Roses For Mama

Cw Mccall Roses For Mama Lyrics
1.The Battle Of New Orleans

Well, in eighteen-fourteen we took a little trip
Along with colonel jackson down the mighty mississip
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we caught the bloody british at the town of new orleans.

We fired our guns and the british kept a-comin'
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they all began a-runnin'
Down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico

Well we eye-balled the river and we see the limeys come
Musta been a hunnert of 'em beatin' on a drum
And then they stepped so high and they made the bugles ring
We hid behind our cotton bales and didn't say a thing

We fired our guns and the british kept a-comin'
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they all began a-runnin'
Down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico

Now, old hickory says we can take 'em by surprise
If we don't shoot our wads 'til we look 'em in the eyes
So we held off our fire 'til we see them real well
Then we opened up our squirrel guns and really gave 'em hell

We fired our guns and the british kept a-comin'
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they all began a-runnin'
Down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico

Well, they ran through the briars and they ran through the
brambles
And they ran through the bushes where the rabbits couldn't go
Ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
Down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico.

Well, we fired our cannon 'til the barrel melted down
So we grabbed an alligator and we turned his tail around
We stuffed his head with cannon balls and powdered his behind
And when we lit the fuse that old gator blew his mind

We fired our guns and the british kept a-comin'
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they all began a-runnin'
Down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico

Well, they ran through the briars and they ran through the
brambles
And they ran through the bushes where the rabbits couldn't go
Ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
Down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico.

Hup, hip, trip, four.
You know, you old boys gonna be marchin' right smart, onced* you
learn to count to four.


2.The Gallopin' Goose

(chip davis, bill fries)

On a cold november mornin'
Back in nineteen-thirty-seven
With an early snow a-fallin'
On the three-foot tracks at ames
Came a mighty strange contraption
Known to trainmen as a motor
But to folks in colorado
She was known by another name

Up the canyons south of sawpit
Past the red cathedral spires
'cross the yellow mountain switchbacks
And the rapids far below
On the high and lofty trestles
Near the fabled mines of ophir
In the silver san juan mountains
Came a goose a-plowin' snow

With a pierce-arrow engine,
Runnin' hot and on the loose
Came the rio grande southern
The gallopin' goose
With a pierce-arrow engine
Runnin' hot and on the loose
Came number five, the gallopin' goose

'twas a four-door auto-mobile
On a dozen wheels of iron
Sixteen feet of rockin' boxcar
Spot-welded to her tail
Loaded down with mercantile
Ten bags a' high-grade ore
Two mothers nursin' babies
Seven miners an' the mail

Up the side a' sunshine mountain
By internal gas combustion
Eight pierce-arrow pistons pullin'
Fifteen thousand pounds a' lead
At the snowshed on the summit
The conductor said his prayers
He declared a busted driveshaft
On the pass at lizard head

With a pierce-arrow engine
Runnin' hot and on the loose
Came the rio grande southern
The gallopin' goose
With a pierce-arrow engine
Runnin' hot and on the loose
Came number five, the gallopin' goose


Down the three-percent to rico
In the valley of dolores
They still talk about the southern
An' her flock of flyin' geese
From the roundhouse at ridgway
To the depot at durango
All the tracks are gone for scrap iron
And the ganders rest in peace

Up the canyons south of sawpit
Past the red cathedral spires
'cross the yellow mountain switchbacks
And the rapids far below
On the high and lofty trestles
Near the fabled mines of ophir
In the silver san juan mountains
There's a legend in the snow

With a pierce-arrow engine
Runnin' hot and on the loose
Came the rio grande southern
The gallopin' goose
With a pierce-arrow engine
Runnin' hot and on the loose
Came number five, the gallopin' goose


3.I Don't Know(And I Don't Care)

(chip davis, bill fries)

Now how many peppers did peter piper pick ta get himself a peck
a' pickled peppers? but more importantly, how many pickles do
you get in a peck, when you can't find no peppers ta pick? and
furth
E, who wants a pickle that's made from a pepper by a guy named
peter piper? and in conclusion, how many pipers do you know that
pick pickles? and how many peters are pickled?

[the chorus, and how to sing it. pay attention, 'cause there
might be a quiz. c.w. and the backup singers sing line 1, then
c.w. alone sings lines 2 and 3, then the backup singers alone
sing lin
And 5.]
Well, i don't know, and i don't care
Go away an' leave me alone
I don't know, and i don't care
He don't know, and he don't care
About nothin'

Now how many ducks could a duck plucker pluck, if'n the duck
plucker plucked until dark? and more importantly, how many
plucks would it take on a duck, 'til the plucker got duck
plucker's arm? a
Rthermore, if the duck plucker died whilst pluckin' the duck,
would you call it the fault of the duck? or think now, would you
say that the plucker had run out of ducks? and they called it '
Plucker's luck'?

Well, i don't know, and i don't care
Go away an' leave me alone
I don't know, and i don't care
He don't know, and he don't care
About nothin'

Now how much wood could a woodpecker peck, whilst peter was
a-pickin' them peppers? and what if the pluckor became the
pluckee, and the woodpecker's name was chuck?

