Steve Earle

[fox69]

"The Crush"

"The Crush"



The first time I laid eyes on you
I checked myself right out of this world
One thing will bring me back from this heart attack
And that's your sweet lovin', girl

Ooh, your huggin' and kissin'
Mmm, made my lights come on
You put the crush on me
Little girl, can't you see I'm gone

And now I ain't gonna listen to reason
There's no excuse for the way that I feel
Before one word was spoke
I knew it was no joke
Baby, this love is real

They say you gotta take time to know her
But I can't wait that long
You put the crush on me
Little girl, can't you see I'm gone

You put the crush, crush
My mouth turns to mush
I can't begin to speak of all of your charms
You put the crush, crush
Ooh, what a rush
Now, I can't be satisfied until I'm wrapped up in your arms

Ain't that some kind of love, babe
You know I'm not puttin' you on
You put the crush on me
Little girl, can't you see I'm gone

You put the crush, crush
My mouth turns to mush
I can't begin to speak of all of your charms
You put the crush, crush
Ooh, what a rush
Now, I can't be satisfied until I'm wrapped up in your arms

Ain't that some kind of love, babe
You know I'm not puttin' you on
You put the crush on me
Little girl, can't you see I'm gone

 

[fox69]

"The Devil's Right Hand"

"The Devil's Right Hand"



About the time that Daddy left to fight the big war
I saw my first pistol in the general store
In the general store, when I was thirteen
Thought it was the finest thing I ever had seen
So l asked if I could have one someday when I grew up
Mama dropped a dozen eggs, she really blew up
She really blew up and I didn't understand
Mama said the pistol is the devil's right hand

The devil's right hand, the devil's right hand
Mama said the pistol is the devil's right hand

My very first pistol was a cap and ball Colt
Shoot as fast as lightnin' but it loads a mite slow
Loads a mite slow and soon I found out
It can get you into trouble but it can't get you out
So then I went and bought myself a Colt 45
Called a peacemaker but I never knew why
Never knew why, I didn't understand
Cause Mama said the pistol is the devil's right hand

Well I get into a card game in a company town
Caught a miner cheating I shot the dog down
Shot the dog down, watched the man fall
Never touched his holster, never had a chance to draw
The trial was in the morning and they drug me out of bed
Asked me how I pleaded, not guilty I said
Not guilty I said, you've got the wrong man
Nothing touched the trigger but the devil's right hand

 

[fox69]

"The Galway Girl"

"The Galway Girl"



Well, I took a stroll on the old long walk
Of a day -I-ay-I-ay
I met a little girl and we stopped to talk
Of a fine soft day -I-ay-I-ay
And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do
'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
And I knew right then I'd be takin' a whirl
'Round the Salthill Prom with a Galway girl

We were halfway there when the rain came down
Of a day -I-ay-I-ay
And she asked me up to her flat downtown
Of a fine soft day -I-ay-I-ay
And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do
'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
So I took her hand and I gave her a twirl
And I lost my heart to a Galway girl

When I woke up I was all alone
With a broken heart and a ticket home
And I ask you now, tell me what would you do
If her hair was black and her eyes were blue
I've traveled around I've been all over this world
Boys I ain't never seen nothin' like a Galway girl

 

[fox69]

"The Graveyard Shift"

"The Graveyard Shift"



I work the graveyard shift - stay up all night long
You'll wake up someday
And find your good gal gone
If you don't treat your baby right
She'll come see me
Some lonely night

When the sun goes down
And the moon is gone
That's when I come around
Don't you think I won't

On the graveyard shift - stay up all night long
You'll wake up someday
And your good gal gone

I drive a Cadillac - rides just like a dream
All the pretty gals
Wanna ride with me
('Cause) I got what all the women want
I never say I do
When I really don't

 

[fox69]

"The Gringo's Tale"

"The Gringo's Tale"



Beggin' your pardon there stranger
You look like you're new to this town
We're a long way away from the beach here
You won't see many gringos around
Well I come from West Colorado
And I've wandered this world far and wide
I've lived for some years in the shadows
And my eyes are unused to this light
If you buy me a strong drink of whiskey
I will tell you the tale of my life
It's long and it's sad but it fits me
And it may bring a tear to your eye

All the men of my family were solidiers
The hard fightin' straight talkin' kind
When my turn came all that was over
But I'd already made up my mind
I was there when we blew though Grenada
And I still have to ask myself why
Then we took down that fool Noriega
That's where I caught the good colonel's eye
Well he asked me if I loved my country
And before I had time to reply
He regaled me with tales of past glories
I believed every one of his lies

So I left my old life behind me
Turned my back on my family and friends
And I did everything that they asked me
And I lost some sleep now and again
And I lived like a thief and assassin
I smuggled their poisons sometimes
Until I asked the wrong question in passin'

And the colonel himself dropped the dime
So if you're ever in west Colorado
Tell the folks in Durango goodbye
There's a price on my head and I can't go
So I'll just wait around here 'til I die

 

[fox69]

"The Gulf Of Mexico"

"The Gulf Of Mexico"



