Blaze Of Glory

Love in the Wind

Loving you’s like loving the wind
It’s not a thing you can hold in your hand
It’s easy come and easy go
On a heart like mine, it’ll take its toll
I never know when I’ll see you again
Loving you’s like loving the wind

Loving you’s like loving the stars
How I wonder where you are
Up there in the black night sky
I gaze at you and I get high
You’re so close, but you’re so far
Loving you’s like loving the stars

Loving you’s like loving the rain
That first drop falls and I’m insane
Rain, rain come on down
I don’t care if I should drown
The wait is always worth the pain
Loving you’s like loving the rain

Loving you’s like loving the wind
It’s not a thing you can hold in your hand
Loving you’s like loving the stars
How I wonder where you are
Loving you’s like loving the rain
That first drop falls and I’m insane
Love
Love
Is this love?

Written by Marshall Chapman
Tall Girl Music (BMI). Administered by Bug Music, Inc., a BMG Chrysalis company. All Rights Reserved.
Recorded and mixed at the Insanery in Far East Nashville, Tennessee
Tracked September 10, 2012

Musicians
Marshall Chapman & Todd Snider – duet vocals
Marshall Chapman – rhythm guitar
Will Kimbrough – electric guitar
Jim Mayer – bass
Casey Wood – drums, shekere
The Wild Elephant Choir – “umphs”
Note: The Wild Elephant Choir is Jim Mayer, Michael Utley, Will Kimbrough & Marshall Chapman

I Don’t Want Nobody

I don’t want nobody
Calling me their honey but you
I don’t want nobody
Giving me their money but you
I don’t want nobody
I don’t want nobody
I don’t want nobody
Calling me their honey but you

I don’t want nobody
Standing in my kitchen but you
I don’t want nobody
Telling me I’m bitchin’ but you
I don’t want nobody
I don’t want nobody
I don’t want nobody
Calling me their honey but you

Anybody calling me their honey but you
There’s gonna be hell to pay
Anybody standing in my kitchen but you
Is standing in my way … hey!
Whoo ooh ooh ooh

I ain’t gonna shave my legs
Let my fingernails grow long
Sing the words to this here song
For nobody but you
Nobody but you
‘Cause I don’t want nobody
I don’t want nobody
I don’t want nobody
Calling me their honey but you

Musicians
Marshall Chapman – lead vocal, rhythm guitar
Will Kimbrough – electric guitar
Jim Mayer – bass
Michael Utley – Wurlitzer
Casey Wood – drums

Nearness of You

It’s not the pale moon
That excites me
That thrills and delights me
Oh no …
It’s just the nearness of you

It isn’t your sweet
Conversation
That brings this sensation
Oh no …
It’s just the nearness of you

When I hold you close
And I feel you so near to me
All my wildest dreams come true

I need no soft lights
To enchant me
If you’ll only grant me
The right …
To hold you ever so tight
And to feel in the night
The nearness of you

Written by Hoagy Carmichael & Ned Washington
Sony/ATV Harmony (ASCAP)
Recorded and mixed at the Insanery in Far East Nashville, Tennessee
Tracked September 10, 2012

Musicians
Marshall Chapman – lead vocal, rhythm guitar
Will Kimbrough – electric guitar
Jim Mayer – bass
Michael Utley – Fender Rhodes
Casey Wood – drums

Beyond Words

Beyond words
That’s where I am
When I’m with you
Beyond words

The touch of your hand
My heart is helpless
That’s just the way
The way that it is

Beyond words
Yes, I am speechless
Nothing I say
Can ever convey

Whatever this is
It’s bigger than I am
Big as the moon
Big as the stars

Is it just you?
Or the life all around you?
Cause wherever you are
That’s where life is

How foolish to think
All this was behind me
Feeling this way
Beyond words
Cause that’s where life lives
Beyond words

Musicians
Marshall Chapman – lead vocal, rhythm guitar
Will Kimbrough – electric guitars
Jim Mayer – bass
Mike Utley – celeste
Casey Wood – bass drum, triangle, cymbals, ankle bells

Let’s Make Waves

I got an ocean of love inside me
I got a notion to share it with you
The Atlantic … the Pacific
Okay I’ll be specific
Here’s what we ought to do
Let’s make waves baby waves baby waves …
Let’s make waves

You got a way about you makes me crazy
I’m as helpless as a newborn child
I can’t believe the state I’m in
Throwing caution to the wind
If I’m going down, I’m going in style
Let’s make waves baby waves baby waves …
Let’s make waves

Can’t you hear ’em say
Umm umm umm
But they don’t feel the way
That I do

Regrets you know I’ve had a few
But for only what I did not do
So baby jump on in
Love can’t be a sin
When it’s made by me and you
Let’s make waves baby waves baby waves …
Let’s make waves

I got an ocean of love inside me
I got a notion to share it with you
Let’s make waves
Let’s make waves, baby
Let’s make … waves

