Homefire Music

Still Her Daddy (Now & Then)

She turns the pages of her scrapbook
Memories beyond the frame of time
Searching through her glossies for a glimmer
For some kind of recognition in his eyes

Sometimes he calls to say I miss you
Now and then he tries to drop a line
Reflections in her bedroom mirror
Hey, does she see her daddy in her eyes?

A pot of gold, a nursery rhyme
Will Humpty Dumpty fall this time?
Silver Eagles ridin' on the wind
An eight by ten, a number one
Seems Captain Crunch's ship has come
And he's still her daddy now and then

When the Eagle flys this morning
And those old spotlights call again
He thinks he hears a whisper from her snapshot
Sayin' he's still her daddy now and then

He's still her daddy now and then

One More Tear

At a local bar I'm buyin' everyone beer
But I can't afford even one more tear
I've thought it out and my decision is clear
One more tear and I'm outta here

Better clean up your act and stop your messin' around
There's been a change of rules and I'm layin' em' down
There's only so much this hurtin' heart can take
So hear me out, you better get it straight

All you're getting from me is one more tear
Gonna take my heart, pack up my gear
Do you understand, have I made myself clear
One more tear and I'm outta here

I think that I've had too much
I'm ringin' out this tab of guilty
My eyes feel the fire from the flash of the neon sign

Don't want to hear about how sorry you are
You've pushed this girl just a little too far
Last call to change the atmosphere
Cause one more tear and I'm outta here

The House

No more curtains in the windows
Only footprints on the floor
And the pictures from the hall
Are lonely shadows from before
It was springtime when we left her
Emptied everything inside
But in her autumn chill of loneliness
This house has still survived

If her walls could talk they'd tell the tale
Of us who've come and gone
Of hand-me-downs and family trees
And roots that have grown so strong
You can almost see the melody
Of her unforgotten song
If these walls could talk they'd reminisce
Of her love that lingers on

There's dust on her fireplace mantel
Where her candle burned at night
And the finish of her front porch swing
Has weathered, cracked and dried
But her halls have not deserted
All the love that lived inside
In her autumn chill of loneliness
Her fires are burning bright

If these walls could talk, they'd share the love
Of us who've come and gone
Like a beacon on a windy night
She stands here firm and strong
She can almost hear the laughter
From her children on her lawn
If these walls could talk they'd tell of all
The love that's done her wrong

The foundation that was built to last
Has weathered storms of time
If these lonely walls could talk
They'd tell of love that lived inside

Policy Of Love

I'm just a lonely salesman girl
And I always made my calls
But I've set a new appointment
Way up here in Omaha
You know that I am liable
And the rock is guaranteed
And you'd be my only client
If you'd claim my policy
Your always in good hands
With my long term plan
Insurin' you my policy of love

I've followed leads to Hartford girl
And I've canvassed nationwide
I couldn't be no broker
Not always on your side
I haven't met life head on
Since my SR-22
But you'll never be a casualty
Insurin' me and you
Your always in good hands
With my long term plan
Insurin' you my policy of love

For richer or for poorer
Till death may do us part
Your always fully covered
For the whole life of my heart
Your security will grow
From this portfolio
Insurin' you my policy of love

You are a likely prospect
But you might be hard to close
And I know that feelin's mutual
A good neighbor told me so
You can drive away with triple A
And keep your independent life
But I'll go to the state farm
If you don't become my wife
Security will grow
From this portfolio
Insurin' you my policy of love

You know we both can benefit
From this indemnity
Just consummate the contract
Underwrite the risk with me
Your security will grow
From this portfolio
Insurin' you my policy of love

Factory Girl

Jumps to her feet
Before the sun comes up
Starts her coffee
And her pick-up truck
Combs out her hair
And wipes the sleep from her eyes
Out the front door
At a quarter till five

There's not much traffic
On the interstate
She's got a big day at work
You know she can't be late
Punches the clock
And takes her place on the line
With any luck at all
She'll earn some overtime

And she goes, until that whistle blows
She's workin' hard for a place in the world
She's a factory girl

To the rest of the guys
She's just part of the crew
In her safety glasses
And her steel-toed boots
She likes to party
And she listens to Hag
Packs all her lunches
In a paper bag

Lives on her paycheck
Day after day
Flashes her Visa
When there's no other way
And she hopes the boss will notice
Maybe give her a raise
So she can put away some money
For a rainy day

And she goes, until the whistle blows
She's workin' hard for a place in the world
She's a factory girl

There's a guy at the plant
He's a little bit shy
He's no better off
But he's been catchin' her eye
And when she gets ahead
She thinks she'll give it a try
Cause she's a factory girl in love
With a factory guy

When the workday is over
And she's home all alone
She waits for him to call her
On the telephone
A woman's feelings in a man's disguise
Sometimes she's sorry that
She's one of the guys

But it's true
She works as hard as you do
She's workin' hard for a place in the world
She's a factory girl

