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1. |
Front Porch Swing
02:58
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Front porch swing, mint julep in my hand
the quiet of midnight in a small town land
Ain't nothing better in this whole wide world
Makes your worries fade and it calms your nerves
Nothing made by pharma ever works like this
You'll be ready for tomorrow with a few more sips
So take a little break watch the world go by
As you sway to the rhythm of times gone by on that
Front porch swing, mint julep in your hand
In the quiet of midnight in a small town land
Hear the crickets sing, watch lightning bugs dance
The chorus of the peepers put you in a trance
The mountain and the river bring a gentle breeze
Cuts through the heat, it’s just what you need
While you take a little break before you go to bed
As your mind drifts away far from your head on that
Front porch swing, mint julep in your hand
In the quiet of midnight in a small town land
So sip it while you're swaying, take some deep long breaths
Soak up the silence and melt into the ease
While you're on that
Front porch swing, mint julep in your hand
In the quiet of midnight in any small town land
Trust in the magic of your little home town
And life’s simple pleasures on a front porch swing
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2. |
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Girl, Ya make me need to cheat
I don't want to, but I will
Ya make me need to cheat
I love you even still
Ya make me need to cheat
Cuz I ain't got none in a while
Girl, Ya make me need to cheat
I just need a little thrill
I'm faithful to ya girl
But I've got needs that go unfilled
I never thought I'd do it
Cuz I love only you girl
But this hungers growing darlin
And you ain't feeding my desire
I can't hold on any longer
For you to give that lovin smile
Ya make me need to cheat
I just need a tender touch
Ya make me need to cheat
I can't go another week
Ya make me need to cheat
It ain't good to feel unloved
Girl, Ya make me need to cheat
I don't want to, but here I go
Girl, ya make me need to cheat
I don't want to, but I will
Ya make me need to cheat
I love you even still
Ya make me need to cheat
Cuz I ain't got none in a while
Girl, Ya make me need to cheat
I don't want to, but I will
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3. |
What If She Says Yes
03:17
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What if she says Yes
What if she smiles back
What if she sits down
In the booth with me
And says she likes my style
What if she moves closer
To me in this booth
And puts her hand upon my thigh
What if she says yes
When I ask her to dance
When a slow song plays
What if she holds me tight
Lord what will I do
Can I uphold my vows
Will I be strong
Or will I give in now
What if she kisses me
When I say good night
What if she follows me
Up to my room
What if she asks
to spend the night
What if she insists
That she treats me right
Lord what will I do
Will I forsake my wife
Can I resist her moves
To avoid that strife
I don't know what I'll do
I've created this mess
I shouldn't have asked
What if she says yes
What if she says yes
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4. |
Frog Eye Mud Bog
02:25
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Down in Pleasant Valley
Out on Frog Eye Road
In the shadow of South Mountain
That’s where you’ll want to go
There’s a party in that valley
Full of good old fun
Country folk for miles
Come to play in that mud
At the Frog Eye Mud Bog
Everyone’s a friend
We’re dancing in the clay
To Escape that August heat
Grab yourself a blanket
Set-up a lawn chair
Bring along a cooler
Full of your favorite beer
Two-hundred feet of mud
In a bog that’s two feet deep
About a hundred entries
And thousands in the seats
You can hear the roar for miles
Echoes off the mountain walls
Down the Potomac River
Up Appalachian draws
At the Frog Eye Mud Bog
Keep the power on
Put the pedal to the metal
Paddle tires throwing sludge
Watch to see who makes it
Who’ll get stuck in the muck
Stock machines or custom mods
Which can beat the swamp
The engines are a revving
The hills are filled with cheers
Muds a flinging everywhere
Grab yourself a beer
The party ain’t over
Till your covered in the muck
We’re celebrating summer
And the freedom that we love
If you find yourself near Brownsville
In those Maryland hills
Round the end of August
Follow the creek called Israel
At the Frog Eye Mud Bog
Everyone’s a friend
Come dance in the clay
And escape that August heat
I can guarantee
That you’ll make lifelong friends
You’ll have yourself a blast
At the Frog Eye Mud Bog
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5. |
No Happiness
03:13
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I have no happiness
When you are sad
Your sorrow brings
Me to my knees
I feel I fail
When you are blue
I just can't win
I'm full of gloom
It seems as though
Without your cheer
I can’t help but
To drown in tears
Babe I need your smile
It’s yours to give
Like air to breath
I need to live
A simple smile
Lights up my world
But your sorrow steals
My breath away
Your misery spells my doom
There’s no escape
Without your loves
embrace
Just flash a lovin’ smile
To help me live
So I don’t drown in tears
That’s all I need
I have no happiness
When you are blue
Your sorrow brings
Me to my knees
