Get all 8 Jane Fallon releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Holiday Style, The Girls Go to Montreal, Seven Songs in Seven Days: The Journey of An Arkansas Traveler, Songs On Purpose, Tangled In A Tree, Gemini Rising In A Patchwork Sky, City Girl, and Faces.
1. |
Give Me Grace
03:38
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Give me grace, Lord, to guide my way,
give me less load to carry.
For I fear the night has conquered day
and I can’t afford to tarry.
As a child, I walked this land from the dust bowl to the sea
I saw struggle all around, hardship and poverty.
Life can be a mountaintop, life can be a canyon,
Keep the Bible at your side make laughter your companion.
I grew tall and I grew strong and even in my youth
Could take the measure of a man, tell his lies from truth.
I loved and wed a maiden fair, kept her with my labor.
Fed and clothed six children, was a good friend and neighbor.
Life is bitter, life sweet, I’ve seen it give and take.
a man cannot reach four score years without his share of heartache.
I’ve outlived a wife and child, I buried them with tears,
but still I thank the Lord above for granting me these long years.
And when I wake the sun it pours a halo round my bed
And through my window I can see the wild hawk overhead.
I know not my remaining years, the good Lord keeps me guessing,
but each sunrise that I see, I count it God’s great blessing.
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2. |
It's How Deep
03:24
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It’s How Deep
I saw a bank of clouds just the other day.
They were sitting on the city dressed in shades of blue and gray
and they reminded me of a lover that I used to know.
Oh, where does the time go.
Somehow they made me cry but I can’t tell you why.
There are things that we’ve forgotten make us laugh and make us weep;
it’s not how much we remember, it’s how deep.
Edmund married Agnes, 60 years ago.
He takes the bus to see her down to the nursing home;
she knows she likes his face but she can’t recall his name.
Oh, she loves him just the same.
‘Cause he can make her smile and she’s happy when he comes to sit with her awhile.
There are things that we’ve forgotten make us laugh and make us weep;
it’s not how much we remember, it’s how deep.
Christmas smells like Grandma making pies
and the bright September skies
shine like mama’s eyes of blue.
Some call it Déjà vu:
Those moments caught in time
The sights, the sounds, the signs
blowing wide the doorways and the windows of our minds
There was a lovely woman during World War II.
Newly married, life was happy, life was new.
Then her lover and her friend, went out into that wind.
never to come back again.
Now her grandson’s gone to war; she shakes her head and cries
“what has it all been for?”
There are things that we’ve forgotten make us laugh and make us weep;
it’s not how much we remember, it’s how deep.
it’s not how much we remember, it’s how deep.
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3. |
Money's Gone Blues
03:45
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Got no food on my table, no sirloin steak of which I’m ‘specially fond
And though I’m ready, willing, and I’m able
Got no lover waking with me come the dawn
And my house is in distress, I’m feeling quite depressed
No self-respecting dandelion wants to grow upon my lawn
That’s what happens, that’s what happens,
that’s what happens when the money’s gone
See that car out in the driveway
Could not turn over if its name was apple
So I kick its tires and I cuss at it
I threaten to turn it into scrapple
Can’t beat it to submission cause it needs a new transmission
And my bank account’s severely overdrawn
That’s what happens that’s what happens
That’s what happens when the money’s gone.
Nobody knows you when you’re down and out
But I’ve never been no big spender.
You can take all the martinis I’ve ever drunk
And put ‘em in one little blender.
I’ve got a hole in my hat and one in my shoes
And a whole lotta holes in between
My friends they don’t mind, they treat me quite kind
Cause they know what it means.
I got a dog named rover, yeah that really is his name.
He refuses to come over and he tells me I’m to blame.
He demands more doggy biscuits or he’ll refuse to bark
Even if some dirty rotten scoundrel tries to jump me in the dark
That’s what happens, and when it happens,
You just gotta carry on
That’s what happens when the money’s gone.
