1. |
Roll Away
04:01
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If I were a better man
I'd let the river wash me away
Wash me away, lift me up
And I'd roll away
If I had the fear of God
i wouldn't need to keep so much
Keep so much that holds me down
You know I'd roll away
Roll away, roll away
If my soul gets right then I could leave today
Blessed river, hear what I say
Help me roll away
If I could touch your face once more
I could breathe the breath I need
The breath I need to move along
And I'd roll away
Roll away, roll away
If my soul gets right then I could leave today
Blessed river, hear what I say
Help me roll away
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2. |
Midwestern Sky
05:00
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It goes on forever, so many shades of blue
It can hold you close, the way a lover might do
Or give you space to run through the clouds of gray
Then call you back home, when you've been too long away
The midwestern sky, so deep and wide
You can lose yourself, you can forget your pride
She said it was time for her to say goodbye
But what does she know about the midwestern sky
That sky seems to know everywhere you've been
It keeps stretching out, doesn't close you in
Once I've picked myself up, once I've dried my eyes
I'll find someone who knows the midwestern sky
The midwestern sky, so deep and wide
You can lose yourself, you can forget your pride
She said it was time for her to say goodbye
But what does she know about the midwestern sky
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3. |
Things Get Right
04:04
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We're up in Traverse City, summer's falling from the trees
The waves crawl 'cross the harbor from a crisp southwestern breeze
Walking by the boat docks, I take your hand in mine
And start to realize some wounds only need some time
And you're here, you're here
The worries that once killed me, don't matter much these days
I've let go of all the things I can't hold onto anyway
I used to wake in cold sweats, now I'm sleeping through the night
When things get right,
It's all right
It seems like such a short time for us to've come so far
A Belgian at the Rare Bird, some wine in Leelenau
As I get near the intersections traffic lights turn green
I'm in love with a black cat, bad luck can't follow me
And you're here, you're here
The worries that once killed me, don't matter much these days
I've let go of all the things I can't hold onto anyway
I used to wake in cold sweats, now I'm sleeping through the night
When things get right,
It's all right
The weekend winding down, I had to say goodbye to you
I'm heading back to Lansing, driving south on 22
The road stretched out before me, the sun splits through the trees
I know it won't be long before you're once again with me
And I'll be here, right here
The worries that once killed me, don't matter much these days
I've let go of all the things I can't hold onto anyway
I used to wake in cold sweats, now I'm sleeping through the night
When things get right,
It's all right
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4. |
My Father's Boat
05:16
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My father and his father spent a summer
Building a boat with their hands
Moving along with the grain
Yielding to the wood's demands
They soaked the plywood to bend it
Around the hull's oaken ribs
Guiding the form out of the pieces
With time and tools, and all they had to give
And it carried them over the waves
That roll on the face of Lake Michigan
Carried them through wind and rain
And brought them home again
The only work I can build
Is these songs that my fingers shape
Bending 'round the neck of my guitar
Moving along it's face
My father's father died forty years ago
And that boat rode the waves for its last time
But I'm searching for a craft that's as sturdy
With chords of oak and plywood rhymes
To carry you over the waves
That roll on the face of Lake Michigan
Carry you through wind and rain
And bring you home again
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5. |
Company Store
04:10
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Pick up your hammer, and swing it on down
You're working for the company that owns this town
At the end of the week, they tally what you've worked for
Then pay you in scrip at the company store
Shelves may be stocked, but prices are high
You've barely got enough to get your family by
A bitter wind don't stop at your front door
Your life won't get no better than the company store
Our transactions are so one-sided
There's no satisfaction in a house divided
However much I get, I always pay more
Loving you is like buying from the company store
Coal in your lungs, a wrench in your back
Cough into your handkerchief and watch it turn black
This whole town is rotten to the core
But you're given your life to the company store
Our transactions are so one-sided
There's no satisfaction in a house divided
However much I get, I always pay more
Loving you is like buying from the company store
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6. |
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A talent that gets buried
At the roots of a mighty tree
Never sees the morning
We'll never know what it might be
We keep our gifts inside us
Afraid to let them show
Buried in the soil
Where no one else can go
Help us live, help us grow
Help us learn when to let go
Help us look past the parts to see the whole
Help us be good stewards of our souls
We are given
So many blessings every day
Sometimes it's hope we squander
