Get all 15 Gretchen Peters releases available on Bandcamp and save 50%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Cruel Mother, The Night You Wrote That Song: The Songs of Mickey Newbury, Dancing With The Beast, Blackbirds, "The Cruel Mother", Hello Cruel World, Songs From The Red Room, Circus Girl (The Best Of), and 7 more.
1. |
Ghost
04:19
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there was a girl who used to live here
sometimes you still can hear her laugh
see her planting in the garden
see her soaking in the bath
but you let her beauty go unnoticed
you let her music go unheard
you should have listened when she told you
you should have hung on every word
now i'm a ghost, i haunt this house
and wait for love to lift this shroud
take these withered dreams and let 'em go
i'm a ghost, i'm what remains
i walk these halls and curse these chains
and think about the things i loved the most
i'm a ghost
if i was looking for redemption
well i know it isn't here
and i won't hang around forever
so you can watch me disappear
so now i'm stuck here in this limbo
waiting for my soul's release
maybe a garden of my own somewhere
where i can find a little peace
it's much too late for blame
but would it have killed you to say my name?
i'm a ghost...
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2. |
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there’s a dog a’barking
there’s no sunday parking
no standing nine to noon
and the air is breezy
and the day breaks easy
and the traffic hums a tune
there’s a sunday paper
and a sleepy neighbor
and a cat curled at your feet
there’s a breakfast frying
and a baby crying
and your smile is all I need
and we’re talking (and i love to hear you)
and we’re laughing (and i love to see you)
and we’re taking time and making love so sweet
and the birds sing (i can hear them singing)
and the bells ring (i can hear them ringing)
and it’s Sunday morning up and down my street
where the sidewalk’s broken
there’s a cafe open
people spilling out the door
and you’re softly hummin’
and the day is comin’
when we won’t be sad no more
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3. |
Summer People
03:55
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i got sand between my toes and beach tar on my feet
and my air conditioner don’t work in this late August heat
i got a top forty radio song stuck in my head
can’t shake it loose can’t get myself out of bed
and i’m tired of the tv news think i’ll read a book instead
i been waitin’ tables all summer at this place on the strip
bustin’ all kinds of business for two bucks and tips
i got a long list of reasons and a very short fuse
a half pack of cigarettes and a room full of blues
and i’m tired of these summer people with their summer tattoos
i know you don’t wanna hear it but i’m telling you now
cause i think somebody’s got to come clean about this whole thing somehow
you say you were only tryin’ to get yourself free
don’t mean nothin’ as far as i can see
you ain’t no better than them the way you walked out on me
i think i’m callin’ it quits i think i’ve had enough
of people leaving their messes for me to clean up
i’m gonna take a vacation go somewhere in the snow
i’m tired of the sun and the top forty radio
and i’m tired of these summer people, wish they’d all just go home
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4. |
Jezebel
03:58
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oh Jezebel
you can't just tell them how you feel
they see the world in black and white and red
and Jezebel
it’s just as well, what’s done is done
you’ll never change the thoughts inside their heads
oh Jezebel
with every cell you reached for love
and found it in an old familiar face
and Jezebel
it hurts like hell but then again
where would you be without love’s warm embrace
wear it like a crown
don't let them take you down
hey Jezebel
you mustn't dwell on small details
there'll always be some battles you can't win
but Jezebel
you'll live to tell and love again
your pride's your gift, and love your only sin
wear them like a crown
your scarlet hand-me-downs
hey Jezebel
they say you fell so far, so fast
you burned your angel wings on your way down
ah Jezebel
you’ve been to hell and heaven too
and love’s the only refuge that you’ve found
hey Jezebel, love’s all that matters now
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5. |
Thirsty
03:43
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what makes your heart so bitter
what makes your road so rough
what makes your cup half empty
there’s never near enough
what makes you look right through me
what demon from your past
what are you looking for
inside that whisky glass
you’re always thirsty
thirsty
you’re always thirsty
and you’re never satisfied
what makes me feel so broken
so empty and so wild
what makes me feel so restless
like some lonely orphan child
i’m always thirsty
thirsty
i’m always thirsty
and i’m never satisfied
what makes this house so frigid
feels like a cold steel trap
what makes us pace like wild things
what turned us mean like that?