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4. |
One Horse Town
04:22
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He was leaving home on a Saturday
So the whole town gathered at the picket gate
To wave him off cause he was New York City bound
And his momma cried when he pulled away
But his Daddy smiled as if to say
You’re the last of three to get out of this one horse town.
Then the wind picked up and the rain came down
Everybody headed for the center of town
Where there was cold beer and stories at the bar
And they forgot about the pouring rain
Before too long there was music playing
And the momma and the daddy danced til the pain was gone.
Living it up in a one horse town
A peck on the check when there’s no one around.
The squeak of the door at the general store, an old man’s smile
The kids want to leave this life behind
Discover the world beyond the country line
They got a good start, straight from the heart of a one horse town.
Now on the summer nights when the wind won’t low
The Daddy tunes in the radio to the cities close to where the kids have gone
Jennifer’s warm in Sanat Fe, Jesse’s all clear up in Portland ME,
But Jimmy in New York City can’t see the stars.
Living it up in a one horse town
A peck on the check when there’s no one around.
The squeak of the door at the general store, an old man’s smile
The kids want to leave this life behind
Discover the world beyond the country line
They got a good start, straight from the heart of a one horse town.
One day the daddy got a big surprise,
When the momma held him close and looked him straight in the eye
Said “It’s a long long time since we’ve been in this house alone.
We’ve spent our lives with kids to raise
But now tht they’re gone and one their way
It’s you and me, we’re still in love in this one horse town.
Living it up in a one horse town
A peck on the check when there’s no one around.
The squeak of the door at the general store, an old man’s smile
The kids want to leave this life behind
Discover the world beyond the country line
They got a good start, straight from the heart of a one horse town.
They got a good start, straight from the heart of a one horse town.
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5. |
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Don’t forget you left your wallet on the mantle – you always do.
Don’t forget to take your meds before breakfast – that works best for you.
I left your suitcase there in the hallway, packed it neatly for you one last time.
The Laundry is real good down at the hotel, set yours out by 10 and you’ll be fine.
Don’t forget to visit Bobby’s school on Friday. He’ll be so upset if you don’t show.
Don’t forget to take your lunch I made it just the way you like it
and don’t forget to forgive me when you go.
Don’t worry about the bills that came this morning –I paid them.
Don’t worry about your doctor and your dentist appointments – I made them.
I sent your mother flowers for her birthday, like I usually do I signed your name.
You’re taking her to lunch tomorrow -- 1 o’clock, downtown at St. Germaine’s.
Don’t forget you’re coaching Molly’s team on Friday.
She’s really psyched about it, guess you know.
Don’t forget to leave work early ‘cause the traffic’s really somethin’
and don’t forget to forgive me when you go.
Some say true love never dies, it just goes to sleep
But who can say why a stranger’s touch
Can feel so good and hurt so deep.
Don’t forget I’ve always loved you, don’t forget that even though
You can’t forget the things I’ve done,
Don’t forget to forgive me when you go.
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6. |
Battles
03:52
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How many battles can I fight?
What kind of fighter lives me?
Should I take on each cause like some Scarecrow lost in Oz,
or just let it be?
Is it worth the storm and strife, all the turmoil in my life
to face that evil stare of someone who doesn’t care
where he sticks the knife?
You all know some guy at work, he really is a louse,
but he’s got the corner office, lives in a great big house.
And he’s cookin’ all the books, company never takes a loss.
And he rubs his greed hands, smiles his oily smile
and sucks up to the boss.
But how many battles can you fight,
what difference would it make
to shoot one single rat swimming in a golden vat
when there are more out in the lake?
And I loved Jimmy Stewart in that movie Mr. Smith.
He fought the righteous fight, a sweet Hollywood myth,.
But if he tried today, and the thought it makes me shiver,
to be honest and be brave, he’d find a watery grave
in the Potomac River.
What kinds of battles should I fight?
Would it be a sin, if I put my mind to battles of the kind I think I just might win?
I know this PhD, he thinks he’s so much better
than everybody else since he got that extra letter.
