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Songs:

Ashes to Ashes  (Steve Earle)

Amerika v. 6.0 (The Best We Can Do)  (Steve Earle)

Conspiracy Theory  (Steve Earle)

John Walker's Blues  (Steve Earle)

The Kind  (Steve Earle)

What's a Simple Man to Do?  (Steve Earle)

The Truth  (Steve Earle)

Go Amanda  (Steve Earle, Sheryl Crow)

I Remember You  (Steve Earle)

Shadowland (Steve Earle)

Jerusalem (Steve Earle)

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Ashes To Ashes
(Steve Earle)

chorus
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

A long time ago before the ice and the snow
There were giants that walked this land
And with each step they took, the mighty mountains shook
And the trees took a knee and the seas rolled in
Then one day they say the sky gave way
And death rained down, it made a terrible sound
There was fire everywhere and nothin' was spared
That walked on the land or flew through the air
And when it all was over
The slate wiped clean with a touch
There God stood and he saw it was good
And He said "ashes to ashes and dust to dust"

chorus

Then the sea gave birth and it crawled up on the dirt
And stood up and took a look around
Said "I'm the next big thing and the gift that I bring
Comes directly from God, so there ain't no holdin' me down"
So he crowned himself king
Now no one remembers his name
But the seed that he sowed took the show on the road
There was blood on their hands and a plague on the land
They drew a line in the sand and made their last stand
They said "God made us in his image
And it's in God that we trust"
When asked about the men that had died by their hands
They said "ashes to ashes and dust to dust"

chorus

Now, nobody lives forever
Nothin' stands the test of time
Oh, you heard 'em say "never say never"
But it's always best to keep it in mind
That every tower ever built tumbles
No matter how strong, no matter how tall
Someday even great walls will crumble
And every idol ever raised falls
And someday even man's best laid plans
Will lie twisted and covered in rust
When we've done all that we can but it slipped through our hands
And it's ashes to ashes and dust to dust

chorus x 2
 

Amerika v. 6.0 (The Best We Can Do)
(Steve Earle)

Look at ya
Yeah, take a look in the mirror now tell me what you see
Another satisfied customer in the front of the line for the American dream
I remember when we was both out on the boulevard
Talkin' revolution and singin' the blues
Nowadays it's letters to the editor and cheatin' on our taxes
Is the best that we can do
Come on

Look around
There's doctors down on Wall Street
Sharpenin' their scalpels and tryin' to cut a deal
Meanwhile, back at the hospital
We got accountants playin' God and countin' out the pills
Yeah, I know, that sucks – that your HMO
Ain't doin' what you thought it would do
But everybody's gotta die sometime and we can't save everybody
It's the best that we can do

Four score and a hundred and fifty years ago
Our forefathers made us equal as long as we can pay
Yeah, well maybe that wasn't exactly what they was thinkin'
Version six-point-oh of the American way
But hey we can just build a great wall around the country club
To keep the riff-raff out until the slump is through
Yeah, I realize that ain't exactly democratic, but it's either them or us and
And it's the best we can do

Yeah, passionely conservative
It's the best we can do

Conservatively passionate
It's the best we can do

Meanwhile, still thinkin'
Hey, let's wage a war on drugs
It's the best we can do
Well, I don't know about you, but I kinda dig this global warming thing...
 

Conspiracy Theory
(Steve Earle)

What if I told you it was done with mirrors
What if I showed you it was all a lie
Better be careful, someone might hear ya
The walls have ears and the sky has eyes
What if I said you were only dreamin'
What you wanna bet that all you gotta do
Is open up your eyes and you will wake up screamin'
When you realize that it's all come true

chorus
Hush, now don't you believe it
Cover your head and close your eyes
Now, take it or leave it
Go back to bed
Now don't you cry

Half a million soldiers fly across the water
One in ten are never comin' back again
Fifty thousand sons who never grew to fathers
Don't you ever wonder who they might have been
What if you could've been there on that day in Dallas
What if you could wrestle back the hands of time
Maybe somethin' could've been done in Memphis
We wouldn't be livin' in a dream that's died

chorus

Go on and tell yourself again there are no secrets
Go on and tell yourself that you don't want to know
It's best that you believe that you don't hear the footsteps
That follow you around no matter where you go
Maybe you were thinkin' that it didn't matter
Maybe you believed nobody else would care
But once you've added every little lie together
You finally find the truth was always waiting there

chorus x 2

chorus (fades)
 

John Walker's Blues
(Steve Earle)

I'm just an American boy raised on MTV
And I've seen all those kids in the soda pop ads
But none of 'em looked like me
So I started lookin' around for a light out of the dim
And the first thing I heard that made sense was the word
Of Mohammed, peace be upon him

chorus:
A shadu la ilaha illa Allah
There is no God but God

If my daddy could see me now – chains around my feet
He don't understand that sometimes a man
Has got to fight for what he believes
And I believe God is great, all praise due to him
And if I should die, I'll rise up to the sky
Just like Jesus, peace be upon him

chorus

We came to fight the Jihad and our hearts were pure and strong
As death filled the air, we all offered up prayers
And prepared for our martyrdom
But Allah had some other plan, some secret not revealed
Now they're draggin' me back with my head in a sack
To the land of the infidel

A shadu la ilaha illa Allah
A shadu la ilaha illa Allah
 

The Kind
(Steve Earle)

Tell me a story 'bout a fella with a crazy dream
Everybody tells him that it won't amount to anything
He fires the shot heard around the world
He wins the prize and he gets the girl
That's the kind of story I like – the kind that makes you think

