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 "Glimmer" Vol. 1, WELCOME TO STRUGGLEVILLE (Remaster by Pete Lyman) 2024, Comes To Life (New single & free download), 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. |
ON TO BETHLEHEM
05:12
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ON TO BETHLEHEM
written by Bill Mallonee for CyBrenJoJosh (BMI) ©1998
So, i'm at this wheel it's three am
waiting for the caffeine to come around
and life rears it's ugly head again
they say your radio's cool and retail's way down
and i'd like to say i'm faithful
to the task at hand
speaking gospel to a handful
and others with their list of demands
it's cold this year and i'm late on my dues
it's cold in here ah but that's nothing new
my heart's electric with your love again
so it's on to Bethlehem
you might surmise that i ran there
but i really only crept
lead me to the place where love runs wild
and then it dogs your every step
you know how fickle my heart is
prone to wonder my Lord
yeah we talk but it's at arms length
always got one eye on the door
God wraps Himself up in human skin
for those who want to touch
and God let them drive the nails in
for those of us who know way too much
You come bearing all our burdens
and take Your lovers for a ride
but we stay holed up in our cages
fashioned by our own design
so tell me what is your secret
what's on your blister soul
what is that one little secret
you know the one that has taken its toll
'cause daddy's banging on your gate again
yeah he won't leave you alone
got a whole lot of dry warm rooms
and the finest of homes
from Yonder Shines the Infant Light 2005/12 Advent & Christmas songs, released December 12, 2005
Bill Mallonee Acoustic guitar, vocals.
Kenny Hutson: Pedal steel
Chris Bland: Bass
Scott Klopfenstein: Drums
Tom Lewis: engineer
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2. |
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THE KING WILL SEE YOU NOW words/music: bill mallonee
I heard you all came from pretty far
to grace our little old town
heard you saw some new bright stars
ah, the king will see you now
the king was pacing in his chambers
clearly a worried man
seems like for every neck ya’ gotta wring,
ah, ya’ get to wring two hands
ok, let’s put our cards on the table
let us be of the same mind
if you’d relay my goodwill
ah, if you’d be so kind
I’d welcome him in person if I could
but there’s this shakey lil' government
later on, I’ll bring the love in a motorcade
with all that pomp and circumstance
Chorus:
and the pattern, it repeats itself
when power is asked to bow
whenever truth gets ushered in
ah, the king will see you now
Oh, I’ll offer him my worship
my best wishes and bright hope
never mind the dagger
underneath my cloak
I hear new kings get born every day
So me? I don’t sweat it all that hard
Isn’t life just the funniest thing?
With all this changing of the guard?
Chorus
They say that patriotism is the last refuge
to which a scoundrel clings
I’ve seen that with my own two eyes
then I saw it in a dream
Must be time to guard your turf
must be time to guard your home
whenever the truth shows up drunk with love
and gets too close to the bone
Chorus:
and the pattern, it repeats itself
when power is asked to bow
whenever truth gets ushered in
ah, the king will see you now
there’s always a steel door to be slammed
when she gets a little loud
whenever truth gets outta hand
ah, the kind will see you now
credits
from WONDERLAND (A Christmas Season album), track released December 16, 2011
Bill Mallonee: vocals, all guitars, bass, drums
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3. |
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(LITTLE BABY) UNDER THE STAR
words/music: Bill Mallonee
1. I hear there were some fuzzy-faced animals there
when you showed up in the world
and every friend you've ever chose since
well, they've all been kicked to the curb
and to all those poor in spirit?
well, they ain't never seen anything like you...
chorus:
Under the star
Baby, under the star
Yeah, under the star
Little baby under the star
Under the star...you come as you are
under the star......in your heart
2. you can look for him in hell
ah, but I hear he's already been there & left
you can look for him in heaven
that was just a temporary forwarding address
if you really wanna meet 'em.
i hear he thinks the world of you
3. Now, kingdoms come & kingdoms go
but, it's all mostly just a bore
man's greed & man's killing
well, that's what we're mostly known for
what's all this about the faith of a child
and this "you gotta come as you are?"
