1. |
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Bismarck, it was plain to see, was a town that I would rather leave
A judgment made in haste before the dawn
Straight ahead, a life of ease, as far as the eye could see
Foolish as it seems to be
Now that it all comes back to me
Bozeman was the perfect town, but I the greatest fool around
Left before she had a chance to show
The other side of Broadway Street, and northern brands of gasoline
And everything I should have tried to see
Now that it all comes back to me
I'm glad I found a place to go before I stayed in Buffalo
If Pearl St. and St. Louis had kept me there
I never would have seen the old and rusted limousine
That reminds me of a certain melody
Now that it all comes back to me
Atlanta town, if I might say, has a dozen ways to cause dismay
Not that I had the chance to see it all
At every corner there might be some new found strain of misery
I should have thanked my failing memory
Before it all came back to me.
Written by Jason Greene, All Rights Reserved
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2. |
Learn How To Kill
03:32
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I've grown tired of the drinking and carrying on out at night
Maggie won't know if I'm one and the same as the man who once knew how to fight
I can't stand it for one more day, her thinking I'm over the hill
I'll prove her wrong and it won't take so long. When you finally give in and learn how to kill
I've grown tired of the waiting and wondering what you would do
If the Irishman's son came in with a gun, you'd probably run like a fool
I can't be seen with one who would flee, or a man who's wavering still
There's time yet to change, and the offer remains when you finally give in and learn how to kill
Oh the house it seemed to be falling, and the range it soon would be free
Your killing served well and you'd come a long way, but the lawman in town disagreed
The mission was based on an illusion, and you hated me for what I instilled
It causes me pain that nothing was gained when you finally gave in and learned how to kill
Written by Jason Greene, All Rights Reserved
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3. |
Closing Anaconda
02:54
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One might say its the only thing I've known
A hundred tons of metal a day
I couldn't help my fear when I had seen the signs
Varied premonitions more easily denied
But its over now, and I can't explain my grief
She stole my youth away so fast I didn't see
Its over now, and how could I have known
That closing Anaconda could make me leave my home?
I'm leaving here tomorrow, so there's one thing you should know
A certain way that I would hope to go
In a coffin made of copper like it was in '33
Its hard to say, but John D. Ryan died the way that it should be
Its over now, and I can't explain my grief
She stole my youth away so fast I didn't see
Its over now, and how could I have known
That closing Anaconda could make me leave my home?
Written by Jason Greene, All Rights Reserved
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4. |
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We're the last of the Detroit bands with nothing left to say
We didn't take the high road here, we wouldn't have it the hard way
We could play you a song or two. You won't dance and you won't sing
No drums and no strings, and that's why the telephone won't ring
We're the last of the Detroit bands, and you'll know before too long
This could be the last day that we show up and a sing a song
This way of life must end for good but not now
If you could play it better then come on up and show us how
Never mind though, you might know the top ten from '84
All their names and what they wore, who's rich now and who's poor
We could have been millionaires. Its too late, so not now
Your wish is our command, so come on up and tell us how
I can't tell. You don't know what might sell or which way to go
And that's why its a waste of time, and we're moving on.
Written by Jason Greene, All Rights Reserved
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5. |
Kansas
03:32
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Near the bridge, where the river and the highway leave the town
I finally found a place to stay the night
And maybe in the morning, or later in the day
I have a plan to make up my mind
But its a long walk back to Kansas
And a cold, hard rain is coming down
I could cross one more state line back to Manassas
But I feel like I'd rather turn around
Staying down well out of sight, to drink what I had left
I finally found the time to be alone
And maybe in the morning, I'll begin to find my way
But I've a mind to turn and head for home
But its a long walk back to Kansas
And a cold, hard rain is coming down
I could cross one more state line back to Manassas
But I feel like I'd rather turn around
Many times, upon arriving, and thinking to myself
On a line that once I may have read
How the man that tries to find a way to return to what was left
Most often finds that nothing's there instead
But its a long walk back to Kansas
And a cold, hard rain is coming down
I could cross one more state line back to Manassas
But I feel like I'd rather turn around
Written by Jason Greene, All Rights Reserved
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6. |
Cambridge Union
01:50
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7. |
Bethlehem PA
03:31
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They closed the doors and went on their way so fast it was hard to believe
Now the furnace lies cold beneath two feet of snow to frame the unsettling scene
The residents there heard the stories firsthand from the men who made Bethlehem Town
Now they sit and they stare, but none of them dares to speak about what they have found
When they take to the streets or head for the fields
And leave at once when the work can be found
They tarry no longer here these makers of steel
There's nothing for them here in Bethlehem Town
For 85 years that which stood on its own fell hard beneath Bethlehem's weight
The rails that never would end, left behind, have long since rusted in place
Buffalo's unions and proud, angry men saw Lackawanna brought to its knees
It won't rise again. You're free to go now and find any work that you please.