Written by Marshall Chapman & Shannon Wright
Tall Girl Music (BMI) Administered by Bug Music, Inc., a BMG Chrysalis company. All Rights Reserved.
Razor and Tie/Drive You Mad Music (BMI)
Recorded and mixed at the Insanery in Far East Nashville, Tennessee
Tracked September 11, 2012

Musicians
Marshall Chapman – vocals, rhythm guitar
Will Kimbrough – electric guitars
Jim Mayer – bass
Michael Utley – Wurlitzer
Casey Wood – drums

Dreams & Memories

Last night I dreamed about you
You called me by my name
You said the words I love you
Again and again and again

When I awakened I was happy
Strange as that may seem
Cause if I can’t have you with me
I’ll have you in my dreams

Dreams and memories
Right now that’s all I have
Dreams and memories
To keep my heart alive

There’s a gate that leads to Paradise
Where once I stood with you
But Fate and Time they hold the key
Still I dream that one day we’ll walk through

Dreams and memories
Right now that’s all I have
Dreams and memories
To keep my heart alive

Musicians
Marshall Chapman – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Will Kimbrough – electric guitars
Jim Mayer – bass
Mike Utley – Hammond B3

Blues Stay Away From Me

Blues stay away from me
Blues why don’t you let me be
Don’t know why
You keep on haunting me

Love was never meant for me
True love was never meant for me
Seems somehow
We never can agree

Life is full of misery
Dreams are like a memory
Bringing back
Your love that used to be

Tears so many I can’t see
Years don’t mean a thing to me
Time goes by
Still I can’t be free

Blues stay away from me
Blues why don’t you let me be
Don’t know why
You keep on haunting me

Written by A. Delmore, R. Delmore, H. Glover & W. Raney
Universal Songs of Polygram International (BMI)/ Fort Knox Music, Inc. (BMI)/ Trio Music Company (BMI), administered by BUG Music, Inc., a BMG Chrysalis company/Lionel Delmore
Music (BMI)/ Vidor Publications, Inc. (BMI)
Recorded and mixed at the Insanery in Far East Nashville, Tennessee
Tracked September 11, 2012

Musicians
Marshall Chapman – vocals, rhythm guitar
Will Kimbrough – electric guitars
Jim Mayer – bass
Mike Utley – piano
Casey Wood – drums

Waiting for the Music

Wetter than the ocean
Hotter than the sun
My body’s on fire
And baby you’re the one
We haven’t even kissed
But I can taste you on my tongue
Like words to a song
That hasn’t been sung
Like strings on a guitar
That hasn’t been played
I’m waiting for the music
To take me away

Now I’m waiting for the music
Waiting for the music
Waiting for the music
To take me away

There’s a moon shining bright
Through dark winter trees
Like the voice of God
It calls out to me
You don’t have to know
You don’t have to do anything
All you have to do is love
Now you go find yourself a song to sing

Now I’m waiting for the music
Waiting for the music
Waiting for the music
To take me away

Musicians
Marshall Chapman – lead vocal, rhythm guitar
Ashley Cleveland – harmony vocal
Will Kimbrough – electric guitars
Jim Mayer – bass
Mike Utley – Hammond B3
Casey Wood – drums, tambourine, shaker

Call the Lamas

Call the lamas
I saw little Buddha in the checkout line
At the grocery store
Today
Call the lamas
He was sitting like a prince in his grocery cart
With a perfect smile
On his face

His mom and dad preoccupied
With paying for their food
They could not see him smile at me
With calm beatitude

Call the lamas
I saw little Buddha in the checkout line
At the grocery store
Today
Call the lamas
He was sitting like a prince in his grocery cart
With a perfect smile
On his face
Om …

Then suddenly in front of me
I saw three little girls
Their mother bagging groceries
While around her feet they swirled
Their peels of laughter silenced
When they all looked up to see
Little Buddha smiling at them
Beatifically

He leaned down toward them
Holding all them in a state of bliss
Then one by one they each received
His transcendental kiss
Call the lamas
I saw little Buddha in the checkout line
At the grocery store

Musicians
Marshall Chapman – lead vocal, rhythm guitar
Will Kimbrough – electric guitars
Jim Mayer – bass
Mike Utley – Hammond B3
Casey Wood – djembe, bongos, cymbals
The Wild Elephant Choir – “oms”

Not Afraid To Die

I’m not afraid to die
Dying’s the least of my fears
I’ve already lived way past my prime
Now I no longer try to count the years

I did everything I could to die young
And leave behind a beautiful memory
But there’s still a lot of songs to be sung
I guess fate had other plans for me

So bring it on whatever lies ahead
Sorrow, joy, heartbreak and the rest
The only thing that matters in the end
Is the love you gave to those you love the best

I’m not afraid to die
Dying’s the least of my fears
I’ve already lived way past my prime
Now I no longer try to count the years
Yes I no longer try
I’m too busy getting high
‘Cause every breath I breathe is like a prayer

Musicians
Marshall Chapman – lead vocal, rhythm guitar
Will Kimbrough – electric guitars
Jim Mayer – bass
The Wild Elephant Choir – background vocals