we’re always thirsty
thirsty
we’re always thirsty
we’re never satisfied
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6. |
England Blues
03:08
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we'll take the redeye flight and leave Nashville way behind
i got a feeling everything's gonna work out fine
three thousand miles from Tennessee
in between the devil and the deep blue sea
take the redeye flight and leave Nashville way behind
got my hand on the wheel and i'm drivin’ on the left hand side
hold on baby it's gonna be a hell of a ride
god save the queen and the BBC
they can't do nothin' ‘bout you and me
got my hand on the wheel and i'm drivin’ on the left hand side
holed up in a hotel room on the river Tyne
just me and my baby and a do not disturb sign
24 hours by the hotel clock
hotel maid goin’ knock knock
holed up in a hotel room on the river Tyne
i got one shot left and i'm bettin’ it all on us
we're gonna make it to Londontown or bust
a whole lot of people said it couldn't be done
but just look at us now just watch us run
i got one shot left and i'm bettin’ it all on us
we'll take the redeye flight and leave Nashville way behind
got a real good feeling everything's gonna work out fine
three thousand miles from Tennessee
in between the devil and the deep blue sea
take the redeye flight and leave Nashville way behind
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7. |
The Lady of the House
04:34
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open up your suitcase and show me what you got
i don’t need a new religion i don’t need no pans or pots
but your little ritual
might entertain me
yeah the lady of the house is in and might be so inclined
if you’re selling something sacred I might be ready to buy
it’s not unthinkable
that you might save me
so i will wait for you
see just what this love can do
i will wait for you
to show me something bright and new
i will wait for you
did you find redemption in your thirty dollar suit
or maybe resignation would be closer to the truth
like you’re invisible
the way that i am
some nights i lie awake and wonder if i’ve finally gone insane
but if i don’t do nothin nothin’s ever gonna change
i’m available
i think you understand
and i will wait for you
see just what this love can do
i will wait for you
to show me something bright and new
i will wait for you
see just what this love can do
see just what this love can do
see just what this love can do
so open up your suitcase and show me what you got
i don’t need a new religion i don’t need no pans or pots
it’s not unthinkable
that you might love me
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8. |
One For My Baby
04:39
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it’s quarter to three
there’s no one in the place, just you and me
so set ‘em up Joe
i got a little story i think you should know
we’re drinking, my friend
to the end of a brief episode
make it one for my baby
and one more for the road
i got the routine
put another nickel in the machine
i’m feeling so bad
can’t you make the music easy and sad
i could tell you a lot
but you’ve gotta be true to your code
make it one for my baby
and one more for the road
you’d never know it
but buddy, i’m a kind of poet
and i got a lot of things to say
and when i’m gloomy
won’t you listen to me
until it’s talked away
well that’s how it goes
and Joe i know you’re getting anxious to close
so thanks for the cheer
i hope you didn’t mind my bending your ear
but this torch that i’ve found
it’s gotta be drowned or it soon will explode
make it one for my baby
and one more for the road
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9. |
The Way You Move Me
04:12
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it’s something like grace
the way you look at me
kinda like you see me
in my finest hour
it’s something like church
the way it’s supposed to be
when I get down on my knees and feel the power
it’s kinda like a wildfire
burnin’ up the mountainside
it’s kinda like a freight train
comin’ off the track
it’s kinda like a freefall
the way i feel inside
when there ain’t no turning back
if i cried a thousand tears
if i lived a thousand years
i could never find a way to make you see
i’ll never understand the way you move me
you left your words
all across my memory
you left your mark
like a burning brand
you left your fingerprints
all over me
and now you’re everywhere i am
if i cried a thousand tears
if i lived a thousand years
i could never find a way to make you see
i’ll never understand the way you move me
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10. |
This Town
03:11
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this town is a lot like me
sadder and wiser than it used to be
a little sprawled out, a little rundown
i wonder what’s gonna become of this town
this town has its highs and lows
and a hole in the middle where nobody goes
people come through but they don’t hang around
nobody wants to get to the heart of this town
this town has its own sweet charms
open your heart and it’ll open its arms
take you by the hand and show you around
there’s still a lot of life left in this town
all that i can see is lovers kissing in the street
swaying to the beat of a rusty radio
all that i can hear another late night symphony
the sound of traffic moving like an undertow
this town can’t get no rest
everybody thinks that they know best
they’re either building it up or they’re tearing it down
they can’t seem to love it like it is, this town
all i wanna do tonight is kiss you in the street
swaying to the beat of a rusty radio
all i wanna do is feel your arms around me too
pullin on my body like an undertow
this town is a lot like me
a little coat of paint & some TLC
and she’ll light right up if you come around
you know that you never wanna leave this town
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11. |
Breakfast At Our House
06:26
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this is how it is
no dramatic scenes
you read your morning paper
i read my magazine
happy weatherman
says we need the rain
but i don't know what he's thinking
it's been coming down for days
and this brew is just too bitter
too strong for me to drink
gonna pour it down the drain right now
right down the kitchen sink
cold coffee in my cup
you turn the tv up
breakfast at our house
and this is how it is
and it's no easy trick
we can promise what we want to
but we can't make it stick
half a life ago
with this ring we wed
and now we're sittin’ at this table
with the things we never said
but to come right out and say 'em
would be rude and out of place
so I'll keep it to myself I guess
but it's written all across your face
burnt toast and offerings
that's what the morning brings
breakfast at our house
so here's to all the young boys, to all the fair haired girls
who ran away on honeymoons, who married in a whirl
whose pretty bed of roses feels like a bed of coals
who sit at breakfast tables and stare into their bowls
who had their dreams of love, but now they're waking up
breakfast at our house
cold coffee in my cup, you turn the tv up
breakfast at our house
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12. |
To Say Goodbye
05:18
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children playing - night is falling
stars are winking in the sky
supper’s cooking - Mama’s calling
but they’re not ready to say goodbye
while you’ve been sleeping, i’ve been walking
i’ve been restless but i swear i don’t know why
i’m not crying, it’s just raining
and i’m not ready to say goodbye
we are dreamers slowly waking
we are shooting stars across a midnight sky
we are strangers in the making
but we’re not ready to say goodbye
i’m no angel, i’m no demon
i’m no christian but i ain’t afraid to die
i’m not leavin, i’m just goin
cause you’re not ready to say goodbye
ghosts and angels on my street now
yes and there but for the grace of god go i
so draw the curtain light the lamp now
cause i’m not ready to say goodbye
you’re not ready to say goodbye
we’re not ready
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Gretchen Peters Nashville, Tennessee
For two decades, Gretchen Peters has been one of Nashville's most beloved and respected artists. A 2014 inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Peters has accumulated accolades as both songwriter and artist. Her latest album, The Night You Wrote That Song: The Songs of Mickey Newbury (May 2020), is a loving tribute to another Hall of Fame songwriter. ... more
Gretchen Peters recommends:
my musical and life partner, Barry Walsh's latest album - beautiful solo (mostly) piano.
go to album
Second solo album by Barry Walsh. Evocative and melodic solo piano.
go to album
debut album by Barry Walsh.
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