We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

"Gypsy Blues" A Tribute to Rainer Ptacek and Chris Whitley

by Nick Swan

supported by
Linda Bryant
Linda Bryant thumbnail
Linda Bryant What a great collection of songs we may never have heard! Nick does them justice. Each song is unique and thought provoking. This music I will listen to at quiet times. Mellow Delta Blues. Another aspect of his talent we have not seen yet. I am glad to have it in my collection of music.... Favorite track: National Steel (Swan).
/
1.
I'm gonna' go there, I'm gonna' climb Now I don't know about no law, I don't see no crime There ain't no reason. Can't be no arrest I'm gonna' get down to the water and get undressed I can't stand it I cannot stand it I can't wait to see them walls falling down Tell me Jesus why do they run Is it by the weight of the woman or weight of a gun I got fifteen minutes, now I just don't care I'm gonna' take this all for granted when I get there I can't stand it I cannot stand it I can't wait to see them walls falling down I can't stand it I cannot stand it I can't wait to see them walls falling down Be no world tomorrow and someday rhyme You know that all good things will come in their good time I put the ball peen hammer right through that door I don't pretend to understand no more I cannot stand it I cannot stand it I can't wait to see them walls falling down I can't stand it I cannot stand it I cannot wait to see them walls falling down
2.
Somebody I know taught me without really teaching How this world now, it's not like it was then It even rained more often I remember the farm now Momma's bright dress and the look on your face When she left How did we ever survive with so much missing? Never came on back, it just stayed missing I feel I'm growing radar receiving messages From out in the plains of, the plains of Kansas Someone, somewhere, some place, out there In my arms now, I can feel my baby And It's as good as I've felt lately Oh Lily I love you, don't know how I ever Ever got by without you Someone, somewhere, some place, out there Never going to leave here You're not going to change that No matter how many men try to lay me flat Someone that I know taught me without really teaching
3.
Breaking rocks all day on the avenue its hard to unearth anything that's true soon I'm gonna drop this jack and run Returning to the wild where I'm from There's miles of stone, jack hammer in my hand There's compromises, I cant comprehend soon I'm gonna lose these rags and run Returning to the wild where I'm from Returning to the wild where I'm from Between the bricks you'll hear the children play Their calluses get harder day by day Between the cracks you'll notice where I've gone Returning to the wild, where I belong Soon I'm gonna lose these rags and run Returning to the wild, where I'm from Returning to the wild, where I'm from
4.
Somewhere a child, a child is born Somewhere a mother, somewhere a mother Somewhere a mother is torn We can all return any time we please To the oasis, to the oasis To the oasis of our dreams And in this moment at hand We are bind in two We try to make it, We try to make it We try to make it through And then forever return Sometime ago Went to Korea, Went to Korea Went to Korea and home And in this final draw And in this last straw We are all bettin, we are all bettin We are all bettin wrong And in the storms we see And in the webs we weave We try to wake up, Oh we wake up When we wake up and dream Somewhere a child, a child is born Somewhere a mother, somewhere a mother Somewhere a mother is torn Somewhere a mother, somewhere a mother Somewhere a mother is torn
5.
When this is over, over and through And all them changes have come and passed I want to meet you in the big sky country Just want to prove mama, love can last Like hallelujah in the big sky country Just like forever and ever is why Be getting over in the big sky country Be kissing time, kissing time goodbye God knows it's all been done Let me tell you why 'Cause you held my number, you held my name You held my body through the thick and thin On a bed of roses in the big sky country Spread out to love you, love you in your second skin Like hallelujah in the big sky country Just like forever and ever is why Be getting over in the big sky country Be kissing time, kissing time goodbye Hallelujah mama, razzle dazzle mama Probably got lights on all over the place Hallelujah, I mean glory hallelujah If I could only come 'round once and see your face So just watch them lovers out on parade You watch them lovers while they slip and slide They gonna prove it to the big sky country Just gonna prove it while the whole world collides Like hallelujah in the big sky country Just like forever and ever is why Be getting over in the big sky country Be kissing time, kissing time goodbye Meeting our maker in the big sky country Be Just like lovers and love is wide When we hold over to the big sky counry Be kissing time, kissing time goodbye
6.
Rudy with a flashlight Playing out in the yard Shining it straight up Right at the stars Right at the stars Some things take time you know Some things you never do Some things you can't forget They just become you Some things we do well Some things we just do well enough Some times all we need Is right in front of us Right in front of us Still I remember when Playing out in the yard Staying up all night Just counting stars Just counting stars Me, I'm picking out melodies Right out of the air Something I've heard before But I don't know when I don't know when
7.
Brother runnin' powder money Daddy somewhere on a drunk In the hours after washing I do my dreaming with a gun Well I come down from the country Find a lesson in the draw There ain't no secrets in the city It's hard living with the law They got machines mama I can't figure They got a romance made for doing time Send me out child, running outside Out along a world of crime Gonna swing my scythe, got a hand upon the handle Gonna shade my children ways I understand Milk the trigger, kill the hunger Staring down this broken land So fetch on up your greasy apron Spread your lover in the straw Hear me baby, I'm nearly crazy It's hard living with the law
8.
You must be proud of yourself Taking a stand against the world Ruled by man With your fist in the air Metaphorically you take on the world Girl you're like Muhammed Ali I'm sorry about that People they're moving around They're driftin' and driftin' Around this town Forgetting their friends Forgetting their names Overlook me now, but you can't skip James I'm sorry 'bout that I don't mean this to be a shock I'm telling you honey 'Cause you know it rocks A smiling sniper taking aim It gives him pleasure To give Pain In a rude world It's a rude world I'm sorry about that Rude world babe
9.
Wake up running on the sacred ground Searching the scrapyard for my dirty crown I been walking a very long time Baby child up on your momma's knee Thirty-five angels looking after me They been watching with eyes so wide In a sea of steel I seen a golden glow Screaming the message anyone could know Like a walking translation on a street of lies Singing this scrapyard lullaby I'm gonna' take my time for her riches Wait for the diamonds to ripen in the ditches of love around here Things are never as they appear Got a natural pearl in my calloused hand Saved for the girl who could really understand what it takes to see The gold from the alchemy From a rusted hood I seen the stars fall about Screaming the message anyone could find out Like a walking translation down a street of lies Singing this scrapyard lullaby Hush now baby dream sweet things Mama gonna' bring your anvil some wings She will let it go, you won't even know Cause the chrome do rust and the dust do shine Broken could be golden in it's very own time You can be sure, you won't even know what for Now I'm down in the junk on a darkened day Searching through the prizes others throw away Like a walking translation on a street of lies Singing this scrapyard lullaby Wake up running on the sacred ground Thirty-five angels leading her around Like a walking translation down a street of lies Singing the scrapyard lullaby Singing the scrapyard lullaby
