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Liner Notes: 1. Never Made it Back -- I had come across the line "Tell me 'bout West Virgina" while thumbing through one of my songwriting notebooks. I don't know when I had originally written the line, but I really liked it. A friend of mine said that it made him want to get in his car and take a road trip when he heard it. I think he understands what I was saying. 2. Here's to You -- This is the first "real" song that I ever wrote. I went to watch a friend of mine sing at a local venue. He looked like hell. I thought I'd say something cute and asked him "hey man, what the hell is wrong with you, you're acting like your girlfriend just broke up with you?" He said "she did". I went home and wrote a song about him. When I tell the story live I tell everyone who its about and he gets all bitchy. So I won't mention his name here. 3. Different Eyes -- I started this song while driving trough Montana in 2003 and finished it a couple of years later. It's about a friend of mine who I haven't seen in years. We were room mates in our early twenties back in Alaska. He taught me how to see things a little differently than I was accustomed to. Even though we rarely see each other, I've always been thankful for having met him. 4. Ghost Town -- I don't know…..I guess it's about how everything ends. I was thinking of all of the towns that I had been through that gave off a hopeless feeling, like everyone had just given up and were just waiting around to die. 5. Back in the Hills -- I wanted to write a song about a haunted bar where the band was still playing. I guess this is about the music…still playing even after everyone has left. This came out so much better that I thought it would. 6. You Can Find Me -- This song was originally quite a bit slower that it ended up being here. We were in the studio recording the drums and bass and Chris asked if we could try it a little faster. We made it "a little faster" a couple of times. I really like how this turned out. 7. If I Had a Home -- This was written one night in New Mexico. I was sitting in my bus , in the dark, and wrote the first verse of this song. I finished it 3 or 4 months later 4000 miles away in Alaska. The song is about a homeless man who's "ok" with what he has. 8. Another Cold Thursday -- This song was written for one show. I never planned on recording. I never even planned on playing it beyond the one show that it was written for. I wrote it for my friends in Alaska, the guys who pushed me to start writing songs. The people I mention in the song are real. They are all amazing musicians and songwriters. There is one verse that was left out of the recorded version due to production flow…..sorry Sean. I play the verse at live shows. 9. Come Along With Me -- I wanted to write a song that summed up why I do this and what it means to me. Playing music, I mean. This is it. 10. Made For Me -- This song is not about one girl. It's about the best parts of two different girls. Maybe three or four girls. I don't know…I can't remember…it was a long time ago. 11. Life on the Run -- I watched a discovery channel show on bootlegging whiskey. Then I wrote a song about it. That's all….no cool back story. 12. We Rang the Bell -- I grew up in Kodiak, Alaska, a huge commercial fishing town. There is a festival every year to celebrate the fishing season. The streets are closed off and the downtown area becomes a giant street fair. During this time there is a fisherman's memorial ceremony where they ring a large church bell once for every man who died during the season. I've wanted to write this song for years. One night I was sitting around getting pissed that I wasn't coming up with any cool songs. I was about to call it a night and I came up with the first line of this song. I finished the song in fifteen minutes. I've never tried to fix anything with this song. Sometimes you gotta know when to leave it alone. This is the best song that I have written. It's the one that I am proud of. Thanks to: Julie, Robbyne, James Parker, Mike Gorder, Marty Jones, Jared Woods, Evan Phillips, The Whipsaws, Rob and Donnie and Rebel Blues, The Old Man (dad), all of those back home who told me that I was good at this. Sale' for being a dick. Tony, Jordan, Nick, Forrest and the rest of the San Marcos gang. Thanks to Chris Gage for producing this project and bringin' it all together. Thanks to all the musicians who played on the album. Musicians: Chris Gage: Lead Guitar, Piano, Organ, Accordion, Lab Steel, Baritone Guitar, Vocals Glen Fukanaga: Bass Ray Rodriguez: Drums Lloyd Maines: Pedal Steel Jason Roberts: Fiddle Eddie Collins: Banjo Christine Albert: Vocals Jody Mills: Acoustic Guitar, Vocals Produced and Engineered by: Chris Gage Recorded at: Moonhouse Studio Lloyd's part was recorded by Lloyd at his house. Mastered by Jerry Tubb at Terra Nova Mastering, Austin, TX. |
