1. |
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Mid-December, 2008
We were packing up the van
Running late
For the load-in at the old High Noon
It was our first gig, stars in our eyes
Bellies full of fire and butterflies
That we pinned down
With cheap jokes and alcohol
Then the headliner showed up late
And used the whole soundcheck on a gas tank bass
But if you wait ’til you’re ready
It’s already too late
So get up on stage
We played our set one good intention at a time
Like a Mustang on the assembly line
You can practice anything
Except having fun
When the last notes of “Deathbed” faded out
I finally allowed myself to look out at the crowd
And just bask in the waning glow
Of their divided attention
And then I floated right off the stage
I felt like a new man made
‘Cause when Heaven’s gates swing wide
You don’t ask questions, just get inside
Before they catch their mistake
Eby said I looked just like Robbie Robertson
Because of the pained expressions on my face
When I made a mistake
I made a lot of mistakes
But it felt so great
To be on that stage
To be inside the gates
I was inside the gates
‘Cause if you wait ’til you’re ready
It’s already too late
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2. |
Learn to Swim
03:03
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You can drown in a puddle of water
You can drown in a glass of wine
Wake up face down in yesterday’s sorrows
You can drown in yours or mine
You can dive in the crybaby ocean
Drift down the river of time
You gotta change your ways, my friend
You gotta do, or you’re gonna die
You gotta learn to swim
Just like a kid
Jump in the water
And forget what you did
Because I don’t give two shits
About yesterday
You gotta learn to swim
And just swim away
So you went to a garden party
And sank just like a stone
I’ve been here just as long as you have
And I won’t let you leave alone
You gotta change your ways my friend
I know you’ve got a worried mind
But I can promise you I’m worried too
You gotta do, or you’re gonna die
You gotta learn to swim
Just like a kid
Jump in the water
And forget what you did
Because I don’t give two shits
About yesterday
You gotta learn to swim
And just swim away
Swim away
Swim away
You gotta…
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3. |
Every Song but Mine
04:52
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I sat and watched you move across the bar room
I sat and watched you move away from me
One more drink and I think I’ll be ready
To move myself someplace I can be
Nights like these were made for telling secrets
Bars like these tell secrets all the time
Some nights they just won’t give up their mysteries
And that old jukebox plays every song but mine
So come with me
We’ll go across the street
I can see a band playing from here
I can’t stay
I get in my own way
One more round and I’ll disappear
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4. |
Listening to the Dead
03:42
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“It’s been a weird year,”
I said five years ago
And I think that I am still
Reliving it
The door was open
And you went through it
And I watched you disappear
Into the mist
I’ve been listening to the dead
Listening for answers in the questions that you left
I’ve been talking to myself
Is anybody listening? Or have all the good ones left?
I can shed myself like snake skin
I could crawl out of this shell
You might wake up beside a stranger
Sing for me a fare-thee-well
I’ve been listening to the dead
Listening for answers in the questions that you left
I’ve been talking to myself
Is anybody listening? Or have all the good ones left?
She said, “You’re not the man I married”
And I said, “Baby, you don’t know the half of it”
But I’m still here and I’m still standing
And I am stronger than the man I was back then
I’ve been listening to the dead
Listening for answers in the questions that you left
Am I talking to myself?
Is anybody listening? Or have all the good ones left?
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5. |
Lake Louie
04:47
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The ink was barely dry on my place on the east side
I was sleeping on a mattress on the floor
The future was uncertain, kept my past behind a curtain
Each passing day was a revolving door
But it was springtime
And I loved that city
I was finally in a place
Where I belonged
Took a walk around the square, a friend was waiting there
So were you, though I didn’t know it yet
So I joined you in the back, and I guess I made you laugh
When I insisted that we’d already met
I was wrong, and you were right
Rest assured it would not be the last time
It was springtime
And I loved that city
I was finally in a place
Where I belonged
Well I guess The Kissers played, though I have no memory
Of the night beyond my present company
Found a quiet place upstairs where we peeled away the layers
I was open and the hours fell away
I asked you if you knew Michael Perry
We both agreed his book was pretty great
Surrounded by the people and the places that I loved
I could feel my heart begin to pull away
I know bar time was the wrong time for that goddamn oatmeal stout
I only wanted to impress you with my taste
Standing at the table with that tall glass in my hand
Could you see my best intentions on my face?
You just laughed and took a sip
I don’t blame you if you couldn’t finish it
So we left it on the bar, went outside to count some stars
And take a deep breath of the cool, new morning air
The future was uncertain, but the past was growing distant
As we headed arm-in-arm down Dayton Street
It was springtime
And I miss that city
But I am finally in the place
Where I belong
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Tim Case Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Folkish singer-songwriter from Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
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