Music
Homesick Heroes (1988)
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1
Boogie Woogie Fiddle Country Blues
Every time I hear a fiddle and it's cookin' just a little
Well it makes me want to jump up and run
And if he's sawing with some soul boogie woogie rock n' roll
Well I know I'm gonna have some fun
And when the resin starts to fly and I'm looking in the eye
Like I'm just about to blow a fuse
Mama call the doctor 'cause your boy has got�
The rocking Boogie Woogie Fiddle Country Blues
I met a man from Tenessee this is what he said to me
He said music is a rhapsody
He picked up his violin stuck it underneath his chin
And started playing me a symphony
I said that ain't the way it's done let me see that fiddle son
And I sawed him off a chorus or two
He said you'd better call the doctor 'cause I think I've got
The rocking Boogie Woogie Fiddle Country Blues
Now if you want to play me some fiddle
I'll tell you right from the start
You'd better play me something lowdown hoedown honking
I don't want to hear no funeral march
It's got to pick me up and roll me over
It's got to make me want to jump up and sing
If it ain't buzzing like a beehive, kick it into overdrive
Or it don't mean a doggone thing
So let me resin up my bow and I think I can show you
The way I like to play this thing
Let's put some boogie rhythm in it kick it on up to the limit
I'm gonna put some fire on these strings
And if you feel your feet start moving to the beat
And you feel like you've got ants in your shoes
Well you'd better call the doctor 'cause you've probably got
The rocking Boogie Woogie Fiddle Country Blues -
2
Alligator
Well, ol' Catahoula Brown lived back in the swamp with his dogs and a bunch of sons. One teenage daughter, her name was Sally Sue she was as pretty as a newborn fawn. And he didn't like sinners, and he didn't like saints and he didn't like anything. But as much as he disliked everybody else he just hated ol' Silas Green. Sally Sue come in on a Saturday evening, as the sun was going down. She said, "Papa, if it's alright with you, well, I think I'm gonna go to town." He said, "Daughter, you get on back in the house, 'cause you ain't going no place 'til you get them ribbons out of your hair and wash the makeup off of your face." She said, "Papa, don't you be so hard on me 'cause I just got a date with this boy I met in Sunday school and we ain't gonna be out late." And then she walked on up to the rural route and she caught herself a ride. But it wasn't no boy from Sunday school that was sittin' on the other side. It was Silas Green's youngest son Bobby Joe sittin' under that steering wheel (Chorus): Alligator! Alligator! Swimming in the stream. Alligator! Alligator! What makes you so mean? Alligator! Alligator! Wonder where you been. (Note: following 2 lines are difficult to decipher) And did you swallow ol' Catahoula Brown? I ain't never seen him again. Catahoula got up on Sunday morning made some coffee and had him a cup. Then he walked on out to the back of the house to get his pretty daughter up. He went running in the room where the boys all slept hollered, "Get up! Somethin' ain't right. And I'm worried to death 'cause your darling little sister didn't even come home last night." Johnny said, "Papa, don't be mad at me, I sure hate to tell you this, but I seen her in the town with Bobby Joe Green and I even seen her give him a kiss." "And I tried to get her to come on back, but she told me to leave her alone. She said they were getting married before the sun come up, and she wasn't NEVER coming home." Catahoula grabbed the boy by the nape of his neck, and slapped him upside the head. He said, "Before I see her married to that trash, I'd rather see the little girl dead!" And then he whistled up his dogs, and he grabbed his gun and he was full of evil and fight. He went a-runnin' 'cross the woods hollering, "Silas Green and his bunch are gonna die tonight!" Then a day went by and he didn't come back, and another went by, then a week. And when the boys went looking, all they found was his shotgun laying at the bottom of the creek. And then they found his boots, and they found his cap, but they couldn't find anything else. Except a big bad alligator, sitting on a log, looking mighty proud of himself. It don't pay to hate somebody so bad you go stomping around in gator country. (Repeat Chorus) Well, did you swallow ol' Catahoula Brown? I ain't never seen him again... -
3
Get Me Back to Dixie
You can put me in the ocean Stranded in a boat Put me on an island No bottle or a note Put me on a Greyhound bus With a dog behind the wheel Tie me up, you'll still get stuck With a hearing how I feel Drop me in Alaska In thirty feet of snow Drop me at the cold north pole Where the eskimos won't go Drop me in the desert With the heat of the burning sand Ring my bell, but I'll still tell you How I really stand Get me back to Dixie I love my Tennessee In the Smokey Mountains That's where I want to be From the muddy Mississippi To the land of the Cherokee Get me back to Dixie I love my Tennessee... Love my Tennessee (Fire on the mountain, run boys run!) You can run me up a mountain Where only eagles fly Throw me down a cold dark well Where I can't see the sky Tie me to the railroad tracks And read me my last rites Long as that train don't stop Until Tennessee is in sight Get me back to Dixie I love my Tennessee In the Smokey Mountains That's where I want to be From the muddy Mississippi To the land of the Cherokee Get me back to Dixie I love my Tennessee Get me back to Dixie I love my Tennessee... Love my Tennessee... -
4
Boogie Woogie Man
Lyrics are not available -
5
Cowboy Hat in Dallas
Well there ain't no grapes in California, and there ain't no spuds in Idaho
Ain't no snow in Minnesota, they don't get hot in El Paso
And there ain't no baked beans up in Boston, and no river in St. Lou
Ain't no grizzlies in Alaska and the Astrodome is blue
And there ain't a cowboy hat in Dallas if I ain't in love with you
Well there ain't no M in Massechusetts, and there ain't no K in Kankakee
And there ain't T in Tallahassee, there ain't no B.S. in D.C.
