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Giants

by Donal Hinely

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    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. , and , .

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1.
Giants 04:23
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
2.
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
3.
Road to Ruin 03:00
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
4.
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
5.
The Shakes 02:29
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
6.
You and Me 03:33
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
7.
Bubble 01:50
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
8.
Louisville 05:15
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
9.
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..."
10.
Adelaide 03:40
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
11.
Blue Ink 04:12
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
12.
The One 03:59
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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released March 1, 2005

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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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