Over by the wildwood hot summer night
We lay in the tall grass
til the mornin' light comes shining
If I had my way I'd never
get the urge to roam
A young man serves his country
and an old man stays at home
Don't put me in a frame upon the mantel
'Fore memories grow dusty old and grey
Don't leave me alone in the twilight
Twilight is the loneliest time of day
Never gave a second thought, no
never crossed my mind
What's right and what's not
I'm not the judgin' kind
I could take the darkness, oh
storms from your skies
We all got certain trails burnin' up inside
Don't send me no distant salutations
or silly souvenirs from far away
Don't leave me alone in the twilight
Twilight is the loneliest time of day
Don't put me in a frame upon the mantel
'Fore memories grow dusty old and grey
Don't leave me alone in the twilight
Twilight is the loneliest time of day
This old house is falling down around my ears
You pull me like the moon pulls on the tide
What days have come to keep us far apart
Come the night you're only what I want
I see you on the street in company
Dimming of the Day
(Richard Thompson) [Albums:
Ridin' on the Blinds]
I'm drowning in a river of my tears
When all my will is gone you hold me sway
I need you at the dimming of the day
You know just where I keep my better side
A broken promise or a broken heart
Now all the bonnie birds have wheeled away
I need you at the dimming of the day
Come the night you could be my confidant
Why don't you come and ease your mind with me
I'm living for the night we steal away
I need you at the dimming of the day
I need you at the dimming of the day
The women 'cross the river
Women 'cross the river work with tools that are ancient and hand-made
The women 'cross the river are as gentle as the dew upon the ground
Oh the women 'cross the river; they can kill you with their eyes
Women 'cross the river
(David Olney) [Albums:
Ridin' on the Blinds]
carry water from the well at break of day
And they talk to one another; God only knows what they might say
You might get an education after years of dedication
You might finally get a glimpse of what is right and what is wrong
But the women 'cross the river; well they knew that all along
And they plow their fields in perfect rows and then, they rest beneath the shade
Now we have learned to build out of concrete, out of steel
And our buildings stand a thousand years but then even they are bound to fall
But the women 'cross the river never learned to build a wall
How I love to hear them laughing in the rain when it makes that perfect sound
Now a soldier with a gun and a battle to be won
Might kill you with a bullet and you never even know the reason why
But the women 'cross the river; they can kill you with their eyes
Chorus:
When you saw me I was broken,
Chorus
You shine above the morning
Chorus
Your body looks so golden
Chorus
Lie with me
(Eric Andersen) [Albums:
Stages,
Ridin' on the Blinds,
One More Shot - Molde 1991 bonus disc]
[Comparison of the lyrics on different albums.]
Lie with me and be my love just for now
Stay with me all through the night
Be as close to me as you can be
Til morning sets you free
I was scattered like the dust
Like the way you feel sometimes,
when you feel too much
You put your hands around me,
like a shadow 'round the sun
When I thought that it was finished
it had only just begun
as I turn to face the east
You showed me how to give away
things I never meant to keep
Your love is rolling like a wave
that breaks right over me
One hand can hold the other
but can never stop the sea
standing naked in the sun
Your skin it feels so holy
as close as the earth can come
The sea can wash a stone to sand
and the wind can break your bones
I wonder what you're doing now
when you are alone
The port lights glowed in the morning mist
Chorus:
We roared "Lang Syne" in a last farewell
Chorus
Then one by one, and two by two
Chorus
Outside track
(words by Henry Lawson / music by Gerry Hallom) [Albums:
Ridin' on the Blinds]
As it rolled on the waters green,
And over the railing we grasped his fist
As the dark tide came between.
We cheered the captain, we cheered the crew
And our mate, times out of mind.
We cheered the land he was going to
And the land he had left behind.
For they marry and go,
And the world rolls back,
They marry, and vanish and die,
But their spirits shall live on the
outside track
As long as the years go by.
But my heart seemed out of joint.
I well remember the hush that fell.
As the steamer passed the point.
We drifted home through the public bars,
We were ten times less by one
Who sailed out under the morning stars
And under the rising sun.
They've sailed from the wharf since then.
I've said goodbye to the last I knew,
The last of the careless men.
And I can't but think that the times we had
Were the best times after all,
As I turn aside with my lonely glass
And drink to the barroom wall.
Chorus:
You say there've been others who
Chorus
Please don't be mad
Chorus
You say for a while
Chorus
Baby I'm Lonesome
(Eric Andersen) [Albums:
Stages,
Ridin' on the Blinds,
One More Shot - Molde 1991 bonus disc]
Baby I'm lonesome I'm here I ain't going anywhere
Couldn't you show some
Some of the love that we shared
Like you did when I knew you still cared
Made you feel better than me
But I'd rather lose you
Than lose your feeling for me
I'm tired oh sad I'm just blue
Just when you turn away
It's so hard to say I love you
You'd rather be free than be mine
But I turn to stone
Like a mountain alone
If I just could get you off my mind
Chorus:
Ramblin' around this dirty old town
Chorus
Little hotel, older than Hell
Chorus
Pain in my head, bugs in my bed
Chorus
A preacher will preach, a teacher will teach
Chorus
Bottle of wine
(Tom Paxton) [Albums: Ridin'
on the Blinds]
Bottle of wine, fruit of the vine
When you gonna let me get sober
Let me along, let me go home
Let me go back and start over
Singing for nickels and dimes
Time's getting rough I ain't got enough
To buy a little bottle of wine
Dark as the coal in the mine
My blanket are thin, I lay there and grin
'cause I got my little bottle of wine
Pants are so old that they shine
Out on the street tell the people I meet
Won't you buy me a bottle of wine
And a miner will dig in the mine
I ride the rods trusting in God
Hugging my bottle of wine
Return to the Eric Andersen Page.
Last revised: Jan 2007.