1. |
Long Road Back
03:42
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Long Road Back ©Swampgirl Music Written by Beth McKee
Well it's a long road back Highway 49
And there's a whole lotta miles lying ahead & behind
I'm on my way and I'm running out of time
When I get back home, wonder who I'll see
Won't be no yellow ribbon tied around no tree
Nobody's gonna be there waiting for me
CH: It's long road back to where I'm from
Seven hundred Sundays in the twilight zone
I am a prisoner condemned to roam
A long road back it'll be so strange
To see the same people shackled by the same old chains
And it's a long, long road back home
It has taken all I've got not to turn this car around
You know I wouldn't even mind should it break on down
Leave me on the highway 20 miles from town
When I see the exit sign, maybe I'll pass it by
I've got a wanderlust I need to satisfy
Spinning my wheels on my intoxicating ride
Bridge:
Could it be a fantasy, that I'm even alive?
Maybe I took a turn in the night, crossed over to the other side
We live as we dream, dream as we die
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2. |
Break Me Down
03:45
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Break Me Down ©Swampgirl Music
Written by Beth McKee, Tony Battaglia and Juan Perez
Opened all my windows Tore down all the curtains
Gotta shed a light on Just who it is I'm serving
I am full of questions Searching for solutions
Believin' I will make it If I can find my confidence
Nobody said it's easy To fight against the current
I chose this direction I'll take on the consequences
CHORUS Rolling up the river of doubt
I'm about to wear myself out
Weighing on my mind haunts me all the time
But it aint gonna break me down
I have got a feeling Call it intuition
I will make some changes Lose my inhibitions
Ramping up my attitude Not asking for permission
Don't let me drown in this water
Don't wanna struggle anymore
Throw me a line to hold on to
And make my way to the shore
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3. |
Promised Land
04:29
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Promised Land ©Swampgirl Music
Beth McKee, Tony Battaglia
I was brought up happy, had everything I thought
Never satisfied the hunger for all the things I sought
With no light to guide me and little in my hand
I left my cradle on a rock to build a castle in the sand
Oh a castle in the sand
I wandered around in circles searching for the sun
And found the family orchard where I had started from
Pears sweet and golden jewels on the ground
A whip-poor-will was calling from the blade of a broken plough
Oh what a lovely sound
CHORUS: Never thought I'd wind up standing here again
I've been a dragonfly suspended in midair
Seduced by the notion of life in constant motion
I've found my sacred ground Here is the promised land
I like to sit on the back porch watching the mud daubers dig
Every now and then I ease across the swinging bridge
There's an old man over there spinning yarns and sugar cane
He's never won a literary prize but he sure does entertain
Yea he sure does entertain
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4. |
Right at the Gate
03:38
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Right at the Gate©Swampgirl Music
Beth McKee
I have seen where I am at the crossroads again
Having walked in the dare haven't made it that far
Maybe I move a little too slow
Maybe I try a little too hard
But I don't believe I'm meant to fail
Fear of making mistakes that aint reason enough
Maybe that's what it takes to keep you out of the rough
Head on my shoulders feet in my shoes
I can walk any road I choose
But I don't have time to wait for a sign
CH: I am right at the gate
Ready to move
Got a line on faith
And a new kind of truth
I may not win but I can't lose
I can't quit chasing that muse
And I'm right at the gate
Got this far on my own and I know what I know
That I am the one who decides where I go
So many things I wanna do
I'll keep rolling until I break through
Then I'll hold the door so anyone can come, too
CH: I am right at the gate
Ready to move
Got a line on faith
And a new kind of truth
I may not win but I can't lose
I can't quit chasing that muse
And I'm right at the gate
It's my story I'll write the ending
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5. |
Nobody Knows
03:46
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Nobody Knows Like Me ©Swampgirl Music
Beth McKee, Tony Battaglia
Outside in the cold, cold night
Faming your flame to keep it alive
Pounding the door for hours on end
Wondering when they're gonna let you in
Asking yourself what you're gonna do then
Nobody knows.
