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Ballad of Miles

by Lawrence Maxwell

supported by
Steven Seagal
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Steven Seagal Incredible songwriting. I'm very happy to have stumbled upon Lawrence. Favorite track: Better You.
peibard
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peibard It's a friggin' masterpiece.
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1.
Everybody’s got their degrees Everybody’s down on their knees Me, that’s not what I am about I don’t need no academic words in my mouth There’s enough shit to handle When both ends of the candle Are burning like the sandal of the man who preached the gospel of love Lord above Well, we’ve got a little bit of whiskey Listening to Keith Whitley Love the way it hits me Like a double shot at last call Everybody’s on my case Everybody stays in their place I’d buy the beer if I had the dough America the beautiful, where do we go? When it’s crime and corruption What a fine introduction With the childlike destruction It’s the opposite of living the dream One you’ve never seen Well, we’ve got a little bit of whiskey Listening to Keith Whitley Love the way it hits me Like a 1943 movie scene Everybody worships a screen Myself included you see Hey, buddy, look me in the eye Good God almighty I forgot I’m gonna die Down go the turtles Listening to Sturgill Overcome the hurdles With a third-person view of my brain Oh, it’s insane Well, we’ve got a little bit of whiskey Listening to Keith Whitley Love the way it hits me baby I’m no stranger to the rain Well, we’ve got a little bit of whiskey Listening to Keith Whitley Love the way it hits me baby I’m no stranger to the rain
2.
Smile 03:04
Well I used to make a living selling CDs out of the trunk Oh but Spotify has left me dry, now I can’t even afford to get drunk So I guess I’ll take my pennies and buy myself a cake Cause that’s just as much as this young buck stands to make I’ve played my share of bar rooms, I’ve played my share of streets I’ll play my share most anywhere for a place to stay, something to eat I’ve sung for several thousand but I’ll sing one just for you Just ask that one guy in Moncton who came through Life gets pretty hard but you’ll get by After all it’s only a ride Find a song to sing, and let that sucker ring And smile You see a song is like a hero, it too often goes unsung And dreams can lose their colour, like a piece of meat that’s cooked well done But just remember why you started, and those crazy nights with friends All the times we thought would never end And I’ve learned that tears are gentle, and I’ve felt a handshake firm And I know to go see Poppy, when there’s something new I want to learn And it’s not about the answers, for the river doesn’t care Just try to ask a question while you’re there Life gets pretty hard but you’ll get by After all it’s only a ride Find a song to sing, and let that sucker ring And smile
3.
Better You 02:57
4.
5.
Picking these strings like a bouquet of flowers Counting the hours as I sit here alone I know how much you like dandelion yellow So I'll roll through the meadow as I write you this song You came to see me in my isolation A no-crime probation, just a man on the run You read my chart, oh the wild constellations We put out intentions as we sat in the sun When I said forever you know that I meant it And I wanna build us a home Heart like a child, dog runnin' wild And a garden to show how we've grown It's all the same, except how it's different My body's in prison but my spirit runs free There once was a day when a man and his lover Could go undercover as they howled at the moon And I miss those days when we all got together We'll weather the storm as the world ends too soon When I said forever you know that I meant it And I wanna build us a home Heart like a child, dog runnin' wild And a garden to show how we've grown It's all the same, except how it's different My body's in prison but my spirit runs free It's all the same, except how it's different My body's in prison but my spirit runs free
6.
Daisy Chain 03:05
You practice your wrestling moves, I could be Wayne Gretzky Re-wrap all our Christmas presents, head out on a jetski Stop into an oceanside café that sells good coffee Stay until I finally shake this disappointment off me We’ve all got years that we run from And imaginations that we hide in We all got showed up by Jesus And we tell ourselves we’re so damn special Daisy chains and guitar pedals Oh, oh oh I couldn’t be a politician, had a night on Twitter But what else is a man to do when he’s sitting on the shitter? My circle has grown smaller while my mind has gotten wider I’ll trade you twenty folk CDs for a jug of Pendy’s cider We’ve all got years that we run from And imaginations that we hide in We all got showed up by Jesus And we tell ourselves we’re so damn special Daisy chains and guitar pedals Oh, oh oh I’ve been singing songs to buffalo and crocodiles I’ve been running for so long I wrote the ballad of miles I wish I were an Oscar winner, Oscar Meyer wiener I have a girlfriend in my mind, well please sir, have you seen her? We’ve all got years that we run from And imaginations that we hide in We all got shown up by Jesus And we tell ourselves we’re so damn special Daisy chains and guitar pedals Oh, oh oh We’ve all got years that we run from And imaginations that we hide in We all got shown up by Jesus And we tell ourselves we’re so damn special Daisy chains and guitar pedals Country music still ain’t sellin’ no oh oh
