1. |
Portia
02:24
|
|||
Portia’s not the marrying kind, she doesn’t drink cheap wine
She rolls, boys. She rolls
Her breath, her ribs, her unformed vowels, conspire to reveal a parade of flaws
Roll, boys. She rolls
Oh lie the lie
Oh by the by
First one out in any rain, but the last to heal
Or remember your name
Roll, boys. She rolls
She’ll want your love, just not right now
Still she’ll wash your knees, you’ll lay your shovels down
Roll, boys. She rolls
Oh lie the lie
Oh by the by
Portia’s not the marrying kind, she doesn’t drink cheap wine
She rolls, boys. She rolls
|
||||
2. |
When Will You Learn
02:42
|
|||
The way she said “Chicago” made it sound like a swear
Your ears got hot across the bar, finally God was fair
This one was the one to help you burn away your past
Now she’s purring like a kitten, but there’s silence in your pants
When will you learn?
When will you learn?
She was younger than your sisters, younger than alright
You thought life had missed her, it took her dead between the eyes
Now all the words you’ve heard cannot fix what’s been hurt
So why’re you stuck up on this cross? My how the tables have turned.
When will you learn?
When will you learn?
When will you learn?
When will you learn?
She talked you into a wedding next Friday at 5
Notify your next of kin, find some flowers to spoil that child
You’ve prayed every night and day for your next big break,
So why’re you standing on the highway with your thumb pointed that way?
When will you learn?
When will you learn?
When will you learn?
When will you learn?
You’re a plywood dresser drifter, an unreliable cheat
Your secrets all are worthless, so how you’re going to eat
You’re a flooded basement laundromat with a broken quarter machine
You say, “guys like you”, but you mean guys like me
When will you learn?
When will you learn?
When will you learn?
When will you learn?
|
||||
3. |
Mom Jeans
02:11
|
|||
Sometimes the apple falls far from the tree, but boy, this one hasn’t
Inherited her eyes, her smile, her nose, her boobs, and her bad habits
From the time i could talk picked up all I was taught
And Momma, I took that to heart.
How to let someone treat you
How to let someone beat you down
How to make your own scars
I got a short fuse
Rotten luck
Another man who cannot love me
And yet I keep staying
‘Cause I can’t come unless my heart’s breaking
Daddy always said I was his little girl, but he said that with the same mouth
That he used for making deals, that he used for kissing fillies who were not mom or myself
There’s a long line of women behind me waiting
Hoping this one had the sense to break free
I’d give anything to trade this family’s tradition for one with a better pedigree
I got a short fuse
Rotten luck
Another man who cannot love me
And yet I keep staying
‘Cause I can’t come unless my heart’s breaking
I got a short fuse
Rotten luck
Another man incapable of love
And yet I keep staying
‘Cause I can’t come unless my heart’s breaking
|
||||
4. |
||||
I wonder what you look like in the sunshine
I only know you with shadows ‘cross your face
The moon and me explore our victories
In the thin hours that you stay
Nothing past your lips looked like a promise
I could not tease an answer from those shoulder blades
Sure I’ll take what is offered
But I’m not one to need the whole day
I’ll be your once in a while, babe
Just for so long, babe
Gone by the morning’s first light, you’ve got to be getting on
One side of an album, babe
No time for breakfast, babe
I’ll be your once in a while
I’m pretty bad at explaining this to others
Like describing highways they’ve never seen
Still you think that I’d be better
With all those words you leave behind like weeds
I’ll be your once in a while, babe
Just for so long, babe
Gone by the morning’s first light, you’ve got to be getting on
One side of an album, babe
No time for breakfast, babe
I’ll be your once in a while
I’m back to washing just one cup and plate
A bottle of wine now lasts me for days
Back to the middle of the bed
Sleeping in late again
Listening for your key
I’ll be your once in a while, babe
Just for so long, babe
Gone by the morning’s first light, you’ve got to be getting on
One side of an album, babe
No time for breakfast, babe
Even so, I’ll be fine
Even so, I’ll be around
I’ll be your once in a while
|
||||
5. |
Kangaroo Court
03:21
|
|||
Dearly departed, saints or whoever,
We’re gathered together to decide who’s better off
Cast your ballots on folded paper
With letters written in honest prayer
On my left’s a loaded weapon but a good man
His only gun hidden inside of his head
Road on his boots, dust from strange sands
Evidence of Delta lands in salt on his collar
On my right’s a woman look a lot like me
No quarter given, no change received
But I, I mean, she’s as sweet as can be
Your honor, her honor is squeaky clean
When she loves, she loves like the back of a hand
I’m asking you now, I petition you here
Send him away for a thousand years
Send him away for a thousand years
I’m asking you now, I petition you here
Send him away for a thousand years
Send him away for a thousand years
Now, was permission granted, or permission kept?
Whose lips last left that cigarette?
This cracked engine block of a man, dried horse sweat on his bare hands
And the wild eyes of a setting sun?
