Альбом Rodney Crowell

Rain came down in endless sheets of thunder
Lightnin' bolts split pine trees down to the roots
In the shadow of the Astrodome with a hurricane comin' on strong
We used to hit the streets and go swimming in our birthday suits

Skiing in a bar ditch behind a moped
13 stitches on the corner of a sardine can
We were dirt poor Houston kids our whole family living on the skids
But we always had a nickel for the comin' of the ice cream man

Mosquito truck blowing up DDT
Barefoot heathens running wild and free
Air raid buzzer at a noon-day scream
Living in a dream on Telephone Road

I used to love them cherry Cokes down at the Prince's Drive-In
And the cheeseburgers taste so good I like to come untied
There's a Chinaberry tree I remember I used to climb in and out of my window
The night I left was on the day before my Grandma died

Sawdust spread out on a dance hall floor
Jukebox ripping at an all-out roar
Barmaid smiling at a 10 cent tip
Living is a trip on Telephone Road

Magnolia Garden bandstand on the very front row
Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and the Killer puttin' on a show
Six years old and just barely off my daddy's knee
When those rockabilly rebels sent the Devil running right through me

A drive-in movie in the trunk of my car
A one-eyed sailor in an ice house bar
Split-shine Charlie and ol' Peg-leg Bill are dressed up fit to kill on Telephone Road

Telephone Road, Telephone Road

Barbecue and beer on ice
A salty watermelon slice at the Little Taste of Paradise
On Telephone Road

The rock of my soul went to church on Sunday
The rock of my soul went to work on Monday
Clean across the levee by the railroad tracks
The other side of Houston in a two-room shack
Sweepin' out confetti from a third grade classroom
The rock of my soul pushed a dust mop broom
The rock of my soul didn't have much luck
He came to town a-grinnin' on a flat bed truck
The rock of my soul didn't have much charm
Ah with the lack of education on a red dirt farm
And he was fond of disappearing on an eight day drunk
Coming home smelling like a lowdown skunk
And he said...

Do like I say, not like I do and you might make me proud
Another Houston kid on a downhill skid for crying out loud

I'm a first hand witness to an age-old crime
A man who hits a woman isn't worth a dime
5, 6, 7, 8, 9 years old
That's what I remember 'bout the rock of my soul

I told him I would kill him if he did not stop it
But the rock of my soul just would not drop it
I learned to lie like dirt I could steal your shirt and talk with a gun
Another Houston kid on a downhill skid like father like son

Now I got out of prison 'bout a year ago
Seven long years really went by slow
I didn't kill my daddy but my momma tried
Ah she shot him with a pistol and he like to a-died
I'm on probation living straight and true
And there's every indication that the past is through
That's all I know about the rock of my soul.

Once I had a woman with a high hand
And I let her treat me mighty low man
She made a lover of my best friend
And now he treats me like a has been

Yes, I've had my trouble with the world around me
No, I didn't give it my best
Now I get a chance to see some better weather
If you want to stay forever
Why don't we talk about it now

Yes my reputation says I'm flaky
Hey my whole situation's kinda shaky
Some people 'round here think I've lost it
They drew the line I stepped across it

Yes, I've had my troubles in some certain circles
No, I didn't bring it on myself
Now I get a chance to know they'll eat their words
And if you don't care what you've heard
Why don't we talk about it now

Sometimes I make it all up in my head
There's a whole lot of things that should have never been said
This new ground feels solid that I'm standing on

I have done some things that might amaze you
But then again most things don't even phase you
You got a way of standing steadfast
I've got a way of running dead last

Yes, I've had my trouble trying to start over
No, I didn't give it all I could
Now I get a chance to know what love can heal
And if you want to know the feeling
Why don't we talk about it now

If you want to know the feeling
Why don't we talk about it now

Turning tricks on Sunset
Twenty bucks a pop
Some out of town ol' businessman or an undercover cop
I'm living with the virus flowing way down in my veins
Oh oh, I wish it would rain

I know you've heard my story
Or seen me on the street
Just another cracker gigolo
Dressed up like trick or treat

Now you may want to judge me
Or treat me with disdain
Oh oh, I wish it would rain

Memphis, Texas, Houston, Tennessee
Man I'm just so turned around
I don't know where I want to be
This California desert is driving me insane
Oh, I wish it would rain

