1. |
South Side Days
03:53
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South Side Days
Peakin out from the alleyway, i can see that its been rainin
Got nothin to do i guess i’ll look for you. At least i haven’t been complainin Had my eggs over easy in a greasy spoon, now i’m payin all the dues i owe I got through the mornin and i got past noon. How i made it i don’t know
The mornin’s cool and the clouds are gray but the sidewalk’s gettin dry Somethin about these south side days that makes me wanna close my eyes But its time that i started lookin out for myself i gotta get my bearings straight Thinkin about these south side days ain’t gonna get me anywhere but late
Just a south side days wishin i had wheels to carry me away From these
South Side Days nothin but my heels can’t carry me away From these
South Side Days
Wine store window looks good to me but that ain’t what i need
There’s a lady up the street been good to me been a good friend indeed Guess I’ll go her way in case the rain comes down for a place to spend a cloudy day Her lovin’s good and her coffee’s warm and her words don’t get in the way
Just a south side days wishin i had wheels to carry me away From these
South Side Days nothin but my heels can’t carry me away From these
South Side Days
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2. |
Secrets In My Pockets
02:56
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Secrets In My Pockets
I’ve been writin words til i’m not sure at times What i mean to say
Friends say jumbled thoughts that just make rhymes Ain’t where its at today
Ah, you know they say
You’re gonna die with your secrets in your pockets and your heart all full of gold And nothin will unlock it til you let it get too old
There’s a lady on an island
And she’s holdin out her arms to me Though her words are fallin silent On her lips i read her plea
I’m gonna fly with my secrets in my pockets and my heart all full of gold And the lady will unlock it til no secrets will i hold
Well i tried to sail away to her
Tried to build a bridge across the sea But the waves were high and white and cruel And nothin i could do could set her free
She’s gonna cry with my secrets in her pockets and her heart all full of gold ‘Cause i never could unlock it til the lady
Grew too old
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3. |
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4. |
Unexpected Company
04:41
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Unexpected Company (sung with Holly VanAuken)
Have you come to plant a crop my friend Have you come to plant a crop Have you come to plant a crop lord lord On our countryside
I’ve not come to plant a crop my friend No I’ve not come to plant a crop I’ve not come to plant a crop my friend On your countryside
Have you come to dig a well my friend Have you come to dig a well Have you come to dig a well lord lord On our countryside
I’ve not come to dig a well my friend No I’ve not come to dig a well I’ve not come to dig a well my friend On your countryside
Have you come to feed the sheep my friend Have you come to feed the sheep While the little children sleep lord lord On our countryside
I’ve not come to feed the sheep my friend No I’ve not come to feed the sheep While your little children sleep my friend On your countryside
Have you come to sing a song my friend Have you come to bring a song Have you come to sing a song lord lord To our countryside
I’ve not come to sing a song my friend No I’ve not come to bring a song No I’ve not come to sing a song my friend On your countryside
You’ve not come to sing a song my friend And surely not to right our wrongs Then please tell us why you’ve come lord lord To our countryside
Yes I’ll tell you why I’ve come my friend I can tell you why I’ve come I have come to plant a flag my friend On your countryside
On your countryside
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5. |
Riddle
04:07
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Riddle
I woke up from restless sleep and i thought i heard my name. It was just you comin ‘round to play your only game. The icy feeling that you bring makes me want to fly away. But there’s a song the children sing to make you go away.
I never knew what lonely was til i spent the night with you. It was never only us before our love was through. I’ve often wondered if you stay with anyone but me. Where do you go in the day time, what makes you so free?
Takin you for granted never comes my way these days. Your bein my companion makes me want to change your ways. Open up your heart to me, help me understand. But don’t become a part of me, just touch me when you can.
I can hear you gently tapping on my window pane. You used to be a happy sound. Now you’re just the rain.
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6. |
High and Dry
05:38
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High And Dry
I walked to my window on a mid december day
Had to get my nerve up just to wipe the mist away Looked out over rooftops and chimneys blowin smoke Kinda smiled when it made me think of some old worn out joke
Nobody out walkin the streets look pretty bad
This town seems like its wishin for the warmth it never had Snow is blowin from the roofs the trees are bendin o’er Haven’t had the sun ‘round here a couple a months or more
Mama caught ya lyin daddy left you cryin Baby left ya high n dry
Wall paper’s peelin and the floor needs cleaned again Coffee pot’s boilin over i burned my hand again Curtain slightly movin from the draft in this here room Guess i’ll get around to fixin that someday pretty soon
Mama caught ya lyin daddy left you cryin Baby left ya high n dry
Lookin at too many old photographs today Gonna go and throw that damned old book away Seems to me i remember sayin that before Just don’t recall the reasons anymore
Window’s steamin’ up again cat’s out by the door Clock is tellin me this ain’t my town anymore
I think of a few words quickly spell them out Write upon the window pane_what’s this all about?
