Robert Earl Keen

[fox69]

"Then Came Lo Mein"

"Then Came Lo Mein"


There were lean times, they were tough
There were mean times they were rough
And the good times didn't outweigh the bad
I was sad you were bitter
But you were no quitter
When nothin' was all that we had

We were drinkin' a lot
We were thinkin' of tyin' the knot
Or maybe throw in the towel
Make up have a kid
Break up and we did
But only just for awhile

Then came lo mein and going insane
At the Chinese cafe way downtown
I was steamed I was fried but you stood by my side
When I had my nervous breakdown

There were noodles galore
All over the floor
And hot mustard sauce everywhere
But I held your hand ‘til you calmed down again
And picked out the rice in your hair

After that we agreed
When in fact what we need
Is to pack up and take the first plane
Take a bus take a bike
Take care take a hike
Take out but leave the lo mein

I remember it now when we order kung pao
And bow our heads to say grace
The day we left town and that nervous breakdown
At the all-you-can-eat Chinese place
At the Chinese cafe way downtown

 

[fox69]

"These Years"

"These Years"


Down the hill
Through the light
Past the city jail
I watch and walk
Every night
I wondered who to tell

How can I tell my father?
He's been gone all these years
I couldn't tell my father
I couldn't bear the tears

I was lost
In a rage
Didn't ever mean to be
Now the cost
Has set the stage
And it will bury me

 

[fox69]

"Thing It Over One Time"

"Thing It Over One Time"


You say you're clearing out, the devil's in your eyes
No time to walk, no time to talk, no time for long goodbyes.
The ticket's in your hand, you've made that final call,
The hard words flying by like punches in a barroom brawl

[Chorus:]
We've made a mess of things,
It makes no difference now let's chalk it all up to the blues.
Little girl, think it over one time
Little girl, think it over one time
Little girl, think it over one time
Before you break in your walking shoes.

I am just what I am, I won't apologize
So if you go you'll surely know you'll have to come to realize
Love don't walk away, only people do
So if you go or if you stay you know I'll keep on loving you.

[Chorus]

We've made the hard time sing, we've made the miles roll by,
We've broken both our wings and still we've had the will to fly.
It ain't the memories, that make me talk this way,
It's more like someone pulled the plug before we ever saw the play.

[Chorus]

I've read a thousand books, I've been behind the wheel,
I've known you all my life but still I can't feel how you feel.
It's only you for me, just like that whooping crane,
Who has one wife for all his life and if she dies, he'll do the same.

[Chorus]

 

[fox69]

"This World Is Not My Home"

"This World Is Not My Home"


This world is not my home I'm just-a-passing through
My pleasure and my hopes are placed beyond the blue
Many friends and kindred have gone on before
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

Oh Lord you know I have no friend like you
If heaven's not my home oh Lord what will I do
Angels beckon me to heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

Over in gloryland there'll be no dying there
The saints all shouting victory and singing everywhere
I hear the voice of them that's gone on before
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

He's expecting me that's one thing I know
I fixed it up with Jesus a long time ago
He will take me through though I am weak and poor
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

 

[fox69]

"Throwin' Rocks"

"Throwin' Rocks"


Alright
One, two, ready, go

She wasn't bad, she wasn't good
She was just what she was
She had a thing makes a man
Do the things he does

She had a way, a special way
To speak without a word
I swear to you, this very day
That this is how it all occurred

We was throwin' rocks in the river, counting ties on the track
Thinking life could not be better, living in a shack
Feeling love for one another, deep down in our bones
Standing by the water, throwin' rocks, skippin' stones

I was raised in New Orleans
She was born in Jacksonville
And for a time, to me it seems
She made the world stand still

Throwin' rocks in the river, counting ties on the track
Thinking life could not be better, living in a shack
Feeling love for one another, deep down in our bones
Standing by the water, throwin' rocks, skippin' stones

I came home late and I caught her
With a man from out of town
Now I wait beside the water
For the flood to take me down

Throwin' rocks in the river, counting ties on the track
Pouring gas on her letters and setting fire to the shack
Screaming bloody murder, leaving nothing but the bones
Standing by the water, throwin' rocks, skippin' stones

I am standing by the water, yeah, throwin' rocks, skippin' stones

(Throwin' rocks, skippin' stones)
(Throwin' rocks, skippin' stones)
(No-no-no)...

 

[fox69]

"Tom Ames' Prayer"
(originally by Steve Earle)

"Tom Ames' Prayer"
(originally by Steve Earle)



Everyone in Nacogdoches knew Tom Ames would come to some bad end
Well the sheriff had cought him stealin' chickens and such
By the time that he was ten
And one day his daddy took a ten dollar bill
And he tucked it in his hand
He said I can tell you're headed for trouble son
And your momma wouldn't understand

So he took that money and his brothers old bay
And he left without a word of thanks
Fell in with a crowd in some border town
And took to robbin' banks

Outside the law your luck will run out fast
And a few years came and went
'Till he's trapped in an alley in Abilene
With all but four shells spent

And he realized prayin' was the only thing
That he hadn't ever tried
Well he wasn't sure he knew quite how
But he looked up to the sky

Said you don't owe me nothin' and as far as I know
Lord don't owe nothin' to you
And I ain't askin' for a miracle Lord
Just a little bit of luck will do

And you know I ain't never prayed before
But it always seemed to me
If prayin' is the same as beggin' Lord
I don't take no charity

Yeah but right now Lord with my back to the wall
Can't help but recall
How they nearly hung me for stealin' a horse
In Fort Smith, Arkansas

