and boulders
hick'ry staddle in his big black hand and a star upon his shoulder
he'd go down to the meadow at night, he would dance in the firefly light
and she would dream like a pagan queen when he'd hold her
annie's lover was a wildcat's brother and the badger's mad companion
in his rainbow beads and his straw hat he was the king of mercy canyon
in the winter she would trade her crown for boots of buckskin leather
rise up singin when the sun went down and ride out on the heather
they would meet in the meadow at night, they would dance in the fey moonlight
dip and spin and skate the wind like feathers
'cause annie's lover was a wildcat's brother ...
now if you wander in the twilight hills out past the gates of eden
graze your pony where the dark spring spills and surely you will see them
they come down to the meadow at night, there they dance till the morning light
and all the bounding saints come 'round to greet them
'cause annie's lover was a wildcat's brother...
annie's lover was a medicine man, and he roamed the chokes and boulders
hick'ry staddle in his big black hand and a star upon his shoulder
he'd go down to the meadow at night, he would dance in the firefly light
and she would dream like a pagan queen when he'd hold her
annie's lover was a wildcat's brother and the badger's mad companion
in his rainbow beads and his straw hat he was the king of mercy canyon
in the winter she would trade her crown for boots of buckskin leather
rise up singin when the sun went down and ride out on the heather
they would meet in the meadow at night, they would dance in the fey moonlight
dip and spin and skate the wind like feathers
'cause annie's lover was a wildcat's brother ...
now if you wander in the twilight hills out past the gates of eden
graze your pony where the dark spring spills and surely you will see them
they come down to the meadow at night, there they dance till the morning light
and all the bounding saints come 'round to greet them
'cause annie's lover was a wildcat's brother...
grand prairie TX homesick blues
© 1996 David Robert Carter (BMI), administered by Tracy Grammer Music
grand prairie, texas, home on the range
i come here for salvation but i'm just another stranger
on a strip highway
where nobody stops or stays
hell-bent on revival, lookin to grow some roots
i have mortgaged my survival for these worn out cowboy boots
but there's just one horse in forty miles and
he's the prized possession of the dallas zoo
and he feels like a stranger, too
ld silver, take me ridin through the foothills of my life
i went easy in the saddle with a lever-action rifle
and a tin canteen
through a field of dreams
way out by the beltline where the armadillos play
with the noble bootjack rabbit in the evening of the day
oh where my brothers have you gone for
i return to thank you for the gifts you gave
but the field is paved
these nights i work the graveyard at the burger king downtown
i get off in the mornin and i lay my burden down
at the convenience store
where stood my old front door
st. peter when you call me, you can find me waitin here
beneath this sad mimosa tree with a quart of drive-thru beer
for home is in the heartland but the heartland cannot save you
when the heart is gone
and home's moved on
grand prairie, texas, home on the range
i come here for salvation but i'm just another stranger
on a strip highway
where nobody stops or stays
hell-bent on revival, lookin to grow some roots
i have mortgaged my survival for these worn out cowboy boots
but there's just one horse in forty miles and
he's the prized possession of the dallas zoo
and he feels like a stranger, too
ld silver, take me ridin through the foothills of my life
i went easy in the saddle with a lever-action rifle
and a tin canteen
through a field of dreams
way out by the beltline where the armadillos play
with the noble bootjack rabbit in the evening of the day
oh where my brothers have you gone for
i return to thank you for the gifts you gave
but the field is paved
these nights i work the graveyard at the burger king downtown
i get off in the mornin and i lay my burden down
at the convenience store
where stood my old front door
st. peter when you call me, you can find me waitin here
beneath this sad mimosa tree with a quart of drive-thru beer
for home is in the heartland but the heartland cannot save you
when the heart is gone
and home's moved on
kate and the ghost of lost love
© 1997 David Robert Carter (BMI), administered by Tracy Grammer Music
sweet kate, open your gate, here i stand in the wind
threadbare, snow in my hair, how i need you again
for lone stalks the hunter's moon, time takes her toll
love, please, mercy on me and my poor wand'rin soul
love is a star that will not shine till the hour of your return
i count the days in cups of wine and the candles i have burned
and sunrise comes only when i am faraway in dreams or when the black thunder rolls
i cannot save my own sad heart nor your poor, poor wand'rin soul
i heard the grey wolf sing her serenade at night
but you never held me by the light of day
i climbed the redwood tree and caught the wren in flight
but her wings were soft as morning and the morning slipped away
(duet)
open the gate, love
so many candles
suddenly morning slips away from me
and the wax heart weeps and blisters
and it's burning where he kissed her
and the ghost of lost love whispers, "sweet Kate..."
