Get all 8 Donal Hinely releases available on Bandcamp and save 20%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Diary of a Snowflake, You Call Yourself a Christian, Couldn't Breathe, Dark Horse Days, The Famous Rocket Cage, Blue State Boy, Giants, and We Built a Fire.
1. |
Giants
04:23
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The year that they got the first Kennedy
Was the year I was born--1963
Arriving with Camelot's last motorcade
Before the bright gold of autumn faded to grey
And I wasn't quite 5 when America burned
I know 'cause they interupted "As the World Turns"
Momma held me tight as she rocked and she cried
As the fire spread from Memphis all through the night
Carve all the names in a monument wall
Come gather 'round the flame and pretend nothing's wrong
While the smallest of men preach to the crowd
There were giants back then, we could sure use them now
And I was still in high school when the disc jockey said
On a Manhattan sidewalk a songwriter lay dead
He was survived by a wife and two kids
And millions of dreamers, his words and his wit
Carve all the names in a monument wall
Come gather 'round the flame and pretend nothing's wrong
While the smallest of men play to the crowd
There were giants back then, we could sure use them now
4.No answer's forthcoming as I sit here tonight
And of all of the questions, the hardest is why
But I can't help but wonder as I look at the list
What could have been, if only, what if
Carve all the names in a monument wall
Come gather 'round the flame and pretend nothing's wrong
While the smallest of men smirk at the crowd
There were giants back then, we could sure use them now
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2. |
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I raised you on a steady diet of three chord corn
and elderberry wine
Heartache in three part harmony but now you
only listen to the bottom line
Fly me home on the Great Speckled Bird
Said the fiddler as he washed his hands
To back before music was a product
when everybody sang and everybody danced
And I was there waiting at the station
When Father Handy heard an eerie sound
Glass on steel cutting through the cotton
From the Mississippi Delta up to Memphis town
Take me home said the King with a tear
Sittin' on his throne reaching for his pants
To back before music was a product
when everybody sang and everybody danced
I hear a factory whistle blowing
On the Row they're working overtime
Polishing bones, whipping dead horses
I'm packing my bags for the Southern Line
Take me home said the pilgrim with a six string
I'm gonna run while I still gotta chance
To back before music was a product
When everybody sang and everybody danced
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3. |
Road to Ruin
03:00
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Hey man, what ya doin'
Out there alone on the road to ruin?
Trying to hide in the shadow of doubt
But the pain's got you figured out
You try to run, but it's got wings
And it hunts you down like a desperate thing
You can't embrace it, you can't erase it
In the end, bud, you just gotta face it
Hey man, what ya doin'
Out there alone on the road to ruin?
Trying to hide in the shadow of doubt
But the pain's got you figured out
Look around at what you've got
It ain't much but its a helluva lot
Come inside you shouldn't have to be told
That the greatest gift is a hand to hold
Hey man, what ya doin'
Out there alone on the road to ruin?
Trying to hide in the shadow of doubt
But the pain's got you figured out
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4. |
Shock and Awe
03:05
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Just pausing for reflection as another year goes by
Seems the older I get the more quickly they fly
And colder is the winter and slower is the thaw
And I just shake my head in shock and awe
As I look back I wonder how much I've been untrue
There are things that I say then there are things that I do
Guess I skated by one more time with my fingers crossed
And I just shake my head in shock and awe
Then I think about the innocent whose wounds will never heal
Sent to die for reasons yet to be revealed
And I think about the families whose pain is cold and raw
And I just shake my head in shock and awe
Then there are the others with much to celebrate
This year was a good one for the messengers of hate
Those who twist the words of Jesus and Allah
And I just shake my head in shock and awe
Some say it was a year when fear and anger won
When heroes were defeated by fortunate sons
I say we're just distracted by the sound of our applause
And I just shake my head in shock and awe
Ten thousand miles away blood soaks in the sand
Another bitter harvest reaped by the pride of man
Ten thousand miles away some kid won't see the dawn
And I just close my eyes in shock and awe
Just pausing for reflection as another year goes by
Seems the older I get the more quickly they fly
And colder is the winter and slower is the thaw
And I just shake my head in shock and awe
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5. |
The Shakes
02:29
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Look who's coming home today
From a vacation far away
Getting high, getting low, getting nowhere
Pulling into the station with the shakes
Look who's smile is fading fast
As he destroys her picture of the past
She finds it hard to cope she's feeling hopeless
Pumping life into something that won't last
Pumping life into something that won't last
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6. |
You and Me
03:33
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We've got trouble girl, ain't he beautiful
7 pounds, 11 ounces full
He's got an open mind, and a stubborn will
And I'll do all I can to nurture both, I swear I will
And when I lay me down to sleep
I pray the good lord his soul to keep
When it was you and me we were free to be
Spontaneous and gloriously bored
After all this time what a shock to find we're a family
No it's not just you and me anymore
When I look at you that's when my vision's clear
I see every twist and turn in the road that brought us here
We were tempting Fate, we chasing dreams
From the dusty plains of Texas to the hills of Tennessee
What a surprise to find Fate held the upper hand
That dreams get modified by ever-changing plans
When it was you and me we were free to be
Spontaneous and gloriously bored