I never made it back Hello there my old friend It sure has been a long long time Since I shook your hands And looked into familiar eyes This bumpy road had been hard I lose focus on my path I've been running down my dreams I don't know how much longer I can last Tell my bout west virgina Tell me bout the neighborhood Tell me how is sweet maria You know I have always wished her good I heard she went and married bobby I heard They had a couple kids Is he still down at the factory If anyone deserved her he did CH Sometimes I don't know where i going Sometimes I don't know where I've been I think I will keep on ramblin' Untill I find out where the sidewalk ends You know I'm sorry about leaving Without telling you so long I've spent the last few years a rambling living out a Woody Guthrie song There were times when I had nothing But the memories of all you guys back home Lately things are looking better I might have sold a couple of my songs CH I hope I cross your path again Man you sure made my day I miss all my old friends Tell em all that I'm ok Man could you do me a favor This might be a lot to ask Tell maria that I'm sorry I'm sorry I never made it back CH Here's to You Here we are screaming once again Neither side willing to give in the cause is lost in angry words words that are never even heard chorus heres to me, heres to you and all the things we'll never do it's time we said goodbye it's time we said goodbye I hate the way you look at me just tell me what it is you see when you are ripping me apart i can tell you dont even know where to start ch I think it's time that we let go of all the dreams we used to know like a ship thats lost so far from home everything was taken by the storm ch x2 Different Eyes I have a friend who's about to go he doesn't seem to mind the fact he's leaving he just smiles and say's his time has come sometimes you've got to take the hand your given take the good times and think of all the people in this world who need to know you make your music and make them smile and let them know just what it takes to be you chorus let's take a drink and we'll thank god for the times in our lives when we meet someone who help us see through different eyes and they make it easier to sleep at night my friend is gone but he's still here i see him every day that I'm livin' what he gave me is worth so much more than anything else that I've ever been given ch x3 Ghost Town Theres a feeling in the air That tells you somethings wrong I hide my hands in my pocket Cause I know I don't belong Sometimes this town is haunted When the wind is blowing right It's just another ghost town tonight The streets are full of bottles There aint nobody home The people here quit trying Cause they got nowhere to go They all smile when they see you But the smiles are out of place I'm just another ghost in this place CH The houses all look tired And the yards are overgrown You'll find the ones who stayed Can barely carry on For all of those who never left There aint much life around There aint much life in a ghost town Theres a dark cloud in the air There's a sign outside of town Everythings here is for sale This town's closing down The only thing for a hundred miles Is a graveyard by the road It's the only place left to go CH The only thing for a hundred miles Is a graveyard by the road It's the only place left to go Back in the Hills Theres an old place Tucked back in the hills Aint changed all that much In a hundred years You hear the ghosts singing old Hank Williams song And when they start to sing You find that you sing along They used to come from miles away Dancing in the moonlight To the songs of yesterday You'll hear it in the rain Bangin' on the window pane You can hear it in the wind Blowing through the whistle of a ghost train If you step inside You can feel it down in your bones Its part of what happened here so long ago They used to come from miles away Dancing in the moonlight To the songs of yesterday If you come at night don't be scared away You might see some things That you cant explain This place aint seen a soul In forty years But you can hear the ghosts Still singing in your ears They used to come from miles away Dancing in the moonlight To the songs of yesterday You Can Find Me You can find me Half drunk on the edge of this town Where the stars don't shine too bright Where most people wont come around I'll be playing My favorite sad songs Written by the ones who could take a broken heart And make you sing along. CH This is where I'm supposed to be Drunk in the corner with nobody next to me Somebody turn the lights down low Cause I'm fixin to make…..this place my new home This place is my new home I don't like trouble I don't want to be your friend Im tryin to drown a busted heart With the sad songs never end If you got a quarter Drop it in the juke box please Play the same one that you just heard And stay away from me CH If you're looking for a new house I'm selling my old one cheap You can move right in cause she cleaned me out When she left me You can find me Half drunk on the edge of this town Where the stars don't shine too bright Where most people wont come around CH If I Had a Home Ive been trying to start a fire in a novenber down pour Id take anything I can get just to keep me warm Id be sleeping with the stars right now If the clouds weren't hanging round I'd go home If I had a home Time and time again I pass by people on the street I think its kind of funny how our eyes never meet I should be buying rounds for all my friends Instead of steeling what I eat Id go home If I had a home Sleepin all alone out on a park bench in the cold Sometimes I even dream I have a wife and have a home I spent a little time in jail where I made myself some friends I'm still breathing in the morning And the sometimes the sun shines on my head If theres anything ive learned by