LYRICS
Light Over Darkness (2024)
1. Flowers of Light and Darkness (Patterson, Derden)
You fell from a transfer truck
In a hurricane of auburn hair
Laid your seeds in Carolina
And your roots grew strong from there
I’ll meet you in Carolina
I’m not waiting for the smoke to clear
Take I-40 East to Wilmington
I’ll find a way to get there
The flowers of light and darkness guide us
To the heart of our farewells
The flowers of light and darkness guide us
To become our better selves
Kids they learn young to live for money
Now they’re begging money from me
Needing bus fair to Carolina
Gonna roll an 18-wheeler right over me
The flowers of light and darkness guide us
To the heart of our farewells
The flowers of light and darkness guide us
To become our better selves
Bite my mouth until it bleeds. March with you to town square
The queens that drag are over here
The back roads aren’t always clear
You can wear your baby blue in Carolina
It’s no shame to be yourself without fear
The flowers of light and darkness guide us
To the heart of our farewells
The flowers of light and darkness guide us
To become our better selves
2. Jesus Loves Us All (Patterson, Derden)
Heard about the town hall
Last night some people got to talk
Some people didn’t
The banana slugs were there
Lots of people had crazy, crazy hair
Mostly they just wanted some decent healthcare
Bad day for you I guess
Cause not every person looks like you
Well sure, some people do
So here’s to Little Richard
A beer can in a blizzard
That spell uses a lotta glitter
Jesus said love your brother
Hey, Mary of Bethany
Love your sister, too
Big or small Jesus loves us all
Heard about the soccer game
The girl on the other team
She was way, way too tall
The refs made all the right calls
The kids had fun kicking the ball
The kids had fun kicking that ball
Jesus said love your brother
Hey, Mary of Bethany
Love your sister, too
Big or small Jesus loves us all
Hey, hey, hey, what matters to you?
Hey, what matters to me?
Hey, hey, hey, why can’t we just let good folks be?
We have a festival tonight
And, man, you don’t own it
Truth to rites
The gallery of shallow saints
We can still smell your taint
And the crazy palter you embrace
Jesus said love your brother
Hey, Mary of Bethany
Love your sister, too
Big or small Jesus loves us all
Jesus loves us all
Jesus loves us all
Jesus loves us all
Jesus even loves you
Jesus even loves you
Jesus loves us all
Jesus even loves you
Hey, man, Jesus even loves you
3. Drywall (Patterson, Derden)
What’s behind the dry wall, baby?
What happens when you get down to the bone?
What’s behind the dry wall, baby?
What scares you?
Who cares, baby?
I can’t help you if you want to be that alone
The night owls howl in town
And I am sitting by the fire
Wondering about what you might know
And what you might desire
Oh, and listen to the wind blow
Through the Ozark Mountain night
Watching our house burn low
What’s behind the dry wall, baby?
What happens when you get down to the bone?
What’s behind the dry wall, baby?
What scares you?
Who cares, baby?
I can’t help you if you want to be that alone
I should have known it
Would go this way some day
I could see it in your face
Every time you’d turn away
Oh, but I loved you and refused to believe
What you were trying so hard to say to me
What’s behind the dry wall, baby?
What happens when you get down to the bone?
What’s behind the dry wall, baby?
What scares you?
Who cares, baby?
I can’t help you if you want to be that alone
Now all that’s left are the charred remains
Of a love lost and a sad refrain
What’s behind the dry wall, baby?
What happens when you get down to the bone?
What’s behind the dry wall, baby?
What scares you?
Who cares, baby?
I can’t help you if you want to be that alone
4. Jones Street Revisited (Patterson, Derden)
Two kids waltzing down the street
Squirrels hiding chestnuts in the snow
Kids these days, I say to you
I guess they’ve got nowhere to go
We go out and feed them sometimes
Someone breaks our dirty hearts
And someone makes a fuss
Georgia, shine your light down
Georgia, shine on all of us
Two kids covered in road glue
12th Street and Chavannes
Writing rhymes in their diaries
Preparing for lives of their times
Dreaming and freewheeling
Someone breaks our dirty hearts
And someone makes a fuss
Georgia, shine your light down
Georgia, shine on all of us
I get back to Jones Street sometimes
I’ve been there in a Cadillac.
Suze met me there
She let me brush her hair
I had a barrel of bourbon
While she had a smoke
Then Suze took off with Georgia
And my joy never came back
Two kids writing lengthy letters
Smelling like chamomile
Sending their views to the editor
Trying to speak for what they feel is real
Trying to live life by design
5. Sleepy John Estes (Patterson, Derden)
Sitting by the exit ramp
Waving my thumb like a nuclear bomb
Who comes driving by?
