kevinstonerock - Twilight Town Lyrics / Album Notes

The Band:

Derrick Carnes: drums, harmony vocals

Shane Guse: fiddle

Ricky Nye: Piano

Ed “Pee Wee Charles” Ringwald: pedal steel guitar

Gabriel Stonerock: electric rhythm and lead guitars, percussion

Kevin Stonerock: lead and harmony vocals, acoustic guitar, bass and baritone guitars, banjo, electric guitar solos on “Go Ahead On” (first half of break) and “Long Slow Fade”

Produced by Gabriel Stonerock and Kevin Stonerock

Recording Engineers: Jeff Monroe, Group Effort Studio, Erlanger, KY

Ben Kempel, Among The Hung Studio, Conestoga, Ontario, Canada

Mixed by Jeff Monroe

Mastered by Dan Murphy

Photos and Design: Andy Carr

1. Too Young To Quit

This seems like As good an excuse as any for not getting a “real job”.

Too Young To Quit

Standing on the rim of desperation

Wondering if I’ll jump or if I’ll fall

I’ve rubbed shoulders with the nearly famous

And it never got me anywhere at all

(Chorus)

Too young to quit, too old to change

Too dumb to come in from the pouring rain

So I’ll keep moving along biding my time

I’m a stubborn mule with something to prove

With little to gain and nothing to lose

I guess I like it that way cause I feel fine

Every now and then I get to wondering

If I am master of my own demise

Hanging on to things that do not matter

Acting like a sane man in disguise

(Repeat Chorus)

(Bridge)

I keep listening for that sound

Of the curtain coming down

(Repeat Chorus)

2. Go Ahead On

“Go Ahead On” was a phrase I often heard from my grandfather, usually in the context of hoeing the garden, mowing the yard, moving out of his “light” or getting out of his ever-thinning hair. I suppose I should also give honorable mention to Festus Haggen, who was also known to utter this phrase.

Go Ahead On

Come on over here

Tell me what you’re thinking

I ain’t playing games

And you know I ain’t been drinkin’

You just can’t make up your mind

If I’m the man (one) you want hanging around

Let me make it easy

Here’s your toothbrush and your comb

Just Go ahead on

Chorus:

Go ahead on

Don’t come knockin’ on my door, don’t call me on the phone

Go ahead on

I ain’t got time to fool around so

Go ahead on

You sat yourself right down

And told me all about it

You said that I’m the one

Then you said you doubt it

You just keep me hanging on

Then you pull the rug from under me

This ain’t no magic carpet ride

And I can’t read your mind

So go ahead on

You’re the gift that keeps on taking

But you’ve taken all you’re gonna get from me

You’ve said goodbye a hundred times or more

But you never leave

Repeat Chorus

Tag:

I ain’t got time to fool around so go ahead on

3. Railroad Man (Brakeman’s Lament)

Originally, the title of this song was “Old Boomer”, but I didn’t want people getting the impression that this was a song about an aging Baby Boomer like me. A boomer, in railroad lingo, was a railroad worker who didn’t tie himself down to any one company, but was more of a free spirit, working for various railroads. In 2016, I was contracted by the Indiana Historical Society to write and perform a script about a railroad character set in the year 1916. I knew little (and cared less) about railroads, but I cared a lot about the money. During the course of my research, I became fascinated with railroad culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries; especially the old brakemen. I performed this show several times and often there were old railroaders in the audience. I took it as high praise when one of them would say “You nailed it!”.

