Somewhere Further West
The epic live album follow-up story to Somewhere West of Me. This is part two of the story after our hero Dixon from Somewhere West of Me has become a famous heartland rock sensation. He's on the road and singing about his life, his new found fame and the love he shares with his girlfriend. The album ends with a three-song closing encore of songs from the previous album.
12 tracks
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Tracks
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0:00 / 0:00He played a bar to fifteen people and woke up famous. Now everybody wants a piece of him, and the pieces don't last long. This is his deal with the world: throw a little whiskey in my coffee if you want me to sing tonight. I'll give you everything I've got — but when the lights come down, I'm just a man who needs a little room to live. She still pours it black, though. Every single morning.
Lyrics
[Intro] [Spoken] Used to be just me and a campfire. Now there's a few more people. [Verse 1] I played a bar in Tucson on a Tuesday night Fifteen people, borrowed amp, and a single broken light Some kid filmed it on his phone and put it out for free By Friday morning half the world was staring back at me I didn't write these songs for fame, I wrote 'em just to breathe Now everybody knows the words and everybody's pulling at my sleeve [Pre-Chorus] And I love it — God, I love it — don't get me wrong But everybody wants a little piece of me and the pieces don't last long She said "You used to drink your coffee black and watch the sunrise on your own" I said "Baby, I still do — but the sunrise's got a crowd now and they all want what I've shown" [Chorus] Oh Lord, throw a little whiskey in my coffee If you want me to sing tonight Yeah, pour a little courage in that cup of mine And I'll set this room alight I'll sing for you, you swing for me That's the deal, alright Just throw a little whiskey in my coffee If you want me to sing tonight [Verse 2] The label says I need a look, the agent wants a brand The radio wants something safe, the fans all want my hand There's a woman in the fourth row and she's waving something lace My girl just texts me from the kitchen: "Don't forget to hydrate, ace" I didn't build this life on image, I built it on what's true And the truest thing I know is every night I come back home to you [Pre-Chorus] And I love this — every minute — hear me clear But everybody wants a little piece of me and I'm running out of here She said "They love the guy who sings about the desert and the stars" I said "That guy loves you — he just plays a louder guitar" [Chorus] Oh Lord, throw a little whiskey in my coffee If you want me to sing tonight Yeah, pour a little courage in that cup of mine And I'll set this room alight I'll sing for you, you swing for me That's the deal, alright Just throw a little whiskey in my coffee If you want me to sing tonight [Bridge] I'm not complaining, I'm just saying There's a cost to standing in the sun She still pours it black, no sugar Sets it on the porch before the sun She doesn't need a rock star She just needs me to show up! [Chorus] Oh Lord! Throw a little whiskey in my coffee If you want me to sing tonight! Yeah, pour it all in, every drop you've got in mine! And I'll give you every light! I'll sing for you, you swing for me! We'll get this whole deal right! Just throw a little whiskey in my coffee If you want me to sing tonight! [Outro] Whiskey in my coffee If you want me to sing tonight Whiskey in my coffee, baby If you want me to sing tonight!
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0:00 / 0:00Salt Lake had a sound guy who was legally asleep. Boise paid in elk jerky. Flagstaff had a bartender with jade earrings and a PhD who told him he was better before the bus. Every town's got a story that the highway doesn't tell, and he's collecting them all — one diner, one doorman, one wrong drink at a time. The tour bus smells like yesterday, but the next town smells like rain.
