| Disc 1 | ||||||
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| 1. |
| 4:34 | 
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He was a long tall stranger from way down south where he'd left his life behind
He had a big old Gibson and a pickup truck and Shenandoah eyes And I remember him sitting in that local bar where I earned my pay each night Singing my songs to empty chairs and going home half tight So the nights rolled by like headlights shining on a lonesome strip of tar I kept his words of kindness close to me like a pick on my guitar; And we Talked about the singers and the songs we loved and the songs we'd most forgot In that run-down bar they'd make last call and I'd never want to stop 'Cause I was living on nothing but a young girl's dreams With my cowboy boots and my old six-string Hitching my wagon to a star, dreaming of leaving those local bars When I'd get him up at closing time for a couple of songs and a chance to shine Like the star that he longed to be, he looked a helluva lot like me He'd played a lot of places where the only wages were food and beer for free No fancy licks, but he had him a gift for the kind of songs he'd sing But you do what you can to be a satisfied man, just to have your peace of mind So he gave it all up for a government job where the paychecks come on time So now he comes to the bar to hear me play guitar and to share a drink or two And we sit swapping tales of where we've been and what we'd rather do There's a wealth of danger when you're talking to strangers, and I meet them all the time But my heart knew better than my head when I looked into those eyes 'Cause I was living on nothing but a young girl's dreams with my cowboy boots and my old six-string Hitching my wagon to a star, dreaming of leaving those local bars When I'd get him up at closing time for a couple of songs and a chance to shine Like the star that he longed to be, he looked a hell of a lot like me Well, maybe I'll quit when I got me a kid and a place to call my own But tonight there ain't nobody there waiting up for me at home It's a hell of a way to live from day to day not knowing where you're bound But the look in his eyes made me realize I was glad for the life I'd found 'Cause I was living on nothing but a young girl's dreams with my cowboy boots and my old six-string Hitching my wagon to a star, dreaming of leaving those local bars When I'd get him up at closing time for a couple of songs and a chance to shine Like the star that he longed to be, he looked a hell of a lot like me Like the star that he'd always be, he looked a hell of a lot like me |
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| 2. |
| 4:54 | 
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| 3. |
| 4:49 |
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Years ago in my hometown I was a headstrong girl and a heartstrong one We'd ride all summer with the top rolled down through the sleepy streets of that Jersey town Now I knew girls when I was sixteen Could make a smart boy stutter, turn a nice boy mean And the boys made the girls into homecoming queens Married each other instead of their dreams These days I'm mostly out on my own Looking for someplace that I can call home Late at night, or just before dawn I pretend you're with me now It never seemed that hard before What happened to that hometown girl? The seasons changed in my hometown The way they changed in yours The windows opened up to the Spring Like every spring before And I ran with boys who weren't like you I was young but somehow I knew The difference between a man and a fool Sometimes I think that could have been you These days I'm mostly out on my own Looking for someplace that I can call home Late at night, or just before dawn I pretend you're with me now It never seemed that hard before What happened to that hometown girl? Hometown girls are like hometown dreams Some start fading, others stay keen I won't forget you but I'll let you be Love never was that kind to me Late at night or just before down I pretend you're with me now You had your madness and you had your charm But only when your heart allowed And my heart just won't allow no more What happened to that hometown girl? |
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| 4. |
| 4:08 |
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Outside another yellow moon Has punched a hole in the nighttime I climb through the window and down to the street I'm shining like a new dime The downtown trains are full With all those Brooklyn girls They try so hard to break out of their little world You wave your hand and they scatter like crows They have nothing that will ever capture your heart They're just thorns without the rose Oh, be careful of them in the dark And if I was the one You chose to be your only one Oh baby now, can't you hear me now Will I see you tonight on a downtown train Where every night is just the same;You leave me lonely now (Now) I know your window and I know it's late I know your stairs and your doorway I walk down your street and past your gate I stand by the light at the fourway You watch them as they fall Ooh, and they all have heart attacks They stay at the carnival, but they'll never win you back Will I see you tonight on a downtown train Where every night, every night is just the same; you leave me lonely Will I see you tonight on a downtown train Where every night, every night is just the same, all upon a downtown Will I see you tonight on a downtown train Where every night, every night is just the same, you leave me lonely Will I see you tonight on a downtown train Where all my dreams just fall like the rain, all upon a downtown train |
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| 5. |
| 4:29 |
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Last Sunday we got in the car and we drove To the town you were raised in, your boyhood home The trees were just turning, up on the ridge And this was your valley when you were a kid You showed me the railroad that your daddy worked on As we neared the old house where your granny lives on She's nearing ninety years now, with her daughters by her side Who tend the places in the heart where loneliness can hide Raised by the women who are stronger than you know A patchwork quilt of memory only women could have sewn The threads were stitched by family hands, protected from the moth By your mother...and her mother, the weavers of your cloth Your grandmother owned a gun in 1932 When times were bad just everywhere, you said she used it too And the life and times of everyone are traced inside their palms Her skin may be so weathered, but her grip is still so strong And I see your eyes belong to her and too your mama too A slice of Virginia sky, the clearest shade of blue Raised by the women who are stronger than you know A patchwork quilt of memory only women could have sewn The threads were stitched by family hands, protected from the moth By your mother...and her mother, the weavers of your cloth And a rich man you might never be, they'd love you just the same They've handed down so much to you besides your Christian name And the spoken word won't heal you like the laying on of hands Belonging to the ones who raised you to a man Raised by the women who are stronger than you know A patchwork quilt of memory only women could have sewn The threads were stitched by family hands, protected from the moth By your mother...and her mother, the weavers of your cloth |
