Guy Clark - The Platinum Collection Lyrics
The Houston Kid
Now the Houston Kid's got a new pair of jeans
But he's got no soap, he got no washing machine
Now the Houston Kid he's feelin' tight and he's mean
And he's tryin' to figure out how his pants got clean
Well, he's doin' his wash in a tub full of whiskey
Hangin' his threads on a very thin line
Tryin' to tell the man in charge of the dryers
What a great job he's doin' fakin' sunshine
Now the Houston Kid he seems hard pressed
'Cause he hit the world naked, now he's headed back dressed
As the Houston Kid, no more and no less
If your dice fit your pocket then your pants pass the test
Well, he's doin' his wash in a tub full of whiskey
Hangin' his threads on a very thin line
Tryin' to tell the man in charge of the dryers
What a great job he's doin' fakin' sunshine
Now some say the Houston Kid is bent
But if you've got to do your wash
Then you've got to pay some rent
So the Houston Kid he just up and he went
And love could buy back the dimes that he'd spent
Well, he's doin' his wash in a tub full of whiskey
Hangin' his threads on a very thin line
Tryin' to tell the man in charge of the dryers
What a great job he's doin' fakin' sunshine
Copyright: Lyrics © Original Writer and Publisher
Fool On The Roof
Well, there's a fool on the roof, mama
What do you think he wants
A fool on the roof, mama
What do you think he wants
Well, that could be the dumbest question I've ever asked you, baby
'Cause he's smooth lookin' for me
You know I tried to get away - even gave up my good address
You know I tried to get away - even gave up my good address
I moved all the way to Fannin Street
Tryin' to catch one lonesome breath
Well, I remember that day was in nineteen fifty two
I remember that day - it was in nineteen and fifty two
Mama and papa took me aside and said
"Whoo-boy, I hate to tell you but you got a fool on your roof"
You let the fool have his way
And you'll be spittin' on your whole life
You let the fool have his way
And you'll be spittin' on your whole life
I'm talkin' 'bout goin' back to Texas
Just me, my guitar, and my wife
Copyright: Lyrics © Original Writer and Publisher
Fools For Each Other
Who walked out when the times got hard
When the truck broke down in the whole front yard
It wasn't me, it wasn't you
Who shot pool all night long
Wound up bettin' on the crack of dawn
That was you darlin', and that was me
[Chorus]
And we are fools for each other, me and you
We are lovers, in fact, we've gone crazy out back
Like only fools for each other would do
Now who gave up when the fire burned low
Who flew south when the wind blew cold
It wasn't me, it wasn't you
Who held on when the blues came down
Who took care when the tie was bound
That was you, darlin', and that was me
[Chorus]
Who took off when their heart got broke
Let the whole thing go up in smoke
It wasn't me and it wasn't you, oh no
And who showed up when the time was right
Laid a little mercy on a bad ol' night
That was you, darlin', and that was me
Writer: GUY CLARK
Copyright: Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Voila An American Dream
I beg your pardon mama what did you say
My mind was drifting on a Martinque day
It's not that I'm not interested you see
Augusta Georgia is just no place to be
Just think Jamaica in the moonlight
Sandy beaches drinking rum every night
We've got no money mama but we can go
We'll split the difference and go to Coconut grove
Just keep on talking momma I can hear
Your voice it tickles down inside of my ear
I feel a tropical vacation this year
Might be the answer to that Hillbilly beer
Oh just think Jamaica...
Voila an American dream
We can travel girl without any means
When it's as easy as closing your eyes
And dream Jamaica is a big neon sign
Just keep on talking mama I like that sound
It goes so good with that rain pouring down
I feel a tropical vacation this year
Might be the answer to that Hillbilly beer
Oh just think Jamaica...
