Big Country

[fox69]

"Ships"

"Ships"



Look at him now
Another used man
Wearing the passing of his dignity
With all the courage that he can

He stood in the storm
Carved out in stone
He said I’ve worn my honesty with pride
In everything I’ve done

So where were you when my ship went down
Where were you when I ran aground
Where were you when I turned it around
Where were you when they burned me down

You see her now
Tired and worn
She never thought her life
Would come to be so cold or so alone

She walked in the light
Fought bondage for love
She said I cast off the chains that I was born with
But it never was enough

So where were you when my ship went down
Where were you when I ran aground
Where were you when I turned it around
Where were you when they burned me down

Silent souls washed upon the shores
Left to walk the sands
Evermore, evermore

Oh now were were you
When my ship went down
Look at you now just chasing your life
Make like the savior of the planet
You’re just trying to get by

Now you may walk the line
You may see it all through
But I know you cry yourself to sleep at night
Just wondering what to do

And where were you when my ship went down
Where were you when I ran aground
Where were you when I turned it around
Where were you when they burned me down

And where were you when my ship went down
Where were you when I ran aground
Where were you when I turned it around
Where were you when they burned me down

 

[fox69]

"Simple's Always Best"

"Simple's Always Best"



Well I don’t say much
But I’m a man of my word
You can take what you heard and believe it
Well I don’t dress up

Never been a fancy dan
Got so much dirt on my hands
I think I’m bleeding

And we came through hard times
Have each other on cold nights
Always kept the truth inside

But the best isn’t always simple
Ah, but simple’s always best

I got no time for the high life
No one else, I need embrace
So I’ll simply say I love you
Any more would mean much less

And the best isn’t always simple
Ah, but simple’s always best

Well, if money talks
Then it don’t say much to me
I’ve got more than I need
When I got you

I can walk the walk
Down that straight and narrow road
I’ve got peace in my soul
‘Cuz I’ve paid my dues

And we kept our face strong
Been together when things went wrong
Found the strength to carry on

And the best isn’t always simple
Ah but simple’s always best

I got no time for the high life
No one else, I need embrace
So I’ll simply say I love you
Any more would mean much less

And the best isn’t always simple
Ah but simple’s always best

 

[fox69]

"Small Town Big News"

"Small Town Big News"



She was born out of wedlock
When the summer turned to autumn
Somebody saw her daddy at the bus stop
They said he looked like a guy off the Waltons

Ain’t nothing new, it ain’t all that strange
It won’t matter much in the scheme of things
There’s a lot to say, but not much to do
But for a small town it was big news
Small town big news

She skipped out of high school
With a guy on a motorcycle
In a short skirt and too much rouge
She wasn’t really dressed for revival

Ain’t nothing new, it ain’t all that strange
It won’t matter much in the scheme of things
There’s a lot to say, but not much to do
But for a small town it was big news
Small town big news

You are only the window
It’s all black and white
You can see a whole lot more
If you could stand out of sight

A fool could see she didn’t love him
But nobody stopped the wedding
At least she’s doing better than her mama
With a daddy for a baby and a cold drink

Ain’t nothing new, it ain’t all that strange
It won’t matter much in the scheme of things
There’s a lot to say, but not much to do
But for a small town it was big news
Small town big news

Small town big news
Real big news

 

[fox69]

"Soldier Of The Lord"

"Soldier Of The Lord"



I can hear the dogs a howlin’
Guess they’ve got a scent of meat
I’ve got four rounds in this pistol
But I’m savin’ one for me

My name is Edan Harper
I’m from Bristol, Tennessee
I was raised to fight the devil
Wherever he may be

Let me be his flamin’ arrow
Let me wield his fiery sword
I am the angel of his vengeance
I am a soldier of the Lord

I spent long nights seeking wisdom
‘Til I heard the voice of God
He said, “Suffer the little children.”
Then I knew I had a job

You can use a truck of fertilizer
Or a can of gasoline
There’s a guy out at Fort Campbell
Who can get you what you need