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4. |
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Written by Bill Mallonee for CyBrenJoJosh (BMI) ©2005
EVERY FATHER KNOWS (WHERE HIS SONS & DAUGHTERS ARE)
words & music by Bill Mallonee. c.2005 BMI
well the angels sang the sweetest song echoing refrains
the shepherds were up to something maybe drunk again
no there probably wasn't any snow on the ground at the time
though the greeting cards show that sort of thing with a warm and fuzzy rhyme
and the stable is neat and tidy the hygiene is five stars
and the planet it spins lonely as i step out of this bar
now some are lost in shopping malls and some on battlefields
and some are lost in suburbs and some on capitol hills
some are lost on terminal wards or in a nursing home
and some are equally as lost in between their headphones
but whatever your coordinates on your map of shame
rather close or far away we're all lost just the same
the birth of births was like a death
under that hallowed star
still every father know and cares
where his sons and daughters are
so you may wake up a bit confused with the ache that's in your heart
doesn't matter if you got there by choice or got there by default
and every birth shall come with tears and with youth there is a cost
Jesus what's it like to grow up in the shadow of a cross
where You take on more than You could know more than i'd want to say
i put you there a long time ago when i do it every day
from Yonder Shines the Infant Light 2005/12 Advent & Christmas songs, released December 12, 2005
Bill Mallonee; acoustic & high-string guitars, vocals
Muriah Rose: piano, vocals
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5. |
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HOOVER~VILLE words/music: bill mallonee
a statue in the harbor said: "I welcome you."
when i saw that smile i took it at face value
she said: "Give me your weary, your tired & your ill.
i'll find 'em all a place...in Hoover~ville.
I had a guitar full of stories & a head full of ghosts
I would open the case and then I'd hold forth
but, when the act of living is an act of the will
you learn that kinda faith down in Hoover~ville
you learn that kinda faith down in Hoover~ville
every world made by man is bound to crash
and the rich man loves what cannot love him back
courage may be a small ember but, it's one you can't kill
It's in no short supply in Hoover~ville
It's in no short supply in Hoover~ville
now, it's Christmas in New York & make no mistake
life? she is brutish & the the devil he waits
And the tears we cry for everyone's death
Aren't they also the tears we cry for ourselves
Give me your weary, you tired & your ill
I'll gather 'em up in Hoover~ville
Yes, I'll gather 'em up in Hoover~ville
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6. |
It's December & I'm Lost
05:16
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JULIAN (IT’S DECEMBER AND I’M LOST)
words/music: bill mallonee
I have come here to give voice
to all of the impoverished
and to all the ones were
but mostly have n’er been
I’ve come here to scream out loud
and wipe some of the sweat
off their brow
even the ones just below my skin
I’ve come here to shatter
the grandest of illusions
that you stand so tall
and make it on your own
I’ve come here to reveal
that what you are is what you steal
and what you steal you
can never get y0u home
chorus:
It’s December and I’m lost
between Advent and holocaust
it’s all just static
or the hard sell
Ah, Blessed Julian!
Would you pray for me...and
whisper in my ear
that all shall be most well?
yeah, most well...most well
I’ve come here to extend
you the permission
to throw on that last shovelful of earth
I’ve here to despise
the accuser’s long, loud lies
i’ve come to stumble first
and then walk off this curse
credits
from WONDERLAND (A Christmas Season album), track released December 17, 2012
Bill Mallonee: vocals, guitars
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7. |
OH, WINTER LIGHT
04:29
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WINTER LIGHT words/music by bill mallonee
winter light, winter light
have i given up the fight?
men's hearts grow cold and the center will not hold
winter light, winter light
there is no...no wise man here
let me make that...perfectly clear
no one to be found, trust me, I've looked around
high & low, all my life...'round this town
faith is a flag of long ago
faith is a flag...shot full of holes
trigger happy and uptight; judge & jury with a gunsight
oh, winter light; oh, winter light; oh, winter light
bridge:
I heard you said
all the old empires, will fade away
and the one with meek & lowly
full of the stumbling but still hoping
will remain...remain
yeah, yeah, yeah...
