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1. |
Better Late Than Never
03:24
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It's been a long winding road
Full of potholes and detours
But it's better late than never
To reach your destined shores
But after that long journey
It's more than worth the wait
Cause it's better late than never
Ain’t that’s what they always say
Starting back in high school
Couldn't wait to graduate
All the freedoms I could taste them
But I was blocked from the starting gate
Were times I'd want to quit
And bust right through the hold
But I'd've missed the moments now
That I treasure more than gold
Like falling in and out of love
Friendships that still mean the most
Or finally asking out that girl
I met in FFA.
That long and winding road
Sure made me hesitate
A shortcut seemed so tempting
I'd be sure not to be late
But those journeys I'd be missing
In the end its worth the wait
Cause it's better late than never
For my dreams to be sate
I always dreamed of Nashville
On a stage with my guitar
Life just never seemed to match my dreams
Chose life over chasing a star
A wife and kids and business
No one could ask for a better life
Now that I'm feeling settled
Finally seems the time is right
So I share with those who'll listen
The words I set to a tune
That life has bottled in me
Hope it ain't too late or too soon.
So I'm singing you this message
Sometimes you have to wait.
It's better late than never
And the prize is worth it's weight
That long and winding road
Takes you places yet untold
It's better late than never
And your treasure's more than gold.
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2. |
Hurt Again
03:34
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Right before me I can see
A stranger makin’ eyes at me
A feeling quick comes over me
How can this be happening
I’ve been through it many times before
I don’t want to hurt again
Man learns young to love like this
How can I refuse her kiss
It’ll hurt
I feel lust come over me
She will be my destiny tonight
In the dark she comes to me
Tells me what she’ll do for me
There must be something wrong with me
Last night was my last one night
A stranger’s love won’t treat me right
I’ll find one who’s true and kind
Man learns young to love like this
How can I refuse her kiss
It’ll hurt
I feel lust come over me
She will be my destiny tonight
Again before me I can see
A stranger makin’ eyes at me
that feelin’ quick comes over me
I can’t stop this happenin’
I’m too weak and need her touch
but I don’t want to hurt again
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3. |
Friends With Benefits
02:39
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I was sittin’ in the cell, feelin’ like hell
Cause I got caught tryin’ to fill a need
Well I ain’t bad looking, My bank account ain’t lackin’
But the ladies I can’t seem to keep
I’ve tried the gals at church, I’ve tried the bar hook-ups
But nothing seems to work
Then I heard about a thing
That seems to be a cure
For my troubles and my woes
They call it Friends with Benefits
Friends help your needs get met
They say a friend will bail you out
Best friend would be in jail with you
But you’d be home in bed
if you had a friend with benefits
I’ve got a lot of friends who are all fine women
But they won’t understand what I’ve done
The Internet is great, I can pull my own weight
But nothing beats a real woman
So, I’m looking for a friend who enjoys a little more
Than drinks every now and then
I need a Friend with benefits
We’ll help our needs get met
I need a friend with benefits
Yeah Friends with Benefits
Friends help your needs get met
They say a friend will bail you out
Best friend would be in jail with you
But you’d be home in bed
If you had a friend with benefits
Yeah Friends with Benefits
Friends help your needs get met
They say a friend will bail you out
Best friend would be in jail with you
But you’d be home in bed
If you had a friend with benefits
Friends with Benefits
Friends help your needs get met
They say a friend will bail you out
Best friend would be in jail with you
But I’d be home in bed
If I had a friend with benefits
All we need Friends with benefits!
Yee-Ha
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4. |
King of the Honky Tonk
03:19
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King of the Honky Tonk
You can find me on a hardwood floor.
I’m the King of the Honky Tonk
There’s a swirl of fun around my throne.
Every Friday night, in the neon lights,
I hold court with juke joint royalty.
We have a lot of fun open to anyone
where the beer and the liquor flow.
If you come to play, you’ll soon know my name
As we toast to love and America.
I’ll probably buy a round for the whole damned crowd
and everybody will sing my praise.
Here’s to the King of the Honky Tonk
Weaving through peanut shells on the floor.
King of the Honky Tonk
Making friends with all who swing through the door.
Every Saturday night, there may be a fight
over anything from love or wars.
