SOUTHERN DIRT 2007
all words and music by Pholksinger Josh except
Track 2: "Southern Dirt," which contains a toast in the public domain
Track 11: "Joan Baez" by Gabe Klein-Kuhn and Pholksinger Josh
1. Numberz
Josh: vocal, guitar, harmonica, kazoo
please dont let yer numbers even try to define me
confuse and confine me or overanalyze me
waste and undermine me conquer and divide me
into smaller sizing for easier packaging
cuz if they keep refining they will never find me
and underneath my rhyming theres something i am trying
to say without dying breaking down and crying
my brain is frying cuz to me they been lying
about anything and everything and all the stuff ive ever seen
or thought or heard or even dreamed i do think i have been deceived
look at them and look at me and list the differences you see
its so weird i cant believe that we are of the same species
its weird how stuff turns out that way how some are straight and some are gay
and some wont live another day and some aint got no words to say
i look out across the bay and i see things will be okay
tomorrows just yesterday and black and white are really gray
hold up now let me take this back jack i got a little off track
but im allowed to do that so just cut me a little slack
ive only got a few more facts so sit right there and just relax
these folks they acting whack with they numbers holding me back
hear them bells a-ringing but ill never stop singing
these words that im a-bringing theres more to life than blinging
if we dont start thinking these hills will soon be bleeding
with blood of many seasons yer numbers is the reason
2. Southern Dirt
Josh: harmonica. Gabe: drums, spoken word
3. 18th Summer (April to August)
Josh: vocal, guitar, harmonica, hi-hat
as april turns to august i
i leave my childhood.
spring done turned to summer in this year
and in this life
and in this life
1 2 3 4
no longer just a boy i cant get away with things that i used to
they say that i know better now i know better now
no longer just a boy i will not have to be home by curfew
they say just dont drink and drive dont drink and drive
as april turns to august i
i leave my childhood.
spring done turned to summer in this year
and in this life
and in this life
1 2 3 4
and now im a man and they say i will have to live on my own
but they tell me that ill be fine they say ima be fine
and now im a man and i sure hope it will be just what i hoped for
like what i waited for all this time
for all of this time
as april turns to august i
i leave my childhood.
spring done turned to summer in this year
and in this life
and in this life
1 2 3 4
4. Go Crazy
Josh: vocal, guitar, harmonica, kazoo, hi-hat
go crazy go wild
everybody act like a child
if your manners they be mild man you just aint living
go crazy go nuts
everybody shake your butts
it really dont take much guts to have some fun
go crazy be free
everybody dance with me
lets break it down in one two three and we could rock it out
1 2 3
go crazy be you
do un do un do do do
learn how to play a didgeridoo man rock it out
go crazy get crunk
everybody get down with the funk
let me break you off a chunk of something real groovy
go crazy go wild
everybody act like a child
if your manners they be mild man you just aint living
5. Battlefield
Josh: vocal, guitar
i am on the battlefield for my lord yo but i feel like im being ignored
(what?)
cuz many like me in history have died on his accord
and this general lies up in the clouds
staring down at these filled up shrouds
but down on the ground
the crowd cries loud
and somehow the widow says she feel proud
i say proud what pride? your husband died
for a war filled with nothing but lies inside
look at the tears that your children cried
while the army divide conquered and multiplied
yo but its okay its all truth and tried
and the land that we come from got god on our side man
the land that we come from got god on our side man
the land that we come from has god on our side…
adonai allah god good lord jesus
these are the names in which we kill heathens
yo my name and age it mean everything so get up off your ass son listen to me sing
accusations i fling till freedom can ring
and listen to me now cuz into action i will
spring-
summer winter fall man.
