1. DRY

Well the song of the blackbird is mighty clear
On a mornin' such as this
And all those useless pains & fears
Those things that I won't miss

And the Morning Glories and Queen Anne's lace
Baptized by the wind
These inspirations are my saving grace
In these times we're living in

Make a hard man humble
Make a proud woman hide
Her eyes from the light of day
When all the crops have withered and died
And the soil has blown away
The ground is so dry
The river's on its hands and knees
And I hear that tune in the breeze
The crow is callin' and I hear him well
Up in the red bud tree
Any the stories that you've lived to tell
Pass 'em down to me

Whisper the truth
Into your childrens ears
Let them know
Let them understand
Let them hear
The song of the blackbird is mighty loud
Through the evening mist
The moon is up and it looks so proud
Lookin' down on a night, on a night like this



2. THE CHARIOT

The old days are gone
The time goes so fast
Like the cars of a train
Watch 'em go past

The feelin's still here
And it won't leave me be
I didn't waste no time
Time wasted me

The chariot swung low and sweet
But it could not carry me home
The circle was broke before I could speak
And now all my faith is gone

There's rest for the righteous
But us wicked can't sleep
Give me something to hold on to
Give me something to keep



3. ONE MAN'S SHAME

Don't alter my altar
Don't desecrate my shrine
My church is the water
And my home is underneath the shady pines
Don't underestimate the spine in a poor man's back
When it's against the wall and his future's black

One man's story is another man's shame
I ain't bound for glory, I'm bound for flames
Take to the woods boy, and cover up your tracks
Go away child and don't look back

Sad is the lullaby from a mother's heart and soul
When she knows her child has strayed from the foal
The parish will perish
By death's cruel hand
And finish the job that fate began
All that static in the attic,
That's just an old drunk ghost
His chains are rattlin' but his end is close
Ain't no hell below and ain't no heaven above
I came for the drinks but I stayed for the love



4. REST HIS SOUL

We were living proof of a dying dream
The truth is no one saw us coming
There's always one more song left to sing
So we hit the ground running

It was all for the light, the spark,
And the moment for our miracle point
The needle raised up
And the record stopped spinning
But the music kept going
Bless his soul and lay him down
The spirit is willing but the flesh cannot be found

Unencumbered by the tedium of other men's ways
Our path was our own
Mindless, endless nights and days
Were the best that I've known
It was all for the reason for the pure simple truth
For those that have come and have gone
Sometimes I just don't know what to do
But just keep on

Bless his soul and ley him down
The spirit is willing but the flesh is in the ground
My brother, my brother won't you go on home
Your loved ones miss you and we've been gone too long



5. AND THEN THE RAINS CAME

Instrumental



6. LEE CONTY FLOOD

The summer wind is blowing westward
Over the field of fresh moved hay
Let's go up to the barn loft
Lay back and watch the sparrows play
I can see the evening sky
From the holes rusted in the tin
Let's close our eyes and fall asleep
And listen to the storm roll in

It sounded like a thousand horses' hooves
The sound of the pourin' rain on the old tin roof
The clouds were as black as the smoke form the stack
Of an old coal-burning train
Lay back and listen to the sound of the pourin' rain

It ain't rained in weeks and now it just won't stop
All the rivers and the creeks
Are getting fuller with every drop
If the levee holds it's ground
And keeps that water back
The Mississippi won't reach my little tar-paper shack

Well now the sun shines on the roof
And the moonshine is in the cellar
And what a happy feller I am
To finally see the sun
Now that the rain is done
'cause I've had about all I can stand
I can't tell where my pond begins
An where my cornfield ends
The cattle done floated away
'cause the water's up over the fence



7. TAKE IT ON THE CHIN

I don't want you to know the pain I've known
A man should not have to walk his row alone
Of all the things in life, count on one
I'll always be behind you son

He said life is a gamble
And before you throw them dice
If it's more than you can handle
Please take this advice
He said stand your ground and don't back down, that's the only way to win
When life throws a punch son, you've got to take it on the chin

I don't want you see the things I saw
This old world can be so cruel after all
Of all the things in life cound on one
I'll always be behind you son
He said life is a battle and it ain't even fair
But if you stay up in your saddle,
You're already halfway there

He said stand your ground and don't back down
That's the only way to win
When time throws you a punch son,
You've got it take it on the chin



8. RED BUDS

The wind blows hard up in whipoorwill hill
And the red buds sway in the breeze
If you listen real close you can hear
The desperate cry of a broken man on his knees

The rain beats hard on a poor man's head
The wind pulls the nails out of the tin roof of the shed
And the water keeps on rising
At the old homestead

If the corn's knee high by the fourth of July
And mother nature smiles on us all,
And there's a ring around the moon
That means rain is coming soon
And we'll have a good harvest this fall

The rain beats hard on a poor man's head
The wind pulls the nails out of the tin roof of the shed
The moon keeps on shining
On the old homestead

The wind blows through the wheatfield at night
And it plays a lonely tune
The bones clatter in the trees, waving in the summer breeze
And there ain't nothing like Lee County in June

The rain beats hard on a poor man's head
The wind pulls the nails out of the tin roof of the shed
The river keeps on flowing by
The old homestead



9. EVERYDAY

As the sun came up over that eastern field today
I could not help but think of you
The feeling shoots through me like a bullet
when I think of all the pain I put you through
Every day I can see that I'm a part of you
And you're a part of me

It all used to make so much more sense
And I'd have it all again if I could choose
I've lost some things over the years
But the memory I will not lose

As the sun goes down over that western field
I still can't help but think of you
Wherever you are I hpe your wounds have healed
And you forgive me for the pain I put you through

Everyday it tortures me
I guess the apple fell too far from the tree