Err Bear Music

Ghosts

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 15:50:31 PDT

Ghosts (streaming MP3)

I’m wandering down these empty streets
Worn out shoes and blisters on my feet
All the roads that led me out of this town
Keep on calling me, bringing me right back around

I can see some old familiar places
But I sure miss all the friendly faces
That used to smile in passing on the street
Why won’t these memories just let me be

Chorus:
I can shake the sand from my shoes
But I can’t shake off these sandhill blues
Ghosts from my past are never far behind
The cloud my eyes and they haunt my mind
I thought they’d disappear with time
Oh, but I can’t seem to leave my ghosts behind

Every step I take is so bittersweet
When pieces of my past fall incomplete
It’s like some crazy game of lost & found
When the sentimental fool comes back to town

Chorus:
I can shake the sand from my shoes
But I can’t shake off these sandhill blues
Ghosts from my past are never far behind
The cloud my eyes and they haunt my mind
I thought they’d disappear with time
Oh, but I can’t seem to leave my ghosts behind

Bridge:
I keep on trying to run
But I’m not even sure what I’m running from
Maybe it’s time to let go of this fear
Of what I’ve been hiding from for all these years

I guess the one thing I wish I knew
Am I home or only passing through
Are these memories leading me astray
Or trying to help me find my way

Chorus:
I can shake the sand from my shoes
But I can’t shake off these sandhill blues
Ghosts from my past are never far behind
The cloud my eyes and they haunt my mind
I thought they’d disappear with time
Oh, but I can’t seem to leave my ghosts behind

They keep on haunting me...
They keep on following me...

Copyright Joe Middleton and Kent Newsome
All Rights Reserved

Recorded by: Idlewilde South

Your Turn to Fall

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:24:17 PST

Your Turn to Fall (streaming MP3)

I'm not sure why I came back here
There's nothing for me here but memories
We fell in love on that dance floor
You broke my heart by the front door
Now you say you've been thinking about me

It seems like only yesterday
We were just a couple of young lovebirds
Even though I still miss you some
Most of my hurtin's been done
All I have for you are these simple words

Chorus:
Your face is familiar
But I can't recall your name girl
You say you're a friend of mine
Well you know it's such a strange world
All my friends have become strangers
And you're the strangest one of all
What goes around comes around
And now it's your turn to fall

For a while after you left me
I didn't think that I would make it through
But as I slowly recovered
I finally discovered
That I'm a lot better off without you

Now you think you can get me back
With some sweet lies and the touch of your hand
And while I can be slow to learn
I don't want to be twice burned
What part of these words don't you understand

Bridge:
Now that I am feeling stronger
Maybe it won't be much longer
Until I won't answer your call
Now that it's your turn to fall

Chorus:
Your face is familiar
But I can't recall your name girl
You say you're a friend of mine
Well you know it's such a strange world
All my friends have become strangers
And you're the strangest one of all
What goes around comes around
And now it's your turn to fall

Copyright Kent Newsome and Ronnie Jeffrey
All Rights Reserved

Your Love and Whiskey Drinks

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 19:17:02 PDT

Your Love and Whiskey Drinks (Streaming MP3)

It's almost midnight
I've still got some cash
I think I'll drink it up
I think I'll get smashed
Two hours to last call
I've got to act fast
Your love and whiskey drinks
They don't ever last

Chorus:
Like the warm summer sun
At the end of the day
Like the face in a dream
That you know cannot stay
Like the high that you get
From a shot or a wink
These things never last
Your love and whiskey drinks

I use the bottle
To keep holding on
To the feelings we shared
Before you were gone
But it's just a crutch
I know it won't last
The joy comes so quickly
And leaves just as fast

Bridge:
I'm in need of a feeling tonight
A glimmer of hope in a cold and dark night
I'm looking for something I've lost
I'm looking for a bridge that I've crossed

Chorus:
Like the warm summer sun
At the end of the day
Like the face in a dream
That you know cannot stay
Like the high that you get
From a shot or a wink
These things never last
Your love and whiskey drinks

Copyright Kent Newsome and Bob Clay
All Rights Reserved

Winter Time Again

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:23:42 PST

Winter Time Again (streaming MP3)

The north wind keeps on blowing
And it chills me to the bone
The past is a cold shoulder
It's no good for crying on

The future's just an ice storm
In the coldness of the years
That pass on by like glaciers
After the sun disappears

