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Flypaper Motel

by Jim Jackson

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1.
In days of quiet desperation where lovers fear the gaze of eyes I left a woman hanging all her rag dolls out to dry Don’t talk don’t speak she laughed at me, I know what you will say I closed my eyes and crossed myself, and I walked away In days of damned and dimming light where even hopes and dreams are chains I left a woman grasping for the wagon’s wayward reins As she sped off she cursed at me, and I felt she was sincere When you find that rainbow’s end, drop a line my dear In days of wine and crumbling stone where time waits on everyone I found a woman casting all her poems to the sun And now she’s gone so far away in years and in miles I hope that she can hear me singing through these smiles
2.
The Far Side 03:16
3.
I know my days may not be long I know my heart may not be strong I know my tongue may not be true But I know that I’ll be loving you I’ll be loving you, I’ll be loving you, I’ll be loving you, I’ll be loving you I’ll be loving you, I’ll be loving you, I’ll be loving you, I’ll be loving you I know my words speak a different truth I know my face hides a different youth I know my eyes have seen a different view But I know that I’ll be loving you I’ll be loving you, I’ll be loving you, I’ll be loving you, I’ll be loving you I’ll be loving you, I’ll be loving you, I’ll be loving you, I’ll be loving you I know the way to get back home I know the words to sing your song I know that you know all this, too And you know that I’ll be loving you I’ll be loving you, I’ll be loving you, I’ll be loving you, I’ll be loving you I’ll be loving you, I’ll be loving you, I’ll be loving you, I’ll be loving you
4.
My Dear 04:55
My dear, my dear Call a name that was never mine My dear, my dear Ply me full with ten-dollar wine Take me where the rivers flow, let the road reclaim its load Tonight I’m staying here My dear My dear, my dear From Valentine’s to New Year’s day My dear, my dear Every dirty main street washed away Now I know the gypsy lied when she said the ocean hides What’s revealed in every tear My dear At seventeen the sky was purple-blue I parted my lip and I thought of you And the smell of wine at suppertime My dear, my dear I’m rented out until you go My dear, my dear Who’ll come next well I don’t know Driving around till dawn comes up with the remnants of a broken cup Oh, I swear we’re getting near My dear
5.
I’ve been to the city, and I’ve been on the farm I’ve slept under the silver lights with a girl on every arm And you were always close behind In memory and in deed A ghost without a touch Desire without a need But now I’m moving on And I’ll be a long time gone The jack has got my diamonds and the queen has got my shoes And the king is in the ocean, making love to you But I’m stuck here in the dust In the bolts and in the blue Not trying to write a rationale For feeling like I do I’ll be leaving come the dawn And I’ll be a long time gone The professor told me yesterday most things remain unseen There’s silence in a Sunday, there’s a blue streak in the green And I can have it all I can live a better way And all I’ve got to do Is forget you for a day Oh, but that just seems so wrong So I’ll be a long time gone There’s a woman by the river with a child on her hip A rag curl in her dirty hair and smile along her lip But I know she can’t be you She’s someone with your face Just like me a stranger Rode up and took your place And introductions take so long So I’ll be a long time gone So I’ll sing a song for Sarah and I’ll sing a song for Sue I’ll sing a song for someone, maybe sing a song for you And I’ll see you when the spring Comes up from frozen ground When the days again outnumber The solitary sound Of this hard luck song Till then I’ll be a long time gone
6.
Life and fate and light and love That’s not what I’m thinking of Storms and snow and driving rain Shall not pass into my brain When the heat of night comes on I’m just waiting till the dawn turns blue And thinking of you I’m thinking of you I’m thinking of you Like I do, I’m thinking of you Every thought I ever had Every drop I ever bled Every time I say my name Every time I lay my shame With everything that I’ve done wrong And every time I sing this song, it’s true I’m thinking of you I’m thinking of you Like I do, I’m thinking of you There’s a time we’ll all be well In the future I can tell When every dream will be made flesh And where we can get some rest But till then, my honey love You know what I’m thinking of, you do I’m thinking of you I’m thinking of you Like I do, I’m thinking of you Life and fate and light and love That’s not what I’m thinking of Storms and snow and driving rain Shall not pass into my brain When the heat of night comes on I’m just waiting till the dawn turns blue And thinking of you I’m thinking of you I’m thinking of you Like I do, I’m thinking of you Like I do, I’m thinking of you Like I do, I’m thinking of you