So I've squandered my resistance
Taking any kind of drug
Oh I'd smoke or shoot or eat it, I'd drink it from a jug
And I offer no excuses for your sympathies to gain
Oh oh, I wish it would rain

Everybody knows me as the kid
I've made it seven years and still I don't know how I did
I come from a long line of live and love in vain
Oh, I wish it would rain

Well I've prayed to Mother Mary
I've even seen a priest
When the angels come to get me
I know I'll be released
I'll leave this mean ol' desert bound for Memphis on that train
Oh oh, I wish it would rain
Oh oh, I wish it would rain

Come in from the cold you must be cold
Thread bare against a freezing wind is a short time gettin' old
Come and sit down tell me where you've been
Rest your soul beside the fire till it's time to go again

Take me back
One more time
Where the railroad tracks
Meet the kudzu vine
Wandering boy

The blood that's flowing through you flows through me
When I look in any mirror it's your face that I see
And you're my only brother I'm your twin
And you've come home to rest awhile and shed your dying skin

Ease your mind
Have no fear
When it comes your time
I'll be here
Wandering boy

We're two Houston kids
Sailin' mason jar lids
With our pop bottles hid
By the bayou bend
In the wild East End
Welcome back again
Wandering boy

I used to cast my judgements like a net
All those California gay boys deserved just what they get
Little did I know there would come a day
When my words would come back screaming like a debt I have to pay

Lean on me
I'll be strong
We're almost free
It won't be long
Wandering boy

I'm back on board that '49 Ford in 1956
Long before the sun came up way out in the sticks
The headlights showed a two rut road way back up in the pines
First time I heard Johnny Cash sing I Walk The Line

I got my thrill behind the wheel upon my daddy's lap
Grandpa rode co-pilot with a flashlight and a map
Cane pole out the window it was in the summertime
First time I heard Johnny Cash sing I Walk The Line

I keep a close watch on this heart of mine
I keep my eyes wide open all the time
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds
Because you're mine, I Walk The Line

I never will forget that day I know the time and place
It sounded like the whole thing came right down from outer space
I still can see those headlights and that dashboard in my mind
First time I heard Johnny Cash sing I Walk The Line

I find it very, very easy to be true
I find myself alone when each day's through
Yes I'll admit that I'm a fool for you
Because you're mine, I Walk The Line

All these long years later it's still music to my ear
I swear it sounds as good right now as anything I hear
I've seen the Mona Lisa I've heard Shakespeare read real fine
It's just like hearing Johnny Cash sing I Walk The Line

As sure as night is dark and day is light
I keep you on my mind both day and night
And happiness I've known proves that it's right
Because you're mine, I Walk The Line
Because you're mine, I Walk The Line

I put away fifteen grand doing one-night stands mostly liquor stores and fillin' stations
Me and this peepin' Tom by the name of J.D. Swan and any number of his odd blood relations
This was armed robbery 1957 and mostly our getaways were clean
Then I'd pay off the boys and bury my bread out on Highway 17

I had five kids and a wife with one dress and a yard full of cars that wouldn't running
My two oldest boys they were on to my noise they despised what their daddy done
But I did my thing the best I could maing plans by the light of day
And then night would fall and it was time to call and I was always on my way

Now J.D. he was crazy and he was inbred he drank whiskey like it was goin' out of style
You know I should have seen it coming the writing was on the wall he was getting just a little too loose and wild
Annd he made his mistake out on Airline Drive, you know those North Houston cops are quick
They blew a hole in J.D. the size of Dallas and put a lump on my head with the brunt of a nightstick

You know 5-10 in Huntsville ain't no good times boys but I walked that line do you know what I mean
'Cause my mind was snug on that hole I dug out on Highway 17
I said my mind was snug on that hole I dug out on Highway 17

So I served my time only way I knew how thinking big and making plans
All about the way I was gonna change the world when I get my hands on that 15 grand
You know C.W. and Herschel my two oldest boys they took care of their momma and their little sisters the best way that they could
Dealing dimes and stealing hubcaps you know pretty soon they were doing good
So I walked out those prison gates a free man on the first day of November 19 and '63
I kissed my wife and I hugged my babies but they didn't seem the same to me

