1. |
One Day at a Time
03:53
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One day at a time
I'm leaving you behind
You set yourself free
But how 'bout me
Looks like you think I'll be fine
Two weeks and I'm lost
My little vessel was tossed
But when I lay down to die
I turned my eyes to the sky
And I found the southern cross
Three months and I found
Once I got up off the ground
No matter how long
You keep your head strong
And your heart'll rebound
Four years or a day
I think it's safe now to say
If you shake hands with the past
And don't forget how to laugh
You're gonna find your way
Don't look behind and take the road where it winds
And I'll be fine, one day at a time
Try to be kind to the others I find
And I'll be fine, one day at a time
Five toes in the sand
And here from where I stand
Most problems are small
Once they make landfall
It never goes like you planned
Six words when you're scared
And you can't find a prayer
"Don't be ashamed when you cry"
"Keep your eyes to the sky"
And "the stars will guide you there"
I follow the signs and take the road where it winds
And I'll be fine, one day at a time
Passing the time with the others I find
And I'll be fine, one day at a time
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2. |
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The sea knows a tale of a misguided force
Of an ill-fated vessel on a perilous course
Her hull split the water and her bow split the air
But the sea split the spirit of the S.S. Despair
Well a vessel will tell you where there’s aches in her bones
If you just pay attention to the creaks and the groans
Hell itself cannot stop her, and hard may she run
If the first mate and captain pull together as one
Well the earth might have yawned from the chasms below
And the thunder did rumble and the reaper wind blow
And Poseidon did board her with his trident at arms
But the mate remained silent, never raised the alarm
Though the storm trumpets rang and the sea beat its chest
And the grave sighed his name from those fathomless depths
The captain drove onward with a full head of steam
Faith moved him forward, in his eyes still the dream
The waters they yawned and they swallowed her down
The first mate got swimming while the captain did drown
And she pointed her bow towards the rocky sea floor
And the old S.S. Ler was a vessel no more
On the floor of the ocean a vessel does lay
Resting exactly as she settled that day
And she’ll rest there forever through the rust and decay
On the floor of the ocean till we all drift away
The sea knows the tale of a misguided force
Of an ill-fated vessel on a perilous course
And the world has forgotten, though she’s always been there
The deep-lurking phantom, the old S.S. Despair
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3. |
Long and Winding Road
03:11
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Well my footsteps echo onward, to the sunset on I go
Where I'm goin' I don't know 'cause it's a long and winding road
But the times they are a changin' and the past, it slips away
But there's a common thread that binds us, we all venture out that way
May your kindness take you far and may your beauty light the day
May your sweet and kindly smile help you make friends along the way
And when you feel like you're abandoned and there's nowhere left to go
Know I'm walkin' right beside you down that long and winding road
Yeah I'm walkin' right beside you down life's long and winding road
May I ask that you be faithful to the longing of your heart
Never silence your desires or let your hopes and dreams depart
And yes, our paths may cross again, you're always welcome here with me
'Cause life's too long a journey, and we all need company
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4. |
The Songs That We Sing
02:42
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You can ride on the breeze
or drink in the seas
All it takes is to stop
and consider
You can walk with the trees
but don't gather the leaves
Cause they only turn gold
as they wither
We can beat all our dreams
into practical things
Leave the earthly delights
to the animals
We can paint on a suit
and then join the commute
But the crowd that awaits
is a cannibal
You can take off for Mars
there among the same stars
Where we once came to pay
our respects
'Fore we quit living tribal
and then gave all their titles
To our Fortune 500
execs
And the mark that they leave
is a line on a spreadsheet
That's stuffed in a drawer
and forgotten
But the songs that we sing
that inspire you and me
Keep us young, wild and free
The workhorses don't know
that that music will blow
Like a swirlin' snowglobe
that we're caught in
So don't beat your heart
into lines on a chart
Cause it's hard to get back
when it happens
Set sail on the breeze
that hunchbacks the trees
And treasure the stars
while we have 'em
Cause the time that we're given's
not too long for livin'
And the client won't mind
if the treasure you find
Is the kind that keeps you
dreaming and loving and scheming and laughing
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5. |
Song of December
04:13
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Won't you try and remember?
Won't you sing me a song of December?
When the green leaves freeze on the trees
And we're in love
Won't you try and erase it?
