Lyrics

Trials & Tribulations of Two Traveling Troubadours
as they Traverse Tired Terrain & Tattered Turnpikes
Telling Tall Tales
2/17/18 on Crotalus Records
All songs written by Conti/LaLota
© 2018 The Echo & Sway // All rights reserved
(Road Song II contains a whistled excerpt of “America the Beautiful” …
we didn’t write that, Samuel A. Ward did).

1. Road Song
The open road it called to him
Only thing it could’ve been
Didn’t feel like just a whim
Ol’ 55 at the highest
Needs to find what he’s about
Wants to scream and he wants to shout
Leave behind these aches and doubts
Try, tryer, tryest
Faith seemed to force his hand
Riding ‘cross this blasted land
Coming back home a changed man
What did you expect?
He had to cry, he had to grieve
He’s seen things you can’t believe
Soon again, he’ll have to leave
Another wondrous trek
The open road it called to him
Only thing it could’ve been
Didn’t feel like just a whim
Ol’ 55 at the highest

2. Going Solo
Driving through the night in time to see the dawn
Last saw you this afternoon but it’s been far too long
And I miss you, I miss you
Waiting in the weeds to take my rightful place
Staring down your headlights, my heart begins to race
And I miss you, I miss you
Sorry there ain’t too much room, just me & my bucket seats
With you by my side babe, you are all I need
And to kiss you, to kiss you
Nestled in the front seat, the highways sing our song
Just five gears between us, we are right where we belong
And to kiss you, to kiss you
Sometimes I remember how things were
Then I stop and think, see how I much I’ve learned
The price I’ve paid, living a life for which I should be ashamed
But I’ve got you, and that’s more than I deserve
Gonna put the visor down ’cause the morning light’s arrived
Pretty soon I’ll be in your arms, you’re what keeps me alive
Because I’ve found you, I’ve found you

3. Goodbye Maryann
You spend your time looking in the mirror
But your leather skin won’t get no clearer
And those clothes you wear won’t make you shine
When you’re cold and black every inch on the inside
And I’m holding out you’re moving on…
So goodbye, Maryann
Was there a time when you were pretty?
When I might be proud to have you with me?
Maybe all of your words weren’t sharp as knives
And you weren’t so cold and black on the inside
And I’m holding out you’re moving on…
So goodbye, Maryann

4. Turnpike Temptress
The wheels on the bus go round and round just like in that old song
Sorry honey I’ve got to go but I won’t be gone for long
All these stops, all these starts, all these endless miles
Sorry honey but I’ve been needing to leave for quite awhile
Burying your ashes, carrying your tears with me
Looks like you’ve got it all upset, won’t need to take it to the sea
Finally found I’m cramped up & cooped up, I can’t sleep in here
I can’t wait for the next stop so I can grab another beer
The wheels on the bus go round and round just like in that old song
Sorry honey I’ve got to go but I won’t be gone for long
All these stops, all these starts, all these endless miles
Sorry honey but I’ve been needing to leave for quite awhile
All is dark now, all is quiet… I can get some peace
See you back again in my dreams where I can finally get some sleep
I’ve spilled my blood like a boxer and watched it boil out in the street
I’ve lost my will in the frigid night air and my voice in the dry desert heat
But there’s still hope I can give up my ghosts, I’ll leave one with each state line
I’ll run like hell, maybe I’ll find myself somewhere further on down the pike

5. Snake in the Grass
So life’s been good to you so far
In your mansion on the hill, you’re living large
Your birds’ eye view up in the clouds
Of us poorer paupers in ugly little towns
But while the angels sing your praises, your train is rolling smooth along the track
There’s a snake in the grass so watch your back
You’re 21 on every hand
You never leave without a couple grand
Place bets on your prize winning horse
Then nail his shoes above your bedroom door
But while the angels sing your praises, your jubilee is far too sweet to last
There’s a snake in the grass so watch your back
One day you’ll find out what it’s like
To be here with us on the other side
Where you can’t buy and sell the stars
You’ll catch a glimpse of who you really are
But while the angels sing your praises, your train is rolling smooth along the track
There’s a snake in the grass so watch your back

6. Road Song II (America the Beautiful)
The sky’s opened up tonight, a light show in searing heat
In the distance in the dark, rainfall accompanying
America the beautiful, laid out before me now
She never looked so good, she never looked so proud
Oh darling sing to me, your sprawling highway symphony
Oh baby, don’t say maybe… sing your song to me
Oh beautiful for spacious skies, that’s when I lose the words
Because when I look into your eyes I see a past that hurts
Mountains slowly closing in as I reach their storied peaks
Wall dogs on fabled lines, no one’s left to turn the other cheek
Oh darling sing to me, your sprawling highway symphony
Oh baby, don’t say maybe… sing your song to me
I’ve been thinking about the past, it’s never ceased to haunt
Even though I don’t believe in ghosts
Monsters in my head and skeletons in closets
Always in my rear view on the road
The sky’s opened up tonight, a light show in searing heat
In the nightclub in the dark drumbeats are thundering
America, you’re beautiful even in these troubled times
Poetry is all we have… now let me sing you mine
Oh darling sing to me, your sprawling highway symphony
Oh baby, don’t say maybe… sing your song to me

