Get all 93 Bill Mallonee releases available on Bandcamp and save 20%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of WELCOME TO STRUGGLEVILLE (Remaster by Pete Lyman) 2024, Comes To Life (New single released March 14th, 2024), GLIMMER Spring 2024 (demos are back up for 2 days), NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, & WEST, ABOVE, BELOW & WITHIN (single from Orphan Songs), HERE IT OPENS WITH A PRAYER, BUT IT CLOSES WITH A SONG (2022), A CLAMORING OF GHOSTS (2021), THE LOT OF EVERYMAN (a free download today), STUNNED (an anniversary song), and 85 more.
Excludes supporter-only releases.
1. |
It could be a lot worse
04:43
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a kiss for the miles to drive
a prayer for when it rains
one shot of perspective
a couple more to kill the pain
when all the best metaphors
are hitting too close to home
when all the best metaphors
are bleeding from your bones
i'm gonna die a failure
but to happiness awake
you can go to sleep in hell
and wake up at heaven's gate
think of all that we miss today
that lay right before our eyes
think of all that fades away
in the hard-pressed compromise
and this is dangerous terrain
we're attempting to traverse
it's a crying shame
but it could be a lot worse
so you proceed with caution
though you're mumbling in the dark
and that one shot of perspective
has finally hit your heart
faith she's a whistling train
running hard in the dark
and hope is like a thing untamed
gonna lay to waste your heart
love's a little bit of God
there for all to know
love's the everlasting arms
that never do let go
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2. |
But Not for Long
02:57
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given what you want given what you need
given what you get given what you have to bleed
bleed some more and i will not mind
and i will not curse and mean it most of the time
given all i am Lord kill these grand pretensions
falling way too short with all my best intentions
moving much too fast with last chance on the line
so you learn to lie it gets easier every time
innocence there goes an old friend
who tries to show herself now and again
since you can't take her along
sure you'll miss her not for long
set the world on fire
hope you make a killing
set the world on fire
or die in burning buildings
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3. |
Taking On Water
03:42
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yes you're a big ship
loaded down with a whole lot of baggage and freight
life's a luxury liner
cutting through each circumstance and wave
now the cold icy waters
have sent the captain with his bottle off to bed
yeah the temperature's dropping
the radio is dead
taking on water
going down fast
yes under the breakers
send an S.O.S.
tell all the passengers
to spend what they wanna
taking on water
call it catastrophe
or the hand of the good Lord reaching through
call it a tragedy
there will be no last minute interviews
got to be a bit heavy-handed
when you're swimming in the shark infested seas
yeah to get my attention
off of my treason and mutiny
yeah call me irresponsible
but baby call me undeniably true
well at least for the moment
when i first set my eyes on You
got a big hole in a small heart
asking You no begging You to fill
gonna take some radical surgery
but You know my nasty wil
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4. |
Blister Soul
04:06
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yeah you got this place you go
it's just a trip before the fall
way past the fevered pitch
just a spit from the wrecking ball
said you woke up this morning
said you woke up under a curse
i've heard the blues are bad
but this is something worse
and the ambulance driver
well he tips his hat and stares
and he asks you in a grave voice
can i take you anywhere
yeah the thing we cannot speak of
too painful to behold
oh this blister soul
there's a smaller place you go
where there's hardly any sound
where the deals have all gone sour
and the house of cards comes down
and the damage is costly
it's beyond all dollars and sense
you can't measure it with graphs and charts
or any instruments
yeah the thing we cannot speak of
the secret we all know
oh this blister soul
yeah from the trumpet blast
i hear the banging drum
yeah from once upon a time
to the kingdom come
and the thing that's yours for free
is the thing i need the most
oh stifles every boast
stifles every boast
yeah the thing that's hard to speak of
but the secret we all know
oh this blister soul
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5. |
Locust Years
03:24
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here's one more raw emotion to contend with
one last bullet to defend the fort with
i was drowning in complacency's cheap perfume
yeah licking my wounds
yeah one more specimen one with real potential
if the suit fits well you're looking quite presidential
i picked your face out of some police photos
yeah steps of the wicked overthrown
come have your way with me
come have your way with me
there's nothing left
there's nothing left to see
salome's over-weight she broke jacob's ladder
where the corpse is honey you know the vultures gather
