1.Aurora Borealis
(c.w. mccall, bill fries, chip davis)
One night last summer we were camped at ten thousand feet up
where the air is clear, high in the rockies of lost lake,
colorado. and as the fire burned low and only a few glowing
embers remained
Laid on our backs all warm in our sleeping bags and looked up at
the stars.
And as i felt myself falling into the vastness of the universe,
i thought about things, and places, and times.
I thought about the time my grandma told me what to say when i
saw the evening star. you know, star light, star bright, first
star i see tonight. i wish i may, i wish i might, have the wish
i wi
Night.
The air is crystal-clear up here; that's why you can see a
million stars.
I remember a time a bunch of us were in a canyon of the green
river in wyoming; it was a night like this. and we had our rafts
pulled up on the bank an' turned over so we could sleep on 'em,
and
Of the guys from new york said, 'hey! look at the smog in the
sky! smog clear out here in the sticks!' and somebody said,
'hey, joe, that's not smog; that's the milky way.'
Joe had never seen the milky way.
And we saw the northern lights once, in the bitterroot mountains
of montana. they're like flames from some prehistoric campfire,
leaping and dancing in the sky and changing colors. red to gold,
Lue to violet... aurora borealis. it's like the equinox, the
changing of the seasons. summer to fall, young to old, then to
now. and then tomorrow...
And then everyone was asleep, except me. and as i saw the
morning star come up over the mountains, i realized that life is
just a collection of memories. and memories are like starlight：
they go
Orever.
2.Columbine
(c.w. mccall, bill fries, chip davis)
She was born in the brief mountain springtime
Blue in the late mountain snow
And she grew in the sunlight of summer
But she knew when the aspen turned gold
That she had grown old
Columbine, columbine
Blue in the rockies
Will i miss you, while you were away？
Will i see you next summer, wild on the mountain？
Will you be there, when i pass your way？
She was there in the brief mountain springtime
Blue in the late mountain snow
And we lived in the sunlight of summer
But i knew when the aspen turned gold
That i had grown old
Columbine, columbine
Blue in the rockies
Will you miss me, when i've gone away？
Will i see you next summer, wild on the mountain？
Will you be there, when i pass your way？
Columbine, columbine
Blue in the rockies
Will you miss me, when i've gone away？
3.Crispy Critters
(c.w. mccall, bill fries, chip davis)
Bill fries says that this is based on a true story from the late
'60s, when a band of hippies rolled into telluride and decided
to stay.
One day about four or five years ago
We is settin' at the conoco station
Kickin' tires, and swattin' flies,
And discussin' the state of the union
When right out in front of the baptist church
Come a big ol' purple school bus
Had astrological signs upon it
And thirty-five hippies and dogs inside
About half of 'em went for the courthouse lawn
And them dogs commenced on the fireplug
Rest of 'em set there starin' at us
And i says, 'roy, go get your flit gun'
He says, 'which is the hippies？ and which is the dogs？'
I says, 'beats the hell outta me, roy.'
What they was, was a bunch a' them crispy critters
And their leader was a space cadet
He says, 'sagittarius, we has arrived.
'prepare to disembark, men.
'get the incense goin' and the sitar out
'we gonna camp in the city park, man.'
I says, 'boys, let me explain the situation to ya.
'a： you're gettin' me down
'and b： we got us a leash law here
'and c： you in the wrong town.
'you drop one string a' beads in that there park
'and you gonna see a whole lotta stars.
'you got fifteen seconds to get out of town, boys,
'or we gonna blow ya ta mars.'
Well, they all got back in the purple bus
And proceeded to the city limits.
Then the telephone rang, was the swimmin' pool
Says a mess a' wild critters was in it!
So we all got in the marshal's plymouth
(which is always at the conoco station)
Went flashin' on down to the swimmin' pool
To give them critters a citation
By the time we arrived, it was too damn late
Them critters is all had their pants down
Them dogs was tearin' the bathhouse apart,
And they's after the fish in the fish pond!
I says, 'roy, you get the one in the silver t-shirt
'and i'll get the rest with a net.
