1. |
Visit from the blues
03:20
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When you’ve set the table for a long lost friend
Who called to say that no one else would do
When the candles burn down to the bitter end
With just an empty chair across from you
Somewhere in the night when it’s much too late
For even little dreams to come true
When you hear a soft tapping on your windowpane
That’s when you’ll get a visit from the blues
He’ll walk up to your door and he’ll let himself in
And then he’ll run his fingers through your hair
He’ll take you in his arms and babe it’s such a sin
’Cause he’s colder than your foolish heart can bear
So somewhere in the night when it’s much too late
For even little dreams to come true
When you hear a soft tapping on your windowpane
That’s when you’ll get a visit from the blues
He’ll wrap you in his cloak and he’ll say “There, there,
Don’t think nobody wants you anymore
’Cause I’ll be here to help you with your dark despair
As long as you’ve got whiskey left to pour…”
So if you find a lover who has vowed to stay
An offer much too perfect to refuse
Be careful if their eyes should ever look away
That’s when you’ll get a visit from the blues
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2. |
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I will stay when the weather is warm
And drink to your health, far from the storm
In the sun, we’ll dance really slow
And sit on the cliff where the green river rolls
CHORUS:
But don’t ever dream
You will find
Me walking away
When life is unkind
Don’t ever dream
You will see
Me turning my back
When you’re down on your knees
If you find a mouse in your bed
I’ll go for a ride, and free it instead
When the cold and the wind and the rain
Are shaking the house, and you are in pain
CHORUS
Instrumental
I will stay when life is a bore
And I’m much too old to laugh anymore,
When the light is starting to fade
You’ll sing me a song ’bout that plan that we made:
I will stay when the mist on the lake
Is lifting at dawn and there’s coffee to make
We will sail in a crimson canoe,
Away from the world, and bid it adieu
Away from the world, and bid… it… adieu.
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3. |
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On a highway near Modesto
I stopped to rest my eyes
And the waitress wore a short dress blue as prairie skies,
She said “How far are you going?”
With a smile upon that face,
I said “I’m headin’ out to Kansas, I’ve got a little place”
(And she said:)
I could stay right here forever
But it might get pretty old
And I’ve always thought it’s better to go
Before the coffee gets too cold
My trailer looked down on the river
But she said it was too small
So I built a fine log cabin as leaves began to fall;
But that next springtime seemed to hit her
Like a thorn in her side
And she said: Baby, won’t you take me for a long vacation ride…
We could stay right here forever
But it might get pretty old
So I guess we'd better be on our way
Before the coffee gets too cold
So with the rest of my money
I took her for a spin
And her eyes were like the bluebells along the mountain rim
We made a stop to get a coffee
And I went to wash my hands
So I never heard her say it, to some other man:
(Hey baby…)
We could stay right here forever
But it might get pretty old
So I guess we'd better be on our way
Before the coffee gets too cold
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4. |
It used to be love
03:53
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Darrell doesn’t say too much at dinnertime
And Linda lets him keep his thoughts apart
She doesn’t need to test
His unhappiness
She doesn’t need more bruises on her heart
And I don’t know what it is they’ve got
Not at all what they were thinkin’ of
But in this cloudy weather
It’s keeping them together, because
It used to be love
Anna stands alone by her hospital bed
Hearing Albert’s footsteps down the hall
And when he walks in
She doesn’t know it’s him
But still he’ll try to catch her if she falls
And I don’t know what it is they’ve got
Something they can’t seem to rise above
But in this cloudy weather
It’s keeping them together, because
It used to be love
It may not be too smart
But stubborn human hearts
Won’t let the darkness steal their loyalty
Though winning days are gone
You’ll see them soldier on
Defending something no one else can see
And I don’t know what it is they’ve got
Not at all what they were dreamin’ of
But in this cloudy weather
It’s keeping them together, because
It used to be love
Oh yeah, love
Mm-hmm, love
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5. |
Nashville will teach you
03:59
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when David came to town
his trunk was full of songs
songs about goodbyes and Southern Belles
but not about Michelle
she had come before
to open up the door
and find a home where David’s dreams could grow
not far from Music Row
and you might dodge the blues
but this town will reach you,
if you don’t know how to lose
Nashville will teach you
he walked into a club
and saw a famous man
singin’ with a whiskey in his hand
in front of all his fans
and when that man was through
he smiled and walked into
the arms of Michelle beside the bar
and they were like two shooting stars…
and you might dodge the blues
but this town will reach you,
if you don’t know how to lose
Nashville will teach you
now David’s greatest song
said goodbye to Michelle
but the boys on Music Row said “That won’t sell”
- like they can always tell
Michelle greets the dawn
with all her make-up on
and a trace of cocaine between the lines
some writer left behind…
and you might dodge the blues
but this town will reach you,
if you don’t know how to lose
Nashville will teach you
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6. |
Not on this train
02:48
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On the platform
I was waiting for my train patiently
When a woman
She walked up and stood right next to me
And I wondered what her story might be
Then she said,
“I’ve taken some trips down this line,
But they ended
At the station of Lonesome Goodbyes
Do you think I’ll be goin there this time?”