Lyrics
[Spoken:] Every town's got one. You just gotta know where to look. [Verse 1] [SINGING - NASHVILLE HYBRID HIPHOP] Salt Lake City had a sound guy who was legally asleep Ran the board with one eye open, and the low end way too deep. The bass was rattling the bottles, off the bar, like tiny earthquakes. But the crowd didn't care, 'cause they were three drinks past mistakes. Boise had a promoter who paid us half in cash, and half in jerky. Said "it's elk, my brother got it." I didn't ask, I just said "thank you, that works for me." [Chorus] Every town's got a story, that the highway doesn't tell. Every town's got a character, who knows the place too well. I roll in like a stranger, and I leave just like a friend. Every town, every face, every night. I can't wait to do it all again. [Verse 2] Flagstaff had a bartender, with jade earrings and a PhD. She was writing her dissertation, between pouring IPAs for guys like me. She said "I saw your video, the Tucson one. You were better then." I said "I know, but now I've got a bus." She said "fair, I'll take the win." Missoula had a doorman, built like a refrigerator on a mission. He cried during the slow one. Big man, little tears. Said "sorry, that one hit my disposition." [Chorus] Every town's got a story, that the highway doesn't tell. Every town's got a character, who knows the place too well. I roll in like a stranger, and I leave just like a friend. Every town, every face, every night. I can't wait to do it all again. [Verse 3] Bend had a venue, where the ceiling was the sky. Outdoor stage, a thousand people, and a hawk that circled, like it wanted the set times. The monitor went out during the second song, I just played louder. A girl in the front row held up her phone, it said "marry me." Reno had a diner at 3 AM, where the waitress knew my name. Not from the show, from last time, Said "back again? You always get the same." [Chorus] Every town's got a story that the highway doesn't tell Every town's got a character who knows the place too well I roll in like a stranger and I leave just like a friend Every town, every face, every night I can't wait to do it all again [Bridge] People say the road gets lonely, but I think they've got it wrong. Every mile's a conversation, and every stop's a song. The tour bus smells like yesterday, but the next town smells like rain. And there's always someone waiting, who's about to make my day. I'm just a guy with a guitar, who got lucky with a beat. And every town I've ever played, gave me more than I could keep. [Chorus] Every town's got a story, that the highway doesn't tell. Every town's got a character, who knows the place too well. I roll in like a stranger, and I leave just like a friend. Every town, every face, every night. I can't wait to do it all again. [Outro] Every town, every face, every night. [Spoken] Reno waitress still gets my order right. Same booth. Same pancakes. Some things don't need an encore.
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0:00 / 0:00Thirty thousand girls screaming his name. Cute. Guess who's got the car keys. She watches from the wings while the crowd loses it, and she's not jealous — she's amused. Because she knows where he's ending up tonight. All she needs is a soft landing and a good old-fashioned tumble. He can keep the boots on. This cowgirl's going for a ride.
Lyrics
[Verse 1] I watch him from the wings and God he's something on that stage Got the whole room in his hand like every word is turning a page Girls up front are losing it, they're reaching for his belt I just lean against the wall and think, honey, you ain't felt how this man melts He's singing 'bout the desert and they swear they feel that heat Baby, I run hotter than the sand and I ain't been dry all week [Pre-Chorus] He comes off that stage still buzzing, shirt half undone Grabs me by the waist like I'm the only thing he won I say where do you think you're taking me? He just grins and says "wherever you want to be" I say [Chorus] All I need's a soft landing And a good old-fashioned tumble Take me somewhere the neighbors can't hear And let this whole night rumble You can keep the boots on, cowboy I don't need you civilized All I'm asking for's a soft landing This cowgirl's going for a ride [Verse 2] He's got the hat, he's got the swagger, he's got the whole damn room But backstage he's just a man who smells like smoke and cheap cologne and boom I grab his hand, I pull him close, I whisper "let's get gone" He drops the guitar like it's yesterday and baby, now it's on Those girls can have the poster, they can have the autograph I've got the man behind the music and I've got the better half [Pre-Chorus] He picks me up like nothing, spins me through the door I'm laughing so hard I can barely tell him "more" He says what exactly are you hoping for? I kick my boots off, hit the lamp, and tell him [Chorus] All I need's a soft landing And a good old-fashioned tumble Take me somewhere the neighbors can't hear And let this whole night rumble You can keep the boots on, cowboy I don't need you civilized All I'm asking for's a soft landing This cowgirl's going for a ride [Bridge] Now I know what you're thinking — she's just talking tough But honey, when he looks at me, tough ain't quite enough I'm a woman with a life, a job, two kids, a plan But God didn't make these legs to waste 'em on a careful man He throws me down, I pull him close He says "you good?", I say [Chorus] All I need's a soft landing And a good old-fashioned tumble Take me somewhere the morning comes slow And let this whole thing rumble You can keep the boots on, cowboy I don't need you polite tonight All I'm asking for's a soft landing This cowgirl's going for a ride [Outro] Soft landing, baby This cowgirl's going for a ride [Spoken] Yeah. He can definitely keep the boots on.
