1. |
The Red, White and Blues
03:44
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That whiskey burns going down
Old man pour me another round
because it's my last night in town
And I ain't thinkin' of slowing down.
No, I am fixin' to drown
'til I see the sun or I can't see
because I got the blues and the blues got me
I'm gonna make my momma proud
Her boy on the front lines
And just like my daddy done
I ain't afraid to die.
I ain't no fortunate one
But I'm proud of what I've done.
and hardships, I've seen some
I ain't no coward I don't turn and run
So I stumble home
Pack up my old memories
Pictures of ma
My daddy's flask she gave me
"Keep it near your heart"
She would always say
It's all he left
And that's where it'll stay.
And her leatherbound
Book of psalms and prayers
She would always read
With patience and care.
A short walk to the cemetery
To pay respects before I leave
1901 to 1943
I run my fingers through her name
And the effigy.
The sun is up
It's all I see
I got the blues
And they still got me.
I'm gonna make my momma proud
Her hopeful new recruit
And just like my daddy done
I'm gonna bleed red, white and blue
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2. |
The Bite and Sting
03:01
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I've spent days in this trench in the snow
Just my gun by my side.
It's cold and wet and you're all alone
Up keepin' watch at night.
The bite and the sting
The bitter cold brings
Reminds you that you're still alive
The hope and the pride
That we all hold inside
Seems to break when another boy dies
We ain't seen no germans for days
We're just tired and sore
And it feels like I'm wastin' away
So I drink from my flask to stay warm.
Every bomb miles away
Every faded engine cry
Still makes your heart start to race
Keeps you prayin' at night.
Been too quiet and too calm
For somethin' not to be wrong
So we sit as brothers in arms.
So we wait and we shake
Hear the roar of the tanks
And the gunfire of the on-comin' storm.
The ring in our ears
And the cold rush of fear
Overtakes us with the enemy in sight.
I stagger, but don't falter
I aim and pull the trigger
And we fight
But it all happens too fast
The blur of the sweat in my eyes
But with every man I kill
It seems two of my friends fall to die
I'm down on my knees
Feel the pain in my gut
And the snow is covered in blood.
I crawl to my captains side
With his head on my knee
Says "see to it that my grave is kept clean"
I wake in a hospital bed
There are rows and rows and rows of dyin' kids.
And I know
that my whole
Infantry is dead.
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3. |
A Wound and Scar
02:49
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I stand next to an empty grave
Where my friends will lay
I'll put their bodies down
Into their restin' place.
I got a purple heart
For a wound and scar
They just send letters home
That broke the families apart.
The paulbearers burden
As heavy as my heart's hurtin'.
All the pain and guilt
My head is ponderin'.
Why them and not me?
Did you ever hear that coffin sound?
It means another poor boy is in the ground.
Have you ever heard them church bells toll?
Means another poor boy is dead and gone.
The preachers preach, holdin' folded flags
mothers mourn, holdin' folded flags.
Just caskets and folded flags.
No hope, just folded flags.
No hope
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4. |
Home Ain't Never Home
02:51
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I'm wanderin' these streets alone
They don't feel like home
This once hallowed ground
Feels like a ghost town now
I'm on the street corners everyday
At night I drink it away.
This flask that saved my life
Might be the death of me.
Ain't no man in this city
Will take a chance on me
The color of my skin
Is all they see.
I was a hero when I came home
Now no one seems to know
And that medal that I received
It means nothin' to me
I keep readin' my momma's prayers
But I find nothin' there
That makes any sense to me.
Her god
Is no more
Than a thief.
I'm gonna pack up
I'm gonna leave town
On a train car
Headin' north bound
With my lost hope
I'm gonna get out
Carry burdens,
Carry my guilt
I'm gonna leave
I carry burdens
my burdens
Of watchin' the good men fall and brave boys die
Hearin' soldiers sob in the dead of night
Every poor young soul that dies in vain
Every soldier lost in this country's name
My guilt and my shame
No pride and no name
Just burdens
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5. |
Singin' New York
02:22
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My savior, this city,
My comfort, her pity
Or so I hoped.
My heartache, my hard luck,
My war time, my struggle
That no one knows.
In the alleys where I sleep
I beg and beg for the food I eat
All the pain and the hurt
In your gut where it burns
Every man here is just like me.
The wind blowin' round the snow
Makes a man freeze straight to the bone
So I drink and drink and I try not to think
Of the people I lost at home
These six strings I'm playin'
And these songs I'm singin'
Keep me alive.
These strangers
That curse me
The hero
They don't see
Just waitin' to die
I ain't the man that I used to be
I feel the city as it's crushin' me
I am losin' ground on these city streets
New York town has got the best of me
The southern ground where my mamma sleeps
She found death and she found peace
There's an empty grave next to where she lay
That's where I'm supposed to be.
I beg and I plead
For her god to hear me
He's just a coward
And a thief
I pray and I pray
If he is there to answer me
I hear nothin'
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6. |
Beggin' in the Slums
04:22
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I ain't been sleepin' well these days
I lie awake listenin' to the trains
Wishing for one
To come take me away
I've lost my way every place I've been
I'm tired of thinkin' of all the hurt I've seen
Wishin' for death
To finally take me.
My days are all the same
On the corners I beg and play
I blow my lungs out
For some stranger's change
The nights are long and cold
Under bridges where you're all alone
Embers of the fire build
Like drifts of snow
I've been thrown out
I've been let down
Never felt a promise
Of this town
There was supposed to be
When I left home
I am washed up
On my last breath
Just an old man
With nothin' left.
It ain't the way it was supposed to be
When I came home.
My ups and my downs
Have burnt me out
These people watchin' me
And the swan song that I sing
And in the crowd
I see the eyes
That have been broken down
Just like mine.
I hope these words dig deep
I hope he's listenin'
And sees what I've become
Just a broken man beggin' in slums
I found my hope
I finally found my hope
In the poor lost soul's eyes
That were burnin' just like mine.
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Bridge Nine Records Boston, Massachusetts
Started in 1995, Bridge Nine is a label that specializes in hardcore punk, with close to 300 recordings in our catalog. Check us out and keep an eye out for updates!
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