Needle, Feather, and a Rope
by Blind Willies
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Digital Album
Immediate download of 14-track album in your choice of MP3 320, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire.Buy Now $10 USD
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Compact Disc
Comes in a high quality environmentally friendly 6-panel digipak with 8-panel foldout insert that includes all lyrics and band photos.
Also includes immediate download of 14-track album in your choice of 320k mp3, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire.Buy Now $12 USD
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One Dime Down
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Jezebel
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Reprobate Mind
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I Made a Mistake
03:23
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Last Drop of Midnight
05:09
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Absolutely Isabel
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New Mule to Ride
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about
In April 2009 I watched a Frontline documentary, The Released, about what happens to mentally ill inmates after they're paroled. A psychiatrist questioned a man who had spent 21 years in prison for murder and had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He heard voices. The doctor asked him what the voices were saying. They were hungry, he said, they wanted to be fed and they were afraid. God beat them. "So they start crying. They got a needle. They got a needle and they got a feather and they got a rope. God give it to them, a needle, a feather, and a rope." I laughed. But the words stayed with me over the next few days, and a needle, a feather, and a rope became everything we have, everything we don't have, our fates and temptations, what we do with what we're given, what we don't do, who we become because of what we do or don't do with what we're given.
Needle, feather, and rope are knitting terms, stitches and tools. I thought about all the other images those words conjure. Later I read a paragraph in Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions that I understood well. "The prostitutes worked for a pimp now. He was splendid and cruel. He was a god to them. He took their free will away from them, which was perfectly all right. They didn't want it anyway. It was as though they had surrendered themselves to Jesus, for instance, so they could live unselfishly and trustingly--except that they had surrendered to a pimp instead." I grew up on a street in San Francisco where prostitutes and pimps bought and sold themselves daily. The scene under my bedroom window was a circus, a market, a world. There was a church on the corner, an elementary school, community centers, a music school. I'm telling you this so that you know some of my reference points, how the song grew, where the album came from. Between August 2009 and the end of the year, I began playing my songs with Misha, Max, Daniel, and Adam. We're proud of the music we recorded. It's dedicated to Vic Chesnutt.
Needle, feather, and rope are knitting terms, stitches and tools. I thought about all the other images those words conjure. Later I read a paragraph in Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions that I understood well. "The prostitutes worked for a pimp now. He was splendid and cruel. He was a god to them. He took their free will away from them, which was perfectly all right. They didn't want it anyway. It was as though they had surrendered themselves to Jesus, for instance, so they could live unselfishly and trustingly--except that they had surrendered to a pimp instead." I grew up on a street in San Francisco where prostitutes and pimps bought and sold themselves daily. The scene under my bedroom window was a circus, a market, a world. There was a church on the corner, an elementary school, community centers, a music school. I'm telling you this so that you know some of my reference points, how the song grew, where the album came from. Between August 2009 and the end of the year, I began playing my songs with Misha, Max, Daniel, and Adam. We're proud of the music we recorded. It's dedicated to Vic Chesnutt.
credits
released 01 April 2011
All songs written by Alexei Wajchman* © 2011(BMI)
Produced by Lemon DeGeorge and Blind Willies
Recorded by Jay Pellicci in June 2010
at Tiny Telephone in SF
Additional overdubs recorded by Charles Gonzalez
at Radical House, SF
Mixed by Justin Phelps (tracks 2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 14)
and Gabriel Shepard (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12)
at Hyde Street Studios, SF
Mastered by Paul Stubblebine, SF
This record was recorded and mixed all analog.
BLIND WILLIES
Alexei Wajchman: vocal, guitar, harmonica
Adam Coopersmith: drums
Daniel Riera: bass
Max Miller-Loran: keys, trumpet
Misha Khalikulov: cello
GUESTS
Randy Clark: lead guitar (3)
Isabel Douglass: accordion (1)
Adam Nash: guitar slide at end (13)
Ken Rosen: tenor sax (4)
Andrew Walker: bass trombone (1)
Rachel Woods-Robinson: trombone (4, 9, 14)
Capp Street Revisionist Choir: Rachel, Rebecca Pingree, Nicolette Yarbrough, and all the boys
Art Direction, Design: B. Wajchman
Photoshop Genie: Ariel Sommer
Cover illustration and title by Emile B. Klein in
homage to Giulietta Masina, Federico Fellini,
Charlie Chaplin, Baptiste, and all the Children of
Paradise
*Absolutely Isabel was inspired by a traditional,
Rattlesnake, collected by Alan Lomax
Special thanks to Lemon DeGeorge, John Vanderslice,
Isaac Pingree, Alrik Bursell, our guests, our families
Lemon DeGeorge (Jolie Holland, film Genghis Blues)
Jay Pellicci (Deerhoof)
Charles Gonzalez (Rogue Wave, Mother Hips)
Justin Phelps (Cake, Dresden Dolls)
Gabriel Shepard (Frank Black, Peter Case)
Paul Stubblebine (John Lee Hooker, Ry Cooder)
Diggory Records 2011
"Like The Band? Like Jack White? Then you’ll love Needle, Feather and a Rope, a majestic alt-countrified horn-driven take on the universe and everything in it . . . the new album is a shot in the arm, with the primordial sounds of Leadbelly and Lomax filtered through New Orleans blues, Randy Newman pop, Rolling Stones rock and roll, grandiose indiefolk, and just about every other genre that has followed."