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0:00 / 0:00One boot on. Setlist stuck to his face. Voice like sandpaper. A text from his girl that says "legend" with a heart he doesn't deserve yet. The morning after the show is a wreck — but it's the good kind. The kind you walk away from with a grin. He'll put himself back together by the time the lights come on, because the wreck is worth the song. Somebody find his other boot. He's got a show tonight.
Lyrics
[Intro] [Spoken] Tour bus smells like a mistake. But I'd make it again. [Verse 1] I woke up on the bus, with one boot on. Voice like sandpaper, left ear gone. There's a setlist stuck to my face, with last night's sweat. And a text from my girl with a heart, I don't deserve yet. The driver says we're somewhere east of Reno, I know it's gonna be a long day, with three more to go. [Chorus] I'm a wreck, but I'm the good kind. The kind you walk away from with a grin. I left my voice out on that stage last night, And I can't wait to lose it all again. Worth the wreck, worth the ringing in my ears. Worth the bruise on my knee, from the monitor I didn't clear. I'll put myself back together, by the time the lights come on. I'm worth the wreck, And the wreck is worth the song. [Verse 2] My hands are shaking, but they're shaking from the rush. Not too much. There's a bruise I can't explain, and a voice note on my phone, Of me singing something beautiful, I'll never reproduce again. [Chorus] I'm a wreck, but I'm the good kind. The kind you walk away from with a grin. I left my voice out on that stage last night, And I can't wait to lose it all again. Worth the wreck, worth the ringing in my ears. Worth the bruise on my knee, from the monitor I didn't quite clear. I'll put myself back together, by the time the lights come on. I'm worth the wreck, And the wreck is worth the song. [Bridge] My girl calls at noon, and asks "how you feeling, rockstar?" I say, "like I got hit by my own guitar!" She laughs and says "you love it." And I do, [SPOKEN] God, I do! [SINGING] Every muscle screaming, is a muscle that I pushed through. I wouldn't trade this broken voice, for anything that's safe. I'd rather be a wreck who lived, than be perfect in a cage. [Chorus] I'm a wreck, but I'm the good kind. The kind you laugh about, when you survive. I left my voice out on that stage last night. And I can't wait to lose it all again. Worth the wreck, worth every mile on this machine. Worth the worst night's sleep, I've ever had on I-17. I'll put myself back together, by the time the lights come on. I'm worth the wreck. And the wreck is worth the song. [Outro] Worth the wreck. And the wreck is worth the song. [Spoken] Somebody find my other boot. I've got a show tonight!
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0:00 / 0:00Some guys want the corner office. Some guys want a million followers. He wants her fingertips running down his chest and that look she gives when she's halfway through the door. This is his answer to her song — what he craves over everything the world is offering him. They can knock the pictures off the wall. They'll fix them in the morning.
