1. |
The Roofer
03:47
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Intro. Buried in the fog, Fourteen feet below the sea,
Warm air like a blanket, Surrounds and comforts me,
No past, No future, Just a moment in the mist,
Tree roots crack the sidewalk, but they hold on to the bricks,
In the middle of the ocean, where the land is still in motion
Where did all my good friends go?
Where the currents of the Midwest meet the Gulf of Mexico,
and The River Meets The Mister Go
A. Oscar was a roofer, Living down in New Orleans,
Buckets full of gravel, Balanced high up on a beam,
He wore cheapo boat shoes, So his feet could feel to grip,
It'd be the first time if he stumbled, And the last time if he tripped.
A. He grew up in the Ninth Ward, 'till old Betsey washed him out,
Found himself in Arkansas, Pickin' berries, down and out,
Surviving on hope, He had his mind set on a dream,
Saving up his money and movin' back to New Orleans.
B. It’s a city built on levees,
It's a city built on dreams,
It's a city full of people that I know,
Where the trannies turn their tricks,
All the children clank drum sticks,
And the sound of trumpets pierce the air,
C. New Orleans is a wave, it's just movin' awfully slow,
You can see it in the angles of the poles,
And it juts out in the ocean where it meets and the Gulf Stream,
And the river meets the Mister Go.
In the middle of the ocean,
Where the land is still in motion,
Where did all my good friends go?
Where the currents from the midwest meet the Gulf on Mexico
and the river meets the Mister Go.
B. C.
Here's a verse I added to later versions of the song:
Oscar never knew what another day would bring
He just lay down a shingle, and try make that hammer sing
He rose early in the morning, worked till late at night
Stayin' high up on the rooftops seemed to keep him out of fights
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2. |
Egyptland
03:54
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Whiskey and water and lemons in my tea,
Lazy Sunday mornin's comin' back to me,
Post card memories wishin' you well.
Telephone messages, stories to tell
Cardboard guitar case and a carry-on bag,
Raisin' up the rooftop,
but cha covered in rags,
Gazin' out the window when the truth is near at hand,
I don't intend to die in Egypt Land.
The taste of the medicine and the smell of the beer,
Standin' at attention, but you're tremblin' in fear,
Realizations,
Stiff conversation,
Uneasy understanding,
No use demanding,
Starin' into darkness and you tryin' to find hope,
Makin' deals with the devil and you pickin' out a rope.
I don't want to die in Egypt,
I don't want to die in Egypt land,
I don't want to die in Egypt.
Talkin' bout the future but cha lookin' straight behind,
Tryin' to think of reason,
Nothing comes to mind,
Quite often walkin' blindly looking for some sort of sign,
In a maze of broken patterns can a vision be devine?
I don't want to die in Egypt,
I don't want to die in Egypt land,
I don't want to die in Egypt.
I don't wanna die in Egypt land.
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3. |
Wet Wool in Rain
02:57
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1. Now that I’m alone again, and I’m right back on my own again,
I take my wool coat and my wool hat and go walkin’ in the rain
I know not where I’m going to, and I see no one I know,
I’m just an aimless wanderer tryin’ to figure out where to go,
But my thoughts are back with you. What more could I do?
I don’t need no more confusion, I won’t take you back again
2. Never quite asleep, and I’m never quite awake,
I toss and turn about my bed as I tally up mistakes,
I've turned this whole thing over, and I still don't understand,
On a lonely subway platform with my notebook in my hand,
Writing down thought on you, What more could I do?
I don’t need no more confusion, I won’t take you back again
3. Nothing smell like loneliness, and nothing quells my pain,
Nothing seeps in to my pores, much as wet wool in the rain
I woke up in the still of night, saw the writing on the wall,
I quietly gathered up my things and I tip-toed down the hall,
But my thoughts are back with you, What more could I do?
I don’t need no more confusion, your love was an illusion,
I’ve awoke from my delusion, I won’t take you again,
I won’t take you back again,
I won’t take you back, take you back, take you back again.
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4. |
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I got twenty-three dollars and twenty three cents,
Havin’ trouble with my bills,
Havin’ trouble payin’ rent
Ain’t no glory in an honest day,
They’ll be laughin’ to the bank when they take your pay
Hi aye
I wanna jump and shout
Howlin’ at the moon till the sun comes out
I work all day in the summer sun
There’s a little bit of shade
but it won’t help you none
Aint no shakin’ in the leaves on the trees
They aint shakin’ cause there aint no breeze
Hi aye,.....
Gloves on my hands, I got boots on my feet,
Whistlin’ up a tune as I walk down the street,
I like the sound of the hammer and the ting of the nail
Washin’ off my hands in a five gallon pail
Hi Aye....
Put a nail through my foot,
Needed stitches in my hand,
I can't keep living by your demands,
You got me in a game of the crazy eights,
Can't get to heaven on no roller skates,
Hi Aye...
