JOSEPH HOUCK
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CONGERIES Lyrics

1. LIGHTNING BOLTS AND HURRICANES

Little Darling, 

Who is it wears the ball and chain? 
Take these shackles from my neck 
That I might breathe again 

A storm is raging, 
The ceiling drips with rain 
But summer breaks through 
With lightning bolts and hurricanes 

Now, on the pastures, 
The prairies, and the plains 
Sunlight bathes the lowing cows 
And dries the window panes 

"It's one or the other," 
Old man leans upon his sugar cane 
He says, "Pour us another round 
Of lightning bolts and hurricanes" 

The green buds swellin' 
In the merry month of May 
Rough winds shake my darling, true 
But life teems from decay 

These violent delights 
Must end with violent pangs 
For summer breaks too 
With lightning bolts and hurricanes

2. THE MOUNTAIN

I'm going up on the mountain 

Don't know when I'll be back 
All my old friends and lovers 
They welcome me back 
They welcome me back 

And some say the New River 
Is as old as the Nile 
Like that name they give her, 
I hope to stay young awhile 
Through the last brackish mile 

Going up on the mountain 
O'er the valleys and hills 
Reaching out for new beauty 
In the palms of old thrills 
As it drains from the hills 

Going up on the mountain 
No, I ain't coming back 
Leaving old cares behind me 
Like a ramshackle shack 
On a hill gray and black

3. FEATHERTOP

And with these words 

I breathe the spark of being 
Upon my latest design 
Dressed so neat 
a pipe, a hat and feather, 
And a coat so fine 
And a coat so fine 

Wooden arms start to animate 
His pipe begins to glow a flame 
He feels hunger he can’t satiate 
He likes the fact he’s got a name 

The papers show our newborn star 
“Hay Man Sweeps the Countryside” 
He stumps in cornfields near and far 
With promises to change their lives 

One day a wind comes and blows right through him 
(His cares had long blown away) 
And left him feeling 
hollow, torn, and jumbled 
So he had nothing left to say 
Ah yes, he threw it all away 

Blind seers exposing the lies 
They hate to say they told you so 
“Couldn’t we see through the disguise?” 
“He’s nothing but a scare-crow!” 

In dried-up cornfields near and far 
Now the crows do as they please 
The papers show our fallen star, 
Riots burning effigies 

An instant heap of sticks and straw 
Has left a sense of innocence 
Perhaps more human than us all-- 
This paragon of emptiness 

The papers show our risen star 
Lit up on holy funeral pyre 
An elegy called “Straw Martyr” 
Is carved into his sepulchre 

And with these words 
I breathe the spark of being 
Upon my latest design 
Dressed so neat: 
a pipe, a hat and feather, 
And a coat so fine 
And a coat so fine

4. ALONG THE TRAIL

You took my hand 

And away we went 
Along the trail 
As the twilight hit 
In the wooded hills 
Where chaos sleeps 
And our souls are kept 
Where the love runs deep 

And your mildness is 
March’s dawning hold 
On a barbwire fence 
That is now turned old 
But it looks alright 
By the living stream 
Where the trees grow high 
Toward stars that gleam 

And all the Springs we’ll see 
On our ancient hill 
While your eyes they shine 
As they always will 
And you plant yourself 
Right next to me 
And the sun goes down 
Here we’ll always be 

You took my hand 
And away we went 
Along the trail 
As the twilight hit 
In the wooded hills 
Where chaos sleeps 
And our souls are kept 
Where the love runs deep

5. ON THAT HILL

Swathes of leaves on that well-worn path 

In their earthen gully graves 
The woods grow dim, the beasts come out 
From their hidden mountain caves 

His old plank shack in shadows black 
In sweat and pride was built 
Veiled in vines, the once straight lines 
Did sag and drag and tilt 

Chorus: 
The grass grows high 
And in the wind it sways 
And the sun beats down on that hill 

On that hill they call his grave: 

There’s a creek runs down, springs from the ground 
Not too far, where he would drink 
In the summer heat he’d soak his feet 
And rest awhile and think 

And he held the girl he called his wife 
They tilled and grew their crop 
And when the harvest finally came 
She was about to pop 

Chorus 

There he died at a ripe old age 
His son grown, his wife gone 
Next to her he was buried 
On that hill they both called home 

His shack--no room-- an empty tomb 
And the trail would disappear 
But the spring would flow, and it would know 
At last that he was here 

Chorus


6. MAD PRANKS AND MERRY JESTS

Mad pranks and merry jests 

Mad pranks and merry jests 
I should have seen them coming 
They were just like all the rest 
Oh those mad pranks and merry jests 

Mistress toying with my heart 
Mistress toying with my heart 
The cat that maims the rabbit 
Cruelly waits to rip apart 
Mistress toying with my heart 

Mad pranks and merry jests 
Mad pranks and merry jests 
Your shoe’s untied, the sugar’s salt 
There’s something on your vest 
Oh those mad pranks and merry jests 

Mad pranks and merry jests 
Mad pranks and merry jests 
But the merriest of all 
Was when you said you loved me best 
Oh those mad pranks and merry jests

7. WHISPERS

Whispers 

The wind on the plains 
Restless 
The eternal remains 

They all will rise up at the omen 
Snow-covered kings, yearly frozen 
Sprung from the hills like new children 

From the stone-laden tombs long forgotten 
Clad in a cold fallen cotton, 
They’ll emerge to the fields that they fought in

8. THE WITCH'S FAMILIAR

9. THE HARBINGER

When will they show 

The moonlight's glow? 
When will they say 
The world's ok? 