But if he had 27 letters behind his name
he could pontificate, up and down, early and late –
and he’s be wrong just the same.
But how many battles can I fight? Guess I’ll fight the ones that matter.
Why should I spend my time on some ball of slime
that’s climbing up the ladder.
I guess I do more for the poor than just put money in a cup.
I’ll find the sick and lonely and I’ll try to cheer em up.
I’ll volunteer my time, teach a poor child how to read,
and do the things I can in the place where I am
for those who are in need.
How many battles can I fight? What can of fighter lives in me.
I guess I’ll pick and choose some I’ll win and some I’ll lose –
some I’ll just let be.
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7. |
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She wore a blue dress with a white collar.
It brought out the darkness of her eyes.
Young and sweet and eager – trying hard to please.
She forgot it was to be a surprise.
Soon to be married, they went driving into town.
She said “There’s an errand I must run.”
He said, “Sure, no problem. I’ll just sit and read the paper,
and I’ll be waiting for you when you’re done.”
She caught her reflection in the drugstore window,
paused a moment, checked her lipstick for smears.
Then posed for the camera, lips parted
smiling shyly. A gift for her lover through the years.
She opened up the car door, sidled over, squeezed his arm,
her deed still dancing in her eyes.
Then, without thinking, she just blurted out her story,
she forgot it was to be a surprise.
When champagne’s uncorked, the bubbles just start rising.
How could she suppress a thing so grand?
She blushed when she remembered it was meant to be a secret
until she held that photo in her hand.
60 years later he recalls it all with laughter,
trying hard to blink back the tears.
An empty chair, a presence gone,
all that’s left is a photograph –
a gift for her lover through the years.
She wore a blue dress with a white collar.
It brought out the darkness of her eyes.
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8. |
The Boy He Used To Be
04:23
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The Boy He Used to Be
Cheeks like apples; a great big laugh, a wholesome, happy lad.
They dressed him up, gave him a gun, sent him out to face a world gone mad.
Did what he was told to do, then quietly came home.
Left behind a shattered youth in the trenches of Toluon.
Oh he did not speak about it ; he could not let them see
that he would never be the same – the boy he used to be.
As a child when kids were cruel, he would not fight them after school.
He would turn the other cheek - believed that golden rule.
When death was his companion it tore him up inside--
The grim and ugly deeds of war he did just to survive.
Oh he did not speak about it and he could not let them see
that he would never be the same, the boy he used to be.
Went to church, knelt to pray, read his Bible faithfully each day.
Raised a family, worked a job, seemed to get along ok.
Somewhere through the years, his prayers ran out of breath
And this godly man slowly drank himself to death.
Oh he did not speak about it and he could not let them see
that he would never be the same, the boy he used to be.
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9. |
Run
04:01
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In the deep African plain, starved for food and peace and rain
lives a race of women, gaunt and hollow eyed.
Frail of body, strong of spirit, death knell rings
they will not hear it, will not hear it, will not break down and die,
hear their battle cry.
Run my beauties, run my lovelies, run my sisters, mothers, wives.
Run for the chance to save your children.
Run my daughters. Run for your lives.
Beneath the unforgiving sun a woman’s life has come undone.
She does not own her body but she owns her soul.
Mother Earth rise up from slumber, listen to her,
hear her thunder, hear her thunder.
You cannot ignore what she’s running for.
Run my beauties, run my lovelies,
run my sisters, mothers, wives.
Run for the chance to save your children.
Run my daughters. Run for your lives.
Man steps up and says he wants to run, to help, can he come too?
Woman simply smiles, shakes her head no.
Women all alone together must be like birds of a feather.
They must show the world that they are strong. But he can sing along.
Run run, … In the deep African plain, starved for food and rain and peace.
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10. |
Country's Winter Night
04:13
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he flower of your love is fading, but at times it still seems clear.
It was exhilarating in the short time it was here.
You were the sunshine splashing in a pool around my feet.
You sent my hopes all dashing but the ride it was so sweet.
And when it’s time to go I’ll go
wearing that coat you gave me.
