Josh Ritter - "Harrisburg"

Romero got married on the fifth of July,
In our Lady of Immaculate Dawn.
He could've got married in the revival man's tent,
But there ain't no reviving what's gone.

He slipped like a shadow from the family he made
In a little white house by the woods.
Dropped the kids at the mission, with a rose for the virgin,
And she knew he was gone for good.

It's a long way to Heaven, it's closer to Harrisburg,
And that's still a long way from the place where we are.
And if evil exists, its a pair of train tracks,
And the devil is a railroad car.

Could have stayed somewhere but the train tracks kept going,
And it seems like they always left soon.
and the wolves that he ran with they moaned low and painful,
And sang sad miseries to the moon.

It's a long way to Heaven, it's closer to Harrisburg,
And that's still a long way from the place where we are.
And if evil exists, its a pair of train tracks,
And the devil is a railroad car.

A rose at the altar, withered and wilted,
Romero sank into a dream.
He didn't make Heaven, and he didn't make Harrisburg,
He died in a hole in between.

Now some say that man is the root of all evil,
While others say God's a drunkard for pain.
Me, I believe that the Garden of Eden
Was burned to make way for a train.

It's a long way to Heaven, it's closer to Harrisburg,
And that's still a long way from the place where we are.
And if evil exists, its a pair of train tracks,
And the devil is a railroad car.

This is a link to the original studio recording of the song "Harrisburg";

http://youtu.be/5dL_4vUXCK0

Putumaya - World Music Series

Fot those not familiar with the Putumaya Series of World Music I should explain that this album is but one of many. There are Putumaya albums for virtually every type of music, and I have them all, courtesy of my local Public Library. As a matter of fact, these CD's represent world music in such a way that even the Mooresville Public Library, which does not have CD's, has these CD's. They are, literally, that valid, almost as much so as literature.

This album, "Americana", draws on every genre of American music, from the jazzy sound of Nora Roberts singing with The Little Willies, to the gospel sound of Terri Hendrix ,all the sounds of American music are on display. The playlist may contain some names you have not heard before, such as The Little Willies, but these are the sounds that really drive the creativity of today's musicians.

1 Robinella • Down the Mountain
2 Mulehead • Frankie Lee
3 The Little Willies • It's Not You It's Me
4 Robert Earl Keen • Ride
5 Eliza Lynn • Sing a New Song
6 Old Crow Medicine Show • Wagon Wheel
7 Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez • Sweet Tequila Blues
8 Tim O'Brien • House of the Risin' Sun
9 Alison Brown • Deep Gap
10 Terri Hendrix • Prayer for My Friends
11 Josh Ritter • Harrisburg
12 Ruthie Foster • Hole In My Pocket

It's interesting to note that many of the progressive sounds we listen to in music are derived from the basic folk and bluegrass scenes, with a touch of jazz thrown in.And when it's all lumped together it becomes a uniquely American sound.

This album is so good that I keep a copy in each car and on my flashdrive. I just don't want to lose it! Here's the link to the site if you care to hear some of the tracks;


http://www.putumayo.com/en/catalog_item.php?album_id=243