1 I Never Give Up 3:10 (Jim Patton)
2 Old County Rd 2:15 (Jim Patton)
3 On the Day I Leave This World 4:03 (Jim Patton)
4 Rebels Without Applause 3:01 (Jim Patton)
5 Don’t Say Goodbye 2:56 (Jim Patton-Frank Mirenzi)
6 I’m Not Singing For You 2:10 (Jim Patton)
7 27 Voices 2:51 (Jim Patton)
8 Ghosts in This Room Tonight 3:05 (Jim Patton)
9 Hole in His Heart (demo) 2:37 (Jim Patton-Frank Mirenzi)
10 My Hometown’s Not My Hometown Anymore 3:06 (Jim Patton-Jeff Talmadge)
11 Learning to Fall 2:36 (Jim Patton-Steve Brooks)
12 I Turn To You 3:14 (Jim Patton-Frank Mirenzi)
13 (Ballad of the) Oxbow Inn 4:13 (Jim Patton)
14 Aliceanna St 4:06 (Jim Patton-Frank Mirenzi-Geoffrey Himes-Billy Kemp)
15 Mystery Ride (Nick) (unreleased) 4:35 (Jim Patton)
16 Drown 3:47 (Jim Patton-Jeff Talmadge)
17 Fortunate Man 3:09 (Jim Patton)
18 After the Dance 2:42 (Jim Patton-Sherry Brokus)
I Never Give Up
I never give up
I’m just a stubborn fool
Oh, I get down sometimes
Just the same as you
I’ve believed in dreams
That would not come true
And I’ve lost some friends
I didn’t mean to lose
But I never give up
Not me
Sometimes I get so angry
Sometimes I get confused
Sometimes I get so worried
I don’t know what to do
But I never give up
Won’t let my spirit fall
I will rise above
I will stand up tall
Some people try to drag you down
And bring you to your knees
Sometimes a ray of hope
Is all the light you need
It’s been a long hard road
But I’m not nearly through
I’m gonna live my life
Like I set out to do
Cause I never give up
I always get back up
I never give up
Don’t you
© Jim Patton (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
Old County Rd
I’m going down Old County Road
Soon as I cash my paycheck
There’s gonna be a party tonight
Down Old County Road
Nick’s gonna bring a jug of wine
Jim Brady’s bringing candy
We’re gonna have a real good time
Down Old County Road
There’s gonna be a keg of beer
And chili on the stove
And somebody’s gonna fall in love tonight
Down Old County Road
They’re gonna have a real good band
They sound like the Rolling Stones
They’re gonna sing some songs they wrote
About Old County Road
I’m gonna stay up all night long
Make some memories
Nobody’s gonna get to sleep tonight
Down Old County Road
I’m going down Old County Road
Soon as I cash my paycheck
There’s gonna be a party tonight
Down Old County Road
© Jim Patton (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
On The Day I Leave This World
On the day I leave this world
The sun will still rise in the sky
Birds will take wing; dogs will chase squirrels
Somewhere a newborn babe will cry
Cause on the day I leave this world
This merry-go-round will keep on spinning
And I’m hoping what seems like the end
Will just be a new beginning
On the day I leave this world
On the day I leave this world
Somebody’s daughter will be getting married
That foolish boy; that long-legged girl
All the burdens they now carry
But on the day I leave this world
Our love will go on living
And for all the times I may have acted otherwise
I hope that I will be forgiven
On the day I leave this world
Everything comes to an end
Not just good things, bad things too
What’s left are seeds in the wind
On the day I leave this world
On the day I leave this world
I’ll leave some friends behind me
And my old pals will play guitars and sing
About how some ties are binding
On the day I leave this world
Cause on the day I leave this world
There will be no need to cry
The sun will still go down at Venice Beach
And I’ll try to wave goodbye
On the day I leave this world
© Jim Patton (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
Rebels Without Applause
Not everybody knows their names
I must confess that’s true
But I don’t know if that’s so bad
On account of the work they do
If they were rich and famous
It would not serve their cause
Telling the story of the Great Unknown
Rebels without applause
They have hearts of lions
They don’t give in to defeat
Their joy is like lightning flashed
Their sorrow is bone deep
Their aim is straight and true, my friend,
They do not double cross
Hats off to the Great Unknown
Rebels without applause
All of them are dreamers
Though they’ve been burned a time or two
Their minds are still wide open
To someone else’s point of view
They still don’t what they are told