Writer: BERNARD EDWARDS, NILE RODGERS, WINSTON RODGERS, PHALON ALEXANDER, CORNELL HAYNES, ROBERT KY JUAN CLEVELAND, ALI K JONES, MURPHY LEE
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
One Paper Kid
Cowboys and Indians and trees he could climb
Tomorrow came too fast but he didn't mind
Ah the distance was short so light it again
It don't take no time to get where I am
But one paper kid wasn't really so mean
Just a little bit scared and a little bit green
And he'd heard of a place it was legal to dream
So he sat with his coffee in a blue Texas wind
And he wrote on a rock the one paper kid is rolling again
Ah the driver was drunk or he just didn't see
The future was there it'll happen to me
And all the time that he wasted was his once again
Ah it never gets long to get where you've been
The broken hearts scattered all over the past
Old glad memories trying to last
Whiskey and women and growing up fast
Fussing and loving and itching like grass
Hell that one paper kid wasn't really so mean
Just a little bit weird cause times were so lean
Now he's gone to a place where it's legal to dream
No Camels no coffee no cold morning winds
It was wrote on a rock the one paper kid he's rolling again
Ah the one paper kid he's rolling again
Writer: WALTER MARTIN COWART
Copyright: Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
In The Jailhouse Now
I had a friend named Bill Campbell
He used to rob, steal and gamble
And on the side he'd beg
So he mopped up
Well, I told ol' Billy shouldn't do it
And ol' Bill said that he knew it
So he started beggin' with a bucket
Instead of a cup
He's in the jailhouse now
He's in the jailhouse now
Now ol' Bill fluffed his dove
When he wrote a tuxedo to the country club
He's in the jailhouse now
Now Bill had a gal named Sadie
And she said have you seen Billy lately
No I don't believe that he's about
But ol' Sadie went down to the jail
It was just to pay his bail
Then she whispered
Sheriff please don't let him out
He's in the jailhouse now
He's in the jailhouse now
It was while ol' Bill's away
Sadie's with the sheriff everyday
He's in the jailhouse now
Oh, you remember the last election, yeah
The prohibitionists was in action
Tryin' to elect themselves a president
And Bill Campbell and John Austin
They rode from New Orleans to Boston
[Incomprehensible] bottle in every settlement
They're in the jailhouse now
They're in the jailhouse now
Lord they caught them down by the railroad track
Stealin' a train to haul it back
They're in the jailhouse now
Writer: JIMMIE RODGERS
Copyright: Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Comfort And Crazy
Now you have got the best years of my life and I've got yours
Well, who else could you trust to hold your own
Ah, no one is the answer to that question, I'm quite sure
So treat 'em nice and easy to the bone
Comfort and crazy is a smooth combination
And that's how it feels lovin' you
Using stumbling blocks for stepping stones
And anything that works as long
As we are bound to split this life in two
So when it's lookin' like cartoon time down in Texas
And you're feelin' like some shot-up old tin can
Hell, I'll be the one who'll come runnin' to getcha
I think you got me last so I'm your man
Comfort and crazy is a smooth combination
That's how it feels lovin' you
Using stumbling blocks for stepping stones
And anything that works as long
As we are bound to split this life in two
Copyright: Lyrics © Original Writer and Publisher
Dont You Take It Too Bad
Well don't you take it too bad if you're feelin' unlovin'
If you're feelin' unfeelin' if you're feelin' alone
Don't take it too bad cause it ain't you to blame babe
Well it's some kind of game babe
Out of all of this living that we've got left to do
If you go searching for rhyme or for reason
Then you won't have the time that it takes just for talkin'
About the places you've been babe and the faces you've seen babe
How soft the time flies past your window at night
And we just can't have that girl cause it's a sad lonesome cold world
And a man needs a woman just to stand by his side
And whisper sweet words in his ears about daydreams
And roses and playthings
And the sweetness of springtime and the sound of the rain
Writer: TOWNES JOHN VAN ZANDT
Copyright: Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Must Be My Baby
Frankie D. said he got it
Straight from Roger Miller
Life's just like takin' candy
