||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| _No Depression_ (1990). Songs by Tweedy/Farrar/Heidorn unless noted ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ::Graveyard Shift:: Hometown, the same town blues Same old walls closing in Oh what a life a mess can be I'm sitting here thinking of you Won't you give a few thoughts to me? Well time won't wait, better open the gate Get out and start, it needs to be done It's winding down, there's much you miss Working on that graveyard shift But I'm not saying things won't go wrong as each day comes along If what I see is true I could learn to believe Can't look away The powers that be might take it all away Together we'll burn, together we'll burn it away Some say land of paradise Some say land of pain Well, which side are you looking from? Some people have it all And some have it all to gain Well a man in a tie'll bum your dime Before he'll break his twenty dollar bill There's plenty of reasons in this world For movin' along or standing still But I'm not saying things won't go wrong as each day comes along If what I see is true I could learn to believe Can't look away The powers that be might take it all away Together we'll burn, together we'll burn it away There's too much time spent looking for a reason Seems the simple ones beat the most truth Oh, what a life a mess can be I'm sitting here thinking of you Won't you give a few thoughts to me? Well, time won't wait, better open the gate Get out and start, it needs to be done It's winding down, there's much you miss Working on that graveyard shift But I'm not saying things won't go wrong as the day comes along If what I see is true I could learn to believe Can't look away The powers that be might take it all away Together we'll burn, together we'll burn it away ::That Year:: The thousand times I lived before were just in my dreams Well, I woke up to realize it didn't mean a thing I've seen several better places, several better times Somehow all those memories got left behind Give me back that year, good or bad Give me back something that I never knew I had I guess what it all boils down to is just a second guess It was so god damn long ago it's hard to feel I did my best And I think of our relationship and all its distant ties And why I can't see that anymore in your eyes Give me back that year, good or bad Give me back something that I never knew I had Well, I sit and watch it go by I sit and watch shit go by Go by That year ::Before I Break:: On liquor I'll spend my last dime Sunday morning, 8am Just cursing myself again Drinking like each one might be my last Blurred memories of making toasts Too much beer and talk-show hosts Funny then, but that's fading fast Here's to waking up at night Half drunk in a ditch by the side of the road You're still thinking That you can't go on like this Headed for a break down You keep saying thanks for tomorrow, 'cause I can't live Thanks for tomorrow, 'cause I've had enough Well, it'd do me just fine to make it through the night On liquor I'll spend my last dime (NOTE: on the demo version of this song the first line of the above stanza is "You keep saying thanks for tomorrow, 'cause I can't live with today," which makes more sense) A worried man drinks a healthy drink But he drinks nine or ten until he's done Then he'll tell you his life story But he won't stop until he's told you and everyone Well here's to waking up at night Half drunk in a ditch by the side of the road You're still thinking That you can't go on like this Before I break down You keep saying thanks for tomorrow, 'cause I can't live Thanks for tomorrow, 'cause I've had enough Well, it'd do me just fine to make it through the night On liquor I'll spend my last dime Blurred memories of making toasts Too much beer and talk-show hosts Funny then, but that's fading fast Here's to waking up at night Half drunk in a ditch by the side of the road You're still thinking That you can't go on like this Before I break down You keep saying thanks for tomorrow, 'cause I can't live Thanks for tomorrow, 'cause I've had enough Well, it'd do me just fine to make it through the night On liquor I'll spend my last dime ::No Depression:: (Carter Family) Fear the hearts of men are failing For these our latter days we know The Great Depression now is spreading God's word declared it would be so I'm going where there's no Depression To a better land that's free from care I'll leave this world of toil and trouble My home's in heaven I'm going there In this dark hour, midnight nearing The tribulation time will come The storms will hurl the midnight fear And sweep lost millions to their doom I'm going where there's no Depression To a better land that's free from care I'll leave this world of toil and trouble My home's in heaven I'm going there I'm going where there's no Depression To a better land that's free from care I'll leave this world of toil and trouble My home's in heaven I'm going there ::Factory Belt:: Well it's funny how it all works out Mad men in suits walking about I'd like to change their point of view someday But I feel my patience slipping away Looks like it's time to lay this burden down Stop messing around Don't want to go to the grave without a sound Give the soul a place to rest Not to ride on the factory belt Not to ride on the factory belt Well you do what you can to just get by With poison all around It needs no disguise You can see it on faces >From the barstools to the door With no equal chance our respect is no more Looks like it's time to lay this burden down Stop messing around Don't want an early grave in the ground Give the soul a place a rest Not to ride on the factory belt Not to ride on the factory belt Well it's funny how it all works out Mad men in suits are walking about Well I've heard it said That after seven years of factory belt It gets in your head Looks like it's time to lay this burden down Stop messing around Don't want to go to the grave without a sound Give the soul a place a rest Not to ride on the factory belt Not to ride on the factory belt ::Whiskey Bottle:: Persuaded, paraded, inebriated, in doubt Still aware of everything life carries on without 'Cause there's one too many faces with dollar sign smiles Got to find the shortest path to the bar for a while A long way from happiness In a three-hour-away town Whiskey bottle over Jesus Not forever, just for now Not forever, just for now There's a trouble around, it's never far away The same trouble's been around for a life and a day I can't forget the sound, 'cause it's here to stay The sound of people chasing money and money getting away A long way from happiness In a three-hour-away town Whiskey bottle over Jesus Not forever, just for now Not forever, just for now In between the dirt and disgust there must be Some air to breathe and something to believe Liquor and guns, the sign says quite plain Somehow life goes on in a place so insane A long way from happiness In a three-hour-away town Whiskey bottle over Jesus Not forever, just for now Not forever, just for now ::Outdone:: Everything's fine for now but no