Chorus:
My love blows down the highway
Like a snow flake in the wind
Fare thee well my summer girl
It's winter time again

Once the weather turns sideways
And the fall beats a retreat
There's no rest for the weary
And no fire to warm your feet

And the days all seem so short
When it's heartbreak saving time
She bought some time for her heart
But there's not much hope for mine

Bridge:
The snow has been falling since just before dark
It covers my love and leaves not a mark

Chorus:
My love blows down the highway
Like a snow flake in the wind
Fare thee well my summer girl
It's winter time again

Copyright Kent Newsome and Ronnie Jeffrey
All Rights Reserved

Wings of Angels

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:22:52 PST

Wings of Angels (streaming MP3)

Part of me will always wonder
But there's no sense in looking back
Over the miles that lie crying
Between our desires and the cold hard facts
On a rocket ship to the stars
Does your baggage always get lost
And spin towards earth like falling leaves
As burdens that hold you down get cast off

Chorus:
If you see my father
Ask him if he remembers me
If you see my mother
Tell her I am sorry
Love is the wings of angels
Carried by the wind of regret
Let the healing begin tomorrow
I'm not quite ready yet

I saw you flying through the sky
Towards a moon that was almost full
In my dream I was the ocean
Fighting in vain against its mighty pull
I remember calling to you
As you sailed right over my head
A whole life lived in a moment
And you heard every word I would've said

Chorus:
If you see my father
Ask him if he remembers me
If you see my mother
Tell her I am sorry
Love is the wings of angels
Carried by the wind of regret
Let the healing begin tomorrow
I'm not quite ready yet

Bridge:
It's 3:00 a.m.
And I'm awake again
Looking for meaning to it all
On a dark bedroom wall
My lips make a silent refrain
I will always speak your name
I will always speak your name

Chorus:
If you see my father
Ask him if he remembers me
If you see my mother
Tell her I am sorry
Love is the wings of angels
Carried by the wind of regret
Let the healing begin tomorrow
I'm not quite ready yet

Copyright Kent Newsome and Ronnie Jeffrey
All Rights Reserved

Winds of Change

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:22:15 PST

Winds of Change (streaming MP3)

If I was a boat
Oh how I'd float
Far out to the deep blue sea

Ride upon the waves
As they carry me away
Leave your memory far behind me

I'd float away, far away
That's just what I'd do
Floating along as the wind fill my sails
Never think of you

If I was a bird
Oh how I would fly
Far across the big blue sky

Hide behind the clouds
Ride the winds about
Lose your memory from my mind

I'd fly away, far away
That's just what I'd do
Drifting along as the wind fill my wings
Never think of you

But no matter how I try
I know that I
Can never lose the memory of your kiss

The troubles that we had
Then you found another man
I guess I'll go on dreaming like this

If I was the rain
I'd wash away the pain
That sits inside my heart today

If I was the wind
I surely would blow in
As a wind of change
And get you back again

Copyright Kent Newsome and Frank Calvagna
All Rights Reserved

William's on a Bender

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:21:54 PST

William's on a Bender (streaming MP3)

William's on a bender
It's been a long time coming
He's been holding it inside
As long as I've known him
William's on a bender

Chorus:
If I were William
I'd be on a bender too

William's grown his hair long
And he's sporting an earring
He bought my old guitar
He going to learn how to sing
William's grown his hair long

Chorus:
If I were William
I'd grow my hair long too

William's leaving Texas
On the back of a Greyhound
He's never been to Tulsa
But he'll be there pretty soon now
William's leaving Texas

Chorus:
If I were William
I'd leave Texas too

William's on a big drunk
He's letting it all hang out
He's feeling those feelings
He thought he'd forgotten about
William's on a big drunk

Chorus:
If I were William
I'd be on a big drunk too

William's on a bender
It's been a long time coming
He's been holding it inside
As long as I've known him
William's on a bender

Chorus:
If I were William
I'd be on a bender too

Copyright Kent Newsome and Ronnie Jeffrey
All Rights Reserved

Why Won't You Set Me Free

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:21:21 PST

Why Won't You Set Me Free (streaming MP3)

Here you come walking through the door
Just like last night and the night before
I smell the whiskey on your breath
I know you've been with someone else

Tell me what I ever did to you
To make you treat me so damn cruel
If hurting me is in your plans
There's something I don't understand

