VIRGINIA
Mike Aiken

I can hear your voice in the whispering Pines from the Blue Ridge to the sea
Your such a tainted lover but I can’t take another, it just won’t do for me
Out on your fields and battlegrounds  full of    Blue, Black and Grey
In the full moon light feel the spirits in the night you can almost here them say

Come on Sweet Virginia
I hear you calling me
Come on Virginia
Set my soul free

Come on sweet Virginia
I hear you calling me
Come on Virginia
Set my soul free

It’s a  new day,  new dawn,  this world keeps spinnin’ round
She’s like a lover with a secret past that keeps hangin’ round
And the lightning fires, thunder rolls down the James in the summertime
You can bring your children down to the water, Virginia just doing fine

Come on Sweet Virginia
I hear you calling me
Come on Virginia
Set my soul free
Set my soul free
Set my soul free       Oh Virginia        Sweet Virginia

COAL TRAIN

Mike Aiken, Larry Berwald

Grandad spent his life workin’ in the mines
Filling up those coal cars, send ‘em down the line
Wonder what he’d think about how the world has changed
The hills of West Virginia loaded on a train
Shipping outta China
Won’t be back again

Coal train Coal train
How long can you run?
Coal train Coal train
How long, how long till there’s none?

Loadin’ up that mountain on the Norfolk Southern Line
Running to the ocean, coal pier # 9
Fillin’ up those boats till their sinking low
Shipping out of Norfolk that Appalachian coal
Long as money changes hands every thing is fine
Meanwhile that coal train
Moves on down the line 

Coal train Coal train
How long can you run?
Coal train Coal train
How long, how long till there’s none?

Lots of jobs and families dependin’ on that coal
Governments and business look at it like gold
I need to run my toaster and my microwave
Big screen TV, laptop, kilowatts I crave
We can talk about if for a long, long time
Meanwhile that coal train
Moves on down the line 

Coal train Coal train
How long can you run?
Coal train Coal train
How long, how long till there’s…?

Coal train Coal train
How long can you run?
Coal train Coal train
How long, how long till there’s none?

YOUR MEMORY WINS

Mike Aiken, Austin Cunningham

GET DOWN RIVER
Brian Henneman

Live in a river town, it’s pretty little
It’s high on the sides and it sinks in the middle
If it rains too much the river comes down
And fills up the low spots all over town

Get down river, river get down
Won’t you get down river, river get down
Once again you have messed up this old town
So get down river, get down

Now over cross town is where I want to go
To see my honey but I don’t know
Guess I’m gonna have to row
Looks like the Gulf of Mexico down by the Texaco

Get down river, river get down
Won’t you get down river, river get down
Once again you have messed up this old town
So get down river, get down

Well you could drown downtown when the river runs wild
Been happening here ever since I was child
There ain’t nothing you can do to stop it
Just hope for the best and mop up the rest

Get down river, river get down
Won’t you get down river, river get down
Once again you have messed up this old town

So get down river, get down
Ya get down river, get down
Go on get down river, get down

BRING OUT THE BOURBON
Mike Aiken

I’ll bring out the Bourbon,  you can bring out the beer
You can tell me your story,  of how you ended up here
We can drink all night n hang out all day
Expatriated Americans livin out the USA

Now I’m down here in Bocas ( del Toro) ,  just layin low
Off the coast of Panama, South of Mexico
Where the living’s cheap, and the talk is too
Where you don’t know me, and I don’t know you

I’ll talk some trash and you can tell me some lies
Cause we both know that we can’t give up our alibis
But when that sun goes down and the jungle comes alive
Then we can tell each other exactly what’s on our minds

I like Gene Autry, the way he sings his tales
You like Roy Rogers and that woman named Dale
The way they lived their lives up on the silver screen
Out there in Hollywood  in the American dream

I’ll talk some trash and you can tell me some lies
Cause we both know that we can’t give up our alibis
But when that sun goes down and the jungle comes alive
Then we can tell each other exactly what’s on our minds

And I’ll bring out the bourbon, you bring out the tea
Then you can tell me everything that’s wrong with me
We’ll put our cards on the table, let’s get this right
We can solve all the problems, in the world tonight
We’ll put our cards on the table, and get this right
We can solve all the problems, in the world tonight
We can solve all the problems, in the world tonight

We’ll put our cards on the table, and get this right

We can solve all the problems in the world tonight

We can solve all the problems in the world tonight

PUT A SAIL ON IT
Mike Aiken, Tim Buppert

Well I went for a walk down by the water Just to bury my troubles in the sand
Then I wandered up into this seaside bar, And sat down next to this old man
Well I guess he could tell that I wasn’t doing well and he said “ whats troubling you”
I said it might be the rain and I shouldn’t complain but my lucky day is over due.
I know where you’ve been son, trust me I’ve been in your shoes
Lean in and listen up boy here’s what you gotta do

Put a sail on it let your trouble float away
With the break of dawn it’ll bring another day
so don’t you dwell upon it It’ll fade like the setting of the sun
Put a sail on it just let it catch the wind
And when its gone it won’t come back again
It works everytime trust me son it never fails – Put a sail on it

He told me of his years triumphs and tears and living through a war or two
How you don’t always win get up and try it again, its the doing that you’ve got to do
So we talked about life , lovers and wives and dreams that almost come true
How this world spins round your either up or your’re down. But mostly its up to you …He said
I know where you’ve been son, trust me I’ve been in your shoes
Lean in and listen up boy here’s what you gotta do

Put a sail on it let your trouble float away
With the break of dawn it’ll bring another day
so don’t you dwell apon it It’ll fade like the setting of the sun
Put a sail on it let it catch the wind
When its gone it won’t come back again
It works everytime trust me son it never fails

Put a sail on it let your trouble float away
With the break of dawn it’ll bring another day
so don’t you dwell apon it It’ll fade like the setting of the sun
Put a sail on it just let it catch the wind
when its gone it won’t come back again
It works everytime trust me son it never fails
Put A Sail On It

DANCE WITH THE WIND
Mike Aiken, Tim Buppert

We were just teen age kids at the old boardwalk fair
Up on the big wheel the wind in our hair
Swayed with the sea breeze that rolled in for miles
When I stole that first kiss man it lasted all night

And we danced with the wind, danced with the waves
Leaned in and just let love blow us away
We couldn’t want more as we gave our hearts to the day
never gonna let this love fade- as we danced with the wind and the waves

Who would have thought twenty years would fly by
And we’d still be together on this big wheel of life
Taking our chances n chasing our dreams
When those young lovers asked us what our secret might be

We said dance with the wind and dance with the waves
Lean in and just let love blow you away
You’ll never want more if you give your hearts to each day
and never let the love fade- as you dance with the wind and the waves

Life’s a carnival ride
Up and down like the tide
Take your chances and hold on tight
You’ll never want more if you give your hearts to each day
and never let the love fade- as you dance with the wind and the waves

SAVE THE WHALES
Joe McDonald

When my grandpa was a boy, he went down to the general store.
Saw a picture book of a whale, shootin’ his spout and slappin’ his tail.
Then he got a sailor’s dream, cruisin’ around those salty sea.
Joinin’ up with a fishin crew, go out and get him a whale or two.
Tell me what kind of men are these that sail across salty seas.
Up in the rigging in the afternoon, swab the decks and sharpen harpoons.

Hooray, up she rises. Hooray, up she rises. Hooray, up she rises.
Early in the morning.
Hooray, up she rises. Hooray, up she rises. Hooray, up she rises.
Early in the morning.

Lots of whales in the deep blue sea, and we kill them for the industry.
Drag ’em alongside and cut ’em in two, melt them down and sell ‘em to you.
Hardly is a sailor alive, who can keep the tears from his eyes.
As he remembers the good old days when there were no whales to save.
Now we can thank the companies, for scouring the deep, blue seas.
Lookin’ for ivory and perfume, oil to light your living rooms.

Hooray, up she rises. Hooray, up she rises. Hooray, up she rises.
Early in the morning.
Hooray, up she rises. Hooray, up she rises. Hooray, up she rises.
Early in the morning.

Shanghi’d by the light of the moon, put out of Boston in the middle of June.
After six months you begin to see nothing but death and misery.
Set out on a three year cruise, a Union ship and a Union crew.
After six months you began to see, whalin’s not what it used to be.
Modern ship, modern crew, sonar scopes and explodin’ harpoons.
A mechanical boat built out of steel,
A floatin’ machine built to kill the whales.

Hooray, up she rises. Hooray, up she rises. Hooray, up she rises.
So early in the mornin’.
Hooray, up she rises. Hooray, up she rises. Hooray, up she rises.
Early in the morning.

When my grandpa was a boy, he went down to the general store.
Saw a picture book of a whale, shootin’ his spout and slappin’ his tail.
Then he got a sailor’s dream, cruisin’ around those salty sea.
Joinin’ up with a fishin crew go out and get him a whale or two.
Tell me what kind of men are these that sail across the salty seas.
Up in the rigging in the afternoon, swab decks and sharpen harpoons.

Hooray, up she rises. Hooray, up she rises. Hooray, up she rises.
Early in the morning.
Hooray, up she rises. Hooray, up she rises. Hooray, up she rises.
Early in the morning.

SUMMERTIME SONG
Mike Aiken, Tim Buppert

There’s flies on the window sill, sweat on my beer
I could turn these britches into shorts right here
You can feel it in the air it won’t be long
And I’ll be livin’ in a summertime song

Gonna fire up the boat and kick up a wake
Gonna drown my troubles there in that lake
I’ve been waitin’ for this day all winter long
Soon I’ll be livin in a summertime song

A summertime song
Makes you wish that one day would last your whole life long
It can’t be wrong
If it makes everybody in the whole world want to sing along
With a summertime song

We’re dancing in the sand in the full moon light
There’s a fire on the beach and it feels alright
We’ll be grillin’ and a chillin’ there all night long
Everybody’s livin’ in a summertime song

Summertime song
Makes you wish that one day would last your whole life long
It can’t be wrong
If it makes everybody in the whole world want to sing along
To a summertime song

Well I wish everyday could be this way give me sun, sand and a beer
If I had my druthers I’d forget all the others it’d be 85 degrees all year
Like a summertime song
Makes you wish that one day would last your whole life long
It can’t be wrong
If it makes everybody in the whole world want to sing along
To a summertime song 

NIGHT RIDER’S LAMENT
Michael Burton

While I was out a-ridin’
The graveyard shift midnight till dawn
The moon was as bright as a reading light
For a letter from an old friend back home
He asked me

Why do you ride for your money?
Why do you rope for short pay?
You ain’t gettin’ nowhere
And you’re losin’ your share
Oh, you must’ve gone crazy out there

He said last night I ran into Jenny
She’s married and has a good life
Boy, you sure missed the track when you never came back
She’s the perfect professional’s wife
And she asked me

Why does he ride for his money?
Why does he rope for short pay?
He ain’t gettin’ nowhere
And he’s losin’ his share
Oh, he must’ve gone crazy out there

But then they’ve never seen the northern lights
They’ve Never seen a hawk on the wing
They’ve never seen the spring hit the Great Divide
They ain’t never heard old Camp Cookie sing

Now, I read up the last of my letter
And tore off the stamp for Black Jim
When Dougie rode up to relieve me
He just looked at my letter and grinned
He said now

Why do they ride for their money?
Why do they rope for short pay?
They ain’t gettin’ nowhere
Damn sure losin’ their share
Son they All must be crazy out there

Because they’ve never seen the northern lights
They’ve never seen a hawk on the wing
They’ve never seen the spring hit the Great Divide
Ahh- they never heard old Camp Cookie sing

Why do they ride for their money?
Why do they rope for short pay?
They ain’t gettin’ nowhere
Damn sure losin’ their share
Son they All must be crazy out there

TAKE THE BOY FISHIN’
Mike Aiken, Steve Williams

She was walking down the dock with her favorite new toy
To the rest of the world I was just a boy
With holes in my jeans and dirty long hair
It was time to meet her Daddy and man I was scared

Oh that “Salty Old Dog” and that look in his eyes
That said, stay away from the love of my life
He climbed down off the boat and pulled me aside said,

What do you say we go fishin’
Just you and me
You know a whole lot can happen
When you’re out there at sea
You might calm the deep water
Or make the sea roar
You can ride back in the Captain’s seat
Or swim back to shore

Well he reached out and gave me a slap on the back
Threw back his head and had a good laugh
Just as the smile disappeared from his face
He pulled out his knife started cutting some bait
Through the awkward silenc an dthe howling of the wind
I heard, what’d cha sasy your name was again
And when it comes to my daughter, just what do you intend?

What do you say we go fishin’
Just you and me
You know a whole lot can happen
When you’re out there at sea
You might calm the deep water
Or make the sea roar
You can ride back in the Captain’s seat
Or swim back to shore

You see boy I’m the only one her “Old Man’ didn’t chase away
And when those twin diesels roared
I hopped on board
And lived to tell about it to this day

What do you say we go fishin’
Just you and me
You know a whole lot can happen
When you’re out there at sea
You might calm the deep water
Or make the sea roar
You can ride back in the Captain’s seat
Or swim back to shore

So what do you say we go fishin’ just you and me…

CAPTAINS & COWBOYS
Mike Aiken, Brad Davis

A ship on the ocean and wide open spaces
It’s all one can do to keep hanging around
It’s not my intention to give up so easy
I’m just fighting the good fight, I won’t give up no ground.

I wanna live my life like my heros
I wanna give it every thing that I got
I don’t need to live up to low expectation
I just can’t be anything that I’m not

Save the babies, kiss the ladies, having drinks with my friends
Throwin down in the barroom like it never will end.
New horizons, greener pastures are just round the bend
With the Captains and Cowboys is where I fit in

I’m gonna ride my pony where there’s no reservation
Gonna sail my boat where the wind it blows free
Gonna give all my love with open abandon
Face the trouble of this world and live out my dreams