'we gonna have a jail full a' naked crispy critters
'and a drip-dry space cadet.'
[you've watched the dukes of hazzard, haven't you？ c'mon, admit
it; nobody's looking. well, at this point in the song there's a
short interlude which resembles a car chase on dukes. there's
banj
Kin' and yee-hawin' and a general sense of raucous abandon. oh,
yeah, and a few dog barks. it's round-up time at the swimmin'
pool.]
Well, we gave 'em hell, but we lost the war
'cause them critters outnumbered us
So they moved in and set up camp
And they lived in that purple school bus
Six weeks later, there was nothin' in town
But eighty-four dogs and a head shop
Sellin' dried up weeds, and sunflower seeds,
And astrological postcards
Yeah, critters took over the city council
And the dogs all barked their brains out
And the whole damn town was crispy critters
And the mayor was a space cadet
4.Four Wheel Cowboy
(c.w. mccall, bill fries, chip davis)
Four wheel cowboy
Four wheel cowboy
Four wheel cowboy
Jeepin' down to santa fe
Well, denver town an' i'm outta the chute
Foot in the gas an' a hole in my boot
And i'm outbound, yeah
Gonna see my momma in santa fe
I'm over the hump and i'm on my way
I'm southbound
Three hundred miles to santa fe
Got a momma to see or the devil to pay
Gonna be there by the break of day
And i'm southbound
Three hundred miles to santa fe
Got a momma to see or the devil to pay
Gonna be there by the break of day
And i'm southbound
Now this ol' jeep needs a coat a' paint
But she makes up for what i ain't
She got feelin'
I only know one thing fer sure
This pony a' mine don't need no spurs
She's squealin'
Four wheel cowboy
Four wheel cowboy
Four wheel cowboy
Jeepin' down to santa fe
Well, texaco's open in trindad
I didn't stop for gas but i wished i had
'cause i could use some
They's a bunch a' wild women in walsenburg
They all make love like a buffalo herd
I wish i knew one
Two hundred miles to santa fe
Gonna be there by the break of day
Got a momma to see or the devil to pay
And i'm southbound
Two hundred miles to santa fe
Gonna be there by the break of day
Got a momma to see or the devil to pay
And i'm southbound
Rattlin' down off a' raton pass
Glorieta hill like a sheet a' glass
And i'm slippin'
Pedalin' down past pecos town
My go foot up and my stop foot down
I'm slidin'
Four wheel cowboy
Four wheel cowboy
Four wheel cowboy
Jeepin' down to santa fe
Now momma's just like this here ol' jeep
She's tough and fast and she runs real cheap
And she's drivin'
Well, sun comin' up in new mexico sky
Got a burr in my saddle and a fire in my eye
An' i'm flyin'
Fifteen miles to santa fe
Gonna be there by the break of day
Got a momma to see or the devil to pay
And i'm southbound
Fifteen miles to santa fe
Gonna be there by the break of day
Got a momma to see or the devil to pay
And i'm southbound
C'mon now, paint
We almost there
Only one more mile, honey
We comin' momma
Here we come
Can'tcha see us comin' momma？
We comin'!
Only one more mile, momma!
We stuck into four wheel drive, baby!
Here we come!
Whoo!
5.Jackson Hole
(c.w. mccall, bill fries, chip davis)
Well, packin' on back to jackson
Eighteen-thirty-an'-six
Fifteen wagons an' forty-five orn'ry mules
Packin' on back to jackson
Workin' the beaver trail
Ten more moons an' we gonna rendevous
Jackson hole, wyomin'
Fifteen wagons an' forty-five orn'ry mules
Jackson hole, wyomin'
Ten more moons an' we gonna rendevous
Yeah, packin' on back to jackson
Nineteen-thirty-an'-six
Four flat tires an' a worn-out chevy coupe
Packin' on back to jackson
Workin' the teton trail
Ten more moons an' we gonna rendevous
Jackson hole, wyomin'
Four flat tires an' a worn-out chevy coupe
Jackson hole, wyomin'
Ten more moons an' we gonna rendevous
[oh, yeah. time for the instrumental portion of our program.
banjo pickin', of course.]
