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Blue Blue Blue

by Noel McKay

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1.
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
2.
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.
3.
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.
4.
Real Cowboy 03:11
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.
5.
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
6.
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.
7.
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.
8.
Lurlene 02:18
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?
9.
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
10.
Pawnee Waltz 04:14
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
11.
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
12.
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.”

about

Noel McKay Chronicles “The 50 Loneliest Places in the Nation,” Announces New Album Out October 2021

Noel McKay was discovered back in 1993 by legendary songwriter Guy Clark along with his brother, Hollin, with their duo The McKay Brothers; three decades later, his ability to write the kinds of smart, insightful and sometimes slyly humorous songs that initially caught Clark’s attention remains the cornerstone of the music he makes today. The first single from Blue, Blue, Blue (Oct. 8), “The 50 Loneliest Places In The Nation,” is out now.

The song was inspired by a dream McKay had and then promptly recorded into a voice memo -- in the dream he was scrolling through the internet and stumbled upon a clickbait article with the same focus, and before he knew it, Roger Miller was singing the dream-chorus.

“It’s a fantasy world to climb inside — music is a new language, in a way, with cultural references and commentary,” the songwriter says. McKay has his own unique brand of insight: it’s subtle, sometimes, which makes sense — the songwriter is also currently working on a degree in molecular biology.

“Music has its own separate means of communication that transcends language,” he continues. “It’s capable of wordlessly evoking emotions, experiences, and cultural references in ways that, for all my trying, I’ve never completely understood. I suppose that by learning a bunch of music theory, I was looking for some kind of science behind why a particular combination of notes can evoke such deep feelings. When you couple music with a good story, something very powerful can emerge. Trying to lash both of those things together in a believable way has been my life’s work so far.”

Blue, Blue, Blue, is more straightforward and light than McKay’s past collections, centering around longing, whether it’s longing the experiences of a lost relationship, longing to undo unwise decisions, longing for the way one’s home city was, longing to travel, longing to have one’s story told. It’s taken close to a decade for the record to come to fruition, which he started back when The McKay Brothers stopped playing together regularly.

The title track is a candid breakup song, much of the inspiration for which comes from personal experience, though there’s a bit of creative license taken. “Somebody, Someway, Somewhere” chronicles the experience of living somewhere a previous partner may have also lived in not so long ago, and “Sleeping In My Car” is about a brief period when Noel was often sleeping in the backseat of his 1998 Chevy Cheyenne in various parking lots around the Austin area.

“Flying And Falling” was written with Guy Clark, who also recorded a song the pair co-wrote (“El Coyote”) for his Grammy-winning album, My Favorite Picture of You. Noel also notes a guitar the two built together is featured prominently on the album.

“Real Cowboy,” written with Brennen Leigh, with whom he also shares the duo McKay and Leigh, was composed during one of their trips from Nashville to Austin, where they each built a loyal following in the years they lived there. “Lurlene,” co-written with Becky Warren, is about Noel’s grandmother and a later-in-life job she procured. He notes she’s 96 and “still as awesome as ever.”

“Get A Bag Of Ice” and “Pawnee Waltz” both center around a bit of Texas homesickness; “When This Town Was Cool” tells the story of the proverbial “remember when” resident. Things were always better when they first moved to town. Sometimes the refrain sounds familiar.

Album closer “You Oughta Write A Song About That” recalls the song ideas well-meaning listeners mention after a show.

“I play music because it’s my way of expressing my reality, even when I’m looking at someone else’s and writing about that,” Noel says. “It’s a way to express joy, anguish, and the emotions in between.

Press Contact: Sarah Frost - 817-559-9499

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released October 8, 2021

Produced by Eldridge Goins and Ben Sanders. Copyright 2021 Noel McKay. All rights reserved.

#NoelMcKay #BlueBlueBlue

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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
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