Twinkle, twinkle 
How I wonder? 

Twinkle, twinkle 
How I wonder? 

How I wonder? 
How? 

When will they fall 
The curtain tall? 
When will we soar 
The heavens' floor? 

Twinkle, twinkle 
How I wonder? 

Twinkle, twinkle 
How I wonder? 

Twinkle, twinkle...


10. DANCE AGAIN

Let's dance 

Sometimes, you gotta celebrate 
Let's dance 
Like you made it to the Pearly Gates 
Let's dance 
Tomorrow's gonna have to wait 
Darling, I've been waiting 
For this chance 
when we could dance again 

One glance 
Like a tractor beam, she pulled me in 
One glance 
And I knew I'd have to glance again 
One glance 
I knew we'd have this dance again 
Darling, I've been waiting 
For this chance 
When we could dance again

11. THE SHRINE

Through the woods up ahead 

The trail forks off 
At the top of the hill 

A tree sticks out 
Marking the split 
And that’s where we put 
The cool stuff we find 

You see we go on walks 
And sometimes find something neat 
And our trek becomes 
A pilgrimage 

We pledge our gifts 
All about the tree 
At the branches, 
Roots, and trodden leaves 

And each new ring 
Brings sundry new things 
To adorn the wood 

Relics, knicks, knacks, 
Assorted artifacts 
Like Dali meets O’Keefe 

Tacked to the bark 
Is an old rusty blade 
On the handle hangs 
A watch that still ticks 

A nail up above 
Holds half a cow's skull 
And it’s missing some teeth 

Feathers from crows, 
Hawks and bluejays 
Are placed with care 

An old whiskey bottle 
Props a tiny doll’s head 
Keeping watch in the night 

And the few who pass through 
No matter which path they choose 
Must face up to the shrine 

Yes, and I only hope 
That grazing deer at night 
Don’t turn their gaze 
From the eerie sight 
And it brings them peace

ROAM Lyrics

1. ROAM

From the driveway
Her gaze afar
To the highway
Beneath the Morning Star

She folds the paper
And turns the key
And baby you were made to roam

A weary traveller
A fume-lit dream
The lonely highway
The open sea

To gain your freedom
You take some liberties
But baby you were made to roam

The wallet empties
As the spirit climbs
New towns and people
But only fives and dimes

She’s going to make to make it
She’s found her home
For baby you were made to roam


2. THE REASON

And oh that we could be free
To find the way to
Peace and Harmony
To find the reason

...

So I wondered ‘til I found that far somewhere
Watched an apple rolling down the village square
Past the laundries on the streets of stone and clay
I drank coffee in a dusty street cafe

And when I heard the shipyard’s horns in seaside caves
I brushed the honey orange to the berry waves
And when the shadow o’er the easel finally set
I started over and I haven’t finished yet


And oh that we could be free
To find the way to
Peace and harmony
To find the reason


3. SEE IT COMING

A little story about the way things used to be
How I was dreaming on a four-leaf clover
And when I plucked it from among the hungry thieves
I didn’t even think it over
How all at once I felt a storm form around my heart
I felt the thunder from the bass drum drumming
As wolves and buzzards came to pick me part from part
And I didn’t even see it coming
I withered as the fourth leaf up and left
And drained in crimson ‘round the headless clover
Delusion’s cleaver clipped me bare, blind, and bereft
But I didn’t have to bleed all over
Guess I didn’t even think it over

Sometimes it’s only when the lights go out
That you can look around and really see things clearly
Beyond the shadow of a vampire doubt
I never needed my former dreams so dearly
Just merely…
Severely

And I was awoken by the glow of a burning light
I fluttered swiftly to the flicker humming
For the brilliance of a plan lit up the night
And I didn’t even see it coming


4. LEVEL-HEADED BLUES
Last verse is an amalgam of Bob Dylan Song Titles

If you're starting down the road
Or even if you're down the road a-ways
...
Count your lucky stars, honey
Not the number of your days
We were half-way down the homestretch
When the motor started into flames
...
I guess the previous owner
Thought it was just fun and games
(Chorus)
She's my level-headed woman
Lord, she does the best she can
...
She's my level-headed woman
I'm her topsy-turvy man
We got a pocket full of problems
Mama, won't you hear me out?
...
We got a pocket full of problems
And a barrel full of doubt
I know it's one side or the other
But darling, can't we find some common ground?
...
When we can look beyond our differences,
You know that hope and confidence abound
(Chorus)
"The times they are a-changing"
"And a hard rain's a-gonna fall"
...
"It's blowin' in the wind"
"Like a rolling stone" wall
(Chorus)