From a gorilla
I started thinkin' man
This ain't so tough
That's about the time
That the monkey showed up
Sometimes I can't find
My heart with both hands
I usually got my head stuck
Down in the sand
I start to feel like
I can't even breathe
What's the little breath of fresh air
Blowin' up my sleeve
[Chorus:]
Must be my baby hey hey hey
She can make the Mississippi River
Run the other way
Must be my baby just in time
How's she always know when
I'm about to lose my mind
Sometimes it feels like
Everything's a drag
I could not smile my way
Out of a wet paper bag
It gets so dark
That the clock stops tickin'
It's just like night and day
Was playin' chicken
I'm ridin' on the boiler of a long black train
Tryin' to find the brakes
In a drivin' rain
I got smokestack lightning' pourin out the funnel
What's the little light at the end of the tunnel
[Chorus]
Writer: GUY CLARK
Copyright: Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
New Cut Road
Coleman Bonner was a fiddle playin' fool
He's a backwoods rounder and a breaker of mules
Coleman Bonner's got a wore out bow
He's been playin' all day down the new cut road
Coleman's little sister said you better act right
Daddy's gone to Louisville he'll be back tonight
He's gonna get another wagon and a good pair of mules
And we gonna move to Texas we just waitin' on you
Coleman's daddy pulled up in the yard
He said pack up your lives kids it's gettin' too hard
Kentucky's alright but there's too many people
Just the other day I thought I saw a church steeple
Coleman said daddy don't you worry bout me
I'm gonna stay here in Kentucky till the day I d
I'm gonna drink that sourmash and gonna race that mare
And find that woman with the fox red hair
Now you all been movin' west since the day you got married
Well I'm gettin' off the wagon daddy I'm too old to be carried
Gonna stay here in Kentucky where the bluegrass grow
I'm gonna play it all night down the new cut road
Coleman's daddy said now what's it all comn' to
Young people these days are just as stubborn as mules
You can't make him go he's too old for that
It's that damned old fiddle and that bowler hat
Coleman's mama said let the boy stay
He's raised up solid and he can find his own way
But as for me honey I'm with you
I always thought Kentucky was just passin' through
Coleman's little sister then she started into a cryin'
And his daddy shook his head for the very last time
Coleman's mama said somebody's gotta do it
Wouldn't be no Kentucky less you didn't stick to it
Coleman Booner stood on the porch of that cabin
Watched 'em all go to Texas in a covered wagon
He pulled out his fiddle and he rosined up his bow
And he played a little tune called the new cut road
Writer: Guy Clark
Copyright: Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Rita Ballou
She could dance that slow Uvalde
Shuffle to some cowboy hustle
How she made them trophy buckles shine, shine, shine
Wild-eyed and Mexican silvered,
Trickin' dumb ol' cousin Willard
Into thinkin' that he's got her this time
Hill country honky-tonkin' Rita Ballou
Every beer joint in town has played a fool for you
Backslidin' barrel ridin' Rita Ballou
Ain't a cowboy in Texas would not ride a bull for you
She's a rawhide rope and velvet mixture
Walkin' talkin' Texas texture
High-timin' barroom fixture kind of a girl
She's the queen of the cowboys
Look at old Willard grinnin' now, boys
You'd of thought there's less fools in this world
Hill country honky-tonkin' Rita Ballou
Every beer joint in town has played the fool for you
Backslidin' barrel ridin' Rita Ballou
Ain't a cowboy in Texas would not ride a bull for you
So good luck Willard and here's to you
And here's to Rita and I hope she'll do ya right all night
Lord I wish I was the fool in your shoes
Hill country honky-tonkin' Rita Ballou
Every beer joint in town has played the fool for you
Backslidin' barrel ridin' Rita Ballou
Ain't a cowboy in Texas would not ride a bull for you
Hill country honky-tonkin' Rita Ballou
Every beer joint in town has played the fool for you
Backslidin' barrel ridin' Rita Ballou
Ain't a cowboy in Texas would not ride a bull for you
Writer: Guy Clark
Copyright: Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Heartbroke
Who wouldn't notic the fire in your eyes
Or the bitter direction of impending goodbyes
I'm fallen and folded and wilted in place
At the sight of you standing with streaks down your face
