1. |
Listen Up Closely
02:07
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I have a story, a story that I'd like to sing
With the accompaniment of this here accordion, and the help of the acoustic six-string
Just give me forty-five minutes and I promise I'll tell everything
So listen up closely my friend,
'Cause somebody dies at the end,
And I won't tell a soul who it is, not until then
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2. |
Sure Won't Be The Last
02:38
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You ever want a toy for Christmas so damn bad you couldn't think about nothin' else?
And the gay anticipation only heightened with the sound of jingle bells
A circle in the catalogue to let your mama know what you been eyein'
But Christmas morning comes and goes and you don't let your mama know that you'll be cryin'
Well, that might've been the first time, but it sure won't be the last
Didn't take many times for me to learn
You'll only be more disappointed the more times that you ask
So don't ask no one for nothin' in return
"Maybe next year," mama says, so your room stays clean and you make sure to pray the rosary
But poor mama's brokenhearted 'cause she knows that she would rather buy your groceries
The air grows cold again, a snowy blanket makes its home in Cincinnati
And your present's still a let down 'cause your mama's so in debt now without daddy
Well, that might've been the first time, but it sure won't be the last
Didn't take many times for me to learn
You'll only be more disappointed the more times that you ask
So don't ask no one for nothin' in return
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3. |
I Had A Dream
02:31
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I had a dream I could handle my dues and had my own little house
And I'd travel the world with my own special girl who'd be happy to call me her spouse
But I don't know how and I don't know why, but it seems that I'm under a curse
'Cause life threw a wrench in these plans that I've mentioned and my dreams took a turn for the worse
Now I have a dream I'll get me a bedframe to go with this mattress
And there won't be no letters from no bill collectors and my house'll stop smelling like cat piss
But I don't know how and I don't know when I'll ever get my life turned around
'Cause I'm stuck in this friggin' hole that I'm diggin' and the only way out's further down
I'm stuck in this friggin' hole that I'm diggin' and the only way out's further down
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4. |
Honey Baby Darlin'
03:06
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Honey, Baby, Darlin', Sugar Pie
My Sweetheart, Puddin', Apple of My Eye
You haven't been yourself these last few days
But I know our love will make it through this phase
Honey Baby Darlin'
We'll make it through this
You know I love you
And I know you love me
You used to bring me coffee at the break of day
And spoil me at night in a negligee
My shirts were always ironed and my pants were pressed
You're out all day and it wears you out, I guess
You used squeeze me tight and hold my hand
You used to always wear your wedding band
I just wanna spend some quality time with you
I understand, Sweetie, sometimes I get headaches too
Honey Baby Darlin'
Can I get you an aspirin?
A pillow?
Anything?
These last few days you haven't been the same
You accidentally left my clothes in a box out in the rain
That afternoon you forgot to let me know before
You went and changed the locks and bolts on our front door
Not to mention you let that stranger in our house
I think it's weird that I'm the one sleepin' on the couch
But we'll figure out what's gotten into you
And we'll share a laugh about these things when they are through
Honey Baby Darlin'
You know I love you
And we'll always be together
Isn't that right?
