1. |
Moving Mountains
04:47
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MOVING MOUNTAINS
Brother sit beside me I can see you need a friend
These cigarettes aren't the worst things that you're fighting
The only thing that's worse than all the blood stains on your hands
is too much time without a thing to kill it
This empty room sure ain't the kind of space that will move the man to walk the straighter path
And I can tell by all the lines etched in your face this ain't the life you thought you have
So take it slow ain't nobody moving mountains overnight
And you should know that changing your direction ain't the same as giving up
It's taken
Too long
It's taken, too long
It’s taken, too long to choose
The things we can't afford to cut loose
Now brother I sure ain’t no stranger to time passing me by
Every exit sure looks better in the rearview
And I've tasted bitter circumstance more than once or twice
With the days linger on like the scotch I drank last night
But I maintain that our lives would be quite plain
If we got the things we asked for every time
The neighbors seem to be growing grass more green
So you take a step into their backyard
So take it slow ain't nobody moving mountains overnight
And you should know that changing your direction ain't the same as giving up
It's taken
Too long
It's taken, too long
It’s taken, too long to choose
The things we can't afford to cut loose
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2. |
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THE GIRL WHO WENT NORTH
Every winter time, she heads north
To get snowed
Curls up in her bed, beneath the covers
And let's go
And she'll sleep, through the morning
She'll sleep, right past lunch
She'll sleep, til she's done mourning
Her life and all the ways it's done her wrong
The girl who went north
All that winter snow, is warm and comforting
Despite the sting
And the phone lines cannot reach her, this far north
This time of year
But we'll wait, through the morning
We'll wait, right past lunch
We'll wait, til all of us are mourning
Our girl who went up north with the snow
The girl who went north
Is there a spring? Is there a spring?
Hillsides awash with melting snow?
A songbird on her window, that makes her wake
And come on home?
But we'll wait, through November
We'll wait, right through Christmas time
We'll wait, see if the new year brings us patience
To welcome home our girl who went up north
The girl who went north
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3. |
There We'd Sit
04:36
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THERE WE'D SIT
When I was 19 I was shaken by the forks in the road
Which way to go
But now it seems those U-turns are few and far between
And on nights when I’m alone that don’t feel so good
But I will strum some chords on this old guitar
Until it sounds the way my heartbeat pounds
Because it’s a night, just like any other night
And here I sit, here I sit
Before I knew better I would worry
About being enough, about living up
Each day was like a race
My mind would set a breakneck pace
And you’d have to slow me down, or I’d derail
Until you sat me down by the riverbed
Where I could feel each breath as I pulled it into my lungs
It was a night, just like any other night
But there I’d be, there I could be
And I told you that when those lights got dark
You’d ask, and I would reply
When the colors of our lives changed hues
From something bright to more subdued
That I would take you up in my arms
And we would count the stars though we never learned their names
It’d be a night, just like any other night
But there we’d be
There we’d sit
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4. |
The Road
04:40
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THE ROAD
There may have been a time when this would all be fine
But there’s too much on my plate, can’t eat another bite
Of those early morning phone calls or the bills that come as a surprise
Of the broken-hearted sunsets and the pain you can’t hide behind your eyes
I used to be a man who could take this all in stride
I was the one who others would confide
But now I’m feeling run down there’s a nail, a slow leak in the tire
And this road ain’t got no shoulders and I’m getting tired
I don’t mean to put this weight upon your shoulders
I just need to get it out
I’ve heard it said it’s all a part of getting older
But I don’t like the sound of that at all
There may have been a moment when I was tired behind the wheel
When all those moving lights, slowed down and stayed still
And I saw those flashing beacons, and the sirens sang their mournful tune
My eyes fell to the dashboard and all I could think about was you
And how in times of need I’ve always got your shoulder
To lay my head or to cry or to lean
You’ve got your ways that always make the dark space brighter
And things aren’t so bad as they seem
I guess there’ll come a day when this road will do me in
When the asphalt turns to gravel, then to mud, then it ends
I hope I’m still a proud man despite the bruises I got along the road
And I stand a little straighter as I turn to take my leave and go
I don’t mean to put this weight upon your shoulders
I just need to get it out
I’ve heard it said it’s all a part of getting older
But I don’t like the sound of that at all
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5. |
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STROKES OF GOLD
I saw you like a portrait
That was framed by your bedroom door
The sunlight poured through the window
Across your bed, and spilled out on the floor
All of your faults
Brushed over with strokes of gold
And your eyes, shone with light from your soul
And my pain turned to words soft and kind
The things I do, the things I do to ease my worried mind
I saw you as the person
That I longed, longed for you to be
Guess the fault wasn't yours
It was mine for seeing what I wanted to see
I should have lied to tell you the truth
I should have taken those pills from you
I should have locked away my heart and threw away the key
To protect myself, to save myself from you
Everyone they keep saying
It's all a part of your disease
For me it just ain't that easy,
not the way it would seem
I've been taken for granted
and I've been used and swept aside
But I won't have any regrets because no one can say
I didn't try
All of your faults
Brushed over with strokes of gold
And your eyes shone with light from your soul
And my pain turned to words soft and kind
The things I do, the things I do to ease my worried mind
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6. |
Company You Keep
03:32
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COMPANY YOU KEEP
If you’ve got a bleeding heart don’t you patch it up
If there’s tears in your eyes, better let them flow
Because the mind only wants what the heart can know
What only the heart can know
Did the sky turn as grey as your last goodbye?
