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Live By Your Word

by Eric Dahl

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1.
If Time Was Made of Doors 02:38
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If Time Was Made Of Doors © 2011 by Eric Dahl If time was made of doors Instead of walls and floors There’s one door I’d walk through To hold the timelessness, the timelessness of you. I’d be with you if time was made of doors. I know it’s supposed to be through Turning away was the only turn we knew But the words I never could get right Stumble through my head again Lost back then tonight. I’d be with you if time was made of doors. Never told anyone, never told anyone I just let it be true, me and you When time was made of doors. They’re tearing down the Armadillo beams All that’s left is the heartache of salvaged dreams. I’m walking down the one street I still know, Leaving the future behind, where else can I go? I’d be with you if time was made of doors. I’d be with you if time was made of doors.
2.
Tacos 02:58
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Tacos © 2011 by Eric Dahl She was making tacos at the Taco Time I was on the corner making dime after dime Saw her through the window, flashing that smile Across a cheese enchilada to a realtor with style — Ambition’s a bitch, but I’m gonna get rich. Hey mister better give me a dime Don’t you come back to this Taco Time The lady’s my sister, she’s underage You shiny suited bastards send me into a rage — Ambition’s a bitch, but I’m gonna get rich. I took the dollar and I went inside Give me two tacos with love on each side If I had a future instead of this song Would you take off that apron and come along? So you’re making tacos at the Taco Time I work the corner making dime after dime Saw you through the window, flashing that smile Across a chile relleno to a lawyer with style — Ambition’s a bitch, but I’m gonna get rich. Saw her through the window, flashing that smile Across a chicken tostada to a doctor with style When she was making tacos at the Taco Time I’m still on the corner making dime after dime — Ambition’s a bitch, I’m gonna get rich.
3.
Could You Love Me 04:23
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Could You Love Me? © 2011 by Eric Dahl Cold as hell in Singapore, but at least I made some dough. It was cold as hell in Singapore, but at least I made some dough. I could tell you all about it, but you really, really don’t wanna know. I was dreaming bout you baby, all the way down on the plane. I been dreaming bout you baby, all the way back on the plane. Maybe we should wait a week, just to see if I’m still sane. Do you think you could love me? Do you think you could love me? Could you love me? I’d love to take you dancing, bought you a new Singapore silk blouse. I would love to take you dancing, bought you a new Singapore silk blouse. Is the Texas cactus blooming? Is there bourbon in the house? I don’t mean to take it lightly, I know that I was wrong. I don’t mean to take it lightly, I know that I was wrong. And I don’t mean for just one night or one week, I mean for my whole life long. Could you love me? We could talk about the future, you could bitch about my friends. We could talk about the past and the future, you could bitch about my friends. I could even call your cutthroat family and try to make amends. Do you think you could love me? Do you think you could love me? Could you love me? Or you could just love me, you could just love me. Could you love me? Baby could it be you’re still in love with me?
4.
Jarrel 04:13
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Jarrell © 2011 by Eric Dahl When the cloud came down just a few miles from town It seemed to hang there, hold there, like a huge black bull, Then it twisted ahead Left twenty-seven dead Awash in the shock and the pull. Sirens wailing across central Texas Children come inside. We’re gonna be safe, But it’s gotta come down somewhere. God help those unfortunate people to hide. It’s usually best not to run, best to hold your ground But this time it was so strong it tore everything down. Cowhide stripped from the flesh like bark from the trees Houses torn from concrete slabs People waiting on bended knees. People asking why any god in the sky Would cut down the helpless, let so many die? Two boys riding on bikes trying to outrun the wind They’ll be riding through my mind Whether we leave this place behind or build it back again. Out in Jarrell gathered at the churchyard People singing hymns, saying goodbye As the storm tears invisibly through the hearts of central Texas And the wind blows soft again under a calm and distant sky.
5.
Book of Love 04:36
