R-105 · Long-playing record
What the Auction Left Behind
Silas Rook and the County Company
In the PACEX catalogue from day 93 of your tour.
Tracks
Open a title for its lyrics.
01What the Auction Left Behind2:55
[Verse 1] They sold the iron bedsteads And the stove that wouldn't draw They sold the little rocking horse My father made with a saw A woman bought the looking glass And held it to the sun I saw the yard behind her face And knew the sale was done [Chorus] What the auction left behind Wouldn't bring a dime A square of unfaded wallpaper And a mark where we measured time They carried off the furniture They carried off the pine But nobody made an offer On what the auction left behind [Verse 2] The man who bought the table Said he'd take the chairs as well I helped him lift the heavy end There wasn't much to tell My mother used to sit there Where the finish had worn thin He said he'd sand it Saturday And make it new again [Chorus] What the auction left behind Wouldn't bring a dime A square of unfaded wallpaper And a mark where we measured time They carried off the furniture They carried off the pine But nobody made an offer On what the auction left behind [Bridge] I closed the kitchen window And I checked the latch twice through It's a foolish thing to worry What an empty house might do [Final Chorus] What the auction left behind Wouldn't bring a dime A square of unfaded wallpaper And a mark where we measured time I left the key upon the sill And stepped across the line With more than I could carry Of what the auction left behind
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02One Good Suit Between Us2:20
[Verse 1] My brother got an interview At nine on Tuesday morn I had a date with Caroline The prettiest girl born We had one suit between us And the trousers fitted him I tightened up the little belt And hoped the light was dim [Chorus] One good suit between us One tie dark as wine He can wear it making money I can wear it wasting time If it ever makes us famous There's a thing I want to know Will they put both names upon it When they hang it up for show? [Verse 2] He came back at half past seven With a gravy-coloured cuff He said they'd asked him out to supper And he'd had to eat enough I brushed it with the kitchen brush He held it to the heat And Caroline came calling While I stood there in bare feet [Chorus] One good suit between us One tie dark as wine He can wear it making money I can wear it wasting time If it ever makes us famous There's a thing I want to know Will they put both names upon it When they hang it up for show? [Bridge] She said, "Your brother looks so fine They'll surely give him work But I came here to see you You can wear your ordinary shirt" [Final Chorus] One good suit between us One tie dark as wine He can wear it making money I've no further need of mine If it ever makes us famous There's a thing I want to know Will they put both names upon it When they hang it up for show?
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03The Judge Buys Eggs2:15
[Verse 1] The judge says folks should stand up straight And keep their fences white He says a man who's up at dawn Will always sleep at night He says my boots are muddy And my manner's somewhat rough But he comes out every Sunday When the stores don't have enough [Refrain] The judge buys eggs from me The judge buys eggs from me He likes them brown and extra large And he takes them three by three He can tell the town what's proper He can fine a man a fee But when his wife's expecting guests The judge buys eggs from me [Verse 2] He keeps a little blanket On the seat of his sedan He says I ought to wash my hands I tell him that I can He says he cannot linger He has people due at noon But he stays to watch the rooster Like he hasn't seen the moon [Refrain] The judge buys eggs from me The judge buys eggs from me He likes them brown and extra large And he takes them three by three He can tell the town what's proper He can fine a man a fee But when his wife's expecting guests The judge buys eggs from me [Bridge] I don't begrudge his collar He can wear it if he likes He asked to hold a chicken once I said, "Don't hold it tight" [Final Refrain] The judge buys eggs from me The judge buys eggs from me He put his hat upon the fence And laughed as plain as we He can tell the town what's proper But out beneath that tree He's a fellow with a basket And he buys his eggs from me
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04Mabel Keeps the Change3:11
[Verse 1] Mabel has a little store Where the county road runs west They say she's got a fortune In a box beneath her desk She charges for the paper sacks She knows what every penny buys But she never sees the little boys Who take the bruised-up pies [Chorus] Mabel keeps the change Mabel keeps the change That's the story told about her All along the county range She counts the copper carefully And folds the dollar bills Mabel keeps the change But she don't keep it still [Verse 2] When the preacher's old car wouldn't start A new tire came one day He said the Lord provides for us And Mabel looked away When the schoolhouse needed window glass The money just appeared She said the winter would be cold As if that made it clear [Chorus] Mabel keeps the change Mabel keeps the change That's the story told about her All along the county range She counts the copper carefully And folds the dollar bills Mabel keeps the change But she don't keep it still [Bridge] I asked her once what saving means She closed the till and smiled "Sometimes it's putting money by Sometimes it's boots upon a child" [Final Chorus] Mabel keeps the change Mabel keeps the change There's a different kind of counting Than the neighbours can explain She counts the copper carefully And folds the dollar bills Mabel keeps the change But she don't keep it still
