Erica Ellis

After Party
(Writers: Claire Bunnik, Linda Moroziuk, Erica Ellis)

(Verse 1)
They’ve got your first six string sitting up at the front
Beside that picture of you I love
There ain’t an inch of space left in this room
And the line out the door is for you

(Pre-chorus)
I’ve got a shot glass in the pocket of this black suit
When the sun goes down I’ll be raising it up to you

(Chorus)
You’re prob’ly sittin’ back on heaven’s beach
Feet up, laughin’, underneath a palm tree
Throwin em back on the sunniest cloud
‘Cause when you don’t get another time around…
You soak it up, spread the love, live the dream, and find your peace
My old friend , would ya save me a seat
At the After Party

(Verse 2)
I bet you’re tellin ’em stories that we all miss
Bout the things that we did just to say we did
Bet you went out last night to set your soul free
Makin the most outta reality

(Chorus)
You’re prob’ly sittin’ back on heaven’s beach
Feet up, laughin’, underneath a palm tree
Throwin em back on the sunniest cloud
‘Cause when you don’t get another time around…
You soak it up, spread the love, live the dream, and find your peace
My old friend, would ya save me a seat
At the After Party

(Bridge)
They say, “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go now”
With you up there I won’t worry when my time comes around
Knowing you…

(Outro Chorus)
You’re prob’ly sittin’ back on heaven’s beach
Feet up, laughin’, underneath a palm tree
Throwin em back on the sunniest cloud
‘Cause when you don’t get another time around…
You pour the rum, fill your cup, till we meet, you’ll always be…
My old friend - so save me a seat
At the After Party

Mud on Ya
(Writers: Erica Ellis, Jason Metzner)
(Lyric and melody by us, demo done in Suno)

(Verse 1)
We were kicking up dust walking those rows
Digging down here and there fixin’ old fence posts
Gramps could tell there’s some kinda hell
I was carrying and not hidin’ well
He wiped the sweat from his brow and said
“Come on out with it”

(Pre-Chours)
(I said) It’s ten years since our wedding
Not sure we’ll make it to eleven
Thought our love would be forever
Like you and grandma have… he said

(Chorus)
You can’t rope a steer without getting dirty
Work a field without caked-up boots
Can’t lay slab without movin’ earth and
To pull them weeds gotta grab some roots
You can’t just wish it, gotta get right down in it
If you wanna fight for this love gonna
Get some mud on ya

(Verse 2)
He said I know it looks easy from the outside in
But after fifty years I’ve learned, you take the losses with the wins
Yeah, you fight, ask forgiveness
Break her heart and then ya fix it
And love her even when you think you can’t
Just start right where you stand

(Chorus)
You can’t rope a steer without getting dirty
Work a field without caked-up boots
Can’t lay slab without movin’ earth and
To pull them weeds gotta grab some roots
You can’t just wish it, gotta get right down in it
If you wanna fight for this love gonna
Get some mud on ya

(Bridge)
Anything worth getting done
Gonna get you into some kinda messes
But they’ll wind up blessings

(Chorus)
You can’t rope a steer without getting dirty
Work a field without caked-up boots
Can’t lay slab without movin’ earth and
To pull them weeds gotta grab some roots
You can’t just wish it, gotta get right down in it
If you wanna fight for this love gonna
Get some mud on ya

Till the Streetlights Came On
(Erica Ellis/Bret Bingham)
Lyrics and melody are our; demo done in Suno



(Verse 1)
Those summer nights when I was nine
Momma’d kick me out after suppertime
I’d run off, in case she changed her mind
Down the road, toward the laid-down bikes

Everybody knew everybody’s name
We weren’t worried about anything
Felt so sure that would never change
That’s a feeling I still chase

(Chorus)
We stayed out till the streetlights came on
No rules, no doubts, until the sun was gone
Played hide and seek with the kids next door
Yeah, we never wanted nothing more
What I wouldn’t give to feel that olly olly oxen free again
Like I did back then… when we all belonged
And we stayed out till the streetlights came on

(Verse 2)
Gotta good life, still have good friends
But life ain’t always easy for a bill-paying man
Some days when the walls close in
I miss those nights and how I felt back then (when)

(Chorus)
We stayed out till the streetlights came on
No rules, no doubts, until the sun was gone
Played hide and seek with the kids next door
Yeah, we never wanted nothing more
What I wouldn’t give to feel that olly olly oxen free again
Like I did back then… when we all belonged
And we stayed out till the streetlights came on

