Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Backslider's Dream

It was a dollar a dance
downtown tonight at Maria’s
And the beautiful Becky,
 she dances like a Mexican rose
And she dances in trances of
visions of things that she dreams of
I’ve never met a woman as crazy
or who felt more like home

I only had twenty dollars
so asked if she’d let me keep dancing
And pay her double tomorrow
just to dance for the rest of the night
She didn’t say a word
but she pulled me just a little bit closer
As if to say,
“it’s alright you know you ain’t gonna owe me a dime.”

And way I feel tonight you may be in trouble
Reckless endangers the heart but it eases the time
And when I whisper in her ear
she drives me crazy
She says boy you look straight in my eyes
And I say girl don’t ruin the surprise
The best part of loving is found in the subtle disguise


And we could dance to the sound
of the old phonograph on my front porch
Steady hand on her waist
so inspired by a bottle of wine
With the wrap around lights
tossing shadows out into the night sky
And at one she’d just kiss me
‘cause she’s finally feeling alive

The way she looked out in the dark
was a window into the cold things she had
And I saw it as clear
like it was painted right up on the wall
But I would stop it right there
just in case with the morning might come regret
I’d just kiss her till she fell asleep
on the couch in the hall

And she’d wake to the falltime breeze
blowing over her body
And the smell of the coffee
drifting from right down the hall
She a stumbling angel
and she’s reaching for some kind of end line
she was looking for a soft road
 to get her away from it all

from - "Love Tigers"

Summer of June

he had the keys to the kindgom
in that old chevrolet
and that old gas station
where he worked every day
it was hotter than hell,
the brightest of moons
in the middle of august,
the summer of june

she was a dark beauty
right out of his dreams
down by the river
in those cutoff blue jeans
she was drinking a beer
and soaking up sun
and they hit the ground running
like a shot from a gun

He was the brightest among us
when he got the idea
for a quick in for money
there’s only one way round here
when we found out that night
he was just a falling star,

the way everyone tells it
is he just took it too far

she was a disastrous beauty
when she crashed in so hard
she crashed in the bar
and then she crashed in the car
he was still gone
when she pulled through the meds
of that dense dewy fog
of that hospital bed....

and she remembered the night
that they found out the news
the red river had dried up
and there were other clues
the doctor confirmed it
a girl would be along soon
it was the middle of august,
the summer of June

and she cried out, “goddamn you
for leaving me here
with this sweet thing all swaddled
i’m all alone here
we could have made it
with you fixing cars
coming home to your woman
and wishing on stars”

“he had the keys to the kingdom,”
the epitaph read
from the lips of a young girl
but no tears were shed
the girl on the gravesite
holding two red balloons
about twenty years after
the summer of June

from - "Love Tigers"

Redwinged Blackbirds

First shot missed me, second one laid me down
now Im laying all akimbo thinking,
“What was that sound?”
Was it your velvet voice cying lonely in the night?
singing, “lover, please hold me
but don’t hold on too tight.”

Is is Love?
That makes me do the crazy things
I’ve never dreamed of
love,
that makes me burn for the way you smile
and your sweet touch


first time you kissed me, you set my kinder all ablaze
and now i’m standing in your embers
and trying to catch a glimpse of your face
You were just a pretty girl,
bruised by love, but not messed up
So why are you standing in the rain
on my back porch?

Is it love that makes me so fuzzy,
like I took a bunch of different pills
psychadelic gumbo comes with
such a fine load of thrills
but this bad trip’s making me feel
like i’m being chased right down
a one way street by a big old dog with sharp white teeth

walked out past the waterfall,
back where it’s swampy mud
and listened to the Redwinged Blackbirds
making love...

from - "Love Tigers"

Last Drop

Babe we’ve been together
On this track quite while now
Where it’s heading I really didn’t care
But every line has a last stop
And you’ve used me to the last drop
and I haven’t got a tear to spare

You’ve got my heart in your hands
And you know where I keep it
and now you know the reason why,
Why this old slow rolling drifter
And wanna be free and shifter
Has kissed your cheating heart goodbye