Boyhowdy, Cover Lay Down
"San Francisco's Blind Willies is the kind of band whose music sharply divides listeners' opinions almost instantly. While some might take that as a knock, I consider it a testament to the intensity and tenacity with which they explore their own boundaries. A heady mix of americana, blues, folk, and rock 'n' roll, their latest album Needle, Feather, and a Rope showcases frontman Alexei Wajchman's incredible range of emotional nuance."
Laurel Kathleen, Best New Bands
"Any band that combines a Hammond organ and a cello has my attention, to begin with. Likewise a band that features a lyric about being tried “by a jury of your fears” in the song’s first 25 seconds.
'Lord Thought He’d Make a Man' is an old-timey song with sprinkles of Randy Newman, Kurt Weill, Tom Waits, and Jim Morrison concocted into slinky, rugged shuffle. Front man Alexei Wajchman has a sly sense of humor and a slightly unhinged singing and guitar-playing style that fully commands the aural stage (and I have no doubt of his command of the physical stage as well)."
Jeremy Schlosberg, Fingertips Music
"Blind Willies goes electric and adds some new members. Lead singer/songwriter Alexei Wajchman produces a haunting and gleefully sardonic album . . . Played live on KZSU in May 2011 and sounded fantastic!"
Alan Joyce, KZSU Stanford University
"Creative songwriting. Cello and horns sound great. Can be played on a variety of shows."
DJ Coach, KAFM
"Blind Willies are the brain child of Alexei Wajchman, a singer/songwriter from San Francisco, previously releasing two albums under the name Blind Willies and touring as an acoustic duo, for this third album he put together a band of accomplished multi instrumentalists and the result is 'Needle, Feather, And A Rope'.
With a wide range of influences including Dylan, The Pogues, Zappa, Leonard Cohen and many soul and
blues legends, Blind Willies offer up a promising mix of folk, blues, Americana and rock 'n' roll, all recorded in retro analogue folks, just like they did in the old days. The songs and lyrics especially are influenced by Wajchman's upbringing, stories of life on the streets of San Francisco, pimps and whores, gamblers and dealers, the general day to day life outside his window.
Opener 'One Dime Down' sets the scene with a maudlin cello, before bursting in with a collection of rustic sounding instrumentation, accordion and brass instruments giving a folky, almost carnival feel. Gogol Bordello immediately spring to mind, a sweet, upbeat Gypsy folk song, but where Gogol to me sound like Borat on crack, Blind Willies are more like Jagger fronting The Pogues. 'Lord Thought He'd Make a Man' continues the theme with swathes of Hammond, close your eyes and you can almost smell the whiskey and smoke from some small ancient bar that this band must surely haunt on a nightly basis.
'Jezebel' is like an old traditional folk tune, a tale of some poor lady of the night who gave her pleasure to the Lord, and nods its hat to The Pogues. The heartfelt 'Notes For A Cowardly Lion' has Wajchman solo with just a piano for company; simple, with some rousing harmonica, is nice. Stones influences come through in 'Last Drop Of Midnight' and 'Sisters Of Perpetual Curiosity', in fact it's probably the influence of the artists who pre-date the Stones to be honest. The vocals overall sit somewhere between Jagger and Mike Scott from The Waterboys, a nice combination.
A good mix of upbeat Gypsy folk and laid back, vagabond balladeering make for an interesting sound indeed and one to be embraced. The songs are well written, and tales of prostitutes and strippers, circus performers and thieves guarantee a worthwhile listen and a good read of the lyric booklet.
Blind Willies are the sort of band that turn up every so often on Later...With Jools Holland - World Music?