They won’t call the law, we have our own protocol.
for lover’s spats and barroom brawls.
When things get out of hand, call the king of the land.
to cool ‘em down and bring peace to the room.
I’ll buy ‘em all a beer, they’ll share how they feel,
and leave that night as lifelong friends.
Thanks to the King of the Honky Tonk
everybody’s best friend in the room.
King of the Honky Tonk
All the band members know my name.
King of the Honky Tonk
Waltzin’ with every gal who comes through the door.
King of the Honky Tonk
Stop on by and have a drink with the King.
King of the Honky Tonk
You can find me on a hardwood floor.
I’m the King of the Honky Tonk
Making friends with all who swing through the door.
Stop on by and have a drink with the King.
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5. |
The COVID Floor
03:44
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She’s living in a nightmare
Like all of us she’s scared
But these scenes aren’t in her dreams
She can’t kiss her children
She can’t touch her husband like
She always would before.
She’s off to the hospital
Another shift on the COVID floor
Exposed to the invisibile enemy
That keeps her locked behind her door.
OOOOH THE COVID FLOOR
OOOOH THE COVID FLOOR
She can’t risk exposing them
her beautiful children and her
husband who holds down the fort
She loves them all from far away
a distance of six feet
and cries when she shuts the door.
She’s off to the hospital
Another shift on the COVID floor
Caring for a stranger all alone
who may die seeing only her eyes.
OOOOH THE COVID FLOOR
OOOOH THE COVID FLOOR
Then back at home she makes
her way to the laundry
to clean any germs from her clothes
She runs to the bathroom
to take a long shower
tries to scrub off disease.
She’s off to the hospital
Another shift on the COVID floor
She’ll work all night without proper PPE
Risking it all just to do her job.
OOOOH THE COVID FLOOR
OOOOH THE COVID FLOOR
She’s living in a nightmare
Real reasons to be scared
Protecting her family
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6. |
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When the COVID disease starts wanin
And they open up the bars
Get outta my way! I’m after my prey
In the neon through them swingin’ doors
Don’t matter the restrictions! I’ll keep my distance
Longs the music and the booze are good
If the ladies come dancin’ and lookin’ for romancin’
You know that I’ll be
Huntin’ the bars and going through the paces
Seeing less than half of their faces
Getting’ to know their personalities
Hopin’ for the best when I get to see
The rest of her face when that mask comes off
Prayin’ I won’t regret my choices
Is she a nine
Or is she a one
Stayin’ at home and bars being closed
is really taking a toll on me
Don’t know how much more I can take
Before something inside me breaks
Sharing drinks on Zoom on a double-blind date
Does nothin’ for my mood
don’t mean to be crude
but it just ain’t the same
And it sure as hell don’t satiate
This COVID disease is drivin’ me crazy
And I ain’t so much as sneezed
I’ve gotta get out and cure this withdraw that’s
growin’ inside of me
Beautiful women and sweet country music
and whiskey are all that I need
In a bar with some stools that are six feet apart
restore some honky tonk in my veins
Huntin’ the bars and going through the paces
Seeing less than half of their faces
Gettin’ to know their personalities
Hopin’ for the best when I get to be in
Bars full of strangers
Not carin’ bout the dangers
I’ll never know if they’ve got COVID
I’ll never know what their masks are hidin’
Bars full of strangers
Don’t think about the dangers
Masks can help stop the spread of disease, but
next thing I wake up to a smile with just two teeth
Maybe we oughta just get that vaccine
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7. |
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Whenever my life's troubled
I got worries in my mind
There ain't no better medicine
Than three things to get me by
Country music, whiskey, and one good friend
Mix those three together
And my soul will be on the mend
The crying of a steel guitar
Three chords on a flat top box
A fiddle sawed in neon light
Let's me know I'm alright
An ice cold glass of whiskey
Straight or mixed in a drink
Sends an amber current
To reset the way I think
The comfort of one true friend
Who knows me like a book
Knowing he won't judge me
Soothes my aching pain
Country music, whiskey, and one good friend
Mix those three together
And my soul will be on the mend
If you see me in a tavern
A pub, bar, or saloon
The whiskey in my glass is there
To ease my worried mind
That jukebox playing country tunes
Is soothing my damaged pride
Come sit down and join me
We’ll raise our glasses high to
Country music, whiskey, and one good friend
We’ll mix those three together
And our souls will be on the mend
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8. |
Daddy's Blue Jean Jacket
03:23
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Ain’t a boy at school that would take a chance
Cause when Kate walks by you can feel the air
Go eerily cold, raise the hair on your neck
She could kill your nerve with a single glance.
