1. |
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FAIS DO DO (A Cajun Lullaby)
An old shotgun cabin sits on concrete blocks
Where the cypress trees are thick with Spanish Moss
And the black bayou water shines in the bright Cajun moon
She sweeps broken bottles up off of the floor
And she picks up the pieces of an old screen door
That he kicked off the hinges earlier that afternoon
She sits on the porch in an old rocking chair
And she holds that baby tight
She sings soft and low as she strokes his fine hair
And her Cajun lullaby fades into the night
Chorus
She sings Fais do-do mon cherie; darling don’t you cry
Fais do-do mon sha bebe; you’re the apple of my eye
******
She’s young and pretty just like her mother
And just like her Daddy her man found another
Woman to drink and to lie with night after night
Now she sits in the dark and she don’t understand
Why instead of his lips she gets the back of his hand
And why every conversation turns into a fight
And she’d pack up and leave if she had a choice,
But the truth is there’s nowhere to go
So she sings to that baby in her gentle voice
And she rocks back and forth as the tears start to flow (Chorus)
BRIDGE
When he gets sober he swears “never again”
But she knows by now his promises are just cigarette smoke blown into the wind
********
When she walks by he mirror now she turns away
Cause the lines around her eyes they get deeper each day
And she’s starting to see the face her mother took to her grave
Sometimes when she just can’t take any more
She curses alone in the dark the dark
Goddamn this life and goddamn this man
Who leaves me with this baby and this broken heart (Chorus)
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2. |
Left Behind
03:34
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LEFT BEHIND
This old town ain’t what it used to be and neither am I
Oil used to flow like water but the wells have run bone dry
The rigs and pipes are rusted; my old friends are gone
I’m broke down and busted but I keep hanging on
Chorus
Waiting for a the light of day
Hoping for some cosmic karma sign
The turning of the wheel; the whole redemption deal
A prayer to ease the pain of being left behind
Left behind; left behind
******
2 years ago you packed your car and said goodbye to me
I tried but couldn’t be the man you wanted me to be
Some nights the bourbon talks me into dialing up your phone
I let you say hello then I let well enough alone (Chorus)
Bridge
Nightfall spreads across the flatland
A lonesome quarter moon hangs in the sky
In the dark the prairie looks just like the ocean
I wish that I could drift away on the rising tide
******
The south wind pins the tumbleweeds against the barbed wire fence
We’re stranded here together, no love; no recompense
Somewhere out there the lucky ones they chase their dreams each day
The rest of us just bide our time and try to find our way (CHORUS)
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3. |
This is Sally Ann
03:41
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This is Sally Ann
Second hand coat and old worn out shoes
Factory whistle plays you those working man’s blues
You pound out the hours that make a working day
Thinking about her smile it helps take your mind away
And everything’s been better since you heard somebody say: this is Sally Ann
CHORUS
This is Sally Ann, gliding through the door like a lonely soldier’s dream
This is Sally Ann, she’s glimmering like gold from a cold Alaska stream
And when she takes your hand, and she whispers in your ear
It’s like a gentle summer breeze
You look in her eyes and realize
There’s nothing that you would not do to please
To please Sally Ann
******
Silent and strong, that’s how you used to roll
Then she came along, and she opened up a window to your soul
Your heart got a running start, now it’s flying like a bird
Her voice is the sweetest sound that you’ve ever heard
And everything is better since somebody said the words: this is Sally Ann (CHORUS)
BRIDGE
You lay awake and wonder
What you did to deserve this
Must be something in a past life
That made you worthy of a kiss
A kiss from Sally Ann… (CHORUS)
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4. |
These Two Hands
03:32
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THESE TWO HANDS
Darkness fades; the rooster crows
Sunlight peeks through a broken windowpane
Last night’s mistakes drift on the wind
And I recall I burned it all -- down once again
I ran wild I stumbled and I fell
Can’t turn back time; can’t un-ring the bell
I ain’t got nothing smart to say
Lord knows I can’t wish your pain away
CHORUS
But with these two hands I’ll rebuild this house and I’ll -- make it strong again
