Lyrics

NOBODY GONNA RIDE ON THE RAILROAD

Nobody gonna’ ride on the railroad
Went down to Chestertown and they just said goodbye
Nobody gonna’ ride on the railroad
Once proud and shiny, now she’s dusty and dry

Chorus:

Nobody rides
Can’t you hear that soulful whistlin’ in the wind
Nobody rides
Jumped the rails and roared away round the bend
Nobody rides
Say a prayer for every soul along the line
Nobody rides
On the train that made this great land of mine

Nobody gonna dance to the music
Don’t call the union hall it’s boarded up tight
Nobody gonna’ dance to the music
Nobody gonna’ dance to the music tonight

(Chorus)

Hold on dear old dad of mine
Worked his fingers down to the bone
Hold on mama don’t you cry
I’d take you with me, if I knew where to go

(Repeat)

Nobody gonna’ walk on the water
Just sold my Bible for a good piece of bread
Nobody gonna’ walk on the water
Big train stole away and left us for dead

(Chorus)

Nobody rides
Nobody rides
Nobody rides on the train that made this great land of mine

Nobody gonna’ ride on the railroad
Went down to Chestertown and they just said goodbye
Nobody gonna’ ride on the railroad
Once proud and shiny, now she’s dusty and dry…..

TAKE IT ON THE CHIN

Start to realize the danger
Got to wonder “Are you tough enough?”
Then she throws back her mane
Sending sparks in the wind
And darin’ you to touch her

Chorus:

You’ve gotta’ take it on the chin
If you wanna’ ride her
If you wanna’ win
You’ve gotta’ take it on the chin
If you wanna’ ride her
If you wanna’ ride her

So you’re the king of the west, aye?
You say there isn’t much you haven’t done
But she remains unimpressed
And she’s boltin’ from the gate
Leave you chokin’ on her dust now

(Chorus)

All kind of fever as you touch
Those skin tight muscles
Take the reins in your hands
You’re comin’ close, so close
Her eyes are burnin’ wild
She’s gonna’ do something bad

She’s teachin’ you a lesson
If you want her, you’re gonna’
Have to come and get her now
And you can feel it in your chest
When she rears back and kicks
You are dyin’ to possess her

(Chorus)

RIDE

Used to be silent
Used to be open
Used to be romance in a life on the plains
Now it’s Exxons and K-Marts
Best Westerns, McDonald’s
And my cattle graze on the big missile range

Chorus:

Ride, ride
Get along little doggies
Ride, ride
So gold in the sun
Yippy-aye boys
Here the dinner bell ringin’
Get along little doggies
For day’s about done

Can’t find the campfire
Can’t find the kettle
Can’t find my harp or my steel-string guitar
When I turn off my headlights
And gaze at the heavens
See satellites pass between Venus and Mars

(Chorus)

The blacktops are fadin’
Turnpikes are openin’
But somehow it just ain’t the same as before
For it’s up in the morning
In search of the dollar
And there’s no time for ridin’ ‘round here anymore

Ride, ride
Get along little doggies
Ride, ride
So gold in the sun
We’re a long way
From the wide open spaces
Get along little doggies
For day’s about done
Get along little doggies
For the West it is won

TIME WAITS FOR NO MAN

Bought a secondhand van
And headed west on the interstate
Had a mind to get a bite
And a bite I got and a bite I gave

She asked me if I had a light
In the back a band played “Voodoo Child”
Think I mumbled somethin’ dumb
She said “let’s dance a little while”

Pretty soon the room was gettin’ hot
Coulda’ left but I bought a beer
Felt my skin begin to scream
When she whispered in my ear

Chorus:

Time waits for no man
Time waits for no man
Time waits for no man
Time
Waits for no man

She walked and talked me to the van
Opened up, she pushed me in
We toked and stroked for seven days
In a fit of lust, in a fit of sin

On the seventh night we took a breath
She sent me out to get a pint
When I came back with a fifth of gin
My secondhand van was gone in the night

(Chorus)

Sat my butt down in the road
Coulda’ laughed and I coulda’ cried
Smelled the sage and the creosote
Stuck my thumb out for a ride

Bought a secondhand van
And headed west on the interstate
Had a mind to get a bite
And a bite I got and a bite I gave

MONTANA

Don’t know my mama, don’t know my daddy
Don’t know my name or my place of birth
But when I got a look at the Big Sky country
I knew I had a home on this earth

Chorus:

Montana, Montana
Rockin’ me under your heavenly skies
Montana, Montana
Gonna’ love you ‘till the day I die