Folk? Blues?...yep all of the above. Whether you like these types of music or not, if you have a liking of well written songs about life then you cannot go far wrong with 'Needle, Feather, And A Rope'"
Ben Hughes, Uber Rock, UK
"On their third album Blind Willies open with the crazy mad-eyed fin-de-siecle carny sound of 'One Dime Down', which constantly teeters on the edge of chaos but by means of its momentum manages to reach the end successfully. The album as a whole takes this as its touchstone, as main man Alexei Wajchman has constructed a mad collage that isn’t quite folk, isn’t quite blues and isn’t quite Americana but could equally be classified as any of those things and several others besides. It’s intense and demanding music, uneasy listening. It’s angular and jagged, Wajchman’s voice alternately howling and caressing the lyrics . . . as [he] draws you into his world and his mad poetry."
Jeremy Searle, Americana UK
"In a state of sheer panic, I found out that the Danny Cohen and Blind Willies show started at 7 p.m. It was 6:30 and I was in desperate need of a shower and still had bed head from my disco nap. Buckling up my pants I ran unshowered down Geary Street to get my girlfriend and grab a cab to get to the Mission District. I thought the show started at 9-ish. Doesn't everything start after 10 p.m. in San Francisco? Not this show. Which was fantastic . . . Blind Willies are excellent. Their latest CD, Needle, Feather and a Rope, is on heavy rotation in my apartment."
Tony DuShane, SF Chronicle
I knew nothing about Northern California indie folk collective Blind Willies when “Needle, Feather, and a
Rope” came across my desk several weeks ago. After about a dozen spins of these phenomenal 14 songs, the Alexei Wajchman-fronted outfit has moved to the top of my list of pleasant surprises. Blind Willies lure you right in with the vaudeville-like strains of opener “One Dime Down,” and continue to mesmerize . . . If you’re looking to spend an hour of unadulterated musical bliss, “Needle, Feather, and a Rope” will do the trick.
Jeffrey Sisk, In Tune, The Daily News, McKeesport, PA
There's enough gypsy flair to give these songs that slimy carny feel, though as the album descends into madness the gospel elements begin to take over.
And so what begins as a trip into blindness becomes a tale of redemption. Of sorts. The resolution isn't half-hearted, but it's more resignation than acclamation. Life will wear on you.
All that may sound drearily deep, but the music is so searing and enthralling that the themes of good, evil, life and death are hardly overwhelming. Rather, such grandiose routes of thought seem like the perfect accompaniment.
An utterly ambitious album, and one that follows through with a massive emotional impact. This'll put you through the wringer, but in the best of ways.
Aiding & Abetting #329
John Worley
All songs written by Alexei Wajchman* © 2011(BMI)
Produced by Lemon DeGeorge and Blind Willies
Recorded by Jay Pellicci in June 2010
at Tiny Telephone in SF
Additional overdubs recorded by Charles Gonzalez
at Radical House, SF
Mixed by Justin Phelps (tracks 2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 14)
and Gabriel Shepard (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12)
at Hyde Street Studios, SF
Mastered by Paul Stubblebine, SF
This record was recorded and mixed all analog.
BLIND WILLIES
Alexei Wajchman: vocal, guitar, harmonica
Adam Coopersmith: drums
Daniel Riera: bass
Max Miller-Loran: keys, trumpet
Misha Khalikulov: cello
GUESTS
Randy Clark: lead guitar (3)
Isabel Douglass: accordion (1)
Adam Nash: guitar slide at end (13)
Ken Rosen: tenor sax (4)
Andrew Walker: bass trombone (1)
Rachel Woods-Robinson: trombone (4, 9, 14)
Capp Street Revisionist Choir: Rachel, Rebecca Pingree, Nicolette Yarbrough, and all the boys
Art Direction, Design: B. Wajchman
Photoshop Genie: Ariel Sommer
Cover illustration and title by Emile B. Klein in
homage to Giulietta Masina, Federico Fellini,
Charlie Chaplin, Baptiste, and all the Children of
Paradise
*Absolutely Isabel was inspired by a traditional,
Rattlesnake, collected by Alan Lomax
Special thanks to Lemon DeGeorge, John Vanderslice,
Isaac Pingree, Alrik Bursell, our guests, our families
Lemon DeGeorge (Jolie Holland, film Genghis Blues)
Jay Pellicci (Deerhoof)
Charles Gonzalez (Rogue Wave, Mother Hips)
Justin Phelps (Cake, Dresden Dolls)
Gabriel Shepard (Frank Black, Peter Case)
Paul Stubblebine (John Lee Hooker, Ry Cooder)
Diggory Records 2011
"Like The Band? Like Jack White? Then you’ll love Needle, Feather and a Rope, a majestic alt-countrified horn-driven take on the universe and everything in it . . . the new album is a shot in the arm, with the primordial sounds of Leadbelly and Lomax filtered through New Orleans blues, Randy Newman pop, Rolling Stones rock and roll, grandiose indiefolk, and just about every other genre that has followed."
