Get all 8 Jane Fallon releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
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Before The Fire (Rosewood)
My name is Fannie Taylor and in 1923
I lived next to a sawmill somewhere north of Cedar Key
In the little town of Sumner, divided by race
From the nearby town of Rosewood- such a peaceful place
Before the fire, before the noise.
Before I heard the Sheriff call "Let's go get him boys."
Before the deaths. Before the screams.
I walk the streets of Rosewood in my dreams.
A hundred angry men sent their dogs into the night
To find a black man that they said attacked a woman who was white.
They tortured and they killed and terrorized the town
They took their torches with them and they burned it to the ground.
The Rosewood I remember was a happy place to be.
With 3 churches and two schools, and a baseball team.
Houses always painted, roses everywhere,
And at night piano music filled the air, Before the fire.
The South it was a hotbed of violence that year
There were lynchings, there were riots
Hearts and minds filled with prejudice and fear
You can not blame me.
My husband went to work very early every day
And came home very late at night.
I also had a lover who came through my back door
One day he hit me hard with all his might.
To tell the truth about my bruises would have led to my disgrace,
So I said just what came quickest to my tongue
That it was a black man who hit me in the face;
God forgive me I was young.
Before the fire, before the noise.
Before I heard the Sheriff call "Let's go get him boys."
Before the deaths. Before the screams.
I walk the streets of Rosewood in my dreams.
One day it was a place where children went to school
The next I saw it burn before my eyes.
Once upon a time a community with pride,
Before the fire.
Before my lies.
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2. |
Sweet Poison
03:43
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Sweet Poison: The Fragrance Song
He knew she was there when he walked in the room,
He got a whiff of her strong perfume.
A little Chanel, a little TABU,
He tried to talk but all he could do was
Achoo!Achoo!Achoo!
He excused himself and went to the loo,
To dab his nose with a soft tissue.
The place was spotless, quite pristine:
Smelled of Pine Sol, and Mr. Clean.
Achoo!Achoo!Achoo!
We plug it into outlets, spread it on our skins,
Lather up the cleft of a poor man’s chin.
Those little pine trees, you’ve got one or two,
Dangling in your car from your rearview.
Why is it no one thinks, that it’s sweet poison –
And that’s what stinks.
She was cute when she said all right.
He wanted to say his love was true but
When he kissed her all she could do was
Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!
Her hair it smelled just like a rose,
His chin it smelled of musk.
When he started to propose
all that they could do was just
Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!
We plug it into outlets . . .
These lovers made a sacred vow
Now that they’re man and wife -
To eliminate those things that smell
That can impact their life
Allergens and Phalates, Neurotoxins too,
All synthetic chemicals that just aren’t good for you.
Fragrance free they cuddle and dance the hootchie coo
Breathe easily beneath the sheets But there is one thing they don’t do
Achoo, achoo, achoo!
We plug it into outlets . . .
Yeah, it’s sweet poison and that’s what stinks.
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3. |
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Maggie (If You'd Like to Stay)
I found her on my lawn out in the rain.
Her hair was matted down, she was whimpering in pain.
She was feather light. She was so bone tired
she didn’t even notice when I laid her by my fire.
I called her Maggie, yeah Maggie, I don’t know where you been.
Maggie, yeah Maggie, looks like you could use a friend,
and if you’d like to stay, you can.
She ate my food but would not let me near.
She growled down in her throat, laid back her ears.
So I gave her space and I gave her time.
One day she wagged her tail - laid her head upon my thigh.
I called her Maggie, yeah Maggie, I don’t know where you been.
Maggie, yeah Maggie, looks like you could use a friend,
and if you’d like to stay, you can.
I’d like to find the ones who think it’s funny
to chain a dog and leave her starve out in the rain.
I’d like to look ‘em in the eye, have a chance to say,
“Did you know she nearly broke her neck, tryin’ to get away?”
Every day she babysits my son.
