Solo Album, Released 1/23/16
EP of cowrites, released 3/30/18, Kristina Jacobsen & Meredith Wilder; photo by Jesse Raine Littlebird
Song Lyrics to "Elemental" (all songs copyrighted and registered with BMI, 2018)
~all songs written, recorded and produced by Kristina Jacobsen & Meredith Wilder
Click Here For Liner Notes for this EP
1. "Unplug Me"
I’ve heard say “You choose your own destiny”
But lately it feels like it’s been choosing me
Blue screen on my face before the sun comes up
Drinking morning coffee from an unbrewed cup
They say to be “In the world, not of it”
But I’ve been distracted for so long I can’t remember much of it
My muse is running out of patience
Someone please unplug me and allow me to breathe
Emails, messages, and texts to send
Plans to make, smiles to fake, and holes to mend
Facebook is a fickle friend, no follow through in the end
Does anyone still know how to really lend a hand? Do you?
I’ve made my choice
Won’t use my passive voice
Find a safe place, face to face with what’s behind the screen
‘Cause I’m a human being
And I can’t believe what I haven’t been able to see
Bright sun on my back, warm rays on my face
My cup floweth over where meadow sheep graze
Detach my spirit from the chaos, chores, and clocks
Gonna hike up to that mountain top and clear the silt from the spring box
They say to be “In the world, not of it”
But I’ve been distracted for so long I can’t remember much of it
My muse is running out of bandwidth
Someone please unplug me and allow me to breathe
Someone please unplug me, allow me to breathe
2. “Leave Home to Come Home”It’s been eight weeks since I left this ol’ place
Running from all my predictable ways
And what I noticed when my feet hit my home town ground
All I sought to escape still packed up in my suitcase
I spent two months traveling the world
But I still favor my right foot when I walk
I left only to come home
My eyes are still green when I look at the sky
Still tuck my hair behind my ears when i talk
My neighbor still heads out to the liquor store each night
Pat’s truck isn’t running, it’s up on blocks
And Marianne is roasting fresh chiles right on cue
Ice cream truck’s still comin’ by at 4:02
We leave only to come home
The weeds in my lawn are beyond knee high
The mailbox is starting to fill a bit
And just when I think I can pull my own weight
I put the key in the door but it doesn’t fit
And when my home is looking back at me
From the lens of another country
We leave only to come home
If you look in my eyes, you might see
Beyond cerulean
There are wild Sardinian oceans
Changing with the scenes
And when my home is looking back at me
I won’t let my comfort kill my creativity
I won’t lose the wildness that lives inside of me
It’s been eight weeks since I left this ol’ place
Running from all my predictable ways
And what I noticed when my feet hit my home town ground
All I sought to escape still packed up in my suitcase
I left only to come home
I left only to come home
I’m home
3. “Fortress”
You did a good job of hiding the elephant in the room
She’s lives out of state, how was I to know?
Across from me, fancy free in my favorite restaurant
And my empty wallet’s all i have to show?
It takes two to make a fool
And now I’m drowning in a pool
Of the rain that you have poured on my parade
You broke my heart
and it’ll make a great song!
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
And what rubs you raw, makes you live longer
Verse 2:
You’ve staked a claim in a place where you know every little thing
I accommodate for unrequited love
You won’t admit that you have no plans to let me in
I wrote this song ‘cause you’ll never be enough
It takes two to make a fool
And now I’m drowning in a pool
Of the rain that you have poured on my parade
You broke my heart
and it’ll make a great song!
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
And what rubs you raw, makes you live longer
You told me primates don’t mate for life so why should you?
But when you wake at dawn don’t you still feel a pang of loneliness?
It takes two to make a fool
And now I’m drowning in a pool
Of the rain that you have poured on my parade
You broke my heart
and it’ll make a great song!
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
And what rubs you raw, makes you live longer
You broke my heart but it made a great song!
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
And what rubs you raw, makes you live longer
I’d rather be raw
I’d rather be wounded
I’d rather be free
Than build a fortress round my heart
4.“Sunday Frame of Mind”
Just found out that I am not allowed
To be proud of all my offerings
You think your light dims
Because mine is shining
Pit in my stomach, knot in my chest
My office walls are closing in
Vision is shrinking, hope is sinking
And my Sunday frame of mind has gone missing
I walked into my day with a smile
And left it with a big ol’ frown
Is it so bad that you can’t smile back?
Do you have to bring me down with you?
Pit in my stomach, lump in my throat
My office walls are closing in
Vision is shrinking, heart is sinking
And my Sunday frame of mind has gone missing
What did that dream feel like again anyway?