They answer to a higher boss
Say a prayer for the Great Unknown
Rebels without applause
Sometimes they wish they hadn’t flown
So close to the sun
Sometimes they wish they could walk away
Before their work is done
But they are Keepers of the Flame
No matter what the cost
Give thanks for the Great Unknown
Rebels without applause
They’re the ones who shine a light
When everything seems lost
God bless the Great Unknown
Rebels without applause
© Jim Patton (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
Don’t Say Goodbye
Heard you’re leaving town today
For a new and better life, well that’s ok
Toward thinner air and bluer skies
Just say so long
Don’t say goodbye
A wheel can turn without some spokes
But without the center, that wheel’s just broke
Now this old wheel’s been shot to hell
Don’t say goodbye
Say fare thee well
Now that red sun is setting strong
And I know, I know you must be moving on
500 miles before the dawn
Don’t say goodbye Just say so long
Now my old friend, we’ve often been apart
Ah, but never, never, never in my heart
You wrote the words, I sang the tune
Don’t say goodbye
Say see you soon
I wrote the words, You sang the tune
Don’t say goodbye
Say see you soon
Just say so long
Don’t say goodbye
I’ll say fare thee well
Cause I don’t say goodbye
© Jim Patton and Frank Mirenzi (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
I’m Not Singing For You
I’m not singing for you
If you’ve never been lonely
I’m not singing for you
If you’ve never been blue
If you’ve never been sad
If you’ve never had love go bad
I confess it’s true
I’m not singing for you
This song’s for everyone
Who feels lost and forgotten
This song’s for everyone
Whose dreams don’t come true
If you’ve never been hurt
If you’ve never been treated like dirt
I confess it’s true
I’m not singing for you
Oh I might have sung one or two songs about you
I might even have made fun of you once in a while
If you believe
That money is all that matters
If you measure your happiness
By what you accrue
If you’ve never been hurt
If you’ve never been treated like dirt
I confess it’s true
I’m not singing for you
No if you’ve never been sad
If you’ve never had love go bad
I confess it’s true
I’m not singing for you
© Jim Patton (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
27 Voices
I’ve got 27 voices in my head
25 tell me I’d be better off dead
Twelve get scared in the middle of the night
One says: Jim you better hold on tight
Most of them are pretty sure I’ve been misled
By the other 26 voices in my head
I’ve got 27 voices in my head
27 voices
I’ve got 27 voices in my brain
Two remind me of my greatest shame
Three can’t even remember my name
Four of them are clinically insane
One voice howling like a hurricane
At the other 26 voices in my brain
I’ve got 27 voices in my brain
27 voices
One voice fills me with regret
Second voice says: forgive and forget
Third voice tells me: that’s a sucker’s bet
Fourth voice says: You take what you can get
One voice wishing he had never met
The other 26 voices in my head
I’ve got 27 voices in my head
27 voices
27 voices
© Jim Patton (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
Ghosts In This Room Tonight
There are ghosts in this room tonight
Haunting every word I say
There are ghosts in this room tonight
Friends we lost along the way
They never left me; they’re still by my side
You just can’t see them cause they’re painfully shy
There are ghosts in this room tonight
Haunting every word I sing
There are ghosts in this room tonight
Haunting every word I speak
Every thought, every mannerism,
Everything that makes me “me”
I owe a debt I can never repay
But you can bet I’m gonna try to anyway
There are ghosts in this room tonight
Haunting every word I sing
There’s a ghost in this room tonight
Haunting every note I play
Even if I wanted to
I couldn’t make him go away
He’s such a part of me
After all these years
I look for his applause
And hold back my tears
There’s a ghost in this room tonight
Haunting every word I sing
There are ghosts in this room tonight
Haunting every word I sing
© Jim Patton (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
Hole in His Heart (demo)
There’s a hole in Jenny’s heart
Where Johnny used to be
She tried to fill it up
With his memory
