Album info & lyrics | deniseglovermusic

Mercy In This Land

Produced by Julian Smedley, Denise Glover, and Benjamin Lange

Recorded and engineered by Benjamin Lange at Lange Studios; second engineer Cody Ryan Jackson

Mastered by Ross Nyberg

Mercy In This Land

Written by Denise Glover

Denise Glover – vocals (lead & choir), guitar

Cary Black – bass

Benjamin Lange – mandolin, choir vocals

Julian Smedley – violin, choir vocals

Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)

Written by Bob Dylan

Denise Glover – vocals, flat-top guitar

Cary Black – bass

Mark Ivester – drums

Bob Knetzger – pedal steel

Julian Smedley – arch-top guitar

Precarity

Written by Denise Glover

Denise Glover – vocals, flat-top guitar

Cary Black – bass

Mark Ivester – drums

Julian Smedley – arch-top guitar, slide guitar, harmony vocals

Peace In The Valley

Written by Gillian Welch

Denise Glover – vocals, guitar

Cary Black – bass

Mark Ivester – drums

Julian Smedley – violin

Lady Liberty (bluegrass version) (I released an earlier version of the song in 2019)

Written by Denise Glover (lyrics from The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus)

Denise Glover – vocals, guitar

Cary Black – bass

Bob Knetzger – dobro

Benjamin Lange – mandolin

Julian Smedley – fiddle, harmony vocals

The Homeland (I released an earlier version of the song in 2014 with the band Rosin in the Aire)

Written by Denise Glover

Denise Glover – vocals, guitar

Cary Black – bass

Mark Ivester – drums

Bob Knetzger – pedal steel

Benjamin Lange – mandolin

Julian Smedley – fiddle

I Can Almost See It

Written by J.D. Souther

Denise Glover – vocals, flat-top guitar

Cary Black – bass

Mark Ivester – drums

Bob Knetzger – pedal steel

Julian Smedley – arch-top guitar

LYRICS

Mercy In This Land

Open skies, no rain in sight

You and I, hiding in the moon light

All we have is our hands

All we know ties us to this land

On our knees, in these troubled fields

How can it be, for us there is no

Mercy

On our knees, in these troubled fields

How can it be, this land has lost

Mercy

Hold on tight, ‘til morning light

Help will come, good wins out over might

On our knees, in these troubled fields

Hold our hands, rain down mercy

In this land

Rain down mercy in this land

Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)

Señor, señor

Can you tell me where we’re headin’

Lincoln County Road or Armageddon?

Seems like I’ve been down this way before

Is there any truth to that, señor?

Señor, señor

Do you know where she’s hidin’?
How long are we gonna be ridin’?

How long must I keep my eyes glued to the door?

Will there be any comfort there, señor?

There’s a wicked wind still blowing on that upper deck

There’s an iron cross still hanging from around her neck

There’s a marching band still playing in that vacant lot

Where she held me in her arms one time and said, “forget me not”

Señor, señor

I can see that painted wagon

Smell the tail of the dragon

Can’t stand the suspense here anymore

Can you tell me who to contac here, señor?

The last thing I remembered before I stripped and kneeled

Was a train load of fools bogged down in a magnetic field

A gypsy with a broken flag and a flashing ring

Saying, “Son, this ain’t a dream no more, it’s the real thing”

Señor, señor

You know their heart’s as hard as leather

Give me a minute, let me get it together

Just gotta pick myself up off the floor

I’m ready when you are, señor

Señor, señor

Let’s overturn these tables

Disconnect these cables

This place don’t make sense to me no more

Can you tell me what we’re waiting for, señor?

Precarity

Precarity, I’m balanced on the brink

Do you ever stop and think about me

As you make your way

Through your busy and monied day

On your conscience

Do I ever weigh….at all?