When i’m mired down in this Wednesday muck
And all my accomplishments have turned to dust
I rifle through my gig bag
Reminded of all I’ve done
And I can hold on to that
Light in my eyes, sitting up straight
My office door is opening
Vision expanding, heart is grounding
My Sunday frame of mind is returning
Carry my dream close at hand everyday!!!
Let every day be (your) Sunday
Da da da da da da da da….
5.“Freedom”
How would you fight for your safety?
Have you noticed they’re fighting for theirs?
Would you leave all your possessions with strangers
To stand shoulder to shoulder for days on a dingy
There’s no food and there’s no bath
But it’s better than going back
Do you know your freedom?
How often does she stay the night?
Well, if she has to leave in the morning
She’ll leave you with a mind to find her, to find her
I came here at diez y siete
Baby on my back/tugging on my hair
Crawled through sewers, ‘cus I knew there was something better
A land of milk and honey, como puede ser?
Amputees they line the streets
Juarez, a deserted dream
I feel the wind most when cars speed by me
Knocking me down on their way to an earthly paradise
My feet won’t be going much, as fast as they’re going
And my own paradise is a hundred miles away from here
In a shelter on a cot
With styrofoam cups if hot chocolate
Have you seen my freedom?
Will you ask if she’ll stay the night
And if she has to leave come morning
Ask if she’ll leave me with a memory to find her, to find her
Freedom doesn’t come free, at least not for me
Now I don’t know about you
But I’m tired of being mansplained to
I’m looking for my voice ‘cus I’ve lost her
“She” has generations of ridicule to muddle through
Take the back seat, second place
No I don’t think I’ll let things stay this way...
6.“Elemental”
There’s a tree outside my window
Brightest red I’ve ever seen
Blood and fire and heat
Copper wire and kerosene
Winter’s coming but this is all I need
To remind me I’ll still stay warm when I am
Beside your hearth at your fireside
Fingers tingling, cup of cocoa warms me from the inside
Beneath the stars, on these early nights
My head upon on your shoulder, our mittens side by side
My sense of safety, please stay with me, as the silent snow surrounds me
Round pen’s frosted over
Curled up by the wood stove
Aspen, juniper and oak
Cedar fills my hair with smoke
Elemental, elemental, elemental, elemental
Hard day’s work, chopping wood
Aligns my heart where it should be (which is)
Beside your hearth at your fireside
Fingers tingling, cup of cocoa warms me from the inside
Beneath the stars, on these early nights
My head upon on your shoulder, our mittens side by side
My sense of safety, please stay with me, as the silent snow surrounds me
My sense of safety, please stay with me, as silent snow surrounds me
Song Lyrics to "Three Roses" (all songs copyrighted and registered with BMI)
1. "Long Returning Road" (with Janni Littlepage)
Chaffed and strong, didn’t take long
for her life and her hands to change
Apron’d waist, gentle face
fierce blue eyes of a life well worn
In the valley of her childhood
all she’s ever known
and her dreams slipped out of her fingers
On this long returning road
Was a time, schooled in music
Symphonies in her mind
Violin/hang on the mantle
Recalls days left behind
In the valley of her childhood
all she’s ever known
and her dreams slipped out of her fingers
On this long returning road
She’s never been to California
Never stood at the edge of the sea
Never held a wild rose in her hands
Never been to Paris, Tennessee
Macon Country, curtain floating, autumn breeze, rural route 9
Battered ice box, soda pops
For her grandkids, come sometimes
She’s never been to California
Never stood at the edge of the sea
Never held a wild rose in her hands
Never been to Paris, Tennessee
Na na na na, na na na na
Na na na, na na na na na na
Na na na na, na na na na
Na na na, na na na na na na
In the valley of her childhood
that’s all she’s ever known
and her dreams slipped out of her fingers
On this long returning road
On this long returning road
2. "Inez"
Inez, big smile, crooked teeth
White T-shirt, a Ranger’s watchful eye
Foster parents in Brigham City
Stolen Generation, black hair and white lies
A Latter Day Saint, but she drinks pop and whisky
She loves spam, mutton stew with neeshjizhii
A sailor’s gut, she’s as calloused as they come
Oh Inez, she’s American (she said I’m proud to be:)
Homeland Security
Fighting terror since 1492
Oh but our history
Is bittersweet
But this I know:
She said I’m proud to be a Navajo
She was born in Cameron, Arizona
Trading Post, selling Navajo rugs
Boarding School, ugly marks left upon her body
Hell, she’s bitter, but she’s also full of love (She’s the backbone of)
Homeland Security
Fighting terror since 1492
Oh but our history
Is bittersweet
But this I know:
She said I’m proud to be a Navajo
Who came first, what does that mean?
