Lyr Add: Bill Staines songs

Subject: Lyr Add: THE FAITH OF MAN (Bill Staines)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Oct 02 - 09:00 PM

You'll find lyrics for most of Bills recent recordings on the Bill Staines Website, but many of his earlier songs can't be found there. Here's one of my favorites. I'll cross-index to others that are already posted. Anybody else have favorites they'd like to post here?
-Joe Offer-

---

THE FAITH OF MAN
(Bill Staines)

One day a babe was born along the highway
A tiny, helpless thing upon the sand
And an Okie with a dream out on the byway
Took the babe and held it proudly in his hands
And the woman smiled a gentle smile of knowing
And whispered something softly in its ear
Perhaps a little prayer to help the growing
Perhaps a word of comfort thru the fear

CHORUS
You can trust the moon to move the mighty oceans
You can trust the sun to shine upon the land
You take the little that you know and you do the best you can
And you see the rest with the quiet faith of man

A tractor makes its way along a fence line
The seeds are dropped precisely in the row
And if the rain is kind and the wind don't take the topsoil
Before too long the crops will start to show
Now the farmer sees the fields around him ripen
And whispers something low beneath his breath
Perhaps a little prayer to help the growing
Perhaps a word of thanks for all the rest

There's a storm tossed ship tonight out on the water
There's a soul that sails alone out on the blue
There's a dreamer with her eyes upon the heavens
They're all looking for a way to make it through

©l986 MineralRiverMusic(BMI)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bill Staines songs
From: GUEST,Ebbie
Date: 18 Oct 02 - 01:03 AM

I too like a great many of Staines' songs. I have many favorites among them. Right now I'm thinking of Sweet Wyoming Home- love the chorus especially.

When he was last in Juneau, I bought his then-new 'Alaska Suite', a tape of synthesizer tunes that he was very proud of. Very different from his other tapes and CDs but I enjoy it a lot.

Eb

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bill Staines songs
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 Oct 02 - 02:01 AM

Sourdough Miner's Song was the only one I found that wasn't in a Bill Staines thread. I've crosslinked the threads into two groups - Bill Staines songs, and Bill Staines concerts & recordings.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bill Staines songs
From: katlaughing
Date: 22 Oct 02 - 12:52 AM

refresh

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bill Staines songs
From: Musicman
Date: 22 Oct 02 - 11:24 PM

hey joe.. too many favorites to mention...... even to consider start posting.....

sunny road, roseville fair, blue eyed mountain maid, Where i live, Ol' Pen, Wyoming Home, bridges, spirit song, only a song, i sang for her a song, rye whiskey joe, old silver, music to me, child of mine, the sampler song, so sang the river, etc......

some of these he dosn't even remember.. so i get to sing them for him and let him follow me!!.. hehe(usually after we've both had too much to drink.... )

he was telling me this weekend he's finished his book... didn't say when or how it was going to be printed/published.. but will keep you informed as soon as i know....

sounds like a good yarn of tales about his life/career.....

musicman

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bill Staines songs
From: Musicman
Date: 22 Oct 02 - 11:26 PM

ps.. if anybody needs or is looking for words to any of his songs.. i have both books.. pm me...

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bill Staines songs
From: GUEST,Bo in KY
Date: 23 Oct 02 - 12:33 AM

Thanks for a great thread - I have been looking all over for the chords/lyrics to "spirit song" - heard someone cover it about 10 years ago, and it's stayed with me, but have never heard the actual recording, or exactly know all the lyrics. Help? Thanks!

Subject: ADD: Spirit Song (Bill Staines)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Oct 02 - 01:26 AM

Hmmm. Don't think I've heard this one.
-Joe Offer-

---

SPIRIT SONG
(Bill Staines)

There stands a misty mountain in the soft and gentle rain.
Against the flight of endless time, forever to remain.
Through all the passing seasons, through every night and day,
I can see that misty mountain, and I hear a spirit say.
Oh, brother don't you weep,
Oh, brother don't you weep no more,
The sun's gonna shine on a golden shore.
Oh, brother don't you weep.
Oh, sister don't you weep,
Oh, sister don't you weep no more,
The sun's gonna shine on a golden shore.
Oh, sister, don't you weep.

