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by
Cary
Swinney
Human
Masquerade;
Death
is Strange;
Fools
Like Me;
Jesus
Silverstein;
Hair
In the Windshield;
Love
Is Never Caged;
When
I Was a Kid;
Country
Music Music;
Will
They Bury You With Your Shoes On?;
Desperate
Searcher;
What
If God Is a Woman?;
The
Problem With Humans; Dream
Song
All songs written
by Cary Swinney
Produced by Alan Crossland & Cary Swinney;
Lubbock, TX. 1997.
The Players:
Richard
Bowden –Fiddle,
viola, mandolin; Lloyd Maines – Pedal steel, lap
steel, dobro, acoustic slide guitar; Robin Griffin –
Acoustic lead guitar; Braxton Howle – Electric bass
guitar, harmony vocal on "Will They Bury You with Your Shoes
On?"; Alan Munde – Banjo;
Steve Meador – Percussion; Ingrid Kaiter –
voice of "God"; Stephen Wayne "Coop" Cooper
– Harmony vocal on "Country Music Music";
Logan Cornett – child voice on "When I Was a
Kid";
Paul Bullock – Pickup truck sounds;
& Cary Swinney – Acoustic lead guitar & lead
vocals
1.
Human Masquerade
The poor man plays for pleasure
the rich man plays to win
while the biker sheds his helmet
and throws caution to the wind
While the banker dreams of interest
the lawyer dreams up laws – more laws
while the Christians dream up heaven
as though the Earth is one lost cause
(Chorus)
And I feel like and insect
tangled in their web
why should I even listen?
when there’s nothing being said
The salesman sells his Amway
to another greedy slob
some dope is mixin’ methamphetamine
in the back of his garage
While the barman pours a drunkard
yet, another glass of wine
Robert Tilton’s takin’ money
from a man without a dime
(Chorus)
And Jesus must be tickled
by the complicated man
as his legs dance from the ledges
of the heavens as he grins
And the angels must be baffled
by the smallness of our minds
I bet they beg God for some answers
but God gracefully declines
(Chorus)
The Universe keeps growin’
they say a mile or two each day
She glances past her shoulder
as She skips along the way
We soon will be forgotten
rotten with decay
what a dreadful sight – the clumsy flight
the human masquerade
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2. Death is Strange (Life is Too)
Flat on his back
in a health food store
a heart attack
done took him to the floor
Well he musta' hit his head
why, there’s a bump on the side
you can go for milk and bread
and you can up and die
(Chorus)
Death is strange
life is too
why fight change?
there ain’t nothin’ you can do
Just listen to the wind
that ol’ whirlin’ sound
you know I think that in the end
we just go round – round and round
Well I was sittin’ at a light
not long ago
when the fellow to my right
couldn’t wait to go
Well, he slipped into the lane
Just a little too far
A pickup came
And squashed him in his car
(Chorus)
Every single night
On the six o’clock news
a stinky little fight
between the Arab and the Jew
Well they shoot their little guns
and they crack a few heads
don’t ya think it kinda’ dumb
to try to die before your dead?
(Chorus)
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3.
Fools Like Me
Lyin’ face down at the bottom
of a three foot swimming pool
lies a young fool
who thought he could swim
And lyin’ in bed with a woman whose blood
runs cold and blue
look at you
for you could be him
And Daddy said…
(Chorus)
look before you leap
son don’t lose your feet
think before you speak
be free
‘Cause love is so damn cruel
we follow no one rule
gambling with fools
like me
See the silly man with the ring upon
his hand in a crowded church room
where he’s the groom
and she’s dressed in white – ha!
