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. |
Your Gun
02:03
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Your gun cost me my father
Your gun cost me my wife
Your gun cost me my brother
Your gun cost me my life
Your gun cost me my uncle
Your gun cost me my niece
Your gun cost me my nephew
Your gun cost me my peace
Your gun cost me my daughter
Your gun cost me my son
Your gun took everything from me
But you've still got your gun
Your gun cost me my parents
Your gun cost me my friend
Your gun cost me my sister
Your gun cost me my children
Your gun cost me my country
Your gun cost me my home
Your gun cost me my mother
You gun cost me all I know
Your gun cost me my whole world
Your gun cost me everyone
Your gun took everything from me
But you've still got your gun
Your gun cost me my office
Your gun cost me my boss
Your gun cost me my synagogue
Your gun cost me my mosque
Your gun cost me my high school
Your gun cost me my church
Your gun took all the light away and left only the hurt
Sometimes I can’t believe that these crimes can still be done
Your gun took everything from me
But you’ve still got your gun
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2. |
Stupid followed Evil
02:47
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Well, Evil said to Stupid
You look like you could use a friend
And Stupid said that’s great
I ain't had me one of them
Then stupid said to Evil
How does this friendship work?
And Evil said it’s easy you just look away when I do my work
So stupid dug a hole and stuck his head deep in the sand
And Evil had free reign to carry out his wicked plans
Well Evil saw that Stupid was truly stupid and he had time
To tear the world apart and split the people into tribes
He said that war can have a winner
And that greed is not a sin
And a man can judge another man by the color if his skin
And all the while stupid sat while the world burned to the ground
Thinking gee well ain't it nice to have a friend around
Well, Stupid opened his eyes one day and saw that he'd been tricked
The rich had all grown richer while the poor all took a hit
His friends were all in jail
And he'd lost all of his rights
The people were divided
And the earth wasn't even fit for life
And he wanted just to go back
But by then it was too late
Because stupid followed evil
And there was nowhere to escape
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3. |
Alabama Goddam!
02:15
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She's driving out of Alabama
Because Alabama did her wrong
She's driving out of Alabama
Because it's time for getting gone
She's driving out of Alabama
And never going back again
She's driving out of Alabama
Because she's sick of old white men
Who'd rather die than try to understand
So Alabama goddamn
She's driving out of Alabama
Cause what they do and what they say
She's driving out of Alabama
Cause she don't want to live that way
She's driving out of Alabama
She's fed up and she's through
She's driving out of Alabama
Cause she don’t live in 1952
They want to turn the clock as far as they can
Alabama goddamn
She's driving out of Alabama
Because they took away her voice
She's driving out of Alabama
Cause they didn't give her any choice
She's driving out of Alabama
Cause she's afraid of getting shot
She's driving out of Alabama
Cause man why the hell not
And she's got her whole life ahead of her to plan
Alabama goddamn
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4. |
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100 pills per person
And I'll never understand
How they could know what they were doing
But not ever give a damn
100 pills per person
Prescribed to me and you
By Johnston and Johnson
And proscribed by Purdue
And if they could do it all again
You know they'd do it just the same
100 pills per person
And big pharma getting paid
100 pills per person
And these profits stink of death
This classroom once was filled with kids
Now there's two thirds of them left
They’re gone down in Kentucky
They’re gone up there in Maine
Families ripped apart
That will never be the same
Mothers taken from their daughters
Fathers taken from their sons
100 pills per person
And we're nowhere close to done
100 pills per person
And that greed is here to stay
And if a man starts to run dry
He can get more the next day
100 pills per person
And nobody in jail
The kids all found their fixes
And their coffins found their nails
They think that they’re above the law
But their hands are soaked with blood
They’re gonna have to answer
When it’s time to be judged
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5. |
Teach the Christians
02:53
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Who’s gonna teach the Christians the teachings of Jesus Christ
They think they got it figured out but they ain’t got it right
They turn away from all their neighbors and steal from the poor
They put up walls along their borders and locks on all their doors
The way they act is such a sorry sight
Who’s gonna teach the Christians the teachings of Jesus Christ
Who’s gonna teach the Christians the teachings of Jesus Christ
They think the world is simple, they see it all in black and white
And they’re quick to pass their judgments about who is free to love
But if they knew the scriptures they’d know it’s not for them to judge
And then they want to go and start a fight?
Who’s gonna teach the Christians the teachings of Jesus Christ
Who’s gonna teach the Christians the teachings of Jesus Christ
They’ve got the riches of world and keep them locked up tight
And they teach their children hatred, and they teach their children fear
And they leave this world polluted because they think salvation is near
But we’re all on the same road home tonight
So it’s time to teach the Christians the teachings of Jesus Christ
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6. |
Let's Make a King
02:37
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Let’s make a king
Yeah, let’s make a king
Let’s tie our hands down to the tracks
Let’s make the world look flat
Let’s cut the tongues before they ever learn to sing
Let’s burn the homes to warm our hands
Plant our flags on foreign lands
Let’s leave the fingers and take the rings
Let’s make a king
Let’s make a king
We’ll keep one alive to tell the tale
Let’s lock the doors with nails
Let’s let the necks all snap and those bodies swing
Let’s turn away from all we had before
Cause we’ve been promised so much more
And we can’t wait to see what this day brings
Let’s make a king
Let’s make a king
Let's shine a single beam of light
Shine it right up to the sky
Let's make a man into the law of the land
And raise him up on high
Let's praise our lord and our savior
Let's call the votes all in our favor
And anyway they never really meant a thing
Let's break the unions and choke the schools
Give the press a few hard rules
The birds will sing on this bright and blessed spring
Let’s make a king
Let’s make a king
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7. |
Same Kind of Fascist
01:13
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You know those kind of fascists
You used to see on film?
