Get all 18 The Dublin City Rounders releases available on Bandcamp and save 40%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Essentially James Joyce, She Gave Me an Archon, It Used To Be About The Money, She's a Lady, Boy & Legs Like Those are Few and Far Apart, Baby I Get It & How Could I Say No, Songs of The Rising, The Tennessee Waltz & Blank Space, Around With Andy Lee, and 10 more.
1. |
Best Boots On The Bus
03:02
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Well I ain't got no gold records, no big new shiny car.
I ain't on the the television, and I'm no big radio star.
Oh and when I go to the airport, nobody makes a fuss.
But the one thing that's for certain is I got the best boots on the bus.
I got the best boots on the bus, best boots on the bus.
Spanish leather, Cuban heels, quality you can trust.
best boots on the bus, best boots on the bus.
I ain't goin' nowhere but I got the best boots on the bus.
Well I'm not the world's greatest singer, and I can barely play guitar.
I ride them buses every day but they don't take me very far.
And my good gal sits beside me, and people laugh at us.
But I sit there in kingly comfort, with the best boots on the bus.
Well I may never be president, or make the cover of TIME.
And I don't have Rockefeller's money, in fact I don't even have a dime.
But when I see the state of people's footwear and I hear them moan and cuss.
I thank the lord almighty that I've got the best boots on the bus.
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2. |
He Travelled
02:59
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I wanna tell you folks 'bout a travellin' man from Tennessee
He made his livin' stealing chickens and other things that you couldn't see
He was a travelling man, musta been a travelling man
The travelinest dude there ever was in the land
He travelled, he was known for miles around
And he wouldn't give up, no he wouldn't give up
'til the police shot him down
They took fifteen Winchesters and they shot that man right through the head
All the people that were standing 'round said "I know that man is dead"
They picked him up and they shipped him south but it was kinda weird
They looked in that coffin and he'd disappeared
He was a travelling man, musta been a travelling man
The travelinest dude there ever was in the land
He travelled, he was known for miles around
And he wouldn't give up, no he wouldn't give up
'til the police shot him down
I heard that man got on the Titanic with all the people that he knowed
He spied that iceberg comin' and overboard he flew
All the people on the other side said "Ain't that man a fool"
But when the Titanic ship went down he was shooting dice in Liverpool town
He was a travelling man, musta been a travelling man
The travelinest dude there ever was in the land
He travelled, he was known for miles around
And he wouldn't give up, no he wouldn't give up
'til the police shot him down
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3. |
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You appeared just like an angel through the bottom of my whiskey glass
I thought you were a lady and way above my class
You smiled as if to beckon, at least that's what I reckoned
If only I knew then what I know now
Like sometimes at blackjack, I wish I got another card
But you were easy and I was hard
We went that night together to a hotel in my name
I wish that I'd known better but I couldn't see the game
You took all my money and left me with the bill
You really shook me honey and left me with a chill
I gave you an inch but, girl, you took a yard
You were easy and I was hard
I woked my way back home but you were never off my mind
A reminder of just how a man can be so blind
I wouldn't feel as bad if I'd been hit by a truck
'Cause being hit by you was just some awful luck
I might have been more careful, I guess I dropped my guard
You were easy and I was hard
And when you get to Hell, babe, give Satan my regards
You were easy and I was hard
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4. |
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An actor in a vaudeville shoe was sitting on the end,
A pretty gal in the very front row with "heaps of a dough to spend"
Looked up at him with a silly smile.
Started a singing his am song, forgot-a most-a every line,
And the manager hurried back and said you gotta pay a fine.
He lost his job for quite a while.
Well jes because she made dem a goo goo eyes, well I don't know!
Thought I'd won her home and caught the prize, "you ain't so warm"
She is the best what is and I need her in my biz.
It's jes because she dem a goo goo goo eyes.
Next morning when the troupe had left, his baby throwed him down.
She tells that man I'll have you pinched if you hang a around a this a town,
Oh listen to my tale of woe.
He says I'll send a telespatch, and try and join the show
What can I do in this strange man's land, "can't eat without no dough"
So here he is out in the snow.