I feel a little weak as I turn to speak
and then I hear that tune
that eerie tune –
here comes the bride
And I remember…
(Chorus)
Slumped in the corner of an old courtroom
in a courtroom chair
the young man stares
and dribbles his gloom
He begs with the judge
but the judge won’t budge
and the bitch don’t care – it seems nothin’s fair
And I remember…
(Chorus)
Swingin’ from a three foot rope
in the middle of his living room
hangs the old fool…
who thought he could hang
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4. Jesus Silverstein
Jesus –
was a Jewish boy
who looked just like
but was so unlike
All the other boys
Born one night in Bethlehem
soon became the Holy Land
Jesus –
was a Jewish boy
Jesus –
is the son of God
he’s a middle linebacker
a real nut cracker
on the Deity Squad
He can take ya’ to the temple
of eternal man
and forgive ya’ for your blunders
and stroke ya’ like a lamb
Some said Jesus was a pretty good guy –
I never did meet him – I hope they wouldn’t lie
would they?
Say…what if ol’ Jesus’ last name
would have been Silverstein?
ol’ Jesus Silverstein…
It sure would have changed some things…
you know like when you’re in your backyard…
and you’re nailin’ up a board…
and ya’ hit your thumb with a hammer…
and ya’ scream to the Lord,
"Jesus! Silverstein!"
Jesus –
he’s a friend of mine
I break the bread
and bow my head
and drink the wine
I dig it on down and sing at High Mass
and if you don’t like it – you can kiss my ass
Jesus –
he’s a friend of mine
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5. Hair in the Windshield
Well, there’s hair in the windshield
and boots on the highway
and a cowboy with blood on his jeans
There’s headlights and red lights
and Jim Beam in the air
and a pickup in the wrong-hand-side ravine
Well, there’s a soul in the treetop
and a body in the bar ditch
with a bull ridin’ buckle from Killeen
There’s cinches and saddles
and riggin’ strung everywhere
this ain’t no 8-second ride…
and it ain’t a dream
(Chorus)
She’s the farm-to-market highway
she’s the road to the store
Sunday mornin’ she always got ya’ home
She’s lonely and lazy
like some snake you can’t ignore
for tonight…she took one of her own
Well, some cowboys do whiskey
and some cowboys are dopers
them rodeo cowboys are mean
They brag and they holler
and some don’t seem to care
but there ain’t no coward
in any cowboy I’ve ever seen
Well, there’s a place in heaven
for cowboys and whiskey
no blacktop or 4-wheel machine
Where cowboys steer horses
when they fall nobody cares
when you’re just a cowboy
with a little blood on your jeans
(Chorus)
Yeah, tonight…she took one of her own
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6. Love Is Never Caged
Love is never caged
she’s like the wind
she likes it free
Love’s been real
for some
but not for me
There is no lock
there is no chain
there’s no secret key –
love is love and that’s all love can be
(Chorus)
Love is like a ghost out
on the road
you swerve to miss
and wind up losin’ control
She will rule you
she will screw you
she will laugh – and make you crawl
and steal everything you’ve got –
and watch you fall
Oh, my Mary
Oh, my, my
I’ll love you ‘til I die
But love alas
not unlike the past
just flies
I was just a young
dumb fool
who thought love never lied
But what is love
that eats you up
inside
(Chorus)
Red tricycles
pony tails
pink Koolaid
and daffodils
dirty little fingernails and tears
Show me yours
I’ll show you mine
just leads to trouble
every time
now a fat little lawyers stands in a line –
before a jury of my peers
Love is never caged
she’s like the wind
she likes it free
Love’s been real
for some
but not for me
There is no lock
there is no chain
there’s no sacred key –
love is love and that’s all that love can be
Yeah, love is love and that’s all love can be
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7.