sweet kate, open your gate, here i stand in the wind
threadbare, snow in my hair, how i need you again
for lone stalks the hunter's moon, time takes her toll
love, please, mercy on me and my poor wand'rin soul
love is a star that will not shine till the hour of your return
i count the days in cups of wine and the candles i have burned
and sunrise comes only when i am faraway in dreams or when the black thunder rolls
i cannot save my own sad heart nor your poor, poor wand'rin soul
i heard the grey wolf sing her serenade at night
but you never held me by the light of day
i climbed the redwood tree and caught the wren in flight
but her wings were soft as morning and the morning slipped away
(duet)
open the gate, love
so many candles
suddenly morning slips away from me
and the wax heart weeps and blisters
and it's burning where he kissed her
and the ghost of lost love whispers, "sweet Kate..."
the river, where she sleeps
© 1998 David Robert Carter (BMI), administered by Tracy Grammer Music
she's a walkin talkin breathin new age wonder, old time heathens
don't know what to make of mary jane
'cause she ain't tryin to be no swami, she ain't mad at dad and mommy
she don't curse the storm clouds when it rains
when the sun refuse to shine she don't mind, she make everything look fine
she got moon in her eyes, crescent windows on the skies
and the rain comes down in sheets on the people in the streets
and it carries all the secrets that they keep to the river where she sleeps
she comes to me when i'm dejected, leaves her soul out unprotected
tells me that the truth can make me free
and she don't need what she ain't got, she reads me books by alan watts
speakin words o' wisdom: let it be
when the sun refuse to shine she don't mind, she take thunder for a sign
she got stars in her head, supernovas in her bed
and it rains most every day, but i like it fine that way
'cause the waters run so marvelous and deep in the river where she sleeps
mary ain't inclined to drinkin, still she stumbles without thinkin
anywhere she gets the urge to stray
and everybody knows about her, they don't want to change or doubt her
they just grin when she comes out to play
when the sun refuse to shine she don't mind, she be movin down the line
she got bells on her toes, generations in her clothes
and she sings without a sound as the evenin rolls around
and she dances as the twilight shadows creep down the river where she sleeps
professor come to burst my bubble, says that girl is bound for trouble
serves me solace in a paper cup
but it looks a bit like agent orange and when he leaves he slams the door and
just about that time she phones me up
when the sun refuse to shine she don't mind, she just ain't the worryin kind
she got dogs, she got cats, she keeps rabbits in her hats
and the people that she sees, they're all buddhas or police
and the banks rise high and perilous and steep by the river where she sleeps
now one dismayed december dawn i wake to find my mary's gone
and no one knows when she'll come back again
and all the silent temple bells from styx to glenn to hazel dell
are mournin all the nights that might have been
when the sun refuse to shine she don't mind, she just leave this world behind
she got wheels in her smile, she can coast along for miles
me i'm walkin all alone, feelin soulful to the bone
till i stop and I hang my head and weep by the river where she sleeps
she's a walkin talkin breathin new age wonder, old time heathens
don't know what to make of mary jane
'cause she ain't tryin to be no swami, she ain't mad at dad and mommy
she don't curse the storm clouds when it rains
when the sun refuse to shine she don't mind, she make everything look fine
she got moon in her eyes, crescent windows on the skies
and the rain comes down in sheets on the people in the streets
and it carries all the secrets that they keep to the river where she sleeps
