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1. |
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This right here's the prowlin' lobo blues
I got em'
Yeah I run from South Dakota
Badlands, San Antone
Cross the Rio Grande baby
New Mexico
I run from
South Dakota mama
Badlands, San Antone
Lord I cross that Rio Grande
Lord all the way out into New Mexico now
Lord I roam that Blue Range
Badlands to the White Sand
Cross the Mescalero baby
into Jicarilla land
Lord I roam that Blue Range mama
Crossin' Mescalero land
Lord nobody can catch me mama
Lord, had 'em right there in my sight.
Yes, I did.
That's right.
Here we go now.
Wanna tie me down
Wanna hold me down
Pick up your scent mama
Way outside your town
Lord wanna hunt you down baby
Wanna run you down
This prowlin' lobo gonna chase you mama lord
All the way back to Pecos town lord
All the way back there.
Chase me through Paso del Norte
Ah San Jeronimo in my sight
Prowlin' them stockyards at daybreak lord
Hit Durango by the fall of night
Lord I cross that Rio Grande mama
San Jeronimo in my sight
Lord nobody gonna stop me mama
Gotta hit Durango by the fall of night
Yes, I do now.
That's right.
Yeah
I'm a bad wolf
A bad wolf
A bad wolf
A bad wolf
A bad wolf
A bad wolf
A bad wolf
Prowlin' all night
Yeah
I'm a bad wolf
A bad wolf
A bad wolf
A bad wolf
A bad wolf
A bad wolf
Gone by the mornin' light
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2. |
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Know these lines like I know
lines on my wife's face.
Wanna see her and my little girl,
not in this place.
She's better off now with her ma,
that the banks have collapsed and I won't beg at all
It's either this or a cardboard house
Thrown out of anyway.
Crops are ripe down around Pocatello
They need a hand, I need some dough
Sleepin' out in the jungle all night
Waitin' to catch out on a Union south
Caught some warmth from the tales that never end,
'round the friscos, fires, and stews.
Lord under a water tank sky,
made some new friends to boot.
Jumped on, was a little tough,
she wasn't movin' too fast.
Wanna sleep, it's just my luck,
I got the car with a flat.
Lord bouncin' off the floor every time that old wheel go around,
with the freezin' cold, soot blowin' in my face.
We got 8 in this car, it's a little tight,
At least we're movin' on.
Three look strong, three look haggered,
and one just looks gone.
Sioux City Jimmy nearly lost his foot
gettin' caught up in the flange.
KC Mo lost a finger in a knife fight
Ah somebody called him a tramp.
Down in Pocatello, they treat us good.
Folks around the Portneuf they know folks like us.
Scratch some lines on that fence out front,
so the next man'll know.
Midwestern slaughter houses need cattle lord.
Western ranchers need paid.
Lord this diggins' done and I got mine, gonna
hop a cattle freight headed that way.
Every 12 hours we bring 'em down
A little food, walk 'em around
One wandered off just shy of Omaha
Round her up, she's worth a right fair haul
Sioux City Jimmy still gimpin' around on that foot of his.
My nickel's on the cow
to bring old Jimmy right down.
Lord under these big skies I
feel somethin' free.
Hope she can forgive me
and understand
I did the only thing I thought I could
to be a man
Didn't plan a poor man's divorce
along these tracks
Now I wonder
if I ever get back
Tell
my little girl.
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3. |
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I wanna tell y'all a little story right now
Listen up here
About a man
A woman
and another man
and a Louisiana alligator.
Had me a red-headed woman
Stood a 5 and 3
Liked to call herself the boss man
Liked to boss poor me.
Caught her snoopin' 'round one night
Lord had to set her free.
Now the big boss gone, she won't be back no more
I done eased out the side my bottle, my 44
Oh yeah
That's what I did
Yeah, just ease on out.
That old train she's slow
to reach that Louisiana line
That old train rollin' slow lord to reach that Louisiana line
Lord my bottle, my double 4 boys I'm gonna be just fine.
