Sing another verse to that old song

Guy Clark was one of the most influential country songwriters. He died three years ago on May 17, 2016. The songs of Guy Clark are touchstones of great songwriting.

1.      L.A. Freeway 

If I can just get off of this LA freeway 

Without getting killed or caught

I'd be down that road in a cloud of smoke 

For some land that I ain't bought bought bought.

2.      She Ain't Goin' Nowhere 

Standin' on the gone side of leavin' 

She found a thumb and stuck it in the breeze...

And she had a way of her own 

Like prisoners have a way with a file.

3.      A Nickel for the Fiddler 

And it's country music in the park 

and everybody's ruined.

4.      That Old Time Feeling

And that old time feelin' rocks and spits and cries, 

Like an old lover rememberin' the girl with the clear blue eyes.

5.      Desperados Waiting for a Train

So we just closed our eyes and dreamed us up a kitchen 

And sang another verse to that old song.

6.      Like A Coat from the Cold

I have flown like a bird from each cage that confined me 

And broken every one of the ties that bind me.

7.      Instant Coffee Blues

It's all done with mirrors, of which they have none. 

To blend the instant coffee blues into the morning sun.

8.      Let Him Roll

Too many days of fightin' the weather 

And too many nights of not being together

So he died... Let him roll.

9.      Anyhow, I Love You

I wish I had a dime for every bad time 

But the bad times always seem to keep the change.

10.   The Ballad of Laverne and Captain Flint 

Old Flint's boat is fine and she's called the Miss-Inclined 

And there's no home port painted on her stern.

11.   The Randall Knife

I'd cried for every lesser thing 

Whiskey, pain and beauty.

12.   Old Friends

And you're really feeling fragile And you really can't get home 

And you really feel abandoned But you want to be alone.

13.   Immigrant Eyes

Some were one desk away from sweet freedom 

Some were were torn from someone they love.

14.   Boats to Build

It's time for a change I'm tired of that same ol' same 

The same ol' words the same ol' lines 

The same ol' tricks and the same ol' rhymes.

15.   Ramblin'Jack & Mahan

Now there's a pair to draw to boys 

I would not steer you wrong.

16.   Dublin Blues

I am just a poor boy, hmm Work's my middle name 

If money was the reason Well, I would not be the same. 

So forgive me all my anger Forgive me all my faults 

There's no need to forgive me For thinkin' what I thought.

17.   Stuff That Works

I got an ol' blue shirt And it suits me just fine 

I like the way it feels So I wear it all the time.

18.   Hank Williams Said It Best

One man's right is another man's wrong, 

One man's curse is another man's song 

Hank Williams said it best 

He said it a long time ago 

"Unless you have made no mistakes in your life

Be careful of stones that you throw".

19.   The Cape

He's one of those who knows that life Is just a leap of faith 

Spread your arms and hold your breath 

Always trust your cape.

20.   Cold Dog Soup

Ain't no money in poetry 

That's what sets the poet free 

I've had all the freedom I can stand.

21.   Red River

Here's to the bootleggers and the oilfield crews 

Here's to the one and all of us Red River fools.

22.   Die Tryin' 

What's the use in dyin' If you don't die tryin' 

If you don't die tryin' What's the use.

23.   Magnolia Wind

It's once in a lifetime and it won't come again 

It's here and it's gone on a magnolia wind.

24.   Soldier's Joy, 1864

Give me some of that Soldier's Joy, ain't you got no more 

Hand me down my walkin' cane I ain't cut out for war.

25.   Homeless

You know life ain't easy It takes work… 

When the final line unfolds, 

It don't always rhyme.

26.   Out in the Parkin' Lot

Some have given up, some have given in 

Looks like everybody's looking for a friend

Out in the parking lot.

27.   Hemingway's Whiskey 

Now there more to life than whiskey 

There's more to words than rhyme 

Sometime nothing works

Sometimes nothing shines.

28.   MaybeI Can Paint Over That

And I have stumbled in my time

I left my footprints down the road 

And the part of me that shines

Ain't the part of me that's showed 

Maybe I can paint over that.

29.   My Favorite Picture of You

My favorite picture of you Is the one where Your wings are showing

Oh and your arms are crossed Your fists are clenched Not gone but going.

30.   I Don't Love You Much Do I

I don't love you much do I I'd follow you to hell and back again.

31.   The Last Gunfighter Ballad

So much for the smell of the black powder smoke

And the stand in the street at the turn of a joke.

32.   The Guitar

So I hit a couple of chords In my old country way of strumming.

33.   Black Diamond Strings

Black Diamond Strings on a Catalog Guitar

That's pretty high cotton whoever you are.

34.   SomedaysYou Write the Song

It don't matter how much it hurts 

You've got to tell the truth

Some days you write the song

Some days the song writes you.

To paraphrase The Guy:

So take me to a barroom driver

Set me on a stool

If I can't listen to Guy Clark

I'm damned if I'll be a fool.