She turned to drink
She turned to drugs
She turned to God
With her obsessive love
Jenny’s got a hole in her heart
Jack quit drinking
When he finally bottomed out
He put himself back together
But something got left out
Some odd piece he could not fit
Some worn out part that finally quit
Jack has got a hole in his heart
He’s got a hole in his heart
That the wind blows through
He’s got a hole in his heart
He’s eternally blue
Jack has got a hole in his heart
Nick moved down to the beach
Then he just gave up
He says he hasn’t
But he lies about all that stuff
Too many debts
He could not pay
Too many dreams
That slipped away
Nick has got a hole in his heart
He’s got a hole in his heart
That he just can’t fix
He’s got a hole in his heart
And it’s making him sick
Nick has got a hole in his heart
He’s got a hole in his heart
That the wind blows through
He’s got a hole in his heart
He’s eternally blue
Nick has got a hole in his heart
© Jim Patton and Frank Mirenzi (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
My Hometown’s Not My Hometown Anymore
There used to be a town here
On your way down to the shore
My hometown’s not my hometown anymore
Fast food and stoplights
From Harbortowne to Baltimore
My hometown’s not my hometown anymore
Everything seems different
Nothing seems the same
Houses filled with strangers
No one knows my name
I couldn’t wait to leave here
No one could make me stay
My hometown’s not my hometown anymore
Dawson’s is a liquor store
The corner Safeway’s gone
My hometown’s not my hometown anymore
A Republican campaign sign’s
On what used to be my lawn
My hometown’s not my hometown anymore
Everything not torn down
Has been bought or sold
Every one I knew
Has gotten out or gotten old
I wonder if they settled down
And found their pot of gold
My hometown’s not my hometown anymore
Down at the Legion the boys are olderEven their stories have seen better daysWhen life was much sweeter, the beer was much colder
And night was for dancing away
There used to be a real town here
But now there’s just a sign
My hometown’s not my hometown anymore
On every street I know a story that starts
“Once upon a time…”
My hometown’s not my hometown anymore
A pack of kids down at the beach
Just like my friends and me
Counting down the days
Before they’re gonna leave
Twenty years from now
Wonder if they’ll grieve (and say:)
My hometown’s not my hometown anymore
My hometown’s not my hometown anymore
© Jim Patton and Jeff Talmadge (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)/(Totzien Music) (BMI)
Learning To Fall
Some people tell you they drink to forget
For me, that never was true
I drank to stand up to my problems
Gave me the strength to get through
Then drinking became the problem
Just one big problem to solve
Some people spend their lives learning to fly
I spend mine learning to fall
I’m learning to fall
Learning to fall
The hard part of flying so high
Is learning to fall
I had an angel who soared at my side
Flying too close to the sun
She had a parachute under her wings
I wasn’t carrying one
I was learning to fall
Learning to fall
The hard part of flying so high
Is learning to fall
And you don't get used to it
It hurts when you fall
You just refuse to quit
Then you get back up, that's all
Learning to fall Learning to fall
The hard part of flying so high
Is learning to fall
© Jim Patton and Steve Brooks (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)/(Casa Del Frog Music) (BMI)
I Turn To You
In this world
Full of trouble, pain, and sorrow
In this world
Full of hate and misery
When I'm lost
And I can see no light before me
I turn to you
In my hour of need
I turn to you
When outside the battle's raging
I turn to you
When the hard rain starts to fall
I turn to you
When I don't know where I'm going
When the wind blows cold and hungry in the darkness
I turn to you
In my time
I have climbed the highest mountain
In my time
I have sailed the deepest sea
In these times
When I'm lonely and uncertain
I turn to you
In my hour of need
© Jim Patton and Frank Mirenzi (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
(Ballad Of) The Oxbow Inn
I was up at the Oxbow, playing guitar
When I first met Sherry, standing at the bar
She’d had too much to drink
She asked me if she could sing
And I told her: “Sure!”