Sometimes it's love we throw away
So in this time we have together
Guide us toward what we can become
Help us pull our talents
From the soil to see the sun
Help us live, help us grow
Help us learn when to let go
Help us look past the parts to see the whole
Help us be good stewards of our souls
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7. |
Sacramento
04:52
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I came to this town with my suitcase in hand,
A pen and a notebook of songs
Leaving behind the midwestern sky
I'd slept beneath for so long
I knew every star in that Michigan night
Somehow, it seems it's all changed
Walking around the streets of this town
Without a soul breathing my name
So thank you for all that you've given me,
The poems, the friends, and the wine
I've been thinking awhile about leaving
I'm thinking 'bout now that it's time
I've lived with my lover and I've lived alone
I guess that I've always known
Sacramento, Sacramento -
Sacramento, you're still not my home
Plains lay flat by the highway
Grass is parched all summer long
I miss the September thunder
Leaves curling golden and brown
I can't find my way through the rhythms
People all wandering by
I guess that I'm just a midwestern boy
I guess I'll be 'til I die
So thank you for all that you've given me,
The poems, the friends, and the wine
I've been thinking awhile about leaving
I'm thinking 'bout now that it's time
I've lived with my lover and I've lived alone
I guess that I've always known
Sacramento, Sacramento -
Sacramento, you're still not my home
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8. |
Two Hundred Miles
03:55
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I've got two hundred miles to drive tonight
Ain't nothing but dark and road in front of me
And these dog-eared memories of you are all I have
To keep me company
Be with me through the night
Be my companion be my light
And I'll carry you with me all the while
Through every one of these two hundred miles
I've got two hundred miles to drive tonight
Seems like such a long, long way
But this highway I'm on is going to take me home
I can be there before the break of day
Be with me where e'er I go
Through this dark and through this cold
And these heavy thoughts might glimmer towards a smile
With every one of these two hundred miles
And my stereo is busted, it just spits my cds out
I can't find nothing but static on the radio
I put my ear to all your whispers, 'til each one seemed like a shout
Reminding me of just how far I have to go
So far to go
I've got two hundred miles 'til I get home
And I pray that you'll be waiting
So I'll keep holding on to the memory of your smile
Just to stop my world from breaking
Be with me through the night
Be my companion be my light
And I'll carry you with me all the while
Through every one of these two hundred miles
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9. |
Song for a Traveler
04:48
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May this song lead you safely home
May it remind you that you are not alone
May it comfort you when hope
Seems distant and unknown
May this song lead you safely home
May the road always know your name
May you always hold your head up without shame
And when someone shows you kindness
May you wish on them the same
May the road always know your name
May your burden never be too much to bear
May you always have a coin to pay your fare
When you meet someone who's needy
May you have enough to share
May your burden never be too much to bear
May this song lead you safely home
May it remind you that you are not alone
May it comfort you when hope
Seems distant and unknown
May this song lead you safely home
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10. |
Cardinal in Winter
04:24
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Cars rolling in the ditch outside, along I-96
The warmth from our fireplace keeps getting dimmer
Then a flash of bright red streaks across the barren white
There's a cardinal in winter
There's a cardinal in winter
We're wrapped up in our blankets, huddled on the couch
Even in the cold your arms feel tender
And looking out the window, through drifting swirls of snow
There's a cardinal in winter
We see a cardinal in winter
Seems like all the world is barren white and still
The hope of sunshine's warmth is just a glimmer
But landing on the frozen branches, beneath the windowsill
There's a cardinal in winter
There's a cardinal in winter
Cold creeps in through the windowpanes, the fire's down to embers
Your soul feels like it's frosting at the center
When it seems the sun will never come, try hard to remember
There's a cardinal in winter
There's always a cardinal in winter
In these days of whipping winds I try to do the best I can
I try to be more saint than rambling sinner
I still need reminders that spring is coming on
You're my cardinal in winter
You know that you're my cardinal in winter
Seems like all the world is barren white and still
The hope of sunshine's warmth is just a glimmer
But landing on the frozen branches, beneath the windowsill
There's a cardinal in winter
There's a cardinal in winter
There's always a cardinal in winter
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Brandon Grafius Delhi Charter Township, Michigan
Brandon Grafius has spent most of his life in Michigan, and has been performing in the Lansing area for almost 20 years. When he's not playing guitar, he teaches Old Testament and Hebrew at Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit.
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