And with these two arms I will shelter you -- from the rain and the wind
With this one heart I will -- start each day -- hoping that I can
Find a way to fix all of the things I have broken – with these two hands
******
I don’t know why I do the things I do
What I’m running from or what I’m running to
One day we’re young and free and strong
In a flash our tender years are gone (they’re all gone)
I know I acted like a fool and let you down
Chasing the ghosts of yesterday around
There’s a time laugh and dance and drink and sing
And there’s a time put away childish things
(CHORUS)
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5. |
Someone Like Me
04:13
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SOMEONE LIKE ME
My radio dial is stuck on the Jesus station
Through the late night static I hear all the talk about salvation
But I ain’t worried about my eternal destiny
Cause someone like Jesus ain’t got time for someone like me
Chorus
Someone like me who’s at home in the darkness
On an old blacktop highway
Someone like me who’s made peace with sleeping alone
Someone like me who’s worn out and weary
From wondering every day
Why so many hearts are as hard as polished stone
******
I write you letters in my scratchy old long hand
But they come back unopened bound in a brown rubber band
I know you’ve got places to go and people to see
And someone like you ain’t got time for someone like me (Chorus)
BRIDGE
Summer’s gone and the nights are getting cold
These days I swear I feel a million years old
I try to follow the signs along the road
But they’re rusted out -- and full of buckshot holes
******
Through a dirty windshield from the corner of my eye
I see the milestones and fence posts go flashing by
I pretend not notice but it ain’t no mystery
This world is turning too fast for someone like me (Chorus)
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6. |
Hard Times (Katy's Song)
03:28
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HARD TIMES (KATY’S SONG)
Come and sit down by the window with me Katy
Close your eyes and smell the summer rain
Let it fall and wash away the bitter tears of yesterday
Put your head down on my shoulder and softly say my name
It’s been hard – It’s been a hard, hard time
I know you’re tired of me and my demons Katy
I’ll understand if you if you decided to go
Cause for every step I take each day I take two back the other way
And your Mama’s she’ll be right there saying “girl I told you so”
And I know – Its been a hard, hard time
CHORUS
Katy give me just a little longer
I’ll stay clean and make things right again
Every day that I stay sober I feel a little stronger
With you by my side I know my heart can finally mend
And we can end – these hard, hard times
******
BRIDGE
I’ve burned my bridges like a prairie fire
And left you in the ashes asking why
I’ve been a fool and I’ve been a liar
Now all I want is to be -- is forgiven in your eyes
******
There’s more to me than what the world sees Katy
And I can fix what I have torn apart
If you’ll help this man steady his two shaking hands
I’ll love you with all the fire left in my weary heart
And we’ll start – to get through these hard, hard times
CHORUS
Katy give me just a little longer
I’ll get clean and make things right again
Every day that I stay sober I feel a little stronger
With you by my side I know my heart can finally mend
And we can end – these hard, hard times
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7. |
First in Line
04:25
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FIRST IN LINE
You’re the girl that everybody wants to know
You’re the one they want to be close to
Ypu’ve got brains, you’ve got beauty, you’ve got attitude
And you’ve got it all working for you
And I know there’s lots of boys hanging’ round
Right outside your door
But you can send them all home now
Cause I’m the one you’ve been waiting for
CHORUS
I’m going to be first in line
I’m going to make you notice me
I’m going to be right on time
I’ll make you mine -- you just wait and see
I’m going to be first in line
I ain’t going to get stuck at the back of the pack
I’m going to be right on time
Standing up tall and not holding back
I’m going to be first; I’m going to be first in line
_____________
I ain’t no smooth talker; I ain’t no millionaire
I drive a truck not a fancy car
I can’t dance I don’t know much about romance
But I can play this old guitar
And I ain’t afraid to stand up
Sing out loud, and tell you how I feel
And my words ring true
When I tell you that my love for you is real
CHORUS
BRIDGE
I dream about you at night girl and I think about you every day
I see you walk by and there’s so many things I want to say
I used to be scared, but I ain’t afraid anymore
