Get all 89 Bill Mallonee releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, & WEST, ABOVE, BELOW & WITHIN (free single from Orphan Songs 2018), Here It Opens With A Prayer, But It Closes With A Song, A CLAMORING OF GHOSTS (2021), STUNNED (an anniversary song), "Lead On, Kindly Light" & "This World & One More" 2020, ORPHAN SONGS (2018), NEED TO BLEED (expanded version) Bill Mallonee & Vigilantes of Love, FOREST FULL OF WOLVES (2018), and 81 more.
Excludes supporter-only releases.
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ONLY ONE THING EVER DOES words/music: bill mallonee
yer always in the dark about how it'll fall out
but, right now? it don't look so good
there's doctrines & texts that people spout
so, i guess it ends like it should
it was drums & guitars and a stack of wax
they say the spirit hovered over creation
in a dusty & cold cinder block basement
I forged my own salvation
CHORUS:
when you're betting farms & placing your faith
seeking your sign from above
a million things could happen they say
but only one thing ever does
there's a few truths and there's many a lie
you sort through on your way
so much heartache & beauty they hypnotize
from cradle to the grave
there are paupers & poets; shakers & movers
but baby, that's just the thin veneer
wear it all down to where rubber meets the road
and we're all just travelin' with "fear."
(sits in) the passenger side of a beautiful ride
it's your Joy he's aiming to steal
keep your eyes on the road...heart in the stars
and don't let him get behind the wheel
(An unused alt verse.)
living in skin was the damnedest thing
i smiled by numbers all the time
it got easier...to live with the doubts
and step over that line
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THE LONESOME VIEW words/music: bill mallonee
1. Ghosts 'tween the towers...of radio relay
small town am...along the interstate
there's a storm outside...and one inside, too
it's the ghosts beneath that lonesome view
2. It's the sweat and strain...born of the curse
an old tweed amp...oil-can reverb
never turning back but never breakin' through
it's the ghosts beneath that lonesome view
3.keep a little back...try to save some heart
It's all fools gold...around these parts
when the high desert...is bathed in blue moon
It's the ghosts beneath that lonesome view
4. pull the fader down...pour the whiskey out
you try & believe...in all you doubt
if the stones should speak...if the stars should shout
if the gardens bloom...after the drought
5. she may seem cruel...she may seem unkind
maybe love....was just a little blind
but, if she bestows a kiss...well, i won't refuse
It's the ghosts beneath that lonesome
beneath that lonesome
beneath that lonesome view
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3. |
SMILE BY NUMBERS
04:53
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SMILE BY NUMBERS words & music: bill mallonee
the light she plays....and the shadow is cast
jump the next thing....that is going past
you get use to the cold...and how the wind cuts
and the sound of every door...that keeps slamming shut
chorus:
and the sunlight here paints her thin veneer
of eternity o'er everything
so, i smile by numbers and slumber in my bed
i tie a hangman's knot inside my head
it did not transpire...or happen over night
sea changes rarely...occur in the light
faith & trust, well it was all ya' ever wanted
and you start to wonder if the house is haunted
well, the eyes say it all...so best to keep 'em shut
words are just air...so don't say much
jump the next thing...that's going past
we're all passing through this room...way too fast
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TILL I KNEW IT ALL BY HEART words/music: bill mallonee
it's too late to talk about it
time to put that one to bed
can't it wait a few hours
for the clear light of day?
spread the maps out on the table
study them by the fire light
throwing shadows on the bare walls
like a film in black & white
chorus:
i learned the night skies when i came here
i pinned my hope on every star
i was taught the geography of fear early on
...till i knew it all by heart
those figures move in certain rhythms
they move in cadences of grace
they move so lost & so lonely
barely filling up the space
'cause the hangman? he's always ready
to help you straighten up your tie
tip your hat if you should meet him
and by all means: spit in his eye
some say Love's the final answer
some say that jury still deliberates
you navigate...by sextant & by compass
by Courage & by Faith
un-used verse:
there are maps within your spirit
we keep on a parchment rolled up tight
you'll need a heart that's a-blazing
if you care to read them right
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STEADY NOW, STEADY NOW, STEADY NOW
words/music: bill mallonee
1. one more bartender fill up this cup
after this one, well, we'll settle up
i'm opening up heaven & closing up shop
steady now, steady now, steady now
2. there are no rules at least none i could post
wandering lost, still, i'm luckier than most
and when love showed her face? Ah! well, now there's a toast!