Up the rocky roads of trouble, down the twisted paths of pain
Sometimes it is a struggle, sometimes we come up lame
But with children on our shoulder we face another day,
And through their eyes of innocence, I can feel the children say.
Oh, father don't you weep,
Oh, father don't you weep no more,
The sun's gonna shine on a golden shore.
Oh, father don't you weep.
Oh, mother don't you weep,
Oh, mother don't you weep no more,
The sun's gonna shine on a golden shore.
Oh, mother, don't you weep.

So when there's music all around you and you just can't seem to hear
When the answer's just around the bend, but it never shows up clear,
And when there's darkness right above you, it's hard to know and understand,
But there's a heart out there that loves you, and there's a promise in your hands.
Oh, people don't you weep,
Oh, people don't you weep no more,
The sun's gonna shine on a golden shore.
Oh, people don't you weep.

Oh, people don't you weep,
Oh, people don't you weep no more,
The sun's gonna shine on a golden shore.
Oh, people, don't you weep.

Copyright, 1986, Mineral River Music

Source: Music to Me: the Songs of Bill Staines (Hal Leonard, 1994)

On the Bill Staines CD, Vol. 2-First Million Miles.

---

And yes, now I recognize it. There's a very nice recording by a UK group called "Grace Notes" on their 1999 Red Wind & Promises album.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bill Staines songs
From: GUEST,Bo in KY
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 10:35 PM

Thanks, Joe. The lyric is gorgeous, and the tune, as I remember, went right through me. Something about this song has haunted me for a long time. I don't have that CD (obviously) so the hunt continues....

Thanks again for the help!! Blessings!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bill Staines songs
From: Musicman
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 10:54 PM

bo.. the song is on the "First Million Miles, Vol II" cd which you can order from the Bill Staines web site...

musicman

Subject: Lyr/Chords Req: River (Bill Staines)
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Jan 05 - 06:00 PM

Hi does anyone know where I can find the chords for River?

---

Page 226 of the Rise up Singing Songbook. It's in the Key of D.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: Lyr Add: THE RIVER AFFAIR (Bill Staines)
From: GUEST,witchgrrl
Date: 31 Mar 10 - 06:03 PM

The River Affair

She was a sailor, she lived on the river
Up from Ontario, headed for sea
Working the lakers that passed by the city
Stopping occasionally

He was a drifter, he was a Midwestern drifter
Out from Alberta, bound for heaven knows where
Singing his songs and telling his stories
To anyone willing to care

And the road goes on
And the waves roll by

He met her one night in a bar in the city
Next door to the place where he'd come to sing
He walked in between shows and he sat down beside her
They talked about nothin' and most everythin'

"Can you sing me a song about love in the mountains?
I never have been there but sometime I may -
Is the sky just as blue as it is on the ocean?
Are the snowcaps like breakers on a cold windy day?

Won't you lay down beside me and spend the night with me,
And we'll share together whatever may be?
The passing of time or a shadow uncertain,
The height of the mountains, the depth of the sea."

And the road goes on, and the waves roll by.

She was a sailor, she lived on the river
He was a drifter, bound for heaven knows where
Passing they say like two ships in the nighttime
Passing they say like two clouds in the air.

And the road goes on, and the waves roll by.

And the road goes on, and the waves roll by.

Subject: Lyr Add: FLOWERS IN THE SNOW (Bill Staines)
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Apr 11 - 09:09 AM

FLOWERS IN THE SNOW

Who will walk her tonight out in the heather?
Who will laugh away the teardrop in her eye?
She wants someone to love her forever,
But every new love only brings another lie.

Empty winds, you hear her say
Fickle winds, they shift away
And I don't need him in my life for I can fly.
But who will walk her tonight out in the heather?
And who will laugh away the teardrop in her eye?

Who will smile with him when photographs are yellow
And share his memories when they're flowers in the snow?
Who will know his mind when all the words are hollow,
And help him face the things he never seems to know?

