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Patterns of Blue

It’s a quarter to midnight, no moonlight above
It’s quiet for a Friday, it’s a tough time to love
My thoughts are all tangled & hard to keep down
Speculation & regrets in the shadows of a stranger’s hometown
Where patterns of blue outline memories of you

Somewhere in this world where believers exist
Forgotten by these cities, obscured by the mist
Lives a crafty old-timer with his secrets & spells
Who could choose me a potion from the jimmy-crack collection he sells
To provide me the knack to buy yesterdays back

I’d return to days before I had learned how to fail
When I knew disillusion could never prevail
Before I traded my innocence for the patterns of blue
That hang from this evening & outline these memories of you
I’m so lonely, I guess I’ll pretend this is true

I’ve lived those days over so often it seems
I’ve covered my vision with a layer of dreams
I know I’m still hanging on ‘cause I still feel the pain
Speculation & regrets in the shadows of a place in my brain
Where patterns of blue outline memories of you, have you thought of me too?
Have you thought of me too?

Will You Come Home Again

Will you come home again?
There's only me in this song
Everything's empty & everything's wrong
When will I see you? Will you come home again?

I tried to leave it all behind
But that train left the station too soon
Now there's nowhere to hide inside of this room
When will I see you? Will you come home again?

I wish I could cancel these days
And give away all of these words
It's the loneliest melody you've ever heard
But you never hear me, you're nowhere near me

And morning won't leave me alone
It keeps playing tricks on my eyes
I always give in & believe all the lies, like "tomorrow's a new day"
Will you come home again?

My brain is an unlocked door
And my thoughts are a jangle of keys
Still they climb out of windows, they fall out of trees
They break all their bones again, will you come home again?

There's an imaginary you
And more worlds than just one or two
When you're only a thought & that's all that I've got
You never come home to me, you're always unknown to me

Now will you come home again?
There's only me in this song
Everything's empty & everything's wrong
When will I see you? Will you come home again?
Will you come home again?

Ain't the King of Diamonds

Once upon a winter's eve, the sun was settin' golden
Dealt the queen of hearts just when I was foldin'
She ruled the dance floor at the drunkards ball
I cut my losses & just leaned against the wall
That was her & that was me, everything else was a mystery
She didn't know the tricks I'd done…but she knew I was the one
Kind of like the king of diamonds…I ain't the king of diamonds

We each had our own designs, I guess that's wrong…we didn’t know that we would end up in this song
We knew the odds were bad, but we showed our hands
We played ‘em & laid ‘em down, it wasn't what we'd planned
And sometimes we still can't see the aces for the eights, all those ways we compensate
Other times we bare our souls like the whistle of a train, shufflin’ through the wind & rain
Are those losin’ cards? Or the ones to keep? Well, that ain’t a bluff, read ‘em & weep
And I am still in love, ain't that enough?
I ain't the king of diamonds…ain't the king of diamonds

She's still the queen of hearts from that drunkards ball
And I'm still leanin' up against the wall
The sun's still golden in the sky above
So I will embrace this song & sing to her of my love
Kind of like the king of diamonds…I ain't the king of diamonds

Rain on the River

I shed my clothes & dive on in, embrace my lover, bathing in sin
You know I always take the bitter with the best
Rain on the river & starlight on my lover's breast

The river flows through both heaven & hell, snakes through my garden & knows me well
The rain is gentle, but the river is wild
Baptismal waters, emerging pure like a child

All these stories of the rain & the river choir
A burst of song, a lover's touch & the world's on fire
I may hide, but the river carries me along
Song, rain, fire, blood & a love's gone wrong, the world's gone wrong

Cold, wet & naked, I climb upon land, race through the thunder, face the matters at hand
A world at war makes a mighty mean storm
I dive on in, just to keep my hands bloody & warm

All these stories of the rain & the river choir
A burst of song, a lover's touch & the world's on fire
I may hide, but the river carries me along
Song, rain, fire, blood & a love's gone wrong, the world's gone wrong

The river flows through both heaven & hell, snakes through my garden & knows me well
You know I always take the bitter with the best
Rain on the river & starlight on my lover's breast, my lover’s breast, my lover’s breast