(Bridge)
If we had known that we couldn’t keep it
Woulda breathed that honeysuckle deeper

(Chorus)
We stayed out till the streetlights came on
No rules, no doubts, until the sun was gone
Played hide and seek with the kids next door
Yeah, we never wanted nothing more
What I wouldn’t give to feel that olly olly oxen free again
Like I did back then… when we all belonged
And we stayed out till the streetlights came on

HALF-BROKE HORSES

(Writer: Erica Ellis)
(Melody and lyrics are mine; demo done in Suno)

[Verse 1]
If there’s a guy, cowboy hat, glass of Jack
Oh, I want some of that
In his eyes an outlaw vibe, stormy skies
A heart you can’t track

He’s rodeos and dusty roads, wildfire smoke
A mustang you can’t tame
But I like the rides, kinda wild, gotta fight,
To stay in the game

[Chorus]
Half-broke horses and whiskey-drinking men
Wild as a Texas springtime wind
Not so crazy you can’t get close
Just enough so that you know
You don’t wanna miss what they do next
Half-broke horses and whiskey-drinking men

[Verse 2]
He’s not the kind you close the gate, make him stay
Gotta give him some rein
When you climb in the saddle first time, it’s worth the wait
Hold on and pray

[Chorus]
Half-broke horses and whiskey-drinking men
Wild as a Texas springtime wind
Not so crazy you can’t get close
Just enough so that you know
You don’t wanna miss what they do next
Half-broke horses and whiskey-drinking men

(Bridge)
If you pour him another
And enter the ring
Be ready for anything

[Chorus]
Half-broke horses and whiskey-drinking men
Wild as a Texas springtime wind
Not so crazy you can’t get close
Just enough so that you know
You don’t wanna miss what they do next
Half-broke horses and whiskey-drinking men

HER BIBLE'S STILL OPEN
(Writers: Erica Ellis, Rob Alley)

[Verse 1]
I’d known she only had six months
For five and a half months now
I’d been getting myself ready
As much as I could anyhow

Thought I knew what it would be like
How time would stand still
The colors would bleed out
The world would start to tilt

But this is harder than I thought
Cuz everything’s just like it was

[Chorus]
Her bible’s still open
To the last page she read
Her slippers are sitting
Right next to her bed
On the mirror her cross hangs from its chain
Look around, it seems nothing’s changed
Everything is broken
But you might not know it
Her bible’s still open

[Verse 2]
I was gonna close it up
And start the moving on
Be tough and hide the hurt
Of knowing she was gone

But then I looked down at the page
I swear she left it there for me
It said comfort was a-waiting
To bless me in my grief

[Chorus]
Her bible’s still open
To the last page she read
Her slippers are sitting
Right next to her bed
On the mirror her cross hangs from its chain
Look around, it seems nothing’s changed
Everything is broken
But you might not know it
Her bible’s still open

(Bridge)
This pain ain’t going away
But now I know I’ll get through this day

[Chorus]
Her bible’s still open
To the last page she read
Her slippers are sitting
Right next to her bed
On the mirror her cross hangs from its chain
Look around, it seems nothing’s changed
But my heart He’s a-holding
These pages have spoken
Her bible’s still open

YOUR FIX
(Erica Ellis)

[Verse 1]
When I get close to leaving
Your love bombs fly
You give me nothing to believe in
Till I’m at goodbye
You don’t even love me
Just a need-someone junkie
Keep me close in case you change your mind
You use me like a user in denial

[Chorus]
I’m the bottle you hide in the basement for when you can’t take it
I’m the number you keep in your phone, if your hands start shaking
I’m the cigarette you hold in your lips even though you don’t smoke it
But you gotta get sober
Cuz I won’t be your fix... anymore

[Verse 2]
It won’t be my Gucci scent
Getting you buzzed
And you won’t be getting bent
On my touch
You’re like a child who’s scared alone
Well, work that shit out on your own
I’m cutting off your favorite drug

[Chorus]
I’m the bottle you hide in the basement for when you can’t take it
I’m the number you keep in your phone, if your hands start shaking
I’m the cigarette you hold in your lips even though you don’t smoke it
But you gotta get sober
Cuz I won’t be your fix... anymore