Politicians fight over who
Will defend our homeland under siege
She said: “we’ve already by doing that, for centuries”
She’s proud to be:
Homeland Security
Fighting terror since 1492
Oh but our history
Is bittersweet
But this I know:
She said I’m proud to be a Navajo
Oh but our history
Is bittersweet
But this I know:
She said I’m proud to be Diné
3. "Has-Been Cowboy" (with Arlondo Bia)
Walks with a limp
Tries to hide the gimp
From his steer wrestling days
Broke his hip, now he ain’t worth a lick
As a cowboy, anyways
So he puts down women
And brags about livin’
A life that’s tough and fine
Bulldogs Arabs and Islam
To show he’s still the man
Thinks his manhood’s on the line
He’s a has-been cowboy
Can’t wrestle steers
So he makes fun of queers
To remember when
He wasn’t a has-been cowboy
So his belly grew
And his anger, too
It had nowhere to go
Took a government job
Workin’ all week long
Took the woman to Mexico
Still he missed the rush
The adrenalin flush
Turning horns with his hands
But it’s time to move on
Time to sing another song
Use your brains, not your brawn!
He’s a has-been cowboy
Can’t wrestle steers
So he makes fun of queers
To remember when
He wasn’t a has-been cowboy
Now I know
There’s cowboys
Who love their woman right
And fight the good fight for the things we take our hats off for
But there’s nothing I hate more
Than a hypocrite who tries
to make others feel smaller
Just to make himself feel taller!
He’s a has-been cowboy
Can’t wrestle steers
So he makes fun of queers
To remember when
He wasn’t a has-been cowboy
Ride off into the sunset, cowboy...
4. "Me, My Dog, and My Guitar"
~for Leah~
Most weekends I sleep late
Fry some French toast, drink some tea
Play my guitar, walk my dog
Call a friend, review the week in all its glory
Commiserate, laugh, and share our stories
But come Sunday night
It’s just me, my dog and my guitar
I think of you sometimes
But you’re in a box within my mind
It’s like you’re on Mars and I’m shouting to you from Venus
Waiting for your signal of love that’s never gonna come
Can’t count on you, or anyone
So I count on me, my dog and my guitar
Sometimes I wonder
Where did love go wrong?
When did the jigsaw start to cut one life
Into two cold hearts?
Then I realize nothing I can do will ever change you
You’re a cowboy who tucks his heart inside his sleeve
Never showin’ pain, or grief or need
Most weekends I sleep late
Fry some French toast, drink some tea
Play my guitar, walk my dog
Call a friend, review the week in all its glory
Pontificate, laugh, and share our stories
But come Sunday night
It’s just me, my dog and my guitar
Yeah thank God for a dog and a guitar
Yeah I’m blessed: with a dog and a guitar
5. "Dogs and Children"
~for Conan~
She grew up in Piney mountains
With a mama that drank
A daddy who went MIA the second she was born
Hard times and hunger were the norm
A green-eyed dog nursed her through the worst
She learned life was expendable
When her dog got maimed just for a joke
He chased her round the kitchen with a baseball bat
She throws the baby through the window lands in the greasewood
They’re running down the highway ‘til her getaway car
Shepherds them to safety for a little while
Goes back to him the very next day
He says he shot the dog, at least they got away
Dogs and children
They’re a recipe for our own healing
They’re not a thorn in our side
They’re a window into our souls
Dogs and children
They’re not so different
From me and you
They need:
One part love and two parts compassion
And how we treat one is how we treat each other
And how we treat them is how we treat each other
Ooh ooh
Dogs and children
Her dust covered face shows up from time to time
Family gatherings, lots of food, her sons' eyes large as dimes
All dressed up in her one good shirt
She's pickin' at it to remove the dirt
A hard eyed girl became a hardened woman
She's gone numb to escape her own prison
Dogs and children
They’re a recipe for our own healing
They’re not a thorn in our side
They’re a window into our souls
Dogs and children
They’re not so different
From me and you
They need:
One part love and two parts compassion
And how we treat one is how we treat each other
And how we treat them is how we treat each other
Ooh ooh
Dogs and children
Another dog dies in her yard
Tied to a Cottonwood
A collar, fur and bones
Like her, he’s a carcass on a chain
Dogs and children
They’re not so different
From me and you
They need:
One part love and two parts compassion
And how we treat one is how we treat each other
And how we treat them is how we treat each other
Ooh ooh
Dogs and children
She grew up in Piney mountains with a mama that drank…
6. "Ms. Loretta Lynn"
Big beehive, piercing blue eyes
Miner’s daughter up from butcher holler
Hoin’ corn, haulin’ wood
Writing songs as best she could
Ms. Loretta Lynn
Sing it sassy
Sing it raw, sing it real
Sing it downright brassy
I know how you’re feelin’
But you keep right on truckin’
Doo cheats, she’s on the warpath
Goes to Fist City looking knock-down pretty
Wearin’ white stripes to Portland, Oregon
Wrinkle reduction, liposuction, still my connection is:
Ms. Loretta Lynn
Sing it sassy
Sing it raw, sing it real
Sing it how downright brassy
I know how you’re feelin’
But you keep right on truckin’
Ms. Loretta Lynn
Sing it sassy
Sing it raw, sing it real
Sing it how you feel
Ms. Loretta Lynn!
