1. |
Between the Lines
04:03
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Well I'm ridin' down the highway, doin' my best to stay between the lines,
I'm ridin' through the desert, then the mountains, oh my Lord, it's just sublime,
See that windswept lady on the roadside, and I wanna make her mine,
Sick and tired of these pit stops and these short falls, better luck this time.
Well the road goes on forever, but sometimes I don't know where to go,
I start lookin at map lines and road signs, but I can't tell what they show,
Whether I'm comin or going, babe, I don't always know,
Storm clouds gather on the horizon, well let it pour.
The rain washes the asphalt clean,
Some days I'm drivin' just like I'm in a dream,
I like being here with you, girl, I'm so often alone,
And I'd give up the road, just to have a place I could call home.
Well I'm ridin' down the highway, doin' my best to stay between the lines,
I'm ridin' down the coastline with the sunset in my eyes, it's just sublime,
Some nights I go to sleep, lonely, cold and tired, wonderin' what am I doin,
Wake up early with the sunrise, cuz it's time to get goin'.
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2. |
If I Had A Fiddle
01:23
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Well if I had a fiddle or an old mandolin,
I'd write you a song, babe, tell you the shape I'm in,
If I had a banjo or I knew how to play,
Well I'd write you a song, girl, but I don't know what I'd say,
But I'd sure to say, how much I love you, baby.
But you never know when you're gonna end up at an old rodeo.
Well if I had a fiddle, or an old mandolin,
Write you a song, babe, just to tell you where I've been,
If I had a banjo, or I knew how to play,
Write you a song, girl, but I don't know what I'd say, hey.
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3. |
One Of These Days
04:05
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Lately, I been hangin' around,
Cuz baby, you been gettin' me down,
All I asked you was the time of day,
But you won't even look my way.
I been tryin' to get you off of my brain,
But you slip right in, babe, and I cannot complain,
With those big brown eyes, I feel no pain,
If this is crazy, girl, I'm glad I'm insane.
One of these days, I'm gonna catch your eye,
I'm gonna steal your heart, baby, ain't got no alibi,
I wanna show you how to touch the sky,
It'll feel so nice that you could die.
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4. |
Westward
05:34
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I'm headin' westward, where the range is free,
Headin' out west, where they don't know me,
I'm headin' off to where the skies are so wide,
That I might find a way to get you off of my mind.
On the train, I sat next to an old man,
He asked me, 'Son, where ya goin, whats your plan?'
I said, I ain't got one, cuz I haven't had the need,
Guess I'm just headin off to see what I can see.
He said, 'Son, I dont know about that,
If it was up to me, I'd send you right on back,
Cuz I've been here wand'rin for two decades and a day,
And I still ain't quite sure just how I lost my way.'
But when we parted, I left with a smile,
I turned to watch him roll down that track for a mile,
Then I turned my back on him and on my past,
And looked ahead of me, free at last.
And as the years go by as they do,
I find myself thinkin' of you,
I stay up sometimes, until the sunrise,
Watch the pink and gold, across the Western skies.
Yet my travels, they don't seem to find an end,
Hard to find a place to call home or keep a friend,
So I stick to the dusty trails and roads,
And just keep searchin' for a place to call my own.
And then one day, I was ramblin' on again,
Found myself sittin' by sad young man,
So I asked him, 'Just where ya headin to?'
And he said, 'Anywhere but here ought to do.'
And as I opened my mouth to speak,
I realized he was just like me,
So I nodded, and I left the man alone,
Traded in my ticket, I sure hope you're still at home.
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5. |
Monk in F
04:23
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6. |
Get Up
03:36
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7. |
Road to the Devil
04:05
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Well I been walkin' on this road, baby,
Oh Lord for far too long,
Well I've had my chances to leave it, baby,
But now they're gone, long gone,
If it ain't killed me yet, girl,
Better hope it makes me strong.
Well I seen him come around here lately,
Drinkin' up all my whisky and wine,
Once he gets it started, baby,
Ain't no way to stop him in time,
I try to see his face,
But all I see is mine.
Well I told him not to come here, baby,
I told him not to show,
Locked my doors and my windows, baby,
I checked 'em twice, to be sure,
But since ya left me, girl, it seems he's back for more,
Since ya left me, girl, seems he's back for more,
Don't ya leave me, girl, cuz he's back for more.
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8. |
Blood on the Sand
04:29
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I met a soldier at the airport,
he sat next to me coming home from Denver,
We struck up a chord or two, the 'how are you,'
and I asked him where was he going,
He told me, he was headin to the desert,
By way of Boston,
Somewhere near the promised land, he said with a smile,
Gotta love the sun and the sand.
We talked about basketball, a good highball, and where to find the best bands in Asheville,
I asked him where did he call home, he told me 'bout his wife at home in Greenville,
His eyes lit up when he talked about his daughter,
Just next month, she'll be turnin three,
She's got those blue eyes like her mother,
But she's got a mean streak just like me.
I watch the news when I can,
When it's somethin more than the talkin heads fighting,
I watch for the war reports, a scoreboard of sorts, to see the casualties and the death toll rising,
I check every time for his face,
I ain't seen it yet, by the good Lord's grace,
I can see him now, in that war-torn land,
Just tryin to keep his blood off the sand.