7. I’m No Angel
Hey cabbie pull over, let me climb in
Keep the change if you’ll hear me confess my sins
I’ve been drowning myself on Mangold & Main
These days it’s sink or swim, and I’m shackled & chained
There’s a girl across town, she’s swears I’m her guy
But it’s not me she loves, I’ve been living a lie
I told her I live in a house on the Avenue
She’d never speak to me again if she only knew the truth
I’m no angel and I’ve never been
Just enough to open you up and get me in
I’m a joker, a liar, I’m a thief and a cheat
I’m no angel and I’ll never be
In 10 years’ time, I’ll be the toast of the town
Whatever I’ve got to be so I can keep her around
Like everyone else she’s only trying to get out
I’ll lose her somewhere if history shows
And find myself further out on the coast
Different town, different girl… still the same old ghost
I’m no angel and I’ve never been
Just enough to open you up and get me in
I’m a joker, a liar, I’m a thief and a cheat
I’m no angel and I’ll never be

8. Last Licks
Play me one last tune, pluck the words right out of the air
Got to do it soon before the world forgets to care
Where I’ve been, walking ‘long the way
I have seen many better days
Then there was you… and many better days
Put your back into it, the results speak for themselves
Just ask that you do it even if you don’t care how I felt
Where I’ve been, walking ‘long the way
I have seen many better days
Then there was you… and many better days
Keep on keeping on, now get out… and don’t come back

9. Wish
Saturday he took his life, pray tell me where did he take it?
Straight to the potter’s field was as far as he made it
Because the road is long and it’s twisty back and forth
I’m by your side… your life’s much more than you think it’s worth
Can’t wish you back, can’t wish you back
All those things you think you lack
Can’t wish you back, can’t wish you back
I wish the songs hadn’t all been sung
Or better yet find some way to right my wrongs
She went out a field a-hunting not knowing what she was searching for
Could’ve been all wrapped in bunting but she wanted more
Because the road is long and it’s twisty back and forth
I’m by your side… your life’s much more than you think it’s worth
Can’t wish you back, can’t wish you back
All those things you think you lack
Can’t wish you back, can’t wish you back
I finally figured out what it’s all about
And I know that I don’t want no more
Because the road is long and it’s twisty back and forth
I’m by your side… your life’s much more than you think it’s worth
Can’t wish you back, can’t wish you back
All those things you think you lack
Can’t wish you back, can’t wish you back

————————–

1. Niagara Falling
Calling out across the water in some sort of sweet release
If I could just learn to forget her but it’s only been a week
Awful long from shore to shore, there & back again
How is it I keep wanting more to be back before the end?
Niagara falling every time I think of you
Do you hear me calling as if I don’t know what to do?
Put on my yellow slicker buffeted against the wind
Until the cold drives me sicker and I hear your name again
Pleading with the lady of the lake to bring me eternal treasures
Don’t know how much more I can take or if she can make it better
You’ll never be forgotten with this fishy state I’m in
Just be stuck at the bottom because I never learned to swim
Niagara falling every time I think of you
Do you hear me calling as if I don’t know what to do?
Put on my red galoshes because the water’s getting deep
O’er the edge it sloshes with the secrets that we keep
Rub-a-dub-dub in my barrel, it’s hard to shoot the fish from here
The outlook’s getting murky and I never was too clear
They say there’s many in the sea but me, I’m treading blind
A fisherman’s not what I want to be, on the ocean wasting time
Niagara falling every time I think of you
Do you hear me calling as if I don’t know what to do?
Put on my best front as I go out to meet the world
Looks like one more adventurous jaunt as the gyre beings to swirl

2. Victrola
I turn the radio on but nothing sounds good to me
There’s nothing that sounds like the two of us on a beach
Let your guard down with your hair and we’ll go for a stroll
And we’ll try to find something in the static for two old souls
My grandma had an old victrola
Tucked away, collecting dust in a corner
It played all of these old tunes that sound like me & you
Like me & you
We’ve been riding the stools at the bar for far too long
With the same bar band playing the same stale bar band songs
We need a soundtrack more like 1962
Funny how old songs can make you feel brand new
My grandma had an old victrola
Tucked away, collecting dust in a corner
It played all of these old tunes that sound like me & you
Like me & you
I dug a hole in the ground, let’s bury that box
Why pretend the radio is something that it’s not?
When you’ve lost all faith in the music, what have you got?
So take my hand, we’ll dance out in the summer air
You in your vintage shoes and your Audrey Hepburn hair
Since we can’t find the right song to capture the mood
Tell me what you want to hear baby, and I’ll sing to you
My grandma had an old victrola
Tucked away, collecting dust in a corner
It played all of these old tunes that sound like me & you
Like me & you

3. Room
Now that you’re settled in your brand new town
You’ve finally beaten your old demons down
Fresh coat of paint on your bedroom walls, can you see
Is there room for me?
Now that you’ve gotten over all your old fits
Is there a chance that you might fit me in?
Now that you’ve found there’s no place else you’d rather be?
Is there room for me?
Now that you’ve dusted your heart off the shelf
You’ve had so many years to yourself
You’ve turned into the person you’ve always wanted to be
Is there room for me?

4. It Can Get Better
Baby, it can get better
These streets can’t keep us here forever
Oh America, what have you done?
You’ve held up Lady Liberty with a BB gun
Mother Mary’s on her knees crying out to the savior’s son
No more heroes riding off into the setting sun
Baby, it can get better
I fell asleep last night with my eyes open wide
I’m too afraid to close them or turn out the lights
So I take a walk down to that Cross St. bridge
When I need a ray of hope in this city I’m in
Baby, it can get better

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