Get all 27 Jonathan Byrd releases available on Bandcamp.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Infrared, Jimmy Says, Fog On the Mountain, I Should Have Died, I've Been Everywhere - Covid 19 version, Pickup Takeout, Live at The Blue Note Grill, Live at NERFA, and 19 more.
Excludes supporter-only releases.
1. |
Pickup Cowboy
02:37
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Pickup Cowboy JByrd
He's a pickup cowboy crying up I-35.
He went and got his heart broke down in South Padre Island.
Now he's driving to Sioux Falls with two bald tires.
He's a pickup cowboy.
He's a lowly roller. He don't need much money,
living on buffalo jerky and tupelo honey,
fishing for breakfast in the muddy Missouri.
He's a pickup cowboy.
Good dogs get better 'til they die.
'Til they die.
He's an Indian summer back in South Dakota.
Sleeping in his tipi, living like a Lakota
with his long blonde hair and his long blue yodel,
He's a pickup cowboy.
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2. |
Tractor Pull
02:18
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Tractor Pull JByrd
She drove a Farmall from '56.
I’ve never seen one do that before.
She backed up to the sled and hitched,
put in her distance and a little bit more.
I met my baby at the tractor pull.
I met my baby at the tractor pull.
She dropped the hammer on my heart and soul.
I met my baby at the tractor pull.
I saw that woman and I lost a wheel,
going faster than I should have gone.
Now I'm older and I've got the feel.
I can pull steady all night long.
I met my baby at the tractor pull.
I met my baby at the tractor pull.
She dropped the hammer on my heart and soul.
I met my baby at the tractor pull.
McCormicks are Red. Ford's are blue.
She’ll make that old hoss run like new.
It ain't how fast. It's how far.
We got a love that's built to last.
Can't nobody compete with her.
She's the only model in her class.
I met my baby at the tractor pull.
I met my baby at the tractor pull.
She dropped the hammer on my heart and soul.
I met my baby at the tractor pull.
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3. |
When the Well Runs Dry
03:51
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When The Well Runs Dry JByrd, Charles Humphrey III
It’s all lit up like Christmas. There’s a skyline of flame.
Metal halide lights up the prairie night all the way out to the Plains.
Out on the low horizon, the sunrise burns my eyes
shining off of the tankers and the flatbeds hauling pipe.
We all need the money, babe. I can’t lie.
Ain’t no need to wonder what’ll happen when the well runs dry.
This whole town’s made of trailers and the trains run two miles long.
Some guys phone their money home or they drink until it’s gone.
Ranch hands learn to roughneck. They’re all lined up to work.
There’s another boom and there ain’t no room so they sleep out in their trucks.
We all need the money, babe. I can’t lie.
Ain’t no need to wonder what’ll happen when the well runs dry.
Sometimes I feel I’m turning a wheel.
Dad took me down to an old ghost town when I was five years old,
where the miners bled with their dreams in their heads ’til the river ran out of gold.
I look over miles of burning rigs. God knows how much it’s worth.
Then the stars go black and the sun comes back and it’s time to go to work.
We all need the money, babe. I can’t lie.
Ain’t no need to wonder what’ll happen when the well runs dry.
Ain’t no need to wonder what’ll happen when the well runs dry.
Ain’t no need.
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4. |
Lakota Sioux
04:24
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Lakota Sioux Matt Fockler
Summer is changing. Fall is in the air.
The geese are in migration. You can hear them up there.
The prairie's golden brown. The leaves are falling down.
The fawns have lost their spots
and the temperature's dropping down.
It was a big day I suppose when the Indians chased the buffalo.
Across the prairie in herds they'd go, till the blood began to flow
and they went down.
We ain't got no time, no to waste no time.
We got a lot of lives we got to keep in line.
Pretty soon the snow's gonna fly. You don't feed them, your people gonna die.
It was a big day I suppose when the Indians chased the buffalo.
Across the prairie in herds they'd go, till the blood began to flow
and they went down.
They like to paint their face. They like to paint their paints.
They like to decorate everything up and celebrate.
They like to congregate in a beautiful place,
dress themselves in feathers and leathers and dream their fates.
It was a big day I suppose when the Indians chased the buffalo.
Across the prairie in herds they'd go, till the blood began to flow
and they went down.
Then the cavalry came to take their land away.
They lied and died and lost every battle but they got their way.
Then they took their souls when they took the buffalo.
They took their families blankets riddled with the pox, and so
it was a big day I suppose when Custer went in for the close
and found himself with his pants down as the Indians rode around
and cut him down.
We ain't got no time, no to waste no time.
We got a lot of lives we got to keep in line.
Pretty soon the snow's gonna fly. You don't feed them, your people gonna die.
It was a big day I suppose when the Indians chased the buffalo.
Across the prairie in herds they'd go, till the blood began to flow
and they went down.
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5. |
Taking It Back
03:27
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Taking It Back JByrd
The lottery's twenty million. You have to play to win. The factory girls are shopping for their kids.
This side of town is pretty safe this time of the day. Even Jesus couldn't tell the truth and live.
I got debts I can't pay. Sorry, try again. Ain't nobody hiring guys like me.
Three hot meals a day if I break parole. Something's got to give and nothing's free.
I've seen the light. I'm not taking it. I'm taking it back.
