Cottonwood
©2014 Grifters & Shills
Verse 1
Walkin down the road now and what did I see
An old black bird in a cottonwood tree
He called to me softly like a warm summer breeze
And told me to ask any question that I please
Chorus
Tell me oh blackbird oh how can it be
How can I love a man who won’t marry me?
Verse 2
He stared through my eyes for a moment or so
And finally began to speak when I had turned to go
The black bird spoke slowly his voice rough and worn
Come ask me again tomorrow early in the morn
Verse 3
Returned to the place we spoke where he said he’d be
And found him waitin there in the cottonwood tree
I said dear black bird oh help me understand
How do you comprehend the mind of a man?
Verse 4
The blackbird just laughed and said from all that I’ve seen
A man’s got his mind set on only one thing
And as women go there’s one thing I’ve found
A woman never wants a man who wants to be tied down
Live Till I Die
©2014 Grifters & Shills
Verse 1
Fell down by the river carrying my pain
A cold breath of silence I could not explain
There was a dark sky above, reminded me of rain
The winds finally broken free danced on the plain
Verse 2
I looked to the sky, finally found my feet
Strangled fears and fortunes, buried them so deep
I cried out for strength, and promised I’d remain
Even though my back is broken and torn up again
Chorus
Well it’s a long, long way back home from the river deep
A life filled with sorrow and way too much to think
Drank all I was given and still I am dry
Wonder how the hell I’ll ever live till I die
Verse 3
The path that was taken was born of regret
Mercy and salvation haven’t found me yet
But I’m drawing ever near to the place where I will lay
The place where I can turn around and finally turn away
Our Best Days
©2014 Grifters & Shills
Verse 1
I walked up the road, my two boys out ahead
Two fishing rods and a rusty box on a trail made of red
The mountains rise from fields of green and we’re a long way from home
We carved our stories in the pines and this is what they said
Chorus
Well it’s a long road from here until the end
It’s never a sure thing, what’s up around the bend
The sun will set and the fish will rise
And with our weary eyes
We’ll find that our best days
Are the ones we have right here
Verse 2
Well morning time’s no friend of mine but my boys got their fishing line
The air is cool and the day is new and they said let’s go
Down to the freezing Glacier River where them cool waters run
Over rocks we’ve known all our lives, and memories just begun
Verse 3
As years pass I look back on things I might’ve said
As we talked and laughed and counted stars that flew overhead
Well the snow fell on Christmas Eve and it’s time to go home
The soup is warm by the kettle fire and this is what we said
War Torn
©2014 Grifters & Shills
Verse 1
Around here, in the crumble and the break
We struggle through our last mistake
And the trees grow, but give nobody shade
There’s no one here, everything it’s all disappeared
And the seasons change without any sound
No hands touch the cool breeze, the waters or clouds
And the birds sing a little less than before
In the quiet of a war-torn American shore
Chorus
We hold on to those gone before
We carry the torch to light distant shores
The stories we tell of a living hell
Of lives lost and tears and laughter
Verse 2
In our parted ways the bird sings and says
There’s no going back, there’s no better days
Than the ones we shared before we cared
That all of it one day could ever fade away
The endless smiles, first times and tries
To hold on to a patchwork life
The old bar we played, it’s all washed away
And scattered and broken on far away shores
Verse 3
In our older years, after time and tears
We’ve found a way through trials and fears
We gather round, with our heads held high
The pieces we leave to lie scatter out again
Devil’s on My Side
©2014 Grifters & Shills
Verse 1
It’s time for me to say goodbye
It’s time for me to say goodbye
You tried to take my life and my rusty switchblade knife
But this time, the devil’s on my side
Verse 2
Well I ain’t gonna listen to you cry
No I ain’t gonna listen to you cry
But you won’t make a sound when they put you in the ground
And this time, the devil’s on my side
Chorus
Well I love to get real high
On whiskey, beer, sweet tea and wine
I’m running up your tail
They won’t let me back in jail
And this time, the devil’s on my side
Verse 3
Well I’m through with your cheating and your lies
I’m through with your cheating and your lies
Can’t say that I feel bad or give a damn for what we had
But this time, the devil’s on my side
Hasn’t Happened Yet
©2014 Grifters & Shills
Verse 1
Until the birds forget their singing
Until the stars no longer shine
My heart is yours for all the taking
Until the rivers all run dry
Verse 2
Until the winds are no longer blowing
Until the poets forget their rhyme
I will call you my little darling
Until the rivers all run dry
Chorus
Well I know one day every sun descends to its final set
And every stone returns to dust but it hasn’t happened yet
Verse 3
Until the light goes out forever
Until the last tree has petrified
For you I’d move the mighty mountains
Until the rivers all run dry
The Evil I Know
©2014 Grifters & Shills
Verse 1
Well I always did my damnedest lord to earn an honest wage
The company handed me a line to tow
Well 6am came early now for near on 15 years
Till they told me I could pack my things and go
Verse 2
Well the rules are stacked against you lord no matter how you try
You can use your days up dying for the dream
But I’d rather sell my soul to the devil for a dime
Than give one minute more to that machine
Chorus
So I’m gonna make a bargain with the only thing that’s mine
Don’t know why I didn’t think of this before
You know I’ll be on a roll when I offer up my soul
Cuz working hard ain’t hardly working anymore
Verse 3
Well I worked long days and longer nights and never did complain
I sang my song inside that golden cage
But the bureaucrats said budget cuts and pushed me out the door
Gave my empty seat to someone half my age
Verse 4
Well as a child growing up they taught me wrong from right
You know no one wants to walk a turn below
