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Heaven Get Behind Me

by Martin Ruby

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Mike Young
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Mike Young One time I lived in a cold New England town where the next town over had a bar called "The Office," which opened after and before the other bars, and this record sounds like Malcolm Holcombe and Tom Waits sneaking into that bar together, sitting in the alley outside, looking up at where blackbirds have taken over the abandoned sawmill and tuned all the bricks perfectly. Favorite track: California Divorce.
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1.
They say Fellini was dying And she bums a cigarette Pretends not to know me But I know that wicked smile And those lips, they are so sweet And some farmers brought down the moon There’s a voice at the bottom of the well Where the water, it’s so cold I've been getting drunk in the afternoons Yeah, I think I’m going home now They say Fellini was dying Saw you on 6th Avenue Another man’s life Now another man's rose They said Fellini was dying When I saw you Another man’s wife Now another man knows
2.
Marfa 04:15
Marfa, you ain’t guilty Tell you the truth about me Spent some time in jail I stole money because I was hungry Met murderers and gamblers Met dealers and weak men No Marfa, you ain’t guilty Because nobody is And there is no reason But there is a wall On it’s written “rejection” Now I feel so cold And this is all a movie I learned how to lie Martin is my third name I just lost my eyes Oh, I think of my mama Why don’t she come and take me Well that rooster never crows Every failure was a knife But that was long ago This is all a movie I just learned to lie Martin is my third name I just lost my eyes This is all a movie I just learned to lie Martin is my third name I just lost my eyes Marfa, you ain’t guilty Tell you the truth about me
3.
20% wine all of the time Three months in a hospital Burning his mind Until he can’t remember What he forgot Don’t know if I’m good or bad Just nothing but what you tell me She had a gift for taking things away So please tell me some precious things Like when I was a boy, And I was the new kid I drink my fill in the morning Bring me a little mercy Long tall man Can’t go home that a-way burning nothing but bad gasoline Suzanne, I don’t know you so well But if he loves you, I love you too You can’t go home today, girl You ain’t going home You can’t go home today, girl You ain’t going home
4.
In came the goldfish In the black, black mud You’re standing in the doorway In your blue dress Ain’t gonna be no California divorce I had a child I had a son There go Tiny Lazarus In a black, black hearse Way past the freeway Just shovels and dirt Ain’t gonna be no California divorce Ain’t gonna be no California divorce I had a child I had a son
5.
She reads the letters Decides which ones to let through Which ones to send home unopened Some news is too hard to take Better no words than ones like these A man can bend, and a man can crumble It takes a special eye to know What makes him break in two Well, there’s a pint in my mattress And Charlie always prays for suicides Saved up those blue pills under his tongue And then he ate them all one night Heard the ambulance As it pulled away, driving slow Just a cardboard box with his suit and his shoes He came back looking the same way With that look in his eye I’ll see you in church he said I got nothing on my mind he said Well, I got you on my mind I said We ain’t getting out of here ‘til it’s time His time isn’t over You’ll never see him again His wife died, then he drank himself blind Where are you going I’ll be back soon Oh, he killed them all with an axe so small That sank to the bottom of the river Yes, it lies at the bottom of the river Close your doors, close your windows Close your doors, close your windows
6.
Sebastopol 05:05
Charlie’s out back talking trash Not every story’s got a hero You still got that Mona Lisa smile Least that’s what they tell me Last night I met the man in the blue suit Said he walked with the angels Sometimes I wake up to forget That I fell in love with a mystery girl Sebastopol is waiting There’s a light in the window That I pray is for me Oh, will you ride Ride that train with me Will you abide Well my boy, he would be ten now But he’s in the cold, cold ground They say that true love, it never fails And even God, he makes mistakes Well you know I’ve made a few Careful what you pray for Because every road it’s got its toll Oh, will you ride Ride that train with me Will you abide