So take to the streets or head for the fields
Leave at once when the work can be found
Tarry no longer you makers of steel
There's nothing for you here in Buffalo Town
And there's nothing for you here in Bethlehem now.
Written by Jason Greene, All Rights Reserved
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8. |
Idiot Mold
04:52
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You call it learning, but I call it something else
Your experiment in thought is worthless to anyone but yourself
You hate to admit it. You say you have this paper to hold
But its four years wasted at an Idiot Mold
You live in a place where everyone does the same things
They follow each other and always repeat what they see
Through no fault of their own, they resemble men without souls
Your making your living in the middle of an Idiot Mold
You know many want to leave, but there's no guarantee
That those who occupy wherever you may go
Weren't raised and brought up in their own kind of an Idiot Mold
Your children are four, and you think you know what to avoid
You search for their approval and only do the things they enjoy
The state recommends that you bring your children up to enroll
So you sign them away and hope its not an Idiot Mold
At one time you put effort in, but its been many years
Now you sit around in the basement and revel in fear
You drink your time away and live as though you don't have a goal
Its late, but there is time to break away from the Idiot Mold
Written by Jason Greene, All Rights Reserved
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9. |
Catching The Con
02:16
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Come gather 'round friends and remember with me our fear of catching the con
Ten years or more on a hard rock drill and your chance for a living was gone
I saw a man with pneumonia and I saw a man who had died, coughing up blood and trying to breathe
This kind of a death would be mine
For I have been down in the tunnel, and I have been down on the stope
Breathing the dust for a dollar a day is better than giving up hope
I heard a man with the feds, a judge of consumption it seems.
He said the miners in Butte were ten times as likely to die from the dreaded disease
Come gather 'round friends and remember with me our fear of catching the con.
Ten years or more on a hard rock drill and your chance for a living was gone.
Written by Jason Greene, All Rights Reserved
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10. |
Highway Forty-One
03:00
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Head east from Jamestown
Drive through Fargo
Ignore the Detroit Lakes, and don't stop in St. Paul
Unless you like to follow Lutherans in their Cadillacs
Move on and follow signs toward DePere and Fon du Lac
If you should find yourself too far south in Madison
Don't worry you can ride an eastbound train to Highway 41
If you start in Cleveland
Leave before dawn
Hold your breath in Calumet, and don't release until sunset
Unless you settle down for an evening in Chicago
If not, you'll be driving north at least until tomorrow
If you think you're lost and spend the night in Appleton
Don't worry you have found the longest road to Highway 41
Its easy from the south
By way of Illinois
You've done it wrong if you made the turn and know what to avoid
If Albert Lea is who you are but not where you're from
Trace your steps to New Orleans and find what you have done
You'll see it then, and when you turn around to face the sun,
In half a day you'll be on your way and driving up Highway 41
Written by Jason Greene, All Rights Reserved
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Jason Greene Soda Springs, Idaho
Jason is a musician (guitar, harmonica, vocals, piano) from Soda Springs, Idaho. His first three albums are raw acoustic music with storytelling lyrics. Jason's latest album is "Idahoism," recorded on-site with Dan Mihlfeith. His influences include Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, and Nirvana. A fifth album is in the works and features electric guitar. Thank you for supporting! ... more
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