It's the road, you hear him say,
It's the road and it's my way
And I don't need her in my life, now let me go
But who will smile with him when photographs are yellow
And share his memories when they're flowers in the snow?

Empty winds, you hear her say
Fickle winds, they shift away
And I don't need him in my life for I can fly.
But who will walk her tonight out in the heather?
And who will laugh away the teardrop in her eye?

It's the road, you hear him say,
It's the road and it's my way
And I don't need her in my life, now let me go
But who will smile with him when photographs are yellow
And share his memories when they're flowers in the snow?

But who will smile with them when photographs are yellow
And share their memories when they're flowers in the snow?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bill Staines songs
From: saulgoldie
Date: 21 Apr 11 - 09:54 AM

Ooo, ooo, gotta go home tonight and listen to some Bill Staines!

Saul

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bill Staines songs
From: ranger1
Date: 21 Apr 11 - 10:23 PM

I think my favorite Bill Staines song is Travelin' Shoes. I was browsing music on last.fm, heard the song and had to find the CD.

Subject: Lyr Add: LOST MINE OF THE CHISOS (Bill Staines)
From: GUEST,witchgrrl
Date: 10 Jul 15 - 01:32 PM

This one got into my head a few days ago for some reason, so I transcribed it. Please feel free to suggest any corrections!

Lost Mine of the Chisos
Bill Staines

There is a tale of the Big Ben country
And I heard it once, so long ago
By firelight, on the Rio Grande
When the moon shone bright on Mexico

An aged one, an old compadre
Told this to me, as I to you
The desert sun had burned his body
But his eyes told me the tale was true

Years ago, up in the Chisos
Conquistadores, they mined for gold
And far below, they built a prison
It was a bold Presidio

Early each and every morning
The Spaniards led unto the hills
Blindfolded slaves, a captive people
To work the mine and do their will

Do do do do do do… (to tune)

The years they fade, like dying echos
The way is lost, the trail is gone
All that remains is just a legend
A story in a passing song

But if you stand at San Vicente
And watch the sun on Easter morn
Where its first light falls on the mountains
The way is shown, and the secret torn

And listen well upon the West Wind
The sound of horses will fill the air
Don't venture on, they guard the treasure
From anyone who ventures there

Do do do do do do… (to tune)

There is a tale of the Big Ben country
And I heard it once, so long ago
By firelight, on the Rio Grande
When the moon shone bright on Mexico

Do do do do do do… (to tune)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bill Staines songs
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 12 Jul 15 - 10:52 PM

Witchgirl: Thanks for posting that! I just listened to it on Spotify, and I must say, Bill's control of his falsetto on those "Do do do" lines is truly impressive. I wonder if he can still do that? (He recorded it in 1977 when he was 30; he's now 68.)

Corrections: It's Big Bend country (here's a map)

VERSE 7. And listen well if on the west wind,
The sounds of horses they fill the air.
Don't venture on; they guard the treasure
From anyone who enters there.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bill Staines songs
From: GUEST,witchgrrl
Date: 24 Jul 15 - 02:48 PM

Thank you Jim! I quite agree, hitting all parts of the chorus is no easy feat!

Subject: Chords Add: LOST MINE OF THE CHISOS (Bill Staines)
From: GUEST,witchgrrl
Date: 21 Dec 15 - 09:30 AM

Here are the chords to Lost Mine of the Chisos:

          Em
There is a tale of the Big Bend country
Em             C             Am
And I heard it once, so long ago
Am    Bm                Em
By firelight, on the Rio Grande
Em                  Am             Bm
When the moon shone bright on Mexico

Bm      Em
An aged one, an old compadre
Em          C          D
Told this to me, as I to you
D          G                  Em
The desert sun had burned his body
Em                E               Am
But his eyes told me the tale was true

The notation says guitar in A minor, capo up 1 fret. From "If I Were a Word, I'd Be a Song."

Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: LIVERPOOL LIGHT (Bill Staines)
From: GUEST,witchgrrl
Date: 25 Mar 16 - 01:28 PM

Lyrics and chords for Liverpool Light. Some the chord/lyric alignment is a little rough, sorry!

wg

Liverpool Light by Bill Staines
Em             D          Em          D
I've sailed this island for most of my life
       G             D          Em
All the way from the Minch to Dundee
       G                   D         Em   
And in Liverpool once I did take me a wife
         C            D          Em
And it's her that I'm longing to see

                G    D      C          D
Cho: Singing, shine, shine, Liverpool light
Em          D          GD
Shine on your children below;
          G    D      C          D
Singing, shine, shine, Liverpool light
Em             D         EmD
Shine on your children below
Em             D       EmD
Shine on your children below.

Em               D       Em            D
Three months ago April I left her with child
    G          D             Em
A child that was mine sure as she.
      G            D               Em   
But she'd not complain, for she's gentle and mild
          C             D       Em
And it's her that I'm longing to see.

Cho.

Em             D         Em       D
I've sinned a lot, for a sinner I be;
    G            D                Em
As a sailor, I've sailed in the storms.
       G          D               Em   
But in Liverpool, that's where I'm longing to be,
         C            D             Em
With her arms wrapped around me so warm.

Cho.

Em          D            Em       D
When the light from your tower is all that I see,
       G             D          Em
And her footsteps they run to the door.
          G                        D          Em   
Then I'll lift up my glass, and for all men to see,
       C       D          Em
I will vow to go sailing no more.

Cho.

Subject: Lyr Add: SUNNY ROAD (Bill Staines)
From: GUEST,James Morgan
Date: 13 Apr 17 - 09:27 PM

SUNNY ROAD
Recorded by Bill Staines on "Redbird's Wing" (1988)

1. I've been up and I've been down,
I've seen trouble all around.
I've fought the wind off a stormy sea.
But through the trouble and the strife
I've walked a mile or two through life
With the sun shining down on me.

CHORUS: And I will sing my song until I've nothing to say.
I will play this old guitar until I die someday.
I will travel here and there until I make my way
To that long last sunny road.

2. I've been a rambler in my time,
Met a poet with a rhyme
Seeking shelter around the bend,
And once or twice, to my surprise,
it seems with cold and clouded eyes
I've met a stranger and I've found a friend.

3. Well I've had my share of wine,
Picked strawberries from the vine
And I've not known which way to go.
Seen my share of bummer deals,
Laid me down in tender fields
Where the sweet summer roses grow.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bill Staines songs
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Apr 21 - 11:34 PM

Cafe Lena has a Bill Staines concert for us:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=2836947509905333&ref=watch_permalink

Subject: ADD: Wild, Wild Heart (Bill Staines)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Dec 21 - 04:56 PM

WILD, WILD HEART
(Bill Staines)

I was born on the seat of a semi,
The wind, it whistled away in my ears.
Some babies go to sleep to a lullaby,
Yes, and mine was the sound of the gears.
I grew up with my face in a road map,
And with my fingers I'd follow the lines,
And now I run from the coast and I’m gone like a ghost,
When you hear that old diesel whine.
(Repeat Last 2 Lines)

I’ve an angel overhead looking after me,
She keeps away that old devil below.
And old Mr. Scratch, you know he’s met his match,
But still he follows wherever I go.
Give me a thermos full of truckstop coffee,
Give me a head-to-head race with the sun,
Give me a good heavy load and a clear stretch of road,
And I'll let that old Bulldog run
(Repeat Last 2 Lines)

(Bridge)
I’ve driven dynamite over the Rockies,
I've driven cattle on the Texas plains,
Citrus up and down the California line,
And heavy timber in the Oregon rains.