Railroad Man (Brakeman’s Lament)

I’m a railroad man like my father before

From San Bernardino up to Baltimore

Daddy lost his life on the Monon Line

In a bad train wreck in the fall of 69

Oh oh oh oh

My pappy died young and he left his wife

With three hungry kids and a Barlow knife

I’ll never forget that look on her face

When the government men came to take us all away

I ran off from the orphans’ home

Hopped a freight train bound for San Antone

Got a job working on a section gang

Hotter than hell but I never complained

Oh oh oh oh

When I was nineteen I was shoveling coal

On an old locomotive bound for Jackson Hole

I learned to be a brakeman from a hard boiled man

Who could whip two ‘bo’s only using one hand

I’ve walked across the top of a moving train

In the snow and the wind and the driving rain

I started in the days of the link and pin

Ain’t nobody wanna a do that again

(Instrumental)

Well, I’m an old boomer and I’ve worked the rails

Felt the sting of the old tell tails

Low steel bridges flying over my head

Move too slow and you ended up dead

In the long cold winter of 25

Hauling sand down a Wind River mountainside

The train broke in two and it left the track

I rode it all the way but I won’t be coming back

Oh Oh Oh Oh

Now here I lie in a hospital bed

One leg gone and the other half dead

I don’t speculate about when I’ll die

Cause a railroad man is always on time

Oh oh oh oh….(repeat)

4. Life of the Party

I wrote this one in about 15 minutes. Sometimes it pays not to overthink.

The Life Of The Party

The life of the party will be the death of me

This town ain’t seen the likes of her since 1963

She’s a long lean dancing machine

She’s fine as she can be

But the life of the party will be the death of me

At the end of a hard day’s work

I’m ready to shut it down

But she’s all dressed for dancing

And a night on the town

She’s got a heart of gold and a tender soul

She’s cool as she can be

But the life of the party will be the death of me

When she walks into the room

The boys all turn around

But she came to hear the steel guitar

And that rockabilly sound

She’d never go behind my back

She’s true as she can be

But the life of the party

Will be the death of me

She’s a long lean dancing machine

She’s cool as she can be

But the life of the party will be the death of me

The life of the party will be the death of me

5. Gypsy Road

I do a lot of driving. Sometimes, when I am feeling a little punchy and road weary, I keep myself awake by making up funny and or stupid spontaneous lyrics and melodies. I usually end up laughing myself awake, but on this particular occasion, I thought perhaps I was on to something, so I used the ever handy voice memo feature of my phone to record it. I changed the lyrics (thank me for that) and it turned into this song.

Gypsy Road

Gypsy Road Gypsy Road.

Gypsy Road, Gypsy Road

When all you got left is a seed of doubt

You know what I’m talking about

You’d better not go on down that Gypsy Road

You’re somewhere you never thought you’d be

But where you’ve ended up is plain to see

When the days are long and the nights are cold

And you’re dragging around a heavy load

Better not take it down that Gypsy Road

Gypsy Road Gypsy Road

When the devil plants a little seed of doubt

You walk right in but you can’t get out

You might not make it home from Gypsy Road

When the hoot owl seems to call your name

When the lights are low and you hang your head in shame

I’ve been down that road myself

And I wouldn’t wish that on no one else

You better not slip on down that Gypsy road

Gypsy Road Gypsy Road

When all you got left is a seed of doubt

You know what I’m talking about

You’d better not go on down that Gypsy Road

Whatever it is that’s dogging you

Be it money, love or pills or booze

There’s a million paths that lead that way

If you go too far there’s hell to pay

You best just stay away from Gypsy Road

I know you’ve got those low down blues

From the top of your head to the soul of your shoes

But don’t go walking down that Gypsy Road

6. Twilight Town

I started writing this one from a title. I liked the sound of it, but had no idea what the song was going to be about. As is often the case, the song revealed itself to me and I realized it was about second chances.

Twilight Town

When you’re sick and tired of being on your own

And you just can’t face those same four walls at home

When it’s time to burn it down

There’s a place where lonely hearts abound

Come on down to Twilight Town

When you’ve had enough of being by yourself

Even though you’re with somebody else

When your hope has nearly drowned

There’s a lost love waiting to be found

Come on down to twilight town

Chorus

If the fire inside has died

Don’t give up just give it one more try

In a world of lost and found

Come on down to twilight town

There’s a lot of folks who’ve felt like me and you

Thinking that their life is all but through

Pick your heart up off the ground

There’s a second chance just waiting to be found

On the streets of twilight town

Chorus

If the fire inside has died

Don’t give up just give it one more try

In this world of lost and found

Come on down to twilight town

You may think your life is done

Could be that it’s only just begun

If your world has come unwound

Come on down to twilight town

7. Long Slow Fade

During a mixing session for a previous album, my old friend Dan Murphy, who was engineering, made a joke about a “long slow fade”. Something about that phrase spoke to me, so I jotted it down. Several years later, it became a song. Dan, your royalty check should be arriving any day now.