Ain't no beer in Bogalusa, ain't no beach in Malibu
Ain't no cars in Carson City, ain't no water in Waterloo
And there ain't a guitar pick in Nashville if I ain't in love with you
[BRIDGE:]
How am I gonna make you see that all I wanna do is make you mine
You won't believe a word I say so I'm just gonna try it one more time
One more time
And there ain't no tide in Tuscaloosa, no jambalaya in Lafayette
And there ain't no oil in Oklahoma, and Arizona's soakin' wet
And I ain't ever givin' up in spite of all you put me thru
I'm gonna tell ya one more time, baby you know it's true
Ain't a Chevrolet in Detroit if I ain't in love with you
[SOLO]
You won't believe a word I say so I'll just have to try it one more time
One more time
Well there ain't no mountains in Montana, ain't no pines in Caroline
And there ain't rivers in Mississippi, ain't no Mason-Dixon Lines, and ya know that's fine
Ain't no longhorn cows in Texas, ain't no streets in Kalamazoo
Ain't no losers in Las Vegas, ain't no creeks in Caribou
Ain't a cowboy hat in Dallas if I ain't in love with you
Ain't a cowboy hat in Dallas if I ain't in love with you -
6
Big Bad John
Every mornin' at the mine you could see him arrive He stood six-foot-six and weighed two-forty-five Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip And everybody knew ya didn't give no lip to big John (Big John, big John) Big bad John (big John) Nobody seemed to know where John called home He just drifted into town and stayed all alone He didn't say much, kinda quiet and shy And if you spoke at all, you just said hi to Big John Somebody said he came from New Orleans Where he got in a fight over a Cajun Queen And a crashin' blow from a huge right hand Sent a Louisiana fellow to the promised land, big John (Big John, big John) Big bad John (big John) Then came the day at the bottom of the mine When a timber cracked and men started cryin' Miners were prayin' and hearts beat fast And everybody thought that they'd breathed their last, 'cept John Through the dust and the smoke of this man-made hell Walked a giant of a man that the miners knew well Grabbed a saggin' timber, gave out with a groan And like a giant oak tree he just stood there alone, big John (Big John, big John) Big bad John (big John) And with all of his strength he gave a mighty shove Then a miner yelled out "there's a light up above!" And twenty men scrambled from a would-be grave Now there's only one left down there to save, big John With jacks and timbers they started back down Then came that rumble way down in the ground And then smoke and gas belched out of that mine Everybody knew it was the end of the line for big John (Big John, big John) Big bad John (big John) Now, they never reopened that worthless pit They just placed a marble stand in front of it These few words are written on that stand At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man Big John (Big John, big John) Big bad John (big John) (Big John) big bad John Songwriters: Jimmy Dean -
7
Midnight Train
Midnight train, roll on
Midnight train, roll on
Clear them tracks and keep that whistle blowin
Take this stranger on to Santa Fe
It seems like romance and danger
Follow this here tall dark stranger all along the way
Well the train was rumblin through the night heading south to Santa Fe
And in a fancy car, with a private bar, and a personal valet
There was a bunch of cold eyed men a sittin at a poker table
Bettin hot stakes all around
Ole Louisiana Lou had a knife in his shoe, was dealin' a hand of cards
And ole Stagger Lee Crocket had a gun in his pocket, was sweatin bettin hard
And over in the corner this Mexican guy with two gold teeth and a patch on his eye
Took a long hard look around
And then the door flew open, the stranger walked in and said don't ya'll get excited
I know this here's a private game, and I know I wasn't invited
But I got a roll that'd choke a mule
I'm just about a big enough fool to lay it all right down
And everybody nodded as the stranger took his seat
He knew this bunch of cutthroat's would be mighty hard to beat
As the stranger knew then the toughest two by far were where he sat
Was a pot belly fellow from south Alabama, and a dude in a black felt hat
Midnight Train, roll on
Midnight Train, roll on
Well clear them tracks and keep that whistle blowin
Take this stranger on to Santa Fe
It seems like romance and danger
Follow this here tall dark stranger all along the way
Well the stranger sat down he looked around at all them evil faces
And the pot-belly fellow drew a pair of queens, but the stranger he drew aces
And he kept on raising and pushin his luck, kept on winning like a run away truck
He was giving them a beating
And the stakes got higher than a Chinese kite, the stranger kept getting hot
Till every cent everybody had was lying out in that pot
Then the stranger threw down a royal flush,�
Somebody said "Hey Man, that's enough friend I think you've been cheatin"
And then the stranger picked the money up and said "Boys I better run"
And then the bot-bellyed fella pulled a razor out and somebody pulled a gun
They said "You may think you're a sly old fox,�
you're gonna leave here in a long pine box
if you don't leave that money alone"
Just about then the lights went out, and they all started fussin
And the lights came on, the stranger was gone, they all started cussin
And they searched that train from front to rear
The stranger he done disappeared, and all their money was gone
When the train pulled in the station, with the whistle blowin loud
A telegram was waitin, from the stranger for the crowd
Said "Thank you for the money boys, but don't feel too outdone
Cause It takes a dog to know a dog
I'm a howlin son of a gun."
Midnight Train, roll on
Midnight Train, roll on
Well clear them tracks and keep that whistle blowin
Take this stranger on to Santa Fe
It seems like romance and danger
Follow this here tall dark stranger all along the way -
8
Honky Tonk Avenue
Oh the wino on the sidewalk is lookin' old and tired and sick
While the hooker in the doorway
Leaves to turn another trick
And the jukebox in the caberet
Is blarin' out the blues
But the blues is just a way of life
On honky-tonk Avenue
Where the swingers and the hustlers
And the evening people dwell
Where the neon shines toward heaven
While it lights the way to hell
Time to survive and time to stay alive�
S'about all a man can do
You can make it anywhere
If you can make it out there
On Honky-tonk Avenue
Where all birds of a feather
Were out here on the street in all kinds of weather
Were all in this thing together
Were just trying to make a living
Just trying to get by
It's a one-way street to nowhere
Where nothing's as it seems
It's a multi-car junkyard
Full of a thousand broken dreams
And it's the end of the line
Where the sun don't shine
And there's nothing left to lose
Well it sure ain't a lot but it's all that we've got
On Honky-tonk Avenue
Where all birds of a feather
Were out here on the street in all kinds of weather
Were all in this thing together
Were just trying to make a living
Just trying to get by
Were just trying to make a living
Just trying to get by
The wino on the sidewalk is lookin' old and tired and sick -
9
You Can't Pick Cotton
I will never forget the day the law come take my grandpa away The family lived on sugar hill making, making liquor in a moonshine still Uncle Bill said, Grandpa you better run, High Sheriff is coming with a posse and a gun Grandpa didn�t want to go to jail; he took off a running down the Cumberland Trail They said, Hey Hey, I better get my britches on the high sheriffs come and to take me to town Hey Hey, I better get a move on, I better get a move on down [CHORUS:] You can�t pick cotton if the fields ain�t white You can�t stay sober on a Saturday night You can�t go courting if you get too old You can�t go driving if the wheels won�t roll Greenback money make the wheels go round I�m gonna play my fiddle�til the sun goes down Two weeks later he was back in town in a Cadillac car with the top rolled down Girls in the front, girls in the back, whiskey in the jug, and money in the sack Sitting in the backseat, jumping like a frog, crazy like a possum putting on a dog New suit new hat twinkle in his eye, playing on his fiddle for the people passing by He said, Hey Hey, give me a drink of water the sun is getting hotter and I think I�m getting dry Hey Hey, doing what I ought-ta now, telling you the reason why� [CHORUS] Do you remember a long time ago? Devil worked a man named Cotton-Eyed Joe Devil worked a man named Cotton-Eyed Joe Down in the __ fields down below Everybody talking about Cotton-Eyed Joe Everybody talking about Cotton-Eyed Joe -
10
Ill Wind
Well he found her in two bit joint down in Dallas Reachin� for the juke box serving up beer Fooled around, messed around, fell in love He put a ring on her finger and he brought her back here Atlanta couldn't hold her but he brought her back here He bought a big house on Peach Tree Avenue Tried his best to give her her heart's desire Thought he had her wrapped around his little finger She left town on the Midnight Flyer Ain't enough whiskey left to put out the fire She got your number, big man She's got you crying in your bourbon drinking when you're all alone She's got your number big man She took your love, and your heart, and your credit cards And now she's gone Did you ever see a big man crying like a baby Thought he had it figured out 'til yesterday When a ill wind come a blowin� 'cross Georgia She's spreading her wings and they blew her away To who knows where And I wish I didn't care He was doing pretty good and the scars were healing Then she called him one night on the telephone Said she wanted them to start all over She was feeling bad, she was feeling all alone