Trouble With The Law
(words & music by Markus Rill)

Out on Snake Ridge where there's a bend in the river
Sheriff  Joseph P. Hawkins stood calling an honest man a nigger
Well, he got hit by a bullet that he never even saw
Bobby Lloyd Wright got in trouble with the law

From then on, everybody knew his name and the price on his head
He'd never cared for Hawkins but he had his regrets
For bringin' shame on the name of his Pa
By getting into trouble with the law

Ah, but his horse was wild and Bobby Lloyd was young
But he grew old fast living on the run
People stood and stared at him in awe
He was running out from trouble with the law

He met a pretty little girl along the way
She had a boychild coming but Bobby Lloyd couldn't stay
She got word one day that he died in Arkansas
That's what you get for getting into trouble with the law

Now I got my Daddy's blood running through my veins
And like a badge of honor, I carry his name
Well, I ain't  no source of pride for my Ma
For I just might get in trouble with the law
Yeah, I just might get in trouble with the law

Could be Texas, Tennesssee or Omaha
You just might find me running into trouble with the law

An Eye For An Eye
(words & music by Markus Rill)

Had a friend named Buddy, I sat next to him in church and school
I was good at reading, he was good at breakin' the rules
Yeah, Buddy was good at breakin' the rules

I went off to college, Buddy stuck around
You know how it goes, man, we lost touch and I always felt I let him down
I always felt I let him down

When I saw him tonight on the six o'clock news there wasn't much I could do
Hey, Buddy, you kill a man, they're gonna turn on you
And ain't that right – an eye for an eye

Lady Luck, she's a strange old gal, you never know where she'll run
And it seems to me I could've ended up on either end of that gun
Well, I could've been on either end of that gun

When I saw him tonight on the six o'clock news there wasn't nothing I could do
Hey, Buddy, you kill a man, they're gonna turn on you
And ain't that right – an eye for an eye

An eye for an eye, Buddy, how do you sleep at night?
Do you ever cry, do you ever feel alright?
Do you remember the time that we spent?
Wasted innocence

Now I wanna write him a letter but I don't know what to say
Guess it won't make much sense to talk about the good ol' days
Won't make no sense to talk about the good ol' days

'Cause, Buddy, them old days, they're gone for good
Things did not work out quite the way they should
Ain't that right – an eye for an eye
Now it's time for good-bye

Awful Pretty
(words & music by Markus Rill)

I picked up my girl at my ex-wife's place
Every other week, we get to spend a day
I was gonna take her out for a picnic in the woods and maybe catch a few fish
We saw the dead girl lying by the roadside in a ditch

Well, Marie she's eight years old and she prayed and asked the Lord
What does anything like this ever have to happen for?
And as one girl was silent the other cried and I couldn't make her stop
As I was standing in the dirch, waiting for the cops

She lay there so still and quietly
That the thought occurred to me
Don't she look awful pretty, awful pretty

No-one spoke a word on the long ride home
We both thought of the girl who's not gonna grow old
And I looked at Marie and I realized she was just as beautiful as my former wife
And the girl we'd left behind

The one who lay there so still and quietly
That I couldn't help but feel
That she looked awful pretty, awful pretty

Marie and her Mom, they've now moved away
It's just as well 'cause something has changed
There's just something 'bout Marie that reminds me of the dead girl's face
And I get these strange desires that I can't erase

'cause the sight keeps haunting me
Nights when I can't sleep I'm a-thinkin'
Don't she look awful pretty, awful pretty

So still and quietly
That the thought occurred to me
Don't she look awful pretty, awful pretty
 

Wasteland
(words & music by Markus Rill)

Seen a scarecrow standin' on a barren field
The saddest sight that I've ever seen
There were no seeds planted here this spring, ain't no crops are gonna grow
People's hopes they don't mean a thing

It's a wasteland, it's a wasteland
And it's a tough luck on everyone I know
It's a wasteland, it's a wasteland
And it's a tough luck wherever you might go

Folks have split here and they ain't comin' back no more
Mary, too, I heard her slammin' the back porch door
She said our love wasn't ever planted on fertile ground
So she abandoned me along with this old town

It's a wasteland, it's a wasteland
And it's a tough luck on everyone I know
It's a wasteland, it's a wasteland
And it's a tough luck wherever you might go

And now I'm as dry as a barren field
But like that lonesome scarecrow I won't ever yield
And I'm bound for another long hard drought, I know
But it's a tough luck where I might go

