A songwriter's album in progress
Unbound
No predetermined theme, no boundaries. Songs about love, life, getting older, laughing at ourselves, and sometimes saying what needs to be said.
Listen / Buy on BandcampTracks
I came in late
The place was about to cut loose
She was already countin' time
And callin' every move
Hair in a twist
Her boots clean white
She only took one step
And stole the room that night
The whole crowd turns
When she spins that way
Makes my heartbeat go wild
Then makes it vanish again
I tried to stay cool
But I can’t play it straight
No matter how she moves
My heart just won’t behave
She's a real flatliner
Every ticker stops when she hits the floor
She's a real flatliner
Never held my breath this long before
(Real flatliner)
(Real flatliner)
Her boots draw lines
On my offbeat kicks
And I keep losing count
On her "four, five, six"
She teased the boys
All tryin' too hard
But when she looked my way
She caught me off guard
The whole crowd turned
When she spun that way
She made my heartbeat go wild
Then made it vanish again
I tried to stay cool
But I couldn’t play it straight
No matter how she moved
My heart just won’t behave
She's a real flatliner
Every ticker stops when she hits the floor
She's a real flatliner
Never held my breath this long before
(Real flatliner)
(Real flatliner)
I was just passin' through
With a drink in my hand
Then she pulled me in
With a simple two-step command
If love's a leap
I'm already gone
She put a spell on my feet
Nothin’ more could be done
She's a real flatliner
Every ticker stops when she hits the floor
She's a real flatliner
Never held my breath this long before
(Real flatliner)
(Real flatliner)
I used to work two jobs
Made sure my family had enough to eat
Now grocery stores fill their own plate
And leave the crumbs at my feet
Could always handle my own problems
Never needed anybody’s hand
But the world’s gettin' wilder
And I'm not sure where I stand
Never been a religious man
Don't know if anything's up there
But if something's listenin', somewhere
Please rid me of selfish power-hungry men
And just make my life great again
Used to jump in my old pickup
Never had to check with the bank
Now I need to get a mortgage
Just to fill up my tank
Could always handle my own problems
Never needed anybody’s hand
But the world’s gettin' crazier
And it's harder to understand
Never been a religious man
Don't know if anything's up there
But if something's listenin', somewhere
Please rid me of selfish power-hungry men
And just make my life great again
Don't need you to make me rich
Don't need to see your name on a monolith
Don't need you to hand me the fucking planet
Just give me peace and let me breathe on it
Used to pack a bag and travel
See some places I'd never seen
Now I check who's bombin' who
Before I know if I can leave
Can I really handle all those problems?
Maybe I need somebody's hand
Can the world keep gettin' darker?
Just hope there's some light at the end
Never been a religious man
Don't know if anything's up there
But if something's listenin', somewhere
Please rid me of selfish power-hungry men
And just make my life great again
Never been a religious man
I wish there was something up there
And if something's listenin', somewhere
Please rid me of selfish power-hungry men
And just make my life great again
And just make my life great again
And just make my life great again
Doc said, "Son, what's your health plan?"
I said, "Ain't sure I need a plan."
Grandpa lived to be ninety-four
And he died with a grin on his crooked jaw
He never cared for healthy stuff
Slept in dirt and woke up tough
Said, "Keep on workin' till you're dead"
"And don't let worry in your head"
I asked him once, straight up
"What's the trick to livin' long?"
He winked and raised his glass
Said, "Boy, it ain't a mystery"
Lots of beer, lots of whiskey
Keep it simple, take it easy
Lots of beer, lots of whiskey
That's what kept the old man happy
Lots of beer, lots of whiskey
Not sure if that's the recipe
Lots of beer, lots of whiskey
But his laugh remains with me
My old neighbor coughed up dust
Pretended to outrun me to the truck
He'd stretch the truth, he'd spin a tale
But I never saw him lookin' frail
His woman said, "That man won't quit"
"He looks rusted, but that's just grit"
He'd toast the moon, he'd toast the rain
Then dance off every ache and pain
I asked him once, straight up
"What's the trick to livin' long?"