Precarity, is everywhere now

From the corner store to your schoolhouse, to the farmer’s plow

And what we had

Well they’re tearing it all down

Gone now is your radio

In small town, US of A

Some days I feel like I’m just spinning my wheels

If you’ve got solid tread, you don’t know how this feels

To be living in a constant state

Of precarity

Stability, that’s what I’m looking for

It’s so hard to find when you’re working poor

And forgotten, and you don’t have a voice

You were so hopeful

But they made that choice

Not for you

Some days I feel like I’m just burning out bad

Them fat cats lining their own pockets, make me crazy mad

If they just lived a day in our shoes, they might see

What it’s like living in a constant state

Of precarity

Peace In The Valley

Pulling in to Douglas on a hot October night

On up above us, there’s a moon on the right

Just off the blacktop, there’s a sign along the road

It’s a marker for the place where they got Geronimo

For peace in the valley

Lay down his shield

And surrendered to the white man

Hot on his heels

Peace in the valley

But oh, Geronimo

You can’t raise up your children

And watch them grow

Without peace in the valley, down below

He was a bone fide Indian chief

East Arizona was his pride and keep

Down through the Pacos they tried to take him down

‘Til an hour from the border when he stopped and turned around

He cried peace in the valley

Lay down his shield

And surrendered to the white man

Hot on his heels

Peace in the valley

But oh, Geronimo

You can’t raise up your children

And watch them grow

Without peace in the valley, down below

Lady Liberty (bluegrass version)

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses

Yearning to be free

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore

Send me the homeless, the tempest-tossed—send them to me

I lift my lamp beside the golden door

I am your Lady Liberty

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame

With conquering limbs astride from land to land

Here at our sea-washed sunset gates, she shall stand

A might woman with a torch, whose flame is the imprisoned lightening

And her name, Mother of Exiles

She is our Lady Liberty

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses

Yearning to be free

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore

Send me the homeless, the tempest-tossed—send them to me

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!”

I am your Lady Liberty

The Homeland

I packed my bags and left home on a Sunday

That’s when the Lord would give me passage safe

I kissed my Pa goodbye, looked my Mama in the eye

And I said “I will come back to you one day”

The sun don’t shine as bright as it did in the homeland

The people that I meet don’t smile at me

I miss my Mama so, she never wanted me to go

But I can’t go back to the way it used to be

In this new land I’ve made myself a family

My son is kind, my daughters are strong

But sometimes in the night, I get a dreadful fright

That I won’t get to see my Mama no more

A hundred years on my progeny are returning

They see the sunshine through young and hopeful eyes

At last my soul can rest, mother tongue in their chests

I’ve come home Mama, like I said I would

Il sole non spende come nella patria

La gente che incontro non mi sorride

Mi manca tanto mia mamma, non voleva che io partissi

Ma non posso tornare alla vita cui era

The sun now shines as bright as it did in the homeland

The people that I meet all smile at me

I miss my Mama so, she never wanted me to go

But I can’t go back to the way it used to be

I Can Almost See It

It hurts to say goodbye

And when the words are going by

The wind can blow them right back in your eye

You can almost see it

Time will let you know

When you turn around to go

The aching in your heart begins to show

You can almost see it, going by

So you take another train

But the tracks all look the same

They run around in circles like a game

You can almost it

I can almost see it, going by

Info about songs
“Mercy In This Land” I wrote recently as people are being rounded up for deportation from the US—farmworkers that grow food for everyone in this country. The treatment towards them has been mortifying. I put myself in the shoes of one such worker and wondered what that could be like, hiding out, on bended knees in the fields and in prayer, remaining hopeful but terrified nonetheless.

“Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)” is a Bob Dylan song written in 1978 that has been one of my all-time favorite Dylan songs. The message in this song about searching for meaning and hope and reflecting upon one’s current situation seems more than relevant today.

“Precarity” I started writing a few years ago when my employment was in a precarious state. I experienced the anxiety of not knowing what would come next, being balanced on the brink. Now I see precarity all around us, with the collapse of various systems and institutional structures in American society and government.

“Peace In The Valley” was written by Gillian Welch. As a student of history and a teacher of anthropology, the plight of Native peoples in the Americas and elsewhere has always intrigued me, often leaving me unsettled. Geronimo thought about his descendants and he “surrendered to the white man, hot on his heels” but he never quite gave up—he was working for peace and for justice, a true inspiration.

“Lady Liberty” I wrote, recorded, and released in 2019. This was a time when the strain on our democracy first began. I borrowed the poem lyrics from Emma Lazarus; hers is the poem on the Statue of Liberty. I wanted to celebrate the beautiful, welcoming America that this statue, as a symbol of our country, represents.

“The Homeland” I wrote in 2014 and recorded the same year with my band, Rosin in the Aire. I had recently returned from Italy, where I met my Italian relatives for the first time. The trip felt like a homecoming of sorts, and I pictured how difficult it must have been for my great grandmother to leave her beautiful hilltop village to travel to America as a young woman by herself. She arrived at Ellis Island in 1914. Ten years later the US would pass anti-immigration laws, and then100 years after that anti-immigrate sentiment would resurface in some parts of the US.