she comes to me when i'm dejected, leaves her soul out unprotected
tells me that the truth can make me free
and she don't need what she ain't got, she reads me books by alan watts
speakin words o' wisdom: let it be
when the sun refuse to shine she don't mind, she take thunder for a sign
she got stars in her head, supernovas in her bed
and it rains most every day, but i like it fine that way
'cause the waters run so marvelous and deep in the river where she sleeps
mary ain't inclined to drinkin, still she stumbles without thinkin
anywhere she gets the urge to stray
and everybody knows about her, they don't want to change or doubt her
they just grin when she comes out to play
when the sun refuse to shine she don't mind, she be movin down the line
she got bells on her toes, generations in her clothes
and she sings without a sound as the evenin rolls around
and she dances as the twilight shadows creep down the river where she sleeps
professor come to burst my bubble, says that girl is bound for trouble
serves me solace in a paper cup
but it looks a bit like agent orange and when he leaves he slams the door and
just about that time she phones me up
when the sun refuse to shine she don't mind, she just ain't the worryin kind
she got dogs, she got cats, she keeps rabbits in her hats
and the people that she sees, they're all buddhas or police
and the banks rise high and perilous and steep by the river where she sleeps
now one dismayed december dawn i wake to find my mary's gone
and no one knows when she'll come back again
and all the silent temple bells from styx to glenn to hazel dell
are mournin all the nights that might have been
when the sun refuse to shine she don't mind, she just leave this world behind
she got wheels in her smile, she can coast along for miles
me i'm walkin all alone, feelin soulful to the bone
till i stop and I hang my head and weep by the river where she sleeps
lancelot
© 1997 David Robert Carter (BMI), administered by Tracy Grammer Music
lancelot rode on a swayback mare
he won in a card game up north somewhere
he was bottom-out lonesome, he was too tired to care
keepin one step ahead of the rain
well he blew into broken bow late last year
talkin up the vision of his lost guinevere
but he couldn't tell a grail from a glass of beer
so he settled for lady elaine
he sang, "yodelayhee, i ain't no untarnished galahad
down from arcadia like a dream in your head
but gentle lady, lend me the true heart i never had
and i'll wash the years from your bed
with all the salt tears i have shed," lancelot said
well mornin came sleepy and mornin came slow
and the mirror revealed a face she didn't know
and the last autumn robin was packin to go
as another year slipped by the way
so she rose and she dressed and she pushed back the night
she put up her hair by the dawn's early light
and the man in her bed was an eagle in flight
and a crooked old crow in the hay
he sang, "yodelayhee, i ain't no untarnished galahad
down from arcadia like a dream in your head
but gentle lady, lend me the true heart i never had
and i'll stain the lavenders red
with all of this good blood i've shed," lancelot said
so bugles blow golden and banners fly blue
but these days the castle's just drywall and glue
and tiltin at windmills is the best you can do
with the black knight of time on your lawn
so i wouldn't know if he left or he stayed
prospered or starved by the promise he made
or maybe he straggled and maybe he strayed
while the bright world went barrelin on
singin "yodelayhee, i ain't no untarnished galahad
down from arcadia like a dream in your head
but gentle lady, lend me the true heart i never had
and i'll bring you roses and bread
and we'll fashion gold out of lead
with all the illusions we shed," lancelot said
lancelot rode on a swayback mare
he won in a card game up north somewhere
he was bottom-out lonesome, he was too tired to care
keepin one step ahead of the rain