Lyrics
[Intro] [Spoken] People ask me what I want. Like it's complicated. It's not complicated. [Verse 1] Some guys want the corner office, some guys want the car Some guys want the VIP and a table at the bar Some guys want a million followers to tell 'em they're the best Me? I want your fingertips running down my chest I want that look you give me when you're halfway through the door The one that says stop talking and get over here, what are you waiting for [Chorus] Let me just crave you That's all I want tonight Forget the noise, forget the stage You're my only appetite Let me just crave you Your skin on mine, your hands in my hair Some people crave the spotlight, baby I just crave you standing there Let me crave you tonight [Verse 2] I've played a hundred cities and they're screaming out my name But the sound I want to hear is you laughing down the hallway with no shame I like the way you pull me close and tell me "not so fast" Then change your mind and grab my shirt like nothing good should last We can knock the pictures off the wall, we'll fix 'em in the morning The best part of the evening is when neither one of us is being boring [Chorus] [Bridge] Now I don't need it perfect, I don't need it planned I just need you laughing, tangled up, and telling me I'm your man We can be a little rough, we can be a little sweet As long as we're both breathing hard and tripping over our own feet This thing we've got, it isn't careful — and I don't want it to be You pull my hair, I'll pull yours back That's what I call equality [Chorus] Let me just crave you That's all I want tonight Forget the money, forget the fame You're my only appetite Let me just crave you Your laugh, your skin, the way you bite Some people crave the easy life, baby I just crave the way we fight To get closer every night [Outro] Let me crave you Let me crave you tonight [Spoken] Yeah. That's it. That's the whole list.
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0:00 / 0:00Not everybody out here's a winner. But you gotta love them anyway. She pulls into gas stations where the register's unplugged, checks into motels where the towels smell like last week and the pools half-full. The bartender pours with his eyes closed and gives her gin when she says whiskey. But she tips heavy and tells them all to have a day — because she used to grade the world like a paper, and somewhere on the highway, she let that go.
Lyrics
[Intro] [Spoken] Not everybody out here's a winner. But you gotta love 'em anyway. [Verse 1] Pulled into a gas station, somewhere west of I-15. Asked the kid behind the counter, "How far to Aberdeen?" [SPOKEN] He said "Ma'am, I just got here, and I think the register's unplugged." [SIGNING] I just smiled real wide, and told him honey, close enough. [Chorus] Low performer, baby, that's alright. Not everybody's gonna get it on the first try. Low performer, bless your heart. Sometimes the finish line's a long way from the start. But I'll tip you heavy and I'll tell you "have a blessed day." Low performer, baby, Wouldn't have it any other way. [Verse 2] Checked into a motel, and the girl said "room for two?" I said "just me and my suitcase" darlin’, but she charged me for two anyway. [SPOKEN] OK, girl. [SINGING] The towels smelled like last week, and the view was of the lot. The pool was half empty, That was a ‘maybe not.’ [Chorus] Low performer, baby, that's alright. Not everybody's gonna get it on the first try. Low performer, bless your heart. Sometimes the finish line's a long way from the start. But I'll tip you heavy and I'll tell you "have a blessed day." Low performer, baby, Wouldn't have it any other way. [Verse 3] Bartender at the brewhouse, was pouring with his eyes closed. Gave me gin when I said whiskey, and a lime when I said "no." But he told me I was pretty, [SPOKEN] and he meant it, I could tell. [SINGING] Not the best at his profession, but his heart was doing well. I left a twenty dollar bill, on a six-dollar tab. He said "you're the nicest customer, I've ever had!" [Chorus] Low performer, baby, that's alright. Not everybody's gonna get it on the first try. Low performer, bless your heart. Sometimes the finish line's a long way from the start. But I'll tip you heavy and I'll tell you "have a blessed day." Low performer, baby, Wouldn't have it any other way. [Bridge] Now I used to be the kind, who'd roll her eyes and walk away. Grade the whole world like a paper, take off marks every day. But somewhere on the highway, I just let that whole thing go. Not everybody's built for the spotlight, not everybody makes the show. [SPOKEN] And you know what? Thank God for that!
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0:00 / 0:00He wrote these songs alone, but they don't belong to him anymore. There's a woman crying in the third row. A kid on his daddy's shoulders screaming every word. A man who came alone because he needed to be heard. When ten thousand strangers find the same note at the same time, something holy happens — and it isn't his. It's theirs. Tomorrow they'll go back to being strangers. But right now, they're the same.