“I Can Almost See It” is another song from my childhood that I recently revisited. Written by J.D. Souther and popularized by Linda Ronstadt, its points at bittersweet goodbyes and wistful imaginings. Its nostalgic message reverberates through me.

Dreams of the Butterfly

The songs on this album cohere insomuch as they are about imaginings, about dreamy worlds and worlds of dreams. Because of this, I named the album after my song “Dreams of the Butterfly” (explained below).

Voices (Denise Glover, Blue Poppy Music, BMI)

About Joan of Arc, a formidable young woman if ever there was one. Inspired by Kathryn Harrison’s book Joan of Arc: A Life Transformed (2014, Doubleday)

Don’t Let It Bring You Down (Neil Young, Broken Arrow Music Corp)

Slumber Love (Denise Glover, Blue Poppy Music, BMI)

A song I wrote as a Valentine’s Day gift to my husband

Fruits of My Labor (Lucinda Williams, Warner-Tamerlane Pub Corp)

Foggy Dew (Traditional)

Over My Head (Christine McVie, Universal Music)

I Learned That From You (Tony Lane & Jess Brown, Sony/ATV Harmony & EMI April Music)

Dreams of the Butterfly (Denise Glover, Blue Poppy Music, BMI)

Inspired by the Zhuangzi (Chinese philosophical text from 4th Century BCE), story in Chapter 2 “Zhuang Zhou Dreams of Being a Butterfly”

Denise Glover – lead vocals, flat top guitar, mandolin

Julian Smedley – arch top guitar, violin, viola, harmony vocals

Greg Glassman – bass, harmony vocals

Produced by Julian Smedley

Recorded and Engineered at David Lange Studios

Mastered by Ross Nyberg

Design by berrygraphics

I am a child of the ‘70s. My musical and social sensibilities were formed during this era—some of that is reflected in this album. The photo of me on the inside panel of the CD packaging was taken in 1976, on a family road trip. Fleetwood Mac’s “Over My Head” was still on the pop charts at the time, and Neil Young’s “Don’t Let It Bring You Down” had been in circulation for six years. These are just a couple of the songs that were imprinted in my growing musical mind, and are included on this CD.

In 1976, China was emerging from 10 years of tumult, the Cultural Revolution. Part of my imaginings as a child about the world involved China (although I knew nothing about CCP politics, or politics at all really). But China was a foil to all that was good about America—a reference point out there in the nebula. An entire generation of American children were told to eat all the food on our plates because kids were starving in China. China was a far-away land, beyond what seemed possible as a place for an American to experience. At the beach, we would dig holes in the sand with the faint notion that China lay on the other side—maybe if we dug deep enough we might reach there, we thought. Little did I know at the time this photo was taken that my path would in fact lead me to China, to study language, culture, and traditional medicines of that nation.

The title track “Dreams of the Butterfly” is inspired by the Zhuangzi, a Chinese philosophical text from the 4th Century BCE. In Chapter 2, “Zhuang Zhou Dreams of Being a Butterfly,” Zhuangzi awakens from a dream where he dreamed he was a butterfly. But upon waking, he wonders if maybe he is actually a butterfly dreaming he's a man. I've known about this story/text for decades, but only recently wrote a song based on it.

In addition to the songs from the ‘70s, other songs on the album relate to dreaming, dreamy states of existence, or various aspects of imaginings:

--“Voices” is about Joan of Arc, who lived in a world in which her own imaginings were ever so real and which led to real-world consequences

--wanting to stay in the dreamy arms of love eternal, in “Slumber Love”

--“Fruits of My Labor” is part love song, part reflection on the difficulties of ambition, and dreaming about such ambition

--finding love (or lust) in a foggy dreamscape in “Foggy Dew”

--waking up from the dream state that can sometimes come with love in “I Learned That From You”

Gaps in the Stories

Photos in Italy and Switzerland by Saveria Avantaggio and Dawn Glover. Studio photo by David Lange.