Now, all the stories...about your Birth
where every soul will feel it's worth
the devil banished...and the prisoners released
King of Kings...Prince of Peace
Father God...Mother Mary
please, bring your gift...and do not tarry
star shining bright or a candle in the moonlight
oh, winter light...oh, winter light....oh, winter light
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8. |
STAR~LIGHT
03:29
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STAR~LIGHT words & music: b. mallonee
You know i wonder how you got there
'Cause it's more than a mystery
For all those pages that we turned
there's still so little that we see
i tried to watch your every gesture
to see if they'd reveal a plot
I tried to see if that smile you smiled
was the real one or not
it's a world just like a house of cards
and our fault lines are hard to detect
in a world full of simple, wide-eyed souls
there is so much to protect
Chorus:
They say starlight is the best of gifts
let it shine all through the night
for the storm-tossed
who have no land in sight
Do, if starlight is your special gift
let it be special night
for the drowning
who have no land in sight
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9. |
THE GATHERING IN
05:02
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10. |
FOREVER FOR YOU
05:58
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FOREVER FOR YOU words/music: bill mallonee
stumblin' in out of the rain...stealing all of your kisses
city blocks bathing in neon...thunder off in the distance
storm's hanging on hey, there's a bar on the corner i know
Clydesdale endlessly circle in a globe full of swirling snow
shakin' off the drops of the night in a tucked vinyl booth
a little gin please with a splash of vermouth
Chorus:
i came here for the skyline
and maybe a song or two
i maybe have come here for the skyline
but i'll stay forever for you
i was wondering...well just how brave was i?
talking a game...and shivering on the inside
taking off bandages....of recovery
holding you close...like a discovery
Chorus:
i came here for the skyline
when, now that's only partially true
i came here for the skyline
but i'll stay forever for you
Stumbling out into the cold stealing all your kisses
Salvation Army bells off in the distance
I came here for the skyline
and maybe a song or two
I came here for the skyline
but I'd stay forever for you
yes, your eyes became that skyline
and everything came true
I came here for the skyline
but I'll stay forever for you...
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11. |
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Written a couple days after the shooting at Sandy Hook School in Newtown, CT. Grief is the order of the day.
Perhaps, it is the order of the decade.
May Grace & Compassion ring the lives of those who have lost loved ones to the madness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
lyrics
GATHER THE LITTLE LAMBS IN words/music: bill mallonee
Gather the little lambs in
Gather their joys & sighs
Gather their mysteries & their unwritten histories
may all of their tears be dried
melt all the weapons of sadness
melt all the weapons of hate
close of the distance & our grim resistence
maybe it’s never too late
when it comes to us living by Spirit
well, you were never holding your breath
we’re so barely able to hear it
so you showed up in the flesh
bring in the lonely & confused
bring in the orphans & freaks
sister & brothers. All we have is each other
and hearts with a similar beat
bring in the drugged and bedraggled
the homeless and well-castled kings
bring the deficient and proud self-sufficient
let us all find that song we can sing
Gather the little lambs in
Gather their joys & sighs
Gather their mysteries & their unwritten histories
may all of their tears be dried
Afterword:
We did not "get here" overnight. The "wake-up call" is past. Our children are not safe and have not been safe for years. I believe we live in a culture that embraces violence as an article of faith. Yes, there are "freak-shows," mentally disturbed and desperate people "out there." But even such sad souls are a symptom of the broken & depersonalized land we've created and live in. The price we are paying for cowing to gun enthusiasts and their lobbyists is appalling. I know this stance is "unpopular;" even considered "un-patriotic" by some.
