released 2003
Vagrant records

I'm a dirty diesel
Pumping down the line
Hear my whistle blowing
Hear my engine whine

Hear me from your pillow
Hear me on the call
See my smoke, it billows
Up around your heart

Grandpa was all covered
In locomotive grease
Grandma was loaded
Prophet and a priest

Well, you may not know it
By looking at your only (?)

That's right

A dirty, black diesel
Pumpin’ down the line
Used to be a bad boy
Hear my engine whine
Hear my engine whine

(?) junction
Pulling out at night
I won't be back soon
Gotta schedule to keep right

You say that you love me
On your pillow
Smoke, it starts to billow
My engine starts to whine

Engine is whining

Making me go
You're making it tough
Keep winding me up
Find the links to my cuff
I think you been spending all my dough
You're making me go
You're making me go
Making me go
Making me go

However I'm arriving
I won't be driving, that's for sure
How clever is your jiving?
I take it you'll be taking me to Sheryl Crow
Making me go
You're making me
Making me go
You're making me go

I'm going, going, going go
Going, going, going go
I'm going, going, going no
Going, going, going

I ain't no cocker spaniel
Hurry up, I can't stand to sit still
It's a sticky situation
You make me sick, but still you make me tick
You're making me go
Making me go
Making me go

Making me go
Yeah you're making me
Yeah you're making me
You're making me go
Yeah you're making me

Gonna get higher
On that hillbilly junk
Gonna get higher
That hillbilly junk
Gonna get tired
That hillbilly junk
Hillbilly punk
On and on and on

One, two, three
Take another pill, baby
Three, five, six,
Oh, there's (?) up in them sticks

Gonna get higher
On that hillbilly junk
Gonna get higher
On that hillbilly junk

Beverly Hills (?)
Oh, baby, (?)
Oh, yeah!

Hillbilly junk

Take it all for yourself
Give a little back
Let people know
Where you stood
Where you stand

Gonna get higher
On that hillbilly junk
We'll get a little lighter
On that hillbilly junk
We'll get a little tired
On that hillbilly junk
We'll get a little higher
Hillbilly junk
Higher
Hillbilly junk
Get a little higher
Hillbilly junk

I'm a soldier of misfortune
& I don't know what I might do
I'm a soldier of misfortune
& I don't know what I might do

I gotta get leave
I'm a veteran of grief

I'm a soldier of misfortune
and I don't know what I might do

I gotta get leave
You want rueful? I've got a roomful
I'm a veteran of grief

I'm a soldier of misfortune
I'm a soldier of misfortune
Soldier of misfortune
Soldier of misfortune

Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on

It won't come true, baby, without you
My daydream
Ain't got a chance, baby, without you
My daydream
With me
Come and see
Dream with me
Tell me everything that you ever wanted
Tell me everything that you want

It won't come true, baby, without you
My daydream
Ain't worth a damn, baby, without you
My daydream
With me
Come and see
Dream with me
Tell me everything that you ever wanted
Tell it to me right here

Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on

My daydream
With me
Come and see
Dream with me
Tell me everything that you ever wanted
Tell me everything that you want

It won't come true, baby, without you
My daydream
Won't be real, baby, without you
My daydream
Throw it away, baby, without you
My daydream
Ain't got a chance, baby, without you
My daydream
My daydream
My daydream
My daydream

I'm blinded
What a day for a night
I'm finding
My way around in morning's light
What a day for a night
What a day for a night

I'm winding
Through the streets, through the towns
I'm finding
Good morning boys, good nightgowns
Sunset toys and sundown clowns
What a day for a night now

When we play it's all right
What a day for a night

When we play, it's all right
What a day for a night
So I'm moving
Beneath my feet it just feels right
I'm used to it
I hop aboard another flight
No end in sight
On and on we play, all right
What a day, what a day for a night

Well, I swear last night
Baby, I rose another yard
Yeah, I swear last night
Baby, I rose another yard

Did you ever think
That you'll ever need?
By the evening
You'll want the National Guard

'Cause I'm wild and lethal
A mile deep, though
There ain't no bank that
Can hold me back

I'm wild and lethal
A mile deep, though
A river runs over
Whatever it wants

Shootin' the breeze, baby
Just like a common thief
We just shootin' the breeze now, baby
Just like a common thief

I get you everything you ever need
But by this evening
You're gonna want some relief

'Cause I'm wild and lethal
I'm a mile deep, though
There ain't a bank that
Can hold me back

I'm wild and lethal
I'm a mile deep, though
When a river runs it
Goes wherever it wants

And I'm wild

Baby, I'm already
Way up to your knees
Get your sandbags
Go on, call your police
Do you no good!

I'm wild and lethal
I'm a mile deep, though
There ain't a bank that
Can hold me back

'Cause I'm wild and lethal
I'm a mile deep, though
There ain't a bank that
Can hold me back

Yes, I'm wild and lethal
I'm a mile deep, though
When a river runs,
It runs wherever it wants

I'm flowing down

She made a good go for a weeping willow
Closed all the windows and made herself a pillow
As her limbs clung to the ground
She lay her head down

Her hair was dirty in February
She was thirty in 1963
A thousand seconds more
On the oven door
She took a long deep breath
While her babies slept

Made a good go for a weeping willow

With a cold, fixed stare
She's cursed with insight
And you can't repair
She's broken inside

She made a good go for a weeping willow
She closed the windows and made herself a pillow
And took a long deep breath
While her babies slept
And the Cadillac creeps
In your body bag

And her blacks crackle and drag
Blacks crackle and drag
Blacks crackle and drag
Blacks crackle and drag
Blacks crackle and drag
Blacks crackle and drag
Blacks crackle and drag

What’s the matter here?
You'll never repair
The lady's cursed with insight

You'll never fix her
With a cold stare
She's all broken inside

Her limbs clung to the ground

She closed the window
And made a pillow
And laid her head down

And as her babies slept she took a long deep breath

Now they're zipping her up in a bag
Can you hear her blacks crackle and drag?
And the Cadillac's waiting to take her away
Can you hear her blacks crackle and drag?

