1. |
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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
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2. |
Smile
03:04
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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
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3. |
Better You
02:57
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4. |
Back to Cape Breton
02:33
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5. |
Bouquet of Flowers
03:09
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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
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6. |
Daisy Chain
03:05
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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
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7. |
Baby-Makin' Music
02:55
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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
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8. |
Meat
01:06
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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
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9. |
Ballad of Miles
03:50
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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’
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10. |
Bird & Worm
02:45
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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
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11. |
Hurry up & Hurt Me
02:46
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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
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12. |
Beer Song (More to Life)
03:12
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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
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13. |
Happy Little Life
02:35
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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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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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