dont let no tyrant take control of yall
the time is now
my courts got the ball
so drop yer gun brother brother stand tall
yo drop the gun brother turn your face
the war machine goin find somebody else to take your place
dont praise no mazing grace ima tell it to you straight:
we talking about people man the human race
adonai allah god good lord jesus
these are the names in which we kill heathens
6. Editor's Time Machine
Josh: vocal, guitar
man its the coolest thing that i ever done seen
its my brand new editors time machine
only cost me my soul and a couple of bucks
you could go back to any day or night
you can edit them scenes and make things right
you can fix everything that you messed up
man she gettin in fights like all the time
about her friends and her pops and she losing her mind
and she angry lord she mad
and she feel disconnected from everything
from her friends and her world and even from me
she aint happy lord she sad
and she a-hurtin everyone that she come near
and shes tryin her best just to get through the year
it aint easy lord so damn hard
but shes takin things just day by day
cuz she dont know no other way
hopefully things will look up come next report card
man its the coolest thing that i ever done seen
its my brand new editors time machine
only cost me my soul and a couple of bucks
you could go back to any day or night
you can edit them scenes and make things right
you can fix everything that you messed up
she said she misses me like really and true
and she hates herself for what she put me through
when she done up and broke my heart
i said i know you got a lot on yo plate
but girl dont you turn against yourself in hate
cuz it might tear yo tortured soul apart
but yo still she mad quite often upset
and its a feeling that lingers beyond sunset
and i aint sure she knows what she goin do
but she still she wishes every night
that she could travel back in time
but science wont let her wish come true
and they aint no such a thing
naw man truth is there aint no contraption
that can reverse past transactions
aint no patent out on said device
but lets just say that it was real
how good could it make her feel
to mess with time so she could sleep alright?
and i feel for her if her life sucks
and its so hard to keep in touch
and i wish i knew exactly what to say
to make her not wish every night
that she could travel back in time
and edit conversations gone astray
man its the coolest thing that i ever done seen
its my brand new editors time machine
only cost me my soul and a couple of bucks
you can travel back in time and
edit things in yo mind and
make everything work out right
man you can make everything work out right
i said you can make everything work out right
7. Freedom
Josh: vocal, guitar, harmonica. Gabe: vocal
freedom is walking round unshoed
freedoms letting down your hair
freedom is a lazy sunday
freedoms in the mountain air
freedom is deep conversation with people that for which you care
freedom is having thoughts on your mind freedoms having thoughts to share
freedom is what i got
freedom is all i need
freedom aint no parasite
cuz freedom is devoid of greed
freedom is necessity for freedoms what you need to be freed
freedom is the tree of life freedom is the seed
i keep my freedom in a crochet hook
i keep my freedom in a mandolin case
i keep my freedom in these here woods
i keep my freedom in a hiking boot lace
i keep my freedom in my family and friends
i see my freedom in your face
my freedom is all over here man
my freedoms all over the place
freedom is positive vibes
freedom is enjoying your youth
freedom is cruising with deception until you arrive at the truth
freedom it aint knowing where you are
freedoms knowing what you been through
freedom is when youre completely lost deep down you know what to do
freedom is loving mother gaia freedoms singing father sun
freedom is high as a mountain and oh like the river it run
freedom
freedom is peace so come on brother drop your gun
8. Rain Poem
Josh: spoken word
rain
dude what a pain
it drives me insane
and falls mostly on the plane...in the sky
why?
dogg i wont lie
it bout makes me cry
cuz now im undry...and drippin
slippin
man i be trippin
its class i be missin
they must think im skippin...cuz im late
wait
o snap im irate
i aint feelin great
i got so much hate...for the rain
rain
dude its so lame
need i explain
get it into yo brain...it aint cool
fool
dogg its so cruel
its the freakin skys drool
yo but i got my old school...umbrella
fella
man lemme tell ya
it aint that im yella
i just hate getting hella...wet
yet
o snap should i let
the rain make me get
all mad man naw no sweat...
...its just rain
9. Thanks for the Good Times
Josh: vocal, guitar, harmonica
i never thought id see the day that we would have to say goodbye
but youre getting ready to ramble like a rocket launched to the sky
this is making me sad man i believe is a-fittin to cry
so comfort me and tell me when your in the neighborhood youll stop on by
and i wonder
will i see you again?
and if i do man
will we still be friends?
and will we hang out
some never coming day?
and will these be the last words i say to you?
and if thats true
thanks for the good times
good times we had man you know we really had us a blast
pickin guitars and makin up songs about how we gettin ass
its weird to think that most of our time together come and passed
days seemed so slow but looking back they went by so fast
and i wonder
will i see you again?
and if i do man
will we still be friends?
and will we hang out
some never coming day?
and will these be the last words i say to you?
and if thats true
thanks for the good times
i wont hold you back man i see its time for you to go
but before you leave hold up i just gottsto say one thing mo
its been such a privilege more than you ever shall know
so thank you muchly and well hang out sometime soon man fo sho!
and i wonder
will i see you again?
and if i do man
will we still be friends?
and will we hang out
some never coming day?
and will these be the last words i say to you?