Yes I am.
She took ta yellin' in the mornin'
yellin' in the night
Chickens couldn't sleep
Just fuss & fight
Rooster ran away
Crows all got scared
Hound dog stopped barkin'
Under the rockin' chair
Big boss gone
Cow wouldn't give no milk
even swat a fly
Bull got all depressed
Started to cry
Heard she'd been snoopin'
Got some iron
and copper too
Talkin' all sweet
Showed her she was through
The big boss gone
I done eased out the side with my bottle, my 44
Oh now yeah
Got me a man to see down around Terrebonne
Got me a man to see down around Terrebonne
Gator gonna eat
swamp bed gon be your home
Lord my conjure hand gon keep me outta Belle Reve
My conjure hand gon keep me outta Belle Reve
Roscoe burner gonna say what I gots to say
Lord my roscoe burner gonna say what I gots to say
My conjure hand gon keep me outta Belle Reve
Black water buff be feedin' on your dyin'
Black water buff be feedin' on your dyin'
Black water buff be feedin' on your dyin' day
Got me a man to see down around Terrebonne
Got me a man to see down around Terrebonne
Got me a man to see down around Terrebonne
Got me a man to see down around Terrebonne
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4. |
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Worked down Mississippi
California too.
Worked all night and day babe,
play a little blues for you.
Worked south of the border,
up in Chi-town too.
Southside Johnnys lookin' sharp,
always feelin' blue.
Lord I worked on a railroad,
worked on a highway too,
worked down in the swamp babe,
worked on chain-gang.
Said, I said Lord I'm workin' man,
workin' on the blues.
Lord I'm workin' man,
workin' on the blues.
Here we go hey!
Wondered all around,
found my baby girl.
She left me down in Houstontown,
took off around the world.
Stand here on the corner,
gonna stand right here and sing.
Big city girl just pass on by,
got no time for me.
Lord, I said lord I'm workin' man,
workin' on the blues.
Lord I'm workin' man,
workin' on the blues.
Here we go hey!
Go on, work it now.
Said lord I'm workin'
Lord I'm workin' hard
Lord I'm workin' babe
Can't get nowhere
Keep a workin' babe
Lord can't get nowhere
Keep a workin' babe
Lord everywhere I go.
Downtown cats play dirty,
uptown suits and brass.
That boy go below 14,
he ain't never come back.
Lord no
You better leave it,
better leave it alone.
Said lord I'm workin'
Lord I'm workin' hard
Lord I'm workin' babe
Can't get nowhere
Keep a workin' now
Lord can't get nowhere
Keep a workin' babe
Lord everywhere I go.
Said lord I'm workin'
Lord I'm workin' hard
Lord I'm workin' babe
Workin' on the blues
Said lord I'm workin'
Said I'm workin' hard
Lord I'm workin' babe
Workin' on the blues
Keep a workin'
Workin' on the blues
Keep a workin'
Workin' on the blues
Said a workin' now
Workin' on the blues
Said a workin' people
Workin' on the blues
Workin' on the blues
Workin' on the blues
Workin' on the blues
Workin' on the blues now
Workin' on the blues
Workin' on the blues
Workin' on the blues
Workin' on the blues now
Here we go hey!
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5. |
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Pullin' into Moose Jaw
Get the rum ta runnin'.
Yonder come
See the train a comin'
Yonder come
Hear it puttin' on the brake
Yonder come
Watch it pull in the station
Soo Line crossed the border today
Goin' ta Moose Jaw
Get the rum ta runnin'
Find me a woman on Manitoba Street
Goin' ta Moose Jaw
Get the rum to runnin'
Bet my dollars on the seven on River Street lord.
Yeah
Yonder come
Run under the station
Yonder come
to the rail yard shed
Yonder come
Crawlin' through the tunnel
Start loadin' her up soon as she pull in
Yeah, start loadin' her up now.
