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TRAVELER'S SONG
06:01
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TRAVELER'S SONG words/music: bill mallonee
every traveler must have his own psalm
ever present upon his lips
a light to keep him safe from harm
though the darkness may dog his every step
every traveler must hold a hallowed gift
in the recess of his or her spirit
and carry some token of love once received
pressed into the heart's fingertips til they bleed
token of Love....open up my eyes
why, sometimes i can see the Prize
every journeying soul must utter a prayer
for mercy, sunshine & good health
to the Lord above or just to the thin-air
e'en if only for himself
this land is full of blood & thieves
grabbing only what can be touched and seen
ya' learn to keep your head down; keep your nose clean
and keep your hands and heart away from the machinery
Now, i've never been a man where word mets deeds
just ask anyone in this God-forsaken town
rarely ever been a man of faith
rarely ever stared the devil down
(alt ver.)
every traveler must have a simple tune
framed upon his tongue
when the foundations are all laid bare
and there's no ruins to hide among
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2. |
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RENO IS A HELL OF A PLACE words/music: bill mallonee
Well, Reno is a hell of a place to have your luck run dry
all the things you bank on vanish...in the wink of an eye
slipping through your fingers leaving you to opine
Reno is a hell of a place to have your luck run dry
Cracklin of a CB has always brought a smile
breaking up the engine drone o'er many a mile
And it's "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" under wide open skies
ah, but Reno is a hell of a place to have your luck run dry
It's the stories that you learned back home. Their the ones that last
but the stories that you're writing now, well, they all go nowhere fast
and yes, there are some that you'd erase with a deep & heavy sigh
and Reno is a hell of a place to have your luck run dry
now life, she is the perfect thief committing perfect crimes
takes it from you slowly, the nickel & the dime
With a log book full of questions, and answers in short supply
Reno is a hell of a place to have your luck run dry
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3. |
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THE GATHERING IN words & music: bill mallonee
Well, the faint amber glow from the old campfires
are flickering out...they are flicking out
And the last few embers vanish
in the darkness' mouth...in darkness' mouth
chorus:
Hail to the saints
and all of us beginners
the lost sheep and the sinners
all those "where-the-hell you been?" best friends
the shaken & confused
all those winners at "born-to-lose"
at the golden gathering in
and those old cowboy songs?
well they rarely got it wrong
but the world is always losing
everything it wins
she'll be comin' 'round the mountain
shimmering like a fountain
and on her lips?
the sweetest of hymns
chorus
there's a blue moon in the desert
and "all shall be most well..."
said blessed Julian
to her sisters at the well
the disgarded & ignored
the busted & the bored
the fallen & untamed
the one without a name
last chorus
Hail to the saints
and all us beginners
the lost sheep and the sinners
at the golden gatherin' in....
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4. |
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EVERY RIVER RUNS TO THE SEA words/music: bill mallonee
I am standing on this platform
waiting to go home
borrowed suit
and a splash of cheap cologne
smell of rain hangs in the air
as evening settles in
these trains? they n'er take you far enough
to begin again
chorus:
and my, my how things can turn and spin
like the tossing of a coin
a postcard bearing bad news
or a call on the phone
and how you finally got here
makes no difference to me
and every river? don't they all
run back to the sea?
now, choice is unforgiving
she'll asks for all you've got
you can walk through one door
and a million others lock
you can put it down to dumb luck
or chalk it up to love
or maybe it is more like somebody
filling up your cup
chorus
now, you might have done things a bit differently
someone else you could have been
and maybe it was always
maybe it was always just a scratch beneath your skin
and fear? It may have brought you here
but, it'll never get you home
standing on this platform
all alone
Now, Jesus walked on water
and He still does I think
reaching out His hand
to those drowning in the brink
chorus:
and my, my how things can turn and spin
like the tossing of a coin
a postcard bearing bad news
or a call on the phone
and how you finally got here
makes no difference to me
and every river? don't they all
run back to the sea?
and every river? don't they all
run back to the sea?
...to the Sea...
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5. |
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KISSING BOOTH words/music: bill mallonee
there's a kissing booth and so these folks
they come from miles around
when'er that kissing booth and carney
they pull into town...pull into town
they say it only costs a nickel; to close your eyes and feel
something far beyond this world; now i call that a deal
& you're hoping she might be the one to melt your heart of steel
they say it all goes by so quick
and it'll all go by so fast
nothing you can do but leap
and hold onto your hat...hold onto to your hat
Love is always a gamble, but you want it to be real
in a world of broken promises; a spinning of the wheel
& you're hoping she might be the one to melt your heart of steel
she smiled pretty as a picture
and me? tried to swallowed all my fear
it wasn't for my looks for sure
but she drew me oh-so-near...drew me oh-so-near
sometimes the jailer & the prisoner hold each other dear
anyway, something opened up and the skies they became clear
she whispered something softly...
but, i can't repeat that here
now, there's a few things to be thankful for
if you know what i mean
i've never been a pauper
i'll never be a king...i'll never be a king
but it only costs a nickel to close your eyes and feel
something far beyond all words, now. i call that a deal
and ever once so often, she melts your heart of steel
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6. |
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HIGH~BEAM (TO WATCH IT FALL A PART)
words/music: bill mallonee
If ya' care to listen, ah but even if you don't
i got over needing you a long time ago
took great pains to know you...gave you all my best
i was living to make you smile...and dying to impress
Chorus:
But, all this being born all these rose & thorns
and the confusing parts
Well, i cobbled a life together with them...
just to watch it fall a part
Well, i took it to the road; these skeleton dreams
wrapped 'em in an old suit, railroads & high~beams
the pen? it never went dry; the guitar? she could always woo
till my soul was the color of box car rust & my heart was big sky blue
whatever is heavy as hell is what you shouldn't carry
wrote my prayers and S.O.S. on the bar stationary
from where i stumbled last night; staggerin' right back to the start
what you learn comes the hard way; and softly breaks your heart
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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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