7. “Man Grown Old”
You sit here in my kitchen
You’ve been gone so long
forgot the way you always
Sip your coffee from a spoon
And skim the paper for bad news
Still in battle mode
Civilian life comes back slowly
Startled by the dump truck
No, it’s not a mortar shell
Oh my military man
When will you be deployed, again?
Old house, made new
I still remember falling for you
Our love, sweet and gentle
So hold me, like nothing’s wrong
Until you’re gone
Your old high school buddies
They stop by to say hello
Earnest but awkward, you share a few beers
But I’m the only one
Who ever sees your tears
Old house, made new
I still remember falling for you
Our love, sweet and tender
So hold me, like nothing’s wrong
Until you’re gone
Young man, growing old before his time
Wish I could take you back in time
Old house, made new
I still remember falling for you
Our love, sweet and fragile
So hold me, like nothing’s wrong
You sit here in my kitchen
You’ve been gone so long….
8. “Louisiana Hayride”
Back-stoop sittin’
Summer livin’
Hazy day, cares away
Accordion groaning
Steel guitar moaning
Fiddles twinning
And Grandpa grinning
Lousiana Hayride
Elvis’ first jive
Grand Ole Opry
with DeFord Bailey
Chicago Barn Dance
If you stood half a chance
From Bristol, Tennessee
To South Cackalacky
Vernon Dalhart
Croons into your heart
Red-haired Foley Loves you so dearly
Lefty Frizzell
He’s orn’ry as hell
Kitty and Minnie, Loretta and Dolly
Lousiana Hayride
Elvis’ first jive
Grand Ole Opry
with DeFord Bailey
Chicago Barn Dance
If you stood half a chance
From Bristol, Tennessee
To South Cackalacky
Lousiana Hayride
Elvis’ first jive
Grand Ole Opry
with DeFord Bailey
Chicago Barn Dance
If you stood half a chance
From Bristol, Tennessee
To South Cackalacky
Ooh Ooh
9. “Three Roses” (with Nicole Dillenberg)
Daddy was a Godly man
a Baptist through and through
I guess the rules did not apply
when he found someone new
Looking through the stained glass darkly
fragments all I see
As a child I wondered why
he left our family
With all those pretty souls to save
he had so much to do
but God’s up there, and we’re down here,
and Dad, I needed you
You left three roses
yellow, pink and red
came home from school
that’s when I learned you’d left
To me you hung the moon
the sunset and the dawn
But you drifted further, out of orbit
until you were gone, gone, gone.
Pink was for my sister
for Mama, a red farewell
Yellow, for his tomgirl
and that’s how our family fell
Now I’m a woman grown
with children of my own
just the other day
I called Dad on the phone
told him that my man and me
can’t see eye to eye
I’m thinking of divorce
to end a union built on lies
Dad said I’m sorry things are strained
but you need to be brave
God’s up there but we’re down here
and there’s still souls to save
He left three roses
yellow, pink and red
nine years old
my heart, how it bled
you see, he hung the moon
the sunset and the dawn
then he drifted further, out of orbit
until he was gone, gone, gone
Until he was gone, gone, gone
Until he was gone, gone, gone
10. “White Knuckles” (with Andy Goggin)
She reads Tolkien and Tolstoy
Married a good boy
She’s a true believer
Made youngest Partner
At Goldstein and Gartner
She’s an over-achiever
They say: “early to bed, and early to rise, makes a girl healthy, wealthy and wise”
But her horn of plenty turned out empty:
White knuckes
Hanging on
Grasping the familiar
Til the blood is gone
White knuckles
Won’t let go
She’s a real-life star
In a runaway rodeo
Gets pregnant at 30
Baby comes early
A beautiful boy
But she never expected
To feel disconnected
From this bundle of joy
They say: “early to bed, and early to rise, makes a girl healthy, wealthy and wise”
She picks up her baby
Holds him for awhile
As five, tiny fingers
Grasp hers, and then she smiles:
White knuckes
Hanging on
Grasping the familiar
Til the blood is gone
White knuckles
Won’t let go
She’s a real-life star
In a runaway rodeo
White knuckes
Hanging on
Grasping the familiar
Til the blood is gone
White knuckles
Won’t let go
She’s a real-life star
In a runaway rodeo
She’s a real-life star
In a runaway rodeo
11. “Six Seconds” (with Maria Blom)
People say you gotta behave
do things in a suitable way
stick a smile on your face
don’t put your elbows on the table
Mama used to say
don’t get outta line
Sit up straight and always be on time
Don’t look men in the eye
Even if you’re able
Come Sunday morning you better be there,
a girl’s got her reputation
But mama, please understand
I got my own salvation:
‘Cus I’m a bull-ridin,
Tanya Tucker-lovin’
Rodeo queen
I grab the bull by the horns
Stand my ground
Girls, you know what I mean?
