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King of Arkadia

by Springhouse

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1.
When we go to see the king We will only carry what we can of what's fit for a king - King of Arkadia. When we go to see the king We will seek an augury of birds, Then watch them as they pass Into our slipstream. On our way to see the king We will travel through a lawless land Where error is the rule And lies are legion. When we reach Arkadia We will be expectant as the dawn That opens like a rose Above Arkadia. If by chance we see the king We will ask for what is ours to know Perhaps a cardinal rule Or some equation. When we leave Arkadia Through the dry dominions of the king Doves in the limber pines Will mourn our passing.
2.
Eye to the sky, ear to the ground Wheels are turning Miles and miles down Copper, Pyrite, Serpentine Rain below and stone that flies. I'll drink the water, I'll toe the line I'll keep the fire through the night My heart's a bonfire you can navigate by A thousand suns to keep in sight. Let the west wind come and roll me down the dunes! Let the wild dogs call the tune - There will be light enough to get home again As long as I'm breathing out and breathing in. I'll follow the tide, I'll ride the flood. Wherever it leaves me, I'll send up A chrysanthemum of red and gold To burn away the bitter cold When all else has come undone I'll be burning like a thousand suns.
3.
One too many wannabe outlaws One too many wannabe kings One too many brushes with history One too many "one of those things." Too much scene, not enough scenery Too much watching out, nothing to see Too much wondering, not enough mystery A hidebound town by a wandering sea. She wants to lay her head in the Aurora Borealis Mend some fences in the midnight sun Say goodbye to the hard road from Denton down to Dallas In the great white north when the long day is done. She ain't going to wait for John the Revelator Ain't going to wait for the seas to burn She ain't going to wait for whatever comes later She ain't going to wait for nobody's return. She ain't got no use for the rear view mirror Ain't got no use for the ball and chain Going to leave the temple of accumulated error Going to leave her mark in the book of names Mark her days with the rising tide Rise up singing at the break of day Going to break away running like a northbound train Leave the outlaw kings to the wind and the rain.
4.
Liberty Bell 04:12
Her heart's the Liberty Bell Nothing can break it She stands on one true love Nothing can shake it. Out on a red dirt road Running in bare feet Don't have to watch her back Or turn the latchkey. There is no twist of fate Time can't make loose. All the wild waters Turn rough to smooth. She has forgot the eyes Of those that took advantage No absolution when a calico heart's unravelled. Her heart's the Liberty Bell It rings in the old language It brought her home to sweep the halls And take her salvage She's not no cinnamon girl Of sweet 16 or twenty Long is the road that ends In the land of milk and honey Her heart's the Liberty Bell It rings like rain in summer Life's ginger candy and the sun's a ball of butter
5.
Big Red Ford 03:29
Ain't nobody where I'm going Nothing but wind and rain and stone -Shotgun shack on a mountain Lonely place to call home! I got my chainsaw and my china Hammers in my knitting bag Shing, shang, shimmy, keep on rolling My hand-me-down life is in your hands! Climb the mountain Don't give out on me! Big red Ford, if you will, Get me there in one piece! Mountains hollowed out to make you Steel from a crucible of fire One day the elements will break you, But you and me, we still got one more mile
6.
The sea will have its sailors Though their hearts turn ashore And so they stare into the fire The salt wind at the door The sea forgives the sailor Who'll raise again the sail She welcomes those with open arms Who slip beneath the rail Roses, go down You blood red roses, go down Go down, boys, and farewell The moonlight on the water Is a transit to the shore She works her will upon the waves Though sailors sail no more It's tides that tell the time here It's we who wax and wane Carried homeward on the swell From half a world away Singing Roses, go down You blood red roses, go down Go down boys, and farewell
7.
It was the time of year when the hurricanes blow Lift the baby from the cradle, lay the steeple low Lust grabbed his heart like a fist of steel Rolled him over the edge like a Catherine Wheel When the Hunter's Moon rose over the farm He thought he'd take that girl out back of the barn But by the time the moon went over the ridge He was swinging in the moonlight under the bridge Jump up, little children, yes, yes yes! Have you heard the news about Typhoon Ted? Lonely ghost rider from the book of the dead Last I heard, he was in defeat With the army of souls down on Azusa Street Well, it may well be that when they crack the seal He'll be hanging out in the City on the hill But I suspect that when the rapture falls He'll have a candle and a spoon at the dark end of the hall It's sauce for the goose, grist for the mill Bottom feeders playing King of the Hill It's a lump of clay on a bag of bones They can't find their knees, so they can't crawl home Steve Hayten, John Havard, George Pedersen, Rest in Peace

about

7 songs recorded, mixed, and mastered by Charlie Natzke at his farm in La Honda. Cover art by Kent Ambler, a sold-out limited edition woodcut called "Migration". We love Mr. Ambler's work. www.kentambler.com .

credits

released May 1, 2015

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Springhouse California

Music from the Americana Borderlands - from artsong to the roadhouse and places in between:
Chris Kee and Jane Selkye met in the San Francisco band Me Jane, and have played with David Phillips in various
groups for the last twenty years.
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