7.
I forgot how hard it is to sit and socialize Same old storybook but no one reads between the lines Almost thought that we would figure it all out this time I miss the distance time for me to go Back inside, look to the sky to find a meaning But there’s no sky because I’m inside It’s only a ceiling Cause any way you do it It’s baby-makin’ music I said baby don’t abuse it It’s baby-makin’ music I forgot how hard it is to be a man in love I took some chances on romances they were never enough You make it easy for me to see what’s in my heart And now we’re racin’ take your places, baby Right from the start, don’t take it too far It’s love in the making We took it too far, right from the start And now my heart’s breaking Cause any way you do it It’s baby-makin’ music I said baby don’t abuse it I like to move it move it Well you like to sing my songs You always get them wrong It’s baby-makin’ music Baby, don’t abuse it I’ll sing it one more time Can you read between the lines Cause anyway you do it It’s baby-makin’ music Baby-makin’ music Anyway you do it Baby-makin’ music Baby-makin’ music
8.
Meat 01:06
Well I took a rocket ship from Fort Augustus to Clyde River one night Got there faster than a dog’s jaws could bite A squeaky chew toy thrown up into the air Spanned three generations on my way over there And I’ve moved so many times I’ve run out of fingers I’m on my seventh toe don’t you know these old memories still linger? And I’m done going to funerals cause they’re never awake There’s only so much hurtin’ that one man can take And I try to be funny, I try to be true And I’m trying my hardest to be myself around you But it don’t mean a thing because talking is cheap If you can’t hunker down into a deep winter sleep I left my bag in too long, now my tea’s over-steeped And my welcome’s overstayed like, well, meat That’s been left on the counter for over a week Goddammit it reeks These little poems always seem to get me through When I’ve bitten off more than two people could chew But it’s nothing new, I just follow the train, choo choo Hey thought, please refrain from using my brain as a punching bag That’s how a man goes insane Wait, please let me explain
9.
Miles shuffles in to his favourite restaurant Every Sunday morning, he’s become a real savant Of the classified section, and white ceramic mugs And the rings that they leave Like a woman out of love Lost a buddy in the middle of June September rains came much too soon Tries to sing but the tune won’t seem to land And he says ‘Brother, I owe you this song’ Rides a second-hand Harley Davidson Only takes it out on the pavement when The ground is dry as the Arizona sand He vows to never take life for granted But things can change from the way that you planned it Life can just slip away like rain through your hand And he says ‘Brother, I owe you this song’ Miles drives out to the cranberry farm Throws a few bags into the barn With his eyes, says ‘I wish I could do more’ She put on a smile that day Oh but deep inside she’s still miles away Says, ‘Thank you, boys, your backs must be awful sore’ And he says ‘Brother, I owe you this song’ Another summer’s come again June comes around like a long-lost friend Blackbird sings a melody so true Miles finds every single note For this bird song is one he wrote Blackbird flies away into the blue Brother, I owe you this song And he says ‘Brother, I owe you this song’ And he says ‘Brother, I owe you this song’
10.
Bird & Worm 02:45
Like a worm in the hot sun The bird finally got one And I’m calling shotgun When you throw me a beer And the A/C reminds me Of the highways behind me All the races I’ve lost When the coast was too clear Daddy’s third heart-attack Gold-banded Cadillac This one’s a keeper We know that for sure Too slow and too steady Too few and too many A close-minded teacher Who opened the door And I quit drinking whiskey When I finished that last song Some people want me To start it again But I wish they could see me I wish they’d believe me I guess I’ll just show ‘em In a future breakdown Like a worm in the hot sun The bird finally got one And I’m calling shotgun When you throw me a beer And the A/C reminds me Of the highways behind me All the races I’ve lost When the coast was too clear The old field gets muddy When heaven breaks open Here’s to hoping That an angel will fall So I’ll just take what’s left Of my bones that aren’t broken And build me a man Who will answer the call Who will answer the call When heaven breaks open again? Like a worm in the hot sun The bird finally got one And I’m calling shotgun When you throw me a beer And the A/C reminds me Of the highways behind me All the races I’ve lost When the coast was too clear All the races I’ve lost When the coast was too clear