Let me be his flamin’ arrow
Let me wield his fiery sword
I am the angel of his vengeance
I am a soldier of the Lord

They say I’m nothing but a killer
But the blood is on their hands
I’m but a shepherd for my savior
Keeping the wolf from the lambs

For this battle may be over
But the war will carry on
I’ve got four rounds in this pistol
Lord, I’m coming home

Let me be his flamin’ arrow
Let me wield his fiery sword
I am the angel of his vengeance
I am a soldier of the Lord

For my name is Edan Harper
I’m from Bristol, Tennessee
I was raised to fight the devil
Wherever he may be

 

[fox69]

"Somebody Else"

"Somebody Else"



I walk through the debris of cardboard and clothes
Trying to work out where everything goes
I’m short of you and a book or ten
And I’d love to hear those Leonard Cohen songs again

You can keep the wok
’Cos it matches the satellite dish
You can keep that crew neck sweater
I wore to the Talking Heads gig

I don’t need that angry sex
I can find that for myself
You can keep that body
It belonged to somebody else

Self-help books and motivational videos
A ticket stub from the late night show
Nonessential items of disfunctional-eese
I don’t have no room for those water skis

You can keep that ‘Kiss Me’ hat
The one that I bought in Spain
You can keep my Scalextric
And all of my clockwork trains

All that stuff I thought was good for my health
You can leave it all on the bathroom shelf
You can keep that body
It belonged to somebody else

A room a bed and a couple of chairs
Had a hard time getting that fridge up the stairs
Sitting by the window looking out at the rain
I would love to hear those Leonard Cohen songs again

You can keep the wok
’Cos it matches the satellite dish
You can keep that crew neck sweater
I wore to the Talking Heads gig

I don’t need that angry sex
I can find that for myself
You can keep that body
It belonged to somebody else
(It belonged to somebody else

You can keep that ‘Kiss Me’ hat
The one that I bought in Spain
You can keep my Scalextric
And all of my Subbuteo men)*

All that stuff I thought was good for my health
You can leave it all on the bathroom shelf
You can keep that body
It belonged to somebody else

Hey I was somebody else
Yeah somebody else
I was somebody else
Somebody else

 

[fox69]

"Song Of The South"

"Song Of The South"



When I was young you said to me
How I would grow to find
A world of hope and wonder
That you would leave behind

So now I look around me
I see where you were wrong
The tears that flow for equal rights
Have fallen far too long

Way down south in the township
Way down south in the plain
Does the sun still rise on the land of lies
Every day in fear, every day in shame

And I was told no man was judged
By color or by creed
So why do some have streets of gold
While others only need

No, you cannot tell me
There is pride in fearing pain
A nation born in a country torn
I know the rightful claim

Way down south in the township
Way down south in the plain
Does the sun still rise on the land of lies
Every day in fear, every day in shame

Take away the newsreel
And take the world to task
One man one vote as nations quote
Is that too much to ask

And now I look around me
I see where you were wrong
The tears that flow for equal rights
Have fallen far too long

Way down south in the township
Way down south in the plain
Does the sun still rise on the land of lies
Every day in fear, every day in shame..

 

[fox69]

"Soul On Fire"

"Soul On Fire"



You’re on the phone
It’s four a.m.
Your little life
Is in pieces again
The line breaks up
But I hear you swear
I almost felt him lying there

And both of us know that it’s all gonna to happen again
And both of us know that it’s all gonna to happen again
And both of us try and pretend that it’s going to change

The stolen flowers
At the foot of the stairs
A ripped up dress
And the broken chair
An empty glass
And a red eyed child
The bitter prizes
Of a life gone wild

And both of us know that it’s all gonna to happen again
And both of us try and pretend that it’s going to change

But some girls do
And some girls don’t
Some girls will
While some girls won’t
I don’t care
What’s wrong
What’s right
I heard a soul on fire tonight
I heard a soul on fire tonight
I heard a soul on fire tonight
I heard a soul on fire tonight

