Folk Hero Sandwich

Song Order: 1) Folk Hero Sandwich 2) Oak Tree Falls 3) Eddie's in the Ether 4) Shade in Vegas 5) Three Chord Monty 6) Trustafarian Blues 7) Biggest Little Band in Hampden 8) Pete Best 9) Molly McDonald 10) Neon Venus 11) When I Get to Grad School 12) Oak Tree Falls (Reprise) 13) Folk Hero's Farewell

Lyrics from the CD "Folk Hero Sandwich"

1) Folk Hero Sandwich

My girl’s cool, she’d hip, she let it slip she was less than thrilled that day I showed up late for another date in Mom’s beat-up Chevrolet. She said, “Folk singer, fake singer, hah! Just give me a break singer. You’re a Folk Hero Sandwich And I’ve had all I can take.”

Chorus: Just a Folk Hero Sandwich she said A Folk Hero sandwich she said to me You’re OK…but a girl’s gotta eat And you’re thin on the bread, (thin on the bread) And too little meat You’re a Folk Hero sandwich she said

She said country and blues are little town news And they sure as hell don’t pay. And, can you tell? I don’t care for Your new songs anyway… Your act used to be good, but now it’s a dud There’s no rhythm in your blood Now I see what you’re made of All muffin…and no stud

Chorus

Well I tried to offer something droll but it came out kinda stale When I said every doughnut needs a hole she didn’t take it very well the girl bends my spoons and disses my tunes then strolls on out my door another breadcrumb trail of love song mixes on a dark forest floor

Chorus

2) Oak Tree Falls

if an oak tree falls and nobody hears it... well you know what they say, but who really cares kids color walls with dreams and visions though the city come along, with a bucket o’ gray

a kid’s got a need that grows like a weed, got him a dream, it’s honest and free it don’t have a label, no Calvin or Polo to him it’s special, honest and free

when my soul’s been tested and my body is broke down, when my spirit needs rest but I just can’t slow down, I play a little song brings comfort to me. it could never be a hit but it’s simple and free

it’s sweet and simple and could never be a single, to me it’s special honest and free. it’s sweet and simple, they’d hate it in Nashville. fine with me, that’s fine with me

if an oak tree falls and nobody hears it well you know what they say, but who really cares. a kid rolls walls in a city jail jumpsuit layers and blotches, swatches of grey

a kid’s got a need that grows like a weed got him a dream, it’s honest and free it don’t have a label, no Calvin, no Polo to him it’s special, honest and free

3) Eddie's in the Ether

Oh no, the boss is moving slow Smoking by the door, a Big Gulp in his hand Eddie's in the Ether, he's in the Ether again Eddie's in the Ether, he's in the Ether again Oh no, Eddie's moving slow Like he's climbing through the snow and the air is getting thin Eddie's in the Ether, he's in the Ether again Eddie's in the Ether, he's in the Ether again "Line level to basement"…what does it mean? The job should take 10 minutes I could use a screwdriver, I need a screwdriver Can't have a screwdriver till the work gets done Eddie's got that smile, rmpits in denial Staring at the ceiling, scratching his chin Eddie's in the Ether, he's in the Ether again Eddie's in the Ether, he's in the Ether again I've seen it happen again and again, DVD goes insane Too many donuts for daddy-O, too many donuts for Daddy-O No more donuts for daddy till the meds kick in Friday means he's buying. Now Ed, he's really flying High as a kite with no reeling in I don't know where he's going but I know where he's been Ed's been in the ether, been in the ether again