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5. |
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My feet are shuffling and my eyes are staring at the ground
I got nothin' in my pocket but tobacco from a stogie that I found
This world has got me down, I long to be free
God take my troubles or take me
The birds in the trees are singing their happy song
It brings tears to my eyes 'cause I ain't been happy for so long
I wish I could be a bird, or even a buzzy bee
God take my troubles or take me
I got trouble in my heart, I got trouble in my mind
There's trouble ahead and there's trouble in behind
There ain't nothin' good in this world that my eyes can see
God take my troubles or take me
It seems like I got more troubles than there's fishes in the sea
God take my troubles or take me
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6. |
Like a Nine Stone Cowboy
03:15
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Procrastination, no motivation, I was part of that Playstation generation. The only walk I took was to the fridge and I got bigger than a blue ribbon pig. Then one day my mama said "I ain't gonna pay your bills and I doubt your dear old, disappearin' daddy will." So I grabbed my guitar and I gigged around and my, how quickly I lost them pounds.
Now I'm a lean, mean rocking machine. I'm like a nine-stone cowboy. I walked so far and I rocked so hard, I found the best damn diet this side of having to starve. I'm a lean, mean rocking machine. I'm like a nine-stone cowboy.
I tried vegetarian and Aiken too but I couldn't resist my dear ol mama's stew. I tried boxing, jogging, hatha yoga, tried sweating in the sauna with my itty-bitty toga. I was a big fat boy despite my pain, for every loss I made a double gain. None of them methods got me very far until I ordered my first guitar.
Now I'm a lean, mean rocking machine. I'm like a nine-stone cowboy. I walked so far and I rocked so hard, I found the best damn diet this side of having to starve. I'm a lean, mean rocking machine. I'm like a nine-stone cowboy.
I couldn't pass a cake shop without walking in. Now it's just music stores for picks and guitar strings. Once, video games were my life's only joy, now this six string music machine is my one and only toy.
The first stage I stepped on barely took my weight but for the next three weeks I barely ever ate. Rockin' and rollin' is mighty hard, just living on beans, bread, coffee and lard. Now my old clothes don't fit me no more, I'm just like a picture of after and before.With the sweat and work and worry of playing my guitar I'm as light as an angel, I'm as bright as a star.
I'm a lean, mean rocking machine. I'm like a nine-stone cowboy. I walked so far and I rocked so hard, I found the best damn diet this side of having to starve. I'm a lean, mean rocking machine. I'm like a nine-stone, skin and bone, rockin' and a-rollin' til the cows come home cowboy.
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7. |
De Calm Before De Money
02:58
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Well I've got a girl just as cute as a button and ever since I've known I've wanted for nothing.
But she knits her brow when she's thinking on something, her eyes open wide and her heart starts thumping.
She says "listen here baby will you look at these bills, our financial affairs really give me the chills."
"We got no dough and our rent is overdue," I said "calm down girl that's nothing new"
Since the dawn of time man has had his needs, ever since he climbed down from the trees.
Everything has a price but don't worry honey, what we're experiencing is just de calm before de money.
Well what happened next I can't explain, to me she became something strange.
She waved her arms and jumped around, shouting and screaming, pacing up and down.
She then proceeded to pack her clothes and with a thunderous slam out the door she goes.
Where she went God only knows, must have been something I said I suppose.
Since the dawn of time man has had his needs, ever since he climbed down from the trees.
Everything has a price but don't worry honey, what we're experiencing is just de calm before de money.
I sat there thinking on my own, man is not meant to live alone.
So I tried to call on the telephone to see if I could get her to come back home.
But all I got was a recorded message, relayed now in the following passage.
In a voice so shrill and hard and mean, this is what she said to me:
"I don't care about man's needs, why don't you go back and live up in the trees.
When you tell that landlord it won't sound funny, no dough buddy, it's just the calm before the money"
Since the dawn of time man has had his needs, ever since he climbed down from the trees.
Everything has a price but don't worry honey, what we're experiencing is just de calm before de money.