That’s a job I don’t give to just anyone.
But I know she’s bred to guard and take care of
those that need protection, those that give her love.
I called her Maggie, yeah Maggie, I don’t know where you been.
Maggie, yeah Maggie, looks like you could use a friend,
And if you’d like to stay,
well, Maggie, oh Maggie, if you’d like to stay, you can.
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4. |
Highway 84
03:38
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Highway 84
10 miles from Port Jervis, on Highway 84
Can’t help but remembrin’ that I’ve passed this way before.
I drove a boy out to school and drove him back a man.
I can’t count the many times I’ve seen this stretch of land
Chorus
There are those who’ll say I could have spent my time more wisely;
I could have learned something new to help with my success.
I could’ve given him a car, I could’ve put him on a plane,
I could’ve packed up all his stuff,
I could’ve shipped them both by train.
Instead we folded his long legs and most of his belongings
and filled my white Toyota door to door
and headed out on Highway 84.
2) We spent the time in talking sharing our philosophies
The world would be a better place left up to him and me.
Comfort when I took wrong turns and yelling at the trucks;
Getting stopped by roadwork and cursing our bad luck
Chorus
In Blacksburg, Virginia today they shake their heads
and try to comprehend why 32 are dead.
A mama sent her babe to school and let go of his hand;
to a quiet and protected place to grow and be a man.
Out of his nest and on his own,
So sad the bird that’s barely flown
that’s shot down from the sky and never will fly home.
Yes I might have used that time more wisely.
Done something that was more important I suspect.
But of all the things I’m thankful for, right there on my list,
are those long miles and those short years
I’m glad I didn’t miss.
Filling my Toyota door to door and heading off to college,
Him and me, and highway 84.
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5. |
My Daughter
04:08
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My Daughter by Jane Fallon
Nightmares don’t come often anymore.
Don’t wake up with cold sweats every night.
But I cannot forget the horrors that I met
every murky Mekong Delta morning light.
I know you’ll do fine at Fort Jackson –
you’re smart and you’re strong and you’re tough --
but why can’t you see what you’re doing does to me?
I have had enough.
The jaws of war that lurk beneath the depths of hatred’s waters
took away my carefree youth.
Now they want my daughter.
I left you on the sidewalk at the airport --
dropped your bags, slammed my door, and drove away.
And I knew that you were hurt and you were angry.
I’m sorry for the things I couldn’t say.
I know that I should stand there by the window
and wave as the plane taxis away,
but I’d put that uniform back on, though it might bleed me dry,
if I could only make you stay.
The war machine that feeds on greed and serves up senseless slaughter
took away my carefree youth.
Now it wants my daughter.
They stole years from my life. They blew my soul apart.
They ate away my peace of mind -- now they want my heart.
Now, they want my daughter.
I fed you and I clothed you and I worked the daily grind
to show you that I loved you -- never meant to be unkind.
But you don’t understand, I can see it in your eyes
why I cannot hold your hand and bid a fond goodbye.
It’s just I’m so damned angry – partially at you –
but mostly at this wicked world and the things it wants to do.
Do they have so many bombs and guns they can kill and mess up all our sons, that they also need my lovely one?
Must they take my daughter?
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6. |
Northern White
03:25
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Northern White
For 80 years my family’s farmed this Wisconsin land,
Now a hydro-fracker wants to come and haul away our sand.
Mama said “We’re going down to Town Hall today,
To hear what this mining fellow has to say.”
But, you can’t eat gas and you can’t drink oil
Mama said that night.
Business men in the clean gray suits,
Hands all dirty with the northern white.
One 6 second weekly blast,” he said, “is all it takes.
You might be surprised how little noise we will make.”
But mama said, “Six seconds to foul our air and water,
And take away the future from our sons and daughters.”
You can’t eat gas and you can’t drink oil
Mama said that night.
Business men in the clean gray suits,
Hands all dirty with the northern white.
She turned and saw some friends look away.