Nobody knows the lure of surrender
when you've lost your sense of self-will
Nobody hears the bargain being struck
when seclusion's at the heart of the deal
Nobody knows how that feels
Chorus: Well nobody knows what you're thinking about
Nobody suffers that burden of doubt
You're all alone to carry the load
Nobody, nobody, nobody knows like me
Punch it so hard that you're running out of gas, out on the road
Never arrived but you're on your way back, nobody knows
Nobody hears the sighs that you whisper
to get yourself to stay in the game
Nobody knows how hard it is to try
to deny your dreams are out of your range
And in the morning when the coffee tastes bitter
and the sky is a puddle of gray
Just when you thought you could reach out and touch it
your faith seemed to slip away
How you gonna face that day?
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6. |
A Place for Me
04:10
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A Place For Me ©Swampgirl Music
Beth McKee, Juan Perez, Tommy Malone
I wish I had some direction
I float around like an aimless cloud
Wherever I drift, I shed a little rain
Till I'm caught up in the wind again
I find comfort in the darkness
But daylight takes it all away
Nowhere is everywhere
I wanna be somewhere
Somewhere there's gotta be a place for me
Somewhere there's gotta be a place for me
Chorus:
I've been searching for my reflection
In the eyes of everyone I meet
Hoping to find a connection To the long lost part of me
On some hill where a mocking bird is calling
On the bank of a lonesome little pond
Here or there on this earth in a heart or in a church
Somewhere there's gotta be a place for me
Somewhere there's gotta be a place for me
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7. |
Abraham and Alice
04:04
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Abraham and Alice ©Swampgirl Music
Beth Mckee, Tony Battaglia
Somewhere out there east of Jordan
Is a land of plenty a bountiful garden
There the river flows with milk and honey
But the banks are empty aint got no need for money
The table is set doors are open
Beulah land where all are chosen
Ain't no preaching from way up on high
No golden tongues to worship
Brimstone in the sky
Chorus: Are you searching like I am
Are you wandering like Abraham
Are you Alice seeking Wonderland
If you find it, take me there if you can
In the land of Abraham and Alice
Curiosity never killed a cat
Everyone is slightly mad with or without a hat
I'm on a mission really wanna go
I'd stick my head down a hole to see if it's below
I would gladly march seven days and seven nights
Cross the Arab desert, blinded by the light
Should you arrive before I do
Mail me a message some kind of clue
Write it on tablet tell it to a rabbit
Or maybe Sister Mary can hide it in her habit.
And Everything Changed ©Swampgirl Music
Written by Beth McKee
Sometimes something happens life takes an unexpected turn
And it alters everything for everyone concerned
Take Adam and Eve they had all living in paradise
Till one morning Eve decided she wanted more out of life
The tree of knowledge loomed temptation overruled
Eve ate forbidden fruit God disapproved
Ch: And everything changed it was a whole new game
The journey had begun gas had hit the flames
Once the veil was lifted darkness fell away
The whole world looked different forever, from that day
Let's talk about Moses and the children of Israel
Fleeing across the desert Pharaoh hot on their trail
Mountains to the left Red Sea on the right
All the people cried "Lord, have mercy. We're gonna die tonight."
Moses said "Be still!" and raised his staff on high
When the waters parted Moses led his tribe
Now how about Ezekiel when he saw that wagon wheel?
"Let me fly," he cried out "I wanna see how freedom feels."