When I Was a Kid
When I was a kid
the old man would cuss like a sailor
he’d take the old lady and beat her
When I was a kid
When I was a kid
the old man would get drunk in Rye town
stumble – and stink – and fall down
When I was a kid
And the West Texas weather
would change with each dawn
there were days I would wake
and I’d wish he were gone
I’d peek towards the kitchen
and see him sittin’ there
below a 60 watt bulb
with dirt in his hair
When I was a kid
mama found refuge in church pews
where asking for forgiveness was not new
When I was a kid
When I was a kid
mama would sit on the porch swing
she’d pray and then cry – it was routine
When I was a kid
And the West Texas weather
would change with each dawn
there were days I would wake
and I’d wish he were gone
I’d peek towards the kitchen
and see him sittin’ there
below a 60 watt bulb
with that stone cold stare
like there was evil in the air
When I was a kid
we'd dig through the trash cans to find things
selling pop bottles for ice cream
When I was a kid
When I was a kid
the old man would beat us for stealin’
then take all out money for drinkin’
When I was a kid
And the West Texas weather
would change with each dawn
there were days I would wake
and I’d wish he were gone
I’d peek towards the kitchen
at that son-of-a-bitch
the drool on the stubble
and the stink of the stench –
that ol’ whiskey stench
And now I’m a man
I take the old lady and beat her
I rant and rave like some sailor‘
Cause I – I’m a man
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8.
Country Music Music
This song is for my mother…who couldn’t
be here tonight.
Well, my brain is full of misery
my boots are full of dust
my pockets are full of empty
my hinges are full of rust
My baby’s in some bar room
my best friend’s screwin’ mom
and country music music is all
that kept me hangin’ on
(Chorus)
Yes, I love country music
and I’m smart
Well, I can drive my John Deere tractor
in the dark – I can
And them rockin’ rollin’
long-haired fags is wrong
and country music music is all
that kept me hangin’ on
Yes, I love ol’ Merle Haggard
and Hank I think’s the best
George is old and weathered
but ya’ know he passed his last drug test
Randy Travis…I Love him
and I Like Dolly P.
Loretta Lynn is back again
and that’s alright with me
(Chorus)
Yeah, that country music music is all
That kept me hangin’ on
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9.
Will They Bury You with Your Shoes On?
Well, you arrive in this world naked
and you leave in a suit and tie
will they bury you with your shoes on
when you die?
Makes me feel like a bunch-a-nothin’
like there’s somethin’ that I must survive
they’re dressin’ up the dead
like they’re still alive
Will they bury you with your shoes on
in the end?
I had a crazy uncle who was
buried with a violin
I guess they’ll cover your head
with that guitar in your hand
Oh, buddy line up –
And kick a little dirt on a friend
Well, Grandpa died in 1980
with a derby on his head
it’s like – once he was here –
but now he’s dead
We all paid off the funeral parlor
and some lawyer and the man
now it’s over
did grandpa lose or win?
Ya’ see they carried him ‘round
in a tube that’s made of tin
Oh, they paraded through the town
like a snake that’s losin’ its skin
And then his buddies lined up
and kicked a little dirt on a friend
Well, every village has got one
there’s one in my hometown
he’s the man with cold hands
and your life brings him down
I feel like I’ve gotta number
on my forehead when he’s around
he’s countin’ my days and the
skulls in the graves in the ground…
Skulls in the ground!
it kinda gets me down
well, you arrive in this world naked
and you leave in a suit and a tie
will they bury you with your shoes on?
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10. Desperate Searcher
They tell me He created Adam
and He created Eve
they tell me He created everything
we see –
Oh, He, the great creator
who fills the void within
He created us a Savior
but who created him?
Well, I don’t know where I’m goin’
and I don’t know who I am
I don’t know where we are
just – where we’ve been
Sometimes I feel wonderful
and sometimes I feel bad
and sometimes I feel grateful
for the good friends that I have
(Chorus)
Oh, I am not alone
I can see it in the eyes
of us children who have grown up
out there searchin’ – for the answers –
wherever they may be
Are you a desperate searcher
who is searchin’ just like me?
Envision all the questions with
parent's answers that were lies?
Envision life with heaven
as our prize
If the world is just some station
mister, fill me to the brim
‘cause I don’t know where I’m goin’
and I don’t know where I have been
Well, I went to church last Sunday
a lapse of self-esteem
I hoped to find what many say
they see –
As I looked into their souls
I found that they were just like me
They are searchin’ for the answers
wherever they may be
(Chorus)
Hey, are you a desperate drunkard
who's been drinkin’ just like me?
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11.
What if God Is a Woman (And Jesus Is a Black Man?)