Sleepy John Estes and my mom
Sleepy John sleeps all day
And my mom gives him hell to pay
I give him odds of five-to-one
Sleepy John Estes and my mom
Sleepy John Estes
Walking down the line
Sleepy John and my mom
Got their issues
Wannabe Hindus
Punching tin and they’re doing fine
Sleepy John hopped in a cab
Gonna cross the Cumberland gap
Jesus is picking up the tab
Sleepy John Estes and my mom
Took my mom to the ATM
If they got a warrant, they’re gonna get in
But the cops were way too kind
Sleepy John and my mom are fine, fine, fine
Sleepy John Estes
Walking down the line
Sleepy John and my mom
Got their issues
Wannabe Hindus
Punching tin and they’re doing fine
Sleepy John and my brother Louie
Paid their dues to the bourgeoisie
We all danced to Cherry Bomb
Sleepy John, Brother Louie, me and my mom
Sleepy John Estes and my mom are cool
They don’t think you should ever
Give up on school
Give into your OCD
Share your password with anybody
Take a job at Walmart
Don’t let people break your heart
and don’t give in to those who hate you for who you are
Sleepy John Estes and my mom
6. Better When in Love (Derden, Patterson)
Tell myself I don't love you
In the mirror every morning
But I can't convince myself it's true
I tell myself that I probably hate you
Being alone suits me fine
Crazy, but I thought you already knew
I'm a sad, sad case
A lost cause some would say
The truth is I was better when in love with you
So, I spend my time enjoying
The photos you left behind
Counting time with the clock on the wall
I may have a Jameson or two
And listen to Jim Mize records
Moan along with every tune
I'm a mad, mad case
I heard your mama say
The truth is I’m lost without you
And it's a hard reckoning
To realize you can't make it on your own
That you can get so tangled up in someone else
So, I gather up my laundry
And wash it like you taught me to
Do all the things you wished I would do
I'm a sad, sad case
A lost cause some would say
The truth is I was better when in love with you
The truth is I was better when in love with you
Yeah…the truth is I was better in love with you
7. Palace Full of Malice (Derden, Patterson)
Did you hear about the palace full of malice?
And the witch down Shady Banks Lane.
She keeps a voussoir, a spider in a jar,
And haints that dance the pavane.
Watch out for her crooked smile
Fast as a flame in a wild brushfire.
Did you hear about the palace full of malice?
And the witch down Shady Banks Lane.
Did you hear about the palace full of malice?
And the witch down Shady Banks Lane.
Anger guides her to bend all wills
May wine on her lips, she gets her fill.
Her hair tied with chicken wire
A mind filled with wild desire
Did you hear about the palace full of malice?
And the witch down Shady Banks Lane.
Did you hear about the palace full of malice?
And the witch down Shady Banks Lane.
She kept a voussoir, a spider in a jar,
And haints that dance the pavane
The devil rides in a handsome disguise.
She is the one that spreads his lies.
Did you hear about the palace full of malice?
And the witch down Shady Banks Lane.
And the witch down Shady Banks Lane.
8. One Day I’ll Get Back to Jesus (Patterson, Derden)
One day I’ll get back to Jesus
But I won’t have to go that far
One night I’ll say my prayers
And shine like the evening star
One day I’ll get back to Jesus
And I won’t have to go too far
And he will hold me close and tight
If it’s in the cards
One bright shining morning
The world was for the good
I took a flyer on a hot ticket
Pinned it to corkwood
One day I gave my heart up
To the finest deuce in town
My new shoes and slim fit suit
Your funky nightgown
One day I’ll get back to Jesus
But I won’t have to go that far
One night I’ll say my prayers
And shine like the evening star
One day I’ll get back to Jesus
And I won’t have to go too far
And he will hold me close and tight
If it’s in the cards
One moon up overhead
Street tacos in our hands
We inked our names in tender places
Claimed a fertile land
One crazy Mississippi night
Spent your money and missed our rent
Wrote a check and fudged your name
Enlisted without argument
One day I’ll get back to Jesus
But I won’t have to go that far
One night I’ll say my prayers
And shine like the evening star
One day I’ll get back to Jesus,
And I won’t have to go too far
And he will hold me close and tight
If it’s in the cards
One thin dime is all I have
To get me back to you
A pay phone or a Greyhound bus
Did my time and others too
Discharge notice in my hand
Rehab orders and a purple heart
I came home less than before
A recipe to come apart
One day I’ll get back to Jesus
But I won’t have to go that far
One night I’ll say my prayers
And shine like the evening star
One day I’ll get back to Jesus
And I won’t have to go too far
And he will hold me close and tight
If it’s in the cards
One night I’ll lay my soul down
For the sins I did not commit
Somewhere in this city
I’ll find the holy spirit
One afternoon I’ll get out of bed
And play my steel guitar
One day I’ll get back to Jesus
But I won’t have to go that far
One day I’ll get back to Jesus
But I won’t have to go that far
One night I’ll say my prayers
And shine like the evening star
One day I’ll get back to Jesus
And I won’t have to go too far
And he will hold me close and tight
If it’s in the cards
9. 6 Days Sober (Derden, Patterson)
I’m six days sober and I feel great
I don’t think I could have a better day
I’m like a million bucks in the bank
I’m a high roller no concern for the stakes
I don’t think there’s a way I can lose
But then I run right into you
I’m six days sober and I’ve been feeling fine
But now I can’t get you off my mind
The workday is done, the weekend is here
It’s Friday night and my calendar is clear
Think I’ll head to the old town pump
Maybe I’ll just hold an empty solo cup
I’m six days sober (Six days sober)
I’m six days sober (Six days sober)
Try as hard as I might
I’m no good come Friday night
Six days sober, so I had to celebrate
Now it’s Saturday morning, and you’re here when I wake
My mind is fuzzy, my body black and blue
I’m wondering what you got me into
I don’t know what exactly went down, but I
Swear I’ll never touch another Coke and Crown
I’m six days sober (Six days sober)
I’m six days sober (Six days sober)
I’m six days sober (Six days sober)
I’m six days sober (Six days sober)
Try as hard as I might
I’m no good come Friday night
What in the world? Can’t you let me be?