[Chorus]
I’m the bottle you hide in the basement for when you can’t take it
I’m the number you keep in your phone, if your hands start shaking
I’m the cigarette you hold in your lips even though you don’t smoke it
But you gotta get sober
Cuz I won’t be your fix... anymore

The Trouble with Heroes
(Writers: Erica Ellis and Jason Metzner)


[Verse 1]
Woman, two kids at the checkout line
Couple dollars short then the man behind
Threw a few bills by the till, she cried
He just smiled
Said happy to help

Old man, living out on the street
Wondering in this cold how he’s gonna sleep
Till a girl from a nearby church brought a coat
And some hope
Sat and talked on the curb

[Pre-chorus]
Those who stick out their necks
Ain’t always the ones you’d expect

[Chorus]
That's the trouble with heroes
They don’t look like white knights
Or pull up in a limo
And have a couple million likes
You can’t tell in a glance
That they’re gonna take a stand
So you might miss their quiet hearts of gold
That’s the trouble with heroes

[Verse 2]
Young girl scrolling through Instagram
Looking up to girls who are filter-thin
Young men taking bends NASCAR fast
If they crash
At least they’re just like them

You and me loading up on Powerball
Thinking them millionaires have it all
But the ones we should hold up high don’t have flash
And some cash
But they walk the walk

[Chorus]
That's the trouble with heroes
They don’t look like white knights
Or pull up in a limo
And have a couple million likes
You can’t tell in a glance
That they’re gonna take a stand
So you might miss their quiet hearts of gold
That’s the trouble with heroes

(Bridge)
They’re all around
Even if they don’t stand out

[Chorus]
That's the trouble with heroes
They don’t look like white knights
Or pull up in a limo
And have a couple million likes
You can’t tell in a glance
That they’re gonna take a stand
So you might miss their quiet hearts of gold
That’s the trouble with heroes
That’s the trouble with heroes

Momma Moved to Memphis

[verse 1]
He don’t remember nothing
Before he was three
Heard they lived in Lubbock
And his momma was in deep

She kept on waiting
Just trying to survive
Knew his Daddy was a man
Who couldn’t abide
One day he’d ride

[Pre-chorus]
When he left they hopped in her beat-up Ford
And took off down Route 84

[Chorus]
Momma moved to Memphis
When Daddy drove away
Prayed to God and Elvis
That one day he would pay
Didn’t tell nobody where she’d gone
Just packed up her babies and moved on
But even going hard you can’t outrun a tempest
Momma moved to Memphis

[Verse 2]
Didn’t know what’d happened
Till he turned sixteen
And he found Momma’s diary
‘tween the mattress and box spring

He read how daddy
Broke her if she didn’t bend
Knew if he ever saw him
He’d get her revenge
And he wouldn’t repent

[Chorus]
Momma moved to Memphis
When Daddy drove away
Prayed to God and Elvis
That one day he would pay
Didn’t tell nobody where she’d gone
Just packed up her babies and moved on
But even going hard you can’t outrun a tempest
Momma moved to Memphis

[Bridge]
When he showed up at their door it made his momma cry
So he made damn sure it was the last time
He didn’t understand when he heard her say
“Oh god, not this way”

[Chorus]
Momma moved to Memphis
When Daddy drove away
Prayed to God and Elvis
That one day he would pay
Didn’t tell nobody where she’d gone
Just packed up her babies and moved on
But even going hard you can’t outrun a tempest
Momma moved to Memphis
Momma moved to Memphis

A THING OR TWO
(Writers: Rafi Arkin and Erica Ellis)
(Melody and lyrics by us; demo done in Suno)


(Verse 1)
I know how to swap out the carb on a ’64 Ford
And how to rock a baby so it don’t cry no more
That grudges ain’t worth holding
And sometimes hands need folding
I’ve learned you’ve gotta be stronger than your fears
And when you need to make the right choice, it won’t always be clear

(Chorus)
I know a thing or two about a thing or two
But that didn’t help me none
When it came to me keeping the one thing
That’s the best thing I’ve ever done
Thought I was on the right track
Didn’t look back
Turns out I didn’t have a clue
I know a thing or two about a thing or two
But it seems I don’t know nothing… about loving you

(Verse 2)
Wish I could go back and tell the old me
That sometimes when you’re with me you get lonely
That love is more than saying it
And holding you while we’re making it
It’s listening when you tell me you’re afraid
And doing anything it takes to make you feel safe

(Chorus)
I know a thing or two about a thing or two
But that didn’t help me none
When it came to keeping the one thing
That’s the best thing I’ve ever done
Thought I was on the right track
Didn't look back
Turns out I didn’t have a clue
I know a thing or two about a thing or two
But it seems I don’t know nothing… about loving you

(Bridge)
I’d let it go, all I know
To learn what mattered most

(Chorus)
I know a thing or two about a thing or two
But that didn’t help me none
When it came to keeping the one thing
That’s the best thing I’ve ever done
Thought I was on the right track
Didn't look back
Turns out I didn’t have a clue
I know a thing or two about a thing or two
But it seems I don’t know nothing… about loving you

Different Kinds of Freedom
(Writers: Erica Ellis/Rafi Arkin)

(Verse 1)
He told her that he loved her
And it seemed like it was true
But lots of things that seem to be
Don’t wind up coming through

The first time that he hit her
She just wiped away her tears
The second time she made a plan
To get herself clear

And the third time, well, that’s why
I gotta visit her in here

(Chorus)
The gun was emptied
She got twenty
But she smiles every day
She can’t leave
But neither can he
Now that his debt was paid
People ask her why she didn’t just leave him
And she tells them there are different kinds of freedom

(Verse 2)
He’d always told her that he’d find her
If she ever tried to run
And if she didn’t like his fists
She’d really hate his gun

She could see her life before her
How the fear would never quit
Either way she’d be hiding
And that ain’t no way to live

So she waited till the whiskey worked
And she did what she did

(Chorus)
The gun was emptied
She got twenty
But she smiles every day
She can’t leave
But neither can he
Now that his debt was paid
People ask her why she didn’t just leave him
And she tells them there are different kinds of freedom

(Bridge)
Bars of steel are better than
The cage he wanted to put her in

(Chorus)
The gun was emptied
She got twenty
But she smiles every day
She can’t leave
But neither can he
Now that his debt was paid
People ask her why she didn’t just leave him
And she tells them there are different kinds of freedom

What If I’m Wrong
[Melody and lyric by Rafi Arkin and Erica Ellis; instrumentation and vocals done in Suno.]


[Verse 1]
Headlights off
I grip the steering wheel
Wondering is this really what I feel
Your door slamming
Still echoes down the road
But my foot won’t press the pedal and go

[Pre-chorus]
For a while it’s felt less like love than hurting
So I told you and me this wasn’t working

[Chorus]
But what if I’m wrong
What if I’m gone
And it hits me like a bullet
You’re all I want
What if I drive
All damn night
Just to find out in the morning
My heart told me a lie
And it’s too late to make things right
What if I’m wrong

[Verse 2]
Maybe I
Didn’t try hard enough
And I’m the reason we no longer touch
Maybe we
Could find our way through
Or have we lost all we had to lose

[Pre]
If it takes this much work is it still worth it
Is this a bump in the road or a drain we’re circling

[Chorus]
What if I’m wrong
What if I’m gone
And it hits me like a bullet
You’re all I want
What if I drive
All damn night
Just to find out in the morning
My heart told me a lie
And it’s too late to make things right
What if I’m wrong

[Bridge]
Do I want you back
Or should I hit the gas

[Chorus]
What if I’m wrong
What if I’m gone
And it hits me like a bullet
You’re all I want
What if I drive
All damn night
Just to find out in the morning
My heart told me a lie
And it’s too late to make things right
What if I’m wrong

SPILLING GASOLINE
(Writers: Erica Ellis/Jason Metzner)
(melody and lyrics ours; demo done in Suno)


(V1)
Don’t know how it all got started
this us going down in flames
Yeah but we’re both doing all we can to
earn our share of the blame

Pre:
I expect the worst of you
And you make sure to give it
I find new ways to hurt you
You can’t find forgiveness
We both know what we’re doing
Yeah, this pain is self-inflicted

(Chorus)
I’m tossing matches, you’re spilling gasoline
Take it right down to ashes, what we used to be
Those embers catch and, we can’t seem to stop
Don’t even care we’re burning up
No love can last in this smoke and heat
I’m tossing matches, you’re spilling gasoline

(Verse 2)
You keep saying that it’s still worth saving
I just tell you you’re a fool
Then I’ll have days where i think we can make it
But then you go and add more fuel