And when the show’s rollin, and the crowd’s howlin’
I don’t need no rodeo clown,
I got my own sensation at 1000 lbs.
I take it 6 seconds
6 seconds
6 seconds at a time
Always wear dresses never wear pants
Women never take the lead when they dance
Don’t wear your heart on your pretty little sleeve
Don’t be naiive, cover your mouth
cross your legs and make your family proud
And don’t laugh too loud
It’s unseemly!
Come Sunday morning you better be there,
a girl’s got her reputation
But mama, please understand,
I got my own salvation:
‘Cus I’m a bull-ridin,
Tanya Tucker-lovin’
Rodeo queen
I grab the bull by the horns
Stand my ground
Girls, you know what I mean?
And when the show’s rollin, and the crowd’s howlin’
I don’t need no rodeo clown,
I got my own sensation at 1000 lbs.
I take it 6 seconds
6 seconds
1, 2, 3 4 5 6
Bull-ridin,
Tanya Tucker-lovin’
Rodeo queen
I grab the bull by the horns
Stand my ground
Girls, you know what I mean?
And when the show’s rollin, and the crowd’s howlin’
I don’t need no rodeo clown,
I got my own sensation at 1000 lbs.
I take it 6 seconds
6 seconds
6 seconds at a time ("outside")
Outtake #1: Lighthouse (Fyrtárnet); with Morten Kjaer
Chorus:
Året rundt, hver en net
Drejer Lygtehuset
Lyser op den faste jord
Speljer bølgebruset
1. Stjernene vinker mig ud af mit hus
Natten har tag i mit hjerte
Ude bag skoven hvor bølgerne bor
Taendes i natten en kerte
2. Gennem det dulmende, sitrende krat
Hører jeg havenes drone
Lyset fra tårnet på drømmenes kyst
Glimter I bøgenes krone
Året rundt, hver en net
Drejer Lygtehuset
Lyser op den faste jord
Spejler bølgebruset
3. Himlen are daekket af kulsorte skyer
Stormvejret bider af skroget
Alt hvad jeg elsked’ er sunket til bunds
Bølgerne deler nu rovet
4. Ser gennem vandråbers perlende slør
Lyset fra da jeg var lille
Drømmer o matter at staevne mod land
Vandre i lyngen så stille
//: Året rundt, hver en net
Drejer Lygtehuset
Lyser op den faste jord
Spejler bølgebruset://
Translation:
All year round, every night
The light house is turning
Lights up the firm soil
Reflects the stormy waves
The stars wave me out of my house
The night has taken hold of my heart
Out behind the forest where the waves live
A candle is lit in the night
Through the soothing, shivering bush
I hear the drone of the ocean
The light from the tower on the coast of dreams
Glistens in the crown of the beach trees
All year round, every night
The light house is turning
Lights up the firm soil
Reflects the stormy waves
The sky is covered by clouds black as coal
The storm bites the body of the boat
Everything I loved has sunk to the bottom
The waves are now sharing the booty
Seeing through water drops pearling veil
The light from when I was small
Dreaming once again of the shore
Wander in the heather so quietly
All year round, every night
The light house is turning
Lights up the firm soil
Reflects the stormy waves; repeat
1. "Long Returning Road" (with Janni Littlepage)
Chaffed and strong, didn’t take long
for her life and her hands to change
Apron’d waist, gentle face
fierce blue eyes of a life well worn
In the valley of her childhood
all she’s ever known
and her dreams slipped out of her fingers
On this long returning road
Was a time, schooled in music
Symphonies in her mind
Violin/hang on the mantle
Recalls days left behind
In the valley of her childhood
all she’s ever known
and her dreams slipped out of her fingers
On this long returning road
She’s never been to California
Never stood at the edge of the sea
Never held a wild rose in her hands
Never been to Paris, Tennessee
Macon Country, curtain floating, autumn breeze, rural route 9
Battered ice box, soda pops
For her grandkids, come sometimes
She’s never been to California
Never stood at the edge of the sea
Never held a wild rose in her hands
Never been to Paris, Tennessee
Na na na na, na na na na
Na na na, na na na na na na
Na na na na, na na na na
Na na na, na na na na na na
In the valley of her childhood
that’s all she’s ever known
and her dreams slipped out of her fingers
On this long returning road
On this long returning road
2. "Inez"
Inez, big smile, crooked teeth
White T-shirt, a Ranger’s watchful eye
Foster parents in Brigham City
Stolen Generation, black hair and white lies
A Latter Day Saint, but she drinks pop and whisky
She loves spam, mutton stew with neeshjizhii
A sailor’s gut, she’s as calloused as they come
Oh Inez, she’s American (she said I’m proud to be:)
Homeland Security
Fighting terror since 1492
Oh but our history
Is bittersweet
But this I know:
She said I’m proud to be a Navajo
She was born in Cameron, Arizona
Trading Post, selling Navajo rugs
Boarding School, ugly marks left upon her body
Hell, she’s bitter, but she’s also full of love (She’s the backbone of)
Homeland Security
Fighting terror since 1492
Oh but our history
Is bittersweet
But this I know:
She said I’m proud to be a Navajo
Who came first, what does that mean?
