The Great American Midrange

The Elms The Great American Midrange Lyrics
1.Strut

I walk out and stand in a my front yard
It's plain to see that the times are hard
What's a man to do when he's had enough?
You put on your boots and you strut your stuff

I bet on the market that don't crashed
I bought me a house but it ain't worth trash
Baby, I don't care, long as I stay tough
'Til it turns around, I'm gonna strut my stuff

Come on, strut your stuff

I got a call today from the hometown bank
And I got no fuel left in the tank
Well, the scene looks bad but sure enough
Gonna go out today and strut my stuff

Come on, strut your stuff

At the crack of dawn you know you get on up
You put the hot black coffee in your cup
You say a little prayer should the day get rough
Then you step on out, man, and strut your stuff


2.Unless God Appears First

I was born beside the Erie in the summertime
And lived inside the rust buckle till the age of nine
I broke the rules of the preacher and his blessed little wife

I turned the left side of truth into the center of life
I pulled the gray and the gold out of the black and the white
I've got a heart that's full of equal parts
Of fear and faith, and they say
Unless God appears first, I will die that way

I sing sad songs, I get high some
I got nothin' to prove
Baby winnin' or lose I'm the same and I say
Unless God appears first, I will die this way

I remember kissin' Julie on a Friday night
I told her she was the one and then she let me inside
I stole the trust of a woman who was only ever kind

I called her after a year, in a moment of need
She didn't mention that night or ask no penance of me
I was convicted and forgiven in an instant on that day
And I say, unless God appears first, I got debts to pay

I sing sad songs, I get high some
I got nothin' to prove
Baby winnin' or lose I'm the same and I say
Unless God appears first, I will die this way

And if heaven comes or I hear it calling
From the mansions behind pearly gates
I'll go at night or on horses of fire
Through whirlwind and wire with a grin on my face
Unless God appears first, I will fly away


3.Country Fair

V1.
Mama, take me down to the county fair.
I'm gonna see my darlin' there.
We jump on the Zip and the Ferris Wheel.
I can't explain how she makes me feel.

I do not drink and I do not rob,
I work all day at my Summer job.
Cuttin' that grass for a dollar square
To pay my way to the county fair.

CHORUS:
Oh my, tell me why
The good times come, and the good times die.
Take me 'round again and I'll meet you there
At the county fair.

V2.
Horseshoe and a rabbit's foot.
I'd press my luck if I thought you would.
All day long, well I don't care.
I'll wait for you at the county fair.

CHORUS:
Oh my, tell me why
The good times come, and the good times die.
Take me 'round again and I'll meet you there
At the county fair.

BRIDGE:
Well we get broke, and we get sad...
But I guess it really ain't that bad around here.


4.The Wildest Heart

She's an angel in a one horse town
Like a rolling cloud surrounded in blue
She's a stranger to the wise advice
Rather roll the dice than settle for good

And she's the wildest heart I know
She's the wildest heart I know
She's the wildest heart I know
Out there running free, riding on a dream
The wildest heart I know

On the weekend, she don't need no rest
She dancing pirouettes outside in the sun
She don't worry when the bad news comes
Keeps her head up high and song in her lungs

And she's the wildest heart I know
She's the wildest heart I know
She's the wildest heart I know
Out there running free, riding on a dream
The wildest heart I know

She's an angel of a different kind
Not the type you'll find out there on a cloud


5.Long Gone

In a little while, at another time
I'll be coming back for another try
I'll take a second look
Won't get it wrong again

I'll give you all I got and be a better man
In a little while, at another time
I'll be coming back for another try

So hey, wait until the morning, love
To say that you have given up
Hey, wait until the evening's gone
To tell me that you're moving on
You're long gone

I'd pay the devil twice, I can guarantee
Just to see a friend lookin' back at me
Down in the valley rocks, with the mud and bone
When all is dry and dead, you feel a little hope

In a little while
Maybe in between
I wanna see your face
Lookin' back at me

So hey, wait until the morning, love
To say that you have given up
Hey, wait until the evening's gone
To tell me that you're moving on
You're long gone