Been Runnin' Too Long

Time is up now, I been runnin' too long
This feelin' is way too strong, why's it always gotta be so sad?
Hate to say it, hardest trouble I ever had

Been too long now, you worry me, you're somewhere out on a mission
Wishin' you were here in bed, ‘stead of racin' ‘round inside my head
Hate to say it, hard trouble, like I said

And I love you, I can't get through, when you’re out on the street in your walkin' shoe
A waste of time & that’s the crime, ought to be a law, could be droppin’ a dime
'Stead of meetin' up now, we're beaten up now, what a pisser, right in the kisser

Time is up now, I been runnin' too long
Now what'd I do wrong? Why's it always gotta hurt so bad?
Hate to say it, hardest lovin’ I ever had

And I love you, least I think I do, you hear what I'm sayin'? You think so too?
You might as well, what the hell? Tell me you love me, you never can tell
You’re out of my bed & I’m out of my head, we’re sittin' purty, down & dirty

And I love you, je t'aime beaucoup, sayin’ s’il vous plait, like you like me to
But you gotta confess, more or less, makin' love is mainly makin' a mess
We’re just makin' do & fakin' it too, we're outclassed, half-assed

Time is up now, bed bugs bite
Time to call it a night, why's it always gotta be a fight?
Rather mend it, defend it, don’t wanna end it, but I might …
Cause I been runnin' too long, mmm-mmm-hmmm, babe, I been runnin' too long
I been runnin' too long

Shout Out to the Angels

How about a shout out to the angels in my life?
Angels of high-tops & a pocket knife
Angels of back roads & being the boss
Angels of snow angels, stained glass windows & loss

Angel of cracking my knuckles, angel of buttons & buckles
Angel of everything I've known all along
Ghost of the woodshed & my constant angel of song:

Beseeching me to raise a joyful din & come on in, come on in , come on in, come on in
Teaching me to dance upon that pin & come on in, come on in, come on in, come on in, come on in

Angels of record stores & dirty words, angels disguised as mockingbirds
Angels I cut 'cause the song was too long
And speak of the devil, it’s my steadfast angel of song:

Urging me to raise a joyful din & come on in, come on in, come on in, come on in
Converging, we all twirl upon that pin, we come on in, come on in, come on in, come on in, come on in

How about a shout out to the angels in my life?

Sloptown Road (Instrumental)

A Tenderloin Lullaby

Hearing her voices, they're outside the door
Short stints in county or up on fifth floor
Methadone, strip clubs, a counterfeit bill
An old script that no one will fill
A rainy day cyanide pill

Bumming a cigarette, turning a trick
Never feels high, just tries not to feel sick
Trading her food stamps & changing hotels
Riding out the longer dry spells
Other stuff she never tells

It's a Tenderloin lullaby, mad dogs will growl
Garbage trucks rattle & sirens still howl
Bones may be brittle, blood scarlet, but thin
It's all about teeth, about skin
Now hush, hear the heartbeat within

She'll show you what haunts her, but only a glimpse
And nobody wants her, not preachers, not pimps
Far beyond broken & far beyond scarred
And punctured with such disregard
It's no longer easy or hard

It's a Tenderloin lullaby, mad dogs will growl
Garbage trucks rattle & sirens still howl
Bones may be brittle, blood scarlet, but thin
It's all about teeth, about skin
Now hush, hear the heartbeat ...

Within her, a part that used to be, part that talks to me
The part that writes the book, with eyes that look within her
The beauty & the pain, the fabric & the stain
The cloth from which it’s cut, before that door is shut
Lullaby for clinging the night away, lullaby for singing to a lighter day
Hiding in the alleyway, nodding to a lullaby
A lullaby for letting go of the shock, the shame, the old shell game
Do you still remember her name? Snowflakes are all just the same
Hush now, they're all just the same

Hush now, they're all the same

Turnpike (Instrumental)

I’m an Old Panhandler

Man, oh man, new mornin’, same ol’ plan
The corner's jumpin' like a kangaroo
I'm an old panhandler, I'm talkin' to you
'Cause I love my customers, even though they call me names
Bleedin' deacons & grand old dames
They drop it in my big pocket
I really love my customers

