1. |
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The fifty loneliest places in the nation are some places that I’ve been to.
They only earned that status because I got my saddest when I went to them and spent some time without you.
Exotic places, well, I’ve known some. These are some that I made lonesome when you broke my heart and I went on vacation.
They’re the fifty loneliest places in the nation.
St Louis makes me bluest. St Paul just makes me bawl. Niagara Falls might be the worst of all. Schenectady, oh woe is me. San Clemente, tears are plenty. In San Antone my heart sinks like a stone.
In New Orleans the days are mean. In Mandeville I miss you still. In Baton Rouge my mind’s filled with regret. Los Alamos, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and the Florida Keys. I’ll never dance again in Lafayette.
CHORUS
Grand Forks, Gulf Port, Galveston, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Madison, Muskogee. When I weep my sobs are noisy.
Portland, Oregon, Portland Maine. Ponchatoula near Ponchartrain and I can’t seem to shake the blues in Boise.
Kansas City, Kankakee, Walla Walla, Waikiki. Louisville, Kentucky at the races.
Juneau, Joplin, Jamestown too. Chicago, Cheyenne, Kalamazoo. I guess I’ll have to go some other places.
Atlanta, Santa Ana, Cincinnati, Texarkana, Tacoma, Houma, Yuma, Union City. Albuquerque, Albany, Asheville, Nashville, Tennessee. I feel so forlorn that it’s a pity.
New York City, Newport Beach, I’ve been there and cried in each, still I’m glad I beheld each lovely sight. And, I suppose, it would be rude if I neglected to include this city that I’m standing in tonight.
CHORUS
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2. |
Sleeping In My Car
03:42
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Sleeping In My Car
(Noel McKay)
I’m so tired of sleeping in my car.
I’m so tired of sleeping in my car
But some bad decisions got me where I are.
I’m so tired of sleeping in my car
But it ain’t so bad. I got a place to spend the night.
No, it ain’t so bad. I got a place to spend the night.
I just lay me down in the back seat out of sight.
It ain’t so bad I got a place to spend the night.
At the gas station I wash my face and hands.
At the gas station I wash my face and hands.
Run a comb through my hair and I’m a brand new man.
At the gas station I wash my face and hands.
When I wake up with a flashlight in my face,
When I wake up with a flashlight in my face the police say I’ve got to park some other place.
When I wake up with a flashlight in my face.
I appreciate this more than I can say.
I appreciate this more than I can say
But it’s just a couple nights and I’ll stay out of the way.
I appreciate this more than I can say.
I’m so tired of sleeping in my car.
I’m so tired of sleeping in my car.
You can stay at my chalet when I become a movie star.
I’m so tired of sleeping in my car.
I know some bad decisions got me where I are.
I’m so tired of sleeping in my car.
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3. |
Flying And Falling
04:01
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Flying And Falling
(Noel McKay, Guy Clark)
I can’t remember if I said a prayer or a curse but the ground was coming at me like some mean old lady’s purse.
I knew however much it hurt, getting up would hurt me worse but it would make me wiser if it did not kill me first.
CHORUS
Flying and falling and flying again.
If you’re a whooping crane or a jet airplane or just a leaf blown by the wind. From the time you’re brought into this world until the day you reach the end
It’s all flying and falling and flying again.
The passersby who gathered round said it didn’t look too good,
That the fall would probably kill me and I was wishing that it would.
They all pitched in and carried me straight to intensive care
But all that I could think about was getting back up in the air.
CHORUS
To chart the safest course through life is no kind of life at all.
You’ve got to take the chance even though you might be terrified to fall,
To see this planet’s curvature and be sure the world is round.
Just gliding for a moment is worth colliding with the ground.
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4. |
Real Cowboy
03:11
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Real Cowboy
(Noel McKay, Brennen Leigh)
A real cowboy’s got some busted up knuckles. Don’t you want to be a real cowboy?
And a fake cowboy wears a thousand dollar buckle. Don’t want to be a real cowboy.
A real cowboy sorta feels like a failure. Don’t you want to be a real cowboy?
A fake cowboy pulls a fancy horse trailer. Don’t want to be a real cowboy.
CHORUS
It’s just like the movies and the TV shows.
It’s the greatest job in the whole world.
Every night I ride into the red sunset
And I always get the girl.
A real cowboy has to work all summer.
Don’t you want to be a real cowboy?
A fake cowboy drives to the beach in his Hummer.
Don’t want to be a real cowboy.
A real cowboy eats a can of cream corn.
Don’t you want to be a real cowboy?
A fake cowboy eats Filet Mignon.
Don’t want to be a real cowboy.
CHORUS
A real cowboy’s got some fingers gone.
Don’t you want to be a real cowboy?
A fake cowboy wears too much cologne.
Don’t want to be a real cowboy.
A real cowboy lost his ranch to the bankers
And a fake cowboy owns them big oil tankers.
