1. |
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Sam Cooke Sang the Gospel
When Sam Cooke sang the gospel, he sang it straight and true
Took a look at temptation and bought himself a suit
I can picture him waiting in the wings, his back against the wall
Flipping a coin high into the air, not particular how it falls
Everybody sees the shadows, but darkness fills our love
And when I listen to Sam, I understand belief in God above
Make me believe...
When Sam Cooke sang the gospel, the ladies would tremble and shake
The love of the Lord and a fluttering heart were never that far away
He decided to split the difference when the others still denied
The spirit of the flesh turning the heat up deep inside
Everybody sees the shadows, but some folks turn away
When I listen to Sam, I understand belief in a better day
Make me believe...
Sam Cooke sang the gospel and was beckoned by the flashing lights
He fell asleep in a cheap hotel and crossed over to the other side
Make me believe...
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2. |
Shiver Bend and Break
04:39
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Shiver, Bend & Break
There’s a sadness in my heart and it makes me ache
There’s a sadness in my heart and it makes me ache
Like the homeless man with his hand in the air
I’m reaching out for something that isn’t there
There’s a sadness in my heart and it makes me ache
There’s a feeling in my bones that gives me chills
There’s a feeling in my bones that gives me chills
Like the cold wind blowing off an empty lake
That made me shiver bend and break
There’s a feeling in my bones that gives me chills
And it made me shiver, shiver, bend and break
Sometimes at night, I wonder where you are
Sometimes at night, I wonder where you are
You could be down the block or many miles away
And if we met, what could I say?
Sometimes at night I wonder where you are
And there’s a sadness in my heart that makes me ache
It made me shiver, bend and break
It made me shiver, shiver, bend and break
You know, it made me shiver, shiver, bend an break
Yes, it made me shiver, shiver, bend and break
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3. |
Choices
04:12
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Choices
I was sleeping on a porch painted yellow green and blue
Dreaming of a lover that I once knew
Choices - pounding on my head
There were stains on the curtain, rain on the street
She had Indian blood, she was warm and sweet
Choices - pounding on my head
Are they made by me or the Lord above
Do I love to fall or do I fall in love?
I could’ve held on tight, but I dropped the ball
She probably don’t believe I ever loved her at all
But I did
With everything I had
Are they made by me...
I was sleeping on a porch painted yellow green and blue
Dreaming of a lover, was she dreaming of me too?
Choices - pounding on my head
Are they made by me...
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4. |
Every Lover's Breath
04:05
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Harold Book - drums
Doug Hoekstra - vocals, rhythm guitars
Angus Wahoo - fuzz bass, slide guitar, lead guitars, organ
Engineered by Scott Baggett, Electric Sandbox, Nashville TN
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5. |
Kirkwood Hotel
04:36
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Kirkwood Hotel
I checked into the Kirkwood Hotel
There was nothing left for me to do
Except fill out a form, try to conform
To the feelings I had so blue
The desk clerk was right for the night shift
He was reading a very thick book
The guests arrived, he looked them in the eye
And read all their questioning looks
And I suddenly smelled your perfume
I felt the presence of you
As we laughed at what passed for a view from my room
In the Kirkwood Hotel
A man and a woman were whispering
“‘There is no there in this place’
The desk clerk heard every word and asked,
‘Why are you planning to stay?”’
They said that they had no idea
They were drawn to the place like a curse
But they had to make love ten floors above
Before life got any worse
And I suddenly smelled your perfume...
I climbed the stairs to my room
The carpet was worn to threads
I wanted to sweat and lose my breath
Like we were together in bed
The Kirkwood Hotel in the middle of town
In the middle of nothing but land
Covered by sky that rolls on by
Like time and money and man
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6. |
Here and Now
03:04
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Here and Now
Railroad tracks weren’t far from home in my childhood northern town
I’d lay awake and hear the whistle blow and imagine that train gaining ground
Now I could tell you that I hopped aboard with starry eyes and romantic dreams
But why lie about a world that never was? There’s still so much to be seen
In the here and now
I’m in the here and now
I’m living here and now
I won’t get my kicks on 66, the road belongs to another age
When the white man ruled and women were fools - I’d just as soon turn the page
Seems everything gets a little golden in the light of our memories
I don’t believe things were better then, it’s just the way that they used to be
I’m in the here and now...