Well I saw you Tuesday morning
At Josie’s sit down diner
I saw you kiss him and you smiled
A man whose face I’d never seen
so the truth lies in between
The two lover’s with the lying eyes

Well I’ve never been a fool
And I never share my woman
Used to love you but the well’s run dry
You’ve taken till the last drop
And you know this is the last stop
So go on honey, kiss my ass goodbye

from - "Love Tigers"

Dark End

Steam is working good tonight
Lying on the floor after our fight
I’m Just a little drunk, but I’m all right
Lately our love don’t feel so right

So if you’re feeling the same way
Why don’t we both agree to change
And maybe we’ll find that gold some day
Or maybe it all just slips away

Cause we’ve been walking down that road
the Devils killed the angels that we’d known
And they’re lying bleeding on our dreams
And it’s burning like acid at the seams

And at the dark end of the street
Might lie the love that waits for me
and If we don’t go our separate ways
We might regret the way we’ve lived these days

Cause I love you and you know I’ll never stray
But if you’re looking for a getaway
Lets turn the keyhold on these chains
And let it fade off into yesterday

I love you so
So I’ll let you go
 If you feel you’ve overstayed,
Then slip away
But please go far away
On a bus or on a train
because I’ll miss you everyday
I’ll Miss you everyday

And at the dark end of the street
Might lie the love that waits for me
and If we don’t go our separate ways
We might regret the way we lived these days

And on the dark end there might loom
The love that waits for only you
If we don’t go our separate ways
You’d resent it that I took your love away

from - "Love Tigers"

Song for Liza Jane

When I walked in from the road
I was tired i suppose
and you were standing without your clothes
And so it goes, so it goes
Little Liza Jane

With a cold and icy stare
You were sitting on the stairs
In nothing but your underwear
you Had me going there, had me going there
Little Liza Jane

And there’s nothing sweeter than huckleberry pie
And fireworks on the 4th of July
Or Sundays, lying, staring at the sky
But my Little Liza Jane

Porch swing on a sticky July night
a Little bit drunk from drinking all that red wine
Liza came around and said, “I wanna take one big bite”
And I don’t mind, no, I don’t mind
Little Liza Jane

She put on an Otis Redding forty five
and Then she purred and said it made her feel alive
Then she came to me and she climbed on for a ride
and we danced all night, we danced all night
Little Liza Jane

When the fighting’s over and she acts so sweet
It makes all worth it when she gets so mean
And every time she gets drunk and wants to fight
I say, “that’s all right, if you stay the night....”

My Little Liza Jane

from - "Love Tigers"

Exorcise the Devil Blues

Walked in this joint about seven to three
Pretty little thing looked right up at me
Place was just jumping sweat soaked folks getting loud
She walked on over like a panther on the prowl
I Never thought the devil’d get a hold on me

Saddled on the stool and she offered me a beer
I said, “hey babe, I ain’t chasing down no devil in here”
She looked me in the eye and she sort of bit her lip
She said, “I know you ain’t turning down this”
But I never thought the devil’d get a hold on me

The band was kicking it ill and playing loud
The way they think they kick it way down south
Dragged me out on the floor and she fell onto her knees
Crawled up my leg like a big oak tree
But I never thought the devil’d get a hold on me

Tight little body and them ripped up pants
Gave away her intentions in a sideways glance
Back at my place by the 3:45
She said, “well you’ll be lucky if you get out alive”
My kind of loving makes them run and hide

Well the devil is a woman with a perfect touch
Made love so slow, hell, I was burning up
My fever broke and I was out in the cold
I bargained one night for my very soul
a Hellhound in the distance and the night wind moaned

‘Bout three months later I was down and out
A drunken fool with a big old mouth
When some voodoo preacher man stepped up on me
And spoke of the viper that crawled up my tree
I told him that the devil was five foot three

So listen closely, son, you’d better stay clear
There’s probably even one or two in here
The perfect sin with midnight stare
You ain’t gonna find a bit of love in there
We’ren’t no crossroad where the devil found me

The devil is a woman, ‘bout five foot three

from - "Love Tigers"