He winked and raised his glass
Said, "Boy, it ain't a mystery"
Lots of beer, lots of whiskey
Keep it simple, take it easy
Lots of beer, lots of whiskey
That's what kept this old man happy
Lots of beer, lots of whiskey
I don't know if that's the recipe
Lots of beer, lots of whiskey
But his laugh remains with me
I don't think it's rocket science
Still can't tell what made them last
They were good at makin' stories
But they showed up every time
So I'll pour one for the long roads
Just in case I'm gettin' old
If the world gets mean and twisty
I'll hear them laughin' back at me
Lots of beer, lots of whiskey
Keep it simple, take it easy
Lots of beer, lots of whiskey
That's what kept those old men happy
Lots of beer, lots of whiskey
Not sure if that's the recipe
Lots of beer, lots of whiskey
But their laughs remain with me
Lots of beer
Lots of whiskey
Keep it simple, take it easy
Let their laughs remain with me
You don't wear a showy face
Don’t need to fill all the space
You hold my hand, you keep your word
That’s all I need to fill my world
Don’t need to wait to get a hug
Don’t need to freak when things get rough
Ain't a lot of flash to see
‘Cause you keep it real with me
And that says more
Than a diamond ever could
Never cared about this before
But it makes me feel good
I love the way you love me
I love the way you show it
Steady hands, open heart
Never once let me down
I love the way you love me
I love the way you care
You’re my daily risin’ sun
You're the only one
You don't talk big to prove a point
You show up quiet, like you always do
If my world gets knocked out of line
You help me put it back in view
You feel it when I'm scared inside
Never try to brush it aside
No big speeches, no grand parade
Just some peace in everything you say
And that shows more
Than a diamond ever could
Never cared about this before
But it makes me feel good
I love the way you love me
I love the way you show it
Steady hands, open heart
Never once let me down
I love the way you love me
I love the way you care
You’re my daily risin’ sun
You're the only one
If all around me went wild
I'd still find shelter in your arms
Even when the storm clouds roll
You wouldn’t bend, you’d hold
I love the way you love me
I love the way you show it
Steady hands, open heart
Never once let me down
I love the way you love me
I love the way you care
You’re my daily risin’ sun
You'll always be the only one
I used to point an angry finger at the tearin’ wind
Sayin’ life ain’t fair, but there’s no way out
Blamed the rain for the rust, cursed the drought for the dust
But truth is, I was the storm I talked about
Kept runnin’ from the shadows of my past
Every wrong turn I swore was my last
You can’t earn back your pride with a bottle or a prayer
Till you own the mess, it’ll still be there
’Cause every bridge I burned, every road I crossed
Every broken heart, every moment I lost
Ain’t nobody else I can blame this time
The face in the mirror is me
I can’t fix my soul till I face the truth
The lesson’s hard but I’m long overdue
No judge, no jury, just honesty
The face in the mirror is me
Now I wake up, pour my coffee, take a breath
Try to be a better man than I’ve been yet
Ain’t redemption some long, hard ride?
But if you want to heal, there ain’t no place to hide
Some parts of me I had to leave behind
Had to change the way I feel inside
You can’t get back your life with a bottle or a prayer
Till you own the mess, it’ll still be there
’Cause every bridge I burned, every road I crossed
Every broken heart, every moment I lost
Ain’t nobody else I can blame this time
The face in the mirror is me
I can’t fix my soul till I face the truth
The lesson’s hard but I’m long overdue
No judge, no jury, just honesty
The face in the mirror is me
You can hide from the world, but not from your eyes
They know every lie, every alibi
And if grace is real, it don’t come for free
It starts when you make yourself worthy
’Cause every bridge I burned, every road I crossed
Every broken heart, every moment I lost
Ain’t nobody else I can blame this time
The face in the mirror is me
Yeah, I ain’t lookin’ for a way to run
I’m just learnin’ to stand, not blame someone
Ain’t no truth more plain to see
The face in the mirror is me
’Cause every bridge I burned, every road I crossed
Every broken heart, every moment I lost
Ain’t nobody else I can blame this time
The face in the mirror is me
Yeah, I ain’t lookin’ for a way to run
I’m just learnin’ to stand, not blame someone
Ain’t no truth more plain to see
The face in the mirror is me