10.
I can tell by your grin That you're trembling within It's all over town, cheer down And the smile on your face Is somehow out of place Now don't frown, just cheer down If your hair should fall If your shares should crash You'll get by even without getting a rash No tears will be shed Cause I'm gonna love you instead The world loves a clown, so cheer down When your teeth drop out You'll get by even without taking a bite Though your dog might be dead I'm gonna love you instead Don't frown, The world loves a clown, cheer down
11.
Everybody knows I can tell how you fill your clothes I can see it at the edge of your smile So strange about the dormant desire But everybody knows the alien I can tell how you try to pretend You can see now, I got a foreign friend Everybody knows the alien Everybody knows I can feel it as the tension grows I can see it at the edge of your eyes So strange how it lights up the sky Everybody knows the alien I can tell how you try to pretend You can see now, I got a foreign friend Everybody knows the alien Everyone come out Got shades for the shadows of doubt Get blind, it's most too clear Could get killed by beauty and fear Porcelain face on a steel device Mind of glass and a mask of ice Someone is a million years from home Someone is a stranger he's never alone Because Everybody knows the alien I can tell how you try to pretend You can see now, I got a foreign friend Everybody knows the alien
12.
Tell me where did All of those years go? Tell me now where did all those times go? They sure do take their toll They sure do they take their toll Don't know why I Don't know why I love you so Oh by now I know I should have a reason Oh if I could give you a thousand I would give you one But there's more to it than saying words There's more to it than simply feelings Don't know why I Don't know why I love you so Sleep is like a coma in black Oh I'm slipping into the land of the black Too far can feel it getting dark, dark and darker And I just wanna put my arms around her Don't know why I Don't know why I love you so Well I went out, went out to Bob's Highway Yeah I caught some cold air blowin all in my face Those cars they just keep goin by me Oh they do pass at an incredible pace Still I survive, still I survive Repeat first verse
13.
The ground gives as you go With all them secrets that you know As if to give nothing away Of the signals you obey You're weightless as a child Falling from above Are helpless to your size Lonelier than God Footsteps, empty room As if a temple or a tomb The bed gives where you lay As if a power you betray You're weightless as a child Falling from above Are helpless to your size Lonelier than God Lonelier than God Falling from above You're weightless as a child Are helpless to your love No one can hold you now No one [Incomprehensible] When you was a child Falling from above Are helpless to your size Lonelier than God Lonelier than God Falling from above Weightless as a child Are helpless to your love Are helpless to your lover Are helpless to your lover
14.
Yeah it's a long, long way To the top of the world On a rough road that winds Around and round I was young fool filled with greed, I let ambition rule me Like a hunger that gnawed at my soul I found my fortune and fame but lost the heart of my darling She got lonely and her love soon grew cold But Its a long long way to the top of the world On a rough road that winds round and round Its a long long way to the top of the world But its only a short fall back down Now I'm a rich man with lots of money but in my heart I'm a pauper Cause the love I once held now another man claims I've reached the top of the world but my heart hit rock bottom You can't make love to fortune and fame
15.
Here she comes catching on fire again Casting all restraints to the wind Fanning out her flame to little men Well, they never gonna take your heart away Like a million to one, you're the one I would side with you, you're the one As Bright as you want to, you're the one Tonight about to rise and run But they never gonna let you get away Well, the world will follow you always Here she comes sending the faithless home Tending these fuses alone Offending the ice age, you're the one I would side with you, you're the one Bright as you want to, you're the one I would side with you, you're the one
16.
Well, hello there My, it's been a long, long time How am I doing? Well I guess I have to say I'm doing just fine It's been so long now But it seems now, that it was only yesterday Gee, ain't it funny, how time slips away How's your new love? I hope that he's doing fine I heard that you told him That you'd love him till the end of time Now, that's the same thing that you told me Seems like just the other day Gee, ain't it funny, how time slips away I gotta go now I guess I'll be seein you around Don't really know when though Yeah I don't know when I'll be back in town Just you remember, In time you're bound to pay Won't it be surprising when time slips away...
17.
There's a dirt floor underneath here To receive us when changes fail May this shovel loose your trouble Let them fall away Well the mist shall be your blanket While the moss shall ease your head As the future is soon forgotten As the dirt shall be your bed There's a dirt floor underneath here To receive us when changes fail May this shovel loose your trouble Let them fall away
18.
Yeah I went down to the river, And I set down on the bank. I thought about my baby So I jumped in and sank. Yeah I came up once and hollered! I came up twice and I cried! I'll be doggone If you're ever gonna see me die for love I took the elevator Sixteen floors above the ground. I thought about my baby And thought I might jump down. You may hear me holler You may even see me cry But I'll be doggone If you're ever gonna see me die for love Here I am baby I'm still here keepin on I could've died for love— But for livin' I was born You may hear me holler, And you may see me cry— I'll be doggone If you're ever gonna see me die for love Yeah cause Life is fine
19.
The winter trees stand naked. It's almost dark. One man walks slowly, alone in the park. His mind is full of visions only he can see, And Lord, Lord, Lord, he sure looks a lot like me. One Believer That's all he's praying for. One Believer To open just one door. He goes down by the lake. It's solid ice. Pigeons gather round, he throws some rice. He's got a picture running technicolor through his mind. He sees his name in lights and damned if it ain't the same as mine. One Believer That's all he's praying for. One Believer To open just one door. He goes back to his room and writes a bit. He's sure as always, this one will be his hit. He switches off the lamp so his loneliness won't show, And that prayer inside his head, that's one I know. One Believer That's all he's praying for. One Believer To open just one door.
20.
He was a long, long way from Texas And Berlin too Out in the middle of nowhere He didn't know what else to do Just lookin for some way To speak his truth A voice cryin in the desert For the Delta blues He played a National Steel His soul was pure at heart He sang with all of his will He knew right from the start That he was a long way A long way from his home So he started playin And learned some tunes It just kept on growin Like strong roots often do Til he grew into something Greater than he knew Til the last note that he played Was still ringing true Chorus There's a dirt floor underneath here Where his body still may lay But nobody can ever wipe clear The music that he made Chorus