Those mean looking fascists
With their shiny black boots?
You know those kind of fascists
Who loved to march around?
Well those same kind of fascists
They are here with us right now.
You know those kind of fascists
You used to read about in school?
Those big mouthed fascists
We had to shoot in World War 2?
You know those kind of fascists
Who like to rile up a crowd?
Well those same kind of fascists
They are here with us right now.
Because the fascist loves his church
and the fascist loves his Jesus
The fascist he loves fries and shakes
and the fascist loves grilled cheeses
The fascist loves his country
and the fascist loves the mall
The fascist loves his parents
and the fascist loves football
And that fascist sun is rising on
our dirt and on our dust
And that fascist heart is beating
Inside our children
On the school bus
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8. |
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Well when the white man wants things done
He gets them done and that’s no lie
And if someone steps into his way
That someone's gonna die
He storms across the land
And thinks his hand's guided by God
And he’ll make you wash his clothes and cook his food
and do odd jobs
If you’ve ever seen a prairie fire
And all the creatures run
Then man you’ve seen the ways
that the white man gets things done
When the white man wants things done
He gets them done and that’s no joke
He’ll only hear that yes, he won’t ever hear that no
He’ll damn up all your rivers
And poison all your crops
You can beg that man for mercy
But you know he’ll never stop
If you've ever seen a building burn
And the smoke block out the sun
Then man you've seen the ways
That the white man gets things done
When the white man wants things done
He gets them done and that's the truth
There not a single way to win
There’s just a million ways to lose
He likes to get his way and he likes to get it quick
If you think you got a deal than mister you got tricked
If you ever seen a wild beast
Tear apart someone
Then man you've seen the way the white man gets things done
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9. |
U.S. Custody Blues
02:16
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I stumbled down the darkest path
Then died in U.S. custody
I made my friends around me laugh
Then died in U.S. custody
I kissed my mom when she looked sad
Then died in U.S. custody
I grew an inch since I saw my dad
Then I died in U.S. custody
I closed my eyes and tried to see my home
But this place is the last I’ll ever know
I drew a sky without a cloud
Then died in US custody
I dreamed about a nice warm house
Then I died in U.S. custody
There’s something I can’t figure out
it has to do with history
I tasted blood inside my mouth
Then I died in U.S. custody
I closed my eyes and prayed to see my mom
but this place is the last I ever saw
I’ve got a ghost you'll see her face
She’s out of U.S. custody
I’ve got a ghost you'll hear her voice
She escaped from U.S. custody
I’ve got a ghost, you’ll know her name
So mister just you wait and see
I’ve got a ghost you'll meet her soon
And the rest it ain’t no mystery
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10. |
Back Pocket Blues
03:44
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Soon we’ll melt into the crowd
But it’s just the two of us here now
When the plane lands and the ears pop
When the day starts and the night stops
The good cuts are just bones to pick
When it’s rolling out the window
We don’t know which way it went
Just like money burns a hole through a pocket
The wheels role over the rocks
And we roll around in the bed of the truck with the toolbox
A sky of flame and thunder
Will set my mind to wander
Over the hills and the sticks
When it’s rolling out the window
We don’t know which way it went
Just like money burns a hole through a pocket
Love notes and letters
They’re not mine to send her
They’re just things she’ll find on her own
Whirlpools and rivers
They’re not mine to give her
They’re just there to lead her way home
When it’s rolling out the window
We don’t know which way it went
Just like money burns a hole through a pocket
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11. |
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How are we doing on time?
Is there room for one more song?
Can we stay up here in the lights?
Or will management move us along?
We’ve been crying our hearts out to everyone here
We’ve been crying to everyone gone
And that's all well and fine
But how are we doing on time?
How are we doing on time?
Is there time for one more kiss?
Can we just stay in bed?
Or have you made up a whole list?
Of things to get done
Or things to work out
Like what's yours and what's mine
There’s so much to do
But how are we doing on time?
There a cry in the distance
There's a break in the chain
There’s a light that keeps blinking
For the fire brigade
There's a bridge that's washed out
but we just blew right past the signs
How are we doing on time?
Can we live here until we grow old?
Can we stay here under this roof?
Or has the whole house been sold?
All I want is my child to have what I had
And to breath under the blue skies
But there's all of this weather
How are we doing on time?
There's all of this weather
How are we doing on time?
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12. |
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Well we’re jumping off the docks
We’re going for a swim
We’re letting our kites rise up in the wind
We’re stepping outside
We’re headed out the door
We’re dressing in nothing but t-shirts and shorts
It’s looking good it’s looking all right
You know what I’m talking about ya’ll
We’ve been waiting for the first day of summer
Since the first day of fall
Well this winter was way too cold for anyone to take
But now the leaves are green
We're gonna drive down to the lake
I’m gonna start me a fire
Cook up some burgers and some dogs
Watch the fireflies and just sit on a log
It’s feeling warm it’s feeling just right
You know we’re gonna have us a ball
We’ve been waiting for the first day of summer
Since the first day of fall
We’ve been waiting for the first day summer since the fall brought a chill to the land
We’ve been waiting for the first day summer since we all started losing our tans
We’ve been waiting for the first day summer since I don't even know when
But when the ice starts melting I’m a brand new man
I think some of you people understand
It’s looking good it’s looking all right
You know what I’m talking about ya’ll
We’ve been waiting for the first day of summer
Since the first day of fall
The first day of summer
Since the first day of fall
The first day of summer
Since the first day of fall
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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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