11.
Well hurry up and hurt me, baby I can’t take it any longer I can taste the goodbye on your kiss You can fly away like smoke And I can fall down with the ashes Heartache’s just a place I can’t resist Well looking into your eyes is like staring at the sun It’s nice and warm before there’s any damage done Well there ain’t enough wine in the world To drink away this island girl I better learn to talk before I run Well what started as an ever after Turned into a great disaster Left my heart to hang out on the line Now I’ve learned to listen to the birds Learned to read between the words Learned to lie and tell the world I’m fine Well hurry up and hurt me, baby I can’t take it any longer I can taste the goodbye on your kiss You can fly away like smoke And I can fall down with the ashes Heartache’s just a place I can’t resist Well I hardly ever cry these days Tears come by like scrambled eggs At midnight, or mosquitos in December And love has been a hiding place And I’ve been left out in the wake Of tidal waves from nights I can’t remember And now it seems you want security And that is what’s deterring me From loving you beyond what we have here Well I hope he drives a bigger truck Hope he gives a bigger damn Something like a new Dodge Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram Well hurry up and hurt me, baby I can’t take it any longer I can taste the goodbye on your kiss You can fly away like smoke And I can fall down with the ashes Heartache’s just a place I can’t resist Heartaches’ just a place I can’t resist I can taste the goodbye on your kiss So hurry up and hurt me, baby
12.
Well I finished a beer Then sang some country music It always comes out easier that way And pain slips away When I drink beer It always leads To my favourite mistakes I said there’s more to life Then drinking beer And playing music There’s more to life Then drinking beer Well when I’m not feeling right Coor’s Lite Three Coors and the truth That’s country music I said there’s more to life Then drinking beer And playing music There’s more to life Then drinking beer I said there’s more to life Then drinking beer And playing music There’s more to life Then drinking beer And singing sweet country music
13.
Maybe it’s the way you threw me on the mattress When you took me upstairs, asked me to practice The new year’s kiss, well before it happened Right then and there’s when I started mappin’ out Our life together, with joy and laughter Baby you and me is a happy ever after Now I know not to wake you before quarter after Nine in the morning comes Now I know which clothes not to put in the dryer And oh yeah babe you set my world on fire If this love’s workin’ then why would we retire Happy little life we’ve made And I don’t have to say I love you most You can tell by the way I rub your toast With a little bit of butter a little bit of jelly Sing you love songs from Waylon and Willie And even when we’re fussin’, even when we’re fightin’ see I learn something new, baby you enlighten me Even if it takes a couple of days to see The wise words that you said And oh yeah babe you set my world on fire If this love’s workin’ then why would we retire Happy little life we’ve made And ain’t it kinda funny that we celebrated nine months together on labour day? No? Just me? Ok And I hope we never accidentally leak our nudes I swear you pee outside more than most dudes If you were a pokemon I would choose you to spend forever with And oh yeah babe you set my world on fire If this love’s workin’ then why would we retire Happy little life we’ve made Well things can change in a matter of a minute And time stands still when we’re pushing the limits And my life’s better so long as you’re in it Happy little life we’ve made Happy little life we’ve made It’s a happy little life we’ve made

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released January 21, 2022

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Lawrence Maxwell Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

Lawrence Maxwell cut his teeth on beer caps, rough waters, and country music. A 2021 ECMA award nominee and two-time Music P.E.I. award winner, this Prince Edward Island singer-songwriter will tell it to you like it’s folk, and sing it to you like it’s country. ... more

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