Climb Up A Ladder
Oh, won’t you help me Climb Up A Ladder Somebody tell me that this can be done Oh, won’t you help me Climb Up A Ladder Reach for the very next rung What can I do when I’m stuck in the middle Reach for the very next rung Feeling confused, like my life is a riddle Reach for the very next rung I can’t look up cause I’m scared where I’m going Reach for the very next rung Can’t look down, it’s a bad fear of falling Reach for the very next rung Well my hands are shaking My arms are aching My knees are quaking As I reach for the very next rung © copyright 2017 by Dennis Dougherty
The Farmer Is The Man
When the farmer comes to town with his wagon broken down The Farmer Is The Man that feeds them all If you only look and see I think you will agree The Farmer Is The Man that feeds them all Well the lawyer hangs around while the butcher cuts a pound The Farmer Is The Man that feeds them all While the preacher and the cook go strolling down the brook The Farmer Is The Man that feeds them all The Farmer Is The Man, The Farmer Is The Man Lives on credit till the fall His clothes are wearing thin, his condition it’s a sin The Farmer Is The Man that feeds them all Now the Farmer he left town and the place got broken down The pigweed and the thistle it was rife But the land in fallow lay, just waiting for the day When dreams and hands could bring it back to life Now the banker says he’s broke and the merchants up in smoke The Farmer Is The Man that feeds them all It would put ‘em to the test if the farmer took a rest The Farmer Is The Man that feeds them all Additional lyrics by Dennis Dougherty © copyright 2017
Schoolday's Over
Schooldays Over come on then John Time you were getting those pit boots on On with the sark and the moleskin trowsers, time you were on your way Time you were learning the pit man’s job and earning a pit man’s pay Come on then Jim, time to go Time you were working on down below Time to be handling a pick and shovel it’s time you were on your way Time to be learning the colliers job and earning a colliers pay Come on then Dai, it’s almost light Time you were off for the anthracite The morning mist is on the valley, it’s time you were on your way Time you were learning a miners job and earning a miners pay Schooldays Over. Ewan MacColl
The Ballad Of Lawnchair Larry
I’m just gliding through life on a tailwind I’m just drifting along with the breeze I have not a care, got my feet up in the air Laughing and floating with ease I’m just gliding through life on a tailwind I’m just doing whatever I please Call me a clown, no you cannot hold me down I’m drifting along with the breeze No, do not worry friends, I am not crazy Soaring with my silvery balloons Apologies will never top nephrology Oh, look at me, I’m halfway to the moon I do not fear the stratosphere it’s heaven I’m swinging with angels in the clouds I hate that I’ll miss Jeopardy at seven But a lawn chair lets you sail above the crowds © copyright 2017 by Dennis Dougherty
Empty Streets
We stepped out and turned right Straight into the morning light Silent rain fell at our feet And we walked down Empty Streets All the shops closed and still In the air the autumn chill Not a word could we speak As we walked down Empty Streets I still see your silken hair I feel you hold me tight Will you keep your promise dear Every day you’ll write Five thousand miles from you dear Boredom laced with sudden fear And a soldier's life is bleak And he prays for Empty Streets Roads of hell, towns of dust As we stare down from these trucks Poor men fight while the rich men sleep And I dream of Empty Streets © copyright 2017 by Dennis Dougherty
Grandma's Old Piano
Grandma's Old Piano she never let anyone play Sat silent in the corner, until they hauled it away Now I wonder, was it noise the old woman couldn’t stand Or did it bring back memories of some sweet lovers hands I know that she liked music, she always hummed a tune Magic in the kitchen By the Light of the Silvery Moon Moments that get lost in time can come to life again When music touches hidden thoughts buried deep within When Grandma wasn’t looking I’d sneak into that room Spin the chair up good and high and play myself a tune The low notes were the thunder, the high ones were the rain Holding down the pedals brought lightning to the plains Grandma's Old Piano she never let anyone play Sat silent in the corner, until they hauled it away No one will remember, nothing to regret The storms of music I once made, times I can’t forget © copyright 5/7/17 by Dennis Dougherty
Rock Bottom Is A Solid Place
Don’t come to me for answers when this world gets you down Me, I’m just a working man, got both feet on the ground I measure out what’s needed in this life of mine I focus on the details according to design Let’s talk of saws and hammers how to read the plans My life is written in the scars you see on these old hands And when you are rebuilding what storms have torn apart Rock Bottom is a solid place to start You see me cutting lumber or driving survey stakes I know just what I’m doing, I rarely make mistakes That’s cause I made them years ago, way before your time You bend some nails, break some bones before you reach your prime Don’t try to swing your hammer just the way I do Find a rhythm all your own deep inside of you When it’s time to build a house of your very own There’s nothing wrong with starting out down on solid stone © copyright 3/17/2017 by Dennis Dougherty and Joe LaMay
Comin' Home To Say Goodbye
I left Frisco yesterday I had some good times with my friends I never let on that I knew That you and I were at the end ‘Cause I’ve learned too well to pretend I’m comin home to see you one more time Cause you’re the one who made me cry I’m comin home to see you one more time I’m comin’ home to say goodbye The mountains and the coast are clear I see the lights of Monterey Oh California my old friend Let’s not forget those early days Fore I may never pass this way Now I'm prepared to face the pain Of leavin' one I loved so true But we're just strangers once again And there ain't nothin' we can do So I'll just say goodbye to you ©1976 by Joe LaMay/ Pressed For Time
Dancin' In The Kitchen
Better watch my feet the dogs are both asleep Dancin’ in the Kitchen tonight Careful where I stroll I be in the water bowl Dancin’ in the Kitchen tonight Singing from the heart Now what a place to start Dancin’ in the Kitchen tonight Watch out for the man Washin’ pots and pans Dancin’ in the Kitchen tonight Rockin’ to and fro Waltz across the floor Holding my baby so tight Doin’ what I can, Like a Louisiana man Dancin’ in the Kitchen tonight Better pull the shade as my knees begin to fade Dancin’ in the Kitchen tonight Haven’t got a care Prancin’ in my underwear Dancin’ in the Kitchen tonight Rockin’ to and fro Waltz across the floor I got the bedroom in sight Doin’ what I can Like a Louisiana man Dancin’ in the Kitchen tonight If you’re young or old Exercise your soul Dancin’ in the Kitchen tonight Life is so complete It’s a tour de feet Dancin’ in the Kitchen tonight © copyright 2017 by Dennis Dougherty
I Remember That Song
Oh, I remember that song Uh huh, Oh yeah Yes, I remember that song Uh huh, Oh yeah The one about teenage heartache Wishing on the stars above A song about staying out too late Thinking you're in trouble and knowing you're in love The way that they sang together Strumming those twin guitars I thought that it would last forever I saw them on the TV, I heard them in my car Why oh why did you leave me? Why oh why did you go? I never will forget their voices Crying like two lovesick birds Growing up and making choices The magic of the music - the wisdom of the words ©2017 Dennis Dougherty, Thinking Dog Music. Joe LaMay, Pressed For Time, BMI
Dance Into the Distance
I asked a friend, How do you do it Livin’ day to day, Don’t you get those blues You got no job and you got no savings Just an old guitar, and even older shoes You know what he said? I’d rather dance into the distance Where the tall trees cry, When the night winds wail Then to drag down streets of cold existence It’s a damn good walk up the old long trail Now don’t you think about the future Don’t your people say, It’s time to settle down Get yourself a wife, raise up a family Get outta that cloud, put your feet on the ground I still can remember, deep in December Locked in a little red school With the Snow softly falling, I could hear the calling Of the wild, what’s the number one rule? We talked all night, shared a bottle We spoke of dreams he sang some songs You gotta listen to your own heart, That’s what he told me Get your compass right and you can’t go wrong Dennis Dougherty © 2015 Thinking Dog Music
Lonely Side of Town
I’m walking the edge of a blacktop highway Guess nobody feels like slowing down Got all that I own in a beat up suitcase When the landlord comes I won’t be round I’m leaving the Lonely Side of Town There’s a girl back home and god, I miss her I’m thinkin’, It’s time to settle down Just one good ride and I’ll be with her Thumb in the air, I’m homeward bound I’m leaving the Lonely Side of Town Let the cold wind comb my hair Let the people point and stare Who cares what they’re thinking of I got her letter just yesterday Called and said, I’m on my way Now you’re lookin’ at a man in love I’m leaving those sleepless nights behind me I’m leaving the state of mind I’m in Out where the blues won’t ever find me Say goodbye and turn around I’m leaving the Lonely Side of Town © 1991 by Dennis Dougherty/Thinking Dog Music and Fred Kollar/ Lucrative Music
Get the Angle Right