7.
She was just an unknown traveler On prairie highways she laid her bones And I could not unravel her No, I could never bring her home No saint to those above her No savior to those unsaved No lover to those who love her No hero to the great enslaved So if you meet her on these highways Doff your hat but stay away She’ll be coming my way Coming home one happy day She was just an unknown traveler On these highways she laid her bones And I could not unravel her No, I could never take her home
8.
Your words were on his lips in a thin film of sweat And past regret seemed heaven-sent Saturday she was circling round the sun And one by one, he watched the rains relent A hand was still stretched out to smooth a passing wrinkle Intermingled with his horse’s last dismay Greenmen in the corner still counted on the hours And falling towers were lost to receding day In the towns that drew him here, she dealed out jacks or better And your letter was lost to a bad hand Come midnight the land was parching, armies marching And names retreated back to sand Two faces cast as one will always share an eye That will not cry when its lip cannot kiss Clocks were lazy to start the race, and in my face I saw all the lines of his Your perfume on my tongue, and a single promise of water When I thought her eyes winked a warning Two AM the wine was flowing free, you know where I’ll be If I’m not there by morning
9.
Flypaper motel Stay an hour or stay the night Oh, last gas before hell If we’re not there just ring the bell Look in the corner for the light Oh, flypaper motel Do your job and do it well Never give up on the fight Oh, last gas before hell Flypaper motel Last gas before hell Oh, flypaper motel We won’t ask, and you won’t tell Do it wrong or do it right Oh, flypaper motel You can write a villanelle Gas up and travel light Oh, last gas before hell I won’t give you the hard sell You might not come but you just might Oh, to flypaper motel Oh, last gas before hell
10.
My dear There’s nothing that comes near To what I long to hear To bring you here my dear It’s true I wrote a song for you Though you may not want me to It’s all that I can do Dear I’ll love you until the cows come home Anywhere you roam I will follow My love From somber shades of blue To every motley hue You know I will love you Dear I’ll love you until the rooster crows Whither thou goest I’ll be waiting My love From fiery shades of red To every stranger’s bed Remember what I said
11.
She said she sat there picking flowers She said she sat that way for hours Pulling grass up from the ground As the blades fell all around She said she sat there picking flowers She said she’d sit that way till Christmas Just until she starts to miss us And if that moment never came She’d always feel the same She said she sat there picking flowers So come here and I’ll show you What it feels like just to know you Though the world around us sours And the heavy rain devours We could sit here We could sit here picking flowers She said she sat there picking flowers And she could sit that way for hours Till the field was all but clear And she made her way back here She said she sat there picking flowers She said she sat there picking flowers She said she sat there picking flowers She said she sat there picking flowers
12.
Rest yourself, my dear companion Rest yourself, my oldest friend Rest yourself out where lonesome highways end Lay down your head and sleep And daylight go down Daylight go down Daylight go down She needs to sleep Day was long and filled with waiting Day was long and filled with blue Day was long out there on highway 22 Lay down my head and sleep And daylight go down Daylight go down Daylight go down I want to sleep Morning came without a whisper Morning came without a sigh Morning came, and then morning passed us by We’re much too tired to sleep So daylight go down Daylight go down Daylight go down Sing us to sleep
13.
Well, I’ve got the bottom of the bottle blues I’ve got the bottom of the bottle blues When you ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose And I’ve got the bottom of the bottle blues

about

Leonard Cohen meets Muddy Waters on the vast Canadian prairies. Up close guitars and lonesome harmonica caress these blues and ballads of love, joy, loss and nostalgia. The music you listen to driving the plains highways alone.

No added sugar.

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released December 19, 2018

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about

Jim Jackson Calgary, Alberta

Jim Jackson is a Calgary Herald bestselling author, reluctant gentleman and dabbler in the dark arts of blues music. Jim’s mission is to give – in these troubled times – intelligent escapism for modern readers and listeners.

Find out more at jacksontron.com
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