4) Shade in Vegas

layover in Vegas, 7 hours to kill took a taxi on down to the Paris Hotel walked ‘round in a stupor, had my head in the clouds the neon lights, and the sounds and the crowds. saw some freak all spray painted copper he was frozen in chrome just like a K-mart shopper his golden cup overflowing with lettuce impressing the mom’s and the afternoon betters. so I busted a harp and I found a shady corner I started to blow just like a little Pop Warner In no time at all the folks had gathered together They were kickin’ my hopes for some blue chips and leather I was cool in the shade in Vegas, and bored I was cool in the shade in Vegas, and bored I was cool in the shade in Vegas, and bored I was cool in the shade in Vegas, good lord the harp was wailing and my lips were steaming when I heard the sound of a siren come screamin’, the SWAT team arrived, put my neck in a hold, said you best shut up punk, you better do what you’re told let’s see your permit from the gaming committee the fine’s gonna be 2 hundred and fitty, the pavement's booked solid thru 2004 it ain’t cool in the shade in Vegas no more it ain’t cool in the shade in Vegas no more it ain’t cool in the shade in Vegas no more it ain’t cool in the shade in Vegas no more it ain’t cool in the shade in Vegas no more can’t have a show for the unclean masses gotta sell ‘em gold boxes and VIP passes locked me up in a square all-nighter my wallet was lighter, my skin was actually whiter my head was busted and my harps, they were missing, there was blood in the pee in the bowl I was pissing this story’s got no moral, and that’s more than Sin City but you can sing this song when you’re feeling ….shoot! it ain’t cool in the shade in Vegas no more it ain’t cool in the shade in Vegas no more it ain’t cool in the shade in Vegas no more it ain’t cool in Vegas no more

5) Three Chord Monty

Folk Hero Sandwich, he arrives like a phantom No one knows his real name, or where he hails from Walks into town, on his back’s a guitar Mexican blanket, and a little cigar me, I’m a side kick, a trusted companion partner in crime, a second banana Folk Hero Sandwich and Three Chord Monty busking on corners and drinking good latte Yes, Folk Hero Sandwich is a dark, dusty riddle Squeezed on all sides, and caught in the middle Writer’s block lurks around every corner BMI thugs and rip-off club owners And though the cards are stacked against him Our Folk Hero sticks to his guns And when he’s victorious There’s fiestas and joy for everyone Wine and music flow in the streets Children dance barefoot in the heat Puppies chase kittens chase bunnies chase butterflies And love sparkles to life in young girls eyes But all too often he’s defeated and crushed Crushed between rocks and immovable objects Folk Hero Sandwich, washed up for dead He’s washed up and dead…on the rocks again On the rocks again… Stoned… On the rocks again Stoned, stoned, stoned On the rocks again

6) TRUSTAFARIAN BLUES

A kind word to the wise, my friend White fluffy will bite the hand Headies for blue balls, all you want But don't trust the Jesus with the microdot Night of the living Dead Head clones Best ever retread Dead Head show The new Bob is the best Bob around Except he don't play the fucked up notes Chorus: Hey, hey, trustafari Hey, trustafari Daddy gonna buy you Ticketmaster What Daddy do Hey, hey, trustafari Hey, trustafari Daddy gonna buy you Ticketmaster What Daddy do Voice over: "hey dude, is that a real tie dye…or is that a Sears tie dye? Hmmm, no fooling." "Say, dude, you got an extra bottle of that Miller Genuine draft?" Chorus Trust you a white dread rasta man Live in a white bread Babylon? Trust you a white dread rasta man? Listen to the chirp of a car alarm. Chorus

7) Biggest little Band in Hampden

Our 3 songs are done and we’ve had a lot of fun If you like what you heard, give a hand We ‘re Scott, Miles and Eric, Gordon and Lee We’re the biggest little band down in Hampden Give it up for Joel and Marty and the Monday night party Remember to tip your bartender Buy a beer or two, at Frazier’s on the Avenue We’re the biggest little band down in Hampden We don’t go ‘round sniffing no paint for fun Don’t you know we ain’t in Pigtown, Hon…. So thank you my friend, we’ll see you here again, At least that’s what we are planning But with any luck at all, John Waters will call We’re the biggest little band in down Hampden the biggest little band down in Hampden

8) Pete Best

You were a train wreck coming, I was powerless to stop you even so, it took me by surprise how a roller coaster rush become an elevator dropping get off, end of the line I can’t find the words in the darkness of your pocket lose me and grab the next… like a tortoise-shell pick you dropped on your Persian carpet I never guessed I’d be your next Pete Best…. Chorus I don’t wanna be your next Pete Best I don’t wanna be … I don’t wanna be your next Pete Best I don’t wanna be…history Impossible to see see through 80 proof hindsight what the moth sees in the flame this bar ain’t big enough for all my troubles take a number, take a name Chorus Bridge You were a train wreck a-coming … I was powerless to stop you you were an elevator dropping… going down in your shadow no lightning in a bottle... no bottle for the pain a tortoise shell pick, now….take a number take a name So don’t try to keep no lightning in a bottle she’ll cripple you good, and don’t pretend she’s a train wreck coming leaving out of the station already gone, and round the bend Chorus

