This is for all the women who survived wars started by men.

For Loving You

Did you know that most weeds are medicine?

Goldenrod

Motherhood really did a number on my nervous system.

Nervous System

Wild Rose

An upbeat guitar and banjo tune about disappearing into the country. 

Country Wife

Cut from different sides of the same cloth You wouldn’t recognize me now
Blue eyes and the same fire
Both too proud not to be liars
I forget who I am
Like you forget the words to your favorite song
But you’d tell me
I’d pretend to believe you and we’d both be wrong
And I don’t recognize anything these days And I don’t pray for myself these days
And everything has changed
Guess that’s the way the chains break Guess that’s the way, guess that’s the way Guess that’s the only way
Grown up and dressed down Knuckles bloody on the grass Everyday there’s less of you
It doesn’t mean I love you less I remember all those times
I was careless with my heartbeat when you were here
And it’s the calm before the storm
A yellow sky, a new dimension of love and fear
Imposter syndrome
And scarcity thinking Internet ideologues
My ship is sinking
You’re the ten feet of rope When I thought I was done I thought I had heroes
I’m fine having none
And I am trying to memorize these days And I am trying my best these days
And my love will stay the same
Guess that’s the way the chains break Guess that’s the way, guess that’s the way Guess that’s the only way

These Days

You were a beat up little waitress At a diner in Boston
And I was looking for you
Like you look for a ghost
Both our hearts torn by regret How many knocks can you collect How many knocks can you collect
Your heart was crying
Like a dog chained up at night
My soul was bared and heckled
I was looking for a fight
We know the good ain’t good enough One day we’ll fall won’t get back up One day we’ll fall won’t get back up
Don’t it get lonely out there on the road? Like a lost island
Like a house without windows
Ain’t it heavy dragging round
All those mistakes?
Don't you want another birthday One more clean slate
I wanna know how deep the tree roots Grow downriver
I wanna know what it feels like
To be somebody else
I wanna wake up free of shame I wanna take a brand new name I wanna run far from this game
I could look down every road I could turn up every stone You and I are looking for
A love we’ve never known
A hundred years apart
God made two of the exact same yearning
Heart

Clean Slate

Get a load of that boy just down the street Eye’s like a sheep in a wolf’s pelt
Look at him while he burns the woods
He never learned the word help
And I’m a noose against the setting sun The story’s over
And it’s just begun
It’s not that I don’t know better It’s that I don’t care
Playing hangman with no letters Baby you don’t care
We both know we messed up We keep coming up for air Leavin’ parties for the next one Boy you wouldn’t dare
Don’t you dare
Don’t be honest with me Don’t be honest with me
Get a load of this town all brick and paint Strangled by the highway
A dot on a map, it spreads like ink
You should see us in the summer
I’ll show you mine, you show me yours We’re only real behind closed doors
I won’t be the last one out this time
I won’t be the bad guy who gets left behind I won’t be brokenhearted this time
I won’t be the one you talk about with frozen smiles

Last One Out

She was only 23 years old
When she met you, when she met you
The sassafras was burning
The candles all blown out
When she met you, when she met you
She was only 23 years old
And her mama said she should have known
I was just a little older
And I loved her like a sister
And it was my hands that held her While she wept
She was only 23 years old
You shoulda known, you shoulda known You shoulda known
That I can’t handle myself
You provoked me
You enticed me
Walking on those legs above the ground You made me do it
It’s not my fault
If you hadn’t ruined her whole life Well maybe you would still
Be alive
I said let’s meet for a drink On the good side of town Where the cops ain’t around Everyone round here knows You like a good time
Cocaine and cheap wine Everyone around here knows You’re a show off
So I went off with you
Who’s gonna claim your bones? Who’s gonna claim your bones? Who’s gonna claim your bones?
Who’s gonna claim your bones? Who’s gonna claim your bones? Who’s gonna claim your bones? Who’s gonna claim your bones? Who’s gonna claim your bones?