“We can play anything!”
Now my brother was mad
He played guitar in the band
And we had a rule:
“Let no Stranger sit in!”
Still, she knew the words to “Cowgirl in the Sand”
And he knew the chords, so we started to jam…
And she sang all right
Her voice was strong
She got a little confused
When we went on and on
But the next time we saw her
She sat in again
My brother agreed with me
Or else just caved in
And that was the moment
That changed my whole life
Cause that was the place
Where I first met my wife
Let’s drink to the night that I let her sit in
Let’s raise a glass to the Oxbow Inn
Now I never much cared for the Oxbow Inn
It was a place we could play, but I never fit in
It was way too expensive for all of my friends
We got fired and I didn’t see her again
The band broke up; we started a new one
My brother and me went auditioning women
And she was at Dave French’s house with a friend
We ended the night at the Oxbow Inn
But I wasn’t with her
I ended up with her friend
But let’s raise a glass to the Oxbow Inn
Let’s drink to the night that I let her sit in
Let’s raise a glass to the Oxbow Inn
Down Ritchie Highway, in Arnold, Maryland
She didn’t get the job
She ended up second
She kept calling my Mom’s house
To see if she could sing backup
Then one day the new girl didn’t show up at all
And my brother said: “Hey, let’s give Sherry a call!”
Thirty years later
She’s still in the band
Whattya say?
Let’s give her a hand!
It still took us a while to get it together
But we became friends and our road changed forever
I asked her to a party but she could not attend
I was pretty sure she had an old boyfriend
Then we had our own party one night after practice
It started to snow and I said: “That looks dangerous!”
“Why don’t you just stay with me for the night?”
“Just to be safe” and she said: “All right”
I don’t need to say more
The rest is now history
Let the reason and why
Remain shrouded in mystery
Let’s drink to the night that I let her sit in
Let’s raise a glass to the Oxbow Inn
Because that was the moment
That changed my whole life
That was the place
Where I first met my wife
So let’s drink to the night that I let her sit in
Let’s raise one more glass to the Oxbow Inn
In Arnold, Maryland
© Jim Patton (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
Aliceanna St.
See the people in the morning on their way to work
Or maybe just out looking for a day's pay
I see 'em leaving in the morning
I see 'em come home late at night
Looking like they lost something along the way
I see my man coming home, so down and tired
The bottle's open before I get supper on
But I’m not complaining; it makes him feel better
Aliceanna Street ain't what we counted on
It's not the working hard
It's not the being poor
It's the feeling deep inside us
We could be so much more
It's not the bitter cold
It's not the August heat
It's being stuck without a choice
On Aliceanna Street
Now I work part-time while my kids are at school
There's no one home when they let themselves in
And I tell them they'll have it different
And I tell them they'll have it better
Christ, I tell them anything that I can
The nuns say you gotta suffer to earn your place above
It's a sin to expect any more
Well, I don't believe that and I don't feel guilty
I know this ain’t what living’s for
Sometimes we take the kids on that old ferry boat
And we wave to all the people on the shore
Someday we’ll pack our bags and ride across that water
And we won't come back here anymore
© words and music by Jim Patton and Frank Mirenzi (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
© additional music by Billy Kemp (Willbilly Music) (BMI), and Geoffrey Himes (Red Wheelbarrow Music) (BMI)
Mystery Ride (Nick) (previously unreleased)
Nick put his head through a plate glass window
At a party at my house when he was on LSD
Some girl that he hated walked into the backyard
And said: "Just who I wanted to see!"