Paint in my hair, I got paint in my brain,
The smell of the turpentine’ll drive you insane
But my hinges don’t bind and my bit don’t walk
and I shoot about as straight as a line of chaulk
Hi aye....
You’re a two bit hustler in a one horse town,
Watch your back cause I don’t mess around
If you buck if you bolt, I can do that too,
You been laughin’ in my face, but now the joke’s on you
Hi Aye...
I mailed my letter and I checked the date,
Watched the postman pick it up by the old front gate,
You can run your number, you can raise your rates,
Just try to tell me that my rent came late
Hi Aye.....
Twenty three dollars and some change
Twenty three dollars and aint no sense
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5. |
The Short Man's Complex
04:39
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6. |
Bad Kids
03:55
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Bad Kids and they won't do right,
Underneath the staircase shootin' dice,
Passin' 'round a bottle and a big ole spliff,
Shoutin' baby can I git a hit?
Bad Kids in the the dead of night,
Stealin' wallets, stealin' ten-speed bikes,
Walkin' down the street carryin' huntin' knifes,
Carvin' their names in trees.
B. Why should I fix that gate?
So they can take off the hinge again,
Breakin' rules, Skippin' school.
They're headin' for a life of sin.
It was a rough patch right on the tracks,
If you waved at the train,
the conductor waved back,
All them little kiddies playin' snakes in the grass will never forget that day,
When those bad kids, the ones that was always doin' wrong broke in the window of the old folks home,
Scalin' up the all on a factory pallet,
Bustin' up the bricks with a croquette mallet,
Bad kids in the afternoon,
We heard police sirens soon,
Cops caught wind, and they caught the train,
And we never saw those bad kids again,
No,
We never saw those bad kids again.
alternate verses
One day I heard somebody scream,
Peered out the screen door, so as not to be seen,
I figured those bad kids must have been pretty mean,
Because they covered Julio's face in shaving cream
I spied em, up on the roof,
The ringleader and his little brother too,
Thowin stones at the passersby,
Somebody's gonna lose an eye,
Kurt was the leader of the bad kids pack,
He had a green broom handle sharpened to a point just for killing cats,
and all those little kidies playin snakes in the grass,
we didn't know quite what to think of that
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7. |
Losin' Hold
03:58
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You
Might think that I would learn to see it coming,
when she peers from up above,
I just know that I’m in love
when she beckons, I come runnin’
When,
When you asked me my first name,
When I scribbled down your number
I would never be the same.
You are divine and you just float there,
and I let myself forget,
I relinquish all my grip,
I can feel my fingers slip.
I’m losin’ hold
I’m losin’ hold
You,
would think that I would learn to see it comin’
recognize the road,
pick up on the signals.
She waves her hand and I walk over,
I can’t fill these shoes,
I’m not as bright a star as you,
I can’t play my part,
you’re just too tough an act to follow
I
know that I don’t mean a thing
I’m just another fool,
following her every move,
I look about and see I’m just a shadow,
I look about and see I’m just a shadow,
Losin’ Hold,
Losin’ Hold
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8. |
New Orleans East
05:23
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On my way out to New Orleans East,
I start to picture her again,
It's rainin' outside and it's rainin' down inside,
I'm afraid of what I left behind.
Fuel filter's out on my pickup truck,
Coast down the hills and then I sputter up,
Wipers shot so the windshield streaks,
This old heap of junk has got all kinds of squeaks,
Back at my penthouse by the railroad tracks,
I've still got you on my mind,
Rest my feet up on the countertop,
I lay my hammer by my side,
When we split I thought I'd laugh again,
I just ended up cryin'
I know I was wrong and I want you back again,
Won't you give me one more try?
....
On my way out to New Orleans East,
Everything I know is gone,
Above the front door lies the water line,
Because the levees were not strong,
Back in the city your still by my side,
But our memories are stained,
We left the town we love and there's no goin' back,
Recollections rearranged.
Split leather gloves and a mildew mask,
Birthday presents never been unwrapped,
To the curb go all your auntie's knick knacks,
Picked up by city workers with their rakes and bobcats.
When we split I thought I'd laugh again,
But now I find myself cryin'
We left the town we love and there's no goin back,
Long to see her one more time,
On my way,
On my way,
On my way out to New Orleans
East.
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9. |
Big Shoes
06:29
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none
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Ted Hefko and The Thousandaires New Orleans, Louisiana
Ted Hefko & The Thousandaires stir up an intoxicating brew of the profound and the profane, of virtue and vice and most importantly the volatile in-between. Ted’s songs explore hope and hustlers, saints and strays, drifters and the down-and-out. The band brings these stories to life with the spontaneity of jazz, and the rough-hewn, bare-bones tone of backwoods rhythm and bllues. ... more
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