Lyrics
[Intro] [Spoken] I wrote these songs alone. But they don't belong to me anymore. [Verse 1] I can see your faces from the stage tonight Every one of you is carrying something into this room And I don't know your names but I know why you're here You came to feel something louder than the silence in your life I've got a guitar and a voice that's barely holding on But between the two of us I think we've got enough to build a song [Chorus] So sing it back to me Every word you know I wrote it in the dark But you're the ones who made it glow This was never mine alone It was always yours to keep So open up and let it out And sing it back to me [Verse 2] There's a woman in the third row crying and she's not ashamed There's a kid up on his daddy's shoulders screaming every word There's a couple in the back who just got back together And a man who came alone because he needed to be heard I don't know their stories but I feel 'em through the floor Every single heartbeat in this room just makes the music more [Chorus] So sing it back to me Every word you know I wrote it in the dark But you're the ones who made it glow This was never mine alone It was always yours to keep So open up and let it out And sing it back to me [Bridge] I used to think the best part was the playing Now I know the best part is the listening When ten thousand strangers find the same note at the same time Something holy happens and it isn't mine It's ours — just for a minute — just for tonight And tomorrow we'll go back to being strangers But right now we're the same Right now we're the same [Chorus] So sing it back to me Everything you've got I wrote it on a highway But you gave it what I'm not This was never mine alone It was always meant to breathe So fill this room with everything you're feeling And sing it back to me [Outro] Sing it back to me Sing it back to me [Spoken] Yeah. That's the part I can't write. That's the part you bring.
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0:00 / 0:00They handed her a gift bag with a candle, a face serum, and a hat that said "tour wife." She wore the hat. They put her in heels and filled her hair with pins and took her shopping on Rodeo like she's somebody's project. Six hundred dollars for a candle — ma'am, that's half her classroom budget. But the best part of the madness is falling back to him at the end of the night. All she wants is her coffee in bed. And the candle was nice. She's keeping the candle.
Lyrics
[Intro] [Spoken — Male] She used to call me a comet. Said I'd blaze through and disappear. [Spoken — Female] I didn't know I'd end up flying with him. [MUSIC BEGINS] [Verse 1 - MALE] [MALE SINGING] I used to burn across the sky alone. [MALE SINGING] Passing through your town, like something you could never own. [MALE SINGING] You stood in your yard, and watched me streak across the dark. [MALE SINGING] You said "I don't need to own that light, [MALE SINGING] I just love the spark." [MALE SINGING] But somewhere on the way, from who I was to who I am, [MALE SINGING] You stepped off the ground, and took my hand. [Verse 2 — Female] [FEMALE SINGING] I had my roots, my classroom, my boys, my piece of ground. [FEMALE SINGING] I was the one who stayed, you were the one who flew around. [FEMALE SINGING] But my roots helped you learn to trust me, [FEMALE SINGING] And the woman who was watching, is now part of the song. [FEMALE SINGING] I didn't need your spotlight, didn't need the fuss, [FEMALE SINGING] But I needed you, and you come back to all of us. [Chorus — BOTH SINGING] [SINGING TOGETHER] We're comets now, burning side by side. Two ordinary lives, setting fire to the sky. [FEMALE SINGING] I didn't plan for this, [MALE SINGING] and neither did I, [BOTH SINGING] But here we are, baby, blazing through. [BOTH SINGING] We're comets now! We're the light tonight. And the world looks different, up here from this high. Two people who were never meant to fly, Burning together, across the sky. [Verse 3 — MALE] [MALE SINGING] The cameras want our story, and we give 'em what we've got. [MALE SINGING] She holds my hand, in front of ten thousand phones. [FEMALE SINGING] He holds mine, like I'm the only reason he comes home. [MALE SINGING] The boys are off in college, living lives we helped them start. [FEMALE SINGING] And now it's just us two, still learning how to share a heart. [Chorus — BOTH SINGING] [SINGING TOGETHER] We're