Nick said this proved the magical powers of acid
He not only lived to tell the day
But the best thing of all about this miracle drug
Was it made that girl go away
Some say he died on a carnival ride
They say that he plunged 50 feet
But I hope he's alive on that mystery ride
And his story is not yet complete
Once Nick met a girl that he liked at a party
And he cornered her in the kitchen drinking almaden wine
And he courted her with lines spoken by Marlon Brando
On the waterfront, an East Coast shoreline
And Shawn 'n I acted like movie directors
"Lights, camera, action!" we sang
But Nick wasn't acting or playing a part
He was all by himself in the ring
I heard that he swerved when his bike took a curve
And he died on that wet, bloody street
But I hope he's alive on that mystery ride
And his story is not yet complete
Once Nick took a chair to the middle of my backyard
& He said, "Come here quick, Jim! This you gotta see!"
& Through a trick of the light we were watching our lives
Like a movie or a show on tv
Sherry was dancing & somebody was singing
You could hear a guitar through the screen
And Nick said the trick is to look at the light
When you're falling apart at the seams
I heard he's an actor or he’s driving a tractor
Or he’s homeless, living out on the street
I hope he's alive on that mystery ride
And his story is not yet complete
Once I dreamed that Nick sent a letter to Texas
That said he'd been dreaming about a hawk & a snake
And he stood at a crossroads with blood in his eyes
No idea which road he should take
One road led to Shame, one road led to Glory
One road led to Freedom, one Chains
And Nick said he stared till he almost went blind
But they all looked exactly the same
I don't care if he's rich beyond his wildest dreams
Or just trying to make both ends meet
I hope he's alive on that mystery ride
And his story is not yet complete
I hope he's alive on that mystery ride
And his story is not yet complete
© Jim Patton (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
Drown
Well, he earned his reputation
As a man who can’t be saved
Every new addiction’s
One step closer to his grave
And I wish we could help him
Instead of watch him spiral down
But you just can’t throw a lifeline
To a man who wants to drown
He drags his best friends with him
He wrecks his family
He makes promise after promise
We all know he’ll never keep
He abandons his convictions
At that bar in Harbortowne
And you just can’t throw a lifeline
To a man who wants to drown
He’ll pull you in He’ll pull you in
He used to be your friend
But he’ll pull you in
He tried a 12 step program
He tripped on number four
He couldn’t face the mirror
So he closed another door
The friend we all remember
Isn’t in him now
And you just can’t throw a lifeline
To a man who wants to drown
You just can’t throw a lifeline
To a man who wants to drown
© Jim Patton, Sherry Brokus, and Jeff Talmadge (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)/(Totzien Music) (BMI)
Fortunate Man
This isn’t the life that I pictured
But this is the life that I chose
Measured by jewelry,
My life isn’t much, I suppose
Cause I’ve never made any money
And fame was a Tuesday night stand
In spite of all that
I am a fortunate man
For I have the fairest of lovers
And I have the truest of friends
And I have a place I can go
When my darkness descends
And I have a dream still inside me
And I’ve got this guitar in my hand
Measured by that
I am a fortunate man
For I have the fairest of lovers
And I have the truest of friends
Measured by that
I am a fortunate man
© Jim Patton (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
After The Dance
After the dance is over
After your waltz in the sun
You stay out on the floor
And you ask for one more
After the dance is done
After the song has ended
The melody still lingers on
You can hear it so clear
Ringing right in your ear
After the dance is done
The ballplayer hangs on to play one last seasonThe old man still stumbles out on to the stageAnd Pete still calls Nikki without any reasonIn his eyes the girl hasn't aged
After the dance is over
After your moment is gone
You stay out on the floor
And you ask for one more
After the dance is done
© Jim Patton (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
Jim Patton & Sherry Brokus 