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    Larry Scanlon

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    1.  

    Some of What I Heard 

    Six of One Side 

    The Day I Missed that Train 
    At the Corner of Hackney and Chestnut 
    Come Sit by Me, Marie 
    Straight Ahead 
    Some of What I Heard 
    Pine Breeze or Salt Air 

    A Half Dozen of the Other 

    Baby Without You 
    Across the Borderline 
    Wrack my Brain 
    A Guy I Used to Know 
    They Said They Said 
    Shekomeko Flow 

    __________________________________________________________

     

    All songs written by Larry Scanlon (ASCAP), except Across the Borderline, written by Ry Cooder, Jim Dickinson, & John Hiatt 

    Recorded and Mixed by John Ross 

    Produced by John Ross 

    Drawings by Annie Prezzano 

    Layout and design by Lindsay Prezzano

    This record is dedicated in memory of Laura Cavicchi and Jimmy Scanlon, and to the future for my grandchildren, Aidan, Annie, & Eliza. 

    Thank you to all the amazing musicians who played, especially to John Ross, Karl Allweier, Dan Keegan, Mike Brenner, Libby Weitnauer, and to the Rhinebeck School of Music. 

    Thank you to my children, Alison, Lindsay, Maura, & Kaitlin, and to Mary-Grace. 

    Website: larryscanlonmusic.com 

     

    __________________________________________________________

       

          Six of One Side 

     

    The Day I Missed that Train 

    (Or: The One That Got Away. Other than maybe a motorcycle, a train is the coolest vehicle for a song.) 

     

    When I got to the station 

    I ran with all my might 

    Stopped dead on the platform, 

    I watched that train pull out of sight. 

    That image keeps returning 

    With its maddening refrain, 

    I missed much more than the train I missed 

    The day I missed that train. 

     

    I miss each little one-horse town 

    That backs up to the rails, 

    The clotheslines, the tire swings, 

    The schoolhouse, the jail, 

    All the faces turning, 

    To the turning weathervane, 

    I missed much more than the train I missed 

    The day I missed that train. 

     

    The fields of hay, and wheat, and rye, 

    The swallows on the wing, 

    The scarecrow with the steady eye 

    Observing everything, 

    Majestic towering silos 

    Filling up with grain, 

    I missed much more than the train I missed 

    The day I missed that train. 

     

    The pines that climb the contoured hills 

    That pass, and roll on by, 

    The moving shadows cast by clouds, 

    The changing colors of the sky, 

    The pointillistic patterns 

    Where cattle dot the plain, 

    I missed much more than the train I missed 

    The day I missed that train. 

     

    My destiny was manifest, 

    My fate at my command, 

    Was feeling right, feeling blest, 

    My future in my hand. 

    Now in my dreams I’m on the platform 

    Standing hatless in the rain. 

    I missed much more than the train I missed 

    The day I missed that train. 

     

    Beside her in the darkling coach, 

    There on the empty seat, 

    Now fade from promise to reproach 

    A letter’s words that once were sweet 

    And on her cheek a lonely tear 

    Reflected in the pane. 

    I missed much more than the train I missed 

    The day I missed that train 

     

    Yes I was too late to the station, 

    I ran with all my might, 

    Stopped dead on the platform, 

    I watched that train pull out of sight. 

    That image keeps returning 

    With its maddening refrain, 

    I missed much more than the train I missed 

    The day I missed that train 

     

          Larry Scanlon: guitar & vocals: 

          Karl Allweier: bass, lead guitar, mandolin, & percussion 

          John Ross: percussion 

     

     

    At the Corner of Hackney and Chestnut

    (Where chance and circumstance collide) 

     

    Sighs heave 

    Friends leave       

    Wind blows 

    Love grows 

    Children sleep 

    Serpents creep 

    Babies cry 

    Suits lie 

     

    Yes, there are countless reasons why 

    We win or why we lose 

    Sometimes we laugh, we sometimes cry 

    We seldom get to choose 

     

    Give the wheel another spin 

    The coin another toss 

    Chalk up another win 

    Take another loss 

     

