King of the One Man Blues – Lyrics

© Carl Reuter 2009

Registered with the UK Copyright Service

Rights reserved worldwide

UK©CS Reg No: 298328

King of the One Man Blues

A hundred thousand miles on a long long road

A lifetime of putting on my own sweet show

Don’t need a truck and trailer and a ten man crew – I’m the king of the one-man blues

Don’t need myself a drummer with a fifty piece kit

And twenty different microphones and all of that shit

Got a little silver box and I tell it what to do – I’m the king of the one man blues

Don’t need a big-ass bass that’ll rattle your brain

Guaranteed to shake the ground and cause you pain

This little silver box will pump it out on cue – I’m the king of the one-man blues

Just give me a stage and an old guitar

And a little silver box and a cool blues harp

You’ll be slipping your feet into your dancing shoes – I’m the king of the one-man blues

One-man blues, one-man blues, you don’t need two when only one will do

Freedom can be sweet on your own two feet

When you’re putting out the heat down on easy street…

So come on everybody lets boogie on down

A-hopping and a-skipping and a-jumping round

It’s a one-man thing and it’s coming to you from the king of the one-man blues

No one in this band is gonna end up in jail

No drink, no drugs, no personnel coming off the rails

No salaries and royalties and union dues – I’m the king of the one-man blues

Don’t have to sit and wait ‘cause someone’s running late

I hit a switch and everybody’s itching to play

It’s a winning combination with nothing to lose – I’m the king of the one-man blues

Don’t need myself a synthesiser filling in the gaps

With electronic samples and all that other crap

And a thousand stupid sounds I’m never gonna use – I’m the king of the one-man blues

Don’t need no laser lights and those other pretty things

And a trumpet and a saxophone and a section of strings

No sexy black chicks singing shoo-bi-doo-bi-doo – I’m the king of the one-man blues

Low Down

A man don’t choose when to get the blues

They just back him up, drag him – low down, low down

He try to shake himself loose but it ain’t no use

They just bully him around, pull him – low down, low down

All his colours turn to shades of grey

Doesn’t really matter what anybody say to him

Feel like he walking through every day just carrying a heavy weight

He try to shake himself loose but it ain’t no use

They just bully him around, pull him – low down, low down

He can scream and shout but there ain’t no way out

Yeah he can curse and weep, blues they keep him low down, low down

He got those hellhounds on his track he got the monkey on his back

He like a rat in a trap, falling back low down, low down

All his colours turn to shades of grey

Doesn’t really matter what anybody say to him

Feel like he walking through every day just carrying a heavy weight

He got those hellhounds on his track he got the monkey on his back

He like a rat in a trap, falling back low down, low down

He try the devil or the Lord, he try the needle or the sword

He turning every which way, but he just stay low down, low down

He don’t know where he should be turning to escape his body burning

And his soul just stay cold, blues they hold him low down, low down

All his colours turn to shades of grey

Doesn’t really matter what anybody say to him

Feel like he walking through every day just carrying a heavy weight

He don’t know where he should be turning to escape his body burning

And his soul just stay cold, blues they hold him low down, low down

Reunion

It was getting late

Time to pull over to the side of the road, give myself a break

Been driving twelve hours straight

Not a gas station, not a town, not a motel around in this desolate and beautiful place

Just a warm desert night, just a dusting of starlight

Smoke rising higher on the perfume of my fire

Spinning wheels still keeping me awake

Smoke rising higher on the perfume of my fire

Spinning wheels still keeping me awake

He came out of nowhere

Turned my head around ‘cause I thought I heard a sound and my brother was there

The years had given him long white hair

We didn’t speak to each other just a brother with his brother in the still night air

Just a flowing of sweetness, like a river between us

A listening of silence like a distant horizon

Sharing of troubles and cares

A listening of silence like a distant horizon

Sharing of troubles and cares

And as the fire burned down

There was no moon that night, I couldn’t see him beside me but I could feel him sitting by me on the ground

And we didn’t make a single sound

We didn’t need any words to tell us where we were, what this was all about

A chance to be together, something new to remember

What you throw away in life – you sometimes get to put it right

Make it work the second time around.

What you throw away in life – you sometimes get to put it right

Make it work the second time around.