There’s a painted mask on the past and much of it has been said
Shoeshine boys and jukejoint girls and places where the heart is led
Seems everything gets a little golden in the light of our memories
I don’t believe things were better then, it’s just the way that they used to be
I’m in the here and now...
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7. |
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Behind the Shuttered Blinds
She’s got a shawl around her shoulders, the air is growing colder
She was a dancer many years ago
Sailed around the world, gave birth to a little girl
To look at her, you’d never even know
There’s something there inside
Behind the shuttered blinds
Behind the shuttered blinds
A story deep inside
She always lived for music, her husband lived for cash
Between them both they could never draw the line
That connects two beating hearts even when they’re miles apart
And the world continues to decline
In the land of lost returns, she was trying hard to learn
The workings of an obsolescent mind
With chaos all around, there was beauty to be found
In the poetry of people passing by
There’s something there inside....
Sometimes she wishes she were young again, when spring begins to bloom
Walking on a side road...discovering an old abandoned barn
Wading through the tall grass
Falling to her knees
Watching as it all begins to fade
Sitting in an armchair, over by the window
She can almost hear the sound of falling leaves
All the mysteries that lie in the wrinkles ‘round her eyes
Are the dreams of what she was or what she’ll be?
There’s something there inside...
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8. |
Stolen Gun
04:44
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Stolen Gun
It was a quiet neighborhood, magnolias in a row
Broken toys were scattered across the yard she used to mow
She could hear her husband whisper softly in her ear
But the sweet part of his voice went sour every year
One day at the grocery store, she met a fella shopping
She wasn’t drawn to his looks, it was the style that he was copping
Pretty soon they got to talking about nothing much at all
On the ride to the coffee shop, she began to fall
The next thing that she knew, she was lying in his bed
Hmmm...
The blood kept on beating, she began to sweat
Quietly she told him what the fortuneteller said
Like a film star from the forties, he shrugged his shoulders once
Blew smoke rings to the ceiling a couple times for fun
She dressed and left her lover with a strange look on his face
Wiped the lipstick from her mouth, should kisses leave a trace
She spent the night turning, the willow didn’t weep
The stars didn’t shine, the vines didn’t creep
And her husband rose to catch the bus to catch the train again
His footsteps disappeared like a childhood friend
So, she rifled through the dresser, following the fates
In search of her confessor
She found it in a heartbeat, held it in her hand
Put bullets in the chamber and stroked it like a man
A stolen gun...
She’d never known riches or the strength to hate
Sitting in the hallway she began a lonely wait
Seemed she was always waiting, paying someone else’s price
She called her lover on the phone and it rang a hundred times
A fever shook her body, she sank into a freeze
Dropped the gun into a suitcase and took off for the Keys
By the time her husband’s footsteps made their return
She was in another state and the casserole was burned
Some of us are blind, others look into the distance
For what we leave behind
Crossing bridges on the highway while the sun was setting slow
She opened up the window, threw the gun into the gentle water’s flow
A stolen gun...
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9. |
My Father's Town
05:04
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My Father’s Town
You can find me on the corner most every day
Selling strands of kudzu to the tourists
The natives ‘round here hate it like the devil
But they use it for their service
I see the sun set across the Mississippi
I watch the moon lift over its banks
To hear these pocketbook strangers tell their tales
I should be on my knees giving thanks
Here in my father’s town
The charm like the sun, it only wears me down
Here in my father’s town
My grandad came down on a riverboat barge
But he never left the whores under the hill
He made himself a fortune gambling on gold
And predetermining his own will
His only son became a state senator
He bought the family a big piece of land
The mansion he built is now a B&B
My wife runs it with a steady hand
Here in my father’s town...
I’ve got plenty of money to live on
But there’s no adventure in this quiet life
I wish I could run with the pirates of the past
In a world where chance was right
Maybe I’ll go looking for a dogwood
Wrap these vines around a sturdy branch
Go sailing for byzantium
In a dream world of romance
Here in my father’s town....
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10. |
Elusive Dreams
04:32
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Elusive Dreams
I got off work and went downstairs,
Saw a child who was looking bad
Walking past the dusty glass,
I saw the faces of her Mom and Dad
One was like a rainbow
The other a tired storm
They pulled the blanket tighter
To keep their daughter safe and warm
These elusive dreams
These elusive dreams
These elusive dreams
This child was china delicate
And fragile as the summer wind
The blows through open windows
And cools our burnished skin
Her smile reminded me of you
And how you must have been
A little girl with a great big world
At your fingertips
These elusive dreams....
A robin sang, a schoolbell rang
A feather floated by
I watched it fall with wonder
As if through that young girl’s eyes
Eyes that see a speckled prize
Through the innocence of youth
Eyes that see every day alive
As a chance to know the truth
Give me open windows
Give me summer wind
And time to find the beauty
In every place I’ve been
These elusive dreams...
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11. |
Atticus
04:00
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Atticus
We were dining on the corner, sitting in the setting sun
The day was getting late and the night was coming on
I heard the sound of people talking, horns honking right in time
I smelled the coffee brewing but my fingertips were dry
Our waitress was a looker, but she did not look at us
There was a fella on the corner by the name of Atticus
On the corner, in the dusk
Shadows fall on Atticus
Shadows rise like colored smoke
A silent cry, a secret code
We divvied up the damages, figured in the tip
Our waitress lit up a single cigarette
She handed it to Atticus and he began to smile
We watched her as she listened and talked with him awhile
She shook his hand, hugged him quick and tugged on the lapels
Of a tattered corduroy coat that was louder than a bell
On the corner...
It didn’t take much for her to show this man some dignity
I had to ask myself if I’d danced so gracefully
On the clouds around a corner somewhere in the night
Where angels fly and grown men cry, it’s such a pretty sight
A piece of human kindness, unrequited love
A beautiful white pigeon, a charcoal-colored dove
On the corner...
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12. |
Celebrate the Trance
03:23
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Celebrate the Trance
Winter in the greenhouse, surrounded by the roses
Snow melts on the roof, she’s striking poses
One says I might love you, another says I do
Another looks back in time when everything was new
And every breath between them was cradled in their hands
Captured in a memory - celebrate the trance
Celebrate the trance
Celebrate the trance
She comes to him slowly, it’s hot beneath the glass
Sweat rolls down his sides, he wants the time to pass
Thinking of tomorrow and the things he has to do
Roses bend beneath his back and he runs out of room
She falls like summer showers, flowers in the sand
The greenhouse turns gold and red - celebrate the trance
Celebrate the trance
Celebrate the trance
She falls like summer showers, flowers in the sand
The greenhouse turns gold and red - celebrate the trance
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13. |
Snowflakes
04:08
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Snowflakes
The wedding cake was cut into a hundred pieces
And passed around the banquet hall on beautiful white plates
Someone talked about their job and the money they were making
Someone placed a bet on a college football game
I asked you for a dance, the mist was slowly rising
From a magical lagoon in the dream I always have
We spin around the floor, silver falling from the ceiling
As beautiful as snowflakes that freeze against the glass
When you reached for my hand, I pulled your body closer
I felt the smooth of your back and the movement of your hips
Like the snowflakes I was frozen, never to grow older
I felt the stirring of your soul in our silent kiss
A kiss behind the dark, sheltered by the curtain
We begin to search together for the reasons that we find
With every gentle touch, the only thing of which I’m certain
Is another little death, another sacred breath of life
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14. |
Kudzu
03:44
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Kudzu
I sat down on the porch to
wait patiently for the comet and
began thinking of all the time I’d spent
waiting for one thing or another,
a chain of minutes that could stretch from
my ass to the comet’s tail
I smelled the sweet aroma of the kudzu blooms,
which like the vine, was everywhere
in the river town where I live.
Kudzu grows up to a foot a day
in the summertime and through
all the days and nights of my youth
I grew to hate its presence.
It clung to the ground and
snaked its way across our yard,
climbing trees and falling again,
strangling every dream in sight as it
twisted toward the house my father built.
Normally, even the thought of kudzu
throws me into a rage, but
at this moment
on this particular night,
I finally noticed how soft and gentle it smelled.
I shut my eyes tighter to better savor the scent,
a blanket that covered me like the stars themselves.
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Doug Hoekstra Nashville, Tennessee
Doug Hoekstra’s singular musical persona sets sympathetic narratives against understated vocals, memorable melodies, and subtle but unexpected arrangement turns. His albums have earned Nashville Music Award and Independent Music Award nominations, a bevy of top 10 list appearances, and a reputation as a “songwriter’s songwriter” (CMJ Music Monthly). "The Day Deserved" due out Spring 2021 ... more
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