Now there’s snow coming off of Lake Erie,
I am an hour ahead of the storm.
Sometimes I think I get a little weary of this,
But those feelings never last very long.
Four days on the road out of "Shakey,"
I’ll get to "Nickel" before it's dark,
I’ve got no steady address, they call me "Pony Express,"
And my rig is the "Wild, Wild Heart."
(Repeat Last 2 Lines)

I was born on the seat of a semi,
The wind, it whistled away in my ears.
Some babies go to sleep to a lullaby,
Yes, and mine was the sound of the gears.
I grew up with my face in a road map,
And then I took to the trail like a dart,
I’ve got no steady address, they call me "Pony Express,"
And my rig is the "Wild, Wild Heart"
(Repeat Last 2 Lines then Out)

©1985, Mineral River Music (BMI), administered by Bug.

source: page 28, Music to Me: The Songs of Bill Staines (Hal Leonard, 1994

Live performance by Bill from 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6gv5c5oqCY

I wonder what "Shakey" and "Nickel" are. Gerry Myerson says "Shakey" is Los Angeles - I used to live there, and never heard that term.
And Gerry says "Nickel" is Buffalo, New York - as in Buffalo nickel. And I'm supposing LA is "Shakey" because of earthquakes.

Subject: Lyr Add: A COWBOY'S HARD TIMES (Bill Staines)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Dec 21 - 11:59 PM

A COWBOY'S HARD TIMES
(Bill Staines)
As recorded by Bill Staines on "The Whistle of the Jay," 1978.

Well, I once was a cowboy, and I used to run wild.
And I rodeoed, wrangled, and rambled in style.
But I'm too old for horses, too old for the show,
And I'm too young for Heaven; now where shall I go?
Where shall I go? Where shall I go?
I'm too young for Heaven; now where shall I go?

I had me a true love, and I made her my wife,
And I swear that I loved her most all of my life,
But the cold of the winter and the wind laid her low,
And she's gone on before me, now where shall I go?
Where shall I go? Where shall I go?
She's gone on before me; now where shall I go?

Well, I never was a drunkard, but this I can say:
The taste of the whiskey gets better each day.
The bartender scowls, "Mack, you're drinking too slow,
And we close in ten minutes." Now where shall I go?
Where shall I go? Where shall I go?
They close in ten minutes; now where shall I go?

So it's out on the street with the stars burning bright,
With nothing but the memories to share with the night.
Oh, I once was a cowboy I used to run wild.
And I rodeoed, wrangled, and rambled in style.
Now I'm too old for horses, too old for the show,
And I'm too young for Heaven; now where shall I go?

A Cowboy's Hard Times lyrics © BMG Rights Management US, LLC

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bill Staines songs
From: Felipa
Date: 17 Dec 21 - 08:57 AM

a rebroadcast, on line, of a 2019 Bill Staines concert
Sunday 19th Dec, repeated the following Wednesday 22 Dec
https://oldsongs.org/from-the-vault/>/a> on the internet radio station "Folk Music Notebook"
6 and 11 pm Eastern Time Sunday, 12 Noon Wed.

Subject: ADD: Old Dogs (Bill Staines)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 Jun 22 - 04:24 PM

Thread #98984   Message #3870421
Posted By: Jim Dixon
07-Aug-17 - 11:34 AM
Thread Name: Songs About Dogs
Subject: Lyr Add: OLD DOGS (Bill Staines)

OLD DOGS
As recorded by Bill Staines on "Old Dogs" (2007)

Old dogs lie beside the door.
They toss and turn and scratch and snore.
They fight again their puppy wars
    Of playful battles raging.
Old dogs lie alone at night.
They tuck their tails; they curl up tight.
They howl when moons are full and bright
    And recall when they were lovers.
Old dogs have a song to sing.
Old dogs like 'most ev'rything.
They care not what the weather brings
    Except when it is thunder.

Old dogs look you in the eye.
They hold your heart; they never lie.
They bark at planes up in the sky
    And wish that they were fliers.
Old dogs dream about the past
When they frolicked fields of golden grass
And chased the icy winter's blast
    To lie by home fires burning.
Old dogs wander off alone.
Old dogs know the way back home,
The slightest scent, the very bone
    Of hunter home returning.

Old dogs come and old dogs go.
Old dogs always seem to know
That love is life's most precious flow
    And love is worth the waiting.
When their time on earth is through,
Old dogs are forever true,
And round the bend they wait for you
    Come some tomorrow morning.
When their time on earth is through,
Old dogs are forever true,
And round the bend they wait for you,
    Come some tomorrow morning.