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| 6. |
| 3:07 |
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He pulled out in a cloud of dust Laying rubber and spewing rust And on any road he'd take He'd have his foot on the pedal and my heart on the brake Underneath the smooth tar curves A road is only dust and dirt On a lonely interchange The signs all look the same 'Cause a road is just a road and a feeling's just a feeling No matter where you go, from Waterloo to Wichita A road is just a road that the one you love is leaving on And midnight's another dawn, 100 miles ago His wheels spun out of sight of me Believing that I'd set him free But I'd heard the voice of the prisoner Saying he couldn't get enough of her You go by land, you go by air You go by sea, hell I don't care You can go any way you choose Wearing out the soles of your traveling shoes And a road is just a road and a feeling's just a feeling No matter where you go, from Bangor, Maine to Bakersfield A road is just a road that the one you love is leaving on And midnight's another dawn, a hundred miles ago And every sleepless night I see him Screaming by the scenery Not noticing another mile That's rolled down between him and me 'Cause a road is just a road and a feeling's just a feeling No matter where you go, from Saskatoon to San Antone A road is just a road that the one you love is leaving on And midnight's another dawn, a hundred miles ago Yes, a road is just a road and a feeling's just a feeling No matter where you go, from San Bernardino to Sault Ste. Marie A road is just a road that the one you love is leaving on And midnight's another dawn, a hundred miles ago |
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| 7. |
| 3:14 |
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| 8. |
| 3:23 |
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Fetch me a glass, let's fill it with fine romance Pour slow the wine, then let your eyes kiss mine You, you with the charming eyes Lately I've found myself truly beguiled If this is a waltz, then I can't refuse To dance with a man like you. She must be fine, she must be enchantingly kind And she must be fair, and never reveal that she cares Then, then when you've got her heart Spin her around till she begs you to stop But this is a waltz and no lady refuses To dance with a man like you. And if she inquires the meaning of love You'll silence her words with a glance And if she desires to wonder and pause You'll charmingly ask her to dance You promised me that you would forever be kind And if meant to be, our love would find comfort in time Now, now that you feel no more How could I follow you out to the floor And now it's the waltz but I have to refuse To dance with a man like you But this is your waltz and you'll find someone new To dance with a man like you |
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| 9. |
| 4:57 |
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Have you ever loved someone you knew nothing of Except you'd seen the light inside their eyes Have you ever loved someone just because Nothing felt so easy or so right And I think of you like the others do Wondering if you think of me And if you do, if you really do Who is it that you see Have you ever loved Whether right or wrong Have you ever loved someone Just because Have you ever tried to speak the truth instead of lie When it seemed you had everything to lose Have you ever tried to stand your ground instead of hide When staying only made you look a fool And I stayed by you though I think I knew It wouldn't change a thing Changes come to hearts with ease But they come so hard to me Have you ever tried to make it last, not knowing why Except you had to try Just because And every day that passes now, I s'pose I'm getting older Wiser with the things I've done But I hope I don't grow colder And now I see the ones, who've lost so much They swear they're done With love and all the chance it brings for pain But have you ever touched, and by itself it was enough To make you want to reach out once again And I'll touch you when I need a friend Or just a small reminder That I haven't grown too cold to feel You penetrate my armor Have you ever loved Whether right or wrong Have you ever loved someone Just because Have you ever loved someone Just because |
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| 10. |
| 4:45 |
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Heros and heroines are scarcer than they've ever been So much more to lose than win the distance never greater Way back when you made history by flying planes across the sea Embarking on your odyssey You put away the danger Heaven bless the one who flys A pioneer on frontier skies The world was dark and your only mark Was the light of the northern star I imagine what was in your eyes The seeds of rust and days gone by Your wings hang in a gallery sky I wonder how you're flying Way out on the western plains The snow drifts high and the dust wind burns The chinooks blow their winds Across the mountains A life that's never safe and dry rodeos and riding high Ladies and their men get by on six guns and white lightening. Heaven bless them on the road those drifters and their dreams of gold The world was wide and a cowboy's song could span the whole horizon I imagine what was in your eyes The dust and the dirt under out law skies A piece of land and a stubborn mind were the only things worth having Now they say the moon is dust and ash and California's made of cash We're waiting for those hills to crash into sparkling waters Rain and snow and sun and wind You roamed the earth and you spread your wings Long ago my hero's dreams belonged to all God's creatures Heaven bless the ones who sleep The ones who laugh and the ones who weep Heaven bless the one who keep their bearings strong and certain And Lord help the fool who said You'd better quit while you're ahead A dreamer born is a hero bred on earth and up in heaven And Lord help the fool who said You'd better quit while you're ahead A dreamer born is a hero bred on earth and up in heaven |
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