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6. |
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Hanging out at Cactus Flats
In Wranglers, boots and hats
After working in the fields we need to unwind
So it’s frosty mugs of ice cold brews to loosen our minds
Everybody swayin’ to a steel guitar
Jukebox pumpin' twangin’ tunes
Shufflin’ two step dance
Sawdust on the floor adds a beat to the songs
The band starts playing fiddles saw through the noise
Country so fresh you'll have to check your boots
Cooks slingin burgers
While dancin along
Bartenders shakin with the beat of the drums
Waitresses servin’ while singing the songs
The dance floors hoppin’ It's Saturday night
The joint’s still rockin’
When they holler last call
They’re headin for the pasture as they turn out the lights
A field party’s formin’ ain’t no end in sight
A bonfire growin’ drawin’ folks to the flame
Country so fresh, you’ll need to check your boots
Sheriff pulls up puts his hand on his gun
But he doesn’t pull his weight
He just joins in the fun
Farmer comes out to check on his cows
The dancin’ girls and rhythm
Get him dancin’ along
When you wake up on Sunday
Wonderin’ where have you been
A lingering scent is your only clue
Following the odor leads your nose to the floor
Country so fresh, you’ll need to check your boots
Country so fresh, you’ll need to check your boots
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7. |
Whiskey Sorrow
02:41
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Whiskey sorrow
Put off the pain till tomorrow
bartender pour another round
Wash my sorrow down
When I'm feeling down
I make my way to the tavern
Pull up to the bar
Order whiskey sour
As it goes down
Order another round
Cause the whiskey’s working
Drownin the pain
Whiskey sorrow
Shows a better tomorrow
Forgetting all the things
I screwed up in my past
Whiskey sorrow
Won't have to beg steal or borrow
Till I get to the bottom
and I find all of my regrets
As I leave the job
I face another night alone
But there's a place I go
Where I feel I've got friends
I pull into the bar
I order my whiskey sorrow
Start sippin' and a tipping
That's when the real fun begins
Whiskey sorrow
I'll be the life of the party
Till I get to the bottom
and I find my regrets
In my whiskey sorrow
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8. |
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I think I'll celebrate by going away
Twenty years together
And there's nothing left to say
You don't want me near you
The kids all act the same
I'm sick and tired of Hurting
I've failed and I leave in shame
So, I think I'll celebrate by going away
I’ll no longer be bother
And you won’t have me to blame
The bills I'll keep on paying
The lights will still come on
I won't be there to wake you
Or do the goddamned chores
I think I'll celebrate by going away
It's best that I just leave
There's nothing left to save
You've always got a headache
The kids don’t do a thing
The cars they drive the food they eat
The cash for their new kicks
That’s why I’ll celebrate by going away
There’s nothing here to hold me
I ain’t nothing but a piggy bank
The only words I hear are rude
I get no damned respect
My needs all go unanswered
I'm just fodder for the ticks.
That’s why I'll celebrate by going away
Y'all probably won't even notice
That I've left without a trace.
There's nothing here to celebrate
So, I'm finally going away
In fact, y'all might just celebrate
The day I went away.
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9. |
Back To Feagaville
04:05
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Only business in town was an old fuel pump
At the ole Pop shop
Mr. Feaga sat inside
Waitin’ for a car to pull up
Full Service at the pump
Windows cleaned with local Gossip
Grab a drink and a
Magazine
Those memories
Of a long gone scene
What I’d give to go back
To Feagaville
Old man Uebel had a half mile track
Training horses to race out in the back
Racin’ horses was the thing
That brought folks here
Sure weren’t nothing else
That track was fun for racin' bikes too
I’d ride mine over in the afternoon
Stop by Feaga’s just to buy a Coke
And candy too
That’s where I broke my tail bone
Ridin' horses and showin’ off
Tryin’ to impress
Mr. Uebel’s granddaugther
Those memories
Of a long gone scene
What I’d give to go back
To Feagaville
Behind Grange Hall on Saturdays
4-H meetings by the day
Secret rendezvous
At night
Ran off Sunday teachers cause we were wild
But that pastor saw the Lord in us
He patiently waited on us
To grow
Patience of a saint
Walking down that dead end lane
Holding hands with a teenage crush
The smell of chicken frying
For Sunday dinner
On a front porch swing on Feagaville Lane
Waitin’ on the family
Is a memory that I
Hold dear
Those memories
Of a long gone scene
What I’d give to go back
To Feagaville
Back to Feagaville
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10. |
Her Name In Red
04:36
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The state put out a warrant for me Friday
Another week I couldn't pay what she's due
They're messing how they count my alimony
Cause there's nothing left but blood bones and sinew
They told the judge I'm wasting' all my money
That I spend it all before the payday's through
They want my boss to send to her directly
And she can send me what she doesn't use
Well I told that judge that they're mistaken
I can barely pay my rent and for my food