[Chorus:]
Heartbroke and runnin' from the reason
Heartbroke Don't give up on believin' in me
Heartbroke Who kept me from leavin' with my
Heartbroke
Pride is a bitch and a bore when your lonely
Sheer madness prevails upon reason to yield
But all is not lost it is only mistaken
That's small consolation but I know just how you feel
[Chorus]
Nobody said it was goin' to be easy
We all have feelings that need a softer touch
But nobody said that it would not be worth it
The human condition continues as such
[Chorus]
Writer: Guy Clark
Copyright: Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Who Do You Think You Are
I like that word cosmic it's just the way that people
Tend to use it that offends my sense of survival
I love the way you talk honey that's very rock & roll
You said you come from Texas but I don't believe so
Who do you think that you are
To be jivin' me like that
Who do you think you are
Who do you think that you are
To be jivin' me like that
Who do you think that you are
One leg at a time one leg at a time
Honey I'll be you put your britches on one leg at a time
You can't fool me no you can't fool m
'Cause I have been to Fort Worth and you can't fool me
Who do you think that you are
To be jivin' me like that
Who do you think you are
You know what the say 'bout havin too much fun
Oh they tell you that it can't be done
But I'm feelin' real good I never have felt greater
I don't believe you can put too much gravy on tomatoes
Who do you think that you are
To be jivin' me like that
Who do you think you are
Copyright: Lyrics © Original Writer and Publisher
The South Coast Of Texas
The south coast of Texas is a thin slice of life
It' s salty and hard it it stern as a knife
Where the wind is for blwon' up hurricanes for showin'
The snakes how to swim and the trees how to lean
[Chorus:]
The shrimpers and their ladies are out in the beer joints
Drinkin' em down for they sail with the dawn
They're bound for the Mexican Bay of Campche
And the deck hands are singin' adios Jole Blon
There's snowbirds in search of that sunshine and night life
And fond of greasin' palms down the beach as they're goin'
This livin' on the edge of the waters of the world
Demands the dignity of whooping cranes and
The likes of Gilbert Roland
[Chorus]
In the cars of my youth how I tore thru those sand dunes
Cut up my tires on them oyster shell roads
But nothin' is forever say the old men in the shipyards
Turnin' trees into shrimp oats Hell I guess they ought to know
[Chorus]
Writer: GUY CLARK
Copyright: Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Shes Crazy For Leavin
Well the bus pulled away
In a roaring black cloud
While I stood in the road
And honey I hollered right out loud
Hey darlin' I love you
Hey bus driver whoa
But you can't stop a woman
When she's out of control
[Chorus:]
She's crazy for leavin'
I told her so
When the boys at the bus stop
Just said man let her go
She's crazy for leavin'
I told her so
But you can't stop a woman
When she's out of control
So I punched out my truck
On a telephone pole
Now she never looked back
She just said go driver go
Well I know I could have caught her
But I ran out of luck
She was long gone to Lufkin
By the time they cut me out of my truck
[Chorus]
So I kicked and I cussed
That old east Texas road
I throwed rocks at my truck
Which had busted my nose
You add insult to injury
What do you get
You get a bus stop full of honkies
That don't ever forget
[Chorus]
Writer: GUY CLARK, RODNEY CROWELL
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lone Star Hotel
The Lone Star Hotel Cafe is nothing but a dive,
And Florence Smith showed up there,
Lord every day at five
Florence was a waitress
Have I mentioned that before?
Serving beer to strangers and to some she'd seen before
Florence used to ride a little Apaloosa mare
In thebarrel race at the rodeo with all that beehive hair
There's a picture of her on the wall, as you pay your check
Lord, didn't she look good back in nineteen fifty six?
I was lovin' Florence and she was ignorin' me
Florence had experience, it was the first time out for me
Lord, I tried to tell her, but the only words I found
Were "Give me greasy enchiladas and a beer to wash it down"
Florence quit the Lone Star Hotel, and never was seen again
And me, I quit west Texas, and I ain't been back since then
That was years ago, Lord, too many can I recall?