Chorus:
Why won't you set me free
When it's the right thing to do
Try to think about me
You know I'd do it for you
If I say please, will you tell me
Why won't you set me free

Even when you're at home with me
I can tell you don't want to be
You say you're going out for a beer
You're going any place but here

Every time I hear that door close
It hurts me more than you'll ever know
I wonder if you're coming back
And I can't take much more of that

Chorus:
Why won't you set me free
When it's the right thing to do
Try to think about me
You know I'd do it for you
If I say please, will you tell me
Why won't you set me free

Bridge:
Have a little sympathy
For this old heart of mine
Look me in the eyes
While I ask you one more time

Chorus:
Why won't you set me free
When it's the right thing to do
Try to think about me
You know I'd do it for you
If I say please, will you tell me
Why won't you set me free

Copyright Kent Newsome and Bob Clay
All Rights Reserved

White Mercedes Blues

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:21:00 PST

White Mercedes Blues (streaming MP3)

Driving out to the Woodlands
I was heading north
On I-45

I passed a pretty rainbow
Golden hair, red lips
And pretty blue eyes

Chorus:
Tell me do you like your white Mercedes
Is it taking you where you want to go
Why don't you come and ride beside me
And we'll take it nice and slow

We'll spend some time together
I'll paint you pictures
Of the deepest hue

I'll regale you with stories
And if you let me
I'll make them come true

Chorus:
Tell me do you like your white Mercedes
Is it taking you where you want to go
Why don't you come and ride beside me
If you don't you'll never know

Bridge:
You'll never know what we can see
You'll never know the gentler side of me
You'll never know what we can do
You'll never know how much I love you

Chorus:
Tell me do you like your white Mercedes
Is it taking you where you want to go
Why don't you come and ride beside me
If you don't you'll never know

Bridge:
You'll never know what we can see
You'll never know the gentler side of me
You'll never know what we can do
You'll never know how much I love you

Copyright Kent Newsome and Ronnie Jeffrey
All Rights Reserved

When You're Sitting at the Bar

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:20:34 PST

When You're Sitting at the Bar (streaming MP3)

It's as black as the devil's heart
Out here on this interstate
The crackling of the radio
Can barely keep me awake

This truck is a silver spaceship
Hurling silently through space
I'm a lonesome rocket jockey
Feeling like a castaway

Chorus:
Baby do you love me
When you're sitting at the bar
Waiting for some company
Enjoying happy hour
A trucker's life is lonesome
A trucker's wife gets lonesome too
I've got a trailer full of troubles
And a mind full of you
Baby do you love me
When you're sitting at the bar

You still tell me that you miss me
But you never say how much
I know you care some for me
I just don't know if that's enough

I can picture you sitting there
An angel out on her own
Free drinks for the lady here
Every time her husband's gone

Chorus:
Baby do you love me
When you're sitting at the bar
Waiting for some company
Enjoying happy hour
A trucker's life is lonesome
A trucker's wife gets lonesome too
I've got a trailer full of troubles
And a mind full of you
Baby do you love me
When you're sitting at the bar

Bridge:
You like to be the life of the party
You want to be everybody's friend
I'm stuck out here on this dark highway
And you're sitting at that bar again

Chorus:
Baby do you love me
When you're sitting at the bar
Waiting for some company
Enjoying happy hour
A trucker's life is lonesome
A trucker's wife gets lonesome too
I've got a trailer full of troubles
And a mind full of you
Baby do you love me
When you're sitting at the bar

Copyright Kent Newsome and Ronnie Jeffrey
All Rights Reserved

When You Were Still Mine

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:20:01 PST

When You Were Still Mine (streaming MP3)

When we were younger
We used to cut a rug
The dancing comes easy
When you are first in love

But we lost the music
Somewhere along the way
That carried us from then
To where we are today

Chorus:
I want to see you dance
For me just one more time
The way you used to dance
When you were still mine

If we could just retrace
All the steps that we missed
We'd still move together
And not apart like this

If you move I'll follow
It is your turn to lead
I know you doubt my words
Take my hand and you'll see

Bridge:
In my mind I still see us
Spinning across the floor
Moving in perfect harmony
What did we stop dancing for

Chorus:
I want to see you dance
For me just one more time
The way you used to do
When you were still mine

Copyright Kent Newsome and Ronnie Jeffrey
All Rights Reserved

What You Know and What You Feel

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:19:35 PST

What You Know and What You Feel (streaming MP3)