Soon as she pull in
Chi-town line
Chief say storm gon come tonight.
Run in the tunnel, hidden door, secret knock,
a run down some more.
Breathin' that thick smoke in the dark
Dealin' Down-the-River and Seven-Toed Pete
Sayin' a storm gon come tonight
Better get everything clean out of sight
Liquor commission comin' around
Ain't gettin' no play from this prairie town lord
Ain't gon get it lord
Way out here.
Yonder come
old Diamond Jim
Eyes never blink
Diamonds in his teeth
Yonder come
old Diamond Jim
Unbuttoned gray suit
Gonna flash a little heat lord
Gonna flash a little heat
Goin' ta Moose Jaw
Get me a queen
Up on River,
down Manitoba Street
Goin' ta Moose Jaw
Get the rum ta runnin'
Haul it down south so the Yanks can drink
Haul it down south so the Yanks can drink lord
Yeah. Let's go now.
Yonder come
See the Soo a comin'
Pulling into Moose Jaw
Get the rum ta runnin'
Haul it down south where it's dry as a bone
So the hounds can all come stumblin' home.
Haul it down south where it's dry as a bone
Hounds can all come stumblin' home.
Haul it down south where it's dry as a bone
They all can all come stumblin' home.
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6. |
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Fields and farms
float before my eyes
with all the lives
and the stories they hold.
River that feeds them flows to somewhere,
and my eyes grow heavy
to the rhythm of the poles.
Somewhere beyond
there's a stage upon
I can sing out my soul.
Somewhere beyond
there's a stage upon
where my troubles never follow me.
Last note'll fade
they'll pour the shots and say
"Do you like our city? Hope you can come back some more."
Is it a beginning or the last time?
Hey, never mind.
Here's to new friends.
Mornin' sun drag me from my bed.
Drowsy melodies they lumber.
Day moves along and those melodies grow strong.
Flat fields turn to mountains.
Somewhere beyond
there's a stage upon
I can sing out my soul.
Somewhere beyond
there's a stage upon
where I can go back home.
All the stories
that pass me by
and all the tales
I come to tell.
All remind me
of the pride in their eyes
and the dreams I know so well.
Somewhere beyond
there's the stranger's words
that it touched them somewhere inside.
Somewhere beyond
there's the stranger's words
that it reminded them of home
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7. |
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Who is the danger?
Who is in danger?
Behind the canyon
Behind the canyon
Beside the canyon
Don't believe that smoke you sense
Hey
Who is behind there?
Just believe me
No one's there
Did you hear it?
Beside the canyon
Inside the canyon
Ignore it
Inside the canyon
Is a smokescreen, don't believe
Hey
They'll scale the walls
of the canyon
We don't feel safe
in the canyon
We don't feel free
in the canyon
Is that smoke we see?
Hey
We'll guard the walls
of the canyon
We'll keep you safe
in the canyon
We'll keep you free
in the canyon
Don't believe that smoke you breathe
No
Smokescreen
Don't believe what you sense
Don't believe what you feel
Don't believe what you hear
Don't believe what you see is real
Don't believe what they tell
tell you to fear
Don't believe what they foretell
will happen here
Don't believe what you stood for
Don't believe what is right
Don't believe all the records
Don't believe what is fact
Don't believe what's been examined
Don't believe what's been abandoned
Don't believe that you can run
Don't believe everything's on fire
Everything's on fire in the canyon
Everything's on fire in the canyon
Everything's on fire in the canyon
Everything's on fire in the canyon
Everything's on fire in the canyon
Everything's on fire in the canyon
Everything's on fire in the canyon
Everything's on fire
Everything's on fire in the canyon
Everything's on fire in the canyon
Everything's on fire in the canyon
Everything's on fire in the canyon
Fire in the canyon
Manipulate
Fire in the canyon
Was dear to you
Fire in the canyon
Disintegrate
Fire in the canyon
You let it go
Fire in the canyon
You won't escape
Fire in the canyon
Annihilate
Fire in the canyon
Obliterate
Fire in the canyon
You're such a fool
Fire in the canyon
Incinerate
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8. |
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This old train, she a rollin' south
Chuggin' right along, but you better watch out
cause the Union and Central pickin' up the pace
This old train, she a rollin' south
Chuggin' right along, but you better watch out
cause the Transcontinental gonna run this old train away
This old train started haulin'
nigh around '54
Wounded souls, hosses, and hope
climbed aboard
Firin's stopped, rebuildin's started
now around '69
they ain't gon want her 'round no more
Well now this old train she's a black smoke mama
Got a fire in her belly
put up a
mighty fight
But they ain't gonna wanna hear this
short line runnin' lord
with that lonesome whine
callin' out all night
Way out in Promontory Point was a
heck of a sight
when the silver hammer drove the golden spike
Well that old man Crocker he done
won his bet
But that poor old train a cryin' a cryin' all night
Lord cryin' cryin' if I had me a
longer track
Could haul em' uphill lord
forward and back
Might not be so pretty, but I can
get the job done
Gotta find me a trunk line for a longer run.