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5. |
Hose Water
03:59
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When I'm smelling kind of sour
I don't often take a shower
'Cause my utility accounts are always closed
So I grab myself a towel
That's already pretty foul
And I shower with the neighbor fella's hose
And I'm probably pretty hated
'Cause he's only seen me naked
Yet another bush a-standin' in his yard
So now I do it while he's sleepin'
So he doesn't see me creepin'
But that doesn't mean his children aren't scarred
And when the weather isn't pleasin'
And you shiver while you're freezin'
And you start to lose the feeling in your toes
You just still can't make no sense of
Why the heating's so expensive
While the icicles are formin' from your nose
The situation's pretty dire
So you start a little fire
Using paper and some wooden picture frames
Then you see a little flicker
And the fire's getting bigger
Until soon your entire house is up in flames
When it's dinner that you fancy
But there's nothin' in the pantry
Go to Chili's sayin' that you got a date
Free glass of water and you also
Get your fill of chips and salsa
'Til you're tired of pretendin' just to wait
Though the chips are pretty fillin'
I'm a man who likes his grillin'
So I walk home taking Highway 23
I scan the shoulder and I grab it
When I see a squirrel or rabbit
That didn't make it as he tried to cross the street
When you feel the call of nature
But you're out of toilet paper
It's a problem that just shouldn't be ignored
For a normal kind of person
The situation slightly worsens
You just hold it 'til you make it to the store
But when your wallet's mostly empty
The price of gas is awful hefty
So I end up using leaves or even rocks
I know it isn't any cleaner
But it ain't a misdemeanor
To try to save yourself from staining all your socks
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6. |
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I got no reason to go back to feigning interest
Alibis and improvising got me nowhere good
So here's to seven years of always starting over
Morning, I'll just leave it all... behind me
I've made a few bad decisions
I have a few regrets
Led to the life that I'm livin'
Traintracks and cigarettes
Traintracks and cigarettes, that's all that keeps me going
Don't know to whom I owe the joy of sitting still
Closed eyes, I realize I hear the whistle blowing
Here she comes to fill your lungs... completely
I've made a few bad decisions
I have a few regrets
Led to the life that I'm livin'
Traintracks and cigarettes
I've made a few bad decisions
I have a few regrets
Led to the life that I'm livin'
Traintracks and cigarettes
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7. |
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I was born a lowly sinner
Through no fault of my own
Adam and Eve's forbidden dinner
Taught them things they wish they never would have known
The Jews, God's chosen people
Forty years, a long time to roam
The perfect place for a steeple
Is still a desert, but this desert is home
Our God gave us Ten Commandments
To follow them, you would do well
And don't forget the Dead Sea fragments
Obey them all, or it's eternity in Hell
His Grace, for our salvation
Sacrificed his only son
And if I were in Jesus's situation
You'd know how far a carpenter could run
Judas, that bastard, turned in our savior
He was tempted, his will was not strong
But he's justified in his behavior
Or I wouldn't be singing this song
My God, My God, he's been forsaken
Forgive me, I know not what I do
His body and blood shall be taken
It is finished, peace be with you
The Lord reigneth, the nations tremble
Our savior, he has been crowned
But he never rebuilt our sacred temple
I'll remind him the next time around
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8. |
Carrot On A Stick
02:18
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Livin' in the holler
Make another dollar
Holes in my socks ain't gettin' any smaller
The neighbor kid's a-splashin' in the crick
Oh me, oh my
I'm always just a dollar shy
I think I'll chase that carrot on a stick
Scratch off lotto
A hard one to swallow
Count your blessings makes a good motto
I gotta get a couple dollars quick
Oh me, oh my
I'll give this payday loan a try
I'm gonna chase that carrot on a stick
Gotta build me some credit
Don't like where it's headed
Sell my soul to the banks, now there I went and said it
They're here to offer me a simple fix
Oh me, oh my
This credit card will let me buy
A thousand carrots on a thousand sticks
Home foreclosure
Seen it all over
No fridge for my beer's what's keepin' me sober
This debt of mine has got me feelin' sick
Oh me, oh my
It lingers even when you die
I just had to chase that carrot on a stick
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9. |
Fill Your Cup
02:27
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I'm just a fly on the kitchen wall and
You've been the one with the swatter
And I'll never make it out if you keep switching all
Of our bottle of bleach with our water
You drag me down
To pull you up
You pour me out
To fill your cup
I must confide
You wear me thin
But nothing's gonna change
And that's the way it's always been
I'll rise tonight as a waning moon but
