Get all 13 Malcolm Holcombe releases available on Bandcamp and save 40%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Pretty Little Troubles, Another Black Hole, The RCA Sessions, Pitiful Blues, Down The River, For The Mission Baby, Wager, Gamblin' House, and 5 more.
1. |
Butcher In Town
04:26
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butcher in town
deep in the south
the cypress steals
cobweb moss
all gray in the middle
no wind no rain
keeps a good man down
sweatin' and a grinnin'
way down south
chorus
you aint from here
when the shit hits the fan
there's more meat on(for the) a pencil
from (for) the butcher in town
whiskey money
money and gold
splashin' spit
hard to swallow
ten foot tall
deep in the water
too deaf to call
damn ready to follow
chorus
hundred dollar bill's
jus' backpocket preachin'
no sign to the edgewise
drinkin' good whiskey
loud and heavy
like a dogday bluejay
blacksnake lungs
gonna slide down singin'
chorus
under the thumbs of the
cannons and guns and a
swattin' flies in the
stink of an eye
i dont claim a thing
not a two bit clue
but somebody whispered
war kills the truth
chorus
ev'ry word in a hand
gonna fly like a crow
better shut my mouth
to the promised land
all black and white
from the wars of the souls
too much whiskey
money and gold
chorus
chorus
chorus
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2. |
I Call The Shots
03:17
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i call the shots
when that woman comes back from 'er mother's
and i'm flush to beat the band
i'm gonna tell 'er how much i love 'er
gonna tell 'er i'm her man
yeah i gotta plan to do things right
when my baby comes down the line
in the palm o' my hand she's gonna sit pretty
when the money she gets is mine
chorus
when the money she gets is mine
i'm really gonna run things right
a deal is a deal when i call the shots
and ev'rybody answers to me
yeah a man needs a whole lotta money
to tell people what to do
this time round she'll listen to me
and make my dreams come true
you see i had some dough a long time ago
i didnt know how to play the game
nobody gave me the time o' day
nobody knew my name
chorus
damn 12 more years in this rotten place
the damn judge didnt understand
people didnt do what i told em to do
now my baby's got another man
yeah i been set up i been double-crossed
but next time round i'll show em
i got plenty o' brains and i'll be the boss
and you'll know which way i'm goin'.
chorus
chorus
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3. |
Gone Away At Last
03:44
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gone away at last
the search lights beg to dim
in the blood of nightimes cover
no human sounds within
the lonely thoughts of lovers
the routine hammers solid
in the heads of spit and spoiled
(only) broken from contentions
of the jealous snake's recoil
chorus
the lonely thoughts of lovers
what if and yet to pass
satisfaction deals are over
and gone away at last
so strike back from the corner
hold back nuthin' more
kill your understandin'
and patience nevermore
outrun the speed of light (my friend)
go hide among your thoughts
the searchlights may grow dim again
your love may not be sought
chorus
at last the heartache found you
the silverspoon will rise
and choke you black and bluer
til the stars turn from your eyes
surround yourself with sadness
surrender to the noise
of distant dirges comin'
to keep you company
chorus
chorus
gone away at last.
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4. |
The Crossing
02:58
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the crossing
hope is in the crossing
old rivers wide and deep
i am but a passenger
for you i cannot see
my brothers and my sisters
some swim and some may drown
all my eyes are weary
and my hands are empty bound
my heart is not my soul
red dirt it moves my blood
from this ground i still must grow
higher in your love
higher in your love
the longin' suffers sweet
upon the clouds above
only now i cannot reach
ev'ry stretchin' of my breath
ev'ry lost and broken step
may i muster hand and foot
to reach from east to west
so pray my life to offer
one humble gift of care
to break the chains that keep me
away from you so fair.
first verse
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5. |
Twisted Arms
06:15
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twisted arms
fair and square
looks good on paper
coughin' up blood
at the head o' the table
satisfied
dont move a muscle
livin' in that skin
too dead to struggle
chorus
twisted arms in circulation
twisted arms in circulation
twisted arms in circulation
here for the common good
short and sweet
the silent type
cleanin' up good
in broad daylight
ruby lips
go the extra mile
suckin' up sin
a tight redlight
chorus
bilderberg's
got valet parkin'
strung up on a cumberbund
nobody starvin'
taxidermy
stuffin' my face
rats get squirrely
in a trophy case
chorus
down on the corner
with a wall-eyed smile
a rabbit in thunder
no compromise
fat and sassy
three months vacation
gimme all the answers
no hesitation
chorus
saved by the bell
ringin' next to me
workin' my knees
blown to hell for freedom
cop a squat
on the courthouse steps
where's my job
did i vote for this(that)
chorus
chorus
chorus
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6. |
The Door
03:39
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The Door
Little sister of mine fetch me some water
I am thirsty, but my legs they cannot move
Oh Father of Fathers, our mother's groin' old and weak
Little sister of mine fetch me some water
Little sister of mine bake us some bread
I hunger for food, but my legs they cannot move
Oh Father of Fathers, our mother's growin' old and weak
Little sister of mine abke us some bread
Push me and pull me away, away to the door
Little sister of mine, younger than I
My weight is heavy, hard to carry am I
Oh Father of Fathers, our mother's growin' old and weak
Little sister of mine, younger than I
Push me and pull me away, away to the door
I'll wear my wongs some day, and you a crown
And we'll walk hand in hand on hallowed ground
Yes, we'll be together today and forevermore
Little sister of mine, help me to the door
Push me and pull me away, away to the door
Push me and pull me away, away to the door
To the door...
