1. |
Corpus Christi
04:16
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CORPUS CHRISTI
(Joe Forkan/Eric Stoner)
Left the city of angels, with a bullet in my side
Sticking to the blue roads, slipping out of sight
Moving after sunset, through the vacant silhouettes
Longing for my baby and my bed
Many miles to cover, if I’m to make it home
The shadows chase a sun, that leaves me
Snaking east into the desert night, as eight lanes drop to one
A weaker man regretting, what the stronger man has done
Past tilting at windmills, and enveloped in the heat
Three days from Corpus Christi, this sinner’s last retreat
Staunching the bleeding by a ruined Texaco
Her voice came to me, beckoned me to go
She was never mean, Evangeline, she was always at my side
Through desperate times and troubles, on her I could rely
I left her at the altar, and I set off on my own
My life a trail of ruin, she’s calling me back home
Lay my head on this pillow of stone, clouds gather over me
Press my cheek to the name written there
The rest is just history
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2. |
On the Moon
03:31
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ON THE MOON
(Joe Forkan)
We fell in love, and I lost myself completely
And before too long you became the world to me
Without a thought, I fell into your orbit
No surprise, there was no gravity
We burned so bright, but you disappeared in stages
And I didn't think it'd all fall off so soon
One day I woke, we'd lost all our momentum
And I found myself alone upon the moon
Now I'm alone, and I'm stranded on the moon
With your vision looming so far overhead
Each day I walk, with you as my companion
But you wouldn't even know if I were dead
So tell me Houston, can you hear we've got a problem?
As you cast your gaze out coldly into space
Please give a thought, to a mission here to save me
'cause I'm stranded here alone upon the moon
Now I'm alone, and I'm stranded on the moon
Such a cold and lonely place to be marooned
I want to lay me down, and rest my weary head
But there's just no place to do it on the moon
I thought that you might even see me out here waving
But I guess you’re only gazing at the moon
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3. |
Peripheral Vision
04:15
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PERIPHERAL VISION
(Joe Forkan)
Well I never can see her, stare as hard as I can
She’s right in my blind spot, I’m a short-sighted man
Can’t remember her features, lord, try as I might
The girl in my blind spot, she’s just nowhere in sight
There’s no corrective lenses, for this trouble I have
I’m looking right through her, and feeling so bad
Just a little myopic, but that’s no excuse
For a girl in my blind spot, lord, that’s something new
And I’ve had the same feeling, staring up at the stars
Each one disappearing, when you’re looking too hard
And I’ve heard tales of her beauty, from people I know
I can no longer see it, feeling so low
Now I lose her at parties, in the thick of the crowd
With so many new faces, lord, they filter her out
But when my eye starts to wander, lord, she floats into view
My peripheral vision, how her image breaks through
Gonna ask my physician, for anything I can try
To recover my vision and open my eyes
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4. |
The Distance
04:02
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5. |
Pavlov
04:31
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PAVLOV
(Joe Forkan)
Charlie curb crawls with a carving knife, for the scarlet letter girls
And he double-checks his color wheel, before he asks ‘em for a whirl
He’s gotta make some careful choices, before he spills a little ink
‘Cause he could write his own obituary, if they’re blue instead of pink
Carrie’s tarted up like Alice, she’s in a dress that’s size 13
She doesn’t dare drink from the bottle, she knows that just makes her mean
But she can fake a little wonderland, ‘cause there’s all those bills to pay
So she’s a pistol in the evening, and a bullet in the day
I guess we all make our choices, from the cradle to the grave
But someone’s ringing Pavlov’s dinner bell
Maybe the choice is already made
Charlie wrapped himself in Cupid's arms, and he drifted off to sleep
He’s thinking she’s no imitation, a gritty pearl against his teeth
She dreamed she flew across the ocean, it was like she always could
But she keeps clipping off her feathers, ‘cause they look nice in a book
She’s a bright spot in his darkness, he’s just a stain upon her dress
But he wasn’t hoping for transcendence, just to relive an old caress
But you know he never understood her, ‘though he tried so hard to please
You know she married him in Spanish, and divorced him in Chinese
He’s only got a little kindling, but he can make the chimney smoke
She’s just dreaming of ol’ Henry James, whether Henry likes it or he don’t
We’ll all keep taking chances, ‘til they put us in the ground
Because virtue’s sold by volume baby, and vice is sold by pound
Now the shed’s all full of drama, wrapped in old extension cords
And there are fingers like a midget’s, from the rusty table saw
She’s digging up the power lines, and burying the dead
