Get all 24 Alex McMurray releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Fuck This Town, The Recent Future, My Everything, Ignacio, Here At The End Of The World, Road Songs, The Devil, West End, and 16 more.
1. |
High Summer
03:26
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When i stand straight and tall i can almost see the place
school is almost out
through the woods how we would race
to high summer, high summer
the places that i hid
when i was just a kid
warm beer and fireflies
i know a place where we can be alone
we never made a sound
ain’t it strange when your almost grown
in high summer, high summer
on graduation day
seems so far away
high summer, high summer
on independence day
you get drunk and you roam around
these streets of a young boys town
just waitin’ while you take your pick
while you decide, i'll catch a ride
but meet me at the five and dime
once last kiss
and then we'll say good bye
to summer time
to summer time
now i’m all growed up
winter's turned the trees from green to black
now and then i'll feel the scar
never fails to take me back
to high summer, high summer
oh how id like to go
but that was long ago
high summer high summer,
oh how id like to go
but that was long ago
high summer high summer
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2. |
Wedding Day
04:36
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the day is done
I’m knocking back the medicine
aint no sin
ain't no sin to be lonely
one more time
the faces of our friends floating past
till at last, I see my one and only
on our wedding day
seems like only yesterday
each night on my tv set
as if I ever could forget
our wedding day
we took our time or so they say
but now i don't have much to do
since time went and caught up with you
the kids are gone
your mamma took them I couldn’t tell
it’s just as well, because I’m a baby too.
I’m marking time
and everything is just as it was
just because they were touched by you
chorus
cut the cake
and next your gonna dance with my dad
still i'm glad
now you smile over your shoulder
my best man
flower girls and ring bearer boys
all the joys
and one day i grow older
chorus
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3. |
Joliet
03:51
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she was older than Chicago
she was nine years old
but she never did nothing like she was told
she played in the prison yard when the sun had set
‘cause the circus never comes to Joliet
this hole ain’t right for swimming
but we can play in the drain
there’s an old man comes out of there
every time it rains
some things that happened in that place
I’d just as soon forget
‘cause the circus never comes to Joliet
down at the skating rink I’m having my first drink
it’s high time I got started forgetting
find me a mean-faced Carlene
or a sweet-smelling Sue
and get down to some serious petting
so climb upon the razor wire and come along with me
ain’t it funny how this prison makes me feel free
Ain’t it hard when you’re awkward
Ain’t it hard when you’re weird
Ain’t it hard when you’re frightened
Ain’t it hard when you’re queer
My whole life I’ve been waiting, ain’t nothing been right yet
‘cause the circus never comes to Joliet
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4. |
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AM-guitar, vocals
Carlo Nuccio-drums
Matt Perrine-bass
Jeff Treffinger-omnichord
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5. |
Council Bluffs
05:34
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now council bluffs is a rough town
a lot rougher than me old man
he got caught up on its stick pin
but never was the same again
he cut his tooth on a golden glove
but he never knew where to hit
flat foot left him limping
but he never knew when to quit
now I’m sweeping the glass up
come from where I hid night after night
but there's no sweeping the past up
what’s done is did
its the same old fight
‘cause Council Bluffs is a rough old town
slap some shine on them trophies
take a rag upon the shelf
old man’s eyes they’re squinting
if only he could see hisself
not that life wouldn't hit him hard
less'n you could see the bruise
he just wasn't no born fighter
unless he had a thing to lose
now I search for the old man
shout out a name here and there
to where he leans on the trash can
what’s done is did
so say your prayers
‘cause Council Bluffs is a rough old town
he told me that its hard to see out of black eyes
and it’s a bitch to breathe when your bones is broke
but you just keep on punching walls
cause its all you can do
to keep moving
to keep moving
they don’t want no more fighters
men of teeth toe and fist
the spoils go to the gentler man
gone are the days of the pugilist
he ran his race and he ran it square
and each night before I put him down
he’d have a drink and we'd sit there
and never once did he make a sound
now I’m sweeping the glass up
come from where I hid
night after night
but there's no sweeping the past up
what’s done is did
and its the same old fight
‘cause Council Bluffs is a rough old town
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6. |
Effortless Binge
04:58
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I like walking
what a way for a man to get around
aching and shaking the dust from my shoes
I got a girl
except she don't know about me
she itches and twitches
and bottles up on the sly
I’m playing a fool’s game
my oh my
I’m on an effortless binge
don't the springtime feel good to you
like you’re kicking it in your jewel suit
with the dimes on the fringe