comets now, burning side by side. Two ordinary lives, setting fire to the sky. [FEMALE SINGING] I didn't plan for this, [MALE SINGING] and neither did I, [BOTH SINGING] But here we are, baby, blazing through. [BOTH SINGING] We're comets now! We're the light tonight. And the world looks different, up here from this high. Two people who were never meant to fly, Burning together, across the sky. [Bridge] [FEMALE SINGING] Some nights I miss the quiet of my kitchen and my tea. [MALE SINGING] Some nights I miss the desert, and the man I used to be. [FEMALE SINGING] But I wouldn't trade this madness. [MALE SINGING] And I wouldn't trade this view. [BOTH SINGING TOGETHER] For anything, that doesn't have you standing in it too. [MALE SINGING] We know this is a new chapter. [FEMALE SINGING] Not a whole new book. [MALE SINGING] But what a chapter. [FEMALE SINGING] What a view. [BOTH SINGING] What a thing to look back on, and say "we really flew!" [Chorus — BOTH SINGING] [SINGING TOGETHER] We're comets now, burning side by side. Two ordinary lives, setting fire to the sky. [FEMALE SINGING] I didn't plan for this, [MALE SINGING] and neither did I, [BOTH SINGING] But here we are, baby, blazing through. [BOTH SINGING] But here we are, baby, blazing through. [BOTH SINGING] We're comets now! We're the light tonight. And the world looks different, up here from this high. Two people who were never meant to fly, Burning together, across the sky. [Outro] [MALE SINGING] She used to watch me from the ground. [FEMALE SINGING] He used to pass right by. [BOTH SINGING] Now we're flying together. And we're lighting up the sky.
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0:00 / 0:00They keep asking where he's headed. Same answer every time. The truck became a tour bus, the campfire became a stage, and the label says he's made it — but made it where? He's still just a guy who's looking. He just likes the view from here. Some guys hit the top and build a fence around it. He never wanted altitude without the people in it. He wanted the climb, not the plateau. Further west. Always further west.
Lyrics
[Verse 1] I used to drive these highways, just to disappear. Now I drive 'em with a band, and forty thousand reasons to be here. The truck became a tour bus, the campfire became a stage. The songs I wrote for no one, are on everybody's page My girl says "where we going?" and I say "does it matter?" She just laughs and packs a bag, like the answer's getting at her. [Chorus] We're going further west tonight. Past everything we thought we'd be. The road's not running out, it's running on. And it's pulling you and me, Further west, where the sun takes its time going down. Further west, where we turn this noise into sound. I don't know what's out there, but I know it's calling loud. We're going further west And we're bringing the whole crowd. [Verse 2] Last year I was a guy who played a bar to fifteen people. Now the fifteen is fifteen thousand, and the bar's a little more cathedral. But the songs are still the same ones, the highway taught me how to write. And the man who sings 'em hasn't changed, he just found a bigger light. The label says "you've made it" and I say "made it where?" I'm still just a guy who's looking, I just like the view from here. [Chorus] We're going further west tonight. Past everything we thought we'd be. The road's not running out, it's running on. And it's pulling you and me, Further west, where the sun takes its time going down. Further west, where we turn this noise into sound. I don't know what's out there, but I know it's calling loud. We're going further west And we're bringing the whole crowd. [GUITAR AND DRUM SOLO] [Bridge] Now some guys hit the top, and build a fence around it. Protect the view, keep the world below. But I never wanted altitude without the people in it. I wanted the climb, not the plateau. So if you're with me, stay with me. And if you're behind me, catch up soon. This thing we built is just getting started. And there's room, there's always room. [CHORUS] We're going further west tonight. Past everything we thought we'd be. The road's not running out, it's running on. And it's pulling you and me, Further west, where the sun takes its time going down. Further west, where we turn this noise into sound. I don't know what's out there, but I know it's calling loud. We're going further west And we're bringing the whole crowd.
