Billy Strings Complete

A Tribute to Flatt & Scruggs

Blue Ridge Cabin Home

My first car was a 1958 Willy's CJ5 Jeep. I spent a year rebuilding it with my best friend Jack. I put on a roll-bar, a vinyl top (called a bikini top), rebuilt the engine, did a bunch of body work on it and replaced the heating system. I loved that car. It had 3 forward gears and 2 reverse (power take off unit on the front for the winch system). I drove it up to Maine and down to Maryland. 


Verse 1
We tore her down that summer, me and Jack out in the yard
A ‘58 Willys Jeep, the steel was rough, the work was hard
We scraped the rust, we patched the frame, till our hands were black with grease
When that old flathead roared to life, it sounded just like peace

Chorus
Three gears forward, two in reverse
A roll bar shining, the tires kicked dirt
From the pines of Maine to Chesapeake sand
Freedom was the wheel in my hand

Verse 2
We bolted on that bikini top, the vinyl flapped in wind
Heat from the rebuilt furnace made the winter soft again
A winch up front, the power take-off growled like something wild
That Jeep was more than metal then—it was spirit, young and styled

Chorus
Three gears forward, two in reverse
A roll bar shining, the tires kicked dirt
From the pines of Maine to Maryland clay
That Willys carried my soul away

Bridge
Every dent and scar we made
Was a story in the frame we laid
Nights we drove beneath the stars
Dreams outpacing all the cars

Chorus
Three gears forward, two in reverse
The road unwound, the sky rehearsed
That sound of freedom in second gear
Still hums in my memory clear

Outro
Jack and I grew older, but the echoes still remain
Of that Willys CJ5 and a friendship forged in flame
Somewhere on a backroad turn, if you listen close and deep
You’ll hear that engine rumble on, the promise we still keep

My Willys Jeep

Garcia (Compliments) (Expanded)

Let It Rock

Europe '72

Brown Eyed Women (Live in Denmark, 1972) [2001 Remaster] (Live in Denmark, 1972; 2001 Remaster) [feat. David Nelson, Debbie Eisenberg, Marma-Duke, Merle Saunders, Mouse, Pete Grant & WENDY]

Mountain Tracks, Vol. 5

40 Miles from Denver

Home

Must Be Seven

Taking Water

Long Forgotten Dream

Running

Away From The Mire

Just One of Them Nights

Mountain Annie

Highway Prayers, the latest album from Billy Strings, is out now on Reprise records and CDs.

Recorded in Los Angeles and Nashville, the album features Strings and his longtime band—Billy Failing (banjo, vocals), Royal Masat (bass, vocals), Jarrod Walker (mandolin, vocals) and Alex Hargraves (fiddle)—as well as additional contributions from Jon Brion (bass, drums, percussion), Matt Chamberlain (drums), Jerry Douglas (dobro), Jason Carter (fiddle), Lindsay Lou (backing vocals), Nathaniel Smith (cello), Taneka Samone (backing vocals), Cory Henry (piano), Peter “Madcat” Ruth (harmonica, jaw harp) and Victor Furtado (clawhammer banjo).

Including fan favorites like “Seven Weeks In County,” “Cabin Song,” and “Leadfoot.” Plus treasures in the making “Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You,” “Gild the Lily,” “Don't Be Calling Me (at 4AM),” and many more.

Twenty songs total! Get your copy today.

Produced by Billy Strings & Jon Brion.

Long Forgotten Dream

Billy Strings

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