Mama caught ya lyin daddy left you cryin Baby left ya high n dry
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7. |
Craig Allen
03:16
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Craig Allen
Twenty years i been diggin diggin in this earth
til i’ve finally come to wonder wonder what its worth after all this time i ain’t got nothin left you see
my family’s gettin deeper in and close to poverty
my throat is full of soot and my eyes are full of dust
i swear by god instead of dreams come true its gettin worse and i guess i’m tied to diggin
diggin in this earth
These Pennsylvania mountains they’ve always been my home this is all the world i’ve seen and all i’ve ever known why i never left i can’t begin to ever know
but i know that i’ll still be here when it comes a winter snow i’ve no place to go and brother even if i did
i can’t pull up my stakes and still expect to feed my kids and i guess i’m tied to diggin
diggin in this earth
Man comes from the union and he says we’ll have to wait
its another year he says til we negotiate
but the timbers have gone rotten and they threaten to come down the air is bad above us and i know that someone’s bound
to lose his way if we don’t get some lights in here tonight
god help the children of these mines they don’t know how to fight it and i guess i’m tied to diggin
diggin in this earth
Organizers they come in from cities all around
from Bethlehem from Harrisburg from Allentown
but four hundred dollar suits can never understand
the eyes of hungry children or these weary working hands
or the woman who lies lonely waitin for her workin man who goes down inside the earth to bring the life out of the land and i guess i’m tied to diggin
diggin in this earth
i’m so tired of diggin
diggin
in
this
earth
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8. |
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9. |
All The Same
03:19
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All The Same
The men from the government tell me to leave
They say this ain’t home anymore
They been pushin me and pullin me til I can’t believe I’ve ever been angry before
My father was borned here my babies were too
Its not for myself that i grieve
But what can i say to them what can i do
to tell them i don’t want to leave
Lord where’s my mother lord where’s my child What have they done with my name
Just help me hold on to whatever i have
Its nothin but its mine all the same
These towns are so empty these highways are cold There’s nothin i ain’t seen before
There’s tired and there’s hungry and there’s nothin to hold me To make me believe anymore
Out on the road never thought I would see
This picture of me all alone
Been drinkin and fightin and drinkin some more but all The hell i can give em won’t get me back home
Lord where’s my mother lord where’s my child What have they done with my name
Just help me hold on to whatever i have
Its nothin but its mine all the same
These four drivin winds they been pushin me on
My anger’s been no help at all
Like a bird without wings like a voice without song My movements just hasten my fall
Can’t go back home can’t stay where i am
O lord won’t you help me recall
There’s weight on my shoulders and nothin in my hand So what’s the use thinkin at all
Lord where’s my mother lord where’s my child What have they done with my name
Just help me hold on to whatever i have
Its nothin but its mine all the same
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10. |
Leavin' It All Behind Me
03:30
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Leavin’ It All Behind Me
Leavin it all behind me i watch the sun go down
So many things to bind me
and blind me
and keep me from where i’m bound
Turnin my face away pullin my collar up No such game to play
to say
i’m weary and i need help
When i think of all the time i’ve wasted Doing nothing with myself
All the life i could have tasted
Sits like an old book upon a shelf
Lord won’t you lend me a hand i’ve turned everywhere i know Don’t you know i’m only a man
I can stand
Anything if you let me know
Standin here watching my dreams fallin before my eyes Don’t ya know what all of this means
it seems
I’m forever sayin goodbye
When i think of all the love i’ve lost Movin the way i do
Often wondered if its worth the cost of Movin out on you
Leavin it all behind me i watch the sun go down So many things to bind me
and blind me
and keep me from where i’m bound
keep me from where i’m bound
keep me from where i’m bound
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Jim Ballard Akron, Ohio
Jim Ballard
A native of NE Ohio, Jim Ballard has been, for many years a part of the recording/performing
community. After touring and performing all over the country with artists from 10,000 Maniacs to Gordon Lightfoot,The Mekons to Pete Seeger, he moved into his studio, Skylyne. There, he has recorded and worked with artists from Michael Stanley to Don Dixon and Alex Bevan.
... more
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