I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm On My Way Produced by MARK “Let’s Warp It” Neill, who wants you to know that, “This recording contains the essence of perfect imperfection, on every technical and musical level.” Art Direction & Design by Mathieu Bitton / candytangerine.com We recorded these tracks at Soil of the South Studio over 2007. I did the vocals, rhythm guitars, and the harmonium. I also played electric bass on “Wreck” and “Sea”, while Rob Thorsen did standup bass on everything else. Mark Neill did the rolling guitar on “Sea”, and various drums and other noises. In fact, if you can’t identify a noise, Mark was probably the one that did it. My good Old 97 buddy Philip Peeples did the big kick drum on Wreck of the 97, while Craig Packham did the drums on everything else. My sincere thanks and appreciation goes to all of you. Special thanks go to Mark Neill for steering this ship so well, the other Old 97’s - Rhett, Philip and Ken - for all their encouragement, and to Tom Desavia at ASCAP for just all kinds of help on the business end. More than anyone else, thanks and love go to my wonderful wife Grey DeLisle for her inspiration, advice, love and support, and our little boy Tex, for making these days the happiest days of all. — Murry Hammond, 2008. c. 2008 Humminbird Records. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws. Printed in the U.S.A. HBR-003 1. What Are They Doing In Heaven Today? By Rev. Charles A. Tindley, additional words and arrangement by Murry Hammond, Pennycost Music, ASCAP. What are they doing in heaven today? Where tears and sorrow are all done away? Where peace abounds like a river’s flow. Oh, what are they doing right now? I’m thinking of friends that I used to know, No longer living in this world below. I’ve heard about heaven, but I want to know What are they doing right now? What are they doing in heaven today, Where tears and sorrow are all done away? Where peace abounds like a river’s flow. Oh, what are they doing right now? 2. Between the Switches By Murry Hammond, Pennycost Music, ASCAP. I have a friend, he rides the grainers, unit trains and manifests, filling up steel containers, bragging about all the coin he gets. Now, I fire back and make some noise and brag about “loved ones so dear”, but, some- where back, I made a choice that left them THERE and put me HERE. I wanted so to see a tall stack belch the blackest breath she ever sighed while singing rails go streaming off where, to your eye, somewhere out, I liquefy. It’s infinite there between the switches, and there was someone else there all those times for, a lamp did light some deep dark ditches, when I know, I kept MY hand from lighting mine. 3. Lost At Sea By Murry Hammond, Pennycost Music, ASCAP. I’m gonna take the weekend and reply to all the letters That the girl was kind enough to send in my youth, for my better. I’ll put my foot up on the rung that rolls with every boxcar, Oh, I’m gonna ride that restless one through every hill and holler. I’m gonna lay right down, My family’s all around, The restless ones like me, All comb the ground to find the lost at sea. Out among the columbines and the pickled hills I call mine I caught the whiff of childhood where the girl and I found true love. But the smoking trap that pulls me now upsets the sleep I’m needing - In a rattletrap of pity I am going to spend my evening I’m gonna lay right down, My family’s all around, The restless ones like me, All comb the ground to find the lost at sea. And if I am untimely and I miss my next engagement Sing “Peace In the Valley”, say a word about the pavement That I cussed with every footfall on this bent-on-twisting highway - In a rattle trap, a free-fall, I am gonna have it my way. I’m gonna lay right down, My family’s all around, The restless ones like me, All comb the ground to find the lost at sea. 4. I Never Will Marry By A.P. Carter, Peer Music. Arrangement by Murry Hammond. One morning as I rambled on down the seashore The wind it did whistle, and the waters did roar. I heard a fair damsel make a pitiful sound, It sounded so lonesome in the waters around. She plunged her fair body in the waters so deep She closed her blue eyes in the waters to sleep. My love has gone and left me, the one I adore She’s gone where I never will see her anymore. I never will marry, nor be no man’s wife I expect to live single all the days of my life. The shells in the ocean shall be my death bed The fish in deep water swim over my head. 5. Wreck of the 97 By Murry Hammond, Pennycost Music, ASCAP. I told her at the funeral she was wonder unopposed, Told her she was beauty from her ankles to her nose, And give me your good twenties - give me thirty! -before ya go. Yeah, God will be a friend to you, if you get ya one of those. ‘Cause bad boys know they’re leaving, Bad boys know what hurts, Bad boys’ll leave ya cryin’ while they’re dyin’ on a dirty flirt. I fell in love with my blue self and lost my original hope To be rock, be the only one, Be the one that you call on most. It’s the wreck of the 97, It’s the wreck of the Ellen Lee. It’s the call that you make to heaven, for sake, What on earth do you think of me? When you tell ‘em about your broken heart, You’ll tell ‘em about me, and they’ll see it. Yeah, they’ll see it. So roll out your greasy reasons Roll out your wills and won’ts Stare up a starry evening trying to rewrite