Get all 29 James Tristan Redding releases available on Bandcamp and save 75%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Leap Songs, Part 5, Leap Songs, Part 4, Song A Week, Vol. 8, Leap Songs, Part 2, Leap Songs, Part 1, The Nashville 24, Vol. 3, Look Out World, Song A Week, Volume 7, and 21 more.
1. |
Kick Your Feet Up
04:00
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It’s a long way down to the edge of town
We should take our time let the clock unwind baby stick around
Did you ever feel like a dream was real
Never mind the facts baby don’t look back, let your heart be still
And kick your feet up
Yeah, kick your feet up, girl
Well, we don’t have much, but each other’s touch
So kick your feet up
When your hopes and mine maybe cross the line
Take a window seat, try to get some sleep if you’re so inclined
Just a few more miles to the sweet sunshine
We can rest our heads at the water’s edge, all we need is time
To kick your feet up, go ahead
Well kick your feet up, hey why not
Yeah, we’re sinking slow baby just let go
And kick your feet up
After everyone has left the platform
And it’s so quiet you can hear the planes
I’ll be waiting for you on the boardwalk
You know the wonder wheel doesn’t feel the same
Through the open doors to the vinyl floor
Past the empty seats to the one heartbeat you’ve been waiting for
Just an outside chance off a single glance
But the Stillwell lights on a summer night make me wanna’ dance
So kick your feet up and lose those shoes
Kick your feet up, show ‘em how it’s done
Baby don’t ask why just let me see those eyes
And kick your feet up
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2. |
Spittin' On Cars
05:00
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In the late 1980s I was kicking around
All the rocks on the sidewalk of a belt buckle town
On my freckled face rested what was left of dessert
In my pockets were nested two big fistfuls of dirt
Every Saturday morning life was made of cartoons
As each day began yawning it was us and the moon
Me and Benjamin’s daughter had the world on a string
Man her laugh was like water, made the mockingbirds sing
And we walked through the streets like an old pair of shoes
Full of comfort and scuff marks, no sign of the blues
We home cooked our mischief and handmade our fun
Every moment was magic, two crooks on the run
To this day my best memory of all those nights under the stars
Lord forgive me, was spittin’ on cars
I took Benjamin’s daughter to the crest of the hill
With a backpack of roses and a promise to fill
Her wild imagination way up over the top
With the colors of August and she promised to swap
Her sweet voice like a bluebird for a few knock knock jokes
From my socks to my sunburn man I felt every note
We both crouched on the concrete of the new overpass
Laughing down at the drivers as we aimed for the glass
And we walked through the streets like an old pair of shoes
Full of comfort and scuff marks, no sign of the blues
We home cooked our mischief and handmade our fun
Every moment was magic, two crooks on the run
To this day my best memory of all those nights under the stars
Lord forgive me, was spittin’ on cars
On a bright Tuesday morning in the month of July
Holy hell without warning broke the blueberry sky
Some rich bastard in Boston bought up Benjamin’s house
Sweet and bitter the raindrops swift and blunt on my brow
True to form did his daughter sail the sidewalk to shore
Through a blanket of water and she knocked on my door
Held my hand like an anchor and said the flood must be ours
She said, “God got jealous of us, dear, so he’s spitting on cars”
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3. |
The Seat Right Beside Me
04:29
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Everything I know tells me not to go
Not to walk away just as you wave to say thanks
It’s all that I can do to move my heavy shoes
Up to East 105 with my heart in my hands
And the words in the eyes of the girls and the guys
That I pass hoping each will be you
They say “run to her now, you fool, sing her the sound that you
Hear when she walks in the room”
Now the moon it is rising, the stars they are shining
And as slow as the autumn was winter’s unwinding
But now that it’s empty the uptown and I, we both
Make believe like you’re still riding in the seat right beside me
I still can’t believe all the things you see
With a glance you can make the room dance on a dime
As if you wrote the book and painted all the looks
On the 8 million faces all frozen in time
And it’s barely past midnight so I think I just might
Hold out for the end of the line
Because when we turn around to head right back downtown
Just the cars, the conductor and I
Watch the moon as it rises, the stars when they’re shining
And as we start moving the winter’s unwinding
But now that it’s empty the downtown and I, we both
Make believe like you’re still riding in the seat right beside me
Okay so it won’t all be flowers and sunshine
And sometimes we’ll hurt and we’ll laugh through the tears
But you’re pretty tough and I’m not bad myself
So I stand here before you saying Happy New Year
By now there’s a subway car headed to Queens
And my northbound just let out a sigh
Because even the train knows it just ain’t the same
And the tracks all lead back to one moment exact
