Still Crooked: 1. Undone In Sorrow (Ola Belle Reed, Happy Valley Music, BMI) Over yonder in the graveyard Where the wild wildflowers grow Oh there they laid my own true lover She’s gone from me forevermore Fairer than the sweetest flower Restless as a wildest wing Born with a love deep as the ocean This was the girl that I did win I left her there back in the mountain To see the world, riches to gain Oh when I returned no earthly treasure Could ease this heart so full of pain There so high upon that mountain Beneath that little mound of clay The girl that I returned to marry So still among the flowers did lay I’ll go away and I will wonder I’ll lay aside my earthly gain And I’ll not end a man in riches Undone in sorrow I’ll remain ---------------------------------------------- 2. The Absentee (From the singing and playing of Mr. and Mrs. Sams) “Someone is absent,” the shepherd said As over my classbook he bent his head “For several Sundays absent too So tell me teacher what did you do?” “I didn’t call as perhaps I should I sent some cards but they did no good I never heard and she never came So I decided to drop her name” He answered gravely, “The fault was mine Hundred, no, there were ninety nine One was lost and dark and cold I sought that sheep that had left the fold The path was stony and edged with thorns My feet were wounded bruised and torn I kept on searching not counting the cost And overjoyed when I found the lost” Thus spoke the shepherd in tender tones “I looked and lo, I was all alone But God, a vision, had sent to me To show his will towards the absentee” -------------------------------------------- 3. Captain, Captain (From the singing of Rebecca King Jones) Captain, Captain, tell me true Does my sweet Willy sail with you? No my dear, he is not here For he is drowned in this ocean dear Answer me, you’ll give me joy For I love my soldier boy Oh no lady, he’s not here Dropped down dead in the gulf my dear Get me a chair to sit upon A pen and ink I will write it down On every line I’ll shed a tear In every verse, cry oh my dear Captain, Captain, build me a boat Out on these waters I must float Searching for my Willy dear For he has drowned in this ocean dear --------------------------------------------------- 4. Tell Her to come Back Home (From the playing of Dirk Powell, John Hermmann and Tom Sauber. Additional lyrics from Uncle Dave Macon) If I look sad and lonesome, I’ll tell you the reason why Just last Monday morning, my doney said goodbye When we got married, bought her everything she’d need she got so awful greedy, wanted everything she see’d Oh my love, oh my love Oh my love, tell her to come back home. Coffee grows on white oak trees, the river flows with brandy The hillside’s lined with ginger cake, my doney’s sweet as candy If you ride the grey horse, I will ride the roan If you see my doney, tell her I’m at home Oh my love… If I was a bluebird, I would fly away Fly right to your shoulder and sing to you all day Oh my love… ------------------------------------------------ 5. Low Down and Dirty (Aoife O’Donovan, Cosmic Seed Music ASCAP) She went into the graveyard with trouble on her mind She was looking for the man who’d made her crazy From her big brown coat she pulled out a silver knife As she held it in her hand her heart was racing You’re low down and dirty and I love the way you do But if I stay I’ll never find my way back home. It’s been nine long years since you first took my hand And I’ll never understand what made you do it And now you’ve twisted up my soul, threw me in a hole And I didn’t come this far to see you through it ‘Cause you’re low down and dirty and I love the way you do But if I stay I’ll never find my way back home Babe I’m sorry for you but it’s what I have to do You’ll die tonight beneath the leaves a fallin’ And the devil will stand by, his smile bright, his pitchfork high The ghosts from all these graves will come a callin’ You’re low down and dirty and I love the way you do But if I stay I’ll never find my way back home” So she stabbed him in the heart, her shiny blade it ripped apart his skin And pierced him through the center He cried, “Lay my body down, throw me on the ground And cover me so I can hide from my tormentor” ------------------------------------------------ 6. Oh, Agamemnon (Music: Brittany Haas, BMI, Lyrics: Aoife O’Donovan Cosmic Seed Music, ASCAP) Oh my darling Lay yourself down I’ll tell you a sad sad tale of the love that I hadn’t found Till you whispered to me your sweet sound Oh my lady Put your hand in mine I’ll pull you in to me for a dance that has no time To a song that doesn’t rhyme All I can give you is this pool I’m in And I forgive you if you find that you cannot swim Stop me from thinking of what I once knew Save me from sinking in the river of your eyes so blue Sit down beside me Sing to me a song Play me a fiddle tune and forget about what we did wrong How we stayed away too long Draw me a picture of a lonesome turtle dove Write me a line of verse that was sent from heaven above And you’ll win back my love All I can give you is this gentle heart And I forgive you if it rips your world apart All I can say dear, is take me to your bed Just let me stay here and rest my aching