When I was five I found my mother crying by the phone She said, I’ll be alright you run along I did what any boy would do, I turned and went outside And brought her every dandelion that my hands could find And she said, They look like orchids, so beautiful and bright If you hold them to the sun, and Get The Angle Right Diamonds are a girls’ best friend, I heard the TV say Show how much you care by what you pay I’d like to show you something that didn’t cost a dime A shiny stone I found when I was maybe eight or nine And there’s a million stars a-twinkling, like diamonds in the night If you hold it to the sun, and Get The Angle Right Yes, and I hear tell the cost of love is high But I’m glad to know it’s something you can’t buy I know that life’s not perfect, there are no guarantees But every day’s a good day, you’re with me I’d like to bring you orchids, yes and diamonds too I guess these dandelions and a shiny stone will do Our love will last forever and every moment is bright If we hold them to the sun, and Get The Angle Right © copyright 2016 by Dennis Dougherty/Thinking Dog Music
Dust Bowl Joe
Dust Bowl Joe, No he won’t go, He’s the one that stuck around Some forgot, most they don’t know, He’s the man that stood his ground When the dust storms hit, most folks quit They couldn’t stand that lonesome sound But Dust Bowl Joe pulled his hat low, Set his teeth and hunkered down He’s a hero in this town GI Joe movin’ kinda slow, limping back from World War Two Scars he’s got, Lord they don’t show, all the hell that he went through When the first shell hit, the shrapnel bit and nearly tore his leg in two But GI Joe shifted into low, drove his men to higher ground He’s a hero in this town “Whiskey Joe hang your head low”, walk the dark side of life Step by step, blow by blow, lost a child and his wife In the face of it, he almost quit, tried to drink this county dry But Whiskey Joe looked into his soul, Stood to fight another round He’s a hero in this town Grandpa Joe what a way to go, We’re burying a real class act A one line will for a Coupe De Ville, “Plant me in my Cadillac” ‘Cause all that shit, that life will git, rolls off a good man's back Grandpa Joe, ease him down slow, Here’s a man that’s glory bound He’s a hero in this town © Dennis Dougherty/ Mike Radtke August 15, 2012
Apples On My Mind
Lord, I’ve got apples on my mind When I think of apples I think about harvest time Sweet red apples and a girl with lips like wine Don’t you know I’m coming back someday Lord, I smell flowers in the air When I smell flowers, it takes away a winters care A little wild-flower said she had to go back north somewhere Don’t you know I’m coming back someday Lord, there’s a bluebird on the wing When I see a bluebird I think it’s ‘bout time for spring Hey mister bluebird if you see that girl won’t you sing Don’t you know he’s coming back someday Lord, I got cornsilk in my hands When I feel cornsilk I think about summer sand Hair soft as cornsilk, guess it didn’t go the way I planned Don’t you know I’m coming back someday © copyright 1-23-95 Dennis Dougherty
The Cafe Corner
When I’m feeling empty, just a little down and weak I know where I am welcome day or night I walk up to the corner, take my favorite seat By the second cup of coffee, I will be alright Doris takes my order and I always get the same A couple over easy and home fries She forgets the orange juice but I don’t complain If I do as well at her age, Lord I’ll be doing fine At the corner, going back in time At the corner, stuck in 1949 Well some folks think it’s strange That nothing here has changed But me, I love the corner just the same Where the world is plain Before we went insane Well it looks like Norman Rockwell was in here yesterday Wonder if he had the apple pie Don’t suppose it’s homemade, looks good anyway I’ll take a scoop of ice cream on the side The radio is playing a song from way back when Doris, she remembers every line I know that it sounds crazy, but when she turns her head To me she looks a bit like Patsy Cline
Half a Dance
I saw your face just today The hometown girl on the front page There you were In mid air Friday you’d be center stage But you’re an apparition, I’m stuck in first position The dancer and the boy are worlds apart Why should I be upset, I can do a two step Give me half a dance to win your heart Now I don’t need that old TV I’ve got better things to do I broke my bank and bought a front row seat Friday I’ll be watching you Now the curtain falls It’s the final bow That’s when suddenly you see The boy next door with roses in hand “Please come dance tonight with me” © copyright 1990 Dennis Dougherty/ Greg Cagno
Dennis Hopper & the Cajun Queen
Well, Back in the day baby back in this swamp A bad boy, cowboy drifting right along Lost in the Bayou, Lost in the the blues Shovel headed, dead-a-headed, breaker of the rules He pulled in a roadhouse, it was the Devil’s Dream And Oh, Dennis Hopper met the Cajun Queen A oh, When you throw them dice A oh, in the Voodoo rice A oh, Gonna lose your soul A oh, to Jolie Laveau jeter les dés dans le riz vaudou égarer l'âme Jolie Laveau The sweet shady marmalady looked in his eyes Her chocolate legs make him beg to do the slip and slide Crazy go the Zydeco a pumping loud and clear A cocain line, a neon sign a-flashing Ice cold beer Her age didn’t it matter, Her name was it Jolie Oh, Dennis Hopper bet the Cajun Queen Trouble and darkness it rode by his side Sold his soul to Jolie for that Easy Ride He drank up the whisky and cranked up the stakes Dropped a lot of acid by the Saint Louis gates Everybody loved him, He made a lot of green Oh, Dennis Hopper, et le Cajun Reine
Here's to the Rocky Road
Here’s to the Rocky Road, The ups and downs Traveling a better road Through the fields and towns High on a mountainside Or in the valley below You’re gonna find a sweeter ride Along the Rocky Road Lace up your old boots, leave the key on the hook Sometimes second chances don’t need a second look Old regrets and memories are bills you just can’t pay Now someone else can fix that Chevrolet Follow the music, it’s like drifting in a dream Wash away your troubles in that flowing stream Sing with true heart, leave it right out on your sleeve Rid yourself of all that you don’t need When the path of least resistance Gets filled up with foolish pride Take the road to self fulfilment It’s right outside, yea it’s right outside When the last light is fading, and the day is done The cold hand of winter will hide the warming sun All good intentions will pave a golden road It’s not the path you chose so long ago 9-27-12
Diggie Dog
Hey dog, hey dog, hey diggie, diggie dog Diggie, diggie dog, hey diggie, diggie dog Hey dog, hey dog, hey diggie, diggie dog Diggie, diggie, dog hey dog When I was a boy I'd run through the woods Run through the woods, run through the woods When I was a boy I'd run through the woods Runnin’ with a little brown dog When I was a boy I'd fish for my supper Fish for my supper, fish for my supper When I was a boy I'd fish for my supper Share my fishy with a dog When I was a boy I'd camp in the woods Camp in the backyard, Camp in the woods I was a boy I'd camp in the woods Pup tent, boy and a dog When I was a boy I'd scratch like the Dickens Scratch like the Dickens, scratch like the Dickens When I was a boy I'd scratch like the Dickens Got my fleas from a dog One for seven, so they say Dogs grow old, while the children play Teacher, teacher long ago I learned all I need to know from a dog Now my knees they knock through the woods Clock through the woods, Tick Tock through the woods Now my knees they knock through the woods Knockin’ with a little white dog Hey up girl let's go to the shelter Down to the shelter, off to the shelter Hey up girl let's go to the shelter Now my doggie got a dog
Carolina's All I Really Need
In those hills of Carolina Tween the Piney and the Blue Dreams of cities, they will blind you Should the neon get to you Chopping wood to make a dollar Play the radio at night Mailing off to big Chicago A Stella guitar can change your life Gold will glitter in the city But Broadway lights don’t shine for me I keep coming back to my home in ol’ Deep Gap Carolina’s all I really need Record man he says you’re something Come to New York in the spring All these folks here in the city Will love to hear you pick and sing Be it center stage at Newport Or with presidents and Kings I’m still longing for my back porch And the happiness it brings © copyright 9-11-12 Dennis Dougherty
There's No Cowboys in My Life Anymore
There’s No Cowboys in My Life Anymore They don’t play the old ones like before They’ve saddled up and gone into the setting sun There’s No Cowboys in My Life Anymore I used to love to get up on the weekend Tune in my favorite TV shows But Gene and Hopalong and Roy and Dale are gone There’s No Cowboys in My Life Anymore Oh lord, I need to hear ‘Cool Water’ ‘Home on the Range’, ‘Happy Trails to You’ Yes I miss those days, I guess that shows my age There’s No Cowboys in My Life Anymore © 1991 by Dennis Dougherty/ Thinking Dog Music
The Last Pony Ride
The pony’s twenty two years old He doesn’t know that he’s been sold Giving rides to kids the best part of his life And another tradition dies Ride a little pony, go round the ring again Look at all the happy faces on the children Ride a little pony, such a gentle stride Daddy takes a picture, Mommy’s standing by your side For The Last Pony Ride A pony doesn’t pay today He barely earns the feed and hay The pasture and the barn, that’s all he’s ever known But tomorrow they’ll be gone And as this day comes to an end A trailer waits beside the fence Wherever he may go, wherever he may be I hope there’s children and an apple tree © copyright 1991 by Dennis Dougherty/ Thinking Dog Music
Lord It's a Powerful Thing
Stream At the End of My Street
A long time ago back in old Idaho Me and my dog running free And most every day you could find us at play In the stream at the end of my street Everyone needs a cool running stream To carry their troubles away It’s a long hard road but I’m cooling my feet In the stream at the end of my street Fishing for hours, picking wild flowers Swing from a rope on a tree Just a half a block from home and I’d be skipping stones In the stream at the end of my street Now that I’m grown, got a child of my own I’m hoping that he’ll take after me Cross a continent I came, but some things never change There’s a stream at the end of my street © copyright 1991 by Dennis Dougherty/Fred Koller Thinking Dog Music/Lucrative Music
Paulina
Oh the sun is going down a sleepy Texas town And I’m staring through a dirty Greyhound window Dusty rain begins to fall and we head out for St. Paul Paulina, Tell my why you still haunt my memory Is you or just the highway calling me Every time I close my eyes some baby starts to cry Mamasita sings a Spanish lullaby Smoke is drifting up the aisle, the kind that makes me smile Paulina, Paulina will I ever understand this mystery Is you or just the highway calling me ‘Ore the hills of Oklahoma, across the Kansas plains Will you listen to the wind and me We’re whispering your name Paulina Now the weather’s getting colder So darling I won’t blame you If you tell the operator, “No I won’t accept the call” A hundred miles left to go and the driver’s talking snow Paulina, Paulina how I wish the road ahead was clear to see Is you or just the highway calling me Paulina, Paulina © copyright 1991 by Dennis Dougherty/Michael Smith Thinking Dog Music/Bird Avenue Music
A Pocketful
You can’t tell a person By the cut of their clothes What is in my pocket What I have or what I don’t I got a pocketful of memories A pocketful of dust A pocket full of things you’ll never see And though it’s been a long time Since they were lined with green I got pockets full of everything I need I got pockets full of everything I need I’d trade in a paycheck For an old guitar pick With a new song in my pocket Don’t I feel like I’m rich When my days are over Tune my guitar up for me Put pen and paper in my pocket Then I’ll lay me down to sleep © 1991 by Dennis Dougherty Thinking Dog Music
Breakdown and Cry
I’m glad you came to talk this over with me You’ve always been a rock, a man of stability But now that she’s left you, you feel like you just can’t go on Big boys don’t cry, let me tell you, you’re wrong You always feel cleaner after the rain You gonna feel stronger after the pain You might be defeated but don’t say goodbye Tell her you love her, you need her Breakdown and cry The sorrow you’re feeling doesn’t show on your face You’ve learned how to push it into a cold dark place You’re keeping it bottled up tight like they told you, you should If you don’t let it out, it’ll do you more damage than good I’ve learned my lesson, Life can be lonely and long The man who hides what he feels, he’s not so strong © copyright 1991 by Dennis Dougherty Thinking Dog Music
What's a Father For?
When I was a boy of ten I did something wrong I went through the closet and I found my father’s gun My sister caught me playing, She said, “I’m gonna tell” So I ran away from home, I knew that I’d catch hell The world was awful big and so I didn’t go too far I hid out in the treehouse right in my own backyard When Daddy slammed the screen door, fear shot through my heart I couldn’t keep from crying as I shivered in the dark /well now you ain’t seen nothin’ till you seen my Dad He has this trick of growin’ ten feet when he’s mad I swear his eyes shoot fire and smoke pours from his ears But as he started talking he wiped away my tears Son, if you’ve got a problem I’m always here for you You’ll feel a whole lot better if you talk it through ‘Cause I’ve got time to listen, I’ll never lock that door And all can be forgiven, Hey what’s a father for? © copyright 1991 by Dennis Dougherty Thinking Dog Music
Sweet Country Waltz
I’m driving late, way out of state Down some lonesome road Over the tires, scratch on the wire Twin fiddles are playing low I like the sound of a sweet country waltz Played on the radio I like the sound of a sweet country waltz Yodel la de oh My hand shoots out, no room for doubt Turn her up far as she goes Nothing’s so sweet as a three quarter beat I’m singing all the way home Fast rolling trains and high flying planes They get you there fast as they can But I’ll take the dust, the back roads and rust Play me the slow one again © copyright 1991 by Dennis Dougherty/Kathy Johnson Thinking Dog Music
Good Old Country Song
Two in the morning in a diner John comes a-drifting off the road He sits all alone at the counter And stares at the Juke Box by the door Sara says, “Can I help you?” John says, “I don’t know, but you can try. What do you do when you get lonesome?” Sara gets that twinkle in her eye. Give me a good old country song Where the heartache really comes on strong But the lovin’ just won’t go away Give me a good old country song The right one can last so long I need to hear that song today John drops two quarters in the Juke Box Sara says, “Play B-24” He smiles as his fingers punch the buttons It’s just like a thousand times before Sara turns the lights out in the diner John tips his hat and holds her coat She slips her arm around her husband Sara and John are headed home © copyright 1991 by Dennis Dougherty Thinking Dog Music