I love a fast woman. You have to play to win. I hope she doesn't turn the engine off.
There's a camera in the window that can't see my situation. I don't know what to do about these dogs.
I spend a dime to make a nickel. Sorry, try again. I never hurt nobody in my life.
I'm buying one last ticket and taking off the safety. I'll go over of I can't get by.
I've seen the light. I'm not taking it. I'm taking it back.
That's the story of my life. Sorry, try again. I might as well not even use the mask.
This guy knows my name. Hell, he don't get the money. If he's friendly enough, I'll give him half.
That leaves one last dollar. You have to play to win. I'll stuff it in the box for kids in need.
There's a thirty gallon can down at this end of the counter, slap full of receipts for empty dreams.
I've seen the light. I'm not taking it. I'm taking it back.
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6. |
Temporary Tattoo
02:43
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Temporary Tattoo JByrd
I showed my love for you with a temporary tattoo.
I washed it off with the dirt. I didn't want it to hurt.
I was afraid someday our love would turn blue.
I wanted to keep it new like a temporary tattoo
You went under the gun to show me how much I meant to you-
a little rose with my name. It was the real thing.
You didn't understand you were wearing the brand of a damned fool.
All that I could do was a temporary tattoo.
I tried you on for fun.
You thought I was the one.
You must be sore. It’s hard to ignore a new bruise.
Now I'm out of your life like some Crackerjack prize.
Memories fade. Traces remain to remind you
I was only as true as a temporary tattoo.
All that I could do was a temporary tattoo.
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7. |
We Used To Be Birds
04:08
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We Used To Be Birds JByrd
you look at me; I look at you
we used to be birds
navigating the night together
You come to me; I come to you
we used to be birds
calling out in the sky for each other
Now here we are and no one knows we used to be birds
It's all there in the hinge of your hand, in the way we turn
did you ever wonder why you looked to the sky to find me
I looked for you, too, then one day I knew we used to be birds
you dance with me; I dance with you
we used to be birds
here's a sweet little song to remind us
you say my name; I say your name
we used to be birds
on a branch in the night for the lovers to find us
Now here we are and no one knows we used to be birds
It's all there in the hinge of my hand, in the way we turn
did you ever wonder why you looked to the sky to pray for me
I prayed for you, too, then one day I knew we used to be birds
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8. |
Fish Out of Water
02:53
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Fish Out Of Water JByrd
Hey babe I'm a fish out of water. I'm a fish out of water, throw me back in.
I been lovin you so long, it's hard for me to be alone.
I can't think and I can't sleep. Sometimes I feel like I can't breathe.
Hey babe I'm a fish out of water. I'm a fish out of water, throw me back in.
Sometimes I think if I get high, it'll help my wicked nights go by.
Mornin comes and I can't lie. I need your love or I'm gonna die.
Hey babe I'm a fish out of water. I'm a fish out of water, throw me back in.
I read the Bible and the Bible said, "Child, you're in way over your head.
You know your body ain't made to last. You need love, and you need it fast."
Hey babe I'm a fish out of water...
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9. |
It Don't Make Sense
02:19
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It Don't Make Sense JByrd
Pussyfoot, a cat in heat.
Dinner's cold luncheon meat.
A butcher's block on lonely street,
I'm so tired and I can't sleep.
It don't make sense to me.
Recorded live and played to death,
I'm crying where we used to laugh.
Now I find I've lost the past
among a hundred photographs.
It don't make sense to me.
I tried to tidy up the house today, but I couldn't find a place for all those dreams we had. Now you've gone and taken all your stuff. You’d think there'd be room enough.
There was a time I placed a bet
on even odds with no regrets.
The outcome's in and all I get's
a future that I can't forget.
It don't make sense to me.
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10. |
Do You Dream?
05:16
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Do You Dream? Matt Fockler
Do you dream? Do your dreams come true?
What do you see? What do you do to make it happen?
I caught another one. I'll chase one down for you.
We're on another ride, a carnival for a few friends.
See things like they should be, stand up on our could be, and dream dreams.
Do you remember what it was like being a child,
not thinking about the hard things, just wide open wild,
playing night games in the neighborhood, playing like grownups should,
dreaming like there's no way you could these days?
I caught another one. I'll chase one down for you.
We're on another ride, a carnival for a few friends.
See things like they should be, stand up on our could be, and dream dreams.
Face the music and cope with the crowd.
Stand out somewhere and look at the clouds.
Fact of the matter, fair and square,
straightforward and honest, you got to dream like you care.
No fair to the middlin', my fair, weathered friend.
Don't fall between two stools. You're the friend of a friend,
falling head over heels, like I did for you,
right over backwards and into the truth.
I caught another one. I'll chase one down for you.
We're on another ride, a carnival for a few friends.
See things like they should be, stand up on our could be, and dream dreams.
Do you dream? Do your dreams come true?
What do you see? What do you do to make it happen?
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Jonathan Byrd Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Preacher's kid, Gulf War veteran, award-winning songwriter, Youtuber, teacher, and creativity coach from North
Carolina.
“One of the top 50 songwriters of the last 50 years. ” — Chicago Tribune
“...a folk singer with the heart of a rock 'n' roll band.” — K. Oliver, Free Times.
... more
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