Down The River

Butcher In Town
I Call the Shots
Gone Away at Last
The Crossin’
Twisted Arms
The Door
The Empty Jar
In Your Mercy
White Wash Job
Trail O’ Money
Down The River


Lyrics

butcher in town

deep in the south
the cypress steals
cobweb moss
all gray in the middle

no wind no rain
keeps a good man down
sweatin' and a grinnin'
way down south

chorus
you aint from here
when the shit hits the fan
there's more meat on(for the) a pencil
from (for) the butcher in town

whiskey money
money and gold
splashin' spit
hard to swallow

ten foot tall
deep in the water
too deaf to call
damn ready to follow

chorus

hundred dollar bill's
jus' backpocket preachin'
no sign to the edgewise
drinkin' good whiskey

loud and heavy
like a dogday bluejay
blacksnake lungs
gonna slide down singin'

chorus

under the thumbs of the
cannons and guns and a
swattin' flies in the
stink of an eye

i dont claim a thing
not a two bit clue
but somebody whispered
war kills the truth

chorus

ev'ry word in a hand
gonna fly like a crow
better shut my mouth
to the promised land

all black and white
from the wars of the souls
too much whiskey
money and gold

chorus
chorus
chorus


c. 2011 gypsyeyes music, bmi
malcolm holcombe
 

 

 

i call the shots

when that woman comes back from 'er mother's
and i'm flush to beat the band
i'm gonna tell 'er how much i love 'er
gonna tell 'er i'm her man

yeah i gotta plan to do things right
when my baby comes down the line
in the palm o' my hand she's gonna sit pretty
when the money she gets is mine

chorus
when the money she gets is mine
i'm really gonna run things right
a deal is a deal when i call the shots
and ev'rybody answers to me

yeah a man needs a whole lotta money
to tell people what to do
this time round she'll listen to me
and make my dreams come true

you see i had some dough a long time ago
i didnt know how to play the game
nobody gave me the time o' day
nobody knew my name

chorus

damn 12 more years in this rotten place
the damn judge didnt understand
people didnt do what i told em to do
now my baby's got another man

yeah i been set up i been double-crossed
but next time round i'll show em
i got plenty o' brains and i'll be the boss
and you'll know which way i'm goin'.

chorus
chorus

c. 2011 gypsyeyes music, bmi


malcolm holcombe

 

 

 

 




gone away at last

the search lights beg to dim
in the blood of nightimes cover
no human sounds within
the lonely thoughts of lovers

the routine hammers solid
in the heads of spit and spoiled
(only) broken from contentions
of the jealous snake's recoil

chorus
the lonely thoughts of lovers
what if and yet to pass
satisfaction deals are over
and gone away at last

so strike back from the corner
hold back nuthin' more
kill your understandin'
and patience nevermore

outrun the speed of light (my friend) 
go hide among your thoughts
the searchlights may grow dim again
your love may not be sought

chorus

at last the heartache found you
the silverspoon will rise
and choke you black and bluer
til the stars turn from your eyes

surround yourself with sadness
surrender to the noise
of distant dirges comin'
to keep you company

chorus
chorus

gone away at last.

c.2012 gypsyeyes music, bmi

malcolm holcombe

 




the crossing

hope is in the crossing
old rivers wide and deep
i am but a passenger
for you i cannot see

my brothers and my sisters
some swim and some may drown
all my eyes are weary
and my hands are empty bound

my heart is not my soul
red dirt it moves my blood
from this ground i still must grow
higher in your love

higher in your love
the longin' suffers sweet
upon the clouds above
only now i cannot reach

ev'ry stretchin' of my breath
ev'ry lost and broken step
may i muster hand and foot
to reach from east to west


so pray my life to offer
one humble gift of care
to break the chains that keep me
away from you so fair.

first verse

c. 2011 gypsyeyes music, bmi

malcolm holcombe

 

 

 




twisted arms

fair and square
looks good on paper
coughin' up blood
at the head o' the table

satisfied
dont move a muscle
livin' in that skin
too dead to struggle

chorus
twisted arms in circulation
twisted arms in circulation
twisted arms in circulation
here for the common good

short and sweet
the silent type
cleanin' up good
in broad daylight

ruby lips
go the extra mile
suckin' up sin
a tight redlight

chorus

bilderberg's
got valet parkin'
strung up on a cumberbund
nobody starvin'

taxidermy
stuffin' my face
rats get squirrely
in a trophy case

chorus

down on the corner
with a wall-eyed smile
a rabbit in thunder
no compromise

fat and sassy
three months vacation
gimme all the answers
no hesitation

chorus

saved by the bell
ringin' next to me
workin' my knees
blown to hell for freedom

cop a squat
on the courthouse steps
where's my job
did i vote for this(that)

chorus
chorus
chorus

c. 2011 gypsyeyes music, bmi

malcolm holcombe

 

 