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Book Of Love © 2011 by Eric Dahl You better tell yourself if you want to fall in love Tell yourself, “I want the right kind of love.” Don’t have to say why. Just say, “I wanna fall in love, don’t know how or when, maybe a few years from now, maybe tonight. Faith, hope and falling for someone, chapter 23, No map on the road to happiness—it’s a mystery. How can I believe when I feel this way? How can anything change what I face day by day? That’s a fair question, let’s look it up in the book of love. Believin’ is a deep-down obligation. Without it there’s no opening up, no revelation. You gotta believe. I believe. I believe you’re headed for a transformation. Faith, hope and fallin for someone, chapter 33, no map on the road to happiness, it’s a mystery When things been going wrong, got you down on your knees There’s a one-word song, sing it: Mercy. Remember how they sing it now, Mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy. Faith hope and fallin for someone, chapter 43, no map on the road to happiness, it’s a mystery. What are the odds that love’s gonna come? Maybe you heard five million to one. If you ask the sibylline oracle or the trinity, Look em right back in the face and say, It’s gonna happen to me, it’s gonna happen to me, It’s gonna happen, yeah, yeah. Faith, hope and falling for someone, chapter 53, No map on the road to happiness—it’s a mystery. Faith, hope and falling for someone, chapter 93, No map on the road to happiness—it’s a mystery.
6.
Sometimes the Trains Don't Roll 03:30
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Sometimes The Trains Don't Roll © 2011 by Eric Dahl I’m not so sure He’s wrong and everyone else is right. You all sound so righteous and so pure But I won’t choose sides tonight. Sometimes the trains don’t roll Sometimes the trains don’t roll Sometimes things get out of control And the trains don’t roll, the trains don’t roll. Maybe he crossed some lines that bend But he always stood strong by my side. So now when his troubles just won’t end Am I supposed to run and hide? Sometimes the trains don’t roll Sometimes the trains don’t roll Sometimes things get out of control And the trains don’t roll, the trains don’t roll. I don’t think it’s anyone’s place To take pride in another man’s loss And I don’t like the cold smile crossing your face As he falls down hard carrying his own cross. Sometimes the wrong hand takes the nail Sometimes the power lines fail Sometimes when the wind blows too stale The ships don’t sail. Sometimes the trains don’t roll Sometimes the trains don’t roll Sometimes things get out of control And the trains don’t roll, the trains don’t roll.
7.
Find It 03:27
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Find It © 2011 by Eric Dahl The sunrise shines through a closet door, And your clothes light up like gods. Will you be here tonight, what are the odds? I can’t fix it if nothing’s wrong I can’t find it if nothing’s there Been waiting but the wait is long Gotta come up for air. Once got this lost Trying to find my way to a freeway. Saw roads I knew But I couldn’t let myself turn. You can go the wrong way If you’re headstrong Across the whole city, Saying the next light’s the one The signs are all wrong And these tears don’t burn. I will mend you With breakthrough medicine. I’ll defend you at the dark edge of the sea. I’ll pretend I know who I am Disguised in my own clothes So you’ll have someone strong as I should be. Find it—what’s wrong? Fix it—what’s there? Been waiting but the wait is long Gotta come up for air. Find it—
8.
The Dumbest Game 02:16
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The Dumbest Game © 2011 by Eric Dahl You look beat down taking it hard Hoping it changes on the very next card Deuce or double, it’s all the same. I might not play the smartest hand But I win sometimes because I understand How to find that table with the dumbest game. Was a time I said I’ll take the world Line up the drinks, bring me the girl, Give me the front page. I need the fame. Kept coming back getting hit in the head Till the father of one of my best friends said, “Son, you better find the dumbest game.” I lost time and I lost good money Lost some friends but you know it’s funny I won it back in the dumbest game. I might not play the smartest hand But I win sometimes because I understand How to find that table with the dumbest game.
9.
One Step Up 04:11