Her short blonde hair and baby blues
Make her look invitin’ but it’s just a ruse
Everybody in town knows her family’s name
And a hero’s little girl who’s name is Kate.
She wears a blue jean jacket that is old and worn
Like a signal just to warn you
she’s expecting more.
She’s a rebel with a freckle and a pretty smile
But that jacket on her back is tattered and torn.
So if you’re tryin’ to impress her, Son,
you’ve been warned.
She wears her daddy’s blue jean jacket
cause she’s expecting more.
She was born in the wake of a fateful day.
He vowed to protect her and his family.
So he joined up, they sent him far away.
She never saw him again, but his loves remains.
When she was a little girl her daddy went to war
She remembers all the love and how he held her tight.
His love for her still echoes in her every day
in that jacket on her back that he always wore.
She wears a blue jean jacket that is old and worn
Like a signal just to warn you she’s expecting more.
She’s a rebel with a freckle and a pretty smile
But that jacket on her back is tattered and torn.
(Instrumental Solo)
So if you’re tryin’ to impress her, Son, you’ve been warned.
She wears her daddy’s blue jean jacket
cause she’s expecting more.
She wears a blue jean jacket that is old and worn
Like a signal just to warn you she’s expecting more.
She’s a rebel with a freckle and a pretty smile
But that jacket on her back is tattered and torn.
She wears her daddy’s blue jean jacket
cause she’s expecting more.
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9. |
FarmHer
03:50
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Well, I was sittin' in the cab of our pickup truck
It was hotter than hell I had the a/c turned up
I was readin' the news on my cellular phone
When this fella pulled up in his big Mac truck
He asked me where to park for to get the crop
He was here to haul it all down to the local co-op.
He seemed a bit confused when I shrugged and grinned
When he asked me what to do once again, I said
Don't ask me about the crops on this farm.
I don't know soy beans from corn cobs and stalks
Your looking at the wrong one if you want some ag talk.
If you're looking for the boss, you've got the wrong one.
Don't ask me, Hoss!
Ask the farmher.
She knows the fields
She knows the cows
She knows the tractors
She knows the plows
She culls the herd
She mends the fence
She tends the heifers
She slops the hogs
She's the one in charge and she does the farm work.
If you need an answer, its best to just ask her
She's the farmher.
Now don't get me wrong I help where I can
She tells me what to do and I say Yes Ma'am
I've pulled some calves and I've bailed the hay
But I know my rank round here is just her farm hand.
While she's working in the fields or tending to the sheep
I'm usually in the kitchen cooking up something to eat.
When she's finished with her work at the end of the day
She knows I'll have her meal and a jug of sweet iced tea
She'll be tired want a shower and need some time with her man.
That's the best part of being this farmher's farm hand.
She knows the fields
She knows the cows
She knows the tractors
She knows the plows
She culls the herd
She mends the fence
She tends the heifers
She slops the hogs
She's the one in charge and she does the farm work.
If you want to see the one in charge, see her
She's the farmher.
Don't be confused by the smile on my face
I'm happy as can be and I know my place
My wife's my boss on this plot of land
She's the farmher and I'm the farm hand.
You heard right, sir
She's the farmher.
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10. |
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When they finally close the gates
There's a change in atmosphere
A different kind of fun
Comes to The Great Frederick Fair
The 4-H kids and farmers
Let the good times roll
Cause the guests have left the grounds
And they're left all alone
Football games and corn hole boards
Appear on the lawns
Where visitors and vendors
Usually park their cars
I'll bet you didn't know
Axline makes apple pie
You won't know what hit you
Till your boots point to the sky.