head… --------------------------------------------------- 7. Pharaoh (From the singing of Sidney Carter) Pharaoh, Pharaoh’s army sure got drownded, Pharaoh Go down, go down Izzup and lead your children, go down. Mary, Mary sure was Jesus’ mother, Mary Farewell, Farewell children, I sure must leave you, farewell. -------------------------------------------------- 8. Florence (T.W. Carter, 1844) Not many years their rounds shall roll, each moment brings it nigh And all your glories stand revealed by our admiring eye Ye wheels of nature speed your course, your mortal powers decay Fast as you bring the night of death, you bring eternal day You weary heavy laden souls, who are oppressed sore You travelers through the wilderness to Canaan’s peaceful shore Through beating winds and chilly rains, and waters deep and cold And enemies surrounding you, have courage and be bold. Though storms and hurricanes arise the desert all around And fiery serpents oft appear through the enchanted ground Dark nights and clouds and gloomy fear and dragons often roar But when the gospel trump we hear, we’ll press for Canaan’s shore ------------------------------------------------- 9. Did You Sleep Well? (Nathan Taylor, Archaic Revival Records, ASCAP) “Good morning my darling,” I said from the door. “My bags are all packed, you won’t see me any more.” The room it was empty except for her clothes and a picture of the forest through the dimly lit smoke. “Did you sleep well? Did you sleep fine? Did you sleep much at all? All night I heard two voices from out here in the hall. The first was lonesome but the second was clear. The first was familiar as the second drew near.” She walked to the window to expose the light. Her breath hung in silence like the fog in the night. The sun raised its head from behind the frost. She sat down by the stove with her long legs crossed. “Did you sleep well? Did you sleep fine? Did you sleep much at all? All night I heard two voices from out here in the hall. The first was ancient but the second was the gun. The first was laughing before the second was done.” She drew up her eyes and then turned my way. Her mouth it was movin’ but her words tried to stay. Her posture was thin, her tears they were tall, like the picture of the forest and the flood in the hall. “Did you sleep well? Did you sleep fine? Did you sleep much at all? All night I heard two voices from out here in the hall. The first was singing. The second dressed in red. The first one was hungry and the second well fed” “My struggles were hard, my journey was long My food was your beauty and my water your song. I returned for your voice and precious melody, I heard them both but you sang them not for me.” “Did you sleep well? Did you sleep fine? Did you sleep much at all? All night I heard two voices from out here in the hall. The first was a flower, the second was a train. The first issued warning and the second brought the rain.” “Day is a breaking. It’s time for me to leave. Each breath I’m a taking reminds me to grieve. you’ve proven false but another will be true, walking tall in the darkness the whole night through.” “Will you sleep well? Will you sleep fine? Will you sleep much at all? All night you’ll hear two voices from out there in the hall. The first will be a mirror the second one a dove. The first will be an echo of the second’s silent love.” ------------------------------------------------ 10. Poor Ellen Smith (From the singing and playing of Frank Proffitt) Poor Ellen Smith, where was she found? Shot through the heart lying cold on the ground Many hearts she has broken, many lives she has stole It all now is ended in her bed in the snow Poor Ellen, poor Ellen, you’ve wasted your life You could have made some man a very good wife Your friends tried to warn you of your ending you was told, It all now has ended in your bed in the snow So early this morning poor Ellen was found Shot through the heart lying cold on the ground The men they will mourn you, the wives will be glad Such is the ending of a girl that is bad Perhaps you’re in heaven, God only knows The bible plainly tells us you’ve gone down below Poor Ellen Smith, where was she found? Shot through the heart lying cold on the ground. --------------------------------------------------- 11. Theme from “The Absentee” (Gregory Liszt, Deadly Gentle Music, BMI) -------------------------------------------------- 12. Wading Deep Waters (From the singing of Bertha Tolliver) I am wading deep waters trying to get home I am climbing high mountains trying to get home I am walking deep valleys trying to get home Trying to get home… 13. Baby, What’s Wrong With You? (John Hurt, Wynwood Music, BMI) Oh, baby Tell me baby Tell me baby, honey what’s wrong with you? You don’t love me baby, honey like you used to do Who who baby, who been here baby Honey, since I’ve been gone? Somebody baby, somebody baby, been fishing in my pond Caught all my perches and now he’s gone Oh, baby Who, who baby? Tell me baby, who’s been driving you? Who’s never told you? Didn’t I tell you true? I asked you this morning I asked you this morning baby, “Please bake me some bread?” And you told me Well, you told me baby You told me You said, “Johnny, I’d rather see you dead!” Oh, baby Tell me baby Honey, what’s wrong with you?