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0:00 / 0:00The one that started it all. No Thanks to You from Somewhere West of Me. This was the first track written on that album. It's reimagined here as a live track at the beginning of an encore set of the performance.
Lyrics
[Verse 1] You took what you wanted and walked out the door Left me standing in the wreckage on the kitchen floor I was the one who told the neighbors where you'd gone Smiled through the questions, kept my composure on Boxes in the driveway, for sale sign in the yard Turns out letting go of everything ain't all that hard [Chorus] I told myself no looking back But looking back is still what I do All these years out on the road Don't think I'm looking back at you You might think you wrecked me when we were through But I'm a new version of me now No thanks to you [Verse 2] Sold the house in August, hit the highway heading west Found out who I was somewhere between the worst and best Slept in desert motels, sang in roadside bars Learned to read my future in a sky full of stars Every mile behind me was a mile I got to choose Funny how you find yourself when you've got nothing left to lose [Chorus] I told myself no looking back But looking back is still what I do All these years out on the road Don't think I'm looking back at you You might think you wrecked me when we were through But I'm a new version of me now No thanks to you [Verse 3] Now I dress like a mountain man and I never get cold Don't need things to fill me up, don't need things to feel whole My heart races for the wild things, I smile at the setting sun Living miles from those suburbs where you wanted us to run Got dirt under my fingernails and peace inside my chest Turns out the man you left behind just needed to be left [Bridge] I won't say I'm grateful, I won't say I'm glad But I won't give you credit for the best thing I ever had This heart that's still beating, this voice that found its song It was always mine for the taking I just had to learn where I belong [Chorus] I told myself no looking back But looking back is what got me through All these years out on the road I was looking back at who I knew You might think you made me when we were through But I'm a new version of me now No thanks to you [Outro] Still think about you sometimes when the night gets long But you're just a memory now Fading like an old song I'm a new version of me now No thanks to you
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0:00 / 0:00This is a special live version of Something in me Knows: the heartland-rock road song about being awakened by something underneath. Tiny earthquakes on the highway. A compass that does not point but trembles. The sound of a man who does not yet know where he's going — and does not want it to stop. This is the uptempo live version.
Lyrics
[Intro] [Verse 1] There's a tremor underneath me That I cannot really name A small unsteady kind of feeling Like the ground is not the same I have been the steady one The man who held the line But the line has started moving And the moving feels like mine [Pre-Chorus] And the careful man inside me Tries to tell me it's the road But the road is just a pathway And whatever's out there knows [Chorus - BIG] Tiny earthquakes on the highway Tiny earthquakes in my chest Something shaking something open Something asking for the rest I don't know what it's telling me I don't know where it goes But every mile of shaking Tells me something in me knows Something in me knows [Verse 2] There is a country I am crossing That is also crossing me Every mile undoes a little Of the man I used to be I do not feel the loss of him I feel the room that he made Like a house with all the windows open Letting in the air for days [Pre-Chorus] And the careful man inside me Tries to call it just a phase But whatever's been awakened Has been waiting all my days [Chorus - BIG] Tiny earthquakes on the highway Tiny earthquakes in my chest Something shaking something open Something asking for the rest I don't know what it's telling me I don't know where it goes But every mile of shaking Tells me something in me knows Something in me knows [Bridge] It's not fate It's not luck It's not something I can plan It's a hand beneath the surface Pulling levers on the man I'm headed where I'm going And I know I'm not there yet But the shaking is the compass And the compass won't forget This is not a thought This is not a choice This is something underneath me Speaking in my voice And I would not have heard it If I had not been lost And I do not want it to stop I do not want it to stop [Final Chorus - BIG] Tiny earthquakes on the highway Tiny earthquakes in my chest Something shaking something open Something asking for the rest I don't know what it's telling me I don't know where it goes But every mile of shaking Tells me something in me knows Something in me knows Something in me knows [Outro] Something in me knows
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0:00 / 0:00The reimagined live version of Gone By Morning. This is a key song in The Sit Boy, as it is the first song that Dixon writes and performs in the book. This song closes out the live performance to cheers.