about

This album is a tribute to two of my heroes, Chris Whitley and Rainer Ptacek. Although they each have their own unique styles, I think of them together because they both played old National Steel guitars, they both pushed the blues into new directions, and they both died young. I also often listen to them together, on a playlist I created called "Gypsy Blues." They aren't the only artists on that playlist, but they make up the bulk of it. I'm not quite sure why I decided to call it that, but to me the term denotes a sound that has a lonesome, yearning character and is also a little left of center. It may be influenced by traditional Delta blues, but it is not traditional or retro in any way.

All of the songs were recorded live with no overdubs on a National Dueco guitar. With a few exceptions, I tried to stick as close to the original arrangements as possible.

This album contains 20 songs - Nine each from Chris and Rainer, and two "bonus tracks." One is a song that really resonated with me and seemed to fit the character of this set - "One Believer" by John Campbell. Campbell also played National guitars and is sadly no longer with us. He also picked out the battered yellow Triolian that Chris Whitley would make his main guitar. I tried to arrange the song in more of Rainer's style, and I think it fits.

The other bonus song is my own composition, "National Steel." The song, while not 100% biographical, is also my tribute to Chris and Rainer, and men like them. Their music resonates with me deeply because I too feel like a gypsy soul in my own way. I don't believe I would play a National guitar today were it not for these two men. When I first heard them their sound seemed so exotic but also so soulful that I became addicted to it. It took me years to work on my slide playing and to obtain one of those guitars. Once I had one, it was my goal to learn these songs, both for myself and as a way to evangelize about these two artists that even today aren't nearly as widely known as they should be. My hope is that everyone who is not familiar with them will seek out their music after listening to my humble renditions. That will make it all worth it, but it's already been worth it to me to get inside these songs and have a deeper appreciation for their respective styles. My admiration for Chris and Rainer as artists and songwriters has only grown through doing this. I hope wherever they are out there, that this tribute makes them smile.

credits

released May 1, 2020

Nick Swan - guitar and vocals

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Nick Swan Knoxville, Tennessee

Tennessee Troubadour. Playing a mix of America's best roots music, from blues & folk to classic rock & 90s grunge.

contact / help

Contact Nick Swan

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

Nick Swan recommends:

If you like Nick Swan, you may also like: