Ain't No Cowboy

Well, I might not be a cowboy
But this ain’t my first rodeo
I don’t ride no prized white horse
Don’t care ‘bout winning best of show
Don’t care much about big ole trucks
Or how much piss one can drink from a can
Ain’t a damn thing about any of that
Gonna make you a bigger man
Tired are the stories how “my wife left me” 
or how “my dog up and ran away”
So I’ll just stick with the things I see
And go about it my own damn way
I ain’t much into to small dick contests
Like how many rounds fit in your gun
Or how many toys in your possession
You can’t take any of it with ya, son
See, life’s not about what’s better
and it’s surely not about who’s best
Cause all our cards will get drawn one day 
And we’ll soon be dead like all the rest  
So there ain’t much use in fighting
no two people will completely agree
instead try to find some common ground 
from which you both can see
And remember who you are
you’re just a human being
you’re just one small part of life
less than 1% of the living beings
There is much we’ve yet to discover
About our very own minds
The art of communication
Is just beginning to unwind
So learn to read energy 
and pay attention to what you see
Learn to recognize the patterns 
Life’s really about simplicity
Believe first in yourself
Then in the Powers That Be
In your darkest hours
They’re your only guides on life’s journey
Learn to listen to your inner voice
As it always knows to light your way
Trust your gut over all mankind
Till man no longer leads all astray
Should you find yourself off the path
Don’t freak out, just stop and breathe
Everything surrounding you
Will help you if you let it, you’ll see
When times get tough & they surely will 
Be strong for each other
In the end, no matter ones thoughts
we’re ALL still sisters and brothers
Son, these words I chose for you 
Cause one day it will be me
We can’t all stay here forever
So for now that’s how it’s gotta be
When comes a time you need me most 
Close your eyes to see 
I am always by your side 
In your heart and soul I’ll always BE!

Ain't No Cowboy

Train Ride

The Sun is always shining 
music fills the air
the people are all dancing
most without a care. 
this train has been a rollin 
for decades down the track
but the conductor he got off this ride 
so many roads on back
But the people they keep coming 
and many more keep coming back
to ride that train one more time 
fore' the train runs outta track

In passing by a butterfly
that's escaped from her cocoon
now grown from a tiny caterpillar 
into something all brand new
She spreads her wings shes ready to fly
with the wind she goes 
where she lands it's not our call 
only the heavens know
that shes rode that train a time or two 
and she knows it's always brought her back
and she rode those rails one more time 
fore' that train ran outta track

Did you see what we just passed my friend
a bubble floating in a box of rain
upside out and inside down 
that bubbles too big to fit down the drain
And then one day it happened 
A bird flew by you see 
pecked that boy, his bubble burst 
he was finally set free
down the drain, he hopped that train 
and rode it clear on down the line
till that train she done run outta a track 
and we done ran outta time..

Train Ride

Like A Stone (Cover) 

On a cobweb afternoon
In a room full of emptiness
By a freeway I confess
I was lost in the pages
Of a book full of death
Reading how we'll die alone
And if we're good, we'll lay to rest
Anywhere we want to go

In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone

On my deathbed I will pray
To the gods and the angels
Like a pagan to anyone
Who will take me to heaven
To a place I recall
I was there so long ago
The sky was bruised
The wine was bled
And there you led me on

In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone

And on I read
Until the day was gone
And I sat in regret
Of all the things I've done
For all that I've blessed
And all that I've wronged
In dreams until my death
I will wander on

In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone

Like A Stone - Chris Cornell cover

Wrote this with my buddie Metro providing the start and inspiration one night I was strumming the pattern and he started with cruise round the track, tryin to turn another lap and I took that and ran with it. 

So this song if for you cats - see ya on the track. 
This is a raw version just to get it on here for you guys ;o) 


Dirt Life

Here we are another Friday night
Tony Stewarts got me feelin’ alright
Out here runnin’ under the lights
Ready to put up a fight…. 

* Chorus * 
Can’t ya see
It’s the dirt life for me…. 