Got feelin’s too, hard dealin’ with you-know-who
They may give me a dirty look
But I read 'em like an open book
And I love my customers, they circle like gypsy moths
Or hang around like three-toed sloths
And they drop it in my big pocket
I really love my customers

But they don't love me, they make fun of me
Kids berate me, the police hate me
All day long I dance that bummer dance
All day long I dance that bummer dance

All day long I dance that bummer dance

One day at a time, no reason, ain’t no rhyme
The corner's hoppin', thanks for stoppin'
Thanks for givin', hey it's a livin'
I sure love my customers, you may holler like a wet baboon
You'll get over it pretty soon
Just drop it in my big pocket
I really love my customers

I love my customers

Hey Jaybird

Hey jaybird, now don't be feelin' blue
I wrote a little love song & I'm singin' it for you
Just listen what I say, don't you ever fly away

Now just look at you, you're crazy, mean & naked
You're a jaybird, I think we're gonna make it
You're as crazy as your name, & I love you just the same

I see it in your mean eyes, I know you love me best
It's written in the way your heart pounds softly in your naked breast

You may be crazy, you're naked & you're mean
You're a jaybird, the best I've ever seen
And I love you more each day, don't you ever fly away

I see it in your mean eyes, I know you love me best
It's written in the way your heart pounds softly in your naked breast

You may be crazy, you're naked & you're mean
You're a jaybird, the best I've ever seen
And I love you more each day, don't you ever fly away
Cause I love you more each day, don't you ever fly away

The Kingpin

Now that the kingpin's come & gone, lookin' down the road, which way was wrong?
All the stories he told, served your supper cold, trampled all your marigolds
He'll never confess he ever made that mess, trackin' his mud, guess he couldn't care less
But he smiled as he said, God bless
So, Lord help us along, now that the kingpin's come & gone, come & gone

Now that the kingpin's passed on through, lookin' down the road, whatcha gonna do?
Knew it from the start, upset your apple cart, oh, your broken heart!
Wiped his boots on your Sunday suit, didn't give a damn what you constitute
Lost your loot, watch out, he'll execute
Only now he's through, it's time for the switcheroo, switcheroo

Light a cigar, lighten your load, warm up the car, & shovel the road
Strum your guitar, dance until dawn, then stay right where you are
'Cause the kingpin's come & gone, come & gone

Now that the kingpin's come & gone, looking down the road, which way was wrong?
Which way was wrong? We was wrong...

All songs by Kevin Elliott
Published by Soona Songs, Inc. (ASCAP)
2016 Soona Songs, Inc.
Recorded at Soona Songs Studio, Jonesborough, TN
Produced by Marilyn Duncan and Graham Duncan
Engineered and mixed by Graham Duncan
Mastered by John Scrip at Massive Mastering

Kevin Elliott – vocals, Gibson J-45, Gramann
Rappahannock, Martin Backpacker, Luna 6-string banjo, percussion
Graham Duncan – backing vocals, electric guitars, baritone guitar, percussion
Armand Beaudoin – double bass
Kate Maurer – percussion

Paintings by Sandra Ahten
Photo by Stephanie Rausch

Kevin would like to thank family, family, family. First and foremost, thanks to my unconditionally loving “folks”: Ray and Mary Elliott, my sisters, Jody Horn and Erin Elliott, who celebrate (or tolerate) my schemes and journeys with much love (and worry). Thanks to Bill and Marilyn Duncan of Soona Songs, who take “family business” seriously: You do business with the Duncans, you become family. Extra thanks to Marilyn, for all her ideas and support (and hospitality). A great big thank you to Graham Duncan, producer and musical collaborator: It’s said that Graham has ears that can hear thoughts, but he surprised me when he started hearing thoughts that I hadn’t thought yet. Thanks to the other generous and talented musicians who played on my songs, Armand Beaudoin, and Kate Maurer. An immeasurable thank you to my wife, partner, best friend and co-pilot, Sandra Ahten, whose belief, encouragement, vision, imagination, love, and labor are such a foundation to the MANY good things in our shared life. And, finally, in the world where these songs exist, while a few of the characters are actually Sandra or (versions of) me, there are other characters, both real and imagined, who I'd like to thank as well. Whether real or imagined, you know who you are. Much thanks.

Booking: kevin@kevinelliottmusic.com