She's always out sowing oats
While I'm trying to put down roots
Should I let go or hold on
When either way I lose

Cause though she doesn't love me
I keep thinking one day she might
When she's through doing me wrong
Maybe she'll do me right

Chorus:
Then she smiles at me
And my frozen heart melts like ice
One day she's as mean as a snake
The next she's all sweetness and light
I'm caught between what I wish
And what I know is real
Between what I know and what I feel

I see every tear coming
Before it even leaves my eyes
I start making excuses
Soon as she starts to lie

I've always been her old dog
She kicks me and I come right back
I have tried a few new tricks
But they all end the same

Chorus:
Then she smiles at me
And my frozen heart melts like ice
One day she's as mean as a snake
The next she's all sweetness and light
I'm caught between what I wish
And what I know is real
Between what I know and what I feel

I used to pretend she'd change
Now I'm afraid I never will
And when I am old and gray
She'll be hurting me still

Bridge:
When your heart keeps getting broken
There's only one chance for it to heal
You've got to learn the difference
Between what you know and what you feel

Chorus:
Then she smiles at me
And my frozen heart melts like ice
One day she's as mean as a snake
The next she's all sweetness and light
I'm caught between what I wish
And what I know is real
Between what I know and what I feel

Copyright Kent Newsome and Ronnie Jeffrey
All Rights Reserved

What I'm Talking About

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:19:12 PST

What I'm Talking About (streaming MP3)

Stay with me for a while
Oh stay with me for a while
You can leave tomorrow
If you still want to go
So stay with me a while

Stay with me one more night
Oh stay with me one more night
You might not change your mind
But we'll have a good time
So stay with me one more night

Chorus:
I'm tired of treating you bad
Tired of making you so mad
Baby we don't have to scream and shout
Let me show you what I'm talking about

Stay because you want to
Oh stay because you want to
You've got some time to kill
And I'll give you a thrill
So stay because you want to

Stay and let me show you
Oh stay and let me show you
This is my neighborhood
I'll make you feel so good
So stay and let me show you

Chorus:
I'm tired of treating you mean
Tired of the same old bad scene
Baby we don't have to scream and shout
Let me show you what I'm talking about

Copyright Kent Newsome and Ronnie Jeffrey
All Rights Reserved

Wet and Low

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:18:48 PST

Wet and Low (streaming MP3)

No need to feel sorry for me
Cause I'm doing just fine
I just need one more whiskey shot
Before it's closing time

This ain't the world's first broken heart
I know I'll be all right
I've just been feeling kind of down
Since my baby said goodbye

Chorus:
So why do all of my friends act
Like I'm some poster child
For every broken hearted dude
Whose woman said goodbye
I guess they think I'm so far gone
There's nowhere left to go
She may have left me high and dry
But now I'm wet and low

I'm not looking for sympathy
That's just the way I feel
If I can drown her memory
You better believe I will

But it may take a lot of booze
To forget about her
This ain't the world's first broken heart
But it might be the worst

Chorus:
That must be why all my friends act
Like I'm some poster child
For every broken hearted dude
Whose woman said goodbye
I guess they know I'm so far gone
There's nowhere left to go
She may have left me high and dry
But now I'm wet and low

Copyright Kent Newsome and Ronnie Jeffrey
All Rights Reserved

West Virgina

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:18:28 PST

West Virgina (streaming MP3)

I got an email from West Virginia
This girl I hadn't heard from in years
Sent me a picture of the guy I used to be
We floated down that ol' New River
But somebody else took the plunge
We drifted apart until she lost sight of me

We had some high times back then
All good things must come to an end
Sort of majestic and kinda grand
No place for a working man

Chorus:
Just because I punch a clock
Doesn't mean I can't tell time
It's too late for West Virginia
North Carolina suits me fine

I'm gonna write her back before long
If my fingers can find the right words
Maybe I'll send along a picture of my wife
She looks like you but she's much nicer
And she treats me like a million bucks
What else do you want to know about my new life

We had some high times back then
All good things must come to an end
Sort of majestic and kinda grand
No place for a working man

Chorus:
Just because I punch a clock
Doesn't mean I can't tell time
It's too late for West Virginia
North Carolina suits me fine

Copyright Kent Newsome and Ronnie Jeffrey
All Rights Reserved

Watson Opportunity

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:18:00 PST

Watson Opportunity (streaming MP3)

I dial up your number
And listen to it ring
I've got no claim on you
So it don't mean a thing