Wish I could hook up with that
Kansas City line
She runs from way out east lord and she's
pretty close by
But that Mo-ssouri River ain't got no bridge
and they ain't no track over on the other side
Lord they ain't no track way over on the other side
Nah sir
This old train, she's a rollin' south
Chuggin' right along, but you better watch out
cause the Central Pacific layin' 10 miles a day
This old train, she's a rollin' south
Chuggin' right along, but you better watch out
cause the Transcontinental gonna run this old train away
Lord the Transcontinental gonna run this old train away now
Said the Overland Route gonna take this old train away
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Maybe one day I’ll sing out from the grave with a darkness only the Devil can bestow.
You know this song
is so dark and long,
no light can I ever see.
Will you wait and wait?
Yeah my heart, mind pay the toll.
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10. |
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Hey I've been dreamin'
seems every night
quite some time now
somethin' ain't right
I'm always, always runnin'
But I never can leave
Wake and wonder
what it all means
It's always my hometown
that I'm dreamin' about
I just don't see it
how it really is
It's not the small houses,
people or fields
Not the small church houses, factories, fireflies or the feel
No trains rollin'
somewhere through the night
No cruisers revvin' up on a Friday night
No smell of the grill
in summertime
or cracklin' wood when the summer's gone by
Now the buildings they block the sky
and so many people pass by
But they don't say hello
and they don't look you in the eye
Creaking porch swing drowned-out by the
noise in these streets
And the air's not clear
and the waters don't run so deep
Maybe there's no more
left of me
left of the innocent boy
who played ball in the street
left of the wild boy
who played hooky out in the street
left of the dreamin' boy who
dreamed of leavin' those streets
Now the scenes of the life
I'm livin' today
caught in those streets can never, never be the same
So maybe I need a
way to believe
that people can understand what makes me feel
that I've drifted
too far out to sea
feel like the water's gettin' too deep for me
feel like the life boat's
driftin' out of my reach
and miss those days playing
ball in the street
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11. |
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Had me a red-headed woman
Stood a 5 foot 3
Lord liked to call her the boss man
Liked to boss poor me
Caught her snoopin' 'round one night
Lord had ta set her free.
Now the big boss gone, she won't be back no more.
Ah I done eased out the side, my bottle, a 44.
Oh yeah
Eased on out there.
Well that old train she's slow
to reach that Louisiana line
Said that old train be rollin' slow lord
reach that Louisiana line
Lord my bottle double-four
gon be just fine.
She took ta yellin' in the mornin'
yellin' in the night
Chickens couldn't sleep
Just fuss & fight
Rooster ran away
Crows all got scared
Hound dog stopped barkin'
Hid under the rockin' chair
Lord the big boss gone
Cow wouldn't give no milk
even swat a fly
Bull got all depressed
Started to cry
Heard she'd been snoopin'
Got some iron and copper too
She talkin' all sweet
But I showed her she was through
Lord the big boss gone, she won't be back no more
Lord I done eased out the side my bottle, a 44.