Politicians fight over who
Will defend our homeland under siege
She said: “we’ve already by doing that, for centuries”
She’s proud to be:
Homeland Security
Fighting terror since 1492
Oh but our history
Is bittersweet
But this I know:
She said I’m proud to be a Navajo
Oh but our history
Is bittersweet
But this I know:
She said I’m proud to be Diné
3. "Has-Been Cowboy" (with Arlondo Bia)
Walks with a limp
Tries to hide the gimp
From his steer wrestling days
Broke his hip, now he ain’t worth a lick
As a cowboy, anyways
So he puts down women
And brags about livin’
A life that’s tough and fine
Bulldogs Arabs and Islam
To show he’s still the man
Thinks his manhood’s on the line
He’s a has-been cowboy
Can’t wrestle steers
So he makes fun of queers
To remember when
He wasn’t a has-been cowboy
So his belly grew
And his anger, too
It had nowhere to go
Took a government job
Workin’ all week long
Took the woman to Mexico
Still he missed the rush
The adrenalin flush
Turning horns with his hands
But it’s time to move on
Time to sing another song
Use your brains, not your brawn!
He’s a has-been cowboy
Can’t wrestle steers
So he makes fun of queers
To remember when
He wasn’t a has-been cowboy
Now I know
There’s cowboys
Who love their woman right
And fight the good fight for the things we take our hats off for
But there’s nothing I hate more
Than a hypocrite who tries
to make others feel smaller
Just to make himself feel taller!
He’s a has-been cowboy
Can’t wrestle steers
So he makes fun of queers
To remember when
He wasn’t a has-been cowboy
Ride off into the sunset, cowboy...
4. "Me, My Dog, and My Guitar"
~for Leah~
Most weekends I sleep late
Fry some French toast, drink some tea
Play my guitar, walk my dog
Call a friend, review the week in all its glory
Commiserate, laugh, and share our stories
But come Sunday night
It’s just me, my dog and my guitar
I think of you sometimes
But you’re in a box within my mind
It’s like you’re on Mars and I’m shouting to you from Venus
Waiting for your signal of love that’s never gonna come
Can’t count on you, or anyone
So I count on me, my dog and my guitar
Sometimes I wonder
Where did love go wrong?
When did the jigsaw start to cut one life
Into two cold hearts?
Then I realize nothing I can do will ever change you
You’re a cowboy who tucks his heart inside his sleeve
Never showin’ pain, or grief or need
Most weekends I sleep late
Fry some French toast, drink some tea
Play my guitar, walk my dog
Call a friend, review the week in all its glory
Pontificate, laugh, and share our stories
But come Sunday night
It’s just me, my dog and my guitar
Yeah thank God for a dog and a guitar
Yeah I’m blessed: with a dog and a guitar
5. "Dogs and Children"
~for Conan~
She grew up in Piney mountains
With a mama that drank
A daddy who went MIA the second she was born
Hard times and hunger were the norm
A green-eyed dog nursed her through the worst
She learned life was expendable
When her dog got maimed just for a joke
He chased her round the kitchen with a baseball bat
She throws the baby through the window lands in the greasewood
They’re running down the highway ‘til her getaway car
Shepherds them to safety for a little while
Goes back to him the very next day
He says he shot the dog, at least they got away
Dogs and children
They’re a recipe for our own healing
They’re not a thorn in our side
They’re a window into our souls
Dogs and children
They’re not so different
From me and you
They need:
One part love and two parts compassion
And how we treat one is how we treat each other
And how we treat them is how we treat each other
Ooh ooh
Dogs and children
Her dust covered face shows up from time to time
Family gatherings, lots of food, her sons' eyes large as dimes
All dressed up in her one good shirt
She's pickin' at it to remove the dirt
A hard eyed girl became a hardened woman
