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1. |
Snallygaster
02:58
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If you’re travelin’ in the mountains
Or the valleys in between
There’s a monster that’s been hauntin’
For at least three centuries
A giant reptilian creature
A dragon spectacle
With a single scary eye
O’er a beak of tentacles
The Natives of the parts
Warned the Germans when they came
Wasn’t long until
Those settlers gave a name
The Snallygaster monster
Flies like a hawk
Swoops up little children
With tentacles from its jaw
Sky Sky
Watch up in the sky
The Snallygaster’ll grab and
Eat ya’ in the dark of the night
The last thing that you’ll see
Is that creature’s one big eye
As its octopus like tongue
Pulls you in while you cry
Tentacles come flailing
Like a kraken from the deep
'Cept these from above
With a screechin' ya can't believe
There's fire in the middle
Of its terrifying eye
If you're close enough to see
It's too late to say goodbye
Sky Sky
Watch up in the sky
The Snallygaster’ll grab and
Eat ya’ in the dark of the night
The last thing that you’ll see
Is that creature’s one big eye
As its octopus like tongue
Pulls you in while you cry
Little children run
Get inside before it’s night
Hide your pets from danger
There’s a monster in the sky
Some people don’t believe it
They say it’s just a myth
But even Roosevelt
Called a hunt to kill the beast
Outlets around the world
Joined to spread the news
A flying serpent monster
Haunts the mountains like a ghoul
If you hear a terrible screaming
In the mountains at twilight
You’ll hear the little children
Holler warnings of fright
Sky Sky
Watch up in the sky
That Snallygaser’ll grab and
Eat ya’ in the dark of the night.
The last thing that you’ll see
Is that creature’s one big eye
As its octopus like tongue
Pulls you in while you cry
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2. |
DWAYOO
04:41
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Dwayoo-ooo
Dwayoo-ooo
Some things you hear at night
In the mountains in these woods
Too awful for words
Too frightening of a sight
A creature that feeds on fright
Snallygaster even fears
Hunts the woods at night
Its cries you will hear
Dwayoo-ooo
Dwayoo-ooo
I’d been fishing for trout
In old Hamburg Pond
Along Catoctin ridge
Packing up my truck
The sun was sinkin’ through
That late October the sky
Warm enough to be June
When to my surprise
Leaves were rustlin’
And branches snapped
I squatted behind my door
Peeking through the glass
Hopin’ just to see
A big ol’ buck wander down to drink
From that mountain pond
When the creature that I heard
Came down to the bank
I couldn’t wrap my head
Around the sight that I seen
Twas bigger than a man
Walkin’ on two feet
Long black hair with a bushy tail
Pointed ears and a face
Just like a dog
Arms ended in claws
Its legs were bent and built
Like a kangaroo
Stripes around its thighs
Down to its hocks
It turned from the pond
Let out a howl
Kinda mixed with a scream
Made me jump in my truck
Dwayoo-ooo
Dwayoo-ooo
I thought that I would die
It rose up like a bear
I jumped in my truck
Just as it made its leap
It hopped up on my hood
Its snarled teeth dripped
Down my windshield
As it smelt my fear
It growled and clawed
Then I blew my horn
I was froze in fear
As it again screamed
Then leapt to the woods
Dwayoo-ooo
Dwayoo-ooo
Dwayoo-ooo
Dwayoo-ooo
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3. |
Black Beast of Lewistown
02:17
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Well, I invited my cousin to make a trip
To visit our farm and get some rest
Up in the country here near Frederick
Come breath fresh air and slow down a bit
He grew up down in Montgomery County
Down there between the Sugarloaf and district
Pretty sure he ain't ever seen a street
With no sidewalk or yellow strips
I warned him things here are a little different
Fields of corn and cows and sheep
You'll see things here you ain't ever seen
From the wildlife best to keep your distance
Well he chuckled at that and said I'm on my way
He started up 270 in his electric whip
He was doin fine crusin’ into Frederick City
The traffic jams and people he said were pleasant
The mountain views and clean pure air
Took him by surprise but it felt good to breath
So he forged ahead on up 15
Through hallowed grounds and scenes serene
Then all of a sudden he slammed on his brakes
Traffic was stopped in the middle of the day
He assumed a crash up ahead did lay
But what he saw required a double take
It started coming toward him at a gentle pace