I’m on an effortless binge
I got the goods in my pocket
I got my love in a locket
I’m gonna fly off this hinge
I’ve been missing
buddy long since before that old war
rovin and ramblin from town to town
you take a job
you find yourself your favorite hole
you dance like the school boy
who paid for the kisses he stole
while all of the men folk are down digging coal
Chorus
it’s a family reunion
just her, me and old grand dad
if I wasn’t feeling so good
I’d be feeling so bad
I fell in love
yeah there’s lots worse mistakes to be made
the curse of the drunkard
that don’t know his heart
I’ll settle up
she comes in at a quarter to ten
the lady she’s taken
and I’m only faking again
and there’s a new bender waiting
around the next bend
I’m on an effortless binge
don’t the springtime feel good to you
like you’re kicking it in your jewel suit
with the dimes on the fringe
I’m on an effortless binge
I got the goods in my pocket
either way I’m gonna rock it
Im gonna fly off this hinge
I’m on an effortless binge
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7. |
Our Kind Of Rain
05:01
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Everybody keeps on talking
Saying how it never could’ve been
Then I lie and say I’m glad that you’re gone
I can shed my skin
Still the days are getting better
The cops’ been leaving me alone
Still sometimes I fell a million years old
Since you’ve gone home
They never had our kind of love
They never listened for a train
They never had our kind of sun, our moon, our stars
They never had our kind of rain
It’s getting lonely bumming quarters
With you it all became a ballet
Still it ain’t no fun stealing for one
At the Circle-K
And when I go down to the river
I hear your laugh in the calliope
What a world of wonder under the wharves
Just you and me
Chorus
Our kind of rain don’t fall ‘round here
Our kind of rain don’t fall like tears
Our kind of rain don’t fall this side of yesterday
Or last year
And there ain’t nothing that’s surprising
You were too evil for the street
I used to think that you could jump off the moon
And land on your feet
And when you go down to Decatur
Have a sit down in the sun
Take a pull ‘cause spring is finally here
And you’re undone
They never had our kind of love
They never listened for a train
They never had our kind of sun, our moon, our stars
They never had our kind of rain
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8. |
1914
03:37
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When I see you again I’ll be walking
when our girls are grown I will be here
I’ll walk through the door on a Sunday morn
Will I see you in some foreign field?
in the morning I will hear you laughing
and the guns will seem nothing more than a dream
When I see you again will you be waiting
to cover me in gentle kisses
the tears will have stung, but still we’ll be young
when I see you again
Under the stars when the night is clear
my heart will always be near
up on the line you know I’ll miss you
in my sleep I’ll turn to kiss you
I promise that I won’t be long
if you promise me that you’ll be strong, dear
and push from your heart all of your fears
Will I see flowers on the table
and all the things as I have known them
don’t you see you or I simply cannot die
until I see you again
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9. |
Upon The Soggy Bottom
05:04
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it ain’t so bad as graveyards go
a little damp, but listen close
so you can hear the whispers of a sailors ghost
on the day I sailed to sea
my mama cried, my daddy prayed
but it saved me from a banker’s wage
so on the sea I stayed
on the sea I stayed
I sailed the seas to learn the stars
but I soon forgot ‘em
on the day I came to rest upon the soggy bottom
see my pa there with his pipe
see my ma there in her gown
see me dance with all the girls in London town.
once I was a handsome man
I had a girl in every port
I lived to love them, I loved to leave them
I loved them just for sport
I loved them just for sport
I sailed the seas to learn the stars
but I soon forgot ‘em
on the day I came to rest upon the soggy bottom
come ye sailors, drink until you roar
don’t you know your money ain’t no good no more
now and then, you'll hear my ghost
rushing out, rushing in
can’t you hear the tide is going out again
let the others leave their tracks
where the cold winds ever blow
see them in the violet hour paying what they owe
paying what they owe
I sailed the seas to learn the stars
but I soon forgot ‘em
on the day I came to rest upon the soggy bottom
as a lad I loved my kin
but I soon forgot ‘em
on the day I came to rest upon the soggy bottom
upon the soggy bottom
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10. |
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I might look like kind of girl,
who just fell off the turnip truck,
but its really not that way
I've got piles of living that I’ve done
though my feet may seem completely
on the ground let me assure you
that baby, I've been around
It's not the years, it’s the miles
and the tears and the trials
of life that are killing me
and though I cant look away
I'm weary today
of things that once would be thrilling me
maybe this is just isn't my season
but I just cant see the reason
for plying my feminine wiles
it’s not the years its the miles
It's been funny I suppose
I dropped acid with the Eskimos
I ran naked through the streets of old Bombay
I've been in jail, on the loose
I slipped from the hangman's noose
do the scars on my neck give me away?