 

The Door

Little sister of mine fetch me some water
I am thirsty, but my legs they cannot move
Oh Father of Fathers, our mother's groin' old and weak
Little sister of mine fetch me some water

Little sister of mine bake us some bread
I hunger for food, but my legs they cannot move
Oh Father of Fathers, our mother's growin' old and weak
Little sister of mine abke us some bread

Push me and pull me away, away to the door

Little sister of mine, younger than I
My weight is heavy, hard to carry am I
Oh Father of Fathers, our mother's growin' old and weak
Little sister of mine, younger than I

Push me and pull me away, away to the door

I'll wear my wongs some day, and you a crown
And we'll walk hand in hand on hallowed ground
Yes, we'll be together today and forevermore
Little sister of mine, help me to the door

Push me and pull me away, away to the door
Push me and pull me away, away to the door
To the door...


c. 1993 Purple Girl Music/admin. Bug Music, BMI
malcolm holcombe

 

 

 

the empty jar

lips must surely tremble
when thoughts of loss remembered
the sick and wounded brave
who leave a heart to ponder

an empty jar but full
of eyes that see you here
pourin' perfect comfort
for thirsty silent tears

now there's many lay before us
Lord and many stay behind
to pass the test of trustin'
the twinkle of an eye

moments carry burdens
each one has a home
to share among the stronger
hearts so not alone

now if you read this letter
one afternoon within
i love you far better
than deeds of one man

c. 2011 gypsyeyes music, bmi

malcolm holcombe

 

 

 

 

in your mercy

they bring me food and water
in this room is all i know
but my thirsty spirit keeps me
in your mercy where i go

i use to do what made me happy
now my weary hands are tied
to a struggle to remember
where i am and why i cry

chorus
all my diamonds have been stolen
all my clothes are very few
my poor daughter she comes to hold me
singin' hymns forever true
singin' hymns forever true

my home and all i worked for
has been sold and surely gone
only strangers come to see me
and they never stay too long

my poor dead husband was a kind man
workin' numbers was his game
i got lost in separation
but he took me back again

chorus

turnaround 2x

time has many troubles
but many years will tell the truth
in the mem'ries of all who suffered
abandoned and confused.

chorus
chorus

c. 2011 gypsyeyes music, bmi

malcolm holcombe

 

 

 

 

 

 

whitewash job

i get my news lookin' at you
i live the blues cause you butcher the truth
hearsay monkey do dolittle candyman
you know who's who in a bulletproof jetplane

he sits in the corner aint the same
passed on to the sixth grade barely write his name
knowledge is power education is the law
loopholes for cowards and justice for all haha

chorus
it's a whitewash job
it's a job
it's a whitewash job
whitewashin' job

fda gonna turn my head around
six pills ev'ryday in a highrise junkietown
he works for fema saw him last nite
very relieved all day lyin' haha

chorus

people on the street no place to go
mobile homes in the fields sittin' empty i know
ping pong paddles blackwater come an' getcha
people need a hospital not a dc doolittle haha

chorus

turnin' a deaf ear turnin' a blind eye
turnin' my stomach here vommit on the inside
ten years later twenty or thirty
i see ya come clean but right now you're dirty haha

chorus
chorus

c. 2011 gypsyeyes music, bmi

malcolm holcombe

 

 

 

 

trail o' money

if you wanna get rich
give your money to me
turn a nickle on a smile
and a handshake for free

all the noise from the crowd
breakin' hearts with deceit
all you war hungry bastards
bloodthirsty with greed

chorus
gangway i'm comin' with a trail o' money
gangway stay outta my way
gangway i'm comin' with a trail o' money
no room for the poor to stay

stand in the shadows
the new moon will rise
the stars they shot down
in the blink of an eye

my instincts are wounded
my schools bleed with guns
my children are recklessly
lost in the sun

chorus

now go hide from your neighbors
dont answer the door
your food and possessions
will protect you no more

but there's a spirit in man
not measured by money
not bribed by glory
but worth ev'ry sufferin'

chorus

there's a spirit in man
not measured by money
not bribed by glory
but worth ev'ry sufferin'

chorus

c. 2012 gypsyeyes music, bmi

malcolm holcombe

 

 

 

 

 

down the river

they make the laws
to suit themselves
the ones that buy and sell the rest
of us down the river

the rest of us
dont need the touch
of takin' more than just enough to get
by down the river

chorus
down the river
we pray for one another
down the river
we hold on to our dreams
down the river
the hard times makes us stronger to get by
and leave this world behind
down the river

a bed to lay
me down at night
and for workin' hands to hold you tight
my darlin' and me down the river

now far away
the mem'ries of
simple days remainin' in
our broken hearts down the river

chorus

the gifts of little ones we love
our faith in blood and God above
they will last forever
down the river


chorus
chorus

c. 2011 gypsyeyes music, bmi

malcolm holcombe