Ask Me Tomorrow
I ain’t got time for you to wait to take a chance
When I move you know I like to hit the gas
I like my tea with gin and lots of sassafras
Staying one step in front of sorrow
A little shy, you best be stepping up your game
Life is fleeting faster than a starlet’s fame
Don’t know why I seem to like you all the same
So ask me, ask me tomorrow
Chorus
Languid love may then appeal to me
What you’re offering may seem more real to me
I may not be the same old guy I used to be
So roll the dice
Ask me twice
Oh my gosh the time is really getting late
The night is coming on, it will not hesitate
All good things must come to those who cannot wait
So ask me, ask me tomorrow
By Keith Miles/Kim Sherman
Russ Pahl – guitar, pedal steel
Billy Sanford – guitar
Rick Lonow – drums
Dennis Crouch – acoustic bass
Tammy Rogers – violin
Keith Miles — vocals
House of Trout, ASCAP Who Needs Sleep Music, SESAC
(Kim and I wrote this song after a discussion in her guitar shop, Cotten Music, in Nashville. Originally written from a woman’s perspective, I’ve changed a couple of lyrics for a male vocal.)
Homeland
There’s a piece of prairie with a white picket gate
The geographic center of the lower 48
How long it’s been in my family is anybody’s guess
We were riding these plains
Before the pony express
There’s a sycamore tree all splintered and brown
It used to touch the sky ‘til the twister came around
It’s got this one green branch
Pointing in the air
It’s still hanging on
Like the people round here
Chorus
You can hold back the rain, bring on the wind
Knock us back down, we’ll get up again
We’ve dug in deep, we’ve made our stand
This is our homeland
I can hear their spirits deep in my bones
Up on a hill, we carved it in stone
Like the long line before us
And the little ones to come
It’s a family thing
That we’re carrying on
Chorus
By Keith Miles/Jack Sundrud
Russ Pahl – pedal steel
Rick Lonow – drums
Dennis Crouch – acoustic bass
Keith Miles — vocals
Jeff King – Guitar
Jack Sundrud – background vocals
House of Trout, ASCAP Moraine Music, BMI (Jack and I wrote this song several years ago during a spate of writing sessions where we were churning out anthems. Homeland was recorded by Great Plains, where it was the title cut of their second album, and Kenny Rogers, who released it as a single from his album, “There You Go Again”.)
Just That Kinda Girl
The news been going round
You’re packing up and leaving town
Found love halfway round the world
I wish you all the best
Sweet love and tenderness
‘Cuz you’re just that kinda girl
You sail against the wind
Dance to a song so deep within
You know you gotta give this thing a whirl
Goodbye with no regrets
Double down on all your bets
‘Cuz you’re just that kinda girl
Chorus
Tears of joy, tears of sadness down your face
I’m afraid it’s just the same for me
Every journey starts with just one step
Go on and set your walkin’ shoes free
Doors locked the house is sold
It’s time for something bold
Like a diver looking for pearl
Go out and give ‘em hell
That spirit we know so well
Cuz you’re just that kinda girl
You’re just that kinda girl
By Keith Miles
Russ Pahl – guitar, lap steel, banjo
Billy Sanford – guitar
Rick Lonow – drums
Dennis Crouch – acoustic bass
Jason Webb – keyboards
Keith Miles — vocals
House of Trout, ASCAP (I wrote this for the going away party for a friend who was headed to Australia and love.)
Kerouac Days
Running on sense of wonder
We powered through the US of A
Hanging with the chicks and the cats we met along the way Through the smoke and the wine and the chatter
Cool jazz in the midnight hours
Mad for the moment, we’d say to each other these are
Kerouac days Kerouac days
The road has its own kind of rhythm
Buddhist asphalt poetry
In the radio light you’re looking a bit like Moriarity
Youth is its own kind of madness
Roaring in a black shiny car
We’d roll down the windows and scream to the world these are Kerouac days Kerouac days
CHORUS
Mad for the talkers
Mad for the dreamers
Exploding ‘cross the stars in the night
A vision to guide me
Nothing behind me
Drivin’ down the road headed into the light
Running just a little bit slower
Carefully turning the page
Painting the town with a palette of somewhat softer shades
But in the full moon of hot summer nights
I hear the highway call from afar
In this sleepy old town,
I’m coming to see that these are
My Kerouac days Kerouac days
By Keith Miles/Jack Sundrud
Jack Sundrud – acoustic guitar, bass
Russ Pahl – acoustic guitar
Rick Lonow – drums
Keith Miles – vocals
Jeff King – electric guitar
Jack Sundrud – background vocals
House of Trout, ASCAP Omarnerma Music, BMI (Jack and I wrote this specifically for the Hemifran project. Our idea was that the carefree spirit of “Kerouac Days” transcended age and that it might make a good tune to look backward at that.)
Playing Your Guitar
The house is still
But the street is full of sound
As I pick up your old guitar
I search for the line
That can make the clock rewind
To when we bid each other Au revoir
Chorus
How many hearts has it mended?
Can it take me wherever you are?
Night after night In this room without light
I’m playing your guitar
They say this war will end
But you will not be back again
I will never feel your gentle touch
It’s hard to accept
This is all of you that’s left
All of me just isn’t enough
Chorus
There’s a 100 notes
And a thousand old songs
And a rhythm I’m hoping to find
To make some sense of the day
A tune to guide me on my way
A melody for a sorrowful mind
Chorus
By Keith Miles/Kim Sherman
Russ Pahl – guitar, steel, pedal steel
Billy Sanford – guitar
Rick Lonow – drums
Dennis Crouch – acoustic bass
Keith Miles – vocals
Tammy Rogers – string arrangement / violin, viola
House of Trout, ASCAP Who Needs Sleep Music, SESAC (Kim Sherman and I share a love of old acoustic guitars and all the memories that can be contained in them. The original idea came to me as a visual of a young woman, alone late at night in her darkened bedroom, wistfully strumming a guitar. We tried to tell a story that left enough room for the listener to insert their own stories.)
Produced by Jack Sundrud Basic tracks recorded at Petti Sound, Nashville Mark Petaccia, John Netti, engineers Overdubs & Mixing by Jack Sundrud and Bill Halverson at the Spare Room, Nashville
This Road I’m On – Seven Cent Cigar Blues – The South – Samson and Delilah – Sweet Waters – Them Dance Hall Girls – Who’s That Girl? – Maybe I Shoulda – I Like To Drive – Iola – Memories Of You
This Road I’m On
Keith Miles
There’s a heartbeat
I can feel it
And it’s beating strong, beating true
There’s a closed door
I can see it
On the other side is you
Start the car and I drive away
Disappear from view
This road I’m on will take me away from you
There’s a highway
Black snaking highway
Slithering to the west
To the twilight
I see the closed door
Bathed in the daylight
Opening to the dawn
Where the sun’s bright
I promised to go quietly
And disappear from view
This road I’m on will take me away from you
No promises and no regrets
No midnight calls and jealous minuets
No crying over past mistakes
Saying all is lost to he who hesitates
I see it now. I see that now. I see it now.
There’s a heartbeat
But I can’t feel it
Whether it’s beating strong or beating blue
I wipe the tears dry
Lord I try to be so strong
Thinking about a life
Without you
I start the car and drive away
Disappear from view
This road I’m on will take me away from you
Seven Cent Cigar Blues
Keith Miles
Step up, step up, the barker cried
As he waved his cane in the air
You’re going to see a true extravaganza
And watch it vanish in the air
I was standing at the edge of the crowd
Just staring at the tops of my shoes
At the great American two-step sideshow
And seven cent cigar blues
It was a two-bit tent outside of town
On the wrong side of the tracks
With some dancing debutante failures
And a couple of one-eyed jacks
The girls were rather scantily clad
I craned my neck to get a better view
At the great American two-step sideshow
And seven cent cigar blues
Well I got in line with the rest of the crowd
I had two-bits in my hand
Some hypnotist fella with a blindfold on
Said I looked like an honest man
He waved a watch in front of my eyes
And made me crow like a rooster, cock-a-do
At the great American two-step sideshow
And seven cent cigar blues
Then came the debutante failures
Dancing up on the stage
After the show I got to know
One of the girls who was just my age
A simple request I was her guest
And she said “I do, do you?
At the great American two-step sideshow
And seven cent cigar blues
Straightening my tie as I left her
When I spotted those one-eyed jacks
That dancing girl had taken all my dough
But these dudes took the shirt off my back
They took my pants and my wallet
They left my shorts and my shoes
At the great American two-step sideshow
And seven cent cigar blues
Some people might say I’m crazy
Some people might say I sinned
Some people might say things like that all day
But I’d do it all over again
Money was meant for losing
And I’ve lost me a dollar or two
At all the great American two-step sideshows
And seven cent cigars blues
The South
Jack Sundrud/Keith Miles
What is it about the south
Like a magnet pulls me back
I’m longing to hear the sound
Of rain falling on an old tin shack
It’s the land of my father’s father
Peach pie and Huckleberry Finn
All the girls are Scarlett’s daughter
Lord, I gotta go home again
CHORUS
Down upon the Sewanee River
Floating on memories
No matter how far I wander
Dixie is the heart of me
And I swear I do believe
You can go but you can’t leave
The south
What is it about the south
Keeps calling out to me
Saying come lay your burdens down
In the arms of Tennessee
I can hear a Baptist choir
Harmonize Amazing Grace
Their voices lift me higher
And carry me away
CHORUS
Look homeward all you angels
Look homeward all good me
It seems the road I’m traveling
Is gonna take me home again
CHORUS
Samson and Delilah
public domain
Yeah you read about old Samson, you read about his birth
He was the strongest man that ever lived on Earth
One day while Samson was-a-walkin’ alone
He looked down on the ground and saw an old jawbone
He lifted up that jawbone, and swung it over his head
When he got to movin’ ten-thousand was dead
If I had my way
If I had my way
If I had my way in this wicked world
I would tear this building down
Samson and the lion got in attack
Samson he climbed up on the lion’s back
You read about this lion killed a man with his paws
Samson got his hand on the lion’s jaws
He twisted that beast until the lion was dead
And the bees made honey in the lion’s head
If I had my way
If I had my way
If I had my way in this wicked world
I would tear this building down
Delilah was a woman she was fine and fair
She had lovely looks, God knows and coal black hair
Delilah, she set down on Samson’s knee
Said tell me where your strength lies if you please
She spoke so kind, God knows, she talked so fair
’til Samson said ‘Delilah, you can cut off my hair
You can shave my head, clean as my hand
And my strength will be like a natural man
If I had my way
If I had my way
In this wicked world
I would tear this old building down
Sweet Waters
Keith Miles
You say I haven’t smiled in a long time
Give me something to laugh about
Seems like only yesterday
The twilight slipped the sun away
No brilliant sunset to make it all easy
No diamond stars, no glittering sand
There was a time when I held the future
Like I’m holding this drink in my hand
Oh, how would you know
It’s time to pack your bags, it’s time to go
Down where the sweet sweet waters flow
I told you one time how much I loved you
You laughed and called me a silly young man
I had some dreams I was wanting to share
But you disappeared ‘round the top of the stair
And late at night when I was lying beside you
You were somewhere so very far away
When I awoke you were staring at the ceiling
Suddenly it was clear what you were feeling
Oh, how would you know
Things wouldn’t change if we took it kinda slow
And went down where the sweet waters flow
Somewhere deep in a tropical paradise
Tears never fall and time doesn’t fade
The cool waters from a glistening stream
Collect in a pool and reveal all your dreams
Gone are the rules and the strict limitations
That guide us along and leave you no choice
And you are left to be all that you are
No matter how near or no matter how far
Oh, it’s a place that I know
Where every day is an extravagant show
Down where the sweet sweet waters flow
Them Dance Hall Girls
Allan H. Fraser/2009/SOCAN
These dance hall girls, they don’t treat you kind
They give you their bodies
But you’ll never reach their minds
They fill you up with lipstick lies
When they put you down son, don’t be surprised
Is this the way it is in Baltimore?
I held her mountains, I kissed her plains
I touched her sunshine, and I drank her rains
I bent so far, I broke too fast
Thought I had a winner picked, but I came in last
Is this the way it is in Baltimore?
I must have chosen the wrong season to come down
I never realized they called this sacred ground
My sense of time, it’s a week behind
I sent a letter home but this all takes time you know
I want to get some money, so I can go back home
These dance hall girls
Know how to make a man feel alone
Is this the way it is in Baltimore?
I must have chosen the wrong season to come down
I never realized they called this sacred ground
My sense of time is a week behind
They’ll give you their bodies
But you’ll never reach their mind
They’ll fill you up, with lipstick lies
These dance hall girls
Say they can’t stand to see a grown man cry
Is this the way it is, here in Baltimore?
Is this the way it is, here in Baltimore?
I wrote dhg when I was 19. There’s a Baltimore, Ontario where a lot of migrant farm workers get field and orchard work. I used to call the tune “The Maritime Migrants’Song”. I spent my late teens in Sherbrooke Quebec and there was a Baltimore Bay we used to boat to for parties. Thanks for the interest and views.
AF
Posted by: Allan Fraser at March 2, 2005 7:55 PM
Who’s That Girl?
Keith Miles
Who’s that girl
What’s her name
Where’s she from
What’s her game
Who’s that girl
Who’s she with
What’s he to her
What’s she to him
Is her hair always brown
Is she known for her wit
Was her heart ever broke
Did she recover from it
Does she have any secrets
Does she tell any lies
Was it her father or mother
Who gave her those eyes
Who’s that girl
Just gotta know
If she looks this way boys
Man, I gotta go
Who’s that girl
Who’s that girl
Ain’t she fine
Bet you a quarter
Gonna make her mine
Maybe I Shoulda
Keith Miles/Jack Sundrud
Maybe I shoulda kept on doin’
The things I did when love was new
Maybe I shoulda paid more attention
To the little things you used to do
Maybe I shoulda listened
To what you tried to say
Maybe I shoulda, maybe I coulda
Maybe you woulda been here today
Shoulda come home early a few more times
And let you know when I was down
Shoulda told the boss I’m on vacation
So you and me could just hang around
Shoulda remembered your birthday
I’ll never forget you went away
Maybe I shoulda, maybe I could
Maybe you woulda been here today
Frame by frame
I rewind the memories of our love
I’ll take the blame
The way I treated you just wasn’t good enough
Coulda checked my ego at the door
And just for once let down my guard
Coulda walked a few steps in your shoees
Lovin’ me musta been mighty hard
Things mighta turned out different
It’s too late to say
Maybe I shoulda, maybe I coulda
Maybe you woulda been here today
I Like To Drive
Keith Miles/Steve Blazek
65 ford
Wind at my back
There’s a Texas moon shining like a dashboard light
Against a night so black
Radio on
Man, Lyle can sing
I’m tapping out a rhythm on the steering wheel
With my wedding ring
I like to drive
In the cool of the night
Give me a full tank
I’ll be all right
Leave all my troubles
Feel so alive
Good stretch of highway
I like to drive
Some people sleep
When the sun goes down
But there’s an odd collection of n’er-do-wells
Who like to drive around
Old memories
Come riding with me
‘Cause I ain’t scared of nothing
These headlights cannot see
I like to drive..
With the daylight far behind me
Constellations as my guide
Rollin’ on to nowhere accelerating as I ride
I like to drive…
Iola
Jack Sundrud, Sue Braswell, Keith Miles
Corn’s burnt up and the well’s gone dry
Ground like powder on the Fourth of July
Even the crows gave up on this cloudless plain
Iola can you bring the rain
Desperation in my daddy’s eyes
A prayer on his lips as he watches the skies
He needs me Iola
His dreams are withering away
Iola can you bring the rain
Iola I know I promised we’d get out of this town
If you could cry me a river or laugh up a storm
It’s going to take a miracle to save this farm
Can’t sleep worrying about the money we owe
Can’t make good if the corn won’t grow
Iola you know, this isn’t a question of blame
Iola can you bring the rain
Memories Of You
Keith Miles
They say in a far-off land
There’s dreams that grow on trees
But folks will tell you stories all the time
I’d trade a bushel basket full of
Dreams just for the chance
To hold you in my arms like you were mine
I once wrote you a letter
To have you meet me by the stream
But I tore it up in pieces ‘cause I knew
Truth in love ain’t chains or locks,
Or promises you can’t keep
I’m left behind these memories of you
Afternoons of sipping wine
And kissing in the clouds
Listening to the secrets that you told
The scent of your perfume
And the sparkle in your eyes
Keeps me far from winter’s threat of cold
Nightmares were like stormclouds
Gathered deep across the sky
When I saw a hopeful light come shining through
And it drove away the darkness
And it dried up all the tears
And left behind these memories of you
If there comes a time when you decide
The risk is worth the chance
Remember what my grandpa used to say
Giving makes it living son,
But freedom makes it yours
The more you want the more you have to pay
Dreams were always easy
But nothing happens when you sleep
But these dreams I’m having never seemed so true
That I find myself awake at midnight
Staring at the stars
And holding all these memories of you