Produced by Julian Smedley

Recorded and Engineered at David Lange Studios

Mastered by Ross Nyberg

Denise Glover – vocals, flat-top guitar, mandolin, octave mandolin

Julian Smedley – arch-top guitar, violin, viola

Cary Black – bass

Bob Knetzger – dobro, pedal steel

Jeff Busch – percussion

Gaps in the Stories

Based on a line from Margaret Atwood’s book The Handmaid’s Tale, this song is for all those that have been overlooked, forgotten, or otherwise silenced. It has been especially inspired by #MeToo.

We are the gaps in the stories

The ones beyond the horizon where nobody sees

Not the chosen few

We lie in the shadows, and we watch you

Put away, used up, then thrown away

Told when to speak, what to wear and eat, and how to play

But power is corrupting you

Out of the shadows we march, our time long overdue

And oh how we’ll rise

With fire in our bellies and hope in our eyes

Never more to be shut down

Never more going underground

Filling in the gaps in these stories

The forgotten ones will be heard and seen

Denise Glover – vocals, flat-top guitar

Julian Smedley – arch-top guitar

Cary Black – bass

Jeff Busch – percussion

Mary the Forgotten One

This song is centered on an alternate history of Mary Magdalen, as told by Elizabeth Cunningham in her series, The Maeve Chronicles.

I am traveling in the badlands

Got the power of life in my hands

I’ve come far to see him again

Withstood tidal waves and violence of men

I am Mary, the forgotten one

History has done me wrong

I was a healer to him

But they said my love was only sin

As we stood under the burning tree

I blamed him and he blamed me

As the flames grew high I flew away

But now I know I should have stayed

When you feel the power of stars in your hands

Then you can heal the broken hearts and bodies of men

When they dragged him through the streets

I yelled out, “No! Please take me!”

But they would not hear, that were sure he was the one

They said God had no daughters, only a son

Denise Glover – vocals, flat-top guitar, mandolin, octave mandolin

Julian Smedley – violin

Cary Black – bass

Whiskey and Loneliness Don’t Mix

I’ve got Jesus in the back seat, and Buddha on my dash

Been looking for a part-time job, to try to earn some cash

But I ain’t had no luck this week, so I’ll get in my car and drive

Leave all my worries behind

I’ve been through 44 of these 50 states, in less than one year

It’s hard to keep the names straight, there’s ringing in my ears

I’ve simplified my life you know, it was no easy feat

I’m in the most control of myself when I’m in the driver’s seat

But I’m getting tired of running around

I’m sick of landing in a cheap motel in every other town

Settling down with me these days, it just don’t seem to stick

And I’ve learned that whiskey and loneliness don’t mix

I had my head stuck in a bottle once, for how long I don’t know

It seemed to help me through the lonely days, and get on with the show

But from high above I saw myself nearly drown, and then I knew

On the road I’d find me a friend or two, and my drinking days were through

Denise Glover – vocals, flat-top guitar

Julian Smedley – viola

Cary Black – bass

Bob Knetzger – pedal steel

Jeff Busch – percussion

Any Old Time (Jimmie Rodgers, Peer International Corp)

I just received your letter, you’re down and out, you say

At first I thought I would tell you to travel on the other way
But in my memory lingers all you once were to me
So I'm going to give you another chance to prove what you can be

Any old time you want to come back home
Drop me a line and say, no more you'll roam
You had your chance to play the game fair
But when you left me, sweetheart you only left a love who cared

Now that you’re down, I’m going to stick by you

If you would only tell me your roaming days are through
You'll find me here like the day you left me alone

Any old time you wanna come back home

Denise Glover – vocals, mandolin

Julian Smedley – arch-top guitar, violin

Cary Black – bass

Bob Knetzger – dobro

Medicine Man

This song is based on my experiences working with doctors of Tibetan medicine in China. Thank you to Tawni Tidwell for the Tibetan translation of a Buddhist interpretation of the English lyrics. Chants included are of/for the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Chenrezig, and the Medicine Buddha, Sangye Menlha.

Medicine man

In your cabin up so high

Tending your flock

As the prayers float on by

Medicine man

With all that you know

Show me the way

And I will surely follow

All might have changed in that moment

Healing the sick, staring into souls

Pulling out heat and restoring light to dark hollows

Lha rje sman pa

Shes yon bsten pa yis

Khyed lam ston shog

Khyed kyi rjes sub dag ‘brang gi

I must have dreamt you in the night

‘Cause in the morning you weren’t there

Were you just another figment of my mind

Gone wild in the high mountain air?