What kind of potion did you use on me?
A floral bouquet mixed with some booze
One of these days I’m gonna wind up dead cause of you
Well, I’m six days sober and it’s Friday night
Going to lock my door and stay out of sight
I don’t care what you say or do
I’m laying low, and hiding from you
But then you’re at my door in leather and lace
Wearing a good time all over your face
And I’m six days sober (Six days sober)
I’m six days sober (Six days sober)
I’m six days sober (Six days sober)
I’m six days sober (Six days sober)
Try as hard as I might
I’m no good come Friday night
10. Nick Drake’s Sister (Patterson, Derden)
There’s a girl in my soup
She avoids gravity
She speaks to me
She speaks to me so casually
Second home in Burma
Along Coronation Street
She keeps my letters
She keeps my letters discreet
She’s an au pair girl
She’s an au pair girl
She’s a deuce soubrette
She’s getting high on a cigarette
She’s a misplaced Midlands abbey
She’s a virgin to the secrets
She helps me
She helps me when I am nervous
She lulls my mind to sleep
She’s a balm of courage
And I nodded off again
Feeling a little discouraged
She’s an au pair girl
She’s an au pair girl
She’s a deuce soubrette
She’s getting high on a cigarette
She drew a charcoal picture
It hangs above her bed
I think it’s a portrait of me
So, I can see her when she’s lying there
I can meet up with you
Call me to the studio tomorrow
I’ll bring rocks for you
Rocks from Capistrano
She’s an au pair girl
She’s an au pair girl
She’s a deuce soubrette
She’s getting high on a cigarette
She’s a deuce soubrette
She’s an au pair girl getting high on a cigarette
11. Wiccan Chicken (Derden, Patterson)
Anyone who regularly drives down Kavanaugh
Has seen the chicken man
David Boyett sitting on the Promenade
Near the Allsopp Park entrance
He’s the chicken man
The chicken man
The chicken man
Anyone who drives in Little Rock town
Has seen the chicken man
He has the world’s smallest petting zoo
Consisting solely of a chicken or two
He’s the chicken man
The chicken man
He’s the chicken man
(Colonel Sanders cries like a baby watching that watching that crazy bird get shaky)
David has a chicken named Tilda Jane
She’s a Wiccan Chicken and a tease
Everyone who holds her in their arms
Wants to take her home
He’s the chicken man
The chicken man
He’s the chicken man
He’s the chicken man
12. Doubt is the Devil (Derden, Patterson)
Doubt is the Devil. It’ll pull you down
Doubt is the Devil. It’ll pull you down
Doubt is the Devil. It’ll pull you down
Down to your knees, down to the ground
Lucifer spoke up and God struck him down
Lucifer spoke up and God struck him down
Lucifer spoke up and God struck him down
Once in heaven, now he’s hell bound
The Devil found refuge in an old apple tree
The Devil found refuge in an old apple tree
The Devil found refuge in an old apple tree
God ain’t so great, he smiled, and said to Eve
Ask me about knowledge, and I’ll show you around
Ask me about knowledge, and I’ll show you around
Ask me about knowledge, and I’ll show you around
So, God took his arms and cursed him to the ground
(Who all’s seen the leprechaun, say yeah!)
The Devil can’t get no handouts cause he ain’t got no hands
God made him a serpent not the second in command
Now, the Devil can’t get no handouts cause he ain’t got no hands
Just a mouthful of dust and a belly full of sand
Doubt is the Devil and the Devil won’t let me be
Doubt is the Devil and the Devil won’t let me be
Bury me in the ground and trodden I will be
Venus de Milo, the Devil, and me make three