You know the boys looked on they were already grown it was written across their eyes and their faces
I'm the perfect sample of a bad example gone forever from their graces
But baby six long years and a lot can change many miles beyond your wildest dreams
But a six-lane wide modern interstate ride out on Highway 17
Lord they sunk my ship 'neath a concrete strip out on Highway 17
Man they broke my back they built a concrete track out on Highway 17
Well, you know it ain't funny but they buried my money out on Highway 17

Night after night, day after day
I pass by the house that once was my home
I'm lookin' for something to knock out the lights till the sun comes up shining like new
The chill in my bones just reminds me that life isn't fair and nobody cares
About lost souls surviving on hard knocks and vice
In a world just as nasty as your world is nice... baby blue

You don't know how much I hate everything about you
Your honey red lips and your eyes big and sparkling blue
The curve of your hips and your black Irish hair sends a shiver that runs through me too
You don't know how much I hate you... I wish it was true

You were kind to my mother you were good to my friends you were passionate, faithful and strong
I must have been sleeping it feels like a dream and I can't say just where I went wrong

Like a dog in the garbage with rocks in my head
I'm strung out and crazy I can't find the thread runnin' through

You don't know how much I hate everything about you
Your voice like good bourbon so elegant, tasteful and smooth
With a flick of a match I could burn down this house takin' every last memory of you
You don't know how much I hate you...
You don't know how much I hate you...
You don't know how much I hate you...I wish it was true

On the banks of the old Bandera where roams the barefoot child
On Sunday go to meetin' shortcuts out along the high wire lines down a dusty road
The hills there were bluebonnets like a printed cotton gown
And summer rain falls down like honey sweet magnolia blossoms grow and old men dance
Once we ran barefooted through a clover full of dew
Once we learned to play like lone Comanches running loose
What it made you feel like is a song
But what it feels like now is gone

I can hear the screen door slamming
Run a foot race to the creek
You can see clean to the bottom and deeper just depends on how you look, maybe where you stand
Monkey vines and swimmin' holes lay just around the bend
The rope we used to swing on now hangs tattered in the wind
What it made you feel like is a song
And what it feels like now is gone
What it made you feel like is a song

Daddy's in the kitchen fryin' sauerkraut
Momma's in the bedroom nearly all cried out
Daddy thinks that whiskey makes him big and smart
Momma thinks that daddy's got a concrete heart
I wish I had a brother or a sister whom to I could turn

Bustin' out the windows with a baseball bat
Daddy's gone crazy as a bunkhouse rat
Momma's on the sofa with a big black eye
I cross my heart and tell myself I hope they die
I wish I had a nickel now for every time a cuss word flew

Mad house all topsy turvy
A ship of fools with scurvy
I don't like a thing about the way we live

Momma's on the pavement with a broken arm
Tellin' everybody that he meant no harm
Talk about denial with a great big D
You can try to fool the neighbors but you can't fool me
I wish some kind of millionaire would come adopt me on the spot

Mad house all topsy turvy
A ship of fools with scurvy
I don't like a thing about the way we live

Police knock on our door
They've seen it all before
Why don't you use restraint
We've had a few complaints

Now all the other women up and down the block
Are tuning out the static with a front door lock
They greet us in the morning with a wave and grin
But you know they're only waiting til lthe roof caves in
I don't even know if we can make it through another day

Mad house all topsy turvy
A ship of fools with scurvy
I don't like a thing about the way we live
I don't like a thing about the way we live
I don't like a thing about the way we live
I don't like nothing
I don't like a thing about the way we live
I don't like nothing
I don't like a thing about the way we live
I don't like nothing

So I'm an orphan now out here on my own
And it's hard to know where I belong
It comes as no surprise, it happens to us all
Just like the sun will rise night will fall

I know love is all I need
I know love is all I need
I know love is all I need
That's all I know

An image I recall a picture on the wall of my mother on her wedding day
Young and naive nothing up her sleeve
But the things that just got lost along the way

And I know love is all I need
I know love is all I need
I know love is all I need
That's all I know

There's a voice I hear it comes in loud and clear
It's my father's voice teaching me
He says to be a man you've got to be true to your word
And when you make a stand you'll be heard

And I know love is all I need
I know love is all I need
I know love is all I need
That's all I know

I can see it in my children
I can feel it with my wife
And I know it with these friends I have
So important to my life

I had a dream last night
I saw my mom and dad
They were happy now and I was glad
They had a brand new house that they'd just moved in
And when I awoke they were gone again

But I know love is all I need
I know love is all I need
I know love is all I need
That's all I know