    Moon glows 

    River flows 

    Birds nest 

    The dead rest 

    Bridges burn 

    Wheels turn 

    Truth hides 

    Love abides 

     

    Give the wheel another spin 

    The coin another toss 

    Chalk up another win 

    Take another loss 

     

    Cause there are countless reasons why 

    We win or why we lose 

    Sometimes we laugh, we sometimes cry 

    We seldom get to choose 

     

    The strong survive 

    The wicked thrive 

    The faithful stay 

    Priests prey 

    Pride falls 

    Duty calls 

    The craven cringe 

    The mad unhinge 

     

    The stable genius was on top 

    The heartless, vain, malign buffoon, 

    Whose blather seemed to have no stop, 

    Now he sings a different tune 

     

    There is no final alibi 

    It’s the universal epitaph 

    You know, when you want to cry 

    Sometimes you just have to laugh 

     

    Bells ring 

    Birds sing 

    Doves return 

    Lovers yearn 

    Losers win 

    Wheels spin 

    Nothing lasts 

    There is no past 

     

    Yes, there are countless reasons why 

    We win or why we lose 

    Sometimes we laugh, we sometimes cry 

    We seldom get to choose 

     

    There is no final alibi 

    It’s the universal epitaph 

    You know, when you want to cry 

    Sometimes you just have to laugh 

     

          Larry Scanlon: guitar & vocals 

          Dan Keegan: drums 

          TC Bronwell: bass & organ 

     

     

    Come Sit by Me, Marie 

     (The title is something my dad used to say to my mom when she’d be fussing over something or stressed and needed comfort.) 

     

    The shiny billboards call for our attention 

    And we submit to them so dutifully 

    We gaze at them in rapt misapprehension 

    As if we've all been blinded by decree 

    Come sit by me, Marie 

     

    The charging bull's been loosed from Bowling Green 

    It's breaking all our well-kept crockery 

    The unthinkable has now become routine 

    What's fit for outrage has no boundary 

    Come sit by me, Marie 

     

    We may escape from all the world's distress 

    I've come up with the perfect remedy 

    I've set a table in the wilderness 

    And spread it with a cloth for toast and tea 

    Come sit by me, Marie 

     

    The echo chamber roars, now hear the din                             

    And each one present, every absentee                           

    Wants to be heard, but how to begin                           

    When you can't even hear to disagree? 

    Come sit by me, Marie 

     

    Now fantasy parades in place of fact 

    And revels in malignant jubilee 

    Truth itself is subject to attack 

    And everything’s a vast conspiracy 

    Come sit by me, Marie 

     

    Hear the grating roar at Dover Beach, 

    The lapping on the shore at Innisfree, 

    And neither place is ever out of reach 

    We’ll journey through our own geography 

    Come sit by me, Marie 

     

    A storm is bringing drought and flood and fire 

    To the smoky wood, abandoned rookery 

    A tempest rages, fueled by our desire 

    Resentful wind blows ferociously 

    Come sit by me, Marie 

     

    The field beside the road is swirling dust 

    The rutted road is cluttered with debris 

    The carriage rigging’s rotted, gone to rust 

    The wheel has fallen from the axle tree 

    Come sit by me, Marie 

     

    Let us escape from all the world’s distress 

    Arise and go, there’s a better place to be 

    I've set a table in the wilderness 

    And spread it with a cloth for toast and tea 

    Come sit by me, Marie 

     

          Larry Scanlon: guitar & vocals 

          Libby Weitnauer: violin 

     

     

    Straight Ahead 

    (The title is something my brother Jimmy used to say when taking off on his global travels: So long, straight ahead!) 