Sing me a song about a cowboy with an achin' heart
Ridin' along the lonesome prairie 'bout to fall apart
Every time those doggies moan
He doesn't feel so all alone
That's the kind of song that I like – the kind that breaks your heart

Paint me a picture of a girl with a secret smile
Lookin' back at ya 'cross the years through ancient eyes
You're standin' there like an open door
'Cause she's seen it all before
That's the kind of picture I like – the kind that makes you sigh
 

What's A Simple Man To Do?
(Steve Earle)

Dear Graciela, I'm writin' this letter
Deep in the night and I'm all alone
It's nearly breakin' my heart to tell you
I'm so far away from home
I know I said I'd never cross the border
I know I promised to return to you
But I lost my job in the maquiladora
What's a simple man to do?

I met a man in Tijuana
Said he had a job for me to do
Standin' on a corner in San Diego
With a pocketful of red balloons
All I wanted was a little money
All I needed was a week or two
I never even saw the police comin'
What's a simple man to do?

Tell my mamma that I said I'm sorry
I know she didn't bring me up this way
Ask if she could light a candle for me
Pray that I'll come home someday
Oh Graciela, won't you please forgive me
I never meant to bring this shame to you
I lost my job in the maquiladora
What's a simple man to do?
 

The Truth
(Steve Earle)

In the blue of the evenin' when the sun is low
There's a shadow that creeps across my cell block floor
And it comes to remind me what I'm in here for

No, I'm not admittin' that I done the crime
I'm only gettin' down to doin' time
And the passin' of days is no concern of mine

There's a guard on the second shift comes on at three
And he's always about a half inch off of me
Like he needs to keep remindin' me that I'm not free

God forgive him 'cause he doesn't see
He's no less a prisoner 'cause he holds a key
And God forbid he turn his back on me

For every wall you build around your fear
A thousand darker things are born in here
And they're fed on contempt for all that you hold dear

The truth is it doesn't matter what you do
'Til you gaze in that mirror with an eye that's true
And admit that what scares you is the me in you
 

Go Amanda
(Steve Earle, Sheryl Corw)

Take your red dress, leave the hanger
Lose the sadness, use the anger
You might need it 'fore you get there

chorus
Oh, Amanda
You don't have to say goodbye
You just go Amanda
Ain't no way you didn't try
Wo, oh
All right

Tell your sister, tell your brother
Take a picture to your mother
You've been livin' undercover

chrous x 3

Oh, Amanda
Oh, Amanda
 

I Remember You
(Steve Earle)

When I'm walkin' these streets
And I'm countin' my steps
And I'm draggin' my feet
'Cause I ain't ready yet
To start all over again
'Cause every time that I do
I remember you

Well, you broke my heart
And it healed alright
Now we're far apart
And I don't lie awake at night
But every once in a while
Right out of the blue
I remember you

Well, you never write and I never call
And I don't miss you tonight
I'm just curious, that's all
Do you still have dreams?
Did they all come true?
Does it ever seem like you'll never make it through?
And do you ever miss me the way that I do
When I remember you?

When I'm walkin' these streets
Well, you broke my heart
And I'm countin' my steps
But it healed alright
And I'm draggin' my feet
Now we're far apart
'Cause I ain't ready yet
Every once in a while
Right out of the blue
I remember you
I remember you
 

Shadowland
(Steve Earle)

Way out yonder, where the wild wind blows
There's a place there lonely fools can go
Where if you hold your money, it'll burn your hand
So you buy you a ticket to the shadowland

chorus
Down the highway, down the road I'm bound
And my heart keeps poundin' and the wheels go 'round
And it's a hard place for a mortal man
And a heartbroke pilgrim in the shadowland

Yeah, when I was younger I could hold my own
My right hand was thunder and my left was stone
Now I ain't as handsome as I was back then
So I'm takin' my chances in the shadowland

chorus

Been down a thousand highways and they're all the same
Another empty place where I can hide my shame
And there's a heartache waitin' up around the bend
For a lonesome stranger in the shadowland

chorus
 

Jerusalem
(Steve Earle)

I woke up this mornin' and none of the news was good
And death machines were rumblin' 'cross the ground where Jesus stood
And the man on my TV told me that it had always been that way
And there was nothin' anyone could do or say

And I almost listened to him
Yeah, I almost lost my mind
Then I regained my senses again
And looked into my heart to find

That I believe that one fine day all the children of Abraham
Will lay down their swords forever in Jerusalem

Well maybe I'm only dreamin' and maybe I'm just a fool
But I don't remember learnin' how to hate in Sunday school
But somewhere along the way I strayed and I never looked back again
But I still find some comfort now and then

Then the storm comes rumblin' in
And I can't lay me down
And the drums are drummin' again
And I can't stand the sound

But I believe there'll come a day when the lion and the lamb
Will lie down in peace together in Jerusalem

And there'll be no barricades then
There'll be no wire or walls
And we can wash all this blood from our hands
And all this hatred from our souls

And I believe that on that day all the children of Abraham
Will lay down their swords forever in Jerusalem

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All songs written by Steve Earle and published by Sarangel Music (ASCAP) except Go Amanda written by Steve Earle & Sheryl Crow and published by Sarangel Music (ASCAP)/Old Crow Music/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Co. (BMI)

Sarangel Music Administered by Tom Snell for Sussman & Associates (US & Canada) and Bug Music (International)

Lyrics reprinted by permission