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Reunion Of Broken Parts

by Ruth Hill

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cicieberle Great telling of this sad but true tale. Favorite track: Lac Megantic.
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1.
You come around when my guard is down You come to me when I’m naked Sheets of lead, a barbed-wire bed I close my eyes, I see you waiting Half asleep half awake You call my name You seize my soul Swallow me whole And I’m falling again, falling again, falling again By the light of day you fade away You retreat back to the underground I break free you have no hold on me Until that slippery old sun goes down Chorus I’m going down, down, down, there is no ground Down, down darkness gathers 'round Down, down can't see tomorrow Down, down, down to the bottom of the bottle Down, down there is no ground Down, down, down there is no ground And I’m falling again, I’m falling again, I’m falling again
2.
There were junkies and burnouts, drunks on the skids In the shantytown out by Devil Downs Bridge You’d hide in the shadows of trash barrel fires Eavesdrop on stories of dreamers and liars You were older and wiser my ally, my foe With a puppy dog smile and a ticking bomb soul There was some kind of yearning, something inside Tossing out breadcrumbs for trouble to find Oh, Brother Mine, where can you be You weave like a river that can’t find the sea No drink is strong enough, no high lasts long enough Your demons grab on and just won’t set you free We would sneak through the attic, down into the barn Across the back field, Dad’s guitar in your arms I’d sit for hours at your feet while you played When you sang “Wild Horses” couldn’t drag me away Chorus The big boys said, “We dare you!” loaded once and spun You watched Little Frankie take aim A quick prayer to God, a shot of a gun In the time that it takes for a scared boy to run The stars were all rearranged Found your bible on the floor, broken and torn Wouldn’t say a word, wouldn’t tell what was wrong I knew you were angry by the way that you smiled I knew you were gone long before your goodbye Chorus
3.
4 & Ever 03:35
I put a secret in the ground there where nothing grows Scraped the bark off of the tree, so no one would know We’d carved our names with a 4 & ever, 4 & ever, 4 & ever, carved our names with a 4 & ever more I put a secret in the ground Where the water flows so slow Threw our rings off Angel Cliff, down to the swamp below We’d said our vows with a 4 & ever, 4 & ever, 4 & ever said our vows with a 4 & evermore Poetry and roses Fade to thorn and threat Haunted, broken rages A kiss with a fist instead I believed you when you said…nevermore I put a secret in the ground there where nothing grows As your hands squeezed my neck I found the dagger in your coat I carved your stone with a 4 & ever, 4 & ever, 4 & ever carved your stone with a 4 & ever more And I’ll carve your stone forever more
4.
Another sparrow fell from the sky The needle is narrow, the arm is wide Licking the wound down deep in your soul Trying to fill up the hole Sinking in deeper, fueling the pain Fearing the reaper, calling his name Strike up a deal, pawned your halo of gold Trying to fill up the hole The water is cold, the cups are all broken This is not home, the door is wide open One foot says, “Stay” the other says, “Go” They’re both trying to fill up the hole You’ve lost control, nothing leftto give Keep paying the toll, never crossing the bridge How many times have you been bought and sold Trying to fill up the hole I was that sparrow that fell from the sky Too full of sorrow to sing or to fly Never did heal that wound down in my soul “Till I stopped trying to fill up the hole
5.
Call My Name 04:56
There’s a scent of you that lingers Hints of lavender and rain There’s a photo of the girls we used to be Edges torn and stained One day your father found my letters The secret of our love betrayed I stood shattered at the window And I watched you walk away Chorus: If you ever call my name out loud If I ever hear the sound I’ll find the fastest way I know To get back to that God forsaken town All our promises left broken As we ripped out at the seams All the gifts I ever gave you Your sister gave them back to me Word travels fast through narrow-minded streets No one would look me in the eye From the backseat of a greyhound I whispered my goodbye Chorus I’m staring out beyond the pasture My daughter’s hand tugs at mine I’d never trade this life that saved me But you still haunt this heart of mine Chorus
6.
I’ve got a pocketful of chirping birds, they go wherever I go Got a head full of dreams, a tank full of gas Big Mama Thornton on the radio I used to walk for miles out on the range just to hear a discouraging word Now I’m riding high with a genuine smile and a pocketful of chirping birds I ain’t gonna cry no more at all Ain’t lookin’ up waitin’ for the sky to fall Don’t need the King’s horses or the the king’s men I put myself back together again Now I’m dancing in the pouring rain splashing in puddles like a child I’ve open the gates, torn down the fence, I’m just lettin’ it all grow wild I’m a little older, maybe a little wiser, something inside of me has changed I’m twirling my arms up over my head dancing in the pouring rain. Chorus I’m shining from the inside out, limitless and free I forgave him, I forgave her, then I forgave me I took load after load to the Goodwill store, makes me wanna sing and shout! Lighter than breath, right here, right now, I’m shining from the inside out Chorus
7.
Happiness 03:24