Another head cold
Another spirit old
Mmmm, February

Her hair was dirty
And she was thirty
In 1963

And while her babies slept she took a long deep breath

Now they're zipping her up in a bag
Can you hear her blacks crackle and drag?
The Cadillac's waiting to take her away
Can you hear her blacks crackle and drag?
And drag
And drag
And drag
And drag
And drag
And drag

She made a good go
For a weeping willow
She stuffed some rags on the floor

She closed the window
She made a pillow
On the oven door

And took a long deep breath
While her babies slept

Now they're zipping her up in a bag
Can you hear her blacks crackle and drag?
And the Cadillac's waiting to take her away
Can you hear her blacks crackle and drag?

Zipping her up in a bag
Can you hear her blacks crackle and drag?
The Cadillac's waiting to take her away
Can you hear her blacks crackle and drag?
Hear her blacks crackle and drag?

Yeah

Never felt this blue before
Never felt like this before
My hand is shaking on the left
My heart is breaking all that's left
Since I met you

Never felt like this before
I never will again, I'm sure

Well I'm drinkin' once again
Just to make the pills kick in
I'm drinkin', once again there ain't no doubt
You better look out, drinkin' once again
I want to scream and shout
Want to let the bad guys win
Let 'em out
I used to be as sober as a hangin' judge
Now the law has went and left me flat
You better go around, baby, now I won't budge
Thinkin' I'm back
Knockin' 'em back
Knock knockin' 'em back

I'm drinkin', once again
Just to make them pills kick in
And just to see the bad guys win

I used to be as sober as a hangin' judge
Now the law has went and left me flat
Better go around, baby, now I won't budge
I'm back
Knock knockin' 'em back
Knock knockin' 'em back

Here's a dollar, gotta get more money
Here's a bottle, now I'm funny

Drinkin' again
Just to make the pills kick in
Oh you ain't gettin' used to me, at your university
Just want to let the bad guys out

I used to be as sober as a hangin' judge
Now I see the law has left me flat
Out of my way, go around, baby, I won't budge
Knockin' 'em back
Knock knockin' 'em back
Knock knockin' 'em back

Well I know it's almost over, and that ain't no lie
Spirits that I'm drinkin' once again
Last night I got up and I got dressed to cry
Drinkin' again
Drink drinkin' again, drink drinkin' again
Drink drinkin' again, drink drinkin' again, drink drinkin' again
This here to you, baby

He never hit my mama
Hit that beach at Omaha
He never hit my mama
But hit that beach at Omaha
He lived - not gonna tell
About a goddamn thing he saw

Pine box and a white stone
Pine box and a free ride home
He had a pine box and a white stone

Baby brother laid before he had a chance to crawl
Baby brother got laid before he had a chance to crawl
(??) And he's there on Iwo Jima

Pine box and a white stone
Pine box and a free ride home
Pine box and a white stone
Pine box

Ain't afraid of dying
Living has got him stumped
Stand before God
He kneeled down in front
Ain't afraid of dying
Living has got him stumped
Stand before God
He kneeled down in front

Pine box and a white stone
Pine box and a free ride home
Pine box and a white stone

He always took it slow
He always took it slow
Now there's fluid in his lungs
Always took it slow
Now there's fluid in his lungs
The HMO says "no, no, no, you're done."

Daddy's on his way to visit for the second time
Daddy's on his way to visit for the second time
The soldier cemetery where my baby sisters lie

In a pine box and a white stone
Pine box and a free ride home
Pine box and a white stone
Toughest Mother Fucker that I ever ought to know

Pine box
Pine box

Meet me down the alley
Tonight

I wanna breathe
Some new life
Into me
And you and yours and mine

When we were young
We never played
Out in the street
We'd only run
Where we felt safe

Come on and meet me down the alley
We ain't too young to die
Meet me down the alley
Tonight

I wanna be
Some new place
I wanna see
Something I'll never see again

Come on and meet me down the alley
We ain't too young to die
Meet me down the alley
Tonight

Where I live now there's no sidewalk
Only small talk
Where I live now I feel safe
Take me away

And meet me down the alley
Meet me one last time
Meet me down the alley
To say good-bye

Meet me down the alley
Meet me down the alley

Well, I've been out walking
I don’t do that much talking these days
These days
These days I seem to think a lot
About the things that I forgot to do for you
And all the times I had the chance to

Well I had a lover
It's so hard to risk another these days
These days
Now if I seem to be afraid
To live the life that I have made in song
Well it's just that I've been losing for so long

Well I'll keep on moving
Moving on
Things are bound to be improving
These days
One of these days
These days I'll sit on cornerstones
And count the time in quarter tones to ten, my friend

Don’t confront me with my failures
I had not forgotten them