And I said:
Not on this train, you can’t get there on this train
It won’t take you to loneliness and pain,
From the start I will try to explain:
No broken hearts, not on this train
Then the woman
Said “I don’t want to be left behind,
But I’m scared that sadness is all I will find”,
So I smiled as it rolled into sight:
Not on this train, you can’t get there on this train
It won’t take you to loneliness and pain,
Get on board, and I’ll tell you again:
No broken hearts, not on this train.
We got on, and we saw very plain:
Quite a few were stranded in the rain
And then I said, as that old whistle blew
You can’t get on board if your heart is untrue...
Not on this train, you can’t get there on this train
It won’t take you to loneliness and pain,
May I say, it’s not hard to explain:
No broken hearts, not on this train
No broken hearts,
Not on this train
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7. |
In your eyes
03:34
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In your eyes
I see the reason I will fight
In your eyes
Against the armies of the night
It doesn't matter if I win or lose
When the blood begins to run
All that matters is the standard that I choose
And the early morning sun
In your eyes
All the pleasures that I missed
In your eyes
All the girls I've never kissed
I’ve got to cast off every line I ever sold
They won’t do no good with you
There’s still one story I never, ever told
There’s still a chance to tell it true
In your eyes
[instrumental]
Smoke is rising and the wine is being poured
As the river runs below
I wanna hold you till the stars can’t sing no more
I wanna hold on to the soul
In your eyes
I see the promise that I made
In your eyes
All my failures seem to fade
In your eyes
Stands a man who’s not afraid
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8. |
I never wanted to be him
03:56
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I watched the scenes of tension escalate:
He’d grow silent and you'd ask him to explain
And just before you saw your mistake
His words would make your tears flow again
And when he’d finally made you lose your faith
He felt sorry and he acted like a friend
He made you laugh and drove your tears away
And so the whole thing started up again
And I never wanted to be him
Even though you loved him like you did
I never wanted to be him
’Cause he kept way too many feelings hid.
You asked him why you had to cry
And he said “just because”,
And I never wanted to be him
But I was.
He never saw your heart was true and brave
He only saw your insecurity
But if he’d owned up to the fears that held him slave
I think it might have set your two hearts free
And I never wanted to be him
I can say that now for sure
I never wanted to be him
And tread upon on a heart like yours.
I asked him why you had to cry
And he said “just because”,
And I never wanted to be him
But I was, oh I was,
I never wanted to be him
But I was.