Sunsplash on my face

Soon as I opened my eyes I guess I realised he wouldn’t be in that place

I didn’t need it explained

There was no mark of his boots in the places he had stood before he went away

Just a lingering of peace, just a sense of release

And for the first time in ages I felt like turning the page

A willingness to live a new day

And for the first time in ages I felt like turning the page

A willingness to live a new day

Good Woman Blues

Had me a good woman, never going to let her go

Tried to keep her happy, tell her I love her so

Given up my whiskey, said I’m never gonna touch no booze

And now all I got are those good woman blues

Always been a drinker ever since I was young

Like the taste of whiskey on the back of my tongue

But I found me a new woman, give me all the lovin’ I could use

And now all I got are those good woman blues

Saw a long lost buddy, said he was my friend

Sitting on the sidewalk got to drinking again

Never got me home until way on way past two

And now all I got are those good woman blues

She bought a one-way ticket for the morning train

Said she never gonna come and see me again

I begged her to come back but she shook her head and she did refuse

And now all I got are those good woman blues

Bad Water Rising

You’ve been acting like a fool, walking close up to the edge

Don’t seem to matter to you what anybody says

Been telling you to watch your step but you just keep on running

Too busy partying to think about what’s coming. I’ve been…

Picking up the phone to you to give you some advice

You never take my calls or play my messages twice

Waiting for the next time to get out of your head

Looking for the good times and to hell with the rest

Bad water rising – going to get you one of these days…

Party lights shine, drum beats in your brain

Chemicals are running through your body like a train

Living for the thrill of it, no matter what it costs

Don’t give a damn if it’s more than what you’ve got. You’ve been…

Running round in circles chasing something out of reach

Just a little bit more each time to make you feel the heat

Going to take a tumble, it’s a matter of time

What’s it going to take for you to realise…

Bad water rising – going to get you one of these days…

Well, I hate to watch you breaking up and messing up your life

Makes me want to shake you up and make you put it right

Bad water rising just waiting on your mistakes

Going to get you, one of these days it’s going to get you…

Everybody needs a friend and I’ll be there for you

You’ve got to stop and open up and let a friend get through

You think you’re tough and big enough to take the consequences

You need someone to pick you up, bring you to your senses. And it’s…

Going to get insane when that hurricane arrives

Hits you like a hammer right between the eyes

Bad water rising, it’s going to get wild

You’ll be slipping and a-sliding and crying like a child

Bad water rising – going to get you one of these days…

Walking Tall

My daddy was a hard man, didn’t do me many favours

Travelled the world with his work, saw the worst of human behaviour

Passed away before his time, still keeping me at a distance

Didn’t leave me much to cry for but a few little words of wisdom

Didn’t leave me much to cry for but a few little words of wisdom

For him it was all about pride, people should hold their heads up high

Got to stand up to the bullies, got to make them all think twice

Sometimes they’re going to take you down but you’ve got to make them pay

And if enough of us react that way, it’s going to be a better day

Yes if enough of us react that way, it’s going to be a better day

It’s all about walking, walking, walking, walking tall

Standing up for your rights, getting up again after you fall

It’s all about walking, walking, walking, walking tall

Standing up to be counted, sing and shout

Knocking on freedom’s door…With all you got

Knocking on freedom’s door…Never backing off

Knocking on freedom’s door…Never give an inch

Knocking on freedom’s door…‘Till they let you in

You’re walking tall, you’re walking tall, you’re walking tall, you’re walking tall

When I take a look around me, I see my daddy’s words are true

We’re living in a world of bullies, letting them do the things they do

We’ve got to get ourselves together now, make the bastards pay a price

And when it just gets too expensive maybe they’ll give us back our lives

Yes when it just gets too expensive maybe they’ll give us back our lives

No More

No more no more, guess I’ve had enough

No more no more, time to pack it all up

No more no more, finally free of doubt

No more no more, time for stepping out

Gonna drink at the well of freedom ‘till I’m thirsty no more

No more no more, guess I served my time

No more no more, no more living half a life

No more no more, nothing holding me down

No more no more, time for stepping out.