I never intended to make it this far
I never had a fall-back plan
I always thought I’d go in a blaze of glory
A blaze of glory
A blaze of glory

Burning like a comet across the night sky
Playing rock and roll music with my hair on fire
And every show was a blaze of glory
A blaze of glory
A blaze of glory

I saw Elvis Presley sing in 1956
The world was different then
Everything was fixed
When he walked out onstage
It shook us to the core
That colored balcony came crashing to the floor
In a blaze of glory

Now every morning at the break of dawn
I brush the sleep out from my eyes
I’ve got to see that sun rise up in a blaze of glory
A blaze of glory
A blaze of glory

Musicians
Marshall Chapman – lead vocal
Will Kimbrough – electric guitar, Spanish guitar
Jim Mayer – bass
Michael Utley – Fender Rhodes
Casey Wood – shaker, tambourine, marimba

Marshall on … Blaze of Glory

I recorded Blaze of Glory with the same crew (co-producer/musician Michael Utley and musicians Will Kimbrough, Jim Mayer and Casey Wood) that played on my last album—2010′s Big Lonesome (named “Best Country/Roots Album of 2010″ by Philadelphia Inquirer). Everyone just seemed to pick up and soar from where we left off. In the process, we may have even created a new genre—torch-rock Americana! As for the songs, what started out as “rug-burn music for sexagenarians” deepened into the whole mortality thing. I feel like this is by far my best work and I hope you enjoy it.

“Love in the Wind”—There’s being in love with someone, and there’s being in love with the way you feel around someone. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference. (written in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, in the summer of 2011)

“I Don’t Want Nobody”—I was riding along the Natchez Trace in Mississippi. I had just finished talking with Donnie Fritts (“We Had It All,” “Breakfast in Bed”) on my mobile about a pending gig. Just for the record, I can’t stand for anyone to call me Honey or Darlin’, as it often sounds dismissive or condescending. But with Donnie, things were different. He was honeyin’ me left and right, and, not only was I not pissed off … I was charmed! This song started coming right after we hung up. As I recall, I finished it just before crossing the Alabama state line.

“Nearness of You”—This classic by Hoagy Carmichael was the second track on the first album I ever bought. The year was 1963. The album was Stay with Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs. I have been in love with this song ever since. In the summer of 2010, I decided to learn how to play it. It took me three weeks. And would’ve taken longer, had I not received a chord assist from Will Kimbrough.

I wrote “Beyond Words” while sitting on the floor in the hallway outside my hotel room at Taninul near Valles, Mexico. I was traveling through remote areas of this spectacular country with three friends. As it turned out, one of them had left a pawnshop guitar in my room. When I couldn’t sleep, I picked the guitar up and headed for the hallway (so as not to disturb my roommate). I finished this song as the sun was coming up, with these Mexican men stepping over my legs on their way to work. I could tell more, but it would take more than words.

Shannon Wright and I wrote “Let’s Make Waves” shortly after I returned from Mexico. She brought the goods and I jumped right in!

“Dreams & Memories”—I wrote this in the same room where I wrote “Love in the Wind.” I was staying with a couple who live on an old cobblestone street in the El Centro section of San Miguel. My room was right on the street. At night, I could hear all the street sounds … bells ringing near and far, people talking in Spanish, sometimes English, their footsteps as they walked by, and so on. One night I couldn’t sleep, and “Dreams & Memories” just squirted out. I had been thinking about The Everly’s “All I Have to Do Is Dream” at the time. “Dreams & Memories” captures that same sentiment, only with a darker, more fatalistic attitude. (True Blood, are you listening? This one’s for you!)

I first heard the Delmore’s “Blues Stay Away From Me” on a Doug Sahm album and felt an immediate kinship. Recording it felt right as rain.

“Waiting for the Music”—I started writing this while flying back from Akumal (Mexico) in January 2011. A year later, I finished it while sitting at my kitchen table in Nashville. Some songs, I call my “lifesavers.” It’s like, if I hadn’t written them at the time I wrote them, I would have died some sort of spiritual death. “Waiting for the Music” is one of those.

I first recorded “Call the Lamas” on my 2006 album, Mellowicious! which was sort of an experiment using synthesizers. Since “Lamas” was the jewel of that crown, I always hoped to re-record it in an organic setting. Also, it was the perfect song for this spot in this album. The album needed a lift at this point. Something to set the table for what follows. “Lamas” more than fit the bill. Just so you’ll know: no synthesizers or click tracks were used in the making of this album!

“Not Afraid to Die”—I was listening to the Louvin Brothers singing “Are You Afraid to Die?” on YouTube. Which had me thinking, Hell no! Then I started writing. This one came real fast. Every now and then, I channel Harlan Howard. (Like on Big Lonesome with “I Can’t Stop Thinking About You.”) Also, every album needs a real country song, right? So thank you, Harlan … and thank you, Ira and Charlie!

“Blaze of Glory” was the last song I wrote for this album. When finished, I instinctively knew (1) I had enough songs to begin recording, (2) it would be the closer and (3) the title of the album.

Enjoy!