When the moon it was rising, the stars they were shining
And to my surprise it was winter unwinding
But now that it’s empty the uptown and I, we both
Make believe like you’re still riding in the seat right beside me
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4. |
How Did I End Up Here
03:23
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The moon picked a fine place to hide out this evening
The cab seems to know that you're thinking of leaving
A change in the wind says get ready to wonder
If one can get over what you have been under
The hallway is leading your steps to the sidewalk
Where everyone knows when you're just making small talk
It's perfectly human to miss your old lover
But you know a phone call won't help you recover
How did I end up here
So keep walking east past the Chinese and Russians
A smile freaks the freaks out don't think that it doesn't
A slice and a coffee will help to remind you
What's rising before you sure beats what's behind you
There's only one way to find freedom and justice
Rip into the reins 'til the wheels are all busted
When what stands between you and that which you're chasing
Lies deep in the Hudson now ripe for replacing
How did I end up here
To open your heart is to take what you're getting
With two open hands for the future descending
You can't hold your breath for the rest of your days here
So let go of your lungs and get ready to stay here
Maybe they'll hire you to wait on the tables
Or dance for the children or scout for the labels
But for now get some sleep 'cuz tomorrow means business
And call your old lover and beg for forgiveness
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5. |
Can't Call You Baby
06:52
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God the radio here sucks tonight, pass the noodles I’m starving
It’s the second door on the right, don’t you want one more beer?
Peel ‘em all off and hit the light there’s no need to be graceful
Don’t you dare, oh but I just might; it’s a good thing I’m here
I can’t call you honey ‘cuz you ain’t all that sweet
I can’t call you kitten because you’re not that discreet
I can’t call you angel ‘cuz your wings are on fire
Guess I better just start calling or you’ll call me a liar
God your eyes are so dark, dear; black coffee and porcelain
Like the three silent leap years because we both ain’t too smart
Just in case you forget me dear, think of Texas but hotter
Oh I sure hope you’ll let me here make an X by your heart
I can’t call you cowgirl ‘cuz you took off your boots
I can’t call you siren because we’re both in cahoots
I can’t call you princess ‘cuz your crown’s on the floor
So the next time I call you come on back and get some more
Two pairs of shoes and a belt that don’t fit
Nice new tattoo but it don’t mean shit
Dust off the chains, untie the lace and hold back your hair
You can’t stop the seasons, the change in your face or the cold country air
I can’t call you darling ‘cuz that girl is dead
I can’t call you sweetheart because it fucks with my head
I can’t call you baby, ‘cuz you’re older than me
So the next time I call you what the hell should it be?
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6. |
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So if we get reborn, if there’s an afterlife
And if we get to pick before the time arrives
I’d go for something new, you know I’d change my tune
A little levity, a little brevity, I wanna’ be The Dude
What happens when we die? A lot of people say
At the T.O.D. the soul flies away
I wonder what’s the scoop, and do we get to choose
So how’s my karma, and what the hell is dharma, I wanna’ be The Dude
Clearly I was sleeping in philosophy class
When all the kids were talkin’ ‘bout Immanuel Kant
But every time Lebowski got a network broadcast
All four of my eyes were pressed right up to the glass
I bet Buscemi’s chill, and Goodman knows the deal
You know beyond the grave they’re gonna’ keep it real
We’re in a world of pain, so when this life is through
I’m singing the Eagles, and bowling with Jesus, I wanna’ be The Dude
I’m out of my element, so just for the hell of it
Reincarnate me as The Dude
How about a White Russian? Hey, end of discussion
In my next life I wanna’ be The Dude
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7. |
Trust In My Love
05:24
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I don’t wanna’ tell you I’m broken
You don’t need to say you are too
I won’t ever try to be the best man you know
But you can always trust in my love
I don’t wanna’ know where we’re going
We don’t need to talk about God
I won’t ever try to make you feel like you’re wrong
You can always trust in my love
Trust in my love and keep in rising off the ground
Fly ever higher and don’t ever look down
One sunny morning you’re gonna’ feel no pain
Until then you can trust in my love
There was a time I felt hopeless
And thought every day would be my last
We’ve come a long way and tomorrow ain’t easy
But you can always trust in my love
Trust in my love and keep in rising off the ground
Fly ever higher and don’t ever look down
One sunny morning you’re gonna’ feel no pain
Until then you can trust in my love
We may live to see our grandchildren grow
Or we could leave this world tonight
But every little moment I look into your eyes
I’m surrounded in the most beautiful light