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8. |
Rock 'em Daddy-O
02:18
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If I ever get my new house done
Sail away ladies, Sail away
I’ll give my old one to my son
Sail away ladies, Sail away
Don’t you rock em, Daddy O
Now children don’t you sit and cry
Sail away ladies, Sail away
We’ll all be angels, by and by
Sail away ladies, Sail away
I got word from Shiloh town
Sail away ladies, Sail away
Ol' Saint Louis is burning down
Sail away ladies, Sail away
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9. |
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The other evenin' everything was still, oh baby
And the moon was climbing down behind the hill, oh baby
Thought everybody was sound asleep but old man Johnson was on his beat, oh baby
I went down into a big-a crap game where the dudes was a gamblin' with might and main
Thought I'd be a sport and be dead game
I gambled all my money but I wasn't to blame
One man's point was a little Joe, bettin' six to a quarter that he'd make the four
He made that point, he made no more
'Cause then Mister Johnson jumped through the door
Oh Mister Johnson turn-a-me loose
I got no money but I got a good 'scuse
Mister Johnson, I'll be good
Oh Mister Johnson turn-a-me loose
Don't send me to the caraboose
Mister Johnson, I'll be good
The other evenin' when the sun went down, oh baby
I went down Mister Johnson's chicken farm, oh baby
Climbed on the chicken loft on me knees
I was halfway through when the chicken sneezed, oh baby
I'll tell you if you'll only keep still
'bout a mile and a half from Louisville
I'm so nervous I can't keep still
when I think about it I get a big chill
A big ol' dude was a-lookin' for a chicken
A great bull dog got to raisin' the Dickens
The dude got higher, the chicken got nigher
and then Mister Johnson opened fire
I've got no chance for to be turned loose
I got no chance for a good excuse
Mister Johnson, I'll be good
Now he's playin' seven-eleven way up yonder in gambler's heaven
Mister Johnson made him good
Oh Mister Johnson turn-a-me loose
I got no money but I got a good 'scuse
Mister Johnson, I'll be good
Oh Mister Johnson turn-a-me loose
Don't send me to the caraboose
Mister Johnson, I'll be good
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10. |
De Battle of De Blues
03:46
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Old Ben Harney lit the fuse back in 1895
he put the rock in Stephen Foster, made it jump and jive
Tin Pan Alley caught the bug and got things jumpin' too
And I said oh lawd, it's de battle of de blues
So pull down your windows, there's a new blues man in town
it's little Silas Leachman, the best blues man around
but here comes Len Spencer and Arthur Collins too
And I said oh lawd, it's de battle of de blues
Oh lam, lawdy what we gwanna do
dem babies am a-cryin' and the women frettin' too
from Alabama to New Orleans
There's a great obsession with the feelin' of depression
and songs of desperation
dem crazy blues just won't let me loose
And I said oh lawd, it's de battle of de blues
Dem gramophones are blastin' out the old cake walks
de two step and de ragtime
the old songs from de circus and de Vaudeville
When Al Bernard and Billy Murray sang the blues of Hughie Cannon
way back from 1902
And I said oh lawd, it's de battle of de blues
By 1912 it was all but over they'd done and slowed it down
to a regimented 12 bar and a monotonous sound
the lyrics lost all meaning, it ain't nothing but a ruse
And I said oh lawd, it's de battle of de blues
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11. |
The Rockin' Commandos
03:17
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Stringing our guitars, stringing our banjos we are the rockin' commandos.
Singing that chorus, get me to the bridge, there ain't no pussies on Heartbreak ridge.
Got no time to take in the scenery, too busy double checking the machinery.
Shine them boots, eat that grub. Bag it, tag it, get it to the pub.
Women come and women go, my true love is a rock n roll.
I break more hearts than I break strings, I've played for fools and I've played for kings.
1 and 2 and 3 and 4, get your ass on the dance floor.
5 and 6 and 7 and 8, we'll rock your soul from 8 till late.
Tear it down, put it in the truck, count that money if we made a good buck.
Mission over better get some rest, knowing that we done our best.
My heart is hard and my eyes are cold, my back is strong and my soul is sold,
To the highest bidder on the road of gold. When you come across me you better show or fold.
1 and 2 and 3 and 4, cowboy boogie, gimme some more.
5 and 6 and 7 and 8, minstrel, vaudeville, sincopate.
Well I don't know but I been told, Rounders' music is mighty old.
From Hear Dem Bells to Ragtime Joe, honky tonk and rock n roll.
There's Al Quiffs he's a bassinator, got a heart like a fridgerator.
Slapping like he's squashin' flies on a wall, machine gun rhythm rockin ' that hall.
Cowboy Ro could sing the birds from the trees, or shout like a preacher down on his knees.
Swingin' that guitar like an M16, he's the best damn stylist you ever seen.
I'm gonna hump my heavy load, maybe I'll see you down the road.
Got no time to hang around, I start runnin' when I hit the ground.
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12. |
Come Out Dinah
03:39
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Dinah dear while all is still and sleeping.