Yet I sit in the dark
Listening to the dial tone
My fingers are so tired
Too much walking alone

Chorus:
I'm drinking and dialing and feeling so blue
At the end of the line that connects me to you
I've got so much to say, we don't talk at all
You play it safe while the phone rings off the wall
I gambled my heart on you and me
Looking for a Watson opportunity
Looking for a Watson opportunity

I could go to your house
But I know what I'd find
Just one more sad story
At the end of the line

Chorus:
I'm drinking and dialing and feeling so blue
At the end of the line that connects me to you
I've got so much to say, we don't talk at all
You play it safe while the phone rings off the wall
I gambled my heart on you and me
Looking for a Watson opportunity
Looking for a Watson opportunity

Bridge:
Won't you please come here
I want to see you
So bad I can taste it
Another call unanswered
Another opportunity wasted

Chorus:
I'm drinking and dialing and feeling so blue
At the end of the line that connects me to you
I've got so much to say, we don't talk at all
You play it safe while the phone rings off the wall
I gambled my heart on you and me
Looking for a Watson opportunity
Looking for a Watson opportunity

Copyright Kent Newsome and Ronnie Jeffrey
All Rights Reserved

Watson Lake

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:17:35 PST

Watson Lake (streaming MP3)

There's no work up in Faro
It's freezing in White Horse
I'm stuck here in Ross River
Where bad luck runs its course
I still work the lumber camps
But jobs are hard to find
Up here in the north country
I'm falling on hard times

Chorus:
I miss the love that we once shared
Back in Watson Lake
Before the call of the wild
Carried me away
I thought I wanted something more
But that was a mistake
Everything that matters
Is back in Watson Lake

I think about her often
We talk once in a while
She got married years ago
Just had her second child
I asked her if she's happy
She said she surely is
All the things that she has now
Are all the things I miss

Chorus:
I miss the love that we once shared
Back in Watson Lake
Before the call of the wild
Carried me away
I thought I wanted something more
But that was a mistake
Everything that matters
Is back in Watson Lake

She said it wasn't my fault
That some things can't be tamed
She wants me to feel better
But I know I'm to blame
If only things were different
If I had never left
I would be beside her fire
Not cold and by myself

Bridge:
I know I could be a good man now
I know I could settle down
If could sleep in her big brass bed
And not on the cold, cold ground

Chorus:
I miss the love that we once shared
Back in Watson Lake
Before the call of the wild
Carried me away
I thought I wanted something more
But that was a mistake
Everything that matters
Is back in Watson Lake

Copyright Kent Newsome
All Rights Reserved

Wait on Me (Waitress No. 3)

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:35:29 PST

Wait on Me (Waitress No. 3) (streaming MP3)

When we met she was a waitress
Over at the Do Drop Inn
I dropped in and she bummed me out
By talking 'bout her boyfriends
She said here are your french fries
I said forget all those guys
She grinned and said
What guys are you talking about

We walked out on the patio
We were gazing at the stars
When truck full of drunk rednecks
Lost control and smashed my car
They took off in a full run
Which is what I should have done
Cause sometimes things
Don't turn out the way we expect

Chorus:
All of my friends said She's sweet on you
She gave me extra french fries
And lots of free beer too
Then she called me a cab
Me and my car were smashed
I said are you working tomorrow
If you are I'm coming back
Cause you're the finest waitress
That I have ever seen
And I have loved a waitress
Won't you please wait on me
Waitress number three

I woke up the next afternoon
With a waitress on my brain
The worst hangover on record
And a certain hunger pain
I thumbed back to the diner
To grab a bite and find her
I had visions
Of the meals she would cook for me

Chorus:
All of my friends said She's sweet on you
She gave me extra french fries
And lots of free beer too
Then she called me a cab
Me and my car were smashed
I said are you working tomorrow
If you are I'm coming back
Cause you're the finest waitress
That I have ever seen
And I have loved a waitress
Won't you please wait on me
Waitress number three

The folks at the Do Drop Inn
I thought she'd be glad to see me
But she bummed me out again
She said of all my boyfriends
You are only one of them
Guess she wasn't
Quite as sweet on me as it seemed

Chorus:
All of my friends said She's sweet on you
She gave me extra french fries
And lots of free beer too
Then she called me a cab
Me and my car were smashed
I said are you working tomorrow
If you are I'm coming back
Cause you're the finest waitress
That I have ever seen
And I have loved a waitress
Won't you please wait on me
Waitress number three