5. THROUGH THE WINDOW

Through the window
Four riders in the falling snow
And I wonder
Where the night will go
Grab a poncho
And an apple for Geronimo
Does he wonder where the night will go?
And we ride hard
Chasing the fresh trod tracks of snow
Over hills and frozen plains
I’m seeking more than what I know
I’m never staying home again
Frost’s ghost--
He’s with me when I need him most
To turn the pellet sleet to downy flake
The tracks end
They ambush from a hidden den
And I’m tied up, the victim of the raid
And they ride on
I’m frozen in my tracks of snow
They’re over hills and frozen plains
I’m seeking more than what I know
But I’m never leaving home again


6. PENELOPE GOES TO SEA

Open water, open skies
When you gonna open up your eyes?
Though your journey’s long and vast
Nothing easy ever lasts
You say all you do is wait
But don’t wait ‘til it’s too late
The sea is in a constant spin
But don’t let it pull you in
(CHORUS) Row, my sister, row
Keep rowing to the sound of the ocean
No, my sister, no
Heaven’s just a-waiting on
Heaven’s just a-waiting on you
In her lonesome bedroom throes
The City Sacker’s mistress sews
Verona youth write poems in blood
I guess they never understood
Certain forces take their toll
But they’re out of our control

(CHORUS)

The grey-eyed goddess on your side
But Poseidon’s fit to be tide
Sinbad’s faced his wrath before
And now he’s heading back for more
Open water, open skies
The salty mist has glazed your eyes
It’s all so strange; it’s all so vast
Change and nothing ever last
Keep your mind’s eye on the shore
Remember what you’re rowing for
And since I’m in this boat with you
Rowing is all I care to do


7. ROLLERCOASTER

She rides a rollercoaster through the winter sunny weather and the rain.
She lifts her arms and, with closed eyes, she tells herself, "This pleasure will kill pain.”
And ‘round the bend she feels the wind ignite the flame of her head aglow,
For love’s a rollercoaster it keeps rolling through the rain and snow.

She remembers when she stood in line and waved her ticket proudly like a flag.
After such exhilaration, exhalation from a cigarette drag.
Yes, what a thrill to scale the hill then plummet in a rush of ecstasy,
For love’s a rollercoaster when it’s young you feel so wild and free.

And though it’s sometimes curvy, topsy-turvy and it has its ups and downs,
She prefers the wild sensation to the desolation of the icy ground.
It winds and winds forever, but the test will be kinetic energy.
She says, “Let Love the rollercoaster keep on rolling just not over me.”


8. HORSE TO WATER

I’m gonna love you a little bit harder
I’m gonna lead this horse to water…

Cold and empty the lonely sink
Spill over when you don’t drink

But I’ll hold you till the ceiling drowns
And the walls come tumbling down

I’m gonna train this beast of labor
I’m gonna lash it with my sabre
Though you say that it needs a fix
This old dog still has his tricks

And I’ll track you
Till the scent is gone
And I’m lost
In the eyes of a fawn

I’m gonna love you a little bit harder
I’m gonna lead this horse to water…

And make it drink
And make it drink
And make it drink
And make it drink


9. ​SOUL BURNING


Soul burning to the rhythm of this song of yearning
Love brimming as it’s flowing to our hearts a-learning
Still it’s burning, always turning, we’re discerning
The feeling of the volume of the soul


10. FLIGHT

I’m heading back to Carolina
I’m leaving here today
To let that wind through the pines
Blow my blues away
And I don’t need a reservation
‘Cause I’m travelling there to stay
No more cold winter mornings
Only Carolina days

I got off track in East Virginia
Spotting patterns in the clay
Must have lost my way in the fog
And I knelt to pray
With all these voyages I’m ending
That home ain’t leaving me behind
Guess the only place not changing
Is this worried state of mind


11. IF I EVER LEFT THIS TRAIN

Caught a freight train out of Memphis
Found my way into San Anton
I ramble ‘round this here wide country
Just to keep on travelling on
Town after town keeps passing by
Like a song with no refrain
I would ride that Northern Railroad
If I ever left this train

Feel the wheels a moving under
Watch the sky keep rolling on
In the distance there is thunder
But the lightning from our past is gone
Sometimes letting go is harder
So you try and outrun the pain

And I would ride that Northern Railroad
If I ever left this train

Sit and think about it all
As we roll on down
Maybe searching for something
That was already found
A thousand miles down this track
With nothing more to gain

I would ride that Northern Railroad
If I ever left this train

​
Website created by Mikey Bard.

​Updates by Joseph Houck.


Album Photography by Laura Lee Rash. 
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