1. |
Tough Town
03:01
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Tough Town
It’s a tough town
don’t let the dead
drag you down
It’s a tough town
try to keep your head
above the ground, kid,
try to keep your head
above the ground.
They took me down
to the locker
to have a look
at my father
just a stranger from the block
who got himself
written in chalk
And I can’t tell my girl about it
not because I think she’d doubt it
but because I don’t myself
and I can’t bring the words to my mouth
no, I can’t bring the words to my mouth
It’s a tough town
don’t let the dead
drag you down
It’s a tough town
try to keep your head
above the ground, kid,
try to keep your head
above the ground
Before my cousin
bit the dirt
and they pinned a metal
to his shirt,
we’d go out
into the clearing
where no one
stood in hearing
Traded comics and Playboys
cigarettes and stolen toys
now I go there by myself
and I can’t bring the words to my mouth
no, I can’t bring the words to my mouth
It’s a tough town
don’t let the dead
drag you down
It’s a tough town
try to keep your head
above the ground, kid,
try to keep your head
above the ground
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2. |
Nora
02:53
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Nora
The barman was making last call, Nora,
complaining he had somewhere to be
We walked the ruins of the promenade, Nora,
where the rocks held their own to the sea
when I first said I love only you, Nora,
and you said you loved only me
My wallet’s always been thin, Nora
that’s the price we pay to be free
and some say our love’s a sin, Nora,
cause it weren’t made orderly
when I first said I love only you, Nora,
and you said you loved only me
Love, she’s a rare old bird, Nora,
she don’t fly frequently
she delivers more than we deserve, Nora,
and leaves us lonely
but I still love only you, Nora
don’t you still love only me
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3. |
Mansions of Love
04:37
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Mansions of Love
The beer is warm in this bar,
but the dirty jokes ain’t bad
now here comes a kid with a tricycle,
looking for his dad
one of the regulars swears he’s seen him,
he was in just the night before,
talking about a woman named Rosa
and all the blood he shed in the war
You burn, burn, burn, burn ‘em on down
mansions of love to the ground
Now here’s Carol, he wants my money
but he ain’t got the discipline
he’s promising me salvation,
wearing a sarcastic grin
and I don’t need no timeshare,
I ain’t interested in his ties
I don’t care for his watches
or look of death in his eyes
You burn, burn, burn, burn ‘em on down
mansions of love to the ground
Someone puts a dollar in the jukebox,
a song by a woman who overdosed
some says “she sure didn’t last long
—but she made it farther than most”
one of the regulars swears he’s seen her,
it was in a joint not unlike this
where the beer is warm and it’s sickening
but she’ll sing you a song for tips
(And it goes…)
You burn, burn, burn, burn ‘em on down
mansions of love to the ground
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Peter Rugh Brooklyn, New York
Peter Rugh is a musician, writer, bookseller, and a malcontent by both trade and vocation. His influences include Snooks Eaglin, Abner Jay and Blaze Foley. The Anthology of American Folk Music compiled by Harry Smith is one of his treasured possessions. Rugh’s songs frequently focus on the struggles and triumphs of the down and out, and on the simple pleasures in life. ... more
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