Get all 6 Lyal Strickland releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Preservation, Balanced On Barbed Wire, Live Scratches, Live After So Many Incidents, So Many Incidents, and Wellfed & Highstrung.
1. |
The Hotel Maid
03:16
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Quarter million dollars don’t buy that much
Gonna need another hundred more to keep my daddy’s place up
Three years of taxes have gone unpaid And my girl pulls her weight as a hotel maid
I left the farm for a year or two Bought a half education that I never use
Papers in the desk where I never sit, Got a whole new group of associates
Chorus:
But you can’t spend your way out of nothing
That’s a big hole and you’ll never climb out
But if you’ve got a long handle on that shovel in your hands
You might hit rock and you’ll know where you stand
I broke a piece of glass with my fist last night But I never really meant it to cause a fight
There’s sometimes when I lose my mind And I know when I do that I’m not so kind
Thought about leaving a time or two But the only good thing I got in this world is you
I can get lost and I can be free but there’s no telling what it’ll end up costing me
CHORUS
Quarter million dollars don’t buy that much
Gonna need another hundred more to keep my daddy’s place up
Three years of taxes have gone unpaid And my girl pulls her weight as a hotel maid
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2. |
Gone For A Weekend
03:34
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Gone for a weekend, gone too long
Gone somewhere to find yourself but you found it all wrong
Not a golden locket, not a pretty little chain
Not a handful of careless months till you got that diamond ring
Chorus:
And I wanted you to know, you’re not alone
Wish you the best, but you’ve probably guessed
There’s something more, it’s just this
Honey you’re missed
You and me got a history, and everything but a family
Broken homes don’t you see never kept out the rain
It’s not your fault, it’s not his fault
But if this is your call then I’m walking away
CHORUS
You are the love of my life and I see you in another man’s eyes
And I want to hide
Now and then I sit alone and I’m a little bit misery prone
There’s things that could save my soul, but they won’t take hold
I won’t come out now and I’ll get by somehow
You’ll never how I can break my own heart
Check on you from time to time, just a little romantic crime
I love it when you cross that line, but there’s no hope now
CHORUS
There’s something more, it’s just this
Miss your kiss
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3. |
Minimum Wage
03:41
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I’ll work this farm ’til my days are done
Don’t need no watch to tell me about the midday sun
You can have your job I don’t need it none
Climbing corporate ladders that got no rungs
It ain’t just about religion and guns
But I find some things in common with the prodigal son
Chorus:
This minimum wage ain’t gonna be my saving grace
It’s just table scraps falling off a rich man’s plate
No corporate cage is gonna own my soul all day
I can hold my own but I ain’t gonna pull their weight
No minimum wage ain’t gonna be my saving grace
I ain’t living long but I ain’t gonna run that race
Back to back shifts wearing out your shoes
Then the paycheck comes it’s not enough to get you through
You work your life and you owe it who
The boys at the top are tools and you’re kinda screwed
So join me brother and we’ll start brand new
Don’t need middle manager to approve
CHORUS
This minimum wage ain’t gonna be my saving grace
It’s just table scraps falling off a rich man’s plate
No corporate cage is gonna own my soul all day
I can hold my own but I ain’t gonna pull their weight
No minimum wage ain’t gonna be my saving grace
I ain’t living long and I ain’t gonna run that race
No rich man’s son’s gonna put me in my place
Gonna find a way out of this minimum wage
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4. |
Clyde and His Clippers
03:27
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Clyde and his clippers messin’ up the floor
Been cuttin’ the boy’s hair since the spring of ’54
Not anymore
Sure wasn’t no big dream, tiny little store
But it kept him fed and kept him honest to the core
Not anymore
Chorus:
Ghost on the sidewalk wearing pretty thin
Wasting away waiting for folks to come back in
Saying where ya been? how ya been, my friend?
Lost his business when the big box came in
But he didn’t close her down just took it on the chin
Now where ya been?
Shopping and groceries and banking held within
They even got a little hair place with two chairs like twins
Now where ya been?
CHORUS
Clyde and his clippers open every day ’til two
Not that it matters ‘cause they all just pass right through
Now what’d ya do?
Square’s near empty it’s looking awful blue
Banged up and burnt up it‘s feelin’ kinda used
Now what’d ya do?
CHORUS
Clyde and his clippers sweeping up the floor
Ain’t been much hair there for 20 years or more
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5. |
Always Make The Mistake
03:29
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There’s a river I see from my room
That calls a young man to his doom
If he hangs his head he’s gone too soon
Oh youth does not make you immune
The past is not burdened with proof
Like the films I recall from my youth
The young man dressed in his father’s suit
I can make a lie from the hardest truth
Chorus:
I always make the mistake oh I
Always make the mistake
You were drawn to the clouds in his eyes
Lord knows what you saw in mine
A promise we could compromise
Oh love is a foolish prize
We could claim a great many things
You were the song I needed to sing
The truth was you always wore his ring
And we were only borrowing
CHORUS
There’s a river I see from my room
And I walk through the pale afternoon
And the birds still sing, I recall the tune
Perhaps I will see you soon...
