Lyrics to “The Great Unknown”:
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
©words & music by Jim Patton (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
©words & music by Jim Patton (ASCAP)
Just A Memory
Your sister’s got herself a Facebook page
She shot me a message the other day
Just to say hello
And of course I started thinking about you
So I pulled some old photographs out of a drawer
There was Sam & Janey & Ned & George
And you and me
Back when our world was new
Everything changes
That’s a fact
Those days are gone
And they’re not coming back
Everything fades into history
Time baby moves so fast
Freight train rolling down a one way track
All that’s left is
Just a memory
We were hanging out at Round Bay Beach
All our dreams still within reach
And I was playing
That Epiphone guitar
Now years and years have come and gone
I turned our story into song
Even when wounds heal
They leave a scar
Everything changes
That’s a fact
I don’t waste time thinking about the things I lack
Or hanging on to the man I used to be
Time baby moves so fast
When did the past become the past?
When did you turn into
Just a memory?
Sam left Nora, we all saw that comin’
And Ned’s a Human Resources Director or somethin’
And Janey went crazy and ran off with a married priest
That was after she married George
Yeah he lives in Austin, comes to all our shows
He works with kids in trouble, kids in need
Everything changes
That’s a fact
Remember when he gave us all a heart attack
Driving into those courthouse steps at full speed
Time baby moves so fast
Some people manage to escape their past
And turn it into
Just a memory
I remember one night after the football game
For the first time in my life I didn’t have to explain
We lay on our backs starin’ up at that midnight sky
There were a million stars but all I saw was you
We swore forever we’d be true
My world was so full and so alive
Everything changes
That’s a fact
Those days are gone
And they’re not coming back
Everything fades into history
Time baby moves so fast
Sometimes the past doesn’t feel like it’s past
And you turned into
Just a memory
©words & music by Jim Patton (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 have helped 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 Joey’s 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 closes every door
The friend we all remember
Isn’t really 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
©words and music by Jim Patton, Sherry Brokus (ASCAP), & Jeff Talmadge (Tot Ziens Music BMI)
I’m Alright Now
I got a little drunked up
Down at the Anchor Inn
When the switchblade flashed
I thought I’d reached the end
But I’m alright now
Baby I’m okay
I did my best Houdini
And I got away
I’m alright now
I’m alright
I took Dead Man’s Curve
At 110
Beneath a hurricane sky
Inside a skeleton wind
But I’m alright now
Let me make that plain
I’m as good as gold
I’m as right as rain
I’m alright now
I’m alright
I’ve been betrayed
But I survived
I’ve been left for dead
But I’m still alive
Yeah I’m alright now
Let me make that clear
It’s been a long hard climb
But I’m finally here
Yeah I’m alright now
I feel brand new
I’m alright now
I’m hoping you are too
©2012 words and music by Jim Patton
Happy Anniversary
Would’ve written you an letter
But I couldn’t find your current address
Just moved to a new apartment
Everything’s still a mess
I know you told me not to call you
But that was such a long time ago
I’m glad your husband didn’t answer
Be sure to tell him hello
Remember what today is?
Happy anniversary
Happy anniversary
Happy anniversary to us
Yeah I see your name in the paper
Every once in a while
Helping out some drug abuser
& I can’t help but smile
Wasn’t it you who was with us
That Saturday night?