Lyrics
[Verse 1] [Talk-singing, rhythmic, riding the groove] Drove out of Atlanta on the first day of July. Air so thick I couldn't tell the asphalt from the sky. Everything I owned was in the bed behind the cab. A duffel bag, a guitar, and a life I didn't plan to have. Hit the county line and something shifted in my chest. Like the rearview finally quit competing with what's next. Cranked the window down and let the highway fill my lungs. Felt like the second half of something barely just begun. [Pre-Chorus] [Beat builds, bass deepens, melody starts to lift] I don't know where I'm headed and I don't much care. Every mile puts a little more distance in the air. Between the man who stayed too long and the man who's finally free. Only thing I'm chasing now is whoever I'm gonna be. [Chorus] [Full groove drops — melodic, anthemic, 808s hit hard under bright acoustic] I'm gone by morning, gone before the sun. Gone before the coffee's cold, gone before I'm done. Every town's a stranger and every stranger's got a story. I'm collecting miles like souvenirs. And I'm gone by morning. [Verse 2] [Back to talk-singing, a little more swagger now] Kansas City looked at me like I was overdressed. Khaki shorts and boat shoes in a bar that knew me best. As "that guy from somewhere east who doesn't know the drill." But the band was playing covers and the whiskey hit the bill. Sioux Falls had a diner where the chicken-fried was king. The waitress called me "honey" and it didn't mean a thing. But it meant enough to sit there feeling human for an hour. Eating food that fought back harder than a marriage going sour. [Pre-Chorus] [Groove tightens, snare rolls build] Still a little city in the places I don't fit. Still reaching for a menu like it's something I submit. But nobody's keeping score out here, nobody's taking notes. Just another drifter learning how to stay afloat. [Chorus] I'm gone by morning, gone before the sun. Gone before the coffee's cold, gone before I'm done. Every town's a stranger and every stranger's got a story. I'm collecting miles like souvenirs. And I'm gone by morning. [Verse 3] [Groove pulls back slightly — still rhythmic but more cinematic] Found a motel west of Tucson where the AC barely tried. Lay on top of the sheets and felt the heat waves off the ride. Ceiling fan clicked circles like a clock that lost its mind. And I smiled, 'cause for the first time I had nowhere else to find. Played a set in some roadside place where nobody knew my name. A girl with turquoise earrings said she liked the way I came. Alive up on that barstool with a beat-up borrowed sound. I was the excitement that rolled into town. And I'd be gone before the next one came around. [Bridge] [Beat strips to just 808 pulse and acoustic guitar, talk-singing, dry and honest] Now I won't pretend I don't think about the yard. The neighbors and the mortgage and the life that fell apart. But the thing about a rearview is it only shows you where you've been. And I've been there long enough, I'm not going back again. [Beat builds back — hi-hats double up, bass swells, energy surges] The road don't care about your credit score. Don't care about your lawn. It just keeps on rolling forward. And it wants you to come along. [Chorus — Final] [Everything hits — full 808 drop, acoustic guitar bright on top, handclaps layer in] I'm gone by morning, gone before the sun Gone before the coffee's cold, gone before I'm done Every town's a first date and every sunset's something new I'm collecting who I am one highway at a time And I'm gone by morning Yeah, I'm gone by morning [Outro] [Beat rides out, acoustic guitar on top of a low bass pulse, easy and cool] [Half-laughing, spoken over the groove] Checkout's at eleven… but I never make it past dawn. [Final 808 hit] [AUDIENCE CHEERING] [SPOKEN:] Thank you! Good Night Y'all!