1. MIDNIGHT

Midnight rang out like a bell
And my heart sunk like a ship
Deliver me from this hell before I slip
My lungs can no longer breath
And my legs can no longer run
The only thing I need is for this day to be done

The bluebird can sing
But the crows got the soul
I'm a dog among kings with no self control

The only thing left is to try to live
With the sins on my back no one could forgive

The sunshine is behind us
And the storm is rolling in
We need something to remind us how to feel again
I'm out on a limb
But before that bough breaks
I'll have one final memory of all my mistakes
When midnight feel it dropped like a stone
I've got a short fuse to burn
And I'm a long way from home



2. THE DAT THE END FINALLY CAME

My hands they trembled, my knees they shook
And nothing ever was the same
I could not bear to look
The day the end finally came

The lightnin' struck the river
And the water burst up in flames
All the preachers forgot their purpose
The day the end finally came

All the children they were doomed
They were born with no names
They were cursed inside the womb
The day the end finally came

All the birds escaped their cages
And all the dogs broke their chains
And that is how it all went down
The day the end finally came



3. WHEN PUSH COMES TO LOVE

Go where you may
And do what you will
I'll see you again on a summer day
And I know I'll love you still
I can't seem to understand
But you've got my heart in your hands

The dawn's early light has now faded to grey
The ashes from the fire we had last night
Have all blown away
I can't seem to understand
But you've got my heart in your hands

You're the rainstorm, a fire, and a trainwreck
All wrapped up in ribbons and lace
You're a fistful of roadside flowers
Arranged just so in a dime store vase
I can't seem to understand
But you've got my heart in your hands



4. DIGGIN' MY GRAVE

I'm diggin' my grave
I'm diggin' my grave
My road to hell is surely paved
With all the love that I never gave
I'm diggin' my grave
Oh lord I'm diggin' my grave

And the hole is made
With a pick and a spade
And all the debts never repaid
Oh how I wish that I could have stayed
But the hole is made
Oh lord the hole is made

And the hole is shallow where I must lay
The hole is shallow
But that's okay
Cause I'll have peace on my final day
Down in this shallow hole where I must lay

Well this July ground is mighty hard
This July ground is mighty hard
My back is broken
My hands are scared
This July ground is mighty hard

Well lord I wish that I hadn't sinned
Oh oh I wish I hadn't sinned
That I could be with you again
Oh oh I wish Oh I wish I hadn't sinned

And the hole is shallow where I must lay
And the hole is shallow but that's okay
Cause I'll have peace on my final day
Down in this shallow hole where I must lay

This Iowa dirt is mighty cold
This Iowa dirt is mighty cold
And god will never rest my soul
Down in this Iowa dirt so cold

I'm diggin' my grave
Well, I'm diggin' my grave
My road to hell is surely paved
With all the love that I never gave
I'm diggin' my grave
Oh lord I'm diggin' my grave



5. THE BUZZARDS WON'T CRY

You'll pray for a candle when the darkness falls
When the night time closes in
When life's fateful curtain finally draws
And you won't see the morning again

Those buzzards will circle all overhead
Just waiting for you to die
In their hearts they know you'll soon be dead
And not one of them will cry

You'll hope against hope for one last breath
When you find that yours is gone
In this world there won't be nothin' left
Just a pile of bleached white bones



6. SOREST OF EYES

You are a sight for the sorest of eyes
And these have never beheld
Such beauty and grace In the look on your face
Is a secret you just can't tell

Blow out those candles and crawl into bed
Hold me close and don't let go
The storm clouds are gatherin' all overhead
And the wind is starting to blow

I never felt better than in your two arms
And the moon never shone so bright
All my woes seem to fade away
Darlin' you sure are a sight

Tea in the morning and whiskey at night
Is such a hard cycle to break
But your company is just fine by me
Lovin' for lovin's sake

You shoot me that look from them big doe eyes
Like a slug from a forty-four
It's as easy as that for you to lay me out flat
That's one thing that's always for sure



7. LIFT MY JUG(SONG FOR HUB CALE)

Well I don't care about my sorrows
And I don't care about my woes
I put my knees down in the sand
Down where that river flows
I put my hands in the water
Look for my elbows in the cold
I let it wash my dirty face
Let it clense my troubled soul

Well, my name is Hub Cale
And my home is whereever I lay
And I was born to ride the rails
Ride the rail til judgement day
My face is wrinkled and weary
As rough as railroad tie
And when that train come rumblin' through this town

I lift my jug to the sky
Oh lord
Well, I lift my jug to the sky
And when that number 9 come rollin' by
I lift my jug to the sky

For I was an engineer
I made my livin' shovelin' coal
Paid my dues for 12 long years
Then one day they let me go
And that time it sure was rough
And the labor sure took its toil
For my lungs are as black
As the feathers of the crow
Now I lay underneath the trestle
With my jug of homemade rye
And when that train come rumblin' through this town
I lift it up to the sky



8. GRAVEL ROAD

It must be that time of year
I'm feeling that pull again
I've got to get away from here
And back to where my feet can stand
Back to where the trees grow tall
And ain't a sound for miles around
Except for the distant call
Of that lonely coyote's howl

Life's mysteries unravel when my tires hit that gravel
And I leave the paved road far behind
Every breath I breathe is one step closer to me
Easing my worried mind

Way back in the sticks
Is where I feel alive
In my rusty old '66
That won't even go fifty five

Nothing can compare
To the joy that I've found
Every time I go back there
To my own spiritual ground

I'll make a quart of sweet corn whiskey
From ten gallons of sour mash
I'll turn a pile of firewood
Into a pile of sky grey ash

If there's anything left inside me
That remembers what it's like to feel
That cold rain falling on the top of my head
And the mud beneath my heels



9. PORCHLIGHT

The sweetest labor that my heart has known
Is the farm on which I stand
Every single seed that's been sown
Was put in the ground by my hand
Sometimes the sun goes down a little too soon
Before the day's work is through
I keep on going by the light of the moon
When I'd rather be home with you

Would you keep the porchlight on for me?
I come home from the field when it's too dark to see

I can barely stand up
But there's more to be done
The bottom field needs to be plowed
I've never asked help from anyone
but Lord I could use some now
Give me the strength to make it back home
I can't work no more
Lord let her be the first thing I see
When I crawl through that front door

Would you leave the porchlight on for me ?
To light my way back from the night so black

I'm sick as a dog and no one can help
The pain's more than I can bear
Still my thoughts drift to the one sweet gift
The love that we share
I hate for you to see me like this
Remember when I was strong ?
If i didn't have these I.V.'s in my wrists
I'd hold you in my arms

Would you leave the porchlight on for me ?
This hospital bed is where I've got to be

They say that I ain't got long for this life
They say that it's my time to go
Darlin' you've been the most wonderful wife
That any man has known
You've stuck by me through thick and through thin
Since the day you became my bride
Someday i hope to see you again
When we meet on the other side

Would you leave the porchlight on for me?
Even though just a memory is all that I'll be
Would you leave the porchlight on for me ?