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05You Needn't Say Forever3:02
[Verse 1] Your suitcase stands beside the bed It hasn't opened wide You keep the catch turned toward the door As if you're still outside I know you've had a hard few years I won't ask where you've been There's coffee on the warmer You can pour yourself some in [Chorus] You needn't say forever You needn't swear it's true There's room enough for morning And room enough for you I won't ask you for a lifetime I won't count the days ahead You needn't say forever There are other things instead [Verse 2] You asked me if I live alone I said, "Most every day" You said, "That isn't what I meant" I said, "I know, but stay" We stood there with our little cups And nothing much to tell Two people used to leaving Who could use a rest as well [Chorus] You needn't say forever You needn't swear it's true There's room enough for morning And room enough for you I won't ask you for a lifetime I won't count the days ahead You needn't say forever There are other things instead [Bridge] We can buy a Sunday paper We can mend the kitchen blind We can sit without a reason We can take a little time [Final Chorus] You needn't say forever You needn't swear it's true There's room enough for morning And room enough for you If you leave I'll wish you kindly If you stay I'll make some bread You needn't say forever There are other things instead
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06County Fair Second Prize2:08
[Verse 1] I washed him in a wooden tub I brushed him every day I fed him from a coffee can And walked him down the lane My father drove us to the fair He tied him near the rail I knew the judge would notice him He had a crooked tail [Chorus] County fair second prize A ribbon, bright and plain I held it like a sorry thing And hid it in my hand I couldn't see the good in it I couldn't tell you why Till I saw the boy who'd beaten me With county fair first prize [Verse 2] The boy who won stood straight and still His calf was fine and tall A man I didn't know came round And took it from the stall The boy kept looking at the place Where it had been before My father put my ribbon back And pointed to the door [Chorus] County fair second prize A ribbon, bright and plain I held it like a sorry thing And hid it in my hand I couldn't see the good in it I couldn't tell you why Till I saw the boy who'd beaten me With county fair first prize [Bridge] I asked him, "Is he coming home?" He said, "Unless you've changed your mind" I took the rope so quickly That I left the prize behind [Final Chorus] County fair second prize We rattled down the lane I heard him in the trailer And I called to him by name My father found the ribbon Put it somewhere safe and dry I had something better riding home Than county fair second prize
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07A Nickel for the Ferryman2:34
[Verse 1] A nickel for the ferryman A dollar for your car He takes you to the other bank It isn't very far The salesman says he's late again The bride says hurry, please The ferryman unties the rope And studies out the breeze [Chorus] You can wave your money You can show your watch You can tell him there's a train to catch He won't forget the knot Everybody's going somewhere Everybody's got a plan But the river takes a little time And so does the ferryman [Verse 2] The doctor has his little bag The farmer has a pig A soldier has a photograph The boy beside him grins The widow carries flowers The driver carries coal He knows which bank they're bound for But the rest he leaves alone [Chorus] You can wave your money You can show your watch You can tell him there's a train to catch He won't forget the knot Everybody's going somewhere Everybody's got a plan But the river takes a little time And so does the ferryman [Bridge] They say they're building us a bridge He nods and says, "They might" Then he brings the doctor over In the middle of the night [Final Chorus] You can wave your money You can show your watch You can tell him there's a train to catch He won't forget the knot Everybody's going somewhere Everybody's got a plan But the river takes a little time And so does the ferryman
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08The Widow Orders Lemonade3:08
[Verse 1] They stopped their little talking When she walked into the hall She wore the blue instead of black And greeted one and all The man who ran the soda stand Said, "How've you been, my dear?" She ordered up a lemonade And said, "I'm standing here" [Chorus] Let the fiddle play a waltz Let the little glasses ring There's a woman by the window Who remembers how to sing She hasn't left her love behind She hasn't thrown his name away She's come to hear the music And she's ordered lemonade [Verse 2] A neighbour took her elbow Said, "You're brave to come alone" She said, "I've been alone all year I thought I'd leave the home" The fiddler called a number That her husband used to like She listened till the middle part Then asked a man to rise [Chorus] Let the fiddle play a waltz Let the little glasses ring There's a woman by the window Who remembers how to sing She hasn't left her love behind She hasn't thrown his name away She's come to hear the music And she's ordered lemonade [Fiddle Interlude] [Bridge] There were tears along the second turn She never said there weren't But she finished out the measure With the steps she'd always learned [Final Chorus] Let the fiddle play a waltz Let the little glasses ring There's a woman on the dance floor Who remembers how to sing She hasn't left her love behind She hasn't thrown his name away She's come to hear the music And she's ordered lemonade
