R-103 · Compilation LP
Hooch Jukebox
Various Artists
In the PACEX catalogue from day one.
Tracks
Open a title for its lyrics.
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01Blood BrothersThe Redline Sons3:13
[Verse 1] We were two kings of the railroad bridge, the summer we were ten, Cut our thumbs and pressed them tight and swore it there and then. Whatever water's coming, brother, we don't break, we bend — Two rivers from one mountain, running to one end. [Verse 2] But the valley got so cold last year, and you were always thin, You found yourself a warmer sun to wrap your winters in. I watched you cross the water where I couldn't follow you, And the river you were riding, man — it wasn't running blue. [Chorus] Hold the line, blood brother, when the river's running red, Hold the line, blood brother, when the night falls on your head. The current's soft and singing, and it calls you like a friend — But I'm standing on the bank, brother... come back to me again. [Verse 3 -] Your mother kept your room the same, your jacket on the door, The fellas at the bridge still say your name like before. They talk about the weather, how the water's high this spring — Nobody says the river's name. We don't say anything. [Chorus] [Bridge -] And I dream us on the railroad bridge, the sun on both our backs, Before the warmer sun you found... before the almanacs... You said, "It's just a season, brother — everybody swims" — But the river runs in seasons, and the seasons swallowed him. [Final Chorus] Hold the line, blood brother — but the river's running red, And the night came down so quiet on the promise that we said. Two rivers from one mountain... only one came to the end... I'll hold the line for both of us... till I see you again.
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02Breakwater RunThe Breakwater Runners2:19
Instrumental.
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03Friday Wears RedJune Hollow and the Red Letters2:49
[Verse 1] Monday wore a grey coat Tuesday wore it too Wednesday lost a button Thursday nearly came unglued Five o’clock on Friday I leave that week for dead I put my blue dress back Because Friday wears red [Chorus] Friday wears red Red from her heels to her head Five days talking softly Tonight I mean what I said Let that record turn Let the whole room spread Monday may wear grey But Friday wears red [Verse 2] Charlie’s by the doorway Looking like a loan He says he brought his motorcar I say I brought my own I didn’t work till sundown To follow where I’m led If Charlie wants to catch me He can learn to dance instead [Bridge] Red is not a warning Red is not a plea Red is what the working week Could never take from me [Final Chorus] Friday wears red Red from her heels to her head Five days taking orders Tonight I choose instead Let that record turn Let the whole room spread Monday may wear grey But Friday wears red
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04Red Dust Saturday NightRafe Hollis and the Redclay Riders2:08
Verse 1 They swept the floor at seven, ran the cable through the wall, Borrowed two bad speakers from the mess hall down the hall. The drummer found a washtub, the guitar found the light, And the red dust started rising on a Saturday night. Chorus Red dust Saturday night! Shake it from your boots till the morning turns white. No medals on the dance floor, no questions at the door, Just red dust Saturday night And one song more. Verse 2 Jimmy lost his collar, Eddie lost a month of pay, Somebody did the Monkey in a wholly reckless way. The needle jumped at midnight, but the band came in just right, And the red dust kept on climbing through the yellow light. Bridge Tomorrow has a bugle, Tomorrow has a name. Tonight has got a backbeat, And everybody sounds the same. Final Chorus Red dust Saturday night! Shake it from your boots till the morning turns white. No speeches on the dance floor, no future to explain, Just red dust Saturday night Before the rain.