9) Molly McDonald

Molly McDonald came down from Inverness No shoes did ease her weary feet, no ribbons for her dress She only bore a fiddle in a tattered leather case But when she put the bow to string that homely fiddle danced Chorus That fiddle sang like birds in seaside grass That fiddle roared like a North sea blast Molly McDonald came down from Inverness Fiddlers gathered once a year to be put to the test Many fine a fiddle tune was heard upon that day When Molly took a whirl the people cheered to hear her play Chorus The crowd was stunned to hear the judge give Molly second best The last word to be had was by the girl of Inverness She pulled a two-shot pistol she kept hidden in her dress Put a ball between the judge's ears and one in the winner's chest Chorus Fair Molly met the gallows pole, a rope around her neck She fell, and struck a final note to bear her to her rest Every bird for miles around did echo that refrain A North Sea gale did rise that day to blow a driving rain Chorus

10) Neon Venus

it don’t sound like no ocean to me those trucks in the night on I-83 and the voices drifting from the corner below I’m a prisoner inside my room the crack in the ceiling is a road map that grows, what it’s revealing God only knows the trucks are still flying their lonesome roads when the dawn is brand new it was easy once, always there reaching for thistle down hung in the air watching the seasons and the pages turn was it I flew too close to the sun? listening hard in the still and the dark waiting on a word, on a spark inspiration, won’t you wake up and walk free the shape inside the stone Venus… did you sleep?/ bound in marble/ killing time? Mona Lisa, did you weep? when that lead-addled fool gave you your smile? shadows dance from headlights outside I cross the room-- close the blinds would a neon-glow Venus blow a kiss, if she could to a sleepless dreamer without a clue waiting, quiet as a mouse long since quit trying to figure it out 4 years on my back with my foot in my mouth… ain’t sounding too good

11) When I Get to Grad School

When I get to grad school, strange but true I know what I'll study, I do I'll get a big grant from the government Buy a polar fleece and a North face tent, 'cos… Chorus: I wanna watch the women who watch wolves I wanna watch the women who watch whales Hiking boots and red plaid scarves, yogurt-dipped granola bars Sipping mugs of Java by the trail Riding high in the sky in a camouflaged bind Swaying side to side in the breeze Natures secrets are discovered with time Watching Earth first girls climbing redwood trees Chorus The arctic summer sunlight lasts and lasts The sweet minutes pass like hours From the sweaty return of the polar bear girls Till the moment when they dash for the solar showers Chorus Should the big foundations trash my grant If my advisor laughs in my face If the National park service takes away my pass I'll have to think of something else I guess Chorus if I can't watch the women who watch wolves If I can't watch the women who watch whales I'll go downtown and watch the dude Who feeds the penguins at the zoo I believe it's time for grad school, I do

12) Oak Tree Falls (Reprise)

if an oak tree falls and nobody hears it well you know what they say, but who really cares a kid rolls walls in a city jail jumpsuit layers and blotches, swatches of grey he stops and smiles after painting for miles looks behind him, likes what he sees it don’t have a label, no Pablo Picasso to him it’s special, honest and free a weed tree grows, it grows and it knows, people don’t see but, it knows what it needs it reaches and stretches, people don’t see with their half-empty glasses to a place, a place that’s free

13) Folk Hero's Farewell

Thank you girl for clearing my head You know the call, it finally came You know the call I been waiting for We start next week on the Jersey Shore So thank you girl for clearing my head The things you did, the things you said The way you laughed and fanned my doubt You gave me strength to ride it out Thank you girl, it’s time you leave When you couldn’t… you made me believe So here’s your song with the sad refrain You know the call, it finally came Thank you girl for clearing my head The Jersey Shore, and then I don’t care You can buy your things back…from Second Hand Ed Saturday I’m draining the b