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Born down in Orlando, underneath an orange tree.
Layed out on the river in a basket made of weeds.
She floated up to Baton Rouge on a current from the sea,
And layed her roots down in that town,
Learned the bons temps way to be.
I ain’t seen another gal can cut a rug like she.
It’s the darndest dance that you’ll ever do…
The Deep Down Dirty Cajun Blues.
Raised up like a gator just baking in the sun.
Hurricanes and masquerades are all part of the fun.
Football games and etouffee and whiskey when you’re done.
Watch out you for the Roogaroo, it’s mean old cuss that one.
I ain't seen another woman quite like her.
So sing the song now if you choose,
The Deep Down Dirty Cajun Blues.
Met her in New Orleans, on a corner near Bienville.
I asked her for directions and I got her heart as well.
Now she calls me baby, and we’re eatin’ gator tail,
Living the life on the bayou, catfish jumpin’ everywhere.
If the house is rockin’, you’re welcome to come in,
Just don’t forget your dancin’ shoes,
For the Deep Down Dirty Cajun Blues.
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2. |
Try Making Friends
03:52
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Left my friends and family yesterday,
Now I’m in a brand new town and I kinda lost my way.
The ties that bind, they’re wearing thin, they’re wastin’ all away,
And I’m trying to keep it all together.
My nemesis despair has shown her face,
And all I want to do is drive away and leave this place.
I’ll stick it out but I don’t know how much longer I can take,
And I’m trying to keep it all together.
Still I feel I’m wasting all my time.
I'm spending all my precious youth just trying to make a dime.
The bills are getting paid but my soul is cracked and dying,
And I’m trying to keep it all together.
Another night I’m spending all alone,
Thinking of the loved ones and the friends that I have known.
They're all my tribe, my family, brothers sisters to the bone,
And I’m trying to keep us all together.
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3. |
Sumner Nocturne
04:32
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What happens when you kill a man?
Does his soul hover round you, plotting vengeance and wrath?
Or is it an experience much more mundane?
Does he wail out a haunting refrain?
Pat Garrett must’ve thought of that,
When he pulled on the trigger, left you flat on your back.
Paulita was a’ watchin, must’ve killed that girl too,
Just to see your warm body turn blue.
Oh Bill McCarty, why did you die,
On a hot and lonely New Mexico night?
Did you even get a chance to tell Paulita goodbye?
With your last breath did you whisper out her sweet name?
Paulita, no me olvides…
Bound and shackled in the Lincoln jail,
There was nothing to do but scratch your name in the rail.
One day from the gallows, but she tossed you a line.
That woman came through right on time.
Shot Jimmy going up the stairs,
Grabbed his 10-guage and waited, you caught Bob unaware.
Stole a horse and met Paulita at the Maxwell estate,
Arriving not a minute too late.
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4. |
The Workaday Lament
03:42
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When you’re away dear, and the house is so still,
The quiet empty sounds wear down my will.
There’s rye on the counter and the glass is right there,
My whole damn Sunday disappears in the air.
I’m a Bad Rover boys, and I’ve been here for a while.
I traded in my wages for a temporary smile,
And I drank in the lies from old John Barleycorn,
And I’m left in the rubble of a life that he has torn.
So I have a burden, it's a secret that I know.
It’s a door through the drivel to a kingdom that I own.
My sentiments are locked up in a place that I can’t reach,
Except for when I’m sippin on that old brown whiskey.
Its a crazy illusion, its a delicate farce.
It levels out my head and then it puts me on my arse.
For every god-like minute in that fantasy land,
An equivalent time spent under the devil’s command.
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5. |
Make Amends
03:08
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I never thought your love was true
I know you said you love me too
But that don’t mean a thing to you
And so I take my broken heart
Tear it apart
Throw it away and go back to the start
I know you said my love was divine
It’s sweeter than the sweetest wine
Then why’d you cheat and double-time?
And so I find my only friend
I can't make amends
I pick up the bottle, I’m shitfaced again
I think there’s something you should know
There's poison in all those lies that you told
It settles deep and will rot at your soul
A jealous heart will substitute
Emotions for truth
I shed my illusions, can you follow suit?
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6. |
Jetty Morning
05:39
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Flashback, It was nice that you adored me, it was easy.
There was nothing that gave me pause then.
Now I’m sorry, like a murderer.
Haven’t you noticed we’re falling apart at the seams? Come on!
For once can you try to just say what you actually mean?
Shallow and capricious, filling nights with empty whispers.
Sowing seeds of deep despondence with a stillborn kiss.
Requiem.
How can you claim that you know the real man that I am, baby?
Oh now don’t call me baby and don’t say that you understand.
A cold wind, crimson, saw the sunrise on the jetty.
Hadn’t slept yet, still tried to force it.
But it can’t be rushed, like a long flight home.
I can’t believe that the worst has already gone by. It seems
Completely unlikely that happiness starts when you die.
If I fall into grace and get another go round, I will
Fight for that feeling until they lay me in the ground!
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scrub jays Corvallis, Oregon
Songs inspired by the many various traditions of american music, blending regional influences in a mash-up of familiar styles that captures the songwriter's own experiences living in beautiful Cascadia - and beyond.
scrub jays recommends:
And The War Came
by Shakey Graves
This album caught my ear. The simple arrangements of edgy country, blues riffs and high energy tunes is a refreshing mix up of styles. The harmonies are awesome.
go to album
NORTH COUNTRY GENTLEMEN
by North Country Gentlemen
I heard this group from Vancouver, BC while listening to Laurel Canyon Radio (check them out too!). Great harmonies, sweet southern-folky sound and a kick-ass name.
go to album
Temporary Things
by Clara Baker
Clara's songwriting is fresh and honest and her voice is clear and gorgeous. It's great easy listening, feel-good string music - at once joyful and melancholy, a genuine reflection on life and love.
go to albumIf you like scrub jays, you may also like:
A vibrant vision of "Central Americana" from the Costa Rica-based artist, blending heartland devotionals with playful Tropicália grooves.
go to album
Papa Bear Sings Baby Bear a Lullaby in a Bearhouse
by Hige Kuma
Raucous jams from this Austin artist with hooks so immediate, they bury themselves in your brain.
go to album
Tides of a Teardrop
by Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange)
The forthcoming album from Mandolin Orange blends rustic Americana melodies with aching, orchestral arrangements.
go to album