Every other penny is spent on that woman
And my buddy keeps a tab for me as proof
Well her lawyer she objected to my statement
She claimed she has some photos of the truth
Her evidence was passed up to his honor
There were pictures of me drinking in a bar
Well I set the record straight and told my story
To that judge so he could understand my truth
I go out every evening after working
The bartender keeps a tab of what I spend
The medicine I drink is listed clearly
As prescription with her name written in red
If it weren't for all the trouble and the heartache
I'd have a million pennies that I could send
Instead I have to pay for all her damage
It's spent on her and all the things that she did
Her lawyer said that just ain't the answer
And those photos that she had were not the end
She showed the judge some photos of me smoking
That weed she said I keep out in my shed
Your honor that just medicine I'm taking
To help me to unwind and go to bed
My doctor told me I really need it
For diagnosis he wrote her name in red
So, a quarter of my pay goes to her memory
The whiskey helps me wash her from my head
Another quarters spent to heal the heartache
The weed I smoke relieves the pain she left
I tend to eat my misery each evening
So some stranger brings me dinners in a sack
Each meal comes with a receipt for the record
And you'll see her name on every one I have
After all that money I spend on her
She wants another quarter of my pay
That leaves me without the rent and taxes
What's left to take when I am left for dead
Just take it all and leave me in my misery
With my last drop I’ll write her name in red
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11. |
Ora Lee
02:48
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Ora Lee
You held my hand
Taught me how to pray
Loved with all you had
Made my worries fade
When I was little boy
You wiped my tears away
Sowed the seeds of joy
And after many years
You were still right there
When as a grown man
I felt I'd lost my way
Ora Lee
I wouldn't be the man
I've come to be
Without your love and prayers
Taking me to church
I learned humility
As you fell asleep
During liturgy
You encouraged me
To sing and to play
My first recordings
Were tapes just for you
But what I loved most
Was the time we shared
Whether it was in a pew
Or walks without a care
At the end
You held my hand
And you prayed with me
But couldn’t stop my tears
Ora Lee
I still miss your love
Sometimes I need you now
Like when I was young
So I just sit and pray
That you can hear my song
As I sing my love for
Ora Lee
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12. |
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All the women that I want are already married
We have a night of fun and then they leave me
Next night I sit here at the bar alone awaiting
Scroll through their socials to find out they're married
They go back home to see their one and only
Who think she spent girls’ night at karaoke
He has no idea that she was with me
And that she took my heart back home
In a few weeks she might come back to me
Another girls’ night out is what she’ll tell him
That man who gave a ring is unsuspecting
Cause who’d believe she’d be out cheating
That pretty angel sitting here with me
Will let me take her home tonight
In the morning she’s going to leave me
And head back home to Mr. Right
I can’t blame them for needing something
That I gladly give ‘em when they come to see me
I enjoy the time we’re sharing
But I sure wish one would just stay
All the women that I want are already married
We have a night of fun then they leave me
Next night I sit here at the bar alone awaiting
Scroll through their socials to find out they're married
Lord what I’d give for one to stay with me
But all the women I want are already married
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13. |
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There’s something bout a mountain stream
The musky-sweet smell of autumn leaves
That puts all of me
At ease
Like the petrichor just before it rains
The odors trigger some memory
An ancient thing down
In my genes
It makes the fall my favorite time
Like the world prepares me to unwind
Take things slower and
Rest until the spring
As kids we made big piles of leaves
That once were green but now have changed
To amber, crimson, ochre
And vermilion
Jumping in to hear the crunch
Feel the crispness on our skin
Breathe the lovely smell
Of their decay
Racing sticks as they float downstream
Crossing creeks on fallin’ limbs
Chasing shadows
As they grow longer
Building huts of sticks and leaves
Sit within and watch the sun
Lower to the ground
Way too early
Harken back to simpler times
Piles of leaves and singin’ rhymes
Cracklin’ fires
And Apple Cider
No Internet and constant news
Social pressures and weird taboos
Just sittin’ in the woods
With Mother Nature
There’s something bout a mountain stream
The musky-sweet smell of autumn leaves
That puts all of me At ease
Yeah mountain streams and autumn leaves
That puts all of me At ease
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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:
Where I've Been, isn't Where I'm Going
by Shaboozey
Fresh off his appearance on “Cowboy Carter,” Shaboozey presents his killer alt-country debut, available here on limited wax.
go to album
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
