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Lonesome Tom

from Things Gonna Break by Adrian Niles

/

lyrics

Lonesome Tom and his brother Jack, rambling along the railroad track
Jack says, “Tom I’ve got a sweet song, for a girl with a pretty name.
Let’s find a little town and rest,
Find a greasy spoon and get a good breakfast,
Maybe I find me a pretty waitress,
And do some serenading”

Tom says, “Brother you’re a quarter way cocked, you couldn’t sing a convict out of a jail that ain’t locked
Ain’t no trouble in this world unless a man goes looking, You best keep your britches on.
Besides I already found us a notion,
We’ll take the track till we can smell the ocean,
Far away from this locomotion,
In some harbor town”

Chorus
Oh Lordy my, Oh Lordy my
What a man’s got to do to survive
Oh honey girl don’t let me down
I’ll be looking for you all around

“Brother Tom ma didn’t make you no boss and daddy’d knock ya down at the first sign of cross
Better think awhile, before you try and make the rules, or trouble will find you.
A sweet little thing could be waiting for me,
Maybe the next town up, maybe you’ll see,
I sing her my song and she’ll marry me,
And I’ll leave you to wonder by yourself”.

Tom smiled and said, “Pup let your brain catch up, You’re a poor man with a heart even I couldn’t corrupt
How you gonna make a bride without no work? Besides, you couldn’t get along without me”.
“I know you’re lonely and I’ll have to agree,
It would be nice to hold something lovely,
But right now I got you and you got me,
And brother they don’t do that”...Chorus

Jack thought, “It ain’t right and it ain’t fair, to ramble till we smell the salt in the air”.
He said, “I’m gonna find work sure as the sun shines in the morning, and quit these wary ways”.
“Jack you can settle for your white trash women,
While you’re working for her mortgage, I’ll be swimming
With no binding ties in the sunlight glimmering,
Cause I’ll be a free man”.

Well the wind got strong as they moved along and Tom got to figuring maybe he was all wrong
He said, “ I been dog lonesome for so many years, I don’t want Jack to end up like me”.
Jack says, “I ain’t saying that you’re all wrong brother,
But sometimes you’ve got to give a chance to another,
Someone ‘ll claim you and you’ll recover,
Somewhere along the way”...Chorus

Splitting up is what they did that night, With no more fuss and no more fight
Jack cried a tear and he said, ‘I’ll be alright’, as he nestled down ‘neath a pine.
Tom kept on with his westward ways
Telling himself he find better days
Preparing and conditioning for his union with the clay,
Hoping first to find some happiness

Well, there ain’t no life without a sweet song, and it’s hard to find something if you can’t move along
Ain’t nobody right and ain’t nobody wrong,
For brothers like Jack and lonesome Tom...Chorus

credits

from Things Gonna Break, released April 1, 2008
Written by Adrian Niles

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Adrian Niles Ohio

Adrian Niles is a roots-rock artist from eastern Ohio. He grew up in the bluegrass music tradition of his father, uncle, and grandfather’s band The Porter Brothers. After discovering artists like Dylan and Hendrix, in his teen years, Niles dedicated his life to the folk, blues, and rock expressions as a songwriter and performer. ... more

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