He sent her a ticket she was coming back home He met her at the airport, took her home and loved her She told him all about how lonely she'd been A rolling stone'll crush a loser in a minute Stone keeps a rollin, the loser can't win Two weeks later, she was gone again She got your number, big man She's got you crying in your bourbon drinking when you're all alone She's got your number big man She took your love, and your heart, and your credit cards And now she's gone Did you ever see a big man crying like a baby Thought he had it figured out 'til yesterday When a ill wind come a blowin� 'cross Georgia She's spreading her wings and they blew her away To who knows where And I wish I didn't care Did you ever see a big man crying like a baby Thought he had it figured out 'til yesterday When a ill wind come a blowin� 'cross Georgia She's spread her wings and they blew her away To who knows where And I wish I didn't care -
11
Uneasy Rider '88
Me and my buddy got us a wild hair
And figured we wanted to go somewhere
So we loaded up in my ragtop Chevrolet
We had a little bit of money
And a whole lot of show
And with Hank Jr. blaring on the radio
We got us a tank full of gas
And we was on our way
We figured we'd go down to New Orleans
We were barrelling down old 17
When a man with a blinking red light
Was on our tail
He said you were doing 60 in a 45
But I'm gonna let you go this time
But if I catch you again
I'm gonna slap you in the county jail
We said thank you sir you sure been nice
And you ain't gonna have to tell us twice
And we were Southbound and down with the wind
Blowing in our faces
We kept on rolling and pretty soon
The radio was cooking out a Haggard tune
And we were pulling into Houston
Checking out all them places
I was feeling dry and I said I think
We ought to stop and get ourselves a drink
And old Jim said yeah 'cause we got time to kill
We kept on rolling and I seen this spot
And we pulled into the parking lot
Of this place called the Cloud Nine Bar and Grill
We walked through the door
And the place was jammed
The lights were low they had a punk rock band
And some orange haired feller singing about suicide
I said Jim this ain't our kind of place
He said well let's just have one round anyway
So against my better judgement we walked on inside
Went up to the bar and we sat down
This feller walked up and said I'll buy this round
And he sat down on the barstool next to Jim
He looked like a girl but he talked like a guy
He had lipstick on and mascara in his eyes
And everybody in that place looked just about like him
I said Jim this ain't our kind of bar
Let's just go on out and get back in the car
'Cause there's gonna be trouble
Ain't no sense in taking a chance
We was getting up getting ready to leave
When somebody grabbed old Jim by the sleeve
And this good looking girl was asking my buddy to dance
I said Jim don't do it there's something missing
There's fellers dancing and fellers kissing
There's a feller in high heeled shoes wearing panty hose
He said partner I just can't turn this down
You just go over there and have one more round
And I'll dance with the lady
And we'll get on down the road
So he walked away and left me alone
But this funny looking feller kept coming on
And he was making me mad with some of the things he said
Then he put his hand on my knee
I said if you don't get your paw off me
I'm gonna locate your nose around
The other side of your head
He said I love it when you get that fire in your eye
I said well partner try this on for size
And I unloaded on him and he went out like a light
Everybody in that place must have been his friend
They all headed for me I said this is the end
But where I come from we don't give up
Without a fight
They were screaming and yelling and scratching and clawing
I was punching and hitting and kicking and pawing
I was holding my own 'cause I've been in a scrap or two
Old Jim come running up out of the blue
And that gal he was with come running up too
And proceeded to beat on me with a high heel shoe
I grabbed her by the hair it came off in my hand
And that beautiful girl was just a beautiful man
And old Jim just got sick right there on the floor
He dropped that dude like a shot from a gun
Smeared his lipstick made his makeup run
And me and old Jim started fighting our way to the door
We lit out of there in that Chevrolet
I put in on the floor and it stayed that way
We were going down the highway
Doing about a hundred and ten
We were headed for home and we was getting nearer
Then a red light came on the rear view mirror
And that same blame cop was pulling us over again
Now I'm sitting here in this county jail
I had to call my daddy to go our bail
But I learned me a lesson
That I never will forget again
I've done give up drinking I've give up bars
And running around the country in souped up cars
I'm going back where the women are women
And the men are men