well he blew into broken bow late last year
talkin up the vision of his lost guinevere
but he couldn't tell a grail from a glass of beer
so he settled for lady elaine
he sang, "yodelayhee, i ain't no untarnished galahad
down from arcadia like a dream in your head
but gentle lady, lend me the true heart i never had
and i'll wash the years from your bed
with all the salt tears i have shed," lancelot said
well mornin came sleepy and mornin came slow
and the mirror revealed a face she didn't know
and the last autumn robin was packin to go
as another year slipped by the way
so she rose and she dressed and she pushed back the night
she put up her hair by the dawn's early light
and the man in her bed was an eagle in flight
and a crooked old crow in the hay
he sang, "yodelayhee, i ain't no untarnished galahad
down from arcadia like a dream in your head
but gentle lady, lend me the true heart i never had
and i'll stain the lavenders red
with all of this good blood i've shed," lancelot said
so bugles blow golden and banners fly blue
but these days the castle's just drywall and glue
and tiltin at windmills is the best you can do
with the black knight of time on your lawn
so i wouldn't know if he left or he stayed
prospered or starved by the promise he made
or maybe he straggled and maybe he strayed
while the bright world went barrelin on
singin "yodelayhee, i ain't no untarnished galahad
down from arcadia like a dream in your head
but gentle lady, lend me the true heart i never had
and i'll bring you roses and bread
and we'll fashion gold out of lead
with all the illusions we shed," lancelot said
frank to valentino
© 1997 David Robert Carter (BMI), administered by Tracy Grammer Music
they raised him up on the installment plan
the homely son of a handsome man
neither clear-complected nor expected to achieve
a little bit ragged, a little big rough
a little too rowdy for the summer of love
now he's looking for a reason to believe
and he's changed his name from frank to valentino
he's growin out his sideburns and he's wearin platform shoes
and he's drivin on the midnight road from medford down to reno
and he thinks he's found a way to cure his workin blues
he got himself married at seventeen
she looked real pretty but she talked kinda mean
he thought they'd work things out in the fullness of time
twenty years later he's headed south
the close-range victim of her sawed-off mouth
leavin their salad days behind
and he's changed his name from frank to valentino ...
lord have mercy on the workin stiff
pullin graveyards and double-shifts
tryin to hold his own beside the pretty and the bright
givin up the dream of his own backyard
jugglin taxes and credit cards
see him rollin like a ghost train through the night
and he's changed his name from frank to valentino ...
they raised him up on the installment plan
the homely son of a handsome man
neither clear-complected nor expected to achieve
a little bit ragged, a little big rough
a little too rowdy for the summer of love
now he's looking for a reason to believe
and he's changed his name from frank to valentino
he's growin out his sideburns and he's wearin platform shoes
and he's drivin on the midnight road from medford down to reno
and he thinks he's found a way to cure his workin blues
he got himself married at seventeen
she looked real pretty but she talked kinda mean
he thought they'd work things out in the fullness of time
twenty years later he's headed south
the close-range victim of her sawed-off mouth
leavin their salad days behind
and he's changed his name from frank to valentino ...
lord have mercy on the workin stiff
pullin graveyards and double-shifts
tryin to hold his own beside the pretty and the bright
givin up the dream of his own backyard
jugglin taxes and credit cards
see him rollin like a ghost train through the night
and he's changed his name from frank to valentino ...