one's really laughing Everything's just all right, or is it now? Turn up, turn around, but keep moving on We can cut the cord now or just drag it along Now there's too many people trying too hard Not to be outdone They follow close behind their proud smoking gun It's up to you and me whether to pay them any mind Some people turn to tomorrow, and some to a bottle of wine Remember back when there could be no wrong? Well it's different for everyone until it's gone Now there's too many people trying too hard Not to be outdone They follow close behind their proud smoking gun Things are breaking down Not being patched up Think it over again Dreams come and go, and one thing remains In the back of your mind, it won't go away Saying, "take a look around and tell me everything's just fine" Well from what I can see now, we'd be fools or lying Now there's too many people trying too hard Not to be outdone They follow close behind their proud smoking gun They say take a leap from the common heap But first look around past the college grounds Were people aware 'bout more than themselves, they'd care ::Train:: It's a quarter after two Sittin' in my car, watching Waiting on a train Ninety-seven flatcars Loaded down with troop trucks and tanks Rolling by I'm twenty-one and I'm scared as hell I quit school, I was healthy as a horse Because of all that I'll be the first one to die in a war The whole damn town was sleeping Dreaming the same dream The radio was playing Roger McGuinn singing "To each and every thing there is a time and a season" I'm twenty-one and I'm scared as hell I quit school, I was healthy as a horse Because of all that I'll be the first one to die in a war Guess I have no right to say We all die anyway But I'd just like to know Where does my dying go? What for? What for? It's a quarter after two Sittin' in my car, watching Waiting on a train Ninety-seven flatcars Loaded down with troop trucks and tanks Rolling by ::Life Worth Livin':: This song is sung for anyone that's listening This song is for the broken-spirited man This song is for anyone left standing After the strain of a slow, sad end It seems everybody wants what someone else has There's sorrow enough for all Just go in any bar and ask With a beer in each hand and a smile in between While all around's a world grown mean We've all had our ups and downs It's been mostly down around here Now this whole damn mess is becoming quite clear Looks like we're all looking for a life worth livin' That's why we drink ourselves to sleep Yeah, we're all looking for a life worth livin' That's why we pray for our souls to keep There's nothing left now but broken pieces Of one man's broken will to care And in the end before it's all said and done How many others might follow him there? This song is sung for anyone that's listening This song is for the broken-spirited man This song is for anyone left standing After the strain of a slow, sad end Midnight is comin' 'round Still mostly down around here Now this whole damn mess is becoming quite clear Looks like we're all looking for a life worth livin' That's why we drink ourselves to sleep Yeah, we're all looking for a life worth livin' That's why we pray for our souls to keep ::Flatness:: Beer makes you weary But you need something to get along As you stare at the flatness >From inside your dark home Well "not me" you whisper This isn't where it ends Your hand holds the bottle Which has become your last lonely friend I've lost all hope But there's hope for you If not just in the possibility Of a better next day If not just in the simple fact There's no other way You lie on that couch And try to dream once more But your only goal is to sleep Until the news is over Outside the leaves are all changing But you drink to forget Someone you once met Stands blocking the bright orange sunset I've lost all hope But there's hope for you If not just in the possibility Of a better next day If not just in the simple fact There's no other way So open up those curtains And drink up the daylight Just by the brightness Of opening your door wide 'Cause things don't get better But some people do There's darkness in this life But the brighter side we also may view There's darkness in this life But the brighter side we also may view ::So Called Friend:: Never again, to a so called friend Will leave you sick and dry This friend has a name Knows the gutter and shame This so called friend of you and I Oh great soul, the long-term goals Are to leave this friend behind He knows what I lack Is a place under the sack And every other tie that binds This last night on the town Might be your last above ground And you think to yourself There must be a better way than the same routine For more than once, you pay More than once, you pay Butt full of lead, stuck in your web Held captive by the stream The thoughts in your head They made a nice bed And you still had time to dream This last night on the town Might be your last above ground And you smile at things and wave goodbye More excuses to never even try As you wave goodbye Forget what I said, your friend's not dead He's only gone for a while Come back to that crack Between what's white and what's black And give you one last smile This last night on the town Might be your last above ground And you think to yourself There must be a better way than the same routine For more than once, you pay More than once, you pay ::Screen Door:: Down here, where we're at The weather changes, that's the way it goes Sometimes it snows, when everything's wrong Sometimes it snows, but when it does, it doesn't last long Down here, where we're at All we do is sit out on the porch And play our songs, and nothing's wrong Sometime friends come around, they all sing along Down here, where we're at Everybody is equally poor Down here, we don't care We don't care what happens outside the screen door Down here, where we're at Sweat drips from the tip of your nose You wear loose clothes, and you try to stay cool We all still have a lot of fun, never saw much school Down here, where we're at Everyone is equally poor Down here, we don't care We don't care what happens outside the screen door ::John Hardy:: (traditional, copywrited by Leadbelly) John Hardy, he was a desperate little man Carried two guns every day Shot a man down by the West Virginia line They saw John Hardy get away They saw John Hardy get away They cornered John Hardy on the Tombstone bridge He thought that he was free 'Til a deputy sheriff came and grabbed him by the arm Said "Johnny, come along with me" "Johnny, come along with me" John Hardy, he stood inside his cell Tears running down his eyes Said "I've seen the death of many a poor boy Now I'm ready to die Now I'm ready to die" Well, I've been to the east and I've been to the west I've been the whole world round I've been to the north and I've been to the south Now I'm going to my hanging ground I'm going to my hanging ground ................................................................. Transcribed by Jake Roberts, with help from Chuck Taggart, Michael Pemberton, Barry Kelley, and Amy Haugesag