Come and gather 'round me people
And a tale to you I'll tell
Of my father and his father
In the days before the spill
With an endless sky above 'em
And a restless sea below
And every blessin' flowing from the Gulf of Mexico

From my Granddad with the shrimp boats
From the time that he was grown
And he scrimped and saved and bought himself
A trawler of his own
He was rough and he was ready
And he drank when he was home
And he made his family's living on the Gulf of Mexico

We were rolling
We were rolling
Past the deep blue water
He was rolling

Well my Daddy drove a crew boat
Hauling workers to the rigs
He was sick of mending nets
And couldn't stand the smell of fish
He drew a steady paycheck
20 years at Texico
When he died they spread his ashes
On the Gulf of Mexico

We were rolling
We were rolling
Past the deep green water
He was rolling

As for me, I think of nothing
Any grander than the day
That I stepped out on the drillin' floor
To earn a roughneck's pay

Then one night I swear I saw the devil
Crawlin' from the hole
And he spilled the guts of hell out in the Gulf of Mexico

We were rolling
We were rolling
'Cross the blood red water
We were rolling

 

[fox69]

"The Kind"

"The Kind"



Tell me a story 'bout a fella with a crazy dream
Everybody tells him that it won't amount to anything
He fires the shot heard around the world
He wins the prize and he gets the girl
That's the kind of story I like - the kind that makes you think

Sing me a song about a cowboy with an achin' heart
Ridin' along the lonesome prairie 'bout to fall apart
Every time those doggies moan
He doesn't feel so all alone
That's the kind of song that I like - the kind that breaks your heart

Paint me a picture of a girl with a secret smile
Lookin' back at ya 'cross the years through ancient eyes
You're standin' there like an open door
'Cause she's seen it all before
That's the kind of picture I like - the kind that makes you sigh

 

[fox69]

"The Last Gunfighter Ballad"

"The Last Gunfighter Ballad"



The old gunfighter on the porch
Stared into the sun
And relived the days of living by the gun
When deadly games of pride were played
And living was mistakes not made
And the thought of the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke

Ah, the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke

It's always keep your back to the sun
He can almost feel the weight of the gun
And he's faster than snakes or the blink of an eye
And it's a time for all slow men to die
And his eyes get squinty and his fingers twitch
As he empties the gun at the son of a bitch
And he's hit by the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke

Hit by the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke

Now the burn of a bullet is only a scar
He's back in his chair in front of the bar
And the streets are empty and the blood's all dried
And the dead are dust and the whiskey's inside
So buy him a drink and lend him an ear
'Cause he's nobody's fool and the only one here
Who remembers the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke

Remember the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke

He said I stood in that street before it was paved
Learned to shoot or be shot before I could shave
And I did it all for the money and fame
Noble was nothing but feeling no shame
And nothing was sacred but stayin' alive
And all that I learned from a Colt 45
Was to curse the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke

Curse the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke

He's just an old man, now, that no one believes
That says he's a gunfighter, the last of the breed
And there are ghosts in the street seeking revenge
Calling him out to the lunatic fringe
Now he's out in the traffic checking the sun
And he's killed by a car as he goes for his gun
So much for the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke

So much for the smell of the black powder smoke
And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke

 

[fox69]

"The Low Highway"

"The Low Highway"



Travelin’ now
On the low highway
Three thousand miles
To the Frisco Bay

Cross the rivers wild
And the lonesome plains
Up the coast and down
And back again

Saw empty houses on a dead end street
People linin up for something to eat
And the ghost of America watching me
Through the broken windows of the factories

Pickin bones of a better day
As I roll on the down the low highway

Travelin’ now
On the low highway
By the yellow moon
And the light of day

From the snow white crown
Of the mountain tall
To the valley down
Where the shadows fall

Met a man with a rifle in his hand
Been away to battle in a distant land
Taught him to hate taught him to kill
Now he’s out on the road with a hole to fill

Nobody knows the price he paid
So he takes his toll on the low highway

Travelin’ now
On the low highway
Windows down
Listenin

Wheels turnin round
On the asphalt sayin
Every sound
Is a prophecy

Heard and old man grumble and a young girl cry
Brick wall crumble and the white dove fly
And a cry for justice and a call for peace
Force of reason in the roar of the beast

And every mile is a prayer I prayed
As I roll down
The low highway

 

[fox69]

"The Mountain"

"The Mountain"



I was born on this mountain a long time ago
Before they knocked down the timber and strip-mined the coal
When you rose in the mornin' before it was light
To go down in that dark hole and come back up at night

I was born on this mountain, this mountain's my home
She holds me and keeps me from worry and woe
Well, they took everything that she gave, now they're gone
But I'll die on this mountain, this mountain's my home

I was young on this mountain but now I am old
And I knew every holler, every cool swimmin' hole
'Til one night I lay down and woke up to find
That my childhood was over and I went down in the mine

There's a hole in this mountain and it's dark and it's deep
And God only knows all the secrets it keeps
There's a chill in the air only miners can feel
There're ghosts in the tunnels that the company sealed