     

    One time, I stood on a fault line 

    I thought thinking a thought crime 

    Wandering under a bad sign 

    Feeling under a spell 

    The world is vast and wide where I dwell 

    There’s infinite space inside of a nutshell 

    The ocean’s roar is there in the seashell 

    I let it all go, and now the world is mine 

     

    I’d forgotten more than I could know 

    And yesterday was oh so long ago 

     

    I heard nothing but hearsay 

    Every voice would echo and ricochet 

    I felt alone as a castaway 

    Feeling ever so small 

    Dried out, I welcomed the rainfall 

    Cut short, I stayed for the long haul 

    Knocked down, I stood up to stand tall 

    After all, still finding my way 

     

    No matter what, I always have returned 

    To each and every one of my bridges burned 

     

    I wish I could play the violin 

    Or, well, maybe the mandolin 

    Just like Grapelli or Grisman 

    Imagine the thrill 

    I can hold the world at a standstill 

    Reduce a mountain down to a molehill 

    Surrender myself, give up my free will 

    Make my world as wide as a grin 

     

    Just when I thought I’d heard it all 

    I turned my head so I could hear the call 

     

    Woke up, feeling near half dead 

    Head filled with all that I dread 

    Washed off down at the riverbed 

    Turned the bitter to bittersweet 

    Follow the sounds, listen to my feet 

    Walking on grass, clacking on concrete 

    Stroll along down easy street 

    Thinking of things left unsaid 

     

    I could look back, keep living where I’ve been 

    Or look straight ahead, find a new place to begin 

     

          Larry Scanlon: 12-string guitar & vocals 

          Arden Yonkers: bass 

          Dan Keegan: drums & glockenspiel 

          Dan Nosheny: accordion 

     

     

    Some of What I Heard 

    (My attempt to write a John Prine song) 

     

    I’ve seen all kinds of weather 

    As I’ve gone from town to town 

    Barely hold myself together 

    Patches patched around 

    Saw the plains of paradise 

    Stood on stony ground 

    Heard some funny stories 

    Didn’t write them down 

     

    Though this might not all be word for word 

    I’ll tell you some of what I heard 

     

    Fellow said, I used to drive a taxi 

    Worked at bending steel 

    Lunched on dirty waters 

    Broke for some liquid meals 

    Played cards and threw the laughing bones 

    And fell for every deal 

    Now I’m knocked and bounced around 

    The pill upon the wheel 

     

    Another said, I started off with petty theft 

    An eager young recruit 

    I’ve hidden in a hideout 

    Been hounded by pursuit 

    They locked me up for larceny 

    And laundering my loot 

    They threw away the key 

    I should have worn a suit 

     

    And someone said, I tried to lead a healthy life 

    Best as I was able 

    Make sure my food was wholesome 

    To put upon the family table 

    Went down to the market 

    Tried the read the labels 

    Told them they should post 

    A periodic table 

     

    Though that might not be word for word 

    That’s for certain some of what I heard 

     

    Fellow said, they hired me as a carpenter 

    I was their last resort 

    Always tried to do my best 

    But I’m sorry to report 

    I found the building plans 

    Gave me no support 

    I kept taking a little more off 

    The board was still too short 

     

    Young fellow said, I can drive a racecar 

    Throw it into gear 

    I can join the army 

    I’m free to volunteer 

    I can marry anyone 

    Who’d want to call me dear 

    Can purchase a machine gun 

    Can’t buy a beer 

     

    That might not all be word for word 

    But it’s for certain some of what I heard 

     

    I’ve seen all kinds of weather 

    As I’ve gone from town to town 

    Barely hold myself together 

    Patches patched around 

    Saw the plains of paradise 

    Stood on stony ground 

    Heard some funny stories 

    Didn’t write them down 

     

    That might not be all word for word 

    But is for certain some of what I heard 

    Yeah that might not all be word for word 

    But it’s for certain some of what I heard 

     

          Larry Scanlon: guitar & vocals 

          Dan Keegan: drums 

          Karl Allweier: bass & lead guitar 

     

     

    Pine Breeze or Salt Air 

    (A love story with two or three settings) 

     

    Eyes bright 

    Shine like moonglow 

    We go 

    Walking in the night 

     

    Climb high 

    Over the hilltop 

    We stop 

    Look at the sky 

     

    She say 

    Isn’t it lovely 

    Above we 

    See the Milky Way 

     

    It seems 

    Under the starlight 

    We might 

    Inhabit a dream 

     

    Gull cry 

    Over the wave breaks 

    See the line that the eye makes 

    Between sea and sky 

     