But as it got a little closer it seemed half-crazed
A big black beast charging through the cars
Trucks and semis all now parked
It kinda looked evil, he was scared for his life
A Lewistown monster black as night
It looked like a cow but he'd bet on his wife
That no man could milk it and he was right
On TikTok I saw that awful beast
That sent my cousin south and runin’ on home
An Angus steer on the lam near Lewistown
Just taking a jog down the middle of 15
So, if you're city kinfolk come up to visit
Please don't forget to mention
That livestock roam free
Whenever they get the notion
There ain't no monsters here that'll getcha
Cept that Snallygaster, Dwayoo,
And that daggum witch
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4. |
Catoctin Shiners
02:43
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Creepin through the woods
In the mountains and the hills
You gotta watch your back
And the heavens up above
Keep your head on a swivel
Be careful not to fright
Them Old Catoctin shiners
Cause they hide their work at night
The crackling of the leaves
The snapping of the sticks
The screeching of an unknown beast
Could be a fatal mix
As deadly as a monster
Them shiners are said to be
Some a little scarier
Cause they’re packing a lot of heat
They know a lot about
The monsters in these woods
They all have tales and memories
Of things they ain’t seen
Shiners come loaded
For things you won't believe
Dragons, witches, and Dwaayos
Are more terrible than belief
They tell the time they won
At a price too high to pay
They killed themselves a monster
And lived to tell of the day
Catoctin Mountain moonshine
was what finally did one in
Old Snally can't resist
Corn liquor and children
Old Snally smelt the fire
And the copper and the mash
So she flew o'er head
Just a lookin' for a sip
Little did she know
That the head would be that strong
The fumes were nearly toxic
And she passed out flying drunk
She fell into that vat
The shiners they did run
They thought they'd met their maker
As that Snallygaster's lunch
Next morning when the sheriff come
Lookin' for the still
They drained the vat
And all they found was Snallygaster bones
Only two things in this world
Ever beat Snallygaster
Dwayoo eaten eggs
And them shiners on the mountain
They’re deadly as a monster
Them shiners are said to be
Some a little scarier
Cause they’re packing a lot of heat
Now the Dwayoo’s
Runnin’ hungry for Snallygaster eggs
Cause the shiners killed old Snally
And the eggs have gone away
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5. |
The Witch
02:44
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Huntin’ in the woods
Just west of Burkittsville
My buddies and I go crunchin’
Through the leaves and up the hill
We split up in the dark
By the gurgling of a creek
I hear them trudging on
As I head toward my tree
Seems a lil long
To reach my chosen tree
Temperatures a droppin
Seems too dark to be dawn
The rustlin of the leaves
From my friends disappear
I feel I've lost my bearings
Soon I’m lost amongst the trees
Finally find a clearing
Hopin’ for a familiar sight
But something ain’t normal
The scene causes fright
Stones stacked in piles
Hangin figures made of sticks
I feel somebody watchin’
Could it be that fabled witch
The stories of these woods
Are enough to chill a soul
But stories are just tales
Nothing out here but us fools
A witch from these hills
Collected little children
From all around the town
Now known as Burkittsville
Hunters had gone missing
Pets found mutilated
Some claim twas a beast
Others say it was the witch
Screaming from a far
Snaps me out of my chill
Sounds like Paul
Hollerin’ for help
I start runnin’ for my pal
Not knowing what’s in store
No idea where I am
Just following his wails
Did he fall from a tree stand
Did he step upon a trap
Where could the others be
They must’ve heard the screams
I come upon a cabin
The cries from within
The door is a jar
I barge right on in
His cries seem to move
As I run up the stairs
Then hurry right back down
To the cellar down below
I find him in a corner
The cackle of a witch
With a boom the world goes dark
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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:
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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!
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Bella is an amazing artist with a beautiful voice. I love this album!
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