Happiness Happiness is just a cloud, hangs around for awhile Then blows through town You can’t lock it inside, stuff it in a jar Or ride the tail of a shooting star Can't always be cheerful, comfy and strong Some little birds get lost in the storm Gotta spread your wings, fly from the heart And know that the morning light will follow the dark I was raised up poor, nine mouths to feed Sometimes hungry but never in need There was music in the kitchen fire in the stove And something like love used to knock at the door Can't always be cheerful, comfy and strong Some little birds get lost in the storm Gotta spread your wings, fly from the heart And know that the morning light will follow the dark When I’m feeling low and down I just want to paint the whole town blue Sadness is just a cloud, hangs around for awhile Then blows through town You can’t lock it outside, or pack it up and move it You’ve just gotta strike a minor chord And sing right through it Can't always be cheerful, comfy and strong Some little birds get lost in the storm Gotta spread your wings, fly from the heart And know that the morning light will follow the dark Follow the Dark (X3)
8.
I break the stones. Swing a hammer all day. Days like weeks, little pay Pay all goes to the company store. Black book says still owe more In the bamboo shack where I was born, Mamma’s screams were silenced By the boom of blasting rock ringing in her ear Eyes a ‘water from dust and wind, arm’s aching from hammering She whispered Krishna’s name and dried my tears Chorus (Starting w “She broke”) No matter rain or scorching sun like her shadow I was bound To the fumes of cooking tar and the heaps of gravel I asked her once where’s this road go? She said “Somewhere, I suppose Tethered dreams are all I know of travel". Chorus (Starting w “She broke”) The years were crushed and chipped and rolled melted into asphalt Now my own child’s wrapped in hide to scare the cold Nights when I’m too tired to stand another mother lends a hand We live, we breed, we die on this endless road And yet we laugh and yet we sing And yet we dare to dream of better things Chorus (Starting with "We")
9.
Blue, Blue Bird A blue, blue bird, Sings a song so grey She understands I've lost my way It's so hard to see the sky so hard to read the signs When the rain won't fall and the sun won't shine The band is still playing Tender and slow Spin me and twirl me or just let me go Chorus Instrumental break I 'm on your arm She's on your mind I ask for truth you ask for time Chorus Sing, sing, sing little blue bird Show me, oh, show me the way Should I spread my wings And take to the air Or can I believe There’s a place for me here …where Chorus
10.
Who’s gonna tell me stories Who’s gonna sing me songs Who’s gonna kiss my pretty little cheek Now that you have gone, Mama Now that you have gone Who’s gonna tuck me in my bed Who will wake me in the morn Who’s gonna hold my tiny little hand Now that you have gone, Mama Now that you have gone The river will tell you stories The wind will sing my songs The rose will kiss your pretty little cheek Now that I have gone, darling Now that I have gone The stars will tuck you in to bed You’ll wake with the birds in the morn But I’ll still hold your tiny little hand Long after I’m gone, darling Long after I’m gone Hush, little baby Don’t you cry Mama’s gonna sing you A lullaby
11.
Lac Megantic 04:55
Forty seven names read out one by one Ages ranged from four to ninety three St Agnes Church overflowed, people in the street A quiet voice behind me said, " I hope God found a seat". My sister lived above her shop on Rue Frontenac Peacefully asleep beside the railroad track Over in the café the dance ended with a waltz The band ordered one more beer… their last, last call No one saw it coming, sparks flying from the wheels Eleven thousand tons of runaway oil and steel Brakes let go, train came loose. No one to slow it down ‘Til it jumped the track and ripped a hole, in the heart of our town They led me to the crater that was once my sister’s home There was nothing left at all except a few charred stones I showed the policeman the corner by the stairs “If you’re looking for her bones her bed was right there” Tankers full of crude oil, a pipeline on wheels So much more explosive than the label revealed Brakes let go, train came loose. No way to slow it down ‘Til it jumped the track and ripped a hole, in the heart of our town Numbness turned to sadness, her remains never found I put those black stones in an urn and let my tears fall down I cry for my Marie ­­­­and all the lives we lost I cry for Lac Megantic as we pay the human cost Of tankers full of crude oil, pipelines on wheels Driven by the bottom line and back room deals The tracks are worn, but profit’s high, no rules to slow it down ‘Til it jumps the track and rips a hole, in the heart of our town.
12.
Today the sky is high Today the sky is blue Mountaintops came out to play Chased the ghosts and the mists away Windows flung open Red robes hung to dry Prayer flags snapping Gold against the sky Across the meadow On a sunlit rocky pile A lone violet lifts up her face and smiles Today the sky is high Today the sky is blue Today my broken bulldog heart Forgot to think of you Rainy days will come once more Fat clouds will rub their bellies Across the valley floor And in those thin dark hours I’ll dig you from the dirt Nights drag like broken wings Nights still hurt

about

Alternative Folk / Americana. Songs that give voice to the grace, strength, and beauty found in our broken places.

credits

released September 21, 2017

Produced by Ruth Hill and Jud Caswell.
Recorded at Frog Hollow Studio, Brunswick, ME.
Mastered at Sunbreak Music, Scottsdale, AZ.
All songs written by Ruth Hill, except "Falling Again"written by Ruth Hill and Mary Gauthier.

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Ruth Hill Maine

Singer, songwriter, storyteller Ruth Hill crafts moving, authentic, and sometimes hard-hitting songs with powerful imagery and beautiful melodies. She accompanies herself expressively on guitar and banjo, but it’s when she opens her heart and sings from a place of depth and compassion that you are compelled to lean in closer. ... more

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