Claim Your Bones

I couldn’t get away if I asked myself
So I didn’t ask 
I ran me out; I’d been waiting 

It’s quiet here on the highway 
Just the motor beneath me
A part of me died; I’ve never felt more alive

You really had me going
You almost had me fooled

You are one in a million 
of messed up young souls
Swerving around till your 
New tricks get old 
Yeah you’re yelling at girls 
And you think you’re so tough
Lost little boys turned cruel
Yeah you’re one in a million 
Of men like you 

I couldn’t run at you fast enough
I still have those scars
In the school of life
Those are my top marks 

I couldn’t run away fast enough
You tell me no
You tell me yes
It’s all about your 
Fingers on my neck 

I don’t care              
If you cross the street
Avoid my stare
Be honest, kid
You wanted things
To end like this

One In A Million

VERSE 1
Mama, don’t you know
It's a love that burns your skin
Mama, don’t you know
I’ll always let you in
Don’t have a choice, don’t have a choice

VERSE 2
Sister, don’t you see
Can’t wash you off of me Sister, can’t you see
We’re tangled in the weeds Over my voice, over my voice

CHORUS
This is love, oh this is love
Save me from the underwater This is love, oh this is love
My sin eater, my sin eater
Won’t you please be my sin eater

VERSE 3
Brother, can’t you hear
I fall apart when you aren’t here Brother, can’t you hear Anywhere’s better than here
Be my blood, be my blood

CHORUS X3
This is love, oh this is love
Save me from the underwater This is love, oh this is love
My sin eater, my sin eater
Won’t you please be my sin eater

Sin Eater

Honest Abe and apple trees 
Bibles and the birds and bees 
History books are glossy
But the truth is washed in dirt 
And out here, we do the work

People love you when they love you 
Otherwise they try to hide you 
Paving all these paradises 
Wondering how the flowers died 
The concrete comes, like a tide

You said I’m the salt of the earth 
In all your speeches
On your butter boxes
Salt of the earth on television 
But not in voting boxes
This is the hill where I refuse to die
You say you’re gonna build that highway 
I said, I dare you to try

Vinyl-sided country mansions 
Parking lots and dreams abandoned 
People want their mountain views 
But not the gravel on their road
And out here: you’re stuck with both

Quarry deep and blackened lung 
Doomed to death ‘fore we’d begun 
Caught inside a spinning wheel 
The stakes are high, the pain is real 
And here we are, day and night

Salt Of The Earth

Annie Stokes is a dark Americana songstress and folk lyricist from the foot hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia. Raised on musical theater and her mom's oldies, she began writing poetry and short stories at a young age. When she picked up a guitar at age 20, everything clicked and she fulfilled her destiny of becoming an emotional millennial troubadour. She began her career by playing open mics, street festivals, and wineries around her native Virginia, slowly graduating to festivals, night clubs, and regional tours across the East Coast. "I like a hook, and I like a song that dredges up specific memories and feelings, rather than generic rushes of serotonin," she says of her songwriting style. "From the beginning, I would get inspired by snippets of conversations I would hear, or certain smells, or little moments." Her songwriting catalogue reflects this embrasure of the niche/relatable: some songs are inspired by deep-dives into Wikipedia pages about missing people, and others are inspired by the short and shrouded lives of the Romanov princesses (who doesn't love a late-night journey into historical mysteries?).

 

She’s released an EP and two albums, the latter of which focuses on environmental justice. Having been an activist and intersectional feminist for all of her adult life, it only made sense to weave those parts of her world into her music in a way that was graceful and genuine. In 2019, Annie took a break from touring to reform her band and hone her sound. Her fourth album, "The One That Gets Away", came out on March 19, 2021. Debut singles "Real Good" and "The One That Gets Away" were released to critical acclaim in December and January. The album itself is a reflection on gender dynamics, environmentalism, burnout culture, and living with your past -- all told through the prism of a millennial on the threshold between youth and family life.

 

When she's not writing or performing, Annie has a baby girl, four cats, a deep appreciation for sparkling wine, and a love of the Appalachians. She and her husband recently purchased a minivan, but are probably still cool.

Annie Stokes

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