steady now, steady now, steady now
3. i don't know if i've known you or if i ever did
there were all these voices shouting & i was just a kid
and you had a way of keeping yourself hid
steady now, steady now, steady now
4. there were fixes & moments when i thought it was done
an old chapter finished and a brand new one begun
but nothing last forever...well, mostly not very long
steady now, steady now, steady now
5. there was yearning inside till i thought i would burst
did my prayers just careen through the cold universe
no voice, no calling and no burning bush
steady now, steady now, steady now
6. they say all that you sow is all that you'll reap
and i'm sorry for the promises i failed to keep
i'm gonna ask you to catch me...and then i'm gonna leap...
steady now, steady now, steady now
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DOLOROSA (HEARTBREAK ON THE JUKEBOX)
words & music bill mallonee
the sound of heartbreak....from an old jukebox
hardly anything sadder that i know
perfume collides...with a scratchy 45
out on the dance floor
there's a certain way....the light behaves
on that new born-day of Spring
"Promise" is a seed...you plant with deeper needs
and see what the harvest brings
chorus:
now my journey got harsh...my path it got stern
with every song that i wrote, every word that i spoke till i became invisible
Was it something you chose? i dunno, I suppose
Or was it something that chose ya?
Dolorosa
i made me a world with wood and steel strings
Oh, the many things i learned
hand to the plow & smile all the while
even when their backs are turned
you know you always...my sweet travelin' light
though that was never widely known
you were kind enough...to buy me a drink
...for the oblivion
oh, to hold forth...with a twinkle in the eye
and shine like those stars out west
oh, to play yer tunes...under mirrorball moon
oh, to sing till my last breath
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7. |
HERE COMES THE FLOOD
05:20
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HERE COMES THE FLOOD words/music: bill mallonee
there's a rumor going round
that the end is nigh
seems like i've heard that sorta talk
most of my life
one thing i never could
completely understand
how anyone could rejoice
in the death of a man
chorus:
here comes the flood
here comes the flood
say "goodbye"....to all that you love
progress is a wheel of steel
and it's grins behind closed doors
on the rack of cruel history
has perished many a soul
it's the sacrament of the greedy
it's the bread & wine of the rich
it is money in a vault dressed up
in flags and rhetoric
earth, it is a-shakin'
sky she falls away
confusion is the order
the order of the day
rain, it falls in sheets
sweeping you from me
and our tears they now mingle
with the salt of the sea
chorus:
here comes the flood....
here comes the flood
say "goodbye"....to all that you love
now, death & destruction
well, it's always been the rage
and out of our hearts
it spills all over the page
fear makes you a thief
and a thief is gonna steal
to cover himself
from the darkness that he feels
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8. |
RIO GRANDE
04:52
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RIO GRANDE words/music: bill mallonee
well, this old moonlight has been my friend
as long as i can remember when
was either poverty or a drug lord's gun
Mother Mary, watch o'er your son
keep a book of my mother's favorite poems
she wrote 'em out longhand as i was going
and i'm not sure but i'm willing to bet
she said a Rosary for my every step
Now, i'm not one to boast.
tequila make me...like a ghost
so i might swim, so i might stand
on the other side of the Rio Grande
now, there's a border frozen in my mind
i've visited there a million times
dreams are devils or your best friends
100 roads north, but only one way in
i once a had a dream of Liberty
she stood in a harbor & beckoned me
and the river's deep and wide they say
only man's fear & greed get in the way
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9. |
CLOSER TO HOME
04:16
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CLOSER TO HOME words/music: bill mallonee
Looking for you out on the highways
looking for you on those dusty back roads
in every face of a beat down race
to bring me closer to home
looking for you in a pawn shop guitar
or inside a pedal steel's moan
in that 6-string drag through and old tweed amp
to bring me closer to home
whatever hope you pull from these sad rituals
remember to try and forget
if you make a deal with the devil from time to time
well, always hedge your bet
searching for you out in the desert
that is where i heard you roam
inside everything that can't be measured
to bring me closer to home
to bring me closer to home
to bring me closer to home
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(DRIFTING THROUGH THOSE) CITIES OF RUIN
words & music by bill mallonee
hit the highway at daybreak
roll out early for to San Antone
every thing is up for grabs
and you're the last to know
chorus #1
and yer heart? she is a shooting star
wanderin' out there on it's own
drifting through those cities of ruin
on your way back home
call it a rite of passage
call it something strong & true
all those Appalachian deep sighs
with the sunlight sifting through
chorus #2
they say in Heaven you'll get your real name
carved into a precious stone
drifting through those cities of ruin
on your way back home
may your steps be full of wonder
may the neon light your path
may you have some tears to share
when others dreams collapse
chorus #3:
and the desert? she'll hold your secrets
when your thoughts are all dust blown
drifting through the cities of ruin
on your way back home
hit the highway at midnight
