Get all 6 Henry Crook Bird releases available on Bandcamp and save 50%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Shovel Wielding Mortal, Beyond The Gate, Home For The Winter, Patches To Mend, Beneath The Veneer, and Forgotten Fishbowl.
1. |
Shovel Wielding Mortal
02:47
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I was doing just fine before I met you
And you seemed to be just fine and dandy too
And I can say without a doubt that I don't need you
And for both our sakes I hope I never do
But I've got choices every day laid out before me
I need a vision and a plan to see me through
So I'll be making my way down to see you shortly
I envision myself out there choosing you
Said the foreman, boy you are what you can handle
You'll need to pull your weight above the bottom line
And to the gods above you couldn't hold a candle
But you'll be paying bills if you can cover mine
So I said, am I not just a shovel wielding mortal
I can work beneath the candlelight just fine
And for to line your pockets I will spit and toil
I'll push my boot from heel to toe along the line
I was doing just fine before I met you
But things are still alright with you a'hanging 'round
And to the gods above I still can't hold a candle
But things are looking fairly bright here on the ground
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2. |
Denny's
02:57
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I said I was a man of decent means
But they never heard
I worked for every dollar that I spent
And I gave out to the charity
Of the helpless dirty wench
I'm eating at Denny's alone
I remember when you used to hug me
And hide behind the couch
I remember when you were daddy's little girl
And I sat by as you got swallowed
Into his fiery pits of hell
I'm eating at Denny's alone
Days I'm in, days I'm out
To hell with you, that's all I say
I paid you already, why don't you leave me alone
I'll sit here as long as I damn well please
You ain't got tables full
I'm eating at Denny's alone
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3. |
Four Bites Full
02:05
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It's five, six, seven in the morning
Father and son headed out to the lake
Pop out the back, grab a pole and line
Lunch in the knapsack, dinner on the mind
Up the winding road on the edge of the canyon
Out by the dam in the virgin pines
Tucked in the hills with the greenhouse farms
Scattered in the shade by the worn out mines
Carrots and tea and a can of worms
Double-end paddle and a red canoe
Extra sweater and a pair of boots
A boy and a man and not one clue
It's nine, ten, eleven in the morning
Far past time when the fish are on the shoreline
Laid back, going through the motions
Staring at the sun and murdering time
And I've got one, two, three, four sunfish
Sitting in the back of my dad's old ranger
Bring 'em home to mom
Gonna gut 'em with a steak knife
Four bites full and your dinner's all done
Carrots and tea and a can of worms
Double-end paddle and a red canoe
Extra sweater and a pair of boots
A boy and a man and not one clue
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4. |
Man of Means
02:24
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When I was young, my pa said son, it's time to build the dream
Send away for the 'Frisco Bay and rake that do-re-mi
There are fortunes to be made, but boy that living don't come cheap
So sink your time and you might find the bounties that you seek
I took on every word he said and found that I agreed
So I strapped my belt one notch too tight and dusted both my knees
Greased my elbows inside out, whipped 'round to face the breeze
And I worked around the clock for everything that I might need
Now I've got a house right on the harbor, it's got a swimming pool out back
I've heard it's quite relaxing, I can't wait to take a splash
But I clock it in to satiate desires that I feed
I am a man of means
I've got a cherry Harley-Davidson, silver, chrome and black
I took it for a spin one time, it hasn't nary a scratch
But I still recall the wind in my hair as I made that engine scream
I am a man of means
Now I stand before you, old and grey, accomplished all my dreams
I've got boats and trucks and jet skis nearly bursting out the seams
Spick and span, they're just like new, I'll sell them to you cheap
For I'm a man of means
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5. |
Mein Liebchen
02:31
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I'm writing you now 'cause it makes me feel better
I'm feeling the grind but I've pulled it together
So far from the arms that held me back down to the earth
So I'm spinning in orbit, scrambled of mind
Up past the atmosphere selling my time
But through all commotions I've never forgotten your worth
And woah, mein Liebchen
Take the time that you need
But won't you please write back to me
I've pulled out the quagmire, dried off my feet
Been scooped up and fed by the people I meet
I find angels of earth around every odd corner I turn
And as I stand ever stalwart in the face of it all
My mind starts to drift off, meander and fall
Back to days of devotion and shelter for which I still yearn
And woah, mein Liebchen
Take the time that you need
But won't you please write back to me
As I frantically step up to keep with the drill
My overblown synapses firing at will
I'll forever be scribbling my name down in blue or black ink
It's a trek through the fog, pushing hard up the slope
But I'll punch to the peak, tuck my arms in and coast
Down the road to the edge of composure and right off the brink
And woah, mein Liebchen
Take the time that you need
But won't you please write back to me
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6. |
Thank You For Your Time
02:57
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Head to the bank, sign the dotted line
Mosey on home at no particular time
'Cause Saturday's a canvas you can paint as you please
Pastel impressionism washed in green
The blur of the evening, short and thick on my mind
Takes the edge off the heat of the pounding summer grind
Tomorrow morning I'll be headed out west
Choking on the valley air and swimming in sweat
Foot on the pedal, nothing tying me down
Still find myself on shaky ground
Your guess is as good as mine
So until we meet again, darling, thank you for your time
It's T minus twenty, I'm halfway over the state
A few short turns and I'll be parked at the gate
City veins are pumping hard pushing me through
Trapped in the rapids there ain't much one can do
My grandmother's voice fills the back of my head
Faded and gentle, like the low tide she said
When I was your age, I threw in the towel
Bought a flood-stained dive bar on the tired side of town
Left the girls with the key, let them wander the tracks
Married a tattered rag and seldom came back
I went and died young with plenty of patches to mend
And I think wherever you're at darling that you'll be fine in the end
I know tomorrow you'll be headed out west
Choking on the valley air and swimming in sweat
Foot on the pedal, nothing tying you down
Still finding yourself on shaky ground
Your guess is as good as mine
So until we meet again, darling, thank you for your time
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