And the moon above the hill is creeping.
Underneath your window love a-pining, I sing a serenade to you.
Vowing by the stars above a-shining, that my love is true.
Oh Dinah, there's none diviner. Oh Dinah, promise me tonight you will be mine-a.
Oh Dinah, underneath your window love I'm singing, can't you hear my merry banjo ringing.
Dinah dear, lend your beauty to the scene.
Oh Dinah, round my heart like ivy you are clinging, Dinah you're my queen.
Won't you come out, come out, come out Dinah on the green.
Dinah dear, a soft south wind is sighing.
And the stars down through the trees are spying.
I am hear your love to claim believe me, you are all my hearts delight.
If you do not take my name, twill grieve me, tell me yes tonight.
Oh Dinah, there's none diviner. Oh Dinah, promise me tonight you will be mine-a.
Oh Dinah, underneath your window love I'm singing, can't you hear my merry banjo ringing.
Dinah dear, lend your beauty to the scene.
Oh Dinah, round my heart like ivy you are clinging, Dinah you're my queen.
Won't you come out, come out, come out Dinah on the green.
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13. |
Nashville Hairline
03:04
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I'm older, I'm grey, but I will not fade away.
I'm cool and I'm wise, my star is on the rise.
I'm here today, but I'll soon be on my way.
You can see me coming from a half a mile with my Nashville hairline.
If you ask me I'm doing fine with my Nashville hairline.
I long to be in sunny Tennessee.
Where Jones and Elvis beat out a road of wood and steel.
They weren't the first, or the last to walk down Beale.
But I walk with them and they walk with me with my Nashville hairline.
If you ask me I'm doing fine with my Nashville hairline.
I'm a rockin' ol' daddy and mamma you know it's true.
From my Stetson hat right down to my rawhide shoes.
Playin' honky-tonk guitar all the time, I'm a blue eyed devil with a pearly smile.
I comb my hair up tsunami style, I must admit it can take a while, about an hour in the morning and an hour at night.
But baby it's worth it when you get it right.
My guitar play tunes from days gone by.
But while the world is turning these songs will never die.
Another rebel heart will raise the flag on high.
I may fall down but I'm gonna try with my Nashville hairline.
If you ask me I'm doing fine with my Nashville hairline.
In my Cuban heels I'm about 5 foot 9 with my Nashville hairline.
Oh it's mighty high but it's worth the climb, my Nashville hairline.
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14. |
Sea Witches Cove
04:19
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Aboard a worn and ragged ship alone I sat as looming death
gripped every moment of my slowly fading life
A captain lost at sea, a crew of starving men who longed to
be among their friends and family as certain doom drew nigh
Then through the swirling, black abyss a distant figure
formed among the mist, a merchant ship, it's sails like the
wings of angels flowed
But our senses had long withered and desperation like
a serpent slithered round my heart, I raised my voice
and screamed a harrowing command.
The captain gave orders to attack
the merchant ship's cannons fired back
down down, the ship and crew did go
into the dark and murky depths below
The cannon fire like raging thunder struck the hull and
tore the boards asunder, from the deck I fell into a deep
and murky hell
I couldn't swim for code forbade
but a plank by chance my way did wade
I grasped it tight and watched in horror
the sinking of my ship "Lenore"
Then from below the waves,
a pair of green eyes caught my gaze,
like brilliant pearls amidst a sea of golden
curls they gleamed.
The figure now before me, a maiden of unrivaled beauty
kissed my cracked lips and whispered "I can show
you things you've never dreamed."
The captain he closed his weary eyes
awaiting his cold and cruel demise
sleep took him and he was washed ashore
on a land that he'd never seen before
When consciousness returned to me I found myself alone
on what appeared to be a desert island's calm and sandy beach
but far inland a city rose up high, it's spiral towers
reaching to the sky, it's structures dreamlike in their
strange design.
and then I knew it well, the maiden from the sea
did surely dwell within that city's timeless walls
and otherworldly halls of eldritch lore
Indeed I found her there among a coven
each as fair who spoke to me these chilling words that damned
my soul forever more.
Dear captain your life it at it's end
your spirit, it never shall ascend
for all of time here with us you'll dwell
in our city that mortal men call Hell.