In a little while, at another time
I'll be coming back for another try


6.The Shake

When the week is done and the evening sun
Is sinkin' back into the hills
Well, the neon lights start flickerin' on
And the roadhouse starts to fill

You can bet your ass by ten o'clock
It'll be all that you can take
To squeeze inside with the girls and guys
Who come out to do the shake

Shake it 'til you can't shake it out no more
Do it 'til your feet come off the floor
Put a little shake in your rattle and roll
Shake it 'til you can't shake it out no more

The air is thick with the sweat and smoke
Comin' off everybody's skin
And the rhythm grows in people's bones
Like it's comin' from within

Don't come out here lookin' just to chill
Or to sit down and take a break
The only thing to try 'round here tonight
Is get up and do the shake

Shake it 'til you can't shake it out no more
Do it 'til your feet come off the floor
Put a little shake in your rattle and roll
Shake it 'til you can't shake it out no more

We're all the same when we come out here
Don't matter who your daddy is
What side of the street that you grew up on
Don't count for anything

Come down alone, or with a friend in tow
Just get down here for god's sake
Bring folding money and a pack of smokes
And get down here and shake

Shake it out


7.The Good Guys

Same old story, I'm totally low
Got a feeling here that I think
You know, know, know, know

I'm tired of running
And needing more time
I been way too long
On the losing side and I came to find

It's a long road for the good guys
It's a long road for a simple man
To get a helping hand
When all you got is a single shot
You do the best job that you can
'Cause it's a long road for a simple man

We're brokenhearted
And barely whole
There is little left that
We can control, oh, oh, oh

And we get so weary
Getting blood outta stone
But you push on through
To the heart of you even though you know

It's a long road for the good guys
It's a long road for a simple man
To get a helping hand
When all you got is a single shot
You do the best job that you can
'Cause it's a long road for a simple man


8.The Little Ways

Evenin' falls half-golden
On a desert interstate
Some days I'm out here driving
And I miss you in the little ways

I thought we'd be like partners
Keepin' secrets and each other safe
But down the road I lost you
But you're still here in the little ways

Oh, I miss you, oh, I miss you right away
There's a part of my heart where you'll always stay
Oh, I miss you, oh, I miss you when you're gone
There's a part of my heart where you still belong

In my mind I see you
And you tell me it'll be alright
You kept me free from worry
And it hurt me not to say goodbye

Oh, I miss you, oh, I miss you right away
There's a part of my heart where you'll always stay
Oh, I miss you, oh, I miss you when you're gone
There's a part of my heart where you still belong

I ain't gonna leave behind
All the memories and time, the places and the miles
And when I think I hear you call
Like a voice behind the wall, I miss it all

When all else is forgotten
I'll remember all the better days
If you are out there somewhere
I will find you in the little ways


9.Back To Indiana

There ain't no way to tell a man why a river flows
Or how a diamond can be born out of busted coal
There ain't a word that I can find to describe her touch
I can't deny that I would follow her through flame and flood

I got a ticket on a bus leavin' New Orleans
I'll say a prayer that every single light turns green
I'll buy a cheap bouquet at the flower shop
And hope she waits for me at the final stop, oh, she will

I'm going back to Indiana now
To see my baby in her evening gown
And even if the world is burning down
I'm going back to Indiana now

I've played guitar each night for the finest kinda
I've left a whole lotta chance on the road behind
I don't believe in fate I call it destiny
And if I'm lucky yet, she'll keep a place for me, oh, she will

I'm going back to Indiana now
To see my baby in her evening gown
And even if the world is burning down
I'm going back to Indiana now

I've got a photo of her standing near an orange tree
I keep it hidden in my pocket with a rosary
I told the driver of the bus that he had a deal
And by the morning I'll be with her in the golden fields

I'm going back to Indiana now
To see my baby in her evening gown
And even if the world is burning down
I'm going back to Indiana now


10.This Is How The World Will End

When the dollar made with blood is spent
When an enemy can't become a friend
When the better man won't lend a hand
Baby, this is how the world will end

When a day of hope is a rarity
Or a diplomat hasn't time to see
That a child lost is a true offense
Baby, this is how the world will end

Bring a chair up to the table
Bring a message to the crowd
Where's a common trust to deliver us
From the wretched and the proud?