But it seems to me my options are between a suit and tie
Or just sticking with the evil that I know
My Garden, My Grave
©2014 Grifters & Shills
Verse 1
There’s a love that I remember
A louder truth than any words
But the years that I’ve surrendered
Make me wish that I’d heard
Chrous
The simple things my daddy told me
Never worry and be brave
But for my crimes there is no pardon
Once my garden, now my grave
Verse 2
Far too many nights I worried
My days would end before my time
Missed so much in such a hurry
Found me broken, left me blind
Verse 3
You can’t erase the page as written
Or roads I would not take again
But the winds will blow till all’s forgiven
And the only pieces that remain
First Came You
©2014 Grifters & Shills
Verse 1
There’s nothing left to clutter up my mind
I slammed the door and left it all behind
I’ve got this brand new road
I wanna see how far it goes
And do the best I can with what I find
Chorus
But first came you
And all the trials that you put me through
Ups and downs come and go
And where it ends
There ain’t no way to know
Verse 2
I worked so hard at holding on so fast
But “supposed to” never really seems to last
I laid it down, I set it free
I started taking care of me
And watched it crumble down into the past
Verse 3
Don’t misinterpret lonely for alone
Or things you learned for things you should’ve known
I knew I had to take a stand
And be exactly what I am
My life is all I’ll ever really own
One More Day
©2014 Grifters & Shills
Verse 1
Awake again with too much on my mind
I somehow gotta get to work on time
I wrecked my head with whiskey and wine
Morning comes and leaves me behind
Verse 2
I try so hard to stay between the lines
One more day of one day at a time
I’ll tell the whole damn world I’m doing fine
And chase it all away one more time
Chorus
It’s lonely here and I may never know
If I’m heaven-sent or stuck down below
I’ve got a few who’ll miss me I know
I’m so tired underneath this heavy load
Verse 3
I’m headed home but all I got is walls
The phone rings, but I don’t take the calls
My back is bent, my voice has grown so small
I’ve got no truths to tell after all
Bought & Sold
©2014 Grifters & Shills
Chorus
Stubborn our obsessions, claiming what we’re owed
Can’t look past our possessions at anything that’s real
Blind walk down a dead-end road with only empty smiles
Immersed in plastic make-believe and told what we should feel
Verse 1
Caught in routines so infectious
Play the game like you’ve been told
Wasteland years of life so precious
All your being bought and sold
Faded memories only sketches
Good intentions long grown cold
Verrse 2
Information inundating
Time that travels far too fast
Politicians orchestrating
Paradise that cannot last
False religion validating
Pedestals and stones we’ve cast
Verse 3
Defined by all that we can own
Imprisoned by the things we claim
For all this time we’ve only known
Entitlement but never shame
But when it crumbles we’re alone
And in the end it ends the same
What We Do
©2014 Grifters & Shills
Chorus
First check one, then check the other
A checkered past of lies untrue
Oh save ourselves from one another
Forgive us knowing what we do
Verse 1
Oh little girl now stop your crying
Life’s not what you thought would be
A baby born and old man dying
No consequence the in between
Verse 2
A thorny rose, a weeping willow
A wound though healed has scars that show
Just lay your head upon your pillow
Remember dreams from long ago
Verse 3
Do we know in all we’ve spoken
What we really mean to say
We are all together broken
Searching for a brighter way
Verse 4
A few remain who know defiance
And the art of living free
When all the sound has gone to silence
Maybe then the truth we’ll see
Holding on to Letting Go
©2014 Grifters & Shills
Verse 1
It’s late and she’s still sleeping
The radio turned down low
There’s nobody out here to talk to
And so many miles to go
Well I miss my sweet loving family
My friends, my dog and my home
And my brother, it seems I don’t know
How to hold on and still let go
Chorus
Well I lay awake wondering where the winding road goes
I lay awake and wonder all night
The voice in my head says it ain’t over yet
But sleep, and it’ll be all right
Verse 2
These miles you and I travel
Are moonlit, ragged and worn
This time we spend in search of
Our lives, our love and our home
Well life, it goes in circles
We laugh, cry, wander and roam
And we’re all walking together
But these miles they’ve left me alone
Verse 3
And now the streets are empty
The day’s done, it’s time to go home
We’ll join hands as we travel
We’ll hold on and learn to let go
Keep on Coming After You
©2014 Grifters & Shills
Verse 1
Well he said he was gonna win her over
And she insisted that he’d never do
But starry-eyed romances never
Take no for an answer
He said you’ll be mine before my time is through
Chorus
I’m gonna keep on coming after you
I’m gonna keep on coming after you
Well you can keep on running
Lord have mercy, I know what to do
I’m gonna keep on coming after you
Verse 2
Well he said time again he hadn’t wronged her
But she insisted that he’d been untrue
Well she said you can hide but know that I’m
Just two steps behind you
And you’ll be plenty sorry when I’m through
Verse 3
Well he told her that he thought his time was coming
And she insisted that it wasn’t true
But she said if I’m wrong and you are gone
I won’t be long behind you
Without you here I don’t know what I’d do
Ain’t Meant to Last
©2014 Grifters & Shills
Chorus
So take my hand brother and let the light shine
Sing a song with me and stay right here until it’s time
Everybody takes a different path to find their way
We may part here but we will meet again another day
Verse 1
Looking back, it’s every soul
Who offers up advice
You needed something more than me
And we both paid the price
Who knew that all the future held
In store for us was past
Just because it’s meant to be
Don’t mean it’s meant to last
Verse 2
The life you thought you needed most
My heart could not allow
Well home is where the heart is
But that’s all over now
Boxes full of memories
Are scattered on the floor
A final look, no words are said
Behind the slamming door