(Pre)
There’s nothing left that we can do
But get out with our lives
Shouldn’t run back into buildings
when they’re still on fire

(Chorus)
I’m tossing matches, you’re spilling gasoline
Take it right down to ashes, what we used to be
Those embers catch and, we can’t seem to stop
Don’t even care we’re burning up
No love can last in this smoke and heat
I’m tossing matches, you’re spilling gasoline

Lead Foot on the Left
(Erica Ellis/McAden Swaringen)

(Verse 1)
Three months since our first date
Back at the same place to celebrate
I can tell you have something to say
Girl you can tell me anything

Say you heard word around town
That I wasn’t one to settle down
I’d get tired of hanging around
And take off pedal to the ground

(Chorus)
I used to run and didn’t need nobody but I found somebody
And girl I know that it’s you
Don’t you listen to all the doubters cause I’m all about us
And what we’re turning into
I don’t need many things just want you here with me
And you to know I’m not gonna leave
The pedal for the gas, I won’t be needing that
I’ve got a lead foot on the left

[Verse 2]
Put me in an Alpine F1
A Corvette with a catback on
An open road and my favorite song
I’ll still sit here all day long

(Chorus)
I used to run and didn’t need nobody but I found somebody
And girl I know that it’s you
Don’t you listen to all the doubters cause I’m all about us
And what we’re turning into
I don’t need many things just want you here with me
And you to know I’m not gonna leave
The pedal for the gas, I won’t be needing that
I’ve got a lead foot on the left

(Bridge)
There’s nowhere I could go
That I won’t think about ya
So I'll just stay right here
Where I don’t have to live without ya

(Chorus)
I used to run and didn’t need nobody but I found somebody
And girl I know that it’s you
Don’t you listen to all the doubters cause I’m all about us
And what we’re turning into
I don’t need many things just want you here with me
And you to know I’m not gonna leave
The pedal for the gas, I won’t be needing that
I’ve got a lead foot on the left

The Last Box
(Erica Ellis/Bret Bingham)


(Verse 1)
Was helping grandpa move into the home
He couldn’t live in his house all alone
All the boxes were in my truck in the drive
Except for one, with grandma’s name on the side

He pulled it closer, said “The only thing I’ll miss
About this house is remembering her in it”
He opened up the lid, and I just waited
He handled everything like it was sacred

(Chorus)
Here’s her veil from our wedding
Your daddy’s baby shoes
Pictures from that vacation
We took to Baton Rouge

Don’t look at me like that, son
This don’t make me sad
Someday you’re gonna understand
It’s worth the cost of all you lost
For what’s in that last box

(Verse 2)
He said “Don't worry bout me, these are happy tears
Not everyone gets to love for 50 years
I hope you’re lucky enough to cry someday
When you're packing your girl's things away”

(Chorus)
Here’s that dress she spun around in
That bottle of perfume
That made her smell like sunshine
When she walked into the room

Don’t look at me like that, son
This don’t make me sad
Someday you're gonna understand
It’s worth the cost of all you lost
For what’s in that last box

(Bridge)
I said “Grandpa, is there anything you regret
He said “How could I, with all these memories I have left”

(Chorus)
The veil from our wedding
Your daddy’s baby shoes
Pictures from that vacation
We took to Baton Rouge

Don’t look at me like that, son
This don’t make me sad
I was finally starting to understand
It’s worth the cost of all you lost
For what’s in that last box

Hard To Leave (Male)
Erica Ellis/Rafi Arkin

(Verse 1)
Third grade, pigtails, freckle face
You were moving in next door
I watched from my bedroom window
You looked up, I hit the floor

Didn't know why my heart
Pounded in my chest
Till sixth grade when I gave you
Your very first kiss

(Pre)
Didn’t have one of those, God-only-knows
If-I’ll-ever-find-you love stories
I’ve known you were mine since honeysuckle vines
Hide and Seek, and Little League glory

(Chorus)
You were easy to find
Our love was easy to believe
It was easy to tell
You were all I’d need
Had to be more than chance
Yeah, we were meant to be
You were easy to find
But I knew you'd be hard to leave

(Verse 2)
Double-dates, class ring, senior prom
Nothing could keep us apart
You cheered for my touchdown passes
I held you tight when your momma passed on