Copyright Kent Newsome and Ronnie Jeffrey
All Rights Reserved

Walk Back In

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:16:48 PST

Walk Back In (streaming MP3)

Every time I get my life together
The phone rings and it's you again
Who knows where you are
Probably in some bar
I only know where you're not

Chorus:
You're not here with me
Where you know you oughta be
You've walked out again and again
Now you wanna walk back in
You tell me I'm your one and only
Then tell me why I feel so lonely
You walked out on me again
Now you wanna walk back in

I admit I miss you more than sometimes
No one can make me laugh the way you do
But lately it seems
The joke's been on me
And you don't see me smilin', 'cause...

Chorus:
You're not here with me
Where you know you oughta be
You've walked out again and again
Now you wanna walk back in
You tell me I'm your one and only
Then tell me why I feel so lonely
You walked out on me again
Now you wanna walk back in

Bridge:
There must be a echo
On this telephone line
Cause I've just heard
For the thousandth time, why

Chorus:
You're not here with me
Where you know you oughta be
You've walked out again and again
Now you wanna walk back in
You tell me I'm your one and only
Then tell me why I feel so lonely
You walked out on me again
Now you wanna walk back in

You walked out on me again
Now you wanna walk back in

Copyright Kent Newsome and Ken Salaets
All Rights Reserved

Virgil and the Beancat

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:16:20 PST

Virgil and the Beancat (streaming MP3)

Lying in the window
She looked at him and said
Sometimes I feel like screaming
All these things in my head

He said I think I know you
For we have spent some time
Yours is a word I know well
I could almost make it mine

Chorus:
But I'm scared of what I don't know
And scared of what I do
I'm bound by these old things
Though I long for something new

She said I have a brother
But it has been a while
And most of the time I feel
Like I'm an only child

He said there is a big place
Out there somewhere
I've been there once or twice
But every time I go
I get so scared

Chorus:
Cause I'm scared of what I don't know
And scared of what I do
I'm bound by these old things
Though I long for something new

And did you know
That when I run
Around at night
I keep the front door
In my line of sight
I would just walk away
But there's just one word
That I really, really, really
Want to say...

Chorus:
I'm scared of what I don't know
And scared of what I do
I'm bound by these old things
Though I long for something new

Copyright Kent Newsome and Rick Paul
All Rights Reserved

Two Birds

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:15:57 PST

Two Birds (streaming MP3)

I saw two birds fly
Out of the corner of my eye
Well there you go
Four more quarters down the drain
With nothing to show

I wish I'd kept one
But that's easier said than done
Now I've lost two
So I'm rolling on the floor
Crying over you

Chorus:
Two can be one too many
But it's a whole lot better
Than not having any
Feathers fall from the sky
Tears fall from my eyes
While two birds fly

I'd give one away
If only life would work that way
If you could choose
Which one to put in a cage
Which one to let loose

I kept holding on
Until both of my birds were gone
What's done is done
Why wasn't I satisfied
When I had just one

Chorus:
Two can be one too many
But it's a whole lot better
Than not having any
Feathers fall from the sky
Tears fall from my eyes
While two birds fly

Tears fall from my eyes
While two birds fly

Copyright Kent Newsome and Ronnie Jeffrey
All Rights Reserved

Twenty-First Century Blues

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:15:34 PST

Twenty-First Century Blues (streaming MP3)

My baby started drinking
In the 21st century
She drinks because it fills her up
When she feels so empty
My baby started drinking
In the 21st century
She drinks to all the wasted years
She drinks because of me

Back in the nineteen hundreds
She hardly ever touched a drop
She had a few on New Year's Eve
And now she just can't stop
It's Mary in the morning
A few gin and tonics each night
She's too far gone to turn back now
I'm too beat up to fight

I'd throw away her bottles
But she's learned to hide them so well
For every Jack or Jim I find
I miss two Rebel Yells
It breaks my heart to see her
When she's stumbling around blind
The 21st century blues
They caught her from behind

That old demon alcohol
Has got my baby in it's grasp
She swears that she will do better
But it don't ever last
So I'm down to two choices
And I don't know which one is best
Booze it up or be alone
I'm in an awful mess

So go get me a bottle
I was once known to tip a few
I'd rather be drunk all day long
Than sober without you
We'll get drunk in the morning
And wasted in the afternoon
I'm a newfangled hell raiser
Not a moment too soon