another time zone to get through
a song drifting o'er the canyon
and the stars they hang like jewels
chorus #4:
and the heart is like shooting like a star
always blazing through the cold
burning through those cities of ruin
on your way back home
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FRIEND OF THE WESTERN WIND music/lyrics: bill mallonee
there's got to be some comfort left in this old "left you out" world
there's gotta be a place for you on the string of pearls
it'll make you wear your thickest skin to keep the bullets at bay
but underneath your heart is oh, so gold waiting to shine like the new day
chorus:
yeah, i hear your a friend of the western wind
blowing all through the holes in your soul
you don't know where she's been; ah, but then again
she is taking you to where you wanna go
taking you to where you wanna go
i wrote this song on an old guitar under the influence of a million stars
i was praying in the spirit, at least doing my best
in a rhinestone jacket over a suede vest
Autumn has a way of scattering leaves of your life all around...clearing the tree
athering her dark clouds; she's such a stormy girl
there's gotta be a place for you on the string of pearls
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I SAW THE END OF THE MATTER words/music: bill mallonee
i saw the end of the matter
it was just like i thought it would be
a long hall of mirrors
reflecting dimly
and questions? they hung in the air
like outlaws from a tree
i saw the end of the matter
it was just like i thought it would be
i saw the end of the matter
it was more than i had hoped
call it the perfect punchline
to a perfect joke
you were the beacon in the lighthouse
but i was n'er good at swimming seas
i saw the end of the matter
it was just like i thought it would be
i saw the end of the matter
it was just like a walk downtown
i'd lost my hope just like most folks
strugglin' not to drown
mind you now, it was just a glimpse
or maybe it was a dream
i saw the end of the matter
it was just like i thought it would be
now truth? she had long since fled
might say she sought a higher ground
and justice? she'd long been dead
simply nowhere to be found
so much to say & no one to hear it
Baby, it's just like old times, you see?
i saw the end of the matter
it was just like i thought it would be
now, people talk in riddles
and people speak in sums
people speak in digits
and people speak in tongues
but a picture's worth 1000 words
so let me draw it out for thee
i saw the end of the matter
it was just like i thought it would be
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I SAW THE END OF THE MATTER words/music: bill mallonee
i saw the end of the matter
it was just like i thought it would be
a long hall of mirrors
reflecting dimly
and questions? they hung in the air
like outlaws from a tree
i saw the end of the matter
it was just like i thought it would be
i saw the end of the matter
it was more than i had hoped
call it the perfect punchline
to a perfect joke
you were the beacon in the lighthouse
but i was n'er good at swimming seas
i saw the end of the matter
it was just like i thought it would be
i saw the end of the matter
it was just like a walk downtown
i'd lost my hope just like most folks
strugglin' not to drown
mind you now, it was just a glimpse
or maybe it was a dream
i saw the end of the matter
it was just like i thought it would be
now truth? she had long since fled
might say she sought a higher ground
and justice? she'd long been dead
simply nowhere to be found
so much to say & no one to hear it
Baby, it's just like old times, you see?
i saw the end of the matter
it was just like i thought it would be
now, people talk in riddles
and people speak in sums
people speak in digits
and people speak in tongues
but a picture's worth 1000 words
so let me draw it out for thee
i saw the end of the matter
it was just like i thought it would be
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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
If you like DOLOROSA (Fall & Winter 2013), you may also like:
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supported by 47 fans who also own “DOLOROSA (Fall & Winter 2013)”
I was captivated by the richness of Muriah's voice and her soulful lyrics. Looking forward to the whole album.
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Dry Bones Dance (2021 Remaster)
by Mark Heard
supported by 40 fans who also own “DOLOROSA (Fall & Winter 2013)”
An outstanding remaster. The extras are great. I hope this is the start of his whole discography being remastered with extras.
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More Miserable Than You'll Ever Be (Deluxe)
by 7&7iS
supported by 37 fans who also own “DOLOROSA (Fall & Winter 2013)”
Love the instrumental parts to this song
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Thoughtful and poetic folk with a Cosmic Americana flavor from the Brooklyn singer-songwriter.
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Fear of Frying
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In honor of the band’s 50th Anniversary, Yep Roc have reissued the 1980 album by pub rock pioneers Eggs Over Easy.
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Downey to Lubbock
by Dave Alvin
Soulful guitar interplay form the heart of this lovely Americana collaboration from Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore.
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supported by 37 fans who also own “DOLOROSA (Fall & Winter 2013)”
Fantastic album/CD with great instrumentation and vocals. Also an inspiration listening to the lyrics. Excellent recording quality as well. I give this my 5 Coconuts!
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