Well, i don't know, and i don't care
Go away an' leave me alone
I don't know, and i just don't care
He don't know, and he don't care
About nothin'


4.Livin' Within My Means

(ron agnew)

Well, i was a poor boy
Just a-kickin' around
Eighteen, with a head full a' dreams
Took some money back then
Did a year in the pen
For not livin' within my means

I worked ev'ry day
I did my time the hard way
I walked out a' that place feelin' clean
I got a job, a guitar
I bought an old beat-up car
Started livin' within my means

Fell in love with a beautiful lady, of sorts
But she was ruthless, restless, and mean
She left me one day
And now i've had to pay
For not lovin' within my means

Then i took to drinkin'
To drive her from my mind
And it helps me forget her, it seems
I just drink now and then
Only now i'm drunk again
For not drinkin' within my means

Now i know that i'm dyin'
But i don't worry none
'cause i know my soul he'll redeem
But what bothers me
Unless they bury me free
Is i won't even die within my means

But when the dyin's all over
An' i come back again
Say 'to hell' with self-pride and esteem
I'll get born in my teens
An' i'll stick to my dreams
Try dreamin' within my means


5.Night Hawk

(tom mckeon, ron peterson)

We'd worked ourselves senseless
Been bustin' down fences
Drivin' dry cattle, no water in sight
As we sat 'round the fire
And cursed the barbed wire
A stranger broke into our light

Not knowin' no better
Some fool went for leather
But a whispered 'i wouldn't'
Put an end to the fight
Then he said, 'i'm for hire.
'you need a rider.
'and i don't mind ridin' at night.'

Go light on the night hawk
He don't smile, he don't talk
To strangers, and seldom to friends
And you'll do well to listen
When he asks you to leave him alone
He won't ask you again

Though the man is a myst'ry
The story is hist'ry
How a range fire came
Like a thief in the night
Took his young wife and babies
His would-bes and maybes
And burned out the love in his life

Go light on the night hawk
He don't smile, he don't talk
To strangers, and seldom to friends
And you'll do well to listen
When he asks you to leave him alone
He won't ask you again


6.Old Glory

(chip davis, bill fries)

She was old, and beautiful, and wise, and she taught the young
boy everything he needed to know. all about the land, and the
woods and the rivers, and what had happened there even before he
was
. she taught him what was good and what was bad. and most of
all, the difference between right and wrong.

And so, every morning he stood beside his desk, with his hand
over his heart, and promised to respect her for the rest of his
days.

When times were hard, and the grain elevators stood empty
against the black midwestern sky, she gave him praise for a hard
day's work, and hope for his father. and she promised there
would be be
Days to come.

And he sat by the radio and cried angry tears one gray december
day, when he hear that she'd been betrayed. she was hurt; she
needed help. he was only twelve, but he gave her all he could:
scrap
Paper and tin cans and even the rubber tires from his wagon. he
followed her across the sea, on the maps and the newspaper,
wishing he was older, old enough to fight back.

Then after four long, dark years, he heard the church bells ring
and the noon whistle blow long and high. and he was part of one
brief moment when all the world paid respect to her.

And then he was grown up; and suddenly, the world had changed.
and there were questions about her. some thought she was
old-fashioned, useless. some thought she was dead. but then
after all, may
Ey hadn't known her as he had.

And now everyone has grown older. the boy, his children, and she
too. he saw her again just the other day: it was one of those
bright, summer mornings and the church bells were ringing again.
th
Ds were playing, and even the noon whistle was blowing, early.

He stood and watched proudly as she passed by. the sunlight
catching the flash of crimson and white, stars blazing in the
clear blue sky.

And then she was gone.

And he looked down through three generations into his grandson's
eyes, and said, 'there she goes, son. we used to call her old
glory.'


7.The Only Light

(walt meskell, tim martin)

Just another texas bus stop
Texas never seems to end
On my seventh cup a' coffee
Waitress, hit me once again
Gotta date in colorado
With the woman in my life
I've seen enough of fairgrounds
An' singin' in the lights

'cause the only light i wanna see
Is the light that's in the eyes
Of the woman waitin' up for me again
Yeah, the only light i wanna see
Is a candle in the winda
An' the open door that she'll be standin' in

Driver says, 'it's time, folks'
So we straggle back on board
Just me, a nun, two cowboys
An' a guy in back that snored
Been twenty-seven hours
Full a' anything but fun
An' over my right shoulder
There's an early-mornin' sun

But the only light i wanna see
Is the light that's in the eyes
Of a woman waitin' up for me again
Yeah, the only light i wanna see
Is a candle in the winda
An' the open door that she'll be standin' in

Goin' on forty hours
An' i've been too long alone
But it's only just a walk, now
Up the hill and then i'm home
I've seen too many bus stops
An' i've sung my share a' songs
But the spotlight only matters
When it's shinin' in my home

'cause the only light i wanna see
Is a light that's in the eyes
Of a woman waitin' up for me again
Yeah, the only light i wanna see
Is a candle in the winda
An' the open door that she'll be standin' in

Yeah, the only light i wanna see
Is the light that's in the eyes
Of a woman waitin' up for me again
Yeah, the only light i wanna see
Is a candle in the winda
An' the open door that she'll be standin' in

'cause the only light i wanna see
Is the light that's in the eyes
Of the woman waitin' up for me again
Yeah, the only light i wanna see...