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09A Fine Day for Staying Put2:32
[Verse 1] I had a map of California And a tankful in the Ford I had a speech about tomorrow That I'd practised when I was bored I put my suitcase on the back seat I turned the little key Then Mrs. Bell came down the path And asked a thing of me [Chorus] A fine day for staying put A fine day for a nail A fine day for a crooked gate That never seems to fail To catch a woman's shopping bag And tear her Sunday coat A fine day for staying put That's all the news I wrote [Verse 2] It took a little longer Than I thought a gate should take I had to move the lower hinge And mend another break She brought me out a sandwich Then her grandson came to see He held the little tin of screws And handed them to me [Chorus] A fine day for staying put A fine day for a nail A fine day for a crooked gate That never seems to fail To catch a woman's shopping bag And tear her Sunday coat A fine day for staying put That's all the news I wrote [Bridge] California wasn't going Anywhere that afternoon I folded up the highway map And listened to the boy's new tune [Final Chorus] A fine day for staying put A fine day for a nail A fine day for a little boy To tell a grown man tales The gate swung easy in the breeze She asked me if I'd go I said, "Perhaps tomorrow" And I walked the short way home
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10Your Name Is Not the Weather3:14
[Verse 1] When the rain came down on Tuesday I said it looked like you When the sun came out on Wednesday Well, that reminded me too I couldn't let a morning pass Without your face in view I made the sky responsible For everything I knew [Chorus] Your name is not the weather Your name is not the spring The wind was in these cottonwoods Before we knew a thing I can miss you when I want to I can let a season be Your name is not the weather Though it seemed that way to me [Verse 2] I met a man who needed rain To bring his seedlings through He didn't have a broken heart He had some work to do We watched a little cloud come up He smiled and tipped his hat I thought of all the names I'd used For something plain as that [Chorus] Your name is not the weather Your name is not the spring The wind was in these cottonwoods Before we knew a thing I can miss you when I want to I can let a season be Your name is not the weather Though it seemed that way to me [Bridge] It doesn't mean I've stopped caring It doesn't mean you're small It only means the rain can come Without your name at all [Final Chorus] Your name is not the weather Your name is not the spring The wind was in these cottonwoods Before we knew a thing I can miss you when I want to I can let a season be Your name is not the weather Though it seemed that way to me
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11The Man Who Weighed the Cotton3:28
[Verse 1] The man who weighed the cotton Had a clean white shirt We stood beside his little shed With our cuffs full of dirt He read the little numbers He wrote them in his book He never minded questions But he didn't like a look [Refrain] Set it down again Let us watch it settle Take your hand away From the little piece of metal If the weight is what you tell us There is nothing left to hide Set it down again And let us stand beside [Verse 2] Old Henry brought a weight from home He kept it wrapped in cloth He set it on the empty scale The needle wandered off The man said it was damp that day The man said it was cold But every error in that book Ran one way, I was told [Refrain] Set it down again Let us watch it settle Take your hand away From the little piece of metal If the weight is what you tell us There is nothing left to hide Set it down again And let us stand beside [Bridge] He said there'd been a small mistake He'd put it right today Henry opened up the old book And said, "Which page, would you say?" [Final Refrain] Set it down again Let us watch it settle Take your hand away From the little piece of metal If the weight is what you tell us There is nothing left to hide Set it down again And let us stand beside
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12Let Somebody Else Be First3:18
[Verse 1] I used to take my fiddle out To every county show I used to hear the other men And hope they'd miss a bow I knew the judges by their coats I knew the prize by sight I never heard a pretty tune Unless I played it right [Chorus] Let somebody else be first Let somebody have the floor You don't lose the music When they ask another man for more You can sit and tap your shoe You can hear it all the way through Let somebody else be first There's a little left for you [Verse 2] A boy came up from Miller's farm With a fiddle tied in string He stood there looking at his feet And couldn't say a thing I almost told him how to bow I almost told him why Then he played a little mountain air And I let the words go by [Chorus] Let somebody else be first Let somebody have the floor You don't lose the music When they ask another man for more You can sit and tap your shoe You can hear it all the way through Let somebody else be first There's a little left for you [Bridge] He asked me if I'd heard it I said, "Not quite that way" And when he asked about my fiddle I said, "I'd like to play" [Final Chorus] Let somebody else be first Let somebody have the floor You don't lose the music When they ask another man for more I can follow under you You can carry that tune through Let somebody else be first There's a little left for you
Heard on AFVN