Get all 7 mark mathis releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Night Hymns, a' la carte, Secret In This Town, We Both was Young, warship, public radio by mark mathis, and songs i learned in college.
1. |
sharecropper
03:59
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first time i saw you i swore that nothing on heaven or earth could compare
your skin was brown like the soil that i worked all day long and your eyes were like fire
i was afraid that you wouldn't care a thing for me - i was afraid of this very fear
but you were there waiting - when i came calling - i couldn't have done it again if i'd tried
but she was young
and i was young
and we're not afraid
to live life to the fullest
when you took me to your hometown - people they didn't understand
when you took me to your house - they would not shake my hand
well, it is love - why can nobody see it?
do they know what love looks like - or do they choose to ignore?
if you want me - you can have me
and just maybe - i will change your world for you
cos these feelings - that i'm feelin'
they make me not afraid to change your world for you
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2. |
oh king,
03:47
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oh king, what is thy bidding
do you want us to empty the woods
of the thieves and loose women
and the degenerate souls that live there
oh king, do you want us to wage war?
on a people so far away
do i have to leave the woman
that was promised to me
oh cain, where's your brother
could you not control your rage
and you live to kill another in the hearts of men today
oh cain, have you figured it out yet
cos i got some people who'd like to know
can our shame turn to sorrow
'til forgiveness and grace unfold
but i wish that i could rise
from the filth before my eyes
and i wish that i could clean
all these dirty things in me
and i wish that i could live
not only with my head
that this new man could be released
that's been waiting inside of me
oh father, please forgive them
for they know not what they do
they have despised me and rejected you
yeah, that much is true
but oh father, it is you that has called them
and has redeemed them all by name
can their shame turn to sorrow
'til forgiveness and grace unfold
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3. |
love in the afterlife
03:51
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you were on fire so bearably hot
you burned much brighter and then you burned out
did you really think you'd go on forever
the women all cried when you tied the knot
senators and congressmen sent their regards
and your wedding shut down a city block
i hope that you find love in the afterlife
your wife had a son and she gave him your name
your friends say that you and he look just the same
but he don't have the hunger you had at his age
i hope that you find love in the afterlife
your son made a record and it made him a star
but mostly because people know who you are
does he resent you - maybe he's got the right to
i hope that you find love in the afterlife
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4. |
her name on my arm
05:12
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it was summer in our hearts
when the wheat was fully grown
saw you standing in the yard
a beauty to behold
i carved your name on my arm
i carved your name
it was winter when we lied
and ran off to elope
played cards that winter long
and wrestled in the snow
and i carved your name in the ice
i carved your name
drove south to alabama
with the ocean in our head
you did not even wait for me
doing cartwheels in the sand
and i carved your name in the white
sand by the light of the moon
we stayed awake that night
just to watch the morning come
this is where i leave you
this is where my story ends
you wanted to know the reason
for the writing on my skin
i carved her name on my arm
i loved her then
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5. |
your eyes
03:23
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what happened this morning
i overslept
and i missed your kiss
as i lay in bed
and woke up feeling alone
there are times i wish
i was a persian cat
i'd lay curled up inside your lap
listening to hear you breathe
oh your eyes are my place to hide
when the world is closing in on me
you were right when you said that i'd
be needing you - if you only knew how much
it was me and it was you
in a photo booth
just to get away
from the crowd that day
and i still hold that picture of you
of when you crawled out of your silk cocoon
and i carried you from the icu
you were tender
but you were new
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6. |
prenup
04:01
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i wrote your father a letter asking him for your hand
he said, "son, we're both excited, but there's things to understand.
You see i caught myself that bluebird through my wits and workin' hard.
And i will not give it to my daughter's man - with a degree in art."
you see these things have been set in place for as long as i can remember
and I'm not one to change the old ways - honey, love's not as good as tender
i said, "sir, i don't want your money, but i will not sign your slip.
And if you really were a man of honor, yeah, you wouldn't ask me this.