You’re at the door
It’s six a.m.
You’ve fallen into my life again
The suitcase is empty
You can’t tell me why
I drive you back
To the rage again

 

[fox69]

"Starred And Crossed"

"Starred And Crossed"



Long hard years with the fishing fleet
I hear the owner says he don’t need another bad year
Like the five that went before

Oil men came and trawlers went
Put up the rigs and put up the rent
But we were working, paying our own way

Work was hard and days were long
Shoot a little pool and sing old songs
’Till the tour was over
And the town was painted red

Starred and crossed like saints we never were
Starred and crossed like all the paths we shared
Just got a little money in this town
And now they’re pulling the whole place down
Saying it’s over, it’s all over
Saying it’s over and I know they never cared

We sunk the drills, we cleared the ice
We rode the storms, we paid the price
The sea expected
Well nothing comes for free

Boomtowns come and boomtowns go
Put up the shutters after the show
But we were born here
This is all we know

Starred and crossed like saints we never were
Starred and crossed like all the paths we shared
Just got a little money in this town
And now they’re pulling the whole place down
Saying it’s over, that it’s all over
They’re saying it’s over and I know they never cared

Oil men came and the trawlers went
Put up the rigs and put up the rent
But we were working
Paying our own way

Boomtowns come and boomtowns go
Put up the shutters after the show
But we were born here
This is all we know

Starred and crossed like saints we never were
Starred and crossed like all the paths we shared
Just got a little money in this town
And now they’re pulling the whole place down
Saying it’s over, it’s all over
They’re saying it’s over and I know they never cared

Starred and crossed like saints we never were
Starred and crossed like all the paths we shared
Just got a little money in this town
And now they’re pulling the whole place down
Saying it’s over, it’s all over
They’re saying it’s over and I know they never cared

 

[fox69]

"Steeltown"

"Steeltown"



Here I stand with my own kin
At the end of everything
Finally the dream is gone
I've had enough of hanging on

I came here with all my friends
Leaving behind the wait of years
Leaving alone in a flood of tears
Out on a prospect that never ends
All the landscape was the mill
Grim as the reaper with a heart like hell
With a river of bodies flowing with the bell
Here was a future for hands of skill

We built it all with our own hands
But who could know we built on sand
But now it's barren all too soon
There is no miracle in ruin

We set the flame and it burned so blue
With open eyes I watched it grow
A sea of palms in an ocean of snow
Hands with the courage to start anew
Here was a home for the lost and scared
Out of the yards and run dry dock
The call of the steel that would never stop
Here was a refuge for those who dared

In a steeltown
When the heat's on
I went down
And the heat turned on me

There I stand with my own kin
At the end of everything
Finally the dream has gone
I've nothing left to hang upon

In a steeltown
When the heat's on
I went down
And the heat turned on me

 

[fox69]

"Strong (All Through This Land)"

"Strong (All Through This Land)"



I see a land
Stood at the crossroads
Burnt by the fire
Scarred by the flames

Blood on my hands
Smoke in my lungs
Blisters on my fingers
Nil by mouth

It takes all that you are
All that you can be
It takes all that you can give
Still gives back what’s been given

All through this land (all through this land)
Walk on and be strong

Oh oh oh oh-oh

Call it a flood-land
Call it a home
Call it what you want
You’ll never be alone

In times of trouble
And through it all
In this land of my fathers
Where my children walk

All through this land I see
The crossings of the river
The water gives us life
And takes back what’s been given

All through this land (all through this land)
Walk on and be strong

Through all this time I’ve walked the line
A wave against the rising tide
A wind against a hurricane
The river flows, the sea remains

All through this land (all through this land)
Walk on and be strong (all through this land)
Walk on and be strong (oh oh, oh oh)
Oh oh (oh oh, oh oh)

The river flows (oh, oh)
The sea remains (oh, oh)
All through this land (oh, oh)

Walk on ahead (oh, oh)

It takes all that you are (oh, oh)

All that you can be (oh, oh)

The river flows (oh, oh)
The sea remains (oh, oh)...