Back it Up

I gotta keep Moving
I woke up where I shouldn’t have been
I knew she was trouble
So hot, when I touched it, she burned my skin

Waist deep in the water;
Devil came around and he stole my gin
I used to be standing on dry land
Climbed up, baby, but I fell back in

And if all these wounds might keep me from walking
But the pain makes me feel young again
And when that little girl calls me sweetheart
Makes me wanna back it up, and start over again


Take me baby for nothing
Take me baby for what I’ve been
And if the river pulls me under
Send a letter to my next of kin

Whiskey keeps me happy
Makes me crazy, but it ain’t no sin
I’ve been trying to keep you smiling
But if it breaks down, you know I’ll trade it in

I was headed for trouble
But a man’s gonna be what he’s always been
You know I tried to hide from it
But trouble showed up and it moved back in

from - "Love Tigers"

The Ballad of Crazy Eddie

Crazy Eddie sits on the steps of his
broken down apartment all day
Not that far from the park with the slide
where the children like to play
Nobody minds it though
everybody knows him in the city
Just drinks warm beer singing songs and talking to himself until his hair gets messy
50s haircut and a bowling shirt
Said cinematic is his favorite word
Saw elvis play guitar when he was 5 years old

And Eddie, what do you want to be today?
And Eddie, it’s all about what you believe anyway

He owns a guitar, sits on the front porch,
 and he makes up his own chords
He drives around town with a pompadore
in beat up purple ford
He dreams about the old days as a young man
 when he still felt alive
Days of freedom;
nights getting drunk on thunderbird wine
he Told me once that he was the king
He’s the king of something,
I just don’t know what he thinks it is
It’s hard to make sense of man
who doesn’t seem to recognize the world

Sometimes when he’s drunk enough to fall
He just stares at the picture hanging in the hall

Her name was Faye, she was a dime store clerk
who lived downtown in jersey
He told me once that he loved the way her dress looked falling on her body
He had that look a man gets when he’s
lost the thing that most men never find
Or maybe he’s just tired of living so I just thought.
“thank god for thunderbird wine”

-from - "Love Tigers"

Maybe a Wild Beast

rock a baby in the sky
sing you down a lullaby
never seen a baby smile like that
your mama’s drunk and daddy’s high
summers here i don’t know why
this is just the way the story goes

maybe you’ll find a wild beast you can ride into the sun
maybe it’s still a lonely trail
when the light of morning comes
maybe you’ll find a pony you can ride into your
dreams until it’s over...
maybe you’ll find your four leaf clover

cards are stacked, the deal is dealt
everything can fall to hell
ride it on the river; see how far you’ve come
ace hidden up your sleeve, pressed against your wrist
never seen a young thing cheat like that

Maybe you’ll find a five and dimer
maybe you’ll find that old cloud-niner
maybe you’ll find exactly what you need
maybe long and lonely rider
maybe he’ll be a little kinder
or maybe it doesn’t matter as long as you are free

pretty thing with salty eyes
in the marrow of her life
holding on and knuckled white and worn
Let it burn or live it free
but leave a little mystery
“who knows where this shit could lead,” she says

And maybe she'll put the throttle down
and break free from this filthy town
and maybe she'll ride it right into the sea
And maybe she'll find the gold mine finds her
maybe she'll feel a little finer
and maybe she'll ride it right back home to me

from - "Love Tigers"

Long, Long Race

This old world,
it’s been getting me down
Seem like every corner
has Got an old hell hound
And i look over my shoulder
All of the time
I hear them scraping in the shadows
With their red red eyes

You’ve got to hit it like a hammer
Driving a nail
Roll it over like a river
Going down
You’ve got to get up in the morning
Splash your face
Yeah, you’ve got to get going
It’s a long, long race

And I’m feeling so much older
like a withered page
Unsteady  like a wino
With a  red, red face
And I’m itching like a glow-worm on a fuzzy
i’ve Got all these places that I’m going
So excuse me

I wish the race could go forever
When you touch my face
And your hands are on my shoulders
It’s a different pace
And I think of when were older,
It’s a growing fear
Cause you reach that finish line
Your time is over here

