In June of 2006, I wrote a song called Asheville.

I had recently visited the town, and as I reflected on that visit and a conversation I had with an aging musician, I penned the lyrics below. I am a big fan of Johnny Cash, and this song's musical cadence is my attempt to honor the Man in Black. 

The song has always been one of favorites. Though I have yet to make a studio recording of the song, I have performed it live on numerous occasions where it has been well-received.

Upon learning of the recent devastation of Asheville by Hurricane Helene, I decided to release on an EP several live recordings as well as new mixes and interpretations of the song in solidarity with the people of Asheville as they begin the long hard task of cleaning up and rebuilding. 

Proceeds from the sale of the EP will go to help Asheville rise from the rubble of this difficult time.

KMLS
#AshevilleStrong

Asheville Helene Jug Band Mix

Asheville (Live Intentional Blackout Concert October 2018)

Eveline, where are you walking to? 
You're going to get caught out in the rain.
Eveline, who are you talking to? 
Could it be someone in your brain?

Belly Hymns

Eveline

Asheville Nite Lite 3

I continue to master and upload songs from the live recording at the Nite Lite Community Meal October 2024.

This is one of my favorites, a traditional gospel blues song that emphasizes the power of prayer and the constant presence of Jesus.

Jesus Is On the Mainline (Nite Lite 3) Live

A live acoustic version of the popular John Denver song Country Roads recorded October 2024 at the Nite Lite Community Meal. I lived in West Virginia for 15 years.

Country Roads Live Nite Lite 3

Night has come with its chill but we are warm
You and I
In this hiding place
Curtains closing to the night.

This Hiding Place Nite Lite 3 Live

Tomorrow
August 1997

In the sugar cane they laid us down like a harvest,
guns and fear the scythes.
Tranquilo, baby, tranquilo.
Watch the shooting stars in the bandido’s eyes.

Tomorrow we will not lie in a field where the stars fall from the sky.
Tomorrow these men will give their lives to a love so strong it never dies.

In a road of grass a row of flesh, precious lives,
faces pressed to the earth side by side.
Misacordia, baby, misacordia.
Listen to the wind in the cane not the pain and fear inside.

Tomorrow we will not lie in a field where the stars fall from the sky.
Tomorrow these men will give their lives to a love so strong it never dies.

Tomorrow

A Song About A Farmer and Vermin Eradication
[Verse 1 — The Drought]

That summer the sky went empty,
Dust sleeping where the crops should be.
Neighbors said, “Ain’t nothin’ growing,”
But the stubborn’s strong in me.
So I planted a garden in the middle of the dying,
Carried water from a mile away—
an oasis of green in a desert
a harvest I’d reap some day.

[Chorus]

Whistle Pig came whistling,
A Roman candle screaming higher,
Hell hath no fury
Than a Whistle Pig on fire.

[Verse 2 — The Thief]

Next morning the beans lay shredded,
Leaves chewed down to the stem.
Tracks like warnings in the dirt road dust,
And a tunnel where the fence line ends.
I waited ’til the twilight settled,
Saw him rise with a thief’s delight—
A fat little king of my summer’s labor,
Bold as sin in the fading light.

[Chorus]

Whistle Pig came whistling,
A Roman candle screaming higher,
Hell hath no fury
Than a Whistle Pig on fire.

[Verse 3 — The Match]

I mixed up a farmer’s fatal brew:
Gasoline, diesel, and oil.
Poured it down the whistle pig’s hole
Thinking I’d bring justice to a boil,
Struck a match like a final answer,
Heard that hush before the roar—
Then a blazing fury came tearing upward,
Like some demon I’d never seen before.

[Chorus]

Whistle Pig came whistling,
A Roman candle screaming higher,
Hell hath no fury
Than a Whistle Pig on fire.

[Verse 4 — The Consequence]

He lit up the dry grass behind him,
Flames rising as he ran pell mell
And the field turned bright as daylight,
Like the world had gone to hell.
Sirens came screaming down my driveway,
I told the truth with shaking hands.
Sometimes a man’s burning desire
burns a whole lot more than he planned.

[Bridge]
Fire chief wiped his forehead,
Said, “Bill, what were you tryin’ to prove?”
I stared at the smoke and my blackened fields,
said, “What was I supposed to do?”
He shook his head at the ashes,
Like he’d heard every kind of boast—
he said, “You sure went through a lot of trouble to have a pig roast.”

[Final Chorus]

Whistle Pig came whistling,
A Roman candle screaming higher,
Hell hath no fury
Than a Whistle Pig on fire.

Whistle Pig On Fire

Lyrics based on the Valley of the Dry Bones in Ezekiel 37. 

Music is acoustic guitar rock-a-billy country in the style of Johnny Cash.

2025 Tongue Screw Records Revolutions Music Release - All Rights Reserved.

Full lyrics at slowmover.org

Dry Bones (Hear the Word)

The Belly Hymns Project serves as the archive and community for a number of current and past musical collaborations in a variety of genres, including singer-songwriter, folk, gospel, blues, alt-country, digital, and electronica, and any fusion of all.

This includes music produced by: The Lost Gap, Jeremiahs Run, Bad Boll Productions, Revolutions Music, Tongue Screw Records, Friture, PeaceGrooves, The Man Room Sessions, Harry B. Gone, Head Cleaner

Past and current BHP musicians include: KMLS (Keith Lyndaker Schlabach), BJL (Brent Lyndaker), Hamrsntime, Peter Sabath, Brett Sherman, Dan Thut, peacegroover, T Hopkins, Friture, Daryl Snider, Dave Hockman Wert, Josh Welter, Bob Sabath, Matt Wittington, and others.

We are always open to making music with like-minded musicians. Contact us if interested.

New tracks tagged #kmls