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05Ruby, Don't Answer the TelephoneThe Switchboard Saints2:08
[Verse 1] I seen his Chevrolet go crawlin' past your daddy's place, I seen the curtain move, girl, but I never saw your face. Your girlfriend Donna told me somethin' Tuesday at the store — Said the telephone's been ringin' like it never rang before. [Chorus] Ruby! (Ruby!) Don't answer the phone! Ruby! (Ruby!) Let it ring all alone! If it's him, hang it up — if it's me, pick it up — Ruby, don't you answer that phone! [Verse 2] Now I ain't sayin' nothin' and I ain't accusin' you, But my buddy's got a scanner and my buddy's tellin' true. So Saturday at eight o'clock I'm ringin' twice, then three — That's the secret signal, Ruby, so you know that it's just me! [Chorus] [Fuzz Guitar Solo] [Chorus]
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06MacArthur PieThe Brass Lanterns5:02
[Spoken Introduction] Ladies and gentlemen... I have played kings, generals, and men betrayed by fate. But never... a pastry chef. [Verse 1] I had played a king at supper, I had wept on cue for years, So I faced a bowl of apples With an actor’s lack of fear. Every actor makes a record When the final curtain falls; I had found a kitchen apron And ignored the warning calls. [Pre-Chorus] The recipe said, “Keep it simple,” But simplicity is small. I added cloves, a jar of treacle, And perhaps too much of all. At two, I bore it through the garden, Like a crown upon a tray. I placed it proudly by the bandstand And prepared what I would say. [Chorus] MacArthur Pie, beneath a threatening sky, I brought you proudly to the green. The brass band fled, the pigeons cried, The heavens opened wide. Not every actor ought to sing, Not every singer ought to bake. But pie up in the sky, my love, Is easier to make. [Verse 2] I placed it on a royal-blue plate As I waited there for you. The first drop struck its centre, Then another thousand flew. The crust collapsed in silence; All the apples left the stage. The filling crossed the pavement In a cinnamon parade. [Chorus] MacArthur Pie, beneath a furious sky, Your brave performance had begun. The pastry sailed beyond the gate; The custard met its fate. Not everybody bakes a cake, However grand the claim. And shouting lyrics at the clouds Will not improve the flame. [Orchestral Interlude] [Spoken Bridge] Not every actor can become a singer. Not every singer can bake a cake. But any man with an orchestra behind him... Can promise you pie in the sky. [Fast Instrumental] [Verse 3] You arrived beneath an umbrella At the end of movement three. You surveyed the ruined pastry, The orchestra, and me. I declared the storm had murdered Every dream upon that plate. You removed an apple from my collar And pronounced it “slightly late.” You said, “Darling, all this thunder Doesn’t make the pastry right. Next time, spare us the finale... And set the oven light.” [Final Chorus] MacArthur Pie, beneath a clearing sky, Your expedition was complete. The brass returned, the pigeons dined, I bowed to my defeat. Not every actor ought to sing, And some should never bake. But pie up in the sky, my love, Is very hard to break. [Spoken Outro] Next Sunday... sandwiches.
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07Neon Over SaigonThe Electric Canopy3:01
Lyrics are coming to the station soon.
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08Coldwater LineJesse Cade and the Highballers2:41
[Verse 1] The whistle didn't blow today at half past five a.m., First morning in eleven years I laid there listenin' for them. The company put a padlock where my daddy punched his card — Now the only thing still runnin' is the dog out in the yard. [Chorus] But I ain't leavin' Coldwater, this town still knows my name, The bank can take the mill, boys, but the river runs the same. My people cleared this valley 'fore the company drew a line — They can close down every whistle... they can't close down what's mine. [Verse 2] Now Earl's gone up to Wichita and Charlie's gone to sea, And the diner's servin' coffee to just the clock and me. My wife says, "Honey, swallow hard, there's work in Bakersfield" — But a man that's built on bedrock, Lord, he don't know how to yield. [Chorus] [Pedal Steel Solo] [Final Chorus] They can close down every whistle... but they can't... close down... what's mine.
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09Three More MilesThe Milepost Three2:49
Verse 1 Needle on a quarter tank, canvas at my back, Red dust on the windshield and a wheel inside the track. The truck ahead is coughing like it swallowed half the road, I keep one eye on heaven and one eye upon the load. Chorus Three more miles, then another three, White stone marker and a broken tree. Don’t ask the road where the road has been, Three more miles and we count again. Verse 2 Miller drums the dashboard, Harris watches every field, Nobody says he’s frightened, nobody says he’s steel. The radio spits a weather word and falls beneath the tires, We follow someone’s taillights through a town of cooking fires. Bridge No map can show the waiting, No gauge can measure doubt. You learn the road by going in, You learn it coming out. Final Chorus Three more miles, then another three, Bent road sign and a tamarind tree. Don’t ask the road how the story ends, Three more miles and we count again. Outro Engine-like bass pulse continues for four bars, then the band stops together.