Boyhowdy, Cover Lay Down
"San Francisco's Blind Willies is the kind of band whose music sharply divides listeners' opinions almost instantly. While some might take that as a knock, I consider it a testament to the intensity and tenacity with which they explore their own boundaries. A heady mix of americana, blues, folk, and rock 'n' roll, their latest album Needle, Feather, and a Rope showcases frontman Alexei Wajchman's incredible range of emotional nuance."
Laurel Kathleen, Best New Bands
"Any band that combines a Hammond organ and a cello has my attention, to begin with. Likewise a band that features a lyric about being tried “by a jury of your fears” in the song’s first 25 seconds.
'Lord Thought He’d Make a Man' is an old-timey song with sprinkles of Randy Newman, Kurt Weill, Tom Waits, and Jim Morrison concocted into slinky, rugged shuffle. Front man Alexei Wajchman has a sly sense of humor and a slightly unhinged singing and guitar-playing style that fully commands the aural stage (and I have no doubt of his command of the physical stage as well)."
Jeremy Schlosberg, Fingertips Music
"Blind Willies goes electric and adds some new members. Lead singer/songwriter Alexei Wajchman produces a haunting and gleefully sardonic album . . . Played live on KZSU in May 2011 and sounded fantastic!"
Alan Joyce, KZSU Stanford University
"Creative songwriting. Cello and horns sound great. Can be played on a variety of shows."
DJ Coach, KAFM
"Blind Willies are the brain child of Alexei Wajchman, a singer/songwriter from San Francisco, previously releasing two albums under the name Blind Willies and touring as an acoustic duo, for this third album he put together a band of accomplished multi instrumentalists and the result is 'Needle, Feather, And A Rope'.
With a wide range of influences including Dylan, The Pogues, Zappa, Leonard Cohen and many soul and
blues legends, Blind Willies offer up a promising mix of folk, blues, Americana and rock 'n' roll, all recorded in retro analogue folks, just like they did in the old days. The songs and lyrics especially are influenced by Wajchman's upbringing, stories of life on the streets of San Francisco, pimps and whores, gamblers and dealers, the general day to day life outside his window.
Opener 'One Dime Down' sets the scene with a maudlin cello, before bursting in with a collection of rustic sounding instrumentation, accordion and brass instruments giving a folky, almost carnival feel. Gogol Bordello immediately spring to mind, a sweet, upbeat Gypsy folk song, but where Gogol to me sound like Borat on crack, Blind Willies are more like Jagger fronting The Pogues. 'Lord Thought He'd Make a Man' continues the theme with swathes of Hammond, close your eyes and you can almost smell the whiskey and smoke from some small ancient bar that this band must surely haunt on a nightly basis.
'Jezebel' is like an old traditional folk tune, a tale of some poor lady of the night who gave her pleasure to the Lord, and nods its hat to The Pogues. The heartfelt 'Notes For A Cowardly Lion' has Wajchman solo with just a piano for company; simple, with some rousing harmonica, is nice. Stones influences come through in 'Last Drop Of Midnight' and 'Sisters Of Perpetual Curiosity', in fact it's probably the influence of the artists who pre-date the Stones to be honest. The vocals overall sit somewhere between Jagger and Mike Scott from The Waterboys, a nice combination.
A good mix of upbeat Gypsy folk and laid back, vagabond balladeering make for an interesting sound indeed and one to be embraced. The songs are well written, and tales of prostitutes and strippers, circus performers and thieves guarantee a worthwhile listen and a good read of the lyric booklet.
Blind Willies are the sort of band that turn up every so often on Later...With Jools Holland - World Music?
Folk? Blues?...yep all of the above. Whether you like these types of music or not, if you have a liking of well written songs about life then you cannot go far wrong with 'Needle, Feather, And A Rope'"
Ben Hughes, Uber Rock, UK
"On their third album Blind Willies open with the crazy mad-eyed fin-de-siecle carny sound of 'One Dime Down', which constantly teeters on the edge of chaos but by means of its momentum manages to reach the end successfully. The album as a whole takes this as its touchstone, as main man Alexei Wajchman has constructed a mad collage that isn’t quite folk, isn’t quite blues and isn’t quite Americana but could equally be classified as any of those things and several others besides. It’s intense and demanding music, uneasy listening. It’s angular and jagged, Wajchman’s voice alternately howling and caressing the lyrics . . . as [he] draws you into his world and his mad poetry."