Judge Parker said guilty and the gavel came down
Just like a cannon shot
And I went away quietly
And I began to file and plot

Well they sent the preacher down to my cell
He said the Lord is your only hope
He's the only friend that you gonna have
When you hit the end of Parker's rope

Well I guess he coulda' kept on preachin' 'till Christmas
But he turned his back on me
I put a home made blade to that golden throat
And asked the deputy for the key

Well it ain't the first close call I ever had
I'm sure you already know
I had some help from you Lord and the devil himself
It's been strictly touch and go

Yeah but who in the hell am I talkin' to?
There ain't no one here but me
Then he cocked both his pistols and he spit in the dirt
And he walked out in the street

 

[fox69]

"Top Down"

"Top Down"


Floatin' on a cloud, jettin' the stream
For cryin' out loud you're livin' the dream
Movin' so fast you're already gone
You got your hit movie and your number one song
You never worry, you never care
You got the top down and the wind in your hair

Well lickity-split and whoppi-ty-aye
The bigger you get, the bigger they pay
Babes in your arms takin' their turn
Good lookin' charm and money to burn
Lights, camera, action; fans on the lawn
With the top down and your sunglasses on

Hi-ooo, it's you, hi-ooo, it's true
Everything is happening, everything is new
Everybody's clappin' and it's all about you
Little ol' you

Everything is happening, everything is new
Everybody's clappin' and it's all about you

Movin' thru the [?], here's the private line
Meet and greet, nice to see ya, call me anytime
Your trainer helped you loose some weight on tuna fish and toast
Your agent and your manager are conferencing the coast
Scheduling a cover shoot on Vanity Fair
With the top down and the wind in your hair

Hi-ooo, it's you, hi-ooo, it's true
Everything is happening, everything is new
Everybody's clappin' and it's all about
Hi-ooo, it's you, hi-ooo, it's true
Everything is happening, everything is new
Everybody's clappin' and it's all about you

 

[fox69]

"Train Trek"

"Train Trek"


Tracks are starting to rumble, wheels beginning to roll
There's a short handle shovel full of number 9 coal
Hey, mister brakeman are we running on time
No, mister engineer, think we're falling behind

Will we crash on the trestle? Will we pass on the plain?
All I can guess is, we'll be seeing that train
No way to stop em? No way to tell?
Keep your hand on the throttle and your eye on the rail

Send the word to the sherriff, make the people lie down
Tell the cook and the coachman, there's no turning round
Up ahead is the tunnel, just beyond is the bend
Pass the word to the preacher, it's all up to him

Said the preacher's been drinking and he's starting to cry
Saying Great God Almighty, we're all gonna die
All the porters are betting nobody survives
And the Indian Cowboy is taking a dive

The undertaker is laughing, the doctor's cold as a stone
The fiddle player is playing there's no place like home
We'll be making the trestle just over the hill
If we don't make it now boys, we never will

When the trains hit the trestle and the trestle gave way
The two trains collided in midair they say
When the dust finally settled, all they found was a hole
And a short handle shovel full of number 9 coal

A hundred years after and a hundred miles high
The captain commander looks down from the sky
And he says to his soldiers, "She's pullin too strong"
"We can hold her together, but we can't hold her for long"

So we look for a message and we search in our souls
As we sift through the wreckage like we're shoveling coal.

 

[fox69]

"Travelin' Light"

"Travelin' Light"


You've been standin' on the corner for a thousand nights
Ifs the slowest corner known to man
Watchin' strange faces passin' 'neath the lights
With a bottle wavin' in your hand
You got just enough money for some nothin' to go
It ain't exactly what you planned
So lonesome that you can't even say hello
And no one seems to understand

So you're a mixed up kid, come on and join the crowd
The ones that only fit where they're not allowed
Out on the streets and you're feelin' blue
travelin' light
With a hole in your soul where the wind blows through
A hole in your soul where the wind blows through

You wandered away from your childhood home
Nobody cared to trace
the tracks you laid
You traveled by night
and you traveled alone
Came to rest at a penny arcade
Well, the last shots over
on a Saturday night You wake up in the beam
of a cop's flashlight
He asks you who you are as if you
knew or you cared
He asks you where you live
and you say nowhere

So you're a mixed up kid, come on and join the crowd
The ones that only fit where they're not allowed
Out on the streets and you're feelin' blue
travelin' light
With a hole in your soul where the wind blows through
A hole in your soul where the wind blows through

I don't know where I got it
but, I got it the same
It's a feelin' that'll rip you apart
It follows me around
like a part of my name
Like I'm born with a time bomb
instead of a heart

So you're a mixed up kid, come on and join the crowd
The ones that only fit where they're not allowed
Out on the streets and you're feelin' blue
travelin' light
With a hole in your soul where the wind blows through
A hole in your soul where the wind blows through

 

[fox69]

"Twisted Laurel"

"Twisted Laurel"


Just across the blue ridge, where the high meadows lay
And the galax spreads through the new mown hay
There"s a rusty iron bridge, cross a shady ravine
Where the hard road ends and turns to clay
With a suitcase in his hand there the lonesome boy stands
Gazing at the river sliding by beneath his feet
But the dark water springs from the black rocks and flows
Out of sight where the twisted laurel grows

Past the coal-tipple towns in the cold December rain
Into Charleston runs the New River train
Where the hillsides are brown, and the broad valley"s stained
By a hundred thousand lives of work and pain
In a tar-paper shack out of town across the track
Stands an old used-up man trying to call something back
But his old memories fade like the city in the haze
And his days have flowed together like the rain

And the dark water springs from the black rocks and flows
Out of sight where the twisted laurel grows