Perhaps I will see you soon.
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6. |
Settle In
03:29
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I guess I might Give up on love
We never get along ‘cause this road I’m on
It is no home
Can’t take the hurt
Trying to be clean When I feel like dirt
It’s best if I’m on my own
90 miles an hour Down the interstate
Changing lanes tempting fate
My attempt to roam
Away from her into the arms Of a waiting world
Chorus:
I’m on my own terms again
Unforgiven
Path of sin
With a chance of redemption
If I ever settle in
My poor sick Mom
My broke down Dad
Things wouldn’t have to
Be so bad
If they would just atone
I tried my best to keep the peace But I failed that test
They’re on their own
No model of love Save for the child
Living on the road Both meek and wild
I’m on my own
CHORUS
That pretty girl
From the bar last night
She’s got me feeling alright
It’s nothing I should condone
But I can’t take it back
Now all I have to do is pack
Then I’ll be on my own
CHORUS
Never wanted This kind of love
Always wanted To be someone to trust
But now all I’m doing isPicking up dust on a
Path of sin with a Chance of redemption
If I ever settle in
Path of sin with a Chance of redemption
If I ever settle in
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7. |
Pretty Good Core
03:34
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The words of our last fight, rolling into the night
It’s a good thing nobody’s around
Keep it locked down tight, just let me hold you tonight
And in the morning you can leave when you like
Chorus:
We’ve been here before, promise to change As you’re heading for the door
I know it ain’t easy, but if you could take me Without needing more
I’ve got a pretty good core
The last time that we talked we didn’t say that much
Just cuddled up and let it go
But in the morning light we didn’t seem so right
You were moving on I was ready to go
CHORUS
The last song that I sing your name will ring
It’ll find you wherever you are
But I hope by then it’ll settle in
You should have picked me over him
CHORUS
Words of our last fight, rolling into the night
It’s a good thing nobody’s around
For if they heard those words they’d think for sure
I never cared and I always will
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8. |
Her Way Back Home
04:43
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Last time in her house he held her Bible in his hands
Muttered underneath his breath “I hope she understands”
Moved her in on a Tuesday to a room somewhere in town
We’ll treat her like a queen they said She don’t even need a crown
Far cry from perfect, closer to Hell
They’d call him every time she fell
And he’d tell them she’s tough as nails
They couldn’t keep her down, she’d walk those halls all night
Looking for her one chance to still put up a fight
Chorus:
She’d walk her way back home, taking no one’s path but her own
She’d loved and she’d lost, got mad and paid the cost
Stubborn as sin and she’ll fight till the end to see him
He’d stop in every day when his health was still all right
Got fewer and far between till he finally saw the light
And she’d say “Where’d he go, where’s that man,
The one with the smiling eyes, the one that held my hand”
Fifty years of marriage, ten of divorce
Wasn’t really her talking when she didn’t take him for worse
Should have seen it coming, she’d always cause a scene
Never took much notice just thinking she was mean
CHORUS
Last week of her life, man it was something else
What family we had left and the cards that she was dealt
She’d raised two of her own but to look in her eyes
You couldn’t miss the innocence of a child pushing five
When she’d say “Where’d he go, where’s that man,
The one with the smiling eyes, the one that held my hand”
CHORUS
Last time in her house I held her Bible in his hands,
Muttered underneath my breath “I know she understands’"
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9. |
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There ain’t enough cool sides of the pillow
To ease my wasted mind
When that morning light streams in the window
I turn from side to side
I bury myself beneath the bedsheets
For the first time the third time this week
Chorus:
Oh things ain’t always gonna be this bad
I’d up and change but right now I can’t
One of these days I’m gonna get my chance
I make plans
My wicked ways only bring me sorrow
But that’s far from who I am
When I’m looking towards tomorrow
I hope you’ll understand
That I find myself in the contrast
In the backlash
In the wobbly rebound
CHORUS (2x)
There aren’t enough cool sides of the pillow
To ease my wasted mind
When I’m looking towards tomorrow
I hope it will be kind
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10. |
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The old cat on the roof
He could stand a little push
’Cause he’s got
Nine good lives to live
But like my mama said
You only live til you’re dead
And you got to give
And give, and give
There’s a pebble in the pond
Going on and on
Making waves and tides
And ripples and rain
Chorus:
Seems like everyone is out
Looking for the sun
Singing rain and pain
On he who hesitates
But it’ll shine when it shines
You might think I’m wasting time
But I’m just a good old boy
Who’s learned to wait
There’s a leaf in the wind
That don’t know where to end
Chasing days and ways
And wishes and dreams
Whippoorwill’s in the dawn
Pretty soon he’ll be gone
‘Cause he’s got one good song to sing
But like my daddy said
It’s in your heart not your head
And you’ve got to sing
And sing, and sing
CHORUS
There’s a window in the wall
Looking out on it all
Leaving fears and tears
And troubles alone
There’s a fire in the stove
Keeping out the cold
Warming wine and winters
And babies and homes
CHORUS
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