Long Slow Fade

Well baby, is that the way it is?

You’ve made up your mind

You ain’t sayin’ but it’s easy to see

Your love for me has died

Just tell me and I’ll be on my way

Before the long slow fade

I know you would never be cruel

Cause that’s not how you’re made

But darlin’ I have been in your shoes

And regret some cards I played

And I can tell you nobody wins

In a long slow fade

CHORUS

Long slow fade

I ain’t waiting

I ain’t hanging around

For the long slow fade

Instrumental

Repeat Chorus

Tag

8. I Wish I Was a Riverboat

I’ve done a lot of shows along the Ohio River, love river culture and have even written a song about a steamboat. This isn’t it.

I Wish I Was a Riverboat

I wish I had a dollar for everyone I’ve spent

But wishes ain’t worth nothing when you’re trying to pay the rent

I wish I was an old guitar With stories yet to tell

I’d sing one of a lonely man that we both know so well

I wish I was a riverboat floating down a stream

I wish I was a carpenter, I’d build myself a dream

I wish I was a vagabond with nothing left to lose

I’d walk these old backroads and think about you

But I’ve got obligations, I’m too young to retire

I’m not one for standing still or sitting round the fire

So I’ll just keep on moving, living in my mind

Til the day they lay me down perhaps I’ll wake to find

That I was just a riverboat floating down a stream

I was just a carpenter who built myself a dream

I was just a vagabond with nothing left to lose

So I walked those old backroads thinking ‘bout you

I was young but now I’m past my prime

With every dream that’s crashed and burned

More and more I find

I am just a riverboat floating down a stream

I am just a carpenter trying to build a dream

I am just a vagabond with holes in both my shoes

From walking these old backroads thinking about you

I‘ve been walking these old backroads thinking ‘bout you

9. Black Diamonds

Black Diamond was a brand of guitar strings. Cheap guitar strings with a tensile strength roughly equivalent to fence wire. (Disclaimer: Black Diamond has changed with the times and makes very high quality strings these days!) Nearly every kid guitar player who grew up in my era (and before) was familiar with them because they could be found just about anywhere; the corner drug store, the five and dime, etc. If you were like me and lived miles away from a real music store, that was pretty handy, as were the callouses you developed by using them. This song was inspired by my own 1953 Gibson Southern Jumbo. I recently bought it from a former guitar student. Her dad bought it from the original owner, a man named Ray, which also happens to be the name of the fictional protagonist in this song. This song is a shout out to the unsung heroes of my dad’s WWII generation, the original owners of my guitar who took such good care of it and the fine American craftsmen who built it.

Black Diamonds

He came from Alabama, no banjo on his knee

He had a beat up Gibson made in 1953

He came north to work the graveyard shift in a rust belt factory

Til him and Mogan David lost that job

So he wandered to a little town, doing odd jobs for his pay

He’d save a little money then he’d drink it all away

He’d talk about his buddy who he lost in 44

Who never even made it to the shore

He never had much money but the one thing that he had

Was a gift for playing guitar that he picked up from his dad

He’d play for folks at Christmas in department stores downtown

And they would come for miles to hear that sound

He could make it talk, he could make it sing

He could make those old Black Diamonds ring

He could make it laugh, he could make it whine

He could make those old Black Diamonds shine

And the world seemed like a brighter place

When Ray would open up his case

“You could make it on the Opry” folks would often say

He’d just smile and shake his head and turn the other way

“You belong in Nashville, down on Music Row”