I miss you so bad I can taste it
Cause you just fit so good with me
Like a glove
I got thinking real late one night
Sent a package on a northbound flight
800 miles and headed straight to you
Three months later figured I'd come too, and then we
Spent a snowfall huddled up inside
Bunch of old movies and a place to hide
Turned the lights down while the Detroit winter
Wrapped its arms around two beautiful sinners
So won't you try and remember?
Won't you sing me a song of December?
When the green leaves freeze on the trees
And we're in love
Won't you try and believe me?
Won't you promise you'll never deceive me?
Cause you fit so good with me
Just like a glove
Sing one for Woodward and old John King
One for those guitars and the way they ring
One for the long knives that the north winds throw
One for the last sighs of the melting snow
One for the island in a frozen stream
One for those late nights and all the dreams we dreamed
One for Ally and 23 years
And one to wash away those goodbye tears
I'd walk the sky to spend a night with you
Steal you to Florida and drink of our youth
Run through Virginia like old moonshine
Til that old dream we dreamed is yours and mine, and then I'll
Build you a grand stage with a company
Turn on some bright lights so everyone can see
Call for places, give the overture cue
Then treasure every scene I've got with you, so
Won't you try and remember?
Won't you sing me a song of December?
When the green leaves freeze on the trees
And we're in love
Gonna try and erase it
I miss you so bad I can't face it
Cause you just fit so good with me
Like a glove
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6. |
Never Too Late
05:18
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There's no use in giving in
Whose life are you living in?
How long since I shed this skin?
So hard to remember when
I still feel it in my bones
Years whisper in muted tones
Too late now to keep the stone
From breaking your fragile home
It's never too late
To leave the spiteful drowning in your wake
The champion of yesterday
Is tired and turning grey
I guess that's the price you pay
I know there's a better way
Too late now to turn and run
I can't be the only one
How long since I've seen the sun?
One day when the work is done
It's never too late
To turn your back on a tarnished fate
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7. |
Diesel-Breath Demons
03:34
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There must be something better than diesel-breath demons
To see me through these times
Mind games and pin the blame on the weakling
Step up and claim your/the prize
I’ve tried hiding but I think they can smell me
Each time I pass them all by
I can’t be handled by razor-ripped fingers
No matter how carefully they try
Ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah
I just can’t shake these diesel-breath demons
No matter how hard I try
I've had my fill of near-sighted snipers
Firing those rusted darts
A straight shot would do less damage and we could
Write the end out in the ink of my heart
I’ve tried talking but they usually just tell me
I don’t think they care for my tone
Sometimes it seems the road I'm walking
Is paved with quicksand stones
Ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah
I just can’t dodge these near-sighted snipers
No matter how quick I run by
I like the winter, you get what it sells you
Truth in advertising, and when the
Snow falls and covers the dead things
It makes a breathtaking lie
Ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah
I just can’t shake these diesel-breathed demons
No matter how hard I try
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8. |
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Little girls can't be nurses
And little boys don't make TV
They're hand-in-hand accomplices
Who don't always agree
They paint the world together
Then ride out to explore
Or rocket off to new ones
Safe behind the playroom door
Little girls can't be mothers
Unless they're playing "House"
Dressing up with their brothers
In Dad's loafers and Mom's blouse
Little boys aren't poets
Why can't they just stay sons
How do they turn to news men
Holding smoking Nikon guns
But if little girls just stayed daughters
And little boys just stayed sons
Would the days still drip with gold
When all the playing's done
Would we have heard our drummers
Would we still have marched along
To change the world with medicine
And poetry and song
So little girls may wonder
And little boys in kind
When the world grows up
Why can't they choose to stay behind
But as we all grow older
Little boys and little girls
The sand that we stir up today
Will someday turn to pearls
So maybe that’s the reason
Our stars burn like they do
Emblazoned on the ceiling
Of a darkened playroom
‘Cause in that sanctuary
The past is always new
Summers can still last forever
And I’m still growing up with you
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9. |
Hopper House Run
02:50
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She was still just a girl
When I first saw her there
The wind from the Great Lakes
Danced soft in her hair
A daffodil tucked
Nice and snug by her ear
The better life's beauty
To hear
She was one of those loners
Who was rarely alone
Time couldn't catch her
So she let it move on
A coffee-stained song