Denise Glover – vocals, octave mandolin

Julian Smedley – arch-top guitar

Cary Black – bass

Bob Knetzger – pedal steel

Crazy Ideas

What would you do if I broke my promise to you?

What would it take to bring us back from blue?

These crazy ideas in my head

You know I meant what I said

When I promised that I would be true you

What if I lose my mind like so many people do?

Would you hold me at night, and sing me through?

These crazy ideas

All built on fears

Of losing my tie to you, my dear

Denise Glover – vocals, flat-top guitar

Julian Smedley – viola

Cary Black – bass

Jeff Busch – percussion

Bailey

Bailey Holt lost her life in a school shooting in Benton, Kentucky on January 23, 2018. She was only 15 years old. I read about her, I saw her picture online, and I cried. And then I found out that I am related to her. In writing this song, I tried to capture my own reactions as well as to consider what this must be like for Bailey's loved ones. This kind of tragedy has to be unbearable for any family. My family experienced its own tragedy (the sudden loss of my mother) some years ago, so I can relate to the pain. I hope this song brings comfort to Bailey's family, and to others that have experienced similar traumas.

Bailey, I never knew you

But I could trace a line from me to you on a family tree

And now your journey’s over

The angels sing to you sweetly

Flowers blossom, raindrops fall

Some things in life make no sense at all

But I pray that there’s a bigger plan than I can see through all these tears

Bailey, I saw your picture

Your beautiful face is forever in my mind’s eye

Your kindness will live on

In the hearts and minds of your loved ones left behind

Flowers blossom, raindrops fall

Why you had to leave us this way makes no sense at all

But I pray that there’s a bigger plan than I can see through all these tears

Bailey, Bailey

You will always be, a precious gift from God, our sweet Bailey

Denise Glover – vocals, flat-top guitar

Julian Smedley – viola

Castaway With You

I have never been able to walk a very straight line

I have tripped and stumbled to the left and the right

With so much on my mind

But when I met you I knew that we could find

A way to leave this unenchanting road behind

So let’s sail the ocean blue

We could catch a ride on a wave of youth

It won’t matter if we end up marooned

‘Cause I want to be castaway with you

All this pushing and shoving, it just don’t suite me right

I’d rather be squeezing and hugging you, all through the night

Yank me out of the rat race, I won’t complain

I’d follow you all the way from Hawaiʿi to Maine

We might capsize

We might not even survive

But don’t you think we ought to give it a try?

See what’s out there to find

Denise Glover – vocals, octave mandolin

Julian Smedley – arch-top guitar

Cary Black – bass

Jeff Busch – percussion

Nothing

Your saying nothing, surely means something

I’d give anything to hear you speak your mind

Your doing nothing, surely means everything

I’d give anything to see you fly

The thing is, I need to know

Are you gonna stay, or are you gonna go?

I can’t hold on very much longer

Your going nowhere means you’re not somewhere

I’d go anywhere with you anytime

Denise Glover – vocals, mandolin

Julian Smedley – arch-top guitar

Cary Black – bass

And lyrics for the Mandarin version of this song:

你什么都不说，肯定意味着什么只要你说出心愿，我做什么都行。你什么都不做，肯定意味着一切只要你能高飞，我做什么都可以重要的是, 我想知道。你要留下，还是要离开？我现在无法坚持下去了你原地徘徊，是因为你还未臻佳境. 无论何时何地，我都会跟随你。

Papa Francesco

Papa Francesco, I left your flock many years ago

But I’ve been thinking I might come back

Don’t know if you’d call me convert, it’s be more like a revert

I might come back if you get rid of them priests that are perverts

Papa Francesco, you seem to be the one that knows

What we need is to spread around the wealth

It could be so easy, if people weren’t so greedy

Otherwise the filthy rich are all going to hell

Francis is your name, social justice is your game

Will the animals gather around you, will you stay tough on climate change?

Will you accept all orientations, will you let women be ordained?

Will you be Francis in practice or only in name?

Papal authority don’t mean that much to me

But I like the messages, you’re spreading around

And I know there are lots of folks that put their faith in the Pope

So as far as I’m concerned, you ought to stick around

Denise Glover – vocals, flat-top guitar

Julian Smedley – arch-top guitar

Cary Black – bass

Elijah

It’s hard these days to find decent pay

All them factory jobs, they’ve moved away

Across the border where the labor is cheap

Companies are making big profits to keep

Like off to war, but you’re going for cold hard cash

This world is changing ever so fast

But you and I are getting left behind

Trying to catch up, and keep up with what the market’s buying

Elijah, will you stay true to me

When you board that great big ship that’ll take you far across the deep blue sea

Will I still hold that special place in your heart, where you said I’d always be?

Elijah, don’t let this turn you away from me

When you get there your home may be less than meek

And grandma told you to always turn the other cheek

But if they grind you down low enough

You’d better rise up and call their bluff

What happened to the dreams we had?

Such a simple life, how could it all turn bad?

Somehow our lives are out of our hands

The strings being pulled by the corporate man

Denise Glover – vocals, flat-top guitar

Julian Smedley – arch-top guitar

Cary Black – bass

Bob Knetzger – pedal steel

Stand Up Straight and Tall

Inspired by the 2016 US presidential election.

I’m on the edge of my seat, been weeks I cannot sleep

Tomorrow’s Election Day in our land

But this angst I feel, sure enough it’s real

I need somebody to hold my hand

Which way are the chips gonna fall?

Will we go back 50 years, or are we gonna stand up straight and tall?

Love must win in the end

And equality and justice, my friend

It didn’t turn out like I’d hoped, it all went up in smoke

Smoke and mirrors, I’d say

I’m trying to understand, how that vile, vile man

Could hold any promise for America today

Should we head for the border?

Will our land be abused by supposed “law and order”?

My head is spinning around in a confused state

But I just know I cannot turn to hate

So I’ve signed many a petition, it’s become my nutrition

I call my congressional representatives every day

This anger I feel, sure enough it’s real

But I hope and pray that our goodness does not fade

Denise Glover – vocals, flat-top guitar

Julian Smedley – arch-top guitar

Cary Black – bass

Jeff Busch – percussion

Listening

Based on an NPR podcast of the same name.

You can find the brightest minds in the darkest place

That box she just couldn’t fit in

Let her heart lead the way

But how they’d make her pay

Four walls, no light, but she could still hear

If you listen long and hard enough

You might get to place

Where the outside moves in

All barriers fall away

Space opens, you can really hear

Gunshots everywhere, no safe place

He walked the streets at night, his color shining white

Ears open, mouth shut, hand stretch out long

He could really hear

Denise Glover – vocals, flat-top guitar

Julian Smedley – viola

Cary Black – bass

How Easily We Are Fooled

Phantom rivers, floating ice sheets

Red dirt, popcorn

Into the rain our course leads

How easily we are fooled

Choppy stream, blurred lines of charcoal

I see entire cities

Built of vapor aerosol

How easily we are fooled

Beaches of clouds

Traces of footsteps on the land

Alpine lakes staring like the eyes of God

Moon steady as the North Star

As the distance grows

All features fade away

Distinctions that mattered before are gone

Contours flatten along the way

How easily we are fooled

Denise Glover – vocals, mandolin

Julian Smedley – arch-top guitar

Cary Black – bass

Bob Knetzger – pedal steel

Blue Sky (Dickie Betts, Unichappell Music Inc)

Walk along the river, sweet lullaby

It just keeps on flowing, it don’t worry ‘bout where it’s going, no

Don’t fly Mr. Bluebird, I’m just walking down the road

Early morning sunshine, tells me all I need to know

You’re my blue sky, you’re my sunny day

Lord you know it makes me high when you turn your love my way

Turn your love my way

Good old Sunday morning, bells are ringing everywhere

I’m going to Carolina, won’t be long ‘til I get there, no

You’re my blue sky, you’re my sunny day

Lord you know it makes me high when you turn your love my way

Turn your love my way

Denise Glover – vocals, flat-top guitar

Julian Smedley – arch-top guitar

Cary Black – bass

Bob Knetzger – dobro

Pathways

All lyrics and music by Denise Glover, except for “Your Face,” lyrics by Glen Avantaggio

Produced by Julian Smedley

Recorded and Engineered by David Lange at David Lange Studios

Mastered by Ross Nyberg

High Plains Drifter

I have to drive 3,000 miles to get my mail

The postman said it won’t do this time you got to get over the county line, no fail

I’m running out of road, I’m running out of time

My windshield’s cracked, I’m drifting over the line

But I’ll make it through this storm like so many times before

‘Cause I know how to survive

Every minute that passes is another mile on the highway

I lost all my money to the keepers of the land, they sure knew how to read my hand, not my way