8.Roses For Mama

(johnny wilson, gene dobbins, wayne sharpe)


Well, i had two weeks vacation comin', so i thought i'd drive
down to florida:spend some time with an old friend, date a few
girls, make a few parties, and just kinda live it up again.

So i packed up my car, and then i called my mom in tennesee, and
told her what i planned to do. she said, 'son, are you comin'
by?' and i said, 'mom, i'm really pushed for time, b
Ll see you in a week or two.'

And i was drivin' through this little town in georgia when i
remembered: today's mama's birthday. well, i thought i'll just
stop and wire some flowers. shouldn't take too long; then i'll
be on m
.

So i walked in a flower shop and the first thing i saw was this
little boy, with his eyes full a' tears. i said, 'what's wrong,
son?' he said, 'mama loves roses. and today's her b
Ay, and i haven't seen her in almost a year.'

Roses for mama
Today's her birthday
Roses for mama
Today's her birthday

He said, 'i live with grandma now. but i promised mama some
roses, 'cause i talk to her all the time. i wanted to give her
five, 'cause that's how old i am. but the lady said i couldn't
buy
With just a dime.'

Well, the little fella's story kind a' touched my heart, so i
told the lady to give him what he wanted and charge it to me.
then i told her i needed to wire a dozen roses to my mama, up in
chape
L, tennessee.

I looked around, and the little boy was gone. but all of a
sudden the door flew open and he come runnin' back in and he
said, 'mister, i forgot to thank you for the roses.' he smiled,
Ook my hand, and ran back out again.

Well, i started on out of town. and i was feelin' real proud of
myself for thinkin' of my mama and really carin', when i looked
out the window and i saw that same little boy, kneelin', by a
grav
An old cemetery.

I stopped my car and walked over to where the little boy was
kneelin' down. and he smiled up at me and said, 'this is where
my mama stays. she says she sure does thank you for these pretty
.' well that's when i had to walk away.

And i drove straight back to that flower shop and i said, 'lady,
have you sent those flowers to tennessee?' she said, 'no, not
yet.' i said, 'well, nevermind. i'll just
Them back with me.'

Roses for mama
Today's her birthday
Roses for mama
Today's her birthday


9.Take My Duds To The Junkman

(ron agnew)

Take my duds to the junkman
Give 'im ev'rything i got
Take my brass belt buckle an' my turquoise ring
I gotta get out while i'm hot
You ain't a-con-tri-bu-tin' to the way i'm livin',
Yer support don't mean a lot
Nobody gives a damn about what i am,
They give me stuff about what i'm not

Put my cash in a root beer bottle
But you better hold back a dime
So you can call someone who cares about a-hearin'
You can tell 'em how i wasted your time
Pack my songs in a suitcase
Send 'em out to old dave dee
An' you can take them earplugs outta yer head
'cause you won't hear a thing from me


Some times i'm right,
Some times i'm wrong,
But most a' time i'm in-between
There's always somebody wantin' somethin' for nothin'
Somethin' gettin' nothin' for me
Well, you wanted me for dependency
But my will just turned to won't
Though you never cared about me when i did,
You gonna miss me when i don't

So, take my duds to the junkman
Give 'im ev'rything i got
Take my brass belt buckle an' my turquoise ring
I gotta get out while i'm hot
You ain't a-con-tri-bu-tin' to the way i'm livin',
Yer support don't mean a lot
Nobody gives a damn about what i am,
They give me stuff about what i'm not

Nobody gives a damn about what i am,
They give me stuff about what i'm not


10.Watch The Wildwood Flowers

(ron agnew)

Jimmy joe left the mountain 'bout seven months ago,
When the autumn nights turned cool
Chasin' a dream, like they say
Just goin' away to school

An' though he loved amy more'n anything else,
He felt he just had to go, and make his way
An' amy felt pretty close to dyin' when jimmy left
That september day

Y'see, there was somethin' she had to tell him,
But the words were never found
An' as they stood there by the garden gate,
Jimmy picked a wildflower from the ground

As he placed it in amy's hand an' kissed her,
An' her fingers touched the dew,
He wiped her tears away and told her he'd be back
Not knowin' what she knew

Watch the wildwood flowers for me
And i'll watch my dreams for you
And i promise that i'll write you everyday
And when the winter snow is gone
Touch the flowers as they grow
And when the first one blooms then i'll be on my way

Well, jimmy joe never wrote those letters
An' through the winter, amy's hopes grew dim
As she felt the life inside her stir
An' she watched the flowers grow, for him

Last spring jimmy joe came home, too late
He found that amy'd gone away
An' died givin' life to his baby boy
An' he recalled what he had said that september day

Watch the wildwood flowers for me
And i'll watch my dreams for you
And when the first one blooms then i'll be on my way
Watch the wildwood flowers for me
And i'll watch my dreams for you
And when the first one blooms then i'll be on my way
And when the first one blooms then i'll be on my way