the do’s and don’ts. She held your face in secret places Dressed you up a king. Now, she comes around you mostly On your ceilings, in your dreams. It’s the wreck of the 97, It’s the wreck of the Ellen Lee. It’s the call that you make to heaven, for sake, What on earth do you think of me? When you tell ‘em about your broken heart, You’ll tell ‘em about me, and they’ll see it. Yeah, they’ll see it. ‘Cause bad boys know they’re leaving, Bad boys know what hurts, Bad boys’ll leave ya cryin’ while they’re dyin’ on a dirty flirt. I fell in love with my blue self and lost my original hope To be rock, be the only one, Be the one that you call on most. 6. Life is Like a Mountain Railroad By Eliza R. Snow, M. E. Abbey and Charles D. Tillman. Public domain, arrangement by Murry Hammond, Pennycost Music, ASCAP. Life is like a mountain railroad With an engineer that’s brave. We must make the run successful From the cradle to the grave. Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels, Never falter, never fail. Keep your hand upon the throttle And your eye upon the rail. Blessed savior, come and guide us Till we reach that blissful shore Where the angels there will join us In His praise forevermore. 7. Next Time Take the Train By Murry Hammond, Pennycost Music, ASCAP. Across the western thistle thickets Stand the signs that sell the tickets, “Next time, take the train” when you need leaving.” Trains roll in the hearts of men, And freedom rides the one within, And every man’s the hobo he imagines. But how the piles piled up so, How I got so roly-poly, Saddled down with hungers heavy laden. And so it went, I watched the trains Slow, and stop, and start again, But never could I lift a leg for staying. Next time, take the train, Next time, take the train, Move the whole she-bang on down the line. Next time, move it on, Next time, move it on, Move your one belonging down the line. Roll on, blow, you T&P, Marshall, Fort Worth, Abilene, El Paso into midnight, faintly crying. Throw it wide and see no end, Let no one fence or cage you in, And realize where you have been, and why. ‘Cause out here in the thistle thickets, ‘Tween the signs that sell the tickets, Something’s made a fossil of my childhood Freedom rides such things as these, But freedom’s catching out at speed, And I’ll never catch her now, the way she’s flying - She flies. Next time, take the train, Next time, take the train, Move the whole she-bang on down the line. Next time, move it on, Next time, move it on, Move your one belonging down the line. 8. Riding the Rods Murry Hammond & unknown railroad poet. Pennycost Music, ASCAP. (Several verses here were based on a poem I found in an old 1930’s era pulp magazine devoted to railroad adventure stories. ) It’s hell when the cinders come flyin’ A-peltin’ and a-beltin’ like hell With a purr like a kettle drum’s rattle To the rat-a-tat of the rail. And the tender ahead is a swayin’ A-tossin’ and a-jumpin’ like sin, And the roadbed’s a-chewin’ my backside, And blisterin’ up my skin, yeah, Blisterin’ up my skin. I’ve ridden luxurious Pullmans On a one-inch rod underneath, While the devil sat watchin’ and grinnin’, While I hung by the skin of my teeth. I’ve clung for my life in the Rockies, From Frisco to rocky old Maine, Boardin’ on the rods of a rattler, In the guts of a limited train, yeah, The guts of a limited train. To be drenched in cascades of water That the ol’ girl takes on the fly… To tip the community bottle With some fellas I met on the line… Got a million stars on my ceilin’ And a home that I’m never denied. No luckier fella you’ll meet in Your whole dang tangled up life, yeah, Your whole dang tangled up life. I’ve been kicked off at lonely way stations At tanks and out on the plains But before the ol’ girl could get itchin’ I’ll dive for the brake beams again. So, I’ll see ya down the road up yonder When the Lord calls all good men To board that train with a holler… …I’ll be under there a-strappin’ in, yeah, Under there a-strappin’ in, yeah, Under there a-strappin in, yeah, Riding the rods again… and again… and again… and… 9. Grainer By Murry Hammond, Pennycost Music, ASCAP. 10. You Will Often Meet Obstruction By Eliza R. Snow, M. E. Abbey and Charles D. Tillman. Public domain, arrangement by Murry Hammond, Pennycost Music, ASCAP. You will often meet obstruction, Look for storms of wind and rain On a fill, or curve, or trestle, They will almost ditch your train. Put your trust alone in Jesus, Never falter, never fail, Keep your hand upon the throttle, And your eye upon the rail. Blessed savior, come and guide us Till we reach that blissful shore Where the angels there will join us In His praise forevermore. 11. In the Shadow of Clinch Mountain By A.P. Carter, Peer Music. Arrangement by Murry Hammond. I grew up on the side of Clinch mountain ‘Neath the beauties and the music of the woods. The sweet song of the bright bubbling fountain And the warble of the birds I understood. When I’ve sung my last song in the evening, And the sun sets in the golden west, All the things of this world I’ll be leaving, In the shadow of Clinch Mountain I will rest. Then I asked how the green, lofty mountain In the cauldron of the lowly desert stood. Came these words from the bright, bubbling fountain: “We were given by the waters of the flood.” When I’ve sung my last song in the evening, And the sun sets in the golden west, All the things of this world I’ll be leaving, In the shadow of Clinch Mountain I will rest. Out that gate I have passed since my childhood, Over the railway, through the tunnel, to the west, Singing songs of a Clinch Mountain wildwood, Songs that people, birds and flowers love the best When I’ve sung my last song in the evening, And the sun sets in the golden west, All the things of this world I’ll be leaving, In the shadow of Clinch Mountain I will rest. 12. Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down Traditional, instrumental arrangement by Murry Hammond, Pennycost Music, ASCAP. 13. Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down Traditional, instrumental arrangement by Murry Hammond, Pennycost Music, ASCAP. The Psalmist prayed, “In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge, let me never be put to shame. Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me.” And Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” And the Psalmist prayed, “Be my rock of refuge, which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my refuge.” And Jesus said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.” And the Psalmist prayed, “Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men.” And Jesus said, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” “Satan, your kingdom must come down, Satan, your kingdom must come down.” I heard the voice of Jesus say, ”Satan, your kingdom must come down.” I’m gonna pray ‘til they tear your kingdom down, Pray ‘til they tear your kingdom down. I heard the voice of Jesus say ”Satan, your kingdom must come down.” I’m gonna shout ‘til they tear your kingdom down. Shout ‘til they tear your kingdom down. I heard the voice of Jesus say, ”Satan, your kingdom must come down.” 14. As You Roll Across the Trestle By Eliza R. Snow, M. E. Abbey and Charles D. Tillman. Public domain, arrangement by Murry Hammond, Pennycost Music, ASCAP. As you roll across the trestle Spanning Jordan’s swelling tide, You’ll behold the Union Depot, Into which your train will glide. There you’ll meet the superintendent, God the father, God the son. With a loud and joyous plaudit, “Weary pilgrim, welcome home.” Blessed savior, come and guide us Till we reach that blissful shore Where the angels there will join us In His praise forevermore. 15. Rainbow’s End By Bob Nolan, Music Of The West, BMI / Unichappell Music, BMI I’ve traveled this whole world over, and now, I’m going down to the rainbow’s end. From twilight till dawn, trudging on and on, On my way to the rainbow’s end. I’m weary and tired, but I don’t care, I’m going down to the rainbow’s end. No friends, no home, I’m just traveling alone, On my way to the rainbow’s end. They say there are treasures of silver and gold Buried down by the rainbow’s end. But the treasure I’ll find will bring me real peace of mind, When I come to the rainbow’s end. For someone is waiting there all alone, So I’ll know at the rainbow’s end, How it feels to be pressed to an angel’s breast, When I come to the rainbow’s end. 16. Other, Younger, Days By Murry Hammond, Pennycost Music, ASCAP. Below the flowered mound beneath, Above the blue beyond all reach, Our Mother, Dad, the angels stole - They were not ours, but God’s alone. Oh, the tears that never dry, The things that bring them to your eye. To think of it, sets mine ablaze With thoughts of other, younger, days. For those who drink what angels pour - Not one are lost, but gone before. To leave us orphans? Not at all, but make us mothers, fathers, all. So leave the children where they lie In weed-wild gardens, lying by, For it will send your life astray To live in other, younger days. Last few years, we’d brought him home To ease the day that she’d sailed on. I swear it broke him right in two, For cool his face, is all he’d do. He said, “Now, sons, as you pass by, As you are now, so once was I; As I am now, so you must be, Dead to rights, and following.” Lift me, lift me from this place To see the light of Jesus’ face Shining on the ones we knew, The ones we loved our whole lives through. Oh, the tears that never dry, The things that dry them by and by. To think of it, sets mine ablaze With thoughts of other, younger, days. Oh, how it sets the eye ablaze With thoughts of other, younger, days. How it sets the eye ablaze, With thoughts of other, younger, days. 17. I Believe, I Believe By Murry Hammond, Pennycost Music, ASCAP. I’m gonna sail on across the wide river Where my Lord has gone on before. Where the long look behind turns to family there gathered, To meet, and to part, no more. I believe, I believe the children of sight Will look out on a beautiful morn, And the children of light in this world beneath Will light the dark night no more. Where the veil’s rolling thin on the big blue curtain, My mother will stand at the door To embrace and enfold as in days uncertain, The days of my childhood before. I believe, I believe the children of sight Will look out on a beautiful morn, And the children of light in this world beneath Will light the dark night no more. There’s an easy footpath through the far green mountain Where my father has walked on before. And in that great chorus is where we’ll be sounding In rhapsody sung evermore. I believe, I believe the children of sight Will look out on a beautiful morn, And the children of light in this world beneath Will light the dark night no more.