You're shining bright as a beacon
And I'll head inside 'cause it's rainin' soon but
My bucket doesn't stop the roof from leakin'
You drag me down
To pull you up
You pour me out
To fill your cup
I must confide
You wear me thin
But nothing's gonna change
And that's the way it's always been
I'm tryin' hard in this mess of ours and
You
Don't
Care
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10. |
Horse Meat
02:50
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Desperate times and desperate measures
Desperados at the wheel
Beans and eggs or eggs and beans
The choice is yours at every meal
Mountain pass and mountain holler
Mounted trophies on the wall
The going's tough, the tough are goin'
How the mighty tend to fall
Livin' off horse meat
Lord above me, Lord Almighty
Heaven help me, Jesus Christ
Holy Hell or Hallelujah
Heaven knows I've paid the price
Country livin', country kitchen
Can't stand the kitchen for the heat
Better off where off is better
Don't you know you're what you eat
Livin' as horse meat
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11. |
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Every day l wake up but l don't always get out of bed
'Cause getting up means going down the same path l always tread
Sometimes l get filled with this crushing sense of dread
The pain and the suffering would cease to be if l were dead
(The pain and the suffering would cease to be if he were dead)
Every day I'm thinkin' 'bout that rope l got in the shed
My two feet two feet above the ground, just hangin' by a thread
But maybe it's this beautiful weather that's a-goin' to my head
I think I'll go outside today and hang myself in the garden instead
(In the garden instead)
Of the closet just because it's too small to stand up on a chair
(In the garden instead)
Of the attic, too dramatic, as if anyone'd really care
Yes, the sun is shining
I guess that's the silver lining
I think I'll go outside today and hang myself in the garden instead
(He thinks he'll go outside today and hang himself in the garden instead)
You know what they say, but some things are better left unsaid
You can lead a horse to water, but this horse has been misled
I can't stand the mess of these teardrops that I've bled
So l guess I'll take this mess outside and hang myself in the garden instead
(In the garden instead)
(Of the basement 'cause the placement's just a little bit too cliché)
(In the garden instead)
(Of the hallway 'cause he's always been too heavy for that old archway)
I hear the birds a-singin'
And my feet are gently swingin'
(He thought he'd go outside today and hang himself in the garden instead)
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12. |
Colder Than The Ashes
04:50
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The contents of this coffin I reside in
Buried six feet underground
I lay here colder than the ashes
After the fire is gone
Who knows how long I'm bound to fester
I wait my turn here in the dark
The Fires of Hell can't wait to greet me
And melt my cold, cold heart
Seems I am doomed to rot a lifetime
'Til I am nothin' but a bone
And no cold or lonesome wind
Is gonna bring me back home
I close my eyes until it's over
Reflecting fondly on my youth
And I have one last memory
My friend the cold, hard truth
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13. |
Epilogue
03:19
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Well, lemme tell ya, when l opened my eyes and l wasn't in the garden again
No rosebushes or apple trees, but plenty of lakes of fire
It was hot... God, was it hot
I think you can figure out where l found myself
And there he stood in front of me, the Devil himself to greet me
I pleaded with him to send me back
He said, "You a musician, huh? I'll give you one night to practice,
You best me and I'll send you back to Earth," so all night l played
The next morning, there he was with his fiddle of gold
He played Paganini, Capriccio № 4 in C minor
When he finished, all the she-devils threw their she-garments on the stage
I knew l didn't stand a chance
But l was up next, so l got up there and l took out my guitar
I sat on the stool and licked my lips
I cracked my knuckles and I said a little prayer
Then I gave my guitar a kiss and this is what l played
The audience responded not by booing, but by begging me to stop
Not the response l expected, considering they were demons and all
Then the Devil came forward and he told me
"Son, that was the single worst performance l have ever heard
You had all night to practice, and that was what you came up with?"
He continued, "You know, I've been looking to make a few 'improvements' around here"
Long story short, I'm still here, but l don't got it so bad
And you know the first thing the newcomers hear?
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Wrip Dickens Toledo, Ohio
Wrip Dickens was born a lowly sinner, through no fault of his own. He lives in Toledo, Ohio, where he continues writing and
playing music, sometimes even receiving polite applause.
The banner photo was taken at a Tarahumara house near the Copper Canyon in Chihuahua, Mexico. If you liked the album, please consider clicking the banner and donating to the Tarahumara Children's Hospital Fund.
... more
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