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7. |
The Empty Jar
02:52
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the empty jar
lips must surely tremble
when thoughts of loss remembered
the sick and wounded brave
who leave a heart to ponder
an empty jar but full
of eyes that see you here
pourin' perfect comfort
for thirsty silent tears
now there's many lay before us
Lord and many stay behind
to pass the test of trustin'
the twinkle of an eye
moments carry burdens
each one has a home
to share among the stronger
hearts so not alone
now if you read this letter
one afternoon within
i love you far better
than deeds of one man
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8. |
In Your Mercy
04:26
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in your mercy
they bring me food and water
in this room is all i know
but my thirsty spirit keeps me
in your mercy where i go
i use to do what made me happy
now my weary hands are tied
to a struggle to remember
where i am and why i cry
chorus
all my diamonds have been stolen
all my clothes are very few
my poor daughter she comes to hold me
singin' hymns forever true
singin' hymns forever true
my home and all i worked for
has been sold and surely gone
only strangers come to see me
and they never stay too long
my poor dead husband was a kind man
workin' numbers was his game
i got lost in separation
but he took me back again
chorus
turnaround 2x
time has many troubles
but many years will tell the truth
in the mem'ries of all who suffered
abandoned and confused.
chorus
chorus
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9. |
Whitewash Job
04:14
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whitewash job
i get my news lookin' at you
i live the blues cause you butcher the truth
hearsay monkey do dolittle candyman
you know who's who in a bulletproof jetplane
he sits in the corner aint the same
passed on to the sixth grade barely write his name
knowledge is power education is the law
loopholes for cowards and justice for all haha
chorus
it's a whitewash job
it's a job
it's a whitewash job
whitewashin' job
fda gonna turn my head around
six pills ev'ryday in a highrise junkietown
he works for fema saw him last nite
very relieved all day lyin' haha
chorus
people on the street no place to go
mobile homes in the fields sittin' empty i know
ping pong paddles blackwater come an' getcha
people need a hospital not a dc doolittle haha
chorus
turnin' a deaf ear turnin' a blind eye
turnin' my stomach here vommit on the inside
ten years later twenty or thirty
i see ya come clean but right now you're dirty haha
chorus
chorus
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10. |
Trail O' Money
03:43
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trail o' money
if you wanna get rich
give your money to me
turn a nickle on a smile
and a handshake for free
all the noise from the crowd
breakin' hearts with deceit
all you war hungry bastards
bloodthirsty with greed
chorus
gangway i'm comin' with a trail o' money
gangway stay outta my way
gangway i'm comin' with a trail o' money
no room for the poor to stay
stand in the shadows
the new moon will rise
the stars they shot down
in the blink of an eye
my instincts are wounded
my schools bleed with guns
my children are recklessly
lost in the sun
chorus
now go hide from your neighbors
dont answer the door
your food and possessions
will protect you no more
but there's a spirit in man
not measured by money
not bribed by glory
but worth ev'ry sufferin'
chorus
there's a spirit in man
not measured by money
not bribed by glory
but worth ev'ry sufferin'
chorus
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11. |
Down The River
04:18
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down the river
they make the laws
to suit themselves
the ones that buy and sell the rest
of us down the river
the rest of us
dont need the touch
of takin' more than just enough to get
by down the river
chorus
down the river
we pray for one another
down the river
we hold on to our dreams
down the river
the hard times makes us stronger to get by
and leave this world behind
down the river
a bed to lay
me down at night
and for workin' hands to hold you tight
my darlin' and me down the river
now far away
the mem'ries of
simple days remainin' in
our broken hearts down the river
chorus
the gifts of little ones we love
our faith in blood and God above
they will last forever
down the river
chorus
chorus
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Malcolm Holcombe Asheville, North Carolina
Malcolm Holcombe is an acclaimed singer/songwriter in the insurgent country/folk vein who grew up in Weaverville, N.C.
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