At that crazy Lithuanian party,
You were high as a kite
And the cops came in
But I won’t let on about your past
Whatever happened,
We probably grew up too fast
Happy anniversary
Happy anniversary
Happy anniversary to us
You’re probably thinkin’ I’ve been drinkin’
Well I haven’t, not much
You’re probably wondering why I bothered
To get back in touch
I just called you to say
I hope you’re doing ok
Don’t read too much
Into anything that I say
But I still remember
When every song that I wrote
Was for you
And I want you to know
Every word that I said
Still rings true
Happy anniversary
Happy anniversary
Happy anniversary to us
Happy anniversary to us
©words and music by Jim Patton (ASCAP)
Crystal City
You can run from Crystal City
Make a new life by the sea
You can hide out on the boardwalk
I’ll be there eventually
You can’t disappear forever
I won’t let go that easily
You can run from Crystal City
But you can’t run away from me
You can run off with your lover
I’ll be with you in your bed
Baby when you least expect it
You will see my face instead
Or you’ll reach out in the darkness
Before you remember it’s not me
You can run from Crystal City
But you can’t run away from me
Keep an eye out your back window
Put a chain around your heart
Keep your phone number unlisted
Sweetheart that’s the easy part
You can change the locks on everything
I already have the key
You can run from Crystal City
But you can’t run away from me
©words and music by Jim Patton (ASCAP)
I’ll Never Be Satisfied
I got a dollar in my pocket
Got a beer in my hand
Got a couple close friends
Got a rock ‘n roll band
That would satisfy most men
I know it’s true
But I’ll never be satisfied
Cause I ain’t got you
I got a ’95 Toyota
Hardly ever been broke
A warm bed to sleep in,
I ain’t hooked on dope
I got a steady job
And an occasional girlfriend too
But I’ll never be satisfied
Cause I ain’t got you
I got everything
That a man could need
I got a stereo
I got a Gene Clark CD
I got a place to go
When I need something to eat
Because Evangeline’s
Is right down the street
We used to hang out there
Once upon a time
When we still harmonized
When our thoughts would rhyme
When our roads were one
And our love was new
Now I’ll never be satisfied
Cause I ain’t got you
I got everything
That a man could need
I got a stereo
A Little Pink CD
I got a place to go
When I need something to eat
Because Evangeline’s
Is right down the street
We used to hang out there
Once upon a time
When we still harmonized
When our thoughts would rhyme
When our roads were one
And our love was new
Now I’ll never be satisfied
Cause I ain’t got you
I’ll never be satisfied
Cause I ain’t got you
I’ll never be satisfied
©words and music by Jim Patton (ASCAP)
Glen Oak Blues
Your mama was a manipulator
Your daddy was a world class hater
Of black people, brown people, yellow people, Indians, Jews
And I don’t know how you came out of that mess
Why you’re not just like ‘em is anybody’s guess
But somehow you escaped those Glen Oak Blues
The nuns at school were petty tyrants
Your lovers filled with senseless violence
Your bosses nearly always hit on you
Still you grew up straight and you grew up true
In spite of everything they tried to do to you
Somehow you escaped those Glen Oak Blues
Your daddy’s daddy used to beat him
So he beat you till you were fifteen
Your mom denied she ever saw a bruise
Both her folks were alcoholic,
Melancholic, hyperbolic,
But somehow you escaped those Glen Oak Blues
You grew up brave and you grew up strong
In spite of everyone that’d done you wrong
They offered you their chains but you refused
And I don’t know how you came out of that mess
Why you’re not just like ‘em is anybody’s guess
Somehow you escaped those Glen Oak Blues
Somehow you turned out kind
With an open heart and a fearless mind
They offered you their chains but you refused
And I don’t know how you came out of that mess
Why you’re not just like ‘em is anybody’s guess
But somehow you escaped those Glen Oak Blues
Somehow you escaped those Glen Oak Blues
© words & music by Jim Patton (ASCAP)
Ordinary Life
You could never make me happy
My whole life I’ve never bent
There’s a great big world still out there
But I’ve yet to make a dent
An Ordinary Life
An Ordinary Life
The only thing that really scares me
Is an Ordinary Life
I swear heaven heard me talking
Every time I knelt to pray
Sometimes I even stopped to listen
But no wisdom came my way
An Ordinary Life
An Ordinary Life
The only thing I never prayed for
Is an Ordinary Life
Myself
I promised
I would never live a lie
I feel unworthy
But you just look at me and sigh
Tonight you’re in my arms and dreaming
That’s enough to make me smile
Those little dreams that seemed beneath me
Are looking bigger all the while
An Ordinary Life
An Ordinary Life
The only thing that really scares me
Is an Ordinary Life
An Ordinary Life
An Ordinary Life
The only thing I never prayed for
Is an Ordinary Life
© Eddie Walker (Unorthodox Music BMI)
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 season
The old man still stumbles out on to the stage
And Pete still calls Nikki without any reason
In 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
© words & music by Jim Patton (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
©words & music by Jim Patton (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
©words & music by Jim Patton (ASCAP)
Just A Memory
Your sister’s got herself a Facebook page
She shot me a message the other day
Just to say hello
And of course I started thinking about you
So I pulled some old photographs out of a drawer
There was Sam & Janey & Ned & George
And you and me
Back when our world was new
Everything changes
That’s a fact
Those days are gone
And they’re not coming back
Everything fades into history
Time baby moves so fast
Freight train rolling down a one way track
All that’s left is
Just a memory
We were hanging out at Round Bay Beach
All our dreams still within reach
And I was playing
That Epiphone guitar
Now years and years have come and gone
I turned our story into song
Even when wounds heal
They leave a scar
Everything changes
That’s a fact
I don’t waste time thinking about the things I lack
Or hanging on to the man I used to be
Time baby moves so fast
When did the past become the past?