I’m running out of road, running out of dimes

What lies ahead I have yet to find

But I’ll make it through this storm like so many times before

‘Cause I know how to survive

Now I’m a high plains drifter in the desert of life

No matter how long I stay here, I might not get it right

But I’ll try

I have to drive 3,000 miles to get my mail

The postman said it won’t do this time you got to get over the county line, no fail

And I’m running out of road, I’m running out of time

My windshield’s cracked, I’m drifting over the line

But I’ll make it through this storm like so many times before

‘Cause I know how to survive

mandolin, vocals – Denise Glover

guitar, harmony vocals – Don Share

bass – Cary Black

dobro – Bob Knetzger

fiddle – Julian Smedley

Self-Righteous Fool

I spent twenty long years doing time

I’ll spend twenty more just trying to find

A place where I belong

Somewhere to sing my song

But for now I’ll just roll on down the line

I’ve burned so many bridges before

Never looked back as I went storming out the door

I want all that to change

It really should, at my age

But for now I’ll just roll on down the line

But please don’t try to save me

I have my own sense of internal glory

It’s not like the pride we learned in school

But it’s the only way to be a self-righteous fool

Somehow, out on the open road

I breathe better, my mind clears from under the load

I don’t stay anywhere long

In my soul it just feels wrong

So for now I’ll just roll on down the line

But please don’t try to save me

I have my own sense of internal glory

It’s not like the pride we learned in school

But it’s the only way to be a self-righteous fool

flat-top guitar, vocals – Denise Glover

arch-top guitar – Julian Smedley

bass – Cary Black

pedal steel – Bob Knetzger

fiddle – JP Wittman

Pietracatella

Named after my maternal great grandmother’s natal village in Italy, a place I fell in love with upon first encounter.

It’s a long climb to the top

Where the saint is buried, deep in the rock

Where the mountains roll

And the fields are gold

It’s a long climb to the top

I can hear the church bells chime

They are marking time in Marinelli design

And the children play

All along the way

While the church bells, they chime

This village is my home

I have come back, never more to roam

The night brings sweet lullabies

To my ears

Come the morning light, you will find me still here

In the meadows way up high

Life and death exist side by side

And the faces I see

Some of them look like me

I have missed them all through the years

This village is my home

I have come back, never more to roam

The night brings sweet lullabies

To my ears

Come the morning light, you will find me still here

mandolin, lead & harmony vocals – Denise Glover

bass – Cary Black

guitar – Julian Smedley

fiddle – JP Wittman

accordion – David Lange

Suspended

Out here on the horizon

In between layers of white

Rain streaks down in the distance

Like dripping paint

I move through time so swiftly here

And yet all is still

I am suspended

In the body of a bird of steel

Back there on the horizon

I left you in a state

Not knowing which road you’ll take

More sleep or to suddenly awake

If you were up this high

You would not ever want to come down

You’d be suspended

Forever, above the ground

Is it a beginning or an end?

Will the orange fade soon?

When will it begin again?

Out here on the horizon

In between layers of white

Rain streaks down in the distance

Like dripping paint

Time moves so swiftly here

This high above the ground

I am suspended

Why don’t I fall down?

flat-top guitar, vocals – Denise Glover

arch-top guitar – Julian Smedley

bass – Cary Black

pedal steel – Bob Knetzger

percussion – Jeff Busch

Deep History

I met my cousin at the top of the ridge

He told me all about our family lineage

5,000 miles from where I was born

Lies the foundation of our family home

Our paths may form a crooked line

Our future selves may be so hard to find

But as water flows in great circles, of this I can be sure

All of our paths emanate from the same source

If you go back far enough, into deep history

You’ll find we all share the same family tree

Why all this warring and killing, like we are not kin?

Embrace your enemy, make him your friend

Our paths may form a crooked line

Our future selves may be so hard to find

But as water flows in great circles, of this I can be sure

All of our paths emanate from the same source

They call her Eve, but she wasn’t from no man’s rib

She is everyone’s Mama, and she was African

History that’s more than skin deep

Our humanity, we must keep

Our paths may form a crooked line

Our future selves may be so hard to find

But as water flows in great circles, of this I can be sure

All of our paths emanate from the same source

mandolin, lead & harmony vocals – Denise Glover

guitar – Julian Smedley

bass – Cary Black

drums – Ben Smith

percussion – Jeff Busch

chorus vocals – Saveria Avantaggio, Dawn Glover, Denise Glover, Julian Smedley

Your Face

My husband wrote this lovely poem for me, and I made it into a song for him.