Sing a tune about the promise
Speak on that which we depend
And if a certain light don't shine again
Baby, this is how the world will end

When the poorest kid is fending for himself
Or the widow cries but she gets no help
When we know what's true, but we still pretend
Baby, this is how the world will end

Bring a chair up to the table
Bring a message to the crowd
Where's a common trust to deliver us
From the wretched and the proud?

Sing a tune about the promise
Speak on that which we depend
Now let that certain light come shinin' then
Baby, we could change the world again

But if that certain light don't shine again
Baby, this is how the world will end


11.Thunderhead

There's a black cloud rising, broad and wide
Like a dark horizon before my eyes
Better pray for peace and guard my kin
'Cause the thunderhead is rolling in

See the branches swaying, the waters crash
Through the deeper valley where few will pass
I will set my feet and raise my chin
When the thunderhead comes rolling in

Baby, where will you wait? Where will you go
When the tide's rushing in the
And the cold winds come blowing?
Baby, when the thunderhead's raging
I will shelter you without breaking

Keep your lantern burning while skies go dark
Travel light and fleeting should you embark
On a journey forged of rugged ground
And a thunderhead comes bearing down

Baby, where will you wait? Where will you go
When the tide's rushing in the
And the cold winds come blowing?
Baby, when the thunderhead's raging
I will shelter you without breaking

Baby, when the thunderhead's rolling
Mine will be the hand that you're holding

Hold me close and steady, do not lose heart
When the rest go running, I'll not depart
We will find that well of hope within
When the thunderhead comes rolling in


12.A Place In The Sun

I sit in the willows, my hat on my knee
There's a man in my shoes where a boy used to be
I'm wore out and weary, but before my time's done
I need to find me a place in the sun

Well, life shot right by me, it's hard to explain
The days started passing, now they all look the same
Well, every good spirit needs someplace to run
So I need to find me a place in the sun

A place where the golden rays
Dance on the waterways
Where time passes easily
And burdens don't trouble me

I'd feel like a millionaire
Sat on a foldin' chair
Watching you dance in the breeze

I don't know a fella who ain't seen it tough
We deal and we hustle to make just enough
But somewhere the people are still having fun
So I'm gonna find me that place in the sun

A place where there's little rain
And good memories remain
Somewhere you can take a drive
Back to a simple time

I'd feel like all royalty
Sat near an olive tree
Free from my work for awhile

I sit in the willows, my hat on my knee
There's a man in my shoes where a boy used to be
Well, every good spirit needs someplace to run
So I need to find me a place in the sun


13.Dog Days


14.Lily

Out in the lilyfields, pineapple chamomile
Was blowing over the river and old highway.
And from the trees came honeysuckle breeze
Pushin' her hair from her shoulders across her face.

She liked the April cool. I took a breath or two.
We turned a streetcorner lying in fields of green.
Your innocence ain't such a funny thing
When all your glories are back in a rearview scene.

Lily won't let me walk away.
Lily ain't got nothin' to say.
I've been over her, I've been all the way
And I'm sorry that I didn't stay.

Well, we made it through the tender years.
We were all alone on a wild frontier.
Baby who's to say, maybe that explains why
Lily won't let me walk away.

I'm not the easy kind. I'll get you off my mind.
There ain't no dirt on a shoulder where I remain.
But when I think of you, it sends a fire through
Like bringing color to children gone charcoal grey.

Lily won't let me walk away.
Lily ain't got nothin' to say.
I've been over her, I've been all the way
And I'm sorry that I didn't stay.

Well, we made it through the tender years.
We were all alone on a wild frontier.
Baby who's to say, maybe that explains why
Lily won't let me walk away