When did you turn into
Just a memory?
Sam left Nora, we all saw that comin’
And Ned’s a Human Resources Director or somethin’
And Janey went crazy and ran off with a married priest
That was after she married George
Yeah he lives in Austin, comes to all our shows
He works with kids in trouble, kids in need
Everything changes
That’s a fact
Remember when he gave us all a heart attack
Driving into those courthouse steps at full speed
Time baby moves so fast
Some people manage to escape their past
And turn it into
Just a memory
I remember one night after the football game
For the first time in my life I didn’t have to explain
We lay on our backs starin’ up at that midnight sky
There were a million stars but all I saw was you
We swore forever we’d be true
My world was so full and so alive
Everything changes
That’s a fact
Those days are gone
And they’re not coming back
Everything fades into history
Time baby moves so fast
Sometimes the past doesn’t feel like it’s past
And you turned into
Just a memory
©words & music by Jim Patton (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 have helped 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 Joey’s 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 closes every door
The friend we all remember
Isn’t really 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
©words and music by Jim Patton, Sherry Brokus (ASCAP), & Jeff Talmadge (Tot Ziens Music BMI)
I’m Alright Now
I got a little drunked up
Down at the Anchor Inn
When the switchblade flashed
I thought I’d reached the end
But I’m alright now
Baby I’m okay
I did my best Houdini
And I got away
I’m alright now
I’m alright
I took Dead Man’s Curve
At 110
Beneath a hurricane sky
Inside a skeleton wind
But I’m alright now
Let me make that plain
I’m as good as gold
I’m as right as rain
I’m alright now
I’m alright
I’ve been betrayed
But I survived
I’ve been left for dead
But I’m still alive
Yeah I’m alright now
Let me make that clear
It’s been a long hard climb
But I’m finally here
Yeah I’m alright now
I feel brand new
I’m alright now
I’m hoping you are too
©2012 words and music by Jim Patton
Happy Anniversary
Would’ve written you an letter
But I couldn’t find your current address
Just moved to a new apartment
Everything’s still a mess
I know you told me not to call you
But that was such a long time ago
I’m glad your husband didn’t answer
Be sure to tell him hello
Remember what today is?
Happy anniversary
Happy anniversary
Happy anniversary to us
Yeah I see your name in the paper
Every once in a while
Helping out some drug abuser
& I can’t help but smile
Wasn’t it you who was with us
That Saturday night?