    Fair wind 

    Brushes the ocean 

    Perpetual motion 

    Wrinkling sand 

     

    We know 

    The pull of the pale moon 

    Be turning the tide soon 

    Ebb and flow 

     

    It seems 

    Out in the sunlight 

    We just might 

    Inhabit a dream 

     

    We walk 

    Out in the meadow 

    Look at the shadow 

    Hovering hawk 

     

    Reborn 

    Wandering we go 

    Intent as the scarecrow 

    Watching the corn 

     

    Red wing 

    Lights on the rail fence 

    Stirs the silence 

    Hear it whistle and sing 

     

    It seems 

    Pine breeze or salt air 

    Whenever we’re there 

    The world is a dream 

    Yes it seems 

    Pine breeze or salt air 

    Whenever we’re there 

    The world is a dream 

     

          Larry Scanlon: guitar & vocals 

          Mike ‘Slo-Mo’ Brenner: steel guitar 

          Libby Weitnauer: violin 

     

     

         

    A Half Dozen of the Other 

     

    Baby Without You 

    (My attempt at a pop song) 

     

    Baby without you 

    The sun would still shine 

    There’d be promise in its rising 

    But it wouldn’t be mine 

     

    Baby without you 

    Hearts would still yearn 

    Each for one another 

    But it wouldn’t be my turn 

     

    Without you, I’m an errant thought, 

    Considered and dismissed 

    The extra sock, a glove misplaced, 

    My name heads the list. 

    A stranded sailor tied to shore, 

    A nomad tired of wandering, 

    A peregrine that wants to soar 

    But falls on broken wing. 

     

    Baby without you 

    The moon would still rise 

    Its beguiling charms 

    Would be nothing to my eyes 

     

    Baby without you 

    The fire would still glow 

    It’s warm and welcome comfort 

    Would be nothing that I’d know. 

     

    Without you, all my former joys 

    Are meager infelicities 

    The sweetest music only noise, 

    There is no forest, there are no trees. 

    You’ve heard about that engine 

    That’s lost its driving wheel, 

    I think that I would feel that way 

    If I could only feel. 

     

    Baby without you, 

    I’d still sip the wine 

    But to my taste 

    It might as well be turpentine 

     

    Baby without you 

    I’ll still wake each day 

    But all of my tomorrows 

    Are already yesterday. 

     

    Baby without you 

    The sun would still shine 

    There’d be promise in its rising 

    But it wouldn’t be mine 

     

    Baby without you 

    Hearts would still yearn 

    Each for one another 

    But it wouldn’t be my turn 

     

          Larry Scanlon: guitar & vocals 

          Karl Allweier: bass & lead guitar 

          Dan Keegan: drums 

     

     

    Across the Borderline 

    (Ry Cooder, Jim Dickinson, & John Hiatt) 

    (A wonderful song from the great Ry Cooder) 

     

    There’s a place where I’ve been told 

    Every street is paved with gold 

    And it’s just across the borderline 

    And when it’s time to take your turn 

    There’s a lesson that you must learn 

    You could lose more than you’ll ever hope to find 

     

    When you reach the broken promised land 

    And every dream slips through your hands 

    Then you’ll know that it’s too late to change your mind 

    Cause you’ve paid the price to come so far 

    Just to wind up where you are 

    And you’re still just across the borderline 

     

    Up and down the Rio Grande 

    A thousand footprints in the sand 

    Reveal a secret no one can define 

     The river flows on like a breath 

    In between life and death 

    Tell me who’s the next to cross the borderline 

     

    En la triste oscuridad 

    Hoy temenos que cruzar 

    Este rio que nos llama mas alla 

     But hope remains when pride is gone 

    And it keeps you moving on 

    Calling you across the borderline 

     

    When you reach the broken promised land 

    And every dream slips through your hands 

    Then you’ll know that it’s too late to change your mind 

    Cause you’ve paid the price to come so far 

    Just to wind up where you are 

    And you’re still just across the borderline 

    Now you’re still just across the borderline 

     

          Larry Scanlon: guitar & vocals 

          Arden Yonkers: bass 

          Dan Keegan: drums 

          Mike ‘Slo-Mo’ Brenner: steel guitar 

          Libby Weitnauer: violin 

     

     

    Wrack my Brain 

    (Is this a country song, a tongue-in-cheek take on one, or both?) 