Crusin’ round the track
Tryin’ to turn another lap 
break 14 flat
and keep It outta the pack
* Chorus *

Marty’s outrunnin Ravensneal
Got Painter hot on their heels
Allied’s in there lookin’ for the steal
That’s some great racin’ ya feel
* Chorus * 

Now, Paw Paw, Superman and Seymore Butts
Are chasin’ Baker, Bones and Tasty Nutz
Drive it in there if you got the guts
Nows the time to strut your stuff
* Chorus *

Metro's running down the top 3 stocks
Better get fast or go kick rocks
It's the only way to the marquee spot
So "drop your sock and grab your cocks.... We goin racin boys"
*Chorus

Dirt Life 422

Featuring Anthony Hannigan on the Mitchell Parlor guitar. Jeff Wisor on the 1/2 size Fiddle and Kenny Derr on the Takamine G Series. A little impromptu jam session in Kenny and Amy's living room.

The Waterbears - Transcend Jam

I've had this little chord progression continuously pop up, pretty much any time I've picked up my guitar, for a few years now. It's simple and fun to play around with but with my parents dog recently "going home" it just came to me - Run Free and so it is. An ode to watching him grow and live quite the amazing life before growing old and slowing way down. We got to spend Memorial Day with him and I said my piece to him then, one of the best dogs I've ever met. My ode to you my four legged friend -  Run Free.

Run Free

I wrote this song reflecting on the place I grew up. The story is in the song, but for those of you who don't know, Endicott Johnson Shoe Company was founded here and IBM was founded here. Both contributed heavily to building this valley.  They also are both responsible for the "destruction" of this valley in their aftermath. Both stuck in their ways. One on mainframes at the dawn of personal computing and the other on work place shoes at the dawn of the fitness craze. Both "could have" pioneered the way as they both had people take their ideas elsewhere - Microsoft/Windows and Reebok. While the valley is rebounding slowly, it has taken the better part of my lifetime to see it happen. I was fortunate to be old enough to observe life at the very tail end of the end of the heyday that was Binghamton, NY. Once a place where anyone who was anyone (Sinatra, Davis Jr, Wonder, Cash, the Grateful Dead, Phish etc, etc, etc) came through and enjoyed the area, the aftermath of IBM and EJ's took it's toll on this valley as it sunk into a very deep, dark depression for decades - much like a lot of other similar sized/situated towns across America did and for similar reasons. This is our story. ;o) 


We used to dance in the fountains
That was a long time ago
At night the lights would, come alive
People laughed and shook their bones
	
C: And then the day came
They tore the fountains down
Built up their visions
Let the Walmarts ruin town

Long ago this was quite the valley, built by
Zipperheads and rubber souls
Was a time when everyone used to come through town
Used to be community was the goal

C: And then the day came 
It was time to change the game
They were stuck in their ways
Stuck on their names 

One by one friends and families, moved away
Pursuing opportunity
Old buildings crumbled and fell apart 
Built from faded memories	

C: And When the time came 
To rebuild the town
When you look at the mess left behind
Well, it kind of drags you down

With most the industry now up and gone
They finally looked to the university
To breathe old buildings back to life
So they planted all new seeds

C: And the more things change
The more it remains the same
Every year come new faces
But still the same old game

We used to dance in the fountains
That was a long time ago.

We Used To Dance In The Fountains.WAV

Reseed (June 2024)

Like a redwood towers o’er the mountain
With branches raised to the sky
It’s roots must grow even deeper
Looking for water, just to survive
When the wind she comes in heavy
Blows right through the top of the tree
Like the last pinecone we're barely hanging on 
Until it’s time to leave…. 
And Reseed…. 

Across a field of summer Poppy’s
A sea of luminosity
One of Mother Nature’s grand finales
Oh so colorful indeed
All at once they bow their heads
As their petals fade into the breeze
All but one who’s left standing tall watching over all
Until it’s time to leave.... 
And Reseed....

The Giant oaks of the forest 
Stand much taller than all the other trees
You can build a castle in their arms 
No one would ever see
A sanctuary to hide away
To live in peace and harmony 
Till the last acorn falls from the limb
You know now it’s time to leave....
And reseed....

Reseed V2

One of the legendary jam sessions at Jareds. 

Kenny Derr

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