When the sun comes up I’m going to walk straight up to your front door
(CHORUS)
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8. |
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Darkness Falls
Day surrenders to the shadows; night wraps me in its indigo embrace
Spirits of your love and laughter haunt the crumbling walls of this old place
I hear your gentle whisper in the plaster and the wood
Dusty shelves and empty rooms remind me that you’re gone for good
So I lay me down to sleep with ghosts and memories -- as darkness falls
You reached into a crowded heart and gave me all the love you could find
Your arms were always open even with a world of worry on your mind
I was just a boy back then; nowhere near a man
The burdens of a mother on her own I did not understand
But the sadness in your smile makes sense to me now -- as darkness falls
Chorus 1
Thunder shakes a rusty roof of tin
Weathered clapboard trembles in the wind
Rivers rise and red dirt turns to mud
More and more I fear I’ll be taken by the flood
When darkness falls
___________________________
I try to find the rhythm in the days but nothing’s been the same
Since we stood out in the prairie wind
and prayed beside a stone that bears your name
With Hail Mary Full of Grace we said our last goodbyes
And we laid you down to rest beneath the Oklahoma sky
Now the star that used to guide my way is gone -- as darkness falls
Chorus 2
You said God’s eyes stay open every day
But I swear he must have closed them tight when he took you away
Rivers rise and red dirt turns to mud
More and more I fear I’ll be taken by the flood
When darkness falls
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9. |
66 East to Washington
05:14
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66 EAST TO WASHINGTON
FIRST CHORUS
The sign says 66 East to Washington, all I’d have to do is make a right
I could turn the wheel, I could turn the page, I could start a new life tonight
But if I make made way into that exit lane, I’m not sure what to do
Would I take 66 East to Washington, or turn around and come home to you
******
Well we spend our days tryin’ to make ends meet in this small Virginia town
You cut ladies’ hair, I fix peoples’ cars, one seems to always be broke down
And its honest work and it pays the bills, but I still lay awake at night
Thinkin’ there’s more to life than a dead end job in a town with two stoplights
CHORUS
BRIDGE
And there’s highways, running both ways on both sides of our town
I sit beneath the stars, and I watch the cars and I wonder where they’re bound
And packin’ up and leavin’ home, it looks good on TV
But in my real life, I got a job and a wife and both of them depend on me
*****
Sometimes at night I sleep and I dream I falling through the cold, black air of space
I hit bottom and I wake up and I realize I’m still in this place
Maybe one day I’ll find a way to leave this sad old town behind
I’ll head for the bright lights of Washington and I’ll break these ties that bind
FINAL CHORUS
I’ll take 66 East to Washington, all I”ll have to do is make a right
I’ll turn the wheel, I can turn the page, I’ll start a brand new life that night
And when I make my way into that exit lane, I know just what I’ll do
I’ll take 66 East to Washington, and I’ll start my life anew.
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10. |
How it Feels
04:28
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HOW IT FEELS
I don’t know how it feels to be someone’s one and only
I don’t know how it feels to let love carry me away
But I know how it feels to wake up lost and lonely
And to lie alone in the silence with so much to say
******
I don’t know how it feels to sleep on sheets of satin
I don’t know how it feels to have a lover by my side
But I know how it feels to be filled with pride and passion
And to try in vain to explain why the fire burns inside
CHORUS
Narrow is the road that runs to the far horizon
Heavy is the load the solitary dreamer bears
Cool is the wind of the hushed October morning
As the Southbound swallows take to the air
******
I don’t know how it feels to court a rich man’s daughter
I don’t know how it feels to be among the chosen few
But I know how it feels to cast bread upon the water
And to hope for small repayments for all the good I’ve tried to do (Chorus)
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Mike P. Ryan Clifton, Virginia
Oklahoma born Songwriter Mike P. Ryan writes heartfelt songs about the struggles and triumphs of everyday people. Mike's lyrics feature vivid images and moving portraits of real people painted on a canvas of beautiful music.
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