Got a home on the mountain, a home in the valley
I live on the lake and I live off the land
And when I get crazy, there’s a Flathead woman
To tell me I’m her lovin’ man

(Chorus)

And when it’s rainin’ on the prairie
You can hear the angels sing

And there’s a mist on the river, strips on the griddle
Sun’s comin’ up on the great highway
And with the Rockies risin’ in the clouds so gentle
You’ll forever take my breath away

(Chorus)

TWISTER

‘Cept for some far away thunder
Things seem pretty much the same
The world hasn’t found me
The well’s about dry
And the Lord don’t remember my name

And I wish I could lay here forever
Marooned on the shores of your skin
But if you close your eyes
And you listen real good
You can hear the change in the wind

Moonlight seems so pitiful now
Hold me tight
Bring me that bottle
Soak me in love
‘Till the blast comes down

Chorus:

You can’t run from the twister
You can’t run fast enough
You can’t run from the twister
Twister’s gonna’ swallow you up

Well I woke when the night was retreating
And I rode out to meet with the sun
And I weighed all its offers
In the palms of my hands
‘Till I found out the day was all done

And I rode over mountains and mesas
With the sky turning black in the west
And I entered your bedroom
And climbed in your bed
And buried my fear in your breast

Moonlight seems so pitiful now
Hold me tight
Bring me that bottle
Soak me in love
‘Till the blast comes down

(Chorus)

HEAVENLY ANCIENTS

Walking in the desert at night
Listening for the Heavenly Ancients
Breathing in the stars and the moonlight
Wanna’ go way, way back

Footsteps over the sandstone
Just like Heavenly Ancients
Heavenly Ancients
Calling me way, way back

Playing with my baby in bed
Thinking bout the Heavenly Ancients
Creepin’ with the cars on the freeway
Wanna’ go way, way back

Crosstalk over the phone line
Sounds like Heavenly Ancients
Heavenly Ancients
Callin’ me away, way back

What did they see, I don’t see?
What is this crazy sign?
Flute man playing a song for me
Callin’ me across the line

(Repeat)

Sittin’ by my body at rest
Waiting for the Heavenly Ancients
Nothin’ left to keep me around here
I’m ready to go way back

Dancin’ with the….
Smokin’ with the….

OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION

I know you don’t care about nothin’
You just smile and pass me by
So I will be serenadin’
By your window tonight

Chorus:

Singin’ come to me, my soul surrenders
Show me the way to your heart
You are the object of my affection
Can I be your sweetheart?

Through all times of stormy weather
Who’ll be there to calm you down?
They’ll say “don’t they go together”
When we go ridin’ into town

(Chorus)

We’ll go out upon the prairie
Put our roots down in the ground
Shout it out across the county
We’ll get by together now

(Chorus)

LONG WAY FROM VIXENBURG

Don’t look back boys
Make a lotta’ noise Tommy
We ain’t got far to go
There’s a great big heavenly rainbow on the horizon
Fire your guns and run them hoof beats
Into this cold and muddy ground
There’ll be women, wine and better times
When we roll into town

Chorus:

‘Cause it’s been weird
It’s been strange
Been a long ridin’ hard together
Through a drivin’ rain
Hear the band
Playin’ their best
We came a long way from Vixenburg
And we ain’t goin’ back again

Well the cold gets into your bones
And brother the road works over your life
And we done some things
Left better off unremembered
But you think of the years, the tears and the blood
Spent fightin’ to keep this dream alive
And you bite your lip, Willy crack that whip
Let’s hit the borderline

(Chorus)

‘Open your eyes up

Move it along here

Beat on your drum

Let’s shake a leg

We came a long way from Vixenburg
And we ain’t goin’ back again
We came a long way from Vixenburg
And we ain’t goin’ back again

A BOTTLE OF WINE, A SUITCASE, AN UMBRELLA

A Bottle of Wine, A Suitcase, An Umbrella
A bottle of wine, a suitcase, an umbrella
Three things that mean so very much to me

A bottle of wine, a suitcase, an umbrella
There’s times you’ll find no finer company
Chorus:

A bottle of wine will ease the pain
The suitcase for the mornin’ train
When skies are grey and threatening
Umbrella keeps you from the rain
A mademoiselle will take your heart in the end
And brother when you start again
Could you have three better friends?

A bottle of wine, a suitcase, an umbrella
When you’re dyin’ of thirst and the bar boys draw you down
A bottle of wine, a suitcase, an umbrella
When the sun comes up and the brakeman’s leaving town

(Chorus)

A mademoiselle will break your heart in the end
And brother when you start again
Could you have three better friends?