And fussing with the wiring, at the bottom of the bed
I guess we all take our chances, from the cradle to the grave
But someone’s ringing Pavlov’s dinner bell
Maybe the choice is already made
Charlie’s up before Jesus, telling Sunday morning tales
With a virgin Bloody Mary, stretching canvas pounding nails
Ain’t no diamonds without pressure, and the deadline’s judgment day
Gotta keep begging for redemption, while we keep the lord at bay
I guess we’ve all got our problems, from the cradle to the grave
Someone’s ringing Pavlov’s dinner bell, outside an empty cage
We’ll all keep taking chances, ‘til they put us in the ground
Because virtue’s sold by volume baby, and vice is sold by pound
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6. |
Mule in the Mine
03:33
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MULE IN THE MINE
(Joe Forkan/Eric Stoner)
My girl says she loves me, she must think I’m blind
She’s got me working day and night, like a mule down in the mine
Doesn’t dare to lead me, up into the light
She knows if I could tell the difference
She’d never get me back down in the mine
Our story started in the sunshine
On a summer’s day with color all around
She cinched up the harness, while I was looking in her eyes
Then she slowly walked me underground
Down here in the darkness, warmth’s a memory
A cold parade of endless days, gonna be the death of me
A mule’s a beast of burden, they’ll work until they fall
But I cannot stay here one more day, just kicking in her stall
Must be the time to make a break
From this place – don't know where I am bound
Come tomorrow morning, I’ll be standing in the sun
Life’s too short to spend it underground
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7. |
Step Outside
04:16
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STEP OUTSIDE
(Joe Forkan)
You’ve no choice, to hear them tell it
Your loudest voice, will never sell
The thoughts inside your head develop
So you step outside with the sun going down
And you take a break, and fumble around
And watch the night, settle over the town
The day is done, but it’s not for everyone
The blue light, and blue faces
They sell a world, that just brings me down
There are other views, and other paces
Gotta get outside before the days pass me by
And I’ll push away, like a boat from the shore
And let the waves, push me out past the shoals
It’s just life, but it’s nice - enough
These simple days, and their pleasures
An honest smile brings a tear to my eye
I’m the richest man, beyond measure
And all I own is the peace in my mind
And when my moment’s gone, this much I know
I’ll take it with me, wherever I go
It’s my life, and it’s nice - enough
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8. |
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9. |
Music of our Hearts
05:28
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MUSIC OF OUR HEARTS
(Joe Forkan)
I thought I saw you at the light, from the corner of my eye
On an unfamiliar street, came an old familiar smile
Well, it might have been the song, that was drifting through the night
Like a flower’s sweet perfume, made me think of days gone by
Well, I heard it once before, on a tinny radio
From a station out of tune, just this side of Mexico
On a moonless desert night, alone in the wide world
We danced beneath the stars, to the music of our hearts
You haunt me, can’t I be, lost in your arms
Those rhythms, can’t keep them, far from my thoughts
Once upon a time, you gave your love to me
Wouldn’t say that it was true, couldn’t say that it was free
But I know that you are mine, and I know just where you’ll be
Lying in a shallow grave, now the devil waits for me
You haunt me, can’t I be, lost in your arms
Those rhythms, can’t keep them, far from my thoughts
Now that I’m alone, can’t stand the empty nights
And my mind is not my own, that’s where you hold me tight
But I know that I will see, with the setting of the sun
Shadows dancing on the wall, to the music of our hearts
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10. |
Empire
03:07
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EMPIRE
(Joe Forkan/Eric Stoner)
The astronaut is buried, in the bosom of the earth
The mariner lies silent, in his silted berth
All these unanswered questions, and skeleton prayers
Are the cares, the ruts we’ve worn in the world
Conquistador dreams, lost cities of gold
Still we listen for wisdom, from the mouth of a grave
Parse the ancient scratches, on the walls of shadowed caves
Now a broken world spins, to face another rising sun
It’s begun
And when the flags are all furled, and the swords turn to rust
The cartographer’s empire will collapse into dust
The earth will dream, without us, and bury our gods
Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust
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Alpha Mule Los Angeles, California
Alpha Mule is an American music duo from Southern California, featuring musicians Joe Forkan and Eric
Stoner.
Their music is influenced by rock, blues, bluegrass, folk and traditional country - primarily music from the American south and American southwest.
... more
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