And the bird that you kept, had to let it fly?
As it climbed with its wings, way up towards the sky
Your heart did fall
Tell me are you lonesome? Tell me was she kind?
Are you at home and feeling lonesome without the one who eased your mind?
Is there an empty space where a light should be?
Are you losing your feet, tripping over everyday things?
And the thoughts in your mind aren’t the company you should keep
If you want some sleep
Tell me are you lonesome? Tell me was she kind?
Are you at home and feeling lonesome without the one who eased your mind?
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7. |
Of Serpents and Flames
03:20
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OF SERPENTS AND FLAMES
There’s a snake in the grass
An underhanded savior
In the quiet times and the stillness of your mind
You can hear the old man’s whisper
There’s a snake in the grass
And his words they sound like reason
Every thought adds water by the drop
That grows those seeds of doubt
They say:
Look at you now boy, what have you done?
You don’t mean a thing to no one, and nobody,
Would miss you if you were up and gone.
Would sing those old sad songs as you leave
She cast her eyes to the floor
No ripples in the water
She’d set aside a little more
For the bringer of the bread
She cast her eyes to the floor
To keep peace in the valley
But the flames kept burning more
‘til our lungs were filled with ash
Til we said:
Look at you now, who do you think you are?
You can only push a spring down so hard
Before it springs back up to knock you in the teeth
Tell me who do you think you are?
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8. |
Sky
03:58
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SKY
Every morning behind the wheel
The billboard signs they make me feel
Like the sky is getting choked
Sun shining through a ragged cloak
With all these plumes of smoke in my eyes
All these plumes of smoke
And the fumes that cause my weary lungs to choke
If I had the wings then I would fly
And take my place up there in the sky blue sky
Where all of this would look so small
Where everything has its place
I see that look that’s in your eyes
And I see that it is a disguise
To keep from feeling all these feelings that you feel
All these feelings that you feel
All these realities to real
They come pushing in again
If I had the wings then I would fly
And take you up with me in the sky blue sky
Where all of this would look so small
And everything is bathed in purpose
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9. |
Gravity
03:25
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GRAVITY
Remember when I told you that the lights would guide us home?
Well it seems it ain’t as easy as I said.
Because every corner looks the same
Every streetlight tries to lead to the places I’ve been that I don’t want to end up again.
Honey sit beside me, I’m afraid I never asked.
What it is you want out of the time we’ve got to spend.
Speaking for myself I’ve got to say that I don’t now.
Is that why I see you pulling away?
If there’s nothing new under this sun how come I want it just the same?
If I’ve only got myself to blame why do I feel so cheated?
There’s a different shade of grey from behind a weary eye
The days and the nights blend, become the same
I don’t want to pull you into the gravity I’ve made
When all you’ve ever done is lift me up.
If there’s nothing new under this sun how come I want it just the same?
If I’ve only got myself to blame why do I feel so cheated?
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10. |
Heartbreak Song
03:28
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HEARTBREAK SONG
Those longer shadows bring
Even longer goodbyes
Even the moon knows the reasons why
I head to the porch, a guitar and a bottle and an honest try
To take all this hurt and put it to verse
And write just another heartbreak song
When the new day sings its verse
The nights are long but the morning’s worse
I can see you standing right where you ain’t
Clear as the yellow, reflective, highway paint
So I take all this hurt and put it to verse
And write just another heartbreak song
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11. |
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AMBER GLOW
And the sky was open and gray
When the words, softly rolled off their tongues
And it hit me like a thunderclap from the clear
As I thumbed through the memories
All cast in an amber glow….
Do you recall when I, in a dark turn of mind
Fell into myself and I got lost?
You joined me in that darkness so deep
Set a table up for 2 until we laughed
In that amber glow….
Now here I stand on this freshly planted grass
Talking to a stone like it had ears
I’m singing all the verses left unsung
As the sun sets through the trees
Casting where you lay in an amber glow…
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Joe Wilson Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
To say that music moves us is an understatement. Our songs carry us through life’s most crippling moments and imbue our best days with auditory anchor points that allow us to relive cherished moments long after they have passed. Folk and Americana-based songwriter Joe Wilson writes music that recognizes both the tragedies and hope inherent in every human experience. ... more
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