You'd just say, 'son, i'm sorry - i'm afraid it just won't work.
Cos i'm afraid you'll plunder me - when i'm six feet under earth'".
come on baby, let's build us a cabin on a mountain in the sky
and have ourselves some children and teach them to be wise
'cos life is just not living if you're scared to take a risk
tell me that you'll marry me - tell me with a kiss
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7. |
i am the deep blue sea
05:36
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sit down young children on my sandy shore - i am the deep blue sea
i have a story for every boy and girl - who will listen to me
you see, i was born in a thunderstorm and as a raindrop i felt so free
'til i was taken from the river i loved - she was like a mother to me
it's true my waters are fraught with danger - but i need you to believe
that i have never hurt an honest sailor - or battered your home with my seas
that's from the north wind, that's from the south wind, that's from the west and the east
they trespass on me - they raise my fury - they make me foam and they make me boil
i have a friend
one that i love
her name is the moon
she holds me close
when she gets thirsty
i let her drink
when morning comes
i lay her back down to sleep
you may ask ,child, how old i am - well i'm as old as there is time
anchors have scarred my deep blue heart and the whalemen robbed me blind
end times are comin' - i will give up all these souls that i have hid
and in the firelight i will return to the place i did begin
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8. |
in love at 19
03:33
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something in the way that time stands still
when you walk towards me - i feel
hope, peace, and eternity - baby
something in the way your eyes speak
yeah, they held me close and you breathed
life into me, ten-thousand white doves were released
see how my eyes tell this story
of a man and his eternal devotion
throw your head back, girl, and laugh one more time
now is the season for me and you
something in the way your voice speaks
as it comforts and uncovers all my needs
'cos i'm a wild horse, baby, running through the canyon
and half the time i don't know what i'm running for
see how my eyes tell this story
of a man and his eternal devotion
throw your head back, girl, and laugh one more time
now is the season for me and you
i know our love is just a reflection
of all that we want to believe
come let me lift you up just one more time
now is the reason for you and me
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9. |
new day
04:42
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i have risen from ashes and been called clean
i've been sprinkled with the water that purifies me
and i kissed my baby, september morning
'til time came to take her from me
and if i was honest with myself - i just can't forgive
these witches and vampires and women that hurt me
raising the question - it must be a decision
nailing my bitter to the wall
'cos it's a new day that i wanna be living
a new day with you
'cos it's a new day that i have been given
a new day with you
stronger men than me they have retired
punched clean out of this life
and in a way i don't blame them thye've seen more than i have
and may angels close their eyes
and it's true what they say that you can only meet them
somewhere just past halfway
and it's there i'll be waitin' by that old woodshed
and nail my bitter to the wall
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10. |
we will fall in love
04:11
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when the sun pulled out of the station
the world went black
the world went black
the world went black
when my baby's train left the station
the world went black
the world went black
the world went black
and the same old sun that used to keep me warm
left me lonely and cold
left me lonely and cold
left me lonely and cold
get me away from this crazy world - we will fall in love
i want you in my life, girl - we will fall in love
so please hold you close to me - we will fall in love
whisper your sweet words to me - we will fall in love
as we pray to God above, and thank Him for the things He's done
it's been three long days of nothing but rain
and i've only got myself to blame
lift me up - come on and take control
'cos i've been missing you for so long baby
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11. |
marriage is hard
04:22
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come sail away with me my darlin'
driftin' across the sea
'cos i wanna be the one you want
i wanna be the one you need
when the weight of all this fashion
got me crawlin' on my knees
but your love, i can imagine
it's pulling me to my feet
oh my God, it's true
you can't have one without the other
it's crazy, but it's true
it would be so hard
to show her that you love her
was the dream in our head
better than the reality
baby, you and i know
that's not the way that it should be
come quickly to me my mystery
'cos we set sail with the tide
and in a voice half-spoke, half-whispered
i hear you say you'll try
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