and if thats true
thanks for the good times
10. Break-Up Song
Josh: vocal, guitar
as along the railroad tracks we wandered
and over lines of Robert Frost we pondered
lazily we squandered my new cancer sticks
later on watchin that salsa dancin
i couldnt help but wonder baby what was the chances
that someday down the line we would be romancing again
and i looked at how pretty them clouds was above you
i could not believe how much i still loved you
i was a-hopin i could find me a dove to bring me some peace my friend
and oh what did i gain besides this vulnerability
and a hankering for cigarettes?
and oh what did i lose beside my virginity
and a great deal of lover’s innocence?
waitin for you in the rain by the old bell tower
ten minutes after the ten oclock hour
im shivering in the cold, as the situation overpowers me
cold carolina air it clouds my head
we took a walk and spoke words left unsaid
thought it would depress more babe but instead you know it set me free
cuz then i could say i understand
the huge task that i had at hand
had to mend this old broken heart as best as can you see
and oh what did i gain besides these memories i cant forget
and a friend that i shall always know?
and oh what did i lose besides a bit of my ignorance,
and an edge off of me that i had before?
and now i cant blame you for a single thing at all
maybe you couldve tried to right me more or call
though its sad i see youre right and i got to follow through
cuz five hundred miles is just too much ground to cover
when your stressed out confused high school lovers
but in your heart i know that i ain’t just some other dude
so ill kiss yo head and youll drive away
ill get over you how long it takes i can’t say
ill see you again babe but not for a while you know its true
11. Joan Baez
Josh: vocal, guitar, harmonica. Gabe: vocal
i wanna be a pirate i wanna sail forbidden seas
i wanna write great folk songs like woody guthrie
i wanna be bob dylan to your joan baez
not exactly lovers baby but not exactly friends
not exactly lovers baby but not exactly friends
i wanna spend all evening staring at the stars
i wish everybody in the world drove biodiesel cars
i wanna walk these mountains let me ramble up in these hills
id rather have a hundred guitar picks that a hundred dollar bills
id rather have a hundred guitar picks that a hundred dollar bills
i hope we never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever have to go to war
and if we do yall lets know what were fighting for
and just remember a gun aint your only tool
a gun can kill any old man but a pen can kill a fool
a gun can kill any old man but a pen can kill a fool
i wish man had never created race
cuz now we gotta erase it
not confronting the shit man
were being complacent
deface it slam it down on the pavement
throw it in a bag and stow it in your basement
i wanna throw it all away
and go back to my mother
the earth has dealt us some big blows
and now is the time to recover
i wanna run through the forest
and sail the seven seas
and climb trees
come with me if you please
i wanna make guns into plows
and tanks into cows
say wow
cuz you hear no pow pows
no more guns no more knives no more taking of our lives
no more worry of drivebys
say high to my neighbor as i pass by
i wanna be a pirate i wanna sail forbidden seas
i wanna write great folk songs like woody guthrie
i wanna be bob dylan baby to your joan baez
not exactly lovers girl but not exactly friends
not exactly lovers but not exactly friends
no no no
12. Imperfection
Josh: vocal, guitar, harmonica, kazoo, hi-hat
sometimes i get lost in the rhododendron
sometimes it take forever to clear my head
sometimes i get myself in sticky situations
sometimes i wish to take back what i said
sometimes i show people too little affection
sometimes i show folks way too much
sometimes people want you nowhere near them
sometimes they need you close enough to touch
dig
bare with me baby cuz im worth my imperfection
bare with me baby and youll find a fly guy in me
bare with me baby cuz im worth my imperfection
bare with me baby cuz im right good company
sometimes ill bust a joke and its quite funny
but sometimes ill crack one thats hella lame
sometimes ill bust a harp solo rock the house down
sometimes i blow so bad i feel ashamed
sometimes im down man i need me some guideance
sometimes im up and i can give out some
sometimes i break down at everything around me
sometimes im so heartless that i feel numb
sometimes im playing them real phat jazz chords
sometimes im pickin on them 12 bar blues
sometimes im playing a right funky rhythym
sometimes im blowin this old harp out for you
sometimes youll find me volunteering
sometimes im fleeing the scene of crime
sometimes you make me think you want no part of me
sometimes you make me think you want to be mine
bare with me baby cuz im worth my imperfection
bare with me baby and youll find a fly guy in me
bare with me baby cuz im worth my imperfection
bare with me baby cuz im right good company
13. The Drive Home from Mary's
Josh: vocal, guitar, kazoo. Gabe: drums
driving down peachtree-dunwoody your taste still on my lips
wishing i had no curfew tonight
and ima turning onto spalding my heart still doing flips
strawberry kisses linger on my mind
baby at the stop light before trowbridge jazz floating through my car
trumpet blowers notes are blue and sweet
and though im briefly stuck in traffic my evening cant be marred
tap my non-driving foot to the beat
and i wonder where this is going
but i would kind of like to see
yes we may crash and burn oer the ocean
we might sail away like pirates on the seas
so now i am on trowbridge behind the football field
where we walked our dogs together once
and ima turning onto roswell making sure the way is clear
thinking girl how could you be so much fun
ima rolling through the evening baby rolling through the dark
watching as my clock approaches twelve
and i pull into my driveway and i throw my car in park
thinking girl how could you be so damn swell
and i wonder where this is going
but i would kind of like to see
yes its true we might crash and burn oer the ocean
we might sail away like pirates on the seas
yes we might sail away like pirates on the seas
14. [LIVE] Walmart Roaches
Josh: vocal, guitar
when we all are dead and gone lord what will still remain?