But your college dreams pulled you
Way up north
You took my heart with you
In your beat-up Ford

(Pre)
But 500 hundred miles, time zones and goodbyes
Couldn’t keep me from loving you
Burning through paychecks, counting the exits
Doing what I had to do (cuz)

(Chorus)
You were easy to find
Our love was easy to believe
It was easy to tell
You were all I’d need
Had to be more than chance
Yeah, we were meant to be
You were easy to find
But God, you were hard to leave

(Bridge)
Four years apart was four too many
Even living next door would be too far away
I want you lying right beside me
I want you……to stay

(Chorus)
You were easy to find
Our love was easy to believe
It was easy to tell
You were all I’d need
Had to be more than chance
Yeah, we were meant to be
Now you’re forever mine
It would be too hard to leave

ROCK, PAPER, KISS HER
(Erica Ellis/Rob Alley)

(Verse 1)
When you know, you know
My momma told me so
Never believed it till this girl became the proof
No doubt she’s the one
I’m ready to take the plunge
My mind’s made up, already know my next three moves

(Chorus)
Save up some money for a big old ring
Sign that license, change her name
Watch her walk down the aisle
Preacher calls her my wife and I’ll
Lean in, plant one, and hold her tight
She’ll be mine for the rest of my life
Play this right, and I’m a winner
At rock, paper, kiss her

(Verse 2)
I’ve never been lucky but
Somehow she loves me, what on earth
Could I have done to get these odds to go my way
Call it fate or chance
Or happy circumstance
Whatever it is, I don’t want to waste another day

(Chorus)
I gonna save up some money for a big old ring
Sign that license, change her name
Watch her walk down the aisle
Preacher calls her my wife and I’ll
Lean in, plant one, and hold her tight
She’ll be mine for the rest of my life
Play this right, and I’m a winner
At rock, paper, kiss her

(Bridge)
I see a white picket fence and a mess of kids
Some land in the Bible Belt
Porch swing dreams, the whole sweet thing
But I’m getting ahead of myself

(Chorus)
(Still gotta) Save up some money for a big old ring
Sign that license, change her name
Watch her walk down the aisle
Preacher calls her my wife and I’ll
Lean in, plant one, and hold her tight
She’ll be mine for the rest of my life
Play this right, and I’m a winner
At rock, paper, kiss her

Pre-Gaming
(Erica Ellis/Rafi Arkin)


(Verse 1)
Every love I’ve had in the past
Was like an afterparty at 3 am
Lots of fun but you know it won’t last
Barely get going and it’s almost spent

But I don’t want that with you
So much more I wanna do

(Chorus)
I hope we’re still pre-gaming
Barely even taking
Our first sips
Just warming up, no cover
Getting buzzed on each other
Nowhere near ready to quit
I want a love just getting started, still uncharted, heart racing
Yeah, I hope we’re still pre-gaming
Still pre-gaming

(Verse 2)
Something ’bout how you’re holding my hand
Makes me think this is more than a crush
For once not thinking 'bout the end
Don’t wanna rush this kind of rush

Too soon to know if it will last
Got my fingers crossed behind my back

(Chorus)
I hope we’re still pre-gaming
Barely even taking
Our first sips
Just warming up, no cover
Getting buzzed on each other
Nowhere near ready to quit
I want a love just getting started, still uncharted, heart racing
Yeah, I hope we’re still pre-gaming
Still pre-gaming

(Bridge)
And that the sun ain’t even setting
And the party’s still ahead and
We don’t know what to expect
Ain’t in no hurry
Let’s take it slowly

(Chorus)
I hope we’re still pre-gaming
Barely even taking
Our first sips
Just warming up, no cover
Getting buzzed on each other
Nowhere near ready to quit
I want a love just getting started, still uncharted, heart racing
Yeah, I hope we’re still pre-gaming
Still pre-gaming
Still pre-gaming

NO DIRECTIONS
(Erica Ellis, Rafi Arkin)

(Verse 1)
Got a five page manual and still no idea
How to assemble that table from IKEA
Used to could rebuild an engine in the yard with the boys
Now I need a PhD just to change the oil

Seems everything’s got so hard
Sometimes don’t know where to start
But there are still a few things
I can do without thinking

(Chorus)
I can sip sweet tea on the porch in the sun
Toss a RoosterTail into the stream
Throw up mud on my Yamaha
Get drunk drinking Jim Beam