It Ain't Me (She's Gonna Love Tonight)

She's tryin' new perfume
She's changed the color of her hair
Her waistline's gotten trimmer
And she's bought new things to wear
Her favorite sexy dress is hangin'
On our bathroom door
And there's a sparkle in her bedroom eyes
I've never seen before

It ain't me, I've got an alibi
It ain't me, on that I testify
It ain't me, that will hold her
In their arms so tight
It ain't me that's lovin' her tonight

She's changed her taste in music
Learned to dance with videos
And when she says I'll be home soon
I wonder where she goes
By now she's warm and willin'
By now she's gone too far
They say that love comes easy
But she's never worked this hard

We've been in this thing together
For the better or the worse
And I just can't help but wonder
Is it a blessing or a curse
Love is blind, it ain't true
Cause she's showin' all the signs
And the change I've seen Your Honor
Even blind men recognize

It ain't me, I've got an alibi
It ain't me, on that I testify
It ain't me, that will hold her
In their arms so tight
It ain't me that's lovin' her tonight

It ain't me sir, that's lovin' her tonight

Shapeless (A Garth Brooks parody of Shameless)

I'm shapeless
When it comes to eating food
I'll eat anything in front of you
I'll stay and eat it all
Yes I'm shapeless
Here for all the world to see
Ass is hangin' out my dungarees
Darned'est thing you ever saw

You know, I'm a man who's always been
Rather plump, you know I've never been thin
Ever since my birth at my Mama's side
I squealed like a pig till I was satisfied

I'm shapeless
Honey want you say a prayer
Cause when I'm standin' in my underwear
My belly hangs down to my knees
I ain't changin'
I know I'll never compromise
My jelly doughnuts and my chocolate pies
The kitchen's where I'll be

You see, for all my life
I have always found
I could never resist
I could never turn down
I could never ever stay away
From the menu
I could never stay away from food

Honey, want you hand the remote control to me
It's just too much work
To turn the TV on
And I've made myself a snack
And it looks good to me
Potato chips I can't refuse
No, I've never had so much weight to lose
I'm shapeless

You know, it ain't easy
For a man who's fat
To watch Richard Simmons
On the TV set
Think Ill change the channel
To a football game
Lay here on the couch
And melt the fat away

I'm shapeless
If I could only see my feet
I'd go the table and I'd take a seat
If I could find one that would hold
I'm so shapeless
I'm as shapeless as a man could be
Take a long and lasting look at me
Try to look beyond the folds

I'm so shapeless

If God Don't Like Country Music

Last night I dreamt I up and died
And I felt so down and out
I was standin' outside the pearly gates
When Saint Peter began to shout
Son, this ain't no honky-tonk
Dancehall or rodeo
If you're lookin' for a sawdust floor
You know where you can go

If God don't like country music
I'm going straight to hell
If whiskey and women are mortal sins
You know I might as well
Cut holes in my hat for my horns
In my blue jeans for my tail
If God don't like country music
I'm goin' straight to hell

I'll swap my harp for a steel guitar
And I'll make that sucker smoke
I'll have the dance floor full, bless my soul
Of good ol' country folk
I'll have Hank to thank for my fall from grace
Though he sang, I saw the light
If God don't like country music
I'll be damned if I know why

If God don't like country music
Maybe we can convert him

The American Trademark

I remember my daddy's TV set
American made, let's not forget
Now on any showroom floor you'll see
An import from across the sea

Authentic Texas Lonestar beer
Australian owned, it does appear
In the land down-under and all points south
They're keepin' it cold in a kangaroo pouch

When I had my old fifty-five
The Detroit Diesel could still survive
Now four-wheel-drives and pick-up trucks
Have funny soundin' names
I've had enough

American born and made in USA
Can our country survive? Will we give it all away?
Get off your butt and on your feet
Let's all take a stand
Let's buy it back and keep our land

In the name of freedom we will react
We sell them out, then build them back
But to sell the strength that made us free
Is not good business for you and me

So let's light the torch and ring the bell
And tell them all to go straight to hell
Respect our vets, they felt the need
To fight for freedom, not for greed

Adlib

I'm Still a Beatles Fan

I saw them first on Sunday night
When they played their first hit song
I washed the Brillcream from my hair
And let my bangs grow long
I saved and bought a Vox guitar
And I spent some time alone
At night I'd put their records on
And played like I was John

I followed them down Abbey Road
Almost every night
Then I heard John sing Give Peace a Chance
As they marched me out to fight
J Edgar called him a communist
Cause he spoke out against the war
Immigration called him a criminal
And they tried to lock the door

And I'm just a country singer
In Nashville Tennessee
But I still liked the Beatles
They meant a lot to me
I like natural harmonies
And a fiddle in the band
I love country music
But I'm still a Beatles fan

