Ward Tolbert

WOOD FROM JESUS’ CROSS
Writers: Ward Tolbert

V1
I wonder what they did with The Wood From Jesus' Cross
Did they burn it, did they build it into something that lived on
Did it end up in the stern of the ship that carried Paul
That held him as a prisoner bound in chains
Did it end up petrified and become the cornerstone
Of every church erected in his name
Was it saved or was it lost
I wonder what they did with The Wood From Jesus' Cross

CH
Did it kindle an ember,
Did it spark a burning flame
Did it stoke a raging fire that still burns to this day
Did it carry the blood of Jesus and all our sins in its stains
Did it light the way to glory from the grave
Was it saved or was it lost
I wonder what they did
With The Wood From Jesus' Cross

V2
I wonder what they did with The Wood From Jesus' Cross
Did they burn it Did they build it into something that lived on
Or did it end up in the hands of a carpenter
Become his best and final work upon this earth
Was it saved or was it lost
I wonder what they did with The Wood From Jesus' Cross

CH
Did it kindle an ember,
Did it spark a burning flame
Did it stoke a raging fire that still burns to this day
Did it carry the blood of Jesus and all our sins in its stains
Did it light the way to glory from the grave
Was it saved or was it lost
I wonder what they did
With The Wood From Jesus' Cross

OUTRO
Don't know what they did with The Wood From Jesus' Cross
But I do know what it did for me

(C) Ward Tolbert

Ain't Not Ex In Mexico
Writers: Ward Tolbert/Steve Guidos/Tom Manning

V1:
South of the border, can't drink the water
Don't speak the language, but tonight I don't care
There's lots of tequila, sweet senoritas
Sizzling fajitas, fresh lime for my beer
But the number one reason I'm here

CH:
There Ain't No Ex In Mexico
She wanted out so I let her go
I signed the papers and hit the road
Cause There Ain't No Ex In Mexico

V2:
Gonna spend all my pesos on ice-cold Cervasos
Then take a siesta for the rest of the day
I’m done with the drama, by this time Mañana
I’ll be chasing chiquitas, catching some waves
No telling how long I might stay

CH:
There Ain't No Ex In Mexico
She wanted out so I let her go
I signed the papers and hit the road
Cause There Ain't No Ex In Mexico

BR:
Bartender pour me some more, por favor

CH:
There Ain't No Ex In Mexico
She wanted out so I let her go
I signed the papers and hit the road
Cause There Ain't No Ex In Mexico

Ain't No "Ex" In Mexico
© Ward Tolbert, Steve Guidos, Tom Manning

Straight Up Country
Writers: Ward Tolbert, Steve Guidos, Bill Warrington

[V1]
I love to hear the wail of a screaming steel guitar
Spend my nights dancing in a honky-tonk bar
Swaying to a dobro or a strumming mandolin
Playing a song my heart can understand

[CH]
I ain't in to rap or metal
I want to swing to a Texas fiddle
Hear an honest song with a touch of twang
Hold my baby close against me
All dressed up and dancing sexy
Straight Up Country that's my thing

[V2]
12-ounce long-neck bottles, big 10-gallon hats
Flashy rhinestone shirts and hand-tooled boots to match
Twirling round and round across a sawdust floor
With a loud and rowdy crowd shouting out for more

[CH]
I ain't in to rap or metal
I want to swing to a Texas fiddle
Hear an honest song with a touch of twang
Hold my baby close against me
All dressed up and dancing sexy
Straight Up Country that's my thing

[BR]
I don't mind a little rock and roll
But country music runs right through my soul

[CH]
I ain't in to rap or metal
I want to swing to a Texas fiddle
Hear an honest song with a touch of twang
Hold my baby close against me
All dressed up and dancing sexy
Straight Up Country that's my thing

Straight-Up Country
© Ward Tolbert, Steve Guidos, Bill Warrington

TALLAHATCHIE BRIDGE
Writers: Ward Tolbert, Tim Hall

In ‘67, the hippies celebrated the summer of love
While back in Mississippi, buzzards were flying above
Sheriff Rainey and his deputies dragged the river for weeks
But there ain't no amount of dragging that can bring back the souls and dreams
Every June they say you can see it coming down the Choctaw Ridge
Bouquet of wildflowers floating by the Tallahatchie Bridge

Nearly 60 years later, another sleepy, dusty Delta day
And someone's chopping cotton and another brother's baling hay
But no one really knows just what happened on the Choctaw Ridge
Or what was that something thrown off the Tallahatchie Bridge

They're nonchalantly passing biscuits in the Mississippi Delta today
And a Dollar General stands where the movies used to play
Nothing good ever came from up on the Choctaw Ridge
And they still talk about Billy jumping from the Tallahatchie Bridge

The Mississippi's still muddy and the water moves like Delta blues
And it's an ominous reminder of flowers floating on the 3rd of June
And those flowers in the water prove that she's been back to Choctaw Ridge
And only she knows why Billy jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge

(C) Ward Tolbert, Tim Hall

TWO DAYS
Writers: Ward Tolbert, Tom Gaffney

V1
Babe, I’m sorry I didn’t catch your call
Things at work are really crazy
Next weekend would be great
But, you already know we can’t make it

CH:
One day maybe we’ll have Two Days, we can stack together
Where we don’t have nothing to do, but worry about the weather
Right now I know it don’t seem like, things will ever get better
One day maybe we’ll have Two Days, we can stack together

V2:
All we really need to do
Is keep things from coming unglued
Be there for each other
Be the cover when life boils over

CH:
One day maybe we’ll have Two Days, we can stack together
Where we don’t have nothing to do, but worry about the weather
Right now I know it don’t seem like, things will ever get better
One day maybe we’ll have Two Days, we can stack together

BR:
I've heard about this thing called a week long vacation
I’d settle for 48 hours in any sunny location

CH:
One day maybe we’ll have Two Days, we can stack together
Where we don’t have nothing to do, but worry about the weather
Right now I know it don’t seem like, things will ever get better
One day maybe we’ll have Two Days, we can stack together

(C) Ward Tolbert, Tom Gaffney

SANTA'S NAUGHTY LIST
Writers: Ward Tolbert, Steve Guidos

[CH]
I found Santa's Naughty List underneath my Christmas tree
And I called every naughty girl on that list from A to Z
Now every day is a holiday, and my reindeer gets no sleep
Cause I found Santa's Naughty list underneath my Christmas tree

[V1]
First name I called was Angel, we spent the night unwrapping
I nibbled on her cookies, she lit up my Christmas tree
The next day I rang Bambi, she set my light to blinking
We played with her Christmas toy, ran down my battery

[CH]
Cause I found Santa's Naughty List underneath my Christmas tree
And I called every naughty girl on that list from A to Z
Now every day is a holiday, and my reindeer gets no sleep
Cause I found Santa's Naughty list underneath my Christmas tree

[V2]
By the time I talked with Tina, my Christmas tree was drooping
She straightened out my tinsel, then she rode my one horse sleigh.. HEY!
Tonight I'm seeing Zoey, we're taking down her stockings
I'm gonna rest my reindeer and then I'm gonna start back on the A's

[CH]
Cause I found Santa's Naughty List underneath my Christmas tree
And I called every naughty girl on that list from A to Z
Now every day is a holiday, and my reindeer gets no sleep
Cause I found Santa's Naughty list underneath my Christmas tree

[Outro]
Yes, I found Santa's Naughty list UNDERNEATH MY CHRISTMAS TREE!!!

(C) W. Tolbert, S. Guidos