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9. |
What I have left
04:10
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Autumn leaves are all around me
From the trees so bare and grey
And I’ve been runnin’ from winter’s comin’
Tryin’ to make my getaway
I’ve been runnin’ to the bottle
To the smoke of that old weed
I’ve been hiding in the darkness
Too many mornings I have not seen
In the night I hear the voices
Of my doubts and my fears
And I see the ghostly faces
Of the souls who disappeared
If I could, you know I’d fall down
To my knees, and I would say
“Help me God, I once believed in”
But I can’t pretend to pray
All I want is to carry
Just one burden to the end
All I want is not to bury
Not to waste what I have left
I can’t always quite remember
And I can’t run with my old speed
But I can see a world of wonders
Sailing slowly away from me
I can still taste pure water
I can laugh and I can cry
And I can sing a song of summer
And I might fail, but I can try
And all I want is to carry
Just one burden to the end
All I want is not to bury
Not to waste what I have left
Not to waste what I have left
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10. |
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Sun’s settin’ on the waves rolling into the sand
I’m wond’ring how I ever found summer again
Some people bet on a sea-shell
Others cling to a plan
I’m bettin’ that you’ve got my soul in your hands
Up on Perry there’s a hotel fit for a king
I’ll never know all the souls or stories it’s seen
But I got friends on Decatur
They’re a merry old band
Don’t need to tell them that you’ve got my soul in your hands
Last December I had to leave my whole world behind
I rode in front of a storm for 800 miles
Then I stood in your doorway
As the snowfall began
Two more steps and you had my soul in your hands
Guess I needed an angel, when I took that scary dive
To come on down to hell and bring me back alive…
Sun’s settin’ on the waves rolling into the sand
I’m wond’ring how I ever found summer again
My body ain’t getting younger
But I still want to dance
Come on, baby ’cause you’ve got my soul in your hands
Come on show me that you’ve got my soul in your hands
Come on baby
Come on show me
Come on show me that you’ve got my soul in your hands
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11. |
Jesus, why
04:17
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I might have been worth saving
When I was a child
I truly did believe you turned
The water into wine;
I’d celebrate your birthday
With carols by the tree
And ask you for forgiveness
Each night before I’d sleep
But then I got much older
And went away to school
And stayed up all night talking to
Philosophers and fools,
They told me that religion
Is just another drug,
I found my own addictions
And left you in my dust
CHORUS:
They say that a good shepherd
Will search both high and low
Trying to find that one sheep
That lost the way back home;
But Lord, I turned away from you
Intentionally --
Jesus, why are you still
Following me?
An angel offered me a child
Right here on the planet Earth,
It might have been like Christmastime
Without a virgin birth,
And Lord I had a hundred thoughts
That I can’t share with you
And I denied my love for her
And then I left her too.
INSTRUMENTAL
I saw you in the parking lot
Out by the liquor store
When I went there tonight, to buy
Just one bottle more
Then later through the hotel window
The wind was moanin’ low
You watched me pay that woman
When it was time to go
CHORUS
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12. |
We blew it baby
03:58
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It’s another hot day, another in a hot, hot month
I had to close my shade, to shut out the burning sun
My AC unit rattles like a snake in the grass
And we blew it baby, we blew it really bad.
The fires are racing, making the firemen run
From the northern forest down to the Amazon
There ain’t much water pushin’ on the Hoover Dam
’Cause we blew it baby, we blew it, thank you ma’am.
GUITAR SOLO
The ocean is rising, risin’ at a scary rate
But they keep on buyin’ coastline real estate
If you live on a boat, you’re one of the lucky few
’Cause we blew it baby, and that’s the inconvenient truth.
I’d leave today, but there’s no place cool to find
Unless my old Tempo could travel back in time
Back when the mountains gathered up the winter snow
But we blew it baby, we blew it long ago.
GUITAR SOLO
My tires are bare, from rolling on the red-hot road
My hood is smokin’, the traffic is gridlock-slow
All we wanted was to keep everything we had
And we blew it baby, we blew it really bad
Yeah we blew it, we blew it really bad.
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J.M. Kearns Cape May, New Jersey
At age 30, J.M. Kearns abandoned his native Toronto and a future in academic philosophy, for songwriting. In L.A. and Nashville he honed his skills as a composer and writer, found his mojo as a performer, and got some independent cuts. He moved to Cape May in 2010, where he can be seen in the trio the Squares. His songs are folk-rock with a blues chaser, on the road opened by Dylan and Prine. ... more
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