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9. |
Bonus Track
02:49
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10. |
Gospel
01:50
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11. |
Comes and Goes
04:42
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I once was a blind man, cuz I couldn't see past night to dawn,
I was a boy then, cuz I didn't see how life went on,
Bars and beers, and mindless cheers, well it's all the same,
If you don't know what you're so scared of, then it will remain
But it comes and it goes,
And I can't seem to let it go,
Oh Lord, it comes and it goes,
And if I should get it right, let me know.
I once knew a girl with these eyes that shone with a light from inside,
They only glowed when she was happy, and Lord knows I tried,
When they were dark, the world lost its spark, and I was scared it was done,
I left town, lookin' for something and still I've found none.
But it comes and it goes,
And I can't seem to let it go,
Oh Lord, it comes and it goes,
And if I should get it right, let me know.
Long is the road that I've traveled, and it don't seem to have no end,
It would be a thousand times easier, if I could just have a friend,
But she's back in Carolina, and I'm here ridin' this train,
And the good lord knows, if I could, that I'd go back and make things the same.
But it comes and it goes,
And I can't seem to let it go,
Oh Lord, it comes and it goes,
And if I should get it right, let me know.
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12. |
Low Down Blues
02:28
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Lookin' for a best friend on the corner,
Lookin' for someone to share my peace of mind,
Lookin' for a best friend on the corner, now, oh Lord,
But seems a friend's damn hard to find.
Lookin' for a friend down at the crossroads,
Lookin' hard, but they don't seem to see,
When they pass, I ask them where they're going,
If it ain't here, it's somewhere I'd like to be.
Well they'll all share your whisky,
Well they'll all share your wine,
But when it comes to winter and the bottle's out of booze,
Seems them best friends just vanish on the line.
I ain't seen my baby girl in months now,
Couldn't tell you just how long for sure,
Her sweet heart rolled up in that pickup,
And I'm stuck searchin' in liquor for the cure.
She told me we'd last til the second coming,
Til Jesus and his angels come on down,
She left home in the middle of an autumn night now,
My whisky's drunk, and I don't see no Jesus around.
Well they'll all kiss you softly,
Well they'll all say they care,
But when you're down and out, and got nowhere left to go,
You'll find your bed is empty and your wallet's bare,
You'll find your bed is empty and your wallet's bare,
You'll find your bed is empty and your wallet's bare.
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13. |
The Sea and the Sky
05:22
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I had a little lady and she knew me well,
She had eyes like the sky, and a voice smooth as a shell,
And we played along the sea,
Well I lived for her and she loved for me.
But as the years grew on,
I was watchin', wantin', for the shore beyond,
And when I tried to say goodbye,
She said, go on, boy, I'll see you on the other side.
But what I didn't know then,
Is what she couldn't show me,
I was still blind to the skies above me,
Til she opened my eyes.
So I wandered off to distant seas,
Lived out my days in war and peace,
I bled by blood and I sweat my skin,
Til I won't quite sure the shape I'm in.
I met lovers, fighters, kings and queens,
All with love in their heart, to me it seemed,
But the light of life, it gets obscured,
By money and power, or so I've heard.
But what I didn't know then,
Is what she couldn't show me,
I was still blind to the skies above me,
Til I opened my eyes.
So I dragged myself back on home,
To the seashore, where I finally could rest my bones,
And she appeared just like a vision,
And she said, now, boy, don't you see what you been missin', oh.
She said, I too have seen the world,
It's full of hungry, greedy little boys and girls,
But I always knew you'd be back home,
Cuz you've always been my very own.
But what we didn't know then,
Is what we couldn't show them,
We were still blind to the skies above us,
Then we opened our eyes.
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Jake Stein Durham, North Carolina
An eclectic multi-instrumentalist, Jake plays a bit of everything - guitar, piano, drums, bass, djembe, and more. Born in Durham, NC, his music draws from the rich traditions of folk, bluegrass, and blues, but blends in tastes of classic rock, jazz, and groove. Now in residency in Seattle, music remains an essential part of his life, an outlet for expression and a continual source of joy. ... more
Jake Stein recommends:
All That the Rain Promises
by Bombadil
Great record from some fellow local North Carolinians! Bombadil has been doing an awesome job for years, and it's good to see them putting out great music again.
go to albumIf you like Jake Stein, you may also like:
Hooky
by This Frontier Needs Heroes
featured on Bandcamp Radio Sep 10, 2013
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when the poems do what they do
by aja monet
Poet aja monet explores Black resistance, love, and joy with musical backing by Chief Adjuah, Weedie Braimah, Samora Pinderhughes, and more.
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The latest album by Phill Reynolds, a project of Italian singer Silva Martino Cantele, takes listeners on an Americana-fueled musical ride.
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I Don't Have Time To Lie To You
by Abner Jay
featured on Bandcamp Radio Oct 18, 2021
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Hotel Landifornia
by Fuzzy Jones
Swooping, pristine folk-adjacent songs with bright guitars and soothing melodies that quietly entrance.
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