I call mom once a week, no question
And I know what it takes to get into heaven
Cuz country life is so simple
It don’t need no directions

(Verse 2)
Maybe it’s cuz I saw it while I was growing up
Or I was born with that knowing in my blood
Maybe it’s in the water feeding my family tree
But I think it’s cuz that’s how life should be

(Chorus)
I can sip sweet tea on the porch in the sun
Toss a RoosterTail into the stream
Throw up mud on my Yamaha
Get drunk drinking Jim Beam

I call mom once a week, no question
And I know what it takes to get into heaven
Cuz country life is so simple
It don’t need no directions

(Bridge)
Don’t tell those folks from the city or they’ll come too
Gotta make ‘em think it’s harder than it looks

(Chorus)
I can sip sweet tea on the porch in the sun
Toss a RoosterTail into the stream
Throw up mud on my Yamaha
Get drunk drinking Jim Beam

I call mom once a week, no question
And I know what it takes to get into heaven
Cuz country life is so simple
It don’t need no directions

One Woman
(Erica Ellis, Jason Metzner)

(Verse 1)
My tux was hanging in the bedroom
My nerves getting worse each passing hour
I loved that girl, no doubt about it
Just worried that I’d someday let her down

Grandpa put his arm round grandma’s shoulder
I asked how you love one girl till you grow old
He smiled and said, “Well, boy… you don’t.”

(Chorus)
She won’t stay the same
Just like you, she’s gonna change
She’ll keep you guessing, and that’s a good thing
Even when you find the right one
You don’t fall for her just one time
Ya get to learn to love all the versions she becomes
It won’t just happen, it’s something you gotta choose, son
Cuz it ain’t enough to just love one woman

(Verse 2)
When you walk back up that aisle beside her
She’s innocence and hope with a touch of wild
When your first born won’t stop crying
She’ll wonder if she’s getting anything right

When her momma passes on she’ll get lost
When your dreams ain’t coming true she’ll be your rock

(Chorus)
She won’t stay the same
Just like you, she’s gonna change
She’ll keep you guessing, and that’s a good thing
Even when you find the right one
You don’t fall for her just one time
Ya get to learn to love all the versions she becomes
It won’t just happen, it’s something you gotta choose, son
Cuz it ain’t enough to just love one woman

Bridge:
No matter what, she’ll be the one who stole your heart….but

(Repeat chorus)

Load Bearing
(Erica Ellis, Jason Metzner


(V1)
We’ve got it torn down to the studs
Here in our old kitchen
I’m a little bit concerned
Cuz I see your wheels turn
Bout what in me also needs fixin’

I catch you staring at me taking
My last sip of this cold brew
And my feelings, yeah, they’re sinking
Cuz I know just what you’re thinking
And what you plan to do

(Pre)
I grab a Natty from the Yeti
You say I had one already
Girl, you don’t understand where this ends

(Chorus)
Cuz, honey I’m kind of like this old house
I could use a woman’s touch
But before you knock down walls
Better know what they’re holdin’ up
This ain’t just a can, it’s “you got this, man” right in my hand
So everything don’t crash around my ears
Baby, this here’s
A load-bearing beer

(V2)
You can make me cut my hair
Or pay a dollar when I curse
You can tell me bass-fishin’
Is only for the weekends
Or no camo pants at church

(Pre)
I love you, baby, yeah, I get it
Clean me up around the edges
But don’t go ripping out the bones

(Chorus)
Honey I’m kind of like this old house
I could use a woman’s touch
But before you knock down walls
Better know what they’re holdin’ up
This ain’t just a can, it’s “you got this, man” right in my hand
So everything don’t crash around my ears
Baby, this here’s
A load-bearing beer

(Repeat Chorus)

Let Me Let You Go
(Erica Ellis/Jason Metzner)

(Verse)
You tell me again about that three under par
While I try not to drink myself under this bar
Wow, no way, your portfolio's rising?
Oh no, it’s just a lash, I’m not rolling my eyes

(Pre)
I feel myself ready to run
But that’s not how we do it, down where I’m from
I hear mama’s voice saying, Now sweetie
Below the Mason-Dixon we let ‘em down easy