At that crazy Lithuanian party,
You were high as a kite
And the cops came in
But I won’t let on about your past
Whatever happened,
We probably grew up too fast
Happy anniversary
Happy anniversary
Happy anniversary to us
You’re probably thinkin’ I’ve been drinkin’
Well I haven’t, not much
You’re probably wondering why I bothered
To get back in touch
I just called you to say
I hope you’re doing ok
Don’t read too much
Into anything that I say
But I still remember
When every song that I wrote
Was for you
And I want you to know
Every word that I said
Still rings true
Happy anniversary
Happy anniversary
Happy anniversary to us
Happy anniversary to us
©words and music by Jim Patton (ASCAP)
Crystal City
You can run from Crystal City
Make a new life by the sea
You can hide out on the boardwalk
I’ll be there eventually
You can’t disappear forever
I won’t let go that easily
You can run from Crystal City
But you can’t run away from me
You can run off with your lover
I’ll be with you in your bed
Baby when you least expect it
You will see my face instead
Or you’ll reach out in the darkness
Before you remember it’s not me
You can run from Crystal City
But you can’t run away from me
Keep an eye out your back window
Put a chain around your heart
Keep your phone number unlisted
Sweetheart that’s the easy part
You can change the locks on everything
I already have the key
You can run from Crystal City
But you can’t run away from me
©words and music by Jim Patton (ASCAP)
I’ll Never Be Satisfied
I got a dollar in my pocket
Got a beer in my hand
Got a couple close friends
Got a rock ‘n roll band
That would satisfy most men
I know it’s true
But I’ll never be satisfied
Cause I ain’t got you
I got a ’95 Toyota
Hardly ever been broke
A warm bed to sleep in,
I ain’t hooked on dope
I got a steady job
And an occasional girlfriend too
But I’ll never be satisfied
Cause I ain’t got you
I got everything
That a man could need
I got a stereo
I got a Gene Clark CD
I got a place to go
When I need something to eat
Because Evangeline’s
Is right down the street
We used to hang out there
Once upon a time
When we still harmonized
When our thoughts would rhyme
When our roads were one
And our love was new
Now I’ll never be satisfied
Cause I ain’t got you
I got everything
That a man could need
I got a stereo
A Little Pink CD
I got a place to go
When I need something to eat
Because Evangeline’s
Is right down the street
We used to hang out there
Once upon a time
When we still harmonized
When our thoughts would rhyme
When our roads were one
And our love was new
Now I’ll never be satisfied
Cause I ain’t got you
I’ll never be satisfied
Cause I ain’t got you
I’ll never be satisfied
©words and music by Jim Patton (ASCAP)
Glen Oak Blues
Your mama was a manipulator
Your daddy was a world class hater
Of black people, brown people, yellow people, Indians, Jews
And I don’t know how you came out of that mess
Why you’re not just like ‘em is anybody’s guess
But somehow you escaped those Glen Oak Blues
The nuns at school were petty tyrants
Your lovers filled with senseless violence
Your bosses nearly always hit on you
Still you grew up straight and you grew up true
In spite of everything they tried to do to you
Somehow you escaped those Glen Oak Blues
Your daddy’s daddy used to beat him
So he beat you till you were fifteen
Your mom denied she ever saw a bruise
Both her folks were alcoholic,
Melancholic, hyperbolic,
But somehow you escaped those Glen Oak Blues
You grew up brave and you grew up strong
In spite of everyone that’d done you wrong
They offered you their chains but you refused
And I don’t know how you came out of that mess
Why you’re not just like ‘em is anybody’s guess
Somehow you escaped those Glen Oak Blues
Somehow you turned out kind
With an open heart and a fearless mind
They offered you their chains but you refused
And I don’t know how you came out of that mess
Why you’re not just like ‘em is anybody’s guess
But somehow you escaped those Glen Oak Blues
Somehow you escaped those Glen Oak Blues
© words & music by Jim Patton (ASCAP)
Ordinary Life
You could never make me happy
My whole life I’ve never bent
There’s a great big world still out there
But I’ve yet to make a dent
An Ordinary Life
An Ordinary Life
The only thing that really scares me
Is an Ordinary Life
I swear heaven heard me talking
Every time I knelt to pray
Sometimes I even stopped to listen
But no wisdom came my way
An Ordinary Life
An Ordinary Life
The only thing I never prayed for
Is an Ordinary Life
Myself
I promised
I would never live a lie
I feel unworthy
But you just look at me and sigh
Tonight you’re in my arms and dreaming
That’s enough to make me smile
Those little dreams that seemed beneath me
Are looking bigger all the while
An Ordinary Life
An Ordinary Life
The only thing that really scares me
Is an Ordinary Life
An Ordinary Life
An Ordinary Life
The only thing I never prayed for
Is an Ordinary Life
© Eddie Walker (Unorthodox Music BMI)
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 season
The old man still stumbles out on to the stage
And Pete still calls Nikki without any reason
In 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
© words & music by Jim Patton (ASCAP)
Jim Patton & Sherry Brokus 