Griff Jones

swore I’d stop having these old dreams
just an old tool-smith, worn down to the seams
and she used to love me

yeah i used to be a big moonshiner In my younger days
The outlaw with the tricked out car
Living fast and free
used to be the man that could drop the big hammer
and you used to love me

but this life is a carousel That spins in all directions
and leaves you beaten half to death
by all your imperfections
bloody and raw, ready to get out of the game
as they say, used to be a big moonshiner
but not these days

used to be a real moonshiner
driving that old black chevy
fast as white light speed, gun fight ready
drove it into the ether glory and hellbound stories
and you used to love me

you used to be a star-bound beauty
a wide eyed wolf and real-life hungry
a dancer in a smoky bar

and i was your guy with the real fast car
who could never take his eyes off of you
and i used to love you too

used to be a gambler, real gritty handler
break a bottle lay ‘em down
brutal as the noontime sun
used to make ‘em tremble and run
used to be a warm gun on the run son
never lost a fight, a rattlesnake bite
used to be a freight train, nothing could stop me
and you used to love me too
used to be a real moonshiner until you

from - "Love Tigers"

Love Tigers



When I saw sister Sally just walking away
from the things you do and the games you play
it broke my heart.
When you wrote that letter that said, “go get her;
I’m not waiting here anymore,”
I was confused.
When I kissed old Mindy down in sunshine city
just 'cause there was nothing else to do,
she shot me through and through,
like she said that she would do, but

You, I have all this love for
you. You paint my heart blood blue,
and I’m losing me inside of you.
I have so much love for you,
so much love for you.

When I lit this candle the wick was tall,
tall enough to tip and fall,
razing the room
And Your love tiger just tears me apart,
but the tiger don’t know when the tiger's caught.
Isn’t that true?
And this old house is getting small
While I lay around and climb the walls
Just like a man shot through and through
A heart sleeve that you can see through but

You, I have all this love for
you. You paint my heart blood blue,
and I’m losing me inside of you.
I have so much love for you,
so much love for you.

When I quit working my hands to bone,
I'm going to sit right down by the telephone
waiting for you;
And old sister Sally just wound up getting
her own special ticket to muscle-car heaven,
taking you too.
Now the mirror in the hall has bloodshot eyes
like no warning shot, just a sad surprise;
and I’m wearing right on through
like I might just disappear with….

You, I have all this love for
you. You paint my heart blood blue,
and I’m losing me inside of you.
I have so much love for you,
so much love for you.

The Way Back When


There is a bar I know called the way back when
tonight I'm drinking with your ghost my friend
still-frame pulled out from a box of junk
has got me laying here all good and drunk


we were invincible way back then
nothing could stop us or break the skin
goddamn us both for letting life creep in
we were invincible way back when

those were days of laughter and so blue skies
the joy of life straight bursting from your eyes
you held me close and said that you believed in anything
but a freight train came down hard and tore us limb from limb


look at us smiling like we just don't care
driving round town in my Chevy in our underwear

and it isn't the you from now - I'm longing for,
it's the you I thought I knew back in '94 


ok i'm a little drunk here but i'll be alright
i'll just save the last part left with a little fight
and hope it grows into a raging bear
to tear loose from the cage that sprung up round him everywhere


so if you wake up on a stormy night
window open breeze blowing straight through your mind

and all those memories just creep back in
i'll see at the bar they call the way back when 


from - "Love Tigers"

Hanging On For the Ride


you are woman, and I am your man
you have soft lips, and I have torn hands

and you want things I don't understand

and the places we meet
all share an awkward silence as we
try to makes lambs lay with lions in the darkness

and she sigh or she weeps
and my anxiety creeps up inside
Just hanging on for the ride


I'm tired of this shit she said
via awkward silence
burned down city blocks babe
and the sky's still rife with ordinance
sex and wet kiss fired like rockets this time


last verse, whats worse, “i'm tired of the circus” 
metaphors are fine but, baby, I just want the chorus of
days when everything seemed fine 

You are the woman and I am your man
I still have a strong grip and you had your big plans

nothing left here but the grave-site tonight 

from - 'Love Tigers'