A rainy Printers Alley
In Nashville Tennessee
Monday night football
On satellite TV
It was there I heard the tragic news
John Lennon had been shot
Yoko was not injured
And the gunman had been caught

A Rock-n-roll assassin
Has taken him away
My sixteen year long legacy
Had seen its final day
A teenaged boys obsession
Had played his final song
Imagine him with Elvis
Their music will live on

Mama's Homemade Bed

A Smokey Mountain sunrise
A young man works the fields
Thinkin' of the girl he loves
And prayin' that it yields
One day he came to court her
With flowers by his side
He swept my Mama off her feet
And took her for his bride

Daddy's gift was workin' wood
And though he could not land a loan
He made some things for mom and me
That made our house a home
He whittled, honed and polished
Every board with loving care
He made the bed where I was born
And Mama's rockin' chair

Rockin' on our back porch
With her knitting on her knee
She'd watch the Sunday mornin' gospel
On our black and white TV
Then after supper dishes
And her family had been fed
She'd place her baby in it's cradle
And turn down her homemade bed

I remember that old rockin' horse
That Daddy made from pine
The reigns were cut from leather
Mom had stitched at Christmas time
And I won't forget the mornin'
Santa placed it by the tree
But love's the greatest gift he left
For Daddy, Mom and me

Amazing as her graces
Mama caught us unaware
Will the circle be unbroken
Like the gospel that we share

A cold night in his workshop
With a chisel and a maul
A headstone made from solid oak
The hardest gift of all
The echo from the chisel
Cut through the mountain air
He's turning down the memories
Of the bed that they once shared

She'd place me in my cradle
And turn down her homemade bed

© Woodard, Sigenhaler, Dewberry 1990

Cotton Jenny

Cotton Jenny was a rebel child
Alabama bred and a little wild
She blew in like a gulf coast hurricane
Platinum hair and a heart of gold
Not looking for someone to hold
Contented with the freedom that she gained

The say she came from royalty
A debutante with a destiny
A heiress to her Daddy's wealth and fame
She grew up quick then she left home
Keeping nothing but her heart to own
And the memory of a childhood that's to blame

She rambles down the coast highway
From Dauphin Island to Mobile Bay
As the Pensacola wind calls out her name
In a Southern Comfort state of mind
She's throttled up and makin' time
Guess Cotton Jenny's makin' out ok

Up and down an endless street
Of seaside bars and livin' cheap
An occasional Harlequin romance after dark
Eighteen years and on her own
A victim of a broken home
Held hostage by her teenage broken heart

Manitoba

Times are hard in Manitoba
The Mississippi River's barely holdin' back her tears
The say the weather's nice in San Antonio
Stairin' at my coffee cup and wishin' you were here

The folks are nice in Manitoba
Please don't get me wrong, I don't mean to put her down
But the music that we play in Manitoba
Pulls steady from your heartstrings when you play your hometown crowds

It's cold up here in Manitoba
The prairie wind of loneliness will chill you to the bone
And I can almost see North Dakota
In the rearview of my love for you, I look for San Antone

The license plate says Friendly Manitoba
As the radio plays Willie to the truckers headed south
I must be leavin' Manitoba
Back to my Celina and those Texas hometown crowds

Life on the road in Manitoba
Is lonely for this country boy the farther north I roam
I must be leavin' Manitoba
In a caravan of broken dreams I must be headin' home

Country Cookin'

I grew up in the backwoods
Deep in the hills of Tennesse
Daddy worked the land
While Mama cooked and canned
Groceries for our family to eat
She spent all day in the kitchen
Fire up that wood stove to get some heat
Yes, it just seems too damn long
Since this country boy left home
But boy I sure do miss the food we'd eat

Homemade biscuits, red-eyed gravy
Ham and eggs fryin' on the stove
Sweet molasses on our kitchen table
It's breakfast time in our country home

Guess I eat a lot of fast food
Cause the waistline of my jeans began to grow
A double-pounder and a fry
And a Ronalds apple pie
Guess I should be drinkin' diet coke
Think I'll take a long vacation
Bait a hook down on the riverside
I can almost smell the catfish fryin'
Goodness gracious ain't it good ti be alive

Turnip greens, beans and cornbread
Sweet milk on the window getting cold
Apple cobbler coolin' in the oven
Homemade ice cream in a bowl

Bluebell Ice Cream in a bowl

Anna

We shared our loving late at night
While the lights were way down low
The gentle hush of your loving touch
The life we used to know

Telling stories with our eyes
Too shy to speak our minds
Too weak to face the futures change
Too blind to look behind

Anna, I still love you baby
Believe me
I would do anything you want me to
Anything you want me to

We took life free, just you and me
In the sin that we were bound
As easy as a rainy day
In this little world we found

And we thought love would come along
It just didn't seem to work
Too afraid to give our hearts away
From fear of being hurt

Anna, I still love you baby
Believe me
I would do anything you want me to
Anything you want me to