yes i've always been taught that love was worth keeping
yeah truth worth believing
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6. |
Run Through My Veins
03:48
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look down for a little while
yeah this time i'm really in
you're on no first name basis
with the stranger in your skin
betrayal she's a girl
yeah i slept with once or twice
treason her next of kin
she was more than nice
and all your best intentions sleep under
a sky with no stars
and you run through my veins to my heart
and you run through my veins
when i'm sure of nothing
and certain of everything else
the longer that we do this
we feel less and less ourselves
hey why is it when you climb up here
you can't find a place to hide
hey why is it when you climb up here
it feels like suicide
look down for a little while
time to bandage up these wounds
time to find some spare parts
time to ration fuel
plant your victory garden
place a flower there for me
come into your kingdom Lord
said the thief from the tree
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7. |
To The Roof of the Sky
04:57
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this is where the light starts to go backwards
it fades in a shimmer off that western rim
the path of ice that forms this spot stretches southward
it's rumored here it got the best of him
to the roof of the sky
what does she hold
in your room made of wind and of snow
leaving God only knows what down below
others with their crude maps and equally crude instruments
they sounded out the heights and found another's secrets
experience has led you to this dreamless sleep
and all that's left you is another a hundred feet
this is where the light starts to hesitate and flicker
colors bleed from once favorable skies
this is where your party lost all it's last contact
a step below your point in the sky
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8. |
Avalanche
06:09
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winter's quiet loneliness
wraps itself against my will
it's a bit cold it's a bit tattered
but it's keeping out the chill
sure my main condition
is entirely my own choice
i just can't help but smile
whenever i hear Your voice
the pill was hard to swallow
but not quite as bitter as before
hey maybe it means i'm growing harder
i would be the last to know
God i wish that i was innocent wish i was innocent
at least i think i do
if i had her as a gift to bring
i would bring that gift to you
here comes the avalanche
all my path is covered
leave a light for the lovers
mercy there's a word
we could drown in every moment
splash across the rocks at five pm
and i can count all my components
no no this potion won't help anyone won't help anyone
to try and tell the truth
no no that key it won't unlock the door
to this prison cell or womb
i have a picture
wish it was a photograph
You were holding little children
right there upon Your lap
it's never cold in that picture
as far as i can tell
outside outside the rain has changed to snow
and it's frozen in the well
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9. |
Doin' Time
03:41
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comes a time it's all been stripped away
comes a time when it's time to take a good long look and walk away
comes a time to lose yourself in song
when survival's the game you play but you're barely just holding on
maybe it's yours
maybe it's mine
same flesh and blood
same crooked line
backside of the backbeat
yeah doin' time
if my walls are crumbling can i set a spell
if you fashion up the foundation it's all just shot to hell
and my blueprints are really so suspect
with my phone line good and twisted ragged measurements
comes a time to let the whole thing go
comes a time when you realize we've all been bought and sold
yeah beat up cut down turned out of your game
hey money moves the lips where once the spirit was untamed
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10. |
Glory and the Dream
04:09
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only heard a few stories
really only seen a few works
tractor paints on plywood
covered with verse
you see so much
see not much at all
but we're treading down serpents
and we're breaking the fall
if a picture's worth a thousand words
what i've seen is what i've heard
the image writhes flickers on the screen
distance grows wide between the glory and the dream
you may be out there on the river
with your bridges all burned
cannot swim a stroke
'cause you never learn never learn
sure some wear it like a badge
or a noose around their neck
but call me home early Lord
i swear there's nothing to protect
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11. |
Offer
04:54
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they were making available the dreams of the past
for a limited time while the supply lasts
i got in line and i gave the man my cash
yeah i was buying fake diamonds buying fools gold
and i keep them in a sack shot full of holes
in this land of plenty with an empty soul
no mountain too high there's no ocean too deep
no castle too strong there's no lock that'll keep
no river too wide there's no desert too broad