I don’t wanna’ make you my anchor
I don’t need a reason to stay
And I won’t ever leave unless you ask me to go
But when I’m gone remember this
Trust in my love and keep in rising off the ground
Fly ever higher and don’t ever look down
One sunny morning you’re gonna’ feel no pain
Until then you can trust in my love
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8. |
Why Does It Rain
05:44
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It must be six months since when we first met
And I don’t like to admit it but it was better when I hid it
The love was great but it didn’t take too long
Before I wasn’t strong and it all went wrong
So I had a few to relax
And I went down by the tracks
To a darker place inside
But I was open wide, thinking
Why does it rain every time I touch you
Every time I think I found exactly what I need
Tell me why do I cry every night when I am without you
And loneliness is all that I can feel
But when the sun shines down and you’re still not around
The thing I miss the most I can’t explain
Baby, why does it rain
Well I drank myself to sleep every night for a week
When I didn’t hear from you, oh Lord I wanted to
And the whiskey spoke your name and it sang about the pain
Of wondering where you are and if you still care
Then I had a few to relax
And took a walk ‘cross the tracks
To a darker place inside
But I was open wide, saying
Why does it rain every time I touch you
Every time I think I found exactly what I need
Tell me why do I cry every night when I am without you
And loneliness is all that I can feel
But when the sun shines down and you’re still not around
The thing I miss the most I can’t explain
Baby, why does it rain
And it won’t stop raining
Your heart remaining
Between such self-defense and self-defeat
So you call your lover
And then you discover
A thousand little cracks in the concrete
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9. |
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I found Christmas in New York City
In a 4th floor walk up where everyone’s Chinese
On a Thursday afternoon walking back from East Broadway
With a coffee and a package under my left arm
I’m gonna’ quit staying up until it’s almost morning
And get back to getting moving when the sunlight breaks
But for now I gotta’ keep on with the same old same old
It’s not gonna’ get me rich but it’ll get me by
I got about 100 letters that I need to start sending
And twice that many phone calls just waiting on me
Guess I’ll get a move on as soon as I tell Amy
How it feels to come back home to 98 Clinton
Where a brand new guitar is just waiting in the hallway
And it’s signed by the man with the golden voice
Then as if that’s not enough there’s a card with a button
That you press and a cartoon Mexican dances and he sings
Feliz Navidad, I hope you’re happy and you’re healthy
Did you open up the socks? They should keep you warm and dry
Congratulations on your concerts and your drive across the country
North America’s your playground, better start treating it like a kid
Now the man who taught you everything, how to sing and how to feel
He drew this peacock and this dragon, here you can have a copy
So remember to keep smiling, someone’s watching over you
If this is Christmas, Santa sure knows how to light up this big city
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10. |
100 Days Of Stars
03:57
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Heartbreak don’t mean nothing when the sunlight hits the dash
All you need is courage now, and a little bit of cash
Let the only reason that you left it all behind
Be the best regret to keep tomorrow on your mind
All across the country there are boys and girls like you
On the verge of breaking but instead make something new
No one gets to steal the things you carry in your heart
Ease the clutch back slowly, let the trouble fall apart
And the highway isn’t lonely with an A.M. radio
And the daylight stays forever and you’re never all alone
And a child in New York City waves a watermelon smile
All the old mistakes seem silly, and you’re weightless for awhile
Try to taste the morning with the palette of Van Gogh
Reach behind your seat for that cassette of Counting Crows
Look at all the license plates and all the states they’re from
Each one is a painting of something you could become
New Orleans is forever, maybe Austin is as well
Sushi, coffee, cigarettes, we gave each other hell
Eleven years of silence and a hundred days of stars
Funny how Toronto waits for me and my guitar
Some of us see time as walking forward in a line
For me it’s all slow motion and right now it’s on rewind
To a place where something’s sacred and we both have what we need
For a better life by morning on the road alone and free
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James Tristan Redding Nashville, Tennessee
British-American songwriter, singer, audiobook narrator, studio player, Godin Guitars official
artist.
Founded global collective www.SongAWeek.org, performance art experience The Under Over: tinyurl.com/uoxuo (song circle underneath a highway) and writing retreat www.TheNashville24.com (annual challenge: write 24 songs in 24 hours).
Cuts by Sarah Harralson, Eli Alger, Emma Gale, David Easterling
... more
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