     

    Ever since you walked out that door 

    I pace the room and walk the floor 

    You must know I’m still looking for 

    A reason 

     

    With all the promises we made 

    You said your love would never fade 

    And I never thought that you would trade 

    In treason 

     

    CHORUS 

    I wrack my brain 

    Since you’ve been gone—with thinking 

    I feel my gray cells turning black and blue 

    To ease the pain 

    I take a drink—and keep on drinking 

    But drinking gets me thinking 

    About you 

     

    We both signed on that dotted line 

    Swore I’d be yours and you’d be mine 

    Our two lives would be entwined 

    Together 

     

    Remember that you said I do 

    For better or worse you would be true 

    You’d stay with me, I’d stay with you 

    Forever 

     

    REPEAT CHORUS 

     

    Good and bad times we’ve been through 

    Read the vows again and you 

    Will see that it would be a sin for you 

    To leave me 

     

    Now you complain that I’m untrue 

    I know I’ve had a fling or two 

    But my heart always stayed with you 

    Believe me 

     

    REPEAT CHORUS     

         

    Every anniversary 

    You’re sure to get a card from me 

    You have my word, my guarantee 

    Be grateful 

     

    I tell the world how cute you look 

    You know I like the way you cook 

    We swore upon the holy book 

    Be faithful 

     

    REPEAT CHORUS 

     

          Larry Scanlon: guitar & vocals 

          Dan Keegan: drums 

          Karl Allweier: bass & lead guitar 

          Mike ‘Slo-Mo’ Brenner: steel guitar 

     

     

    A Guy I Used to Know 

    (Subtitled The Antimetabole Song. A song about a guy I used to know. Maybe you knew him too.) 

     

    I often get to feeling blue 

    It doesn’t matter what I do 

    What I do just doesn’t matter 

    My thoughts like frighted birds have scattered 

    So shattered and deferred, my dreams 

    Are benighted, all for naught, it seems 

    And I haven’t got a clue 

    Why I get to feeling blue 

     

     I’ve squandered opportunities 

    And countless days I failed to seize 

    Yes, I failed to seize so many days 

    Neglected in oh so many ways 

    So many days lost to neglect 

    I’ve even lost my self-respect 

    The reason why? Don’t ask me, please, 

    I‘ve squandered opportunities. 

     

    I built myself a wall so high 

    It blocked the sun out of the sky 

    Yes, from the sky I blocked the sun 

    Sent the clear skies on the run 

    It’s on the run clear skies have gone 

    I’ve only darkness with the dawn 

    I just don’t know the reason why 

    I built myself a wall so high. 

     

    I dug myself a hole so deep 

    I could drown in the tears I’d weep 

    It’s in those tears that I could drown 

    As I go down deep and deeper down 

    You know, the deeper down I go 

    The less and less it is I know 

    Just why in the world I should keep 

    Digging in that hole so deep. 

     

    I dug my heels in, held a grudge, 

    Steadfast and stubborn, wouldn’t budge 

    Wouldn’t budge, stood steadfast, 

    A captain strapped to his own mast 

    My road to ruin precisely mapped 

    I am in my own ambush trapped 

    And I must be the last to judge 

    Why I held on to a grudge. 

     

    I let my head be filled with pride 

    I should have felt ashamed inside 

    What I should have felt was shame 

    I have only myself to blame 

    Yes I can only blame myself 

    For a tiny trophy on a dusty shelf 

    Why was I so self-satisfied 

    To let my head swell up with pride? 

     

    I went down that road feeling bad 

    To shake the blues that made me sad 

    You know I had to shake those blues 

    And negativity refuse. 

    I had to lose the negative 

    Take from the road what it had to give 

    Feeling good myself, now I’m so glad 

    I went down that road feeling bad. 