Said I can hardly blame you, I know what they will pay.
Farming’s hard and sometimes, we cannot meet the bills,
But we should take a lesson from those West Virginia hills
You can’t plow gas and you can’t plant oil,
can’t live on that frac sand.
What will we do after they’ve gone
and hauled away the land?
Mama’s started coughing, sometimes she just can’t breathe.
from the gritty chemicals, that this mining leaves.
Between the coughs she tells me, with a rueful laugh,
Write this down my daughter, make it my epitaph:
You can’t eat gas and you can’t drink oil
Mama said that night.
Business men in the clean gray suits,
Hands all dirty with the northern white.
Hands all dirty with the northern white.
Pockets filled with the northern white.
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7. |
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Take Care of the Santa Fe
Santa Fe – see her winding, lazy, in the sun.
Santa Fe – feel her giving life to everyone.
She’s our legacy. Take care of the Santa Fe for me.
As a child, I fished along her banks -
little cricket on my line -
Hoping for a catch as big as me -
catfish would suit me fine.
My daddy would watch me with a smile
glad to see me play
`longside of the river that he loved.
One day I heard him say
Santa Fe – see her winding, lazy, in the sun.
Santa Fe – feel her giving life to everyone.
She’s our legacy. Take care of the Santa Fe for me.
Daddy came to see me in a dream
Said “I am filled with fear.
Something is endangering our river.
I feel it drawing near.
It smells of toxic chemicals and money
and it rumbles underground,
travelin’ from its home in Alabama,
Easterward bound.
Santa Fe – see her winding, lazy, in the sun.
Santa Fe – feel her giving life to everyone.
She’s our legacy. Take care of the Santa Fe for me.
They say the pipeline’s safe,
they call it progress.
But I think we could find
a better way.
We need clean water more than we need methane.
My daddy understood. One day I heard him say
Santa Fe – see her winding, lazy, in the sun.
Santa Fe – feel her giving life to everyone.
She’s our legacy. Take care of the Santa Fe for me.
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8. |
Sweet Amazon
02:58
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Sweet Amazon
Edimar lived in the jungle in a shack by a crystal clear stream.
But now that river is brown with silt and gone is his family’s dream
The deer that roamed the land make way for the roads to the mines,
trees are uprooted, and rivulets run cross the forest floor, 40 miles wide.
Take a breath, fill your lungs with that oxygen sensation
Known as air won’t be long I fear it might be rationed
If we keep to the perilous path we’re on.
I’m really gonna miss you when you’re gone – Sweet Amazon.
Kotok is an Indian Living deep within the Amazon
Smoke stings his eyes from the constant fires His way of life is gone.
And gone are plants for medicine and food.There’s no way to stop it he’s afraid,
The white men come, they slash and they burn,
There is just too much money to be made.
We need land to feed the hungry, We need trees to clean our air.
But soybeans and cattle fill the pockets of the lawless,
and fires are burning everywhere.
Take a breath, fill your lungs with that oxygen sensation
Known as air won’t be long I fear it might be rationed
If we keep to the perilous path we’re on.
I’m really gonna miss you, Really gonna miss you
Really gonna miss you when you’re gone Sweet Amazon
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9. |
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Hey Uncle Tony, Go to lunch with me
Veggie Kitchen is the place I’d like to me
Try a little tofu, what do you say?
He said, A little bit of tofu goes a long way
A little bit of tofu goes a long way.
Hand me the sirloin and the apple pie;
Chicken fried. Potatoes mashed.
White bread and butter and lots of jam,
Don’t you forget the corned beef hash.
Don’t you forget the corned beef hash.
Hey Uncle Tony, here’s some brown rice.
Its good for you and it sure tastes nice.
Tony took a forkful, turned to say
A little bit of brown rice goes a long way.
A little bit of brown rice goes a long way.
Hand me . . .
Hey Uncle Tony, here’s a bean sprout,
Full of lots of good things without a doubt.