little liza jane
© 1997 David Robert Carter (BMI), administered by Tracy Grammer Music
when i was just nine days old, jumped off my pappy's knee
and i crawled out on the open road, a long-haul trucker for to be
saved my money, bought a rig, factory stock and plain
tricked her out, give the name, little liza, liza jane
i said bull dog train
she my ball and chain
chokin churnin rubber burnin little liza jane
i took to haulin overloads across the great divide
missions through the rabbit ears, hell-for-leather, do-or-die
crosswinds clocked at eighty knots, snow upon the ground
black ice in the hammer lane, man, that don't even slow me down
bull dog train
she my ball and chain
frettin fussin diesel-guzzlin little liza jane
smoky at the chicken coop, he said the road was closed
so i doubled back a mile or two and i took this little turn i know
top froze over, bundled out, downgrade ten percent
nailed her into boogie and then down that evil road i went
singin bull dog train
she my ball and chain
slippin slidin skatin glidin little liza jane
road so slick i couldn't steer, snow too thick to see
runnin short on shoulder and my nine lives runnin out on me
sheer cliff risin to the left, drop-off to the right
and nothin past that guard rail but a thousand feet of endless night
i said bull dog train she my ball and chain
racin rockin tightrope-walkin little liza jane
faster now and faster still, couldn't touch the brakes
so i let liza have her head and i crossed my heart for goodness sake
but underneath that driven snow, alligator bait
chomped a tire, road went left -- me and liza went on straight
we crashed right through that wooden rail, o'er the side we went
thirty tons of smoke and chrome and thirty years of bad intent
streakin like a cannon ball, a comet trail in space
and the stars spun in my window, and the full moon in my mortal face
bull dog train
she my ball and chain
rippin roarin eagle soarin little liza jane
now lord i pray forgive me for all the wrongs i've done
for all the bambis i have banged and the stogies i have bummed
but as i stand before you, i swear by smoke and steel
that we sailed down past those chasm walls and never grazed a wheel
'cause liza's tires were spinnin and her cab was cocked just so
that we touched down like a jumbo jet when we hit that valley road below
and she pulled it out like magic on a triple-digit ride
and we made it home ahead of time, good luck and trouble on our side
and drivers, when you're weary, and you just can't find the trail
if you ask me to reveal the moral of this little tale, i'll say
bull dog train
she my ball and chain
jumpin jammin hammer slammin little liza jane
bull dog train
she my ball and chain
jumpin jammin hammer slammin
rippin roarin eagle soarin
racin rockin tight-rope walkin
slippin slidin skatin glidin
frettin fussin diesel guzzlin
chokin churnin hell-fire burnin
little liza, little liza
little liza, little liza
little
liza
jane
when i was just nine days old, jumped off my pappy's knee
and i crawled out on the open road, a long-haul trucker for to be
saved my money, bought a rig, factory stock and plain
tricked her out, give the name, little liza, liza jane
i said bull dog train
she my ball and chain
chokin churnin rubber burnin little liza jane
i took to haulin overloads across the great divide
missions through the rabbit ears, hell-for-leather, do-or-die
crosswinds clocked at eighty knots, snow upon the ground
black ice in the hammer lane, man, that don't even slow me down
bull dog train
she my ball and chain
frettin fussin diesel-guzzlin little liza jane
smoky at the chicken coop, he said the road was closed
so i doubled back a mile or two and i took this little turn i know
top froze over, bundled out, downgrade ten percent
nailed her into boogie and then down that evil road i went
singin bull dog train
she my ball and chain
slippin slidin skatin glidin little liza jane
road so slick i couldn't steer, snow too thick to see
runnin short on shoulder and my nine lives runnin out on me
sheer cliff risin to the left, drop-off to the right
and nothin past that guard rail but a thousand feet of endless night
i said bull dog train she my ball and chain
racin rockin tightrope-walkin little liza jane
faster now and faster still, couldn't touch the brakes
so i let liza have her head and i crossed my heart for goodness sake
but underneath that driven snow, alligator bait
chomped a tire, road went left -- me and liza went on straight
we crashed right through that wooden rail, o'er the side we went
thirty tons of smoke and chrome and thirty years of bad intent
streakin like a cannon ball, a comet trail in space
and the stars spun in my window, and the full moon in my mortal face
bull dog train
she my ball and chain
rippin roarin eagle soarin little liza jane
now lord i pray forgive me for all the wrongs i've done
for all the bambis i have banged and the stogies i have bummed
but as i stand before you, i swear by smoke and steel
that we sailed down past those chasm walls and never grazed a wheel
'cause liza's tires were spinnin and her cab was cocked just so
that we touched down like a jumbo jet when we hit that valley road below
and she pulled it out like magic on a triple-digit ride
and we made it home ahead of time, good luck and trouble on our side
and drivers, when you're weary, and you just can't find the trail
if you ask me to reveal the moral of this little tale, i'll say
bull dog train
she my ball and chain
jumpin jammin hammer slammin little liza jane
bull dog train
she my ball and chain
jumpin jammin hammer slammin
rippin roarin eagle soarin
racin rockin tight-rope walkin
slippin slidin skatin glidin
frettin fussin diesel guzzlin
chokin churnin hell-fire burnin
little liza, little liza
little liza, little liza
little
liza
jane
elvis presley
© 1998 David Robert Carter (BMI), administered by Tracy Grammer Music
dedicated to t. weathington.