After all this time what a shock to find we're a family
No it's not just you and me anymore
These days I'm tired, I'm confused and mystified
But I wouldn't trade it for a simpler time
When it was you and me we were free to be
Spontaneous and gloriously bored
After all this time what a shock to find we're a family
No it's not just you and me anymore
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7. |
Bubble
01:50
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I'm waiting for the bubble to pop
Listening for the other shoe to drop
Wondering when somebody's gonna shake me awake
And knock me off this mountaintop
I'm happy and it's got me scared
Feel like I've taken more than my share
But what can I do except hold on to you
And hope tommorow that you'll be there
I'm happy and it's got me scared
I can almost feel a change in the air
But what can I do except hold on to you
And hope tommorow that you'll be there
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8. |
Louisville
05:15
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Milagros sparkle like dented chrome
Crosses gleam like weathered bone
X marks the spot, gone from this world
They dot this road like a string of pearls
And connect the miles that lead me home
Got no one else to blame
If I die behind the wheel
One card left to play
I'll think of you until
Kentucky Derby day
Come on Louisville
A restless heart and a stubborn will
Took me far from Louisville
Sweet mystery in a cotton dress
You left my life a holy mess
But I must confess I love you still
Got no one else to blame
If I die behind the wheel
One card left to play
I'll think of you until
Kentucky Derby day
Come on Louisville
Your memory and a full moon sky
Your love grown cold another highway shrine
When promise dies what's left to show
Just a faded plastic rose
And a ribbon of gold that's come untied
Got no one else to blame
If I die behind the wheel
One card left to play
I'll think of you until
Kentucky Derby day
Come on Louisville
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9. |
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Go on and laugh if you want but I'm here to say
That nothing sounded better than an 8 track tape
Through triaxle speakers in a Chevy Malibu
On a high school night with nothing to do
But cruise up and down livin' the song
Talkin' Cheap Trick live at Budokan
Maybe that dates me, makes me unhip
But you ain't lived son till you've made that trip
It was far too quiet in a Texas town
So I cranked it up with the windows down
Flying through the night with the Dream Police
And forty thousand adolescent Japanese
For the life of me I couldn't understand
How the Dead Head freaks could pick the wrong band
No Kiss tickets, I was out of luck
So I saw Van Halen and man they sucked
But I met a little girl with a red dress on
She loved Cheap Trick live at Budokan
I know it's hard to fathom but someday slick
Your favorite CD's gonna be a relic
And you'll tell your kiddies like I'm telling you
Back in Tennessee, there was nothing to do
And they'll roll their eyes like you do when I say
There's something sacred in the hiss of tape
Go on and laugh if you want but I'm here to say
That nothing sounded better than an 8 track tape
Through triaxle speakers in a Chevy Malibu
On a high school night with nothing to do
But cruise up and down livin' the song
Talkin' Cheap Trick live at Budokan
"mommy's alright, daddy's alright they just seem a little wierd..."
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10. |
Adelaide
03:40
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Hitching backroads with an Alvarez guitar
Making my way to Adelaide
She pulled over where the gravel meets the tar
And asked me for a serenade
Come on, she said
Can't you see the door's wide open now?
So jump into the wishing well
Leave your worries on the road to Hell
We can ring the bells in Adelaide
She was smiling as she stepped into her flat
With a whiskey bottle and a rose
She had a tattoo of a raven on her back
I'm a fool for mystery I suppose
Come on, she said
Can't you see the door's wide open now?
So jump into the wishing well
Leave your worries on the road to Hell
We can ring the bells in Adelaide
I think about her when I'm counting my regrets
I should have stayed in Adelaide
Her memory like lipstick on a cigarette
Sweet little stain that never fades
Come on, she says
Can't you see the door's wide open now?
So jump into the wishing well
Leave your worries on the road to Hell
We can ring the bells in Adelaide
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11. |
Blue Ink
04:12
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In the kitchen on the table by the window
Underneath a diamond ring
A message from the hand of a lover
Written down in blue ink
Between the lines on the paper, heartache
A broken promise, a shattered dream
And three words--goodbye my darling
Written down in blue ink
Sometimes love is like a fairy tale
With the laughter true happiness brings
Sometimes love is like a sad, sad story
Written down in blue ink
Nothing burns as bright as illusions
The heart wants to believe
And nothing is as black as the cold truth
Written down in blue ink
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12. |
The One
03:59
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It was fun, such a lovely place
But now our race is run
As the colors fade out in the Western sky
What a day it was, but time is cruel
It makes fools of us
Tommorow's not a promise its a lie
Carry me, this love for you it carries me
And in my heart you'll always be
You'll always be the one
Like a dream that's the only word
For such a perfect thing
A streaking star across the midnight blue
Blink of a eye that's the time it takes
My love to say goodbye
And forever is for getting over you
Carry me, this love for you it carries me
And in my heart you'll always be
You'll always be the one
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Donal Hinely Nashville, Tennessee
In 1994, Hinely left his hometown of Denton, TX and moved to Nashville. A prolific writer and recording artist, he has 17 albums to his credit including the folk chart topping Giants (2005). Hinely also entertains thousands of people each year at festivals and street fairs playing his glass harmonica. He learned to play the instrument from his late brother Terry, a self-taught master of the art. ... more
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