So be it.
Sometimes one must stand up against the those who would pervert and mis-represent their so-called "2nd Amendment rights." They have become complicit & guilty in these murders.
The Lord is the Lord of Life....
May God give us courage to envision something better & to show us all the better way.
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12. |
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CHRISTMAS IN BABYLON (Bourbon On Breath)
words/music: Bill Mallonee
it's Christmas in Babylon and what have we here?
a planet groaning & driven to tears
we've been hedging our bets and draggin' our feet
but tonight your heart is a train and it's gathering steam
Chorus:
all these clamoring voices about life & death
we're all bell-ringers in parking lots w/ bourbon on breath
now there's the strains of a hymn & a star in the sky
and Love's showing up hard in a small Baby's cry
even the animals smiled with delight
at the child in the stable all ringed with light
Mary & Joseph, they held Him close
hope of the ages wrapped up in swaddling clothes
now suffering & wonder maybe all that you get
on this side of the veil...lest you forget
life is drifting & falling...and drifting again
maybe you're coming home...to someplace you've never been
and there's a band of angels, they've tuned up and plugged in
awaiting their cue. about to begin
god sends us a gift this time every year
Ah, it's Christmas in Babylon...and what have we here?
credits
from CRIER by Bill Mallonee & Muriah Rose (A Christmas EP 2012), released December 20, 2012
Bill Mallonee: guitars, vocals, drum programming
all rights reserved
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13. |
Shepherd's Reminisce
05:26
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SHEPHERD'S REMINISCE words & music: Bill Mallonee
All my best friends are walking wounded
All my friends? They are off-cast
But they all have hearts deep as well
and they now cry at the drop of a hat
once all of them were shepherds
now they have courage for a staff
maybe those who've tasted much of grief
can chart the better path
CHORUS:
now they said they heard an angel choir
but i was staring at the embers
and it happen all so long ago
i really don't remember
my companions disappeared that night
following a star that burned
and me? well, i stayed at my post
and waited till they returned
they came back drunk on something
maybe joy is a libation
they were all in one perfect accord
'bout this Light for all the nations
Now, sometimes i feel a bit left out
but see there was work to do
maybe there's reward in heaven
for those who simply follow through
Now, my friends, they speak of priceless pearls
and they speak of first and last
All my best friends are walking wounded
All my friends they are off-cast
from CRIER (A Christmas EP) by Bill Mallonee & Muriah Rose, released December 20, 2012
Bill Mallonee: nylon sting guitars & vocals
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14. |
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TO REACH OUT TO ME words/music: bill mallonee
Mary had a baby boy
so she sang a song of grace
stars and angels started showing up
all over the place
it came with angel’s voices
and with a star in the night
it came with kings and politicians
trying to crush out the light
Joseph was dreamer
sometimes he’d dream of God
sometimes his dreams told him to stay
sometimes they said: "get outta Dodge."
chorus:
now, I hear you’re in the business
of making all things new
that’s some crazy kinda enterprise
just 'tween me & you
now, I hear you loved the good earth
I hear you loved the sea
I know you crossed a few of them
to reach out to me
you opened up a clinic
when you came of age
healed the sick at no expense
ah, you were all the rage
you made the rounds at weddings
and you always brought the wine
you hung with the finest sinners
they thought you were divine
you took it to the highways
you took it to the streets
some called you a Savior
some called you a master thief
you came & sang a song of love
you came & preached of peace
you told the rich & powerful
their wars would one day cease
now, everybody lives in chains these days
all sad & mean & bored
living on a razor of despair
and by the edge of the sword
you saw where it was leading
you never held your breath
you delivered your own eulogy
ah, but You never really left
from CRIER (A Christmas EP) by Bill Mallonee & Muriah Rose, released December 20, 2012
Bill Mallonee: guitars, vocals, string & harp arrangement
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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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