some cockaroaches a walmart and a roll of old duct tape
the rolling stones the ten commandments the words of an old folk song
like one of them old time country ballads a hundred verses long
so what shall finally happen when were left to our device
shall human ingenuity create human demise?
when we drunk up all our water and we cut down all our trees
and when we done milkt all of our cows so we could have our cheese
oh tell me when we all are dead and gone lord what will still remain?
some cockaroaches a walmart and a roll of old duct tape
elvis tupac jesus christ but wait them folk dont die
but what about the lochness monster and that big foot guy?
wait now what in this tomfoolery is there a lesson to be learnt
for can one play with fire if he dont want to get burnt?
but everythings alright reports the washington think tank
but we know they misbehaving and they deserve to get spanked
so tell me when we all are dead and gone you know what will still remain?
some cockaroaches a walmart and a roll of old duct tape
a spiderbatman combic book nancy drew type mystery
and the story of a pirate who done sailed all 7 seas
and now what in this great world will them roaches have to inherit?
only one walmart left it seems them little buggers gonna have to share it
all up and down the aisles of plastic shit no one can use
the roaches they put on music and their dancing shoes
so tell me when we all are dead and gone yall what will still remain?
some cockaroaches a walmart and a roll of old duct tape
some cigarettes a fallout shelter and a bumper sticker that reads
if cleanliness is next to godliness lord i must be unclean
and these roaches have a party you know they have them lots of fun
and in the all or nothing battle they see that they have won
they beat the evolutionary advanced human race
they took all our advancements and they shoved them in our face
so tell me when we all are dead and gone lord what will still remain?
some cockaroaches a walmart and a roll of old duct tape
a waffle house a guns and roses tape and a picture of you and me
the one of us as children and were neked for all to see
15. [LIVE] Talkin' Public Education Brainwashin' Machine Blues
Josh: vocal, guitar, harmonica
early one morning had me a dream bout the public education brainwashing machine
they strap you down put a plug in your head make you memorize every word they said
said better listen up
this is gonna be on your test on friday
study good
cuz its goin be hard
im wakin from the dream sweatin on my face but im feeling right glad to be up out that place
it was only then that i realized and the thought alone bring a tear to my eyes
cuz im there every day
eight thirty to three thirty
7447 roswell road
im rollin to the parkin lot singin the blues about to enter in the house where insanity rules
i get out my car man then i go to lock it i put my harmonica into my pocket
cuz theyd take it away
yall know that
folk music dont promote no educational values now
im achilling in the commons just sitting with friends and then the bell rings and the fun time ends
we run to class fast as we can dont wanna get in them hall sweeps man
cuz they round you up
throw you god knows where
dont even let you go to class
these classroom desks in identical rows im afeeling low down from my head to my toes
teacher says this i ask what about that? she says no son and she confiscates my hat
she dont dig no headgear
that dont bother me
problem is she dont like no class discussion
im asittin in the class im atryin to learn but im feelin more pain than a third degree burn
i look around the room what do i see nobody here cares bout this but me
i say come on yall
lets try not to be so ignant
i mean we is gettin our education for free aint we
standardized tests and the pledge of allegiance yall were more corrupt than puritan new england
yo these schools are run by politicos whoring education just to get more votes
i believe thats sick
take a look at yourselves
leaving more children behind than ever before