But I never had some much fun (my darlings)
as when my wandering round was done
I'm standing still and I'm all smiles
it’s not the years its the miles
once there as time when I was able
to drink ten sailors under the table
but it soon becomes a bore,
when your name is on the lips
of every sailor that wanders ashore
Now you know where I'm at
I'm hanging up my hat
hey the money wasn't even all that good
but I tell you my thesis
when I pick up the pieces
they'll go back together like they should
maybe I'm nearly half insane
but you won’t never hear me complain
‘cause that was never my style
It's not the years it’s the miles
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11. |
Lazy Eye
04:17
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Some folks slip into a life to find out they’re already there
Some folks slip in through the night hoping there’s somebody there
What’s a dog to do? Some bones too big to chew
Ain’t no shame in staying free from what you can’t see
With your lazy eye
I got friends they go down easy some they’re always gonna fight
I got friends who like it sleazy some they’re gone all night
Why not find a girl go through the whirl and twirl
Won’t be afraid of showing me as far as she can see
With her lazy eye
I studied all of the ceilings
I wore a hole in my chair
Walked through the floor with the pacing
I know she’s out there
With her lazy eye
Sometimes think I’ll pack it in except I never got the nerve
One more night straightjacketing guess I’ll get what I deserve
Another lonely guy just watching the world go by
Not such a bad way to be as far as I can see
With my lazy eye
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12. |
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Your pocket’s a little lighter
You’re reeling in the dawn
you make you way down Esplanade
after everybody’s gone
you stand outside her window
she turns her head away
on the day after Mardi Gras day
Let’s all go get our ashes
Let’s get down on our knees
while bits of broken costumes
hang in tatters in the trees
lord, I’m not a praying man,
but I can see no other way
on the day after Mardi Gras day
hey, on the day, after Mardi Gras day
they say it takes only forty days
to make that Jesus die
so why’s it got to happen every year?
we're never going to get it right
so what’s the use in trying?
guess I’ll just sell my car
and disappear
Let’s sleep here in our makeup
with the garbage all around
let’s learn to live another day
with our trinkets on the ground
cause she’s probably on a bus by now
to Miami or L.A.
on the day, after Mardi Gras day
hey, on the day, after Mardi Gras day
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13. |
The Old Bar
03:47
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I don’t want to go
back to the old bar
there’s too many memories there.
I don’t want to go
sit in the old spots
climb the old stairs
yeah, I just want to go
live on the moon,
be so much simpler then.
I don’t want to go
back to the old bar again.
I don’t want to live
in a town filled with people
without a thing to do
I don't want to sit
and talk to nobody
who say they’ve seen you
yeah, I just want to go
where nobody asks me
'baby how you you been?'
i dont want to go
back to the old bar
I will race you to the bottom
I’m a lot nearer than I used to be
I don’t want to look at my face in that mirror
have things got cloudy on me
or are they clearer?
I don’t want to go
back to the old bar again.
I don’t want to try my luck
in the new joints
beat myself in the head
I ain’t gonna do it
the same as the last time
I’m going away instead
and there will come a day
I will write you a letter
that i'll never send.
but I don’t want to go
back to the old bar .
I don’t want to go
back to the old bar
I don’t want to go
back to the old bar again
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14. |
Barry's Fashion Lighters
02:59
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Barry’s fashion lighters
he’s a fabulous guy
with a lighter to boot
but he'll never be more
than poo poo
to me
Barry, he's a cheerful kind of guy
but you better watch out
cause he will tell you to eat some dick
but you know that’s what he'd choose to do
if he could
Bunny and Sunny would never rub against him
he says they rub him the wrong way
but you know he’d love them to
rub him the right way tonight
Barry he’s a meticulous kind of guy
but he’s a pain in the ass,
when he’s smoking too much grass
and goes out drinking wine coolers and dancing
with Vince
drinking and dancing with Vince.
He’s out drinking and dancing with Vince
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15. |
Ballad Of An Old Dog
03:37
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come lay next to me where the sun can warm you
there’s not much heat in you anymore
you flew over tables and chairs in your day
but there’ll soon be a day when you get up no more
you smile at me as if to say
“old age it isn’t so bad.
I don’t wear no collar
I can’t run away”
then why’s your old eyes so sad my dog?
then why’s your old eyes so sad?
we buried you here where the sun can warm you
here where the grass is so green
as all of the grasses were greener for you
as all of the grasses is greener
as all of the grasses is greener
as all of the grasses is greener
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Alex McMurray New Orleans, Louisiana
I'm a New Orleans based singer songwriter type. I play in a bunch of bands. I make recordings sometimes. Some of them are here. Thanks for supporting my work. Drop me a line--I'd love to hear from you.
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