Jackson hole, wyomin'
Fifteen wagons an' forty-five orn'ry mules
Jackson hole, wyomin'
Four flat tires an' a worn-out chevy coupe
Packin' on back to jackson
Nineteen-seventy-six
Goose down socks an' forty-dollar walkin' shoes
Packin' on back to jackson
A-workin' the backpack trail
Ten more moons an' we gonna rendevous
Jackson hole, wyomin'
Goose down socks an' forty-dollar walkin' shoes
Jackson hole, wyomin'
Ten more moons an' we gonna rendevous
6.The Little Brown Sparrow And Me
(c.w. mccall, bill fries, chip davis)
One green april mornin', when i was a young boy
I lay by the window, a-watchin' the rain
And i wondered if ever the sun would come shinin'
So i could go somewhere to play
Then down from the sky flew a little brown sparrow
And he lit on the branch of an old willow tree
And he sit there, watchin', as i lay wond'rin'
Just the little brown sparrow and me
On a green april mornin', when i was a young boy
And little brown sparrows were free
Then he looked in my window and he spied his reflection
There was the willow, there was the sky
And he wondered if ever the sun would come shinin'
And which was the way for the sparrow to fly
Well, he spread out his wings and he flew to the window
Fast as the wind, sure as could be
But the sky in the window was only a wishin'
For the little brown sparrow and me
On a green april mornin', when i was a young boy
And little brown sparrows were free
So there by the window, the sparrow had fallen
He died on the ground in the cold april rain
And i wondered if ever the sun would come shinin'
And someone could only explain
Then i laid there and saw the wind blow through the willow
And cover him over with yesterday's leaves
And there in the rain, i cried for a sparrow
For a little brown sparrow and me
On a green april mornin', when i was a young boy
And little brown sparrows were free
On a green april mornin', when life was a window
For a little brown sparrow and me
7.Riverside Slide
(c.w. mccall, bill fries, chip davis)
One cold, black night of a colorado winter
It snowed on red mountain pass
We warned ev'rybody that the slide was runnin'
An' 5-5-oh was a mess
But outta the plowshed, south a' town
Come a blade with a flashin' blue light
We told that boy： 'whatever you do,
Beware of the riverslide slide.'
Now that plow-jockey knew he had a job to do
Been dodgin' them slides for years
But we all knew, deep down inside,
He was livin' with a thing called fear
'cause you don't mess around with an avalanche, son
A lotta men tried, and died
Yeah, you get them plows past bear creek falls,
You lookin' at the riverside slide
Now all a' us folks around ouray county
Seen a lotta them cold, black nights
When the only thing movin' is a big ol' plow
Flashin' them weird blue lights
You drive them snowplows around these parts
You gotta have a real thick hide
'cause ya never quite know what time a' the night
You gonna die in the riverside slide
Well, it snowed six feet on the mountain that night
An' we knew what was comin' on down
An' so did the boy an' his flashin' blue light
When he rolled that blade outta town
Well, he took that plow up 5-5-oh
An' he felt it lean to one side
An' before he knew it, he was buried alive
At the bottom of the riverside slide
Yeah, all a' us folks around ouray county
Seen a lotta them cold, black nights
When the only thing movin' is a big ol' plow
Flashin' them weird blue lights
We found the boy in the early spring
Still settin', the plow on its side
Yeah, ya never quite know what time a' the night
You gonna die in the riverside slide
8.Roy
(c.w. mccall, b. fries, c. davis)
From the album wilderness
Roy. by c.w. mccall.
[the only musical instrument heard is the plucking of a jew's
harp.]
I had an old cat named roy.
He was a good ol' boy.
He used to go a-huntin', down by the lake,
Catch 'im a nice, fresh garter snake.
Bring 'im on back and then set in the grass,
Lookin' like he had 'im a green mustache.
Yeah, roy was a good ol' boy.
'til the dogs got 'im.