But he’d always mumble something about St. Lo

Instrumental

He lived behind the hardware store in a room they let him use

He was master of the fretboard but he never beat the booze

Sometimes I’d sit and listen underneath his window sill

Late at night when all the streets were still

He could make it talk, he could make it sing

He could make those old Black Diamonds ring

He could make it laugh, he could make it whine

He could make those old Black Diamonds shine

And the world seemed like a finer place

When Ray would open up his case

They found him by the railroad track, face down in the sand

A bottle in his pocket, a Silver Star in his hand

They found his old Gibson in a pawn shop south of town

And I cried when they laid him in the ground

And sometimes late at night I hear that sound

He could make it talk, he could make it sing

He could make those old Black Diamonds ring

He could make it laugh, he could make it whine

He could make those old Black Diamonds shine

He could make it talk, he could make it sing

He could make those old Black Diamonds ring

And the world seemed like a better place

When Ray would open up his case

Black Diamonds

10. That’s The Truth

Here’s a little tongue-in-cheek dose of reality.

That’s the Truth

They lied to you when they said you’d pay some dues

Cause they implied that one day you’d be thru

What I’ve got to say might make you blue

But the dues ain’t never paid and that’s the truth

You’ll keep on a payin’ As long as you’ll be staying

I hate to break your happy heart in two

But tell me have I ever lied to you?

The dues ain’t never paid and that’s the truth

Instrumental

I know you’re thinking that you’ve got it made

But there’s another card yet to be played

You could be in LA or in Duluth

But the dues ain’t never paid and that’s the truth

One day you’ll be flying but pretty soon you’re dying

You’re no better than your last review

Now you’re swinging for the fences like Babe Ruth

But the dues ain’t never paid and that’s the truth

Instrumental

Go on and climb that ladder but one day it won’t matter

It’s just a thing that all of us go through

One day it’s PBR, and the next Vermouth

But the dues ain’t never paid and that’s the truth

It’s a lesson that I learned back in my youth

The dues ain’t never paid and that’s the truth

Ask anyone I know, we’re living proof

The dues ain’t never paid

Don’t mean to rain on your parade

But the dues ain’t never paid and that’s the truth

11. The Town Where I Was Born

Although my mother was a first generation transplant from the central Tennessee/Kentucky border, I am a Midwesterner, born and raised, as was my father. This song could be about nearly any small town in the Midwest or the South or just about anywhere, but these are my memories of my little town. Moses Hodson, aka “Mose the Miller”, really was a poet from my town and a contemporary of James Whitcomb Riley. A few years ago, I acquired one of his out of print books. The poems would seem a little hokey by today’s standards, but I find them endearing. Every bit of this song is As true as I remember it.

The Town Where I Was Born

There was an old man

In the town where I was born

Said he came there in a wagon

During the Spanish American War

He used to sit for hours

In front of the only store

In the town where I was born

His best friend was a black man

Who everyone called Shine

He tried to give me a silver dollar

For catching fishing worms one time

But I was proud to do it

Cause that’s what friends were for

In the town where I was born

Just a sleepy little village

On the wrong side of the tracks

We lost our school in 64

And we never got it back

But the lessons that I learned there

Went beyond the schoolhouse door

In the town where I was born

I remember Pete and Ida

And the hill behind their house

How the wooden sleds went flying

When the snow was on the ground

And they never seemed to mind

Those laughing kids ‘round their back door

In the town where I was born

There was an old mill

In the town where I was raised

The old folks talked about it

Until their dying days

Mose the miller was a poet

Like Riley so they say

In the town where I was born

Just a sleepy little village

Two legs short of a one horse town

The old town hall got the wrecking ball

And the restaurant fell down

But time just kept on going, like it did before

In the town where I was born

There’s an old graveyard

In the town where I was born

The tombstones are forsaken

No more to be adorned

And the saddest ones of all

Are for boys who went to war

From the town where I was born

Just a sleepy little village

On the way to another town

We got passed up by the railroad

It put our high hopes in the ground

But I’m proud to say I’m from there

In spite of all the scorn

That’s the town where I was born

The town where I was born

Bookings, correspondence, or to be added to email list: twomoon@kevinstonerock.com

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