(Chorus)
What if God is a woman
and Jesus is a Black man
will they let you into heaven?
will they tolerate dumb White men?
Forgive you for your lifetime
your chauvinistic race crimes?
or send you straight to Satan
to burn forever there?
I was strollin’ through the ghetto
when I came across a White man
he had AIDS in his left hand
and a needle in his right hand
He was askin’ for compassion
when I told him that I had none
he stuck me with his needle
and now I’m dead as him
There’s a woman who’s in labor
who suffers from the birth pain
she pushes ‘til it’s over
she feels a little disdain
For the man who said he loved her
but he took a little detour
seems his words were just as rotten
as a moldy glass of wine
(Chorus)
A man is cheatin’ with the waitress
while his wife is with their children
He pays a little Black kid
to run some message home
The year is 1957
a time of chauvinism
a time of pure racism
a time not far enough gone
They say that history is being decided
the books are being written
the "times they are a-changin’" -
we’ve got God Dylan’s word
But time is an illusion, Bob
like one’s imagination
and I am just some White kid
who’s gotta lotta nerve
(Chorus)
…will they send you straight to heaven
to live with Her (Me) up there (here)?
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12. The Problem With Humans…
Well, the sun went down that evenin’
and the Aztecs all went wild
concerned for their existence
they sacrificed a child
And when the sun came ‘round and found the dawn
they sure felt reconciled
all their Gods were back in order
all those Aztecs wore a smile
Well, the doorbell rang this mornin’
and I asked them to come in
They looked a bit beleaguered
and I wondered were they’d been
They said that God is Love
and Love is God and Jesus rides again
I thought…Jesus must be crazy –
if he’s travelin’ with them
And I’m not sure who people are
I’m not sure who we’ve become
I don’t know if Jesus loves me
but I know what’s done is done
Well, I was once a child
who was wrapped up inside a flag
I did my pledge of allegiance
yes, and often I would brag
About my country and Her power
and the nice things I did have
but now I’ve studied my land closely
and I feel that I’ve been had
And I’m not sure who people are
I’m not sure who we’ve become
but you can keep your nation’s anthem
and all the songs that will be sung‘
Cause I’m not sure who people are
I’m not sure who we’ve become
but you can keep your nation’s anthem
and all the songs…that will be sung
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13.
Dream Song
There was a time
I used to ride
not five days ago
I died –
And my widow
like a butterfly
flies alone –
And Mother Earth She turns
She don’t care
took my tattered soul
left my body bare
And Saint Peter stands
like a stone
his cigar in hand
he smokes alone
And then he laughs
from his throne
and says, "Come on in – Cary, How’ve ya’
been?"
And I said, "Not so good. I guess you’ve heard the
news? I
died the other day; the pills and booze…and I was afraid,
you wouldn’t let me in…for I have sinned."
And he said, "That’s Okay – don’t worry,
dude –
because we’re all – just like you. And I ain’t
who – you
think I am! You better look again!"
Oh, his eyes turned white
and his face turned red
and horns appeared
upon his head
And I was thinkin’
"Oh, Shit! I’m dead!"
enough said –
And there were people there
I’d seen before
in the book I’d read
but I wasn’t sure
And then this old man stood and spoke his name
and he spoke his name
in shame –
Well, he had long gray hair
and a long gray beard
and from his wrinkled hands
a stone tablet appeared
And screams were all that I could hear
and there was pain…
such pain –
And then Moses cried
he wept a tear
he blinked his eyes
and disappeared –
And tick-tock bells rang inside my ears
and I was home
sweet home –
I guess I dreamed
I guess I did
for I have been redeemed
hell, I ain’t dead!
There were no screams – no horns on no head –
And no hell
Oh, well!
Hey, I feel good
to be alive
like I have kissed the snake –
and I survived
And I don’t worry about some other side
when I’ve got this side –
we’ve all got this side
So light one up
and drink one down
and tell the man
we’ll have one more round
So we’re lost – we’ll all be found
you’ve gotta have faith
and that’s all!
that’s all!
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