Gonna drink at the well of freedom ‘till I’m thirsty no more

Running fast and standing still, had my fill of paying bills

First through the gate, stepping up to the plate, working long and working late

Double shifts and overtime, putting my body out on the line

Sacrificing my health ‘till I don’t recognise myself

No more no more, gonna break these chains

No more no more, gonna live my life again

No more no more, no more messing about

No more no more, time for stepping out

Gonna drink at the well of freedom ‘till I’m thirsty no more

Had enough of feeling bad, had enough of getting mad

Chase every deal, beg and borrow and steal, I’ve been spinning like a wheel

Been giving it all of my best, never getting myself any rest

Been living out on the edge and I’ve been messing with my head

No more no more, being somebody else

No more no more, trying to hide behind myself

No more no more, gonna shout it out loud

No more no more, time for stepping out

Gonna drink at the well of freedom ‘till I’m thirsty no more

Drifting in the Darkness

Slipping and a-sliding, never in one place

Ducking and a-diving with a smile upon your face

But you’re drifting in the darkness, nowhere left to run

She puts her mark on you, you know your time has come

Jumping and a-joking, partying around

Skipping and a-smiling, no one ever knows you’re down

But you’re drifting in the darkness, nowhere left to run

She puts her mark on you, you know your time has come

It’s a game of smoke and mirrors, picture of pretence

Optical illusion that everything makes sense

But you’re drifting in the darkness, nowhere left to run

She puts her mark on you, you know your time has come

If you laugh a little louder, drink away your pain

Tell another story then they’ll never know your name

But you’re drifting in the darkness, nowhere left to run

She puts her mark on you, you know your time has come

You can run and you can hide, act like you don’t mind

Keep on rock and rolling but it’s just a matter of time

You’re just drifting in the darkness, nowhere left to run

She puts her mark on you, you know your time has come

You can hear the devil coming, baying of the hounds

Howling of the banshees that are gonna take you down

Yes, you’re drifting in the darkness, nowhere left to run

She puts her mark on you, you know your time has come

Bottle-a-Rum

Give me a glass and some cubes of ice

Somewhere out of the sun

A cocktail cherry and a lemon slice

And a good old bottle of rum

Friends are only rolling stones

Some will go and others come

But a wise man knows that he’s never alone

With a good old bottle of rum

People going to see if they can trip you up

No matter how fast you run

Safest place to be is sitting on your butt

With a good old bottle of rum

If they think you’re in the race they’ll be in your face

With every problem under the sun

Just give up the chase and you can find yourself a place

In a good old bottle of rum

Let us take a moment to thank the Lord again

For his merciful bounty in giving us cane

It makes a man happy and it eases his pain

When he takes good sugar in a liquid way…

It’s cooling for a fever and warming for the blood

Its properties are second to none

It gives you unconditional love

That good old bottle of rum

Chocolate Blues

Chocolate Blues – makes you want to use it

Makes you want to lose your inhibitions

Chocolate Blues – makes you want to do it

Makes you move your body into new positions

Chocolate Blues – makes you want to reach out

Makes you want to scream out and release your tension

Chocolate Blues – makes you give the heat out……

Makes you kick your feet out and give it your attention

So sweet and dark you never get enough

Kiss your lips with a lover’s touch

Makes you close your eyes, lets your fantasies loose

As you give yourself up to those – - Chocolate Blues

Chocolate Blues – makes you want to give it

Makes you want to live it in your imagination

Chocolate Blues – makes you want to follow with it

Gliding with the rhythm and the syncopation

Chocolate Blues – makes you set your stall out

Makes you want to call out all your sweet sensations

Chocolate Blues – makes you hang it all out

Makes you want to fall out of your hallucinations

Chocolate Blues – it’s a sensory explosion

Creeping up behind you and it’s poetry in motion

Chocolate Blues – got you swimming in the ocean

Rolling round inside you like a magical potion

Chocolate Blues – really nothing like it

Rides you like a bicycle every time you try it

Chocolate Blues – so strong and sweet and tender

Inside your defences and you need to surrender

Two wheels on the road

Two wheels on the road and the wind in my chest

River of darkness flowing round my head

Singing of pistons down between my knees

Big chrome tailpipe giving me a back beat

Big chrome tailpipe giving me a backbeat

A ribbon of highway rolls out like a line

Reels back in right before my eyes

Miles are moving through just as easy as they come

And nothing else can give you such a feeling of freedom

Nothing else can give you such a feeling of freedom

I don’t need a big truck to make me look like a man

Don’t want to drive around in a big tin can

Don’t want no Maserati, no Mercedes Benz

No stretch limousine to impress my friends

No stretch limousine to impress my friends

Well you may be a banker or a politician

You may be the lawyer of a famous musician

A captain of industry, a man on the moon

But when I’m on my bike I’m looking down on you

When I’m on my bike I’m looking down on you