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5. |
Open All Night
03:35
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Open All Night
(Noel McKay)
Well, you know that the highway’s my very best lover and she’s ready for me anytime I’ve got her on my mind.
She’s long, dark and skinny with her hot breath blowing on me. Black, smoky hair gets me going every time.
CHORUS
She’s got my nickname tattooed on her thigh. Two in the morning and I can see a flashing light. You see my left arm? It’s tanner than my right and the sign says “Open All Night”.
Every hundred thousand miles or so my mind goes crazy and I swear I’m gonna break up with her every now and then.
Her feet out the window and her sweat, sexy toes with the chrome nail polish, I just take her back again.
CHORUS
Well, I might age slower if I don’t stop moving. When I turn eighty seven she’ll still think I’m seventeen. We’ll still get it on like some drunk holy rollers who get turned on by the smell of cigarettes and gasoline.
CHORUS
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6. |
Blue, Blue, Blue
03:47
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Blue, Blue, Blue
(Noel McKay)
There’s a dream that I keep having, the day we met, the same old place. She speaks her name. She’s beautiful. Her hair spills round her face. That day seemed like a dream to me but in a dream it’s real. I didn’t mean to let on just how confused I feel. When I wake up I feel lost. The dream is through. She haunts me with her eyes. They were blue, blue, blue. She haunts me with her eyes. They were blue, blue, blue.
We could never keep the sand out on the shore. It collected in the sheets and on the tile kitchen floor. It clung tight to her skin. It was salty on my tongue and rubbed against all of the places where my sunburn stung in that house we shared on Pink Shell Avenue that overlooked the sea. It was blue, blue, blue. That overlooked the sea. It was blue, blue, blue.
And so, I drove her to the airport with so much weighing on my mind. Said she’d come back soon to claim all of the things she left behind. All the reasons that she gave me burning in my ears. I had a hundred reasons she should stay behind my unshed tears. She kissed me one last time and then she flew and disappeared into the sky. It was blue, blue, blue. And disappeared into the sky. It was blue, blue, blue.
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7. |
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Somebody, Someway, Somewhere
(Noel McKay)
The mariachis whisper in the moonlight.
There’s a hot wind blowing softly through the window screen tonight
And you’re lovely when you’re dancing with the starlight in your hair.
I know you’re loving on somebody, someway, somewhere.
Los mariachis cantan a lo lejos. Una brisa muy caliente, de repente sopla ya. Pero quien te está tocando en el bello atardecer.
Yo se que estas cariñosa con otro querer.
So I guess I’d best get started finding better things to do so that I’m not going crazy wondering who’s been touching you when your eyes say that you love me but, behind that pretty stare,
I know you’re loving on somebody, someway, somewhere.
Yo se que estas cariñosa con otro querer.
I know you’re loving on somebody, someway, somewhere.
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8. |
Lurlene
02:18
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Lurlene
(Noel McKay, Becky Warren)
CHORUS
Lurlene, aw Lurlene. Don’t wanna tell you goodbye, my little sweet honey pie, but baby, I can’t have you treating me mean. Don’t make me do it Lurlene.
When I met you, Lurlene, you were practically a kid. If anyone knew how to get their way, Lurlene, you did
But then we settled down. You put that selfishness aside. I never dreamed that stubborn streak was still mile wide.
CHORUS
I got my big promotions as the days rolled into days. You took care of the kids until they finally moved away. Now I’m burning TV dinners every night of the week while you’re curled up with a copy of The Feminine Mystique.
CHORUS
You’ve got a job, you’ve got a car, you act like someone else. Can’t take care of the house and I can’t take care of myself. You’ve got business cards, expense accounts, you’re asking for a raise. Darling, won’t you please tell me that this is just a phase. Lurlene?
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9. |
Get A Bag Of Ice
03:07
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Get A Bag Of Ice
(Noel McKay)
When you start wishing the air condition hadn’t broke down and died, all you want to do is open up the freezer door and just stick your whole head inside.
Not a cloud in the sky, the temperature’s so high the thermometer might go “pop”. Make a grocery list. Man, you gotta insist on the thing going at the top.
CHORUS
Get a bag of ice. That’d sure be nice.
It’s a twenty pound bag of cool paradise.
I’ll make a jug of iced tea. It’s too hot for me, oooweee! Get a bag of ice. It’s a sweet little luxury.
When you start sweating, it’s time for sitting on the porch with a ceiling fan.
Some cool river dipping or some shade tree sipping on the cold drink in your hand.
In the heat of summer there’s nothing dumber than going to market twice. Stopping off for beer, listen to the cashier; “Don’t forget to get your bag of ice”.
CHORUS
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10. |
Pawnee Waltz
04:14
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Pawnee Waltz
(Noel McKay)
Back in Pawnee, we were still wild and free and we clung to each other like the sand to the sea. Now those days are nothing but an old memory. Twenty years cold, but they’re still warm to me
And your memory still steals me away.