9.Silver Iodide Blues
(c.w. mccall, bill fries, chip davis)
Well, now, pay attention people
Just in case you hadn't heard
There's some folks messin' 'round
With mother nature's little world, baby
And what they do is really freaky
They gets themselves a plane
And they fly it around with chemicals, baby
Tryin' ta make it rain
So when you're out there in that blizzard,
Shiverin' in the cold
Just look up to the sky
And thank the government for the snow
And sing the low-down, experimental, cloud-seedin',
Who-needs-'em-baby？ silver i-i-o-dide blues
Oh, yeah.
Woo!
10.Telluride Breakdown
(c.w. mccall, bill fries, chip davis)
Dum da-da-dah dum da-da-dah dum da-da-dah dum-dum
Dum da-da-dah dum da-da-dah dum da-da-dah da-da-da
Dum dum da-dum-dum-da-dum
Dum dum da-dum-dum-da-dum (dum, dum)
11.There Won't Be No Country Music
(there won't be no rock 'n' roll)
(c.w. mccall, bill fries, chip davis)
Well, it's only gonna be about an hour, friend
'til they dam your favorite river
So you can water-ski just one more reservior
And them supersonic ships are gonna take you
'cross a sea of pavement
To one more faceless brickyard on the shore
Yeah, it's only gonna be about an hour or so
'til they rip off all your mountains, boy
And that one last tired old eagle bites the sand
And all of that high-and-mighty scenery's
Gonna be leveled to the ground, boy
By a bunch a' them mindless strip mines on the land
So listen well, my brothers
When you hear the night wind sigh
And you see the wild goose flying
Through the gray, polluted sky
There won't be no country music
There won't be no rock 'n' roll
'cause when they take away our country
They'll take away our soul
Well, it's only gonna take about a minute or so
'til the junkyards fell the prairies, boy
And them smokin' yellow grass fires start to burn
And the warnings on them beer cans
Gonna be buried in them landfills
No deposit, no sad songs, and no returns
Yeah, it's only gonna take about a minute or so
'til the factories blot the sun out
You gonna have to turn your lights on just to see
And them lights are gonna be neon, sayin'
'fly our jets to paradise'
And the whole damn world is gonna be made of styrene
So listen well, my brothers
When you hear the night wind sigh
And you see the wild goose flying
Through the gray, polluted sky
There won't be no country music
There won't be no rock 'n' roll
'cause when they take away our country
They'll take away our soul
Yeah, it's only gonna be about a second, boy
'til they take away all'a this country
And they'll tell you not to listen to this here song
And that far-off sound of freedom's
Gonna be an echo from the past
And the final tune is gonna be sad and long
And it's only gonna be about an eye-blink, boy
'til they pull out the wool to blind us
So we just can't read all the messages on the wall
But the only words that matter
Oughta be scribbled all over them billboards
In big old black and bloody letters, ten feet tall
There won't be no country music
There won't be no rock 'n' roll
'cause when they take away our country
They'll take away our soul
There won't be no country music
There won't be no rock 'n' roll
'cause when they take away our country
They'll take away our soul
There won't be no country music
There won't be no rock 'n' roll
'cause when they take away our country
They'll take away our soul
There won't be no country music
There won't be no rock 'n' roll
'cause when they take away our country
They'll take away our soul
'cause when they take away our country
They'll take away our soul
12.Wilderness
(c.w. mccall, bill fries, chip davis)
From the album wilderness
Come along and sing
A song you knew before
Come along and sing
Once more
Come along and live
A life you knew before
Come along and live
Once more
Wake with me and feel the misty blue dawn
Come hear the wild bird sing her mornin' song
See the sun that only wilderness sees
Then walk with me and let your heart run free
Come on along and chase the wind once more
Come on along and try one more time
Come on along and find the trail once more
Come on along and live again
Come with me and see the ridge run wild
Come hear the canyon call her wanderin' child
Breathe the air that only wilderness breathes
Then walk with me and let your heart run free
Come on along and climb the mountain once more
Come on along and try one more time
Come on along and cross the river with me
Come on along and live again
Come with me and hear the night bird cry
And see the starlight fill the wonderous sky
Feel the joy that only wilderness feels
Come on along along and we'll be free
Fly with me and find the end of time
Run with me and feel the wilderness high
Come on along and live forever with me
Come on along along and we'll be free
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