     

    Still, I often get to feeling blue, 

    It doesn’t matter what I do 

    No, what I do just doesn’t matter 

    My thoughts like frighted birds have scattered 

    So shattered and deferred, my dreams 

    Are benighted, all for naught, it seems 

    And I haven’t got a clue 

    Why I get to feeling blue 

     

          Larry Scanlon: guitar & vocals 

          Dan Keegan: drums 

          John Ross: bass 

          Dan Nosheny: accordion 

          Libby Weitnauer: violin 

     

     

    They Said They Said 

    (A nod to the Beatles in the title) 

     

    Come on down for a hanging, 

    They’re clean and don’t take long. 

    Come on down for a hanging, 

    Bring a friend along. 

    I went down to get one, 

    The line was too damn long. 

     

    Sign said no left turn, 

    Detour to the right. 

    Sign said no left turn, 

    There was nothing else in sight. 

    I’m looking at a dead end 

    After riding through the night. 

     

    Tell me that you love me, 

    You know I love you so. 

    She said, tell me that you love me, 

    I’ll never let you go. 

    Ah, what I know now, 

    Then I didn’t know. 

     

    They said it was the greatest deal, 

    Deal of the century, 

    They said it was the greatest deal, 

    And they offered it to me! 

    I paid that low, low, discount price, 

    Can’t afford the fee. 

     

    Won a ticket at the carnival, 

    Signed by Lady Luck, 

    She said come back tomorrow 

    Collect your hundred bucks. 

    Returned next day to cash it, 

    Carny’s all hauled off in trucks. 

     

    They said it was a sure thing, 

    The favorite would place, 

    They said it was a sure thing, 

    My horse would win the race. 

    I put my money down, 

    Now it’s gone without a trace. 

     

    They said it would be easy cash, 

    A simple robbery. 

    Our pockets full of easy cash, 

    We’d get away scot-free. 

    Well, you can read all about it 

    In my prison diary. 

     

    My teachers taught me well, 

    Showed me the way. 

    Taught me what to think, 

    Told me what to say. 

    Now those emperors 

    Stand naked on display. 

     

    Yes, they taught me to believe 

    In invisible entities, 

    Said I could converse with them 

    If I got down on my knees. 

    Now what was never living 

    Can never truly find decease. 

     

    I thought that I was dreaming, 

    But that was just a dream, 

    Then I dreamt that I was dreaming, 

    But that was just another dream. 

    Now I know that sometimes 

    Things are just the way they seem. 

     

    Yeah, come on down for a hanging, 

    They’re clean and don’t take long, 

    Come on down for a hanging, 

    Bring a friend along. 

    I went down to get one, 

    The line was too damn long. 

              

          Larry Scanlon: guitar & vocals 

          John Ross: keyboards 

     

     

    Shekomeko Flow 

    (About the history and geography of the local area where I live. The Shekomeko Creek flows through the woods behind my house.) 

     

    Went from Pine Plains up to Gallatin 

    Stopped at Patchin Mill 

    Walked on on Silvernails 

    Up to the Jansen kill 

    That flows down from Ancram 

    Where they forged the mighty chain 

    That stretched across the Hudson 

    Against a tyrant’s reign 

     

    CHORUS 

    As I walk I think about 

    How time moves on apace 

    And then time itself turns about 

    To times that even time cannot erase 

    Flow Shekomeko 

    Shekomeko flow 

     

    I passed the place, the native home 

    Near where the last Mahican stood 

    Stood still awhile, all alone 

    And followed a deer trail through the wood 

    Down to where the water flows 

    As clearly now as it did then 

    Listened to what the water knows 

    Of time, and times, and time again 

     

    REPEAT CHORUS 

     

    Back to the days before the mill 

    Before the forge, before the chain 

    Icebound Jansen never walked 

    Beside the kill that bears his name 

    But Manessah practiced medicine 

    And if I listen I can hear 

    And feel its healing regimen 

    In the flowing stream that still ruins clear 

     

    REPEAT CHORUS 

     

          Larry Scanlon: guitar & vocals 

          Karl Allweier: bass & dobro 

          Dan Keegan: drums & percussion

     

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