Jeremy Searle, Americana UK
"In a state of sheer panic, I found out that the Danny Cohen and Blind Willies show started at 7 p.m. It was 6:30 and I was in desperate need of a shower and still had bed head from my disco nap. Buckling up my pants I ran unshowered down Geary Street to get my girlfriend and grab a cab to get to the Mission District. I thought the show started at 9-ish. Doesn't everything start after 10 p.m. in San Francisco? Not this show. Which was fantastic . . . Blind Willies are excellent. Their latest CD, Needle, Feather and a Rope, is on heavy rotation in my apartment."
Tony DuShane, SF Chronicle
I knew nothing about Northern California indie folk collective Blind Willies when “Needle, Feather, and a
Rope” came across my desk several weeks ago. After about a dozen spins of these phenomenal 14 songs, the Alexei Wajchman-fronted outfit has moved to the top of my list of pleasant surprises. Blind Willies lure you right in with the vaudeville-like strains of opener “One Dime Down,” and continue to mesmerize . . . If you’re looking to spend an hour of unadulterated musical bliss, “Needle, Feather, and a Rope” will do the trick.
Jeffrey Sisk, In Tune, The Daily News, McKeesport, PA
There's enough gypsy flair to give these songs that slimy carny feel, though as the album descends into madness the gospel elements begin to take over.
And so what begins as a trip into blindness becomes a tale of redemption. Of sorts. The resolution isn't half-hearted, but it's more resignation than acclamation. Life will wear on you.
All that may sound drearily deep, but the music is so searing and enthralling that the themes of good, evil, life and death are hardly overwhelming. Rather, such grandiose routes of thought seem like the perfect accompaniment.
An utterly ambitious album, and one that follows through with a massive emotional impact. This'll put you through the wringer, but in the best of ways.
Aiding & Abetting #329
John Worley
tags
license
all rights reserved
feeds
feeds for shows
-
May 23San Francisco, CA
-
Aug 16San Francisco, CA
discography
-
Apr 2011 -
May 2008 -
Jan 2007
contact / help
For help with downloads, click here.
For all other inquiries, including help with merch, click here.
Redeem download codes here.
- Track Name: One Dime Down
-
One dime down
On the ageless face
With its surgical charm
Its style and its grace
Look how it moves without any pain
There’s light in the eyes
But it’s dark and it rains
An amputated oath
For the miracle of sight
What God has given us
Will finally be set right
With hands cool as the clay
That handles with ease
The most clever and sharpest of knives
To have ever been dreamed
It's one dime down
All memory’s erased
From the skin the teeth the hair
History can be replaced
Mark down everything
That you think you should keep
But remember perfection remains
One cent out of reach
Oh you’re a pretty one
Delicate and fine
Please, please favor me
With a thorn upon your vine
One dime down
And the wait won’t be too long
All you need is faith
In the promise of my song
You are special to me
And there’s nothing that isn’t deserved
Step into my tent for something
More precious than words
There’s no bottom to the eyes
Hungry scars upon the faces
Of those who’ve come to stare
And vanish without a trace
Yes they came in the morning
And waited far into the night
For a Savior to fill them
With riches and beauty and light
It’s one dime down
For anything you’ll confess
Be it love or lies or hate
Unburden yourself and rest
Like a snake you may shed any scales
That have weathered and cracked
Your new skin will make up
For whatever it was that you lacked
You can sing, you can smile, you can grin
You can dance, you can laugh
For only one dime and that’s all
Just don’t ask for it back
Oh you’re a pretty one
Delicate and fine
Please, please favor me
With a rose upon your vine - Track Name: Lord Thought He'd Make a Man
-
The Lord thought he’d make a man
He wasn’t thinking about me
And when he saw what he had done
Said “You shall abide or live in misery.
Either way you will be tried
By a jury of your fears
Who will sentence you to labor
Under a vale of tears.”
There’s no shortage of pretenders
But there’s no one like the Lord
When I rose up from the dust
I was cast into the sea
There a beast in the dark water
Came and swallowed me
Like Job I am bewildered
Like Jonah I’m deceived
Is not a witness up in heaven
Who will testify for me?
Man ain’t nothing but a dream
He withers like the grass
You may sever both his heels
But his pride will never pass
He was made to be elastic
To bend any which way
The universe is blowing
On this or any day
The planets have no power
A string of pearls up in the sky
If we’re to make it through the night
There’ll have to be a sacrifice
Say hello to little Jesus
Won’t you kiss him once for me?
Before he’s dropped into the fire
To dance his destiny
The Lord ain’t nothing but a man
Wanting to be kissed
Afraid there’s something out there
That’s bigger than his wish
Many fears are born of loneliness
And from this he can’t escape
Like the silence in a bedroom
That keeps a poor boy awake
There’s no shortage of pretenders
But there’s no one like the Lord - Track Name: Good and Faithful Servant
-
Good and faithful servant
With strong and tender hands
Small town disposition
Two legs on which to stand
Keeping us from temptation
With the down home tip of her tongue
Salvation’s never felt as good
This isn’t the first time that she’s come
Trouble will soon be over
Speaks the woman up on high
Easing us into rapture
Taking bets on who survives
The world is full of tricks
And we are vulnerable
Stick your sword into the sand
Paradise is irresistible
Get behind your master
That’s where you belong
She’s riding on a white horse
Love is the fulfillment of the law
Don’t forget that she’s a country girl
Making her way through America
She’s just a country girl
Only in America
Good and faithful servant
Closer than any friend
She’s an inspiration to the people
With a will that never bends
Don’t ask too many questions
Have faith she will provide
Every spiritual desire
That complements my pride
Oh ain’t it a kindness
Our Savior at long last
Making all of our decisions
Condemnation when we’re bad
The world is full of tricks
And we are vulnerable
Stick your sword into the sand
Paradise is irresistible
No more expectations
No more of your demands
If you’re looking for a partner
Must be a stranger in this land
Because she ain’t that kind of woman
No she ain’t that type of girl - Track Name: Needle, Feather, and a Rope
-
Sister, where you going with spikes on your heels?
Your man’s not worthy of attention
It may be natural, oh it’s what you do best
You ought to move in some other direction
You can touch fire, draw water from stone
Deliver strength into captivity
But all day I see as you smile and you slave
Giving glory to your enemy
God gave you a needle
God gave you a feather
And a rope
Brother, when the time comes will you even make a sound?
Standing on a corner with flowers in your hand
Not that you can’t sing or clench your teeth and fight
There are just some things the world won’t allow you to have
There’s no guarantee if it’s mercy that you want
There’s only one road but it’s endless and deep
Got to go by yourself don’t try to compromise
With anyone whose love drifts away like smoke
Two white horses
Side by side
Goodbye brother
You’ve been sanctified
I’m waiting for something
Another girl and a new skin
Never said it had to make sense
Just get me through the door
God gave us a needle
God gave us a feather
And a rope
Where I’m going now might disappear
Don’t come running if you can’t see me
I do believe it’s three voices that I hear
The wilderness was never empty
One begs forgiveness, one asks for sorrow
One demands my sweet attention
I don’t know how it ever got this far
Guess I made the wrong impression
God gave them a needle
God gave them a feather
And a rope - Track Name: Jezebel
-
Jezebel was free
She wouldn’t be denied
With wolves hungry at her feet
She cursed them with her eyes
Said “If you kiss me with your teeth
You will surely die
I don’t want you at my door
I give my pleasure to the Lord
I don’t want you at my door
I give my pleasure to the Lord.”
Winter came and autumn died
There wasn’t any rain
Men went to Jezebel
To take her for a slave
Said “If you run away
We’ll chase you to the grave
Better do as you are told
Fetch us water from your well
Better do as you are told
Fetch us water from your well.”
The sun burned out the sky
Rivers ceased to flow
Jezebel would never cry
She could take it on her own
Into a bed of fire
Forced to lie alone
Said “Though you cut me with a knife
My blood will never fill your bones
Though you cut me with a knife
My blood will never save your soul.”
Jezebel was strong and brave
Painted like a queen
She threw her scorn down at the dogs
Held her head up in defeat
And from a tower sinking down
Into eternity
Said “Though my temple be destroyed
I give my pleasure to the Lord
Though my temple be destroyed
I give my pleasure to the Lord.” - Track Name: Reprobate Mind
-
Last I saw Joey he was stealing again
For a deadly habit he confides in as a friend
There’s a girl who swallows fire on a peep show stage
Joey swears he’s gonna buy her a wedding ring someday
Try keeping it to yourself (2x)
Danny’s still pissing on bathroom walls
Peeking up the doors of adjacent stalls
He marks his name in gold but still feels small
So compensates with insecure girls at the mall
Try keeping it to yourself
Between your heart and a hungry lie
Between the truth and your doubting eyes
There’s only one thing that’ll pass the time
Give yourself over to a reprobate mind
Sarah’s showing off her pure white thighs
Been seen with a black man twice her size
She was studying religion making her parents proud
But she fell into debt with the questionable crowd
Try keeping it to yourself
People come to listen but not for long
They say “Why don’t you ever sing happy songs?
Your mother treats you better than any boy deserves
But all you want to do is ridicule the world.”
Try keeping it to yourself
Between your heart and a hungry lie
Between the truth and your doubting eyes
There’s only one thing that’ll pass the time
Give yourself over to a reprobate mind
Well well well well well
It’s still good to be me - Track Name: I Made a Mistake
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I’ve been gambling since I was nine
For women drunk on holy wine
My mother loved me, but papa died
She was always making deals outside
Keep on trying
Whatever seems to work
You want it easy
But somebody’s gonna get hurt
Somebody’s gonna get hurt
Strange days spinning round
Bouncing off the madding crowd
Every bird’s scratching at the ground
If I had wings I’d never come down
Not for crumbs in a parking lot
Not for words in a sacred book
Not for applause or a perfect mask
Maybe for love if it’s not too hard
Give it a shot when it comes back
I made a mistake
I made a mistake
I made a mistake
Big sky, open fate
Charging through a narrow gate
I’m gonna be somebody today
All the finest women will want my name
I got a chariot waiting out back
Blades on its wheels you can bank on that
Whether I live or whether I die
Sometimes it feels like I’m on the wrong ride
Sometimes it feels like I’m on the wrong ride
I made a mistake
I made a mistake
I made a mistake again - Track Name: Last Drop of Midnight
-
The night moves in like a petty thief
The whippoorwill sings in harmony
With the husbands, lovers, lawyers, and wives
On a distant train in the smoke of your eyes
You wouldn’t know it just looking at me
I’m a driving force of history
Get on board if you want to get right
Touch your lips to the pain in my heart
This must be the neighborhood
Where Moses on a rock he stood
Turning traffic into water and water into blood
Making deals on the side for a gentile’s love
The moon’s in a cardboard box tonight
Sinking in a park where drunkards fight
Over who gets to drink the last drop of midnight
Who gets to drink the last drop of midnight?
Spin me round little darling, what can you do?
All my time’s spent dreaming about you
Speaking in tongues painted in red
Testing my faith at the foot of our bed
I shot my heart in the veins of the world
I’m not used to days like dust anymore
Won’t you do for me what spring does
To frozen fields and cold blood? - Track Name: Absolutely Isabel
-
Rattlesnake, Oh Rattlesnake
What makes your teeth so white?
“I’ve been on the bottom all of my life
And I ain’t done nothing but bite
I ain’t done nothing but bite.”
Absolutely, Rattlesnake!
Positively Now!
I know all about those other young boys
You’ve poisoned with a smile
Josephine, Oh Josephine
What makes your eyes so bright?
“My husband won’t be coming home tonight
For you I’ll play a wife
For you I’ll play a wife.”
Absolutely, Josephine!
Positively Now!
I know all about those other young boys
You’ve educated with a smile
You’re gonna take me with you
Without compromise
And do anything you have to
To disappear
Into the arms of a lie
Pussycat, Oh Pussycat
What makes your fur so sleek?
“To common men I never do speak
You won’t find me in the street
You won’t find me in the street.”
Absolutely, Pussycat!
Positively Now!
I know all about those other young boys
You’ve hunted with a smile
Isabel, Oh Isabel
What makes your heart so hard?
“Been scratching gravel all my days
It’s a wonder I ain’t tired
It’s a wonder I ain’t tired.”
Absolutely, Isabel!
Positively Now!
I’m not like those other young boys
Who’ve stolen your smile
You’re cool water for my burning skin
Your dark gypsy eyes
I want to be your caravan
And disappear
Into a country mile - Track Name: Notes for a Cowardly Lion
-
Standing in the water
Burning in the rain
Waiting for the moon to break
For the lights to change
You always keep your hat on
But never like to talk
Except to tell me that we shouldn’t wait
It’s better just to walk
And watch out for the taxis
Speeding past the curb
You won’t say that they’re evil
Just a curse upon the world
Take your time
Wake up from the fever
That was low at first
But made you a believer
Everyone who knows you
Says “You’ll come back again.”