That's what I did now.
Got me a man to see down around Terrebonne
Got me a man to see down around Terrebonne
Gator gonna eat
swamp bed gonna be your home.
Now my conjure hand gon keep me outta Belle Reve
Said my conjure hand gon keep me outta Belle Reve
Roscoe burner gonna say what I gots to say.
Lord my roscoe burner gon say what I gots to say
Conjure hand gon keep me outta Belle Reve
Black water buff be feedin' on your dyin'
Black water buff be feedin' on your dyin'
Black water buff be feedin' on your dyin' day
Yeah
Got me a man to see down around Terrebonne
Got me a man to see down around Terrebonne
Got me a man to see down around Terrebonne
Got me a man to see down around Terrebonne
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12. |
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Well I'm a rollin' rock baby
Rockin' all night long
Said I'm a rollin' rock mama
Rockin' all night long
Lord one of these nights little girl
might have to take you home
Said I'm a tumbleweed baby
Tumble through your field
Lord I'm a tumbleweed mama
Tumblin' right down through your field
Lord, one of these days little girl you gonna realize you got your, got yourself a deal
Said I'm a tumbleweed mama tumblin' through your field
Tumbleweed baby tumblin' through your field
Lord, one of these days you gonna realize you got yourself a deal
Oh yeah, here come Kenny now.
Lord I got a tomcat stroll
All the fine kitties wanna come see me
Got me a tomcat stroll baby
Lord the kitties won't leave me be
Lord I'm tellin' all you good lookin' women the
fine kitties wanna come see me
You know why?
Cause I'm a freight train baby
I rumble through your town
Said I'm a freight train mama
Rumblin' through your town
Lord they wanna blow my horn,
pull my gearshift down now
Cause I'm a freight train mama rumblin' through your town
Lord I'm a freight train mama rumblin' right down through your town
Lord they wanna blow my horn,
pull my gearshift down now
I got a tomcat stroll
I got a tomcat stroll
I got a tomcat stroll
Baby, a tomcat stroll
I got a tomcat stroll
I got a tomcat stroll
I got a tomcat stroll
Mama, a tomcat stroll
I got a tomcat stroll
I got a tomcat stroll
I got a tomcat stroll
Baby, a tomcat stroll
I got a tomcat stroll
I got a tomcat stroll
I got a tomcat stroll
I got a tomcat stroll
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13. |
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Ride the wind long and free
Her wings beat like a melody
that dances through my mind
Lights me up when I'm feelin' blind
Hear her call from any sea
But she don't need to come with me
Carry her in my soul
We ride long and free
Name no time of day
Just ride the blue high and free
She can look to the sky
feel the melody inside
Stretch her arms and slowly spin
long and free with the wind
She floods my heart like any sea
But she don't need to come with me
Carry her in my soul
We ride free and bold
Name no time of day
Name no time of day
Just let the blue wash over me
Their harmonies echo from
the sea the sky above
Free and blue below
Free and blue above
In the end, the whippoorwill won't cry for me cause I had my fill.
She'll sing a song so sweet.
Fly away without misery.
She'll sing a song high and sweet.
Fly away without misery.
Just let the blue wash over me.
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Eric’s world-weary raspy voice is the perfect narrator of tales about life on the rails and roads during the mid-19th century, Great Depression, and today in the USA. “Prowlin' Lobo Blues” blends Americana, blues, country, and bluegrass to beautifully weave together a story of freedom, uncertainty, lawlessness, regret, and hometown nostalgia.
released February 2, 2023
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Brad M. Seippel at Brevity of Motion Sounds (2022).
Cover and insert design by Jiang Xiaohai 姜小海.
Cover & insert art photographer - Graeme Nicol.
Writer, Composer, Lyricist: Eric Allen