She's gone numb to escape her own prison
Dogs and children
They’re a recipe for our own healing
They’re not a thorn in our side
They’re a window into our souls
Dogs and children
They’re not so different
From me and you
They need:
One part love and two parts compassion
And how we treat one is how we treat each other
And how we treat them is how we treat each other
Ooh ooh
Dogs and children
Another dog dies in her yard
Tied to a Cottonwood
A collar, fur and bones
Like her, he’s a carcass on a chain
Dogs and children
They’re not so different
From me and you
They need:
One part love and two parts compassion
And how we treat one is how we treat each other
And how we treat them is how we treat each other
Ooh ooh
Dogs and children
She grew up in Piney mountains with a mama that drank…
6. "Ms. Loretta Lynn"
Big beehive, piercing blue eyes
Miner’s daughter up from butcher holler
Hoin’ corn, haulin’ wood
Writing songs as best she could
Ms. Loretta Lynn
Sing it sassy
Sing it raw, sing it real
Sing it downright brassy
I know how you’re feelin’
But you keep right on truckin’
Doo cheats, she’s on the warpath
Goes to Fist City looking knock-down pretty
Wearin’ white stripes to Portland, Oregon
Wrinkle reduction, liposuction, still my connection is:
Ms. Loretta Lynn
Sing it sassy
Sing it raw, sing it real
Sing it how downright brassy
I know how you’re feelin’
But you keep right on truckin’
Ms. Loretta Lynn
Sing it sassy
Sing it raw, sing it real
Sing it how you feel
Ms. Loretta Lynn!
7. “Man Grown Old”
You sit here in my kitchen
You’ve been gone so long
forgot the way you always
Sip your coffee from a spoon
And skim the paper for bad news
Still in battle mode
Civilian life comes back slowly
Startled by the dump truck
No, it’s not a mortar shell
Oh my military man
When will you be deployed, again?
Old house, made new
I still remember falling for you
Our love, sweet and gentle
So hold me, like nothing’s wrong
Until you’re gone
Your old high school buddies
They stop by to say hello
Earnest but awkward, you share a few beers
But I’m the only one
Who ever sees your tears
Old house, made new
I still remember falling for you
Our love, sweet and tender
So hold me, like nothing’s wrong
Until you’re gone
Young man, growing old before his time
Wish I could take you back in time
Old house, made new
I still remember falling for you
Our love, sweet and fragile
So hold me, like nothing’s wrong
You sit here in my kitchen
You’ve been gone so long….
8. “Louisiana Hayride”
Back-stoop sittin’
Summer livin’
Hazy day, cares away
Accordion groaning
Steel guitar moaning
Fiddles twinning
And Grandpa grinning
Lousiana Hayride
Elvis’ first jive
Grand Ole Opry
with DeFord Bailey
Chicago Barn Dance
If you stood half a chance
From Bristol, Tennessee
To South Cackalacky
Vernon Dalhart
Croons into your heart
Red-haired Foley Loves you so dearly
Lefty Frizzell
He’s orn’ry as hell
Kitty and Minnie, Loretta and Dolly
Lousiana Hayride
Elvis’ first jive
Grand Ole Opry
with DeFord Bailey
Chicago Barn Dance
If you stood half a chance
From Bristol, Tennessee
To South Cackalacky
Lousiana Hayride
Elvis’ first jive
Grand Ole Opry
with DeFord Bailey
Chicago Barn Dance
If you stood half a chance
From Bristol, Tennessee
To South Cackalacky
Ooh Ooh
9. “Three Roses” (with Nicole Dillenberg)
Daddy was a Godly man
a Baptist through and through
I guess the rules did not apply
when he found someone new
Looking through the stained glass darkly
fragments all I see
As a child I wondered why
he left our family
With all those pretty souls to save
he had so much to do
but God’s up there, and we’re down here,
and Dad, I needed you
You left three roses
yellow, pink and red
came home from school
that’s when I learned you’d left
To me you hung the moon
the sunset and the dawn
But you drifted further, out of orbit
until you were gone, gone, gone.