She sang out to no one
And her feet in the water
Of the Hopper House Run
We were only just married
When I drove her back down
And got a small room in
A half-a-horse town
Picked out a grass patch
That we could call ours
And spent the night counting
the stars
Well we passed the time slowly
With big talk and dreams
Of got-to's and wishes
And maybes and seems
We planned and we schemed
‘Til the words weighed a ton
With our feet in the waters
Of the hopper house run
Well the stream waved goodbye
And our feet they went dry
And together we walked into life
She was just an old lady
When I took her there last
Kicked off our shoes
Like we had in the past
Time had been kinder
Than it sure was to most
That water was runnin’
Like it just seen a ghost
Well we pulled up our britches
And the stream kissed our knees
And we drifted as far back
As the water could see
A foot in the grave
And a face to the sun
‘Til death do us part from
The Hopper House Run
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10. |
Long Live the King
03:09
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The king threw a scowl at the mirror
While gossip held court in his head
Venomous words
From the ungrateful herds
Who don't realize they're better off led
He stalked through the halls of his castle
Where the silence spoke loud and so truthful
Even the breaths
Of his own footsteps
Seemed to whisper of their disapproval
Heavy hangs the head, they say
So he reached up and slipped off his crown
The gold's former shine
Was caked now with grime
And a ruby dove off for the ground
He threw his gold crown through the mirror
And his eyes burned acrimonious
"When I've killed everyone
Who don't like how it's run
My kingdom shall be harmonious"
The king he gathered his forces
And rode out on a crusade of severance
The hoofbeats swelled
And the guillotines fell
Til the streets ran red with reverence
And when he next stood before them
Their esteem so hard endeavored
The loyal subjects
He'd sworn to protect
Would cheer no more forever
And in his new mirror
Was a king he too feared
The old reflection now severed
The crown sits dented now on a man
Once so loving and so patriarchal
Now all that is left
Is a lord dispossessed
In a meaningless tomb made of marble
And a paranoid king
Ties his own rope to swing
When the jewels in his crown lose their sparkle
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11. |
Don't You Dwell Too Long
03:57
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Whatever you do, don't do what's expected
Don't be fooled by the lies inside
Don't believe all the stuff they projected
Don't let sorrow be your guide
Just reach in deep now and drink a handful
Go re-learn to get lost again
All you know now is just a sample
Where you're going sure beats where you've been
Nah-nah nah, nah-nah nah-nah, nah nah
The band's striking up your song
Nah-nah nah, nah-nah nah-nah, nah nah
The count-off's quick so don't you dwell too long
Dry your eyes now and turn them skyward
The time has come for you to let them see
Memory is a compelling liar
The time has come for him to let you be
A million roads lay spread out before you
And only a few of them are spoken for
Rack 'em up now, the world implores you
There's nothing new behind an open door
Nah-nah nah, nah-nah nah-nah, nah nah
The band's striking up your song
Nah-nah nah, nah-nah nah-nah, nah nah
The count-off's quick so don't you dwell too long
Hold your ground even when it's crumblin'
A soggy stone never lit no spark
Don't you frown when the thunder's rumblin'
'Cause sometimes lightning'll help you through the dark
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12. |
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Grandpa used to say, "It's all right, son"
Then he'd dust his callused hands
Then he'd throw the sweetest kiss at Grandma
And go leave his blood and sweat out on the land
Now and then I think about ol' Grandpa
When I'm wondering where I'll find the strength to fight
And how the fire of that old country boy kept burning in his eyes
And I know that everything's gonna be all right
Mama tried to make the best of hard times
Never bent when push came down to shove
She'd bury struggles like a garden
And me and Sister harvested the love
She gave her best years for us children
Each sacrifice put a shuffle in her stride
While the embers of a mother's love kept glowing in her eyes
To make sure that everything was gonna be all right
Now Sister, you're doing just like Mama taught you
You gotta stand and draw the line
Don't be afraid to fall, 'cause we'll catch you
And the boys will be just fine
So dust your hands and grab that strength inside you
Even when the money's tight
I see the sparkle of that little girl still shining in your eyes
And I know that everything's gonna be all right
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Brandon Mullis Augusta, Georgia
I'm a primarily acoustic singer/songwriter who's been writing lyrical folk/Americana music for more than 20 years. I play
all over the eastern USA, and my influences range from Neil Young to Alice in Chains to Jason Isbell to David Allan Coe. I love good melodies and heartfelt stories, and I try to pass along the best ones I can.
youtube.com/mullismixes
facebook.com/brandonmullismusic
... more
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