I’m asking you now, my sisters, my peers
Send him away for a thousand years
Send him away for a thousand years
I’m asking you now, my sisters, my peers
Send him away for a thousand years
Not for the crimes you could plainly see
But the ones he dared to keep from me
|
||||
6. |
Gaslighting
02:06
|
|||
I did nothing wrong love, I did nothing wrong
Sure, I let him have a peck, at the nape of the neck
But that was only polite after he bought me all that wine
And you know his hair must have tickled my nose
So it might have looked a little suspect, I suppose, but I did nothing wrong
I did nothing wrong love, I did nothing wrong
Well, see what you thought was his hand down my dress
Was innocent I swear, hey listen to this,
His watch got caught in the loop of my belt
So you see, honey, I was just trying to help.
But I did nothing wrong
Don’t you think you’re going a bit crazy?
So you really don’t trust me?
I’d trust you out every night alone in a room full of girls with none of their clothes
But I did nothing wrong
But I did nothing wrong
I did nothing wrong love, I did nothing wrong
See, we were locked in his car because he dropped his keys
Somehow they fell way down under the back seat
And wouldn’t you know it, I smeared my lipstick
When my hair got caught in the seatbelt and messed it
And the windows were steamy ‘cause he didn’t have AC
I was only worried about you home alone without me
Cross my heart, hope to die May God strike me down if any of this was a lie…
But I did nothing wrong
But I did nothing wrong
|
||||
7. |
Drink 'Til I'm Pretty
02:54
|
|||
Neighbors heard mama yell when dad took off the belt,
“The good Lord will walk with me through the valley”
“Ah now, look what you’ve done, now you get another one”
Momma got two for begging heaven
For all my promises of running away and easier days
Shouldn’t I have ended somewhere better than this?
Old habits die hard, dreams die young
And nothing changes but my face
So I drink ‘til I’m pretty far down
‘Til the stars in the sky ain’t nothing to the feel of my thighs
Against that saddle on the bottle
Every day of 20-whatever feels like it’s pointing me backwards
Shoving me back in the box of where I came
I can’t breathe and I can’t float
Got nothing that tastes of hope
And I can fault a tree just for its shade
There’s other towns, and cheap hair dyes
First impressions before they’re wise to the dark pit you pray would disappear
Ah but wishing is what wishing does, this shit is what it always was
And the dollar store always needs cashiers
|
||||
8. |
She's Gone
02:49
|
|||
Momma warned you she’s a wild animal
Always talking about doors and windows
Testing out foundations for cracks that let the light in
Tie her down with words and with friends
Have you gotten any sleep since
Offer up your belly, teach her mercy
Feed her compliments
Keep her warm and content
She can’t run if she’s full
Still can’t sleep, can you
You can grease the devil’s palm
Doesn’t matter, she’s gone
She’s gone, gone, gone
Gone, gone, gone
Or lay your soldiers in a line from here to St. Paul
She’s a wily one, she’ll swallow them all
Will they throw their guns on the ground
The first time they hear her howl
You can grease the devil’s palm
Doesn’t matter, she’s gone
She’s gone, gone, gone
Gone, gone, gone
If you know her secret she’ll heel without a leash
Now you know; she knows the price of running free
Would you count that as a win
Hearing your caged bird sing
You can grease the devil’s palm
Doesn’t matter, she’s gone
She’s gone, gone, gone
Gone, gone, gone
|
||||
9. |
Afternoon in Triplet
02:39
|
|||
Mary Jane came through the door
Fully formed and heading towards some delicious mistake
As it passed, the hours planned, time walked in sand
We watched, we could not look away
She led us here, she felt it move
She said do not hide, I like to look
We held her knees, she held us back
An afternoon in triplet
November lies, it’s always been that mean
She’s falling apart
She’s falling apart
Feels like something beautiful just left the room
Who are we to fix this mess, first year butchers?
No, we’re cunning surgeons
This pile of pieces of a person so carefully laid out
It shouldn’t be that hard
She’s falling apart
She’s falling apart
It’s over now, we’ll say we tried
She looks fine, but the light has lost her eyes
We’ll say it’s fixed, she’ll play along
We’ll never again speak of this song
When she goes we’ll look the other way
|
||||
10. |
Then I Remember
02:44
|
|||
I cleaned the house, fixed dinner, put on your favorite perfume
I put on that dress you talked me into for our honeymoon
Fell asleep in your easy chair
Midnight came, still you’re not there
And then I remember
Then I remember
Middle of the night, I had a bad dream, I dreamt that you were gone
I sat right up and laughed at myself for such a silly thought
Turned on the lamp, turned over to say
But your half the bed is still made
And then I
I remember
Then I remember
I remember you’re not here and it hits me all at once
But my mouth still knows your taste
And my skin your touch
Then I open my eyes, to this table set for one
And then I
I remember
Then I
I see your face, you wink at me out of the corner of my eye
Your picture falls off the shelf when no one's nearby
Dialed your number today, saw something you would have loved
And then I
I remember
Then I remember
Then I remember
|
Michelle Billingsley Chicago, Illinois
"Biting & enigmatic. …the knock ‘em dead bravado of Nancy Sinatra and the blunt storytelling knack of Neko Case." -Glide
Magazine
“Charming ... candid." - American Songwriter
“Biting wit...all in a tongue-in-cheek gently honky-tonkin’ spirit." -Americana UK
Michelle will remind you of an Emmylou who went through the looking glass.
... more
Streaming and Download help
If you like Michelle Billingsley, you may also like:
Bandcamp Daily your guide to the world of Bandcamp