The sun comes up and the mist is lifting higher

I turn on the burn and I ride into that fire

Cutting through the air like a bullet from a gun

Living to the rhythm of the good vibrations

Living to the rhythm of the good vibrations

I don’t need no fancy chemical to get myself high

Two wheels on the road and I’m reaching for the sky

Don’t know where I’m going but I really don’t care

Sometimes you make good time but you don’t want to get there

You make good time but you don’t want to get there

That’s right, I’m alright, this is why I like riding on my bike

I feel good, real good, I’m living my life in the way I should

I run free, I’m running free, nothing in this world gonna get to me

Let me tell you how good it feels to be on two wheels

Let me tell you how good it feels to be on two wheels

Mean Street Blues

It isn’t what you do, it isn’t the way you do it

It’s what they do to you, it’s the way they put you through it

It isn’t about making sense, expecting the unexpected

It’s what you represent to them and whether you’re protected

People taking cover behind their latches and locks

Living on top of each other just like rats in a box

Your hear drumbeats on the ground from the sound of running feet

You know something’s going down in the shadows of the backstreets

The curses fill your ears like the howling of the pack

Then the silence and the tears of the children in the back

And creeping in the shadows are the prophets of the night

Leaning on the gallows of the neighbourhood streetlights

An echo to your footsteps and the sound of breaking glass

A closing in of walls around you when you want to get past

You feel the prickling of the hairs up on the back of your neck

And the sense of someone close makes you break into a sweat

You’ve got to keep your head down and keep your curtains drawn

Or there’ll be a knocking on your windows in the dark before the dawn

Got to make yourself anonymous by staying underground

Don’t want to attract attention standing out from the crowd

Got to get behind your doors, never let your presence show

Got to learn to take good cover and just keep your profile low

The strongest on the street is the one who will survive

If you want to live your life you don’t want to be outside

But it never used to be this way when I was just a kid

We used to play outside together and laugh at what we did

And our folks would stand in doorways and put the world to rights

And we’d run and run in circles ‘till they called us back inside

In the dark of the night I sometimes dream of a beach

With the whisper of moonlight and the waves at my feet

There’s a smile and a handshake from every stranger that I meet

And I can live like a man, away from these mean streets

Mean street blues, I’ve had enough of you

This city’s breaking up and it’s time for me to make a move

Got to get myself away from here, make myself a big escape

If I stay here any longer it’s going to be too late

No matter what I do – I’m through with those mean street blues

No matter what I do – I’m through with those mean street blues

Road Well Travelled

Take a road well travelled and you’re never gonna reach the end

Follow in the footsteps of everybody else and you’re just walking back again

Climb the steps right in front of your feet and you’re walking on level ground

Set your course by the first star you see and you’re just spinning round n’ round…

Take a road well travelled, saying thank the Lord for what you got

You got money in your pocket, got a hat on your head, you got everything a man can want

But I say hey that ain’t good enough, all that stuff is gonna weigh you down

Gotta be tough enough just to give it all up or you’re just spinning round n’ round…

Take a road well travelled and you’ll never feel the sun on your face

No matter what they say, you’ll just stay in the shade of the rest of the human race

Gotta slip that noose, you gotta shake yourself loose, start heading for higher ground

Gotta break those chains, gotta make your own way or you’re just spinning round n’ round…

Take a road well travelled and you’re never gonna leave your cage

You think you’re doing well to protect yourself behind the bars that you have made

But I say, hey, it don’t have to be that way, nothing’s stopping you from stepping out

You think you’re moving on but you got it all wrong n’ you’re just spinning round n’ round…

Big Ol’ Bluesman

It’s a Saturday night in the house of blue lights

And the joint is fizzing like dynamite

Whisky and beer is coming over the bar

And a big old bluesman is playing guitar

A big old bluesman is playing guitar

Temperature’s rising and they’re feeling the heat

Shifting in their seats and stomping their feet

As the blues rolls out they all know where they are

And a big old bluesman is playing guitar

A big old bluesman is playing guitar – like this…

It’s a Saturday night in the house of blue lights

And we’re gonna get it on until way past midnight

Shake your money-maker baby, paddle your feet

You can leave your troubles back out in the street…

It’s Baby Please Don’t Go and it’s a Mojo Hand

Standing at the Crossroads and Hoochie Coochie Man

Mean Mistreater and Walking Through the Park

And a big old bluesman is playing guitar

A big old bluesman is playing guitar

The Blues Had A Baby And They Called It Rock ‘n Roll

Boogie Chillun’, Mannish Boy and Bottle It Up And Go

Sweet Home Chicago, Rock me Baby, Broken Heart

And a big old bluesman is playing guitar

A big old bluesman is playing guitar – like this…

(Big old English bluesman is playing his guitar)