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10Nobody's Keeping ScoresCaleb North and the Even Breaks3:46
[Verse 1] Well, the chaplain's playing checkers with a corporal made of rain, And the colonel's got a map he holds upside-down again. The dancing girl from Bourbon Street is singing to the wire, While the paper man counts casualties and files them under "prior." And I asked the fortune teller in the market by the shore, She said, "Honey, don't you know by now — nobody's keeping score." [Harmonica] [Verse 2] There's a senator on television shaking hands with his own hand, And a farmer in the delta who cannot leave his land. The radio says progress, the sergeant says "dig in," And the new kid asks me plainly which one of them will win. So I pointed at the monsoon coming sideways through the door, Said, "Friend, you'll drive yourself half-crazy — nobody's keeping score." [Harmonica] [Verse 3] Now the quartermaster's dreaming of a girl in Illinois, And the medic's reading Tolstoy that he traded for a toy. The village kids sell soda pop at twenty cents a smile, And everybody's leaving here in just a little while. Well, I used to know the reasons, I had seventeen or more, But I traded them for cigarettes — nobody's keeping score. [Harmonica] [Verse 4] So if you see my darling, tell her not to read the news, The headlines and the truth ain't always sharing the same shoes. Tell her I'll come walking up the drive one ordinary day, With nothing much to speak of and too much I couldn't say. And if she asks me who was winning when they finally closed the store, I'll just kiss her on the forehead — nobody was keeping score. [Harmonica Outro]
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11Matchbook HeartNora Vale and the Paper Matches2:39
Verse 1 You wrote your name in pencil on the cover of a book, Said you’d be here Tuesday with that sideways Sunday look. You struck one little promise and you held it to the dark, But I have seen a hundred boys who travel on a spark. Chorus You’ve got a matchbook heart, Bright for a minute, black when it’s through. A matchbook heart Can warm my hand, but it can’t burn true. Go on and light the room up, honey, play your part— I won’t build a home around a matchbook heart. Verse 2 You say the road is calling like a trumpet in a hall, You say the world is waiting and you mean to see it all. I’ll take the dance you offered, I’ll even take the rain, But I won’t call it forever when you board that morning train. Bridge — Spoken over bass and drums Strike one for the story, Strike one for the show, Save the last one for the station When they tell you where to go. Final Chorus You’ve got a matchbook heart, Bright for a minute, black when it’s through. A matchbook heart Can make me laugh, but it won’t make me blue. Go on and light the room up, honey, play your part— I know the little warning on a matchbook heart.
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12Lanterns in the Tree LineThe Amber Signals3:42
Lyrics Verse 1 Lanterns in the tree line, seven in a row, One of them is moving where no evening wind can go. I close my left eye slowly, then I close my right, Seven turn to twenty when I open to the night. Chorus Lanterns in the tree line, tell me what you know, Are you on the ground below me, are you hanging long ago? Every light’s a question and every shadow’s mine, Counting little lanterns in the tree line. Verse 2 One looks like the porch lamp that my father used to leave, One looks like the county fair on some forgotten eve. One falls down like silver and it does not make a sound, One is just a firefly that never found the ground. Bridge — Tape colors intensify Green becomes a doorway, Black becomes a bell, Distance folds around itself— And no one here can tell. Final Chorus Lanterns in the tree line, fading one by one, Morning makes them ordinary, morning calls them done. But every night I find them at the edge of space and time, Waiting like an answer in the tree line. Outro Band drops away, leaving organ, hand percussion and one reversed guitar tail.
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13FirefliesMara Quinn and the Night Jars3:37
Lyrics are coming to the station soon.
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14Two Cups on the TableThe Blue Room Assembly3:09
[Verse 1] Well, I rolled in past midnight with a paycheck and a grin, Found the porch light burnin' but you wouldn't let me in. Slept out in the Kenworth with my jacket for a bed — [Female] You could sleep in Amarillo for the lovin' way you said You'd be home last Sunday — and the Sunday before that! I been talkin' to your dinner and your empty hangin' hat. [Chorus] But there's two cups on the table, and there's two names on the door, And there's twenty years of reasons we've been through this fight before. You can slam it, I can holler, we can carry on till dawn — But there's two cups on the table... 'cause neither one is gone. [Verse 2] I married me a rambler with a highway in his blood, Mama said, "You'll spend your life just wavin' from the mud." [Male] Now hold it right there, darlin', 'fore you paint me as the crime — Who's the fool that's drivin' double just to make it home in time? Every white line I been countin' has your name on every one — [Female] ...Well... you could've led with that part, hon. [Chorus] [Steel Solo] [Bridge] [Male] Pour me half a cup, then. [Female] It's already poured. [Male] You knew I'd be home this mornin'? [Female] Knew it from the Ford. [Both] Lord, we fight like cats and thunder... but we land like evenin' rain... [Final Chorus] Yes, there's two cups on the table, and there's two names on the door, And there's twenty years of reasons worth a twenty thousand more. You can slam it, I can holler, till the roosters carry on — But there's two cups on the table... [Male] Mine's the chipped one... [Female] Mine's the one with coffee still warm... [Both] ...'Cause neither one is gone.