Tony ate just one, put the rest away,
Said a little bit of bean sprout goes a long way
A little bit of bean sprout goes a long way.
Hand me . . .
Hey uncle Tony I’m afraid you’ll die
If you keep on eating this way
He said everybody’s gotta go sometime
I’m gonna go with a smile on my face
I’m gonna go with a smile on my face.
Hand me . . .
Hey uncle Tony, gonna have the last laugh
Cause I’m gonna write your epitaph
He would still be here today
If he hadn’t pushed the tofu away.
So go easy on the sirloin and the apple pie,
Add a little celery and onion and beans,
Don’t eat quite as much chicken and spuds
Throw in blueberries and walnuts and greens.
A little bit of tofu goes along way
And I want you there on my wedding day.
I want you there on my wedding day.
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10. |
Walking Wounded
04:17
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Walking Wounded
Here’s to the walking wounded caught up in some purgatory place,
Void of time and space, longing for rebirth as they wander on this earth.
A bomb goes off in Bagdad and nothing’s left of someone’s baby boy.
A folded flag in his mama’s hands, as his daddy stands
his shoulders shake as he tries to forget the pain
and remember all the joy.
Somehow they’ll manage to go on
but with every breath they take they will always know
a part of them is gone.
And there’ s a hobo in an alleyway, asleep beneath the front page news.
Target of the pelting rain, wearing someone else’s worn out shoes
And hope is what is left inside some kid’s discarded Dixie Cup.
You swallow it like wounded pride, so hungrily you suck it up.
Though it’s only 10 am her hand’s around a half gone bottle of Tangueray Gin.
Some how it seems to ease the pain, the day the planes
brought down the towers on that September morning --
that’s where it began.
She still hears the crying through the haze
And she sits there in a daze because she’ll always know
some of her faith is gone.
And there’ s a hobo in an alleyway, asleep beneath the front page news.
Target of the pouring rain, wearing someone else’s worn out shoes
And hope is what is left inside some kid’s discarded Dixie Cup.
You swallow it like wounded pride, so hungrily you suck it up.
For 60 years right by his side from the day she said she’d be his bride
To the day they put her in the ground
And he knows that she won’t be around.
Sometimes it makes him want to cry.
Somehow he knows that he’ll go on
But the days and nights are long when the only one you’ve loved
Forever will be gone.
Here’s --- to the walking wounded.
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11. |
The Town Of Sugar Grove
04:38
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The Town of Sugar Grove
Leave at night when the wind is still
Leave when the clouds are hanging low.
I have heard you'll find safe harbor
In the town of Sugar Grove – Sugar Grove
At the end of Big Tree Road
sits a woman by her door
She is sewing freedom clothes,
her fingers they are strong and sure.
Comes a knocking in the night
a fugitive from slavery
Ttrembling in the bitter cold.
“Oh mistress, have pity on me”
“Doctor, doctor”! she cried. “
Help me heal this dying soul
And we will put him back on the road to freedom
After we have made him whole.”
Leave at night when the wind is still
Leave when the clouds are hanging low.
I hear you can find safe harbor
In the town of Sugar Grove – Sugar Grove
There within her Mansion fine
The Ladies Fugitive Society
Meets each week to sew
For those who would be free.
There within her Mansion Fine
She serves Frederick Douglas tea
He says ‘Thank you madam
for your aid in time of need.
Here in Sugar Grove
we can make the whole world see
There is no North, South, East or West
There is only equality
In the town of Sugar Grove
Aacross the Pennsylvania hills
Is a woman you should know,
Bbrave of heart and strong of will
Go to Sugar Grove
quietly before the dawn.
You may find she’s waiting for youher patiently waiting.
Giving strength to carry on.
Leave at night when the wind is still
Leave when the clouds are hanging low.
I hear you can find safe harbor
In the town of Sugar Grove
Ask for Cythia Catlin Miller in the town called Sugar Grove
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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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