But they don’t read the paper
They’re not worried about the end
Everyday at noon
When the sirens start to whine
You crawl under a table
And disconnect the lines
Whether it’s the mailman
Or the ghost of ancient Rome
You’re not ready for a message
Or to give up all you own
Like a broken circus tiger
Living on the road
In a cage it’s come to think of
Fondly as a home
Take your time
We can drink wine together
From a bottle of courage
For the Cowardly Lion
Sitting in the twilight
Staring into space
Tracing every shooting star
That’s falling out of place
Keep thinking that I see you
In the faces of the moon
Drifting gracefully
Cross a field of broken stone - Track Name: Sisters of Perpetual Curiosity
-
Sisters of Perpetual Curiosity
Riding from the pearly gates
Come to slum it with a tramp like me
They say they want to know
Just how it feels
To have traded my perfect wings
For the pleasure of the year
Nothing’s as bad as you think it’s gonna be
Nothing’s as bad as you think it’s gonna be
You might guzzle down iodine
Chasing it with apathy
But nothing’s quite as bad as you know it’s gonna be
Ladies, I was too eager
For so much earthly delight
I’ve always had big eyes
Even for a little child
But at least I’ve been well defined
No schizophrenic state of mind
I take responsibility
For any evil that possesses me
Nothing’s as bad as you think it’s gonna be
Nothing’s as bad as you think it’s gonna be
You might run into someone you knew
She won’t even look at you
You find out for yourself if it’s as bad
As you know it’s gonna be - Track Name: Don't Let the Devil Steal Your Joy
-
Don’t let the Devil steal your joy (4x)
Nobody told me they’d behave like this
They tempt you with a flower
Later they hiss
Pleasure has no limit
But you can’t deny the poison in her kiss
I feel the rising of Mississippi water
My love will turn the violent winter into spring
Don’t let the Devil steal your joy (4x)
With vulnerable pride
I lost everything on a beautiful lie
Her delicate hands
Drew water from my bones into a box of sand
Change is painful, feel like a stranger
Wasting time is all that ever happens here
Don’t let the Devil steal your joy (4x)
Will you stay or will you run?
Fear destruction when it comes?
Forgiveness will see you through
You may not deserve it
Be glad when it comes to you
Friends will leave you and health will pass
Through tiny cracks in your victory mask
But she comes under moonlight
And it’s hard not to try everything she asks
I’m so glad for the end of night
I liked it so much I almost forgot to wake up
Don’t let the Devil steal your joy (4x) - Track Name: New Mule to Ride
-
I got a new mule to ride (2x)
The old one needed shooting
Don’t consider it a crime
Fifty bucks from an old junkyard
Get on top and you’ll go far
It don’t need to be justified
I got a new mule to ride
It’s not too bright but it sure is strong (2x)
Hitched to a wagon, easy to use
How can a deal like that be wrong?
Anyhow you can make it
Anytime you can take it
No matter what it’s called
Might as well fake it
See if you’re redeemed
Seen me in a mask uptown
Painted lips, hair hanging down
Say “Ain’t you ever been satisfied?”
I wasn’t raised to touch the ground
Four legs are better than two
Drive them hard before you lose
The illusion of dignity
It passes with the moon
I don’t want to face myself
Give me another name
The keys to someone else
I won’t ever have to die
I got a new mule to ride
Never tried to defy it
Or pretend to deny it
No matter the price I’m good for it
Yes I shall be redeemed
She got a new mule to ride (2x)
The old one needed shooting
Don’t consider it a crime
Ride it from the grave to New Orleans
From Cry Me a River to Troublesome Creek
Before the Devil comes
Say Time for getting on
To the business of your dreams - Track Name: Soon My Work Will Be Over
-
Soon my work will be over
Into the valley I’ll go down
Dreamed I died and went to heaven
There was nobody around
Just a storefront red light flashing
On the dark edge of a cloud
And a television playing
Dirty pictures without sound
Days they come
Like an empty train
When I’m alone
And you’re away
Some men will beg for beauty
With terror in their eyes
Better save those pennies
Find another place to hide
I’m so easily tempted
By every shadow on the street
Looking fine and distinguished
As they come calling after me
We must have done
Something wrong
To burn away
With the morning fog
But I want to do everything
Maybe listen to the mountains sing
Oh there’s a difference, a difference
Soon my work will be over
Out of death I will arise
With a brand new perfect body
That does everything but die
Put on that black dress, honey
Release a flower where you stand
We’ll go walking in the sunshine
With all its power in our hands
Days they come
Like an empty train
When I’m alone
And you’re away
But I want to do everything
Maybe listen to the mountains sing
Oh there’s a difference, a difference
Moving through fire
Won’t change my mind
Moving through fire
And I can’t turn round