no stone you can't break no heart that's too hard
from parting shots to parting the seas
from stabs in the back to turning the cheek
opening cells and throwing away the key
and i distinguish a voice that i hear in the wind
like a radio station not quite locked in
once a whisper now as loud as a scream
you're the judge and you're the law
the criminal in place of us all
father and mother sister and brother and friend
you say give me your sickness give me your pain
your empty cup and i'll fill it again
why on earth are you digging your own grave
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12. |
Opposite's True
04:32
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oh these odd years when reviewed i constantly find
hey when i'm reaching for the light darkness is not far behind
you might think i've learned a thing or two about playing it cool
well you might think that that is so ah but no no the opposite's true
you might think in the storm we've discovered the eye of the calm
but i've yet to find a way to dodge all these sweaty little palms
yeah you might think we've made some enemies but i just can't i recall who
you might think it keeps us up at night but no no the opposite's true
are there any words of wisdom i've picked up along the way
why yes death usually comes dressed up in her finery and lace
hey hasn't everyone in these bars been crying inside their whole life through
well you might think we cease to hear it ah but no no the opposite's true
kings and queens are bankrupt here at the mouth of the nile
they say the pyramids they're all looted pharaoh won't be back for a while
crocodiles are hungry see them polish their top ends with care
i used to understand their language but now i'm just unaware
used to install fire alarms before i ever started to sing
after all these years i find i've been doing the same thing
hey everyone stop check your pulse never mind it's code blue
well you might think to call the doctor but no no the opposite's true
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13. |
Double Cure
05:40
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yeah today i'm sick of all i am
today is my setback
first i swear i love you
then i stab you in the back
i wanna drink out of that fountain
on a hill called double cure
i wanna show you my allegiance Lord
yes i wanna be a son of Yours
so tired of all my toys
they never last for long
they keep beaming dreams and wishes
to a big dish on my front lawn
bet you all have got a story
you're just aching to tell
haven't we thrown our coinage
down the wishing well
so go and call your neighbor
proceed with all due haste
go grab your wife and sweet family
see there is no time to waste
we're gonna drink out of that fountain
on a hill called double cure
i wanna show you my allegiance Lord
yes i wanna be a son of Yours
ask me why i love Him
He gave riches to this poor
yes and i will one day see that face
over yonder shore
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14. |
||||
Well my name is russell perry
and i hail from tennessee
there's a million other fool rednecks
roaming the hills like me
i come with no credentials
can make no claim to fame
and i can throw a fastball
by any man who ever stepped up to the plate
i left home when i was sixteen
there was not much left to do
you could kick around on the farm teams
sleep in those motel rooms
you were handing out gospel tracts
one night after the game
so we compared our notes and dreams
and we found they were substantially the same
well my fastball would not fail me
see i was earning much respect
setting my eyes on a little
major league prospect
you know there never was a problem
three good low inside pitches wouldn't take right out
except this one little problem
honey well quite frankly it's hard to talk about
brenda oh brenda
i'm out here all alone
why are we drowning in the darkness
hey but we can't tell anyone
oh and i can't tell anyone
well you see i have this dream a lot
i am in a debtors' cell
and i reach out to grab the key
that will unlock my cell
as my expectant fingers
close on the steel so cold
well it turns into a sword
and it carves a name into my very soul
i've been feeling it in these bones
i'm so shipwrecked and worthless
sometimes the promises of comfort
are barely scratching the surface
and all my doctors' faces
are long drawn and lean
could be something in his past
maybe a little chemical imbalance
i don't care to be remembered
for the things i've said and done
i don't care to be remembered
for the games i may have saved or won
i wanna make our love
a big refuge and a fort
from a lonely little world
a broke down world
a struck out little world
that knows nothing of the sort
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Bill Mallonee
Bill Mallonee is an Americana artist w/ 80 plus albums over a 30 year career. Voted by Paste Music Magazine #65 in their
"Top 100 Living Songwriters" poll. He was the
founding member of Vigilantes of Love. He has worked with Mark Heard, Buddy Miller, Emmylou Harris, & Peter Buck from REM.
His most recent work, "Lead On, Kindly Light" is a 23song double Cd released Feb 2020.
... more
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