And I’ll walk away, colder than gray,
on a country’s winter night.
I’ll walk away, colder than gray
on a country’s winter night.
Memories are hinges, some are rusty, some are clean;
some squeak and give you twinges, you know the ones I mean.
You were the brightness held me like the eyes of a frightened deer.
The memory of you shall be in my heart from year to year …
And when it’ time . . .
Live and let live’s the story that you whispered in the night.
There is your sparkling glory you filled my mind with light.
You were the warming laughter melted my world weary soul;
echoing ever after, it’s a force I can’t control.
And when it’s time . . .
Yes. I’ll walk away, I’ll walk away, I will walk away
on a country’s winter night.
Colder than gray.
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11. |
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Gemini Rising in a patchwork sky
I don’t know why we tend to pin our hopes on what we read in horoscopes.
Gemini Rising in a patchwork sky.
I don’t know why we seek our validation in a constellation.
I guess we long to know where we’ve come from where we’ll go
And find a little piece of who we are, buried in a star.
I know who I am – I’m a Gemini rising.
Gemini rising in a patchwork sky.
I don’t know why they say that there’s a part of me in the planet Mercury.
Stitched in the fabric of a deep blue eye.
I don’t know why the difference in my attitude depends upon the latitude.
They say that I relate, constantly communicate.
I’m curious, I’m quirky, and I’m smart – I like that part.
I guess that’s what I am – I’m a Gemini rising.
Talkative, precocious, inconstant as the moon.
They say that I sometimes give up too soon,
Because I’m born a twin my yang struggles with my yin.
I hear that it is common in my sign
To flit between the human and divine.
Gemini rising in a patchwork sky.
They say that’s why our characters on earth are predestined at our birth.
On the horizon of a big blue night.
I guess that’s why I bloomed a bit too late, sometimes can’t concentrate.
I guess it’s good to know that this constant ebb and flow –
Our faults, our foibles, all the things we lack, are simply Zodiac.
I guess I’m glad that I’m a Gemini rising.
Gemini rising in a Patchwork sky. I guess that’s why.
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12. |
Heaven Can't Help You
04:01
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he sea is a demon, it will swallow you whole,
it will take possession of your heart and soul –
lead you places that you can’t control where heaven can’t help you.
It will be your lover it will be your friend
it will be the means to your mortal end.
Winds may freshen and blow again but heaven can’t help you now.
Heaven can’t help you, heaven can’t help you, heaven can’t help you now.
The mountain is a demon. In its dark confines
The dreary tombs of the worn out mines
where human kindness rarely shines and heaven can’t help you.
You dig and scrape the livelong day, then toss and turn the night away.
You’ll find peace come the judgment day
but heaven can’t help you now.
Heaven can’t help you …
The field is a demon, ‘cause it seems so kind
when the sweet rain falls and the river winds.
But when the fruit withers on the vine, heaven can’t help you.
When the cottonwood cries and the dust blows free
and the corn’s not as tall as it should be
and the sun beats down relentlessly,
heaven can’t help you now.
Heaven can’t help you …
The city is a demon made of mortar and steel
and it don’t give a damn what a woman feels.
You scrub its floors and you cook its meals and heaven can’t help you.
You feed the kids and you pay the rent,
before it’s made your money’s spent.
You’re looking for something that’s heaven sent
but heaven can’t help you now.
Heaven can’t help you …
Oh the working woman and the working man,
just get by the best they can.
It’s a long, slow walk to the Promised Land where heaven can help them.
They do the work that most would spurn, jobs that make this old world turn.
There’s a lesson here we all should learn
or heaven help us, heaven help us, heaven help us now.
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Jane Fallon Dunedin, Florida
Award winning songwriter whose literate lyrics are set to melodies in genres that include blues, country, western, fok and pop. Her voice has been called “smooth and mesmerizing” and Indie Music Magazine called her “powerful, inspirational, uplifting, delightful, and impressive . . . one of the good artists in a sea of soulless clutter.” ... more
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