7.
I was a killer And I’m your brother And I am so tired Of looking over my shoulder I’m so tired of looking at you Maybe you’re a better man Than you think that you are That’s what she said Have you ever seen grace With those great big blue eyes So hush, hush little baby Don't say a word I’m so sorry Papa's gonna buy you a jailbird All the looking glasses Yeah, they are all broken And if those birds forget how to sing You’re my only sweet, sweet girl In this wretched world Well it’s a Friday night There’s a man knocking at my door He come to tell me The road to the shepherd is through the sheep Oh Lord, just make me brave Oh Lord, just give me back some time Oh Lord, just take back my face Give it to a better man And don’t say a word
8.
Will I ever see you again Am I really going What’ll happen then I loved and I died What more can a man say That’s all we do We love and we die They’ll bury me in Potter’s Field Under a stone with no name And I wonder Will you whistle when you pass And whisper my name Just ate my last meal And I feel nothing It left a stain on my sleeve Falling from grace Is that grace falling from the sky They’re putting up a new schoolhouse That I’ll never see They say the sun’s out today And then they say it's gonna rain You call that stone blind rain You call it stone blind rain They say the sun’s out today They say it’s a good day to die
9.
Mascara 05:14
That ain’t mascara in the rain That’s just you on a Sunday I ain’t looking, looking for mercy Take as long as you need I’d be just as happy If they take me out back It’s time for me to pay the price I liked living outside the law I never did anything to a child They can take me down there Or they can shoot me right here That ain’t mascara in the rain That’s just you on a Sunday It ain’t gonna make any difference You can do anything for a year For your sister or your brother He ain’t wild like me They don’t kill them in Nevada Unless they agree I ain’t going to court to help you die I want some relief I want them to know the same joy Tell them a good story Then walk out on that story That ain’t mascara in the rain That’s just you on a Sunday
10.
I remember his face that night He asked me, will I ever see Shangri-La Hey little brother what’s that under your coat One down, and six to go Gonna set it all on fire That’s what they said on channel 2 Take a left on Mercado for me Frankenstein was the name of the doctor The monster had no name I ain’t asking to be forgiven Because we did nothing wrong Papa said you better fucking run Well, I set your Appaloosa free No, I ain’t going to hell I’m just going home He only sang other people’s songs And there ain’t no more Kodachrome Firecrackers on your anniversary There ain’t no questions, so tell me no lies Another good man goes down And all the cameras were watching I remember his face that night He asked me, will I ever see Shangri-La
11.
Never been to Graceland The king is dead, Long live the king Delilah, they can burn my eyes out I won’t make a sound Ain’t no angels Ain’t 72 virgins Dog days Salad days Heaven get behind me Heaven get behind me Heaven get behind me Heaven get behind me So, you asked what did I learn Nothing woman, nothing at all Except the feel of your breath on my neck On a summer night With the moon driving so slow You’re the wallflower’s surprise Ain’t no angel There ain’t no more time Dog days Salad days Heaven get behind me Heaven get behind me Heaven get behind me Heaven get behind me

credits

released November 20, 2020

Marco North: vocals, 6 and 12-string acoustic guitars, electric guitars, dobro, banjola, saxophone, harmonica, cloud chamber bowls, calliope, pump organ, footstomps

Eve North: guest vocals on Sebastapol

All songs written by Marco North
Produced, mixed and engineered by Marco North
Mastered by Hans DeKline
©+℗ 2020 WhistlePig Records (BMI)

Design/images by Bittersweet Group

Recorded in our living room in Moscow, Russia.

For Master Sync and Publishing Sync inquiries contact Bunky Hunt whistlepigmusicgroup.com

THANKS TO:
Bunky Hunt, Nataliya Usherzon, Eve North, Vera North, Felix McTeigue, Quentin Jennings, Hans DeKline, Stephen Ulrich, Jonathan Kehew, Irakli, Irma, George, Daniel, Evie, Mark, David, JM, Ashley, Lisa, Ryan, Howard, Richard, Brandon, Rebecca, Alex, Sophie and Howling Dick

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Martin Ruby

Martin Ruby is a Roots/Americana band led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Marco North.

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