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8. |
Unravelled
03:14
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Unraveled ©Swampgirl Music
Written by Beth McKee and Tony Battaglia
I am unraveled my lines are frayed
I came ungrounded drifted away
I lost my compass I came undone
I was flying into the sun
I cannot tell you where I have been
I did not follow no particular plan
I do not know how long I been gone
I tried to ride but I got thrown
And I am on my way back home
On my way back home
I'm on, on my way home
What else could I do but sell kisses at the bus stop
What else could I do but languish and pine
Who else could I talk to in the middle of a dark night
What else would I do if I didn't have you
I am unable to speak my mind
But I'm unwilling to leave you behind
I hope you've waited I hope you care
I hope that I am gonna find you there
Because I'm on my way back home
On my way back home
I'm on, on my way home
What else could I do but sell kisses at the bus stop
What else could I do but languish and pine
Who else could I talk to in the middle of a dark night
What else would I do if I didn't have you
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9. |
And Everything Changed
04:27
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10. |
Dress of Fire
03:22
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Dress of Fire ©Swampgirl Music
Written by Beth McKee and Tony Battaglia
Since you've been gone I tried to tow the line
I ignored evil thoughts running through my mind
Your kind of loving never worked on me
Always thought I was who I ought be
Well change, it don't come easy when all is said and done
There's a vein runs through me I cannot overcome
I made too many promises most of which I couldn't keep
Trouble tracked me down and now I'm in too deep
I wear my dress of fire you live like a King
I see a silent choir perhaps you hear them sing
Temptation was everywhere in the end I failed
I wear my dress of fire in this living hell
I laid out all my Sunday best
Decided it was hopeless threw out all the rest
I set the table knowing no one would ever come
Here we go again dinner just for one
I wear my dress of fire you live like a King
I see a silent choir perhaps you hear them sing
Temptation was everywhere in the end I failed
Salvation was never there, I guess it's just as well
I wear my dress of fire in this living hell
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11. |
Trouble the Waters
03:47
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Trouble the Waters ©Swampgirl Music
Written by Beth McKee and Tony Battaglia
Day after day, on the highway
I witness things I don't want to see
Skinny dog standing on the roadside
An old man with no shoes on his feet
My momma taught me well to know right from wrong
Left me a conscience won't leave me alone
When all I wanna do is get back home
I hear it calling to me
I can't believe what I read in the papers
The same news every day
So much hunger, neighbors hating neighbors
Who brought us up to act this way?
I know I wasn't born to be a politician
I'll go down and help out at the mission
Maybe I'll drop the mayor a line
Tell him what's been on my mind
Chorus: Reach out your hands Sons and Daughters
Get together, go and trouble the waters
We may be gone before it gets done
But revival is gonna come
So much to do, so many need helping
This aint no time to roll with the tide
What's the use watching and waiting
Stand up child, speak your mind
A pebble makes a ripple, that gets it started
Get on out and throw a seed in the garden
My daddy always says "You deep what you sow"
Cultivate what you want to grow
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12. |
You Better Turn Around
03:13
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You Better Turn Around @Swampgirl Music
Written by Beth McKee
You better turn around, reconsider what you're saying
Make another sound, we might fall apart
Think before you open up your mouth
And all those hateful words come flying out
You better turn around, before you go too far.
You were standing on a dark road
Had no one to help you
Living in a dream
With nowhere to go
Who's the one that picked you up and brought you home
Gave you understanding and a loving hand to hold
You better turn around, before you break my heart
Look deep into these eyes, you'll know how much I love
I ain't never tried to hide it, right there for you to see
So think about the words you're dying to say
Once they hit the air, they'll never fade away
You better turn around, before you break my heart
You better turn around, before you go too far
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13. |
Fire, Wind and Water
04:16
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Fire, Wind and Water ©Swampgirl Music
Written by Beth McKee and Gary Hirstius
I'm gonna get there, the best way I know how
I deserve the right to be there, I'll get to it somehow
And I know what it's like to be scared, it seems to confound me
I feel the breeze of a new fair wind to surround me
No fire, wind and water no walls of bricks and mortar
No mountaintops or hurricanes
No men of steel on horses or fields of burning crosses
Can keep my dreams away from me
I wanna be where the music is playing
There must me someone somewhere
Who hears what I'm saying
And I have wished and prayed for the bright lights to find me
I can see it in the distance, the long road's behind me
No fire, wind and water no walls of bricks and mortar
No mountaintops or hurricanes
No men of steel on horses or fields of burning crosses
Can keep my dreams away from me
I wanna be where the music is playing
There must me someone somewhere
No fire, wind and water no walls of bricks and mortar
No mountaintops or hurricanes
No men of steel on horses or fields of burning crosses
Can keep my dreams away from me
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Beth McKee Orlando, Florida
Beth McKee is the gestalt of all the places she’s settled. From her native Mississippi to her immersion in the scenes of Austin, New Orleans, North Carolina, and now Orlando – all their musical terroir is in her sound. You’ll recognize the hues if you really wanna parse it, but if you just listen, you’ll hear a sound that is quintessentially Southern, tapped from the roots and rolls like honey. ... more
Beth McKee recommends:
Raw and edgy songs that matter, delivered with conviction.
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