Get all 15 Benjamin Adair Murphy releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Old Chords, Let's Make a King, Back Pocket Blues, Killarney Glen, Trouble Came, Electro Morocco, Mustard, Turkey Doolin and the Early Eights, and 7 more.
1. |
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Our city is on top of the hill
But the beans are starting to spill
And if I can hold this place where I stand
I won’t walk upside down through this land
The branches are dripping with rain
And our children are calling our names
But if I can keep a steady hand
I won’t walk upside down through this land
I won’t walk upside down
Or stand with my legs leaning crooked
Nor will I speak with my head in the sand
But the dust goes up to the sky
And the numbers I’m counting don’t lie
But if I can give some kind of damn
I won’t walk upside down through this land
I won’t walk upside down through this land
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2. |
It's Gonna be a Day
01:52
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It’s gonna be a day
And the only way to meet it
Is to steer into the waves
It’s gonna be a day
It’s gonna be a day
And the only way to dig
Is with your fingers down in the clay
It’s gonna be a day
It’s not gonna be like what you think
A ship will sail until it sinks
A man knows the score
Until he blinks
And everything has changed
It’s gonna be a day
It’s gonna be a day
And to book safe passage
you’ll have to sell off your silks and slaves
It’s gonna be a day
It’s gonna be a day
And most of us will leave
Because only an idiot would stay
It’s gonna be a day
It’s gonna be a day
It’s gonna be a day
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3. |
My Rights
02:08
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The hand that feeds me
Is in trouble with the law
And the sun it will set fire to the straw
The man that leads me
Shut off the lights
Now the stars will pull me over
And the wind is gonna read me my rights
The planes that fly
And the trains that roll
They circle ‘round the world in the cold
But behind this wheel I can ride all night
Until the stars they pull me over
And the wind is gonna read me my rights
Out loud in the morning
Cause I won’t see straight enough to steer
My rights out loud in the morning
But I’ll hear all I need to hear
I wouldn’t trade a thing
For my days with you
But they all so short and so few
Now the sky is clear
And I’ve set my sights
The stars will pull me over
And the wind is gonna read me my rights
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4. |
Shutdown Blues
01:05
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The hell that you say
Will find you one day
And drown you in a river that won’t end
The lines that you sell
Won’t go your own bail
When you’re locked behind bars that won’t bend
When you’re locked behind bars that won’t bend
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5. |
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Down I go
Down I’m digging me a gambling hole
But it’s nice to get out
Mr. Murray gave me a ride into town
But she tells me if I really knew her I would know
And she tells me if I really loved her I would leave her alone
The men at the gate
They laugh and tell me that I’ll just have to wait
Then they let me pass
They don’t care whatever happens after that
But she tells me if I really knew her I would know
And she tells me if I really loved her I would leave her alone
But on my soul there’s a world that I wanna set on fire
I made my plans and I’ll be damned if I’ll be made into a liar
The time cannot be set
And I cross my fingers and I split the deck
My coffee’s getting cold
But I’ve got all the time in this tiny little world
But she tells me if I really knew her I would know
And she tells me if I really loved her I would leave her alone
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6. |
My One Friend
01:11
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My one friend
Sometimes I think I’ll find you again
Sometimes I think you’ll be all right in the end
With your smiles and your shrugs
With your job and your drugs
Sometimes I think you’ll be all right in the end
My one friend
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7. |
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Come down the night is getting dark
Close your eyes you’ll wake up when the train stops
Well when the time comes
Baby you will know it
When the coins in the air
You’ll have your chance to call it
Well when the car it starts to shake
And the glass begins to crack
And the bones begin to ache
As they bounce along the track
Don’t pay no mind to all that business
It’s none of your concern
That’s just the sound of someone stealing things
That he could never earn
Come down the night is getting dark
Close your eyes you’ll wake up when the train stops
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8. |
Anywhere
01:27
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I like to be there when the sun goes down
At the home plate of the ballpark of my hometown
And an autumn breeze wipes the bleachers clean
And the whole town’s home with their tv screens
Well these children can heal their own scars
These drunks can all crash their own cars
And a young man can travel the world and still not go anywhere
I like to be there when the sun goes down
When the wind grows cold and there’s not a sound
I’ve always had enough and always had my share
Now I don’t even need to go anywhere
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9. |
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Down the road a piece I met someone I knew
She said love’s a pretty thing don’t you put it past you
We went walking down by the ridge
Where the old folks stay and the shadows move
love’s a pretty thing don’t you put it past you
All those nights crawling up the wall
So many slips and so many falls from my bed
Some things should end but they don’t
Sometimes you want to leave but you know you never won’t
Just remember love’s a pretty thing don’t put it past you
I’m gonna meet you there one day
God knows that’s what I do
And you’ll say love’s a pretty thing don’t put it past you
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10. |
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Whatever I drag out of that river
I believe it’s a good day’s work
The only words I’ve said today are "yes ma’am" and "yes sir"
But I believe I was cut from a different kind of stone
And the troubles I make are my own
My heart is not weary
My throat is not dry
I’d walk to the end of the world just to wave goodbye
To these dreams that have passed before my eyes
Whatever I pull out of that dirt
I believe it was there all the time
And if I don’t find it today
I’ll leave it for someone else to find
But the days fly fast
And I try to be true
And maybe that’s all that any of us can do
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11. |
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It strips the bark of the trees when the winds cuts through
It sure makes a man feel small
You and I could get
Something that we might regret
Going in no time at all
The rain on the water is hard as it comes
Washes away the sea wall
You and I could get
Something that we might regret
Going in no time at all
Raise up your eyes your eyes to mine
Raise up your eyes to mine
The sky is all covered up by the weather
And the stars need somewhere to shine
I know these kind of troubles
They rise up like bubbles
And land like bricks when they fall
You and I could get
Something that we might regret
Going in no time at all
This could break every window
And every wall in the house
And then go away screaming
Or crawl away soft as a mouse
I followed these footprints
They came from a distance
And they led me right here to your hall
You and I could get
Something that we might regret
Going in no time at all
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12. |
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I’ve spent too long with my head down
I’ve spent too long staring at the floor
Now there are food on the table
And shoes by the door
I shouldn’t call you anymore
I’m in someone else’s place
I’ve just been keeping his seat warm
Now the jury is certain
But the lawyers aren’t sure
I shouldn’t call you anymore
You can take all these troubles and drown them in wine
And enemy of that business is a friend of mine
I’ve spent too long with my head down
I’ve spent too long staring at the floor
Maybe I'll head out and go to the store
I shouldn’t call you anymore
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Benjamin Adair Murphy Mexico City, Mexico
www.benjaminadairmurphy.com Benjamin fronted the NYC band the Blue Eighty Eights, and has recorded solo albums in Brooklyn, Rome, and Mexico City. He has written lyrics for Nanuchka, Roiki, Electro Morocco, the Monophonic Shooting Spree, and other artists. ... more
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