It's a wasteland, it's a wasteland
And it's a tough luck on everyone I know
It's a wasteland, it's a wasteland
And it's a tough luck wherever you might go
 

Rainville
(words & music by Markus Rill)

Sally holds a grudge against the world
But she ain't to blame for all the anger and the hurt
Things ain't been the same since Charlie split
And she dropped out of school to take care of the kid

Life ain't always fair and now she knows
She's been crying but she hopes it doesn't show

Sally's stuck in Rainville,
yeah, she's stuck in Rainville
And this ain't what she needs, you can tell her what you will
But Sally's stuck in Rainville

This town, it don't do nothing but make her sad
Home of all the highschool sweethearts that she ever had
They all seem to look down on her now
And they all remind her of her Charlie-boy somehow

Life is cold and hard and that ain't right
She's got no-one to hold onto in the night

She's gotta get out of Rainville
Gotta get out of Rainville
For this ain't what she wants, by now she's had her fill
She's gotta get out of Rainville

Charlie he's been drifting along
He had lotsa time to think about his doggone life and think about his son
And he remembers what it feels like to not have a Daddy's hand to hold on to
And he figures that maybe Sally's missing him too

So now he's going back but Sally's gone
She packed up all her things and she moved on

She's gotten out of Rainville
Gotten out of Rainville
Where the wind is blowing cold and Charlie feels a chill
For now he's stuck in Rainville
 

Snake Tattoo
(words & music by Markus Rill)

He had a real mean snake tattoo
It bothered everyone in Leavenworth and I admit it scared me too
We shared a cell and so I saw it every night
Chris and I we got along alright

He was respected and he kept me out of fights
Taught me how to get along inside the walls and I knew some songs he liked
"The Folsom Prison Blues," "San Quentin"
He always liked to hear me sing

Chris and I we got along alright
Some folks say he's trouble
And they say he's mighty wild
But so am I

And I'd never had no-one I could count on
I ran out on Mom and Dad and then I got along alone
Wasn't always easy, sometimes it's been grim
But in Chris I found a friend

Chris and I we got along alright
Some say that he ain't honest
But they don't know him like I do
He's sure been kicked around but he proved tried and true

And I got out about three years ago
Since then I've been kicking back, waiting up and laying low
'cause he promised he'd catch up with me somhow
And I know Chris won't let me down

And I'll be his partner in crime
We'll stick together then even if we're doin' time
Those'll be better days, I swear it's true
And one day I'll get me a snake tattoo too
I'm gonna get me a snake tattoo too
 

The Deal
(words & music by Markus Rill)

Word is out on the street
Frankie told Johnny and Johnny told me
It could be any day now we'll make a deal
With these guys from outta town

I can't tell you what it's all about
But, girl, when that deal goes down
We'll have time and money to spend
And I swear I won't get locked up again

'cause when that deal goes down
when that deal goes down, now
when that deal goes down
we're gonna quit this town and start all over
when that deal goes down

Baby, we'll be outta here
Soon as I get my share
I'll find me an honest job
We'll take the kids and leave behind our rotten luck

'cause when that deal goes down
when that deal goes down, now
when that deal goes down
we're gonna quit this town and start all over
when that deal goes down

And let's keep our hopes up high
And pray this'll really be the last time
No more cheatin' and lyin'
No more shootin' and doin' time

'cause when that deal goes down
when that deal goes down, now
when that deal goes down
we're gonna quit this town and start all over
when that deal goes down
 

Dry Spell
(words & music by Markus Rill)

It's been a dry spell here in the desert
It's been a long hard drought
No rain's been coming down, no lover's come back around
It's been a long hard drought

Now I've been lookin' at the great blue sky
Prayin' for a little rain cloud to come on by
A soothin' touch for this dry soil and for this old boy
Well, I've been lookin' at the great blue sky

It's been a dry spell here in the desert
It's been a long hard drought
No rain's been coming down, no lover's come back around
It's been a long hard drought

And there ain't no sign of rain from above
And there ain't no sign of a little love

And you wanna know how it feels
When all I ever see is this wasteland and these barren fields
I see the sun set on this scene and  there ain't no-one to hold me
And you wanna know how it feels

It's been a dry spell here in the desert
It's been a long hard drought
No rain's been coming down, no lover's come back around
It's been a long hard drought
 

Memory And A Dream
(words & music by Markus Rill)