(Chorus)
Well then, alright, would you look at the time?
How many dates has it been? Is it four or five?
I’m sure a guy like you has got better things to do
Than hang out with little old me for all this time
No, there’s no one else, I’m not thinking ‘bout myself
That’d be rude and rude Southern girls go to hell
I just don’t wanna keep you so
Honey, let me let you go

(Verse 2:)
No, that’s sweet, I can get back on my own
You just washed your Beemer, you should take it straight home
Boy, bless your heart, you make it easy to leave
Well, hush my mouth, oops, I mean

(Chorus)
Well then, alright, would you look at the time?
How many dates has it been? Is it four or five?
I’m sure a guy like you has got better things to do
Than hang out with little old me for all this time
No, there’s no one else, I’m not thinking ‘bout myself
That’d be rude and rude Southern girls go to hell
I just don’t wanna keep you so
Honey, let me let you go

(Instrumental Bridge)

(Chorus)
Well then alright, would you look at the time?
How many dates has it been? Is it four or five?
I’m sure a guy like you has got better things to do
Than hang out with little old me for all this time
No, there’s no one else, I’m not thinking ‘bout myself
That’d be rude and rude Southern girls go to hell
I just don’t wanna keep you so
Honey, let me let you go
Honey, let me let you go

(Spoken outro)
Buh-bye now
I'm gonna get out of your hair
You drive safe you hear

Living in a Dying Town
(Ellis/Bingham)


(Verse 1)
The movie theater out on Main Street closed
You could lose your truck in these potholes
The plant is down to just one shift
Need a house to rent? You can have your pick

Ain’t nothing here growing ‘cept babies and beans
But those of us left sure ain’t gonna leave

(Chorus)
We still meet for church and chicken after
Feed our town and yours with what we gather… from the fields
Just keeping it real
We still fall in love and fall out of line
Fish honey holes and hunt in the pines…and we kneel
To thank God we’re here
Yeah, we ain’t just waiting it out
We’re still living… in a dying town

(Verse 2)
The streets are a little emptier now
But they’re full of all our memories of how
This town made us who we’ve become
And that ain’t something you just cut and run

But we see people’s looks when they drive through
Wondering “what do the people who live here do”

(Chorus)
We still meet for church and chicken after
Feed our town and yours with what we gather… from the fields
Just keeping it real
We still fall in love and fall out of line
Fish honey holes and hunt in the pines…and we kneel
To thank God we’re here
Yeah, we ain’t just waiting it out
We’re still living… in a dying town

(Bridge)
Yeah the headlines count everything we’ve lost
But they never see what we’ve got

(Chorus)
We still meet for church and chicken after
Feed our town and yours with what we gather… from the fields
Just keeping it real
We still fall in love and fall out of line
Fish honey holes and hunt in the pines…and we kneel
To thank God we’re here
Yeah, we ain’t just waiting it out
We’re still living… in a dying town

Thirteen Folds
(Erica Ellis/Jason Metzner)

(Verse 1)
I talked to her after the service
She held his flag as she stood there alone
I said I only knew your son when we were serving
Can you tell me something bout him I don't know

(Pre)
She reached for my hand and clasped it
Said, “Thank you so much for asking”

(Chorus)
He liked fishing with his grandpa
Pushing his sister in the swing
Never missed church on sunday
Man, you shoulda heard him sing
I can’t believe he’s gone, seems like just yesterday
When our little boy was born, we thought we could keep him safe
He was 8 pounds 3 ounces when I first held him close
Now all that’s left is 2 pounds, 5 ounces, 13 folds

(Verse 2)
She said I only got his last letter
Two days after I heard
He sounded changed by what he’d seen in that desert
But I still heard my little boy in every word

(Chorus)
He laughed at stupid movies
Always made time for friends
He kept his Chevy spotless
But his bedroom was a mess
I can’t believe he’s gone, seems like just yesterday
When our little boy was born, we thought we could keep him safe
He was 8 pounds 3 ounces when I first held him close
Now all that’s left is 2 pounds, 5 ounces, 13 folds

(Bridge)
They played Taps, fired those guns
But right now he ain’t a soldier, he’s just her son

(Chorus)
He liked fishing with his grandpa
Pushing his sister in the swing
Never missed church on sunday
Man, you shoulda heard him sing
I can’t believe he’s gone, seems like just yesterday
When our little boy was born, we thought we could keep him safe
He was 8 pounds 3 ounces when I first held him close
Now all that’s left is 2 pounds, 5 ounces, 13 folds