Every night's a party
At The Great Frederick Fair
Families, Friends, and Lovers
Make September full of cheer
If machinery row could talk
We'd all have secrets revealed
Who's been cheatin' who
And skinny dippin’ in hot tubs
Down in the barns
They might be makin' hay
If the cattle trailer's rockin'
Just move on, it's ok
Campers along the fence line
House exhibitors clans
Back behind the beef barn
Is a trailerhood of fun
Every camper has a dinner
Every cooler some drinks
If you make your way to everyone
It'll take all ten days
Country music concerts
Tractor Pulls and Derbies
Followed by the fellowship
Of friends at the fair
Every night's a party
At the Great Frederick Fair
It's a Frederick tradition
Handed down through the years
Everybody's happy
As they close up the gates
Cause the party's just getting started
At The Great Frederick Fair
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11. |
Monocacy Mud
02:35
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Monocacy mud
Squeezed between my toes
As I cast out a line
Without a worry on my mind
The fishes are plenty
In this river by my home
Naked to the knees
I can feel them swimmin by
Catoctin critters
Serenade along the shores
Singing to the rhythm
Of her ramblin’ flow
Ain't nothing better
In this whole wide world
Than Catoctin breezes
And Monocacy mud
Catoctin breezes
fill my lungs as I float
Carryin’ the scents
of my mountain home
The ancient forest
Fields of corn and cows
All thrive in it's shadow
And Monocacy mud
Catoctin creeks flow
With melted snow
Feedin her fresh water
For Monocacy mud
Ain't nothing better
In this whole wide world
Than Catoctin breezes
And Monocacy mud
In the winter She’ll be frozen
In the springtime She’ll be floodin’
But we love her every season
And Monocacy mud
Monocacy mud
Squeezed between my toes
If the fishes ain’t biten
We’ll eat crawdads tonight
Ain't nothing better
In this whole wide world
Than Catoctin breezes
And Monocacy mud
I love Catoctin breezes
And Monocacy mud
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12. |
I'm Leaving Home
03:13
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I'm leaving home
I'm crossing boundaries
I'm doing things
I've only dreamed
When I was just a boy
I couldn't wait to leave
this country home
Just take flight alone and be free
As I made my way
Found new forms of bondage
Bills to pay
And a love grown cold
My selfish ways
Brought lonesome misery
I hated everyone
Led me once again to say
I'm leaving home
I'm burning bridges
I'm doing things
I've only dreamed
Again I found
New prisons that held me
Things to dull my pains
Lonely women who'll gladly spend the night
Made a wreck out of my life
My children all hate me
My ex wives feel the same
A trail of broken promises as I leave
My wicked life
Has taken a toll on me
My body's failing
From the poisons in my life
So before I die
I make apologies
Makin up for lost time
As the shadows start to fall
I'm leaving home
I'm mending bridges
I'm fixing things
Before I leave
I'm heading home
I'm crossing Jordan
I see the the Glory
Of coming home
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Mike Kuster Walkersville, Maryland
Mike Kuster filled his debut album, Better Late Than Never, with country songs he wrote grounded in a love for traditional country music. Mike tapped a group of award-winning musicians to bring his songs to life including Dr. Ford, Chris Condon (guitars), Caleb Mundy (bass guitar), Smith Curry (pedal steel guitar and dobro), Gary Carter (steel guitar), and Michael Cleveland (fiddle and mandolin). ... more
Mike Kuster recommends:
Lovin' of the Game
by Michael Cleveland
If you love the fiddle work on my albums, you'll love Michael Cleveland's albums. Michael plays on all my albums and is one of the greatest fiddle players ever. His new album is GREAT! Check it out!
go to album
Just Like Leaving
by Bella White
Bella is an amazing artist with a beautiful voice. I love this album!
go to albumIf you like Mike Kuster, you may also like:
The Long Way
by Nicolette & The Nobodies
Nicolette Hoang's velvety vocals are the finishing touch on this pitch-perfect update on outlaw country with a touch of 60s glam.
go to album
The latest from acclaimed country musician Bonnie Montgomery delivers the raw, rustic sound for which she’s known.
go to album
Radiant country music lit up by pedal steel and sparkling guitar, centered on heart-stirring vocal melodies.
go to album
Former frontman of punk band Roidz has crafted a richly layered contemporary pop record exploring the world of lives lived on the fringe.
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