I was just a kid back then so there ain't much that I know for sure
I thought I heard thunder crack and I saw Momma fallin' to the floor

All I remember is a pool of blood and Momma's open eyes
And Daddy runnin' right out of the house as I stood there cryin'

I guess the neighbors musta called the cops and told 'em 'bout the shot they heard
Told 'em 'bout the screamin' and the fightin' and the gun, I ain't ever said a word
Never did

I grew up in an orphanage with a house outa town and a Daddy in a cell
Now I've gone back to live on the land, now that Daddy's gone to hell

And, Lord, sometimes I miss my Dad and I wonder did he ever think of me
Well, Momma held me tight tonight in a memory and a dream
Momma, hold me tight again tonight in a memory in a dream
 

Pawn Shop Girl
(words & music by Markus Rill)

I'm gonna pawn my car, I'll pawn my broken guitar
And every scar on my heart
I'm gonna pawn the blues, the bad times I've been through
I'll even pawn my hard luck too

I wanna get next to you and break into your little world
cuz well I think I've fallen in love with a, with a pawn shop girl
pretty little pawn shop girl, what'd I say

I'll pawn the stars from the sky an' the moon up high
And everything I can find
I'm gonna pawn my way into your heart to stay
Girl, you're gonna notice me

I wanna get next to you and break into your little world
cuz well I think I've fallen in love with a, with a pawn shop girl
pretty little pawn shop girl, what'd I say

And when I've pawned everything I own
Girl, I wanna take you with me, take you home
Cuz when I've hocked every little thing
We're gonna take a good look at them pawn shop wedding rings

I'm gonna get next to you and break into your little world
cuz well I think I've fallen head over heels for a, a pawn shop girl
such a sweet little pawn shop girl

I Dreamed I Saw My Tombstone
(words & music by Markus Rill)

I took a walk to the graveyeard, looked at all the stones
And I felt pity for each and every resting soul
I saw my old friend Frankie's grave, man, I hadn't thought of him in years
We were real close once but now he's long and far from here

I dreamed I saw my tombstone, it was just a simple stone
I dreamed they buried me in my grave
They put me down six feet under and there wasn't no-one who came
Well, I dreamed I saw my tombstone standing in the rain

I recall my Granddad's funeral and how my old man cried
And I remember thinking I didn't ever wanna die
Well, now I've come to accept the fact of my own mortality
But the notion of rotting away still don't appeal to me

I dreamed I saw my tombstone, it was just a simple stone
I dreamed they buried me in my grave
They put me down six feet under and there wasn't no-one who came
I dreamed I saw my tombstone standing upon my remains

I ain't ever consulted no fortune teller
If I don't know 'bout my fate, man, it's just as well
I don't believe in no premonitions
But then again, with dreams like that, sometimes it's hard to tell

I dreamed I saw my tombstone, it was just a simple stone
I dreamed they buried me in my grave
They put me down six feet under and there wasn't no-one who came
I dreamed I saw my tombstone and let me tell you, it sure felt strange
 

The Devil & The Open Road
(words & music by Markus Rill)

No amount of crying's gonna cure this pain
Things won't ever be the same again
Your regrets, they're not gonna heal this heart of mine
Those wounds won't be mended by the passing of time

Well, I need to clear my mind
I won't be coming home tonight
I'll keep driving on
And I'll make friends with the devil and the open road

Been staying out of trouble for too long
For too long I've preferred to do what's right over what's wrong
Now there ain't nothing will ever be the same again
There's no need anymore for this nice-guy-pretense

Well, I've made up my mind
I ain't coming home tonight
And I'll keep driving on
And I'll make friends with the devil and the open road

And I don't wanna be good no more
I'm gonna change my ways
A guilty conscience is a heavy load that I don't need
For the devil, the devil and the open road

Well, I've made up my mind
I ain't coming home tonight
I'll keep driving on
And I'll make friends with the devil and the open road
 
 
 

Produced by Markus Rill.
Co-produced by Andreas Reif and Alex Klebl.

All songs written by Markus Rill.

The Gunslingers are:
Markus Rill        (Mac)
Marcus Staab     (Ed)
Andreas Reif      (Andy, aka The Captain)
Robert Schreml (Robi)

Guests: Michael Lorz, Michael Christof Schmitt, Dennis Schütze, Jochen Patzner,
Evangelos "Aki" Fitros, Christoph Reiß, Julian Fischer, Stefan Rapp, Alex Klebl.