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One Step Up © 2011 by Eric Dahl I Disappointment wearing Worn-out shoes, You’re not talking But it’s on the news. Someone’s gotta pay, Heads are gonna roll, Even the sacrificial victim can’t save a soul. Why don’t you trust me tonight To know what’s wrong and do what’s right? You don’t have to fight it, You can rise up some other day. It’s one step up, two steps back After love knocks you down Like a heart attack. What lifts us up Is the selfishness and sorrow Falling away. II This neon night is real, now is now, Show you how to walk If you wanna know how. There’s a doorway round the corner Where I fell on my face, You know I never think about it When I walk past that place. Why don’t you trust me tonight To know what’s wrong and do what’s right? The scene running through your head Is one you never play. One step up, two steps back After love knocks you down Like a heart attack. What lifts us up Is the selfishness and sorrow Falling away. One step up, two steps back After love knocks you down Like a heart attack. What lifts us up Is the selfishness and sorrow Falling away. It’s one step up, One step up, Take one step up, One step up.
10.
If You Say No (The LH7 near Bandera) 03:30
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If You Say No (The LH7 near Bandera) © 2011 by Eric Dahl I know that you were up at dawn, your horses they don’t wait They whinny and they paw the ground, telling you you’re late Orion’s hanging by your trailer, you’re nowhere to be seen You don’t hear me cause you’re dead asleep As I whisper through your window screen. If you say no, and I walk along the pasture to my car If you come outside for a cigarette, just the way you are Sitting on that steel step Would you just think about waving goodbye? Sometimes things don’t work out, nobody’s asking why. There’s a band in town at the Cabaret, they know how we feel There’s a guitar player from Houston, there’s a ghost on pedal steel There’s a San Antonio drummer, There’s a Louisiana woman in jeans, And an old coyote who sings like a dog lost in his cactus dreams. If you say no, and I walk along the pasture to my car If you come outside for a cigarette, just the way you are Sitting on that steel step Would you just think about waving goodbye? Sometimes things don’t work out, nobody’s asking why. Out on the Medina River there’s a place I love to go A longhorn ranch with a sun-baked tack house And a shady bench where I sing my show. I swear to God there’s one old steer, horns clear out to the moon He listens close till I screw up, and he leaves if I stop to tune. If you say no, and I walk along the pasture to my car There’ll be no one back there waving goodbye That’s just the way you are. Sitting on that steel step as the tail lights drift by Sometimes things don’t work out, nobody’s asking why.
11.
Live By Your Word 03:22
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Live By Your Word © 2011 by Eric Dahl Got a friend, he’s a car mechanic Says fixing broke-down cars is not his niche There are so many mechanics and he’s not trying to get rich. He’s an honest man, that’s a lifelong position His niche is being an honest mechanic He says there’s no competition. These are some broke-down days In case you haven’t heard. Gonna get confused and lost in the maze Unless you live by your word. Came here looking for a job, stranger said she’d get me on track. When she called with work, I was so grateful and surprised She said, “Did you think I wouldn’t call back?” I said, “Maybe I’m not used to people doing what they say.” She said, “In these parts you better do what you promise Or you have to move away.” These are some broke-down days — The way you waited to attack until I’d given all I’ve given And the way you went blank as you knifed me in the back Are the true signs of the times we live in. These are some broke-down days In case you haven’t heard. Gonna get confused and lost in the maze Unless you live by your word.
12.
What About the Friends I Left Behind 03:47
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What About the Friends I Left Behind © 2011 by Eric Dahl There was a guy shouting into a pay phone As I scraped the red clay and the tar At the carwash last night Wiping the water off of my car. He was saying, “Baby that’s not good enough — What about the friends I left behind?” It happens to me everywhere, good times come to mind, Driving an unfamiliar highway, good times come to mind, But that’s not good enough, what about the friends I left behind? Let all acquaintance be forgot, bring me champagne, the best vintage As the century goes down in Vicksburg, Mississippi, like water under the bridge But that’s not good enough, what about the friends I left behind? I started north from Marble Falls to Waco, crossed the cotton fields of Corsicana And in the refinery lights and the casinos of Shreveport Good times came to mind. Crossed the river at Vicksburg about midnight. What about the friends I left behind? Pulled off twenty through Lawrence, Newton and Chunky Mississippi, Good times came to mind, But I keep hearing this guy at the car wash Shouting into a pay phone: “Baby that’s not good enough — What about the friends I left behind?”