living out here on the street Its that money don't make the man and it sure don't make me So throw a dollar in my cup so I can have something to drink I'd go home If I had a home Another Cold Thursday It's another cold Thursday on the streets on out town But we all made our way here somehow We come for the show and we come cause we know It's the last honest thing left around What do you know about old marty jones His songs will cut straight to your soul And the makers and coke will take him you know To the place we all want to go You'll hear a voice like you never heard Jared will blow you away The boy he can sing like an angel with wings And he can drink like the devil all day chorus We come for the love that we lost long ago We all come for something we need To remember a love that we lost long ago It's you in the crowd that we need It's you in the crowd that we need He pulls down his hat and stares at the floor He writes about heartache and pain The music he makes it comes from a place Where his happiness battles his pain The wipsaws will show you the time of your life As evan takes you for a ride And the whiskey will pour and you'll all beg for more As these boys play on through the night CHx2 Come along with me playin sad country songs i'll sit here all day long pickin the notes as they run through my head songs about true love heartache and booze and the girl who gave up when you didn't want to singin bout better times with rhythm and a little rhyme holdin on to moments we all will forget like the first time you kissed her and the first thing she said and the first time you woke up together in bed chorus sit here a while and i'll sing you a song till you feel what I feel will you come along with me come along with me strummin this old guitar trying to touch a heart songs about cowboys the sun and the rain the finish is bittersweet cause somebody always leaves for each one that burns out a new one will start ch Made For Me She's twenty three and older than me But not if you count the years She's tougher than a box of nails And babies bring her to tears Shell run you out if given a chance Then she'll gladly let you in She's the cleanest one on the lot She shines like there's something to win chorus She's the sun at dawn When the world holds on and everythings quiet Shes the world at night when everthings right Shes the first bite of an apple that you just picked off the tree She's the only one who was made for me She'll walk by and catch the eye Of every boy in the room She's the pinup girl we dreamed of When we were young boys with nothing to do She's all a man could ever want And more that he could ever stand I thank my lucky stars each time She holds my hand chorus If I get my way, if I have a say In how this story unfolds Then fifty years of livin and lovin Is how I want to grow old And everything that she is now Is more than I thought I'd have Without her standing next to me There'd be half a man chorus Life on The Run Im running down the road in a 49 ford Got a bag full of cash stashed on the floor I just robbed a bank and killed a man Livin my life on the run They're coming on fast and coming on hard I got a big bulls eye on the back of my car Sliding round the corners with my foot off the brakes Livin my life on the run CH They can shoot me dead and take my life And put me in the ground but I'll never die I'm gonna live on through the stories and the songs That they sing They sing about me I never planned to rob no banks But what do you do when you got nothing to pay They took my house and took my land Livin my life on the run I take from the rich I give to the poor We gave all we had and they just took more They're gonna pay for the crimes they done As long as I'm on the run CH Running down the road with bullet in my side I got two flat tires and nowhere to hide I got six more rounds till I cant shoot back They'll never take me alive CH Ring the Bell We rang that bell 15 times this year It's the worst season we've had going on 13 years I could hear the angels cry When that bell rang out the 15th time For all of those who lost their lives at sea Ring the bell one more time For everyone who lost there life And listen to the angels crying to As we stand here quietly Praying we don't have to see Any more… young men lost at sea Tommy jones got married just last spring He saved up all money he had to buy her a ring His boat broke up on hidden rock The others lived but he was lost the angels cried when they took him away Ring the bell one more time For tommy jones who lost there life And listen to the angels crying to As we stand here quietly Praying that his wife won't see Any more… young men lost at sea Eddie dean was the only one who lived His father and his brothers died they went down with the ship Now eddie drinks his life away He don't know why he was saved He wishes every day to have them back So ring that bell for eddie dean Who lost his whole family Let the angels cry a song for him Even though he breaths today Eddie died that stormy day When his brothers and his dad were lost at sea We rang that bell 15 times this year It's the worst season we've had going on 13 years I could hear the angels cry When that bell rang out the 15th time For all of those who lost their lives at sea All lyrics copyright 2009 jody mills - all rights reserved. |
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