elvis presley came to me in a dream last night
like a sleepy golden eagle on the breeze
wearin wings of spanish leather, he was lookin all right
but his rebel heart lay bleeding on his knees
he said, "sherman's wolves howl 'round the gate
and the sheep have gone astray
and priscilla's flown to paris, now she's lost to me"
he said, "throw out the lifeline, throw out the lifeline
'cause somebody's driftin away"
then he took me over cracker malls and chicken shacks
where the lost souls prowl the lonesome oceanside
they were waitin on the shadow of the merrimack
floatin brave as davis sabers on the tide
but he said, "dixie slumbers in the cold, cold ground
and lincoln moulders in the clay
and they got john wilkes booth on the radio
"singin, 'throw out the lifeline, throw out the lifeline
'cause somebody's driftin away'"
now the truth is plain and simple, but it flickers on my lips
like a moonbeam in a blue kentucky pool
'cause the union, she's a clever and a worthy ship
but she's prideful, and she will not bear a fool
so the fleet sails blind past beauregard
and the flagship founders in the bay
while the captain paces on the quarterdeck
cryin, "throw out the lifeline, throw out the lifeline
'cause somebody's driftin away"
these blue suede shoes were made for someone else's feet
me, I grow weary ever walkin down that line
'cause I never seem to reach the end of lonely street
even though my heart's been broken for sometime
oh, if you should meet me on the march
from appomattox all in gray
won't you take this message to the king for me
tell him, "throw out the lifeline, throw out the lifeline
'cause somebody's driftin away"
tell him, "throw out the lifeline, throw out the lifeline
'cause somebody's driftin away"
dedicated to t. weathington.
elvis presley came to me in a dream last night
like a sleepy golden eagle on the breeze
wearin wings of spanish leather, he was lookin all right
but his rebel heart lay bleeding on his knees
he said, "sherman's wolves howl 'round the gate
and the sheep have gone astray
and priscilla's flown to paris, now she's lost to me"
he said, "throw out the lifeline, throw out the lifeline
'cause somebody's driftin away"
then he took me over cracker malls and chicken shacks
where the lost souls prowl the lonesome oceanside
they were waitin on the shadow of the merrimack
floatin brave as davis sabers on the tide
but he said, "dixie slumbers in the cold, cold ground
and lincoln moulders in the clay
and they got john wilkes booth on the radio
"singin, 'throw out the lifeline, throw out the lifeline
'cause somebody's driftin away'"
now the truth is plain and simple, but it flickers on my lips
like a moonbeam in a blue kentucky pool
'cause the union, she's a clever and a worthy ship
but she's prideful, and she will not bear a fool
so the fleet sails blind past beauregard
and the flagship founders in the bay
while the captain paces on the quarterdeck
cryin, "throw out the lifeline, throw out the lifeline
'cause somebody's driftin away"
these blue suede shoes were made for someone else's feet
me, I grow weary ever walkin down that line
'cause I never seem to reach the end of lonely street
even though my heart's been broken for sometime
oh, if you should meet me on the march
from appomattox all in gray
won't you take this message to the king for me
tell him, "throw out the lifeline, throw out the lifeline
'cause somebody's driftin away"
tell him, "throw out the lifeline, throw out the lifeline
'cause somebody's driftin away"