Back to the dances by the old football field where we parked in my mama’s old grey Oldsmobile. Back before we had troubles and before we had faults. And the band played the old Pawnee Waltz.
Your memory still steals me away.
CHORUS
When we danced the old Pawnee Waltz.
We danced the old Pawnee Waltz.
You might not remember but I still recall how we danced the old Pawnee Waltz.
Now the TV is busted and the floor moans and creaks. There’s a stain on the ceiling where the pipe upstairs leaks.
The couple next door to me argues and fights and I miss you plenty on these hot Ft Worth nights
Buy your memory still steals me away.
Sometimes I just lay here as the hours go by, listening to the screaming and to their baby cry. Then I miss our babies, although they have grown. When I think of you, I don’t feel so alone
Because your memory still steals me away.
CHORUS
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11. |
When This Town Was Cool
05:36
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When This Town Was Cool
(Noel McKay)
“Kid, how long you been here?” This old man says to me. I said “I moved here thirty two years ago, maybe thirty three.” He sadly shook his head and said “Let me make one thing clear, you haven’t lived here long enough to really be from here. Do you remember when this place was Chico’s Bar And Bungalow?” I said “No sir” and he said “Well, there you go. When they threw me a retirement party, that was where it was and the reason that I took the time to tell you is because, back before that, this was another place called Barbara’s Box Of Blues but first, it was a joint, Del Río Leo’s BBQ. My friends and I would all sneak in the back door after school and that’s the way it was back then, when this town was cool.
CHORUS
“You missed all the good times and the good days have all passed by. Man, I don’t even recognize this town. You missed all the good stuff. It was good before you showed up. This town was cool before you came around.”
Well, just about that time, this other old grey man sat down. He took out his hearing aid and it made this squealing sound and he said “Kid, you must have found this feller over in the lost and found. He hasn’t been here long enough to know his way around” and he told him “Man, you got it wrong! Del Río Leo’s was uptown. Back then this was a cowboy bar called Six Feet Underground. During prohibition it was in a cellar out in back but first, this was The Thirsty Mule on that side of the tracks. There used to be a lot of fights and the cops were mean as hell but pretty girls were everywhere. Man, that place was swell. I lost five hundred dollars in there one time, just playing pool and that’s the way it was back then when this town was cool.
Well, that’s about the time that I was getting up to go when this third old timer stumbles up and says “No, no, no! The Thirsty Mule was gone by then. You’re thinking of Drunky McGee’s. I ought to know. The dude you lost five hundred dollars to was me. Now, Drunky was a lawyer and an undertaker too. He’d get you hammered, nailed, thrown in jail and then embalm you you’re through. Drunky McGee’s burned down, you know, but I can’t recall the year. It used to be a bank but before that none of this stuff was here. There was this big old oak tree where the river curved around. Before the man who built the bank came here and cut it down. We’d never even seen a car, a buggy or a mule. Before they built the store, the bank, the courthouse or the school. The buffalo would come down and sip water from the pool. Nobody walked around here making up some stupid rules. Back before two morons would shoot each other in a duel. Before sushi, before tofu, before gravy, grits or gruel and I never dreamed I’d meet you bunch of lazy, crazy fools. And that’s the way it was back then, when this town was cool.
CHORUS
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12. |
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You Oughta Write A Song About That
(Noel McKay)
When I was twelve years old I broke my arm getting kicked by a cow on a dairy farm. The fellow that owned it wore a pork pie hat. You ought to write a song about that.
My grandma used to call my grandpa “gramps”. He made a fortune selling old, rare stamps. He ate like a horse but he never got fat. You ought to write a song about that.
CHORUS
I’ve got a good job, working all day long. I’ve got no time for writing little songs. Maybe someday I’ll turn on my TV and see you singing this song that was my idea.
My aunt lived in Poland during WWII. Escaped from the Germans in an old canoe. Moved to Minnesota, had a hundred cats. You ought to write a song about that.
I heard about a kid that said he was the best. Won a golden fiddle in a fiddle contest when he beat the devil in a minute flat. You ought to write a song about that.
Or a guy in California on a desert route, gets a hotel room but he wants to check out. They won’t let him leave the party where he’s at. You ought to write a song about that.
CHORUS
I know it takes savvy and lots of luck to make a good song make a million bucks, and when you do, don’t forget about our little chat, and that I was the one who said “You ought to write a song about that.”
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Noel McKay Nashville, Tennessee
Creator of songs, sculptor of instruments, internationally traveling singer of stories. NEW "Blue, Blue, Blue" album out
Oct. 2021!
Press & Publicity:
Sarah Frost
817-559-9499
SarahJFrost.com
Radio Promotion:
Angela Backstrom
812-361-1157
AngelaBackstromPromotions.com
Publishing:
Bobby Rymer
Booking:
Noel McKay
www.NoelMcKay.com
Management:
Mary Sack Management
615-275-7225
... more
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