about

Live by Your Word (Yew Lane Music 2011) ventures deeper into Texas scenes and personaliies with portraits of Austin characters and other natural wonders. The title song offers the perspective of a car mechanic who wryly observes that his real niche, what distinguishes him from others in his profession, is not a specialized automotive skill, but the fact that he is an honest mechanic. In “Sometimes the Trains Don’t Roll” another character explains his loyalty and unwillingness to join a group that is condemning a mutual friend. A character in another song, with a different kind of self-awareness, explains that although he is not a born gambler, he succeeds because he is good at finding “The Dumbest Game.”

There are also more private reflections in these songs — soliloquies of emotional depth spoken by unnamed actors in songs like “Find It” and “One Step Up.” Although this is a compilation dedicated to Texas subjects and musical forms, these two songs link to Dahl’s Alt Rock connections in the Pacific Northwest.

In terms of observing scenes in nature and bringing them to life with poetry, the best example in this collection is probably “If You Say No.” It describes a missed personal connection, with a backdrop of exquisite images from a longhorn ranch outside Bandera. The steel guitar of John Keane on this song is remarkably beautiful. Another example is “If Time Was Made of Doors” which considers Austin’s redevelopment in the metaphoric context of a failing love affair. A more direct example of visualizing and realizing the natural environment is “Jarrell,” which describes the overt physical consequences and extreme violence of a Tornado that tore apart a town in Tornado Alley, leaving a scoured and barren landscape.

The songs in the collection are quite varied in genre, with an eclectic blending of styles that has been a feature of the Austin scene for decades. Listening to this collection you will encounter folk, folk rock, country, outlaw country, Americana, Tejano, Blues and even a soul song (“Book of Love”). This diversity should evoke the sense of drifting from club to club in Austin, coming home at 3AM with very rich echoes rolling in the soul.

credits

released July 1, 2011

PERFORMERS
Eric Dahl – Lead Vocals and Acoustic Guitar
Ernie Durawa – Drums and All Percusion
Monte Mann – Lead Guitar and Backup Vocals
Larry Eisenberg – Electric and Acoustic Bass
John Hawk – Lead Guitar (Tacos)
John Keane – Steel Guitar (If You Say No) Slide Guitar
(Jarrell) Lead Guitar – (Sometimes the Trains Don’t Roll)
Floyd Domino – Piano (Book of Love)
Howard Kalish – Fiddle (If Time Was Made of Doors and The Dumbest Game)
Scott Walls – Pedal Steel (If Time Was Made of Doors and The Dumbest Game)
Sondra Johnson and Lamonica Lewis – Backup Vocals (Book of Love)
Artwork Design and Layout – Wes Sauer, Cider Press Media
Photos – Scott Miller (Cover and Hand on Stone)
Gavin Dahl (Coronado and Heifer) Bert’s Nikon
(Cactus House), Steve Garufi (Mississippi Bridge)
Bob Bissett (Live at the Saxon Pub)
Holmer Jones (Guitar) Anonymous (Tornado)
Wes Sauer (Tacqueria el Rincon, Rusty’s Auto, Socket Set)

PRODUCTION
Recorded at: Parrot Tracks Studio, Austin, with George Coyne
Sonora Recorders, Los Angeles, with Jeff Peters
John Keane Studios, Athens, with John Keane
Mixed and Mastered by John Keane
Sound Concept by John Hawk
Written and Produced by Eric Dahl All Rights Reserved

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Eric Dahl Seattle, Washington

His music ranges from acoustic neo-rockabilly to thoughtful and reflective with a voice somewhere between Johnny Cash and Lou Reed.

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