My baby started drinking
In the 21st century
She drinks because it fills her up
When she feels so empty
My baby started drinking
In the 21st century
She drinks to all the wasted years
She drinks because of me

Copyright Kent Newsome and Ronnie Jeffrey
All Rights Reserved

Turning Up Rose's

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:15:11 PST

Turning Up Rose's (streaming MP3)

This just can't be my life
That I'm leading these days
It's a show I'm watching
From a long way away

A black and white picture
One I can barely see
Like another late show
On a worn out TV

Chorus:
Everything was all right
Everything was just fine
Our future was so bright
Oh how she used to shine
They say once you hit bottom
There's only one way to go
But every time I turn around
Everything keeps turning up Roses

From here in the shadows
I watch her play a new part
I've heard those lines before
I know them all by heart

When the show is over
And the curtain goes down
The hero gets the girl
And the loser leaves town

Chorus:
Everything was all right
Everything was just fine
Our future was so bright
Oh how she used to shine
They say once you hit bottom
There's only one way to go
But every time I turn around
Everything keeps turning up Roses

Bridge:
I'm gonna find me a new town
With more gardens to till
But there's one thing I know
I'll never find another flower
Half as sweet as my Rose

Chorus:
Everything was all right
Everything was just fine
Our future was so bright
Oh how she used to shine
They say once you hit bottom
There's only one way to go
But every time I turn around
Everything keeps turning up Roses

Copyright Kent Newsome and Ronnie Jeffrey
All Rights Reserved

Troubadour

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:14:33 PST

Troubadour (streaming MP3)

I call myself a troubadour
And I play from town to town
I'm a regular one man band
With that classic country sound

I sell my tapes at all my shows
You get three for fifteen bucks
I used to be the next big thing
Now I'm just a never was

Chorus:
Twenty years ago they told me
That I was taking off
On the way to fame and fortune
I guess that I got lost
Everyone used to tell me
You're going to be a star
Well I guess this star has faded
Into a country troubadour

I didn't read the first contract
Some Nashville suit gave to me
Now they tell me all of my songs
Belong to some company

Bridge:
So I play these honky tonks,
County fairs and VFW halls
I sing lots of Hank Snow songs
And the Wabash Cannonball
I can sing lots of Hank Snow songs
And the Wabash Cannonball

It's not the never making it
That weighs heavy on my soul
It's too many what could have beens
And all these we'll never knows

Chorus:
Twenty years ago they told me
That I was taking off
On the way to fame and fortune
I guess that I got lost
Everyone used to tell me
You're going to be a star
Well I guess this star has faded
Into a country troubadour

Copyright Kent Newsome and Toby Darling
All Rights Reserved

Trash Truck Tragedy

kent@newsome.org — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:13:59 PST

Trash Truck Tragedy (streaming MP3)

In December when the snow starts to fall
Is a good time to clean both heart and house
So I gathered up her goodbye letters
And I resolved to throw them all out

I put those letters in a big trash bag
With some photographs and a band of gold
If I'm ever going to get over her
It's in with the new and out with the old

Then I took all my burdens to the curb
In the dark of night so no one could see
That I've given up on her coming back
I let the darkness hide my misery

But this morning the trash men let me down
When they let that trash bag fall off their truck
Now my memories scatter in the wind
While I stand here wrapped up in my bad luck

Chorus:
Her goodbye letters blow up and down the street
Caught in trees and the bottom of my neighbors' feet
All those cold and hard words she wrote
Lying like icicles on the side of the road
A tale of woe for all to read
All thanks to a trash truck tragedy

Boys you better not spend those twenties yet
And I won't be making cookies this year
My heart is ripped open like that trash bag
All that litter has trashed all my good cheer

I'll still separate my recyclables
And put out my trash on every trash day
But next time I get my heart broken
I will not throw the evidence away

Bridge:
When it warms up a little I'll put on my work gloves
And pick up the newspapers, cans and things I once loved
I'll avoid all the sympathetic glances and stares
Yeah I'll look right through them like they're not even there

Chorus:
Her goodbye letters blow up and down the street
Caught in trees and the bottom of my neighbors' feet
All those cold and hard words she wrote
Lying like icicles on the side of the road
A tale of woe for all to read
All thanks to a trash truck tragedy

Copyright Kent Newsome and Ronnie Jeffrey
All Rights Reserved