Your face

How boundless rich in beauty God must be

To calmly spend a fortune in one place

Your face

The angels come to learn humility

By gazing at the moonlight on your face

The days that I remember

Are the days that I remember looking at your face

Your face

For the ocean all the rivers yearn

Around your face the stars above us turn

Your face

How boundless rich in beauty God must be

To calmly spend a fortune in one place

guitar, vocals – Denise Glover

viola – Julian Smedley

If I’d Been Born in Another Place

If I’d been born in another place, I never would have seen your handsome face

If I’d been born in another time, you would never have been mine

So let us thank the stars above tonight, dance ‘neath that evening light

Oh love, my heart I give all to you, please don’t ever make me blue

If you’d passed me by that summer day, to each other we’d have nothin’ to say

If I didn’t call you on the telephone, I’d be here singing all alone

So let us thank the heavens above tonight, kiss ‘neath that evening light

Oh love, my heart I give all to you, you could never be untrue

So let us thank the stars above tonight, dance ‘neath that evening light

Oh love, my heart I give all to you, please don’t ever make me blue

mandolin, lead & harmony vocals – Denise Glover

guitar, harmony vocals – Don Share

bass – Cary Black

banjo – Allan Walton

fiddle – JP Wittman

Along the Path (Dreams of Emptiness)

Based on the Buddhist concept of śunyata.

I have been diving down deep

I’ve been following the path

There are so many things I have yet to see

Your island and my autumn are so far apart

But there is a common place where we go

Mind knows no limits

I dream of emptiness

And in this emptiness all things are contained

The wise, the ignorant, all of the suffering

Find release

The teachings stand on high

And yet they are right inside

There is no other place for them to be

I dream of emptiness

And in this emptiness all things are contained

The wise, the ignorant, all of the suffering

Find release

flat-top guitar, vocals – Denise Glover

arch-top guitar – Julian Smedley

bass – Cary Black

viola – Julian Smedley

percussion – Jeff Busch

A Song for Firefighters

The tragedy of September 11, 2001 had immeasurable repercussions. Many people suffered and many are still dealing with the after-effects of the events, very importantly including first responders. My father and brother were career firefighters (now retired); I dedicate this song to their work and sacrifice—for which I am infinitely proud—and to that of their brothers/sisters-in-uniform, especially those that are still struggling with the trauma of 9-11.

It was a day, just like any other

Until those flying bombs hit the towers up high

I ran to the station, grabbed my gear, and I said

“Brothers, we must ride, ride, ride”

It was a call, not like any other

An inferno, so many lives gone at one time

As the steel buckled, the ground shook, I hit the wall

My back broke, my spirit almost left me

I’ve pulled you out of a burning house

I’ve walked through flames at your door

So don’t look sideways at me now

I’m struggling picking myself up off the floor

It was a year not like any other

Every other day we buried a brother

I searched my soul, I searched the world, I could never find

One good reason why

I’ve pulled you out of a burning house

I’ve walked through flames at your door

So don’t look sideways at me now

I’m struggling picking myself up off the floor

flat-top guitar, vocals – Denise Glover

arch-top guitar – Julian Smedley

bass – Cary Black

pedal steel – Bob Knetzger

fiddle – JP Wittman

Heading Home

The clouds come and go here, most of the people do the same

Another day in this city, I’ve got a headache again

And suddenly I wonder if I am losing my way

I left my home, and sweet love much too far behind

I dream every night I’m back in the pines

Standing straight and tall, pure and green, blowing in the breeze

They say when you’ve reached realization

All doubts disperse, and light is revealed

And then they say there’s nothing to reach

It’s all around you, I try not to lose sight

I am traveling the country, many miles pass before me

It will only be a day or two, and I will be home with you

The air is so dry in here, I feel my nose starting to bleed

But there is something beautiful in this way

Stretching time across 3,000 miles

And time moves on, and on, and on

And my thoughts go on, and on, and on

And my love for you goes on, and on, and on

I am heading home

flat-top guitar, vocals – Denise Glover

arch-top guitar, viola – Julian Smedley

bass – Cary Black

percussion – Jeff Busch