But I remember Florence and them pictures on the wall
So here's to you west Texas, you old rodeo queen
How I miss your beer joints and shuffle board machines
Here's to you west Texas, how I miss the smell
Of greasy enchiladas , at the old Lone Star Hotel
Copyright: Lyrics © Original Writer and Publisher
Baton Rouge
I'm gonna leave Texarkana
I'm goin' down to Louisiana
I'm gonna try my luck in Baton Rouge
I'm gonna follow ol red river down
Till I see the lights of town I ain't gonna get no sleep in Baton Rouge
[Chorus:]
Baton Rouge Baton Rouge
I'm gonna get me some alligator shoes
Baton Rouge Baton Rouge
I'm gonna wear 'em out in Baton Rouge
It was a Texas girl that broke my heart
Then she tore my truck apart
I guess I'll get me another in Baton Rouge
I like Crawfish I like rice
I like girls that treat you nice
I'm gonna find me one in Baton Rouge
[Chorus]
I'm gonna learn to walk that walk
I'm gonna learn to talk that talk
I'm gonna learn to dance in Baton Rouge
Ain't life just like a cul-de-sac
I'm a Texas boy and I'm goin' back
Soon as I catch my breath in Baton Rouge
[Chorus]
I'm gonna strut my stuff in Baton Rouge
I'm gonna cool my heels in Baton Rouge
Writer: GUY CLARK, JOHN CHARLES II CROWLEY
Copyright: Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
The Partner Nobody Chose
She's a melody in search of the words I love you
She's a rose with rose with no room to grow
She's a light in the night with nowhere to shine
She's the partner that nobody chose
She's tried and she's tried
And she's tried to keep on lovin'
But every man she loved broke her heart
She's a melody in search of the words I love you
She's a rose with no room to grow
She's a light in the night with nowhere to shine
She's a refuge where nobody goes
She's fallen and stumbled
And stumbled and fallen
And no one picked her up when she fell
She's stood up with hope up
That someone would show up
Someday you never can tell
She's a melodoy in search of the words I love you
She's a rose with rose with no room to grow
She's a light in the night with nowhere to shine
She's the partner that nobody chose
She's a melody in search of the words I love you
She's a rose with no room to grow
She's a light in the night with nowhere to shine
She's a refuge where nobody goes
She's lonesome and nobody knows
Copyright: Lyrics © Original Writer and Publisher
Ramblin Jack and Mahan
Now a Ramblin' Jack Elliot said:
I got these lines in my face
Tryin' to straighten out the wrinkles in my life
When I think of all the fools I've been
It's a wonder that I've sailed this many miles
To which Larry Mahan replied,
He said, "The sweet bird of youth
Was sittin' on my shoulder yesterday
But she's always changin' partners
And I always knew she'd up and fly away"
[
He said, "I recall a time
I set my soul on fire just for show
All it ever taught me was
The more I learn the less I seem to know"
Ol' Mahan crawled out from behind a couch and said:
"Jack, as far as I can see
Mistakes are only horses in disguise
Ain't no need to ride 'em over
'cause we could not ride them different if we tried
[Chorus]
Writer: GUY CLARK, RICHARD C LEIGH
Copyright: Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Too Much
Too much workin'll make your back ache
Too much trouble'll bring you a heartbreak
Too much gravy'll make you fat
Too much rain'll ruin your hat
Too much coffee'll race your heart tick
Too much road'll make you homesick
Too much money'll make you lazy
Too much whiskey'll drive you crazy
[Chorus:]
Too much just ain't enough
Too much ain't near enough
Breathin's bout the only thing
I do too much of ain't enough
Too much limo'll stretch your budget
Too much diet'll make you fudge it
Too much fluff'll make you show it
Too much pressure'll make you blow it
Too much onion'll make you weepy
Too much preachin'll make you sleepy
Too much Mexican food'll fill you
Too much honky tonk'll kill you
[Chorus]
Too much hot rod'll get you a ticket
Too much dog'll make you kick it
Too much hidin' out'll find you
Too much you-know-what'll blind you
Too much wrist watch'll make you hurry
Too much waitin'll make you worry
Too much smokin'll give you cancer
Too much cocaine ain't the answer
[Chorus]
Too much walkin'll wear your shoes out
Too much juice'll blow your fuse out
Too much time'll fill your hands up
Too much speed'll wire the band up
Too much chip'll bruise your shoulder
Too much birthday'll make you older
Too much map has always lost me
Too much fun has always cost me
[Chorus]
Writer: GUY CLARK, LEE ROY PARNELL
Copyright: Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