Pink was for my sister
for Mama, a red farewell
Yellow, for his tomgirl
and that’s how our family fell
Now I’m a woman grown
with children of my own
just the other day
I called Dad on the phone
told him that my man and me
can’t see eye to eye
I’m thinking of divorce
to end a union built on lies
Dad said I’m sorry things are strained
but you need to be brave
God’s up there but we’re down here
and there’s still souls to save
He left three roses
yellow, pink and red
nine years old
my heart, how it bled
you see, he hung the moon
the sunset and the dawn
then he drifted further, out of orbit
until he was gone, gone, gone
Until he was gone, gone, gone
Until he was gone, gone, gone
10. “White Knuckles” (with Andy Goggin)
She reads Tolkien and Tolstoy
Married a good boy
She’s a true believer
Made youngest Partner
At Goldstein and Gartner
She’s an over-achiever
They say: “early to bed, and early to rise, makes a girl healthy, wealthy and wise”
But her horn of plenty turned out empty:
White knuckes
Hanging on
Grasping the familiar
Til the blood is gone
White knuckles
Won’t let go
She’s a real-life star
In a runaway rodeo
Gets pregnant at 30
Baby comes early
A beautiful boy
But she never expected
To feel disconnected
From this bundle of joy
They say: “early to bed, and early to rise, makes a girl healthy, wealthy and wise”
She picks up her baby
Holds him for awhile
As five, tiny fingers
Grasp hers, and then she smiles:
White knuckes
Hanging on
Grasping the familiar
Til the blood is gone
White knuckles
Won’t let go
She’s a real-life star
In a runaway rodeo
White knuckes
Hanging on
Grasping the familiar
Til the blood is gone
White knuckles
Won’t let go
She’s a real-life star
In a runaway rodeo
She’s a real-life star
In a runaway rodeo
11. “Six Seconds” (with Maria Blom)
People say you gotta behave
do things in a suitable way
stick a smile on your face
don’t put your elbows on the table
Mama used to say
don’t get outta line
Sit up straight and always be on time
Don’t look men in the eye
Even if you’re able
Come Sunday morning you better be there,
a girl’s got her reputation
But mama, please understand
I got my own salvation:
‘Cus I’m a bull-ridin,
Tanya Tucker-lovin’
Rodeo queen
I grab the bull by the horns
Stand my ground
Girls, you know what I mean?
And when the show’s rollin, and the crowd’s howlin’
I don’t need no rodeo clown,
I got my own sensation at 1000 lbs.
I take it 6 seconds
6 seconds
6 seconds at a time
Always wear dresses never wear pants
Women never take the lead when they dance
Don’t wear your heart on your pretty little sleeve
Don’t be naiive, cover your mouth
cross your legs and make your family proud
And don’t laugh too loud
It’s unseemly!
Come Sunday morning you better be there,
a girl’s got her reputation
But mama, please understand,
I got my own salvation:
‘Cus I’m a bull-ridin,
Tanya Tucker-lovin’
Rodeo queen
I grab the bull by the horns
Stand my ground
Girls, you know what I mean?
And when the show’s rollin, and the crowd’s howlin’
I don’t need no rodeo clown,
I got my own sensation at 1000 lbs.
I take it 6 seconds
6 seconds
1, 2, 3 4 5 6
Bull-ridin,
Tanya Tucker-lovin’
Rodeo queen
I grab the bull by the horns
Stand my ground
Girls, you know what I mean?
And when the show’s rollin, and the crowd’s howlin’
I don’t need no rodeo clown,
I got my own sensation at 1000 lbs.
I take it 6 seconds
6 seconds
6 seconds at a time ("outside")
Outtake #1: Lighthouse (Fyrtárnet); with Morten Kjaer
Chorus:
Året rundt, hver en net
Drejer Lygtehuset
Lyser op den faste jord
Speljer bølgebruset
1. Stjernene vinker mig ud af mit hus
Natten har tag i mit hjerte
Ude bag skoven hvor bølgerne bor
Taendes i natten en kerte
2. Gennem det dulmende, sitrende krat
Hører jeg havenes drone
Lyset fra tårnet på drømmenes kyst
Glimter I bøgenes krone
Året rundt, hver en net
Drejer Lygtehuset
Lyser op den faste jord
Spejler bølgebruset
3. Himlen are daekket af kulsorte skyer
Stormvejret bider af skroget
Alt hvad jeg elsked’ er sunket til bunds
Bølgerne deler nu rovet
4. Ser gennem vandråbers perlende slør
Lyset fra da jeg var lille
Drømmer o matter at staevne mod land
Vandre i lyngen så stille
//: Året rundt, hver en net
Drejer Lygtehuset
Lyser op den faste jord
Spejler bølgebruset://
Translation:
All year round, every night
The light house is turning
Lights up the firm soil
Reflects the stormy waves
The stars wave me out of my house
The night has taken hold of my heart
Out behind the forest where the waves live
A candle is lit in the night
Through the soothing, shivering bush
I hear the drone of the ocean
The light from the tower on the coast of dreams
Glistens in the crown of the beach trees
All year round, every night
The light house is turning
Lights up the firm soil
Reflects the stormy waves
The sky is covered by clouds black as coal
The storm bites the body of the boat
Everything I loved has sunk to the bottom
The waves are now sharing the booty
Seeing through water drops pearling veil
The light from when I was small
Dreaming once again of the shore
Wander in the heather so quietly
All year round, every night
The light house is turning
Lights up the firm soil
Reflects the stormy waves; repeat