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15. |
Cowboy Confidential
02:57
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My day job is Rockstar in an undercover band
but tomorrow I could be a sniper in a far off, distant land
High powered weapons are optional, my guitar is essential
I'm a rockin' and a-rollin' secret agent: Cowboy Confidential
He is so cool
He is so hot
He fires his gun
Cowboy Confidential
My double bass man's double's based way off in Pakistan
but he can be here on the double when trouble is at hand
I ain't no sap for a honey trap 'cause I'm a busy bee
I once caught a dame tryin' to snap my map posing as a band groupie
He is so cool
He is so hot
He fires his gun
Cowboy Confidential
My enemies are everywhere and in every occupation
I killed a dirty cop playing Europop on a German radio station
My number one is rock & roll, I work for the king and country
Music's in my heart and soul, I can play it smooth or crunchy
I've often had to leave a mix to lend support to Seal Team Six
and when I'm out of ammo and in a fix I dispatch my foes with shuriken picks
My double once cut a single while I was on a case
It shot to number 33 with a bullet to the face.
He is so cool
He is so hot
He fires his gun
Cowboy Confidential
So when you see a band, remember man, they may not be what you think
I once knew a prog-rock singer who wrote his lyrics in invisible ink
And the man that brought the Berlin Wall down and set the people free
was in fact my favorite Beetle, Mccartney #3
He was a Cowboy Confidential
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16. |
Ain't Dat a Shame
03:26
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One dark and stormy night, de rain was fallin' fast.
Bill Bailey told his lady friend "our dream of love is past".
He said no more, just slammed de door.
He wandered 'round de town but he didn't have a cent.
He thought about his pork-chop and back to de house he went.
Oh, listen to his mournful cries.
"Ain't dat a shame, a measly shame.
To leave your honey out in de rain.
Lawdy have a little pitty.
Won't you open dat door and let me in.
I'll stand here freezin', wet to de skin."
He stood outside de door all the whole night long.
He cried "Oh, mama, won't you let me in, I know dat I've done wrong.
I'll prove it, see. Please whisper to me."
Then a bass voice from inside hollered through de door
"Go, find yourself another hay-pile, you don't roost here no more!"
and passers by could here Bill cry.
"Ain't dat a shame, a measly shame.
To leave your honey out in de rain.
Throw me down an umbrella.
Won't you open dat door and let me in.
I'll stand here freezin', wet to de skin."
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17. |
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You want me to visit your mama and your poor old daddy at home, you can't leave your sister to spend the night alone but I ain't no babysitter for people who is fully growd. I'm a man of my word and my word is "no".
You want me to mind your handbag while you go to the loo, you must figure I've got nothing better to do than to stand here minding your baggage while you go powder your nose. I'm a man of my word and my word is "no".
They say there are many festivals that a fella like me can play but I must pay for transport and find somewhere to stay. If I wanted to work for nothing I would just say so. I'm a man of my word and my word is "no".
There are many great causes and many hungry folk, many a man is out of work and many, many more are broke but I don't give no donations just on somebody's say so. I'm a man of my word and my word is "no"
You say that your poor brother wants to make a loan, you say he needs the money for something, so and so but listen here, little honey, I don't give away my dough. I'm a man of my word and my word is "no"
You say you've got some friends staying for a week, they say they like your cooking, well ain't they got some cheek? They can stay in a hotel and they can eat at Joe's 'cause I'm a man of my word and my word is "no".
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18. |
Decent Folk
02:43
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I don't mind a little boogie, honky tonk or blues. I'm just a good ol' hillbilly cowboy, ain't got nothing to lose. I've played in every kind of place, man I've paid my dues. I've been up, down, rich and broke, I like decent folk.
I've played Whelan's and the Mercantile, The International too. From Fibbers up on Parnell street to McCauly's in the Coombe. I carry my guitar 'round the town wearing down my shoes. Gigging is hard and it ain't no joke, I like decent folk.
I've met all kinds of people and most of them is cool, swinging on the dance floor or drinking whisky in a big high stool. I may be a clown and I may be a fool but i'll keep rocking till the day I croak, I like decent folk
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The Dublin City Rounders Dublin, Ireland
If The Dublin City Rounders were a dog it would be a pink bulldog with a cowboy hat, a studded leather collar and sporting a
sleeveless denim jacket.
Two Irish brothers, one mind and a single beating heart made of rock n roll gold.
Whether playing a Stephen Foster esque song from the 1880’s or a brand new self penned classic you can’t take your eyes, or ears, off these lads!
... more
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